Westinghouse Government Services LLC won a $56 million hybrid deal for decommissioning and dismantlement of the SM-1A deactivated nuclear power plant. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received.The nuclear power plant at Fort Greely in Alaska last provided power in 1972. Work will take place in Alaska. Estimated completion date is July 27, 2028.
Lockheed Martin won a 23.2 million deal for engineering services in support of Sentinel A4 Radar and other air and missile defense programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 23, 2027.
Middle East & Africa
Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad revealed on Sunday the “imminent” arrival of French and American radar systems to bolster the country’s air defenses. Without specifying the French system, Iraqi News Agency quoted Inad as saying that the Thales system would be linked with the country’s newly launched Air Defense Command Operations Center in Baghdad.
Jane’s reports that Nigeria has ordered T129 attack helicopters and Chad has ordered Hürku? turboprop aircraft, according to Temel Kotil, general manager of Turkish Aerospace (TUSA?). “We sold two [Hürku?] to Niger and the rest will follow. Currently, pilots from Niger are being trained. We will make deliveries in the coming months. At the same time, it was sold to Chad,” he told CNN Türk during 2022 Farnborough International Airshow on 23 July. He added that T129 helicopters will be exported to Nigeria in the near future.
Europe
The first of six new Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) on order for the French Navy has started its initial sea trials. First-of-class Auguste Bénébig (P 779) was put to sea for the first time from Socarenam’s facility in Saint-Malo, Brittany, the shipbuilder announced. The six OPVs, also known as the Patrouilleur d’Outre-Mer (POM) class, are being built under a contract awarded to a consortium comprising Socarenam and CNN MCO on 3 December 2019. Construction is taking place at Socarenam’s shipyards in Boulogne-sur-Mer in the north of France and Saint-Malo in Brittany.
Lockheed Martin won a $213.3 million deal, which provides engineering, maintenance, logistics, and material support, in support of Phase 2 upgrade of the Australia Canada United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Additionally, this contract provides a new mission data production and test line to support sovereign reprogramming capabilities for the government of Australia and the United Kingdom’s F-35 air vehicles. Work will take place in Florida and Texas. Estimated completion will be in July 2027.
Asia-Pacific
Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, Col. Maynard Mariano told the Philippine News Agency that research within the service is ongoing to find a replacement for the S.211 jet trainer. “We are planning for a replacement, research is ongoing, and there will be a presentation (of the possible aircraft models) to the senior leadership soon,” Mariano was quoted as saying.
Today’s Video
WATCH: Lockheed Martin supplies first five Sentinel A4 radars to US Army
Raytheon Technologies won a $14.9 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide for the planning, implementation, management, and reporting of sustainment affordability in support of initiatives that reduce future F-35 propulsion sustainment cost for the F-35 Joint Program Office. Work will take place in Connecticut and Oklahoma. Expected completion will be in September 2024.
Boeing won an $8.5 million modification for Option 3 of the Hunter Phase 2 program. Work will take place in Huntington Beach, California. Estimated completion date will be in March 2023.
Middle East & Africa
Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems will receive cutting-edge Identification-Friend-or-Foe (IFF) technology from HENSOLDT as part of a $10.2 million deal to develop MSSR 2000 ID and MSR1000I radars. Also known as secondary surveillance radars, the IFF models have the capability to scan and identify aircraft within a certain vicinity and automatically send interrogation signals for confirmation.
Europe
Recently, Stormer HVM anti-aircraft missile systems came into service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Six units of the Stormer HVM air defense system came to the Ukraine from the UK. On April 25, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced his intention to provide British means of air defense to Ukraine. Hundreds of Starstreak missiles for these air defense systems have been shipped along with the systems.
General Atomics won a $16.4 million deal for the Spanish Air Force. This contract provides sustainment support of MQ-9A and Mission Ground Control Station (MCGS) to the Spanish Air Force, to include launch and recovery aircrew, field service representatives, transportation and depot repair/return. Work will be performed in an international location, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2025.
