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Americas Lockheed Martin won a $678.4 million modification, which adds scope to procure various material modification kits, special test/tooling equipment, and associated seed assets to support the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft retrofit and modification efforts for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-US Department of Defense (DoD) F-35 program partners, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2028. The order and contract being modified were not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Vigor Marine won a $7.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for the 50-calendar day shipyard availability for the mid-term availability of Military Sealift Command’s fast combat support vessel USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11). This contract includes a base period and two unexercised options for additional work and time, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative value of this contract to $7,991,778. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, beginning January 10, 2025, and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2025. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the sam.gov website and three offers received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Middle […]

Americas Airbus US Space & Defense Inc., Arlington, Virginia won a $315,043,393 modification for UH-72 Lakota contractor logistics support and engineering services. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2025. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $85,621,324 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. The US Navy has declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the Next-Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) system, taking a major step in providing the E/A-18 Growler an edge in electromagnetic spectrum warfare. Utilizing the latest software-based and electronically scanned array technologies, the NGJ-MB provides enhanced capabilities to deny and distract adversaries’ radars in the range of 2 GHz to 6 GHz of the overall threat spectrum. Middle East & Africa Elbit Systems has secured a significant $60 million contract with a NATO European country to supply its advanced ReDrone counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS). This deal highlights the growing concern amongst NATO members regarding the increasing threat of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and their potential misuse by terrorists and smugglers. Elbit Systems, a leading global defence technology company, is set to deliver the […]

Americas Boeing won a $615.8 million contract for the F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System full rate production. This deal provides for procurement of Group A and Group B kits, system engineering program management, and interim contractor support lay-in material. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; and Nashua, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2030. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas bid farewell to its last T-1A Jayhawk last month, as the Air Force continues its drive to retire the heavy aircraft trainer. Laughlin’s last Jayhawk, from the 86th Flying Training Squadron, took off from the base December 17. It joined a pair of T-6A Texan IIs and a pair of T-38C Talons as the centerpiece of a five-plane flyover, which twice passed over Laughlin’s airfield and air traffic control tower. After the other planes split off, the T-1 continued to its final resting place at “The Boneyard,” an airplane graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Middle East & Africa Turkey said Monday that it was “only a matter of time” before Syrian Kurdish fighters – […]

Americas The US Air Force has conducted Exercise Reaper Castillo to test the mission capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper drone in challenging environments. The drills involved the 65th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) to test dirt-strip landings, refueling, rearming, and rapid relaunches. Above the Melrose Air Force Range in New Mexico, an MQ-9 Reaper circled the area, surveying the terrain before landing on a dirt runway. Dutch shipyard Damen has signed an agreement with Alblasserdam-based Nevesbu to provide engineering support in constructing Colombia’s Sigma-class frigates. The contract encompasses basic and detailed engineering works to complete the program, which is expected to produce up to five modern warships for Bogotá’s naval force. It will also enable Bogotá’s local program partner Cotecmar to build the system under license domestically. Middle East & Africa The Turkish navy has begun the new year by announcing the construction of three warships based on domestic designs: a submarine, an aircraft carrier and the lead ship of the highly anticipated TF-2000 air-defense destroyer series. The shipbuilding programs are closely linked to the political and naval ambitions of Turkey, honing the country’s long-range force projection and strike capabilities, in particular. Europe Latvia’s government and local drone manufacturers are preparing a shipment of […]

Americas The US Coast Guard has received a stand-in icebreaker ship to support the service’s polar cutter fleet modernization program. Handed over by Offshore Service Vessels, the MV Aiviq’s primary role is to retain the force’s presence in the Arctic until the arrival of the service’s new Polar Security Cutters by the 2030s. The $125-million deal to procure the commercially-available system was awarded to the Louisiana-based maritime company in November. After its induction, the MV Aiviq will be renamed USCGC Storis, which makes the system the second to bear the name. The US Army has chosen BAE Systems to prototype a new artillery cannon, envisioned to defend bases against a variety of threats including unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles and other advanced air threats. The system has been dubbed the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon (MDAC) and Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP) prototype. Middle East & Africa The United States has officially greenlit a potential arms deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marking another significant step in the Gulf nation’s efforts to modernize its naval capabilities. The deal, approved by the State Department and reported to Congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency [DSCA], involves selling twenty MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedoes [LWT], […]

Americas According to Defense Post, L3Harris has failed to overturn the US Army’s decision to award Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a $991-million contract to produce the HADES next-generation spy plane. This after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled in favor of SNC to proceed with production despite a protest filed in October. The GAO’s decision confirms that the winning vendor met all operational and regulatory requirements and that the contract award was made in full compliance with the law. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) demonstrated the first at-sea refueling of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. A pair of unmanned surface vessels (USV) — the Ranger and the Mariner — demonstrated the task originally designed for the program’s Defiant USV. Middle East & Africa Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the IDF inaugurated a new Directorate for AI and Autonomy this week, aimed at spearheading research, development, and force-building in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems across all branches of the IDF. During a ceremony attended by the Director-General of the Ministry of Defense, Major General (Res.) Eyal Zamir, and other senior officials, the directorate was presented as a foundation for an operational and technological […]

Americas The United States on Monday unveiled almost $6 billion in military and budget aid for Ukraine, as Washington races to provide assistance before Donald Trump takes office next month. The imminent return of Trump, who has repeatedly criticized aid for Ukraine, has cast doubt on American support continuing at similar levels as under outgoing President Joe Biden. With Trump’s swearing in just three weeks away, only a limited time window remained for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be disbursed. Raytheon won a $31 million modification, which increases the contract ceiling to procure long lead hardware for recertification and modernization of 257 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round Missiles, to include 218 for the Navy and 39 for Foreign Military Sales customers in support of enabling the missiles to be operational for up to an additional 15 years of service. Additionally, this modification procures 24 Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) missile vertical launch systems and 11 MST missile capsule launch systems for the Navy, as well as provides non-recurring engineering in support of the MST missile transition to production. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (43%); Tucson, Arizona (31.9%); Pontiac, Michigan (19.5%); Los Alamitos, California (3.2%); and Chandler, Arizona (2.4%), […]

Americas Performance Drone Works (PDW) has received more than $15.3 million in contracts to deliver its proprietary C100 small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to the US Army. The drones will support the force’s posture across high-profile theaters, according to the Alabama-based company, with most to be distributed across the Indo-Pacific, European, and Central Command areas of responsibility. The “game-changing” capabilities are expected to provide medium-range reconnaissance and tactical air support. Raytheon has been awarded a $401.2 million full-rate production contract by the US Navy for 131 Block V Tomahawk missiles. As part of the contract, 26 missiles will be delivered to the US Army, 16 to the US Marine Corps, 11 to Australia, and 78 to Japan. Work will be performed in various locations across the US, with expected completion by March 2028. Middle East & Africa Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has purchased Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace, reflecting Baykar’s growing global ambitions while marking a timely rescue for the troubled Italian aircraft producer. The deal, which was announced on Friday by Italy’s industry ministry, follows six years of Italian state management at Piaggio after it went into receivership in 2018. Europe Austria is to purchase 12 Italian Leonardo M-346FA jets to serve in both […]

Block IV Cutaway (click to view full) Block IV Tomahawk is the current generation of the Tomahawk family of cruise missiles. The BGM-109 Tomahawk family began life in the 1980s as sub-sonic, low-flying nuclear strike weapons, before being developed into long-range RGM/UGM-109 conventional attack missiles. They’re most frequently launched from submarines and surface ships, and have been the US Navy’s preferred option for initial air strikes in Iraq, Libya, et. al. Britain has also bought Tomahawk missiles, and launches them exclusively from submarines. Block IV is the latest variant. It adds innovative technologies that improve combat flexibility, while dramatically reducing the costs to buy, operate, and support these missiles. That’s why the Block IV program, under US Navy PMA-280, has been one of the USA’s defense acquisition success stories over the last decade. xGM-109: Missile & Launcher Types [youtube:v=8sa7ZX58Kk4] TLAM operation (click for video) Tomahawk missiles have become the US Navy’s major land strike missile. The USA has bought more than 4,000 over the years, and March 2011 saw the 2,000th GM-109 Tomahawk fired in combat, from USS Barry [DDG 52]. The missile typically flies at 50 – 100 feet above ground using terrain-following radar, and navigates to its targets […]

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $108 million contract for Canada MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems hardware. This contract provides the necessary Foreign Military Sales (FMS) hardware and components to support Canada’s MQ-9B Direct Commercial Sale program. This contract involves FMS to Canada. This contract was a sole source acquisition. FMS funds in the amount of $12,890,775 will be obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems has received a $68 million in contracts to manufacture 44 additional Beowulf Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs) for the US Army. The deal is part of a seven-year program assigned to the firm in 2022 to produce a modern ground-based fleet that can maneuver in the Arctic region and other environments with similar conditions. “The CATV provides a dynamic combination of mobility and flexibility to the US Army enabling rapid response in all terrains,” BAE Systems Sustainment & International VP Dean Medland stated. Middle East & Africa The American THAAD system, deployed in Israel last October, participated on Thursday in its first operational interception since entering service 18 years ago. The system intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) […]

