Defense`s Feeds

BAE Systems won an $8.6 million contract modification, which provides for the procurement of 20 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 130 FLU-10 inflators for the Navy, in addition to 60 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 70 FLU-10 inflators for the government of Japan. The E-2 Hawkeye is the Navy’s all-weather, carrier-based tactical battle management airborne early warning, command and control aircraft. The E-2 is a twin engine, five crewmember, high-wing turboprop aircraft with a 24-foot diameter radar rotodome attached to the upper fuselage. Work will take place in Phoenix, Arizona and Orchard Park, New York. Estimated completion will be in November 2023.

Oshkosh Defense LLC won a $17.4 million contract modification to exercise an option covering priced man-hours, labor, material and fees on material for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) system technical support JLTV retrofit efforts. Estimated completion date is December 30, 2020. The company also won a $16.8 million modification to exercise options for packaged kits for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family of vehicles with an expected completion date of November 30, 2023. Oshkosh Defense is a global leader in the design, production and sustainment of best-in-class military vehicles and mobility systems. The company developed its JLTV for the US Army and Marine Corps, to replace the aging fleet of High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV/Humvee). Work will take place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Russia and Turkey are negotiating the possible delivery of an additional batch of S-400 Triumf air-defense systems to Ankara, the director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS), Dmitry Shugayev, said on March 16. He reported that the negotiations are at an advanced stage and technical issues have been agreed. “We are planning to sign the second contract for the S-400s in the foreseeable future. This deal suggests some involvement of the Turkish side in the production of hardware,” said Shugayev, describing the co-operation with Turkey as “mutually beneficial”. Turkey has received a first S-400 regiment and its crews are being trained.

Leading aerospace companies have responded to the UK government’s call to develop and build ventilators to help cope with the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Airbus and GKN are set to join other aerospace and automotive companies to develop and build a ventilator prototype in the coming days, ahead of large-scale production within a month. Other aerospace companies named at this stage comprise Meggitt, Thales, and Renishaw, while McLaren and Nissan are to lead two separate consortia from the automotive sector. According to the Financial Times (FT) which first reported the development, the three consortia aim to manufacture 5,000 ventilators urgently, with a further 30,000 to follow in time. The Birmingham-based research centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult is to lead the overall effort, which is being backed by the UK government’s business ministry.

Both the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) and the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) scheduled for later this year were cancelled within minutes of each other on March 20. The organizers of FIA said that the 2020 running of the biennial event, which was due to take place from July 20 to 24, will not now happen as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At about the same time, the organizers of RIAT, which was due to take place from July 17 to 19, said the same thing. The FIA and RIAT events are arguably the two most important gatherings in the UK aviation calendar and the loss of both will come as a huge setback to the industry.

India has won a $40 million defense deal to supply military radars to Armenia. Under the deal, India will supply four indigenously-built weapons-locating radars to Armenia. Russian and Polish firms were also in the race for the deal. The supply of the equipment to Armenia has already begun under the ‘Make in India’ initiative and this is being considered as a big achievement. Reports also stated that Armenia had conducted various trials of the systems offered by Russia and Poland. Even though the Russian and Polish systems were good, they decided to ahead with the reliability of the Indian system.

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The year 2019 was another busy and productive year for the European Defence Agency, one worth to be looked back at. The 2019 Annual Report, published today, provides a good overview of the work accomplished in EDA’s various activity domains throughout the past year.   

The report reflects the progress made in the wide spectrum of the Agency’s activities, from its central role in the implementation of the EU defence initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF) and the increasing number of defence research and capability development projects and programmes, to the launch of new enablers and incentives for defence cooperation and EDA’s growing interface role towards wider EU policies. 

The PDF version of the 2019 Annual Report can be downloaded here.

Lockheed Martin Space won a $601.3 million modification for the submarine-launched ballistic missile (model) Trident II D5 production and deployed systems support. The Trident D5 or UGM-133A Trident II is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the American and British navies. It was first deployed in March 1990. A total of 14 US Navy submarines are armed with Trident II ballistic missiles, each carrying 24 missiles. The Trident missile has a range from 6,400 to 11,250 km. The dimensions of the Trident II missile are 1,360 cm long with a diameter of 210 cm, and the weight is 59,000 kg. The Trident II missile is deployed aboard Ohio-class submarines, each capable of carrying 24 missiles. Under the provisions of the Polaris Sales Agreement, it is also carried aboard the United Kingdom’s Vanguard-class submarines. Work will take place in Utah, California, Colorado, Florida and Virginia. Estimated completion will be in September 2024.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $98.7 million contract for sustainment of the Littoral Combat Ship Component Based Total Ship System – 21st Century -(LCS COMBATSS-21); and associated combat system elements. The work includes development, integration, test and delivery of future combat system baseline upgrades for in-service ships, supporting ship integration, installation and checkout, developmental test/operational test, developing training and logistics products, providing field technical support for combat systems, providing hardware engineering, equipment procurement and providing life-cycle supportability engineering and fleet support for fielded baselines. The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). It is a steel monohull design constructed by Lockheed Martin in the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. Work will take place in Virginia and Florida as well as various other locations.

Environmental Chemical Corp. won a $9.8 million task order modification under the global contingency construction, multiple award contract for the exercise of Option One, which provides for the design, fabrication, transportation and installation of a waterside obstacle system at Mina Salman, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain. Environmental Chemical Corporation is a chemical solution manufacturer. The Company supplies industrial chemical products such as metal cleaners, drain cleaners, and polishes to commercial organization. Work will take place at Mina Salman, NSA Bahrain and estimated completion will be by August 2020.

France is taking measures to assure people are staying inside during the coronavirus-crisis. The european country is calling up helicopters and drones to boost the government’s attempts to keep people in their homes, police officials said Saturday. One helicopter was already in use on Saturday, hovering above major Paris parks to ensure that confinement rules were respected. Meanwhile the French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly announced on March 18 that the army, armed forces medical services, and air force would help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The Army’s medical regiment is preparing a military mobile intensive care unit that will be deployed in the following days in Mulhouse next to the town’s hospital. Eastern France is one of the areas of the country that has been most impacted by the virus.

The Hindu is reporting that four P-8I that India is buying will be delivered starting from May. The Indian Navy had exercise its option for the four aircraft as part of its purchase for 8 P-8Is. Delivery of the new aircraft is expected to be completed by 2022. These systems are available to India following the conclusion of the foundational agreement Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with the US. In November 2019, the Defense Acquisition Council, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the procurement of six additional P-8I aircraft. These aircraft, for which the deal is being processed, would come fitted with the encrypted systems as and when they are delivered.