Asia-Pacific
The State Department has approved Singapore’s request to purchase F-15 munitions, follow-on training and sustainment support and associated equipment from the US government under a potential $630 million foreign military sales agreement. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Monday that no principal contractor is involved in the possible FMS transaction and the US government could determine a manpower support provider for defense articles via a competition.
Rockwell Collins won a $16.3 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide for the adoption and application of updated security classification requirements, as well as to provide a preliminary design analysis and solution trade studies for an updated Very Low Frequency receiver solution in support of the developmental design and obsolescence mitigation engineering efforts for the airborne VLF system modernization in order to meet program capability requirements. The modernization effort is required to provide a compatible and producible VLF system to be integrated into a C-130 aircraft. Work will take place in Texas and Iowa. Estimated completion date will be February 2024.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission System won an $11.6 million order, which provides non-recurring engineering for implementation of retrofit upgrades into Block 1 MH-60S aircraft to add additional capabilities to reach parity with Block 3 aircraft. These efforts include the design and develop of retrofit kits, preparation and delivery of associated technical directives, and validation/verification (Val/Ver) of the installations and instructions. Additionally, this order procures two Val/Ver kits, installation of the first kit, and support for Navy-led Val/Ver efforts. Work will take place in New York. Expected completion will be by July 2024.
Middle East & Africa
The Israeli Air Force is leading the international Lightning Shield exercise, which began yesterday in Southern Israel, together with the Italian Air Force. IAF’s F-35I “Adir” aircrafts are leading the exercise, alongside four Italian F-35 planes. “This exercise is a major milestone in the continuous collaboration between our militaries, while strengthening the unique bond between our nations,” the IDF tweeted. “This exercise will contribute towards the operational competence of the “Adir” array and will assist in expanding its capabilities.”
Europe
Korea Aerospace Industries is expected to clinch a contract from Poland to supply 48 of its FA-50 light fighter. The deal is expected to be worth $2.9 billion. The Block 15 variant with air refueling probe is expected to be ordered by Poland. Of note, a RoKAF C-130 supporting the Black Eagles aerobatic team flew in from the UK to Poland on July 25. The team is expected to make a stopover in Poland after finishing their airshow tour in Britain.
The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed a three-year framework agreement with Saab for military training and simulation systems. As part of the agreement, the FMV has placed a preliminary order for simulation equipment from Saab worth $32.6 million, the company announced on July 14.
Asia-Pacific
The Biden administration has cleared the sale of 150 AIM-120C-7/C-8 air-to-air missiles to Japan. The sale is worth up to $293 million and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on July 25 on the potential Foreign Military Sale.
Today’s Video
WATCH: T-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle | A good trainer and combat jet
AV Inc. won an $11.3 million contract modification for RQ-20B Puma 3 AE systems. Work will be performed in Simi Valley, California, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2023. Puma is a third-generation tactical UAS that provides precise intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance utilizing an enhanced digital data link to transmit real-time imagery.
Raytheon won a $17 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure 40 learn to build AIM-9X Systems Improvement Program (SIP) III configured guidance units (GUs), and associated nonrecurring tooling and test equipment to support build and checkout of the SIP III GUs in a production factory environment for the Navy and Air Force. Work will take place in Arizona, Utah, Vermont, Maryland, California, Germany, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada. Expected completion date is in July 2024.
Middle East & Africa
Thales says it will supply Iraq with four GM403 air defense radars under a contract that will include a command and operations center. A company representative made the disclosure during the groundbreaking ceremony for the operations center. The second phase of the contract will involve the supply of 14 GM200 radars.
Sallyport Global Holdings won a $127 million undefinitized contract action to provide base operations support, base life support, and security services in the support of the Iraq F-16 program. Work will be performed at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by January 30, 2023. This contract was the result of a sole-source acquisition and involves Foreign Military Sales to Iraq.
Europe
The US Department of Defense is donating 580 Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drones to Ukraine as part of an additional security assistance package valued at $270 million. The Phoenix Ghost is speculated to have capabilities similar to AeroVironment’s Switschblade drone, but its full potential is still undisclosed, according, to Air Force Magazine.
