Defence`s Feeds

BAE Systems’ push to overhaul how it produces ground combat vehicles at its York, Pennsylvania, facility is still ongoing but has, in part, contributed to a six-month...

Heron Systems is looking to get its artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms on autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) after winning the United States Defense...

US-based Heico Corporation, which has made three acquisitions in August and six in its current fiscal year, might not be done with its shopping spree, according to the...

The US Army on 24 August issued 10 Air Launched Effects (ALE) project agreements totalling USD29.8 million, according to a service statement.

US-based Spirit AeroSystems continues trying to complete two acquisitions it had hoped to finish earlier this year, according to the head of the aerospace parts...

US information technology company CACI International are unveiling several upgrades to its SteelBox secure mobile communications software application for classified and...

Americas

PAE Aviation and Technical Services won a $19.7 million contract modification for the Aerial Targets Program.  The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional year of service under the multiple year contract which directly supports live-fire weapon system testing and enables the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group to perform developmental and operational weapons testing for all air-to-air missiles for F-15, F-16, F-22, and F-35 aircraft. Work will take place at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Expected completion date is September 30, 2021.

Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust won a $16.5 million deal for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the water and wastewater utility systems at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Earlier this month Oklahoma City officials authorized the city’s Water Utilities Trust and the city attorney’s office to finalize a draft contract with the federal government to modernize the base’s aging water and sewer systems. In March 2017 the Air Force tapped Honeywell with a $243 million contract to reduce energy consumption and costs at Tinker. That deal included updating wastewater treatment systems as well modernizing manufacturing lines, installing two new 2,000-ton chillers, installing smart meters and LED lighting and decentralizing the steam heating plant to use less energy. Work will take place in Oklahoma. Estimated completion date is August 31, 2071.

Middle East & Africa

The Israeli Ministry of Defense released the first images from the new Ofek 16 satellite on August 25. The Ofek 16 was launched on July 6. According to the ministry, this is the first time it has released recent imagery from one of its satellites. The greyscale images showed the Roman Theatre and Temple of Bel in the ruined city of Palmyra in central Syria. In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the camera on Ofek 16 that took the photos was developed in a hitherto-classified joint project by the ministry’s research and development department, known by the Hebrew acronym MAFAT, and the Elbit Systems defense contractor.

Europe

Three kayakers have been rescued in a multi-agency response featuring a Royal Navy warship, the BBC reports. It is understood that HMS Sutherland was sailing along the west coast near Skye when it received a request to assist coastguard teams in rescuing three individuals from a nearby loch. The operation also involved the RNLI, the coastguard and nearby fishing boats. A Maritime and Coastguard spokesman said: “HM Coastguard received a report of three kayakers in difficulty at Loch Torridon, in the north-west Highlands. Kyle Coastguard Rescue Team, the Portree RNLI lifeboat and the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway were sent to assist at the scene. HMS Sutherland and a number of nearby fishing boats and other vessels also responded immediately and assisted.“

Asia-Pacific

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to rectify a plan to buy 20 F-35As and 20 F-35Bs under phase 2 of its FX III fighter program in October’s meeting. The purchase is expected to cost $6.7 billion and the priority is to acquire the B-model first in order for the short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL) to operate on the light aircraft carrier that Seoul intends to build.

Former Indian Navy aircraft carrier and Falklands War veteran INS Viraat will arrive at Alang shipyard next month to be dismantled. It was purchased by shipping firm Shri Ram Shipping after attempts to convert it into a museum failed. The iconic warship is hailed as the longest serving warship in the world. It was first commissioned as HMS Hermes by the British Royal Navy in 1959. It was deployed for peacekeeping mission to Sri Lanka in 1988 and Kargil War in 1999.

Today’s Video

Watch: SINGLE F-35 EVEN IN STEALTH CONFIGURATION DROPS 8 GBU-39 SMALL DIAMETER BOMB ON TARGET ACCURATELY!

Chinese GCZ-112 Armored Engineer Vehicle

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) revealed on 25 August that it has ordered an additional 21 CM-34 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to add to the 284...

Rostec’s Kalashnikov Group unveiled the prototype of its new Spetsialnoye Korpusnoye Kolesnoye Shassi-568 (SKKSh-568) wheeled chassis for surface-to-air missile (SAM)...

The Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) released the first imagery from the new Ofek 16 satellite on 25 August.

Russia’s Almaz-Antey Corporation unveiled the new 51P6E2 10×10 mobile surface-to-air missile launch platform for the 98R6E Abakan non-strategic ballistic missile defence...

Argentine state aircraft factory FAdeA has resumed its IA-100B basic trainer programme with the signing on 24 August of an agreement with the Financial Aid Institute of...

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a EUR2.08 billion (USD2.46 billion) contract with national consortium Tess Defence to build the first tranche of 348...

On 24 August, co-ordinated twin suicide improvised explosive device (IED) attacks took place on the island of Jolo in the Philippines’ Sulu province, killing at least...

Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has published a notice inviting foreign companies to engage with its project to develop next-generation fighter aircraft.

The Turkish armed forces’ ‘Claw Eagle’ and ‘Claw Tiger’ operations began in June 2020 and are the culmination of a gradual intensification of Turkish air activity...

South African media has reported that the sale of Umkhonto surface-to-air missiles by Denel Dynamics has fallen through after the company failed to raise the required...

An unspecified “safety incident” at Armtec Defense Technologies has forced the business to temporarily halt production at one of its facilities, according to officials...

A computer-generated visualisation of the Arafura class, which is being built under Australia’s Sea 1180 Phase 1 programme. (Lürssen Australia/ASC)

Australia is equipping its future Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) with inertial navigation systems and gyrocompasses from French sensors company, iXblue.

The systems are based on fibre-optic gyroscope technology, said the company in a statement on 25 August.

“...iXblue’s inertial navigation systems will provide the 12 new Arafura Class vessels with highly accurate and reliable navigation capabilities in all environments, including within GNSS [global navigation satellite system]-denied operational areas”, it added.

However, the company has stopped short of revealing further details on the systems that it would be supplying for the OPVs. iXblue has a range of four series of inertial navigation and gyrocompass products, one of which has been described as one with “military strategic grade”.

The product, which is referred to by the company as the Marins Series, features stealth autonomous navigation capabilities, and can be integrated with major combat managements systems on the market today.

Australia’s Arafura-class OPVs were procured under the country’s SEA1180 Phase 1 programme, which seeks to replace the Armidale- and Cape-class patrol boats. An AUD3.6 billion (USD2.6 billion) contract for the new OPVs was signed in late January 2018 with German shipbuilder Lürssen.

The OPV has a standard displacement of 1,640 tonnes, an overall length of 80 m, an overall beam of 13 m, and a hull draught of 4 m. It has a crew complement of 40 and can offer accommodation for up to 60 personnel.

Construction work on the first and second ships began in November 2018 and June 2019 respectively at Osborne Naval Shipyard, while construction work on the third ship in the programme began in March 2020 at the Civmec shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.