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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
26 Jul 18. UK reveals 2017 defence donations, G2G disposals. The UK government has revealed the country’s donations and secondhand equipment sales with the publication of the 2017 Strategic Export Controls Annual Report. Equipment supplied by the UK government through gifts included: GBP15.6m (USD20.5m) worth of communications equipment, explosives detectors, thermal imagers, and police and civilian vehicles to the Syrian White Helmets and Free Syrian Police; GBP6.2m in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device (IED) detection equipment, vehicles, and communications equipment for the Syrian Moderate Opposition; GBP3m in EOD equipment for the Libyan Ministry of Defence; GBP1.4m worth of vehicles and training equipment for Jordan; IT equipment for Djibouti; body armour for the Somali police; and night-vision and weapon sights for Tunisian counter-terrorist units. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
EUROPE
25 Jul 18. Bulgaria issues request for proposals for fighter jets. Bulgaria has sent a request for proposals (RFP) for 16 new or used fighter jets to replace its aging Soviet-designed MiG-29s to seven countries, the defense ministry told Reuters on Wednesday. The Black Sea country, which joined NATO in 2004, has called for bids to supply aircraft from the United States, Portugal, Israel, Italy, Germany, France and Sweden. Last month Bulgaria’s parliament approved a plan to buy the jets. It plans to acquire them in two equal stages as part of efforts to improve its compliance with NATO standards. Some 1.8bn levs ($1.08bn) will cover the first eight aircraft, as well as ground handling, team training and three years of initial integrated logistics support. Potential suppliers include Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, Saab’s Gripen, Dassault’s Rafale and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 or Eurofighter, the ministry said. Sofia is asking manufacturers to provide bids by October 1. The ministry has called for bids for new or used jets from the United States (F-16 and F/A-18 Super Hornet), France (Dassault Rafale) and Sweden (Gripen C/D) as well as new jets from Germany (Eurofighter 3 Tranche) and used planes from Portugal (F-16), Israel (F-16) and Italy (Eurofighter Tranche 1). NATO has encouraged its eastern members to develop, buy and operate new alliance equipment. Some eastern European NATO allies that were once Soviet satellites still rely on Russian-made military jets – two-thirds of Poland’s military equipment dates from the pre-1991 Soviet era, for example. The question of which warplanes to buy has vexed successive governments in Bulgaria for more than a decade. Sofia aims to raise its annual defense expenditure to 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product by 2024. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)
20 Jul 18. Hungary seeks 81mm mortars. Hungary’s Ministry of Defence has announced a tender for 81mm medium mortars to replace its 50 Soviet-made 82-BM-37 82mm mortars. The tender is for 40 mortars, with an option for 20 more, 24 fire control systems, and a logistic package. The tender also includes 28,000 high explosive (HE), 7,500 illumination, 2,500 smoke, 400 training and 120 exercise rounds, as well as 36 cut-aways. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
USA
26 Jul 18. DARPA releases RFI for Launch Challenge payloads. Key Points:
- DARPA released a RFI for payloads its Launch Challenge
- The agency ideally seeks payloads that are scalable in mass in the 100-500 kg range
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently solicited information from industry on commercial or government spacecraft that could launch as payloads during DARPA Launch Challenge (DLC). It is anticipated that DLC competitors will have a wide range of low earth orbit (LEO) mass delivery capabilities, from roughly 10 kg to 500 kg, according to a request for information (RFI) posted on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO). Ideal solutions are spacecraft, which are scalable in mass across this entire range. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
25 Jul 18. Contract Milestone Brings Enterprise Cloud Solution One Step Closer to Warfighter. Today, the Department of Defense released the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) Cloud final request for proposals (RFP). “DOD has an incredibly unique and complex technology estate and finite set of talent and resources,” DOD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy said. We need help learning how to put in place an enterprise cloud, he said, and the JEDI Cloud is a pathfinder effort that will help DOD do that. The JEDI Cloud final RFP reflects the unique and critical needs of DOD and employs the best practices of competitive pricing and security. Over the past year, the department has engaged in a robust effort to build the JEDI Cloud program and modernize its approach to information technology management. As a key component of the department’s overall cloud strategy, the JEDI Cloud is a critical first step toward an enterprise cloud solution that enables data-driven decision making and allows DOD to take full advantage of applications and data resources. While JEDI Cloud is an initial step toward a department-wide cloud solution, DOD will continue to operate in a multi-cloud environment due to diverse mission needs.
25 Jul 18. Textron is no longer working with the Air Force on an airworthiness assessment for the Scorpion jet. But these two companies are. In 2016, the Air Force opened a new office to evaluate the airworthiness of military aircraft it didn’t plan to buy, thus making it easier for those U.S. companies to sell internationally. Now its flagship effort with Textron’s Scorpion jet has been suspended. After moving through the first phase of the airworthiness assessment, Textron decided to step away from the process, Bill Harris, Textron’s vice president for Scorpion sales, confirmed in a July 14 interview. The reason, he said, is that the company opted to pool its financial resources in support of its AT-6 Wolverine turboprop that the Air Force is evaluating as part of the light attack experiment. If turned into a program of record, that opportunity could be worth several hundred planes.
“AT-6 is a very important program,” Harris told Defense News at the Royal International Air Tattoo. “Any smart company moves their resources where they need to go, and all of our efforts with the Scorpion are privately funded.”
The Air Force announced in July 2016 that it had signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, with Textron. The agreement was the first of its kind, aimed at allowing the Air Force to gain insight into technologies they aren’t purchasing and to clear away some of the evaluations that must be done before a sale to a foreign nation. That agreement — along with the opening of a new Non-DoD Military Aircraft Office (NDMAO)— garnered much media attention in the months following. In an August 2016 interview, the head of the NDMA office said that a CRADA to assess the Lockheed Martin-Korean Aerospace Industries F/A-50 was soon to be signed, and that another agreement for a different aircraft could be on its heels. However, no such agreement on the F/A-50 or any other aircraft ever surfaced, and the work of the NDMAO faded into obscurity. Textron may have suspended its efforts to assess the Scorpion jet, but the NDMAO is working on two active projects, said Robert FitzHarris, the deputy director of the service’s airworthiness office, in a statement. One involves an agreement between the Air Force and General Atomics to conduct an airworthiness assessment of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone and the SeaGuardian, its maritime variant, he said. The CRADA is the first between the office and a maker of unmanned aircraft. In essence, SkyGuardian is a version of the MQ-9 Reaper that will be certified to fly in any airspace safely. The drone has already found its first customer: the United Kingdom, which could buy anywhere from 21 to 26 copies.
Beyond that, the airworthiness assessment could raise the confidence levels of other countries interested in buying SkyGuardian. And, importantly, it gives the U.S. Air Force a window into the MQ-9B’s capabilities — which could help SkyGuardian break into the U.S. market. IOMAX is also engaged in a CRADA with the Air Force for an assessment of its Archangel turboprop aircraft, FitzHarris said. Like General Atomics, IOMAX has sold the Archangel internationally, but the addition of an airworthiness assessment from the Air Force may help attract new customers or pave the way for speedier sales. Both the General Atomics and Iomax efforts are still in Phase 1, where the Air Force and company lay out an “airworthiness assessment basis” that establishes a common understanding of how the airworthiness of a given aircraft would have been evaluated and graded. Phase 2 revolves around submitting test reports, risk assessments and engineering data to the Air Force, who then conducts a technical assessment based on that data.
“We don’t do flight testing. We simply rely upon the data provided by the collaborator,” FitzHarris told Defense News in 2016, when he was leading the NDMA office. “There’s testing, analysis, all of these things that typically feed into an assessment,” he said. “We have the technical expertise to take that […] and give an assessment of compliance. Where there is compliance lacking or data lacking, we’re going to assess risk and then we provide that information in an assessment package back to the collaborator.”
Textron is open to restarting the airworthiness assessment effort for Scorpion in the future, provided it’s able to nail down a first customer to help offset the expense of doing the evaluations, Harris said.
“[Once] we that launch customer, then we’ll re-initiate that program,” he said. “Until we get that, being privately funded and not a program of record with the air force, that continues to be all on our nickel.” (Source: Defense News)
26 Jul 18. SNC submits bid and proposal for USAF UH-1N replacement project. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has submitted its final bid and proposal for the US Air Force’s (USAF) UH-1N Huey fleet replacement programme. SNC’s Sierra Force is a new solution that is said to address the USAF’s need to develop a cost-effective, multi-mission aircraft by using an upgraded and remanufactured UH-60L Black Hawk medium utility helicopter. As part of the UH-1N replacement project, the company will acquire UH-60A helicopters from the US Army and will convert the exterior and interior of the aircraft, modernising them to a cost-effective UH-60L model. Sierra Nevada integrated mission systems executive vice-president Tim Owings said: “We are very proud of the quality solution offered in this proposal and SNC is confident the airforce will appreciate the combination of advanced technology, low risk and exceptional price.
