Defense`s Feeds

Warrior in “Wrap-2”
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Britain’s MCV-80/FV510 Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle was produced between 1984 and 1995. Built of all-welded aluminum construction and armed with the 30 mm Rarden cannon, it was designed to destroy enemy armored personnel carriers at ranges of up to 1,500m, while offering a fast, armored battlefield taxi for up to 7 infantry soldiers. These IFVs were pressurized to protect against Soviet chemical and biological weapons, and included a full range of night vision equipment. They served capably during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, were used to maintain the peace in Bosnia/Kosovo, and have found themselves in very high demand on the post 9/11 front lines.

Individual programs have improved some vehicles’ optics, radios, and add-on armor, but keeping the fleet in service until 2035 will require more extensive work. Hence the GBP 1 billion Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP). In mid-November 2009, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin UK submitted their bids, but the decision took almost 2 years. Fielding isn’t expected until 2018, but work proceeds.

WSCP Program, Technologies, and Bid Teams WSCP: Program

Basic Warrior IFV
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The WCSP effort has 4 main sections; WFLIP (Warrior Fightability Lethality Improvement Programme) to improve turrets and sensors, and add firepower; WMPS (Warrior Modular Protection System) to add a modular armoring system; WEEA (Warrior Enhanced Electronic Architecture) to add a fully integrated set of modern, expandable electronics and communications gear; and ABSV (Armoured Battlefield Support Vehicle) to improve the repair and recovery variants that keep the fleet in the field.

Out of 789 Warrior IFVs received by the British military between 1987 – 1995, WCSP will upgrade 643 vehicles with WEEA electronics, and WMPS modular armoring upgrades. The latter offers a standard armor mounting system, giving the new Warriors the flexibility to fit different types of armor as future protection technology advances. Within that group, 449 vehicles (69.8%) will also get the WFLIP program’s new turret and weapon system. The remaining ABSV Warriors will be turretless, and carry out field repair and recovery roles using winch and crane attachments.

The UK MoD awarded its contract to Lockheed Martin UK in October 2011. The System Architecture Design Review was completed in November 2012. A future Critical Design Review will be followed by man-in-the-loop firing trials in 2014, and the demonstration phase will end in 2016. Production will follow, with 2018 set as the scheduled in-service date.

WSCP: Technologies

Lockheed UK WSCP
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The core of the WFLIP weapons program will be a new gun, paired with an automated ammunition feed instead of manually-loaded 3-round clips. It will be mounted in a new, stabilized turret, capable of firing accurately on the move, and linked to advanced sensors, modernized targeting systems, and a built-in defensive aids suite. The promise is a 40mm system that combines the space requirements for a 25mm gun and ammunition with a 50mm gun’s killing punch.

The UK Ministry of Defence mandated the CT40 CTWS (cased telescoped weapon system) and its unique 40mm ammunition for both Warrior WCSP and Britain’s forthcoming FRES-SV scout vehicle. The system is produced by CTA International (CTAI), an Anglo-French joint venture between BAE Systems and Nexter. It fires a 1 kg HE (high-explosive) round with 3 times the terminal effect of the 30mm Rarden shell, and its high explosive air burst (HEAB) capability allows detonation in mid-air at precise ranges. This is very useful for dealing with urban strongpoints by firing through a window into a reinforced building, or for detonation above enemies hiding behind cover outdoors.

The system’s most unusual feature, however, is its ammunition – a projectile encased inside a cylinder, with the propellant packed around it. That cuts round length by about 50%, and improves volumetric efficiency by about 33% for a given level of performance. Storage space is always at a premium, and these efficiencies remove some of the natural penalties that accompany a larger 40mm gun. Telescoped ammunition also allowed CTAI to replace the normal breech arrangement with a static ammunition feeder that feeds into a novel rotating breech design, via a hollow trunion. Practical advantages include a feeder with less than 50% of the number of parts found in a standard system, all located farther forward, out of the crew’s way.

WCSP: Challenges & Teams

BAE Warrior MTIP2, trials
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Despite this compartmentalization of the WCSP, the process must also be managed holistically. As BAE Systems’ Warrior campaign director Judith Eastwood, points out, changes in one area lead to changes elsewhere:

“For instance, as Warrior weight has grown, we have developed better brakes. These generate extra heat, which has to be managed to avoid knock-on effects.”

And so forth. Despite general agreement on this point, the competing bids represent different philosophies.

BAE Systems’ Team

BAE plan

BAE touted the need for a new turret into order to provide optimum structural integrity, protection and crew exit, and human design for the crew. BAE sees less value in keeping the Warrior’s exact current chassis. Crew stations and hatches, for instance, were re-designed to accommodate the extra bulk of infantry body armor, which has become ubiquitous in recent years and can make it hard for troops to escape the vehicle. Their “make it right” approach would have changed both the chassis and turret, while adding other improvements.

BAE’s WEEA offering is very similar to the open architecture system that BAE Systems is offering for is CV90 FRES SV, while its WMPS solution will provide a standard mounting system for the various armor fits that have been developed for the Warrior under recent UOR (Urgent Operational Requirement) rapid buys. A new blast-attenuating driver’s seat will improve earlier UOR mine protection measures, which included new belly plates, and stiffer suspension to restore the vehicle’s ride height.

The UK MoD ended up disqualifying BAE’s bid around February 2011, however, for reasons that weren’t made public. That left a different philosophy to guide the upgrades.

Lockheed Martin’s Team (winner)

LM-UK plan

In contrast to BAE’s approach Lockheed Martin UK touted the virtues of a WFLIP turret that’s a modified version of the current system. They point to lower acquisition costs by avoiding significant hull modifications, and better whole life costs from reuse of existing spares stocks. Their upgrade is designed to be achieved as part of the Warrior Base Overhaul process done by the UK Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO, which was later merged into the DSG).

In October 2011, that approach won the contract. Lockheed Martin UK’s Warrior Transformation team includes:

• UK’s Defence Support Group (and see Nov 19/09 strategic partnership entry)
  
• Caterpillar UK
  
• CTA International (40mm cannon, ammunition handling)
  
• Curtiss-Wright Antriebstechnik GmbH (electro-mechanical turret drive and stabilization system)
  
• Elbit Systems Kinetics
  
• Jenoptik ESW
  
• Lorica/ Plasan
  
• Meggitt
  
• MIRA (mechanical design, electrical design, systems integration and test)
  
• Moog (rotary base junction)
  
• NP Aerospace – portion now up for bid.
  
• Rheinmetall Land Systems (turret design, cannon mounting)
  
• SciSys (electronic architecture)
  
• Thales Optronics (Battlegroup Thermal Imaging; commander and gunner sights)
  
• Ultra Electronics (power distribution, driver instrument panel, cannon control unit, fire control computer)

Contracts & Key Events 2012 – 2019

The new Warrior
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November 12/19: Estonia Up-armored Alvis Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) have been deployed to Estonia as part of a rotation of the equipment for the UK-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup, Jane’s reports. The Warrior tracked vehicle family is a series of British armored vehicles. The Warrior family developed by Alvis Vickers, which is now BAE Systems Land Systems, has been proved in action with the British Army in operations in the Middle East during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and on United Nations duties in Bosnia. Warrior vehicles were also deployed to Afghanistan. The British Army has upgraded its Warriors to extend their service life to 2025. The upgrade included the General Dynamics UK Bowman tactical communications system and the addition of a night fighting capability in the form of the Thales Optronics battle group thermal imaging program. Until now the Warriors on duty in Estonia have been standard vehicles from the British Army training fleet with no theater-specific enhancements. The new Warriors appeared to be fitted with plates along the length of their hulls to defeat high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads, which British Army sources said is designated Operational Equipment Standard 3 (OES3). This is an evolution of the theater entry standard armored packages developed for the Iraq and Afghan campaigns.

June 16/14: CT40. The WSCP’s 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System (q.v. Feb 8/10) has achieved qualification certification from the UK and France for the 40mm cannon and 2 tracer round types: APFSDS armor piercing and TP full target practice rounds.

Qualification certification allows manned firing demonstration phases to begin for Britain’s FRES-Scout and WCSP programs, and for the French DGA’s EBRC wheeled light tank program. The program will work to certify the other initial ammunition types (A3B anti-aerial airburst, Point detonating and Airburst general purpose tracer rounds, and a low-cost reduced range TPPR-T training round) over the next 2 years, in time for the first delivery of the UK’s series production vehicles. The French EBRC program is expected to start full development in 2015. Sources: CTAI, “CTA International achieves Anglo-French qualification for the 40mm Cased Telescoped Cannon and Ammunition”.

Jan 28/14: PDR. Lockheed Martin UK completed its WCSP Preliminary Design Review the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP), following successful completion of a System Architecture Design Review (SADR). Sources: Lockheed Martin UK, “Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle Upgrade Gets Initial Design Approval”.

PDR

Oct 30/13: Kuwait. The Kuwaitis are reportedly inquiring about a similar upgrade for their 250+ vehicle Warrior fleet. Reports indicate that they’re willing to run the same competition based on their own needs, rather than just picking the same solution as the UK. Sources: Tactical Report, “Kuwait: Desert Warrior, Lockheed Martin v/s BAE Systems”.

Nov 13/12: Update. Lockheed Martin UK offers a brief progress report. WCSP programme manager Colin Gilding says that they’re “integrating a number of new technologies into the existing platform around space, weight, height and power…” The System Architecture Design Review was completed in November 2012. The Critical Design Review will be followed by man-in-the-loop firing trials in 2014, and the demonstration phase will end in 2016. Production will follow, with 2018 set as the scheduled in-service date.

Lockheed Martin UK’s Ampthill facility has received GBP 2.5 million in investment, including a GBP 1 million motion test rig with 8t capacity. It incorporates advanced aircraft simulator technologies, and will be used instead of outdoors vehicle tests for turret stabilization testing, turret servo testing, human factor assessments, training, and shakedown testing.

Nov 13/12: Sub-contractors. Lockheed Martin UK announces some new suppliers and responsibilities. MIRA will help Lockheed Martin UK with mechanical design, electrical design, and systems integration and test, working side by side at their dedicated new facility at Nuneaton. They’ll start with about 20 engineers and support staff, which will grow as the program matures.

Ultra Electronics is already a partner, and their Precision Air & Land Systems unit at Cheltenham now has a contract that includes the Warrior Power Distribution System, the Cannon Control Unit and Fire Control Computer (FCC). Ultra is already well underway with the development of the FCC, and will deliver the first Warrior units early next year. Their team will grow to 30 people during peak periods, and the recent contract will help them secure their supply chain.

June 19/12: Weapons. At the Eurosatory 2012 show, French operators give the Javelin anti-tank missile high marks for performance in Afghanistan, and the Javelin JV is in talks with 2 French firms to integrate Javelin with the BAE/Nexter CT40 turret. Nexter is the first firm, of course.

