EUROPE
LAND
09 Dec 19. Czech Republic orders eight ELTA MADRs. Czech Undersecretary of Defence Filip Říha and the director of the International Defense Cooperation Directorate in the Israel Ministry of Defense (SIBAT), Yair Kulas, signed an intergovernmental agreement on the procurement of eight 3D mobile air defence radars (MADRs) on 5 December. The contract, worth CZK3.5bn (USD125m), including value-added tax, will mean the Czech Army will operate eight ELTA ELM-2084 multi-mission radars from the Iron Dome system. The mobile radar on a Tatra 8×8 platform will be used for air surveillance and air defence. The Czech Army is expected to receive the first of its Israeli radars in 20 months. The MADR agreement gives Czech industry 30% participation in the value of the procurement, according to the Czech Ministry of Defence. The Czech companies involved are Retia, Tatra, BOIS, and state-owned VTÚ. The full operational capability of the radars is planned from 2023. (Source: Jane’s)
12 Dec 19. The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) has signed an agreement with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the procurement of seven Leguan bridge-layer systems on Leopard 2 chassis on 12 December 2019. The order comprises a total of six Leguan systems, a comprehensive periphery package, training simulators and an additional carrier vehicle. Shipping of the bridge-layers will begin at the end of 2022.
This makes Denmark the ninth nation to switch to the powerful new Leguan-Leopard 2 generation and take advantage of this system’s high performance and reliability and unique interoperability. The Leguan is capable of transporting and laying one 26 metre long bridge or alternatively two bridges with a length of 14 metres each under combat conditions.
In total, armies from 19 different countries use the Leguan bridge-layer system on a wide variety of mobility platforms.
09 Dec 19. Raytheon Co., Woburn, Massachusetts, was awarded a $26,000,840 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Poland and Romania) contract for field artillery C3, Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 19, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $9,235,884 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-20-C-5008).
SEA
12 Dec 19. Thales integrated sonar suite selected for Spanish Navy’s new multi-mission frigates.
- Thales sonars and acoustic systems will provide the Spanish Navy’s five F110 frigates with a latest-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability.
- The key components of the integrated suite are the BlueMaster (UMS 4110) and CAPTAS 4 Compact sonars, the TUUM-6 underwater communication system, and the BlueScan digital acoustic system already in service with other European navies.
- Spanish industry partners will supply some of the high-tech equipment under a decisive transfer of technology programme put in place by Thales.
The General Directorate for Armament and Material (DGAM) and the naval shipyard Navantia have selected Thales technologies for the Spanish Navy’s five new multi-mission frigates. The vessels’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability, based on two world-class sonars, the CAPTAS 4 Compact and the BlueMaster, and the BlueScan digital acoustic system, will be integrated through Navantia Combat Management System SCOMBA F110 and will enable the service to conduct maritime surveillance, search and protection missions in any theatre of operations. To protect their maritime territory and security interests around the world, States need to counter all types of threats in any environment or theatre of operations. Naval forces need reliable, high-performance systems to assert national sovereignty and accomplish their ASW missions with optimum effect. The choice of Thales technologies, which have been extensively proven in service with navies around the world, provides the highest levels of protection available today. BlueScan is a collaborative ASW solution that processes significantly higher volumes of sonar data from various different platforms to provide the operator with a complete overview of the acoustic situation in real time. The solution leverages Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies to bring naval forces a tactical advantage.
AIR
11 Dec 19. RUAG Missim systems for Germany. RUAG has announced that it is supplying 16 Missim sensor test devices for helicopters to the German armed forces. The Missim system simulates a broad range of electronic warfare attack characteristics such as radar, lasers, guided missiles and hostile fire indication. This simulation enables armed forces to reliably test the functionality of aircraft self-protection systems. The Bundeswehr will use the systems with its NH90 and Tiger helicopter systems. (Source: Shephard)
09 Dec 19. Safran selected for A400M airdrop system. The French defence procurement agency, DGA, has selected Safran to supply an air delivery system capable of releasing heavy loads from the A400M military transport aircraft. The company has received a contract for 200 side door release systems and 160 gravity release systems. The systems can drop loads of between 320kg and four metric tons, depending on configuration. The new cargo drop system was designed for the new A400M airlifter, and will replace systems now in service which date back to the 1960s. (Source: Shephard)
06 Dec 19. Thales Alenia Space Wins New EGNOS Contract from ESA. Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced today that it has signed a new contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of the European Commission, to upgrade Europe’s EGNOS satellite navigation system. Via this contract Thales Alenia Space will develop a new version of EGNOS (version V242B), incorporating new advanced functionalities. Worth a total of about 78m euros, this contract includes the following:
- expansion of the EGNOS SBAS coverage zone;
- installation of a new generation of reference stations (RIMS);
- improved algorithms in the computation center (CPF) to boost system performance;
- enhanced system security.
Certification and commissioning of this latest version is slated for 2023. (Source: ASD Network)
USA
LAND
11 Dec 19. Chemring Sensors and Electronic Systems Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $12,141,494 firm-fixed-price, definitive type contract for Biological Agent Warning System 4 Plus Assembly units. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract with one one-year option period being exercised at the time of award. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an April 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-C-0014).
06 Dec 19. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received a $50m follow-on delivery order for Falcon III AN/PRC-160 HF radios and related equipment from the U.S. Marine Corps as part of its High Frequency Radio II modernization program. The order is part of the Navy Portable Radio Program five-year IDIQ contract received in 2017. The Marine Corps selected the AN/PRC-160 to replace legacy L3Harris HF radios. The AN/PRC-160 is a modern solution for beyond-line-of-sight communications in a satellite-denied environment. It is the smallest, lightest and fastest wideband HF manpack available – providing 10X throughput over legacy systems. The wideband system also is the world’s only HF manpack meeting new NSA crypto-modernization standards. The system’s software-defined architecture allows encryption updates, ensuring mission-critical information stays secure. It also enables command and control in a degraded environment and long-range voice and data with interoperability across U.S. and Coalition forces.
11 Dec 19. Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $22,441,319 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to design, develop and validate system prototypes for a combined arms squad. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funds in the amount of $11,323,800 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912CG-20-C-0005).
06 Dec 19. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, Linthicum, Maryland is awarded a $188,995,364 modification for the firm-fixed-price portion of a previously-awarded contract (M67854-19-C-0043). This modification is for the purchase of six Gallium Nitride full-rate-production systems and associated travel in support of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by April 4, 2023. Fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds for $188,995,364 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract modification was not competitively procured. The base contract was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-19-C-0043).
10 Dec 19. Saab has secured a contract from Northrop Grumman to supply subsystems for the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) of the US Marine Corps (USMC). The contract will provide components for the full rate production systems for G/ATOR, which is designated as AN/TPS-80 in the US. The initial order under the contract is valued at around $31.9m. The five-year contract also includes options for the delivery of additional assemblies and associated spares. The company expects to make deliveries between 2020 and 2024. Northrop Grumman is the principal contractor for the delivery of AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR systems to the USMC. The AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR will support air defence, air surveillance, and ground weapon locating missions. It will allow the USMC to replace five legacy systems with a single ground-based radar system. The new system will provide improved performance and reduce costs associated with maintenance and training. Saab will perform the contract work in Syracuse, New York. The company was awarded the initial order for the low rate initial production G/ATOR systems in 2014. (Source: naval-technology.com)
10 Dec 19. Silvus Technologies has been selected to support Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) in the US Army National Guard (ARNG) Mission Equipment Package (MEP) programme. The company will provide its systems for integration into SNC’s solution for the MEP programme. Silvus has agreed to supply its StreamCaster radios as part of the HAMMER MANET kit. Sierra Nevada is a subcontractor to Airbus Helicopters for the MEP programme. The company is required to produce and deploy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, which are called HAMMER MANET kits. The contract also includes support for the HAMMER MANET kits. SNC will integrate the StreamCaster radios into more than 100 ARNG Lakota LUH-72A light utility helicopters. The HAMMER system is designed to enable ‘networked connectivity for video, data, voice and position / location/navigation’ to provide the pilots with real-time situational awareness. Powered by Mobile Networked MIMO (MN-MIMO) waveform, the StreamCaster radio provides increased mobility for high-speed platforms and offers increased range and throughput. The Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) capability accommodates up to 380 nodes in a single network and supports multiple topologies. In September, Silvus completed work under an effort to deliver MANET for the US Army for congested and contested environments. The $3m contract upgraded the StreamCaster software defined radio and MN-MIMO waveform. The company delivered enhancements, including an agile spectrum sensor ASIC for radio frequency situational awareness and anti-jam capabilities in the MANET waveform. (Source: army-technology.com)
AIR
12 Dec 19. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has teamed with the U.S. Army to enhance the capabilities and survivability of the MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The Army awarded GA-ASI multiple contracts to upgrade the Gray Eagle ER’s avionics, datalinks and software in order to improve the UAS’s operational capability in contested environments. The modernization initiative provides an open architecture concept on the aircraft that is capable of hosting government-owned software, as well as increased autonomy required to support Scalable Control Interface and the rapid integration of long-range sensors. These enhancements will enable the Army’s vision for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). GA-ASI recently completed an open competition to modernize the datalinks on the platform. Tenets for the “best of breed” datalink competition included modular architecture with government-owned interfaces, reduction in size, weight, and power, with increased reliability, Soldier maintainability, and growth for future MDO requirements. Vendors selected include L3Harris Technologies, Airbus, Hughes Network Systems, LLC and Ramona Research, Inc. The modernized datalink solution, while significantly more capable, will cost less per aircraft than the current datalink suite.
