Boeing Tapped For P-8A Support | Elbit Signed Follow On Deal For Israeli Aerial Firefighting Services | Poland Signs Missile Deal With MBDA

Americas

The US Army’s chief of staff on Friday grounded all pilots who are not involved in critical missions until they complete required training, after four helicopters crashed in a matter of weeks. Two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in Alaska on Thursday, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, while two Black Hawks crashed in Kentucky late last month, leaving nine dead.

Boeing won a $12.1 million modification, which increases scope to procure non-recurring engineering (NRE) for the design, fabrication, and correction of deficiencies in support of the delivery and installation of retrofit kits on Lot 12 P-8A aircraft with Increment 3 Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 6 capabilities; NRE for software updates and merges necessary to make increment 3 capabilities compatible with lot 12 aircraft; and NRE required to assess and incorporate changes necessary to address diminishing manufacturing source parts and equipment on previously delivered ECP 6 engineering for Lots 1-11 Navy P-8A aircraft in support of the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Puget Sound, Washington, and is expected to be completed in April 2025.

Middle East & Africa

Elbit Systems announced that it has signed a follow-on contract worth approximately $100 million to provide aerial firefighting services to the Israeli Ministry of National Security. The contract will be carried out over a period of eight years. As part of the contract, Elbit Systems will continue to provide aerial firefighting services in Israel to the Ministry of National Security through a fleet of 14 aircraft, as well as additional operational services including ongoing maintenance of the aircraft and their preparation for flights.

Europe

The US Government has given the green light to a potential Foreign Military Sale of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II) to the United Kingdom, with an estimated value of $31.2 million. The proposed deal encompasses up to 768 APKWS-II All Up Round (AURs) (Single Variant), alongside support equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, transportation, and engineering, technical and logistical support services provided by the US Government and contractors.

Poland on Friday announced it had signed a $2.4 billion air defense deal with the UK arm of Europe’s MBDA, which will provide missiles and missile launchers. The government of the EU member — one of the staunchest supporters of war-torn Ukraine since Russia’s invasion more than a year ago — said the deal would boost Poland’s aerial defense.

Asia-Pacific

According to Defense News, the House committee dedicated to countering China is preparing bipartisan proposals for the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill that would accelerate US munitions production and arms transfers to Taiwan, its chairman told Defense News in an exclusive interview. The committee is drawing on lessons learned from the Taiwan tabletop wargame it held last week as it drafts its proposals, which aim to ramp up production of high-priority munitions, help clear the $19 billion arms sale backlog to Taipei and bolster Pentagon cybersecurity cooperation with the island nation.

Today’s Video

WATCH: How Apache helicopters attack