India is fast-tracking negotiations to acquire 10 Russian-made Kamov Ka-31 ‘Helix’ airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) helicopters in time for the expected commissioning in 2021 of Vikrant, the Indian Navy’s indigenously designed aircraft carrier. The Indian Navy wants to finalize the Ka-31 import, which was approved by the Ministry of Defense in May 2019 for an estimated $478.8 million, given that up to four of the AEW&C platforms are expected to be embarked on the 37,750-tonne carrier.

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“North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family, a family of 30 nations and almost 1 billion people. A family based on the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and safer together," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski said: "We cannot rejoice and mark the event as it should [be marked] … But, this is a historic success that after three decades of independence, finally confirms Macedonian security and guarantees our future. Congratulations to all of you! We deserve it!”

Pendarovski signed the so-called instrument of accession after Spain earlier in the week became the last alliance member to ratify the former Yugoslav republic’s membership.

Since gaining independence, one of the strategic goals of the country was to join NATO, as was stated in 1993, and the relationship with Alliance was always marked by close cooperation. North Macedonia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) in 1995, and in 1999 the country submitted its first Membership Action Plan. Furthermore, North Macedonia deployed troops in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2002 to end 2014 and is currently supporting the follow-on Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces. Before that, the country was a key partner in supporting NATO-led operations in Kosovo in 1999, as well as to provide logistical support to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission.

The 20th NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008 was more than symbolic, as it was expected that Albania, Croatia and (then) Macedonia would receive an invitation to join NATO. However, although Albania and Croatia did receive the invitation and became members a year later.

It marks the end of a long quest for the former Yugoslav republic. Joining NATO and the European Union has been a priority for its leaders, but a dispute with neighboring Greece over the country’s name stalled progress for more than two decades. North Macedonia previously was known as FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), a name it shared with a Greek province. Under a 2017 deal with Athens, the country changed its name and Greece agreed to drop objections to its NATO and eventual EU membership.

On the other hand, Kržalovski thinks that until now the participation of North Macedonia in NATO mission was symbolic.

“We have also increased defense part of the budget, though we are not at the level of 2% of the GDP yet. As a small country, both the requirements and expectations from other members are not so high, and our participation so far in NATO missions were rather symbolic, although we have participated with a relatively high number of soldiers in proportion to the overall size of the Army”, explains Kržalovski.

The budget increase that he mentions is DEN 10,133,000,000 for 2020, or about 1.4% of North Macedonia’s total GDP, which is an increase over 2019 when it was about 1.19% of total GDP. Interestingly, this is a third year of the defense budget increase, but it is still far from the prescribed 2% of BDP. However, this is not a major problem, as many current NATO members have not fulfilled this provision.

Source

Colonna Shipyards won an $8.9 million deal for an 80-day shipyard availability for the emergency dry-docking of Navy Ship Spearhead (T-EPF 1). The Spearhead Class Expeditionary Fast Transport shipbuilding program to provide “a platform intended to support users in the Department of the Navy and Department of the Army. The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) program is a cooperative effort for a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intratheater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) is a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of intra-theater personnel and cargo lift, providing combatant commanders high-speed sealift mobility with inherent cargo handling capability and agility to achieve positional advantage over operational distances. Work will take place in Norfolk, Virginia and is expected to be finished 2020.

DoD is slated to receive $8.3 billion to fight COVID-19 in a new White House request, Breaking Defense reports. Not one of the Navy’s 82 ships currently underway has received coronavirus test kits for their crews. “There are currently no FDA approved testing platforms that are suitable for placement on forward operating Naval Ships,” a Navy official told Breaking Defense. The Navy official also said the fleet has three ships “with preventative medicine teams aboard with portable testing machines. These machines are currently only approved to do surveillance testing for COVID-19.” That testing can detect signs of different illnesses, but cannot identify COVID-19. Currently, only one aircraft carrier, an amphibious ship, and the USS Blue Ridge command ship have the surveillance test machines. Meanwhile the New York Times reports that the virus is spreading across the Navy with military medical investigators probing what officials say is the second confirmed coronavirus test tied to the crew of the amphibious warship Boxer.The coronavirus pandemic has caused over 8,000 deaths worldwide.

Construction Helicopters won a $34 million task order modification, which provides continued support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization Air Command-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command. The services provide dedicated rotary wing air transportation to move passengers, cargo and human remains as well as perform casualty evacuation in support of the Afghan Air Force. The services provide dedicated rotary wing air transportation to move passengers, cargo and human remains as well as perform casualty evacuation in support of the Afghan Air Force. Work will take place in Afghanistan. Option period of performance is from March 19, 2020 to March 18, 2021.

Navistar Defense won an $11.4 million Foreign Military Sale to Iraq. The deal provides for 6×6 and 4×4 general transport trucks, recovery vehicles, and spare parts. Work will take place in Springfield, Ohio, and Ooltewah, Tennessee. Estimated complete date is February 28, 2021. The US Army Contacting Command is the contracting activity.

According to Jane’s, the Eurofighter consortium has a strategy in place to ensure that work across its four national production lines continues amidst the worsening coronavirus crisis. The deliveries to the four partner nations of Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK are all recently completed. The pan-European consortium has now introduced plans to protect the delivery of its outstanding orders for Kuwait and Qatar. The program-of-record (PoR) for the Eurofighter partner nations of 160 aircraft for the UK, 143 for Germany, 96 for Italy, and 73 for Spain was concluded in January. The export orders of 15 aircraft for Austria, 12 for Oman, and 72 for Saudi Arabia, had already been delivered, leaving an outstanding backlog of 28 aircraft for Kuwait and 24 for Qatar. To satisfy these Kuwaiti and Qatari orders, all four national production lines will manufacture parts, with final assembly to take place at Caselle and Warton respectively. The delivery of these two orders, expected from late 2020 to 2023 for Kuwait and from 2022 to an unspecified date in the mid-2020s for Qatar, will conclude the 623-aircraft PoR for the partner nations and export customers.

Recent reports might be hinting that the company’s JL-9 advanced jet trainer will soon be converted for carrier-borne operations. The company said it will secure naval Mountain Eagle (JL-9) development and production victory. Of note, the JL-9 is in service with the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) as a land-based trainer. Having been already delivered to the Chinese Navy, the naval version of the JL-9 is now training aircraft carrier jet pilots on land-based airfields, but China still does not have an aircraft carrier-based trainer aircraft that can take off and land on an actual carrier.

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Co-funding worth some 5 million euros from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) has been allocated to an EDA-supported defence research project aimed at developing protective clothing for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Proposed by the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the ‘Active Protection Costume EOD’ project benefited from EDA’s dedicated expertise in its successful ESIF application.  

Front-line EOD operators face severe risks when identifying, disabling or dismantling explosive devices, be it in military operations or in a civilian context (terrorism, unexploded ammunition in former conflict zones, etc). To provide them with best possible protection, the ‘Active Protection Costume EOD’ project is developing a special protective suit based on innovative materials and numerical simulations for structures.   

The consortium in charge of the development encompasses STIMPEX S.A., a Romanian SME, the Romanian Scientific Research Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology as well as the National Institute for Research and Development for Non-Ferrous and Rare Metals. 

The successful ESIF application of this project is testimony to EDA’s important role in helping defence project access EU funding opportunities. After a number of successful pilot cases, the Agency now actively facilitates access for all defence-related stakeholders (MoDs, industry, R&T organisations, academies, labs, etc.) to available funding at European level, with the help of its online "IdentiFunding" tool: a user-friendly and customised software application which allows interested parties to search for eligible EU funding for their specific defence projects and activities.
 

• European Funding Gateway for Defence 

The Haskell Co. won a $9.5 million contract for the construction of the P680 CH-53K cargo loading tower at the Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina. Work will provide a high-bay facility that will house an operations trainer to support CH-53K helicopter pilot and crew chief training program. Construction includes a deep pile foundation, grade beams and reinforced concrete slabs to provide the building’s base while reinforced concrete masonry unit exterior walls and a standing seam metal roof provide the building enclosure.  This facility will provide a covered, all-weather training environment for the ground operations aircrew trainer, a fuselage trainer device, pallet storage, retrieval and build-out packages associated with troop deployment and mobility. The facility includes high-bay roll-up doors and concrete drive aprons to accommodate moving the aircraft frame in and out of the building. Work will take place in New River, North Carolina. Estimated completion date is April 2022.

BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin to design and manufacture next-generation infrared seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system, the company announced on March 17. Part of the design work will be conducted in Huntsville, Alabama. The THAAD weapon system intercepts hostile ballistic missiles with kinetic force during their final, or terminal, phase of flight. BAE Systems’ seeker provides infrared imagery that guides interceptors to their intended targets, destroying enemy warheads inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere. The company has been developing and producing missile defense seeker technology for more than four decades, and has delivered more than 500 THAAD seekers to date.

Israel’s defense companies are preparing to prevent damage to production of weaponry, which is mostly for the IDF, Israel Defense reports. The spread of the coronavirus forces many countries all over the world to take strict measures. The defense sector in Israel is also adopting to tackle the threat from COVID-19. Employees of defense firms were instructed to avoid crowded places such as restaurants, pubs, Purim parties and so on, out of an understanding that a critical facility could be shut down if even one employee is infected. Ministry of Health directives stipulate limiting large conferences of 5,000 people or more, and companies are understandably not taking risks. Under a Defense Ministry directive, every defense company must have a wartime emergency plan. This plan defines procedures for operational continuity but it is not suitable for pandemics, and as a result it is being expanded to address the Coronavirus outbreak. Every major company has overlapping production lines in Israel and abroad for some of its products. In this manner, it is possible to transfer mass production if a few locations cease to function. However, there is no such solution for the extreme case of a national pandemic. If the government does not perform geographical segmentation in time and does not inspect the areas where the factories are located, it is possible that the Israeli defense sector will be on the verge of shutdown, Israel Defense reports.

Germany will end its Tornado reconnaissance flights against the so-called Islamic State (IS) on March 31, the Ministry of Defense announced on March 11 after the federal government extended the mandate of other German forces in Iraq. Four Luftwaffe Tornado reconnaissance aircraft have been operating from Al-Azraq in Jordan in support of the coalition since July 2017 after previously having conducted the mission from Incirlik, Turkey. The German MoD said the reconnaissance mission would be taken over by Italy, which deployed Eurofighters to Al Mubarak in Kuwait early last year, taking over the reconnaissance mission from AMX aircraft in March 2019. The Eurofighters are fitted with the Reccelite II reconnaissance pod, complementing the Italian Predator unmanned aerial vehicles also deployed to Al Mubarak. The Luftwaffe will continue to provide aerial refueling to the anti-IS coalition. This mission has been conducted from Al-Azraq since July 2017 by a Luftwaffe Airbus A310 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), which was joined by an A400M air-to-air refueling version in July 2019.

As part of its 2019 defense procurement program, the Swiss Army recently placed an order with Rheinmetall for the VarioRay LLM laser light module. A contract to this effect was signed in December 2019 with Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse). Delivery of 9,640 devices is set to commence in May 2020 and be complete by the end of 2022. The order is worth a figure in the lower two-digit euro million range. The Swiss Army calls the laser light LLM 19 and it will be used on the Swiss soldiers’ assault rifles, as part of Germany’s Future Soldier System-Extended System (IdZ-ES) when used by the German Army. In fact, the British Army also employs the system, under the name Laser LightModule MK3.

Earlier this month, Japan’s defense chief paid a visit to Vietnam. While the interaction was just one of several scheduled engagements between the two sides, it nonetheless spotlighted some of the ongoing activity in the naval aspect of their defense relationship. Vietnam and Japan have agreed to expand collaboration in naval shipbuilding projects, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense (MND) has said. The MND said Vietnam and Japan have agreed to “implement a co-operation project in the field of shipbuilding [and] technology transfers in military shipbuilding”. It added that the new agreement also facilitates Japanese support to Vietnam in “defense industrial technical training” as well as sharing defense industry “expertise and experiences”.

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Raytheon won a $18.2 million delivery order for the repair of the APG 65/73 radar systems in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. Originally developed by the Hughes Aircraft Company, now Raytheon, the AN/APG-65 radar systems have been in regular use by the US Navy and Marine Corps, along with foreign militaries, since the early 1980s, and the AN/APG-73 has been in use since its development in the early 1990s, according to Raytheon. The AN/APG-73 was integrated into upgraded F/A-18 Hornet aircraft models C and D, along with early editions of the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Work will take place in Indiana and is expected by March 2022.

