Defense Industry Daily

Americas The US Navy’s transition to the CMV-22B Osprey for its long-range and medium-lift aerial logistics missions took a significant step forward on April 5, with the arrival of the first tiltrotor aircraft assigned to the East Coast at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40, nicknamed “Mighty Bison,” received the first […]

Americas India’s Cochin Shipyard Limited has signed a maintenance and repair agreement with the US Navy. The third Master Shipyard Repair Agreement with an Indian company follows agreements with Larsen & Toubro in 2023 for Mazagon Dock and Kattupalli Port. The US Navy’s effort to expand maintenance and repair centers in the Indo-Pacific stems from the […]

Americas The US Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) has a news article on the delivery of the first Beechcraft King Air 350ER, designated CE-145C Vigilance in Canada, to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on February 22nd. This marks the initial phase of a program that will see a total of three CE-145C Vigilance aircraft […]

Italian Eurofighters (click to view full) The multi-national Eurofighter Typhoon has been described as the aerodynamic apotheosis of lessons learned from the twin engine “teen series” fighters that began with the F-14 and F-15, continued with the emergence of the F/A-18 Hornet, and extended through to the most recent F/A-18 Super Hornet variants. Aerodynamically, it’s […]

Americas Elbit Systems has unveiled the Air Keeper, a revolutionary airborne system designed to integrate Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities with Electronic Warfare (EW) functionalities on a single platform. The Air Keeper is built with a modular architecture, allowing for compatibility with various business jets and civilian platforms. This flexibility enables customization […]

F-15C over DC (click to view full) “Array of Aging American Aircraft Attracting Attention” discusses the issues that accompany an air force whose fighters have an average age of over 23.5 years – vs. an average of 8.5 years in 1967. One of the most obvious consequences is the potential for fleet groundings due to […]

Americas The US Navy plans to mount a high-powered microwave-based counter-air defense system prototype on one of its vessels in 2026. The Meteor will be the navy’s first high-powered microwave (HPM) project to counter targets such as drones and anti-ship missiles, USNI News wrote, citing the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget documents. The US Army and the US […]

USN MH-60S test (click to view full) Hellfire I/II missiles are the USA’s preferred aerial anti-armor missile, and are widely deployed with America’s allies. They equip America’s helicopter fleets (AH-64, AH-1, OH-58D, MH-60S/R), AH-64 and S-70 helicopters flown by its allies, and even Australia and France’s Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters. Range is officially listed as […]

AH-64 in Afghanistan (click to view full) The AH-64 Apache will remain the US Army’s primary armed helicopter for several more decades, thanks to the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and the retirement sans replacement of the US Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH). Apaches also serve with a number of American allies, some of […]

Americas Boeing won a $116 million hybrid deal for Apache logistics support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2025. Fiscal 2024 Army working capital funds in the amount of $116,703,697 were obligated at the time of the […]

EA-18G at Pax The USA’s electronic attack fighters are a unique, overworked, and nearly obsolete capability. With the retirement of the US Air Force’s long-range EF-111 Raven “Spark ‘Vark,” the aging 4-seat EA-6B Prowlers became the USA’s only remaining fighter for radar jamming, communications jamming and information operations like signals interception [1]. Despite their age […]

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $561 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Gray Eagle technical services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 28, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. General […]

ER/MP, armed (click to view full) Its initial battles were fought within the Pentagon, but the US Army’s high-end UAV has made its transition to the battlefield. The ER/MP program was part of the US Army’s reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, and directly supports the Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan. The […]

0 Reaper, ready… (click to view full) The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, once called “Predator B,” is somewhat similar to the famous Predator. Until you look at the tail. Or its size. Or its weapons. It’s called “Reaper” for a reason: while it packs the same surveillance gear, it’s much more of a hunter-killer design. Some […]

Americas Raytheon won a $287 million modification, which adds scope to provide for recertification and modernization of 166 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round Missiles (142 for the Navy and 24 for Foreign Military Sales customers) in support of enabling the missiles to be operational for up to an additional 15 years of service. Additionally, this modification […]

Block IV Cutaway (click to view full) Block IV Tomahawk is the current generation of the Tomahawk family of cruise missiles. The BGM-109 Tomahawk family began life in the 1980s as sub-sonic, low-flying nuclear strike weapons, before being developed into long-range RGM/UGM-109 conventional attack missiles. They’re most frequently launched from submarines and surface ships, and […]

Americas The US Army’s Apache helicopter is once again facing public scrutiny after a crash Monday night at a military base in Washington state. A Boeing-made AH-64E attack chopper assigned to the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade plunged to the ground while participating in a routine training exercise, injuring its two pilots. A spokesperson at the […]

Americas Boeing won a $10 million modification, which adds scope to procure ancillary support for three Navy P-8A aircraft and one retrofit kit for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A aircraft with Increment Three Engineering Change Proposal Six Capabilities. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (79.6%); San Antonio, Texas (10.9%); and Mesa, Arizona […]

Americas Life Cycle Engineering was awarded a $50 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the DDG 1000 Class Integrated Power System (IPS); the DDG 51 Class Flight III and New Construction IPS; the Advanced Missile Defense Radar Support Power Conversion Module IPS; and the DDG (X) Land Based Test Site IPS. Work will […]

DDG-110 Construction (click to view full) In April 2009 Bath and Ingalls agreed to the Navy’s surface combatant plans, thus heralding a significant restructuring within the American naval shipbuilding community. Under the agreements, the USA would end production at 3 Graf Spee sized DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class “destroyers,” but shift all production from the Congressionally-mandated joint […]