Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
USAF raises contract ceiling for DB-110 reconnaissance pod
An example of the DB-110 pod. (Photo: Collins Aerospace)
Major modification raises ceiling of DB-110 airborne ISR pod contract to beyond $1 billion.
Collins Aerospace has obtained a $805.74 million contract modification from the USAF to continue work on the DB-110 Tactical Reconnaissance Pod programme.
Work is expected to be completed by 17 February 2027, the DoD announced on 6 May.
The original deal was awarded in December 2017. The modification raises the total cumulative face value of the contract from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to $1.02 billion.
Shephard Defence Insight describes the DB-110 as a dual-band 110-inch focal length reconnaissance system that is capable of producing high-resolution imagery from nadir to a stand-off range of 80nmi or beyond, by day or night.
Derived from the strategic Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System sensor on the U-2, the DB-110 can collect more than 10,000 square miles of high-resolution imagery per hour.
The Tactical Reconnaissance Pod programme sees FMS customers and other US allies receive dual-band DB-110 EO pods and airborne data link terminals for installation on fighter aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16, as well as the P-3 maritime surveillance platform. It has also been demonstrated on the MQ-9 Reaper.
FMS operators of the DB-110 include Egypt, Greece, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Turkey and the UK. It was also approved for sale to Taiwan in October 2020.
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