EUROPE
LAND
21 Dec 16. On behalf of the Dutch procurement office (DMO), the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment (BAAINBw) signed an agreement with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the procurement of five Leguan bridge layer systems on Leopard 2 chassis on 20 December, 2016. The entire procurement plan also includes training simulators, accessory equipment and an option for additional bridge layer systems. The vehicles will be transferred to the Dutch army in 2019 and 2020. This version of the Leguan is capable of laying and transporting two 14 metre long bridges or one 26 metre long bridge, even under combat conditions. The Dutch army is the sixth user of the Leguan on Leopard 2 chassis. In total, armies from 17 countries operate the Leguan bridge layer system on various mobility platforms.
21 Dec 16. The Polish Ministry of National Defence has awarded a contract worth 932m zloty (US $220m) to local defense company Mesko for new Piorun short-range man-portable air defense systems for the country’s military. Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said at the official signing ceremony on Dec. 20 that the new systems are to “protect Poland, and not threaten or attack anyone.” The first brigades will obtain these weapons later this year. “Under the deal, the Polish Armed Forces will acquire 1,300 missiles and 420 missile launchers,” Macierewicz said, as quoted in a statement released by the Defense Ministry. The Piorun, translated roughly to thunderbolt, is an upgraded version of the Grom MANPAD. Based in Skarzysko-Kamienna, in Poland’s south, Mesko is a subsidiary of Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ. The company specializes in making missile systems and ammunition. On a related note, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki said on Dec. 20 that he has obtained a letter of acceptance to acquire JASSM-ER for the Polish Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets. The procurement is to be implemented under the foreign military sales program. The JASSM is produced by Lockheed Martin. In addition to 70 AGM 158A JASSM-ER missiles, Warsaw is also to obtain the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. The Polish government sees the acquisitions as one of the country’s key military procurement programs, and a crucial part of its efforts to ramp up the country’s defenses against an increasingly belligerent Russia. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
SEA
21 Dec 16. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has received an order from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) for the modernization of three minehunting vessels of the Frankenthal class (Type 332) in service with the German Navy. The corresponding contract, with a volume of about 78.5m Euros, was signed by the parties today at the BAAINBw in Koblenz. The objective of this project, which bears the designation MJ 332 CL, is to equip the three boats with the Integrated Mine Counter Measure System (IMCMS) and the mine disposal vehicle SeaFox of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. On top of that, the vessels will be given the capability for controlling the “Seehund” ROV, which until now has only been integrated on the minesweepers of the Ensdorf class (Type 352). In addition to the shipboard adaptations, a shore-based training and testing facility is to be established and taken into service. The project is planned to run until 2020. The German Navy currently has ten minehunting vessels of the Frankenthal class in service. Five boats were already fitted out with the IMCMS and SeaFox by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK in 2009 and 2012. For the three units now to follow, this project aims to ensure the uniformity of the minehunting combat system and the capability of using the underwater vehicle on a total of eight units. The remaining two boats will be used as mission platforms for mine clearance divers.
USA
LAND
16 Dec 16. DRS Sustainment Systems Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, was awarde