February 17, 2021 | International, Aerospace
By: Burak Ege Bekdil
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's procurement agency has commissioned a local company to develop critical technologies for an engine that the government hopes will power its first indigenous fighter jet.
A contract was signed Feb. 14 between two state-controlled companies for the development program. Under the deal, TRMotor, an engine maker, will develop an auxiliary power unit and an air turbine start system for what Turkey hopes will be critical components of an indigenous engine to power the TF-X aircraft.
TRMotor signed the deal with the prime contractor of the TF-X program, Turkish Aerospace Industries, another state-controlled defense company.
“The program aims to develop critical technologies ... that will enable us [to] possess indigenous engines,” said Osman Dur, general manager of TRMotor. “The [indigenous] TF-X engine is at the moment at its concept design phase.”
TRMotor is completely owned by SSTEK A.S., a defense technologies company owned by Turkey's defense procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries, or SSB.
This is a milestone contract for the TF-X program,” said TAI CEO Temel Kotil.
The deal comes as SSB is holding talks to co-produce an engine with a consortium of the British company Rolls-Royce and Turkish firm Kale Group.
In 2017, Kale Group and Rolls-Royce launched a joint venture to develop aircraft engines for Turkey, initially targeting the TF-X. But the £100 million (U.S. $139 million) deal was effectively put on hold due to uncertainties over technology transfer.
A year before the partnership, TAI signed a $125 million heads of agreement with BAE Systems to collaborate on the first development phase of the TF-X. Turkey originally planned to fly the TF-X in 2023, but aerospace officials put off the target date to the 2025-2026 time frame.
The TF-X program, or MMU in its Turkish acronym, has been crawling over the past years due to technological failures and know-how transfer. Turkish engineers must first select an engine for the planned aircraft before they finalize their designing phase.
September 26, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
Analysts question whether the Ministry of Defence could even spend the amount of extra money envisioned by the Truss government.
September 28, 2018 | International, Land
Lockheed Martin to upgrade nearly 500 simulators at dozens of locations worldwide ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army selected Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to upgrade nearly 500 simulators for the service's tactical vehicle fleet at dozens of locations worldwide. The Close Combat Tactical Training (CCTT) Manned Module Modernization (M3) contract, worth up to $356 million, modernizes training while increasing sustainability in support of emerging Army training requirements and systems. The CCTT M3 system integrates all facets of combat vehicle operations, immersing soldiers in real-world battle scenarios through computer-based simulations. Through CCTT M3, Abrams, Bradley and Reconfigurable Vehicle Simulator (RVS) upgrades ensure simulators remain concurrent with the vehicles in the field, with modernization and support in place for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle and other emerging Army ground vehicle platforms. Modernizing these systems improves sustainability and cybersecurity, preparing the system for future Army simulation architectures. "Lockheed Martin is honored to continue providing the U.S. Army with an affordable complement to live training through the CCTT M3 program," said Tom Gordon, vice president of Training and Simulation Solutions at Lockheed Martin. "We look forward to enabling soldier readiness through the program's design, production and fielding of concurrency and modernization upgrades." Lockheed Martin partners with two small businesses on this work – AVT Simulation and Dignitas Technologies, both in Orlando, Florida. Together, the integrated team brings the most experienced system architecture and visual system experts together to accomplish the CCTT M3 development, production and fielding requirements for the U.S. Army. Since 1992, Lockheed Martin has developed and delivered nearly 500 CCTT systems. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin was awarded a seven-year, $3.53 billion contract to globally sustain more than 300,000 fielded Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations (TADSS), which includes the CCTT M3 system. For additional information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/training. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy. About AVT Simulation Orlando-based Applied Visual Technology (AVT) Simulation is a Small Minority Owned Disadvantaged modeling and simulation company that provides end-to-end systems integration and engineering services for the DoD. As a recognized top 100 simulation and training company, they are the Prime contractor for multiple US Army programs and develop reconfigurable rotary wing collective trainers and Apache Gunnery Trainers for US and international customers. About Dignitas Technologies Dignitas Technologies, LLC, a Certified Woman-Owned Small Business, founded in 2004, is providing system and software engineering services for the modeling and simulation community with a mission to shape the future of simulation with innovative technology. Dignitas leads several Small Business Innovation Research projects and supports a wide range of large and small programs spanning the Live, Virtual, and Constructive domains across a diverse customer set. Dignitas has extensive experience and successful past performance in the development of key simulation systems and provides expertise in management, research, engineering, and programming. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2018-09-27-U-S-Army-Modernization-Contract-Enables-Soldier-Readiness
November 15, 2022 | International, Naval
The new contract fulfills a longtime government commitment to field a fleet of eight Type-26 anti-submarine warships.