“Our proposal is based on an open system where the government owns most of the intellectual property and will not be locked in with Sierra Nevada for the 40-year programme period. This translates into cost savings for the government over the course of the programme. In short, this creates a best-value solution for the USAF and bolsters the nation’s economy.”
The Sierra Force UH60L variant will be fitted with two new General Electric Aviation T-701D engines, as well as advanced glass cockpit and avionics suite. The aircraft’s metal frame offers a longer service life and lower overall maintenance costs. Helicopter production includes the purchase of UH-60A helicopters through the US Army’s Blackhawk Exchange Support Team (BEST) programme in Huntsville, Alabama, in addition to the A-to-L conversion by the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Texas. Work on the UH-1N replacement aircraft will be carried out at SNC’s Huntsville facility. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
25 Jul 18. GAO calls on USCG to better manage its priority acquisitions. The US Coast Guard (USCG) needs to do a better job of managing its long-term priority acquisition programmes, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report released on 24 July. According to the report, ‘Coast Guard Acquisitions, Actions Needed to Address Longstanding Portfolio Management Challenges’, the USCG, a service within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), continues to manage its acquisitions through its annual budget process and the five-year Capital Investment Plan (CIP), which is congressionally mandated and used for oversight. “This management approach creates constant churn as program baselines must continually realign with budget realities instead of budgets being formulated to support program baselines,” the report said.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
23 Jul 18. NAVAIR pursues future towed self-protection technologies for F/A-18E/F. The US Navy (USN) is investigating systems and technologies for a new towed radio frequency (RF) countermeasures system to protect the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter in hostile RF environments. In a request for information (RFI) released on 18 July, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has requested industry to provide technical and programme-related information for a potential offboard Dual Band Decoy (DBD) system for the aircraft. The DBD programme is intended to serve as a replacement for the BAE Systems ALE-55(V) Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy and the Raytheon ALE-50 Advanced Airborne Expendable Decoy systems currently deployed by the F/A-18E/F. Industry has also been requested to provide information on concepts for the DBD and the maturity of associated technologies. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
20 Jul 18. New CHAMP in the making: NAVSEA outlines common hull multimission ship vision. Key Points:
- CHAMP’s goal is to develop a common hull design able to deliver capabilities for a range of fleet support missions
- The ships will be expected to function as part of distributed maritime operations’ expeditionary logistics in a contested marine environment
Faced with the need to replace a miscellany of elderly auxiliary and sealift ship classes out to 2040, the US Navy (USN) is evolving plans for a new type of auxiliary vessel able to deliver multiple missions from a single core platform design. Known as the Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-mission Platform (CHAMP), the concept envisages the adaptation of a non-developmental/commercial roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship design embarking various force packages to meet different mission needs. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
REST OF THE WORLD
26 Jul 18. India aims to help Bangladesh design warships. Indian state-owned naval shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to assist Bangladesh’s Khulna Shipyard Limited (KSY) in designing and building warships, Indian Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told parliament on 25 July. The minister said that the state-owned KSY had “expressed keenness to develop skills and know-how for design and construction of ships”. A senior GRSE executive told Jane’s on 26 July that the MOU, which was signed on 8 May, followed several rounds of “detailed discussions” between representatives from the two shipyards accompanied by senior government, defence, and naval officials from both countries. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
26 Jul 18. India updates defence procurement guidelines. India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has updated its procurement processes in support of efforts to accelerate military modernisation. The changes were revealed in a document published by the MoD on 24 July and are applicable retrospectively from 21 June. The amendments, which affect mainly administrative guidelines, will be incorporated into the MoD’s Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016), the MoD said. The amendments include: facilitating the earlier vetting of draft contracts with suppliers; the delegation of powers to procure low-cost defence equipment; a provision to bypass a requirement to set up technical oversight committees; and a requirement for reports from technical evaluation committees to be approved by service headquarters. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
25 Jul 18. Chile receives first S-70i helos, prioritises PC-7 upgrade. Chile has received the first delivery of Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk medium-lift helicopters that were ordered in 2016. The first three helicopters were delivered to the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile: FACh) in late July, having been transported by cargo aircraft from the PZL Mielek production facility in Poland. The three remaining aircraft will be delivered in October, with a follow-on order for six more expected by the end of the year or early 2019. The S-70is will be deployed in a combat search-and-rescue role with secondary liaison, community support, and disaster relief duties. Their induction in service will free up Chile’s fleet of Bell 412EP/SP helicopters to undertake more general transport roles, replacing the remaining UH-1Hs. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
