Defense Industry Daily

Americas

• Huntington Ingalls has been awarded a $3 billion contract modification for the design and construction of the America-class Landing Helicopter Assault Replacement Amphibious Assault Ship. The majority of work will take place in Pascagoula, Miss., with further work to be carried out at smaller sites. Completion is expected for January 2024. The vessels will go towards the replacing the US Navy’s fleet of Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships.

• A second generation variant of the Coyote expendable unmanned air vehicle is being developed by manufacturer Raytheon. Additions to the sonobuoy-deployable system include offering customers multiple payload and engine options and trade-offs on endurance and payload that can be made by the operations, as well as making the UAV a more cost-effective procurement. Raytheon expect to commence testing by the end of the year and is currently working on gaining export licences for the UAV, with discussions underway with the Washington on how to sell the technology overseas.

• F-35A flights out of Luke AFB will commence today, 11 days after they had been originally canceled due to five incidents in which pilots experienced symptoms similar to hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. While the root cause of the incidents has yet to be identified, several possible causes of concern have been ruled out. Pilots will also adhere to a temporary application of five criteria during their flights while data is gathered on the ground. They are: Avoid the altitudes in which all five physiological events occurred; Modify ground procedures to mitigate physiological risks to pilots; Expand physiological training to increase understanding between pilot and medical communities; Increase minimum levels for backup oxygen systems for each flight; and offer pilots the option of wearing sensors during flight to collect airborne human performance data.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has unveiled its Hurkus turboprop trainer aircraft internationally for the first time. The firm has sent two of its A-model aircraft to the the Paris air show, where one will take part in the flying display, while the other is in TAI’s static display representative of a future C-model light-attack variant. TAI sees clear export potential for the Hurkus, although it is not naming prospective customers. Speaking at the air show, Özcan Ertem, head of TAI’s aircraft group said: “There are a few countries looking for the Turkish air force to induct the type and start flying,” before advancing their interest any future procurements.

Europe

• The Eurofighter consortium has announced a record year in operations of its Typhoon fighters, with further sales on the horizon. Operators of Eurofighter fleets have exceeded a combined 400,000 flight hours, including operations by RAF aircraft in Syria and supporting Baltic Air Policing commitments for NATO. The consortium also announced that its fighter will soon commence the first live firings of missile manufacturer MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-surface missile.

Asia Pacific

• Italian firms will collaborate in India’s modernization of its Su-30MKI fleet, according to Russian officials. The announcement was made by Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev at this week’s Paris air show, however, no details were made on what work the Italians would be assisting with. Earlier, CEO of Russian United Engine Corporation Alexander Artyukhov said that the Indian version of Su-30MKI after modernization will get the AL-41F turbofan engines designed for 4++ generation aircraft currently being installed on the Su-35 fighters.

• Taiwan intends to ramp up production of its Wan Chien standoff weapon for use on its IDF aircraft. Production had initially been rolled back by Taipei’s previous government, but will now be reversed and increased to producing over 100 weapons. Upgrades to increase range and boost electronic countermeasures will also be added. Taiwan also test-fired two types of anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptors while a US PAC-2 successfully intercepted and destroyed a indigenous Tien Kung II missile.

• A long-floundering deal to bring the Sikorsky S-70B multi-role helicopter to India has been dropped. 16 Seahawks had been ordered back in 2014 to fill a naval requirement but both sides have been dragging over the price as Sikorsky is unwilling to extend the validity of its commercial bid. The sale’s failure is likely to frustrate naval officials who are in need to fill an urgent requirement to replace 42 SeaKing helicopters bought from Westland helicopters.

Today’s Video

• Drone footage of Iranian missiles striking Islamic State targets:

LHA-R/NAAS Concept
(click to view full)

Modern U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) / Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). LHA/LHD are a key element of the Seapower 21 doctrine pillars of Sea Strike and Sea Basing, transporting, launching, and landing elements of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) via a combination of LCAC hovercraft, amphibious transports and vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft.

Designed to project power and maintain presence, LHA-Replacement (LHA-R, aka. LH-X, and now the New Amphibious Assault Ship or NAAS) large deck amphibious assault ships were slated to replace the US Navy’s 6 LHA-1 Tarawa Class vessels. They are based on the more modern LHD Wasp Class design, with the LHD’s landing craft and well deck removed in favor of more planes and hangar space. While its LHA/LHD predecessors were amphibious assault ships with a secondary aviation element, it’s fair to describe the America Class as escort carriers with a secondary amphibious assault role.

The NAAS Program

LHA-R concept
(click to view: large!)

The LHA-R program may have been in the works since PMS-377 was put in charge in November 2000, but it took several years to get underway as a major spending program.

LHA 6 America, the lead LHA-R vessel, was planned for delivery to the U.S. Navy in October 2013, though when that date came and went, sea trials had yet to take place. It and should be in service by 2015. The ultimate question is how many ships of class will be built. Support for the limited NAAS buy of 2 ships is already set, and LHA 7 Tripoli is due for delivery in June 2018. The question is the 3rd ship, and any ships after that.

The FY13-18 FYDP does feature a 3rd “LHA-R” ship in FY 2017, pushed back a year from the original plan. In April 2009, Gannett’s Navy Times revealed that the Marines were having second thoughts about the well deck removal, and the limitations this created for the total force. Altering ship plans for LHA 6 or LHA 7 would have been too expensive, but “LHA 8’s” planned cost, and these previous statements by the Navy and Marines, suggest that this ship will have a well deck. Low amounts allocated for LHA 8 design also indicate that any well-deck equipped ship is likely to be a fairly close derivation of an existing design. So, too, does the math inherent in the ships’ volume and internal layout limits. In other words, LHA 8 looks set to be a slightly updated variant of the all-electric LHD 8 Makin Island design. In effect, it would become “LHD 9”. This return of the well deck is later confirmed as the “Flight 1” configuration.

The ship’s timeline at the end of the FYDP makes it vulnerable to further budget cuts, and so does the higher price of a well deck equipped vessel. The FYDP has set aside $4.4 billion, compared to the Navy’s 2012 estimates of $3.2 – $3.3 billion per ship for the America Class. Time will tell whether the 3rd New Amphibious Assault Ship survives.

Note that even at that lower price, America Class ships already far exceed the cost of smaller LHDs like France’s 21,500t helicopter-only Mistral Class LHD (EUR 325M/ $485M), though the American ships are designed to naval survivability levels, and feature far more advanced defenses and launch capabilities.

A better comparison may be Australia’s 27,500t, jet-capable Canberra Class LHDs (AUD$ 1.6 billion/ USD$ 1.4 billion per), or Italy’s 27,100t Cavour Class escort carrier, which combines F-35B launch capability with housing for troops, and vehicle ramps for heavy vehicles stored inside (about EUR 1.5 billion/ $1.975 billion). Measured on a per-ton basis, their cost is not all that far off. The tactical tradeoff is that larger ships like the America Class gain new fighter spots and storage capacity faster than they grow in tonnage. On the flip side, they offer less survivability and mission flexibility than 2 Cavour Class ships might enjoy.

The LHA-R Ships: 21st Century Escort Carriers

LHD Wasp Class
(click to view full)

LHA-R/NAAS design modifications aimed to optimize aviation operations and support activities. The end product is essentially a revival of the World War 2 escort carrier concept, with integrated berthing, cargo, and light vehicle spaces for Marines.

At 844 feet long and 106 feet wide, LHA-R ships will be almost 80 feet longer than USS Wasp and 10 feet wider, since they don’t have to fit through the Panama Canal. As a result, these ships will weigh in at 45,594 long tons fully loaded, rather than LHD 8’s 41,649t full load. The Navy prefers not to call their America Class ships carriers, but will admit that they’re an “aviation centric” design. In plain English, they’re really CVL/CVE aircraft carriers with crew space for 1,204, that can also berth up to 1,686 Marines, with a possible surge to 1,800 people for short periods of time. These NAAS ships will rely on a mix of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft for most of their tasks, from close air support, to transport, to helicopter coverage.

Protection comes in 3 layers, from the medium-range Evolved SeaSparrow launchers, to the short-range RAM missile system, to close-in defenses that range from radar-guided Mk.15 Phalanx 20mm gatling guns to a range of decoy systems. Few small carriers have defenses this comprehensive, and some full-size carriers in Britain and India will also fall short by comparison. Even so, advances in modern cruise missiles makes the Navy doubt LHA-R’s survivability against a determined multi-missile swarm.

DID uses the term “escort carriers” due to their relative size compared to America’s 95,000t+ nuclear-powered supercarriers, and also due to the size of their aerial complement, which is reduced by the ship’s amphibious mission. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the America Class’ overall displacement is larger than France’s 43,000t FS Charles De Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, or the American World War 2 Essex Class carriers’ 36,380t.

Like the Tarawa and Wasp classes, NAAS ships will have a flat flight deck, without a “ski ramp” on the front. With a ski ramp, V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing) fighters like the Harrier, STOVL (Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing) fighters like the F-35B, UAVs, or tilt-rotor aircraft can all take off with larger loads, while using less fuel. On the other hand, a fully flat deck increases the number of deck locations available for landing or parking aircraft.

The US Navy thought hard about this choice. During the Analysis of Alternatives phase, they considered a 69,000 ton “Dual Tram Line” option with an LHD 8 sized well deck for hovercraft, an angled flight deck like an aircraft carrier’s, and a ski ramp that allows aircraft to take off with heavier loads. Existing F-35B-capable platforms that already use the ski ramp approach include Britain’s new 65,000t Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, Italy’s new 27,100t Cavour Class aircraft carrier/LHD, and Navantia’s 27,500t BPE / Canberra Class LHDs. The Navy eventually chose to pursue a design based on LHD 8 Makin Island instead, as the path of least risk and best cost containment. For good or ill, they also decided against adding a ski ramp.

Eliminating the ramp did give them a couple more “spot factors.” A ship’s possible aircraft combinations are calculated by totaling “spot factors” (SF), and amphibious ships use the CH-46E Sea Knight’s space requirements as their base (1.0). The aged Sea Knights are being phased out, however, and will not be part of the America Class’ 58.0 Spot Factor air wings. Instead, these air wings are expected to include MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors (2.22 SF), CH-53E/K heavy transport helicopters (2.68/?), MH-60R/S multi-role utility helicopters (1.0), UH-1Y troop transport helicopters (0.94), and AH-1Z attack helicopters (0.92); and/or 6-23 fixed wing F-35B Lightning II STOVL fighters (2.0).

These new aircraft, and the MV-22 in particular, drove many of the ship’s key requirements. When one compares the “standard” complements of the LHA-R vs. the existing LHD Wasp Class, the result is about a 45% increase in required “spot factors,” for the same number of airframes: [1]

• 12 MV-22 vs. 12 CH-46 (+14.64 SF)
  
• 2 MH-60S vs. 2 UH-1 for SAR (+0.14 SF)
  
• 4 CH-35K vs. 4 CH-53E (assumed even)
  
• 3 UH-1Y vs. 3 UH-1N (+0.03 SF)
  
• 4 AH-1Z vs. 4 AH-1W (+0.36 SF)
  
• 6 F-35B vs. 6 AV-8B (+2.82 SF)

In single-role carrier configuration, America Class ships will embark 2 MH-60S helicopters for Search And Rescue, and take on 20 F-35B fighters plus all of the required spares, extra weapons, etc. Even so, the F-35B will have just 2 landing spots that can handle the heat from its engine: #7 and #9.

Floor footage wasn’t the only thing affected by the class’ escort carrier configuration. High-bay enlargement of the maintenance hangar in 2 areas was required in order to accommodate USMC MV-22s or AFSOC CV-22s, which can’t be brought in for full servicing on current LHA Tarawa and LHD Wasp Class ships.

A final aviation advantage comes from the addition of fuel tanks, in place of the ballast tanks used by the Tarawa and Wasp classes to offset the weight of a filled well deck. That more than doubles available JP-5 aviation fuel, from 600,000 gallons to a full 1.3 million gallons.

The Well Deck Issue

LHA 3 launches LCAC
(click to view full)

There’s a cost to these changes.

While it’s called an amphibious assault ship, the America class lacks those ship types’ characteristic feature: a floodable well deck for launching landing craft. The US Navy and Marines initially decided that there were enough other ships in the fleet with well decks, and contended that the use of LHA/LHD ships to transport and land heavy vehicles tends to be rare anyway. They eventually changed their minds, and “LHA 8” may now include a well deck, but LHA 6 America and LHA 7 Tripoli will be built without.

Removal of the traditional well deck offers some advantages. For starters, it provides America Class Flight 0 ships with an extended hangar deck and aviation support spaces. It also lowers LHA/CVL America Class maintenance costs. In exchange, the America Class can’t launch and land medium-heavy vehicles like the USMC’s AAV7 amphibious armored personnel carriers, their future amphibious APCs; or LCAC hovercraft that can carry vehicles like M1 tanks, LAVs, and mine resistant MRAP-type vehicles ashore.

Lift-on/ Lift-off cranes, which could have mitigated this shortfall by transferring cargo to other ships, are also absent from the design. If LHA-R Flight 0 ships decide to carry heavier vehicles, or require faster offload given the 14,000+ pound empty weight of even very light mine-resistant vehicles, their sole options will be their CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, or offloading by ramp onto a port’s docks.

Power and Influence: Secondary Ship Features

Naval LM2500
(click to view full)

Propulsion and power is the same hybrid system as LHD 8, which is a plus for the Navy. It involves 2 GE LM2500+ gas turbines, each rated at 35,290 shaft horsepower at U.S. Navy standard day conditions (100 degrees F), and a pair of 5,000 hp auxiliary propulsion motors. The hybrid propulsion system enables the ship’s propellers to be driven either by the gas turbines or by electric motors, which are powered from the ship service electrical system. This allows the ship to operate in a more fuel efficient mode throughout its speed range, while being able to generate far more electricity to power onboard electronics, etc.

Finally, the new class resembles its LHA/LHD predecessors in that will be able to operate as the flagship for a full expeditionary strike group. Its enhanced and reconfigurable command and control complex will be based on the US Navy’s directive to use open architecture electronics whenever possible, in order to lower costs and make future upgrades easier.

