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The need for an A/C deep down the sea | AMRDEC awards $2.5 billion contract |Piaggio’s UAV is taking off

Defense Industry Daily - Thu, 05/24/2018 - 06:00
Americas

  • The US Army is contracting Defense Systems and Solutions for technical support of its Aviation and Missile Research, Development, Engineering Center’s Prototype Integration Facility. The Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) is the Army’s focal point for providing research, development and engineering of technology and services for aviation and missile platforms, across their life cycle. It has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering, and to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the joint warfighter. As part of its operations, AMRDEC works on projects like the PATRIOT and THAAD missile defense systems, the UH-60V Systems Integration Lab and the Gray Eagle UAS. The hybrid deal is valued at $2.5 billion and includes a number of different orders which are expected to be completed by May 2027.

  • Lockheed Martin is being tapped to provide services for the US Army’s PATRIOT system. The contract modification is valued at $46 million and provides for post-deployment build-8.1 Phased Array Tracking to Intercept Of Target Advanced Capability-3 system ground and flight test support. PATRIOT PAC-3 is the current US standard for new-build Patriot Missiles. PAC-3 uses a “hit-to-kill” approach, instead of the PAC-2’s large fragmentation warhead, which allows it to pack more missiles per launcher. Its enhanced capabilities also allow it to be used for point defense against ballistic missiles, and its Config-3 ground systems also feature a range of improvements to the battery’s radar, communications, electronics, and software. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2022.

  • General Dynamic Electric Boat Corp. will develop air conditioning units to be deployed on the Navy’s new attack submarines. The $16.6 million contract modification sees for the procurement of prototype material and manufacturing for air conditioning units to be used on Block V Virginia class boats. The Navy currently has a 5-year, $17 billion program that sees for the production of 10 Virginia Class Block IV fast attack submarines. Block V submarines will be longer than its predecessors, so that they can accommodate four Virginia Payload Module tubes, which will each contain seven Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. The Navy is counting on the Virginia-class Block V submarines to be incorporated into a larger military missile strategy by increasing the service’s the ability to stealthily strike targets. The Virginia-class Block V submarines are to replace the Ohio-class SSGN submarines as they are decommissioning. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania and Groton, Connecticut. It is scheduled for completion by September 2021.

  • Oshkosh Defense LLC. is being awarded two contract modifications by the US Army. The two deals valued at $182 million and $52 million respectively, provide for recapitalized Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical trucks, palletized load system (PLS) trucks, PLS trailers, and container transfer enhancement upgrade in the family of heavy tactical vehicles. Oshkosh is the main producer of the US Army’s fleet of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. Oshkosh has provided the core of this capability for over 20 yeas now. Its Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and their 13-ton payloads are the mainstay of the FHTV fleet, serving in variants that include M977/985 Cargo, M978 Fueler, M982/983 Tractors, and M984 Wrecker/Tow; they also serve as heavy transporters for Patriot and THAAD air defense systems. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2019.

Middle East & Africa

  • President Trump has asked US Congress to review Foreign Military Sales to its Middle-Eastern allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The sales in question would provide for 120.000 precision guided munitions. In September 2017, the US and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had struck a deal worth about $7 billion. Saudi Arabia is an avid customer of Raytheon’s Paveway II and III kits. Paveways have been integrated with Tornado strike jets, F-15 Strike Eagles, and Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighters, all of which are operated by the RSAF. Saudi requests for GPS-guided weapons have been a sensitive political issue in the past. Considering Saudi Arabia’s poor track record of protecting civilians during its prolonged campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the sensitive nature of a weapons deal is even more exacerbated.

Europe

  • Lockheed Martin is contracting BAE Systems to support the maintenance and replacement of electronic warfare systems on the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. The $100 million deal is essential for critical aircraft readiness. The five-year contract from Lockheed Martin enables BAE Systems to manage the supply chain and establish infrastructure to ensure critical electronic warfare technology is available for readiness on the next generation fighter aircraft. BAE Systems manufacturers the electronic warfare suite for the Lockheed Martin F-35, called the AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda system. The system’s avionics and sensors provide a 360-degree view of the aircraft’s surroundings, detecting and geo-locating electronic emitters to give pilots the option to evade, engage, counter or jam threats.

  • Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace has announced that it will deliver its first P.1HH Hammerhead unmanned aircraft system this summer. The first units will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates, the company’s launch customer. The P.1HH Hammerhead is based on Piaggio’s sleek, Ferrari-approved P180 Avanti II business turboprop. Rapid deployment inside larger aircraft is engineered by adding a quickly detachable joint for the outer wings, and the high aspect ratio laminar wings have been stretched to a 50’10” wingspan. The Hammerhead was initially designed as a surveillance only UAV, but there is more than sufficient space for weapons if customers choose this option. The only key limitation to equipping the drone is its 500 kg payload maximum. Piaggio is already looking in to the development of its next UAS, designated P.2HH. The P.2HH will bring about increased capability by way of key design changes, namely a larger fuselage structure for increased internal volume and all-new, wider-spanning composite wings for increased endurance. Deliveries of the new system are scheduled for early-2020.

Asia-Pacific

  • Jane’s reports that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has launched its the third and final Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD). Named Sydney, the 146.7-meter-long vessel entered service on May 19th. The Hobart-class AWDs will replace RAN’s two Adelaide-class frigates. The AWDs are baes on Navantia’s F-100 Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate design, modified to Australia’s specific mission requirements. The Hobart class deploys the Aegis combat system incorporating the AN/SPY 1D(V) phased array radar. The vessels are equipped with the 48-cell MK 41 strike-length vertical launch system, that accommodates SM-2MR Block IIIA and SM-2MR Block IIIB long-range surface-to-air missiles, as well as quad-packed medium-range RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles. The Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers provide Australia with the capabilities to face modern naval threats by providing state of the art air defense capabilities.

Today’s Video

  • This is what a F-22 engine start-up sounds like!

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

Virginia Pivot: The USA’s Multi-Year Block IV Sub Deal

Defense Industry Daily - Thu, 05/24/2018 - 05:58

Virginia Block I-II
(click to view full)

A 5-year, $17 billion deal will build 10 Virginia Class Block IV fast attack submarines for the US Navy, bringing production to 2 boats per year at long last. The USA’s nuclear submarine fleet gives it unmatched flexibility, but it’s confronted with rising submarine numbers in China and around the Pacific, even as its Los Angeles Class submarines are beginning to exit the fleet. Aircraft carriers may dominate in peacetime, but as anti-ship missiles gain longer reach and greater lethality, and sensors improve, some analysts are coming to see submarines as the key to wartime naval power…

The Submarines and the Contract Block IV?

Block III bow
(click to view full)

The US Navy has taken delivery of 10 of the 7,800t Virginia Class submarines since 2004 (SSN 774 – 783), with 8 more currently under construction. They’re derived from the lessons of the SSN-21 Seawolf Class, an extremely advanced submarine whose expense per boat ended production at 3. The Virginias achieved excellent flexibility and a reputation for extreme quietness, but changes have continued since the first boat, as the US Navy tried to drive costs down.

Block III submarines (SSN 784 – 791) took a big step forward by replacing the 12 vertical launch tubes with a more flexible “6-shooter” approach, and swapping a water-backed, horseshoe-shaped LAB sonar array for the existing air-backed spherical array.

The Block IV is the next increment, and so far, few details have been released. PEO Submarines Rear Admiral David Johnson has said that the new design would reduce the submarine’s lifetime number of major maintenance visits from 4 to 3, raising full-length deployments during their lifetimes from 14 to 15.

Beyond that, a number of improvements have been discussed over the years, from stretched versions to a new composite sail with space for more special forces. Other clues to possible future changes come from the Pentagon’s FY 2013 DOT&E report, which seem to stress special warfare and arctic operations.

For special operations, the Navy modified the SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Auxiliary Life Support System (ALSS) to handle increased air pressure, allowing longer missions. Unfortunately, the Virginia Class needs to upgrade its air supply system before it can support those pressures. This is an important mission in the present environment, which makes this shortcoming a good Block IV improvement candidate if it can be done at reasonable cost.

In the Arctic, the Virginia Class needs better methods of removing carbon dioxide and hydrogen waste gas, insulation improvements to avoid “excessive condensation” that can interfere with electronics, and a hardened sail that can handle the same ice thicknesses as Improved Los Angeles Class and Seawolf Class SSNs. This isn’t a crisis yet. In the short term, it’s easy to just bias Virginia Class deployments toward locations like the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Oceans, leaving the Los Angeles and Seawolf boats to spend more time up north. As Virginia Class submarines become a larger and larger share of the US Navy’s submarine force, however, those kinds of gaps will begin to matter more. It’s be up to the US Navy to decide when that day comes.

The Contract

Co-production
(click to view full)

May 24/18: A/C for Block V General Dynamic Electric Boat Corp. will develop air conditioning units to be deployed on the Navy’s new attack submarines. The $16.6 million contract modification sees for the procurement of prototype material and manufacturing for air conditioning units to be used on Block V Virginia class boats. The Navy currently has a 5-year, $17 billion program that sees for the production of 10 Virginia Class Block IV fast attack submarines. Block V submarines will be longer than its predecessors, so that they can accommodate four Virginia Payload Module tubes, which will each contain seven Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. The Navy is counting on the Virginia-class Block V submarines to be incorporated into a larger military missile strategy by increasing the service’s the ability to stealthily strike targets. The Virginia-class Block V submarines are to replace the Ohio-class SSGN submarines as they are decommissioning. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania and Groton, Connecticut. It is scheduled for completion by September 2021.

May 15/18: New Sub on its way The Navy recently marked a milestone in the construction of the next Virginia-class attack submarine. Named after the father of the US nuclear propulsion program, the Hymen G. Rickover is the fourth boat in the 10-ship Block IV batch. It is primarily designed to reduce by one the number of major overhauls the ship needs in its lifetime, adding a deployment and reducing the total cost of ownership in the process. The Navy is procuring 10 Virginia Class Block IV submarines in a 5-year, $17 billion deal. They’re derived from the lessons of the SSN-21 Seawolf Class an extremely advanced submarine whose expense per boat ended production at 3. The Virginias achieved excellent flexibility and a reputation for extreme quietness, but changes have continued since the first boat, as the US Navy tried to drive costs down. Virginia Class submarines have a 33-year service life and are designed to perform a wide range of missions. They have several innovations that significantly improve their warfighting capabilities – with an emphasis on littoral (close-to-shore) operations.

March 14/18: Parts General Dynamics received Monday, March 12, a $696 million contract modification for additional material associated with fiscal 2019 Virginia-class submarines and fiscal 2020 Virginia-class submarines (SSN). Parts to be provided include steam and electric plant components; the main propulsion unit efforts and ship service turbine generator efforts; and miscellaneous hull, mechanical and electrical system components to support SSNs 802, 803, 804 and 805 ship construction commencing in fiscal 2019. Work will take place in Sunnyvale, California, as well as over a dozen other locations dotted throughout the continental US with a scheduled completion time scheduled for January 2019.

September 25/17: The US Navy has received into service its first new Block III Virginia-class attack submarine, the future USS Colorado (SSN 788). Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat, the vessel is expected to be commissioned into service next spring. Block III submarines feature a redesigned bow with enhanced payload capabilities, replacing 12 individual vertical launch tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. This, among other design changes, reduced the submarines’ acquisition cost while maintaining their outstanding warfighting capabilities.

July 20/17: Two Tomahawk vertically-launched cruise missiles have been successfully test-fired from the Virginia-class submarine USS North Dakota. The test aimed to verify the capabilities of the recently installed Block III Payload Tubes, designed to replace the original Virginia-classes 12 vertical launch missile tubes. Integration of the tubes are part of upgrades to the class’s missile launch systems—which includes the Virginia Payload Module launch system—and will triple the capacity for Tomahawks and allow greater flexibility for installing other vertical launch weapons systems. Improved Tomahawk Block IV missiles are expected to be deployed from 2019 and will be in the US Navy inventory beyond 2040.

March 23/15:
Navy officers are pushing for improved firepower for the Virginia-class submarines through the addition of four vertical launch tubes, representing a 76% increase in strike capability.

April 28/14: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received the $17.646 billion fixed-price incentive multi-year contract, which runs from FY 2014 – 2018 to order submarines 792 – 801. HII Newport News, VA will remain as the sub-contractor, and options for on-board repair parts in support of each submarine could bring the cumulative value to $17.828 billion. SSN 801, the last boat under this contract, is scheduled for delivery in 2023.

Work on this contract will be performed in Newport News, VA (24%); Groton, CT (18%); Quonset Point, RI (16%); Sunnyvale, CA (8%); Cheswick, PA (1.7%); Annapolis, MA (1.2%), and various sites throughout the United States (31.1%). Work is expected to be complete by August 2024.

This contract was procured sole source from Electric Boat Corp., pursuant to 10 United States Code 2304 (c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. US NAVSEA in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-12-C-2115). See also GD, “General Dynamics Awarded $18 Billion by U.S. Navy for 10 Virginia-Class Submarines” | Reuters, “General Dynamics, Huntington win huge U.S. Navy contract”.

Additional Readings

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

US Military Adds Heavy Trucks Under FHTV-III

Defense Industry Daily - Thu, 05/24/2018 - 05:56
Latest updates: Battle for Oshkosh: Will FHTV re-bid copy FMTV mistake?

THAAD on HEMTT
(click to view full)

In 2009, with its bridge buy of FMTV medium trucks in place, and initial awards for the potential JLTV Hummer replacement designs underway, the next order of business on the US Army’s agenda was a new Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles multi-year contract: FHTV-III. That multi-billion dollar FHTV-III contract has been awarded – not as a re-compete like FMTV, but as a single-source solicitation.

Oshkosh has provided the core of this capability for over 20 yeas now. Its Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and their 13-ton payloads are the mainstay of the FHTV fleet, serving in variants that include M977/985 Cargo, M978 Fueler, M982/983 Tractors, and M984 Wrecker/Tow; they also serve as heavy transporters for Patriot and THAAD air defense systems. M1074/75 Palletized Load Systems (PLS) and PLS trailers (PLST) are best known for their automated container/pallet loading arms, and for their Universal Power Interface Kit (UPIK) that can add modules for firefighting, construction, cranes, cement mixing, etc. The M1000/1070 Heavy Equipment Transporters (HET) are flatbeds that can transport a 70-ton Abrams tank – or anything less – in order to save wear and tear on expensive armored vehicles and on the roads. A specialized FHTV truck called the M1977 CBT can even lay bridges. This article details the FHTV-III trucks, and related developments and contracts:

FHTV: Upgrades, LTAS, and RECAP

HET w. M1 tank
(click to view full)

Most of the US Army’s HEMTT trucks are the A2 version; Oshkosh celebrated the delivery of the 20,000th HEMTT truck on Feb 14/08. The HEMTT A4 is the latest improvement to the line. HEMTT A4 will be produced in several models, including the the basic M997A4 cargo truck, M982A4 and M983A4 tractors for use as tractor-trailers, an M984A4 recovery truck fitted with cranes and winches, the M978A4 fuel servicing truck (tanker), and the M1120A4 load handling system variant, whose loading-assist arms & winch system is lighter than the M1074/75 PLS.

The hybrid drive HEMTT A3 variant is still in development. It claims to offer the same 13-ton cargo capacity and C-130 transportability, with a 20% improvement in fuel economy thanks to diesel-electric propulsion. Its configuration also gives the vehicle an on-board generator that can export 100 kW of military-grade power to power devices, weapons and sensors, or even a small remote installation. The A3’s electrical power potential was attractive to Raytheon’s Mobile Centurion prototype, for instance, which mounts a modified Phalanx radar-guided, electrically-driven 20mm gatling gun turret on the truck in order to shoot down incoming mortars, rockets, and artillery rounds.

The new HEMTT A4 production variants feature a 500 hp Caterpillar C-15 engine, an Allison 4500 SP/5-speed automatic transmission, rated for 600 hp, power-train upgrades to 1,750 pounds of torque, suspension upgrades, and major changes and additions to the cab. The HEMTT A4 shares common cab, parts, and support with the new palletized load system (PLS-A1) truck, reducing the need for separate spares. An improved climate control system that can handle tropical conditions is built into that cab, rather than requiring a retrofit as is the case for the HEMTT A2s.

A corresponding HEMTT A4 Light Equipment Transporter (LET) adds a special “hitch” for light trailers, etc.

For heavier hauling, the new HET A1 features numerous upgrades to the M1070 HET, including a 700-horsepower engine and an Allison 4800SP transmission, as well as better diagnostics, improved seats, higher capacity front suspension, standard air conditioning and an available 3rd door. HET trucks often use the M1000 heavy-duty trailer, as in the picture above.

HEMTT A4 w. LTAS-B
(click to view full)

Many of these upgrades actually revolve around the US Army’s Long Term Armor Strategy (LTAS). This LTAS-A armor can be augmented with a standardized, bolt-on LTAS-B kit for greater protection, and an integrated mounting allows fast installation of a protected gunner position (GPK) and machine-gun mount on the cab roof. HEMTT-A4 and their forthcoming companions the PLS-A1 and HET-A1 will come off the assembly line fitted with upgraded suspensions, the engine improvements noted above, different cab designs, and integral composite armor.

Oshkosh Defense’s director, Army Tactical Vehicle Programs Mike Ivy is quoted in AUSA’s April 2008 article as saying that Israeli firm Plasan Sasa played a large role on designing the FHTV LTAS-B armoring kit, but Finmeccanica’s DRS will be the main supplier for the program.

The Army’s new medium FMTV-A1P1 trucks that are currently produced by BAE Systems have their own LTAS-A and LTAS-B kits, extending the LTAS up-armoring approach across the US Army’s entire truck fleet.

LTAS-related changes aren’t the only updates under consideration. A J1939 databus gives the new HEMTT trucks the same kinds of capacity for self-diagnosis and automated troubleshooting that the FMTV medium truck fleet has used so effectively. C4ISR updates are also under consideration. Ivy:

“We are installing in one of our prototype trucks, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., a number of installation kits for the suite of C4ISR [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] systems that soldiers expect to see in vehicles today… That includes things like the Movement Tracking System, GPS, Battle Command System [DID: Blue force Tracker] the whole suite of systems that gives the soldier increased situational awareness. Although there is nothing inherent in the A4 for the Future Combat System-equipped brigade, it could easily be adapted to that, given the right installation kits.” The integration of the installation kits by Oshkosh will allow the Army to test a range of potential C4ISR capabilities for the new platforms.”

HET and IqAF MiG-25B:
no RECAP for you!
(click to view full)

Some FHTV-III orders are defined as RECAP orders, however, and won’t be new build machines.

RECAP is part of the US Army’s planned sustainment triad of RESET, RECAP, and Replace. Recapitalization is depot-level maintenance activity that completely rebuilds the vehicles from the frame up, inspecting all parts and replacing worn items, while adding selected enhancements to benefit from more modern parts and technologies.

Under the HEMTT overhaul/ remanufacturing contract, for instance, Oshkosh integrates LED marker lights, two-piece wheels, engine and transmission upgrades, and air ride seats. Ancillary equipment such as cargo bodies, cranes, and fifth wheels are also overhauled and reassembled for use on the remanufactured vehicles. The tires and all electronics, such as wire harnesses, gauges, etc. are replaced with new. The vehicles are reassembled on the same integrated vehicle assembly line as a new truck, with a new “zero hours/zero miles” bumper-to-bumper warranty. All at significant savings over the cost of building a new vehicle.

Contracts and Key Events

M978 during OIF
at “RRP Exxon”
(click to view full)

All contracts are issued to Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI, and managed by the U.S. Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI, unless the entry says otherwise.

May 24/18: New Orders Oshkosh Defense LLC. is being awarded two contract modifications by the US Army. The two deals valued at $182 million and $52 million respectively, provide for recapitalized Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical trucks, palletized load system (PLS) trucks, PLS trailers, and container transfer enhancement upgrade in the family of heavy tactical vehicles. Oshkosh is the main producer of the US Army’s fleet of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. Oshkosh has provided the core of this capability for over 20 yeas now. Its Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and their 13-ton payloads are the mainstay of the FHTV fleet, serving in variants that include M977/985 Cargo, M978 Fueler, M982/983 Tractors, and M984 Wrecker/Tow; they also serve as heavy transporters for Patriot and THAAD air defense systems. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2019.

June 19/15: Oshkosh Defense was awarded a $780.4 million contract to recapitalize over 1,300 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, 435 palletized load systems (PLS) and over 1,000 new palletized load system trailers, as well as other equipment. The contract will run to 2022, with the multi-year contract incrementally funded.

Jan 9/12: Icahn Proxy battle. The proxy skirmish with Icahn for control of Oshkosh turns into a war. Icahn’s SEC DFAN14A materials express concern about the coming FHTV re-bid, and identify Oshkosh’s FMTV win strategy as 1 of 2 devastating strategic mistakes (the 2006 JLG acquisition being the other) that have consumed management’s attention and driven down profitability, even as other business segments have floundered and need focus:

“We believe that the FMTV represents the single largest problem with the future of this company… We believe this unprofitable contract represents management’s unrealistic attitude and poor planning, as well as the board’s lack of oversight on a product that represents over half of segment revenue.”

The expressed fear is that Oshkosh’s strategy of wildly underbidding and creating an unprofitable contract will be followed again with FHTV, destroying the company’s military segment in the pursuit of market share over viable business. The company responds by raising serious questions about Icahn’s Board choices, ethics, and lack of an expressed strategy – a charge Icahn also makes about company management, as he advocates divesting JLG and exploring a merger with Navistar. Meanwhile, an analysis from the Lexington Institute sounds a cautionary note for the US Army:

“The company finds itself in this predicament because it made some ill-timed acquisitions at the top of the sub-prime real estate boom (most notable lift-maker JLG), and then sought to compensate for its error by bidding very aggressively on Army truck contracts… Oshkosh executives apparently thought they could win more favorable terms on the Army work by proposing design enhancements, but the customer insisted on sticking with the original contract terms… [A commercial suppliers strategy] ignores the loss of control implied for the Army customer. When you are by far the biggest source of demand for a company’s products, then you can pretty much dictate the terms of the relationship. When you are only one of many customers, you have less influence… The fact that submerging Oshkosh into the Navistar culture will give the Army fewer competitive options in the future is fine with [Icahn]; that’s how you get pricing power.”

See: Oshkosh 8-K | Oshkosh management’s SEC DEFA14A filing (see esp. pp. 38-44) | Icahn Group DFAN14A arguments | The Street | Reuters | Lexington Institute analysis.

Dec 30/11: An $11.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy HEMTT A4 Light Equipment Transporters. The LETs have a special “hitch” for light trailers, etc., and already serve in the HEMTT A2 configuration. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

July 20/11: Oshkosh Defense announces that they will recapitalize 160 FHTV trucks to HEMTT A4 and PLS A1 standards, under a “more than $50 million” order from the U.S. Army. Work is expected to begin in March 2012, and end in September 2012.

June 9/11: Oshkosh announces an award for “more than 730” FHTV trucks, including new and recapitalized HEMTT A4s and new HET A1s.

Production of the new HEMTT A4s and HETs on these awards is expected to begin in April 2012, and be complete in September 2012. Recapitalization of the HEMTT A4s began in May 2011, and is scheduled to be completed in September 2012. Together, these orders have a value of “more than $252 million.”

Jan 19/11: A $22.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for 301 HEMMT LRAS B-Kit Armor Sets. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

Dec 23/10: A $21.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for 368 M1076 PLS trailers. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

Dec 6/10: Oshkosh Defense and the U.S. Army commemorate the rollout of the 1st production FHTV HET A1 and Palletized Load System A1 heavy trucks. Oshkosh release.

Oct 13/10: A $389.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for 1,054 “new palletized load systems trucks M983A2 LETs,” under the FHTV-III contract. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received by TACOM in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

Subsequent queries to Oshkosh Defense reveal that this order is not for PLS or HET trucks, but represents the initial HET A1 contract they discussed on Oct 6/10. In other words, the Pentagon release is mistaken and misleading.

Oct 6/10: Oshkosh Defense announces a $440 million contract for over 1,000 HET A1 trucks – the 1st production order for the new HET A1 configuration. Production will take place in Oshkosh, WI, and is scheduled for completion in June 2012.

Oct 4/10: A $70 million requirements contract for 139 new HEMTT M984A4 wreckers, and 7 new HEMTT M983A4 LET trucks. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

June 30/10: Oshkosh announces 2 delivery orders from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) worth over $600 million. Order #1 is worth $584.9 million, and extends production for 1,726 new and recapitalized severe-duty HEMTT A4 vehicles (1,274 new, 452 refurbished), and 98 Palletized Load System (PLS) trailers; it was announced by the Pentagon on July 2/10. The second award was announced by the Pentagon on June 16/10, and is noted below.

HEMTT deliveries will begin in July 2010, and continue through September 2011. PLS A1 trailer production will start in June 2011, and continue through October 2011 (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

June 16/10: A $24.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for 439 palletized load system trailers. The M1074/75 PLS has a high-capacity automated loader for heavy gear Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12 (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

June 15/10: A $6.1 million firm-fixed-price contract adds 5 HEMTT M984 A4 wreckers without their winch, but with Carwell rustproofing. Another 15 HEMTT M983 A4 tractors would have both a winch and Carwell rustproofing. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/11 (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

June 11/10: A $34.8 million requirements delivery order contractor 90 RECAP “M11220 A4” and 50 RECAP M977 HEMTT A4 cargo trucks, with associated boxed engines and the ability to order missing parts as required. The first designation is actually a typo, and should refer to M1120 A4 HEMMT Load Handling System trucks, with an automated loader for heavy gear.

Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI with an estimated completion date of June 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZ-09-D-0024). See also Oshkosh Defense.

June 8/10: A $138.8 million firm-fixed-price contract, adding additional vehicle variants and accompanying US Federal Reserve excise tax for those vehicles to the FHTV-III contract. The tax is related to vehicle weight, and applies to trucks used in the USA; it’s 100% pass-through, where one branch of government pays another.

The vehicles in question are 481 HEMTT M983A4 light equipment transporters, and 1 HEMTT M1120A4 load handling system. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

May 7/10: A $6 million firm-fixed-price contract for 25 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) M983A2 light equipment transporter trucks. Note that these are the A2 version, not the A4 version; but they are on the FHTV-III contract (W56HZV-09-D-0024). Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12. See also Oshkosh Defense release.

May 3/10: Oshkosh Defense announces 2 contracts.

The first $8 million contract will supply more than 90 HEMTT A4 “B-kits” for additional armor, over and above factory-installed “A-kit” armor. The B-kits can be installed in-theater, and delivery is expected to be complete by September 2010.

A second award valued at more than $5 million will apply self-sealant coating to more than 300 new and recapitalized M978 A4 Tankers, continuing work that began in December 2009 and extending it to September 2010. The coating seals punctures from small-arms fire or other small, high-velocity objects – which sounds like a pretty good idea if you’re driving a truck loaded with diesel fuel.

April 20/10: Oshkosh Defense announces a US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) award worth more than $6 million to supply 600 axles for the HEMTT A4. Production is expected to begin in October 2010 and be complete by January 2011.

March 18/10: Oshkosh Defense announces an $11.4 million delivery order for “more than 40” next-generation HEMTT A4 heavy trucks to the United Arab Emirates. The HEMTT variants included in this contract are the Patriot tractor, wrecker and guided missile transporter.

The vehicles will be built and delivered July through September 2011, and the order was issued under the FHTV-III) contract to take advantage of volume pricing.

Feb 22/10: A $13 million delivery order to supply more than 35 HEMTT A4 trucks to the US Army Reserve. The variants include M984A4 wreckers and M1120A4 load handling systems. Production is expected to begin in September 2010 and be complete in June 2011.

Feb 11/10: Oshkosh Defense announces a $5 million delivery order for “more than 15” HEMTT A4 trucks. Vehicles include M985A4 guided missile transporters (GMT) that deliver missile 4-packs to THAAD launchers using an integrated crane, M977A4 electrical power plant (EPP) trucks , and large repair parts transporter (LRPT) cargo trucks. Production is expected to begin in July 2010 and be complete in September 2010.

Feb 5/10: DRS Sustainment Systems, Inc. in St. Louis, MO receives a $93.7 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for 275 HET M1000 trailers. Work is to be performed in St. Louis, MO, with an estimated completion date of May 30/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-D-0107 #0002). See also DRS release.

Feb 1/10: The US DoD releases its FY 2011 budget request. It includes a total of $741.9 million for the FHTV-III program, split $553.2 million in the regular defense budget, $188.7 in “OCO” supplemental funding buys, and $3.5 million for Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation. The request must pass through Congress and be approved before it translates into actual appropriations.

Jan 28/10: Oshkosh announces a $21+ million delivery order under FHTV-III, to produce more than 60 recapitalized M984 HEMTT A4 wrecker trucks, plus components and engines.

Production is expected to begin in January 2011, and be complete in April 2011. The heavily used vehicles are returned to Oshkosh, stripped to their frame rails, completely rebuilt to like-new condition, and upgraded to the new A4 configuration.

Jan 21/10: Oshkosh announces 4 awards from the US Defense Logistics Agency, valued at $89 million, for its M-ATV MRAPs and FHTV trucks.

When asked, Oshkosh representatives break out the contracts, explaining that the contract for 2,400 HEMTT A2 and A4 axle assemblies is worth over $25 million, and the contract for “more than” 430 HET engines is worth over $13 million. Work under these orders is expected to be complete by December 2010.

Jan 6/09: Oshkosh Defense and Boeing announce that the HEMTT A4 has been selected as the platform for the U.S. Army’s High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program. Boeing officials received the HEMTT A4 in December 2009 , and integration of the HEL TD system will begin in spring 2010 at Boeing’s Huntsville, AL facility.

With its critical design review complete, Boeing will now attempt to build a rugged beam control system on the widely used truck. The beam control system includes mirrors, high-speed processors and high-speed optical sensors for the electrically powered, solid state laser. The system must acquire, track, and select an aimpoint while the system receives the laser beam from the laser device, them reshape and align the beam, and focus it on the target.

Boeing completed a vehicle trade study for HEL TD, and identified the HEMTT A4 as the best solution for this demonstrator phase. Boeing representatives added that the hybrid drive HEMTT A3 is a viable candidate for the future objective system if it’s fielded, and that its extra onboard power capacity would be seen as a plus. Boeing release | Oshkosh release.

Dec 29/09: A $258.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for 728 new M1075 Palletized Load System (PLS) trucks (W56HZV-09-D-0024). Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12.

Dec 29/09: A $31.9 million firm-fixed-price requirements contract to change another 728 M1075 PLS trucks from the A0 configuration to the A1 configuration. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12.

As noted above, the PLS A1 is the most current design, with a Long Term Armor Strategy (LTAS)-compliant cab, a 600-hp engine, the Oshkosh-patented TAK-4® independent front suspension, and a demountable flatrack cargo bed with 16.5-ton payload capacity. See also Oshkosh release.

Dec 29/09: Oshkosh received a $31.75 million firm-fixed-price requirements contract for the purchase of 110 new M977 HEMTT A4 trucks under the existing FHTV-III contract (W56HZV-09-D-0024). Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12.

Dec 18/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $56 million delivery order from US Army TACOM LCMC, to supply the Army with the first set of 207 M983 HEMTT A4 Light Equipment Transporters (LET). The LETs have a special “hitch” for trailers, etc., and already serve in the HEMTT A2 configuration. These are the first A4 configuration vehicles for this model.

Unusually, the Oshkosh announcement precedes the Pentagon’s Dec 29/09 announcement of this $56.4 million firm-fixed-price requirements contract. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, WI, with an estimated contract completion date of Sept 30/12. Production and delivery is expected to be complete in September 2010. The award brings the U.S. Army’s total Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) contract to more than $3.2 billion, under the FHTV-III contract (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

Dec 16/09: Oshkosh Defense announces an order valued at more than $63 million from the U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, to supply more than 1,150 Palletized Load System (PLS) trailers. The trailers feature a removable cargo bed (flatrack) with a 16.5-ton payload capacity. Production is expected to be complete in June 2011.

Oct 21/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $35 million contract modification from for 102 HEMTT A4 heavy trucks, on behalf of the US Army’s National Guard units. The vehicles will include HEMTT M985A4 cargo truck and M1120A4 load handling system models, and will be delivered by March 2010.

Sept 29/09: Oshkosh announces an $801 million delivery order from the U.S. Army TACOM LCMC for more than 1,190 new next-generation HEMTT A4s, more than 180 new HEMTT A2s and more than 80 Palletized Load System Trailers for the U.S. Army. Oshkosh also will deliver more than 1,020 recapitalized HEMTT A4s. Total: over 2,470 new and recapitalized HEMTT and PLST trucks. Work is expected to be complete by May 2011.

Sept 8/09: Oshkosh Defense received a delivery order worth more than $23 million from TACOM LCMC for 45 HEMTT M984 A4s wreckers. Production will begin in March 2010 and is expected to be completed by May 2010.

The Oshkosh HEMTT M984 A4 wrecker is a heavy duty tow truck equipped with a crane and winches to recover disabled vehicles. The wrecker can tow disabled vehicles as well as perform vehicle maintenance in severe off-road conditions.

July 7/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $9.4 million contract modification from TACOM Life Cycle Management Command to begin durability and performance testing of the new Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) A1 model. Testing will take place at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ.

Once testing is completed, full-rate production of the Oshkosh HET A1 is scheduled for early 2010.

June 18/09: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI received a maximum $31.1 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for HEMTT engines, on behalf of the US Army.

There was originally one proposal solicited with one response, and contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year on Sept 30/09. The contract itself will run until June 19/12, managed by the Defense Logistics Agency Warren (DSCC-ZG) in Warren, MI (SPRDL1-09-D-0025).

June 15/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $38+ million delivery order for more than 100 new HEMTT M978A4 fuel tanker and M985A4 cargo trucks, on behalf of the U.S. Army National Guard. The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) will be managing this order.

May 21/09: DRS Sustainment Systems received a $103.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 274 M1000 heavy equipment transporter semitrailers. DRS Sustainment will perform the work at its facility in Saint Louis, MO, with an estimated completion date of May 30/12. One bid was solicited and received by TACOM-Warren, AMSCC-TAC-ATBC, in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0107).

The M1000 semitrailer [PDF] carries armored vehicles and other heavy equipment loads weighing up to 80 tons. The M1000 is able to load, unload, and transport the M1 Abrams tank and other heavy equipment on-road, off-road and cross country, in all weather conditions.

May 21/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a delivery order with the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC) for more HEMTT trucks and trailers. The delivery order, valued at more than $28 million, includes M1120A4 Load Handling System (LHS) and M978A4 fuel tanker trucks.

The US Army Reserve will receive more than 70 HEMTT A4s, and more than 30 Palletized Load System Trailers (PLST) with an automated loading arm. The US Marine Corps will receive 30 PLSTs, which will be integrated with their Oshkosh LVSR heavy trucks.

May 20/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $40 million delivery order for “more than 130” HEMTT A4 trucks. Most will be new-build, but 3 vehicles will be RECAP.

April 20/09: A maximum $8.3 million firm-fixed-price, 5-year contract, covering transfer cases with containers for the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT).

This was originally a sole source competition, and the date of performance completion is April 20/14. TheDefense Logistics Agency in Warren, MI manages this contract (SPRDL1-09-D-0007).

Feb 25/09: Oshkosh Defense announces a $477 million delivery order calls for more than 1,350 HEMTT A4s (750 new, 600 RECAP) and more than 1,000 of the Palletized Load System Trailers (PLST) that help with loading and unloading.

This latest order pushes the total value of the FHTV-III contract so far to more than $2.1 billion.

Feb 25/09: Oshkosh Defense unveils its new HET A1 variant at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Dec 31/08: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI received a maximum $1.121 billion firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, sole source contract for heavy and medium tactical truck support, if all 9 option years in this 10-year contract are exercised. Under the contract, Oshkosh Defense will supply the DLA with replacement parts to support Oshkosh’s medium and heavy tactical vehicles, which include the US Marines’ Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) truck, and the Army’s FHTV Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and Palletized Load Systems (PLS). Oshkosh also supplies replacement parts for other manufacturers’ medium and heavy-payload vehicles.

The first contract order is valued at $17.5 million and is for approximately 2,300 replacement part numbers to support Oshkosh’s tactical vehicles.

This follows the previous 8 year contract, which was structured as a one-year contract with 7 option years, each of which were exercised, that ended in December 2008. There were originally 2 proposals solicited, but only one response. The contract’s base year will end on Dec 31/09, but options could continue this agreement to 2018. The US Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) in Columbus, OH (SPM7LX-09-D-9008) manages these contracts. See also: Oshkosh Defense release.

Dec 22/08: Oshkosh Defense announces a $5 million contract modification to RECAP approximately 30 M1977 Common Bridge Transporters (CBT). Under the modification, Oshkosh Defense will tear down the 10-year-old HEMTT A0-derived CBTs, and upgrade them to HEMTT A2 Load Handling System (LHS) equivalents with computer-controlled engines and transmission systems, as well as a lighter load handling system.

HEMTT A3 with
ProPulse(R) and PLS
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Dec 15/08: Oshkosh Defense announces a $9.4 million contract modification with the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) for continuing research and development of their diesel-electric drive HEMTT A3 variant.

The contract modification will fund additional improvements to the current HEMTT A3 technology demonstrator, by upgrading the vehicle’s engine horsepower and incorporating the U.S. Army’s LTAS armoring strategy. Under this contract, the firm will end up delivering 2 new HEMTT A3 vehicles. One will be provided to the U.S. Army for a 20,000-mile durability test at its Aberdeen Test Center. The 2nd vehicle will be benchmarked for performance against the current HEMTT A2/A4 production vehicles.

Oshkosh Defense President John Stoddart described this contract as: “…among the first steps that could establish the HEMTT A3 as the Army’s next-generation support vehicle.” Time will tell.

Nov 26/08: Oshkosh Defense announces a $51 million contract with the for more than 660 LTAS-B up-armoring kits for HEMTT A4 trucks. The $51 million contract includes a recent $15 million armor kit contract modification.

The LTAS-A kit is armoring installed at the factory, and delivered with the trucks. The LTAS-B kit is the add-on armor which the HEMTT A4 has been designed from the outset to carry, if necessary. It can be installed by a 2-soldier crew with no special tools, other than the required lifting devices to get the pieces into position.

Since Oshkosh’s Palletized Load System (PLS) A1 trucks will share a common cab with the HEMTT A4 , they will also be able to use these armor kits when they are fielded.

Nov 4/08: Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI received the new FHTV-III multi-year contract, which will add more than 6,000 upgraded vehicles to the U.S. Army’s FHTV fleet.

The initial delivery order is a $1.267 billion requirements contract firm-fixed-price contract to buy 2,285 new HEMTT-A4 trucks, 768 HEMTT RECAP trucks, and to upgrade a lower model truck. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI with deliveries expected to begin in November 2008 and an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12. One bid was solicited and one bid was received by TACOM in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

A series of orders that were issued in February and March 2008 raised initial HEMTT A4 orders to 1,745 new and 292 RECAP trucks, with production slated to begin in July 2008. The initial delivery order under FHTV-III will more than double this total. See also Oshkosh release | Defense Update

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F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program

Defense Industry Daily - Thu, 05/24/2018 - 05:54

 

F-35B: off probation
(click to view full)

The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners,” and Japan as the 1st export customer.

The big question for Lockheed Martin is whether, and when, many of these partner countries will begin placing purchase orders. This updated article has expanded to feature more detail regarding the F-35 program, including contracts, sub-contracts, and notable events and reports during 2012-2013.

The F-35 Lightning II Fighter Family

F-35 Family Variants: Door A, B, or C?

Figure 1: F-35 Variants.

The above table illustrates the key differences between the baseline F-35A, the Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) capable F-35B, and the catapult-launched F-35C naval variant. Additional explanations follow.

The F-35A CTOL

F-35A, doors open
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The F-35A is sometimes called the CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) version. It’s the USAF’s version, and is expected to make up most of the plane’s export orders. It’s also expected to be the least expensive F-35, in part because it will have the largest production run. The USAF currently estimates its average flyaway cost after 2017 at $108.3 million, but early production models ordered in FY 2012 will cost over $150 million.

Its main difference from other versions is its wider 9g maneuverability limits, though its air-air combat flight benchmarks are only on par with the F-16. Canard equipped “4+ generation” adversaries like the Eurofighter, and thrust-vectored fighters like the F-22A, MiG-35, SU-35, etc., will still enjoy certain kinetic advantages. The F-35 hopes to mitigate them using its improved stealth to shrink detection ranges, the lack of drag from weapons in its internal bays, and its current electronic superiority.

The second major physical difference between the F-35A and the rest of the Lightning family is its internal 25mm cannon, instead of using a weapons station for a semi-stealthy gun pod option. The USAF removed guns from some of its planes back in the 1960s, and didn’t enjoy the resulting experiences in Vietnam. It has kept guns on all of its fighters ever since, including the stealthy F-22 and F-35. Many allies wanted the 27mm Mauser cannon installed instead, as it’s widely believed to offer the world’s best combination of firing rate and hitting power. In the end, however, ammunition standardization benefits involving 25mm land and sea platforms trumped pure performance.

The 3rd difference is that the F-35A uses a dorsal refueling receptacle that is refueled using an aerial tanker boom, instead of the probe-and-drogue method favored by the US Navy and many American allies.

The F-35A was the first variant to fly, in 2009. Unfortunately, it looks like it won’t reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) until 2017 or 2018.

 

The F-35B STOVL (Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing)

F-35B features
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The F-35B is expected to be the most expensive Lightning II fighter variant. According to US Navy documents, even planes bought after 2017 are expected to have an average flyaway cost of $135 million each. It will serve the US Marines, Royal Navy, other navies with ski-ramp equipped LHDs or small carriers, and militaries looking for an “expeditionary airplane” that can take off in short distances and land vertically. To accomplish this, the F-35B has a large fan behind the cockpit, and nozzles that go out to the wing undersides. Unlike the F-35A, it will use a retractable mid-air refueling probe, which is standard for the US Navy and for many American allies.

Those capabilities gives the plane a unique niche, but a unique niche also means unique challenges, and the responses to those challenges have changed the aircraft. In 2005, the JSF program took a 1-year delay because the design was deemed overweight by about 3,000 pounds. The program decided to reduce weight rather than run the engine hotter, because the latter choice would have sharply reduced the durability of engine components and driven life cycle costs higher. Weight cutting became a focus of various engineering teams, with especial focus on the F-35B because the weight was most critical to that design. Those efforts pushed the F-35B’s design, and changed its airframe. The F-35B gives up some range, some bomb load (it cannot carry 2,000 pound weapons internally, and the shape of its bay may make some weapons a challenge to carry), some structural strength (7g maneuvers design maximum), and the 25mm internal gun.

The F-35B completed its Critical Design Review in October 2006, and the 2nd production F-35 was a STOVL variant. Per the revised Sept 16/10 program plan, the USMC’s VMA-332 in Yuma, AZ must have 10 F-35Bs equipped with Block IIB software, with 6 aircraft capable of austere and/or ship-based operations, and all aircraft meeting the 7g and 50-degree angle of attack specifications, in order to declare Initial Operational Capability.

Flight testing began in 2009, and IOC was expected by December 2012, but flight testing fell way behind thanks to a series of technical delays. By 2013, the first operational planes were fielded to the USMC at Yuma, AZ. The USMC is currently aiming for a 2015 IOC, but it would involve just Block 2B software loads that will limit the F-35B’s combat capability. Even then, the Pentagon’s 2012 DOT&E report isn’t grounds for software schedule optimism. Planes with full Block 3 initial combat capability are unlikely to be fielded before 2018.

 

The F-35C carrier-based fighter

USN F-35C
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The F-35C is instantly recognizable. It features 30% more wing area than other designs, with larger tails and control surfaces, plus wingtip ailerons. These changes provide the precise slow-speed handling required for carrier approaches, and extend range a bit. The F-35C’s internal structure is strengthened to withstand the punishment dished out by the catapult launches and controlled crashes of carrier launch and recovery, an arrester hook is added to the airframe, and the fighter gets a retractable refueling probe. According to US Navy documents, average flyaway costs for F-35Cs bought after 2017 will be $125.9 million each.

The US Navy gave up the internal gun, and the aircraft will be restricted to 7.5g maneuvers. That’s only slightly lower than the existing F/A-18E Super Hornet’s 7.6g, but significantly lower than the 9g limit for Dassault’s carrier-capable Rafale-M.

The F-35C is expected to be the US Navy’s high-end fighter, as well as its high-end strike aircraft. This means that any performance or survivability issues will have a disproportionate effect on the US Navy’s future ability to project power around the world.

The F-35C will be the last variant designed; it passed its Critical Design Review in June 2007, and the first production version was scheduled to fly in January 2009. The F-35C’s rollout did not take place until July 2009, however, and first flight didn’t take place until June 2010. Initial Operational Capability was scheduled for 2014, but looks set to slip to 2019.

F-35s: Key Features

F-35 Variants
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Stealth. The F-35 is designed as an ‘affordable stealth’ counterpart to the F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter, one that can share “first day of the war” duties against defended targets but can’t perform air-air or air-ground missions to the same standard. The F-35 has a larger single engine instead of the Raptor’s twin thrust-vectoring F119s, removing both supercruise (sustained flight above Mach 1) and super-maneuverability options. The F-22A is also a much stealthier aircraft from all angles, and independent analysis & modeling has concluded that the F-35’s stealth will be weaker from the sides and the rear. Even so, the F-35 is an improvement over existing ‘teen series’ fighters and even beats Generation 4+ options like the Eurofighter, Rafale, and JAS-39 Gripen.

Engine. The F-35 was set to offer interchangeable engine options. That has been an important feature for global F-16 and F-15 customers, improving both costs and performance, and providing added readiness insurance for dual-engine fleets. Pratt & Whitney’s lobbying eventually forced GE & Rolls-Royce’s F136 out of the F-35 program, and made their F135-PW-100 engine the only choice for global F-35 fleets. A special F-135-PW-600 version with Rolls Royce’s LiftFan add-on, and a nozzle that can rotate to point down, will power the vertical-landing F-35B.

The US military had better hope that an engine design problem never grounds all of their fighters. While they’re at it, they should hope that maintenance contracts somehow remain reasonable in the absence of any competitive alternative.

F-35’s APG-81
AESA Radar
click to play video

Sensors. The Lightning II will equipped to levels that would once have defined a high-end reconnaissance aircraft. Its advanced APG-81 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar is smaller and less powerful than the F-22A’s APG-77v1; but still offers the strong AESA advantages of simultaneous air-air and air-ground capabilities, major maintenance & availability improvements, and secure, high-bandwidth communications benefits. The F-35 also shares a “sensor fusion” design advance with the F-22, based on sensors of various types embedded all around the airframe. This sensor set is even more extensive than the F-22’s. Both planes will be able to perform as reconnaissance aircraft, though the F-35 will have superior infrared and ground-looking sensors. Both aircraft will also have the potential to act as electronic warfare aircraft.

These sensors are connected to a lot of computing power, in order to create single-picture view that lets the pilot see everything on one big 20″ LCD screen and just fly the plane, rather than pushing buttons to switch from one view to another and trying to figure it all out. As part of that sensor fusion, the F-35 will be the first plane is several decades to fly without a heads-up display. Instead, pilots will wear Elbit/Rockwell’s JHMDS helmet or BAE’s HMSS, and have all of that information projected wherever they look.

Maintenance. The F-35 has a large number of design features that aim to simplify maintenance and keep life cycle costs down. Since operations and maintenance are usually about 65% or more of a fighter’s lifetime cost, this is one the most important and overlooked aspects of fighter selection.

Stealth aircraft have always had much higher maintenance costs, but the F-35’s designers hope that new measures can reverse that trend. Some of the plane’s stealth coatings are being baked into composite airplane parts, for instance, in the hope that customers will need fewer “Martians” (Materials Application and Repair Specialists) around to apply stealth tapes and putties before each mission. Technical innovations like self-diagnosing aircraft wiring aim to eliminate one of the toughest problems for any mechanic, and the fleet-wide ALIS information and diagnostic system is designed to shift the fleet from scheduled maintenance to maintenance only as needed.

Despite these measure, March 2012 operations and maintenance projections have the F-35 at 142% O&M cost, relative to any F-16s they’ll replace. It remains to be seen if the advantages of F-35 innovations manage to fulfill their promise, or if projections that they’ll be outweighed in the end by increased internal complexity, and by the proliferation of fault-prone electronics, come true. That has certainly been the general trend over the last 50 years of fighter development, with a very few notable exceptions like the F-16, A-10, and JAS-39.

Pimp My Ride: Weapons & Accessories

Initial hopes – changed
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The F-35’s internal weapon bay gives it the ability to carry larger bombs and missiles, but the price is that F-35s can carry just 2 internal air-to-air weapons, instead of a maximum of 8 on the F-22A. As the F-35 variant table (Fig. 1) shows, development, testing, and software issues have also combined to give initial F-35 fleets a very narrow set of weapons. The initial operational set that comes with Block III software has about the same weapon options as the single-role F-22A.

That’s expected to change, eventually. A large order base, and a wide international client base, will provide considerable incentive for manufacturers to qualify their weapons for the F-35. MBDA has already pledged a compatible version of its long-range Meteor air-air missile, for instance, and Britain wants to add MBDA’s SPEAR medium-range strike missile as soon as possible. Other manufacturers can be expected to follow. Norway is already developing its stealthy Joint Strike Missile with the F-35 as its explicit target, including the ability to fit the missile into the plane’s internal bays. Denmark’s Terma has turned their 25mm gun pod into a multi-mission pod that can accept a variety of sensors and equipment. Lockheed Martin’s Israeli customer is already incorporating its own electronic counter-measures systems in their F-35i, and they are certain to push for a range of Israeli weapons, including the Python-5 SRAAM(Short Range Air-to-Air Missile) and various other smart bombs and missiles.

The bottlenecks will be two-fold.

The 1st bottleneck is American insistence on retaining all source codes, and having Lockheed Martin perform all modifications at their reprogramming facility. Unless Lockheed produces a full development environment workaround, dealing with the growing queue of requests can easily become a problem. The firm’s new Universal Armament Interface could offer the foundation for a way forward, if they decide to take it. The other question involves conflict-of-interest issues, in which Lockheed Martin or the US government decides to use the bottleneck as a way of shutting competitors out of a potential export market. These kinds of concerns have already led to pushback in Australia, Britain, and Israel.

The 2nd bottleneck involves testing resources. The F-35 testing program has fallen significantly behind schedule, and IOCs for some versions have already slipped by 5-6 years. Test time required to qualify new equipment is going to be a very secondary priority until 2018-2019, and even the few customers buying their own Initial Operational Testing & Evaluation (IOT&E) fighters are going to need them for their assigned training roles.

The F-35 Family: Controversies and Competitions

See me, hear me?
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The program’s biggest controversies revolve around 3 issues: effectiveness, affordability, and control. A 4th issue, noise, isn’t significant yet, but could become so.

Effectiveness: When the F-35 Lightning II is compared with the larger and more expensive F-22A, the Raptor is a much stealthier aircraft, and its stealth is more uniform. The F-35’s design is optimized for “low-observable” stealth when viewed from the front, with less stealth to radars looking at it from the sides, and less still when targeted from the rear. It also lacks the Raptor’s supercruise (sustained flight above Mach 1) and super-maneuverability thrust-vectoring options, which work with stealth to help the F-22 engage and disengage from combat at will. Lockheed Martin claims that the F-35 design is optimized for trans-sonic acceleration, but testing results question those claims, and the Raptor can cruise without afterburners at the F-35’s theoretical maximum speed. That’s important, because fuel usage skyrockets with afterburners on, limiting total supersonic time for fighters like the F-35.

These relative drawbacks have led to questions about the F-35’s continued suitability against the most modern current air defense threats, and against the evolved threats it can expect to face over a service lifetime that’s expected to stretch until 2050 at least.

F-35 EO DAS
click for video

Where the F-35 does come out ahead is internal carriage space. F-35A/C variants will offer larger capacity internal bays for weapons, allowing a wider selection of stealth-preserving internal ordnance. The price is that slight bulges were added to the production F-35’s underside profile in order to accommodate that space, making them less stealthy from the side than the original X-35 designs.

Sensors are another F-35 advantage. All F-35s also boast more embedded sensors than the F-22, with an especial advantage in infrared and ground-looking sensors. Though this feature has yet to be tested in combat, the F-35’s all-aspect Distributed Aperture Sensors (DAS) reportedly allow 360-degree targeting of aircraft around the F-35. If that works, the inertial guidance and datalink features of modern infrared missiles like the AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-132 ASRAAM can already take full advantage of it.

Which customers can live with these relative disadvantages as an acceptable trade-off, and which will be badly hurt by them? Will the F-35 be a fighter that’s unable to handle high-end scenarios, while also being far too expensive to field and operate in low-end scenarios? Even if that’s true, could countries who want one type of multi-role fighter still be best served by the F-35, as opposed to other options? That will depend, in part, on…

F-35 commonality
(click to view full)

Affordability: The F-35 family was designed to be much more affordable than the F-22, but a number of factors are narrowing that gap.

One is cost growth in the program. This has been documented by the GAO, and statements and reports from the US DoD are beginning to follow the same kind of “rising spiral of admissions” pattern seen in past programs.

The 2nd is loss of parts commonality between the 3 models, which the GAO has cited as falling below the level required to produce significant savings. In March 2013, the JSF PEO placed the figure at just 25-30%.

A 3rd is production policy. The US GAO in particular believes that the program’s policy of beginning production several years before testing is complete, only adds to the risks of future price hikes and operating cost shocks. It also forces a lot of expensive rewaork to jets that are bought before problems are found. Part of the rationale for accepting concurrency risks and costs involves…

The 4th factor: lateness. The program as a whole is about 5-7 years behind its ideal point, relative to the replacement cycle for fighters around the globe. F-35 program customers thus find themselves in the unenviable position of having to commit to a fighter that hasn’t completed testing, and doesn’t have reliable future purchase or operating costs, while buying the expensive way from early production batches. The program office hopes to drop the flyaway price of an F-35A to $90 million by 2020, but current Pentagon budget documents list an average production cost of $105-120 million per F-35A-C, from 2017 to the end of the program.

Control: This has been a big issue in the past for customers like Britain and Australia, and has now become an issue for Israel as well. Without control over software source codes, integration of new weapons and algorithms can be controlled by the whims and interests of American politicians and defense contractors. On the other hand, America sees wider access to those fundamental building blocks as a security risk. Arrangements with Britain and Australia appear to have finessed this debate, without removing it.

Noise: The F135 engine’s size and power are unprecedented in a fighter, but that has a corollary. Environmental impact studies in Florida showed that the F-35A is approximately twice as noisy as the larger, twin-engine F-15 fighter, and over 3.5 times as noisy as the F-16s they’re scheduled to replace. That has led to noise complaints from local communities in the USA and abroad, and seems likely to create a broad swathe of local political issues as customers deploy them. In some countries, it may add costs, as governments are forced to compensate or even to buy out nearby homeowners affected by the noise.

Each customer must weigh the issues above against its own defense and industrial needs, and come to a decision. In-depth, updated DID articles that address some of these issues in more detail include:

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: The Program

1st British F-35B
(click to view full)

Is the F-35 an industrial program for a fighter, or a fighter with an industrial program? Beyond the initial competition between Lockheed Martin’s X-35 and Boeing’s X-32, the Joint Strike Fighter was envisioned from the outset as a program that would make sense using either interpretation. A wide set of consortium partners and national government investments would form an interlocking set of commitments, drawing on a wide range of global industrial expertise and making the program very difficult for any one party to back out of or cancel.

The JSF program is ‘tiered,’ with 4 possible levels of participation based on admission levels and funding commitments for the System Design & Development (SDD) phase. All Tier 1-3 nations have also signed MoUs for the Production Phase. This is not a commitment to buy, just the phase in which production arrangements are hammered out – subject to revision, of course, if that country decides not to buy F-35s. Consortium partners and customers to date include:

  • Tier 1 Partners: The USA (majority commitment), Britain
  • Tier 2 Partners: Italy; The Netherlands
  • Tier 3 Partners: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Turkey
  • Security Cooperative Participants status: Israel (20-75), Singapore.
  • Exports: Japan (42).

Italy has expressed an interest in a Lockheed-Martin Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) plant for European orders, and Fellow Tier 1 partner Britain is examining a FACO of its own for BAE. The Netherlands, meanwhile, wants to be a center for engine sustainment and heavy maintenance. The Dutch have signed an agreement with Italy to help each country get what it wants; Norway was added to that agreement in June 2007.

Lightning II official rollout
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The first test aircraft, an F-35A model AA-1, had its formal rollout on July 7/06. The F-35’s forced redesign for weight reasons has led to F-35 AA-1 being a unique airframe used to validate design, manufacturing, assembly and test processes. A total of 23 test aircraft will be built for various purposes (15 flight, 7 non-flight, 1 radar signature), but the exact order of build for the variants involved has shifted several times.

The testing phase was originally supposed to end in 2013, but is now officially scheduled to continue until 2018. Funding for the first sets of production-model aircraft is approved, parts fabrication began in June 2007, and component assembly began later in 2007. F-35As have already been delivered to the USAF – a sore point with the US Congress’ Government Accountability Office, which believes this dual-track approach overlapping testing with production increases project risks. Production will continue to ramp up year-to-year, and by the time the F-35 is expected to reach Full-Rate Production, the program intends to build 240 F-35s per year.

To do that, they’ll need orders. So far, only the USA, Israel, and Japan have placed orders for production F-35s that go beyond training & test aircraft.

Delays in fielding the initial set of test aircraft, fewer than expected flights, and questions about that ambitious ramp up schedule have reportedly led the Pentagon to re-examine these schedules. Development is now expected to last into FY 2019 or later.

Industrial Innovation

F-35B JSF Cutaway
by John Batchelor
(click to view full)

At present, F-35 production is led by Lockheed Martin, with BAE and Northrop-Grumman playing major supporting roles, and many subcontractors below that.

BAE Systems is deriving substantial benefits from Britain’s Tier 1 partner status, and Northrop Grumman is responsible for the F-35’s important ‘center barrel’ section, where the wings attach to the fuselage, and also provides many of the aircraft’s key sensors.

F-35 main production and final assembly is currently slated to take place in Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, TX plant. To cut F-35 production cycle time, the team produces major sections of the aircraft at different feeder plants, and “mates” the assemblies at Fort Worth. This is normal in the auto industry, but it’s a departure from the usual fighter-building process.

AF-1 center barrel
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The precise tolerances required for a stealthy fighter, however, are much more exacting than even high-end autos. In order to avoid subtly mismatched seams, which become radar reflection points, parts need to fit together so precisely that some machines are compensating for the phases of the moon!

Even the best machines won’t do any good if the various components aren’t already an excellent fit. To cope, Manufacturing Business Technology reports that the JSF manufacturing team has turned to an integrated back-end IT system. It begins with 3D engineering models (Dassault Systemes CATIA CAD), and extends into production management, where the company has rolled out a manufacturing execution system to handle electronic work instructions, workflow and process modeling, serialized parts data, quality records tracking, etc. (Visiprise).

This combination has enabled greater use of techniques like automated drilling, even as other software (Siemens PLM, TeamCenter) enables product record management and electronic collaboration around designs. On the back-end, the team uses a custom system it calls Production & Inventory Optimization System (PIOS) for manufacturing resources planning and supply chain management; it began using ERP software (SAP) in January 2008 for financials, and may eventually use it to handle supply-chain functions too.

This ‘digital thread’ has been very successful for the team, with part fits showing incredible precision, and successful coordination of plants around the end schedule for key events like the Dec 18/07 F-35B rollout. The system’s ultimate goal is to cut a plane’s production cycle time from the usual 27-30 months to about 12 months, and shrink a 15-20 day cycle to just 6-8 days from order creation to printed & matched manufacturing orders.

Testing, Testing

F-35C weapon carriage
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The F-35’s development and testing program was originally supposed to end in 2013. Current estimates involve a 2018 finish for all 3 models, with Block 3F software installed and a smaller set of integrated weapons than initially planned.

The F-35’s development schedule has steadily slipped, and a combination of development and production difficulties left Lockheed Martin significantly behind their planned testing schedule. The company has made a point of highlighting testing progress in 2012, as they finally got ahead of the annual curve:

F-35 JSF family: Testing statistics
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Excel
download

Staying ahead of planned testing points and flights is laudable, but it doesn’t guarantee that the fighter itself is ahead of where it should be on the development curve. Bringing test points forward from future years can keep the numbers even. It won’t solve issues like late software delivery, which is preventing F-35s from fulfilling a number of planned testing points, and makes any combat related testing useless. The F-35s will also need changes in a number of areas, from their horizontal stabilizers to the F-35B’s complex system of lift fans and doors. Those changes will require further testing afterward, adding more test points to the program each time an issue is found. The table below outlines key issues as of 2012, and both of these testing-related datasets are available for download by subscribers:

F-35 JSF family: DOT&E’s key 2012 findings
(click to view full)

F-35 JSF: Programs by Country

Joint Strike Fighter
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The F-35 is a multinational program, and one of its challenges involves keeping all of the program’s partners moving forward. Each partner has its own issues, and increasingly, its own timeline.

Since early-production fighters can add 50-100% to the cost of full-rate production planes, most of these timelines are determined by how cost-sensitive each customer is.

Home Base: The American Program

In many ways, the American F-35 program sets the tone for all others. Countries that want the F-35, like Japan, are already seeing price hikes because of American decisions to slow initial F-35 production. Current per-plane costs are over $120 million, with initial spares and training infrastructure added on top of that. That price is expected to come down, but it requires volume orders. That means someone has to spend the money, and right now, that someone is the USA.

This leaves the United States on the horns of a dilemma.

One nightmare scenario is a fate similar to the high-end F-22A Raptor, which was initially supposed to field 1,000 fighters, but ended up producing just 183 thanks to spiraling development costs, unexpected upgrade costs, and production costs that never benefited from full economies of scale. Cuts led to continued high prices, which led to more cuts. That scenario would spell disaster for other F-35 customers, who would end up paying far more per plane than they had expected. Some would then defect, driving up prices again for the countries who remained.

The other nightmare scenario for the USA involves significant problems discovered in testing, which then require costly and extensive retrofits to the 400+ F-35 fighters that will be produced before the test program ends. This parallel test/production model has been the subject of heavy criticism from the US government’s GAO auditors. It’s a form of “political engineering” designed to make cancellation too expensive for politicians, even if it leads to sharply higher final costs, or hurts the future fleet.

F-35A
(click to view full)

American purchase decisions can be described as a balancing act between these nightmares. If they spend too much money ramping up production, other countries are more likely to buy as prices drop, but the USAF could be on the hook for a huge retrofit bill that it can’t afford. If they throttle their efforts back too far in order to avoid retrofit risk, it makes defections by existing JSF partners more likely, and hurts the fighter’s chances of landing export sales.

Lockheed Martin has tried to thread this needle by getting multiple JSF consortium members to commit to a joint buy, in order to create a big enough pool of secure orders to drive down purchase costs for everyone. So far, they’ve been unable to get the signatures they need.

Excel
download

Meanwhile, past and planned American F-35 budgets for all variants are graphed below, with an Excel download as a bonus. Note that R&D forecasts aren’t yet published as a single figure beyond FY 2013:

USAF: F-35A
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USN: F-35B & F-35C
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Australia (Tier 3)

The legacy roster
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Australia was originally going to replace its long-range F-111 fighter-bomber and F/A-18 AM/BM Hornet fighter fleets with a single fleet of 100 F-35A aircraft. Current plans for the F-35 are less clear. A change of governing parties hasn’t shifted Australia’s long-term commitment to the F-35A yet, but rising costs could do so.

In November 2009, the Government approved funding for Phase 2A/B (Stage 1) to acquire 14 F-35As, at a cost of about A$ 2.75 billion. In October 2010, they formally submitted a Partner Procurement Request (PPR) to the US Government, and expect a FY 2012 order for 2 initial F-35As, for delivery in 2014-15. Those 2 planes will remain in the United States for testing and pilot training. The next 12 planes would have been based in Australia, and their Year of Decision will now be 2014-15, which may also cover the Stage 2 buy of 58 planes (TL: 72). Deliveries of operational fighters aren’t expected until 2017-2019 now, which means that RAAF F-35As won’t be flying in Australia until around 2020. The AIR 6000 Phase 2C decision to add another 24 F-35s or so, and raise Australia’s total buy to 96+, won’t happen until 2018-19 at the earliest.

As of 2014, The Royal Australian Navy will begin receiving Canberra Class LHD ships that could deploy F-35Bs, but at present there are no plans to host fighters on board. If those plans change, the AIR 6000 Phase 2C decision is the likely inflection point.

The inflection point for a single fighter fleet has already passed. In May 2007, delays to the F-35 program pushed the RAAF to buy 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets as an interim capability. Those aircraft have all been delivered now, and 12 of them are set to convert to EA-18G Growler tactical jamming fighters. F-35 delays may push Australia to order more Super Hornets, and the hard reality is that each new Super Hornet bought probably subtracts an F-35A from future orders.

Britain (Tier 1)

RN CVF Concept
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Britain is the only Tier 1 partner outside the USA, and they have invested about $2 billion equivalent in the F-35’s development. They took delivery of their 1st IOT&E training and test aircraft in July 2012.

Britain’s original plan involved buying 138 F-35B STOVL planes for deployment on land and on their new aircraft carriers, but that will now shrink to an undetermined number.

The UK MoD has also switched back and forth between the F-35B and the catapult-launched F-35C. The F-35C’s range and weapon capacity give it significant time-over-target advantages in a Falkland Islands kind of scenario. On the flip side, the F-35B can fly from forward operating bases in situations like Afghanistan, allowing fewer planes to generate more sorties in the same time frame. The determining factor that switched Britain back to the F-35B was the cost of modifying its aircraft carriers.

Canada (Tier 3)

CF-18, 20-year colors
(click to view full)

In July 2010, Canada committed to buy 65 F-35As as its future fighter force, with an envisioned budget up to C$ 9 billion for the fighters, plus C$ 7 billion for 20 years of support. All without a competition. That decision has been beset by controversy ever since, and the Conservative Party government claims that they aren’t committed to buy the F-35A yet. On the other hand, they haven’t made any substantive concessions, or meaningful changes to their plans, aside from promising that if F-35 costs continue to rise, Canada will just buy fewer planes within its budget.

Canada will probably sign a contract by 2015, which would make it too expensive for any successor governments to cancel the program. If the Conservative Party government doesn’t sign a contract before the next election, they had better win again. Otherwise, the conduct of this acquisition program has so antagonized the opposition Liberal and NDP parties that the F-35 buy will be a priority target for cancellation.

In November 2012, the first cracks appeared in the government’s stone wall. The Public Works ministry took over the lead role from DND, and said that the military’s original statement of requirements would be suspended while the government reviewed fighter options. Read full coverage, including industrial participants, over at “Canada Preparing to Replace its CF-18 Hornets.”

Denmark (Tier 3)

Danish F-16 MLU
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Denmark is a consortium member, but they threw their F-16 fighter replacement order open to competition in 2007. The F-35A was competing against Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Sweden’s JAS-39E/F Gripen, but an April 2010 decision delayed the competition. The Danes reportedly have about 30 operational F-16s in 2013, with another 15 stored in reserve.

The F-16 replacement process has started again as promised, with EADS’ Eurofighter Typhoon added to the mix of invitees. A decision to buy 24-32 fighters is now expected by June 2015.

Italy (Tier 2)

CVH Cavour
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Italy has made significant investments in JSF development, and the country intends to host a European Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) production line in Cameri, near Milan.

The navy’s ITS Cavour aircraft carrier will need at least 22 F-35Bs to replace its AV-8 Harrier fighters, but Europe and Italy’s slow-motion fiscal calamity makes the rest of its buy far less certain. The original plan involved 131 F-35s for the Army and Navy, but a February 2012 decision has scaled plans back to 90 fighters. The Italians are still discussing whether to buy a mix of F-35As and F-35Bs for the air force, but cost pressures are likely to push the Aeronautica Militare toward F-35As.

Given Italy’s rising borrowing costs, and the air force’s modern fleet of 96 Eurofighter Typhoons, further cuts in Aeronautica Militare F-35 purchases would be a reasonable expectation.

The Netherlands (Tier 2)

Dutch F-16s,
Afghanistan
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The F-35 is the Ministerie van Defensie’s choice, but instability in successive Dutch governments has prevented a clear decision. The Netherlands plans to buy up to 85 fighters, and as one of the two JSF Tier 2 partners, they want to place a European maintenance hub in the Netherlands. Industry benefits figure heavily in their decision, and participation in the JSF program was structured as a payback scheme. That has sometimes created a strained relationship between the government and participating firms.

Cost is a serious issue. A September 2009 media report revealed that Saab submitted a bid for 85 ready-to-fly JAS-39NL Gripen fighters, at a reported cost of EUR 4.8 billion. In contrast, a December 2010 report to the Dutch Parliament placed the expected purchase cost of 85 F-35As at EUR 7.6 billion, and the government has said that if costs continue to rise, the only change will be fewer fighters bought.

Costs have risen, even as budgets shrank. A 2012 Rekenkamer report revealed that the MvD was admitting a ceiling of just 56 F-35As, given their EUR 4.05 billion budget. That isn’t enough for their current responsibilities, and their notional EUR 68.6 million/ $89 million per plane figure is significantly less than the Pentagon’s post-2017 average cost projection of $108 million – which allows just 48 Dutch F-35As. Throw in the 21% Dutch Value Added Tax, and the real number could be as low as 33-38 F-35As.

Keeping its F-16s flying until the required 2027 date is expected to cost another EUR 335 million, and must be figured into the total cost, even if it comes from a separate budget item. A slip to 2029, or another fighter option that took that much more time, brings that total added cost to EUR 515 million.

Finally, F-35 maintenance and operating costs are expected to be higher than either the current F-16s (+42% American projection), or the Gripen. That affects the number that can be kept flying under future budgets. The 2012 Rekenkamer report says that estimates for 30 years of F-35A operations & maintenance, exclusive of fuel, have risen from EUR 2.9 billion for 85 planes in 2001, to EUR 14.2 billion. Buying 68 aircraft only drops this estimate to EUR 13.2 billion, and that non-linear drop makes it likely that O&M costs for a fleet of 42-48 F-35As, over 30 years, would be well over EUR 200 million per-plane.

A final decision is scheduled for 2015, but successive coalition governments have been pushing through contracts for initial F-35 test aircraft, as a way of entrenching their country’s commitment. A July 2012 vote left only the center-right VVD and Christian Democrats supporting an F-35 buy, and after the elections, a coalition with the opposition PvdA Labour party changed the process for reaching that 2015 decision. Whether it will change anything else remains to be seen.

Norway (Tier 3)

RNoAF F-16,
off to Libya
(click to view full)

Norway picked the F-35A in November 2008, after a competition that Wikileaks documents suggest was a sham. Parliamentary opposition finally caved in July 2011, and purchases began in 2012. They will buy 46-52 F-35s, with an initial 4 training aircraft slated to begin delivery in 2015. Another 42-48 planned fighters are slated to begin turning into contracts as of 2017, and the program’s official overall cost currently lists as NOK 60 billion/ $FY12 10 billion. Basing will be at Orland AB, with a satellite forward operating base up north at Evenes.

As part of their program, Norway’s Kongsberg is developing a stealthy, sub-sonic Joint Strike Missile (JSM/NSM) that will be able to hit ships or land targets, and can be carried inside the F-35A/C weapons bay. Its positioning as an internally-carried cruise missile will be unique, and Australia has already indicated interest. At present, however, there’s no firm date for integration.

Read “F-35 Lightning II Wins Norway’s (Fake) Competition” for full coverage.

Turkey (Tier 3)

TuAF F-16s
(click to view full)

Turkey had talked about ordering up to 100 F-35A fighters, as the long-term replacement for its 240-plane F-16 fleet. beyond the program’s industrial benefits, they also have a geopolitical rationale. Turkey’s main rival, Greece, has been crippled by its fiscal situation, and is not an F-35 program participant. They’re unlikely to field any fighters with technology beyond their existing F-16s for quite some time, and Turkey wants an edge. The Turks are also beginning to project influence into Central Asia, have neighbors in Syria, Iraq and Iran that bear watching, and are stoking a growing level of friction with Israel, an F-35 customer.

In the near term, a combination of new buys and upgrades will ensure a long life for Turkey’s F-16s. Current plans still involve 100 F-35s, and 2012 saw the first contract – but by January 2013, Turkey was postponing its purchase of 2 training and test aircraft. The overall program is expected to cost around $16 billion.

Israel (Security Cooperation Partner)

Israeli F-16C
(click to view full)

With 326 F-16s in the IAF (224 F-16A-D, 102 F-16i), Israel is the largest F-16 operator outside of the United States. Their commitment to regional superiority made them the first country outside the USA to commit to a production F-35 buy in October 2010, with a contract for 20 “F-35is” and options to raise that number to 75 planes. The F-22 Raptor had been their preferred choice, but America refused to export it.

The Israelis got some concessions from Lockheed Martin and the US government, including the ability to insert their own ECM(Electronic Counter Measures) defensive equipment. Their F-35i will also carry compatible communications equipment and some avionics, and the Israelis are expected to push for early integration of their own weapons, like RAFAEL’s Python 5 short-range air-to-air missile and Spice GPS/IIR guided smart bomb. F-35i system development contracts began in August 2012.

Read “Israeli Plans to Buy F-35s Moving Forward” for full coverage.

Singapore (Security Cooperation Partner)

RSAF F-16D
(click to view full)

Singapore expects to replace its 74-plane F-16 fleet with F-35s, but they have a lot of timing flexibility. A program of significant fleet upgrades to F-16V status is expected to begin within the next year, giving them a plane that’s more advanced than USAF F-16s. Their new fleet of 20 high-end F-15SGs are already more advanced than the USAF’s Strike Eagles, and their combined fleet size and quality is expected to keep them comfortably ahead of their neighbors for a while.

In the nearer term, their fleet of about 34 upgraded F-5S/T fighters will need replacement. Singapore is reported to be about to announce an order for 12 F-35Bs, as part of a larger export approval request that could go as high as 75 planes. Their alternative would be to order more F-15SGs as F-5 replacements, and wait until it was time to begin replacing their F-16s. An order of 12 Strike Eagles would cost less, and would offer a much wider array of capabilities until about 2025 or later. F-35Bs would offer more risk, and would enter service much later, in exchange for stealth and the ability to take off and land from damaged runways.

Exports: Beyond the Program Team

 

Japan

F-4EJ “Kai(zen)”
(click to view full)

The F-22 Raptor had been Japan’s preferred choice, but America refused to export it. In December 2011, therefore, Japan picked the F-35A over Boeing’s F/A-18E Super Hornet International, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The F-35A was said to have the best capabilities, based only on mathematical analysis of the paper submissions Japan received. It eked out a narrow “Gilligan win” on overall cost by offering dorsal aerial refueling and finishing 2nd in both sub-categories, and was even with the others in terms of maintenance contracts offered. The only major category it lost was domestic industrial participation, but the winning Eurofighter bid had cost issues with that aspect of its submission.

The JASDF has an approved Foreign Military Sale request for 42 F-35As, and has committed to 4 so far. This set of 42 F-35As will replace its fleet of 91 upgraded F-4 “Phantom Kai” fighters. Eventually, Japan will also need to replace about 213 F-15J Eagle air superiority fighters with at least 100 new planes, but the F-35 will have to compete for that.

Past fighter orders from Japan have involved extensive license production. So far, reports and documents indicate that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. will be involved in work on F-35 aircraft bodies, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. on mission-related avionics, and IHI Corp. on F135 engines.

Read “Japan’s Next Fighters: F-35 Wins The F-X Competition” for full coverage.

Future Sales Opportunities

F-15 Silent Eagles
Boeing concept
(click to view full)

Lockheed Martin continues to promote the F-35 in the international market, but its priority is securing production orders from the countries that are already part of the JSF consortium.

South Korea’s F-X-III fighter competition is probably the F-35’s biggest near-term export opportunity. The F-35 is competing against Boeing’s stealth-enhanced F-15SE Silent Eagle and the Eurofighter Typhoon for that 60-plane order.

A number of Middle Eastern countries are shopping for fighter jets, including the UAE, Oman, and Qatar. Kuwait is expected to join them soon. So far, the F-35 hasn’t featured prominently in reporting about these competitions. It isn’t a contender in Oman, and the UAE’s focus appears to be fixed on either France’s Rafale or the Eurofighter Typhoon.

In Europe, Belgium and Portugal will need to replace their F-16s pretty soon, but political and fiscal woes make such buys unlikely. Eastern European countries either have medium-to-long term commitments in place, or are too small and poor to be likely F-35 customers. Lockheed Martin’s brightest hope beyond its existing consortium partners is probably Spain. Like Italy, Spain will eventually need to either buy the F-35B as its only real option to replace the AV-8 Matadors (Harriers) on the Juan Carlos I, or downgrade the ship to a helicopter and UAV carrier. Europe’s slow-motion collapse has pushed its fiscal difficulties close to their limit, however, and there are no Spanish plans at present for an F-35 buy.

The F-35 has been promoted to India, especially as a naval fighter option for its new carriers. It was not a contender for India’s M-MRCA buy, however, and prospects for a future sale seem dim due to competition from a range of existing naval (MiG-29K, Tejas naval) and air force (SU-30MKI, SU-50i FGFA) program commitments.

F-35 Contracts & Decisions

LRIP = Low Rate Initial Production. Unless otherwise noted, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts.

FY 2013 – 2018

F-35A & F-22A,
Eglin AFB
(click to view full)

May 24/18: BAE warfare support Lockheed Martin is contracting BAE Systems to support the maintenance and replacement of electronic warfare systems on the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. The $100 million deal is essential for critical aircraft readiness. The five-year contract from Lockheed Martin enables BAE Systems to manage the supply chain and establish infrastructure to ensure critical electronic warfare technology is available for readiness on the next generation fighter aircraft. BAE Systems manufacturers the electronic warfare suite for the Lockheed Martin F-35, called the AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda system. The system’s avionics and sensors provide a 360-degree view of the aircraft’s surroundings, detecting and geo-locating electronic emitters to give pilots the option to evade, engage, counter or jam threats.

May 17/18: Software update incoming! The Naval Air Systems Command is awarding a contract modification to Lockheed Martin. The modification provides for the delivery of the F-35 In-A-Box (FIAB) software model, software license fees, and continued FIAB software model development, integration, and support. It is valued at $24,1 million. The F-35’s core software is written in C++ and runs on commercial off-the-shelf PowerPC architecture processors. The operating system is Green Hill Software’s Integrity DO-178B real-time OS, as used in a number of (mostly American) aircraft, both civil and military. The F-35’s processors are bundled into an “electronic brain” called the Integrated Core Processor (ICP). So far, the F-35 program has been plagued by various software problems seriously delaying the aircrafts declaration of Initial Operating Capability. Work will be performed partially in Fort Worth, Texas and in Marietta, Georgia, it is scheduled for completion by September 2018.

May 08/18: Turkey may lose F-35 order Turkish-US relations continue to face strenuous conditions as the Turkish Prime Minister (PM) Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that the country would retaliate if a bill being pushed by House Republicans becomes law. The bill in question is the US National Defense Authorizations Act valued at $717 billion. It includes a provision to temporarily halt weapons sales to Turkey, until a report on the relationship between the US and Turkey is completed by the Pentagon. The implied target of the bill would be the 116 F-35 Lightning II fighters that Washington has promised to sell Ankara, of which 100 are almost ready to be delivered. During an interview PM Cavusoglu criticized the measure, saying it was wrong to impose such a restriction on a military ally, alluding to the fact that Turkey has graciously allowed the US to use its Incirlik air base to launch its air strikes against ISIS. The bill, which still is many steps away from becoming law, is in many ways a response to Turkey’s recent purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia. The move to buy S-400s, which are incompatible with the NATO systems, has unnerved NATO member countries, which are already wary of Moscow’s military presence in the Middle East, prompting NATO officials to warn Turkey of unspecified consequences. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told PM Cavusoglu last month that the US was “seriously concerned” about Turkey’s buying of the S-400s. Last year, both countries temporarily curtailed embassy processing of visas after Turkey arrested an employee of the Turkish consulate in Istanbul as tensions flared.

