Americas
The United States on Monday unveiled almost $6 billion in military and budget aid for Ukraine, as Washington races to provide assistance before Donald Trump takes office next month. The imminent return of Trump, who has repeatedly criticized aid for Ukraine, has cast doubt on American support continuing at similar levels as under outgoing President Joe Biden. With Trump’s swearing in just three weeks away, only a limited time window remained for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be disbursed.
Raytheon won a $31 million modification, which increases the contract ceiling to procure long lead hardware for recertification and modernization of 257 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round Missiles, to include 218 for the Navy and 39 for Foreign Military Sales customers in support of enabling the missiles to be operational for up to an additional 15 years of service. Additionally, this modification procures 24 Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) missile vertical launch systems and 11 MST missile capsule launch systems for the Navy, as well as provides non-recurring engineering in support of the MST missile transition to production. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (43%); Tucson, Arizona (31.9%); Pontiac, Michigan (19.5%); Los Alamitos, California (3.2%); and Chandler, Arizona (2.4%), and is expected to be completed in November 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Middle East & Africa
Leidos won a $48 million contract for General Electronic Test Station equipment, hardware, software, upgrades and spare parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2029. Fiscal 2025 missile procurement; Army funds; and Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates) funds in the amount of $14,428,635, were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
French aircraft have bombed Islamic State positions in Syria, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday, in its first such strike on the country’s soil since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. “Our armed forces remain engaged in battling terrorism in the Levant,” Lecornu wrote on X while on a New Year visit to French UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. “On Sunday, French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh on Syrian soil,” he added, using the Arabic name for IS.
Europe
Greece will provide Ukraine with 24 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft and anti-missile munitions to help it fend off Russian air attacks. The missiles are from the Greek naval and airforce stocks and have been deemed of no operational use for the Greek armed forces, according to Greek outlet Kathimerini. Ukraine could reportedly use the missiles from the Soviet-era Buk air defense systems, which have been modified to fire the missile under the Pentagon’s FrankenSAM program. The munition could reportedly also be modified to be fitted with attack drones.
Asia-Pacific
The Japanese cabinet has approved the purchase of six V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicles as part of the defense budget proposal for fiscal 2025. An amount of $25 million has been allocated for the purchase to enhance the surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s surface vessels.
Today’s Video
