US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
Belgian Air Component F-16As. (Photo: NATO)
Lockheed Martin is set to benefit from a potential $127 million FMS contract to help sustain the Belgian Air Component’s fleet of F-16A Fighting Falcons, after the US State Department announced its approval of the deal on 19 July.
The Belgian government is requesting additional F-16 sustainment support that will be added to a previously implemented FMS case worth $98.4 million.
As with the earlier case, the new potential FMS contract would include the sustainment of AN/ARC-210 radios, classified software, EW databases, munitions and aircraft support equipment, and other features such as IT support.
‘The proposed sale will improve Belgium’s capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet in combat-ready status and providing rotational forces to NATO’s Eastern flank,’ the State Department noted.
A detachment of Belgian F-16s happened to be in Estonia conducting enhanced air policing in the Baltics when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. The F-16s were later employed for enhanced Air Vigilance policing (also from a base in Estonia) that ended on 20 July.
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
Future operational superiority will be defined by the ability to connect systems, data and personnel into a wider network. For armed forces, this creates the need for a digital backbone that integrates and enhances sensors and effectors of all kinds.
Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.
Estonia is looking to boost its local defence industry with directed funding, industry parks, support through international orders for equipment and rapid prototyping.
The UK has recently deployed a Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus and has bolstered its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks with supporting air power to protect neighbouring countries’ air defences.
Intended to sustain Operation Epic Fury against Iran, efforts to increase the production of weapons and ammunition could expose long-standing weaknesses in the US defence industrial base.