At the same time, Panhard General Defense is working with Lockheed Martin UK to develop its Sphinx medium 6×6 wheeled armored vehicle concept for France’s EBRC light tank competition. Lockheed Martin UK expects to leverage its turret work from the British FRES-SV and WCSP programs for EBRC, and the Javelin missile is already a mainstay in British service. Which means that any Javelin integration work performed for the French market could eventually filter back to those British armored programs. Sources: Army Recognition, “Lockheed Martin at Eurosatory 2012”.

2010 – 2011

With Scots Guards
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Oct 25/11: The UK Ministry of Defence signs a GBP 642 million (currently $1.06 billion) contract with Lockheed Martin’s team, as part of the GBP 1 billion WCSP upgrade program. WCSP reportedly got the go-ahead only after the Treasury’s spring 2011 agreement to a modest 1% increase in the MoD’s defense equipment program after 2015.

Lockheed Martin UK’s team will be responsible for upgrades and enhancements that extend the Warriors’ service life to beyond 2040, and the firm says that WCSP will support up to 600 jobs in the UK. UK MoD | Lockheed Martin | BBC.

WCSP contract

Feb 11/11: BAE. Reports surface that the UK Ministry of Defence has rejected BAE Systems’ WCSP proposal, leaving Team Lockheed as the only option. If the program continues, that is, and if they submit a satisfactory bid. No public explanation was given.

The loss, following General Dynamics’ big win on the FRES-SV contract, leaves BAE Systems with a very diminished presence in Britain’s future armored vehicle industry. Jane’s | The Telegraph.

BAE out

Jan 31/11: Is there a future for WCSP? Even after the recent Strategic Defence and Security Review, Defense News reports:

“The Warrior program, a top British Army priority, is at serious risk of being descoped, delayed or even shelved as budget cuts bite deeply into equipment plans. If the money is available – and that’s a big if – the revamped Warrior could have an initial operating capability of 2015, defense sources here said… Depending on whom you listen to, the WSCP program is either dead, almost dead or facing big changes.”

Some accounts have the number of remaining Warrior vehicles cut to just 270.

Jan 5/11: LMCO. Lockheed Martin UK announces that its Warrior Transformation Team (WTT) has successfully completed the latest series of live WCSP turret firing trials at the Faldingworth Test Range in Lincolnshire, confirms that they’ve submitted their Revise and Confirm proposal for the delayed WCSP upgrade program, and touts commonality benefits given their FRES-SV win.

In detailing its partner firms, the Lockheed Martin UK release no longer mentions NP Aerospace. Questions to Lockheed Martin UK received the response that: “The element that was NP is now being competed”.

March 3/10: WSCP Delay. Funding shortfalls have led the MoD’s Investment Approvals Board (IAB) to call for a 1-year delay before launching the WCSP program. The recommendation was made following the IAB’s Feb 25/10 meeting, which also covered the MoD Defence Equipment & Support’s recommendation in the FRES-SV competition. Jane’s report | PURCON | Defense News re: IAB’s agenda.

Feb 26/10: BAE. Jane’s reports that the FRES-SV industrial programs have become an issue in the Warrior competition, and could elbow it out. At the same time, BAE Systems had warned that its UK military land vehicle concerns will become a “dwindling support services business” should the group fail to be selected to meet the UK FRES-SV and the Warrior Capability Sustainment Plan. In other words, significant layoffs.

Feb 22/10: BAE. BAE Systems announces that they’re starting to build a GBP 4.5 million Turret Test Rig (TTR) for the FRES Scout and Warrior upgrade programs. The rig is closely modeled on BAE Systems’ Mission Equipment Vibration Table (MEVT) in Minneapolis, built for the US Future Combat Systems program. Indeed, systems modeling and analysis manager Vince Whelan relocated from Minneapolis.

The TTR is designed to take a turret through a 20-year life-span in 12-18 months by subjecting it to “shake, rattle and roll” tests under extremes of temperature. Electronic components in particular tend to dislike vibration, but the life of an armored vehicle makes a lot of vibration inevitable. Testing must be done, but field testing is inefficient and expensive. Hence the development of facilities like TTR/MEVT.

Feb 8/10: Cannon. The CTA International (CTAI) joint venture between BAE Systems and France’s Nexter signs a GBP 11 million contract with the French and British ministries of defense, in order to fund qualification of their 40mmm CTCA caseless cannon system. Qualification will begin in early 2011, including freezing, baking, humidity, “shake, rattle and roll” trials, etc. The UK and France have already signed a Government to Government Technical Arrangement for a jointly-funded qualification program, which will require around 15,000 rounds.

The final ammunition requirements will be defined once the prime contractors are announced in the next few weeks. Nexter has secured an ammunition supply contract from the French government, while BAE Systems Global Combat Systems – Munitions (GCSM), recently submitted a proposal to produce that 40mm ammunition through Britain’s existing MASS munitions supply contract.

While the system has been passed for manned firing and considerable data has already been collected, these trials will formally pass the system for use by the British and French armies. CTCA will be used in the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP), the FRES Scout reconnaissance vehicle for the British Army and in the French Army’s EBRC future reconnaissance vehicle. In Britain, however, the WCSP/FRES turrets and the FRES Scout chassis will be selected through competition. BAE Systems release.

CTAI contract

2007 – 2009

Dec 15/09: LMCO. Lockheed Martin UK announces that their team has successfully tested its design for the Warrior Capability and Sustainment Programme (WCSP) in a series of limited live firing trials, at the QinetiQ Test Range in Shoeburyness, Essex, UK. These tests were designed to prove structural integrity, accuracy, and integration. See also Dec 3/08 entry.

Nov 19/09: LMCO. Lockheed Martin UK signs a Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) with the UK government’s Defence Support Group (DSG). It provides an overarching partnership framework that sets out key terms between the 2 organizations, which will be supplemented by specific teaming agreements, as opportunities arise. Specific teaming agreements for the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP) and the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) are part of the initial SPA. Lockheed Martin adds that:

“This Strategic Partnering Agreement underpins Lockheed Martin UK’s commitment to the Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Sector… Our plan, if we are successful in our bids on the WCSP and FRES programmes, is to co-locate with DSG at their Donnington facility.”

DSG launched on April 1/08 and brought together the Army ABRO and Navy/RAF DARA trading fund organizations into a single new defense Trading Fund, whose primary focus is in providing expert in-house maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for the through-life support of UK Armed Forces equipment. DSG’s Head Office is located in Andover and provides strategic direction to the main sites in Bovington, Catterick, Colchester, Donnington, Sealand, St Athan, Stafford, Stirling, Telford and Warminster. Smaller support sites are located in Aldershot, Bicester, Kinnegar and Sennybridge ; and small support teams are permanently embedded at other UK military sites, as well as supporting operations at home and abroad. Lockheed Martin UK | UK DSG.

Nov 17-18/09: BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin UK submit bids for the WSCP program, and offer details concerning their solutions and/or teams. A decision is expected in Q1 2010.

BAE Systems touts their delivery of over 40 Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) modifications for Warrior in the last 5 years, and investment of GBP 40 million in company funds to develop the new gun, a new turret, and the vehicle’s electronic architecture.

Lockheed Martin UK’s release mentions its team of partners, and the firm provided additional details in response to questions; these were incorporated into the background briefing, above.

Bids in

March 30/09: Cannon. Defense News reports that Britain and France have agreed to a common process to qualify CTAI’s CT40 gun and ammunition, as the culmination of a 15-year, EUR 100 million development effort by the BAE Systems/ Nexter joint venture. Testing is expected to involve around 20,000 rounds, and could clear the cannon and most of its ammunition types for action by 2012.

Dec 3/08: Cannon. BAE Systems announces the successful completion of a demonstration and trials at the Kirkcudbright range in Scotland, using their MTIP2 40mm turret and its Cased Telescoped Armament System (CTAS). MTIP2 is a BAE Systems-funded project to lower risks for both both the Warrior Fightability and Lethality Improvement Programme (WFLIP) and the FRES-SV Scout vehicle. While the company’s offerings will use different turrets, they’ll share many common systems. BAE:

“Over the course of 3 trials open days, visitors saw the system perform static and moving firings against static and moving targets, using both training and armour-piercing rounds. 90 rounds were fired from the 40mm gun and 600 rounds from the chain gun [coaxial machine gun], achieving high levels of accuracy and reliability.”

March 26/08: Cannon. The British MoD decides that Warrior WFLIP and FRES-SV will use the Nexter/BAE CT40 gun and ammunition system. The design beats out Finmeccanica’s HITFIST-30 2-man turret with ATK’s Mk.44 30mm gun; and General Dynamics UK’s MK46 turret with Mk.44 gun as developed for the USMC’s amphibious EFV. Lockheed Martin Insys’ is designing a turret based on the existing Warrior design, adapted by Germany’s Rheinmetall Landsysteme. It was also reportedly slated to use the Mk.44, but the firm claims that its design is weapon-agnostic, and intends to continue competing. Jeffrey Strategic.

CT40 beats HITFIST

Dec 5/07: LMCO. Lockheed Martin UK announces successful testing of its WFLIP turret design, which combines ATK’s Bushmaster 30mm Mark 44 Cannon, on a modified Warrior turret with a dual axis stabilized BGTI (Battle Group Thermal Imaging) sight from Thales Optronics Limited. Rhinemetall Defence has designed the cannon, the mounting structure and the Ammunition Handling System. Curtiss-Wright is responsible for the turret stabilization.

The series of limited live firing trials was conducted at the Cranfield Ordnance Test & Evaluation Centre on Salisbury Plain Training Area. Through rapid prototyping Lockheed Martin has taken its WFLIP turret from an idea, through concept design, physical prototyping to live firing in just 33 weeks.

Additional Readings

• UK MoD – Medium Armoured Tracks Team (MATT). 2011 snapshot.

• British Army – Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

• Army Technology – Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicles, United Kingdom.

• Wikipedia – Warrior Tracked Armored Vehicle.

• Lockheed Martin UK – Warrior fightability and lethality improvement programme (WFLIP). 2010 snapshot.

• Defence Management Journal (Issue 40) – The WFLIP dilemma. Discusses the choice of gun: ATK’s Mk44 30mm cannon, or the Franco-British CT40?

Americas

Boeing won a $22.5 million contract for Laser Small Diameter Bomb all up rounds and warhead shipping containers. The deal provides 522 all up rounds and 131 warhead shipping containers for use by US Special Operations Detachment 1. The GBU-39 is a 250 pounds precision-guides glide bomb that is intended to provide aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of more accurate bombs. It uses an advanced anti-jam GPS-aided inertial navigation system to attack fixed or stationary targets, and carries a multipurpose penetrating blast-and-fragmentation warhead with a programmable fuze. Boeing will perform work at St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by February 8, 2021.

The US Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $13.9 million contract modification, which is for engineering services and travel for the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 upgrades design agent contract under the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program or SEWIP. SEWIP is an evolutionary acquisition and incremental development program. AN/SLQ-32(V)6 upgrades the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) electronic warfare system by incorporating SEWIP Block 1B3 and SEWIP Block 2 systems. The AN/SLQ-32 is an electronic warfare system that provides powerful countermeasures protection for small and mid-size surface ships. The SLQ-32 systems feature a lens-fed multi-beam array that generates very high jamming power at continuous wave so that an almost unlimited variety of jamming techniques can be used. Work will take place in Syracuse, New York and estimated completion will be by September 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Colonel Terence Taylor, commander of Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component–Afghanistan, told reporters recently that the new AC-130J gunship are in high demand over Afghanistan. Taylor said the gunships were flying every night and so far clocked 218 sorties. The new aircraft’s missions are part of an increase in the pace of the air war following the collapse of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban in early September, and a vow by President Donald Trump “to hit our enemy harder” than ever before. The Air Force’s new AC-130J has been operating over Afghanistan for a little more than four months. The AC-130J Ghostwriter’s gunship comes with the standard 105 mm cannon and an additional 30 mm GAU-23/A cannon, along with wing pylons designed to haul both GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on the potential Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates of 10 CH-47F helicopters. The estimate cost for the package is $830.3 million. This request represents the 10th Foreign Military Sales request from the UAE since the start of fiscal 2017, for a total approximate worth of $10.5 billion. It is also the first Foreign Military Financing request cleared by the DSCA since the Trump administration declared a regional emergency in order to get several weapons packages pushed through Congress despite opposition on Capitol Hill, leading to bipartisan criticism of the move. The UAE bought its first lot of CH-47Fs, 16 aircraft for estimated total of $2 billion, in 2009.

Europe

Swedish Defense company Saab carried out the first flight tests with its new advanced Electronic Attack Jammer Pod (EAJP). Saab flew its EAJP on the Gripen combat aircraft for the first time on November 4, the company announced. According to Saab, the pod’s interfaces with the aircraft’s hardware and software, as well as cockpit control and monitoring, were tested during the flight. “The purpose of Saab’s new EAJP pod is to protect aircraft against radars by sophisticated jamming functions, thereby blocking the opponent’s ability to attack them,” the company added. The EAJP is part of Saab’s Arexis family of electronic warfare systems, and the test marked the latest milestone since the system was first briefed to reporters earlier in the year.

Asia-Pacific

Bell-Boeing won a $68.2 million delivery order, which provides non-recurring as well as recurring engineering associated with the development, qualification test, integration, airworthiness substantiation, flight test demonstration and validation/verification of the Japan unique configuration into MV-22 Block C aircraft and the MV-22 Containerized Flight Training Device. This effort also includes logistics and training efforts, to include post-delivery reach-back support, aircraft preservation and de-preservation, storage, aircraft transit support as well as the remaining unique kits and installs in support of the government of Japan. The V-22 is a multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing, and short takeoff and landing capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. Work will take place in Pennsylvania, Texas, Japan, Alabama, Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Virgnia, Alabama and is expected to be finished in August 2024.

Today’s Video

Watch: Sig Sauer presents Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) for US Army

SDB concept
(click to view larger)

Nov 1/10: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $106.4 million contract modification, exercising the Production Lot 7 (FY 2011) option for GBU-39 small diameter bombs, carriages, and technical support. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the AAC/EBMK at Eglin Air Force Base, FL (FA8672-11-C-0034). Boeing’s Nov 9/10 release states that Lot 7 covers 2,700 GBU-39s and 280 GBU-61 carriages. Production Lots 1-5 delivered approximately 7,000 bombs and 1,200 carriages to the USAF, and Lot 6 production of 2,613 bombs and 472 carriages is more than 3 months ahead of schedule.

Unlike Raytheon’s GBU-53 SDB-II, Boeing’s SDB-I isn’t designed to attack moving targets. Instead, this GPS-guided weapon is more like the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), with a number of key design modifications. This specially shaped 250-pound bomb’s thin and pointed shape gives it extra punch against buildings and hardened targets, even though its warhead is only 50 pounds of explosive. Its pop-out glide wings and guidance set give it extended range, depending on the launching aircraft’s speed and altitude. The bombs are carried on a smart BRU-61/A 4-rack carriage, or in the internal weapon bay of planes like the F-22A Raptor. Either way, the SDB-I’s weight and compact design let aircraft carry far more smart bombs than they could otherwise.

Contracts & Events

November 11/19: All Up Rounds And Warhead Shipping Containers Boeing won a $22.5 million contract for Laser Small Diameter Bomb all up rounds and warhead shipping containers. The deal provides 522 all up rounds and 131 warhead shipping containers for use by US Special Operations Detachment 1. The GBU-39 is a 250 pounds precision-guides glide bomb that is intended to provide aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of more accurate bombs. It uses an advanced anti-jam GPS-aided inertial navigation system to attack fixed or stationary targets, and carries a multipurpose penetrating blast-and-fragmentation warhead with a programmable fuze. Boeing will perform work at St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by February 8, 2021.

January 5/18: Contract-FMS Boeing has been awarded a $193 million US Air Force contract by the Department of Defense (DoD), to provide GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb Increment 1 (SBD-1) to several foreign partner nations. Saudi Arabia, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Singapore will all benefit from the deal, and 6,000 SDB 1 all-up-rounds are being produced under the modification to the original Lots 12-14 production order. Production will take place at St. Louis, Mo., and deliveries will be completed by December 2020.

April 8/16: Australia has been cleared to purchase up to 2,950 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs by the US State Department. The $386 million sale will include the provision of up to 50 Guided Test Vehicles (GTV) with GBU-39 (T-1)/B (Inert Fuze) as well as containers, weapons system support equipment, support and test equipment, site survey, transportation, repair and return warranties, spare and repair parts, publications and technical data, maintenance, personnel training, and training equipment. Included additionally are US Government and contractor representative engineering, logistics, and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics support.

November 12/15: Boeing has been awarded an Air Force contract modification covering Foreign Military Sales production of GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. The $130.1 million modification covers deliveries of the weapons to foreign partners, with the contract modification running to 2019. Israel and Italy operate the munition outside of the United States. First initial production of the SDBI began in 2005, after a controversial decision to award Boeing a production order.

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $184.6 million modification to establish organic depot level repair capabilities for F-35 systems under the low-rate initial production Lot 11 non-annualized sustainment contract in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-Department of Defense participants. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft. It is designed for ground attack and air superiority missions. Systems included under the contract modification are common components, conventional controls, surfaces and edges, electrical/mechanical activation, firewall shutoff valve, radar, wing flap actuator system, hydraulic power generation system, arresting gear, standby flight display, fuel system, exterior lighting, gun system control unit, filter modules, thermal management system fan, alternating current contactor module and rudder pedals. Estimated completion will be in March 2023.

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman a $32.5 million contract modification, which exercises the option for five aerial refueling retrofit kits, installations and technical data in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The aircraft is the the latest version of the Hawkeye and features an entirely new avionics suite including the new AN/APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight management system, improved T56-A-427A engines and a glass cockpit. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft with aerial refueling capability has joined the US Navy’s fleet at Naval Station Norfolk in September. In April this year, the US Navy awarded a contract modification worth $3.2 billion to Northrop Grumman to deliver 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft. Work will take place in Florida, New York, California, Maryland as well as England and other locations. Estimated completion will be in March 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Aljazeera reports that Sudan’s first satellite has been successfully launched into orbit. The satellite aims to develop research in space technology, acquire data, as well as discover natural resources for the country’s military needs. The Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite (SRSS-1) was developed by Chinese Shenzhen Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Company for both military and civilian applications. Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported that the Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite (SRSS-1), was launched on Sunday from the northern Chinese province of Shanxi. Spokesman of the ruling body, Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman told AFP news agency that “in a few months the satellite would be monitored from Sudan”.

Europe

Airbus Defence and Space disclosed a plan for a Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR)/Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) variant of the Eurofighter for Germany. Germany plans to replace its Tornado fighter, 40 of them are the ECR variant. Airbus wants to put escort jammer pods on the underwing stations while moving the 1,000 liter tanks to another station that has to be modified to carry fuel tanks. Speaking at the company’s Manching facility in southern Germany on November 5, Kurt Rossner, head of Air Combat, provided the first insight into Airbus DS plans for an Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR)/Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) version of the Eurofighter to replace the Luftwaffe’s Tornado ECR aircraft. This Tornado ECR replacement covers 40 aircraft as part of the wider Tornado IDR/ECR replacement program for 85 aircraft.

Asia-Pacific

A new report from Taiwan’s Up Media says the military is reassessing a plan to buy the land-based Phalanx weapons system to help protect its underground Air Bases at Hualien and Taitung. Although Taiwan had floated a tender to buy the system, it had yet to receive a response from the United States. The Ministry of National Defense is evaluating whether the protection offered by the land-based Phalanx system will overlap with the Air Force’s Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon. The Orelikon has been upgraded to GDF-006 standard with AHEAD rounds. The Phalanx weapon system is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun that can defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in threats on land and at sea.

Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) launched the second Soryu Class diesel-electric attack submarine for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force equipped with lithium-ion batteries. The 84 m-long boat, which has been named Toryu, entered the water on November 6 in a ceremony held at KHI’s facilities in Kobe. The launch comes after GS Yuasa, a Kyoto-based developer and manufacturer of battery systems, announced in February 2017 that Japan would become the first country in the world to equip SSKs with lithium-ion batteries in place of lead-acid batteries.

Today’s Video

Watch: Just How Powerful is USA 20mm Phalanx CIWS

The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Cyber Ranges Federation project, in which 11 Member States federate their national cyber ranges and thereby improve their respective cyber defence training capabilities, reached an important milestone with the successful multinational demonstration exercise held in Helsinki. The event, co-organised by the Finnish MoD and EDA, was attended and supported by experts from several contributing countries (Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Latvia) as well as the European Space Agency (ESA). 

Two and a half years after the launch of the Cyber Ranges Federation project (the first ever cyber defence pooling & sharing project initiated by the Agency), the objective of the live demonstration was to showcase the practical implications and benefits of connecting and jointly using Member States’ cyber ranges in order to improve and expand each one’s cyber training capabilities. The event allowed participants to witness first-hand what the project aims to achieve and how it has already enhanced the cyber expertise and skills of each of the contributing Member States. 

Practically speaking, the event consisted of a live fire exercise, based on a fictive but realistic training scenario, in which one team had to respond to and defend itself against cyber attacks from another. The exercise used SD-WAN technology as the backbone network technology. The participating national cyber ranges as well as the European Space Agency’s were all interconnected and interacting in real time, with and each of them having its own particular role to play in the exercise.

The demonstration event was part of the ‘European Union’s combined Cyber and Hybrid Week’ which is currently being held in Helsinki under the auspices of the Finnish EU Presidency. The aim of the week is to create synergies by combining three independent events: EDA’s Project Team Cyber Meeting (5-6 November), EDA’s Cyber Ranges Demo Event (6 November) and the Cyber Power in Hybrid Warfare-symposium organised by the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (7-8 November).

“Finland, as an active player in Cyber domain, has been honoured to be in the lead of this project since Sept 2018. Finalizing challenging project is always a result of good and fruitful cooperation – in this case between 11 contributing member states. It´s very significant to continue developing just established Cyber Ranges Federation platform in the future”, said Jukka Juusti, Permanent Secretary of Finnish Ministry of Defence.

“There isn’t probably a domain from which more new security threats are emerging than from cyber. Therefore, stepping up our common cyber defence is a matter of priority and urgency, as it is also reflected in the revised European Capability Development Priorities approved last year. By pooling and sharing their national cyber ranges, participating Member States will be able to improve their joint training conditions and, as a result, strengthen their cyber resilience. This successful exercise has shown that we are on the right path”, said Jorge Domecq, EDA’s Chief Executive. 

“It is now well ascertained that space systems play a crucial role in the security, wellbeing and economic success of Europe. Protecting space assets from cyber threats is therefore a key priority and technological challenge. ESA has a duty to protect its Member States’ investments in space. Today we witnessed a successful demonstration of the ESA-EDA partnership. A partnership that will continue to be instrumental in increasing Europe’s cyber resilience, namely through strengthening cyber response skills and capabilities in ESA. Todays` significant exercise illustrates our existing cyber resilience capabilities located in the European Space Security and Education Centre in Belgium. Cyber threats are constantly evolving. We must therefore maintain and strengthen our capabilities and have made the necessary funding proposals to the Council at Ministerial level to be held in late November. The vitality of our cooperation with EDA and its Member States will continue to play an important role in the future. This is therefore but a beginning, as we are currently considering the creation of a Joint ESA-EDA Cyber Resilience Task Force to further explore cooperation avenues, including with other European partners,” added Jan Woerner, ESA’s Director General.
 

Background

The aim of EDA’s Cyber Ranges Federation project is to develop a more sophisticated and powerful platform for cyber training purposes connecting Member States´ national Cyber Ranges to one another and enabling other countries, which don’t have their cyber ranges, to train and improve their cyber defence skills nevertheless. A European federation of cyber ranges, i.e. the availability of mutually accessible cyber defence training and exercise ranges, may in the future leverage other benefits, such as cyber research ranges and cyber simulation & test ranges.
 

Contacts:

• Finnish MoD spokesperson: harri.reini@defmin.fi
• EDA spokesperson: elisabeth.schoeffmann@eda.europa.eu
• ESA spokesperson: florent.mazurelle@esa.int
  
  
  

Americas

Aptiv Services won a $28.4 million contract for F-15 aircraft electrical special purpose cable assemblies. Using military service is the US Air Force. The F-15 Eagle has been the US Air Force’s primary fighter jet aircraft and intercept platform for decades. The aircraft has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace. The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat. Aptiv Services US, LLC designs and engineers a variety of automotive systems and components. The Company manufactures fuel cells, entertainment systems, sensors, powertrain systems, driver interfaces, and security devices. The company will perform work in California. Estimated performance completion date is November 5, 2024.

The US Navy is reportedly preparing to sign a contract for nine Virginia Class Attack submarines. Eight of them will include an 84-foot section that boosts the boat’s strike missile capacity. Bloomberg reports that the Navy has reached an agreement with General Dynamics. The contract will also include an option for a 10th boat if needed. The news comes after the Virginia Class program has seen creeping delays and slipping profits in recent years caused by labor issues and a strained submarine industrial supply base. “We have reached a multiyear” agreement “and are working to announce a contract” by December 31, Navy spokesman Captain Danny Hernandez said in a statement. It “will achieve significant savings, will include important lethality enhancements,” and “provide critical stability to the industrial base. Further information will be available upon contract award,” he said.

Middle East & Africa

Iran reportedly said Tuesday it will begin injecting uranium gas into more than 1,000 centrifuges at its Fordow enrichment plant. Since the nuclear deal was struck in 2015, the centrifuges at the Fordow plant had actually spun empty. According to president Hassan Rouhani, the gas injection will begin Wednesday. He also states that the country’s new activities will be under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) supervision. On the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the “Iran deal” or the “Iran nuclear deal“, on May 8, 2019, Tehran decided to reduce its commitments to the JCPOA, based on Article 26 and 36, and set a deadline for Europeans to remedy breaches. The move is the fourth step away from the JCPOA, which was brokered four years ago between Tehran and a coalition including the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Germany, China and the European Union. The Iranian leader said, however, that each step Tehran has taken away from the agreement can be reversed if the United States agrees to lift economic sanctions it imposed in place of the nuclear deal.

Europe

Finland has issued a call for revised tenders for its F/A-18 replacement contest, local media reports. All five contenders were reportedly given the documents on October 31. They have until January 31 next year to submit their response. The calls for tenders allows those companies to revise their bids to the comply with what was negotiated with Finland during the initial bids. The fighter jets under consideration in the so-called HX Fighter Program are Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 and Saab Gripen. The goal of the project is to replace the aging fighter jet fleet with up to 64 multi-role fighter jets that meet the requirements of the operating environment.

Asia-Pacific

Vietnam has mounted its KCT 15 anti-ship missile on Pohang Class Flight III corvette HQ-20. It has also been reported that the Igla anti-air missile has been mounted on another corvette HQ-18. The Pohang is a class of Patrol Combat Corvette originally of the Republic of Korea Navy. The Vietnamese Pohang Flight III Class submarine guard installed their own versions of the Russian 3K24E, the Uran-E anti-ship missile on a Pohang type corvette received at the end of 2018 as military aid from the South Korean Navy. Vietnam became the second country in the Asia-Pacific region to develop its own missile based on the Russian 3M24 Uranus. The first such country was North Korea, which previously showed images of a missile that looked very much like a Russian medium-range anti-ship missile. The Vietnamese version is designated KCT 15 and is the result of technology transfer from Russia. The nature of the program is still unclear: it remains to be seen whether Vietnam will organize full-cycle production, or whether it is only an assembly from Russian components.

The Indonesian Air Force is planning to procure two squadrons of Lockheed Martin’s F-16V (Viper) Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft. The procurement is planned to coincide with the third and final phase of the TNI-AU’s modernization program called Minimum Essential Force (MEF). The program runs from 2020 until 2024. During this phase, the TNI-AU also plans to finalize its planned procurement of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft from Russia. The Indonesian Air Force currently operates some 36 older-variant F-16s, including 24 F-16C/D Block 25s transferred to Indonesia as Excess Defense Articles after first undergoing an upgrade to Block 52 status under a $670 million US government-to-government Foreign Military Sales agreement. This sale included six additional F-16s that are used solely for spare parts.

Today’s Video

Watch: UGVs Unmanned Ground Vehicles for Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light (RCV-L) program of US Army AUSA 2019

Americas

The Naval Air System Command awarded Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office a $146 million contract modification, which exercises the option to upgrade nine MV-22 aircraft from the Block B to the Block C configuration, as well as planned maintenance intervals for eight MV-22 aircraft, in support of the Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program. The MV-22 Osprey is the primary assault support aircraft for the US Marine Corps. It was fielded to replace the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter and has been deployed to support troops in combat since 2007. The new Block C variant of the aircraft features a new weather radar system that improves navigation in poor weather conditions and a redesigned environmental conditioning system to enhance aircrew comfort. More than 160 Osprey tiltrotors are currently in operation and the worldwide fleet has amassed more than 130,000 flight hours, with nearly half of those hours logged in the past two years. Work will take place in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania and Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be finished by March 2022.

Lockheed Martin Space won a $40.3 million modification for TRIDENT II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. The Trident II (D5) is the latest generation of the US Navy’s submarine-launched fleet ballistic missiles, following the highly successful Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident I C4 programs. Each generation has been continuously deployed at sea as a survivable retaliatory force and has been routinely operationally tested and evaluated to maintain confidence and credibility in the deterrent. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is the Navy’s Trident missile prime contractor. Lockheed Martin employees, principally in California, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Utah, Virginia and Scotland, support the design, development, production, test, and operation and sustainment of the Trident Strategic Weapon System. The company also supplies technical and logistical support at sites where the missiles are deployed. Estimated completion date for work under the contract modification will be September 30, 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi has said that military-owned industrial organizations could be included in the country’s privatization program, according to Reuters. Last year, the government said it planned to sell minority stakes in 23 state-owned companies in an initial phase of privatization, part of a plan to raise up to $4.97 billion. Speaking on October 31 while opening two military-owned chemical plants in Abu Rawash, el-Sisi remarked that military companies should be listed on the Egyptian Exchange or opened to foreign investment. “The offerings being prepared by the Egyptian state should include a chance (for) the Armed Forces companies. In this way we will have opened a door for the Egyptian people and society to these companies,” Sisi said at the ceremony.

Europe

Hesco Bastion Inc. won a $24 million contract for the Expeditionary Barrier System. This is a 10-month, 300-day bridge contract. Hesco’s earth-filled barriers are designed to form compartmentalized areas to keep soldiers safe from indirect and direct fire. The units are lined with a heavy-duty polypropylene geotextile and filled with available material using commonly available equipment. Location of performance are South Carolina as well as the United Kingdom. Estimated completion will be on September 1, 2020.

Asia-Pacific

Boeing won a $34.2 million delivery order, which provides for the non-recurring engineering, logistics product data, 28 Group A-1 retrofit kits, 28 Group A-2 retrofit kits, and 28 Group B retrofit kits for incorporation of the Distributed Targeting Processor-Network into the F/A-18 aircraft for the Navy and the Government of Australia. The F/A-18 “Hornet” is a single- and two-seat, twin engine, multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. Boeing will perform work in St. Louis, Missouri, China Lake, California, and Whidbey Island, Washington. Expected completion is in June 2022.

Armenia will take delivery of its Su-30SM fighters by February 2020, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan has disclosed. The jets will either be handed over next month or in January and February of 2020, local media reports. The Sukhoi Su-30 is a Russian-made twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. The Su-30SM is considered a 4+ generation fighter jet. The aircraft has been upgraded for radar, radio communications systems, friend-or-foe identification system, ejection seats, weapons, and other aircraft systems. SM stands for „Serial, Modernized“.

