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Le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU s'est déclaré mercredi profondément préoccupé par la situation sécuritaire et humanitaire au Soudan du Sud.

A la lumière des récentes allégations d'abus sexuels contre des enfants en République centrafricaine, qui auraient été commis par des troupes étrangères sous une autorité autre que celle de l'ONU, le Secrétaire général de l'Organisation, Ban Ki-moon, a décidé de procéder à un examen pour déterminer la façon dont le système onusien a donné suite à ces allégations.

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

This article comes against the backdrop of the preparations and the lavish expenditure of the ruling regime of the National Congress Party (NCP) for the Inauguration of the incumbent de facto president Omer al-Bashir as a President for Sudan. This follows the fraudulent April 2015 elections which was shunned by the opposition and boycotted by the Sudanese people through their 'GO' Campaigns of 'GO Omar Bashir', but Bashir entered the elections solo and as expected won alone!

The inauguration of Omar al-Bashir as a president on Tuesday second June 2015 under election boycotted by the Sudanese people is a miserable play on sad day of mourning and marks a repetition for the killing of civilians and burning of villages and mass rape in Darfur.

The Sudanese people who boycotted his election have abandoned Al- Bashir and his entourage in the NCP regime. They also announced the 'Get out' campaign. The people of the free world boycotted his regime and avoided him like a mangy. They did so for the heinous crimes al-Bashir committed for more than a quarter of a century. Moreover, al-Bashir remains fugitive from international justice. His government is now bankrupt through the epidemic of corruption and shamelessly begging the Federation of GCC countries.

The great people of Sudan who boycotted the election of Omer al-Bashir for further Presidential term because of his lack of legitimacy do not expect anything new in what he has to say in his inaugural speech. This is because he who has nothing at hand cannot give, as the popular saying goes. Moreover, Omer al-Bashir is renowned for shallowness of ideas , lack of rhetorical eloquence and his usual public speeches and discourse are usually marred by insults and obscenities of the type of ' insects' to the citizens of South Sudan and 'eccentric anomalous' describing opponents when addressing the gatherings hailed by his supporters.

All that is expected Omer al-Bashir to say is the threat with doom and gloom for the political opposition the threat to the armed movements he always have vowed to liquidate them decisively!

The Sudanese people appeal to the international community represented by the UN Security Council (UNSC) to help release the Sudanese people from the shackles of the regime led by the perpetrator of crimes of genocide Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and protect them from the terrorist al-Bashir and his oppressive regime.

The real isolation of the regime of the National Congress Party (NCP) centres around the continuing boycott from the people of the Sudan.

The inauguration of Omar al-Bashir is nothing but a fraudulent scam which, tries forging the will of the people of Sudan by his never-ending repulsive absurd dramatic sitcom.

The installation of the war criminal Omar al-Bashir in search for missing legitimacy for the dictator and perpetrator of genocide fugitive from international justice and castaway from the neighbouring countries and the citizens of the free world like a mangy .

The NCP regime media claimed that ruling the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the President of the Republic of Egypt will be attending Forum of the inauguration of the dictator Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir as President of Sudan for another five-year term to be added to his previous twenty five lean years adding up to 30 years of rule by iron fist and fire on the people of Sudan. Political observers indicate that it will be absurd and shameful for the leaders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia King Salman and the Egyptian President Abdel Aziz Sissy if they attended this very Sad Forum which is condemned and boycotted by all the people Sudan.

Omar al-Bashir's validity and the default age to the rule of Sudan has ended and expired as President. Furthermore, the political make-up plastic surgical operations would not help. The popular adage goes saying that the Arabic Attar - the perfumer the Spice-dealer- cannot repair the damaged that caused forever by longevity. Thus, the regime of Omer al-Bashir and his entourage are not fit for the purpose neither in the past nor at the present or in the future..

And of course we can understand the intersecting political interests of the between the two referred statesmen alleged to be part of the invitees to the inauguration of Omer al-Bashir. The intersecting interests between the ruling regime of the National Congress Party (NCO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) centered around Iran's influence in the Sudan, in the form of weapon , Iran's Security threat in the Red Sea and the presence of Sudan within the military campaign against Al- Houthis in Yemen under the Operation Decisive Storm. For beleaguered President Sissy of Egypt, Sudan's importance comes to him from three vital angles: first and foremost is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Nile basin, the International Political Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement (IMBM) to which al-Bashir's (NCP) is party and its impact on the rule of Sissy and on Egypt in general, let alone the octopus like the fundamental Jihadist Islamic organizations spreading their lethal tentacle to all countries of the Arab and African regions. Of course, the National Islamic Front (NI) from which came the (NCP) is a part and parcel for global political Islam, which resulted in the end of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS)or Da'esh as an acronym in Arabic!.

The NCP regime soon after the forged elections began the ethnic cleansing policy targeting the Darfur students in the Sudanese Universities nationwide using gangs of NCP affiliated student militias who carried out violence using all types of weapons wounding scores burning student residents while the police watching idly. Moreover, the NCP regime's notorious National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) succeeded in creating discord between the tribes of the Rizeigat and Al-Ma'alia to break the social fabric in Darfur, in application of the malicious doctrine of 'Divide, Conquer and Rule

This genocidal criminal of the people of Darfur is still an outcast of the world. The most recent international event he failed to attend was the Non Allied Movement (NAM) countries conference in Indonesia. The NAM represents more than a 100 developing nations whose combined population amounts to more than half the world population. The genocidal criminal al-Bashir remains under siege from all the credible nations of the world , but the Arab countries and is not allowed to attend the UN Assembly and other relevant meetings, partly because he is a persona non grata and more importantly for his fear of getting apprehended and handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to face the ordeal of his evil deeds and heinous crimes he committed in Darfur, South Kordofan in Nuba Mountains, Ingasana in Blue Nile, Beja people in Eastern Sudan and Sudanese people of Nubia in Amrey and Kajbar in the far North of Sudan.

It is high time for the international community and the human rights organizations and peace loving people of the world to support the efforts of the Sudanese people to bring about groundbreaking change in Sudan. The only option available is ousting the regime of the NCP and replacing it by a true democratic system that treats equally the Sudanese people irrespective of their tribe, colour, creed, gender, age, ethnic origin or regional affiliation.

Moreover, the people of Sudan will wipeout the legacy of the regime and throw it into the dustbin of the history. The elements in the NCP regime will face the predicaments of their evil deeds and results of what they committed of crimes. Transitional Justice and Retribution for the crimes they committed against the peoples of Sudan will confront them. The survivors of the atrocious crimes will be rewarded with full compensation for the losses they incurred under the reign of the criminal Omar al-Bashir. Then the people of the homeland will adopt one and only one identity of Citizenship for all the inhabitants of Sudan, the Sudanese Identity.

"Our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it." President Barack Obama said during his second inaugural address.

Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies Two South Sudanese Pastors face death penalty for voicing opposition to corruption scandal at Khartoum Bahri Church

(2 June 2015) Two South Sudanese pastors are currently on trial in Khartoum for criminal charges which carry the death penalty under Sudan's 1991 Penal Code after making public remarks criticizing a corruption scandal at a Khartoum Church and the treatment of Christians in Sudan. The two men Yad Michael, (m), 49 years of age, and Peter Yen, (m), 26 years of age, were detained by Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on 14 December 2014 and 11 January 2015 respectively, and held incommunicado until their first family visits on 2 March 2015. They were transferred to Kober prison on 1 March after being charged by the Office of the Prosecutor for Crimes against the State. Their first court session was on 19 May, and the second on 31 May. The next court session is scheduled for 15 June 2015.

Mr. Michael and Mr. Yen are both Christian missionaries and South Sudanese nationals visiting Sudan who had been vocal about the controversial sale of land and property belonging to the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church and the treatment of Christians in Sudan. The sale was made by the Community Council of the Church, a body appointed by the Government of Sudan's Ministry of Endowments and Guidance which reportedly does not have a mandate to sell church land. Sudanese police forces violently raided the Church on 2 December 2014 to break up a sit-in demonstration organized by members of the congregation protesting the sale. 38 people were arrested and 20 convicted of disturbing the public peace and membership of criminal or terrorist organisations.

Mr. Michael, who arrived in the country on 13 December, was arrested by the NISS on 14 December after preaching that day at the Evangelical Church of Khartoum Bahri. During the sermon, he had condemned the sale of the church land and property. Peter Yen, who arrived in Sudan in September 2014, was arrested by the NISS from his home attached to Al Gereif Church in Khartoum on 11 January. Both men and Mr. Yen's wife had their laptops confiscated by the NISS. Mr. Yen had also been vocal about his opposition to the sale of land by the Community Council and voiced concern on the situation facing Christians in Sudan.

Both pastors were initially detained by the NISS in Rayed, Khartoum, before being transferred to Kober Prison on 1 March 2015. On 1 March 2015, the Prosecutor for Crimes against the State, charged them under articles 21 (joint acts in execution of criminal conspiracy), 50 (undermining the constitutional system), 51 (waging war against the state), 53 (espionage against the country), 55 (disclosure and obtaining information and official documents), 64 (promoting hatred amongst or against sects), 69 (disturbance of the public peace), and 125 (insulting religious creeds) of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code. Articles 50 and 51 carry the death penalty, while other articles carry flogging sentences. They were held incommunicado by the NISS until 2 March, when they were permitted their first family visits in Kober prison. On 28 and 29 March 2015, Mr. Michael and Mr. Yen launched a hunger strike for two days objecting to their continued detention without trial.

