For a besieged soldier or a disaster victim, a plane dropping supplies is the most welcome sight in the world - unless the drop ends up drifting off out of reach.

The US Navy has identified nine defence companies whose performance qualifies them as "superior suppliers," which could put them in line for financial incentives.

The debate over the use of cost-plus contracts instead of fixed-price contracts to drive down costs is a "red herring," the US Defense Department has found during its second annual acquisition system performance review.

With the US Navy soon to deploy its first laser weapon on the USS Ponce, the technology's obvious potential for ground vehicles hasn't escaped the US Marine Corps.

The full version of Defence Week Premium no.304 of 12 June 2014 can be downloaded here as a PDF. A separate PDF of the latest Defence tenders can also be downloaded here.

Last week the Ministers for Finance and Defence announced the way forward for the AWD program, dealing with a range of unresolved structural and systemic issues that have remained unaddressed for too long.

Honeywell Aerospace has signed an agreement with TAE to provide total logistics support for the Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engines installed in the Australian Army's fleet of Abrams M1A1 tanks.

Thales Australia has pre-awarded a $5 million contract to RPC Technologies to manufacture dashboard assemblies for the company's new Hawkei vehicle.

Brisbane-based NIOA and ATK recently provided RAN operators with Maintainer Training for the M242 25mm Chain Gun that is used on the Armidale-class patrol boats and will be fitted to the future LHD and AWD ships.

Very recently, Finmeccanica - Selex ES inaugurated the company's new Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Chieti, Italy, in the presence of the Minister of the Interior Hon Angelino Alfano.

Developments in regional and international security and ways to deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation will be the focus of the fifth Australia-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial (2+2) Consultations this week.

The CADSI and the AIDN have made an agreement to promote cooperation between the two industry associations in support of mutual objectives.

A decade long project involving the Royal Australian Navy, CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology has delivered an Australian first and world class ocean forecasting system.

SoldierOn has recently launched its newest partnership, with Australian obstacle experts Tough Mudder.

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Only recently Sikorsky Aircraft Corp and the US Army used a one-of-a-kind autonomous Black Hawk helicopter to perform an unmanned cargo flight demonstration.