Northrop Grumman Receives $3.6 Billion IDIQ Contract for Infrared Countermeasures Systems

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  August 18, 2020 | International, Land

  India Ban on $47 Billion Arms Imports Sowing Uncertainty

  By Sudhi Ranjan Sen 16 août 2020 à 18:00 UTC−4 Updated on 17 août 2020 à 04:58 UTC−4 India's move to ban the import of certain weapon systems will do little to boost local manufacturing and is sowing uncertainty at a time when the South Asian nation is trying to ramp up defenses on its restive borders with China and Pakistan, according to analysts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration earlier this month announced curbs on $47 billion worth of imports that include communication satellites, conventional submarines and light machine guns. But defense experts said they didn't address critical issues such as the certification of systems and locally-made components, and won't prevent the military from making emergency purchases of equipment from foreign vendors. Modi has struggled to transform the world's second biggest arms importer into a defense manufacturing powerhouse since a 2014 proposal to produce indigenous equipment and systems worth $100 billion by 2020. The target has since been slashed in half and the deadline extended to 2027, while the need for more advanced weaponry grows more urgent following the most deadly border clash with China in four decades. Modi Backtracks on Free-Trade Vow With Import Curbs in India The ministry's ban on imports will have little impact beyond “measures already taken to localize defense production and reduce import dependency,” said Amit Cowshish, a consultant with the New Delhi-based Manohar Parrikar Institute For Defence Studies and Analyses and a former financial adviser on acquisitions in the Ministry of Defense. “The promotion of local manufacturing requires more cooperation between the military and domestic defense industry,” Cowshish said. “Mutual trust is missing, with everyone working at cross purposes.” While New Delhi is the world's third-biggest military spender, its air force, navy and the army are still equipped with weapons that are largely obsolete. ‘Self-Reliance Push' The push for locally-produced systems and hardware was a big step toward self-reliance in defense and creates an opportunity for the Indian defense industry to manufacture the items using their own design and development capabilities, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Aug. 9. A defense ministry spokesperson was not immediately available for a comment. Similar policy declarations to stem imports were made by India in 2013, under then prime minister Manmohan Singh, and also by Modi's administration in his first term in 2018, didn't significantly increase the ‘Made in India' products deployed by the military. “Time and access to technology is fundamental to such efforts -- currently a large proportion India's defense industry is little better than system integrators,” said Rahul Bedi, a New Delhi-based independent defense analyst. “A major dose of realism is needed.” The banned list is also vague on the position of joint-ventures between Indian and foreign manufacturers and license produced weapon systems, he said. Despite its drawbacks, India's nascent defense industry is cautiously optimistic about the new policy. “We are sure that this list will keep getting amended to add newer programs that lay a road map matching our nation's aspiration,” said Jayant Patil, senior executive vice president (defence & smart technologies), Larsen & Toubro Limited. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-16/india-s-tense-borders-threaten-plan-to-ban-some-weapons-imports

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  October 21, 2020 | International, Land, Security

  Rheinmetall eyes do-over in new pitch of its Lynx vehicle to the US Army

  Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — Rheinmetall is teaming with Textron Systems to pitch the Lynx KF41 vehicle as a Bradley replacement to the U.S. Army, the company announced Tuesday. The campaign marks the second time that the Düsseldorf, Germany-based company is targeting the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program following an unsuccessful attempt last year that eventually saw the ground service halt the race. This time around, Rheinmetall is putting greater emphasis on a U.S. footprint, led by its growing American Rheinmetall Vehicles subsidiary based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Textron, as the newcomer on Team Lynx, is meant to be front and center when it comes to manufacturing and robotics capabilities. “Textron Systems' Slidell, Louisiana, vehicle production facility has supported more than 15 armored vehicle programs of record supporting over 20 countries,” Henry Finneral, senior vice president and general manager of Textron Systems' Marine and Land Systems business, said in a statement. “We stand ready to support the team and the US Army and deliver a trusted platform for the future.” Matt Warnick, managing director at American Rheinmetall Vehicles, said the “teaming agreement brings together two of the world's leading providers of defense industry solutions." Raytheon remains part of the team. Executives hope the new Army competition will give all bidders more leeway in fine-tuning their eventual offers to the service's requirements. That marks a contrast to the previous acquisition attempt, where the ground service essentially wanted specific features already built into prototype vehicles, with little time for companies to adjust. This time around, the Army plans to downsize to five bidders, then three, before picking an eventual winner. A final request for proposals is expected late this year or early next. Service officials have put competitors on notice that an open architecture in the vehicle design will be at a premium, a feature that Rheinmetall touted in its bid notice. “The network is almost more important in some ways than building the combat vehicles,” Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, program executive officer of ground combat systems, told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army's virtual conference, which ended last week. Rheinmetall previously planned to present the teaming arrangement with Textron at this year's AUSA show if the event had taken place in person. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/10/20/rheinmetall-eyes-do-over-in-new-pitch-of-its-lynx-vehicle-to-the-us-army/

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  October 1, 2024 | International, Aerospace

  US Navy Selects L3Harris to Maintain P-8A Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Fleet

  Work on the P-8A Poseidon fleet will begin this year at L3Harris’ aircraft modification facility in Waco, Texas, and continue through September 2029.