Colombia considers second-hand Eurofighters | Raytheon completes SBD-II Lot 1 production | Martin Baker to provide ejector seats for Taiwanese AJT

Americas

• According to a story originally reported in the Spanish-language news website, Defensa, the Colombian Air Force is currently evaluating a series of options that will boost its fighter-interceptor fleet capabilities. The main option involves procuring about a fighter wing’s worth of second-hand, Trance 2 standard Eurofighter Typhoons from Spain, equipped with the advanced Meteor missile. If the deal was to go ahead, Colombia would become the first operator of the Typhoon in the region, and the aircraft itself would be one of the most advanced fighters in South America, comparable only to the future Brazilian Saab JAS-39E/F fleet. Other (mostly second-hand) options being considered by Bogota include both Dassault Aviation’s Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter, the American Lockheed-Martin F-16 and Boeing F/A-18, the Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen, and even the Russian Sukhoi Su-30.

• Lot 1 production of the Small Diameter Bomb-II, an update to Boeing’s SDB-I, has been completed by Raytheon. The firm said it is producing SDB-II bombs at its facilities in Tucson, Ariz., and that the program is nearing completion of developmental testing. The US Air Force has also contracted Raytheon to produce Lots 2 and 3, and the munition is scheduled to be integrated on the F-35 and F/A-18E/F by the USAF and Navy, and Raytheon is expected to have it prepared for integration with the F-15E by the end of the year.

• Lockheed Martin, in conjunction with a US Air Force B-1B bomber crew, fired two production-configuration Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) simultaneously during a test at Point Mugu’s sea range. The two missiles were launched against multiple maritime targets and successfully met all primary test objectives, including target impact. The missile is based on the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, and employs advanced technologies that reduce dependence on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS navigation in electronic warfare environments, allowing the LRASM to detect and destroy specific targets within groups of ships.

Middle East & Africa

• Raytheon has been awarded a $302 million US Navy contract modification to produce and deliver 618 AGM-154 Block III C Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-to-ground missiles for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. First cleared to purchase the weapon in 2013, Saudi Arabia will also receive, containers, component parts, support equipment and engineering technical assistance in addition to the missiles. Just over one-third of the contract will be performed at Raytheon’s operation in Tucson, Ariz., with the rest completed in other locations in the United States, Wales and Scotland. Work is scheduled to be completed by June 2022.

• Eurofighter partner companies are on track to start Typhoon fleet deliveries to Kuwait from 2019. According to the consortium, “Production activities have begun in order to comply with the contract and the Customer expectations,” adding that “activities to establish infrastructures in Kuwait to operate the aircraft are also proceeding according to the plans.” Italy’s Leonardo is lead partner in the sale, which calls for 28 Eurofighters, including six two-seat trainers, with all aircraft equipped with the consortium’s Captor-E active electronically scanned array radar, Lockheed Martin Sniper targeting pod, plus precision-guided weapons including MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-surface missile and Storm Shadow cruise missile. Detailing of the program’s status comes during the annual Gulf Defence & Aerospace exhibition in Kuwait, which ran from December 12-14.

Europe

• BAE Systems announced Wednesday the completion of the first phase of flight trials of the MAGMA small scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Designed and tested in conjunction with the University of Manchester, the UAV will use a unique blown-air system to manoeuvre the aircraft and utilizes wing circulation control, which uses air from the aircraft engine and blows it supersonically through the trailing edge of the wing, to provide control for the aircraft and fluidic thrust vectoring for change of direction. It is hoped that this work will pave the way for future stealthier aircraft designs. BAE said additional technologies to improve the performance of the UAV are being explored in collaboration with the University of Arizona and NATO Science and Technology Organization.

Asia-Pacific

• Having recently completed an upgrade program on Colombian Air Force Kfir fighters, an IAI official told IHS Janes that the company is in talks with the Sri Lankan government to upgrade and return to service its own five grounded Kfir fighters. While no further details on the negotiations have been given, IAI have been offering operators of the aircraft substantial upgrades such as 4.5 Generation avionics—making the Kfir’s capabilities comparable to the F-16 Block 52—as well as guaranteed maintenance support. Sri Lanka is currently looking to replace its ageing fleet of Israeli Kfirs and MiG-27s with a new generation of high technology aircraft to replenish Sri Lanka’s air defense capability. The current front runner is Pakistan with the JF-17 Thunder.

• Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) has signed an agreement with Martin-Baker for the provision of ejection seats for AIDC’s advanced jet trainer (AJT). Signed in London, UK, on December 13, AIDC said in a statement that the “contract between AIDC and Martin-Baker facilitates cooperation opportunities and is a major milestone in the launch of AJT systems,” adding both “parties will work together, not only to achieve the goal of making the AJT program successful, but also to extend future collaboration in areas such as ejection seats, pilot personal equipment, parachutes”. No financial details on the agreement were given. AIDC have been commissioned by the Taiwanese government to design and built 66 AJTs, with the first prototype expected to begin flight trails in 2020. Delivery of the operational aircraft will start to replace Taiwan’s AT-3 trainer aircraft and F-5 jets from 2026.

