Work on LPD-30 commences | Advanced Eagles will soar above Qatar | Sweden approves PAC-3 purchase

Americas

• General Dynamics is being tapped to support the US Army’s fleet of Stryker vehicles. The awarded contract modification has a value of $11 million and provides for the supplying the entire Stryker program with spare parts. The US military plans to use the Stryker as future backbone of its 8 US Army and 1 National Guard medium armored brigades. The improved double V-hull design of the vehicle provides better protection against IED’s and mines by channeling the blast force away from the occupants. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Work is expected to be completed by February 2019.

• The Navy is awarding Boeing with a firm-fixed-price delivery order in support of its fleet of P-8 aircrafts. The contract has a value of $13.3 million and provides for the delivery of consumable spare parts. In times of a renewed naval arms race maritime surveillance and patrol is becoming more and more important. The P-8 Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft will be essential to this surveillance and patrol capability. The aircraft’s airframe accomplishes a wide range of tasks. It can search and hunt submarines, monitor sea traffic, launch missile attacks on naval or land targets as required, and can act as a flying communications relay for friendly forces. The P-8A has 11 weapon hard points: 5 in the rotary weapon bay, 4 under the wings, and 2 under the fuselage. Weapon load can exceed 10t/ 22,000 pounds, and all hard points have digital weapon interfaces. Work will be performed at the company’s location in St. Louis, Missouri and is expected to be completed by March 16th, 2020.

• The Naval Sea Systems Command is contracting shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls for initial work on LPD 30. The awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, not-to-exceed contract allows for the procurement of long lead time material and non-recurring engineering activities at a cost of $165.51 million. LPD 30 will be the first Flight II ship of the LPD 17 Amphibious Transport Dock ship class. LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious assault support vessels are just entering service with the US Navy, and 11 ships of this class are eventually slated to replace up to 41 previous ships. LPD Flight II, keeps the same basic hull, but carries fewer Marines, holds less cargo, and removes a number of elements that add costs. The LPD Flight IIs begin with advanced communication suites and contain all the space one might require to-house and run a full theater command, they can also be equipped to serve in a Ballistic Missile Defense role. Work will be performed at multiple location throughout the continental US, including Pascagoula, Mississippi; Beloit, Wisconsin; Devens, Massachusetts; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and Warminster, Pennsylvania, among others. Work is expected to be completed by December 2020.

• Government Marketing & Procurement LLC is being contracted to support the activities of the Defense Health Agency. The $18 million firm-fixed-price contract provides for the delivery, installation, configuration, engineering and furnishing of the Vocera Wireless Hands-Free Communications System. The US Army uses Vocera’s hands-free technology to improve operational efficiencies at its medical facilities. A trial held at Evans Army Community Hospital in Colorado showed a 50% decrease in patients that left without being seen. In other department the system improved workflow, sped up nurse response times by 75%, and reduced patient falls by 81%. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of August 1st, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

• Boeing is currently in the process of manufacturing several F-15 fighter jets for Qatar. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah recently inaugurated the F-15QA production line at the company’s plant in Missouri. Qatar’s new F-15s will come with a totally remodeled cockpit featuring large panel touch screen displays and a new HUD display developed by BAE systems. The F-15QA, is identical to the F-15SA that Boeing is building for the Royal Saudi Air Force. It has a fly-by-wire flight control system, digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, and the Raytheon APG-63(v)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. In a typical escort configuration, the Advanced Eagle can carry 16 AIM-120 AMRAAM, four AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range missiles; and two High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles. Neither the Qatari MoD nor Boeing disclosed when deliveries of the F-15 (Qatar Advanced) Eagle will begin, but it has been disclosed that they will run through to the end of 2022. The Middle-Eastern nation ordered a total of 36 fighter jets at a cost of $12 billion.

Europe

• The Swedish government is authorizing its Defense Materiel Administration to finalize the purchase of the Patriot air-defense system. This authorization paves the way for the delivery of four fire units, missiles, spare parts, maintenance systems, training, and technical support. The USA’s MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) anti-air missile system offers an advanced backbone for medium-range air defense, and short-range ballistic missile defense, to America and its allies. The latest PAC-3 configuration boosts a number of advanced capabilities allows it to be used for point defense against ballistic missiles. The North-European country is acquiring the missile system as part of a US foreign military sale at a cost of $3.2 billion.

• The US State Department is determined to approve a possible foreign military sale to Latvia. The Eastern-European nation is looking to purchase 4 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and related equipment for an estimated cost of $200 million. UH-60M Black Hawk is a medium-lift, rotary-wing helicopter, essentially a modernized version of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The Black Hawk features a glass cockpit featuring fly-by-wire Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) and a digitized 1553 bus-based avionics suite. The airframe is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701D engines that generate a maximum take-off power of 2,974kW and one engine inoperative (OEI) power of 1,447kW. The UH-60M can fly at a maximum cruise speed of 280km/h and offers a maximum range of 511km. Some of the major features include wire strike protection system, anti-plow keel beams, rotor de-icing provisions, active vibration control system, foldable stabilizer and tail pylon. The deal includes the four helicopters in standard USG configuration with designated unique equipment and other systems ranging from embedded GPS to FLIR systems.

Asia-Pacific

• Jane’s reports that Georgia’s defense manufacturer Delta is currently fielding a new MEDEVAC vehicle. The AMEV is based on the company’s 4×4 Didgori light armored vehicle (LAV) with the engine compartment at the front. The vehicle is powered by a 6.7-litre V8 turbocharged diesel engine that provides 300hp which enables the vehicle to achieve a maximum road speed of up to 80 mph. The AMEV weights 10.9 tons, which already includes a 1400 lb. payload. The LAV’s hull is constructed from Swedish Armox 500+ steel and adds an additional layer of appliqué passive armor. This package is designed to be rapidly replaced to meet evolving mission requirements or for repair. Role-specific equipment includes a first aid kit, oxygen cylinder with bracket and regulator, oxygen masks, medicine storage, head immobilizer, manual resuscitator, and portable suction equipment. Other medical equipment can be installed when required.

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