Defense Industry Daily

Americas

BAE Systems won $8.9 million in support of the MK45 gun mount. The deal provides engineering, technical, logistics services and technical data to support the MK 45 5 inch Gun system design, development, fabrication, production, operation and integration. The MK45 is designed to engage surface and air targets and to provide naval surface fire support for expeditionary operations. The gun mount includes a 20 round automatic loader drum. The gun’s maximum firing rate is 16-20 rounds from the loader drum per minute. Work for the engineering services and waterfront services contract will take place in Minnesota and Kentucky and is scheduled to be finished by May next year.

The Navy awarded Boeing a $51.5 million contract in support of the C-40A Clipper aircraft. The contract provides sustainment engineering services in support of up to 17 Clippers and also includes engineering data, technical publication, access to and distribution of technical data and publications, and other technical support services. The C-40A is a variant of the Boeing next-generation 737-700C civil aircraft. The first of the C-40A aircraft entered service with the United States Naval Reserve Fleet Support Squadron in April 2001. The aircraft are certified to operate in three different configurations: all-passenger, all-cargo or in combination configuration. The aircraft has an aluminium alloy fail-safe fuselage and wing structure and incorporates the strengthened wing design like the one on the 737-800 and Boeing Business Jet. Work will take place in Seattle, Washington and is scheduled to be finished in May 2024.

Middle East & Africa

The US State Department approved several Foreign Military Sales to the United Arab Emirates on May 24. For an estimated cost of $900 million, the DoS gave the OK for a sale of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) II All-Up-Rounds. Included in the deal is weapon support and test equipment, spares, technical publications, personnel training, other training equipment, transportation, US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. Prime contractor will be BAE Systems. A sale of Javelin Guided Missiles worth $102 million includes System Integration & Checkout (SICO) service, Field Service Representative, US Government and contractor technical, engineering and logistics support services’ tools and test equipment, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, spare and repair parts, and other related elements. Raytheon will be Prime contractor for this FMS. A possible FMS of follow-on blanket order US Marine Corps training and support to the United Emirates Presidential Guard Command is estimated at $100 million. The DoS also approved a possible FMS of RQ-21A Blackjack Unmanned Air Vehicles for an approximate cost of $80 million, which also includes 40 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) Type II (MPE-S), air vehicle support equipment including eight eight Ground Control Stations, four launchers, and four retrievers, spare and repair parts, publications, training, and technical support services. Members of Congress had actually been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months because of the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. However, President Trump, declared a national emergency because of tensions with Iran in order to go through with the sale.

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of aircraft follow-on support and services for an estimated cost of $1.8 billion. Saudi Arabia had requested to buy aircraft, engines, and weapons, publications and technical documentation, support equipment, spare and repair parts, repair and return, calibration support and test equipment, personnel equipment, US Government and contractor technical and logistics support, and other related elements of program support. The DoS also approved a FMS for continued Tactical Air Surveillance System Aircraft support worth $136 million. The prime contractor will be L3 Technologies, Greenville, Texas.

Raytheon won a $355.5 million contract for refurbishment of the AGM-88B missiles for Qatar, Bahrain and Taiwan by the US Air Force. The contract is for Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) Replacement Exchange, the refurbishment of AGM-88B missiles and the conversion of AGM-88B into Captive Air Training Missiles. The HARM is a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, capable of speeds up to twice the speed of sound. It is designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. The AGM-88 can detect, attack and destroy a radar antenna or transmitter with minimal aircrew input. Raytheon will perform work in Tucson, Arizona, and expects completion by 2027.

Europe

The British Royal Air Force started testing the latest version of the BriteCloud missile decoy on its Typhoon fighter aircraft. Leonardo will support a series of trials in which the ‘BriteCloud 55’ Expendable Active Decoy is being trialled for operations with the Royal Air Force (RAF)’s fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon Aircraft. Designed and built by Leonardo Aerospace in Luton, Bedfordshire, BriteCloud is a line of expendable anti-missile decoys. With mission programmable electronics packages, the small canisters come in a number of variants to fit different aircraft. Each canister has spring-loaded airfoils and contains a miniaturized radio-frequency jamming module. In recent tests, the RAF dispensed 33 BriteCloud rounds from Typhoon fighters against a series of simulated battlefield threats. The trials were not only to demonstrate the effectiveness of the decoy, but also that the canisters can be launched safely from the Typhoon.

Asia-Pacific

The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $16.4 million contract modification to support the Taiwan F-16 Peace Phoenix Rising program. Taiwan kicked off its modernization program at the beginning of the year and called for 144 Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon’s to be upgraded under the Taiwan F-16 Peace Phoenix Rising program. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, multi-role fighter jet that is primarily used for air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. The modification provides for miscellaneous support work identified during performance of the in-country aircraft modification program, use and maintenance of product support aircraft, and additional support necessary for the successful completion of modification installs. Lockheed will perform work in Fort Worth, Texas and Taiwan and expects completion by the end of May, 2023.

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Americas

Q.E.D. Systems won a $19.6 million contract modification in support of Navy amphibious ship classes LPD 17, LSD 41 and LSD 49. The deal provides for advanced planning services in support of Chief of Naval Operations-scheduled availabilities, continuous maintenance availabilities (CMAVs), inactivation CMAVs, sustainment availabilities, phased modernization availabilities, re-commissioning availabilities, continuous maintenance and emergent maintenance windows of opportunity. The LPD 17 USS San Antonio is the lead ship of the San Antonio Class. The San Antonio Class is the latest Class of US Navy amphibious force ships. The LSD 41 or USS Whidbey Island is part of the Whidbey Island Class and the LSD 49 or USS Harpers Ferry is part of the Harpers Ferry Class dock landing ships. Q.E.D. systems will perform work in Virginia, California, and Washington and the Pentagon expects work to be finished by May next year.

The Air Force awarded Raytheon a $24.5 million contract modification for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) System Improvement Program. The deal includes software architecture and design risk reduction efforts to counter evolving threats. AMRAAM is an active radar-guided intercept missile with inherent electronic protection capabilities for air-to-air applications against massed penetration aircraft. AMRAAM has been in service since 1991, and was designed to replace the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile. Work will take place in Tucson, Arizona and is scheduled to be complete by September 30, 2022.

Middle East & Africa

Elbit Systems delivered its BrightNite System for Puma 330 helicopters of an Air Force of a NATO country after it was declared operational. The BrightNite system adds a multi-spectral, multi-sensor array – fusing multiple day and night thermal cameras – installed in the helicopter’s nose, to obtain a panoramic picture arc in front of the pilot. This picture is displayed in real-time to the pilots using binocular display. BrightNite utilizes unified location-based information culled from a wide Field Of View to display crystal clear images, regardless of visibility conditions. The system can present information to multiple pilots simultaneously on an intuitive multi-functional display.

According to reports, Turkey has sent the first soldiers to Moscow to start training on the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that more soldiers would be sent to Russia in the coming months to learn how to operate the Russian hardware. Turkey’s planned purchase of the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft weapon system has soured relations between the US and Turkey with the US even threatening Turkey with exclusion from the F-35 program in case Turkey went through with the S-400 deal.

Europe

The British Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyer HMS Duncan carried out anti-submarine and air defense training in an exercise with eight other countries and 57 ships, helicopters and aircraft. The HMS Duncan is the sixth Type 45 Destroyer and was deployed in 2018 as the Flagship of NATO Task Group SNMG2, returning in July. The Type 45 Destroyers built for the Royal Navy are primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare. For the exercise, dubbed Mare Aperto, the ship spent two weeks off the coast of Italy, where it provided air and surface defenses as the exercise moved through the Messina Straits which divide Sicily and mainland Italy. The exercise is focused on training and testing the abilities of the Commanders and Staff of the Naval Squadron, in conducting operations in areas of international crisis. Through the reproduction of a scenario characterized by a multidimensional threat and with increasing difficulty, ships and crews practice the main activities of fighting on the sea and from the sea such as anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-ship activities, fighting illicit trafficking, crisis management in environments with conventional and asymmetric threat.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea’s second Dokdo Class helicopter carrier started Sea Trials, Jane’s reports. The Dokdo Class Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) ships of the Korean Navy act as a command and control platform for the maritime mobile fleet and supports three-dimensional landing operations as well as maritime air operations. The Navy launched the lead ship, the ROKS Dokdo, in July 2005 and commissioned it two years later. Dokdo is the largest vessel in the South Korean Navy. The hull is divided into four decks to accommodate helicopters, assault amphibious vehicles, landing craft air cushion, tanks and trucks. The second ship will be named ROKS Marado once commissioned. Marado is a 199 meter long LPH ship that displaces 14,500 tonnes and features a through-deck flight operations area with five landing spots. It is able to carry up to 10 UH-60 helicopters, about 700 embarked troops, and 10 main battle tanks and associated support vehicles.

Today’s Video

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Americas

General Dynamics’s subsidiary, Electric Boat, won a $497 million modification to grow the industrial base to support development and construction of the Columbia, and Virginia-class submarines as well as Ford-class aircraft carriers. The deal is part of the integrated enterprise plan and multi-program material procurement and production backup units, with the goal to support vendor stability and gain economic efficiencies. The contract will improve sub-tier vendor stability based on production economies for major components. This will subsequently help in reducing risk related to the Columbia, Virginia and Ford Class programs. Additionally, to support the increased demand associated with the Navy’s force structure assessment, the nuclear shipbuilding industrial base is significantly ramping up production capabilities. Electric Boat will perform work through December 2031 in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Virginia and other undisclosed locations.

Raytheon successfully completed technical testing during the US Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor sense-off at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the company said in a press release. Raytheon announced plans to participate in the sense-off back in February. The sense-off is supposed to help come up with design concepts for a new missile defense radar since the Army decided last year to reset the approach for the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, program that has struggled to bring about a new radar for well over a decade. 5 days ago it was reported, that the Army has begun competition for a new air and missile defense system with the release of a request for proposals asking for prototypes to replace the Patriot AMD system. „Raytheon’s clean-sheet approach and decades-long investments in gallium nitride technology allowed us to demonstrate and deliver a mature solution that will meet the Army’s initial operational capability“, vice president of integrated air and missile defense at Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business, Tom Laliberty said in the company’s news release. Raytheon’s LTAMDS demonstrated key mission capabilities to service members, validated the maturity of its design, acquired and tracked a variety of threat-representative targets, demonstrated advanced capabilities, and showcased ease of maintenance and sustainment during the sense-off.

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to Canada. The deal is valued at $387 million. Canada had requested to buy 425 MK 54 lightweight torpedo conversion kits. The country intends to upgrade its current MK 46 torpedoes to MK 54 to be used on the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax class ships, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CP-140 Aurora aircraft, and the CH-148 maritime helicopters. The sale also includes torpedo containers, recoverable exercise torpedoes with containers, fleet exercise section and fuel tanks, as well as air launch accessories for fixed wing, torpedo spare parts, training, publications, support and test equipment, US government and contractor engineering, and technical and logistics support services.

Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia claimed on Monday that it had intercepted two ballistic missiles, fired by Houthi rebels and headed for Mecca. This comes at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Gulf Arab states and a roughly four-year conflict in Yemen largely seen as a proxy war between the two sides. „Royal Saudi Defence Forces spotted aerial targets flying through restricted areas in the provinces of Jeddah and Taif and dealt with them as required by the situation“, a Saudi coalition spokesman said. In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington said the two missiles had been intercepted in Mecca province, which includes Jeddah and Taif. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement denied the reports.

Europe

The investigations into Austria’s Eurofighter purchase may come to an abrupt end once more as the coalition between the conservatives and the right-wing FPÖ collapsed on the weekend. The 2002 purchase of Austria’s Eurofighter Typhoons has been investigated due to a possible corruption scandal involving bribes in the amount of around $111.6 million. The current investigation committee is already the third on this matter. Investigation committees have to cease interrogations when the date of new elections is announced. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced a snap election on Saturday, after a video-scandal surrounding vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache forced him to end the coalition. However, a specific date for the new elections has not yet been declared. In 2017, the second investigation into the Eurofighter scandal has ended the same way, when snap elections were announced following the collapse of the coalition between the social-democratic SPÖ and the conservatives.

Greece received 70 Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopters and one Boeing CH-47D Chinook heavy-lift helo. The Hellenic Army purchased the OH-58Ds through the US Excess Defense Articles program. The shipment consists of 36 fully equipped aircraft, plus 24 that lack certain avionics, navigation, and communication equipment, and will be dedicated to training. The remaining 10 airframes are to be used for spares. Six of the helicopters came ready to fly. The deal for the Kiowa Warriors is valued at $44,2 million.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Army (IA) is looking to procure new light machine guns (LMG). A team of Indian Army officials is visiting three countries, namely Bulgaria, Israel and South Korea to evaluate 7.62 mm LMGs. The IA has an immediate requirement for 16,400 LMGs. India will invite either all three countries, or at least two, to India for confirmatory trials using indigenously made LMG ammunition before shortlisting one weapon system for purchase, starting price negotiations, and signing the deal.

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YRH-70 test, 2005
(click to view full)

The US Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program aimed to replace around 375 Bell Textron OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters, after the $14.6 billion RAH-66 Comanche program, was canceled in 2004. Instead, the Army would buy a larger number of less expensive platforms, with reduced capabilities. Bell Helicopter Textron initially won the ARH competition with a militarized version of its highly successful 407 single-engine commercial helicopter, but despite significant private investment after Army funding stopped in March 2007, spiraling costs killed the ARH-70 in October 2008.

What hasn’t changed is the battlefield need for on-call, front-line aerial surveillance and fire support. With its existing OH-58D stock wither wearing down, or shot down, the Army needs to do something. But what? The eventual answer: scrap the Kiowa fleet for a combination of attack helicopters and UAVs.

AAS: Now What? Timeline & Choices

Boeing’s AH-6 ARH
(click to view full)

Canceling the ARH program didn’t cancel the battlefield need for a machine that did its job.

At present, the US Army believes that OH-58F upgrades to the existing OH-58D helicopter fleet would allow them to field the 1st unit in FY 2016, and would cost between $3.0 – $4.1 billion.

In the current budgetary environment, money doesn’t just talk, it votes. If the Army picks a different Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) helicopter to replace the OH-58s, design and testing will push the expected fielding date to FY 2022, and estimated program costs rise to $4.8 billion – $12.1 billion, depending on the Army’s choices and requirement tradeoffs. As one example, the current AAS needs to hover out of ground effect at 6,000 feet and 95 degree temperatures, with full payload (vid. Jan 12/09 entry, below). That requires higher-end machines. Relaxing the standard would lower costs, but then the AAS would come up short in places like Afghanistan. The Army hopes to find less risky tradeoffs, in order to keep costs low enough to make the AAS a competitive choice.

The future also has a vote. Some planners believe that the battlefields of 2040 will need a better helicopter than any conventional OH-58 design can offer. The Army’s current uncertainties revolve around whether they believe they can field something that’s a step or more ahead of the OH-58F, for only a little bit more money. A couple of manufacturers are touting that kind of breakthrough possibility, but the Army isn’t sure.

They Army was sure that existing OH-58D Kiowa Warriors won’t stop wearing out, and that the Army won’t be able to field replacements by 2013-14, as planned. Which still leaves them with key choices to make, 3 years after the first AAS Request for Information. The original 2005 ARH contract was a straight competition between Boeing/MD Helicopters’ MD530, and Bell’s 407. The renewed AAS competition is already much more lively. The Army openly announced that it was considering:

• AAS = OH-58F+. No AAS, just OH-58D refurbishment & upgrades. Subsequently, the Army’s FY 2014 RDT&E budget justification states that “KW CASUP current program baseline is not the alternative solution to meet the Armed Scout Helicopter (Project 53Z) capability.” Reality: whether or not the Army openly says so, it is.

• Off the shelf. AAS, using a commercial off-the-shelf armed design with minor modifications. The EADS/Lockheed AAS-72X, Boeing AH-6i, AW169 AAS, and MD-540F are examples of this option. After the Iraqi IA-407 ARH and US Navy MQ-8C UAV programs, so is Bell Helicopter’s 407. The OH-58F program might be truncated to a fairly short bridging program if this happens.

• New platform. AAS, paying to develop a new helicopter or modification kit, because the added capabilities are so significant. It need not involve a totally new helicopter, like Sikorsky’s compound S-97 Raider. AVX’s compound helicopter modifications to the existing OH-58 Kiowa fleet would also qualify under this heading. Depending on how long it takes to develop, test, and certify them, this option may add extra costs by forcing the Army to conduct all or almost all of the OH-58F program while they wait.

Eventual decision: none of the above.

AAS Competitors

OH-58D to OH-58AVX
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As this list demonstrates, the pressures of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq led manufacturers to invest in developing low-budget Armed Reconnaissance helicopters. Some were derivatives of existing machines. Others saw the ARH cancellation opening a window to truly new technologies and approaches.

AVX: A team of former Bell Helicopter engineers at AVX has an idea that’s at once more radical, and less: convert the existing OH-58D fleet to compound OH-58 AVX helicopters sporting coaxial sets of rotors, and twin fans instead of a tail rotor. They believe their modifications would nearly double range, add about 50% to speed, and improve performance in hot and/or high altitude conditions, while keeping investment low. The risks are high, as the company is very new, and AVX will require some government investment to prove out their concept. On the other hand, the team is experienced, and the combination seems very close to what the Army is looking for. Funding contracts for R&D related to JMR-FVL and other programs are helping AVX into the game.

AgustaWestland: They’re currently offering the AW169 5-ton, twin, engine helicopter, but their choices have changed a lot over time. Late 2010 releases pointed to a derivative of the 6,300 pound AW119 for AAS, in order to meet the USA’s high-altitude hover requirement. In 2013, they unveiled the twin-engine, 10,000 pound class AW169 AAS, and announced that they’d offer it instead. Their rationale is straightforward: if the Army really wants to escape current speed and weapon limitations in hot and high conditions, they need more power and a bigger helicopter. Have they just offered the solution the Army must have, or have they misread the customer?

AAS-72X, final
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Boeing: Their AH-6i ARH is based on the AH-6M “Little Bird” platform used by American Special Forces. Saudi Arabia purchased some, and there have been rumors of a signed contract in Jordan. There are also reports that the firm may be preparing a lighter version of its AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship, which often finds itself performing armed scout roles on the front lines. They would need to remove more than half the cost, in order to make a lighter AH-64 a viable option. Which is why the AH-6i is far more likely.

Eurocopter: They’ve teamed with Lockheed Martin to offer the EC645/ AAS-72X. It’s an armed scout cousin to the Army’s unarmed UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter, a new US Army platform with a very good delivery, cost, and service record. The final airframe seems to be based on the EC145 T2+, rather than the UH-72A’s EC145 base. The uprated engines and fenestron shrouded tail rotor reduce commonality benefits, but may improve performance. The team’s challenge will be to leverage Lockheed Martin’s experience to convince the Army that an AAS-72 would avoid the same conversion issues that plagued the 407/ ARH-70, while providing cost savings via some UH-72A commonality.

AAS’ January 2014 cancellation made this an expensive venture, but by the end of 2014, the team had sold 20 of these helicopters: 15 for Germany’s KSK special forces, and 5 for the Thai Navy.

MD Helicopters: They’re reportedly cooperating with Boeing on AH-6i sales to foreign governments, but they’ve also created an MD-540F armed scout helicopter that leverages their 530F model, which is specifically designed for high altitudes and hot temperatures. The MD-530F made the government of Afghanistan its 1st military customer, and is looking to for other opportunities. Since MDHI descended from a Boeing spinout, however, its AAS entry may be about to create a legal battle on the sidelines.

Sikorsky’s X2 tech
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Sikorsky: They can offer “Battlehawk” armed kits that would equip existing Army UH-60Ms, thanks to corporate investment and a pioneering deal with the UAE. It’s a cheap option that would allow the existing Black Hawk fleet to do double duty as utility and/or armed scout helicopters.

Sikorsky can also offer a revolutionary compound helicopter design based on their X-2 technology, which goes a step beyond even the OH-58D AVX’s notional performance. The S-97 Raider would add a unique niche to the AAS’ repertoire, because it would be able to keep up with and escort V-22 tilt-rotors at full speed. It will also have some troop-carrying capability, and is being touted for special operations roles. X2 demonstrator flight tests are underway, and Sikorsky is expecting a 1st flight for their S-97 prototype by 2014.

