Defense Industry Daily

$1 million in funding from the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC) has been awarded to RE2 Robotics to develop a robotic system that can autonomously refuel AH-64 Apache helicopters in the field. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, California, is managing the project entitled Remote Robotic Refueling for Extended Missions (R3EM), which is part of the Autonomous and Robotic Remote Refueling Point (AR3P) program.

Lockheed Martin won a $11 million unpriced letter contract for long-lead material and the labor, planning, and scheduling necessary to support the fiscal 2022 Trident II (D5) missile production schedule. This unpriced letter contract will be definitized on or about October 1, 2021, as a fixed-price-incentive contract. The Trident II D5 fleet ballistic missile is a three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided ballistic missile developed by Lockheed Martin. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2026.

According to Jane’s, Emirati company Milanion Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukrainian Armor to give the latter distribution rights of unmanned ground vehicle Agema. Agema is designed to support a range of missions, including national and civil defense and security; fire and rescue; logistical support; fire support; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; anti-tank support; medevac; and route inspection and clearance. The platform can also provide encrypted communications.

Rheinmetall and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) demonstrated new modules carrying EM&E sensors and weapons systems for the Mission Master SP Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles (A-UGVs). The demonstrations that took place at EM&E’s new facilities in San Juan del Viso in Spain involved two Mission Master A-UGVs.

According to a news release, the defense Science and Technology Laboratory has awarded a $13.1 million contract to In-Space Missions Ltd for the build of the Titania satellite, which will undertake research on the next-generation of communications technology

The Australian government has selected Lockheed Martin Australia and Northrop Grumman Australia to progress to the next round of its fifth-generation Joint Air Battle Management System (JBAMs) competition, to be delivered under the $2 billion Air 6500 Phase 1 project.

Watch: Rheinmetall demonstrates new Mission Master SP modules developed in collaboration with Escribano

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has successfully completed its third and final round of Full Ship Shock Trials. According to the Naval Sea Systems Command statement. The third explosive event was conducted Sunday off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida.

A research paper by a team from the US Air Force Institute of Technology describes how a tanker-centric stereo vision system can be used for automated aerial refueling (AAR). Currently, differential GPS is used so that the tanker and receiver are on a stable flight path for the transfer of fuel. The authors argued that by having a vision-based system can improve the integrity of the process.

Israeli Air Force engineers can now repair damaged runways with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) mats and anchoring systems thanks to training by US Air Force and Army engineers. The US Air Force’s Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery concept uses the same type of technologies. This was the first time FRP kits were used in such a large crater configuration and the first time the kits were tested using F-35s.

Two British minehunters were decommissioned in Rosyth, Scotland this week. According to the Royal Navy, both Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels have served extensively during careers spanning 21 years and 175,000 miles for Ramsey, 185,000 miles over 20 years for Blyth, supporting operations in the Middle East, around the UK or on NATO duties in northern European and Mediterranean waters. Dozens of affiliates and friends joined the crews, RN leaders and Deputy Chaplain of the Fleet Reverend Martin Evans, with music provided by the Band of HM Royal Marines Plymouth.

China’s Hudong Zhonghua shipyard launched the third Type 054 A/P Frigate destined to serve in the Pakistan Navy. “The Launching ceremony of 3rd state-of-the-art Type-054 Class frigate constructed for Pak Navy, was held at Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard, China. The technologically advance platform is fitted with latest surface, subsurface, anti-air weapons, combat management system & sensors,” the Pakistan Navy tweeted last week.

During a recent voyage of the Chinese Liaoning aircraft carrier, a batch of Instructor-Pilots were certified for night operations paving the way for rapid induction of naval aviators into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. In a test conducted on a windy night with fierce sea waves in the Bohai Sea, several pilot instructors from PLA Naval Aviation University steered J-15 fighter jets and landed on the flight deck of Liaoning.

Watch: Meet Royal Navy’s Sandown Class Minehunter

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) UX-24 Unmanned Test Squadron, teamed up with Military Sealift Command and the crew of MSC’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188) to test a new concept in material transportation, while the ship was underway in the Atlantic Ocean, July 15-16. The Blue Water logistics Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) carried out three test flights by transporting an internal cargo consisting of simulated repair parts.

AeroVironment, Inc. introduced standardized modular payload interface kits for RQ-20B Puma tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) recently. The Modular Payload Standard was established by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in order to create a modular architectural standard for a wide variety of payloads on Groups 1 through 3 UAS. The kits enable third-party payload manufacturers, as well as United States Department of Defense and international partners, to quickly and easily develop and integrate payloads onto RQ-20B Puma.

The Kuwaiti Army will start to receive the upgraded M1A2 Abrams main battle tank (MBT), known as M1A2K, almost two years behind the initial schedule. In its announcement of the news via social media in late July, the army claimed the M1A2K will enter operational service “soon” and boost the combat efficiency of the Kuwaiti land forces. Kuwait plans to upgrade all 218 of its Abrams MBTs to the M1A2K configuration, but the program’s timeframe seems to have been revised after it encountered delays for undisclosed reasons.

