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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
09 Nov 20. Cavendish Nuclear secures place on Sellafield Enabling Innovation Framework. Cavendish Nuclear is pleased to announce that it has successfully secured a place on the Sellafield Enabling Innovation Framework 4. Awarded by Sellafield Ltd, the Framework scope covers initial identification of a business need through problem definition and the provision of focused technical and digital support / solutions and subsequent support to key decision making.
The Framework is focused on the enabling of innovation rather than the delivery of innovation i.e. developing the parameters and mechanisms which will allow the achievement of innovation.
The Framework has a maximum value of £19m over a period of a maximum of four years. Cavendish Nuclear is one of ten Enabling Innovation Framework Supply Chain Partners awarded a place on the framework.
Tony Burnett, Cavendish Nuclear’s Head of Innovation and Technology, said, “We are pleased to be continuing our innovation-focused support to Sellafield Ltd. In collaboration with our extensive supply chain, we look forward to applying our experience, expertise and capability to enable innovation, which will support Sellafield Ltd in accelerating hazard reduction at the site.”
Duncan Steel, Chief Technology Officer said: “The Enabling Innovation Framework brings together supply chain partners with broad experience and expertise to provide input, innovation and challenge to Sellafield Ltd. We look forward to working with the supply chain partners in a collaborative manner to deliver both strategic and tactical value in support of the organisational mission.”
EUROPE
11 Nov 20. Croatian Procurement Process for Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft. In the process of procuring a multi-role fighter aircraft, bidders had the opportunity to submit the best and final bid (BAFO) by November 11, 2020. As of today, November 11, 2020, the validation process has been completed and the process of evaluating the received bids for the procurement of a multi-role fighter aircraft has begun. In the process of procuring a multi-role fighter aircraft, bidders had the opportunity to submit the best and final bid (BAFO) no later than November 11, 2020, which was made possible on November 10 and 11, 2020. The best and final offer (BAFO) was submitted by the USA on November 10, 2020 for the new F-16 Block 70 aircraft and the used Israeli F-16 Block 30 aircraft and the French Republic for the used Rafale aircraft, while the Kingdom of Sweden submitted its best and final offer for new JAS-39 C / D Gripen aircraft was delivered on 11 November 2020.
The decision-making process at the state level will begin in early 2021, and includes the opinion of the Defense Committee of the Croatian Parliament and the Defense Council and the decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the most favorable offer for a multi-role fighter aircraft. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Croatian Ministry of Defence)
11 Nov 20. Leonardo lines up launch customer for enhanced Spartan airlifter. Leonardo has secured a launch customer for the enhanced version of its C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, with the first delivery set for 2021. The Italian manufacturer announced on 11 November that final testing of the C-27J Next Generation (NG) was in its closing stages ahead of this planned milestone. The company, however, did not disclose who the customer might be. News of the sale comes some two years after Leonardo first revealed that it had flown an enhanced version of the Spartan. In December 2018 Leonardo noted that the aircraft had been upgraded to satisfy global air traffic management requirements, being fitted with new avionics, navigation systems, lighting, and other equipment.
In its latest announcement, Leonardo added that the NG configuration includes new cockpit displays, weather radar, modern navigation, and communications equipment, as well as “advanced aerodynamic features”. While not specified by the company, images of the C-27J NG show these aerodynamic features to include winglets, while vanes, strakes, and other items designed to increase fuel efficiency and consequently payload/range/endurance might also be included. The standard Spartan has an 11-tonne payload and a 3,070n mile (5,685km; 3,532 miles) ferry range. (Source: Jane’s)
11 Nov 20. Bids for $9bn Swiss Air2030 Competition Due Nov. 18. The Swiss defense ministry expects that all six companies competing for its $9bn Air2030 air defense program will file their best and final offers by Nov. 18, allowing a final report with recommendations to be submitted to the Federal Council during the first quarter of 2021. Originally set for mid-August, the deadline was moved to Nov. 18 because of the Covid pandemic.
Peter Winter, the official in charge of the Air2030 program, says that, once the bids are received, the project teams will use the information from the second bid and the results of the 2019 in-flight evaluations to determine the pros and cons of each competitor, summarize the results and their risk analysis in the assessment reports and submit them to the Federal Council.
