EUROPE
SEA
02 Feb 16. The U.S. Navy recently awarded a follow-on, omnibus contract to General Dynamics Mission Systems that continues a broad scope of work for fire control systems and subsystems aboard U.S. Navy and United Kingdom’s Royal Navy nuclear ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN). The contract has a total potential value of $440m over the next seven years. General Dynamics will deliver support and modernization of the existing SSBN strategic weapon system including fire control subsystem installation, maintenance, sustainment, training and repairs to navigation and launch subsystems. The company will also develop the fire control system for the U.S Navy’s Ohio Replacement submarine and the Royal Navy’s Successor-class ballistic-missile submarine, and the production of new systems for the Royal Navy’s first-of-class SSBN 09 submarine and Trident Training Facility. Work on the development and sustainment of the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class guided-missile submarine attack weapon control system is also part of the contract. The omnibus contract is a follow-on to a contract awarded to General Dynamics in December 2014 for the development, production, installation and deployed-systems support of U.S. and U.K. Trident II submarine strategic weapons systems and subsystems. A majority of the work will take place at General Dynamics’ facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
AIR
02 Feb 16. Contracts worth more than £1bn have secured the future of the UK military’s fixed wing flying training. Ascent, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will deliver the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) through to 2033. The MOD has today announced a total investment of £1.1bn that will enable Ascent to deliver the fixed wing element of training at key military sites across the UK. As part of this investment, a contract worth approximately £500m has been signed with Affinity who will provide the aircraft that will be used at different stages of the training. Affinity, which is a joint venture between Kellogg Brown and Root Ltd and Elbit Systems UK, will provide three aircraft types as well as their maintenance and support. Contracts have also been awarded to Lockheed Martin and Babcock who have been selected to deliver all of the ground based training equipment and infrastructure to support the delivery of the fixed wing training capability. Once fully operational in 2019, fixed wing flying training will see students conduct Elementary Flying Training on the Grob 120TP ‘Prefect’ before going on to complete either Multi Engine Pilot Training on the Embraer ‘Phenom’ 100 or Basic Flying Training on the Beechcraft ‘Texan’ T-6C.
03 Feb 16. Beechcraft Signs T-6C Contract for the UK Military Flying Training System. Beechcraft Defense Company, LLC, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., has signed a contract with Affinity Flying Training Services to provide 10 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II military training aircraft to the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) program. A second contract has also been signed to include five years of engineering services, parts support, maintenance training and the placement of on-site Field Service Representatives who provide ongoing technical expertise to UKMFTS maintenance personnel. With deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2018, these aircraft will support team Affinity, a joint venture between Elbit Systems and KBR (Kellogg, Brown and Root), who was selected as the preferred bidder to provide aircraft and maintenance services to the UKMFTS program. (Source: defence-aerospace.com)
02 Feb 16. Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems”) announced that Affinity Flying Services Limited (“Affinity”), its UK joint venture with Kellog, Brown and Root Limited (“KBR”), was awarded a fixed price contract for the support of Ascent Flight Training (Services) Limited (“Ascent”), in the delivery of the UK Military Flight Training System (“UKMFTS”)