A hospital facility complements these advanced command and aviation capabilities when assisting in humanitarian operations, and serves the amphibious combat force. It’s about 67% smaller than USS Makin Island’s [LHD 8], as a result of expanding the hangar bay.

LHA-R: Contracts & Key Events

launch timelapse

Unless otherwise specified, all contracts are awarded by the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, DC, to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (now Huntington Ingalls, Inc.) in Pascagoula, MS. The company’s Ingalls operations in Pascagoula, MS is where the USA’s current fleet of Tarawa Class LHA and Wasp Class LHD amphibious ships were all built.

FY 2015-2017

 

June 21/17: Huntington Ingalls has been awarded a $3 billion contract modification for the design and construction of the America-class Landing Helicopter Assault Replacement Amphibious Assault Ship. The majority of work will take place in Pascagoula, Miss., with further work to be carried out at smaller sites. Completion is expected for January 2024. The vessels will go towards the replacing the US Navy’s fleet of Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships.

May 8/17: Shipyard Huntington Ingalls has launched the second ship in the America-class of amphibious assault ship 13 weeks ahead of schedule. The future USS Tripoli can carry 12 Osprey aircraft and six F-35s and is fitted with .50 caliber machine guns and 20mm CWIS cannons. It can also support AV-8B Harriers, Cobra attack helicopter, cargo carriers, and other equipment. More America-class vessels are expected to be built in 2018, with the next vessel to be named after the WW2 Bougainville campaign.

April 10/17: The Navy’s USS America has successfully shot down a UAV with the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), during live-fire exercises designed to verify the new amphibious assault ship’s defense capabilities. During the test, the UAV posed as an anti-ship missile threat while the RAM utilized its quick-reaction fire-and-forget capabilities to down the drone. The USS America is the first vessel of its class and is designed to accommodate modern fighters such as the F-35B, alongside other vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft and helicopters. It will support US Marine Corps aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war.

Feb 25/15: Navy to pit two yards against each other in duopolistic design competition for LHA-8, new oilers and LX(R) dock landing ship. Mindful of the trend of shipyards to consolidate to the point where there is barely the opportunity for real competition, the Navy is deliberately packaging three very different major defense acquisition programs together and selecting two shipyards to bid for each, with the explicit expectation that each will be rewarded at least one. General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries will compete for the redesign of the LHA-8 (which sorely needs its well deck back now that Marines vehicles have plumped up); the T-AO(X) fleet oiler and the LX(R) dock landing ship replacement.

“Each shipyard will be awarded one detail design and construction contract for LHA 8 or one DD&C for T-AO(X) ships 1-6,” said a Navy representative. “This approach balances the Navy’s commitment to maintaining a viable shipbuilding industrial base while aggressively pursuing competition.” The arbitrary connection of three disparate programs and the automatic win that could go to a loser seems reminiscent of a kindergarten awards ceremony, but at least the creation and maintenance of this duopoly appears to be deliberate. It may shed light on the decision-making process as it happens for the Ingalls/BIW duopoly on the Arleigh Burke contracts and the ancient Newport News/Electric Boat rivalry for submarine work.

FY 2013-2014

LHA 6 nearing completion. LHA 8 will have a well deck.

America sea trials

July 15/15: The Navy has reportedly issued a Request for Proposals to two shipyards for a third America-class amphibious warship (LHA-8) and six next-generation oilers (TAO(X)). The RFP was sent to General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries, with the Navy looking to pit the two yards against one another for contracts to manufacture the first six oilers or LHA-8.

Oct 11/14: LHA 6 Commissioned. The ship is formally commissioned at Pier 30/32 during San Francisco Fleet Week.

She is the 4th ship to bear that name, with predecessors that include a schooner, a World War I transport [ID-3006], and a conventionally-powered aircraft carrier [CV 66, 1965-1996]. Sources: US Navy, Full video and “USS America Joins the Fleet”.

USS America

Aug 26/14: Visits, F-35B Prep. LHA 6 America is visiting around South America on its way to San Francisco, with 4 MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotors, 3 H-60 Seahawk helicopters, and a special purpose MAGTF (Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force) on board. The ship hasn’t even been commissioned yet, and they’re treating the visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Peru as a training cruise.

After PCU America’s commissioning and shakedown, a Post-Shakedown Availability visit to the shipyard expects to install modifications that will let the ship safely use F-35B fighters. To achieve that, intercostal structural additions will be inserted underneath flight deck landing spots numbers 7 and 9, in order to deal with the heat produced by the F-35B’s F135-PW-600 LiftFan engine. Those changes are currently being tested on the USS Wasp [LHD 8]. Sources: Defense Tech, “USS America Tours South America, Prepares for JSF”.

July 11/14: LHA 6. LHA 6 America leaves the Ingalls Shipbuilding division at Pascagoula, MS, sailing to the West Coast in preparation for her Oct 11/14 commissioning in San Francisco, CA. Sources: HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Amphibious Assault Ship America (LHA 6) Sails Away”.

June 20/14: LHA 7 keel. The official keel-laying ceremony for LHA 7 Tripoli takes places at HII’s Pascagoula, MS shipyard. Sources: HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Authenticates Keel of Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli (LHA 7)”.

June 13/14: LHA 8. General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, CA receives a $23.5 million contract modification for early industry involvement in the LHA 8/ LHA(R) Flight 1 affordability design phase. LHA 8 is supposed to put the well deck back, pushing the design much closer to USS Makin Island [LHD-8]. Unfortunately, the ship has seen estimates as high as $4.4 billion. If the designers can reduce that figure, the ship’s odds of surviving coming budget battles will improve.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 RDT&E budgets. Work will be performed in San Diego, CA and is expected to be complete by May 2015. US NAVSEA in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-13-C-2401). See also HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Awarded $23.5 Million LHA 8 Affordability Contract”.

LHA 8 initial design

April 10/14: LHA 6 Delivery. HII’s Ingalls shipyard delivers the LHA 6 America to the US Navy in Pascagoula, MS. Commissioning is set for late 2014. Sources: US Navy, “Navy Accepts Delivery of the future USS America” | HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Delivers Amphibious Assault Ship America (LHA 6)”.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish. The report cites a high degree of rework on LHA 6, and the fact that they began construction with the design just 65% complete may have something to do with that. That has raised costs, and helped make the ship’s delivery 19 months late. Another $42.4 million will be spent on rework of the ship’s deck to cope with the F-35B’s exhaust and downwash (q.v. Jan 17/12). GAO adds that:

“Although not considered critical technologies, the program has identified an additional six key subsystems necessary to achieve capabilities. Five of these subsystems are mature. The sixth, the [GPS-guided] Joint Precision Approach and Landing System, is still in development, but LHA 6 can use backup aviation control systems to meet requirements. There are no new critical technologies expected for LHA 7 or LHA 8, but requirements for LHA 8 are still in development.”

Beyond the new deck design, design changes to LHA 7 will include a new firefighting system; and updates to the radar and the command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems. One hopes that key survivability upgrades (q.v. Jan 28/14) are also on this list. Design changes to LHA 8 will add a well deck that can accommodate 2 landing craft, and they’re considering designs that would allow compartments to be reconfigured in low-risk areas, in order to meet changing mission needs with less rework.

Jan 31/14: INSURV. LHA 6 America completes Navy acceptance trials off the coast of Pascagoula, MS. The Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) evaluated all of the ship’s major systems, including combat, propulsion, communications, navigation, mission systems and aviation capabilities. It passed with no major deficiencies, which is a real achievement for a first-of-class ship. Delivery is planned for spring 2014. Sources: US NAVSEA, “LHA 6 Completes Acceptance Trials” | HII, “Video Release — Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Amphibious Ship America (LHA 6) Sails the Gulf of Mexico for Successful Acceptance Trials”.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The America Class is included, and some of its deficiencies aren’t really about the ship – but others are.

It has been known for some time that the SSDS combat system needs continued improvement, and test aboard Nimitz Class supercarriers indicate that some modern cruise missile attacks will overwhelm existing defenses. The technical term is “Probability of Raid Annihilation”, and LHA-R isn’t likely to meet the goal the Navy set (q.v. Jan 17/12). Some of that is traceable to the design, however:

“LFT&E analysis completed so far identified potential problems in susceptibility and vulnerability that would likely result in the LHA-6 being unable to maintain or recover mission capability following a hit by certain threat weapons, the details of which are classified. The Navy’s required updated analysis is behind schedule jeopardizing planning for follow-on ship survivability improvements…. In particular, some fluid systems need additional isolation valves, sensors, and remote operators to allow rapid identification and isolation of damage and reconfiguration for restoration of the mission capability they support. Additionally, the egress from some of the troop and crew berthing spaces may result in crew causalities and delay damage control actions. The Navy has plans to incorporate some corrective actions for follow-on ships.”

Nov 7-9/13: Builder trials for PCU America are conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. If all goes well she is to be delivered to the Navy in March 2014. LHA 6, the 4th ship named USS America, will join the Pacific Fleet and have San Diego, CA as its homeport. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is scheduled for September 2016. Sources: HII, Nov 14/13 release | US Navy PEO Ships, Nov 7/13 release | DefenseTech: First America-class Amphib Nears Completion.

June 2013: LHA 8. The Navy plans to complete the Preliminary Design of LHA 8 during FY13, finalize its Capability Development Document (CDD) and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), and get started on contract design. The Senate Armed Services Committee is somewhat skeptical and recommends the addition of $20 million to the LHA-8 (i.e. flight 1) development budget because “[r]epeated Navy shipbuilding programs have shown that failing to complete a ship’s design before starting construction inevitably leads to cost growth and schedule delays.” Senate NDAA FY 2014 report 113-044 | PE 64567N budget justification [PDF].

April 2013: The FY14 President Budget still sets the order of a 3rd LHA ship to FY2017 as of the latest FYDP. The delivery of LHA 6 is however delayed by 6 months. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson had testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services in February that this delay was one of the consequences of starting FY13 under a continuing resolution (CR) preventing the start of new programs.

Schedule as of April 2014

November 2012: The Navy conducts an operational assessment of LHA 6, though they don’t release any results publicly.

Oct 20/12: The US Navy christens Pre-Commissioning Unit America [LHA 6] at HII’s shipyard in Pascagoula, MS. USN.

FY 2012

LHA 7 main contract, named “Tripoli”; LHA 6 launch; DOT&E report highlight survivability fears against modern missiles.

LHA 6 berthed
(click to view full)

June 5/12: LHA 6 launch. HII launches LHA 6 America at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS. Instead of sliding down a ramp, the ship just floated free of a drydock – but first, the 29,000 ton proto-ship became one of the largest objects moved across land when it was translated to the drydock. HII.

LHA 6 launch

May 31/12: LHA 7 main contract. A $2.381 billion fixed-price incentive contract modification, covering LHA 7 Tripoli’s detail design and construction, and installation (but not the purchase) of Government Furnished Equipment bought under separate contracts. Work will also include crew familiarization, technical manuals, and engineering and post-delivery industrial services.

Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS (92.5%); Charlottesville, VA (2.4%); Beloit, WI (1.5%); Ocean Springs, MS (1.4%); Santa Fe Springs, CA (1.2%); and Brunswick, GA (1%), and is expected to be complete by June 2018 (N00024-10-C-2229). See also US Navy.

LHA 7

May 4/12: LHA 7 Tripoli. The Secretary of the Navy picks USS Tripoli as LHA 7’s future name. This isn’t a reference to recent events, but to the USMC’s early battles against the Barbary Pirates, immortalized in the Marines’ battle hymn: “From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…”

Appropriately enough, the 1st USS Tripoli was CVE-64, a World War 2 escort carrier that served in the Atlantic theater. The 2nd USS Tripoli was LPH-10, a helicopter carrier that served in Vietnam. US Navy.

April 4/12: A $50.3 million contract modification for additional long lead time material in support of LHA 7. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS, and is expected to complete by May 2013 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Feb 13/12: FY13 PB. The President’s budget request for FY2013 sets the contract award date for LHA 7 to May 2012, with construction to start in April 2013, and expected delivery in March 2018. A more expensive LHA 8 ship has also been added in FY 2017.

Feb 6/12: LHA 7 lead-in. A $9 million contract modification for additional LHA 7 long lead time materials. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by May 2013 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Jan 26/12: LHA 7 delayed. Preliminary FY 2013 budget materials discuss coming shifts in Pentagon priorities, as the defense department moves to make future cuts. The America Class is involved:

“To ensure sufficient resources to protect these strategic priorities, we will reduce the number of ships by slowing the pace of building new ships and by accelerating the retirement of some existing ships. These include… Slipping a large deck amphibious ship (LHA) by 1 year.”

See: Pentagon release | “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” [PDF]

Jan 17/12: DOT&E report. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The America Class is included, even though they haven’t conducted testing yet. Some of the ship’s systems have been tested elsewhere, however, and their problems affect the ship. At the same time, some aspects of the design itself are being questioned, and so is ship survivability.

The good news is that LHA 6 will likely meet its Key Performance Parameters for vehicular stowage space, F-35B capacity, vertical take-off and landing spots, cargo space, and troop accommodations; but it will have much less hospital capacity than other American LHA/LHDs. DOT&E wonders if it will be enough.

The bad news is that LHA 6’s 12,000 pound limit for the vehicle ramp from the hangar deck to the flight deck, is a serious problem. Since the America Class has no well deck and no crane, everything must be airlifted ashore. There’s no point in having a ramp that can support 70-ton tanks and 24-ton LAVs, but even an up-armored HMMWV would stress the ramp as currently designed. Worse, blast-resistant MRAP or JLTV vehicles that could be airlifted off by a CH-53K, and would be necessary for many operations, couldn’t be carried on the ship. Those limitations are magnified by DOT&E’s statement that the USN and USMC haven’t yet produced a concept of operations or concept of employment that accounts for the America Class’ lack of a well deck, or that takes advantage of its enhanced aviation capability. On which note:

“Jet blast from the F-35Bs is expected to produce unsafe forces on flight deck personnel up to 75 feet from the short take-off line. MV-22 operations produce heat levels that might damage the flight deck and overwhelm the environmental controls in the spaces immediately below the flight deck.”

