Defence`s Feeds

Key Points DARPA is seeking a small UAS capable of air launch and recovery from a C-130 The idea is to operate an SUAS in airspaces that current systems cannot penetrate General Atomics Aeronautical displayed its proposal for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Gremlin

Proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies could put US military bases and nuclear facilities at risk, commander of US Air Force (USAF) Global Strike Command said on 19 September. "There is a UAV-capable threat out there to our homeland," he said during a press briefing

Key Points Fifteen F-35As grounded by crumbling insulation on avionics cooling lines will likely be fixed and able to fly again by the end of the year Lockheed Martin plans to cover all the costs Fifteen Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft grounded by crumbling insulation on

Rockwell Collins has demonstrated a new wideband high frequency (HF) communications capability that can provide non-satellite beyond line of sight (BLOS) communications. Brad Haselhorst, vice president, strategy and business development government systems for Rockwell Collins, told IHS Jane's at

Key Points The head of USAF Air Mobility Command is advocating speeding up acquisition of a technologically advanced KC-Z The USAF will begin a KC-Z technology study this year The head of US Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command is advocating speeding up acquisition of a more technologically

The National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's primary intelligence agency, said in a statement on 19 September that its special operations forces raided an Al-Qaeda camp in the southeastern province of Zabul, killing at least five suspected militants. The units involved in the raid,

A group of civil servants working in the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has declared that they will not work on the department's naval acquisition programmes during the week starting 20 September, in a protest aimed at highlighting what it claims to be an ongoing loss of technical

Chile plans to withdraw its troops from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in 2017, Chilean minister of defence José Antonio Gómez announced on 17 September. The withdrawal will begin in April 2017 and will require three to six months. As of 31 August, Chile had 11 police

EVENT The French Ministry of the Interior has announced an ambitious plan to relocate 12,000 migrants to reception centres across the country by December 2016. This follows recent protests by truck drivers and locals over threatening and disruptive behaviour by migrants on the approaches to the

Key Points Indonesia is seeking financial support from Washington to upgrade its naval bases Upgrades will strengthen the Indonesian navy's presence in the South China Sea and Sunda Strait A delegation of five senior Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) officers

The Indonesian government has offered to sell a range of defence equipment to Pakistan, Indonesia's state-run news agency Antara reported on 21 September. The country's co-ordinating political, legal, and security affairs minister, Wiranto, who goes by one name, said that Indonesian defence

Iraqi leaders have identified the forces that are required for the operation to clear Islamic State fighters from the northern city of Mosul and these forces will be ready in October, General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on 20 September. He added that

Kazakhstan is expected to shortly sign an agreement with Israel's Elbit Systems to undertake assembly of Skylark and Hermes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Central Asian country. A representative of Kazakhstan's state-owned defence equipment manufacturer Kazakhstan Engineering, Zhanty

EVENT North Korea's KCNA news agency announced on 20 September that the government had conducted a ground test of a new rocket engine. It added that, based on this "successful test", scientists and engineers would launch a satellite "as soon as possible". The claim is credible

Rolls-Royce will supply a combined diesel electric and diesel (CODLAD) propulsion syste, and electrical systems for the Royal New Zealand Navy's (RNZN's) new fleet tanker, the company said on 20 September. The RNZN is currently anticipating the delivery of a new 166 m fleet tanker to replace the

French defence and electronics group Safran announced on 19 September that it had acquired a stake in Diota, a company specialising in the development of augmented reality (AR) software for industrial applications. Also based in France, Diota has since its founding in 2009 focused on implementing

In Suwaib neighbourhood, Baghdad, Iraqi Security Forces killed a suicide bomber who tried to target them. No other casualties were reported.

Americas

• The USAF’s new long-range strike bomber has officially been named the B-21 Raider. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James made the announcement on Monday in what is a tribute to the legacy of WW2’s Doolittle Raiders rather than a reference to the Indiana Jones movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The Doolittle Raiders are known for their surprise attack against Japan during on April 18, 1942, which forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense, and boosted morale among Americans and US allies abroad.

