Panama tenders the supply, installation, testing and certification of a primary and secondary monopulse Mode-S radar surveillance system for the radar station at Isla Perico.
Panama Government Purchase 2021-1-38-0-08-LV-011382:
"The Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) to be supplied will consist of:
(a) The Primary Surveillance Radar antenna with design that supports secondary antenna.
The Ministry of National Defense in Guatemala has awarded the Spanish company Indra Sistemas a contract for the supply and installation of three radars.
The Spanish company was the only bidder in the tender called by the government of Guatemala, which eventually won the contract worth $33 million, on January 6 this year.
A resolution has been found to the dispute with the subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, which will withdraw from the country the radar and coastal surveillance equipment which was the object of the contract, and the Panamanian State will receive a credit for $32 million.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Panama:
The Government of the Republic of Panama and Finmeccanica S.p.A., (with its subsidiaries Selex ES S.p.A, Agusta Westland S.p.A. and Telespazio, S.p.A.), announced that they have reached an agreement to overcome the conflicts arising from contracts signed in 2010.
The Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the contract between the government and the Italian company Finmeccanica for the purchase of 19 radars.
The contract was suspended by the Third Division of Administrative Litigation of the Supreme Court (CSJ) after the Varela administration filed a lawsuit days ago and one year after stopping the execution of the project, being carried out by the company Selex, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica.
Due to failures in the operation of the 7 radars already installed, the government has decided to suspend implementation of the $120 million project with the Italian company Selex, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica.
From a statement issued by the Presidency of Panama:
The Government of the Republic of Panama, in its goal of protecting the interests of the Panamanian government, has decided to suspend development of the radar project being carried out by the company Selex of the Finmeccanica conglomerate due to "serious deficiencies in the performance of the installed equipment."
The Army is evaluating the acquisition of helicopters for strengthening surveillance of aircraft entering the territory illegally.
At a public meeting, the chief of defense, Manuel Lopez, confirmed that the Army is looking at buying helicopters as part of an "aerial platform" that would improve its monitoring of illicit aircraft entering the country. It has also initiated the process in Congress of borrowing the money which will be used to purchase two vessels.
The government confirmed the $30 million purchase of a 360 degrees capacity radar and two additional small ones.
This was announced by Chief of the Armed Forces of Honduras, René Osorio, who added that the radars bought in Israel will arrive in the country in late January.
"The purchase was made via financing with a maturity of 10 years and the equipment will be installed at strategic points in the Central American country," noted an article in Proceso.hn.
President Otto Perez has said that although they have ruled out the option of buying fighter jets from Brazil they will carry on with the process to acquire three radars and a control center.
The government has withdrawn from the purchase of 6 Super Tucano aircraft because of an overvaluation of $18 million, however, "we are looking at how we can save the purchase of radars and a control center," said Perez.
The National Council for Defence and Security plans to spend $30 million on three radars to detect aircraft entering the country illegally.
The equipment will be acquired through a loan with a ten year payment plan which is expected to arrive in the country later this year, and will be used to combat drug trafficking activities, said René Osorio, head of the Joint Chiefs of the Armed Forces.
The suspension has been ordered of a $133 million disbursement for the purchase of six Super Tucano airplanes which were to be used to control of the country's airspace.
From a press release published in Diario de Centro América:
"We have doubts about whether the six Super Tucanos are overvalued. There were negotiated by the last government," indicated President Otto Perez Molina, referring to the suspension of the disbursement for $133 million for the acquisition of these light attack aircraft, to be used for airspace control.
Embraer announced the sale to the Central American country of 6 Super Tucano fighter planes, plus 3 primary radars and a command control system, at an estimated cost of more than $170 million.
Although the Brazilian company did not disclose the amount paid by Guatemala, estimates made at the beginning of purchase negotiations last summer point to a minimum of $170 million as the amount of the contract, which includes logistical operational support and training for pilots and mechanics.