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16 Jun 15. INDIA – Army plans ER rocket procurement. The Indian Army is currently seeking input from the industry with an intention of planning a potential future procurement of Extended Range (ER) Rockets for 122mm GRAD BM-21 Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System. Any possible procurement will proceed according to the government’s “Make in India” policy, which means that the procurement will be open to Indian vendors (including those with joint venture agreements with international companies). Rafael Advanced Defence Systems unveiled its ER variant of the I-Derby short- to beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM) at the Aero India show in February 2015. It remains to be seen how the procurement will be planned. (Source: MPI – Hawk Information)
01 Jul 15. India resends request to US for M777 guns. India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) re-issued its letter of request (LoR) to the US government on 23 June for 145 BAE Systems M777 towed 155 mm/39 calibre lightweight howitzers, official sources said.
This followed MoD approval on 13 May of the estimated USD694 million purchase, including Selex Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing systems, which is progressing via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
Official sources told IHS Jane’s that the MoD’s LoR to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which handles all FMS purchases, has requested in return a letter of acceptance (LoA) with the contract price and delivery schedules. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
28 Jun 15. USAF says rocket accident won’t bump SpaceX from competition. SpaceX can compete to launch a U.S. Global Positioning System satellite despite a Falcon 9 rocket accident this weekend, the Air Force said on Wednesday.
“SpaceX remains certified and can compete for the upcoming GPS III launch service,” Lt. General Samuel Greaves, who heads the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, wrote in an email to Reuters.
The Air Force plans to release a solicitation for launch service proposals this month, the first time SpaceX, which is owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, will be eligible to compete against United Launch Alliance (ULA). The joint-venture of Lockheed-Martin and Boeing has had a monopoly on the military’s launch business.
In May, SpaceX won a hard-fought, two-year battle to have its Falcon 9 rocket certified to fly military and national security satellites. On Sunday, one of those rockets exploded after liftoff.
The cause of the accident, which claimed a cargo ship heading to the International Space Station for NASA and was the first Falcon 9 launch failure in 19 flights, is under investigation.
While not directly involved in the mission, the Air Force said it has been invited to observe the accident investigation and has offered support. SpaceX is leading the investigation, with support from NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees commercial space launches in the United States. Preliminary analysis indicates a problem with the liquid oxygen system of the rocket’s upper-stage engine. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)
01 Jul 15. Australia approves funds for sustainment of C-RAM capability. The Australian Government has granted a combined first and second pass approval for Land 19 Phase 7A-counter rocket, artillery and mortar system (C-RAM) sense and warn capability project. The approvals provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with approximately $325m to maintain the C-RAM sense and warn capability for use on future operations. Initially purchased as an accelerated acquisition in 2010 for ADF force protection in Afghanistan, the C-RAM sense and warn enables early detection and warning of incoming indirect fire threats, while providing soldiers with time to evade danger, minimising potential casualties. The capability consists of Gira