General Dynamics Electric won a $13.1 million deal for additional fiscal 2020 development studies and design efforts for Virginia Class Submarines. The Virginia Class new attack submarine is an advanced stealth multimission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations. The Electric Boat division of General Dynamics, Connecticut, is the lead design authority for the Virginia Class. General Dynamics Electric Boat has built the first of the class – Virginia (SSN 774), and Northrop Grumman Newport News the second – Texas (SSN 775). Work will take place in McLeansville, North Carolina and will be complete by September 2020.

The USS Carney conducted a scheduled port visit in Cape Town, South Africa, while patrolling European and African waters with the US 6th Fleet. The Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, stationed in Rota, Spain, made the weekend visit on March 15 at the invitation of Lana Marks, US ambassador to South Africa. Marks attended a brief ceremony aboard the ship. “This visit of the USS Carney to Cape Town is a symbol of the United States’ commitment to encouraging commerce with Africa, protecting sea routes for the benefit of all countries, and promoting trade with South Africa,” she said, “and this visit is just the beginning of even stronger and ever more amazing relations between our two militaries and our two countries.” The ship traveled to South Africa from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, and will continue westward.

The budget committee of the Bundestag, the German parliament, approved the launch of the systems architecture definition phase for the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), the German Ministry of Defense announced. The ministry described the two-year study as “an important next step in the continuation of German-French co-operation” and in the realization of the jointly funded MGCS project. The MGCS will replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerq tanks starting in the mid-2030s, retaining mechanized combat capabilities and developing them in line with the threat, especially for fighting armored forces within the framework of territorial and alliance defense, according to the German MoD.

The Indian Navy will lease a 260 meter berth in a private shipyard in Kattupalli for its indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The warship was suppose to make Vishakhapatnam its home port but the base is not ready to receive the ship. The lease for the berth is from 2022 to 2030. India has plans of having at least two aircraft carriers at any point of time looking after the eastern and western seaboards to look after the vast exclusive economic zone and maritime boundaries.

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has received a $325 million contract to design and build the first Ulsan Class Batch III frigate for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN). The contract, which has been signed with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, was announced on March 16. The vessel is the first of six 3,500-tonne frigates planned for the batch. The contract covers detailed designed work and construction of the first-of-class. HHI received the contract to carry out basic design work for the batch in 2016. The frigate can utilize its electric propulsion systems during anti-submarine operations to minimize its acoustic signatures. Accordingly, the vessel will rely on gas turbine propulsion when it needs to operate at high speeds, said HHI.

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Northrop Grumman won a $49.1 million contract modification for engineering services to support the Littoral Combat Ship Mission Modules Program. The deal modifies a contract awarded in March 2017. It funds engineering services for gun mission modules, including support for outfitting and installation, interim deport level maintenance, engineering support and sustainment as well as incidental costs related to engineering services for mission modules. LCS mission modules will have the capability to be changed, tested and available to be deployed within 24 hours. Work will take place in New York, Florida, California,Massachusetts, Florida and Washington DC. Estimated completion will be by March 2021.

Lockheed Martin and the US Navy are set to integrate the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system onto an Arleigh Burke destroyer in 2021. The move comes after the laser system underwent the US Navy’s Critical Design Review (CDR). Set to undergo system integration in Moorestown, New Jersey this year, the HELIOS system will then be tested at the Wallops Island Navy land-based test site. This is expected to significantly reduce program risk prior to its delivery to a shipyard for integration into an Arleigh Burke destroyer. HELIOS will become an integrated component of the destroyer’s Aegis combat system.

Iran’s primary way of threatening the US and its allies in the region is its inventory of about 2,500-3,000 ballistic missiles, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Kenneth McKenzie told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 10. Gen McKenzie did not breakdown the types of missiles that make up this arsenal but indicated most are shorter-range weapons when he explained why the US military is moving more assets to Prince Sultan Air Base in central Saudi Arabia. He confirmed that the US is also moving air defense assets to Iraq, where he said the US has around 5,000 soldiers deployed, to defend against Iranian ballistic missile attacks. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) attacked US personnel at Ain al-Asad Air Base on January 8 in retaliation for the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani, a high-profile IRGC commander who developed and directed pro-Iranian militant groups across the region.

The UK Government has sent aid to the Turkey-Syria border, which it says will provide much-needed relief and protection for Syrians amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib. A Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter carrying 37 tonnes of UK aid landed in Hayat on March 11. The supplies on board include tents to provide life-saving shelter, hygiene kits, blankets, water purification tablets, cooking equipment and lanterns for around 300 families who have been forced to flee their homes and seek safety in harsh conditions. The aid supplies are being distributed in the worst affected areas including Idlib in north west Syria, with the cooperation of the Turkish Red Crescent. The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syria crisis, providing more than £3.1 billion to trusted partners in Syria and the region since 2011.

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has assured that the delivery of four Rafale fighters to India is still on schedule despite worries over the spread of coronavirus. Speaking on television program ‘Aap Ki Adalat’, Singh said the jets are expected to be home by end of May. His assertion comes in the wake of reports that Coronavirus scare may hit the delivery schedule of four Rafale jets which were expected in May this year. The four Rafale jets will be inducted in the Indian Air Force at its station in Ambala.

Brunei has announced a defense budget of $430 million for 2020-21. The country’s Ministry of Defense said on March 12 that the new budget is a 0.27 per cent increase over the allocation in 2019-20. The 2020-21 defense budget amounts to about 10 per cent of total government expenditure for the year. MINDEF said the defense budget reinforced the country’s three-pillar defense policy – diplomacy, deterrence, and ‘holistic defense’ – in addressing the country’s challenges, which include protecting Brunei’s assets in the South China Sea, cyber defense, and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

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Alliant Techsystems Operations won a $165 million contract modification, which exercises an option to procure Lot Nine, full rate production of Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM). This modification includes the conversion of Advanced Guided Missile-88B High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles into 253 AGM-88E AARGM all up rounds for the Navy, and two Captive Air Training Missiles for the government of Germany. Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile is a supersonic, air-launched tactical missile system. It has the capability to perform Destruction of Enemy Air Defense missions and is an upgrade to the US Navy AGM-88 HARM system. AARGM is able to rapidly engage traditional and advanced land- and sea-based air defense threats, as well as non-radar, time-sensitive strike targets. Northrop Grumman’s potential material solution to the US Navy’s AARGM Extended Range requirement utilizes existing AARGM sensors, electronics and warhead. AARGM is an air-launched missile with the capability to rapidly engage air-defense threats. AARGM is currently deployed with the US Navy and US Marine Corps on the F/A-18C/D Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. AARGM is also integrated on the Italian Air Force’s Tornado Electronic Combat aircraft.

