Americas
*Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $318.3 million modification to a foreign military sales contract. The deal is to provide Hellfire II missile hardware/component production for South Korea, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Indonesia, with completion expected by October 2018. Fiscal 2015 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $56,590,878 were obligated at the time of the award. The contract comes as US allies are rushing to increase stockpiles of cruise missiles and other military hardware which has had manufacturers struggling to fill orders.
*The Pentagon has ordered 29 more MH-60R Seahawk helicopters in a deal worth $354 million. The contract was awarded to Lockheed subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft Corp on Monday. Work is to be completed by the end of 2017 and is “for funding for the Navy’s fifth program year” for the helicopters and to “fund associated program and logistics support”. Seahawks are expected to remain in Navy service until the 2030s. As of late, the US Navy has been discussing the future of Naval strategy and plans to increase its fleet size by 20% over the next five years.
*Canadian Commercial Corp (CCC) is to conduct the Landing Gear Remanufacturer 3 (LGR3) program for the US Air Force. The $147 million contract will upgrade F-condition assets to A-condition with a completion date of January 2021. Work will take place on KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules and E-3 Sentry aircraft. CCC is the international procurement and contracting agency for the Canadian government and works to promote Canadian firms as suppliers to both NASA and the US Department of Defense.
*Aerospace manufacturer Orbital ATK has announced that they are to produce the rocket motor for the AIM-9P Sidewinder for the US Air Force. The motors will be under contract as part of the Foreign Military Sales program and will be exported to foreign air forces who possess stocks of the missiles. The motor upgrades will allow these nations to increase the lifespan of existing stockpiles. The value of the contract has yet to be revealed, but Orbital stated that they already signed a $10 million Direct Commercial Sales contract to supply AIM-9P motors and other components with an unnamed allied nation. Variants of the Aim-9 missile are used by over 40 air forces around the world.
Middle East North Africa
* Turkey is to receive $70 million worth of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and associated equipment, parts and technical support after being approved by the US State Department. The approval was procured through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) with the aim of helping with Turkish participation in NATO missions in the region. Sales of JDAM kits have been an extremely popular order from foreign nations as they allow for the cheap conversion of unguided bombs into smart munition. The kits are to be supplied by Boeing.
Europe
* The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has received the final of their 14 ordered Mk 6 Chinook helicopters from Boeing. The delivery marks the 35th anniversary of Chinook operations in the UK. The latest batch was ordered back in 2009 with first deliveries taking place in June 2014 as part of a $666 million uplift of the fleet. At present, 60 Chinooks are in operation in the RAF with the latest orders to be operational by early 2017. Boeing has been looking to increase their market share in Britain as of late. It was recently reported that they attempted to purchase Britain’s last helicopter manufacturer Westland off parent company Finmeccanica. Unfortunately for Boeing, it was an offer the Italians could easily refuse.
Asia Pacific
* India is to transfer four Mi-25 gunships to Afghanistan marking the first time New Delhi has sent lethal weapon systems to Kabul. The move comes after Russia, the initial manufacturer, gave consent for the transfer this week. Until now, India has limited itself to providing training and non-offensive supplies to Afghanistan, amid concerns that it may attract a backlash of terrorist activity along with regional tensions with Pakistan. The 2006 train bombings and the 2008 attacks, both in Mumbai, were conducted by Pakistan based Islamic militants. The US reaction to Indian participation has confused matters at times. The Pentagon plays a regional balancing act as it both encourages India’s increased participation in the region, but with a need to pay heed to Pakistan’s concerns and sensibilities.
* The crew of the USS John Paul Jones got quite a workout while testing the Aegis combat system during an exercise off Wake Island on October 31. They first intercepted a short range air launch target (SRALT) missile with the THAAD missile defense system. The Aegis was then tested as a C-17 then launched an extended medium range ballistic missile (EMRBM) through the debris of the first intercept. If that wasn’t enough, the crew were simultaneously engaging a BQM-74E air-breathing target with a Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA guided missile at the time. The tests were aimed at improving and enhancing the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, which is the naval component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System.
Today’s Video
* A look at the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile: