UNITED KINGDOM
LAND
07 Oct 20. Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land awarded £16m Fuchs/Fox vehicle sustainment contract. The joint venture company Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) has won a UK MoD contract to upgrade and sustain the British Army’s fleet of Fuchs/Fox CBRN reconnaissance vehicles and training simulator. The order is worth over £16m/€17.5m. RBSL will address equipment-related obsolescence issues and upgrade the system with the latest generation of sensing capabilities. Rheinmetall Landsysteme will be drawing on comprehensive technological support from of its centre of excellence for NBC systems technology in Kassel.
EUROPE
LAND
07 Oct 20. Bundeswehr, the unified German Armed Forces, has upgraded its airports with Rohde & Schwarz air traffic control (ATC) radios. So far, the company has installed its R&S Series4200 and R&S M3SR Series4400 radios at more than 20 Bundeswehr airports and the service’s IT school. The modernisation effort is intended to optimise operations at the locations, as well as streamline frequency planning and coordination nationwide. It will also help meet European Commission requirements. The project was carried out over the last two years and has seen the incorporation of the locations into the German Air Force’s digital Voice-over-IP (VOIP) infrastructure. R&S Series4200 is the latest stationary software-defined radios designed for use by both the military and civil ATCs. The radios are easy to use, require no maintenance and are flexible for system integration. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
USA
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07 Oct 20. Collins Aerospace to build GPS-jamming solution for the Army. The Army has awarded Collins Aerospace to build its Mounted Assured Position Navigation and Timing System (MAPS), a program that ensures soldiers know where they are and where they’re going even if the enemy is jamming GPS. The Phase III Other Transaction Authority contract covers product maturation and begins combat platform integration, clearing the path to low rate initial production. The Army did not release the value of the Collins Aerospace contract. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
01 Oct 20. Parsons Awarded First DoD Ground-Based Directed Energy Contract. Parsons Corporation (NYSE:PSN) has been awarded a $50.6m, six-year contract by the U.S. Air Force for the manufacturing, integration and sustainment of 13 Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) systems. RADBO employs the Parsons developed ZEUS™ directed energy system to destroy unexploded ordinance with extreme accuracy in previously denied areas and improves the safety of deployed warfighters. The program is the first Department of Defense (DoD) ground-based laser system placed into production. RADBO is comprised of three main components: the mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle, a ZEUS™ laser, and an interrogation arm assembly. Air Force explosive ordnance disposal personnel can operate the laser and robotic arm from the safety of the MRAP to rapidly clear multiple unexploded ordnance from airfields. Parsons is the original equipment manufacturer of the ZEUS™ laser. The ZEUS™ laser can hit targets more than 300 meters away from the vehicle and is powerful enough to detonate small submunitions from cluster bombs, land mines, general purposed bombs and thick-cased artillery rounds. (Source: PR Newswire)
01 Oct 20. Silvus Technologies, Inc. (“Silvus”) today announced the receival of a $3m order from the U.S. Army to provide the first commercial mobile ad hoc network (MANET) radio deployed at scale in the Army’s Middle-Tier Integrated Tactical Network. As part of Capability Set 21 Critical Design Review, Silvus radios were selected to connect key command and control nodes due to both their self-organizing network designed to operate in multiple spectrum bands at high data rates, and their interference mitigation capabilities. Silvus radios will be deployed in both mobile and at-the-halt configurations, providing continuity of operations for tactical forces that was previously unattainable with the singular reliance on at-the-halt communications infrastructure. Additionally, Silvus radios will support the initial ITN fielding to four infantry brigade combat teams in FY21. The $3m order comes on the heels of Silvus’ successful demonstration of a 140-node network working in a narrow band network to deliver large volumes of position and location information in a company-scale formation over operational distances in support of the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program. (Source: PR Newswire)
SEA
05 Oct 20. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is pleased to announce the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the company a multi-phase contract to develop and demonstrate a Connectorless Sea Train concept. DARPA has exercised the base development phase for $9,450,339. Gibbs & Cox will leverage our capabilities to integrate advancements in integrated system design, robotic controls, autonomy, and hydrodynamic optimization. This new technical approach, coined by Gibbs and Cox as ARMADA (Articulated Resistance Minimized Autonomous Deployment Asset), seeks to reshape maritime vessel capabilities, enabling long-range deployments of medium-sized autonomous surface vessels without the need for either in-port or at-sea refueling. (Source: PR Newswire)
05 Oct 20. GKN Aerospace has signed a contract with Raytheon Technologies [NYSE:RTX] to supply Mk30 missile canisters for the Raytheon Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM®). GKN Aerospace’s Fokker business is the sole-source manufacturer of the lightweight canister and leverages a long history of manufacturing high-quality composite missile canisters for Raytheon Technologies. The Mk30 missile canisters are manufactured through a unique process of filament winding followed by vacuum infusion and can be used for up to 10 missile launches while surviving restrained firing. Refurbishment time between firings is very short providing excellent lifecycle costs.
