Americas
FlightSafety International Defense Corp. won a $7.9 million modification for the exercise of the KC-46 Aircrew Training System. The contract modification will provide an additional weapon system trainer, additional learning management workstations, systems engineering and program management, as well as new refresher training scenarios. Work will be performed at Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed by July 2026.
Lockheed Martin won a $181 million firm-fixed-price, undefinitized modification in support of meeting Lot 17 Group Two requirements, a subset of the overall Lot 17 AME requirements for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers, and F-35 Cooperative Program Partners. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in April 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on a modification to a previously issued order. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Middle East & Africa
According to Defense Post, the Netherlands will sail a logistics ship to support the EU’s defensive maritime security operations in the Middle East from May to August. Operation Aspides is the union’s response to Houthi attacks on shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, ongoing since the fourth quarter of 2023. Under Amsterdam’s contribution, the Royal Netherlands Navy will deploy the HNLMS Karel Doorman multi-role support ship to distribute tank ammunition, medical care, and other military equipment across the region.
Europe
The State Department has greenlit an emergency $138 million in foreign military sales for Ukraine to provide critical repairs and spare parts for Kyiv’s Hawk missile systems. The US announced the move Tuesday saying that Ukraine has an urgent need for the maintenance support to keep the missile system running. The announcement follows a similar, small-sized round of $300 million in munitions support the Pentagon announced last month after it was able to convert contract savings to be able to offset the cost of providing the aid. Both the State and Defense Departments have been looking for ways to continue to get Ukraine support while a $60 billion Ukraine aid package remains stalled in Congress.
The Serbian government has announced plans to procure 12 Rafale fighter jets from France as tensions in the Balkan region escalate. The announcement came after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited Paris earlier this week and held talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. His office said a meeting was also conducted between the Serbian leader and representatives from Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the multi-role fighter aircraft.
Asia-Pacific
Lockheed Martin has successfully tracked space objects during the first live track demonstration of the AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar for Japan’s Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV). The tracking was performed at the company’s Production Test Center in Moorestown, New Jersey, marking the beginning of the radar system’s comprehensive performance testing. The radar utilized Long Range Discrimination Radar technology to detect the faraway objects. Japan will equip two ASEVs with the SPY-7 system, with the goal of incorporating the technology as one of the country’s premier deterrence capabilities.
