Americas
The State Department has approved Canada’s request to gain access to the Mobile User Objective System service and procure associated logistics and program support services from the US government under a potential $138 million foreign military sales agreement. General Dynamics will serve as the principal contractor in the proposed FMS deal, which covers the provision of tactical narrowband satellite communications for Canada’s armed forces through the MUOS service, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday.
The US Army has canceled its Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) program following a failed prototyping effort last year. Launched in 2018, the ERCA initiative involved mounting a 30-foot, 58-caliber gun tube to the Paladin M109 self-propelled howitzer to launch 155-millimeter rounds. It aimed to provide a long-range capability, with a projected operational range of 70 kilometers.
Middle East & Africa
A ship loaded with 200 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza left from Cyprus’s Larnaca port on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the NGO operating the vessel said. “They have left,” Laura Lanuza from Spanish charity Open Arms told AFP. The tow boat and barge embarked on the journey at around 0650 GMT, the first such shipment along a maritime corridor from Cyprus aimed at carrying aid to desperate Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Europe
The US State Department has approved a Foreign Military Sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) to North Macedonia for $111 million. Skopje will acquire 18 additional Heavy Gun Carriers and seven General Purpose vehicles on top of an earlier $79-million agreement for 71 JLTVs. Various logistical elements and program support will be covered under the sale.
Swedish fighter jets marked an important moment in their integration with NATO on March 11. Following Sweden’s official accession to the alliance on March 7, Swedish Air Force Gripen multirole fighters participated in their first visual identification (VID) mission as part of the NATO Air Policing mission over the Baltic Sea region. This mission involved Swedish Gripens flying alongside German and Belgian fighter jets. Demonstrating their operational readiness, the Swedish jets were scrambled twice on March 11th to identify and intercept approaching Russian military aircraft.
Asia-Pacific
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Korea of Engines and Sustainment for MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $350 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale. The Republic of Korea (ROK) has requested to buy six (6) T-700 GE 401C or 401D engines. Also included are spare engine containers; spare and repair parts; ferry support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $350 million. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region. The US State Department has approved another possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to South Korea of subsonic sea-skimming aerial targets (SSATs) and related elements of logistics and programme support, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 7 March 2024. The sale, which is worth an estimated $170.6 million, has been passed to the US Congress for final approval. South Korea has requested to buy five BQM-177A SSATs for its KDX-III Batch II Aegis-class destroyers. Also included are GQM-163 target drones; classified books and other publications (technical and non-technical); test support; technical documentation; personnel training; US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
