EUROPE
AIR
03 Aug 16. RAF buys BAE sensors. The Royal Air Force is buying BAE micro-sensors for its F-35s and Sentinel ISR aircraft. The contract, valued at £5m (US $6m), calls for BAE to “fit and assess corrosion sensors in hard-to-reach areas of Sentinel airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft. These will inform maintenance teams when the jets need to be mechanically opened to check for corrosion preventing the need for areas such as avionics bays, to be opened for unnecessary checks thus saving time and money. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
01 Aug 16. Safran Helicopter Engines has been selected by Denmark’s Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) to support the Royal Danish Air Force’s (RDAF) fleet of EH101 Merlin military utility medium lift helicopter. Under the seven-year contract, the company will provide support services to more than 50 RTM322 turboshaft engines that power 14 AgustaWestland-built EH101 aircraft currently in service with the RDAF. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
USA
LAND
04 Aug 16. PNL receives multiple contracts from US Army for explosive threat detection. The US Army has awarded multiple contracts to Phoenix Nuclear Labs (PNL) to develop systems to detect defective munitions and concealed explosive threats.
Under the contracts valued at $3.6m, PNL said that it will build an advanced neutron radiography system to detect defective munitions and demonstrate the ability to use their neutron generators to detect and identify concealed explosive threats. Unlike X-rays, neutrons can deeply penetrate high-density materials, including shell casings and other metallic objects, and visualise lower-density materials, such as carbon or hydrogen. Until now, only nuclear reactors could produce enough neutrons to take images in practical time periods, the company said. The pilot neutron radiography system is the first of its type to be installed in a munitions production facility. It is expected to produce ten times higher neutron yield, facilitating faster performance and higher resolution, PNL said in a statement. The system will also produce digital images that will improve its ability to analyse and store data. (Source: army-technology.com)
SEA
01 Aug 16. Coast Guard orders C4ISR for cutters. L-3 has been awarded a $160m contract to provide the integrated C4ISR system for the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class fast response cutters (FRC).
Under the nine-year contract from Bollinger Shipyards, L-3 will provide initial design upgrades to the FRC, including the antenna arrangement and analysis, exterior communications and other situational awareness enhancements. In addition, L-3 will deliver, install and support the integrated bridge, interior and exterior communications systems, and distributed navigation equipment. The company will also conduct training of the FRC crews at its site in Camden, New Jersey, and will provide post-delivery warranty support at each cutter’s home port,” according to the news release. The contract covers C4ISR systems for 26 cutters. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
AIR
02 Aug 16. Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a $523,972,941 sole-source, fixed-price-incentive-firm, and firm-fixed-price modification. This contract action is an option exercise that was previously announced on Dec. 18, 2015. Under this option exercise, as previously identified in the December 2015 announcement, the contractor will continue efforts to procure the material, fabricate, test and deliver 47 SM-3 Block IB missiles for fiscal 2016. This option exercise, valued at $523,972,941, is the first of three one-year options (fiscal 2016 through fiscal 2018) with a quantity of up to 52 per option year. It is noted, however, that the $523,972,941 was included in the ceiling amount specified in the previous congressional notification issued on Dec. 18, 2015. The work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona; and Huntsville, A