Americas
Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $50 million contract modification to exercise options for fiscal 2022 design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) upgraded MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System Improvement Program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by July 2023. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Textron Aviation Defense won a $43.8 million cost-reimbursement contract for procurement, support and supply of three T-6C aircraft to include a site survey, ground support equipment, two spare engines, spare parts, personal life support equipment, external fuel tanks and pylons, aircraft ferry, and support, and country specific technical orders. Work will take place in Kansas. Expected completion date is September 30, 2024.
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of high-powered Javelin missiles to Brazil for an estimated cost of $74 million. The South American nation requested up to 222 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 33 Javelin command launch units. The request includes missile simulation rounds, Enhanced Producibility Basic Skills Trainers, and other associated equipment and support services.
Middle East & Africa
A Turkish military delegation is due to visit the US for talks on the sale of F-16 jets to Turkiye, Anadolu Agency reports. Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar previously announced that a team will hold the third round of bilateral technical talks following up on US President Joe Biden’s pledge to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye. The Turkish government requested F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021. The $6 billion deal would include the sale of 40 F-16 jets, and modernization kits for 79 warplanes that the Turkish Air Force has in its inventory.
Europe
The UK Royal Navy’s (RN) Hunt-class mine countermeasures (MCM) vessel HMS Hurworth joined Nato’s Standing MCM Group 1 to support various mine-hunting exercises. The minehunter underwent weeks of training and test to validate its skills, equipment, gunnery drills and overall readiness for this deployment in Europe.
The UK will send further multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Ukraine “as part of an enduring commitment to help the country defend itself against Russia’s illegal invasion, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced”. Britain will also give a significant number of precision guided M31A1 missiles which can strike targets up to 80km away, enabling Ukraine to continue to defend itself against Russian heavy artillery.
Asia-Pacific
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will offer a wide-ranging aid package to the North in return for denuclearization, a deal long seen as a non-starter for Pyongyang. The proposal comes days after the North threatened to “wipe out” Seoul authorities over a recent Covid-19 outbreak and less than a month after leader Kim Jong Un said his country was ready to mobilize its nuclear capability in any war with the US and the South.
Today’s Video
WATCH: The Insane Engineering of the Javelin