Northrop Grumman Systems won an $86.2 million modification, which exercises options to provide sustainment, engineering, logistics and test support for MQ-4C Triton aircraft mission control and operator training systems. In addition, this effort includes procurement of field service representative’s technical support to ensure that the MQ-4C unmanned surveillance aircraft are mission-capable for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions supporting early operational capability. The Navy will obligate $200K from fiscal year 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds; $5.8M from fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds; and $55.5M from fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds at the time of award, with $5.8M set to expire at the end of the current Fiscal Year. The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude long endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle designed for the US Navy as a surveillance aircraft. Work will take place in Maryland, Florida, Guam and California and estimated completion will be by March 2021.

Boeing won an $8 million contract modification, which exercises an option to continue phase one design maturity, analysis and test planning for the Stand-off Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) production line in support of the government of Saudi Arabia. SLAM-ER, a derivative of Harpoon, is an air-dropped surgical strike weapon against high-value land targets or ships at sea or in port. A highly accurate man-in-the-loop cruise missile, SLAM-ER can be launched from a range of more than 150 nautical miles and is reprogrammable in flight, according to Boeing. Work will take place in Missouri, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, and various other locations within the US. Estimate completion will be in March 2020.

The second of nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) for the Royal Air Force arrived in the United Kingdom on March 13. Aircraft ZP802 flew into Kinloss Barracks in Scotland some six weeks after the first aircraft, ZP801 Pride of Moray, arrived from the United States on February 4. Both these aircraft and the remaining seven to be delivered will be operated from RAF Lossiemouth a short distance away from Kinloss Barracks, when construction of new facilities is to be completed later in the year. Operations are set to commence in early Q4 2020, with the type being flown by 120 Squadron and 201 Squadron, with 54 Squadron serving as the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). The delivery of the first Poseidon MRA1s marks a major milestone in the reconstitution of the UK’s airborne maritime patrol capability that was put on hiatus in 2010 with the retirement of the BAE Systems Nimrod MR2 and the cancellation of its Nimrod MRA4 replacement. Once fully operational, the Poseidons will assume responsibility for protecting the Royal Navy’s two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, as well as undertaking their baseline maritime patrol aircraft and anti-submarine warfare roles.

Marshall Advanced Composites signed an $11.6 million contract with Lockheed Martin to manufacture and supply cockpit trim panels for its C-130J Super Hercules airlifter for the next five years. “We are delighted to have received this five-year contract from Lockheed Martin. It really is testament to the hard work of the team and strength of our partnership with Lockheed Martin“, said Advanced Composites General Manager, Carl Morse. He continued: “We’ve been supplying the panels for over 20 years and have historically been on a series of relatively short term contracts, however our proven ability to drive cost out of the supply, outstanding on-time delivery record and appetite to innovate our processes has given our customer the confidence to make another long-term commitment. The panels are manufactured at Marshall’s composites facility in North Yorkshire from phenolic glass fibre sandwich panels with a Nomex honeycomb core, followed by finishing operations such as painting, electrical assembly and integration to provide Lockheed Martin with lineside kits of plug and play parts to their Marietta facility.

India is struggling to finalize the date for induction of the first four Rafale jets amid speculations of delayed delivery of fighter jets from France due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) threat. The first four Rafale fighters India ordered from France were supposed to return home in May but that could be delayed. India is now waiting for Dassault Aviation to respond back on the date of the flight but there are indications that the current coronavirus situation has affected those plans. Ambala Air Force station, which will be home to the first four Rafale jets, is getting ready itself for the induction ceremony. Infrastructure facilities, including hanger bays, have been created in Ambala for the first squadron of Rafale jets named as 17 Squadron or the Golden Arrows. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal to counter the Chinese threat.

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : India’s 1st UGCV Sooran,500 TAR Delivered,Desi UCAV, VSHORAD Deal Approval

The European Defence Agency (EDA) takes additional precautionary measures to those announced on 4 and 6 March, in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The measures are in line with advice received by the Belgian national authorities on 12 March and considering the approach taken at EU level.  All measures have been communicated to staff and point of contacts in the Member States.

The following measures are currently implemented and are constantly reviewed: 

• All meetings and events planned to be hosted by the Agency until 8 April included will be postponed to a later date.
• As of 16 March, all EDA staff in non-critical functions will telework, until further notice. Colleagues who ensure critical functions will continue to be present at the Agency.
• Any person with symptoms is asked to stay at home and self-isolate.
• Hygiene measures are systematically being reinforced and staff have been asked to observe them meticulously.
• All non-essential travel arrangements are to be cancelled until 8 April included.  

The European Defence Agency is monitoring the situation closely and stands ready to review or introduce further measures if required. 

Raytheon Missile won a $109.6 million contract modification for MK 15 Close-In Weapon System upgrades and conversions, system overhauls and associated hardware. MK 15 Phalanx CIWS provides ships of the US Navy with an inner layer point defense capability against anti-ship missiles, aircraft and littoral warfare threats that have penetrated other fleet defenses. Phalanx automatically detects, evaluates, tracks, engages and performs kill assessment against ASM and high speed aircraft threats. The current Phalanx variant adds the ability to counter asymmetric warfare threats through the addition of an integrated, stabilized, Electro Optic sensor. Work will take place Kentucky, Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Arizona, Missouri, Utah, Texas. Estimated completion will be by October 2023.

The US Marine Corps has indicated that besides the Naval Strike Missile, the service intends to field the Maritime Strike Tomahawk missile for anti-ship role as well. It could be mounted on the same unmanned Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that the Marines is using for the Naval Strike Missile, Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration Lt. Gen. Eric Smith told lawmakers. In December the Marines shot a “slug” or inert round off the top of a JLTV to prove the missile could launch in that manner, and the test was successful. This effort is similar to work that was done with Lockheed’s Hellfire air-to-surface missile when the Navy wanted to put it on LCSs – the missile’s effectiveness was already proven, but testing needed to confirm that it could get going from a vertical launch off a ship deck instead of a horizontal launch from under an aircraft in flight.

The US Army awarded Raytheon a $551 million contract to begin production of the Patriot air and missile defense system for the Kingdom of Bahrain. The contract was awarded on January 31, 2020. “Raytheon’s Patriot provides the Kingdom of Bahrain and 16 other countries around the globe with a combat-proven system that protects citizens, infrastructure and armed forces from a broad spectrum of threats,” said Tom Laliberty, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Patriot works, has saved countless lives, and will continue to do so for many years because the system is constantly tested, modernized, upgraded and improved to stay ahead of the advancing threat.” In August 2019, Bahrain signed a letter of offer and acceptance agreement to purchase Patriot air and missile defense systems from the US Army. The agreement allowed the US Government to start contract negotiations with the Patriot system manufacturer Raytheon for the production of the systems and missiles.

