Lockheed Tapped For Super Hercules Support | The Ukraine is Interested in the Super Tucano | Global Hawk Delivered To South Korea Next Month

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $16.5 million contract modification to procure consumable parts and material, technical publications and engineering services in support of the C/KC-130J aircraft. The KC-130J is an aerial refueling tanker and the latest in the line of combat proven KC-130 Hercules tanker technologies. The new KC-130J builds on proven tanker designs while taking full advantage of tremendous technological and performance improvements inherent in the basic C-130J aircraft. The C-130J features a glass cockpit, digital avionics and a new propulsion system with a six-bladed propeller. Lockheed will perform work in the US, Kuwait and Japan. Estimated completion date is in December this year.

The Navy contracted Hydroid Inc. with $15.8 million for engineering support and training services for the MK 18 Family of UUV Systems. The Unmanned Underwater Vehicles are. The Navy asked Hydroid in May to upgrade the underwater drones under a potential $47.9 million contract. Hydroid’s smaller MK18 MOD1 Swordfish UUVs possess a small side-scan sonar. It’s also used for basic hydrographic profiling, however, which is a very useful as a baseline before mine countermeasures work begins. Their MK18 MOD 2 Kingfish UUVs are typically used for mine countermeasures work, and are typically launched from ships, but they can also be hand-launched by teams in 11m RHIBs. The current deal includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $84,024,996. Work will take place in Pcasset, Massachusetts and is scheduled to be complete by August next year.

Middle East & Africa

Netline Communications Technologies announced Tuesday the supply of C-Guard Reactive Jamming (RJ) Manpack system to the Israeli military. The system is already being operated by ground forces in NATO countries, as well as in Asia and Africa. The C-Guard RJ Manpack system detects and prevents IED (Improvised Explosive Device) activation attempts. The system creates a secured zone around the troops, reacting to real-time situational electronic warfare (EW) threats by both detecting the threat and providing an immediate response of jamming RF signals that are attempting to detonate the IED. An IED Jammer essentially blocks radio signals used to detonate a remote controlled improvised explosive device or RCIED. Also known as an RF Jammer, this high powered IED Jammer saturates the environment with radio frequency pulses of electromagnetic energy.

Europe

The Ukraine is reportedly evaluating the possibility of buying the Brazilian Embraer EMB-314 light attack aircraft. The Head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Col. Gen. Sergii Drozdov, was recently in Brazil, where he participated in a four-ship EMB-314 flight. The EMB-214 Super Tucano can be used for both the trainer role and as a light attack aircraft. While the aircraft would not be an effective deterrent against the Russian military, Ukraine may find the aircraft useful for patrolling separatist-controlled territory in its east. Infodefensa reported that aircraft could help the Ukrainian Air Force bridge gaps, given that available funding for new fighter jets is limited.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense sent requests for proposals (RfPs) to four companies for the procurement of 150 wheeled armored vehicles to equip battalion-size battlegroups for a mechanized brigade, Reuters reports. The companies Rheinmetall-Krauss-Maffei Wegmann joint venture ARTEC, Patria, Nexter, and General Dynamics European Land Systems-Mowag – have until 31 October to submit their bids. The European country is asking manufacturers to provide bids by Oct. 31 as the Black Sea country plans to pick a winner by Dec. 20. According to Reuters, NATO has encouraged its eastern members to develop, buy and operate new alliance equipment.

Asia-Pacific

Koreatimes reports that South Korea will take delivery of the RQ-4 Unmanned Air Vehicles that it ordered back in 2014 next month. Just recently, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved a support package to South Korea for those RQ-4s. The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance Unmanned Aircraft System with an integrated sensor suite that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, capability worldwide. Global Hawk’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of ISR collection capability to support joint combatant forces in worldwide peacetime, contingency and wartime operations. The Global Hawk complements manned and space reconnaissance systems by providing persistent near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence, or IMINT, and signals intelligence, or SIGINT, sensors. South Korea and the US agreed on the deal in 2014. The agreement included four RQ-4B Global Hawk aircraft, two spare engines and ground control equipment. The price is estimated at around $222.7 million

Today’s Video

Watch: M1A2 Abrams tanks take part during exercise Agile Spirit 2019 in Georgia

Support & Smokes for Brazil’s Super Tucanos

Brazil has kicked off the LAAD 2013 expo with a pair of announcements related to their Super Tucano fleet. The first is a 5-year, BRL 252 million (about $127.4 million) contract for Embraer to support the FAB’s 92 remaining “A-29″/EMB-314 Super Tucanos, of the 99 originally purchased. Programa de Suporte Logístico Integrado (PSLI) is a fixed-price contract with performance requirements, mirroring Britain’s recent advances in reducing support costs using “contracting for availability.” PLSI covers materials and planning, supplies for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of components, support for the landing gear and propeller groups, and specialized technical support. The basic service package is BRL 223 million, with BRL set aside for unexpected services. Embraer.