Lockheed Martin won a $23 million contract modification adds scope for the development and stand up of the initial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter depot repair capability for the Weapon Bay Door Drive System and Hydraulic Power Generation System, as well as provides increased repair capacity for the Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System. Work will take place in the UK, California, Texas and Illinois. Estimated completion will be in April 2025.
The US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) has started testing its first adaptive cycle engine, the XA100 from General Electric. This is part of the Phase 2 testing program and the first phase was carried out in Evendale, Ohio last November. GE claims fuel efficiency improvements by 25 percent while 10 percent more thrust when the XA100 is mounted on the F-35A or C model.
Middle East & Africa
Dyncorp International won an $11.3 million contract modification for aviation maintenance services. Work will take place in New York and Kuwait. Estimated completion date is November 28, 2022. Estimated completion date is November 28, 2022. US Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.
Dari Concepts LLC won a $10 million contract for labor, materials and supplies to acquire, deliver and install security systems along the perimeter of the International Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work will take place in Baghdad, Iraq. Estimated completion date is December 27, 2022.
Europe
Lockheed Martin Space won a $68.3 million deal to provide the United Kingdom (UK) with engineering, technical support services, and deliverable materials for the UK Fleet Ballistic Missile Program requirements that are identified and integrated to support planned milestone schedules and emergent requirements. UK resident technical support, operational support hardware, and consumable spares are also provided. Work will take place in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Scotland and Washington.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea will develop stealth drones, satellites, and other cutting-edge military equipment to address evolving threats, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced. The plan is part of the country’s policy priorities to bolster its defense and security capabilities as North Korea continues developing nuclear weapons and high-powered missiles.
Lockheed Martin won a $1.4 billion contract modification for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US government and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Foreign Military Sales case requirements. The THAAD Interceptors and associated one-shot devices will be procured under fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract line items. Work will take place in Texas, California, Arkansas and Alabama. Estimated completion date is August 1, 2027.
Lockheed Martin Space won a $18.6 million contract modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Trident II D-5 is the sixth generation member of the US Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) program which started in 1956. Systems have included the Polaris (A1), Polaris (A2), Polaris (A3), Poseidon (C3), and Trident I (C4). The first deployment of Trident II was in 1990 on the USS Tennessee (SSBN 734). Work will take place in Florida, Utah, Maryland, Colorado, California, Arkansas and Florida. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2026.
Middle East & Africa
Turkish Aerospace Industries is offering Malaysia joint production on several front-line military aircraft, the company said at the Defence Services Asia 2022 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. TAI president and CEO Temel Kotil told journalists that the joint production commitment is supported through TAI’s investment in the Southeast Asian country. He said TAI has recently established a Malaysian engineering facility, which it wants to develop as an avionics hub.
Europe
The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded a contract to Saab for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Royal Swedish Navy’s (RSwN’s) third Gotland (Type A19)-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK), HSwMS Halland. The scope of the award, valued at $116 million, includes a major platform overhaul and upgrade of the combat system that will enable Halland to remain in service to around 2030.
HMS Belfast, a Second World War cruiser turned museum ship, is to be reactivated and renamed by the end of this month in order to patrol the English Channel. The vessel’s current name has been taken by a new frigate under construction on the Clyde so it’s understood that the Prime Minister is renaming the vessel HMS Boris Johnson. This comes after claims that the Royal Navy, is already over-stretched and under-resourced.
Asia-Pacific
Australia has scrapped its Project Air 7003, a multimillion-dollar programme, which was conceived to strengthen the country’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities across land and maritime environments. The $1.3 billion programme was on schedule to deliver 12–16 armed, medium-altitude, long-endurance MQ-9B SkyGuardians to Australia. The aircraft were to have been in service by the mid-2020s.
Today’s Video
WATCH: The Gotland-class Submarine – one of the most silent submarines in the world
DynCorp International won a $100 million deal, which provides organizational, selected intermediate, and limited depot level maintenance, as well as logistics support services for the Navy F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-18G, MH-60S, E-2C, and F-16A/B/C/D aircraft. Work will take place in Nevada. Estimated completion will take place in September 2023.
The South Carolina National Guard’s 1-151st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion recently took delivery of five AH-64E V6 attack helicopters. These helicopters arrived at McEntire Joint National Guard Base on March 24. “The arrival of the AH-64E model Apache Guardian to the South Carolina Army National Guard is a vast technological step forward for South Carolina,” said US Army Col. Jay McElveen, 59th Aviation Troop Command commander, South Carolina National Guard.
Middle East & Africa
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched the fourth Al Zubarah-class corvette on order for Qatar. The ship Sumaysimah was launched during a ceremony held at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard in La Spezia on March 29. Sumaysimah is the final ship of the class to be built by Fincantieri under a contract awarded in 2016. The multiship order, worth $4.47 billion, also includes the delivery of a landing platform dock (LPD) and two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
According to Defense News, Turkey is in negotiations to acquire up to 100 people to power its first indigenous tank, the Altay. Turkey’s highest defense procurement official, Ismail Demir, said the charges against the organization are focused on the quantity of power packs (which the engine and transmission make up) that would be pumped for the Altay program.
Europe
In a Norwegian fjord inside the Arctic Circle, the ‘Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron’ launched small teams from an Astute class submarine for ‘subsurface insertion’ missions. Their aim was to undergo reconnaissance missions on the rocky, icy shoreline in sub-zero temperatures while avoiding the multi-national ‘enemy’ force hunting them.
Asia-Pacific
India is getting a batch of JDAMs and these will be used to arm the indigenous Tejas fighter. Besides the JDAM, India is also procuring the French-made Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) precision-guided munition for the Tejas.
Today’s Video
WATCH: Al Zubarah-class: The New Power of Qatari Emiri Navy
India’s Light Combat Aircraft program is meant to boost its aviation industry, but it must also solve a pressing military problem. The IAF’s fighter strength has been declining as the MiG-21s that form the bulk of its fleet are lost in crashes, or retired due to age and wear. Most of India’s other Cold War vintage aircraft face similar problems.
In response, some MiG-21s have been modernized to MiG-21 ‘Bison’ configuration, and other current fighter types are undergoing modernization programs of their own. The IAF’s hope is that they can maintain an adequate force until the multi-billion dollar 126+ plane MMRCA competition delivers replacements, and more SU-30MKIs arrive from HAL. Which still leaves India without an affordable fighter solution. MMRCA can replace some of India’s mid-range fighters, but what about the MiG-21s? The MiG-21 Bison program adds years of life to those airframes, but even so, they’re likely to be gone by 2020.
That’s why India’s own Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project is so important to the IAF’s future prospects. It’s also why India’s rigid domestic-only policies are gradually being relaxed, in order to field an operational and competitive aircraft. Even with that help, the program’s delays are a growing problem for the IAF. Meanwhile, the west’s near-abandonment of the global lightweight fighter market opens a global opportunity, if India can seize it with a compelling and timely product.
