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August 14, 2018 | International, Aerospace

New Spy Drone Flies Non-Stop for a Month

Airbus's Zephyr solar-powered drone flew for 25 days straight during a test-flight over Yuma, Arizona beginning on July 11, 2018. The flight represented a record for aircraft endurance, breaking the previous 14-day record also set by a Zephyr back in 2015.

The long flight has big implications for military surveillance. Drones like Zephyr could loiter over a low-intensity battlefield far longer than current drones can do. The latest high-endurance Reaper drone maxes out at 40 hours in the air.

The propeller-driven Zephyr belongs to a class of aircraft known as “high-altitude pseudo-satellites,” or HAPs. Flying as high as 70,000 feet for weeks or even months at a time, HAPs perform many of the same missions that low-orbiting satellites do.

“The main HAP applications are in telecommunications and remote sensing, both civilian and military,” Flavio Araripe d'Oliveira, Francisco Cristovão Lourenço de Melo and Tessaleno Campos Devezas wrote in a 2016 paper.

Compared to comms satellites, HAPs have the advantages of lower latency and the ability to land for maintenance or reconfiguration, d'Oliveira, de Melo and Devezas explained. For surveillance missions, HAPs unlike satellites can linger over a particular area and could produce images with better resolution, since they fly lower than satellites do.

HAPs could be more vulnerable to enemy defenses, however. Where satellites orbit many hundreds of miles over Earth, beyond the reach of most conventional weaponry, Zephyr — so far the only HAP undergoing realistic testing — attained a maximum altitude of 70,000 feet, well under the ceiling for modern air-defense missile systems such as the Russian S-300.

Also, the drone is slow, with a cruising speed of just 20 miles per hour.

Zephyr and similar pseudo-satellite drones could be best-suited for operations over lightly-defended territory. In 2016, the U.K. ministry of defense bought three Zephyrs for around $6 million apiece in order to evaluate them for potential use by the military and other government agencies.

“Zephyr is a cutting edge, record-breaking piece of kit that will be capable of gathering constant, reliable information over vast geographical areas at a much greater level of detail than ever before,” then-defense secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

Airbus is still refining Zephyr, in particular its power-consumption. During daytime, the lightly-built solar-powered drone — which features an 82-foot wingspan and yet weighs just 165 pounds — can fly as high as 70,000 feet while also charging its batteries.

After the sun goes down, Zephyr runs on batteries ... and slowly loses altitude. During the record-setting Yuma flight, the drone dipped as low as 50,000 feet at night.

The challenge for Airbus is to balance weight and power-consumption to produce the optimal flight profile for a particular task. “You have to find the right equation between flying altitude plus battery life, maintaining this or that power,” said Alain Dupiech, an Airbus spokesperson.

It's unclear just how long Zephyr could stay aloft under the right conditions. The drone's lithium-ion battery eventually dies, forcing it to land for maintenance. But battery technology is advancing rapidly, driven in part by consumer demand for electric cars, d'Oliveira, de Melo and Devezas wrote.

In the short term, a maximum endurance of several months is not inconceivable. But longer flights might not be particularly useful for surveillance and comms missions, Dupiech said. “At this stage, most of those missions are not calling for a year and half up there.”

Airbus has scheduled Zephyr's next test flight for October in western Australia.

http://warisboring.com/new-spy-drone-flies-non-stop-for-a-month/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - September 14, 2020

    September 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - September 14, 2020

    DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY JL Kaya,* Miami, Florida (SPE1C1-20-D-1317, $323,030,400); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1346, $209,200,000); Coulmed Products Group,*** Springfield Township, New Jersey (SPE1C1-20-D-1320, $152,671,212); Maddox Defense,** San Diego, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1318, $88,595,200); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1332, $68,205,564); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1336, $65,411,316); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1340, $39,580,013); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1333, $31,359,600); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1323, $28,132,080); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1345, $28,048,235); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1344, $25,416,963); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1337, $23,294,900); Marena Group,** Lawrenceville, Georgia (SPE1C1-20-D-1321, $22,529,664); Wise Manufacturing,*** Old Hickory, Tennessee (SPE1C1-20-D-1339, $20,216,250); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1338, $11,730,000); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1342, $11,726,208); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1341, $10,348,416); and Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1326, $8,411,508), have each been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE1C1-20-R-0138 for disposable isolation gowns. These were competitive acquisitions with 129 offers received. These are one-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Florida, California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Massachusetts and Texas, with a Sept. 30, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customer is Health and Human Services. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $103,577,044 firm-fixed-price contract to acquire avionics support services and incidental materials for the UH-60M Black Hawk multifunction display avionics suite for UH-60M mission design series and variant helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-F-0535). Science and Engineering Services LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $22,177,444 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for the procurement of Afghanistan contractor logistics support services for the Afghanistan National Security Forces. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Khandahar, Kabul, Shorab and Mezar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan; and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2019 Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan) funds in the amount of $22,177,444 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-C-0032). World Wide Technology, St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded an $11,710,362 firm-fixed-price contract for laptops, desktops, Cisco Voice over Internet Protocol phones, switches, software licenses and similar items. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 18, 2021. U.S. Army 408th Contracting Support Brigade, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-16-D-0016). (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) The American Council on Teaching, White Plains, New York, was awarded a $10,825,025 modification (P00005) to contract W9124N-16-D-0001 for oral proficiency interviews for the Defense Language Institute's Foreign Language Center. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2021. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. IQVIA Government Solutions Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $7,759,363 fixed-price-incentive contract to provide commercial off-the-shelf software components and related support services for a bi-directional, secure mobile health communication system in support of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 23, 2025. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W81XWH-20-D-0063). NAVY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $82,164,896 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides research and development support services for the Operational Readiness Directorate at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California. Work will be performed primarily in San Diego, California (80%), but may include additional work locations in Bridgeport, California (1%); Camp Pendleton, California (1%); La Posta, California (1%); Twenty-nine Palms, California (1%); Groton, Connecticut (1%); Washington, D.C. (1%); Orlando, Florida (1%); St. Petersburg, Florida (1%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%); Baltimore, Maryland (1%); Bethesda, Maryland (1%); Boston, Massachusetts (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (1%); Fort Bragg, North Carolina (1%); Arlington, Virginia (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%); Quantico, Virginia (1%); Fort Lewis, Washington (1%); and Keyport, Washington (1%). No funds will be obligated at the time of award and work is expected to be completed by September 2026. The initial task order for $4,968,119 for the base period of performance will be awarded with fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program (DHP) funding of $444,310, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year; fiscal 2020 Navy research, development, testing and evaluation of $851,955 which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year; and fiscal 2020 one-year DHP operations and maintenance funding of $2,137,975 which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The balance of the task orders will be incrementally funded and the total aggregate value of the initial task order for the base period and one option year, if exercised, is $10,002,412. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with four proposals received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-20-D-5020). (Awarded Sept. 10, 2020) Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, is awarded a $43,414,416 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years is $196,130,562. The work to be performed provides for base operations support services to include family housing, facility management, facility investment, custodial, pest control, integrated solid waste management, other (swimming pools), grounds maintenance and landscaping, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, water and base support vehicles and equipment. Work will be performed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2021 Defense Health Program; fiscal 2021 O&M (Army); and fiscal 2021 O&M (Defense agencies) contract funds in the amount of $35,022,444 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with two proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0071). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $20,480,000 undefinitized contract modification (P00062) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-16-C-000) for additional labor in support of depot maintenance activities associated with the completion of the government of Australia's first Joint Strike Fighter aircraft induction. Work will be performed in Williamtown, Australia (95%); and Fort Worth, Texas (5%), and is expected to be completed in July 2021. Non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $10,240,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $18,412,543 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order through One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS). This contract provides research and development support services for the Behavioral Epidemiology Assessment Research at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2025. The task order is initially being awarded with fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program (DHP) Navy research, development, testing and evaluation funding in the amount of $213,632 with fiscal 2019 enhanced DHP funding of $70,066; and fiscal 2020 DHP operations and maintenance funding of $5,000, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The balance of the task order will be incrementally funded through the base period and four option years and have a total value of $18,412,543, if all option periods are exercised. This contract was competitively procured via General Services Administration OASIS Pool 4 and only one proposal was received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-20-F-0286). (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) Aptim Federal Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded an $18,163,824 firm-fixed-price task order (N62478-20-F-4295) under a multiple award construction contract for repair to military petroleum storage tank Red Hill Tank 14. The work to be performed provides for the additional repairs on Red Hill Tank 14 as identified by the contractor's comprehensive out-of-service internal integrity inspection and suitability for service evaluation inspection report. Work will be performed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by June 2023. Fiscal 2016 working capital (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $18,163,824 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N39430-20-D-2225). Bell Boeing Joint Program Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded a $16,401,341 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price modification (P00008) against previously issued order N00019-18-F-1645 under basic ordering agreement N00019-17-G-0002. This modification procures 24 additional MV-22 integrated aircraft survivability equipment A-Kits. Additionally, this modification provides additional non-recurring engineering support to integrate the control indicator unit replacement into the existing Department of Navy large aircraft infrared countermeasures system for integrated aircraft survivability equipment and the MV-22 Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system processor replacement retrofit installation package. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (85%); and Mesa, Arizona (15%), and is expected to be completed by April 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,401,341 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $12,243,575 firm-fixed-price contract for a 45-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of USNS Richard Byrd (T-AKE 4). Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 9, 2020. The maximum dollar value, including base period and four option years is $12,243,575. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds in the amount of $11,863,708 are being obligated at the time of the award, none of which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with one company soliciting via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4086). Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $10,621,061 modification (P00044) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N68335-17-C-0253 to provide retrofit kits for the production and delivery of 137 low rate initial production electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems (eCASS) to the upgraded full rate production eCASS station baseline; 137 J18/J19 general purpose interface upgrade kits; and six fire wire/fiber channel ancillary kits. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,583,663; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,185,267; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,852,131 will be obligated at time of award, $2,583,663 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Gomez Research Associates Inc.,** Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded a $10,000,000 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00174-19-C-0021 to exercise Option Year One for continued support for counter improvised explosive devices and unmanned aerial system technology. This option exercise will enable the government to use and build upon the Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and Phase II efforts awarded to Gomez Research Associates under Topic A13-058 by expanding on Gomez Research Associates' current research into buried improvised explosive devices/unmanned aerial system detection to determine how it can be made practical for use with present counter rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) systems. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (60%); Kiev, Ukraine (5%); Belgrade, Serbia (15%); and Sofia, Bulgaria (20%), and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) in the amount of $10,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis in September 2019 in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5: Authorized or Required by Statute – 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c) (5). The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance, Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $7,226,209 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6258 to exercise options for engineering services and other direct costs in support of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (73%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (15%); Northampton, Massachusetts (6%); Fairfax, Virginia (3%); Arlington, Virginia (2%); and Newport, Rhode Island (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2018 (37%), 2019 (1%), and 2020 (3%) shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (37%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (22%) funding in the amount of $7,226,209 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $7,180,134 firm-fixed-price modification to exercise options under contract N00024-20-C-5400 for fiscal 2020 German Navy procurements of Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2/2A components. The RAM Guided Missile Weapon System is co-developed and co-produced under an International Cooperative Program between the government of the U.S. and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Work will be performed in Rocket Center, West Virginia (63%); Williamsport, Pennsylvania (27%); Tucson, Arizona (7%); Ontario, Canada (1%); Joplin, Missouri (1%); and Mason, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed by June 2025. German cooperative funding in the amount of $7,180,134 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured under the exception 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (4), International Agreement. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY), on behalf of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, New York, was awarded a $19,215,069 cost reimbursement (no fee) contract for a research project under the Lasers for Universal Microscale Optical Systems (LUMOS) program. The LUMOS program will enable efficient on-chip optical gain to highly capable integrated photonics platforms and enable complete photonics functionality on a single substrate for disruptive optical microsystems. Work will be performed in Albany, New York (48%); Santa Barbara, California (21%); Boston, Massachusetts (26%); and Greensboro, North Carolina (5%), with an expected complete date of September 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $3,756,278 is being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under an open broad agency announcement and 29 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0142). AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a $10,875,123 cost‐plus‐fixed‐fee modification (P00184) to contract FA8810‐13‐C‐0002 for Space Based Infrared System contractor logistics support for studies and modification projects. Work will be performed at Peterson Air Force Base; Buckley AFB; Greeley Air National Guard Station; and Boulder, all located in Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,828,554,298. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. *Woman-owned small business ** Small business ***Small disadvantaged business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2347324/source/GovDelivery/

  • BAE Systems selected to develop ground system prototype for U.S. Space Force missile warning system

    February 29, 2024 | International, Land

    BAE Systems selected to develop ground system prototype for U.S. Space Force missile warning system

    The goal of the FORGE C2 effort is to evolve the current ground architecture, leveraging newer technologies and architecture approaches.

  • Turkish industry prospers, but foreign relations are limiting its potential

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

    Turkish industry prospers, but foreign relations are limiting its potential

    By: Burak Ege Bekdil   ANKARA, Turkey — The official numbers are impressive. In President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's narrative, the number of Turkish defense industry programs rose from 62 in 2002 to 700 today. In the same period, the number of defense and aerospace companies rose from 56 to 1,500. The government was administering $5.5 billion worth of programs then; now this is at $75 billion. Local industry turnover rose from $1 billion to $10.8 billion; and exports jumped from a mere $248 million to more than $3 billion. Two Turkish companies that weren't on the Defense News Top 100 list last year have made their way onto the list this year, making the total number of Turkish firms on the list to seven, from five the year prior. Those companies are military electronics specialist Aselsan (48th on the list), Turkish Aerospace Industries (53th), armored vehicles maker BMC (89th), missile maker Roketsan (91st), military technologies specialist STM (92nd), armored vehicle maker FNSS (new this year at 98th) and military software specialist Havelsan (new this year at 99th). Of the seven, five are government-controlled companies. BMC, a Turkish-Qatari partnership, and FNSS are privately owned. A success story, by any criteria. Thanks to which, according to the Turkish government, the country's dependence on foreign defense systems plunged from 80 percent to 30 percent. Erdogan says he aims to end dependency on foreign systems by 2023, the centennial of the Turkish republic. However, while the Turkish defense industrial base has made progress, there have been lingering roadblocks along the way. It can be difficult to determine the percentage of foreign input in a system. And what the Turkish authorities portray as “indigenous systems” (or 100 percent national systems, in local jargon) are often not. One of the major weaknesses of the Turkish industry is the lack of engine technology. For instance, one of Turkey's most prestigious “indigenous” programs, the Altay tank, is struggling to make progress, despite a serial production contract, due to the lack of a power pack — the engine and the transmission mechanism. Similarly, Turkey's most ambitious indigenous program — the design, development and production of a national fighter jet, dubbed TF-X — appears stalled, as Turkish aerospace authorities are yet to find an engine for the planned aircraft. The TF-X program was officially launched in December 2010. In January 2015 then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that the planned fighter would have a twin engine. That was when the search for an engine began. The amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu, the Turkish Navy's flagship vessel under construction with license from Spain's Navantia, is progressing as planned, but industry experts say it is no more than 60 percent Turkish-made and is a copy of the Spanish Navy warship Juan Carlos I. Turkey's indigenous T129 attack helicopters are a Turkish variant of the A129 built by the Italian-British company AgustaWestland. The T129 is produced under license from AgustaWestland. A $1.5 billion export deal with Pakistan for a batch of 30 T129s has long been stalled as it awaits U.S. export licenses, which is required because the helo is powered by an American engine. For the past decade, Turkey's local industry has been unable to produce a national solution for the need for long-range air and anti-missile defense systems. After years of uncertainty Turkey signed a $2.5 billion deal for the acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 system. In response, the United States ejected Turkey from the American-led multinational Joint Strike Fighter program that builds the F-35 fighter jet. “That will cost the Turkish industry critical capabilities it could have earned during the production cycle,” a Western industry source in Ankara told Defense News. “It also means a loss of significant income for the Turkish industry.” Otherwise, local and international analysts agree that drone, shipbuilding, military electronics and armored vehicles technologies have been progressing exponentially in Turkey. The country has found foreign customers for these systems due to high technological standards and competitive pricing. The combat-proven technologies easily find their place in export markets, especially in countries with which Turkey has friendly political relations. Lucrative markets for Turkish companies include those in Qatar — Turkey's most important regional ally — as well as some north African countries, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkic republics in Central Asia, and Muslim countries in southeast Asia like Indonesia and Malaysia. Turkish exporters have been augmented by a steady decline of the country's national currency. The U.S. dollar was trading at 1.7 Turkish liras five years ago. Today, the exchange rate is $1 to 7 liras. That plunge gives an exchange rate boost to companies with higher local input rates and export potential. In other words, when the local currency experienced a decline, the commodities produced in Turkey generally became cheaper for foreign customers. However, those companies dependent on now pricey foreign technology have seen their international competitiveness badly pruned. The lira's slide downward also slows or altogether suspends government-run programs due to a cash shortage. Overseas investors have withdrawn $7 billion from Turkey's local currency bond market in the first six months of 2020. The economy is in recession, and inflation and unemployment rates are soaring. At the end of May 2020, Turkey's national budget produced a deficit of 90.1 billion liras (U.S. $12.9 billion), or 65 percent of the government's deficit target for the entire year of 2020. That macroeconomic picture may further squeeze the government in financing its weapons programs, economist warn. https://www.defensenews.com/top-100/2020/08/17/turkish-industry-prospers-but-foreign-relations-are-limiting-its-potential/

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