Today’s Video

• Lockheed Martin’s recent LRASM test:

Canada wants “trusted partner” for CF-18 successor, Boeing on the outside | Draken Intl adds SA Cheetahs for Red Air | Ukraine to test new radar

Americas

• A news conference held by the Canadian government on Tuesday made clear that Boeing would not be supplying them with 18 F/A-18 Super Hornets—they will instead buy second-hand from Australia in a deal worth $388 million—and warned the US airframer that it had little chance of winning a much larger contract unless it dropped a trade challenge against Canadian planemaker Bombardier. Ottawa announced last year it wanted to buy the Boeing fighters in order to fill a capability gap while it restarted a competition for 88 jets to replace its aging 77 CF-18s fighters, after it dropped out of procuring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In a clear reference to Boeing, Carla Qualtrough, public works and procurement minister, told the news conference that “bidders responsible for harming Canada’s economic interests will be at a distinct disadvantage” compared to other companies participating in the competition for the 88 jets. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains added to the Boeing bashing by saying the government wanted a trusted partner—many in the government do not consider Boeing as such—prompting Boeing rival Lockheed Martin to issue a statement describing itself as “a trusted partner”. The saga continues.

• Draken International announced the acquisition of 12 fighter aircraft from the South African Air Force’s (SAAF) inventory. A leading provider of advanced adversary air training to the US Department of Defense (DoD), the deal saw Draken acquire nine single-seat C-model and 3 twin-seat D-model Atlas Cheetah fighters—retired in 2008 and replaced by the SAAF with the JAS-39 Gripen, with some sold to Ecuador. In addition to the sale, Draken has also formed a partnership with the Cheetah’s manufacturer, Denel, that will include follow-on service support to help ensure performance reliability. Draken hope to have the Cheetahs operational by mid-2018, where they will then provide the USAF, USN, and USMC with an advanced radar-equipped supersonic platform to train against. Developed as a variant of the Mirage III, the Mach 2.2 Cheetahs are equipped with radars, radar warning receivers, and other advanced avionics. They also have an average of 500 hours on each airframe and are considerably younger than many of the F-16’s, F-15’s and F/A-18s they will challenge in the Red Air capacity.

• The US Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works a $23.9 modified contract to provide engineering and technical services on Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. US Navy shipbuilding and conversion funds from fiscal years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 totaling more than $22.5 million has been obligated to the Maine-based firm and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The agreement is also a cost-reimbursement contract that potentially could provide Bath Iron Works with an award fee, based upon a later evaluation by the Pentagon. Work on the contract will mostly be split between Brunswick, Maine, and Bath, Maine, with some taking place in Washington, DC, and Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by June 2018.

Middle East & Africa

• Turkish and Russian officials are expected to finalize Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 Triumf air defense system in the coming week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. It is also believed that Russia will offer credit to Turkey in a partial financing of the system, with a Russian presidential aide telling the Interfax news agency that technical issues such as interest rates were being finalized by the Finance Ministry. The first of two S-400 systems will begin delivery in 2019, with options for a third. Turkey has also signed a deal with the Eurosam consortium to help develop an indigenous system that will actually be interoperable with NATO systems.

Europe

• Leonardo will deliver eight additional twin-engine AW139 helicopters to Italy for public service and security operations within the country. Totalling nearly $132 million, two models will be delivered to the Italian Coast Guard in 2018 for use on search-and-rescue missions, while the remaining six will be delivered by 2020 and used by the Italian Customs and Border Protection Service (Guardia di Finanza) on patrol missions. Once delivered, both services will operate 14 AW139s each, with the total number of units ordered by Rome for publicservices now reaching 53.

• Ukranian state-owned defense manufacturer Ukroboronprom has announced that the 80K6T air defense radar is ready for factory trials. The active phased array radar has a range of 500 km and altitude of 40 km, and will be primarily tasked with target destination and is integrated with all types of AA missile systems used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It can make 12 turns per minutes and updates data every five seconds. Kiev’s 80K6T development is part of an effort to both revitalize its defence industry and re-equip its national armed forces. The 80K6T aims to provide an analogous capability to the Saab Giraffe 4A, Hensoldt TRML-3D/32 and -4D and Thales Ground Master, among others. However, while the 80K6T has promising specifications, actual performance and reliability has yet to be tested. If available on the export market, the 80K6T can provide a capable non-Western solution, especially for Ukraine’s traditional client base.

Asia-Pacific

• Two out of six upgraded F-16C fighters scheduled to fly from the US to Indonesia this week had to make a stopover in Guam due to engine trouble. The six aircraft—part of a deal that saw 24 F-16C/D aircraft upgraded with new avionics and weaponry for Jakarta—left the continental US on Monday with a scheduled stopover in Guam before moving on to Iswahjudi air base on Tuesday—where many of the aircraft will eventually be based. However, two of the aircraft didn’t make the second leg of the journey and are now undergoing repair work.

Today’s Video

• Ukroboronprom’s 80K6T radar:

German MoD favor the Eurofighter, Luftwaffe the F-35 | Bulgaria orders MiG overhaul as replacement effort stalls | Second JF-17B begins flight tests

Americas

• A report released Monday by the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General into the US Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program has found that the service did not effectively develop and manage electronic warfare capabilities for upgrades to the AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite. The mismanagement resulted in the waste of almost $2 million and lengthened the acquisition process by about two years with inadequate results. Managed by the Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems under Naval Sea Systems Command, the Inspector General found that Navy officials waived a step of the development process—details of which were redacted from the report—in order to stay on schedule instead of correcting problems before entering initial operational test and evaluation. This skipping resulted in additional costs of $1.8 million to conduct a second phase of initial operational test and evaluation on Block 2, delaying the acquisition schedule by almost two years. Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems said it will continue to work with the commander for operational test and evaluation force to close the remaining deficiencies, according to the declassified report.

