Department of Defense & Industry Daily News
Advertisement
Defense program acquisition news, budget data, market briefings
  • Contact
    Editorial
    Advertising
    Feedback & Support
    Subscriptions & Reports
  • Subscribe
    Paid Subscription
    in-depth program analysis & data sets
    Free Email Newsletter
    quick daily updates
    Google+ Twitter RSS
  • Log in
    Forgot your password?
    Not yet a subscriber? Find out what you have been missing.
Archives by category > United Arab Emirates (UAE) (RSS)

JDAM: A GPS-INS Add-on Adds Accuracy to Airstrikes

Jun 17, 2019 04:56 UTC DII

Latest updates[?]: The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Utah awarded Boeing a five-year-extension to an earlier contract for JDAM guided bomb tailkits, spares, repairs and technical services. This deal increases the contract ceiling by over $6.5 billion. The Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kit features a GPS-aided inertial navigational system that essentially converts “dumb” gravity bombs into accurate, guided “smart bombs“, improving their accuracy. Once released, the JDAM autonomously navigates to the designated coordinates. In April, Boeing won a $250 million, 10-year contract for Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kit services. The extension includes Foreign Military Sales funds. Work will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, and will be completed by February 28, 2025.

B-2 Dropping JDAM

B-2 drops JDAM

Precision bombing has been a significant military goal since the invention of the Norden bomb sight in the 1920s, but its application remained elusive. Over 30 years later, in Vietnam, the destruction of a single target could require 300 bombs, which meant sending an appropriate number of fighters or bombers into harm’s way to deliver them. Even the 1991 Desert Storm war with Iraq featured unguided munitions for the most part. The USAF some laser and TV-guided weapons like Paveway bombs and Maverick missiles, but they were very expensive, and only effective in good weather. If precision bombing was finally to become a reality throughout the Air Force, a new approach would be needed. The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) became that alternative, an engine of military transformation that was also a model of procurement transformation.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This DID FOCUS Article looks at the transformational history of the JDAM GPS-guided bomb program, the ongoing efforts to bring its capabilities up to and beyond the level of dual-mode guidance kits like Israel’s Spice and Raytheon’s Enhanced Paveway, and the contracts issued under the JDAM program since its inception.[updated]

Continue Reading… »

MALE Performance Enhancement: Piaggio’s P.1HH Hammerhead UAV

May 24, 2018 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace has announced that it will deliver its first P.1HH Hammerhead unmanned aircraft system this summer. The first units will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates, the company’s launch customer. The P.1HH Hammerhead is based on Piaggio’s sleek, Ferrari-approved P180 Avanti II business turboprop. Rapid deployment inside larger aircraft is engineered by adding a quickly detachable joint for the outer wings, and the high aspect ratio laminar wings have been stretched to a 50’10” wingspan. The Hammerhead was initially designed as a surveillance only UAV, but there is more than sufficient space for weapons if customers choose this option. The only key limitation to equipping the drone is its 500 kg payload maximum. Piaggio is already looking in to the development of its next UAS, designated P.2HH. The P.2HH will bring about increased capability by way of key design changes, namely a larger fuselage structure for increased internal volume and all-new, wider-spanning composite wings for increased endurance. Deliveries of the new system are scheduled for early-2020.

Piaggio P.1HH Hammerhead concept

Hammerhead concept

At present, the USA and Israel have strong global leads in the UAV field, especially in the area of plane-sized Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) class or larger machines. That lead is eroding quickly, however, as new countries and firms decide that UAVs offer a useful niche with manageable development costs.

Poor US policy is also helping to drive this trend, and the new P.1HH “Hammerhead” UAV is a classic example. Italy is likely to become the initial customer for this high-performance UAV, but the platform itself and the Italian firm that makes it have strong connections to the UAE…

Continue Reading… »

Hydra, Awakened: Guided Air-Ground Rockets

Sep 05, 2017 04:59 UTC DII

Latest updates[?]: * General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been awarded a $60 million US Army contract modification to an earlier 2014 award for additional Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket systems. The rockets will be for US combat aircraft and for customers of the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The unguided 2.75"/70mm Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket comes in a wide variety of warhead configurations and is used by a variety offixed-wing and rotary aircraft, including Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, F-16 Fighting Falcons and aircraft of other nations.
Advertisement

DAGR test: truck

Boom.

