Americas
Hydroid won a $52.3 million contract modification for production support for the MK 18 family of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Systems. The MK18 program supports UUV systems. Dubbed Mk 18 Mod 1 and Mod 2 Kingfish within the US Navy service, Hydroid’s Remus 100 and 600 UUVs feature a modular design which enables the Navy to easily reconfigure their sensors for mission specifics. The biggest Remus 600 has a mission endurance of nearly 70 hours with speeds up to 5 knots at depths up to 600 meters. The Kingfish uses side scan sonar to search and discover objects of interest. Developed since 2003, the Remus 600 has a range of 286 nautical miles with its increased payload. Hydroid will perform work in Pocasset, Massachusetts and estimated completion will be in April 2024.
The US Navy awarded Bell Boeing Joint Program Office a $14.5 million modification, which exercises an option to procure support to implement capability defect packages and problem reports in accordance with work package task lists in support of V-22 fleet sustainment efforts. The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft and the world’s first production tiltrotor aircraft blending the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. The V-22 has entered service with the US Marine Corps and US Air Force, and is set to join the US Navy in the early 2020s. The company said the Osprey “has proven to be a survivable and transformational platform in the most challenging environments on the planet.” The V-22 is built jointly by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Work will take place at Ridley Park, Pennsylvania and Fort Worth, Texas. Estimated completion will be in June 2021.
Middle East & Africa
MD Helicopters announced that it will ship six of its MD 530F light attack helicopters to Kenya by the end of the year. The company made the revelation in a press release regarding the award of a logistic support contract for those helicopters. “We are pleased MD Helicopters was selected to provide mentorship, maintenance expertise, and Pilot and Maintainer training to the Kenya Defence Forces,” said Lynn Tilton, MD Helicopters, Inc. Chief Executive Officer. Kenya had ordered the six helicopters to re-equip the army’s 50th Air Cavalry Battalion. Once fielded, they will be flown against al-Shabaab and in support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). According to MDHI’s contract notification for Kenya, the helicopters will be fitted with the FN Herstal Weapons Management System; the DillonAero Mission Configurable Armament System (MCAS); the DillonAero fixed-forward sighting system; 62 mm ballistic armor protection; FN Herstal 12.7 mm HMP 400 machine gun pods; and M260 seven-shot pods for 70 mm rockets. They will also feature an enhanced communication system that includes the Harris RF-7850A and the Rockwell Collins HF-9000D radios.
Europe
The EU has established a new agency within the European Commission to deal with Europe’s fragmented defense industry, Defense News reports. It will have France’s former defense minister in charge. Sylvie Goulard is expected to be nominated in a European Parliament hearing, and then lead the directorate starting in November. The development of the agency is seen by some as a signal that Ursula von der Leyen, the incoming European Commission President and former German defense minister, seeks to have Europe take more responsibility for its own defense. However, the appointment has fueled concerns that ever closer EU integration on defense could trigger renewed turf wars between member states, NATO and the United States.
Asia-Pacific
Northrop Grumman won a $16.2 million contract modification that provides non-recurring engineering to incorporate Phase II of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System/Joint Tactical Radio System on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The modification is in support of the government of Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defense selected the E-2D in 2014 to enhance the JASDF’s AEW&C capabilities and to supplement the service’s aging fleet of 13 E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft, as well as the four Boeing E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft currently deployed by the JASDF.The Advanced Hawkeye is a twin-turboprop, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft. In June 2019, Japan took delivery of its first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Northrop will perform work in Florida, Virginia, and other locations within the US as well as Japan. Estimated completion will be in December 2021.
South Korea is planning to showcase F-35A stealth fighters to the public for the first time during the Armed Forces Day ceremony next month to officially mark their introduction into the country, local media reports. So far, the country has brought in eight F-35As, beginning with two in late March, under a plan to deploy a total of 40 fifth-generation jets through 2021. Officials said that the Armed Forces Day ceremony, to be held on October 1, will take place at the Air Force’s 11th Fighter Wing base in the southeastern city of Daegu, and F-35s could be mobilized for the ceremony that would include ceremonial flyby and the display of key military assets. The F-35A is the conventional take-off and landing model of the F-35 Lightning II.
Today’s Video
Watch:SIDEWINDER PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE DELIVERY COMPLETE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPqWH2keCs