• L-3 Communications has been tapped to provide support services for the US Air Force’s (USAF) T-1A Jayhawk advanced trainer aircraft. The work order calls for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A trainer aircraft, with work to take place at the following USAF bases: Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. Scheduled completion is slated for December 31, 2022. Total value of the contract is $79.3 million, with a total of $1.5 being obligated at the time of the award.

• The US Army has awarded Northrop Grumman a $750 million contract for life cycle services on the service’s Special Electronic Mission Aircraft fleet. 75 fixed-wing airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes will be covered under the agreement, including RC-12X Guardrail, the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System and Airborne Reconnaissance Low variants. The period of performance is one year, with eight one-year options, and work to be carried out includes program management, systems engineering and modification, supply chain management, and aircraft modifications and elective upgrades. King Aerospace, Inc. and M1 Support Service will also participate in work under the contract.

Middle East & Africa

• Diesel Engineering Inc will provide engines and transmission kits for Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Achzarit heavy armored personnel carriers (APC). Valued at $10.4 million, the US Navy contract includes one option, which if exercised, would potentially raise the overall total of the contract to more than $10.5 million. It also involves foreign military financing to the state of Israel. Work on the contract will occur in Detroit, Mich., and Prague, Czech Republic, and is expected to be completed by December 2019. Coming in two variants, the Achzarit Mk-2’s Detroit Diesel 8V92TA turbocharged diesel engine, offers 850-horsepower—up from the 650-horsepower found on the Achzarit Mk-1 engine—and is coupled with an upgraded Allison XTG-411-5 transmission. The new power pack can be installed without making any changes to the engine compartment or vehicle, and provides an output power of approximately 720bhp.

Europe

• Bulgaria announced Monday that is has asked Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG to overhaul and maintain its 15 ageing MiG-29 fighter jets. The four-year deal is set to cost $49 million, and is integral to keeping the Soviet-era aircraft operational while Sofia decides a course of action over its MiG-29 replacement program. Sofia had initially set its sights on purchasing eight JAS-39 Gripen fighters from Saab, but the government that came into power earlier this year dismissed the previous interim government’s decision to select the Swedish fighter, instead favoring a new competition that will see the Gripen face off against second-hand F-16s from both the US and Portugal, and second-hand Eurofighter Typhoons from Italy. Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov has also indicated that Boeing may be asked for information about secondhand F-16s.

• The German Defense Ministry has come out in favor of the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft as the replacement for its fleet of 85 Panavia Tornado jets. However, the decision contradicts an announcement by the Luftwaffe last month that hailed Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the best option to meet the service’s requirements of stealth and long-distance operational capabilities. News of the ministry’s preference came to light in a letter sent to a Greens lawmaker who had inquired about the deliberations, with the ministry listing the F-35, alongside Boeing’s F-15 and F-18 fighters as secondary options. Built by the Eurofighter consortium consisting of Britain’s BAE Systems, France’s Airbus, and Italy’s Leonardo, a Typhoon purchase by Berlin may come as a precursor to eventual Franco-German cooperation on a new European fighter effort, intentions on which were announced earlier this year. A decision on the Tornado’s replacement needs to be approved by parliament within the next two years and a contract signed by 2020 or 2021to ensure deliveries by 2025. However, no final decision is likely to be made before a new government is formed, which has remained undecided since elections in September left no party with a majority or workable coalition.

Asia-Pacific

• India has put forward a new $1.87 billion procurement plan for 24 off the shelf naval helicopters, following a collapse in talks with Lockheed Martin over 16 Sikorsky S-70B naval helicopters, and an urgent capability require for such rotorcraft by the Indian Navy. Negotiations with Lockheed were terminated following the expiry of the price bid in March, and subsequently the tender was withdrawn in April, an MoD official said. An Indian Navy official added that the service asked the MoD in July to consider procuring the helicopters from the US under the Foreign Military Sales program, however, the request was turned down because Indian procurement procedures do not allow for single-supplier preference but instead prefer global competitions through which weapons or platforms are selected based on lowest price. New Delhi is also planning a major $7 billion procurement for 123 naval multi-role helicopters in the 9- to 12.5-ton categories, that will be manufactured by a domestic private company with technology transfer from an overseas helicopter original equipment manufacturer. The winning helicopter model will then be manufactured by a private Indian company—to be decided by a separate competition—in an Indian facility, despite the fact that no private Indian company has ever built a helicopter platform, having only supplied subsystems.

• The second prototype of the JF-17 Thunder’s twin-seat variant—the JF-17B—is currently undergoing flight tests in China. A total of three JF-17B prototypes are in production after requests by potential third-party customers for a twin-seat variant that could be used for training and evaluation purposes. Two prototypes will go to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). In addition to a tandem seat, the JF-17B incorporates several design changes to its single-seat counterpart, including a modified vertical stabilizer, dorsal spine (potentially for fuel to compensate for the space lost from the additional seat), enlarged nose and three-axis fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system.

