US Warship Fails To Intercept MRBM Target With SM-6 | Poland Inks Bayraktar TB2 Deal With Turkey | Singapore Started Taking Deliver Of CH-47Fs

Americas

The US Missile Defense Agency announced that the Flight Test Aegis Weapon System 31 Event 1 has failed. Two SM-6 missile interceptors were supposed to intercept a medium range ballistic missile target as the test object. The agency said “an intercept was not achieved.” It also failed to revealed the location of the test and the warship involved. A review to determine the cause of any problems has been initiated.

Despite a 2017 order for managing fatigue after several ship collisions, few Navy officers get adequate sleep, a Government Accountability Office report says. The 81-page report on Navy readiness was released on Thursday, and notes that only 14 percent of Navy officers get enough sleep.

Middle East & Africa

Raytheon won an $112.7 million modification to perform Navy transition to production efforts for RAM Block 2B and exercise options for fiscal 2021 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Egypt for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 guided-missile round pack (GMRP). This contract includes purchases to the government of Egypt under the FMS program. Work will take place in Arizona, Germany, Scotland, Canada and England. Estimated completion will be in December 2024.

Europe

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won a $24.3 million contract, which provides non-recurring engineering and logistics and sustainment program support for F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft in support of the government of Poland. Work will take place in Texas, Florida, California, the UK and Maryland. Estimated completion will be in April 2024.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz B?aszczak signed a contract for 24 Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs for the Polish Air Force with Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar in Ankara on May 24, in the presence of Polish President Andrzej Duda. Under the deal, Poland will receive four unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) with six UAVs with laser-guided MAM-L thermobaric and MAM–C high-explosive Smart Micro Munitions, as well as training munitions from Roketsan.

Asia-Pacific

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has started taking delivery of the CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters it ordered in November 2016, with the first example already being deployed at its training detachment in Australia. “The initial delivery of the CH-47F to the RSAF Helicopter Detachment in Oakey, Australia, will enable the RSAF to leverage the vast airspace and terrain for more realistic training,” said the service.

Today’s Video

Watch: How Bayraktar TB2 has become one of the most feared drones in the world

F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program

The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners,” and Japan as the 1st export customer.

The big question for Lockheed Martin is whether, and when, many of these partner countries will begin placing purchase orders. This updated article has expanded to feature more detail regarding the F-35 program, including contracts, sub-contracts, and notable events and reports during 2012-2013.