EUROPE
LAND
06 Oct 06. UK government/industry develop package for sustainment of Challenger 2 capability. Abandonment of the Caterpillar/ Perkins CV12 1,200 hp diesel engine and Textron/David Brown TN54 transmission used in the British Army’s Challenger 2 tank fleet in favour of a German powerpack is being considered as a possible ‘spend-to-save’ measure by the UK Ministry of Defence. The Euro Pack, which combines MTU’s 883 diesel with an HSWL 295 transmission, is a favoured replacement because it has a higher output (1,500 hp), is more economical and compact, is compliant with new European emission regulations, and is fully adapted to high-temperature (A1) operating conditions. An alternative upgrade solution might be to apply some of the enhancements to the existing CV12 powerpack that have been introduced with the British Army’s new Challenger 2-based Engineer Tank System (ETS). (Source: Jane’s International Defence Review)
18 Oct 06. ISAF, the International Security Assistance Task Force, has the primary responsibility of providing a safe and secure environment in Afghanistan to facilitate reconstruction of critical components. ISAF plays a key role in supporting organizations such as UN agencies, International organizations and NGOs so that they can execute their tasks safely and more efficiently. NATO assumed command of ISAF which is backed by more than 37 nations and consists of over 31,000 troops. Given the hostile environment in Afghanistan, despite efforts to ameliorate the conditions, ISAF troops are still at high risk for casualties. ISAF recently requested new armor for its personnel expecting no compromises in terms of quality. EnGarde body armor, one of the fastest growing and well respected manufacturers has won the tender offer and has supplied ISAF with its light-weight advanced bullet proof vests.
SEA
09 Oct 06. DML awarded warship support contract. DML has been awarded the refit of HMS Cumberland, a Type 22 Broadsword Class Frigate. The news comes within the award announcement by the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) of the first batch of surface ship refits under the Surface Ship Support Alliance (SSSA), part of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). HMS Cumberland’s refit is due to commence next month (November 2006) and will employ up to 300 people over 12 months. The refit will include a major structural survey with full blasting and re-preservation of the hull and superstructure, work on the propulsion system and auxiliary machinery, and upgrades to the reverse osmosis plant, fuel and communications systems and the ship’s accommodation.
AIR
19 Oct 06. New fleet of training aircraft for UK’s fast jet pilots. BAE
Systems has been awarded a £450m contract to build 28 Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft.
05 Oct 06. Data Link Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $6,249,855 firm-fixed-price delivery order for multifunctional information distribution system-low volume terminals (MIDS-LVTs). The MIDS-LVT provides secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for Navy, Air Force and Army platforms. This contract is for the government of Greece (100 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J. (50 percent), and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by April 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order was competitively procured with three offers received via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems E-commerce web site. The synopsis was released via the Federal Business Opportunities web site. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N00039-00-D-2100).
USA
LAND
17 Oct 06. Armor Holdings, Inc. announced the receipt of orders valued at $17m from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command for additional production of M1116 Up-Armored HMMWV vehic