Defence`s Feeds

Americas

• Raytheon has been awarded a $52.7 million contract for the supply of its Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long Range Radar (3DELRR) to the US Air Force. As part of the deal, the contractor will provide engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) work for three 3DELRR production representative units, with work to be completed by November 30, 2020. The system utilizes a C-Band Gallium Nitride radar which provides operators with long-range detection capabilities and has the advantage of not congesting airwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum excessively, reducing interference with other systems.

Middle East & North Africa

• Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine have signed an agreement that will see all three parties collaborate on the development and manufacture of a maritime patrol variant of the AN-132D. Contracts were signed towards the end of the IDEF 2017 expo in Istanbul, where officials from Ukroboronprom, Havelsan, and Taqnia agreed to move forward with the project which comes comes two years after Saudi Arabia agreed to procure two AN-132D aircraft for use in airborne electronic warfare roles and four for search and rescue operations. Developed as a Western variant of the AN-32, the aircraft uses engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada, avionics form Honeywell, life-support systems from Germany’s Liebherr, propellers from Messier Bugatti Dowty (Safran Landing Systems), and auxiliary power units fromHamilton Sundstrand.

• A prototype tank co-developed by Turkish and Indonesian industry has been unveiled at IDEF. Made by Turkey’s FNSS and Indonesia’s PT Pindad, the six-wheel KAPLAN MT was created as part of a government-to-government cooperation program. Fitted with a CMI Cockerill 3105 turret which integrates the Cockerill 105 millimeter high-pressure gun with an advanced autoloader, the companies said that the medium-weight tank features precision direct fire capability and a configuration power pack, heavy duty suspension system, double pin tracks and advanced electronic control systems that contribute to its superior maneuvering capability. The tank will begin serial production once it is qualified by the Indonesian army, and it is expected that the firms will look to market it for export.

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of 100 PAC-3 and 60 GEM-T missiles to the UAE. Valued at an estimated $1 billion, Lockheed Martin will act as lead contractor for the PAC-3 missiles while Raytheon will provide the GEM-Ts. Also included are canisters, tools and test equipment, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, spare and repair parts, U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.

Europe

• Boeing has been contracted by the US Army Command for the remanufacture of 38 AH-64 Apache aircraft for the UK. Valued at $488 million, the foreign military sale will also include the provision of Longbow crew trainers and associated spares. Work will be carried out at the firm’s plant in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2024.

Asia Pacific

• The Indian Air Force has successfully test-fired a Darby radar-guided air-to-air missile from one of its LCA Tejas fighters. Conducted on May 12, New Delhi’s announcement stated that “the missile launch was performed in Lock ON after Launch mode for a BVR target in the look down mode and the target was destroyed,” and that aircraft avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile Weapon Delivery System all performed as required. The test is one of several steps needed to clear beyond visual range (BVR) capabilities for the LCA.

• India has also tested the first of its newly acquired Spyder air-defense system. Three rounds of firing were conducted during the May 11 test, where both Surface-to-air Python and Derby (Spyder) missile system were fired against a Banshee unmanned aerial target made by Meggit PLC. New Delhi made moves to acquire a number of Spyder systems in a deal with Rafael and Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) after their indigenous system, the Akash, fell out of favor with military officials.

• The Japanese government has completed its study into the possible procurement of the land-based Aegis Ashore system, concluding that developing a new missile defense layer with the system is more cost-effective than purchasing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. At present, Tokyo operates a two-tier missile defense system with the first being SM-3 interceptors onboard Aegis-equipped destroyers, while the surviving missiles will then face a Patriot battery firing Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air guided missiles. Discussions on the procurement are expected to last into the summer and will likely take several years to implement. It is expected that two fixed Aegis Ashore sites equipped with the SM-3 Block 2A missile would be sufficient to cover the country, at a cost of $705 million.

