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Liberia: UN report calls for ending sometimes deadly cultural practices that violate human rights

UN News Centre - Africa - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 06:00
Senior United Nations officials today called on Liberia to root out sometimes deadly human rights violations masquerading as cultural practices, citing female genital mutilation, forced initiation into secret societies, witchcraft accusations, trials by ordeal and ritualistic killings.
Categories: Africa

Help ‘can’t come soon enough’ for thousands of children out of school in northern Mali – UNICEF

UN News Centre - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 06:00
Despite the immense needs in conflict-affected areas of northern Mali, the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF) is hampered by constrained access and limited funding, and is thus calling for &#8220action now&#8221 to help the more than 380,000 children who remain out of school in the region.

Sudan says cutting fuel subsidies awaits further drop in global oil prices

Sudan Tribune - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 05:55

December 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday that the government will not initiate a new round of subsidy cuts on fuel until they see further drops in global oil prices.

Sudanese oil workers at one of GNPOC fields in South Kordofan (file photo Asawer oil company)

Oil prices have fell from their three-digit figures to around $36 per barrel which offered huge reprieve to energy importers such as Sudan.

The state minister of Finance and Economic Planning Abdel-Rahman Dirar affirmed that the government will continue to subsidize fuel to meet demands of the local market but that in the event of more decline in oil prices it will be scrapped entirely.

He added that when the government is assured that the private sector has the ability to provide fuel to the consumer at reasonable prices, they will liberalize the price of fuel.

Dirar said that money saved from oil prices drop will be used to finance productive sectors and allocate another part to low-income families and social programs.

The official stated that a 20% increase in salaries of government employees in 2016 will be paid for by savings from lower oil prices.

Last week, the Minister of Finance was reportedly quoted as announcing fresh subsidy cuts in the 2016 budget year. But the ministry later denied its intention to do so.

The Sudanese cabinet approved the draft 2016 budget in a five hour session chaired by President Omer al-Bashir.

Scores have been killed in several Sudanese cities in protests that erupted in September 2013 after the government partially lifted fuel subsidies.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

A new era of opportunity

Sudan Tribune - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 05:47

By Ban Ki-moon

Seventy years ago, the United Nations was created from the ashes of the Second World War. Seven decades later, in Paris, nations have united in the face of another threat – the threat to life as we know it due to a rapidly warming planet.

Governments have ushered in a new era of global cooperation on climate change – one of the most complex issues ever to confront humanity. In doing so, they have significantly advanced efforts to uphold our Charter mandate to "save succeeding generations".

The Paris Agreement is a triumph for people, the environment, and for multilateralism. It is a health insurance policy for the planet. For the first time, every country in the world has pledged to curb their emissions, strengthen resilience and act internationally and domestically to address climate change.

Together, countries have agreed that, in minimizing risks of climate change, the national interest is best served by pursuing the common good. I believe it is an example we could gainfully follow across the political agenda.

The victory in Paris caps a remarkable year. From the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, from the historic Sustainable Development Summit in New York to the climate conference in Paris, this has been a year in which the United Nations has proven its ability to deliver hope and healing to the world.

Since my first days in office, I have called climate change the defining challenge of our time. That is why I have made it a top priority of my tenure. I have spoken with nearly every world leader about the threat climate change poses to our economies, our security and our very survival. I have visited every continent and met communities living on the climate front-lines.
I have been moved by suffering and inspired by the solutions that will make our world safer and more prosperous.

I have participated in every United Nations climate conference. The three Climate Summits I convened mobilized political will and catalyzed innovative action by governments, business and civil society. The Paris Action Agenda, along with the commitments made at last year's Climate Summit, show that the answers are there.

What was once unthinkable is now unstoppable. The private sector is already investing increasingly in a low-emissions future. The solutions are increasingly affordable and available, and many more are poised to come, especially after the success of Paris.

The Paris Agreement delivered on all the key points I called for. Markets now have the clear signal they need to scale up investments that will generate low-emissions, climate-resilient development.

All countries have agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and, given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees. This is especially important for the nations of Africa, Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

In Paris, countries agreed on a long-term goal to cap global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in the second half of the century. One hundred and eighty-eight countries have now submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, which show what they are prepared to do to reduce emissions and build climate resilience.

Currently, these national targets have already significantly bent the emissions curve downwards. But, collectively, they still leave us with an unacceptably dangerous 3 degrees Celsius temperature rise. That is why countries in Paris pledged that they will review their national climate plans every five years, beginning in 2018. This will allow them to increase ambition in line with what science demands.

The Paris Agreement also ensures sufficient, balanced adaptation and mitigation support for developing countries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. And it will help to scale up global efforts to address and minimize loss and damage from climate change.

Governments have agreed to binding, robust, transparent rules of the road to ensure that all countries do what they have said they would do. Developed countries have agreed to lead in mobilizing finance and to scale up technology support and capacity building. And developing countries have assumed increasing responsibility to address climate change in line with their capabilities.

In acknowledging this historic achievement, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the leadership and vision of the business community and civil society. They have highlighted both the stakes and the solutions. I salute them for their outstanding display of climate citizenship.

Now, with the Paris Agreement in place, our thoughts must immediately turn to implementation. By addressing climate change we are advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Paris Agreement has positive implications for all the Sustainable Development Goals. We are poised to enter a new era of opportunity.

As Governments, business and civil society begin the mammoth project of tackling climate change and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations will assist Member States and society at large at every stage. As a first step in implementing the Paris Agreement, I will convene, as requested by the Agreement and by the Convention, a high-level signing ceremony in New York, on 22 April next year.

I will invite world leaders to come to help keep and increase momentum. By working together, we can achieve our shared objective to end poverty, strengthen peace, and ensure a life of dignity and opportunity for all.

The writer is Secretary-General of the United Nations

Categories: Africa

Sudan FM says recent meeting over Nile dam achieved positive outcome

Sudan Tribune - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 05:21

December 17, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour revealed that the recent tripartite meeting on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) held in Khartoum last week has achieved positive results but that it was withheld from the media.

Sudan's foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour (SUNA Photo)

The ministers of water and foreign affairs in Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia concluded the talks last Saturday which were widely believed to have failed to bridge the differences particularly between Ethiopia and Egypt.

Ghandour nonetheless expressed hope that these “positive” results could soon be articulated in the form of an agreement that satisfies all sides during the meeting scheduled to be held in Khartoum later this month.

He emphasized in an interview with Egypt's Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the negotiations are tough, explaining that water is a matter of national security for any country and that "everyone's job is to make sure that National Security is preserved for all of us".

“Sudan has stressed that it is neither a mediator nor neutral or biased, but we are owners and partners", Ghandour said and pointed out that Sudan seeks to protect the rights in Egypt and Ethiopia as well.

“We emerged [from last week's meeting] to agree on another meeting which was after we tabled some of the principles and requirements assigned to the technical committees .. which we agreed at the same time that we will not mention to the press," the Sudanese official said.

Ghandour explained that media sometimes tend to report things by putting them out of context.

He recalled that the Declaration of Principles signed by the three presidents last March in Khartoum confirmed that no party should be negatively affected by the dam.

"This is the principle of which we are discussing ways to affirm it through an agreement through an accord submitted to the political leadership," Ghandour said.

When asked about his level of optimism, the foreign minister said "I am not saying that I am optimistic or pessimistic but the spirit that I have witnessed suggests that we can agree in the next tripartite meeting in Khartoum".

The GERD, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water.

Egypt has repeatedly expressed concerns that filling and operating the dam on the Blue Nile will negatively affect Egypt's water supply, while Ethiopia has rejected those claims.

(ST)

Categories: Africa

Mexico to Export Nixtamalisation of Grains to Africa

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 04:12

The corn is cooked with limewater to eliminate aflatoxins that cause liver and cervical cancer. Here a worker at the Grulin company is stirring the corn before it is washed, drained and ground, in San Luís Huexotla, Mexico. Credit: Emilio Godoy/IPS

By Emilio Godoy
TEXCOCO, Mexico , Dec 18 2015 (IPS)

Every day in the wee hours of the morning Verónica Reyes’ extended family grinds corn to make the dough they use in the tacos they sell from their food truck in Mexico City.

Sons, daughters-in-law and nephews and nieces divide the work in the family business that makes and sells cecina (dried, salted meat) tacos, longaniza (a kind of Spanish sausage), quesadillas and tlacoyos (thick stuffed oval-shaped corn dough tortillas).

“We cook the corn the night before and we grind it early in the morning, to serve people at 8:00 AM,” said Reyes, who has made a living selling food for years.

The family loads up the metal countertop, gas cylinders, tables, chairs, ingredients and over 60 kg of corn dough in their medium-sized truck before heading from their town of San Jerónimo Acazulco, some 46 km southwest of Mexico City, to whatever spot they have chosen that day to sell their wares.

When the taco truck packs up, it has sold just about all the food prepared that day.

The cooked corn dough takes on a yellow tone, an effect caused by a process called nixtamalisation – the preparation of corn or other grain, which is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled.According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 25 percent of world food crops are contaminated with aflatoxins.

This technique dates back to before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico in the 15th century, when local indigenous people cooked corn this way.

Nixtamalisation significantly reduces aflatoxins – any of several carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by molds that commonly infect corn, peanuts and other crops.

“In Mexico aflatoxins are a serious problem,” Ofelia Buendía, a professor at the department of agroindustrial engineering at the Autonomous University of Chapingo, told IPS. “A major effort has been made to eliminate them. The most effective is the traditional nixtamalisation technique.”

She has specialised in “nixtamalising” beans, quinoa, oats, amaranth, barley and other grains, and in producing nutritional foods.

Mexico’s corn dough and tortilla industry encompasses more than 78,000 mills and tortilla factories, over half of which are concentrated in just seven of the country’s 31 states.

Nearly 60 percent of the tortillas sold were made with nixtamalised dough.

Corn is the foundation of the diet in Central America and Mexico, where the process of nixtamalisation is widely used.

But consumption of tortillas has shrunk in Mexico, from 170 kg a year per person in the 1970s to 75 kg today, due to the inroads made by fast food and junk food.

Mexico is now cooperating with Kenya in east Africa to transfer know-how and technology to introduce the technique, to help that country reduce aflatoxins.

Mexico and Kenya signed two cooperation agreements, one of which offers technical support and involves the sending of mills by Mexico’s International Development Cooperation Agency.

Kenya, the world’s second-largest producer and consumer of corn, needs 45 million 90-kg bags of corn a year, and only produces 40 million.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 25 percent of world food crops are contaminated with aflatoxins, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 4.5 billion people in the developing world have chronic exposure to them.

Studies by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) suggest that approximately 26,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa die every year of liver cancer associated with chronic exposure to aflatoxins.

At 3:00 AM, the machines are turned on in the processing plant of the Comercializadora y Distribuidora de Alimentos Grulin food processing and distribution company in the town of San Luís Huexotla, some 50 km east of Mexico City.

The work consists of washing the corn cooked the night before, draining it, and grinding it to produce the dough for making tortillas and toast, which are packaged and distributed to sales points in the area.

“Nixtamalisation respects the nutrients in the corn, although some are lost in the washing process,” José Linares, director general of Grulin, told IPS. “There are faster systems of nixtamalisation, but they’re more costly. The technology is shifting towards a more efficient use of water and faster processing.”

His father started out with one tortilla factory, and the business expanded until the Grulin company was founded in 2013.

Grulin processes between 32 and 36 50-kg balls of dough a day. One kg of corn produces 1.9 kg of dough.

The corn is cooked for 90 minutes and then passes through a tank of limewater for 30 seconds before going into tubs with a capacity of 750 kg, where it remains for 24 hours. It is then drained and is ready for grinding between two matching carved stones.

Officials from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) have visited Mexico to learn about nixtamalisation and test corn products.

The experts who talked to the Kenyan officials said the technique could be adopted by nations in Africa.

“In Africa they want to know about the process, because of its tremendous uses for food. Some variables can be influenced, such as texture and taste,” said Buendía. “The Chinese eat tortillas, so this technique could be adopted. These opportunities cannot be missed.”

Besides cultural questions, the availability of water and generation of waste liquid – known as ‘nejayote’ – can be problems. For every 50 kg of corn processed, some 75 litres of water are needed. The nejayote, which is highly polluting because of its degree of alkalinity, is dumped into the sewer system.

Academic researchers are investigating how to make use of the waste liquid to produce fertiliser, to reuse it in washing the corn, and to make water use more efficient.

“It would be necessary to overcome the cultural barriers, and make sure the taste of lime isn’t noticeable….The technique is replicable,” said Grulin’s Linares.

In 2009, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service developed a biological control technology called AflaSafe, to fight aflatoxins in corn and peanuts. It is so far available in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Kenya, Senegal and Zambia.

Edited by Estrella Gutiérrez and Verónica Firme/Translated by Stephanie Wildes

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Categories: Africa

Semmi sem dőlt el a brit tagsági feltételekről, de mindenki optimista

Bruxinfo - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 02:18
Élete leghosszabb európai tanácsi hozzászólását mondta el David Cameron a csütörtök esti csúcsvacsorán, midőn hírek szerint közel 40 percben részletezte a brit igényeket a többi tagországból érkezett kollégáinak. A brit kormányfő sajtóértekezletén bizakodóan kommentálta a vitát, és hasonlóan „optimistának” nevezte magát Donald Tusk EiT-elnök is. A cél most az, hogy a februári csúcson egyezségre jussanak.

KAI rolls out T-X contender

Jane's Defense News - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 02:00
An enhanced version of the T-50 Golden Eagle advanced jet trainer developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin has been unveiled to meet the US Air Force's (USAF's) T-X trainer requirement. KAI rolled out the aircraft - dubbed the 'T-X demonstrator aircraft' - in a ceremony in
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Update: Finland issues RfI for HX fighter replacement effort

Jane's Defense News - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 02:00
Finland has issued requests for information (RfI's) regarding its fighter replacement requirement (HX) to five manufacturers with the aim of fielding a replacement for its current fleet of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft by 2025. The RfI, which was issued on 16 December and announced two days later, was
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

F-35 & F/A-18 Get a Holiday Buzz | LM to Provide M-TAG/PNVS to India Under $215.7B FMS Contract | France to Order New C-130Js

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:20
Americas

  • It looks like a very merry Christmas for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as they came out as the major winners in the announced $1.15 trillion spending bill announced on Wednesday. Funding will see eleven more F-35 Lightning IIs than requested by President Obama in February. The F-35 program will see $1.33 billion additional procurement money as production of the fighters will be ramped up. The F/A-18 production line will also be extended, with seven more EA-18G Growlers and five F/A-18E/F Super Hornets planned.

  • Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $215.7 billion foreign military sale contract to provide Modernized Target Acquisition Designation/Pilot Night Vision Systems (M-TAG/PNVS) for Apache helicopters to India. Work is to be completed by December 31, 2021. The contract follows the September purchase of fifteen Chinook and twenty-two Apache choppers by India, in a deal worth $2.5 billion. The Apache will be India’s first pure attack helicopter in service. The Russian made Mi 35, which has been in operation for years and is soon to be retired, was an assault chopper designed to carry troops into heavily defended areas.

  • The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) laboratories and the Anti-submarine Warfare Systems program office (PMA-264) rapidly developed a new sonobuoy launching system over the summer and fall which was delivered this November. The new system was developed as the existing system, the S-3, was being retired. A bit of brainstorming resulted in putting two SH-60B launchers on a pallet to roll on and off from a KC-130 tanker operated by the VX-30 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron.

Europe

  • France is planning to purchase four brand new C-130Js after authorization was given from the French Defense Minister. The news comes as the option to purchase second-hand C-130s from the British RAF failed to get the green light. The deal is said to exceed the $357 million set aside for the acquisition, but the remaining funds will come from adjustments made to other portions of the budget. While it is unlikely that anything will be signed before early 2016, Paris is hoping to receive delivery of the aircraft as soon as possible. The order will fill France’s need for tactical transport and in flight fueling. Other European nations such as Germany and Sweden have been helping coalition air strikes in Syria by offering refueling and transport aircraft.

Asia Pacific

  • South Korea has selected Lockheed Martin to carry out work on its KF-16 upgrade program. The move comes after the $1.58 billion contract had been initially awarded to BAE Systems but had been on hold over demands for a cost increase by BAE. The work will look to upgrade the radar, armament and other integrated electronic systems of 134 KF-16s currently in service in the SKAF. The new contract also sees the Koreans drop the Raytheon produced AN/APG-68 radar for the AN/APG-83 produced by Northrop Grumman.

  • Taiwan’s $1.83 billion arms deal with the US may not have everything initially wanted on Taipei’s Christmas list after anti-submarine helicopters were not included in the State Department’s notification to Congress. Back in November, Taiwan had announced plans to purchase ten MH-60 R Seahawk helicopters as part of a replacement of its MD-500 fleet. Whether the addition has been omitted due to Chinese sensitivities over increased Taiwanese capabilities, or that the government is still looking at alternatives, we will have to wait and see.

  • People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) have been seen practising with Kh-31 anti-radiation missiles. Pictures of the testing in northern China show the missile being loaded onto Su-30s during end of year drills. The Kh-31 air-to-surface missile was designed specifically to combat enemy radar, jammers and radio communications. It was the first supersonic anti-ship missile to be launched by tactical aircraft.

  • Elbit Systems is to install the Commercial Multi-Spectral Infrared Countermeasures (C-MUSIC) systems to an unidentified Asia-Pacific nation. The two year contract is worth $26.5 million. The C-MUSIC system has been developed for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and gives advanced protection from heat-seeking shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles by using fiber-laser-directed infrared countermeasure technology. Whoever the mysterious buyer is, the purchase of the system may have been influenced by incidents such as the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane on the Ukraine-Russia border in July 2014. Pro-Russian separatists fighting in east Ukraine shot down the plane using a Buk SA-11 surface-to-air missile.

  • Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has revealed the prototype that will be the basis for a bid for the USAF’s T-X next generation trainer competition. Built in conjunction with Lockheed Martin, the aircraft is based on the T-50 family with flight tests being planned for 2017. Besides Lockheed, other companies in the competition are Northrop Grumman, Alenia Aermacchi and the team of Boeing and Saab. The eventual winners of the T-X competition will work to replace the Northrop T38 Talon, which has been in service for 55 years.

  • With Taiwan leaving out its order of MH-60R Seahawks, let’s take a look at what might have been:

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

MUSIC Soothes the Savage… Missile?

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:20
DIRCM concept
(click to view larger)

Early deployment of a system called Flight Guard aboard civilian jet liners came following a November 2002 incident in which shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADS) were launched unsuccessfully at an Arkia plane in Mombasa, Kenya. That FlightGuard system is a civilian version of IAI/Elta’s popular ELM 2160, and costs about $1 million per plane for sensors and flares. The flares were the sticking point. Even though they were redesigned to be larger (to divert from larger targets), burn for a shorter time (to minimize ground hazard), and almost invisible to human eyes (to prevent panics), many locations were leery about allowing a flare-dispensing system near civilian airports.

In contrast, Elbit Subsidiary El-Op’s MUSIC (Multi-Spectral Infrared Countermeasures) system takes the DIRCM (Directed Infrared Counter-Measures) approach – a wise decision given civilian concerns, and key military trends. Now, the firm has its first large civilian order…

MUSIC components
(click to view full)

MUSIC is actually more like a symphony. A missile approach warning system (MAWS, using radar plus infrared or ultraviolet to reduce false positives) detects approaching missiles, then an advanced FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) system tracks it and guides the high-speed turret as it automatically slews and fires a human-safe laser beam at the missile. The laser’s pulses blind the missile’s sensors, either confusing the seeker away from the plane, or simply overloading its sensors and turning it into a rocket. It’s a very big sky; an unguided rocket is going to miss an aircraft, which will be taking evasive action because the pilots received their warning from the MAWS.

Older MANPADS like the common SAM-7 Strela produced under license by Iran rely on infrared detection of an aircraft’s exhaust plume. This makes their effectiveness questionable against military jets, who are almost always in a ‘tail chase’ position when lock is achieved, and can put on a burst of speed to cruise out of its range. Large civilian jets with bright exhaust plumes and slow acceleration are another matter, of course, though the Mombasa incident proved that even civilian aircraft are hardly sitting ducks. Both flares and DIRCM systems will be used instead.

The complicating factor for future threats is the fact that since the 1980s, shoulder-fired missiles have been diversifying their guidance systems, carrying dual infrared/ultraviolet detectors, and/or using advanced algorithms that help them ignore diversionary defenses like flares. As more advanced weapons proliferate via state support for terrorists or black market sales, the advantage begins to shift rather clearly away from diversionary decoys. In their place, customers will want systems that interfere with the missile more directly, and can be upgraded for additional threat types. DIRCM systems will be around for a long time, therefore, and could well be considered a strategic defense technology for nations under threat.

Which may help to explain why a system that was originally developed for helicopters has just received project approval from Israel’s Security Cabinet in order to equip Israel’s civilian aircraft. Investment in the MUSIC airliner project is expected to commence in early 2008, but the Reuters report quotes El-Op deputy director Yisrael Anschel as saying that adapting MUSIC for bigger aircraft could take another 2 years. That would mean a 2009-2010 fielding date. The reports add that IAI’s Flight Guard will remain on some Israeli passenger planes, even after the new MUSIC system is phased in.

As the Israelis have learned from hard experience, it pays to be careful.

Contracts and Key Events MUSIC IRCM

December 18/15: Elbit Systems is to install the Commercial Multi-Spectral Infrared Countermeasures (C-MUSIC) systems to an unidentified Asia-Pacific nation. The two year contract is worth $26.5 million. The C-MUSIC system has been developed for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and gives advanced protection from heat-seeking shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles by using fiber-laser-directed infrared countermeasure technology. Whoever the mysterious buyer is, the purchase of the system may have been influenced by incidents such as the shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane on the Ukraine-Russia border in July 2014. Pro-Russian separatists fighting in east Ukraine shot down the plane using a Buk SA-11 surface-to-air missile.

June 25/09: Elbit Systems Ltd. announces a contract with the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, to supply its C-MUSIC system (commercial multi-spectral infrared countermeasure) under a $76 million contract. C-MUSIC is a larger version of the MUSIC system designed for helicopters and business aircraft. Israeli airliners will be among the word’s first passenger aircraft equipped with active defense systems.

The Elbit Systems Electro-optics El-Op Ltd. devices will be installed aboard a variety of commercial aircraft owned by Israeli commercial airlines El-Al, Arkia and Israir, and as part of the comprehensive ‘Sky Shield’ air transport defense plan. The Israeli airliner that was fired at near Mombassa, Kenya in 2002 was an Arkia 757. IEICI | Elbit Systems [PDF] | Defense Update | Flight International.

Additional Readings & Sources

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Global F/A-18 Hornet Fleets: Keeping ‘Em Flying

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:19
CF-18: which way?
(click to see clearly)

The F/A-18 Hornet is the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet‘s predecessor, with the first models introduced in the late 1970s as a spinoff of the USAF’s YF-17 lightweight fighter competitor. Hornets are currently flown by the US Marine Corps as their front-line fighter, by the US Navy as a second-tier fighter behind its larger F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, and by 7 international customers: Australia, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, and Switzerland. The USA’s aircraft were expected to have a service life of 20 years, but that was based on 100 carrier landings per year. The US Navy and Marines have been rather busy during the Hornets’ service life, and so the planes are wearing out faster.

This is forcing the USA to take a number of steps in order to keep their Hornets airworthy: replacing center barrel sections, re-opening production lines, and more. Some of these efforts will also be offered to allied air forces, who have their own refurbishment and upgrade programs.

Contracts & Key Events, 2006 – Present F/A-18 History
click for video

Some of the parts procured under Boeing’s contracts will be produced for allied military services who fly the F/A-18. The Hornet was a McDonnell-Douglas aircraft, so contracts will generally be to that Boeing subsidiary in St Louis, MO, unless otherwise noted.

Note that “center barrel sections” refer to the middle chunk of the plane where the wings joint the body. As one might guess, replacing them is a somewhat involved process, and is also very helpful in extending the airframe’s fatigue-hour limits.

Australian MRO
(click to view full)

There are some gaps in this article’s coverage. National MRO (Maintenance, Repair, & Optimization) initiatives don’t get comprehensive coverage beyond the multi-fleet central contracts announced in the USA, though some coverage and links are present. There’s also a thin line at times between upgrades required to remain survivable and hence useful in national fleets, and airframe life-extension efforts. In theory, they’re different, but in practice they’re often linked. As such, leaving all upgrades out would do readers a disservice, so they occasionally appear when there’s a connection. Again, however, lists of upgrades are not comprehensive.

Note that Hornet fighters use different radars. Raytheon’s APG-65 is installed aboard USN and USMC F/A-18C/D Hornets (both radar types), and the USMC’s AV-8B Harrier II Plus V/STOL fighters. Abroad, it serves in AV-8Bs operated by Spain and Italy, in Spain’s “EF-18A/Bs” and Kuwait’s F/A-18C/Ds, and in German and Greek F-4 Phantom strike fighters.

Raytheon’s APG-73 serves some of the USA’s F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet, and the USN’s F/A-18E/F Block I Super Hornet (APG-73) fighters. It’s also found in Hornets flown by Australia (F/A-18AM/BM), Canada (CF-18AM/BM), Finland (F/A-18C/D), Malaysia (F/A-18D), and Switzerland (F/A-18C/D).

Tests are reportedly going well for active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars to be retrofit to the A, B, C and D F/A-18 models.

2014 – 2015

F/A-18C fires Hydras
(click to view full)

December 18/15: It looks like a very merry Christmas for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as they came out as the major winners in the announced $1.15 trillion spending bill announced on Wednesday. Funding will see eleven more F-35 Lightning IIs than requested by President Obama in February. The F-35 program will see $1.33 billion additional procurement money as production of the fighters will be ramped up. The F/A-18 production line will also be extended, with seven more EA-18G Growlers and five F/A-18E/F Super Hornets planned.

July 24/15: Boeing is committing to keep its F-18 production line open in response to new and forecast orders from both the US and international customers. The company was worried that insufficient orders for new Super Hornet and Growler aircraft would fail to materialize and keep the production line economically viable. Boeing considered slowing the production rate in March, to extend the time available for more orders to come through the door. Recent orders from the US Navy and Kuwait have bolstered the company’s confidence in keeping the production line open.

Nov 4/14: Support. Boeing in Jacksonville, FL receives a $25.3 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification for depot-level F/A-18A-D service life extension and remanufacturing activities, including associated maintenance support and sustainment capabilities.

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL (91.7%), and St. Louis, MO (8.3%), and is expected to be completed in September 2015. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. US Navy NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-14-D-0001).

Nov 3/14: Support. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $7.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option for post-production program management, logistics, and engineering services in support of F/A-18 A-F aircraft operated by Switzerland ($2.3M / 31.6%); Finland ($1.7M / 22.9%); Malaysia ($1.1M / 15.8%); Kuwait ($1.0M / 13.7%); Australia ($510,103 / 7%); Canada ($356,677 / 4.9%); and Spain ($298,498 / 4.1%). All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in December 2015. US Navy NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-14-D-0012).

Nov 3/14: USMC Plan. The USMC’s Aviation Plan to 2030 outlines a future in which Hornets will remain in the fleet until 2030, instead of 2025. The main reason? The USMC believes it would be about $1 billion cheaper to retire the AV-8B Harrier fleet 5 years earlier and extend the Hornets 5 years later, based on 2 independent cost/benefit analyses. En route to this future, all West Coast MEUs will have F-35Bs instead of AV-8Bs by the end of FY 2019.

For the Hornet fleet, the Center Barrel Replacement Plus (CBR+) program has already extended the lives of 200 aircraft. A High Flight Hour inspection process is in progress, and a SLEP program will take place in parallel to extend the lives of about 150 hand-picked F/A-18C/Ds to 10,000 flight hours. Unfortunately:

“The USMC F/A-18A-D community is enduring a sustained shortage in excess of 40 aircraft fleet wide due to “Out Of Reporting” (OOR) maintenance. The USMC currently has eleven active squadrons and one reserve squadron that deploy with a full complement of aircraft, but the community is forced to absorb the shortfall during pre-deployment training due to a degraded Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory (PMAI). HQMC AVN is resetting the force by temporarily reducing squadron Flight Line Entitlement (FLE) to 10 aircraft to preserve future combat readiness while meeting today’s current operational requirements. Scalable squadron detachment models are being developed to meet the operational requirement without deploying excess assets, and Marine Corps Aviation is adding a detachment capability to each non-TAI VMFA. Forecasted improvements in aircraft availability will enable USMC F/A-18s to achieve 12 PMAI squadrons beginning in FY 17.”

Meanwhile, a set of fleet upgrades will continue to improve the platform. 2015 will see advanced LITENING G4 surveillance and targeting pods add air-to-air IRST capability, and the addition of the longer-range AIM-120D air-to-air missile with its 2-way datalink and new seeker radar. 2017-18 will add upgraded cockpit displays, AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles, and the 70mm APKWS laser-guided rocket. By 2019, APKWS will be able to use the 13.7 pound M822 tri-mode penetrating/ blast/ incendiary warhead. Instead of just 1 AGM-65 Maverick per hardpoint, the Hornet fleet will have 7 anti-armor weapons that can defeat many armored personnel carriers, and all lesser vehicles. Sources: USMC, Marine Aviation Plan 2015 [PDF].