Textron Bell isn’t standing still. They provided Bell 407s to Iraq, which were militarized into IA-407 armed scouts by the US Army’s Redstone Arsenal. Bell is also collaborating with Northrop Grumman on the Fire-X unmanned 407 derivative, which has received an April 2012 development contract from the US Navy to become the “MQ-8C”. An optionally manned armed scout is a unique feature that could renew Army interest in their ARH-70 Arapaho design.

Bell Helicopter’s backup plan is already in place: the “OH-58F” upgrade option for the existing Kiowa Warrior fleet, relying on Army requirements as a base.

All of this assumes that a budget-pressed US Army doesn’t simply decide to rely on its existing UAVs and precision artillery for surveillance and aerial support, while allowing its fleet of armed scout helicopters to dwindle and disappear. Advances in UAVs, and in precision artillery of all kinds, made that an unpalatable but thinkable proposition. In time, it became their chosen path.

ARH-AAS: Contracts & Events

DID has decided to cover both the AAS competition and the OH-58F program in one article. Despite the Army’s denials, the progress of the OH-58F program will affect the AAS’ odds of survival in a tightening budget environment. Splitting the 2 programs would be “cleaner,” but it would lose important information.

FY 2019

No AAS, and no OH-58F.

OH-58D, Afghanistan

May 22/19: Hellenic Forces Greece received 70 Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopters and one Boeing CH-47D Chinook heavy-lift helo. The Hellenic Army purchased the OH-58Ds through the US Excess Defense Articles program. The shipment consists of 36 fully equipped aircraft, plus 24 that lack certain avionics, navigation, and communication equipment, and will be dedicated to training. The remaining 10 airframes are to be used for spares. Six of the helicopters came ready to fly. The deal for the Kiowa Warriors is valued at $44,2 million.

FY 2014

Jan 14/14: All Alternatives Scrapped. The OH-58 fleet will be retired, without a successor. Instead of 15 Combat Aviation Brigades, the Army is likely to drop to 10-13.

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

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

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

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

End of the Scout helicopters

FY 2013

Army wants a competition, then steps back to re-think; Boeing & MD Helicopters at odds; OH-58F makes ceremonial 1st flight.

MD-540F AAS Concept
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Sept 20/13: S-97. The first composite fuselage arrives from sub-contractor Aurora Flight Sciences,at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, FL. Sikorsky will use it as the base for a 36-foot-long, 11,000-pound gross weight S-97 Raider prototype. Sources: Sikorsky, Sept 26/13 release.

Aug 26/13: OH-58. Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. in Hurst, TX receives a $61.1 million firm-fixed-price, no option contract modification for 12 new metal scout (OH-58D) helicopter cabins, 12 supplemental parts kits, and associated over and above effort demands.

Work will be performed in Amarillo, TX (97%) and Hurst, TX (3%). This contract was a non-competitive acquisition by US Army Contracting Command , Aviation in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-11-C-0016, PO 0046).

Aug 1/13: OH-58F. Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. in Hurst, TX receives a maximum $7.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for OH-58F A-Kit long lead time materials. The award uses FY 2013 procurement funds, and 1ne bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-13-C-0131).

April 30/13: OH-58F. The refurbished helicopter makes its official 1st flight at Redstone Arsenal, AL, but it isn’t the 1st time the new model has flown. According to the Army release, the Milestone C production decision has been pushed back about a year to 2015, with 60 LRIP machines followed by Full Rate Production beginning in 2017. US Army.

OH-58F “1st flight”

April 12/13: Delay. PEO Army Aviation Maj.-Gen. Tim Crosby says that AAS is being reconsidered, again:

“I know we told you we were going ahead [with an AAS competition], but the truth changed…. We are taking a few steps back, so we don’t rush to failure”

AAS is competing with an Improved Turbine Engine Program to boost Army UH-60 Black Hawk utility and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, the bleeding-edge Future Vertical Lift program that’s trying to replace both the Black Hawk and the Apache with the same core design (!?!), and a new fixed-wing utility plane to replace aging C-12 King Airs. Meanwhile, the heavy-lift CH-47F helicopter’s multi-year buy commits a large block of Army aviation funds for a few more years. Aviation Week.

April 11/13: AW169 AAS. AgustaWestland officially unveils their new AAS entry, the AW169. The question is whether they’ve read their customer right, or are offering something that’s too expensive for the competition.

The AW169’s enhanced PW210A engines give it an extra power margin, even if an engine is destroyed, and its fully modern cockpit includes an unspecified Helmet-Mounted Display. A manned-unmanned teaming workstation positions them for the future. The 5-ton helicopter is very large compared to its competitors, however, even though AgustaWestland has smaller machines to offer. They’ve decided on the AW169 instead of the AW119, differentiating by offering more room for soldiers, extended-range tanks, and command-and-control functions. The AW169’s 4 prototypes have logged over 200 flight hours in the past 9 months, but it’s still in development, and won’t fully enter the market until 2014 – about the time the commercial AW169 will be certified. AgustaWestland.

Jan 9/13: Army Wants a Competition. US Army AAS program manager Col. John Lynch says that the Army was recommending a competition for 368 new helicopters, but vice chief of staff Gen. Lloyd Austin III wanted more data from the voluntary flight demonstrations before he’d approve that. He also wanted the Army to consider the pace of UAV development and advances in other technologies, and their implications for this role.

Lynch believes that the many of the new-buy options would cost more than the Pentagon’s stated $13-15 million per machine for development and production, and believed that industry could meet the Army’s needs for fast delivery. That could be a problem, especially if the bids come in and they’re all high. As Lynch acknowledges, “We have to get this one right because it is probably the last chance….” Aviation Week.

Nov 27/12: Boeing vs. MDHI. Shephard’s Rotorhub reports that a legal dispute is brewing between Boeing and MD Helicopters, over MDHI’s decision to offer the MD-540F in the American AAS competition, against Boeing’s AH-6i and other competitors.

Hughes Helicopters was sold to McDonnell Douglas in 1984, and that firm was acquired by Boeing in 1997. Boeing then spun off MDHI in 1999, under the terms of a specific agreement. The key question is what that spinoff agreement said, and what permissions were given to MDHI to compete in the military market against Boeing. MDHI personnel told Rotorhub that they believe the agreement gives them this latitude.

The larger question is whether the roster of outside competitors even matters at this point.

Oct 12/12: AAS-72X. The US Army holds preliminary flying tests of Eurocopter’s EC145-T2 at Fort Hood, TX. The tests are related to the AAS program, but they’re flying the civilian base helicopter instead of the AAS-72X+ prototype. DVIDS.

FY 2012

Contenders. RFI for demonstrations.

