Trump’s Asia trip: More arms for allies | F-35 aircraft and simulators delivered to Norway, Israel | Japan plans visit to Hawaiian Aegis facility |

Americas

• General Electric will conduct the overhaul and recapitalization of the T700 series of engine in support of US Army Blackhawk and Apache helicopters. Valued at $84 million, the contract follows the $1 billion December 2016 award that called for 2,500 T700 engines to support all four branches of the US military, including the US Coast Guard and foreign military sales, through 2019. The overhaul is expected to be completed by November 2, 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• Israel’s next F-35i delivery is expected later this week with two aircraft scheduled to touch down at Nevatim air base, bringing its current fleet to nine. Tel Aviv will add a dedicated test aircraft in 2019 to support future software and equipment updates, and deliveries of its currently planned 50-strong fleet will be completed in 2027. A cabinet decision to whether to order additional F-35is in order to equip a third squadron will be made next year.

Europe

• Three Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters touched down at Ørland Air Base on Friday, November 3, the first of Norway’s ordered units to be permanently based in the country. Seven are currently stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where pilots are undergoing training, and manufacturer Lockheed Martin has already commenced deliveries of F-35 training simulators to international customers, of which Norway stands alongside Israel, Italy and Japan as recipients. These simulators will allow for more in-house training of F-35 pilots to take place instead of recruits having to travel to the US. Oslo plans to acquire 52 F-35As at a rate of six per year up until 2024 as part of its F-16 Fighting Falcon replacement program.

• The Romanian government will buy H215 and H215m Super Puma helicopters from IAR S.A. Brasov, a domestic partner of the rotorcraft’s manufacturer Airbus who has helped market the helicopters to Romania and prospective third-party export customers. Over the course of the fifteen year agreement, Airbus anticipates that Romania could acquire up to 60 H215/H215m to supplant its legacy Puma and aging Super Puma helicopters. Airbus recently brought the H215/H215m Super Puma production line to offer an affordable competitor to the Russian Helicopters Mi-171. The Brasov facility had until then produced over 360 helicopters, including the IAR 330 Puma, for domestic and overseas markets.

• BAE Systems announced an order received by the Swedish Defense and Material Administration for the delivery of 254 additional Bofors 155mm BONUS artillery rounds for its military. The munition is used on the BAE-built Archer Artillery System, a next-generation self-propelled howitzer developed for the Swedish and Norwegian armies, and capable of successfully detecting and combating heavily armored vehicles within 35 kilometers. When BONUS smart ammunition is fired from the system, its carrier shell separates to deploy two sensor-fuzed munitions that then search for targets within a given footprint, up to 32,000 square meters. Each of the two expelled munitions independently seeks and neutralizes its own target. Production on the contract will take place at BAE Systems’ facility in Karlskoga, Sweden, and delivery is scheduled for sometime in 2019.

• Lockheed Martin will undertake the modernization and upgrade of four P-3B aircraft for the government of Greece. The US Department of Defence (DoD) contract is valued at $260 million and supports structural mid-life upgrades, tailored phased depot maintenance, a country-specific designed mission integration and management system, and new avionics that is aimed at providing a service life extension of 15,000 flight hours per aircraft. Work will be carried out primarily in Georgia, USA (38%), and Greece (36%), as well as other locations across the North America and Israel. The overhaul is scheduled to be completed by December 2023.

Asia Pacific

• As US President Donald Trump continues his trip through Asia, three US carrier strike groups will conduct exercises in the Western Pacific. The Commander-in-Chief’s first stop was Japan, where he guaranteed his Japanese counterpart Shizo Abe would “shoot ‘em [North Korean ballistic missiles] out of the sky when he completes the purchase of lots of additional military equipment from the United States.” Japan, under its war-renouncing Constitution, can shoot down a missile only when it is aimed at the country or in case debris are falling onto its territory. In South Korea, Trump’s visit was met by the South’s presidential office announcing the immediate start of discussions with the United States on developing the Asian nation’s military capabilities, including deploying the latest surveillance assets, to help counter Northern aggression. Pyongyang has not committed a missile launch in over 53 days, the longest such lull in testing this year.

• Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is scheduled to visit the US Navy’s Aegis Ashore test facility in Hawaii during a visit to the volcanic archipelago US state next January. Washington conducts missile intercept tests at the complex on Kauai Island, and Onodera will visit to learn more about the operation of the system and issues it should take into account when introducing the system to its self-defense forces. Tokyo is keen to procure the system as part of its land-based air defense network from North Korean ballistic missiles.

Today’s Video

• F-15 aircraft at Nellis AFB honor LV mass shooting victims: in repaint:

Attachments area

Lockheed receive DDP contract for SHiELD laser | Three more F-16s for Iraq | Seoul asks Jakarta to show them the money after missing KF-X payment

Americas

• The US Navy has placed fresh orders with Raytheon for 196 Tomahawk Block IV all-up-round vertical launch system missiles and spares. Worth up to $260.3 million, the contract modification also includes the procurement of spare parts and support for the government of the United Kingdom. Deliveries are scheduled for completion by August 2019 after work taking place in Tucson, Arizona, and nearly two dozen other locations across the continental US.

