Raw Intel

Americas Electra has tested its EL2 ultra-short takeoff and landing (STOL) prototype aircraft for a Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering event focusing on expeditionary capabilities. The three-day, invitation-only field activity saw the system perform live overflights with low acoustic signatures across multiple intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) simulations. The US 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) has received the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) in a ceremony at Dewey Square on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. NMESIS is a mountable, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher that will be operated by the Medium-Range Miss…

Americas Elbit Systems of America has scored a major win with the US Air Force, securing an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a ceiling of $89 million for replacing outdated Head-Up Displays (HUDs) in the service’s F-16 Block 40/42 fleet. The contract, announced on November 21, calls for the installation of Elbit’s Wide-Angle Conventional Head-Up Display (WACHUD) in place of the existing Diffractive Optic HUDs currently in use. The first delivery order, worth over $57.5 million, was placed in September 2024, with work scheduled to be carried out at Elbit America’s Talladega, Alabama facility and systems expected to be delivered by September 202…

Dassault Rafale (click for cutaway view) Will Dassault’s fighter become a fashionably late fighter platform that builds on its parent company’s past successes – or just “the late Rafale”? It all began as a 1985 break-away from the multinational consortium that went on to create EADS’ Eurofighter. The French needed a lighter aircraft that was suitable for carrier use, and were reportedly unwilling to cede design authority over the project. As is so often true of French defense procurement policy, the choice came down to paying additional costs for full independence and exact needs, or losing key industrial capabilities by partnering or buying abroad. France has generally o…

Americas Dynetics has received a $670.5-million contract to build the common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) and thermal protection system for the US Army. A total of $65.8 million has already been allocated from the overall amount to the Leidos subsidiary for fiscal 2024 research, development, testing, and evaluation. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of October 2029. Teledyne FLIR has been selected by Red Cat Holdings to provide advanced thermal imaging cameras for the US Army’s new short-range reconnaissance (SRR) drone. Under the agreement, Teledyne will integrate its Hadron 640R+ longwave infrared camera module into the Bl…

Americas Mercury Mission won a $14 million modification, which exercises an option for the production and delivery of 121 high-definition video recorders (109 for the Navy and 12 for Australia), in support of F/A-18C-F and EA-18G aircraft retrofit efforts. Work will be performed in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in July 2027. The contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin won a $16 million modification, which increases the contract ceiling to provide overrun funding for diminishing manufacturing sources non-recurring engineering and associated materials …

Americas According to Defense Post, L3Harris Technologies has received a $999-million contract to deliver critical radio solutions for the US and allied forces. Under this indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity award, the company will provide Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System Terminals, modern, software-defined communication radio devices compatible with ground, air, and maritime vehicles. The radio applies Link 16 technology, a common tactical data standard found across international militaries, including NATO members, that features a secure and fast exchange of voice, text, and imagery among users. The US Air Force (USAF) has …

Americas Boeing won a $9 million modification, which provides follow-on integrated logistics and engineering support in support of the Harpoon/Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response Missile System and Harpoon Launch Systems for the Navy and various Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be completed in February 2026. This contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. A number of unidentified drones were recently spotted swarming over several Royal Air Force (RAF) bases housing American troops. According to a statement from the US Air Force in Europe on Monday, the unmanned aer…

Americas Boeing won a $129.2 million contract for the F-15 Japan Super Interceptor program. This contract provides for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to incorporate engineering change proposals. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; El Segundo, California; and Hunt Valley, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2030. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Raytheon won a $185 million delivery order for the repair, upgrade, or replacement of 160 parts in two of the 13 major subsystems of the Aegis Weapon System: the MK99 fire control system, and the Army Na…

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has finalized the qualification trials of its new 200-horsepower heavy fuel engine (HFE 2.0) for the Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aerial system in El Mirage, California. HFE 2.0 provides a 40 percent increase in the drone’s service life, 50 percent more power to mission payloads, and longer maintenance-free, low-sustainment capability — all required to meet the user requirements in multi-domain operations. NATO member Romania inked a deal with Washington to buy 32 F-35 jets, an unprecedented expenditure for the country neighboring Ukraine. Romania is the latest to acquire the combat jets, more than two and a half yea…

Americas The US Department of Defense has signed an agreement with Australia and the UK to collaborate on “offensive and defensive” hypersonic technologies. The partnership aims to accelerate the development, testing, and evaluation of cutting-edge hypersonic vehicles and technologies, including long-range missiles capable of traveling considerably faster than the speed of sound. Northrop Grumman has delivered its Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) test missile to the US Air Force, which is designed to target rapidly relocatable threats. The test missile will be used to verify the safe carriage and separation of the weapon from its launch aircraft. In 2023, the US Air Force aw…

Americas Silent Arrow has clinched a $1.8-million Direct to Phase II SBIR contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build and test six CLS-200 drones. The CLS-200 is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) known as a Contested Logistics System designed to carry 227 kilograms over 230 miles/370 kilometers. The US Navy has commissioned the 14th Freedom-class littoral combat ship, the USS Nantucket (LCS 27), in Boston, Massachusetts. The event followed the vessel’s acceptance trials in 2022 and delivery in July 2024. Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine began construction in 2017 as part of the US Department of Defense’s objective to modernize its wars…

Austal Team Trimaran LCS Design (click to enlarge) Exploit simplicity, numbers, the pace of technology development in electronics and robotics, and fast reconfiguration. That was the US Navy’s idea for the low-end backbone of its future surface combatant fleet. Inspired by successful experiments like Denmark’s Standard Flex ships, the US Navy’s $35+ billion “Littoral Combat Ship” program was intended to create a new generation of affordable surface combatants that could operate in dangerous shallow and near-shore environments, while remaining affordable and capable throughout their lifetimes. It hasn’t worked that way. In practice, the Navy hasn’t been able to reconcile w…

Americas The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $202-million contract to provide modernization and maintenance services for two US Navy guided-missile destroyers. Work will be performed on the USS Laboon (DDG 58) under a $114-million Docking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) contract, while the USS Wasp (LHD 1) will receive services outlined under a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) contract. Lockheed Martin has started construction of the US Navy’s first E-130J production aircraft under its Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) program. The E-130J is based on the company’s C-130J-30 Super Hercules military transport plane and will replace the service’s older TACAMO…

Americas Bell Textron has selected Integris Composites to supply armor systems for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. Integris highlighted that its contribution will focus on enhancing the upcoming rotorcraft’s durability, speed, range, and payload capabilities. The new aircraft will contribute to “our nation’s warfighters have the decisive edge in any theater where they are operating,” Integris Composites President Andrew Bonham. The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to expand production capacity for the Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) missile to 650 units annually. Lockheed emphasized that this initiative is a crucial …

Americas The 56th Air Refueling Squadron has unveiled the world’s first KC-46 Pegasus demonstration team at the Wings and Warriors Fly-In in San Marcos, Texas, on November 9. This debut performance marked a major milestone for the KC-46, highlighting its advanced capabilities and the crucial role it plays in modern air operations. The demonstration team, composed of pilots, boom operators, and maintenance personnel, showcased the KC-46’s impressive performance and versatility. Spectators were treated to a thrilling display as the aircraft executed a high-speed pass with its refuelling boom extended at 500 feet, followed by a low-speed pass with its landing gear and flaps …

Americas Swedish defense contractor Saab has made an offer for the sale of its JAS 39 Gripen light supersonic aircraft to the Republic of Colombia. The potential contract of an undisclosed number of Gripens with Bogotá was first revealed unofficially by Swedish public news agency Sveriges Radio, according to a report by Reuters. In a recent interview, Saab CEO Micael Johansson confirmed this, saying that the Stockholm-based company committed to a “full-fledged” proposal to the Latin American country. The US Army has awarded Florida-based Repkon a $435-million contract to develop and commission a TNT factory in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. TNT is used for ammunition and ex…

Americas The US Navy has provided upgrades to three Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers to extend their service life for 10 years from 2026 to 2029. Revealed by US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, the modernization will sustain the American surface fleet’s capability as the force and industry partners build more advanced platforms. Selected vessels under this initiative are the USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Chosin (CG 65), and the USS Cape St. George (CG 71), which were all built in the 1980s. As part of the Army’s quest to boost weapons production, it is reestablishing TNT production on US soil, inking a deal to build out a new facility in Graham, Ky. “For the first t…

Americas Emirati defense contractor EDGE Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Brazilian Navy to jointly develop and deploy naval anti-drone systems. The agreement will provide the framework for developing autonomous surface and aerial defense systems that meet the needs of Brasília’s naval forces. Brazilian Navy Admiral Edgar Luiz Siqueira Barbosa and EDGE Managing Director and CEO Hamad Al Marar formalized the agreement at the Euronaval defense exhibition in Paris. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded RTX’s BBN Technologies to develop a tool to boost its digital defenses. The contract supports DARPA’s Compartmentalizat…

Americas BAE Systems won a $122 million deal for systems engineering and integration support services and special studies in support of the US Trident II (D5) Strategic Weapon System Program and D5 Life Extension 2 Strategic Systems Programs Alteration. Tasks to be performed include systems engineering and integration, test engineering, data analysis, and safety engineering. Work is expected to be completed September 30, 2027. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. The US Navy has contracted Leonardo DRS to produce, inspect, and test ship-based air and surface target detection AN/SPQ-9B radars. The potential five-year contract could amou…

Americas The US Army has awarded Bell Textron a contract to provide three 412 EPX medium utility helicopters as part of the agency’s foreign military sales program. The $37.7-million order will be delivered to an undisclosed recipient due to “potential customer sensitivities,” the US Army Cargo Helicopters Project Office told FlightGlobal. Concurrently, a US Department of Defense representative confirmed that the platforms will be distributed to more than one buyer. The US Coast Guard has shipped the modified MH-60T Jayhawk medium-range recovery helicopter to the Air Station Astoria in Oregon under its service life extension program. The modernized aircraft is part of an …