Primary Arms

Archive for the ‘Contracts’ Category

Mack Defense Awarded Contract by U.S. Marine Corps to Develop Medium Tactical Truck (MTT)

Thursday, March 14th, 2024

ALLENTOWN, PA (March 12, 2024) – The U.S. Marine Corps awarded Mack Defense a 12-month contract for the initial development of a new Medium Tactical Truck (MTT) fleet. The new family of vehicles will replace the Marine Corp’s Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement fleet (MTVR), which includes cargo, dump, wrecker, tractor and re-supply trucks supporting air-ground task force combat support missions.

The Marine Corps initial development requirements for the MTT fleet will focus on three cargo variants consisting of 10- 15- and 20-foot cargo bed configurations with hybrid-electric technology for reduced fuel consumption, extended range and reduced noise for silent watch capabilities. A 70% off-road and 30% on-road mission profile will be supported by a 60-inch fording capability to traverse through water up to five feet. The vehicles will feature a 10-kilowatt on-board power generator and will have the capacity to deliver 30-kilowatts of external power. Advanced driver safety and force protection systems will be key features.

“We were confident in our ability to meet the needs outlined by the U.S. Marine Corps,” said David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense. “Being chosen for the initial development phase of this program confirms that the U.S. Marine Corps recognizes Mack Defense has the proven experience in developing tactical vehicle platforms that incorporate the latest system designs and technologies to meet the strict requirements outlined for the MTT.”

As part of the initial development phase, Mack Defense will provide a detailed engineering technical data package for three MTT cargo variants. Mack Defense will incorporate an open systems architecture, ensuring the U.S. Marine Corps can integrate future technological advancements into the next generation of medium tactical vehicles.

“Mack Defense is uniquely positioned to design the MTT variants incorporating the latest hybrid propulsion technologies to achieve significant fuel consumption reduction,” said Brent Cring, director of engineering at Mack Defense. “Advanced driver safety systems provide military-grade mobility and ensure the safety of deployed Marines worldwide.”

Mack Defense is currently in the testing phase of another significant defense program. Recently, three Common Tactical Truck (CTT) prototype vehicles, based on the commercially available Mack® Granite® model, were delivered to the U.S. Army for testing and soldier evaluations. The vehicles will be evaluated to determine final requirements to modernize and replace the Army’s fleet of 35,000 heavy tactical trucks. The MTT program leverages technology developed for the CTT program including hybrid technology, active safety, open-systems architecture, and military grade mobility.

Artillery Ammunition for Spanish Army: Rheinmetall Wins €208 Million Order

Wednesday, March 13th, 2024

The Spanish government has commissioned Rheinmetall, the world’s largest manufacturer of artillery ammunition, to supply a total of 94,200 155mm rounds. The framework agreement concluded for this purpose has a volume of around €208 million. The artillery rounds are to be delivered to the Spanish army between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025, with a two-year extension option.

The ammunition now ordered is already being used by the Spanish customer; this is the second framework agreement. The new order emphasises Rheinmetall’s reliability as a partner to the Spanish army for the supply of key products.
The ER02A1 high-explosive (HE) projectiles have a maximum range of 30 kilometres in the boat-tail (BT) variant and almost 40 kilometres in the base-bleed (BB) variant. The latter has a special device at the base of the projectile. This heats the air generated by the projectile itself in its trajectory, thus reducing drag and increasing the maximum range.

The latest contracts in the field of 155mm artillery ammunition underline Rheinmetall’s leading technological position in European ammunition development and production. Framework agreements with various NATO member states secure the supply of artillery ammunition.

It was only on 12 February 2024 that the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for a new plant was held in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The plant will produce explosives and components for rocket artillery as well as artillery ammunition in particular. On 18 February 2024, Rheinmetall and a Ukrainian partner company signed a memorandum of understanding that will also enable the production of artillery ammunition in Ukraine in the future.

Saab Signs Major Contract for Carl-Gustaf with Poland

Friday, March 8th, 2024

Saab has today signed a contract with the Polish Ministry of Defence’s procurement authority for delivery of the Carl-Gustaf® M4 weapon, ammunition and training equipment. The order value corresponds to SEK 12.9 billion and the contract period is 2024-2027. The order is expected to be booked by Saab before the end of Q2 2024.

“I am proud of our close relationship with the Polish Armed Forces and that Saab can continue to strengthen Poland’s ground combat capability and national defence with our world-leading Carl-Gustaf system,” says Saab’s CEO and President Micael Johansson. 

The contract is expected to be effective by the end of Q2 2024, subject to the fulfilment of certain external conditions.

Saab’s Carl-Gustaf is a man-portable, multi-role weapon system with a wide range of ammunition types, making it suitable for a variety of tasks.
Read more: www.saab.com/products/carl-gustaf.

Gentex Corporation Announces Additional Order for Ops-Core RAILINK Power and Data ARC Rail System

Wednesday, March 6th, 2024

Integrated Headborne Platform receives second USSOCOM order.

CARBONDALE, PA, March 5th, 2024 – Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders, and industrial personnel, announced today that they have received a second-round order for the Ops-Core RAILINK power and data system from US Special Operations Command.

“When operating within the unique SOF environment, there is no margin for error. With a second delivery order coming immediately after completion of the first delivery order, it is clear that our nation’s elite SOF operators see that RAILINK delivers on the features and benefits they specified at the beginning of the RAILINK development program” said Tom Short, Vice President of Ground Systems at Gentex Corporation.”

The RAILINK platform facilitates integration of a broad range of unique functionality on the headborne system. Powered by a central helmet power center, feeding power to, and sharing data between, an array of smart nodes and a VAS/NVG interface   RAILINK improves protection and lethality by increasing the effectiveness of the user and reducing their burden.

To learn more about RAILINK, visit:  www.gentexcorp.com/introducing-railink

Major Order: Rheinmetall Supplying NATO Member Nation with Multiple Rocket Launcher Ammunition and Other Systems Worth More Than €300 Million

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024

Rheinmetall has won an order to supply a European member of NATO with multiple rocket launcher ammunition. Delivery is to take place from 2024 to 2027. The order, which was already booked in December 2023, represents sales volume for Rheinmetall of more than €300 million, without value added tax.

Rheinmetall Expal Munitions of Spain is responsible for manufacturing and delivering the rockets, which have a maximum range of 300 km. The order also encompasses additional services and other systems.

This is Rheinmetall’s first sales success in rocket artillery, vindicating the recent strategic expansion of its product portfolio. Just the other day, on 12 February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wielded a shovel at the ground-breaking ceremony took place at Unterlüß in Lower Saxony for a new factory that will produce explosives, artillery ammunition and rocket artillery components.

In artillery systems, 120mm smoothbore tank ammunition, cannon-based air defence and the production of medium-calibre ammunition, Rheinmetall is a leading global supplier. Ever since its foundation over 125 years ago, the company has been a reliable partner of the artillery branch, supplying seamless barrels for big guns. In the ammunition domain, today Rheinmetall supplies a comprehensive array of ammunition types in various calibres.

The latest orders for artillery rockets and 155mm artillery ammunition underscore Rheinmetall’s technological edge in ammunition development and production in Europe. Framework contracts for artillery ammunition help to make sure that the needs of the armed forces of Germany and other NATO nations are reliably met. They enable better planning of production processes and optimum exploitation of existing capacity.

Logos Technologies Awarded $19.4 Million by U.S. Army for Hostile Fire Detection Systems

Monday, March 4th, 2024

Serenity dual-sensor system employed by AFRICOM to protect U.S. troops from radical actors

FAIRFAX, Va.—February 29, 2024 — 2024—Logos Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America, announced today that the U.S. Army awarded the company a $19,379,640 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to supply, maintain and operate Serenity hostile fire detection (HFD) systems in theater.

The five-year contract is the newest installment in a long-standing effort by United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) to employ dual-sensor Serenity HFD systems to safeguard U.S. expeditionary forces against radicalized actors.

“By combining electro-optical and acoustic sensors, Serenity can pinpoint the origin of heavy weapons fire and explosions up to 10 kilometers away in any direction,” said Doug Rombough, VP of Business Development for Logos Technologies, “and it does so with fewer false positives than standard, single-sensor HFD systems”.

The Serenity system weighs only 50-75 pounds, depending on the configuration, and can be mounted on towers and aerostats (and as well as some aircraft). On an aerostat, Serenity can be coupled with a wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) system, providing operators with additional near real-time and archived imagery.

“This way, Serenity can cue the WAMI system to a particular area of interest—say, the location of an enemy mortar team—and then the WAMI system can track their movement across the battlefield, as well as ‘go back in time’ and discover their initial staging area”, Rombough said.

In addition to the U.S. Army, other armed services have expressed interest in Serenity. Company officials also note that the Army Research Laboratory has been experimenting with reducing the size and weight of Serenity and putting it on a gyrocopter as a surrogate for an unmanned aircraft system.

“Given the ongoing success of Serenity in the field with U.S. forces, there’s interest in having a rapidly deployable version that can be used by international forces”, he said.

www.logostech.net

Rheinmetall Supplying European Customer with Further Skynex Air Defence Systems

Saturday, March 2nd, 2024

Rheinmetall has been awarded a further contract to supply Skynex air defence systems to a European customer. The systems will enhance the customer’s ability to defend itself against aerial threats. The order has a value in the lower three-digit million euro range. The deliveries will take place over the course of 2025 and, as with the initial contract, will also include the associated Rheinmetall made HX trucks.

Relying on automatic cannon-based air defence, Skynex lends itself especially well to very short-range contexts where guided missiles are ineffective. Moreover, the use of programmable 35mm Ahead ammunition, as developed by Rheinmetall for this purpose, is significantly less expensive than comparable guided missile-based systems. Equally important: 35mm ammunition cannot be influenced much less jammed by electronic countermeasures when fired.  The success of the self-propelled “Flakpanzer” Gepard antiaircraft system in Ukraine underscores the effectiveness of 35mm gun-based air defence against aerial targets, especially cruise missiles and drones.

The advanced Skynex air defence system is based on a concept that keeps airspace surveillance separate from the effectors. Owing to this modularity, and depending on the mission, the necessary assets can be linked to the command-and-control network. The system enables integration of radar equipment from various manufacturers. Skynex also offers great freedom with respect to effectors, enabling integration of many different advanced air defence weapons into the system.  Having its own tracking unit is the sole prerequisite. Besides individual sensors and effectors, existing air defence systems like the Skyshield and Skyguard families can be built into the new architecture as fire units. In a remotely located command and weapon engagement centre, the recognized air situation is depicted on a map together with the sensors and effectors positioned in the field, thus simplifying allocation of targets to air defence assets connected to the system.

HENSOLDT supplies all-round vision system for self-propelled wheeled howitzer from KNDS

Saturday, March 2nd, 2024

Oberkochen/Germany, 1. March 2024 – The sensor solution provider HENSOLDT has sold its all-round vision system SETAS (See Through Armour System) for the first time. The customer is KNDS in Germany. The order comprises a total of 54 units. The order value is in the double-digit million range. SETAS will be integrated into the customer’s RCH 155 self-propelled artillery gun.

SETAS is a high-performance day and night observation system for armoured vehicles of all kinds. The high-resolution electro-optical vision system gives every crew member the opportunity to obtain full visual situational awareness 360 degrees around the vehicle from inside the vehicle. Threats within their radius of action can be reliably identified and classified at an early stage. The modular system comprises two high-performance sensor systems: high-resolution colour daylight cameras and uncooled thermal imaging cameras.

“With the initial integration, we are equipping our customer and the user with a revolutionary sensor solution in the field of all-round visibility,” says Tanya Altmann, Head of Optronics & Land Solutions at HENSOLDT. “The system will realise its full potential when it is connected to the vehicle network and the battle management system and provides crew members with the best possible information sovereignty using AI-supported sensor fusion. With this launching customer, HENSOLDT is therefore consistently continuing its growth path as a solution provider.”

In a further configuration step, the observation capabilities of SETAS can be enhanced with integrated automatic image processing functions such as Moving Target Indication (MTI), object tracking and other modes. This makes it easier for the crew to cope with the large amount of image data for personal 360-degree situational awareness. Thanks to its modularity and open interface architecture (NGVA-compliant), this observation system can be easily integrated into any new or existing vehicle.  The interface allows full integration or standalone operation by supporting any type of HMI (standard or smart display, smart glasses, tablet, etc.).

Using a helmet-mounted display as an HMI, a crew member inside the vehicle can practically see through the armour and thus achieve the same orientation as when observing “from above”. Intelligent software algorithms automatically warn the crew if a potentially threatening movement is detected in the vicinity of the vehicle. SETAS can be installed as a stand-alone system, providing crews of both legacy platforms and new systems with significantly increased situational awareness.

You can find out more about SETAS here.