Defense Industry Daily

Americas

Boeing won a $7.6 million contract modification to provide generator feeder fault protection for the Apache helicopter. The Apache attack helicopter was developed by Boeing for the US Armed Forces. It entered service with the US Army in 1984 and has been exported to Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Work under the modification will take place in Mesa, Arizona. Estimates completion date its December 31, 2024. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Ophir Corp. won an $11.3 million contract for repair of the B-2 pilot alert assembly and laser energy monitor. The B-2 Spirit is a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defense shields. It is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000ft, with a range of more than 6,000nm unrefueled and over 10,000nm with one refueling, giving it the ability to fly to any point in the world within hours. The cockpit accommodates two crew members. It is equipped with a color, nine-tube, electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS), which displays flight, engine and sensor data and avionics systems and weapons status. Work will take place in Littleton, Colorado. Expected completion date is May 25, 2025.

Middle East & Africa

The Belgian government will decide by July whether to send four F-16s to Jordan in October to support Operation Inherent Resolve. The F-16s would be deployed in Jordan for a year, starting in October, along with 95 soldiers, as part of the international operation “Inherent Resolve” to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The deployment would be the third of its kind for Belgium. Operation Inherent Resolve is the US military’s operational name for the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Europe

Lockheed Martin is contracted $13.2 million for modernized target acquisition sight/pilot night vision sensor refurbishment. According to Lockheed, the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) is a long-range, precision engagement and pilotage solution for day, night and adverse weather missions. Fiscal 2010, 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Army); and 2010 Foreign Military Sales (United Kingdom) funds in the amount of $13,210,610 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will take place in Orlando, Floria. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2022.

Asia-Pacific

EXP Federal won a $25 million contract for architect and engineering services for construction and renovation project in the Republic of Korea. EXP Federal provides engineering design, construction management, interior, landscape, urban design, surveying, and master planning services. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is November 24, 2023. US Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District, is the contracting activity.

Taiwan’s deputy defense minister Chang Zhe-Ping has confirmed to legislators that Taipei has decided to acquire the coastal road-mobile variant of the Boeing Harpoon Block II missile. Chang said the missiles should enter service with the Navy’s Hai Feng squadron in 2023. When asked, why the country chose to buy the American weapon when the existing Hsiung Feng II & III missiles are already in service, Chang clarified that studies showed that more missiles are required to destroy 50 percent of the invading force from China. This can only be achieve rapidly by buying new missiles from abroad.

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Americas

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics won a $16 million deal, which procures support to manage diminishing manufacturing sources in support of the F-35 program for the Air Force, Navy and non-Department of Defense participants. The F-35 program has been supported by an international team of leading aerospace majors. Notably, Northrop Grumman NOC rendered its expertise in carrier aircraft and low-observable stealth technology to this program. BAE Systems’ BAESY short takeoff and vertical landing experience, and air systems sustainment supported the jet’s combat capabilities. These features have enabled F-35 jet to dominate the combat aircraft market buoyed by solid demand as evident from the program’s frequent contract wins, both from Pentagon and other US allies. For instance, this January, Lockheed clinched a reimbursable contract worth $1.93 billion for providing a consortium of services involving the F-35 program. Work under the new cost-plus-fixed-fee order will take place in Fort Worth, Texas. Estimated completion will be by June 2020.

The Department of Defense will lift the stop-movement order it issued earlier this spring in stages rather than keeping it in place through June 30. Officials announced this shift on May 26. Under this, some installation will be able to accept transfers immediately, according to Matt Donovan, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper had issued the order on travel in March and extended it in April. Moving forward, individual installations will be able to lift travel and moving restrictions depending on local conditions, Donovan said. Troops, families and other DoD personnel will now be able to travel within the United States and some other countries provided their destinations have removed shelter-in-place orders and shown a 14-day reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases, as well as reports of flu-like or COVID-like symptoms.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s Elbit Systems reported its consolidated results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. The company provided US-GAAP results as well as additional non-GAAP financial data to provide investors with a more comprehensive understanding of the company’s business results and trends. Bezhalel Machlis, president and CEO of Elbit Systems, commented: “In the first quarter, we witnessed positive momentum across our markets, receiving more than $1.8 billion in orders from customers around the world. These orders contributed to a record backlog of $10.8 billion, growing by 8% over the last quarter of 2019, and providing Elbit Systems with good revenue visibility.” He also mentioned the current pandemic: „As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, since March we have made significant changes to the way we work in order to protect the health and safety of our employees around the world, while at the same time maintaining business continuity in order to deliver our products and services to our customers as planned. This includes utilizing our healthy balance sheet to secure our supply channels and maintaining adequate levels of inventory to enable us to continue deliveries to customers“. Elbit’s net income totalled $63.5 million in the quarter ending on 31 March, up 25% from the same period last year. Increased sales of military aircraft equipment and last year’s acquisition of the Harris Night Vision business from L3Harris Technologies lifted Elbit Systems’ revenue by 5% to $1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2020

Europe

A US Navy P-8A flying in the Eastern Mediterranean on May 26 was intercepted by two Russian Su-35 fighters. The intercept was deemed unsafe by the Americans as the two fighters were flying close underneath the wings of the maritime patrol aircraft. Russian pilots flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner while intercepting a US Navy P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, US 6th Fleet said. The intercept the third such incident in two months, Navy officials said. The US Navy P-8A was flying over international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea when it was intercepted by two armed Russian Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft. For 65 minutes, the Russian pilots simultaneously flew close to each wing of the P-8A, restricting the P-8A’s ability to safely maneuver, according to a Navy statement.

Indra will enhance the ground-based air defense capabilities of the Spanish Air Force with a radar modernization contract received on May 27. The Ministry of Defense deal will see the company update the identification, friend or foe (IFF) systems of its Lanza 3D ground-based radars, as used by the EdAE’s aerial surveillance squadrons. “With this upgrade, the systems will comply with the most recent NATO interoperability standards, which will soon be mandatory for military aircraft and ground systems,” Indra said, adding, “These are systems capable of interrogating an aircraft over 470 km away to identify it, and determine whether or not it is a threat.” According to the company, its contract with the Spanish MoD will run for three-and-a-half years, and comes with the associated logistic support in the EdAE’s EVAs and in the Logistic Transmissions Center (CLOTRA, in Spanish). This ensures that the systems will be operational throughout their life-cycle of at least 15 years.

Asia-Pacific

A report by Korean Herald says Indonesia has failed to make its annual payment for the development of the KF-X fighter. The country was supposed to pay $405 million last month. Indonesia is responsible for 20 percent of the plane’s development cost and it has been delaying payments for a few years. Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s only aircraft manufacturer, is currently co-developing next-generation fighters with Indonesia. Launched in 2016, the KF-X project aims to develop a next-generation fighter jet and mass-produce 180 units by 2026.

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Americas

The Air Force announced that it has removed the minimum height requirement for officer applicants who wish to fly. According to service, the change, which took effect May 13, is part of an effort to encourage a more diverse pool of applicants to pursue careers in aviation. “We’re really focused on identifying and eliminating barriers to serve in the Air Force,” said Gwendolyn DeFilippi, assistant deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services. DeFilippi, who chairs the Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group, explained, “This is a huge win, especially for women and minorities of smaller stature who previously may have assumed they weren’t qualified to join our team.” Under the pervious Medical Standards Directory requirement, an individual who wanted to become a pilot had to have a standing height between 5’4″ and 6’5″ and have a sitting height between 34 and 40 inches. The previous height screening criteria eliminated about 44 percent of American women between the age of 20 and 29, the Air Force said.

The US Space Force requested flexibility from Congress to purchase and use satellites, saying it needs more agility to keep pace with adversaries. A 23-page report to Congress from the US Air Force, the current parent of the Space Force, explains an “alternative acquisition system” for the Space Force. The report, released this week, envisions an overhaul of the tools needed to acquire new space hardware, with less reporting to Congress, allowing it to operate with more agility in the face of completion from other countries. Congress mandated a retooling of the Space Force acquisition system when it created the new branch of the military in December.

Middle East & Africa

US Africa Command issued a statement on the recent deployment of Russian fighters to Libya. It has also made available images of those Russian aircraft, which had their markings removed to hide their Russian origin. The press release disclosed that the jets had transited in Syria. Besides MiG-29s, there were also photos of Su-24, Su-34 and Su-35 fighters available for download. “Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya. Just like I saw them doing in Syria, they are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner,” said US Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, US Africa Command. “For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Well, there is no denying it now. We watched as Russia flew fourth generation jet fighters to Libya, every step of the way. Neither the LNA nor private military companies can arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support – support they are getting from Russia.”

Europe

The UK Royal Navy completed a series of live firing trials of the new Martlet lightweight precision strike missile from a Wildcat HMA2 helicopter. Undertaken at the UK Ministry of Defense Aberporth Range on the west coast of Wales, the firings, which were conducted as part of the UK’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon program, demonstrated the integration of the Martlet system onto the Wildcat platform ahead of service entry. The system is due to enter service with the RN in January 2021, according to the Defense Equipment Plan 2019 financial summary released in February 2020.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea’s Maritime Operation Helicopter (MOH) batch-2 competition has run into a roadblock as the current pandemic prevents South Korean military officials from traveling to Italy and United States to evaluate the bids. Italy’s Leonardo is hoping to secure another order for its Wildcat helicopter while Lockheed Martin entered the race late by offering the MH-60R. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the South Korean agency handling the tender, said negotiations were continuing.

China’s AVIC says its AG600 amphibious airplane will be making its first amphibious take off from sea surface in the second half of this year. The milestone flight is expected to take place off Qingdao. The aircraft first flew in December 2017 and made a water take off and landing on October 20, 2018 from a reservoir. The AVIC develops the AG600 to meet the needs of China’s emergency rescue and natural disaster prevention and control.

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Americas

The Commemorative Air Force Inland Empire Wing planned a massive 17-aircraft flyover of Los Angeles on May 25 to mark Memorial Day and salute COVID-19 essential workers. The Air Force honors both veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice and healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis with the flyover Monday.

The US Navy completed its investigation into the fatal crash of a VFA-151 F/A-18E which killed the pilot on July 31, 2019. Lt. Cmdr. Charles Z. Walker was navigating through the Star Wars canyon in California’s Death Valley National Park when his jet slammed into a wall not far from seven French tourists. The report stated that the “flight profile created conditions where the processing time and subsequent reaction time required of the pilot made it difficult for the aircraft to exit the canyon safely.” Walker was not current in low altitude training and he was required to fly at least 500 feet above ground level. Investigators also did not find evidence that Walker was flying at a low altitude for thrills. All seven French tourists suffered burns from the fire started by the crash.

Middle East & Africa

South African state defense firm Denel recently said it could not pay salaries for May and wages for June and July were at risk, highlighting the gravity of its financial position. Despite a slight easing of South Africa’s lockdown restrictions this month, Denel is running a reduced operation. The company is one of a number of struggling state enterprises the government has been keeping afloat with bailouts but are now being battered by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Denel Chief Executive Danie du Toit said in a separate statement the company was in ongoing conversations with the government “to find solutions to the current crisis.”

Europe

The Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, are preparing to deploy aboard aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth next time. Squadron personnel as well as Lightning Team UK members are getting ready to go into isolation so that they will not pass COVID-19 to sailors aboard the warship. The preparation to deploy has seen a number of added challenges as different processes and measures have been put in place to ensure that members of 617 Squadron and supporting personnel do not pass the coronavirus to the crew of the carrier, which has already had a period of isolation at sea. The squadron and personnel will all be tested for the virus and on confirmation of a negative result will be allowed to enter the quarantine area.

Starting May 25, the Austrian army is conducting a large-scale flight exercise. Eurofighter jets will complete daily supersonic test flights for almost two weeks. From May 25th to June 5th, the Eurofighter pilots of the Austrian Armed Forces will train supersonic intercept maneuvers. Two supersonic flights per day are scheduled between 8am and 4pm, Monday through Friday. According to the army, the purpose of the training is „the close and time-critical coordination between military pilots, radar control officers and military and civil air traffic control. Furthermore, the pilots train under real physical stress, which cannot be simulated. The training is indispensable for a working Austrian airspace surveillance. It serves to continue to ensure safe flight operations in all cases.”

Asia-Pacific

According to Defense News, the Indian Air Force is overhauling its plan to induct 114 medium-weight multirole fighters. Reportedly, a senior service official said the aircraft will be built in India with significant foreign technology transfer and no foreign procurement. The effort will cost about $17 billion under the Make in India economic policy. The multirole fighters will be manufactured by domestic private defense companies with one of the original equipment manufacturers approved by the government. The process for selecting contractors is yet to begin, but a Ministry of Defense official said the businesses will be selected within three years.

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Americas

Boeing again won a $13.2 million modification to exercise options in support of the AN/USQ-82(V) program for DDG-51 class new construction, DDG-51 Class modernization, operations and maintenance, research and development and Foreign Military Sales (FMS). AN/USQ-82(V) program is a control system network. Its purpose is to transfer mission critical data to and from users associated with combat, navigation, aviation, power, propulsion, steering, damage control systems and alarms and indicating. DDG 51 Arleigh Burke destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. Work will take place in Huntington Beach, California. Estimated completion will by May 2021.

Austal USA won an $8.2 million contract modification for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) industrial post-delivery support for LCS 26. Austal USA will provide shipboard support to implement approved engineering change proposals, approved government-responsible deficiencies identified during test and trials, crew-related activities and preventative maintenance. Austal will also provide program management support and logistics support for technical documentation affected by the work performed. LCS 26 will be an Independence Class LCS. Work will take place in Mobile, Alabama and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Estimated completion will be by March 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Morocco will acquire missiles and missile defense systems from the defense industry consortium MBDA France, the Moroccan defense ministry said on Wednesday. Government approval of the contract came after Morocco received a $211 million loan in February from the French banking group BNP Paribas. France supplies about 44 percent of Morocco’s weapons needs, the United States supplies most of the rest, and relations between France and Morocco, a French colony until 1956, have long been cordial. The missiles, to be manufactured by Boeing will be used on Morocco’s F-16 fighter planes to enhance its capabilities in effective defense of critical sea lanes.

Europe

For the first time, the B-1B has flown over Sweden. The milestone occurred on May 20 when a pair from the 28th Bomb Wing flew to the Nordic Region. Aerial refueling support from a KC-135 from the 100th Air Refueling Wing and a Dutch KC-10 allowed the bombers to make the trip without stopping. The B-1s were also escorted by Typhoon fighters from the Royal Air Force as they flew over the United Kingdom. And they flew tactical sorties with Norwegian F-35s, and flew a low approach over Ørland Air Station, the home of Norway’s F-35 fleet.

According to Flight Global, Boeing named STS Aviation Services as its conversion partner for the Royal Air Force’s future fleet of five 737NG-based E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, after Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group withdrew from the project. Marshall had signed a contract for preparatory work with Boeing in July 2019 to support risk-reduction activities, ahead of modification work converting 737 Next Generation commercial airframes to the E-7 military standard. This was initially set to take place at Marshall’s Cambridge facilities in early 2021. However, it will now play no further part in those planned developments. Boeing said the narrowbodies will be prepared for military service using a hangar at Birmingham airport which was previously occupied by Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL). Following the first aircraft’s arrival at the STS conversion site next January, Boeing expects to be able to start deliveries to the RAF in 2023. Extensive updates will include adding a Northrop Grumman Mesa radar atop the single-aisle’s fuselage, integrating work stations for 10 onboard mission system operators, and installing self-protection equipment.

Asia-Pacific

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States TECRO of 18 MK-48 Mod6 Advanced Technology (AT) Heavy Weight Torpedoes (HWT) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $180 million. TECRO had requested to buy eighteen MK-48 Mod6 Advanced Technology (AT) Heavy Weight Torpedoes (HWT). Also included are spare parts, support and test equipment, shipping and shipping containers, operator manuals, technical documentation, training, US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics support. According to the DSCA, the proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region.