A full survivability assessment report is due in FY12, but DOT&E is concerned that:

“Due to long-standing and previously identified legacy sensor limitations, LHA-6 may be vulnerable to certain airborne threat flight profiles. Based on combat systems testing on other platforms, it is unlikely that LHA-6’s Ship Self-Defense System Mk 2-based combat system (including Nulka, SLQ-32, and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) will meet the ship’s Probability of Raid Annihilation requirement against anti-ship cruise missiles.”

This is true, but worth deeper analysis. Part of the problem is that there’s only so much weaponry one puts on ships like this. Its armament is actually substantially stronger than foreign LHDs like the Mistral or Juan Carlos/Canberra Classes, and matches up evenly against the Italian Cavour Class light carrier and amphibious support vessel. If advances in enemy weapons create a problem, other ships will have to compensate, or the cost of each NAAS ship would become very high indeed.

In this case, however, DOT&E is citing performance shortfalls against certain threat types by the ship’s component weapons: RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-116 RAM, Nulka, SLQ-32, and the ship’s radars. The radar shortfalls are a known issue, but unless the USN opted for a foreign radar design, there’s no reasonably-priced radar option that would fix them. As for the weapons, they are a real problem for the fleet, but extraneous to this one program. The long term solution is for their capabilities to improve, or the Navy to adjust its tactics to address their weaknesses, if it can.

FY 2010 – 2011

LHA 7 added to program, and lead-in buys begin; Any LHA 8 will have a well deck.

LHA 7 concept
(click to view full)

Aug 1/11: RAM. A $7.4 million contract modification for 3 refurbished and upgraded rolling airframe missile MK 49 Mod 3 Guided Missile Launch Systems with associated hardware, for use on LHA 7 (2 systems) and LCS 5 (Detroit, Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship, 1 system).

Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ, and is expected to be complete by March 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00024-11-C-5448).

April 15/11: SAR to 2 ships. The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisitions Report ending Dec 30/10 includes the America Class under significant cost increases, for an obvious reason:

“LHA 6 – Program costs increased $3,458.9 million (+102.7%) from $3,367.9 million to $6,826.8 million, due primarily to the addition of one ship from one to two ships.”

March 31/11: LHA lead-in. A not-to-exceed $28.7 million contract modification for the procurement of additional long lead time material in support of “the LHA replacement flight 0 amphibious assault ship.” That could describe LHA 6 America, or LHA 7; timelines suggest that it probably means LHA 7.

Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA (79.9%), and Pascagoula, MS (20.1%), and is expected to be complete by March 2014 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Oct 28/10: A $48.1 million contract modification for additional planning and advanced engineering services in support of LHA 7. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS, and is expected to be complete by May 2012 (N00024-10-C-2229). See also Northrop Grumman.

June 30/10: LHA 7 lead-in. A not-to-exceed $175.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for LHA 7 long-lead time material, planning, and advance engineering services. The as-yet unnamed LHA 7 will be an LHA-R Flight 0 ship just like America [LHA 6], which is now 25% complete. Long lead time materials include items like main reduction gears, which must be complete and ready to go very early in the build stage. With all contract options exercised, this contract could reach $193 million.

Work will be performed in Brunswick, GA (24.4%); locations yet to be determined (24.2%); Pascagoula, MS (23.1%); Los Angeles, CA (17.3%); York, PN (9.3%); and Brampton, Canada (1.7%), and is expected to be complete by March 2014. This contract was not competitively procured (N00024-10-C-2229). See also Northrop Grumman release.

March 30/10: GAO. The US GAO audit office delivers its 8th annual “Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs report. With respect to LHA-R, it says:

“The LHA 6 began construction in December 2008 with mature technologies, but [only 65%]… of its design complete… Approximately 45 percent of the LHA 6 design is based on the LHD 8. The Navy conducted two production readiness reviews to assess the shipbuilder’s readiness to commence full construction. In addition, as of September 2009, the program office had conducted unit readiness reviews for 141 of the ship’s 216 assembly units. The LHA 6 is likely to experience further cost growth because postdelivery rework of the ship’s deck may be necessary to cope with the intense, hot downwash of the Joint Strike Fighter… The Navy is planning to conduct aircraft tests on the LHD 1 during the fall of 2010, and will then determine whether the LHA 6 [and other ships that will operate it] need to modify their flight decks. The program office does not expect the Navy to finalize a solution for the LHA 6 prior to ship delivery…”

March 22/10: Gannett’s Navy Times:

“More than two years before the amphibious assault ship America enters the fleet, Marine officials have already drawn up early plans for a version of the ship that includes a major component America is missing – a well deck. The “LHA 8 concept,” as it was called in a presentation Monday by Marine Corps Combat Development Command, would combine new aviation features the Marines want in the America class with a traditional big-deck capacity for landing craft and green gear… the Navy’s most recent shipbuilding program includes no plans for such a ship… Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said it would be prohibitively expensive to alter the designs for America or the follow-on LHA 7, so they’ll be built as planned.”

FY 2008 – 2009

LHA 6 keel laid; America Class.

RIM-116 RAM Launch

Aug 28/09: Well deck rethink? Information Dissemination reports that the Marines may be rethinking the removal of this class’ well decks:

“When the Marines decided to remove the well deck on the LHA (R) for USS America (LHA 6), it was a decision to move towards specialization. No surprise then that this year the Marines testified in front of Congress that the well deck will be added to future LHA (R)s as soon as possible, because just the removal of the well deck turned the LHA (R) into too much of a specialization for the Marines to overcome shortcomings in necessary sealift throughput.”

July 17/09: LHA 6 keel laid. Northrop Grumman Corporation holds the keel authentication ceremony for LHA 6 at the company’s Pascagoula facility.

Per Navy and maritime tradition, ship sponsor Lynne Pace had her initials welded onto a ceremonial steel plate noting the ship’s keel had been “truly and fairly laid.” Ms. Pace is the wife of retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the first US Marine to Chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff. NGC release.

Oct 20/08: LM2500. GE’s LM2500+ gas turbines will power the USS America, which surprises no-one. The same engine was used on LHD-8, and its use in LHA 6 was expected from the outset. Northrop Grumman’s formal selection merely makes it official.

The LHA 6 ship’s mechanical-electric propulsion system will consist of 2 LM2500+ gas turbines, each rated at 35,290 shaft horsepower at U.S. Navy standard day conditions (100 degrees F), and a pair of 5,000 hp auxiliary propulsion motors. The hybrid propulsion system enables the ship’s propellers to be driven either by the gas turbines or by the electric motors, which are powered from the ship service electrical system. This allows the ship to operate in a more fuel efficient mode throughout its speed range, and also gives it more electrical capacity to power sensors and onboard equipment. MarineLog.

June 27/08: America Class. US Navy Secretary Donald Winter announces that LHA 6 would be named USS America when it is brought into service, a move that also names the ship class.

The new America would be the 4th ship in US Navy service to bear the name; the last such ship was CV 66, the Kitty Hawk Class aircraft carrier commissioned in 1965, decommissioned in 1996, and sunk as an 2005 experiment using explosives, torpedoes and naval gunfire. US Navy | Gannett’s Navy Times.

Class named

March 20/08: LHA 6. Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit has been selected to supply the Machinery Control System (MCS) for LHA 6, under a contract valued at approximately $47.6 million. The contract work includes hardware, software, design, engineering, logistics, training, testing and shipboard integration support. It also includes an option for continuing logistics support of the MCS and its land-based test facility through the end of the LHA 6 ship guaranty period. The work will be performed at Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine facility in Charlottesville, VA and at the Pascagoula shipyard.

The MCS for LHA 6 will be a completely integrated network for monitoring and controlling the ship’s main propulsion plant and auxiliary systems, and will include more than 50 data acquisition units located around the ship, 25 operating consoles, 10 electric plant and propulsion plant controllers, and multiple redundant local-area network switches. It is based on a similar system being supplied by Sperry Marine for Makin Island [LHD 8], which has the same gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution and electric auxiliary systems. NGC release.

Jan 30/08: SSDS. Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems in San Diego, CA received a $17.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5105) for FY 2008 production of 4 “Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) MK 2 Tactical Ship Sets. SSDS will form the core of the ships’ self-defense capabilities, tying together, coordinating, and even automating the sensors, weapons, and decisions involved from detection, to engagement, to kill against anti-ship missiles etc. Raytheon will also conduct a special study to define engineering changes to the SSDS MK 2 product baseline in support of the LHA 6 Combat System configuration.

Work will be performed in Portsmouth, RI, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 2009. This contract was not competitively procured.

FY 2007 and Earlier

LHA 6 initial milestones.

F-35B vertical landing
(click to view full)

June 1/07: LHA 6 order. A $2.4 billion fixed-price incentive modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) for the detail design and construction of the LHA 6 Amphibious Assault Ship. The LHA 6 LHA-R Class will replace the LHA 1 Tarawa. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS (95%) and New Orleans, LA (5%), and is expected to be complete by August 2012.

Philip Teel, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman’s Ship Systems sector, is quoted in Northrop Grumman’s release:

“This contract award reinforces the U.S. Navy’s confidence that we have recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina and are capable of meeting the warfighters’ needs in a timely and cost effective manner.”

LHA 6

June 15/06: LHA 6 lead-in. A $20.4 million modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) to exercise a cost-plus-fixed-fee option for special studies and procurement of additional long lead-time material, in support of LHA 6 ship construction. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by December 2006.

Feb 13/06: A $93.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification under a previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) exercises options to initiate engineering and detail design for the LHA-R Flight 0 Amphibious Assault Ship, and procure additional long lead time material in support of ship construction. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by December 2006.

July 15/05: LHA 6 lead-in. A $109.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for advanced planning, long lead time materials, systems engineering, and special studies for the first LHA-R Flight 0 Amphibious Assault Ship. Work on this contract will be performed at t Work is expected to be complete by December 2006. The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis (N00024-05-C-2221). The total contract value, if all options are exercised, will be $264 million.

Aug 6/04: LHA 6 lead-in. FY 2005 Defense Appropriations Act includes $150 million for Advance Procurement related to LHA-R Flight 0

Aug 5/04: LHA-R CDD formally entered into JCIDS review process

June 17/04: Feasibility Design completed; results briefed to ASN (RD&A)

April 30/04: Required Capabilities Letter for LHA(R) Flight 0 issued by ASN (RD&A), CNO and CMC

Jan 23/04: ASN (RD&A) formally asks for additional cost vs. capability studies

September 2002: Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) Report re: possible range of ship designs completed

July 20/01: MS A Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM)

March 5/01: Mission Need Statement (MNS)

Nov 20/2000: NAVSEA’s PMS377 designated as LHA-R Program Managers

Footnotes

fn1. Spot factor figures, MV-22 maintenance, and fuel capabilities given in US PEO-Ships briefing presentation to the NDIA. [return to article]

Additional Readings Background: The America Class

• US Navy – Amphibious Assault Ships Fact File

• US Navy SURFPAC – LHD/LHA

• PEO Ships – Amphibious Assault Ships Replacement.

• HII – LHA

• Global Security – LH-X. LHA-R was the next step, and a significant change.

Background: Ship Ancillaries

• DID – CEC: Cooperative Engagement for Fleet Defense

• DID – RIM-162 ESSM Missile: Naval Anti-Air in a Quad Pack

• DID – Phalanx CIWS: The Last Defense, On Ship and Ashore. LHA-Rs use Phalanx Block IB.

• DID – RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) Systems: Contracts & Events

• DID – USN Ship Protection: From “Slick 32s” to SEWIP

• DID – NGC Contracted for USN/RAN SPQ-9B Radars & Support.

• DID – SSDS: Quicker Naval Response to Cruise Missiles. LHA-Rs use the combat system’s Mk.2 MOD 4B variant.

Background: Aircraft

• DID – CH-53K: The U.S. Marines’ HLR Helicopter Program.

• DID – Snakes and Rotors: The USMC’s H-1 Helicopter Program.

• DID – MH-60R/S: The USA’s New Naval Workhorse Helicopters. Any LHx ship could also embark MH-60R helicopters for added anti-submarine punch, but distributed hosting on destroyers and LCS ships is almost always a better idea for the fleet.

• DID – V-22 Osprey: The Multi-Year Buys, 2008-2017.

News & Views

• Sea Power 21 – Doctrine circa 2002.

• Naval Postgraduate School (June 2012) – Thesis on the effect of shipboard design decisions in amphibious warfare [PDF].

• US NAVSEA (June 2005) – LHA-R Cargo Handling System Trade Study Models [PDF]. Back when the ships were planned with a well deck; sets out options et. al for cargo functions within that space.

• Congressional Budget Office (Nov 1/04) – The Future of the Navy’s Amphibious and Maritime Prepositioning Forces. Notes that the Navy’s current plan risks industrial and capacity shortfalls.

• National Defense Magazine (August 2004) – Navy Downsizing Could Weaken Marine Corps Expeditionary Posture.

• Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Div (March 2004) – LHA(R): Designing the Next Generation of Big Deck Amphibious Assault Ships [PDF] with initial specs that are different from the final specifications.

• DSpace at MIT, Department of Ocean Engineering (May 30/02) – LHA-R: Amphibious Assault Ships For The 21st Century [PDF]. An initial set of modeled concepts and discussion the includes extensive modeling work on a notional trimaran hull design, as well as a thorough look at the LHA-R’s required capabilities and various trade-offs. Interesting read, and a thorough discussion document.

Americas

• It’s been revealed that the US Navy intends to acquire at least 80 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft over the next five years, running against initial plans to zero out the aircraft program beginning next year. The announcement was made by the sailing branch to the US Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee last week in a written testimony notes the “Fiscal Year 2018 President’s Budget requests $1.25 billion in [the Navy’s aircraft procurement account] for 14 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft” that will “address continuing warfighter demand for advanced tactical aircraft.” 23 aircraft will procured in 2019 for $1.95 billion, 14 in 2020 for $1.35 billion and 14 in 2021 for $1.27 billion and 15 in 2022 for $1.28 billion.