The first court session took place on 19 May, and the second on 31 May. The next court session, scheduled for 15 June 2015, will hear testimony from the complainant in the case, the NISS. The men are being represented by a team of pro-bono lawyers.

ACJPS believes that the serious criminal charges against Mr. Michael and Mr. Yen have been levied solely on the basis of their religious convictions and outspoken criticism of the ruling party, and as such, that their continued detention and criminal proceedings are discriminatory and in violation of constitutional and international law guarantees of equality before the law. There is also speculation that the trial of the two men is intended to send a message to other Christian leaders in Sudan to refrain from criticizing the treatment of Christian minorities in Sudan and the policies of the ruling party.

Sudan's constitution and international human rights commitments guarantee the freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Article 31 of Sudan's Interim National Constitution of 2005 provides that all persons are “equal before the law and are entitled without discrimination, as to race, colour, sex, language, religious creed, political opinion, or ethnic origin, to the equal protection of the law.” Article 38 further provides that “every person shall have the right to the freedom of religious creed and worship”.

This case demonstrates the internal contractions of Sudanese law and its incompatibility with Sudan's diverse population and international commitments. International law strictly prohibits discrimination based on religion. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, interpreting Sudan's obligations under the African Charter, previously found in Amnesty International and Others v. Sudan that Sudan was in breach of its obligations under Article 8 of the Charter owing to legal and other restrictions that inhibit the ability of individuals to freely practice their own religion.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) condemns the use of the death penalty in all cases, and corporal punishment, such as floggings.

Background

ACJPS has documented increased restrictions since 2013 on religious freedoms, particularly restrictions on members of Christian churches in Sudan. This includes raids on churches and harassment and arrests of church members by members of Sudan's NISS.

On 2 December 2014 the Evangelical Church of Khartoum Bahri was raided by police forces in six cars. They beat a number of peaceful demonstrators with pipes and water sticks and arrested thirty eight members of the church. After the raid, twenty of the people arrested were sentenced to a fine of 250 Sudanese pounds (roughly $40) after being convicted without legal representation under articles 65 (criminal and terrorist organisations) and 69 (disturbance of public peace) of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code. The charges were dropped against the remaining eighteen individuals. The sit – in demonstrations were prompted by a corruption scandal, including the sale of church lands to investors. In 2010 the Evangelical Church of Khartoum Bahri elected a Community Council to control the administration, assets, and investments of the Church. The Community Council was plagued by accusations of corruption. The Evangelical Church attempted to resolve the conflict, with the Church's General Assembly electing a new Community Council. The previous Council refused to recognise the new Council and hand over institutional documents. The Government of Sudan's Ministry of Endowments and Guidance intervened on 28 April 2014, and re-appointed several members of the old Community Council. Despite not having an official mandate to sell church properties or engage in investment on behalf of the church, they sold a substantial amount of property.

ACJPS has also documented apostasy charges, which carry the death penalty, levied against Christian women.

On 15 May 2014, Al-Haj Yousef Criminal Court in Khartoum Bahri confirmed the sentence of 100 lashings and the death penalty by hanging against 27-year old Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, a Christian woman convicted for adultery and apostasy on 11 May. Meriam gave birth in her prison cell, shackled, before her convictions were overturned on appeal following international outcry. Following her release from detention, she was briefly prevented from leaving Sudan with her husband and children owing to new charges levied against her concerning disputed travel documentation issued by South Sudan. She later left the country.

Earlier in May 2014 the Al Gadarif Criminal Court dropped charges against another woman accused of apostasy after she recanted her Christian faith and converted to Islam to avoid the death penalty. A criminal complaint had been lodged against her by a police officer at the National Identity office in Al Gadarif town after she applied for a national identity card. On the application, she was asked to declare her own faith and that of her father. The criminal complaint was filed when she declared that she was a Christian, married with eight children to a Christian man, and that her father was a Muslim.

ACJPS has also documented restrictions, including forced closures and cancellation of registrations, of political parties and organisations affiliated with reformist visions of Islam. On 1 May 2014 Sudan's Political Parties Affairs Council (PPAC) rejected an application from the Republican Party, founded by Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, to register as a political party. Taha was executed days after being convicted of apostasy in 1985 on the basis of his opposition to Sudan's interpretation of Sharia law. The PPAC argued that the Republican Party's political ideology contradicted the constitutional provision that law in Sudan be based on Islamic Sharia law and the conditions for the establishment of political parties in Sudan. The Republican Party proclaims to oppose Islamic fundamentalism and promote secularism. The Mahmoud Mohamed Taha Cultural Centre was raided and forced to close by the NISS on 18 January 2015, the 30th anniversary of Taha's execution, whilst a commemoration of his life was taking place.

Contact:

Katherine Perks, (English), +256 775072136 / info@acjps.org.

Mohamed Badawi, (Arabic), +256 783 693 689 / info@acjps.

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE SUDAN 3 CLEVELAND ROW, ST.JAMES'S LONDON SW1A 1DD PRESS AND INFORMATION RELEASE (3/2015)

President Bashir's Swearing- in Ceremony

Today 2 June 2015, President Omar al Bashir has started a new term of office. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the presence of tens of Heads of State or their representatives.

There are good grounds for optimism in the Sudan in view of many factors:
The economy is now recovering, as the strict reforms worked out with the IMF and economic experts begin to bear fruit. The challenges caused by the shortfall resulting from the loss of oil wells after secession of South Sudan have been managed and overcome.

In his swearing-in speech, President Bashir highlighted the economy and promised to create a conducive atmosphere for stability and prosperity. In this respect, the president underlined the importance of peace and security for all citizens. He expressed appreciation of the role of the army and security services. Their efforts would be complemented with political factors that include reconciliation and strengthening the home front in a country that is wide enough for all its citizens.
In his swearing-in ceremony speech, President Bashir has declared a comprehensive pardon of all those carrying arms against the State. He called upon all opposition factions to return home and take part in national construction.
Reserves in minerals, especially gold are huge. With agriculture they will secure economic well-being and prosperity for all.

The President emphasised the importance of continuing to reform the economy, improve productivity, combat corruption and nepotism and ensure democratic transformation along moderate Islamic principles. He reiterated his pre-election promise to resume the Inclusive National Dialogue which is the peaceful way to probe common grounds and reach a national consensus.

Along these lines, relations with neighbouring countries, African Union members and Arab League would be enhanced. As far as the West is concerned, he referred to “common interests” as basis for engagement and cooperation.

A firm basis is already in place:
The Sudan has been asked officially by the UN to mediate between the warring factions in neighbouring Libya. IGAD has likewise asked the Sudan and its president to help bring peace to the Republic of South Sudan. President Bashir has already succeeded in bridging the gap between Egypt and Ethiopia and hosting a summit last March in which President A. Sisi of Egypt and PM of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn signed a framework agreement that put an end to tensions about the Renaissance Dam.

The ICC's decision to “freeze” its work on Darfur was not surprising, because President Bashir has carried on despite the ICC distractions and achieved a conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with a successful Referendum that resulted in the peaceful birth of the Republic of South Sudan. Those who expected the Sudan to scupper the Referendum, or take the opportunity of the current internecine fighting to seize the Southern oilfields were proven wrong.

The International Crisis Group has, albeit grudgingly, acknowledged that Sudan's relations with the Gulf States have improved and that increased gold exports have relived the “economic pressure”.

The prescient words of the former UK Foreign Minister William Hague (during whose term of office the UK declared that it had no sanctions on the Sudan) ring louder now. He said when he chaired the UN Security Council's meeting on Sudan (16 November 2010): “A stable Sudan will help build security and prosperity in the region…it will help the Sudanese people receive the tangible benefits of peace that have eluded them for so long”.

US sanctions notwithstanding, the Sudan has built an extensive motorway network as well as Dams and Bridges. Universities and secondary schools were established. Women were empowered and the Inclusive National Dialogue that will include leaders of the small pockets of troubles in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states will soon be resumed.

The timing of two other events is not seen as coincidental. On 26 May a US coast guard visited Port Sudan for a 2-day visit. This comes in the wake of partial lifting of some secondary sanctions on Sudan. The second significant event was the speech of the EU ambassador to the Sudan, Tomas Ulicny (13 May 2015) on the occasion of Europe Day and Europe's year of Development. He spelled out what is well known but seldom acknowledged when he said: “In the wake of alarming developments in Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, we are interested in strengthening of productive cooperation and coordination with regional actors including Sudan and its government…”
The Sudan is key to stability in the whole region. President Bashir's next years as leader will see that consolidated.
One of the main drivers of “alarming developments” is Islamist extremism, especially ISIS and its imitators. General David Petraeus, former CIA head has made an important statement telling the BBC's Jonathan Marcus that “you cannot deal with an industrial-strength extremist problem with just force of arms. You have to have the political component as well.”

He has put his finger on the flaw in the West's (or rather the US's) sanctions policy on the Sudan. To cold shoulder moderate Muslims, like President Bashir, and believe that one can confront Muslim extremism ideologically is a fallacy. Only Muslim moderation can defeat Muslim extremism.

The swearing-in ceremony heralds both a continuation and a new phase. Development and democratic transformation will be reinforced while a new push to reach overall peace in the country is a most promising turning point.

Media Office
London
2 June 2015

June 2, 2015 (RUMBEK) – At least 13 people were killed and dozens more wounded on Monday when rival sections of the Dinka community in the South Sudan's Lakes state clashed in Rumbek counties.