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Americas

Viasat and Data Link Solutions each won a $998.8 million deal for the production, retrofits, development and sustainment of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals.  Currently, there are three variants of MIDS JTRS terminals:  the Concurrent Multi-Netting-4, the Tactical Targeting Network Technology and the F-22 variant. The MIDS JTRS terminal is a line-of-sight radio system for collecting and transmitting broadband, jam-resistant, secure data and voice across a variety of air, sea and ground platforms. These terminals will continue to be procured, sustained and updated for future growth, including JTRS advanced networking waveforms such as:  multifunction advanced data link, intra-flight data link and other advanced networking waveforms. The MIDS JTRS terminals make use of high-speed jam-resistant Link-16 tactical data exchange network. The Link 16 allows for real-time transfer of combat data, voice communications, imagery, and relative navigation information between dispersed battle elements, using data encryption and frequency hopping to maintain secure communications. The system facilitates the exchange of data over a common communication link, allowing participants to obtain and share situational awareness information and interoperate within the battlespace. Viasat will perform work in Carlsbad, California. Data Link Solution will perform work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Expected completion is by May 2025.

The Air Force announced that its Nuclear Weapons Center is breaking up the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate into two new directorate teams: the Minuteman III Systems Directorate and the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, or GBSD, Systems Directorate. “This restructuring is a natural progression of the Air Force’s increasing focus on the modernization of the ICBM, the third leg of our strategic nuclear triad,” said Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, AFNWC commander and Air Force program executive officer for strategic systems. The NWC synchronizes all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of Air Force Materiel Command in support of Air Force Global Strike Command, with more than 1,300 personnel assigned to 18 locations around the world. The Minuteman III Systems Directorate will be led by Col. Luke Cropsey, currently the ICBM Systems director. The GBSD Systems Directorate will be led by Col. Jason Bartolomei, who is currently the system program manager for GBSD and will continue to serve in that role.

Middle East & Africa

Elbit Subsidiary Cyberbit won a $70 Million Investment from US firm Charlesbank Capital. The investment is seen as recognition of Cyberbit’s leading market position and the growth potential of the company’s platform that provides training on how to effectively mitigate cyberattacks and improve team performance. As a result of the investment and sale of equity holdings, Elbit Systems became a minority shareholder in Cyberbit. Claridge Israel L.P., an existing shareholder of Cuberbit, which invested $30 million in Cyberbit in June 2018, also participated in this round of investment. The Cyberbit Range product is said to deliver a hyper-realistic experience that replicates a real-world cyberattack by immersing trainees in a virtual security operations center, where they use commercial security tools to respond to live, simulated attacks. The platform delivers over 100,000 training sessions annually on 5 continents.

Europe

France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly disclosed that the replacement for aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will start sea trials in 2036 and enter service in 2038. The ship will be built at Saint-Nazaire. Parly was there for the steel cutting ceremony for new replenishment ships for the French Navy. The characteristics of the future successor to the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier have not yet been defined. “Let’s not limit our horizon or our imagination. We must not re-do the identical but seek the most ingenious, the most useful and the most effective capacities. Let us make this aircraft carrier a real forward base for our navy”, asked Minister Florence Parly at the last Euronaval exhibition. It however seems accepted that this future aircraft carrier could be more imposing than the current Charles-de-Gaulle.

Lithuanian, German and Norwegian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) carried out training with Royal Air Force Eurofighters and Spanish F/A-18s at Kazl? R?da training ground on May 11. The German and Norwegian JTACs are part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Lithuania. The British and Spanish air force contingents operate from Šiauliai Air Base and help guard the skies over the Baltic region as part of NATO’s Air Policing mission. NATO’s battlegroup in Lithuania is composed of around 1,200 personnel from Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Norway. The battlegroup is part of the biggest reinforcement of the Alliance’s collective defense in a generation.

Asia-Pacific

India announced Saturday that global companies can now invest up to 74 percent in the country’s defense manufacturing units, up from 49 percent, without requiring any government approval. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed hope that the new policy will attract foreign companies with high-end technologies to set up their manufacturing bases in India in collaboration with Indian companies. Sitharaman’s announcement came as part of reforms Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is implementing to revive India’s economy, which has been shattered by the coronavirus pandemic.

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PRC-154 with 75th RR
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The Pentagon’s JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System) aimed to replace existing radios in the American military with a single set of software-define radios that could have new frequencies and modes (“waveforms”) added via upload, instead of requiring multiple radio types in ground vehicles, and using circuit board swaps in order to upgrade. Trying to solve that set of problems across the entire American military meant taking on a very a big problem. Maybe too big. JTRS has seen cost overruns and full program restructurings, along with cancellation of some parts of the program.

JTRS HMS (Handheld, Manpack & Small Form-Fit) radios, for use by the individual solder, have survived the tumult, and are now headed into production. They offer soldiers more than just improved communications, and have performed in exercises and on the front lines. Now, production is ramping up.

JTRS HMS: The Radios

AN/PRC-154 Rifleman
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JTRS HMS’ AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radios are jointly developed and manufactured by Thales and General Dynamics. These software-defined radios are designed as successors to the JTRS-compatible CSCHR (PRC-148 and PRC-152) handhelds, securely transmitting voice and data simultaneously using Type 2 cryptography and the new Soldier Radio Waveform. General Dynamics touts it as being more than 20% smaller than current tactical handhelds, with battery life of over 10 hours. It weighs 2 pounds, with battery and antenna.

The Rifleman radio can create self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks. What’s even more significant is that they also enable any leader at the tactical level to track the position of individual soldiers who are also using the radio. That’s a big deal in urban environments, which can force a squad or platoon to split up.

For vehicles that may not have a JTRS HMS radio or a base station, the Rifleman Radio also mounts to a ‘Sidewinder’ accessory that provides power for recharging and/or longer-range transmission. To use it, just slide your PRC-154 radio in. The Sidewinder’s hardware assembly includes the 20w power amplifier from the AN/PRC-155, and connectors that work with the vehicles’ existing intercom systems. Sidewinder is compatible with many US standard military mounting trays and vehicle intercom systems: MT-6352/VRC; SINCGARS VRC-89, 90, 91, 92; and SINCGARS AM-7239 VAA.

JTRS HMS set
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The program’s Small Form Fit (SFF) configurations also include embedded variants that serve in Army host platforms. The 0.5 pound SFF-A/D offers communications for UAVs and the tracked SUGV robot. The 3.4 pound SFF-B can serve as a communications relay; it allows bridging from unclassified to classified networks, and is expandable with the broadband WNW. SFF-B can be carried in vehicles, helicopters, or as an airborne relay by UAVs.

JTRS HMS’ AN/PRC-155 Manpack is a larger 2-channel networking radio that allows battlefield commanders to talk to their team on one channel, and exchange information with other forces or headquarters on the second channel. There are many times on the battlefield when having to choose one or the other is a lousy choice to make, and the fact that it has been that way for a long time doesn’t make fixing it any less beneficial.

The 14-pound PRC-155 is the only JTRS radio to successfully demonstrate all 3 new waveforms: the Soldier Radio Waveform, the Wideband Networking Waveform, and the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite-communications waveform. That last option comes in very handy in urban environments, mountains, and other terrain that can block straight-line radio communications. The PRC-155 is also interoperable with older systems, of course, including the current frequency-hopping SINCGARS standard. Planned enhancements would extend that backward compatibility, and include: HF, IW, VHF/UHF LOS, AM/FM, and APCO-25.

Unfortunately, the radio’s 17 pounds makes it twice as heavy as previous SINCGARS radios, its effective range is less than half as far (3 km vs. 7 km), its 2 batteries last less than 20% as long (6 hours vs. 33 hours), and its user interface is an impediment. The US Army has deferred its planned Lot 3 purchase.

Phase 2 of JTRS HMS will produce Manpack radios with stronger NSA-certified Type 1 cryptography.

Both the JTRS HMS AN/PRC-154 Rifleman and the 2-channel AN/PRC-155 Manpack networking radios are planned for inclusion in the Army’s Capability Set 13, which is to be delivered to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams beginning in October 2012.

Contracts & Key Events

May 21/20: MIDS JTRS Viasat and Data Link Solutions each won a $998.8 million deal for the production, retrofits, development and sustainment of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals.  Currently, there are three variants of MIDS JTRS terminals:  the Concurrent Multi-Netting-4, the Tactical Targeting Network Technology and the F-22 variant. The MIDS JTRS terminal is a line-of-sight radio system for collecting and transmitting broadband, jam-resistant, secure data and voice across a variety of air, sea and ground platforms. These terminals will continue to be procured, sustained and updated for future growth, including JTRS advanced networking waveforms such as:  multifunction advanced data link, intra-flight data link and other advanced networking waveforms. The MIDS JTRS terminals make use of high-speed jam-resistant Link-16 tactical data exchange network. The Link 16 allows for real-time transfer of combat data, voice communications, imagery, and relative navigation information between dispersed battle elements, using data encryption and frequency hopping to maintain secure communications. The system facilitates the exchange of data over a common communication link, allowing participants to obtain and share situational awareness information and interoperate within the battlespace. Viasat will perform work in Carlsbad, California. Data Link Solution will perform work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Expected completion is by May 2025.

June 17/15: Following on from a $478.6 million contract in May awarded to ViaSat for Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS), the Navy handed Data Link Solutions LLC a contract for the same amount on Tuesday. The contract principally covers Navy and other US service requirements, as well as some Foreign Military Sales.

May 29/15: California-based ViaSat Inc. was awarded a contract with a potential value of $478.6 million on Thursday for Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals. These will give commanders the ability to communicate by voice, video and data links to forces via a line-of-sight, jam-resistant channel across ground, air and naval assets.

April 30/15: The Army awarded an up-to $3.89 billion firm-fixed-price and cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Thales Defense & Security and Harris Corp for rifleman radios, beating out two other bids. Thales was previously awarded a US Army contract in 2012 for its AN/PRC-154 radios, jointly developed with General Dynamics.

April 3/15: SANR RFP to come. The Army is expected to release a RFP in 2016 for the Small Airborne Networking Radio (SANR), with the program included in the President’s proposed 2016 budget. The SANR will enable better helicopter-soldier communication through a software-defined dual-channel system capable of relaying both voice and data information.

January 12/15: HMS RFP. The U.S. Army issued an RFP for full rate production, with plans to test units over 2015-1016, “off-ramping” multiple vendors who do not meet requirements and going into full production in 2017.

FY 2013 – 2014

 

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June 16/14: PRC-155 backtrack. The US Army cancels a May 30/14 sole-source decision to buy more PRC-155 radios. This proposed LRIP-3 order is undone:

“U.S. Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) intends to solicit on a sole source basis under the statutory authority permitting Other than Full and Open Competition 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(2), as implemented by FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency to General Dynamics C4 Systems… for the procurement of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Manpack Radios (AN/PRC-155).”

Sources: FBO.gov, “58–Manpack Radio, Solicitation Number: W15P7T14R0027”

June 13/14: Manpack problems. The PRC-155 radios didn’t win a lot of fans in recent trials. Where to start? The radio’s 17 pounds makes it twice as heavy as previous SINCGARS radios, its effective range is less than half as far (3 km vs. 7 km), its 2 batteries last less than 20% as long (6 hours vs. 33 hours), and its user interface is an impediment. Adding to the fun, overheating is hazardous to the carrying soldier if it’s taken out of the case against recommendations. Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, in Fort Benning, Georgia:

“The Maneuver Center of Excellence considers the dismounted HMS manpack radio unsuitable for fielding to brigade combat teams…. A radio that is heavier and provides less range while creating a higher logistics demand does not make our units more operationally capable. Additionally, any radio that places our soldiers at risk of being burned is unacceptable.”

Most manpack radios are actually placed in vehicles, where all concerns save their short range vanish. Even so, the Army has a problem. Congress has been able to make things worse, by demanding that it spend about $300 million in appropriated radio funds, even if the best technical course of action is to wait. Now throw in the usual corporate welfare/ industrial base arguments, which are further complicated by Harris Corp.’s contemplation of a lawsuit to have JTRS HMS compatible manpack radios competed – something BAE might also want. Regardless of how the political and contractor games play out, the bottom line is that the front-line soldiers are losing. Sources: NDIA National Defense, “Army Tactical Radios in the Crosshairs After Scathing Review”.

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report. For Joint Tactical Radio System Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit Radios (JTRS HMS):

“The PAUC [which includes amortized R&D] increased 20.0 percent and the APUC increased 19.2 percent above the current APB, due to a revision in the acquisition strategy for full rate production (including a change from a single vendor per radio to multiple vendors per radio), vehicle integration requirements not previously identified as a funding responsibility of the program, and a change in the Army fielding strategy that fields fewer radios per year.”

Aug 19/13: Manpack. The US Army is also preparing a competition for the larger JTRS HMS Manpack radio in FY 2014. General Dynamics and Thales lost one potential incumbent advantage when schedule slippages sent 10th Mountain Division soldiers to Afghanistan with Harris’ earlier-model Falcon III 117G radios, instead of JTRS HMS AN/PRC-155s. The division’s 3rd and 4th Brigade Combat Teams did take the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radio with them. Sources: Defense News, “Army Preparing For a Slew of Critical Radio Contracts”.

Aug 16/13: Rifleman. The US Army’s JTRS HMS Rifleman solicitation takes longer than they thought, as the draft RFP is issued for comments. The Army still intends to conduct an open competition for a 5-year firm-fixed-price follow-on, and is hosting a Rifleman Radio Industry Day on Sept 5/13. The goal is an award in FY 2014.

It’s possible for the Army’s base radio type to change as a result of that competition, and General Dynamics’ PRC-154 will face competition from Harris’ RF-330E-TR Wideband Team Radio, among others. FBO.gov #W15P7T13R0029 | US Army ASFI | Harris RF-330E-TR.

Oct 22/12: Rifleman. The US Army prepares to open JTRS HMS to competition for full rate production, via a sources sought solicitation:

“Project Manager Tactical Radios is seeking industry comments and feedback to the draft Statement of Objectives, draft Statement of Work, draft Performance Requirements Document, draft Contract Data Requirements List, and questionnaire for Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) Rifleman Radios (RR)… NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. It is currently anticipated that Solicitation W15P7T-12-R-0069 regarding this requirement will be released later in 1QFY13.”

Sources: FBO.gov.

Oct 22/12: BAE’s Phoenix. The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson offers a quick rundown of the JTRS concept, and spends a fair bit of time talking about the Phoenix radio that BAE has developed with its own funds, as a future JTRS HMS Manpack competitor. Its anti-jam feature may help remove an issue encountered when counter-IED devices are broadcasting, and during Israel’s 2006 war in Lebanon when its SINCGARS radios were jammed with Iranian assistance. He says that likely JTRS HMS competitors include BAE Systems, Harris, ITT Exelis, and Northrop Grumman, alongside the existing GD/Thales team. Sources: Forbes, “Army Resets Radio Plans As Demand Signal Shifts” | BAE Systems Phoenix Family.

Oct 11/12: PRC-155 LRIP OK. The PRC-155 Manpack radio is also cleared for low-rate initial production now, after the Pentagon issued a memo accepting that flaws with SINCGARS performance and difficulty of use had been fixed.

The May 2011 entry covered Milestone C for the entire program, but the PRC-155’s progress was conditional. The memo authorizes 3,726 HMS Manpack radios, under a 2nd LRIP order to follow. That order will also support future test events, development up to a Full Rate Production decision, and potential fielding as part of the US Army’s Capability Set 13. Beyond that, however, the memo also directs the service to conduct a “full and open” competition for full-rate production JTRS HMS radios, starting no later than July 2013. US Army | Bloomberg.

Manpack to LRIP

FY 2010 – 2012

 

Sept 17/12: LRIP-2. The U.S. Army awards a $53.9 million Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for 13,000 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios and associated gear, with production to be split between prime contractor General Dynamics C4 Systems, and their partner and 2nd-source supplier Thales Communications.

Each contractor produces 50% of the ordered equipment, and the LRIP-2 contract brings AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio orders to 19,250 so far. Thales Rifleman Radios are manufactured at the company’s Clarksburg, MD, facilities. US Army | GDC4S | Thales Communications.

LRIP Lot 2

May 16/12: WNW Test. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces that they have demonstrated wireless high definition video and data transfer on the JTRS HMS AN/PRC-155 two-channel networking manpack radio, using the new high-bandwidth Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW). With so many UAVs, robot UGVs, and other sensors roaming around the battlefield these days, that kind of local high-bandwidth networking is really helpful.

May 16/12: AOL Defense reports that General Dynamics tried to get an amendment to the 2013 defense budget that would affect the JTRS HMS competition, but the amendment’s wording was somewhat confusing, and it failed. The House Armed Services Committee seems pretty intent on full and open competition.

March – May 2012: The US Army 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade uses the Rifleman Radio in the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 12.21 exercise, alongside other equipment that comprises WIN-T Phase 2. GDC4S.

