Content area
Full Text
Lockheed Martin, teaming with Australia's biggest privately owned defence contractor Transfield Defence Systems, has stepped up its tempo to bid for Project Wedgetail, the airborne early warning and command system (AEW&CS) for the Royal Australian Air force. At stake, according to Al Hansen, Lockheed's executive vice-president for aeronautical systems, is a 10-year market for about 30 units. Apart from Australia's Wedgetail, other prospects are Italy, Greece, Turkey and Spain, with interest also from Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Israel.
Hansen says the Raven AEW&C aircraft, is considerably cheaper than the NATO and US Boeing Sentry E-3. Raven is based on a C-130J airframe with modular installations and a mechanically rotating dome antenna. It is claimed to be...