UNITED KINGDOM
SEA
08 Jul 19. Rolls-Royce has received a contract to perform maintenance on the British Royal Navy’s Type-23 frigate fleet engines. Under the £85m contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), Rolls-Royce will deliver a comprehensive support package to Spey gas turbines. The contract includes the overhaul of engines, provision of spares, as well as engineering and safety support. Rolls-Royce will overhaul 30 Type-23 engines from the UK and Nato member states, including Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The MoD stated that overhaul of the turbines is a key initiative as they boost propulsion in the Type-23 frigates and serve as a vital component for anti-submarine warfare. The contract includes the overhaul of engines, provision of spares, as well as engineering and safety support. Rolls-Royce will overhaul 30 Type-23 engines from the UK and Nato member states, including Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The MoD stated that overhaul of the turbines is a key initiative as they boost propulsion in the Type-23 frigates and serve as a vital component for anti-submarine warfare. (Source: naval-technology.com)
AIR
11 Jul 19. The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is being awarded a $23,375,361 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-19-F-4058) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This order procures contractor logistics support for the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) P-8A program and aircraft. Contractor logistics support includes initial acceptance and breakdown of four aircraft and provision of training with an eight-month detachment to the UK to establish initial operational capability as well as subsequent full operational capability, scheduled aircraft maintenance, support equipment maintenance, engineering reach back and technical assistance. Work will be performed in Lossiemouth, Scotland (59%); Seattle, Washington (21%); and Jacksonville, Florida (20%), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $23,375,361 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
EUROPE
LAND
05 Jul 19. KSAT Wins MNOK 618 Contract With Space Norway. Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) signed a MNOK 618 contract with Space Norway for the delivery of ground station services to provide satellite-based broadband in the Artic. The contract is related to Space Norway’s newly announced cooperation with the satellite operator Inmarsat and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence to offer mobile broadband coverage in the Arctic. The two satellites related to this cooperation are scheduled to be launched by SpaceX in 2022. The 15 year service agreement covers ground station and spacecraft operations and requires KSAT to expand with both capacity and antennas in the Tromsø-region in Northern Norway. (Source: ASD Network)
09 Jul 19. Milrem awarded contract to support new Estonian rifles under military-industry deal. Milrem LCM has been awarded a contract to support the new standard rifle being acquired from LMT Defense by the Estonian Defence Force (EDF), representing the first time the maintenance and repair of major military equipment in Estonia will be carried out jointly by industry and the military. On the same day that the contract was signed between the EDF and LMT for the provision of the rifles on 1 July, Milrem also signed a EUR75m (USD84.1m) contract for the support of the firearm with the Estonian government and the weapon’s OEM, it announced on 9 July. The deal covers an initial purchase of 16,000 rifles, and Milrem LCM will be the official partner of LMT in the management of the lifecycle of the firearms, the company said, having opened a new business line to support the deal. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
AIR
10 Jul 19. Bulgaria Agrees to Buy Eight F-16V Fighters from US. After months of negotiations, Bulgaria announced today that it has reached an agreement to buy eight new-build Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets for its air force, Reuters reported from Sofia. The aircraft will cost $1.256bn, and constitute Bulgaria’s biggest military acquisition since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. The new F-16s will replace the obsolete MiG-29 fighters currently operated by the Bulgarian air force. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on May 30, identifying that aircraft as F-16C/D Block 70/72s and stating their price as $1.67bn. However, the lower price finally agreed suggests Bulgaria decided to defer or not buy some of the components of the original package, but given the small size of the weapons package it is difficult to see what was dropped. The aircraft are thus priced at just over $200m each. (Source: defense-aerospace.com)
USA
LAND
09 Jul 19. General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, was awarded a $296,100,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for the production of Prophet Enhanced systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2020. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-17-D-0006).
11 Jul 19. US Army issues Javelin contract modification. The US Army has issued an $11m contract modification to the Javelin Joint Venture (JV) for Spiral 3 test and evaluation on the Javelin programme. The work includes engineering services for the Spiral 3 test and evaluation plan, Spiral 3 system hardware qualification, and Worldwide Ammunition Reporting System requirements to support the Javelin missile system. Work will run through to September 2021. Javelin JV is a joint Raytheon and Lockheed Martin joint venture. (Source: Shephard)
09 Jul 19. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received a $17.6m award from the U.S. Army to upgrade Target Locator Modules (TLMs). The TLMs will be retrofitted with high accuracy capability to modernize the Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder 2H (LLDR 2H) man-portable targeting system. The LLDR 2H hybrid sensor solution fuses data from a digital magnetic compass and celestial navigation sensors to provide high accuracy target location and long-range imaging to allow warfighters greater leverage to shape the field of engagement. Interconnectivity within the digitized battlefield enables the operator to use LLDR 2H to quickly acquire, locate and designate high-value targets. The LLDR 2H system also features Northrop Grumman’s patented thermal diode pumping technology for designation, which consumes less power than older lasers, yet yields greater output energy and lower beam divergence. More than 2,700 LLDR systems have been delivered and fielded to date.