March 30/12: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Selected Acquisition Reports summary, and JTRS HMS is on it. It’s reported as a significant program change, since:

“Program costs increased $3,493.3 million (+60.1%) from $5,811.4 million to $9,304.7 million, due primarily to a quantity increase of 49,224 radios from 221,978 to 271,202 radios [DID: +22.2%].”

That’s only a 22.2% quantity increase, which leaves 37.9% of the cost increase unaccounted for. At least HMS did better than the JTRS GMR for ground vehicles, whose costs declined 62.2% because the program was cancelled. The army says the vehicle-mounted GMR radars were just too expensive, and they’ll look for JTRS-compatible off-the-shelf alternatives.

SAR – more JTRS HMS, no JTRS GMR

Feb 17/12: MUOS test. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces that they’ve successfully run their 1st test of the AN/PRC-155, suing the MUOS satellite-communications waveform to transmit encrypted voice and data. Development of the MUOS waveform remains on track for completion in the third quarter of 2012, with expected production availability or software upgrade by year-end.

The PRC-155 manpack radio will be the first MUOS communications terminal used by soldiers. Its twin channels mean that a soldier can use 1 channel for line-of-sight SINCGARS and SRW waveforms, and bridge to the 2nd channel using the MUOS satellite system for global communications reach.

Jan 23/12: It’s announced that the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment special forces in Afghanistan have deployed with the PRC-154 the Rifleman Radio, and General Dynamics Itronix GD300 wearable computer. The Rifleman Radio is for intra-squad communications, while the GD300, running the Tactical Ground Reporting (TIGR) tactical “app,” will be used to send text messages, situation reports and other information to individual soldiers.

The equipment reportedly gets good reviews in theater. CDC4S | Inside the Army [PDF].

Jan 17/12: DOT&E testing. The Pentagon releases the FY 2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). JTRS HMS is included, and a number of the DOT&E’s conclusions appear elsewhere in the timeline. Their core concern is that:

“The JTRS HMS program is schedule-driven and has reduced developmental testing to support an aggressive operational test schedule. Therefore, operational testing has and will likely continue to reveal problems that should have been discovered and fixed during developmental testing.”

Dec 14/11: IOT&E done. The AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio has finished its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) with members of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD), during the U.S. Army’s Network Integration Evaluation at Fort Bliss, TX. The IOT&E is the last formal test required by the military before the radios enter full-rate production. US Army | GDC4S.

Oct 10/11: WNW. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces a 5-year, maximum $64.5 million contract to support, maintain, and further develop the high-bandwidth JTRS Wideband Networking Waveform.

This Software In-Service Support contract was awarded by the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), which oversees JTRS. The award is separate from, but related to, GDC4S’ role as the prime contractor for the JTRS Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit radio program.

WNW support & development

July 7/11: LRIP-1. The U.S. Army awards the 1st Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract. It’s a $54.4 million order for 6,250 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios, plus 100 AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios for continued testing, and expenses for one-time production startup costs, accessories, training, related equipment and supplies.

Technically, General Dynamics receives the LRIP contract, and the Rifleman radios will be manufactured in a 50/ 50 split by both Thales Communications and General Dynamics. JTRS HMS’ contract structure, from System Design and Development through LRIP, has been designed to provide competition from multiple qualified sources.

The JTRS HMS networking radios are the first ground-domain radios that will be fielded by the U.S. military that meet the full suite of JTRS requirements. At this point, the Army plans to purchase more than 190,000 Rifleman and approximately 50,000 Manpack radios. GDC4S | Thales Communications.

1st Production Lot

July 2011: Manpack testing fail. During the Army’s Network Integration Eexercise (NIE), they test the JTRS HMS Manpack. The Pentagon’s DOT&E testing report says that it demonstrated poor reliability, short range of the Soldier Radio Waveform and Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveforms that significantly constricted the operational area of the cavalry troop, and Inconsistent voice quality. Overall, the Army decided that the Manpack’s Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveform was not ready for test and did not test it during the truncated formal Government Developmental Test. Source: DOT&E.

May 2011: Milestone C. The JTRS HMS program received a Milestone C decision from the U.S. Department of Defense, clearing the radios for low-rate production. The Defense Acquisition Executive approved up to 6,250 Rifleman Radios, and up to 100 Manpack radios.

Milestone C

January 2011: The US Army conducts a Verification of Correction of Deficiencies (VCD) test with a redesigned version of the Rifleman Radio.

That full redesign stemmed from the 2009 Limited User Test, where the radio was deemed ok during movement and preparation, but didn’t perform well in combat. The redesigned Rifleman Radio featured improvements in size, weight, battery life, radio frequency power out, and ease of use. Source: DOT&E.

Sept 8/10: Crypto cert. General Dynamics announces that its AIM II programmable cryptographic module has been certified by the US National Security Agency (NSA) to secure classified information up to and including Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

The AIM II module uses a secure hardware foundation with embedded software-based cryptographic algorithms. It’s certified for the JTRS HMS and Airborne Maritime Fixed (AMF) radios alike.

Crypto cert

Additional Readings

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – Sidewinder Vehicle Mount

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – Small Form Fit Radios

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – AN/PRC-155 2-channel Manpack Radio

Americas

BAE Systems announced a $26.7 million Navy contract to fit its infrared countermeasures system onto KC-130J cargo and refueling planes. The contract calls for the installation of the Navy’s Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system, or LAIRCM, the aircraft. The system is a defensive warning package combining a missile warning system and infrared laser jammer countermeasure system to protect the aircraft from guided missiles. Up to 19 KC-130J planes of the Navy will receive the system, which will be installed in Crestview, Florida., in conjunction with Vertex Aerospace LLC. The KC-130 series, built by Lockheed Martin, is capable of aircraft carrier landings despite its size, and is in use by the militaries of 17 countries. France received its second, a refueling plane, in February.

More than 2900 sailors assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) have returned on board the ship and they have started simulating being at sea while moored at Naval Base Guam. The simulation, also known as fast cruise, allows the crew to test critical systems required to sustain the ship under normal underway conditions. The next important step is to go out to sea to commence carrier qualification flights for Carrier Air Wing 11. The exercise was announced as the branch also said over the weekend that 13 sailors aboard the carrier tested positive for COVID-19 after recovering from illness and one was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The ship has been in Guam since late March, after an outbreak of the virus forced the crew to be placed in isolation or quarantine at US Naval Base Guam. Personnel slowly returned to the ship until early May, when some displayed cough and fever, symptoms of the illness. Some also displayed body aches and headaches, which are expanded COVID-19 symptoms, slowing the crew’s return to the ship.

Middle East & Africa

Alexandria Shipyard launched the fourth and final Gowind 2500 Class corvette for the Egyptian Navy at its facilities. The 102 m ship, named Luxor (986), is the third corvette of the class to be built by the yard under a contract for four Gowind 2500 corvettes signed with French shipbuilder Naval Group in 2014. Under the terms of the agreement, the first of class was built by Naval Group at its yard in Lorient, northwest France, with the follow-on ships to be built at ASY under a transfer of technology arrangement. Gowind 2500 corvettes have a single mast offering 360° surveillance capability. They can accommodate an 11t helicopter and UAS on a helicopter deck. Each vessel has a displacement of 2,600t and is 102m in length. It can operate with a crew of 65 and can also simultaneously accommodate 15 passengers.

Europe

British Chinook helicopters have now completed 2000 hours of flying in support of the French military counter insurgency operation in Mali, West Africa. Chinooks began operating in Mali with the French military during July 2018 and since then have moved over one-thousand tonnes of freight and over twelve-thousand passengers. The Chinook helicopters bring a unique logistical capability to the operation, allowing French ground forces to operate more effectively across the region. Currently the helicopters are being flown by aircrew drain from 18(B) Squadron.

Asia-Pacific

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems won a $22.3 million Aegis Combat Weapon System development contract, which covers multiple Aegis Weapon System baselines and platforms. Under this modification, the contractor will continue performing engineering design support services necessary for continuation of planning efforts and risk reduction efforts required to maintain initial operational capability schedule to support the Aegis Ashore Japan Foreign Military Sales main case. The work will take place in Moorestown, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of July 31, 2020. Funds from the government of Japan in the amount of $22,300,000 are being obligated at the time of award.

South Korea says it has decided to postpone a tri-service maritime live-fire exercise this week due to unfavorable weather conditions. The biannual drill was suppose to take place off the southeastern coast of Uljin starting from today. Local media outlets however speculate that the decision was done so to appease North Korea which had reacted angrily to a Navy-Air Force joint drill in the Yellow Sea earlier this month.

Today’s Video

Watch: Fincantieri’s FREMM Wins US Navy FFG(X) Frigate Competition – Part 3: FMM Shipyard Expansion Plan

Americas

S&K Aerospace won a $30.9 million deal for the repair, overhaul and upgrade of 361 commercial common items used on the P-8A Poseidon. The Poseidon is a maritime aircraft, which has an active multi-static and passive acoustic sensor system, inverse synthetic aperture radar, new electronic support measures system, new electro-optical/infrared sensor and a digital magnetic anomaly detector. Boeing delivered its 100th P-8A to the US Navy in mid may. The P-8 is a proven long-range multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and coastal operations. A military derivative of the Boeing 737 Next-Generation airplane, the P-8 combines superior performance and reliability with an advanced mission system that ensures maximum interoperability in the battle space. S&K Aerospace will perform work in various contractor supplier locations and Byron, Georgia. Estimated completion will be by May 2025.

Boeing won a $13.2 million deal for the AN/USQ-82(V) Program in support of DDG-51 Class new construction, DDG-51 Class modernization and Foreign Military Sales cases. The AN/USQ-82(V) delivers data networking to enable critical and real-time control system communications throughout the Arleigh Burke Class destroyer. The AN/USQ-82(V) family of shipboard networking systems consists of the Data Multiplex System (DMS), the Fiber Optic Data Multiplex System (FODMS), and Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS). It transfers inputs and outputs for the Burke-class destroyer’s machinery control systems, damage-control system, steering control system, Aegis combat system, navigation displays, and interior communications alarms and indicators. The contract combines purchased for the Navy and the governments of Japan and Australia. Work will take place in Smithfield, Pennsylvania and is expected to be finished by August 2021.

Middle East & Africa

NATO’s Multinational MRTT Fleet will take delivery of its first two A330 MRTT aircraft next month. The handover is at the Main Operating Base in Eindhoven. The third and fourth aircraft are currently under conversion at the Airbus Defense facilities in Getafe, Madrid. The fifth A330 was flown from Toulouse to Getafe earlier this month. Six countries have signed up for the program to operate 8 aircraft. The contract includes options for 3 more tankers.

Europe

An undisclosed customer contracted Saab to deliver an unspecified number of Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C). The systems, which will be hosted aboard a Saab 2000 twin-turboprop aircraft, are valued at $160 million and will be delivered between 2020 and 2023. While Saab declined to provide further details, the nature of the system, the contract value, and the delivery timelines all indicate that the order is likely to be for between two and three systems. Given that Saab’s primary AEW&C offering is the Bombardier 6000/6500-based GlobalEye, utilizing the Erieye Extended-Range (ER) radar, it is likely that the Saab 2000-based platforms are for a follow-on customer looking to augment their existing fleet, rather than a new customer looking to acquire the latest solution.

Asia-Pacific

Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $17.4 million modification for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile program. This modification provides for procurement of two new final assembly test sets and upgrade of two existing final assembly test sets. The AMRAAM system is designed to function as a baseline weapon for the NASAMS missile launcher and engage in air-to-air as well as surface-launch combat. Thirty-seven countries have adopted the weapon to date. Work will take place in Tucson, Arizona. Expected completion date is May 21, 2023.

The Philippine Navy’s future BRP José Rizal multirole frigate left the facilities of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in the southeastern coastal city of Ulsan en route for the Philippines, according to a statement by the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN). The 107.5 m long frigate, which was launched on May 23, 2019 and is the first of two warships of the class built by HHI, is expected to arrive in the Philippine province of Zambales five days later on the first anniversary of the ship’s launch, after which an official acceptance ceremony is set to be held.

Today’s Video

Watch: RAYTHEON TO DEVELOP RAMJET POWERED LONG RANGE SHELL FOR US MILITARY’s 155 MM CANNONS !

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $904.8 million modification, which provides for the production and delivery of three MH-60R Seahawk maritime aircraft for the Navy and 21 MH-60Rs for the government of India. The US Navy operates 289 MH-60Rs on its aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and littoral combat ships. The Royal Australian Navy operates 24 MH-60Rs from its warships, having received its first MH-60R in 2013. The Royal Danish Air Force flies nine MH-60Rs, having acquired its first in 2016. The Royal Saudi Navy has begun to receive a total of 10 MH-60Rs, which will be flown from its forthcoming multimission surface combatant ship, also built by Lockheed. India will become the fourth nation to receive MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from Lockheed Martin. Work will take place in New York, Connecticut and Alabama. Estimated completion will baby September 2024.

IDSC Holdings won an $11.1 million contract. which procures up to 2,064 toolboxes containing 1.423 different types of commercial tools in support of initial outfitting associated with F-35 low rate initial production and maintenance. Meanwhile, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II’s modernization is two years behind schedule and its cost has risen by $1.5 billion. The Block 4 upgrade, a modernization of the relatively new stealth fighter’s software and hardware, was initially to be delivered by 2024, but now will not be handed over until 2026, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). IDSC Holdings will perform work in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Expected completion will be by September 2021.

Middle East & Africa

US vehicle manufacturer Oshkosh announced the formation of a joint venture (JV) with Saudi Arabia’s Al Tadrea Manufacturing Company. The new JV, which will be majority-owned by Al Tadrea, will be known as Oshkosh Al Tadrea Manufacturing (OTM). The company will, according to a press release, develop manufacturing expertise by becoming a prime contractor for tactical wheeled vehicles, provision of lifecycle sustainment services to the country’s military and security service customers, and will develop a broader and more efficient supply chain in the country. The venture will also work to develop intellectual property for use by customers in Saudi Arabia. An initial project will be to create a truck based on the Oshkosh 4×4 FMTV, with Saudi engineers developing, manufacturing, and integrating an armored cab, body, and other components to create a new vehicle.

Europe

Sputnik reports that Russia is testing the Su-57 in an unmanned mode with the pilot just monitoring the overall system in the cockpit. The Sukhoi Su-57 is a fighter jet that performs the functions of a strike aircraft and a fighter and is capable of destroying all types of air, ground and naval surface targets. The Russian Defense Ministry placed an order for 76 Su-57 jets during the Army-2019 International Military and Technical Forum.

Asia-Pacific

Gen. Bipin Rawat, India’s Chief of Defense Staff, said in an interview that the country will buy another 83 Tejas fighters instead of 114 foreign-made aircraft. “The IAF is saying, I would rather take the indigenous fighter, it is good,” Rawat was quoted as saying. India started a global search for new fighters in 2018, the proposed tender attracted companies such as Boeing, Dassault and Saab.The country’s air force is finalizing plans to induct indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas to boost the capability of its aging combat aircraft fleet.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that plans to go ahead with the deployment of a land-based ballistic missile defense installation in Akita prefecture would be canceled. Akita prefecture had been identified as a site for the deployment of one of two Aegis Ashore installations that Japan is procuring to better defend against ballistic missile threats from North Korea. The decision to revisit the plan to deploy the system in Akita comes after months of sustained opposition from local politicians and constituents. The envisaged site was the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force training area in Akita’s Araya district. Initial reports that the Japanese government had started reconsidering Akita as a deployment area came in December 2019.

Today’s Video

Watch: Mirage 2000 versus F16. May 3rd Dogfight analysed by a fighter pilot.

Americas

Sikorsky Aircraft won an $9 million contract modification, which provides support for the integration and transition of Windows 10 and Server 16 into various VH-92A training devices. The Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin VH-92 will replace the US Marine Corps VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters that transport the US president, while operating under the name of Marine One. The VH-92 presidential helicopter has an executive interior and military mission support avionics, including triple electrical power and redundant cockpit flight controls. The Navy awarded a $542 million order to Sikorsky last June for six Lot I VH-92A presidential helicopters. Sikorsky will begin deliveries of the first six VH-92A helicopters in 2021. Work will take place Quantico, Virginia and its expected to be finished by October 2022.