May 18/14: Switzerland. Unsurprisingly, a tepid and convictionless defense of the JAS-39E Gripen NG fighter deal results in a referendum loss, with projections showing about a 53.4% no vote. The only surprise is that the margin was this narrow, indicating a winnable vote. Compare and contrast with the September 2013 referendum, which resulted in the Swiss keeping conscription. Or the government’s success in the referendum that ratified their F/A-18 Hornet buy.

While some governments in Europe will re-run referendums until they get the result they like, the Swiss aren’t like that. The TTE fighter buy is history, but the F-5E/F fleet will still retire, placing more emphasis on their fleet of 30+ Hornets. Switzerland will need to supplement that fleet with French and Italian cooperation for basic airspace protection. Sources: Swissinfo, “Swiss Reject $3.5 Billion Gripen Purchase in Blow to Saab” | Deutsche Welle, “Swiss referendum turns down minimum wage and new fighter jets” | Reuters, “Swiss voters narrowly block deal to buy Saab fighter jets: projection”.

Feb 28/14: Australia. Australia has changed and extended its F404 engine support contract with GE International Inc., to the tune of 4 years and A$ 230 million. This is also good news for local sub-contractor TAE, creating continued employment for 90 people in Williamtown, NSW, and Ipswich, Queensland.

When Australia signed their long-term F404 support contract in 2008, the RAAF’s F/A-18AM/BM fleet was scheduled to begin drawdown in July 2015, and leave service by June 2018. Delays to the F-35 program have forced an interim RAAF buy of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornet Block IIs, and will soon add 12 related EA-18G Growlers. It’s also forcing longer service from the “Classic Hornet” fleet, which won’t leave service until 2022. The new fighters are an obvious cost of the F-35 program, but so are forced extensions like this one. Sources: Australia DoD, “Minister for Defence – Jobs remain in Australia under Hornet contract”.

Jan 31/14: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $26.8 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for the repair of various parts in support of the F/A-18 aircraft.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 USN funds. Work will be performed at Lemoore, CA (55%); Cecil Field, FL (44%); and Philadelphia, PA (1%), and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/16. The contract was not competitively procured by the US Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, PA, per 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c)(1). The a., is the contracting activity (N00383-11-G-001H, DO 0004).

Jan 22/14: SLEP. Boeing in Jacksonville, FL receives a $17.8 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity delivery order contract to support the F/A-18 A-F Depot Level Service Life Extension Program, including both maintenance and remanufacturing work.

Around $250,000 in FY 2014 USN aircraft budgets is committed immediately. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL (92%) and St. Louis, MO (8%), and is expected to be complete in September 2014. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-14-D-0001).

Dec 30/13: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $46.7 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement for integrated logistics support and sustaining engineering for F/A-18A-D, F/A-18E/F, and EA-18G aircraft for the U.S. Navy ($36.6M / 78.3%) and Australia ($7M / 15.1%); plus $501,289 / 1.1% each from Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, and Switzerland. Support will include logistics, engineering, provisioning, information systems, technical data updates, support equipment engineering, training and software integration support.

All funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%); El Segundo, CA (15%); Oklahoma City, OK (6%); Bethpage, NY (5%); and San Diego, CA (4%), and is expected to be complete in December 2014 (N00019-11-G-0001, 0110).

2013

USMC F/A-18C
(click to view full)

Dec 27/13: Raytheon Technical Services Co. in Indianapolis, IN received a maximum $40.9 million delivery order against previously issued basic ordering agreement for the repair of 40 APG-65/73 Radar Weapon Replaceable Assemblies. The contract appears to be limited to the US military.

The APG-65 is installed aboard USN and USMC F/A-18C/D Hornets (both radar types), and the USMC’s AV-8B Harrier II Plus V/STOL fighters. Abroad, it serves in AV-8Bs operated by Spain and Italy, in Spain’s “EF-18A/Bs” and Kuwait’s F/A-18C/Ds, and in German and Greek F-4 Phantom strike fighters.

The APG-73 serves some of the USA’s F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet, and the USN’s F/A-18E/F Block I Super Hornet (APG-73) fighters. It’s also found in Hornets flown by Australia (F/A-18AM/BM), Canada (CF-18AM/BM), Finland (F/A-18C/D), Malaysia (F/A-18D), and Switzerland (F/A-18C/D).

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind. (57%); El Segundo, CA (24%); Forest, MS (17%); Andover, Maine (2%), and work is expected to be completed no later than December 2015. Fiscal 2014 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $20,455,642 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured and is issued on a sole-source basis in accordance with 10 U.SC 2304(c)(1). Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, PA manages the contract (N00383-14-G-006D, DO 7000).

Dec 12/13: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a 5-year, maximum $872.8 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for “system upgrades…. deliverables and services based on System Configuration Set life cycle phases for the” F/A-18 A/B, C/D, E/F and EA-18G fighters. Customers include the US Navy ($802.9 million/ 92%) and the governments of Australia ($29.7 million/ 3.4%), Finland ($21.8 million/ 2.5%), Switzerland ($7 million/ 0.8%), Kuwait ($4.4 million/ 0.5%), Malaysia ($4.4 million/ 0.5%), and Canada ($2.6 million/ 0.3%). It is time for USN service life extension work to get going (q.v. Jan 6/11).

Only 100,000 is committed upon award, using FY 2014 USN RDT&E budgets. Work will be performed as required in St. Louis, MO (95%) and China Lake, CA (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2018. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1; it’s managed by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, CA (N68936-14-D-0008).

5-year support contract

2012-2015

Aging in the US, Australia; Avionics. Finnish F/A-18D
(click to view full)

May 7/15: Reuters reported Wednesday that Boeing is on the cusp of being awarded a more than $3 billion contract for 28 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, with the potential customer named as Kuwait. The Kuwaitis currently operate the older F/A-18 Hornet fighter. The sale, combined with a USN request for a dozen of the aircraft, should be sufficient to maintain the company’s St Louis production lines past their slated 2017 closure.

Dec 28/12: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives an $81.75 million firm-fixed-price delivery order covering integrated logistics support and sustaining engineering services for F/A-18 A-D Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters, and EA-18G Growler tactical jamming aircraft. They’ll provide in-service engineering, information systems, automated maintenance environment, technical data updates, support equipment engineering, training, and software integration support for the US Navy ($69.5M / 85%); and the Governments of Australia ($9.0M / 10.98%); Canada ($544,992 / .67%); Finland ($544,992 / 0.67%); Kuwait ($544,992 / 0.67%); Malaysia ($544,992 / 0.67%); Spain ($544,992 / 0.67%); and Switzerland ($544,992 / 0.67%)

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%); El Segundo, CA (15%); Oklahoma City, OK (6%); Bethpage, NY (5%); and San Diego, CA (4%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013. This contract combines purchases under the Foreign Military Sales Program. All contract funds are committed immediately, and only $342,372 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00383-06-D-001J).

Dec 19/12: Malaysia ATFLIRs. Raytheon SAS in McKinney, TX receives a $25.7 million firm-fixed-price delivery order from Malaysia for 6 Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) pods, which will be fitted to their F/A-18 C/D fighters. See “Malaysia Wants ATFLIR Targeting Pods for its F/A-18D Hornets” for full coverage.

Dec 19/12: Engine Improvement. General Electric Aviation in Lynn, MA receives a $17.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for engineering and engine system improvement services, as part of the F414 and F404 Engine Component Improvement Programs. $10.8 million are committed immediately, of which $6 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 13/13.

This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($13.3M / 75.6%) and the Governments of Sweden ($1.3M / 7.4%); Australia ($832,277 / 4.8%); Canada ($516,877 / 3.0%); Spain ($514,156 / 2.9%); Finland ($380,856 / 2.2%); Korea ($225,793 / 1.3%); Kuwait ($233,955 / 1.3%); Switzerland ($204,030 / 1.2%), and Malaysia ($48,967 / 0.3%), under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Lynn, MA, and is expected to be complete in December 2013. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-09-G-0009).

Dec 19/12: Avionics. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives an $8.9 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement for 285 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) retrofit kits in support of F/A-18C and F/A-18F aircraft.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (56%); Meza, AZ (37%); and El Paso, TX (7%), and is expected to be complete in June 2015. All contract funds are committed immediately, of which $1.35 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract.

Dec 19/12: Avionics. Boeing in St Louis, MO receives a $16.5 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for CY 2013 Avionics Repair Facility (ARF) labor support to repair various F/A-18 components. This contract also includes work for Spain and Kuwait (<1%). Work will be performed at ARF Lemoore, CA (48%); ARF Cecil Field, FL (49%), and Hornet Control Center in Philadelphia, PA (3%), and will be complete by Dec 31/13. All contract funds are committed immediately. The contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 by US NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-11-G-001H, #0003). Dec 19/12: Avionics. Boeing in St Louis, MO receives $8,366,154 firm-fixed-price delivery order for CY 2013 Avionics Repair Facility (ARF) labor support to repair various F/A-18 components.

Work will be performed at ARF Lemoore, CA (48%); ARF Cecil Field, FL (49%), and Hornet Control Center in Philadelphia, PA (3%), and will be complete by Dec 31/13. All contract funds are committed immediately. The contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 by US NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-11-G-001H, #0002).

Dec 3/12: Engines. General Electric in Lynn MA receives a 3-year, $265 million performance based logistics contract to provide repair, replacement and program support of 35 components used in F404 engines, which equip F/A-18A-D Hornets.

Work will be performed at the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast in Jacksonville, FL and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/15. Funds will be committed as needed. This contract was competitively procured with 6 offers solicited, but just 1 offer received from the solicitation. US NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-13-D-001M).

Nov 21/12: USN Life Extension. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $9.8 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification for additional engineering analyses in support of the F/A-18A-D Service Life Extension Program.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (58%) and El Segundo, CA (42%), and is expected to be complete in September 2013. All contract funds are committed by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-12-C-2010).

Nov 19/12: Boeing in St. Louis, MO received a $23.3 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for one-time F/A-18 “Generator Converter Unit Reliability Improvement” (ECP 6421SOW) engineering services.

Work will be performed in Vandalia, OH (72%); St. Louis, MO (20%); Grand Rapids, MI (5%); Cincinnati, OH (1%); Youngwood, PA (1%); and Morrow, OH (1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. All contract funds will be obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-11-G-0001).

Nov 16/12: Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in Goleta, CA receives a $23.2 firm-fixed-price contract modification for ECM gear. The U.S. Navy is buying another 26 AN/ALR-67v3 radar warning receivers ($22.1M/ 95.5%), and Switzerland is buying 4 of the system’s countermeasure signal processor weapons replacement assemblies ($1.0M/ 4.5%).

The USN flies Super Hornets that use the ALR-67v3, but the Swiss buy can only be for their F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet.

Work will be performed in Forest, MS (32%); Goleta, CA (20%); San Diego, CA (14%); Chatsworth, CA (11%); Sydney, Australia (11%); Lansdale, PA (8%); and McKinney, TX (4%), and is expected to be complete in June 2015. All funds are obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-09-C-0052).

Nov 15/12: USN Life Extension. The US GAO publishes GAO-13-51, “Better Cost Estimates Needed for Extending the Service Life of Selected F-16s and F/A-18s.” The lateness of the F-35, and high flight-hour usage over Iraq and Afghanistan, are making it hard to keep fighter numbers up. Current USAF plans involve $2.61 billion to upgrade at least 300 of 1,020 F-16s to fly another 2,000 hours (est. 6-8 years) each, add more advanced radars, etc. The USN would spend about $2.19 billion to keep 150 of 624 F/A-18A-D Hornet fighters flying for another 1,400 flight hours (est. 5 years) each, alongside a separate buy of 41 more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

The alternative is a more expensive approach that would buy new F-16s or Super Hornets. They would cost much more, but last 4x-5x as long. The problem is that the cost of new planes is known, but costs of fixing existing aircraft to cover for additional F-35 delays or add new capabilities aren’t as clear. F-16 upgrades could rise to 650 planes, and F/A-18 Hornet life extension could rise to 280 planes, with the possibility of added capability upgrades.

The US Navy’s 2011 plan for its Hornet fleet would take place over FY 2013-2017. The planes to be upgraded would be specially chosen, presumably for low wear and structural integrity. They would also be individually evaluated for capability enhancements, but those aren’t in the $2.19 billion budget. Current estimates involve another $1.76 million per Hornet for capability upgrades, and an average of $5.64 million more if the Hornets need structural life extension and obsolescence replacement. That gives us a figure of between $2.19 – $3.3 billion if 150 Hornets are upgraded ($14.6 – $22 million per plane), and the upper ends of that figure offer poorer long-term value for money than buying a new Super Hornet in the mid-$60 million range.

If costs are linear, the total for a 280 plane program would be between $4.09 – 6.16 billion, but costs are often not linear. Hence the GAO’s recommendation to do a full sensitivity analysis, so decision makers can fully understand the range of Navy costs between $2.19 – $6.16 billion.

Sept 28/12: Aging in Australia. The Australian reports that the RAAF has been ordered to scale back its usage of its modernized F/A-18AM/BM Hornets, in order to keep them viable until F-35 begin arriving in the early 2020s. Aging is taking a serious toll, and 62/71 fighters had “structure fatigue above that expected for the airframe hours.”

Meanwhile, annual maintenance costs for Australia’s Hornet fleet were A$118 million in 2001, A$ 170 million in 2012, and is expected to be A$ 214 million by 2018. The ANAO sees costs continuing to climb, and says that keeping the fleet flying beyond 2020 could require more structural modifications program and capability upgrades, as well as more frequent inspections. Maintenance for Australia’s new F/A-18F Super Hornets is a separate effort, and does not affect their conclusions.

Sept 27/12: An unfinalized $33 million contract line item number against delivery order under a previously awarded contract for various quantities of new consumable parts to support the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and the contract will run until Dec 30/15.

The applicable Navy Working Capital Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Boeing was the only company solicited for this non-competitive requirement by NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-06-D-001J, #0014).

Aug 29/12: A $27.8 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fee requirements contract modification. Boeing will provide supplies and services for In-Warranty and Out-Of-Warranty depot-level modification installations and In-Service Repairs (ISR).

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL and is expected to be complete in September 2013. No funding is being obligated at time of award; it will be committed as needed. US Naval Air System Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-11-D-0013).

June 19/12: Raytheon Technical Services Co. in Indianapolis, IN receives $40.3 million for unpriced deliver order 7284, covering the repair of 35 weapons repairable assemblies and shop replaceable assemblies of the APG-65/73 Radar System used on F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. The AN/APG-73 is also used on a dwindling number of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, as those radars are replaced with AN/APG-79 AESA equipment.

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (56.93%); El Segundo, CA (33.79%); Forest, MS (7.25%); and Andover, MA (2.03%), and is expected to be complete by June 30/14. The contract will use FY 2012 Navy Working Capital Funds, but they won’t expire at the end of the fiscal year. This was a sole-source contract by US NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-07-G-008D).

May 30/12: Multinational. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in El Segundo, CA receives a $14 million firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for F-18 aircraft rudders, which they’ll supply to the US Navy (using FY 2014-2015 Navy Stock funds), Finland, Spain, and Switzerland. Work will continue until Oct 30/15. The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation in Philadelphia, PA manages the contract (SPRPA1-11-G-002Z, 5036).

2011

USN; Malaysia; Kuwait. Spanish EF-18B
(click to view full)

Dec 29/11: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $9.8 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for supplies and services to support the USA’s F/A-18A-D Service Life Extension Program. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (58%), and El Segundo, CA (42%), and is expected to be complete in February 2013. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6302.1. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-12-C-2010).

Nov 28/11: Malaysia. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $17.3 million firm-fixed-price order for the design, development, and installation of engineering change proposal (ECP 618) retrofit kits for the RMAF’s 8 F/A-18D Hornet fighters, under the Foreign Military Sales Program. This contract action also includes training for ECP 618 and ECP 624, and the installation of other systems that are part of the Malaysian upgrade. Conversations with Boeing explain that:

“This contract includes design, development, and installation of retrofit kits that will provide enhanced navigation and targeting capabilities, along with associated training for maintenance and air crews. The majority of work to be performed under this contract is within the scope defined in the baseline Foreign Military Sales case and not the May 2011 Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement for the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared [targeting pods, see DID coverage] which itself was an amendment to the existing baseline FMS case.”

That scope includes GPS improvements, a colored moving-map cockpit display, changes to IFF, and the addition of the JHMCS helmet-mounted sight. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%), and Butterworth, Malaysia (30%), and is expected to be complete in April 2015. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD will manage the sale on behalf of its FMS client. See also Boeing.

Nov 8/11: Kuwait. The US DSCA announces [PDF] Kuwait’s request to buy continuing Contractor Engineering & Maintenance Services, Hush House Maintenance Support services, Liaison Office Support Services, and related US government and contract support for their F/A-18C/D Hornets. The estimated cost is $100 million.

The principal contractors will be Boeing in St. Louis, MO; Kay and Associates in Buffalo Grove, IL; Industrial Acoustics Company in Winchester, UK; and General Dynamics in Fairfax, VA.

Nov 7/11: Multinational. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $7.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising options from for F/A-18 Hornet in-service support on behalf of Switzerland ($2.42 million; 30.7%); Finland ($1.8 million; 22.9%); Canada ($925,000; 11.7%); Kuwait ($919,250; 11.7%); Malaysia ($919,250; 11.7%); Australia ($490,800; 6.2%); and Spain ($404,914; 5.1%). Boeing services will include program management, logistics, engineering support, incidental materials, and technical data.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in December 2012. This is a Foreign Military Sales Program contract, managed by US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-09-D-0010).

Sept 28/11: Boeing in Jacksonville FL received a $31.5 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fee requirements contract. It covers supplies and services for in-warranty and out-of-warranty depot-level modification installations, and in-service repairs incident to modification kit installs, including associated material and services as required to support the continued safe, reliable, and improved operation of the F/A-18 series aircraft.

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be complete in September 2012. Funding will be committed as needed, and this contact was not competitively procured by US Naval Air System Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-11-D-0013).

Aug 31/11: Canada. Canada adds up to C$ 111 million (currently around $112 million) to its CF-18 Primary Air Vehicle contract with L-3 Military Aviation Services (L-3 MAS), converting the previous arrangement to a full Optimized Weapon System Support program.

The contract breaks down as another C$ 80 million to 2017 in the base contract (now C$ 547 million), plus a set of extension options that could extend the additional work out to 2020 and raise the total by C$ 111 million, taking the overall contract to C$664 million (currently $676 million). OWSS adds new items to the previous contract’s list of maintained components (vid. Sept 1/10, see also Oct 14/10) by consolidating them under this 1 contract, but doesn’t change contract length or other particulars. Public Works Canada | L-3 MAS [PDF].

Aug 25/11: USN Life Extension. AOL Defense reports that some USMC Hornets are reaching service life limits, which have risen to 9,000 – 10,000 flight hours after the full Service Life Extension Program.

“Headquarters Marine Corps – Aviation, who oversee the service’s aviation budget, were adamant the SLEP effort would go no further than the 9,000- to 10,000-hour extension… [Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Brian] Block told AOL Defense that the highest average flight time on any service F/A-18 Hornet is just over 8,500 hours. “Moreover, not a single F/A-18 Hornet in the Department of the Navy inventory has surpassed the 9,000 hour mark,” Block said… Block said that Marine Corps crews “are conducting routine maintenance at an accelerated pace due to higher utilization”… Maj. Gen. Jon Davis, commander of the 2nd Marine Corps Air Wing [said that] “You cannot keep it up forever.”

March 30/11: A $24.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification for “supplies and services to support depot-level modification installations and in-service repairs of [USN/USMC] F/A-18 series aircraft.” Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be complete by September 2011. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00189-08-D-Z028).

March 4/11: Multinational. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co., Ltd. in Middlesex, England receives an $18.3 million firm-fixed price contract modification to exercise an option for 65 Navy Aircrew Common Ejection Seats (NACES). They will equip F/A-18 A+/C+ Hornets and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy ($18.2M/ 99.4%), and the air forces of Australia (F/A-18A+ and F/A-18F; $51,920/ 0.27%) and Kuwait (F/A-18C+; $61,730; 0.33%). This option also buys associated hardware, equipment, technical data, and production support services.

Work will be performed in Johnstown, PA (60%), and Middlesex, England (40%), and is expected to be complete in December 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract. See also Feb 25/11 entry.

March 3/11: Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives an $8.8 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for integrated logistics support; in-service engineering; information systems; technical data; support equipment engineering; automated maintenance environment; training/software integration support; provisioning; and A-D sustaining engineering services in support of the F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler aircraft.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%); El Segundo, CA (15%); Oklahoma City, OK (6%); Bethpage, NY (5%); and San Diego, CA (4%), and is expected to be complete in December 2011. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00383-06-D-001J).

Feb 28/11: USN Life Extension. A Gannett Navy Times article details the efforts underway to keep the US Navy’s fleet of F/A-18 A-D Hornet fighters in service, until some of them can be replaced by F-35B/C jets.

The USN’s F/A-18 program manager, Capt. Mark Darrah, is quoted as saying that the Hornet fleet is averaging about 330 flight-hours per year, which means they’re consistently about 30% above planned usage. Many have now exceeded even their extended usage figure of 8,000 flight hours. Fortunately, their accident rate remains low.

Carrier Air Wing 7 commander Capt. Roy Kelley adds that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet is also burning through airframe hours, with 73 of the fleet’s 418 aircraft already over 3,000 hours – wich is about half-way through their safe design lifetimes.

The Navy hopes to extend its Hornet airframes to 10,000 safe flight hours, up from the easier target of 8,600. Each plane costs about $15 million when put through the deep inspections and refurbishment program. It’s accompanied by detailed record-keeping, and a constant juggling act among the squadrons. Darrah says that NAVAIR/NAF’s quarterly modification review “literally makes the decisions every quarter on, bureau number by bureau number, what aircraft will be assigned to what units,” based heavily on flight hour and maintenance issues. Once on the carrier, that juggling continues. Networking has made flight data files compilable and accessible across the fleet, allowing for remote analysis by expert teams, and letting squadrons pick less demanding missions for high-hours airframes, in order to even out wear and tear.

Feb 25/11: A $10.8 million order for the US Navy’s F/A-18 A-D Navy aircrew common ejection seat retrofit: 24 multipurpose display indicators; 12 horizontal situation displays; and 37 install kits (AFC-430, AFC-493, and AYC-1363).

Work will be performed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (57%); St. Louis, MO (24%); Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (3%); Grand Rapids, MI (2%); Sylmar, CA (1%); Tempe, AR (1%); El Paso, TX (1%); El Segundo, CA (1%); and various locations throughout the United States (10%); and is expected to be complete in February 2013. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11 (N00019-11-G-0001).

Jan 6/11: USN Life Extension. As part of a plan detailing $150 billion in service cuts and funding shifts over the next 5 years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates states that he is placing the Marine Corps’ F-35B on the equivalent of a 2-year probation, extends the F-35 program’s development phase again to 2016, and cuts production of all models over the 2012-2016 time period.

In response, the Navy will add 41 Super Hornets, and perform service life extension work on another 150 F/A-18 A-D Hornets. Pentagon release re: overall plan | Full Gates speech and Gates/Mullen Q&A transcript | F-35 briefing hand-out [PDF] || Aviation Week | Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Sky Talk blog.

2010

Australia; Canada; Finland; Switzerland. Malaysian F/A-18D:
Bersama Shield 2010
(click to view full)

Dec 30/10: FIRST. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $69.1 million delivery order under the F/A-18 Integrated Readiness Support Team (FIRST) Program for continued support of F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler fleets of the U.S. Navy ($64.6M/ 93.6%); and the governments of Australia ($1.7M/ 2.5%), Canada ($513,996; 0.7%), Spain ($513,996/ 0.7%), Finland ($513,966/ 0.7%), Switzerland ($513,996; 0.7%), Kuwait ($513,996/ 0.7%), and Malaysia ($256,998/ 0.4%).

Under FIRST, which began in 2001, Boeing manages and forecasts spares and repairs, oversees spares inventories, makes supportability improvements within the budget in order to meet its availability targets, and handles obsolescence management and technology insertion. Like the British “contracting for availability” agreements, the objective is to improve fleet support and aircraft readiness while reducing costs. Boeing will be rewarded for having the aircraft meet in-service readiness targets, rather than getting paid for spare parts or hours worked.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%); El Segundo, CA (15%); Oklahoma City, OK (6%); Bethpage, NY (5%); and San Diego, CA (4%); and is expected to be complete in December 2011. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00383-06-D-001J).

Dec 27/10: Finland/ Switzerland. A $66.2 million firm-fixed-price delivery order under the basic ordering agreement for weapon replaceable assemblies and other complex parts used in retrofitting F/A-18C/D aircraft for the governments of Finland (62/ $44.6M/ 67%), and Switzerland (33/ $21.6M/ 33%).

Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, IA (44.8%); St. Louis, MO (26.8%); Fort Worth, TX (14.9%); Oakland, NJ (6.4%); Grand Rapids, MI (3.3%); Butler, NJ (1.3%); Sylmar, CA (1%); Killdeer, ND (0.5%); Mesa, AZ (0.4%); El Segundo, CA (0.3%); Wallingford, CT (0.2%); and Horsham, PA (0.1%), and is expected to be complete in April 2015. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract on behalf of these Foreign Military Sale clients (N00019-11-G-0001).

Dec 23/10: Multinational. Moog, Inc. in East Aurora, NY receives a $17.3 million order for 1,626 kits required to complete engineering change proposal #1054 for F/A-18 LA-d leading edge flap mechanical drive group system for the US Navy (1,260/ $13.4M/ 77.49%) and the governments of Finland (138/ $1.5M/ 8.49%), Kuwait (94/ $998,374/ 5.78%), Switzerland (68/ $722,228/ 4.18%), Spain (50/ 531,050/ 3.08%), and Malaysia (16/ $169,936/ 0.98%).

Work will be performed in Torrance, CA, and is expected to be completed in November 2014, but $13.4 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts on behalf of all customers (SPM4A1-06-G-0002).

Dec 22/10: A $10.3 million firm-fixed-price delivery order #0010 under previously awarded contract (N00383-06-D-001J) for production of nose landing gears used on the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete by January 2015. This contract was not competitively awarded by the Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia, PA.

Dec 22/10: Multinational. Raytheon Technical Services in Indianapolis, IN receives $33 million for a priced delivery order of APG-65/73 radar system components used in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. AN/APG-65 radars are exclusive to the F/A-18 A-D Hornet, including Spain and Kuwait’s models; while the AN/APG-73 equips older F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, as well as F/A-18 upgrades and C/D model Hornets flown by the USMC, Australia, Canada, Finland, Malaysia, and Switzerland. Many Super Hornets with APG-73 radars are having them replaced by next-generation AN/APG-79 AESA models, so Super Hornets will form a diminishing base for the older APG-73.

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (65%); El Segundo, CA (20%); Forest, MS (13%); and Andover, MA (2%), and is expected to be complete by January 2015. This contract was not competitively awarded by the US Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia, PA, as there’s just 1 manufacturer for these radars (N00383-07-G-008D, #7152).

Dec 21/10: A $13.4 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for Avionics Repair Facility support, to repair various F/A-18 components. Work will be performed in Lemoore, CA (49%); Cecil Field, FL (49%); and Philadelphia, PA (3%), and is to be complete by December 2011.

This effort includes the governments of Spain, Malaysia, and Kuwait (all less than 1%) under the Foreign Military Sales program, and was not competitively awarded by the US Naval Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-07-G-005H, #0012).

Dec 3/10: Kuwait. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $16.9 million delivery order for supplies and services required to upgrade 39 Kuwaiti F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters. The upgrades will add a Miniature Airborne Global Positioning Receiver 2000 with selective availability anti-spoofing module (SAASM), corresponding improvements to the fighters’ moving map displays, and a cockpit pressurization warning system.

Work will be performed in Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait (90%), and in St. Louis, MO (10%), and is expected to be complete in June 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD will manage this contract on behalf of the Foreign Military Dale customer (N00019-05-G-0026). Kuwait is currently evaluating long-term replacement options for its Hornet fleet, with France’s Rafale billed as a leading contender.

Nov 22/10: Multinational. Boeing receives a $7.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract modification, exercising an option for in-service support of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft of the governments of Australia ($464,714; 6%), Canada ($872,514; 12%), Finland ($1.7M; 22%), Kuwait ($874,264; 12%), Malaysia ($864,264; 11%), Spain ($385,847; 5%), and Switzerland ($2.46M; 32%). Services to be provided include program management, logistics, engineering support, and incidental materials and technical data.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and will run to in December 2011. The US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-09-D-0010).

Oct 14/10: Canada. The Canadian government has contracted Calgary-based Harris Canada Inc. to continue avionics maintenance of its CF-18 fighter jets, until their replacements are ready to fly. The contract is worth up to C$ 273.8 million (currently at rough parity with American dollar) until 2020.

It is more focused than the larger L-3 MAS contract (q.v. Sept 1/10), which covers the entire aircraft, but it’s a similar sort of extension. Canadian Press | The Globe and Mail.

