CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF

EUROPE

LAND

16 Jan 08. Fire Support Weapon: Contract Award. Defence Equipment & Support announced (16 Jan 08) contract award to Heckler & Koch for the supply of an unspecified number of Fire Support Weapons. The value of the contract was given as €3.0m (£2.23m).
Comment: The Fire Support Weapon is to fill a perceived capability gap for the Royal Marines, Infantry and RAF Regiment when operating in the dismounted close combat role. The in-service Grenade Machine Gun (also known as the Automatic Lightweight Grenade Launcher or ALGL) was deemed to meet the requirement. The procurement of “over 40” ALGL for £4.3m, to be deployed in Afghanistan, was announced on 19 Oct 06. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 0804, 21 Jan 08)

11 Jan 08. Boldon James announced a multi-million euro order to deliver an MMHS to a European Ministry of Defence. This order is the culmination of a programme of work which started in 2006 and ended with Boldon James winning a competitive tender involving a number of international defence contractors.

17 Jan 08. Rheinmetall to supply Kodiak armoured engineer vehicles to
Sweden and the Netherlands. The Swedish procurement authority, FMV, and The Netherlands Ministry of Defence procurement authority have placed orders with Rheinmetall for the Kodiak armoured engineer (breaching) vehicle. The total value of the orders is approximately €100m. Signed on January 16, 2008, the contracts include ten systems for the Dutch Army, and six for the Swedish Army. The vehicles will be delivered during the period 2011-2012. Apart from its prime function as a heavy-duty combat engineer vehicle for use in military operations and disaster relief, the Kodiak can serve in a mine-clearing role, protecting troops deployed in harm’s way. Rheinmetall manufactures and markets the Kodiak in a consortium together with Swiss defence contractor RUAG Land Systems. Based on a bilateral agreement between the two countries, the joint orders represent an innovative way of reducing costs. The two nations have effectively harmonized their procurement programs, particularly with regard to the configuration of the vehicles and uniform logistics. Although both governments have signed separate, equally valid contracts with Rheinmetall, the programme is being carried out jointly on the basis of a harmonized central plan. This makes it possible to substantially reduce the non-recurring costs as well as bringing advantages with regard to purchasing and production. Following the Swiss Army, the Dutch and Swedish will be among the first to augment their existing inventories of Leopard 2 main battle tanks and “Bergepanzer 3” armoured recovery vehicles with the new Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle, which will increase their engineer capacity significantly.

AIR

17 Jan 08. Bombardier announced the sale of four high-speed Global 5000 jets, which will be operated by the German Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Special Mission Wing for VIP transport and Medical Evacuation (MedEvac) flights. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2011. The Global 5000 jets were selected by the Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement in Germany (BWB), as part of a broader agreement regarding the modernization of the MoD’s Special Mission Wing. Lufthansa Technik AG of Hamburg, Germany, is the prime contractor for the overall agreement, which also includes the purchase of two Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliners. The six new aircraft will replace the MoD’s existing fleet of Challenger 601 aircraft. (Source: ASD Network)

14 Jan 08. Tornado GR4 Aircraft: Capability Upgrade. Ministers announced (14 Jan 08) that a contract had been signed with BAE Systems, on 21 Dec 07, for Tornado GR4 Capability Upgrade Strategy (Pilot) (CUS(P)). CUS(P) involves the embodiment of an upgraded Secure Communications System, the introduction of a Tactical Data Link Capability and the integration of the Paveway IV Precision Guided Bomb. The M