• Lockheed Martin announced Monday the receipt of a $26.3 million contract from the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) for the design, development and production of a high power fiber laser. The contract falls under the AFRL’s Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program, and plans are in place to test the laser on a tactical fighter jet by 2021. This particular contract falls under the Laser Advancements for Next-generation Compact Environments (LANCE) subsystem of the SHiELD program, which covers the development of the high energy laser itself. The other two subsystems include the SHiELD Turret Research in Aero Effects (STRAFE)—the beam control system which will direct the laser onto the target—and the Laser Pod Research & Development (LPRD)—the pod that will be mounted to the fighter and responsible for both powering and cooling the laser.

Middle East & Africa

• The Iraqi Air Force has received delivery of three additional F-16 fighter aircraft, bringing the number of the aircraft currently operated by Baghdad to 17. A total of 36 F-16s were ordered back in 2014 at a cost of $2 billion, although two have subsequently crashed during the training of Iraqi pilots in the US. The most recent arrivals touched down at Balad airbase, north of the capital Baghdad.

• Following the interception of a ballistic missile near its capital Riyadh’s airport, Saudi Arabia and the military coalition it leads in Yemen said Monday that it will close all air, land and sea ports into its southern neighbor. The move is hoped to stem the flow of arms and ammunition from Iran to the Houthi rebels fighting the coalition, but is more likely to worsen the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the war-stricken country, which has left some seven million on the brink of famine and a widespread cholera epidemic effecting over half a million. Riyadh has also topped out the bounty for the Houthi’s leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, at $30 million.

Europe

• In Denmark, a report by Rigsrevisionen, an independent parliamentary audit agency, has raised a number of issues with the country’s procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Costing Copenhagen over $10 billion, the program will be Denmark’s most expensive state purchase but may not be able to fulfil the tasks the government informed parliament they are capable of, including being too optimistic in its estimates of what the F-35 fighters are capable of in terms of flight hours. The Danish Ministry of Defense said the report would not effect the government’s plans to buy more aircraft.

• Russian media is reporting that negotiations are underway between the Ukrainian state-owned Antonov and Russia’s Aviastar-SP on maintaining the airworthiness of Russian-Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan heavy cargo aircraft. The jet, which was designed by Antonov and manufactured by Aviastar-SP was used by Volga-Dnepr for its air cargo business, but the decline in relations following the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 cancelled any cooperation between both firms, and causing Antonov to explore other avenues for production and sales. Antonov hopes an agreement will bring fresh cash into the firm as it has not made any new An-124s since the freeze in relations, while Volga-Dnepr are capable of sustaining their fleet.

• The German Navy will continue to operates its P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft until 2035, after awarding Lockheed Martin a $158 million contact to proceed with a modernization program on the fleet’s eight aircraft. A previous award for the preliminary design-phase was worth $55 million. As part of the refresh, expected to be complete by 2022, the firm will integrate its airborne tactical mission system—which includes new acoustic processors—on the aircraft, as well as giving structural upgrades and updated cockpit systems. Berlin acquired the aircraft second hand from the Netherlands in 2006.

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia has failed to pay the latest round of fees for its involvement in the South Korean KF-X fighter program, prompting lawmakers in Seoul to threaten postponement of the program. Jakarta’s state-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) had been expected to pay the remaining $124.5 million required for this year at the end of October, after agreeing in January 2016 to cover 20% of the program’s overall expenses—or some $1.33 billion. Questioning the government on the matter, Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the Justice Party said “If Indonesia does not pay in time, then Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has to shoulder the burden of 40 percent of the development costs,” adding that the “KF-X project could easily be put in danger,” and accusing the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of downplaying concerns over the delayed payment. DAPA responded by saying that the matter will be discussed during an upcoming summit between the leaders of both countries later this week.

Today’s Video

• Ten F-35As land in Japan:

Possible talks on selling the F-35 to the UAE | BAE complete Brimstone tests on Eurofighter | Scorpion to debut at Dubai air show

Americas

• A search through unclassified budget documents has revealed that the Pentagon has been secretly developing a long-range engagement weapon (LREW) that could replace or surpass the capabilities of the Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM. The discovery by Flight Global found that hidden away in an obscure budget line item for an Office of the Secretary of Defense account named “emerging capabilities technology development”, which is mostly reserved for small electronic warfare projects, had launched a a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance,” that when “successful, LREW will transition to multiple services.” An unclassified concept image of the potential LREW was also published last April, which showed a large, two-stage missile launched from an internal weapons bay of a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

• US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, a $19 million contract in support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter parts production. The award is a modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee and fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract signed in April 2015 for an estimated $2.24 billion for a over a four year period, and calls for the procurement of extra-long-lead items in support of the low-rate initial production Lot XII F-35 JSF aircraft. Items to be produced include hardware and aids for both the conventional takeoff and landing systems for USAF, Navy, as well as non-DoD partners and foreign military customers. It also covers short takeoff and vertical landing propulsion systems for the US Marine Corps version of the aircraft. Work will take place mainly at East Hartford, Ct., where United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines is located, as well as other locations across the country and overseas. Contract completion is scheduled for November 2019.

• Raytheon received Tuesday a modified $29 million contract for mission systems equipment for the Navy’s DDG 1000, or Zumwalt-class destroyer. The order calls for the firm to deliver total ship computing environment hardware, and software research, test and development for the Zumwalt—the largest and most technologically advanced guided missile surface combatant ship in the world. Work will be performed across the country, with 46 percent place in Portsmouth, Rhode Island., and the work is expected to be completed by September 2018.