Sept 24/10: Multinational. A $21.6 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for integrated logistics support, in-service engineering, information systems, technical data, support equipment engineering, automated maintenance environment, training/software integration support, provisioning and sustaining engineering in support of F/A-18 A-D, E/F, and EA-18G aircraft. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($18.5 million; 85.7%) and the governments of Australia ($2.5 million, 11.5%); Canada ($212,300, 1%); Spain ($147,700, 0.7%); Finland ($98,500, 0.5%); Kuwait ($61,500, 0.3%), Switzerland ($52,300, 0.2%), and Malaysia ($12,300; 0.1%), under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (70%); El Segundo, CA (15%); Oklahoma City, OK (6%); Bethpage, NY (5%); and San Diego, CA (4%); and is expected to be complete in December 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00383-06-D-001J).

Sept 22/10: Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, El Segundo, CA receives a $35.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for 33 F/A-18 A-D center barrel sections, and loose and miscellaneous parts. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA, and is expected to be complete in October 2013. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-10-C-0052).

Sept 1/10: Canada. The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office announces that the government has extended its CF-18 Systems Engineering Support Contract to L-3 Communications MAS of Mirabel, Quebec until at least 2017. This 7-year contract extension is valued at C$ 467 million, with 3 additional 1-year extension options that could add another C$ 86 million (C$ 553 million total), and stretch the contract until the end of the fleet’s estimated service life in 2020.

The contractor’s primary responsibility for the CF-18 Hornet fleet is development and maintenance work that includes mission software, structural testing, depot-level inspections and repairs, technical support teams, and other engineering services. In addition to their Canadian maintenance work, they’ve also been involved in Australia’s HUG [PDF] Hornet upgrade and life-extension program. Canadian PMO | L-3 MAS [PDF] | CBC | National Post.

June 24/10: Australia. L-3 MAS announces [PDF] the on-time delivery of the last of 10 Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornet aircraft for which it performed Centre Barrel Replacement (CBR) work, under contract to the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). See March 6/06 entry, which covered initial prototype work, and was followed by a production and integration contract. See also Aug 22/07 entry.

Under the DMO’s Hornet Upgrade Phase 3 (HUG 3) program, the aircraft systems and wings were removed in Williamtown by BAE Systems Australia. The Hornet fuselages were airlifted to the L-3 MAS CBR-dedicated facility in Mirabel, Canada on a leased AN-124 heavy cargo aircraft, then sent back to Williamtown for final assembly and returned to flight status by BAE. See also BAE Systems Australia.BAE Systems Australia.

2009

Australia; Finland; Kuwait. Kuwaiti F/A-18C
(click to view full)

Dec 28/09: Kuwait. DynCorp International LLC in Fort Worth, TX received a $16.9 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-06-C-0308), exercising an option for maintenance services in support of the Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Program under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Kuwait (90%) and Fort Worth, TX (10%), and is expected to be complete in December 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

Dec 8/09: A $6.6 million not-to-exceed order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for F/A-18 A-D Service Life Extension Program Phase B+ engineering support services. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (55%), and El Segundo, CA (45%), and is expected to be completed in December 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contracts.

Dec 2/09: Kuwait. A $9.5 million order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for the necessary personnel, material and support to repair or replace damaged components of Kuwait F/A-18 aircraft tail number 421 for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Work will be performed at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, and is expected to be complete in December 2012. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract.

Nov 12/09: Multinational. A $10.8 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-09-D-0010, exercising an option to provide in-service support for Switzerland ($2.7 million; 25%), Australia ($1.6 million; 15%), Finland ($1.6 million; 15%), Canada ($1.6 million; 15%), Kuwait ($1.1 million; 10%), Malaysia ($1.1 million; 10%) and Spain’s ($1.1 million; 10%) F/A-18 Hornets. This effort will include, but is not limited to, program management, engineering and logistics support. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in December 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract.

Nov 5/09: Finland. A $13.7 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for 2 F/A-18C/D Mid-Life Upgrade 2 validation-verification kits for the Finnish Air Force under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in September 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract.

May 28/09: Australia. L-3 MAS and BAE Systems Australia announce a 4-year, A$ 150 million contract to provide long term maintenance and modification support to the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, with 5 years of additional extension options through 2018. L-3 MAS.

March 18/09: Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. received a $6.6 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0026). They will perform for inner wing conversion and reliability improvements required pursuant to Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 609. This ECP will convert existing F/A-18A/B Lots 5-9 Inner Wing assemblies to be compatible with F/A-18 C/D (Lots 10, 11, 12, and up) aircraft. This ECP also defines changes required to convert existing F/A-18 C/D Lots 10 and 11 Inner Wings to be compatible with F/A-18 C/D Lots 12 and up aircraft, addresses reliability issues with 2 fuel tubes by replacing them with heat treated versions, and defining requirements to improve sealing of the inner wing, in order to prevent stress corrosion cracking of the lower spar flanges.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (74%) and Mesa, AZ (26%), and is expected to be complete in December 2012. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract.

Feb 13/09: Multinational. Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. received a $10.4 million cost plus fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract. They will provide program management, logistics, and engineering services and incidental materials and technical data in support of F/A-18s flown by Australia ($927,200/ 8.9%), Canada ($1.6M/ 15.56%), Finland ($2.2M/ 21.32%), Kuwait ($1.3M/ 12.45%), Malaysia ($806,352/ 7.74%), Spain ($362,000/ 3.48%), and Switzerland ($3.2M/ 30.55%). The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00019-09-D-0010).

2008

Cracks in US fleet. Australia; Finland; Switzerland. Swiss F/A-18C
(click to view full)

Dec 19/08: Multinational. Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp in St Louis, MO received cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with an estimated value of $905.3 million. In return, the firm will provide the support services required to enhance the F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler aircraft with a series of System Configuration Sets (SCS) for F/A-18 family aircraft operated by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the Governments of Canada, Australia, Spain, Kuwait, Switzerland, Finland and Malaysia.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (95%) and at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, CA issued the contract (N68936-09-D-0002).

Dec 17/08: Switzerland. The Swiss Standerat approves the defense program, including Hornet modernization. Armasuisse release [in German].

Dec 9/08: Australia. Australia’s government announces that the final Hornet Upgrade (HUG) Phase 2.2 aircraft has now been delivered with modifications to the radar system, avionics system, electronic warfare suite and a Hornet aircrew training system. The last of 14 RAAF Hornets to receive the interim electronic warfare upgrade has been successfully delivered under HUG Phase 2.3 with Raytheon’s ALR-67v3 radar warning system. Both upgrade sets were reportedly delivered on time and on budget. The next stage of HUG 2.3 is set to begin in May 2009, and will add a new countermeasures dispensing system, new data recorder and a further software upgrade. Australian DoD release.

Oct 23/08: Cracking up? The US Navy orders inspections across its 636 plane Hornet fleet, after cracks are found in aileron hinges on 15 aircraft. In December 2008, a crash kills 3 people and destroys several San Diego houses – but it appears to be the result of an engine failure. Read “Aging Aircraft: Cracks in USA’s F/A-18 fleet” for more.

Oct 1/08: General Electric in Lynn, MA received a 5-year, $641 million Performance Based Logistics (PBL) requirements contract for the F404 engine used on the F/A-18 A-D aircraft. PBL contracts are structured with bonuses for meeting key performance requirements like readiness, and penalties for failing to meet them.

Repair, replacement, and program support work will be performed at Lynn, MA, and is expected to be complete by December 2012. This effort combines efforts with the U.S. Navy (97%) and the Government of Switzerland (1%); Finland (1%), and Kuwait (1%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Inventory Control Point.

Sept 26/08: Multinational. A $10.2 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for 703 F/A-18 Cockpit Pressure Warning System kits to equip the U.S. Navy, (590, $7.9 million, 77.8%) and the Governments of Finland, (66, $994,999, 9.8%), Kuwait (39, $863,000, 8.5%) and Malaysia (8, $399,854, 3.9%).

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (85%) and Mesa, AZ (15%), and is expected to be complete in October 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $3.9 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Sept 26/08: A $13.6 million modification to a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00019-04-C-0014) for incorporation of Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 6318 “Incorporation of upgraded Solid State Recorder (USSR)” to provide “high fidelity recording of the 14 F/A-18E, 9 F/A-18F, and 22 EA-18G 8 x 10 display that retains and expands on the current Solid state Recorder capabilities.”

Despite the references confining the upgrades to Super Hornet family aircraft, this modification/order is said to combine purchases for the U.S. Navy ($7.6 million, 56%) and the Governments of Switzerland ($3 million, 22%) and Finland ($3 million; 22%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The latter 2 countries, of course, fly only F/A-18C/D Hornets. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in November 2010.

Sept 25/08: Switzerland. General Dynamics Information Technology announces a 5-year contract to provide program management services for the Swiss government’s F/A-18 fleet. The contract has a total potential value of $25.7 million if all options are exercised. General Dynamics will provide logistics, information technology (IT) and engineering support, along with communications management and training services.

Sept 25/08: Switzerland/ Finland. Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. received a $20.1 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0015) for new cockpit display suites on behalf of Switzerland and Finland. These suites will be used as lab assets for the design and development of a new cockpit display associated with both countries’ F/A-18C/D upgrade programs. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in December 2011. The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) manages the contract.

Sept 24/08: Switzerland. The Swiss House of Representatives rejects the PA08 program, dealing a political blow to defence minister Samuel Schmid, and a program blow to F/A-18 modernization. Switzerland’s Senate will vote on it again in December 2008.

The problem is Swiss party politics. While the left-wing Greens and Social-Democrats are reliably opposed to such measures, the right-wing People’s Party (SVP) has threatened to veto and block all new arms expenditures. Samuel Schmid’s personal break with the SVP appears to be paying negative dividends; without SVP support, the centre-right Radicals and Christian Democrats lack the required votes. ISN analysis | Swiss Info story.

Sept 22/08: Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Council announces approval of the country’s SFR 917 million (about $844 million) Armaments Program 2008 (PA 08). Within that program, SFR 404 million is earmarked to maintaining and upgrading Switzerland’s 33 F/A-18C/D fighters.

“[the fleet] must be prepared for the second part of its 30-year service life… to reduce costs, their modernization will be undertaken in parallel with those of other countries. However, because of cost issues, Swiss F/A-18s will not [be] equipped for air-to-ground missions, nor for aerial reconnaissance.”

Read “Switzerland’s Hornet Upgrade 25 Program” for more.

Sept 9/08: Finland. The US DSCA announces Finland’s official request for equipment, to support the 3rd phase of its F-18 Mid-Life Upgrade Program to modernize its 63 F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet aircraft. The contracts could be worth up to $406 million. Read “Finland Requests 3rd Upgrade Phase for its F-18s” for full details.

Sept 4/08: Australia. Australia has initially decide to replace 49 center barrel sections in its Hornet fleet, and has already begun the process. In parallel, however, it also ran a full scale fatigue testing program for removed center barrel sections, courtesy of Australia’s DSTO, QinetiQ-Aerostructures, and Fortburn. The Hon. Warren Snowdon MP, Australia’s Minister for Defence Science and Personnel under Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, announced that in light of this testing:

“…the actual life of the Hornet centre barrels is 10%, or 2 years, greater than originally certified… These findings are thanks to Australia’s internationally recognised world-leading expertise in testing and managing ageing aircraft, and is the result of decades of experience developing this capability.”

In response, Australia’s center barrel replacement program may drop from 49 aircraft to 10, a move that would save up to A$ 400 million (currently about $330 million) and leave more aircraft available for missions.

Aug 14/08: Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. received a $17.4 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost plus fixed fee contract (N00383-06-D-001J) to incorporate post production and performance based logistics support requirements. This support is designed to ensure the continued safe and effective operations of fielded F/A-18 A-D aircraft in the US Navy and US Marine Corps ($12.6 million; 72%); and by the governments of Australia ($794,520; 5%), Canada ($1.5 million; 8%), Spain ($1 million; 6%), Finland ($677,991; 4%), Switzerland ($360,183; 2%), Kuwait ($423,744; 2%), and Malaysia ($84,749; 1%).

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (76%); El Segundo, CA (21%); Warner Robins, GA (2%); and Santa Clarita, CA (1%), and is expected to be complete in December 2008.

July 10/08: Australia. L-3 Communications MAS in Montreal, Canada announces a contract under Australia’s F/A-18 Centre Barrel Replacement (CBR) program, which is part of their Structural Refurbishment Project Phase 2 (SRP2). L-3 MAS began its SRP relationship with Australia’s DMO in 2002, and Australia’s initial CBR contract with was awarded in December 2005. The second phase of that CBR contract is worth up to USD$ 106 million, and was awarded n June 2008.

Under this new phase, L-3 MAS will deliver 4 low rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft followed by 4 full-rate production aircraft between May 2008 – June 2010, while providing ancillary services such as program management, engineering services, discrete modifications, spares and kits. The aircraft are inducted and prepared by BAE Systems Australia in Williamtown before being airlifted to the L-3 MAS F/A-18 CBR facility in Mirabel, Canada. Once re-spliced and repaired by L-3 MAS, the aircraft are returned to Williamtown for final assembly, flight testing and delivery to the DMO. The contract allows for options that could extend center-barrel replacement production to 2014.

The L-3 release briefly discusses the Mirabel facility’s use of lean manufacturing principles, and makes vague references to a recent contract with Spain involving its EA-18s. “L-3 MAS Wins Second Phase of Major F/A-18 Centre Barrel Contract with Australia and Is Awarded New Contract with Spain” was not posted the web.

July 1/08: General Electric Aviation in Lynn, MA received a $30.8 million 3-month extension of a previously awarded requirements contract (N00383-03-D-011M) for repair or replacement components and program support for the F404 engine used on the F/A-18 A-D aircraft.

This award combines an effort between the U.S. Navy (90%) and the Governments of Spain (1%); Canada (1%); Australia (1%); Kuwait (1%); and Switzerland (1%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. DID is aware that this adds up to 95%, but that’s what was in the DefenseLINK announcement.

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL (90%) and Lynn, MA (10%), and is expected to be complete by September 2008. The Naval Inventory Control Point manages this contract.

June 16/08: USN/ Finland. Northrup Grumman Corp Integrated Systems, in El Segundo, CA received a $48.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for 20 center barrel aircraft sections and 6 engine nacelles (5 for the U.S. Navy and 1 for the Government of Finland’s F/A-18 C/D aircraft). In addition, this contract provides for loose and miscellaneous parts.

This contract combines purchases for the United States Navy ($47.2 million; 98%), and Government of Finland ($1.1 million; 2%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (85%); and St. Augustine, FL (15%), and is expected to be complete in November 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $2.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-08-C-0052).

April 30/08: Northrop Grumman Corp. in El Segundo, CA received a ceiling priced $25 million delivery order under a Basic Ordering Agreement (N00383-06-G-032D, #5115) for aircraft rudders which are spares in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA and is expected to be complete by April 2011. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Inventory Control Point.

2007

Australia; Canada; Kuwait; Switzerland. Australian F/A-18A
(click to view full)

Dec 18/07: Switzerland. Switzerland’s makes an official request to the USA for up to $535 million in new equipment and refurbishments under its F/A-18C/D Upgrade 25 Program, in order to extend the useful life of 33 Swiss Air Force (SAF) F/A-18C/Ds. The upgrades include significant upgrades to the avionics and mission computer, 20 ATFLIR surveillance and targeting pods, and 44 sets of AN/ALR-67v3 ECM equipment, among other items, follow a successful trip to the USA to test integration of the F-18s’ new AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. See “Switzerland’s Hornet Upgrade 25 Program” for full details.

Dec 18/07: Kuwait. DynCorp International LLC in Fort Worth, TX received a $14.1 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-06-C-0308), exercising an option for maintenance and support services for the Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Program under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Kuwait (90%) and Fort Worth, Texas (10%), and is expected to be complete in December 2008. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

Nov 15/07: Northrop Grumman Corp. in El Segundo, CA received $8.7 million for firm-fixed-price order #5095 under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-G-032D) for aircraft rudders which are spares in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (50%), Wichita, KS (24%), and Emmen, Switzerland (26%); and is expected to be complete by July 2011. This contract was not awarded competitively by the Naval Inventory Control Point.

Nov 9/07: Kuwait. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] Kuwait’s formal request for technical/logistics support for F/A-18 aircraft as well as associated equipment and services. The principal contractors are: Boeing Company of St. Louis, MO; and General Dynamics of Fairfax, VA. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $90 million.

The Government of Kuwait has requested a possible sale of continuing logistics support, contractor maintenance, and technical services in support of the F/A-18 aircraft to include contractor engineering technical services, contractor maintenance support, avionics software, engine component improvement and spare parts, technical ground support equipment, spare and repair parts, supply support, publications and technical data, engineering change proposals, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics personnel services and other related elements of program support. The estimated cost is $90 million.

Sept 20/07: Multinational. Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. in St. Louis, MO received a $145.1 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N68936-02-C-0043) for continued system configuration set support for the F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler weapons systems for the US Navy and Marine Corps. In addition, this modification provides for unique Foreign Military Sales variants for the governments of Australia, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain, and Switzerland.

This contract also provides for studies and analysis related to avionics integration and acquisition product activities such as integration and testing. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (95%) and in China Lake, Calif. (5%), and is expected to be complete in January 2009. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif. issued the contract.

Aug 22/07: Australia. Australia’s DoD announces an important Hornet UpGrade program milestone with the recent completion of the first center barrel replacement for Australia’s F/A-18 A/B Hornets. The prototype aircraft was disassembled in Australia and shipped to Canada where the centre barrel was successfully replaced, with up to 25,000 replacement spare parts required. The prototype aircraft has been returned to Australia for reassembly by the Hornet Industry Coalition at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle.

The initial low rate production of nine aircraft will continue in Canada following the successful prototype. Full rate production is planned for up to 39 aircraft in Australia once the Hornet industry Coalition has developed a mature supply pipeline and industrial capacity, and has recruited and trained additional skilled workforce. Disassembly and reassembly work will continue at Williamtown, and the requirement to conduct additional aircraft work in Canada has no impact on the current Australian workforce.

Aug 20/07: Canada. Boeing and industry partner L-3 Communications MAS, Inc., deliver the first modernized Phase II CF-18 fighter to the Canadian Department of Defense. Boeing previously completed 2 prototype aircraft, while L-3 provided installation services for the program’s remaining 77 aircraft. The Phase II work is done at the L-3 facility in Mirabel (Montreal), Quebec.

Phase I, completed in August 2006, upgraded the Canadian Hornet fleet’s avionics, radio and weapons capabilities. The USD $150 million Phase II of the CF-18 modernization program adds a data link system, a helmet-mounted sight system, new color cockpit displays and a new chaff- and flare-dispensing electronic warfare system to 79 CF-18 (F/A-18 A/B) Hornets. The program is expected to be completed in March 2010.

Aug 17/07: Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Western Region in El Segundo, CA received a $25.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-06-C-0080) for 15 shipsets of U.S. Navy Inlet Nacelles in support of the Service Life Extension Program for the U.S. Navy F/A-18A/B/C/D aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (71%) and at various locations throughout the United States (29%), and work is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $2.9 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River MD issued the contract.

Aug 3/07: Canada. Being able to send one’s Hornets into harm’s way is an ancillary aspect of fleet readiness, but it’s worth noting. Canada formally requests ALR-67v3 radar warning receivers for its F/A-18s, then follows that up over time with orders under umbrella contracts that also involve other Hornet operators.

Read “Canada’s Hornet Upgrades: ALR-67 RWRs” to get a spotlight on one Hornet nation’s measures in this area.

April 23/07: Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. in St. Louis, MO received a $9.1 million ceiling priced delivery order (# 7020) under previously awarded basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-07-G-005H) for repair of 27 F/1-18 outer wing panels. Work will be performed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (95%), and Mesa, AZ (5%), and is expected to be completed by April 2008. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

March 7/07: Multinational. An $16.3 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-05-C-0003) for the procurement of CY(Calendar Year) 2007 In Service Support services for the F/A-18 A-D aircraft for the U.S. Navy and the Governments of Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Spain, including program management, engineering, and logistics support.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (76%) and El Segundo, CA (24%) and is expected to be complete in Dec. 2007. Contract funds in the amount of $1.4 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U. S. Navy ($12.3 million; 75.5%); and the Governments of Canada ($1.2 million; 7.5%); Spain ($799,508; 4.9%); Australia ($667,848; 4.1%); Finland ($569,731; 3.5%); Kuwait ($355,950; 2.2%); Switzerland ($302,571; 1.9%); and Malaysia ($71,085; 0.4%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

Jan 18/07: USN/ Australia. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Integrated Systems Western Region in El Segundo, CA received a $28.7 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-06-C-0080), exercising an option for 32 shipsets of Center Barrel Replacement Plus (CBR+) hardware for the U.S. Navy (23) and the Royal Australian Air Force (9) in support of the Service Life Extension Program for the F/A-18 A-D aircraft.

Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (83%); Amityville, NY (12.11%); and Ravenswood, WVA (4.89%), and is expected to be complete in December 2009. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($20 million; 70%) and the Government of Australia ($87 million; 30%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD is the contracting activity.

2006

Restarting part production. US F/A-18C, wings folded
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Nov 30/06: Multinational. Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. received an $11.2 million modification to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract #N00019-04-D-0015, exercising an option for unique F/A-18 in-service support for the Governments of Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Spain, including program management, engineering, and logistics support. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO and is expected to be complete in December 2007.

This modification combines purchases for the Governments of Switzerland ($2,805,375; 25%); Finland ($2,244,300; 20%); Canada ($1,683,225; 15%); Australia ($1,122,150; 10%); Kuwait ($1,122,150; 10%); Malaysia ($1,122,150; 10%); and Spain ($1,122,150; 10%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command issued the contract.

Sept 21/06: A $76 million award to Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas for three firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity orders (#7001, #7002, #7003) under a basic ordering agreement contract (N00383-06-D-004H-7000) for procurement of newly manufactured spares in support of the F/A-18 C/D flight surfaces system. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO and is expected to be complete by July 2011. The Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP) issued the contract.

A Nov 8/06 Boeing release note that this order is part of a larger 5-year contract worth up to $391 million. It aims to provide more than 3,000 new flight control surfaces for F/A-18 A-D aircraft, and replaces a previous 5-year agreement. Flight control surfaces are the hinged or movable airfoils designed to change the aircraft’s attitude during flight, and some of the surface pieces in question are as large as a compact car.

The parts will be assembled in St. Louis, MO, with deliveries scheduled to begin this year and continuing through 2013. The total $391 million contract comes in annual increments, with the first year’s order being about $89 million and deliveries starting within 6 months.

June 30/06: Part production restart. NAVICP also issued a $59.5 million contract to Boeing for 23 spare inner wings, restarting a portion of the Hornet production line that had closed in 2000 (the Super Hornet is a larger aircraft that looks similar, but does not use the same wings). The inner wing is the largest portion of the wing system, and it is called that because does not fold up when the plane is stowed on an aircraft carrier. The wings will be built in St. Louis with first delivery scheduled for 2009 and final delivery by September 2010.

March 6/06: Australia. L-3 Communications MAS announces [PDF] a C$ 20 million ($17.6 million) contract from the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for design and prototype work under the RAAF’s F/A-18 Centre Barrel Replacement (CBR) Program. The work related to this contract actually started on Dec 22/05 and is being performed in the L-3 MAS facilities in Mirabel, QB, Canada.

The CBR prototype efforts are an extension of the structural work being carried out by L-3 MAS under the RAAF Hornet Upgrade Phase 3 (HUGPH3) Structural Refurbishment Program. The center barrel is the aircraft’s mid-fuselage section where the wings attach, and which carries their structural load. The 1st RAAF aircraft is scheduled to arrive Mirabel in April 2006, and the prototype activities are expected to be completed by mid-2007.

Jan 6/06: Northrop Grumman Corp. Air Combat Systems in El Segundo, CA received a $24.8 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-06-C-0080) for the procurement of 37 shipsets of F/A-18 Hornet Center Barrel Replacement Plus (CBR+) hardware. It was issued to as part of the Service Life Extension Program for the Navy F/A-18 A-D Hornet aircraft.

The “center barrel” is the crucial center part of the aircraft fuselage that supports the wings and landing gear. This part is may be replaced for crash damage, or just because of the continual hard landing damage sustained by aircraft in the “controlled crashes” of carrier landings.

Dec 21/05: Northrop Grumman Corp. Air Combat Systems in El Segundo, CA received a $5.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 37 shipsets of Center Barrel Replacement Plus (CBR+) loose parts in support of the Service Life Extension Program for the U.S. Navy F/A-18A/B/C/D aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA and is expected to be complete in October 2008. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-06-C-0080).

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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

South Korea Launches KF-16 Fighter Upgrades Upended

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:18
ROKAF KF-16
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In July 2009, The Korea Times reported that ROKAF was looking to upgrade its F-16C/D fleet’s radar and armament, as part of the 2010-2014 arms acquisition and management package submitted to President Lee Myung-bak for approval.

Under the Peace Bridge II and II deals, The ROKAF bought 140 “KF-16” Block 52 fighters, which were assembled in Korea between 1994-2004 under a $5.5 billion licensing agreement. Key upgrades to this fleet will include new radars to replace the existing APG-68v5/v7 systems, modern avionics and computers, and upgrades of the planes’ cabling and databuses to MIL-STD-1760. The centerpiece AESA radar competition has a winner now, and South Korea has picked its contractor for the overall upgrade program. Now the effort is turning that into binding contracts, and beginning the upgrade process. Other countries within the region and beyond are interested in similar high-value F-16 upgrade programs, so the ROk’s experiences will be watched carefully.

Korea’s KF-16 Radar The Benefits of AESA Technology NGC’s SABR
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Active Electronically Scanned Array radars offer dramatic increases in fighter performance, and an equally dramatic drop in maintenance costs, thanks to their large array of independently excitable and steerable transmit/receive modules. Advantages over mechanical phased array radars like the KF-16s’ APG-68 include 2x-3x range or performance, simultaneous ground and air scans, and near-zero maintenance over the fighter’s lifetime. The fixed AESA antenna in American designs cuts out high-maintenance motors and hydraulics, and if one T/R module out of thousands burns out or breaks, it matters so little that it’s just left on. More advanced functions like high speed communications, and even focused electronic disruption of enemy radars, also become possible.

South Korea was very interested in AESA performance, but we were told by contractor sources that their calculations of the long-term maintenance savings over existing mechanically-scanned APG-68 radars helped them decide to make the investment in AESA.

F-16s have several AESA radar versions to choose from.

Northrop Grumman supplies the AN/APG-68 radars that equip most current F-16s, as well as the AN/APG-80 radar that equips the United Arab Emirates’ F-16E/F Desert Falcons. The firm has gone on to develop a more generic AESA system called SABR (Scalable Agile Beam Radar) as a drop-in AESA replacement for existing F-16 radars like the APG-68.

Raytheon has taken similar steps, developing an AESA radar called RACR (Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar) for the same purpose. Their radar won, and will equip up to 134 KF-16s.

A 3rd possible choice is IAI ELta’s EL/M-2052. It was originally developed for Israeli F-16s, and would probably have been fitted to the F-16I if the USA hadn’t threatened to cut of all manufacturer support for the fighters. This raises the specter that the US government would use the same tactics in export competitions, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the M-2052’s most promising sales prospects currently involve non-American fighters in India.

Raytheon’s Speed RACR RACR
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Raytheon’s resizable RACR AESA radar is aimed at a very large potential market, as a retrofit for F-16s and F/A-18 Hornets around the world, and as an option for new planes. Raytheon’s goal was to keep the existing aperture and form of existing F-16 and F/A-18 Hornet radars, and keep the same power requirement. That allows customers to just drop it into the smaller fighters without structural or power changes.

The translation of received data is mostly handled within the RACR modules already, minimizing other changes to the receiving fighter, and this same flexibility is possible for other platforms with previous-generation radars. Aperture sizes can be varied for different platforms by changing the number and arrangement of T/R modules, and power back-ends can be varied as well.

APG-79 LRM removal
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The RACR radar’s core design and architecture owes a large debt to the AN/APG-79 AESA radar that equips F/A-18 family Super Hornets. The APG-79’s in-service reliability record became an important selling point for Raytheon in South Korea, and in discussions, Raytheon representatives referred to their technology maturity as an important edge.

Part of that edge involves the hardware, which has served on American & Australian Super Hornets. RACR uses the same “LRM slice” approach as the Super Hornet’s APG-79, and the modernized F-15E Strike Eagle’s APG-82. This maximizes front line maintenance by using internal diagnostics plus swap out sub-modules, instead of using larger “black box” LRUs that require more Tier 2+ depot maintenance. Many aspects of the architecture and active technologies are also similar between APG-79, APG-82, and RACR.

The other facet of RACR’s value proposition involves software. Raytheon has designed their radar families to maximize the role of software in giving them new “modes” and capabilities, even as they work to ensure a common architecture and set of technologies. Raytheon employees have told DID that it’s possible to develop a radar mode like RCDL high-bandwidth communications for a platform like the F/A-18E/F, and have it made available to RACR or APG-82 customers. For a customer like South Korea, the process would have to go through the usual export control channels as a modification to the original FMS case, but development is no longer an expense, and installation involves minimal engineering work, followed by software reprogramming and relatively quick check-out testing. The reverse would also be true, allowing innovations requested by RACR customers to find their way back to other radar fleets.

The bad news is that the APG-79’s software is known to be buggy, and is the subject of repeated and continuing reports from the Pentagon’s Department of Testing & Evaluation.

