Rapid Fire 2011-02-22: Military Vehicle Electronics

• Will Middle East unrest prompt governments to boost defense spending? Or kill/ delay existing arms deals, as has already happened in Iraq?

• Meanwhile, Japan is considering its acquisition path for new fighters. The F-2 program didn’t go quite as hoped, but Japan is still looking at a collaborative F-X project to field an advanced fighter, and possibly an engine project as well.

• Well, this is clever. Sentient, whose Kestrel MTI software helps Australian Heron and ScanEagle operators detect small moving targets, has developed an add-on that’s especially good at finding lifejackets in the ocean. A task that’s much harder than you’d think…

• Raytheon gets $42.8 million contract to train Afghan air force pilots in an undisclosed Arab Gulf country. UAE is a good bet.

• Ukraine is investing UAH 3.5 billion ($440 million) to build the Sapsan multiple-rocket launch system with a range of up to 280 kilometers (174 miles) that is expected to enter service in 2015.

• MBDA has an initial customer for their drop-in MPCV, which uses the Mistral short-range air defense missile, and for the accompanying IMCP/PCP local air defense command system.

• Navy’s free-electron laser reaches key developmental milestone ahead of schedule.

• Military vehicle electronics market increasingly opts for COTS-based technologies, says Frost & Sullivan.

• Also, BAE completes purchase of L-1’s intelligence services business for $297 million – part of a larger deal for France’s Safran to acquire L-1 Identity Solutions.