• Ahead of its debut at this week’s Paris air show, Lockheed Martin are close to finishing the latest round of negotiations for the manufacture of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. As many as 440 jets are being negotiated under the deal and are being spread out over three tranches in a multi-year deal estimated to reach at least $37 billion. As many as 11 customer nations will receive fighters as part of the deal, including Australia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, South Korea, Britain and the United States. The price of the F-35’s A variant is then expected to drop to $80 million by the end of 2020.

• Raytheon is to restart the Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) production line after a $650 million dollar order from the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan and Australia. The sale calls for the delivery of a total of 280 SM-2 Block IIIA and IIIB missiles, and the sale is expected to keep the company’s Arizona production line open through 2035 as Raytheon anticipates more orders from the US and its allies as they rebuild their inventories using the modernized production line. Congress are expected to be notified of the sale in the coming days.

• Lockheed Martin has received a $472 million US Army contract for the production of Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets. The sale includes 2,868 alternative warhead rockets, 648 unitary warhead rockets and 370 pods of reduced-range low-cost practice rocket and covers delivery under a foreign military sale to Finland, France, Germany and Singapore. Work will be conducted in Grand Prairie, Texas, and has an expected completion date of July 31, 2019.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet has scored its first air-to-air kill, shooting down a Syrian Su-22 on Sunday. The incident occurred after reports that the Su-22 had bombed the forces of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as they moved on Islamic State positions south of Tabqah. A statement by the US Central Command issued a statement saying the plane was downed “in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces,” while a Syrian army statement initially suggested that that the US-led coalition shot down one of its planes as it conducted a combat mission against Islamic State militants. The US Super Hornet is based onboard the USS George H.W. Bush, the only US aircraft carrier operating in the region.

Europe

• A new fighter attack version of Leonardo’s M-346 has been unveiled at the Paris air show. The updated aircraft—the M-346FA— includes the company’s Grifo multi-mode fire control radar, as well as seven pylons for external weapons loads, enabling it to carry 2,000 pounds of external weapons. Leonardo stated that the new fighter was designed to help different air forces meet their needs rapidly by building on a common base, adding that they have found international interest in the plane “specifically in the Far East and South America.”

• Serbia could receive a new batch of MiG-29 fighters by the end of this month, according to Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic. It had been reported in March that Belgrade would receive six MiG-29 fighter jets as well as the modernization of another four planes from Russia in a deal worth $207 million and includes the cost of fuel storage facilities, hangers to store ten planes and the complete maintenance and modernization of the planes’ missiles. The deal is being seen as good value, enabling Serbia to modernize its fleet at a much lower cost than its neighbors.

Asia Pacific

• Japan’s ShinMaywa has said that it is willing to allow Indonesian industry to collaborate on the final assembly of the US-2 amphibian aircraft if the Indonesian government selects the aircraft as its amphibious search-and-rescue (SAR) platform. However, the firm ruled out the possibility of assembling the aircraft in Indonesia as it will not be economically feasible to do so. Instead, ShinMaywa stated that the aircraft could be delivered fully assembled with final configuration works to be done in the customer’s country, mentioning Indonesian state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia as a possible partner in the collaboration.

Today’s Video

• AV-8B Harrier performs reverse landing on USS America:

Americas

• BAE Systems will provide Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) upgrade kits to the US Navy. The $181 million deal is funded under a recently announced indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract and will allow BAE to keep up with increased demand for APKWS rockets instead of more expensive laser-guided munitions such as the Hellfire missile. The APKWS mid-body guidance kit transforms standard unguided Hydra 70 (2.75-inch) rockets into highly accurate precision munitions by easily screwing into place between the warhead and the motor. Export customers can purchase the technology through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

• Lockheed Martin has won a $59 million USAF contract modification to provide fuselage trainers for systems used on the KC-10J. The firm will provide trainers modified from C-10 fuselages designed to represent the functions and appearance of the KC-130J tanker aircraft, and will allow for training on exterior and interior preflight and post-flight inspections and loading operations. Work will be conducted in Tulsa, Okla., and Marietta, Ga, with a completion date scheduled for December 31, 2021.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• Elbit Systems is planning to make the debut of its SkyStriker loitering munitions system at this year’s Paris air show. The system is able to locate, acquire and attack targets with high precision, with an operator using its electro-optical/infrared seeker to identify threats. The company added that the SkyStriker can engage targets from a variety of angles, while an operator will be able to abort a strike as little as 2s prior to impact, before re-engaging other authorised threats or returning to a recovery point. The air vehicle lands using a parachute and airbag.

Europe

• Switzerland has approved funds for the initial stages of its F/A-18C/D fighter successor program. $10 million has been allocated in order to cover preparatory studies, testing and other pre-acquisition costs, with a decision to be made by the end of 2020. Additional funds for the full procurement should be in place by 2022, with deliveries to commence in 2025. Bern is also planning to undertake a life extension program for its current fleet of 30 Hornets, which will bring their active service life to 2030.

• Boeing has been awarded a $411 million modification to an existing contract to provide 38 Apache attack helicopters to the UK. Also included in the deal are three crew trainers for the Apache’s latest Longbow variant of the aircraft, as well as spares for both systems. Work will be completed in Mesa, Ariz., and is estimated to be completed by Feb 28, 2023.

Asia Pacific

• Russian aerospace manufacturer Sukhoi has plans to build a spare parts factory in Indonesia as part of a deal to sell Su-35 fighter aircraft to the country. Indonesia’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu made the announcement, adding that the deal will benefit Jakarta as the factory can manufacture parts that can then be sold to neighboring governments—Malaysia operates the Su-30MKM—who operate Sukhoi aircraft. Negotiations between Russia and Indonesia over a deal for ten Su-35 aircraft are still ongoing.

• A crashed North Korean drone found in South Korea is believed to have been spying on the US THAAD system prior to its crash. The drone, mounted with a camera, was found last week in a forest near the border between the two Koreas, where ten photos of the THAAD were found. North Korea has about 300 unmanned aerial vehicles of different types including one designed for reconnaissance as well as combat drones, the UnitedNations said in a report last year.

• Dassault and Indian partner Reliance Defense & Aerospace will break ground next month on a components facility for Rafale fighter aircraft. Construction of the facility comes as part of ‘Make in India’ commitments stipulated in September’s $8.8 billion Rafale fighter jet deal. Dassault are also currently training the first group of Indian engineers at its facilities in France, and the Indian facility is expected to be operational and producing components by the first quarter of 2018.

Today’s Video

• Japan’s first F-35 makes its maiden flight:

Americas

• Austral is currently conducting final outfitting of the ninth Expeditionary Fast Transport (EFT) for the US Navy. The Spearhead-class vessel left an Austral shipyard earlier this month in Mobile, Alabama before moving to Bismark for final work. They feature a flight deck and an off-load ramp which allow quick access ports and quays. Littoral operations are made easier by the inclusion of 15-foot shallow draft, ability to interface with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, and ease of access to austere and deteriorated piers.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• Turkey’s armed forces has officially inducted Rokesan’s UMTAS infrared guided anti-tank missile into service. OMTAS is a semi-active laser-homing ATGM with a range of 500-8,000 m that Ankara will use as the main weapon of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 attack helicopter, with Roketsan hoping to sell additional launchers and missiles to the Air Force and Navy as well. The system has also been tested on TAI’s Hürkus-C close air support and counterinsurgency attack aircraft and is being marketed for export to several governments including Pakistan.

• A White House document seen by media sources has fleshed out the Trump administration’s $110 billion-worth of arms deals with Saudi Arabia. Much touted by Trump after his first international tour as US President, experts had denounced the successful deals as speculative that still needed to be negotiated and cleared by Congress. Now, the shopping list that accounts for those billion and billions has emerged with items including seven THAAD missile defense batteries, over 100,000 air-to-ground munitions and billions of dollars’ worth of new aircraft. Also included are new vessels, artillery, land and fighting vehicles, helicopters Patriot system sustainment services, as well as two satellite communications & Space Based Early Warning Systems. See the full list and price breakdowns here.

Europe

• The head of Airbus has called on the French government to join German and Spanish efforts on a proposed new fighter to succeed the Eurofighter Typhoon. “I really hope that France will be involved,” says Fernando Alonso, speaking to reporters on 9 June at the company’s media day. “We have to do this in Europe. There’s no place to do two or three different systems.” While Paris had initially stayed out of the Eurofighter program—instead favoring to work with Dassault on the Rafale—there has been much talk of further integrated European defense research and procurement among EU members, and with the UK gearing up to leave the EU, France is being seen as a potential replacement partner in such joint programs. Last year, Germany and Spain partnered to draw up requirements for the New Generation Weapon System (NGWS), a proposed new fighter that would be developed under the Future Combat Air System effort, which includes other elements of air warfare technology, including unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and space-based capabilities.

• Finland has extended the service of an existing 2013 Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US for spare parts and support for F-18 Hornet aircraft. Valued at $97.1 million, the amendment covers software maintenance, spare parts for the aircraft, equipment, repair, transport and training services from 2018 to 2020. Additional information on the deal was not revealed.

• Saab has signed a framework agreement to provide maintenance and support of submarines and submarine rescue systems operated by the Swedish military. The deal will cover the period of 2017-2019 at an initial cost of $9.7 million. “The framework agreement encompasses maintaining and providing high operational availability of the Swedish Armed Forces submarines and submarine rescue systems by configuration management, maintenance, engineering support, and modifications,” Saab said in a press release.

Asia Pacific

• It’s been reported that South Korean artillery has been delivered to Pakistan, where the government there is believed to be trailing the weapons. A Hanwha Corporation KH179 155 mm towed howitzer and two Hanwha Corporation 40 mm auto grenade launchers (AGL) arrived in January and is one of several rival self-propelled howitzers (SPH) that has been tested by Islamabad over the years, and while no active competition is underway, it’s believed that Pakistan could spend as much as $844 million on SPH by 2024. If there is an active requirement, Hanwha will compete with Daudsons Armoury (DSA), which had displayed its own SPH during Pakistan’s biennial defence exhibition, IDEAS 2016.

• The Indian army will send a squadron of weaponized Dhruv helicopters to its border with China as part of moves to strengthen its deployments along its eastern borders. As many as ten helicopters will arrive in the town of Likabali, Assam provence, over the next three months. Weapons found on the helicopter include a turret gun in its nose area, air-to-air missiles, 70 mm rockets and 20 mm turret guns, while newer models come equipped with anti-tank guided missiles, infrared jammers and obstacle avoidance systems.

Today’s Video

• Roketsan’s OMTAS:

Americas

• Canada has decided to pull back from its plan to procure 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters as an interim replacement for its CF-18 successor program. Instead, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has unveiled a new defense plan which calls for 88 new fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force – an increase from the previous government’s plan to purchase 65 jets – and to recapitalise the Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora anti-submarine warfare and surveillance fleet. The news comes amid a row between the Canadian government, Boeing, and Bombardier, after the US company accused Bombardier of “dumping” its CSeries jet onto the US market.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• It’s been announced that Egypt has received delivery of the S-300VM air defense system, after pictures were released of the system’s vehicles and missile canisters being unloaded at the port of Alexandria. The export version of the S-300, the system is equipped with 9M82M and 9M83M missiles, providing an engagement range of up to 200 km and maximum altitude of 25,000 m. The $1 billion purchase is part of a wider $3.5 billion package agreed with Russia in 2015, and includes 50 Mikoyan MiG-29M/M2 and Kamov Ka-52K attack helicopters.

• Heron TP UAVs leased to the German military by Airbus will be operated from an Israeli air base. It is also believed that German crew will be trained at the site. Deliveries of Heron TP systems for use by the German military will commence late next year and will go towards supporting international operations involving German personnel prior to the availability of a European-developed medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV from around 2025. The deal has been initially held up after a protest by General Atomics.

• Rafael will showcase its new Spike LR II missile at this month’s Paris Air Show, adding that deliveries to customers will start in late 2018. Capable of carrying either a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead or a multi-purpose blast warhead, the new missile also features a new electro-optical/infrared seeker with smart target tracker capabilities. It can be launched from any current Spike launcher.

Europe

• Leonardo has unveiled” a compact version of its BriteCloud decoy system for fast jets after successful testing on Danish F-16s. Known as BriteCloud 218, the system is 2-by-1-by-8 inches and is compatible using the standard-size flare decoy cartridge, such as the F-16 and F-15. Leonardo fitted the cartridge directly into a RDAF F-16’s standard flare dispenser with no integration work required. During the test, the aircraft dispensed the BriteCloud 218 in response to being locked-onto by a real radar-guided surface to air missile targeting system. The company said that once launched, “it creates powerful electronic emissions that create a ‘false target’ and draw enemy missiles away from the real aircraft.”

• Insitu will provide three of its Integrator UAV to the Netherlands as part of Dutch military plans to replace their ScanEagle UAVs. The Integrator is a multi-mission small UAV that carries custom payloads for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It is the baseline aircraft for the RQ-21A Blackjack, a program of record with the US Navy and Marine Corps that entered full-rate production last year. Each has a 40-pound payload capacity and delivers line-of-sight communications for as much as 55 nautical miles. Delivery will take place next year.

• BAE’s Advanced Hawk trainer has completed its first test-flight at the company’s Warton, Lancashire, UK site. The test aimed to assess a series of enhancements developed which could equip new-build examples or be added as upgrades to in-service aircraft. Upgrades to cockpit include a large area display and the integration of BAE’s LiteHUD head-up display, and a new wing that increases performance and the capacity for an increased range of offensive weapons and defensive measures. The aircraft will now undergo a series of flights to collect test data on the new key capability enhancements.

Asia Pacific

• The Australian government has begun testing and evaluation of two rival armored vehicles as part of its LAND 400 Phase 2 program. Rheinmetall’s Boxer CRV and the BAE Systems Australia’s Patria AMV35 are currently undergoing a year-long assessment as a risk mitigation activity, which aims to help Canberra in the final selection of a vehicle. Text-generation combat reconnaissance vehicle procurement will eventually see 225 vehicles purchased by the Australian military for a total purchase price of more than $3 billion.

