Global Fleet Sales, Inc. is a member of the RM Asia Group of Companies, and has a long history of working in “difficult market situations” to produce modified and baseline Ford vehicles for companies and organizations involved in Humanitarian, Aid, Relief and Development Projects, and Police services around the world. The firm has been tapped for a number of US government contracts beginning in 2005, such as one for Afghan Police vehicles. GFS maintains all of the vehicles used by the Afghan National Army, with maintenance facilities in Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and Gardez; its parent firm RM Asia has a full country office in Afghanistan.
Recent awards fall under a 3 year firm-fixed-price contract with the US military to provide modified vehicles for customers like the Afghan and Iraqi police, and for other foreign military sales customers who might choose to order under the set contract terms and advantageous prices the US military has negotiated.
As a British Government Minister declares that offensive cyber warfare is an integral part of the UK’s armory, the Ministry of Defence outline their new Materiel Strategy.
Cassidian win contract to provide the Canadian Navy new technologies to detect and counter laser-based threats against its vessels.
The U.S. Navy also approves ATK’s Hostile Fire Indication (HFI) capability upgrade for the AAR-47 Missile Warning System.
Singapore’s ST Engineering announce the formation of a joint venture (JV) company with Nanyang Technological University and DSO National Laboratories. The JV will design, develop and produce advanced earth observation satellites.
India’s Mahindra and Mahindra report a 6.4% year-on-year rise in fourth quarter net profit.
The Indian Navy receive an additional five MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters. The deal forms part of $1.5 billion contract signed by Russia and India for the retrofitting and delivery of the Admiral Gorshkov carrier.
Azerbaijan to purchase its first communications satellite. The $120 million AzerSat will be funded by the United States and built by Orbital Sciences Corp. Launch is planned for 2012.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister indicates that the country may team up with Turkey, Romania and Croatia to jointly-purchase modern jet fighters. Boyko Borisov also confirmed that Bulgaria will allocate 300 million leva ($221 million) to the defense budget. This is a significant increase on last year’s budget allocation.
According to the Financial Times [registration required], the UK Serious Fraud Office launches an investigation into alleged bribery of Saudi officials by EADS subsidiary GPT Special Project Management. The investigation is focused on a $3.3 billion contract to provide the Saudi National Guard with communications and intranet services.
Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day in the USA. DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service; we will not be publishing.
Readers are reminded that in America, the Memorial Day moment of silence takes place at 3:00 pm. It seems that lots of reminders are needed elsewhere in America; a survey commissioned by The National WWII Museum in Washington had only 20% say they were very familiar with the day’s purpose, which is to honor those who have fallen in America’s wars. This function is served by Remembrance Day/ Armistice Day (Nov. 11th) in the British Commonwealth and elsewhere, but in America, that day is Veteran’s Day, and honors all who served in the military.
For additional resources, USAA has a full video that includes Hugh Ambrose (Band of Brothers, The Pacific, etc.), and the American National WWII Museum’s MyMemorialDay.org offers some ideas for honoring this day. One more idea might to be teach our fellow Americans. Email a good treatment of the day to people you know outside the national security field, and encourage them to forward it on.
Cartwright’s rumored x-out for the pending Pentagon Chief of Staff slot is likely to have wide implications for future Pentagon buys. Even as it raises questions about the nature and origins of the whisper campaign that covertly works to do him in.
“The [US] Department of Defense (DOD) is currently conducting the largest transformation of military posture in the Pacific region since the end of World War II.” But the GAO says that the Pentagon is significantly understating costs to transform facilities and infrastructure in Asia. Costs that will run in the tens of billions.
Key defense firm you’ve never heard of: Blackbird Technologies. Short version: their stuff helps track people. Specific people.
The first steel is cut for the HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. Due to lower build-in costs, the future HMS Prince of Wales is likely to be the only catapult-equipped, fully operational British carrier.
Israeli UAV maker Aeronautics is busy. They’ve received Missile Technology Control Regime compliant export clearance for their long-range Dominator XR UAV (co-marketed by Boeing), begun development work on a 5,000 kg jet-powered UAV that can fly in civil airspace, and opened a factory in Spain to make Orbiter 2 & 3 mini-UAVs.