May 01/18: Saving costs with software The Pentagon seeks to drastically decrease the sustainment costs of it F-35 Lightning II program. The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program is considered to be the largest single global defense programs in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that comes in 3 variants. Considering that the cost of a single plane ranges between $94.6 and $121.8 million, this advanced fighter jet comes with a hefty price tag. Additionally the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that the F-35 sustainment for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy is expected to cost about $1.12 trillion over the next 60 years. Dr. Will Roper, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition is planning to decrease the F-35 sustainment costs by introducing software for predictive maintenance. Knowing when maintenance should be done on the jet could significantly drive down sustainment costs. In the long-term the Pentagon may be able to make artificial intelligence and 3D printing cornerstones of its preventative maintenance toolkit.

April 27/18: Contracts-long-lead parts/software Two US Navy contracts awarded to Lockheed Martin this week, covers addition software sustainment and additional long-lead parts for the F-35. The first, a contract modification announced by the Pentagon Tuesday, provides additional funding resources worth $10.8 million to enable Lockheed Martin to support sustainment efforts on flight test software tailored for the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter, and covers aircraft being procured by the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Work will take place across several sites in the US, as well as in the UK, with a completion date set for April 2018. The second contract, which awarded $38.4 million on Wednesday, covers additional low-rate initial production of long lead materials, parts, components, and effort for economic order quantity increases for the Navy (Lot) 12; and the government of Italy (Lots 13 and 14). Work will take place in the US, UK, and Japan, wrapping up in December 2019.

April 17/18: Tracking ballistic missiles from 2025? Breaking Defense reports that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could be capable of detecting and tracking ballistic missiles by 2025. The projection was made by Head of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, when speaking to the Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense on April 11. He added that the stealth fighter could take down a ballistic missile by having a new “fast missile that’s hung on the bottom of” the fighter. “I’d say six to seven years to essentially work out the Concept of Operations (and) develop the capabilities — (whether) it’s sensor-based or a new fast missile that’s hung on the bottom of an F-35 for the BMDS (Ballistic Missile Defense) mission — integrate those capabilities, test them, and deliver them into a theater of operations,” Greaves said. While the military has tested out this concept in the past—in 2014, an F-35 infrared sensor installed on a surrogate aircraft successfully tracked a launch and transmitted tracking data over the military’s standard Link-16 network, while in in 2016, an actual Marine Corps F-35B detected and tracked a missile, then passed the data over the Navy’s NIFC-CA network to the Aegis missile defense system, which shot the threat down—this is the first time a senior official has given a timeline on incorporating a F-35 into missile defense.

April 16/18: SDD phase complete After 11 years, Lockheed Martin said that the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the F-35 program is winding down after the completion of its final developmental test flight on Wednesday, April 11. The program so far has seen 9,200 sorties and 17,000 flight hours for three major variants. According to a company press statement released on Thursday, Lockheed said that the final flight saw a F-35C CF-2 complete a mission from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to collect loads data while carrying external 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and AIM-9X missiles. Developmental flight testing is a key component of the F-35 program’s SDD phase, which will formally be completed following an Operational Test and Evaluation and a Department of Defense decision to go into full-rate aircraft production.

April 13/18: You Pay! No, You Pay! A contractual row between the US Department of Defense (DoD) and Lockheed Martin has resulted in the Pentagon ceasing to accept deliveries of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. While it is not clear when exactly the suspension of deliveries began, it follows a previous halting for 30 days in 2017 after corrosion where panels were fastened to the airframe were discovered on 200 aircraft. Sources close to the issue speaking to Reuters claim the recent halting was due to arguments over who would foot the bill to cover the sending of Lockheed technicians to travel around the world to remedy last year’s issue on jets based overseas. Two unnamed foreign military sales customers have also stopped accepting aircraft.

April 10/18: F-35B combat deployment Lockheed Martin’s F-35B Joint Strike Fighter will begin its first combat deployment later this year onboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex. Ahead of its deployment onboard Essex, aircraft VMFA-211 touched down at US Central Command (USCENTCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida on April 4 for a two-day visit that will inform CENTCOM leadership of the jet’s capabilities before it enters the CENTCOM area of responsibility. CENTCOM’s theatre of responsibility includes Egypt, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia that includes Iraq, Afghanistan, and former-Soviet republics.

April 04/18: Pre-Modernization Contract Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded a contract for Block 4.1 common capabilities pre-modernization efforts in support of the F-35 Lightning II. This support includes a preliminary design review in support of the US Air Force and other international partners. It is valued at $211 million. The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter in 3 variants. The F-35 is designed as an “affordable stealthy” counterpart to the F-22 Raptor. The Block 4 modernisation, also known as Continuous Capability Development and Delivery, consists of 4 individual increments. Blocks 4.1 and 4.2 focus primarily on software updates, while Blocks 4.3 and 4.4 will consist of more significant hardware changes. The program is expected to cost $10.8 billion through FY2024. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in July 2019.

March 28/18: Contracts-propulsion systems United Technologies has won a contract for services in support of the F135 propulsion system on F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. The deal was awarded by the US Navy and is valued at more than $239.6 million. Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, a subsidiary of United Technologies will support F-35 programs within the US Air Force Navy, Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense participants and foreign military sales customers. The F135 propulsion system is the engine manufactured exclusively for the F-35 Lightning II. The work is expected to be complete in January 2021. Most recently the F-35 program hit a major milestone as two squadrons accomplished day and night qualifications with 140 “traps”, each denoting a successful landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft-carrier deck. The milestone clears the F-35C to begin operational testing on the carrier later this year, which will determine if the US Navy can obtain their initial operational capability target for the aircraft in fiscal year 2019.

March 22/18: Training Lockheed Martin has received a $8.5 million US Navy contract modification for services related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Under the agreement, Lockheed will provide the Navy, Marine Corps and the government of the United Kingdom with additional mission training capabilities for their F-35 program. Work will occur in multiple locations across the United States and England. The contract is expected to be complete in May 2021.

March 19/18: Made (dearer) in Japan Making F-35A fighter aircraft at home is costing the Japanese taxpayer an extra $33 million per airframe than those imported from Lockheed Martin’s Forth Worth facility. A report by Jane’s quoted a spokesperson from the Japanese Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) as saying the unit price of the F-35s “depends greatly on the foreign exchange rate of each fiscal year [and] the difference in procurement methods between importing completed F-35s from the US and assembling F-35s in the Japanese FACO facility”. The ministry added that in fiscal year 2012 when Japan first ordered the F-35 through the import of completed aircraft the exchange rate was JPY81 per USD1, and that this resulted in the unit cost of imported F-35s reaching JPY9.6 billion (or USD90.1 million at constant 2018). Japan has initially ordered 42 F-35As, with the first four delivered from the US while the remaining 38 are being assembled at a Mitsubishi-run final assembly and check out (FACO) facility in Nagoya. The government is also considering additional F-35A purchases as well as possibly acquiring a number of F-35Bs capable of operating from Japanese helicopter carriers and short runways at its southern airbases.

March 15/18: Contract Modification-Materials Lockheed Martin received Tuesday, March 13, a $1.46 billion US Navy contract modification for the advance purchase of materials for low rate initial production of F-35 Lightning II air systems. The contract includes parts for Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers with 145 Lot 13 aircraft for the Services, non-U.S. DoD participants and FMS customers; and 69 Lot 14 aircraft for the non-U.S. DoD participants and FMS customers. Work will take place at several locations across the US as well as at Warton, UK, and Nagoya, Japan, with contract completion expected for December this year.

March 7/18: VP counters stealth issues As Lockheed Martin ramps up production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the company’s vice president in charge of the program has moved to counter concerns made over the time being took to rectify errors with the aircraft. Speaking to news outlets at a company media day, Jeff Babione acknowledged that low observability (LO), or stealth, capabilities in particular were posing a challenge to the company which has been made more tricky by an increase in production that was never seen with other stealth aircraft like the F-22 Raptor. “It’s not a human problem; that’s just the result of our ability. We’re approaching the limits of our ability to build some of these things from precise-enough technology,” Babione said. As part of efforts to cut down on deficiencies, Babione said the firm is first looking to make sure that the highest quality standards are applied to even the smallest supplier in the supply chain, but more importantly, Lockheed is also taking steps to make it easier for workers to build the aircraft, whether through increased training or improved practices, he said without elaborating.

March 5/18: Contracts-Logistics The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin two US Navy contracts Wednesday, February 28, for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Under the terms of the first agreement—a $148.7 million contract modification—Lockheed will provide additional logistics services for delivered F-35s operated by he Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense (DoD) and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance, reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support, supply chain management, and activities. Work will take place across the US, with some work to take place in the UK, running until April 2018. A second, smaller deal valued at $7.4 million provides funding for sustainment services in support of the F-35 aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Work will take place in both California and Japan and like the first contract, work is scheduled to wrap up in April 2018.

March 1/18: Engineering Support The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $158.2 million contract to a previously issued basic ordering agreement for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The agreement will see Lockheed undertake program management, nonrecurring engineering, recurring engineering, site support and touch labor in support of modification and retrofit activities for delivered air systems for F-35s for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participant, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will take place at the firm’s Forth Worth facility, with the contract running until February 2019.

February 19/18: Cold Weather Testing All three variants of the F-35 have been cold weather tested by the Joint Strike Fighter Operational Test Team (JOTT) at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The testing comes ahead of the aircraft’s stationing at Eielson from 2020, which poses some of the harshest environments that the fighter will operate in, and was part of the pre-Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation test event for the fighter. Speaking on the event, Robert Behler, Director, Operational Test & Evaluation Office of the Secretary of Defense, said: “Being here and showing the aircraft’s ability to operate in this environment will tell a lot of people we have a credible weapon system.”

February 9/18: Contract Modification-F-35A Spares & Support A US Department of Defense (DoD) statement awarded on Monday, February 5, a $119.7 million modification to an existing contract for the delivery of air vehicle deployment spares in support of the USAF’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. The agreement tasks Lockheed Martin with providing initial air vehicle deployment spares packages in support of Air Force F-35 air vehicle delivery schedules, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by July 2022. Work will take place across the United States, as well as in the Netherland and United Kingdom.

February 7/18: Italy-F-35B The first Italian Navy F-35B assembled in Italy has arrived at NAS Patuxent River after a transatlantic flight on January 31. Having rolled off the Cameri F-35 final assembly line in Italy on January 25, the aircraft will now spend three months at Patuxent River undergoing electromagnetic environmental effects certification at the Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test Facility. Outside of Lockheed Martin’s Forth Worth, Texas, facility, and the Leonardo-operated Cameri facility, F-35 models are being assembled at Nagoya, Japan.

February 6/18: CGAS The installation of automatic ground collision avoidance software (GCAS) on the F-35 will take place sooner than expected, Inside Defense reports. News of the planned change was announced on January 31, by F-35 Program Executive Officer Vice Adm. Mat Winter, who said the program plans to field the new technology by 2019, five years ahead of the original schedule. The program had expected to incorporate Auto GCAS during its Block 4 Follow-on Modernization phase. However, as part of its new Continuous Capability Development and Delivery effort, the program is looking to incorporate new capabilities, like Auto GCAS, as well as fixes to already fielded software.

February 2/18: Deliveries to JSDAF Japan has welcomed its first F-35A into operation with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, during a ceremony on Friday, January 26, after the fighter touched down at Misawa in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture. Nine more examples are expected tobe delivered over the course of the fiscal year, with a total of 42 F-35As on order—38 of which will be assembled at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ final assembly and checkout (FACO) facility in Nagoya, Japan. The first F-35A rolled out of the FACO facility in June 2017, and has also been selected to be the facility for the F-35’s North Asia-Pacific regional heavy airframe maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade. Japan’s industry is also involved in the manufacture of parts for the JASDF’s F-35s, however, issues with the Japanese-made parts has resulted in them not being used thus far. Examples include IHI Corporation being unable to get quality approval for an engine parts prototype due to delayed supplies of materials from a US-based supplier, while Mitsubishi Electric has experienced other issues with its subcontractors.

January 29/18: Milestone-F-35B assembled in Italy Flight Global reports that the first F-35B to be assembled outside of Lockheed Martin’s Forth Worth, Texas plant has rolled out of Leonardo’s final assembly and check out (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy. The aircraft is the tenth Joint Strike Fighter to be assembled at the Leonardo-ran operation, following the nine conventional A-model F-35s already delivered, and as the F-35B features a short take-off and vertical landing propulsion system, the delivery is particularly significant, says Doug Wilhelm, Lockheed’s vice-president for F-35 programme management. In additional to Italy’s F-35 orders, 29 F-35As will be produced for the Royal Dutch Air Force at the Cameri plant.

January 29/18: Contracts-Construction Harper Construction received last Wednesday, a $127.9 million US Navy contract to build a F-35 aircraft maintenance hangar and flight lines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California. Under the terms of the contract agreement, Harper will construct an aircraft maintenance hangar, an aircraft parking apron, and aircraft parking apron expansion for the first wave of incoming F-35 aircrafts, along with additional buildings that are designed to maintain classified information and other construction services. Eight additional work options included could bring the total value to $131.5 million. Work will take place in San Diego, California, with a scheduled completion date of 2020. Meanwhile, Watterson Construction will build a F-35A aircraft weather shelter at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The US Air Force contract, awarded Thursday, is valued at just over $58 million and will be completed at the air base by November 2019.

January 23/18: Sustainment Costs-Deep Dive Will Roper, the current nominee to head the Air Force Acquisition Office, has warned of serious cost overruns if F-35 sustainment costs are not properly tackled. Roper, an Obama administration appointment who has headed the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) since its foundation in 2012, told lawmakers of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing last Thursday, that he intends to embark on a F-35 deep dive that will focus on how emerging technologies can help decrease sustainment costs over the life of the program. “I am deeply concerned about the sustainment issues of the F-35. If I get confirmed, one of the first things I want to look at is the sustainment plan to make sure that there are not optimistic assumptions for this confluence of events that all happen together to get the price down,” Roper told the committee while acknowledging that sustainment and maintenance are not the “sexiest thing to talk about in the world of technology,” and are the “ugly sister” compared to technologies meant to greatly enhance the performance of a platform, like stealth or supersonic speed.

January 22/18: FMS Approval Belgium has been cleared by the US State Department for the potential foreign military sale (FMS) of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Valued at $.5.53 billion, the package includes 34 units of the conventional takeoff F-35A, as well as 38 Pratt & Whitney F-135 engines and other associated equipment for the radar-evading high-tech fighter. The clearance comes as Brussels is in the midst of selecting a new aircraft to replace its 59 F-16A/B fighters—with the F-35 facing up against the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon—and if the F-35 is selected (as many think is likely), Belgium will become the fourth FMS customer for the F-35 (outside of the original development partners) following South Korea in 2014. Other governments who have been expressed an interested in the F-35 include Finland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

January 22/18: FMS Support A Lockheed Martin F-35 support center for customer nations the UK, Australia, and Canada will be established in Florida, following the award of a $7.47 million US Navy contract last Wednesday. The move will see the F-35 Australia, Canada, United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory (ACURL), which handles packing, shipping, installation, integration and testing of the fifth-generation aircraft for the three nations, moved from Forth Worth, Texas, to the Partner Support Complex at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Move completion will be finished by March 2019 and the contract also provides for initial spare parts for the nations at Eglin Air Force Base and in Fort Worth.

January 18/18: Onboard Deployment The first on-ship deployment of the F-35B is drawing ever closer, as the amphibious assault ship, USS Wasp, arrived at its new home port at the 7th Fleet base at Sasebo, Japan on January 14. The Wasp left Norfolk, Virginia in August, and included a two month stint of providing humanitarian relief efforts following two hurricanes in the Caribbean, before replacing the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard as the flagship of Task Force 76 in the East. Preparations are now underway for the Wasp’s first scheduled patrol later in the year with the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the F-35Bs of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, which relocated to Iwakuni, Japan, in early 2017. The squadron is the first operational Marine Corps F-35B unit and currently has 16 aircraft at Iwakuni.

December 27/17: Potential FMS Amid fresh UN-imposed sanctions on North Korea, and further bellicose threats made by Pyongyang, Japanese and South Korean media have reported that their respective governments are considering additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighter orders. South Korea’s Joongang Ilbo newspaper, citing several government sources, reported that Seoul’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has established a process for procuring 20 additional F-35A fighters, adding to the 40 already ordered in 2014. Meanwhile, Tokyo may order the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STVL) variant of the next-generation fighters—the F-35B—which would allow the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) to operate the aircraft from shorter runways as well as on board its Izumo-class helicopter destroyers, which could be retrofitted with ski-jumps and upgraded aviation fuel storage facilities to allow the aircraft operate off its deck. However, such a plan by Tokyo is likely to face controversy due to the offensive capabilities the platforms would add to Japan’s arsenal, prevented under its pacifist constitution.

December 21/17: Milestone- WDA testing Testers from the US Air Force’s (USAF) 461st Flight Test Squadron and F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) have concluded Weapons Delivery Accuracy (WDA) flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, marking a major milestone in getting the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s Block 3F software ready for combat. All three variants of the next-generation fighter were used during the tests—which began in 2013—with the ITF delivering 55 weapons during the testing, and included air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120s, the AIM-9X and the UK’s Advanced Short Range AAM, as well as the Paveway IV laser-guided bomb, GBU-39 small diameter bomb, GBU-12, GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition and the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon. Each weapon test required multiple missions including software development, “dry runs” and then the actual weapon release. The F-35 Integrated Test Force, operating at both Edwards AFB and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, continues to conduct developmental flight test for the DoD’s F-35 Joint Program Office. Ongoing testing at Edwards AFB includes mission effectiveness testing, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime interdiction, and offensive and defensive air-to-air combat testing.

December 19/17: Milestone-Deliveries 2017 Lockheed Martin announced Monday that is has met the US government’s target for the year of delivering 66 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to the US military and allied partners. The deliveries account for a 40 percent increase on ones made in 2016, and the firm is ready to ramp up production volume year-over-year to hit full rate of approximately 160 aircraft in 2023—Lockheed has already began preparing for this, having hired more than 1,300 employees at its facility at Fort Worth, Texas, since January of this year, with approximately 500 more positions expected to be filled. Lockheed hopes the production increase will bring down the cost of the F-35A to $80 million by 2020.

December 4/17: Contracts-Sustainment The DoD announced Friday the $353.2 million award to United Technologies Corp (UTC) subsidiary, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, for performance based logistics and sustainment support of the F-135 propulsion system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. US Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-US Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers are covered in the deal. Under the terms of the deal, P&W will provide maintenance of support equipment, common program activities, unique and common base recurring sustainment, repair of repairable, field service representatives, common replenishment spares, conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant F-135 unique maintenance services, and short take-off and landing F-135 unique services. Work will primarily take place at East Hartford, Connecticut (73 percent); but also Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (18 percent); Camari, Italy (3 percent); Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (2 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, California (1 percent); Hill Air Force Base, Utah (1 percent); Luke Air Force Base, Arizona (1 percent); and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, South Carolina (1 percent). Work will be completed by November 2018.

November 30/17: Contracts-Software Lockheed Martin has landed a $37.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract worth $10.7 billion, to exercise an option for software conversions for structure and systems datasets in support of Lot 10 production for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Work will take place at Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility and at Samlebury, England, where program partner BAE Systems operate a 180 acre facility at the disused Samlebury Aerodrome. Contract completion is scheduled for June 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

November 13/17: Testing BAE Systems announced the successful conclusion of durability testing of its F-35A airframe. The completion is the culmination of the F-35A’s third life testing at BAE Systems’ testing facility in East Yorkshire in England, which is equivalent to 24,000 hours of “flying,” and easily exceeds the F-35 programme requirement of a service life of 8,000 flight hours. The F-35B and F-35C durability test airframes already have completed 16,000 hour second life testing, with additional tests being conducted to maximize the life of the aircraft. Known officially as AJ-1, the F-35A airframe is designed to operate from conventional runways and is the only F-35 variant to carry an internal cannon.

November 13/17: Contracts The US Navy released Thursday a $34.6 million award to Lockheed Martin for integration work with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and small-diameter bomb (SDB) II. Under the terms of the deal, Lockheed will carry out weapons capabilities technology maturation and risk reduction pre-engineering, manufacturing and development activities for dual-capability F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft and small-diameter bomb 2 (SDB-II) in support of the Marine Corps and Air Force. Work will take place at Fort Worth, Texas, with a scheduled completion time of July 2018.

November 10/17: Potential Sale Lockheed Martin is confident that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be selected as Germany’s Tornado fighter replacement, after Berlin confirmed that the next-generation fighter is the Air Force’s “preferred” choice. Germany is looking to replace its 85 Tornado jets between 2025 and 2030, and requests have been sent for information about the F-35, as well as three other jets: Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18E/F fighters, as well as the Eurofighter consortium’s Typhoon. The F-35 has already been selected by several of Germany’s regional allies, including Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, Turkey and Denmark, and some have already started to receive deliveries. Belgium is expected to make a decision next year.

November 06/17: US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, a $19 million contract in support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter parts production. The award is a modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee and fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract signed in April 2015 for an estimated $2.24 billion for a over a four year period, and calls for the procurement of extra-long-lead items in support of the low-rate initial production Lot XII F-35 JSF aircraft. Items to be produced include hardware and aids for both the conventional takeoff and landing systems for USAF, Navy, as well as non-DoD partners and foreign military customers. It also covers short takeoff and vertical landing propulsion systems for the US Marine Corps version of the aircraft. Work will take place mainly at East Hartford, Ct., where United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines is located, as well as other locations across the country and overseas. Contract completion is scheduled for November 2019.

October 31/17: A spare parts shortage has stricken the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and is severely limiting operational capabilities. A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Thursday found that “from January through August 7, 2017, F-35 aircraft were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time due to parts shortages,” and the shortage is likely to plague the program for several years to come. Reasons for the delay include “incomplete plans and funding that did not account for the long lead time parts,” while other instances blamed delays in the establishment of repair capabilities. Lead contractor Lockheed Martin said that it is now looking into finding disciplined ways it can reduce the overall operations and sustainment costs of the F-35 and is working with program partners to build a more cost effective supply chain. The Pentagon currently sustains 250 F-35s, and plans to triple its fleet by the end of 2021 and field 3,200 aircraft globally over the programme’s lifecycle.

June 30/17: The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $257.8 million contract modification in support of low-rate production and acquisition of equipment for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Procurement includes 129 alternate mission equipment sets, 468 sets of pilot flight equipment, and 94 sets of red gear engine inlet plugs for the Air Force, Navy, USMC, and allied foreign participants in support of F-35 production. Work will be conducted in Inglewood, Calif., White Plains, NY, and other locations across the United States and has an estimated completion date of June 2020.

June 27/17: An investigation into the why F-35A flights from Luke AFB were suspended last month now believes that pilots were suffering due to a metering problem in the aircraft’s oxygen system that occurs above 25,000 feet. Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein disclosed that the five individuals were flying above 25,000 feet during when the incidents occurred, resulting in flights being suspended from the base for 11 days. USMC-operated F-35B aircraft based at Air Station Yuma in Arizona, were also suspended for a day last week because of “anomalies” in the autonomic logistics information system (ALIS) software upgrade.

June 22/17: The USAF awarded Lockheed Martin a $104 million contract to develop, produce and field a threat simulator to train combat aircrews to recognize and deal with rapidly evolving threats, such as surface-to-air missiles. The deal will see the firm undertake the development and test of a single Advanced Radar Threat System Variant 2 (ARTS-V2) production representative system, with follow on options for a further 20 systems. Lockheed added that future sales could come from countries that plan to operate the stealthy F-35 fighter jet in coming years.

June 21/17: F-35A flights out of Luke AFB will commence on Wednesday, 11 days after they had been originally canceled due to five incidents in which pilots experienced symptoms similar to hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. While the root cause of the incidents has yet to be identified, several possible causes of concern have been ruled out. Pilots will also adhere to a temporary application of five criteria during their flights while data is gathered on the ground. They are: Avoid the altitudes in which all five physiological events occurred; Modify ground procedures to mitigate physiological risks to pilots; Expand physiological training to increase understanding between pilot and medical communities; Increase minimum levels for backup oxygen systems for each flight; and offer pilots the option of wearing sensors during flight to collect airborne human performance data.

June 19/17: Ahead of its debut at this week’s Paris air show, Lockheed Martin are close to finishing the latest round of negotiations for the manufacture of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. As many as 440 jets are being negotiated under the deal and are being spread out over three tranches in a multi-year deal estimated to reach at least $37 billion. As many as 11 customer nations will receive fighters as part of the deal, including Australia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, South Korea, Britain and the United States. The price of the F-35’s A variant is then expected to drop to $80 million by the end of 2020.

June 12/17: Flights of F-35As out of Luke AFB have been suspended after pilots reported a series of physiological incidents while flying. Five such incidents have been reported at the Arizona base since May 1 and are currently being investigated by USAF authorities. Each time the aircraft’s backup oxygen system operated as designed and the pilots were able to land safely. While operations at five other US bases with F-35 jets will continue as normal, the 56th Fighter Wing will spend time educating local and foreign pilots on hypoxia symptoms. Each incident and its remedial actions taken will be shared with the air crews.

June 8/17: Elbit Systems of America has been sub-contracted by Lockheed Martin to develop a cockpit display replacement unit for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter under a program, called Technology Refresh 3, Panoramic Cockpit Display Unit. While the cost of the contract was not given, a company statement said that the value of the award was not in a material amount. Details on contract length were also omitted. Elbit already provides power amplifiers, structures and sustainment work for the F-35 and, together with Rockwell Collins, it also provides the F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System, through their joint venture Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems.

May 24/17: Lockheed Martin has won a $137.8 million contract modification for cost-reduction programs for the initial low-rate production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement funds from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps of $137.8 million will be allocated to the program, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Eighty percent of the modification will go to the Air Force, with the rest split between the Navy and Marine Corps. Scheduled to be completed by December 2020, work will take place at Waco, Texas, El Segundo, Calif. and Warton, England, with other work being completed across the United States.

May 19/17: The F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed airborne gunfire testing by the US Marine Corps Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons ‘Integrated Test Force’. The GAU-22/A is a four-barrel gun designed for the F-35 and has a rate of fire of 3,300 rounds per minute and an improved accuracy of 1.4 milliradians as compared to the GAU-12. On CTOL version of the aircraft, the gun is carried internally, while on STOVL and CV variants, it comes as an external podded gun.

May 18/17: The USAF has lifted its two-year ban on lightweight pilots flying the F-35, after concerns that an ejection could cause a severe neck injury. The approval means the Martin-Baker Mk16 ejection seat meets the original service specification for the F-35A, which requires the manufacturer to accommodate all pilots weighing over 46.7kg. To solve the problem, changes were made to the helmet, the ejection seat and the ejection sequence. The Vision Systems International helmet saw a weight reduction, while the ejector seat had a head support installed onto the rear risers of the seat as a cushion as well as a switch that modifies the ejection sequence in the event the pilot needs to exit the cockpit in flight. The modifications will now be retrofitted on 100 F-35As already delivered to the USAF and enter Lockheed’s production system.

May 10/17: USAF F-35As, sent to Europe to participate in a series of training exercises, have completed their deployment . While based at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, UK, eight aircraft from the 34th Fighter Squadron flew 76 sorties and tallied more than 154 flying hours alongside F-15s from the 48th Fighter Wing. The fighters also experienced forward deployment to Estonia and Bulgaria in order to maximize training opportunities, build partnerships with allied air forces and familiarize Airmen with Europe’s broad and diverse operating conditions. It has also been reported that the F-35A will take part in the Paris Air Show after it was earlier said to have not been invited.

May 8/17: The first F-35 to be produced outside of the US has rolled off the assembly line at a Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy. Owned by the Italian Defense Ministry and operated by the Italian defense giant Leonardo in conjunction with the fighter’s lead contractor, Lockheed Martin, the FACO will churn out 30 F-25B and 90 F-35A type fighters for the Italian armed forces, as well as 29 F-35As for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The facility will also produce 835 full wing sets that will be distributed across all participants in the program, along with other parts and maintenance equipment.

May 2/17: The US DoD has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.377 billion contract for the low-rate initial production of 130 Lot 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, including the provision of parts, maintenance, and other services for the program. In addition the Lot 12 F-35 production for the USAF, Navy, USMC and other non-Department of Defense and foreign customers, the contract provides for initial production of 110 Lot 13 and Lot 14 F-35 Lighting II fighter planes for non-U.S. Department of Defense participants and foreign sales customers. The proportion of funding to the various branches is: $315.5 million for the USAF; $128 million for the USMC; and $43.5 million for the Navy. The final quarter of the contract, approximately $364.6 million, will be directed toward military sales customers. Contracted work is expected to be completed by December 2018.

April 26/17: Two US F-35As have landed in Estonia for the first time, in what is being described as a show of NATO solidarity and reinforcement of US commitments to protecting NATO members along Russia’s borders. The visit of the Joint Strike Fighters, which flew from UK and spent several hours in Estonia, is part of broader US jet pilot training program across Europe as the NATO alliance seeks to deter Moscow from any possible incursion in the Baltics. Training with the fifth-generation fighters is expected to last several weeks and the F-35 pilots will undergo exercises with other NATO aircraft as well as showcase the fighter’s capabilities to allies that are also acquiring F-35 fleets.

April 19/17: Norway has begun testing the brake parachute it will deploy on their fleet of F-35As. The testing will assess how the fighter handles with the parachute fitted, as well as braking on both dry and wet runways. Follow up testing will continue in Alaska in 2018, where testing will look to evaluate the parachute’s performance on icy runways. Sharing the cost with fellow F-35 program partner the Netherlands, modifications to the Norwegian F-35 fleet include strengthening the fuselage and adapting the aircraft to house the parachute between the two tailfins. The modifications have been included to make the fighter more prepared for the more adverse weather conditions found in Scandinavia such as low temperatures, strong winds, poor visibility and slippery runways. Oslo is scheduled to receive its first F-35s this November.

April 16/17: This weekend has seen a number of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters make their way to Europe to participate in a training deployment that will last several weeks. The jets and airmen will conduct training with other US and NATO aircraft based in Europe as part of the European Reassurance Initiative—started in 2014 by the Pentagon to increase US presence in Europe for security purposes. Officials say the deployment marks an important milestone for the F-35 program as it allows both the USAF to further demonstrate the capabilities of the fighter, as well as assisting in refining the requirements for basing the F-35A in Europe, scheduled to commence in the early 2020s.

April 12/17: Lockheed Martin has won a $372 million contract modification in order to address several issues with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The US Navy contract did not specify any particular work that needed to be undertaken under the agreement, however it facilitates deficiency corrections for US operators as well as the country’s foreign military customers. Work will be carried out in Texas, California, New Hampshire, Japan and Britain, and is expected to be complete by March 2020.

April 11/17: Negotiations on the next batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could see savings of at least 5% as the unit cost per fighter looks to dip below $80 million. Current talks between the Pentagon and lead contractor Lockheed Martin are said to be for a batch of about 130 planes, 100 of which are likely to be the A-model configuration. It is on these 100 aircraft that between 5-7 percent, or $660 million, could be shaved off the total price in potential savings. This follows comments made by the program’s head Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan last month who said that the government hoped that by 2020 the F-35 would cost less than $80 million, a 16 percent drop from its current price.

April 5/17: Testing of the F-35’s Martin-Baker US16E (MKk16) ejection seat has been completed. The last test involved electromagnetic environmental effects (EEE) testing which saw the seat’s electronic controls were hit with electricity to test their functionality. The data from the EEE, helmet and dummy testing on the ejection seat will help the USAF decide whether to remove restrictions on pilots weighing less than 62kg (136lb). Lt Gen Chris Bogdan, head of the F-35 program, said that the “weight restriction could be removed anywhere from April and beyond,” and that the USAF will “start modifying airplanes in April to the new seat configurations with the new helmets, so as soon as the USAF gives it the OK, that’s up to them.”

March 29/17: Navy Rear. Adm. Mat Winter is to take charge of the F-35 program office upon the retirement of program head Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan this summer. Winter, who is currently the F-35 deputy program executive officer, will assume the rank of vice admiral prior to assuming the role. Prior to joining the F-35 program in 2016, Winter acted as chief of Naval Research, working as program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, and oversaw the development of the X-47, a stealthy unmanned aircraft that could autonomously launch from a carrier. He was also responsible for the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program before it was cancelled and transferred into a requirement for an unmanned tanking capability.

March 13/17: Lockheed Martin has won a $64 million contract to perform work on the integrated core processor used by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The DoD order includes services for the USAF, US Navy, USMC and international partners and the work aims to alleviate diminishing manufacturing source constraints projected under F-35 production Lot 15 by March 2019. Developed during the early stages of the F-35’s development, the integrated core processor is referred to as the “brain” of the next-gen fighter.

March 7/17: Rheinmetall has been contracted by the USAF to supply several ten thousand round lots of their new 25mm x 137 Frangible Armour Piercing (FAP) round for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Valued at $6.5 million, the contract will see the company manufacture the rounds in four lots at Rheinmetall Switzerland and delivery will commence in December, 2017. Rheinmetall is marketing the ammunition as only not just for air-to-air superiority fights, but capable of destroying Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) at extreme slant ranges as well.

March 2/17: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1 billion contract from the Pentagon to provide various support services for the F-35 aircraft. The deal covers ground maintenance, action request resolution, depot activation, supply chain management and other activities for F-35s operated by the USAF, Navy, USMC, and other foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be carried out at the company’s plants in Forth Worth, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and other various locations, with a completion date set for December 2017. Lockheed also won a $427 million contract to continue production of the Hellfire II missile for the US Army. Work on the contract will continue until September 2020.

February 20/17: The US Navy is to test a potential fix for an issue regarding the F-35C’s nose wheel in order to see if the jet still suffers from excessive vertical oscillations during a catapult launch. Testing will begin tomorrow, Tuesday February 21, at the service’s land-base test facility at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. However, if the early fixes don’t work, the Navy will be required to do more extensive fixes to the nose gear and the helmet display, or even redesign the entire nose gear for the F-35C (which could take years and further delay the program).

February 15/17: An Israeli Defense Ministry report has revealed that Israeli manufacturers have earned about $1.03 billion since 2010 from projects related to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Last year saw a total of $258 million in contracts, mostly for fighter helmets, representing a 33% increase in procurement over previous years. Big winners in 2016 were Elbit Systems and its US partner Rockwell Collins, which are jointly manufacturing the state-of-the-art helmet for the F-35.

February 14/17: South Korean military officials have said the latest missile tested by North Korea was a new type of solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, the Pukguksong-2, using submarine-launched ballistic missile technology, not the older Musudan-class earlier reported. Pyongyang utilized a “cold eject” launch system, where the missile is initially propelled by compressed gas before its rocket engine ignites. In response, The US, Japan and South Korea requested urgent UN Security Council consultations on the test, with potential for further sanctions to be discussed. China said that they opposed North Korean missile tests that run contrary to UN resolutions, however they rejected suggestions from Washington and others that they could be doing more to rein in its neighbor.

February 6/17: The US Navy has successfully tested the Spike missile launcher, destroying a UAV target. Not to be confused with the Rafael version, the project aims at providing the sailing branch with an increased capability to defeat the growing threat of UAVs. The Spike launcher is first queued to the target via radar so that the operator can acquire the UAV and engage it. Another modification to the system involves the addition of a proximity fuze to the body, provided by the Army.

February 3/17: Negotiations between the Japanese government, Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin have secured a $100 million reduction in Tokyo’s bill for its participation in the F-35 JSF program. While the news comes shortly after Lockheed Martin slashed $600 million from the next round of F-35 production, defense analysts have downplayed the news of those cuts, saying the discount hailed by Trump was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months and would apply to other countries committed to the program. According to Reuters, four sources confirmed that Japan had further trimmed the price for its latest order, largely on ground support costs such as parts, logistics and technical assistance.

February 1/17: While no contract details have been announced, US President Donald Trump has claimed that the Lot 10 production for 90 F-35s will be $600 million cheaper, thanks to his pressure. The comments come after weeks of hand wrangling with lead contractor Lockheed Martin over pricing. Trump had criticized the fifth-gen fighter during his election campaign, but during his recent comments called the F-35 a “great plane” that’s “now in good shape.” Despite the detente, Trump added that Boeing will still be asked to compete for orders against the F-35 saying “they [Boeing] will be competing during the process for the rest of the planes because there are thousands of more airplanes coming.”

January 26/17: Lockheed Martin has announced that it is close to signing a deal with the F-35 Joint Program Office on the next batch of the Joint Strike Fighter. The announcement was made by CEO Marilyn Hewson to investors on Tuesday, where the company also disclosed that it beat revenue estimates for fourth-quarter 2016/17. Hewson added that the defense giant plans to “drive affordability” in 2017, a reference to ongoing discussions between President Trump and the defense industry to get a “better deal” on government contracts.

January 20/17: Speaking of costs, the price of the F-35 looks set to take a tumble, as the US DoD and Lockheed Martin come close to an agreement on a new contract for the Joint Strike Fighter. While talks on the warplane’s tenth batch are still ongoing, sources close to discussions say the fighter will drop below its current $100 million per-plane price tag for the first time. Believed to be in the range of $9 billion, an official announcement on the 90-plane deal is expected to come at the end of the month.

January 19/17: A 62-page report by the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester has released sort of good news in relation to the F-35: that there has been progress toward fixing a safety issue with the aircraft’s ejection seat. The Martin-Baker manufactured US16E seat and escape system was found to pose a significant risk of neck damage or death during ejection of pilots in the lowest weight range, resulting in pilots weighing under 136 lb being barred from flying the aircraft. But a three-part solution posed by the company to protect a lightweight pilot’s head and neck during ejection is currently being tested with light-weight pilots. This includes a lighter helmet to ease strain on the neck during the first phase of an ejection, a lightweight switch on the seat to delay deployment of the main parachute, and a fabric panel sewn between the parachute risers that will protect the pilot’s head from moving backward during the parachute opening, called a “head support panel” or HSP.

January 17/17: Costs associated with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program could drop, according to Lockheed Martin’s CEO Marillyn Hewson. Hewson met with US President-elect Donald Trump for a second meeting last week, later telling reporters that her company is “close to a deal” to bring down the cost of the F-35 program. In addition to the fighter’s costs, Hewson committed the firm to increasing jobs at their Fort Worth, Texas, facility by 1,800.

January 9/17: Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has dismissed an idea posed by the upcoming Trump administration to supplant the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with greater procurements of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. President-elect Donald Trump called the two fighters “comparable” in a tweet following a pow wow with Lockheed Martin and Boeing in December as part of an early effort to get a better deal for government defense spending. However James called the jets not interchangeable and that both fighters had been developed to fulfil different requirements. She added that any attempt by the Trump team to implement such a plan would be met with resistance from the Air Force.

January 3/17: Lockheed Martin has been contracted $450 million to perform additional Lot 10 F-35 Lightning II Air System integration work for South Korea. The deal will include non-recurring engineering work. Seoul plans to procure 40 of the next-generation aircraft, and expects deliveries to begin in 2018 and conclude in 2021.

December 21/16: The Pentagon’s man in charge of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has responded to recent criticisms from Donald Trump. Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan stated on Monday that if he had an opportunity to speak with the Trump transition team, he would tell them that the program is now under control after years of delays. Bogdan also added that he understood the incoming administration’s desire to get better value for money saying “I applaud the new administration for that, because that is what we should all be striving for.”