Today’s Video

Watch: US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford completes Post-Shakedown Availability sea trials

Americas

General Dynamics Land Systems won a $9 million contract modification for Abrams systems technical support. The M1 Abrams is a third-generation Main Battle Tank. The General Dynamics Land Systems-built M1 Abrams battle tank is in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps. Other users include land forces in Kuwait, Egypt, Australia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The M1 Abrams MBT has been the mainstay of the US Army’s armor branch for 40 years. It is one of the heaviest tanks in service. Work under the modification will take place in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2021.

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials a $13.4 million deal for sustainment of the B-1B aircraft. The Rockwell B-1B Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the USAF. The deal provides 48 shield mild detonating cord (SMDC) kits for B-1B aircraft; with each kit containing 461 SMDC lines. The B-1 is a highly versatile, multi-mission weapon system. The B-1B’s synthetic aperture radar is capable of tracking, targeting and engaging moving vehicles as well as self-targeting and terrain-following modes. In addition, an extremely accurate Global Positioning System-aided Inertial Navigation System enables aircrews to navigate without the aid of ground-based navigation aids as well as engage targets with a high level of precision. Work will take place at Hollister, California. Estimated completion will be in June 30, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s new Air Force One flew for the very first time on November 3. An Israeli version of Air Force One took off Sunday for its first test flight after two years of preparation. The aircraft was unveiled on October 31, when a test run at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of its first takeoff was shadowed by a brake malfunction that prompted officials to briefly declare an emergency alert. The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft will be used by the prime minister and the president for official visits abroad. The aircraft’s official name is 4X-ISR. “4X” is part of the name of all Israeli aircraft, and the remaining letters are meant to signify that it is the official plane of the State of Israel.

Europe

Saab and Raytheon successfully finished a series of guided flight tests for the shoulder-launched guided Carl-Gustaf munition, the companies announced. The US Armed Forces as well as the Ground Forces of more than 40 countries use Saab’s Carl-Gustaf weapon system. The guided munition will allow Armed Forces to accurately engage stationary or moving targets up to, and beyond 2,000 meters. The increased range, in combination with a Confined Space capability will offer troops greater tactical flexibility when selecting a firing position. The tests were performed at the Mile High Range in Sierra Blanca, Texas, United States and at Saab Bofors Test Center in Karlskoga, Sweden. “The Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition is a next step in the evolution of the Carl-Gustaf system. It will be the most advanced Carl-Gustaf munition yet and will offer greater precision, minimize collateral damage and deliver outstanding performance with pin-point accuracy and multi-target capability,” says Görgen Johansson, Head of Saab business area Dynamics.

Asia-Pacific

Raytheon Missile Systems won a sole source, cost only contract modification to increase the CLIN 0014 undefinitized contract action not-to-exceed value by $267.2 million from $387.2 billion to $654.4 billion. Under the modification the “pacing items only” restriction is removed and the contractor is now authorized to work the full, unchanged, effort to manufacture, assemble, test and deliver 20 Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missiles and related efforts, and four missiles under Foreign Military Sales case JA-P-ATB to Japan. SM-3 Block IIA is a weapon system, the US Navy uses to target short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a key part of the European missile defense system. It has a larger kinetic warhead and rocket motors built to home in on ballistic missile threats.

The Indian Air Force will retire its MiG-27 on December 31, local media reports. Also named Bahadur in India, the Soviet MiG-27 was introduced into the IAF in 1984 and over the years served seven operational squadrons and other combat training and tactics-evaluation establishments. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited built 165 of these aircraft and in 2004 HAL began upgrading some of these aircraft, christened MiG-27 UPG, to enhance their combat capability and extend their service life. The aircraft are armed with rockets, bombs and air-to-surface missiles. The MiG-27 formed an important element of the IAF’s ground attack and tactical close support capability.

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Watch: Indian Defence Updates : FOC Tejas 1st Flight,K4 SLBM Test,4 Type-54 Frigate PAK,114 Dhanush By 2022

Americas

November 4/19: Sustainment General Dynamics Mission Systems, won a $90.7 million contract for sustainment of the Littoral Combat Ship Integrated Combat Management System and associated combat system elements. Work includes development, integration, test and delivery of future combat system baseline upgrades for in-service ships, supporting ship integration, installation and checkout, developmental test/operational test, developing training and logistics products, support for field baselines. General Dynamics Mission Systems will develop, integrate, test and deliver baseline modifications for the LCS ICMS and support the integration of upgrades into in-service vessels. Naval Sea Systems Command will obligate $1M at the time of the award from the Navy’s fiscal 2018 other procurement funds. Work will take place in Massachusetts, California and Alabama. Estimated completion will be in October 2024.

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Raytheon an $11.5 million modification to exercise options for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. DDG 1000 combat systems provide offensive, distributed and precise firepower, and long ranges in support of forces ashore, while incorporating signature reduction, active and passive self-defense systems and enhanced survivability features. DDG 1000 or USS Zumwalt is a guided missile destroyer. The Zumwalt Class destroyers are designed as multi-mission stealth ships with focus on land attack. Work under the contract modification will take place in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire, Maine, California, and Indiana. Estimated completion is expected to be by October next year.

Middle East & Africa

Raytheon won a $22.3 million contract modification for the Qatar Air Missile Defense Operation Center or ADOC. The modification is for the procurement of the outside continental US transfer of ADOC prime mission equipment, installation of ADOC PME, integration activities, training of ADOC operators, and development of a communications cabinet. The modification is a Foreign Military Sale to Qatar. Work will take place in Massachusetts as well as Qatar. Expected completion will be by May 31, 2020.

The Israeli Air Force says its F-35 will be participating in Exercise Blue Flag from November 3 to November 14 at Uvda Air Base. Germany, Italy, Greece and the United States are participating as well. The Blue Flag exercise will have a significant impact on the Air Force, the IDF and the State of Israel as a whole. The exercise will include over a thousand air crew, technical and administrative personnel from different Air Forces. During the exercise, dozens of aircraft, both international and Israeli, will be deployed and will practice air-to-air and air-to-ground combat scenarios, dealing with advanced SAM threats as well as enemy combat scenarios.

Europe

The State Department approved a sale of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and related equipment to Croatia for an estimated cost of $115 million. “The sale of these UH-60 helicopters to Croatia will significantly increase its capability to provide troop lift, border security, counterterrorism, medical evacuation, search and rescue, re-supply/external lift, and combat support. These UH-60 helicopters will allow for interoperability with US and NATO forces in rapid response to a variety of missions and quick positioning of troops with minimal helicopter assets,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said. If the proposed sale is approved by Congress, the new helicopters will join a pair of UH-60Ms that will be donated by the US government in 2020. At the time the donation was announced in October 2018, the Croatian Ministry of Defense said the helicopters would be used for airborne assault, air-medical evacuation, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, surveillance, command, troop and cargo transport and, if armed, for firing weapons such as rockets.

Asia-Pacific

Taiwan will be upgrading the avionics of its C-130H fleet and it is likely that the Rockwell Collins Flight2 system will form the core of the upgrade. National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology will be the project manager and Air Asia plus Canada’s Cascade will be carrying out the upgrades. Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force has purchased 20 C-130Hs from the United States Air Force. Flight2 is built on architecture compliant with Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management Systems (CNS/ATM), supportable and sustainable to meet existing and future aviation mandate requirements.

Today’s Video

Watch: Stryker A1 IM-SHORAD: Precise Short-Range Air Defense

Americas

Boeing won a $62.3 million contract modification for performance-based logistics support for the AH-64D/E Apache Attack helicopter. The AH-64 Apache is the Army’s heavy division/corps attack helicopter. The AH-64D Longbow remanufacture effort incorporates a millimeter wave fire control radar, radar frequency interferometer, fire-and-forget radar-guided HELLFIRE missile and cockpit management and digitization enhancements. The helo has a four-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor. The crew sits in tandem, with the pilot sitting behind and above the copilot/gunner. Both crew members are capable of flying the aircraft and performing methods of weapon engagements independently. Work will take place in Mesa, Arizona. Estimated completion date will be April 30, 2024.

Boeing won a $17.6 million modification, which exercises an option to perform 27 modifications in support of the Increment 3 Block I retrofit requirement for P-8A aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. The Increment 3 focuses on network ready open architecture and net-enabled weapons. The program consists in the integration of the Harpoon Block II+ anti-ship missile and Link 16 datalink, targeting improvements, and various communications upgrades. The P-8A already in service with the US Navy will all be retrofitted to the Increment 3 standard. The P8-A is expected to have a completely upgraded software by 2022, in time to become fully operational in 2023. Boeing will perform work in Washington, Australia and Arizona and estimated completion will be in September, 2021.

Middle East & Africa

The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) unveiled the Faisal Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) that it has developed during the Bahrain International Defense Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC) held between October 28 and October 30. The BDF said the Faisal is the first armored vehicle to be designed and developed by its Technical Maintenance Unit. It said the 4×4 vehicle can carry up to eight people, has B6-level armored protection and a V-shaped hull that ensures maximum protection against explosive devices. It is equipped with an automatic fire-suppression system, central tyre inflation system, and external security cameras.

Europe

The US and German Armies signed an agreement targeting an unprecedented level of interoperability between their formations within seven years, Defense News reports. By 2027, the two countries’ ground forces want to push interoperability, which means that both forces work seamlessly on the same tactical objective, to what a statement calls an “integrated level” in both regional and global operations. Additional objectives include aligning the information systems of both militaries so that there is a common procedure at the brigade and division levels for intelligence collection and sharing as well as and joint targeting.

Asia-Pacific

The NAWCAD awarded BAE Systems a $69.2 million contract for 931,200 man hours of installation and certification technical support to the Combat Integration and Identification Systems Devision, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Webster Outlying Field. The deal is in support of the US Navy as well as the governments of Japan, South Korea and Australia. Work will take place in Maryland and estimated completion will be in April 2025.

Lockheed Martin won a $10.6 million modification, which provides for the development and delivery of an enhanced simulator database and project management support for the F-35 aircraft of Japan. The F-35 Lightning II is designed and built to counter the most advanced airborne and ground-based threats. Japan’s program of record is 147 aircraft. In December 2018, the Japan Ministry of Defense announced its decision to increase its procurement of F-35s from 42 to 147. They stated the aircraft will be a mix of 105 F-35As and 42 STOVLS. The F-35 possesses 5th Generation capabilities that are not found on legacy 4th Generation fighters: very low observable stealth coupled with full fighter performance, advanced sensors and sensor fusion, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Work under the contract modification will take place in Florida and Texas and estimated completion will be in July 2021.

