UNITED KINGDOM
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21 Apr 22. Immersive close combat training technology specialists, 4GD, have been awarded a contract to supply first-to-market smart urban warfare training targets to the British Army. SimStriker, which first started development in lockdown in 2020, represents a new generation of intelligent training adversary and is set to add a layer of tactical performance analysis to the 4GD SmartFacility currently in service with the 16 Air Assault Brigade in Colchester. The target is fitted with “hit-zone” sensors capable of accurately recording the precision and fire rate of soldiers. High tech instruments inside the mannequin can also pick up movement, light and sound and enable the target to vocally respond, raise the alarm, shoot back with non-lethal ammunition and drop on its base when engaged.Marking the company’s first delivery, a total of 10 targets will be delivered. SimStriker is upgradeable and can be networked into 4GD’s ACIES IntegratedRealities synthetic environment to introduce a virtual world to the SmartFacility where the target appears as a digital avatar as well as a physical adversary. When linked to ACIES, real-life actions are reflected in the 3D environment so, when SimStriker is engaged and drops, the avatar inside the simulation does so too, and vice versa. The smart-target is also an integral part of ECFECTUS, 4GD’s overarching data collection and analysis framework that collates information from soldier, weapon and SmartFacility sensors and cameras. Data drawn by SimStriker and aggregated via ECFECTUS enables soldiers to monitor their training and improve their tactical performance through impactful feedback on key aspects of urban warfare such as lethality, survivability, mobility and sustainability.
AIR
21 Apr 22. Field Aerospace, has been awarded, as Prime Contractor, a contract by United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) to supply an aircraft for use by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The De Havilland DHC-8 aircraft will replace the four-engine DHC-7 aircraft in service with BAS since 1994 which was also modified by Field Aerospace, and includes a 3-year maintenance and support program. The contract was signed on 17 March 2022 by Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of British Antarctic Survey, Nigel Bird, Director of Major Programmes at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Brian Love, Chief Commercial Officer, Field Aerospace. De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and Collins Aerospace have been chosen as major sub-contractors. The base aircraft will be delivered by De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, who will also provide training and support. The Collins Aerospace freighter conversion cargo bay door will be installed allowing the aircraft maximum versatility. British Antarctic Survey (BAS), delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Its skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, UK., Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our understanding of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through its extensive logistic capability and know-how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world-leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs. The DHC-8 will be used to ferry passengers and cargo to and from the Rothera Research Station, Antarctica in support of polar science and operations.
EUROPE
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19 Apr 22. Poland orders SHORAD with CAMM effectors. The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) signed a contract with the PGZ-Narew consortium on 14 April for a ground-based short-range air-defence system (SHORAD) based on the MBDA Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) system. The Polish army will receive two firing units with three MBDA CAMM iLaunchers each integrated into a Polish Jelcz 8×8 truck chassis, transporter and loader vehicles, and deployable Soła 3D radars. The first unit is expected to be delivered in September and the second one in the end of 2022 or in the beginning of 2023. Under the contract, the value of which has not been disclosed, logistics and training support will be provided. The PGZ-Narew consortium will integrate MBDA effectors and launchers with Polish-made sensors and a command-and-control (C2) system. The first two firing units will constitute a preliminary Narew SHORAD configuration, which will be improved. Armaments Agency spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Płatek told Janes (Source: Janes)
AIR
19 Apr 22. D-Orbit, the space logistics and orbital transportation company, today announced the signing of a subcontract with space company Beyond Gravity, under which D-Orbit will deliver lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) tools and metallic structural components for the European Space Agency’s Space Rider reusable space vehicle. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. D-Orbit was selected for its experience and established know-how in space projects. It will supply the CFRP tooling and metallic structural flight hardware components. D-Orbit will also coordinate and monitor the work of Italian suppliers, to ensure that the production and documentation follows the space industry’s best practices. The Space Rider spacecraft, which will be built by prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, is an automatic, uncrewed laboratory designed to perform technology demonstration and pharmaceutics, biomedicine, biology, and physical science experiments over missions lasting up to two months. A key feature of Space Rider is the ability to re-enter the atmosphere to return experiment results, land on a runway, and fly multiple times, a mission profile that will validate Europe’s know-how in operating missions in low Earth orbit. Space Rider’s maiden mission is expected to launch in 2023.
