Tomahawk to get marine strike variant | Iran building Scud factory in Syria, Israel claims | Bulgaria pushes back new fighter decision

Americas

• The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin’s AN/APR-52 radar warning receiver Technical level 6 status after a round of successful testing by the US Air Force Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. News of the milestone comes over a year before the HH-60W combat rescue helicopter—which will use the receiver—makes its first flight. During the test, the receiver was evaluated in simulated threat environments. Sikorsky’s HH-60W will replace the Air Force’s aging HH-60G Pave Hawk search-and-rescue helicopters.

• It is expected that Raytheon will be awarded a contract to turn a number of US Navy Tomahawks into anti-ship cruise missiles. The upgrade will take place when the service sends its Block IV Tomahawks back to Raytheon for mid-life recertification. A company executive said the multi-mode seeker for the anti-ship role will likely be a mix of passive and active sensors. The Block IV recertification effort will start in 2019 with the first Marine Strike Tomahawk variants to enter the fleet in the early 2020s.

• Raytheon/Lockheed Martin JV has received an additional $133.9 million US Army contract for the production and delivery of Javelin anti-tank missile sales to Jordan, Qatar and Taiwan. The foreign military sale includes test rounds, command launch units, Javelin vehicle mounts and associated services. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and will run until August 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• An Israeli news channel has reported that Iran is building a Scud missile factory in Syria. Satellite images taken by Israel’s Eros B were broadcast on Channel 2, and reports likened the facility to a similar structure located near the Iranian capital, Tehran. Israel are concerned that the facility will be used to produce the long-range missile for use by the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, who alongside Iran and Russia, have been helping the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad battle Islamist militants in a civil war now in its seventh year. US news reports have said that Israeli intelligence officials will discuss the situation in Syria and Lebanon with US counterparts in Washington this week.

Europe

• The Bulgarian government has pushed back the date for making a decision on new jet fighter aircraft procurement to later this year. The move comes as the newly elected government requested a report from the parliamentary investigation board into a previous caretaker-administration’s decision to approve the $900 million purchase of eight Saab JAS-39 Gripen aircraft, and associated equipment. An answer is expected to come by the end of September, although this could be extended by up to a further two months. In the meantime, defence minister Krasimir Karakachanov has called for the air force’s current fighters and strike aircraft to receive funding to maintain their airworthiness. The service operates 15 MiG-29s and 14 Su-25s, but he says that in early August only eight and four, respectively, were in a serviceable condition.

• Ukrainian President (and confectionary king) Petro Poroshenko has blasted claims that a Ukrainian defense factory supplied North Korea with engines for its ballistic missile program. Poroshenko has also ordered a “thorough and comprehensive investigation” into the claims, which surfaced in a New York Times article last weekend, adding that “I am confident that this will allow us to confirm reliably … the true source and purpose of this groundless fake.” On Monday, secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defence Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said that Ukraine “has never supplied rocket engines or any kind of missile technology to North Korea,” while the factory in question, Yuzhmash, said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Asia Pacific

• Following on from its 2015 purchase of 22 Apache and Chinook helicopters, the Indian Defense Ministry has said it has cleared the $655 million purchase of six additional Apache helicopters from manufacturer Boeing. Included in the deal alongside the helicopters are associated equipment, spares, training, weapons and ammunition. India’s Defence Acquisition Council—which clears Indian defense sales—also cleared an order for gas turbine engines—worth an estimated $76.4 million—for two ships currently under construction in Russia.

• However, India’s $5 billion program to build 12 high-tech mine countermeasure vessels (MCMV), which is already delayed, has hit another roadblock over the selection of propulsion engines. A split opinion on engine sourcing is the cause of the backlog with the Navy supporting a multi-vendor tender process for the engine selection, while Goa Shipyard—the state-owned company building the vessels—prefers a single-vendor nomination of German MTU engines. The shipyard’s reservations comes from its foreign partner, South Korea’s Kangnam, who have already produced MCMVs for the South Korean Navy, and have been contracted by New Delhi to provide technological assistance to the Goa Shipyard. Kangnam want to use German-made MTU engines, which have been used on the Korean vessels it built, while the Indian Navy is skeptical about the suitability of German MTU engines for Indian MCMVs because of the differences in geographical location and areas of operation.

Today’s Video

• Taiwan’s development & testing of solid rocket motors:

Argentina pause talks on Kfir deal | Delivery of MQ-4C Triton to US Navy planned for next month | Meteor Aerospace announce new MALE UAV

Americas

• The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Lockheed Martin a $24.1 million contract modification for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter logistics services for US and foreign military sales customers. Under the terms of the agreement, Lockheed Martin will provide material for depot stand-up and activation, canopy systems and avionics subsystems to the US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and non-Pentagon participants and foreign military sales participants. Work will be carried out in Fort Worth, Texas, with a scheduled completion time for August 2019.

• Argentina has stopped negotiations over the possible purchase of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfir fighters after earlier indications that Buenos Ares was close to agreeing to an order of between 12-14 aircraft. While the Kfir first entered operational service more than 40 years ago, IAI were offering the Argentine military upgraded Block 60 variants, which includes a GE Aviation J79 engine, Elta Systems’ EL/M-2032 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and an open architecture avionics suite that allows customers to install its own systems. However, pricing of the Kfirs has been a sticking point in the negotiations, and news that Argentina has stopped talk may indicate that they may instead move ahead with an offer to purchase six second-hand Super Étendard carrier-borne fighters from France.