06 Dec 19. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $153,392,916 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously-awarded contract (N00019-19-C-0074). This modification procures special tooling and special test equipment required to meet current and future F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production as well as full-rate production rates. Work will be performed in Rome, Italy (29.9%); Redondo Beach, California (24.4%); Fort Worth, Texas (21.3%); Clearfield, Utah (10.4%); Marietta, Georgia (6.9%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (3.7%); Papendrecht, Netherlands (0.9%); Irvine, California (0.7%); Williston, Vermont (0.6%); Helena, Montana (0.5%); Kongsberg, Norway (0.4%); and Amityville, New York (0.3%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps); non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) international partners; and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $153,392,916 will be obligated at time of award, $39,892,893 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($55,841,076; 36%); Navy ($51,887,772; 34%); Marine Corps ($22,286,205; 15%); non-U.S DoD international partners ($17,564,488; 11%); and FMS customers ($5,813,375; 4%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
TECHNOLOGY
10 Dec 19. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop new cyber tools designed to help prevent vulnerabilities in electronic files that can lead to cyberattacks. Development of these tools will be part of DARPA’s Safe Documents (SafeDocs) program, which aims to more effectively identify and reject malicious data in a variety of electronic formats. Every day, individuals and organizations in military, government and commercial industries receive electronic content, such as Portable Document Format (PDF) and digital media files, from unauthorized or potentially compromised sources, which creates security risks. As part of the SafeDocs program, BAE Systems’ FAST Labs™ research and development team will create two different cyber tools. The first tool seeks to recover, simplify, and automatically select safe feature subsets within electronic data formats to help encode the data safely and unambiguously, while the second is a toolkit to help software developers avoid vulnerabilities in the software they create to process complex electronic data. The research for Phase 1 of the SafeDocs program, which is being developed with funding from DARPA, adds to BAE Systems’ cyber technology portfolio. Work for the program will be completed with teammate American (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
11 Dec 19. The U.S. Army Futures Command has awarded a contract with its Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) to GenXComm to adapt the company’s commercial analog interference cancellation technology to Army tactical systems. The project’s goal is to eliminate signal interference between Army systems and enable higher bandwidth, Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STAR) communications with low Size Weight and Power (SWaP) analog radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits. The effort will result in a prototype co-site interference module integrated with Army tactical radios. The prototype will be tested and evaluated by Army U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center personnel for potential transition to operational Army systems. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
11 Dec 19. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded a prime spot on the Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) contract to Parsons. The multiple-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has a potential value of $7.5bn over a period of ten years. It includes a base ordering period of five years and a five-year option. The SETI contract seeks to meet the current and future mission requirements of the US Department of Defense (DoD) and enable advanced technologies in IT and technical areas. The innovations are intended to change how troops interact with the DoD’s IT. Parsons will compete for task orders to provide innovative solutions in areas covering engineering, delivery, and maintenance of DoD and DISA IT infrastructure. In a release, the company said: “SETI includes past, present and future capabilities, services, systems, and systems-of-systems throughout the acquisition and system engineering lifecycle and will be available to all DoD mission partners.” In June last year, DISA selected 14 businesses for the SETI contract. The agency received a total of 35 proposals for the competition. (Source: army-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
