Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel
Both the US and Canada operate Cold War-era capabilities which cannot defeat today’s and tomorrow’s threats.
Kaman to continue JPF contract with USAF
Kaman's Aerospace segment has been awarded a contract modification for the continued procurement of Joint Programmable Fuzes (JPF) for the US Air Force (USAF).
Announced on 27 March, this $58 million contract modification is the first order under Option 12 of Kaman's JPF contract with the USAF. Deliveries are expected to continue in 2016 and 2017. Kaman has been the sole JPF provider for the USAF since 2002.
Greg Steiner, president, Kaman Aerospace Group, said: 'We believe the JPF is the most reliable bomb fuze in the US military's arsenal. No other bomb fuze has the functionality or provides the operational flexibility of the JPF and Kaman is the only source of the product. The award increases our backlog to in excess of $150 million and extends visibility on this programme into 2017.'
The JPF allows weapon settings to be programmed on wing in flight and is used in several weapons, including general purpose bombs and guided bombs that use JDAM or Paveway kits. These bombs are used on US aircraft such as the MQ-9 UAV, B-52, B-1, B-2, A-10, F-22 and more.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel]()
-
![Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems]()
Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems
Air defence systems are continuing to appear top of countries’ shopping lists but broadly across different capabilities it is a sellers’ market, as demonstrated by backlogs and double-digit percentage point growth.
-
![Forging strong partnerships for warfighting communications in space (Studio)]()
Forging strong partnerships for warfighting communications in space (Studio)
Mike Moran, Director of US Government Business at Amazon Project Kuiper Government Solutions, highlighted the evolution of space as a critical warfighting domain at the Defence in Space Conference (DISC) 2025, held this week in London.
-
![Details revealed on Germany’s big spending plans]()
Details revealed on Germany’s big spending plans
In May this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the government plans to position Germany as “Europe's strongest conventional army”. A new blueprint outlines how this is going to occur through massive investment.
-
![European Council to deliver at “pace and scale” on European defence readiness 2030 roadmap]()
European Council to deliver at “pace and scale” on European defence readiness 2030 roadmap
Two of the concrete projects outlined in the readiness report, the European Air Shield and Space Shield, will aim to be launched by Q2 2026.
-
![Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026]()
Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026
The country has allocated RM21.70 billion for defence spending next year, with some major procurements set to be initiated across the country’s army, navy and air force.
