14th January 2021 - 23:05 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch RSS
Australia strengthens its commonality with the US by deciding to introduce the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter.
The wait is finally over and, to no great surprise, Australia has plumped for the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian as its new attack helicopter platform under Project Land 4503 via a Foreign Military Sales deal.
This puts to bed a long-running and heated saga over the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter .
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Indian Air Force to receive 73 Mk 1A fighters and ten trainer aircraft.
The Indian government on 13 January approved the purchase of 73 Tejas Mk 1A fighters and ten Tejas Mk 1 trainer aircraft in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
This is the first procurement to be agreed under Indian government rules stipulating that 50% of components for combat aircraft must be made domestically. This proportion will rise to 60% by the end of the LCA programme
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will manufacture the 83 aircraft under an INR45,696 crore ($6.25 billion) contract, working with a supply chain and development base of about 500 Indian companies.
Northrop Grumman to execute Total System Support Responsibility in 2021 across the E-8C fleet.
The latest $325 million deal for support services in 2021 follows a $309 million contract in 2020.
Northrop Grumman is prime systems integrator for all nine support and sustainment components across the USAF Joint STARS fleet, which totals 17 aircraft according to Shephard Defence Insight.
Janice Zilch, VP of manned airborne surveillance programmes at Northrop Grumman, said: ‘The overall modification and sustainment work will ensure continuous safety and system readiness for the E-8C fleet against evolving threat environments.’
Joint STARS delivers real-time battle management situational awareness by combining high-fidelity wide-area moving target detection, synthetic aperture radar imagery and robust battle management systems to locate, classify and track surface targets in all weather conditions from standoff distances.
Tactical Air Control Party - Mobile Communications System Block Two kits help provide precision terminal attack guidance for close air support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire.
The USAF
Life Cycle Management Center has issued a $30.91 million contract modification for
iGov Technologies to produce 142 extra Tactical Air Control Party - Mobile
Communications System (TACP-MPS) Block Two kits.
The modification
also includes training and support.
Work will
be performed at various locations across the U.S., and is expected to be
completed by September 2022, the DoD noted on 8 January.
TACP
teams provide precision terminal attack guidance for close air support aircraft,
artillery, and naval gunfire. They also establish and maintain C2