GD Wins Virginia Class Support Deal | Israel Shipyards Launched S-45 | Morocco Procured Drones From China

Americas

General Dynamics won a $533 million deal for Lead Yard Support and Development Studies and Design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines. The deal includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the modification to $813,720,300. The Virginia-Class new attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations. Work will take place in Connecticut and Virginia. Expected completion will be by October 2023.

Thomas Instrument won a $13.6 million deal for depot-level overhaul services of the C-5 dual-powered winch, National Stock Number 1680-01-593-5680/Part Number 200413780-20. Work will be performed at Brookshire, Texas, and is expected to be completed by September 29, 2027.

Middle East & Africa

Shipbuilder Israel Shipyards has launched its new multi-mission offshore patrol vessel (OPV) S-45 for enhanced coastal protection by the Israeli Navy. The company launched the tailored-made ship at its headquarters in the port city of Haifa on September 29. Israel Shipyards said the S-45 is a cost-effective watercraft designed for coastal protection, drilling rigs, and offshore facilities protection.

The Royal Moroccan Army has procured advanced military drones from China as part of its continuing effort to bolster its air defense capabilities. Among the systems reportedly purchased was the Wing Loong II medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Developed by Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute, the Wing Loong II is originally intended to support surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Europe

The Irish Defense Forces will be getting at least three new primary search radars, after Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform confirmed that part of the defense budget has been allocated for such a purchase. The need for primary search radars was highlighted in a report by the Commission on the Defence Forces in February of this year. A number of anonymous sources told The Journal that the primary radar should have the equivalent capability of the Lockheed Martin TPY-4. Ireland currently relies on secondary radars and this will not work if the aircraft is not using a transponder.

Asia-Pacific

The Philippine military has sent eight Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS 2000) 155mm self-propelled guns to Mindanao to support counter-terrorism operations in the southern region. According to Defense Undersecretary Jose Faustino, Jr., the Israeli-made artillery systems are game-changing assets “that will bolster the military’s territorial defense capabilities as well as internal security operations.”

Today’s Video

WATCH: Elbit Systems / ATMOS

Saving the Galaxy: The C-5 AMP/RERP Program

When it was introduced, back in 1970, the C-5 Galaxy was the largest plane in the world. It also has the highest operating cost of any US Air Force weapon system, owing to extremely high maintenance demands as well as poor fuel economy. Worse, availability rates routinely hover near 50%. To add insult to injury, the Russians not only built a bigger plane (the AN-124), they sold it off at the end of the Cold War to semi-private operators, turning it into a commercial success whose customer list now includes… NATO.

Meanwhile, the USA still needs long-range, heavy load airlift. The AN-124’s commercial success may get its production line restarted, but the C-5 has no such hope. Boeing’s smaller C-17s cost more than $200 million per plane. That’s about the cost of a 747-8 freighter, for much higher availability rates than the C-5, and a longer lifespan.

What’s the right balance between new C-17s and existing C-5s? The US Air Force believes that the right balance involves keeping some of the larger C-5s, and thought they could save money by upgrading and renewing their avionics (AMP) and engines (RERP). Their hope was that this would eliminate the problems that keep so many C-5s in the hangar, cut down on future maintenance costs, and grow airlift capacity, without adding new planes. Unfortunately, the program experienced major cost growth. In response, the C-5M program wound up being both cut in size, and cut in 2. The C-5A and C-5B/C fleets are now slated for different treatment, which will deliver fewer of the hoped-for benefits, in exchange for lower costs and lower risk.