02 Oct 20. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Mission Systems Sector, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, was awarded a $100,798,804 fixed-price-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for follow-on production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 3 electronic attack systems and hardware design modifications required for aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship installation. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1,164,529,315. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (55%); Tampa, Florida (6%); Andover, Massachusetts (5%); Chelmsford, Massachusetts (4%); Rochester, New York (3%); San Diego, California (3%); Los Angeles, California (2%); Winona, Minnesota (2%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (2%); Glendale, Arizona (1%); Nashua, New Hampshire (1%); Elk Grove Village, Illinois (1%); White Marsh, Maryland (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Chandler, Arizona (1%); Washington, North Carolina (1%); Woodridge, Illinois (1%); Richardson, Texas (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); El Cajon, California (1%); Hiawatha, Iowa (1%); Littleton, Colorado (1%); Glendale, California (1%); and miscellaneous locations – each less than 1% (4%), and is expected to be completed by May 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2026. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (67%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (33%) funding in the amount of $100,798,804 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5519). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020)
AIR
07 Oct 20. Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT, TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems”) announced today that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, LLC (“Elbit Systems of America”), was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a maximum value of approximately $50m to produce spare parts in support of the Aviators’ Night Vision Imaging System Head-Up Display system (“ANVIS HUD”) of the U.S. Army. The contract, that will be performed over a period of five-years, was awarded on behalf of the United States Army, by the Defense Logistics Agency. An initial order for $17.9mi was recently placed under this contract, to be supplied until 2023. The ANVIS HUD is a day and night display system that connects to the helmets of Army helicopter pilots, allowing the pilots’ heads to remain upright and looking out of the aircraft, with all applicable information presented in front of the pilots’ eyes, instead of looking down or inside the cockpit to view information from various sensors.
05 Oct 20. Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT, TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems”) announced today that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, LLC, was awarded an approximately $35m five-year firm-fixed-priced contract by the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) for repair of line-replaceable units in support of the V-22 aircraft. The repairs will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas and Talladega, Alabama, and the contract will be performed until October 2025.
05 Oct 20. L3Harris Technologies Inc., Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $193,599,342 firm-fixed-price contract for the Space Development Agency Tracking Layer Tranche 0, Wide Field of View program. The proposal was received and evaluated under request for proposal HQ0850-20-R-0003. The work to be performed under this contract will include on-time delivery of space vehicles and optical wide field of view payloads. Work will be performed in various locations in the continental U.S. (99.2%); and Canada (0.8%). Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds (defense-wide) will be obligated at the time of award. The Space Development Agency, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (HQ0850-21-C-0002).
05 Oct 20. L3 Harris Technologies Inc., formerly Harris Corporation, received $193m to build four missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon. Delivery is expected for launch by fall 2022. The awards are part of the SDA’s first phase to procure satellites to detect and track missiles like intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which can travel long distances and are challenging to track and intercept. (Source: Reuters)
01 Oct 20. Raytheon Intelligence & Space to Produce Radar for F-15EX. Raytheon Intelligence & Space was selected by the Boeing Company to provide the APG-82(V)1 active electronically scanned array radar for the F-15EX. The APG-82(V)1 radar can simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple air and surface targets at longer ranges than ever before. This constant target observation allows pilots to make smarter decisions faster and further from the threat; enabling them to keep their edge in the skies and achieve air dominance. To date, Raytheon Intelligence & Space has delivered more than 150 APG-82s to U.S. and international customers. Under the contract with Boeing, RI&S will deliver eight systems beginning this year and concluding in 2022. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Raytheon Intelligence & Space generated $14bn in pro forma annual revenue in 2019 and has 35,700 employees worldwide. Raytheon Intelligence & Space is one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies Corporation. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Raytheon Intelligence & Space)
05 Oct 20. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, California, is awarded a $149,175,246 firm-fixed-price contract for the Space Development Agency Tracking Layer Tranche 0, Wide Field of View program. The proposal was received and evaluated under request for proposal HQ0850-20-R-0003. The work to be performed under this contract will include on-time delivery of space vehicles and optical wide field of view payloads. Work will be performed in various locations in the continental U.S. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds (defense-wide) will be obligated at the time of award. The Space Development Agency, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (HQ0850-21-C-0001).
05 Oct 20. Musk’s SpaceX wins Pentagon award for missile tracking satellites. Elon Musk’s SpaceX won a $149m contract to build missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon. in the company’s first government contract to build satellites. Under the SDA contract, SpaceX will use its Starlink assembly plant in Redmond, Washington, to build four satellites fitted with a wide-angle infrared missile-tracking sensor supplied by a subcontractor. The awards are part of the SDA’s first phase to procure satellites to detect and track missiles like intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which can travel long distances and are challenging to track and intercept. Delivery is expected for launch by fall 2022 (Source: Reuters)
05 Oct 20. Upcavage, Bauer and Crane Inc.,* Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $48,292,758 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the production, test and delivery of up to a maximum of 500 Steerable Antenna Systems (SAS) for electronic warfare/electronic attack pods AN/ALQ-167, AN/AST-9, AN/DLQ-9, and sub-scale targets BQM-34, BQM-74, BQM-167 and BQM-177 in support of U.S. weapon system testing supported by the Airborne Threat Simulation Organization. Additionally, this contract provides sustainment engineering to include teardown, evaluation and repair and modification services. Work will be performed in Tampa, Florida, and is expected to be completed in September 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-21-D-0001).
TECHNOLOGY
05 Oct 20. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate (RV) awarded Alion Science and Technology a $71m task order with a 48-month period of performance to support the ARL/RV by developing and transitioning high pay-off space, information, and Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) related technologies that support national security. Alion will provide research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) to develop innovative technology solutions to advance space mission capabilities in a multi-domain, joint, and coalition conflict. This effort includes synthesizing in-depth knowledge of threats to the space enterprise, assessing current and future situational awareness capabilities, and analyzing indication and warning thresholds, timelines, protection and defense response options to mitigate those threats. This task order was awarded under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center Multi-Award Contract Multiple Award Contract (DoD IAC MAC), issued by the 774 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (774 ESS)/ Plans/Programs (PKP). This material is based upon work supported by the DoD IAC Program Management Office (PMO), sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) under Contract No. FA807518D0002. (Source: PR Newswire)
07 Oct 20. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been awarded a $950,000,000 ceiling Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract for a battle management system, the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). This contract is part of a multiple award, multi-level security effort to provide development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms
06 Oct 20. General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), announced today it was awarded an IT system modernization contract by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). GDIT will provide worldwide engineering support to DIA’s core IT infrastructure to include system design, architecture, testing plans, and security accreditation. The Infrastructure Services Enterprise Engineering (ISEE) task order, under the Enhanced Solutions for the Information Technology Enterprise (E-SITE) indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract has an estimated value of $100m and includes a base period of one year, four option years plus one six-month option. Work completed under the ISEE task is foundational to the future IT infrastructure of the Department of Defense Intelligence Information System (DODIIS). (Source: PR Newswire)
02 Oct 20. Intel wins second phase of contract to help Pentagon develop chips. Intel Corp on Friday said it has won a second-phase contract in a project aimed at helping the U.S. military make more advanced semiconductors within the United States. Under the project, Intel will help the military develop prototypes of chips using its semiconductor packaging technology at factories in Arizona and Oregon. The packaging technology allows pieces of chips called “chiplets” from different providers to be combined into one package, helping cram more features into a smaller finished product while lowering its power consumption. (Source: glstrade.com/Reuters)
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
01 Oct 20. Egypt – Maritime Domain Awareness System. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system and related equipment for an estimated cost of $417m. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Government of Egypt has requested a possible sale of a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system that includes multi-site Acquisition Radars (fixed and mobile) with supporting facilities, ElectroOptical / Infrared Sensors (fixed, mobile, airborne), Radio Communications suites, Hybrid Power Generation Systems, Closed Circuit Television, Power and Data Distribution Units, Automatic Identification System, and various other surveillance and communications systems; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
Equipment includes:
— thirty-four (34) Integrated Fixed Towers with supporting equipment;
— twenty-eight (28) Communication Towers with supporting equipment;
— twelve (12) Relay Towers with supporting equipment;
— six (6) Naval Base Operations Rooms,
— two (2) regional Operations Centers, and one (1) Strategic Operation Center all with supporting equipment;
— six (6) Harbor Protection Systems with supporting equipment;
— Intelligent Fiber Intrusion Detection System;
— twelve (12) Vertical Take Off and Landing UAV with six (6) Ground Stations;
— fourteen (14) Mobile Maritime Surveillance Vehicles; and
— three (3) Aerostat ISR Integrated Platform with supporting equipment.
The estimated total program cost is $417m.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East.
Egypt intends to use this Maritime Domain Awareness system to provide the Egyptian Armed Forces with a maritime surveillance capability with real-time situational awareness in the defense of Egypt maritime boundary, natural resources, and ports. Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor will be the Advanced Technology Systems Company (ATSC), McLean, VA. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require annual trips to Egypt involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews, support, and oversight for approximately five years. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Defense Security Cooperation Agency)
06 Oct 20. HENSOLDT receives Xpeller order from South America In recent years, the sale of drones has increased massively in Brazil. These flying objects, which are becoming increasingly common in public areas, endanger the safety of civilians and armed forces. HENSOLDT has now received an order from Brazil for two Xpeller systems for drone defence. The order volume amounts to more than €1m. This is the first order resulting from a framework agreement with the Brazilian customer. The contract was preceded by live tests following the first drone defence symposium, during which HENSOLDT demonstrated the capabilities of the modular Xpeller system with a multidisciplinary team from Europe, South Africa and Latin America. The Xpeller variants now procured consist of a customer-optimised combination of EO/IR sensor technology, radar, RF detection as well as jamming as a countermeasure to defend against intruding drones.
02 Oct 20. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, has been awarded a $35,582,832 sole-source, hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract (HQ0851-21-C-0001) under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case JA-P-NCO to the government of Japan. Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will perform Aegis FMS Baseline J7.B development and SPY-7(V) 1 radar production, integration and test planning support. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. The period of performance is from Oct. 2, 2020, through July 31, 2021. Funds from the government of Japan in the amount of $35,582,832 are being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0851-21-C-0001).
05 Oct 20. Rohde & Schwarz received another contract for the newly developed SOVERON HR handheld radio along with the successfully established SOVERON VR vehicular radio. Diehl Defence will integrate the mission-optimized radios with an export customer and has already received the first deliveries. All devices are produced in German Rohde & Schwarz plants because of the security technology involved. As part of the SOVERON software defined radio system, SOVERON HR is able to maintain two audio connections and enables parallel voice and data connections, together with associated network-capable, high data rate, jam-proof SOVERON WAVE waveforms. SOVERON HR and SOVERON VR have already been commissioned by the German armed forces to equip their Very High Joint Readiness Task Force 2023 (VJTF 2023), with key elements Puma infantry fighting vehicles and future dismounted soldier.
AIR
08 Oct 20. Ukraine Plans Purchase of 48 Bayraktar TB2 Drones from Turkey. Kiev plans to purchase up to 48 Bayraktar Tactical Block 2 (TB2) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Turkey’s domestically made combat drones, a Ukrainian news site reported, citing the export and import body operating under Ukraine’s defense industry umbrella institution. The purchase of such a large number of UAVs raises questions of whether the vehicles would be jointly produced or produced locally inside Ukraine. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry plans to purchase six to 12 Bayraktar TB2 complexes, each with six to 12 control stations, and three to four UAVs, Defense Express said in a report late Monday. (Source: UAS VISION)
30 Sep 20. INDIA – C-130J Follow Support. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of India of items and services to extend follow-on support for their fleet of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $90m. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Government of India has requested to buy items and services to extend follow-on support for their fleet of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. These items include aircraft consumables spares and repair/return parts; ground support and equipment; Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD) fire extinguisher cartridges; flare cartridges; BBU-35/B cartridge impulse squibs; one spare AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receiver shipset; spare AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispenser System shipset; ten Lightweight Night Vision Binocular (F5032); ten AN/AVS-9 Night Vision Goggle (NVG)(F4949); GPS; Electronic Warfare; instruments and lab equipment support; Joint Mission Planning System; cryptographic device spares and loaders; software and software support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training and training equipment; U.S. and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support; and other related elements of program support. The estimated total case value is $90m. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-Indian strategic relationship and improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. The proposed sale ensures the previously procured aircraft operates effectively to serve the needs of Indian Air Force, Army and Navy transport requirements, local and international humanitarian assistance, and regional disaster relief. This sale of spares and services will enable the Indian Air Force to sustain a mission-ready status with respect to the C-130J transport. India will have no difficulty absorbing this additional sustainment support. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor will be Lockheed-Martin Company, Marietta, Georgia. There are no known offsets proposed in connection with this potential sale. (Source: glstrade.com)
02 Oct 20. The US State Department has approved the sale to South Korea of additional Raytheon AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder air-to-air missiles (AAMs) for an estimated USD158.1m. The approval, announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 1 October, covers 115 of the latest variant Sidewinder AAMs, as well as training missiles, ancillary equipment, and services. The sale must first be approved by the US Congress before any contract can be signed. Compared with the Block I missile, the Block II features a redesigned fuze, as well as new onboard processors, rocket motor battery, ignition safety device, and datalink. According to Janes Weapons: Air-Launched the DSU-37/B (modified DSU-15B/B) laser proximity fuze is replaced with a more modern system (the DSU-41 Advanced Optical Detector System), making more space available inside the missile body for additional capabilities to be incorporated. (Source: Jane’s)
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