Defense`s Feeds

US Army HH-60Ms (click to view full) In July 2012, the US military signed another huge contract with Sikorsky. With production of the Army’s HH/UH-60M, and the Navy’s MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters, all in full swing, there’s no question about the need for future orders. In that environment, multi-year contracts allow efficiencies in purchasing, and […]

M1A2 SEP (click to view full) America’s M1 Abrams tanks come in a number of versions. In addition to the M1A1 that is now standard, the US Army is beginning to field its M1 TUSK for urban warfare. It also operates the M1A2 System Enhancement Program (SEP), currently the most advanced standard variant. This Spotlight […]

Americas Raytheon won $151.5 million for AIM-9X Block II and II+ sustainment. The contract provides for integrated logistics support and repairs. The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is an infrared air-to-air short-range missile. It entered service in November 2003. The Block II variant, which completed its first test firing in November 2008, has a redesigned fuse and […]

Americas Sikorsky won $1.1 billion to build 12 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters. The contract with the Lockheed Martin subsidiary, issued by the Navy will include programmatic support, logistics support and peculiar support equipment. Under the terms of the contract, known as Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 2 and 3, Sikorsky will begin deliveries of 12 CH-53K […]

Americas Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $50 million contract modification to exercise options for fiscal 2022 design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) upgraded MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System Improvement Program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by July 2023. The Naval […]

Americas The US Navy together with Raytheon successfully test fired another round of Excalibur N5 munitions, the company announced on Monday. The Raytheon Excalibur N5 is a 5-inch or 127mm artillery projectile intended for use by surface warships utilizing 127mm cannons such as the Mk 45 naval gun system. The N5 is the naval variant […]

Americas Boeing won a $40.6 million modification to deliver 13 mechanisms for P-8A surveillance aircraft and two forward mechanisms for P-8A trainers. The P-8A Poseidon is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The US Navy, the Indian Navy, and the Royal Australian Air Force operate the aircraft. Boeing […]

Americas Science Applications International won a $41.8 million contract to repair MK-82 Directors and AN/SPG-62 antenna systems. The MK-82 is a crucial component of the Aegis missile fire-control system’s illuminator, The director positions the fire control system antenna to illuminate the target. AN/SPG-62 is a fire control radar provided to the AEGIS-equipped warships allowing to […]

Americas US and Chilean Naval Forces commenced the exercise Teamwork 2019 on July 5. The biennial naval exercise takes place off the Chilean coast. It focuses on conducting training scenarios in intermediate and advanced anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations. Two P-8As from the Navy’s Patrol Squadron 4 or VP-4 are deployed to Chile for the […]

Over seven weeks, the European Defence Agency (EDA) oversaw the ninth Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) at Sintra Airbase No1 in Portugal and Pápa Air Base in Hungary. It was the final course of its kind managed by EDA before being transferred to the Multinational Helicopter Training Centre (MHTC) in Portugal.

The course was structured in a two-week classroom phase, followed by a two-week simulator phase at Sintra Airbase No1. After a week of recovery and transfer of aircrafts, participants engaged in live flying exercises and demanding missions in a three-week deployment to the Pápa Air Base in Hungary. 

Supported by personnel from the Hungarian Defence Forces and Pápa Air Base, the flying phase included a complex operational scenario employing dissimilar formation flying, Evasion Training against a range of airborne threats, Electronic Warfare (EW) exercises against both ground-based and airborne systems and performing a variety of additional tasks, such as Helicopter Assault, Convoy Escort, and Vehicle Interdiction. The course was led by the EDA HTIC Chief Instructor Maj Christian Kappl with participating crews from Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and Slovakia flying on five different types of helicopters: AH-101, UH-60, OH-58, H145M, and Mi-171.

Throughout the course, the staff instructors from Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, and Sweden received specialised support from Inzpire Ltd. Units of the Czech Alca Jets and the Hungarian Gripens provided fixed wing support, acting mainly as threats during the training. In addition, EW assets and ground troops were provided by Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Slovenia.

In total, 15 Bronze, six Silver, and four Gold qualifications were awarded during the graduation ceremony, ensuring an important contribution to the international cadre of Helicopter Tactics Instructors (HTI) and the improvement of the national capabilities.

This year’s HTIC was the final edition managed by EDA. Following the training’s successful delivery, it has reached a high state of maturity, international recognition and has developed a growing cadre of HTI, facilitating a seamless and secure transition to the MHTC by the end of 2023.

For more details on EDA's helicopter initiatives, please see here.

