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James Fisher and Sons plc has purchased Divex Limited for an initial consideration of 20 million pounds in cash plus a further maximum additional consideration of 13 million pounds linked to future profitability targets.

Rheinmetall has formally transferred its new IdZ-ES future soldier system to the German Bundeswehr.

The MDA is involved with US Navy development of high-powered lasers and may become more involved in the electromagnetic railgun project as it tries to add more sophisticated ballistic missile defence capabilities to ships with a finite amount of space on board.

The US Navy's plan to issue its largest-ever shipbuilding contract, a US$27 billion, five-year deal to buy nine Virginia-class submarines, now has a viable way forward via legislation the House adopted this week approving a new multiyear deal - and a down payment on a 10th boat.

The US Army predicts that the automatic cuts imposed by sequestration and the possibility of a yearlong continuing resolution will ultimately delay its GCV development time line, but remains confident it can deliver an affordable GCV because it can still trade away existing requirements.

Defence leaders should assign US Strategic Command the vital task of ensuring nuclear weapons are ready for use in the face of cyber-attacks, which continue to outpace the Defense Department's countermeasures, according to a new Defense Science Board report.

DCNS has recently established a partnership with Colombia, the Group contributed to carry out the refit of the four Almirante Padilla frigates for the Colombian Navy.

The EADS Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of Lutz Bertling as Chief Executive Officer of Eurocopter and Member of the EADS Group Executive Committee, effective April 30, 2013.

The full version of Defence Week Premium no.244 of 14 March 2013 can be downloaded here as a PDF. A separate PDF of the latest Defence tenders can also be downloaded here.

Sydney-based defence equipment design specialist Tricon Defence Pty Ltd has won the inaugural Aerospace Australia Limited Defence Industry SME Innovation Grant for 2013.

Back in July last year ADM pondered why the RFT for JP2008 phase 5B was released so far ahead of the requirement and whether this seemingly deferred acquisition had been caught up by the government's push for a budget surplus in 2013.

The US Defense Department has put a down payment on six Joint Strike Fighters for foreign partners that have contributed to the jet's development, fewer than expected for the eighth early production run.

Pratt & Whitney has announced that Levett Engineering has delivered their first engine components that will be installed into F135 engines for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

CAE has announced it has recently been awarded a contract from Australia to provide maintenance and engineering support services for the Royal Australian Air Force's AP-3C Advanced Flight Simulator.

Australian systems integrator SYPAQ Systems Pty Ltd has signed an agreement with UTC Aerospace Systems to act as the Australia and NZ representative for its family of advanced unmanned aerial systems.