“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
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.
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