Boeing commences new Air Force One program | Sweden tests air defense solutions during exercises | Oshkosh JLTV visits the UK

Americas

• The US Navy has awarded a contract modification to Boeing for continued production of F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft. Valued at $677 million, six F/A-18E and eight F/A-18F aircraft will be produced at various locations throughout the US, including El Segundo, California, and St. Louis, Missouri. Contract completion is scheduled for February 2019.

• Boeing has been awarded a near $600 million contract by the US Air Force to begin preliminary design efforts for the next Air Force One under the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR) Program. Under the agreement, Boeing will incorporate a mission communication system, electrical power upgrades, a medical facility, an executive interior, a self-defense system and autonomous ground operations capabilities into two commercial Boeing 747-8s. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2018. The program has been brought to public attention through US President Donald Trump, who criticised the cost of the program, one of the USAF’s smaller procurement efforts. The service has assured that it has got a good deal on the 747s and reiterated that cost-saving work will continue during the preliminary design phase.

• Northrop Grumman will enter its software-programmable jammers, known as JCREW, into full-rate production, after receiving a $57.7 million US Navy contract. If all options are exercised, the total contract value could rise to $505 million, with contract completion scheduled for August 2022. JCREW systems are software-programmable jammers for use against device-triggered IEDs. Northrop Grumman have developed dismounted, mounted and fixed-site variants of the system.

Middle East & Africa

• The French government has said that Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia was not cause for comment by NATO allies, despite concerns raised by partners over the deal. “The purchase of military equipment by Turkey is a sovereign choice which does not need to be commented (upon) by members of the Atlantic alliance,” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said in response to a question on whether this was a blow to the alliance. Turkey said it opted for the S-400 because Western companies had offered no “financially effective” alternative, with some NATO officials voicing disquiet over the purchase of missiles being incompatible with alliance systems. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed these concerns himself on Wednesday, saying that Ankara would continue to take the security measures it thought right. “They went crazy because we made the S-400 agreement. What were we supposed to do, wait for you? We are taking and will take all our measures on the security front,” Erdogan said. Western offerings to the tender included Raytheon’s Patriot system and the Franco-Italian consortium, Eurosam.

Europe

• Sweden is expected to shortly make a decision on an air defense system, after batteries of two competing systems—Raytheon’s Patriot and Eurosam’s SAMP/T—started three weeks of military exercises with its armed forces. The Aurora 2017 exercise is Sweden’s largest military exercise in more than 20 years and has more than 1,000 US soldiers are involved. Debates over funding had delayed Sweden’s planned procurement of an air defense system, however, approximately $9 billion has been recently earmarked by government, reassuring industry competitors that Sweden is committed to buying a system. A letter of request is expected soon.

• Raytheon is developing a set of major upgrades to the British Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Shadow R1 fleet, a key intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) asset. The firm is currently working on the concept phase, which will see the heavily adapted Beechcraft King Air 350CERs equipped with the best sensors available, also featuring an open-architecture mission configuration with increased levels of software automation. New solutions will then be explored for a Mk.2 variant. The RAF’s current planned out-of-service date for the Shadow fleet is during 2030, and the MoD is negotiating a long-term support contract for the type with Raytheon, to come into effect from April 2019. Maintenance and airworthiness assurance work under this deal will be subject to “open and fair competition”, the ministry says.

• Oshkosh Defense has brought its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) to the DSEI show in London, England. In anticipation of a forthcoming sale to the UK, the model brought was given an obligatory coat of British Army green paint, and came equipped with an in-service Kongsberg remote weapon station, AmSafe Bridport anti-rocket-propelled grenade armor and a Harris radio. George Mansfield, the vice president of international programs at Oshkosh Defence, said the configuration was meant to give a glimpse of the sort of items the British could fit based on those already in the inventory. He noted it wasn’t representative of any particular requirement. While the US State Department have already cleared the foreign military sale (FMS), the MoD does not expect a final decision on the FMS proposal until “early 2018.” The final go-ahead for the deal may have to await the results of a largely financially driven capability review due for completion by the end of the year by the British government.

Asia Pacific

• South Korean President Moon Jae-in has told CNN that he is opposed to his country obtaining nuclear weapons as a deterrent to when North Korea finally develops an operational nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Introducing nuclear weapons in South Korea would make it impossible for the two Koreas to establish peace and could fuel an nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia, Moon said in the interview, on the same day North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to “sink” Japan and reduce the United States to “ashes and darkness” for supporting a UN Security Council resolution and sanctions over its latest nuclear test. On Monday, the UN Security Council agreed to tighten sanctions on North Korea, banning its textile exports and capping fuel supplies, and making it illegal for foreign firms to form commercial joint ventures with North Korean entities.