The Air2030 program, for which the Swiss government has earmarked 8bn Swiss francs, consists of two separate components. One is the procurement of a combat aircraft to replace the Swiss Air Force’s F-18 Hornet fighters; competing for this contract are Airbus, with the Eurofighter; Boeing (F/A-18 Super Hornet), Dassault (Rafale) and Lockheed Martin (F-35A), which will cost up to 6bn francs. Saab pulled out of the competition in June 2019, after the Swiss defense procurement agency said it would be a waste of time and money to bring its Gripen E to Switzerland for an in-flight evaluation.
The second part of the competition is the procurement of a ground-based air defense system, for which Raytheon (Patriot) is competing against Eurosam (SAMP/T), and which will cost up to 2bn francs.
Timeline unchanged
Apart from the three-month postponement of the BAFO deadline, the Air2030 is unchanged.
The Swiss defense procurement agency, armasuisse, will submit its final reports and its recommendations to the Federal Council during the first quarter of 2021. The reports “will contain all the information that we have gathered and evaluated over the past three years,” Winter says, after which armasuisse will focus on supporting the political process.
The Federal Council is scheduled to proceed with the selection of the combat aircraft and GBAD system during the second quarter of 2021. By the end of 2021, armasuisse will prepare the Armaments Message 2022 to Parliament, which means that all negotiations must be concluded, and the contracts finalized, by then.
“At the same time, we must continue to demonstrate that the evaluation process is open, transparent and fair, especially once the winners have been selected,” says Winter, “because where there are winners, there are also losers. We will need to explain to the unsuccessful applicants why their system was not selected.” (Source: defense-aerospace.com)
06 Nov 20. Hellenic Navy Proposes Purchase of US Frigates. As part of the wider defensive and strategic cooperation with the US, the Hellenic Navy has proposed the promotion of a transnational agreement for the purchase of American Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) frigates in order to renew its fleet. According to exclusive information obtained by Kathimerini, the proposal is fully aligned with the government’s declared strategic goals, while it is also seen positively by the Americans, who want to expand their military-industrial footprint in Greece.
The proposed intergovernmental agreement has as its central proposal a package solution that includes the supply of four MMSC frigates, the upgrade of four MEKO-type frigates, intermediate solution ships and the participation of Greek shipyards in the development of the new American FFG(X) type frigate.
The plan essentially envisions the creation of a naval force by 2030, which if combined with the supply of MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, will have a mainly American slant. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Kathimerini)
07 Nov 20. Italy plans new destroyers for 2028 delivery. Fresh from a burst of shipbuilding spurred by the retirement of old vessels, the Italian Navy is now back at the drawing board to design what it considers the cornerstone of its fleet — new destroyers.
After building 10 FREMM-class frigates — the same type acquired by the United States — as well as designing new 4,500-ton multimission ships, a 33,000-ton landing helicopter dock and new logistics vessels, a risk-reduction study is due to start on two 10,000-ton destroyers dubbed DDX.
“Destroyers are fundamental for a blue water fleet like Italy’s, which must be capable of projecting capability at sea and from the sea while operating across the whole spectrum of maritime and joint operations,” Vice Adm. Aurelio De Carolis, deputy chief of staff of the Italian Navy, told Defense News.
“Apart from carriers, amphibious vessels and submarines, you need destroyers with land strike and task group-protection capabilities,” he added.
The Navy wants the 175-meter-long vessels to replace two aging destroyers, the ITS Durand de la Penne and ITS Mimbelli. Those two vessels entered service in the early 1990s and were joined in service by Italy’s two more recent Horizon-class ships, which the Navy classifies as destroyers.
“We have always had two pairs of destroyers in service, dating back to the 1960s,” De Carolis said.
With €4.5m (U.S. $5.3m) budgeted so far for two-year feasibility and risk-reduction studies starting early next year, the Navy aims to have a final operational requirement by 2022, sign a construction contract in 2023 — funding permitting — complete the design in 2025, and receive the first ship by 2028.
Current plans envisage vessels that are 24 meters wide with a 9-meter draft and more than 300 crew, while offering a top speed of over 30 knots using the CODOGAL (COmbined Diesel Or Gas And eLectric) propulsion system, De Carolis said. The system allows the use of either gas or diesel turbines, plus electric propulsion for lower speeds.
Italy is renewing its Navy amid the Mediterranean Sea’s shift from a backwater to a tinderbox as Turkey throws its weight around, Libya remains tense after years of conflict and Russia tries to increase its regional influence.
When fully budgeted, the ships likely will be built by Italian state firm Fincantieri, keeping the yard busy after a run of recent naval construction thanks to Italy’s $6.3bn so-called Naval Law in 2014 that led to the landing helicopter dock (LHD), multimission vessels (PPA) and logistic ship programs.