Today’s Video

• A look at earlier JF-17B flight tests :

The USA’s RC-12X Guardrail SIGINT Modernization

They’re derived from Hawker-Beechcraft’s popular King Air B200 twin-prop planes, and they look like a dog that just finished chasing a family of porcupines. Their specialty is intercepting enemy communications, and snooping on electronic emissions. At one time, these light “RC-12 Guardrail” aircraft were one of the 3 electronic eavesdropping and surveillance planes slated for replacement by the joint Army-Navy Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) jet, after many years of service in remote trouble spots and large-scale wars around the globe. Now, they’re getting a new lease on life.

The $8 billion ACS program’s suspension, “back to square one” delay, and joint status uncertainties, have turned the Guardrails into a critical asset that need to continue serving. That requires performance improvements and modernization of their electronics to match a quickly-evolving field. To that end, long-standing Guardrail fleet prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation has been asked to create the latest entry in the Guardrail family.

Northrop Grumman to perform risk reduction for new Patriot radar | Japan requests funding for Aegis Ashore | Leonardo announces 2017 Linaps sales

Americas

• A 20-person team from Embraer arrived December 4 at an airport in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska in order to conduct cross-wind landing testing on its KC-390 military transport aircraft. Testing was initially scheduled to take place in Texas but weather in the area at the time did not have adequate wind. Instead, Denver International Airport officials referred the team to Scottsbluff, where local winds apparently have been brisk enough for testing the jet’s handling in wind and crosswind. Brazilian manufacturer Embraer brought the KC-390 to its US facility in Jackson, Florida, in November as part of its flight test campaign for certification. A declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is expected by the end of the year, with first deliveries to commence in 2018.

• Raytheon has been awarded a fixed-price-incentive-firm target and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to an existing US Air Force (USAF) contract for hardware in support of AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM). The $8.5 million contract will task Raytheon with providing form-fit-function replace hardware assets to include guidance sections and integrated test vehicles under the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile lots 28-30 production. Work will take place in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. The contract also includes foreign military sales for Japan, Norway, Romania, Turkey and Australia. Production funds from fiscal year 2017 of more than $2.8 million, in addition to fiscal 2017 research and development funds of more than $3.8 million, will be obligated to Raytheon at the time of award. All remaining funds on the contract will be derived from foreign military sales.

• The USAF has awarded Boeing a $10.5 million contract for the delivery of GBU-39 laser small diameter bombs (SBD). Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $10,521,827 are being obligated at the time of award of the sole-source acquisition. Delivery will be completed by March 6, 2019, after work is performed at St. Louis, Missouri. Boeing’s laser SDBs are considered a “next-generation strike weapon” that can be deployed from both internal and external carriage systems on an aircraft. It is equipped with an Advanced Anti-Jam Global Positioning System-aided Inertial Navigation System that directs the weapon towards the position of a given target.

• Northrop Grumman will perform risk reduction for radar technology and associated mission capabilities intended to replace the Army’s 50-year-old Patriot radars, under a contract awarded by the US Army’s Lower Tier Program Office (LTPO). The Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) will be the Army’s first net centric radar to be added to the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense enterprise controlled by the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), which Northrop Grumman also develops. IBCS is the advanced command and control system that integrates air and missile defense sensors and weapons, including Patriot, to generate a real-time comprehensive threat picture and enable any-sensor, best-shooter operations. Northrop did not disclose the value of the contract.

Middle East & Africa

• Pakistan Army AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters will be fitted with A/A49E-7(v4) gun turrets as part of a wider US Navy contract that has also tasked General Dynamics with providing the turrets to the US Marine Corps. The total value of the contract amounts to $9.06 million, with approximately $3.1 million of that earmarked for the Pakistani purchase. Pakistan will receive the turrets by August 2021, where they will be fitted with the M197 20mm cannon. Other equipment ordered by Islamabad for the helicopters—15 of which were approved for sale by the US State Department in 2015—include the Thales TopOwl helmet-mounted display (HMD) system, Lockheed Martin’s AN/AAQ-30 electro-optical and infrared turrets, BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-47 chaff/flare dispensers, Northrop Grumman’s AN/APR-39C(v2) radar-warning receivers (RWR), and AN/AAR-47 missile warning receivers from Orbital ATK.

• A group of UN experts have examined the wreckage of missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi forces as part of efforts to identify their origin. While it still remains to be seen if Iran—regional rival of Saudi Arabia and backer of the Houthis—were behind the missile shipments, the primary conclusion found that the missiles did have a common origin. What’s more, the components examined “bore the castings of a logo similar to that of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group”—an Iranian subsidiary that has been flagged by Iran Watch as an entity of potential concern for WMD-related procurement. Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the US and Saudi allegations are “baseless and unfounded.”

Europe

• Leonardo has announced that over 150 units of its ‘Linaps’ artillery pointing system and over 100 FIN 3120 Inertial Navigation Units (INU) have been sold in 2017, earning the firm almost $59 million. The sales indicate a sustained interest in the company’s artillery aiming systems. Linaps, which can be adapted to fit any existing artillery, mortar or MLRS platform, provides highly-accurate weapon management and navigation, without reliance on GPS. Every new Linaps contains a FIN3120 Inertial Navigation Unit (INU), a gyro-based system which precisely measures the gun platform’s location, azimuth and elevation, and can also be bought separately for customers who want to add the sensor element of the system to a platform that already has other elements of a fire control system built-in, such as a man-machine interface. The system is being seen by customers worldwide as a cost-effective way to significantly enhance the capabilities of both modern and legacy systems, and is in use with the UK, Canada, New Zealand, UAE, Oman, South Africa, Thailand and Malaysia.