Middle East & Africa

• A missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen was shot down by the Royal Saudi Air Force over the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The ballistic missile was intercepted near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city, with fragments falling near the airport grounds, but air traffic carried on normally. Saudi Arabia, the lead interventionist in the ongoing civil war in Yemen, and which receives logistical and intelligence help from the US, accuse the Houthisof being a proxy of Iran.

• The Trump administration may consider selling the F-35 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of efforts to enhance security cooperation with the Gulf state. While no decision has been made on entering preliminary talks—a key first step to any eventual purchase—the F-35 has been sought by the Emiratis since 2011 but procurement requests were consistently rebuffed by the Obama administration. One reason often quoted is Israel’s so-called Qualitative Military Edge (QME), which supplies Tel Aviv with the weaponry and assistance it needs to unilaterally defend itself against any combination of regional foes—namely its often hostile Arab neighbours. But when considering the common threat that both Israel and the UAE see in Iran, and the time it would take for Abu Dhabi to negotiate a contract with Washington, let alone begin to take first deliveries, sources note that Israel will have enjoyed more than a decade of exclusivity as the only Air Force in the region to operate the F-35.

• A production standard model of the Textron AirLand Scorpion will debut at this year’s Dubai Air Show from November 12-16. Ahead of the Dubai display, the twin-jet light attack aircraft has also been tracked to Saudi Arabia, where it has been performing demonstration flights from Tabuk air base in Saudi Arabia, with Textron CEO Scott Donnelly describing the talks as at an early stage. The jet is touted as a low-cost light attack, ISR, and trainer aircraft, with potential markets identified including Middle East and African governments looking to boost counter-insurgency operations, as well as being entered in both the USAF’s T-X trainer competition, and demonstrated in the USAF’s OA-X light attack experiment in August.

Europe

• BAE Systems has completed firing tests of the Brimstone precision strike missile from a Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, paving the way for evaluation by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in 2018. A total of nine firings and nine jettisons were conducted from the aircraft as part of the firm’s Phase 3 Enhancement (P3E) package, which aims to transfer capabilities from the Tornado GR4 onto the Eurofighter before the former is taken out of service in 2019. The flight trails, which commenced in July, covered a range of specific release scenarios, testing at various heights, speeds, levels of G-force and in different positions on the aircraft wing and in the launcher. It was also used to perform data analysis and models of the weapon’s performance, and was completed with support from the UK Ministry of Defence, MBDA, QinetiQ, Eurofighter GmbH and the Eurofighter Partner Companies, Airbus and Leonardo.

Asia Pacific

• An Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar combat aircraft has successfully dropped its indigenous Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) light weight glide bomb. Testing took place last week at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur with a total of three tests successfully conducted under different release conditions. The SAAW is developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with other laboratories of the DRDO and the Indian Air Force. Preparations are also underway for the testing the indigenous Nirbhay cruise missile this week, after the missile failed three of the last four launches. Changes made since the last launch include switching to a turbojet engine instead of the usual turbofan, and the fixing of wing deployment and navigation software problems.

Today’s Video

• India’s latest test of its Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW):

Canada contemplates Mali deployment | Qatar cleared for F-15QA support | China’s new aircraft carrier to come with EMALS

Americas

• Canada has been cleared by the US State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to proceed with the purchase of 32 AIM-120D air-to-air missiles. Costing an estimated $140 million, the package also includes 18 Captive Air Training Missiles, four AMRAAM Non-Development Item-Airborne Instrumentation Units, two AMRAAM Instrumented Test Vehicles, seven spare AMRAAM guidance units and four spare AMRAAM control sections for use on their F/A-18 aircrafts. The DSCA said the missiles will be used on Royal Canadian Air Force fighter aircraft and are said to contribute to the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally.

• BAE Systems has commenced production of its sensor technology for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) produced by Lockheed Martin. Valued at $40 million, the order will be carried out at BAE Systems’ facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire and Wayne, New Jersey. BAE says the sensor will allow the LRASM to semi-autonomously detect and identify targeted enemy ships without relying exclusively on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, networking links, or GPS navigation.

• MBDA Missile Systems will produce up to 21,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies for use on the US Air Force’s (USAF) precision-guided GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb Increment I (GBU-39 SDB-I). The contract, awarded by the munition’s manufacturer Boeing, comes as the US Air Force orders additional SDB-I production under a two-year deal worth $261 million, which will run through to December 2018. MBDA’s component is an integral part of the munition as its tandem wing design improves the maneuverability and extends its range to over 60 nautical miles, increasing pilot safety and expanding operational reach.

Middle East & Africa

• The Canadian government, under pressure to make good on peacekeeping commitments made in 2015, looks set to offer six helicopters to the UN’s Mali mission, which could be followed by a troop deployment to act as trainers. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised to send 600 troops to Mali back in 2015, fears over high causalities have prevented any firm action being taken, a decision critics say could damage Canada’s hopes of joining the UN Security Council. A 10,000 UN peacekeeping force is already in present in the country—which is experiencing a growing militant threat from jihadists—and 80 peacekeepers have been killed since 2013, making it the world’s most dangerous peacekeeping operation. Sources say the Mali mission will be discussed on the sidelines next month at an international peacekeeping conference that Canada is hosting.