Today’s Video

• The GAIC FTC-2000 advanced jet trainer:

Latest updates: 3rd squadron stands up in the south.

Indian Heron UAV
(click to view larger)

In November 2005, media reports claimed that India was set to purchase some 50 Heron MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAVs from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) in a deal worth $220 million. They would be put to use carrying out reconnaissance missions on India’s mountainous borders with China and Pakistan, and along India’s long coastal waters. India was said to have been close to sealing the deal in 2004, but it was postponed due to the change in governments in New Delhi.

The Heron’s performance during the December 2004 tsunami apparently clinched the deal. Its performance since, and Chinese aggression on the Indian border, has green-lighted a follow-on contract.

The Herons

Heron, multi-sensor
(click to view full)

India already had about 12 Heron-1 drones before the 2005 sale, and they played a crucial part in search and rescue operations following the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. IAI Searcher tactical UAVs and and their high-end Heron UAV counterparts were used to locate trapped survivors and missing bodies near the Andaman and Nicobar islands, relaying clear live feed photographs while in flight, and allowing immediate response as soon as survivors or victims were identified on screen.

The Heron UAV is reportedly capable of flying for over 24 hours at a time at altitudes around 32,000 feet. IAI lists flight time as >40 hours, and says that it has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight. It has a maximum range of about 3,000 km and can carry a maximum payload weighing 250 kg/ 550 lbs. As a large MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV, it’s built to carry multiple payloads at a time for a variety of missions. Choices include electro-optical and thermal surveillance equipment, SAR radars for ground surveillance, maritime patrol radars and sensors, signals and other intelligence collection antennas and equipment, laser designators, and even radio relays.

India doesn’t discuss its UAV payloads, but reports have its Searcher IIs equipped with the standard day/night surveillance turret, while the Herons are similar to Israel’s maritime patrol configuration, with an Elta Systems radar and a stabilized Tamam surveillance and targeting turret.

A subsequent Heron-2 or Heron-TP variant is larger, with a bigger 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop to power it. Typical mission payload rises to 1,000 kg, which can be carried to around 45,000 feet, and the UAV has a maximum flight time of over 36 hours in favorable conditions.

India and Israel are not alone in being impressed by the Heron’s capabilities. As of 2011, leased Herons or Heron variants are operating in Afghanistan on behalf of the Australian, Canadian, French, and German armed forces; and have participated in demonstrations involving US SOUTHCOM and its Latin American partners. Subsequent years have also seen confirmed or rumored export sales to Brazil’s federal police, Ecuador’s navy, Singapore’s armed forces, and Turkey.

Contracts & Key Events

Israeli Heron-TP
(click to view full)

June 9/17: Heron TP UAVs leased to the German military by Airbus will be operated from an Israeli air base. It is also believed that German crew will be trained at the site. Deliveries of Heron TP systems for use by the German military will commence late next year and will go towards supporting international operations involving German personnel prior to the availability of a European-developed medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV from around 2025. The deal has been initially held up after a protest by General Atomics.

June 2/17: A German court has ruled against US weapons manufacturer General Atomics after the firm posted a legal challenge against Germany’s plans to lease armed drones from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). GA, along with Switzerland’s RUAG lost out to provide the Predator B UAV to the German military after Berlin chose to lease the Heron TP UAV in a deal estimated to be worth $652 million. On taking the deal to court, GA stated that they did so “to ensure that this procurement is conducted as a fair and open competition; thereby ensuring that the German Ministry of Defense procures the most technologically superior and cost efficient solution.” Berlin’s decision to lease Herons instead of buying Predators comes as an interim measure until the EU has developed its own drone. Germany, France, Italy and Spain plan to jointly develop a drone by 2025.

October 19/16: Having joined the Missile Technology Control Regime this summer, India is forging ahead with plans to purchase Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP UAV. While Israel is not a member of the regime, which aims to restrict the proliferation of missile technology, it has agreed to export its strategic weapon systems only to member countries. While New Delhi has operated the Heron 1 and smaller Israeli UAVs, the Heron TP UAV has a 40h endurance, maximum take-off weight of 5,300kg (11,685lb), and carries a typical mission payload of 1,000kg.

September 14/15 The Indian government has approved the purchase of ten armed UAVs from Israel Aerospace Industries, following a fast-tracking of the program by the Modi administration. The $400 million acquisition will see ten IAI Heron TP drones join other Israeli designs operated by the Indian Air Force, with Harpy loitering munitions, Searcher ISR aircraft and unarmed Heron-1 aircraft already seeing service. The country is also pursuing an indigenous UAV development program known as the Rustom 2. India has been the world’s largest importer of drones over the last thirty years, with IAI officials reportedly in talks with the Indian Defence Ministry over a possible joint production of the new UAVs. India is also planning to allocate significant funds to train increasing numbers of operators to use its expanding UAV fleet.

May 5/15: With 22.5% of all UAV imports over the 1985-2014 period, India has topped the list of unmanned aerial systems importers. The principle beneficiary of India’s UAV spending has been Israel, particularly the IAI Heron and Searcher variants.

Dec 29/13: +15. India’s Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has reportedly approved an INR 12 billion (about $300 million) budget to buy another 15 Heron UAVs and associated equipment from Israel, and upgrade the existing fleet for improved communications.

The move would give India 40+ Herons, which is a respectable fleet. India’s massive border length, and the number of neighbors it needs to keep an eye on, mean that it really needs more than this. The new UAVs are reportedly slated for the Chinese and Pakistan borders, whereas the existing 3 squadrons seem to be more focused on India’s eastern and western seaboards. Sources: Times of India, “Govt clears proposal for buying 15 UAVs from Israel” | Israel’s Arutz Sheva, “India to Buy 15 Drones from Israel” | (Anti-India) Kashmir News Service, “Indian govt clears proposal for buying 15 Israeli UAVs”.

Sept 8/13: Shift east. India shifts some of its Heron UAVs to the 4,057 km Line of Actual Control between India and China. The Searcher Mk.II UAVs suffer from endurance restrictions and high altitude performance shortfalls, so the IAF wants to replace them all with Herons in that area. As the UK’s Daily Mail reports:

“Though unrelated, this development comes just a day after the furore over the contents of a report filed by Shyam Saran, chairperson of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), indicating a loss of almost 640 sq km of Indian territory in eastern Ladakh to China…. the army will soon issue a formal communication about the [UAV] proposal, which came directly from the ground formations posted along the LAC…”

Sources: UK Daily Mail, “India sends Heron drones to LAC to boost surveillance efforts”.

April 11/12: 3rd Squadron. India’s Navy commissions a 3rd UAV squadron of IAI Searcher tactical UAVs and IAI Heron long-endurance UAVs, in order to step-up surveillance in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Strait and Palk Bay. INAS 344 will be operated from INS Parundu, the naval air station in Uchipuli, Tamil Nadu, in southern India. It will be controlled by Eastern Naval Command

INAS 344 joins the western INAS 343 naval UAV squadron in Porbandar, Gujarat and the original INAS 342 eastern squadron at Kochi in Kerala. sUAS News.

March 31/11: Flight International:

“India’s navy has operational requirements for additional unmanned air vehicles made by Israel Aerospace Industries, sources say, with these to potentially include improved Heron or Heron-TP systems carrying maritime sensor payloads. Evaluations using some systems have already been carried out, they add.”

Jan 21/11: 2nd Squadron. The Indian Navy stands up INAS 343 (the “Frontier Formidables”) at Porbandar, Gujarat, near the Pakistani border. Gujarat has the longest coastline of any Indian state.

This is India’s 2nd Heron/Searcher UAV squadron; INAS 342 has been operational since 2006. Flight International | India Defence | MarineBuzz.

Aug 2/09: Reports that the deal has been approved:

“The Indian Army is going in for two more “troops” (six to eight birds each) of advanced Heron UAVs from Israel for Rs 1,118 crore [DID: then about $230 million], after getting the nod from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by defence minister A. K. Antony.”

Times of India | SatNews.

India: 12-16 Herons

Hunter

Nov 4/05: Reports of the sale. In analyzing the Heron sale, Stratfor notes that:

“The purchase will allow India to better protect its long borders and to pave the way for the planned 2007 acquisition of Israeli Phalcon radar — all while seeking to convince Pakistan that the security balance between the two countries will not shift further in New Delhi’s favor. Pakistan, however, is unlikely to be placated, and will endeavor to counter the Indian acquisition… Despite the negative resonance this deal will have in Islamabad, the Herons will strengthen New Delhi’s ability to deny access to jihadists crossing into India from Pakistan by enhancing India’s border surveillance capabilities.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Daily Times newspaper has sources who claim that the Indian Army is also making inquiries about the Hunter UAV, a smaller IAI aircraft that is also in service with the US Army. RQ-5A Hunter UAVs have logged substantial flight time in Iraq, and demonstrated their ability to drop small precision munitions like the Viper Strike. Pakistan’s Daily Times | India Defence | Stratfor

Additional Readings:

• IAI – Heron Family. Range for the Heron-1 is given as 350 km, but since the drone flies at well over 100 km/h, and can stay up for far, far more than just 3.5 hours, that makes no sense. A 24 hour flight at 125 km/h is 3,000 km, the figure used in this article.

• Defense Update – Heron TP (Eitan)

• IAI – Searcher Mk.III

News & Views

• DID – Canada, Australia Contract for Heron UAVs

• DID – France’s Harfang/ SIDM IUAV Program. Based on Heron-TP.

• DID – Germany Leases IAI’s Herons for Afghanistan

• DID – Israeli Manufacturers’ Turkish UAV Contract. Herons. Ran into trouble due to Turkish subcontractors, leading to delays that were covered by rent-a-UAV services from a 3rd Israeli firm, Aeronautics DS.

• India Strategic (November 2013) – Unmanned Aerial Systems: The Game Changer

• India Strategic (February 2012) – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Indian Perspective

• DID (Sept 13/05) – Israel Places $50M Order for Heron MALE UAVs.

Americas

• Raytheon has bee awarded at $12.5 million modification to an existing contract for the Phalanx Close-in Weapons System (CIWS). Under the terms of the deal, the company will deliver Phalanx CIWS hardware kits to the US Navy that are intended to upgrade the Phalanx weapons system to the latest approved configuration. Work will be performed at El Segundo, Calif. And Louisville, Ky, and the program is expected to be completed by March 2019.

• Elbit Systems of America has been sub-contracted by Lockheed Martin to develop a cockpit display replacement unit for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter under a program, called Technology Refresh 3, Panoramic Cockpit Display Unit. While the cost of the contract was not given, a company statement said that the value of the award was not in a material amount. Details on contract length were also omitted. Elbit already provides power amplifiers, structures and sustainment work for the F-35 and, together with Rockwell Collins, it also provides the F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System, through their joint venture Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems.

• SpaceX will launch the USAF’s next X-37B miniature spaceplane mission in August—the company’s first for the service— after four previous X-37B missions have already been undertaken by United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rockets—a joint venture by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Unlike most USAF launch contracts, which are awarded some two years before the flight, this recent award was only announced on Tuesday, two months before lift-off. SpaceX’s first publicly disclosed launch contract for the Air Force was awarded last year for a next-generation Global Positioning System satellite flight in 2018. A second GPS launch contract was awarded in March. The contracts are valued at $83million and $96.5 million, respectively.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• A diplomatic spat between Qatar and several Arab neighbors could have knock on effects for Doha’s planned purchase of 72 F-15QA muliti-role fighters from Boeing. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE, as well as he recognised government of Saudi-backed Yemen, all cancelled flights to and cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday, citing that it had been supporting and funding terrorist activities in the region and was in league with regional rival Iran—charges Qatar denies. However, US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the move, tweeting on Tuesday that they [Saudi and Gulf allies] “said they would take a hard line on funding … extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!”, arguing that his visit to Saudi Arabia was “already paying off.” Qatar was finally cleared to move ahead with its $21.1 billion F-15 procurement last November, and although the deal has yet to be finalized, it was billed as extending Boeing’s struggling F-15 production line into the 2020s.

Europe

• French FREMM frigates have been integrated with MdCN naval cruise missiles from MBDA. This new deep strike capability was added to the vessels in February, with all six equipped with two A70 eight-cell vertical-launch silos for a total of 16 MdCN missiles. The MdCN is based on the Scalp EG (Storm Shadow in the UK) air-launched cruise missile now in service with Mirage 2000 and Rafale combat aircraft deployed by the French Air Force and Rafale Marine aircraft.

• The Spanish Air Force and Navy are looking into the procurement of F-35s in order to replace the services’ EF-18s and AV-8B Harrier aircraft. For the Navy, its Harrier jets will have to be phased out over the next decade—leaving the Armada’s sole aircraft carrier without a fixed-wing replacement—and is looking at acquiring 15 F-35Bs to fill its capability gap. But in order to make the procurement worthwhile financially, Madrid may also look at adding addition F-35A aircraft to its air Force fleet instead of addition Eurofighters.

Asia Pacific

• Officials from Russia and Indonesia have finalized contracts for the delivery of Su-35 fighters. Negotiations over the draft Su-35 contract had begun in March and it is expected that the deal will be signed by both parties later this year. While further details on the sale have yet to be revealed, earlier reports said that the planned contract envisages the sale of 10 Su-35 jets to Jakarta, which could be paid for in part by Indonesia’s natural rubber and palm oil reserves.

• China has unveiled its FTC-2000 pilot trainer/fighter aircraft ahead of testing in Sudan. The aircraft is developed by the Guizhou Aviation Industry Corporation under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and operates as the main advanced trainer used by the PLA Air Force and the PLA Navy. Both the domestic and export variants are powered by the indigenously-built WP-13 turbojet engine, with the export version featuring various avionics systems, navigation guidance systems or external stores tailored for overseas client’s demand for multiple missions.