Sen. Leahy’s [D-VT] worked in the mid-2000s to keep the Hydra 70mm rocket family alive through special appropriations, just in time for the Hydras’ potential on the battlefield to rise again. The key was the addition of low-cost precision guidance, which would expand the number of precision weapons carried by helicopters, aircraft, and even UAVs.

Over the last few years, the US Army’s 2nd attempt at an APKWS 70mm guided rocket had a near-death experience, before righting the program with Navy funding. Meanwhile, private development efforts are introducing new competitors into the precision-guided rocket space: Lockheed Martin, Thales TDA, and a raft of international partnerships involving major defense firms and partners in Korea, the UAE, Canada/Norway, and Israel. This DID FOCUS article covers the most prominent competitors within the guided rocket trend. Their products will sit between full anti-armor missiles like Hellfire, TOW, and Brimstone, and an emerging class of ultra-small precision attack weapons like Northrop Grumman’s Viper Strike, Raytheon’s Griffin, etc.

Continue Reading… »

All Over Again: Egypt Looks Beyond the USA for New Arms

Apr 07, 2016 00:30 UTC

Latest updates[?]: It is expected that the governments of Egypt and France are to sign a deal in mid-April for the purchase of weapons that include fighter aircraft, navy vessels, and a military satellite communication system worth $1.1 billion. The deal is expected to be signed upon French President Francois Hollande's visit to the Egyptian capital Cairo on April 18. Rumors of what exactly will be sold include four new navy vessels from manufacturer DCNS, Two GOWIND corvettes, and a supply of military satellite equipment from Airbus and Finmeccanica group member Thales Alenia Space.
M1A1 High Gear

M1: 2011 Revolution

For most of the Cold War, Egypt’s military was a Soviet client. Every war with Israel was fought with weapons that were predominantly Russian. Russian pilots, air defense troops, and other specialists even fought in combat beside their Egyptian counterparts.

All that changed with the Camp David accords. Egypt slowly flipped, as the flood of American military aid dollars soon translated into a military whose high-end equipment was predominantly American.

Now, hostility from the current US administration after the Muslim Brotherhood was removed from power in Egypt is changing the relationship again. Egypt is looking beyond the USA for equipment, and the Russians are seizing an opportunity to begin bringing Egypt back into the fold. The Egyptian military’s stocks haven’t wholly been purged of Russian equipment, either, which adds plausibility to the idea. Is Egypt about to flip again? And who else is in the mix?

Continue Reading… »

UAE Orders AMV IFVs

Feb 03, 2016 00:19 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The UAE is to acquire more of the Finnish Patria AMVs 8x8 armored wheeled vehicles. With a first batch ordered by the Emirates in 2008, Patria will provide forty more of the AMVs in a contract worth $41 million with options to purchase a further fifty. Construction of the hulls has been outsourced to Polish partner Rosomak SA, and they will be fitted with additional armor and mine protection, along with remote weapon stations armed with 12.7 mm machine guns or 40 mm automatic grenade launchers. The Patria AMV has been used in Afghanistan, Chad and is also participating in ongoing Saudi-led operations in Yemen. UAE involvement in the country has included daily air strikes along with a ground presence that has included claims of having hired Colombian mercenaries to fight there.
AMV at IDEX

AMV at IDEX

Patria recently announced a deal with the United Arab Emirates to buy its Armored Modular Vehicle 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carriers. The Finnish vehicle offers a strong mix of features, and is the only vehicle of its class to submit to and pass the South African ARMSCOR’s mine resistance tests. Variants include an armored personnel carrier (APC), up-gunned infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), AMOS heavy mortar system, command post, workshop and battlefield ambulance. Defense Aerospace reports that all substantive information re: numbers, types, delivery dates, et. al. is being kept private at the customer’s request. Reports indicate that the UAE’s Bin Jabr Group will support the vehicle in-country, and that local production in the U.A.E. is being studied as a supplement to production in Finland.

Continue Reading… »

Rockets & Reach: UAE Doubles Down on HIMARS, ATACMS

Oct 02, 2014 17:03 UTC

Latest updates[?]: DSCA request for 2nd set of HIMARS systems, and rockets/ missiles.
M142 HIMARS

M142 HIMARS

In September 2006, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the United Arab Emirates official request High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (M142 HIMARS) as well as associated equipment that included GPS-guided missiles with a 300 km reach.

Subsequent years have seen that request fulfilled, and additional requests have been placed for rocket, missiles, and now a second set of HIMARS systems…

Continue Reading… »

The UAE’s Falcon Eye Satellites: Quis custodiet?

Jun 09, 2014 17:37 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Contract still hung up, UAE wants to renegotiate tech transfer.
Pleiades 1B satellite

Pleiades 1B

The United Arab Emirates’ AED 3.4 billion (EUR 703 million/ $925 million) “Falcon Eye” optical observation satellites are meant to provide a wholly new capability to their military by 2018, and represented the most advanced optics France had ever sold to another country. France’s CNES cites 0.7m / 2′ 4″ spatial resolution for the Pleiades Class at nadir, and a field of view of 20 km. EADS DS/ Astrium touts up to 100 km x 100 km in strip mapping mode.

The deal has had a rough road lately, and is currently hung up in re-negotiations…

Continue Reading… »

AMMROC to Maintain UAE’s Entire Air Fleet Under a PBL Contract

Nov 20, 2013 20:04 UTC

AMMROC

Performance-Based Logistics has become a way of life in Britain’s military, and has also been adopted for some programs in the USA, Canada, France, and other countries. Now, a $5.8 billion contract will add the UAE to that list, and support every aircraft and helicopter in the UAE’s armed forces: Air Force, Army, Navy, Special forces, and the Presidential Guard.

Continue Reading… »

UAE Upgrading Its Air Defenses With GM200 Radars

Jul 24, 2013 17:28 UTC

Ground Master 200

GM200 radar

In July 2013, reports announced that the United Arab Emirates had just bought 17 mobile Ground Master 200 medium range radars. The GM200 is a useful air defense radar, but all radars of this type are most useful as part of a larger network. Fortunately, the UAE has been making steady investments in that kind of network, and so the new radars will be plugging into an existing framework, rather than acting as a core to build around.

Continue Reading… »

UAE Looking to Become a Regional C2 Leader

Feb 26, 2013 15:51 UTC

Latest updates[?]: We talk to Lockheed Martin about DIAMONDShield.
RTAF Saab S340-AEW

Saab S340-AEW

The 21st century has seen a quiet transformation of the UAE’s armed forces. Advanced AWACS airborne early warning planes and air and missile defense systems are just the outward signs of a push from a collection of purchased weapon systems, to an integrated defense force that can cope with the most modern threats.

Making that happen requires more than just planes, or missiles. It requires extensive back-end systems that help turn information from advanced radars and airborne surveillance into a coherent whole, and allow command staff to direct battles based on that information. DID explains the larger picture and where things stand now, as the UAE continues its strong Command, Control, Computing, & Communications (C4) push.

Continue Reading… »
« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »
Advertisement
Archives
  • MIL
  • BIZ
  • GEO
  • DAY

Aircraft

Air Reconnaissance
Blimps & LTA Craft
Engines - Aircraft
Equipment - Other
Fighters & Attack
Heavy Bombers
Helicopters & Rotary
Protective Systems - Aircraft
Specialty Aircraft
Transport & Utility
UAVs

Electronics & IT

Avionics
ECM
Electronics - General
Eng. Control Systems
IT - Cyber-Security
IT - General
IT - Networks & Bandwidth
IT - Software & Integration
Radars
Sensors & Guidance
Signals Radio & Wireless
Simulation & Training

Land Equipment

Engineering Vehicles
Engines
Other Equipment - Land
Robots
Soldier's Gear
Tanks & Mechanized
Trucks & Transport

Logistics & Support

Asstd. Support Equipment
Bases & Infrastructure
C4ISR
Chemicals & HAZMAT
Clothing
Engineer Units
Environmental
Financial & Accounting
Food-related
Fuel & Power
Intelligence & PsyOps
Logistics
Marketing & Advertising
Medical
MPs & Justice
Power Projection
Public Relations
Signals Intercept, Cryptography, etc.
Support & Maintenance
Support Functions - Other
Testing & Evaluation