Equipping the warship
Long-range firepower for the destroyers will be guaranteed by six eight-cell missile launchers for a total of 48 cells, with two launchers toward the bow (ahead of the bridge) and the remainder amidships.
Aster anti-air missiles, already in use on other Italian vessels, will be adopted, as well as a land-strike missile. “The Navy needs a credible land-strike capability and we are considering options now,” De Carolis said.
That could lead the Navy to consider MBDA’s naval variant of the Scalp missile. What is confirmed is the acquisition of the European consortium’s Teseo Mk2 Evolved anti-ship missile, which the admiral said offers “land-strike capability in the littoral.” The weapon will be fired from launchers located immediately behind the bridge, he confirmed.
A rear helicopter deck and hangar will be able to host two Navy EH101 or two SH90 helicopters.
The ship’s cannons will be the same Italian-built types that have become standard issue for Italy’s naval vessels in recent years. A Leonardo 127mm gun at the front of the vessel will fire the firm’s Vulcano guided munitions, while two Leonardo 76mm guns at the center of the vessel will fire the guided Dart munition, again developed by the Italian firm.
A third 76mm gun sits astride the helicopter hangar at the rear of the ship. Dubbed “Sovraponte” and built to be positioned on top of ship structures, the cannon was first developed for the PPA vessels. “We are satisfied with Sovraponte,” the admiral said.
The cannon is one example of how the destroyer will leverage new technologies funded by the Naval Law, with radar another example. The destroyers will mount Leonardo’s Kronos, an active electronically scanned array radar with a fixed face as well as C- and X-band antennas, which are mounted behind panels above the bridge. This technology was used in the two “Full” versions of the seven PPA vessels.
Leonardo will also supply the same rotating L-band long-range radar, to be positioned at the rear of the vessel, which has also been adopted for the LHD Trieste.
The combat management system as well as the communications and electronic warfare suites will be derived from those developed for the newest ships of the fleet, while anti-submarine capabilities will include sonars (both hull-mounted and towed array), torpedo launchers, and decoys.
What’s next?
The Trieste is set to join Italy’s three San Giorgio-class amphibious assault ships to provide a four-strong amphibious fleet, which will require protection, De Caroils said.
“We will need at least two destroyers ready at all times, which means four destroyers in total,” he explained. “The procurement is also part of our commitment to NATO since we are part of a project to stand up new amphibious task forces, each containing three battalion-level landing elements with related combat and combat-service support, which means four amphibious ships and destroyers for protection.
“These destroyers will defend — together with [anti-submarine warfare] frigates, submarines and embarked naval aviation — amphibious naval task groups during their movement towards assault areas, and then provide effective naval fire support for the sustainment of projection and ashore operations carried out by elements of the landing force. All this is required, including the capability to play the crucial role of coordination and control of the airspace over the amphibious objective area.
“The U.S. and Russia still operate cruisers, but most other navies today rely on destroyers for fighting power. They must cover anti-air, anti-ship and anti-submarine operations with a focus on integrated air and missile defense, including ballistic missile defense.”
The most “critical task” for destroyers, he added, is protecting carrier battle groups and playing the typical “shotgun role” for carriers. Examples he gave included the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War when the Italian vessel ITS Audace was part of the escort to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, and during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002, when the ITS Durand de la Penne escorted the U.S. Navy carriers John C. Stennis and John F. Kennedy.
“Italy cannot do without a balanced Navy covering all operations from blue to green to brown waters and well into the littorals, from minesweeping to submarines and fixed-wing carriers, with overall air protection provided by destroyers and anti-submarine warfare mostly played by frigates,” he added. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
USA
12 Nov 20. Congress clashes with Army over purchasing cargo helicopters. For the second year in a row, Congress is poised to bolster the CH-47F Chinook Block II program as the Army holds steady on its decision to scale back and only buy the latest variant for special operators.
Both the House and Senate appropriators are injecting cash into the Boeing-manufactured, F-model Chinook program in fiscal 2021 to buy them for the active force after the Army decided in FY20, in order to fund its future fleet of helicopters, that it would only purchase Block II aircraft, designated the “G” model, for Army special operations units.
The Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subpanel wants to increase the Chinook account by $119 million on top of the Army’s request for $160.7 million for F-model aircraft.
Along with the additional funding, the committee “strongly encourages” the Army secretary to “assess the increased cost, expected production issues, as well as industrial base risks of a delay in the Block II modernization,” according to the Defense Subcommittee’s FY21 spending bill released Nov. 10.
