The ACES system is Raytheon’s latest offering for the F-16, and consists of a radar warning receiver, digital jammer and chaff-flare dispensers. The system features a new, all-digital, low cost, high performance radar warning receiver for dense signal environments, and a new digital RF memory-based (DRFM) jammer with enhanced resource management and an upgraded bag of tricks. Raytheon’s contract calls for deliveries to begin in December 2009.
Note that the original DSCA announcement involved 28 of ITT’s AN/ALQ-211 AIDEWS; or BAE Systems’ AN/ALQ-178 SPEWS suites, or or Raytheon’s AN/ALQ-187 ASPIS II suites. ACES would represent an upgrade from ASPIS II.
Oct 23/08: Finmeccanica subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica announces [PDF] that the Moroccan Defence Ministry has placed a EUR 130 million order for 4 C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft.
This brings the total number of firm C-27J orders received to 121 (US Army 78, Italy 12, Greece 12 + 3 option, Romania 7, Bulgaria 5 + 3 option, Morocco 4, Lithuania 3), and is the first order from a non-NATO country.
The Alkowat al malakiya al jawiya (RMAF) currently operates a fleet of about 19 C-130H/KC-130H Hercules aircraft as its mainstay transports; this order appears designed to supplement that C-130 feet with smaller short-field cargo aircraft that don’t have the same number of flight-hours on their airframes, rather than serving as any kind of replacement.
Aug 28/08: The DB-110 pod contract is announced on the Pentagon’s DefenseLink. Goodrich Corp. Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems of Chelmsford, MA won an $87.9 million contract for 4 reconnaissance pods, 1 mobile ground station, 1 fixed ground station, 2 mission planners, in-country technical representatives, technical manuals, and test and integration support. At this time $37.8 million has been committed. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH is managing the contract (FA8620-08-C-3013).
July 14/08: Goodrich Corporation announces a contract to provide its DB-110 airborne reconnaissance pods for the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s new Block 52+ F-16 fighters. The Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract calls for Goodrich to provide 4 of its reconnaissance pods, plus data links, multiple ground exploitation systems and related support services. Work will be performed by the company’s ISR Systems teams in Chelmsford, MA and Malvern, UK.
See the DSCA listing in the Dec 19/07 entry; the DB-110 beat BAE’s TARS alternative.
July 9/08: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] Morocco’s formal request for weapons to equip its new F-16s. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $155 million.
The request includes a number of different weapons, along with containers, bomb components, spare/repair parts, publications, documentation, personnel and training, contractor technical and logistics personnel services, and other related support elements.