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April 13, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contracts for April 12, 2021

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  • Raytheon delivering wireless TOW missiles to US Army

    August 22, 2019 | International, Land

    Raytheon delivering wireless TOW missiles to US Army

    TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will deliver additional tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided missiles for the TOW® weapon system under a $101 million U.S. Army contract announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on May 10, 2019. The weapon system transitioned to wireless guidance in 2010 and is being produced for the Army, U.S. Marines and international customers. The TOW weapon system, with the multi-mission TOW 2A, TOW 2B Aero and TOW Bunker Buster missiles, is a long-range, heavy assault-precision anti-armor, anti-fortification and anti-amphibious landing weapon system used throughout the world. "TOW gives soldiers the upper hand in battle," said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. "The system easily defeats opponents at long range in main battle tanks, fortified bunkers or moving armored vehicles." The TOW missile will remain in the Army's inventory until at least 2034. Raytheon has delivered over 700,000 TOW weapon systems to U.S. and allied forces. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-delivering-wireless-tow-missiles-to-us-army-300905247.html

  • Could Textron Become Purer A&D Company, Or Be Sold?

    August 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    Could Textron Become Purer A&D Company, Or Be Sold?

    By Michael Bruno As a multi-industrial manufacturer, Textron sells many transportation vehicles, from military helicopters to UAVs and even snowmobiles and recreational four-wheelers. But a new corporate review may indicate the conglomerate could be looking to become an aerospace and defense (A&D)-focused company similar to other large rivals, according to analysts. Earlier this month, Textron announced it is reviewing strategic alternatives such as a sale or spin-off of its German Kautex business unit, which produces fuel systems and other functional components. Kautex operates more than 30 plants in 14 countries and generated more than $2.3 billion in revenue in 2018. “Kautex strategic review suggests Textron wants to become an A&D ‘pure-play,'” Cowen analysts Cai von Rumohr and his team said Aug. 9. “The thesis is that ‘new Textron' could command a higher [valuation] multiple closer to A&D pure-plays; and it would have optionality for merger and acquisition (M&A) or stock repurchasing to leverage its new product-driven growth.” The Cowen analysts said they think that if Kautex is disposed of, so could golf cart maker Textron Specialized Vehicles or other units in Textron's Industrial division. In turn, the company could use proceeds and money saved to bolt on smaller A&D businesses, or it could continue active share repurchases to lever benefits of expected growth from new products such as Longitude, Sky Courier, Denali and V-280. “A third possibility is that free of Industrial, Textron could be of interest to larger primes, who would bring more lobbying clout to V-280,” the analysts said. Buying candidates could be Boeing or General Dynamics, they added. Separately, a well-known adviser to the A&D industry recently told Aerospace DAILY that Textron would make a good acquisition target for other A&D players. “Over the years I've had my clients take a hard look at that one,” the consultant said. This person listed Boeing and Lockheed for possible top-level consolidation, although getting Pentagon and Trump administration approval could be more of a challenge than for other recent M&A deals. To be sure, Textron is already an aerospace-focused multi-industrial. According to Cowen, it is the leader in Class 1-5 business jets (which make up 24% of annual total revenue), with positions in helicopters via Bell (26%), defense systems (12%), and then industrial products (25%). Defense as an end-market accounts for 29%. But conglomerates are increasingly breaking up and those with A&D elements continue to focus on those businesses. United Technologies is working to spin off its elevators and air conditioning businesses while adding Raytheon. General Electric is divesting major units but favoring aviation. Honeywell International in recent years has spun off units to focus more on A&D and related businesses. One reason for the portfolio shaping is because of pressure from major investors who want companies to be more focused, in part so they can balance their own investment portfolios rather than relying on a company to try to play in various industries. Goldman Sachs is advising Textron on its review. Textron reiterated that no decision has been made and there are no assurances that the process will result in any transaction being announced or completed. The company has not set a definitive timetable for completion of its review of strategic alternatives and does not intend to make any further announcements related to its review unless and until its board of directors has approved a specific transaction or Textron otherwise determines that further disclosure is appropriate. https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/could-textron-become-purer-ad-company-or-be-sold

  • Army’s $2.3B wish list would speed up future helo buy, boost lethality and more

    April 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Land, C4ISR

    Army’s $2.3B wish list would speed up future helo buy, boost lethality and more

    By: Jen Judson HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army's $2.3 billion unfunded requirements list — or wish list — sent to Capitol Hill includes money to speed up the service's plan to buy a future long-range assault helicopter and efforts to boost lethality, such as outfitting more Stryker combat vehicles with a 30mm gun. The unfunded requirements list is something the military services send to Congress each year shortly following the release of the defense budget request to inform lawmakers on where money would be spent if there was more of it. The lists are usually provided at the request of congressional defense committees. The service has pivoted toward six modernization priorities it deems necessary to modernize the force, and through a rigorous review of every program within the Army by leadership, billions of dollars were found within its $182 billion fiscal 2020 budget to devote to the ambitious efforts within that modernization portfolio. But the Army would spend another $243 million to advance certain modernization efforts if it could, according to the wish list. For instance, if the Army had additional funds, it would want to spend $40 million to buy the XM-913 weapon system — a 50mm gun, ammunition-handling system and fire control — to outfit two next-generation combat vehicle prototypes. The NGCV is the second-highest modernization priority. The service would also want to spend $75.6 million to speed up decision-making on the future long-range assault aircraft, or FLRAA — one of the two future vertical lift lines of effort to replace the current fleet. Gen. John “Mike” Murray, Army Futures Command commander who is in charge of the service's modernization, told Defense News in a March 26 interview at the Association of the U.S. Army's Global Force Symposium that the service would like additional funding to close the gap between what it is seeing now with the two technology demonstrators, which are both flying, and a decision on the way ahead to procure FLRAA. Bell's V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft has been flying for nearly two years, and the Sikorsky-Boeing team's SB-1 Defiant flew last week. The demonstrator aircraft were originally funded to help shape the service's requirements for a future vertical lift family of aircraft. The Army also wants additional funding to extend the range of the Q-53 counter-fire target acquisition radar and funding to preserve a new program for a low-Earth orbit, space-based capability to extract data and tactical imagery in denied or contested environments, something that is critical to the Long-Range Precision Fires program, the Army's top modernization priority. Lastly, additional funding would also support rapid prototyping for the next-generation squad weapon—automatic rifle. The service would want an additional $1 billion to address readiness to include $161 million in more aviation training, $118 million in bridging assets and $128 million for mobilization needs. Also included in the readiness funding: money to further enhance interoperable communications with allies and partners, and funds to help restore airfields, railheads and runways in Europe that would enhance better movement. U.S. Army Europe commanders in recent years have stressed the need to build better infrastructure to move troops and supplies more freely in the region and have cited interoperability issues with allies as one of the toughest aspects to overcome in joint operations. Funding would also be used to enhance the Army's pre-positioned stock in Europe with petroleum and medical equipment. In the Pacific area of operations, the funding would also cover needed multidomain operations capabilities and force protection for radar sites and mobile ballistic bunkers. Focusing on lethality requirements, the Army wants an additional $249 million to upgrade more Strykers with 30mm cannons. The service is already up-gunning Strykers for brigades in Europe and recently wrapped up an assessment of the enhanced Strykers to inform a decision on whether to outfit more Strykers with a larger gun. The Army is expected to make a decision within days on whether it will up-gun more Stryker units and how many it plans to upgrade. Additionally, the Army wants $130 million to prototype hypersonic missile capabilities and another $24 million to integrate the Joint Air-to-Ground Munition's seeker and guidance kit into an Army Tactical Missile System. JAGM is the service's Hellfire replacement, and ATACMS will be replaced with the service's long-range precision fire missile — the precision strike missile — currently under development. The Army is also asking for $565 billion for infrastructure improvements both in the United States and in the Indo-Pacific area of operation. Congress reporter Joe Gould contributed to this report. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/global-force-symposium/2019/03/27/armys-23b-wish-list-would-speed-up-future-helo-buy-boost-lethality-efforts/

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