December 15/16: Communication data links on all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been tested by the USAF. The pilots focused on the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), a direct communications link that allows operators to transmit secure tactical information, and is beneficial for interoperability between the F-35 and the 4th generation planes it is meant to replace, such as F-16s and F/A-18s. MADL also allows for F-35s to share information on air and ground threats in order to more effectively target and engage them.

December 14/16: Israel has received their first two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, making them the only Middle Eastern country to own a fifth-generation fighter. Greeting the arrival were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the President of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, the Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, currently on his last world tour as part of the Obama Administration. The USAF provided a KC-135 tanker to refuel the new planes.

December 13/16: Lockheed Martin is the latest defense firm to receive criticism from Donald Trump, after the US President-elect lashed out at the costs of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Taking to his usual medium to the masses, Twitter, Trump stated “the F-35 program and cost is out of control,” and “Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” Shares at Lockheed dropped 4 percent after Trump’s tweet, while shares of several other defense contractors also weakened. Trump also suggested that he was considering imposing a lifetime ban on US military procurement officials going to work for defense contractors, a move that could dramatically reshape the defense industry.

December 7/16: The Pentagon’s chief arms buyer, Frank Kendell, is hopeful that a three-year block buy of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will go ahead. Covering some 400 F-35 units for both the US military branches and partner nations, the agreement is expected to generate large savings through bigger economies of scale between the fiscal years 2018 through 2020. Negotiations with lead contractor Lockheed Martin, however, have been slow as seen in the year-long negotiations of the fighter’s ninth batch, while the government’s chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, has long argued about the need to test the planes before buying and building larger quantities.

November 29/16: 17 more F-35As will be making their way to Israel, bringing the total ordered by the government to 50. Speaking on the new order, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the decision by the cabinet on November 27 was unanimous. The additional fighter order comes just two weeks before the first two F-35As destined for Israel fly from the US.

November 23/16: The F-35B has reached another program milestone following the completion of weapons load testing during trials on board the USS America assault ship. During the trials, pilots intentionally conducted flight tests under unfavorable conditions to gauge the fighter’s limitations; international partners also participated. The tests were part of F-35 program lead contractor Lockheed Martin’s third developmental test phase for the fighter, which aimed to assess the aircraft’s combat capabilities in a maritime environment. In comparison to its A counterpart, the F-35B is designed to include a short takeoff and vertical landing capability to allow for operation on naval vessels.

Repairs on the last of 13 F-35A fighters affected by faulty insulation issues have been completed. In September, 57 aircraft suffered the coolant line glitch, 15 of which were already fielded, while the others were still in production. Both the company and the USAF maintain that the faulty parts were the result of a supply chain issue rather than a design flaw.

November 18/16: The Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik stated that the first two of a batch of 24 more Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft will be delivered in 2018. 24 of the Joint Strike Fighter will be ordered over the next three years, of which six, including the two expected in 2018, had already been ordered. Ankara has committed to procuring a total of 115 F-35s.

November 17/16: F/A-18 Hornet fighters operated by the Spanish Air Force will be replaced by a “system of systems” by 2030 external link. Known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the prgram will see about 50 legacy Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoons upgraded to network with a fifth-generation aircraft; a new fifth-generation aircraft (type and numbers to be decided); and an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (type and numbers to be decided). While the fifth-generation aircraft will likely be the F-35, Spanish Navy plans to retire their AV-8B Harrier II will result in a joint procurement between the two branches.

November 14/16: Talks are being carried out between Lockheed Martin and President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team over a number of programs including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Trump had made disparaging comments about the F-35 last year on a conservative talk show, calling into question the fighter’s cost-benefit when compared to the capabilities of existing aircraft. Speaking on the talks, LM’s executive vice president for aeronautics Orlando Carvalho said, “We believe that in working with his transition team all the right information will get communicated and they’ll make the right decisions.”

November 10/16: A fire that erupted in the weapons bay of a USMC F-35B in late October is being investigated. The Naval Safety Center revealed that two systems were at fault, the Honeywell-made integrated power package (IPP) and a hydraulics system. Sensors onboard the aircraft detected the fire and failures of the IPP and a hydraulics system while the aircraft was flying in the airport’s landing pattern. While the fire is being classed as a Class A mishap, an IPP fire in 2011 on board an F-35A grounded the F-35 test fleet.

November 9/16: Britain has been selected as a global repair hub providing maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for F-35 fighter avionic and aircraft components. The move is expected to generate hundreds of millions of pounds for the UK defense industry with the potential to unlock more than 2 billion pounds of future F-35 support revenue over the lifetime of the program. Centered in Wales, the work will be conducted by a partnership enterprise between Defence Electronics & Components Agency (DECA), BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, supported by key F-35 Original Equipment Manufacturers.

November 4/16: After much wrangling, Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon have concluded negotiations on the ninth lot of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program with a unilateral agreement that will see 57 jets produced for $6.1 billion. At $107 million per plane, this is the lowest price per plane thus far. The deal will give profit margin certainty to Lockheed and its partners who have been producing the jet under a placeholder agreement known as an “undefinitized contract action,” something the company would have preferred to not have to deal with. Lockheed said that the latest lot is “not a mutually agreed upon contract, it was a unilateral contract action, which obligates us to perform under standard terms and conditions, and previously agreed-to items.” Lot ten negotiations, for 94 aircraft, are still underway.

November 3/16: A number of F-35Bs will conduct developmental and operational testing aboard the USS America amphibious assault ship. Two of the Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant will be used in third phase development testing, evaluating the jet’s short take-off vertical landing operations in a high-sea state, shipboard landings, and night operations. Another five will undergo operational testing which involves the simulation of extensive maintenance on a ship. The USS America is the first ship of its class that incorporates design elements specifically to accommodate the new Joint Strike Fighter.

November 2/16: After rumors they would do so, Turkey has officially requested a second batch of F-35s under the Joint Strike Fighter program. A meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSIK), Turkey’s procurement authority, brought top political and military officials together on Friday to make the decision. Officials are also hoping to build a new-generation, dual-fighter jet fleet by their country’s centennial, 2023, comprised of the F-35 and an indigenous aircraft, known as TFX, that Ankara has been designing.

October 31/16: US officials close to Turkey’s F-35 fighter procurement claim Ankara is considering a second batch of fighters, possibly as many as 24 aircraft. Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries said they expected the new orders to be delivered in 2021 and 2022 and aims to eventually purchase a total of 100. A Lockheed representative said the company is “honored” by Turkey’s continued commitment to the F-35 program which was further demonstrated by the decision by the DIEC on Friday.

October 28/16: Negotiations over low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10 of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter look close to conclusion following the completion of supplier discussions between Northrop Grumman and lead contractor Lockheed Martin. The talks indicate that Lockheed may soon wrap-up its 15-month talks with the Joint Program Office (JPO). But both the JPO and Lockheed have said that negotiations were still ongoing and gave no comment as to when they would come to an end.

October 27/16: Issues with insulation found inside F-35 fuel tanks has resulted in slower 3rd quarter deliveries of the next-generation fighter, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The comments were made during the release of the company’s third quarter profits, where the shortfall in deliveries was described as “light” this quarter. Fifteen F-35As belonging to the USAF and Norwegian Air Force were grounded in September due to the issue which also affected 42 models still on the production line. Grounded jets are due to return to the skies next month.

October 21/16: Norwegian F-35s grounded last month for repairs will be back in the air by November, sooner than expected. 15 F-35A Lightning II aircraft had been grounded in September due to peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks. The Norwegian Defense Ministry said the insulation is now being removed and extra filters installed to intercept any potential remains, although it has not yet been decided whether this fix should be regarded as temporary or permanent.

October 19/16: Contracts have been awarded to Lockheed Martin for the provision of the ninth batch F-35 Joint Strike Fighter totalling $743 million. The DoD allocation comes as negotiations for Lots 9 & 10 continue. One contract sets not-to-exceed prices for up to $385 million on a range of services for the US military’s F-35 customers, including redesign and development of components with diminishing manufacturing and material services while another $333 million is being allotted to set not-to-exceed prices for one F-35A and one F-35B on behalf of a non-US participant in the program. Another $25.4 million of the award comes from the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme to pay for “country unique requirements.”

October 17/16: A recommendation has been made by Australia’s Senate committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade that its defense department implement a “hedging strategy” against any delay with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program by 2019. While the committee stated that it had received evidence criticizing the F-35 and calls for participation to be scrapped, its members judged the F-35 as “the only aircraft able to meet Australia’s strategic needs for the foreseeable future.” The Australian Strategic Policy Institute told the committee the most sensible hedge would be procuring additional F/A-18F Super Hornets.

October 13/16: Twelve additional F-35A fighters have been requested by the Norwegian government. The proposal, if approved, would raise the total number of authorized F-35A purchases to 40 aircraft allowing Norway to participate in a proposed “block buy” for the F-35’s US and international partners. Unlike a multi-year procurement, a block buy does not lock the US or international partners into firm orders, but it gives Lockheed’s supply chain a long-term view of likely demand.

October 5/16: Singapore remains interested in purchasing the F-35, however it won’t be until a 2030s timeframe. While the country has long been linked to the F-35 program, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said his country’s crop of F-15s and F-16s will “last us well into the next one or two decades.” This is backed up by last December’s $914 million award to Lockheed Martin to upgrade Singapore’s 60 plane F-16 fleet, with work occurring through 2023.

September 28/16: The F-35 could be getting new engines by the mid-2020s, with the potential for either an upgraded version of the Pratt & Whitney F135 design currently in use or a new engine from a competitor. Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the Joint Program Office, made the announcement at last week’s Air Force Association conference. The USAF is currently in the early stages of funding their Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) competition, with both P&W and General Electric Aviation securing contracts worth $1.01 billion to research if its possible to “demonstrate 25 percent improved fuel efficiency, 10 percent increased thrust, and significantly improved thermal management.”

September 23/16: A fix has been found for a recently discovered issue on a number of F-35 fighters involving tubing insulation crumbling between the wing tank and fuselage tank. The USAF revealed last week that an unnamed supplier used the wrong coating for the insulation which deteriorated when it met fuel. A total of 15 USAF and Norwegian warplanes along with 42 models on the production line were affected by the issue with manufacturer Lockheed Martin fixed to cover engineering and modifications for all affected aircraft.

September 19/16: 13 USAF and 2 Norwegian F-35As have been grounded due to “peeling and crumbling” insulation on cooling lines inside their fuel tanks. The discoveries were made during routine maintenance checks on the aircraft in order to have the fighter’s status upgraded to initial operational capability. While Lockheed Martin works with several suppliers that are responsible for manufacturing the coolant lines, the issue has been traced back to the insulated coolant tubes manufactured by one particular unnamed provider that have only been installed in the wing fuel tanks of the 15 aircraft in question.

September 16/16: A legal challenge has been launched by Boeing against the Danish Ministry of Defense for selecting the Lockheed Martin F-35A over the F/A-18E/F as the air force’s next generation fighter. Citing a “flawed” evaluation process, Boeing submitted a request for insight to the Ministry of Defence to obtain all materials related to the selection. Denmark’s parliament approved a recommendation by the MoD to buy 27 F-35As in June after the fighter beat out the F/A-18 in the military, strategic, economic and industrial judging categories.

September 14/16: Lockheed Martin has announced that the Aegis weapon system has been successfully live-fire tested on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. During the test, an unmodified Marine Corps F-35B acted as an elevated sensor and detected an over-the-horizon threat. The jet sent data through the aircraft’s Multi-Function Advanced Data Link to a ground station connected to Aegis on the USS Desert Ship, a land-based ship.

August 30/16: The words “weapons tester,” “memo,” and “F-35A” have seldom come with good news; and the latest memo on the F-35A from director of Operational Test and Evaluation is no different. Despite the USAF declaring initial operational capability on the fighter earlier this month, the memo highlights many significant limitations that remain on the aircraft, in particular with the aircraft’s new Block 3i software. However, the Joint Program Office remains confident that the capability gaps will be fixed on the aircraft in time and under the current budget parameters.

August 26/16: Issues with weapons integration on the F-35 have been found and could hinder an operational capabilities declaration, according to the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) . Challenges include the possibility, when the jet fires its 25mm cannon, that the aircraft could yaw as the gun door opens, reducing accuracy. Testing last December also threw up issues with AIM-9X missiles on the F-35C. Here testers found excess stress on the carrier-variant’s wing structure during landings and certain maneuvers. This could have an impact on the wing structure and might warrant a redesign on that part of the wing.

$313 million is the price that Canada would have to pay if it is to exit from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The calculations were made by the Liberal government, and accounts for the difference of what Ottawa had contributed so far since 2006 and the $551 million it pledged to commit when it enrolled into the program. A Canxit from the program could occur with just 90 days written notice given to other partner nations.

August 25/16: After much waiting, trial and error, the F-35’s Block 3F software upgrade has speeded up testing of the new fighter’s weapons systems. Since it’s completion, Lockheed Martin has completed 30 weapons delivery accuracy tests in one month, compared to just three accomplished with the Block 2 software. These include Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and GPS-guided Small Diameter Bomb, and Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder.

August 22/16: Chemical and biological contamination testing is one of the few remaining tasks left to be ticked off on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter before certification for full-rate production. In order to do this, a decontamination system and facility has been constructed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and an F-35A attached to the 461st Flight Test Squadron will be the lucky volunteer. The late August tests will see the fighter (modified to be able to collect test data) contaminated several times and towed into the decontamination facility to see if it can be cleaned of chemical or biological weapons exposure.

August 17/16: The Pentagon has turned on the F-35 tap again, with the DoD approving another $1 billion in funding to go toward reimbursing Lockheed Martin for costs incurred on the ninth batch of aircraft. Last week’s decision offers some relief to the aircraft’s chief contractor who has been paying out of pocket for the fighter’s low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10. Meanwhile, contract negotiations over batch nine of aircraft with the Joint Program Office (JPO) rattles on after initial predictions had it wrapped up earlier this year.

British F-35Bs will be equipped with advanced short range air-to-air missiles (ASRAAM) from MBDA after London orders $238 million worth of the munition. Already in use on RAF’s Panavia Tornado GR4s and Eurofighter Typhoons, integration onto the F-35B is to be awarded in a separate MoD deal. MBDA, a European missile system conglomerate, has also been commissioned to support a Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) for the development of the new variant of the weapon for the RAF Typhoons in a deal worth $388 million. A Block 4 software upgrade will integrate the CSP ASRAAM on the F-35B.

August 8/16: A survey of 31 F-35A pilots has given their full confidence in the upcoming fifth generation fighter. According to the report, all asked would choose the F-35A over their former fighters if they were to engage in a beyond-visual-range fight. Furthermore, despite its cost, the F-35 was deemed notably more effective and in many cases cheaper than any other four-plus-generation multirole fighter in the world.

August 4/16: It’s been a long time coming, but the F-35A has been cleared for service by the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC). As a result, the 34th Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing has the honor of being the first unit declared operational. This follows the F-35B squadron which was passed for combat back in July 2015.

August 3/16: An F-35A has shot down its first aerial target with AIM-9X missiles off the coast of California. The kill test saw the fighter take down a drone, and test data confirmed the F-35 identified and targeted the drone with its mission systems sensors, passed the target “track” information to the missile, enabled the pilot to verify targeting information using the high off-boresight capability of the helmet mounted display (HMD), and launched the AIM-9X from the aircraft to engage the target. F-35s carry two AIM-9X missiles on their wings.

August 2/16: While it doesn’t seem so at first, an emerging problem for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is that it is almost too stealthy. Pilots flying the aircraft have discovered that they are unable to participate in certain training exercises such as evading surface-to-air threats. The inability on the ground to track the fighters had to be rectified by crews flipping on their transponders in order to be followed.

July 28/16: Plans are in motion for Israel to examine the contracting out of its F-35 fleet maintenance to domestic firms. Despite Lockheed Martin establishing a European regional maintenance facility at Cameri airbase in Italy, Tel Aviv maintains its desire to conduct as much maintenance as possible in house. Likely beneficiaries to such a move is Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) due to its experience in maintaining and upgrading existing IAF fleets.

July 25/16: Never mind the coup, it’s the F-35! Despite the recent attempt at political overthrow by certain cadres of Turkey’s military, Lockheed Martin is forging ahead with its planned production of the first two F-35As for Turkey. Assembly of the aircraft is expected to commence within the next six to twelve months and delivery scheduled for 2018. But could further political instability in an already volatile region put the deal into doubt, only time will tell.

July 22/16: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $241 million US Navy contract modification for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Under the deal, Lockheed will provide replacement electronic components for the aircraft with work to be completed by December 2018. The contract combines purchases for the USAF, USMC, Navy, foreign military sales customers and international partners.

July 11/16: Following the USAF’s desire to seek an alternative ejector seat for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed Martin has said it has not been approached for discussion over alternatives. Company officials said that they would be willing to assess any alternatives such as the favored ACES 5 seat if the government deemed necessary, although potential costs or integration issues were not mentioned. Last year, the Air Force found that pilots weighing less than 136 pounds were at risk of severe neck injury when ejected from the chosen F-35 using the selected Martin-Baker seat.

July 7/16: Martin-Baker, the supplier of the ejector seat to be used in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has refuted the suggestion that their design will not be sufficient to ensure pilot safety. On June 24, it was reported that the USAF was looking to certify rival United Technologies’ ACES 5 design as an alternative. The F-35 Joint Program Office has stood behind Martin-Baker in sticking with its selection, however this is in part due to the potential cost overruns it could cause to an already notoriously expensive program.

June 30/16: BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and the Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA) are to team up to bid for a significant long-term deal to become the avionics sustainment hub for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in Europe. The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the involvement of BAE and Northrop Grumman, but declined to say anything about whether DECA, the British state-owned components repair operation, would have a role; however, due to US government insistence, some avionics repairs on the jet here are only undertaken by UK government employees.

June 29/16: The USAF has released an infographic revealing that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter scored an 8:0 kill ratio against the F-15E during mock air combat. Using combat-coded F-35As from Hill Air Force Base, the simulations were part of the evaluation process needed in order to declare the jet to be initially operationally capable. The seven fighters used also demonstrated their ability to carry out basic close air support and limited SEAD/DEAD missions with crews attaining a 100% sortie generation rate with 88 of 88 planned sorties and a 94% hit rate with 15 of 16 GBU-12 bombs on target.

June 28/16: The USAF has sent a letter to the F-35 Joint Program Office inquiring on the cost and challenges of switching the default Martin-Baker ejection seat to the ACES 5. If such a move were to go ahead, the program could experience massive repercussions for the F-35 supply chain, impacting the workshare strategy that forms the backbone for the international fleet of the Lockheed Martin-designed fighter. Reasoning for inquiring about such a switch comes as the service looks to the ACES 5 as a potential risk mitigation step if additional things happen as we go through the testing of the Martin-Baker seat.

The US Navy is to conduct live-fire testing this September utlizing an F-35 to provide sensor data in order for an SM-6 anti-air missile to destroy its target. The demonstration comes as the service attempts to expand its Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) architecture with more sensors and weapons in order to tweak the system from a primarily anti-air sole to a secondary anti-surface capability.

June 21/16: Four Israeli pilots are to travel to the US next month to undergo F-35 training at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The training will be ground-based and the men will only fly the real aircraft back in Israel. It is expected that 12 pilots will have completed their training by the middle of 2017.

June 13/16: The ongoing debacle over Canada’s exit from the F-35 program may see Lockheed Martin shift contracts associated with the fighter away from Canadian contractors. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election promise to not order the next generation fighter, and government plans to purchase F/A-18 Super Hornets as an interim solution, has resulted in Ottawa not placing any orders for the fighter despite being an original partner nation in the project. With the F-35 supply chain contracts tied to the number of aircraft purchased by partner nations, Canadian companies may see work shifted to other partner nations who have seemingly been pestering Lockheed to do so. To date, Canadian firms account for about $1 billion of the project’s development and production work.

June 10/16: Canada’s new fighter jet selection has started to cause a bit of a ruckus in parliament with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slamming the F-35 as a fighter “that doesn’t work.” In response to the Liberal government’s plan to purchase F/A-18 Super Hornets as an interim fighter, Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose accused Trudeau of selecting a fighter jet without the proper knowledge of what the Royal Canadian Air Force needs. By purchasing Super Hornets on an interim basis, Trudeau would keep his election promise of renewing the CF-18 replacement competition but also perhaps kicking the can on any new fighter competition well into the late 2020s.

Denmark has officially selected the F-35 as its replacement for its F-16 fleet. The official announcement follows early indications that Copenhagen would purchase the fighter following a government recommendation in May for 27 F-35A models at a cost of $3 billion. Earlier, competitors such as Boeing had hoped that they could offer their F/A-18 Super Hornets by calling into question the F-35’s questionable cost estimates, but these efforts did nothing to curry favor with the Danes.

May 26/16: It may have been coming for some time, but the Pentagon has finally admitted that the F-35 will not be cleared for full rate production until 2018. Frank Kendell, the program’s chief weapons tester, had been warning of delays for some time; however, it had been maintained by some that the jet’s initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) would occur as planned in August or September 2017. Now that reality has hit home, the extra six months will be spent retrofitting the 23 aircraft required for IOT&E with the full 3F software and hardware patches.

May 25/16: The first two Dutch F-35As have successfully landed in the Netherlands, marking the Joint Strike Fighter’s first eastbound transatlantic journey. Dubbed AN-01 and AN-02, the fighters were welcomed by a crowd of 2,000 including Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. The aircraft will now spend the next few weeks conducting noise and environmental tests over the country, designed to determine the levels of noise disturbance the residents experience. The jets will perform flights over the North Sea range and then appear and fly at the Netherlands’ Open Days in June.

May 16/16: Testing of the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter‘s tailhook has commenced at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The JSF Integrated Test Force has been undertaking the tests, with stress tests being conducted on aircraft AF-04 at speeds up to 180 knots. On Air Force planes, tailhooks are only used to help the jet stop when landing distance is insufficient or if the jet has a brake malfunction or directional control issue. They are designed as a one-time use device, whereas Navy tailhooks like on the F-35C can deploy, retract and stow.

May 13/16: Denmark looks set to sign up for F-35 procurement with an order expected for at least 27 aircraft. The selection by the country’s minority Liberal government follows intense public debate about the cost of modernizing the country’s air force, but it can still be blocked by parliament, where opposition politicians are urging budget restraint. Alternatives offered to the government came from Boeing with their older F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon.

May 9/16: The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has announced that it has solved the next generation fighter’s glitch-prone combination of software and hardware called Block 3i. The patch may now clear the way for the USAF’s first Lightning II combat squadron to declare initial operational capability (IOC) between August and December of this year. Glitches in the Block 3i software have been causing problems since flight testing commenced in May 2014, with the most recent issue affecting the radar on F-35s with pilots having to turn the radar off and on again mid-flight.

May 4/16: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1.2 billion contract for the production of 13 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Delivery of the fighters will see six F-35Bs sent to the USMC, three F-35As for the USAF and four F-35Cs for the US Navy. Work on the fighters is expected to be completed by December 2019.

April 28/16: Israel’s eagerness to customize its orders of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters has already seen its first app created for the next generation jet. Utilizing the open-architecture software design found in the Lockheed Martin designed fighter, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed its own command, control, communications, and computing (C4) system which will be equipped on the aircraft in December. The software is an upgrade of an existing C4 system the Israeli air force flies on its F-15 and F-16 fighters.

April 27/16: Recent software glitches found in the APG-81 radar for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have not caused any problems for F-35Bs operated by the USMC. The comments were made by Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation Lt. Gen. Jon Davis as he appeared in front of the US Senate Armed Services seapower committee. Davis said that the glitches, which caused the fighter’s radars to reset mid-flight, only occurred on code found in the 3I software update which the Marine Corps never uploaded onto their jets, instead keeping with the older 2B version.

April 22/16: It doesn’t look likely that the F-35 will be sold to any Gulf nation within the next decade, allowing Israel regional exclusivity to the fifth-generation jet fighter. The widely held, but not often articulated belief by many Israeli officials, is that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members will not have access to the fighter until Israel has fully integrated the F-35 into its arsenal. This belief has been given further weight after US Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work indicated such a move was unlikely, saying that “right now, we do not have any expectation for selling the F-35 in the near term, beyond the countries that have already bought into the program.”

April 14/16: A deal has been reached between the Pentagon and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney to provide the ninth low rate production of F135 engines for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The $1.4 billion deal covers 66 engines, as well as spares, extra parts, and support. Part of the order will include engines for five of the F-35 partners, including Italy, Norway, Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

March 31/16: The Pentagon’s joint program office (JPO) is expecting a slimmed down Gen-3 helmet by November for rollout in 2017. The announcement makes the Rockwell Collins design’s introduction sooner than initially expected. Earlier versions of the helmet were revised due to a potential for causing neck injury. Problems with the F-35’s ejector system had resulted in potential injuries for lightweight pilots, however fixes have been made including a switch on the Martin Baker US16E (MK16) ejection seat that delays the parachute’s opening “by milliseconds” when occupied by a lightweight pilot, plus a head support panel sewn between the parachute risers. However, a weight reduction for the third-generation helmet from 2.3kg (5.1lb) to 2.1kg (4.6lb) has also been required.

March 29/16: Despite the delays, spiraling costs, and cynics, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has gone on a global publicity tour to win over hearts and minds for the fifth-generation stealth aircraft. Two planes due for the Netherlands are expected in June, so that they “can tell their story.” This is followed by American and UK planes performing at UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Airshow in July. The program has been questioned by several nations, including Australia where their Senate is leading an inquiry into the planned acquisition of up to 72 conventional A-models. The inquiry will report its findings on 29 June.

March 28/16: F-35s are going to be in the sky longer than expected with their service life now extended to 2070. After military branches made tweaks to the number of flight hours their fleets should log before retirement, it was announced that the program may be extended for an additional six years. Between all military branches operating the aircraft, a total of 1.6 million flight hours have been added, which will boost the operating and support (O&S) costs by $45 billion over the 2015 estimate (hiding the 2-4% drop in real 0&S costs over the life of the program).

March 25/16: Software troubles on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program may cause a key milestone for initial operational capability (IOC) to be delayed by up to four months, although that is an improvement over the Joint Program Offices’s projection a year ago. The schedule delay is primarily due to software “stability” issues, seen in both Blocks 3i and 3F, with Block 3F capabilities estimated not be ready for IOT&E until 2018 at the earliest.

March 25/16: Despite potential delays to the F-35 IOC, the Pentagon has dropped the estimated price of its acquisition of 2,457 fighters by $12.1 billion. The drop marks a 3% decrease on the expected costs declared a year ago. This could potentially dissuade the program’s nay-sayers who have often derided the program’s soaring costs, potentially persuading Denmark and Canada who are currently on the fence, to perhaps continue with their participation in the Joint Strike Fighter Program.

March 22/16: Delaying investment into a 6th generation fighter has been recommended by Lockheed Martin, who is instead favoring a “robust” modernization program to keep fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s capable against new counter-air threats. The comments were made by the company’s Skunk Works chief Rob Weiss, who claims such a modernization will achieve the air dominance that America desires for the next 30 to 40 years. Lockheed currently holds dominance in the fifth generation market, and looks to push block upgrades of existing aircraft as the USAF and Navy assess their fighter requirements over the oncoming decades. Meanwhile, competitors Boeing and Northrop Grumman would like to break back into the high-end combat jet market after losing the winner takes all Joint Strike Fighter competition.

March 16/16: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will test the new Generation III Helmet-Mounted Display System this month, as it aims to counter problems with the jet’s ongoing ejection seat issues. Since August, a ban has been placed on lightweight pilots from flying the aircraft, as the current helmet may cause neck injury during low-speed ejections. The later version of the helmet is 8 ounces lighter than its predecessor, and is one of several options being worked on to counter potential injuries. The other options involve modifications to the ejector seat, and are scheduled to enter the production line this November.

March 9/16: Bugs in the F-35A 3i software are forcing pilots to restart the AESA radars while in flight. The glitch represents one of the greatest threats to the USAF’s initial operational capability (IOC), expected sometime between 1 August and 31 December. The root cause of the problem has been identified by lead contractor Lockheed Martin, now in the process of running the software solution through lab tests. The patch is expected to be delivered to the USAF by the end of March.

March 8/16: Canada’s participation in the F-35 program continues to be shrouded in confusion. The government plans to pay an installment of $32.9 million in May to continue its involvement in procuring the Joint Strike Fighter. This runs contrary to promises made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to abandon the project during the run-up to the federal election in October. Trudeau had pledged that a cheaper alternative could be found as a replacement to the country’s aging CF-18 fighters, however, the F-35 has been allowed to participate in the latest replacement competition. The payment will ensure Canada’s place in the program until September 30, 2016, when a more concrete decision on the CF-18 competition may have been made.

March 2/16: Combat-coded F-35sdropped their first live munitons in testing last week. Laser-guided bombs were used by the USAF’s 388th and 419th fighter wings at the Utah Test & Training Range. While Air Force F-35s have dropped weapons in test environments, this is the first time it’s been done on jets designed to deploy once the Air Force declares initial operational capability planned for between August and December.

Lockheed Martin received a $769.5 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm contract to provide recurring logistics sustainment services support for all delivered F-35 jets for the USAF, USMC, Navy, non-Department of Defense participants, and foreign military sales customers. Support provided includes ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance, reliability, maintainability and health management implementation support, supply chain management and activities to provide and support pilot and maintain initial training.

February 17/16: Israel’s tanker procurement plan, and whether it will acquire more F-35s, will depend on how much assistance it will get from the US Foreign Military Funding package over the next ten years. Sources commenting on ongoing negotiations say that the Pentagon is likely to increase funding by up to $1 billion, which will set funds at $4.1 billion annually. The increase would see Israel commit to selecting the Boeing KC-45A tanker which is currently undergoing advanced testing under its Milestone C demonstration. The increase in funding could also see further purchases of the F-35I, adding to the current order of 33, the first of which are due this year.

The executive vice-president of the aeronautics business at Lockheed Martin, Orlando Carvalho, has indicated the Asia Pacific market may see another 100 orders of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter over the coming years. With three regional allies; Japan, South Korea, and Australia so far ordering 154 of the aircraft across its three models, further additions could be added to these fleets, although no mention has been made about potential new customers. With Australia indicating that it may bring up its fleet from 74 to 100 and Japan potentially seeking to build more of their own under license, that number may be possible. Another potential purchase may be from Singapore, who is considering the F-35, although there has been no indication of the size of the order under consideration.

February 12/16: The head of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has played down reductions to the F-35A annual procurement quota to 48. Lt. Gen Christopher Bogden said that this would be upped to 60 units annually from fiscal 2018-2020. When adjusted for increased orders for the F-35B & F-35C procurement, the program will see 36 less F-35 aircraft procured overall between 2017-2021. Bogden has claimed however that the overall price per unit to the program will only increase fractionally by 1%. While warnings have been given that the forces aren’t modernizing quickly enough to counter Russia and China, the deferrals in production may come as a financial positive in the long run. With 20% of development testing yet to go in the program, reducing procurement at this stage will save on costly modernization of models produced in the next two years.

February 10/16: MBDA has started deliveries of a number of Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air missiles (ASRAAM) to the US for integration on the UK’s F-35B fighters. The ASRAAMs will be the first British built missiles to be used on the jet, and will be used during test flights and air launches later this year. The missile can be seen in use on the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornados. The British contribution to the manufacture of the F-35 program stands at about 15% of every fighter, with BAE Systems responsible for the production of the aircraft’s horizontal and vertical tails, aft fuselage, and wing tips. 138 F-35Bs will be bought for use by the RAF and Royal Navy.

February 9/16: The first Italian-made, flown and supported F-35A has become the first in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to complete a transatlantic crossing. The AL-1 took off from Portugal’s Azores islands and reached Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland seven hours later after flying 2,000nm. The fighter was flown by former Panavia Tornado pilot, Maj Gianmarco who has accumulated over 80 hours of flight time in the aircraft since graduating to fly the F-35A type in November. Refueling of the jet also took place supported by an Italian crew manning a KC-767 tanker with Gianmarco noting a 100% success rate on all occasions.

February 8/16: The US Department of Defense will acquire 404 F-35 fighters over the next five years. That number is a decrease of 5-7% on last year’s plan. The order will see $40 billion in revenue going to manufacturer Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt & Whitney. The deviation from last year’s plan comes as the Pentagon is shifting orders away from models ordered for the Air Force instead giving preference to the Navy & Marine Corps models. The coming years will see a total of 2,457 F-35s spread around all three military branches.

February 5/16: USAF orders of the F-35A jet will drop from forty-eight to forty-three in Fiscal Year 2017. However, the budget will include increased money to purchase ten additional F-35C models for the Navy and three F-35B models for the Marines over what had been planned. It’s unclear whether the total number of total aircraft to be procured under the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program will decrease overall. The move has not been too surprising as analysts and government officials have hinted that changes to JSF procurement could change. The cutting of the F-35As in 2017 is expected to free up millions in savings over the next several years.

February 3/16: A recent report from the Pentagon’s top weapons tester has raised serious questions over the F-35 program’s “unrealistic test schedule”. Michael Gilmore’s annual F-35 report released on Monday follows a recently leaked memo from December 2015 that highlighted issues over the jet’s software development. The report flags these testing issues as potentially delaying the operational evaluation by up to a year, with flight testing not likely to be completed until at least January 2018. It had been initially hoped that testing would be completed by August 2017, after program re-baselining in 2012. As a result of these delays, Gilmore also warned against current block buying of the fighter with 250 planned to be locked-in before the (Initial Operational Test and Evaluation) IOT&E. At present, 150 fully operational jets have been delivered by Lockheed and will all require extensive modification to the Block 3F standard once development concludes.

Ahead of the Pentagon’s February 9 official budget release, Defense Secretary Ash Carter mapped out his spending priorities on Tuesday. Among the plans include a $13 billion plan in funding for a new submarine to carry nuclear ballistic missiles over the next five years. This would be broken down into $4 billion towards research and development of new submarines, with $9 billion spent on procurement funding. The Navy may also see twelve more Super Hornet’s procured to make up for shortages caused by delays to Lockheed’s F-35 program, and longer-than-expected repair times for current Boeing F/A-18 jets. The budget also outlines a total 322 F-35s across its A, B and C models but following the recommendations in Michael Gilmore’s most recent report, this could be more wishful thinking than the eventual reality.

January 27/16: Despite recent successful testing of missiles on the F-35, a DoD weapons expert has expressed concerns over the fighter’s software development. A recently reported December memo from Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation, expresses worry that plans to finish work on the F-35’s Block 3F software by July 2017 are unrealistic. Rushing the testing schedule for the software could result in a failure for the crucial IOC testing before the decison is made to put the jet into full production. The Joint Program Office, however, has dismissed the concerns, maintaining that the program is on track and that IOC dates for the Navy and Army will be met.

January 25/16: Falling oil prices and a weakening currency may effect Norway’s participation in the F-35 program. The increase in economic worries has seen Norway look to re-evaluate its defense spending commitments as the Krone falls against the US dollar, making the already expensive F-35 acquisition seem even more pricey. Alternatives to covering the costs of the fifty-two plane commitment may see the order reduced, or spending cut from elsewhere. The slash in other areas would force Norway to rethink its military strategy, and perhaps rely much more heavily on NATO.

January 20/16: The F-35 program will face one of its first live test challenges when a combat-coded F-35A will release an inert, laser-guided bomb at the Utah Test and Training Range between February and March. The releasing of the GBU-12 Paveway II will be the first one conducted outside of development or operational testing, and will mark a milestone in the development of a program plagued by delays, redesigns and spiraling costs. The full compliment of weapons will not arrive until late 2017. Until then, the Air Force will first operate with basic laser and GPS-guided weapons, as well as beyond-visual-range AIM-120 air-to-air missiles. It will also have advanced targeting, surveillance and radar-jamming equipment.

January 19/16: Engine makers Pratt & Whitney will make engines for the F-35 program. Details of the agreement have yet to be finalized, but two contracts will be issued to produce 167 engines to power Lockheed Martin’s latest jet within the next month. Further details of the deals have yet to be realized, but sources close to the deal revealed that the production of the engines alongside engineering support, spare parts and program management, would be worth more than $3 billion to Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corporation. The USAF said that the latest contracts will help drive down costs of the program which makes it affordable for customers.

January 18/16: All variants of the F-35 fighter jet are to get design overhauls since the discovery that the fuel tanks could over-pressurize in certain flight profiles; 154 F-35s have been delivered to date. Lockheed Martin has already received contracts to implement fixes on F-35A and F-35B, and are currently putting together a proposal for engineering works on the F-35C. Fuel tank ruptures have potentially devastating consequences, especially for fast moving aircraft such as the F-35s, with the potential to cost millions of dollars worth of damage.

January 14/16: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $28 million concurrency modification contract to correct a fuel tank overpressure issue for the F-35A fighter. The award will see them provide services for air vehicle retrofit modifications associated with the F-35A fuel tank overpressure engineering change. Work will be carried out for the Air Force, and the governments of Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway. The modification in design is not expected to effect the IOC of the aircraft.

January 12/16: The USAF will not be lifting weight restrictions on F-35 pilots until at least 2018. The push back comes as ejector seat manufacturer Martin-Baker needs more time to conduct additional testing on the ejector seat safety features in the fighters. The program has been experiencing problems with this specific aspect of the plane’s development since the summer of 2015, but this has just been one of many issues to have dogged the program amid increased delays and spiraling costs. The Pentagon hopes to make the aircraft’s European debut at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK this summer after engine issues forced it to be omitted from last year’s show. No doubt foreign partners in the program will be following with interest.

A delegation from Israel’s defense ministry has visited a Lockheed Martin production facility in Forth Worth, Texas as the frames of their first F-35I’s enter their advanced production phase. Israeli procurement of the F-35 fighter, dubbed the AS-1, differs slightly from the standard model of F-35A to be exported to other nations involved in the program. Unique features include the integration of Israel’s own electronic warfare systems into the aircraft’s built-in electronic suite, as well as the ability to use indigenously produced guided and air-to-air missiles. Israel has ordered thirty-three F-35I fighters at a cost of $3.6 billion.

December 23/15: Canada’s recent exit of the F-35 fighter program may not be as cut and dried as promised on the campaign trail by the Liberal Party government. During a recent interview, defense minister Harjit Sajjan sidestepped answering questions on whether the Lockheed Martin F-35 jet would be excluded from a competition to replace the CF-18 fleet. The government hopes to replace the aging CF-18 flight before they become obsolete. Recent promises by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to back out of the F-35 development program and find a replacement that was more cost effective has resulted in a new selection process. However, it was unclear whether the F-35 could come under consideration again. Canada has yet to set the terms for the replacement competition, but Lockheed may just have a second chance in 2016.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1.17 billion advance acquisition contract for the F-35 fighter. The contract includes the advance procurement of long lead time materials, parts, components and effort to maintain the planned production schedule for F-35 low rate initial production lot 11 aircraft. It will see the production of 80 of the F-35A variant, seven of the F-35B variant and four F-35C aircraft that are destined for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as sales to foreign allies.

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.

December 15/15: Israel may potentially increase their orders of F-35 fighters as it holds the option to purchase 17 more, enough for two squadrons. They have already purchased 33 of the F-35A variant which allows for conventional take off capabilities, while the F-35B allows for operations in more austere bases and a range of air-capable ships near frontline combat zones. It can also take off and land conventionally from longer runways on major bases. The Defense Ministry hopes that the addition will increase Israel’s offensive capabilities and qualitative edge amid regional threats.

Singapore is apparently in no rush to order some F-35s after Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen visited the Luke Air Force Base, Arizona on December 13. The minister was there for a demonstration of the fighters capabilities, and to see the Singapore Air Force’s (SAF) F-15s compete in training exercises. While speaking highly of the progress of the F-35’s development, he failed to commit to any future purchase of the aircraft for the SAF. Hen’s comments come at a time when several countries linked to the program are either renewing commitment to the F-35 program (Norway), or hesitating over costs and performance (Australia, Canada). Perhaps Minister Hen just wants to be wooed a little more.

