3
janes.com/idex
Contract awards
Saudi tie-up for the B-250 BY DAVID DONALD One of the more eye-catching exhibits on display in the IDEX exhibition halls is the Calidus B-250, the innovative light attack aircraft that is to be built at a factory in Al Ain. Yesterday, Calidus (Stand 04-C15) announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with GDC Middle East from Riyadh to jointly explore market opportunities in the Middle East/North Africa region, and to develop in-house capabilities. For GDC Middle East, the agreement represents an opportunity for Saudi industry to “jointly develop the platform’s mission system and weapon integration”, according to CEO Fawaz Alsharabi, who added: “The
programme will bring high-end technology capability and highly skilled jobs into the Kingdom.” Such initiatives are in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to significantly diversify the Kingdom’s economy, with the accent on technology. Calidus was founded in 2015 as a defence technology development and manufacturing company. The B-250 aircraft was unveiled at the Dubai Air Show in November 2017, when one aircraft participated in the flying display and another was exhibited in the static display. The B-250 was created in collaboration with Novaer of Brazil, and the programme went from start to a flying prototype in just 25 months. Intended primarily for light attack and armed ISR
duties, the B-250 is also capable of conducting training missions. A key feature is its carbon-fibre construction, which results in a lightweight airframe. Power is provided by a 1,600shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 turboprop. Maximum speed is 301kt and service ceiling is 38,000ft. The B-250 has an endurance of 12 hours and a range of 2,400nm. Calidus claims an operating cost of less than US$1,200 per flying hour. Weapons can be carried on six underwing and a centreline pylon, with a maximum payload capacity of 1,800kg. The full-scale mock-up at IDEX is displayed with Desert Sting-16/35 glide weapons and Thunder-P32 laser-guided bombs from Halcon Systems, and a pod for ESSS/LIG Nex 1 LOGIR imaging infrared-guided rockets. n
On the fourth day of IDEX 2019, the UAE Armed Forces announced a total of 29 contracts, of which 22 were for Emirati companies. These contracts totalled AED787.7 million ($214.5 million). Additionally, seven contracts worth nearly AED2 billion ($540 million) were announced for international suppliers. The daily total of AED2.78 billion ($757.4 million) brought the cumulative total across the first four days of the exhibition to AED19.66 billion ($5.35 billion). The largest contract announced on Day 4 was to US company Kaman Fuzing and Precision, which received an AED1.19 billion ($320 million) contract to supply FMU-152 fuzes (pictured). The FMU-152 is a multifunction fuze employed in the Mk 80 series of general-purpose bombs, together with the many precision-guided derivatives that employ IMU/ GPS guidance (JDAM) and laser guidance (Paveway). n
HIGH PROTECTION STEEL
ADVANCED RESISTANCE TO BALLISTIC IMPACTS AND EXPLOSIONS
Belgian P av Stand 08 ilion /A27
HIGH PROTECTION TION STEEL
www.quardian.me