Military Overall

Expeditionary Warfare
Force Structure
Forces - Air
Forces - Land
Forces - Marines
Forces - Naval
Forces - Space
Forces - Special Ops
Forces - Strategic
Interoperability
Leadership & People
Memoriam
Policy - Doctrine
Policy - Personnel
Policy - Procurement
Security & Secrecy
Training & Exercises
Transformation
Warfare - Lessons
Warfare - Trends

Naval Equipment

Coastal & Littoral
Engines & Propulsion - Naval
Protective Systems - Naval
Sensors - Aquatic
Submarines
Surface Ships - Combat
Surface Ships - Other
UUVs & USVs

Ordnance & Guns

ABM
Ammunition
Bombs - Cluster
Bombs - General
Bombs - Smart
Explosives
Grenades
Guns - 20-59 mm direct
Guns - 60+ mm direct
Guns - Artillery & Mortars
Guns - Naval
Guns - Personal Weapons
Guns - under 20mm direct
Laser & EM Weapons
Mines & Countermine-IED
Missiles - Air-Air
Missiles - Anti-Armor
Missiles - Anti-Ship
Missiles - Ballistic
Missiles - Precision Attack
Missiles - Surface-Air
Non-Lethal Weapons
Other Weapons
Remote Weapons Systems
Rockets
Shells & Mortar Rounds
Underwater Weapons

Space

GPS Infrastructure
Launch Facilities
Launch Vehicles
Satellites & Sensors
Space Warfare

WMD

Biological Weapons
Chemical Weapons
Nuclear Weapons
WMD Defenses
WMD Detection
WMD Proliferation

Corporation

Airbus
ATK
BAE
Boeing
Consulting Firms
DCNS
Elbit Systems
Finmeccanica
GE
General Atomics
General Dynamics
HAL
Honeywell
IAI
L3 Communications
Lockheed Martin
MBDA
Navistar
Northrop-Grumman
Oshkosh
Other Corporation
RAFAEL
Raytheon
Rolls Royce
Rosoboronexport
Security Contractor
Small Business
T&C - Big 5 Firms
T&C - Booz Allen
T&C - CSC
T&C - EDS
T&C - IBM
T&C - Microsoft
T&C - RAND Corp.
T&C - SAIC
T&C - SRI
Textron
Thales
United Technologies
University-related

DID site

Daily Rapid Fire
Early Edition
FOCUS Articles
Guest Articles
Sharpen yourself
Spotlight articles

Industry

Conferences & Events
Contracts - Awards
Contracts - Intent
Contracts - Modifications
Corporate Financials
Delivery & Task Orders
Industry & Trends
Mergers & Acquisitions
Partnerships & Consortia
People
Pre-RFP
Projections & Assessments
RFPs
Rumours

Innovation

After-Action Reviews
Corporate Innovations
DARPA
Design Innovations
Field Innovations
Logistics Innovations
Materials Innovations
New Systems Tech
Procurement Innovations
R&D - Contracted
R&D - Private
Science - Basic Research

News

Events
Field Reports

Politics

Alliances
Budgets
Domestic Security
Issues - Environmental
Issues - International
Issues - Political
Legal
Lobbying
Official Reports
Public Partnering
Scandals & Investigations
Think Tanks

Projects

Project Failures
Project Management
Project Methodologies
Project Successes

Americas

Americas - Other
Brazil
Canada
USA

Asia

Asia - Central
Asia - Other
Australia & S. Pacific
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Singapore
South Korea

Europe

Britain/U.K.
Europe - Other
European Union (EU)
France
Germany
Russia

Middle East & Africa

Africa - Other
Iraq
Israel
Middle East - Other
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Other Geo

Oceans - International
Outer Space
Polar Regions

2023

January
February
March

2022

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2021

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2020

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2019

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2018

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2017

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2016

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2015

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2014

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2013

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2012

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2011

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2010

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2009

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2008

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2007

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2006

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2005

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
White Papers & Events
Advertisement
Advertisement

© 2004-2023 Defense Industry Daily, LLC | About Us | Images on this site | Privacy Policy

Contact us: Editorial | Advertising | Feedback & Support | Subscriptions & Reports

Follow us: Twitter | Google+

Stay Up-to-Date on Defense Programs Developments with Free Newsletter

DID's daily email newsletter keeps you abreast of contract developments, pictures, and data, put in the context of their underlying political, business, and technical drivers.