Americas
Huntington Ingalls Inc. won a $913,2 million deal for advanced planning and long-lead-time material procurement to prepare and make ready for the accomplishment of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Refueling and Complex Overhaul. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia and is expected to be completed by June 2026. The USS Harry S. Truman is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. Named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, the carrier was commissioned on July 25, 1998. It’s part of the ten-ship Nimitz class, which is one of the largest warship classes in the world.
General Atomics has completed the first flight of its Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aerial system in El Mirage, California. The drone is the latest iteration of the MQ-1C medium-altitude, long-endurance drone developed to upgrade the US Army’s MQ-1 Predators. The 25M incorporates advanced datalinks, upgraded engines, open architecture design, and ground systems to match electronic threats and sustain expeditionary flights in complex environments.
Middle East & Africa
Russian arms conglomerate Rosoboronexport said it would propose building drone manufacturing facilities in the Middle East. The proposal would be discussed at the UMEX 2024 conference, Abu Dhabi, along with presentations of Russian drones, Rosoboronexport stated in a press release.
German defense company Rheinmetall has secured a contract to supply Fuchs 2 6×6 armored vehicle components for a factory in a partner country. The award stipulates the delivery of conversion kits and spare parts to fabricate and reconfigure the platform. The agreement is in the “three-digit million-euro” range. Work for the contract will commence this year and is scheduled for completion by 2028.
Europe
NATO member state Croatia has been approved to purchase eight Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Regulators at the US Department of State, which along with congressional lawmakers exercises approval authority over arms exports, approved the request from Zagreb on 26 January. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the state department says.
Asia-Pacific
According to Defense News, US President Joe Biden’s foreign aid request for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific remains stalled on Capitol Hill, inhibiting funding for a unique mechanism that could help US allies and partners build up their own defense industries. Until recently, Israel was the only country with a special privilege called offshore procurement, which has allowed it to use a portion of its Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, grants to invest in its own defense-industrial base instead of purchasing weapons from US defense contractors as other recipients are required to do.
Today’s Video
