Defence`s Feeds

Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, visited the European Defence Agency this week for discussions with EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq. 

The Republic of Serbia concluded an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2013 enabling it to participate in EDA projects and programmes on a case by case basis. Mr Domecq welcomed the opportunity to discuss with Minister Vulin Serbia’s participation in EDA projects following  detailed updates provided by EDA on a range of ongoing projects including on the EDA Helicoper Exercises Programme, its work on Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED), medical, standardisation and airworthiness as well as the EU Satcom Market in which Serbia has been participating since 2016.

Minister Vulin expressed interest on Serbia’s involvement in areas such as Helicopter Exercises, standardisation, medical and ammunition.  Other topics discussed during the visit was EDA’s role in the new European defence initiatives as well as Serbia’s defence planning and its priorities related to security and defence.

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Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

In April, Qari Hekmatullah, the self-proclaimed commander of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), was killed in a US airstrike. Under his command, a local affiliate of the Afghan-Pakistani Daesh affiliate, ISKP, had challenged both the government and the Taleban and established almost full control over two remote districts of Jawzjan province, Darzab and Qush Tepa. In this update of earlier reports on the situation in the area, AAN’s Obaid Ali takes a look at the latest dynamics there following Hekmat’s death and finds that his group is still in charge.

The killing of Qari Hekmat  

On 5 April 2018, a US airstrike killed Qari Hekmat – as he was usually known – an ISKP-affiliated commander in northern Afghanistan. According to a statement released by US military headquarters, Hekmat was killed in Qorogh village of Belcheragh district in neighbouring Faryab province. General Faqir Muhammad Jawzjani, the province’s police chief, also confirmed that he had been killed in a US airstrike (media report here).

Sources close to Hekmat told AAN that he had survived a drone attack a day earlier, on 4 April 2018, while he and two of his bodyguards were en route to visit fighters in the village of Qorogh (where he was killed the following day). The attack that killed him along with one of his bodyguards was carried out as they attempted to return to his base in Sar Dara village in the district of Darzab. The second bodyguard was wounded.

Qorogh is a village on the Faryab side of the border between this province and his stronghold in Jawzjan. But it is surrounded by a number of villages that belong to Darzab district. For this reason, Qorogh’s inhabitants interact mainly with residents from Darzab. Hekmat’s presence there was due to the proximity of the village to his base and was not a sign that he was planning to expand his activities in Faryab.

Qari Hekmat was a former Taleban commander who, in 2015, joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), a recognised branch of the Syria/Iraq-based Islamic State (IS) for Afghanistan and Pakistan, an area the IS calls Khorasan. Under the ISKP banner, Hekmat took over most of Qush Tepa and Darzab districts and established his own parallel administration (read more AAN background on Qari Hekmat here and here).

A new leader

After Qari Hekmat’s killing, the group’s decision-making council appointed Mawlawi Habib Rahman as his successor. Hekmat had established the council, which consists of 14 loyal commanders, although its exact composition is not known. With its military and administrative structures, the council serves as the core management body for the local ISKP branch (more AAN reporting here). It discusses and decides on military, public outreach, finance and security issues every month.

Unlike Hekmat, 31 year-old Mawlawi Habib Rahman is a relative newcomer to the Jawzjan insurgency and not a local. The Uzbek from Sholgara district in Balkh province joined Hekmat’s forces in 2016. Previously he had served as the head of the group’s shadow judiciary and as a member of the decision-making council (read AAN’s previous analysis here). He had thus demonstrated his capacity to serve in a relatively high position within the group under Hekmat’s command. Despite his young age, limited local knowledge and military experience, his appointment seems to have happened without dispute and largely due to the fact that he is a religious scholar and was Hekmat’s close aide in the early stages of the pro-ISKP formation.

Habib Rahman is also the brother in-law of a former Taleban shadow district governor in Qush Tepa, Mufti Nemat, who surrendered to General Abdulrashid Dostum in 2015. He later switched sides again to join the late Hekmat. Mufti Nemat continues to operate in Darzab and might also have supported the appointment of Habib Rahman to lead the group.

