Raytheon Tapped For NATO SeaSparrow Program | Israel To Develop Voice Command Drones | China Begins Military Drills Near Taiwan

Americas

Raytheon won a $96.2 million contract modification for maintenance & recertifications in support of the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile and NATO SeaSparrow Missile Systems programs. The SEASPARROW Missile is a radar-guided, surface-to-air missile based on the Navy and Marine Corps AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile. The SEASPARROW has a cylindrical body with four mid-body wings and four tail fins. Work will take place in Arizona, Canada and Germany. Estimated completion will be by December 2022. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Unionized workers at three Boeing military aircraft factories in and near St Louis, Missouri, have approved a new three-year contract, averting a looming labour strike, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) announced. The IAM said that Boeing’s latest contract offer contained better retirement benefits compared with the one its members rejected on 24 July.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli military researchers are developing a voice command system for unmanned platforms, Defense News reports. The Directorate of Defense Research and Development has been designing the Casper for use with various unmanned systems for two years. It will take “several years” before the system achieves operational readiness, the outlet wrote.

Europe

Dutch Defense has officially put the Roll-on Roll-off ship into service. The New Amsterdam is now being loaded and departed from Eemshaven to the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania. There are Dutch soldiers of the enhanced Forward Presence. On board are containers full of goods and rolling stock for the next rotation of the eFP. Commander of the Armed Forces General Onno Eichelsheim pointed out the importance of the ship on departure. Defense will lease it for the next 10 years from TransProCon, part of Swedish Orient line . In this way, guaranteed strategic sea transport is always possible. Previously, ships were occasionally rented, but this is becoming more expensive and more difficult due to increasing scarcity on the market.

Asia-Pacific

Local media reports that Tokyo intends to accelerate the development of the improved Type 12 anti-ship and deploy it earlier than planned. The new missile, which its range is increased from 200 to 900 km, will enter limited production while it undergoes testing. The previous plan was to start limited production from FY 2006, this has now been pushed up to as early as FY 2023.

China began large-scale military exercises on Thursday intended to punish Taiwan for hosting US house speaker Nancy Pelosi, raising cross-strait tensions to their highest level in decades. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Thursday that military maneuvers had begun in the Taiwan Strait, with the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army carrying out long-range, live-fire exercises and “precision strikes” on the eastern parts of the waterway.

Today’s Video

WATCH: RIM-7 Sea Sparrow Missile – Missile Review