Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $73.9 million modification, which exercises an option to provide continued F-35 development lab infrastructure activities as well as recurring administration, maintenance and preparation of the F-35 laboratories to test developed configurations across the F-35 platform. The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) is a stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter. Work will take place in Texas and is expected to be finished by October 2021.
The US Air Force awarded Raytheon a $192 million deal or Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) field team and lab support. This contract provides support for the AMRAAM system development test activities to include laboratory management, field-team test support, testing and analysis. The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is a new generation all-weather, missile manufactured by Raytheon. MRAAM incorporates active radar seeker with mid-course inertial navigation making it less dependent on aircraft’s fire control radar. That capability enables simultaneous AMRAAM launching against different targets. Work will take place in Arizona, Texas, Missouri, Washington, California and Florida. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2030.
Middle East & Africa
Israeli news site Globes says that “several Gulf States” have expressed interest in buying defensive equipment from Rafael. These countries are keen to buy missile defense systems to defend their oil installations from missile attacks. They are also looking at the Trophy active protection system for armored vehicles. These contacts are taking place against the background of the involvement of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the civil war in Yemen on the side of the government, against the Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, says „Globes“. Forces of the Gulf states are fighting in this conflict in the air, on land, and by sea, and the Israeli systems could be very useful.
Europe
Russia’s Aerospace Force successfully tested the 53T6M anti-ballistic missile interceptor at the Sary-Shagan proving ground in Kazakhstan, Tass reports. The new interceptor missile of the ABM system reliably confirmed its stated characteristics. “The combat team of the Aerospace Force’s air and anti-ballistic missile defense troops successfully conducted the next test-launch of a new missile of the Russian anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense system at the Sary-Shagan proving ground (the Republic of Kazakhstan),” the Russian defense ministry said in a statement. Last time, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported about the test-launch of a new interceptor missile from the Sary-Shagan proving ground on July 2, 2019.
Asia-Pacific
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that the US State Department recently approved the potential sale to Australia of more than $46 million worth of Javelin anti-tank guided missiles. The complete package includes two hundred Javelin FGM-148E missiles with US Government technical assistance and other related elements of logistics and program support. According to a notice released on October 30, the proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific.
A new warship being considered as a replacement for Japan’s Aegis Ashore proposal will be the largest guide missile destroyer for the Japan Self-Defense Force if the project goes ahead. The new warship will be based on the Maya Class but its displacement will be increased to 9,000-tons and the dimensions will be longer. This is to create a better living environment for the crew.
Today’s Video
Watch: UNITED STATES WILL DEPLOY COAST GUARD SHIPS IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC TO TAKE ON CHINESE MILITIA !
