Lockheed Tapped For AWS Ship Integration | British Watchkeep…

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $51.9 million contract to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 16. This option exercise is for Aegis shipboard integration engineering, Aegis test team support, Aegis modernization team engineering support, Ballistic missile defense test team support and AWS element assessments.  This contract action provides AWS ship integration and test efforts for nine new construction guided missile destroyer (DDG 51) Class ships and the major modernization of seven DDG 51 Class ships.  It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS Baselines up to and including ACB 16. The Aegis Weapon System is a centralized, automated, command-and-control and weapons control system that was designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill. The heart of the system is the AN/SPY-1, an advanced, automatic detect and track, multi-function phased-array radar. This high-powered (four megawatt) radar is able to perform search, track, and missile guidance functions simultaneously, with a track capacity of more than 100 targets. Work will take place in Virginia, New Jersey, California, Washington DC, Mississippi, Florida, Washington, Maine and Romania. Estimated completion will be in September 2021.

Bell Textron won a $49.1 million deal for the repair of nine various legacy components in support of the H-1 aircraft. This contract includes a three-year base period with no options. The H-1 upgrade program is the Marine Corps’s program to develop the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom military helicopters to replace its aging fleets of AH-1W Super Cobras and UH-1N Twin Hueys. Work under the contract will take place in Fort Worth, Texas. Estimated completion will be by September 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Longbow Limited won a $164.6 million contract for AH-64E helicopter mast mounted assembly/radar electronics units. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. The AH-64 Apache is a twin-engine, four bladed, multi-mission attack helicopter designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform. With a tandem-seated crew consisting of the pilot, located in the rear cockpit position and the co-pilot gunner (CPG), located in the front position. Work will take place in Orlando, Florida. Estimate completion date is December 31, 2022. Foreign Military Sale Funds to Morocco, India, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates in the full amount were obligated at the time of the award.

Europe

A British Army Watchkeeper drone has conducted a sortie in support of UK Border Force efforts in the English Channel. Watchkeeper is an uncrewed aircraft system with a range of intelligence and reconnaissance cameras and sensors, including a state-of-the-art surveillance radar, according to the the Ministry of Defense.

Asia-Pacific

Up Media reports that a plan by Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST) to import the WB Electronics Warmate micro loitering munition for local manufacturing has been called off by the island’s National Security Council. Back in June this year, Up Media broke the news of the impending cooperation between Taiwan and Poland. However, the research institute received a call from the security council to stop the project immediately afterwards. The directive given to NCSIST was that the platform must be a local design. But Up Media found out that NCSIST had wanted to import the Warmate and link it with its own network system. The local network will allow up to 10 drones to be controlled at one time. The network will have anti-jam capability and the drones can feedback their sensor data to the command post for target identification and selection. The technology transfer agreement with WB Electronics will also allow Taiwan to fit different types of warheads to the Warmate.

Commercial satellite imagery obtained by the CSIS taken on September 4 shows that North Korea might be preparing for a new test of its Pukguksong-3 submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at Sinpo South Shipyard. The center said the presence of several vessel within the secure boat basin, including one previously used to tow the submersible test stand barge out to sea, is the primary indicator for this assessment. “There is also activity around the static test stand on the south side of the Sinpo South Shipyard. This has been seen in the past both for maintenance and prior to ejections tests,” the center added.

Today’s Video

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