Americas

Pratt & Whitney won a $9 million delivery order against a five-year basic ordering agreement for F100 engine case diffusers. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The delivery order end date is December 31, 2027. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Lockheed Martin is running out of space to store undelivered F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as the jets’ upgrade effort remains behind schedule, the US Government Accountability Office said in a report released. Furthermore, the F-35 program’s testing capacity is stretched thin and will worsen once the Technology Refresh 3 software upgrade and the Block 4 update are ready, GAO found.

Middle East & Africa

Senior American and Arab officials are meeting this week in Riyadh to discuss security issues — the first such gathering since the war in Gaza began last year. The Gulf Cooperation Council — whose members include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait — hosts a yearly set of defense working groups with the US. They met last year in February and promised to share more intelligence and better sync their air and missile defense networks.

Europe

Leonardo has inked contracts with Italy and the UK to supply their forces with its Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing System (LINAPS). The company will deliver a total of 39 LINAPS systems for Italy’s FH70 towed howitzers, boosting its precision fire capabilities. Meanwhile, the support contract for the UK Ministry of Defence will ensure the readiness of the artillery pointing system for the army’s L118 light guns. The deal will run through 2030, when the light guns are expected to be taken out of service. Leonardo lists the system’s ability to ensure pinpoint firing accuracy as a prime reason for the contracts.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea has agreed to export military vehicles to Peru for the first time as part of a deal worth $60 million. Under the agreement, Seoul-based STX Corporation will transfer 30 K808 wheeled armored vehicles to the Peruvian Army by 2025 to support transport and reconnaissance missions. The deal could be expanded to cover an additional 90 armored vehicles, according to the company. “This strategic partnership agreement is significant as it expands our presence in the land defense market, following our expansion in the naval defense market,” STX chief executive Park Sang-jun said.

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