Belarus wants to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system (ADS) on liberal loan from Russia, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. According to Lukashenko, the funds of the Russian state loan, which was previously issued for the construction of the BelNPP, (nuclear power plant) can be used to purchase the S-400 air defense system and other modern weapons of the Russian Federation. “We saved a lot of money at the nuclear power plant.

Roscosmos space agency’s top boss has revealed that Russia’s Sarmat advanced silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) completed ground trials. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said last week that flight trials of Sarmat ICBM will start this year and finish in 2022.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed on August 7 that they are considering using unmanned aerial vehicles for early detection of hypersonic missiles flying at Mach 5 and faster. Japan intends to use an infra-red sensor to detect these weapons, such a sensor had been verified to be working back in 2019. Existing missile defense systems find it difficult to detect hypersonic missiles. Unmanned aerial vehicles may be able to overcome this challenge.

Watch: Puma LE Unmanned Aircraft System

According to Jane’s, the US Navy is not keen to use the MQ-4C in an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) role. The Hudson Institute’s senior fellow, Bryan Clark, had told Janes that the new sensors onboard IFC-4 variant of the MQ-4C have passive sensing capability to be used for AEW&C. Doug Shaffer, Northrop Grumman vice-president and program manager for Triton programs, also revealed that the company is thinking about having the E-2D and MQ-4C share each other’s pictures in demonstrations. But the mission set has been ruled out by Captain Dan Mackin, the maritime UAS manager. Mackin wants the unmanned air vehicle to focus on maritime surveillance.

On August 5, US Air Mobility Command commander Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost approved a second Interim Capability Release (ICR) mission for the KC-46A Pegasus. The first ICR decision approved the KC-46A’s Centerline Drogue System mission set on July 9. Transportation Command can now task the KC-46 for the C-17, the B-52H, and the KC-46 receivers. This is the first ICR decision regarding the air refueling boom mission set. As a result, the Pegasus aircraft and crews can now accept operational tasks that would otherwise be filled by KC-135s and KC-10s.

Sailors from the navies of Ghana and Nigeria joined the US Navy’s USS Hershel “Woody” Williams for maritime security training this week. The vessel, an expeditionary sea base, returned to West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea after participating in the 32-nation Obangame Express 2021 exercises in March.

In a bilateral contract worth close to $354 million, Eurofighter and NETMA, the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency, have defined the next steps in the development of the Eurofighter Typhoon. Consolidation Package Step Two and Three, Phase 1 Contract’s most important features will enable Typhoon to operate the Meteor beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile while transferring the capability from the existing M-Scan radar to the new E-Scan radar.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) laid down keel for the Indian Navy’s first anti-submarine warfare (ASW) shallow water craft. GRSE has delivered three P-28 class ASW corvettes (NS Kamorta, INS Kadmat and INS Kiltan) to the Indian Navy. The warships have around 90% indigenous content and tonnage of 3250 tonnes.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will start testing its new Grenade-Launching Drones and Small Modularized Drones next year. DAPA’s Grenade Launching Drone is an attack drone that is equipped with six 40mm class grenade and can remotely control fire to a short-range target (within 2km). The drone is equipped with a two-axis gimbal and recoil absorber to offset the impact of the drone’s movement and grenade launch. It is fitted with an optical and thermal imaging camera and laser range finder. This kind of drone has high utility as an offensive weapon.

Watch: Dream Realized: The Air Force’s New Multi-Mission KC-46 Tanker Is Ready

Lockheed Martin won a $35.6 million contract modification for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system. Under this contract modification, Lockheed Martin will provide 36 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTTs) A2 as a lifetime buy to support the THAAD weapon system. Work will take place in California, Texas and Wisconsin. Estimated completion date is August 4, 2021.

Skydweller Aero has been given $5 million by the US Navy to demonstrate its unmanned air vehicle (UAV) that is based on the Solar Impulse 2. The US-Spanish startup has tested and flown autonomous flight software on the Solar Impulse 2. The company hopes to fly the plane at the stratosphere while carrying an 800lb payload. It can remain airborne for 90 hours.

Capt. Pete Arrobio, head of PMA-231, disclosed during the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space conference that Egypt and Taiwan are the next potential export customers for the E-2D early warning aircraft. Japan and France are existing customers with Japan taking delivery of three airframes already. France will take delivery of its aircraft in 2027.

A Boeing E-3D Sentry has returned to its home base at RAF Waddington following its final mission on Operation SHADER, bringing to a close 30 years of operational service. According to the Royal Air Force, the period between retirement and the Wedgetail becoming operational, the Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance requirements will be covered by a combination of other aircraft and E-3s from the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force.

The US government is selling another batch of RIM-116C Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) Block 2 missiles to Japan. This time, the $61.5 million Foreign Military Sale package is for 44 missiles. The country bought 51 missiles in September 2020.

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the government of Japan of AEGIS Class Destroyer Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $134 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.