Today’s Video

• South Korea conducts F-15K Taurus cruise missile strike:

Despite row, Canada cleared for Super Hornet purchase | Saab unveils Gripen Aggressor, targets US and UK sales | India nears purchase of US-2 from Japan

Americas

• Canada has been approved by the US State Department to purchase up to 18 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. In addition to 10 F/A-18Es and 8 F/A-18Fs, the Trump administration approved the transfer of up to 44 F414-GE-400 engines, associated spares and equipment, as well as weapons including 100 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II missiles as part of the sale. It is unsure whether Ottawa will proceed with the sale, as a current row with Boeing over Canadian firm Bombardier has the government looking to Australia for second-hand Super Hornets to fill its interim requirement for replacement of its fleet of CF-18s.

• Boeing expects to deliver its KC-46A tanker to the US Air Force by December, but the service branch expects that this schedule will slip into spring 2018. Brig. Gen. Donna Shipton, Tankers Directorate program executive officer said that the manufacturer has made “steady progress, just slower than planned” to complete Federal Aviation Administration certifications and flight tests. In recent months, Boeing had projected first deliveries in March and later August of this year before its most recent target date of December. The USAF plans to buy 179 KC-46 tankers through 2027. Eventually, the service branch expects to replace 455 aging KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extender tankers in the fleet.

• The US Navy has successfully tested the AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar developed by Raytheon. The event took place off the west coast of Hawaii on Sept. 7, involving a short-range ballistic missile target and a number of air-to-surface cruise missile targets. During the test, he radar successfully searched for, detected and maintained track on all targets throughout their trajectories, and the Navy said that preliminary data from the test showed the system met its primary objectives against a complex short-range ballistic missile and multiple air-to-surface cruise missile simultaneous targets. they will be equipped on US Navy DDG 51 Flight III destroyers.

Middle East & Africa

• Deliveries of MiG-29 fighters to Egypt have commenced, with Cairo expected 50 aircraft to be delivered by 2020. Speaking on the sale, Russian presidential aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said that everything “will also depend on the capacity of plants, which have a full load of work on these vehicles. But I’m sure that we will meet the deadline on fulfilling our obligations under the contract.” The MiG-29 jet can accomplish patrolling activities, provide close air support for ground forces and paratroops, interdict combat areas, conduct aerial reconnaissance, intercept aerial targets, escort strike and military transport planes and deliver strikes against ground and sea targets.

Europe

• Saab has unveiled its Gripen Aggressor platform for the adversary air combat training market. Based on the proven Gripen C-series, the unarmed aircraft was debuted at this year’s Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2017 expo in London, and is being offered as a solution to the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) program. ASDOT is a 15-year program to provide ‘Red Air’ adversaries for RAF fighter training, and also ‘Blue Air’ platforms for the training of joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) and fighter controllers. The requirement also includes electronic warfare and simulation elements. Saab also sees the Aggressor as a high-level aggressor option for the United States Air Force’s Adversary Air (ADAIR) program.

• Harris Corp is developing a carriage and release system for RAF-operated F-35B aircraft. While the value of the contract remains unknown, Harris will provide four internal bay-compatible SCORPION Lightweight Ejection Rack Units for two F-35 weapon bays which will allow for the release of MBDA’s new SPEAR precision strike missile. Harris said the ERUs are being manufactured at the company’s facility in England.

Asia Pacific

• India may use a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to sign a deal to purchase 12 ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft. Media in India have already reported that a deal was apparently sealed during former Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s visit to Tokyo last week, and are likely to be deployed strategically at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with the objective of carrying out maritime surveillance patrols in the larger Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The 12 aircraft will be assembled in India and the next phase of the agreement could see 18 US-2s assembled locally under the “Make in India” program.

Today’s Video

• The Gripen Agressor:

Beechcraft to Maintain US T-6 Trainer Fleet, FY17

Nov 1/12: DynCorp International LLC in Fort Worth, TX receives a $72.8 million contract modification for contractor operated and maintained base supply services for the T-6A/B Texan II Joint Primary Aircraft Training System aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX until Oct 31/13, and the AFLCMC/WLZJC at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the contract (FA8617-12-C-6208, PO 0004).

The T-6 is the result of iterative modifications to the popular Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer, but in time the modifications left the 2 aircraft with no common parts. Now the T-6 serves as the USAF’s and US Navy’s JPATS intermediate to advanced training aircraft for prospective pilots. Variants have also been ordered for export by countries including Canada, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, and Morocco.