11 Jul 19. Saab has signed a multi-year framework agreement with the US Government for AT4 disposable weapon system and Carl-Gustaf recoilless rifle ammunition. Under the agreement, the US Army, US Marines and US Special Forces can place orders for up to Skr4.2bn ($445m) for a period of five years. The services can order AT4 and Carl-Gustaf ammunition. The company has received the first purchase order worth around Skr771m ($83m) under this framework agreement. (Source: army-technology.com)
SEA
08 Jul 19. Air New Zealand Gas Turbines has won a contract to perform maintenance on ten General Electric (GE) LM2500 engines used on the US Navy’s cruiser fleet. The $17m contract is the fourth agreement between the Air New Zealand division and the US Navy. The US Navy launched tenders for the first power turbine contract in 2017. Since then, the Air New Zealand unit has been awarded contracts covering 39 engine units. The US Navy has so far received seven overhauled units from the company. A further 13 engine units are currently in work and the remaining nine are on-site and ready for induction. (Source: naval-technology.com)
AIR
26 June 19. Kratos Receives $5.9m Missile Defense System Contract Award. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a leading National Security Solutions provider, announced today that it has recently received a $5.9m contract award to provide hardware and subsystems in support of a Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Combat and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) missile defense related program and platform. Kratos’ C5ISR Modular Systems business provides specialized, High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Protected (HEMP) products, systems and subsystems in support of Missile Defense, Missile, Radar, Unmanned, High Power Directed Energy, Surface Combatant and other systems and platforms. Work under this recent contract award will be performed in secure Kratos manufacturing facilities. Due to competitive, customer related and other considerations, no additional information will be provided. (Source: ASD Network)
08 Jul 19. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has announced that it has been awarded the contract to support the entry into service of the new replacement for the Blue Angels’ iconic Fat Albert, the C-130 support aircraft to the US Navy’s air display team. Marshall will carry out the maintenance, paint and minor modifications to the US Navy’s replacement ‘Fat Albert’. The aircraft is a C-130J that the US Navy recently purchased from the UK Ministry of Defence to replace the C-130T that the squadron used for 17 years until May this year. The new Fat Albert is a C-130J Super Hercules, four-engine, six-blade turboprop, which will serve as the US Navy’s Blue Angels’ Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS) logistical support aircraft. Marshall is a leading C-130 support company outside of the USA and was chosen for its proven expertise with C-130 modification, repair and overhaul (MRO) work and the speed with which the company can make the aircraft operational. (Source: News Now/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/)
10 Jul 19. Saab Receives Order for Continued Technical Support for Gripen. Saab has received an order from the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) for continued technical support on weapons and external stores for Gripen. The order value amounts to SEK 142m. The order is a call-up of an option as part of a previous agreement with FMV for technical support and maintenance of Gripen’s existing weapons and external stores, which was signed in March 2015. Today’s order secures continued technical support for Gripen regarding weapons and external stores, including for example support, configuration management, technical documentation, technical maintenance and modification. (Source: ASD Network)
11 Jul 19. Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) was selected by the Boeing Company as radar supplier for the B-52 bomber radar modernization program. Under the contract, Raytheon will design, develop, produce and sustain active electronically scanned array radar systems for the entire U.S. Air Force B-52 fleet. The advanced radar upgrade will ensure the aircraft remains mission ready through 2050 and beyond. Low rate initial production is scheduled to begin in 2024. With an AESA radar on board, the B-52 will gain improved navigation reliability to support nuclear and conventional missions. Raytheon’s B-52 radar is based on AESA technologies developed from the APG-79/APG-82 radar family. The B-52 will also benefit from improved mapping and detection range and an increase in the number of targets it can simultaneously engage. Along with improved capabilities that help crews see further and more accurately, Raytheon’s AESA radar offers greater reliability than the current system because it has no moving parts and uses modern operating software.
