Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $50.3 million contract modification for the Aegis Weapon System (AWS). The deal is for ship integration and test of the AWS for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build 16. The contract provides for Aegis shipboard integration engineering, Aegis test team support, Aegis modernization team engineering support, Ballistic Missile Defense test team support, Aegis ashore support and AWS element assessments. This contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for nine new construction DDG 51 Class ships and the major modernization of seven DDG 51 Class ships. It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS Baselines up to and including ACB 16. A few days ago Lockheed won a contract for Aegis BMD 6.0 Capability. The Aegis Combat System (ACS) is an advanced command and control and weapon control system that uses powerful computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. AWS, the heart of Aegis, comprises the AN/SPY-1 Radar, MK 99 Fire Control System, WCS, the Command and Decision Suite, and SM.2 Standard Missile family of weapons. Lockheed will perform work under the contract modification in Romania and in various places in the US. Estimated completion will be in September 2024.
Progeny Systems won a $10.7 million modification to exercise Option Year Two for the production of MK54 MOD 1 lightweight torpedo proof of design components, test equipment, associated production support material, spares, and engineering and hardware support services. The MK54 is a standard 324mm torpedo. The MK 54 Mod 1 hardware upgrades the torpedo’s sonar array from 52 to 112 elements, providing higher resolution. Associated software upgrades are designed to exploit these features to improve target detection, enhance false target rejection, and correct previously identified deficiencies. The modification combines purchases for the USN as well as one percent for the government of the UK. Work will take place in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia and is scheduled to be finished by March 2022.
Middle East & Africa
British Royal Air Force Typhoons based at Coningsby have left for a four-month tour of the Middle East and the Far East to participate in exercises. The first stop for the multi-role Typhoon jets will be Oman, the Royal Air Force announced in a statement. There, pilots from both nations will test their skills in a two week ‘live’ weapons exercise in the desert. The Royal Air Foce of Oman also operates the Typhoons and has a long history in training with the UK. The exercises prepare personnel performing support functions to become familiar with operating in tough conditions away from home. The jets will then be flying on to a multi-national exercise in Malaysia at the end of September. Meanwhile Typhoons, which have been deployed to Estonia under Operation Azotize have returned to the UK.
The United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s civilian space agency and two research organizations on Tuesday, saying they were being used to advance Tehran’s ballistic missile program. The US Treasury sanctions targeted the Iran Space Agency, Iran Space Research Center and the Astronautics Research Institute. “The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch program as cover to advance its ballistic missile programs,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. Meanwhile, allies reach out to Iran. France said this week it was considering a $15 billion line of credit to Iran to finance new oil exports, and Russian officials pushed a plan that would open the ports of Crimea on the Black Sea to Iranian oil shipments, the Washington Post reports.
Europe
BAE Systems won a contract by the German federal police force „Bundespolizei“ to supply three Bofors 57 Mk3 naval gun systems for three of its new 86m Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The company announced this in a press release. The contract also includes accompanying fire control systems as well as systems integration support. The first unit is scheduled for delivery in 2020. According to the company, the 57 Mk3 is a flexible, highly versatile gun system designed to react quickly for close-to-shore operations. The 57 Mk3 naval gun is also in use with the allied navies and coast guards of eight nations, including Canada, Finland, Mexico, and Sweden, as well as the United States, where it is known as the Mk110 naval gun.
Asia-Pacific
According to local reports, Dutch shipbuilder Damen has launched the second of two 2,300-ton corvettes on order for the Pakistan Navy at its facilities in Galati, Romania. The deal for the two platforms, which the PN has also referred to as offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), was inked in June 2017. The first ship, which was launched at the same shipyard on May 17, is expected to enter service by the end of 2019, and the second one is set to be delivered by mid-2020, according to the Navy. Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Ather Mukhtar, who spoke at the ceremony, emphasized the importance of corvettes in the maritime domain.
Today’s Video
Watch: JS Ise DDH-182 – The Second Hyuga Class Helicopter Destroyer Of The JMSDF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNnlq-JdG0