Update

September 13/17: The US Navy has awarded DynCorp a $108.2 million contract modification for continued maintenance services on T-34, T-44, and T-6 training aircraft. Scheduled to run until 2018, work includes organizational, intermediate, and depot-level maintenance for 16 T-34 Mentors, 54 T-44 Pegasus and 287 T-6 Texan IIs at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla. The Mentor, Pegasus and Texan II are light turboprop planes used by the US Navy and Marine Corps for basic flight training.

April 17/17: Beechcraft has been awarded a $60.5 million USAF contract to support the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS)—the program associated with the procurement of T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft to train Air Force and Navy pilots. Services to be provided under the deal include program management, engineering, sustainment, deficiency reporting, and maintenance. Also provided are diminishing manufacturing sources, technical manual updates, data management and mechanical structural integrity efforts. The contract will run until April 2021.

Iron Dome prepares for US Army SHORAD demo | US Navy orders radar upgrades for sub-hunting Seahawks | India prepares light tank order for Chinese border

Americas

• L-3 Communications will move forward with migrating the US Air Force’s EC-130H Compass Call equipment to a Gulfstream 550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft, after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) turned down a protest from rivals Boeing and Bombardier last month. The Compass Call “crossdeck” program (EC-X), will transition mission equipment from the USAF’s existing fleet of Lockheed Martin EC-130H aircraft, which serves as a communications eavesdropper and jammer for the service, onto new Gulfstream business jets. A service spokesperson said that a final agreement with L-3 on contract terms, specifications and price of the undefinitised contract action (UCA) is still pending.

• Israel’s Iron Dome is being prepared for its first intercept test in the US, as the platform is being considered as an interim solution for a medium- and short-range air defense system (SHORAD) for the US Army. The service started a demonstration series on September 4 at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, with the aim of allowing industry to test solutions that could fulfil the gap in SORAD capabilities found in the European theater. Iron Dome, developed by Rafael with assistance from Raytheon and heavily funded by the US, will face off against competing solutions, including a team involving Boeing and General Dynamics Land Systems that is offering its Maneuver SHORAD Launcher Stryker made up of a modernized Avenger air defense system on the back of the vehicle reconfigured to accommodate the system on a turret.

• Lockheed Martin has received a $27 million modification to an existing US Navy contract for the supply of retrofitting kits for the 60 Automatic Radar Periscope Detect and Discrimination (ARPDD) program. The firm will deliver 11 standard and 5 SEED kits for the program, which will provide a series of radar upgrades for use on MH-60 Seahawk helicopters to help spot and discriminate enemy submarine periscopes. Work will primarily take place in Farmingdale, NY and Oswego, NY, with completion by October 2020. ARPDD has been in use with the Navy since 2009 and upgraded several times since then. It is one of the few systems available that are capable of identifying and tracking submarine periscopes.

Middle East & Africa

• Elbit Systems has unveiled its SmarTrack system, designed to give dismounted troops a new situational awareness tool while operating in GPS-denied environments. Weighing at just 5.29 ounces, the lightweight system uses radio frequency ranging technology and situational awareness data can be transmitted and read on any end-user device held by either the individual operator or the commander. The company called the technology a “natural addition” to its DOMINATOR infantry soldier suite.

• As the Syrian government announced on 5 September that its troops had lifted the siege of the eastern city of Deir al-Zor (Dayr al-Zawr), breaking through islamic State lines, Russia is to send 175 de-mining engineers to defuse mines in the area, forty of which, have already been deployed. The Deir al-Zor operation was the culmination of a three-month campaign to drive into the heart of the middle Euphrates valley and relieve the civilians and soldiers trapped in the city, ending a three year encirclement. Syrian government forces and US-backed militias converged on Islamic State in separate offensives against the militants in the eastern Syrian province on Sunday.

Europe

• Airbus is anticipating a Romanian commitment to purchase 16 H215M Super Puma helicopters before it kicks off production of the new variant in the country. “If we get an order for 16, we will start,” says Serge Durand, managing director of Airbus Helicopters Industries, the unit in charge of assemblies at the Brasov plant, adding that they are “waiting for a strong signal from the Romanian government” before production commences. Airbus will team on any Romanian order with state-owned IAR, its partner in its 15-year-old Brasov-based maintenance, repair and overhaul joint venture, and once operational, and will be able to produce up to 15 aircraft a year at the Brasov facility.

• Poland’s WZL-2 unveiled its Dragonfly vertical take-off and landing loitering munition system at the recent MSPO defence industry exhibition in Kielce. The quadcopter has 5.5m wingspan and 3.2m vehicle length, a maximum take-off weight of 80-90kg, including a 20kg payload such as an electro-optical/infrared sensor and synthetic aperture radar. After locating a target and actuating its video-tracking mode, the Dragonfly can conduct an attack mission, even continuing this if the communication link is lost. Program director, Tomasz Gugala, said the firm is close to launching mass production for Poland’s military forces.