The committee also notes that an independent analysis of alternatives determined the Block II program was “the best value” and “would improve payload capability while decreasing sustainment costs.”
A delay in production would “cause uncertainty in the domestic supply chains, and delay or reduce the promised benefits of the modernization,” the committee wrote.
The appropriators also raise the issue that the Army has no plans to develop a future heavy-lift cargo helicopter.
The House Appropriations Committee, in its bill released in July, is more specific, providing funding for five CH-47F helicopters in FY21 — which the committee estimates would cost $198 million — and an additional $29 million in advanced procurement funding to “enable the second lot of five F Block II aircraft in fiscal year 2022.”
The committee’s defense subpanel wrote that it “expects the Secretary of the Army to restore funding for the CH-47F Block II program across the next future years defense program when the fiscal year 2022 budget request is submitted.”
While the House and Senate bills differ in funding amounts, both make clear the congressional intent to ensure the Block II variant is fielded to the active component as well as to special operations units. The final funding level will be worked out in conference committee.
Congressional appropriators and authorizers increased advance procurement funds in FY20 by $28m for the CH-47F in preparation to supply the aircraft to the active force against the Army’s wishes.
The Army again, in its FY21 budget request, did not provide funding for the F-model variant. The service plans to buy 69 special operations variants. The original plan was to procure 473 F-model helicopters for the active component.
The service is planning to review its entire aviation fleet in FY23, but whether that might include a change of heart regarding the F-model Chinook production remains to be seen.
Army leadership has stressed the need to make difficult decisions on the current fleet in order to fund future helicopters expected to come online in a decade. (Source: Defense News)
11 Nov 20. DISA eyes mainframe-based blockchain. The Defense Information Systems Agency is looking for help on developing a blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) offering on Z system mainframes for its mission partners.
For more than a year, DISA has been eyeing a secure, agile and scalable BaaS solution mission partners could run on infrastructure inside accredited Defense Department environments, Sherri Sokol, innovation leader at DISA, told GCN in February 2019. “It would really just be the platform, infrastructure resource management and monitoring, which are services that DISA already offers,” she said.
The mainframe platform “takes advantage of the enterprise mainframe computing power and expertise DISA already offers and incorporates emerging technologies and approaches,” according to the June 2020 DISA Look Book.
BaaS could improve business processes across Defense Department networks by cutting down on the manual work of tracking data and assets across silos, improving accuracy and making information quickly available as a strategic asset.
BaaS would allow information to be selectively “shared among participants, enabling everyone to gain insights, accelerate informed decision-making, reduce the friction and cost in data exchanges and add new network members and data processes/workflows with relative ease,” the Look Book said. “Additionally, when blockchain is combined with other emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation and internet of things), it can become a force multiplier.”
In a Nov. 4 request for information, DISA said it wants to find out what currently available products it could use in a solution stack to provide a scalable permissioned BaaS offering.
The permissioned BaaS capability must be able to limit membership and visibility for any given blockchain network and the information shared between members on those networks, DISA said.
Besides deployment on a Linux s390x architecture, the system must support FIPS 140-2 Level 4-compliant encrypted sessions and role-based access controls, containerization and deployment in an air-gapped environment. Responses are due Nov. 10. (Source: Defense Systems)
11 Nov 20. US seeks Stinger MANPADS replacement. The US Army is seeking a replacement for its Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger short-range air-defence (SHORAD) surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, with a request for information (RFI) issued to interested parties on 10 November.
The man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) RFI seeks to meet increasing demand to counter the growing aerial threat capabilities with a new SAM system to replace the Stinger that has been in the US Army inventory since the early 1980s.
“The Stinger Reprogrammable Microprocessor (RMP) will become obsolete in fiscal year (FY) 2023, and Stinger Block I is undergoing a service life extension to extend its end of useful life. The current Stinger inventory is in decline,” the army said. “The [US] Army is conducting a SHORAD study which will inform efforts to modernise and to address emerging threats, which may increase the demand for MANPADS capable missiles.”
According to the RFI, the US Army is currently planning to award a full and open competitive contract no later than FY 2026 for the production of up to 8,000 MANPADS missiles to fill this need.