As part of NATO’s latest historic ordnance disposal operations, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) has mapped 35 underwater mines and 3 aircraft bombs in the seabed of Norway’s Oslofjord. The operations were conducted with support from the Royal Norwegian Mine Warfare Datacenter, who embarked aboard the German flagship FGS Donau during the operations. During the recent years the RNoN Mine Warfare Datacenter have studied historical publications and logbooks, and have traced the actual amounts of mines used, and the precise position where they were dropped in the Oslofjord. Historic ordnance disposal operation ran between Feb. 24 and 4 March. The operation identified 170 underwater objects in total, after which these were examined more closely by underwater remote controlled vehicles or divers.

Len Industri and Thales have signed a contract to completely upgrade the mission system of the Indonesian Navy’s KRI Usman-Harun multi-role light frigate. For the last 40 years, Thales has been supplying combat systems for all ships in service for the Indonesian Navy. Len Industri is serving as the systems integrator for the frigate’s Mid Life Modernization (MLM) program. The upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 and will extend the life of the KRI Usman-Harun frigate, which has more than 15 years of service under its belt. Under the contract, Len Industri and Thales will install the TACTICOS Combat Management System, the SMART-S Mk2 air and surface surveillance radar on the frigate. The companies will also install the STIR EO Mk2 radar and EO fire control system, as well as the Vigile Mk2 tactical multi-purpose R-ESM system.

Japan has secured its first export of military surveillance radars with a contract from the Philippines. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. was awarded the contract to supply three fixed and one mobile radar systems worth $103 million. The company has offered its J/FPS-3 radar for the bid. Delivery is expected to start next year. Officials said that this marked the first time that Japan has secured a contract to export military hardware, a few years after it lifted decades of self-imposed ban on arms exports in 2014. The equipment would bolster the country’s airspace radar coverage amid continuing external security challenges including China’s expansion in the West Philippine Sea.

Watch: INDIA TO REPLACE RUSSIAN R-77 WITH I-DERBY ER AFTER IT FAILED AGAINST U.S MADE PAKISTANI AIM 120C !

Sikorsky won a $525.4 million contract modification to exercise an option for the Army MY IX Program Year 4, Lot 44, requirement of 38 UH-60M Army aircraft, and to exercise an option for two UH-60M FMS green aircraft. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. The UH-60M Black Hawk is a medium-lift, rotary-wing helicopter. It has multi-mission capabilities and features a new airframe, advanced digital avionics and a powerful propulsion system. It can be used to perform tactical transport, utility, combat search-and-rescue, airborne assault, command-and-control, medical evacuation, aerial sustainment, search-and-rescue, disaster relief and fire-fighting. It offers improved situational awareness and greater survivability. Work will take place in Stratford, Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022.

Bell Boeing Joint Project Office won a $9.5 million modification, which provides additional funding to support non-recurring engineering for supportability analysis, interactive electronic technical manual and technical directive requirements necessary for the V-22 Nacelle (combat aircraft) Improvements Phase One Program. The deal supports Navy, Air Force and the government of Japan. The V-22 is a joint service, multi-mission aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. It performs VTOL missions as effectively as a conventional helicopter while also having the long-range cruise abilities of a twin turboprop aircraft. The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft with a 38-foot rotor system and engine/transmission nacelle mounted on each wing tip. Work will take place in Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida. Estimated completion will be by May 2021.

Dyncorp International won a $46.9 million modification for aviation maintenance services. Army funds in the full amount were obligated at the time of the award. The US Army Contracting Command ist the contracting activity. Work will take place in Iraq and Afghanistan. Estimated completion date is July 15, 2020.

Swedish company Saab announced that it received an order from the UK’s ministry of defense for mid-life extension and support for the Arthur weapon locating system. The deal is valued at $50.8 million. Arthur protects forces and civilians by providing warning of incoming fire and is also used for tasks including counterbattery missions and fire control. The mid-life extension will represent a major program of obsolescence management by the insertion of modern technology, ensuring that this critical operational counter-fire capability can be sustained on a cost-effective basis through to its extended out-of-service date.

HMS Chiddingfold is undergoing a final phase of maintenance as she prepares to deploy to the Gulf. According to the Royal Navy, the minehunter has entered the dry dock in Portsmouth Naval Base and there, work will take place to ensure she is ready for three years of operations forward deployed in the Gulf. HMS Chiddingfold will relieve her sister ship HMS Ledbury to become one of four mine countermeasure ships – it is the first time she has returned to the Gulf since 2017 say the Royal Navy. When she sails, MCM2 Crew 1 will move onto HMS Cattistock where they will conduct operational sea training before deploying.

BAE Systems won a $12.7 million modification, which exercises an option to procure four OE-120B antenna groups, three retrofit kits and three delta installation and checkout kits for the Navy in support of the Air Traffic Control and Landing program office. Additionally, this modification provides for the procurement of two OE-120B antenna groups for the government of Japan. Work will take place in Nashua, New Hampshire and estimated completion will be in May 2023.

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : Mach 4 I-Derby ER On 83 TejasMK1A,15 Naval Drones,Rudra Export Indonesia

‘RESHUB’, a Slovenian-led project increasing reliable and sustainable energy in the defence sector, has been selected to receive technical support thanks to funding from the EU’s Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP). EDA assisted the Slovenian Ministry of Defence in applying for the SRSP.

“RESHUB”, which stands for ‘Defence RESilience Hub Network in Europe’, is a project conceived and led by the Slovenian Ministry of Defence under the Consultation Forum on Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which is currently in its third phase. Other participating countries in the project are Austria, Belgium, Germany and Hungary.  

The aim of RESHUB is to help build a renewable energy harvesting and hydrogen (H2) energy storage capability and to facilitate cross-Europe transportation, which will lower CO2 emissions and contribute to energy sustainability in the EU defence and security sector. EDA was instrumental in helping participating Member States in preparing and drafting the RESHUB application following a call under the SRSP issued by the Commission. 

Throughout phase III of the Consultation Forum, EDA will continue to support participating Member States’ Ministries of Defence (MoDs) to tackle energy security challenges including via energy efficiency and buildings performance, renewable energy solutions and the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure. In this context, EDA will help MoDs to develop defence energy-related project ideas and identify available funding opportunities through its “IdentiFunding” tool. Furthermore, EDA will continue to provide the most mature energy projects with tailored support in their application for  funding at European level. 