OH-58D: tipping point?
(click to view full)

April 30/12: OH-58F. WSFA TV in Mongomery, AL sheds some light on Iraq’s IA-407 helicopter project. Many members of the US Army’s OH-58 Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP) team also worked with Redstone Arsenal’s Foreign Military Sales group, and IA-1407 Program Manager Lt. Col. Courtney Cote says that:

“We learned a lot of lessons on how to do design, integration and qualification… on this program that are leveraged now… [in] the [USA’s] OH-58F program”

April 25/12: RFI for demonstrations. The US Army’s new AAS RFI spells out the OH-58D’s shortcomings, including speed, range and endurance; the performance margin to operate in high and hot environments; and limited weapon-carry capacity. This is especially true in environments like Iraq and Afghanistan, where OH-58Ds have had to operate with partly-filled fuel and tanks and fewer weapons, in order to save weight.

The Army would prefer not to have to make those choices, but after 3 years, they’re still trying to define what they want. To that end, the RFI includes a request for uncompensated “air vehicle technologies” demonstrations from manufacturers, to help give the Army a better idea of what they can ask for, and what they can afford within their budget. Those demonstrations would take place in summer-fall 2012, but they’re voluntary, and don’t affect RFP eligibility. They might affect RFP specifications, though, if the Army sees something it likes. US FBO.gov | US Army.

April 2/12: AAS-72X+. American Eurocopter unveils its AAS-72X+ contender for the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout, which may or may not become a program. Unlike the LUH, it will be based on Eurocopter’s EC-145 T2, which adds more powerful 1,038 shp Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines, replaces the dual-tail rear rotor with an enclosed Fenestron, and uses the Helionix glass cockpit and avionics suite instead of Thales Meghas. American Eurocopter.

Jan 30/12: Budget realities. Aviation Week discusses the parameters of the AAS competition, and the fundamental funding choices confronting the US Army. The bottom line? Whatever the Army chooses to do will need to be taken from some other Army aviation program.

“Lt. Gen. Robert Lenox, deputy chief of staff for programs and resources, laid out the conundrum in financial terms during this month’s [AUSA] aviation symposium… Upgrading the Kiowa fleet with avionics and new sensors, with a first unit to be equipped in fiscal 2016 would cost $2.98 billion to $4.1 billion. A new aircraft effort, with a first unit equipped in fiscal 2022 would cost from $4.8 billion to $12.1 billion, depending on what requirements are prioritized. One onerous requirement for the AAS program has been to demonstrate hover-out-of-ground effect at 6,000 ft. and 95F, for example. But, Army officials want to know whether they can find a “sweet spot” of price and optimum capability somewhere between the $4.1 billion Kiowa upgrade and the $12.1 billion outer limit for an AAS.”

X-97 Raider concept
(click to view full)

Jan 13/12: S-97 team. Sikorsky announces its supplier team to build 2 prototype S-97 Raider X2 helicopters for US Army evaluation. The team is geographically dispersed, which may help in building political support, but budget issues may leave the US Army little choice except an OH-58F+ upgrade. Special Forces does need to replenish its helicopters, however; if everything goes very well, they could become a customer after 2016 or so, though 2018 or later is more likely.

Structures: Aurora (VA, MS); Cytec (CA, NY); East/West Industries (NY); Fischer (Germany); Hexcel (CT, Utah); PPG (CA); Triumph Group (WA).

Avionics: Avionics Instruments (NJ); BAE Systems (NY); Eaton (MS); Esterline Control Systems (CA, IL, WA); Garmin (KS); Goodrich (FL, MN); Hamilton Sundstrand (CT); Honeywell (AZ); Lockheed Martin (NY); Northrop Grumman (CA).

Propulsion: Ametek (NY); Ducommun (NY); Eaton (MI); General Electric (MA); Honeywell (AZ); Liquid Measurement Systems (VT); Meggitt-USA (GA, CA); Spectrum (CT); TIGHITCO (CT).

Rotors and transmission: Emerson-McGill (IN); Fatigue Technology (WA); FAG Canada; Goodrich (NY); Hamilton Sundstrand (CT, IL); Kamatics (CT); LORD Corp. (PA); Pankl Aerospace (CA); Parker Aerospace (CA, GA); Schultz (CA); SIFCO (OH); Triumph Group (UT, MI).

Blades: Cytec (CA, NY); Eagle Aviation Technologies (VA); Hexcel (CT, UT); Rotating Composites (CT).

FY 2011

OH-58F Block II.

S-97 Raider
click for video

Sept 29/11: AVX. AVX gets a $4 million contract from the US Army, as one of several firms asked to conduct configuration studies on a future “JMR” medium-heavy utility helicopter, using its design combination of compound helicopter and ducted fans. It’s not directly related to AAS, except to the extent that it helps to keep the young company’s doors open, and shows that their technology is being taken seriously. AVX release [PDF] | AVX concept graphic.

July 26/11: S-97 Presenting at the annual Oshkosh AirVenture, Sikorsky says they intend to begin manufacturing their initial pair of self-funded X2 prototypes in August 2011. The firm plans to offer civilian versions as well, and their next X2 development steps after the S-97 will involve replacement options for their own H-60 Black Hawk, and Boeing’s AH-64 Apache. Even so, the first S-97 flight isn’t expected until 2014. Flight International.

July 5/11: OH-58F. The US Army Modernization Plan 2012 includes Kiowa Warrior OH-58D to F conversions as one of its priority programs. The requested amount for FY 2012 is $249.5 million, though the report does stress that:

“The CASUP is not a service life extension program and does not “zero time” the airframe. First unit equipped for the OH-58F KW helicopters is forecasted for FY15. The [OH-58F] CASUP is post Milestone B and has entered the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the program.”

At the same time, FY 2012 funding for the Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) is $78.7M, all for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDTE). The question for other AAS contenders has to be whether the 2 programs will eventually merge, to include full airframe reset and other upgrades. US Army release | Full 2012 plan [PDF] | Army modernization strategy page.

June 27/11: OH-58F. Bell Helicopter announces that its “OH-58 Block II” demonstrator has successfully proved hover out of ground effect performance that exceeds the Army’s requirement of 5,500 pound maximum gross weight at 6,000 feet, in 95F degree weather (2,495 kg at 1,829 m, in 35C), during test flights conducted in Colorado.

If that turns out to be the core of the US Army’s Armed Aerial Scout requirements, it will be very hard to beat the OH-58F Block II on fielding time, risk, or costs.

April 14/11: OH-58F. Bell Helicopter is jumping on the OH-58F idea, and its privately-funded OH-58 Block II demonstrator flies at the firm’s Xworx research and development facility in Fort Worth, TX. The point of their “Block II” prototyping is to achieve the required 6,000 foot hover out of ground effect performance in 95 degree environments for the Armed Aerial Scout program.

They hope that “a new engine, transmission and rotor system” will get them there, and mesh with their proposed F model Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP) improvements. They’re also planning to join the trend of full systems monitoring and reporting via HUMS/ condition-based maintenance (CBM) technologies, in order to cut life cycle costs. Bell Helicopter.

March 15/11: OH-58F. While it waits for its ARH/AAS program to take off again, the Army’s OH-58D fleet is seeing usage rates of over 90 hours per month/ 1,080 hours per year on the battlefield, about 700% of the normal usage rate. 94 of the Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters currently serve on the front lines.

In response, it is preparing an OH-58F program that would make a few basic changes, while resetting the airframe to let it last until 2025. Key technical changes involve removing the mast-mounted sights, and replacing them with a nose mounted Raytheon AN/AAS-53 Common Sensor Payload turret; redesigned transmission mounting structures; an improved cockpit using Control and Display Subsystem v5 electronics; an FBCB2 “Blue Force Tracker” v1/v2 display screen; a dual-channel full-authority digital engine-controller; and Level 2 Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), which lets the helicopter view feeds from nearby unmanned aircraft systems in real time. The Army’s Redstone Arsenal facility is working with Bell Helicopter, Honeywell, and Rolls Royce on the project.

The Army says it eventually wants 368 OH-58Fs – the exact total of the original ARH program. In a constrained budgetary environment, one has to wonder whether the OH-58F will effectively become the Armed Aerial Scout follow-on program, short circuiting the expected competition – or even similar but more radical refurbishment approaches like the proposed OH-58 AVX (vid. April 13/10 entry). US Army.

March 13/11: AH-6i. MD Helicopters announces that it’s working with Boeing to finalize a July 2010 Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on Boeing’s AH-6i Light Attack Helicopter project. Jordan and Saudi Arabia have already picked the helicopter, but neither has signed a contract yet.

As an interesting aside, Boeing was MD Helicopter’s original partner for its ARH bid, but Boeing pulled out before the ARH bid deadline, and was replaced by a set of supporting firms in MD Helicopters’ losing bid. MD Helicopters [PDF].

Dec 8/10: AAS-72X. The Armed Aerial Scout 72X team of Lockheed Martin, Eurocopter, and American Eurocopter announces the 1st flight of the company-funded AAS-72X Technical Demonstration Aircraft (TDA), at the American Eurocopter facility in Grand Prairie, TX, using TDA helicopter #2. Objectives of the 40-minute flight included demonstrations of the integrated targeting sensor, manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T), and communications and navigation capabilities. See also EADS NA reparations release, April 15/10 entry.

Oct 20/10: X2 LTH to S-97 Raider. Sikorsky and its partner firms declare that they’ll privately fund 2 prototypes of their “S-97 Raider,” the new name for their X2 light tactical compound helicopter. The Raider will be a scout/ light utility/ light attack machine, with CV-22 class speed, but the safety and lower costs of a helicopter design. First flight is expected in 2014. Sikorsky, incl. video.

FY 2010

Sources Sought, part II.

Fire-X 407
(click to view full)

Sept 15/10: X2. Sikorsky’s X2 Technology demonstrator achieves a speed of 250 knots (288 mph, 463 kph) true air speed in level flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center, during a 1.1-hour flight. That’s an unofficial speed record for a helicopter, and compares well to the tilt-rotor MV-22. The demonstrator also reached 260 knots in a very shallow dive during the flight. Sikorsky.

May 4/10: Fire-X 407 VTUAV. Northrop Grumman announces a private development partnership with Bell Helicopter Textron to turn Bell’s 407 helicopter into a medium-range “Fire-X” VTUAV, using Fire Scout’s systems, for a US Navy medium VTUAV competition expected to begin in 2011. When questioned by DID, Northrop Grumman representatives said that:

“We plan to conduct that demo at the Yuma Proving Grounds… We consider Fire Scout and Fire-X to bemembers of the same portfolio of unmanned systems… We have not been notified of any changes on the MQ-8B Fire Scout program of record.”

An optionally manned, armed 407 may also have uses in other programs, of course, with AAS being an obvious choice. The firms are moving ahead on a fast track, and Fire-X’s first flight is expected by the end of CY 2010. Fire-X will carry ISR sensors, offer cargo capabilities, and is expected to provide weapons integration as well. Control will be via the Navy’s Tactical Control Station, the U.S. Army’s One System ground control station, or other standards-based systems. Northrop Grumman | The DEW Line.

April 15/10: AAS-72X team will build 3. EADS North America and its industry team of American Eurocopter and Lockheed Martin announce that they will independently fund and develop 3 armed scout AAS-72X helicopter variants, in order to demonstrate the design’s performance and (they hope) its low risk.

The first AAS-72X Technical Demonstration Aircraft (TDA) is scheduled to be operational in late 2010, and will be used for mission equipment and weapon system integration, performance testing and survivability validations. In addition to the 3 demonstration helicopters, Lockheed Martin has established a high-fidelity systems integration lab for the AAS-72X at its Orlando, FL facility. EADS NA.

April 15/10: X2 LTH. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announces that they’ve submitted a Light Tactical Helicopter concept using their X2(TM) compound helicopter technologies for the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout Program, in response to the March 17/10 RFI.

It’s a bold bid, but Sikorsky did hedge its bets, including options like their Army-standard UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter with the Battlehawk kit. It all depends on how the AAS requirements are eventually defined, and the US Army is preparing for Phase II of their Analysis of Alternatives to ido just that. See also Aviation Week.

April 13/10: OH-58 AVX? Aviation Week reports that the former Bell engineers at AVX Aircraft in Forth Worth, TX are looking to enter the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout competition with a very upgraded OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. Their “OH-58 AVX” helicopters would lose their mast-mounted sight in favor of an off-the-shelf chin turret, convert to a compound helicopter via coaxial rotors, and add twin ducted tail fans instead of the tail rotor. The engineers believe they could significantly improve hot weather and high altitude performance this way, as well as speed (+50%), and range (almost double) while using the same engine and existing OH-58D helicopter bodies.

AVX was founded in 2005, and the private firm has reportedly spent $4 million so far on design studies. They believe they’d need $30 million to build a “bare bones” concept demonstrator that could fly within 18 months, and are working to raise more money privately. They’re also hoping the Army might help fund that development, as part of a prototyping phase leading up to an AAS buy.

Jan 26/10: AAS RFI. The US Army issues a second “sources sought” solicitation (see Nov 7/08 entry for the first) for its Armed Aerial Scout helicopter:

“Since the November 2008, sources sought, the Department of Defense has embarked upon an Analysis of Alternatives… Although the Army has not established formal requirements for this program, PM ARH is asking for information to better understand a full range of options for aircraft ranging in size from light armed reconnaissance to heavy attack with performance capability from Standard Sea Level to 6K/95 [DID: 6,000 feet hover out of ground effect at 95 F temperature].”

FY 2009

Requirements change. AAS-72X.

EC645 concept
(click to view full)

Aug 11/09: AAS-72X. EADS North America announces that Gary M. Bishop has joined them as VP of the Armed Scout 645 program. Bishop previously led the Boeing industry team responsible for the U.S. Army’s Apache Longbow programs at Mesa, AZ, managing managed Apache Longbow remanufacture and new production programs for Block I, Block II, Extended Block II, and Wartime Replacement Aircraft. Bishop was also responsible for the Apache Block III developmental program. Before that, Bishop served as the United Kingdom Apache program manager, and the acting director for all International Apache Programs.

