May 31, 2019 | International, Naval
By: Aaron Mehta
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has decided not to submit a version of its Freedom-class littoral combat ship for the Navy's next-gen frigate design competition.
The contractor's move to abandon its bid to become the prime contractors on the FFG(X) deal leaves four rivals in the running — Huntington Ingalls Industries, Austal USA, Fincantieri and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.
But the world's largest defense firm still intends to bid on capabilities involved in the FFG(X).
“After careful review, we have decided to focus our attention on the FFG(X) combat system, delivering Lockheed Martin technologies such as the Aegis-derived weapon system, MK 41 Vertical Launching System, anti-submarine warfare processing, and advanced electronic warfare,” the company said in a statement released late Tuesday.
“We will continue to serve as a shipbuilder for the U.S. Navy, and we're exploring opportunities including unmanned surface vessels and the large surface combatant.”
The news was first reported by USNI on Tuesday.
The FFG(X) grew out of a 2014 requirement for an up-gunned frigate that could survive brutal combat at sea, a problem critics raise about the LCS, a vessel that was developed for sneaky missions near shorelines.
The goal of the new frigate design is to both integrate with, and complement, the carrier strike group and operate as a distributed node in a sensor network, officials say.
Planned capabilities include anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, electromagnetic maneuver warfare and air warfare.
The Navy asked for $1.3 billion for the first FFG(X) hull in 2020 but estimates each subsequent frigate will run closer to $800 million.
David B. Larter in Scotland contributed to this story
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/05/29/lockheed-declines-to-bid-for-ffgx-design
April 18, 2024 | International, Land
The Challenger 3 main battle tank will be the British Army's central armoured element through to 2040, and perhaps beyond.
July 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Security
By: Kelsey Reichmann WASHINGTON — The U.S. private equity group Advent International Corp. will acquire U.K. defense firm Cobham plc for £4 billion, or $5 billion, on Thursday. Advent, which has completed over 345 buyouts in 41 countries, purchased Cobham through its indirect subsidiary AI Convoy Bidco Limited. “We have worked intensively over the last two and half years to focus on our customers and our financial and operating performance, and these fundamentals, along with the investment in the business Advent can provide, will enable us to leverage the quality of our products and services," said David Lockwood, CEO of Cobham, in the press release. "Most of all, this offer reflects the potential for future growth and improving performance, and is an endorsement of our turnaround strategy and our hard working people.” Cobham, which creates products for the defense, aerospace, and space industries, is ranked 57 on the Defense News Top 100 with 64 percent of its annual revenue, or $1.59 billion, coming from defense. The deal is expected to be completed before the end of 2019, according to the press release. https://www.defensenews.com/top-100/2019/07/25/uk-defense-company-acquired-for-5-billion/
October 22, 2021 | International, Aerospace
Le Japon pourrait devenir partenaire au sein du team Tempest, lequel devrait voir une évolution sous forme de contrats avec les principaux partenaires à savoir la Suède et l'Italie d'ici la fin de cette année. BAE Systems avait déjà proposé ses compétences dans le cadre de l'étude du F-X japonais, le successeur du F-2.