December 14/15: The USS America has been the first west coast Navy vessel to receive upgrades to support F-35 operations. The modifications saw key areas of the flight deck have a thermal spray applied to key landing areas which will allow the ship to fully support the new fighter. The thermal coatings will allow the USS America to handle the new F-35’s thrust; reducing heat sent to decks below, allowing for longer time between deck maintenance. It is expected that other members of the America-class ships will undergo the application, to allow for facilitating the jets as part of the US Navy’s plans to increase air capabilities of fleets.

Norway is to order six more F-35 fighters after the government approved a new defense budget worth $5.6 billion. The approval sees an increase of 9% in defense spending. The move comes as a reiteration of Norway’s commitment to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, and will see the number of jets authorized for purchase increase to 28. Delivery of the jets is expected to take place in 2020.

December 7/15: Denmark has further postponed its selection of a new fighter to replace the F-16 until 2016. After it was initially reported that they would select the F-35 this month, funding issues around the acquisition have caused the new government to put further consideration into the commitment. After contributing an estimated $291 million into the project, issues surrounding technical problems and soaring costs may have the Danes looking elsewhere for their fighter needs. Denmark hasn’t been the only country having a wobble over the F-35. Canada announced last month that it was withdrawing from the Joint Strike Fighter development program, and last week, the Australian Senate voted in favor of an inquiry into their acquisition plans.

Italy has received its first F-35 fighter after it came off the assembly on Thursday. While six other countries have received the planes, Italy is the first to have the final assembly done outside of the US. The unveiling took place at the Cameri Air Base where the final assembly and check out (FACO) line is located. It is owned by the Italian government and operated by Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi and Lockheed Martin. Italy will also have the honor of taking the F-35 on its first ever trans-Atlantic flight in February 2016, when three Italian pilots are set to receive training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

Pakistan has announced plans to acquire 5th generation fighters internationally and still continue to develop its own line of JF-17 planes. The move comes as regional rivals have been upgrading military capabilities, with India recently purchasing 126 Rafale fighters from France. According to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, the desired choice for the PAF is the Lockheed Martin F-35, but they are also looking at other options. Pakistan will continue to export the JF-17 to other countries with Egypt the latest country to express interest in the plane.

December 4/15: The Australian Senate will launch an inquiry into its planned acquisition of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters after a vote on Monday. The Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade committee will investigate how the fighter will integrate with the air force’s needs, its cost and benefits, performance testing and possible alternatives. The Royal Australian Air Force has planned to purchase 72 of the aircraft with the possibility of increasing to 100 fighters. At $11.7 billion, it is the most expensive defence acquisition program to date. Findings in the report will be presented to the Senate in May 2016.

November 30/15: The Australian senate is to vote on whether it to is examine the purchase of F-35 fighters in a deal worth $24 billion ($17.25 billion US). The vote comes in the aftermath of Canada announcing that it is to back out of its own orders last month. The investigation would look into the deal and what would be the best value for money for Australia and its defense requirements. Canada’s withdrawal from the F-35 program has brought about confusion over pricing as it was announced by US Air Force Lieutenant-General Chris Bogdan that costs of each aircraft were likely to increase by $1 million. This was contrary to previous assurances by the Australian Department of Defence that no extra costs would be incurred by Australia. Australia is one of eight nations working in conjunction with the US to develop and purchase the new fighter. The result of the vote will be watched with interest as the program could see a domino effect of cancellations as confidence in the program wanes.

November 23/15: US Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work has suggested that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter will take part in Canada’s latest jet selection competition. The announcement comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he would not be purchasing the jet as part of Canada’s replacement of older CF-18s. Work’s comments appear contrary to the Canadian administration but seems to be coming across as part of US efforts to rescue Canadian participation in the program.

While rumours continue over the fate of Canada and the F-35 program, Denmark is expected to confirm an order for the aircraft this December. It was reported last year that the order would be for 30 of the aircraft and would be replace the F-16s that are currently in service in the Royal Danish Air Force. Other European countries expected to make purchases include Norway and the Netherlands.

November 17/15: A crack has been found on the wing of the F-35C fighter during durability testing earlier this month. The crack was located on one of the 13 wing spars of the aircraft but the Pentagon has assured that the government and engineering teams are working on a solution and retrofits are being planned for existing aircraft. The US Navy does not see the setback impacting upon the planned Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of the C model set for August 2018. One does wonder will this impact upon Canada’s order of the aircraft which has been put into question since the election of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month. Trudeau announced that he would put an end to their participation in the F-35 program for a more costly alternative during campaigning. This may increase the cost by US$1 million per aircraft.

November 9/15: Two Italian pilots have completed initial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training at Luke Air Force Base, allowing them to return to Italy and form a bedrock for the Italian Air Force’s F-35 training program. Italy is a Tier 2 partner in the program, with a planned procurement of 90 F-35s.

November 5/15: Lockheed Martin has been handed a $5.37 billion contract action for 55 Lot IX Joint Strike Fighters, including 41 F-35As, 12 F-35Bs and 2 F-35Cs. Six of the F-35As are to complete foreign sales to Norway, while seven are headed for Israel and two for Japan. Half of the 12 F-35B variants are for the Royal Navy, with the remaining B and C models for the Marine Corps and Navy respectively.

November 4/15: The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has fired its GAU-22/A internal cannon while airborne for the first time, following ground testing in July. The 25mm cannon was fired in three bursts above Edwards AFB, with further tests involving a production F-35A planned for next year. The Air Force will pass the F-35A’s Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) without the aircraft’s internal gun system, with the weapon scheduled to enter service in 2017 as part of the aircraft’s Block 3F upgrade.

October 23/15: The Pentagon says that the work to fix the F-35’s ejection seat could take another year, with the program office stating that the manufacturer of the seat – UK firm Martin Baker – will have to cover the redesign costs. Issues with the US16E ejection seat grounded lightweight pilots at the end of September, with the risk of serious neck injury in low-speed ejections deemed too high; however, the restrictions only affected one out of the 215 pilots trained to fly the Joint Strike Fighter. The program office intends to install a head support panel in addition to a switch designed to slightly slow deployment of the ejection seat’s parachute.

If Canada’s new Liberal government decides to pull out from the F-35 program, the per-unit cost across the international program could rise by $1 million, according to the head of the Joint Strike Fighter’s program office. While there would be no impact on the F-35’s development program – scheduled to end in 2017 – the loss of Canada’s previous 65-aircraft order could drive up the cost by as much as 1% for the remaining international partners, owing to the requirement to cover future maintenance and modernization costs.

October 21/15: With Canada’s Liberal party securing victory in the country’s national elections, the potential procurement of Canadian F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are likely to be dropped, with leader Justin Trudeau announcing in September that he would scrap the controversy-ridden program. He has promised an “open and transparent competition” to find a replacement for the Canadian fleet of CF-18 Hornets, with work guarantees for Canadian industry built into any future contract. The savings from buying a less expensive fighter are to be funnelled to the Royal Canadian Navy to shore up expensive shipbuilding plans, with Lockheed Martin standing to lose $6 billion from the decision. However, the decision to back out from the F-35 program – which Canada signed up to in 2002 – could see work for Canadian firms in the F-35 supply base disappear completely.

October 15/15: The problems grounding lightweight pilots from flying the F-35 are now thought to be centered on the Joint Strike Fighter’s sophisticated Gen III helmet. The helmet – designed and built by Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems – is now thought to be too heavy to ensure a safe ejection at low speeds. The precise issue of whether the Martin Baker ejection seat or the helmet requires modification – or both – is currently under review by the Joint Project Office.

October 12/15: The Navy has completed testing of the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35C, aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). The two aircraft used in the trials carried out ‘high risk’, heavy launches, involving simulated weapons loads and low airspeeds. These trials build on previous testing (in November 2014) of the F-35C’s ability to land and take off from carriers. When the F-35Cs landed aboard the carrier in early October the trials were also slated to test the JPALS landing assistance system, with no word yet as to whether this was achieved. A third round of at-sea testing is scheduled for summer 2016, with the F-35C developmental testing now approximately 80% complete.

October 5/15: An F-35 released a weapon from its external rack for the first time in late September, according to a Lockheed Martin press release Friday. A test aircraft released four 500lb GBU-12 JDAM bombs over the Atlantic Test Range, building on testing conducted by the Marines in June when GBU-12 and GBU-32 JDAMs were dropped, presumably from the Joint Strike Fighter’s internal weapons bay.

Meanwhile an F-35C landed aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on Friday as part of the second round of at-sea testing for the F-35C known as DT-II. Following the first round of tests in November – which included a catapult launch – this set of trials will also test the fighter’s fancy helmet, the Joint Precision Approach Landing System (JPALS) and operations with a full internal weapons bay. The tests are slated to last two weeks.

October 2/15: An issue with the F-35‘s ejection seat has grounded lightweight pilots from flying the aircraft, according to a report by Defense News. The issue was uncovered during testing in August and the restriction (of pilots weighing less than 136lb) is reportedly only an interim measure until the manufacturer – Martin-Baker – can develop a solution to the problem in cooperation with the F-35’s Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin. Fighter ejection seats are supposed to be capable of accommodating pilots weighing between 103 and 246lbs.

September 25/15: The next set of testing on the F-35C will include new pilot helmets, integration with the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) and operations involving a full internal weapons bay, with these scheduled to take place during the first half of October. The Navy will build on tests conducted at sea in November, which saw the carrier version of the Joint Strike Fighter achieve 100% of its threshold requirements.

September 23/15: The Dutch Defense Ministry has penned an agreement with engine-manufacturer Pratt & Whitney for a Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul & Upgrade workshop in the south of the country to support future F-35 operations. The company’s F-135 engine powers the F-35, with the new workshop at the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Woensdrecht Logistics Centre set to become a dedicated engine support facility from 2019. The country was selected by the DoD in December to support F-35 heavy engine maintenance, along with Norway and Turkey, and placed its first order for eight F-35A fighters in March.

September 18/15: The Dutch F-35 program could rise in cost by an additional half-million euros, bringing the program up to EUR5.2 billion ($5.9 billion). The rising cost has been attributed to the dollar’s exchange rate, something likely to continue altering the program’s costs as the Dutch place incremental orders to eventually fulfill their requirement for 37 F-35s, replacing their fleet of F-16s. The first tranche of eight F-35s was ordered in March, with these scheduled for delivery in 2019.

September 17/15: A leaked memo has uncovered serious concerns over the Marine Corps’ operational testing of F-35B aircraft aboard USS Wasp (LHD-1) in May, undermining the aircraft’s Initial Operating Capability in July. The memo, penned by the director of the Pentagon’s Operational Test and Evaluation Office, cites a poor availability rate, a lack of realistic operational challenges and an absence of key mission systems. The first has been noted before, with this new memo as critical of how the tests were designed and supported as the aircraft themselves, including the discovery that the Wasp required software upgrades to communicate effectively with the F-35Bs.

September 16/15: The Air Force could deploy F-35As as soon as they reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC), according to the head of the aircraft’s Integration Program Office. With the Air Force scheduled to operate a squadron of operational F-35s by the beginning of August 2016, the three missions likely to be tasked to these 12 to 14 aircraft are close air support, interception of enemy aircraft and suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). The first of these is becoming increasingly controversial, given the Joint Strike Fighter’s fist fight with the combat-proven A-10, while SEAD is closer to the original mission set intended for the F-35.

However, the Air Force first needs to rectify its current poor availability rate before IOC and deployment of its F-35s can take place. The Automated Logistics Information System (ALIS) is proving to be a problem for the Air Force and will likely be the most significant obstacle ahead of achieving IOC next year. Despite recent software upgrades, the ALIS system is proving to be a sticking point, with an accelerated production schedule likely to place increasing logistical demands on both the supply base and Air Force.

September 14/15: Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new Advanced Electro-Optical Targeting System for the F-35‘s Block 4 configuration. Designed to replace the current EOTS in operation with existing F-35s, the new version has been a priority for the program, while the Pentagon announced in May that it was to decide which weapon systems it would bake into the Block 4 configuration. A prototype of the Advanced EOTS is expected to make an appearance next year, while the Block 4 configuration is scheduled to be rolled out between 2019 and 2025.

September 11/15: An accelerated F-35 production schedule could stress suppliers, with the program office planning a three-fold increase in the number of Joint Strike Fighters produced each year over the next three years. The pressure on the production line’s supply base is also likely to be compounded by the requirement for incremental upgrades to in-service F-35s, along with a continued issues with the Automated Logistics Informations System (ALIS). Recently updated, the ALIS system saw problems earlier this year which built on persistent schedule delays in 2014. Lockheed Martin was awarded a $430.9 million contract at the end of August to further develop the system.

Aug 14/15: The Navy is reportedly considering reducing the number of F-35C fighters it plans to procure, alluding to budgetary concerns. The Navy is also less enthused by the Joint Strike Fighter compared to the Marines and Air Force because of the Service operating more modern aircraft, including new and upgraded Super Hornets.

Aug 3/15: The Marines announced on Friday that ten F-35Bs of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 have achieved Initial Operating Capability, the first IOC milestone for the F-35 program. The announcement comes after both an Operational Readiness Inspection, which concluded mid-July, and shipborne testing aboard USS Wasp in May. The IOC was announced despite reports that the latter tests uncovered significant reliability issues with the aircraft.

July 30/15: The six Marine Corps’ F-35Bs which underwent testing on USS Wasp in May reportedly showed poor reliability performance, with the aircraft reportedly only achieving availability of around 50%. This is undoubtedly a factor Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joe Dunford has considered as he finalizes the jet’s paperwork for achieving Initial Operating Capability. A decision on whether the F-35B is ready for limited combat operations is expected imminently, with the USMC deciding in March to push on to a timetabled IOC target of fourth quarter 2015, despite issues with the fighter’s 2B software.

July 28/15: The F-35B’s Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) – the system designed to monitor and relay critical aircraft system data – has received its final software upgrade ahead of the fighter achieving Initial Operating Capability. The system has also received critical hardware modifications. IOC for the Marine Corps’ first F-35Bs is expected later this year, with the Corps deciding in March to push on according to schedule, despite issues with the jet’s 2B software.

July 24/15: The F-35’s GAU-22/A 25mm cannon has been tested on the ground at Edwards Air Force Base, with the General Dynamics-designed weapon having been developed for both internal and external gun systems of the Joint Strike Fighter. The cannon is mounted on an external pod for the F-35B and C variants, with the Air Force’s F-35A variant positioning the weapon internally. The four-barrel system allows the fighter to let loose just 180 rounds per reload, allowing for three short passes at best. That last problem featured heavily in criticism of the Air Force for floating the idea – since backtracked – that the F-35A could serve as the main ground forces protection platform. The program has been busy testing other weapons in recent weeks, including the Marines testing live JDAM bombs in early July. The Pentagon has been mulling what to include in future F-35 weapon tranches, with options including the Small Diameter Bomb II and Joint Strike Missile, as well as several others.

July 15/15: On Tuesday, Lockheed Martin was awarded a further $718.3 million contract modification for parts, support services and simulators in support of the F-35’s Lot 8 low rate initial production. The LRIP Lot 8 contract was agreed last year, with 43 of the fighters scheduled for production under Lot 8. Also on Tuesday, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $101.3 million advance acquisition contract for 383 Helmet Mounted Displays for use with the F-35 by the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, international partners and the governments of Japan and Israel through Foreign Military Sales.

July 6/15: The Marine Corps conducted its first successful live ordnance drops from a F-35B in late June, the USMC announced on Friday. The Joint Strike Fighters dropped both inert and live ordnance, which consisted of JDAM GPS-guided munitions in both GBU-12 and GBU-32 configurations. The Marine Corps decided in May to push on towards the F-35B’s Initial Operating Capability (IOC) objective timetabled for 1 July, despite the unearthing of software problems. While it appears that the 1 July objective IOC date has now been missed, the jet has until December to achieve this milestone, with the dropping of live ordnance reportedly one of the last remaining items on a checklist of required capability tests required for IOC.

July 1/15: In a damning report obtained by War is Boring, the F-35A was out-performed by a F-16D in a mock dogfight in January. The newer jet failed to manoeuvre fast or agile enough to defeat the older fighter, despite the F-16 flying with two external fuel tanks. The unnamed pilot listed off numerous serious problems with the fighter, including a low nose climb rate and a cramped cockpit space, as well as other manoeuvrability issues reducing the ability of the pilot to see and kill the older jet, an issue that has come up before. On Monday Lockheed Martin was handed a $19.6 million contract modification to provide requirements development and maturation efforts for the Joint Strike Fighter.

June 29/15: With Naval Air Station Lemoore set to become the backbone of the Navy’s future strike capability, the Navy awarded a contract Friday for the construction of infrastructure to support the base’s fleet of F-35Cs. The $20.2 million task order covers the construction of new buildings to house JSF simulators, as well as classrooms and briefing rooms. NAS Lemoore beat out NAS El Centro last fall to become the Pacific Fleet’s F-35 base, with Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA 101), the F-35C replacement squadron, set to relocate to the base in early 2017.

June 25/15: A US-UK team have successfully tested the F-35B’s short take-off capabilities from a replica carrier ski-jump, the British Ministry of Defence announced Wednesday. The testing is currently in its first iteration, with these tests designed to reduce risk before the JSF is launched from the deck of an actual carrier. The new Elizabeth-class carriers under construction for the Royal Navy will feature a ski-jump, in contract to the new Gerald Ford-class carriers which will feature electromagnetic catapults.

June 19/15: Not a single F-35A was downed by “hostile” fire during the Air Force’s recent Green Flag West exercise, the first exercise in which the Joint Strike Fighter has participated. None of the F-35s were shot down, whilst F-16s and A-10s were. The inclusion of the JSF in the exercises has been criticized as a public relations stunt; additionally, the level of operational pressure the F-35s were put under during the exercises compared with other aircraft has not been released. Whether the F-35 genuinely outperformed the other aircraft and as a result received no simulated destruction – or was just exposed to less severe operational testing – is hard to say.

June 4/15: Lockheed Martin saw a $920.4 million advanced acquisition contract on Thursday for the F-35 program. This award covers the production of 94 low rate initial production Joint Strike Fighters, with these spread across the three F-35 variants.. 78 F-35A models will be manufactured and delivered, with 44 of these destined for the Air Force and the remainder earmarked for international partners. The other 16 aircraft are split between the -B and -C models, with fourteen of the former going to the Marine Corps, as well as Italy and the UK, while two -C models will go to the Navy and Marines.

June 2/15: F-35As will take part in USMC exercises for the first time this week, with the fighter also set to drop live ordnance. The Green Flag West exercises will run to June 12, with the Marine Corps’ B model Joint Strike Fighter recently concluding trials aboard USS Wasp.

May 28/15: The Pentagon is currently determining what should be included in the F-35‘s Block 4 configuration, ahead of a review later this year. Weapons that could feature in Block 4 include the Small Diameter Bomb II and the Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile, as well as potentially the B61-12 standoff nuclear bomb.

May 20/15: As part of the Marine Corps’ F-35B trials currently taking place aboard USS Wasp, a F135 engine has been flown onto the ship to assess the aircraft’s ability to be repaired at sea. The engine uses a modular design to facilitate the swapping out of components, with this also making the entire engine transportable by a single MV-22 Osprey.

May 20/15: The Marine Corps has begun testing its F-35Bs aboard USS Wasp (LHD-1), with these tests set to last two weeks. Six of the aircraft are being tested for specific abilities as part of Operational Testing (OT-1); these include digital interoperability between aircraft and ship systems, something particularly sensitive given the aircraft’s recent software problems. The USMC decided to push ahead regardless of 2B software issues, with the intention of hitting IOC in July.

March 26/13: Singapore. AOL Defense is reporting that Singapore will order 12 F-35Bs within 10 days, while others take a more measured tone. Agence France-Presse cite Singaporean sources as saying they’re in the final stages of evaluating the F-35, which tracks with statements by Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen. Even so, the plane’s very incomplete capabilities mean that part of Singapore’s evaluation is just paper and promises at this point. Singapore’s RSIS points out that the country has traditionally been cautious in its defense buys, restricting themselves to proven platforms.

Singapore’s fleet of about 34 upgraded F-5S/T fighters were bought in the 1970s, and they do need replacement. The RSAF’s alternative would be to order more F-15SG Strike Eagles as F-5 replacements, and wait several years before ordering F-35s. The Strike Eagles would cost less at present, and would offer a much wider array of weapons until about 2025 or later. F-35Bs would offer more risk, and would enter service much later than F-15SGs, in exchange for better stealth, and the ability to take off and land from damaged runways. Either way, a DSCA-approved export request would be required before any order can be placed. The most we can expect within 10 days is a State Department announcement. AOL Defence | AFP | Reuters | Eurasia Review.

March 26/13: UK. The Ministry of Defence announces that RAF Marham, which had hosted Tornados until the fighters were retired to save on support costs, will become Britain’s main base for F-35s. It will also act as a support center, performing depth maintenance. RAF | BBC.

March 25/13: Engine. Bloomberg reports that Rolls-Royce was an average of 160 days late with its F135-PW-600 LiftFan engine parts deliveries in 2012. Subcontractor errors were part of the problem:

“There have been issues such as corrosion on some of the gears and some undersized holes,” Jacqueline Noble, a spokeswoman for the defense agency, said in the [emailed] statement [to Bloomberg]. While London-based Rolls-Royce and its subcontractors have made progress, the need to fix fan parts that don’t meet specifications “is still a concern,” she said.”

March 25/13: Japan LRIP-8. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a $40.2 million fixed-price-incentive (firm-target), contract to provide long lead-time parts, materials and components required for the delivery of 4 Japanese F-35As, as part of Low Rate Initial Production Lot 8. See also June 29/12 entry.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX, and is expected to be complete in February 2014. All funds are committed immediately, and this contract was not competitively procured by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD, who is acting as Japan’s agent through the FMS process (N00019-13-C-0014).

March 21/13: Netherlands. The 2 Dutch IOT&E F-35As are already slated to go into storage until 2015, because the jets aren’t fit for purpose yet (q.v. Feb 11/13). Now Reuters reports that the Dutch are looking to cut their planned order of 85 F-35As by 17-33 planes. On the surface, this isn’t exactly news, as the MvD was known to be looking at a 56 plane order (-29 aircraft) when the Oct 24/12 Rekenkamer report came out. Reuters gives a figure of 52-68 planes and a budget of EUR 4.5 billion, but full replacement of the RNLAF’s reduced fleet of 68 F-16s with F-35As doesn’t square with that budget. A “defense source close to the talks” is quoted as saying that an F-35A order could drop as low as 33-35 planes (-50 or more aircraft), based on Rekenkamer estimates.

That can’t be welcome news to the F-35 program, which expects to have foreign orders making up half of production after LRIP Lot 8 in 2014 (q.v. March 12/13). For the RNLAF, Defense Aerospace cites Dutch Parliamentary documents which size their operational F-16 fleet at just 24 / 68 planes, due to maintenance issues and lack of spare parts. That’s a bit of a crisis; meanwhile, the larger question is whether 24-35 fighters is even close to adequate for future needs.

The new coalition, sworn into office in November 2012, expects to finalize a new defense policy and fighter purchase plans later in 2013. Defense Aerospace reports that the Dutch Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence has already scheduled presentations from Boeing (F/A-18 Super Hornet family) and Saab (JAS-39E/F Gripen), and the Eurofighter consortium has told the publication that they’re keeping an eye on developments. Reuters | Defense Aerospace.

March 20/13: Australia. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives an unfinalized, not-to-exceed $9.8 million modification for Australian-specific non-recurring support activities. It includes ALIS equipment and sustainment and logistics support, and will be bought under the LRIP Lot 6 contract. $4.9 million is committed immediately.

Australia was set to buy 2 F-35As for IOT&E preparation under LRIP Lot 6. The timing of their follow-on buy of 12 F-35As may be uncertain, but this contract seems to indicate that they’ll buy the 2 IOT&E jets (see also March 5/13). Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in January 2019. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-11-C-0083).

March 13/13: Denmark. The Danes pick up their fighter competition as promised, following their announced hiatus in April 2010. Invited bidders include the same set of Lockheed Martin (F-35A), Boeing (Super Hornet), and Saab (JAS-39E/F) – plus EADS (Eurofighter), who had withdrawn from the Danish competition in 2007. The goal of a 2014 F-16 replacement decision has been moved a bit farther back, and now involves a recommendation by the end of 2014, and a selection by June 2015.

The Flyvevabnet are reported to have 30 operational F-16s, with 15 more in reserve, out of an original order of 58. Past statements indicate that they’re looking to buy around 25 fighters as replacements, but there are reports of a range from 24-32, depending on price. Danish Forsvarsministeriet [in Danish] | Eurofighter GmbH | Saab | JSF Nieuws.

March 12/13: Issues & allies. JSF PEO Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan, USAF, offers a number of important pieces of information at the Credit Suisse/McAleese defense programs conference in Washington, DC. One is that he hopes to have unit cost, including the engine, down to $90 million by 2020 – about 10% lower than current Pentagon estimates beyond 2017. Allies “need to know where their money is going”, especially since orders after LRIP-8 (2014) are expected to be about 50% allied buys. Unfortunately there’s an issue with IOT&E processes, which has been left unaddressed until the issue became a source of buying uncertainty:

“Adding insult to injury, the JSF program office classified all documents as “U.S. only,” which upset partner nations. Even if they are all buying the same aircraft, each country has its own air-worthiness qualification processes and other administrative procedures that require they have access to the aircraft’s technical data. JSF officials are working to re-classify the documentation, Bogdan said.”

Regarding Operations & Support costs, which are over 2/3 of a weapon system’s lifetime cost: “If we don’t start doing things today to bring down O&S now, there will be a point when the services will see this aircraft as unaffordable.”

Most of those costs trace back to design, so changes at this point are possible, but difficult. One design and support issue is that the 80% commonality between variants envisaged at the program’s outset is now closer to 25-30%. That means more expensive non-common parts due to lower production runs, larger inventories for support of multiple types in places like the USA and Italy, more custom work for future changes, etc. Information Dissemination | National Defense.

March 11/13: GAO Report. The GAO releases its annual F-35 program report: “Current Outlook Is Improved, but Long-Term Affordability Is a Major Concern“. Some manufacturing indices like labor hours per jet delivery rate are getting better, but operations and maintenance costs are a serious problem, and F-35 acquisition funding requirements average $12.6 billion annually through 2037.

There’s much, much more. It’s difficult to summarize this report, and worth reading it in full.

March 9/13: Cost sensitivity. Reuters gets their hands on an advance draft of a GAO report, which looks at the F-35’s sustainment and purchase costs. The GAO’s estimate to refurbish produced F-35s to incorporate fixes required by discoveries during testing? $1.7 billion. That’s a lot, but it’s a decision that touches on the next area they examine: what happens if some countries don’t buy, or the USA buys fewer?

Current American plans will average $10.6 billion per year until 2037 [DID: it turns out to be $12.6 billion]. Average costs have already climbed from $69 million to $137 million, and would rise by another 9% if the USA dropped its orders from 2,443 – 1,500 (to $150 million). They would rise by 6% (to $145 million) if all 8 foreign partners cut their planned 697 orders, but the USA kept its own. The combination? More than additive, at 19% (to $163 million).

Here’s the thing. The GAO is calculating averages, but all F-35 partners including the USA, have a limited window of safe remaining life for their fighter fleets. That forces them to place earlier orders, which can cost a lot more than “average over all production” estimates. They’re also more price sensitive to production cuts, since fewer planes per year are being built at this stage. A design that isn’t done testing adds another disincentive, and the combination of unready planes and spiraling costs for near-term buys can force quite a few cancellations and reductions. Each cancellation may be minor in the long term, but it’s a larger cost hike in the short term, which ensures that the long term production figure never arrives.

One response just starts production earlier, and lets the main partner eat most of the concurrency costs. So, was the $1.7 billion concurrency cost worth it, in order to speed up the purchase schedule and production ramp-up by 5-6 years? That’s an individual judgement. Reuters | IBT.

March 6/13: DOT&E OUE. The POGO NGO gets its hands on a copy of the Pentagon’s Operational Utility Evaluation for initial F-35A training, dated Feb 15/13. While DOT&E cautions that you can’t draw any meaningful conclusions from a system this immature, some of their observations and trends are relevant and concerning.

Not training ready. To begin at the beginning, current F-35s aren’t even close to suitable for new-pilot training, and are very marginal even for experienced pilot training. This situation, and the long list of accompanying flight restrictions, is normal for an aircraft mid-way through its testing phase. What’s different is that continued program delays would leave the US military unable to stream new pilots to its production aircraft.

Touch screens. A notable but less urgent design deficiency involves the touch screen display, which may need to be used less. Using it to control radios, for instance, is a bad idea, especially at high Gs and under stress. To duplicate this feeling, have a jumpy 3-year old grab and flail at your arm while you’re trying to operate a computer mouse. MIL-STD-1472G already prohibits this sort of thing as a sole option, and voice recognition is intended to fix the problem. Until it’s ready, of course, we won’t know if it has its own issues.

Visibility. The most serious deficiency remains technical problems with the pilot’s ambitious Helmet-Mounted Display, coupled with a designed-in lack of rear visibility that HMDS needs to overcome using the plane’s embedded sensors. The visibility is poor in order to improve stealth vs. a full bubble canopy; and also to keep design commonality with the STOVL F-35B, which mounts its lift fan and doors behind the pilot. The OUE’s experienced F-16 and A-10 pilots were universal in their criticism, saying that poor to no rear visibility made basic tasks like keeping formation more challenging, and was a deficiency in combat situations.

It’s also a maintenance risk, of course, since all associated systems must be working or the planes will be at a large combat disadvantage. The likely result? Either lower readiness rates, higher maintenance costs, or both. Those are both areas where the F-35 remains behind the curve, with potentially dire fiscal consequences. POGO summary | Full Report [PDF]

March 5/13: LRIP-6. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a not-to-exceed $72.2 million unfinalized LRIP Lot 6 contract modification. It buys F-35A support equipment for Luke AFB’s Pilot Training Center 1. It also covers associated Data Quality Integration Management supplier support tasks, and all other sustainment data products for the USAF and the governments of Italy and Australia. The contract is split-funded by the USAF ($55.0M/ 76.2%); Italy ($10.3M/ 14.3%); and Australia ($6.9/ 9.5%).

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in August 2014. $36.1 million is committed immediately (N00019-11-C-0083). This brings total LRIP-6 contracts to $5.674 billion.

March 1/13: Return to flight. The Pentagon lifts the grounding order on its F-35 fleets, after inspecting fleet engines. The engine in question belonged to a plane used for flight envelope expansion testing, and had been operated for an extended time at high temperatures.

“Prolonged exposure to high levels of heat and other operational stressors on this specific engine were determined to be the cause of the crack [as opposed to high-cycle fatigue, which would force a redesign].”

The engineers believe no redesign is needed. Pentagon | Reuters.

Grounding lifted

Feb 28/13: Block 8 long-lead. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a $333.8 million fixed-price-incentive (firm-target), advance acquisition contract, covering early equipment buys for 35 LRIP Lot 8 planes: 19 USAF F-35As ($155.2M/ 46%), 6 USMC F-35Bs ($85.4M/ 26%), and 4 USN F-35Cs ($27.5M/ 8%); plus 4 F-35B STOVLs for Britain ($45M/ 14%), and 2 F-35As for Norway ($20.7M/ 6%). All contract funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX, and is expected to be complete in February 2014. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-13-C-0008).

Feb 27/13: Unhappy relationship. F-35 PEO Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan criticizes some important decisions, such as concurrent testing and production, and he’s also unhappy with the vendors. There’s some back-and-forth in the news reports regarding production cost, which he pegs at about $120 million for a Lot 5 F-35A with engine, and whether cost reductions per lot have been adequate. His AuBC interview also includes this remark, which got less attention but is more important:

“The real big elephant is how much it costs over the life of this plane to maintain it, and sustain it…. I think today, looking at what we have, the cost to maintain and sustain this plane is too high…. What I’ve told Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney is “you have yet to earn the right to become the product support integrator for the life of this program.” So what I’ve done is, I’ve tried to take pieces of the life cycle, and I’ve tried to introduce some competition [from domestic and foreign companies]….”

The decision to use only 1 engine also comes into play, as he describes the 6 month negotiations to finalize the F135 engine LRIP Lot 5 contract (vid. Feb 6/13 entry), which began shortly after their F136 competitor had been eliminated:

“Now, you would think a company like Pratt & Whitney that was just given the greatest Christmas gift you could ever, ever get for a company would act a little differently…”

In truth, the full tone of Gen. Bogdan’s remarks isn’t fully captured in written reports. He’s adopting classic crisis management recommendations, acknowledging known problems rather than being dishonest, placing them in context when he can, then promising to fix what’s left and deliver a successful jet. The comments in Australia were made shortly after the DOT&E report (vid. Jan 13/13). They’re aired a month or so later in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Reach for the Sky” documentary on the program, just before Australia submits a formal request to buy another 24 Boeing Super Hornet family fighters. Center for Public Integrity | Fox News | TIME | AuBC’s Reach for the Sky.

Feb 22/13: Engine. A crack in an F135-PW-100 engine blade grounds the entire F-35 fleet. The fault was found in an F-35A, but this part of the engine is common to all 3 variants. No one wants to have a blade break off inside and destroy the engine or the plane on its way out the back, hence the grounding.

These kinds of problems aren’t unheard of during testing, but the incident raises 2 big questions. One is the Pentagon’s flawed policy of ordering operational planes during the testing phase, which multiplies the cost of fixes during a fiscal crunch. The other involves the DoD’s decision to have just 1 engine manufacturer for the F-35, unlike its existing fighter fleets. Imagine exactly this sort of fleet-wide grounding, when the F-35 is the main fighter of all 3 armed services. DoD | Reuters.

Engine problems ground the whole fleet

Feb 13/13: Australia. Australian MP Dennis Jensen [Lib-Tangney, near Perth] chronicles the key assertions, decisions, and official reassurances made in Australia concerning the F-35, most of which have turned out to be somewhere between inaccurate and untrue. It’s a sobering account of how far program timelines and costs have gone awry, and effectively eviscerates the credibility of official ADF and DoD analysis.

The former defense research scientist also has the brass to point out that while the military has been busy missing the mark, independent analysts like Air Power Australia laid down key cost and performance markers that are now being vindicated by official reports.

Jensen is a long-time critic of the F-35. His 2009 guest article for DID focused on the F-22 as a better solution for Australia, and one wonders if he still has that view in light of recent events. His skepticism concerning the F-35 has remained, as evidenced by his March 2012 release, “Joint Strike Fighter lemon“. That release goes a step beyond most political releases, whose authors aren’t likely to confront a senior air force officer with step by step analysis of hypothetical 8 vs. 8 air combat engagements. Australian parliamentary transcript | JSF Nieuws has added sub-headers for easier reading.

Feb 13/13: Lot 6 Engines. United Technologies’ Pratt and Whitney Military Engines in East Hartford, CT receives a $65 million cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract for ongoing sustainment, operations, and maintenance to LRIP Lot 6’s F135 engines. This contract combines purchases for the USMC ($43.8M / 69%); the USAF ($17.8M / 26%); and the US Navy ($3.3M / 5%). $55.3 million in FY 2012 and 2013 contract funds are committed immediately, and $11.8 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13.

Efforts include labor and materials required to maintain and repair F135 propulsion systems; sustainment labor consisting of fleet and material management, sustaining engineering, and joint services technical data updates; and material required to support fielded propulsion systems and support equipment after unit and depot activations at production, training, and operational locations.

Work will be performed in East Hartford, CT (54%); Indianapolis, IN (31%); and Bristol, United Kingdom (15%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013 (N00019-12-C-0090).

Feb 12/13: F-35B flying. The Joint Strike Fighter Program Office clears the F-35B variant to resume flight operations. Within the fleet, all affected hoses have been inspected, and the ones that are out of tolerance will be replaced beginning in about a week. F-35Bs with properly crimped hoses can resume flying now. Yuma Sun.

F-35B cleared to fly

Feb 11/13: Dutch IOT&E. Minister of Defence Mrs. JA Hennis-Plasschaert sends a written brief to Parliament, covering recent developments with the F-35. It outlines the recent American DOT&E report, and also discusses developments in Canada, where the F-35 decision is under review. With respect to their own order, the first Dutch F-35 is ready, and the 2nd will arrive in summer 2013, but the project’s lateness has started to affect the RNLAF.

The original plan was to use their IOT&E jets with Block 3 software for testing and tactics development from April 2012 – August 2014, and pay EUR 27.1 million. Because the program is so far behind on Block 3 software delivery, per DOT&E, the Dutch will have to store their jets in the USA at their own expense until 2015, run their IOT&E from 2015-2018, and pay EUR 47 – 55 million. All on top of buying their jets several years earlier than they needed to, which raised their cost by many millions of euros.

Turkey was probably thinking of these kinds of issues when they postponed their planned IOT&E buy in January. JSF Nieuws has excerpts from the letter, which has not yet been published on the government’s web sites, and also showed us the full copy.

Dutch IOT&E

Feb 6/13: The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office and Pratt & Whitney announce an agreement in principle regarding the final engine contract for LRIP Lot 5’s planes.

An unfinalized version of that contract was announced on Dec 28/11, and the new contract is reportedly about $20 million lower than the $1.122 billion quoted at that time. Even with that reduction, adding the engine contract to other fighter-related Lot 5 announcements would give an average Lot V flyaway cost across all types of around $170 million per plane. It’s important to note that the engine contract includes things besides fighter engines, but even with no engines at all, Lot V announcements sum to a cost per fighter of $137.5 million.

Final engine figures and divisions won’t be forthcoming until the official Pentagon announcement. Note that some media reports don’t match up with the 32 planes known to be in Lot V (vid. Dec 14/12 entry). American Machinist | Reuters.

Feb 5/13: Britain’s switch costs. The British House of Commons Defence Committee says that the government’s shift from the F-35B STOVL to the F-35C and back cost the country GBP 100 million (vid. section 2, #14 & 15). Most of that money was spent on budgets related to Britain’s new carriers, and the committee faults the government for rushed work on the October 2010 SDSR.

That is quite a lot of money to waste, and it’s true that after the Conservative/ Lib-Dem coalition took power, there was a strong push to get the SDSR out the door in a short period of time. These kinds of decisions are very complex, and the committee faults the Ministry for going along with this recommendation, without really understanding the changes involved.

The Ministry’s defense is that their CVF/ Queen Elizabeth Class carriers had been touted as “future proof”, able to include catapults if that became necessary during the ships’ lifetimes. That proposition was put to the test early with the F-35C switch. The Ministry’s retrospective conclusion is blunt, and discomfiting on its own terms: “It is not my belief that [the carriers] were genuinely designed for conversion, or that the contract allowed them to be designed for conversion.” One wonders, then, why they were touted that way. UK Commons Defence Committee Acquisitions Report | Flight International.

Britain’s type-
switching costs

Feb 2/13: A USAF presentation to Congress says that if sequestration takes effect, F-35 order will be reduced (duh). They add that the program may need to be restructured, too, along with the KC-46A aerial tanker and MQ-9 Reaper Block 5. That would make a few allies grumpy. Flight International.

Jan 31/13: Personnel. AviationWeek reports that Tom Burbage, the executive vice president and general manager of program integration for the F-35, will retire in March 2013, after 32 years at the firm. He had been appointed in that position in 2000.

Jan 30/13: DOT&E – Pilot views. Flight International interviews both experienced pilots and Lockheed Martin personnel, in the wake of the turning & acceleration performance downgrades announced by DOT&E’s 2012 report. One experienced pilot flatly says that those performance figures put the F-35 Lightning in the same class as the 1960s-era F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber, rather than modern high-performance fighters. The Lightning does retain some kinetic strengths, but the overall picture isn’t encouraging when examined closely.

Then a Lockheed test pilot with broad experience takes up the gauntlet, to say that the F-35 is actually kinetically better than other 4+ generation fighters. Some of his fellow test pilots question those claims. Read “The F-35’s Air-to-Air Capability Controversy” for in-depth coverage of this issue.