AESA After-Effects T-50, 3-view
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Korea Aerospace Industries has a very broad set of cooperation agreements with Lockheed Martin, from licenses to build and maintain the ROKAF’s F-16s, to the T-50 family’s development and international marketing agreements. One of those agreements states that the T-50 family of trainers and lightweight fighters may not be equipped with radars more sophisticated than the ones carried in the ROKAF’s KF-16s.

That clause is what forced KAI to abandon SELEX’s Vixen 500E AESA radar for the FA-50, and select IAI Elta’s EL/M-2032 mechanically-scanned radar instead. Adding AESA radars to the KF-16s would remove those strictures, opening the door for similar additions. The result would be a $30-35 million AESA-equipped FA-50+ lightweight fighter for the global export market, which could be a strong competitor for existing F-16s at $40-55 million each. It could even affect broader F-35 exports (currently $120 million per), thanks to its combination of advanced capabilities and traditional lightweight fighter price.

Contracts and Key Events 2013 – 2014

Korea picks Raytheon’s RACR as their KF-16 AESA radar, Taurus’ KEPD 350 as their long-range cruise missile; Is the BAE deal in trouble? RACR retrofit
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December 18/15: South Korea has selected Lockheed Martin to carry out work on its KF-16 upgrade program. The move comes after the $1.58 billion contract had been initially awarded to BAE Systems but had been on hold over demands for a cost increase by BAE. The work will look to upgrade the radar, armament and other integrated electronic systems of 134 KF-16s currently in service in the SKAF. The new contract also sees the Koreans drop the Raytheon produced AN/APG-68 radar for the AN/APG-83 produced by Northrop Grumman.

Jul 10/15: In a counter-lawsuit, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Agency (DAPA) has filed charges against BAE Systems and Raytheon over the companies’ alleged failure to complete a $1.7 billion KF-16 upgrade program. BAE originally filed a lawsuit in November 2014 to prevent the company from receiving a $43 million penalty over the canceled upgrade program; DAPA also demanded $18 million from Raytheon.

Nov 13/14: Legal. BAE sues in US court to block South Korea’s attempt to make BAE forfeit a $43.25 million Letter of Guarantee:

“That $43 million is a fee that was built into the F-16 contract in case BAE broke its agreement. But BAE is arguing DAPA is punishing the company for not being able to convince the US government that the extra costs created by government requirements for more testing were unnecessary. In BAE’s eyes, that simply isn’t fair.”

What’s remarkable here is the fact that the clear language of the lawsuit is saying that the US government basically destroyed the agreement between BAE and South Korea. That’s not exactly a common event, and must be seen as a major institutional and program failure. There seems to be no discussion occurring about that, in an environment where a major American company had a great deal to gain from any failure. Sources: Defense News, “BAE Sues South Korea Over F-16 Upgrade Cancellation Fees”.

Nov 5/14: Terminated. South Korea has terminated its deal with the US government over the KF-16 upgrade, which means the end of the deal with BAE. The contract was technically terminated “for convenience,” but they’re still going to have to negotiate termination fees.

Lockheed Martin can offer to step in now, and the questions are twofold. Once, will South Korea move to cut the US government out via a Direct Commercial Sale contract next time? Two, if the contract remains a Foreign Military Sale, what will the US government’s price be? An abrupt change in that price would raise a lot of questions. Sources: Defense News, “South Korea, Pentagon Kill BAE F-16 Upgrade Contract”.

Deal terminated

Oct 15/14: Deal dying? Korean media report that a proposed $753 million price hike for the KF-16 upgrade deal could result in cancellation. Lockheed Martin waits in the wings, and is reportedly extending an offer that would include more technical help with the multinational KF-X fighter program if the ROKAF switches.

The US government is reportedly demanding another WON 500 billion (about $471 million) for unspecified added “risk management,” while BAE is reportedly requesting another WON 300 million ($282 million) to cover a 1-year program delay. DAPA has been talking to the US government about these issues since August 2014, but their public statements are becoming visibly frustrated and distrustful, especially with respect to the risk fee. Words like “ludicrous” are not what you want to hear from an official negotiating partner in an Asian country. The risk for BAE is that cancellation would really hurt its push to export F-16 upgrades as a growth line of business, and Raytheon also stands to lose big by losing its cornerstone customer for the RACR AESA radar. Unfortunately, since it’s a Foreign Military Sale managed by the US military rather than a Direct Commercial Sale process managed by the purchasing government, the US government is inextricably involved in program management and in financial negotiations. That sharply limits maneuvering room for BAE, Raytheon, and South Korea’s DAPA.

Lockheed Martin’s angle is a spinoff from their recent F-35A deal, which will supply 42 aircraft to the ROKAF. Part of their industrial offsets involved help designing the proposed KF-X fighter, which is currently a collaboration between South Korea and Indonesia. They were cautious about providing too much help, but they reportedly see enough benefit in badly wounding an F-16 upgrade competitor to offer another 400 man-years of support for KF-X (total: 700) if the ROKAF switches. Sources: Chosun Ilbo, “U.S. in Massive Price Hike for Fighter Jet Upgrade” | Defense News, “F-16 Upgrade: Problems With S. Korea-BAE Deal Could Open Door to Lockheed” | Korea Times, “Korea may nix BAE’s KF-16 upgrade deal”.

June 25/14: Phase 1. BAE has received a pair of ROKAF F-16s at the company’s Alliance Airport facility in Fort Worth, TX. Phase 1 will see them used as testbeds and prototypes. They’ll be equipped with advanced mission computers, new cockpit displays, advanced radars and targeting sensors, and integrated with advanced weapons. Once the changes are proven out and accepted, Phase 2 will be ready to begin, and BAE believes that will happen before the end of 2014.

BAE says that this will be the first time that any of America’s “teen series” fighters has received a major upgrade that isn’t coming from the original manufacturer. That’s actually a debatable point. The Israelis have made wide-ranging modifications to F-16s, and the cumulative effect of the Falcon-UP and subsequent programs is arguably as extensive as BAE’s work for Korea. Unlike Israel Aerospace’s work creating the clearly superior “F-4 [Phantom II] 2000/2020,” however, it’s possible to argue that Israeli F-16 upgrades were more of an alternative configuration/ refurbishment. The Israelis might disagree. Sources: BAE, “First South Korean F-16s Arrive at BAE Systems for Upgrades”.

May 8/14: Phase 1. BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Service in Rockville, MD receives an unfinalized $140 million firm-fixed-price contract, covering initial development and long lead production of KF-16 upgrades for 134 aircraft. There’s more to come, as the full program is scheduled to be added to this contract in Summer 2014.

$68.6 million is committed immediately. Work will be performed at Ft. Worth, TX and the first upgraded KF-16 aircraft are scheduled for delivery starting 2019. USAF Life Cycle Management Center/WWMK at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8615-14-C-6023).

Phase 1 contract

Dec 22/13: Phase 1. BAE Systems announces that:

“The Republic of Korea has finalized an agreement with the U.S. government for BAE Systems to perform upgrades and systems integration for its fleet of more than 130 F-16 aircraft. The company will now begin the first phase of the work under contract through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program.”

Jan 24/14 sees Raytheon announce a corresponding signed contract with BAE Systems, without disclosing the amount for Phase 1. Raytheon is a sub-contractor, responsible for the RACR radar, ALR-69A all-digital radar warning receiver, advanced mission computing technology, and weapon systems integration. Phase 2, as proposed, would begin in late 2014, and would involve actual production and installation of the 130 upgrade kits over several years. Sources: BAE Systems, “South Korea Finalizes Agreement For BAE Systems To Perform F-16 Upgrades” | Korea Times, “S. Korea finalizes BAE deal to upgrade F-16s” | Raytheon, “Raytheon secures first international customer for its F-16 RACR AESA radar”.

Nov 25/13: Phase 1. Plans change. Instead of a single FMS case, the US DSCA announces that South Korea’s official request to upgrade 134 KF-16C/D Block 52 fighters has been broken in 2.

Phase 1 is worth up to $200 million, and the DSCA request only covers government and contractor services to support the upgrade’s initial design and development, plus some actual work and infrastructure. On the support side, they’ll produce detailed design requirements and reports for the new system design, computers, displays, sensors and weapons, pilot-vehicle interface, Group A engineering installation design, and support and training requirements. They’ll also initiate software design and development, build an avionics systems integration facility with test stations, and secure some long lead-time materials. That seems like little tangible progress for $200 million, but the DSCA doesn’t mention that 2 ROKAF F-16s will be fully outfitted as prototypes.

Phase 2 would be the full fleet upgrade with the RACR radar, updated avionics etc. That will require a separate DSCA notification.

The Koreans picked BAE Systems Technology Solution & Services, Inc. in Arlington, VA as their contractor back in March, and that’s still true. Once a contract is negotiated, implementation will require 1 BAE representative in Korea as an intermediary. Source: DSCA 13-62.

DSCA: Phase 1 upgrade planning

April 10/13: BAE & RACR AESA. South Korea’s DAPA picks Raytheon’s RACR radar to upgrade its locally-built KF-16C/D Block 52 fighters. Actually getting to a contract will be a bit more work. The ROK is using a hybrid Foreign Military Sale (FMS) structure, which retains the USAF’s role as the contract manager, but left the ROKAF to manage the selection process and decision. The ROK has made its picks, and the procedural outcome of the current government-to-government negotiations will be a single FMS case and US DSCA export notice that covers both the lead contractor for the overall KF-16 upgrade (BAE picked, confirmed no contract yet), and the provision of the AESA radar component (Raytheon picked). Once the mandatory 30-day post-notice period has passed, contracts can be issued and work can begin.

Subject to that process, Raytheon will deliver 134 RACR systems to the ROKAF, beginning in late 2016. The ROKAF received a total of 140 F-16 Block 52s/”KF-16s” under the Peace Bridge II and III contracts, on top of the original 40 F-16C/D Block 32s in Peace Bridge I. Some losses are inevitable, from landing mishaps or on-base damage to full-on crashes into the Yellow Sea. The first KF-16s were delivered almost 20 years ago in 1994, and the radar numbers could be taken as a de facto acknowledgement that the ROKAF has about 130-134 KF-16s left in inventory.

This contract’s scope includes “AESA radar development, production of test assets for the system design and development program, and production.” Discussions with Raytheon clarified that this development and testing applies only to integration with the ROKAF’s exact KF-16 configuration, which will differ even from other F-16C/D Block 52s. RACR itself is a finished product. Raytheon release | Raytheon feature.

BAE picked, RACR AESA for KF-16s

April 4/13: Cruise missiles. The ROKAF has taken about 5 years (q.v. May 18/11, April 25/08 entries), but they appear to have picked their long-range cruise missile: Taurus’ KEPD 350, with an expected order of 200 weapons. An ROKAF officer is quoted as saying that they “urgently need more long-range air-to-surface missiles due to the mounting nuclear threat and the increasing possibility of provocations from North Korea.”

It was clear from the outset that the ROKAF was looking beyond the 40 or so Boeing AGM-84K SDLAM-ER missiles in its arsenal, with particular interest in Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158 JASSM/JASSM-ER. Unfortunately, the current administration has made it difficult for South Korea to join Australia as a JASSM export customer. Parliamentary defence committee member Kim Kwan-jin is quoted as saying that:

“U.S. missiles were one of the options we were considering, but because it is difficult for them to be sold to Korea, the only option we have is the Taurus.”

Chalk up another “own goal” for American weapons export processes and administration. The KEPD 350 is currently integrated with the Tornado and F/A-18 Hornet, is partially integrated with Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen, and is expected to be integrated with the Eurofighter by 2015 or so. The ROKAF will have to fund additional integration and testing on its own, in order to use the new missile with its F-15Ks and KF-16s.

Technically, the ROKAF could have ordered MBDA’s Storm Shadow and paid for its integration instead. The thing is, it’s more expensive to buy, thanks to an added level of stealth that isn’t really helpful against North Korea. Storm Shadow also lacks the KEPD 350’s void sensing fuze, which is especially useful against the multi-level bunkers so beloved of North Korea’s tyranny. The KEPD 350’s 500 km/ 310 mile range matches or exceeds the Storm Shadow’s, and almost doubles the SLAM-ER’s reach. Chosun Ilbo | Reuters.

Cruise missile picked: Taurus’ KEPD 350

2011 – 2012

BAE picked for overall KF-16 upgrade; JDAM capability added; South Korea looking for long-range cruise missiles; AESA radar competition. KF-16D, armed
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July 31/12: South Korea picks BAE Systems as the preferred bidder for a 1.3 trillion won (about $1.05 billion) project to upgrade the KF-16s’ mission computers, operating systems, ethernet and other wiring, Link-16/MIDS, etc. They’ll also work to incorporate an AESA radar, once DAPA makes its choice between Raytheon (RACR) and Northrop Grumman (SABR). This isn’t completely unexpected. BAE has won related F-16 work in the USA and Turkey, and already provides about 40% of the mission equipment in the global F-16 fleet.

“Baek Yoon-hyeong, spokesman for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), said his agency will send a letter of request to the U.S. government in early August for a U.S. foreign military sale (FMS) of the BAE’s KF-16 upgrade package… “DAPA is expected to ink the deal with the U.S. government in December this year,” Baek said, adding that the multi-year project calls for upgrading some 130 KF-16 fighters…

Joe McCabe, president of BAE’s South Korea office, said the strength of his company’s offer was flexibility in terms of technology transfer. He said BAE would seek the U.S. government’s approval for the sharing of share codes of F-16 flight and weapon control operational flight programs with Korea.”

Sharing codes would be a big deal, because it would allow South Korea to integrate its own weapons onto the jets without outside assistance. If negotiations with BAE fail, F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin could step back into the picture, but that seems unlikely. A contract is expected by the end of 2012. If and when it’s signed, most work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach, FL; San Antonio, TX; and Warner Robins, GA, with some additional work at the company’s aviation hangers in Mojave, CA and Crestview, FL. BAE Systems, who is recruiting | Korea Times | AFP | Sky News Australia | Wall Street Journal.

BAE picked for deep upgrade

July 12/12: AESA. Flight International reports that South Korea’s F-16 upgrade RFP involved 132 F-16s, and required a full suite of AESA radar modes, including the interleaving of air-to-air tracking and air-to-ground mapping.

It reportedly left out advanced modes like electronic attack/ protection, but did require an industrial offset package worth 50% of the value of the contract. Raytheon VP of international strategy and business development Jim Hvizd says that they’ll transfer some hardware production to the ROK if they win.

March 14/12: Upgrade lead? Lockheed Martin and BAE are both pushing to perform South Korea’s KF-16 upgrades, which could run up to $1.6 billion for 134 KF-16s. It’s part of a wider competition in this area between the 2 firms. BAE’s recent wins in providing fire-control and advanced ethernet capabilities for 270 US ANG F-16s, and some Turkish planes, sends notice that Lockheed can expect competition in Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore.

In South Korea, DAPA has reportedly accepted bids from both firms, and is expected to pick a winner for the US government to negotiate with by summer 2012. South Korea wants access to AESA technologies, which neither BAE or Lockheed can provide, but Lockheed Martin’s pedigree in advanced avionics may trump BAE’s edge in advanced ethernet networking systems. Defense Update.

Nov 22/11: AESA RFP. Raytheon declares that it is “responding to the Republic of Korea’s official launch of the F-16 radar upgrade competition with the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar system (RACR).”

RACR is designed as a drop-in AESA radar for F-16 fighters, and is based on the technologies in the AN/APG-79 radar that equips US Navy Super Hornets. No word yet on other competitors from Israel (vid. earlier entries) or elsewhere.

AESA upgrade RFP

Oct 27/11: New weapons? Fight International reports on the specifications process for South Korea’s proposed KF-X fighter. The part of the vision that matters to the KF-16 fleet involves a complementary set of South Korean weapons. LiG Nex1 would develop a compatible line of short and medium range air-to-air missiles, strike missiles, and precision weapons to complement the DAPA procurement agency’s 500 pound Korea GPS guided bomb (KGGB).

That weapons array may well survive as a program, even if KF-X itself crashes and burns. Which means DAPA will be thinking hard about how to include compatibility in the KF-16 upgrade program.

May 18/11: Cruise missiles. South Korea is looking for advanced cruise missiles to equip its aircraft. South Korea’s F-15K Slam Eagles are so known because they can carry the AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), a Harpoon derivative with extra range and dual GPS/IIR guidance. The ROKAF has been looking to buy Lockheed Martin’s stealthy AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile for its fleet of F-15Ks, and presumably its KF-16s as well.

The missiles would give South Korea a way of striking even North Korea’s most heavily defended targets if necessary, while remaining out of range of the North’s air defenses. Indeed, it recently prosecuted an ex-ROKAF Colonel who leaked information about its JASSM plans. JASSM’s long history of technical difficulties have reportedly given South Korea’s DAPA procurement agency pause, however, and an anonymous DAPA official now says that a broader RFP will go out in June 2011.

Likely contenders include Lockheed Martin’s JASSM and JASSM-ER, Boeing’s SLAM-ER, MBDA’s Storm Shadow, the MBDA/Saab Taurus KEPD-350, and Raytheon’s JSOW-ER. Of these contenders, Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon have the advantage of owning platforms that have already been integrated for use on the F-16 and F-15 Strike Eagle. MBDA’s products would incur integration costs, but it’s possible that their Storm Shadow’s combat-proven high-end capabilities, or KEPD-350’s combination of reliable capability and lower cost, could still make them attractive buys. Yonhap News | Flight International.

Feb 8/11: JDAM GPS. The Chosun Ilbo quotes the South Korean ROKAF, who says it has integrated the 2,000 pound GBU-31 JDAM GPS-guided bomb with its KF-16 fighters, as well as its F-15K “Slam Eagles.” After developing the software, the ROKAF successfully carried out 3 tests, and finished pilot training at the end of January 2011.

Looks like the F-16 upgrades to allow GPS-guided weapons (vid. May 26/09 entry) have been performed. The report also mentions JDAM wing kits, which are absent from normal JDAMs – but not from the locally-developed KGGB extended range 500-pound GPS-guided bomb.

2009 – 2010

Peace Bridge I F-16C/D Block 32s to be upgraded; KF-X delays make F-16C/D Block 52 upgrades more attractive. ROKAF F-16C, CBU-97s
(click to view full)

June 15/10: KF-X. Indonesia and South Korea will produce a KF-X jet together, with the aim of bringing it into service beginning around 2020. South Korea has bowed to realism and greatly reduced the specifications. Instead of trying to develop an F-35 or F-22 analogue, KF-X aims to begin with its FA-50, and improve on that to produce a jet that’s roughly equivalent to an F-16C/D Block 50, or a Chinese J-10.

The KF-X partners don’t expect to even begin fielding until 2020, and they’ll only reach that date in the unlikely event that technical issues don’t delay the project. That timing makes KF-16 upgrades more attractive as an interim measure. Read “” for full coverage.

Oct 22/09: From KF-X to KF-16+? Flight International reports that the stalled KF-X indigenous fighter program, is contributing to renewed assessments of KF-16 upgrades, in order to keep the existing fighters in service for another decade. KF-X has been hampered by the economic crisis, and by a mismatch between an ambitious wish list and realistic costs. If the ROKAF’s focus shifts to KF-16 upgrades as a substitute, upgraded radars and avionics are said to be the priorities.

The report adds that the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar (RACR) is the only AESA option that the US government has declared to be available for export, and is specifically designed as a drop-in upgrade for the F-16. Note that Northrop Grumman also has its scalable agile beam radar (SABR) drop-in AESA option. Flight International does not cover South Korea’s partnerships with IAI Elta, and the possibility of extending the EL/M-2032 partnership around EL/M-2052 AESA technology.

The other question involves engines. Seoul has opted for a mix the latest GE’s F110 and Pratt & Whitney F100 engines in its Boeing F-15K fighters, and upgrading KF-16 engines to a variant that matches its F-15s would offer longer engine life, and fleet commonality.

July 23/09: EL/M-2032 radar deal. The Korea Times reports that South Korea’s LIG Nex1 will sign a deal with Israel’s IAI Elta Systems on Sept 3/09. That deal will involve the first phase of development for an indigenous radar based on the EL/M-2032 mechanically scanned phased array radar, to equip T/A-50 and F/A-50 aircraft.

An official from the ROK’s DAPA procurement agency told the Times that the radar is expected to be built by the end of 2010, and enter service in 2011. In the mid- to long-term, sources told The Kora Times that the domestically-built radar is likely to be installed on upgraded KF-16 fighters. The Times adds that the effort may even lead to Korean development of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar under future agreements with IAI Elta, who has also developed the EL/M-2052 AESA. That positions the EL/M-2032 as a potential Plan B for the KF-16s, and could even make IAI Plan A if AESA cooperation picks up.

F-16: AMRAAM launch
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May 26/09: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces the South Korea government’s official request for equipment and services to support the upgrade of 35 F-16 Block 32 Aircraft. The estimated cost is $250 Million.

The announcement is as significant for what it does not contain, as it is for the few details it does mention. There is no mention of radars, which would require notification. Instead, the announcement simply mentions a request:

“…to support the upgrade of 35 F-16 Block 32 aircraft to allow employment of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles [DID: AIM-120 AMRAAM], Improved Data Modem, and Secure Voice capabilities…”

The contract is likely to involve wiring, avionics and computing module upgrades, including the installation of MIL-STD-1760 databuses to accommodate GPS-guided weapons like JDAM, or the WMD variant of the CBU-97 cluster bomb. Test and support equipment, spare and repair parts, and other forms of support are also part of this request. The prime contractor will be F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, TX, and a follow-on contract would require temporary travel for U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the Republic of Korea for in-country support.

The lack of any radar request has 3 possible meanings: 1. Speculation that Korean-Israeli defense ties are about to take another step forward, via a contract for IAI Elta’s EL/M-2032 radars; 2. An AESA radar comeptition to follow; or 3. The low-end, non KF-16 part of the fleet will be brought this high and no higher.

Weapon upgrade request

May 1/09: The Korea Times reports that the ROKAF is looking to upgrade its F-16s, but is having problems obtaining the advanced AESA radars it wants. Israel’s EL/M-2032 radar is mentioned as a likely upgrade instead.

Appendix A: The Long Road to AESA EL/M-2032
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In 2013, South Korea picked their AESA radar. The challenge has been getting to this point.

A 2009 Korea Times report said that US weapons export restrictions were a problem, and when an official 2009 request to the USA didn’t include radars, it lent weight to quotes like this:

“The Air Force actually wanted the more advanced U.S. active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar but modified the plan due to the U.S. law forbidding the export of state-of-the-art and sensitive weapons systems, [the military source] said.”

In the wake of those reports, other reports focused on a non-AESA alternative. IAI’s EL/M-2032 radar has been exported to several countries for use on several different aircraft types, and equips some F-16s. It will equip the ROKAF’s future FA-50 lightweight fighters, and was said to be the basis for a jointly-developed upgrade to ROKAF KF-16s as well.

IAI’s M-2032 radar is still slated to equip the FA-50, in partnership with Korea’s LIG Nex1. By 2011, however, South Korea’s radar options for its F-16 fleet were growing. Development and fielding of AESA radars was underway in several countries, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman had finished private development of drop-in AESA upgrades for F-16s, and the USA had re-thought its position on exporting that equipment to South Korea. A 2011 RFP focused on American AESA radars, therefore, with provisions for a full suite of air and ground radar modes, and industrial offset provisions that were designed to help South Korea gain some expertise manufacturing AESA components.

Northrop Grumman’s SABR and Raytheon’s RACR were the principal competitors in Korea, as they are in Singapore, Taiwan, and in the US Air National Guard’s proposed upgrade. The US State Department has yet to issue a formal export request for the ROK, but after the September 2011 DSCA announcement of an AESA upgrade for Taiwan’s F-16s, export approval for South Korea is expected to be a mere formality.

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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

AH-64E Apache Block III: Evolving Battlefield Roles

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:18
AH-64 in Afghanistan
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The AH-64 Apache will remain the US Army’s primary armed helicopter for several more decades, thanks to the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and the retirement sans replacement of the US Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH). Apaches also serve with a number of American allies, some of whom have already expressed interest in upgrading or expanding their fleets.

The AH-64E Guardian Block III (AB3) is the helicopter’s next big step forward. It incorporates 26 key new-technology insertions that cover flight performance, maintenance costs, sensors & electronics, and even the ability to control UAVs as part of manned-unmanned teaming (MUT). In July 2006, Boeing and U.S. Army officials signed the initial development contract for Block III upgrades to the current and future Apache fleet, via a virtual signing ceremony. By November 2011, the 1st production helicopter had been delivered. So… how many helicopters will be modified under the AH-64 Block III program, what do these modifications include, how is the program structured, and what has been happening since that 2006 award? The short answer is: a lot, including export interest and sales.

The AH-64 Apache Program: Sunset, Sunrise Executive Summary

The AH-64E/ Block III has gone from its 2006 development contract to full production, with no major deficiencies noted in testing. By the end of 2014, all Apache helicopters rolling out of Mesa will be AH-64Es. Features like full UAV control are keeping this 1980s airframe at the leading edge of technology, and interest has been brisk.

The AH-64A/D Apache has become a dominant attack helicopter around the globe, in service abroad with Britain, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the UAE. All are strong candidates for AH-64E upgrades at some point, and some have already placed formal export requests.

Work at the Mesa, AZ manufacturing facility has been running steadily since the AH-64 program’s inception in the early 1980s, but a large share has involved less expensive refurbishment and upgrades. The Block III program continues that tradition, and most AH-64Es will be remanufactured. Countries who buy the AH-64 for the first time, or expand their fleets, will receive new-build helicopters.

There is a market for that. In recent decades, Boeing’s AH-64 Apache has eclipsed Bell Helicopters’ AH-1 in the market Bell founded, and has dealt likewise with new competitors like Eurocopter’s Tiger, AgustaWestland’s A/T129, and Russia’s Mi-28/ Ka-52. Russia’s Mi-24/25 family, which also dates back to the 1980s, is the only platform with similar customer reach, but their customer pools don’t overlap much.

The AH-64E/ Block III has been ordered by the USA (701 planned), Indonesia (8) South Korea (36), Saudi Arabia (up to 70), and Taiwan (30).

Formal DSCA export requests without any confirmed orders yet include India (22 new), Qatar (24), and the UAE (60), with more expected to follow.

AB3 Program Excel
download

The US Army aims to perform Block III/ AH-64E upgrades to all of the current Block I and II Apaches, their 68 wartime loss replacements, and recently-built AH-64 Extended Block II/+ helicopters. War replacement helicopters bought after FY 2012 will be new-build AH-64Es.

According to Boeing, Low-Rate Initial production involved 2 lots, and totaled 51 helicopters. LRIP Lot 1 was for 8 helicopters. LRIP Lot 2 was divided up into 3 tranches of 16, 19, and 8 helicopters. The Lot 3 contract was delayed so long that Lots 3-4 began Full Rate Production in 2014.

The original plan involved the AH-64’s 2nd re-manufacture program at around $16 million per helicopter. That isn’t cheap, but it’s much cheaper than a new-build AH-64E’s price tag of $40 million or so. The Army still needed new-build production of 56 helicopters, however, in order to reach the program goal of 690.

International AH-64E sales are expected to be a combination of re-manufacture and new-build orders, depending on whether the countries in question already field AH-64s, and how large they want their fleet to be. To date export customers include Taiwan (30 new-build) and South Korea (36 new-build), and Saudi Arabia has begin placing orders. Formal DSCA requests have been made for up to 183 more by India (22 new), Indonesia (8 new), Qatar (24 new), Saudi Arabia (70, most new) and the UAE (60, incl. 30 new).

The AH-64E Apache Guardian (click for video)

The AH-64E Apache Guardian incorporates 26 new technologies designed to enhance the aircraft’s capabilities.

Flight performance: One set of advances are tied to helicopter’s flight performance. They include enhanced -701D engines with improved digital electronic control (DEC); upgraded drive systems including a split-torque face gear transmission, which increases power throughput by more than 20% (to 3,400 shp) without taking up more room; and a new composite rotor blade. The new composite rotor blades, which successfully completed flight testing in May 2004, work with the improved engines to increase the Apache’s cruise speed, climb rate and payload.

Overall, the front-line payoff is a higher hover ceiling altitude, at greater gross weight, on a 95F-degree day. That’s very useful in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. The new avionics will also help, by allowing the new Block III helicopters to fly in clouds and inclement weather that would have grounded earlier models. Pilots in pre-training noticed the additional power very quickly, and pilots on the front lines found that they could now keep up with CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters on escort missions.

Sensor performance: Block III upgrades are designed to extend the Apache’s sensor range in all domains, and may eventually be paired with new extended range weapons like the planned JAGM Block 1.

The mast-mounted radome that defines the current Apache AH-64D Longbow houses the AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar. Its millimeter-wave sensing improves performance under poor visibility conditions, and is less sensitive to ground clutter. The short wavelength also allows a very narrow beam-width, which is more resistant to countermeasures as it’s trying to guide the helicopter’s missiles to their targets. Block III will extend that radar’s range, or give commanders the option of trading it for an Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA) that’s mounted in the same place on the mast.

UAV Synergy: The UTA will provide advanced “Level IV MUM” control of UAVs’ flight, payloads, and even laser designators from inside the helicopter, while streaming their sensor feeds back to the Apache’s displays. That level of control is causing a rewrite of existing tactics, techniques and procedures. U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command capability manager Col. John Lynch offers one example of what can be done when UAV sensor and flight control is added:

“For example, with the Block III Apache you might have a UAS that’s overhead looking down into urban canyons; with Manned-Unmanned Teaming you have the ability to designate targets and you can see what is in the area where you are going to operate.”