Today’s Video

• Kim Jong-un oversees Korean People’s Army Air Force combat flight contest:

Americas

• Despite the protectionist rhetoric coming from the Trump administration, Embraer is still confident that it can continue to make strides in the US market despite its Brazilian heritage. The firm is currently preparing its A-29 Super Tucano with Sierra Nevada Corp. for the USAF’s upcoming light attack aircraft experiment, which could lead to a program of record for a long-delayed OA-X platform. However, President Donald Trump’s continued push of his “America First” policy could give a leg up to Embraer’s probable competition — the Wichita, Kansas-based Textron, which will fly its Scorpion jet and AT-6 turboprop plane in the demo. In response Gary Spulak, president of Embraer’s US subsidiary, said that $1.6 billion of the company’s $6.2 billion revenue had came from its US subsidiary, including ongoing production of 26 Super Tucanos for Afghanistan and Lebanon under a contract with the USAF.

• An appeal by Glock to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been denied, paving the way for Sig Sauer to deliver a $580 million contract to replace US Army M9 Berettas. The award in favor of Sig Sauer had been announced in January, with Glock filing a protest in February under the grounds that the Army had improperly evaluated its proposal, and challenged the service’s “interpretation of the solicitation regarding the minimum number of contract awards required by the Request For Proposal”. In response, the GAO denied the challenge, stating that the Army only had to make one award (although three were permitted under the proposal’s terms), and that “any errors did not prejudice Glock in the competition.”

• Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $42 million contract modification for TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array production units, accessories, shipping products and engineering services. Under the deal, 56% of the contract is destined for the US Navy while the remainder will go to Japan, with completion scheduled for September 2019. The TB-37 is an integral part of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Integrated Undersea Warfare Combat System Suite and is designed specifically to locate, identify and engage enemy submarines.

Middle Easy & North Africa

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of Lockheed Martin’s AN/TPQ-53 counter-battery radar to Saudi Arabia. Valued at at estimated cost of $662 million, the deal marks the first export order of the radar outside of the US. Included in the deal are 26 AN/TPQ-53(V) Radar Systems to include Solid State Phased Array Radar with KN-4083 Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) enhanced Land/Sea Inertial Navigation System (INS) and automatic leveling system, as well as various equipment, training and materials. Riyadh reportedly intends to use these radars to support its border security requirements and modernise its armed forces with a more current capability to locate and counter the source of incoming ballistic artillery, rockets, and mortars.

• Saudi Arabia has also been cleared by the US State Department to receive a blanket order training program for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) and other Saudi forces. The training will be conducted both inside and outside of the kingdom and includes, but is not limited to, flight training, technical training, professional military education, specialized training, mobile training teams (MTTs), and English language training. Training will include such subjects as civilian casualty avoidance, the law of armed conflict, human rights command and control, and targeting via MTTs and/or broader Programs of Instruction (POIs). While contractors have yet to be revealed, the total cost of the program is estimated at $750 million.

Europe

• In anticipation of Russian military exercises in September, Lithuania has commenced constructing a two-meter high wire fence along its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. While the government has conceded that this will do little in the event of a full scale attack, the precautionary measure aims to prevent provocations and incidents from Moscow. While Russia has not disclosed the number of troops for its Zapad (West) exercises—held every four years on its western borders—analysts believe that it could be the largest since the end of the Cold War, with about 100,000 expected.

Asia Pacific

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has completed the first assembly of a F-35A in Japan. Unveiled at the firm’s Komaki South Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) facility on Monday, the ceremony was attended by government officials from the US Department of Defense and Japanese Ministry of Defense as well as members from Mitsubishi and Lockheed Martin. F-35 Program Executive Officer. Adm. Mat Winter said the assembly of the first Japanese built F-35A “is a testament to the global nature of this program.” 38 of Japan’s 42 ordered F-35s will be assembled at MHI’s FACO facility.

Today’s Video

•  Japanese assembled F-35 unveiled:

Americas

• The US DoD has announced the successful test of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor against a ICBM-class target. During the test, the US Missile Defense Agency launched an unarmed ICBM from Kwajalein Atoll, while the exoatmospheric hit-to-kill interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Various defense firms announced their involvement in the test, which saw Raytheon provide the interceptor as well as its sea-based X-band radar and AN/TPY-2 radar, Boeing with its Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, while Orbital ATK provided its ICBM target rocket for the national security system test.

• ATK Orbital has announced that it has received a $90 million contract from Northrop Grumman for composite materials meant for maintenance of the B-2 Spirit heavy stealth bomber. The deal will also include the production and delivery of 17 Hot Trailing Edge (HTE) parts for the bomber as well as Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) work. Work will be conducted over a five-year term and contains options for follow-on orders.

• Triumph Group will continue to manufacture parts for the V-22 aircraft if Boeing Bell successfully negotiates its next V-22 Osprey Multi-year 3 contract with the US Navy. In a renewed statement of work, Triumph added that it will also manufacture cargo ramps and doors for the aircraft, in addition to components including the empennage, elevator, ramp extensions, ramp mounted weapons system floor boards, main landing gear doors. Deliveries of the components in support of the Multi-year 3 contract would begin in 2019.

Middle East & North Africa

• Turkish defense electronics firm Aselsan is looking to secure s contract to supply very high frequency (VHF) radios to the Ukrainian armed forces. As many as 600 VHF units are being sought by Kiev, who are assessing proposals in accordance with the following: cost effectiveness; scalability and application potential; compatibility with the systems used by the Ukrainian Army, Navy and Air Force; NATO compliance; transfer-of-technology, offsets (e.g. co-production) and credit. Aselsan’s software defined radios (SDR) have already been exported to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Europe

• PGZ, a Polish defense firm, has moved to purchase Naval Shipyard (SMW) from the Polish Treasury in a deal expected to reach $60.1 million. Announcing the deal, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki added that after the shipyard’s finances are overhauled, it will take part in a multi-billion dollar program to build three submarines. Three companies have applied to take part in the procurement procedure: France’s DCNS, Sweden’s Saab and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, but ministry officials have emphasized they expect the selected supplier to closely cooperate with Poland’s defense industry on the contract.

Asia Pacific

• South Korea’s Defence Ministry intentionally omitted details about the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system battery (THAAD) in a report last week, according to a probe issued by President Moon Jae-in. The report failed to include details stating that four additional launchers have been added to the THAAD site as the new government was preparing for Moon’s summit with US President Donald Trump next month. An earlier version of the defense ministry report specified the total number of launchers being prepared for deployment and the name of the US military base where the four were being kept, but the reference was removed in the final version delivered to the government, according to presidential Blue House spokesman Yoon Young-chan.

• The Indian government has decided to cancel its Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SR-SAM) contest and will instead buy more of the indigenous Akash air defense missile system. A $2.7 billion contract released by New Delhi calls for two regiments of the system which will be delivered and inducted into the Indian Army in 2018, bringing to four the total number of Akash systems deployed with the service. The return to the Akash to the Indian Army comes after officials complained that the system experienced deficiencies in forward deployed locations which resulted in an upgrade of the system and which added systems required by the Army.

• Pakistan has received seven surplus Sea King helicopters from the British Royal Navy. Officials in Islamabad said that the helicopters will first undergo maintenance services undertaken by M/s Vector Aerospace before being shipped to Pakistan for deployment later this year. Built under license by Westland Helicopters, the deal for them was signed by Pakistan and Britain’s Ministry of Defense last year.

Today’s Video

• Ka-52 helicopter attacks Islamic State targets in Syria:

Americas

• F/A-18 Super Hornets operated by the US Navy will have the Infrared Search and Track System (IRST) integrated onboard by Boeing. The $89 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract calls for the initial design and development, procurement of prototyping hardware, technical risk reduction efforts, integrated product support, and technical reviews of IRST Block II with the F/A-18E/F aircraft to support the system through the preliminary design review. Work is expected to continue through to April 2020. The IRST is designed to locate the heat emitted by aircraft engines without the use of active radar, which is easily detected by enemy planes and ships. It also helps countering stealth technology.

• The Canadian government is continuing to pay into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, with the latest instalment of $30 million quietly paid in April. Having already paid $373 million into the program since 1997, the fees keeps Ottawa at the table as one of nine partners in the fighter jet project for the next year, allowing to compete for billions of dollars worth of contracts associated with the building and maintaining F-35, as well as benefitting from a discount on units for its air force. Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, had vowed to take Canada out of the F-35 program while on the election campaign trail last year. However, since taking office, the Liberal government has paid the annual fee twice while pursuing an interim procurement of Super Hornets in order to fill the capability gap left by the ditched F-35.

• General Atomics’ new MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV has set a new flight endurance record by topping 48 hours in the air. The new variant of the Predator B broke the record during a flight at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., while carrying 6,065 pounds of internal fuel. It flew between 25,000 and 35,000 feet for the duration of the mission and landed 48.2 hours later. The previous endurance record was held by Predator XP, which flew 46.1 hours in February 2015.

Middle East & North Africa

• Elbit Systems has been contracted to deliver its J-Music DIRCM (Direct Infrared Countermeasures) system to an international organization. The $25 million deal will be carried out over a three-year period. The Multi Spectral Infrared Countermeasures (MUSIC) systems is a family of directed infrared counter-measures solutions to protect aircraft against heat-seeking ground-to-air missiles. The system is meant for protection of large aircraft and includes the PAWS IR missile warning systems.

Europe

• Saab hopes that its JAS-39 Gripen fighter stands a good chance in an upcoming Croatian fighter replacement competition, adding that the Balkan nation is closer to modernizing its fighter jet force than might have been previously expected and would look to take offers soon. Zagreb has already inspected the Gripen and is now in the process of researching information on other fighters as a possible replacement for its fleet of MiG-21s. Saab has been focusing on increasing Gripen sale and lease agreements in central and eastern Europe, with the Czech Republic and Slovakia recently signing a “Joint Sky” agreement to co-operate on maintaining a joint Gripen fleet, while a Bulgarian interim government selected the Gripen as the best option for a new fighter fleet. However, Bulgaria’s new Prime Minister, Boiko Borissov, recently indicated that its MiG-29s could keep flying for another eleven years so a quick sale to Sofia may not be on the cards just yet.

Asia Pacific

• The Indonesian government has officially deployed its first batch of five BTR-4M armored personnel carriers from Ukraine’s Kharkiv-based Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau after testing by the army in January. Ordered in 2014 with delivery coming in 2016, the contract provides the option for further supplies of 50 vehicles comes within the framework of increased capacity of Ukraine’s military industrial complex after supplying the APCs to Ukraine’s armed forces. Both countries are also looking at expanding bilateral defense cooperation with talks ongoing to form joint ventures for the production of guided air-to-air missiles, Ukrainian radar systems and Ukrainian military cargo planes.

• MD Helicopters has received a $76.7 million contract for logistical and contractor support for MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters operated by the Afghan Air Force. US Army Fiscal 2017 funds of $37.6 million have been allocated to the program, with work to be carried out in Mesa, Ariz., and Afghanistan. The program is expected to be finished by May 31, 2018. 27 Cayuse Warriors were delivered to Kabul last year to assist in a variety of missions including escorts, over-watch, and close air support.

• The Philippines may look to Russian defense wares to arm its fleet of KAI FA-50PH fighters and AW-109 attack helicopters. Manilla has been contemplating a Russian defense deal for a number of sought items, including sniper rifles, but is also looking at acquiring precision guided munitions for its air wing. Last week, Islamist militants affiliated with the Islamic State stormed the town of Marawi, resulting in President Rodrigo Deuterte declaring martial law across the country’s southernmost island of Mindana.

Today’s Video

• J-Music:

Americas

• The US Navy has awarded Raytheon a $14.7 million contract for maintenance and support of the AN/AQS-20 sonar mine detection system. Under the agreement, the company will work to improve the system’s performance and sustainability with work to include hardware and software upgrades, technology development, engineering and spare parts. Options available in the contract could bring the total value of the program to $77.1 million. The AN/AQS-20 towed mine hunting and identification array is deployed on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

• Lockheed Martin has joined Boeing in pulling out of the US Navy’s Over-the-Horizon Weapon System (OTH-WS) competition for its fleet of littoral combat ships and frigates. The aerospace and missile manufacturer had initially intended to offer its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and comes just a month after Boeing withdrew its RGM-84 Harpoon. Both firms had expressed frustration with the Navy’s lack of consideration to the networked capability of the weapons. This leaves just the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) in the competition.

• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has received a $40.8 million modification to an existing contract for production of the MK 82/MK 200 Missile Fire Control System director controller equipment. The Navy contract calls for the delivery of fully functional systems with testing and engineering support and covers systems scheduled to be delivered as part of the Aegis Weapon System for the Republic of Korea and Japan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The work is not expected to affect current ship deployment or operational use and is expected to be completed by December 2021.

Middle East & North Africa

• The Libyan Coast Guard has received four refurbished Bigliani-class fast patrol boats from Italy as part of efforts to boost the government’s ability to curb people smuggling operations based out of the country. Six more vessels are expected in the coming weeks and follows the training of approximately 90 coast guard personnel by the EU. However, Libyan officials have requested additional support, adding that the quantity and quality of equipment already provided has not been sufficient.

• A recent report by Amnesty International that cites a 2016 US government audit has found that the US army had failed to monitor over $1 billion worth of arms and other military equipment transfers to Kuwait and Iraq. The now declassified DoD document found that the service “did not have accurate, up-to-date records on the quantity and location” of a vast amount of equipment on hand in Kuwait and Iraq, with the report adding that its own research “consistently documented” lax controls and record-keeping within the Iraqi chain of command which resulted in arms and equipment winding up in the hands of groups like the Islamic State. The arms, which included small and heavy weapons, machine guns, mortar rounds and assault rifles, had been transferred under the Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITEF), a $1.06 billion assistance program aimed at providing Iraqi security forces, including Iraqi Kurdish forces and tribal militias, with military assistance and equipment.

Europe

• Russia’s government has announced schedules for the delivery of several upcoming defense platforms. Speaking to the parliament’s upper house, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Sukhoi PAK-FA stealth fighter will enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2019, while the S-500 air defense system will be deployed the following year. Moscow is also planning to commence serial production of the Tupolev Tu-160M2 strategic bomber in 2021.

• Nexter and the Danish government have agreed to a $45 million sale of 15 Caesar 155mm truck-mounted artillery with options for six more units. The sale is the first of the French land weapons company’s eight-wheel drive version, mounted on a Tatra truck chassis, and the sale to a fellow NATO ally is being considered a significant achievement. The French Army has deployed the six-wheel version of the Caesar to Iraq, where an artillery unit is assisting Iraqi security forces as part of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve.