The consequences of Qari Hekmat’s death

The killing of Qari Hekmat has not led to a visible weakening of the military position of the group in either of the districts they control. This has been confirmed to AAN by various sources. In the eyes of Sher Muhammad, an Afghan Local Police (ALP) commander in Darzab district, the killing did not have “any negative impact” on the group or its grip over the two districts. He told AAN “The Daesh front line is only 500 metres away from the Afghan security force’s base in Darzab district centre.” The district governor of Qush Tepa, Aminullah Amin, confirmed this to AAN. According to him, Daesh continues to occupy most parts of Qush Tepa and Darzab. While the exact number of ISKP-affiliated fighters in Jawzjan is unclear, Amin further told AAN they were strong enough to defeat the local Afghan security forces. Local sources close to the group told AAN that Mawlawi Habib Rahman currently leads 300 to 400 fighters that include some Central Asians.

Local elders told AAN that the local pro-ISKP group does not have a military base or any other permanent presence in the villages of both districts but that fighters visit villages on a weekly basis, distributing announcements to obey the ISKP’s instructions. But in contrast to this agency report, the ISKP fighters do not dwell “in caves” but occupy houses abandoned by the local population. This is also the case with their headquarters in Sar Dara, a wide valley used for agricultural purposes in Darzab. Despite the lack of a permanent ISKP presence there, neither government forces nor Taleban fighters attempt to enter these villages, for fear that they might be trapped by pro-ISKP fighters.

Following the killing of Qari Hekmat, neither the ANSF nor the local Taleban have attempted to carry out large-scale counteroffensive against pro-ISKP fighters in Darzab or Qush Tepa. The only operation conducted was one by Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF) and US Special Operation Forces (SOF) in Darzab.  According to a statement released by the US-led Resolute Support mission on 11 April – six days after Qari Hekmat’s killing –, the ASSF and SOF killed 22 ISKP fighters in the district. The statement further said that since the beginning of 2018, 90 ISKP fighters had been killed, the majority in Darzab (full text here).

The Resolute Support figure, however, was not confirmed by AAN’s local sources. Speaking to AAN, local elders from Darzab confirmed the 11 April Special Forces operation there but said only “a few” pro-ISKP fighters had been killed and that the US and Afghan forces had left the area again. Local officials also told AAN that there had not been any attempt to carry out a large-scale counter-offensive against ISKP fighters in the province so far. Sher Muhammad, the ALP commander, and district governor Amin, however, insist that such an operation must be carried out in order to eliminate the ISKP threat. Speaking to AAN on 13 May 2018, Najib Danesh, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the Afghan security forces would soon conduct clearance operations against Taleban and ISKP in Jawzjan.

The limited number of local Afghan security forces in Darzab and Qush Tepa hampers such an operation. They are stationed in only a few bases in the district centres and are only capable of protecting the centres as well as a few nearby villages. Deploying reinforcements and logistical supplies to Qush Tepa and Darzab is a serious challenge, as the highway connecting the provincial centre Shebarghan to both districts is mostly controlled and often blocked by Qari Hekmat’s fighters.

Neither have the Taleban yet responded to the pro-ISKP fighters in Jawzjan after their fighters retreated to the neighbouring provinces of Faryab and Sar-e Pul in January 2018 (AAN’s previous report here). This is largely due to the local Taleban commanders’ failure to recruit new local fighters as well as their fear of being targeted by ASSF or US SOF airstrikes. Therefore, the pro-ISKP network in Darzab and Qush Tepa continues to enjoy a monopoly of control in most parts of both districts.

Links with ISKP Central?

It is still not clear how strong the group’s connections are with the ISKP’s main foothold in Afghanistan, in eastern Nangrahar province. In June 2017, a delegation from Darzab visited Nangrahar province (see AAN’s analysis here) but further face-to-face contact has not been reported. In March 2018, a video clip that was apparently filmed by Uzbek fighters operating in Jawzjan under the ISKP flag and released by ISKP supporters on Facebook, featured fighters in Jawzjan pledging an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State. The video also showed a group of young Uzbek boys completing military training and expressing loyalty to the Islamic State, although the exact locations were unclear. Furthermore, it contained material showing an ISKP commander in Nangrahar appealing to IS fighters in Syria and Iraq to join the Afghan ISKP. This was – according to AAN’s knowledge – the first video featuring both ISKP fighters in Jawzjan and Nangrahar provinces.

The pro-ISKP network in Jawzjan does not have its own media wing to release its videos or statements. In most cases, material is distributed through individual Facebook accounts belonging to sympathisers.

