The U.S. Defense Department says Pratt & Whitney will remain the sole source for upgrades of its engines in Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter. It follows the award in July of a $66-million contract with the RTX subsidiary to support fleetwide engine modernization efforts. [node:read-more:link]
Diehl Defence of Germany has signed a contract valued at some €600 million to supply Latvia with IRIS-T medium-range air defense systems. Diehl said December 4 that the deal under a framework agreement with Estonia as well as Latvia in September is the Baltic NATO ally’s “biggest defense investment since its independence more than 30 years ago.” [node:read-more:link]
South Korea will join Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal in ordering the Embraer C-390 Millenium medium-sized twin-jet transport for its air force. While neither the number of aircraft nor the contract value have been disclosed, the order includes spares, service and support, training and ground support equipment. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Air Force project to replace its four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft at a cost of at least $8 billion now has only bidder still in the running. Disagreements over data rights and contract terms mean Boeing is no longer being considered to replace its militarized 747-based “Doomsday” platforms, leaving it to a Sierra Nevada Corporation-Collins Aerospace partnership. [node:read-more:link]
The Defense Department is warning that U.S. industry is struggling to stay ahead of competitors such as China in the high technology arms race. “It does not possess the capacity, capability, responsiveness, or resilience required to satisfy the full range of military production needs at speed and scale,” the DoD says in the document dated November 27. “Just as significantly, the traditional defense contractors […] would be challenged to respond to modern conflict at the velocity, scale, and flexibility necessary to meet the dynamic requirements of a major modern conflict.” [node:read-more:link]
Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder has disclosed that her country plans to join France, Germany and Spain next July in developing a six-generation fighter through their Future Combat Air System project. Until then, Belgium will have observer status as of January. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government confirmed today that it plans to procure at least 14 Boeing P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft to replace its Lockheed CP140s through a government-to-government agreement with the U.S. The CP-140s are a 1950s design which entered service with the RCAF in 1982 and is now scheduled for retirement in 2030. The RCAF has consistently defended the Boeing platform as the only currently available option with delivery expected to start in 2026. [node:read-more:link]
Florida-based L3Harris Technologies, which has a long-standing relationship supplying surveillance technology to the Canadian military, announced November 27 that it will sell its commercial aviation business to a New York private-equity firm. Contingent on regulatory approval, it would enable the company to focus more on national security and technology while paying down debt. [node:read-more:link]
A year into efforts to boost production of 155mm artillery rounds for Ukraine, the U.S. and EU states are seeing radically different results. U.S. output has increased faster than forecast while European output has been slowed by the consensus-focused nature of NATO and the EU. [node:read-more:link]
A planned $5-billion RCAF procurement of General Atomics MQ-9B Reaper armed drones for Arctic deployment has been delayed until at least 2028. DND cites a need for “significant development work” on links to aerial and orbital communications as well as training [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $2.4-billion sale to Japan of 400 RTX Tomahawk cruise missiles and associated systems and training. The department said today that Tomahawks, which can strike targets at a published 1,600 kilometres, have “significant standoff range that can neutralize growing threats.” [node:read-more:link]
A major maritime patrol requirement was slowly progressing through the Definition phase, potentially heading toward Implementation, and most insiders believed there was only one real contender to replace the 40-year-old Aurora aircraft. Could Canada's Bombardier muscle in on a major defence procurement without a working prototype? Why not? It's been tried before, but with decidedly limited success. [node:read-more:link]
Complaints by EU officials earlier this week that their industries had fallen short on munitions for Ukraine have been rebuffed by the Aerospace, Security & Defence Industries Association of Europe. “The double challenge for industry today – after decades-long underinvestment and the subsequent reduction of manufacturing capacities – is to ramp up production both to support Ukraine and to replenish and reinforce the stocks of armed forces in Europe (ammunition is only one element),” it said. “It is a complex process that requires meticulous long-term planning.” [node:read-more:link]
European Union officials have acknowledged that several states have not fulfilled a commitment to send Ukraine a million rounds of ammunition because their suppliers have prioritized exports rather than increase output. “The one million will not be reached […] unfortunately” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said November 14, adding that he was warned some time ago that there could be problems. [node:read-more:link]
MBDA, the French-based multinational missile manufacturer, has resumed production of Cold War-era PanzerAbwehrRichtMine anti-tank munitions after Germany ordered thousands to replace stocks delivered to Ukraine at a cost of €68 million. “PARM will help Germany, as well as other nations, develop and expand their area-denial capabilities,” the company says. [node:read-more:link]