THAAD: In flight (click to view full) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation. This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC-3 or the future MEADS system, which are point defense options with limited range that are designed to hit a missile or warhead just before impact. The SM-3 Standard missile is a far better comparison, and land-based SM-3 programs will make it a direct THAAD competitor. So far, both programs remain underway. The THAAD System THAAD operations concept (click to view full) An ideal multi-layered anti-ballistic missile system should have both land and naval options, as well as theater-level and point defenses backed by a 3rd tier of longer ranged midcourse-defense missiles (q.v. GBI) and/or space-based weapons that […]

Americas The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) demonstrated the first at-sea refueling of the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program. A pair of unmanned surface vessels (USV) — the Ranger and the Mariner — demonstrated the task originally designed for the program’s Defiant USV. A long-endurance NOMARS USV is intended to be designed from the ground up without the necessity for humans on board. Bollinger Shipyards has started the construction of the US Coast Guard’s initial vessel planned under the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) program. The PSC effort will replace the service’s aging ships deployed for national, maritime, commercial, and economic security support across the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the 2030s. The assembly is now taking place at the company’s facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, marking the first local heavy polar icebreaker development in the US in over 50 years. Middle East & Afria Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) has secured its first export order for the KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter. The deal, valued at approximately $93.4million, involves the sale of the domestically developed helicopter to the Iraqi government. This contract not only represents a major win for KAI but also signals the growing international interest in South Korean […]

Americas Lockheed Martin Corp won a $3 billion modification to provide continued logistics support to include ground maintenance activities, action request solution, depot activities, automatic logistics information system operations and maintenance, reliability and maintainability, supply chain management, pilot training, maintainer training, and training system sustainment in support of delivered F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Air Systems for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-Department of Defense (DOD) program partners . The contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International won a $92 million for a firm-fixed-price, five-year, spares requirements contract with no options for procurement of 15 inboard wheel segments, 15 outboard wheel segments, 905 landing gear wheels, 630 of another type of landing gear wheels, 610 rotor assemblies, 192 multiple disk brakes, 68 of another type of multiple disk brakes, 137 of another type of landing gear wheels, 1,286 disk brake stators, 337 hydraulic piston assemblies, 1,393 of another type of hydraulic piston assemblies, and 508 of another type of landing gear wheels, for a total of 6,096 weapon repairable assemblies, in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. Naval Supply Systems Command […]

Americas General Dynamics Land Systems won an $18.9 million modification for Abrams system technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of February 27, 2025. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday in “an apparent case of friendly fire,” the American military said. Both pilots were recovered alive but “initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” the United States Central Command said late Saturday local Florida time – where CENTCOM is headquartered. Middle East & Africa The United States State Department has approved the potential sale of more than $5 billion in arms for Egypt. The State Department informed Congress on Friday that it had approved the sale of $4.69 billion worth of equipment for 555 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks operated by Egypt, along with $630 million in Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and $30 million in precision-guided munitions. Europe Germany will buy four more submarines from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to increase the number of boats to six, part of a joint purchase with Norway that may also see the Nordic country increase its […]

M1A2 SEP (click to view full) America’s M1 Abrams tanks come in a number of versions. In addition to the M1A1 that is now standard, the US Army is beginning to field its M1 TUSK for urban warfare. It also operates the M1A2 System Enhancement Program (SEP), currently the most advanced standard variant. This Spotlight article covers the M1A2 Abrams SEP upgrade program, and will be updated and backfilled as new contracts are issued and key events take place. M1A2 SEP: Additional Background Some SEP upgrades (click to view full) The M1A2 SEP is builds on the digitized M1A2 platform with an improved armor package of third generation steel-encased depleted uranium armor, a new command and control system, second-generation FLIR thermal sights that include a Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) for “hunter-killer” operation, the Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit (UAAPU) that lets crews run key electronics without running the engine, and a Thermal Management System (TMS – i.e. air conditioning for crew & electronics). The M1A2 SEP also features enhanced electronics like color maps and displays, improved networked communications, high-density computer memory and increased microprocessing speed, a more user friendly “Soldier Machine Interface (SMI)”, and an open operating computing system […]

