Tornado F3 ADV(click to view full) Recent reports had indicated that the RAF was set to disband the 2 Tornado F3 Air Defence Variant squadrons in Leuchars, Scotland a year early. That is now confirmed. The original plan had been to stand down 43 Sqn (The Fighting...
SSN Swiftsure Class:to the end...(click to view full) The UK's Ministry of Defence and Babcock International Ltd. have agreed on a 10-year, performance-based, GBP 155 million (currently $230 million) contract for submarine engineering support services across the...
European missile manufacturer MBDA plans adjustments to its Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) to make it capable of deployment on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The MBDA Meteor compete with Raytheon’s medium range semi-active homing AIM-20 AMRAAM missile, though Meteor possesses longer range and several additional advances in technology. This move expands the Meteor’s original designated market, which was the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen fighter systems. MBDA’s move is interesting for a number of reasons, ranging from the convergence of different fighter system design philosophies to what it implicitly says about their projections re: future fighter exports….
On March 26/08, the USA's GAO audit agency released report #GAO-09-466T: "Defense Management: Key Challenges Should be Addressed When Considering Changes to Missile Defense Agency's Roles and Missions." Key excerpt: "To date, MDA has spent about $56 billion and plans...
F-15C launches AMRAAM(click to view full) Flight International reports that Lockheed is proposing a $137 million program to adapt its Patriot PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles for use on the USAF's F-15C Eagle air superiority fighters. The missiles would reportedly be...
(click to view larger) Work is beginning on a $9.9 million Unmanned Anti-Submarine Warfare Support Facility, which will be located at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Newport. A World War II era building, originally built as a steam plant on the...
Springer, pre-conversion(click to view full) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) recent awarded Enhanced Protection Systems Ltd. (EPS) in Derbyshire a GBP 7 million ($10.3 million equivalent) contract for about 75 of their Springer vehicles. That works out to about GBP...
Mule 3010 4x4(click to view full) UV Country Inc., of Houston, TX received a maximum $28.4 million firm-fixed-price, 5-year indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for 1,625 Light Tactical All-Terrain Vehicles - an average of about $17,500 per vehicle. U.S....
USS Stockdale(click to view full) On April 6/09, in his FY 2010 budget preview, American defense secretary Robert M. Gates said that: "...in this request, we will include funds to complete the buy of two navy destroyers in FY10. These plans depend on being able to...