That would have been very relevant to operations in Iraq, before the USA’s destruction of Iranian intelligence networks in that country neutralized the shoulder-fired missile threat.

Electronics & displays: Behind those sensors, AH-64D Block IIIs will add open systems architecture electronics to create more standardization and “switchability,” embedded diagnostic sensors to improve maintenance, extended range sensing, wideband network communications for high-bandwidth networking, Link 16 for shared awareness, and high capacity data fusion computers to merge off- and on-board sensor imagery into a single shared picture of the battlefield.

Other electronic systems will be added over time, and will take advantage of the new electronics architecture. A new and improved IHADSS helmet display is one example. The prototype Ground Fire Acquisition System, (GFAS) is another, and will soon undergo a “user evaluation” in theater. GFAS cameras and infrared sensors detect the muzzle flash from ground fire, classify the firing weapon, and move the information through an Aircraft Gateway Processor into the cockpit. Pilots immediately see the enemy icon on their display screen, integrated with Blue Force Tracking maps. GFAS is expected to find its way into the entire US Apache fleet, but the Block III’s open architecture electronics and convenient rebuild status will make it an attractive destination for early installs.

Upgraded versions of the AN/ARC-231 Skyfire system will form the core of its initial radio capability. SATCOM (Satellite Communications) and Link-16 will supplement those capabilities, improving the helicopter’s ability to receive or share data. New AMF JTRS radios won’t become part of the AH-64E’s communications system until the SALT terminal is added; a full production decision is expected in 2016.

Changes in Production Lots 4-6 will include better embedded diagnostics, APG-78 Longbow radar improvements to add range and over-water capability; and STT Link-16 to share the same view of enemy and friendly units with participating fighters, ships, air defense systems, etc. A Cognitive Decision Aiding System (CDAS) is a cumbersome name for a usegful system, designed “to help the pilot and the crew with some of those tasks that tend to get a little cumbersome at times.”

Contracts and Key Events

Unless otherwise noted, the Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL manages these contracts. Note that Longbow LLC is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

FY 2016

Taiwan’s Apache fleet Rusting; First AH-64E destined for South Korea. AH-64E & Mi-35P
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December 18/15: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $215.7 billion foreign military sale contract to provide Modernized Target Acquisition Designation/Pilot Night Vision Systems (M-TAG/PNVS) for Apache helicopters to India. Work is to be completed by December 31, 2021. The contract follows the September purchase of fifteen Chinook and twenty-two Apache choppers by India, in a deal worth $2.5 billion. The Apache will be India’s first pure attack helicopter in service. The Russian made Mi 35, which has been in operation for years and is soon to be retired, was an assault chopper designed to carry troops into heavily defended areas.

December 15/15: Prosecutors in Greece have brought fresh corruption charges against a businessman and a former high-ranking Greek Defense Ministry official over the purchase of 12 Ah-64 attack helicopters in 2003. Both men are being charged with breach of faith over the contract which amounted to $650 million. Several other former ministry officials are also under investigation. The charges come amid Greece’s attempts to cut down on state corruption and clientism which many blame for the cause of the severity of its economic crash in 2008.

November 11/15: Boeing is reportedly eyeing an Egyptian order for additional AH-64 Apache attack helicopters next year, with other potential deals also covering support services to the country’s existing Apache fleet. Egypt received ten AH-64D Apaches in December 2014, following the lifting of a delivery freeze imposed by the US after the country’s military seized power in July 2013. In May 2009 the Egyptian government requested twelve of the helicopters.

November 4/15: Boeing has rolled-out the first AH-64E Apache attack helicopter destined for service with South Korea. Deliveries to the country are scheduled for the first half of 2016, with the helicopters first undergoing testing with the US Army. The South Korean Defense Acquisition Procurement Administration (DAPA) signed a $1.6 billion Foreign Military Sales contract with the US in April 2013 for 36 of the helicopters. Taiwan recently saw problems with the country’s AH-64Es rusting in the tropical climate.

October 29/15: Taiwan’s AH-64E Apache fleet is reportedly rusting in the country’s tropical climate. The helicopters are now mostly grounded, with manufacturer Boeing investigating oxidation in the rear gearbox responsible for taking out nine of the 29 Apaches in service. A lack of spare parts has also grounded a further twelve, with the country’s Ministry of National Defense notifying the US of the issue in March.

FY 2015

Iraq lets its option lapse; UAV testing goes well; M-LRFD modules being upgraded.

September 30/15: India.Following Cabinet Committee of Security approval earlier this month, India’s Defence Ministry has signed a $3.1 billion contract with Boeing for Apache and Chinook helicopters. The 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters are slated for delivery between 2018 and 2019, with Boeing agreeing to a 30% offset clause in a contract split into a Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) for the airframes and a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for weapons, training and sensors. The deal’s signature comes two days before the expiration of a price agreed in 2013, with Boeing granting an extension to this price in July.

September 8/15: Lockheed is upgrading laser targeting on the AH-64E Apaches, upgrading the M-LRFD modules. The work will cost $21.7 million.

May 1/15: Boeing has been handed a $247.1 million support contract by the Army for Apache and Chinook airframe and weapons system overhaul, repair and recapitalization. The work is expected to run to 2019.

March 18/15: Dutch shove Apache peg into ISTAR hole.
The Netherlands has been experimenting. The Royal Netherland Air Forces has been using “modifications and operational techniques” to convert their fleet of AH-64 Apache helicopters from their traditional ground-attack and CAS roles to a more ISTAR-oriented platform. Details of exactly what these special changes are remain to be seen.

Feb 23/15: Governors gripe about plan to take Apaches from Reserve units. As was predicted, the governors, through their collective lobby group, are
complaining about the Army plan to move National Guard Apaches over to active service Army units. The argument focuses on the fact that Apaches have been used for domestic emergency management (lightly). Governors’ influence on congressional delegations should not be underestimated.

Feb 13/15: More support.Lockheed wins an $82 million contract for AH-64 Apache sustainment; the third and last possible exercising of one-year optional extensions of the original $111 million contract.

Oct 31/14: Support. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives an unfinalized $121.2 million firm fixed-price, contract, covering performance based logistics for AH-64D/E components services and supplies. $90.9 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 Army budgets.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/15. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with 1 offer received (W58RGZ-15-C-0017).

Oct 19/14: Taiwan. Taiwan receives the last 6 helicopters, completing delivery of the 30 it ordered under the TWD 59.31 billion ($1.95 billion) contract. It now has 29 available for service, after an April 2014 crash-landing on a residential roof. For full coverage, see DID, “Taiwan’s Force Modernization: The American Side”.

Taiwan deliveries done

Oct 14/14: Maritime upgrade. Apache program manager Col. Jeff Hager says that the Army intends to upgrade the AH-64E’s Longbow radar, “to pick up things in a littoral (shallow water) environment and detect small ships in the water.” The changes would be part of Lot 6 enhancements, and testing of this feature is planned for 2017.

Some use of Apaches is already underway (q.v. July 19/14) in the USA’s own semi-shift to the Pacific theater, and there’s also ample precedent in Britain’s use of AH-64Ds from helicopter carriers during Libyan operations. Not to mention likely demand from new customers like Indonesia and Qatar, whose land-based responsibilities have an intrinsic maritime component.

Meanwhile, American forces are going to run into a difficult problem: the USMC is short of amphibious ships to train its own AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopters, let alone Army AH-64Es. Sources: AIN, “Maritime Mode Radar Planned for Army’s AH-64E Apache” | DoD Buzz, “Army Configures Apaches for Sea Duty” | Flightglobal, “US Army details combat experience with AH-64E” | IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, “AUSA 2014: US Army preps Apaches for sea-basing”.

Oct 14/14: Qatar. Lockheed Martin announces a $90.6 million foreign military sale contract to provide M-TADS/PNVS surveillance and targeting turrets to the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Qatar will be one of the first international customers to receive M-TADS/PNVS systems equipped with the new Modernized Laser Range Finder Designator, which is reportedly 2x as reliable and can be replaced on the flight line.

Qatar marks the M-TADS/PNVS system’s 14th international customer, as the QEAF prepare to receive their AH-64Es (q.v. July 14/14, March 27/14). This sensor sale is structured as an option under the U.S. Army’s Production Lot 9 contract, awarded in May 2014. It extends production in Orlando and Ocala, FL, through 2017. To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 1,250 M-TADS/PNVS systems and spares to the U.S. Army and international customers since 2005. Sources: LMCO, “Lockheed Martin Receives $90 Million Contract for Qatar Apache Targeting and Pilotage Systems”.

Oct 13/14: AH-64 Next? The ATEC, LLC (Advanced Turbine Engine Company), LLC joint venture between Honeywell International, Inc. and Pratt & Whitney has successfully completed testing as part of the Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine (AATE) Science and Technology program (q.v. Oct 21/13).

ATEC intends to offer the HPW3000 as a replacement engine for UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters. They’re still touting the target $1 billion in fleet savings over the new engines’ life cycle, along with performance improvements. Their competition is GE’s GE3000, and the question is AATE’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) successor will become a real program. If not, at least research into the state-of-the-art has been advanced. Sources: Pratt & whitney, “ATEC Completes Second Test, Achieves Key Milestone on New Helicopter Engine”.

Oct 12/14: Iraq. Iraq may have declined its opportunity to buy AH-64s (q.v. Oct 1/14), but they’re playing a key role anyway:

“The top U.S. military officer [Gen. Martin Dempsey] says the U.S. called in Apache helicopters to prevent Iraqi forces from being overrun by Islamic State militants in a recent fight near Baghdad’s airport.”

AH-64E Apache Guardians are conducting operations with the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush [CVN 77]. Sources: Defense News, “Dempsey: U.S. used Apache helos near Baghdad”.

Oct 1/14: Testing. Redstone Arsenal offers an update into AH-64E UAV tests, which have included full control over both RQ-7B Shadow and MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs.

PEO Aviation’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office interoperability lead, Doug Wolfe, adds that the same kinds of technology are leading to a One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT) that can control UAV payloads to point where soldiers on the ground want to look, instead of just receiving data. Sources: Redstone Rocket, “Unmanned aircraft soar with new capabilities for Apache”.

Oct 1/14: Iraq. The US Army confirms that Iraq has let its opportunity to buy AH-64D/E helicopters lapse, but the US Department of State says that nothing has been formally canceled. Who is right? The Army is right that there is a time limit to DSCA request’s, and Iraq’s (q.v. Jan 27/14) has expired. The State Department could still end up being correct, if Iraq renews its interest before the pricing changes for the items it’s interested in. If prices do change, the whole process needs to start over with another DSCA export request. Meanwhile:

“The collapse of the proposed sale was confirmed to IHS Jane’s by the US Army on 24 September. A statement by the army said: “The request from Iraq for 24 Apaches was approved by Congress. The Iraqis never accepted the offer and it expired in August…. it appears that Iraq’s latest attempt to secure an Apache sale may have been superseded by the order and start of delivery of attack helicopters from Russia…. as well as already fielding the two Russian types (more of which may now be acquired to compensate for the loss of the Apaches), the Iraqi Army also has 24 armed Bell 407 JetRanger, 20 Airbus EC635, and six Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopters in its inventory for light attack and reconnaissance duties.”

The article adds that once Egypt receives its 10 held-up AH-46Ds, all further Apache builds will be AH-64E Guardians. Sources: IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, “Iraq passes on Apache buy” | Defense News, “Apache Sale to Iraq Thrown Into Doubt Because of Iraqi Inaction” | RIA Novosti, “Iraq Gets Third Batch of Russian Mi-35M Helicopters: Arms Think Tank”.

FY 2014

Orders: USA, Qatar; DSCA requests: Iraq; Competitions: India, Poland; SAR shows program cost increase; IOC reached; USN qualification; Crash in Taiwan; US shift to National Guard triggers controversy; Request for AH-64s as OH-58D combat loss replacements blocked; AH-64E deploys to Afghanistan; AATE program to research better engines; US Army retires OH-58D armed scouts, will use AH-64Es in scout and attack roles now. To Afghanistan

Sept 29/14: Army/NG debate. The Adjutant-General of the Arizona National Guard, Maj. Gen. Michael T. McGuire, pens an article about the proposed shift of all 192 National Guard AH-64 Apaches into the active-duty Army (q.v. Jan 14/14). Needless to say, he isn’t happy.

For one, he sees the removal of war-fighting capability as a slippery slope. The Guard is meant to fight, he says, and they need the tools to fight alongside regular Army formations. On a cost basis, it’s also true that the same equipment in Army National Guard units does cost less to run and maintain.

The second issue is Constitutional, and has to do with the balance envisioned between the federal government and the states. Even assuming the argument that the US Constitution still exists in meaningful form, arguments about the role of the colonial militia will need more depth than this article provides. Sources: National Guard Association of the US, “Apache helicopter debate fraught with veiled consequences”.

Sept 29/14: Weapons. ATK in Plymouth, MN receives a $36.8 million firm-fixed-price, requirements contract for M230 30mm chain guns and 32 types of spare parts, for use with the Apache helicopter. Work location and funding will be determined with each order, and the contract period extends to Sept 28/17. Army Contracting Command – Tank and Automotive, Warren, MI manages the contract (W56HZV-14-D-0148).

Sept 26/14: HMDs. Elbit USA in Fort Worth, TX receives a $12.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising Option #1 for 300 Apache Aviator Integrated Helmets, which are the key part of the IHADSS-21 system.

Work will be performed over a 2-year period and will be conducted at Elbit Systems’ facility in Fort Worth, TX. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract (W58RGZ-12-C-0164, PO 0010). See also Elbit systems, “Elbit Systems of America Awarded $12.7 Million Modification Contract, to Provide Additional Apache Aviator Integrated Helmets to the US Army”.

Sept 23/14: Politics. The House Defense Appropriations subcommittee rejects the Pentagon’s request to shift as much as $1.5 billion in “Overseas Contingency Operations” budgets to buy 8 new F-35A/B fighters and 21 AH-64Es. These kinds of shifts require the approval of 4 (!) Congressional committees to go through, so that’s that.

The shifts aimed to replace lost AV-8B Harrier and F-15 fighters, and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopters, but the subcommittee chair Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen [R-NJ] pushed back against OCO being used to “backfill budgetary shortfalls in acquisition programs that have only tenuous links to the fight in Afghanistan and other current operations…” The Kiowa losses in particular were known to Army planners when they made their January 2014 decisions to retire that fleet wholesale (q.v. Jan 14/14). Sources: Stars and Stripes, “Lawmakers reject Pentagon using war funds on F-35s, Apaches”.

Sept 15/14: +7. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $130 million fixed-price incentive, full rate production contract modification to build 7 new AH-64E helicopters and add appropriate government-furnished equipment. This unfinalized total raises the total contract from $1.1564 billion to $1.2864 billion, and it could rise higher once the contract is finalized. $19.2 million in FY 2013 and FY 2014 funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of March 31/17 (W58RGZ-12-C-0055, PO 0013).

7 AH-64Es

Aug 29/14: India. The new BJP government’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) makes a number of key moves, beginning with cancellation of the 197-helicopter Light Utility Helicopter competition. At the same time, however, DAC effectively cleared the purchase of 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift and 22 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, by approving Boeing’s industrial offset proposals. Contracts will follow at some point, as India needs both platforms. Sources: Defense News, “India Cancels $1 Billion Light Helicopter Tender” | Financial Express, “Make in India kicks off with defence deals” | Indian Express, “Centre scraps light utility helicopter tender, opens it to Indian players” | NDTV, “Modi Government Drops Rs 6000-Crore Foreign Chopper Plan, Wants ‘Made in India'”.

Aug 20/14: Indonesia. The Indonesian Ministry of Defence says that they’re prepping a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cover the handling and security of data and communications received by their new AH-64Es (q.v. Sep 21/12, Aug 26/13, Jan 24/14), which are scheduled to begin arriving by 2015. Sources: IHS Jane’s Defence Industry, “Indonesia and US to sign Apache MoU”.

July 19/14: Naval quals. AH-64E Apache Guardians from the 25th Infantry Division’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade conduct deck landing qualifications aboard USS Peleliu [LHA 5] off the coast of Hawaii during RIMPAC 2014. This is the 1st deck qualification for the AH-64E model, though the AH-64D has done so. The ability to deploy from ship sharply changes deployment possibilities in the Pacific, providing lilly-pad options as an alternative to partial disassembly and carriage inside of large aircraft like the C-5 and C-17.

“Four of the [8] Apaches are scheduled to push further into the Pacific for the Pacific Pathways exercise. The other four aircraft are scheduled to conduct training at the Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii prior to returning to Fort Carson [Colorado] in mid August.”

Sources: Pentagon DVIDS, “Apache Guardians perform first deck landing qualifications”.

July 14/14: Qatar. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel hosts Qatar’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah at the Pentagon, where they sign formal letters of offer and acceptance worth around $11 billion for AH-64E Apache helicopters (q.v. March 27/14 – $2.4 billion for 24), Patriot PAC-3 air and missile defense systems, and FGM-148 Javelin Block 1 anti-tank missiles. Sources: Pentagon, “U.S., Qatar Sign Letters on $11 Billion in Helicopters, Defense Systems”.

July 9/14: Poland. Poland has launched a EUR 1.4 billion tender to upgrade its attack helicopter fleet, which currently consists of 29 Russian Mi-24D/Ws. Submissions for the research phase of market analysis and technical requirements are welcome until Aug 1/14. Read: “Quote the Raven: Poland’s Attack Helicopter Competition” for full coverage.

July 2/14: Iraq. The US State Department is reportedly pushing to sell 4,000 more Hellfire missiles to Iraq. That volume doesn’t make sense for a tiny fleet of AC-208B prop planes carrying 2 missiles each, and a few IA-407 armed scout helicopters; it effectively assumes an AH-64E sale (q.v. Jan 27/14), which doesn’t have a contract yet. The sale would be in addition to the 500 Hellfires from that DSCA request, creating a very large reserve stockpile. One so large that unless deliveries were staggered, it could buffer the effect of any US sanctions if the Iraqi government misused its firepower against broad civilian populations.

It does eventually become a DSCA export request – read “Iraq Wants Hellfires – Lots and Lots of Them“.

June 25/14: Upgrades. Apache PEO Col. Hager discusses pending Lot 4 enhancements:

“…includes the fitting of external crash-worthy fuel tanks and software improvements to the aircraft’s missions systems…. “The Link 16 enables the Apache to receive information from the command-and-control platforms, such as the [Airborne Early Warning and Control System] AWACS and [Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System] JSTARS, and enables it to share this data with all the other services, making it more efficient at locating and prosecuting targets…”

E-3 AWACS and E-8 JSTARS are good intermediaries for sharing data with UAVs outside the Apache’s own radius of UTA control. Link-16 would also let AH-64Es receive information from fighter jets performing close support duties, or send it to those in the vicinity. That’s a big and significant change. With respect to changes already visible in the AH-64E:

“While previously medical evacuation Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters had had to fly slower than they were capable of so as not to outpace their Apache escorts, the AH-64E is able to match the Chinook for speed and altitude in Afghanistan. In addition, the AH-64E’s improved sustainability means that it is being flown at a higher rate of operations that AH-64Ds in theatre.”

Sources: IHS Jane’s International Defence Review , “US Army to begin operational trials of AH-64E Lot 4 enhancements”.

April 27/14: Iraq. Reports arise that Iraq has begun to use AH-64Ds (q.v. Jan 27/14), striking 8 tanker trucks in Wadi Suwab, Syria. Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan said that the strike killed at least 8 people, adding that there was no coordination with the Syrian regime. On the other hand, there’s reasons to believe the reports were bogus:

“Maan did not identify the Iraqi helicopters, but photographs of the attacks suggested that they included the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. In early 2014, the United States said it was sending five Apaches to Baghdad.”

We’ve seen airstrike videos where a fast-moving object could look like an AH-64, but they were Mi-35s when the video was stopped and examined with an informed eye. Iraq has had Russian Mi-35M “Hind” attack helicopters since December 2013, and too many journalists would be hard-pressed to know the difference. Sources: World Tribune, “Iraqi helicopters strike Al Qaida ISIL convoy in Syrian territory”.

April 25/14: Crash. During a training exercise, a Taiwanese AH-64E crash-lands on the roof of a low-rise residential building in Taoyuan county. The Helicopter is a complete wreck, but the pilots suffer only minor injuries, and no residents are hurt. Guys, that’s not what we were supposed to be training today. Subsequent investigations determine that:

“The investigation report shows that the primary causes of the accident were the combination factors of human errors and environment,” Maj. Gen. Huang Kuo-ming told reporters.

The environment refers to fast descending clouds, which disoriented the pilots while they were flying at a low altitude. Still, they should have checked the instruments to maintain adequate height. Taiwan has received 18 of their 30 helicopters, though they only have 17 now. Sources: The Daily Mail, “How did they get out alive? Lucky escape for pilots of Apache attack helicopter after it crashes into a housing block in Taiwan” | South China Morning Post, “Two Taiwan pilots injured as Apache chopper crashes into building” | Defense News follow-on, “Pilots Blamed for Taiwan Apache Crash”.

Taiwan crash

April 24/14: FY15. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $103.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for AH-64E Production Lot 5 long-lead items. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 budgets.

The estimated completion date is Dec 31/14. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with one received. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0018).

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report. It includes:

AH-64E Apache Remanufacture – Program costs increased $1,321.2 million (+9.5%) from $13,760.2 million to $15,081.4 million, due primarily to higher labor and material costs for embedded diagnostics, Link 16, and full provisions for an external fuel system (+$1,870.0 million). These increases were partially offset by lower support costs for transportability kits, helmets, radar frequency interferometer, more efficient engine procurement, and reduced crashworthy external fuel tanks (-$865.5 million).

In then-year dollars that include inflation etc., the current SAR pegs the entire program at $17.72 billion: $15.081 billion for 639 remanufactured AH-64Es, and $2.639 billion for 63 new-build AH-64Es – up from the previous 55. Note that in the past 3 years since the program split in two, then-year cost for the remanufacture program has increased 26.8%. The retirement of the entire OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed scout fleet without replacement (q.v. Jan 14/14) makes it more plausible that the AH-64E program will actually achieve its production goals, but the US government’s deeply shaky fiscal situation makes nothing certain.

AB3A costs rise

April 8/14: to Afghanistan. The AH-64E Model Apache Guardian makes its debut at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade reassembled its flight, electronic and weapons systems on site. Sources: YouTube, “AH 64E Apache Guardian Arrives in Afghanistan”.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish. The AH-64E isn’t mentioned directly, but its communications will eventually receive an upgrade under the AMF JTRS program. That was actually supposed to happen years ago, but the equipment just wasn’t ready.

As an interim solution, AH-64Es will fly with a Small Tactical Terminal (STT) that runs Link 16, for shared awareness with allied planes and defensive systems (q.v. Aug 28/13). The next step will be the Small Airborne Link 16 Terminal (SALT):

“…SALT is designed to be a 2-channel radio capable of running the Link 16 waveform and the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). The program plans to introduce production hardware into the Apache AH-64E assembly line in fiscal year 2016…. The Army plans to release the SALT request for proposals in the second quarter of fiscal year 2014 and a full rate production decision is scheduled for fiscal year 2016.”

March 27/14: Qatar. The Gulf Emirate orders 24 AH-64Es, at a reported purchase price of around $2.4 billion. It’s just one part of a $23 billion weapon shopping spree announced at DIMDEX 2014 in Doha, Qatar. No word yet re: their delivery schedule. The formal contract is signed on July 14/14.

Other buys include 22 NH90 medium utility (12) and naval (10) helicopters, air defense and anti-tank missiles, fast attack boats, 2 A330 aerial refueling planes, and 3 E-737 AWACS aircraft. Sources: Al Defaiya, “Qatar Announces Big Defense Deals at DIMDEX 2014” | Arabian Aerospace, “Qatar in $23bn arms order including Apache and NH90 helicopters” | Gulf Times, “Qatar, US sign defence deals worth $11.2bn” | Reuters, “Qatar buys helicopters, missiles in $23 billion arms deals”.

Qatar: 24

March 4-11/14: FY15 Budget. The US military slowly files its budget documents, detailing planned spending from FY 2014 – 2019. The planned removal of the OH-58D Kiowa Warriors from the Army’s fleet has resulted in a big speedup of AH-64 purchases, though the FY 2015 order looks like a cut until the wartime supplemental request is known; based on Apache PMO approval, it will be another 10 (TL 35), a drop of 13 helicopters vs. previous plans. Changes are reflected in the programs and budget graphs, above.

The Apache Remanufacturing Program is all that’s left, and most budget figures through 2019 assume savings associated with a 2017 – 2021 Multi-Year contract, with production assumed to last through FY 2025. They do add that:

“The FY16 AP does not support a Multi-Year contract; however, the Army will adjust FY16 AP [Aircraft Procured] in future budget submissions. The quantities of remanufacture aircraft the Apache PMO approves are FY13, 37; FY14, 35; (based upon 16 Feb 2014 contract negotiation); and FY17, 74. The corresponding AP for all years would need to be adjusted in future budget submissions.”

March 4/14: FY13 – FY14. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $1.156 billion contract modification covering Full Rate Production of 72 remanufactured AH-64Es, 10 new AH-64Es, updates to 5 crew trainers, and full refurbishment of 1 more crew trainer; plus integrated logistics support, peculiar ground support equipment, initial spares, over and above work, and engineering studies.

There have been some advance buys (q.v. Oct 2/12, Jan 3/13, Sept 24/13), but it has taken a while to negotiate these Lot 3 and Lot 4 contracts.

$874.4 million is committed immediately, using a combination of FY 2013 ($380 million) and FY 2014 ($494.3 million) budgets. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, and the estimated completion date is June 30/16. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-C-0055, PO 0007).

82 AH-64Es

Jan 27/14: Iraq. The US DSCA announces Iraq’s formal export request to buy 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and associated items, in a 3-part request with an estimated cost of up to $6.25 billion. Iraq is facing a regrown insurgency in Sunni areas, which has been strengthened by additional battlefield experience gained in Syria. Even so, this announcement immediately attracts opposition in Congress, where Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s divisive and Shi’ite sectarian approach has left him short of support. A number of senators, most prominently Sen. Menendez [D-NJ], are opposed to releasing the helicopters for sale, believing that they would be used against Iraqi civilian populations.

#1: AH-64E Longbow Guardian sale.

  • 24 new AH-64E helicopters with AN/APR-48 Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometers, AN/APX-117 Identification Friend-or-Foe Transponders, Embedded Global Positioning Systems with Inertial Navigation with Multi Mode Receiver, MXF-4027 UHF/VHF Radios, and 30mm Automatic Chain Guns.
  • 56 T700-GE-701D Engines.
  • 27 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sights and 27 AN/AAR-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors; together, they make up the “Arrowhead” system.
  • 12 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars with Radar Electronics Unit (LONGBOW component), which mount on top of the helicopter rotor.
  • 28 AN/AAR-57(V)7 Common Missile Warning Systems.
  • 28 AN/AVR-2B Laser Detecting Sets.
  • 28 AN/APR-39A(V)4 or APR-39C(V)2 Radar Signal Detecting Sets.
  • 28 AN/ALQ-136A(V)5 Radar Jammers.
  • 52 AN/AVS-6 Night vision goggles.
  • 90 Apache Aviator Integrated Helmets.
  • 60 M299 HELLFIRE Missile Launchers.
  • 480 AGM-114R HELLFIRE Missiles.
  • An unnamed number of 2.75 in Hydra Rockets and 30mm rounds.
  • Site surveys, design and construction.
  • Aircraft Ground Power Units, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and training equipment, and US government and contractor engineering, technical, and support services.

If a contract is approved and negotiated, Iraq will need 3 US government and 2 contractor representatives in Iraq to support delivery and initial familiarization. That would be followed by a 12-person Technical Assistance Team (1 military, 11 contractors) for about 3 years. Prime contractors will be:

  • Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ (AH-64)
  • Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL and MS2 in Owego, NY (Hellfires, Arrowhead)
  • General Electric Company in Cincinnati, OH (Engines)
  • Longbow Limited Liability Corporation in Orlando, FL (Joint venture, Longbow radar)
  • Raytheon Corporation in Tucson, AZ

The estimated cost is up to $4.8 billion. That’s very expensive, but note the implicit inclusion of base construction in the request, and the long-term Technical Assistance team whose ongoing security and provisioning also has to be paid for by the Iraqi government these days.

#2: AH-64D Rental. The 2nd component involves support for a more temporary lease of 6 American AH-64Ds as an interim measure, plus associated items and extensive support. That effort could cost up to $1.37 billion, and includes:

  • 3 spare T-700-GE-701D engines
  • 2 spare Embedded Global Positioning System Inertial Navigation System (EGI)
  • 3 Arrowhead AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight (MTADS)/ AN/AAQ-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors (PNVS)
  • 8 AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems
  • 6 AN/AVR-2A/B Laser Warning Detectors
  • 6 AN/APR-39A(V)4 Radar Warning Systems with training Universal Data Modems (UDM)
  • M206 Infrared Countermeasure flares, and M211/ M212 Advanced Infrared Countermeasure Munitions (AIRCM) flares
  • 12 M261 2.75 inch Rocket Launchers
  • 14 HELLFIRE M299 Launchers
  • 152 AGM-114 K-A HELLFIRE Missiles
  • Plus Internal Auxiliary Fuel Systems (IAFS), Aviator’s Night Vision Goggles, Aviation MSion Planning System, training ammunition, helmets, transportation, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and training equipment, and site surveys.
  • 1 US Government and 67 contractor representatives to provide support.