• An early operational capability MQ-4C Triton UAV is expected to be delivered to the US Navy next month, slightly later than its planned August delivery date. The news comes as Northrop commended taxi tests this week ahead of moving the aircraft to NAS Point Mugu, California, where it will conduct its first flight. The baseline Triton, also known as the integrated function capability 3 configuration, will come equipped with Northop’s multifunction active sensor (MFAS), a maritime patrol version of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and Northrop will deliver two baseline Triton aircraft, B5 and B6, to NAS Point Mugu. After Triton reaches early operational capability in fiscal year 2018, Northrop has its eye on initial operational capability in 2021. The company also plan to add a signals intelligence capability, which will bring it on par with the navy’s manned EP-3 reconnaissance fleet.

• The US Marine Corps has put in a request for an additional M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles to replace the M4 carbine that infantry and other units currently use. 50,000 units have been added to the initial order of 11,000 already placed. The initial order was to replace most M249 Squad Automatic Weapons in Marine service, with the SAW held in reserve. In most respects, experts agree the M27 is a superior rifle to the M4, but it does come at an increased cost—M27s cost $3,000 apiece against the M4’s $1,000 per unit price tag.

Middle East & Africa

• It’s been revealed that the Algerian military has received the Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system, after images of a Buk-M2 transporter-erector-launcher on a MZKT 6922 6×6 wheeled vehicle surfaced last month. The images were taken at July’s Majd 2017 military exercise for the Algerian People’s National Army’s (ANP) El-Djeich magazine, and showed the system launching a 9M317-series missile. Russia has already sold the Buk-M2E—the export version of the Buk-M2 introduced in 2008—to Syria, Venezuela, and Azerbaijan.

• Israel’s Meteor Aerospace has announced that they have commenced full-scale development of a new a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle. Known as the Impact 1300, the UAV will have a maximum take-off weight of 1,300kg (2,860lb) and is likely to have an operating ceiling of 30,000ft, with a possible endurance of more than 30h, depending on its configuration. The UAV has two spacious and easily accessible payload bays, it adds, with the forward one to carry electro-optical/infrared payloads and the rear for heavier equipment, such as a synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication capability. Flight testing is planned for 2019.

Europe

• The British Royal Navy’s biggest and latest battleship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, has berthed at its home port of Portsmouth for the first time. Greeting the new aircraft carrier was a crowd of ten thousand people, among them UK Prime Minister Teresa May, who hailed the vessel as “a clear signal that as Britain forges a new, positive, confident role on the world stage in the years ahead we are determined to remain a fully engaged global power, working closely with our friends and allies around the world.” The vessel and its crew had just returned from a round of sea trails and training with US naval personnel.

Asia Pacific

• Despite the recent maiden flight of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar combat jet upgraded to the DAIRN III standard, New Delhi’s modernization program for the fleet has been criticized by some service officials as progressing too slowly and that there’s uncertainty regarding the mounting of proposed new engines. The refit is being undertaken by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and includes new engines from US-based firm Honeywell, however, the firm has said it’s “still awaiting the go-ahead from the Indian Air Force for the new engines.” In addition to the engine delays, autopilot systems produced by France’s Thales are operating at a sub-optimal level because a vital component ? the Auto Pilot Electronic Unit, which maintains the flight path of the aircraft ? required repairs by Thales, which are expected to be completed in 7 to 26 months. In addition to these equipment delays, the IAF plan to run a further six flight tests before inducting the upgraded aircraft into service. India, the only country to still operate the Jaguar, hopes that once implemented, it will extend the aircraft’s life until 2050, with initial phase out to commence in 2035.

Today’s Video

• Aeronautics Defense Systems’ Orbital 1K UAV:

USAF OA-X experiment could see ME combat | Elbit defense suites spotted on RSAF helicopters | Israeli probe into drone demo in Azerbaijan

Americas

• The US DoD has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $9.7 million contract modification for the continued work on submarine fire control systems of US and British Royal Navy vessels. Under the terms of the deal, General Dynamics work remit will include maintenance for the Attack Weapon Control System on SSGN guided missile submarines and missile fire-control development for the future US Columbia-class and British Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarines. Both vessels will replace the US Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines currently in operation by both navies, and will share a Common Missile Compartment for the Trident II and other weapons such as cruise missiles. The Columbias and Dreadnoughts are projected to start entering service in the late 2020s and phase out the older models.

• Three days ahead of schedule, the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier has commenced sea trails following a six-month overhaul and upgrade at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. A Nimitz-class carrier, the vessel is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three including its carrier air wing of up to 70 aircraft and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Mobile Bay. After trials, Carrier Strike Group Three will begin its operations in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Navy’s Pacific fleet, at a time when tensions in the region grow amid North Korea’s ballistic missile testing and Chinese naval assertiveness in the South China Sea.

• Following the completion of ongoing demonstrations as part of the USAF’s light attack aircraft experiment, potential aircraft may then face a combat demonstration in the Middle East. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told reporters last week that the aircraft—the A-29 Super Tucano from Sierra Nevada Corp. and Embraer, the AT-802L Longsword by L3 and Air Tractor, and the AT-6 Wolverine and Scorpion jet, both by Textron—could all face missions against militants from the Islamic State and other terrorist groups as part of the demonstration’s next phase. The ongoing flights at Holloman AFB in New Mexico have already has several top Air Force officials view the trials, as well as representatives from about a dozen international partner militaries, including members from Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Paraguay.