23 Jul 18. US Air Force is giving away retired turboprop light attack aircraft to Philippines. The Philippines will receive retired turboprop light attack aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, which has already begun the process of competing a contract to have the planes disassembled before shipping overseas. Sources in Philippines said the government was offered the North American OV-10 Bronco twin-turboprop light attack aircraft earlier this year, after it had requested the transfer of spare parts for the type being stored by the U.S. government. The Philippines subsequently inspected the aircraft and found them suitable for use. Defense News learned that the aircraft, which have been retired from U.S. military since the mid-1990s, will be provided free-of-charge to the Philippines, most likely as part of an assistance package to the country’s military. However, the south-east Asian country will be liable for the costs of transporting them from the United States, with the transfer expected to take place later this year and the aircraft expected to be ready for service in early 2019. In a solicitation posted on the fbo.gov website on July 19, the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command’s Life Cycle Management Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah said it was seeking bids to disassemble four Rockwell OV-10 Broncos which will then be crated, shipped overseas and reassembled for a Foreign Military Sales case. The solicitation also noted that the four aircraft are a mixture of two OV-10A and two OV-10G+ aircraft. The aircraft were formerly owned by NASA, with the two OV-10G+ heavily modified in 2015 and used by U.S. Special Operations Command for combat evaluation in the campaign against the Islamic State in the Middle East before being returned again to NASA. The USAF solicitation hints at these modifications, noting that the two OV-10G+ aircraft had “over 5,000 new wires installed” during their last upgrade, with the bid winner needing to pull back the wiring for storage into the fuselage prior to their being shipped overseas where the wires will be rerouted as part of the reassembly process. Earlier documents relating to the modifications had indicated that the aircraft were modified with a L3-Wescam MX-15Di Eletro-Optical turret, Link 16 tactical datalinks, full-motion video, a glass cockpit and the ability to fire the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System GPS-guided rocket. The OV-10G+ were demilitarized and returned to NASA following the trials, having flown 120 combat sorties in less than three months. However, the Philippines is hoping to re-activate at least some of the modifications upon re-introducing the aircraft into its inventory. The Philippines is the last operator of the OV-10 Bronco, with its air force currently operating between eight and 10 aircraft. It also possesses several airframes that have been put into storage. The country has previously upgraded its OV-10s to employ laser-guided bombs designated by troops on the ground, although these were not used during its recent operations against Islamic State-affiliated militants in the south of the country where only unguided rockets and bombs were used. (Source: Defense News)
24 Jul 18. India finalising negotiations for 48 additional Mi-17-V5 helicopters from Russia. Source: Russian Helicopters. India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is concluding negotiations with Russia to acquire 48 additional Mi-17-V5 military transport/utility helicopters for USD1.1bn for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Official Indian sources told Jane’s on 23 July that the deal for the twin-engine helicopters – 38 of which are earmarked for the IAF – is likely to be signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in early October for the annual bilateral summit between the leaders of the two countries. The proposed deal also includes an offset obligation that requires all vendors to invest 30% of the overall contractual value of all military purchases over INR20bn (USD290m) into India’s defence, internal security, and aviation sectors. The additional Mi-17-V5s are meant to supplement the 151 similar platforms that India acquired between 2008 and 2016, 139 of which were procured as weaponised versions for the IAF, with the remaining 12 being acquired for use by the MHA and the country’s paramilitary forces. It is unclear, however, whether all 38 proposed platforms for the IAF will be weaponised. Moreover, IAF sources said that some of the additional Mi-17-V5s might be used as replacements for the six to eight platforms that were diverted to the IAF’s Communication Squadron in 2015-16 to transport Indian VIPs. The diversion came after the MoD scrapped the import of 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters from Italy in January 2014 following corruption allegations. The IAF had initially acquired 90 Mi-17-1Vs in the late 1990s as replacements for the ageing Mi-8 ‘Pratap’ helicopters that were phased out in December 2017 after 45 years of service. In 2008 the IAF procured 80 Mi-17-V5s for USD1.34bn and followed this four years later by importing another 71 helicopters for USD1.53bn, deliveries of which were completed by 2016–17. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
23 Jul 18. Canada’s Combat Ship Team submitted its final proposal for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project to prime contractor Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, after four years of investment developing a solution. Canada’s Combat Ship Team combines Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Canada’s longstanding expertise in naval integration with the world’s most advanced warship design – BAE Systems’ Type 26 Global Combat Ship – and high-tech platforms from top-pedigree Canadian innovators CAE, MDA, L3 Technologies, and Ultra Electronics. At the core of the Team’s Value Proposition is the lowest risk solution that will deliver the right ship for Canada’s CSC needs while also providing the best economic outcomes for Canada.
Right Ship for Canada’s CSC Needs – Purposely designed for high-end anti-submarine warfare and capable of performing a variety of missions in any part of the world, the Type 26 is acoustically quiet, versatile, highly survivable, allows for the greatest margins of growth for future modernization, and, unlike other 10 to 15-year-old designs, minimizes obsolescence risk as a “bow-to-stern” digitally designed warship.
Best Economic Outcomes for Canada – Making $17bn in value proposition commitments to Canada, Canada’s Combat Ship Team commits to spending billions in innovation across Canada’s priority areas, including $2bn in supplier development and $2bn in Research and Development, and $200m in Advanced Manufacturing. Employing a combined 9,000 Canadians in 40 facilities across the country and engaging a Canadian supply chain of more than 4,000 small and medium sized enterprises, the Team will develop new and enhance existing Canadian defence capabilities, which will bring tremendous exports to global markets.
Lowest Risk Solution – Canada’s Combat Ship Team brings together a pan-Canadian team with a proven track record in delivering complex defence projects on-time and on-budget for the Canadian Armed Forces. As Canada’s only major Combat System Integrator and the provider of the CMS 330, Lockheed Martin Canada has been a trusted defence partner for more than 30 years delivering on the Halifax-class modernization project and modernizing frigates from the Royal New Zealand Navy and Chilean Navy. The Type 26 requires only minor change to meet Canada’s CSC needs and builds upon knowledge gained from the UK’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship and Australia’s SEA 5000 programs. The characteristics that differentiate Canada’s Combat Ship Team are a pan-Canadian presence, a track record in developing innovative Canadian technologies, supporting high-skilled Canadian jobs, the world’s most advanced warship design and exporting Canadian products and capabilities to the world. In addition, the Team is the only bid fully within the Five Eyes Intelligence Community – comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States – providing access to the most trusted and sensitive technology. All of this contributes to a strong Canadian team, Canada’s Home Team, which is ready to begin work on Day One.
20 Jul 18. Ukrainian state firm Ukrinmash details design bid for Brazilian corvette competition. Ukrainian state-owned company Ukrinmash, part of the Ukroboronprom conglomerate, is proposing a version of its Project 58250 corvette for the Brazilian Navy’s Tamandaré-class corvette acquisition programme. The Brazilian bid, known as the Project 58300 ‘Amazonas’ corvette, is a version of the baseline Ukrainian Project 58280 design by the Nikolayev (Mykolaiv)-based State Research Design Shipbuilding Centre, tailored to meet Brazilian requirements.