Jan 30/13: Japan problem. If Japan wants to make parts for all F-35s, they’re going to have to do something about one of their “3 principles” on arms exports. Those restrictions won’t allow exports to communist countries, countries subject to arms export embargoes under U.N. Security Council resolutions, or countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts. Unfortunately, many potential F-35 customers, especially in the Middle East, fall into the 3rd category.

We’re sure Israel would be perfectly happy to simply have all of the affected parts made in Israel instead, but this is going to be a wider issue. The program could always go to a “second supplier” arrangement for all Japanese parts, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said maintaining consistency with the ban is “under discussion within the government.” Asashi Shimbun.

Jan 30/13: Industrial. Lockheed Martin says that there are 88 F-35s of all versions in various stages of completion on the program’s production lines. When it’s delivered, AF-41 (a USAF F-35A) will become delivery #100.

Jan 28/13: Fueldraulic fault found. Flight International reports that the failure of an F-35B’s Stratoflex fueldraulic line has been traced to a failure to properly crimp it. The F-35 Program Office says that Stratoflex, Rolls-Royce and Pratt &Whitney, have “instituted corrective actions to improve their quality control processes and ensure part integrity.”

The same problem was found on 6 other aircraft, and all 7 will need to be fixed. Until a Return to Flight plan is approved, however, all 25 F-35Bs will remain grounded.

Jan 18/13: F-35B grounded. The F-35B fleet is grounded, after a fueldraulic line (q.v. DOT&E report) fails and forces the pilot to abort a takeoff. There was no danger, and the pilot simply moved his airplane off of the flight line after it happened.

The F-35A and F-35C fleets are unaffected. Bloomberg | Defense News | Flight International.

F-35B Grounded

Jan 13/13: DOT&E Report. The Pentagon’s Department of Operational Test & Evaluation submits its 2012 report, which includes 18 pages covering the F-35. The fleet continues to work through significant technical challenges, which isn’t unusual. What is unusual is the steady stream of deliveries that will have to be fixed later, in order to address mechanical and structural problems found during testing. A summary of the key statistics & challenges can be found above, in the Testing section, but 2 issues deserve special mention.

One issue is software, which may be more important to the F-35 than it is to any other fighter aircraft. Unfortunately, the software development program is late, and is straining to fix and test issues across several developmental versions. Block 1.0 software capability is only 80% delivered, and the Block 2A software for training is under 50%. Block 2B, which adds rudimentary combat capabilities for serious training, was under 10% as of August 2012. Test resources and personnel are both limited, so this problem is likely to get worse.

The other issue is weight. The F-35 was designed with little margin for weight growth, but new capabilities and fixes for testing issues often add weight. One frequent consequence is higher costs, as very expensive but lightweight materials are used to save an extra pound here and there. Another consequence reduced performance, as seen in the F-35B’s drop to 7.0 maximum Gs after its aggressive weight reduction effort. A third consequence involves ruggedness and survivability. The F-35B faced a suspension of structural fatigue life stress testing in 2012, after cracking was discovered in several places. Even this pales in comparison, however, to the fleet-wide problem created by saving just 11 pounds in all variants. Without fuelstatic flow fuses and Polyalphaolefin (PAO) coolant shutoff valves, DOT&E estimates that these flammable substances make the F-35 25% less likely to survive enemy fire. DOT&E report [PDF] | Lockheed Martin re: 2012 testing | Reuters | TIME magazine. | Washington Post.

Jan 5/13: Turkey. The Turkish SSM procurement agency decides to postpone its initial buy of 2 training and test aircraft, which were supposed to be part of the Lot 7 order (q.v. Sept 27/12 entry). The SSM cites capabilities that are behind scheduled expectations and not ready for full training, and cost concerns, while reaffirming Turkey’s long-term commitment to 100 F-35As.

The Pentagon DOT&E report is quite specific about the plane’s delivered software being unsuitable for any combat-related training or test. Block 2B software would be required for that at least, but the program has yet to deliver parts of Block 1, and the Block 2A software on current planes is also just a partial implementation. In light of that information alone, Turkey’s decision to wait seems prudent. Why incur higher costs from an earlier production lot, if the plane isn’t going to be fully useful in its intended test and training role? Turkish SSM [in Turkish, PDF] | AFP | Washington’s The Hill magazine | Turkish Weekly.

Turkey postpones planned IOT&E buy

Dec 28/12: LRIP-6. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a not-to-exceed $3.678 billion unfinalized modification to the low rate initial production lot 6 advance acquisition contract. It covers 29 American planes: 18 F-35As, 6 F-35Bs, and 7 USN F-35Cs, plus “all associated ancillary mission equipment.” LRIP-6 contracts total $5,729.6 million, and include:

  • March 20/13: $9.8 (support for Australia)
  • March 5/13: $72.2 (support infrastructure for USA, Australia, Italy)
  • Feb 14/13: $65.0 (engine maintenance)
  • Dec 28/12: $3,677.9 (USA 29: 18 F-35A, 6 F-35B, 7 F-35C)
  • Dec 28/12: $735.4 (support, unfinalized)
  • Dec 6/12: $386.7 (long-lead)
  • March 12/12: $38.6 (F-35A long-lead)
  • Feb 9/12: $14.6 (F-35B long-lead)
  • Jan 6/12: $194.1 (engines)
  • Aug 8/11: $535.3 (38 long-lead: USA 19 F-35A, 6 F-35B, 7 F-35C; Italy 4 F-35A, Australia 2 F-35A)

Long-lead items contracts can include JSF partner and foreign buys, since the material buys are basically the same. Main contracts for customers outside America are often announced separately, which explains why some are missing from the Dec 28/12 announcement. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in February 2015. $1.839 billion is committed immediately (N00019-11-C-0083).

LRIP Lot 6 main

Dec 28/12: LRIP-6 support. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a not-to-exceed $753.4 million unfinalized modification to the LRIP-6 advance acquisition contract, for one-time sustainment and logistics support. This modification also includes site stand-up and depot activation activities, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) hardware and software, training systems, support equipment, and spares.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2015. $375.2 million is committed immediately (N00019-11-C-0083).

Dec 28/12: LRIP-6 & 7 support. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a not-to-exceed $374.5 million unfinalized modification to the LRIP-6 advance acquisition contract. It covers initial spares in support of 60 F-35s from LRIP Lot 6 and LRIP Lot 7: 37 F-35As, 12 F-35B STOVL, and 11 F-35Cs.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in November 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $374,495,232 is committed immediately (N00019-11-C-0083).

Dec 28/12: Studies. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a $48 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to perform engineering, programmatic, and logistics tasks supporting investigations or studies covering various systems in the F-35 Lightning II.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX, and is expected to be complete in December 2015. $7.2 million is committed at the time of award. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-13-D-0005).

Dec 28/12: LRIP-5 support. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a not-to-exceed $17.1 million unfinalized modification the LRIP Lot 5 contract. This modification buys initial air vehicle spares for LRIP-5 F-35As.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (35%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, FL (10%); Nashua, NH (5%); and Baltimore, MD (5%), and is expected to be complete in November 2015. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13 (N00019-10-C-0002).

Dec 14/12: LRIP-5. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX receives a $127.7 million fixed-price-incentive-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification, finalizing the F-35’s LRIP Lot 5 contract for 32 planes. This contract also includes funds for manufacturing support equipment; 2 program array assemblies; ancillary mission equipment, including pilot flight equipment; preparation for ferrying the aircraft; and redesign to change parts with diminishing manufacturing sources.

Some news reports place the contract’s figures at $3.8 billion, but a review of past contracts, and conversation with Lockheed Martin, show that the entire LRIP-5 is actually $6.459 billion so far. The distribution also differs from Reuters’ report: it’s 21 F-35As, 4 F-35Bs, and 7 F-35Cs. Past awards, in millions, include:

  • Dec 14/12: $127.7 (finalize)
  • Aug 6/12: $209.8 (spares)
  • Apr 13/12: $258.8 (add 1 F-35B, 1 F-35C for USA)
  • March 12/12: $56.4 (support of delivery schedule)
  • Dec 28/11: $1,122

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

MALE Performance Enhancement: Piaggio’s P.1HH Hammerhead UAV

Defense Industry Daily - Thu, 05/24/2018 - 05:52

Hammerhead concept
(click to view full)

At present, the USA and Israel have strong global leads in the UAV field, especially in the area of plane-sized Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) class or larger machines. That lead is eroding quickly, however, as new countries and firms decide that UAVs offer a useful niche with manageable development costs.

Poor US policy is also helping to drive this trend, and the new P.1HH “Hammerhead” UAV is a classic example. Italy is likely to become the initial customer for this high-performance UAV, but the platform itself and the Italian firm that makes it have strong connections to the UAE…

The P.1HH Hammerhead UAV

P180 Avanti II
(click to view full)

The P.1HH Hammerhead is based on Piaggio’s sleek, Ferrari-approved P180 Avanti II business turboprop. Rapid deployment inside larger aircraft is engineered by adding a quickly detachable joint for the outer wings, and the high aspect ratio laminar wings have been stretched from 14.03m to a 15.5m/ 50’10” wingspan. Maximum takeoff weight is slightly higher than its civil progenitor, at 6,146 kg / 13,550 pounds.

The Mach 0.7 certified P180 begins with jet-class speed, and the Hammerhead maintains that legacy. Its rear-facing Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B turboprop engines, and low noise propellers, let it cruise quietly at 395 knots/ 732 km per hour for fast deployment or wide-area coverage; alternatively, it can throttle down to a Predator-like 135 knots to get a slower look, or to stretch endurance. It flight ceiling of 45,000 feet sits above many competitors, offering protection from shorter-range air defense missiles. The Hammerhead does give up some endurance relative to a Predator, with only 16 hours at low speed loiter. On the other hand, the P180 Avanti II has an impressive 2,700 km/ 1,500 nmi range, and the Hammerhead’s civil derivation will give it a leg up for flight certification in unrestricted areas.

1st flight
click for video

The core of the UAV is the Selex ES SkyISTAR Mission Management System (MMS), coupled with the firm’s Vehicle Control Management System (VCMS) that commands the aerodynamic control surfaces and manages the on-board equipment. VCMS LRUs are installed inside the large volume fuselage, spaced for temperature control as well as survivability. Selex ES also supplies remote-piloting Ground Control Station (GCS), and UAS datalink and communications systems that can work beyond line of sight (BLOS). The UAV and GCS are NATO STANAG USAR 4671 compliant, which will help streamline approval to fly in the airspace of other countries that have ratified this UAV airworthiness standard.

To put all that together: The MMS handles the overall mission, runs the sensors, and processes the data. During flight operations, the on-board VCMS is commanded from the off-board GCS via the airborne datalink system, and relies on a triple redundancy Flight Control Computer (FCC) system and multiple remote multi-lane Servo Interface Units (SIU) to handle the aircraft. The ATOL takes over for take-offs and landing, which should contribute to fewer losses.

Payload could be more than 500 kg, but Piaggio plans to keep it within that limit, in order to avoid export issues with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MCTR) that Italy has signed. Finmeccanica’s Selex ES will supply an electro-optical day/night turret, along with its e-scan Seaspray 7300 radar for land and maritime surveillance.

Initial plans involve a surveillance-only UAV, but there is more than sufficient space for weapons in a weapons bay, if customers like Italy decide they want that. The key limitation is the MTCR treaty’s 500 kg payload maximum, not the aircraft’s capabilities.

Positioning and Prospects

ADCOM United-40
click for video

The P.1HH Hammerhead a solid set of attributes, with design advantages that are likely to endure. Even so, product positioning could make sales beyond Italy and the UAE a challenge. Even if all American and Israeli rivals like the MQ-9 Reaper, Predator XP, Hermes 900, and IAI Heron TP were excluded from consideration, the Hammerhead will still need to compete with Turkey’s Anka, Denel of South Africa’s Bateleur, Sagem’s Patroller, the UAE’s own ADCOM (United-40 et. al.), and developments in Europe and in countries like India, South Korea, and China.

The dominant theme in those comparisons is still a tradeoff. The Hammerhead gives buyers extra speed, and sometimes extra payload and range, in exchange for less endurance and the possibility of higher operating costs. The P180 Avanti II may offer remarkable efficiency for its aircraft class, but a twin-engine passenger aircraft conversion isn’t likely to match thinner and slower single-engine, never-manned designs.

Meanwhile, Piaggio’s use of Pratt & Whitney turboprops gives the USA enough leverage to block sales using its ITAR weapons export laws; that’s exactly what they did to block an export sale of Brazilian EMB-314 Super Tucano light attack turboprops to Venezuela.

What does this mean for market positioning?

As a surveillance-only UAV, Piaggio will need to depend on customers who are acceptable to the USA, and whose need to cover large areas with fewer assets eclipses the value of longer orbits. That’s a limiting definition. If Piaggio does develop weapon options that don’t require American approval, they’ll open an important sales window, but other countries are also working to close that gap. Piaggio’s long-term advantage would be the Hammerhead’s swifter reaction time for close air support, which is nonetheless a tradeoff for shorter ongoing coverage.

Given Piaggio’s significant ownership stake from the UAE and India, those markets are natural places to start. Europe may also look like a natural market that meets these criteria, but the Hammerhead will face real challenges there.

Despite a November 2013 agreement to resurrect a European MALE UAV project, and the Hammerhead’s clear positioning as a qualified candidate that won’t require a lot of development investment, Europe doesn’t look especially promising. European programs prefer to hand out favors to large, established firms, even if it means re-inventing the wheel – recall the Tiger attack helicopter program, and corresponding rejection of AgustaWestland’s similar and ready-to-buy A129. Selex ES has ties to Italy’s Finmeccanica, but those ties would have to to eclipse Alenia’s UAV partnership with EADS, and Italy won’t be in the driver’s seat of a European UAV partnership. European success would be a pleasant surprise, but it would be a surprise.

Contracts & Key Events

P.1HH Hammerhead
(click to view full)

May 24/18: First deliveries soon Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace has announced that it will deliver its first P.1HH Hammerhead unmanned aircraft system this summer. The first units will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates, the company’s launch customer. The P.1HH Hammerhead is based on Piaggio’s sleek, Ferrari-approved P180 Avanti II business turboprop. Rapid deployment inside larger aircraft is engineered by adding a quickly detachable joint for the outer wings, and the high aspect ratio laminar wings have been stretched to a 50’10” wingspan. The Hammerhead was initially designed as a surveillance only UAV, but there is more than sufficient space for weapons if customers choose this option. The only key limitation to equipping the drone is its 500 kg payload maximum. Piaggio is already looking in to the development of its next UAS, designated P.2HH. The P.2HH will bring about increased capability by way of key design changes, namely a larger fuselage structure for increased internal volume and all-new, wider-spanning composite wings for increased endurance. Deliveries of the new system are scheduled for early-2020.

July 10/17: Piaggio has resumed flight testing of its P.1HH HammerHead UAV, after the first model crashed in May last year. The second prototype made a successful flight on July 5, at Birgi military airport in Trapani, Sicily. However, the company did not release any further information on either the recent flight or the planned flight test schedule. Piaggio so far have eight orders for the aircraft, to be delivered to the UAE from 2018, and an expression of “great interest” from the Italian military, who have been helping Piaggio by providing Italian bases for testing.

July 18/16: Deliveries of P.1HH Hammerhead UAVs to the Italian Air Force have experienced a two month delay following May’s crash in the Mediterranean. Manufacturer Piaggio disclosed the ommission at this week’s Farnborough Air Show, adding that they were awaiting the go-ahead from Italian authorities before resuming test flights. The P.1HH is an unmanned version of the company’s Aero P-180 business jet, and the company has a $350 million deal signed with the UAE to deliver eight systems.

June 3/16: Piaggio has confirmed that it has lost its P.1HH Hammerhead UAV prototype after it took off from Trapani airport on May 31. The crash will be a setback for the UAV’s flight-test program and an investigation is currently being mounted. An order for eight of the drones was placed by the UAE in March of this year.

March 10/16: The first export customer of Piaggio Aero’s P.1HH Hammerhead UAV will be the UAE. Contracts signed on March 8 will see eight of the UAVs produced and delivered at a cost of $347 million, and includes the provision of EO/IR (Electro-Optical Infra-Red) cameras, radar, and communications systems. Development of the Hammerhead has been conducted in conjunction with fellow Italian firm Finmeccanica which has provided the mission control system, sensors, data link, and ground control station (GCS).

July 17/14: Testing. The P.1HH HammerHead DEMO flight program is partly done. It has has validated and fine tuned its advanced control laws, including take-off and landing, augmented modes, flight envelope protection and automatic flight. Automatic management of the ground run both in takeoff and landing has been tested, along with the day/night surveillance turret that’s controlled by the SkyISTAR system.

Next steps in flight testing from Trapani-Birgi in Sicily, Italy involve further testing of the sensors, including installation of an enhanced SkyISTAR Mission Management system that allows the UAV to manage the Seaspray7300E radar. Sources: Selex ES, “P.1HH Hammerhead Programme reaches New Milestone: Autonomous Flight Modes Successfully Validated”.

Nov 18/13: MPA. Tawazun Group subsidiary ADASI says that their P180 MPA program is on schedule, with the first prototype set for its first flight in mid-2014 in Italy. Their release is interesting, because it also suggests potential targets and reach for the Hammerhead:

“The UAE-based company and its partners are actively promoting the MPA as a high-tech solution for maritime patrol, ground surveillance, tactical Intelligence ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and COMNIT (intelligence, technical and intelligence information) security, and have identified Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East as the target markets.”

Nov 14/13: 1st flight. Initial flight of the P.1HH HammerHead DEMO, at Italy’s Trapani “Birgi” Air Force base.

If the UAV continues to be successful, it might be able to act as the missing component of the long-frozen M-346 advanced jet trainer deal with Italy. The UAE is looking for a UAV they can arm, and it might also form a very interesting manned/unmanned offering combination with the P180 MPA. Sources: Piaggio Aero, Nov 18/13 release.

1st flight

Oct 31/13: Buy in. Piaggio Aero sees its share structure list heavily toward the UAE and India, after a Shareholders Assembly approves a EUR 190 million buy-in. The HDI Hedge Fund drops from 33% to a 12.5% share. At the same time, Chairman Piero Ferrari increased his share from 1% to 2%, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Company raised their share from 33% to 41%, and India’s TATA Group raised its stake from 33% to 44.5%.

While Piaggio is a civil aircraft company, it’s stuck in a classically Italian slow production mode of about 11-12 planes per year. Many of the new funds are reportedly earmarked for the firm’s 2 defense projects, the Maritime Patrol variant and the P.1HH Hammerhead UAV. Sources: Piaggio Aero Nov 12/13 release | Defense News, “UAE Ups Its Stake in Drone-maker Piaggio Aero” | Defense World, “UAE To Beef Up Stake In New Italian UAV Development”.

Ownership shifts

June 18-24/13: Italy. Italy indicates that they intend to buy 10 Piaggio P.1HH “Hammerhead” MALE UAVs. Taxi tests have already begun and flight testing is expected to begin at the Italian government’s Sardinian test ranges in August or September 2013, with the Aeronautica Millitare managing military certification. Italy is looking for an initial operational capability in 2016-17, and says they will proceed with or without additional partners. Firm backing would give the Hammerhead at least a chance of competing in France and beyond. Aviation Week | AIN re: Hammerhead | Aviation Week follow-on.

June 12/13: Testing. Piaggio tests the Hammerhead UAV’s Vehicle Control Management System (VCMS) in a series of engine and ground handling tests. Sources: Piaggio Aero, June 12/13.

June 18/13: Rollout. Piaggio publicly unveils the P.1HH Hammerhead UAV at the Paris Air Show, after less than a year developing the aircraft in conjunction with Finmeccanica’s Selex ES. CEO Alberto Galassi says:

“The P.1HH HammeHead [sic] and the MPA Multirole Patrol aircraft are the most challenging and technologically advanced aviation programme that Piaggio Aero has ever conceived. They support Piaggio Aero in its newly declared vision of becoming a prominent player in the surveillance and security sector producing leading edge Unmanned Aerial Systems and Multirole Patrol Aircraft together with our world recognized state of the art business aviation aircraft.”

Sources: Piaggio, June 18/13 release.

Rollout

May 9/13: Italy. Aviation Week interviews Italy’s national armaments director Gen. Claudio Debertolis, who reveals that Italy asked to arm its MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs 2 years ago. The USA has refused to cooperate, halting Italian efforts even though Italy is responsible for wide swathes of territory in Afghanistan, and was the point country for NATO’s campaign against Libya in 2011.

Arming the Aeronautica Militare’s UAVs is a high priority, and Debertolis confirms that Italy is in talks with potential European partners to move forward with a covert “Super MALE” weaponized UAV program. The main question revolves around funding. America may have delayed Italy for so long that it doesn’t have the budget to do anything, even convert its existing UAVs. Aviation Week.

Feb 14/13: Testing. The Hammerhead UAV has its 1st engine start and runway taxi. It’s equipped with 2 rear-facing Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B turboprop engines, and low noise 5-blade scimitar propellers. Source: Piaggio Aero, June 18/13 release.

P180 MPA concept
(click to view full)

July 13/12: P180 MPA. The UAE firm Tawazun is financing development of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft variant of the Avanti II turboprop, with a wingspan stretched all the way out to 21.38 m/ 65′ 2″. Mission endurance at 100 mni from base, in the most taxing low-level (5,000′) profile, is estimated at 7 hours with 45 minutes of fuel reserve. The project will come under Tawazun’s Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments (ADASI), who is financing the development of 2 prototypes from a team that includes Piaggio, Sweden’s Saab, and Tawazun firms. First flight is scheduled for 2014.

The UAE bought 2 Bombardier Q400 MPA aircraft in 2009, and Saab has its own MPA candidate based in its Saab 340 turboprop, but the Avanti MPA’s performance is much closer to existing maritime patrol jets like Embraer’s EMB-145 MP. A range of up to 6,111 km/ 3,3300 nmi, at up to 41,000 feet, with 10+ hour endurance at 648 kph/ 350 knots is certainly competitive, while offering efficiency bonuses during maritime patrol’s low-level flight profiles.

The UAE’s air force already operates 2 P180s as VIP/ MEDEVAC/ Utility aircraft, and ADASI & Mubadala’s involvement lead observers to believe that the UAE will supplement its 2 Q400s with some P180 MPAs, once development is complete. Neighboring Oman would also be a good candidate, but they bought 5 C295 MPAs in 2012; Mubadala may have more luck with the smaller GCC states like Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The MPA will contribute to the Hammerhead’s market opportunities by trialing potential cross-over equipment, and also by establishing sales reach and reputation in conjunction with the UAE. Then, too, a common manned-unmanned force combination might be very interesting to some buyers. Sources: UAE’s The National, “Mubadala partnership with Piaggio takes flight”.

Additional Readings

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

Four EU cybersecurity organisations enhance cooperation

EDA News - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 15:03

The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, Agencies and Bodies (CERT-EU) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a cooperation framework between their organisations.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Udo Helmbrecht, ENISA's Executive Director, Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the EDA, Steven Wilson, Head of EC3 and Ken Ducatel, CERT-EU's Acting Head.

The MoU aims at leveraging synergies between the four organisations, promoting cooperation on cyber security and cyber defence and is a testament to the trusted partnership that exists between these EU agencies.  More specifically, it focuses on five areas of cooperation, namely Exchange of information; Education & Training; Cyber exercises; Technical cooperation; and Strategic and administrative matters. It also allows for cooperation in other areas identified as mutually important by the four organisations.

This collaboration will ensure the best possible use of existing resources by avoiding duplicative efforts and building on the complementarity of ENISA, EDA, EUROPOL and CERT-EU. This framework brings added value to the expertise, support and services that these parties provide to the European Union organisations, Member States and all stakeholders concerned.

High Representative/Vice-President and Head of the European Defence Agency, Federica Mogherini said: “Cyberspace threats do not know of national borders. Cooperation among Member States but also at European level is therefore essential. Europe is stronger when it tackles threats together, in a common and coordinated approach. And this is exactly where this Memorandum of Understanding is key and where the added value of the European Union lies: working together, joining forces, putting the experiences and the knowledge of all at the service of our citizens' security. ”

Vice-President for Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said: “We can face cyber threats successfully if we have in place a functioning exchange of information, we have strong technical capabilities and we work on basic cyber hygiene. Better cooperation between these EU agencies will lead to this result. ”

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “The threats against both our physical and virtual worlds are becoming increasingly connected. This is why increasing cyber security is one of the priorities of the European Union. But we can only do this effectively through stronger cooperation and joint actions, where our operational agencies, like Europol, can play a critical role with the expertise they bring to the table in support of our Member States. ”

Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King said: “The cross-border nature of the cyber threat means that cooperation has never been more important. This improved collaboration between ENISA, EDA, EC3 and CERT-EU will help us to strengthen our cyber resilience, build effective deterrence and help deliver credible cyber defence and international cooperation. ”

Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel said: “Trust and security are key components of the digital economy and society. The EU agencies should lead by example. Only by working closely together will we have a chance to mitigate the cybersecurity risks.”

Prof. Dr. Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of ENISA said: “ENISA welcomes the opportunity to work closely with our partner organisations. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and it is only by cooperating closely with all relevant stakeholders that the EU has a chance to address cybersecurity challenges.”

Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the EDA: “EDA supports Member States in the development of their defence capabilities. As such, we also act as the military interface to EU policies. Today’s Memorandum of Understanding is an important step towards increased civil-military cooperation and synergies in the area of cyber security and cyber defence.”

Steven Wilson, Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3): “This MoU illustrates how a safe and open cyberspace can only be achieved through enhanced cooperation and commitment. Through their participation, all parties involved demonstrate that they are willing to join forces and recognise that together we can provide the necessary response to cyber related threats. From EC3, we welcome the opportunity to enter a new era of working together with our MoU partners and are delighted to share our expertise and experience.”  

Ken Ducatel, Acting Head of CERT-EU, said: “The EU institutions, bodies and agencies rely on the specialised skills and tools in threat intelligence and incident response of CERT-EU. But, we don’t maintain these capacities by acting alone. That is why acting together with our peers and partners in the other signatories to this Memorandum is so important.”

The 2014 Cyber Defence Policy Framework called for the promotion of civil-military cooperation and synergies with wider EU cyber policies, relevant EU institutions and agencies as well as with the private sector. ENISA, EDA, EUROPOL and CERT-EU began initial discussions in 2016 which eventually led to this milestone signature. The principles behind this Memorandum of Understanding are fully in line with the implementation of the Joint Communication on Cyber issued by the High Representative and the European Commission in September 2017.

 

More information:  
Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

One TARS for Afghanistan, please | Israeli missile, EPIK! | Sea Giraffe to aid the Philippine Navy

Defense Industry Daily - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 06:00
Americas

  • The Royal Canadian Air Force is looking to modernize its fleet of search and rescue helicopters. Canada’s Air Force currently has 14 Cormorant helicopters in its inventory and recently started to introduce Cyclone maritime helicopters into its service. The Cormorant, a variant of the EH-101, is built by the Italian defense contractor Leonardo. The Cyclone is the military variant of Sikorsky’s S-92. Canada has had a very rocky procurement history regarding its SAR helicopter fleet. It has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s 50-year old Sea King fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year-long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more. The Air Force is now working on a project to modernize its search and rescue fleet, but it has yet to decide whether to buy new aircraft or upgrade the Cormorants. Depending on its decision, the cost of the project would range from $391 million to $1.2 billion.

  • The US Army is awarding a contract to TCOM Limited Partnership. The $9.9 million deal provides for services in support of aerostat survivability, engineering and technical, logistics, and flight operations. An aerostat is a lighter-than-air craft that relies on a ground tether for movement and sometimes for electrical power as well, as opposed to blimps which are self-powered, free-flying craft. The Tethered Aerostat Radar System, or TARS, is a low-level, airborne ground surveillance system that’s used for active surveillance and early-warning base defense. The US Army is using tethered aerostats with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and communications in support of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and is scheduled for completion by February 2019.

Middle East & Africa

  • Jane’s reports that Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has released details of its EPIK technology development. The Electro-Optical Precision Integration Kit (EPIK) produced by the Israeli defense manufacturer is essentially a capability enhancement designed to furnish unguided surface-to-surface rocket system effectors with autonomous stand-off precision guidance and increased range. The kit leverages the electro-optical sensor and scene-matching/signal processing technologies developed for Rafael’s Spice family of air-to-surface munitions. The EPIK add-on architecture includes an uncooled infrared sensor, a laser sensor to enable engagement of moving targets, as well as an onboard inertial navigation system and a global positioning system only used for back-up. EPIK closely resembles the products designed for US’s Advanced Precision-Kill Weapon System program. Both systems are an upgrade to the family of unguided missiles, such as the 70mm Hydra. Laser guided 70mm rockets open up a large market for counterinsurgency weapons.

  • Armenia is set to receive the Russian made Tor-M2 short-range air defense system. Tor-M2 is a Russia-made fully-automated surface-to-air missile (SAM) system manufactured by Almaz-Antey. The Tor-M2 is characterized by its high maneuverability, mobility, quick response, automation of combat operations and the efficiency of engaging a broad range of targets. The system can simultaneously engage up to 48 processed targets and ten tracked targets. It has the capability to exchange radar data with another vehicle. The system can destroy moving enemy targets within the range of 12 km and at altitudes from 10 to 1,000 m. The deal is valued at close to $200 million and will give the small nation the capability to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles and other ballistic targets.

Europe

  • The Swiss-Swedish joint venture UMS Skeldar has acquired the German engine manufacturer Hirth. The group is now looking to enter the market of naval, rotary-wing drones. The two companies have previously partnered on the V-200 drone, which runs on a heavy-fuel engine. Heavy fuel is the standard fuel for many military applications. It is considered more reliable and less dangerous to store and handle than gasoline, making it well suited for the use on ships. The V-200 aircraft is designed for operation from ships. Equipped with an automatic take-off and launch feature, its missions include surveillance, target acquisition and electronic warfare. Several countries are currently procuring or planning to procure heavy-fuel UAV’s for long-endurance naval operations. Earlier this year the Royal Australian Navy announced that it will buy several Austrian-made Schiebel S-100 Camcopters’. Naval UAV systems are designed to perform surveillance missions in maritime environments and enhances situational awareness for naval commanders by offering real-time reconnaissance information from a range of over 120 miles.

Asia-Pacific

  • The Swedish defense contractor Saab announced on its website that it will deliver its Sea Giraffe AMB naval radar system to the Philippines. The system will be provided to the Philippines by the US Navy in a Foreign Military Sales deal. The Sea Giraffe AMB, designated as AN/SPS-77 in the US Navy inventory, is set to be installed on two Philippine Navy frigates. The Sea Giraffe AMB offers 3D, multi-role, medium-range air and surface surveillance. At 650 pounds, the radar is suitable for small patrol boats, giving them the ability to detect unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time. With no forced cooling requirements, and a minimal number of line-replaceable units (LRUs), it requires little power or upkeep. All maintenance, including LRU repair, can be performed by low-level trained engineers.

  • The South Korean Navy announced that the mission of its new Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship will shift from countering North Korea towards blue-water operations. The 14.500-ton Marado was launched on May 14th and boosts recently developed navigation radar and medium-range surface-to-air missiles. In addition, the 199-meter-long, 31-meter-wide LPH is to be equipped with a fixed-panel 3-D surveillance radar built by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, in place of the Thales SMART 3-D radar. Marado’s flight deck has been adapted to accommodate two V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The well deck has a capacity for two landing craft. Below the deck hanger, 15 helicopters, including two V-22s, can fit while the flight deck can simultaneously accommodate up to five helicopters of all types. The Marado is expected to be fully operational in 2020 after sea trials.

Today’s Video

  • Haaretz reports that Israel is the first country to use its F-35 in a combat mission.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

US Army Aerostat-based PTDS Provide IED Warning

Defense Industry Daily - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 05:58

PTDS Aerostat
(click to view larger)

$142 million to Lockheed Martin for additional PTDS. (June 8/10)

The US Army is using tethered aerostats with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and communications in support of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The aerostat-based Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) is one of the ISR tools the Army uses to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) buried along roadsides…

An aerostat is a lighter-than-air craft that relies on a ground tether for movement and often for power as well, as opposed to blimps which are self-powered, free-flying craft. DID has more coverage of military applications of aerostats.

The aerostat for the PTDS [PDF] is smaller than the aerostat used in the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which provides surveillance along the US-Mexican border. The PTDS aerostat is 115 feet long with 74,000 cubic feet of helium and a 1,102 pound payload; the TARS aerostat made by Lockheed Martin is 1,640 feet long with 420,000 cubic feet of helium and a 2,205 pound payload.

In addition, the mooring for the PTDS aerostat is mobile and relocatable, making it suitable for use in combat situations and difficult terrain.

In addition to the aerostat, the PTDS includes:

  • tether (powered with fiber optics)
  • mobile mooring platform
  • mission payloads
  • ground control shelter
  • maintenance and officer shelter
  • power generators and site handling equipment

The PTDS uses a wide-area, secure communications backbone to communicate threat information from multiple sensors to the commanders in the field.

Contracts and Key Events

May 23/18: Afghanistan The US Army is awarding a contract to TCOM Limited Partnership. The $9.9 million deal provides for services in support of aerostat survivability, engineering and technical, logistics, and flight operations. An aerostat is a lighter-than-air craft that relies on a ground tether for movement and sometimes for electrical power as well, as opposed to blimps which are self-powered, free-flying craft. The Tethered Aerostat Radar System, or TARS, is a low-level, airborne ground surveillance system that’s used for active surveillance and early-warning base defense. The US Army is using tethered aerostats with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and communications in support of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and is scheduled for completion by February 2019.

January 25/17: Another FMS cleared by the State Department is the provision of ten 74K Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) Aerostats and related equipment, support, and training to the government of Saudi Arabia. Estimated in the region of $525 million, the sale also includes: 14 Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) Radars; 26 MX-20 Electro-Optic Infrared (EO/IR) Cameras; and 10 Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Sensors. PTDS is a large helium-filled lighter than air system designed by Lockheed Martin to provide soldiers long range intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication assistance.

June 8/10: Lockheed Martin announces that it received a $142 million award from the US Army to proivde additional PTSD to support coalition forces in Afghanistan. The majority of the work on the systems will be performed in Akron, OH, with additional work in Cape Canaveral, FL, Moorestown, NJ, and Owego, NY.

Oct 7/09: Lockheed Martin announces that it received a $133 million award to provide the US Army with 8 additional PTDS to support coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nov 29/06: Lockheed Martin announces that it received a $77.5 million contract to provide additional PTDS to support coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lockheed Martin will assemble and test the integrated aerostats, sensors, ground stations and mooring systems at its Defense and Surveillance Systems facility in Akron. Lockheed Martin delivered its first PTDS unit to the Army in 2004.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

Saab’s Sea Giraffe 1X 3D Heads to US

Defense Industry Daily - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 05:56

Sea Giraffe 1X 3D
(click to view full)

Swedish defense giant Saab is to offer its Sea Giraffe 1X 3D, active electronically scanned array (AESA) naval radar to the US market, showcasing it at the Maritime Security East Conference in Norfolk, Virginia this week. At 650 pounds, the radar is suitable for small patrol boats, giving them the ability to detect unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time. With no forced cooling requirements, and a minimal number of line-replaceable units (LRUs), it requires little power or upkeep. All maintenance, including LRU repair, can be performed by low-level trained engineers.

Contracts & Key Events FY 2017 – 2018

May 23/18: Philippines The Swedish defense contractor Saab announced on its website that it will deliver its Sea Giraffe AMB naval radar system to the Philippines. The system will be provided to the Philippines by the US Navy in a Foreign Military Sales deal. The Sea Giraffe AMB, designated as AN/SPS-77 in the US Navy inventory, is set to be installed on two Philippine Navy frigates. The Sea Giraffe AMB offers 3D, multi-role, medium-range air and surface surveillance. At 650 pounds, the radar is suitable for small patrol boats, giving them the ability to detect unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time. With no forced cooling requirements, and a minimal number of line-replaceable units (LRUs), it requires little power or upkeep. All maintenance, including LRU repair, can be performed by low-level trained engineers.

October 05/17: The US Navy has ordered two Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam Multi-Mode Radar systems from Saab for use on the US Coastguard’s newest class of vessels, Offshore Patrol Cutter. Valued at $16.8 million, the agreement includes options for additional radars that if fully exercised, would raise the contract to as much as $118.5 million. Saab added that the deal will will contribute new jobs to SDAS’ Sensor Systems facility in Syracuse, NY. The Sea Giraffe MMR is a 3D, electronically scanned phased array radar that provides high radiated power, selectable waveforms, and modern signal processing. Saab already supplies its AN/SPS-77 radar for the Navy’s Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship and is currently developing a derivative of the radar, the AN/SPN-50, to meet the Air Traffic Control needs on aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

The Dokdo Class: an LHD for the ROK

Defense Industry Daily - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 05:54

ROKS Dokdo
(click to view full)

Australia isn’t the only Pacific Rim country looking to modernize its Navy these days. China’s rapid shipbuilding program and work on its aircraft carrier project gets a lot of attention – but just to the east, South Korea is fielding its own AEGIS-equipped “air warfare destroyer,” while picking up new capabilities via a new class of amphibious assault LHD ship. Sound familiar? Hobart and Canberra Class, meet the KDX-III King Sejong Class AEGIS destroyer (launched May 2007) and the new “LPH” Dokdo Class LHD (commissioned July 2007).

The 199-meter, 18,860-ton Dokdo Class officially has the less aggressive designation of LPH (landing platform, helicopter), but its well deck and amphibious assault capabilities place it within the LHD category…

The Dokdo Class/ LPX

Dokdo launches AAV7s
(click to view full)

The Dokdo Class can carry up to 720 troops, plus a mix of helicopters, tanks/armored vehicles, and wheeled vehicles. Transport to shore is accomplished via landing ships or LCAC hovercraft. The Dokdo Class is only 2/3 the size of Australia’s new Canberra Class, and just over 1/3 the size of the USA’s Wasp Class; but Dokdo is the largest ship in the South Korean Navy.

For defense, they will rely on a combat system from the Samsung Thales Corp. joint venture. It will rely on Thales’ SMART-L long range 3 dimension search radar, with a detection and tracking range of 400 km/ 240 miles. For defensive responses, it can coordinate a SeaRAM guided missile system, 2 Thales “Goalkeeper” 30mm CIWS systems, and various decoying systems. Even so, support from Korea’s frigate-sized KDX-II destroyers and new KDX-III King Sejong Class AEGIS destroyers will be essential.

ROKN Goalkeeper
(click to view full)

There has been media speculation that the Dokdo Class is in fact a light aircraft carrier, citing the ability to install a ski jump and operate V/STOL Harriers or STOVL F-35B Lightnings from its deck. America’s 42,000 ton Wasp Class LHDs are used in this manner, and it would be possible from Australia’s Canberra Class LHDs as well.

The smaller size of the Dokdo Class, however, means that using the ship in this way doesn’t make much sense. It would get one very few fighters, while sacrificing most of the ship’s total carrying capacity. Fighter aircraft require a lot of space below-decks, and so does their fuel and weapons storage. South Korea’s prime focus remains North Korea, and aerial cover for amphibious operations a la Inchon can easily be supported from land bases. Meanwhile, international operations featuring Korean LHDs would need Korean helicopters far more than they’d need Korean fighters.

Circumstances can change; but Korea’s Ministry of Defence has stated that they have no plans to operate fighter aircraft from these ships, and military logic makes this a believable assertion. This is not to say that offensive fixed wing aircraft will never operate from Dokdo. It’s just that they’re far more likely to be UAVs akin to the MQ-9 Reaper, rather than supersonic fighters.

LPX: Future Plans for the Class

The Dokdo Class ship ROKS Marado was scheduled to enter service by 2010, but its budget was canceled. That budget was restored in 2012, and recent regional tensions are making high-end ships like LHDs and Aegis destroyers more attractive to Korea. Marado commemorates a small southern island that is commonly thought of as both the ending and beginning point of Korea, depending on one’s perspective.

