Americas
According to Defense Post, L3Harris Technologies has received a $999-million contract to deliver critical radio solutions for the US and allied forces. Under this indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity award, the company will provide Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System Terminals, modern, software-defined communication radio devices compatible with ground, air, and maritime vehicles. The radio applies Link 16 technology, a common tactical data standard found across international militaries, including NATO members, that features a secure and fast exchange of voice, text, and imagery among users.
The US Air Force (USAF) has contracted Elbit Systems of America to supply F-16 Block 40/42 Wide-Angle Conventional Head-Up Display (WACHUD) replacements. The up to $89 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract will be executed through September 2027, with the first delivery order of over $57.5 million having been placed in September. “The Wide-Angle Conventional Head-Up Display replacements provide modernization, but also commonality across the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fleet,” Elbit America Senior Vice President of Electronic Systems Scott Tumpak said.
Middle East & Africa
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has approved a major new procurement deal to acquire five new corvettes for the Israeli navy and “hundreds” of new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the ground forces. Israel has not specified how much each deal is worth, but in a statement described the two packages as a “multi-billion Shekel” expenditure. The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 has led to the fast-tracking of a number of procurement deals, but this most recent announcement is the first to come from the Nagel Committee, a commission stood up in August. Chaired by Prof. Jacob Nagel, the commission was established by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the goal of “formulating recommendations on the force building needs and the security budget in the coming decade.”
Europe
A high-ranking NATO official has claimed that while the Russian Army is now larger than it was two years ago, its quality has significantly deteriorated throughout the course of the war. Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s Military Committee, stated that the condition of Russia’s military equipment and the training provided to its soldiers have both declined since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Asia-Pacific
Three US aircraft carriers will be in Asia soon after months of absence amid concerns of Chinese activity in the lead up to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The USS George Washington, with a crew of 2,702, arrived on Friday in Yokosuka, Japan, home to the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, returning to the port for the first time in nine years. The USS Carl Vinson was deployed to the Pacific on Monday. Jacob Stokes, deputy director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at Center for a New American Security, said, “China is going to try and test the Trump administration early, probably around Taiwan or the South China Sea, or both.”