Asia Pacific

• The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has completed the development of an air-cooled active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar that it will now propose as a possible solution to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) JF-17 Block-III’s AESA fighter requirement. Design and development of the radar was conducted by AVIC’s 607 Institute, officially known as the China Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (LETRI), and have already developed the SD-10 beyond visual-range active radar-homing air-to-air missile for the PAF. The institute’s announcement on the Chinese micro-blogging site WeChat, stated that the AESA radar will help offset the internal space and power limitations of many in-service fighters, providing these aircraft with an AESA radar that is easier to integrate than liquid-cooled systems, such as the competing KLJ-7A offered by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET).

Today’s Video

• Boeing to develop and produce DARPA’s next spaceplane:

Americas

• The US Navy has awarded a $49.4 million contract to Northrop Grumman for parts, material and labor required for the maintenance of the MQ-4C UAV in accordance with planned production. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Md., Bridgeport, W. VA., Salt Lake City, Utah, and other locations in the United States. Fiscal 2017 Navy procurement funds in the amount of $49.4 million have been allocated for the program. Contract completion is scheduled for December 2017.

• Sikorsky has been awarded a $55 million contract modification to a previously awarded contract for the long-lead support of low-rate production of four Lot II CH-53K King Stallion helicopters. An upgrade of the Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, work on the King Stallion contract will be conducted at the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Conn and is expected to be completed by March 2022. The helicopter is capable carrying up of 27,000 pounds of external sling load. It can carry artillery pieces and Humvee utility vehicles and it’s cabin is capable of carrying 463 pallets for cargo transportation.

• Lockheed Martin has successfully completed a sixth flight test of its modernized Tactical Missile System missile (TACMS). Conducted at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the TACMS was launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and was “hot-conditioned”—the launcher was held in an environmental chamber before launch to simulate hot launch conditions— before flying about 149 miles to engage its target. The modernized TACMS features new guidance electronics and can engage a target without leaving behind unexploded ordnance.

Middle East & North Africa

• M-346 advanced jet trainers operated by the Israeli Air Force are scheduled for a set of upgrades that includes the integration of inert training bombs and external fuel tanks. Tel Aviv possesses 30 M-346 trainers—the last of which arrived in 2016—and the upgrades are expected to enable the air force to further streamline its training process. The air force’s flight test centre is currently collaborating with manufacturer Leonardo and will oversee the modifications, as well as opening the trainer’s full flight envelope, to match the service’s operational requirements.

• The Israel Air Force will receive an additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in 2020 with a special suite of test instrumentation that will work to enhance the fighter’s capabilities during air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The new aircraft comes outside of any specific contract and is being manufactured according to specifications that took two years to prepare. Planned updates to Israel’s operational F-35I “Adir” fighters will be “directly connected” to the type’s scheduled maintenance program, “in order to not disrupt the aim of the shortest time on the ground between complex missions.”

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of a US Navy blanket order training program to Saudi Arabia. Valued at an estimated $250 million, the order includes, but is not limited to, English Language training, professional military education, technical training … engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support.” If approved by Congress, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will act as the prime contractor, providing an assignment of about 88 contractor representatives to Saudi Arabia for three years to support personnel training.

Europe

• French firm Safran is expected to cut $1 billion off its current offer to purchase aircraft equipment maker Zodiac Aerospace. The proposed deal had originally been worth $9 billion, however, recent profit warnings at Zodiac has resulted in UK hedge fund TCI urging Safran to drop the bid. According to French media, this reduced offer would be two-thirds in cash and a third in Safran stock, and drops an earlier complex two-tier structure that was designed to woo family shareholders.

Asia Pacific

• Elta Systems has been brought in to help South Korean efforts to support the testing of an indigenous AESA radar for the KAI KF-X fighter. The state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) stressed that the contract is just for support and not development work—which is being led by Hanwa Thales. The value of the contract is believed to be worth $35.5 million.

Today’s Video

• Earlier live fire exercise of the Army’s TACMS:

Americas

• Reuters has revealed that the Venezuelan government has stockpiles of 5,000 Russian made MANPAD surface-to-air weapons. The stash of SA-24 missiles is the largest known stockpile in Latin America and is a source of concern for US officials amid the country’s mounting turmoil, where anti-government protests against the socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, has resulted in deaths. Weapons experts said there have long been fears that the weapons could be stolen, sold or somehow channeled to the wrong hands, concerns exacerbated by the current civil unrest in Venezuela and the economic crisis roiling the oil-producing nation.

• Lockheed Martin has won a $137.8 million contract modification for cost-reduction programs for the initial low-rate production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement funds from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps of $137.8 million will be allocated to the program, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Eighty percent of the modification will go to the Air Force, with the rest split between the Navy and Marine Corps. Scheduled to be completed by December 2020, work will take place at Waco, Texas, El Segundo, Calif. and Warton, England, with other work being completed across the United States.

• Boeing has been awarded a $1.09 billion undefinitized modification to a previously awarded contract for the procurement of Redesigned Kill Vehicle development. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) made the award, with work to include, but not limited to, payload development, payload ground testing, integration with the Ground-based Interceptor (GBI) and Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Ground system, flight testing and four initial production RKVs for initial fielding. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the program to $5.84 billion.

Middle East & North Africa

• In addition to its deal to build Blackhawk helicopters in the kingdom, Lockheed Martin will develop a $28 billion air and missile defense program that will include the THAAD ballistic missile defense system, the anti-aircraft missile Patriot, 150 utility Blackhawk helicopters, and other systems and logistical support. The program is projected to support 18,000 skilled jobs in the US, along with thousands of jobs maintaining the equipment in Saudi Arabia for the next 30 years. It had been reported that Riyadh was interested in THAAD ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit last weekend.

• Israel Military Industries (IMI) has unveiled a new precision rocket system for special forces’ operating in urban environments. The ACCULAR system is a 122mm rocket with a 44-pound penetration or controlled fragmentation warhead with a range of 27 miles. It was developed to respond to a need by forces who operated beyond the range of traditional artillery fire support.

Europe

• Malta has taken delivery of its third King Air maritime patrol aircraft. The $18 million purchase was made possible due to funds made available by the European Union (EU), and will go towards improving the Mediterranean island’s situational awareness with the ability to have a maritime domain awareness picture and advanced navigational capabilities. The previous two aircraft had been commissioned in 2011 and 2012 respectively

Asia Pacific

• Japanese firms have partnered with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to work on rival projects to develop new radars that will enhance Japan’s shield against any North Korean missile strike. Mitsubishi Electric Corp have paired with Raytheon, while Lockheed is working with Fujitsu Ltd in an effort to extend the range of Japan’s detection and targeting radars multiple times beyond range of models currently deployed at sea. Tokyo’s announcement comes as the government forge ahead with a plan to acquire the Aegis Ashore system ahead of THAAD.

• The Indian government is likely to approve an Army plan to to buy 11 AH-64 attack helicopters. A previous batch of 22 Apaches had been ordered for the Air Force in 2015, but an initial procurement designated for the Army had been rejected by the previous government. The additional helicopters will now be purchased out of an optional clause in the original 2015 deal through the US Foreign Military Sales program.

Today’s Video

• IMI’s ACCULAR:

Americas

• The F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed airborne gunfire testing by the US Marine Corps Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons ‘Integrated Test Force’. The GAU-22/A is a four-barrel gun designed for the F-35 and has a rate of fire of 3,300 rounds per minute and an improved accuracy of 1.4 milliradians as compared to the GAU-12. On CTOL version of the aircraft, the gun is carried internally, while on STOVL and CV variants, it comes as an external podded gun.

• Raytheon has received a $26.8 million contract for the engineering and support of the MK-31 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). The US Navy contract was awarded as part of a joint cooperative development and production program between the United States and Germany under a memorandum of understanding. The program is meant to test reliability, along with maintenance, logistics, and software issues, and work is expected to be completed by September 2018. The RAM is designed for point-defense against anti-ship missiles and can be deployed on ships of any size. . It uses passive radio frequency and infrared guidance systems to track and destroy targets.

• Lockheed Martin has received a $13.4 million contract modification to a previous work order concerning the AEGIS weapons-system mounted on Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Under the deal the company will provide procurement, engineering, testing, and design and software services, with completion scheduled for September 2020. The funding comes from Fiscal 2016 ship-building money already obligated.

• The USAF has awarded a $400 million contract to General Atomics for the production and delivery of 36 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. The contract comes from acquisition funds already appropriated sole-source acquisition funds from Fiscal 2016. Work will take place at Poway, California, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2020. The Reaper, the larger and more heavily successor to the MQ-1 Predator, the UAV boasts a cruise speed of 230 mph, a flight ceiling up to 50,000 feet, and a range of 1150 miles, and can carry a payload of up to 3750 lbs. Munitions integrated include the Hellfire laser-guided missiles, GBU-12 Paveway bombs, and GPS-guided GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

Middle East & North Africa

• Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Heron 1 UAV has been selected to replace the manned Sea Scan maritime patrol aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. In order to make the Heron more suitable to maritime operations by including a maritime radar and an electro-optical payload suitable for maritime patrol and intelligence gathering missions. The maritime Heron 1 is currently being displayed at this week’s IMDEX ASIA 2017 in Singapore.

• A missile ship operated by the Israeli Navy has began sea trials with its new advanced ALPHA (Advanced Lightweight Phased Array) ELM-2258 radar. The Saar 4.5 vessel is one of nine currently fitted with the ALPHA with two more expected to receive installation by the end of the year. Based on digital AESA technology developed by IAI, the ELM-2258 is a rotating system that can produce a number of simultaneous beams for maritime and aerial targets.

Europe

• The German Air Force has requested a classified briefing on the F-35 Joint Fight Strike, indicating that Berlin is in the initial stage of requesting information for a replacement fighter that will be procured from 2025 to 2035. The request was made in a letter to the US military and makes clear that the German government has not yet authorized a procurement program and is not committed to any particular aircraft to replace its current warplanes. While a member of the Eurofighter consortium and home to strong labor unions wary of building US aircraft, Germany’s interest in the F-35 may be seen as a gesture aimed at strengthening its hand in negotiations with its European partners over the scale and timing of development of a next generation of European fighters.

Asia Pacific

• Singapore has announced that it will acquire a second batch of two more Type 218SG submarines from Germany, adding to the two already on order with manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. The first two subs are expected to be delivered in 2021 and 2022 in a deal that is estimated to be worth around $1.8 billion. Meanwhile, the second batch will be delivered post-2024, and are expected to replace Singapore’s existing two Archer-class boats, which are former Swedish Västergötland-class submarines refurbished and extensively modernized in the early part of this decade.

Today’s Video

• F-35B airborne gunfire testing:

Americas

• The USAF has lifted its two-year ban on lightweight pilots flying the F-35, after concerns that an ejection could cause a severe neck injury. The approval means the Martin-Baker Mk16 ejection seat meets the original service specification for the F-35A, which requires the manufacturer to accommodate all pilots weighing over 46.7kg. To solve the problem, changes were made to the helmet, the ejection seat and the ejection sequence. The Vision Systems International helmet saw a weight reduction, while the ejector seat had a head support installed onto the rear risers of the seat as a cushion as well as a switch that modifies the ejection sequence in the event the pilot needs to exit the cockpit in flight. The modifications will now be retrofitted on 100 F-35As already delivered to the USAF and enter Lockheed’s production system.

• Textron’s Fury precision-guided glide munition has completed flight-testing. The company announced that a total of 13 test flights for the Fury weapon were conducted for a 23.8 flight hours between captive carriage, survey flights and 10 weapon releases from unmanned aircraft systems. On two occasions, the Fury flew with Textron’s Shadow UAS from an altitude of 8,000 feet and a standoff range from the target of nearly a mile. The new system features a common interface that allows for rapid integration on multiple manned and unmanned platforms. It has tri-mode fuzing—impact, height of burst and delay—for engagement of a broad target set.

Middle East & North Africa

• Lockheed Martin has received a delivery order from the USAF for the provision of 14 Sniper targeting pods to Kuwait. The pods will be installed on the Gulf state’s fleet of F/A-18C/D aircraft. Since 2016, the firm have also began efforts to integrate the pods on Kuwait’s Typhoon aircraft. Deliveries of the new pods are expected to commence on 2018 in order to address “urgent operational needs” in the Kuwaiti Air Force. A member of the Saudi-led coalition currently involved in Yemen, Kuwait has contributed aircraft to conduct airstrikes during the intervention.

• A DoD foreign military sales contract awarded to Lockheed Martin will see the firm conduct work for Qatar’s Patriot system. Valued at $25.4 million, the variants scheduled to be worked on by the firm include the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and Missile Enhancement Aft Block I redesign. Work will be conducted in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Lufkin, Texas, with the program expected to be completed by May 15, 2020.

• An MQ-9 Reaper UAV operated by the British RAF recently interrupted a public execution by the Islamic State. While flying over the town of Abu Kamal, flight crew had noticed two shackled prisoners being unloaded from a pick up truck in front of a large crowd. Unable to target militants located near the civilians, a Hellfire missile was fired at two IS sentries posted on a nearby roof. The explosion killed one of the militants while remaining fighters and public fled. However, it remains unclear if the prisoners due to be executed escaped or were taken away by their would-be executioners.

Europe

• The British Royal Navy operated HMS Queen Elizabeth will receive its first F-35B aircraft next year, with the new aircraft carrier also receiving Merlin, Apache, Wildcat and Chinook helicopters. Royal Navy sailors have also trained alongside their US Navy counterparts on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, with British personnel fully embedded in the USS Wasp trials and will use the data gathered from this event for future trials and operational deployments to support the UK’s flying trials aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2018. British F-35 pilots also recently embarked on the USS America for at-sea developmental testing phase 3 (known as DT), the last trial that paves the way for the US Marine Corps to deploy the jet operationally on amphibious assault ships.