• Qatar has been cleared by the DSCA for the possible $1.1 billion foreign military sale in support of its F-15QA multi-role fighter aircraft program. Once cleared by US Congress, work to be undertaken includes design and construction services, new parking/loading ramps, hot cargo pads, taxiways, hangars, back shops, alert facilities, weapons storage areas, hardened shelters, squadron operations facilities, maintenance facilities, training facilities, information technology support and cyber facilities, force protection support facilities, squadron operations facilities, other F-15QA related support structures, construction/facilities/design services, cybersecurity services, mission critical computer resources, support services, force protection services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. Contractors for the sale will be determined through an open competition, and it is expected that Doha will request offsets before negotiations are concluded. The support deal follows Qatar’s June’s $12 billion order for 36 F-15QA aircraft from Boeing, and less than two months after it announced intentions to buy 24 Eurofighter Typhoons from the UK.

• The purchase price of Turkey’s new S-400 Trumf air defense missile system is in excess of $2 billion. CEO of Russia’s state conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezovhe, made the announcement to the TASS news agency on Thursday. The sale has been controversial, especially in the US, as Turkey is a NATO member yet shunned an air defense system that was interoperable with allied systems and networks. Ankara also announced this week a new $1 billion competition to design, develop, and eventually produce an engine and transmission system, or power group, for Turkey’s indigenous Altay tank program. A previous contract awarded to local engine-maker Tumosan, in conjunction with Austrian firm AVL List GmbH, was cancelled as part of Austria’s arms embargo on Turkey. Now chasing the money is the British-based European division of US firm Caterpillar, who have expressed interest in the power pack for the Altay program.

Europe

• Russia is toying with the idea of developing a new single-seat attack jet based on the twin-seat Su-34 fighter-bomber. Development of the new fighter, according to an anonymous source, could start as early 2018, with an aim to replacing the Su-25 with an aircraft that holds twice the payload (eight tonnes compared to four). But the Su-25 isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Its most recent variant, the Su-25SM3, is expected to keep flying for the next 10-15 years.

Asia Pacific

• The second indigenous aircraft carrier being developed by China will come with an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), the South China Morning Post reports. Military officials are said to have given the green light to the project after breakthroughs in developing a medium-voltage, direct-current transmission network that does not require the use of nuclear power to operate—a feature found on US aircraft carriers that use EMALS to launch its carrier aircraft—and while the US have already developed such an integrated propulsion system (IPS) on its first USS Zumwalt-class destroyer, China’s second-generation IPS technology is believed to be more advanced. China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and its sister ship, the Type 001A, are conventionally powered vessels equipped with Soviet-designed ski-jump launch systems.

Today’s Video

• Kratos’ UTAP-22 Mako Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) completed a multi-UAS demonstration mission:

E-2D completes first aerial refueling | LAF Super Tucano delivery, a “bulwark against extremism” | India kicks off naval helicopter competition

Americas

• The US Army has awarded a production contract to L3 Technologies for its Manned/Unmanned Teaming-eXpanded Capabilities (MUMT-X) program for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Valued at $97 million, L3 2ill provide Apache MUMT-X above-rotor Unmanned Aerial System Receive technology solutions to support MUMT operations and air-to-air-to-ground line-of-sight data links—a more robust, lighter and less expensive system than the original Unmanned Aircraft System control system currently used. Work will be under taken by L3’s division, L3 CS-West, specialists in high-performance networks.

• Northrop Grumman announced the successful first refueling of its E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft. The milestone was reached during a four hour flight on July 14 of this year, where the crew performed 10 dry plugs and two wet plugs with the help of a US Navy KC-130 tanker. Awarded in 2013, the aerial refueling contract was granted to give the US Navy the capability and flexibility to conduct missions over four hours. The aerial refueling system modification contains several sub-system upgrades to accommodate the refueling capability including adding the fuel probe plumbing, formation lighting, long-endurance seats, as well as flight control software and hardware changes.

• Lockheed Martin has been tapped by the US Navy to develop the service’s largest unmanned undersea vehicle. Dubbed the Orca, the Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) is a multi-mission autonomous vehicle with a reconfigurable payload bay. It will be capable of transiting to an area of operation, loiter, periodically establish communications, deploy payloads and then transit home. Valued at $43.2 million, the award falls under the program’s design-phase, ahead of a second competitive production phase contract that will commission up to nine vehicles.

Middle East & Africa

• Lebanon has received two A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the United States. The aircraft will be used for armed observational operations, according to a Lebanese military official. Four more Super Tucanos are expected to be delivered as Washington continues its support and financing of the Lebanese military despite claims by Israel that the military has been supplanted by Hezbollah—a Lebanese Shi‘ite Muslim paramilitary organisation backed by Iran and an ally of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during his country’s six year civil war. Despite these claims, US ambassador to Beirut Elizabeth Richard said the delivery marked a “significant increase in Lebanese Air Force combat capability that this aircraft represents will ensure that the LAF will remain a national unifying force, a bulwark against extremism and terrorism.”

• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the first order of subsidiary Elta’s ELK-1882T satellite communication terminal for fighter jets. The unnamed customer will receive deliveries of the Ku-band phased array SATCOM network starting in 2021. The firm will display the system at the MilSatCom Show in London, UK from November 7-9. They bill it as easy to install and integrate, with minimal impact on aircraft performance due to the conformal installation.

Europe

• Airbus has admitted to “certain inaccuracies” in US arms export filings, drawing the United States for the first time into a scandal over alleged misconduct at the European aerospace giant. The export controls apply to certain aircraft, such as the UH-72 Lakotas, which are sold to foreign customers from the US, as well as some US-made equipment installed on Airbus products, such engines and avionics. While the firm offered few details on the matter, they confirmed the inaccuracies during an internal review completed in late July after initially coming to their attention in November 2016, however, was unable to estimate how long it could take to resolve the matter or the range of potential consequences.

Asia Pacific

• Following the recent sale to Lithuania, Indonesia has become the latest buyer of the Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS), the platform’s manufacturer Kongsberg announced Tuesday. The $77 million deal includes one NASAMS system, command posts, radars, launchers, radios, as well as system integration, training and logistics support. Jakarta will purchase the AMRAAM missiles for the system under a separate foreign military sale with the United States. Once delivered, Indonesia will join Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, the US, Spain and Oman as operators of the system.

• The Indian Navy has been allocated $3.3 billion to proceed with the procurement of 111 naval helicopters. Once New Delhi selects a winner, sixteen units will be purchased off the shelf, while the rest will be assembled in India with local private partners under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Capabilities requested include search and rescue (SAR), humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and must be able to carry light-weight torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. Potential suppliers mentioned include Airbus with its S565 MBe Panther, Bell Helicopters’ Bell 429, and unnamed offerings from Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky, and Russian firm Rosoboronexport.

Today’s Video

• E-2D receives fuel for the first time:

Chinese-South Korean relations thaw over THAAD | KC-46 fix found, say USAF | Rheinmetall rails against German-Turkish row

Americas

• The Armored Group (TAG), a Michigan-based armored vehicle supplier, has acquired two German-based armoring companies—JPA Armoring and Fahrzeugbau Stadthage. The merger includes both of the firms’ manufacturing facilities, tools, fixtures, intellectual property, designs, certifications and testing results, and will now operate as TAG Germany GmbH. TAG assured that key employees will be retained at TAG Germany with staff number to increase along with orders. The firm said that the acquisition will strengthen TAG’s market share in the European market and improve its service capability to global customers.

• Early test data gathered by the US Air Force (USAF) has led the service to be confident that a software solution could fix some deficiencies found in the Boeing KC-46 tanker aircraft. Speaking on the testing, Gen Carlton Everhart, commander of the USAF Air Mobility Command, said the reprograming could fix a high-frequency (HF) transmit as well as an “uncommanded boom extension”, although further testing will be required. The HF radio, which must be turned off to avoid electrical sparking between the boom and receiver, is now tolerable according to vendors, while the boom extension issue does not damage the aircraft.

Middle East & Africa

• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will provide the government of Iraq with 120mm insensitive munition high explosive with tracer tank (IM HE-T) ammunition cartridges. Valued at $93 million, the agreement falls under a firm-fixed-price foreign military sales contract, with GD responsible for any additional costs outside of that figure. Work will run through to October 26, 2022, with work locations to be determined with each other. 120mm IM HE-T is the primary ammunition used on M1 Abrams tanks.

• Rheimetall’s CEO has blasted the ongoing diplomatic spat between the Germany government and Turkey which has damaged relations and put a freeze on planned defense projects. Relations have been strained since the failed coup of 2016 against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the subsequent crackdown of opponents. Berlin has also refused to extradite people Turkey claim were involved in the plot. Armin Papperger, the German manufacturer’s CEO, said several defense projects had subsequently been put on hold, including the production of ammunition for fighter jets in Turkey and upgrades to Turkey’s Leopard tanks, and were still awaiting decisions by the two governments. Rheinmetall’s potential involvement in Turkey’s Altay tank program could also be in doubt—the firm has formed a joint venture with Turkey’s BMC to bid for the first tranche contract which would see 100-200 Altay units built.

• Having formed a joint entity with private Turkish company Kale Group in May, British engine maker Rolls-Royce intends to use the ‘Open General Export License’ issued by the UK government to secure its participation in Turkey’s next-generation TF-X fighter program. The license frees all British companies involved in the program to export the requisite technology necessary for the program to Turkey and is intended to support the British defense industry in Turkey. Rolls-Royce has already provided its CTS800 turboshaft engine for use on Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 ATAK attack helicopter, through its partnership in the Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company (LHTEC).

Europe

• Swedish defense contractor Saab announced two contracts for the delivery of next-generation light anti-tank (NLAW) and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to Finland and Brazil respectively. The Finnish order is the exercising of a 2015 contract option for the shoulder-fired NLAW and will be delivered to Helsinki next year. Meanwhile, Brazil ordered additional RBS 70 Very Short Range Air Defense, which includes launchers, training simulators, camouflage systems and associated equipment for operators and system maintainers. Systems will be delivered in 2018 and 2019. Saab did not disclose the value of both contracts.