Middle East & Africa

• An investigation is underway by the Israeli Defense Ministry after it received a complaint accusing UAV-maker Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd. of using its Orbiter 1K UAV to attack a Armenian military position during a demonstration for Azerbaijan officials last month. Azerbaijan—who have already agreed terms on buying the Israeli-made Iron Dome air defense system—allegedly requested that Aeronautic Defense Systems demonstrate the vehicle, armed with explosives, against an Armenian military target, something the drone’s two operators refused to comply with. This resulted in two senior representatives of the company arming and operating the unmanned aircraft themselves. Ultimately the drones are said to have missed their targets, and no damage was caused, but according to the complaint, one of them struck at a distance of about 100 meters (330 feet) from the position. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s, with recent years seeing an increased military buildup. In recent years, Azerbaijan has purchased nearly $5 billion worth of military equipment from Israel.

Europe

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her CDU party’s planned defense spending hikes, adding that it will not result in decreased welfare spending by the government. Merkel, who has been Chancellor since 2005, is facing her third federal election as leader of Germany and is looking to ward of a challenge from the rival SPD, who have campaigned on a platform of social justice and has rejected demands from US President Donald Trump that Germany meet NATO’s spending target of 2 percent of national output on defense. Merkel said that while it was necessary to increase defense spending, “that will not lead to any social expenditure being cut … It won’t come at the cost of anything we pay for today.”

Asia Pacific

• Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has completed the maiden flight of a two-seater maritime strike variant of the Sepecat Jaguar combat jet fitted with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The flight is part of New Delhi’s $520 million upgrade program to bring 61 of India’s 157 Jaguar jets to the DARIN III standard—a modernization that includes new avionics and cockpit, in addition to the integration of modern armaments. Darin III-standard Jaguars will also be fitted with MBDA’s ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile, while Textron Systems’ CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon has already been integrated on the type. Maritime strike variants of the Jaguar also come equipped with the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile.

• An Australian and US firm have concluded a comprehensive teaming agreement that will see the team collude on the sales of products and services in Australia. Florida-headquartered Associated Aircraft Manufacturing and Sales Inc (AAMSI) is a Boeing-licensed structural parts manufacturer for F-18 fighter aircraft and CH-47 helicopters, while Milspec Services has been a long-term supplier of logistical services and spares support to the Australian Defense sector. The teaming aims to improve the support provided to both current and future customers without adding any extra costs to the Commonwealth of Australia.

• Singapore have contracted Elbit Systems to provide and integrate defensive suites on its fleet of Boeing AH-64 Apache attack and CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. An examination of pictures of the one upgraded helicopter upgraded so far show that they have been fitted with missile approach and laser warning systems that look identical to that offered by Elbit as part of its All-in-Small integrated electronic warfare suite. They have also been fitted with rectangular-shaped radar warning receivers similar to that carried on Royal Singapore Air Force’s AS332M/M-1 Super Puma medium-lift helicopter fleet. A SATCOM dome has also been fitted onto the outer leading edge of each of the upgraded Apache’s stub wings, similar to that on Israel’s AH-64D Sarafs, for full 360-degree coverage while the upgraded Chinooks have a SATCOM dome on the top of the fuselage in between the twin rotor booms.

Today’s Video

• RAF F-35B ski-jump testing:

Bob Work joins the board at Raytheon | Airbus declares Tigers unsafe after Mali crash | BAE enters Type 26 variant for Aus frigate comp

Americas

• Former US Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work has been appointed to the board of missile maker Raytheon. Work held the position under the Barack Obama’s administration from 2014, only ceding the position after his replacement Patrick Shanahan’s appointment was made official in June. Previously, after retiring from the military in 2011, Work then served as Undersecretary of the Navy until 2013, and acted as chief executive officer at the Center for New American Security think tank in Washington, DC.

• Leonardo has received over $58 million in fresh orders for its Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFoCS) for tactical vehicles from the US Army. The deal will see the service provided with dismountable tablets, processor units, and ruggedized touchscreen displays, which offer soldiers a modular series of networked computers designed for field use with ruggedized components. The touchscreen tablet can be mounted in vehicles or be detached for mobile use.

Middle East & Africa

• The Italian Navy has sent a maintenance vessel with 50 crew to Tripoli, Libya, and will soon commence work on Libyan naval vessels in line with a 2008 agreement for the training of Libyan navy forces as well as the maintenance, restoration and upgrade of operational platforms and vessels. The naval base where the vessel will be based is home to a section of the navy loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez Mustafa al-Serraj, who heads the Presidency Council. Formed in 2016, the GNA is the UN-endorsed government in Libya and the agreement with Italy seeks to develop the technical and combat capabilities of the Libyan Navy. The government is opposed politically and militarily by the House of Representatives (HOR) government and Libyan National Army (LNA), with conflicts continuing throughout the country. Jihadists loyal to the Islamic State also have a presence in the country.

Europe

• In the wake of a German Tiger helicopter crash in Mali, its manufacturer Airbus has declared all variants of the attack helicopter as unsafe. The announcement was made in a company safety bulletin issued on Aug. 11, and stated that the firm cannot propose a protective measure as it “can neither identity the part, the failure of which would lead to the accident, nor the origin of the failure (design, manufacturing, maintenance).” Since the issuing of the bulletin, Australia has grounded its Tiger fleet, with only essential flights being flown. The German Defense Ministry said that its military authorities were working closely with UN officials, the manufacturer and other countries that operate the helicopters, however, fear that the investigation into the Mali crash could take months.