• Full-scale flight testing of the Ka-62 medium helicopter is scheduled to take place later this year. Designed by the Kamov design bureau as the civilian variant of the Ka-60 military helicopter, the Ka-62 has been developed to perform a wide range of operations, including the transportation of passengers, rescue efforts and works in the interests of the oil and gas industry. It can carry up to 15 people or 2.5 tonnes of cargo.

Asia Pacific

• Australia’s DoD has announced plans to invest $965 million in order to develop infrastructure at the country’s naval shipyards. Known as the Naval Shipbuilding Plan, the investment is aimed at ending the boom-and-bust cycle that has afflicted the industry for many years, and preparing its shipyards for the development and manufacture of next-generation vessels. Included in the work will be new cranes and heavy lift transportation capability, the construction of welding stations and modernization of workshops and buildings. Under the government’s 2016 White Paper on Defense, Australia is planning to build about $66.7 billion worth of submarines, frigates and patrol boats over the next 35 years.

Today’s Video

• Textron Fury:

Americas

• The USAF has invited Textron Aviation to enter both the AT-6 turboprop and Scorpion twin-jet to face off against Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano in the service’s demonstration of close air support capability. August’s demonstration, now known as the Light Attack Experiment, will include a broad set of counter-land missions typical of an extended military campaign and builds on previous close air support experiments organized by the US Navy and Special Operations Command. The AT-6 Wolverine is adapted from the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II with a higher-thrust engine, data links and weapons stations, while the clean-sheet Scorpion was initially designed in 2012 to offer the Air National Guard a low-cost tactical combat jet for roles such as air sovereignty patrols and mission in low-threat war zones.

• Orbital ATK has been contracted by the US Army to produce and deliver large-caliber training ammunition. The $53 million agreement will cover both 120mm and 105mm rounds. The 120mm training ammunition, used by Abrams tanks, includes the M865 kinetic energy and the M1002 multi-purpose tank training rounds, while 105mm M724A2 rounds will be produced for crew training on the Stryker Mobile Gun System vehicles. So far, the ammunition manufacturer has sold almost 5 million rounds of large caliber munitions to the Army, Marin Corp, and US international allies and partners.

• The Pentagon’s inspector general has opened an investigation as to whether the USAF has imposed unnecessary additional secrecy on its B-21 bomber program. Last year, the Air Force rebuffed requests, including from Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, to reveal basic information such as the value of the development contract awarded to lead contractor Northrop Grumman or the amount of the fee set aside to encourage meeting program goals, citing their potential value to adversaries. Now, the DoD’s watchdog office will review and submit a report to Congress within the next six months aiming to ascertain whether there is the right mix of balanced program classification and transparency.

Middle East & North Africa

• BAE Systems has rolled out the lead example of its Eurofighter Typhoons destined for delivery to Oman later this year. Muscat’s Typhoon order, signed in December 2012, is for nine single-seat aircraft and three two-seat examples to support training activities. A ceremony to mark the occasion was hosted at the firm’s final assembly in Lancashire, UK, with the Typhoon joined by Oman’s first new-generation Hawk advanced jet trainer, of which eight Mk 166 examples are on order by the Gulf sultanate.

• Isreal’s Elbit Systems has unveiled the newest variant of its SPEAR MK2 mortar system designed for lightweight combat vehicles. The 120mm mortar system has seen improvements made to its coverage area as well as a new high recoil deduction capability. The system can be rapidly deployed and features both autonomous and manual activation and uses an integrated command and control system enabling full mission autonomy and providing battlefield management and situational awareness capabilities, fire missions’ prioritization and monitoring of personnel assignments.

Europe

• The CEO of French aviation firm Dassault, Eric Trappier, has told French media that the firm expects to sell an additional 18 Rafale fighters next year. In an interview with French regional newspaper Sud-Ouest on Sunday, Trappier hinted that the purchaser may by Malaysia, in a deal that could potentially be worth $2 billion. India has also been earmarked as a potential repeat customer after a high profile deal for 36 Rafales was concluded last year. “India’s needs are enormous,” said Trappier. “Hence, for its navy, 57 aircraft are considered,” he added. Malaysia, however, may be the more likely candidate for a deal to be finalized in the near term as it looks to replace its ageing combat aircraft.

Asia Pacific

• Russia is keen to swap rubber products for fighter jets with Indonesia, according to Oke Nurwan, the Foreign Ministry’s foreign trade director general. While a decision on the offer has yet to be made, Moscow is willing to deliver Sukhoi jet fighters in exchange for Indonesian crumb rubber in a deal valued at $600 million. While response from local rubber producers has been positive, specific legislation still needs to be created by a yet-to-be decided ministry in order to facilitate the necessary groundwork for such an agreement to move forward.

• A recent North Korean ballistic missile test has been detected by the newly-deployed THAAD system in South Korea, marking the first time the controversial air defense system has been put in use. The announcement was made by South Korea’s defense minister, Han Min-koo, who added that that Pyongyang is also at a more mature stage of development than previously thought, adding that the ICBM used in the test was of an “enhanced caliber compared to Musudan missiles that have continually failed” in previous rounds of testing.

Today’s Video

• Elbit’s Spear mortar system:

Americas

• Embraer has announced that it will enter its A-29 Super Tucano into the US Air Force’s upcoming OA-X experiment. The Brazilian manufacturer will team with Sierra Nevada Corporation for the July demonstration, which aims to test low-cost options for acquiring light attack aircraft for the service. Manufactured in Florida and in use by a dozen air forces worldwide, the A-29 is a durable, versatile and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of fighter and ISR missions. The USAF-certified A-29 is combat-proven, having seen combat in Afghanistan and in theaters around the globe.

• A Canadian senate committee on defense has urged the Canadian government to drop the planned acquisition of F-A/18 fighters from Boeing, describing it as as a “political decision” that fails to serve either the air force or taxpayers. The government announced its plans to purchase 18 Super Hornets as an interim measure following its pulling out of a deal to buy 65 F-35s as a replacement for its ageing CF-188s. Citing a letter from 13 former senior Royal Canadian Air Force officers which argues that the acquisition of such a small fleet – sharing only limited commonality with its current fighters – will be needlessly costly, the senators stated that the government’s “decision not to proceed with the procurement process for a new fighter fleet and purchasing an unnecessary and costly interim capability will leave the taxpayers with a significant burden and [RCAF] with a duplicate support system that will cost billions of dollars in equipment, training, and technical know-how.” The committee recommended that the defence ministry “immediately” begins a contest to select the CF-188’s replacement, with a decision to made by 30 June 2018.

• Damages to the the oxygen system of a VC-25A, also known as Air Force One, has been blamed on three mechanics from Boeing. A USAF accident report stated that the company reimbursed the government $4 million for the mishap, after mechanics used parts and a cleaning solution that did not meet the cleanliness standards for the oxygen system. An attempt to sanitise the contaminated parts with the unapproved cleaning solution also didn’t follow procedures, the report added. As a result, the cost to sterilize and re-check the oxygen system added $4 million to the repair bill for the VC-25A, but Boeing has re-imbursed the government for the costs.

Middle East & North Africa

• Saudi Arabia has produced its own strategic UAV under its own drone program. Built by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Saqr-1 features a KA-band satellite communications system, has a range of more than 2,500 km, and an endurance of more than 24 hours. News of the new drone program comes after March’s announcement that Riyadh would partner with China to construct a UAV factory in the Gulf kingdom as part of a $65 billion economic pact. The factory is most likely to produce China’s CH-4 UAV, as well as providing after-sales services for China’s clients in the Middle East in addition to satisfying Saudi orders.

Europe

• Fincantieri’s shipyard at Muggiano has delivered the forth U212A Todaro-class attack submarine to the Italian Navy. Named the Romeo Romel, the vessel is the twin sub of the Pietro Venuti which was delivered in July last year. The project was conducted in cooperation with the German Submarine Consortium and features Kongsberg’s MSI-90U advanced combat management system.

Asia Pacific

• In what is being described as a “rare comment on defense”, the Taiwanese government has publicly announced that it is to continue purchasing US defense systems despite its own efforts to build up its indigenous defense capabilities. Citing that its purchase “have boosted the local economy of and employment in states such as Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania,” the government statement added that companies like Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin Co, Boeing Co, Sikorsky and BAE Systems PLC have benefited from Taiwan’s purchases of missile defense systems, attack helicopters, fighter jets, and other amphibious assault vehicles. The 40-page English-language response released by Taiwan’s cabinet late Thursday stated that US-Taiwan ties were a “top priority” and that the island was “open to any possible proposals that will strengthen US-Taiwan trade relations on a fair and mutually-beneficial basis.” While normally both Washington and Taipei keep a low profile on defense procurement matters, such a public announcement may move to antagonise China, which sees Taiwan as rightfully part of its bigger neighbor.

• The Indian government is planning a $2 billion acquisition of the home-made Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system in an effort to become more self-sufficient. An order for six regiments is expected within the next 18 months and it is believed to involve a number of state-owned and private industry partners. It’s also suggested that New Delhi may be looking to export the Pinaka. However, the Pinaka is not without its problems, namely with the rockets of the two regiments that have been in use for more than a decade. According to Bhupinder Yadav, an analyst and former Indian Army Major General, the “production of Pinaka rockets is on hold after some quality-related issues mainly relating to OFB-produced propellant such as short ranges, residues after firings and accidents relating to burst in launchers, etc.”

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of CBRN equipment to India. Valued at an estimated $75 million, the foreign military sale includes includes 38,034 M50 general purpose masks; Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology — 38,034 each of suits, pairs of trousers, pairs of gloves, pairs of boots and NBC bags – plus 854 aprons; 854 alternative aprons; 9,509 Quick Doff Hoods; and 114,102 M61 filters. The equipment is used to protect service members from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Today’s Video

• The Kaplan MT:

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:

Americas

• The US Navy has awarded Rolls Royce a $78.7 million contract to provide logistical and engineering support for originally manufactured engines on the KC-130J tanker aircraft. Under the contract, aircraft in use by the US Marine Corp as well as the government of Kuwait will be affected. The work will primarily be completed in Indianapolis, with smaller contracts spread through other states, as well as Japan and Kuwait. The project is expected to be completed by May 2022.

• Elbit Systems has received a contract from the Brazilian marine corps to provide the service with an advanced C4ISR electronic warfare and communications system. Valued at $40 million, the C4ISR has Battle Management Systems application, C41 systems for artillery units, and advance EW capabilities. It can be mounted on vehicles such as tanks and armored personnel vehicles, and is integrated with command centers. The procurement of the system comes as the Brazilian marine corp transition to the doctrine of Network Centric Warfare—a high-technology concept that integrates command-and-control, logistics, targeting and navigational information, and communications into one system. Work on the contract will be performed over the next two years.

Middle East & North Africa

• Turkey’s Undersecretary for Defence Industries (SSM) has signed a deal with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) for the supply and deliver of 52 Super Mushshak trainers to the Turkish armed forces. The deal was one of three bilateral defense agreements signed between Turkay and Pakistan with the second being a letter-of-intent (LoI) for the sale of four MILGEM corvettes for the Pakistan Navy and the third a LoI for fresh collaboration between PAC and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The contracts were inked on the second day of this year’s IDEF 2017 exhibition in Istanbul.

Europe

• Sweden’s Saab is looking to finalize a number of near-term sales of the C and D variants of its JAS-39 Gripen fighter. Upcoming competitions in Botswana, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, have all been targeted as potential clients for the C/D models, which if agreements are reached, will boost sales and ensure the continuation of the Gripen’s production line into the future. Of the three countries, Bulgaria is the closest to moving forward with a deal, after its government announced Saab as the preferred option for its MiG-29 replacement program. Slovakia have been in negotiations with Saab since 2015, while in Botswana, a Gripen package is facing off against an offering from Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) FA-50—the fighter version of its T-50 trainer.

• Leonardo and the UK government have reached an agreement to develop the next generation of decoy counter-measures for fighter aircraft. The firm will partner with the British Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capability Office—an office created to bring new technologies to UK warfighters—and will use Leonardo’s BriteCloud EAD technology for the development of new expendable active decoys. BriteCloud is a second-generation, radar jamming decoy that uses enhanced on-board jamming techniques. It can be deployed from a standard chaff and flare dispenser, and draws an incoming missile away from the targeted aircraft.

• In a world first, Airbus has successfully completed the first test of its automatic air-to-air refueling (AAR) contact system. During the flight, the company’s A330 MRTT demonstrator was successfully steered into the receptacle of a Portuguese air force F-16 using image processing software that the company has been developing for more than a year. As many as six contacts were made over a 75 minute period, at 25,000 feet and 270 knots. The AAR system requires no additional equipment on the receiver and could be introduced on current production A330MRTTs as soon as 2019.

Asia Pacific

• Amid rising tensions and sabre-rattling in the region, China has announced that it has successfully tested a new missile, launching it into the waters of the Bohoi Gulf, near the Korean peninsula. While the Ministry of National Defense did not mention the new missile by name, analysts believe that it could be the DF-26—an intermediate missile capable of sinking warships, including US aircraft carriers. The test comes a month after Beijing said that is would respond to the deployment of the US THAAD system in South Korea by continuing to test new types of weapons under conditions simulating actual combat. China’s opposition to THAAD comes from the allegation that its radars are capable of peering deep into China, allowing the US and its allies to better detect rocket launches and aircraft movements.

• Israel Weapon Industries and Indian private sector firm Punj Lloyd have began a venture to jointly produce a variety of small arms from the Israeli firearm manufacturer’s product line, of which some are for use by Indian armed forces. Known as Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems (PLR), the new venture is the first private manufacturer of small arms in India that produces equipment for both use by the Indian defense forces and for export, and is expected to take a sizeable portion of India’s $5 billion small firearms market. IWI-designed weapons to be manufactured at the plant include the Tavor carbine, X95 assault rifle, the Galil sniper rifle, and Negev light machine gun. The foundation of the venture also comes as New Delhi faces an immediate requirement for 66,000 assault rifles, with a total requirement is 250,000, and it’s expected that in the next two months, an assault rifle tender worth an estimated $1 billion will be released by the Indian Army.

Today’s Video

• The US receives its G/ATOR:

https://youtu.be/rKkIGZs5va8