May 25/11: Radiance Technologies, Inc. in Huntsville, AL receives an $8.8 million sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract from the US Army. They’ll produce the hardware needed to equip a full battalion of AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters with “the Ground Fire Acquisition System special mission kits.” Radiance seems to have a product that fits:
“Employing a powerful infrared camera and high-speed 5th generation data processing technology, WeaponWatch recognizes and analyzes in real time the heat signatures of fired weapons. WeaponWatch’s speed and accuracy make it possible to detect and respond to enemy weapon fire – by alerting soldiers, by communicating the type and location of the weapon, even by returning fire – before the sound of the enemy weapon reaches the sensor.”
That would certainly make it very dangerous to fire on equipped Apaches. Work will be performed in Huntsville, AL, with an estimated completion date of May 20/12. One bid was solicited by the U.S. Army in Fort Eustis, VA, with 1 bid received (W911W6-11-C-0043).
As operations over Libya drain European stockpiles of smart bombs, Defense Update’s “The High Cost of Precision Attack” looks at progress, pricing, and options.
The world military helicopter market reached $12.6 billion in 2010, and demand is predicted to remain strong over the next decade, says ASDReports.com.
Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter is encouraged by Wall Street’s view of the defense industry. Wall Street once liked the housing sector, too…
Emerging markets to invest billions of dollars in missile programs over the next 10 years, according to ASDReports.com.
Lockheed Martin and TAI unveil the 1st of 30 new Turkish F-16 Block 50s, a couple months ahead of schedule. TAI has built and modified a number of F-16s under license, and operates a finishing and check-out line in Turkey.
Force Protection adds Lockheed Martin (C4ISR) & Elbit (RWS) to its Cougar bid for Canada’s TAPV MRAP program.
The outgoing Chief of the U.S. Navy says it is ‘not moving fast enough’ in developing Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. But he sees lasers as the biggest game changer.
Elbit wins Israeli contract with its “Flying Elephant” resupply UAV – a parafoil, GPS guidance, and a 1 tonne wheeled cargo pallet. It was picked in part for its simplicity and speed of deployment… unusual criteria in places like the USA, which is looking at a much more expensive approach.
The global armored vehicle and counter IED vehicle market is predicted to reach $25.1 billion this year, but decline to $24.1 billion by 2021, according to ASDReports.com
Russian prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges against space officials over 4.3 billion ruble loss of 3 Glonass navigation satellites as the result of a failed launch attempt aboard a Proton-M rocket in December 2010.
Lockheed Martin chief Bob Stevens tells media that his company is cutting $500 million in cost, most of that coming from a 26% reduction in senior executive personnel through early retirement.
Royal Navy leases retrofitted ice breaker MV Polarbjorn from Norway’s GC Rieber Shipping to replace damaged ice breaker HMS Endurance in Antarctica.
Israel Aerospace Industries’ Bedek division is taking its K-767 multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) to the global market. They’ll be converted from used Boeing 767-200s to keep the price low. IAI Bedek has already provided 1 to Colombia, and Israel is actively considering one as a combination VVIP plane/ tanker, alongside its KC-135s.
FLIR Systems, a supplier of thermal imaging and threat detection systems, agrees to pay $39 million to two former executives to settle litigation related to its 2004 acquisition of Indigo Systems.
L-3’s Systems Field Support division gets contract worth up to $300 million to provide C-12 aircraft logistics support and maintenance to the US Navy and USAF.
Die Welt reports that Iran & Venezuela are collaborating on a hardened underground silo complex for Shebab-3 medium range ballistic missiles, on the Paraguana peninsula above Coro, Venezuela.
A leaked UN report says Iran and North Korea are exchanging ballistic missile technology, with help from China. Al-Jazeera Inside Story (incl. video).
GAO faults DoD’s efforts to include combatant commands in weapons system development.
Chile has reportedly picked Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 as its next high-end UAV. While the Hermes 450 has been a popular export, this would be the larger Hermes 900 MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV’s 1st export order.
Spain fails to reach NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defense in 2010. Just like most other NATO countries.
DoD publishes open-source technology guide for military software, in an effort to encourage contractors to implement open technology development, rather than proprietary technology, for defense systems.
Russia wants assurance from NATO that a European missile defense system is not be directed at their country. As long as they don’t launch missiles against NATO members, it won’t be.