• The Ukrainian government has denied claims that it sold defense equipment to North Korea, after it was reported in US media that a local firm sold rocket engines that have in turn been used in recent ballistic missile tests by the hermit kingdom. The manufacturer in question, the state-owned Yuzhmash said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Kiev dismissed the reports as Russian propaganda, while Oleksandr Turchynov, the chairman of Ukraine’s Security and Defence Counci, said that “Ukraine has always adhered to all its international commitments, therefore, Ukrainian defense and aerospace complex did not supply weapons and military technology to North Korea.”

Asia Pacific

• Despite receiving clearance from the US State Department, Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha has played down a deal to buy Harpoon anti-ship missiles, adding that the sale still needs to be finalized. Gen Prayut said that the procurement was possibly part of a previous purchase plan by its state procurement agency and will now need to be followed up by the Defense Ministry before approval. He added that he will seek more information from Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency cleared the $24.9 million sale on Aug. 10, for use on Thailand’s DW3000 Class frigate.

• BAE Systems has entered a bid to build Australia’s next fleet of anti-submarine warfare frigates. Nine vessels will be built under the contract and the company is offering a variant of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship frigate being constructed for the British Royal Navy. The frigates for the country’s SEA 5000 Future Frigate program are part of a company effort to partner with the government to develop a long-term ship building strategy.

• Iran’s parliament has agreed to allow additional funding into its missile program and the elite Revolutionary Guards in retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the United States. The increased funding comes after US Congress passed legislation that was signed by US President Donald Trump in early August to impose new sanctions on Iran over its missile program, and will amount in $260 million each going towards Iran’s ballistic missile program and the Quds Force – the external arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been deployed to battlefields in Iraq and Syria. Tehran denies its missile program violates a UN resolution which endorsed Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and calls upon the Islamic Republic not to conduct activities related to ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Tehran says it does not design such missiles.

Today’s Video

• F-35B ski-jump launch and vertical take off:

Bob Work joins the board at Raytheon | Airbus declares Tigers unsafe after Mali crash | BAE enters Type 26 variant for Aus frigate comp

Americas

• Former US Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work has been appointed to the board of missile maker Raytheon. Work held the position under the Barack Obama’s administration from 2014, only ceding the position after his replacement Patrick Shanahan’s appointment was made official in June. Previously, after retiring from the military in 2011, Work then served as Undersecretary of the Navy until 2013, and acted as chief executive officer at the Center for New American Security think tank in Washington, DC.

• Leonardo has received over $58 million in fresh orders for its Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFoCS) for tactical vehicles from the US Army. The deal will see the service provided with dismountable tablets, processor units, and ruggedized touchscreen displays, which offer soldiers a modular series of networked computers designed for field use with ruggedized components. The touchscreen tablet can be mounted in vehicles or be detached for mobile use.

Middle East & Africa

• The Italian Navy has sent a maintenance vessel with 50 crew to Tripoli, Libya, and will soon commence work on Libyan naval vessels in line with a 2008 agreement for the training of Libyan navy forces as well as the maintenance, restoration and upgrade of operational platforms and vessels. The naval base where the vessel will be based is home to a section of the navy loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez Mustafa al-Serraj, who heads the Presidency Council. Formed in 2016, the GNA is the UN-endorsed government in Libya and the agreement with Italy seeks to develop the technical and combat capabilities of the Libyan Navy. The government is opposed politically and militarily by the House of Representatives (HOR) government and Libyan National Army (LNA), with conflicts continuing throughout the country. Jihadists loyal to the Islamic State also have a presence in the country.

Europe

• In the wake of a German Tiger helicopter crash in Mali, its manufacturer Airbus has declared all variants of the attack helicopter as unsafe. The announcement was made in a company safety bulletin issued on Aug. 11, and stated that the firm cannot propose a protective measure as it “can neither identity the part, the failure of which would lead to the accident, nor the origin of the failure (design, manufacturing, maintenance).” Since the issuing of the bulletin, Australia has grounded its Tiger fleet, with only essential flights being flown. The German Defense Ministry said that its military authorities were working closely with UN officials, the manufacturer and other countries that operate the helicopters, however, fear that the investigation into the Mali crash could take months.

• The Ukrainian government has denied claims that it sold defense equipment to North Korea, after it was reported in US media that a local firm sold rocket engines that have in turn been used in recent ballistic missile tests by the hermit kingdom. The manufacturer in question, the state-owned Yuzhmash said it had not produced military-grade ballistic missiles since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Kiev dismissed the reports as Russian propaganda, while Oleksandr Turchynov, the chairman of Ukraine’s Security and Defence Counci, said that “Ukraine has always adhered to all its international commitments, therefore, Ukrainian defense and aerospace complex did not supply weapons and military technology to North Korea.”

Asia Pacific

• Despite receiving clearance from the US State Department, Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha has played down a deal to buy Harpoon anti-ship missiles, adding that the sale still needs to be finalized. Gen Prayut said that the procurement was possibly part of a previous purchase plan by its state procurement agency and will now need to be followed up by the Defense Ministry before approval. He added that he will seek more information from Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency cleared the $24.9 million sale on Aug. 10, for use on Thailand’s DW3000 Class frigate.

• BAE Systems has entered a bid to build Australia’s next fleet of anti-submarine warfare frigates. Nine vessels will be built under the contract and the company is offering a variant of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship frigate being constructed for the British Royal Navy. The frigates for the country’s SEA 5000 Future Frigate program are part of a company effort to partner with the government to develop a long-term ship building strategy.

