Americas
Raytheon Missiles & Defense won a $212.5 million for an option exercise of combat system engineering, miscellaneous material, and travel supporting combat system installation, integration, development, testing, correction, maintenance, and modernization of ZUMWALT class mission systems and mission system equipment. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (40%); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (33%); San Diego, California (11%); Nashua, New Hampshire (9%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (6%); and Fort Wayne, Indiana (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,057,392 (37%); fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,600,000 (27%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $ $2,796,988 (21%); fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,010,627 (7%); fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $801,601 (6%); fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $ $71,263 (1%); and fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $169 (1%), will be obligated at time of award, and $5,057,561 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems won a $167 million modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-19-C-0043), in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This modification provides for the exercise of Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) full rate production Lot Six options to procure four full rate production G/ATOR systems and associated data and travel. Work will be performed at Baltimore, Maryland (35%); East Syracuse, New York (19%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (6%); Tulsa, Oklahoma (4%); Hampstead, Maryland (3%); Santa Clarita, California (3%); Rochester, New York (2%); Atlanta, Georgia (2%); San Diego, California (2%); and various places at 1% each (24%), with an expected completion date of February 2029. Fiscal 2024 other procurement funds (Air Force) in the amount of $167,113,948 are being obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Middle East & Africa
Iran has unveiled an enhanced version of its Bavar-373 long-range air defense system that can allegedly take out US-made stealth fighters. Displayed during a recent military parade in Tehran, the new weapon is said to have enhanced target detection and tracking abilities, enabling the interception of radar-evading fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35. It can also identify up to 100 aerial targets simultaneously and engage them with Sayyad-4B missiles, according to Iranian officials.
Europe
The British government has pledged to significantly increase spending on weapons for Ukraine as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak starts a two day visit to Germany and Poland. A $620 million package of weapons is being added to a promise in January that Britain would contribute funding of £2.5 billion this financial year to supply Kyiv with a wide range of equipment for the military.
Spain will acquire additional National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) from Kongsberg for 410 million euros ($438 million). The acquisition seeks to bolster the Spanish Armed Forces’ air defense by integrating additional systems into its current four. The contract is expected to be signed next month. Spain became the first international NASAMS user following the delivery of its first systems in 2003. The country’s NASAMS are currently deployed in the Baltic region as part of NATO’s Air Shielding Mission.
Asia-Pacific
China is restructuring its military, replacing an almost decade-old unit with a new Information Support Force (ISF) focusing on “intelligentized” warfare. The country’s defense ministry announced it is terminating its Strategic Support Force (SSF), which brought together Beijing’s space, cyber, electronic, and psychological warfare capabilities. Formed in 2015, the force was tasked with implementing space-based capabilities and facilitating counter-space operations.