Americas Systems Planning and Analysis won a $90.8 million deal for Trident II Strategic Weapons System technical support services supporting the Common Missile Compartment program, D5 Life Extension 2 program, Strategic Systems Program (SSP) Facilities Management, Activation and Assessments, and Missile Systems program. This contract also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. […]

Americas Booz Allen Hamilton won a $17.6 million modification for AH-64E technical support, which will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of November 3, 2024. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales (Australia); fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement, Army; and 2024 operation and maintenance, Army funds […]

Americas The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has awarded $3 million in contracts to two non-profits to hire and educate new digital security personnel from underserved communities. The agency signed agreements with Tennessee-based apprenticeship organization South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corporation (SMRCDC) and New York tech skills instructor Per Scholas. BAE Systems has […]

BISON COUNTER 2023 (BC23), the EDA-supported multinational live exercise bringing together the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) community kicked off today in Spain, across two locations: Zaragoza for ground activities and Cartagena for underwater activities. A total of 1,000 military staff from 12 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Finland), as well as observers from Sweden, Latvia, Romania and the United States participate in this year’s event hosted by the Spanish Armed Forces. 300 vehicles, 28 K-9 dogs and five speedboats will also be deployed during the exercise.

The general objective of this series of live exercises is to improve European and Allied C-IED capabilities in their fight against a constantly evolving IED threat in military and counter-terrorism operations, during expeditionary military operations and in countering terrorism within its borders, by enabling the individual EU Member States to act in a more coherent, interoperable, and resilient way.

Full spectrum C-IED concept

The exercise is organised in a way that allow for adequate Force Integration and Battle Staff Training before the start of the main phase of the Command Post and Field Exercise, which enhances the conditions for the sharing of information, lessons learned and best practice among multinational teams, bridging gaps and establishing the close human ties needed to foster meaningful cooperation among Member States - an interconnected federation of EU experts in the field of C-IED.

The aim of executing the BC23 exercise is to specifically train the full spectrum of C-IED concept in a multi-level (from tactical to operational) and a multi-domain scenario where all C-IED efforts have to be synchronised to succeed. The whole exercise is embedded in the intelligence cycle which allows interconnection among all levels. In addition, dedicated teams specialized in the following enabler capabilities are involved:

• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD),
• Improvised Explosive Device (IED),
• K-9 Dogs Units Training,
• Underwater works,
• Weapons Intelligence Team (WIT),
• Route Clearance (RCP),
• Combined Joint Task Force HQ.

BC23 built upon projects and previous editions

BISON COUNTER is today the largest and most relevant EU exercise of the C-IED community. After 2013 (The Netherlands), 2016 (Sweden) and 2021 (Italy), it is the fourth time this exercise is organized under the auspices of EDA.

As in previous editions, EDA is closely involved in the organization and running of BISON COUNTER 23 which integrates EDA projects such as the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), the European Centre for Manual Neutralization Capabilities (ECMAN) and the Military Search Capability Building (MSCB).

Constantly changing IED threat

The IED threat is constantly changing and evolving due to technological progress, changing conflict parties and their intentions. In order to meet this changing threat and adequately prepare the troops for the scenarios of tomorrow, the Member States and the EDA must not let up in these efforts.

Although the capability shortfall in the context of C-IED (CDP 2018) has been reduced by continuous EDA projects, there is still a great need for these projects to support Member States in keeping the operational capability in order and not to give up this advantage again or, in the best case, to expand it further.

It is the ambition of EDA's contributing Member States to pursue the series of Bison Counter exercises at least two additional editions of Bison Counter in 2025 and 2027 are foreseen. Another ambition of the project is to seek inter-agency cooperation among all relevant C-IED stakeholders in the EU, including national and multinational Centres of Excellence, law enforcement and Industry.

Americas The US Navy has selected L3Harris Technologies to develop an F/A-18 next-generation electronic warfare (EW) system. L3Harris is one of two companies selected for the $80 million prototype development contract, with follow-on development and production contracts expected in 2026. The US Space Force has announced 21 new launch missions through 2024 under the National Security […]

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $543 million deal for the production and delivery of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System Low-Rate Initial Production Lot Six, to include three unmanned aircraft (UA) for the Navy; one UA for the government of Australia; and one main operating base for the Navy, as well as associated support and related […]

Americas On October 28, NASA’s C-130 Hercules successfully touched down at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, completing a crucial leg of its journey to deliver the Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO). This observatory is part of NASA’s Astrophysics Explorers Program and will be launched on a scientific balloon mission in December 2023. The mission’s journey […]

Americas American Systems won a $31.4 million modification, which exercises options to provide all required development testing, integration, delivery, and installation, as well as aircrew training and readiness for the P-8A Increment 3 Block 2 mission software integrated into existing P-8A training systems, to include Weapons Tactics Trainer, the new Combat Systems Part Task Trainer, […]

Americas Raytheon, an RTX business, has showcased its cutting-edge Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defense System (LIDS) during the US Army’s annual summer test period. The event attracted the attention of international allied ground forces, underlining the significance of LIDS as a counter-drone solution. LIDS leverages Raytheon’s Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS) and the Coyote […]

Americas The Space Force’s primary acquisition command, Space Systems Command, will wrap up plans for two new “Systems Deltas” to support electronic warfare and positioning, navigation and timing operations by mid-next month, according to a senior SSC official. NATO is expected to adopt its first-ever counter-drone doctrine, which will in part advise member states on layered […]