Americas
Thales announced a series of measures to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, which include: significant reduction in discretionary spending; strengthening of actions to control working capital requirements; deferral of non-critical investments; maintaining the continuity of critical and strategic client services; and paid leave during the lockdown period, sharp reduction of temporary work. “This crisis is currently seriously disrupting production chains and project execution,” Patrice Caine, CEO, said. The Board therefore has decided to modify its 2019 dividend proposal. The dividend proposal will be limited to the interim dividend of 0.60 euros per share already paid in December 2019, allowing the Group to avoid a cash outflow of around 430 million euros. The AGM will take place on 6 May 2020 behind closed doors at the head office. Additionally, Thales announced the withdrawal of 2020 financial outlook. The company noted that, currently, it is impossible to quantify the financial impact of the crisis.
The US Air Force deployed over 120 medical personnel to New Jersey to help fight the coronavirus outbreak on 48 hours’ notice. Over 40 doctors, 70 nurses and 13 respiratory technicians left their home stations for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, outside New York City. After processing at the US Northern Command’s Joint Forces Land Component Command, they headed to the Javits Center, where a coalition of military and civilian builders is constructing an emergency hospital which house 4,000 beds by Tuesday. The Reserves’ Force Generation Center, in use since 2010, is responsible for the quick deployment, the Air Force said in a statement on April 6. It serves as a deployment cell, a 24/7 air operations center and a crisis action team manager for the Air Force Reserve.
Middle East & Africa
Boeing won a $68 million contract action for the F-15 Qatar program. The deal supports the Foreign Military Sales requirement for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. It also provides maintenance and logistics support for aircraft and training devices conducting pre-delivery training. In August 2019, Boeing was awarded a $500 million contract to provide aircrew and maintenance training for the Qatari Emiri Air Forces fleet of 36 F-15QAs. Qatar had signed a $12 billion deal with the US government for 36 F-15QAs in June 2017 in a deal widely seen to save the F-15 product line. The F-15QA is similar to Saudi Arabias F-15SA Advanced Eagle, which includes Raytheons APG-63(V)3 AESA radar, fly-by-wire control systems and 11 under-wing weapons stations. Work will take place in St. Louis, Missouri. Work its expected to be completed by December 21, 2021.
Europe
The UK Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Portland has become the first ship of its class to be fitted with the Sonar 2150 hull-mounted medium-frequency sonar. Ultra Electronics Command & Sonar Systems won a $33 million contract in 2014 by the UK Ministry of Defense to deliver the Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh (S2050TR) program. The S2050TR was established to address obsolescence in the legacy Thales Sonar 2050 system, reduce in-service support costs, and introduce a modern, sustainable commercial off-the-shelf-based architecture. The new system, subsequently given the designation Sonar 2150, is to equip the RN’s eight anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-roled Type 23 frigates. These ships are already fitted with the long-range Thales Sonar 2087 low-frequency active/passive variable depth sonar system.
Russia sent a transport aircraft with medical supplies to the United States. The country also dispatched a team of military virologists to Serbia to stem the spread of Covid-19, according to the country’s ministry of defense and top officials. An Aerospace Forces (VKS) An-124-100 transport delivered medical supplies and equipment to John F Kennedy airport in New York on April 1 to fight Covid-19. Russia’s UN envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy said the delivery comprised mainly of medical protective equipment, the costs of which Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova added were shared equally between the US and the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The aircraft returned to Russia on April 2. The country also begun assisting Serbia’s antivirus efforts, with 11 VKS Il-76 airlifters transporting 87 military medics and virologists, medical equipment, 16 vehicles, and medical protective kit to Batajnica airbase in Serbia
Asia-Pacific
Five Indian Army special forces personnel have been killed in hand-to-hand combat with five suspected militants in a forested and snow-bound area near the Line of Control (LoC) in Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian governments Press Information Bureau stated that the soldiers had been deployed in an operation along the LoC where they engaged “Pakistan-supported infiltrators in a close quarter battle in heavy snow, neutralizing the entire batch of five militants”. All five soldiers also lost their lives as a result of the engagement, three on the spot. The two others succumbed to their injuries as they were being airlifted to a nearby military hospital – said the PIB on April 6.
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