As noted by the army, in 2016 Congress and military senior leaders, “noting the results of studies and peer threat nations’ aggressions, provided resources and directed the army to aggressively pursue air-defence capabilities to protect maneuvering forces as soon as feasibly possible. This effort serves to meet increasing demand for MANPADS, organisational growth within the Air and Missile Defense (AMD) portfolio, and increasing near-peer threat capability.” (Source: Jane’s)
07 Nov 20. Competitors protest awards to SpaceX and L3Harris for hypersonic weapon tracking satellites. Raytheon and Airbus are protesting two recent awards for eight missile tracking satellites issued to SpaceX and L3Harris, putting into question the Space Development Agency’s tight schedule to get its initial constellation on orbit in 2022. The news was first reported by Aviation Week.
Under the Oct. 5 award in question, SpaceX and L3Harris were issued contracts to design and develop four satellites equipped with wide field of view (WFOV) overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) sensors. The eight satellites would form tranche 0 of SDA’s tracking layer, which the military is building to track hypersonic weapons from space.
L3Harris received $193m, while SpaceX received $149m.
Airbus U.S. Space & Defense first filed its protest of the award Oct. 28, while Raytheon filed its own protest on Nov. 3. A stop work order has been issued for SpaceX and L3Harris.
“SDA is working with the GAO to achieve fast, accurate and equitable resolution to the protests received from Airbus and Raytheon on the agency’s Tracking Tranche 0 contracts,” an SDA spokesperson said in a statement. “SDA is committed to full and open competition whenever practicable and the agency understands protests are a potential and not uncommon part of that process.”
The tracking layer is one of several capabilities being built into the agency’s planned mega-constellation known as the National Defense Space Architecture. SDA is using a spiral development approach to build out that constellation, by adding more satellites every two years. The first tranche, which would include the eight missile tracking satellites in question, will include about 30 satellites set to launch in 2022. By the end of 2026, the agency wants to have hundreds of satellites in orbit.
While Raytheon declined to comment, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense told C4ISRNET in a statement that concerns over the government’s evaluation process for the proposals led the company to protest the award.
“While determined highly competitive, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. was ultimately not selected by SDA for award. Our post-award debrief review identified concerns about the government’s evaluation process, and as a result, we have filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO),” an Airbus U.S. spokesperson said in a statement. “Airbus U.S. believes its proposal based on the ARROW commodity satellite bus and the Airbus OneWeb Satellites’ operational manufacturing facility in Florida fits SDA’s evaluation criteria for commercial commoditized buses manufactured at scale.”
At the time of the awards, SDA Director Derek Tournear told C4ISRNET the awards were the result of a full and open competition, with the selection based purely on technical merit. Tournear praised both SpaceX and L3Harris in that interview, emphasizing both companies’ plans to meet the agency’s aggressive schedule.
“SpaceX had a very credible story along that line — a very compelling proposal. It was outstanding,” he said. “They are one of the ones that have been at the forefront of this commercialization and commodification route.”
In addition, “L3Harris had an extremely capable solution. They have a lot of experience flying affordable, rapid, small satellite buses for the department,” he said. “They had the plant and the line in place in order to produce these to hit our schedule.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/C4ISR & Networks)
REST OF THE WORLD
06 Nov 20. BAE, Boeing, Lockheed respond to new Japanese F-X RFI. BAE Systems, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin have replied to a request for information (RFI) related to work on Tokyo’s F-X future fighter programme.
Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) confirms that the RFI was issued on 16 September, with seven companies showing initial interest. Only BAE, Boeing and Lockheed replied prior to the RFI’s deadline – the Lockheed bid also involves Northrop Grumman. “MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) will conduct conceptual design to look for the best fighter configuration to meet the requirement,” says ATLA.
“Receiving the answers of the RFI from 3 companies, [the ministry of defence] will assess them and choose a candidate company by the end of the year.”
News of the RFI responses follows the 30 October confirmation that the ministry had signed a contract with MHI to develop the F-X, which will succeed the Mitsubishi-produced F-2 in the 2030s.
BAE, which is leading the international Tempest programme in Europe, says that its response to the RFI discusses the company’s technical capabilities across a range of areas where BAE can support F-X development.
“We are delighted to have submitted our response to the Japanese Ministry of Defence and we firmly believe that we can add significant value to the F-X programme,” says Andy Latham, campaign delivery director – Japan, for BAE Systems’ Air business.
“We have decades of experience of partnering with nations around the world to deliver sovereign capability. Our track record of collaborating on complex combat aircraft programmes has provided us with insight and understanding of the likely challenges and the range of capabilities, technologies and relationships required to successfully deliver the next generation of such programmes.”
Boeing has extensive combat aircraft experience in Japan, including involvement in upgrading Tokyo’s fleet of F-15J fighters to a new “Japanese Super Interceptor” standard.