• Iran’s parliament has agreed to allow additional funding into its missile program and the elite Revolutionary Guards in retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the United States. The increased funding comes after US Congress passed legislation that was signed by US President Donald Trump in early August to impose new sanctions on Iran over its missile program, and will amount in $260 million each going towards Iran’s ballistic missile program and the Quds Force – the external arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been deployed to battlefields in Iraq and Syria. Tehran denies its missile program violates a UN resolution which endorsed Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and calls upon the Islamic Republic not to conduct activities related to ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Tehran says it does not design such missiles.

Today’s Video

• F-35B ski-jump launch and vertical take off:

Return of the Raptor | PAK-FA, now the Su-57 | Dhanush howitzer fails field trials

Americas

• The US Air Force has taken a F-22 Raptor out of storage at Edwards Air Force Base and is expected to be returned to flying status by the end of the year. The aircraft in question, serial number 91-4006, is an engineering, manufacturing and development model aircraft with a Block 10 avionics configuration. In preparation for its first flight, the Raptor is currently undergoing a $25 million upgrade to a Block 20 avionics standard. A total of eight test and 187 operational aircraft were produced by Lockheed Martin for the USAF before the program was mothballed in 2012.

• Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $8 billion US defense contract for the provision of global logistics support services for special operations forces. Slated to run for ten years, the agreement will extend the defense giant’s current support contract which is due to expire in September 2018. The contract will support the Army’s Green Berets, Rangers as well as Navy SEALs, and covers work such as logistics at warehouses and depots as well as maintenance,modifications and repairs on equipment like airplanes and vehicles.

• Rolls Royce Marine North America has won a $27.3 million US Navy contract to provide parts and engineering services on power plants for DDG 1000 Zumwalt destroyers. The agreement includes item orders, mounting equipment and other services for DDG 1000 gas-turbine generators, which provide the destroyer’s main source of electric power. Work will be conducted in Indianapolis, Ind., and Walpole, Mass., and is scheduled for completion by September 2022. The power plants are designed for future weapons systems like electromagnetic railguns and lasers, which would require huge amounts of electricity to operate.

Middle East & Africa

• Israeli intelligence has released information indicating how Hamas is using newly constructed residential buildings in Gaza to disguise the expansion of underground tunnels and command centers, prompting a possible future round of military action in the blockaded Palestinian territory. The briefing described two homes carefully mapped out by military intelligence that the IDF’s Southern Commander Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir insisted proved “beyond a shadow of doubt that Hamas is operating within and underneath the cover of civilians, in preparation for the next war.” The briefing, which is being described as “highly unusual”, is believed to be part of the groundwork for bolstering Israel’s case should it need to destroy the structures built in heavily populated residential neighborhoods. The last round of Israeli military action in Gaza took place during August 2014’s Operation Protective Edge and resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 civilians.

Europe

• Sukhoi’s T-50 PAK-FA has been designated the Su-57, according to Russia Air Force chief Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev. The fifth-generation stealth fighter made its maiden flight in 2010 and since then has received a number of upgrades to avionics, stealth and armaments. Six aircraft are expected to be delivered to the Russian Air Force next year, with 55 expected to be in operation by 2020. The aircraft will then go into mass production.

Asia Pacific

• The US State Department has cleared the $24.9 million sale of Harpoon anti-ship missiles to the government of Thailand. The foreign military sale includes delivery of five RGM-84L Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles and one RTM-84L Harpoon Block II Exercise Missile, as well as the supply of missile containers, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, personnel training and training equipment and contractor support. Boeing will act as lead contractor and the missiles will be used on Bangkok’s DW3000 Class Frigate.

• It’s been announced that a prototype of India’s Dhanush 155mm/45-caliber artillery gun has failed a number of field trails, prompting a possible postponement in the gun’s induction to the field. The guns are being developed by the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and are based on original drawings of the Swedish 155mm/39-caliber Bofors howitzers, which India procured in the mid-1980s. Three consecutive firings over three months found that on one of the six prototypes produced, the shell of the gun hit the muzzle brake on firing, which could be caused by overexploitation of the munitions, overcharging of the munitions, or even faulty ammunition. The program has tasked the OFB with producing 114 Dhanush guns at a cost of $2 billion. The first batch of 18 guns are slotted to be inducted this year, another 36 guns in 2018 and 60 guns in 2019, completing the initial order.

• A US government audit into misused spending in Afghanistan has found that a contractor billed Washington for luxury cars and six-figure salaries to employees’ significant others who did little work. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) quarterly report found that UK-based contractor New Century Consulting charged for high-end vehicles like Alfa Romeos and Bentleys used by senior executives as well as paying large sums to employees’ significant others to work as executive assistants with little evidence they provided any work. In response, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, penned a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis suggesting that “whoever approved of this spending should be fired.”

Today’s Video

• USAF A-10s in Estonia:

Modified Stryker as possible NATO SHORAD capability | Japan offers spare parts deal to Philippines | George meets Lizzie

Americas

• BAE Systems has introduced its iMOTR mobile multiple-object tracking radar at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala. Billed as a radar that is cheaper than competitors without skimping on performance, it uses C or X-band active electronically scanned array antennas for tracking objects in flight close to the ground while reducing object clutter, and is mounted on a trailer for greater mobility. BAE see the radar being purchased for use on test and evaluation ranges for aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

• AAR has announced that it has received a $909 million contract to conduct work for the Landing Gear Performance-Based Logistics One program for C-130, KC-135 and E-3 landing gear parts. Under the terms of the 15-year deal, work to be performed by the company involves manufacturing, supply chain management, inventory control and depot level maintenance for the US Air Force and foreign allied aircraft. Work will primarily take place at AAR’s landing gear maintenance facility in Miami, Fla.

