CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
LAND
05 Dec 07. Greece to Buy 415 Russian Infantry Combat Vehicles. Greece agreed Dec. 5 to buy 415 BMP-3 fighting vehicles from Russia worth up to €1.7bn euros ($2.5bn), a defense source said, in a move expected to further enhance ties between the two countries. Greece’s State Defense Procurements Council (KYSEA) was due to announce the deal which will be delivered over several years. (Source: Defense News)
Dec 07. The Spanish Government has released the following announcement: “Cabinet Meeting summary of the Spanish Government of the 30/11/2007 AGREEMENT that authorize the signature of the acquisition contract for the Spike-ER Air-Land missiles systems for the Tiger helicopter by a global amount of 44.027.963 Euro, to distribute among the exercises 2007-2012.” The GD Santa Barbara and Rafael deal is a follow up on last year’s contract signed by the two companies for the supply of Spike Missiles to the ground forces.
13 Dec 07. TENET has successfully secured a follow-on contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to investigate and critically evaluate the impact and potential opportunities for the MoD relating to the European Union’s Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) Directive. The INSPIRE Directive entered into force on the 15th May 2007; the UK is now taking steps to implement the Directive in to UK law. INSPIRE seeks to create a European spatial data infrastructure (SDI) for the purpose of environmental policies and or activities that may directly or indirectly impact on the environment. INSPIRE also aims to facilitate the delivery of integrated spatial information services to a wide range of users including policy makers, planners and managers at all levels as well as the general public.
SEA
06 Dec 07. HMS Sutherland major upgrade makes her the most powerful in the fleet
Defence Minister Baroness Taylor today announced a £35m major
upgrade to the Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland. New equipment valued at £18m will be installed as part of a general overhaul of the ship under a £17m contract with Babock Marine at their Rosyth dockyard in Scotland.
The Type 23 frigate is to get:
* the Navy’s latest and most sophisticated submarine hunting sonar
system, capable of identifying submarines at an even greater range;
* an advanced Seawolf air defence missile system, which will counter
the advanced threat from missiles and fixed wing aircraft;
* a new improved main gun, capable of firing long-range ammunition;
* a reshaped stern to cut fuel use.
07 Dec 07. Bulgaria Buys Belgian Frigates; French Corvettes on Hold. Bulgaria has approved the purchase of two second-hand Belgian frigates and a minesweeper, but deferred plans to buy four new NATO-standard French corvettes for its navy, Defence Minister Vesselin Bliznakov said Dec. 7. “The government decided Thursday to buy two more second-hand frigates and a minesweeper from the Belgian government for €54m” ($79m),” Bliznakov said. Sofia had bought a 20-year-old Belgian frigate in 2005, its first military ship to comply with NATO standards. The first of the two new frigates — and possibly all three ships — would be delivered next summer, he said. (Source: Defense News)
12 Dec. 07. Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to provide a new-generation integrated navigation and bridge system (INBS) for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) project. The initial INBS design-phase contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the industrial alliance that, in the manufacture phase of the project, will include the planned Joint Venture between VT Group and BAES (including BAES Marine and BAES Integrated System Technologies), Babcock Support Services Ltd, Thales Naval and MOD. The INBS will be based on Sperry Marine’s innovative VisionMaster FT technology and will bring together all of the ship