USA
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19 Apr 22. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) was awarded a $99.6m contract by U.S. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to provide mission-critical capabilities for Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A). Northrop Grumman will design, develop, integrate, test and deliver the first of the next-generation relay ground stations to support legacy and future missile-launch and missile-warning detection satellites. The RGS-A award will help address the U.S. Space Force’s mission to revolutionize existing missile warning and missile defense systems with the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) system. A key element of the FORGE architecture includes relay ground stations that support existing and new satellite constellations and the capability to handle changes in bandwidth and resiliency. NIWC Pacific will develop six antennas for RGS-A to enable the Space Systems Command (SSC) Next Generation Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Ground System to operate the legacy satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The antennas will be deployed to the island of Guam and remotely monitored and operated from the United States. Most of the work for the five-year contract will take place at Northrop Grumman’s campus in Boulder where it just opened a 23,680-square-foot office building. Northrop Grumman has more than 2,200 employees across Colorado supporting key customers including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the intelligence community.
20 Apr 22. U.S. Army Selects SIG SAUER Next Generation Squad Weapons System. SIG SAUER was awarded the Next Generation Squad Weapons System (NGSW) Contract by the U.S. Army after a rigorous 27-month testing and evaluation process. The SIG FURY Hybrid Ammunition (6.8 Common Cartridge), SIG-LMG (XM250), SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle (XM5) and SIG SLX Suppressors meaningfully advance soldier weapons technology to meet the emerging requirements of the U.S. Army. The SIG 6.8×51 FURY Hybrid Ammunition uses a patented lightweight metallic case designed to handle pressures higher than conventional ammunition, resulting in dramatically increased velocity and on-target energy in lighter weapons. The SIG-LMG lightweight belt-fed machine gun and SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle are purpose-built to harness the energy of the SIG FURY 6.8 Common Cartridge Ammunition enabling greater range and increased lethality while reducing the soldier’s load on the battlefield. Both the SIG-LMG and MCX-SPEAR deliver significant weapon and technology advancements to the soldier and provide a solution for battlefield overmatch in comparison to the current M249 and M4/M4A1. The U.S. Army’s procurement of the NGSW System marks the beginning of an era where combat weapons are coupled with a suppressor as standard issue equipment. The SIG SLX Suppressors are designed to reduce harmful gas backflow, sound signature and flash. SIG SLX Suppressors feature a patented quick detach design for easy install and removal. SIG SAUER is a company that is driven by innovation and we are proud to offer the advancements of the NGSW System in the SIG 277 FURY Hybrid Ammunition (the commercial variant of the SIG 6.8×51 FURY Ammunition round), SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle, and the SIG SLX Series of Suppressors available to the consumer. For more information about these products visit sigsauer.com.
SEA
22 Apr 22. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a leading supplier of Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) based solutions engineered to succeed, today announced it was awarded a contract by Progeny to provide MOSA computers and digital processing modules for use in the U.S. Navy’s MK54 and MK48 torpedo upgrade programs. The processor modules covered by this agreement are being shipped to Progeny in Manassas, Virginia and Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
19 Apr 22. Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, is awarded a $396,732,736 fixed-price-incentive modification (P00011) to exercise options under a previously awarded contract (N0003021C0100) for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Magna, Utah (33.7%); Denver, Colorado (11%); Titusville, Florida (8.1%); Sunnyvale, California (8.1%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (7.4%); Camden, Arkansas (5.7%); Kingsport, Tennessee (5.2%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (3.8%); Kings Bay, Georgia (3%); Rockford, Illinois (2.3%); Biddeford, Maine (1.9%); Elkton, Maryland (1.7%); East Aurora, New York (1.5%); Inglewood, California (1.1%); and other various locations (less than 1.0% each, 5.5% total). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2026. Fiscal 2022 weapon procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $396,357,392; and fiscal 2021 weapon procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $375,344 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1),and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
20 Apr 22. Raytheon Co., Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded a $482,714,279 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only, and firm-fixed-price contract for DDG 1000 Class Combat System activation, sustainment and modernization support for Mission Systems and Total Ship Computing Environment infrastructure (TSCEi) hardware/equipment, in addition to non-recurring engineering services supporting combat system installation, integration, development, testing, correction, maintenance, and modernization of Zumwalt-class Mission Systems and Mission System equipment. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1,675,745,280. Work will be performed in Tewksbury, Massachusetts (37%); Portsmouth, Rhode Island (37%); San Diego, California (22%); Nashua, New Hampshire (2%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (1%); and Fort Wayne, Indiana (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2027. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,100,000 (34%); fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,000,000 (26%); fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,209,388 (22%); fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,610,000 (17%); and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $216,000 (1%) will be obligated at time of award, of which $3,425,388 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-5522).
AIR
22 Apr 22. AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, has been awarded an $8,172,220 delivery order (FA8534-22-F-0037) against previously awarded contract FA8534-20-D-0003 for the production of 463L cargo pallets. In continuation of a trusted partnership with the U.S. Air Force, this work will be performed in Cadillac, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by July 15, 2022. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition with Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, as the contracting agency. Other fiscal 2021 Air Force funds are being obligated in the full amount at the time of award. The total cumulative contract value is $78,994,791.
15 Apr 22. General Electric Aviation, Lynn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $149,693,969 firm-fixed-price, requirements-type delivery order against a five-year subsumable basic ordering agreement (SPE4AX-22-D-9409) for T700 engine supplies. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Sept. 30, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2022 through 2026 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia.
20 Apr 22. Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc., Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $184,273,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for innovative combustion and propulsion research. This contract provides for the advancement of the state-of-the-art of propulsion-related research and technologies for Department of Defense platforms. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by April 20, 2030. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2022 research and development funds in the amount of $842,500 will incrementally fund the first task order at the time of contract award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-22-D-2009/FA8650-22-F-2011).
22 Apr 22. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Woodland Hills, California, is awarded a $37,989,562 firm-fixed-price modification (P00006) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0001919D0025). This modification increases the contract ceiling to procure an additional 173 Tech Refresh Mission Computers (TRMC) and an additional 173 TRMC trays in support of the Army’s domestic production UH-60V aircraft. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah (80%); and Woodland Hills, California (20%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland is the contracting activity.
20 Apr 22. Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, has been selected by Virginia-based HawkEye 360 to launch three Electron missions for the radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. The first of the three missions is scheduled to be Rocket Lab’s inaugural Electron mission from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, ushering in an era of Rocket Lab launches from U.S. soil from no earlier than December 2022. The multi-launch contract with HawkEye 360 will see Rocket Lab deliver 15 satellites (five clusters) to low Earth orbit across three Electron missions anticipated between late 2022 and 2024. Rocket Lab will first deploy three HawkEye 360 satellites as part of a rideshare mission, followed by six satellites each on two dedicated Electron launches. The first HawkEye 360 mission is scheduled to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility – a dedicated pad for Electron launches developed to support missions from U.S. soil for government and commercial customers. Encouraged by NASA’s recent progress in certifying its Autonomous Flight Termination Unit (NAFTU) software, which is required to enable Electron launches from Virginia, Rocket Lab has scheduled the mission from Launch Complex 2 no earlier than December 2022. With Launch Complex 2 joining Rocket Lab’s two operational launch pads at Launch Complex 1 in Mahia NZ, Rocket Lab can provide even greater flexibility over schedule, launch frequency and launch location to its global customers. Supporting Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy, Rocket Lab will also supply HawkEye 360 with separation systems produced by Planetary Systems Corporation, a Maryland-based space hardware company acquired by Rocket Lab in December 2021. (Source: ASD Network)
TECHNOLOGY
18 Apr 22. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced $4.4m in drone research, education and training grants to seven universities. Research will focus on three areas: electromagnetic compatibility, detect and avoid classifications, and cybersecurity oversight. The universities receiving grants are University of North Dakota, University of Kansas, Drexel University, The Ohio State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University and Oregon State University. (Source: UAS VISION)
18 Apr 22. Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $49,391,633 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for various technical support elements required for the management and operation of five high-performance computing centers. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Vicksburg, Mississippi; John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of April 17, 2023. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $1,753,551 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-22-F-0191).
20 Apr 22. Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) today announced that it was selected by Progeny to provide Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) computers and digital processing modules for use in the U.S. Navy’s MK54 and MK48 torpedo upgrade programs. The contract has an estimated lifetime value of $70m. The processor modules covered by this agreement are being shipped to Progeny in Manassas, Virginia and Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
21 Apr 22. IvySys Technologies, an innovative synthetic data solutions and services company, announced today that it has been awarded a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) Data Readiness for Artificial Intelligence Development (DRAID) program. With a ceiling value of $241.6m, the five-year BOA will allow DoD components to rapidly access IvySys synthetic data generation solutions and related AI data preparation services. On behalf of the JAIC, the U.S. Army Contracting Command has awarded the DRAID BOA to establish a decentralized vehicle that streamlines rapid procurement and agile delivery of AI data readiness capabilities for the DoD. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
19 Apr 22. Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a leader in trusted, secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, announced it has been selected to provide trusted and secure advanced packaging for the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s (OUSD R&E), State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program. The Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) was awarded by NSWC Crane with National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL) as the Consortium Manager. The SHIP program is part of the Department of Defense initiative to advance and strengthen the American microelectronics industrial base to ensure the U.S. has access to advanced capabilities in domestic facilities and quantifiably assured microelectronics technology fundamental to key technologies, including AI, 5G communication and hypersonics.
19 Apr 22. SciTec, Inc., a non-traditional small business, was recently awarded separate contract vehicles supporting development of advanced capabilities in two of the DoD’s major technology initiatives: Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The first, awarded March 14, 2022, by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) for Advance Battle Management System (ABMS) supports the maturation, demonstration, and proliferation of capabilities across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable JADC2. This multi-level security contract provides 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. The multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity has a $950M ceiling In support of the AMBS contract, SciTec will leverage our expertise in systems-of-systems architectures, sensors, and mission data processing applications to deliver advances in battle management; time-dominant data fusion; and target detection, tracking, characterization, and custody.The second contract awarded March 24, 2022, by the Army Contracting Command on behalf of the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) for Data Readiness for Artificial Intelligence Development (DRAID), provides for rapid procurement and agile delivery of AI data readiness capabilities for the DoD. The successful use of AI depends critically on the availability of quality data that can be used to build reliable AI-enabled systems. The $242M DRAID basic ordering agreement (BOA) contract vehicle addresses the entire data lifecycle, beginning from the collection, through pre-processing, up to AI system creation. It will also support AI-specific requirements, including unique challenges in operationalizing data for AI. On the DRAID contract, SciTec will leverage our AI/ML expertise, training data development and curation, and framework agnostic MLOps pipeline to rapidly design and develop AI technologies that follow DoD AI ethics principles. SciTec AI capabilities directed at DRAID include synthetic data generation; modeling & simulation; Extract, Transfer, Load (ETL) services; automated/assisted data labeling and curation; and application of AI security features to drive user confidence. (Source: PR Newswire)
20 Apr 22. The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today Texas A&M University (TAMU) was selected for a one-year, $500,000 applied research award to develop both analytical and empirical procedures to quantify high-altitude and near-space atmospheric weather encounters for current and future hypersonic flight system designs. The proposed research, sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH), will be jointly undertaken by TAMU, Wichita State University, National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR), Prairie View A&M University, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM).
20 Apr 22. The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today that the University of Notre Dame (ND) was selected for a one-year, $500,000 applied research award to use additive manufacturing techniques to construct a control array module for use on hypersonic vehicle designs. The control system design will incorporate machine learning for feedback control allowing adaptation to varying flight conditions, leading to potential increased performance of the hypersonic vehicle. The proposed research, sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH), will be jointly undertaken by ND, University of Arizona (UoAZ), Texas A&M University (TAMU), and General Electric (GE Global Research).
REST OF THE WORLD
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11 Apr 22. Advanced Protection Systems supplies counter drone equipment to Ivory Coast Special Forces. Surveillance company Advanced Protection Systems has partnered with the Ivory Coast Special Forces. The Polish manufacturer is supplying the force with its FIELDctrl 3D MIMO radars. Advanced Protection Systems’ portable dismounted soldier version serves as an anti-drone solution. It is designed to simultaneously detect, track and classify Low-Slow-Small (LSS) devices and also any bigger threats as well as ground targets. FIELDctrl and SKYctrl systems are plug and play technologies, fully integrable with already existing battlefield systems, reports Advanced Protection Systems. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
14 Apr 22. The US Department of Defense has selected BlueHalo and its Titan Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) team as a Program of Record for an undisclosed customer. The DoD customer has selected Titan as the preferred radio frequency (RF) sensor for both standalone and integrated layered-defense solutions. The systems will be utilized for pre-deployment training, on-the-move security, and fixed-site force protection. According to the company press release, Titan is a portable, rapidly deployable system that creates a secure perimeter anywhere, providing identification and automated mitigation of threats across all major commercial and hobbyist control protocols and frequency bands. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Titan can detect and respond to individual or swarmed threats using adaptive, escalating countermeasures that minimize collateral impact to nearby communications. The system can be fully deployed in under two minutes, and does not require signals expertise, extensive training, or significant operator cognitive load. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
21 Apr 22. Boeing to lead new sovereign defence manufacturing project. The Commonwealth government has tasked the prime with spearheading a new program aimed at bolstering the local manufacture of technology for defence aircraft. Boeing Defence Australia has been selected to lead a new $103 m Advanced Defence Aerospace Manufacturing Network announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday (21 April). The project – partly supported by $34m in funding via the Collaboration Stream of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative – aims to incentivise local SMEs to manufacture, export and support the development of complete crewed and uncrewed defence aircraft. This would involve facilitating access to global supply chains and creating an aerospace system manufacturers network by:
- establishing new facilities, including cyber security upgrades for each project partner;
- the procurement and commissioning of capital equipment needed to support the volume of manufacturing; and
- introducing partners to advanced technologies and new capabilities.
Boeing’s partners are expected to include Ferra Engineering, HeliMods, Naeco, RUAG Australia, Cablex, AME Systems and JRS Manufacturing Group. The initiative is tipped to generate approximately 400 new local jobs in Brisbane and Melbourne, and more than 1,500 jobs across the country by 2024. (Source: Defence Connect)
20 Apr 22. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has agreed to sell 22 New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicles (NZLAVs) to the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile). The sale has been finalised for approximately $19.855m. Delivery of the vehicles to the Chilean Navy will take place in two tranches, while the first will be shipped this year and the second in 2023. Once delivered, the NZLAVs will be used by the Chilean Navy’s Marine Corps. Built by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Canada, the light armoured vehicles are used to provide mobility protection to soldiers in the battlefield. The NZLAVs sale between NZDF and the Chilean Navy was initiated by the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Canadian government organisation for international trade arrangements. (Source: naval-technology.com)
25 Apr 22. Jankel, a world-leader in the design and manufacture of high-specification defence, security and NGO protection systems, has announced the receipt of a follow-on order for x10 of their twin-cab pickup variant Toyota LC200. The order comes from an undisclosed customer who previously purchased armoured variants of the same vehicle; a contract that was announced in February 2021. In addition to these 10 vehicles, Jankel has recently received orders totalling a further 20 armoured LC200 vehicles from undisclosed customers, globally, sweeping up the last of the LC200 available stock.
20 Apr 22. DoD/DSCA Notifies Congress of Possible FMS of Defense Articles Related to Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems to Australia. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress that the Government of Australia has requested to buy one hundred six (106) Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) (5) terminals; fifteen (15) MIDS JTRS (6) terminals; and seven (7) Multifunctional Information Distribution System MIDS-Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) (4) Block Upgrade Two (BU2) retrofit kits. Also included are Low Volume Terminal (LVT) Cryptographic Modules (LCM). The estimated total value is $42m. The principal contractors will be Viasat, Carlsbad, CA; and Data Link Solutions, Cedar Rapids, IA. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. (Source: glstrade.com)
SEA
19 Apr 22. Collins Class fleet to receive tech upgrade. Minister for Defence Peter Dutton has announced a $381m commitment to upgrade the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarine fleet with an advanced optronics system, designed to improve stealth capability. Specifically, the upgrades, to be delivered from Osborne Shipyard in South Australia, involve placing a digital camera on an extendable mast-raising system outside the pressure hull. The non-hull penetrating system is expected to capture imagery at a faster rate, before transmitting data into the submarine digitally via a watertight cable. The new technology is also expected to increase the amount of space available in the submarines by removing the large periscope column. The upgrades aim to better align Australia’s submarine capability with those deployed by partners in the United Kingdom and the United States, which already leverage optronics systems. HMAS Rankin is set to be the first Collins Class submarine to be fitted with the new optronics system from 2024, with the technology expected to be operational by 2026. This latest investment builds on the $6bn life-of-type extension (LOTE) for all six Collins Class submarines, announced last year. The Collins LOTE program is expected to involve rebuilding each submarine once it achieves 30 years of service, with each upgrade scheduled to take approximately two years. The submarines will reportedly be rebuilt by ASC in Adelaide, with the work to be supported by Saab Kockums, the original co-builder of the fleet. Defence had initially planned to upgrade just three of the platforms, ahead of the delivery of Naval Group’s 12 diesel-powered submarines under the former $90bn Attack Class contract. (Source: Defence Connect)
18 Apr 22. The Australian Government has announced plans to acquire two more evolved Cape-class patrol boats (CCPB) from Austal in Western Australia (WA). The investment is estimated to be approximately $91.32m (A$124m). The two patrol boats will support the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Australian Border Force (ABF) in bolstering the border security in the region. Besides, the new investment is expected to generate around 400 direct employment opportunities and around 150 jobs through Austal. (Source: naval-technology.com)
19 Apr 22. Serco awarded contract extension for operation and maintenance of warfighting simulators. The company has been awarded a three-year contract extension to deliver training and support services to the maritime warfare simulators at Sydney’s HMAS Watson. The renewal of the contract marks 10 years of operating the Royal Australian Navy’s Bridge Simulators at HMAS Watson, following Serco’s successful 2020 rebid for the project. Serco has confirmed that the new contract is expected to carry through until mid-2026. (Source: Defence Connect)
AIR
21 Apr 22. The Republic of Angola has placed a firm order for three Airbus C295s to perform multirole operations. Two aircraft will be specifically equipped for maritime surveillance and one for transport missions. The aircraft configured for transport missions will be able to carry out tactical cargo and troop transport tasks, paratrooping, load dropping or humanitarian missions. The two C295s configured as Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) will play a key role for Search and Rescue (SAR), control of illegal fishing and borders, support in case of natural disasters and intelligence-gathering missions, among others. They will be equipped with the Airbus-developed Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) mission system as well state-of-the-art sensors. All three aircraft will be equipped with the latest version of the Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. With this new order, the Força Aérea Nacional de Angola becomes the 38th C295 operator worldwide.
19 Apr 22. Schiebel wins another contract in Thailand to supply additional CAMCOPTER S-100 systems to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). UAS market leader Schiebel has been awarded its second contract in just three years by the Royal Thai Navy, signed with Lt. General Apichai Sompolkrang, Director of the Naval Acquisition Management Office in Bangkok. RTN Programme Director, Captain Anurat Siriwong, witnessed the contract signature. The contract will be completed before the end of 2022 and the RTN will deploy the CAMCOPTER® S-100 systems for land and sea based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Schiebel won its first contract with the RTN in 2019 and those helicopters are fully operational in Thailand. (Source: UAS VISION)
20 Apr 22. Melbourne-based Sentient Vision Systems has signed a multi-year contract extension with US firm AeroVironment, a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, to provide enhanced airborne surveillance capabilities. Sentient Vision Systems’ Kestrel Moving Target Indication (MTI) system has been part of every Group 1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) manufactured by AeroVironment since 2011. There are now thousands of Kestrel systems in service with AeroVironment’s customers worldwide. The contract extension will see Sentient Vision Systems provide updates to its Kestrel MTI system. These will enhance AeroVironment’s solutions with operationally proven advanced computational and deep learning algorithms, arming the modern war-fighter with trusted, advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to bring enhanced accuracy and efficiency to complex and dangerous tasks. (Source: Rumour Control)
TECHNOLOGY
21 Apr 22. The University of Adelaide has partnered with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to lead a new $238m defence research and development (R&D) initiative, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday (20 April). The collaboration, dubbed Defence Trailblazer: Concept to Sovereign Capability (CSC), aims to fast-track the development of 100 new defence products and capabilities, with a specific focus on autonomous technologies, hypersonics and high-frequency technologies. The Commonwealth government has pledged $50 m via the Trailblazer program, with the University of Adelaide, UNSW, and their industry partners collectively committing $188 m in co-investment. The Trailblazer program was announced in November 2021 and is aimed at supporting universities to drive the commercialisation of space, defence, energy, minerals and other technologies. Among the industry partners participating in the program are BAE Systems Australia, Supashock, Greenroom Robotics, and Silentium Defence. (Source: Space Connect)