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  • Partenariat MBDA et Isae-Supaero sur un programme d’excellence pour l’Inde et l’Indonésie

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Partenariat MBDA et Isae-Supaero sur un programme d’excellence pour l’Inde et l’Indonésie

    L'Isae-Supaero et MBDA renouvellent pour trois ans leur convention de partenariat pour un programme de bourses favorisant la formation de 12 jeunes indiens et indonésiens au Master of Science en ingénierie aérospatiale, rapporte Air & Cosmos. «MBDA souhaite renforcer son positionnement en tant que partenaire de long terme de l'industrie de défense indienne et indonésienne et développer entre la France, l'Inde et l'Indonésie des filières industrielles d'excellence. Ce programme de mécénat s'inscrit dans cette démarche en offrant à des étudiants de ces deux pays partenaires une formation de très haut niveau à l'Isae-Supaero », explique Olivier Martin, Secrétaire Général de MBDA, cité par Air & Cosmos. Air & Cosmos du 8 juillet

  • Canada restricts military exports to Hong Kong

    July 8, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Canada restricts military exports to Hong Kong

    Dear members, On July 3, 2020, the Government of Canada announced it will review applications for the export of “sensitive military items” or “sensitive goods” destined to Hong Kong with the same considerations as it does for those items destined for the People's Republic of China. Whether or not to approve a permit will now be a case-by-case political decision taken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. What constitutes “sensitive military items” and “sensitive goods” will be determined by Global Affair Canada (GAC), on a case-by-case basis, from items that are found on any of the seven Export Control Group Lists (ECL). Permits for what are considered "sensitive military items" will not be approved. While Canadian firms have exported very little in the way of ECL Group 2 items to Hong Kong in recent years, these changes appear to create a high level of regulatory risk for companies considering new business opportunities that would require exporting items found on the Export Control Group Lists. You are encouraged to review your business development plans and reconsider accordingly. You can read the details of the: July 3 Statement here. (link: canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2020/07/canada-takes-action-following-passage-of-national-security-legislation-for-hong-kong.html) July 7 Notice to Exporters (Serial No. 1003) here. (link: international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/controls-controles/notices-avis/1003.aspx?lang=eng) Canada's Export Control Group Lists (ECL) here. (link: international.gc.ca/controls-controles/about-a_propos/expor/guide-2018.aspx?lang=eng) CADSI is working with GAC to inform impacted companies. If you have any questions, please contact your GAC Permit Officer and let CADSI know of any impacts on your company by emailing Mindy Pearce, Policy Advisor: mindy@defenceandsecurity.ca.

  • Britain lifts ban on Saudi weapons exports

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Britain lifts ban on Saudi weapons exports

    By: Andrew Chuter LONDON — Britain has lifted a yearlong ban on the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, the government announced July 7. Weapon sales to Saudi Arabia were banned in June 2019 after a U.K. Court of Appeal ruled that the government may have contravened international humanitarian law by approving weapon sales to the Saudis that might have been used in the civil war in Yemen. Britain is one of the largest exporters of defense equipment in the world, largely thanks to Saudi Arabia's purchase over more than 30 years of Tornado and Typhoon combat jets as well as Hawk jet trainers. Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bombs, partly built in the U.K., are also among the list of recent significant sales to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition of Middle Eastern nations in a protracted and bloody war against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels trying to seize Yemen. In an action brought by anti-arms trade campaigners, the court ruling forced the British government to reassess whether previous export licenses had been issued on the correct legal basis, given alleged violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi military, specifically reported airstrikes that hit civilian targets. “The incidents, which have been assessed to be possible violations of international humanitarian law, occurred at different times, in different circumstances and for different reasons,” said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss. “In retaking these decisions, I have taken into account the full range of information available to the government. In the light of all that information and analysis, I have concluded that, notwithstanding the isolated incidents, which have been factored into the analysis as historic violations of international humanitarian law, Saudi Arabia has a genuine intent and the capacity to comply with international humanitarian law,” she added. “On that basis, I have assessed that there is not a clear risk that the export of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.” Truss said exports will resume after the government completes the court-ordered review of defense export licences to the Middle East's largest buyer of military equipment. The ban only halted new approvals for weapons sales. Work on existing deals, like BAE System's deals to support Typhoon and Tornado jets, have continued unaffected. The British government will now “begin the process of clearing the backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners that has built up since 20 June last year,” Truss told Parliament. “It may take some months to clear this backlog.” In a statement, BAE said: “We note that the UK Government has implemented a revised methodology regarding licences for military exports. We continue to provide defense equipment, training and support under government to government agreements between the UK and Saudi Arabia, subject to UK Government approval and oversight. We work closely with the Department for International Trade to ensure our continued compliance with all relevant export control laws and regulations.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/07/07/britain-lifts-ban-on-saudi-weapons-exports/

  • Stop buying Turkey’s F-35 parts, lawmakers tell DoD

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Stop buying Turkey’s F-35 parts, lawmakers tell DoD

    By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Pentagon to more quickly stop buying F-35 fighter jet components from Turkey. Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., complained in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on July 6 that the Pentagon's plans to buy parts from Turkey into 2022 undercuts U.S. pressure on the country over its purchase of the Russian S-400 Triumf air defense system. The U.S. formally removed Turkey from the multinational program in 2019 over the S-400 deal, and it ended training on the jet for Turkish pilots. Furthermore, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act barred the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey. The U.S. has warned that Turkey's use of the S-400 could compromise the stealthy F-35. But Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord told reporters in January that it would allow prime contractor Lockheed Martin and engine-maker Pratt & Whitney to honor existing contractual obligations with Turkish manufacturers for F-35 components. That means Lockheed would receive Turkish parts through the end of Lot 14, with those planes set to be delivered to customers in 2022. Turkish manufacturers were involved in building more than 900 parts for the F-35, and Pentagon officials said in November that it had found replacement suppliers for nearly all of them. Moving production from Turkey to the U.S. was projected to cost more than $500 million in nonrecurring engineering costs. The lawmakers pointed to Turkey's authoritarian drift under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and to human rights violations in Syria and Iraq. Though it wasn't mentioned in the letter, CNN broke news last month that Erdogan had pressed U.S. President Donald Trump in frequent phone calls for policy concessions and other favors, worrying Trump's national security advisers. The lawmakers argued to Esper that continuing to buy parts violates the 2020 NDAA and its “clear diplomatic message to Turkey about the consequences of moving forward with Russian defense systems and technology.” “Based on recent revelations, it is clear that the Pentagon is not following its own timeline or the intent of Congress in this matter,” the letter read. “We encourage you to reexamine the present approach and take action to ensure an expedited removal of Turkey from the manufacturing line as required by law.” Valerie Insinna contributed to this report. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/07/07/stop-buying-turkeys-f-35-parts-already-lawmakers-tell-dod/

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 07, 2020

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 07, 2020

    ARMY Advanced Technology International, Summerville, South Carolina, was awarded a $450,392,000 modification (P00074) to contract W15QKN-16-9-1002 for large-scale manufacturing of antibodies directed to novel coronavirus. Work will be performed in Summerville, South Carolina; and Tarrytown, New York, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army, funds in the amount of $450,392,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. (Awarded July 6, 2020) Modern Technology Solutions Inc.,* Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $23,182,248 modification (P00012) to contract W31P4Q-16-D-0017 to increase the contract ceiling amount to enhance and maintain the current suite of distributed digital simulation and system of systems unique development facilities. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 2, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. NAVY Elite Pacific Construction Inc.,* Kaneohe, Hawaii (N62478-18-D-4022); Su-Mo Builders Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N62478-18-D-4023); RORE Inc.,* San Diego, California (N62478-18-D-4024); Environet Inc.,* Kamuela, Hawaii (N62478-18-D-4025); Insight Pacific LLC,* Brea, California (N62478-18-D-4026); GM/Bulltrack JV LLC,* Clackamas, Oregon (N62478-18-D-4027); and Alan Shintani Inc.,* Waipahu, Hawaii (N62478-18-D-4028), are awarded a $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award, design-build/design-bid-build construction contract. This contract provides for construction projects located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii area of operations (AO). Work will be performed at various Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and miscellaneous federal and other facilities in the NAVFAC Hawaii AO. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, labor, supervision, tools, materials and equipment that are necessary to perform new construction, repair, alteration and related demolition of existing infrastructure based on design-build or design-bid-build (full plans and specifications) for infrastructure within the state of Hawaii. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work is expected to be completed by April 2023. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $335,000,000. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy); and Navy working capital funds. The NAVFAC Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. Wiley Wilson Burns & McDonnell JV, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $75,000,000 maximum amount, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract for multi-discipline architect-engineer services for general and administrative facilities within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of operations. All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other facilities within the NAVFAC Washington area of operations including, but not limited to, Maryland (40%); Virginia (40%); and Washington, D.C. (20%). The work to be performed on this contract is design and engineering services of facilities, including but not limited to, child development care, general administrative spaces, dining facilities, commissary and exchange, educational, sports and fitness facilities, museums and memorials, training and instructional facilities, wet labs and electronic laboratories. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months and work is expected to be completed by July 2025. No task orders are being issued at this time and no funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, and eight proposals were received. The NAVFAC Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-20-D-0018). Jacobs EwingCole JV, Pasadena, California, is awarded a $52,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for multi-discipline architect-engineering services for large projects under the military construction program within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $230,000,000. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to, California (87%); Arizona (5%); Nevada (5%); Colorado (1%); New Mexico (1%); and Utah (1%). The work to be performed provides for the preparation of design-bid-build construction contract packages; site investigations; cost estimates; post construction award services; preparation of request for proposals for design-build projects; studies and report related to the design of new facilities; technical reviews of government-prepared designs and design-build packages; preparation of planning and programming support documents; coordination of various technical disciplines; and identification and abatement methods for existing hazardous materials. Work is expected to be completed by November 2022. No contract funding is obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy). The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-18-D-5801). Lyme Computer Systems Inc.,* Lebanon, New Hampshire, is awarded a $31,819,843 not to exceed, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract with firm-fixed-price task order provisions for commercial off-the-shelf industrial-grade networking hardware and components manufactured. Work will be performed at the contractor's facility in Lebanon, New Hampshire. This requirement is to provide commercial off-the-shelf industrial-grade networking hardware and components manufactured by Siemens/RuggedCom. The networking equipment is used for installation on operational hulls across multiple ship classes, to include the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51); USS Ticonderoga (CG-47); USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41); USS Whidbey Island (LSD-49); USS Avenger (MCM-1); USS Wasp (LHD-1); USS Makin Island (LHD-8); USS San Antonio (LPD-17); USS Nimitz (CVN-68); and the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), as part of their hull, mechanical, electrical and navigation network infrastructures. Work is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,016,509 ($500 minimum guarantee) will be obligated at time of award via individual delivery orders and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured as a small-business set-aside via the beta.SAM.gov website and two offers were received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-4023). Olympus America Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, is awarded a $10,570,631 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract is for the production, test and delivery of up to 330 Eddy Current Testing Systems, replacing the currently fielded system, to perform nondestructive inspection of aircraft components and support equipment for fatigue cracks and other surface defects on conductive materials. Work will be performed in Waltham, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by June 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0036). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is awarded a $9,061,423 modification (P00005) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N68936-17-D-0017. This modification increases the ceiling of the contract to provide for the production and delivery of two additional Advanced Tactical Datalink test units and five additional detailed technical demonstrations. This modification also provides for studies and analysis of the system relative to emerging mission threats not previously anticipated. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows and is expected to be completed by August 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC, doing business as Metal Shark Boats, Jeanerette, Louisiana, is awarded a $7,027,703 firm-fixed-price delivery order to previously awarded contract N00024-17-D-2209 for the construction, shipping and item unique identification and documentation of four 40-foot patrol boats (PB): PB-2001; PB-2002; PB-2003; and PB-2004. Prices were previously established via the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract. Contract modification (A00002) exercised options for the applicable contract line item numbers (i.e., 4000 series) on June 17, 2020. Work will be performed in Jeanerette, Louisiana. The contractor will provide expert design, planning and material support services. Work is expected to be completed by April 2023. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,027,703 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Altitude Technologies, doing business as Chinook Medical Gear Inc., Durango, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $46,445,291 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for numerous medical surgical products. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with nine one-year option periods. Location of performance is Colorado, with a July 6, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense Warstopper funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D0-20-D-0007). BAE Systems Information & Electronic Systems Integration, Greenlawn, New York, has been awarded a $26,305,633 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-C20G) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPRPA1-17-G-C201 for E-2D aircraft electronic phase shifters. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1. This is a seven-year, five-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a Nov. 30, 2027, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy and Japanese military. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2028 Navy working capital funds and Foreign Military Sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2266743/source/GovDelivery/

  • Coronavirus drives AFA’s massive Air, Space and Cyber conference online

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Coronavirus drives AFA’s massive Air, Space and Cyber conference online

    Stephen Losey The Air Force Association announced Monday that it will hold its massive Air, Space and Cyber conference virtually this September, due to the coronavirus pandemic. AFA's annual conference typically draws about 12,000 airmen, civilians, contractors and other attendees to National Harbor, Maryland, and features addresses from major Air Force, Defense Department and industry figures. For the first time this year, the virtual conference will feature a combination of live and on-demand conference sessions streamed online, beginning Sept. 14 and lasting at least three days. The events will include live addresses from senior leaders, and will allow viewers to ask questions and engage in other “unique opportunities ... with Air Force, Space Force and industry leadership,” AFA said. There will also be a virtual exhibit hall to display developments and demonstrations from industry, online meetings and interactive presentations, AFA said. Retired Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, the president of AFA, said the decision to move the conference online was “extremely arduous.” But with the pandemic still ongoing, he said, it would not be possible to safely host a conference in-person of the quality the association desired. AFA considered Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, state and county directives, and feedback from potential speakers, attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. “Our goal is to continue AFA's long tradition of hosting the premier event for defense and aerospace professionals around the world,” Wright said in the release. “Our virtual Air, Space and Cyber conference will offer the same exceptional line-up of speakers, world-class exhibits, professional development opportunities, and networking opportunities for industry, government, media, academia and the public.” Air Force leaders often use their addresses to the AFA conference to make major announcements, such as former Secretary Heather Wilson's 2018 “Air Force We Need” address laying out a plan for a major expansion of the service's operational squadrons. Past speakers and guests at AFA's conference have included the top leaders of the Air Force, defense secretaries such as Jim Mattis, and Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, who last year helped unveil the name of the T-7A Red Hawk. Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone, the airman who charged a knife-wielding terrorist on a train in France in 2015, also was celebrated at the conference that year, when the Air Force announced he would be promoted two grades for his heroism. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/07/06/coronavirus-drives-afa-s-massive-air-space-and-cyber-conference-online/

  • House Appropriators Add 12 F-35s, Boost Weapons Spending, But…

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval

    House Appropriators Add 12 F-35s, Boost Weapons Spending, But…

    "To us, it means that there is going to be much more tension and debate over future modernization programs as flat investment will not enable DoD to recapitalize in a timely and militarily relevant pace," says defense analyst Byron Callan. By COLIN CLARKon July 07, 2020 at 7:38 PM WASHINGTON: House appropriators made their first cut at the annual defense spending bill today, approving spending $3.5 billion below the Trump Administration's request — although lawmakers added a substantial $4.1 billion for several weapons systems, including 12 additional F-35s. Overall, the House Appropriations Committee trimmed $3.5 billion from the Trump Administration's 2021 budget request while still fully paying for a 3% pay raise and force structure increases to all but the Marines, who will lose 2,100 people. The appropriators approval of an increase in F-35 buys makes it unlikely the House Armed Services Committee's skepticism of the Joint Strike Fighter program will prevail. The HASC added no more planes above the administration request for 79 aircraft of all three models and docked at least a score of supporting line items by a total of $561 million. By contrast the SASC added $1.36 billion to buy more Air Force F-35As, Marine F-35Bs, and Navy F-35Cs, plus spare parts. In other bump ups, the HAC funds 11 V-22 aircraft, adding $1.1 billion to buy two more than the request. It also adds three P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Navy Reserve, three more than the request for an additional $510 million. And echoing the House authorizing committee's support, the HAC added 16 MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to the Pentagon request, for a cost of $344 million. But making sense of the HAC-D bill is difficult because it's not yet clear what and where they've cut, as veteran defense stock analyst Byron Callan notes. It all gets complicated by the CARES Act and adjustments to contracts that have been made. Overall, Callan says, it looks as if fiscal 2020 — last year — may have been the peak of whatever Trump defense boost there has been. But it's all uncertain. “Absent the pandemic budget impacts, however, the markups so far suggest that FY20 was a peak for DoD investment. This does not mean investment is at the peak and headed fast downhill in FY21 and beyond,” Callan writes. “To us, it means that there is going to be much more tension and debate over future modernization programs as flat investment will not enable DoD to recapitalize in a timely and militarily relevant pace.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/07/house-appropriators-add-12-f-35s-boost-weapons-spending-but/

  • Lithuania to buy US helicopters to bolster NATO capabilities in Baltics

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    Lithuania to buy US helicopters to bolster NATO capabilities in Baltics

    By JOHN VANDIVER | STARS AND STRIPESPublished: July 7, 2020 STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. plans to sell six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Lithuania to boost allied quick response capabilities in a region regarded by some security analysts as one of NATO's most vulnerable. The deal, which will also include a full stock of related Black Hawk gear and weaponry such as M240H machine guns and missile warning systems, is worth $380 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement Monday. The Black Hawks will help Lithuania support U.S. and NATO forces' “rapid response to a variety of missions and quick positioning of troops with minimal helicopter assets,” the statement said. The deal was announced as Lithuania modernizes its armed forces, and one year after the former Soviet republic entered into a new security agreement with the U.S. that calls for closer defense cooperation. “The proposed sale of these UH-60 helicopters to Lithuania will significantly increase its capability to provide troop lift, border security, anti-terrorist, medical evacuation, search and rescue, re-supply/external lift, combat support in all weather,” the agency said. Lithuania, which shares borders with the militarized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the south and Russia's strategic partner of Belarus to the east, is considered by many security analysts to be one of NATO's most exposed members. Of particular concern is a 40-mile stretch of land along Lithuania's border with Poland, known as the Suwalki Gap, which, if seized by Russian forces in the event of a conflict, could result in the three Baltic states being cut off from the rest of the alliance. NATO in recent years has added multinational battle groups in Lithuania and the other Baltic states, Latvia and Estonia, as well as in Poland, to act as deterrents against potential Russian aggression. The battle group in northeastern Poland is led by the U.S., and is particularly focused on security around the Suwalki Gap. https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/lithuania-to-buy-us-helicopters-to-bolster-nato-capabilities-in-baltics-1.636600

  • US approves Osprey sale to Indonesia as Japan preps to deploy the aircraft

    July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    US approves Osprey sale to Indonesia as Japan preps to deploy the aircraft

    By SETH ROBSON | STARS AND STRIPESPublished: July 7, 2020 The State Department has approved the sale of eight MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to Indonesia, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Monday. The announcement comes as Japan prepares to deploy its first of 17 Ospreys to Camp Kisarazu, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force airfield in Chiba Prefecture. The total cost to Indonesia for the helicopter/airplane hybrids along with related equipment is estimated at $2 billion, the agency said in a statement. The sale includes 24 Rolls Royce engines, infrared radars, missile warning systems, multi-band radios, airborne GPS, machine guns and various other equipment along with software, training for personnel and U.S. government and contractor engineering, logistics and technical support, the statement said. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation with territory spread across more than 17,000 islands, employs a large fleet of conventional military aircraft for disaster relief and in a decades' long fight against Islamic extremists. Like several other Southeast Asia nations, Indonesia claims South China Sea territory that is also claimed by China. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of an important regional partner that is a force for political stability, and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region,” the agency's statement said. “It is vital to U.S. national interest to assist Indonesia in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability.” The proposed sale will enhance Indonesia's humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities and support amphibious operations, the statement added. Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono said during a press conference Tuesday that his nation's first Osprey was scheduled to arrive at the base Monday, but its delivery was delayed by bad weather. The aircraft would travel to Kisarazu “hereafter” weather permitting, he said. U.S. forces in the Far East include Air Force CV-22 Ospreys stationed at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, and Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The Marine Corps has flown Ospreys out of Okinawa since 2012. https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/us-approves-osprey-sale-to-indonesia-as-japan-preps-to-deploy-the-aircraft-1.636591

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