Fighting erupted when residents of Malek-Agok payam of Rumbek East county came under attack in what was believed to be a cycle of revenge killings between communities of Gong and Thuyic, both belonging to Dinka Agaar clan.

According to an eyewitness, Moses Maker, seven people were killed and 18 others sustained gunshot wounds from Gong section while four people were killed and five others were wounded from the side of Thuyic section.

State government minister of information and communication, Dhieu Wal Takping, refused to comment when contacted to verify the information, saying that he was just returning from Juba and did not yet received report about the clashes.

But according to the police's Criminal Investigation Department's (CID) officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, he confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the clashes resulted in loss of many lives. He added that more personnel from the state police were being sent to quell the insecurity in Malek-Agok payam.

In separate clashes between cattle raiders and police forces in Abeer payam, located in western part of Rumbek Central county, 2 policemen were killed by cattle raiders while trying to intervene.

“Suspected cattle raiders arrived in Abeer and surrounded policemen who were walking cows. They started firing at policemen, killing two on spot and shooting in self-defence. Two of the cattle raiders who were injured managed to escape,” Police sergeant Akot Majok told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

He described Monday as a bad day that left 13 people killed and 25 wounded in complex clashes in Rumbek East and Rumbek Central counties.

Lakes state has been embroiled in cycles of revenge attacks with many blaming government for allegedly failing to curb insecurity.

The situation recently worsened when a joint force of the police and military withdrew from all hotspots in the state, claiming they had no way to collect information due to community's failure to cooperate.

Data from Lakes state Criminal Investigation Department reported an increase in crime-related incidences within the volatile region.Youth activists and traditional authorities have repeatedly called for the removal of governor Matur Dhuol amid claims he had failed to stem the violence, but president Salva Kiir has overlooked these calls.

Dhuol was appointed in 2013 after president Kiir sacked elected governor Chol Tong Mayay.

(ST)

June 2, 2015 (BOR) – 74 people were killed, 108 wounded and 54 children abducted in South Sudan's Jonglei state last year, an annual report to the state assembly showed.

Jonglei's minister for local government Peter Wall Athiu before lawmakers in Jonglei state June 2, 2015 (ST)

The minister for local government and law enforcement, Peter Wall Athiu presented the report, which implicated members of the Murle ethnic tribe.

A total of 1,800 herds of cattle were raided in the state, it said.

According to the minister, of the 54 children abducted, five were from Uror county of the country's largest state.

“In all these insurgencies, Murle have been the cause [of] all damages devastating [Jonglei],” Athiu told lawmakers.

But the minister said enforcement units has 9,648 officers, comprising of police and prisons and wildlife services, but lacked enough arms to protect innocent civilians from such attacks by armed criminals.

“Our problem is not about the lack of man power, we have no weapons to arm these trained officers”, he told state legislators.

Jonglei invested more fund in the security sector when the financial year started, but no improvement has so far been seen on ground.

The gross salaries for law enforcement forces amounted to 12,290, 438 SSP, and over 1.5 million SSP allocate for security maintenance.

The minister said his docket faced financial shortage as collection and remittance of personal income tax levied on all organised forces salaries was not effectively done, hence deficits in the budget.

The tax was projected to be 9,713,000 SSP, but only 454,697 SSP was realised.

(ST)

June 2, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese female activist who has gone missing for several days last April has recanted her story on Tuesday after more than a month of controversy.

Undated photo of Sandra Farouk Kadouda

The 31-year old Sandra Farouk Kadouda was reported to have been forcibly taken from her car by a group of unidentified men in Sudan's twin capital city of Omdurman as she was driving to an opposition sit-in at the National Umma Party (NUP) headquarters.

Kadouda's car was found abandoned nearby with the keys still in the ignition and her phone was switched off.

After several days, she was as found badly beaten at a street in Khartoum in a state of extreme fatigue with a dislocation in her right shoulder apparently due to severe beating.

Kadouda never made direct statements on what happened but her family accused the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) of standing behind this incident.

The NISS subsequently filed a complaint against her for defamation after which she was interrogated intensively by state security prosecutor.

Today Kadouda issued a statement apologizing to the Sudanese people and government's security agencies “for what I caused by claiming I was kidnapped” adding that she was not subject to torture as was reported.

A family representative by the name of Abdel-Qadir Ismail said that "a dispute occurred between Sandra and government agencies and it was imperative for the family to intervene after a blaze of publicity because of her disappearance during that period," he said.

"We thought she was detained by the security services, but the family arrived at conclusions contrary to what was believed, therefore this press release came as a reinstatement and to clear the security services which we thought were behind this".

Two newspapers were seized by NISS last April for discussing Kadouda's disappearance.

(ST)

Le Burundi est toujours dans l'incertitude. Officiellement, les élections communales et législatives ont toujours lieu le 5 juin prochain, ce vendredi. Les chefs d'Etat de la Communauté d'Afrique de l'Est ont demandé à leur homologue Pierre Nkurunziza de reporter le scrutin d'un mois et demi. La Commission électorale nationale indépendante, de son côté, assure fonctionner normalement, malgré les démissions de sa vice-présidente et de l'une de ses commissaires. Mais ces départs sont problématiques pour le fonctionnement de la Céni.

The main issues highlighted in the report of IRMA research programme are the role of asylum as primary reason for migration, and the importance of capital as the main parameter of successful migration. The smuggler is the key actor underscoring all discussions, holding multiple roles; from facilitator of mobility, to source of information, or disruptor to the migratory project. The choice of destination and the limited information informants actually have, are discussed, as well as the role of Turkey as a hub for collection of information, but mostly of money to continue the journey. The border crossing for both entry and exit is discussed in relation to policies in Greece and particular border fencing and increased deterrence of entry. Finally, the text highlights the issue of detention, as the key policy in place at the time of writing that appears to have  impacted heavily both the migratory route but also the decision of Afghans to leave Greece, either via transit (where possible) or via return to Afghanistan.

IRMA case study on Afghanistan

June 2, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir issued a decree on Tuesday night dissolving the government and relieving his aides in preparation for the formation of the new cabinet following the beginning of his new term today.

Ibrahim Ghandour, top aide to Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir and head of Sudan's negotiating team with the SPLM-N (Photo: AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

The decree did not mandate undersecretaries to run the ministries in the interim which suggested that the announcement of the new cabinet is imminent.

Earlier today, presidential assistant Ibrahim Ghandour who also holds the position of ruling National Congress Party (NCP) deputy chairman said that the new cabinet will be announced in the next 48 hours.

Ghandour said that there will be no presidential advisers and a maximum of 5 presidential assistants.

He also downplayed announcements by several parties that they will not join the new cabinet saying that “not all parties should be part of the government”.

President Bashir has said earlier this year that only parties which contested in April's general elections will be offered posts in the government.

The Federal Truth party (FTP) has been excluded from the new cabinet while the United Umma Party (UUP) rejected the NCP offer for ministerial posts on the grounds that it is not compatible with their political stature.

Last week, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani announced that it will not join the government for the same reasons spelled out by the UUP.

But the NCP swiftly denied the DUP declaration stressing that consultations between the two sides are ongoing.

It is understood that the NCP offered the DUP the same posts it currently holds in the cabinet which includes three federal ministries, two state ministers and other posts on the state level.

The NCP said it will look into the DUP's request for an additional post without committing to it which aggravated al-Hassan al-Mirghani who is currently running the party as his father is still out of the country.

The DUP was considered the second largest northern opposition party until December 2011 when it left opposition ranks and joined the joined the NCP-dominated “broad-based” government.

(ST)

Le Togo attend toujours la nomination d'un nouveau Premier ministre après la démission de Kwesi Séléagodji Ahoomey-Zunu. Mardi 2 juin, la presse espérait interroger le président Faure Gnassingbé sur la nomination du nouveau chef de gouvernement, à l'occasion d'une conférence de presse consacrée au sommet de l'Union africaine (UA) sur la sécurité maritime. Las, le président n'est pas venu.

Le Sunnmore, région de fjords de la côte ouest norvégienne, est, depuis près de quarante ans, le temple de l’offshore et le siège d’un des clusters maritimes les plus efficaces au monde. Près d’une quinzaine de chantiers navals, parmi lesquels les plus emblématiques comme Vard, Kleven, Ulstein ou Havyard, des centaines d’équipementiers et designers, Rolls-Royce Marine en tête, et une dizaine d’armateurs, dont Havila, Island Offshore ou encore Remoy… le tout représentant des milliers d’emplois dans cette région un peu lointaine à la géographie très contraignante.

• Lire la suite de Offshore : La Norvège fait le dos rond en préparant l'avenir

Russia wants to include Ukraine’s obligations on gas into the agreement that might be signed during the upcoming three-party gas consultations.

Americas

• The Air Force is reportedly working on a new hypersonic test vehicle, with the aim of developing the new vehicle by 2023. The Air Force and DARPA are hoping to build on a previous 2013 test, with the X-51A WaveRider intended to be used as a proof of concept.

• On Tuesday Lockheed Martin was awarded a $104.3 million contract modification for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Accelerated Acquisition program, which saw a successful test firing in February. The LRASM missile is a joint US Navy/DARPA project aiming to develop next-generation anti-ship missiles capable of overcoming sophisticated defenses and travel longer distances to their targets.This latest modification brings the total contract value to just under $306.9 million. The company was also awarded a $31 million contract Tuesday for Aegis Weapons System integration and testing, up to Advanced Capability Build 12.