Asia-Pacific
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) says it carried out the country’s first scramjet flight-test on July 24 using a S-520-RD1 rocket. The experiment focuses on gathering data on the fuel combustion so that the information can be compared with test points that were gathered in the wind tunnel. The S-520-RD1 rocket was equipped with a test device for a scramjet engine, which is planned for use in hypersonic aircraft that travel at five times the speed of sound, or Mach 1 and faster.
Today’s Video
WATCH: AeroVironment Puma LE Unmanned Aircraft System
The integration of the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System for the first two F-15Es has begun at Boeing’s San Antonio facility, according to a Boeing press release. A total of 43 F-15Es are slated to receive the EPAWSS enhancement, which is developed by a joint team of Boeing and BAE Systems. EPAWSS is also being developed for F-15EXs, the new generation of F-15 aircraft built by Boeing. The system was initially tested with the delivery of the first two F-15EXs that participated in Northern Edge exercises in 2021, the release says.
The US Air Force has established the P6 combat training system (P6 CTS) as its next-generation air combat training programme of record, Collins Aerospace announced at the Farnborough International Air Show 2022. The system will replace the air combat manoeuvring instrumentation (ACMI) at an estimated 55 USAF training ranges. The USAF’s priority is to integrate P6 CTS on fighter aircraft, followed by trainer, bomber, cargo, and other platforms, according to Collins.
Middle East & Africa
The State Department has cleared a potential $397 million purchase request from the government of Kuwait for missiles, bombs, tail kits and other equipment in support of its Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft fleet. The potential foreign military sales transaction will include 60 AIM-120 C-7/8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, several hundred MK-84/84 General Purpose 2000LB bombs, 350 KMU-556 Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits and other munitions, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday.
Europe
The US Department of State cleared a possible foreign military sale of 96 Raytheon-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the Netherlands in a deal estimated to be worth $1.2 billion. The Netherlands requested to buy the Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical, or GEM-T, missiles, which the State Department said support its goal of improving its defenses and increase its interoperability with the US and fellow NATO forces.
Asia-Pacific
Rolls-Royce won an $8.4 million modification, which adds scope to provide test cell labor and associated materials and test cell commissioning in support authorized military overhaul facilities stand-up for the V-22 AE 1107C engine to include establishment of an indigenous depot-level maintenance and repair capability for the Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engine and integration of an AE 1107C engine test cell into existing facilities in support of the government of Japan. Work will take place in Indiana and Japan. Expected completion will be in February 2025.
BAE Systems won a $92 million deal to modify F-16 Hybrid Flight Control Computer to digital capability. Work will be performed in Endicott, New York, and is expected to be complete by June 20, 2027. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan. Work will take place in New York. Estimated completion will be by June 20, 2027.
Today’s Video
WATCH: AGM-158 JASSM – The deadliest stealth missile worth $1.359 million / unit
Lockheed Martin won a $32 million for Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is July 21, 2025.
Schutt Industries won a $49.8 million deal to procure M870A4 semitrailers, spare parts, and a government-formatted technical data package. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is July 19, 2025.
Middle East & Africa
Embraer of Brazil has revealed plans to partner with BAE Systems to offer the C-390 transport aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Two memorandums of understanding were signed at the Farnborough Airshow on July 19. One for the C-390 partnership while the other confirms an intent to create a joint venture to develop a defense variant of Eve’s electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
Europe
The Czech government has decided to launch negotiations with the United States to buy 24 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The aircraft are to replace the 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripens currently operated by the Czech military, making the country the second Eastern European ally after Poland to order Lockheed Martin’s fighters.
The US and Dutch militaries signed an agreement Wednesday in the Netherlands to work together on future vertical lift programs, according to a statement from the US Army. FVL is a plan to design and manufacture a generation of helicopters ? and other low-tier aviation ? with the latest in technology and capabilities. Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said this agreement keeps the U.S. and its allies ahead of its adversaries.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team has won the King Hussein Memorial Sword as well as The As The Crow Flies Trophy for bestoverall flying demonstration for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo.