• A team combining Boeing and General Dynamics Land Systems will enter a US Army short-range air defense (SHORAD) shoot-off next month. The team will build a short-range air defense system by placing a modernized Avenger air defense system on the back of a Stryker combat vehicle reconfigured to accommodate the system on a turret. The new Avenger is designed to shoot a multitude of different missiles, can be equipped with a 30mm gun and potentially even directed energy weapons down the road. A need for a new SHORAD capability surfaced last year, when the Army noticed a requirement for such platforms in the European theater and has been moving quickly to fill it by developing a system that will give maneuver forces the capability to defend against air threats from peer adversaries on the forward edge of the battlefield.

Middle East & Africa

• AH-64 Apache helicopters operated by the Israeli Air Force have been grounded following a crash on Monday. The August 7 crash, which caused the death of one crew member and injuring the second, occurred between two runways at Ramon air base seconds after the pilot reported technical problems. This is the second grounding of Israeli Apache aircraft in three months after a routine inspection of the helicopters found a 7.8in (20cm)-long crack in a tail rotor blade. However, preliminary indications from an investigation into the recent crash do not connect the crash to the previously identified cracked tail rotor blade issue.

Europe

• The Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has met the Nimitz-class USS George H. Bush and her carrier strike group off the coast of Scotland. Over 60 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines are currently on board the Bush, who have been working with their US counterparts to hone carrier strike skills ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s entry into service. The Saxon Warrior exercise, which has been at play for nearly a week, has seen UK staff work with their American counterparts to fight off a series of simulated threats from enemy forces, using all the air, surface and sub-surface assets of the entire task group.

Asia Pacific

• Malaysia has refuted media claims that China has offered as many as 12 AR3 multiple-launch artillery rocket systems (MLRS) and a radar system to be based in the south east of the country. The denial comes following earlier reports that a Chinese delegation visiting Malaysia this week had proposed basing the military equipment in Johor, a Malaysian state bordering Singapore, and included a purchase program with a loan period of 50 years. A Malaysia military spokesman said no such proposal had been received.

• Japan has announced offers to transfer military equipment to the Philippines, as Tokyo hopes to improve its diplomatic clout with Manilla ahead of rival China. If the deal went ahead, it would include the transfer of thousands of helicopter parts to keep Philippine military choppers airborne, and would mark Japan’s first military aid deal since lawmakers scrapped a rule in June barring giveaways of surplus military kit to other countries. Japan’s interest in increasing defense aid to the neighboring archipelago comes as part of efforts to secure support against Chinese assertiveness in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. It fears that Beijing could defang opposition to its territorial assertiveness in these contested waters with arms sales and development aid to countries surrounding the busy waterway—which sees $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passing through each year.

• Deliveries of the LCA Tejas aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been delayed after the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered only four aircraft to the IAF out of 40 ordered in 2005. The four aircraft so far delivered are from a batch of 20 designated for initial operational clearance (IOC), while the remaining 20 aircraft were designated for final operational clearance (FOC). In order to ramp up production, the government has established a second manufacturing line to support “structural and equipping activities. HAL has also altered the production of certain components and has reduced the manufacturing cycle time by improving supply chain management and boosting workforce.

Today’s Video

• Russian & Chinese aircraft destroy F-16 target during exercises:

US-Israeli interceptors to enter full-rate production | Loss of rotor the cause of German Tiger crash in Mali | Turkey orders armored vehicles to tackle PKK

Americas

• Against the backdrop of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un threatening each other with nuclear annihilation, Lockheed Martin has reported an increased number of missile defense queries from customers. The company said Tuesday that the “level of dialogue around missile defense is now at the prime minister and minister of defense level,” adding that over the last 12-18 months, countries have increasingly put missile defense at the top of their list of desired capabilities, as tensions in East Asia mount over North Korea’s insistence on furthering its nuclear weapon ambitions. Reuters notes that shares in Lockheed are up nearly 8 percent, to $300.10, since North Korea’s first long-range missile test on July 4. The stock is up 20 percent year-to-date.

• Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has said that a secret UAV developed by the company will enter production by the end of this financial quarter. News that Kratos had such a platform was revealed by the company earlier this year when it announced a series of successful demonstration flights with a new jet-powered, high-subsonic UAV. It’s believed that the drone is being developed for an unknown government agency and is designed for an anti-access area denied environment with an altitude performance ranging up to 45,000ft. It’s launched on a railed catapult and recovered by deploying a parachute and floating to the ground.

Middle East & Africa

• Turkey has contracted local manufacturer BMC for the production and delivery of 529 tactical armored vehicles. Estimated to value $350 million, the deal will also see contributions from other local companies designated as sub-contractors. The contract also requests an unspecified number of the Yeni Kirpi— an advanced version of the Kirpi—BMC’s mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle which was showcased in May 2017 at the IDEF defense and aerospace exhibition in Istanbul. Once delivered, the vehicles will primarily be used in Turkey’s southeastern regions where security forces have been tackling renewed violence from Kurdish militant group, the PKK, since the breakdown of a ceasefire in July 2015.

