Back to news

January 8, 2020 | International, Naval

Ace Electronics nabs $64.4M for Tomahawk control system upgrades

By Christen McCurdy

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Ace Electronics received a five-year, $64.4 million contract for an upgrade of the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System for the Navy, the Pentagon has announced.

The deal, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, funds production and delivery of manufacturing kits, spare parts and testing for the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System, or TTWCS, for the Maritime Strike Tomahawk.

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a subsonic cruise missile. The TTWCS allows commanders to redirect the missile to an alternative target if required, and to send data about its status back to the commander.

According to the Pentagon's announcement, this upgrade will offer new offensive capabilities to upgraded ships in support of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk, which allows the Tomahawk to engage a moving target at sea and upgrades the system hardware.

Work on the contract will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., with the ordering period ending in January 2025.

Navy funds in the amount of $259,118 were obligated at the time of the award.

Ace Electronics Defense Systems specializes in electronic manufacturing and engineering support services for military branches throughout the world, according to its website.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/01/07/Ace-Electronics-nabs-644M-for-Tomahawk-control-system-upgrades/2311578432639

On the same subject

  • Les ministres européens de la Défense appellent à plus de coopération

    June 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Les ministres européens de la Défense appellent à plus de coopération

    Réunis à Bruxelles, les ministres de la Défense européens ont appelé mardi 16 juin à un redémarrage rapide des missions de défense et de sécurité communes momentanément interrompues par la crise du Covid. Ils appellent à aller de l'avant dans les opérations, à renforcer le fonds européen de défense, à aller vers un outil de financement pour pouvoir équiper les armées entraînées comme au Mali et enfin à affermir la base industrielle et technologique de défense européenne afin de réduire toute dépendance dans les secteurs critiques. « Le terme d'autonomie stratégique, longtemps tabou, est désormais accepté de tous, même si tous les pays n'en ont pas la même interprétation de peur d'opposer leur appartenance à l'Otan et à l'Union européenne », explique un membre de l'entourage de la ministre de la Défense Florence Parly aux Echos. Les Echos du 16 juin 2020

  • GM Defense joins General Dynamics team in bid to replace US Army's Bradley vehicle

    February 18, 2022 | International, Land

    GM Defense joins General Dynamics team in bid to replace US Army's Bradley vehicle

    General Dynamics Land Systems brings General Motors Defense onto its team to pitch an optionally manned fighting vehicle as it competes to develop an initial design.

  • Fourth GPS III satellite receives operational acceptance in record time

    December 4, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Fourth GPS III satellite receives operational acceptance in record time

    Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — The fourth GPS III satellite has achieved operational acceptance from the U.S. Space Force at record speeds using an expedited process that was 10 days faster than previous efforts. “[The fourth GPS III satellite] sets a new standard for handover from the contractor launch team to operational acceptance, setting the satellite healthy to the global user community approximately 30 days post launch. Moving forward with future GPS III launches, the timeline between launch and the satellite being set healthy will be at a minimum,” said 2 Space Operations Squadron Flight Commander Capt. Collin Dart in a statement. The satellite was launched Nov. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The addition of SV04 to the GPS constellation marks another step toward making M-Code — a more robust GPS signal for military use — available to the war fighter. M-Code provides a more accurate GPS signal with anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities, making it harder for adversaries to block or degrade. Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor for the 10 GPS III satellites and the 22 GPS III Follow-On satellites in development. The Space Force granted GPS IIIF Milestone C in July, clearing the way for production to begin. “M-Code signals are more-secure, harder-to-jam and spoof, and are critical to helping our war fighters complete their missions, especially in contested environments,” Tonya Ladwig, Lockheed Martin's vice president for navigation systems, said in a statement. “GPS III is a war fighting system and we are proud to be helping bring this critical capability to the men and women protecting our nation.” “The highly encrypted M-Code to protect GPS signals from jamming and spoofing is currently enabled on 22 GPS satellites of various generations; 24 are needed to bring the M-Code to the next level of operational capability,” Dart said. “SV04 brings the constellation to 23 M-Code capable vehicles.” The 24th M-Code-enabled GPS satellite, which will be the fifth GPS III satellite, is currently ready for launch. However, the launch is not expected until July 2021 at the earliest. Upgrades to the GPS ground systems and distribution of M-Code-enabled receivers to the field are also needed to get the advanced signal into the hands of war fighters. In addition to moving the constellation closer to M-Code availability, the addition of another GPS satellite to the constellation will provide greater access to the improved L2C and L5 signals to civilian users. “For our billions of civil users, it brings the count up to 23 L2C spacecraft and 16 L5 spacecraft,” said Col. Ryan Colburn, director of the Space and Missile Systems Center Portfolio Architect office's Spectrum Warfare Division. “For professional users with existing dual-frequency operations, L2C enables faster signal acquisition, enhanced reliability, and greater operating range. L5 is broadcast in a radio band reserved exclusively for aviation safety services. It features higher power, greater bandwidth, and an advanced signal design.” And according to Lockheed Martin, the GPS III satellites also include the new L1C signal, which provides improved civilian user connectivity. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/12/03/fourth-gps-iii-satellite-receives-operational-acceptance-in-record-time/

All news