Asia-Pacific

• Japan has requested funding to lay the groundwork for its acquisition of the land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system. $6.4 million has been requested in fiscal 2018’s budget to cover site surveys and deployment planning for the system, which will see two batteries deployed in Akita and Yamaguchi Prefectures. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government plans to endorse the so-called Aegis Ashore deployment on Dec. 19, a government source said, as the country aims to bolster its defense capability against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat. At present, Japan’s ballistic missile defense is handled by destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system and Standard Missile-3 interceptors, for stopping missiles in outer space, and a ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system that can counter attacks in the lower spheres.

Today’s Video

• The August 2016 first fire of a Brimstone missile from an Apache AH-64E :

Boeing “respects” Canada’s Hornet decision | Raytheon marks 30 years in UAE with subsidiary | Japan MOD requests JSM funding, LRSM & JASSM integration

Americas

• Boeing has responded to the Canadian government’s decision to buy second-hand F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft from Australia instead of new from the manufacturer for its Canadian Interim Fighter Capability Project. A media statement from the company said it respected Ottawa’s decision and applauded the government’s “continued use of a two engine fighter solution, which is a critical part of their northern Arctic border defense, NORAD cooperation, and coast to coast to coast security.” It added that it “will continue to look to find productive ways to work together (with Canada) in the future.”

• A USAF contract awarded Thursday will task Boeing with upgrading the cockpits of the service’s E-3 Sentry aircraft. Valued at $46.3 million, the agreement is part of the DRAGON program, a joint effort between Washington and its NATO partners to upgrade the cockpits of Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, which is utilised as an airborne early warning and control platform capable of operating in all types of weather. Work on the contract will be performedin Oklahoma City, Okla., and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Procurement funds from fiscal 2017 monies will be payed to Boeing at the time of award, amounting to more than $4 million.

• Bell-Boeing will acquire for the the US Navy, additional long-lead material and associated efforts required for the production and delivery of seven V-22 Lot 23 tilt-rotor aircraft. Awarded under a $19.6 million firm-fixed-price contract, work will run until December 2018 at several US locations. US Navy aircraft procurement funds from fiscal year 2018 for the full value of the contract have been obligated at the time of award and do not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Middle East & Africa

• BAE Systems and Qatar finalized Sunday a $6.7 billion deal to deliver 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets to the Gulf nation. Delivery is expected in late 2022 and the contract is subject “to financing conditions and receipt by the company of first payment” that is “expected to be fulfilled no later than mid-2018”. The deal was signed during a ceremony in Doha under the auspices of the UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah. Williamson hailed the sale as a “massive vote of confidence, supporting thousands of British jobs and injecting billions into our economy”.

• Coinciding with its 30th anniversary in the country, Raytheon announced the formation of a new subsidiary in the UAE that will focus on cybersecurity, effectors, air defense and sustainment, and advanced technology. Known as Raytheon Emirates, the venture will be based in Abu Dhabi and headed by John Brauneis, who had previously acted as vice-president of supply chain management at the firm. “We are focused on expanding the capabilities of Raytheon and its business partners in the UAE by emphasizing local hiring and talent development, cultivating a strong supplier base, and developing new technology solutions,” Brauneis said.

Europe

• The Hungarian Armed Forces has announced plans to acquire new transport planes that will replace its ageing fleet of Antonov An-26 as part of the country’s Zrinyi 2026 military development program. Initially, three new aircraft will be ordered in the spring on 2018, with plans to add another three at a later date, although no details were given on how much was being made available for the purchases. Potential suitors could be Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Spartan—now in use with neighbouring Slovakia—or the Airbus C-295.

Asia-Pacific

• Following five years of regeneration work at Hill AFB, Utah, the USAF has delivered the final six F-16C/D Block 25 fighter aircraft to Indonesia. Engineers at Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex modernized a total of 19 F-16Cs and 5 F-16Ds to the Block 50/52 standard for Jakarta, which included new avionics, engines, landing gear, and other components. Formerly flown by USAF and Air National Guard units, the jets were transferred under a 2011 Obama administration bilateral agreement called Peace Bhima Sena II, which saw the fighters given to the Indonesian Air Force under an Excess Defense Article (EDA) transfer, with the upgrades costing Indonesia approximately $750 million. The jets will depart on a five-day transoceanic flight and will require mid-air refueling and two overnight stops before arriving in Indonesia.

• The Japanese Defense Ministry has officially requested additional funding in the Fiscal 2018 budget for the purchase of long-range cruise missiles. Requested in two parts, the first seeks $19 million to buy Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile (JSM), while the second portion—costing just over 250k—will fund research into the integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missile and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on its of F-15, and possibly F-2, aircraft. Speaking on the decision, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the new missiles will “allow its forces “to respond to enemy fleets or landing forces” from a safe distance. Until now, Japan’s missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km Critics have claimed that this new capability to strike targets within Chinese or North Korean territory goes against its pacifist constitution, however, the government’s position is that, although the capability to attack enemy bases is allowed under the Constitution, Japan has made it a policy decision to not possess that capability in light of the nation’s exclusively defense-oriented policy. “[The introduction of the new types of missiles] would not run counter to the exclusively defense-oriented policy,” Onodera said.

