Americas
Raytheon won a $38.8 million contract modification for the production of two Fire Control System MK 99 ship sets and the associated technical engineering services in support of the Aegis Combat System on DDG-51 class ships. The DDG 51 Class are the Arleigh Burke class destroyers in service with the US Navy. They are multi-mission warships with offensive and defensive capability in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments. The USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), the first ship and namesake of the class, was commissioned on July 4, 1991. Since then 62 more ships have been commissioned. The MK-99 Fire Control System (FCS) is a major component of the AEGIS Combat System, a centralized, automated, command-and-control and weapons control system that was designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill. It controls the loading and arming of the selected weapon, launches the weapon, and provides terminal guidance for AAW missiles. FCS controls the continuous wave illuminating radar, providing a very high probability of kill. Work will take place in Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island and California. Estimated completion is in August 2024.
Northrop Grumman won a $73.2 million delivery order for Remote Visual Assessment II production and deployment for the Minutemen III. This delivery order provides for modification to the Remote Visual Assessment program by adding six capabilities to procure, produce, remove, install, audit, test and document the equipment. The Minuteman III is a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Boeing to carry single or multiple nuclear warheads and serve a part in the US nuclear deterrence triad. Work will take place in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2023.
Middle East & Africa
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer had suffered a cyber attack on November 25. Although the company did not disclose what was stolen, those files were made available on a website hosted on the dark web. One of those files that was made available by the hackers was a 4.4MB file of the Nigerian A-29 program. The African state has an order for 12 A-29 light attack aircraft. The airplane maker said the attackers had “access to only a single environment,” and that the incident caused only a temporary impact on “some of its operations.”
Europe
British company BAE Systems received a $60 million contract to deliver additional advanced missile seekers for LRASM. The seeker comprises long-range sensors and targeting technology that help the stealthy missile find and engage protected maritime targets in challenging electromagnetic environments. According to the company, LRASM combines ‘extended range with increased survivability and lethality to deliver long-range precision strike capabilities’. Work on the LRASM sensor will be conducted at BAE Systems’ facilities in Wayne, New Jersey; Greenlawn, New York; and Nashua, New Hampshire.
Asia-Pacific
News reports from Japan said that Lockheed Martin has been chosen to assist Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) in the development of the F-X fighter. Officials say the American company will provide assistance in the avionics and weapons integration. It will also assist in improving the plane’s aerodynamics and stealth characteristics. The F-X fighter program will cost around $40 billion; and the new fighter will replace Japan’s aging fleet of F-2 fighters, which were also developed by MHI and Lockheed Martin two decades ago.
Kyodo News reports that the Japanese Ministry of Defense has drop its request for $205 million in the budget next year for the modification of F-15 to carry the JASSM. The report says the modification is now in doubt as the development cost has soared by five times as electrical components required are in short supply and suppliers need to restart production lines to make them.
Today’s Video
Watch: F-X Future Fighter Jet – Japan’s Most Sophisticated Fighter To Deal With The Competition From China
