Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $141.5 million modification to exercise options for capability package development and fielding, system integration and fielding, and in-service sustainment in support of current configurations of the AEGIS combat system. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024.
Defense manufacturer Oshkosh has inked an $89-million deal with the US Army to retrofit its Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) A1 tractors with enhanced modification kits. An estimated 1,384 kits will be used to convert the US Army’s HET trucks into their Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter System (EHETS) variant. The EHETS tractors will be used alongside other heavy-duty vehicles for haul, local haul, and maintenance evacuation of military equipment including tanks and armored vehicles.
Middle East & Africa
The US Department of Defense has awarded a $4.5-million contract to Israeli firm StemRad to produce gamma radiation shields for American troops. A total of 630 units of the company’s protective 360 Gamma belts will be delivered to the US for use in responding to potential radiological and nuclear incidents.
Europe
Babcock International has won a contract covering the support and maintenance of the Ukrainian Navy’s two newly acquired ex-Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class mine-countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) – Chernihiv (ex-HMS Grimsby) and Cherkasy (ex-HMS Shoreham). Under the MCMV contract, announced by Babcock on 15 December, the company will provide preventative maintenance and technical support to enhance the vessels’ operational capability and sustainability over the next three years. The contract also covers the provision of support at reach, assisting Ukrainian Navy crews with any issues they encounter in real time and providing technical assistance and advice whenever required. The two vessels, which were commissioned into Ukrainian Navy service in July 2023, were donated by the UK to Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Naval Capabilities Enhancement Programme (UNCEP). Ahead of their transfer from the RN, they were overhauled by Babcock at its facilities in Rosyth, Scotland.
The Netherlands announced it was preparing delivery of 18 of the American-made F-16 combat jets pledged to Ukraine, at a moment when Kyiv is under pressure on all fronts. With US approval, Denmark and the Netherlands announced in August they would provide up to 61 jets, once Ukranian pilots had been trained up.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea has donated six retired 500MD helicopters to be utilized for UN peacekeeping missions in Kenya. The helicopters, part of a larger commitment of 16, were recently shipped from the southeastern port of Busan to the United States, where they will undergo necessary repairs and maintenance before reaching their final destination. The South Korean Ministry of Defense confirmed the strategic donation, emphasizing the government’s dedication to global peace and security. The 500MD helicopters, previously used by the South Korean Army as light attack helicopters, are poised to play a vital role in UN peacekeeping operations in Kenya.