• Boeing will likely have to transfer some manufacturing to South Korea if the company wants to bag a $1.2 billion tanker contract. South Korea officials are peeved with the quantity of work allocated to Japanese industry as a result of defense and civilian contracts with the US company and are pushing for better offset arrangements in order to develop the country’s growing industry.

• The Pentagon is expected to relaunch a RFP to industry in October in a new $475 million solicitation for cyber capabilities, following the original solicitation being rescinded on 22 May. The USCYBERCOM RFP was originally intended to develop the Cyber National Mission Force, as part of a concerted effort to bring in private expertise to DoD cyber operations.

• Canada is implementing a third party oversight system for defense contracts valued over C$100 million, with an expert panel convening to provide independent evaluation of procurement decisions. The Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition will be made up of five experts and will also provide advice to the Minister of National Defence on acquisition decisions.

Europe

• The Taranis UCAV will undergo a third set of tests toward the end of this year. The Taranis was unveiled in 2010 and is part of the Anglo-French FCAS program, alongside the nEUROn UAV.

• The Czech Republic is looking to buy 3D radar systems from Israeli firm Elta Systems, with the government in talks with the company regarding a potential $240 million deal. The new radar systems are scheduled to come online in 2017, with 40 percent of the workload set to go to local industry under a workshare agreement between Elta and local partner Retia. A subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, Elta Systems produces a variety of radar systems, including the 3D AD-STAR system, in both medium and extended-range configurations.

• The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a $123 million contract for helicopter training. Royal Navy and RAF crews training to fly Chinooks and Merlin helos will now benefit from Synthetic Training Devices and other training services, care of Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland.

• France has taken delivery of a third Predator B UAV, following a contract for an additional Predator two months ago. This third UAV will join two already in service, with twelve scheduled for delivery by 2019.

Middle East

• The US has delivered an undisclosed number of BGM-71C TOW missiles to Lebanon, following a similar French delivery in April for Milan Anti-Tank Missiles, funded by Saudi Arabia.

Asia

• South Korea is reportedly looking to develop an indigenous air to ground missile to arm its fleet of light helicopters. With a provisional entry date of 2023, the new missiles are intended to replace the US-manufactured TOW missiles currently in service.

• The Royal Malaysian Air Force is planning to upgrade its fleet of MIG-29N fighters, despite having previously opted to purchase the more advanced SU-30MKM in small numbers. The MIG-29N fleet has been in service for 25 years, with local firm Aerospace Technology Systems Corp. recently offering to provide an upgrade program for the sixteen MIGs.

• The PLA Navy is reportedly developing a lithium-ion battery-powered submarine propulsion system, with the PLAN also recently commissioning three new Type-093G nuclear-powered attack subs.

Today’s Video

• The nEUROn UAV flying in formation with a Rafale and Falcon…

Airbus Defence and Space issued an Accident Information Transmission (AIT) on 2 June effectively confirming that a software issue within the electronic control units (ECUs) of the A400M transport's EuroProp International TP400-D6 powerplants led to the loss of aircraft MSN23. The aircraft crashed

ANALYSIS A little under a year since the outbreak of the 50-day conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Egyptian-mediated truce still holds, but both sides are preparing for renewed hostilities. Hamas fighters are training intensively in the Gaza Strip and detonating

LRASM-A Concept
(click to view full)

The US Navy is beginning to acknowledge a growing problem that threatens its freedom of the seas: its strike reach is shrinking and aging, while potential opponents’ attack reach is expanding and modernizing. As new designs replace older planes, US carrier aircraft range is shrinking to 1950s levels. Meanwhile, its anti-ship and land attack missiles are generally older, medium-range subsonic designs like the Harpoon Block I, which are vulnerable to air defenses. In contrast, China is deploying supersonic SS-N-22 “Sunburn” missiles bought from Russia, and working on a DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile. The Sunburn is just one of Russia’s supersonic anti-ship missile options for sale, and a joint venture with India has added the supersonic PJ-10 BrahMos.

The math is stark: enemies with longer reach, and better weapons, may be able to create large “no go” zones for the Navy in key conflict areas. In response, think-tanks like CSBA are proposing ideas like AirSea Battle, which emphasizes a combination of advance hardening, more stealth and long-range strike options, and a progressive “blinding and grinding” campaign of strikes and interdiction. Success will require some changes to America’s array, beginning with the missiles that arm its ships and aircraft. Hence LRASM: the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, with a secondary land-strike role.

LRASM: The Program Goals & Technology AGM-158 JASSM
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The joint DARPA/ US Navy LRASM program was initiated in 2009 to deliver a new generation of anti-ship weapons, offering longer ranges and better odds against improving air defense systems. Rob McHenry, a program manager in the Tactical Technology Office at DARPA, explained it this way to Aviation Week:

“We want US Navy cruisers and destroyers to be able to stand off from outside of potential adversaries’ direct counter fire range, and be able to safely engage and destroy high value targets they may be engaging against from extended range, well beyond potential adversary ranges that we may have to face… “Once the missile flies that far, it has a requirement to be able to independently detect and validate the target that it was shot at. Finding that target, the missile will have to be able to penetrate the air defenses and finally, once it gets to that target, it has to have a lethal capability to make a difference once it gets there.”

The US military is also expecting an environment where enemies try to jam or destroy the GPS system and encrypted datalink transmissions, compounding its difficulties in targeting opponents if it can’t get many of its platforms through advanced air defenses. Those considerations underline the importance of autonomous targeting. Beyond their anti-jamming digital GPS, therefore, LRASM will also rely on a 2-way data link, a radar sensor that can detect ships (and might also be usable for navigation), and a day/night camera for positive identification and final targeting.

LRASM began as the rapid development and demonstration of 2 very distinct variants. Although it’s tempting to see them as an air-launched and a ship-launched variant, ultimately, both designs were intended for launch from either ships or aircraft:

LRASM-A. Lockheed Martin is basing this design on their stealthy, subsonic, turbofan-powered AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range) cruise missile, which doubles the AGM-158 JASSM’s range to over 500 miles. The JASSM program has had more than its share of performance problems, but tests in 2010 saved the AGM-158 JASSM for continued production.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has overall responsibility for LRASM. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training manufactures the Mk-114 booster hardware, and the MK 41 VLS used aboard ships around the world. Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions collaborates with several Navy laboratories to develop and integrate the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System used on designed ships.

JASSM is an air-launched weapon, but LRASM-A’s air or surface-launch options will make it a close counterpart to JASSM’s top rival, MBDA’s Storm Shadow/ Scalp Naval.

PJ-10 BrahMos
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LRASM-B (Deferred). Envisioned as a ramjet-powered supersonic ship-launched missile, similar to earlier conceptions of hypersonic programs like the now-defunct RATTLRS. It’s intended to leverage prior ramjet development activities, and one of its challenges will be a suite of supporting sensors and avionics that can operate effectively at the temperatures created by high-Mach ramjet speeds. The most comparable missile out there is probably the Indo-Russian PJ-10 BrahMos, a Mach 2.8 heavy strike missile that can hit ships or land targets. Like LRASM-B, a Brahmos variant is currently being adapted for air launch as well. Unlike LRASM-B, there are also plans to put BrahMos on submarines.

LRASM-B development was much riskier from a technical point of view, and the harsh nature of high-Mach environments would add extra risk to its manufacturing and test phases, too. Those risks are normally attractive to DARPA, but in this case, they led the agency to step back and focus on the less risky LRASM-A.

Current Focus: LRASM Development LRASM-A from Mk-41
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Phase 1. Preliminary designs of the LRASM-A and the LRASM-B variants were successfully completed by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. DARPA determined that it provided sufficient confidence in the 2 designs to support an investment in flight testing.

Phase 2. Awarded in 2010 to continue the development of both missiles, and culminate in flight demonstrations of tactically relevant prototypes of LRASM-A, LRASM-B, and the common sensor system from BAE Systems. A series of tests will cover key subsystems, including propulsion, sensors, and mission execution software. Detailed designs, analytical assessments and developmental test results will culminate in critical design reviews (CDR), ensuring that each design is ready to continue on to flight demonstration.

P2 Testing shift. LRASM-A was programmed now execute 3 air-launched demonstrations in 2013, and 2 surface-launch demonstrations in 2014. The common sensor system was flight tested in July 2012, but by that time, the sub-sonic LRASM-A was the program’s only survivor. In January 2012, as Lockheed Martin puts it:

“DARPA decided to focus more resources on the mature LRASM-A program, and defer further development on LRASM-B.”

LRASM-B had been set to complete the 4 shipboard Vertical Launch System (VLS) demonstrations, so Lockheed Martin began investing company funds in an LRASM-A variant that could be launched from its Mk.41 VLS. That was followed by a 2013 DARPA contract which added surface-launch development funds, and scheduled 2 initial VLS test firings.

The Future: Service Handoffs and OASuW LRASM
click for video

LRASM’s problem is that a US Navy filled with very high cost ship designs, and a looming fighter shortage on its carriers, may well decide to give missiles short shrift – even if they’re badly needed. Rick Edwards, VP of Tactical Missiles and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, hopes that isn’t the case:

“Both of our LRASM solutions will deliver extraordinary range, willful penetration of ship self defense systems and precise lethality in denied combat environments… The maturity of these weapons and technologies allows near term transition to Navy magazines at an affordable price. These are low risk, practical options…”

His firm needs to prove that, because a big opportunity is waiting in the wings. The US Navy has budgeted about $1.13 billion from FY 2013-2018 for its “Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) Weapon Dev program” to replace the xGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. OASuW’s priority and budgets jumped sharply in the FY 2014 submission, even as the US Navy discarded the concept of an interim weapon based on the xGM-109 Tomahawk long-range cruise missile.

