22 Mar 13. MBDA UK pushes forward with new Team CW accord. MBDA UK is in the process of implementing a new portfolio management agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that is expects to have in place later in the year. Speaking in London on 20 March, Steve Wadey Managing Director MBDA UK said that the new agreement will build on the success of the current Team CW (Complex Weapons) arrangement that was put in place in 2010. As with Team CW, the new support contract will manage the delivery of overall military capability to the MoD, as well as individual projects. When asked why a new agreement was needed given that Team CW was working so well, Wadey explained that Team CW was always meant to be just an initial arrangement. He added that the new arrangement will be an evolution of the current one and that any amendments will be minor.
“This [Team CW] business model is working well. One of the questions we always get is ‘what is the way forward’, and in 2013 I would say we expect a smooth transition from the portfolio management agreement signed in 2010 to a new agreement that will take into account the lessons learned between ourselves and the MoD.” (Source: Jane’s)
25 Mar 13. Northrop Grumman Corporation has launched its Fourth Generation Tracking Adjunct Sensor (4G TAS), the latest upgrade to the company’s range of high-resolution electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors for the Hawk air defense system. Northrop Grumman’s 4G TAS, the only approved EO/IR upgrade available to Hawk customers worldwide, detects and tracks low, fast targets both day and night and passes them to the Hawk’s fire control radar. Northrop Grumman’s upgrades to the baseline configuration include a new 640 x 480 pixel infrared sensor that will more than double the resolution of the current system. The upgrade will also include a new charged-coupled device camera that will increase resolution and enhance operation in low-light environments. The upgrades also include more reliable and sustainable electronics to ensure continued logistics support for the system. All existing TAS, Improved TAS and Advanced Infrared TAS systems can be upgraded to the 4G TAS configuration. The 4G TAS is a gimbaled, stabilized, high-resolution sensor system that provides passive EO/IR searching, tracking, launch and pass-off capability for the Hawk air defense system. It can provide threat assessment and identification beyond visual range, providing real-time situational awareness. The Hawk and TAS sensors are in operation throughout the world.
25 Mar 13. Lockheed Martin’s Extended Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) program successfully conducted the first Guided Test Flight to characterize the seeker, guidance, navigation and control systems of its Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) interceptor. The very small and agile interceptor is designed to defeat Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (RAM) targets at ranges greatly exceeding those of current systems. The test was conducted on March 22 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command/Aviation Missile Research Development & Engineering Center (RDECOM/AMRDEC). This test is another milestone in a series of technically challenging events completed under the EAPS Integrated Demonstration Science and Technology program. The test closely replicated a tactical situation in which an enemy launches a mortar at an area protected by the MHTK intercept system. A radar successfully detected and tracked the threat in flight. The tactically configured MHTK interceptor launched vertically and flew a trajectory positioning it to detect energy from a ground illuminator reflected off the mortar target. Responding to the reflected energy, the MHTK interceptor maneuvered to fly very close to the target and gather data through its seeker as it passed the mortar in flight. Intercepting the target was not an objective of this flight test. In addition to gathering data to char