Bishop holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY; a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA; and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI He also is a graduate of the Program Manager’s course at the Defense Systems Management College at Ft. Belvoir, VA.

July 29/09: AAS-72X. EADS North America announces a series of successful “high/hot” flight demonstrations of its UH-72A/ Armed Scout 645 platform near Alamosa, CO. Operating at a takeoff elevation of more than 7,500 feet and carrying a simulated 2,300-pound Mission Equipment Package (MEP), successfully hovered-out-of-ground-effect at a density altitude of 6,000 feet and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. This meets the requirement included in the Army’s October 2008 Sources Sought document, which reflects the mission environment in theaters like Afghanistan.

The demonstration flights were also used to validate controllability and tail rotor authority at full altitude and load, while a subsequent flight with the simulated MEP payload completed a 2:30 flight with a 35-minute fuel reserve. Looks like the competition just got hotter.

May 4/09: AAS-72X – LUH, reloaded. At Army Aviation Association of America 2009 in Nashville, TN, EADS North America announces that it has teamed with Lockheed Martin to offer an armed scout variant of its UH-72A Lakota for the ARH competition. The EC645 Armed Scout is based on the same Eurocopter EC145 commercial airframe, and would be produced at the same Columbus, MS facility that is delivering UH-72 Light Utility Helicopters to the US Army for non-combat duties. Team Site | EADS North America release | Flight International.

The UH-72A’s record of on-time, on budget delivery has been a threat to Bell’s 407 before, but the design had some initial problems with internal temperatures. Modifications have fixed these issues. US Army Aviation and Missile Command informs DID that the UH-72A has been certified as “operationally effective” in hot environments, clearing the way for its potential adoption in a front-line role.

April 24/09: Aerospace Daily reports that the Army has gone all the way back to the drawing board, and is looking beyond just manned helicopters. The report quotes Col. Frank Tate, action officer for attack and reconnaissance aviation programs, and Gen. William Crosby, the Army’s program executive officer for aviation.

“We’d hoped to come back in January [2009] with new KPPs [Key Performance Parameters] and proceed at a Milestone B level… We’re back to a pre-milestone A beginning… We will look at manned-unmanned teaming options to fulfill this requirement.”

Recent developments make that a credible concept, despite the narrower “soda straw” field of view inherent to UAVs. AH-64 Apache Block III attack helicopters will have the ability to control multiple UAVs with some added equipment, and the USA is stepping up buys of MC-12 King Air 350 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) planes that could host similar gear. At the same time, Boeing is testing the A160T Hummingbird Warrior, a long-endurance helicopter UAV with special rotor technology, and both the payload and wiring required to carry weapons.

Jan 12/09: Requirements change. Military.com reports that the US Army has redefined the ARH requirements. Maximum “Hover Out of Ground Effect” is now 6,000 ft. rather than 4,000, and this must be done during 95 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Both height and heat thin air, reducing lift. The equivalent at standard temperatures is hovering at around 14,000 feet. At present, these kinds of conditions in Afghanistan have led the Army to use its AH-64 Apaches as scout/ attack helicopters.

Col. Randolph Rotte, Deputy Director for Aviation in the Army Chief of Staff’s office says that some helicopters on the market can meet those requirements. Can they meet them with a full load of sensors, weapons, and/or people, per the requirements?

“Because of that altitude and temperature that is pushing today’s current technology to the extreme limits. Big [helicopters] works there in those environments well, but to get it smaller to meet the needs of the manned light reconnaissance, that’s a challenge. So only those with some technological edges to it can attain that in the time frames without creating another Comanche program again which we don’t want to do with 10 to 15 years of R and D.”

Technological edges, however, raise costs for a program that was supposed to be inexpensive and off-the-shelf. “Gold-plating” requirements raise program failure risks, and the constant introduction of new requirements by the Army was one of the factors that led to the ARH-70’s spiraling price and resulating cancellation. DoD Buzz | DefenseTech.

Jan 9/09: Reports surface that retained ARH-70 program funds will be used by the Army. DoD Buzz reports that around $500 million will be split between OH-58D upgrades ($38 million), funds for a new helicopter ($50 million) and a new AH-64 Apache battalion for the Army National Guard.

On Jan 12/09, Aviation Week contends that the available finds are closer to $942 million, but adds that The U.S. Army is holding off on defining the scope of its OH-58D life extension plan pending a decision on ARH’s path forward. Decisions aren’t expected until after the next Joint Requirements Oversight Council meeting in February-March 2009. Meanwhile, the Army is “still negotiating” with Bell on fees to cover the contract’s cancellation, which would also come out of its retained budget.

Bell 407 ARH
(click to view full)

Dec 10/08: Iraqi Armed 407s. The US DSCA announces [PDF] an official request from Iraq, which appears to have selected a winner in its own Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter competition. Bells 407 ARH appears to have beaten Boeing’s AH-6 ARH, as Iraq asks for about a squadrons’ worth to match the 26 Mi-17s in 15th Special Ops squadron. The US Army will be responsible for militarizing the 407 airframe into an ARH for the Iraqis, who asked for:

26 Bell Armed 407 Helicopters
26 Rolls Royce 250-C-30 Engines
26 M280 2.75-inch/ 70mm rocket Launchers
26 XM296 .50 Cal. Machine Guns with 500 Round Ammunition Box
26 M299 Hellfire Guided Missile Launchers

The estimated cost is $366 million, to be finalized in forthcoming contract negotiations – which ended successfully, and included 3 training 407s and 27 IA-407s. This order will throw Bell’s 407 a military lifeline at a critical time, and may even suffice to give it the market foothold Bell needs. The Long War Journal has reported [PDF] that Iraq’s initial ARH buy is just the first of several, and that the IqAF intends to field up to 5 squadrons by 2015. See “Iraq Seeks Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters” for further details, and ongoing coverage.

Nov 17/08: ARH SAR – cancellation. From the US DoD’s Selected Acquisitions Review report:

<blockquote”Program costs decreased $4,748.0 million from $5,259.7 million to $501.7 million (-90.5%), due to program termination during the Nunn-McCurdy certification process.”

The remaining $501.7 million reflects ARH monies that had already been spent under the program, before the contract was canceled.

Nov 7/08: “What next?” RFI. The US Army issues a “sources sought” RFI (W58RGZ-09-R-0129), asking manufacturers to submit potential helicopter candidates along with cost, performance, maintenance, and production capacity information. Submissions are due no later than 1:00pm CST, Dec 5/08.

Despite the difficulties and cost inflation this program has experienced trying to modify civilian helicopters for armed military use, the notice does not feature criteria around armament configurations – just a question covering company “experience in integrating a Mission Equipment Package.” It remains to be seen whether these criteria will become stricter and more specific in any procurement RFP.