• Today, the US Senate will vote on a joint resolution seeking to block a $1.15 billion sale of military equipment to Saudi Arabia over concerns about the conflict in Yemen. Sponsors of the bipartisan bill, which includes Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Al Franken, believe that even if it does not pass, a positive vote or a strong vote would send a strong message about continued US support for Saudi Arabia. Both Congress and the White House have already approved the sale, which includes a number of Abrams tanks.

Middle East & North Africa

• Egypt is to receive eight Sentinel AN/MPQ-64F1 radars following the foreign military sale approval by the US State Department. The package, including training and other associative equipment, is estimated to cost $70 million. Once delivered, the Sentinels will work toward improving existing Egyptian air-defense capabilities following a series of aviation disasters over the last year.

• France has delivered its second Mistral class helicopter carrier to Egypt. The Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) vessel was handed over during a change of flag ceremony attended by the chiefs of staff of the Egyptian and French Navies on Friday in France. Dubbed the Anwar El Sadat, the ship, with its Egyptian crew, will now take part in an exercise with the French Navy before sailing to its homeport of Alexandria.

• Israeli defense firms look set to take a hit after the recently concluded US military aid package will see the gradual phasing out of an existing clause allowing Israel to spend 26.3 percent of the (awarded) funds on its own defense sector, which competes actively with US firms such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Raytheon. The 10-year, $38 billion agreement, will take effect in Fiscal Year 2019 and means Israeli defense companies will miss out on up to $10 billion that might otherwise have been spent on home-made drones, missiles, tanks, and other equipment in favor of US weaponry. A US-only weaponry clause such as this comes at a time when exporting nations have found themselves racing to offer the best offsets in order to secure foreign orders.

Africa

• Paramount Group has unveiled its latest fleet of infantry combat vehicles (ICV) in what they call their Mbombe line. The models on offer – the Mbombe 4, Mbombe 6, and Mbombe 8 share over 80 percent of common components which allows for the potential to be able to provide customers with a complete family of 4 x 4, 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 ICVs with reduced through-life costs, easier training and logistics. Key features of the Mbombe 8 include: a gross weight of 30 tons; a nine-ton payload, including its weapon systems; a six-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine; a six speed automatic transmission; a maximum speed of about 60 miles per hour, and a range of about 497 miles.

Europe

• MBDA UK has secured a $40 million deal to build a laser-directed energy weapon demonstrator for the UK MoD. The company had won a competition being run by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to build the demonstrator several months ago, but the announcement was held up after rival bidder Thales UK lodged a protest against the decision. MBDA will lead a consortium, known as DragonFire, along with Qinetiq, Leonardo, GKN, BAE Systems, Marshall Aerospace and Defence, and Arke, to deliver a prototype for trials by 2019.

Asia Pacific

• Tuesday saw North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un oversee a ground test of a new rocket engine to launch satellites. The test, as reported by North Korean state media, is the latest in what has been a growing number of missile-related tests over the last 12 months. Amid widespread international condemnations, the hermit kingdom has been testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate this year under Kim’s direction, including the launch of a satellite in February that was widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic missile technology.

Today’s Video

Launch party of Klimov’s new TV7-117ST turboprop engine that will be the power plant for the Il-112V light tactical transport aircraft:

B-52H, B-1B & B-2A
(click to view full)

The good news? 2006 saw a convergence of opinion within the USAF that a new long-range strike platform was needed. This is understandable given the B-52H Stratofortress fleet’s age (40-50 years), the B-1B Lancer’s internal power and electronics issues, both of these platforms’ low survivability against advanced air defense systems, and the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber’s very small numbers (21, of which 7-12 are generally operational). The unmanned J-UCAS program, meanwhile was seen as having inadequate range and payload (Boeing X-45C: 1,400 mile radius with 8 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs). The USAF decided that J-UCAS wasn’t a solution and pulled out, stalling American UCAV development until the Navy chose to go ahead with the carrier-based N-UCAS.

