Americas
The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $77.8 million contract modification for production of the Navy’s AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Undersea Warfare System (UWS). The undersea warfare combat system can search, detect, classify, localize, and track undersea contacts, as well as engage and evade submarine, mine-like objects and torpedo threats. It presents an integrated picture of the tactical situation receiving, combining and processing active as well as passive sensor data. The system is integrated with AEGIS combat system. In July 2018, Lockheed received a $25.4 million contract modification for the system. The current contract is for development, integration and production of future advanced capability build and technical insertion baselines of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 USW systems. Work will mainly be conducted in Pennsylvania and Florida, and is expected to be completed by May 2021.
The US Army Contracting Command contracted Talbert Manufacturing Inc. $360.2 million to deliver a batch of M872A4 semitrailers. The M872A4 Semi-trailer is a dual purpose, break bulk/container transporter, 34-ton capacity, with a flatbed. Its’ mission is line and local haul of break bulk cargo, inter-modal cargo containers, as well as shelters. The company is 80 years old and produces a wide variety of trailers for moving goods by truck, including for hauling building materials, pipes, hazardous materials and nuclear materials for commercial, military, government, aerospace and energy end users. Its custom trailers include 13 axle trailers, gooseneck trailers, east/west coast spread axle trailers, lowboy trailers, dual capacity trailers and hydraulic tail trailers. They are sold at dealerships US-wide. Work locations under this contract will be determined with each order and is scheduled to be completed by January 16, 2024.
The Navy tapped Bell Helicopter Textron with a $439.6 million contract modification for production and delivery of 25 Lot 16 AH-IZ aircraft and 25 stores control units. The AH-1Z is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the Bell AH-1W SuperCobra. It features a four-blade rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target-sighting system. It has upgraded avionics, weapons, and electro-optical sensors designed to find targets at long ranges and attack them with precision weapons. The Marine Corps H-1 upgrades program is building new helicopters as well as rebuilding AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH-1N Twin Huey utility helicopters, with state-of-the-art designs. The goal of the program is to upgrade AH-1Ws to AH-1Zs, and UH-1Ns to UH-1Ys. Work will be performed in Texas and is expected to be finished by January 2022.
The Defense Logistics Agency awarded the Bell Boeing Joint Program Office $143.9 million for V-22 support. The contract includes performance-based logistics and engineering support for the V-22 platform. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is multi-mission, tiltrotor aircraft that has vertical takeoff and landings well as short takeoff and landing capabilities. In July 2018, Bell Boeing received a $4 billion contract that included the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the Navy, 14 MV-22B aircraft for the Marine Corps, and one CV-22B for the Air Force. Under this performance-based logistics contract, Bell Boeing focuses on improving aircraft maintainability and mission readiness for the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps V-22 fleets. The team’s responsibilities are site activation, maintenance planning, training and trainer support, support equipment, and dedicated field personnel for all V-22 squadrons around the globe. Performance completion date is November 30, 2019.
Middle East & Africa
The MBDA Missile Systems’ medium-range missile was successfully deployed in Mali by the French Army for the first time. MBDA is a european developer and manufacturer of missiles. Its medium-range missile, called Missile Doyenne Portée is a man-portable anti-tank guided missile intended as a replacement for the MILAN. The Picardy Battle Group used the missile for the first time in a combat environment in December. A six-person crew delivered the system by armored car, then installed it at the top of a ridge in southeastern Mali’s three-border region and successfully fired it. MBDA successfully tested the Naval version of the Missile in Djibouti in November.
Europe
The French Defense Procurement Agency awarded Thales to contribute to the development of the Rafale F4 standard, enabling the Rafale combat aircraft to maintain its superiority against new threats. Rafale’s role includes reconnaissance, air defense and precision strikes during a single mission. The aircraft is central to France’s airborne nuclear deterrence, a crucial component of France’s National Security policy. Under the Rafale F4 standard development program, Thales engineers and technicians are to enhance the aircraft’s onboard sensors and improve connectivity to offer a broader range of capabilities and new operational functions. The enhancements will allow aircrews to better assess tactical situations as well as handle larger volumes of information in real time.
Asia-Pacific
China may be developing the first two-seat version of its J-20 stealth combat aircraft, according to a January 2019 report. It is set to fulfill roles as a tactical bomber, electronic warfare, or a carrier strike aircraft. If the report is accurate, the Chinese Air Force could become the first air arm in the world to deploy a radar-evading fighter-bomber whose main mission is long-range ground-attack. Other stealth fighter types, including the U.S. military’s F-22 and F-35, the Russian air force’s Su-57 and the PLAAF’s J-20 and J-31 either primarily are air-to-air fighters or combine air-combat capability with the ability to strike ground targets.
Singapore wants to acquire Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) as a replacement for the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) F-16C/D multirole combat aircraft. This is the outcome of a a technical evaluation by the RSAF and the Defense Science and Technology Agency which lasted more than five years. The RSAF is believed to operate about 20 F-16C and 40 F-16D Block 52/52+ aircraft, which were acquired in the 1990s and believed to be optimized with Israeli-built electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems. The Ministry of Defense is now going to discuss further details for the replacement with relevant parties in the US before confirming the decision to purchase the F-35 JSFs.
Today’s Video
Watch: Here’s How an F-22 Raptor Flew under the Iranian Fighter Jet and Told Him to go Home
