Raytheon Tapped For AN/SPY-1 Support | Boeing To Provide AH-6i Integration For Saudi Arabia | Germany Commissions Last Potsdam Class Vessel

Americas

Raytheon won a $14.8 million modification to exercise an option for the AN/SPY-1 radar solid-state switch assembly mod kit. The contract modification is for the production of solid-state switch assembly ordnance alteration kits for the Navy to support AEGIS modernization efforts. The heart of the AEGIS systems is an advanced, automatic detect and track, multifunctional phased-array radar, the AN/SPY-1. This high-powered radar is able to perform search, track and missile guidance functions simultaneously with a capability of over 100 targets. The AN/SPY-l radar system is the primary air and surface radar for the Aegis Combat System installed in the Ticonderoga (CG-47) and Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Class warships. Work under the modification will take place in Massachusetts, Virginia and is expected to be finished by April 2023.

The US Air Force awarded Raytheon a deal worth $72 million for advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM) technical support. The contractor will provide technical services and analysis supporting the AMRAAM weapon system. AMRAAM is a continuation of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile series. The missile is faster, smaller and lighter, and has improved capabilities against low altitude targets. It incorporates an active radar with an inertial reference unit and a microcomputer system, which makes the missile less dependent on the aircraft’s fire control system. Once the missile closes on a target, its active radar guides it to intercept. This allows the pilot to aim and fire several missiles simultaneously at multiple targets. The pilot can perform evasive maneuvers while the missiles are guided to their objectives. Raytheon will perform work in Tucson, Arizona. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2025.

Middle East & Africa

The US Army tapped Boeing with a $10.7 million Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia. The deal provides for the integration and retrofit of 23 AH-6i aircraft with DVR, equipment stowage, and APKWS II capabilities. One bid was solicited with one bid received. AH-6i can be used to conduct light, precision, anti-armor, close combat attacks. The rotorcraft can also support reconnaissance, and combat search and rescue missions. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) is a combat-proven, laser-guided 70mm rocket system designed and manufactured by BAE Systems in collaboration with the US Government. The weapon system is currently deployed by the US Military Forces. Work will take place in Mesa, Arizona with an estimated completion date of March 30, 2022.

Europe

The coastguard arm of the German Federal Police commissioned its third and final Potsdam Class offshore patrol vessel, FGS Bad Düben (BP 83), Jane’s reports. The ship was commissioned during a ceremony in in Cuxhaven, Germany, on November 20. The 86 m OPVs were built under a contract awarded to Fassmer shipyard in December 2016. The design is derived from Fassmer’s proven OPV 80, with modifications including a hybrid propulsion system and exhaust treatment system to meet Tier III/ECA standards.

Asia-Pacific

The US States Department approved a possible sale of five Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft to New Zealand, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Wednesday. The possible Foreign Military Sale would have an estimated cost of $1.4 billion. US lawmakers were notified of the approval of the possible sale on Wednesday as well. “The proposed sale will improve New Zealand’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its current airlift capability,” the release added. The proposed sale would include five C-130J aircraft along with their associated support equipment, including engines, navigational systems, communications systems, sensors, flares, decoys, and computers.

The DoS approved the Australian Government’s request to buy jammers for protection from improvised explosive devices (IED). Australia is looking to purchase 850 Northrop Grumman-produced Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment 1 Block 1 (JCREW I1B1) systems and associated equipment for $245 million. The US will sell 533 vehicle-mounted and 317 dismounted variants of the JCREW I1B1. In addition, the sale package will include support and test equipment, spare parts, and engineering, technical and logistics support services. The proposed sale would support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region.

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The US Navy’s Dual Band Radars

The US Navy’s newest light cruiser and aircraft carrier designs offer a wide array of new technologies. One is the Dual-Band Radar (DBR) system, which can be scaled up or down for installation in the new DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class “destroyers”, and the CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class aircraft carriers.

The DBR concept involves a significant change from current naval design approaches, and that change is not without risk. The USA’s GAO audit office remains concerned that key tests may not happen before the radar is installed on new ships, and any more development or testing snags could put much larger programs at risk. In April 2009, a successful full-power “lightoff” of both DBR radars was encouraging, but 2010 saw a major program shift. Sharp drops in the planned number of DDG-1000 destroyer created a per-ship cost crisis. Part of the response involved a shift to a single X-band SPY-3 radar for the Zumwalt Class, leaving DBR as a dual-band SPY-3/ SPY-4 solution only on America’s new carriers.

APKWS II: Laser-Guided Hydra Rockets in Production At Last

The versatile Hydra 70mm rocket family is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to widespread programs aimed at converting these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons. Conversion benefits include cost, use on both helicopters and fighters, more precision weapons per platform, low collateral damage, and the activation of large weapon stockpiles that couldn’t be used under strict rules of engagement.

Firms all over the world have grasped this opportunity, which explains why strong competition has emerged from all points of the compass. America’s “Advanced Precision-Kill Weapon System (APKWS)” is one of those efforts, but the road from obvious premise to working weapon has been slow. After numerous delays and false starts since its inception in 1996, an “APKWS-II” program finally entered System Design and Development (SDD) in 2006. In 2010, it entered low-rate production, and it was fielded to the front lines in 2012. That date will still put APKWS on the cutting edge of battlefield technology, as a leading player in a larger trend toward guided air-to-ground rockets.

JCREW 3: Next-Generation Land Mine Jammers Use Power of Network

The US military is working on the next-generation of jammers to defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that pose such a grave threat to US forces deployed overseas. The jammers are called Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) devices. They are high-power, modular, programmable, multiband radio frequency jammers designed to deny enemy use of selected portions of the radio frequency spectrum. They come in 3 varieties – fixed, mounted, and dismounted.

The first generations of JCREW devices were developed and deployed quickly to meet an urgent need in the field. The next generation of JCREW devices, known as 3.x, are being developed to increase capabilities and tap into the power of the network to enhance their effectiveness. The JCREW 3.1 version is a dismounted device, the 3.2 version is a mounted device, and the 3.3 version is being developed to work in mounted, dismounted, and fixed-installation roles, using a common open architecture of electronics.