Asia Pacific

• The Indian Defense Ministry is preparing a small light tank order for rapid deployment along its mountainous border region with China. Tensions between the world’s two most populous nations have been at their highest in decades, with recent reports of fist fights and stone throwing between rival soldiers as a result of Chinese attempts to build a road on a sliver of claimed territory in India-allied Bhutan. At present, India only operates the Russian-made T-72 and T-90, as well as the indigenous Arjun tank, which are all too heavy for the Chinese border’s terrain and are better designed for fighting in the desert regions bordering Pakistan. Military planners want lighter tanks that can be airlifted to elevated areas along the Chinese border and need to be able to penetrate highly protected armored vehicles and main battle tanks from a distance of more than 2 kilometers, as well as be able to fire highly explosive anti-tank shells and guided missiles.

Today’s Video

• C-5M releasing flares during Dover AFB airshow:

Bell completes first build of V-280 Valor | State Dept. finally clears F-16Vs for Bahrain | France makes Belgium an offer it can’t refuse

Americas

• Raytheon has been awarded a $38 million cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract by the US Air Force to conduct work for the System Improvement Program 3- Engineering Manufacturing, Development. Under the terms of the deal, the firm will develop an incremental software solution for the AIM-120D “to improve its performance against rapidly advancing threats.” Work will be carried out in Tuscon, Arizona with a completion date of January 5, 2021.

• Bell Helicopters has completed the first build of its V-280 Valor fixed-wing tiltrotor aircraft for the US Army. Assembled at Bell’s facility in Amarillo, Texas, the Valor is a co-development with Lockheed Martin for the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, and will face off against a Boeing-Sikorsky offering in the Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) phase later this year. Bell expect to conduct the Valor’s maiden flight later this fall.

• Documents seen by Canadian media from Canada’s Department of National Defence has shown that last year, Ottawa tried and failed to obtain second-hand drones from allied nations. The effort aimed to hurry the pace of acquisition for armed UAVs and took place while military officials were still in the midst of developing policy, and involved the Canadian Forces asking companies about the availability of new and used drones and how fast they could be delivered. Canadian military attaches were also asked to see whether allied nations were willing to part with any of their unmanned aircraft. Unfortunately for Trudeau and Co., no allied nations had excess capacity to sell. The Canadian Forces hope to have new drones by 2021 and have the fleet fully operational by 2023, with $822 million earmarked for the program.

Middle East & Africa

• Bahrain has been cleared by the US State Department to move forward with the purchase of 16 F-16V fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin. Estimated to be valued at $2.785 billion, the sale includes weapons, radars and other systems, as well as spares, training and support. Washington also cleared a F-16 upgrade package for Bahrain, which will modernize 20 Bahraini F-16 Block 40 aircraft to the F-16V configuration at an estimated cost of $1.082 billion. The purchases had been initially put on hold during the Obama presidency in the wake of alleged human rights abuses against protestors.

Europe

• Airbus has completed the maiden flight of a H125M twin-engine light attack helicopter equipped with the HForce modular weapon system. HForce is designed to carry all kind of guided and ballistic armaments such as missiles and laser guided rockets, guns, machine guns and rockets, and the company now plans to conduct firing trials of guns, cannons and unguided rockets in Hungary, as well as tests on the laser-guided rockets in Sweden. Serbia has been revealed as HForce’s first customer, with four of nine H125Ms ordered by Belgrade expected to come equipped with the system. Deliveries to Serbia are expected between 2018 and 2019.

• Airbus has also announced the maiden flight of the first A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for France. To be known in France as Phénix, nine aircraft have been ordered by DGA—France’s procurement agency—with options for another three. Deliveries are due to start in 2018. The aircraft was converted from a standard A330 and is equipped with the Airbus Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) and underwing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods, and can carry 272 passengers or be configured for medical evacuation. 51 one units have so far been ordered by 8 nations.

• The French government pulled out of a Belgian tender, due on September 7, for the replacement of its F-16 fighter aircraft. Instead, Paris is offering the Dassault Rafale as part of a military partnership that goes beyond the supply of weapons. In addition to the 36 jets required by Brussels, the French deal offers enhanced military cooperation between the two NATO countries, more training, and industrial and technical cooperation between companies on both sides. When asked about the new offer, manufacturer Dassault Aviation had no immediate comment, while the Belgian defence ministry said it would not comment until the process was finalised. Both Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter consortium have submitted tenders to the original procurement program.

