Boeing Tapped For Apache Weapon System | Rolls-Royce To Replace B-52H Engines | Rostec Starts Production of Systems Designed to Protect Military Equipment

Americas

Boeing won a $16 million deal for spare parts in support of the AH-64 Apache weapon system. The Apache is a twin-engined army attack helicopter. The Apache attack helicopter can be equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral and Sidearm) and the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS), formerly known as Hydra, family of guided and unguided 70mm rockets.

Boeing won a $158.3 million contract modification for VC-25B Spares Phase 1 – Long Lead Parts. This contract modification is for the VC-25B initial spares with a production lead time of greater than 12 months that are required for the initial support period, which is the first 18 months beginning at initial operational capability. VC-25B, the next “Air Force One,” is a program to design, modify, test, and deliver two aircraft replacing the current VC-25A and will serve as a flying White House for the next thirty years. Work will take place in Maryland. Estimated completion date is January 15, 2025.

Middle East & Africa

According to some press reports, Morocco is set to be the newest operator of the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW). The reports further added that the weapons have been delivered to the country.

Europe

The US Air Force has awarded Rolls-Royce a $2.6 billion contract to replace the engines on its B-52H Stratofortress bomber fleet. The F130 engine for the B-52, which produces 17,000 pounds of thrust, is a variant of the Rolls-Royce BR725 commercial engine.

Russian company Rostec-owned Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering has begun mass production of unified systems designed to protect latest military equipment against high-precision weapons. The product is designed to protect the TOS-2 heavy flamethrower system, the PRP-5 reconnaissance vehicle, as well as the Zavet-D automated artillery control systems, the state-owned company said in a statement.

Asia-Pacific

PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero) (PTDI) and Turkish company Hava Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.?. (HAVELSAN) agreed to jointly develop a simulator for N219 aircraft. A Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to the same was signed during Teknofest 2021 in Istanbul by the President Director of PTDI, Dr. Ir. Elfien Goentoro, MBA and CEO of HAVELSAN, Dr. Mehmet Active Nacar.

Today’s Video

Watch: The Next Presidential Jet: The New $5B “Biden Force One”

Supporting America’s “Air Force One” VC-25s

The USA’s fleet of 2 “VC-25” 747-200 derivatives is unique in several respects. It’s more popularly known as the latest incarnation of the “Air Force One” fleet that transports the President of the United States around the world, though the planes themselves only acquire the “Air Force One” call sign when the President is on board. The VC-25 can also serve as a secondary command post, thanks to a suite of advanced communications and electronics gear that’s both highly encrypted, and protected from the Electro-Magnetic Pulse effects of nuclear detonations. The 89th Airlift Wing operates them from Andrews AFB, MD.

During the Cold War, if humanity’s time on earth had been cut short, at least one of the orders would almost certainly have come from a 707-based “VC-137” predecessor. The 747-based VC-25s were ordered in 1985, and added to the fleet in 1990, where they continue to serve in the same roles, flying an average of nearly 200,000 miles per year. Of course, maintenance and upgrades are still required, such as the 2002/2003 upgrades that let the President address the nation from on board, new defensive systems, etc…

Up to $11.9B for B-52H Maintenance & Modernization

Officially, it’s the B-52H Stratofortress. Unofficially, it’s the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F–cker). Either way, this subsonic heavy bomber remains the mainstay of the U.S. strategic fleet after more than 50 years of service. A total of 102 B-52H bombers were delivered from FY 1961-1963, and 94 were still on the books as of May 2009, flying mostly from Barksdale AFB, LA and Minot AFB, ND. Of these, 18 are slated for retirement, leaving a planned fleet of 76. By the time that fleet retires in the 2030s, many will be around 70 years old.

The B-52H can’t be flown against heavy enemy air defenses, but a steady array of upgrades have kept the aircraft relevant to follow-on strikes and current wars, where its long time on station and precision weapons have made the BUFF beautiful. Those changes have included advanced communications, GPS guided weapons, advanced targeting pods, and more. The USAF isn’t done yet adding new features, and maintenance remains a challenge for an aircraft fleet that’s always older than its pilots. All of these things require contracts, and the B-52H fleet has several of them underway. So, how does 2010’s 8-year, $11.9 billion umbrella contract fit in…?

• CONECT, ESP, SWING: How Does This One Fit In?
  
• Contracts & Key Events
  
• Additional Readings