According to a statement by the navy, aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford completed readiness projects to board 1,000 personnel for an upcoming assignment, which will include integrating with a carrier air wing and carrier strike group. The ship underwent required maintenance and new construction tasks in its “window of opportunity” in Norfolk, Virginia, to prepare it for an at-sea period, Independent Steaming Event, or ISE, 10. The action will involve personnel and aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 8 and Carrier Strike Group 12, meaning that more fixed-wing and rotary aircraft will be aboard the ship than usual.

Middle East & Africa

Boeing received two contracts worth $2.6 billion combined from the US Navy to produce and deliver Harpoon and Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response weapon systems to foreign military sales customers. The company will supply 650 units of SLAM ER missiles and provide nonrecurring engineering support related to the weapon system to the government of Saudi Arabia under a potential $1.9 billion contract. Work will occur in Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Florida, Connecticut and North Carolina through December 2028. Naval Air Systems Command will obligate the full contract amount using FMS funds at the time of award. The company also won a $657 million modification, which covers the production of 467 Block II lot 91 full-rate production Harpoon missiles and delivery of support equipment to Brazil, Thailand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, India and South Korea and the Netherlands. Work under the modification will be performed across several sites within the continental US and the UK through December 2026. NAVAIR will use FMS funds to obligate the full contract amount.

The core of China’s Long March 5B rocket came back to Earth on May 11 but instead of landing in the Atlantic Ocean, parts of the rocket could have ended up in Mahounou, Ivory Coast, local media reports. The rocket went into orbit on May 5 while carrying China’s new space capsule. It then went into an unstable low earth orbit before tumbling back to ground. It was the largest man-made object to reenter the atmosphere uncontrolled since 1991. Photos posted on social media shows a long metallic pipe with burn marks in the village of Mahounou. The village lies on the reentry track of the rocket.

Europe

The Israeli Air Force has decided to deactivate 117th Squadron, which operates the F-16C, in October. The move is part of the Momentum Plan initiated by the Israel Defense Forces to improve efficiencies and acquire new systems. “Under the multi-year ‘Momentum’ Plan, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi made a series of decisions geared toward internal efficiencies and cutting back old systems, alongside the acquiring and development of new systems. As part of these decisions, the chief of staff decided to close a fighter jet squadron,” the IDF said in a statement Wednesday.

Asia-Pacific

Philippine’s Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said the two Foreign Military Sales package for attack helicopters offered by the United States is too expensive for the country. Lorenzana says Manila has only budgeted $256 million for the purchase of six attack helicopters. Last year, the country selected the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 attack helicopter but the sale has been held up as Turkey needs export approval from Washington for certain parts.

Today’s Video

Watch: Fincantieri’s FREMM Wins US Navy FFG(X) Frigate Competition – Part 1: FFG(X) in details

Americas

Sikorsky won a $29.9 million modification, which provides for rate tooling, physical configuration audits, associated systems engineering and program management in support of CH-53K aircraft production. The CH-53K King Stallion is a large heavy-lift cargo helicopter designed to replace the Marine Corps CH-53E to move Marines from ships to attack beaches. Back in April, it was reported that the aircraft successfully plugged into a funnel-shaped drogue towed behind a KC-130J during aerial refueling wake testing over the Chesapeake Bay. The CH-53K sea-based, long range, helicopter is designed to provide three times the lift capability of its predecessor. The CH-53K will conduct expeditionary heavy-lift transport of armored vehicles, equipment, and personnel to support distributed operations deep inland from a sea-based center of operations, Sikorsky officials say. It can lift more than 18 tons. Work will take place in Connecticut, Utah, Michigan, Kansas, Washington, New York and Nebraska. Estimated completion will be by December 2023.

United Technologies won a $10.6 million modification, which procures one low rate initial production Lot 11 afloat spares package kit for the Marine Corps in support of the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft program. In the meantime a congressional watchdog group is concerned that as Lockheed Martin ramps up F-35 production, its suppliers are falling behind. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the number of F-35 parts delivered late skyrocketed from less than 2,000 in August 2017 to upward of 10,000 in July 2019. The number of parts shortages per month also climbed from 875 in July 2018 to more than 8,000 in July 2019. More than 60 percent of that sum was concentrated among 20 suppliers, it said. Work under the current modification will take place in Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Georgia, Illinois, Arizona, the UK and Israel. Estimated completion date is in September 2021.

Middle East & Africa

The Idaho Air National Guard’s 190th Fighter Squadron deployed to the Middle East on May 11. The personnel left on that day and the A-10s departed one day later. More than 400 members of the 124th Fighter Wing, based at Gowen Field, will continue to deploy throughout the spring and summer in support of Operations FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, INHERENT RESOLVE and NEW NORMAL. The deployment is the wing’s second largest deployment and includes multiple aircraft, pilots, security forces, maintenance and medical personnel, and various other support staff.

The US Africa Command announced on May 12 that Logistics Advisor Team 1610, 6th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade earlier this year delivered a three-week long vehicle maintenance and recovery course in Dakar, Senegal. According to AFRICOM the course is to prepare the Senegalese Armed Forces as they support United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. The 1st SFAB’s operations in Africa have been interrupted by the coronavirus, but the unit will continue working with US Army Africa and the US State Department once conditions allow advisors to return, AFRICOM officials said.

Europe

The Royal Air Force is in talks with British Airways, British Airline Pilots’ Association and other aerospace companies for civilian pilots made redundant due to COVID-19 to be seconded to the military for 18 to 48 months. Pilots who had switched from military to civilian careers are likely to be sought after to fill vacancies. The BALPA said the talks are still “exploratory” while a spokesperson from the RAF said the service has “always interested in recruiting high quality people and are currently in initial discussions with the UK aviation industry on the possibility of employing suitable available personnel.”

Asia-Pacific

The South Korean military conducted the first test-firing of its new Hyunmoo-4 ballistic missile in the middle of march, some two-and-a-half years after Washington and Seoul had agreed to scrap the warhead weight limit for South Korean missiles stipulated in US-South Korean guidelines. The Hyunmoo-4 is thought to be a solid-propellant rocket. has been reported to carry a payload as large as 2 tons to ranges of up to 800 kilometers. Testing was overseen by the Agency for Defense Development, South Korea’s indigenous defense research and development organization.

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Americas

ApiJECT won a $138 million contract action for COVID-19 response “Project Jumpstart” and “Project Rapid,” which will dramatically expand production capability for domestically manufactured blow-fill-seal injection devices. ApiJect also recently partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services to establish the RAPID Consortium to supply prefilled syringes to the US Strategic National Stockpile for public health emergency use. Work will take place throughout the US. Estimated completion date will be by may 8, 2022.

BAE Systems Land $42.8 million for MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) canister production and ancillary hardware. The company will make Mk 41 Vertical Launching System canisters, renew Mk 13 Mod 0 canisters and produce Mk 13 Mod 0, Mk 21 Mods 1 through 3 and Mk 29 Mod 0 canisters under the modification. The Navy initially awarded a potential $954.5M contract to update and repair Mk 41 VLS canisters for the service branch and FMS customers from Denmark, Japan and South Korea. Work will take place in Minnesota and South Dakota. Estimated completion will be by July 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Two US Marine Corps AV-8Bs both encountered emergencies during a mission in Bahrain last year. One of the aircraft caught fire on a taxiway and the jet was armed. The other Harrier had taken off and encountered technical issues as well. Because of the other mishap aircraft on the ground, it had to circle while waiting for the clearance to land. It ended up landing with just five minutes of fuel remaining. Both pilots had to thank Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Drey Aynes who was on duty in the tower and help direct the emergency crew to handle the situation. Although the article did not state which Harrier unit was involved, VMA-311 was assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command 19.2 in Bahrain last year.

Europe

TASS reports that Russian Air Forces have tested a new hypersonic missile on the Tu-22M3 bomber recently. The new missile is expected to be mounted on the upgraded Tu-22M3M. The anonymous source said the new missile is different from the Kh-32 missile that is part of the armament of the Tu-22M3. Earlier, the Russian defense industry developed two types of aircraft hypersonic missiles. The Kinzhal is the latest Russian airborne system that consists of a MiG-31K aircraft as a delivery vehicle and a hypersonic missile. Tu-22M3M supersonic bomber is a modification of Tu-22M3 with expanded combat potential.

The Hellenic Ministry of National Defense signed an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense to lease an unspecified number of Israel Aerospace Industries Maritime Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), primarily for border defense missions. Under the agreement, the Israeli MoD will lease the Heron system in its maritime configuration to Greece over three years starting within a year, with an option to purchase it when the leasing period is completed, IAI said. The Heron system consists of platforms that can operate both day and night, and is equipped with maritime patrol radars and satellite communications, according to the Israeli company, which added that it offers extended operational endurance for missions including maritime patrol, marine and land border protection, search and rescue, and disaster management.

Asia-Pacific

Australian defense scientists are working with industry and academia on ways of integrating both laser-based optical and radio frequency communications technologies into a single satellite communications (satcom) user terminal, local media reports. Project CHORUS, which stands for Compact Hybrid Optical RF User Segment, is the first collaborative project to be launched by the DoD through the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Based at the University of South Australia, the SmartSat CRC is Australia’s biggest space industry research-and-development collaboration, and formally opened for business in February.

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Americas

The Wisconsin Army National Guard has created a instrument flight rules (IFR) training visor that uses a smartphone to turn it opaque for training purposes. Traditionally, the student undergoing training will have to put on a hood or the instructor would put his hand in front of the student’s face so that the trainee will only fly the aircraft using the instruments on board.The inventor of the visor, 1st Lt. Nick Sinopoli, felt that the traditional method disrupts training realism and value. He sold his car to pay for the patent for the device and has spent many long nights developing prototypes. His design come in the top 16 of the National Guard Innovation Competition.

AAI Corp. won a $20.7 million modification for engineering and technical services for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) and Unmanned Surface Vehicle program. The deal modifies a contract originally awarded in September 2014 for work on the UISS, which consists of a mine countermeasure unmanned surface vessel and is designed to operate as part of the littoral combat ship (LCS) mine countermeasure (MCM) package. Unmanned surface vehicles, or Naval drones, are boats that operate on the surface of the water without a crew. According to the Pentagon, the UISS program is intended to satisfy the Navy’s need for a rapid, wide-area coverage mine clearance capability which are required to neutralize magnetic/acoustic influence mines, while also providing a high-area coverage rate in a small, lightweight package with minimal impact on the host platform. Work will take place in Maryland and Louisiana. Estimated completion will be by September 2021.

Middle East & Africa

The US State Department has approved a possible sale of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored vehicles to the United Arab Emirates. The sale includes up to 4,569 MRAP vehicles under the Excess Defense Articles program.  Together they have an estimated value of $556 million. The vehicles include the MaxxPro Long Wheel Base vehicle, the MaxxPro Recovery vehicle,  the MaxxPro LWB chassis, the MaxxPro Dash, the MaxxPro Bases Capsule, the MaxxPro MEAP Capsule, and the MaxxPro Plus. They also include Caiman Multi-Terrain Vehicles without armor, and Caiman Base, Caiman Plus, Caiman Capsule, and MRAP All-Terrain vehicles. The Emirati military seeks to use the vehicles “to increase force protection, to conduct humanitarian assistance operations, and to protect critical infrastructure,” according to the statement.

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of a refurbishment package for 43 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters owned by Egypt. The deal is estimated at $2.3 billion. “Egypt intends to use these refurbished AH-64 helicopters to modernise its armed forces to address the shared US-Egyptian interest in countering terrorist activities emanating from the Sinai Peninsula, which threaten Egyptian and Israeli security and undermine regional stability,” says the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. “This sale will contribute to Egypt’s military goal to update its capability while further enhancing greater interoperability between Egypt, the US, and other allies.” Over the last couple of decades, the USA has helped Egypt put down a Bedouin insurgency, which has used attacks on civilians and kidnappings of tourists to further its cause.

Europe

The Irish Air Corps has added a PC-12 to its fleet recently. The purchase was worth $5.6 million. Minister of State for Defense Paul Kehoe told parliament that the aircraft “is providing the Air Corps with a further agile resource to service urgent requests from agencies of the State.” The service said on its social media pages that the first operational mission told place on April 25.

Asia-Pacific

Tokyo will procure seven more Type-19 155 mm/52 calibre wheeled self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and an additional 33 Type-16 Mobile Combat Vehicles (MCVs) this fiscal year as part on ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). The new long-range Type-19 SPH, which is integrated into an 8×8 MAN tactical military truck and has a crew of five, is being gradually rolled out to the JGSDF to replace the service’s aging fleet of FH-70 towed artillery systems, said the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo in its latest ‘Defense Programs and Budget of Japan’ report, the English-language version of which was released in late March.

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Americas

Rockwell Collins won a $7.6 million contract for small mission computer hardware and executable software for the RQ-7B Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System. The aircraft can see targets up to 125 kilometers away from the brigade tactical operations center, and recognize tactical vehicles up to 8,000 feet above the ground at more than 3.5 kilometers slant range, day or night. The RQ-7 Shadow ground control station transmits imagery and telemetry data directly to the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System, All Sources Analysis System, and Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System in near real time. Work will take place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Estimated completion date is August 15, 2022.

General Dynamics won a $14.7 million contract modification for Abrams systems technical support. The M1 Abrams is a third-generation american main battle tank.Abrams M1A2 SEPV3 (System Enhanced Package) is a modernized configuration of the Abrams main battle tank (MBT) in service with the US Army. The new version offers enhanced protection and survivability, as well as higher lethality than its predecessors. Work will take place in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Scheduled completion date is September 30, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

MD Helicopters won a $35.8 million modification for logistics support for the Afghanistan Air Force MD-530F aircraft fleet. MD 530F Cayuse Warrior is an armed variant of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter built by MD Helicopters. It is designed to enhance scout attack, armed escort and close air attack capabilities of the air forces. The multi-purpose armed helicopter can be deployed in tactical, reconnaissance and transport operations. It can also carry out airborne law enforcement, executive and personnel transport, air medical services, search-and-rescue (SAR), firefighting and other public safety missions. Work will take place in Mesa, Arizona, and Kabul, Afghanistan. Estimated completion date is November 30, 2020.

Elbit Systems has developed a rescue capability for the maritime patrol-variant of its Hermes 900 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Israeli company announced that its Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol now has the ability to carry and drop life rafts for long-range search and rescue (SAR) operations. The Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol can carry up to four, six-person life-rafts that are integrated on its wings. Using an onboard maritime radar, the [Hermes] detects survivor situations. Upon detection its electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) payload is deployed to provide visual identification, and a rapid calculation of the drop-point is performed, enabling the Hermes to dispatch life rafts from a low altitude of 600 ft to a pin-pointed location at a safe distance from the survivors.

Europe

The DoS approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Hungary of sixty AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM­-ER missiles, and two spare AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM-ER guidance sections and related equipment for an estimated cost of $230 million. The possible sale is in support of Hungary’s acquisition of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense system. NASAMS is a distributed and networked medium to long-range air defense system developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace and USA’s Raytheon.

Asia-Pacific

The head of Australia’s $32.2 billion Sea 1000 program has confirmed that construction of the pressure hull for the first of 12 Attack Class conventionally powered submarines is scheduled to begin in 2024. This will follow the construction in 2023 of a hull qualification section to prove procedures, equipment, and skills at the submarine construction facility now being built at Osborne North near Adelaide by government-owned Australian Naval Infrastructure to the functional requirements of Sea 1000’s French-owned designer and build partner Naval Group.

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Buoy oh buoy…
(click to view full)

News reports from Japan indicate that country is suggesting to Australia that they go in together to build a new series of non-nuclear submarines, hoping to finalize a deal before the end of the year. The Australian DOD would confirm only that they are indeed talking to several countries about cooperating on a new series. The previous Australian government (Labor) had promised 12 new keels, but the sitting government put those plans into a study phase, concerned that doing so would result in an availability gap between the new subs and the existing Collins class boats.

The January 2010 failure of a generator aboard HMAS Farncomb was just the latest in a long history of problems faced by its fleet of 6 Collins Class diesel-electric submarines – which have sometimes been reduced to just 1 operational vessel. That readiness issue presents an immediate financial headache for Australia’s government, and adds a longer-term challenge to the centerpiece of Australia’s future naval force.

With just 6 submarines in its fleet, Australia’s current deployment set-up leaves little room for error. Even a normal setup of 2 in maintenance, 2 for training but available if needed, and 2 on operations makes for a thin line, given Australia’s long coastline and sea lanes. Almost 15 years after the first Collins Class boat was delivered, they are still short of this goal. When crewing problems are added to the mechanical issues, the failings of its current fleet are creating sharp questions about the Australia’s 2009 White Paper plan to build 12 new diesel-electric fast attack submarines, as the future centerpiece of the 2030 Australian Navy.