The successful application is important as it demonstrates that the Consultation Forum, a European Commission funded initiative managed and run by EDA, is the appropriate forum at the EU level where practical defence energy projects can be initiated and brought to the next level.  
 

CF SEDSS is a European Commission funded initiative managed by EDA. This project was established in 2015 with the primary scope to create a defence energy-related community to share relevant information and best practices to reach sustainable energy objectives. Building on the successful outcome of the previous two phases (CF I: 2015-2017, CF II: 2017-2019), the European Commission and EDA launched the third phase (CF III: 2019-2023), which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 882171. 
 

Boeing won an $800 million contract modification, which procures long lead material and activities in support of lot 11 P-8A aircraft production and delivery. The mission of the P-8A MMA is to provide long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.The P-8’s first flight was on April 25, 2009. The new award is intended to address advanced procurement requirements to manufacture eight Poseidon aircraft for the Navy as well as four planes for New Zealand and another six for South Korea. Work will take place in Washington, California and Arizona. It is completed by June 2020.

Sierra Nevada won an $8.5 million contract for Tactical Automated Landing System components support for the RQ-7B tactical unmanned aircraft system. The RQ-7B UAS is used for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage assessment. Launched from a trailer-mounted pneumatic catapult, it is recovered with the aid of arresting gear similar to jets on an aircraft carrier. Its gimbal-mounted, digitally stabilized, liquid nitrogen-cooled electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera relays video in real time via a C-band line-of-sight data link to the ground control station (GCS). Work locations will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is February 27, 2023.

The quarterly report on Iran released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed a significant increase in the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium since its last report. The stockpile stood at 1,020.9 kg in February, up from 372.3 kg in November 2019. This 648.6 kg increase will raise international concern as it marks a significant breach of the 300 kg stockpile limit imposed on Iran by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). There have been no major changes in other parameters of Iran’s nuclear program, with enrichment levels not exceeding 4.5%. The JCPOA limits Iran’s enrichment to 3.67%.

Israeli company Tactical Robotics has signed a partnership agreement with Boeing to study the development of ducted fan propulsion technology to be implemented in piloted and autonomous Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. As part of the partnership, the two companies will explore and determine what are the opportunities that may come with developing, producing, and marketing VTOL “flying cars”, including the Israeli company’s Cormorant autonomous vehicle. The Cormorant is an unmanned, single engine, VTOL aircraft that resembles a flying car in a way. It is powered by internal lift rotors which allow the aircraft to fly, takeoff, and land in areas that other helicopters, tilt-rotors, and fixed wing aircraft cannot. Due to its relatively small size and ability to fly in mountainous, urban, and forested areas, the Cormorant may possibly revolutionize the way militaries deploy and rescue their troops.

Leonardo has unveiled its weapon wing system that is to equip UK AW159 Wildcat HMA2 maritime helicopters during the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 2021 (CSG21) deployment. The UK-arm of the Italian company displayed one of the first production wings during the UK Naval Engineering Science & Technology (UKNEST) engagement activity aboard the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on March 2 as part of its week-long visit to Liverpool. The aluminium alloy and carbon fibre composite weapon wings enable a mix of weapons to be carried for a variety of force protection scenarios. This includes a full load of 20 Thales Martlet air-to-surface and up to four MBDA Sea Venom anti-ship missiles, or a mix of two Sea Venoms and 10 Martlets.

Austrian company Schiebel announced that its newly designed S2 heavy fuel engine for the Camcopter S-100 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV had successfully completed acceptance tests for the Royal Australian Navy. “A comprehensive series of test flight activities demonstrated both the endurance, and maximum take-off weight, with multiple payloads, providing the evidence and assurance that the Camcopter S-100 fulfils the requirements of the RAN,” said the company in a statement. Schiebel said the new S2 engine, which has been developed as a next-generation replacement for the current propulsion unit, increases the overall capability of the Camcopter S-100 system. The new lightweight heavy fuel engine is initially cleared for JP-5 (F-44) and Jet-A1 fuels with other fuel types set to be approved in future, it added.

Watch: U.S ARMY’s STRATEGIC LONG RANGE CANNON WILL HIT TARGET FROM MORE THAN 1000 MILES AWAY !

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won a $16.2 million contract for the C-130J center wing box replacement program. The deal provides for 14 enhanced center wing boxes and 14 component kits. The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. C-130J is crewed by two pilots and a loadmaster. The new glass cockpit features four L-3 systems with multifunction liquid crystal displays for flight control and navigation systems. The C-130J is equipped with a Honeywell dual-embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS), an enhanced traffic alerting and collision avoidance system (E-TCAS), a ground collision avoidance system, SKE2000 station keeping system, and an instrument landing system (ILS). Work will take place in Marietta, Georgia, and estimated completion date is March 30, 2027.

Raytheon won a $108.3 million deal for the procurement of hardware, facilities, equipment, and all technical, planning, management, manufacturing, and testing efforts to include all incidental services to produce the PATRIOT Digital Sidelobe Canceler and Peripheral Enhancement Assembly box production kits. Patriot is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. It is produced by Raytheon in Massachusetts and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Florida. Work will take place in Massachusetts, California, Connecticut and estimated completion date is July 31, 2022.

Abacus Technology won a $21.9 million contract for support services, which provides for information technology sustainment support services at several locations. Performance locations are Al Udeid Air Base (AB), Qatar; Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates; and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. The contract is the result of a set-aside for small business and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,767,312 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Estimated completion will be by March 2025.

The UK and France have completed the first qualification firing trial of the MBDA Sea Venom/Anti?Navire Léger Anti-Ship Missile, the Defense Equipment and Support agency. The missile, which will equip the Royal Navy’s AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat HMA2 and future French Navy Airbus H160M helicopters, was test launched from a French DGA procurement agency-owned Airbus AS365 Dauphin helicopter off the south of France. According to DES, the test at the DGA Essais de Missiles test site near Ile du Levant saw the missile reach its cruise phase while skimming low to the sea. The helicopter crew then used images from the infrared seeker to aim the missile manually, and it went on to accurately hit its target. Intended to replace the Sea Skua under the Royal Navy’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) requirement, the Sea Venom/ANL is designed to safely engage hostile vessels amongst civilian ones and could be used on a range of targets from small, fast-moving craft through to larger ships.

