Americas
Northrop Grumman won a $543 million deal for the production and delivery of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System Low-Rate Initial Production Lot Six, to include three unmanned aircraft (UA) for the Navy; one UA for the government of Australia; and one main operating base for the Navy, as well as associated support and related technical and administrative data. Work will be performed in San Diego, California; Palmdale, California; Red Oak, Texas; Linthicum, Maryland; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Bridgeport, West Virginia; Indianapolis, Indiana; Rolling Meadows, Illinois; Moss Point, Mississippi; Chantilly, Virginia; Longueil, Quebec, Canada; San Clemente, California; various locations within of the continental US (CONUS); and various locations outside of the CONUS (0.5%), and is expected to be completed in January 2028.
Northrop Grumman Systems won a $21 million modification for the support, sustainment, and closeout of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System weapon system. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $108,952,028. Work will be performed at Melbourne, Florida, and is expected to be completed by October 31, 2024.
Middle East and Africa
US President Joe Biden’s $106 billion defense spending supplemental request to Congress aims in part to bolster munitions production capacity to continue rushing arms to Ukraine and Israel. The Senate Appropriations Committee questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a Tuesday hearing on the status of U.S. stockpiles and the workforce, supply chain and infrastructure constraints of weapons manufacturers racing to replenish them.
Europe
In a ceremony held at the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, the Polish Land Forces officially received their first two AW149 helicopters. This momentous event marked the entry of these advanced helicopters into service just 15 months after the contract signing. The AW149 helicopters for Poland come in a specialized configuration designed to handle combat support missions and meet the rigorous requirements of the Polish Armed Forces. This configuration includes advanced features such as observation systems, small arms, guided and unguided rockets and missiles, and self-defense systems. Depending on the variant and configuration, these helicopters can carry armament in the cabin or on external hardpoints.
Norway has inked a collaborative agreement with RTX (formerly Raytheon) and Kongsberg to further enhance the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). “Today marks a key milestone in cementing NASAMS’ legacy as the world’s leading medium-range air defense system,” RTX president Tom Laliberty said. “We will continue to invest in the evolution of NASAMS to support the Norwegian Armed Forces and our allies around the globe.”
Asia-Pacific
The US has funded a new fuel facility at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin to deepen air-to-air integration during training exercises in the region. The $76-million fuel storage project is managed by the US Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific and constructed by joint venture Nova Nacap JV.
h5>Today’s Video
WATCH: MQ-4C Triton: Making the world’s oceans smaller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEEWWXUnolE
