CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
LAND
25 Aug 09. The Swedish Government has approved the procurement of 24 Archer artillery sets from BAE Systems in a joint acquisition project with Norway. The Archer is a three to four-seat armoured articulated dumper vehicle with an artillery calibre of 155m and range of 50km and a rate of fire of ten to 12 shots a minute. The vehicle also provides protection against small arms fire, nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons and mines at a firing rate of ten shots a minute. Sweden and Norway will share development and maintenance costs of the artillery system and undertake joint training, exercises, modifications and upgrades. Two Archer prototypes will be manufactured this year, while the delivery of the first production vehicles will start in 2011. (Source: army-technology.com)
Aug 09. The MAS Zengrange Mini DRFD was selected by the UK MoD as the preferred option for remote initiation equipment for the Joint Service EOD requirement.
27 Aug 09. Thales has received a £20m contract from Singapore Technologies Kinetics to equip the Warthog armoured vehicles with key mission systems. The UK announced a deal to purchase more than 100 of the all-terrain tracked armoured vehicles from Singapore Technologies Kinetics in December 2008. The Warthog, a version of the Bronco vehicle features a 7.2l engine, advanced armour protection and can move through water while carrying up to 11 troops. Under the contract, Thales will install additional armour, specialist electronic counter-measure equipment and communication tools on Warthog vehicles to bring them in line with UK theatre-entry requirements. In addition, the contract comprises assistance and support for the supplied systems and equipment.
21 Aug 09. The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has ordered 14 Bushmaster armoured patrol vehicles valued at €10.9m for use in Afghanistan.The Bushmaster vehicles, manufactured by Thales Australia, provide protection against roadside bombs and are therefore in great demand to the forces operating in Afghanistan. Out of the 14 new vehicles, nine will be part of the available fleet and the remaining five will form a reserve to be used in future. The delivery of the vehicles is to start in October. This purchase is in addition to the 14 vehicles that were purchased in June and have already been deployed in Afghanistan.
AIR
Aug 09. Ascent Flight Training, the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and VT Group, has signed a contract with the MOD for Rear Crew Stage 1 training as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme. The £57m contract represents the first phase of the agreement, under the UKMFTS banner, for the provision of training of Royal Naval Observers to support frontline operations. (Source: MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin)
25 Aug 09. The Royal Air Force Tornado GR4/4A fleet is to benefit from a £28M Mid-Life Fatigue Programme (MLFP) contract, awarded to Panavia, which is aimed at seeing the fleet through to its planned Out-of-Service Date (OSD) in 2025. The Tornado GR4 aircraft remains the most capable ground attack platform within the RAF inventory. Recent investments in state of the art avionics, defensive aids, precision weapons and reconnaissance systems have ensured the aircraft remains a potent and flexible offensive air platform. Sustainment of this robust capability is vital to the RAF and to its successful involvement in current and future operations. This Phase 2 programme follows a concept phase that established the best way of dealing with aircraft fatigue issues identified during routine monitoring, and will involve technical demonstrations to assess the best method of delivering them. Its outcome will inform Phase 3, which will seek approval to roll-out the programme across the fleet, ensuring that the fatigue life of key areas of the aircraft’s front and centre fuselage are extended to OSD. The MFLP contract was awarded through the NATO