“We are honoured to have been invited to submit a proposal to support the design and production of Japan’s next generation fighter,” says Boeing.
“Our proposal is for a Japan-led, next-generation fighter with cutting-edge technology based on the best of Japanese industry and Boeing. We have a strong and rich history of partnering with Japan, and a proven track record in advanced fighters, which will ensure a low-cost, low-risk approach for the Government of Japan and Japanese industry, along with key Japan-US interoperability.”
Lockheed also has a long history in Japan. The F-2 is a derivative of the F-16, and Tokyo is in the process of obtaining up to 147 F-35s, which would make it the second largest operator of the type. MHI operates a final assembly line for the F-35.
“Lockheed Martin has responded to Japan’s F-X request for information (RFI) with Northrop Grumman,” says the company. “Our comprehensive RFI response outlines potential areas of development support and participation that could significantly reduce F-X development costs and schedule by leveraging close industry cooperation with Japan’s F-X integrator, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and ensuring indigenous design and sovereignty.”
The company points to its experience with stealth aircraft, and also touches on the importance of interoperability with assets such as the F-35.
“We firmly believe that we are well positioned to partner with MHI to cost-effectively develop Japan’s next fighter and continue supporting the evolution of Japan’s technological capabilities.” (Source: Flight Global)
10 Nov 20. First batch of Polish Black Hawk helos arrive in the Philippines. The Philippines has taken delivery of the first of 16 Polish-built S-70i Black Hawk transport helicopters it has on order, with another due to arrive in the next month. A chartered Ukrainian Antonov An-124 transport aircraft delivered five helicopters to Clark Air Base north of the Philippine capital Manila, according to the government news agency.
It added that the Antonov had arrived on Nov. 9 after departing from Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland two days earlier.
A sixth Black Hawk is being transported by sea and will arrive in the Philippines in early December, according to the country’s Department of National Defense, or DND. The department added that the helicopter is being shipped by sea as the Antonov could only carry five helicopters in its cargo hold.
The remaining ten helicopters will be delivered in 2021.
The helicopters are manufactured by Poland’s PZL Mielec, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin which had also previously acquired Sikorsky, the original manufacturer of the Black Hawk.
The Philippines acquired the helicopters under a government-to-government deal with Poland, signing a contract worth $241m in 2019. The Black Hawks are being bought under the U.S. ally’s five-year Horizon 2 modernization program, which will run from 2018-2022.
Transport helicopters are a vital part of the Philippine armed forces. The country is an archipelagic nation made up of over 7,000 islands and has to contend with a number of ongoing insurgencies as well as regular natural disasters, with helicopters frequently used to transport troops and equipment as well as conducting relief operations.
The country seeks to purchase Bell UH-1 utility helicopters recently retired by South Korea, and has also taken delivery of six Brazilian-built Embraer A-29B Tucano counterinsurgency aircraft in mid-October.
Transport helicopters are a vital part of the Philippine armed forces. The country is an archipelagic nation made up of over 7,000 islands and has to contend with a number of ongoing insurgencies as well as regular natural disasters, with helicopters frequently used to transport troops and equipment as well as conducting relief operations.
The country seeks to purchase Bell UH-1 utility helicopters recently retired by South Korea, and has also taken delivery of six Brazilian-built Embraer A-29B Tucano counterinsurgency aircraft in mid-October. (Source: Defense News)
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American Panel Corporation (APC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercury Systems, Mission Division, Mission Displays is a custom display manufacturer, providing purpose-built optical display components installed in military defense avionics and vetronics systems and commercial aerospace platforms. Our customers include: Astronautics, Collins Aerospace, Elbit Systems, Korry Electronics, CMC Electronics, Scioteq, General Dynamics Land Systems, Honeywell, Industrial Electrical Engineering (IEE), Intellisense, Kent Modular Electronics (KME), SAAB, TECNOBIT, and others. We supply optical display components for the following platforms: M1A2 and M1A2 SEPV3/4 Abrams, M2 / M3 Bradley, and M1128 Stryker vehicles, Spanish Dragon 8×8 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC); Military and commercial aircrew worldwide use APC displays, including F-35, F-22, F-18, F-16, F-15, EF-1000 Typhoon, Mirage 2000, C-130, C-17, P-3, S-3, U-2, AH-64 Apache, V-22, as well as numerous other military and commercial aviation aircraft including all Boeing 717 through 787 aircraft and several Airbus aircraft. Mercury Systems, Mission Displays offers a wide range of panel size and configuration offerings, applying both legacy and developing new technologies to meet customer requirements.
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