The bad news? They seemed to have little idea of exactly what they wanted in their bomber. The FY 2010 budget killed those plans anyway, but in September 2010, pressure to field a new bomber began to rise again. By the time fiscal year 2015 budget planning was in motion, both DoD and the Air Force seemed committed to making the program one of the service’s top 3 priorities.

Bad News, Good News FB-22: out
(click to view full)

BAD NEWS: Officials disagreed on what kind of aircraft or missile should be designed to meet the requirement. A single plane? A missile? A family of aircraft? Manned or unmanned? A fighter-bomber like the FB-22/FB-23 idea to fill the FB-111’s vacant shoes, or a full-reach heavy bomber? A traditional land-based platform, or should it be carrier capable? Something comparable to the $2 billion B-2s to take on the toughest strike missions – or more of a utility aircraft like some of the “arsenal aircraft” proposals, aimed at replacing the B-52s with a platform based on a passenger jet or C-17 that would be more economical to fly and maintain? And where do proposals to simply re-engine the B-52 fleet fit in?

Until (unless) this was sorted out, R&D efforts could not succeed – and issues of future force structure remained open questions. An official Analysis of Alternatives was scheduled for Spring 2007, and the articles below chronicle developments in that process as it works its way forward. At this point, it appears certain that the new bomber will fly at subsonic speeds, and incorporate modern advances in stealth technology. Other elements are less clear.

THE GOOD NEWS? Key technologies, from stealth to control of unmanned combat aircraft, have taken many steps forward since this discussion began.

In September 2006, Inside Defense reported that the US Air Force was responding to ongoing Congressional pressure with a proposed $5 billion initial investment over the next few years. Their goal was to develop a next-generation long-range strike platform by 2018, with a fly-off before final platform selection.

All of this work was effectively brought to a halt when US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced his FY 2010 budget recommendations, and effectively suspended the competition. Research may continue in some related technologies under ‘black’ (non-public) budgets, but Sec 124 of the Senate’s S.1390 FY 2010 defense budget was clear:

“On May 7, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the termination of the next generation bomber aircraft program in the document of the Office of Management and Budget entitled ‘Terminations, Reductions, and Savings,’ stating that ‘there is no urgent need to begin an expensive development program for a new bomber’ and that ‘the future bomber fleet may not be affordable over the next six years’.”

By 2010, however, pressure began to rise again to field a new bomber. The breakthrough came, ironically, during a January 2011 speech about $150 billion in spending and program reductions:

“Finally, a major area of investment for the Air Force will be a new long-range, nuclear-capable penetrating bomber. This aircraft – which will have the option of being piloted remotely – will be designed and developed using proven technologies, an approach that should make it possible to deliver this capability on schedule and in quantity. It is important that we begin this project now to ensure that a new bomber can be ready before the current aging fleet goes out of service. The follow on bomber represents a key component of a joint portfolio of conventional deep-strike capabilities – an area that should be a high priority for future defense investment given the anti-access challenges our military faces.”

Competing Teams Phantom Ray rollout
(click to view larger)

On the contractor side, the program seemed to be shaping clearly, the picture has become muddy again.

On Jan 25/08, Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced that they would be cooperating on a bid of their own. Their team will perform studies and system development efforts “in pursuit of the anticipated U.S. Air Force Next Generation Bomber program.” Their collaborative research and development efforts will include will include work in advanced sensors, future electronic warfare solutions, better networked awareness of the broader battlefield, command and control issues for stealth platforms, and virtual warfare simulation and experimentation.

By March 2010, however, the joint team members were each going their own way. Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray provides them with a very useful test platform that could become a base for a new unmanned bomber, and Lockheed Martin’s own work on “black program” UAVs gives them growing expertise as well. They eventually got back together in 2013, once requirements began to clarify.

