Americas
General Atomics Aeronautical won an $8.5 million deal for MQ-9 Reaper launch and recovery services by the US Army. The MQ-9 Reaper provides Marines with a long-range ISR capability in support of maritime domain awareness and expeditionary advanced based operations in contested environments. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 1, 2023.
Textron Systems has delivered the first Cottonmouth advanced reconnaissance vehicle (ARV) prototype to the US Marine Corps at Silver Springs, Nevada. The handover follows the completion and contract verification testing of the vehicle last August in New Orleans, Louisiana. It will now enter the government evaluation phase that will run throughout 2023.
Middle East & Africa
The United States on Friday expressed alarm over a “full-scale defense partnership” between Moscow and Tehran, describing it as “harmful” to Ukraine, Iran’s neighbors, and the world. Iran stands accused by Western powers of supplying drone to Russia – which rejected the US allegations – as Moscow batters Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in search of an advantage in the bloody conflict.
Europe
Finland is spending $235 million to procure additional Spike SR, LR2, and ER2 missiles from Rafael. The acquisition of the additional missile systems will be carried out through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the Land Combat Missiles partnership program, Finland’s Ministry of Defense said in a press release on December 9.
Asia-Pacific
Textron Aviation won a $12.5 million deal for AT-6 components. This contract provides for the procurement of components not included in the original Thailand AT-6 direct commercial sale contract. AT-6 Wolverine is a new light-attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft designed and manufactured by Beechcraft, a brand of Textron Aviation. The location of performance is in Wichita, Kansas, and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2024.
The Japanese government is planning to enhance its PAC3 air defense missile systems to intercept hypersonic threats by acquiring the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) made by Raytheon. The government plans to include the modifications to the PAC3 in its defense buildup plan, which will be approved by the Cabinet on December 16. Tokyo also intends to improve the capabilities of existing fixed warning and control radars and develop next-generation warning and control radars to deal with hypersonic threats. The LTMADS has a longer detection range and can better identify high-speed and irregular trajectory missiles. The radar system has three antenna arrays: a primary array on the front and two secondary arrays on the back. These arrays work together to detect and engage multiple threats from any direction at the same time. This allows the LTAMDS to provide comprehensive coverage and protection against a wide range of air and missile threats, including hypersonic weapons.
Today’s Video
WATCH: Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine light attack at RIAT 2022
