30 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

UAE could get up to 50 F-35s in $10B sale

By: , , and

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department is backing the sale of as many as 50 F-35 joint strike fighters to the United Arab Emirates in an arms deal worth an estimated $10.4 billion, according to multiple reports.

The news came as the Trump administration informally briefed Congress on its plan to sell the advanced F-35 fighter to the United Arab Emirates Thursday. It follows weeks of speculation and behind-the-scenes debates about how to structure an F-35 deal with the UAE without cutting into Israel's qualitative military edge.

If the sale is permitted by Congress and the UAE opts to buy the full number of F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variants covered by the deal, it would have parity with Israel, which has 50 F-35 “Adir” jets under contract, although the country is considering buying 25 more. (The quantities and values of such deals often change from initial estimates.)

Amid reports the Trump administration is fast-tracking the F-35 sales, key Democratic lawmakers are continuing to urge a deliberate approach, citing concerns for Israel's security and the security of the warplane's sensitive technology.

“This technology would significantly change the military balance in the Gulf and affect Israel's military edge," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a game-changing stealth platform boasting advanced strike capability and unique sensor technology. The export of this aircraft requires very careful consideration and Congress must analyze all the ramifications. Rushing these sales is not in anyone's interest.”

The consultations came days after Israel said last week it will not oppose the U.S. sale of “certain weapon systems,” widely considered to mean the F-35. That followed an agreement between Israel and the United States to upgrade its capabilities to preserve its edge.

Engel said he plans to weigh the U.S. legal obligation to maintain Israel's military superiority in the region, as well the question of whether the sale would drive demands from other Middle Eastern nations to buy the F-35 in exchange for normalized ties with Israel. (The Trump administration recently brokered such a pact between Israel and the UAE.)

“Israel currently has exclusive access in the region to the F-35, which has guaranteed its military edge over the last several years. As Congress reviews this sale, it must be clear that changes to the status quo will not put Israel's military advantage at risk,” Engel said.

“This technology also must be safeguarded from our greatest global adversaries. With Russia and China active in the region, the American people will require unimpeachable assurances that our most advanced military capabilities will be protected.”

For decades, the State Department has informally consulted with the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees before formally notifying Congress of sales, which affords lawmakers a chance to block them. Though lawmakers typically consider such deliberations sensitive and rarely speak publicly about them, Engel broke the news Congress had been informally notified.

Assistant Secretary Bureau of Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper told reporters Wednesday the department plans to honor that process.

Though Reuters has reported there is a goal to have a letter of agreement between the U.S. and the UAE by Dec. 2, Cooper said “there are no dates associated with the work that's being done.” He declined to provide specifics of a potential deal and the State Department declined to comment on Thursday.

F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin referred questions to the State Department.

Israeli opposition would be fatal to the deal in Congress, where Israel enjoys strong support. Two key Democrats introduced legislation earlier this month that would place restrictions on F-35 sales to Middle Eastern nations to address their concerns about both the Israel's security and the security of F-35 technology.

On Thursday, Engel invited colleagues to join him in legislation, “to ensure that the sale of these types of weapons adhere to our most important national security goals.”

https://www.defensenews.com/2020/10/29/uae-could-get-up-to-50-f-35s-in-10b-sale/

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  • Pandemic lengthens delay in US Army’s M113 vehicle replacement program

    4 août 2020 | International, Terrestre

    Pandemic lengthens delay in US Army’s M113 vehicle replacement program

    By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The coronavirus pandemic has caused another delay for the U.S. Army's plagued M113 replacement program, which has struggled with manufacturing problems as the BAE Systems-made Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle entered low-rate initial production, according to the company's second quarter fiscal 2020 earnings briefing released last week. The company had to delay delivery of the first LRIP vehicles by roughly four to six months, moving delivery from March to July. But as BAE prepared to move ahead on delivery, the pandemic hit, bringing with it another delay of roughly a month, which pushed the vehicles' delivery date to August. The AMPV program entered LRIP in January 2019, but the program office indicated last year that delivery of the first vehicles would be delayed by two months and the completion of production qualification testing would be delayed by seven months due to tooling and assembly line challenges at BAE's facility in York, Pennsylvania. Because of the issues, the Army's AMPV budget request in FY21 showed the program took a hit. The service indicated it would buy 32 vehicles instead of the 143 planned for the fiscal year, and the program's budget was cut from $445 million to $193 million. The Army and BAE developed “a production approach that would allow us to incorporate efficiencies during LRIP that modernize manufacturing and increase the overall throughput of the program,” Amanda Niswonger, a BAE spokeswoman, told Defense News in an Aug. 3 statement. “This included installing new technology and processes such as robotic welding, digital X-ray, and advanced machining. And we worked closely with the Army to update and refine manufacturing processes to incorporate the most modern weld and inspection technology,” she said. “These changes had an impact on our delivery timeline which was not reflected in the original delivery schedule, but continues to meet the Army's fielding schedule.” The service and BAE had formalized the schedule change just as COVID-19 hit the U.S., which affected a large number of manufacturing facilities and supply chains globally. “We have worked tirelessly to mitigate the impacts from COVID-19 with our employees, supply network, and customer base to keep our manufacturing sites operational and continue to receive parts as needed,” Niswonger said. “Unfortunately we could not overcome all the challenges and our first delivery has slipped one month.” https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/03/pandemic-causes-latest-delay-in-us-armys-m113-replacement-program/

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 6, 2019

    12 mars 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 6, 2019

    ARMY Ceradyne Inc., Irvine, California (W91CRB-19-D-0012); Leading Technology Composites,* Wichita, Kansas (W91CRB-19-D-0013); and TenCate Advanced Armor USA Inc., Hebron, Ohio (W91CRB-19-D-0014), will compete for each order of the $704,238,806 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert and X-Small Arms Protective Insert hard armor plates. 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 March 5, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Salient Federal Solutions, also known as Salient CRGT, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $21,295,700 firm-fixed-price contract for mission critical information-technology communications infrastructure and services. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Bagram, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $21,295,700 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-18-C-0020). Conti Federal Services Inc., Edison, New Jersey, was awarded a $15,346,734 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Israel) contract for construction and renovation of an existing kitchen and runway renovations. Six bids were solicited with four bids received. Work will be performed in Tel Aviv, Israel, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 17, 2020. Fiscal 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $15,346,734 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wiesbaden, Germany, is the contracting activity (W912GB-19-F-0027). Bosch Rexroth Corp., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was awarded an $11,401,973 firm-fixed-price contract to install replacement hydraulic doors on Building 27496 at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $11,401,973 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (W912PP-19-C-0015). Southern Dredging Co. Inc.,* Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded a $9,773,000 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,773,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (W912EP-19-C-0013). AIR FORCE General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $217,000,000 task order under General Services Administration Alliant 2 Unrestricted Government-Wide (GWAC) for the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing technical operations support. This task order provides for support of the Distributed Common Ground System network weapon system and all supporting activities, such as the development, integration, maintenance, administration, management, documentation, assessment, disposal and troubleshooting of 480 ISRW information technology assets from the network and enterprise level. Work will be performed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; and Beale Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2027. This task order is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,589,147 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-F-A022). Assured Information Security Inc.,* Rome, New York, has been awarded a $48,444,066 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for full spectrum cyber capabilities. The objective of this effort is to provide the Air Force with tools and technologies to aid in cyber warfare. This contract provides for research, development, and transition of cyber technologies to enable rapid cyber operations and will result in the accelerated delivery of innovative cyber solutions to the warfighter. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by March 5, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-0013). NAVY Huntington Ingalls Industries, San Diego Shipyard Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a $118,446,807 firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) fiscal 2019 drydock selected restricted availability. This is a “long-term” availability and was competed on a coast-wide (West coast) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel's homeport. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS Rushmore. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $154,235,955. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by May 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); and 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $118,446,807 will be obligated at time of award, and $108,971,062 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website with three offers were received in response to solicitation no. N00024-18-R-4410. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4410). Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $91,872,559 firm-fixed-price option to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5425 for fiscal 2019 Navy procurements of Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 guided missile round pack and spare replacement components. The RAM Guided Missile Weapon System is co-developed and co-produced under an International Cooperative Program between the U.S.' and Federal Republic of Germany's governments. RAM is a missile system designed to provide anti-ship missile defense for multiple ship platforms. Work will be performed in Ottobrunn, Germany (44 percent); Tucson, Arizona (35 percent); Rocket Center, West Virginia (9 percent); Dallas, Texas (2 percent); Mason, Ohio (2 percent); Glenrothes, Scotland (1 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (1 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (1 percent); and other U.S. locations (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2021. Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $91,872,559 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. GHD-COWI JV, San Diego, California, is awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineer contract for waterfront engineering services located in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest (SW) Area of Responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for the preparation of design-build requests for proposals; design-bid-build construction contract packages; reports/studies including utilities studies; technical reviews of government pre-prepared request for proposal packages for design-build projects and government pre-prepared design documents for design-bid-build projects; site investigations to support new development of facilities on raw land or redevelopment of existing facilities on developed sites; support and coordination of various technical disciplines; preparation of DD Form 1391 or similar planning and programming related documents; and post construction award services. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC SW AOR including, but not limited to California (87 percent); Arizona (5 percent); Nevada (5 percent); Colorado (1 percent); New Mexico (1 percent); and Utah (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-D-2432). General Dynamics, Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $23,689,683 delivery order under a previously awarded, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-16-D-4300 for the planning and material procurement requirements associated with repair work for USS John Warner (SSN 785). Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut, and is expected to be complete by June 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $6,200,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $12,192,816 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for engineering and test support services for the ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) currently in development for the Navy EA-18G aircraft. Services to be provided include software support for NGJ pod and integration, including requirements analysis, design, development, integration, testing, training, and tools related to and in support of ALQ-249 and advanced electronic warfare initiatives. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (75 percent); and Point Mugu, California (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $349,858 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-19-D-0017). Optics 1 Inc., Bedford, New Hampshire, is awarded a $12,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract action for production, repair, and engineering support services for the ground based operational surveillance system light optical camera. The primary work is to manufacture and deliver a tripod mounted electro-optical and infrared sensor that provides both daylight and night vision imagery for detecting, classifying, and identifying targets to be mounted on a variant of the ground based operational surveillance system. Work will be performed in Bedford, New Hampshire, and is expected to be complete by March 2024. Fiscal 2019 and 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $253,413 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N0016419DJV28). SimVentions Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia, is awarded a $12,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the continued development, extension, and upgrade of the AN/SLQ-32(V)X Tactical Simulator tools and capabilities delivered in support of Navy training and integration and test efforts. Work will be performed in Fredericksburg, Virginia (88 percent); Fairmont, West Virginia (8 percent); and Pensacola, Florida (4 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,514,452 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-19-D-4502). Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is awarded a $10,950,758 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-2313 for DDG 51 class lead yard services, including engineering and technical assistance for new-construction DDG 51-class ships. This modification to the contract is for continued lead yard services for the DDG 51 Class Destroyer Program. Lead yard services include liaison for follow ship construction, general class services, class design contractor services, class change design services for follow ships, and ship trials and post-shakedown availability support. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (96 percent); Brunswick, Maine (3 percent); and other locations below one percent (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2019. Fiscal 2014 and 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,379,684 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Datex-Ohmeda Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $100,000,000 firm‐fixed‐price, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity contract for patient monitoring systems, accessories and training. This was a competitive acquisition with 36 responses received. This is a five-year base contract with one five‐year option period. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a March 5, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-19-D-0013). Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded an estimated $17,828,176 firm-fixed-priced delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-C303) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-17-G-C301) for aircraft radar system spare parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Mississippi, with a Dec. 20, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy and Canadian Armed Forces. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds and Foreign Military Sales. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-fixed-fee modification in the amount of $14,162,806 to previously awarded contract HQ0276-15-C-0005, Contract Line Item Number 3002, to provide continued production support and engineering for the Standard Missile SM-3 Block IB program. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract by $14,162,806 from $1,794,948,196 to $1,809,111,002. The work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of October 2019. Fiscal 2019 Defense Wide Procurement funding in the amount of $14,162,806.00 will be obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1777799/

  • China to sanction Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales

    27 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

    China to sanction Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales

    Joe McDonald BEIJING — China's government said Monday it will impose sanctions on U.S. military contractors including Boeing's defense unit and Lockheed Martin for supplying weapons to rival Taiwan, stepping up a feud with Washington over security and Beijing's strategic ambitions. Raytheon Technologies Corp. and “relevant American individuals” associated with the sales also will be affected, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. He gave no details of what penalties might be imposed or when. The ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949 during a civil war, as part of its territory and has threatened to invade. Washington promised in the 1980s to reduce and eventually end weapons sales to Taiwan but insists its dispute with Beijing must be settled peacefully. “In order to safeguard national interests, China decided to impose sanctions on the American companies that were involved in arms sales to Taiwan,” Zhao said at a regular news briefing. Chinese-U.S. relations have plunged to their lowest level in decades amid disputes about security, technology, the coronavirus pandemic and human rights. Taiwan has long been an irritant in relations. Washington has no formal relations with the island's democratically elected government but is its main ally. U.S. law requires the government to ensure Taiwan can defend itself. Weapons sales to the island have increased in quantity and quality. Last week, Beijing demanded Washington cancel a planned sale of 135 precision land-attack missiles valued at more than $1 billion to improve its defenses. The sale “seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests,” Zhao said. China has stepped up military activity around Taiwan in an attempt to force concessions from the pro-independence administration of President Tsai Ing-wen. The Communist Party is using the mainland's growing economic weight to pressure other governments to cut diplomatic and unofficial ties with Taiwan. Beijing regularly pressures American companies, including Boeing, in an effort to influence U.S. policy. China is one of Boeing's biggest markets for commercial aircraft, which might make it vulnerable to a boycott, but Zhao mentioned only Boeing's military arm, Boeing Defense, not its civilian jetliner business. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon also supply radar and other technology for civilian aviation. The two governments have put sanctions on companies and individuals on both sides over complaints about human rights, computer hacking and other issues, though it is unclear whether they have any effect. Washington has imposed travel and financial bans on Chinese officials and companies it says are linked to abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Muslim minorities have been detained in re-education camps, or Hong Kong after Beijing tried to tighten control by imposing a national security law. Beijing has retaliated by announcing sanctions against some U.S. legislators. Zhao called on Washington to “stop arms sales to Taiwan and stop any military interaction with Taiwan,” adding: “We will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/10/26/china-to-sanction-boeing-lockheed-and-raytheon-over-taiwan-arms-sales/

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