Northrop Grumman is another obvious contender, as the designer and manufacturer of the B-2A Spirit Stealth bomber. The firm has moved away from designing full-scale manned military aircraft in recent years, but there are persistent rumors of black (secret) program contracts related to the design of a next-generation bomber, and NGC’s leadership has indicated that black programs are a growing strategic focus for the company. Taken in tandem, it seems likely that Northrop Grumman is already working on a next-generation stealth bomber design. CFO James Palmer admitted as much during a financial conference in November 2013.

Update

September 21/16: The USAF’s new long-range strike bomber has officially been named the B-21 Raider. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James made the announcement on Monday in what is a tribute to the legacy of WW2’s Doolittle Raiders rather than a reference to the Indiana Jones movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The Doolittle Raiders are known for their surprise attack against Japan during on April 18, 1942, which forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense, and boosted morale among Americans and US allies abroad.

September 4/15: Northrop Grumman and competitor coalition Lockheed Martin and Boeing submitted designs for the new long range bomber, with a decision expected in October. The first versions produced are expected to be manned craft, with unmanned craft coming a few years later. Designs are said to be more detailed at the stage than is typical.

Additional Readings

• DID – Carrier UCAVs: The Return of UCAS. N-UCAS is a funded Northrop Grumman project.

• DID – Ride on the Ray: Boeing’s X-45 UCAVs

• DID – Funds to Boeing, NGC to Advance UAV Aerial Refueling.

• Bloomberg (Dec 6/13) – U.S. Bomber Planes at $81 Billion Seen 47% More Than Plan. USAF estimate is $55 billion for 100 planes. CSBA says $81 billion, incl. $20 billion R&D. Stimson Center says $68.2 billion. Bloomberg Government says $78.4 million.

• Wall St. Journal (Nov 3/13) – Pentagon Toils to Build a Bomber on a Budget [subscription req’d]

• Forbes (Oct 29/13) – Why A Boeing-Lockheed Martin Long Range Strike Bomber Team Will Be Hard To Beat. By Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute.

• Lockheed Martin (Oct 25/13) – Boeing, Lockheed Martin Team for U.S. Air Force Bomber Program. Again. Boeing would be the prime contractor.

• James Hasik (July 10/13) – Is the USAF’s Next Bomber Program Way Too Ambitious?

• Aviation Week (June 30/11) – What We Are Allowed to Know About the Bomber. Short answer: not much. Optionally manned, stealthy, plans for 80-100.

• Joint Forces Quarterly (#60, Q1 2011) – Long Range Conventional Strike: A Joint Family of Systems [PDF]. Good article, penned by Northrop Grumman analysts; see also Aviation Week Ares coverage.

• Aviation Week Ares (March 18/11) – Where The 2018 Bomber Went

• Aviation Week Ares (Feb 18/11) – A Quick Look At The USAF’s New Bomber Requirements

• US Department of Defense (Jan 6/10) – Statement on Department Budget and Efficiencies. As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

• Defense News (Sept 15/10) – P&W Pitches Engine For Long-Range Strike. Their PW9000, part of a new class of engines called “geared turbofans” that offer a wider variable thrust range, and much better fuel efficiency.

• NDIA’s National Defense magazine (Sept 15/10) – Air Force Under Pressure to Fund New Bomber.

• CSBA Report (Sept 14/10) – Sustaining America’s Strategic Advantage in Long-Range Strike [PDF]

• Defense News (Sept 13/10) – USAF Secretary: New Bomber Critical for the U.S.. But it would be built for conventional strike, and only certified for the nuclear mission later, if at all.

• Aviation Week (March 1/10) – A Lockheed/Boeing Breakup Over Bomber? There’s a $200 million request in the FY 2011 budget that lays the foundations for a bomber program revival, but Boeing Phantom Works’ President says cooperation with Lockheed Martin is “in stasis”.

