NATO hosted space industry representatives for a Commercial Space Forum at its headquarters in Brussels last week to discuss the sector’s potential opportunities, vulnerabilities, new risks and threats. The talks focused on areas including investment possibilities in cybersecurity and the sharing of information on space-based threats, such as GPS spoofing and satellite communication jamming. The alliance...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
Boeing Light Attack Helicopter for Thai Army Takes Maiden Flight at Arizona Production Site
Boeing has conducted the first flight of the AH-6 Little Bird light attack helicopter for delivery to the Royal Thai Army. The company will supply eight AH-6s to Thailand under a $103.7 million Foreign Military Sales contract that the U.S. Department of Defense awarded in February 2022. The contract includes Thai pilot training at Boeing's facilities in Mesa, Arizona, where the helicopters are under production. Thailand is the second international customer for the Little Bird helicopter. According to the defense contractor, the aircraft is integrated with advanced data processing technology, offering enhanced safety and situational awareness for faster decision-making.
SkyAlyne Taps CAE for Canadian Air Force Training Under $1.2B Contract
Global defense and security firm CAE has secured a 25-year subcontract worth $1.2 billion from SkyAlyne to support the Royal Canadian Air Force's Future Air Crew Training program. The contract's tasks include delivering training devices and services for the program involving live flights, simulation and ground school instructions. CAE also expects a follow-on order for maintenance support services apart from the initial subcontract. CAE President and CEO Marc Parent said the company's participation in FAcT will help support the mission readiness of the Canadian forces.
Xage Security Boosts Global Expansion Goal in Two New Executive Appointments
Zero trust cybersecurity company Xage Security has named Russell McGuire its global chief revenue officer and Ashraf Daqqa its vice president for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. The new appointments affirm the Palo Alto, California-based technology company’s goal of broadening its market abroad, Xage said in a statement Monday. Commenting on the new appointments,...
US Includes Data Centers in Preapproval Program to Boost AI Development, National Security
The U.S. Department of Commerce has expanded its Validated End User program to include foreign data centers, allowing for general authorization of imported designated items rather than requiring multiple individual permits for exporters. The Bureau of Industry and Security within the department said data centers seeking to be part of the VEU program must pass through an interagency review, a rigorouse process that aims to establish safeguards that prevent the diversion or misuse of U.S. technology in ways that could harm national security. “This update will contribute to the development of a trusted ecosystem for the responsible use of advanced computing and artificial intelligence,” said the BIS announcement.
Lockheed Martin Secures $3.2B FMS Contract to Supply Missiles to Japan, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland
Lockheed Martin has secured a $3.2 billion Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to supply joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and long-range anti-ship missiles to Japan, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland. The company will work on the single-source contract in Orlando, Florida, with completion expected in July 2032. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is the contracting activity, according to a U.S. Department of Defense announcement on Friday.
AUKUS to Step Up Australian Training for Nuclear Submarine Program
Australian defense and civilian personnel will receive further nuclear reactor training in the United Kingdom in support of Canberra's nuclear-powered submarine project under the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, who issued the announcement after a meeting with his AUKUS counterparts in London on Thursday, emphasized the importance of partnerships amid increasing global threats. "Our government will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Australian and U.S. partners, with new U.K. leadership in AUKUS and a commitment to boost jobs and growth."The Potomac Officers Club will host its first-ever GovCon International Summit on Oct. 10. Join the panel discussions on international partnerships, coalition warfare and emerging technologies and how they are reshaping the defense landscape. Register today!
Joint G7 Guidance Seeks to Foil Russian Evasion Tactics on Export Curbs
The G7 leading industrialized nations have issued a joint guidance for businesses on preventing Russian evasion of export controls and sanctions, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security announced on Tuesday. BIS Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod stressed that preventing Russian acquisition of components for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles is a G7 "top priority” that cannot be achieved without industry partnership. For this reason, the guidance was issued to provide the information that companies need "to identify and respond to Russia's changing evasion tactics," he said.
DRS Laurel Technologies to Supply Anti-Ship Missile Defense Radars to US Navy, Japan
DRS Laurel Technologies, a subsidiary of Leonardo DRS, has secured a $66 million firm-fixed-price U.S. Navy contract for the manufacture and delivery of AN/SPQ-9B anti-ship missile defense radar systems. The award includes options providing a potential total value of nearly $236 million for the supply of the radars to the U.S. Navy and Japan under...
HII Grooms South Australian Defense Industry’s Capabilities for Nuclear Submarine Requirements
HII Nuclear Australia has launched a $684 million supplier capability uplift program to drive the development of the defense industry supply chain in South Australia, focusing on capabilities to support Canberra’s nuclear submarine initiatives. HII said in a statement on Monday that five companies have been selected to participate in the program, the initial effort...