Lockheed Martin tapped for Minuteman Support | Boeing to continue SLAM-ER Production Line | Final SU-35s arrive in China

Americas

Lockheed Martin Space won an $879 million contract to support the US Air Force in maintaining re-entry system and vehicle subsystems for the intercontinental ballistic missile platform. The potential 11-year contract includes maintenance, sustainment, developmental and production engineering, aging surveillance, alteration and software maintenance support for Minuteman III RS/RV equipment. The ICBM is a strategic weapon system using a ballistic missile of intercontinental range. The Minuteman III ICBM is currently the US Air Force’s only operational land-based strategic nuclear missile and can reach targets more than 6,000 miles away. Missiles are dispersed in hardened silos to protect against attack and connected to an underground launch control center through a system of hardened cables. Launch crews, consisting of two officers, perform around-the-clock alert in the launch control center. Lockheed will perform work in Pennsylvania and Utah and expects completion by June 4, 2030.

The Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls a $28.4 million contract modification in support of Follow Yard Class services for the Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Class destroyer program. The deal provides liaison and technical support, engineering, design, and configuration management, systems engineering team, turnkey, special studies, baseline management, and crew indoctrination and orientation. Arleigh Burke Class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century. Ingall’s has delivered 31 Arleigh Burke ships to the Navy. Work under the modification will take place within the US and is scheduled to be finished by April next year.

Middle East & Africa

Boeing won a $30.1 million contract modification to continue the Phase I design maturity, analysis, and test planning for the Stand-off Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) production line in support of Saudi Arabia. The SLAM-ER is a low-cost, low-risk upgrade to the SLAM, which is designed to provide surgical strike capability against high-value, fixed land targets, ships in port, or ships at sea. It can be launched from safe standoff ranges of more than 150 nautical miles. Under the modification Boeing will also redesign obsolete parts to replace obsolete, nearly obsolete or uneconomical parts to support SLAM-ER weapon system production and improve future sustainment. Work will take place within the continental US and is expected to be finished in July this year. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount will be obligated at time of award.

Europe

The US Navy awarded Raytheon $72.2 million to support the US-Germany Guided Missile Tech Improvement Program. The contract modification provides design agent and engineering services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System Improvement Program. The MK-31 RAM system is a cooperative development and production program conducted jointly by the US and the Federal Republic of Germany under memoranda of understanding. The RAM system is designed to destroy anti-ship missiles. Its passive radio frequency and infrared guidance design provide high-firepower capability for engaging multiple threats simultaneously. Under the program, the company will help maintain the current RAM weapon system and provide design, systems, software maintenance, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance and logistics engineering support. Work will take place in the US and is scheduled to be complete by September 2022.

Asia-Pacific

The final batch of SU-35 „Flanker-E’“ multirole fighter aircraft arrived in China. The country has been the first foreign buyer of Russian Su-35 fighter aircraft. The contract worth about $2.5 billion on the deliveries of 24 generation 4++ fighter jets to China was signed in 2015. The deal also includes the delivery of ground equipment and reserve engines. The Su-35S generation 4++ supersonic fighter jet performed its debut flight on February 19, 2008. The fighter jet is a derivative of the Su-27 plane. The Su-35S weighs 19 tonnes, has a service ceiling of 20,000 meters, can develop a maximum speed of 2,500 km/h and has a crew of one pilot. The fighter jet’s armament includes a 30mm aircraft gun, up to 8 tonnes of the weapon payload (missiles and bombs of various types) on 12 underwing hardpoints. The Su-35S has been in service with the Russian Army since 2015.

The Indian Army approved the import of 240 Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Spike MR anti-tank guided missiles and 12 launchers, Jane’s reports. The buy is part of an „emergency purchase“. The Spike MR is a man-portable missile system designed for urban warfare, ground support and special missions. It operates in Fire & Forget mode for autonomous-guided medium-range target engagement of up to 2.5 km. The missile uses an advanced electro-optic CCD/IIR seeker, sophisticated tracker, and a highly precise guidance system. The equipment is being procured under the recently enhanced financial powers of the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff, who now has the authority to acquire goods and materiel worth$71.8 million without prior approval from the Ministry of Defense.

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