GD Tapped For Battle Tank Updates| Edge To Deliver Corvettes To Angola | Austrian Defense Minister Wants To Purchase More Interceptors
Americas
Science Application International won a $102.5 million to exercise options for the production, spares, production support material, engineering support and hardware repair of components for MK 48 Heavyweight Torpedo All Up Round. This modification is in support of the MK 48 Mod 7 Heavyweight Torpedo program. This contract combines purchases to support the Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Bedford, Indiana; and Middletown, Rhode Island, and is expected to be completed by January 2026.
General Dynamics won a $63.7 million modification for multiple items used in the Abrams Main Battle Tank, Stryker Family of Vehicles, Light Armored Vehicle Family of Vehicles, Cougar, Buffalo and RG-31. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/definite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Florida, with a July 29, 2029, delivery order end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2027 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio.
Middle East & Africa
EDGE Group has announced a $1.1-billion contract to produce and deliver corvettes for the Angolan Navy. The contract was awarded during the International Defense Exhibition 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. As part of the deal, shipbuilder Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) will build a fleet of three 71-meter (233-foot) “best-in-class” Mk II corvettes for the African nation.
Europe
The EU’s judicial cooperation agency on Thursday unveiled what it said was a “game changing” data center to collect and analyze evidence of crimes in Ukraine, invaded by Russia a year ago. The Hague-based body and Ukraine also backed the European Union’s announcement to coordinate a probe into crimes committed after the invasion. “We expect this database to be fully operational by summer this year,” Eurojust president Ladislav Hamran said.
Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) is apparently considering purchasing more interceptors. The question arises as to “whether we shouldn’t expand the number of our interceptors with the additional budgetary funds,” she said in an interview with the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten”. According to Tanner, the decision on the successor to the Saab 105 training jets should be made in the first half of the year:
Asia-Pacific
Production of the F/A-18 in St. Louis will come to an end in late 2025, Boeing has announced. “We are planning for our future, and building fighter aircraft is in our DNA,” Steve Nordlund, Boeing Air Dominance vice president, said in a statement. “As we invest in and develop the next era of capability, we are applying the same innovation and expertise that made the F/A-18 a workhorse for the US Navy and air forces around the world for nearly 40 years.” However, the line could remain open till 2027 if the Indian Navy selects the Super Hornet for its aircraft carriers.
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