• Production of interceptors jointly-developed by US and Israeli industry for the latter’s multi-tiered missile defense system is being ramped up, as three interceptor programs transition from low-rate initial production (LRIP) to full-rate production. The Boeing-IAI developed Arrow-3, and the Rafael-Raytheon developed Stunner—used in the David’s Sling system—and Tamir—used by the Iron Dome—interceptors are built in a large part by US-based firms, with a network of contractors and sub-contractors stretching out across 30 of its 50 states. This is due to congressional mandates and government-to-government agreements which stipulates that at least 50% of the work is produced in the US. Potential exports are also being taken into account, as the Stunner—marketed abroad as the SkyCeptor—is currently being considered by the Polish government for its Patriot active defense system.

Europe

• The crash of a German army Tiger helicopter in Mali which resulted in the death of two crew members was caused by the rotorcraft losing its rotor, a defense ministry report has revealed. While the report stated that it is still to early to speculate on the cause of the accident, it ruled out that the helicopter was downed in an attack, adding that “once the vehicle had started to descend, parts of the aircraft broke off, including the main rotor blades.” This could potentially mean that the cause of the in-air break up was due to maintenance or manufacturing issues, which if it is the case, could be bad news for manufacturer Airbus. Berlin’s decision to send four Tigers alongside four NH-90 helicopters to aid a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali earlier this year proved controversial with some lawmakers, after the Tiger required extra maintenance given the high heat and other environmental conditions in the desert country. Officials maintain that up until the incident, all four Tigers had been operating without issue.

Asia Pacific

• India’s Kalyani Group, in partnership with Israel’s Rafael, has opened the country’s first-ever private missile subsystems manufacturing facility. Located in Hyrdabad and trading under the name Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems, the facility will undertake the production and assembly of Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and its related technologies such as missile electronics, command, control and guidance, electro-optics, remote weapon systems, precision-guided munitions, and system engineering. In addition to establishing a robust supply chain in India to undertake spares and other parts requirements of missiles to be manufactured in the country, the joint venture will also look to export Spike ATGM family and SPICE precision-guided munitions to Southeast Asian counties. The company can also boast the status of being India’s largest-ever foreign direct investment joint venture firm.

• The war, which has thankfully remained one of just words, between the leaders of the US and North Korea continue this week after US President Donald Trump promised that North Korea would would be met with “fire and fury” if it continued its aggressive testing of intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear technology. Not deterred by such remarks, Kim Jung-un threatened nuclear strikes on the island of Guam, a US territory in the Pacific that boasts a military base that includes a submarine squadron, an airbase and a Coast Guard group. In the absence of any diplomatic tact from both leaders, Guam Governor Eddie Calvo dismissed the threat and said the island was prepared for “any eventuality” with strategically placed defenses. He said he had been in touch with the White House and there was no change in the threat level.

Today’s Video

• Carrier Queen Elizabeth strike group, Saxon Warrior 2017:

Syria to be destination for Mi-28UB test | Price slash on Honeywell engines for Taiwan | France’s Scorpion program receives funding hit

Americas

• The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has given Raytheon a $66.4 million contract modification for the Standard Missile-3 Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense program. Work will be carried out in Tuscon, Ariz and includes engineering work, support services and analysis of the SM-3 Block IIA missile and BMD 5.1 flight testing and certification. Scheduled completion has been given for Sep. 30, 2018. This modification brings the total contract cost to $2.07 billion.

• Raytheon has been awarded a $25.9 million US Air Force contract for modifications and retrofitting of sensors on the RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 UAV. Under the terms of the deal, work to be provided by the firm includes engineering for upgrades to the Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite and retrofitting of the Enhanced Electro-Optical Receiving Unit on Global Hawks. The work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif., with an expected completion date of Feb. 4, 2019.

Middle East & Africa

• Kratos has received a $46.2 million contract awarded by the US Department of Defense to provide training and technical services in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program. Work on the foreign military sale will take place in both Saudi Arabia and Orlando, Fla., and is scheduled for completion by August 2020. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program aims to broaden the country’s investments away from oil, implement government services reform, and building its own defense industry. The plan hopes to localize 50 percent of defense spending in Saudi Arabia, reducing costs and dependence on foreign military equipment and boosting the Saudi defense export sector.

• Russia is to test its Mi-28UB attack helicopter in Syria, according to Russian Helicopters CEO, Andrei Boginsky. The helicopter, which has a combined combat and training configuration of the Mi-28N Night Hunter and features dual controls for both crew members, will be used primarily to train new pilots but can also take part in combat operations. Russian Helicopters expects to deliver eight new Mi-28UB units to the Russian Aerospace Forces by the end of the year, with the first to be delivered to the 344th center of combat training and retraining center in Torzhok.

Europe

• Estonia firm Milrem has brought its Titan unmanned ground vehicle to Michigan, USA, as it looks for US sub-contractors to help with production. The UGV is a joint effort with QinetiQ North America and is comprised of a modular hybrid unmanned ground vehicle from Milrem and a tactical robot controller and applique kit from QNA. The system is being displayed at the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium, and has been selected by the US Army’s Squad Maneuver Equipment Transport program for testing. In addition to acting as a support platform for dismounted troops, it can also be used to carry remote weapon stations with small- and large-caliber weapons.

• France’s Scorpion modernization program is likely to suffer a funding hit as Paris looks to skim $1 billion off this year’s defense budget. The comments were made to Parliament by former chief of staff Army Gen. Pierre de Villiers prior to his resignation on July 19. “If we do not receive the required funding, we will need to postpone this program, with all the consequences that will entail,” he said, adding that Contact—a key software-defined radio used on the program’s vehicles—is expected to be a casualty. Thales supplies the Contact system and is an industrial partner with Nexter and Renault Trucks Defense on the Griffon troop carrier as well as the Jaguar reconnaissance and combat vehicle being developed under the Scorpion program.

