Romania signs deal to buy Patriot missile defense system

Romania announced it wanted to buy Raytheon-made Patriot air and missile defense systems from the U.S. government in April and has been on the fast track to getting those systems, signing an agreement to make the purchase Wednesday.
Romania signed a letter of offer and acceptance, which, according to Raytheon, “paves the way for Romania’s Patriot force to rapidly reach Initial Operational Capability, and sets the stage for the U.S. government to begin contract negotiations with Raytheon.”
Romania will be the 14th Patriot customer worldwide.
According to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency notification of the possible sale to Romania, the country wants seven Patriot Configuration 3+ units, complete with radars, a control station, antennas, launching stations and power plants. Also included are 56 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile TBM (GEM-T) missiles and 168 Patriot Advanced Capability — 3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles.
The sale, according to the notice, could be worth up to $3.9 billion.
Jen Judson - defensenews

Tomahawks get faster processors, better flight paths

Powered by new processors that run 20 times faster, Navy missiles should now fly more accurately to their targets following a major upgrade and electronics enhancements.
The Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS), in service since 2004, recently underwent improvements that include faster processors and increased cybersecurity controls.
Most notably, planners in the Tomahawk Weapons System Program Office (PMA-280) ditched older proprietary processors in favor of state-of-the-art multicore X-86 multicore processors, which run 20 times faster.
c4isrnet

Japan to receive additional AMRAAM missiles

Japan is to receive a further batch of Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) following approval of a potential sale by the US State Department.
The approval, announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 4 October, covers 56 AIM-120C-7-variant missiles, plus support..
The deal must be approved by Congress before it can proceed.
The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) already fields the AIM-120C-7, having been cleared to receive its first batch of 17 missiles in 2014. These augment the earlier AIM-120C-5 variant currently in the force’s inventory.
The AIM-120C-7 is a new design with distinct capability upgrades from previous AMRAAM versions. The missile has upgraded antenna, receiver, and signal-processing hardware to meet operational requirements in countering new threats, and smaller electronic components to provide internal space for future system growth.
The missile is fitted with an active radar seeker – similar to that of the AIM-120A, but with a number of software upgrades – and is powered by a propulsion system similar to the AIM-120C-5 equivalent, but with an enlarged rocket motor.
janes

British Officials Consider Reprieve for Sentinel Fleet

Plans to ax one of the five Sentinel R1 ground surveillance aircraft operated by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) may temporarily be put on hold as officials consider reprieving the jet until a longer-term decision on the fleet's future can be made.
The RAF had been proposing to cut one of the aircraft from the fleet of Raytheon-developed Sentinel aircraft by early October as part of a broader bid to generate cash savings that under new government rules can be ploughed into other equipment budgets rather than being handed back to the Treasury.
One government source said it is now “ likely that the fifth aircraft it will be retained until the end of the financial year” to give time for a decision on longer-term plans for the aircraft.
defensenews

Spain looking into Patriot Upgrade, Sweden, Romania, Finland and Turkey Potential Customers

According to Raytheon, Japan, Spain and Greece are looking into upgrading their Patriot systems while Sweden, Romania, Czech Republic and Finland are potential new customers in addition to Poland and Turkey.
Poland announced in the spring of 2015 that it had picked Patriot for its new air and missile defense program, called Wisla. Lockheed was also in the running but the Polish government excluded it from the competition because MEADS was not yet a fielded system.Germany and the MEADS team have since begun working to mint a continuing development contract while looking for more countries to partner with.
Raytheon and Sweden have been talking about them for the past year.
Romania, Czech Republic and Finland are further behind but have expressed interest. Belgium has also shown an interest.

Raytheon offers American-made T-100 for T-X

Raytheon has officially jumped into the US Air Force's T-X race, offering the Italian Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi M-346-based T-100 with twin Honeywell F124 turbofan engines and training support from CAE.
At an announcement in Washington DC on 22 February, the world's third-largest military contractor confirmed that air force pilots have already trialled the “Master” in Italy to verify that the current design meets stringent, high-g performance criteria associated with T-X.
Once allied with General Dynamics, the T-100 will now compete against the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50A and clean-sheet alternatives proposed by Boeing/Saab and Northrop Grumman/BAS Systems for US Air Education and Training Command’s procurement of 350 high-performance training jets to replace the 48-year-old Northrop T-38 Talon.
flightglobal

India Requests ISTAR Aircraft From US

India has offered to buy two intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft from Raytheon on a government-to-government basis.
The Defence Ministry's official release did not mention India's offer, but the MoD source said the proposal has been kept low key.
The Air Force has already been briefed by Raytheon about the ISTAR aircraft and has evinced interest in wanting to procure planes that will use an active electronically scanned array radar and be able to scan more than 30,000 kilometers in a minute and analyze that data in 10 to 15 minutes to identify the targets.
defensenews

Israel Requires From US 29,350 JDAM and Paveway kits, 3,000 Hellfire missiles and 250 AIM-120Cs

The Government of Israel has requested a possible sale of 14,500 KMU-556C/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) tail kits consisting of 10,000 for Mk-84; 500 for Mk-83; and,4,000 for Mk-82; 3,500 Mk-82 bombs; 4,500 Mk-83 bombs; 50 BLU-113 bombs; 4,100 GBU-39 Small Diameter bombs; 1,500 Mk-83 Paveway kits; 700 BLU-109 Paveway kits; 3,000 AGM-114K/R Hellfire Missiles, 250 AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles; and 500 DSU-38A/B Detector Laser Illuminated Target kits for JDAMs.
The principal contractors will be Boeing, Lockheed-Martin,General Dynamics and Raytheon.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require travel of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Israel.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.
dsca

Poland Selects Patriot, Caracal Helos

Poland has selected the US Patriot system and the Airbus Caracal helicopter as the European nation faces an increasingly aggressive Russia.
A spokesman at the Polish Embassy in Washington confirmed that the nation has chosen the Patriot over the Aster 30, a system offered by a European consortium of MBDA and the Thales Group.
Developed by Raytheon, the Patriot is used by the US Army along with fifteen partner nations. That includes Poland's NATO partners Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and Germany.
That NATO relationship appears to have given Patriot as boost in the competition.
Poland also has chosen the Caracal from Airbus Helicopters, beating competition from the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk and AgustaWestland AW149, the Airbus unit said on Tuesday.
The pre-selection of the Caracal is for 60 military multirole helicopters under.
Poland also has a requirement for some 30 combat helicopters, for which Airbus will pitch its Tiger.
defensenews

RAF In Talks With Raytheon To Buy More Paveway IV

Continuing Royal Air Force precision strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq has prompted Britain's Ministry of Defence to open negotiations with Raytheon UK to replenish stocks of the company's Paveway IV weapon.
With RAF missile and bomb strikes against IS reaching the 300 mark since the first attacks in late September 2014, the MoD said a new order to top up Paveway IV stocks is in the works.
Raytheon UK has also exported Paveway IV to the Royal Saudi Air Force where it is deployed on Tornado and Typhoon aircraft and being used against the Islamic State.
Eight RAF Tornado jets operating out of the British base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, carry the weapon along with the dual-mode Brimstone missile to provide strike capabilities against IS targets in Iraq. British Reaper remotely piloted vehicles operating from a base in the Middle East use Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles against IS.
defensenews

USAF grounds T-6 II fleet of training aircraft

The Air Force grounded its entire T-6 Texan II training aircraft fleet and has no immediate schedule to get the planes back in the air.
However, most of the planes are expected to be back in the air after a fleet-wide inspection.
The aircraft are largely flown at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Laughlin Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
AETC first stood down the aircraft on April 10 following indications of an engine oil line malfunction.
The Navy and Marine Corps use the same aircraft to train entry-level pilots. The Navy is aware of the Air Force's decision to ground the T-6s, and is monitoring the situation, but has made no decision to ground the plane.
The aircraft is among the newest in the Air Force's fleet, first deployed in May 2000.
airforcetimes

Patriot Missile to get an upgrade

Raytheon, which makes the Patriot, recently announced a significant upgrade to the Patriot radar, which the company says will allow it to have a 360-degree view of the battlefield and also see them at greater distances..
Development of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system dates to the late 1960s, when it was designed to protect Europe from an air assault by the Soviet Union. While originally intended to take out enemy aircraft, it was upgraded in the 1980s to defend against other missiles.
In addition to the U.S., the system is used by 12 other countries, including Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Spain, Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
On Thursday, Raytheon announced that the U.S. government authorized it to sell its radar sensor upgrade, called the Active Electronically Scanned Array, to foreign partners. But it’s not yet clear whether they will be installed in the systems now in use by the U.S. military.
washingtonpost

Boeing offers Super Hornet with AESA radar To Malaysia

Boeing has been negotiating since 2002 on the Super Hornet deal with the Royal Malaysian Air Force, which currently operates eight F/A-18Ds.
The version of the Super Hornet to be sold to Malaysia is called the Block II, which went into operation in 2007, and could easily integrate into current aircraft systems as Malaysia has already been flying the Super Hornet.
He said the Super Hornet is flying the most advanced AESA radar, the APG-79 by Raytheon.
defense-studies

First Multiple Release of Paveway IV From An RAF Typhoon is a Success

Trials demonstrate enhanced air-to-surface capability for Typhoon
Working closely with the Royal Air Force and weapons manufacturer Raytheon UK BAE Systems has completed a series of flight trials culminating in the successful release of two Paveway IV precision guided weapons simultaneously from a Typhoon aircraft. This is the first multiple release of the Paveway IV from an RAF Typhoon to multiple targets.
The trials were conducted by a joint industry and RAF team from Typhoon aircraft BT017 equipped with the very latest Phase 1 Enhancements package (P1Eb). P1E implements full air-to-surface capability onto the Typhoon Tranche 2 aircraft. The trials demonstrated the full air-to-surface capability of the P1Eb product, with the Paveway IV weapon, including self-designation with laser guidance to the target and GPS-only guided releases.
baesystems

Norway’s Joint Strike Missile Tempts Aussies; Raytheon Likes It Too

It’s a remarkable story, really. A fairly tiny country, Norway, decides to place a $1.3 billion bet on developing one of the world’s most capable missiles to be fired from what will probably become the world’s most popular fighter, the F-35.
The missile, known as the Joint Strike Missile, may become a standard weapon for the Joint Strike Fighter. Australia expressed interest in buying them at a meeting last month.
Also, the Norwegians have pitched the weapon, built by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, to Japan and South Korea and will probably try to sell it to everyone who buys an F-35.
The JSM is the first weapon specifically designed to fit inside the F-35’s stealthy weapons bays (although the missile does not fit the Marine’s F-35B version of the aircraft because it has an adumbrated bay thanks to its vertical lift capabilities).
It’s got impressive stand-off range, a very small profile, the ability to hide using nap-of-the-earth flight and by using topographical data in its guidance system, and it can evade destruction in its final approach to the target through sharp maneuvers, the Norwegians say.
One of the giant American primes clearly believes the missile has promise. Raytheon and Kongsberg announced that they will team to compete for the ”Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare” (shortened to the incredibly awkward OASuW) program for which the US Navy has placed more than $1 billion in the budget over the next five years. The program, which must get a new name, will replace the old Harpoon anti-ship missile.
breakingdefense

Israel Readies First US Co-Production Order for Iron Dome

Israel fielded its seventh Iron Dome intercepting battery under fire last week in an operational debut that destroyed five Gaza-launched rockets headed for Tel Aviv.
The July 10 interception over Tel Aviv by Israel’s Iron Dome battery averted strategic tailwind for Hamas, which claimed credit for the attack that could have triggered a full-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza.
That critical interception and 100 others scored by Iron Dome since the July 7 start of Operation Protective Edge highlights the “strategic significance” of active defenses in Israel’s battle against more than 10,000 Gaza-based rockets threatening nearly three quarters of the country.
As of press time on July 11, no Israelis had been killed in more than 400 Gaza-launched rocket attacks. In contrast, Israeli air, land and sea-based strikes against more than 1,100 targets throughout the strip killed nearly 100 uninvolved Palestinians, most of them women and children.
As Rafael works on the eighth battery in parallel to fast-tracked production of intercepting missiles, it is preparing to receive the first Defense Ministry procurement contract for US-based builds in support of Iron Dome.
The firm recently finalized an agreement making Raytheon its US partner in co-production of major components for the Iron Dome’s Tamir intercepting missile.
The US firm will supply components through various subcontractors.
US investment in Iron Dome was nearly $900 million.
defensenews

Poland Shortlists Patriot Missile, Excluding MEADS

Poland has decided to admit Raytheon’s Patriot to a short list of bidders for its anti-missile program, while excluding the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.
On June 30, the Polish Defense Ministry announced that it was narrowing its search for a missile defense system to two candidates, the Patriot and the Aster offered by the Eurosam consortium of Thales and MBDA.
That ended the hopes of fellow contenders MEADS — proposed by a Lockheed Martin-led consortium — and the Israeli “David’s Sling” system.
After making it to the final shortlist, a Raytheon official said the firm was also focusing hard on selling an upgrade of the Patriot system to Germany, where its competitor is once again MEADS.
defensenews

Australia Requests Sale of 350 AIM-9-X-2

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia for AIM 9X-2 Sidewinder missiles.
The Government of Australia has requested a possible sale of up to 350 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder, 35 AIM-9X Special Air Training Missiles, 95 AIM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles, 22 AIM-9X-2 Tactical Guidance Units, 19 CATM-9X-2 Guidance Units, 3 DATM-9X, containers, test sets and support equipment, spare and repair parts and technical documents, personnel training and training equipment.
These missiles will be used on the RAAF’s F/A-18 aircraft and eventually in F-35 aircraft.
The principal contractor will be Raytheon. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
defense-studies

Poland said to be eyeing missile defense decision in June, July

Poland may choose a single winning bidder by June or July in a multi-billion dollar missile defense competition, months earlier than planned due to the crisis in Ukraine.
Polish concerns about Russia's annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine could further accelerate a decision in the Polish competition.
Poland wanted to choose a winning bidder by the end of the year, which already marked an acceleration from its initial plan to buy a new missile defense system in 2015.
There are four bidders in the Polish tender: France's Thales , in a consortium with European group MBDA and the Polish state defence group; the Israeli government; Raytheon Co , and the MEADS consortium led by Lockheed.
MEADS offer also includes construction of a plant to build PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles in Poland, in addition to existing sites in Arkansas and Japan. Lockheed also offered to help Poland develop its own long-range missile.
Raytheon, which is the prime contractor for the Patriot missile defense system, argues that Poland should join 12 other countries that are using the Patriot system. The company says the Patriot system has been heavily modernized to include new digital processors, touch panel screens and portable trainers.
Critics of MEADS say it has not been tested in combat, while the Patriot system has demonstrated it can fire the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhanc
msn

South Korea cleared to buy 76 AIM-9X-2

The State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Korea for 76 AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Missiles.
The ROKAF intends to use these AIM-9X missiles to supplement its existing missile capability and current weapon inventory. This sale will contribute to the ROKAF modernization goals and enhance interoperability with U.S. forces.
The principal contractor will be Raytheon.
dsca.mil