Conclusion

Looking at the current dynamics within the ISKP militancy in Darzab and Qush Tepa, its fighters have remained unified and resilient enough to survive the death of their local supreme leader. The late Hekmat’s investment in these isolated and mountainous areas, building on his decade of military experience with the Taleban and his knowledge of the local dynamics, has ensured a strong and resilient pro-ISKP foothold in the southeast of Jawzjan. This is not to say that the killing of Qari Hekmat will not affect the group’s continued military success or its current hold over the two districts over time, particularly as Mawlawi Habib Rahman needs to show whether he can fully replace Hekmat and operate as successfully as he did. But so far there are – despite some losses – no significant signs of disunity or fragmentation within the pro-ISKP fighters in Jawzjan, and their territorial grip remains unchallenged and unchanged.

 Edited by Sari Kouvo and Thomas Ruttig

 

Americas

• Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls recently announced that the first steps towards constructing the first Flight III Destroyer have been taken. The destroyer ‘Jack Lucas’ will join the Navy’s fleet in 2024. The vessel is modelled after the 73 Arleigh-Burke class destroyers already in service, but it will be a very different, more capable killer than its predecessors. ‘Jack Lucas’ gets its extra punch by adding Raytheon’s newly developed AN/SPY-6 air and missile defense radar. The Flight III is a major overhaul of the guided-missile destroyer. It required a 45 percent redesign of the hull, most of which was done to accommodate the AN/SPY-6 and its formidable power needs. The Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) has been procured through a competition between Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The AMDR-S provides wide-area volume search, tracking, Ballistic Missile Defense discrimination, missile communications and defense against very low observable and very low flyer threats in heavy land, sea, and rain clutter. In addition, the AMDR-X provides horizon search, precision tracing, missile communications, and final illumination guidance to targets. The AN/SPY-6 is 30 times more sensitive than its predecessor, its additional sensitivity supercharges the vessel’s capabilities in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense.

• Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information & Services is being tapped to provide further sustainment of services for the CENTAUR system. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is valued at $37 million and includes the continued sustainment of the Cross-Domain Enterprise All Source User Repository system architecture that services as a coalition cross domain solution, as well as continued development of the NGA Coalition Data Broker. The system allows US and multi-national forces to operate in a near-real time common environment. It is a suite of products for machine-to-machine, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information sharing between U.S. security domains and multi-national partners’ security domains. Work will be performed at various locations inside and outside the US, including Richardson, Texas and Darmstadt, Germany. Work is expected to be completed by May 2023.

• The Navy recently marked a milestone in the construction of the next Virginia-class attack submarine. Named after the father of the US nuclear propulsion program, the Hymen G. Rickover is the fourth boat in the 10-ship Block IV batch. It is primarily designed to reduce by one the number of major overhauls the ship needs in its lifetime, adding a deployment and reducing the total cost of ownership in the process. The Navy is procuring 10 Virginia Class Block IV submarines in a 5-year, $17 billion deal. They’re derived from the lessons of the SSN-21 Seawolf Class an extremely advanced submarine whose expense per boat ended production at 3. The Virginias achieved excellent flexibility and a reputation for extreme quietness, but changes have continued since the first boat, as the US Navy tried to drive costs down. Virginia Class submarines have a 33-year service life and are designed to perform a wide range of missions. They have several innovations that significantly improve their warfighting capabilities – with an emphasis on littoral (close-to-shore) operations.

Middle East & Africa

• The US Ambassador to Cameroon officially handed over two Cessna 208B aircraft to the country. The two planes add important reconnaissance capabilities to the nation’s armed forces. The African country has been engaged in the fight against Boko Haram and the Islamic State since 2014. The Cameroon C208 Cessna Program is valued at approximately $4.3 million. The Ambassador emphasized that “these surveillance aircraft represent a new link in the chain of our excellent cooperation and have the potential to improve the safety and effectiveness of Cameroon’s fighting forces”. Equipped with surveillance turrets, internal displays, and communications systems, they provide real time information, through video and photograph, as well as through radio communications, to both national decision makers and to operational commanders.

• Jane’s reports that the Jordanian defense contractor Jadara Equipment and Defense Systems unveiled its new Terminator anti-tank missile. The Terminator missile has a caliber of 107mm and can be fitted with two types of warheads, which can be used to destroy tanks, light armored vehicles, light soft skinned vehicles and field fortifications at a distance from 100 to 2,500 m. The Terminator is a laser beam riding, semi-automatic command-to-line of sight missile. It can be mounted on either a portable launcher or a carrier-based automatic launcher. The system consists of a launch unit which features a 4.3 kg launching unit, a 15.8 pounds guidance unit and a 35.9 pounds tripod. The guidance unit is fitted with an uncooled thermal sensor that gives the system a day and night capability.

Europe

• The British government is awarding a contract to BAE Systems in relation to two submarine programs. The company will receive $3.26 billion to continue to the next phase of the Dreadnought program and will deliver the seventh Astute class submarine to the Royal Navy. The SSN Astute Class submarines are the successors to the Navy’s Swiftsure and Trafalger Class submarines. The Astute Class is the only platform used to launch long-range UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, in order to deliver conventional strikes against land targets. The Dreadnought program comes with a price tag of $41 billion. It is the British replacement project to its fleet of Vanguard class submarines. They will provide the UK’s ‘Continuous at sea deterrence’ capability by carrying the existing Trident missiles, which will not be replaced until the 2040s.

Asia-Pacific

• Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa has recently said in an interview that the country is still negotiating with the US government about the acquisition of F-35 fighter aircraft. He said “that the air force’s operational requirements dictate that the next generation of fighters must possess stealth characteristics, be short take-off capable and be able to fight beyond visual range. The F-35 is a fine fighter and we are seeking it”. Taiwan’s new strategic doctrine is built on strong defense and layered deterrence. The country plans to make arms sales and technological transfers pave the way toward achieving self-sufficiency in national defense. De-fa added, “the aim of defense self-sufficiency is to avoid over-reliance on foreign military aid and to build our own strength. It does not behoove us to expect help from others in a crisis”.

Today’s Video

• DARPA unveils its Gremlin Airborne Launch & Recovery System for UAS’s

Americas

• Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is being tapped by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to produce more laser training rounds. The contract modification is part of a multi-year deal, it provides for the production of 7,501 BDU-59F/B LGTR and is valued at over $23 million. In October 2017 the Air Force had selected Lockheed Martin for follow-on production of Paveway II Laser-Guided Bomb Kits for the ninth consecutive year. The Paveway II consists of a computer control group guidance system with a semi-active laser seeker and pneumatically-controlled guidance canards for the front-end of the bomb, plus an air foil group on the back end that provides lift and stability. Once a target is designated, laser guidance is more accurate than GPS, but it can be foiled by obscurants like fog and sandstorms. The BDU-59F/B LGTR is used in tactical employment training and is a cost-effective alternative to expending on operational Laser-Guided Bomb assets. LGTR allows aircrews to practice delivery tactics in a real-mission environment and experience actual weapon characteristics within today’s range limitations. Work will be performed at multiple locations in the US and in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Canada. Work is scheduled for completion by December 2020.

• The US Army Contracting Command is awarding a contract modification to Raytheon. In this $8.9 million deal the company will provide logistics support for the Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wireless-guided Improved Target Acquisition System (TOW ITAS). The TOW ITAS was originally designed to provide an advanced fire control system for the TOW anti-armor missile, significantly increasing target detection, acquisition, recognition and engagement ranges. It also offers upgraded hardware for a 30-year old system, as electronics have a rapid turnover cycle and some of its parts were no longer in production. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, with an estimated completion date of May 4th 2019.

• The Navy has recently issued a Request of Information for the development of a concept to protect large cargo and surveillance aircraft, such as the C-130, from incoming missiles using small interceptors launched by the targeted aircraft themselves or by unmanned escort aircraft flying next to them. The system is called Hard Kill Self-Protection Countermeasure System (HKSPCS) and aims to add a new standard of self-protection that moves beyond current systems, which focus on blinding the guidance systems of incoming missiles with laser- and radio frequency-based countermeasures or confusing them by dispensing chaff and flares. The contracting notice comes as the US government is becoming increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of these aircraft in any future high-end conflict, especially as potential opponents, such as Russia and China, continue to develop and field more capable air-to-air and surface-to-air-missiles, as well as associated sensors. The Navy says it wants the HKSPCS concepts that will be able to have enough shots to successfully defeat at least four to 10 incoming missiles. The systems could either be internal to the aircraft or an external pod that will work with any standard BRU-32 bomb rack. The HKSPCS would attempt to shoot down incoming missiles by firing salvos of interceptors at them. Alternatively, a new class of unmanned escort aircraft could fly alongside the manned transports and surveillance aircraft and fire interceptors at incoming missiles.

Middle East & Africa

• Turkish media reports that the US will deliver the first F-35 joint strike fighter to Turkey by June. This announcement comes after weeks of tense US-Turkish relations that started with the Turkish intent to acquire the S-400 air defense system from Russia. US Congress attempted to cancel this deal in its draft of National Defense Acquisition Act. Turkey has strongly criticized Congress’ move and vowed to retaliate. The Turkish Armed Forces are part of the DoD’s Joint Strike Fighter program and have been planning to upgrade their fighter fleet with 100 F-35s as replacement to their current F-16s.

• Jane’s reports that the Afghan Air Force recently flew its first operational mission with its recently acquired ‘Black Hawk’. Afghanistan is set to receive 159 Black Hawks by 2020 as the United States transitions the country’s armed forces over from its approximately 80 Russian-built Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ helicopters that are nearing the end of their service lives. The country will also receive further 30 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack and reconnaissance helicopters and six A-29 Super Tucano light attack turboprops.

Europe

• The German Navy will receive several RQ-20B Puma II UAV. Produced by AeroVironment the hand-launched tactical unmanned aircraft system provides the German Navy with a persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance capability. Its force protection and over-the-horizon reconnaissance capability comes without the need to modify the host ship from which it is operated. To fulfill all the requirements set by the Bundesamt fur Ausrustung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, AeroVironment partnered with the German company ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik GmbH. AeroVironment developed the Puma system to win a 2008 United States Special Operations Command competitive program of record. The mini-UAV market focuses on flying devices that can be carried, launched, and recovered by soldiers. The RQ-20B Puma II AE differs from the baseline RQ-20A-model. It is equipped with longer-life battery power sources (increasing endurance to 3.5 hours and range to 20 km), a transit bay that can accommodate additional payloads.

• The French defense contractor Thales announced that it has begun the production of its Sea Fire 500 digital radar. The naval sensor is a four-panel phased array antenna designed to track conventional, asymmetric and emerging air and surface threats, such as supersonic missiles. The radar draws on work on big data and cybersecurity, and future software development will be written into the system to boost performance and reliability over the life of the system. The system is set to be installed on France’s brand-new FTI frigates. The multi-mission FTI frigate will carry a 125-strong crew and displace 4,250 tons. It is equipped with MBDA Aster 30 anti-air and Exocet anti-ship missiles, MU90 torpedo’s, and a 76 mm cannon. The FTI program is valued at $4.5 billion, with the first of the frigates to be delivered in 2023.

Asia-Pacific

• The Russian government has unveiled its Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile during Moscow’s annual Victory Day parade. During a flyby, two unaccompanied MiG-31 fighter jets showed the modified Iskander-M ballistic missile. Experts believe Kinzhal can in several minutes break through any missile defense and destroy with high precision even reinforced concrete underground objects. The missile is distinguished from the ground Iskander-M by a different tail and smaller fins. The tail has a special cover plug which likely protects the engine nozzles at hypersonic speed. The plug is dropped after the missile is fired by MiG-31. In response to Russian development of hypersonic missiles, the Pentagon announced that it will ramp up research on the technology with a stunning 136 percent ($257 million) increase in the 2019 budget request.

Today’s Video

• Lockheed Martin tests its T-50A

GBU-12 Paveway II

Paveway II kits convert standard Mk 80 family free-fall bombs into laser-guided weapons. Each guidance kit consists of a computer control group (CCG) guidance system with a semi-active laser seeker and pneumatically-controlled guidance canards for the front-end of the bomb, plus an air foil group (AFG) on the back end that provides lift and stability. Once a target is designated, laser guidance is more accurate than GPS, but it can be foiled by obscurants like fog, sandstorms, etc.

At the beginning of August 2011, the US government issued a contract worth up to $475 million…

“Paveway” is actually a US government designation for laser-guided bombs, but the term has been the subject of global legal battles between Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, with Raytheon claiming it as a trademark, and Lockheed Martin claiming it as a generic term. A number of courts have ruled in favor of the generic argument.