OASuW Increment 1 authorized a limited buy of air-launched LRASMs on Feb 3/14. Production missile purchases will begin in FY 2017, after LRASM has been integrated with Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and USAF B-1 bombers.

OASuW Increment 2 will address ship-launched requirements. Harpoon anti-ship missiles were removed from all American frigates many years ago, and haven’t been installed in DDG 51 destroyers since Flight IIA began with DDG 79. The lack of anti-ship missiles on American surface combatants is becoming a problem, and likely cuts will make it a bigger problem as the USN looks to cut operating costs by cutting expensive ships like cruisers. A vertically-launched anti-ship and land strike missile that removed the need for dedicated launchers topside would solve this problem.

The Competition Tomahawk MIC promo

LRASM won’t be alone in competing for the OASuW Increment 2 opportunity.

Kongsberg’s new NSM/JSM is a stealthy cruise missile whose variants can launch from ships, or internally from the F-35 stealth fighter. They tried to compete for OASuW Increment 1 in 2014, and were an obvious candidate for an American OASuW partnership. Next time, they’ll bid with Raytheon as their Increment 1 (air-launched) partner. There’s still a partnership slot open for Increment 2, or Kongberg could use its own resources to develop a variant that works with shipboard Mk.41 vertical launch systems.

Raytheon has already tried to compete their JSOW-ER for OASuW’s air-launched Increment 1, but next time, they’ll be teamed with Kongsberg to offer the Joint Strike Missile. They remain committed to their xGM-109 xGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile for OASuW Increment 2, for ships that carry strike-length Mk.41 VLS cells. Recent Tomahawk upgrades have added an ESM seeker that locks onto radar or other signal emissions. That would give the long-range missile some moving target capability on land, and some anti-ship capability at sea. Wider upgrades under discussion could add a radar seeker for full “maritime interdiction capability,” as an upgrade to existing stocks of over 2,000 missiles. Upgrades offer a low-cost option, but Tomahawk’s drawback is its lack of stealth, which affects its expected ability to penetrate ship defenses.

MBDA has their air-launched Storm Shadow stealthy cruise missile, which has already been used in combat. Their Scalp Naval/ MdCN is a related missile for use from ships and submarines.

Boeing holds the current Harpoon contract, and has created a stealthier Harpoon alternative in the AGM-84K SLAM-ER. Indeed, the US Navy launched production of Boeing’s SLAM-ER following its pullout from the original JASSM program, and JASSM serves as LRASM-A’s design base. Boeing could unveil further improvements, develop something new, or find a foreign partner.

ATK’s propulsion and missile expertise could also make them a factor, especially if they find a foreign partner with a cutting-edge missile.

Contracts & Key Events

DARPA picked 3 vendors for this program. BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration in Nashua, NH would design the onboard sensor systems. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Strike Weapons in Orlando, FL would demonstrate the LRASM-A subsonic prototype. Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control Tactical Missiles in Grand Prairie, TX was to demonstrate the LRASM-B supersonic prototype, but that part of the program was “deferred.”

FY 2015

Chokepoints
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Oct 11/14: American A2/AD. Rep. Randy Forces [R-VA-4] sends a letter to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Odierno on the eve of the AUSA conference, pushing for the Army to set up a modern version of its Coastal Artillery: long-range, land-based anti-ship missiles that would be forward-based in friendly countries to endanger Chinese vessels and shipping. Missiles like LRASM and the longer-ranged but less stealthy AGM-109 Tomahawk are obvious candidates for this sort of thing, significantly outranging competitors like Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile or Boeing’s SLAM-ER. The RAND study that Forbes refers to actually posited using shorter-range missiles like NSM, but its maps also showed the number of deployment sites required for effective coverage.

The idea would be a nice turnabout on China’s Anti-Access, Area Denial (A2/AD) strategy, and a Philippine deployment would produce a very tangible benefit all by itself, at low cost. On the other hand, Rep. Forbes probably underestimates the difficulty of getting many countries beyond the Philippines to accept an inherently provocative deployment whose use is technically beyond their control. Recent American waffling around the world suggests an even less palatable conclusion: the penalty for saying yes would be immediate, without any assurance that the weapons would actually be used to help the accepting country if push came to shove.

Contrast with the Russian approach. They just sell SS-N-26 shore batteries to interested countries, helping customers to create the same barrier under their own control, without the offsetting political challenges. India’s derivative PJ-10 BrahMos missile may also wind up being used this way, if India can get its act together on the export front. Sources: RAND, “Employing Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles in the Western Pacific” | Breaking Defense, “Army Should Build Ship-Killer Missiles: Rep. Randy Forbes”.

FY 2013 – 2014

Contracts begin for air-launched LRASM; Surface-launched LRASM-A gets the green light; Industrial expansion suggests optimism. LRASM-A Concept
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July 2/14: Lockheed Martin in Orlando, FL receives a maximum $200 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the LRASM Accelerated Acquisition program. $33 million in FY 2014 RDT&E funds are committed immediately. This effort will prepare LRASM missiles for use from Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, and USAF B-1B bombers, in time to coincide with initial LRASM buys that begin in FY 2017.

Work will be performed in Orlando & Melbourne, FL; Troy, AL; Nashua, NH; Boulder, CO; and Cincinnati, OH, with an expected completion date of July 6/16. The USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, VA manages this contract (HR0011-14-C-0079).

OASuW-1 integration

March 26/14: Yes competition. Just not immediately. Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley says that the initial buy of 90 LRASM missiles from FY 2017 – 2019 is a special justification and authorization buy following DARPA development, in order to deploy the air-launched version on USAF B-1 bombers (which will already have JASSM integrated) and USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters. US budgets actually show 110 missiles from FY 2017 – 2019 (q.v. March 4/14).

That sole-source buy has sparked a GAO protest from Raytheon re: its JSOW-ER, which it argues offer comparable capability at lower cost. The cost assertion is correct, but the capability assertion is not, given that LRASM’s offers almost twice the range at twice the speed. The real question for the Navy is how much capability it really needs, something that’s beyond the GAO’s purview.

However that shakes out, Stackley says that the US military plans to compete OASuW Increment 2 after that. The most important aspect of that program involves launch from ships’ Vertical Launch Cells, in order to correct a tactical Navy deficit that is becoming strategic. Raytheon will have to either offer an upgraded Tomahawk, which it should be on track to do by FY19, or substantially improve JSOW-ER’s capabilities. Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile may also have new capabilities by that time. Sources: Reuters, “U.S. Navy plans competition for next-generation missile” | USNI, “Navy to Hold Contest for New Anti-Surface Missile”.

March 20/14: No competition. Inside Defense reports that the Pentagon has rejected bids from Kongsberg (NSM/JSM) and Raytheon (presumably improved Tomahawk), and has approved Lockheed Martin’s LRASM for a major follow-on development contract to prepare it for production in FY17 as OASuW. Sources: Inside Defense, “DOD Expands LRASM Development, Rebuffs Alternate Bids From Raytheon, Kongsberg”.

March 4/14: FY15 Budget. The USN unveils their preliminary budget request briefings. They aren’t precise, but they do offer planned purchase numbers for key programs between FY 2014 – 2019. The briefing pegs FY 2017 as the beginning of low-rate LRASM production: 30 in FY17, 40 in FY18, and 40 in FY19. Source: USN, PB15 Press Briefing [PDF].

Feb 27/14: Industrial. Lockheed Martin breaks ground on a 62,000 square foot annex to its Pike County Operations’ Long Range Strike Systems cruise missile production facility in Troy, AL. When it’s complete, the facility will have expanded its existing space by 67%. The annex is supposed to be done by Q1 2015.

The Pike County facility builds AGM-158 JASSM/ JASSM-ER missiles, and also produces test missiles for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) development program. While there is foreign interest in JASSM, an expansion of this magnitude suggests that the firm expects LRASM/OASuW to become a program in its own right. Sources: Lockheed Martin, “Lockheed Martin Breaks Ground on New Cruise Missile Annex at Award Winning Facility in Alabama”.

Jan 15/14: Testing. Lockheed Martin announces that a company-funded no-launch test “demonstrated and validated” that LRASM can be launched from any strike-length MK 41 Vertical Launch System, using the existing Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) and a Mk-114 booster with modified software.

The firm says that they’ve invested $30 million of their own funds to accelerate LRASM Initial Operational Capability on the USN’s Arleigh Burke Class Aegis destroyers. Which is just a number. What’s really important is the claim that they can upload some software, and sell the USN a missile and booster that lets them mount LRASM in any of their destroyers without waiting for a major maintenance interval, or spending money beyond the missiles themselves. That kind of proposition ensures that rivals like Raytheon’s non-stealthy BGM-109 Tomahawk Block IV, or Boeing’s xGM-84 non-VLS Harpoon missile family, have no opening to make minor changes and tout themselves as a “good enough” naval alternative. Sources: Lockheed Martin, “Lockheed Martin Successfully Tests LRASM MK 41 Vertical Launch System Interface”.

