Defense Business

Aerovironment announced today expanding its loitering weapon family, as it introduced the Switchblade 600 – the largest weapon in the family announced to date. The new weapon employs the tube-launched, collapsible wing, electric propulsion architecture as Switchblade 300, and its Blackwing variant. With longer range, extended mission endurance, and multi-purpose warhead Switchblade 600 expand the warfighter’s capability engaging larger, hardened targets at greater distances.

The Czech government approved the launch of procurement negotiations for four Israeli “SPYDER” batteries, within the framework of a G2G agreement between the two countries. Israel was selected as the sole supplier for the project and the expected agreement between the countries' defense ministries is estimated at over $400 million.

The deal leverages BlueBird's major contract award for delivering 70 VTOL UAS to a European customer. It also helps broaden IAI's portfolio of VTOL products, rapid time to market at competitive prices.

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) today signed an agreement to set up a Singapore-based joint venture company (JV) with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd (IAI). The JV named Proteus Advanced Systems will market and sell advanced naval missile systems, including next-generation anti-ship missile systems.

ECA has added an Unmanned Rotorcraft to the Belgian-Dutch MCM Program. The drone will join other unmanned systems organized in a 'Toolbox', that represents the ECA Group integrated MCM capability of the Belgian-Dutch navies. The Toolbox consists of the integrated operation of remotely controlled and autonomous aerial, surface, and underwater systems.

The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS and Finland's Patria Oyj have formed a teaming agreement to provide turreted mortar solutions for future U.S. Army mortar programs. Under this agreement the team will promote the turreted mortar and produce the 120mm Patria Nemo, turreted, remote-controlled mortar system in the US.

Suffering in silence under the crisis triggered by COVID 19 is not the way to respond to the dramatic market changes unfolding. Guest author Joel Alon outlines some of the positive prospects hiding in this dire situation, presenting new opportunities for Israel's struggling defense industries.

IAI acquires the manufacturing operations of the Zibar offroad tactical vehicle, designed and built by Israeli offroad entrepreneur Ido Cohen. The Z family activities being acquired include the Zibar, Zmag – a light version of the platform, and ZED – the armored off-road vehicle. IAI ELTA will design and produce the vehicles in its manufacturing site in Beer Sheva, where RAM vehicles are currently built. The company plans to adapt and configure the vehicles for military and homeland defense applications, and now, acting as the vehicle design authority will be well-positioned to address specific customer requirements.

Greece is leasing Heron I unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from Israel for a three-year service. the drones will be configured for maritime surveillance missions and will operate from the island of Crete. The Herons will be tasked primarily with maritime surveillance and border security. The Heron regularly operates in the region, since the drone was cleared to operate in civil airspace by Israel's Civil Aviation Authority in 2007.

Switzerland has selected Elbit Systems to replace the vehicular tactical radio equipment currently used by the Swiss military. A contract award for the supply of software-defined radios, vehicle intercoms, and headsets is expected to be worth several hundred-millions of Swiss Francs and is subject to Swiss Parliament approvals.

The F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin finalized a $34 billion agreement for the production and delivery of 478 F-35s in three models, at the lowest aircraft price during the history of the Program.

The Australian MOD has shortlisted two companies for the Land 400 Phase 3 Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) of the next-generation tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and armored personnel carriers (APC), to replace the Australian M-113s. The two contenders are Hanwha Defense System AS21 Redback and Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41.

Elbit Systems of America confirmed it will supply Boeing a number of products – including cockpit displays, datalinks, and embedded training capabilities for the T-7A RedHawk (T-X) advanced pilot training aircraft Boeing is developing for the United States Air Force. In the initial phase, Boeing was selected to deliver 351 trainers, over 10 years, from 2024 to 2034.

The UK Ministry of Defence has chosen Leonardo/Thales protection system to protect the RAF Shadow ISTAR fleet. This single-source selection by the MOD follows the recent SALT III international trials hosted by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration in Sweden. There, the integrated Miysis/Elix-IR system, using a jamming waveform developed by the UK MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, proved its ability to defeat Infra-Red missiles in live-fire exercises.