Today’s Video

Watch: BIDEC 2019 Bahrain International Defense Exhibition Manama army show daily News Day 3

Americas

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace won a $30 million contract modification for contractor logistics support of the Air Force C-12 fleet. The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is based on the Super King and 1900 series platforms and serves with the United States military as a utility transport among other roles. The Beechcraft Super King Air civilian utility aircraft forms the basis of the US military’s C-12 “Huron” military-minded hauler. The type was introduced in 1974 and maintains an active presence in the air fleets of the United States Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines. Work will take place in Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, as well as other places in the US, Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Columbia, Egypt. Ghana, Hondura, Hungary, Nairobi, Kenya, Morocco, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Norway sonf Japan. Estimated completion will be by December 31, 2020.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that it delivered the fast-attack submarine, the ninth Virginia Class vessel it has built, to the US Navy ahead of its commissioning next year. The nuclear-powered vessel completed sea trials earlier this month, and is the Navy’s 18th Virginia Class submarine, the company announced. The commissioning of the USS Delaware is scheduled for April 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. Delivery to the Navy was made on Friday. The submarine will be the seventh Navy vessel to carry the state’s name. The purchase of at 20 more Virginia Class vessels, replacing the Los Angeles Class, is planned through 2043. They are designed for open-ocean and littoral missions, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operation forces support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare missions.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Defense reports that the Egyptian Navy wants to upgrade its Submarine warfare capabilities, which could potentially pose a threat to Israel. As part of its expedited force build-up process of the last decade, the Egyptian Navy is interested in improving its submarine warfare capabilities. The Egyptians are conducting negotiations with the Chinese regarding the acquisition of additional submarines. The Egyptian Navy embarked on an expedited force build-up process about ten years ago. As part of this process, the Egyptians acquired four U-209 type submarines from Germany; surface vessels from the US, Russia, Germany and France; cutting-edge missile and torpedo systems; anti-aircraft systems; Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters; communication, command and control systems; upgrading of old vessels and more.

Europe

In 2021, HMS Queen Elizabeth will deploy with two frigates, two destroyers, a nuclear submarine and support vessels. The HMS Queen Elizabeth will be escorted by two Type 45 destroyers, two Type 23 frigates, a nuclear submarine, a Tide Class tanker and RFA Fort Victoria. The ship will also carry 24 F-35B jets, including US Marine Corps aircraft, in addition to a number of helicopters. Prior to the deployment, it is understood that the Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group will go through a work-up trial off the west Hebrides range sometime in early 2021. It is understood that the 2021 deployment will see the Carrier Strike Group sail in the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf and end up in the Pacific.

Asia-Pacific

The Republic of China Army officially retired its UH-1H fleet on October 30 and declared the UH-60M fleet fully operational. A ceremony was held at Tai Chung Lung Hsiang base to mark the event, local media reports. The UH-1 has been in service on the island for 50 years. It will be replaced by the UH-60. H-1 Iroquois is a military medium-sized general-purpose helicopter designed and built by Bell Helicopter in the United States, UH-1 is designed for multi-purpose, from performing transportation and supply operations to attack missions and its U stands for utility. The UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production for the United States military.

The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan for the upgrade of up to ninety-eight F-15J aircraft to a Japanese Super Interceptor (JSI) configuration for an estimated cost of $4.5 billion. The F-15J is the Japanese version of the McDonnell Douglas F-15C and is manufactured under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. McDonnell Douglas and the F-15 product line were purchased by Boeing in 1997. As part of the modernization package, the government of Japan is asking for 103 Raytheon APG-82(v)1 active electronically scanned array radars; 116 Boeing Advanced Display Core Processor II mission system computers; and 101 BAE Systems ALQ-239 digital electronic warfare systems to be installed in the F-15J fleet.

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Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $7 billion modification, which provides for the procurement of additional 114 F-35 aircraft. The deal, which updates an earlier procurement contract, covers aircraft and other considerations for the Defense Department as well as F-35 partner nations and other foreign customers. Of the 114 aircraft in the agreement, 48 are F-35As for the Air Force; 20 are Marine Corps F-35Bs; and nine are Navy F-35Cs. The US will receive 77 total aircraft, while 15 F-35As will go to Australia, 12 F-35As will go to Norway, and eight F-35As and two F-35Bs will go to Italy. The contract also covers funds to supply parts that have become harder to find, as well as software data, safety items, engineering services, and more. Lockheed will partner with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems on the bulk of the work. Estimated completion will be in March 2023.

The US Navy awarded IAP Worldwide a $84.6 million contract modification, which exercises an option to provide logistics services in support of the E-6B aircraft and the requirement for parts industry management and support equipment maintenance for the E-6B aircraft. The Navy’s E-6B Mercury is based on a Boeing 707 commercial plane. The aircraft is part of the Navy’s “Take Charge and Move Out” community. The USA’s E-6 Mercury “survivable airborne communication system” airplanes support their Navy’s SSBN ballistic missile submarine force and overall strategic forces. Work will take place in Oklahoma, Nebraska, California and Maryland and is scheduled to be finished in November 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Turkey and Russia are currently negotiating to finalize a potential deal on the Russian made SU-35 fighter aircraft. „The talks have quite matured,” a senior Turkish procurement official told Defense News on the condition of anonymity. “A deal does not appear to be too distant.” Ankara and Moscow are reportedly also discussing potentially co-manufacturing a few components of the jets. If penned, an Su-35 deal will be Turkey’s second major purchase of weapons systems from Russia. To the dismay of its NATO allies, Turkey acquired the Russian-made S-400 long-range air defense system. The S-400s were delivered to the Turkish military in August. The Su-35 is a 4.5-generation aircraft.

On the evening of October 26, 2019, in Syria’s Idlib Province, a US special operations raid occurred, in which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died at his own hands. He was the founder and leader of the Islamic State militant group. The Pentagon now announced that multiple AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles had been used to destroy the Islamic State group leader’s hideout in Syria following the raid that resulted in his death. In addition to JASSMs, US Forces used guided bombs, Hellfire missiles, miniguns, and other small-arms fire on the compound. News agencies published photographs of the site taken after the raid that show piles of rubble, with no free-standing buildings left. The incident marked the second time JASSMs have been used in Syria. In April 2018, B-1 bombers launched 19 of the missiles at the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons production facilities as part of a large strike, which also included 57 Tomahawk missiles. JASSM family missiles are guided by a combination of GPS/INS positioning en route, and Imaging Infrared (IIR) for final targeting. They carry a dual-mode penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead at subsonic speed, in a body shape designed to have a very low radar profile.

Europe

European country Bulgaria is planning to upgrade its T-72M1 main battle tanks (MBTs) in the near term while continuing rolling overhauls, Jane’s reports. The T-72M1 overhauls are being carried out at the Bulgarian TEREM-Khan Krum plant in Targovishte, a subsidiary of the TEREM EAD holding company. The standard T-72M1 weighs around 43 tonnes and is powered by the V-46-6 diesel developing 780 hp that gives a power-to-weight ratio of 18.1 hp/tonne. This gives a maximum road speed of 60 km/h, with a speed on a dirt road of 35 to 40 km/h.

Asia-Pacific

The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) last operational Adelaide Class guided-missile frigate, HMAS Melbourne, was decommissioned in a ceremony held on October 26 at its home port of Fleet Base East, Garden Island in Sydney. During its 27 years in service the 4,260-tonne frigate was deployed on operations to the Middle East eight times and earned battle honors for service in East Timor, the Persian Gulf, and Middle East. The 138-meter warship was the only missile frigate left in the fleet of six, after HMAS Newcastle was decommissioned in June. Her departure will make way for a more modern fleet of warships.

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Americas

The US Air Force has decided to buy two to three A-29 and AT-6 light attack aircraft. The final request for proposal was published on October 24. The A-29 will be deployed at Hurlburt Field, Florida, by Air Force Special Operations Command to develop an instructor pilot program for the Combat Aviation Advisory mission. The contract award is expected to be end of the year. The AT-6 will be going to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, for continued testing and development of operational tactics and standards for exportable, tactical networks by Air Combat Command. The propeller-driven planes will be part of the Light Air Support program of the Air Force, which seeks a light counter-insurgency, ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The Air Force and US Navy have flown both planes since 2017 to assess their capabilities.

The USS Gerald R. Ford completed a five-day pierside exercise, the US Navy announced, although it may not be ready for service until 2024. The “fast cruise,” a final exercise in the ship’s 15-month Post Shakedown Availability series of tests, put Navy personnel into scenarios that tested their ability to respond to challenging situations while still at the Huntington Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding site in Virginia. Upcoming tests include the Full Ship Shock Trial, in which explosives are detonated near a new Navy vessel to simulate near-misses in a battlefield environment to test the validity of the ship’s construction.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish president Erdogan and Russian president Putin agreed on a 10-point plan under which Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) will be removed from most of the Syrian border east of the Euphrates river. From Tuesday on, Russian and Turkish forces will start to patrol a narrower, 10 kilometer strip of land in northeast Syria. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. Its Syrian offensive, launched after President Donald Trump pulled out 1,000 US troops from the area, drew criticism from Turkey’s NATO allies. Russia has already warned the YPG that it will face the full force of Turkey’s army, the second biggest in NATO, if it fails to withdraw its fighters and weapons from the designated area in northeast Syria within the agreed deadline.

Europe

The Royal Air Force has retired its Short Tucano at RAF Linton-on-Ouse after 30 years of service. They were trainer planes for pilots wanting to progress onto fast jets. As 72 Squadron will move from North Yorkshire to Wales, the Tucano’s replacement aircraft, the Texan, will enter service. The plane was first built in Belfast and conducted its maiden flight in Brazil in 1986. “The Tucano represents a different generation of aircraft, where the cockpits have instruments that look like clocks,” explained Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston.

The Czech Republic became the sixth country to join the European Union/NATO Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF). NATO announced on October 24 that the country had joined Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway in operating eight Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft in an attempt to offset some of Europe’s reliance on the United States for aerial-refueling services. This initiative was launched by the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 2016 and aims to boost the ability of European allies to refuel aircraft in mid-air. The initiative has been supported by NATO and the European Union. The aircraft are owned by NATO and procured by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency through the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Air Force testifired two BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles on October 21 and October 22. The Diplomat reports that the aim of the test launches was to validate the IAF’s ability to hit targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were fired in operational configuration to assess mission readiness and swift deployment of the tactical missile over long distance. The BrahMos is a derivative of the Russian-made P-800 Oniks over-the-horizon supersonic anti-ship cruise missile with a range estimated at between 300 to 400 kilometers. It is thought to be capable of reaching top speeds of up to Mach 3.

