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At the end of January, France’s Dassault Aviation was selected as Preferred Bidder, with its Rafale, over the Eurofighter Typhoon offered by EADS-Cassidian, in the hard-fought contest to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with a MiG-21 replacement, in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition...
On February 7, General Claudio Debertolis, head of the Italian National Armaments Directorate, told the Defence Committee of the Lower House of Parliament that determining the number of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) Italy will buy is not, currently, on the agenda. This, he said, will depend on the outcome of the Defence Budget Review currently being conducted by the Government of Mario Monti.
Sweden’s Saab is to reduce the price it is asking for 22 Gripen NG fighters, to ensure that it wins a Swiss order after France’s Dassault Aviation on January 28 undercut the Swedish offer, with a revised bid worth CHF 2.7 billion for 18 Rafales, or CHF 150 million / €124 million each. It is reported that Saab will drop its price from the previous CHF 3.1 billion to CHF 2.5-2.8 billion.
Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has been awarded a multi-phase design study contract by Canada’s PWGSC procurement agency, for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future Joint Support Ship (JSS), two of which are to be built in Canada with a third on option. One possible design for the JSS is a version of the German Navy’s latest 20,240t Berlin class Task Group Support Vessel (EGV), specially modified to meet Canadian requirements.
Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation has now completed deliveries to the Syrian Air Force of 23 supersonic, air-launched Kh-31 Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs), including Kh-31As and Kh-31P (AS-17 Krypton) anti-radar variants, designed specifically to take out AN/TPY-1 Aegis phased array systems, as mounted on warships of the US and Israeli navies.