A Cursed Class?

HMAS Farncomb
returns, 2005
(click to view full)

One of the goals for the Collins Class program was to advance Australian shipbuilding capabilities, by creating state-owned ASC Pty Ltd. to build a foreign submarine design. ThyssenKrupp’s Swedish Kockums subsidiary was chosen to design them, based on the A19 Gotland Class. At 3,000t, their long-range design is the largest diesel-electric submarine type in the world.

Collins was launched in 1993, and delivered in 1996. Its successor boats of class were commissioned in 1998 (Farncomb), 1999 (Waller), 2001 (Deschaineux and Sheean), and 2003 (Rankin). Many of those boats have been laid up for very long periods, and there have been a number of periods when the RAN has had just 1 fully operational submarine available – or less.

That’s a shaky record for a fleet whose final boat of type entered service more than 10 years ago. Launching a submarine building industry is admittedly very difficult, and using what amounts to a new design added to that risk. The Collins Class has performed well in exercises with the US Navy, where it has scored successes against American Los Angeles Class nuclear-powered fast attack subs. On the other hand, it has also encountered a long-running sequence of issues, including significant difficulties with its (Australian chosen) combat systems, noise issues due to mechanical faults, major program cost growth to A$ 6+ billion, schedule slippage, and the reliability issues noted above. As the government’s own Phase 1 Coles Review noted:

“Ownership of a submarine design requires the ‘parent nation’ to invest in facilities and equipment to allow it to operate the submarines effectively – shipbuilding facilities, docks, manpower and training, operational support facilities, engineering and scientific resources, access to the necessary industry resources and skills, and a properly resourced and effective supply chain. Due to the failure to recognize fully what they were taking on, the various agencies involved did not make all the necessary investments post delivery…”

The effects aren’t just mechanical, or financial. Crew retention issues are exacerbated by low mechanical readiness, which restricts training opportunities, and so limits the available pool of crew. That forces higher deployment rates away from home and family among qualified submariners, which in turn feeds back into low recruitment and retention.

Farncomb, and the Future

Readiness issues
(click to view full)

The January 2010 issue with HMAS Farncomb is emblematic. It involved failures in 1 of the submarine’s 3 French Jeumont-Schneider, 1,400 kW/ 440-volt DC generators, and has served in many respects as the final straw. As the Australian Department of Defence put it at the time:

“The problem stems from the way some of the generators were manufactured. At no time was the crew at risk but investigations are continuing in order to determine the impact this deficiency might have on the remainder of the submarine fleet.”

That’s a bland way to describe a serious problem. The generators must power all systems on board, from oxygen generation to combat electronics, and also drive the Collins Class’ 7,200 shp Jeumont-Schneider DC motor. Given the dangers inherent in a submarine’s mission, electrical redundancy, back-up capability, and reliability are all critical.

There were fears that fixing HMAS Farncomb’s generator problem could require cutting open the pressurized hull. If that’s the case, repair costs would be high, and Farncomb would join 3 other boats in a long “deep maintenance cycle”. HMAS Deschaineux was due back in the water in early 2010, but didn’t re-enter service until May 2010. HMAS Sheean wasn’t due back in service until 2011, and HMAS Rankin has no set date yet – it is merely “in queue” behind Sheean. While HMAS Collins reportedly had its generators given a clean bill of health, investigation of the entire fleet’s generators was required. The stakes were clear: if additional problems were discovered, the repair schedules for Deschaineux, Sheean, and Rankin would become much less predictable.

This is just one of several major shocks to the program over the years. Farncomb’s issues, and continuing problems with the fleet as a whole, finally led Australia’s government to commission an independent Coles Review in July 2011. Instead of focusing on a post-mortem, it was charged with finding a way forward to fix the problems. By December 2012, the final recommendations were in, and a sustainment review was complete by April 2014.

Sustainment regress & progress
(click to view full)

This is exactly what Australia needs if it’s going to operate a serious submarine force, because the Collins Class program’s steady pulse of shocks have combined to compromise more than Australia’s strategic present. Left unaddressed, and unremedied, they will compromise Australia’s strategic future. The persistence of serious mechanical issues and very low readiness rates, into 2010 and beyond, raises legitimate questions concerning the long-term risks of Australia’s A$ 36 billion, 12-boat future submarine program.

Australia is a middle power with a small population, without a long submarine building tradition, and without an active submarine construction line. That it overcame these disadvantages to build and field the Collins Class is a respectable achievement, notwithstanding the problems that class as faced in service. At the same time, the strategic stakes in Asia are rising rapidly, and submarines are becoming more important as the country’s neighbors grow their economic and military power into the sea lanes around Australia. An expanded submarine force makes strong strategic sense as a key guarantor of Australian interests and sovereignty – but in some respects, any new program will be starting again from square one. Over a decade can be expected between the commissioning of HMAS Waller in 2003, and construction of any new submarines.

Does repeating the Collins program’s industrial structure for the core of Australia’s future defense risk creating the same cost and readiness issues in the new submarines? If not, why not, especially given the long interval between delivery of HMAS Rankin and future construction of the next submarine type? What are the strategic risks of treating the core of Australia’s future defensive posture as a make work program first, and a defense program second? What savings might be had by simply ordering some or all of the proposed 12 boats from a foreign manufacturer? Should ASC become a wholly-owned subsidiary of whichever firm wins the competition to build Australia’s next 12 boats? Or should the 12-sub program just be scaled back sharply, as too big a risk for cost inflation and low value for money?

Some of these questions are already being raised, by politicians, by media editorials, and now by the government’s own Coles Review. Unless these readiness and technical issues can be turned around, Australia’s governments, of whatever party, should expect more questions – and fewer submarines in both their present and their future.

Updates & Developments 2013 – 2020

Final Coles Review looks at sustainment; Fire on HMAS Waller; Rankin out of FCD, Farncomb in; Shorter FCDs mean changes to industrial processes.

HMAS Sheean & S-70B

May 11/20: Attack Class Construction The head of Australia’s $32.2 billion Sea 1000 program has confirmed that construction of the pressure hull for the first of 12 Attack Class conventionally powered submarines is scheduled to begin in 2024. This will follow the construction in 2023 of a hull qualification section to prove procedures, equipment, and skills at the submarine construction facility now being built at Osborne North near Adelaide by government-owned Australian Naval Infrastructure to the functional requirements of Sea 1000’s French-owned designer and build partner Naval Group.

Dec 10/14: Simulator upgrades. Thales announces the completion of simulator improvements ordered on June 19/12, which include their C2000-X simulation technology, among changes. Source: company press release.

Nov 20/14: No coverage. A recent incident involving a Russian naval task force that sailed close to Australia’s northern waters highlights issues of force structure, readiness, and basing for the RAN’s submarines. In the end, Australia had to content itself with sending 2 ANZAC Class frigates and an AP-3C Orion aircraft, because there were no submarines that could reach the area in time.

The RAN actually has 3 submarines available, but HMAS Rankin was sailing from Western Australia to Tasmania in the south, and the other 2 active submarines were conducting work-up trials off the coast of Perth in the west. To give readers a geographic idea, sailing from Australia’s western coat to its northeast coast is kind of like sailing from Spain to Estonia. None of Australia’s 3 operational submarines could arrive in time.

This isn’t a failing of the Collins Class. A force of 6 submarines is only going to generate about 3 operational boats, and Australia’s submarine base remains fixed on its inaccessible west coast. Defensively, that’s great. In deployment terms, not so great. Lacking the endurance and constant high-speed capabilities of nuclear-powered boats, Australia needs submarine bases in its north and/or east if it wants to project power forward in a timely way. The 2012 Force Posture Review has recommended this course of action. Sources: The Australian, “Russian ships expose failings of Australian submarine operations”.

Sept 8/14: ASC losing sub-building? News Corp. reports that the government is fast-tracking their pursuit of Japanese Soryu Class submarines, because of growing concerns about the $2+ billion cost of maintaining the Collins boats beyond 2026; some estimates put that cost at more than $2 billion. Hence Soryu, especially given Australia’s urgency:

“The Government cannot afford a submarine capability gap and every day past 2026/27 when Collins class is due to begin decommissioning, adds days of risk,” a senior defence source said.”

This risk profile may even get Australia’s future submarines built abroad. ASC’s poor performance building the Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers has reportedly left deep skepticism about trusting them with a project that’s conservatively estimated at $A 36 billion. In contrast, building the Soryus abroad might reduce the cost to a more certain A$ 25 billion. Read “Australia’s Next-Generation Submarines” for full coverage.

Aug 5/4: Support. ASC says that they’ve has been recontracted to provide Collins Class maintenance, but doesn’t say for how long. Under the contract extension, ASC will continue to work on the Collins Class submarines at its headquarters at Osborne in Adelaide, South Australia, and Henderson in Western Australia.

Henderson already hosts significant submarine maintenance work and inventory management, and will be used for all mid cycle and intermediate maintenance work, enabling the focus at Osborne to be on the new 2-year Full Cycle Docking (FCD). Those new FCDs will have to be done in 33% less time, and some early industrial initiatives to meet it have included introduction of a circumferential hull cut (q.v. July 1/14), construction of a new Maintenance Support Tower in Osbirne to provide better access, “remediation” of the supply chain, and the establishment of a rotable pool of spare parts. Sources: ASC, “ASC awarded submarine maintenance contract for SA and WA”.

July 5/14: Misconduct? Former submariner Rex Patrick (q.v. ) has accused senior naval officers of attempting to muzzle his public criticisms of the Collins-class submarine, and has asked the Australian Federal Police to examine the Navy’s conduct. Sources: The Australian, “Collins-class submarine critic calls in AFP over navy ‘plot’”.

July 1/14: HMAS Rankin out of FCD. ASC announces that they’ve completed the Full Cycle Docking (FCD) for HMAS Rankin in South Australia, delivering her early under the agreed integrated master schedule. Rankin will be the last submarine serviced under the RAN’s previous Full Cycle Docking schedule. Sources: ASC, “Rankin handed back to Navy”.

July 1/14: HMAS Farncomb into FCD. HMAS Farncomb arrives at ASC North in readiness for her Full Cycle Docking (FCD), which is the first under Australia’s new 10 years service + 2 year FCD schedule. Sources: ASC, “Farncomb arrives for maintenance under new schedule”.

July 1/14: Industrial. ASC makes a circumferential cut to remove the entire back end of HMAS Collins, a 1st for the company. The engine is being removed entirely to a workshop, and will be swapped into HMAS Farncomb to keep everything on schedule. Why do this?

“Normally, the main motor refurbishment within the submarine takes approximately a year to complete, with other work within the aft end of the boat delayed while this takes place. [This way]… the main motor can be removed and refurbished in a workshop, allowing other work scheduled in that section of the boat to be conducted, including metal loss repairs.”

The cut takes a lot of preparation: removal of all electrical cables, pipes and mechanical items which cross the frame spacing; anechoic tiles over the joint removed; casing brackets and the stinger seat removed; and extra submarine cradles prepped to support the end section. Once prepared, the existing weld joint was cut using an automatic gas thermal cutter, and pulled backwards using a railed transfer system. This will be the approach going forward. Sources: ASC, “Circumferential cut on Collins”.

May 5/14: Industrial. Removing a submarine’s anechoic tiles without damaging them, or the hull, is a long process. ASC thinks they’ve found a way to improve that sharply:

“Prior to each hull cut, a large number of tiles need to be removed…. a cross functional team investigated alternative methods of tile removal, including Ultra High Pressure Water Blasting…. The trial showed that the water blasting would take approximately 35 minutes to remove a tile as opposed to the 17 hours it usually takes. In addition, an engineering assessment of the hull test piece identified that it left the hull in a better state than the previous manual method.”

They think the overall savings on HMAS Farncomb’s Full Cycle Docking will be up to 4,000 worker hours. Sources: ASC, “Tile removal rethink creates significant saving”.

April 8/14: Final Coles Review. The Coles Review finishes its work with a post-implementation final review. It cites considerable improvements, including greater availability of spares, less planned maintenance over-runs, fewer breakdowns, and faster repairs to operational boats when problems occur. Overall, the RAN is up to 2-3 available boats most of the time, after long stretches where the range was 0-2. To get 2 deployable submarines, you actually need a fleet of 6: 3 submarines available for tasking more than 90% of the time, a 4th submarine in short-term maintenance, and 2 more in long-term maintenance.

The challenge will be moving from the current 8 years service + 3 years maintenance interval to a 10+2 framework, which compresses the Full Cycle Docking (FCD) by a factor of about 2, while cutting about 30% of the worker hours. This final report recommends treating the 1st example, HMAS Farncomb in July 2014, it as a dynamic schedule and progressively refining it. Even so, there is significant concern that they’re not going to be able to execute the FCDs in time. Beyond those efforts, the report says that the focus on output vs. efficiency has been justified by circumstances, but the emphasis must flip. Unfortunately:

“It was all too clear to me that the lack of suitably qualified experienced personnel in the DMO to operate within and fulfil their role in an output focused Enterprise, may stall or even reverse the achievement of benchmark availability. It would be an astonishing outcome if the inability to sustain the knowledge and energy now evident in the Collins Class Transformation Program were to lead to its undoing – particularly given there is every indication benchmark performance could be achieved at a lower long-term cost with reduced DMO project oversight. This problem needs to be addressed urgently.”

Workforce development is actually an issue at all levels, but hiring constraints on DMO could make it impossible for them to achiee their goals. An overall IT system to help manage the process is another missing piece. Meanwhile, there’s some key work to do on HMAS Collins, or it won’t be very helpful even if it is ready:

“HMAS Collins will need to be upgraded to match the rest of the Class, otherwise major systems will be unsupportable and she will not be as deployable as the rest of the Class. If a significant amount of upgrade work is not carried out in the period prior to HMAS Collins FCD (she is currently in pre-FCD), then this may have an impact on the overall schedule for HMAS Collins’ FCD.”

There’s more beyond these key highlights – like all of the Coles Reports, it’s quite detailed. Sources: Australia DoD, “Minister for Defence and Minister for Finance – Joint Media Release – Final Coles Review into submarine sustainment” | DMO, “Final Coles Review into Submarine Sustainment” | Full Report [PDF].

Final Coles Review – Sustainment

Feb 27/14: HMAS Waller. The submarine HMAS Waller, fresh out of scheduled maintenance, experiences a fire while traveling on the surface. Nobody dies or is injured, but 4 sailors are helicoptered off for observation. The Navy is still looking into the cause. Sources: Australian DoD, “Fire onboard Royal Australian Navy submarine”.

Waller fire

Feb 25/14: HMAS Waller. ASC Pty Ltd. awards the crew of HMAS Waller their Platypus Cup, to “the Collins Class submarine whose crew best demonstrates the rigorous training needed to ensure the safe and effective operation of the vessel.” Sources: ASC, “HMAS Waller wins Platypus Cup”.

Jan 20/14: The A$ 30-40 billion size of the future submarine project guarantees political scrutiny, and conservative columnist Paul Sheehan decides to start as the new center-right Liberal Party government prepares its 1st budget. It’s a sign worth watching regarding the political fate of the $A 30+ billion future submarine program, and as one might expect, the article isn’t exactly complimentary to the Collins Class.

The Australian DoD takes direct issue with the piece, though it isn’t a great idea to use sentences like “There is no ingrained ‘culture of delusion and arrogance’ within the Australian Defence Force when it comes to the development of capability requirements.” The rest of the reply uses a better form of argument, and includes this statement:

“While we do not comment on the operations of the submarine fleet there have been numerous periods when up to four submarines have been in service. In fact for most of the last two years Navy has continuously had four submarines in service.”

One note: “in service” is not the same as “immediately available for operations.” Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, “Future Submarine project a farce that has missed a mention” | Australia DoD On The Record, “Inaccurate reporting of Navy capability”.

Dec 17/13: ANAO Report. Australia’s National Audit Office releases their 2012-13 Major Projects Report. The Collins Replacement Combat System project has slipped by 36 months over the past year, hitting a total of 108 months (9 years) delay. In comparison, the Collins Class Reliability & Sustainability program is “only” 99 months behind.