Up to 4 ships of class were originally planned, but doctrine has shifted toward 2-3 “rapid response fleets,” each built around 1 Dokdo Class ship and a number of destroyers. If there’s a 3rd ship of class, previous plans involved naming it after Baengnyeong Island, which is located in the Yellow Sea near the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) with North Korea.

Contracts and Key Events

ROKS Dokdo, docked
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May 23/18: New Mission The South Korean Navy announced that the mission of its new Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship will shift from countering North Korea towards blue-water operations. The 14.500-ton Marado was launched on May 14th and boosts recently developed navigation radar and medium-range surface-to-air missiles. In addition, the 199-meter-long, 31-meter-wide LPH is to be equipped with a fixed-panel 3-D surveillance radar built by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, in place of the Thales SMART 3-D radar. Marado’s flight deck has been adapted to accommodate two V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The well deck has a capacity for two landing craft. Below the deck hanger, 15 helicopters, including two V-22s, can fit while the flight deck can simultaneously accommodate up to five helicopters of all types. The Marado is expected to be fully operational in 2020 after sea trials.

May 4/17: South Korea has announced that it has started construction of its second Dokdo-class Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) amphibious assault ship. The milestone was marked by a keel-laying ceremony at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. in Busan, and it is expected that the vessel will be launched in April of next year. It will be delivered to the South Korean Navy in 2020, following sea trials. Seoul’s undertaking in constructing such vessels has been noted as its most major naval transport project in over a decade.

April 13/09: Samsung Thales Corp’s senior vice president, Byun Seung-wan, is quoted by Defense News as saying that Dokdo’s combat system is drawing regional interest:

“Southeast Asian countries have shown interest in one developed for the… Dokdo…. About two years ago, STC completed the five-year Landing Platform Experimental (LPX) combat system, in cooperation with the ADD, based on expertise gathered from its development of combat systems for the South Korean Navy’s KDX-I/II destroyers, frigates and patrol ships…. STC was the prime contractor for the integration and development of the command support and the command and fire-control system.”

The article also traces STC’s growth as a global developer of naval and land combat and battlefield management systems.

July 3/07: The ROKS Dokdo is handed over to the Navy in a ceremony. KOIS report.

Note that the name Dokdo is politically significant, referring to a set of islands whose territorial claim is disputed with Japan. The Korean perspective on Dokdo/Takeshima may be found here. Unsurprisingly, Japan filed a diplomatic protest over the name back in 2005. Asian countries tend to have civilization confidence, however, and the Korean reply was rude.

Additional Readings & Sources

News & Views

  • Defense News (April 13/09) – Automating Naval Warfare: Samsung Thales Making Name in Combat Systems [dead link].

  • Information Dissemination (April 24/08) – Observing the ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111)

  • ‘Manoeuvre’ in Maritime Asia (April 22/08) – ADD Naval Weapons Arm to Develop UAV’s? [dead link]. They seem to be interested in UAVs that can take off and land in 200m. Which happens to be the size of the Dokdo Class’ flight deck.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

Canada’s CH-148 Cyclones: 4th Time Lucky?

Defense Industry Daily - Wed, 05/23/2018 - 05:52

CH-148 Cyclone
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Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program has been a textbook military procurement program over its long history. Unfortunately, it has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s 50-year old Sea King fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more. Eventually, the Canadian military settled on Sikorsky’s H-92 Superhawk as the basis of its new CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter, which will serve from the decks of Canada’s naval ships and bases.

The civilian S-92 has gone on to some commercial success. To date, however, Canada has been the H-92’s only military customer – with all of the associated systems integration and naval conversion burdens that one would expect. After a long series of badly missed milestones and delivery delays, there are also deeper questions being raised concerning both the machines’ fitness, and DND’s conduct of the program as a whole. This article covers the rationale for, history of, and developments within Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Program.

CH-148 MHP: Systems & Program

CH-149: Rescue me!
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The 5-bladed EH101 had been the New Shipboard Aircraft Program’s initial winner in July 1992, and serves in a naval and anti-submarine helicopter role with the British and Italian navies. A civilian version currently serves Canada in a search-and-rescue role as the CH-149 Cormorant, but they were bought long after the naval helicopter contract was canceled for political reasons. Reliability and readiness issues with the Canadian CH-149s have added further strains to Canada’s relationship with AgustaWestland.

Canada chose a different naval helicopter platform when they restarted the Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program, but the ride has been rough and the delays have been long. Many of those delays arose because a project touted as an off-the-shelf buy became nothing less than the development of a new helicopter platform for the global military market, with specifications that no existing off-the-shelf machine could meet.

The MH-92/ CH-148 Naval Helicopter

CH-148: DND rendering
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The H-92 Superhawk platform Canada chose for its “CH-148 Cyclone” maritime helicopters is a larger derivative of the ubiquitous H-60 family that comprise most of the US Navy’s current fleet. it makes heavier use of rust-proof composite materials, and also sports uprated engines, a rear ramp, and other features that place it in a similar class to Europe’s delayed NH90 NFH model, whose schedule has also slipped until it is also expected to become fully operational around 2013.

Initial Cyclone specifications called for GE’s 3,000 hp class CT7-8C engines, but helicopter weight growth will force another engine upgrade before the final design is ready. Standard self-sealing fuel tanks can carry up to 3,030 kg of fuel, and an in-flight refuelling probe allows in-air refueling for extended range flights.

The 17 cubic meter cabin is fitted with a cargo handling system with a centerline 1,814 kg/ 4,000 pound capacity cargo winch, floor rollers, and cargo tie-down points. A 6 foot-wide aft ramp allows easy and fast loading and unloading of cargo and troops. A 272 kg/ 600 pound capacity hydraulic rescue hoist can reportedly be added to the helicopter if necessary.

A Telephonics APS-143B radar, a HELRAS active dipping sonar system supplemented with launched sonobuoys, and a Star SAFIRE-III day/night surveillance turret, offer a good mid-level sensor set by the standards of new western naval helicopters.

Mk.46 loading, CH-124
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Armament has not been discussed. Other naval helicopters generally hold 2-4 mounting points for some combination of lightweight torpedoes, depth charges, and light anti-ship missiles. Some, such as the Cyclone’s smaller MH-60 cousins, can also mount machine guns, rockets, or short-range anti-armor missiles on their wing stubs. Canada’s history suggests that a minimalist approach is likely, involving only Canada’s Mk46 torpedoes. On the other hand, enough re-use of existing MH-60 family systems could leave the Cyclones fitted “for, but not with” a wider variety of weapons. Sikorsky is known to be eyeing potential exports, and would benefit from having a wide range of available weapon options.

Survivability will be handled using the helicopter’s AN/ALQ-210 radar warning and locator system, linked to the AN/ALQ-144Av5 countermeasures suite. The nature of their missions, however, means that these helicopters’ most dangerous enemy is likely to be… nature. This is also true for their crews. If the worst should come to pass, Canada’s frigid waters challenge sailors to survive long enough to be rescued. To address that, the CH-148 includes emergency flotation systems under the cockpit and in the tailboom; they’re deployed automatically, and are expected to work up to Sea State 5 conditions. If they fail, or aren’t practical, a 15-man life raft is installed in each side wheel sponson.

A number of CH-148s won’t be fielded to this standard, at least initially.

Program delays eventually pushed Canada’s DND to accept “interim” helicopters that could be used for some training, but weren’t ready for service. Overall, the CH-148 interim helicopters will be deficient in 4 areas:

1. Mission system software which controls all weapons and sensors won’t be ready.

2. Messaging functionality/ tactical data exchange capability (automated data-link exchanges of tactical data between designated units, including the ships and aircraft) won’t be fully installed.

3. Mission flight endurance will be 21 minutes less than the contracted requirements.

4. The ability to operate on a single engine, even at high temperatures that cost helicopters their lift.

The first 2 issues will be solved with software and electronics upgrades. The latter 2 issues are expected to be solved by uprated turboshaft engines. All of these upgrades will, of course, require extensive testing of their own.

The CH-148 Program

CH-148: Developmental
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In 2000, Canadian program costs for 28 maritime helicopters were estimated at C$ 2.8 billion. That escalated to C$ 3.1 billion in 2003. By 2010, the program had hit C$ 6.2 billion, including purchase costs, 20 years of in-service support, training, and extra spending in order to keep the CH-124 Sea King fleet operational during project delays.

Those delays have also been substantial. Initial CH-148 delivery was originally scheduled for November 2008, but that was pushed back twice, and the new December 2010 milestone would be for “interim” helicopters that were missing key capabilities. Those standards were relaxed even further to eliminate night or over-water flights, but Sikorsky still missed the delivery date.

In the wake of a very vague announcement about contract renegotiation and further program delays, observers began questioning whether the program’s initial dates were ever realistic, and whether even the revised dates could be depended upon. As of September 2013, the program hasn’t even had a single interim helicopter accepted. It has missed every milestone so far, and shows no signs of changing that record. The timeline below captures most of the program’s shifting dates and promises, along with its progress to date:

Meanwhile, the H-92 seems likely to become the base helicopter for the USA’s new Presidential helicopter fleet, but hasn’t been able to secure other military sales. If Canada collapses as a customer, the USA’s VXX program could still go ahead, because the civil S-92 is already the base machine for several heads of state. Its military future beyond that would become very tenuous, however, and the S-92 would likely join the S-76 as proposed military machines that became reasonably successful civil-only platforms.

Plan B: Other Options

Dutch NH-90 NFH
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In September 2013, Canada’s government confirmed that they were seriously considering other helicopters for their naval needs, in conjunction with cancellation of the CH-148 contract. By January 2014, they decided to renegotiate the CH-148 contract one more time. While sunk costs should be discounted, all alternatives to the H-92/CH-148 would have involved some type of cancellation fee, even if Canada terminates for breach of contract. Beyond that, each model had its own strengths and drawbacks.

AW101. AgustaWestland’s AW101 naval serves in a full anti-submarine role with Britain and Italy. The British are upgrading their fleet to a stable Merlin Mk2 configuration, and the helicopter is more advanced and proven than it was when the S-92 beat the AW101 in 2004.

The flip side is that Canada’s AW101/ CH-149 search and rescue machines have had consistent issues with reliability and demand for spare parts, and Britain’s figures indicate that the problem isn’t limited to Canada. The Mk.2 hopes to improve that situation, but there isn’t enough operational data yet to know how much improvement has actually been delivered. AW101s would also require an associated weapons buy, or a sub-project to integrate the helicopter with American weapons in Canada’s stocks.

AW159 Lynx Wildcat. If Canada is willing to consider a significantly smaller helicopter, the new AW159 variant of the globally popular Lynx family offers them more versatility for shipboard deployment, without major structural upgrades.

The new AW159s are very capable anti-submarine helicopters, but won’t have the same utility helicopter versatility as Sea Kings, S-92s, or other large counterparts. They also wouldn’t have space for Canada’s extra TACCO (tactical control officer) in back to monitor the sensors and make tactical decisions. Their purchase cost would be lower, but like the AW101, they’d require added weapons integration or purchases, as well as an investigation of flotation options.

EC725 Super Cougar. Eurocopter’s machine lacks a folding tail boom for storage aboard navy ships, and would need to integrate naval equipment (radar, dipping sonar, sonobuoys, weapons). Canada has been there and done that with the S-92, and they’re deeply unlikely to do it again.

MH-60R & ALFS,
Bermuda
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MH-60R Seahawk. Sikorsky’s smaller but proven MH-60R has been in service with the US Navy for several years, and Australia won’t be its last export customer. It offers great interoperability, compatibility with Canada’s existing weapons is assured, and deliveries would take place quickly from a full-rate production line.

MH-60Rs could be an option if Canada decides to negotiate them as part of a broader settlement with Sikorsky. Its problem is that it won’t qualify unless Canada scraps the flotation requirements, which exist because Canadian crews have to fly over a lot of lethally cold water. Canada also wouldn’t have space to include their extra TACCO (tactical control officer) in back, to monitor the sensors and make tactical decisions.

NH90 NFH. The European NHI consortium’s helicopter has an strong installed base within NATO, and offers Canada the advantage of ongoing modernization investments from multiple partner countries. The NH90 NFH variant was very developmental in 2004, but as of 2013, the naval version is finally being delivered in its operational configuration. NHI is publicly unclear re: integrated weapons options, and so Canada would need to investigate that.

The NH90’s problem has been late, late delivery, and the company remains backlogged. Given cutbacks in orders from their core customers, they’d certainly welcome the business. The questions are: Can NHI deliver? And how much stock can Canada place in a helicopter that doesn’t have much operational history in its operational configuration?

CH-148 Industrial Partnerships

The basic S-92 helicopter is assembled in Stratford, CT, but key parts are made elsewhere. It is used in industries like offshore oil & gas, and has carved out a niche as a government VIP helicopter. Industrial partners for the S-92 civil helicopter and CH-148 maritime patrol helicopter include:

CH-148 MHP: Contracts & Key Events 2016-2018

 

At Paris 2011

May 23/18: New Deal? The Royal Canadian Air Force is looking to modernize its fleet of search and rescue helicopters. Canada’s Air Force currently has 14 Cormorant helicopters in its inventory and recently started to introduce Cyclone maritime helicopters into its service. The Cormorant, a variant of the EH-101, is built by the Italian defense contractor Leonardo. The Cyclone is the military variant of Sikorsky’s S-92. Canada has had a very rocky procurement history regarding its SAR helicopter fleet. It has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s 50-year old Sea King fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year-long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more. The Air Force is now working on a project to modernize its search and rescue fleet, but it has yet to decide whether to buy new aircraft or upgrade the Cormorants. Depending on its decision, the cost of the project would range from $391 million to $1.2 billion.

March 9/18: Rectified issues An issue with the Block I versions of Canada’s new CH-148 Cyclone naval helicopters has resulted in them unable to land on warships with its sonar attached safely. Information provided by the Royal Canadian Air Force said the service determined that the Cyclone’s sonar might strike the ship mounted assisted recovery system on a warship during high sea state condition as it cannot be fully retracted into the fuselage after deployment. The issue has already been resolved for the Block IIs already delivered and the affected Bock Is have already been sent back to manufacturer Sikorsky for modifications.

November 7/16: A Canadian CH-148 Cyclone has conducted its first anti-submarine warfare testing with the HMCS Windsor off the coast of Nova Scotia. The Sikorsky-made naval helicopter was tested as part of its Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) carried out by the Helicopter Test and Evaluation Facility (HOTEF). Crews onboard the CH-148 employed Expendable Mobile ASW Training Targets (EMATTs) to simulate submarine movements and noise patterns, which allowed HOTEF crews to further develop those tactical procedures that will be used by operational crews following CH148 Release to Service.

2014

 

June 23/14: Concessions. What trade-offs did Canada’s government make, in order to get a CH-148 helicopter that could be built and accepted? CBC News reports that they traded away:

  • The ability to secure the helicopter’s ramp in various positions during flight.
  • Crew comfort systems that could handle extreme temperature operations, as in Afghanistan or Libya.
  • Unobstructed hand and foot holds for technicians to conduct maintenance.
  • The ability to self start in very cold weather.
  • Cockpit ergonomics factors.
  • A system to automatically deploy personnel life rafts in emergency situations.

That last concession could be an issue in Canada’s lethally cold oceans, but the biggest concession is that the Canadian military will default to FAA civilian standards under “FAR Part 29,” instead of insisting on on 30-minute “run dry” capability if the main gearbox loses all of its oil. That’s exactly what happened in the S-92 crash off of Newfoundland (q.v. March 11/09), causing Canada’s Transportation Safety Board to recommend that the FAA do away with FAR Part 29’s “extremely remote” loophole. Other competitors, like the AW101, have proven this capability. Sources: CBC News, “Sea King replacements: $7.6B Cyclone maritime helicopters lack key safety requirement”.

June 18/14: Agreement #4. Sikorsky parent firm United Technologies:

“United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) today announced Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.’s signing of a contract amendment with the Government of Canada on the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Program, pursuant to the previously disclosed Principles of Agreement [q.v. April 15/14]. The amended contract enables Canada’s Department of National Defense to take delivery of operationally relevant CH148 Cyclone helicopters and facilitates retirement of the Sea King fleet starting in 2015.

As a result of the amended agreement, Sikorsky will record sales of approximately $850 million and a charge of $440 million in the second quarter of 2014 reflecting the cumulative effect of progress to date toward completion of the program, as modified [see also $157 million charge taken Jan 23/13].”

It has been a good quarter for the S-92, as Sikorsky received an $1.245 billion contract on May 7/14 to develop the S-92 into the next US Presidential helicopter. Sources: UTC, “United Technologies Announces Agreement With Government of Canada for the Maritime Helicopter Program; Reaffirms 2014 EPS Expectations of $6.65 to $6.85 Per Share”.

April 15/14: Agreement #4. Canada and Sikorsky have reportedly reached an agreement regarding the CH-148 program, but it isn’t public yet. Anonymous sources are telling CP that Canada won’t pay more money, will accept up to 8 interim capability helicopters, and will pay only for “the delivery of capable aircraft.” The catch is that Canada had to be realistic about what that meant, and distinguish between capabilities they needed to have, vs. capabilities they wanted to have. It’s amazing that this hadn’t been done during previous contract amendments, but there you have it. CP adds:

“Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show that in addition to a report by consultants, officials also conducted an independent analysis of the financial implications of the existing program on the country’s defence industry. [Competitors] were also asked what they might be able to provide…. Internal documents showed last January that more than $1.7 billion has already been spent in preparing to receive the troubled choppers.”

Sources: The Canadian Press, “Ottawa and Sikorsky agree on new terms for Cyclone choppers: sources”.

3rd contract amendment

April 14/14: FAA on S-92. The FAA issues a warning that may have some bearing on the CH-148 program:

“The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin… [re:] the possibility of salt encrustation and engine performance degradation while operating the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. S-92A in a heavy salt spray environment. At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition…. For operations that take place in a heavy salt spray environment, the pilot should monitor turbine gas temperature (TGT) relative to engine torque. Any abrupt rise in TGT might indicate salt encrustation and possible engine power degradation or imminent compressor stall. If a rise in TGT is observed while maintaining constant engine torque, the pilot should give priority to exiting the heavy salt spray environment. Flight through precipitation may help to reduce salt encrustation on engine components.”

Sources: HAI Rotor News, “Sikorsky S-92A: Heavy Salt Spray Environment”.

Jan 3/14: 4th time lucky? Canada will negotiate a 4th contract with Sikorsky to deliver the CH-148:

“Today, the Government of Canada and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation announced that a Principles of Agreement (POA), which will form the basis of formal contract negotiations…. Canada will see delivery of helicopters with operational capability sufficient to begin retirement of Sea Kings in 2015, and a program to enhance those capabilities culminating in a fully capable CH 148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter in 2018…. Sikorsky has committed to deliver the needed helicopter capability at no additional cost to Canada… the Government of Canada will only issue further payment to Sikorsky upon capability delivery…. Sikorsky has agreed to pay Canada $88.6 million in liquidated damages for non-delivery.”

Shifting risk to Sikorsky makes for an attractive offer, under circumstances where other options would either have great difficulty delivering anything earlier, or create significant integration problems on their own. The question was whether the CH-148’s remaining problems could be solved, without jettisoning important operational and safety features. Hitachi seems to think so (q.v. Sept 4/13), but that has yet to be proven. Initial training and testing will continue in Shearwater, and Hitachi Consulting will retain some role in the project. Sources: Public Works Canada, “Government of Canada to continue with Maritime Helicopter Project and begin retiring Sea Kings in 2015” | Halifax Chronicle-Herald, “Ottawa won’t scrap Cyclone purchase, Sea Kings retirement starts next year”.

2013

Initial delivery not until 2015 now – if it ever happens, with Canada looking elsewhere; Serious tech issues with CH-148 detailed; Sikorsky takes financial hit, losing money on each initial helicopter; CCPA-Rideau report; Procurement a general problem within Canada.

Keep fixing ’em…
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Dec 13/13: The Canadian Press reports that Canada is back in talks with Sikorsky to salvage the CH-148 program, which remains their primary option:

“[UTC CEO] Louis Chenevert… told analysts in a conference call on Thursday that the company is having “productive discussions with the Canadian government” on the Cyclone program and that the talks are in the “advanced stages.” Public Works Minister Diane Finley conceded the government “is in discussions” with Sikorsky to see if they can put together a plan to go forward.”

Oct 4/13: Other Options. The Canadian Press reports that the the Canadian government is actively putting together a “Plan B” for the maritime helicopter program.

“The attempt to chart a new course for the long-delayed Sea King replacement program took place in Ottawa on Thursday at an unusual meeting that involved not only government officials and executives of AgustaWestland and NH Industries, but also Cyclone manufacturer Sikorsky.”

Helicopters of interest reportedly involve the AW101 Merlin, NH90 NFH, and MH-60R Seahawk. Source: Global Post, “Official met with Cyclone rivals as Tories consider ditching chopper program”.

Nov 8/13: Tech issues. The Official Opposition’s defence critic Jack Harris [NDP, St. John’s East] formally asks Conservative Party Defence Minister Rob Nicholson to confirm that (a) the MHP still has a requirement to run for 30 minutes with no lubrication; and (b) that the CH-148 either has this capability, or will have it when Sikorsky delivers its helicopters.

Harris specifically references an S-92’s fatal 2009 crash off of Newfoundland (q.v. March 11/09), which was blamed in part on the helicopter’s failure to run after a mechanical failure drained its oil.

The government, and Sikorsky, both refuse to answer his questions. CBC News, “Sea King helicopter replacement standard questioned by NDP”.

Oct 17/13: Small is complicated. While DND is supposedly considering smaller machines like the MH-60R or AW159 as CH-148 alternatives, Canada would either have to change the way it uses helicopters, or place a difficult upgrade aboard its ships.

The biggest problem is Canada’s habit of using a TACCO (tactical control officer) in back to monitor the sensors and make tactical decisions, up to and including firing weapons. The MH-60R and AW159 wouldn’t have space for one. Canada could then do 1 of 2 things. It could rely on modern electronics to eliminate the TACCO, and let the pilot team handle that. Or, it could try to retrofit a TACCO space and equipment into the operations rooms of its current and future ships. Sources: CBC, “Smaller Sea King replacements would mean big changes to navy”.

Sept 12/13: Tech issues. The CBC reports that current CH-148’s engines and cockpit are at risk because of certified “E-3” vulnerabilities to powerful electromagnetic waves (q.v. July 2013). Their source is “defence sources with intimate knowledge of the troubled program”, and E-3 fixes could be a real problem:

“The aircraft was not designed from the ground up with this kind of shielding in mind,” said the source. “Military aircraft, the skin of military aircraft, are sometimes embedded with a fine copper screen or mesh to prevent the intrusion of electromagnetic interference.” One solution could involve retroactively installing screens around sensitive electronics, but that could add as much as 136 kilograms to the weight of the helicopter. That worries engineers who have long been concerned whether the Cyclone’s engine is powerful enough to comfortably lift its existing weight.”

The article also claims that the CH-148’s flight limitations over water stem from “separate, unresolved concerns about the flotation system”. Sources: CBC News, “New Cyclone choppers beset with technical snags”.

Sept 5-6/13: Other Options. June 2013 statements by Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose seemed to hint that Canada was looking for a way out of the contract. That’s no longer just a hint. Public Works spokesperson Amber Irwin says that the report from Hitachi Consulting “is not yet finalized,” but she does confirm that:

“We are conducting an analysis of price and availability of other aircrafts manufactured by other vendors….” …sources inside National Defence said the effort is “quite serious” and more than just a warning to Sikorsky…”

Canada has reportedly sent a team to Britain to look at their AW101 Merlin naval helicopter, which is a militarized counterpart to the CH-149 search and rescue helicopters that Canada already operates. It was also the naval helicopter that Canada originally ordered in the 1980s, at the beginning of this whole sorry saga. An AgustaWestland spokesperson says that they’ve conducted an internal analysis, and believe the AW101 is “more compliant today than we were at the time of bidding.” Other potential options, including Sikorsky’s smaller MH-60R Seahawk, Europe’s NH90 NFH, and AgustaWestland’s AW159 Lynx Wildcat, also have their pros and cons discussed in the “CH-148 Program” section. Sources: CDFAI, “Canadian Cyclone Maritime Chopper Never to Rotate in Service?” | Canadian Manufacturing, “Timing of acquisition unclear if Ottawa changes course on maritime helicopter” | CBC News, “‘Other options’ sought for Sea King helicopter replacements” | Global News, “Harper government now evaluating helicopters ‘other’ than troubled Cyclones”.

Sept 4/13: Report. Hitachi Consulting delivers its CH-148 Program Report to the Canadian government. They say that there is a “reasonable expectation” that the project is salvageable, but only if the government treats it like the developmental project it is, and reorganizes how the project is managed within 3 months. Most of all, the government needs to let go of a specification set that couldn’t be met by any existing naval helicopters, and create the authority for “trade space” that will give up some of those specifications in return for cost, space, and time improvements. That, says Hitachi, has been the project’s fundamental flaw from Day 1. The 3-month period would see the governance model changed, and the specification trades negotiated with Sikorsky and the RCAF. Sources: Hitachi Report PPT summary | CBC, “Cyclone helicopter contract revisions urged by report”.

Aug 4/13: The Canadian Naval Review delivers a hard body-check to recent Canadian defense reporting, on the dubious occasion of the CH-124 Sea King’s 50th anniversary in service. CNR:

“It is highly likely that the movement on the Cyclone file came from developments in the United States, not in Canada, and particularly relate to the renewed competition for the presidential helicopter. According to a report in the New York Times, “Few Suitors to Build a New Marine One” by Christopher Drew (28 July), Sikorsky will be the sole bidder for the contract to replace the presidential Sea Kings. This contract, along with a potential order for the USAF Combat SAR helicopter, both using the Cyclone airframe/engine combination, has effectively created a “critical mass” which makes the prospect of the resolution of whatever technical (as opposed to legal) issues affect the Cyclone more attractive to Sikorsky.”

July 2013: E-3 XX. DND’s directorate of air worthiness gives the interim CH-148s a restricted flight certificate, and imposed restrictions on the helicopter’s operations because of electromagnetic compatibility, electromagnetic vulnerability and electromagnetic interference (E-3 concerns). Civilian helicopters aren’t designed to take the full brunt of emissions from a high-power naval radar or similar source, while military machines design resistance in from the outset. Sources: CBC News, “New Cyclone choppers beset with technical snags”.

July 28/13: Deal, v4.0? Sikorsky has reportedly reached agreement with the Canadian government to begin fight testing with the 4 helicopters it has delivered as of early August 2013, without having Canada formally accept them as meeting requirements.

They’re also proposing a deal that would retire the 50-year old Sea Kings sooner, in return for CH-148s that would be below previously-agreed standards, then phase them into full service over time using software upgrades. Sources: CTV News, “Sea King choppers could retire sooner under U.S. aircraft-maker’s proposal”

July 15-20/13: Sea Kings. Canada’s Sea King helicopter fleet is grounded, after a CH-124 accident at CFB Shearwater near Halifax. It had landed after a 5-hour training mission and taxied to a hangar, then stopped and tipped forward while the rotors were still spinning. The blade fragments dented walls and broke glass on surrounding buildings, but didn’t hurt anyone. The helicopter sustained extensive damage, and the operational fleet may shrink to 22 machines.

Canada rules out mechanical failure as an issue, and the fleet begins flying again while investigations continue. Winnipeg Free Press |QMI, via Sun Media.

June 25/13: What’s Canada preparing for? As maintenance of Canada’s CH-124 Sea King fleet continues to get harder, CBC News reports that Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose has hired an outside consultant to study Sikorsky’s work, and Canada’s contract. The question? Whether it’s even possible to deliver the aircraft Canada ordered. Minister Ambrose:

“I have employed the services of an independent consultant and contractor to undertake a review of the ability of this company to deliver this to the government…. I am very disappointed in Sikorsky…. They have not met their contractual obligations to date. They have missed every deadline and every timeline…”

Which is partly because Canada kept changing the specifications, a fact that places Canada in a weaker legal position than it might otherwise enjoy. Ambrose adds that the 4 / 6 interim helicopters delivered to date don’t even meet minimum interim specifications, and offered that gap as an explanation for her department’s refusal to allow Canadian Forces personnel to train with them. That’s astonishingly bad defense policy, but refusing to take any delivery does make sense if you’re thinking of escaping the contract altogether. Come to think of it, so does removing the planned deck strengthening for some frigate updates, and hiring an independent consultant to examine what amounts to a question of contractor default. CBC News.

Feb 21/13: 2015? RCAF head Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin tells a Postmedia interview that: “In the short term, the Sea King can fly.” The report adds that:

“That flexibility will likely be needed amid recent reports that the air force won’t receive the first of its planned Sea King replacements, U.S. aerospace giant Sikorsky’s Cyclone maritime helicopters, until 2015 – seven years later than scheduled.”

Feb 17/13: Why so long? A DND analysis obtained by Postmedia says that as of 2011, it takes an average of 199 months/ 16.5 years for military acquisitions over 55 sampled projects. This has been a long term problem. the average was 190 months in 1998, but assistant deputy minister Alan Williams at the Defence Department implemented initiatives that dropped it to 89 months under Liberal prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. Does the report offer an explanation? No:

“It is impossible to pinpoint what is delaying the cycle time, further in-depth analysis needs to be conducted to review the whole acquisition process. Progress has not been made in reducing the overall acquisition cycle time.”

Williams, who left the public service in 2005, offers a fairly simple explanation: sole-source procurements give the upper hand to the vendor, so contract negotiations drag on indefinitely. That probably part of it, but Canada’s balkanized responsibilities, consistent insistence om specifications not met by anything in the marketplace, and an unaccountable public service culture which has included deceiving Parliament, must also be considered as factors. Ottawa Citizen.

Feb 11/13: CCPA & Rideau. The left-wing CCPA and Rideau Institute issue a joint paper about the CH-148 program, which borrows its title from minister MacKay’s July 2012 comments. “The Worst Procurement in the History of Canada” chronicles Canada’s maritime helicopter replacement efforts since 1990, and notes the recent 50th anniversary of CH-124 Sea King operations. With respect to those Sea Kings:

“Sea King operations suffer because of a lack of spare parts, increasing maintenance hours, and concerns resulting from accidents. Between 1995 and 1998, the Auditor General found the Mission Capable Rate (MCR) of Sea Kings fell from 42% to 29%.18 The number of “aborts” increased substantially — to more than 60 aborts per 1,000 flight-hours — between 1990 and 2000.19 By the year 2000 an average of 30 hours of maintenance was required per flight-hour.20”

Another 12 years hasn’t helped matters. Meanwhile, the CH-148 has become a Mexican standoff. As CCPA explains:

“One reason for the lack of collection [on late delivery fees] seems to be that DND and Public Works introduced new requirements for the helicopter after the contract was signed. Sikorsky therefore might have a basis for legal action against the government if they are fined. This may also explain why Public Works reduced the penalty from $250,000 per day in the original Request for Proposal to $100,000 a day, and why it capped that penalty at one year.94 Canada thus finds has itself between a rock and a hard place, unable to secure new helicopters without pressuring Sikorsky, and unable to pressure Sikorsky for fear of being sued.”

CCPA recommends that Canada explore alternatives to the CH-148s, including AgustaWestland’s AW101 naval, Eurocopter’s EC725 Super Cougar, Europe’s NH90 NFH, or Sikorsky’s smaller but proven MH-60R. Unfortunately, as noted above, every one of these options is problematic. With that said, CCPA is correct in pointing out that looking elsewhere would strengthen their recommendation to toughen negotiations with Sikorsky, who won’t want the S-92’s only military customer to ditch it.

They’re on more fanciful ground with their 1st recommendation, for “full transparency on the Maritime Helicopter Project, so that the public can judge the appropriateness of any approach to dealing with the crisis.” Not going to happen – certainly not from this government, and probably not from any other party’s government, either. The culture of denial and coverup in Canada’s public service is too established and too deep, and none of the 3 major parties shows any signs of challenging it. See also Epoch Times | National Post | Reuters.

CCPA report

Jan 23/13: Sikorsky Finance & Forecast. Parent firm UTC holds its Q4 2012 conference call for investors, which includes references to the Canadian Maritime Helicopter program. The company is taking a USD $157 million charge related to costs associated by expected program delays, or about $5.6 million per helicopter.

They’re maintaining their projection of 8 helicopters delivered in 2013, which would make 12 total at Shearwater, but don’t offer any definitive forecast regarding requirements compliance and acceptance. What they do say is that they’ll lose $14 million on each CH-148 delivered in 2013. Sikrosky IR – Webcasts.

2012

Late fees an issue now for “worst procurement in Canadian history”; Helicopters at Shearwater, but no formal delivery as milestones missed; is 2017 the real delivery date?

CH-124 Sea King
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Sept 25/12: #4 in. Technically, it could be argued that MH-806 was #1, since it first arrived in May 2011. It left that same month, however, and has just returned after a round of modifications at Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach facility. Source.

Aug 3/12: #3 in. A new CH-148, MH-807, arrives at CFB Shearwater. That makes 3 helicopters on site, but the government still hasn’t taken delivery. Sikorsky still operates and maintains the machines.

Training for CH-148 technicians also begins this month. Source.

July 12/12: Worst. Procurement. Ever. That’s the opinion of… Defence Minister Peter MacKay. His exact words:

“Unlike shipbuilding, that was a brand new design that was put in place through negotiations by a prior government. We inherited this contract. This is an example of how procurement can go badly wrong. This is the worst procurement in the history of Canada, including the $500-million cancellation costs that are attached to the Maritime helicopter program [cancellation by the Liberal Chretien government in the 1990s] and then the costs of further maintenance to fly 50-year-old helicopters…. I saw a Sea King aboard the Charlottetown when we were in the [Persian] Gulf and that aircraft has been replaced piece by piece, almost in its entirety, so there is urgency to get the Maritime helicopter program on track…”

July 4/12: 2017? CBC News reports:

“Canada’s long-promised fleet of new Sikorsky naval helicopters… likely won’t be delivered and ready for combat for up to another five years, informed industry sources tell CBC News…. industry insiders familiar with the Sikorsky project say the Cyclone helicopters being built for Canada are a new design with a lot of sophisticated electronics and military mission systems that aren’t yet even installed, all of which will take years to integrate and become combat-ready.

….Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, whose department is responsible for enforcing deadlines in the contract with Sikorsky, tells CBC she wouldn’t even guess when the company might deliver the entire fleet. “They haven’t given us a date…. As we know, their dates – the promises they have made to us – have shifted numerous times.” “

July 2/12: Nothing, Still. Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that the deadline to begin delivering fully operational helicopters has now passed, without even interim helicopters that have been accepted for service.

“Sikorsky and the federal government are remaining vague about the problems with the Cyclone program, but it is clear the company is struggling to obtain the “airworthiness certification” that is mandatory for the helicopters to fly off on military missions. In addition, the company is still working to ensure the helicopters have the necessary engine power to meet the government’s mandatory endurance requirements… Public Works and National Defence are stating that they expect the delivery of the interim helicopters to occur “later this year.” This suggests the delivery of the fully compliant helicopters – initially scheduled for 2008 – will not happen until 2013.”

June 16/12: #2 in. A new CH-148, MH-808, arrives at CFB Shearwater. That makes 2 helicopters on site, but the government still hasn’t taken delivery. Source.

June 7/12: #1 in. A new CH-148, MH-805, arrives at CFB Shearwater to replace MH-806 in the initial training role. We’re calling it #1, because it’s the first one that’s staying. Source.

May 17/12: CH-148 out. The Navy’s lone CH-148 training helicopter, MH-806, leaves CFB Shearwater and flies to Palm Beach, FL, for modifications. Source.

Jan 27/12: More delays, more penalties. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that things are about to become more difficult for the CH-148 program. The CH-148 safety certification process, and other delays, make it very unlikely that Sikorsky can begin delivering fully capable CH-148s with all mission software, for acceptance by June 2012.

Instead, an unnamed defense source says they’re only committed to 5 interim training helicopters in 2012. That would trigger another C$ 80 million in contract penalties, on top of the C$ 8 million levied for not delivering the interim helicopters on schedule.

“But senior defence officials said that penalty and the anticipated additional $80 million be deducted… out of reduced [maintenance] payments and in-service support over time… said the senior official. “If you beat them up now, you disincentive the company from giving you completed aircraft. If you take it out of in-service support costs, it’s easier for them to manage and it lowers our operating costs.”

Jan 3/12: Late fees. The Ottawa Citizen reports that Public Works and Government Services Canada still intends to get the much-reduced $8 million in late fee damages from Sikorsky, but has no timeline for when. That mirrors the helicopter itself, which still has no interim status CH-148 flying, even though they were supposed to have begun flying in summer 2011:

“In its attempts to help Sikorsky along, DND officials reduced the criteria for the interim aircraft to receive a military airworthiness certification… [that] would have allowed for safe flying of the aircraft but the helicopter would have been restricted in what it could do. It would not have been allowed to fly over water or at night… Sikorsky has sent an interim helicopter to Shearwater, NS but DND has not accepted delivery of that aircraft. “The CF (Canadian Forces) will take formal delivery and assume ownership of the helicopter once a Canadian military airworthiness clearance is granted and once initial aircrew flight training is conducted,” DND noted in an email. DND will not say when that first interim helicopter will be accepted but noted that Sikorsky has maintained that it plans to deliver maritime helicopters to Canada sometime in 2012.”

2011

1st interim CH-148 arrives, but not fit for flight training; Infrastructure investments; Flight testing.

CH-148: Waiting to fly
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Nov 28/11: No flight training. The Canadian Press reports that the helicopter flown to Shearwater AB in Halifax earlier is still being used to train ground crew. Despite defense minister MacKay’s promises of an operational flight training helicopter by summer 2011, DND spokeswoman Tracy Poirier says they don’t have it yet:

“Critical work remains outstanding before the Defence Department can take official delivery and assume ownership of the interim helicopter in accordance with the contract”… the federal government will only accept the helicopter when it receives a Canadian military air worthiness certificate.

A spokesman for the federal Department of Public Works said in an email that Ottawa has assessed $8 million in penalties against Sikorsky for delays with the Cyclone procurement program — the maximum that can be applied. But Sebastien Bois declined to say whether the fines have been paid.”

May 12/11: Interim CH-148 Arrives. The first interim CH-148 Cyclone model, MH-806, arrives at 12 Wing Shearwater in Nova Scotia. It will be used to support ground-based training of Canadian Forces (CF) aircrew and technicians, and will remain under Sikorsky ownership and control for now.

The Canadian Forces will take formal delivery, and assume ownership of the helicopter, once a Canadian military airworthiness certificate is granted, and once initial aircrew flight training is conducted. That formal delivery is expected before the end of summer 2011 – but that isn’t what happens. Canada DND | CASR.

“Interim” CH-148 arrives

March 7/11: Rotorhub reports from Heli-Expo in Orlando, FL, where Sikorsky CEO Jeff Pinto says that despite yet another delay (vid. Jan 7/11 entry), the firm is “weeks rather than months away” from finally delivering the first interim CH-148. That delivery was scheduled for November 2010, under a June 2010 agreement that ratified long-standing delays and set out a new baseline. Key milestones completed so far include 750 flight hours, and finalized certification. The publication adds:

“Pino said although the delays in delivery had resulted in penalty payments, these could be ‘rationalised’ [DID: written off in stages] over the life of the programme. ‘This is a very interesting and lucrative contract where the Canadians want to pay to fly and leave the rest to the OEM,’ Pino said. The company was working with the Canadian government on the possibility of a bigger transmission for the CH-148, although it may take six months for the final configuration to be determined.”

In the wake of the Cougar Helicopters crash (vid. March 11/09 entry), the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) had raised issues with the certification of the civilian S-92’s gearbox. Pino said that no S-92 changes were planned in response to that incident, however, adding that the new transmission mount is unrelated. For the military version, a bigger transmission would be a likely follow-on from engine power upgrades the Canadians are requesting. The civilian S-92 changes are focused on weight, reliability, and operating cost improvements, plus electronics upgrades, and an internal auxiliary fuel certification for the SAR configuration.

Feb 22/11: Infrastructure. The government of Canada announces a C$ 155 million project to replace a 60-year-old hangar near Victoria International Airport on Canada’s west coast, with a 20,000-square-meter merged operations and support facility at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, British Colombia. Given the requirement for more space, and the need for an appropriate fire-suppression system, it was cost effective to build a new facility, rather than renovate the current 60-year-old hangar.

CFB Esquimalt is the home of Canada’s Pacific Fleet. The facility will be ready by 2014, in order to house 443 Squadron’s 9 new CH-148 helicopters. The project includes the hangar, an exterior aircraft parking apron for up to 5 CH-148s; a taxiway linking this apron to the runway; a re-fuelling and wash area; parking for up to 300 vehicles; and a guard house with security barriers and a perimeter security fence. At least one existing building will be demolished during the project, and the new facility is expected to accommodate 350 people. No contractors have been picked yet. Prime Minister’s Office | Postmedia | Rotorhub.

Jan 31/11: Testing. Canada’s DND announces that a CH-148 Cyclone, which arrived at Shearwater base on Jan 6/11, will be undergoing several weeks of testing on board the frigate HMCS Montreal, under the direction of Sikorsky International Operations Inc.

The tests will revolve around its operational limits in ship-borne use, and “the vessel has undergone considerable modification so that the tests may be conducted in optimal fashion.” Since the modifications were made, HMCS Montréal has successfully completed Air Work-Ups, which tested the abilities of the crew to conduct routine flying operations, respond to in-flight emergencies and to a helicopter crash, and combat shipboard fires.

Jan 7/11: Sikorsky:

“We have notified the Canadian government that there will be a short delay in delivery of the first aircraft due to an issue outside of our control. Our contract contains provisions for such events, and we are now in discussions with the Crown in keeping with those provisions.”

2010

Auditor General report faults DND for evading rules, not being honest with Parliament; 2nd contract renegotiation involves “interim” helicopters now; CH-148 prototype arrives for SHOL testing.

Oct 28/10: OAG Report. Canada’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) releases its 2010 Fall report. The report’s main focus is on Canada’s C$ 61 billion economic stimulus program, which rates an unusual verdict of being well managed. Canada’s CH-148 program, on the other hand, rates a far more negative verdict. The biggest issues involve huge cost and time inflation, but the 2008 contract amendment also comes in for criticism because the original procurement strategy was based on a lowest price bid, giving no credit to bids offering more capability. OAG points out that by signing a contract to upgrade the S-92’s engines in 2008 (q.v. Dec 23/08 entry), DND effectively acknowledged that its contracting strategy had misled bidders on 2 key counts: the importance of an off-the-shelf platform, and the requirements themselves. Key excerpts:

“In 2000, total indicative costs of the 28 maritime helicopters were estimated at $2.8 billion and revised to $3.1 billion in 2003, exclusive of the cost of providing in-service support. The cost of purchasing and providing in-service support for the helicopters, and of training personnel, is currently estimated to be $5.7 billion over 20 years. This estimate does not include costs related to contracted Sea King support, new infrastructure, Canadian Forces personnel, and ongoing operating costs [which raise the program to C$ 6.2 billion for 28 helicopters]. In addition, the project has experienced delays. Delivery of the first fully capable Cyclone, initially expected in 2005, was delayed to 2008 and is now expected to occur in 2012.

“We found that National Defence has been slow to assess the full life-cycle costs, and some elements of these costs have still not been completely determined. As early as 2000, information provided to National Defence’s Program Management Board for preliminary project approval described the proposed acquisition project as non-developmental… [but] The project specifications included nearly 3,000 technical requirements. The winning bid by Sikorsky was to convert an existing commercial helicopter (the S-92) to military service, adapt it for marine use, and integrate numerous individual existing mission components and new technologies. According to National Defence officials, this will result in a state-of-the-art helicopter that has never existed before. The initial acquisition contract reflects this complexity in that it included $612 million for one-time engineering costs… The developmental nature of the Cyclone helicopter, along with its novel features, also has implications for certifying its airworthiness.

“…the full life-cycle costs were not–and some still have not been–presented to decision makers at key decision points… Moreover, without sufficient funds, National Defence may have to curtail planned training and operations… On the basis of the bid received from Sikorsky, $2.3 billion in estimated costs for contracted in-service support for 16 years (based on flying 10,000 hours annually) was presented for effective project approval in 2004. By this time, National Defence realized that personnel, operations, and maintenance costs would exceed those associated with the Sea King by $1.1 billion over 20 years. This is significant because National Defence did not seek additional funding for the in-service support provisions, so these incremental costs will need to be covered by its existing operations and maintenance budget… National Defence initially assumed that, despite known deficiencies, the hangars and other facilities used for the Sea King helicopters could be used for the new helicopters… In 2005, however, National Defence determined that there was a need for significant investment in new infrastructure. It has since initiated approximately $340 million in projects for maintenance, spare parts warehousing, training, and squadron facilities… There was also a need to extend the life of the Sea King helicopters longer than originally anticipated… An option to extend the period was exercised in November 2007 for an additional $168 million to cover the period up to 2014. The extension coincided with the notification that the delivery of the Cyclone helicopters would be delayed.”

See: Canadian OAG Release re: military helicopters | Media Statement | Full report || Parliamentary Hansard transcript re: defense questions | Canadian Press | CBC | Global News timeline | National Post | National Post op-ed | Toronto Sun | Vancouver Sun || Agence France Presse | China’s Xinhua || Defense News.

Key Report: Canada’s OAG

July 26/10: New deal. Canada’s Department of National Defence clarifies the new arrangements with Sikorsky, and the state of the program.

The first 4 phases of Ship/Helicopter Operating Limitations (SHOL) trials (vid. April 19/10 entry) successfully tested and validated the design of hangar and flight deck modifications aboard Canadian ships, maintenance support, developed standard operating procedures for ship and flight crew personnel, and defined safe flight parameters. Subsequent SHOL trials will be conducted in extreme weather conditions to define those parameters.

Mission software development has become an issue for the program, and Sikorsky’s inability to meet contract requirements forced a contract amendment, so the Navy could take delivery of interim CH-148s with partially-functional mission systems.

The interim helicopters will not be deployed on operations, Instead, they’ll be used for initial cadre training of aircrew and maintenance personnel, and initial operational testing and evaluation (IOT&E) to develop procedures for the Cyclone’s flight and operations, and to develop support systems like supply chains for spare parts, and maintenance processes and procedures. Once delivery of the fully compliant CH-148s begins in 2012, the interim helicopters will be retrofitted and returned by December 2013.

June 30/10: The Canadian government and Sikorsky sign an agreement to amend their CH-148 contract. In return for changes to acceptance criteria for the initial helicopter set, to the overall delivery schedule, and to milestone payments and liquidated damages provisions, Sikorsky will:

  • Withdraw an existing arbitration claim against the government;
  • Invest another C$ 80 million in contracts/ R&D work with Canadian firms;
  • Offer payments for any future MH-92 maritime helicopter sales that could amount to more than US$ 30 million;
  • Charge reduced interim helicopter in-service support rates until acceptance of the fully compliant helicopters in June 2012.

Liquidated damages requirements will now be triggered only by failure to deliver interim helicopters starting in November 2010, and for failure to deliver the fully compliant helicopters beginning in June 2012. The C$ 3.2 billion 20-year in-service support contract will run until March 2028. Source.

2nd contract amendment

Shearwater arrival
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June 8/10: From late to later. Sikorsky will deliver its CH-148s to the Canadian Armed Forces late, even by the revised schedule. Borrowing a leaf from the NH90 NFH’s playbook, Sikorsky will begin delivering only “interim helicopters” for testing and training by the renegotiated date of November 2010. Then, instead of delivering at a rate of one per month, Sikorsky will deliver only 6 helicopters by June 2012.

The remaining 22 helicopters will be fully operational versions, including upgraded engines. They are promised as of June 2012, and as they arrive, the initial 6 helicopters will be pulled back for engine retrofits and any other required modifications. Recall that the original contract’s initial delivery date for the CH-148 was November 2008. Halifax Chronicle-Herald | CTV.

June 7/10: German exports? Canada may not wind up alone. Germany is the NH90 TTH’s biggest customer, but the helicopters have had problems, and it has delayed any NH90 NFH anti-submarine helicopter buy. Now Sikorsky is looking to pursue a 30-helicopter bid to replace Germany’s H-3 Sea Kings with their MH-92 Cyclone instead of Eurocopter’s NH90 NFH. They also want to compete with the H-92 for an 8-19 helicopter Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) opportunity to replace German UH-1Ds. A German decision is expected in late 2010, if proposed budget cuts don’t derail the programs.

At the ILA 2010 airshow in Berlin, Sikorsky signed a Memorandum of Understanding “to explore opportunities” in aftermarket support involves their long-standing partner ZF Luftfahrttechnik GmbH (ZF Aviation Technology), while the other involves Switzerland’s RUAG, and will explore “Maintenance and Repair Operation as well as integrated logistics support and completion capabilities.” Rheinmetall and MTU are also reputed to be involved in discussions.

The H-92 might be operational in a maritime role before the NH90 NFH, and the firm has some H-92 CSAR design experience from its participation in the aborted American CSAR-X competition. Their bid remains something of a long shot, but Sikorsky representatives are quoted as saying that the partnerships and experience will stand them in good stead to bid the future CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter for the Franco-German HTH program. Sikorsky has reportedly secured American export approval for the Cyclone, and would conduct final assembly in Germany. Aviation Week | Flight International | Shephard Group.

April 16/10: Testing. The CH-148s have begun SHOL (Ship Helicopter Operational Limitations) testing off of Nova Scotia. Testing started shortly after the test helicopter arrived in Feb 19/10 and is taking place in 4 phases:

Phase 1 tests confirmed that the prototype aircraft’s flight test instrumentation systems could operate in close proximity to the electromagnetic emitters of the ship.

Phase 2 evaluated how the test helicopter and the Canadian Recovery, Assist, Securing and Traversing (C-RAST) work together. The C-RAST moves the helicopter in and out of the hanger, and locks the helicopter in place on the ship so it doesn’t slide off.

The 3rd phase was completed earlier in April and involved take-offs, departures, landings and utility evolutions conducted during the day, in order to establish the standard operating procedures for the aircraft.

The 4th and final phase is expected to be complete by the end of April. These tests will be conducted at sea in the North Atlantic under increasingly challenging weather conditions and sea states, in order to determine a safe envelope for the helicopter to operate from the Halifax class ship with medium winds and deck motions. Further testing is planned later in the program to test the full capabilities of the aircraft at high winds and high deck motions.

Feb 19/10: Testing arrival. Sikorsky’s prototype CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter arrives at CFB Shearwater, Nova Scotia, for several weeks of “ship helicopter operational limits” trials with the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal. “Aircraft 801” reportedly first flew in November 2008. Canadian Navy | Aviation Week Ares.

2009

Pattern of government dishonesty begins to surface; Civil S-92 crash off Newfoundland has implication for CH-148.

CH-148 first flight
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Nov 8/09: The Ottawa Citizen’s David Pugliese reports on the CH-148’s slow progress. While the first helicopter is scheduled to arrive at CFB Shearwater in December 2009, actual sea trials aren’t scheduled until February 2010 or later, and even when those are done, other steps are required before Canadian pilot training can begin:

“…sources say while the first helicopter is expected to arrive in early December from Sikorsky, it is not being actually accepted by the Canadian Forces… The first Cyclone (MH02) has just finished being painted at West Palm Beach in Canadian Forces colors… The sea trials should have been completed almost 20 months ago according to the delivery schedule contracted with Sikorsky in 2004.

Successful completion of the sea trials, followed by development and approval of the ship-helicopter operating limitations (SHOL) for the new helicopter, which will require several months at least, are a MHP contractual obligation that must be met long before Canada accepts delivery of the first aircraft and can begin training its own pilots on the Cyclone…”

Cougar Helis S-92
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March 11/09: S-92 accident. An S-92 operated by Cougar Helicopters goes down in the sea off of Newfoundland, Canada with 18 people aboard, while ferrying workers to one of the offshore oil rigs. In the end, only 1 of the 18 passengers survives. Standard procedures give all passengers immersion suits, but winds were running between 25-35 knots, with a 3m/ 9-10 foot swell, and water temperatures near freezing.

The problem ends up involving shearing in some of the helicopter’s titanium studs, which caused the loss of all oil. The helicopter crashed about 10 minutes after that, which calls the 30-minute “run dry” requirement into serious question. The Globe and Mail | See also CBC and Flight International report & photos re: later Canadian TSB findings.

Feb 20/09: The Ottawa Citizen’s David Pugliese continues to investigate the specifics behind the December 2008 announcement of a contract settlement with Sikorsky. In “New Engnes for the Troubled Cyclone Helicopter?” he quotes Canada’s DND:

“Sikorsky is making a number of improvements to the current design of the helicopter to meet the performance requirements specified in the current contract. An improvement being made that was not in the original contract will provide the helicopter with growth potential for the engine and main transmission.”

Pugliese points out that this is a problem, for 2 reasons:

“The weight growth requirement was actually stated in the MH Statement of Operational Requirement (SOR) and was initially included in the RFP Requirements Specification but was later removed at Sikorky’s request… [however,] In order to use a [Lowest Cost Compliant ] selection methodology, PWGSC and DND both had to assure the Auditor General in 2003 that the MH performance and equipment requirements (as stated in the RFP) would be finite and that no extra funds would ever have to be allocated for additional capability over the entire life of the aircraft, otherwise a Best Value selection methodology whereby additional capability could be acquired at minimal additional cost was mandated.”

DND responses add that they are also looking at technological improvements that will become available as a spin-off from Sikorsky’s R&D. They include “an enhanced rotor blade design, larger tail rotor and a new 5-bladed rotor hub”, which could add another 500-600 pounds of payload capacity. Aerospace analysts contacted by Pugliese respond that:

“The new rotor design that the response refers to is the one being considered for Sikorsky’s bid for the USAF’s CSAR helicopter. It involves very significant structural changes to the aircraft including a substantial increase in the aircraft’s overall length both with rotors turning and when folded which would raise major issues for ship compatibility. Since DND and PWGSC are inexplicably avoiding the engine question, we suggest you dig further.”

Winter 2009: SNAFU. Plain Talk: The Process of (Not) Acquiring Maritime Helicopters [PDF format] is published in the Canadian Naval Review by Jane’s Canadian correspondent Sharon Hobson. Hobson reports that Sikorsky was exempted from key performance requirements during the bidding phase, unlike its competitors NIH Industries (NH90) and Lockheed Martin/ AgustaWestland (EH101). Additionally:

“…In order to speed things up during the bidding process, the project office only required that the bidders provide proof of compliance for 475 [mandatory technical requirements]. The bidders were allowed merely to state that they would comply with the other 1,000. When things started to go wrong – and they started to go wrong fairly quickly – the project office went into crisis management mode.

When I interviewed the project manager in February 2006, he told me that the preliminary design review (PDR) had been completed in January, and that the critical design review (CDR) would be completed by the first week of June. However, in September 2006, the same official conceded to another reporter that the PDR was not yet complete. The project office does not appear to have given a media interview since then. Moreover, it turns out that because Sikorsky was unable to complete fully each milestone within the PDR and CDR, the project office subdivided the milestones so that the payments would continue to flow…

2007 – 2008

Reports of impossible schedule prove true – contract renegotiated; RWR & ESM picked.

Canadian Parliament
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Dec 23/08: Contract failure, change. Canada’s government announces that they have renegotiated the contract with Sikorsky. DND will now begin receiving helicopters by November 2010, allowing necessary operational testing and training to begin prior to the delivery of mission-ready helicopters beginning in 2012, and all helicopters by 2013.

The effect of these changes is to delay operational use of the helicopters for 2 years. The original contract had penalty clauses for late delivery, but those clauses appear to have been waived in exchange for these contract amendments. The government release also took pains to state that it “…has determined that the delays experienced were largely outside the control of the Contractor.”

Most of the contract modifications appear to concern “upgrades.” These have not been specified, except to say that they have an estimated value of $77 million for the 28 helicopters, and $40 million for the 20 years of In-Service Support contract, based on the Canada/ US currency exchange rate of December 2008. The release adds that contract amendments will be funded from within the original project budget. Canadian government announcement | CBC report.

Contract renegotiated

Nov 20/08: Dev flight. A CH-148 Cyclone makes its first flight at the Sikorsky Flight Development Center in Florida. Source.

1st flight

Nov 5/08: The Ottawa Citizen’s defense reporter David Pugliese publishes some comments from his sources, suggesting the program’s schedule was never realistic, that further delays to 2012 or even 2014 are possible, and that vague statements from Sikorsky and Canada’s DND are omitting important pieces of information. One key excerpt:

“Your blog notes that Sikorsky is now claiming the first article will fly “before the end of the year”. Rumors in the industry suggest that any such flight will be without the mission system, which is still not in formal lab testing. Compare this to Sikorsky’s original (public) promise to fly a fully equipped first article by September 2007.”

January 2008: Sikorsky formally advises the Canadian government of delays in the original schedule.

April 18/07: RWR/ESM. Lockheed Martin announces a $59.4 million U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sales contract to provide the helicopters with Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)/Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems derived from its AN/ALQ-210 system, which will also be deployed on the US Navy’s new MH-60R multi-mission naval helicopters.

The ALQ-210 passively detects, identifies and geo-locates hostile radar transmitters. The systems provided to Canada’s Department of National Defence will also feature new functionality designed to meet specific Canadian Forces requirements. Honorary Col. Rick Mercer of 423 Maritime Helicopter Sqn will be relieved, we’re sure.

Jan 23/07: Strike! The Globe and Mail reports that CH-148 delivery will be at least 5 1/2 weeks late because of a strike at Sikorsky’s factory. Canada’s federal government deems the delay to be reasonable, and they are reportedly foregoing the late penalty provisions in the contract. Those terms could allow Canada to charge up to $100,000 a day for late delivery, to a maximum of $36 million.

2004 – 2006

Contract for 28; Radar & surveillance turret picked.

CH-148 concept
(click to view full)

Dec 6/05: Sikorsky Aircraft opens the company’s new MH-92 helicopter fly-by-wire system integration lab with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Stratford, CT. The new lab will develop, integrate and test the fly-by-wire and avionic systems for the MH-92, and the CH-148 Cyclone will be the system’s inaugural customer.

BAE Systems will be Sikorsky’s team-mate on this sub-project, which is expected to lead to companion fly-by-wire integration labs for Sikorsky’s H-60, CH-53K, and X2 aircraft.

Fly-by-wire differs from traditional helicopter flight control systems by replacing the mechanical linkages to the cockpit controllers with a redundant, purely electrical system that is more responsive, more survivable if hit, saves weight, and reduces maintenance costs. Europe’s competing NH90 already has fly-by-wire built in, so Sikorsky is playing catch-up in this area. Sikorsky release.

Fly-by-wire lab open

June 14/05: FLIR. FLIR Systems, Inc. announces a “competitively awarded” subcontract from General Dynamics Canada of Ottawa, Ontario, for its popular Star SAFIRE III airborne multi-sensor imaging systems with multi-year in-service support. The total subcontract value, including potential option awards, is in excess of $20 million (USD). Deliveries will commence within 9 months of contract award, and continue until 2009.

FLIR’s Star SAFIRE III is used on a wide variety of systems, and has options to include laser rangefinding and targeting features.

June 5/05: Radar. Griffon Corp. subsidiary Telephonics announces a subcontract award from General Dynamics Canada. They will supply 31 ship sets of their APS-143Bv3 multi-mode imaging Maritime Surveillance Radar, fully integrated with their Mark XIIA Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator sub-system hardware. The contract also contains options for initial spares and 20 years of in-service support for the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP), and could exceed $50 million in value if all options are exercised.

The internal, fully integrated Mark XIIA IFF interrogator has been designed to be compatible with the IFF interrogators being supplied for the US Navy’s MH-60R LAMPS helicopter, the Canadian CP-140 Aurora upgrade program, and the US and International Air Force’s AWACS platforms.

This program will be managed from Telephonics’ facilities in Farmingdale, NY, with a portion of the work being performed in Canada as defined in the Industrial Regional Benefit plan included in Telephonics proposal. The first test aircraft system is scheduled for delivery in July 2007.

April 21/05: Infrastructure. L-3 Communications MAS launches the construction of a new $45-million Maritime Helicopter Training Centre for the Canadian Forces in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. L-3 MAS has lead responsibility for the Cyclone’s in-service support, which includes provision of the training facility and training.

The actual construction is subcontracted to PCL Constructors Canada Inc., and the center is expected to be operational in April 2008. It is expected that over 160 new jobs will be created directly and indirectly during construction of the 3-storey facility, which will be LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Silver Certificate certified. The building will include flight and mission simulators, and serve as the home for 406 Squadron. Sikorsky release.

April 12/05: Project office open. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Canadian government officials today formally inaugurate a new Canadian Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP) office located here in the company’s main manufacturing facility in Stratford, CT.

The newly renovated 25,000 square-foot space includes a 5,000 square-foot secure area to accommodate a detachment of 17 Canadian government employees overseeing the project. The remainder of the space houses Sikorsky Aircraft, General Dynamics Canada and L-3 MAS Canada personnel assigned to the MHP. Sikorsky release.

Project office

Nov 23/04: Deal signed. The Government of Canada signed contracts with Sikorsky International Operations Inc. for the Maritime Helicopter Project, to provide 28 helicopters (C$ 1.8 billion), as well as 20 years of in-service support and a training facility (C$ 3.2 billion), including construction of a training facility and a simulation and training suite.

Sikorsky had joined with L-3 MAS (in-service support) and General Dynamics Canada (systems integration) to form The Maritime Helicopter Team. CBC report.

28 CH-148s

Additional Readings

Background: Helicopters

Background and Views

Categories: Defense`s Feeds

Serbian Minister of Defence visits EDA

EDA News - Tue, 05/15/2018 - 17:21

Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, visited the European Defence Agency this week for discussions with EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq. 

The Republic of Serbia concluded an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2013 enabling it to participate in EDA projects and programmes on a case by case basis. Mr Domecq welcomed the opportunity to discuss with Minister Vulin Serbia’s participation in EDA projects following  detailed updates provided by EDA on a range of ongoing projects including on the EDA Helicoper Exercises Programme, its work on Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED), medical, standardisation and airworthiness as well as the EU Satcom Market in which Serbia has been participating since 2016.

Minister Vulin expressed interest on Serbia’s involvement in areas such as Helicopter Exercises, standardisation, medical and ammunition.  Other topics discussed during the visit was EDA’s role in the new European defence initiatives as well as Serbia’s defence planning and its priorities related to security and defence.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

Hot Blade 2018 kicks off with focus on interoperability

EDA News - Tue, 05/08/2018 - 11:37

HOT BLADE 2018, the 12th helicopter exercise organised under the umbrella of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), kicked off yesterday 7th May at Beja airbase in Portugal. It will run until 24 May and involve a total of 29 air assets and crews from six countries: Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Representatives from Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy will also take part as observers. A Distinguished Visitors Day (DVD) will take place on 22 May.

HOT BLADE 2018 will allow crews from 21 helicopters and 8 fixed wing assets (including 6 Portuguese F-16 fighters), ground troops, EW simulator/emulators operators and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) to practice operations in a hot, high and dusty environment replicating the challenging conditions that participants’ forces are expected to encounter when deploying to a theatre of operation. 

The exercise’s main focus is on enhancing interoperability at the tactical level between helicopter units by using the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) concept in a combined, joint, realistic and challenging environment.

It is the 4th time that the exercise is hosted by the Portuguese Air Force, under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), following three earlier successful editions that took place between 2012 and 2014. This year, the Hot Blade 2018 exercise will be carried out in the area surrounding Beja Air Force Base, located in the Southern part of Portugal.

The use of EDA HEP Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), the application of best practices gathered during the 11 previous helicopter exercises led by the EDA and the availability on location of a Mentor Team will support the standardisation of planning processes and helicopter tactical procedures amongst participating crews.

This year’s training is focussed on missions in a dusty, hot and mountainous environment. To ensure the maximum levels of flight safety, scheduled activities will follow a progressive approach. Tactical training (e.g. formation flights, NVG, tactical formation) will be performed during the first days, while national training requirements enabling the performance of demanding day and night Composite Air Operation (COMAO) missions will be addressed during the last days of the exercise.
 

More information:
Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

Outcome of EDA Ministerial Steering Board

EDA News - Sat, 05/05/2018 - 09:06

The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) ministerial Steering Board met this Saturday morning in Sofia under the chairmanship of HR/VP Federica Mogherini in her capacity as Head of the Agency. Defence ministers among other things welcomed the Agency’s progress on taking forward the new European defence initiatives and encouraged EDA to further develop initiatives in areas such as military mobility and the Main Battle Tank capability.

EDA plays a central role in many of the initiatives implementing the security and defence aspects of the EU Global Strategy presented by HR/VP Federica Mogherini in 2016. Federica Mogherini highlighted the Agency’s aim to support coherence between the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF) – using the Capability Development Plan (CDP) as baseline for developing the European capability landscape.

The currently ongoing revision of the CDP will be finalised by June 2018 and Defence Ministers highlighted the importance of ensuring coherence of output and timelines between EU and NATO defence planning processes. At the same time, an Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) is being developed with a view to guiding future investments in collaborative European defence research. Ministers of Defence welcomed the progress achieved so far in the trial run of the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence implemented by EDA in its capacity as CARD Secretariat. The first CARD report will be presented in November 2018. EDA also supports Member States as part of the PESCO Secretariat. On 2 May, the PESCO Secretariat (EDA together with EEAS/EUMS) issued the second call for project proposals to PESCO participating Member States to be submitted by 31 July 2018.

 

Military Mobility

Regarding Military Mobility, and in line with the scope and timelines mentioned in the European Union Action Plan, the Agency is currently preparing two ambitious programmes on the harmonisation of military requirements related to customs and on cross border movement permission.

Both programmes aim at facilitating military mobility activities. The Agency together with the participating Member States will look at harmonising the military requirements related to customs. The programme on cross border movement permission builds on the successful Diplomatic Clearances arrangement which foresees annually issued clearance numbers for air transport aircraft. The arrangement has proven its value by reducing administrative burden and time. The new programme will build on this good practice by looking at surface movement to enhance military mobility for road, rail and inland waterways, also including air assets such as helicopters and air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The Agency’s work in this area is coordinated with the PESCO project on military mobility and conducted in close cooperation with the EEAS, EUMS, the Commission and other stakeholders. It is also coherent with respective NATO initiatives.

  Main Battle Tank

Defence Ministers invited the Agency to pursue the development of the Pooling and Sharing initiative on Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) based on identified MBT surplus capacities in a number of Member States (Providers) and a demand for the acquisition of such assets in others (Receivers). The Agency together with national experts and industry investigated to what extent Providers could pool & share their surplus assets with interested Receivers and upgrade the MBTs to the latest configuration available. In addition, some Member States have voiced interest in upgrading their national fleets and keep them under full national control (Upgraders). The project will provide economies of scale throughout the entire life cycle while enhancing interoperability among Member States.  

  Cooperative Financial Mechanism & other topics

The Steering Board was informed about the progress achieved in the negotiation of the Programme Arrangement of the Cooperative Financial Mechanism. It is intended that the CFM will be structured around two pillars, one intergovernmental, and one involving the European Investment Bank as the sole lender for defence-related projects and programmes in line with its lending policy. Following calls from the European Council to support investments in defence research and development activities, the European Investment Bank and the European Defence Agency concluded a cooperation agreement on 28 February 2018.

Ministers welcomed closer interaction between EDA and NATO. They were also presented with lessons learnt on the successful implementation of the Pilot Project and the first work programme of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research by the Agency under delegation of the European Commission. Finally, the Steering Board welcomed the progress made with regard to the implementation of the dual-use strategy on RPAS regulation, based on close coordination with the European Commission, the SESAR Joint Undertaking and EASA.

 

 

Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

EDA at EU Open Doors Day

EDA News - Wed, 05/02/2018 - 14:42

This Saturday 5 May, the European Defence Agency (EDA) participates in the 'EU Open Day'. Pass by and meet the EDA staff at information stand 32 in the building of the European External Action Service (EEAS) at Rond Point Schuman in Brussels.

Every year, the European Union celebrates peace and unity on 'Europe Day'. The event marks the anniversary of the 'Schuman Declaration', outlining a vision to unite separate European states into a single community.The public is invited to visit the main European institutions in Brussels on 5 May.

For more information on the celebrations in Brussels, click here.

EU Open Day at the European External Action Service

  • Time: Open from 10.00 till 18.00 
  • Address: EEAS Building, 9A Rond Point Schuman, 1000 Brussels
Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

Conclusion of European Tactical Airlift exercise 2018

EDA News - Fri, 04/27/2018 - 11:45

Bulgaria, who holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU during this semester, hosted the second European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Courses (ETAP-C) from April 15th to 27th. This two-week comprehensive airlift tactics training course aims to enhance interoperability between European Air Forces. The participating crews were trained within a simulated theatre-deployment setting, exposing them to a complex surface-to-air and air-to-air threat environment, within which they were tasked to conduct demanding airlift missions.

At the end of the course, 3 graduating crews received a certificate reflecting the training objectives achieved.

EDA initiated the European Tactical Airlift Programme (ETAP) to develop innovative, efficient and more effective approaches to overcome Advanced Airlift Tactical Training and Interoperability shortfalls, within the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) programme.

ETAP aims to enhance European transport airlift operational capability for crisis management operations through the pooling and sharing of experience, training opportunities and organisational costs, and the development of agreed common tactics, techniques and procedures, to better meet the challenges of flying transport aircraft in a joint and combined modern operational environment.

The organisational and administrative responsibilities for the ETAP have recently been handed over to the European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) in Zaragoza, Spain, which was opened in June 2017 in the presence of EU High Representative and Head of the EDA Federica Mogherini, the Spanish Minister of Defence María Dolores de Cospedal and EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.

This multinational centre, which was established with the support of 10 EDA Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain) and one Third State (Norway), delivers European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Courses (ETAP-C), European Airlift Transport Training (ETAP-T), European Advanced Tactical Instructor Course (ETAP-I), Symposia (ETAP-S) and any other ETAP related activities for military air transport personnel.

The 2018 activities began in January at the International Training Centre (ITC) in Pisa, Italy, with the first three ETAP-I. The first ETAP-C took place in Zaragoza from February 18th until March 3d, with nine crews and six aircraft (2 C-130, 1 C-160, 1 CASA 235 and 2 CASA 295) from Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. This course was divided in two parts, day and night, with some of the crews attending the night course using night-vision goggles.

International interest in ETAC activities is tangible, with observers from Finland, Bulgaria and the Emirates participating in the January course. NATO AWACS observers from Geilenkirchen also attended to investigate the possibility of joining this type of training in the future.
 

More information

 

Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

MCIS Soft power panel

Russian Military Reform - Tue, 04/24/2018 - 18:47

Today’s MCIS slides installment comes from Lt. General Sergey Kuralenko, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Peacekeeping Operations of the Russian Ground Forces. This comes from the breakout session on soft power as a tool to pursue military-political objectives.

Sadly, it seems that the Russian MOD has not posted video or speech texts from the breakout sessions, so I’ll provide a brief summary here, in addition to the slides. Kuralenko’s speech can be summarized in three points:

  1. Russia is in Syria to help Syrians.
  2. The U.S. is in Syria to pursue its geopolitical ambitions and does not care about collateral damage.
  3. People in the military, regardless of country of origin, understand the consequences of conflict and seek to avoid it. More mil-mil contact would help to avert the worst consequences of war.

Kuralenko was followed by Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the Minister of Defense of Venezuela, who made the argument that many countries use soft power as a tool for political domination of weaker countries without having to resort to military force. He contrasted positive soft power, a tool for cooperation as practiced by Hugo Chavez when he led Venezuela, with negative soft power, as practiced by the United States for subjugation and regime change. He also helpfully pointed out that the United States was using the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela to destabilize the country and also noted that there was no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela…

The sole American speaker, Ariel Cohen, highlighted the transition of the concept of soft power from a national branding tool to a weapon. Starting from Joe Nye’s original conceptualization of soft power, he focused on soft power as a tool for expanding national influence through persuasion and attraction, rather than through military or economic pressure. Soft power is the idea that any product of human activity can be weaponized to achieve geopolitical goals.

He was followed by the Russian journalist and television personality Vladimir Soloviev, who gave a typically inflammatory speech. Soloviev opened by saying that he didn’t believe in soft power, since it can only be useful in addition to hard power rather than in and of itself. He argued that the West had rejected all of the norms of international law and had aggressively rejected diplomacy as well. He likened the West (and the United States specifically) to a casino owner telling the players what the rules should be. He accused Boris Johnson of lying about the Skripal case. His larger point was that the West was using soft power together with its technological advantages to solve its military and political issues, with the dollar being the most effective soft power tool. He argued that a new iron curtain was descending over Europe, but this time from the Western side.

Soloviev made the argument that Russia needs  to become more active in defending itself against soft power attacks. Russia, for him, has not been pushing an ideology. Furthermore, since it does not own or operate the platforms, it will always be behind.  It therefore needs to leave the casino altogether and stop playing the game.

Soloviev’s arguments were seconded by Yakov Kedmi, an Israeli expert who has developed a reputation for his pro-Russian positions. In discussing  soft power, he highlighted that power is the key word in that phrase, with the soft modifier being secondary. Soft power is used to pressure opponents or support allies in circumstances when military power can’t be used. He then argued that soft power is as illegitimate as any other use of force and should therefore be prohibited through international law and countered with military power, as that is the most effective tool against it.

After a completely unmemorable presentation by the first deputy defense minister of Argentina, the final (and best) presentation was given by Dan Smith, director of SIPRI. He countered Kedmi’s perspective quite effectively, noting that power is not the same thing as coercion or the use of force. The most effective kind of soft power is silent, intangible and irresistable. It comes from culture, economic strength, and reputation  and offers influence and helps diplomacy. At its most effective, it stops conflicts before they start. It can change the nature of the game. Soft power in the world has declined in general as trust of other countries has declined. No state has as much power today as it used to and none are viewed as models for others.

Here are Kuralenko’s slides… I’ll have one final post on MCIS later this week with overall impressions and takeaways.

Categories: Defense`s Feeds, Russia & CIS

MCIS slides on regional security in the Middle East and North Africa

Russian Military Reform - Fri, 04/20/2018 - 15:36

Today’s installment of MCIS slides comes courtesy of Sam Charap, who attended the breakout session on regional security in the MENA region. The panel was led off by Lt. General Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff. Unfortunately, the Russian MOD has not made available speech texts or video of the breakout sessions. (I’ll have a report on Monday on the other breakout session on soft power, which I attended.)

Categories: Defense`s Feeds, Russia & CIS

First EDA Defence Energy Managers Course successfully concluded

EDA News - Thu, 04/19/2018 - 12:59

On 19th of April, 21 students from 8 Member States graduated from the first EDA Defence Energy Managers Course (DEMC). The DEMC aims at increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in the military domain through the application of defence-specific Energy Management Systems (EnMSs) based on the ISO 50001 standard.  The DEMC is the first of its kind to be run at multi-national level and to deliver both theoretical and practical EnMS training to energy managers from European navies, armies and air forces.  

The implementation of EnMSs under DEMC resulted in saving around 2,5 GWh of energy consumed, reaching normalised reductions in energy consumptions of up to 25.2%.

The course was split into 5 distinct modules (3 classroom-type and two practical of total duration of 12 months) with this first pilot run launched in April 2017. Participants improved their know-how on the complexities of managing energy within a defence organisation. They were also able to acquire the capacity to structure, implement and improve effective EnMSs and to enhance their skills thanks to on-going mentoring, alumni relations and membership in the European Defence Energy Network (EDEN) with permanent access to its established on-line resources.

The DEMC marks another important milestone in EDA’s approach to sustainability in defence and fulfils the level of ambition of the EDA Member States for capacity building in energy management, already identified through the first round of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (sponsored by the European Commission) and the EDA’s own Energy and Environmental Working Group, developing  mainstream sustainability concepts within the defence sector as enablers for improved military capability and reduced environmental footprint of military activities.
 

Background

The course began with a 5-day classroom-type session (module 1) to guide the participants with the framework and requirements of ISO 50001 EnMS standard and to familiarise them with energy data analysis techniques. Then followed a 6-month mentoring session (module 2) on the development of the core structure of the EnMSs to be applied, including visits at participating Member States’ sites, webinars and extensive one-on-one mentoring. It was followed by module 3 (3-day classroom type session) which, besides reviewing the progress made so far, further elaborated on the EnMS requirements especially related to training, design, procurement, operations (including deployments). The subsequent 5-month mentoring session (module 4), included site visits, during which energy internal audits were  conducted, coupled with further support though webinars and tailored guidance. The concluding 3-day classroom type module (module 5) focused on reviewing the developed EnMSs and providing further guidance on operational control issues related to energy.

The pilot run of the Defence Energy Managers’ Course (DEMC – Pilot) was attended by MoD / Armed Forces’ personnel from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and The  Netherlands. During this pilot course, the EnMS concept was developed and is currently applied at 10 military installations of diverse uses (from military academies to armoured vehicles’ camps and naval depos).

With such a successful outcome of the DEMC - Pilot, up to 6 steady state DEMC could be envisaged over the next 3 years. The steady state courses will build upon the pilot course taking into account gained experience, recommendations and feedback from participating Member States. 

The project is delivered by GEN Europe and the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources & Savings (CRES). It is run by the European Defence Agency’s Innovative Research Unit.
 

More information: 

 [AN1]http://eda.europa.eu/info-hub/press-centre/latest-news/2017/04/24/defence-energy-managers'-course-holds-first-session

 [AN2]http://eda.europa.eu/info-hub/press-centre/latest-news/2017/01/20/new-defence-energy-managers-course-launched

 

   
Categories: Defense`s Feeds, European Union

Russian Volga-Dnepr leaves SALIS

CSDP blog - Wed, 04/18/2018 - 16:29

From January 1, 2019, the Russian Volga will cease providing AN-124 capacity for EU and NATO states under NATO's heavy military air transport program SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution), which includes 17 European member states and Canada. The loss is sensitive: Under Salis, Antonov and Volga have each had an AN-124 permanently stationed at Leipzig-Halle Airport since March 2006, with additional uplift available at short notice.

Unfortunately, the SALIS Program Office did not succeed in overcoming the Russian withdrawal, despite the long negotiations. The move comes just over a year after the Russian freighter operator announced the end of the near-decade-long Russlan collaboration to market AN-124 capacity with Ukraine’s Antonov. A move thought to be in response to western sanctions on Russian companies. Negotiations conducted by the Salis steering board last week failed to avert the withdrawal. After Volga-Dnepr subsidiary AirBridgeCargo lost about half its 21 landing slots at Schiphol last year, Russia reportedly threatened to ban Dutch carriers from its airspace. Shortly after, KLM struck a deal with ABC over additional slots.

The ending of the Salis contract puts pressure on NATO and the EU, which need access to the world’s largest commercial cargo aircraft. This is a serious loss of capacity: the Ukrainian An-124s of Antonov's air transport industry are only flying 900 flights per year - the largest fleet with two Russian aircraft has been available to SALIS's designers for up to 2300 hours per year.

There is always the possibility that the withdrawal is part of a larger play by Volga-Dnepr president Alexey Isaikin, who is looking to set up a German cargo airline, with AN-124s registered in Germany, at Leipzig. By registering an AN-124 to a German company, the Volga-Dnepr group would no longer be caught in the crossfire of political skirmishes between Russia and elsewhere, which includes problems with Antonov maintenance. And as an EU company, it might get preferential treatment for military shipments over Ukraine’s Antonov. It also adds pressure on Germany, which is keen to develop Leipzig-Halle as a freight airport, to OK the new airline’s AOC and aircraft registration. (Although as one source told The Loadstar, Lufthansa Cargo was unlikely to welcome a new freighter airline on its doorstep, and would “go ape-shit”.)

Tag: SALISVolga-Dnepr
Categories: Défense, Defense`s Feeds, European Union, Union européenne

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