Defense`s Feeds

Americas Lockheed Martin won a 841.5 million modification, which exercises options to provide non-recurring site activation, initial sustainment and associated administrative support, to include fleet management, support equipment, pilot flight equipment, post ejection survival training material, program management, and earned value management in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program of the Air Force, […]

Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the EU’s flagship initiative for defence, has achieved a deepening of cooperation across all military domains over the past six years, but the European Union still lacks critical capabilities and strategic enablers for modern warfare, senior EU officials said on Wednesday. 

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles, EU High Representative Josep Borrell and European Defence Agency Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý all called for new energy to be injected into the EU defence initiative that was launched by Member States in December 2017.

High Representative Borrell - who is also head of EDA - told the PESCO conference on 13 September, organised by the Spanish presidency of the Council, to use PESCO and not work in silos. "Cooperation among Member States is key to strengthening EU defence and the defence industry. On this, PESCO plays a key role in supporting the ambitions set in the Strategic Compass," he said.

PESCO was launched as the “cornerstone of European defence”, Spain’s Minister Robles recalled. Now the war in Ukraine and the critical situation in the Sahel region remind Europeans that the EU needs to preserve peace through solid armed forces, adequate investments and defence capabilities, she said.  

Borrell praised the 68 collaborative projects, including the European Medical Command and the Cyber Rapid Response Teams that have reached full operational capacity (FOC) within PESCO. Twenty-two projects are slated to reach FOC in 2025.  

Some of PESCO’s other achievements include headway in prototyping and testing  unmanned  systems as well as in designing a new class of military ship. PESCO helps Member States to develop new assets together. This helps save money, allows militaries to work closely together, and reinforces NATO for those who are allies.  The framework has also received a boost as Denmark has joined as the 26th Member State.  

The conference in Brussels, attended by some 150 representatives, is part of efforts to feed into a strategic review that will follow after the initiative’s initial phase between 2018 and 2025. EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “We should use this window of opportunity to set its next political objectives, with Member States driving the European capability development process."

He also said: "A bold and concrete PESCO strategic review will be a sound political signal towards our citizens, but also our partners or competitors: governments of EU Member States are politically willing to advance common security and defence."

PESCO has 20 legally binding commitments for Member States, which include increasing defence spending, as well as planning and developing defence capabilities together. For PESCO’s next stage after 2025, Member States can decide to review  the commitments, as well as the number of projects. Performance indicators could also be introduced to measure PESCO  progress, diplomats, military staff and officials heard at the conference. 

To improve the sustainability of future defence mobility while retaining the highest performance demanded by military vehicles, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has been working on the development of hybrid drive trains for military use. EDA has formally kicked-off the HybriDT II (Hybrid Drive Train Demonstrator-phase 2) – project which involves the design of full-scale wheeled and tracked military purpose demonstrators with hybrid drive trains. The aim of HybriDT II is the design of demonstrators to verify simulation results and allow for tactical and logistic testing of new technologies. 

Phase two will work to identify the best technology for a modular and scalable hybrid architecture best fitting for military purpose which meets the objectives of significant weight saving, and space claim, thermal radiation reduction and fuel consumption reduction. Wheeled vehicles will be the primary focus of the research, with 8×8 and 6×6 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) will be considered. In addition, tracked vehicle applications will be investigated just within simulation.

The kick-off meeting, held on 6 September, has officially started the second phase   of the project (HybriDT II) that involves Germany, as lead contributing Member State, Austria, The Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia as contributing Member States. This phase of the project has a duration of 15 months and a total budget 1,7 M€. In the expected follow-on phase (HybriDT III), one or more demonstrators will be developed, manufactured and tested according to the results obtained in HybriDT II.

Pan-European consortium 

The project will be executed by a consortium composed of thirteen industrial and research entities:  the AVL List as project leader and General Dynamics European Land Systems – Steyr from Austria; the German AVL Schrick, AVL Software and Functions and Institute for Chemical Technology Fraunhofer; DNV, TNO and VDL from The Netherlands; the Polish Military University of Technology and Huta Stalowa Wola Ironworks; AVL Slovenia, Elaphe Propulsion Technology and University of Ljubljana (Slovenia).

Hybrid II project, prepared in the CapTech Ground Systems at EDA’s Research and Innovation Directorate, contribute to develop innovative propulsion and drivetrain systems, which could fulfil production of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), by introducing the most advanced technological trends in transportation.

EDA’s wider role 

EDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities. 

Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here.

Americas Raytheon won an $80.3 million modification, which adds scope to provide non-recurring tooling, equipment, and associated support required to increase the annual AIM-9X missile production capacity for the Navy. Work will be performed in St. Albans, Vermont; Simsbury, Connecticut; Keyser, West Virginia; Tucson, Arizona; Murrieta, California; St. Petersburg, Florida; Midland, Ontario, Canada; Anniston, Alabama […]

Americas Raytheon Technologies won a $220.9 million deal, which provides material and support equipment, program administrative, labor, supplies, services, planning, and unit level support equipment for F135 propulsion depot maintenance, non-recurring sustainment activities, and depot activations in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Military Sealift Command, […]

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $31.6 million modification for capability package development and fielding, system integration and fielding, and in-service sustainment in support of current configurations of the AEGIS combat system. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 2023. Western allies started a major naval exercise […]

Americas Oasis Systems won a $19 million deal for Sea Hunter and Seahawk operations and sustainment. This award includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this delivery order to $37,435,818. Work will be performed in San Diego, California; Ventura, California; Rockville, Maryland; Burlington, Massachusetts; and various locations across the US. Work […]

Americas Sikorsky won an $8.4 million delivery order for the repair of 17 motor controls and five actuator mechanical control processors in support of the CH-53K aircraft. All work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut. This contract contains no options, and work is expected to be completed by March 2027. Annual working capital funds (Navy) […]

Americas According to the Defense Post, the US Army is developing its new Command Post Integrated Infrastructure (CPI2) to enhance operability across the battlefield. CPI2 is a mobile command platform that is able to rapidly “tear down, move, and stand” command and control (C2) capabilities, helping the army achieve its top communications priorities while reducing […]

The European Defence Agency has so far signed eight framework contracts with European industry for the joint procurement of 155mm ammunition. The signing of the latest five contracts took place at EDA headquarters in Brussels on 5 September, during a visit of the European Union’s Political and Security Committee (PSC) ambassadors.  

High Representative Josep Borrell, who is also Head of the European Defence Agency, said: “We are taking another step forward in our three-track ammunition initiative. Member States can now pass orders within eight framework contracts. Time is of essence. Putin does not show any sign of letting up in his aggression against the Ukrainian people. This is why our military support for Ukraine’s defence must continue. ” 

EDA’s Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “The signing of these framework contracts between EDA and the European defence industry shows our capacity to swiftly secure the best deals possible for EU Member States and Norway. 

“We are now offering viable opportunities for Member States to place orders with industry through EDA, either to support Ukraine or to replenish their own national stocks. It is now up to Member States to make full use of these options,” he said.

To date, EDA has negotiated and signed the multiple framework contracts for the procurement of the 155mm ammunition round, also known as all-up-round, for the Panzerhaubitze 2000, as well as for the projectile and fuse components of ammunition for the Krab howitzer system.

More framework contracts will soon materialise for other howitzer systems. 

Collaborative procurement is the best option to achieve cost reduction from economies of scale and interoperability, while allowing Member States to purchase ammunition according to their national needs or in support of Ukraine. The overarching EDA project arrangement has been signed by 26 Member States and Norway. Flexible and inclusive, it allows all EDA Member States to join the initiative.

The ammunition being procured is for the most common self-propelled howitzers that EU Member States have sent to Ukraine: France’s Caesar; Poland’s Krab; Germany’s Panzerhaubitze 2000; and Slovakia’s Zuzana.

To comply with legal obligations and to protect commercially sensitive information, EDA cannot disclose the names of the contractors nor the unit prices at this stage, and does not comment on ongoing negotiations. 

These framework contracts have been signed as part of a three-track approach to deliver more artillery ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, agreed by the EU Council in March 2023. Through these three tracks, the EU is supporting Member States to deliver artillery ammunition and missiles from national stockpiles; to aggregate demand and jointly procure 155mm ammunition; and to ramp up the production capacity of the European defence industry.

EDA’s wider role 

EDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities. 

Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here. 

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $81.3 million modification to exercise options for Littoral Combat Ship class design support and integrated data and product model environment support. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia; Washington, DC; Marinette, Wisconsin; and Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by August 2024. The F-15EX Integrated Test […]

Americas Longbow won a $156.4 million deal for procurement of Apache Attack Helicopter Fire Control Radar and other support hardware and auxiliary services. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida; and Linthicum Heights, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2027. The Apache attack helicopter is a combat proven aircraft manufactured by American […]

Americas Raytheon won a $48.8 million deal for the repair of 10 forward-looking infrared components in support of the V-22 and CH-53 helicopters. This contract includes a five-year base period with no options. Work will take place in McKinney, Texas (40%); El Segundo, California (30%); Jacksonville, Florida (15%); and Goleta, California (15%). Work is expected […]

Americas A hypersonic missile data processing center is slated to be established at the Air National Guard base at Hector Field. This announcement was made by Senator John Hoeven, during the Grand Farm Autonomous Nation Conference at the Fargo Microsoft campus on August 29. The data center is a crucial component of the Sky Range […]

Americas Kihomac won a $12.5 million deal for A?10 aircraft nacelle doors. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five?year contract with no option periods. The performance completion date is August 31, 2028. Using military service is Air Force. Boeing won a $7 million delivery order for the the procurement […]

Americas Leidos has awarded CAE a deal to supply a Full Flight Simulator (FFS) for the US Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program. HADES seeks to enhance the service’s aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (A-ISR) capabilities by replacing existing ISR aircraft fleets that have been operational since the Cold War. CAE will […]

Americas Sikorsky won a $2 billion modification by the US Navy, which adds scope for Lots 7 and 8 block buy contract for a combined quantity of 35 CH-53K full-rate production aircraft, 27 for the Marine Corps and eight for the government of Israel, as well as provides associated aircraft and programmatic support, logistical support […]

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $83.1 million order, which provides for retrofit of two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft systems (B9 and B10) and one main operating base (MB-6P) to an Integrated Functional Capability Four, multiple-intelligence configuration for the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Palmdale, California; San Diego, California; Chantilly, […]

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $606.8 modification, which procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts in support of maintaining on-time production and delivery of 173, Lot 19, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; […]

Americas Oshkosh Defense won a $40.1 million modification by the Army for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of August 29, 2025. Fiscal 2022, 2023 and 2024 other procurement, Army funds; fiscal 2022, 2023 and 2024 procurement, Marine Corps funds; fiscal 2023 procurement, Navy […]