The R&S program has seen an overall increase of A$ 339.4 million to A$411.4 million, including A$ 302.8 million for the implementation of additional scope, for a total increase of 471.4%. It actually consists of 22 separate sub-projects,a and only the Special Forces upgrade (on Collins & Dechaineux) and the Torpedo Decoy represent capability upgrades. Of the 22, “Five engineering enhancements have been completed and the two new capabilities are being implemented. However, completion of the remaining 15 engineering enhancements is priority driven and will be continually reassessed throughout the project.” Spending to date amounts to A$ 334.7 million, which will make the management of further work a challenge. Full Operational Capability is scheduled for 2022.

Submarine availability has been one of the factors in both projects, and is the primary reason behind the RCS program’s 2013 slippage. The budget now stands at A$ 450 million and the program has spent A$ 431.9 million. With that said, there hasn’t been much cost change over the past year. HMAS Waller and Farncomb have the CS04 version installed, while HMAS Dechaineux and Sheean have CS05 and its sonar processing improvements installed. HMAS Rankin is testing with CS05, and HMAS Collins will have to wait for its Full Cycle Docking, which has moved. That final installation will be completed in 2018, with Full Operational Capability currently expected to occur in 2019.

Nov 28/13: Upgrade Phase 5B.1. ASC Pty Ltd. receives an A$ 57 million/ $50 million contract from the Australian government to update and modernize the Collins Class Integrated Ship Control Management and Monitoring System (ISCMMS), then turns around ans signs a SEK 180 million / $27.5 million sub-contract with Saab. The contract will run between 2013 – 2016 and will involve Saab’s Security and Defence Solutions operations in Adelaide.

ISCMMS provides maneuvering control and integrated platform systems management. It has been a quiet and reliable success story, but the electronic components need updating to avoid obsolescence problems, and the software needs to be ported to compatible standards. This is SEA 1439 Phase 5B.1 on the DMO’s list of upgrade projects for the Collins fleet. Sources: ASC, “ASC signs multi-million dollar contract” | Saab, “Saab signs contract to upgrade Australian Submarine Sub-System”.

ISCMMS upgrade

Oct 10/13: At the Pacific 2013 maritime security conference in Sydney, DMO’s David Gould is confident that a 7-year life extension would leave Australia with operational submarines, but:

“What could become operationally important in the future is the relative survivability of the submarine in a changing operational environment into the future, to 2030, when you’ve got more new, modern submarines being deployed in this area of the world and so forth.”

Outgoing head of the Future Submarine Program Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt is most concerned about the expected jumps in sonar capabilities, thanks to technical advances and improved computer processing. The Collins Class already has some problems with noise, so this is a very valid concern. Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, “Extension for submarines”.

Sept 25/13: A confidential report “has identified 68 critical problems on the navy’s Collins-class submarines that it warns pose a high to extreme risk of forcing their retirement before new submarines can be built.” The Australian DoD fires back after the report is published, saying that identifying potential issues and risks involved in life extension was the whole point, and that many of the issues are “already known and are or have been addressed in planned upgrades or through continuous improvement programs…. There has been significant improvement in submarine availability over the last 15 months.”

That may be so, but long-term risks must be credibly addressed, and this is where the RAN has demonstrated great difficulty over the last decade or more. Time will tell. Sources: The Australian, “Secret Defence report signals Collins subs crisis” | Australian DoD, “Submarine reporting in The Australian, 25 September 2013”.

June 24/13: Delays. The Australian reports that HMAS Ranking and HMAS Collins will be in maintenance much later than the advertised 3-year maintenance turnaround deadlines:

“The Rankin is the youngest submarine in the fleet yet it has been docked since 2008. It will not be released by shipbuilder ASC until the middle of next year [mid-2014] at the earliest. The Collins is the fleet’s oldest and has been at the ASC facility in Adelaide since last August. It will not be released until 2018.”

Sources: The Australian | Eric Palmer ELP.

2012

Is the Collins fleet unsalvageable? Submarine rescue vessels.

HMAS Waller
(click to view full)

Dec 12/12: Reports. The Government releases the Final Report of the Coles Review into Submarine Sustainment, the results of their Collins Class Service Life Evaluation Program, and the findings of the Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan that began at the end of 2011. The 4th element isn’t a report, it’s plans for a new submarine testing facility in Adelaide.

The Service Life Evaluation Program found what the DoD pretty much had to find, given delays in their future submarine program, and the government’s selection of a longer and riskier approach for that effort. Despite the submarines’ record, “there was no single technical issue that would prevent the Collins Class submarines from achieving their theoretical platform life, their planned withdrawal dates, or a [7-year] service life extension…” A confluence of multiple issues with uncertain resolution? They didn’t say.

With respect to the Industry Skills, indigenous design capability for submarine and surface ships is weak, white collar skills are spread thin, and the blue collar workforce is too sparse, especially in supervisors and electrical trades. Sources: Australian DoD, “Reviews of Australian submarines released” | Australian DoD, “Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Materiel – Joint Media Release – Collins Class Service Life Evaluation Program” | Coles Review | Future Submarine Industry Skills Program.

Several Key Reports

Dec 10/12: Costs. Former submariner and Acoustic Force CEO Rex Patrick (q.v. Oct 7/10) continues to call government estimates into question, describing DMO estimates to date as “spectacularly and consistently wrong”:

“Each of the six boats costs twice as much to sustain and operate as an American nuclear submarine, while falling far short…. “In 2014-15, the accounting cost of Australia’s submarine force will, by Defence’s own numbers, hit $1 billion…. He said the real cost [per boat for operating the Collins Class] is running at “just shy of $100 million…. a number that is made even worse when one considers their availability; a recent US Department of Defence report put the per-boat operating and sustainment cost of the Los Angeles and Virginia class (of nuclear submarines) at $50 million and $59 million respectively…. For the $600 million-plus annual cost of keeping between two and three 20-year-old Collins-class submarines at sea, the RAN [Royal Australian Navy] could buy a brand new, reliable, deployable, high-end submarine every year.”

Sources: The Canberra Times, “Keeping Collins afloat ludicrous: expert”.

O&M costs

Dec 10/12: Costs. Former submariner and Acoustic Force CEO Rex Patrick (q.v. Oct 7/10) continues to call government estimates into question, describing DMO estimates to date as “spectacularly and consistently wrong”:

“Each of the six boats costs twice as much to sustain and operate as an American nuclear submarine, while falling far short…. “In 2014-15, the accounting cost of Australia’s submarine force will, by Defence’s own numbers, hit $1 billion…. He said the real cost [per boat for operating the Collins Class] is running at “just shy of $100 million…. a number that is made even worse when one considers their availability; a recent US Department of Defence report put the per-boat operating and sustainment cost of the Los Angeles and Virginia class (of nuclear submarines) at $50 million and $59 million respectively…. For the $600 million-plus annual cost of keeping between two and three 20-year-old Collins-class submarines at sea, the RAN [Royal Australian Navy] could buy a brand new, reliable, deployable, high-end submarine every year.”

Sources: The Canberra Times, “Keeping Collins afloat ludicrous: expert”.

O&M Costs

Nov 29/12: Submarine rescue. The Dutch firm Damen touts the Royal Australian Navy’s Nov 16/12 order for a Rescue Gear Ship 9316, which will be used to support the country’s submarine fleet. The RGS 9316 will actually be built at a Damen shipyard in Vietnam, and is due to be delivered in 2016. It will be similar to their SD Victoria, built for Serco UK to support Britain’s Royal Navy.

The release also mentions an August 2012 order for an Escape Gear Ship 8316 Submarine Rescue Vessel, to be delivered by 2015. Damen | Marine Log | SD Victoria video.

Submarine rescue vessels

Nov 15/12: Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare’s speech at the Submarine Institute of Australia conference sends a signal that the Collins Class can have its life extended. Of course, the government more or less has to believe that, since their Future Submarines project isn’t going to produce new boats in time. The time frame being bandied about is “one more duty cycle” of 8-10 years, and HMAS Collins would be the first to have her hull cut open so the diesels and generators can be accessed.

Meanwhile, the Minister calls out an instance of media bias in his speech:

“The CEO of DMO, Mr Warren King, recently commented: “good news stories about Defence don’t sell papers”. At the supplementary estimates in mid October 2012, the Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley explained that one particular journalist – who had had an extremely positive experience on the HMAS Farncomb during its successful efforts at RIMPAC – filed a good news story on Collins and was told by his editor that “it was unpublishable” (p.58 – Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee Estimates, 17 October 2012). “

The Collins Class is a deserving target for criticism, but news suppression is not professional nor honest. The fact that it’s distressingly common these days doesn’t make it any more acceptable. See: Minister’s speech transcript | Canberra Times.

Nov 14/12: Sonar upgrade. Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation signs an A$ 22.2 million contract with Thales Australia to update their submarines’ Scylla sonars. Thales is the original manufacturer, and currently holds the in-service support contract.

The custom-designed processing boards in the Scylla Signal Processing Cabinets will be replaced with commercial alternatives, sharply reducing the number of boards while improving capacity. These changes will require re-hosting the software on a different system, but the payoffs will include reducing electronics that aren’t manufactured any more, improving reliability, lowering power consumption, taking up less space, and saving about a tonne of weight. Once the software is re-hosted, which is no small task, further software development can take advantage of the new hardware’s capacity, in order to improve overall sonar performance.

Most of this work will be performed at Thales Australia’s underwater systems facility in Rydalmere, in western Sydney. Sea trials are scheduled for 2013, followed by physical installation in the 1st of 6 submarines in 2014. It’s all part of an additional A$ 700 million, which has been budgeted over the next 4 years for Collins Class submarine sustainment. Australian DoD | Thales Group.

July 25 – Aug 3/12: Problems continue. After reporting a successful torpedo firing and sinking exercise during RIMPAC 2012, Australia’s DoD reveals that a leak is forcing HMAS Farncomb to return to port immediately. Fortunately, the submarine was at periscope depth, and the problem “has been traced to a split in a hose on the submarine’s weight compensation system.” The Liberal Party’s shadow defence minister, David Johnston, reminds Sydney Morning Herald readers that these kinds of breakdowns are all too common:

“Farncomb is no stranger to this kind of incident… In August it lost both its propulsion motor and emergency back up in deep water off the Western Australian coast. The second, a few months later in the South China Sea, involved a build up of toxic gases that had the crew wearing oxygen masks and blowing its emergency ballast tanks for a rapid ascent.

In May last year another Collins Class submarine, HMAS Dechaineux was forced to return to Singapore for repairs after breaking down on its way to a training exercise, also in the South China Sea. It was the only submarine due to participate in the 5-nation exercise and the embarrassment was amplified when the Navy News published a pre-written account of its daring exploits on the presumption nothing could go wrong.”

Meanwhile, decisions concerning Australia’s replacement submarine plan may not happen in time. Australia DoD | state-funded ABC | The Australian | Sydney Morning Herald.

June 19/12: Simulator upgrades. Thales Australia announces a contract to upgrade the Collins Submarine Platform Training Simulator (PTS), at HMAS (naval base) Stirling’s Submarine Training and Systems Centre (STSC) in Western Australia. The PTS has been in service since 1993, and includes a Propulsion Control Simulator (PCS) and a Submarine Control Simulator (SCS). The upgrades will ensure that the simulators match all the changes that have been made to the submarines themselves. Given ongoing difficulties in recruiting enough submarine crews, an effective and fully up-to-date simulator is a critical link in Australia’s attempt to fix this situation.

Thales is well positioned to provide simulators for the Collins Class, since it provides and supports the sonar suite, towed array, periscope visual system (also getting upgrades under a recent contract), communications mast and other key sensors.

April 23/12: An interview with Minister for Defence Stephen Smith touches on the Collins Class’ ongoing problems, and the decisions to be taken regarding Australia’s future submarines. An excerpt:

“…since the 1990s we have had long-standing, well known, entrenched maintenance and sustainment issues and difficulties with our Collins Class Submarines… under governments of both political persuasions… it would be irresponsible to rush into the Future Submarine Project without seeking to fully understand… in particular the maintenance and sustainment of the Collins class submarine and the inability over almost two decades to get better operational service out of the Collins Class Submarine.

That caused me to establish the Coles Review, the first part of which I received in December of last year, and the second and final part of which I am expecting to receive in the course of the next month or so… [In addition,] one of the studies we have currently under way is a study trying to better define the life of type [DID: expected service lifetime] of the Collins Class Submarine.”

April 21/12: Unsalvageable? Commander James Harrap, a 20-year navy veteran, resigns from the RAN after commanding both HMAS Waller and HMAS Collins. While the boats and their crews had “serviced the navy well and achieved much,” the media obtain a copy of his overall assessment. It is stark and scathing: scrap the class.

“I don’t believe the Collins-class are sustainable in the long term and many of the expensive upgrade plans which have been proposed would be throwing good money after bad… Over the last two years, I believe these problems have become worse… Throughout my command of both Collins and Waller, full capability was never available and frequently over 50 per cent of the identified defects were awaiting stores… Collins has consistently been let down by some fundamental design flaws, leading to poor reliability and inconsistent performance. The constant stream of defects and operation control limitations makes getting to sea difficult, staying at sea harder and fighting the enemy a luxury only available once the first two have been overcome.”

The submarines’ diesel engines come in for special criticism, but they are far from his only target. His final conclusion: “I do not believe we have the capability to independently design and build our own submarines.” The Australian.

2011

Coles Review, RAND lessons learned reports; $105 million per year each for maintenance?; Some periods have seen 0 subs available; Can new submarines be built in time?

Dec 13/11: Coles Review, Phase 1 Following its July 19/11 announcement (q.v.) and Nov 4/11 delivery, Phase 1 of the Coles Review of RAN submarine sustainment is made public. It goes so far as to call the government’s chosen structure to manage Australia’s submarine force “unfit for purpose,” and the report’s own statement of its raison d’etre is a concise summary of the fleet’s visible issues:

“Despite increases in funding for sustainment, and strenuous efforts on the part of the various authorities and agencies involved, the level of submarine availability continues to fall. The length of dockings is increasing and submarines frequently have to return to harbour with problems. Loss of availability had also been caused by lack of crews, and the level of crew availability remains critical to the support of operations. Ministers became increasingly concerned about damage to the national reputation and frustrated at the apparent inability of Defence to sort out the problems. There was also a strong perception, especially in the DMO, that the ASC was operating inefficiently on a forward funded cost-plus contract for sustainment. The two Commonwealth Departments involved – DoFD (as owner and shareholder of ASC) and DoD (as owner, customer and operator of the submarines) – determined that an independent review was needed… Taking these findings together, we found the disparate organisation to be unfit for purpose. Recovery will demand a very serious and concentrated effort to change relationships for the better. This will be a major undertaking which goes well beyond anything the team expected to find…”

Along the way, it describes fractured and mutually hostile organizational responsibility in government, no culture of performance at builder ASC, a “damaging” relationship between ASC and the DMO, poor RAN planning or even commitment to its submarine force, “micromanagement from afar”, high levels of parts cannibalization between submarines, unclear requirements, and unrealistic goals. Its interim process recommendations have all been approved for immediate implementation, and despite its negative appraisal of ASC, they recommend that the In-Service Support Contact (ISSC) being negotiated should proceed as planned, as an interim, step to a more performance-based contract. Notable observations included:

• “…we have been unable to identify any unanimity of view as to the actual requirement for submarine availability even at the most senior levels…”
  
• “Recent figures indicate that around 85% of lost MRDs are due to operational or safety defects, and of those, about 45% are due to lack of stores. Around 15% of lost days are due to maintenance overrun.”
  
• While the RAN now has 3 trained crews, that doesn’t mean 3 submarines available for operations unless leave and training are removed from the equation;
  
• 33% of trained RAN submariners have been qualified for less than 2 years;
  
• Crews don’t always carry out normal maintenance, and aren’t punished for it;
  
• “We were unable to establish why it is that FCDs [Full Cycle Dockings] take as long as three years, noting that the second FCD (HMAS FARNCOMB) took barely two years… [that’s] a long time even by modern nuclear submarine standards…”
  
• “There is a range of key suppliers to the program beyond ASC itself. This list includes Raytheon (combat system integrator), Thales (sonar), Babcock (weapon launch and handling), Pacific Marine Batteries, Drive Train (diesels), BAES (optronics), and the US Navy (tactical command system). There are others who supply specialist products or services without which the program could not succeed.”
  
