The United States and India have signed an agreement to expand cooperation on military logistics, the two countries said Aug. 29.

The bilateral logistics exchange memorandum of agreement (LEMOA) will cut red tape so that American and Indian forces can work together in such ways as sharing fuel and other supplies, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said at a Pentagon press briefing.India

LEMOA “will help facilitate deeper engagement between our two militaries,” Carter said. “It’s not a basing agreement of any kind, but it does make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient.”

Carter also said the two countries agreed to advance collaborative projects on jet and jet engine technology, aircraft carriers, and chemical and biological protection by year’s end. “That will surely bring further collaboration, co-development and co-production,” Carter told reporters.

The U.S.-India news is the latest in a years-long effort to increase defense ties between the two large, democratic countries. In June, the United States designated India as a “major defense partner,” which means “the United States has agreed to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners,” according to a U.S.-India joint statement. In addition, the two countries are participating together in several military exercises in 2016.

Besides meeting with Carter on the first day of his three-day trip to the United States, Parrikar met leaders of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and visited U.S. Cyber Command. He also will visit the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and meet representatives of the U.S. defense industry. At Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, he will tour Air Combat Command and the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing.

A bipartisan set of 64 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Obama on Aug. 29 calling on him to postpone the recently announced sale of $1.15 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia over concerns for the country’s conduct in hostilities in Yemen.

 The letter was spearheaded by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and aims to give Congress time to debate the merits of the deal considering reports on the Saudi-led coalition’s operational conduct in its war against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the State Department approved the foreign military sale (FMS) on Aug. 9, with General Dynamics [GD] as the primary contractor. The sale includes M1A2S Saudi Abrams main battle tanks, M88A1/A2 heavy equipment recover combat utility lift evacuation systems (HERCULES) armored recovery vehicles, various machine guns, and smoke grenade launchers.

 “Past congressional concerns about Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen have not been addressed,” the letter said. It highlights that in October 2015 a group of members of Congress wrote to Obama urging a greater effort be given to avoiding civilian casualties in Yemen and to work towards a diplomatic solution. In June 204, lawmakers voted to block the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia following reports of their use in civilian areas in Yemen. The earlier blocking included nearly all of the House Democrats and 40 Republicans.

The letter underscores despite these concerns and actions, a recent Saudi airstrike on a school killed 10 children and a strike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) hospital killed 11 people. It also noted documentation by Amnesty International that Saudi Arabia is apparently deliberately targeting civilians and civilian facilities that may amount to war crimes and also that the and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says thousands of civilians have been killed and millions are internally displaced and dependent on humanitarian assistance due to the fighting.

Given these issues, “any decision to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia should be given adequate time for full deliberation by Congress,” the letter said.

The letter writers are also concerned that the timing of the approval during the August recess may mean Congress will have little time to fully consider the arms deal when it returns from recess within the 30-day approval window.

“We are not aware of any compelling reason why congressional approve of the sale could not be postponed to allow for meaningful congressional debate on this issue that has major implications both civilians in Yemen as well as our national security.”

Lieu separately took a much stronger position in a statement that “The actions of the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen are as reprehensible as they are illegal. The multiple, repeated airstrikes on civilians look like war crimes. Hospitals, schools, and wedding parties are not legitimate military targets.”

 “Saudi Arabia is either intentionally targeting civilians or deliberately indifferent in executing its military operations – either case flies in the face of long-standing international standards of conduct. The United States of America should never support such atrocities in any way,” he added.

Yoho added that “I am concerned with the timing of this notification and believe the people’s representatives in Congress should be given adequate time to scrutinize and debate such sales.”

The letter was also endorsed by 15 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including Oxfam, Amnesty International USA, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, the Yemen Peace Project, and Human Rights Watch.

Vice President Joe Biden participated in a Baltic Summit in Riga, Latvia on Aug. 23, where the U.S., Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania reiterated a commitment to cooperating on various defense issues and said they plan to regularly meet to discuss key common security priorities including on cyber issues.

In a Joint Declaration, the four countries primarily reaffirmed their NATO alliance responsibilities to protect and defend the territories and populations of all their respective states and committed to deepening cooperation on a swath of security and defense issues tied to collective defense.

The countries highlighted national resilience is a key element of collective defense, which includes strengthening each nation’s ability to defend against hybrid and cyber threats, improving civil preparedness, and enhancing critical infrastructure protection.

“Therefore, we affirm that we must focus on aligning U.S. security assistance and deterrence measures, including the U.S. European Reassurance Initiative, and continued significant investments by the Baltic States in order to ensure that our mutual investments will effectively support NATO’s deterrence and collective defense, as well as promote national and regional security and resilience,” the four countries said in the Joint Statement.

Each of the Baltic ally states received over $30 million worth of equipment in 2015 through the European Reassurance Initiative funds. The U.S. recently also increased the amount of Foreign Military Financing it provides to the Baltic states to over $9 million each in 2016 and provides $1.2 million annually in International Military Education and Training assistance to the Baltic states, the White House said in a fact sheet.

This kind of assistance helps increase NATO interoperability and helps build resilience to traditional and nontraditional hybrid threats, the administration said.

As part of the announcement the week of August 22, the Baltic countries reconfirmed a commitment to allocate the necessary budget amounts for defense spending.

The U.S., Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania also noted they plan to regularly meet to discuss a few key defense/security priorities including land, air, and maritime defense; border security; law enforcement; national resilience; and transnational threats. The goal of these discussions is to improve intra- and intergovernmental coordination to create regional-level efficiencies.

The U.S. and the Baltic states also underscored that they plan to continue to explore more regional and joint cooperation in various relevant security fields like cyber defense, energy security, and critical infrastructure protection.

“This cooperation is intended to strengthen NATO and promote regional cooperation, stability, and security.  By improving our ability to address conventional and unconventional threats, including hybrid threats, our cooperation will enhance individual and collective defense and national resilience, as well as uphold our collective efforts towards a Europe whole, free, prosperous, and at peace,” the statement said.

Canada has signed an agreement making it the first foreign buyer of the Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned air system (UAS).

One Blackjack system, which consists of five air vehicles, two ground control stations, and launch and recovery equipment, will be delivered to the Canadian Army in 2017, U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said Aug. 29.

The air vehicle, which is a larger, twin-tailed successor to Insitu’s ScanEagle, is eight feet long, has a 16-foot wingspan and has an endurance of up to 12 hours. It is used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are acquiring their own Blackjacks through their Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (STUAS) program office. Insitu, a Boeing [BA] subsidiary, has delivered seven systems to the Navy and Marines so far. Blackjack completed its first operational flight in early July and is on the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD-17) for its first shipboard deployment.

More foreign sales of Blackjack are possible. “Multiple countries have expressed interested in procuring Blackjack, and the program office continues to work with potential partners by responding to technical queries and responding to letters of request,” NAVAIR spokeswoman Jamie Cosgrove said.

General Atomics is seeking an Air Force airworthiness assessment for its Certifiable Predator B unmanned aerial system (UAS) similar to the one being provided for Textron’s [TXT] Scorpion.

General Atomics spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz said Aug. 31 the company is currently filling out a questionnaire for the potential agreement, which is formally known as a non-Defense Department Military Aircraft (NDMA) Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Air Force Technical Airworthiness Authority (TAA) Jorge Gonzalez told reporters Aug. 30 General Atomics returning the questionnaire will formally start the CRADA NDMA process.

Kasitz said if the company were to return the questionnaire, the Air Force would still have to approve the application. General Atomics, she said, would also have to decide whether to move forward as companies pay for these airworthiness assessments.

General Atomic’s Certifiable Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle. Photo: General Atomics.General Atomic’s Certifiable Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle. Photo: General Atomics.

General Atomics developed Certifiable Predator B to be capable of operations in non-segregated airspace, meet similar design and build safety standards as manned aircraft and have systems that are equal to the “see and avoid” capability of an on-board pilot, such as a detect and avoid system. Certifiable Predator B will meet the requirements of European customers and, in cooperation with the FAA, will subsequently meet United States domestic airworthiness certification standards, according to General Atomics.

Certifiable Predator B’s 79 foot wingspan accommodates an increase in endurance from 27 to over 40 hours. The wings integrate two additional hard points, increasing the number of external stores/payload-carrying stations to nine with four under each wing and one under the centerline.

Since the NDMA office opened in June at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, these NDMA CRADAs have become a popular potential endorsement for companies seeking a way to spur international sales of non-military aircraft. The Air Force also believes it can use them to discover cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing techniques that companies are putting into modern aircraft.

Air Force NDMA Team Lead Robert FitzHarris said Aug. 30 the service is also setting up a potential CRADA for the T-50A that Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Korea Aerospace are teaming to offer for the Air Force’s T-X trainer program. FitzHarris said the CRADA for Lockheed Martin is currently under review by the company’s lawyers and that he was unsure when the deal would be finalized.

Gonzalez said a fourth company has expressed interest in a potential CRADA, but he was unwilling to say which company. FitzHarris said 10 companies expressed interest in “specifically moving forward” with a CRADA at a recent industry day. FitzHarris said Raytheon [RTN] has not approached the Air Force about a potential CRADA for its T-100 that it is offering for T-X. Raytheon is partnering with Lenoardo, Honeywell [HON] and CAE USA for the T-100 T-X offering.

Gonzalez said the NDMA office is capable of doing airworthiness assessments for helicopters and larger unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in addition to traditional manned aircraft. He said the Air Force would probably not do assessments for “micro UAVs.” General Atomics developed the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs for the Air Force. FitzHarris said the NDMA office is capable of “perhaps” performing up to three airworthiness assessments at once and could possibly perform seven assessments in one year.

The Air Force inked its deal with Textron for a Scorpion airworthiness assessment in July. Textron is still searching for its first Scorpion buyer.

Textron [TXT] on Aug. 30 said in a regulatory filing that it expects to take upward of $140 million in pre-tax restructuring charges in large part due to a decision to stop production of its Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) system.

The charges are expected to be in the range of $110 million to $140 million, mostly in the third quarter of 2016, Textron said in a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission after the stock markets closed. It expects the restructuring actions to be finished by March 2017.

The cash outlay that is expected from the restructurings is estimated at between $65 million and $85 million, mostly in 2016, Textron said.

The company said that the SFW program has relied on international sales but it has been “difficult” in the “current political environment” to get the necessary executive branch and congressional approvals.

Capital Alpha Partners defense analyst Byron Callan in a client note on Aug. 30 evening said that in May the Obama administration suspended sales of the weapon to Saudi Arabia. He also said that there have been reports that the Saudis have used the weapon in Yemen but that some of the submunitions didn’t detonate.

Concerns over unexploded ordnance dropped over a wide area get to the potential for unintended civilian casualties.

Callan said there will still be a need for the United States and allied forces to have a similar weapon to the SFW, adding that the preferred export option would be a single munition system.

“The Raytheon Small Diameter Bomb may be one option,” Callan said.

The air-launched SFW dispenses tactical submunitions designed to penetrate the tops of armored vehicles, where there armor is thinnest. 

As a result of lower SFW orders, Textron plans to reduce headcount, consolidate facilities, and take asset impairments within its Textron Systems segment.

In addition to the fallout from discontinuing SFW production, the charges also relate to a restructuring within Textron’s Industrial segment that will combine its Jacobsen and Specialize Vehicles businesses. This restructuring will result in consolidations of facilities and certain general and administrative functions, and headcount reductions.

Textron had $6.7 billion in sales in the first half of 2016, up 6 percent from a year ago. Net income in the first half was $327 million, up 11 percent from a year ago.

The Bell 429 helicopter fleet of the Turkish National Police and General Directorate of Forestry have reached a 95 percent operational Availability Rate, Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] said Aug. 29.

There are 26 Bell 429 rotorcraft currently in Turkey being used in parapublic, EMS, fore prevention, and corporate missions. The helicopter includes an integrated glass cockpit, an advanced drive system, best-in-class wide area augmentation system (WAAS) navigation and instrument flight rules (IFR) capability. It has the capacity to seat seven passengers and one flight crew.

Bell also highlighted it has gained over 50 percent of the helicopter market in Turkey for the previous five years.

“I am proud that the Turkish National Police have achieved such excellence. They are superior aviators, and the Bell 429 is a fantastic helicopter, “Clay Bridges, Bell Helicopter Regional Manager of Turkey, said in a statement.

Poland awarded Saab AB the first order in a two-year agreement to deliver a high fidelity Tactical Engagement Simulations System (TESS) for the General Tadeusz Kosciuszko Military Academy of Land Forces in Wroclaw (WSOWL), Poland, the company said Sept. 1.

This initial order aims to provide future officers with a proven, off-the-shelf, laser-based, and technically advanced training system that offers interoperabilitity options within NATO while also providing the capability for longer term system growth.

Saab highlighted the system is based on over 35 years of tactical engagement simulation design, delivery and support expertise, and a demonstrated track record of delivering on time and on budget to most countries within NATO.

The system will allow WSOWL to conduct realistic combat training using small arms and anti-tank weapons laser simulators and evaluate exercise results.

“We look forward to working closely with the Military Academy of Land Forces to enhance their training flexibility. With this agreement and order for training systems, the WSOWL will have a market-leading live training system that will improve their training capability greatly,” Åsa Thegström, head of Saab’s training and simulation business unit within the dynamics area, said in a statement.

Sweden’s Saab on Aug. 31 said it has acquired the Belgian company Phaeros Group, which provides software applications for port management and communications, in line with its strategy to grow its maritime traffic management business.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 “This is a strategically important, long-term deal for Saab,” Anders Carp, head of the company’s Traffic Management business unit, said in a statement. “It strengthens our product portfolio in the terminal operating system area and provides an excellent platform from which we can build on the combined installed base and enhance our capabilities to provide leading maritime traffic management products globally.”

Saab’s Maritime Traffic Management business unit provides solutions for port management, maritime pilot management, vessel traffic management, coastal surveillance, port security, marine geomatics and navigation.

Phaeros will be integrated into Saab’s Surveillance business area.

Phaeros has 27 employees in Belgium and India.