Thales Australia has strengthened its relationship with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, having been named the US based company's representative for ammunition products in Australia and New Zealand.

The Royal Australian Navy's recently acquired Bay-class amphibious ship HMAS Choules will be out of action until at least the end of 2012 because of the transformer defect, a Defence spokesperson confirmed to IHS Jane's this month.

Raytheon has been awarded a US$23.9 million contract to provide 24 AAS-44C Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems for the Royal Australian Navy's fleet of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multirole maritime helicopters.

Australia's involvement in Pacific Partnership 2012 has drawn to a successful conclusion following the return of Australia's contingent.

The Department of Defence is seeking tenders for the conservation of a field gun and two cannons which are located at DSTO's Scottsdale facility in north-east Tasmania.

The RAAF Super Hornets of No. 1 Squadron have made their Exercise Pitch Black debut appearance.

Many commentators have expressed dismay at the recent cuts to defence spending. The fear is that the government's long-term commitment to strengthen Australia's defence has evaporated. Find the link to an ASPI Policy Analysis written by Mark Thomson here.

Lieutenant General (retired) Ken Gillespie, AC, DSC, CSM, has joined the Board of Directors of Australian Aerospace Limited.

Naval Air Systems Command last week completed its first test flight with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter dropping a bomb over water in an Atlantic test range while travelling at 400 knots at an altitude of 4,200 feet.

The US Army is considered to be falling behind the other services in science and technology even as leadership in these areas is crucial to equipping the ground service for future threats, according to a yet-unreleased Army Science Board study.

Elbit Systems Ltd. has announced that the Company's President and CEO, Joseph Ackerman, will retire from his position in the coming months.

General Dynamics C4 Systems has received a new order from the US Army for an additional 13,000 Joint Tactical Radio System Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radios and accessory kits.

Cobham has been awarded a contract by Embraer Defense and Security worth some US$30 million, to develop and supply the Auxiliary Fuselage Fuel Tank for the KC-390 tanker aircraft.

A summary of the latest news and views in the defence industry, locally and overseas. Check out our webpage for daily news updates on the ADM home page and make sure you bookmark/RSS this for a regular visit.

The full version of Defence Week Premium no.217 of 9 August 2012 can be downloaded here as a PDF. A separate PDF of the latest Defence tenders can also be downloaded here.

Codan Limited has announced the acquisition of Daniels Electronics, a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of land mobile radio communications solutions in North America.