Hell Fire & Brimstone > A Defense World Worth Million$ + Billion$

All kinds of news out there, from Nintendo shares value rocketing sky-high for Pokémon Go app, more mass shootings here in America, another Serial Shooter in Phoenix,  the long contest for President of the United States, the fast turn-around for the office of Prime Minister in not-so Great Britain, the world's, first solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse completing a round-the world flight in Cairo, Egypt and way under the radar screen it's follow-the-money at The Farnborough Air Show where Mesa-based Boeing hits the contract jackpot with little noticed headlines like these.

UK Buys 50 Boeing Apache Helicopters, 9 P-8A Aircraft For $6 Billion At Farnborough
01:39 PM, July 11, 2016
Boeing has won contracts worth $6 billion from the UK Minister of Defense in a government to government deal with the US for the purchase of 50 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and nine P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft during the ongoing Farnborough air show.
The 50 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters would cost $2.3 billion for the British Army and $3.8 billion for nine P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft.
Boeing will support UK prosperity through increasing spend with UK suppliers and is in advanced discussions with Leonardo on the AH-64E contract and other opportunities.
To date, Boeing has delivered 149 AH-64Es to the U.S Army, logging more than 60,000 flight hours and 17,000 combat flying hours.
Source: Defense World

LONGBOW Wins $90 Million Contract
For Apache Helicopter Radar Upgrades
09:37 AM, July 14, 2016
The US Army awarded the LONGBOW Limited Liability Company (LLC) an $89.8 million contract to upgrade the Apache attack helicopter's LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR).
The contract includes the production of 84 Radar Electronics Units (REUs) as well as software upgrades.
"We are pleased to continue to deliver LONGBOW FCR REUs to the U.S. Army," said Anthony Joseph, LONGBOW LLC vice president and director of aviation systems at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. "LONGBOW FCR is a highly versatile system that provides an unmatched advantage to the warfighter."
The FCR provides Apache aircrews with automatic target detection, location, classification and prioritization, and enables rapid, multi-target engagement in all weather, over multiple terrains and through battlefield obscurants. The REU replaces two FCR electronics boxes to reduce overall system size, weight, maintenance and power requirements. The REU also provides the FCR with increased processing capability to support new software features in development.
Source: Defense World News

MBDA's Future Attack Helicopter Weapon builds on the combat proven Brimstone missile
01:25 PM, July 14, 2016
Readers of this post can watch a video of the Boeing Apache AH-64/Brimstone trials and firings with link below.  
MBDA and Boeing have successfully completed a series of physical trials and firings of Brimstone missile from the AH-64E attack helicopter.
These trials were conducted to validate the feasibility of integrating the missile with the United Kingdom’s future Apache AH-64E fleet and hence it confirmed that integration was expected to be low risk.
The programme was funded by a UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) contract, awarded to MBDA in September 2015. It included a range of environmental and sensor compatibility trials, as well as functional and avionic trials to demonstrate new platform software and functionality implemented into the platform and cockpit by Boeing. Boeing performed the platform and cockpit software modifications and managed the trials programme at Mesa and Yuma, Arizona, using a leased United States Government AH-64E in just nine months. All this activity culminated in a number of successful guided firings.
. . . The data collected from these missile firings will be used to enable future optimisation of Brimstone for the AH-64E capability. . . an impressive range of unique capabilities have already been demonstrated. Dan Girardin, Boeing Flight Test Engineer, Mesa AZ: said “The mmW autonomous shot from a moving and banking platform against an off-axis target with the missile hitting the MBT turret ring was the most aggressive shot I have seen in my 30 years of the Apache programme”
Read entire report here

Published on Jul 13, 2016

Views: 624

MBDA’s proposed FAHW solution builds on the highly acclaimed Brimstone missile (98.7% effectiveness achieved during in-theatre operations) to specifically meet Attack Helicopter requirements by providing the operator with the ability to reliably and simply engage, in both direct and indirect fire modes, a wide range of target types with its multi-effect warhead.