Honeywell Wins M1 Abrams Contract Modification | Israeli Corvette Received ALPHA Radar | Trump Administration Approves F-16 Sale To Taiwan

Americas

Honeywell International won a $110.9 million contract modification to revitalize engines of the US Army’s Abrams tanks. The modification provides spare parts for the Honeywell-made AGT1500 gas turbine engine for the M1 Abrams family of vehicles. Honeywell’s AGT1500 engine provides superior acceleration and mobility to the M1 Abrams, making it the platform of choice for the US Army, Marine Corps, National Guard, and many international allies. The new agreement is part of the Army’s Total Integrated Engine Revitalization or TIGER program to meet the Anniston Army Depot production of the Advanced Gas Turbine 1500 engine for the Abrams tanks and TIGER field repair site requirements. Work will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of February 22, 2022.

Lockheed Martin won a $56 million deal for combat system engineering support on the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). Under the contract, the SSDS combat system engineering agent and software design agent primary deliverables will be SSDS tactical computer programs, program updates and associated engineering, development and logistics products. The contract will manage the in-service SSDS configurations as well as adapt and integrate new or upgraded war-fighting capabilities. Lockheed will perform work in Moorestown, New Jersey and San Diego, California. Estimated completion date is in December.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that images have shown at least one Israeli Navy Saar-5 corvette has the new IAI-Elta ELM-2258 Advanced Lightweight Phased Array or ALPHA radar. The radar system is based on unique full digital AESA technology by ELTA Systems Ltd., a Group and Subsidiary of IAI (IAI/ELTA) and is an integral part of the combat systems installed on the missile ships. ALPHA is a rotating AESA radar, capable of producing a large number of simultaneous beams for maritime and aerial targets, and to provide a high quality situation picture in the most extreme marine environment. The radar can perform several tasks at the same time, such as: detection and classification of naval targets, tracking of a large number of targets, and integration into guided missile systems for defense and attack. Israeli Naval sources told Jane’s in 2017 that the Saar 5 corvettes Hanit and Eilat would receive the radar as part of an upgrade that would also see the integration of the new Barak 8 surface-to-air missile.

Europe

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense on August 8 reportedly transferred $1.2 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) for 8 Lockheed F-16 Block 70 fighters and related equipment, Bulgarian media said. Last month, the government gave the nod to the long-pending deal for the procurement of 8 F-16 jets to replace the aging fleet of MiG-29 jets of the Bulgarian Air Force. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by 2023. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense said the DSCA’s confirmation of receipt marks the related contracts’ entry into force and the beginning of their implementation.

Asia-Pacific

The US Navy contracted Lockheed Martin with a $80 million modification for AEGIS Modernization (AMOD) production requirements. The deal covers the production, test and delivery of multi-mission signal processor equipment sets; electronic equipment fluid cooler; AEGIS Weapon System AMOD Upgrade equipment; Kill Assessment System 5.1 equipment; AEGIS spares; Australia Combat Systems Engineering Development Site; and AEGIS Ashore Japan Sites equipment. The upgrade is for the US Navy as well as the governments of Japan and Australia under the Foreign Military Sale program. The Aegis Combat System is an integrated naval weapons system using radar and computer technology to track and guide weapons in destroying enemy targets. The project was started by the US Navy in 1964 to defend ships from missile threats, and with constant upgrades is now a feature on over 100 US and NATO ships, as well as those of Australia, Norway and South Korea. It is also an integral part of NATO’s European missile defense system. Work under the modification is expected to be complete by November 2023.

The Trump Administration approved the F-16 fighter jet deal to Taiwan. The deal is worth $8 billion. According to the Washington Post, the move will likely anger China amid the deepening trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. The DoS reportedly submitted the package to Congress for informal review late Thursday, and it is not expected to meet opposition. This would be the largest and most significant sale of weaponry to Taiwan in decades. The State Department has not yet publicly commented on the proposed arms sale to Taiwan. “We are aware of media reports regarding a possible sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan,” a State Department official said on August 16. “As a matter of policy, the US government does not comment on or confirm potential or pending arms sales or transfers before they have been formally notified to Congress.”

Today’s Video

Watch: Philippine Army Self Propelled System Acquisition Project

SSDS: Quicker Naval Response to Cruise Missiles

Right now, in many American ships beyond its Navy’s top-tier AEGIS destroyers and cruisers, the detect-to-engage sequence against anti-ship missiles requires a lot of manual steps, involving different ship systems that use different displays. When a Mach 3 missile gives you 45 seconds from appearance on ship’s radar to impact, seconds of delay can be fatal. Seconds of unnecessary delay are unacceptable.

Hence Raytheon’s Ship Self Defense System (SSDS), which is currently funded under the US Navy’s Quick Reaction Combat Capability program. It’s widely used as a combat system in America’s carrier and amphibious fleets. That can be challenging for its developers, given the wide array of hardware and systems it needs to work with. Consistent testing reports indicate that this is indeed the case, and SSDS has its share of gaps and issues. It also has a series of upgrade programs underway, in order to add new capabilities. Managing these demands effectively will have a big impact on the survivability of the US Navy’s most important power projection assets.