World Defence Show defines Saudi and GCC ambitions
Dear Reader,
The first World Defense Exhibition concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (6-9 March 2022). The most surprising finding was the number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) defense companies participating in the meeting. The show also provides significant traction for international defence organisations eager to connect with the expansion of the Saudi and GCC defence industries.
Deal signings include joint ventures between national industrial groups and major players, as well as smaller partnerships and distribution agreements. The GCC defense industry is in a process of rapid growth. In April 2016, the Saudi government announced its Saudi Vision 2030, a plan to transform the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) into the world’s top 25 defense contractors by 2030. To that end, the goal is to ensure that 50 percent of defense spending is spent on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 2030—a very ambitious target. The program’s stated goal is to invest more than $1.6 billion in research and development (R&D) alone. In fact, as the show wrapped up, SAMI announced three separate agreements with Saudi banks, worth over $1.8 billion, to invest in major future projects, not just R&D.
SAMI CEO Ying. SAMI chief executive Walid Abukhaled said the defense industry “first” deal would be used to develop “cutting-edge technology and knowledge, as well as forge strategic economic partnerships”.
In the United Arab Emirates, the EDGE Group is divided into five technology clusters: Platforms and Systems, Missiles and Weapons, Cyber Defense, Electronic Warfare and Intelligence, and Mission Support. The group has more than 25 companies with combined revenues of more than $5 billion.
Agreements between GCC entities are also in progress, such as NIMR signing a licensing agreement with SAMI to allow the production of NIMR’s JAIS 4×4 vehicles in Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, March 5, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) hosted the Riyadh Defence Forum to examine the defense posture in the region. One of the findings in the MENA region is that air defense is generally prioritized over offense, focusing on specific areas of perceived threat rather than modernizing defenses across the board.
Mistakes of Russian mercenaries
The brutal invasion of Ukraine by President Putin’s armed forces continues, targeting civilians indiscriminately. As Putin further deploys mercenaries, including the privately owned Wagner Group (believed to be owned by Putin’s sycophant Yevgeny Prigozin), fighters from Chechnya and Arab mercenaries from places like Syria and North Africa, the situation will get worse.
Relying on hastily recruited mercenaries is a very backward step. With little integration and joint capability with other Russian regular forces (such as artillery, armour, and air support), and little integration into the logistical supply chain for essential items such as ammunition and food/water, their impact is beyond the initial In addition to their fears, their preference for war crime tactics should be short-lived and piecemeal. Their continued motivation may also be a factor in reducing their effectiveness if the conflict continues for some time and their numbers are reduced by casualties.
One of the reasons for the deployment of mercenaries is to begin to cover up the lasting losses that Russian forces are suffering, thanks to the resilient defenses displayed by the stressed but unwavering Ukrainian forces.
In a recent attempt to intercept military supplies coming into Ukraine from Poland, multiple missiles hit a Ukrainian army base northwest of Lviv, about 10 miles from the Polish border. Extending such attacks to include vehicles still within Polish borders would be extremely serious, especially if Russian planes remained over Ukraine and opened fire on Polish territory.
thanks for reading,
Andrew DeVega
think for a week
“They surrounded us again, poor bastards“—
Credit to Colonel Creighton S. Abrams, Commander of General George S Patton, Battle of Bulge (But included here as an encouragement and tribute to the Ukrainian defenders of Kyiv).
Major U.S. Arms Sales (Defense Security Cooperation Agency – DSCA).
There were no further updates in March.
U.S. government contracts
Highlights major equipment and support contracts and foreign military sales from February 28 to March 4 and March 7 to 11, 2022. This list is an editor’s choice and is arbitrary.
March 11
US Navy
The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office was awarded a $24 million conversion contract that expands the scope of providing additional MV-22 common configuration readiness and modernization in-service and maintenance support. Aircraft acquisition (Navy) funding of $24 million in fiscal 2022 will be disbursed upon award. Naval Air Systems Command is a contracting activity.
Serco awarded a $15.7 million modification contract to develop, integrate, test and evaluate options for prototype systems for existing or emerging unmanned vehicles, unmanned weapons related to mine warfare, amphibious warfare, surface warfare and unmanned weapons control systems, diving and life support, coastal and underwater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and other missions in coastal and riverine environments. The Naval Surface Warfare Center is a contracting activity.
Aviation Training Consultants was awarded a $13.8 million IDIQ contract to provide pilot, enlisted aircrew and maintenance training support services as well as program management and administrative support services to the US government. Kuwait. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division is a contracting activity. (Awarded 10 March 2022)
March 10
US Air Force
Northrop Grumman wins $91 million retrofit award for electronic warfare RF compatibility. Contract modification provides software development, development testing and operational testing support, initial production capability maturation and hardware qualification testing. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center is a contracting activity. (Awarded March 9, 2022)
L-3 Communications Integrated Systems was awarded a $26 million contract to retrofit and deliver an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. The contract provides all labor and materials required to complete modification, installation, testing and data requirements. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales. 645th Aviation Systems Group is a contracting activity.
US Navy
The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office was awarded a $24.8 million retrofit order with an option to provide ongoing flight test support for the V-22 aircraft in support of the Navy, Air Force and foreign military sales customer. FY2022 Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (Navy) $11.8M; FY2022 Aircraft Acquisition (Navy) $7.2M; FY2022 Aircraft Acquisition (Air Force) $1.4M; $1.5M payable upon award U.S. dollar foreign military sales funds. Naval Air Systems Command is a contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems has received a $17.8 million retrofit order that adds to the production, delivery and installation of Link 16 encrypted modernization/hybrid over-the-horizon capability on 15 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft Scope. Naval Air Systems Command is a contracting activity.
March 9
US Navy
Saab was awarded a $68.8 million Force on Force Training Systems-Next (FoFTS-Next) retrofit contract. FoFTS-Next is the Marine Corps’ next-generation Instrumented Tactical Engagement Simulation System (I-TESS). FoFTS-Next Increment 1 consists of instrumentation systems for individuals, vehicles, buildings and weapons. FoFTS-Next Increment 1 also includes the command and control and networking systems required to transmit, process and display data from the instruments. Marine Corps Systems Command is a contracting activity.
March 8
US Navy
VSE wins $99.9 million IDIQ contract foreign military sales (FMS) Supportability Follow-On Technical Support (FOTS), which provides extensive lifecycle support, system upgrades, systems integration, and other related work related to Navy transfer and acquisition, operations, and maintenance to eligible foreign navies of ships in inventory and system. The purpose of this interval contract is to provide ongoing mission-critical support prior to the award of subsequent FMS FOTS contracts. The contract involves foreign arms sales to various foreign navies. Naval Sea Systems Command is a contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman awarded a $97.3 million retrofit contract with an option to provide ongoing testing, maintenance, logistics and sustainment engineering for the MQ-4C Triton aircraft, mission control and operator training systems support. This modification also provides ongoing technical support to field service representatives to ensure the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) aircraft is mission-capable for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, supporting the aircraft’s early operational capability and initial operational capability. Additionally, this modification provides ongoing retrospective engineering support for the Navy and Marine Corps. Australian Government MQ-4C Triton UAS asset. Naval Air Systems Command is a contracting activity.
March 7
American armies
Advanced Technology Leaders was awarded a $65 million contract to procure impersonal services to provide network experimentation support. The U.S. Army Field Service Office is a contracting activity.
event confirmation
DIMDEX
21-23 March, Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), Doha, Qatar.
Asian Defense Services
28-31 March 2022, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
QUAD-A (Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit)
April 3-5, Nashville, TN, USA
thanks for reading,
Andrew DeVega
chief editor
International Armada/Asian Military Review
