21 September 2021
by Gareth Jennings
The RCAF is to fit the Raytheon AN/APG-79(V)4 AESA radar to 36 of its classic Hornet aircraft. (Raytheon)
Canada is to upgrade a portion of its Boeing CF-18 legacy Hornet with a new active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar system.
Announced by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 20 September, the upgrade will see Raytheon provide 36 of its AN/APG-79(V)4 radar systems ahead of the integration onto Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18s.
As noted in the DoD contract notification, the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) is valued at USD140.4 million and will run through to March 2024.
According to Janes World Air Forces , the RCAF operates 76 F/A‐18 (CF‐188 or CF‐18) Hornet fighter aircraft, of which 58 are single‐seat CF‐188As and 18 are two‐seat CF‐188Bs. This AESA radar is the latest in a series of upgrades since the first aircraft were received in 1982, including improved radar, jam‐resistant radios, embedded GPS, Link 16 datalink, a helmet‐mounted cueing system, colour displays, and an upgraded countermeasures dispensers.
24 April 2024
by Gerrard Cowan
Seen being carried by a US Air Force F-16, the Sniper ATP is built in Florida in the US and Bedfordshire in the UK. Lockheed Martin is now ramping up UK component production to meet increased customer demand. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin is building a new production line for AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) components at its Ampthill, Bedfordshire site in the UK, seeking to meet anticipated demand from NATO allies and other customers for the system, the company has told Janes .
The UK-based work on Sniper supports the manufacturing activities at Ocala, Florida. This work has been expanded with a new production line at Ampthill that will focus on producing cabling to integrate the system into aircraft.
Stacy Kubicek, Lockheed Martin's vice-president and general manager – sensors and global sustainment, said the fresh investment is part of a wider strategy at Lockheed Martin. She placed it into the context of a shifting outlook among customers.
19 April 2024
by Olivia Savage
The Bundeswehr has ordered 258 sets of AGDUS systems for its Puma IFVs following successful integration tests. (PSM GmbH)
The Bundeswehr is receiving new training simulators for its Puma infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
In total, 258 sets of Training Device, Duel Simulator (Ausbildungsgerät Duellsimulator: AGDUS) systems are being delivered for the Puma IFVs by the end of 2026, the Bundeswehr announced on 15 April.
The EUR109 million (USD116 million) contract will be financed from the EUR100 billion Bundeswehr special fund.
A Rheinmetall/Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) consortium received an order from the Bundeswehr in December 2019 valued at EUR54 million for the provision of six AGDUS systems for integration tests on the Puma. Full-scale serial production of AGDUS would then begin once testing was complete, with up to 252 Puma IFVs being equipped with the systems for EUR88 million.
A Rheinmetall spokesperson confirmed to Janes that the company, along with KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) Germany, are supplying the new AGDUS simulators to the Bundeswehr and that full-scale production has now officially begun.
18 April 2024
by Giles Ebbutt
A screenshot of the Hadean POLI constructive simulation displayed through the 4C Strategies Exonaut training management software. (Hadean)
Hadean and 4C Strategies have successfully integrated a constructive simulation with Exonaut exercise management software, utilising Hadean's spatial computing platform.
The integrated solution, displayed at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 in London, enabled Hadean's Pattern of Life Indicator (POLI) constructive simulation to be controlled from within 4C Strategies Exonaut software.
Exonaut is widely used in the UK and NATO as an exercise management tool, while constructive simulation is fundamental to effective command and staff training. Integrating the two previously separate functions offers the potential to improve training.
Explaining the integration, Paul Steel, UK military sales director for 4C Strategies, told Janes
Canada is to upgrade a portion of its Boeing CF-18 legacy Hornet with a new active electronically sc...
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