Today’s Video

• An Indian Tejas fighter tests a Darby air-to-air missile:

Sales in Indra's defence and security sector increased by 11% in the first quarter of 2017, making it the best performing division for the group. The Spanish IT and systems group reported an overall growth of 2% in business revenue to EUR638.5 million (USD699.5 million) on 11 May, while profits

A Royal Jordan Armed Forces (RJAF) F-16 fighter used a Matra missile to shoot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the Syrian border, a recently retired senior RJAF officer has told Jane's . The Jordanian Armed Forces announced on 10 May that an F-16 had shot down a UAV in an unidentified

The US State Department has approved the sale of 60 Lockheed Martin PAC-3 and 100 Raytheon GEM-T missiles for the Patriot air defence systems in service with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Defense Security Cooperation Agency DSCA announced on 11 May. The DSCA said the proposed sale is

Iran is providing "explosive boat technology", unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and missile support to Yemen's rebels, US Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on 11 May. The rebels are believed to have used an unmanned boat loaded

Animal Liberation Front activists claimed responsibility for hacking the website of the Branfere zoo.

In Leipzig, anarchists claimed responsibility for setting fire to the electricity wires of two railway lines to oppose Deutsche Bahn's plans to evict squatters from one of its unused buildings on 20 March.

In Taunusstein, anarchists claimed responsibility for throwing paint at the Zum Taunus restaurant on 24 March, claiming that AfD members were its regular clients.

Hostility from most of Afghanistan's tribes to the Islamic State means its prospects for gaining a major foothold in the country remain minimal, although estimates of the number of Islamic State fighters in the country vary widely. More importantly, the Islamic State faces a major adversary in the

ACCORDING to media reports on 8 May, 20 Islamic State militants were killed, three suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIEDs) and a stash of weapons were destroyed when army forces, supported by the United States-led coalition, advanced and combed an area 100km from Haditha in

The Australian government has secured the purchase of additional land to substantially increase the size of the ship and submarine building facility at Osborne, Adelaide, for the country's AUD89 billion (USD66 billion) naval shipbuilding programme. Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne

Boeing has been awarded a USD488.1 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to remanufacture 38 WAH-64D Apache Longbow AH1 attack helicopters to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard for the United Kingdom. The contract, which was announced by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 11 May,

Chile's state-run shipyard ASMAR Astilleros commenced the construction of a new icebreaker in a ceremony on 9 May. The vessel is scheduled to be completed within four years at a cost of USD217 million, according to the Chilean Ministry of Defence. The new icebreaker will measure approximately 125 m

In Santiago, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) claimed responsibility for placing an improvised explosive device (IED) outside a dealership of commercial vehicles on 5 May.

Hensoldt, a German company specialising in sensors for military aircraft, has reached a deal to acquire EuroAvionics, the company announced on 12 May. EuroAvionics is currently held by private-equity group Equistone Partners Europe. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. EuroAvionics is a

EVENT Four armed individuals robbed a high-street bank branch of state-owned Banco de la Nación in La Victoria district of the capital Lima, taking between USD20,000 and USD25,000. The armed robbers carried Glock pistols and Mini UZI sub-machine guns and escaped in a BMW vehicle. No arrests

Turkey's state-own Machines and Chemical Industries Board (MKEK) presented a number of new small arms system at the IDEF 2017 defence exhibition in Istanbul this month. The company extended the line of the MPT-76 National Infantry Rifle, chambered for the 7.62x51 mm NATO round, by introducing a

FOUR people were killed and 10 others were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED), planted inside a vehicle, detonated in al-Shola district east of Iraq's capital Baghdad on 11 May, Iraqi News reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

ONE civilian was wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near a road detonated in Jisr Diyala area east of Iraq's capital Baghdad on 7 May, Iraqi News reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

THREE civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near a road detonated in Arab Jubour in Al-Dura area in Al-Rashid district Iraq's Baghdad province on 7 May, Iraqi News reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.