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $198 million deal, which provides maintenance, program management, and logistics services to support through life support (TLS) services for 36 Royal Australian Navy (RAN) MH-60R aircraft. The TLS services enable the RAN to provide the necessary operational capability and all-inclusive sustainment to include organizational, intermediate, depot, operational and deeper level maintenance, training, and support activities on RAN MH-60R aircraft, aircraft systems, support systems, and support and test equipment for the RAN AIR 9000 Phase 8 Future Naval Aviation Combat System MH-60R Foreign Military Sales FMS program. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin won a $60 million modification for in-service AEGIS Sustainment, Baseline 10 system and fielding, product documentation. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by December 2025. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. Middle East & Africa The US State Department has approved new weapons sales to Morocco worth over $174 million, showing U.S. strong support to a major ally and strategic partner, described as an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa. The announcement was made Friday by US Defense Security […]

Americas Raytheon won a $24.5 million modification for the procurement of components for Megatron obsolescence in support of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) production requirements. Work is expected to be completed by February 2027. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. American defense firm Kratos has reportedly completed the first flight of its “Thanatos” combat drone. Thanatos is expected to integrate advanced artificial intelligence tools designed for high-risk missions traditionally undertaken by crewed aircraft. These capabilities aim to reduce risks for human pilots in combat situations. Middle East & Africa Bahrain has purchased nine H145 Airbus helicopters to support law enforcement missions and emergency medical operations. The aircraft will be operated by the kingdom’s Police Aviation Command, with Airbus Helicopters’ EVP for Global Business Olivier Michalon predicting that the chopper will quickly become a valuable new asset for the service. More than 60 H145s are already in service across the Middle East, with growing demand for their use in various missions. Europe Estonia’s National Center for Defense Investments (RKIK) has laid the cornerstone of a future marine rescue headquarters and training center at the Old City Harbour in Port of Tallinn. The construction supports the government’s objective to combine […]

SM-2 Launch, DDG-77 (click to view larger) Variants of the SM-2 Standard missile are the USA’s primary fleet defense anti-air weapon, and serve with 13 navies worldwide. The most common variant is the RIM-66K-L/ SM-2 Standard Block IIIB, which entered service in 1998. The Standard family extends far beyond the SM-2 missile, however; several nations still use the SM-1, the SM-3 is rising to international prominence as a missile defense weapon, and the SM-6 program is on track to supplement the SM-2. These missiles are designed to be paired with the AEGIS radar and combat system, but can be employed independently by ships with older or newer radar systems. This article covers each variant in the Standard missile family, plus several years worth of American and Foreign Military Sales requests and contracts and key events; and offers the budgetary, technical, and geopolitical background that can help put all that in context. The Standard Missile Naval Defense Family: Missiles and Plans [youtube:v=F2fXChvE6WQ] 60 years of SM-x click for video Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is the technical direction agent for Standard missile. They work with the US navy, other naval customers, and Raytheon to manage ongoing technical improvements. Within […]

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft won three contracts by the US Navy in support of the CH-53K. The first deal is worth $175.7 million for the procurement of 22 main modules in support of the CH-53K aircraft. The second contract is worth $132.9 million for the procurement of 128 main rotor blade assemblies, the third one involved $11.6 million for the procurement of eight helicopter rotor hub assemblies. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots have begun intensive training with the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. This collaboration marks a crucial phase in the RCAF’s transition to the advanced platform, replacing the aging CP-140 Aurora fleet. The training is taking place at RAF Lossiemouth, a key hub for Britain’s Poseidon operations. The decision to acquire the P-8A Poseidon came in November 2023 when the Canadian government finalized a deal with the United States for up to 16 of the multi-mission aircraft. This procurement addresses the growing challenges of supporting the 40-year-old CP-140 Aurora fleet which is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain and less relevant against modern threats. The Canadian government, after thorough analysis, deemed the P-8A as the only currently available aircraft capable of meeting all operational […]

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $33.8 million contract modification for the procurement of four test controller processors and ten infrared receivers in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. All work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and work will be completed by November 2025.  Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. The US Air Force’s Tyndall Air Force Base is equipping aircrew with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) gear for enhanced combat readiness. All current and new pilots of the 325th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight (AFE) will be fitted and trained to wear the newly-developed specialized equipment by February 2025. The squadron supports F-35 pilots and is part of the 325th Operations Group, the Florida base’s operating unit and host wing. Middle East & Africa MVL Saudi Builders won a $29.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of shore-to-ship utilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Lebanon, with an estimated completion date of December 29, 2029. Fiscal 2025 Foreign Military Sales (Lebanon) funds in the amount of $29,363,739 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Winchester, […]