Asia Pacific

• Relations between China and South Korea are set to normalise following a year-long dispute over the US deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean peninsula. Korean firms operating in China, Chinese tourism to South Korea, and even K-Pop and television stars have all suffered from a boycott led by Beijing, which the Bank of Korea claim knocked about 0.4 percentage points off this year’s expected economic growth. Lotte Group, the sprawling chaebol whose land was chosen as the site for THAAD’s deployment was hardest hit, after its hypermarket and hotels in China faced severe sanctions. An agreement reached between the two will see both country’s leaders meet on the sidelines of the summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in Vietnam, scheduled for November 10-11. The detente comes just days before US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia—a visit that has seen three US carrier strike groups assemble in the Pacific.

• As many as 200 North Korean construction workers are feared dead after the collapse of a tunnel being built at the regime’s Punggye-ri test site. The collapse, which is believed to have taken place on September 10, comes as prolonged underground nuclear testing shepherded by the god-king leader Kim Jong-un caused tremors and seismic shocks across the region. Pyongyang’s most recent nuclear test on September 3, one week before the tunnel collapse, led experts to claim that the test site was now more than likely unusable due to the activity.

Today’s Video

• Russian MoD video of the Su-30SM:

Spare parts crisis hits F-35 program | Swedes go supersonic with Gripen E | India interested in Canadian Sea Kings

Americas

• Raytheon received Friday a US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract, with a ceiling of $1.5 billion, for Army Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance Model 2 (AN/TPY-2) and Sea-Based X-Band (SBX) radar support services.. The follow-on agreement includes AN/TPY-2 radar logistics support, AN/TPY-2 sustaining engineering, AN/TPY-2 transition and transfer, AN/TPY-2 depot transition, SBX logistics support, and SBX sustaining engineering. Work will take place at Raytheon’s Woburn, Massachusetts facility, and several stateside and overseas locations. The contract’s ordering period runs from November 1, 2017, through October 31, 2020, with four successive one year option periods provided in the contract.

• A spare parts shortage has stricken the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and is severely limiting operational capabilities. A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Thursday found that “from January through August 7, 2017, F-35 aircraft were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time due to parts shortages,” and the shortage is likely to plague the program for several years to come. Reasons for the delay include “incomplete plans and funding that did not account for the long lead time parts,” while other instances blamed delays in the establishment of repair capabilities. Lead contractor Lockheed Martin said that it is now looking into finding disciplined ways it can reduce the overall operations and sustainment costs of the F-35 and is working with program partners to build a more cost effective supply chain. The Pentagon currently sustains 250 F-35s, and plans to triple its fleet by the end of 2021 and field 3,200 aircraft globally over the programme’s lifecycle.

Middle East & Africa

• Elbit Systems is to split its Cyberbit operation and bring the intelligence gathering operations back under the parent company’s wing while leaving the commercial business under the Cyberbit brand. The decision was made as the the two sectors diverge operationally and Elbit fear that offering commercial products alongside technologies used for national security and spying could cause confusion. Adi Dar, Cyberbit’s CEO, told a Reuters Cyber Security Summit in Tel Aviv that the “mix between the two provides limitations that we believe that if we remove them it would be for the benefit of the two sides of the equation.” Founded in 2015, Cyberbit had initially seen the structure of offering a homeland security portfolio with phone tapping and monitoring systems, alongside civilian cyber protection for banks and utilities, as an advantage.

Europe

• Saab’s Gripen E smart fighter flew its first supersonic flight on October 18, the firm announced last Friday. During the flight, conducted over the Baltic Sea, the aircraft conducted maneuvers to demonstrate its aerodynamic design and powerful engine, and the data collected will go towards the ongoing flight trials for the fighter program. Saab said that the milestone had been preceded by over 20 flying hours since the jet’s first flight back on June 15, 2017.

• After a year’s delay, Slovakia received the first of two ordered C-27J Spartan military transporters. It landed at an airbase in Kuchyna, Záhorie region, on October 24 ahead of the official handover ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, October 31. Delivery of the second aircraft is expected for early next year. Manufactured by Italian aircraft-builder Leonardo, a Slovak government spokesperson said that the possibility of imposed penalties on the firm for the delayed delivery will only be announced once negotiations have been completed. The Spartans will fill Slovakia’s capability gap left by the phasing out of its Soviet-era An-24 transport planes—one of which crashed in 2006 resulting in 42 deaths, including a contingent of peacekeeping troops returning from duty in Kosovo.

Asia Pacific

• Two AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters will be delivered to the Queensland government in Australia, Leonardo has announced. Coming at a cost of approximately $15 million each, the rotorcraft are expected to replace two older models in 2018 under Queensland’s fleet modernization program, and will be tasked with providing additional medical services as well as conducting both sea and land search and rescue missions. Once delivered, Queensland will have total of five AW139s in its fleet, with Australia as a whole operating more than 120 of the helicopters.

• In response to a US House of Representatives vote extending sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed to continue production of missiles for its defense. “We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements,” Rouhani said in a speech to parliament Sunday that was broadcast on state television. The sanctions come as Washington looks to curb Tehran’s influence in the region in the wake of expanding influence in Iraq and Syria without without immediately moving to undermine an international nuclear agreement. Despite claims by the Trump Administration that Iran has violated terms of the 2015 agreement, the UN watchdog in Tehran has vouched for Iran’s compliance.

