US Marine Corps Gets 1st Reaper Under Joint Procurement Deal With USAF | UK Will Send Storm Shadows To Ukraine | SOCOM Develops C-130 Maritime Variant With Japan
Americas
The US Marine Corps has taken delivery of its first MQ-9 Reaper drone under a joint procurement deal with the US Air Force. The delivery was part of a $136 million deal awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in 2022 for eight MQ-9s to be delivered to the marines this year.
Boeing won a $10.4 million modification, which adds scope and provides non-recurring engineering in support of mission systems hardware and software to develop a unique configuration of the P-8A aircraft for the government of Germany. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed in December 2024.
Middle East & Africa
Boeing won a $216 million modification for C-17 Globemaster landing gear spares management services. Work will be performed primarily in Long Beach, California, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, NATO Airlift Management Program Office, India, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Europe
The UK government on Thursday announced it would send Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, becoming the first country to provide longer-range weapons to Kyiv. “Today I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine,” said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Storm Shadow is an air-launched long-range, deep-strike weapon, “designed to meet the demanding requirements of pre-planned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets,” according to manufacturer MBDA.
Asia-Pacific
US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is seeking to collaborate with Japan to develop a C-130 military transport aircraft maritime variant. Speaking at a conference in Florida, SOCOM acquisition head Jim Smith said the US can leverage Tokyo’s experience in developing the ShinMaywa US-2 maritime cargo aircraft. The country reportedly has six of the amphibious-capable aircraft the Maritime Self-Defense Force uses for search and rescue.
During an earnings briefing on May 9, Hiroshi Ide, President of IHI Corporation, told reporters that approximately 200 Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engines mounted on the Mitsubishi F-15J fighter will have to be disposed of when they are retired. Japan has 200 F-15s in operation and half of these were not delivered with the Multi-Stage Improvement Program (MSIP) that allows these fighters to have wiring support to fire newer air-to-air missiles. Therefore, these jets will be decommissioned from service and replaced by the F-35.
Today’s Video
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