Nov 14/13: Testing – Air Launch. The 2nd air test goes well, as a LRASM is dropped by a B-1B bomber, navigates through all planned waypoints with in-flight targeting updates from the Weapon Data Link, then identifies and hits a moving naval target while under autonomous guidance. Sources: Lockheed Martin, Nov 14/13 release.

Sept 17/13: Testing – Ship Launch. Lockheed Martin announces that the 1st LRASM vertical launch has been successful. In a privately-funded test aimed at the OASuW opportunity, the Boosted Test Vehicle (LRASM BTV) used a Mk-114 rocket motor from the firm’s VL-ASROC anti-submarine rocket to blast the missile out of a MK-41 Vertical Launch System canister at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The test vehicle then performed a normal guided flight profile, and subsequent examination showed no exit damage to the missile or its coatings.

The US Navy hasn’t had a vertically-launched anti-ship missile, and the absence of anti-ship missile launchers on new destroyers and on the Navy’s frigates/Littoral Combat Ships is a growing problem. In many ways, this private test was more important than the official air launch.

Sept 9/13: Testing – Air Launch. Lockheed Martin announces a successful LRASM test against a floating target at Point Mugu, CA, from B-1 launch, through autonomous navigation, to low level descent and impact. It’s an encouraging result, and further tests will presumably add to the complexity by using moving targets, etc. Source: Lockheed Martin, Sept 9/13 release.

JSOW-ER test
click for video

June 20/13: OASuW. Raytheon VP Harry Schulte discusses OASuW at the 50th Paris Air Show. The firm contends that JSOW-ER will offer a 300 nm air-launch strike weapon at a 67-75% cost savings over LRASM, and touts an anti-ship variant of their GM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile.

In terms of ship-launched weapons, the GM-109’s survival depends on its flight profile rather than its stealth. The Navy’s decision not to pursue an Interim OASuW based on the RGM-109 Tomahawk (q.v. April 10/13) suggests that it’s seen as inadequate against future defenses. On the other hand, there’s an legitimate argument to be had over air-launched weapons. The JSOW-ER’s 200 nautical mile range penalty and slower flight speed are operationally significant, but the US Navy has just begun to see budget cuts. In difficult budgetary times, adopting a much more expensive weapon in the name of “commonality” is a poor decision for the US Navy, unless the difference in air-launched performance justifies the decision. That may be so here, but it’s a case the US Navy should need to argue. Flight Global.

June 3/13: Testing. Lockheed Martin is touting successful vertical launch tests for LRASM-A, but that’s an overstatement. They ran 4 tests proving that the missile can push through the VLS cover without damaging itself, ran a missile-to-canister fit check, and conducted an integrated test of the weapon control system and VLS. All useful steps, but baby steps. Lockheed Martin.

May 13/13: Testing. Lockheed Martin announces that JASSM-ER has successfully completed USAF Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), scoring 20/ 21 successful flights covering all operational flight modes, at the full range of release conditions from the B-1B. Its success has clear implications that extend to the LRASM-A, which is based on the JASSM-ER. Lockheed Martin.

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 OASuW Harpoon replacement program gets a sharp boost in this budget. Not only does planned FY 2014 spending jump from $44.3 million to $136 million, but overall budgets from 2014 – 2017 jump by a total of $300 million, as full ramp-up moves forward to 2014 instead of 2017. This increase holds true even though the program is canceling plans for an interim solution based on Raytheon’s xGM-109 Tomahawk long-range cruise missile.

Current plans involve Technology Demonstration (TD) contracts for the full solution in FY 2013, with follow-on competitive prototyping if required in FY 2015. If it isn’t necessary, OSAuW would jump right to a FY 2015 Engineering & Manufacturing Development phase, with a Critical Design Review in fall 2016, and a run-time to the end of FY 2017. Operational Testing would then begin in FY 2018.

March 21/13: LRASM-A. The Pentagon announces the 2nd contract component of Lockheed Martin’s March 5/13 announcement. Lockheed Martin in Orlando, FL receives a $54.4 million cost plus fixed fee contract modification for additional risk reduction efforts, before 2 planned LRASM-A launches from a MK.41 VLS. $16.6 + $54.4 = $71 million.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL (84.13%), Baltimore, MD (14.24%), and Walled Lake, MI (1.63%) until Dec 31/14. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency manages the contract (HR0011-09-C-0096).

March 5/13: LRASM-A. Lockheed Martin announces $71 million in DARPA contracts related to LRASM-A. Discussions with Lockheed clarify that this announcement includes the $16.6 million contract announced on Oct 1/12, plus an additional $55 million that covers ongoing development work and 2 new requirements.

The ongoing work involves risk reduction efforts like electromagnetic compatibility testing, and follow-on captive carry tests of the sensor suite.

One new requirement is a 3rd air-launched flight test from a B-1B “Bone” bomber, in addition to the 2 scheduled flight tests under the original contract. Those flight tests are expected to take place in 2013. The second new requirement involves further development of LRASM-A’s surface launch configuration, en route to 2 surface-launched LRASM-A flight tests scheduled for 2014.

Development of that surface-launched version is actually underway already, thanks to Lockheed Martin’s investment of its own money. DARPA’s LRASM-A Phase 2 contracts to date amount to about $131 million.

Oct 1/12: LRASM-A. Lockheed Martin in Orlando, FL receives a $16.6 million cost plus fixed fee contract modification under the joint DARPA/ONR Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) demonstration program. It pays for additional risk reduction efforts before the initial flight test of the AGM-158 JASSM derived LRASM-A, and apparently includes a 3rd air-launch test from a B-1B bomber.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL (97.97%); Crestview, FL (1.40%); Santa Clarita, CA (0.63%); and Bothell, WA (0.003%), and will run until Sept 13/13 (HR0011-09-C-0096).

FY 2009 – 2012

Initial Phase 1 and Phase 2 contracts awarded; Testing begins; LRASM-B canceled. LRASM-B Concept
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Sept 3/12: Not to B. Aviation Week reports that DARPA and the Navy have quietly cancelled the supersonic LRASM-B, as of January 2012. It adds that:

“Full-up tests of an air-launched Lrasm test vehicle are planned for early 2013, followed by tests of a vertically launched variant in late 2014. In the long term, the Jassm-based system could compete against a Tomahawk derivative for a future multipurpose missile.”

LRASM-B canceled

July 16/12: Testing. Lockheed Martin announces that the common LRASM sensor suite has successfully completed its 1st captive-carry flight off the coast of northwest Florida, detecting, classifying and recognizing targets from various altitudes and speeds. The sensors were mounted on a modified Sabreliner business jet, and target data processing algorithms ran real-time in the missile electronics. Ownership of the Sabreliner wasn’t specified, but LRASM sensor suite designer BAE Systems does own a T-39A flight test aircraft.

Testing and validation of subsystems is on schedule, and is expected to lead to All-Up-Round LRASM-A flight tests in early 2013. Lockheed Martin.

Dec 16/10: LRASM-A. Lockheed Martin Corp. in Orlando, FL receives a $60.4 million cost plus fixed-fee contract modification to execute the sub-sonic LRASM-A’s Phase 2, which will end with 2 LRASM-A air-launched demonstrations.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL (89.47%), Melbourne, FL (8.94%) and Buffalo, NY (1.59%), and is expected to be complete in February 2013. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency manages the contract (HR0011-09-C-0096). See also Jan 20/11 Lockheed Martin release for both Nov/Dec contracts.

LRASM-A Phase 2

Nov 30/10: DARPA formally announces [PDF] that it has sufficient confidence in the 2 missile designs to support further investment for flight testing, and the program will move on to Phase 2.

Phase 2 OK for both

Nov 10/10: Lockheed Martin Corp. receives a $157.7 million cost plus fixed-fee contract modification for the supersonic LRASM-B’s Phase 2, culminating in 4 demonstration launches from Mk.41 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS).

Work will be performed in Grand Praire, TX (71.32%); West Palm Beach, FL (12.53%); Broomfield, CO (5.85%); Litchfield Park, AZ (2.87%); Baltimore, MD (2.05%); East Aurora, NY (2.01%); Elkton, MD (1.24%); Portland, OR (1.23%); and Melbourne, FL (0.92%); and is expected to be completed by April 2013. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency manages the contract (HR0011-09-C-0097).

LRASM-B Phase 2

July 20/09: Lockheed Martin Corp. in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $10 million cost plus fixed fee contract for Phase 1 of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile demonstration program.

Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, TX (69%); West Palm Beach, FL (12%); King of Prussia, PA (8%); Plymouth, MN (8%); Baltimore, MD (1%); and Skokie, IL (2%), and is expected to be complete in April 2010. DARPA issued a solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities on June 6/08, and DARPA received 9 proposals, which reportedly included bids from key rivals ATK, Boeing, and Raytheon. (HR0011-09-C-0097). See also Defense Update.

LRASM Phase 1

Additional Readings

Thanks to Lockheed Martin for current images of its LRASM concepts.

Background: LRASM

• DARPA TTO – LRASM. 2011 snapshot.

• Lockheed Martin – LRASM.

• Defense Update – Next Generation Missiles – LRASM.

Background: Emerging Doctrine & Related Tech

• CSBA – AirSea Battle: A point of departure operational concept. Note that CBSA Fellow Bob Work is currently Undersecretary of the US Navy. See also Defense Tech for key excerpts from this 2010 document.

• CSBA – Why AirSea Battle?.