• It’s been reported that the Indian government has expressed interest in procuring retired Canadian CH-124 Sea King helicopters. 16 Sea Kings have so far been taken out of service as Ottawa replaces them with the CH-148 Cyclone and the matter of selling them on was discussed during Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s trip to India last spring. 24 Sea King’s will eventually be up for grabs when the final ones are retired by 2018 with the current resale value average just shy of $200k. India isn’t the only party interested, however, with five out governments and organisations also expressing informal interest in the helicopters for either search and rescue and transport duties.

Today’s Video

• Supersonic Swede: Interview with Gripen E test pilot, Robin Nordlander:

Northrop drop out of Navy’s Stringray program | Six more Super Tucano’s for Afghanistan | Eurofighter add sweeteners to Belgian fighter competition

Americas

• Northrop Grumman has pulled out of the US Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray unmanned refueler competition. Despite being the company who developed the test platform that proved a UAV could take off and land from an aircraft carrier, CEO Wes Bush cited the Navy’s requirements in the request for proposal issued earlier this month as the reason for the firm’s forfeiture from the race, noting “if you can’t really execute on it and deliver on it to your customer and your shareholders, then you’ve done the wrong thing.” That leaves Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics still in the race.

• Orbital ATK announced hitting the milestone of delivering its 1,000th tactical motor for the AGM-114 Hellfire missile to military customers. The motor is currently in service with the US Armed Forces as well as 16 other allied nations, and is utilized on dozens of platforms ranging from helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aircraft, land combat vehicles and combat ships. The company is also working on upgrading the Hellfire rocket motor to include insensitive munitions, called the IM Hellfire, which will be produced exclusively at the Orbital’s new Large Tactical Motor Manufacturing Facility in Rocket Center, West Virginia. Also in development is a rocket pulse motors capable of operating at extremely cold temperatures that provide increased range and flexibility for both tactical and defense applications.

• For the ninth consecutive year, Lockheed Martin has been selected by the US Air Force for follow-on production of Paveway II plus Laser-Guided Bomb Kits. Valued at $131 million, the award also includes all available funding for the service’s foreign military sales and replacement kits. Paveway II Plus includes an enhanced guidance package turns free-fall, or dumb bombs, into laser guided weapons through the addition of a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for guidance. Production is expected to commence in the first quarter of Fiscal year 2018.

Middle East & Africa

• Embraer and its US partner Sierra Nevada Corp. will produce and deliver a further six A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Afghan Air Force. Production of the aircraft will start immediately at Sierra Nevada’s plant in Jacksonville, Florida, and once delivered, Kabul will be operating 29 of the aircraft in its fleet. Speaking on the order, Embraer said they were “proud to continue our support of the Air Force’s A-29 Afghanistan Program,” citing the order as “a testament to the capability of the A-29.”

Europe

• On October 26, the Lithuanian government signed a $127.7 million contract with Kongsberg to move forward with the procurement of the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). Included in the deal are two air defence batteries and logistical maintenance package, as well as training for operators and maintenance personnel of the system. Deliveries are expected to be complete by 2021.

• Following in the footsteps of Dassault’s generous fighter jet offer to Belgium, the Eurofighter consortium is offering its own incentives in conjunction with the Eurofighter Typhoon, as part of efforts to woo Brussels for its business. The offer includes a commitment by members BAE Systems, Airbus Defense and Space, Leonardo and missile systems company MBDA to try and develop two national innovation centers in Belgium, one in Flanders and one in Wallonia, and would focus on advanced manufacturing and additive layer manufacturing. The partners will invest in the development of research agendas by the centers. BAE Systems have also offered to establish infrastructure, technology and training to accommodate and run a Belgian National Network Cyber Center in partnership with the UK and Belgian Governments. The offer comes shortly after BAE Systems announced over 2,000 redundancies at its UK facilities due to dwindling Typhoon orders.

Asia Pacific

• Five Beechcraft TC-90 training aircraft will be donated free of charge by Japan to the Philippines following recent legislative changes made by Japan’s parliament that makes the transfer of military hardware easier to allied nations. Two of the aircraft had already been delivered to Manilla under a lease agreement with the next three scheduled to arrive in March 2018. But according to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency, the deal changed after the Philippines approached them with a request to switch from a leasing arrangement to one where it would acquire the naval reconnaissance aircraft free of charge. They added that they hope the aircraft will enhance the Philippines’ ability to protect its waters and help the country better deal with Chinese efforts to build military facilities in the South China Sea.

• French firms Dassault, Thales and Safran, have been slapped with a $268 million fine by Taiwan in relation to a scandal involving kickbacks paid during the 1992 sale of 60 Mirage 2000 fighters to the island. Dassault will pay the biggest share, $155 million, while Thales and Safran will have to pay $64 and 29 million respectively. Reports stated that all three companies are now considering what next steps will be taken. The Mirage sale was one of a number of arms deals between French companies and Taiwan in the early 1990s that have recently come under scrutiny and have underpinned accusations of widespread corruption during the final years of then-French president Francois Mitterrand. The sales also soured relations between France and China, who oppose any foreign military sales to Taiwan—whom they consider a wayward province.