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Americas

Honeywell International won a $77.1 million contract modification for an additional three years of pricing in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. The F/A-18 “Hornet” is a single- and two-seat, twin engine, multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. The F/A-18 fills a variety of roles: air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close and deep air support, and day and night strike missions. The F/A-18 Hornet replaced the F-4 Phantom II fighter and A-7 Corsair II light attack jet, and also replaced the A-6 Intruder as these aircraft were retired during the 1990s. Honeywell will perform work in Arizona and estimated completion is in October 9, 2022.

Lockheed Martin won a $148.4 million order, which procures durability testing support for the certification of the F-35B aircraft variant to a minimum of 8,000 flight hours/30 year service life in support of the Marine Corps and non-Department of Defense participants. The effort includes the test article configuration, the test article build, the test plan, the testing itself, and teardown and analysis. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground attack and air-superiority missions. The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the aircraft. Work will take place in Texas, California and Samlesbury in the UK. Estimated completion is in July 2032.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that a Patriot fire unit has been deployed for the first time at one of the sites being constructed for the air defense system in Qatar. Located at the southwest of Al-Udeid Air Base, the site has been under construction since early 2018. The AN/MPQ-65 radar and four launchers appeared on their pads between October 19-21. Raytheon has been awarded two contracts together worth $250 million to deliver an Air and Missile Defense Operations Center (ADOC) to Qatar. The Patriot system is in use with 16 countries for integrated air and missile defense.

Europe

The US Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $12.4 million undefinitized contract action contract for C-130J support. The deal will provide long term sustainment (LTS) for France’s C-130-J aircraft. Critical components of LTS support include program management support; spares, supply support services; support equipment; diminishing manufacturing sources, sustaining engineering services, sustaining engineering/technical services, field services representatives (FRS), logistics service representatives, contract field team, FSR deployment/travel, technical order updates; technical order print and distribution; country standard time compliance technical orders; depot maintenance; aircraft modifications; and data and configuration management programs. The global community of Super Hercules operators recently surpassed two million flight hours. Work will take place in Marietta, Georgia, and at French Air Bases and is expected to be completed by January 1, 2023.

General Atomics won a $17.9 million contract action for the France MQ-9 Block 5 weaponization and Foreign Military Sales Pod Integration effort. The deal provides for the weaponization of the French Air Force MQ?9 Block 5 aircraft and integration of the FMS Pod onto the French Air Force MQ?9 Block 5 aircraft. The MQ-9 Reaper is a UAV capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The UAV, which is sometimes also called Predator B, has an endurance of over 27 hours, a speed of 240 knots true airspeed, can operate at an altitude of up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds of external stores. Work will take place Poway, California, and estimated completion is in November 30, 2021.

Asia-Pacific

The Uzbekistan Ministry of Defense said on October 24 that it has tested the Chinese-made FD-2000 air defense missile system. The testing was carried out at the Kulkuduk training ground. The military unit of the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force based in the Kashkadarya province together with senior command officers took part in the first practical test of an HQ-9/FD- 2000 at the Kulkuduk training ground in the Navoi province. The FD-2000 is an advanced long-range air defense missile weapon system designed and manufactured by the Chinese Defense Company CPMIEC.

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Ukraine’s Defence Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk today visited EDA for talks with Chief Executive Jorge Domecq on current and future opportunities for cooperation. 

It was the first encounter between Mr Domecq and Minister Zagorodnyuk who was appointed in August this year. Discussions mainly focused on the state of play of Ukraine’s participation in EDA projects and activities under the Administrative Arrangement (AA) signed in December 2015, which identifies four main areas for initial cooperation: Single European Sky, Standardization, Training, Logistics.

Minister Zagorodnyuk and Mr Domecq took stock of the good progress made so far in the implementation of the AA and exchanged views on ways to further enhance and facilitate Ukraine’s involvement in EDA projects and activities within the four areas. 

“We look forward to pursuing our cooperation with Minister Zagorodnyuk and his team building on what has already been achieved since the Administrative Agreement was signed in 2015”, Mr Domecq commented. 

Minister Zagorodnyuk expressed his gratitude for the support of Ukraine and informed the Chief Executive about the restart of the political establishment in Ukraine and that the President, the Parliament and the Government have already taken practical steps to radically accelerate reforms in Ukraine. The Minister emphasised that the MOD of Ukraine is focusing on achieving practical results on the reforms of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and gave notice on the main tasks of the Ministry of Defence in the short term. 

The Minister stressed his interest in increasing practical cooperation between the MOD of Ukraine and EDA, in accordance with the Administrative Arrangement signed in 2015. He further informed about Ukraine's aspiration to take part in PESCO projects with EU Member states when a decision about participation of third States is made.

Minister Zagorodnyuk in his visit to EDA was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Defence Ms. Alina Frolova and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yehor Bozhok.
 

More information:

• EDA-Ukraine Administrative Arrangement
• EDA Chief Executive visits Ukraine (webnews Nov 2018)
  
  

Americas

Terma North America won a $60 million deal for A-10 3D audio. This contract provides for up to 328 3D audio systems for the A-10. The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft. Its nickname is „Warthog“. After years of trying to retire the Warthog, the US Air Force is now investing money to keep more of the attack jets flying for another decade. Work under the audio contract will be performed by a subcontractor in the US and Denmark as indicated in the contract award and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2024.

Northrop Grumman won a $8.9 million delivery order, which procures non-recurring engineering support for the integration of the AN/AAQ-24 on multiple Department of Defense aircraft platforms for the Army. According to the DoD, the engineering effort includes platform integration of modernized survivability equipment, maintainability, interface improvements and software to effective utilize the AN/AAR-61(V)1 more effectively. Derived from the AN/AAQ-24(V) Nemesis, the AN/AAQ-24(V) LAIRCM is a directed infra red (IR) countermeasures system, designed to safeguard large transport and rotary-wing aircraft from a range of IR-guided missile threats, using a laser pointer-tracker. Work will take place in Rolling Meadows and estimated completion will be in January 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that Saudi Arabia is looking to mobilize foreign militaries against Iran. On October 21, Saudi Arabia hosted the military chiefs of staff from the five other Gulf Cooperation Council states and several friendly countries. They reportedly talked about how to defend the region from Iranian aggression. Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States attended the conference.

Europe

General Atomics won a not-to-exceed firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract modification for the United Kingdom MQ-9B Protector program. The contract modification provides for the design, development, integration and component level testing of additional capabilities being added to the baseline program. The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the latest variant of the MQ-9 series RPAS currently operated by the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, and soon Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. MQ-9B adds several key enhancements to the proven MQ-9 series allowing for better performance, lower operating and sustainment costs and access to all classes of airspace. General Atomics will perform work in Poway, California. Estimated completion will be by August 31, 2021.

Asia-Pacific

The Nepali Army is set to receive $21 million in unspecified disaster-relief materials from China over the next three years as part of a move aimed at advancing strategic and diplomatic ties between Beijing and Kathmandu. Reuters reports that Nepali Defense Minister Ishwar Pokhrel signed the aid agreement with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on October 20 during a week-long visit to Beijing, which followed a trip to Kathmandu by Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 12: the first visit by a Chinese president to Nepal in more than two decades. Nepal and China signed several agreements during Xi’s visit, including two connectivity projects that the Nepali government hopes will eventually reduce its dependence on India.

Slovenian light aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel announced on October 17 that it has completed delivery of the 194 Virus SW 80 ‘Garud’ light training aircraft the Indian Ministry of Defencse had ordered in October 2015. In total, the Indian Air Force received 72 of these trainers, while the Indian Navy received 12 and the National Cadet Corps 110 units. The Pipistrel Virus SW 80 is a light, high-speed aircraft developed by Pipistrel, a company based in Slovenia. The aircraft serves the requirement of a light trainer aircraft. It can be customized according to special mission requirements, long-range flights, and geographical survey operations.

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This week (22/23 October), EDA hosted the third PESCO workshop related to the European Secure Software Defined Radio (ESSOR) project which aims to develop common technologies for European military radios. 

The adoption of these technologies as a standard will guarantee the interoperability of EU forces in the framework of joint operations, regardless which radio platforms are used. The ESSOR project will provide a secure military communications system, improving voice and data communication between Member States’ Armed Forces on a variety of platforms. In addition, it will deliver guidelines related to the validation and verification of waveform portability and platform re-configurability, setting up a common security basis to increase interoperability between the forces. By ensuring that military radios are fully accessible, shared and used by all Member States, the effectiveness of joint operations can be increased substantially. 

To that end, the Member States participating in the ESSOR project - Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal (with Estonia and Ireland as observers) - have moved forward to implement a common architecture analysis of software radios in Europe. 

The ESSOR project activities are currently performed by the consortium A4ESSOR through a contract managed by OCCAr.  A4ESSOR is a joint-venture of the following companies: Thales (FR), Leonardo (IT), Indra (SP), Radmor (PL), Bittium (FI) and soon Rohde & Schwarz (DE). 

The ESSOR PESCO project presents exceptional technological characteristics: it is based on the state-of-the-art technology in the radio field, and it aims at developing the most advanced concepts and solutions for communications applicable to several waveform layers. It builds a complete set of capabilities which will satisfy the most demanding, modern and future communication requirements. 
 

EDA supports development of ESSOR CONOPS 

Earlier this month (11 October), the 2nd ESSOR workshop on the development of a “concept of operations” (CONOPS) had already taken place at the Agency. It allowed the project Members States to gain insight into the process and methodology which are compliant with NATO Architecture Framework version 4. The CONOPS aims at describing the operational needs, visions and expectations of the operational users (from tactical level to component command) on the new waveforms to be developed in the context of the PESCO ESSOR project. It analyses operational scenarios using vignettes and identifies categories of architectural information which are further developed into operational requirements and technical requirements. A questionnaire is being distributed to operational staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force to gather inputs on the role of software defined radio to ensure interoperability among military communication and information systems in a future pervasive interconnected battlefield. 
 

Background

PESCO, the Permanent Structured Cooperation set up in December 2017, allows the 25 participating Member States to jointly plan, develop and invest in shared capability projects, and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces. The aim is to jointly develop a coherent full spectrum force package and make the capabilities available to Member States for national and multinational (EU CSDP, NATO, UN, etc.) missions and operations. 

For more information on PESCO visit the website https://pesco.europa.eu/. 

 

Americas

Raytheon announced the delivery to the US Air Force of the first high-energy laser system to counter drone threats. The company received a $23.8 million contract in August to build two high-energy laser systems, as well as a $16 million contract for a microwave counter-drone system known as the Phaser. The laser uses a variant of Raytheon’s Multi-Spectral Targeting System and an electro-optical/infrared sensor to detect and track drones before engaging and neutralizing the threat. The HELWS, or High Energy Laser Weapons System, then can shoot down a drone. At the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington, DC, this week, Raytheon executives said one of the high-energy laser systems has already been delivered to the Air Force, and the other will follow shortly. It will represent the first overseas deployment for the system, a milestone as major defense companies scramble to deliver smart solutions to counter a growing and diverse threat from enemy drones.