Key contractors for this effort include Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ; Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL; GE in Cincinnati, OH; and Robertson Fuel Systems, LLC in Tempe, AZ.

More Hellfire Missiles. The 3rd component involves up to $82 million for 500 of Lockheed Martin’s AGM-114K/R Hellfire Missiles, Hellfire Missile conversion, blast fragmentation sleeves and installation kits, containers, transportation, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, and additional US government and contractor support. Iraq already operates Hellfire missiles on its fixed-wing AC-208B Combat Caravans, but it will need more to equip an attack helicopter fleet.

When all Hellfire requests made this day are put together, they total 152 AGM-114 K-As, and up to 980 of the newest AGM-114Rs. Sources: DSCA #13-18, “Iraq – AH-64E APACHE LONGBOW Attack Helicopters” | DSCA #13-29, “Iraq – Support for APACHE Lease” | DSCA #13-78, “Iraq – AGM -114K/R Hellfire Missiles”.

DSCA: Iraq (24 AH-64Es + 6 rental AH-64Ds + Hellfires)

Jan 24/14: Indonesia. Army Chief of Staff General Budiman says that AH-64Es will arrive in Indonesia between 2015 – 2017, and they will be piloted by the Army. While the Aug 26/13 reports focused on $500 million for the deal, Budiman places it at $600 million when pilot and maintenance training is included. Bases are being prepared, but the main base will be in Berau, the northernmost district of East Kalimantan.

Sadly, the article is provably wrong about other things. The AH-64 can’t carry any anti-radar missiles, for instance, or AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles either. Sources: Antara News, “Indonesian military to have Apache combat helicopters”.

OH-58D over Tal Afar
(click to view full)

Jan 14/14: No ARH. The OH-58 fleet will be retired, without a successor. Instead of 15 Combat Aviation Brigades, the Army is likely to drop to 10-13. On the other hand, the odds of actually fielding the full AH-64E program just rose sharply.

US Army Aviation Center of Excellence commander Maj. Gen. Kevin W. Mangum finally discusses the Army’s 2010 ARH Analysis of Alternatives, which recommended a mix of AH-64Es and UAVs to take on the Army’s scout helicopter role. So, why did the Army keep pushing for a new Armed Aerial Scout? Magnum says they didn’t have enough money to buy enough AH-64s. What changed? A smaller Army doesn’t need as many. The current leadership has decided that 698 AH-64Es, who will be able to control the planned fleets of unarmed RQ-7B Shadow and armed MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs from the air, will provide an “80% solution.”

The AH-64D to AH-64E upgrades will be funded by avoiding Kiowa modernization or replacement, and the Army also axed 15 military specialties that were unique to the OH-58D. Some rebalancing will need to move more UH-60s to the National Guard, where they can offer useful capabilities during natural disasters etc., while shifting AH-64s to the active-duty force. Gen. Magnum adds that investment of all kinds is going to be slim:

“I tell youngsters who are in the Basic Officer Leader Course that when some of you retire from the Army in 20, we still will not have finished fielding the UH-60M and AH-64E. That’s how far we’ve pushed these programs.”

Especially with AH-64s and UH-60s costing a good deal more to fuel and maintain than Kiowas. The question is whether the sequester’s recent rollback will create pushback on Capitol Hill, if National Guard drawdowns affect local bases. If so, will that pushback be enough? The Army does seem determined to do this. Sources: US Army, “Army aviation flying smarter into fiscal squeeze” | Alabama.com, “Army planning to scrap OH-58 Kiowa Warriors helicopter fleet: Reports” | Jackson Sun, “National Guard: Tennessee could lose 30 OH-58D helicopters, including at Jackson flight facility, under proposed Army plan” | The Motley Fool, “The U.S. Army Is About to Make a Huge Mistake”.

Apaches only: End of the OH-58D scout helicopters

Nov 21/13: IOC. The AH-64E reaches Initial Operational Capability on schedule, spearheaded by the 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. The 1-229th flew more than 670 hours over the last month, with an average operational tempo of 27 hours per airframe per month. Sources: US Army, “Army Achieves Initial Operating Capability with the AH-64E Apache”.

AH-64E IOC

Nov 4/13: Taiwan. Taiwan’s first 6 AH-64E attack helicopters have been re-assembled in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Harbor, after arriving by ship. The US reportedly asked Taiwan’s military authorities not to reveal the AH-64E’s cockpit layout or configuration in its Nov 7/13 public display. Unfortunately, that request comes about a week after revelations that Taiwanese officers sold key information about Taiwan’s brand-new E-2 Hawkeye 2000 AEW&C planes to the Chinese.

The AH-64Es will become operational in April 2014, with Guiren Air Force Base in Tainan serving as a training and basing focal point. More than 60 Taiwanese pilots and maintenance personnel returned to Taiwan in August 2013, after completed 20 months of training in the USA that will let them act as instructors. Still, there were limits, which echoed circumstances surrounding the delivery of Taiwan’s AH-1W Cobras over a decade ago:

“While Taiwanese pilots and maintenance personnel managed to get a full understanding of the aircraft software and hardware, the pilots were unable to obtain training in certain special flight skills. The Taiwanese trainees were asked to leave the classroom or training site whenever the American instructors were giving lectures on certain critical courses or special flight maneuvers, the officials said.”

They’ll have to figure those out on their own. A 2nd batch of Apache helicopters is scheduled for delivery to Taiwan in late December 2013, and 3 more batches of 6 will complete deliveries by the end of 2014. Sources: Focus Taiwan, “Taiwan takes delivery of first Apache choppers” | Focus Taiwan, “Talk of the Day — AH-64E Apache choppers debut in Taiwan” | Flight International, “Taiwan receives first batch of AH-64E Apaches” | Focus Taiwan, “Apache choppers to bolster Taiwan’s combat capability: expert”.

Taiwan: AH-64Es arrive

HPW3000 promo
click for video

Oct 21/13: AH-64 Next? The US government’s Advanced Affordable Turbine Engine program (AATE) program begins to show public results, with PW/Honeywell’s ATEC joint venture touting its HPW3000’s performance in early tests. Their competitor is GE’s GE3000.

Within the Army, the application of these technologies will fall under AATE’s follow-on Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). Its goal is a 3,000 shp turboshaft that also delivers AATE’s desired 25% better fuel efficiency, 20% longer engine life, and 35% maintenance cost improvements. All in a package that could act as a drop-in replacement for the AH-64E’s current T700-GE-701D, which delivers 2,000 shp. Assuming they can deliver, AH-64 on-station time could rise by an hour or so, or see range extensions and better altitude limits. As an alternative, the helicopter could carry about 3,300 more pounds of payload under better conditions. If the companies could deliver on the reliability goals as well, the combined value of those maintenance and longevity improvements for the UH-60 and AH-64 fleets could add up to $1 billion over the engines’ life cycle. Sources: Pratt & Whitney release, Oct 21/13 | Aviation Week, “Teams Test More Powerful Engines For U.S. Army Helicopters” | ATEC JV site | ATEC HPW3000 infographic [PDF] | GE3000 page.

FY 2013

Orders: USA, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan; AH-64E “Guardian”; SAR shows program cost increase; US new-build program effectively terminated; Link 16 purchases begin; AH-64E vulnerable to hackers. Refurb, Step 1
(click to view full)

Sept 24/13: Lot 3-4. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $52.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to procure an estimated 48 AH-64Es under Lot 3 remanufacture, Lot 3 new build, and Lot 4 remanufacture. Obviously, this is just an initial payment.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with funding from FY 2013 “other authority” funds. This contract was a competitive acquisition via the web, but with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0055).

Sept 9/13: South Korea. The Longbow LLC joint venture in Orlando, FL receives a $51.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for 6 Longbow fire control radars, plus associated parts, spares and support. It’s part of Korea’s 36-helicopter buy, which has already seen orders for 36 helicopters, their engines, MTADS-PNVS surveillance and targeting turrets, and now a limited number of Longbow radars. Total announced so far: $1.236 billion, out of a $1.6 billion budget.

The Republic of Korea is the Longbow radar’s 10th international customer, and production under their order is scheduled through 2016. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL; Ocala, FL; and Baltimore, MD. US Army Contracting Command, Aviation at Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as South Korea’s agent (W58RGZ-13-C-0105). Sources: Pentagon | NGC & Lockheed releases, Sept 12/13.

Sept 9/13: Training. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $14.4 million firm-fixed-price, contract for 4 Longbow crew trainers.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, using FY 2011 “other authorization” funds. This contract was done as a competitive acquisition via the web, but just 1 bid was received (W58RGZ-13-C-0086).

Aug 30/13: RDT&E. Boeing receives a $22.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification for continued AH-64E development and demonstration. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ (W58RGZ-05-C-0001, PO 0059).

Aug 28/13: Link 16/STT. Following successful AH-64E flight tests, the Army has decided to pursue a sole source contract with ViaSat for their Small Tactical Terminal (STT). The 16-pound KOR-24A STT provides simultaneous communication, voice or data, using Link 16 and the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW).

Link 16 securely shares locations of identified friendly and enemy forces, so that all equipped units see what any one unit can see, and vice-versa. Knowing that there’s an enemy anti-aircraft unit in place before you fly over the next hill is a big plus. Sources: ViaSat, Aug 28/13 release | ViaSat STT.

Aug 26/13: Indonesia. US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, in a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Purnomo Yusgiantoro, confirms that the US agrees to Indonesia’s request for 8 Apache helos (q.v. Sep 21/12 entry). The deal is valued at about $500 million, far lower than the $1.4 billion cost in last year’s DSCA request, suggesting it does not cover armament. Different contracts are subsequently announced to provide AGM-114 Hellfire missiles to customers that include Indonesia.

Some human rights groups fear the helicopters will be used to crack down on separatists, and are concerned by the sale of such machines to a military with a recent past of human rights abuses. US DoD | Jakarta Globe, “US to Sell Indonesia 8 Apache Helicopters” | Asia Times, “US sparks Indonesia arms sales concern” | Australia’s ASPI, “Why does Indonesia need Apache gunships?”

Indonesia: 8

Aug 23/13: South Korea. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a firm-fixed price, option eligible, multi-year contract from South Korea, with a cumulative maximum value of $904.4 million for 36 new AH-64E Apache Helicopters. This contract includes initial support, spares and 1 Longbow crew trainer.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with the US Army Contracting Command, Aviation in Redstone Arsenal, AL managing the contract as South Korea’s FMS agent (W58RGZ-13-C-0106). Total so far: $1.185 billion, out of a $1.6 billion budget.

South Korea: 36

Aug 21/13: South Korea. General Electric Aviation in Lynn, MA receives a firm-fixed price, no option contract with a cumulative maximum value of $57.5 million for 72 production T700-GE-701D engines, extended warranties, and four spares and support packages. They’ll be used on South Korea’s 36 new AH-64Es, and represent the 2nd purchase of long-lead items by that country.

Work will be performed in Lynn, MA, and will be managed by the US Army Contracting Command – Aviation in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract on behalf of their ROK client (SPRTA1-12-G-0006). This is the 2nd Pentagon release that refers to a sole-source item as a “competitive acquisition with 3 bids solicited and 3 received”. We can only conclude that they mean the South Korea’s attack helicopter competition generally.

Aug 8/13: Taiwan. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $92.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, as part of Taiwan’s AH-64E buy and associated support. The Pentagon says that this brings the cumulative total face value of this contract to $716.7 million. The original DSCA request, including 30 helicopters, weapons and 6 years of support, had a maximum of $2.532 billion (q.v. Oct 3/08)

FY 2009 procurement funds are being used, which was the year Taiwan placed the order. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as Taiwan’s agent (W58RGZ-09-C-0147, PO 0025).

Aug 1/13: Longbow LLC, Orlando, FL receives a $6.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for services to support Low Rate Initial Production of the Radar Electronics Unit and UAS Tactical Common Data Link Assembly, bringing the cumulative total face value of this contract to $182.3 million. FY 2012 Procurement funds were used by US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-10-C-0005, PO 0035).

Aug 1/13: South Korea. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL receives a maximum $223.3 million contract to buy M-TADS/PNVS systems for South Korea (q.v. April 17/13). Lockheed Martin later confirms that this is the 1st announced contract in their 36-machine AH-64E order, covering 36 Arrowhead systems and spares, with production and delivery extending through 2018. Electronics assembly will take place at the Ocala, FL facility, with final assembly performed in Orlando, FL.

South Korea becomes the system’s 12th international customer. Oddly, the Pentagon release says that 3 bids were solicited, with 3 bids received. The system only has 1 manufacturer, and it would be very expensive to integrate a different system on the AH-64. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as South Korea’s agent (W58RGZ-13-C-0104). Lockheed Martin.

June 7/13: Saudi. Longbow LLC in Orlando, FL receives a $39 million firm-fixed-price, foreign-military-sales (FMS) contract modification from Saudi Arabia, buying an undeclared number of AH-64 mast mounted assemblies; the fire control radars that go inside them; and related support equipment.

The Pentagon says that the cumulative total face value of this contract is $333.3 million, but it’s a FY 2006 contract that far predates Saudi AH-64E buys. Based on DID’s tracking of announced contracts, the Saudis have now committed $339 million to their AH-64E buy so far, using several contracts. US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as Saudi Arabia’s agent for this FMS sale (W58RGZ-06-C-0134, PO 0042).

May 24/12: SAR. The Pentagon finally releases its Dec 31/12 Selected Acquisitions Report [PDF]. The AH-64E programs feature prominently, with overall program costs rising by more than $2 billion, vs. the previous figures as reported by the GAO in March:

“AH-64E Apache Remanufacture – Program costs increased $1,791.9 million (+15.0%) from $11,968.3 million to $13,760.2 million, due primarily to reflect a revised Independent Cost Estimate (ICE) by CAPE [DID: Pentagon Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation team] in support of Full Rate Production (FRP) approval in September 2012 (+$1,339.5M). There were additional increases for other support (+$347.8 million) and initial spares (+$151.0 million) to reflect the approved CAPE FRP ICE.”

See April 10/13 entry to explain our lack of faith that future US Army new-build orders will ever materialize. Officially, however:

“AH-64E Apache New Build – Program costs increased $328.7 million (+15.3%) from $2,155.8 million to $2,484.5 million, due primarily to a stretch-out of the procurement buy profile (+$260.0 million). Since Milestone C in September 2010, 46 of the 56 AH-64E New Build aircraft have been shifted outside the Future Year Defense Program to higher priority programs. There were additional increases for other support (+$78.5 million) and initial spares (+$26.6 million) to reflect a revised Independent Cost Estimate by Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) in support of full rate production approval in March 2013. These increases were partially offset by a quantity decrease of 2 Overseas Contingency Operations-funded aircraft [DID: lost helo replacements] from 58 to 56 aircraft (- $111.2 million) and associated schedule and estimating allocations ($+46.3 million).”

SAR – program costs rise

May 22/13: Saudi. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $69.2 million firm-fixed-price, foreign-military-sales contract modification for Saudi Arabia’s Apache Block III aircraft and associated parts and services. The US Army reports the total cumulative value of this contract so far as $259.4 million; when other known Saudi contracts are added, contract value to date is somewhere between $296-300 million. Given Saudi AH-64E export requests for up to 60 helicopters, and known helicopter prices, this is just a drop in the bucket.

US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract on behalf of its Saudi client (W58RGZ-12-C-0089, PO 0008).

May 22/13: Saudi. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $14.3 million firm-fixed-price, foreign-military-sales contract modification for Saudi Arabia’s Apache Block III aircraft and associated parts and services. The US Army reports the total cumulative value of this contract so far as $35.2 million. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract on behalf of its Saudi client (W58RGZ-12-C-0113, PO 0003).

April 17/13: South Korea picks AH-64E. South Korea announces that the AH-64E Guardian has beaten the AH-1Z Viper and T-129 ATAK helicopters for a 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion), 36-machine order to replace their existing fleet of AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters. The ROK hopes to have the helicopters between 2016 and 2018. The Apaches are useful for countering heavy armor formations, and might have an important role against artillery in Korea, but the Korea Herald offers another interesting possibility: a duel between fast moving aerial and land opponents:

“In Goampo, Hwanghae Province, the North has built a unit to house some 60 hovercrafts whose infiltrations operations could be countered by the attack helicopters. The communist state is known to have some 130 hovercrafts that can travel through mudflats into the border islands at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.”

The attack helicopter decision had been due in October 2012, but was put on hold until after the elections. The AH-1Z would have represented continuity with the existing fleet, and was the subject of a September 2012 DSCA export request. The Italo-Turkish T-129 would have been a reciprocal deal with a major arms export customer. A DAPA official is quoted as saying that the AH-64E’s superior target acquisition capability, power, and weapons load gave it the edge, and so South Korea will begin the acquisition process. The weapons load issue is debatable, but the Apache is certainly much more heavily armored than its counterparts, and its combination of modernized optics and MMW radar or UAV control does give it an edge in target acquisition.

The ROK is a bit behind on approvals and other concrete arrangements for the AH-64E, but KAI’s existing position as a major AH-64E subcontractor will help a bit. US Army | Korea Herald | Reuters.

South Korea picks AH-64E

April 12/13: Rotors. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $36.6 firm-fixed-price contract modification, buying composite main rotor blades and associated support equipment for the Block III configuration. The performance enhancing composite blades are part of the AH-64E’s efficiency changes. The award uses FY 2012 procurement contract funds (W58RGZ-10-G-0006, 0013).

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage.

The AH-64E submission marks a big shift. Previous 2014 procurement plans involved 48 machines: 10 new-build helicopters ($475.2 million) and 38 remanufactured ($618.8 million) machines, for a total of $1.094 billion. The new plan involves 42 remanufactured helicopter and no new machines, for a total of just $759.4 million and an overall drop of 30.59%. The Pentagon didn’t even deliver its war supplemental budget, so those numbers could rise. The program as a whole has dropped from the still-official 634 helicopters to 628, but there are still a limited number of airframes to work with. Adding AB3-R Apaches now means subtracting them later, which may be attractive if the Army sees even more problems in future years.

This is a long term shift, because the AB3B new-build program has essentially been terminated. Foreign buyers can still get them, and the US Army’s official fiction is that the remaining 45 new-build helicopters of their 55-helicopter goal will be bought after 2018, creating 683 AH-64Es for $15.33 billion. Anyone who believes that plan is asked to email us, in order to receive the attractive terms of our toll bridge investment opportunity near Brooklyn.

The reality? AH-64E is now a 638 helicopter program, worth $12.53 billion.

Major program shift: de facto termination for AB3 New-build

March 15/13: Support. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $7.2 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for AH-64E contractor logistics support. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).

March 5/13: SDD. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $41.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification that adds to the AH-64 Apache Block III’s SDD contract.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/14. The original bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-05-C-0001).

Jan 9/13: Guardian. The US Army shares that the designation for the AH-64E Apache is “Guardian,” written/ referenced as “AH-64E Apache Guardian.”

The AH-64D was known as the AH-64D Apache Longbow, due to its radar mast that provides fire and forget operation when using AGM-114L Hellfire Longbow missiles with millimeter-wave guidance. US Army.

“Guardian”

Jan 17/13: DOT&E testing. The Pentagon releases the FY 2012 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The AH-64E is included, and the news is almost all good. It’s operationally effective, and better than its predecessors. It’s also operationally suitable, surpassing reliability thresholds with statistical confidence and meeting all current maintainability requirements. Survivability is at least as good as the AH-64D, and increased power margins also do their bit to improve flight safety.

Now, the lone piece of bad news: The AH-64E is vulnerable to computer network attack. An Army threat computer network operations team conducted limited penetration testing against the Blue Force Tracker, the Aviation Mission Planning System, and aircraft maintenance ports. Threat team activities were limited to computer network scanning (passive and active) while the AB3 aircraft were on the ground, but they were successful in gaining access to AB3 systems.

Jan 9/13: Lot 4-6 Enhancements. US Army Apache program manager Col. Jeff Hager talks to Flight International about the AH-64E.

Boeing has delivered 28 of 51 low-rate initial production AH-64Es so far, and will start full-rate production in 2013. Changes in Production Lots 4-6 will include better embedded diagnostics, APG-78 Longbow radar improvements to add range and over-water capability; and Link-16 to share the same view of enemy and friendly units with participating fighters, ships, air defense systems, etc. A Cognitive Decision Aiding System (CDAS), is a cumbersome name, for a system designed “to help the pilot and the crew with some of those tasks that tend to get a little cumbersome at times.” Flight International.

Jan 3/13: Taiwan? Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $71 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “to procure Apache AH-64D helicopters in support of Foreign Military Sales.” We asked for further details to clarify which customer, but neither Boeing nor the US military will provide those any longer, except through Freedom of Information Act requests. The contract number does match Taiwan’s 30-helicopter order, and the USA seems to be using a different contract number for them, but that conclusion isn’t 100% certain.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/17. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).

Jan 3/13: Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $39.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification. Boeing tells us that this is additional advance procurement funding for the US Army.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0055).

Jan 3/13: FMS. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives an $18.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “to procure Apache Block III Aircraft in support of Foreign Military Sales.” We asked for further details to clarify which customer, but neither Boeing nor the US military will provide those any longer, except through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of April 30/13. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0089).

Nov 1/12: Taiwan? Boeing receives a $66.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “to procure Apache Block III aircraft and related support.” We asked about this contract, which turns out to be a Foreign Military Sale order, even though it wasn’t announced as such. Neither Boeing nor the US military will provide those any longer, except through Freedom of Information Act requests. The contract number does match Taiwan’s 30-helicopter order, and the USA seems to be using a different contract number for them, but that conclusion isn’t 100% certain.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/17. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).

Oct 24/12: AH-64E. The US Army formally renames the AH-64D Block III the “AH-64E,” in accordance with a USAF memo received in September. It also formally announces the program’s full-rate production decision, which the Defense Acquisition Board granted in August 2012.

As part of that decision, the AH-64E becomes an ACAT C program with oversight from the Army (Heidi Shyu), instead of an ACAT D program with oversight from the US Department of Defense.AOL Defense.

AH-64E, FRP

Oct 2/12: ? Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $69.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for “Apache Block III aircraft.” Boeing could not provide additional details by the time of publication.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/13. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0055).

FY 2012

RDT&E funding; Taiwan orders; Indonesia & Qatar requests; UTA mast controls MQ-1C UAV; Alone in India. KAI’s new fuselage
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Sept 21/12: Indonesia. The US DSCA announces [PDF] Indonesia’s official request for AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters, ancillary equipment, and weapons. The DSCA says that: “Indonesia will use these APACHE helicopters to defend its borders, conduct counterterrorism and counter-piracy operations, and control the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Malacca.”

The proposed cost is very, very high – up to $1.42 billion for 8 new-build helicopters plus initial support, or about $177.5 million for each operational, fully-equipped helicopter. By comparison, India’s similar DSCA request involved up to $1.4 billion for 22 machines and equipment. The request is somewhat controversial in Indonesia, where the chairman of the House of Representatives Commission overseeing defense and foreign affairs has said that heavy-lift CH-47 Chinook helicopters would be far more helpful. He isn’t against the Apaches per se, just believes that Chinooks would make a bigger difference to one of the military’s main roles, which is distributing relief supplies after natural disasters. He’s right, but that isn’t what they asked for; instead, it’s:

  • 8 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III attack helicopters
  • 19 T-700-GE-701D Engines (16 installed and 3 spares)
  • 9 “Arrowhead” MTADS/PNVS night vision and targeting turrets
  • 24 Integrated Helmet and Display Sight Systems (IHDSS-21), which allow pilots to target missiles by moving their gaze.
  • 4 AN/APG-78 Longbow Fire Control Radars (FCR) with Radar Electronics Units
  • 4 AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometers
  • 10 AAR-57v3/5 Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS), with a 5th Sensor and the Improved Countermeasure Dispenser
  • 10 AN/AVR-2B Laser Detecting Sets
  • 10 AN/APR-39Av4 Radar Signal Detecting Sets
  • Identification Friend or Foe transponders
  • 32 M299A1 Hellfire Missile Launchers
  • 140 Hellfire AGM-114R3 “universal warhead” missiles
  • M230 30mm guns and ammunition
  • Plus helicopter transportation to Indonesia, communication equipment, tools and test equipment, training devices, simulators, generators, associated wheeled vehicles, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, and US government and contractor support services.

Many of the items above are produced by sub-contractors like ATK, BAE, Northrop Grumman, et. al., but the prime contractors will be:

  • Boeing in Mesa, AZ (Helicopter)
  • Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL (Hellfire missiles & launchers)
  • General Electric Company in Cincinnati, OH (Engines)
  • Lockheed Martin Millimeter Technology in Owego, NY (Longbow radars)
  • Longbow Limited Liability Corporation in Orlando, Florida (Longbow radars)

Implementation of this proposed sale may require 5 U.S. contractor representatives and 3 U.S. Government representatives in country, full-time, for equipment checkout, fielding, and technical support.

DSCA: Indonesia request (8)

Sept 6/12: Support. Longbow LLC in Orlando, FL receives a $39 million firm-fixed-price contract to support the helicopter’s Radar Electronic Unit and Unmanned Aerial System Tactical Common Data Link Assembly.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL until Aug 31/13. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-12-C-0049).

Aug 28/12: Support. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $17.7 million firm-fixed-price contract “for the procurement of Apache Block III aircraft and related support.”

Work will be performed in Mesa, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0113).

Aug 21/12: India. The Times of India quotes a Ministry of defence official, who says that:

“It’s just a matter of time before the contract is inked for the Apaches after final commercial negotiations. Most of the hurdles have been cleared.”

It’s hard to tell whether that means anything. In India, “just a matter of time” can easily be measured in years. Meanwhile, Boeing and Russia will be competing for another Indian contract, pitting Boeing’s CH-47F heavy-lift helicopter against the even larger Mi-26.

July 13/12: Support. An $84.6 million firm-fixed-price contract covers production and support services for the Apache Block III aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/13. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0055).

July 12/12: Sub-contractors. Boeing announces that they’ve received the first 10 new Block III fuselages from long-time supplier Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). This milestone paves the way for delivery of the 1st new-build Apache Block III in 2013.

Boeing is a huge customer for KAI, who supplies parts for commercial jets, F-15s, A-10 wings, etc. KAI have been delivering AH-64 fuselages for over a decade from their facility in Sacheon, South Korea, and the Republic of Korea has expressed some interest in buying new AH-64D Block III helicopters of their own (vid. Sept 24/08 entry).

July 12/12: Qatar wants 24. The US DSCA announces Qatar’s official request to buy 24 AH-64D Block III helicopters, plus associated equipment, support, and weapons, including Hellfire anti-tank and Stinger air-to-air missiles. The total estimated cost, if a contract is signed, is up to $3.13 billion for all requests. The main request includes 24 Block III attack helicopters, which would more than replace its existing 14 SA342 Gazelle light armed scouts.

Read “Qatar: The Emir’s New Helicopters” for full coverage.

DSCA: Qatar request (24)

May 29/12: Taiwan. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $97.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “of an existing contract to procure Block III Apache AH-64D attack helicopters in support of Foreign Military Sales.” Which means Taiwan. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Dec 30/17. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).

The contract number does match Taiwan’s 30-helicopter order, and the USA seems to be using a different contract number for them, but that conclusion isn’t 100% certain. If it is Taiwan, it brings total ROC Apache Block III contracts to $624.5 million so far, of the maximum $2.532 billion noted in the October 2008 DSCA request. If air-launched Stinger missiles are included, on the grounds that they were part of Taiwan’s request, the total so far rises to $683.8 million.

May 6/12: LRIP-2B. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $486.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for “AH-64D Apache Block III low rate initial production and related support.” This appears to be the FY 2012 base order, per plans to buy 19 more Block IIIs as the 2nd tranche of LRIP Lot 2.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/14. The original bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).

LRIP Lot 2B

May 6/12: Taiwan. A $171.8 million firm-fixed-price contract “for the procurement of Apache Block III aircraft and related services in support of Foreign Military Sales.” The Pentagon does not mention which country, but conversations with industry sources indicate that this is almost certainly for Taiwan’s 30-helicopter order.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Dec 30/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL acts as Taiwan’s agent (W58RGZ-12-C-0089).

April 3/12: IOT&E. The AH-64 Apache Block III is finishing up its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation at Fort Irwin, CA, and has performed “extremely well.” Col. Shane Openshaw, US Army project manager, Apache Attack Helicopters, is confident that the new variant will be ready to deploy in 2013, even as new technologies like UTA and GFAS begin their own journey into the fleet.

The Army has taken delivery of 10 Block IIIs so far. US Army.

IOT&E done

March 16/12: RDT&E. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $187 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract, to fund Apache Block III development, integration and testing. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of July 31/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-05-C-0001).

Jan 17/12: DOT&E testing. The Pentagon releases the FY 2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). Most performance levels looked good as of Sept 30/11, after 1,587 developmental flight test hours, and the new helicopter got good marks for supportability, but formal IOT&E is scheduled for April 2012.

