Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $184.6 million modification to establish organic depot level repair capabilities for F-35 systems under the low-rate initial production Lot 11 non-annualized sustainment contract in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-Department of Defense participants. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft. It is designed for ground attack and air superiority missions. Systems included under the contract modification are common components, conventional controls, surfaces and edges, electrical/mechanical activation, firewall shutoff valve, radar, wing flap actuator system, hydraulic power generation system, arresting gear, standby flight display, fuel system, exterior lighting, gun system control unit, filter modules, thermal management system fan, alternating current contactor module and rudder pedals. Estimated completion will be in March 2023.
The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman a $32.5 million contract modification, which exercises the option for five aerial refueling retrofit kits, installations and technical data in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The aircraft is the the latest version of the Hawkeye and features an entirely new avionics suite including the new AN/APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight management system, improved T56-A-427A engines and a glass cockpit. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft with aerial refueling capability has joined the US Navy’s fleet at Naval Station Norfolk in September. In April this year, the US Navy awarded a contract modification worth $3.2 billion to Northrop Grumman to deliver 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft. Work will take place in Florida, New York, California, Maryland as well as England and other locations. Estimated completion will be in March 2021.
Middle East & Africa
Aljazeera reports that Sudan’s first satellite has been successfully launched into orbit. The satellite aims to develop research in space technology, acquire data, as well as discover natural resources for the country’s military needs. The Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite (SRSS-1) was developed by Chinese Shenzhen Aerospace Oriental Red Sea Satellite Company for both military and civilian applications. Xinhua, China’s state news agency, reported that the Sudan Remote Sensing Satellite (SRSS-1), was launched on Sunday from the northern Chinese province of Shanxi. Spokesman of the ruling body, Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman told AFP news agency that “in a few months the satellite would be monitored from Sudan”.
Europe
Airbus Defence and Space disclosed a plan for a Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR)/Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) variant of the Eurofighter for Germany. Germany plans to replace its Tornado fighter, 40 of them are the ECR variant. Airbus wants to put escort jammer pods on the underwing stations while moving the 1,000 liter tanks to another station that has to be modified to carry fuel tanks. Speaking at the company’s Manching facility in southern Germany on November 5, Kurt Rossner, head of Air Combat, provided the first insight into Airbus DS plans for an Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR)/Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) version of the Eurofighter to replace the Luftwaffe’s Tornado ECR aircraft. This Tornado ECR replacement covers 40 aircraft as part of the wider Tornado IDR/ECR replacement program for 85 aircraft.
Asia-Pacific
A new report from Taiwan’s Up Media says the military is reassessing a plan to buy the land-based Phalanx weapons system to help protect its underground Air Bases at Hualien and Taitung. Although Taiwan had floated a tender to buy the system, it had yet to receive a response from the United States. The Ministry of National Defense is evaluating whether the protection offered by the land-based Phalanx system will overlap with the Air Force’s Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon. The Orelikon has been upgraded to GDF-006 standard with AHEAD rounds. The Phalanx weapon system is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun that can defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in threats on land and at sea.
Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) launched the second Soryu Class diesel-electric attack submarine for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force equipped with lithium-ion batteries. The 84 m-long boat, which has been named Toryu, entered the water on November 6 in a ceremony held at KHI’s facilities in Kobe. The launch comes after GS Yuasa, a Kyoto-based developer and manufacturer of battery systems, announced in February 2017 that Japan would become the first country in the world to equip SSKs with lithium-ion batteries in place of lead-acid batteries.
Today’s Video
Watch: Just How Powerful is USA 20mm Phalanx CIWS
