Contracts for November 18, 2021

On the same subject

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  February 3, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  Turkey launches F-16 life-extension program amid lack of replacement aircraft

  By: Burak Ege Bekdil   ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's procurement and defense authorities have launched a program designed to increase the structural life of the country's existing fleet of F-16 Block 30 jets from 8,000 flight hours to 12,000, the country's top procurement official announced. Ismail Demir, who leads the Presidency of Defence Industries, wrote in a Feb. 2 tweet that the comprehensive upgrade program would involve revisions, renewals, replacements and body reinforcement. “The upgrades will cover 1,200 to 1,500 parts per aircraft,” Demir said. Caglar Kurc, a Turkish defense analyst, said the upgrade program indicates Turkey's intention to keep the F-16s as its main aerial firepower until the country completes work on its planned indigenous fighter jet. “In addition to the F-16s, [armed and unarmed] drones could be used to support, particularly, anti-terror missions,” Kurc said. Turkey has been seeking options for a new-generation fighter after it was suspended from the American-led, multinational Joint Strike Fighter program that builds the F-35 Lightning II. Turkish Aerospace Industries will perform the structural upgrades for the F-16s as part of an ongoing upgrade program. TAI is currently building 30 new F-16 Block 50+ aircraft for the Turkish Air Force and is running an upgrade program covering more than 160 F-16 Block 30/40/50 aircraft. Turkey's indigenous fighter program, dubbed TF-X (or MMU in its Turkish acronym), has been crawling over the past years due to technological failures and issues with know-how transfers. Turkish engineers must first select an engine for the planned aircraft before finalizing the design phase. TAI has been in talks with British engine-maker Rolls-Royce for engine know-how and co-production, but a final contract has yet to emerge. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/02/02/turkey-launches-f-16-life-extension-program-amid-lack-of-replacement-aircraft/

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  December 7, 2023 | International, Aerospace

  Defense bill would let Air Force retire A-10s, F-15s — but not F-22s

  Lawmakers want to see more detailed plans for collaborative combat aircraft and the Next Generation Air Dominance platform.

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  April 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  The Army is moving forward with its electronic warfare pod

  Andrew Eversden The Army has moved the Lockheed Martin-made electronic warfare pod to the build and evaluation phase of the operational system, as it bolsters its electronic warfare capabilities. The second phase agreement is worth nearly $75 million, according to the Consortium Management Group's Jan. 30 award listing, which made the award on behalf of the Army. Lockheed Martin's electronic warfare pod, known as the “Air Large” piece of the Army's Multi-Function Electronic Warfare family of systems program, is mounted on an MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. It provides commanders with jamming capabilities as well as electronic support, or sensing of the electromagnetic spectrum. The defense contractor developed a prototype as part of the first phase of the project it won in January 2019 under an $18 million contact. “Our internal research & development programs have resulted in first-of-its-kind converged technologies that are at the forefront of realizing our customers' urgent need and vision for combined cyber and electronic warfare (EW) capability and dominance,” Deon Viergutz, vice president of Lockheed's Spectrum Convergence division, said in a statement. The company has been testing the pod as part of the Army's Cyber Blitz exercise. Army officials plan to have the capability deployed to combat aviation brigades in 2022. The pods are expected to play a critical role on the battlefield with near-peer adversaries, such as Russia and China. “The air pod solutions are very important, especially when you start going against a near-peer competitor. The main reason why is because you start now dealing with more of an [electronic intelligence] ELINT threat than with a strictly commercial threat,” Col. Kevin Finch, program manager for electronic warfare and cyber within Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, told C4ISRNET in October last year. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/c2-comms/2020/04/29/the-army-is-moving-forward-with-its-electronic-warfare-pod