Asia Pacific

• The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded MD Helicopters a $1.39 billion contract to provide 150 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light utility helicopters to the government of Afghanistan. The deal includes maintenance, support services and pilot training. Production sites and funding under the foreign military sales program (FMS) will be determined by each order as it is requested, with a scheduled delivery date of August 31, 2022. It is hoped that the Cayuse Warrior, along with the Embraer Super Tucano light attack aircraft can fill the gap left by Afghanistan’s ageing Soviet-era aircraft, however the new aircraft thus far have been in small numbers and with mixed results. With the Cayuse Warrior, one pilot complained that when fully loaded it had a maximum altitude of only 8,000 ft., making it incapable of crossing many of the mountain ranges in Afghanistan. It is unarmored and there have been reports of mechanical unreliability, the .50 machine guns repeatedly jamming in action, and the lack of gunsights requiring the weapons to be aimed by tracers.

Today’s Video

• The Sosna tracked air defense system :

GAO clears disputed CAS sale to Kenya | Canada mulls second-hand Hornets from Australia | Rafael looks to Spike eastern European IFV market

Americas

• Canada is looking to Australia to aid it with its interim fighter requirement, as a dispute between the government and aerospace manufacturer Boeing continues. The row stemmed from a complaint made by Boeing against Canadian firm Bombardier over allegations of illegal subsidies and dumping that was filed in April with the US Department of Commerce. The matter is currently in front of the US International Trade Commission, with Boeing asking for tariffs to be imposed on Bombardier C Series planes sold in the United States. In response, the Canadian government came to Bombardier’s defense, putting its F/A-18 Super Hornet deal with Boeing on hold until the suit is dropped. Now, Ottawa is evaluating the option of buying second-hand F/A-18s from Australia. Meanwhile, ten top Canadian aerospace companies, in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urged the Liberal leader to abandon the Boeing dispute, arguing that they stand to lose from the government’s unwavering support for Bombardier.

Middle East & Africa

• The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found no wrong doing with a proposed foreign military sale to Kenya for close air support aircraft. North Carolina Congressman Ted Budd opposed the $418 million sale when it was initially cleared by the US State Department in January, which called for the delivery of up to 12 Air Tractor AT- 802L Longsword aircraft and two AT-504 trainer aircraft, with L-3 Communications serving as the prime contractor. Budd’s opposition to the L-3 deal comes after Air Tractor rival IOMAX—who are based in Budd’s district—called foul on the Kenya deal citing L-3’s lack of sales with the platform—IOMAX’s Archangel already flies with the UAE. Costing has also been raised; L-3 proposed a $365 million aircraft deal, not including ordnance, to Kenya while IOMAX quoted $234 million for the same number of Thrust-710-based Archangel aircraft. However, a GAO report did not find that Kenya improperly selected the Longsword, stating that Kenya’s request for a sole-source acquisition was motivated by specific interest in Air Tractor.

• Turkey’s timetable for its Altay main battle tank hopes to have a winner selected by mid-2018, with bids from BMC, Otokar and FNSS expected for this November. The initial phase of the indigenous Altay tank program aims to initially serial produce a batch of 250 units, with military officials hoping that the program would eventually reach 1,000 units. Earlier this year, Otokar’s Altay prototypes successfully completed qualification tests including mobility and endurance testing on rough terrain and climatic conditions, firing tests with various scenarios, and survivability testing. However in June, the government procurement agency SSM, citing an unsatisfactory offer from Otokar for the serial production of the tank, canceled the contract and decided to go for an open competition.

• Israeli aircraft conducted further airstrikes in Syria early Thursday, with a human rights organization claiming that the Syrian army site targeted was involved in the production of chemical weapons. The air strike killed two soldiers and caused damage near the town of Masyaf in Hama province and came the morning after UN investigators said the Damascus government was responsible for a sarin poison gas attack in April—one of at least 27 chemical attacks conducted by the regime since the start of the Syrian civil war. An Israeli army spokeswoman declined to discuss reports of a strike in Syria, however, it had been previously reported that Israel has hit arms convoys of the Syrian military and its Hezbollah allies nearly 100 times in the past five years.

Europe

• Rafael is hoping to increase its Spike LR guided missile sales to the Eastern European market. The Israeli firm wants to capitalize on the increase in acquisitions by governments in the region of new infantry fighting vehicles, and is looking to partner with vehicle manufacturers to arm them. So far, Rafael is installing its Samson Mk II weapon stations fitted with Spike launchers on 88 Boxer armored fighting vehicle ordered by Lithuania, with Slovenia, Romania, and Macedonia all at various stages of IFV platform acquisitions. Most recently, rival firm Elbit Systems won a Croatian contract to supply its UT30MK2 unmanned turrets fitted with a 30mm cannon and a 7.62x51mm gun for 126 Patria IFVs, subcontracting Rafael to supply Spike LR missile systems.

