Colombia Finalizes Deal for Super Tucano COIN Aircraft

Colombian EMB-314

On June 17, 2005, DID noted that Embraer had presented the only bid for a $234.5 million contract to sell 22 light combat/ counter-insurgency aircraft to Colombia. There was some question whether the long-delayed purchase would go ahead, but Embraer recently announced a $235 million contract with the Government of Colombia for the sale of 25 Super Tucano light attack & counter-insurgency aircraft. This contract includes a comprehensive logistics and systems training package, with a full flight simulator.

Although the AT-27/ EMB 312 Tucano is in service with 10 air forces, this marks the first sale of the upgraded Super Tucano/ALX variant beyond Brazil’s 99-plane order. The Colombian Air Force (FAC) currently operates 14 armed Tucano training aircraft that were purchased in the 1990s, and the EMB-314 Super Tucano will also serve with the Fuerza Aerea Colombiana in internal security and border patrol missions.

UPDATES…

$96.5M to Refine USA’s Main Airborne Maritime Surveillance Radar

P-3C Orion

Raytheon Co. in McKinney, TX received a $96.5 million ceiling-priced modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-05-D-0003). This modification continues the refinement of the AN/APS-137D(V)5 maritime radar system, by exercising an option for the development, testing, and incorporation of enhanced precision targeting.

So, what does this radar do, and why is it so important?

ManTech Wins F-35 JSF Security Contract

F-35 JSF Variants

ManTech International Corporation has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide security services to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The competitively awarded contract is for one year with four option years, and has a total potential value to ManTech of $27.5 million.

ManTech will provide a full dimension of integrated security support services to the JSF program, including physical security, information security, anti-tamper, technology assessment, certification and accreditation, foreign disclosure and systems security engineering. ManTech professionals produce vulnerability assessments and help define a risk management process. That process must consider many factors, such as the need for access to highly classified materials balanced against the risk of inadvertent disclosure or the compromise of critical technologies. ManTech has been supporting this program since 2001. See corporate release.