Today’s Video
WATCH: AGM-158 JASSM – The deadliest stealth missile worth $1.359 million / unit
The US Marine Corps will acquire eight MQ-9A Extended Range (ER) unmanned air vehicles (UAV) for VMU-3 as part of the ARES Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract. The fleet is expected to standup in late summer 2023 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. VMU-3 will operate these MQ-9A ERs to support training for the Marine Littoral Regiment.
Insitu won a $160 million deal, which provides training, test and engineering, development of engineering change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations, hardware installs, repairs, and development of noncommercial software and data in support of RQ-21A Blackjack and ScanEagle unmanned aircraft platforms. Estimated completion will be in June 2026 Work will take place in Washington.
Middle East & Africa
Morocco has ordered an unspecific number of H135 helicopters from Airbus for primary flight training. Airbus says the contract comes with an extensive support package including the delivery of Flight Training Devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots.
The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of C-17 Aircraft Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $980.4 million. The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy follow-on sustainment and support of C-17 fleet to include aircraft hardware and software modifications and support; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) software; classified software support for Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection; aircraft and engine support equipment, components, consumables, spare parts and repair/return; publications and technical documentation; heavy maintenance support; participation in the C-17 Virtual Fleet for Total System Sustainment (TSS) contractor logistics support and Material Improvement Program (MIP); other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support services; and other related elements of program support.
Europe
The US State Department okayed a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Belgium of F-16 Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $127 million. The Government of Belgium has requested to buy additional F-16 sustainment support that will be added to a previously implemented case. The original FMS case, valued at $98.4 million, included F-16 sustainment, consisting of AN/ARC-210 radios; classified software, Computer Program Identification Numbers (CPINs), and software integration support; Electronic Warfare (EW) database support; test support and equipment; aircraft and munitions support and support equipment; flight simulator support; additional hardware and software delivery and support; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories; maintenance and maintenance support; mission planning system sustainment; facilities, utilities, and information technology support at US Air Force bases; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; and US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
Asia-Pacific
Crane Electronics won a $9 million deal for the upgrade of ALQ-218 Weapons Replaceable Assembly 9 power supply Navy assets. This contract covers purchases for the Navy (96%) and the government of Australia (4%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion will be by July 2027.
Today’s Video
WATCH:Why The $340 Million C-17 Globemaster III Became The Center Of Evacuation Efforts | Boot Camp
Latest updates[?]: The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of C-17 Aircraft Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $980.4 million. The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy follow-on sustainment and support of C-17 fleet to include aircraft hardware and software modifications and support; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) software; classified software support for Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection; aircraft and engine support equipment, components, consumables, spare parts and repair/return; publications and technical documentation; heavy maintenance support; participation in the C-17 Virtual Fleet for Total System Sustainment (TSS) contractor logistics support and Material Improvement Program (MIP); other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support services; and other related elements of program support.
Happy ‘trails…
The C-17 has had more money-driven last hurrahs than The Who. Even so, FY 2010 featured the USAF’s last planned orders of C-17 Globemaster III short field, heavy-lift transport jets.
The Pentagon had been trying to end the program for years, but 3 factors led Congress to keep adding new C-17s to the budget, year after year: (1) deep doubts about the premises, pre-9/11 vintage, and quality of the Pentagon’s mobility studies; (2) uncertainty concerning the C-5 Galaxy super-heavy transport’s upgrade programs; and (3) a fleet wear tempo much higher than originally forecast, driven by constant requests from theater for C-17s.
All things end, and there were no new C-17s bought in the FY 2011 or FY 2012 budgets. That would leave the USA with a total ordered fleet of 223, once they’re all under contract. At long last, they are.
KC-46A, #17-46034, was recently painted with a tail flash to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city of Portsmouth and the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. It was flown to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to be painted at the 36,000-square-foot paint facility there in June.