Updates

May 11/18: A cheaper bang Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is being tapped by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to produce more laser training rounds. The contract modification is part of a multi-year deal, it provides for the production of 7,501 BDU-59F/B LGTR and is valued at over $23 million. In October 2017 the Air Force had selected Lockheed Martin for follow-on production of Paveway II Laser-Guided Bomb Kits for the ninth consecutive year. The Paveway II consists of a computer control group guidance system with a semi-active laser seeker and pneumatically-controlled guidance canards for the front-end of the bomb, plus an air foil group on the back end that provides lift and stability. Once a target is designated, laser guidance is more accurate than GPS, but it can be foiled by obscurants like fog and sandstorms. The BDU-59F/B LGTR is used in tactical employment training and is a cost-effective alternative to expending on operational Laser-Guided Bomb assets. LGTR allows aircrews to practice delivery tactics in a real-mission environment and experience actual weapon characteristics within today’s range limitations. Work will be performed at multiple locations in the US and in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Canada. Work is scheduled for completion by December 2020.

October 30/17: For the ninth consecutive year, Lockheed Martin has been selected by the US Air Force for follow-on production of Paveway II plus Laser-Guided Bomb Kits. Valued at $131 million, the award also includes all available funding for the service’s foreign military sales and replacement kits. Paveway II Plus includes an enhanced guidance package turns free-fall, or dumb bombs, into laser guided weapons through the addition of a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for guidance. Production is expected to commence in the first quarter of Fiscal year 2018.

April 23/17: An F-35C loaded with the latest F3 software configuration has successfully hit a moving target with a GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb in what was the munition’s first developmental release from the fighter variant. The successful test was made capable by the inclusion of Lead Point Compute logic in the software which enhances the effectiveness against moving targets, with the objective of reducing pilot workload. This works by delaying the release point of the weapon to ensure the weapon has the available kinematics to guide to and reach the target at its future location. The GBU-12 has now been tested on every variant of the F-35.

July 29/16: A growth in Paveway guided bomb sales has resulted in Raytheon posting better than expected quarterly revenues for 2016. The sales saw the company’s missile division posting a 6% increase in the second quarter. International sales accounted for a third of all guided munitions with half of exports coming from governments in the Middle East and Africa.

May 11/16: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control and Raytheon Missile Systems have been awarded a combined not-to-exceed $649.7 million modification contract for Paveway II production. The modification provides a five year extension for Paveway II missile production with work completion expected for July 27, 2023. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of the munition in 2015 included a $1.29 billion sale of muntions to Saudi Arabia, which included 1,000 GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided bombs.

Aug 1/11: Lockheed Martin Corp. in Archbold, PA (FA8213-11-D-0008), and Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, AZ (FA8213-11-D-0007) receive a $475 million contract for Paveway II laser-guided bomb computer control groups (seekers), and GBU-12 air foil groups (tail kits) for 500 pound bombs. Both elements are needed, in order to create a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb. The Ogden Air Logistics Center/GHGKA at Hill Air Force Base, UT manages the contract.

Discussions with Hill AFB confirm that this is a single 5-year firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract. The 2 firms will compete for purchase orders, as the USAF issues them.

Jordan’s Jadara Equipment and Defence Systems unveiled its new Terminator anti-tank missile system during the SOFEX show held in Amman from 8-10 May. The missile has a calibre of 107 mm and a range of 100-2,500 m. It is available in two variants, one with a tandem high-explosive anti-tank

Key Points The trilateral statement of intent between Sweden, Finland, and the United States will serve to further deepen defence co-operation between these countries. Russia is unlikely to retaliate unless the agreement opens the road to NATO membership or to the deployment of US forces on

The US Marine Corps is to receive a number of FirstLook throwable robots from Endeavor Robotics via a USD10 million contract that was awarded in May. The FirstLook is a small, tracked platform that has a flipper system that enables it to right itself and to climb steps – the platform can

Rafael Advanced Defence Systems is preparing to test a ‘downscaled’ variant of the Trophy hostile fire detection (HFD)/hard kill active protection system (APS) the last quarter of this year. As part of its final qualification, the downscaled variant will be integrated with