ABU DHABI — The UAE military has debuted a super-heavy multiple launch rocket system fitted to an articulated transport vehicle. The Multiple Cradle Launcher is a 10-wheel trailer fitted with four unguided rocket-launching cradles. The system, which was developed for the UAE army, was produced by Jobaria Defense Systems over three years in the UAE and delivered to the army last year.
ABU DHABI — The Iraqi navy is interested in buying the Bell UH-1Y Huey to protect its shoreline and critical oil installations. According to Steve Schultz, director of international business development at Bell Helicopter, the Iraqi navy has a requirement for between six and eight utility helicopters. A decision is likely later this year. “The Iraqis only have a small coastline, but they have a lot of energy facilities to look after,” said Schultz, who hopes a navy purchase could spur interest in other branches of the Iraqi military.
NEW DELHI — India will take a “second look” at its policies on defense production and procurement to lessen reliance on imported weapons and avoid controversies such as the bribery scandal surrounding the AW101 helicopter deal with Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland. Defense Minister A.K. Antony is urging defense forces to transform their approach of relying on imports to meet operational requirements and instead give priority to indigenization in the defense sector.
SERVICES RENDERED: Wall Street analysts continue their downgrading of U.S. aerospace and defense stocks, with SAIC one of the latest to be named. Analysts Robert Stallard and Steven Cahall of RBC Capital Markets tell investor clients that SAIC and other service providers will be on the losing end of so-called sequestration budget cuts in years to come.
The Pentagon spent years studying how to navigate the effects of budget cuts on its industrial base. Now, cuts are likely to be imposed on the Defense Department, which will have little ability to manage them, officials fear.
ABU DHABI — A UAE investment firm and a Serbian defense company are partnering to create a coastal defense missile system. Emirates Advanced Research and Technology Holdings (Earth) and Serbian defense company Yugoimport SDPR are planning to work together to produce the Advanced Light Attack System (ALAS), a wire-guided, ground-launched missile being developed to deal with small vessels and land targets.
ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) military is set to become the first operator of the new General Atomics Predator XP unarmed UAV. The deal was announced unexpectedly by UAE officials at the IDEX defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 18 as part of a 5.2 billion dirhams ($1.4 billion) series of contracts. Additional contracts are expected to be announced in the coming days.
ABU DHABI — Italian business aircraft manufacturer Piaggio and Selex Electronic Systems are working together to produce an unmanned variant of the P-180 Avanti executive turboprop aircraft.
ABU DHABI — MBDA has received the first export order for its naval Simbad-RC missile system. The company would not disclose which navy had ordered the system, which uses the Mistral IR-guided missile, but said the system would be installed on a fleet of patrol vessels, each one equipped with two Simbad-RC turrets. According to MBDA, the first prototypes are in production and the system qualification is scheduled for 2014. Initial deliveries will take place in 2015.
In early talks on the forthcoming fiscal 2014 budget request, the U.S. Air Force is proposing to close the book on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk franchise, canceling the ground surveillance variant. The so-called Block 40 aircraft, built on the high-flying Global Hawk platform, is, at least for now, being proposed for termination to pay bills for higher-priority programs for the service, according to multiple program officials.
ABU DHABI — The South Korean armed forces are looking to broaden their use of UAVs to increase surveillance on their northern neighbors. New “heavy” (HUAV) and “medium” (MUAV) unmanned systems are planned for purchase before 2020. Officials are also exploring the potential of more sophisticated and specialized systems after 2020, including aircraft that could conduct electronic warfare missions, according to Maj. Gen. Hwang Jong Soo, deputy chief of staff for force planning in the Republic of Korea army.
Lifted by its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter work, Lockheed Martin pulled ahead of Boeing in Pentagon awards for fixed-wing aircraft in 2011, according to an exclusive Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis.
CONTRACTOR SUPPORT: Congressional auditors have found that U.S. combatant commands (Cocoms) and their components are not planning for the potential use of contractors in overseas combat theaters for functions beyond logistics. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows that, despite more than a decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that saw unprecedented reliance on contractor support to the military, the Cocoms have only just begun to incorporate operational contract support into their planning.
AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Corp., Rolling Meadows, Ill., (FA8538-13-D-0001) is being awarded an $11,067,296 firm-fixed-price contract for testing and repair of the F-15 aircraft electronic systems test set interface test adapters. The location of performance is Rolling Meadows, Ill. The work is expected to be completed by Feb. 10, 2018. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2018. The contracting activity is 638 AFSC/PZAAB, Robins AFB, Ga.
ABU DHABI — United Arab Emirates defense holding company Tawazun has quoted prices to BAE Systems to potentially provide key structural components for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
AIR FORCE ACENT Laboratories L.L.C., Long Island, N.Y., (FA8650-13-D-2331) is being awarded a $48,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for Enhanced Operability Scramjet Technology. The locations of the performance are Manorville, N.Y.; Sacramento, Calif.; Elkton, Md.; Laurel, Md.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Dayton, Ohio. The work is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2020. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012. The contracting activity is Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
AWIN, National Institute For Computer-Assisted Reporting
Click here to view the pdf Pentagon's Leading Fixed-Wing Aircraft Contractors For 2011 Pentagon's Leading Fixed-Wing Aircraft Contractors For 2011 No. Contractor Number Of Contracts Or Modifications Total Amount Of Transactions Average Per Transaction
India is developing the sixth in its series of Agni ballistic missiles, this time with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capability.