• BAE Systems – Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (NAVSOP). Tries to exploit existing transmissions such as Wi-Fi, TV, radio and mobile phone signals, to calculate the user’s location to within a few yards. One of a number of attempts underway by a variety of firms, aiming to solve this problem.

Competitors

• DID – USA Issues JSOW Block III Production Contracts. Raytheon’s less-expensive JSOW glide bomb has a solid international customer base, and a new JSOW-ER variant turns it into a powered missile with a 150 mile range.

• DID – Kongsberg’s New NSM/JSM Anti-Ship & Strike Missile. May develop a surface-launched version as well.

• MBDA – MdCN. Surface/ submarine fired SCALP variant.

• MBDA – Storm Shadow/ SCALP.

• Missile Threat – SCALP EG/Storm Shadow/Black Shaheen. MBDA’s air-launched stealthy cruise missile.

• DID – Tomahawk’s Chops: xGM-109 Block IV Cruise Missiles. While FY 2014 saw the Tomahawk removed from OASuW as an interim weapon, changes to the missile’s capabilities will create some overlap with OASuW, and influence its future.

News & Views

• USNI (March 13/14) – Navy to Hold Contest for New Anti-Surface Missile. OASuW Increment 2 will be a contest.

• Breaking Defense (July 12/13) – Stick With The Tomahawk, Forget LRASM. The comments section responds with a respectful beat-down, starting with the fact that LRASM is meant to replace the anti-ship Harpoon missile, not the Tomahawk.

• Aviation Week (Sept 3/12) – Net-Enabled Weapons Drive Sea Warfare Change [dead link].

• Aviation Week (Feb 24/11) – Details Emerge On Darpa Anti-Ship Missile [dead link].

• Flight International (June 4/10) – USAF sets 2013 entry for extended-range JASSM.

• Lockheed Martin (Feb 1/10) – Successful Test of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Validates Missile Upgrades.

• DID (May 21/09) – 2009: AGM-158 JASSM Faces Cancellation, Again. Also offers links outlining the ongoing saga.

• Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest (Vol.18, #2: 1997) – History of Ramjet and Scramjet Propulsion Development for U.S. Navy Missiles.

FALCON HTVs
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The path toward a hypersonic space plane has been a slow one, filled with twists and turns one would expect given the technological leap involved. Speeds of Mach 8+ place tremendous heat and resistance stresses on a craft. Building a vehicle that is both light enough to achieve the speeds desired at reasonable cost, and robust enough to survive those speeds, is no easy task.

Despite the considerable engineering challenges ahead, the potential of a truly hypersonic aircraft for reconnaissance, global strike/ transport, and low-cost access to near-space and space is a compelling goal on both engineering and military grounds. The question, as always, will be balancing the need for funding to prove out new designs and concepts, with risk management that ensures limited exposure if it becomes clear that the challenge is still too great. In October 2008, the US Congress decided that FALCON/Blackswift had reached those limits. That decision led to the program’s cancellation, though some activities will continue.

The FALCON Hypersonic Vehicle: Technical Challenges SR-72/ HTV-3X tech
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The famous SR-71 Blackbird, which cruised at “only” Mach 3, made heavy use of titanium and had to use slip fits instead of rivets in many places, so that the plane wouldn’t tear itself apart when 800-900 degree surface temperatures made it expand. On the ground, and when being refueled shortly after takeoff, the plane would reportedly leak like a sieve until speed and heat had given the airframe its requisite fit.

While the state of the art has advanced since then, so have the desired speeds – and the accompanying challenges.

Making more advanced powered hypersonic aircraft work was always going to take some fancy technologies – and ongoing American interest in military initiatives like “Prompt Global Strike” may yet lead to renewed funding. Engines that can boost a plane to hypersonic speeds are very different, however, as metals tend to melt at the temperatures created by air friction at Mach 9. On Oct 8/06, journalist David Axe offered some insights, back when HTV-3 was still a live goal:

Vulcan tech
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Engineers are improving on this so-called “combined cycle” to propel the Falcon, using a more powerful “scramjet” in place of the ramjet. “We need propulsion that transitions seamlessly from Mach 0 to Mach 9 or 10,” says Lockheed Martin’s Bob Baumgartner.

“For low speed, we’re looking at turbine engines that can perform at speeds from Mach 0 to Mach 4, then a scramjet … that takes over anywhere between Mach 2 and Mach 4 and goes up to higher Mach numbers — depending on the fuel, up to Mach 10,” says Steven Walker, a Darpa researcher. “For sure, we know how turbines work, but we don’t have turbines that work at Mach 4.”

“The scramjets are still at a low-technology readiness level,” he adds. “Combining both flow-paths and looking at how you transition from one to the other and the transition back … that’s all new, break-through technology.”

“Thermal protection … is the next major enabling technology,” Baumgartner says, referring to ways of coping with the high temperatures that Mach-10 flight generates. “We’re looking at durable metallic thermal protection panels to withstand heat and keep it away from structure. We’re also looking at ceramic panels.”

These technologies have uses in a variety of systems, including hypersonic missiles. That’s why research in these areas hasn’t stopped, even if HTV-3 is no longer on the planing board. “DARPA’s Hypersonic Vulcan Engine Meld” covers a program aimed at researching those kinds of advanced combined engine technologies.

The FALCON Hypersonic Vehicle: Industrial Teams HTV, top view

Lockheed Martin has reportedly completed conceptual design of an HTV-3X demonstrator. The are also performing subscale tests of the combined-cycle propulsion system, and have ground-tested inlets and nozzles that are shared by the high-mach turbine and the ramjet.

At this point, Lockheed Martin appears to have secured a team for the main bid that also includes Boeing and ATK.

Rolls-Royce and Williams International are developing candidates for the 13-inch diameter high-Mach jet turbine.

A round-combustor dual-mode ramjet under development by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will be used as the ramjet, once the turbine has accelerated the vehicle to a high enough speed.

The FALCON Hypersonic Vehicle: Program History & Changes Falcon HTV Concept
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The HTV (Hypersonic Technology Vehicle) became a joint program involving DARPA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. It is just one part of the broader DARPA/USAF FALCON program for lower-cost access to space. HTV-1 is part of DARPA’s larger FALCON (Force Application and Launch from Continental US) program that includes the HTV and military spaceplane efforts, and also the Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program for cheap, responsive rocket launches. AirLaunch LLC’s innovative QuickReach C-17 based launch technology is part of the SLV program, as is SpaceX’s Falcon rockets, which have gone on to more success.

In their Jan 27/06 article “High-speed air vehicles designed for rapid global reach,” the USAF promised that:

“…in September 2007, the Falcon HTV-1 is set to complete its inaugural voyage over the Pacific Ocean. Attaining Mach 19, the vehicle will briefly exit the Earth’s atmosphere and re-enter flying between 19 and 28 miles above the planet’s surface. Demonstrating hypersonic glide technology and setting the stage for HTV-2 represent the primary focus of the lower risk, lower performance initial flight.

…For the second demonstration, scheduled for 2008 or 2009, the Falcon HTV-2 will feature a different structural design, enhanced controllability and higher risk performance factors during its high-speed journey. Like its predecessor, the system will reach Mach 22 and then finish its one-hour plus mission over the Pacific Ocean… As of January 2006, HTV-1 is beginning construction.”

According to a May 30/06 Flight International report, however, technical difficulties forced a change in schedule. DARPA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin decided not to build and fly the two planned HTV-1 craft, after subcontractor C-CAT experienced delamination problems with the curved leading edges of the carbon-based aeroshell. Instead, they have shifted efforts to a different HTV-2 design whose multi-piece aeroshell has thinner leading edges, and will be easier to build because it’s less of a technical stretch. Meanwhile, thermal protection research will continue.

As the Flight International article notes, these developments had effects on the program’s schedule:

“The change will delay a first flight from 2007 for the HTV-1, to late 2008 for the first of two ground-launched, expendable HTV-2s. These will be followed by a reusable HTV-3 closer in design to the objective hypersonic cruise vehicle (HCV). The Mach 10 HTV-3 will be unpowered, but Walker says DARPA has received funding to develop and ground test a propulsion system for the HCV.

Walker says Lockheed has selected a high-Mach turbine engine and supersonic-combustion ramjet (scramjet) for a combined-cycle powerplant enabling the HCV to take off from a runway and accelerate to a hypersonic cruise. Tests of the “inward-turning” inlet and scramjet are planned for later this year [2006].”

HTV-3, at least, seemed to retain a great deal in common with the January 2006 USAF article’s description of a reusable Falcon vehicle:

“On the other hand, the third and final Falcon HTV, slated for 2009, will be a departure from the previous demonstrations. The reusable hypersonic glider will lift off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va., and then more than an hour later, be recovered in the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition, the HTV-3, flying at Mach 10, will be designed to achieve high aerodynamic efficiency and to validate external heat barrier panels that will be reusable.”

That proved a bridge too far, for now. In the end, HTV-3 was canceled, and FALCON flights were restricted to rocket-carried, unpowered test vehicles. There were to be 2 HTV-2 launches, in 2010 and 2011, costing about $308 million. Following the failure of the 1st such test in April 2010, the fate of the 2nd test was uncertain, but DARPA appears ready to go ahead.

FALCON Hypersonic Vehicle: Contracts & Key Events

Unless otherwise specified, all of these contracts are issued by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Palmdale, CA.