Asia Pacific

• A bipartisan delegation of Taiwanese lawmakers visiting the US last week have struck a deal for turbofan engines to power its indigenous advanced jet trainer. During the visit, the delegation visited the International Turbine Engine Co (ITEC)—a joint venture between US-based Honeywell Aerospace and Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), created to facilitate technology transfers to and procurement by Taiwan— and convinced Honeywell to drop a planned price hike on the engines, which would have imposed an additional cost of billions of New Taiwan dollars and complicated the government’s plans for the trainer’s development. Lawmakers from both parties—the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)—told the US contractors that no additional budget for the engines’ procurement is available under Taiwan’s parliamentary rules, and any price hike would delay the purchase.

• South Korea is planning to acquire another batch of 90 Taurus air-to-ground cruise missiles from Germany’s Taurus Systems GmbH, with local technology and electronics firms now allowed to join the offset program for the purchase. The firms have been asked to submit a list of products that they want to sell to the German firm, which includes personal computers and electric parts. In addition to the Taurus missiles, the Pentagon stated on Monday that it was reviewing bilateral ballistic missile guidelines with South Korea that could allow Seoul to have more powerful missiles as tensions with North Korea rise over its missile and nuclear programs.

Today’s Video

• The Honeywell engine that will power Taiwan’s advanced jet trainer:

US Army soldiers banned from using Chinese drones | UN Sanctions for North Korea | European MALE UAV to be twin-engined turboprop

Americas

• The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $11.1 million contract modification to conduct additional ground repair work on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operated by the service. Work will be carried out at Jacksonville, Fla., as well as other sites throughout the United States and locations in Japan, Australia and Italy, with a scheduled completion of June 2018. The Navy currently operates a fleet of 50 Poseidons and expect future deliveries to bring the fleet to 109 as it replaces its older P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

• Chinese-made commercial drones and related software will no longer be used by US Army soldiers, as the service cites cyber vulnerabilities on units produced by the company DJI as justification for the ban. An Army memo published online stipulated that it required service members to “cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media and secure equipment for follow-on direction.” DJI responded by saying it was “surprised and disappointed” by the move, adding that it would be contacting the Army to clarify what it means by “cyber vulnerabilities” and was willing to work with the Pentagon to address concerns.

• Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $161.4 million contract for the production of 150 launch assemblies for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) surface-to-surface missile. Issued as part of the system’s Service Life Extension Program, which aims to replace ageing components, work will be take place at sites across the US with an estimated completion date of Feb. 3, 2020. ATACMS have been in service with the Army since the 1980s, deployed from the M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. It is expected to eventually be replaced by the Long Range Precision Fires missile system which would have longer range and improved guidance systems.

Europe

• Germany’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats (SPD), has come out against NATO’s target of spending 2 percent of national output on defense, slamming Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ruling CDU/CSU coalition of bending the knee to US President Donald Trump. The centre-left party, who are 15 percent behind the CDU/CSU in the polls ahead of next month’s general election, are instead advocating the creation of a strong European defense union and, ultimately, a European army—a stance that may resonate with a deeply pacifist German public that remains skeptical of military engagements. Political analysts say the SPD’s tougher stance on military projects could help lay the groundwork for a post-election coalition with the pro-environment Greens and the left-wing Die Linke.

• Europe’s next medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAS will be based on a twin-engined turboprop design after a ten month study conducted by the manufacturing consortium consisting of Airbus, Dassault, and Leonardo. Billed as the eventual rival to the US-made, single-engined turboprop-powered, General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, further trade-off studies will now be conducted in order to prepare for an upcoming system requirements review (SRR). The four nation program will develop the UAV for France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and is been seen as a flag bearer of a renewed interest in expanding wider European defense cooperation.

Asia Pacific

• In response to persistent ballistic missile tests, the UN has imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea that expects to cut $3 billion from its annual export revenue. Coal, seafood, and iron ore products are all covered in the US-drafted resolution, and gained the backing from both Russia and an increasingly frustrated China, Pyongyang’s usual protector from such diplomatic pressures. China’s UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi called on North Korea to “cease taking actions that might further escalate tensions,” while also calling for the dismantlement of the THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea. US President Donald Trump hailed the diplomatic victory on Twitter. “The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 to sanction North Korea. China and Russia voted with us. Very big financial impact!”, he said.

• The US State Department has cleared the possible foreign military sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, of a SRP Operations and Maintenance follow-on sustainment package. Estimated to cost $400 million, the package includes the provision of contractor logistics support (sustainment); engineering services and technical updates to address equipment obsolescence; transportation and material costs associated with contractor repair and return services; spare and repair parts; support and test equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; US Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The sale is expected to improve Taiwan’s capability to provide early warning against current and future airborne threats.

• Australia has been cleared by the US State Department to purchase 1,952 ALE-70(V)/T-1687A Electronic Towed Decoy Countermeasures and associated support in a package estimated to be worth $108.7 million. The systems will go towards ensuring the survivability of Canberra’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet, and work will be carried out primarily by BAE Systems. Australia has 72 F-35s on order with the US in a procurement deal worth $17 billion.

Today’s Video

• 2nd Lt. Charles E. Carlson, a USAF P-27 pilot lost in Europe during WW2, finally laid to rest: