Airbus has received a $2.3 billion contract to supply the German Armed Forces with geostationary military communications satellites. The agreement requires developing and deploying two communications spacecraft to replace Germany’s existing telecommunications satellites, COMSATBw 1B and 2B. Airbus said it is expected to deliver the hardware before the decade ends. The European aerospace giant will...
Category: FOCI
BAE Systems Forms New Space Leadership Business Unit With Doug Liddle as Head
BAE Systems has established a new business unit to grow its space capabilities. This unit arose from acquiring U.K. satellite company In-Space Missions in 2021, which was integrated into the company’s Digital Intelligence unit. Doug Liddle, co-founder of In-Space Missions, will head the new business unit, which will handle BAE Systems’ Azalea satellite program focused...
BAE Books $76M Deal to Upgrade Sting Ray Mod 1 Torpedo for UK MoD
BAE Systems has secured a $76 million contract to develop a Sting Ray Mod 2 lightweight torpedo design for the U.K. Ministry of Defence. In a notice, the ministry said the agreement supports a four-year evaluation effort to update the Sting Ray Mod 1 torpedo system that the British military currently uses. The latest defense...
Airbus Working to Acquire Specific Spirit AeroSystems’ Aircraft Parts Production Activities
Airbus has announced an agreement with Spirit AeroSystems to acquire some of the latter’s operations, particularly the manufacture of key aircraft components. The “definitive agreement” could lead to the purchase of Spirit’s specific activities, including the production sites for A350 fuselage sections and A220 pylons in the United States, Airbus said. The ongoing transaction would also...
Viasat to Install Broadband Satcom Terminal on Spain’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft; Victor Farah Quoted
Viasat announced that it will integrate its dual-band broadband terminal GAT-5530 into Spain’s C295 maritime patrol aircraft in collaboration with the airplane’s supplier, Airbus. The joint effort aims to provide the Spanish C295 MPA fleet with secure and reliable satellite communication capability for mission support using the sovereign, next-generation SpainSat NG satellites. The mission needs...
Saab Secures $245M Contract to Deliver Sweden’s Third GlobalEye Surveillance Aircraft; Micael Johansson Quoted
Saab has secured a $244.1 million contract from the Swedish government to deliver the country’s third GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft. The platform combines the S band Erieye Extended Range radar and mission system with Bombardier’s Global 6000 jet aircraft to provide an AEW&C solution that supports long-range detection and identification of objects....
BlackBerry: New Malware Increasing by 40 Percent Per Minute; US is Prime Target
The number of novel malware used in cyberattacks has increased by as much as 40 percent per minute, according to a new report. The data is from Canadian cybersecurity solutions company BlackBerry, which published its latest Global Threat Intelligence Report to examine the cyberthreat landscape during the first quarter of fiscal 2024. The report revealed...
BAE Systems Expects Increased AMPV Orders From Army, Foreign Governments; Bill Sheehy Quoted
BAE Systems is looking to expand Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle production capabilities as it expects new orders from the United States and potential new customers. At Eurosatory 2024 in June, William “Bill” Sheehy, program director for AMPV at BAE Systems, told reporters that the company already plans to produce 220 AMPVs at its York factory annually....
Thales Seeks Further Growth in UAE With Another Edge Group Partnership; Christophe Salomon Quoted
Thales and Katim, an entity under Edge Group, have signed a letter of intent to explore the possibility of jointly developing software-defined radio technologies in the United Arab Emirates. Under the agreement, signed during the recent Eurosatory defense and security show in Paris, Thales and Katim will collaborate on the development, manufacturing and maintenance of...
Australia Orders Two Additional Patrol Boats From Austal; Paddy Gregg Quoted
The Australian Department of Defence is expanding its maritime capability with two additional Guardian-class patrol boats from Austal Australia under a deal estimated at $26 million. Austal has already delivered 30 patrol boats, which are 39.5-meter steel-hull vessels made in Henderson, Western Australia, with the help of local supply chain partners. Of the 30 vessels...