• “Of particular note is the issue of [electronic] obsolescence which, 15 years into the program, has the potential to engulf the submarines with further problems…”

Phase 2 is due in April 2012, and will focus on issues of program management, commercial contracts, engineering, and costing. It aims to offer a framework and industry best practice benchmarks against which the DMO, RAN and ASC performance can be measured. Phase 3 will be the final report, but there will also be a Phase 4 follow-up that looks at progress, and implementation of the new ISSC. Coles Review, Phase 1 [PDF] | Australian DoD | Minister transcript: ABC Interview | RAN.

Coles Review, Phase 1

RAND Report
(click to read)

Dec 13/11: RAND Lessons Learned. Australia’s DoD releases RAND’s requested report of lessons learned from US, UK, and Australian submarine programs. RAND Report.

Oct 15/11: $$$$ Australian media look at the Collins Class’ annual costs:

“Figures obtained by the Herald Sun, show the six Collins subs cost about $630 million a year – or $105 million each – to maintain, making them the most expensive submarines ever to put to sea… The annual price for “sustainment” (maintenance and support) is $415.9 million for 2011-12 with operating costs running at $213.4 million for the year, for a total of $629.3 million.

A US Navy Ohio Class nuclear attack submarine – more than three times the size of a Collins boat – costs about $50 million a year to operate.”

See: Herald Sun | Courier Mail, incl. infographic | Australia’s Daily Telegraph.

Oct 5/11: Swedish consulting and software provider Systecon AB announces an order from Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC) for its OPUS10 maintenance support software. OPUS10 optimizes spare parts stocks and support for complex technical systems within defense, transportation, energy and production, and ASC will use OPUS10 in their current re-evaluation and improvement of the Collins Class’ support program.

Sept 15/11: Liberal Party opposition defense spokesman Sen. David Johnston seems to be waking up to the seriousness of Australia’s submarine problems. The Australian:

“The undoubted lead Australia once had in regional submarine capability has, despite the best efforts of our very committed submariners, disappeared,” he told parliament. “Our Collins-class submarines are inherently unreliable, technically challenging to maintain and difficult to crew. We rarely have more than two submarines available to go to sea and there have been instances of late where there have been none, repeat none, available to defend our borders.”

July 25/11: The Australian reports that Australia’s DoD:

“…will seek US help with Australia’s plan to build 12 big conventional submarines to replace the navy’s six troubled Collins-class boats… After initial problems with the Collins fleet a decade ago, the US provided a state-of-the-art combat system and the latest technology to improve the subs’ propulsion systems and make them less noisy.”

July 19/11: Labor Party Defence Minister Stephen Smith admits that there are “long-term difficulties” with the Collins Class submarine fleet, and announces a full independent review led by British private sector expert John Coles. The Minister cites too many stretches where only 1-2 submarines have been available, and there are reportedly doubts that the subs’ diesel engines are robust enough to last until 2025 as planned:

“These problems are significant and highly technically complex. At times we have seen as few as one Collins Class submarine available for operations. This situation is unacceptable but will not be addressed simply by continuation of the status quo… As a consequence, the Government will conduct a review into the optimal commercial framework for the conduct of Collins Class Submarine sustainment… My ambition is that the Coles Review will do for the Collins Class Submarine what the Rizzo Report has done for our amphibious fleet capability: a clear sighted path to improve the sustainment and availability of the Collins Class Submarines… Without having confidence in our capacity to sustain our current fleet of submarines, it is very difficult to fully commence, other than through initial planning, the acquisition program for our Future Submarine. This is consistent with the absolute necessity to work very hard in the early days to get projects right and thereby avoid, reduce, and minimise project difficulties down the track.”

The Coles Review has been asked to provide an interim report by December 2011, and a final version by March 2012. The key questions are how long this will delay Australia’s future submarine program, and whether the review will include political-structural weaknesses in the program, or confine itself to procedures. Minister for Defence ASPI transcript | ASC release | Adelaide Now | Australian Broadcasting Corp. and ABC AM radio | Canberra Times | Queensland’s Courier-Mail | Sydney Morning Herald | The Australian.

July 18/11: Labor Party defense minister Stephen Smith, Jason Clare the Minister for Defence Materiel, and Paul Rizzo release their requested report: “Plan to Reform Support Ship Repair and Management Practices.” It follows serious failures in the legacy amphibious ship fleet, and acknowledgement of widespread issues in the Royal Australian Navy with engineering and ship maintenance generally. Though it isn’t about the Collins Class per se, its recommendations will affect Australia’s submarine programs.

All 24 of Mr. Rizzo’s recommendations are accepted, and he himself will be in charge of chairing the implementation committee he recommended. Two-star Commodore Michael Uzzell is also promoted to a new position: RAN Head of Engineering. Report page with Full Report [PDF format] | Australian DoD release and transcript | Sky News interview.

May 15/11: Australia’s Kokoda Foundation releases “Under the Sea Air Gap: Australia’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Challenge. The study “attempts to identify issues surrounding Australia’s Anti Submarine Warfare capabilities that will require greater scrutiny in the period leading up to the 2014 Defence White Paper.”

Author Brice Pacey is concerned that the design for Australia’s next-generation submarines might not be complete until 2019, and the first boat might not be ready until 2030. With the Collins Class scheduled to begin retiring in the mid-2020s, that would present a problem. Australia would need to either extend the lives of a class that has not performed well or reliably, or accept a vestigial submarine fleet even as it neighbors build up their capabilities. See also Adelaide Now.

April 14/11: Australia’s ASPI think-tank releases “The once and future submarine – raising and sustaining Australia’s underwater capability.” Based on past acquisitions, beginning the future submarine program immediately would only deliver the 1st boat in 2025; further delays would create timing issues with the Collins Class’ retirement. On which subject:

“…the boats have spent so little time in the water due to maintenance and crewing problems that the hulls have not been pressure cycled anywhere near to the extent anticipated. However, a life-of?type extension for the Collins is not an especially appealing prospect for a number of reasons. To start with, the drive train in the Collins has been problematic since day one, and attempts to keep the fleet going into the late 2020s would almost certainly require work to replace the highly problematic diesel engines (which are already ‘orphans’ in the world of maritime diesels). That alone is an undertaking requiring major engineering work, not to mention a lot of money. It is a simple fact of geometry that the engines can only be removed by cutting the pressure hull. Given that less complex mid-cycle dockings are taking 100 weeks to complete (against an anticipated 52 weeks), this exercise would result in considerable downtime. It could be that every five years of additional life would come at the cost of one or two extra years out of the water and/or conducting sea trials for each boat being upgraded. This would further exacerbate the already disappointingly low availability of the fleet.”

2009 – 2010

HMAS Farncomb the lone sub left – then its generators fail; Generator failures, crew recruiting examined in hearings; RAN puts 3 to sea.

Dechaineux returns
(click to view full)

Nov 22/10: The Royal Australian Navy announces that it has 3 Collins Class submarines at sea, adding that both HMAS Collins and HMAS Deschaineux have sailed from Fleet Base West for the ASWEX exercises:

“HMAS Collins had been visiting the east coast of Australia but has returned to her home port to participate in ASWEX. Collins steamed over 10,400 nautical miles around Australia, with port visits in five states and territories. She also qualified 20 new submariners and had 17 sailors complete professional development qualifications.

HMAS Dechaineux has returned to duty after an incident with a civilian tug boat… repairs to the propeller took only a week to complete, at the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia… HMAS Waller is also at sea carrying out training after undergoing scheduled maintenance.”

Nov 9/10: HMAS Dechaineux, which returned to service in May 2010, will miss the Royal Australian Navy’s annual anti-submarine warfare exercises. The submarine was carrying out a routine maneuver with a tugboat while departing its berth at Fleet Base West, when the tug crossed over Dechaineux’s stern; there were no injuries to people, only the submarine.

HMAS Collins, which was at sea, will fill in for the annual exercise. RAN.

Oct 7/10: Under a radical plan authored by Rex Patrick and other former submarines, Australia would retire HMAS Rankin and HMAS Collins immediately, and begin replacing the Collins Class with locally-built, off-the-shelf designs from Europe, instead of waiting until 2025:

“Australia should rapidly acquire four locally built military-off-the-shelf (MOTS) submarines to address the submarine availability issue and address the growing capability gap between the Collins-class submarines and the modern submarines proliferating throughout the region… The Collins-class submarine program has been an unmitigated failure… [HMAS Rankin and HMAS Collins]… are not available anyway, there are no crews for them and maintaining them is placing an ever increasing burden on the navy’s budget.”

Under his plan, the first boat of an initial batch of 4 would be operational for the navy within 5 years, and all 4 would be operational in under 8 years. The Australian | Adelaide Now.

June 17/10: Ministerial release:

“With the recent successful docking of the first submarine at Australian Marine Complex (AMC) in Henderson, Western Australia, ASC have marked a key milestone for the $35 million purpose-built submarine support facility… With this increase in capability ASC is now able to carry out maintenance on as many as three submarines at any one time.”

May 24/10: HMAS Dechaineux returns to service following its Full Cycle Docking at the ASC Pty Ltd. in Adelaide, giving Australia a 2nd operational submarine. Australian DoD photo release.

May 4/10: Australia’s government announces a pair of battery contracts to small/medium firm Pacific Marine Batteries Pty Ltd.

A 6-year, A$ 81 million (currently $75 million) Acquisition Contract will provide 5 lead-acid Collins Class Submarine battery sets.

A parallel 7-year Standing Offer, on the other hand, will provide short notice technical support from the firm. Pacific Marine Batteries will continue to provide an Environmental Protection Authority approved storage facility for up to 4 battery sets (2 in storage and 2 ready for disposal), as well as equipment capable of conditioning the cells before installation, and decommissioning and disposal services.

HMAS Rankin,
RIMPAC 2006
(click to view full)

March 30/10: Generator fail. The Australian Senate’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade hears a range of testimony, including updates regarding Australia’s submarines. The bottom line? The Australian firm that manufactured the generators under license didn’t manufacture them to the same standard as the original French firm. The Chair is Archie Bevis [Labor – Brisbane], and the other speakers are Mr. Kim Gillis, General Manager of the Collins effort at Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation; and Bob Baldwin [Liberal – Paterson]:

“Mr BALDWIN – As I understand it, the issue is that the windings failed on the generators – is that correct?

Mr Gillis – That is correct. We have worked with a company called machinemonitor who are specialists in this particular area. They are providing the quality control. We have now found the best companies in Australia to do vacuum impregnation, which was the failure of the first system – they were not done properly when they were originally manufactured…

Mr BALDWIN – Are there any indications that generators on other submarines are likely to fail?

Mr Gillis – As to the generators that are on Collins, the original ones were actually manufactured in France. The inspections on those would indicate that they are very solid and we are not expecting to have a failure on those. The remainder of the Collins-class submarines that had their generators manufactured in Australia are susceptible to this particular failure. We are monitoring those. We are looking at the way in which we can ensure that we do not get the same sort of failure. We do have three generators on each submarine. The normal requirement is to only operate two. So what you can do is: by operating them at about 80 per cent of their normal operating profile, you restrict the likelihood of a failure. We have now also been able to prove a world’s best practice way of doing this work. We are also going through the following process: from now on, in the normal process of doing their midcycle dockings, their intermediate dockings or their full-cycle dockings, we are undertaking this work. We will be changing out the complete set of generators in the submarines.

Mr BALDWIN – That was my next question. So on the Collins you are doing all three generators?

Mr Gillis – On Farncomb we are only having to do two because we had already swapped out one of them.

CHAIR (Mr. Bevis) – Is there any liability that the original supplier of these faulty generators is exposed to? Have we looked at that?… [exchange follows] I just make the observation that, if we are in the business of handing out money to Australian or American businesses or anybody else in the development of things, we should sure and hell be in the business of making sure what they provide has been delivered properly and in accordance with the contract. I appreciate that you were giving off-the-cuff testimony and what you said may not have been a considered assessment. But, if that was indeed a considered assessment, it seems to me we were not supplied with what we ordered and we should not bear the total cost of making good the repairs.

Mr Gillis – I think it is a matter of the quality of the product that was demonstrated at the time. Its warranty was for a certain period of time and it had exceeded the original warranty period. When an item like that has passed its warranty period, you do not have very much recourse. We would have liked it to have lasted longer and to an indefinite fit, but it is very unlikely that most companies will warranty a piece of manufacture like that for the life of a submarine.

CHAIR – I fully accept that.”

On HMAS Farncomb, there appears to be one small consolation, which is that the repairs are going faster than planned:

“Mr Gillis – Yes. Just in respect of the generators on Farncomb, the original estimate was that it would take in the order of 23 weeks to undertake the repair of the generators. Just due to the physical dimensions, the requirement to get them in and out was a very big task. The Submarine Program Office – a combination of ASC, the Navy and the DMO – have worked collaboratively to produce a much better system of getting them in and out. We have worked with a company called Hofmann Engineering in Western Australia who are specialists in confined-space engineering. Hofmann undertook the challenge to have them removed, repaired and put back in a period of approximately 57 days. They are currently on track… We are very pleased with the work that has been undertaken to date.”

There’s always a tension between buying proven products, and providing design and industrial work for Australian firms. The Kinnaird Review recommended more off the shelf purchases, and the Collins Class was a major exhibit in that recommendation. Having said that, sub-contracted/ licensed manufacture of exactly the type cited above is also the most common way to reconcile true off-the-shelf purchases with industrial needs. By definition, however, a licensed manufacturer does not have the same experience level and process control as the original manufacturer would. This is one of the inherent risks of “indigenization” – and in this case, the risk came back to bite Australia. Australia Hansard transcript | Sydney Morning Herald.

March 30/10: The Australian Senate’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade also discussed overall ADF recruiting with Air Chef Marshal Houston. This an especially important issue with respect to the submarine force, which has been hurt by the lack of trained crew:

“Air Chief Marshal Houston – Submarines are going very well. I am very, very happy with the work Chief of Navy has been doing and indeed the work that Phil Minns and his people have been doing on recruitment and retention. In terms of where we are at the moment, we have had an increase of 25 in the submarine force since July. Our target this year is to increase from the current 468 people in the submarine force to 500 by the end of the year. Essentially, if we make that target and then we qualify 100 people a year, we will be well on the way to restoring the submarine force to where it needs to be. That will enable us to establish a fourth crew by the end of next year. Right now with the 468 people, we have three submarines fully manned. I visited one of those crews very recently with the Chief of Nay [sic] – HMAS Dechaineux, which is coming out of full-cycle docking in Adelaide. I was really taken with the high morale on board that vessel.

The other thing that I think is crucial as we go forward is to keep our separation rate with the submarine force below 10 per cent. If we go back to 2008, you will recall that the Chief of Navy put in place a submarine sustainment project under Admiral Moffitt. Admiral Moffitt made a number of recommendations which were all accepted by the Chief of Navy. Since that time, we have gone forward on a very positive and constructive platform. I am very confident that the major problems are behind us. Having said all that, if the economy goes into another boom condition, we are always going to have challenges for both our recruitment and our retention. But at the moment, it is looking good and we are seeing a lot of interest from junior recruits in the business of being a submariner.

Mr BALDWIN – At what stage do you consider you will have six fully qualified crews to man six submarines?

Air Chief Marshal Houston – I talked to the Senate committee about this the other night. Nobody in the world maintains six for six or 50 for 50 or whatever. Submarines just are not like that. Submarines are the most complex weapons system that defence forces operate, and what you should anticipate is that, of those submarines, at least 50 per cent will be in some form of maintenance servicing at any one time. We have benchmarked against all of our friends and allies, and I can assure you that the way we run our submarines is consistent with the way all of our allies run their submarines. Nobody has one crew for each submarine they possess. What they have is sufficient submarine crews to sustain the capability that is defined by the government that owns that capability. In our case, we could not employ six submarine crews.”

Feb 12/10: Australia’s Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science Greg Combet, announces that a new joint Australian Submarine Program Office will be established in Adelaide as of March 2010, in order to manage the Collins Class’ availability. A tripartite meeting between RAN Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Russell Crane, DMO Program Manager Submarines Mr. Kim Gillis, and ASC Pty Ltd CEO Steve Ludlam met to agree to the new project office’s proposed charter. The office will commence work in March 2010, and will operate as an integrated product team of Navy, DMO and ASC personnel led by DMO’s Director General Submarines, Commodore Bronko Ogrizek. Combet adds that:

“Discussions between the parties have also focused on a way forward for HMAS Farncomb’s generator repairs and a maintenance schedule change which will improve overall submarine availability.”

See: Australian DoD | ASC Pty release.