June 3/15: The Air Force is reportedly working on a new hypersonic test vehicle, with the aim of developing the new vehicle by 2023. The Air Force and DARPA are hoping to build on a previous 2013 test, with the X-51A WaveRider intended to be used as a proof of concept.

Nov 16/10: What happened to HTV-2? An independent Engineering Review Board (ERB) says the problem was more yaw than expected, which turned into a roll that was too fast for the autonomous flight control system to handle. The programmed response to that was “flight termination” via a forced roll and pitchover directly into the ocean, which is what happened 9 minutes into the 30 minute flight.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that DARPA got data from the flight covering aerothermal, aerodynamic, thermal protection, navigation, guidance and control; and now knows that the flight termination system works. DARPA TTO Director David Neyland thinks HTV needs tweaks rather than a full redesign, and wants to repeat the test in late 2011, after adjusting the vehicle’s center of gravity, decreasing its angle of attack (nose-up angle), and augmenting the flaps with the onboard reaction control system. Defense Update | Washington Times.

April 26/10: “Team Vandenberg launched the first Minotaur IV Lite launch vehicle at 4 p.m. April 22 from Space Launch Complex-8 here. The rocket launched the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2. The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. David Buck, was the launch decision authority.”

Unfortunately, a DARPA statement said that:

“The launch vehicle executed first-of-its-kind energy management maneuvers, clamshell payload fairing release and HTV-2 deployment… Approximately 9 minutes into the mission, telemetry assets experienced a loss of signal from the HTV-2. An engineering team is reviewing available data to understand this event.”

Aviation Week adds that:

“Based on a mission timeline released by DARPA in December, the HTV-2 was between beginning reentry and starting its hypersonic glide when telemetry signals were lost.”

See: USAF | Aviation Week | News Ltd., Australia | US NPR | Santa Maria Times | Space News | WIRED Danger Room.

Feb 18/10: US FedBizOpps, opportunity #N00033-10-R-2008:

“This requirement is for the charter of one (1) US flag vessel. The period of performance, if all option periods are exercised, is estimated to be approximately 29 days. The firm period will commence on 03 April 2010, lasting for 21 days. In addition, there will be three (3) 3-day options periods. Vessel is required to provide a variety of terminal impact area support functions to an experimental Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2) flight test that is part of the DARPA-USAF Falcon Program. The HTV-2 will be launched on a booster from Vandenberg AFB, CA to an impact near the Reagan Test Site (RTS), Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. A launch date is planned to occur within an 8-day window lasting from April 20 through April 27, 2010. The vessel will be required to operate in close proximity to the RTS. The primary activities supported in the impact area will be (1) to transport, deploy and retrieve a set of nine impact scoring rafts, along with two Telemetry Buoys and (2) to obtain telemetry from the HTV-2 in its final seconds of flight all the way to impact from a vessel standoff distance of approximately 10 nm.”

This upcoming test is supposed to demonstrate HTV-2’s ability to withstand hypersonic heat buildup, and remain controllable. The launch rocket is expected to be a Minotaur IV Lite. FBO solicitation | WIRED Danger Room.

Oct 13/08: DARPA cancels the Blackswift reusable hypersonic testbed, after a skeptical Congress slashed the program’s FY 2009 budget from $120 – 10 million, cutting DARPA funding from $70 – 10 million and eliminating the Air Force’s requested $50 million entirely.

DARPA says it will continue with the Falcon program by flying unpowered hypersonic test vehicles in 2009, launched by Orbital Sciences Minotaur boosters in order to demonstrate their aerodynamic and structural technologies.

DARPA had hoped to award a contract for the demonstrator later in 2008, and was believed to be negotiating with a Lockheed Martin Skunk Works-led team that included Boeing. The Blackswift was expected to fly in 2012. Defense Technology International | Flight International.

July 25/08: Aviation Week’s Aerospace Daily & Defense Report reports that ATK and Boeing have joined Lockheed Martin’s “Blackswift” team for the FALCON HTV project, adding that Northrop Grumman has declined to bid.

If the reports are true, this would make it very difficult to field a credible competing team from American industry.

March 13/08: DARPA Director Dr. Tony Tether discusses FALCON during congressional testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities [PDF]:

“When the U.S. Decides to act, we envision using new hypersonic vehicles to quickly reach any point on earth without the need to organize an air refueling tanker fleet to support a long-range mission. With this vision in mind, DARPA’s Falcon program has been working to vastly improve the U.S capability to promptly reach other points on the globe. A major goal of the program is to flight test key hypersonic cruise vehicle technologies in a realistic flight environment. Recently we conducted both low- and high-speed wind tunnel tests that validate the stability and control of the hypersonic technology vehicle across the flight regime. The program is also developing a vehicle test bed called Blackswift. By the end of 2012, our goal is for Blackswift to take off under its own turbojet power from a runway, accelerate to Mach 6 under combined turbojet/scramjet propulsion, and land on a runway.”

Dec 14/07: A $6 million increment of a $40.8 million modification to a previously awarded “other transaction for prototypes agreement,” as part of the Falcon HTV program’s Phase 3.

Phase 3 will include fabrication and assembly of 2 hypersonic technology vehicles to be flight-tested during 2009. Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (9%), King of Prussia, PA (79%), and Fort Worth, TX (12%), and is expected to be completed in December 2009. Funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source award (HR0011-04-9-0010/P00032).

April 10/07: A $10.2 million modification to a previously awarded other transaction for prototypes agreement to exercise an option for the Falcon Combined Cycle Engine Technology portion of the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle effort.

Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (20%); Philadelphia, PA (73%); and Fort Worth, TX (7%), and is expected to be complete in September 2008 (HR0011-04-9-0010, P00027).

Oct 25/06: A $33.2 million modification to a previously awarded other transaction for prototypes agreement, to continue development and demonstration of the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle portion of the Falcon program. Work will be performed in Palmdale (20%), Philadelphia, PA (73%), and Fort Worth, TX (7%), and is expected to be completed in September 2008. This agreement is incrementally funded, and this is a sole source award (HR0011-04-9-0010/P00022).

Aug 22/06: A $14.6 million modification exercises options for prototypes, as part of an agreement to continue development and demonstration of the hypersonic technology vehicle portion of the FALCON program. Work will be complete in September 2008. This Agreement is incrementally funded; no funds are being obligated at this time (HR0011-04-9-0010/P00021).

March 3/06: The University of Dayton Research Institute in Dayton, OH received a $9.9 million cost plus fixed fee contract to research heat protection for hypersonic vehicles. Solicitations began in December 2005, and negotiations were complete in February 2006. The Headquarters Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, issued the contract (FA8650-06-C-7615). As the DefenseLINK release notes:

“The Air Vehicles directorate has for several years conducted focused research on high temperature thermal protection systems that support high-speed air vehicles. The primary application of this technology is to un-powered hypersonic technology vehicles such as those being developed in the DARPA/AFSPC Falcon Program. However, this technology has many other applications to high-speed air, re-entry and space access vehicles. Ongoing research into these thermal protection systems is approximately half complete; this effort will carry the research through to completion over the next five years.”

June 27/05: An $8.9 million increment of a $19.9 million modification to a previously awarded other transaction for prototypes agreement. It exercises two options to continue development and demonstration of the hypersonic technology vehicle portion of the Falcon program. Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA and will be complete in September 2008. $2 million will expire at the end of FY 2005 (HR0011-04-9-0010).

March 16/05: A $10.6 million increment toward the DARPA/USAF FALCON program. The increment is part of a $55.2 million modification that exercises the option for Phase IIb of Task 2 (Hypersonic Technology Vehicle). Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (41.5%) and King of Prussia, PA (58.5%) and will be completed in December 2005. $3 million of these funds will expire at the end of FY 2005 (HR0011-04-9-0010, P00006).

Aug 6/04: A $7.6 million increment of an $8.4 million other transaction for prototypes agreement. It covers Phase IIa of Task 2 (hypersonic technology vehicle) of the DARPA/Air Force Falcon program. Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (41.5%) and King of Prussia, PA (58.5%) and will be complete in February 2005. $4.6 million of the funds will expire at the end of FY 2004. This was a limited competition among the 4 participants in Phase I of the Falcon HTV program (HR0011-04-9-0010).

Additional Readings & Sources

• DARPA – FALCON Program

• Globalsecurity.org – Military Spaceplane. See also the subsidiary page Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV)

• Globalsecurity.org – X-51 Scramjet Engine Demonstrator – WaveRider (SED-WR)

• ONERA – Ramjet, Scramjet & PDE: An Introduction

• DID – DARPA’s Hypersonic Vulcan Engine Meld

• DID Spotlight – Australia, USA Collaborating on Hypersonic Research (updated). Details the $54 million HIFiRE program, which is making significant contributions to hypersonics research.

• CDI (Sept 26/06) – The future is coming – will we notice the difference? Good companion to the ONERA piece; actually a long look at the details and challenges of ramjet and scramjet technologies, and current research, all written in an accessible style if you can filter for political content.

• Defense Tech (Oct 18/06) – Falcon Fills Blackbird’s Shoes

• Flight International (Aug 29/06) – Hyper activity: Hypersonics research in the USA. Includes details re: HTV, and many related projects that are advancing hypersonic technologies.

• Flight International (May 30/06) – US hypersonic aircraft projects face change as Congress urges joint technology office

• USAF News (Jan 27/06) – High-speed air vehicles designed for rapid global reach

• Talking Proud – The Falcon is coming, hypersonic attack from the US