10 Dec 19. The Australian Department of Defence has awarded a A$170m ($116.08m) contract to Boeing Defence Australia for air battlespace management capability system. The contract will continue the integrated air battle management system for the Royal Australian Air Force Base. Known as Vigilare, the technology is a sophisticated command and control (C2) system that provides surveillance and battlespace management in the air and joint domains. Vigilare combines data from a range of sources, including tactical data links, sensors and intelligence networks, to support the C2 functions and provide a comprehensive view of air activity. The inputs from the sources are fused at regional operations centres run by the RAAF. The DoD has renamed the system ‘Wakulda’, which means together. Australia Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price said: “Over the period of the new agreement, an average of 15 additional expert engineering positions will be established within Boeing Defence Australia in Brisbane, Adelaide and Williamtown. The RAAF will operate the Wakulda system at RAAF Base Edinburgh and RAAF Base Williamtown. The system is expected to be operated for ten more years, the DoD said. Wakulda consists of fully integrated tactical data links and a human-machine interface. The network-centric command and control system passed operational testing in Australia in April 2011. The DoD accorded final operational capability status to the system in March 2013. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
09 Dec 19. Rheinmetall to modernize international client’s air defence systems in multimillion-euro project. An international client has awarded Rheinmetall a contract to modernize its air defence systems. The total value of the order, now official, comes to around €120m. Delivery is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2020. The modernization measures will enhance the combat effectiveness of existing Skyguard air defence systems. Among other things, the upgraded systems will have an improved capability against drones. The order also encompasses spare parts, technical documentation, training and instruction support as well as state-of-the-art ammunition. A world leader in the field of ground-based air defence technology, Rheinmetall networks the full array of sensors, effectors, platforms and command&control assets into overarching, scalable system. This results in a highly effective, modularly designed, flexibly deployable ground-based air defence capability – a system of systems covering the entire operational spectrum.
SEA
10 Dec 19. Contract signed for Colombia´s new Oceanographic Research Vessel. Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Colombia’s state-run company Corporación de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo de la Industria Naval (COTECMAR) for the design and the materials package of an OSRV 8316 Oceanographic Research Vessel. The contract calls for ship construction to start in early 2020 and ship completion by mid-2022, according to details released during the recent Expodefensa 2019 conference earlier this month in Bogota. While Damen Shipyards is to provide the basic design, logistical support, and all the materials needed for the construction, the Colombian company will do the detailed engineering work and final assembly of the ship in COTECMAR’s shipyards, in Cartagena de Indias. (Source: Jane’s)
11 Dec 19. HHIC awarded contract to supply four more LSF-II hovercraft to RoKN. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 10 December that it has awarded local shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) a KRW316bn (USD264.5m) contract to build four additional Solgae (LSF-II)-class high-speed hovercraft for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN). The 90-tonne hovercraft, which have a top speed of 40 kt, will join four similar craft, two of which are already in service with the RoKN, with the other two currently being built at HHIC’s Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan under a KRW152.4bn (USD125.9m) contract awarded in 2016. The first pair of hovercraft was delivered in mid-2007 for deployment from RoKS Dokdo (6111), the service’s first landing platform helicopter (LPH) amphibious assault ship. The other two hovercraft, which are set to be delivered in 2021, are likely to be deployed from Marado , the RoKN’s second Dokdo-class LPH, which was launched in May 2017 and is set to be handed over to the service by the end of 2020. The DAPA did not state when the additional four platforms are expected to be handed over but some local media outlets have reported that delivery is scheduled to take place by December 2024. (Source: Jane’s)
AIR
11 Dec 19. The Ministry of Defence of Burkina Faso has placed a firm order for one Airbus C295 military airlifter. As part of its 2018-2022 Military Acquisition Law, the Burkina Faso Air Force will reinforce its military transport capabilities by joining the family of Airbus C295 operators. The C295 is adapted to perform in the harsh sub-Saharan Africa operating environment. Together with its affordable maintenance and operational costs, the C295 is the perfect match for the climatic conditions of Burkina Faso.
06 Dec 19. KAI to update Link 16 datalink for RoKAF’s FA-50 aircraft. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signed a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to update the Link 16 tactical datalink system for the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (RoKAF’s) fleet of FA-50 light attack aircraft. In a 6 December statement DAPA said the “FA-50 Link 16 Performance Improvement Project” aims to enhance security in the encryption system and harden [it] against interference, said DAPA, pointing out that it also plans to sign contracts in the first half of 2020 for similar updates to be performed on nine other platform types, including E-737 airborne early warning and control aircraft, F-15K fighters and KDX-III Aegis-equipped destroyers. (Source: Jane’s)