Americas
* Boeing has responded to the Canadian government’s decision to buy second-hand F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft from Australia instead of new from the manufacturer for its Canadian Interim Fighter Capability Project. A media statement from the company said it respected Ottawa’s decision and applauded the government’s “continued use of a two engine fighter solution, which is a critical part of their northern Arctic border defense, NORAD cooperation, and coast to coast to coast security.” It added that it “will continue to look to find productive ways to work together (with Canada) in the future.”
* A USAF contract awarded Thursday will task Boeing with upgrading the cockpits of the service’s E-3 Sentry aircraft. Valued at $46.3 million, the agreement is part of the DRAGON program, a joint effort between Washington and its NATO partners to upgrade the cockpits of Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, which is utilised as an airborne early warning and control platform capable of operating in all types of weather. Work on the contract will be performedin Oklahoma City, Okla., and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Procurement funds from fiscal 2017 monies will be payed to Boeing at the time of award, amounting to more than $4 million.
* Bell-Boeing will acquire for the the US Navy, additional long-lead material and associated efforts required for the production and delivery of seven V-22 Lot 23 tilt-rotor aircraft. Awarded under a $19.6 million firm-fixed-price contract, work will run until December 2018 at several US locations. US Navy aircraft procurement funds from fiscal year 2018 for the full value of the contract have been obligated at the time of award and do not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Middle East & Africa
* BAE Systems and Qatar finalized Sunday a $6.7 billion deal to deliver 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets to the Gulf nation. Delivery is expected in late 2022 and the contract is subject “to financing conditions and receipt by the company of first payment” that is “expected to be fulfilled no later than mid-2018”. The deal was signed during a ceremony in Doha under the auspices of the UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah. Williamson hailed the sale as a “massive vote of confidence, supporting thousands of British jobs and injecting billions into our economy”.
* Coinciding with its 30th anniversary in the country, Raytheon announced the formation of a new subsidiary in the UAE that will focus on cybersecurity, effectors, air defense and sustainment, and advanced technology. Known as Raytheon Emirates, the venture will be based in Abu Dhabi and headed by John Brauneis, who had previously acted as vice-president of supply chain management at the firm. “We are focused on expanding the capabilities of Raytheon and its business partners in the UAE by emphasizing local hiring and talent development, cultivating a strong supplier base, and developing new technology solutions,” Brauneis said.
Europe
* The Hungarian Armed Forces has announced plans to acquire new transport planes that will replace its ageing fleet of Antonov An-26 as part of the country’s Zrinyi 2026 military development program. Initially, three new aircraft will be ordered in the spring on 2018, with plans to add another three at a later date, although no details were given on how much was being made available for the purchases. Potential suitors could be Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Spartan—now in use with neighbouring Slovakia—or the Airbus C-295.
Asia-Pacific
* Following five years of regeneration work at Hill AFB, Utah, the USAF has delivered the final six F-16C/D Block 25 fighter aircraft to Indonesia. Engineers at Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex modernized a total of 19 F-16Cs and 5 F-16Ds to the Block 50/52 standard for Jakarta, which included new avionics, engines, landing gear, and other components. Formerly flown by USAF and Air National Guard units, the jets were transferred under a 2011 Obama administration bilateral agreement called Peace Bhima Sena II, which saw the fighters given to the Indonesian Air Force under an Excess Defense Article (EDA) transfer, with the upgrades costing Indonesia approximately $750 million. The jets will depart on a five-day transoceanic flight and will require mid-air refueling and two overnight stops before arriving in Indonesia.
* The Japanese Defense Ministry has officially requested additional funding in the Fiscal 2018 budget for the purchase of long-range cruise missiles. Requested in two parts, the first seeks $19 million to buy Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile (JSM), while the second portion—costing just over 250k—will fund research into the integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missile and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on its of F-15, and possibly F-2, aircraft. Speaking on the decision, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the new missiles will “allow its forces “to respond to enemy fleets or landing forces” from a safe distance. Until now, Japan’s missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km Critics have claimed that this new capability to strike targets within Chinese or North Korean territory goes against its pacifist constitution, however, the government’s position is that, although the capability to attack enemy bases is allowed under the Constitution, Japan has made it a policy decision to not possess that capability in light of the nation’s exclusively defense-oriented policy. “[The introduction of the new types of missiles] would not run counter to the exclusively defense-oriented policy,” Onodera said.
Today’s Video
* US-Mexico border wall prototypes prior to testing:
