12 Aug 14. Draft RfP for new missile defence radar seeks cost estimate for three systems. The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) released a draft Request for Proposals (RfP) on 8 August for the planned Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) that will provide persistent midcourse ballistic missile defense (BMD) against threats in all phases of flight. The draft document seeks cost estimates for several radar configurations: an S-band single face populated, an S-band dual face radar with primary face populated, and an S-band dual face with both faces populated. MDA is also asking for cost estimates to deploy the radar to Eareckson Air Station (formerly known as Shemya Air Force Base) – located near the western most of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, and Clear Air Force Station, located in Anderson, Alaska, and operated by the Air National Guard’s 213th Space Warning Squadron. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Aug 14. NZ Navy’s Newest Ships May Have Short Life. New Zealand’s government is considering cutting half of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s inshore patrol vessel (IPV) fleet. Two of the four 180-foot IPVs, commissioned in 2009, could be swapped for a larger ship, said Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman. “Obviously, if we felt that what we had already was ideal we wouldn’t be looking at this potential change,” he said. The four IPVs, ordered under the NZ $500m (US $423m) Project Protector contract, which included two 279-foot offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and the 430-foot amphibious ship Canterbury, which participated in the recent Rim of the Pacific exercise, were ordered to help police, customs, fisheries and other government agencies protect New Zealand’s borders and exclusive economic zone. However, staff shortages, particularly a chronic lack of technicians, have meant the Navy struggled to crew all the ships. The Navy has 2,059 regular personnel, down from 2,162 in 2010. Business case documents, obtained under the Official Information Act by a New Zealand television channel, show two of the four patrol vessels would be sold and replaced by one longer-range ship, effectively a third OPV, in about five years. Coleman says he will put the case to Cabinet next year if the government wins next month’s election. (Source: Defense News)
12 Aug 14. Philippines Defence Ministry rejects long-range patrol aircraft proposals. The Philippines Department of National Defence (DND) has rejected all of the bids submitted by the global aircraft manufacturers for the supply of two long-range patrol aircraft to the national air force. All of the seven proposals were declared ‘ineligible’ by the Special Bids and Awards Committee 1 (SBAC-1) following 12 hours of the bidding session and a series of executive meetings in Camp Aguinaldo, according to media reports. Israel-based Elta Systems and Elbit Systems cleared the initial documentary requirements but failed to address the technical specifications set out by the DND. SBAC-1 chairman Defence Undersecretary Fernando Manalo was quoted by The STAR as saying: “Both proponents did not include in their proposal the fast-moving items and consumables in the list of minimum deliverables.” Other companies that were disqualified from the PHP5.9bn ($136.3m) project included EADS/CASA Airbus Defense and Space, Saab Asia Pacific, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, Indonesian Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and L3 Mission Integration. However, SBAC-1 gave three days to disqualified firms to submit pleas for reconsideration and will hold another round of bidding if none of the motions for reconsideration are granted. Field Aviation, Raytheon and Arinc Aerospace also expressed interest in joining the bidding but did not submit proposals. Funded by the Revised Armed Forces Modernization Program approved in 2012, the project aims to enhance the Philippines’ maritime domain awareness. The winning bidder should deliver the aircraft within 1,035 days from the receipt of notice, which will pave the way for the implementation of the contract