March 9, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Boeing Begins MH-139A Grey Wolf Production
The MH-139A?s enhanced capabilities allow it to accomplish missions more quickly, quietly and efficiently
August 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
India announces ban on 101 imported arms. Who benefits, and who loses out?
NEW DELHI — To bolster self-reliance for its defense industrial base, India on Sunday released a list of 101 weapons and platforms that will be banned from import over the next seven years.
The list incorporates major armaments such as artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircraft, ammunition, radars, conventional diesel-electric submarines, communication satellites and shipborne cruise missiles.
In announcing the move, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it “a big step toward self-reliance in defense production in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,' ” or “Self-Reliant India.”
Singh added the decision will bring with it a great opportunity for the local defense industry to manufacture the items on the negative list by using domestic design and development capabilities.
“The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “The aim behind the promulgation of the list is to appraise the Indian defense industry about the anticipated requirements of the [Indian] armed forces so that they are better prepared to realize the goal of indigenization.”
The items on the list, worth a total of $53.4 billion, are to be manufactured in India, with local companies as prime contractors. Of these, about $17.3 billion will be either Army or Air Force programs, and defense contracts worth $18.6 billion will be meant for naval programs. The MoD said these orders will be placed with domestic companies within the next five to seven years.
The domestic industry will now stand a better chance to compete among itself and cater to local demand, an MoD official told Defense News.
“Foreign-origin technology transfer will be key. However, the Indian companies will be in the driver's seat,” the official said.
Domestic private companies have welcomed the government's move, but some defense experts doubt change will come.
Baba Kalyani, chairman of Bharat Forge Limited, said this decision is a strategic step that will “propel the Self-Reliant India narrative and bolster the Indian defense equipment-manufacturing industry.”
He added that the growth of the domestic sector will lead to self-reliance, reduced expenditure on imports, the saving of foreign currency, job creation and the revival of consumption, and that it will get India closer to its goal of a $5 trillion economy.
Jayant Patil, senior executive vice president of India's largest private defense company Larsen & Toubro, said the defense policy reforms will provide long-term visibility, which he said is needed to drive investment.
In contract, Vivek Rae, a former MoD chief of acquisitions, said the “gradual ban on imports of 101 weapons and platforms signals the strong intent of government to boost domestic defense production. However, some of these items are already made or assembled in India, and import content is also high. Therefore, business as usual will continue unless more orders are given to the private sector and import content reduced.”
Rae also noted the cost of items manufactured or assembled locally tends to be higher than the cost of imported items. The quality of locally produced materiel is also a concern for Rae.
The embargo may not adversely affect foreign original equipment manufacturers, as they can continue involvement in MoD acquisition programs, either by way of direct product orders or through technology transfer or collaboration with the Indian companies, in respect to items not covered by the list, according to Amit Cowshish, a former financial adviser for acquisition at the MoD.
It doesn't matter whether an embargoed item is made by a joint venture or any other entity, so long as it is designed and developed in India, Cowshish added.
Indeed, an MoD official confirmed that foreign original equipment manufacturers now can set up joint ventures with a majority control up to 74 percent. The ventures would be considered Indian companies and thus be eligible for manufacturing the embargoed items, the official explained.
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September 30, 2019 | International, Security
Switzerland selects Thales for national airspace surveillance and protection
September 26, 2019 - SkyView has been selected by the Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) to upgrade the country's FLORAKO air surveillance system, which provides 24/7 surveillance and protection of national airspace, territory and populations. SkyView correlates civil and military data in real time, providing a better overall picture of national airspace and allowing faster decisions to be made. It also enables operators to conduct air policing operations and detect and respond to all types of airborne threats. SkyView is the culmination of 50 years of experience in air operations and has been deployed at over 80 command and control centres in more than 30 countries. It processes data from over 600 radars and interconnects with external systems via more than 60 types of interfaces. The product is co-developed with users according to a roadmap that reflects their exact requirements. “I would like to thank armasuisse for its continued trust in us for a project that is vital to Switzerland's national sovereignty. SkyView 4.0 is an all-digital system incorporating the latest Big Data and artificial intelligence technologies, and will provide the Swiss Air Force with a highly capable solution for airspace surveillance and air command and control.” Thomas Got, Thales Vice President in charge of Air Operations and Weapon Systems https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/group/press-release/switzerland-selects-thales-national-airspace-surveillance-and-protection
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January 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 06, 2020
ARMY Adams Communication & Engineering Technology Inc.,* Reston, Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0001); Advanced Technology Systems Co.,* McLean, Virginia (W15P7T-20--D0003); The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (W15P7T-20-D-0004); CopaSat LLC,* Tampa, Florida (W15P7T-20-D-0005); GATR Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (W15P7T-20-D-0006); DataPath Inc., Duluth, Georgia (W15P7T-20-D-0007); Envistacom LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (W15P7T-20-D-0008); Fairwinds Technologies LLC,* Annapolis, Maryland (W15P7T-20-D-0009); General Dynamics One Source LLC, Fairfax, Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0010); Globecomm Systems Inc., Hauppauge, New York (W15P7T-20-D-0011); Kratos Technology & Training Solutions Inc., San Diego, California (W15P7T-20-D-0012); NewSat North America LLC, Indian Harbour Beach, Florida (W15P7T-20-D-0013); Nexagen Network Inc.,* Morganville, New Jersey (W15P7T-20-D-0014); PAE National Security Solutions LLC, Fredericksburg, Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0015); Quantum Research International Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (W15P7T-20-D-0016); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0017); STS International Inc.,* Berkeley Springs, West Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0018); Telecommunication Systems Inc., Annapolis, Maryland (W15P7T-20-D-0019); TMC Design Corp.,* Las Cruces, New Mexico (W15P7T-20-D-0020); Trace Systems Inc.,* Vienna, Virginia (W15P7T-20-D-0021); Tribalco LLC, Bethesda, Maryland (W15P7T-20-D-0022); and Ultisat Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland (W15P7T-20-D-0023), will compete for each order of the $5,100,000,000 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for the Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems (GTACS II) and services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 24 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 5, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. IOEI-EQM JV,* San Diego, California, was awarded a $35,000,000 fixed-price level-of-effort contract to provide emergency, immediate or rapid-response environmental remediation services at contaminated sites. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 11, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0020). Young's General Contracting Inc.,* Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was awarded a $9,199,326 firm-fixed-price contract for flood rehabilitation of the Clear Creek-Platte River Right Bank Levee System. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Omaha, Nebraska, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 7, 2020. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $9,199,326 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0007). Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded an $8,396,000 firm-fixed-price contract for dredging of the Mississippi River. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Plaquemines, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 12, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance-Recovery Act and civil works funds in the amount of $8,396,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-C-0010). Indtai Inc., Vienna, Virginia, was awarded a $7,640,269 modification (P00016) to contract W9124J-17-C-0018 to deliver adult education programs and services. Work will be performed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, with an estimated completion date of July 27, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,640,269 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity. NAVY Ace Electronics Defense Systems LLC,* Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is awarded a $64,405,123 single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price delivery orders for the production and delivery of manufacturing kits, spare parts and first article testing for the hardware component refresh of the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (AN/SWG-5(V)6). The AN/SWG-5(V)6 upgrade offers new offensive capabilities to upgraded ships in support of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk, addresses obsolescence risks and improves the operability and maintainability of the system hardware. This single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a five-year ordering period, which, if all line item quantities are ordered, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $64,405,123, with an ordering period to January 2025. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by January 2025. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $259,118 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one proposal received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (N63394-20-D-0002). Engineered Coil Co., doing business as DRS Marlo Coil, High Ridge, Missouri, is awarded an $11,007,314 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for up to 103 modular refrigeration systems in support of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD). The supplies under this contract cover the Air Conditioning Refrigeration and Thermal Management Control System Branch (Code 411) and the Auxiliary Machinery Systems Division (Code 41) of the NSWCPD. These supplies are in support of CVN 68, CVN 69, CVN 74, CVN 75 and CVN 77. Work will be performed in High Ridge, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by December 2023. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding for $2,212,490 will be obligated at time of award via an individual task order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with Section 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). NSWCPD, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Conmed Corp., Utica, New York, has been awarded a maximum $36,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency Electronic Catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 102 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a Dec. 29, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0027). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2051251/source/GovDelivery/