• Aviation Week Ares (Dec 16/09) – New Bomber Claims New Missions. ISR, and possibly directed energy weapons?

• Government Executive (May 14/09) – Gates says next-generation bomber might fly without pilot

• Gvernment Executive (May 21/09) – Commander agrees with decision to delay new bomber. In light of upcoming START nuclear treaty negotiations with Moscow, expected to start in a few months.

• DID (April 6/09) – Gates Lays Out Key FY 2010 Budget Recommendations. The program is effectively canceled. “We will not pursue a development program for a follow-on Air Force bomber until we have a better understanding of the need, the requirement, and the technology.”

• Aviation Week Ares (Sept 10/08) – Northrop Grumman Boosts New Bomber

• Military.com (June 7/08) – Secret Plan for ‘Invisible Bombers’. The report claims that Northrop Grumman has received a secret development contract to develop a bomber-class aircraft with a radar signature 1/10th that of a mosquito.

• The Register (May 29/08) – SpaceShipOne firm to build Stealth Bomber 4.0? Also explains some of the evidence for the belief that this program has gone “black” (i.e. super-secret, no longer openly reported or discussed).

• DTI, via Military.com (April 28/08) – New AF Bomber May Also Fly Recon. Or at least, an unmanned version might. Note that there will be limitations: the USA’s B-2 stealth bomber, for instance, tends to confine itself to night missions against defended sites, because it has little ability to protect itself once it has been seen visually. Any unmanned bomber would have a similar issue.

• Defense Technology International, via Military.com (Dec 4/07) – New Bomber to Carry Nukes. A decision that could raise its cost by 50%, due to the required redundancy and EMP hardening. It also guarantees that the bomber will be a maned aircraft, not a UAV or UCAV.

• Government Executive magazine (Aug 15/07) – Air Force’s commitment to new bomber a matter of debate

• USAF, Air Force magazine (August 2007) – Great Expectations. “Air Combat Command recently conducted an analysis of alternatives for such an aircraft, and the Air Force has decided which capabilities it will seek in its next generation long-range strike system. The study evaluated “midterm” requirements, the state of technology, and the need to have a fully operational aircraft on the ramp in 2018. The results were, in some cases, quite surprising…”

• Government Executive magazine (June 13/07) – Air Force envisions stealthy long-range bomber for 2018. “The service, which hopes to fly the bomber by 2018, likely will use the F-22’s stealth and maneuverability capabilities when developing the new aircraft, Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., said during a breakfast with reporters… The service also plans to make the bomber a subsonic propulsion aircraft, said Elder…” The article adds that the USAF may be mandated by Congress to have 76 B-52s, but it’s only manning 56.

• Aviation Week (May 2/07) – Next Decade”s AF Bomber To Be Subsonic, Manned [sic]

• Air Force Association (February 2007) – Return of the Bomber: The Future of Long-Range Strike [PDF format, 642k]. In-depth report and analysis by Dr. Rebecca Grant of ISIS.

• USAF, Air Force magazine (October 2006) – The 2018 Bomber and Its Friends

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Sept 30/06) – New Bomber Program to Begin ‘Black’. Which means a classified program. “The ACC chief said programmatic details such as anticipated costs and initial capability milestones will be disclosed to the public. However, issues pertaining to the platform’s projected range, speed and payload will remain closely held secrets known only by a select number of service and Pentagon officials intimately involved with or charged with overseeing its development.”

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Sept 2/06) – Air Force has ‘Hard Time’ Developing Bomber

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Aug 25/06) – Big Down Payment for Future Bombers

• USAF (July 26/06) – Gen. Moseley: New long-range bomber on horizon for 2018

• USAF, Air Force magazine (June 2006) – No Easy Answers on New Bomber

• Air & Space Power Journal (Summer 2005) – “Narrowing the global-strike gap with an airborne aircraft carrier”

tag: 2018bomber

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