Americas
Boeing won a $999 million ceiling contract for A-10 wing replacements. The deal is for up to 112 new A-10 wing assemblies and up to 15 wing kits. Boeing is teaming up with Korean Aerospace Industries for the effort. The news comes after the recent completion of Boeing’s first re-winging contract, awarded to the aerospace company in 2007. Only 109 A-10s still need to be re-winged. The planes, which entered service in 1976 and have deployed to the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, have played an outsized role in the air campaign that began in 2014 against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, helping provide close-air support for Iraqi and US partner forces on the ground. Also dubbed the “Warthog” for its aggressive look and often painted with teeth on the nose cone, the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the US Air Force’s primary low-altitude close air support aircraft. Boeing will perform work under the nearly $1 billion contract at multiple subcontractor locations in the US and South Korea. Estimated completion date is August 23, 2030.
The Navy tapped General Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical System with a $20.8 million contract modification that provides for the procurement of 66 M61A2 20 MM Gun Systems in support of F/A-18E/F aircraft production for the US Navy as well as the government of Kuwait. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is an updated and enlarged variant of the original F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet, using an enlarged airframe, new engines, and updated avionics and weapons systems. It is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The M61A1 and M61A2 Gatlin guns are externally powered six-barrel 20mm Gatling gun systems that offer lightweight combat support for a variety of air, land and sea platforms. For the production modification General Dynamics will perform work in various locations in the US and Canada. Work is expected to be finished in March 2023.
Middle East & Africa
Russia and the US agree that Israel can strike Iranian targets in Iraq, Israeli Defense reports. Israel has struck Iranian targets in Iraq at least three times over the past few weeks after Russia and the United States gave the green light. Citing Western diplomatic sources, Saudi-owned and London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that Israel attacked military positions and arms depots of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq after receiving a green light from Washington and Moscow. Moscow and Washington agreed that the Jewish state could conduct these attacks on Iranian targets in order to “ensure Israel’s security,” the source told the London-based newspaper. As part of the reported agreement, Israel would not publicly acknowledge carrying out the strikes.
Europe
Sonalysts won a $9.5 million contract to the German Navy for maintenance of the Dangerous Waters Naval Simulator to meet its simulation and training requirements, including proper levels of integration and interoperability. According to the company the Dangerous Waters Simulator allows total control over multiple air, surface, and submarine platforms in a modern-day naval environment. The SCS – Dangerous Waters allows the player to take control of over 10 of the world’s most potent naval units out of a total of more than 270 civilian and military surface, submarine, and air units included in the game. The awarded contract includes purchases to the Federal Republic of Germany under the FMS program. Work will take place in Germany and the US. Estimated completion date is in August 2023.
Asia-Pacific
The Guardian reports that Australia will become the third country to join the United States in patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to dispatch troops and a P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft will be in the region for one month before the end of the year. The contribution to the United States-led mission in the Strait of Hormuz is aimed at protecting freedom of navigation in the Gulf region. The United Kingdom and Bahrain are the only other countries to join the US in the Strait of Hormuz. Australia’s P-8A Poseidon has advanced sensors and mission systems, including a state-of-the-art multi-role radar, high definition cameras, and an acoustic system with four times the processing capacity of the AP-3C Orions.
According to Jane’s, Taiwan’s showcased its Cloud Leopard II M2 prototype last week. The prototype of the next-generation 8×8 Cloud Leopard II armored vehicle was showcased at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition. The M2 prototype is the second of two Cloud Leopard II development testbeds built by the 209th Arsenal at the MND Armament Bureau’s Materiel Production Center in partnership with the Hsinchu-based Industrial Technology Research Institute. A major modification carried over from the M1 prototype is a new hydropneumatic suspension system, which replaces the double wishbone suspension of the current Cloud Leopard APCs. The Cloud Leopard II can be used as an armored personnel carrier, infantry fighting vehicle, fire support vehicle, command and control vehicle and ambulance.
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