TECHNOLOGY
08 Jul 19. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded BAE Systems a contract worth up to $4.7m to integrate machine learning into intelligence gathering involving radio frequency signals. The technology will be used in platforms to decipher the signals, BAE said in a news release Monday. Signals intelligence, or SIGINT, provides to the military advanced signal location and exploitation capabilities “to counter the threats of today and tomorrow,” according to BAE. The total contract is dependent on successful completion of milestones and includes hardware delivery, as well as integration and demonstration support. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/UPI)
11 Jul 19. Carahsoft Technology has received a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to distribute Symantec software, hardware and maintenance services to the US Department of the Navy (DoN) and affiliated branches. The contract was awarded by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific on behalf of the US DoN. Under the contract, Carahsoft and its authorised reseller partners will provide the above-mentioned services to DoN and the US Marine Corps, Navy and reserve components of each force. The company secured the BPA under the DoN’s Enterprise Software Licensing (ESL) initiative, which is responsible for the management of enterprise commercial off-the-shelf IT agreements, assets, and policies. ESL seeks to consolidate, centralise and streamline IT acquisition and management processes. The BPA comprises five years of performance, including a one-year base ordering period and four one-year option periods. The contract will run until April 2024 and has a potential of $69.14m. (Source: army-technology.com)
05 Jul 19. Northrop Grumman has secured a contract from the US Air Force to develop software for the Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R) Control and Planning Segment (CAPS) programme. The $82m contract will facilitate protected extremely high-frequency (EHF) military satellite communications in the North Pole region. EPS is a next-generation SATCOM system that seeks to provide continuous coverage in the polar region for secure, jam-resistant, strategic and tactical communications to support defence and humanitarian assistance operations. Northrop Grumman is the primary contractor for the EPS and provider for all three major components of the EPS-R CAPS programme. The USAF’s authority to proceed means the company can work on the development of software for the EPS-R CAPS. The approval transitions the EPS-R CAPS programme from requirements analysis to test and delivery. The software will address international host accommodations provided by Space Norway for new out of band link functions, cyber architecture, and orbit planning. The contract will also provide the service with the capability for controlling four EPS-R payloads simultaneously on a single software baseline. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
08 Jul 19. Belarus contracts Uralvagonzavod to upgrade more T-72B MBTs. Belarus has contracted Russian company Uralvagonzavod to upgrade 11 of its T-72B tanks to the T-72B3 standard. Signed at the Army 2019 trade show that took place in Moscow at the end of June, the contract will result in the main battle tanks being configured to this new standard over 2019 and 2020. Uralvagonzavod has been upgrading T-72B tanks for the Belarusian army since 2015 under the Treaty on the Development of Military-Technical Cooperation between Belarus and Russia. The T-72B3 tank equipped with the Belarusian-made Sosna-U sight is a cost-effective capability, the parties say. Additionally, a contract was signed with Irkut Corporation to retrofit the Yak-130 aircraft with the Belarusian-made Talisman airborne defensive suite. The Talisman suite will increase the effectiveness of protecting the aircraft from surface-to-air missile systems and aircraft intercept missile systems. (Source: Shephard)
11 Jul 19. At a ceremony earlier today (July 11th, 2019) by KRAS (Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. India), RAFAEL presented a $100m contract to KRAS for the manufacturing of 1,000 BARAK 8/ MRSAM missile kits to be supplied to BDL via IAI for further integration purposes. In keeping with its commitment to Make-in-India, KRAS is a Joint Venture between RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Kalyani Strategic Systems. The JV was established with the vision of manufacturing weapon systems required by the Indian Defense Forces, as well as for the export market. Keeping with its commitment to Make-in-India, the JV partners are investing in Best-in-Class production facilities, a state-of-the-art engineering service and extended life-cycle-support for systems supplied to the Indian Defence forces. In its endeavor to fulfill the stakeholders’ vision of Make-in-India for the world, KRAS is expected to ramp up its employee strength to 300 technical experts by the year 2023. RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has a rich history of collaboration with India’s defense industries, resulting in multiple Joint Ventures and subsidiaries around the world and in India. These partnerships, over past two decades, have led RAFAEL to setup local partnerships to support its domestic needs as well as a global supply chain. Jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, RAFAEL and other companies, Barak 8 is a surface-to-air missile (SAM), designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs, as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets.
08 Jul 19. Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) – Stinger Missiles and Related Equipment and Support. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to TECRO for the Stinger missiles and related equipment and support for an estimated cost of $223.56m. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. TECRO has requested to buy two hundred fifty (250) Block I -92F MANPAD Stinger missiles and four (4) Block I -92F MANPAD Stinger Fly-to-Buy missiles. Also included is one (1) Captive Flight Trainer (CFT), twenty-three (23) Field Handling Trainers (FHTs), one hundred eight (108) Gripstock Control Groups, one hundred eight (108) Medium Thermal Weapon Sights (MTWS), seven (7) Tracking Head Trainers (THTs), two (2) Sierra Coolant Recharging Units (CRUs), one (1) Missile Go/No Go Test Set, one hundred eight (108) Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), TFF Development, one (1) Integrated Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs), Government Furnished Equipment, spare and repair parts, telemeters, range and test support, contractor technical support, contractor training, contractor engineering services, contractor logistics services, consolidation, total package fielding, material fielding team, Field Service Representative (FSR), U.S. Government technical support, and other associated equipment and services and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated program cost is $223.56m. This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8. (Source: ASD Network)
10 Jul 19. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) announced it was awarded two direct commercial sales contracts by the State of Qatar for additional integrated air and missile defense capability. The contracts, worth approximately $2.2bn, include the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, final certification of the AMRAAM®-Extended Range missile, and an unspecified quantity of additional Patriot™ fire units. These awards are part of a larger agreement being pursued by the Qataris with the U.S. government. The combined value is expected to total up to $3bn. Qatar is the first country to procure AMRAAM-ER, the surface-to-air extended-range variant of the combat-proven AMRAAM air-to-air-missile. Qatar also becomes the 11th country to procure NASAMS, a medium-range air-defense solution manufactured by Raytheon and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. NASAMS uses the Raytheon Sentinel radar, and fires multiple interceptors, including AMRAAM-ER. The combat-proven Patriot™ system is the backbone of air and missile defense for 16 nations.