Watch: RAF E-3D Sentry Retirement Waddington 04/08/21

Lockheed Martin won a $51.8 million deal, which provides for program management support to include development of customer unique capabilities in support of the continued development of the air system for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program for a Foreign Military Sales customer. Work will take place in Texas, California and Florida. Estimated completion date will be in January 2024.

The US Air Force has carried out wind tunnel testing of directed energy system turret earlier this year. “There is a growing interest for directed energy systems within the DOD for many purposes, especially defending our systems and personnel,” said Dr. Rich Roberts, chief of the Aerodynamics Branch Store Separation Section. “There are a number of systems in use and being developed across the DOD. Integrating the DE systems on aircraft has obvious benefits but also creates challenges, especially at higher speeds.”

The Egyptian Navy received a German S-44 submarine in Alexandria on Monday. The craft is question, a 209/1400 mod class submarine is the last of four that Egypt received with the aim enhance its defense capabilities and combat efficiency, an Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement.

According to The Times, HMS Monmouth and HMS Montrose, two Type 23 Frigates vessels, will be given to Greece as part of efforts to ‘sweeten the deal’ to sell the Greek Navy the Type 31 design. In March it was announced that Montrose as well as sister ship Monmouth would be decommissioned earlier than planned

Lockheed Martin won an $117.7 modification, which provides non-recurring engineering and field services representative efforts to bring 12 MH-60R aircraft from standard Foreign Military Sales (FMS) configuration to a Republic of Korea Navy configuration. The MH-60R is a naval version of the American-made UH-60 Black Hawk designed and manufactured by Sikorsky company which is now part of Lockheed Martin. Work will take place in Connecticut, France, New York and Rhode Island. Estimated completion date is in November 2026.

The Yomiuri reports that the Japan Ministry of Defense intends to deploy anti-ship and anti-air missile units to Ishigaki Island next year. The number of personnel will be between 500 to 600 and four islands in the Okinawa island chain will have missile bases.

Watch: Protecting HMS Queen Elizabeth: On The US Destroyer USS The Sullivans

Lockheed Martin won a $108.8 million modification for AEGIS combat system engineering agent (CSEA) efforts for the design, development, integration, test and delivery of Advanced Capability Build 20. The Aegis combat system uses powerful computers and radar to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. More than 100 Aegis-equipped ships have been deployed in five navies worldwide. Aegis, not an acronym, refers to the shield of the mythical Greek God Zeus. Work will take place in Moorestown, New Jersey. Expected completion date will be in December 2021.

The US Air Force has successfully demonstrated that the F-16’s Electronic Warfare System can receive software updates with new Mission Data File while airborne. The test was carried out during a recent Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) demonstration at Nellis Air Force Base. The jet downloaded the data file using an existing Beyond Line of Sight satellite communication system. It was processed by a custom-developed Center Display Unit software, and load into the ALQ-213 Countermeasures Signal Processor.

The UK and Kenya have signed a new Defence Cooperation Agreement to tackle the shared threat from Al-Shabaab. According to the UK Ministry of Defense, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence Dr Monica Juma signed the deal. British troops currently help to train over 1,100 Kenyan soldiers every year before they deploy to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to fight Al-Shabaab and the British Army and Kenya Defence Force (KDF) conduct around five joint training exercises every year, involving around 750 Kenyan and 5,000 British troops.

The UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) today awarded BAE Systems approximately $348.77million to progress the design and development of Tempest, the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The contract, signed by BAE Systems, officially marks the start of the programme’s concept and assessment phase. The programme is being delivered by Team Tempest – combining the expertise of the UK MOD, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce. Working with international partners, the team is leading progress towards a UK-led internationally collaborative Future Combat Air System.

The UK Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate HMS Portland has completed first-of-class sea acceptance trials (SATs) of Ultra Electronics’ Sonar 2150 bow-mounted medium-frequency sonar. Trials took place over multiple days at sea, detecting and tracking a target and proving its passive and active performance.

The US State Department approved a potential sale of 300 Javelin FGM-148 Missiles to Thailand accounts for another estimated $83.5 million. Thailand’s request would include 300 Javelin missiles, as well as 50 Command Launch Units, plus associated technical support and training. Thailand wants to use the Javelin to replace the 106mm Recoilless Rifles that the Royal Thai Army was given back during the Vietnam War; doing so will improve the country’s anti-tank capability and help with interoperability, according to the DSCA statement.

Watch: F-16 Fighting Falcon Fighter Jet Take Off U.S. Air Force

General Atomics won a $33.7 million contract, which provides for logistic support, maintenance services, supply chain and spares management, and sustainment support in support of the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft and its dual control mobile ground control station. The MQ-9 Reaper is the primary offensive strike unmanned aerial vehicle for the US Air Force. It is part of a remotely piloted aircraft system. A fully operational system consists of several sensor/weapon-equipped aircraft, ground control station, Predator Primary Satellite Link, and spare equipment along with operations and maintenance crews for deployed 24-hour missions. Work will take place in Arizona, Bahrain and California. Estimated completion date is in July 2022.

An MQ-4C in Integrated Functional Capability (IFC)-4 configuration has made its first flight at NAS Patuxent River on July 29. The press release added that multiple MQ-4Cs have been modified into the IFC-4 configuration in support of IOC in 2023.

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale worth $3.4 billion of 18 examples of the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter to Israel. The package includes the King Stallion helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin, in Shelton, Conn., and up to 60 T408-GE-400 engines, made by GE Aviation, in Lynn, Mass., as well as up to 36 embedded navigation systems with anti-spoofing and an unspecified number of GAU-21 .50-caliber machine guns.

A Russian Su-35 fighter has crashed into the Sea of Okhotsk on July 31 after experiencing an engine failure in mid-air. The pilot ejected and was recovered safely.

An Italian F-35B Lightning II, belonging to the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) landed on the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour aircraft carrier for the first time on July 30, 2021 during navigation in the Gulf of Taranto. The aircraft is the BL-4 built at the Cameri Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO), in northwestern Italy, and recently delivered with the serial MM7454 and codes “4-03”, which flew for the first time in June. As the other two F-35Bs delivered to the Navy, it features the wolf’s head insignia on the tail, the wolf’s paw prints on the rudder, the Italian Navy roundel and the “MARINA” text.

South Korea has started deploying an upgraded version of its indigenous 81-millimeter mortar system. According to Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the development of the system took five years and was completed in 2019. The system is about 20% lighter and can now be move easily due to having its own carrier vehicles.

Watch: Italian Navy F-35B Lands Aboard ITS Cavour for the First Time

Raytheon won a $482.8 million contract modification, which provides for the exercise of the pre-priced options for Lot 35 production of AMRAAM missiles, AMRAAM Telemetry System, initial and field spares, and other production engineering support hardware and activities. The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is a new generation all-weather, missile. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2024.

Sikorsky won a $26.9 million contract modification for UH-60M green aircraft. The UH-60 Black Hawk has been operational in the US Army since 1978. More than 2,000 aircraft of different variants are in service with the U.S., and more than 600 have been exported. The primary mission of the Black Hawk helicopter is as a troop carrier and logistical support aircraft, but the helicopter can also be configured to carry out medical evacuation, command-and-control, search-and-rescue, armed escort, electronic warfare and executive transport missions. Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022.

Turkish state-owned defense firm ASFAT has received an order for four unmanned minesweeping equipment to Burkina Faso. “We made our first defense industry export to the region with the sale of 4 Mechanical Mine Clearing Vehicle,” the company announced in a Tweet. Earlier, ASFAT exported the vehicles’ sale to Azerbaijan where it is being used to clean its lands of mines.

The UK Ministry of Defense awarded BAE Systems approximately $348.77million to progress the design and development of Tempest, the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The British Future Combat Air Programme, Tempest, is expected to create 20,000 jobs every year from 2026 to 2050, and contribute £25 billion to the UK economy.

Taiwan has concluded the signing of the contract to buy the MS-110 reconnaissance pod, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on July 28. A total of six pods will be procured for the island’s F-16 fleet.

The Indian Air Force has inducted its second Rafale unit – 101 Squadron – at Hasimara Air Base on July 28. The second squadron is being raised at Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal. The first squadron—17 Golden Arrows—was raised in Ambala, Punjab in September last year.

Watch: The AMRAAM®-ER missile takes to the sky

Five defense contractors have been awarded contracts for the second phase of development of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, which is planned to replace the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Point Blank Enterprises, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems and Land Armaments, General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Industries will share a $299.4 million deal to develop digital designs of the new IFV.

President Joe Biden told US intelligence officials that he thinks a cyber breach could lead to a “shooting war” with a major global power. “I think it’s more likely we’re going to end up—if we end up in a war, a real shooting war, with a major power—it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence,” Biden said during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), according to a recording of his visit.

The commander of US Central Command said airstrikes in Afghanistan would continue as long as Afghan forces are being attacked by the Taliban as the US military pulls out of the country. CENTCOM commander Gen. Frank McKenzie noted the airstrikes in a visit to Kabul on Sunday, which comes as the US military has pulled about 95% of troops and equipment out of the country.

Northrop Grumman won a $19.7 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering risk reduction efforts to support the delivery schedule of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft FAA1-FAA3 for the government of France. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is the newest variant of the E-2 aircraft platform. It features a state-of-the-art radar with a two-generation leap in capability and upgraded aircraft systems that will improve supportability and increase readiness. Work will take place in Florida, New York and Ohio. Estimated completion will be by January 2022.

Spain’s Navantia shipyard has completed complex tropicalization work of the Roald Amundsen frigate (F-311) that Navantia designed and built for the Norwegian Navy between 2000 and 2011. The warship is second of the Fridjof Nansen Class (F310). These works, for which the contract was signed on July 2020, has improved the cooling capacity of the F311 frigate, which will allow it to navigate in conditions of much warmer ambient and water temperatures than the traditional operational scenarios of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The Yomiuri reports that Japan will send JS Kaga back to the dock for modernization works to prepare the warship to operate the F-35B. Meanwhile, the defense ministry is considering plans to have USMC F-35Bs operate from Kaga’s sister ship Izumo to test out the modifications that were done to allow the helicopter destroyer to operate the F-35B.

Taiwan Navy took delivery of its Tuo Chiang Class stealth corvette on Tuesday. Taiwan launched the first Tuo Chiang Class corvette named Ta Chiang in Yilan county in December. Dubbed “aircraft carrier killer,” the corvette is heavily armed.

Watch: Fridtjof Nansen Class General Purpose Frigate

Lockheed Martin won a $37 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure special tooling and test equipment for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter production line in support of second source canopy tooling and other known capacity gaps for the Navy, Marines, Air Force and non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will take place in California, Texas, Australia and New Jersey. Estimated completion will be in August 2023.

BAE Systems won a $117 million contract from Lockheed Martin to produce next-generation missile seekers for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The seeker technology enables LRASM to detect and engage specific maritime targets in contested environments with less dependence on traditional navigation systems. The next-generation seeker design reduces overall missile costs.

Raytheon won a $212 million delivery order for Morocco Fighter Aircraft Engines. The order is for F100-PW-229 install engines, Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2025. Morocco asked to procure 25 F-16C/D Block 72 jets, built by Lockheed Martin and 29 Pratt & Whitney F100-229 engines and other related equipment from the US government under a potential $3.9 billion FMS transaction the State Department approved in March 2019.

Thales has received an order from the French defense procurement agency (DGA) for 350 Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display systems that will be integrated on French Air Force and Navy Rafale fighters. The contract includes 400 digital multi-function displays that Thales says are larger with an improved touchscreen interface and greater processing power.

Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has purchased new long-range radars manufactured by Hensoldt and Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The contract calls for the delivery and installation of four long-range radars as part of the “Hughes Air Defense Radar Nachfolgesystem” (HADR NF) programme.

According to Jane’s, the Indian Navy has made several upgrades to its “Tabar” guided-missile frigate as seen in photos during deployments in the Mediterranean and Europe. The naval ship is now equipped with a new electronic warfare system built by Indian defense firm Bharat Electronics. The new system has been installed to replace an older Russian electronic warfare system.

Watch: INS Tabar Seen with New Combat System Upgrades…

Boeing won a $12 million order, which provides production engineering support in support of the integration and installation of weapon systems on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft for the Navy. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet are maritime strike attack aircraft. The Growler is a derivative of the combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s maritime strike aircraft. The primary missions of the aircraft are electronic attack (EA) and suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly at the start and ongoing early stages of hostilities. Work will take place in Maryland and Missouri. Estimated completion will be in July 2022.

The US Missile Defense Agency has carried out its most complex test so far on July 24 by firing four SM-6 Dual II missiles at two short-range ballistic missile targets. While one target was destroyed, the agency was not sure if the other target was intercepted. This is the third flight test of the SM-6 Dual II missile from a Aegis BMD-equipped warship. The firing ship for the test was the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) and it took place off Hawaii.

Russia has reportedly lent support to strengthen Syrian military’s air defense systems, which reports claim, is to offer protection against Israeli airstrikes. The United States was informed before Russia began upgrading the military equipment, London-based Arabic language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported citing “well-informed” Russian sources.

Royal Air Force (RAF)-operated Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, have completed a proof of concept exercise in Norway, which tested tactical ground-based refuelling capabilities at a dispersed forward operating location. The multi-role fighters were supported by an RAF-operated Airbus A330-243MRTT Voyager KC2/KC3 multi-role tanker transport and A400M Atlas C1 heavy-lift tactical transport from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, for the duration of the deployment.

South Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 says its proposed solution for the South Korean navy CIWS-II program has scored the highest marks in the evaluation by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). South Korea wants a new generation CIWS that has the same barrel and ammunition carriage system as the Goalkeeper. The CIWS-II will be integrated into the future aircraft carrier, destroyers, and frigates.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Command deployed the indigenously developed HJ-12 man-portable anti-tank missile that is similar in capabilities to the US-made Javelin in a recent military exercise in the deep plateau region. In an official release, the military announced it conducted a series of exercises and attached a photograph showing a soldier carrying a portable anti-tank missile that can be carried by a single person. Shanghai-based news website eastday.com identified it as the HJ-12, making it the weapon’s first public appearance in PLA service.

Watch: How Powerful is Javelin and HJ-12 Anti-Tank Missile

American firm AeroVironment received two firm-fixed-price orders totaling nearly $16 million from the United States Air Force to deliver Puma 3 AE unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and spares packages and Raven UAS spares packages. The hand-launched Puma 3 AE has a wingspan of 9.2 feet, weighs 15 pounds and can operate for up to 2.5 hours. The aircraft also has a range of 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) with a standard antenna, and up to 37.2 miles (60 kilometers) with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA). It also features reduced system packaging with a flyable configuration and GCS in one case.

