Berth 2 Renovation At Guam Naval Base | XTEND Supplies US With Wolverines | Turkey, Kazakhstan Sign Joint Production Accord For Drones 

Americas

Black Construction won an $83.7 million deal for design and construction of wharf improvements at Naval Base Guam. The work to be performed includes the renovation and modernization of Berth 2 to provide full capability to support two loaded T-AKE vessels with the proper depth of water, sufficient wharf length, and power and utilities. The Lewis and Clark Class T-AKE is a dry cargo/ammunition ship, totaling 14 ships. Designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea while providing underway replenishment services, the T-AKE directly contributes to the ability of the Navy to maintain a forward presence. Work will take place in Guam. Expected completion date is in September 2024.

Deloitte Consulting won an estimated $12.5 million contract modification for a training virtual environment (TVE) that will host the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) training curriculum and deliver curriculum packages for CANES baselines. The TVE is a virtualized computing environment that fully replicates the functionality of CANES that provides realistic and testable training and scenarios. The TVE provides a centrally located and integrated learning management system that allows for rapid curriculum updates and configuration changes. Work will take place on California, Arizona, Florida and Virginia. Estimated completion will be by December 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli defense firm XTEND has inked an agreement with the US Department of Defense to supply hundreds of new Wolverine Gen2 drones to the US military. The unmanned system will be used to protect ground troops, particularly on dangerous missions.

Europe

UK shipbuilder Babcock has inked a $36.7 million contract to conduct the routine dry-dock maintenance periods of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) two Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC) carriers for the next decade at its dockyard in Rosyth, Fife. Babcock said the 10-year contract also includes the provision of any contingency dockings that may be required over the timeframe of the agreement. Scheduled dockings will be conducted over a six-week period and will include all routine maintenance and repairs that cannot be done when the carriers are afloat. The UK government said the latest contract would help sustain 300 jobs at the yard and the wider supply chain.

Asia-Pacific

According to Japan’s Sankei news, Tokyo has decided to switch its partner for developing the F-X fighter from Lockheed Martin to BAE Systems. Both countries had announced plans to develop a future fighter aircraft engine demonstrator in December 2021. The aircraft was supposed to be develop by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with assistance from Lockheed Martin. However, talks on how to carry out the development work have run into roadblocks. This prompted Japan to switch the main partner to BAE Systems.

Kazakhstan will be able to assemble the ANKA unmanned air vehicle in the future as state-owned Kazakhstan Engineering as it signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkish Aerospace Industries for the production. The memorandum of understanding also covers the repair and maintenance of the ANKA in Kazakhstan. Turkish Aerospace Industries General Manager Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil said, “We are very excited to sign a new production base for our ANKA.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Meet the XTEND Wolverine, Multi-mission UAS

US Navy on the T-AKE As It Beefs Up Supply Ship Capacity

Warships get a lot of attention, but without resupply, an impressive-looking fleet becomes a hollow force. The US Navy’s supply and support fleet has been aging, and needed new vessels. T-AKE is part of that effort, and the ships have also found themselves performing “naval diplomacy” roles.

The entire T-AKE dry cargo/ ammunition ship program could have a total value of as much as $6.2 billion, and a size of 14 ships, as the US looks to modernize its supply fleet. How do T-AKE ships fit into US naval operations? What ships do they replace? What’s the tie-in to US civilian industrial capacity? How were environmental standards built into their design? And what contracts have been issued for T-AKE ships to date?

Japan’s Next F-X Fighters: F-35 Wins Round 1

In December 2011, Japan picked Lockheed Martin’s new F-35A stealth fighter as its next fighter aircraft, to replace its aging F-4 “Kai” Phantom fleet. The F-35 was actually their 2nd choice.

Back in February 2006, Inside The Air Force (ITAF) reported that momentum was building within the USAF to sell the ultra-advanced F-22A Raptor abroad to trusted US allies, as a way of increasing numbers and production. Japan clearly wanted them, and the Raptor was a topic of diplomatic discussions in several venues, including a 2007 summit meeting. In the end, however, US politics denied export permission for downgraded export variants of the F-22, and its production line was terminated. That left Japan looking at other foreign “F-X” fighter options in the short term, while they considered a domestic stealth fighter design as their long-term project.

In the ensuing F-X competition, the F-35 Lightning II beat BAE’s Eurofighter Typhoon, as well as an upgraded F/A-18E Super Hornet from Boeing. Now Lockheed Martin has to deliver, and so will its Japanese partners. Will the F-35A’s price and program delays create problems in Japan? This article looks at the JASDF’s current force, its future options, and ongoing F-X developments.