Today’s Video

• US-Mexico border wall prototypes prior to testing:

Canada to shun Boeing, goes for Aussie Super Hornets | MQ-8C will enter IOC testing next spring | Su-57 prototype flies with new engine

Americas

• It has been reported that Canada has scrapped an earlier plan to buy F/A-8 Super Hornets from manufacturer Boeing, and instead will sign next week a deal to buy second-hand models from the Australian government. A previous plan would have seen Canada obtain 18 new Super Hornet fighter jets as part of its interim solution to its CF-18 fleet replacement program, however, Ottawa’s anger at a decision by Boeing to launch a trade challenge against Canadian planemaker Bombardier—which the US giant accuses of dumping airliners on the American market—caused the deal to be cancelled and has likely put future Boeing military sales to Canada in serious doubt. When asked about the second-hand deal, the offices of Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan—who share responsibility for Canada’s military procurement—both declined to comment. Boeing, and the Australian mission in Ottawa were also unavailable for comment, however, the Australian Department of Defense did confirm that Canada lodged a formal expression of interest for “a number” of Australia’s F/A-18 Classic Hornets on Sept. 29. Official requirements for a new CF-18 replacement program are expected in early 2019.

• The US Navy expects to enter the initial operational test and evaluation phase of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter this spring, with sea-based testing onboard a littoral combat ship to follow later that summer. Derived from the four-bladed, single-engined Bell 407, the rotorcraft will replace the smaller MQ-8B based on the Sikorsky S-333, and offers a greater payload, range and endurance than its predecessor. While waiting for the MQ-8C to come online, the Navy continues to fix issues experienced with the B variant such as a capability for the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS), and is also working on an interim fix for its MQ-8B radar.

• After a two week investigation, the US Air Force has lifted an operational pause on T-6A Texan II flights out of Vance Air Base, with students and instructors returning to the air on December 5. Aviation, medical, functional and industry experts all took part in the investigation but found no specific root cause for the physiological events experienced by a number of T-6A pilots during flights out of the base. The service said it will continue to gather technical and human performance data and the Vance team will temporarily apply local procedures to mitigate risk to flight operations and aircrew.

• Raytheon’s next-generation military-code GPS receiver integrated onboard a B-2 Spirit bomber has been successfully tested by the USAF. Conducted out of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the first ever M-code test onboard the B-2 is being regarded as an important milestone for the US Government-led GPS Modernization effort to enhance security, positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for US military and civilian applications. Military GPS User Equipment M-code receivers will give military aircraft, ships and ground vehicles access to the modernized GPS network. The firm said the test confirmed the viability of a risk-reduction prototype of Raytheon’s Miniaturized GPS Airborne Receiver.

Middle East & Africa

• Azerbaijan has inked contracts with Pakistan, finalizing a deal to purchase 10 Super Mushshak trainers from Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The signing took place during a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and hosted in the Azeri capital Baku. During the meeting, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif called for greater joint defense production between the three countries, something his counterparts were amenable to. Azerbaijan and Pakistan, being the smaller defence industry players of the three countries, will likely look to limit their hard currency outflows and increase support for their respective defence suppliers by linking to the supply channels supporting the Turkish Armed Forces. This could potentially be had by Islamabad and Baku partnering with Ankara in the latter’s development programs. Pakistan is also looking to sell its JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter to Azerbaijan, and manufacturer PAC is configuring Turkish firm Aselsan’s ASELPOD targeting pod to the JF-17. This, along with potentially other Turkish subsystems and air-to-surface weapons, could make their way to Azerbaijan should Baku select the JF-17.

Europe

• The Swiss subsidiary of Saab Defense—Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland (SBDS)—will produce and supply 155mm training artillery ammunition for an unnamed customer. Valued at $14.4 million, deliveries will take place over the next two years and follows another contract executed for the client in 2015 and 2016. SBDS is involved in the design, development and production of mortar rounds, warheads and other energetic products, and regards itself as a specialist in total munitions life cycle management and provides servicing of different ammunition types, mainly for large-caliber products.

• Russia’s newest fighter jet—the fifth-generation Su-57—has flown for the first time while being powered by the new NPO Saturn “Product 30” engine. Lasting 17 minutes, the flight was carried out by the second Su-57 aircraft prototype—T-50-2—from the Gromov flight test centre at Zhukovsky AB. The new engine is slated to become the production standard for the Su-57, after the nine flight test prototypes of the Su-57 fighter were powered by NPO Saturn Product 117 engine—itself based on the AL-41F-1S afterburning turbofans developed for the Su-35. Moscow said the Product 30 will provide more thrust and fuel efficiency, with reduced weight and maintenance requirements.

Asia-Pacific

• The last S-70B-2 Seahawk operated by the Royal Australian Navy has flown its last flight as the service completes its transition to the Sikorsky MH-60R. 24 models of the new anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter have been delivered since 2014 and are operated by the 725 Sqn from Nowra, New South Wales. The last Seahawk was flown to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, where it will be preserved. The departing model was used during operations in the Middle East from the 1990-1991 Gulf War onwards.

