Latest updates[?]: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on the potential Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates of 10 CH-47F helicopters. The estimate cost for the package is $830.3 million. This request represents the 10th Foreign Military Sales request from the UAE since the start of fiscal 2017, for a total approximate worth of $10.5 billion. It is also the first Foreign Military Financing request cleared by the DSCA since the Trump administration declared a regional emergency in order to get several weapons packages pushed through Congress despite opposition on Capitol Hill, leading to bipartisan criticism of the move. The UAE bought its first lot of CH-47Fs, 16 aircraft for estimated total of $2 billion, in 2009.

Latest updates[?]: The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman a $32.5 million contract modification, which exercises the option for five aerial refueling retrofit kits, installations and technical data in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The aircraft is the the latest version of the Hawkeye and features an entirely new avionics suite including the new AN/APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight management system, improved T56-A-427A engines and a glass cockpit. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft with aerial refueling capability has joined the US Navy’s fleet at Naval Station Norfolk in September. In April this year, the US Navy awarded a contract modification worth $3.2 billion to Northrop Grumman to deliver 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft. Work will take place in Florida, New York, California, Maryland as well as England and other locations. Estimated completion will be in March 2021.

Latest updates[?]: Finland has issued a call for revised tenders for its F/A-18 replacement contest, local media reports. All five contenders were reportedly given the documents on October 31. They have until January 31 next year to submit their response. The calls for tenders allows those companies to revise their bids to the comply with what was negotiated with Finland during the initial bids. The fighter jets under consideration in the so-called HX Fighter Program are Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 and Saab Gripen. The goal of the project is to replace the aging fighter jet fleet with up to 64 multi-role fighter jets that meet the requirements of the operating environment.

Latest updates[?]: Raytheon Missile Systems won a sole source, cost only contract modification to increase the CLIN 0014 undefinitized contract action not-to-exceed value by $267.2 million from $387.2 billion to $654.4 billion. Under the modification the "pacing items only" restriction is removed and the contractor is now authorized to work the full, unchanged, effort to manufacture, assemble, test and deliver 20 Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missiles and related efforts, and four missiles under Foreign Military Sales case JA-P-ATB to Japan. SM-3 Block IIA is a weapon system, the US Navy uses to target short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a key part of the European missile defense system. It has a larger kinetic warhead and rocket motors built to home in on ballistic missile threats.

Latest updates[?]: Boeing won a $17.6 million modification, which exercises an option to perform 27 modifications in support of the Increment 3 Block I retrofit requirement for P-8A aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. The Increment 3 focuses on network ready open architecture and net-enabled weapons. The program consists in the integration of the Harpoon Block II+ anti-ship missile and Link 16 datalink, targeting improvements, and various communications upgrades. The P-8A already in service with the US Navy will all be retrofitted to the Increment 3 standard. The P8-A is expected to have a completely upgraded software by 2022, in time to become fully operational in 2023. Boeing will perform work in Washington, Australia and Arizona and estimated completion will be in September, 2021.

Latest updates[?]: Raytheon won a $17.9 million order that procures Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared special test equipment updates to the Windows 10 operating system in support of the F/A-18E/F Super Horner aircraft. The Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared is a multi-sensor, electro-optical targeting pod incorporating thermographic camera, low-light television camera, target laser rangefinder/laser designator, and laser sport tracker developed and manufactured by Raytheon. It is now in full-rate production, fully integrated and flight tested on all F/A-18 models. Word under the new deal will take place in McKinney, Texas and estimated completion will be in February 2022.

Latest updates[?]: Lockheed Martin announced that the AEHF-5 protected communication satellite is now in transfer orbit. The launch on August 8 was successful and the AEHF-5 is now responding to the US Air Force's 4th Space Operations Squadron’s commands. According to Lockheed, the squadron began "flying" the satellite shortly after it separated from its United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 rocket approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes after the rocket's successful 6:13 am ET liftoff. The Advanced Extremely High Frequency 5 or AEHF-5 satellite is the fifth addition to the Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation. The satellites are built by Lockheed Martin and are used to relay secure communications for the Armed Forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. The first AEHF satellite was launched in 2006 and the most recent, the AEHF-4 in October 2018. The sixth and final AEHF satellite is expected to launch later this year.

Latest updates[?]: The US Navy contracted Data Link Solutions with a $75 million modification for the Block Upgrade II retrofit of Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) low volume terminals (LVTs). The MIDS LVT is a low-cost fighter terminal with flexible, open-architecture designs. It provides the critical airborne, ground, and maritime link that allows for simultaneous coordination of forces and situational awareness in battlefield operations. The MIDS program was inaugurated via a Memorandum of Understanding amongst the founding MIDS nations, namely Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the United States. The terminals provide secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for Navy, Air Force and Army platforms, and for Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will take place in Wayne, New Jersey and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Estimated completion date is in December 2026.

Latest updates[?]: Flight Global reports, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has not received any confirmation that it has won an order to supply the FA-50 to Argentina. A person familiar with the requirement says that no confirmation has been received, and that the deal, if concluded, would cover eight aircraft. KAI says the contract covers the installation of fire-control radar, radar warning receivers and defensive countermeasures. A few days ago, several media reported that Argentina had chosen the FA-50 to purchase as a light fighter. The aircraft is a light combat version of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft. Should the FA-50 win the deal, it would mark the type's first sale in the Western Hemisphere, the Flight Global article states.

Latest updates[?]: Insitu won $390.4 million to supply Blackjack drones for the US Marine Corps US Navy, as well as Blackjacks and smaller ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles, for three foreign allies. The contract provides for up to 63 RQ-21A Blackjack attrition air vehicles plus six RQ-21A Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and up to 17 RQ-21A air vehicles for FMS customers, including Canada, Poland and Oman. The contractor will also provide up to 93 ScanEagle UASs in various configurations. Insitu developed the RQ-21A Blackjack program together with the Navy in order of filling the requirement for small tactical drones capable of operating from land and sea. With a flight endurance of up to 16 hours and an altitude ceiling of 19,500ft, RQ-21A can carry loads up to 39 pounds. The runway-independent system can be used to support tactical missions on land and at sea. The Marine Corps’ RQ-21A Blackjack UAS achieved initial operational capability in 2016. Under the new contract, Insitu provides for associated services, including training, test and engineering, development of engineering change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations, hardware installs, repairs and data. Work will take place in Bingen, Washington as well as other locations inside and outside the continental US. Scheduled completion date is in June 2022.