A Myanmar Mi-17 helicopter carrying foreign military attachés crash-landed on March 6 in Shan State. One military attaché from Thailand is said to be injured. The helicopter is part of a four-ship deployment bringing the diplomats and media to attend a press conference in Kaungkha Village. The Myanmar military helicopter carrying at least 15 people, including foreign military attachés to Myanmar, crashed shortly after it took off in Kaungkha Village, Kutkai Township in northern Shan State.

The Australian government has handed over a Guardian Class patrol boat to Fiji. The vessel, which is part of a 21-vessel donation by Canberra to 12 Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, was handed over on March 6 at Austal Shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia. The vessel will be in service with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces as RFNS Savenaca. The ship is the sixth vessel in the Guardian Class overall but the first of two boats that Fiji is receiving from Australia.

Watch: US NAVY’s USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT SUPERCARRIER DOCKS IN VIETNAM !

The European Defence Agency (EDA) confirms that two additional staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Both staff members have been at home in self-isolation since 2 March and have thus not returned to the Agency since symptoms appeared.

Given that both staff members had been in close contact with the first staff member who has tested positive, the Agency, while awaiting test results, has proactively taken additional precautionary measures to those already outlined in its statement of 4 March.

The additional precautionary measures include: 

• EDA has personally informed all individuals who were in close contact with the two colleagues four days prior to the appearance of symptoms;
• EDA has asked its staff members in close contact to self-isolate themselves for 14 days as a precaution.

All three EDA staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 are at home and have not reported any adverse change in their health.

EDA will continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in close contact with the responsible health authorities (Belgian health authorities as the host nation, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the EU Inter-Institutional Medical Board and the World Health Organisation) in order to strictly follow their guidance.

Boeing won a $36.7 million contract modification or KC-46 engineering, manufacturing and development contract. The modification is for the component build and development of the hardware system integration lab to conduct lab verification and ground test verification for the boom telescope actuator redesign. The KC-46A Pegasus is a widebody, multirole tanker that can refuel all US, allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures. Problems with the boom were among the issues that the Air Force and Boeing knew still needed to be resolved at the time the tankers first began being delivered early last year. work will take place in Seattle. Estimated completion will be in February 2023.

Australia has agreed to sell up to 46 of its F/A-18A/B fighters to Air USA, an air combat training company in the United States. The transfer will take place over next three to four years, the Minister for Defense Industry, Melissa Price said. Air USA is a private contractor. Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel at RAAF Base Williamtown will be responsible for preparing the aircraft for their transfer to the company. The Australian Department of Defense announced the sale on its website. Williamtown is home to three of the four remaining Australian F/A-18A/B units, No. 3 and No. 77 Squadrons and No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, the latter of which is responsible for training pilots on the type. No. 75 Squadron is based at RAAF Base Tindal in Australia’s Northwestern Territory.

The Dassault Mirage 2000 jets flown by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence (AFAD) will be the first of the type to use the Sniper targeting pod, manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced on February 26. It said it had received a directed commercial sale from the AFAD to expedite the delivery of the pods. It did not reveal the value of the sale or the number of pods involved. The AFAD maintains a fleet of at least 42 Mirage 2000-9s, some of which are older aircraft that were delivered in the 1980s and subsequently upgraded. The Emirati Mirages currently use a version of the Thales Damocles pod called the Shehab.

Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions has been selected to provide a Digital Tower system as an Operational Concept Demonstrator for the Royal Air Force at their air force base by Lossiemouth in the United Kingdom, the company announced. The UK’s Royal Air Force is set to trial a digital air traffic control tower at RAF Lossiemouth airbase, the future home of the submarine-hunting P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Under a single-source experimental project, RAF Lossiemouth will see the development of a digital air traffic control (ATC) tower operational concept demonstrator (OCD) by Saab’s UK division. According to BBC, the cameras would give the controllers a 360 degree view of the airfield, allowing them to monitor the whole airfield through a series of communication links.

The DoS approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Poland for 180 Javelin missiles and 79 Javelin Command Launch Units (CLUs) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $100 million. The sale will include basic skill trainers, battery coolant units and missile simulation rounds. Javelin is expected to improve and strengthen the country’s long-term defense capacity. It will also help Poland fulfill its national defense needs to better defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin’s partnership Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) will serve as the prime contractor for the program.

The coronavirus now hit the F-35 production. Japan has paused work for one week at its Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) final assembly and checkout facility in Nagoya, Japan over concerns of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) that is spreading the globe. Lieutenant General Eric Fick, F-35 program executive officer, said on March 4 that he anticipates resumption of work at the facility after the week’s pause. Lt Gen Fick added that he does not anticipate any other disruption to the supply chain and that the Joint Program Office (JPO) is not taking any deliberate steps to actively curtail any ripple effects due to the coronavirus that may further go through the F-35 supply chain.

Watch: CHINESE NAVY FIRES LASER AT AMERICAN P-8A POSEIDON AIRCRAFT !

The EDA Steering Board today appointed Jiří Šedivý, former Czech Defence Minister, as new EDA Chief Executive upon recommendation of the Head of the European Defence Agency Josep Borrell. He will take office in April 2020.

Jiří Šedivý has extensive experience in the defence domain, having served as Defence Minister of the Czech Republic (2006-2007), Deputy Defence Minister (2010-2012), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning (2007-2010) and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to NATO (2012-2019). He also was Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic (2007). On 1 September 2019 (and until today), Mr Šedivý was appointed by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs as special representative for resilience and new threats.

“Jiří Šedivý’s ministerial and diplomatic experience as well as his deep practical knowledge of the European and transatlantic security and defence realm make him the ideal candidate to lead the European Defence Agency in the coming years. We need a strong and supportive European Defence Agency to ensure coherence and focus on agreed joint priorities in the implementation of our defence initiatives. I am certain Jiří Šedivý will provide this leadership”, Josep Borrell said.

Mr Šedivý has a distinguished academic background. He is a graduate of Charles University, Prague, where he earned a PhD in Political Science, and of King’s College, London, where he earned an MA in War Studies. From 2004 to 2006 he was Professor of Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, lecturing on such topics as defence sector transformation, civil-military relations and national strategy making.

Between 1999 and 2004, he was Director of the Institute of International Relations in Prague, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Charles University, Prague, and Professor of European Security at New York University, Prague Centre. As an expert, he played an important role in the Czech Republic’s accession to NATO. It was during this period that he also served as external adviser to President Václav Havel.

More information

• CV Jiří Šedivý