Today’s Video

• The Su-57 flies with new engine:

Successful Saudi scud downing in doubt| Boeing admits Pegasus delivery delays | Japan considers strike missile purchase despite pacifist constitution

Americas

• Boeing has admitted that the planned delivery of the first KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft to the US Air Force (USAF) has been postponed. The firm had previously maintained, as recently as last month, that it was confident the tanker could be delivered by the end of the year, after missing the initial delivery deadline of August 2017. Now, Boeing say deliveries will now take place in 2018, and is contractually obliged to deliver 18 KC-46s and nine refueling pods by October 2018—14 months later than originally planned. Cost overruns for the program experienced by Boeing to date amount to approximately $2.9 billion pretax, or $1.9 billion after tax.

• Raytheon has been selected by the US Navy to deliver AN/SPY-1 Radar for the unnamed Arleigh Burke-class DDG-127 US Navy destroyer. Valued at an estimated $48.6 million, the deal falls under an undefinitized contract action that modifies the terms of a previous award contract, with US Navy fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion funds of $22.6 million obligated to Raytheon at the time of the award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will take place primarily at Andover, Mass., with a scheduled completion date of January 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• A planned developmental test of the Arrow-3 interceptor system was postponed on Monday after its target missile started acting unsafely. The target—an upgraded version of Rafael’s Sparrow family of air-launched missiles—started to behave strangely shortly after launch in a way that was not conforming to safety parameters determined in advance, and resulted in testers calling a ‘no test’. Engineers are now evaluating the data from the missile target to see what went wrong. Speaking on the incident, Israel’s Defense Ministry noted that Monday morning’s planned test was part of a series of tests periodically conducted by Israel and the US to continuously validate the nation’s multitiered defense network, while Boaz Levy, executive vice president for lead contractor Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), insisted that the planned intercept test was a developmental test aimed at validating new capabilities planned for future block versions of the Arrow-3, and thus had no bearing on the operational capability of the Arrow weapon system or its continuously upgraded Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 intercepting missiles deployed by the Israeli Air Force. Arrow-3 is Israel’s highest layer of a multitiered and intentionally overlapping network of active defenses against rockets and tactical ballistic missiles aimed at intercepting advanced, possibly nuclear-tipped threats hundreds of kilometers in space.

• The US Army has granted Raytheon a $150.2 million foreign military contract to provide Qatar with services and support of the Patriot Air Defense System. Work on the contract will be performed in Doha, Qatar, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. More than $150.2 million of fiscal 2018 foreign military sale funds was obligated to Raytheon at the time of award. Under the terms of the deal, Raytheon will provide technical expertise and assistance in the training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance management, configuration management, logistics support, installation and sustainment of the Qatar Patriot Air Defense Systems and associated equipment.

• A report by the New York Times has quoted experts claiming the Patriot air defense system operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force failed to intercept a missile fired by Yemeni Houthi militants on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on November 4. Five interceptors were fired at the Houthi missile—believed to be a Burqan-2, a Scud family missile popular in the Middle East—however, US officials now say that there was no evidence to prove that any of them hit the incoming missile. Instead, they said, the incoming missile body and warhead may have come apart because of its sheer speed and force. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, even US President Trump hailed the Patriot system’s effectiveness—“That’s how good we are. Nobody makes what we make, and now we’re selling it all over the world”—but governments have overstated the effectiveness of missile defenses in the past, including against Scuds. During the first Gulf War, the United States claimed a near-perfect record in shooting down Iraqi variants of the Scud. Subsequent analyses found that nearly all the interceptions had failed.

Europe

• The Czech military will pursue a new surveillance and combat drone procurement program, according to Gen. Josef Becvar, the chief of the Czech Republic’s General Staff. $46.5 million has been made available for the program, which will run until 2025, and approximately 20 percent of that funding will be spent on obtaining new ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Boeing’s subsidiary Insitu, which will be purchased in 2019. Prague is also looking to obtain combat UAVs from 2020, with the aim of increasing its air strike capability. In 2017, the Czech defense budget is to total more than $2.67 billion, a 10 percent increase compared with a year earlier. This makes this year’s Czech military expenditure the largest in absolute numbers since 2007.

Asia-Pacific

• Japan is considering a procurement of long-range air-launched missiles that could give Tokyo the capability of striking North Korea for the first time. While no money has yet been made available for such a purchase, money is expected to be made available for a study at the start of the next defense budget starting in April, with additional funding expected to be made available to evaluate such missiles, sources claim. However, the purchase of such offensive weapons—which includes Lockheed Martin’s extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) and the Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile (JSM)—could prove controversial in Japan as restrictions on strike weapons imposed by its pacifist constitution means Japan’s missile force is currently composed of anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 kms (186 miles). The JASSM-ER and JSM boast ranges of 1000 km and 500 km respectively.

• The South Korean and US military kicked off five days of joint aerial war drills on Monday, a week after North Korea’s most advanced ICBM test to date. Vigilant Ace, which will run until Friday, will involve over 230 aircraft—including six F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft and a number of the fifth-generation F-35A Joint Strike Fighter—and 12,000 US service members, including from the Marines and Navy, will join South Korean troops. The drills—designed to enhance readiness and operational capability and to ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula— come a week after North Korea said it had tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever in defiance of international sanctions and condemnation. Pyongyang had criticised Washington at the weekend for raising tensions and warned that Vigilant Ace exercise was pushing tensions on the Korean peninsula towards “a flare-up”.

Today’s Video

• Footage of India’s BrahMos air-launched cruise missile test from an IAF Su-30MKI:

France close in on additional Rafale sale to Qatar | KAI consider dropping T-50 cost for USAF trainer comp | MBDA deliver MMP missile to French Army

Americas

• The US Air Force (USAF) will not have funding to re-engine its fleet of B-52 aircraft until 2020, Gen. Robin Rand, head of USAF Global Strike Command, told reporters at the Association of Old Crows conference in Washington. But the multi-year, multi-billion project to supply and integrate new engines to the service’s 76 1952-vintage B-52H bombers has already got industry interested, with Boeing and Rolls Royce already openly campaigning for the contract. However, some analysts are skeptical that the re-engine effort will ever happen, saying that while the “re-engining would save money from the O&M account (fuel and parts)” it “would cost money from the procurement account.”

• Yates Electrospace Corp has been granted a contract by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory to develop and test 10 unmanned gliders that are able to deliver 700 pounds of life-saving supplies and cargo to any Marine unit. The company’s Silent Arrow platform—an autonomous cargo aircraft—will have its electric powertrain removed to meet the service’s requirement and will undergo a 12 month flight test with the USMC. Other requirements include being able to be deployed from fixed-wing and rotary wing military aircraft such as the C-130, MV-22 and CH-53 from altitudes as high as 25,000 ft. It will then glide to within 150 feet of its target point.

• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will conduct the demilitarization and disposal of US Army Rockets as part of a Department of Defense (DoD) contract modification awarded Thursday. Valued at $10.6 million, the agreement covers the disposal and destruction of 14,970 all-up rounds, or equivalent Multiple Rocket Launch System M26 rockets and components by March 31, 2019. Work will be performed in Carthage, Missouri

Middle East & Africa

• France is close to finalizing a deal with Qatar to supply additional fighter aircraft and armored vehicles, a source to the presidential office said. One deal is to exercise and option to purchase 12 additional Rafale fighter jets, adding to the 24 already on order with manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Additional deals being discussed include an order of 300 VBCI armored vehicles from French firm Nexter, and a non-military deal to manage the Doha metro for 20 years. The deals could be concluded by the end of the week.

Europe

• The French Armed Forces Ministry has received the first batch of a fifth-generation weapon designed to replace its ageing Milan anti-tank system. So far, lead contractor MBDA has delivered 20 firing posts and 50 missiles of its MMP missile system. MBDA won out against Lockheed Martin and Raytheon’s Javelin joint venture and Rafael’s Spike system to replace some 400,000 Milan anti-tank missiles in service amid fierce international competition. The current order from Paris is for MBDA to deliver 1,750 missiles and 400 firing posts by 2025. It will be deployed to ground troops, cavalry units and special forces from next year, and will arm the Jaguar combat and reconnaissance vehicle from 2020.

• Russian media reports that the Russian government has paused its development of a rail-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), affectionately known as “the death train”. While the rail-based system has already completed several successful tests, funding to complete development has dried up after being used for other ICBM projects. However, the Kremlin doesn’t seemed to be too perturbed, with the former head of armaments of the Russian Armed Forces A.P. Sitnova stating recent upgrades to its nuclear capabilities—specifically its submarines and carriers equipped with the new Bulava missile—gave Moscow ample nuclear missile power to deal with any aggressor.

Asia-Pacific

• Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is considering an adjustment to the cost of its T-50A advanced jet trainer in order to win the US Air Force (USAF) T-X trainer competition. The announcement was made by the firm’s new CEO Kim Jo-won, who added that transforming company management and cutting labor costs were among some of the cost saving measures being sought to help cover the discount. KAI’s announcement came after program partner Lockheed Martin requested KAI cut costs to make the bid more competitive against a rival bid from Boeing-Saab.

• The Indian Air Force has successfully carried out its first air-to-air refeuling of its Embraer EMB-145-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. The ‘probe and drogue’ refuelling was carried out by an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker, with only ten minutes of refueling necessary to keep the platform flying for an additional four hours. Ordered in 2008, New Delhi has received the first two of three new EMB-145 aircraft and have been fitted with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-designed Netra AEW&C systems, which the IAF claims provide 240-degree coverage as well as surveillance ranges between 250 and 375 km.

Today’s Video

• Indian Air Force’s EMB-145-based AEW&C platform has successfully carried out its first mid-air refueling with help from a Il-78 tanker:

Surya’s Chariots: India’s AWACS Programs

In recent years India has been shifting toward aircraft that would give it the ability to patrol and act at extended ranges. In January 2004, India and Israel signed a $1.1 billion contract for 3 Phalcon airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, as part of a $1.5 billion tripartite agreement with Russia. With the arrival of its first IL-76 Phalcon, India joined the global ranks of AWACS operators. The aircraft has to monitor huge swathes of Indian airspace, intercept communications and log radar frequencies, add some ground surveillance, and help command IAF responses. By 2012 India announced that it wanted to follow up on that procurement with native capabilities.

In parallel, India has moved to implement AWACS capabilities on a smaller platform, in order to provide broader aircraft coverage of its territory. The goal there is to field a Tier 2 platform based on Embraer’s ERJ-145 jet, and Indian radar and electronics, allowing India to join the global ranks of AWACS designers. Just to make things interesting, their arch-rival Pakistan offers a contrasting case study, with quicker fielding of off-the shelf buys from China (Y-8 based ZDK-03) and Sweden (Saab 2000 Erieye).