Lockheed To Provide Post-Shakedown Availability For LCS-15 | Raytheon To Add Long-Range Detection TO QEWR | North Korea Conducts Weapon Test Again

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $18.8 million cost-plus award-fee order to provide engineering as well as management services for LCS-15 post shakedown availability, the Department of Defense announced on Thursday. The LCS-15 or USS Billings is one of the Navy’s newest warships. The vessel has a helicopter pad, a ramp for small boats and can be used by small assault forces. Post Shakedown Availability is an industrial activity availability assigned to correct deficiencies found during the shakedown cruise or to accomplish other authorized improvements. Lockheed Martin will provide 62,462 man-hours level of effort and work specification, pre-fabrication and material. Estimated completion date is in January 2021. On Saturday Lockheed also announced that the Navy commissioned LCS-15. This places the USS Billings into active service.

The Navy awarded EFW a $7.2 million delivery order to procure 15 Fast Characterization Tools, 15 Helmet Kit Modification Fixtures, 15 Ready Room Texters and 20 Night Vision Goggle Modification Kits for the V-22 Color Helmet Mounted Display System. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters. The flight crew have a pilot’s night-vision system and a Honeywell integrated helmet display. The delivery order also provides drawing packages and the upgrade of five Fast Characterization Tools. Work will take place in Israel and the US and is expected to be finished in October next year.

Middle East & Africa

Raytheon won a $36.3 million contract modification for the Qatar Early Warning Radar (QEWR). The Early Warning Radar will add long-range detection to Qatar’s layered Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture, which includes Patriot systems and an Air Defense Operation Center. EWR strengthens a defense shield built on the Patriot system because it detects a threat at very long range. That provides extra warning time to alert command centers and cue fire control systems. In 2017, Raytheon was awarded $1.1 billion to build the Early Warning Radar System for Qatar. Work under the modification will take place in Massachusetts and estimated completion date is in August 2023.

Raytheon will train the Afghanistan Air Force in aircraft maintenance. The company will develop a new training program for the US Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation under the $108 million contract, called Afghanistan Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Training, or AMT. The new program, which will be directed by the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan and Train Advise Assist Command-Air, falls under a contract awarded to Raytheon last year by the US Army Contracting Command. The purpose of the overall, multi-award contract was to have Raytheon provide training and readiness across the US Army up to joint task force levels.

Europe

The UK Ministry of Defense and Raytheon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop new UK Space capabilities. The company will join Team ARTEMIS, which is a collaboration between government and industry formed to fast track the launch of a small satellite constellation and enhance the UK’s sovereign space capability. “Raytheon provides advanced satellite-based mission planning and data processing capabilities to governments around the world,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. Raytheon’s many decades of experience in developing space systems will be a significant boost to the MOD’s space plans and their commitment to launch a small satellite demonstrator within a year with Team ARTEMIS Industry.

Asia-Pacific

North Korea test-fired two short-range projectiles into the East Sea on August 2, BBC reports. It was the country’s third such test launch since July 25. The string of tests are being seen as a reaction to planned military exercises between South Korea and the US. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement that the projectiles were launched at 0259 and 0323 h local time, respectively, from the Yonghung area in South Hamgyong Province. The projectiles flew about 220 km at a top speed of Mach 6.9 and reached an altitude of around 25 km before falling into the East Sea. North Korea’s latest launches came just one day after Pyongyang announced that it test-fired what it described as a new type of “large-calibre multiple launch rocket system” on July 31.

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