UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
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28 Apr 22. Blighter Surveillance Systems (‘Blighter’, www.blighter.com) the British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning military radars and surveillance solutions, has been awarded a contract to supply vehicle-mounted tactical radars on an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) for a Northern European NATO customer for border security applications. For this programme, Blighter will be supplying its B422 180-degree ground surveillance e-scanning radar in a vehicle-mounted configuration to be fitted to a six-wheeled UGV, driven by the need for flexible and rapidly-deployable threat detection for perimeter and border security. The radars will be augmented by Electro-Optical systems provided by a systems integrator for the programme to provide the UGV with a full-spectrum approach to threat detection.
29 Apr 22. Another success for the Mission Master SP: Rheinmetall wins bid for Spiral 3 of UK’s Robotic Platoon Vehicles Programme. For the third time, the British Ministry of Defence has awarded Rheinmetall a contract for its Robotic Platoon Vehicles (RPV) programme. The RPV programme is a three-phase experiment to determine the extent to which unmanned vehicles can boost the combat effectiveness and capabilities of dismounted troops at platoon level. For Spiral 3, the programme’s final phase, the British once again chose to work with Rheinmetall Canada. The British Army ordered four Rheinmetall Mission Master SP – Surveillance Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles (A-UGV) in an Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) configuration and three Rheinmetall Mission Master SP – Cargo vehicles, for a total of seven new A-UGVs. The UK had procured a total of eight Mission Master vehicles in previous phases of the programme. The Rheinmetall Mission Master SP is part of the Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) family developed by Rheinmetall Canada. The new order, placed in January 2022, is scheduled to be fully delivered by the end of August of this year. It includes comprehensive training, support services, and spare parts. Rheinmetall Canada is the prime contractor, working in cooperation with Rheinmetall Provectus, its Ottawa-based robotics branch.
TECHNOLOGY
28 Apr 22. Research Innovations, Inc. (RII), a provider of critical national security technology solutions, today announced the award of a contract by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to expand the piloting of RII’s Collaborative Mission Management (CMM) capability to support Strategic Command. The contract follows a successful piloting of RII’s CMM capability to support the British Army’s Information Activities and Operations Program through a previous contract awarded in 2021. By experimenting across a myriad of use cases, this contract will explore the advancement of joint all-domain and artificial intelligence-enhanced technology that promotes true situational awareness and quickens decision making across Defence and with allies. (Source: PR Newswire)
EUROPE
LAND
29 Apr 22. Bittium will deliver Bittium Tough Comnode™ devices to the Finnish Defence Forces based on a Framework Agreement that applies to the years 2018-2022. The Tough Comnode device fulfills the data transfer needs of the Finnish Defence Forces’ mobile troops by functioning for example as a VoIP phone (Voice over IP), an IP router (Internet Protocol), and an SHDSL repeater (Symmetrical High-speed Digital Subscriber Line). The value of the purchase order is approximately EUR 1.75 m (excl. VAT) and the ordered devices will be delivered to the Finnish Defence Forces during the year 2022. The total value of the Framework Agreement, which was signed by Bittium and the Finnish Defence Forces on November 5, 2018, and according to which the Finnish Defence Forces has ordered Bittium Tough Comnode devices and related accessories yearly, is EUR 8.3 m (excl. VAT). The versatile Bittium Tough Comnode fulfills the data transfer needs of the mobile troops by functioning for example as a VoIP phone, an IP router, and an SHDSL repeater. Bittium Tough Comnode is rugged and easy to install in different environments and it is also portable by soldiers on the battlefield. The device is compatible with the software defined radio based Bittium Tactical Wireless IP Network™ (TAC WIN) system and Bittium Tough SDR™ radios, which are meant for broadband tactical communications. The Tough Comnode device offers diverse connectivity options also to third-party equipment and systems. Bittium Tough Comnode also enables using legacy Combat Net Radios (CNR) as part of the IP-based tactical communication system (Radio over IP, RoIP).
29 Apr 22. Bittium has received a purchase order from the Finnish Defence Forces for system support concerning the Bittium Tactical Wireless IP Network™ (TAC WIN) and Bittium Tough VoIP™ systems, which are meant for tactical communications. The purchase order applies to year 2022 and includes technical support for the systems and related equipment, software support, maintaining readiness for system support, and system support management. The value of the purchase order is EUR 1.4m (excl. VAT). The TAC WIN system is used to form a broadband backbone network on the battlefield and the Tough VoIP system enables tactical IP calls and data transfer. Both systems support the combat doctrine of the Finnish Defence Forces where mobility, leading the troops on the move, and effective communications play a key role. The resilient and modular systems are used by all three service branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Bittium Tactical Wireless IP Network (TAC WIN) is a Software Defined Radio based wireless broadband network system intended for military and public safety use. With the system, MANET (mobile ad hoc network), link, and connection networks can be formed into one logical IP network quickly, no matter what the location is. Bittium TAC WIN is compatible with existing fixed and wireless network infrastructures. The core of the system is a tactical router that enables users to freely form both wired and wireless broadband data transfer IP connections. The tactical router also enables connections to different types of terminals and other communication systems in order to connect them into a single communication network. In addition to the router, the system comprises three types of radio heads, and each radio head covers its own frequency band area and can be used for flexible formation of optimized network topologies for different communication needs. All the products of the system are designed for harsh conditions, and thanks to the system’s automated functions, the implementation of the system can be done quickly. Due to the software-based functionality of the Bittium TAC WIN system, it can be easily updated with additional performance, which allows it to be developed and maintained cost-efficiently throughout the whole lifespan of the system. https://www.bittium.com/tactical-communications/bittium-tactical-wireless-ip-network.
27 Apr 22. Slovenia Purchase of Boxer armoured vehicles to cost EUR 343m. The purchase of 45 Boxer armoured vehicles that Slovenia plans to acquire through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) will cost EUR 343m including tax, the Defence Ministry revealed on Tuesday after the agreement with the OCCAR entered into effect following a Constitutional Court ruling. The deal involves 45 eight-wheeled vehicles with armament, logistics services and project management costs. Value added tax, which comes to nearly EUR 62m, will be paid in Slovenia, shows a press release from the Defence Ministry. One vehicle is slated for delivery in 2023, followed by nine in 2024, 22 in 2025 and 13 in 2026. The price can increase by no more than 2.8% per year, regardless of potential increases in costs of materials. There were no intermediaries in the deal. (Source: https://sloveniatimes.com/)
29 Apr 22. A consortium led by Thales and CS GROUP has been notified by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) to develop and deliver the PARADE1 drone countermeasures programme capability, with firm commitments for €33m out of a total programme budget of €350m over 11 years. The modular, multi-mission PARADE system will detect, classify and safely neutralise micro- and mini-drones either to protect sensitive sites on a temporary basis or as part of overseas deployments abroad. The PARADE system will reinforce public safety and protect infrastructure at two major sporting events in France: the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
AIR
29 Apr 22. HENSOLDT has been awarded a contract worth a mid-three-digit million euro amount for the next phase of Eurofighter maintenance. The contract covers service tasks for HENSOLDT’s share of various Eurofighter systems in the areas of radar, self-protection and avionics. HENSOLDT’s service contributes to the desired increase in the number of Eurofighter flying hours. The full service flight hour contract is organised through consortial partnerships in the four Eurofighter core nations (UK, Italy, Spain and Germany) and mandated through several national contracts via the Eurofighter partner companies (Airbus GE, Airbus SP, BAE Systems UK, Leonardo Aircraft Division IT). HENSOLDT is the national leader of the Radar- and DASS- (Defensive Aids Subsystem) Consortium for the service of the German user until the end of 2026 and is also the service and consortium partner for the other nations.When the contract comes into force, the assemblies of the four Eurofighter core nations with their total of approximately 500 aircraft will be maintained by the HENSOLDT sites in Ulm, Friedrichshafen, Taufkirchen, Neuburg and Laage. The German sites in Neuburg and Laage have TDCs (Technical Diagnostic Cells). Here, HENSOLDT technicians repair radar and self-protection components of the German Eurofighters on site in the shortest possible time. In addition, the Radar Automatic Test Equipment (RATE) system developed and supported by HENSOLDT is used in all Eurofighter nations. It supports the technicians on site both in troubleshooting and in the final re-certification of assemblies for flight operations after repairs have been carried out.
25 Apr 22. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) wins the 2022 round of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) microlauncher competition. The prize values 11 m Euros. As a result, the German government will be an anchor customer of RFA ONE. On each of the first two flights of RFA ONE, a payload of up to 150 kg will be placed by DLR. RFA is developing its three-stage rocket RFA ONE, which can deliver up to 1,350 kg to a low polar Earth orbit. The rocket is 30 meters high and 2 meters wide and has reached important milestones in its development over the past year: RFA hot fired its highly efficient staged combustion engine “Helix” multiple times, is now producing the first batch of flight configuration engines and conducted a successful pressure test with its extensively reusable core stage. The RFA ONE is expected to launch up to fifty times a year in the future, delivering satellites into near-Earth orbit quickly and reliably at a highly competitive price point. RFA has already signed a launch contract with Lunar Research Service (LRS) for its first launch and signed launch contracts with nine other customers for future launches.
USA
LAND
28 Apr 22. The National Security Agency has re-awarded a once-secret cloud computing contract worth up to $10bn to Amazon Web Services, an NSA official confirmed to Nextgov Wednesday. Codenamed “Wild and Stormy,” the contract was first awarded to AWS in July 2021 and subsequently protested by tech giant Microsoft, which also competed for the contract. While the Government Accountability Office sided with Microsoft on its protest in October and recommended the NSA reevaluate proposals from both companies, the NSA ultimately selected AWS again. For almost ten years, the NSA has moved its data, including signals intelligence and other foreign surveillance and intelligence information it ingests from multiple repositories around the globe, into this internally operated data lake, against which analysts from the NSA and other IC agencies can run queries and perform analytics. The Wild and Stormy contract is part of the NSA’s years-long modernization of its Hybrid Compute Initiative, which aims to move some of NSA’s crown jewel intelligence data from internal servers to those operated by a cloud service provider—in this case, AWS. AWS, the most profitable business unit within Amazon, has won several major cloud computing contracts in the defense and intelligence communities, dating back almost a decade. AWS first inked a $600m cloud contract with the CIA called C2S in 2013, through which it provided cloud services to the CIA and sister intelligence agencies, including the NSA. Last year, AWS secured at least a portion of the CIA’s multibn-follow-on C2E contract. AWS was also one of four companies—including Google, Microsoft and Oracle—that were named by the Pentagon as contenders for the DOD’s $9 bn Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract. Those companies have been asked to submit proposals for the contract. (Source: Defense Systems)
28 Apr 22. DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, was awarded a $579,295,440 firm-fixed-price contract for the Family of Weapons Sights-Individual. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 27, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-22-D-0008).
28 Apr 22. FLIR Systems Inc., North Billerica, Massachusetts, was awarded a $500,219,123 firm-fixed-price contract for the Family of Weapons Sights-Individual. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 27, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-22-D-0009).
SEA
27 Apr 22. CAES, a leading provider of mission critical electronics for aerospace and defense, announced today that it has been awarded a Low Rate Initial Production Phase 1 (LRIP1) Contract by Lockheed Martin Corporation for Phased Array Antennas to support its Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system. The AOEW program delivers persistent electronic surveillance and attack capabilities against potential threats such as anti-ship missiles, thereby allowing naval warfighters to not only see incoming threats, but respond to them in real-time. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
26 Apr 22. L3 Technologies Inc., Systems Company, Camden, New Jersey, is awarded a $205,899,580 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-reimbursement, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for engineering, manufacturing, and development; engineering support labor; low rate initial production systems, and spares for the Shipboard Panoramic Electro-Optic/Infrared (SPEIR) program. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $593,050,756. Work will be performed in Mason, Ohio (54%); Northampton, Massachusetts (16%); Bothell, Washington (12%); Hamilton, Ontario (7%); Austin, Texas (7%); Tulsa, Oklahoma (2%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%); and various locations across the U.S., each less than 1% (1%), and is expected to be completed by November 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2031. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will 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 (N00024-22-C-5514).
28 Apr 22. Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $93,012,415 undefinitized modification (P00014) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0001919C0074). This modification adds scope to procure special tooling and test equipment in support of electronic warfare capabilities for F-35 Lightning II low rate initial production for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (99%); and Baltimore, Maryland (1%), and is expected to be completed in November 2024. Fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $12,485,390; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,485,390; and non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $20,605,302 will be obligated at the 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.
25 Apr 22. Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, was awarded a $106,403,231 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5601 to exercise options for sustainment of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Component Based Total Ship System – 21st Century (COMBATSS-21) and associated Combat System elements. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (84%); Camden, New Jersey (5%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (5%); Deer Creek, Colorado (2%); Manassas, Virginia (1%); Orlando, Florida (1%); and various other locations under 1% (2%), and is expected to be completed by April 2023. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,264,999 (80%); and fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $581,373 (20%) will be obligated at time of award and $2,846,372 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 20, 2022)
25 Apr 22. Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded a $46,336,537 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Agnostic Signal Processing for Increased Radar Efficiency (ASPIRE). This contract provides for new radar signal generation capabilities and improved radar signal processing backend designs for Navy radar systems. The effort will conduct studies on approaches for more flexible digital beamforming, advanced signal processing, new signal synthesizer architectures, and smaller digital receiver-exciter (DREX) designs to improve radar system size, weight and power requirements. Work will be performed in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by April 24, 2025. The maximum dollar value, including a 36-month base period, one 14-month option period, two 24-month option periods, one 17-month option period, one 20-month option period, and one 21-month option period that will run concurrently with the base, is $46,336,537. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,147,400 are obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under the N00014-21-S-B001, fiscal 2021 Office of Naval Research long range broad agency announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps science and technology. Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-22-C-1016).
28 Apr 22. Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $9,710,850 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00007) to a previously awarded contract N00014-20-C-1009 for the Autonomous Swarm/Strike-Loitering Munitions. This effort will design, build and integrate Coyote Block 3 (CB3) Launch Tube Assembly (LTA) into Unmanned Underwater Vessel (UUV); procure and deliver CB3 Air Systems for UUV demo; provide Systems Engineering, Integration and Test (SEIT) support for both High Volume Long Range Precision Strike (HVLRPS) from USVs and Fires (HVLRPF); provide field support personnel, test readiness, safety coordination and program management; and provide optional integration of GFE forward payloads and tests. This modification provides for the execution of Options III, IV, VI, VIII, IX, XI and XII (contract line item numbers (CLIN) 0004, 0005, 0007, 0009, 0010, 0012 and 0013 respectively). Additionally, the base, CLIN 0001, is increased by $2,702,864 to $19,903,260. During Options III and IV, the contractor will provide systems engineering and payload integration services. During Options VI, the contractor will provide payload system demonstration test and evaluation services. During Options VIII, IX, XI and XII, the contractor will procure hardware in accordance with standard business and quality practices prior to delivery and use in test and demonstration events. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 28, 2023. This action brings the cumulative value of the contract to $31,398,288. The total potential amount for the contract, including unexercised options, is $35,556,074. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,472,417 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
AIR
25 Apr 22. Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems Sector, Northridge, California, is awarded a $62,076,093 firm-fixed-price modification (P00004) to a previously awarded contract (N0001921C0044). This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of an additional 42 Air-to-Ground Missile-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range all up rounds, as well as manufacturing supplies and support. Work will be performed in Northridge, California (61%); Rocket Center, West Virginia (32%); and Ridgecrest, California (7%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2022 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,550,520; fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,295,132; and fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,230,441 will be obligated at the 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.
25 Apr 22. Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced it was awarded U.S. Government mission support contracts in Q1 2022 worth up to $202m over a six-year period. The total includes 27 awards across nine U.S. government customers—eight of which are Department of Defense or Intelligence Community organizations—for work including artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, advanced data analytics, software development, data conditioning, geospatial production and dissemination, maritime domain awareness, and training and development. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
25 Apr 22. Reliable Robotics, a leader in autonomous aircraft systems, announced today it was awarded an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) contract to design, develop and test autonomous aircraft capabilities on Air Force platforms. As part of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract, Reliable Robotics will demonstrate how its aircraft agnostic design can be quickly adapted for new airframes through simulated and real-world flight tests. The autonomy upgrade will be capable of installation on a wide variety of aircraft. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
25 Apr 22. Viasat Inc., (NASDAQ: VSAT) a global communications company, today announced it was selected on April 20th by NASA to support its Communications Services Project (CSP), which seeks to accelerate the development of near-Earth communications by partnering with commercial satellite communications (SATCOM) providers. Aligned to the CSP objectives, Viasat is developing a space relay capability that will leverage its upcoming ViaSat-3 global satellite constellation, with a newly developed terminal that will enable on-demand and cost-effective communications services for LEO spacecraft anywhere and at any time in their global orbit. Many satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) routinely collect data, such as Earth and weather observations, radar measurements, space situational awareness, and other scientific data, that must be sent back to Earth in real-time. (Source: PR Newswire)
TECHNOLOGY
27 Apr 22. BAE Systems has been awarded a $2.8m, three-year contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a new approach to defeat adversaries: by overwhelming them with complexity. As part of the Complexity Modeling in Multiple Domains (COMMAND) program, BAE Systems will develop highly complex models to capture the “decision calculus” of an adversary, provide an estimate of how different attacks will affect their ability to respond, and ultimately drive them to the point of indecision. As part of Joint All-Domain Operations, the U.S. Department of Defense seeks to integrate effects against targets within the adversary’s Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act loop to push the adversary into strategic paralysis. By using “complexity” as an attack surface, this technology will shape how information flows through an opponent’s decision making process. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
27 Apr 22. US Army Extreme Battery Group Increases Ion Storage Contract. Ion Storage Systems (ION) today announced $1.4m in additional funding of its existing contract with the Center for Research in Extreme Batteries (CREB) for a contract total of almost $2m. The consortium grant from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is intended to expedite the development of safer, lighter, and higher power batteries. This award furthers the commitment from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) which has the goal of producing a solid state Conformal Wearable Battery (CWB) that will significantly increase the operating time of equipment and weapons systems, while eliminating the risk of battery fire or explosions. CREB aims to foster and accelerate collaborative research in advanced battery materials and technologies and characterization techniques. CREB’s focus is on batteries for extreme performance, environments and applications, such as those that may be used for defense, space or biomedical applications. ION has been a member of CREB for over 2.5 years and is proud to contribute extensively to its core mission. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
27 Apr 22. Mercury Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a leader in trusted, secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, announced it received a $16.8 m contract award from a leading defense prime contractor to provide rugged BuiltSECURE™ servers for a ground-based application. The award, with a potential lifetime value of $25 m, was received in the Company’s fiscal 2022 third quarter and is expected to be delivered over the next several quarters. Sensitive technology, critical intellectual property and confidential data are vulnerable when deployed at the edge and must be protected from local or remote attacks. Ruggedized for deployment in harsh environments, Mercury’s BuiltSECURE servers deliver cloud-computing speed to the field without compromising security, providing the mission-critical insights needed to make real-time decisions with confidence. Mercury’s rugged BuiltSECURE servers provide data center-level performance while maintaining system-wide integrity and protecting critical data from loss or compromise. Featuring U.S. designed and manufactured motherboards and the latest server-class compute technology, BuiltSECURE servers are the platform of choice for mission-critical applications.
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
26 Apr 22. DoD/DSCA Notifies Congress of Possible FMS of Non-Standard Ammunition to Ukraine. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress that the Government of Ukraine has requested to buy various rounds of non-standard ammunition to include, but not limited to, the following: 152mm rounds for 2A36 Giatsint; 152mm rounds for D-20 cannons; VOG-17 for automatic grenade launcher AGS-17; 120mm mortar rounds (non-NATO); 122mm rounds for 2Sl Gvozdika; BM-21 GRAD Rockets; 300mm rounds/rockets for MLRS “Smerch;” VOG-25 grenades for under barrel grenade launcher GP-25; 82mm mortar rounds; 125mm HE ammunition for T-72; 152mm rounds for 2A65 Msta; transportation; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The total estimated program cost is $165m. The prime contractor(s) will be selected upon contract award. (Source: glstrade.com)
SEA
28 Apr 22. Louisiana-based Swiftships has been awarded a $22m contract to supply six patrol craft ‘material production kits’ to Egypt, along with Zodiac Rigid Inflatable Boats, Forward Looking Infrared Systems (FLIRs), personal computer packages, associated contractor engineering technical services, and provisioned item orders, the US Department of Defence announced on 26 April. The foreign military sale (FMS) to Egypt includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $26 357 027. Work will be performed in Morgan City, Louisiana, and is expected to be completed by November 2023. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
AIR
27 Apr 22. HAL, BEL sign contract for indigenous infrared search and track system. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) have signed a contract for the joint development and production of a new infrared search and track (IRST) system. In a statement released on 26 April, HAL said that the long-range dual-band IRST system will be deployed aboard Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30 MK1 multirole fighter aircraft. The company added that the development of the system will be under the MAKE-II procedure of Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. According to HAL, one of the conditions of the proposed IRST is that it must be technically competitive to existing IRST systems in the global market. The system must have “features of television day camera, infrared, and laser sensors in a single window for air-to-air and air-to-ground target tracking and localisation”, HAL said in the statement. India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) had earlier sought the development of an indigenous IRST system under the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016. (Source: Janes)
22 Apr 22. L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a performance-based contract (PBC) extension for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft fleet. The value of the four-year PBC is estimated to be $482m and it comes with additional option years. Under the contract, L3Harris will continue providing in-service support for the CF-18 aircraft, until its expected retirement in 2032. The company will also provide maintenance, programme management, engineering, material management and other electronic publications. In addition, the PBC will include operational software support, integrated logistic support and data management for the CF-18 multi-role combat aircraft fleet. (Source: airforce-technology.com)