A US Air Force plan to transfer all A-10 Thunderbolt planes and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters to Arizona was postponed, pending Congressional budget approval. The Air Force is waiting for action on the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes retirement of 42 A-10s, the branch said in a press release.

The first international unmanned air vehicle exercise organized by the Israeli Air Force has concluded this month. Teams from Israel, France, Italy, Germany, UK and US participated. Italy and United States sent two teams each.

Turkey’s STM Defense Technologies Engineering will deliver its Kargu rotary-wing attack drone loitering munition system to the first international customer. The Kargu UAVs entered Turkish Armed Forces’ inventory around two years ago. According to the company, Kargu is a portable, rotary wing attack drone designed to provide tactical ISR and precision strike capabilities for ground troops. The UAV has an endurance of 30 minutes and has a payload capacity of 1.3kg.

It was announced that during the Athens Flying Week in September, the Dassault Rafale fighter will be performing flying demonstrations. The flying schedule includes teams like Patrouille de France and Saudi Hawks. On the static display there will be F-15SA and Tornado from Saudi Arabia and F-16s from Denmark and Poland.

Dmitry Shugayev, the chief of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told Deutsche Welle that the Su-30 fighter jets ordered by Myanmar is still on schedule to be delivered to the country. Other countries had suspended trade deals and delivery of weapons after the country’s military ousted its civilian government.

Watch: Puma LE Unmanned Aircraft System

Parsons Government Services won a $953 million deal for US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) Air Base Air Defense services. The deal provides the USAFE-AFAFRICA with a layered base defense capability. According to the DoD, the capability will be employed across various sites within the area of responsibility. Work will take place in various locations throughout Europe and Africa. Estimated completion date is July 20, 2031.

Lockheed Martin won a $19 million contract modification to to procure 16 Operational Data Integrated Network Base kits, to include software installation and integration support for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program in support of the Navy, Air Force and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion date is January 2024.

Four more ex-Israeli F-16s have been delivered to Top Aces in the United States. An An-124 arrived in Israel on July 20 in the morning and departed in the afternoon with the cargo of four dismantled F-16s.

The French defense procurement agency (DGA) contracted Thales to provide new avionics equipment – 350 Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display systems and 400 digital multi-function displays- for Dassault Rafale fighter jets. The systems deliver enhanced tactical situational awareness and slave the weapon or mission systems to the pilot’s line of sight to improve the effectiveness of air operations. This new equipment will further enhance the operational effectiveness of the Rafale F4 standard.

The Financial Express says Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will respond to a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) tender for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). The newspaper says the price for the Tejas fighter being offered is $41 million each.

India’s state run Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested an indigenously developed low-weight, fire-and-forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). The missile was launched from a man-portable launcher integrated with thermal site and the target was mimicking a tank. The research and development agency added that the missile is incorporated with miniaturized infrared imaging seeker, along with advanced avionics. “The test validated the minimum range successfully,” DRDO said.

Watch: Hypnotic French Rafale Take-off From US Aircraft Carrier

Northrop Grumman won a $13 million contract modification for repair services for the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4C Triton. The Global Hawk and the Triton are both high-altitude surveillance aircraft. The Navy MQ-4C differs from the Air Force RQ-4 mainly in its wing. While the Global Hawk remains at high altitude to conduct surveillance, the Triton climbs to 50,000 ft to see a wide area and can drop to 10,000 ft to get further identification of a target. The Triton’s wings are specially designed to take the stresses of rapidly decreasing altitude. Work will take place in California, Utah, Virginia, New Mexico, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Kansas and Maryland. Estimated completion date is October 31, 2021.

Saab received an order valued approximately $75 million for Carl-Gustaf ammunition from the US Army. The deliveries will take place in 2022. The shoulder-fired ammunition order is placed within an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) framework agreement signed in 2019 between Saab and the US Army that allows the customer to place orders for Carl-Gustaf ammunition and the disposable AT4 shoulder-fired weapon systems during a five-year period. This order for the US Army and Marine Corps is comprised of seven different types of ammunition including anti-armor, anti-structure, smoke, and illumination rounds, all underlining the versatility of the multi-purpose Carl-Gustaf system.

According to news reports, an Alpha Jet was shot down by criminals on July 18. Nigerian Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet said the aircraft had carried out a successful interdiction mission on the border of Zamfara and Kaduna states when it “came under intense enemy fire” and crashed. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, ejected and was rescued.

Russia sent a commercial offer to India for the delivery of 21 MiG-29 fighters in response to a request for proposal from the Indian side. A spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) told the news to Russian media at the MAKS-2021 show on July 21.

The German Bundeswehr inked contract with Rheinmetall to supply 130,000 laser light modules worth a potential $210 million. To begin with, 2,460 devices worth a total of $3.5 million will be delivered. This is the largest order for laser light modules ever booked by the device’s maker, Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics of Stockach, Germany. The framework contract is initially set to run for seven years.

The Republic of Korea Air Force has commissioned Korean Air (KAL) and a research team from Seoul National University to study the feasibility of developing an air-launched space rocket that can send small satellites into orbit. The approach is similar to what Virgin Orbit is doing with its LauncherOne rocket by using a Boeing 747 airliner as the mothership. The South Korean government hopes to have this capability to send satellites into space by 2040.