• Saab has teamed up with the Gdynia-based Nauta Shiprepair Yard with expectations that the collaboration could land a Polish government contract to produce three new submarines. The Polish shipyard has previously worked with Saab as a sub-contractor, assisting with portions of a $92 million deal with the Swedish navy to build a special purpose signals intelligence ship (SIGINT). Poland has earmarked about $2.8 billion for its submarine procurement program to replace its outdated Kobben-class subs. In addition to Saab, France’s DCNS is offering its Scorpene-class design and German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is entering its HDW-class sub into the competition.

Asia Pacific

• South Korea and the US military have completed the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system on the Korean peninsula amid violent anti-THAAD protests near the system’s deployment site. Located on a golf course—formally owned by South Korean chaebol Lotte Group—in the southern city of Seongju, as many as 8,000 police officers were deployed early Monday to break up a blockade of around 300 villagers and civic groups opposed to THAAD, and subsequent clashes resulted in 38 wounded although non fatal. Despite the protests, South Korea’s defense ministry has said the deployment is necessary due to the imminent threat from North Korea, which has launched numerous missiles since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office in early May.

Today’s Video

• DARPA’s Flying Missile Rail (FMR):

USAF wraps up OA-X experiment | Hanwha chases European K9 howitzer sales | India orders Dhruv helicopters for army and navy

Americas

• General Dynamics Land Systems has won two US Department of Defense (DoD) contracts for the upgrade of M1A2 series of main battle tanks for the US Army. The first contract, valued at $311 million, calls for the firm to upgrade seven Abrams tanks from the M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 into a SEPv4 variant. Upgrades included in the SEPv4 package include an improved Commander and Gunner’s Primary Sights, thermal systems, and other enhancements to the tank’s armor and mobility. The second deal, estimated to be worth $270 million, will see production of 45 Abrams SEPv3 tanksto the US Army, with production starting this fall.

• The US Air Force (USAF) has wrapped up its light attack aircraft experiment at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The light attack demo, which started in late July and ran until August 30, included the A-29 Super Tucano offered by Sierra Nevada Corp. and Embraer, the AT-802L Longsword from L3 Technologies and Air Tractor and the Scorpion jet and AT-6 Wolverine turboprop, both made by Textron. USAF Secretary Heather Wilson said that the service will now complete reports on the cost and performance of each aircraft, with a decision on whether or not to conduct a combat experiment expected by the end of the year. Although the USAF still hasn’t chosen exactly where a combat demonstration would be held, Wilson noted that the Afghan Air Force has flown combat sorties with its Super Tucanos over the past 18 months — so far, without any losses.

Middle East & Africa

• French MQ-9 Reapers UAVs in Mali will soon be armed. Six Reapers, scheduled for delivery in 2019, will come armed with Hellfire missiles while the six remaining unarmed UAVs will be armed by 2020. France currently has five unarmed Reaper reconnaissance drones positioned in Niger’s capital Niamey to support its 4,000-strong Barkhane counter-terrorism operation in Africa, and one in France. The armed drones are expected to offer a quick-response to Islamist militants operating in the Sahara region.

Europe

• Poland has signed a deal to purchase 53,000 Grot 5.56mm assault rifles from the state-owned FB Lucznik plant. The rifle deal, worth $140 million, with deliveries expected to be completed in 2022, will be supplied to both professional troops and the country’s Territorial Defence Force, a new force under development which comprises volunteers. Warsaw also aims to to gradually increase the country’s defense spending from 2 percent of its gross domestic product per NATO standards to 2.5 percent by 2030.

• Building upon its sale of K9 self-propelled howitzers to Estonia, Hanwha Corporation is looking to find additional sales of the artillery with Central and Eastern European allies. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania have all been offered the howitzer, however, talks are all at early stages according to the company. Following Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine in 2014, numerous Eastern European countries have unveiled plans to purchase howitzers for their respective armed forces. Estonia’s K9 acquisition is in cooperation with Finland, with whom it already cooperated in 2009 on an air surveillance radar procurement.

Asia Pacific

• Orbital ATK has received a $69.4 million contract for the Afghanistan air force’s AC-208 armed intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Work on the pseudo foreign military sale—which is not signed by the receiving nation but serves to document the eventual delivery of the systems under the contract—will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, with a scheduled completion date for Nov. 30, 2018. The aircraft has a fully integrated digital mission system, AAR-47/ALE-47 Defensive Countermeasures System, radio data links, as well as ballistic panels for the cockpit and passenger areas for protection against ground small arms fire. It can be armed with laser-guided Hellfire missiles and carries it’s own laser designator targeting pod.

• Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has received a combined Indian navy and army contract for the delivery of 41 Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALH). The agreement, worth $976 million, will see the bulk of the helicopters delivered to the army while a solitary model will be sent to the navy over a 60 month period. It follows a March order for 32 Dhruvs, half of which are for the navy and the other half for India’s coast guard.

• US President Donald Trump has pledged to increase weapons sales to Japan and South Korea, following North Korea’s latest round of nuclear testing. Taking to his usual medium of Twitter, Trump said “I am allowing Japan & South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States,” and followed and earlier call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during which Trump “provided his conceptual approval for the purchase of many billions of dollars’ worth of military weapons and equipment from the United States by South Korea,” according to a White House readout. That readout also stated that Washington would look to remove limits on payloads of weapons sold to South Korea.

Today’s Video

• An Iranian UAV base:

UTC buys Rockwell Collins in $30 billion merger | UK Neo-Nazis members of Army | Mattis pressures Sweden over nuclear treaty

• On Monday, Aerospace supplier United Technologies Corp struck a $30 billion accord to buy avionics and interiors maker Rockwell Collins, thus making one of the world’s largest makers of civilian and defense aircraft components. Under the deal, the companies said that Rockwell Collins and UTC’s aerospace systems segment will be combined to create a new business unit named Collins Aerospace Systems. The creation of a new giant in the top echelon of aircraft parts makers comes as planemakers Boeing and Airbus are trying to capture more of the profits earned by their suppliers. Both are pushing suppliers to lower prices and are moving into the high-margin aftermarket arena for parts and services that suppliers now enjoy.

• US President Donald Trump has picked Rep. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma to be the next head of NASA. The former US Navy E-2 pilot’s appointment is already facing opposition from Florida’s two senators—Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson—who believe the administrator should not have any political background. A big fan of the moon, Bridenstine once said that the discovery of water ice on the moon should have resulted in a permanent outpost there for rovers and machines to exploit the lunar materials and drive down the cost of space exploration.

Europe

• MBDA and the British Royal Navy have completed the first love-firing of the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system from the Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll. Utilising MBDA’s next-generation Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM), the system is being fitted to replace the Sea Wolf weapon system on the Type 23 frigates as part of their life-extension program. The Argyll will conduct further firing trials of the Sea Ceptor system before returning to frontline service.

• Four Neo-Nazis held in the UK on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism are members of the Army. The Ministry of Defence made the announcement after the men, aged between 22 and 32, were held by West Midlands Police as detectives investigated the men’s links to the British far-right group British far-right group, National Action. The men are being held on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000; namely on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation. National Action were banned last year by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who described the organisation “a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation”.

• Swedish media has reported that the US Secretary of Defense Jame Mattis is pressurizing the Swedish government into not signing anew anti-nuclear weapons treaty. A letter from Mattis to his Swedish counterpart, Peter Hultqvist, indicated that defense industrial cooperation between the two nations could be endangered if Sweden signs onto the treaty, as is expected, effecting programs being worked on by Saab such as its partnership with Boeing on the US Air Force’s T-X trainer prototype. Stockholm’s relationship with NATO has also been put into question as its membership of the so-called Gold Card program is up for renewal in October. While not a member of NATO, its membership of the Gold Card program—along with Georgia, Finland, Australia and Jordan—gives Sweden certain privileges and guarantees reserved for member states. A Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael declined to comment on the letter itself, but said the US “does have serious concerns with the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, and strongly discourages states from signing or ratifying” as it contains provisions that “could potentially affect our ability to cooperate with parties to the treaty on issues of mutual interest. It also undermines the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime.”

Asia Pacific

• South Korea has cleared the arrival of four additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile launchers at its site in Seongju adding to two already deployed at the site. The move comes after North Korea completed an underground test of a miniature hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on a long range missile on Sunday, sparking condemnation across the world. An “artificial quake” caused by the test was 9.8 times more powerful than the tremorfrom the North’s fifth test in September 2016. Seoul has continued to conduct military drills in response to Pyongyang’s recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Most recently, it carried a live-firing exercise involving AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER cruise missile and Hyunmoo-2A ballistic missiles in the East Sea.

• South Korea has also stated that an agreement with the US to scrap weight limits on the munitions it can purchase or develop may help it deal with ongoing North Korean missile tests, an idea US President Donald Trump agrees with “in principle”. Under current guidelines, last changed in 2012, South Korea can develop missiles up to a range of 800 km (500 miles) with a maximum payload of 500 kg (1,102 lb). Most of North Korea’s missiles are designed to carry payloads of 100-1,000 kg (220-2,205 lb).