The helicopter meets all thresholds, except for 99% performance in Hover Out of Ground Effect. The new radar met or exceeded 37/44 specification thresholds, and even for the other 7, performance was at or above the existing AH-64D radar. Remaining improvements are mostly focused on 3 key sensors: the IHADSS helmet-mounted display, the MTADS “Arrowhead” sensor turret, and UAV interoperability:

“…the program redesigned the IHADSS helmet to improve its fit and functionality, and has made software corrections to make it easier to adjust radio squelch, provide feedback to the pilot while changing radio frequencies, simplify UAS linkup procedures, and achieve compliance with interoperability standard… M-TADS video vibrates excessively during certain flight regimes. Subsequent testing revealed that the cause of the vibration was the natural frequency of the TADS Electronics Display and Control overlays with the main rotor frequency. The Army is exploring options to correct the problem.”

January 2012: India. India Strategic quotes Raytheon’s Business Development Manager for missile systems Brad Barnard, who says that Raytheon’s FIM-92F Block 1 Stinger ATAS helicopter-mounter anti-aircraft missiles could also be made available for other Indian helicopters, beyond the requested AH-64D Block III buy (vid. Oct 25/11, Dec 27/10).

Missile candidates would include India’s HAL Dhruv helicopters, and HAL’s LCH scout and light attack helicopter.

UTA: UAV mast-er
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Dec 30/11: Mast sensors for Taiwan & US. Longbow Limited Liability Corp. in Orlando, FL receives an announced $64.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, but Longbow LLC pegs its actual value at $181 million, with options to extend performance past 2015, to 2017.

It’s said to include 15 Longbow Block III mast-mounted Fire Control Radar assemblies for Taiwan’s AH-64Ds, marking the Block III version’s 1st export order.

For the US Army, the order includes 14 Block III Radar Electronics Units, which are smaller than their predecessors, and offer lower weight, maintenance and power requirements. The Army is also buying 14 Unmanned Aerial System Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA) systems and spares, which provide a 2-way, high-bandwidth data link that lets the helicopter crew control nearby UAV flight paths, sensors and lasers at long ranges, while receiving high-quality imagery from the UAVs on the helicopters’ own displays.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract, including its work as Taiwan’s FMS agent (W58RGZ-10-C-0005). Lockheed Martin | Northrop Grumman.

Dec 30/11: Training. The US Army discusses AH-64D Block III improvements, as the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division prepares to be the 1st unit in the Army to field a force with only AH-64D Block III machines.

The differences are extensive enough that existing 1-1 pilots are getting a 3-week course at Boeing’s Mesa, AZ facility, including 28 hours of academics, 24 hours in the new simulator, and 8.5 hours flying in the Block III helicopter. Maintenance test pilots get an additional 22 hours of academics and 3 additional hours in the aircraft.

Dec 7/11: Taiwan contract. Boeing in Mesa, AZ received a $141.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for “services in support of 30 Apache AH-64D attack helicopters for Taiwan.” This appears to confirm the report in the June 10/11 entry.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Dec 30/17. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL, who is acting as Taiwan’s agent (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).

Taiwan’s 30 begin

Dec 7/11: Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $7.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for “logistics support services for the AH-64D Apache low rate initial production.” DID is checking, but believes that only Block III is back at the LRIP phase.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).

Nov 9/11: UAV Mast-a. An AH-64D Apache Block III helicopter fitted with the Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA) atop its mast has controlled the payload and flight of an MQ-1C Grey Eagle UAV while both are in flight. This marks the 1st time an unmanned vehicle has been controlled from the cockpit of an Apache helicopter.

Lockheed Martin says that the test program proved the UTA’s design, adding that: “All goals of this phase of UTA testing were completed with 100 percent success.”

UAV level IV control

Nov 2/11: 1st handover. Boeing hands the 1st of 51 Low-Rate Initial Production AH-64D Apache Block IIIs over to the U.S. Army at a ceremony in Mesa, AZ. Boeing.

1st delivery

Oct 25/11: Alone in India. Reports surface that Russia’s Mi-28N Night Hunter has lost the competition for India’s proposed buy of 22 attack helicopters (vid. Dec 27/10 entry). Unnamed sources say that it fell short in 20 technical areas, and that the AH-64D displayed better maneuverability, multi-role capability, and capacity to accept upgrades.

That will be bad news for MBDA & Diehl, as well; their new PARS 3/TRIGAT LR anti-tank missile was reportedly going to be the Mi-28N’s counterpart to Lockheed Martin’s AGM-114 Hellfire missile family on the Apache. The question now is whether the Indian military’s recommendation will be accepted and approved, then turned into a contract. That often takes a long time in India. Economic Times of India | Russia’s Pravda | RIA Novosti | Monsters & Critics | The Hindu re: PARS 3.

FY 2011

Program split into remanufactured & new; Low Rate Initial Production approved; LRIP-1 & 2 orders; Taiwan deal; Requests from India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. AH-64Ds, Afghanistan
(click to view full)

Aug 30/11: LRIP-1. A $16 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy support for AH-64D Apache Block III Low Rate Initial Production, Lot 1A and 1B. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).

July 25/11: LRIP-2. Boeing in Mesa, AZ receives a $189.2 million firm-fixed-price contract modification of an existing contract to provide “16 AH-64D Apache aircraft and related support.” Discussions with Boeing explain the award in detail as unfinalized contracts for Block III Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 2A production and spares/ ground support/ logistics support; increased Advanced Procurement Funding for LRIP Lot 2B production and spares/ ground support/ logistics support/ training devices, and LRIP Lot 2C production and spares.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).

LRIP Lot 2 base

June 10/11: Taiwan deal? Reports surface that Taiwan has signed a contract for 30 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III attack helicopters under its Sky Eagle program, making it the type’s 1st export customer. US Army AH-64 project manager Col. Shane Openshaw is quoted as the source for the news, and says that Taiwan’s first new-build helicopter will enter the production line in October 2011 as the very 1st new-build Block III, with deliveries expected in 2012-2013. The signing is consistent with April 2011 reports, but no branch of the US government, or Boeing, has made any public announcement yet; and there have been no media reports in Taiwan. On the other hand, subsequent entries strongly suggest a contract.

Per earlier contracts & requests, Taiwanese AH-64s will include Hellfire Longbow fire-and-forget light strike missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles among its weapon options. In exercises, helicopters have proven to be very challenging opponents for fixed-wing aircraft, and the growing aerial imbalance over the China Strait makes some form of aerial engagement capability a necessity for any Taiwanese attack helicopter. The Dec 3/08 DSCA entry set a maximum estimated price of $2.532 billion for 30 helicopters, all associated equipment and initial support, and requested stocks of Stinger and Hellfire Longbow missiles.

Boeing’ VP attack helicopter programs, David Koopersmith, told Shephard’s Rotorhub that the first 3 remanufactured Block IIIs were on the line, and they still expect to deliver the 1st production remanufactured Block III helicopter to the US Army in October 2011. Once the remaining AH-64D Block II line converts over, Koopersmith believes that Boeing could deliver 7-8 Block III helicopters per month on the 2 lines at Mesa, AZ. The Rotorhub report expects the US Army to eventually request 786 AH-64D Block IIIs, 96 above the current program plan of 690. Flight International | Rotorhub | Asian Skies blog.

April 15/11: SAR split. The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisitions Report ending Dec 30/10 includes a small change, for reporting purposes:

“The AB3 (Apache Block III) program was divided into two separate programs (AB3A Remanufacture and AB3B New Build).”

Looking at the accompanying tables [PDF], that brings the program from its 2010 figure of $9.371 billion for 658 helicopters (602 rebuild, 56 new), to $FY10 12.582 billion for 690 helicopters (639 rebuild, 57 new). The AB3 Remanufacture program cost has increased 43.9%, a jump of 28.3% per helicopter to about FY10$ 11.74 – 16.36 million each for PAUC (Program Acquisition Unit Cost, includes amortized R&D). On the other hand, the AB3 New-Build line has actually seen costs drop 8.3%, from $FY10 41.2 – 37.84 million PAUC, despite adding 1 helicopter.

SAR – the program splits

April 12/11: Taiwan. Defense News reports that representatives from the U.S. government and Boeing will arrive in Taipei in May 2011, to wrap up the AH-64 Block III Foreign Military Sale deal. Author Wendell Minnick.

March 16/11: UTA. Longbow, LLC in Orlando, FL received a $10 million firm-fixed-price contract for radar electronics units and unmanned aerial system tactical common data link assembly units, in support of the Apache Block III helicopter fire control radar. This equipment set helps the helicopter work with unmanned drones. The Block III’s desired “Level IV” control means the Apache pilots see what the UAV sees, and can control a UAV to do anything except launch itself, or land itself. Boeing has equipped the Block IIIs with basic systems for UAV control in anticipation of the day when the battlefield procedures and software, are deemed ready.

Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-10-C-0005).

Dec 27/10: India. India’s attack helicopter competition. The US DSCA announces [PDF] India’s formal request to approve Boeing’s AH-64D Block III attack helicopter for sale, as part of that country’s multinational attack helicopter competition, to supplement and eventually replace India’s existing fleet of 32 Mi-24/35 helicopters. If the Boeing-U.S. Army proposal wins, the Government of India will request a possible sale of 22 AH-64D Block III attack helicopters under Direct Commercial Sale terms, plus up to:

  • 50 T700-GE-701D engines.
  • 23 “Arrowhead” Modernized TADS/PVNS sensor & targeting turrets
  • 12 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars. Used in the AH-64’s “top hat” above the rotors.
  • 12 AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometers. Actually a defensive system; detects and classifies enemy radar emissions. Of course, that information can be used to attack those air defense systems.
  • 812 AGM-114L-3 Hellfire Longbow missiles. These use APG-78’s millimeter-wave radar guidance.
  • 542 AGM-114R-3 Hellfire II missiles. The new “Romeo” missiles use semi-active laser guidance, and carry a triple-threat warhead that can deal armor-destroying, blast, and fragmentation effects.
  • 245 FIM-92 Stinger Block I-92H missiles. A variant of the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile for use on helicopters.
  • Rockets (presumably 70mm), training and dummy missiles, 30mm ammunition for the Mk44 chain gun.
  • Transponders, simulators, GPS/inertial navigation systems, communication equipment, spare and repair parts; tools and test equipment, support equipment, repair and return support, personnel training and training equipment; publications and technical documentation, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support.

The estimated cost of these items, excluding the helicopters, is up to $1.4 billion. The prime contractors will be GE in Cincinnati Ohio (engines); Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL and Mission Systems and Sensors in Owego, NY (APR-48, Arrowhead, Hellfire missiles); Longbow Limited Liability Corporation joint venture in Orlando, FL (Radar); and Raytheon Company in Tucson, AZ (Stinger missiles). Implementation of this proposed sale would require the assignment of 1 U.S. Government and 7 contractor representatives to India for one week to conduct a detailed discussion of the various aspects of the hybrid program with Government of India representatives.

India’s competition has also attracted interest from AgustaWestland (A-129i/T-129 Mongoose), EADS Eurocopter (EC665 Tiger) and Russia (Mi-28 NE Havoc). A previous attempt to buy the 22 attack helicopters also featured interest from Bell Helicopter (AH-1Z Viper), before both Bell and Boeing quit that competition. The 2 American companies had quit because India was insisting on Direct Commercial Sale type procedures, but their offerings required at least some Foreign Military Sale procedures under US law. India ended up canceling the initial competition in 2009, when only Eurocopter was left bidding at the end, but they issued another RFP in early 2010. As is true for other Indian buys of this scale, industrial offsets worth at least 30% of the contract’s value will be required.

DSCA: India request (22)

Nov 8/10: UAE request. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] a formal request for 60 AH-64D Block III Apache Longbow attack helicopters. Of the 60, 30 will be re-manufactured AH-64D Block IIs, while the other 30 will be new-build helicopters. The total contract set could run as high as $5 billion, and could include:

  • 30 re-manufactured & upgraded AH-64D Block II lot 10s. These have already been upgraded once, from AH-64A status to AH-64D Block II.
  • 30 new-build AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters
  • 120 T700-GE-701D engines. At 2 per helicopter, this is an exact buy.
  • 76 “Arrowhead” Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors
  • 30mm automatic weapons
  • 70 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars with Radar Electronics Units,
  • 70 AN/ALQ-144Av3 Infrared Jammers,
  • 70 AN/APR-39Av4 Radar Signal Detecting Sets,
  • 70 AN/ALQ-136v5 Radar Jammers
  • 70 AAR-57v3/5 Common Missile Warning Systems
  • Plus improved counter measure dispensers, communication and support equipment, improved helmet display sight systems (IHADSS), trainer upgrades, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support.

The prime contractors will be The Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ and Lockheed Martin Corporation in Orlando, FL. Implementation of this proposed sale may require the assignment of additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the UAE, but that isn’t defined yet. U.S. Government and contractor representatives will also participate in program management and technical reviews for one-week intervals, twice semi-annually. Finally, this note from the DSCA was interesting. The UAE does have troops in Afghanistan, where AH-64s are always in demand:

“The UAE is currently deployed in support of U.S. regional operations, and plans to provide future deployment support.”

DSCA: UAE request (60)

Oct 25/10: LRIP-1 order. Boeing announces a $247 million contract to begin Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the U.S. Army’s AH-64D Apache Block III helicopter. The Oct 22/10 LRIP Lot 1 contract covers production of 8 AH-64D Block IIIs. The helicopters will be assembled, flight tested and delivered from the Boeing Global Strike facility in Mesa, AZ, and first delivery is scheduled for October 2011. Boeing | Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

LRIP Lot 1

Oct 20/10: Saudi request. Saudi Arabia submits official weapons export requests for up to 70 AH-64D Block III helicopters: 10 for the Royal Guard, 24 for the Army, and 36 for the National Guard. Some of these helicopters would have the Longbow mast mounted sights, and mounted weapons will include laser-guided rockets as well as AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles.

DSCA: Saudi request (70)

Oct 7/10: LRIP clearance. A Pentagon Milestone C Acquisition Decision Memorandum authorizes the AH-64D Block III program to enter the LRIP phase to produce 51 aircraft, and the current Army acquisition objective is for 690 helicopters across LRIP and Full Rate Production. Source.

Milestone C

FY 2008 – 2010

Taiwan request; South Korean interest; 1st prototype flight; 1st test aircraft flight; Limited User Test done; Howard Hughes Award. Block-III testing
(click to view full)

Jan 13/10: Sub-contractors. Boeing announces that Science Engineering Services Inc. (SES) is joining its Block II industry team. SES will receive U.S. Army Apache helicopters at the SES West Aviation and Integration Facility near Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. They will be disassembled, inspected and repaired as necessary, then components and airframes will be shipped to Boeing in Mesa, AZ, for integration into the AH-64D Apache Block III.

The program will create approximately 70 new positions for aviation and avionics mechanics, structural installers, and aviation quality inspectors within SES.

Nov 23/09: Testing Boeing completes the 1st flight of its AH-64D Apache Block III program structures test aircraft in Mesa, AZ. The tests demonstrate flight characteristics and handling maneuvers, and test technologies including the composite main rotor blade, composite horizontal stabilator, and -701D engines with enhanced digital electronic control. The aircraft also features a split-torque face gear transmission that increases power throughput by more than 20%, without taking up more room.

The Army and Boeing continue to work toward an anticipated US Department of Defense Milestone C decision in April 2010, which would begin production. Boeing release.

November 2009: Block III LUT. Boeing’s AH-64D Apache Block III program avionics test aircraft completes the Army’s Limited User Test according to schedule. Source.

LUT

June 2008: Testing. Boeing completes the first flight of the AH-64D Apache Block III program’s avionics test helicopter ahead of schedule, at the Yuma Proving Ground, AZ. Source.

Dec 3/08: Sub-contractors. Presagis, a Canadian firm which specializes in providing commercial-off-the shelf (COTS) modeling, simulation and embedded display graphics software, announced that Boeing has selected their Lyra image generator to support the development of the next-generation Apache helicopter simulator. Boeing will use Lyra in its new Block III Apache Engineering Development Simulator (EDS), the virtual simulation of the Apache weapon system. Ottawa Citizen – Defence Watch.

Oct 2/08: Taiwan request. Taiwan’s official request [PDF] is placed for 30 AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III attack helicopters and associated equipment. The estimated purchase price is $2.532 billion. Taiwan currently fields AH-1W Cobras in this role, and the AH-64D beat Bell’s AH-1Z Viper on the grounds that it was battle proven, while the AH-1Z remains developmental.

The helicopters will be ordered with 30 Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS/PNVS “Arrowhead“), 17 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars and AN/APR-48 Radar Frequency Interferometer (FCR/RFI), 69 T700-GE-701D Turbine Engines. Composite horizontal stabilators, crew and maintenance trainers, depot maintenance, all necessary support equipment, tools and test equipment, integration and checkout, spares and repair parts, training and training equipment, and other forms of support.

The request also includes applicable weapons: 173 FIM-92F Stinger Block I Air-to-Air Missiles, 35 Stinger air-air missile Captive Flight Trainers with live guidance systems but no rocket motors, 1,000 AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire anti-tank missiles that can use the APG-78 and their own radar’s millimeter-wave guidance for “fire and forget” capability, and 66 M299 Hellfire missile launchers.

Taiwan has requested industrial offsets, which will be defined in direct negotiations with the contractor(s). Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of 2 U.S. Government personnel for a period of 6 years to provide intensive coordination, monitoring, and technical assistance. In addition, 6 contractor representatives will be in country serving as Contractor Field Service Representatives for a period of 5 years, with the possibility of a 5-year extension. The principal contractors will be:

  • The Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ and St Louis, MO (AH-64)
  • General Electric in Lynn, MA (Engines)
  • Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL (Longbow Hellfires, M299, Arrowheads)
  • Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY
  • Northrop Grumman Corporation in Baltimore, MD (Longbow Hellfires)
  • Raytheon Company in Tucson, AZ (Stinger missiles)
  • Inter-Coastal Electronics in Mesa, AZ
  • BAE Systems in Rockville, MD

DSCA: Taiwan request (30)

Sept 14/08: South Korea. South Korea’s Yonhap News reports that the USA has offered to sell 36 used Apache attack helicopters to South Korea at less than 60% of the out-of-factory price, with upgrades to Block III status plus include a new frame and engines, resetting their life span to 10,000 flight hours.

The deal, if signed, is expected to be worth around $811 million. Its size is causing hesitation in Korea, which needs to replace its aging fleet of 500MD Defender helicopters and has backed off of its previous plans for an indigenous attack helicopter program. Politics is an uncertain game, and dates are rarely dependable. A government decision was expected by the end of 2008, but remained unmade as 2012 began. Seoul Times article | DID coverage: “US Army Apaches for Auction?

July 11/08: 1st flight. The Boeing Company and assembled guests celebrate the first flight of the AH-64D Apache Block III helicopter in Mesa, AZ. The aircraft was flown by two Apache-rated aviators: U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody, and Army experimental test pilot (Chief Warrant Officer 5) Rucie Moore.

Actually the demonstration flight on this day was the second flight. As one might expect given the passenger involved, a U.S. Army soldier and a Boeing teammate initially flew this Block III prototype aircraft over the Arizona desert on June 27/08 in preparation for this day’s ceremony. Boeing’s release states that it plans to begin Low Rate Initial Production in April 2010, and to deliver the first production AH-64D Apache Block III in June 2011.

A follow-on Lockheed Martin release notes the debut of its Arrowhead surveillance and targeting sensors, and Longbow Unmanned Aerial Systems Tactical Common Data Link Assembly (UTA) on the new helicopters. The Longbow UTA can control up to 4 UAVs.

1st flight

April 30/08: Award. A team comprised of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], the U.S. Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, AMRDEC Aviation Systems Integration Facility, Harris Corp. and Rockwell Collins receive the American Helicopter Society’s (AHS) 2008 Howard Hughes Award during the AHS International Annual Forum in Montreal, Canada. The AH-64D Block III’s progress figures prominently in that award.

One hopes that the award’s annual winners will have better luck with aircraft development than Howard Hughes. Boeing release.

Jan 17/08: Longbow LLC in Orlando FL received a $15.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Apache Block III radar electronics unit and an unmanned aerial vehicle tactical common data link assembly. The latter item would allow the helicopter’s pilots to share data with UAVs, and could allow full control depending on the technologies used.

Work will be performed in Baltimore, MD and Orlando, FL and is expected to be complete by June 30/09. One bid was solicited on Jan 20/06, and 1 bid was received (W58RGZ-05-C-0239).

FY 2007 and Earlier

Initial development contract; Advance electronics contracts. AH-64D Longbow
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July 14/06: Development. Boeing and U.S. Army officials sign a $619.3 million development contract for Block III upgrades to the current and future Apache fleet, via a virtual signing ceremony in Washington, DC; Huntsville, AL; and Mesa, AZ.

Those upgrades are described earlier in the article.Boeing release

Block III SDD contract

Jan 25/06: Longbow LLC in Orlando, FL received a $76 million increment as part of a $100 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Apache Block III Radar Electronics Units.

Work will be performed in Baltimore, MD (50%), and Orlando, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete by Dec 30/08. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan 11/06 (W58RGZ-05-C-0239).

July 13/05: Longbow LLC in Orlando, FL receives a $15 million increment as part of a $17.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Apache Fire Control Radar Electronics Unit.

Work will be performed in Baltimore, MD (50%), and Orlando, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete by Dec 15/05. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 22/04 (W58RGZ-05-C-0239).

Appendix A: Apache’s (Re) Production History No sunset yet.
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Of the 937 AH-64As ever built, 821 were built for US Army. Over 500 of those were remanufactured to AH-64D status over a 10-year period, under 2 multi-year contracts that ran for 5 years each. Subsequent contracts drew in more AH-64As, and as of April 2012, only 8 AH-64As remained in the US Army.

  • 284 helicopters were fielded as AH-64D Block Is. The first multi-year remanufacture contract was for 232 helicopters, and covered Lots I-V. The Lot VI helicopters from the 2nd multi-year contract were also built to the AH-64D Block I standard, which included the “Longbow” radar mast, compatible dual-mode Hellfire II missile capability, updated self-protection suites, and better cockpit displays. These initial AH-64D helicopters received equipment upgrades, and were also rebuilt to “zero flight hours” condition.

  • Another 217 helicopters in Lots VII-X built AH-64As to the AH-64D Block II standard, which adds improved electronics and software to include the “Longbow” radar mast, compatible dual-mode Hellfire II missile capability, color cockpit displays including moving digital maps, and even more up to date self-protection suites. All were built during the 2nd multi-year contract period, which covered 269 Block I and Block II helicopters in total.

  • The lateness of the JTRS radio program, and other issues, have delayed the future Block III model, and so January 2007 saw a contract to convert another 96 American AH-64As to the AH-64D “Extended Block II” standard, followed by additional contracts for Extended Block II+, where the plus simply indicates that “we’re still producing this model, past our expected schedule”. Boeing has received orders for 278 of these so far: 117 for the Army, 95 for the National Guard, and 66 War Replacement helicopters. In 2013, this production line is expected to switch to Block IIIs.

Observant readers will note that adding up all of the above cohorts makes 779 AH-64Ds produced (284 + 217 + 278) – but that counts the 66 war replacement helicopters twice, so the real total is 713. 713 – 690 = 23 unconverted AH-64Ds for whatever reason, be it unreplaced losses, budgets, or a safety margin to account for future losses and accidents. The Block III program was also supposed to manufacture 56 new-build helicopters as a separate program, but the FY 2014 budget throws the “AB3B” program into doubt. Unless Congress changes the Pentagon’s plans, the new-build program will end at just 8-10 helicopters.

Additional Readings

Readers with corrections, comments, or information to contribute are encouraged to contact DID’s Founding Editor, Joe Katzman. We understand the industry – you will only be publicly recognized if you tell us that it’s OK to do so.

Background: AH-64 Apache

 

Background: Ancillary Equipment

 

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Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts

Defense Industry Daily - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:17
P-8A: Sonobuoy drop
(click to view full)

Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar “ping” off the surface of a submarine (active detection). They usually float, or have at least some part of them that does. Specialized sonobuoys can also detect electric fields, magnetic anomalies, and bioluminescence (light emitted by microscopic organisms disturbed by a passing submarine); as well as measuring environmental parameters like water temperature versus depth, air temperature, barometric pressure, and wave height.

Sonobuoys are generally dropped from aircraft or helicopters that are equipped with a means to launch them, and electronic equipment to receive and process data sent by the sonobuoy. They can also be launched from ships. This entry will discuss some of the new sonobuoys in use, and cover related contracts.

Sonobuoy Types Sonobuoys

Sonobuoys are classified by size (A, B, C, etc.), type, and model. Most U.S.-manufactured sonobuoys are A-size (about 4 7/8″ x 36″). Some countries have moved to half-size, or A/2, as a preferred configuration.

In the broadest sense, sonobuoys fall into 2 type categories. Active sonobuoys emit pings or otherwise create an effect that will bounce off of underwater objects like submarines. Passive sonobuoys simply sit and listen to sound emissions, or sense other telltale signs they’ve been programmed to monitor. Models include:

AN/SSQ-36B: A passive bathythermograph sonobuoy, which is a fancy way of saying “ocean thermometer”. Water tends to distribute itself in coherent layers with different temperature ranges, and that in turn affects sonar and acoustic ranging. Knowing the local “temperature geography” is an excellent idea before launching any other sonobuoys. This buoy survives for about 12 minutes, taking readings down to about 2,625 ft/ 800 m at a descent rate of about 5 feet per second, with an accuracy to about a degree Fahrenheit. The data is transmitted to the launch aircraft by an RF transmitter at 1/4 watt, over 1 of 99 selectable channels, for processing and display. The AN/SSQ-36B Bathythermograph can be air launched at air speeds up to 370 knots, and at altitudes up to 30,000 ft. Air descent is controlled and stabilized by a parachute.

AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR (“Pointer”): The latest generation passive sonobuoy for the US Navy and several allies, replacing both the AN/SSQ-57 and the AN/SSQ-53. Combines the functionality of a calibrated omni sensor with that of the AN/SSQ-53E DIFAR (Directed Frequency Analysis and Ranging), and adds on board embedded Digital Sound Processors. The DSPs improve acoustic detection performance, and permit all AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys to be calibrated to a common sensitivity levels. Additional flexibility is achieved through the use of Command Function Select (CFS), which allows various operating parameters to be modified after the sonobuoy has been dropped.

AN/SSQ-62E (“Cadillac”): The current generation of the DICASS (Directional Command-Activated Sonobuoy System) family of active sonobuoys. This is an active sonobuoy.

The AN/SSQ-62 is composed of 2 main sections. The surface unit receives commands from the controlling aircraft via a UHF receiver, and sends target information to the aircraft, via a VHF transmitter. The subsurface unit transmits sonar pulses in the ocean upon command from the aircraft, and receives sonar target echoes for transmission to the aircraft. The sonobuoy will accept command signals only after a decoder identifies the correct address code; commands can include mid-depth or deep depth selection, sonar ping, and scuttle (naval term for self-destruction).

The key advantage of the AN/SSQ-62E is that it permits each sonobuoy to transmit on any of 4 acoustic channels and their respective RF channels. Optional thermal battery technology allows DICASS sonobuoys to be shipped and stored in a relatively unrestricted manner with an extended shelf life, as this battery does not degrade significantly with time. AN/SSQ62E is in large scale production, and has been bought by customers that include the USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and Spain.

AN/SSQ-101 IEER: Part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system. IEER was developed in for large-area search capability against small submarines operating in littoral waters, and uses explosive charges to generate noise. The system combines a new sensor, the AN/SSQ-101 Air Deployed Active Receiver (ADAR) sonobuoy, with improved software in the P-3C Orion Anti-surface Warfare Improvement aircraft. The ADAR sonobuoy employs a multi-element planar hydrophone array to improve detection in shallow littoral waters. When coupled with the P-3C’s powerful USQ-78A acoustic post-processor, it improves the US military’s ability to perform the difficult task of finding quiet submarines amidst the clutter and confusing echoes of shallow littoral waters.

AN/SSQ-125: MAC. Also part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system, but with a different mode of operation. It will also be part of the P-8’s new Multi-static Active Coherent approach. This NATO “A” size sonobuoy is capable of generating a variety of waveforms upon command, including low-frequency coherent tones which can propagate for long distances. Echoes can be detected by multiple receiver sonobuoys, which nullifies a submarine’s standard profile-minimizing head-on maneuver, and the tone’s coherence allows doppler shift equations to calculate the contact’s speed and heading. GPS receivers in source and receiver sonobuoys can sharpen targeting further, which is very useful in conjunction with high-altitude, GPS-guided torpedo kits like HAASW.

Before it’s deployed, the AN/SSQ-125’s RF channel can be programmed to any of the standard sonobuoy operating channels. At any time after deployment, it can be commanded via CFS to change its operating parameters or depth (deeper only), generate a ping, or scuttle itself. It’s designed to work with the AN/SSQ-53F, AN/SSQ-77C and AN/SSQ-101 (ADAR) sonobuoys.

Note that this chart of orders from 2009 ends in July 2014, when the US government switched to a multi-year block-buy and no longer detailed sonobuoy orders:

Competing Payloads? Turais launch concept
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One interesting ancillary trend involves the concept of launching other things from sonobuoy tubes – such as UAVs or UUVs.

Piasecki Aircraft has been demonstrating its WBBL “Turais” UAV, under a Phase II US Navy SBIR contract. Turais deploys with a drag parachute just like a sonobuoy, but then pops out tail fins, rotates its wings into position, and fires up a turbojet engine. It has a 200 pound payload capacity, an expected 6 hour endurance, and was successful in its initial flight demonstration on Jan 5/10.

