The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $49.9 million contract to repair the F-16 radar components of 11 countries: Chile, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Thailand and Turkey. According to a Pentagon notice of the award on Tuesday, work on the tactical fighter aircraft’s AN/APG-68 version 9 radar will occur...
Category: National Security
Netherlands Reaches Agreement With US to Procure Lockheed’s Extended Range Missiles
The United States has formalized an agreement with the Netherlands to procure the latest version of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range for the Dutch military forces. According to Lockheed, the missile, developed in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, provides continued significant long-range precision engagement capabilities for air-to-ground missions. The weapon can...
Switzerland Taps Rheinmetall to Deliver Mortar Ammunitions
Switzerland has awarded Rheinmetall a contract to deliver 81 mm mortar cargo ammunition. Under the deal, Rheinmetall Expal Munitions will supply the Swiss armed forces with 81mm MX2-KM mortar weapons and 81 mm mortar cartridges cargo for illumination white light, illumination infrared and smoke discharge using red phosphorus. Deliveries are expected to be completed by...
US Seeks to Modernize Alliance Command and Control in Japan; Lloyd Austin Quoted
The United States plans to convert U.S. Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters and expand U.S.-Japan missile co-production. The planned conversion was announced following the conclusion of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee’s ministerial conference in Tokyo on Sunday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a Wash100 awardee, described updating the alliance command and control as...
NATO Awards Contracts on Platform Concept Studies for Next-Generation Helicopters; Stacy Cummings Quoted
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency has awarded separate contracts to three teams led by Airbus Helicopters, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and Leonardo to undertake a concept study on the design and execution of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability program. NGRC is geared to replace the military alliance’s helicopters by the mid-2030s. NSPA said in a...
Australian Shipbuilder ASC’s $1.4B Defense Contract to Create Over 1,100 Jobs in Submarine Sustainment; Pat Conroy Quoted
The Australian government has awarded Osborne-based submarine builder and maintainer ASC a $1.44 billion contract to sustain its Collins-class submarines for the next four years. According to Australia’s Department of Defence, the agreement ensures job security for over 700 workers in South Australia and another 400 in Western Australia. It also aligns with the government’s...
Leonardo Exec Sees MBDA-Style Consolidation for Europe’s Defense Industry
Leonardo co-general Manager Lorenzo Mariani said significant consolidation among European defense companies in the future will lead to a healthier defense sector in the region. In an interview with Breaking Defense published on Thursday, Mariani discussed how consolidation differs from the mergers and acquisitions practice in the United States and how it is more similar...
Report: US Must Prioritize FMS From NATO Members to Secure Regional Security
A report by RAND suggested that the United States adopt a framework systematically prioritizing NATO members’ foreign military sale cases to align with defense security goals in Europe. Apart from taking on the proposed framework, the report made additional recommendations to the United States Army Europe and Africa to improve regional security, including: Ensuring USAREUR-AF...
US Approves Possible Foreign Military Sale of Small Diameter Bomb-Increment II to Belgium
The U.S. Department of State has approved the Belgian government’s $115 million Foreign Military Sale request to procure Small Diameter Bomb-Increment II missiles and related logistics and program support services. Belgium, a NATO ally, asked to buy 196 Guided Bomb Unit-53/B SDB-II all-up-rounds, SDB-II weapons load crew trainers, spare and repair parts, and unclassified software...
Cybersecurity Advisory Warns of North Korean Espionage Campaign
The United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory to warn against a North Korean cyber espionage campaign. According to the advisory, hacker groups known as Andariel, Onyx Sleet, DarkSeoul, Silent Chollima, and Stonefly/Clasiopa operate under Pyongyang’s intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau. The threat actors primarily target defense,...