Watch: Guided Carl-Gustaf® munition flight tests

Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $35.7 million deal for the procurement of AEGIS modernization (AMOD) kits for Navy DDG 51 Class destroyers and for the government of Japan under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Navy’s Aegis Modernization program provides updated technology and systems for CG 47 Class Aegis guided missile cruisers and DDG 51 Class Aegis guided missile destroyers. The DDG 51 Arleigh Burke destroyers provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. They can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. Work will take place in Massachusetts, Virginia and Burlington. Estimated completion will be by July 2024.

Boeing won a $25 million contract, which provides for the upgrade of the P-8A Poseidon maintenance training device suite, to include virtual maintenance trainers and related courseware and hardware in support of the P-8A aircraft platform to ensure the fleet receives training in current aircraft production baseline capabilities that align with real-life flight scenarios for the Navy and the government of Australia. The Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft. It is is operated by the United States Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the UK Royal Air Force. Additionally, It has been ordered by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Republic of Korea Navy. Work under the new deal will take place in Florida, Missouri, Washington and Australia. Estimated completion is in December 2023.

South Korea dispatched two KC-330s to Africa on July 18 after a COVID outbreak occurred onboard ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976). DDH-976 is on an anti-piracy mission there. According to local news, 247 sailors out of the 301 onboard the warship were tested positive. The aerial refueling tankers will bring a new crew to bring the warship home and to bring home everyone onboard the warship home for medical treatment. According to NHK, the warship had docked at a port in Africa and crew members developed flu symptoms soon after that.

According to the BBC, the Pentagon wants to build a large space tracking radar site in Britain. The 1km square site will be part of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) being developed by the US Space and Missile Systems Center. The facility will have around 20 parabolic antennas that are 15 metres in diameters each.

Naval Group inked a deal for the operational maintenance of the French Navy’s nuclear attack submarines (SSN) which will be in force for over three years. This agreement includes the maintenance operations of Rubis and Suffren-class SSNs and all the related services: engineering, maintenance of tools and spares, management of the stock of spares, training platforms and maintenance of nuclear installations necessary for the operational maintenance (MCO) of submarines.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced that Indonesia has decided to take up a follow on order for six T-50i advanced jet trainers. The deal is worth approximately $238 million and includes a maintenance package.

Watch: France’s New Nuclear Attack Submarines Are Killers

The MQ-9 in service with the US Air Force has carried out an Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) test and the drone is now cleared for Agile Combat Employment operations. A specialized launch and recovery crew is no longer required when the MQ-9 land and the unmanned air vehicle can now be diverted to a foreign field where it has never been before. The test was carried out by the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron on July 8. On the first day, the drone was flown from Creech to Cannon air force base using satellite control.

Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside aircraft has obtained airworthiness approval by the US Air Force, allowing the aircraft to enter its next phase of flight testing under Air Force direction. These flight tests aim to explore the unique attributes of the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) Heaviside aircraft and its potential utility for both military and commercial use cases under the supervision of AFRL engineers and other military stakeholders.

The Turkish defense company Aselsan has delivered a new electronic countermeasure system, nicknamed SANCAK, to the Turkish military, Defense News reports. “We have delivered the Next Generation Electronic Attack System SANCAK to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), which will provide a significant advantage in the field by neutralizing strategic communication systems,” Ismail Demir announced on Twitter. Sancak is the nickname of Aselsan’s MILKAR-4A2 high-frequency jamming system. It has been developed for electronic attack operations against high-frequency band (the part of the electromagnetic spectrum between frequencies 3 and 30 MHz) communication systems located on different platforms in the field. Aselsan claims the system can effectively jam targets “communicating through the ground wave, skywave and near vertical incidence skywave, or NVIS, in the HF communication band,” Defence News said.

The Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and its national industrial partners have jointly agreed to fund development of the European Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS), also known as Eurodrone. The OCCAR-Executive Administration (EA) Director and senior representatives from prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space from Germany and Spain signed an agreement on July 15 to allow European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) funding from the European Union to partially finance the project, which also includes Leonardo from Italy and Dassault from France.

According to the UK Defence Journal. BAE Systems has been awarded a £3 million ($4.1m) contract to provide technology for Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile system for the F-35. The new contract will see BAE Systems provide expertise of radar absorbing material and sensor development and technology integration to the highly capable Joint Strike Missile system which is currently being adopted by Norway and Japan.

The Australian-designed and manufactured Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light has achieved initial operational capability under the Project Land 121 Phase 4, the Department of Defense in Canberra announced on July 11. Minister for Defense Peter Dutton said the $1.49 billion project will see the new fleet of 1,100 Hawkei vehicles – and 1,058 companion trailers – rolled out to Australian army and air force units, adding that this capability will provide “a high level of protection for soldiers” from blast and ballistic threats, with significantly improved mobility enabling it to operate in high threat environments”.

