Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $56.9 million contract modification to procure Mk 48 Mod 7 guidance and control (G&C) sections and Mk 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS). The company will also produce Functional Item Replacement (FIR) kits, spares and production support material, apart from offering related engineering services and hardware repair support, for G&C sections and CBASS kits. The MK 48 Mod 7 CBASS is an upgraded version of the MK 48 Advanced Capability Mod 6 Advanced Common Torpedo, manufactured by Raytheon. Lockheed Martin’s MK 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo is the US Navy’s most potent anti-surface and anti-submarine weapon in use aboard allied submarines. The torpedo has been designed to be exceedingly lethal and effective against threats operating in deep and shallow waters. Work will take place in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and is scheduled to be finished by March 2021.
Raytheon announced that it completed the final developmental test of the latest generation of the Ship Self Defense System or SSDS, Integrated Combat System for the USS Gerald R. Ford or CVN 78. Mike Fabel, Raytheon’s SSDS program manager said that the successful dual-target test would demonstrate the maturity of the Ship Self Defense System ICS and paves the way for operational testing to begin. SSDS is an open, distributed combat management system in service on US carriers and amphibious ships. The CVN 78 SSDS Integrated Combat System incorporates several elements including Raytheon’s dual band radar, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM), and the Rolling Airframe Missile. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of the Ford Class Carriers. Gerald R. Ford is equipped with an AN/SPY-3 and an AN7SPY-4 active electronically scanned array multi function radar.
Middle East & Africa
The US Air Force awarded Textron Systems a $24.3 million contract action for AC-208 contract logistics support and maintenance training for Afghanistan. The AC-208 Eliminator Armed Caravan is an advanced reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft. The Air Force awarded the aircraft’s manufacturer Orbital ATK a firm fixed price contract worth $86.4 million to supply Afghanistan with seven AC-208 Eliminator aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered to the Afghanistan Air Force under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The AC-208 deliveries are expected to conclude in 2019. Textron Systems will perform work Kabul, Afghanistan, and is expected to be finished by May 31, 2020.
Europe
Elbit Systems announced that its German subsidiary will supply the E-Lynx Soldier Radio Systems to the German Army. The E-Lynx soldier radios will come in handheld and vehicular configurations. According to Elbit, the radios provide forces with the capability to use several voice groups in a single channel and fast data services and enable effective closing of the sensor to shooter loop and accurate monitoring of forces location based on radio integrated Blue Force Tracking (BFT) capability. The systems will be used at the platoon and company levels and will be installed onboard various combat vehicles including the SPz PUMA.
The US State Department approved a possible sale of F-16C/D Block 70/72 aircraft to Bulgaria. The deal is worth $1.7 billion. Prime contractor will be Lockheed Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland. The sale would bring a US fighter platform to an Eastern European member of NATO, marking a recent continuance in the shift from dependence upon Russian-based equipment dating back to the Cold War era when imposition of Soviet puppet states and its Warsaw Pact counter-NATO edifice dominated the region. Bulgaria had initially hoped to finalize a deal for the F-16s in 2018 allowing for deliveries to run through 2021, with in-service capability initially achieved by 2020. If a deal is reached in the coming months, these timeframes will be pushed out by a year or two. The F-16 Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration. Capability upgrades include the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture, and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the F-16s by more than 50 percent.
Asia-Pacific
South Korea and New Zealand signed an agreement to collaborate on defense development and production activity. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that DAPA minister Wang Jung-hong and New Zealand’s Secretary of Defense Helene Quilter signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul. In April, South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. launched New Zealand’s future fleet tanker/replenishment vessel, called Aoteaora. It will likely be delivered and commissioned in 2020.
Today’s Video
Watch: High Alert : Why the Legendary F-15 Might Be Poised for an Epic Comeback
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaF0lkSZ-Tk
