Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
The latest Case JA-P-NCO modification for Lockheed Martin brings the total value of the Japanese Aegis contract to $124.52 million. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems has obtained a $65.93 million sole-source FMS contract modification from the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for the Case JA-P-NCO contract connected with the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence system for Japan.
‘This modification extends performance and expands Aegis FMS in-scope work including Aegis Combat System computer program development and radar integration/test support services under new contract line item numbers,’ the DoD announced on 16 April.
Lockheed Martin will complete this work by 31 December 2022. The modification brings the cumulative value of the contract to $124.53 million.
Although the Japanese government announced in June 2020 that it planned to discontinue Aegis Ashore on technical and financial grounds, Lockheed Martin continues to perform engineering design support and analysis.
Shephard Defence Insight notes that all elements of Aegis Ashore, including the SPY-1 air search radar, the Aegis Weapons Control System and the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System, are already in use in land-based applications in the US that range from development and integration test facilities to launch and production test facilities.
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