Ukrinmash has teamed with Brazilian state-owned shipyard Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ) in its attempt to win the four-ship Tamandaré-class project, which has a current budget of BRL2bon (USD518.5m). Ukrinmash told Jane’s that, if selected, it is ready to deliver the ship as Brazilian Navy intellectual property. Other companies participating in the Ukrainian proposal include Atlas Elektronik, Rohde & Schwarz, Thales, Leonardo, Zeppelin, Caterpillar, Chernomorsky Shipbuilding Yard, Transas, State Research & Design Shipbuilding Centre, China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation, Mykolayiv Shipyard, Zorya-Mashproekt Gas Turbine Research and Development Complex, and Yuzhnoye State Design Office. Ukrinmash is proposing the Thales Nederland TACTICOS series combat management system (CMS) for the corvette. Key characteristics of the design include a full displacement of 2,650 tonnes, a length of 112m, a beam of 13.5m, a range of up to 4,000n miles at 14kt, a maximum speed of 30kt, as well as a hangar and flight deck to support operations by a medium-size helicopter up to 11 tonnes. Accommodation will provide for a complement of 110. Endurance is up to 30 days. The weapon and sensor fit includes two quad surface-to-surface missile launchers, a vertical launcher for surface-to-air missiles, a 76mm gun system, two 35mm guns, two triple 324 mm torpedo launchers; two 12.7mm machine gun mounts; chaff and decoy launchers; 3D medium-range and long-range surveillance radars; hull-mounted and towed sonars; an integrated bridge system; a fire control director; communications, navigation and electronic warfare equipment; a long-range targeting radar; and electro-optical surveillance payloads. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
20 Jul 18. The U.S. government awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) an Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) award for the production of the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Lockheed Martin is being awarded a contract totaling $450m to begin the detailed design and planning for construction of four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) that will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will acquire four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants as part of a larger agreement between the United States and KSA to enhance global security and stimulate economic progress in the two regions.
“We are pleased the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has selected the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant to support its Royal Saudi Naval Forces fleet,” said Joe DePietro, vice president, Lockheed Martin Small Combatants and Ship Systems. “The MMSC provides the Royal Saudi Naval Forces a lethal and highly maneuverable multi-mission surface combatant, which features the flexibility of the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship steel mono-hull with expanded capabilities that include an integrated Mk41 Vertical Launch System, an increased range of 5,000 nautical miles and speeds in excess of 30 knots, making it capable of littoral and open ocean operation, and able to confront modern maritime and economic security threats.”
MMSC utilizes the COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System, built from the Aegis Combat System Common Source Library, enabling anti-air and anti-surface capabilities in a small surface combatant platform. With proven combat management system lineage, Lockheed Martin’s MMSC has the interoperability necessary for today’s joint and allied naval force maneuvers. In March, Lockheed Martin was awarded $481m for long lead material for MMSC. The contract award of the MMSC is a significant milestone in the relationship between Lockheed Martin and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Lockheed Martin values our 50-year partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is committed to helping fulfill the Kingdom’s long-term vision,” said Richard H. (Rick) Edwards, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin International. “Through investment in IT infrastructure, training, tooling, equipment and enhanced collaboration with KSA industry, together we will increase the capacity of the Kingdom’s economy while creating sustainable jobs for a brighter future.”
Over the past 10 years, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Freedom-variant industry team has invested more than $120m to modernize the Marinette shipyard, hire more than 1,000 people and train a new workforce.
“This prestigious award proves the farsightedness of our decision to enter the U.S. market,” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “Since then, over the past 10 years we have become a reference builder not only for the U.S. Navy, but also for several foreign navies, while contributing to the development of the industrial base and of the economic fabric in the Midwest.”
The Lockheed Martin-led team is comprised of shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states. The LCS is the Navy’s most affordable surface combatant shipbuilding program.
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American Panel Corporation
American Panel Corporation (APC) since 1998, specializes in display products installed in defence land systems, as well as military and commercial aerospace platforms, having delivered well over 100,000 displays worldwide. Military aviators worldwide operate their aircraft and perform their missions using APC displays, including F-22, F-18, F-16, F-15, Euro-fighter Typhoon, Mirage 2000, C-130, C-17, P-3, S-3, U-2, AH-64 Apache Helicopter, V-22 tilt-rotor, as well as numerous other military and commercial aviation aircraft including Boeing 717 – 787 aircraft and several Airbus aircraft. APC panels are found in nearly every tactical aircraft in the US and around the world.
APC manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Large Area Display (LAD) display (20 inch by 8 inch) with dual pixel fields, power and video interfaces to provide complete display redundancy. At DSEI 2017 we are exhibiting the LAD with a more advanced design, dual display on single substrate with redundant characteristics and a bespoke purpose 8 inch by 6 inch armoured vehicle display.
In order to fully meet the demanding environmental and optical requirements without sacrificing critical tradeoffs in performance, APC designs, develops and manufactures these highly specialized displays in multiple sizes and configurations, controlling all AMLCD optical panel, mechanical and electrical design aspects. APC provides both ITAR and non-ITAR displays across the globe to OEM Prime and tiered vetronics and avionics integrators.
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