DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract $31 Million To Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., For Maintenance Services of F-5N/F Aircrafts

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract $31 Million To Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., For Maintenance Services of F-5N/F Aircrafts

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth +  U.S. DoD issued No. 74-14 April 21, 2014

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 23, 2014: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., St. Augustine, Fla., is being awarded a $31,135,442 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the depot maintenance services of 44 Navy and Marine Corps Reserve F-5N/F aircraft. 

The services will include depot level maintenance, aircraft inspections, repairs, overhauls, emergency repairs, modifications, engineering support, and procurement of structural components as required to sustain the F-5N/F aircraft. 

Work will be performed in St. Augustine, Fla. (96 percent); Springville, Utah (3 percent); and Emmen, Switzerland (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2015. 

Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy Reserve funds in the amount of $7,386,924 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. 

This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. 


The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-D-0022).

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth +  U.S. DoD issued No. 74-14 April 21, 2014
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News: Swiss Abort Major Fighter Jet Purchase

DTN News: Swiss Abort Major Fighter Jet Purchase

Source: DTN News - - This article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including AFP

(NSI News Source Info) GENEVA, Switzerland - August 26, 2010: Switzerland on Wednesday postponed its search for new air force fighter jets for several years, just weeks before it was expected to announce a decision on the multibillion dollar tender. Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer said at a news conference that the postponement of the replacement of about half of the Swiss army's ageing fleet of F-5 Tiger aircraft "will last at most until 2015". The tender launched in January 2008 led to a fierce battle between European aerospace group EADS's Eurofighter, French firm Dassault's Rafale and the Gripen built by Sweden's Saab. The Swiss government said in a statement that it had decided, "on the proposal of the Defence Ministry, to adjourn the partial replacement of 54 obsolete Tiger F-5 aircraft." It cited budgetary constraints that emerged during the evaluation of the aircraft as well as a desire to use resources to cover other military shortcomings. Switzerland also has 33 US-made FA-18 Hornet fighter jets for its frontline defence force. Maurer, who took office 11 months after the process was launched, was a fierce critic of the tender, estimating that it would have wiped out all other major military purchases for eight years. A decision on the choice of aircraft was last postponed in the spring, when Swiss media reported that the defence minister had estimated the cost of replacing 22 Tigers at 3.5 billion to 5.0 billion Swiss francs (2.7 billion to 3.8 billion euros; 3.4 billion to 4.8 billion dollars). When the tender was launched, Switzerland had planned to spend 2.2 to 2.5 billion francs to replace the F-5s, some of which are more than 30 years old. The Swiss government is now aiming to secure an adequate budget next year with a view to a purchase for the second half of the decade.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Malaysia's Stolen Jet Engines Traced To Argentina According To Police

DTN News: Malaysia's Stolen Jet Engines Traced To Argentina According To Police *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - December 26, 2009: Two missing US-made fighter jet engines, worth 29 million dollars and stolen from a Malaysian military airbase, have been traced to Argentina, police said Thursday.*

Honduran F-5E Tiger II aircraft are serviced on the flight line as a firefighting and rescue truck stands by during a joint exercise between the 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (425th TFTS) and Honduran air force units. Two F-5E Tiger II aircraft of the 425th TFTS are in the background. Two missing US-made fighter jet engines, worth 29 million dollars and stolen from a Malaysian military airbase, have been traced to Argentina, police said Thursday. Police chief Musa Hasan said officers were checking with their counterparts in Buenos Aires to confirm if the missing engines are still in the country. "The stolen engines have been taken to Argentina," the police chief told AFP. "We have to check if the engines are still in that country." Musa told the Star newspaper that several top airforce officers, including generals, are expected to be questioned in connection with the theft. Four people, including three low-ranking personnel, have already been arrested and freed on bail for their alleged role in the theft, he said according to the daily. "We need to question all of them as it is not easy to just cart away the engines without authorisation and proper documents," he was quoted as saying. The Malaysian government is facing a storm of criticism over allegations of official corruption after the theft of the engines. News reports this week said the two Northrop F-5E jet engines had been sold on the black market by military officers to a South American company after being taken from a military airbase, apparently last year. Armed forces chief Azizan Ariffin said the theft was only the "tip of the iceberg" after a newly completed audit revealed equipment worth millions of ringgit was missing, the New Straits Times reported Tuesday. Besides the engines, military equipment including parts of the jet fighter were stolen. A number of countries subject to US arms embargoes, including Iran, Sudan and Venezuela, have F-5 fighters that use the antiquated engines. The jet first flew in 1963 and Northrop ended production in 1989.

DTN News: Iranian Military Planes Crashes In Annual Parade

DTN News: Iranian Military Planes Crashes In Annual Parade *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) - TEHRAN, Iran: September 24, 2009: Iran's sole Simorgh AWACS aircraft was lost during a military parade Sept. 22, one of two Iranian military aircraft that crashed in Tehran while participating in a display to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Iranian fighter jets fly over the mausoleum of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, during a military parade ceremony marking the 29th anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, just outside Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. An Iranian military plane crashed into fields just south of Tehran early Tuesday, according to the state IRNA news agency, saying the plane flew in the air force show that was part of the parade, but there is no immediate word of casualties or details about the plane. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force operated a single Simorgh, a former Iraqi Air Force Adnan. The Adnan AWACS was in turn a modification of a Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-76 transport. The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force's Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni Shrine, southern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, the crash occurred immediately after the parade. Apparently, no mayday call was issued. Both aircraft crashed in flames. Initial reports indicate that seven crewmembers were killed in the crash. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2nd L), President of Iran, is greeted by officials after speaking during the United Nations General Assembly September 23, 2009 at UN headquarters in New York. In total, Iraq built three AWACS aircraft, one Baghdad, and two Baghdad-2s, the latter later renamed Adnans. One Adnan and the Baghdad were evacuated to Iran during the 1991 Gulf War, while the second Adnan was destroyed on the ground by a coalition air strike in January 1991. The exact status of the Iranian Simorgh and its onboard systems was long uncertain. However, photographs suggest that the aircraft was equipped with a newly fitted functioning radar suite.

DTN News: South Korea Drops 5th-Generation Fighter Plan

DTN News: South Korea Drops 5th-Generation Fighter Plan

*Source: DTN News / Defense Media

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - July 25, 2009: South Korea will refocus its KF-X fighter-development program, which aimed to create a fifth-generation stealth fighter, and instead solicit foreign firms' help in producing about 250 F-16-class fighter jets after 2010, according to a research institute here. SOUTH KOREA WANTS to retire the F-4Ds, shown above, which were received from the U.S. Air Force inventory. (FRED ROOS / BOEING) The Weapon Systems Concept Development and Application Research Center of Konkuk University was ordered in April by the government to look at the feasibility of the controversial KF-X effort, which originally aimed to produce and market about 120 aircraft, stealthier than Dassault's Rafale or the Eurofighter Typhoon but not as stealthy as Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II. "Korea has been evaluated with the capacity of 63 percent of necessary technology if the total technology is assumed 100 percent," the letter said. "That … means that self-development of aircraft is possible with joint development of core technology … and technology transfer from abroad."On May 18, the center told major foreign aircraft manufacturers that the South Korean military wants to replace older F-4s and F-5s with a lesser fighter, one on par with the F-16 Block 50. In a letter, the center sent detailed operational requirements for the new jet, which is to have basic stealth technology and a domestically built active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. On May 29, the center asked Boeing, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin and Saab about their views on the per-plane cost estimate of $50 million, as well as budget-sharing ideas and technology transfer. The center will wrap up the feasibility study by October. The Ministry of National Defense will issue a decision on the KF-X initiative by year's end. REQUIREMENTS The new jet is to have a combat radius about 1.5 times that of the F-16; an airframe life span 1.34 times longer than that of the F-16; better avionics than that of the F-16 Block 50; an electronic warfare suite; an infrared search-and-track system; and data link systems fit for a network-centric environment, the document says. South Korea's LIG Nex1 is likely to build the AESA radar using technology provided by Israel's Elta Systems. Among other required capabilities are thrust of 50,000 pounds, provided by either one or two engines; super-velocity intercept and supercruise capabilities; and the ability to hit targets in the air, on land and at sea. In the first 11 years of exploratory and full-scale development, about 120 KF-Xs would be built to replace F-4s and F-5s, and more than 130 aircraft would be produced after the first-phase models reach initial operational capability. An industry source here said Boeing might be the front-runner with its F/A-18 Super Hornet and other 4.5-generation fighter technologies. Sweden's Saab aerospace group might take part as a systems integrator with Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea's only aircraft maker, he said. Greg Lexton, vice president of Boeing Korea, said July 23Boeing is looking at South Korea's KF-X proposal and called an F/A-18 green aircraft a "possible idea." A Lockheed Martin executive noted that his firm had worked with South Korea to produce KF-16s under license and develop the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet. He also noted Lockheed's co-development work with European nations, Japan and Taiwan. "We'll look at what South Korea wants carefully and discuss what Lockheed Martin will be able to do or not be able to do for the KF-X in the coming months," he said. Defense analysts here remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the KF-X program. One chief researcher at the state-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) recalled an earlier study by a local economic policy think tank that concluded that the program would cost at least $10 billion, but would reap only $3 billion in economic benefits. "I believe there have been no major changes in the content of the KF-X program since the 2007 feasibility study," he said. "There is almost no persuasion in the rationale behind the costly program. Do you want to acquire sophisticated stealth aircraft technologies through the KF-X partnership? Or do you believe indigenous KF-16+ aircraft could be operationally feasible and sold to other nations after 2020?" State-of-the-art fifth-generation combat aircraft, such as the F-35 and Typhoon, are expected to dominate the global market between 2020 and 2050, so developing an indigenous KF-16+-level fighter could never be sound economically and technically, the researcher said.

Chile To Finalize F-16 Deal With Netherlands - Minister

Chile To Finalize F-16 Deal With Netherlands - Minister

(NSI News Source Info) SANTIAGO - April 30, 2009: The Chilean Air Force is on the cusp of acquiring 18 used F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands, Defense Minister Francisco Vidal said Wednesday. The F-16 is the largest Western jet fighter program with over 4,400 aircraft built since production was approved in 1976. Though no longer being bought by the U.S. Air Force, advanced versions are still being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. Although the $278 million contract has not yet been signed by the two countries, Vidal insisted the deal was ready to go. "The deal is closed, only the signatures are missing," Vidal said Wednesday, following an earlier denial from the Netherlands that a deal had been reached. The F-16 fighters will replace the Chile's aging F-5 jets, which have been in use since 1976. "Chile has acquired a new fleet of F-16 planes," Vidal announced late Tuesday after leaving a Defense Commission hearing in the Congress. The jets will join the Chilean Air Force in December, he added. The purchase is the second military deal between Chile and the Netherlands, after Santiago's 2006 acquisition of 18 used F-16 jets at a cost of $185 million. In 2003, Chile bought 10 new F-16 jets from U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) at a cost of $660 million.

Embraer To Modernize Brazilian Navy Skyhawks / Embraer To Modernize Brazilian Navy AF-1 And AF-1A Jets

Embraer To Modernize Brazilian Navy Skyhawks / Embraer To Modernize Brazilian Navy AF-1 And AF-1A Jets

(NSI News Source Info) SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, Brazil - April 16, 2009: Embraer signed a contract, today, to modernize 12 Brazilian Navy jets – nine AF-1s (single-seat) and three AF-1As (two-seat).

Embraer will modernize the Brazilian Navy’s squadron of 12 A-4 Skyhawk light attack aircraft, which are the main component of its naval aviation force.

The ceremony took place during the seventh edition of the Latin America Aero and Defence (LAAD) trade fair, which is being held at Riocentro, April 14-17, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and was attended by the Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, the Head of the Brazilian Navy, Admiral Júlio Soares de Moura Neto, the Aeronautics Commander, General Juniti Saito, and Embraer President & CEO Frederico Fleury Curado.

This is the first large-scale program between the company and the Navy, and its sole objective is to technologically upgrade the 12 aircraft. “Embraer is honored by the confidence of the Brazilian Navy, and receives it as a new distinguished defense customer among over 20 armed forces which currently operate its aircraft around the world.” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer President & CEO.

“By choosing Embraer, the Navy is making an important contribution to consolidating the technological and industrial capacity of Brazil for modernizing military aircraft.” The 12 airplanes that will be modernized are known, worldwide, as the A-4 Skyhawk.

This upgrading will fully restore the operating capacity of the Navy’s 1st Intercept and Attack Plane Squadron, for their joint mission with the naval and navy air force groups in the Nation’s defense.

The program includes restoring the aircraft and their current systems, as well as implementing new avionics, radar, power production, and autonomous oxygen generating systems. This contract demonstrates Embraer’s commitment to offer its customers modern products, with advanced technology and quality services.

The Company has recently worked on upgrading the Brazilian Air Force’s F-5 and A-1 (AMX) fighter jets. With this program, Embraer, in conjunction with the Brazilian Navy and Air Force, as well as the Ministry of Defense, fulfills its role in assuring gains in technological capability and in generating highly qualified jobs in Brazil.

Embraer is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of Brazil’s leading exporters. Embraer’s headquarters are located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore.

Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the Commercial Aviation, Executive Aviation, and Defense and Government segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide. On March 31, 2009, Embraer had a workforce of 17,375 employees – not counting the employees of its subsidiaries OGMA and HEAI – and its firm order backlog totaled US$ 19.7 billion.

Taiwan Renews Push For F-16 Fighter Jets / Current Taiwan Fighter Force Inadequate To Potential Threat From China: TECRO

Taiwan Renews Push For F-16 Fighter Jets / Current Taiwan Fighter Force Inadequate To Potential Threat From China: TECRO

(NSI News Source Info) March 16, 2009: Taiwan has renewed a drive to buy advanced U.S.-built F-16 fighter aircraft, confronting President Barack Obama with a delicate decision. Detailing its arms shopping list for the first time since Obama took office, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) said Taiwan's current fighter force was inadequate to a potential threat from China. The largest part of Taiwan's air force, F-5 fighters, have been in service for more than 34 years, said TECRO's spokesman.

Taiwanese air force F-16 fighter jets fly in formation as they drop anti-missile deterrents during the second day of the annual Hankuang military exercises, Wednesday, May 16, 2007, off of Ilan, central eastern coast of Taiwan. Wednesday's exercises are to prepare Taiwan's military for a possible sea invasion from rival China during wartime. "The planes now are obsolete and spare parts are difficult to obtain," said spokesman, Vance Chang, in an email response to questions about Taiwan's arms requests. China has built increasingly advanced fighters, the statement said, "therefore our air superiority capability is at a serious disadvantage." "Taiwan's determination to defend itself is indisputable," it added. Taiwan has been trying for 12 years to buy F-16 C/D models built by Lockheed Martin Corp of Bethesda, Maryland. The U.S. government is required by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan sufficient arms to defend itself. Successive U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, have managed the weapons flow to minimize fallout with China. In its final years, former President George W. Bush's administration would not even accept a formal request for the advanced F-16s, said the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, which represents about 100 companies, including Lockheed Martin. The United States "has an obligation to assist Taiwan to maintain a credible defense of its air space, which includes modern fighters," said council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers. Taiwan wants 66 F-16 C/Ds valued at up to US$4.9 billion to bolster 150 F-16A/B models it bought in 1992. The State Department had no immediate comment on the statement from TECRO. In October, the Bush administration notified Congress of possible arms sales to Taiwan of up to US$6.4 billion, including Patriot "Advanced Capability" antimissile batteries, Apache attack helicopters and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. "We were eager to achieve a golden mean - a robust package of arms sales that met Taiwan's immediate defense needs but was not perceived in Beijing as undermining the progress in cross-strait relations," said Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asian affairs on Bush's White House National Security Council. "I believe we achieved that goal," he added in an email response to Reuters. TECRO made clear Ma's administration was still seeking UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by United Technologies Corp's Sikorsky unit and design work on modern diesel-electric submarines. These two items were cleared for release to Taiwan by Bush as part of a landmark arms offer in April 2001, but left out of the October notification to Congress. The deals were held up for years, largely by partisan hurdles to funding in Taiwan. Wilder said the Bush administration had told Taiwan that it was not denying it any of the weapons approved in 2001, but would leave the decision to Obama.

Singapore's Stealth Frigates Display Power In Navy Drill

Singapore's Stealth Frigates Display Power In Navy Drill

(NSI News Source Info) February 20, 2009: Singapore's six radar-evading stealth frigates displayed their firepower for the first time at a military exercise held by the country's navy and air force, local media reported on Thursday.

The Formidable class multi-role stealth frigates are the latest platforms to enter into service with the Republic of Singapore Navy, and are multi-mission derivatives of the French Navy’s La Fayette class frigate. The frigates are key information nodes and fighting units, and are “by far the most advanced surface combatants in Southeast Asia". The six ships form the 185 Squadron of the Navy.

According to Chinese Language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, some 800personnel participated in the two-day military exercise to end on Thursday in the South China Sea. The newspaper said it was arranged by Singapore's Defense Ministry on board the RSS Steadfast in the South China Sea, 185 km north-east of Singapore, to observe the joint military drill.

Besides six radar-evading stealth frigates, the navy also sent three missile corvettes, one Landing Ship Tank, one submarine.

And the air force sent two F-5 Tiger jets, four F-16 fighter jets, oneE-2C surveillance aircraft and one Super Puma helicopter for the mission. During the two-day drill, the stealth frigates and other vessels demonstrated how to hunt and destroy enemies on land, at sea and in the air.