Projects of that sort will not be covered in this article, but we include it to remind our readers that rising surveillance needs of all kinds are leading to some non-standard, category-crossing solutions.

Contracts & Key Events

ERAPSCO is joint venture between Florida’s Sparton Corporation and Indiana’s Ultra Electronics. Unless otherwise noted, all contracts are issued by the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane, IN.

Note that the sonobuoys described here are also sold to foreign governments. This article does not cover those sales, unless they are explicitly intertwined with a US Navy sale.

FY 2016

Multi-year buy; Sentinel USV begins an important new category. Sentinel USVs
(click to view full)

December 17/15: The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) laboratories and the Anti-submarine Warfare Systems program office (PMA-264) rapidly developed a new sonobuoy launching system over the summer and fall which was delivered this November. The new system was developed as the existing system, the S-3, was being retired. A bit of brainstorming resulted in putting two SH-60B launchers on a pallet to roll on and off from a KC-130 tanker operated by the VX-30 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron.

October 28/15: The service also awarded a $178.6 million contract modification for hundreds of thousands of sonobuoys. These include 6,000 passive athythermograph AN/SSQ-36s; 95,000 passive AN/SSQ-53s; 15,500 active AN/SSQ-62s; 10,000 Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) AN/SSQ-101s; and 10,000 Multi-static Active Coherent (MAC) AN/SSQ-125s. The contractor – ERAPSCO – is a Sparton Corp. and Ultra Electronics joint venture.

FY 2014 – 2015

Multi-year buy; Sentinel USV begins an important new category.

Nov 7/14: FY 15-16. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN receives a $195.2 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option under the current multi-year contract (q.v. July 16/14) for up to 141,500 AN/SSQ series sonobuoys, and 10,000 MK-84 signal underwater sound devices. Funds will be committed on individual delivery orders as they are issued.

Work will be performed in De Leon Springs, FL (51.7%), and Columbia City, IN (48.3%), and is expected to be complete in September 2016. US Navy NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-14-D-0025).

July 16/14: Multi-year buy. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN receives a 5+ year, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, worth up to $810 million. The $166 million base-year deal covers up to 141,263 AN/SSQ Series sonobuoys, and 5,000 MK-84 Signal Underwater Sound devices. All base-year funds are technically committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy budgets. ERAPSCO will subcontract $90.5 million of that base order to Sparton in DeLeon Springs, FL, and $75.5 million to Ultra Electronics USSI.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (51.7%), and Columbia City, IN (48.3%), and the contract will run until October 2019. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, and 1 offer was received by US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-14-D-0025). See also Sparton, “Sparton Corporation and Ultra Electronics USSI Joint Venture (ERAPSCO) Awarded $166 Million for U.S. Navy Sonobuoy Contract”

Multi-year buy

April 8/14: New option – Sentinel. Instead of sonobuoys, Ultra Electronics and Liquid Robotics are developing a persistent Sentinel robot that combines some of USSI’s sonobuoy technologies with the principles behind Liquid Robotics wave-powered, ultra long endurance Wave Glider robots.

“The sensor/software suite is designed to acoustically detect, track and form contact reports on waterborne targets that are transmitted to a command and control node on shore, ship or aircraft platform. Contact reports will contain spatial information that allows for data fusion with other sensor sources to achieve an affordable common operational picture that will provide the user maximum situational awareness. Applications for this product are vast and include area surveillance, perimeter trip wire notification, marine mammal monitoring and data collection, environmental data collection and defense and military mission capability sets.”

This isn’t an exact sonobuoy competitor, because the network of Sentinels will move very slowly. If you’re trying to scan ahead in uncovered waters, or pinpoint a fleeting contact, sonobuoys will still be the way. On the other hand, good planning may remove some of the need for sonobuoys at key waypoints or chokepoints. It’s also the thin edge of a trend that will require new kinds of compatibility from sonobuoys and naval mission systems alike. Sources: USSI, “Ultra Electronics USSI And Liquid Robotics Announce The Development Of Long Duration, Maritime Security Solution”.

FY 2012 – 2013

Sonobuoy orders of various types; Torpedo compatibility. Loading a P-3C
(click to view full)

Aug 5/13: SSQ-53. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN receives a $7.2 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract, exercising an option to buy 9,400 AN/SSQ-53F Sonobuoys for the US Navy. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (50%) and DeLeon Springs, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete in April 2015. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., manages the contract (N00421-11-C-0030).

Feb 8/13: HAASW. ERAPSCO Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $7.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification for engineering and manufacturing development services in support of the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare system. This is actually an Increment 2 upgrade to the new P-8A sea control aircraft. It makes drops more accurate by using a GPS-based algorithm; receives, processes, and stores in-buoy GPS data received from AN/SSQ-53, AN/SSQ-62, and AN/SSQ-101B sonobuoys; and will remotely send commands, and receive and process data from the AN/SSQ-101B’s digital datalink.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (52%) and Columbia City, IN (48%), and is expected to be complete in May 2014. $890,000 in FY 2013 Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation, Navy contract funds are committed immediately. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-11-D-0029). See also Military Aerospace.

Dec 11/12: SSQ-125. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN receives a $17.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for the procurement of 2,999 AN/SSQ-125 MAC active IEER sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in De Leon Springs, FL (55%) and Columbia City, IN (45%) and is expected to be completed in March 2015. All contract funds are committed, and will be managed by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-12-C-0049).

Dec 4/12: 53F/ 62E. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $71.2 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for 76,000 AN/SSQ-53F passive and 7,500 AN/SSQ-62E active US Navy sonobouys.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (59%) and DeLeon Springs, FL (41%), and is expected to be completed in January 2015. All contract funds are committed. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-11-C-0030).

Nov 15/12: SSQ-101A. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $9.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for 1,800 AN/SSQ-101A ADAR IEER sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (53%) and DeLeon Springs, FL (47%), and is expected to be complete in November 2014. All contract funds are committed, but $414,645 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-12-C-0047).

June 11/12: SSQ-125. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a sole-source $25.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for 4,628 AN/SSQ-125 MAC IEER sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (53%), and Columbia City, IN (47%), and is expected to be complete in June 2014. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1 (N00421-12-C-0049).

April 26/12: SSQ-101A. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a sole-source $10.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for 2,006 AN/SSQ-101A sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, Fla. (53%), and Columbia City, Ind. (47%), and is expected to be completed in April 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $257,421 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-12-C-0047).

Mar 29/12: 36B/53F/62B. Sparton Corporation announces ERAPSCO subcontracts worth $24.9 Million: $18.1 million for SSQ-53F passive, $4.7 million for SSQ-62E active, and $2.1 million for SSQ-36B bathythermograph sonobuoys. Production is expected to be completed by January 2014.

March 13/12: SSQ-53F. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $13 million modification firm-fixed-price, performance-based contract modification, exercising a US Navy option for 17,000 AN/SSQ-53F passive sonobuoys. This brings total US Navy expenditures on all sonobuoys since the beginning of 2006 to around $510 million.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (53%), and DeLeon Springs, FL (47%), and is expected to be complete in January 2014. $811,296 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00421-11-C-0030).

Jan 27/12: SSQ-53F. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $38.4 million firm-fixed-price, performance based contract modification, exercising options for 50,430 AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR passive sonobuoys for the US Navy (49,990/ $38.1M/ 99.1%) and Taiwan (440/ $335,283/ 0.9$%).

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (53%), and DeLeon Springs, FL (47%), and is expected to be complete in January 2014 (N00421-11-C-0030).

Nov 7/11: 36B/62F. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $15.6 million firm-fixed-price, performance-based contract modification, exercising options for 3,544 AN/SSQ-36B bathythermograph sonobuoys and 8,588 AN/SSQ-62E DICASS active sonobuoys. The U.S. Navy is ordering 3,500 AN/SSQ-36s and 8,500 AN/SSQ-62s ($15.5 million/ 98.9%), while Taiwan is ordering 44 AN/SSQ-36s and 88 AN/SSQ-62s for training support ($164,745; 1.1%).

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (53%), and Columbia City, IN (47%), and is expected to be complete in April 2014. $57,219 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00421-11-C-0030).

FY 2009 – 2011

Various sonobuoy orders; Market review; On SH-60F helicopter
(click to view full)

April 8/11: 36B/53F/62B. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN received a $55.5 million firm-fixed-price, performance-based contract for 65,230 items: 3,211 AN/SSQ-36B bathythermograph sonobuoys; 51,733 AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR passive sonobuoys; and 10,286 AN/SSQ-62E DICASS active sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (53%), and Columbia City, IN (47%), and is expected to be complete in April 2014. $546,096 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11 This contract was competitively procured via electronic request for proposals, with 3 firms solicited and 1 offer received by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-11-C-0030).

Nov 29/10: R&D. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN received a $33.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to provide ongoing sonobuoy R&D and engineering services for the next 5 years.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (51%), and Columbia City, IN (49%), and is expected to be complete in November 2015. $244,419 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. This contract was not competitively procured (N00421-11-D-0029).

Nov 2/10: SSQ-101A. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN received a $26.8 million option for 4,999 AN/SSQ-101A sonobuoys, under a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (61%), and Columbia City, IN (39%), and is expected to be complete in November 2012. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-10-D-0010). See also Sparton release.

Sept 28/10: R&D. Sparton Electronics Florida, Inc. in DeLeon Springs, FL receives an $11.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for research and development, and production engineering services in support of sonobuoy technology upgrades.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL, and is expected to be complete in September 2015. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-10-D-0024). See also Sparton release [PDF].

Sept 27/10: SSQ-125. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN receives a $5.8 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification for up to 1,000 AN/SSQ-125 production representative sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (52%); and Columbia City, IN (48%) and is expected to be complete in August 2012. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-09-C-0073). See also Sparton press release [PDF].

May 6/10: Sparton Corporation in Schaumburg, IL announces a $28 million subcontract from ERAPSCO, to manufacture 33,604 total AN/SSQ-53F, AN/SSQ-62E, and AN/SSQ-36B sonobuoys or the US Navy.

These sonobuoys will be manufactured at Sparton’s DeLeon Springs, FL, facility and production is expected to be complete by September 2011.

March 31/10: Sparton Corp. in Schaumburg, IL announces a $14.5 million subcontract from ERAPSCO to make sub-components for the AN/SSQ-101A (Q-101A) Air Deployable Active Receiver (ADAR) sonobuoys. Production will be finished by the end of 2011.

March 25/10: 36B/53F/62B. ERAPSCO, Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $60 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for up to 70,294 sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (52%), and Columbia City, IN (48%), and is expected to be complete in March 2012. $192,293 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured by a limited source Lowest Price Technically Acceptable competition, with 3 firms solicited and 1 offer received by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-10-D-0011). Production will include:

  • 7,096 AN/SSQ-36B sonobuoys
  • 48,749 AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys
  • 14,449 AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys

March 3/10: SSQ-101A. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN received a $34 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for 7,500 AN/SSQ-101A sonobuoys.

Work will be performed in De Leon Springs, FL (61%), and Columbia City, IN (39%), and is expected to be complete in March 2012. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD issued this contract (N00421-10-D-0010).

Oct 2/09: Market. According to Forecast International’s annual review of the market for airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sensors, the next 10 years will see production of more than 199,000 systems valued at $6.1 billion. Sonobuoys are benefiting from faster processors that improve filtering, and low-cost datalinks that make information sharing easier. They will have a large share of this segment – by volume, anyway:

“Sonobuoys still represent 99.4 percent of the airborne ASW market, with the sale of 198,046 units projected over the next 10 years. Yet, in terms of value of production, these units represent only $212.35 million, or 3.50 percent of the market. The average cost of the units in this category is about $1,000, stressing the very low-cost/high-volume aspect of this segment.”

Sales of radar sets optimized for periscope and snort detection, and electronic support measures (ESM) equipment designed to localize radar and communications transmissions from submarines and dipping sonars, are expected to make up the lion’s share of this segment by value. Raytheon ($1.9 billion, 31.5%), Telephonics ($559 million, 9.22%) and L3 ($300 million, 4.95%) are expected to lead the sales race, but the field as a whole has just 8 major participants.

June 22/09: Sparton. Sparton Electronics announces a $19.3 million subcontract to help manufacture sonobuoys for the United States Navy, as part of the ERAPSCO joint venture. Sparton will produce subassemblies for more than 7,320 AN/SSQ-101A sonobuoys, with on-board digital signal processing and a Sparton Digital Compass for bearing determination.

Production and testing will be performed at Sparton’s DeLeon Springs, FL facility and is expected to be complete in May 2011. Sparton release.

Recent months have not been smooth for Sparton. In March 2009, declining fortunes set in motion the closure of plants in London, Ontario, Canada and in Jackson, MI, while significant changes were made within the executive team. April 2009 even saw a threatened NYSE de-listing, because the firm’s market capitalization had fallen below a $75 million average over a 30-day trading period. June 2009 developments allowed Sparton to continue trading, but only because the NYSE dropped its limit to $50 million. June 2009 also saw an extension of Sparton’s credit facility from National City Bank.

Feb 9/09: 36B/53F/62B. Two contracts worth a total of $68.8 million are issued, with purchases split between the vendors in amounts related to their offer prices, covering sonobuoys for the US Navy (4,150 AN/SSQ-36B; 61,697 AN/SSQ-53F; and 17,880 AN/SSQ-62E) and Pakistan (45 AN/SSQ-36B, 350 AN/SSQ-53F, 50 AN/SSQ-62E).

They are detailed below.

Feb 9/09: 36B/53F/62B. Undersea Sensor Systems, Inc., in Columbia City, IN receive a $34.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 3 types of sonobuoys. They will deliver 4,195 AN/SSQ-36B sonobuoys, split between the U.S. Navy (4,150) and the Government of Pakistan (45); along with another 30,454 AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys split between the U.S. Navy (30,104), and the Government of Pakistan (350). A 3rd set of 8,302 AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys will be purchased exclusively for the U.S. Navy. Overall, this contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($34.5 million, 99.25%) and for the Government of Pakistan ($259,880, 0.75%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (90%) and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (10%) and is expected to be complete in February 2011. This contract was competitively procured by electronic request for proposals, and 2 offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-09-C-0040).

Feb 9/09: 53F/62E.Sparton Electronics in DeLeon Springs, FL received a $34.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for 2 types of sonobuoys. They will deliver 31,593 AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys to the U.S. Navy, and another 9,578 AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys will be split between the U.S. Navy (9,528) and the Government of Pakistan (50). Overall, this contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($34 million, 99.74%), and for the Government of Pakistan ($86,555, 0.26%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL, and is expected to be completed in February 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $251,010 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured by electronic request for proposals, and two offers were received by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00421-09-C-0039).

FY 2006 – 2008

Various sonobuoy orders; Sonobuoy R&D.

Aug 18/08: SSQ-101. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN received an $11.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for AN/SSQ-101 sonobuoys and associated data. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $17.2 million. Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (66%) and Columbia City, IN (34%), and is expected to be complete by August 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane, IN (N00164-08-C-GP03).

June 5/08: Sonotube-launched UAVs. Small business qualifier Lite Machines Corp. in West Lafayette, IN won a not-to-exceed $10.5 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for a Phase III Small Business Technology Transfer Program contract under Topic N04-T004, entitled “Sonobuoy Tube Launched UAV.” Phase III SBIR projects are the last stage before commercialization.

Lite Machines will provide services and materials for engineering tasks, including research and development, and prototype and testing of their rotary wing UAV. Work will be performed in West Lafayette, IN and is expected to be complete in June 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $796,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using the STTR Program Solicitation under Topic N042-T004, and 41 offers were received by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ (N68335-08-D-0010).

Feb 8/08: SSQ-125. The Us Navy issues FBO solicitation #N00421-08-R-0044: Develop and Procure the AN/SSQ-125 Sonobuoy:

“AN/SSQ-125 sonobuoys as the coherent source sonobuoy for the Air Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) multi-static acoustic program – Advanced Extended Echo Ranging (AEER). AEER is an airborne ASW detection system being developed to provide large-area, subsurface search and detection capability. AEER will be employed in the U.S. Navy P-3C aircraft. The sonobuoy shall be capable of being deployed from all platforms capable of launching “A” sized sonobuoys. This effort will include design, development, fabrication, and testing of an “A” sized air-launched, disposable (expendable) sonobuoy. The development will include testing, certification, and qualifications to meet the technical and safety operational requirements. A quantity of sonobuoys will be manufactured for lot testing to meet the sonobuoy reliability requirements.

ERAPSCO is the only known responsible source that can provide the required products and services which includes a required delivery of 100 EDM units 3 to 5 months after contract award. The estimated award date is February 2009.”

Feb 7/08: SSQ-62E. Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. in Columbia City, IN won a $9.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $18.9 million.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN and is expected to be complete by February 2010. This contract was competitively procured through Government-wide Points of Entry, Navy Electronic Commerce On-line, and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with 2 contractors solicited and 2 offers received by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane, IN (N00164-08-C-GP02).

Jan 24/08: SSQ-53F. Undersea Sensor Systems Incorporated in Columbia City, IN won a $13.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for AN/SSQ-53F Sonobuoys from the United States Navy. This contract includes options which could bring its cumulative value to $20.5 million.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2010. This contract was sort of competitively procured, with 1 proposal solicited and 2 offers received via Government-wide Points of Entry, Navy Electronic Commerce On-line, and Federal Business Opportunities websites (N00164-08-C-GP08).

Aug 31/07: R&D. Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. in Columbia City, IN won a maximum $6.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for up to 51,340 hours of research and development technical services. They will help resolve technical and engineering issues associated with the design, construction, and use of sonobuoys, and their results will provide data for Government engineers and program management personnel to use in evaluating the technical and economic benefits of potential improvements to various sonobuoy types.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN and is expected to be complete by May 2011. The contract was competitively procured and advertised via the Internet, with 2 firms solicited and 2 offers received by The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane IN (N00164-07-D-6781)

April 13/07: SSQ-101. ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN received an $11.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for AN/SSQ-101 sonobuoys and associated data. Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN. (50%) and DeLeon Springs, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete by April 2009. The contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane IN (N00164-07-C-6788).

Jan 23/07: SSQ-53F. Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. in Columbia City, IN received a $19 million firm-fixed-price contract for passive AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys and associated data. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $30.3 million.

Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN, and is expected to be completed by February 2009. This contract was competitively procured with 2 proposals solicited and 2 offers received by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, IN (N00164-07-C-6785).

Jan 23/07: SSQ-53F. Sparton Electronics in DeLeon Springs, FlL received a $13.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys and associated data. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $19.6 million.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL and is expected to be completed by February 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 2 proposals solicited and 2 offers received by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, IN (N00164-07-C-6793).

Feb 6/06: SSQ-53F. Sparton Electronics in DeLeon Springs, FL received a $20 million firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00164-05-C-6760) for procurement of passive AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR sonobuoys [PDF format] and associated data. Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL and is expected to be complete by February 2008.

Feb 6/06: SSQ-53F. Undersea Sensor Systems Inc. in Columbia City, IN received a $14.2 million firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00164-05-C-6769) for procurement of passive AN/SSQ-53F DIFAR sonobuoys and associated data.

That firm, which is a subsidiary of Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC, was also awarded an $8 million firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00164-05-C-6770) for procurement of active AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys [PDF format] and associated data. Work on both contract modifications will be performed in Columbia City, IN and is expected to be completed by February 2008.

Additional Readings

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

A külső EU-határok mindenekelőtt

Bruxinfo - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:17
A tagállamok vezetői azt szeretnék, ha a Tanács 2016 első félévében kialakítaná közös álláspontját az Európai Határ- és Parti Őrség létrehozásáról szóló bizottsági javaslatról. Az EU28-ak csütörtökön megsürgették azoknak az intézkedéseknek a végrehajtását, amelyek megítélésük szerint elengedhetetlenek a schengeni vívmányok megőrzéséhez.

Are Europeans racist?

Ideas on Europe Blog - Fri, 18/12/2015 - 01:11

If you are not European enough but nevertheless have been living in Europe, and especially in Western Europe, for a while, it is almost impossible not to hear the following statement: “Europeans are racist.” It is an echo of Palestine-born American literary critic Edward Said’s famous conclusion that he arrived in his classic book Orientalism: “Every European, in what he could say about the Orient, was a racist, an imperialist, and almost totally ethnocentric.” In a more globalized, polymorphous, fluid world where the borders are becoming more and more porous, this echo consequently sounds higher than its original; now, the Orient can be replaced by not only any non-European identity, but also some Europeans that are not European enough such as East Europeans.

Therefore, the statement that “Europeans are racist” constitutes a basic fact, a state of affairs, for millions of people living in Europe. When one grasps the gravity of this staggering situation, it takes only one step to understand the current crises in Europe, how some certain cities in Europe could have become a home for jihadists who hate Europe, how people who grew up in Europe could commit such barbaric crimes towards their “own” people?

However, the problem is that that one step is usually taken too hastily by ignoring the tremendously complex and novel aspects of these phenomena. That is, that enormously heavy statement passes before us too fast, too unreflectively. It seems to me that we take for granted too easily the “fact” that “Europeans are racist” without clearly knowing what we mean by “racism.” Rather than paying attention to the peculiarity of what is happening before us, we are still trying to fit current phenomena to previous schema; and hence, we conclude, “Europeans are racist” and that is precisely the reason why these are happening today, the reason behind Europe’s failure. But then I wonder: By repeating this reasoning over and over again, are we doing justice to Europe that has changed enormously after Second World War, which has now entirely new generations who have grown up in a Europe without internal borders, in a Europe that is becoming gradually intercultural? Are taking into consideration these facts when we accuse Europeans of being racist?

Having lived in three different Western European countries, to be sure, I would not argue that Europeans are not racist. I felt and am still feeling that I do not belong here, there are existential walls hidden behind kind smiles. I am aware of this. But still, I do not believe that the image of the racist that pops up in our mind (which still has strong connotations from cold-war era) when we accuse Europeans of being such, corresponds to the racism that we have in contemporary Europe. To be sure, there are still people, for example, who thinks that just because they are white, they are superior; but I do not believe that they constitute the majority of Western Europe, that they reflect the genuine ideas of an ordinary “white man” in the streets of Western Europe.

Then if we ask “What is this new racism? What distinguishes it from its preceding forms?”, I would answer by proposing a notion round which contemporary racism articulates itself – namely, ambivalence.

Let me try to explain what I mean by ambivalence.

As a non-European living in Europe for almost six years, it has been quite rare that I could make a Western European friend. But what is even more surprising is that I could never make a friend who was from the country I currently was living in. Absurdity of this might make you think that, it is a personal issue, but I assure you that these are quite common phenomena, as you can also see in the compartmentalization within cities amongst different cultures.

What I have noticed in this absurd reality was that I could only become friends with a certain type of a European and the condition that made our friendship possible was not that they were “open to the Other” – as it is commonly assumed. The discourse of the Other, by setting an impossible ideal for itself (namely, unconditional openness to the other), in fact impaired its own possibility. It was, in other words, too demanding to expect from someone to be open to such an extent that that very openness results in devouring his/her own singularity. Neither was it fair. What I have noticed therefore was that, rather than to the Other, they were open to ambivalence. They did not leave their singularity behind, that which makes them what they are, but nevertheless they were okay with the possibility of contamination. They were aware of the fact that ambivalence was the very ground on which different cultures meet. They were neither absolutely open, nor unconditionally closed. Rather, they were not quite sure, as the word ambivalence itself beautifully conveys, they had “mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about” what was going on. It was precisely the uncertainty, unsureness that comes with ambivalence which they were open to. Of course, we were making “racist jokes”, mocking each other; that is to say, there was no “political correctness”, no “discourse of the Other” between us; rather we were negotiating our differences, and this was precisely the way we could get to know each other. It was both the price and the gift of accepting ambivalence, that is, of not being afraid of contamination – the very acceptance that there can be no pure, untouched cultures.

On the other hand, there were the majority of Europeans beyond whose kind smiles I could not take a single step further. They were always gentle and kind, so incessantly were they smiling that, sooner or later, it lost its meaning. It did not matter anymore if they were smiling at me, or if it was the default setting of their character towards the Other. They were taught to respect the Other; no matter what, they had to respect the Other – which means, first of all, that they needed to have the Other. As Sartre put years ago, if there were no Other, they would have to invent it indeed – but with a slight difference this time, not to dehumanize but to respect him or her! So they invented me. Whenever we encountered, it was not me who they saw, it was rather a general figure, a category, of their own imagination which they invented to respect. The question if they really had any sympathy, admiration, interest, or knowledge about that which they respected was of no importance at all. The Other, on this account, was just an undifferentiated, blank face who was put into distance and hindered from any possibility of touching their singularity; and this was done precisely by respecting his or her otherness. What they really wanted was thus “un-contamination”; and they had the strongest tool for building insuperable walls between “them” and “us”, to keep “themselves” safe from people like me, from the Other. That tool was “political correctness:” an indifferent respect, a desolate smile. What they deny was precisely ambivalence that ensues from the cultural encounters. They did not want it. That equivocation scared them. They rather insisted on their conformity and security with which they were endowed by the alleged purity of their singularity, call it, whiteness, Dutchness, Germanness, or Flemishness. And furthermore, they asked themselves, “Why on earth would we leave the safe borders of our singularity while everything outside is falling apart? Why would we really open ourselves to them while we could still enjoy the privileges of being white, European, and wealthy? Why would we welcome ambivalence and become not so sure about our own singularities, while millions of people waiting behind our borders to become one of us?” They thought that they had enough reasons to be the way they are, they acted as if they knew what they are, what whiteness, Dutchness, Germanness, or Flemishness essentially consists in. As such essences returned to us in a new fashion which demanded un-contamination precisely by respecting the Other.

Hence, when you face this smiling racism, you know that everything has been decided for you at the very moment when you say where you are from – at that very moment you become a blank face that has to be respected. No doubt that he or she will tell you how beautiful your country was when they visited it, after all what is the non-European world but, as it were, an enormous zoo for the European. They pay the entrance fee (for them it it cheap), walk around the world, look at us who are dwelling behind the fences, feed us, and leave. And when they encounter one of “us” beyond those fences, of course, they would say how beautiful our cage was, which is a “politically correct” way of saying “You are not one of us! Remember your place!” Liberal multiculturalism and political correctness are perfect tools to keep “them” outside even when “they” are inside, keep “our” cultures un-contaminated by draining others of any significant singularity.

What I have tried to reveal with the latter type is precisely what I meant by the new form of racism that took hold of contemporary Europe today. What is important to notice there is that this new form of racism is not a reactive hate, not a projection of our own wickedness. It is rather a peculiar, insidious defense mechanism, a selfish nihilism that is trying to cling onto the very last piece of privilege and joy before the world collapses. It is a consoling lie that Europeans tell themselves in order to remain blind to the atrocities around the world. It is not simply lacking consideration for the other people, rather it is a stubborn attempt to deny that they do not care about other people. It is a generous way of becoming selfish.

Though essences returned, European racism is no longer a form of Nazism. It has also learned from its mistakes. Therefore, it has a very idiosyncratic, self-agonizing structure, for deep inside it knows very well that it has to acknowledge ambivalence, that what it is doing is selfish and hypocritical, that it cannot remain pure and un-contaminated — nothing can! Its explicit denial (i.e., respect for the Other) indicates the hope trapped behind its nihilist surface. Put differently, political correctness and teh stubborn attempts to live together show that contemporary racism in Europe does not derive any longer from prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against some certain people, rather it derives from nihilism. By nihilism, I am referring to the last man of Nietzsche, to quote from Slovaj Zizek’s article on Charlie Hebdo massacre:

Long ago Friedrich Nietzsche perceived how Western civilisation was moving in the direction of the Last Man, an apathetic creature with no great passion or commitment. Unable to dream, tired of life, he takes no risks, seeking only comfort and security, an expression of tolerance with one another: “A little poison now and then: that makes for pleasant dreams. And much poison at the end, for a pleasant death. They have their little pleasures for the day, and their little pleasures for the night, but they have a regard for health. ‘We have discovered happiness,’ – say the Last Men, and they blink.

The contemporary racism in Europe no longer consists in the alleged superiority of the racist. To the contrary, the racist no longer cares about the Other. The Other is a blank face that he respects. The less the racist knows about the Other and his culture (though he knows all the stereotypes and cliches about it), the better for him, for then he can wallow in his comfort and security and enjoy his life that he loves so much without having have to think about the Other. Beyond that blank face, there is a risk for him, there is ambivalence. Why would he care? If you force him, if you insist on having a face before him, if you insist on existing, he would shout in distress and pain:

“I respect you whoever you are, is this not enough?”

I venture to say, no, it is not.

I can easily find substantial reasons to join the chorus and repeat that “Europeans are racist”, for many years I have been living in countries where I have been treated as if I am one of those TV channels which do not have any signal. Countless times I experienced that abrupt and brutal transformation into an undifferentiated, blank face, that sudden collapse into nothingness accompanied by kind, politically correct, gestures of the Europeans. Yet, I do believe that there is something peculiar about this attitude which, instead of being dismissed, if it can be understood properly, maybe, can be transformed into a new form where ambivalence is slowly being accepted so that we can finally in the genuine sense of the word begin living together.

The post Are Europeans racist? appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Categories: European Union

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