UPI reports that the US Army together with a leading organization of unidentified flying objects researchers agreed to a study of UFO material to improve Army ground vehicles. TTSA, whose membership includes former punk rocker from the band Blink-182 Tom Delonge, former Lockheed Martin Skunk Works exec Steve Justice and former Department of Defense Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) official Luis Elizondo, played a role in the high-profile release of videos purportedly showing military pilots encountering „unidentified aerial phenomena“in the past few years. The group announced that it had entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) to advance TTSA’s materiel and technology innovations in order to develop enhanced capabilities for Army ground vehicles. Officials at the CCDC’s Ground Vehicle System Center subsequently confirmed to the Drive hat such an agreement had been struck. The center did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment.

Middle East & Africa

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Bahrain to refurbish the Oliver Hazard Perry Class ship with support for an estimated cost of $150 million. Bahrain had requested refurbishment of the Oliver Hazard Perry Class ship, spares, support, training, publications, and other related elements of logistics and program support. However, the principal contractor supporting the refurbishment has not yet been selected for this potential sale. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Goodrich Corp. – Collins Aerospace won a $9.9 million contract modification for the spare parts buy for DB-110 reconnaissance pods. The modification provides for the purchase of a necessary additional quantity of spare parts for the Reconnaissance Systems Program in support of the Royal Saudi Air Force DB 110 pods. Collins Aerospace DB-110 dual-band airborne reconnaissance sensor, a derivative of the SYERS system, combines visible and infrared imaging capabilities in a compact, lightweight design. The system has proven its performance in demonstrations worldwide on both manned and unmanned platforms. Work under the contract modification will take place in Worcestershire in the UK as well as Westford, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by December 21, 2021. The contract involved 100 percent Foreign Military Sales to Saudi Arabia.

Europe

US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has disclosed that United Arab Emirates as well as the UK are seeking to buy CH-47s from Boeing. The UAE will be getting 10 while 14 are to be sold to Britain. A formal letter of acceptance could be offered to the UK next spring. “I believe we will be in the position here very shortly to take the next step for notification to Congress of a proposed sale of 10 additional Chinooks to the UAE, with the UK likely to buy an additional 14“, Bloomberg Quint cited McCarthy. “I’m personally involved with those efforts.” The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter developed by rotorcraft company Vertol and by Boeing Vertol.

Asia-Pacific

Indonesia wants to secure a deal with the government to procure Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, Jane’s reports. The country also wants to facilitate industrial co-operation in relation to the platform. Air Commodore Novyan Samyoga, the chief of information in the TNI-AU, had previously confirmed to Jane’s that the service has identified the platform as a priority procurement given the age of some of the service’s existing transport aircraft. In the first phase of the procurement, the TNI-AU is expected to procure five platforms if sufficient funding is available.

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Americas

Northrop Grumman Systems won a $18.3 million contract modification for the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System. This order procures material kits and retrofit labor to incorporate the Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) 4.0 configuration into one retrofit ground segment and fully fund the IFC 4.0 retrofit install labor for aircraft B10. Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C UAS provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions. The UAV is designed to perform continuous maritime surveillance, conduct search and rescue missions, and to complement the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The Triton IFC 4.0 project seeks to upgrade the Triton UAV with multi-intelligence capabilities that include SIGINT, such that Triton IFC 4.0 UAVs could replace the Navy’s fleet of EP-3 aircraft. The EP-3 aircraft are based on the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion four-engine turboprop airframe. Work under the contract modification is expected to be complete by February, 2021.

Advanced Structural Technologies won a $17.6 million contract modification for manufacture and supply of M1 Abrams tank aluminum road wheel inserts. The M1 Abrams main battle tank has been the mainstay of the US Army’s armor branch. Heavily armored, powered by a gas turbine engine and equipped with a powerful 120-millimeter gun, the M1 has proven to be an adaptable tank capable of fighting from the rolling hills of southern Germany to the deserts of Iraq. In the wake of MBT-70 the Army tried again to develop a new tank, a design that was eventually known as the XM-1 and later the M-1. The new tank would incorporate major advances in firepower, protection and mobility, but committing to an ultimate design would involve heated battles—and compromises—between all three. Work under the wheel inserts contract modification will take place in Oxnard, California. Estimated completion will be on October 21, 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Development of the South African AHRLAC aircraft is back in track since the approval of a business rescue plan on October 21. Paramount Group announced that the plan “will secure the future of the AHRLAC aircraft as well as its employees, and will see the resumption of sales, marketing, and manufacturing of the aircraft to customers around the world. The rescue plan, which was released on August 23, envisaged consolidation of the various subunits in the Aerospace Development Corporation (ADC), which develops, manufactures, and delivers AHRLAC, into a single business owned by Paramount Group through two new South African-based entities.

Europe

Lithuania says it will start negotiations with the US for the purchase of six UH-60 Black Hawks to replace its aging Mi-8 fleet. The Ministry of National Defense says the Letter of Offer and Acceptance is expected to be signed by the end of 2020. The first helicopter should arrive in the country in 2024. “Currently the Lithuanian Armed Forces continues to use for its tasks three operational soviet-made Mi-8 whose airworthiness deadline is very near, and three AS365 N3+ Dauphin helicopters that are mainly used for search and rescue operations and environmental protection surveillance in the territory of Lithuania. We have to change the remnant Mi-8 Soviet platform to a western technology for military tasks,” Minister of National Defense Raimundas Karoblis says. A market analysis that was done according to the criteria formulated by the Lithuanian Armed Forces has revealed that the UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter offered by the United States of America meets the demands for a replacement in the most optimal way.

Russia wants to market a new variant of the MiG-35 multirole combat aircraft geared towards the export market, Jane’s reports. Russian Aircraft Corporation or RAC reportedly said that a version of the aircraft modified with anti-corrosion parts for hot and humid operations, a different outer-mould line, an open-systems architecture, an electro-optic/infrared search and track sensor, and a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar has been developed for the international market. The aircraft however could also be a very interesting proposal for African nations looking for a cost-effective combat aircraft.

Asia-Pacific

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force is engaged in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri 2019 with the Indian Air Force this month. Local News reports say, one of the highlights of the exercise is the capture of an airfield together with special forces from both countries. The week-long exercise began on October 17 and involves C-130J and C-130H aircraft from the two countries. The focus of the exercise is to achieve joint mobility and tactical interoperability between the two Forces.

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Americas

The US Navy completed the process of transitioning from P-3C Orion to the P-8A Poseidon earlier this month as the “Fighting Marlins” of Patrol Squadron FORTY returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. The conclusion of a six-month rotational deployment on October 10, 2019, marked the final active duty deployment for the P-3C Orion, which served as the US Navy’s airborne anti-submarine warfare and maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) force for more than five decades. After post-deployment leave, the Fighting Marlins will begin the final of 12 active duty squadron transitions to the more modern and capable P-8A Poseidon. The US Navy will continue to operate its intelligence collection variant, the EP-3E, for several years along with reserve component operations before the official retirement of all P-3 variants.

Rocket startup company Firefly Aerospace said Friday it will partner with Aerojet Rocketdyne, a defense and aircraft contractor. One of the first projects on which the two will collaborate is 3D printing of Firefly’s engines, according to the announcement. Firefly plans to launch its first rocket, named Firefly Alpha, in 2020, and also plans to build a rocket plant near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The company is aiming at small and medium launchers to low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit and the moon. “We’re excited to work with Aerojet Rocketdyne under this new collaborative agreement because of their extensive experience and the unique mission solutions they offer. Combined with our already mature Alpha design, our cooperation with Aerojet Rocketdyne is a significant differentiator in the small to medium launch vehicle market and will enable rapid performance increases of the Alpha vehicle,” said Firefly CEO Tom Markusic.

Middle East & Africa

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has deployed one of its Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft to the Middle East in support of the International Maritime Security Construct aimed at assuring the safety and protection of maritime navigation in the Gulf region. Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds announced in an October 18 statement that the aircraft’s advanced patrol surveillance capabilities will be used to support the safe transit of naval and merchant vessels, and thus provide “a modest but meaningful contribution” to the mission. The P-8A is expected to remain in the region until the end of November. A series of incidents in the Strait of Hormuz have led to a US-led multinational effort to enhance maritime security in the region. The arrival of the P-8A Poseidon is in line with the Australian Government’s commitment to the coalition.

Europe

The four-country EuroDASS consortium, which consists of UK’s Leonardo, Italy’s Elettronica, Germany’s Hensoldt, and Spain’s Indra, has outlined its vision of a next-generation electronic warfare (EW) suite for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. Global Flight reports, that the industry partners launched plans for a so-called Praetorian Evolution, or “Evo” package of capabilities. Known as Praetorian Evolution, the future Defensive Aids Subsystem (DASS) builds on the Typhoon’s existing Praetorian DASS but introduces a new all-digital architecture and expands electronic warfare functionality beyond platform self-protection. EuroDASS has developed its roadmap independent of the Praetorian Long Term Evolution (LTE) study activity awarded earlier this year, although Praetorian Evolution work is expected to inform LTE outputs.

Asia-Pacific

Taiwan’s program to upgrade 142 Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) F-16A/B fighter aircraft to the latest F-16V configuration is back on track. Defense Minister, Yen Teh-fa told lawmakers that all problems with the Ministry of National Defense’s Phoenix Rising Project, which was launched in 2016 and aims to upgrade 142 ROCAF A/B Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to the F-16V configuration by 2023, have been resolved, the South China Morning Post reports. The program is being carried out by Lockheed Martin and its local partner AIDC, with the first upgraded F-16V aircraft being delivered to the RoCAF in October 2018. First unveiled at the Singapore Airshow in 2012, the F-16V features the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a new Raytheon mission computer, the Link 16 datalink, modern cockpit displays, an enhanced electronic warfare system, and a ground collision avoidance system.

Japan’s Board of Audit has found that the US has been behind schedule in delivering military equipment ordered by the Japan Self-Defense Force, the Japan Times reports. It found that only 40 percent of the flight computers ordered for the F-2 fighter have been delivered and some computers ordered nine years ago have yet been shipped. Delays also forced Maritime Self-Defense Force to hold back repairs for its Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The board on Friday urged the Defense Ministry to negotiate with the US side so that such delays will be resolved as soon as possible. In its survey, the audit board looked at Japan’s defense equipment procurement from the United States in four fiscal years through the end of March 2018. The F-2 support fighter aircraft is a multi role single engine fighter aircraft principally designed for the Japan Air Self Defence Force, the result of a joint Japan and USA development program.

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