NATO and Boeing will formally announce details of a $1 billion contract Wednesday for upgrades to Airborne Warning and Control System planes, the alliance said Tuesday.

The Wednesday contract will be signed in a formal ceremony at Melsbroek Airport in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Sir Michael Arthur, President of Boeing International in attendance.

Stoltenberg confirmed to reporters last week that NATO was on the verge of inking a deal to modernize the AWACS fleet. He did not say what upgrades were needed.

"I can confirm that we will sign a contract upgrading, modernizing the AWACS fleet," Stoltenberg said last week ahead of a meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs. "This reflects the importance of modernizing our capabilities, including our common capabilities, as the AWACS fleet is."

NATO operates 14 AWACS planes, which detect enemy missiles and aircraft in NATO airspace, were introduced in 1982. The alliance intends to keep them in service until 2035. The alliance has used them to patrol the Mediterranean Sea and in missions against the Islamic State.

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu also tweeted last week that the upgrades, in addition to receipt of the first of five Global Hawk surveillance drones in Sicily, "reflects how NATO is investing in high-tech capabilities."

While NATO is expected to replace the E-3 fleet after 2035, Stoltenberg did not indicate how that could happen aside from referencing the incoming Global Hawks as part of a modernization.

GE awarded $1.3M for T700 helicopter engines to Army, Navy, Air Force
(UPI) Nov 26, 2019 - General Electric was awarded a $1.3 million contract modification to deliver T700 helicopter engines for the Army, Navy, Air Force and other agencies.

The contract, announced by the Department of Defense on Tuesday, funds delivery of engines for the Army's H-60 utility helicopter, used for air assault, aeromedical evacuation and special operations support, as well as the AH-64 attack helicopter used by the Army for destroying armor, personnel and materiel targets in obscured battlefield conditions.

The GE T700 is a turboshaft engine that powers several families of aircraft, including the Blackhawk and Seahawk helicopters.

Under the contract, GE will also deliver engines for the H-60 helicopter used by the Navy for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue and drug shipment interception.

The Department of Defense also said in the announcement that the contract will funds delivery of engines for additional unspecified programs of the Air Force, Foreign Military Sales and other government agencies.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order and work is expected to be finished in December 2024.

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Bone breakthrough may lead to more durable airplane wings
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