An AIM-120D3 air-to-air missile with production hardware was test-fired for the first time on June 30 from a F-15E. It was the first of five combined Air Force and Navy live-fires scheduled for the AMRAAM F3R program, which replaces 15 Circuit Card Assemblies on the missile. Raytheon says in a press release that an additional live fire for the Foreign Military Sales AIM-120C8 variant will occur in the near future.
Middle East & Africa
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has received the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) Supplemental Type Certificate for its B737-800SF passenger-to-freighter conversions. With the EASA STC approval, IAI will open its B737-800BDSF cargo conversions to European companies and operators, providing a solution to the rising demand for aircraft conversions worldwide. The first two converted aircraft for which this approval will apply have already been delivered to a customer in Spain, with an additional aircraft undergoing conversion and joining the European fleet shortly.
Europe
Lockheed Martin won a $224.9 million contract modification, which increases the ceiling to procure long lead-time materials, parts, components, and effort for the production of three Lot 15 F-35A aircraft and nine Lot 16 F-35 aircraft for the government of the Netherlands. Work will take place in Texas, California, the UK, Italy, Florida, New Hampshire, Maryland and Japan. Estimated completion will be by May 2026.
MBDA announced that the Dragonfire laser weapon has started trials at low power to confirm the system’s accuracy in tracking air and sea targets.That phase of testing was successful and the next set of trials will be static testing of the high-power laser while maintaining the same accuracy achieved during low-power tests. Once those two steps are cleared, the system will then begin engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios.
European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday another $504 million of EU funding to supply arms to Ukraine, taking the bloc’s security support to 2.5 billion euros since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The money should help the EU continue to jointly buy equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian military, including lethal weaponry, which the bloc has said should be used for defensive purposes.
Asia-Pacific
Airbus is seeking to renegotiate with Indonesia for the two A400Ms that the latter has ordered due to tight supply of Titanium. Airbus imports fifty percent of its titanium from Russia but the war in Ukraine has disrupted prices and supply. The aerospace company finds it difficult to execute the contract with the price of $685 million.
Today’s Video
WATCH: E-2 Hawkeye: The Hummer You Don’t Mess With
DARPA’s Operational Fires (OpFires) ground-launched hypersonic missile system has successfully executed its first flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Lockheed Martin built the system, which includes a Northrop Grumman rocket motor, and conducted the test.
Lockheed Martin won a $23.4 million contract modification to exercise options for the engineering, design, and technical services in support of the MK 41 Vertical Launching System electronic systems and computer programs. The deal combines purchases by the US and the governments of Japan, Spain, Canada, and Chile under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and California. Estimated completion will be by July 2023.
Middle East & Africa
US President Joe Biden wants a Middle East Air Defense. This has been discussed in the recent weeks, leading up to US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration is urging Arab nations to team up with Israel to counter Iranian missiles. The “MEAD,” as Israels Defense Minister Benny Gantz calls it, has already been operational and has successfully intercepted aerial threats. The alliance has reportedly brought together Israel and Arab states in the Middle East around a shared table in order to defend their countries from Iran and its proxies, which have increased their attacks, some of them deadly, in recent years.
Europe
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) to Norway. The estimated $950m FMS has been approved by the US State Department and includes associated equipment and support. As part of this deal, the Norwegian Government has requested up to 205 AIM-120 D-series AMRAAMs, 60 AIM-120C-8 or D-series AMRAAMs, and four AIM-120D AMRAAM guidance sections.
Asia-Pacific
The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of Blanket Order Contractor Technical Assistance Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $108 million. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has requested to buy Blanket Order Contractor Technical Assistance support consisting of unclassified spare and repair parts and assembly for tanks and combat vehicles; logistical technical assistance; US Government and contractor representative technical and logistical support; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to South Korea. The FMS has an estimated value of $130m, which includes delivery of related equipment. Approved by the US State Department, the proposed sale includes 31 MK 54 all up round lightweight torpedoes along with recoverable exercise torpedo, storage and issue facility, torpedo containers, air launch accessories for rotary wing along with classified and unclassified torpedo spare parts.
Today’s Video
WATCH: AIM-120 AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Live Launch