• The Myanmar military has commenced a search and rescue operation for a lost training jet and pilot after it lost contact on Tuesday. A statement released by the military said that the plane left the southwestern town of Pathein in the morning, only to lose communication at 9:18 am, and mentioning at least one pilot by name. The incident follows a much larger crash of a Y-8 transport aircraft in June, which killed all 122 people on board.

Today’s Video

• The Royal Navy fires Sea Ceptor:

USS George Washington begins overhaul | UK chases post-Brexit business | Bangladesh fighters sent to Myanmar border amid claims of ethnic cleansing

Americas

• Huntington Ingalls has being awarded a $2.8 billion US Navy contract for USS George Washington (CVN-73) refueling complex overhaul. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is expected to be out of action for the next 4-5 years as it undergoes the necessary mid-life refurbishment to keep the vessel in service, which includes refueling the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s reactors, as well as extensive updates to over 2,300 compartments, 600 tanks and hundreds of systems. Major upgrades will be made to the flight deck, catapults, combat systems and the island. After the overhaul, Huntington Ingalls says the Washington will be “one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet.” The vessel is the sixth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo overhaul.

• 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 of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, including Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, F-16 Fighting Falcons and aircraft of other nations.

• The US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has warned that upcoming procurement programs and extra hirings could be put on hold if Congress was to fund the Pentagon through a long continuing resolution (CR)—which funds the government at previous fiscal levels. If this was the case, big ticket contracts for programs like the T-X trainer competition, as well as additional hirings of new pilots and cyber experts are likely suffer prolonged delays. Asked whether a winner of the T-X competition could still be named without contracts being released, Wilson said, “Well, what’s the point? We don’t have the money to be able to do it, so you end up delaying a lot of new starts.” Budget analysts widely expect Congress to operate under a CR for at least a month or two; the bigger concern is that a CR could drag into next year if Congress is sidetracked by the Trump administration’s push for tax reform or becomes deadlocked over funding for a border wall with Mexico.

Middle East & Africa

• During a trip to Nigeria last week, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that London is considering a Nigerian military equipment request to help fight the jihadist militants of Boko Haram. “They have put out a request for more help with materiel – equipment of one kind and another. We are going to look at that,” he said following an earlier meeting with Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday. However, Johnson failed to give any specifics on costing or platforms requested, but said that Whitehall “will look at that [the Nigerian request] very seriously on counter-IED provision, on a request for more help with attack helicopters, for instance. Let’s have a look at what we can do.” Last month, the Pentagon approved the sale of 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft and weapons worth $593 million, to help it fight Boko Haram.

Europe

• The UK’s Secretary of Defense, Michael Fallon, has claimed that Britain’s planned exit from the European Union in 2019—Brexit—will not effect its defense ties with France. “I know French and British companies are concerned that we should not lose any cooperation after Brexit because we are working together on combat aircraft programs and new missiles systems that we need to progress on together,” Fallon said, adding that their “strong relationship” would not be diverted. However, as governments on the continent move towards greater defense procurement cooperation and integration, Britain may find itself going alone (or with non-European nations) on future defense programs. In July, France and Germany unveiled plans to develop a European fighter jet, ending a decades-long split since France withdrew from the Eurofighter project in the 1980s to produce its Rafale warplane with Dassault Aviation. At the time, defense industry experts called the move a setback to the UK and its leading arms contractor (and Eurofighter participant), BAE Systems.

Asia Pacific

• Bangladesh reportedly has moved fighter aircraft and naval vessels close to its border with Myanmar, after a number of alleged border incursions by the Myanmar military. Sources claim that an air group consisting of four MiG-29s and possibly several F-7 jets have been deployed near Chittagong, where they are on air defense alert. The incursions occurred as the Buddhist-majority Myanmar military conducts what it calls anti-insurgency operations in the eastern state of Rakhine—home to the Muslim Rohingya people—where they have been accused of conducting ethnic cleansing and genocide against civilians. The latest wave crackdowns erupted after 150 insurgents launched coordinated attacks on 24 police posts and the 552nd Light Infantry Battalion army base in Rakhine State on August 25. Since then, over 400 civilians have been killed and as many as 87,000 refugees have fled across the border to Bangladesh.

• Taiwan has completed integration of the AN/ALQ-131 pods with Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology on its F-16s. The electronic warfare pods are part of a series of upgrades to bring its fleet of F-16A/B aircraft up to the V-model standard, improving the fighters’ air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance capabilities and combat capability to meet the needs of advanced warfare. However, while Taipei had initially planned to acquire 42 pods from the US at a cost of $160 million, rising development costs had eaten up the budget and Taiwan could only afford to buy 12 pods.

Today’s Video

• Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) releases animation of the launch of KSLV-2, South Korea’s second carrier rocket:

Hydra, Awakened: Guided Air-Ground Rockets

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.