Jan 25/10: The Collins Class submarine HMAS Farncomb encounters a generator failure, which reduces Australia’s operational Collins Class submarine fleet to 1 boat in 6 – HMAS Waller. Plus HMAS Collins, which is only qualified for training purposes.

The cost of repairs is not yet predictable, and the mechanical issue could extend beyond HMAS Farncomb. Continuing issues with the class also leads to questions concerning the feasibility of, and proposed strategy for, Australia’s next-generation submarine program. DoD Release | Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) | ABC Radio transcript | The Australian | The Australian: op-ed | Defpro.

May 21/09: Adelaide Now reports that problems for the Collins class have worsened:

“With HMAS Waller tied up at the Henderson shipyard south of Perth for urgent battery repairs, the only seaworthy sub is HMAS Farncomb.

The other four boats are either out of active service (HMAS Collins) or out of the water for major maintenance known as full cycle docking (HMAS Sheehan, Rankin and Dechaineux)…”

Additional Readings

• Australia DMO – Collins.

• Kockums AB – The Collins Class Submarine

• Naval Technology – SSK Collins Class (Type 471) Attack Submarine, Australia.

• ASC Pty, Ltd. – Collins Class Fleet.

• Raytheon – Collins Class Submarine Mission System. Based on the USN’s AN/BYG-1. A March 2013 APDR article mentions that ” It seems extraordinary that 12 years later only four out of six Collins submarines have been equipped with this “new” system.”

Reports

• Australian DoD (April 8/14) – Final Coles Review into Submarine Sustainment [PDF]. See also DMO Release.

• Australian DoD (December 2012) – Coles Review. Final Collins Class Sustainment Review, see also accompanying government release, which points to several other reports released at the same time.

• Australian DoD (December 2012) – Future Submarine Industry Skills Program.

• Australian DoD – Collins Class Sustainment Review Phase 1 Report [PDF]. Also known as the “Coles Review”. Delivered to government Nov 4/11.

• RAND 2011 – Learning from Experience: Lessons from the Submarine Programs of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Covers SSBN/SSGN Ohio, SSN-21 Seawolf, and SSN-774 Virginia programs in the USA, Britain’s Astute SSNs, and Australia’s Collins Class SSKs (Volume IV).

• Kokoda Foundation (May 25/11) – Under the Sea Air Gap: Australia’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Challenge. “This study attempts to identify issues surrounding Australia’s Anti Submarine Warfare capabilities that will require greater scrutiny in the period leading up to the 2014 Defence White Paper.”

• ASPI (April 14/11) – “The once and future submarine – raising and sustaining Australia’s underwater capability. See also full report [PDF].

• DID – Australia’s 2009 Defense White Paper.

• ASPI (Oct 29/09) – Strategic Insights 48 – How to buy a submarine: Defining and building Australia’s future fleet. See also full PDF download.

• Security Challenges (Spring 2009, Vol.5 #3) – Taking the Past to the Future: The Collins Submarine Project and Sea 1000.

• ANAO (2008-09) – Management of the Collins-class Operations Sustainment.

• Cambridge University Press (June 2008) – The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin. Book.

• Australian Parliament (2001-02) – Lessons of the Collins Submarine Program for Improved Oversight of Defence Procurement.

• Australian Parliament (2001-02) – How Kockums was Selected for the Collins Class Submarine.

• Australia DoD (July 1/99) – Mcintosh-Prescott report. Covering the shortcomings and issues with Australia’s Collins Class submarine program.

Other Coverage

• DID – ADF: An “Aren’t Deployable” Force?

• DID – Australia’s Next-Generation Submarines

• Asia-Pacific Defense Reporter (May 7/13) – Collins Class upgrades a mixed scorecard. “The Department of Defence has summarized much of what is in the DCP in explaining that there are currently eight sub projects under SEA1439, five approved and three unapproved. The five approved projects are SEA1439 Phase 3, Phase 4A, Phase 4B, Phase 5B.1 and Phase RCE3. All of these phases are at various capability maturity levels.”

• Adelaide Now (Dec 12/12) – Australia’s Collins Class submarines well below international standards: report.

• Sydney Morning Herald (Aug 3/12) – Time for talking on new submarine is over. Explains the program’s timing issues, and also ongoing problems with the Collins Class.

• Australian Defence magazine (April 1/10) – Size Matters, by Rex Patrick. A wide-ranging and educational look at trends in submarine warfare.

• ASPI in Brisbane Courier (Feb 1/10) – Royal Australian Navy lumbered with sub-par hardware

• Australian Parliamentary Library’s FlagPost (Sept 27/09) – More problems with the Collins Class submarines.

• DID (Nov 15/05) – Australia’s Collins Class Subs, Submariners On Track for Upgrades. Summarizes the class’ ongoing issues, and the connections to the proposed upgrades.

Americas

Boeing won a $7 million order, which procures non-recurring engineering for the design, fabrication and correction of deficiencies required for the delivery and installation of retrofit kits for Navy P-8A aircraft with Increment 3 Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 6 capabilities. The P-8A ECP 6 provides a significant modification to the baseline aircraft, installing new airframe racks, radomes, antennas, sensors and wiring, while incorporating a new combat system suite with an improved computer processing and security architecture capability at the higher than secret level, a wide band satellite communication system, an anti-submarine warfare signal intelligence capability, a minotaur track management system and additional communications and acoustics systems to enhance search, detection and targeting capabilities. Work will take place in Puget Sound, Washington. Estimated completion will be by May 2021.

Huntington Ingalls Industries won a $187.1 million contract modification to prepare and make ready for the refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). The Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy and is currently docked at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. The deal, which modifies a contract awarded in 2018, funds continued advance planning efforts including material forecasting, long lead time material procurement and pre-overhaul tests and inspections on the ship, with an expected completion date of January 2021. Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. is the original building yard contractor for all ships of the CVN-68 class, the reactor plant planning yard, the lead design refueling yard and the only private shipyard capable of refueling and overhauling nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Work will take place in Virginia.

Middle East & Africa

The Cameroon Navy started to use the new floating dock that was supplied by China to repair its vessels. It released photographs of PR 001, a Swiftships 12 m patrol boat, entering the dry dock and naval personnel working on its hull. “This type of operation will continue for all the fleet’s ships,” the navy said. PR 001 is one of the few survivors of 30 such boats that were delivered in the late 1980s under a US military assistance program.

Europe

BAE Systems has acquired Raytheon’s Airborne Tactical Radios business. After reaching a definitive agreement in January, BAE Systems say has now completed the acquisition of Raytheon Technologies Corporation’s Airborne Tactical Radios business. BAE say that this acquisition augments their portfolio in airborne communications with broad-spectrum, multi-band, multi-channel radios that feature robust anti-jamming and encryption capabilities.

Asia-Pacific

A French Air Force A400M arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on May 6. This is the first time that type of French aircraft had landed in the country. The mission was to bring home around 20 French Polynesians stranded in New Zealand to Tahiti. It was deployed to Tahiti from Paris late in April, carrying medical supplies and cash for banks. The deployment is part of Operation Resilience, launched by French President Emmanuel Macron to battle the spread of Covid-19.

The Philippines Department of National Defense is set to conclude its planned procurement of the ATMOS 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system produced by Israeli firm Elbit Systems. The guns will be acquired by the Philippine Army (PA), which will operate the systems through two batteries initiated under its Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) in January 2020. The NTP provides Elbit with formal authority to start building the howitzers for the PA consistent with the terms of the contract, which was signed in early 2020. A delay in issuing the NTP is thought to be due to funding constraints.

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Americas

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Won a $325 million deal for the repair of the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared System used in support of the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft. The ATFLIR is a multi-sensor electro-optical targeting pod used to provide navigation and targeting for military aircraft in adverse weather and using precision-guided munitions such as laser-guided bombs. According to Raytheon, the system is used to provide navigation and targeting for military aircraft in adverse weather, and is intended to replace the Navy’s AN/AA-38 Nite Hawk pod. Work will take place in Texas and Floria. Estimated completion will be by May 2025.

Bell Boeing won a $10.2 million contract modification, which provides for additional repairs in support of the V-22 Common Configuration Readiness and Modernization program. Additionally, this modification provides non-recurring engineering for a drive tube engineering change proposal in support of V-22 Osprey multirole combat aircraft production. The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing as well as short takeoff and landing capabilities. It has been in use by the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps and Japan’s Self-Defense Force, since 2007. There are currently about 200 Ospreys in service. Work on the contract will be performed at a variety of locations, including Fort Worth, Texas, Ridley Park, Penn., and Amarillo Texas. The expected completion date for the contract is in September 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The Egyptian Navy welcomed its third Type 209/1400 submarine to its main Ras el-Tin base in Alexandria after it completed its maiden voyage from Germany. A video released by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense showed the new submarine S 43 (867) leading the other two Type 209/1400s and two Project 033 (Improved Romeo) Class submarines that the Egyptian Navy has retained in service for the time being despite the arrival of the new boats. These were followed by the FREMM frigate Tahya Misr, which was received from France in 2015, and the two Mistral Class amphibious assault ships, which were handed over the following year. Both Mistrals carried six attack helicopters on their flight decks.

Europe

Flighting Electronics won an $18.6 million contract for the manufacture and delivery of 543 TTU-597/E engineering change proposal kits to address parts obsolescence and availability issues on the fuel control test set for Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers. Additionally, this contract provides logistics support documents to include technical manual updates, provisioning data and the interim support items list. Work will take place in New York and the UK. Expected completion will be by May 2024.

Sweden has formally launched the search for a new jet trainer aircraft, with a request for information (RFI) released by the FMV national procurement agency. The RFI seeks to source a replacement for the Swedish Air Force’s Saab 105 jet trainer aircraft that first flew in 1963 and joined the SwAF inventory in 1967. The jet trainer requirement seeks to procure new aircraft, simulators, safety equipment, and maintenance. With government authorization now granted for a replacement platform for the first phase of pilot training, the goal is to have the system in place at Malmen in Linkoping by the third quarter of 2023. SwAF flight instructors should have access to the platform before that date in order to prepare for the commencement of student training.

Asia-Pacific

A Republic of China Army (ROCA) Aviation OH-58D helicopter, #634, suffered a hard landing during a training flight at Guerin base. Two people on board, an instructor and student, were not injured. The Army is evaluating the damage, and a special taskforce will be assigned to investigate the incident, the AASFC said. All Army flight training will be suspended until the cause of the accident has been determined, the AASFC said. An Army officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told CNA that the incident occurred at 3:20 p.m. at the AASFC’s Guiren base in Tainan. A flight student and his instructor were performing an emergency landing drill that simulated a situation in which the helicopter lost power, the officer said.

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Americas

The Air Force deployed four B1-B Lancer bombers and 200 airmen to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, from Texas for training operations. Three Lancers flew to Guam while one flew east of Japan to conduct training with US Navy assets operating in the region before heading to Andersen AFB, the Air Force said in a statement. The aircraft and personnel are part of the 9th Bomb Squad, 7th Bomb Wing of Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. The length of the deployment was not announced. B-1s, which can carry a larger missile payload than B-52 bombers, were last deployed to the Indo-Pacific region in 2017. “Deployments like this allow our airmen to enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe,” Col. Ed Sumangil, 7th Bomber Wing commander, said in the statement. “It also provides a valuable opportunity to better integrate with our allies and partners through joint and combined operations and exercises.”

Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Missiles & Defense will partner to develop the Defense Department’s next missile interceptor, the companies announced. The joint effort is in pursuit of of a US Missile Defense Agency contract to replace the Redesigned Kill Vehicle program, which was abruptly cancelled in August 2019. Two bidders will be selected to compete for the Next Generation Interceptor program, a $664.1 million project of the MDA. The Pentagon formally issued a request for proposals in April, and will accept bids until July 31.The US military currently uses Raytheon’s Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle, which uses a ground-based interceptor missile to boost it to an intercept trajectory. It then separates from the boost vehicle and using its own rockets to correct the trajectory, collides with an incoming warhead, known as hit-to-kill.

Middle East & Africa

The Israel’s Ministry of Defense ordered 6.6-pound drones for its ground forces working in urban areas. The Rafael Spike Firefly is a “loitering munition,” also known as a kamikaze drone or suicide drone, a category in which the single-use munition loiters airborne in a target area, searches for targets, and attacks once one is located, exploding on contact. The munition weighs about 6.6 pounds. It fills a niche between cruise missiles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles, although the system chosen by the IDF is notably small and transportable by a single soldier.

Europe

General Dynamics Electric Boat won a $60.6 million contract to provide US Trident II Strategic Weapon System (SWS) ship alterations and United Kingdom SWS ship alterations for Strategic Systems Program shipboard integration installations. The Trident missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV). Originally developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation, the missile is armed with thermonuclear warheads and is launched from nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). Trident missiles are carried by fourteen United States Navy Ohio-class submarines, with American warheads, as well as four Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines, with British warheads. The missile is named after the mythological trident of Neptune. Work will take place Washington, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Scotland and England. Estimated completion will be by April 2024.

Serbia’s 3rd missile battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade has been equipped with the Pantsir-S1E self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system. Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? visited the unit on the 21st anniversary of the shot down of USAF chief of staff Gen. David Goldfein on May 2. Goldfein’s F-16 was hit by a S-125 missile fired by the unit.

Asia-Pacific

Boeing Australia has rolled out the first of three Loyal Wingman prototype unmanned aircraft. The aircraft will make its maiden flight this year. It’s the first of three prototypes for Australia’s Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program, and the first aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years. Loyal Wingman drones are meant to provide fighter-like performance with the capacity to fly more than 2,000 nautical miles (2,300 statute miles). The prototype unveiled today will now begin ground testing, with taxi tests and flight tests due later this year.

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Americas

Northrop Grumman Systems won a $27.4 million contract modification to exercise options to procure integrated bridge and navigation systems for the DDG-51 (guided missile destroyer) New Construction Ship Program and DDG-51 Midlife Modernization Program with physical throttles kits and engineering services. The Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class guided missile destroyers provide a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface environments. These ships respond to Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare (LIC/CALOW) scenarios as well as open-ocean conflict independently or as units of Carrier Strike Groups (CSG), Surface Action Groups (SAG), and Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG). Work will take place in Charlottesville, Virginia. The integrated bridge and navigation system is a hull, mechanical and electrical upgrade. It is part of the comprehensive plan to modernize the DDG-51 class to ensure the ships remain combat relevant and affordable throughout their life. Estimated completion will be by August, 2021.

Raytheon won $17.2 million for dual band radar systems engineering in support of CVN 78. According to the company, the dual band radar is the first radar system in the US Navy fleet capable of operating on the S-band and X-band frequency at the same time. DBR systems allow unmanned operation of and uses commercial off-the-shelf technology for signal and data processing. CVN 78 is the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers. Work will take place in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Estimated completion will be by February 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Point Junction Car Rental won a $95 million contract for lease vehicle services at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, the Pentagon announced. This is a non-personal services contract to provide vehicle lease service for the Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Support Squadron. Completion date is November 30, 2024. Work is the result of a competitive acquisition with 21 offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $30,713 will be obligated at the time of award.

Europe

The German Navy reported that its U212A diesel submarine U33 had moved to Kiel earlier the same day to be placed in drydock after the crew found a leak while at sea the previous week. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard, which built the submarine, will repair the leak in one of the U33’s torpedo tubes, which could not be precisely located at sea, the German Navy said. The German Navy expects the U33 to return to sea no later than May 11 to continue normal operations.

Asia-Pacific

Lockheed Martin won a $19.5 million contract modification for the procurement of the Korean Gun Computing System development, software, and hardware and subassemblies for installation. The modification will finalize the Korean Gun Computing System interface design specifications for the integration with the Aegis combat system. The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system. The heart of the system is the AN/SPY-1, an advanced, automatic detect and track, multi-function phased-array radar. Work will take place South Korea, New Jersey and Florida. Expected completion will be by July 2026.

DRS Laurel Technology won a $11.8 million modification to exercise options for procurement of AN/USQ-82(V) hardware in support of DDG-51 (guided missile destroyer) class new construction, DDG-51 class modernization, and Aegis Ashore Japan. Aegis Ashore is the land-based variant of the Navy’s Aegis Weapons System. The AN/USQ-82(V) Program is a control system network. Its purpose is to transfer mission critical data to and from users associated with combat, navigation, aviation, power, propulsion, steering, alarms indicating and damage control systems. Work will take place in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Estimate completion will be by August 2021.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : LADA V/s S80 Plus Under P-75I,6 SSBN With JL-2 SLBM,Defence Export Strategy