AIR FORCE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT CENTRE

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre has awarded Sallyport Global Holdings a not-to-exceed $375 million contract to provide base operations support, base life support and security services in support of the Iraq F-16 programme. Sallyport Global provides contingency operation support services to individuals and business enterprises in Iraq.

BOEING

The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Boeing a $428.9 million modification for long-lead material and activities in support of the 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The modification covers long-lead material and activities in support of four aircraft for New Zealand and six of South Korea. It also covers six aircraft of the US Navy. Work is scheduled to be completed in June 2020.

The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $17.8 million contract modification to procure two additional F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, modified to extend the service life of the aircraft. The E model is single-seat and the F model is a two-seat version. The F/A and 18E/F aircraft are operational in 10 US Navy Carrier Air Wings. Work is expected to be finished by October next year.

The US Air Force has contracted Boeing for $250 million to integrate the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) Cruise Missile on the B-52H bomber platform. This contract provides for aircraft and missile carriage equipment development and modification, engineering, testing, software development, training, facilities and support necessary to fully integrate the LRSO Cruise Missile on the B-52H bomber.

CORVID TECHNOLOGIES

The US Naval Surface Warfare Centre has contracted Corvid Technologies LLC with $223.3 million order for Navy Sub-Orbital Flight Vehicles. The company will provide hardware, equipment and components needed to produce sub-orbital flight vehicles for the US Navy, other government organisations and Japan. The flight vehicles are exoatmospheric rocket-based vehicles specifically configured for systems under test.

EUROPEAN DEFENCE AGENCY

Spain, Germany and Italy have launched the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Cyber Defence Situation Awareness Package Rapid Research Prototype (CySAP-RRP) project. It is the first step in setting up a complete cyber situation awareness operational capability for EU defence forces.

GE AVIATION

General Electric Aviation, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $517,375,800 cost-plus-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Improved Turbine Engine Programme. Two bids solicited via the internet were received. Work is estimated to be completed by August 01, 2024.

HARRIS CORPORATION

The US Navy has awarded Harris Corporation a $43.3 million contract modification for additional Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures AN/ALQ-214 A(V)4/5 Onboard Jammer systems for the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter planes of the Royal Kuwaiti Air Force. AN/ALQ-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures Onboard Jammer is a next-generation radio frequency (RF) integrated countermeasure system. The work is expected to be completed by August 2022.

IAF

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind has announced that the Indian Air Force is preparing to welcome the Rafale fighter aircraft in its fleet in order to strengthen its strike capabilities. The Rafale is a twin-engine, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation of Fr4ance.

MARSHAL AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE GROUP

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has started work on the centre-wing box (CWB) replacement for 14 UK RAF Lockheed Martin C-130J/C-130J-30 Hercules. The Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft and has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history.

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE OF FINLAND

The Finnish Ministry of Defence received responses from five manufacturers as part of its Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet replacement programme HX-FP valued at $8.03 billion. The programme envisages an acquisition of 64 aircraft, with the information being solicited on aircraft, training systems, maintenance tools, testing equipment, weapons, and sensors.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN

The Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a $11.3 million contract for aerial refueling envelope expansion and objective tanker qualification testing in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest version of the American all-weather, carrier-capable, tactical airborne early warning E-2 Hawkeye aircraft.

The US Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $1.3 billion indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity award for Litening advanced targeting pod sustainment, production, software and upgrades. Litening advanced targeting pod includes a suite of advanced high-resolution sensors and a data link for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition.

PZL MIELEC

Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze, Mielec, Poland, has been awarded an $18,982,157 firm-fixed-price contract for M28 Block 05 aircraft which provides for two new, commercially produced, M28 Block 05 aircraft and other support including ferry flight service to Nepal. This contract involves foreign military financing to Nepal. Work is expected to be completed by December 20, 2019.

USAF

The US Air Force’s first KC-46A Pegasus landed on January 25, 2019, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The KC-46 will serve alongside the KC-135 Stratotanker at McConnell and undertake critical refueling, airlift and aero-medical missions.

The first eight of 179 planned KC-46 aerial tankers in the $44 billion programme, will be accepted by February 2019 by the US Air Force. That’s more than two years late and it may take as long as four more years to upgrade the troubled camera system used in refueling operations. The US Air Force is withholding as much as $28 million from the final payment on each aircraft as a financial hook to ensure Boeing makes the necessary improvements.

The US Air Force Security Forces Centre in partnership with the Air Force Small Arms Programme Office, has begun fielding the new M18 Modular Handgun System which provides improved ergonomics, target acquisition, reliability and durability to increase shooter lethality. The M18 replaces the M9 and is also projected to replace the M11.

The US Air Force achieved full operational capability of the MQ-9 Reaper at Miroslawiec Air Base in Poland. The General Atomics-developed remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) have been operating out of Poland since May 2018. The UAV is capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.

US NAVY

The US Navy has entered into a contract with Northrop Grumman for $23.3 million to support the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye System for providing repair coverage of eight items that are part of the Hawkeye. The Hawkeye is an airborne, all-weather, tactical, early-warning aircraft. The E-2D is the fourth version of the E-2 Hawkeye.