Watch: Army’s new Australian-designed Hawkei protected vehicle

Sikorsky Aircraft won a $26.9 million contract modification for UH-60M Foreign Military Sales green aircraft. UH-60 Black Hawk is a multi-mission helicopter developed by Sikorsky that has been operational in the US Army since 1978. Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022.

Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV won an $8.6 million modification to support Javelin engineering services. The Javelin is a man-portable anti tank missile. Raytheon is responsible for the command launch unit (CLU), missile guidance electronic unit, system software and system engineering management. Lockheed Martin is responsible for the missile seeker, engineering and assembly. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is February 15, 2023.

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HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group has sailed into the Indian Ocean Region having recently transited the Suez Canal.  Following a series of successful engagements and operations in the Mediterranean it is now sailing East across the Indian Ocean towards India, according to the Ministry of Defense.

A press release from the British High Commission New Delhi says the UK Carrier Strike Group will soon conduct exercises with the Indian Navy. The High Commission says the deployment represents Britain’s “commitment to deepening diplomatic, economic and security ties with India and in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Negotiations by India to buy 100 General Electric F404 turbofan engines for the Tejas Mk1A fighter are about to be completed, new reports from India say. These will power the 83 Tejas Mk1A that the Indian Air Force recently ordered.

Watch: Here’s the most insane ability of A-29 Tucano in Action

The Navy awarded 600 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts (MACs) to businesses in multiple locations across 29 of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia for future competition of support service requirements to be solicited by Department of the Navy activities under rolling admissions of the SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort-NxG) multiple-award contract vehicle for engineering support services and program management support services in 23 functional areas. The government estimates the Navy will procure $5 billion worth of services annually through task orders issued under SeaPort-NxG. Each multiple-award contract has a base period of two and a half years and an ordering period option of five years. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia is the contracting activity and received 620 offers through a competitive solicitation for the rolling admissions.

Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control won a $160.5 million contract modification for production of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems M142 launchers and support requirements. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is the newest member of the MLRS launcher family. HIMARS is a lightweight mobile launcher, transportable via C-130 and larger aircraft for rapid deployment, that fires Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, the next-generation Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), and Extended-Range GMLRS rockets.  In October 2020, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the US State Department’s approval of the potential sales of 11 M142 HIMARS systems to Taiwan. Taiwan’s potential acquisition will also include 64 M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems.

BAE Systems won a six-year contract to deliver support and training to a new joint UK-Qatar Hawk squadron based at RAF Leeming, UK. The company will provide Qualified Flying Instructors as part of this contract, delivering both live and synthetic training to Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots.

Poland’s defense minister Mariusz B?aszczak announced that the country will acquire 250 Abrams tanks in the latest SEPv3 configuration. “So we are ordering the most modern tanks. Tanks available in the best equipped version, tanks that are combat proven, tanks which were constructed to counter the most modern Russian T-14 Armata tanks,” the minister was quoted as saying by Polish media.

Negotiations by India to buy 100 General Electric F404 turbofan engines for the Tejas Mk1A fighter are soon completed, new reports from India say. These will power the 83 Tejas Mk1A that the Indian Air Force recently ordered.

The US Army’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade will fire a Patriot missile in Australia during exercise Talisman Sabre on July 16. The firing drill at Shoalwater Bay will be the first time a Patriot missile has been fired in Australia.

Watch: Incredible Video of U.S. Marine’s Super Powerful M142 HIMARS Rockets In Action

The KC-46A has gotten its first Interim Capability Release (ICR) mission set, the approval to use its Centerline Drogue System. Air Mobility Command commander Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost gave the greenlight on July 9. The decision provides more daily “taskable” operational capabilities to the various services. “This decision reflects a risk-informed, data-driven, constraint-analyzed approach to releasing KC-46A operational capabilities to the joint force,” Van Ovost was quoted as saying.

The US Army awarded Raytheon approximately $321 million for Stinger missile production. The FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles and helicopters (as an air-to-air missile).

DynCorp International won a $27.6 million contract modification for maintenance support services for the government of Saudi Arabia’s Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command (RSLFAC). The RSLFAC inventory comprises UAVs for reconnaissance and strike missions, as well as the following helicopter types: Boeing AH-64D, Bell OH-58D and Sikorks UH-60L. Work will take place in Saudi Arabia. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2022.

Sudan is expected to give the green light to Russia for the latter to build a navy base on its territory. After meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Mariam al-Mahdi on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Mariam disclosed that Sudan is preparing for the ratification process. It will be carried out in accordance with procedures that exist in the Sudanese parliament.

Britain and the United States have extended a cooperative agreement between the two nations aircraft carrier fleets. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Tuesday in Washington, DC to strike the deal.

Lockheed Martin won a $23 million deal, which provides for the integration of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) country into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and provides country-specific program support for F-35 aircraft production, modifications, logistics, and sustainment efforts. Work will take place in Texas. Japan, Florida, California, UK and is expected to be finished in March 2025.

Watch: How Powerful is FIM-92 Stinger Missile • FIM-92 Stinger In Action