Today’s Video

• SpaceX launches US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command’s (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) Kestrel Eye microsatellite:

Posting Notice

Dear readers,

We are out of the office today! As a result, there will be no Daily Rapid Fire published tomorrow, Friday October 27. But fear not. Regular publishing will resume Monday, packed full of your favourite defense industry news, contracts, and scandals.

Early Edition subscribers will of course receive their newsletter on Sunday.

Have a good weekend!

Elta tapped for radar work on Canadian SAR | Israel resumes Apache flights | Griping Bulgarian MiG pilots strike, AF blames weather

Americas

• New search-and-rescue aircraft (SAR) aircraft being manufactured by Airbus for Canada will come equipped with Elta Systems’ ELM-2022A maritime patrol radar. 16 radars will be delivered for integration on the C295 aircraft being procured, however, Elta’s parent company, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), did not disclose any further details in relation to the sale. IAI did say that the multi-mode radar will assist in all aspects of the Canadian SAR mission, offering detection, localization, classification, and tracking of targets over water and land in all weather conditions, day and night. So far, 250 ELM-2022 radars have been supplied to customers worldwide in more than 25 countries, and this is the eighth project IAI have collaborated with Airbus on for maritime patrol radars. Costing Ottawa some USD$2.4 billion, deliveries of the new SAR aircraft will run from 2019 until 2022, with the C295s gradually taking over duty from Canada’s six de Havilland Canada CC-155 Buffalos and 13 Lockheed Martin CC-130H Hercules at four bases spread across the country.

• Orbital ATK has been selected by Lockheed Martin to produce additional composite components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Valued at $24 million, the three-year deal calls for delivery of F-35 bullnose and blade seals, adding to the upper and lower wing skins, engine nacelles and access covers that Orbital already produces for the next-gen fighter. Work will take place at Orbital’s facility in Clearfield, Utah.

• The US Navy has tasked Engility Corp. with providing electronic warfare enhancements for aircraft operated both by the service and the Australian government. The $9.3 million modification adds to a previous indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth more than $39.8 million dollars in award obligations for electronic warfare weapon system modifications to the Navy and Australian government’s electronic warfare aircraft, and will cover aircraft such as the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, the Boeing EA-18G Growler, Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye, Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk, Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton and the Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Modifications to the EW weapons system include internal software system upgrades to allow for better threat analysis and sensor intelligence mission data files, along with other enhanced capabilities like signals jamming techniques. Contract completion is scheduled for September 2018 with work to be carried out at Point Mugu, California.

Middle East & Africa

• Israeli military authorities have lifted the remaining restrictions on AH-64 Apache flights following an accident this summer. The IAF Apache fleet had been temporarily grounded in the immediate aftermath of the August 7 crash—which resulted in the death of one crew member—but flights were later resumed under heavy restrictions while a final report on the incident was being compiled. The final report found that the crash at Ramon air base was caused by incorrect installation of a tail rotor control rod after a preliminary report ruled out a previously identified problem of tail rotor blade cracks which caused a temporary halt to operations in July.

• IAI announced Tuesday that the firm has supplied several advanced 3D surveillance and defense radars to an unnamed NATO customer. Produced by the firm’s radar-specialising subsidiary, Elta Systems, no further details, including the cost, of the systems delivered have been disclosed. IAI noted that the radars had been integrated within the national and NATO air and missile defense system, providing close-to-the-force air defense support that can pick up an array of airborne equipment, including low-altitude high-speed fighter aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and low-speed ultra-light aircraft.

Europe

• Despite Bulgaria’s government announcing a new tender to replace its MiG-29 fighter aircraft, Bulgarian Air Force (BAF) pilots have reportedly refused to fly in the the ageing Soviet-era aircraft. The training flights had been scheduled to take place on the morning of October 24 from Graf Ignatievo Air Force Base, and BAF brass later attributed the cancelled flights to bad weather. But media reports cite a mixture of safety concerns and low morale for the stand down, and pilots are said to be unhappy over Sofia’s delay in choosing a new fighter after ditching an interim government’s decision to move ahead with purchasing Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen aircraft. The government meanwhile, accused a rabble rouser of “artificially creating tension” among the pilots and that the Defense Ministry was looking into the situation.

Asia Pacific

• Japan needs a long-range strike capability, according to a piece from RAND political scientist, Jeffrey W. Hornung. Arguing that Japanese governments since the Ichiro Hatoyama administration (1952) had agreed in theory that the constitution allows Japan to strike enemy missile sites, Hornung suggested that now “may be time to move beyond the theoretical,” and move forward with procuring the munitions in order to boost its deterrence capabilities, removing the pressure on its two-tiered ballistic missile defense system. He added that in order to fill in the gaps, Tokyo could proceed with plans to purchase the land-based Aegis Ashore system and deploy more advanced missile interceptors for Japan’s sea-based and land-based systems, adding range, altitude and accuracy.

• India completed Tuesday an Indian Air Force (IAF) drill that saw the touchdown of 20 military aircraft on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. Aircraft involved in the exercise included Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI and Jaguar fighter aircraft, as well as An-32 and the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. The Super Hercules landing, the first of its kind on the highway, saw commandos exit the aircraft and take positions on either side of the makeshift airstrip to cordon if off for fighter operations.

Today’s Video

• Indian Super Hercules lands on Agra-Lucknow Expressway: