Lockheed Martin [LMT] signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Polish state-owned defense company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) covering several defense issues that could increase Poland’s involvement in defense programs, the companies said Sept. 7.

The LoI was signed at the International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland by Jonathan Hoyle, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Europe and Latin America division and President of PGZ Arkadiusz Siwko.

This agreement “paves the way” for PGZ member companies to be directly involved in the manufacture of products including satellite systems, aircraft, helicopters, weapons and combat systems, and training devices and simulators, the companies said.

This LoI is building on a previous agreement by PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, and PGZ at the Farnborough International Air Show signed in late July. That agreement said PGZ companies would have significant involvement in the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter program if Poland selected LMT’s subsidiary Sikorsky and PZL Mielec to provide a fleet of multirole helicopters.

This new agreement also includes involvement in the Medium Extended Air Defense Systems (MEADS), the NATO air and missile defense system; as well as a commitment to evaluating the possibility of placing a regional Black Hawk helicopter upgrade, maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Poland.

The companies also committed to greater involvement of PGZ member companies in the supply of weapons, components, and assemblies for products manufactured in Mielec

“This is a very significant step towards tightening the cooperation between Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Lockheed Martin, which is a very important partner for us. We hope this cooperation will result in strengthening our long-term partnership and our involvement in many successful projects, to the benefit of both American and Polish industry,” Siwko said in a statement.

“We believe this agreement will lead to an even deeper partnership with Poland, supporting hundreds more jobs within PGZ member companies and boosting the contribution the defense industry makes to the national economy,” Hoyle added.

Lockheed Martin currently employs over 1,500 persons in Poland following its acquisition of Sikorsky in December 2015.

TransDigm Group [TDG] on Sept. 6 said it has agreed to acquire Young & Franklin Inc., a manufacturer of fluid controls for the aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets.

The transaction is expected to close in September. TransDigm said Young & Franklin is expected to have $75 million in sales in 2016 with the aftermarket accounting for about 70 percent of the business.

New York-based Young & Franklin makes highly engineered valves and actuators with about 70 percent of its business in aerospace and the rest in the industrial gas turbine market. The company’s aerospace platform customers include Embraer’s E2, Phenom 3000 and Legacy 450/500 aircraft, Bombardier’s Challenger and Global aircraft programs, Mitsubishi’s MRJ aircraft, Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] C-130J transport, Textron’s [TXT] Bell UH-1 helicopter, and various General Electric [GE], Solar and other industrial turbine applications.

Nicholas Howley, chairman, president and CEO of TransDigm, said in a statement that Young & Franklin provides “proprietary products with established positions, strong aftermarket content and an outstanding reputation based on product excellence. The highly engineered products will allow us to expand our content on a number of substantial platforms.”

Young & Franklin’s financial adviser on the deal is Houlihan Lokey.

Airbus Helicopters was set to showcase the H225M Caracal helicopter at the MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland the week following it landed Sept. 1 following a ferry flight from France, the company said Sept. 2.

The H225M Caracal is able to perform a wide range of missions including special operations, combat search and rescue (CSR), tactical transport, medical evacuation, and a spectrum of maritime missions. It was pre-selected by Poland’s government in 2015 and is currently operated by forces of France, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, and Thailand. Most recently, Kuwait ordered 30 Caracal in August, Airbus said.

The Caracel was originally developed by Eurocopter, now Airbus Helicopters, and was originally designated the EC725. It is the latest member of the company’s Super Puma/Cougar family of helicopters.

The company highlighted its presence at the exhibition is in line with its “Make in Poland” ambition and that it will aim to emphasize its global commitment of long-term cooperation in the country.

In addition to the H225M, Airbus will also place a Tiger HAD helicopter in its upcoming Kruk acquisition project frame, and a real H145M Helicopter from the German armed forces on the company static display.

The Tiger is designed for armed reconnaissance, air or ground escort, air-to-air combat, ground firing support, destruction, and anti-tank warfare in various conditions. It has been used in deployments to Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali. The K145M was certified in 2015 and is the latest member of Airbus’ 4-ton-class twin-engine rotorcraft product range.

The company also said other space and defense products would be displayed at its MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition stand. This includes the A330 MRTT tanker/transport aircraft, a model of the Europfighter Typhoon combat aircraft, the Orlik Multi-purpose Trainer (MPT) aircraft built and maintained in Poland, and the Astrobus S Earth observation satellite.

Airbus has over 900 direct jobs located in Poland and is aiming to create 6,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country over the new few years  as part of multiple cooperation projects, the company said.

Lockheed Martin [LMT] and the U.S. Navy has delivered the 24th and final MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to the U.S. Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the company said Sept. 12.

The delivery occurred at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company’s new logistics and maintenance facility in Nowra, in New South Wales, Australia which will also house and maintain the MH-60R fleet.

The Nowra facility includes two buildings: a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul base as well as a Logistic Center warehouse to provide Through Life Support logistics services for the Seahawks.

“We are delighted to be here today with our U.S. Navy partners to hand over the keys to the final MH-60R SEAHAWK helicopter to the Royal Australian Navy. Lockheed Martin is proud of the team who have accomplished such an outstanding achievement, delivering to Australia the full fleet of SEAHAWKS on time and on budget,” Raydon Gates, chief executive of Lockheed Martin’s Australia and New Zealand division, said at the ceremony.

“We at Lockheed Martin are committed to securing and investing in the future of Australia.  This facility in Nowra will house and maintain the new fleet, contributing to the local community and creating local job opportunities,” Gates added.

The MH-60R’s primary mission areas are anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. It can also conduct secondary missions oncluding search and rescue, vertical replenishment, naval surface fire support, logistics support, personnel transport, medical evacuation, and VHF/UHF/link communication relay. The new helicopters are replacing the RAN’s previous fleet of S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters.

The ceremony included representatives from Lockheed Martin, the Australian Chief of Navy Vice Adm. Tim Barrett as well as officials from the New South Wales State Government, the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy.

Australia chose the MH-60R in June 2011 to fulfill the Australian Defense Force’s requirement for a fleet of 24 new-generation multi-role naval combat aircraft.

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.