Oct 16/08: ARH Termination. The Department of Defense notifies Congress and Bell Helicopter, that it will not certify the current ARH program for continuation, and terminating the program’s contract “completely for the convenience of the government,” i.e. without penalty payments. The Army release adds:

“The ARH contract was awarded for an expected development cost of $359 million and a procurement average unit cost of $8.56 million. Currently, DoD estimates that development will cost $942 million and the procurement average unit cost will be $14.48 million. Delivery of ARH to the Army was originally scheduled to take place by 2009, but the current projection is for 2013.”

US Secretary of the Army Pete Geren was blunt: “The cost and schedule that were the focus of the decision to award the contract to Bell Helicopter are no longer valid.” US Army director of operations Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman added that:

“This decision does not, in any way, diminish the imperative for [a manned, armed, reconnaissance helicopter]. Our operational tempo, attrition, and losses of six aircraft per year underscore the need to fill this requirement as quickly as possible. To this end, we will rapidly pursue a re-validation of [platform requirements] so that we can restart the process…”

See: Pentagon release | US Army release | Flight International.

ARH Termination

FY 2008

Cost breach.

ARH-70A, testing
(click to view full)

July 9/08: Program Cost Breach. The U.S. Army notifies Congress of a Nunn-McCurdy breach of cost growth in excess of 25% on the ARH program from the July 26/05 program baseline, following a July 3 critical program deviation report to the Under Secretary Of Defense – Acquisition, Technology And Logistics (USD-AT&L). The Army’s release:

“The Army’s requirement for the capability provided by the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter continues to be valid and critically needed… Independent analysis verified the program manager’s cost-growth assessment. There are two primary reasons for the increase in the estimated production unit cost. First, the actual labor hours and material costs to complete the prototype aircraft were significantly higher than previously projected; and second, the contractor labor rates and overheads are increasing at a higher rate than previously projected.”

A more exact breakdown will follow in the Pentagon’s Selected Acquisition Review to June 2008, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that costs have risen 27% since April 2007. Bloomberg News reports that the July 2/08 summary to USD-AT&L placed the overall program cost per helicopter at $12.26 million, a 43.4% increase over the baseline of $8.55 million. Army spokesmen have been quoted saying that program cancellation, which is a possible consequence of a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach, is one of the options being considered.

See also the Nov 19/07 entry re: the previous SAR report to June 2007, which breaks down a reported 20% cost growth over the program baseline. Reuters.

Cost breach

Feb 28/08: GAU-19 gun. Defense News reports that the US Army plans to arm its ARH with the General Dynamics ATP’s GAU-19, a 3-barreled, .50 caliber gatling gun with a firing rate of over 1,000 rounds per minute. The gun weighs 932 pounds with ammunition, and work is apparently underway to reduce its weight.

The GAU-19 is currently mounted on helicopters in Turkey, and on Colombian Black Hawks. It’s usually mounted on a 14-inch NATO standard weapons rail and carried at the helicopter’s side, but door gunner modes with more flexible firing arcs are also possible for transport helicopters.

Feb 22/08: A short update from Bell Helicopter doesn’t tell us anything new, but does state that the program continues to move forward, financed by private funds:

“Bell’s program for the US Army, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH-70A) has accumulated more than 1,100 hours in the flight test program and continues to meet targets set in its aggressive development program. Currently the Army is requesting 512 of these helicopters.”

Nov 19/07: SAR spirals. The Pentagon releases their latest Selected Acquisition Report, and the ARH-70A is included:

“The SAR was submitted to report a unit cost increase of approximately 20% higher than the current baseline estimate, which resulted in a “significant” Nunn-McCurdy breach. Program costs increased $1,009.1 million (+18.7%) from $5,390.2 million to $6,399.3 million, due primarily to an increase in airframe manufacturing labor and material costs (+$345.5 million), higher System Development and Demonstration (SDD) costs (+$290.9 million), and implementation of an upgrade to the main rotor system (+205.5 million).”

This is not good news for a program that just had its FY 2008 defense budget request zeroed out. The only bright spot for Bell is the UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter’s recent difficulties with cabin heating in warm weather, which makes the option of an ARH switch-in and common ARH/LUH helicopter platform much less likely.

SAR

Nov 7/07: New TASS? Raytheon Co. in McKinney, TX received a delivery order amount of $11 million as part of an $800 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for common sensors for the ARH-70A helicopter and the MQ-1C Sky Warrior ER/MP UAV. Work will be performed in McKinney, TX and is expected to be complete by Oct. 31, 2016. Bids were solicited via the World Wide Web on April 24, 2007, and 5 bids were received by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command in Fort Monmouth, NJ (W15P7T-08-D-S602).

Raytheon’s release adds that the program calls for design and development, testing and air vehicle integration of a variant of Raytheon’s Multi-spectral Targeting System, in a project could be worth up to $1.2 billion for 875 units, if all options are exercised. See also Common Sensor Platform product page.

Nov 1/07: Bell Helicopter announces that the ARH-70 program has surpassed 1,000 flight test hours in under 15 months of flying. ARH program Executive director Bob Ellithorpe notes that “With each flight, the flight envelope is expanded and another test card is complete.” The ARH-70A is still being developed with private funds but US Army cooperation at this point, in the wake of the March 21/07 stop-work order.

U.S. Army pilots have completed individual training and are conducting crew training at Yuma Proving Grounds, as the ARH Program continues preparation for Limited User Test (LUT) in early November 2007. The purpose of the LUT is to verify the integrated system performance for the FLIR Systems International “Target Acquisition Sensor System” (TASS) and the “Common Avionics Architecture System” (CAAS) made by Rockwell Collins. Additionally, the LUT will evaluate the performance of the Honeywell HTS-900-2 turbine engine into the Bell 407 airframe.

FY 2007

Stop work. ARH reprieve.

ARH-70A Cockpit
(click to view full)

July 8/07: DTS. Elbit Systems of America subsidiary EFW Inc. (EFW) in Fort Worth, TX has been chosen by Bell Helicopter to supply their ARH-70’s Data Transfer System (DTS). The DTS uses solid-state memory cartridges, and links with the helicopter’s communications, navigation, aircraft survivability equipment and mission equipment subsystems to automate both the mission data input process and in-flight recording.

For example, using a ground mission planning station, communication, navigation and mission equipment parameters are stored on a removable memory card, and downloaded to the avionics system via the DTS. In-flight aircraft audio and video are recorded and stored as standard, synchronized audio/video files on the DTS for easy playback and debrief after flight.

EFW also supplies the Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS) that provides helmet-mounted night vision, flight data, and weapons targeting information.

May 18/07: ARH reprieve. During the ARH Special Army Systems Acquisition Review Council, “the Army evaluated and considered options in the procurement of the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter to replace the rapidly aging and depleted fleet of OH-58D Kiowa Warriors. The Army will continue with Bell Helicopter/Textron Inc. as the prime contractor for the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter.”

The recommendation was approved by the Acting Secretary of the Army. US Army release.

May 10/07: Progress report. Bell Helicopter Textron puts out a release that details the ARH-70s progress within the SDD program. Note that as a result of the March 21/07 letter, all development expenses are being funded by Bell Helicopter funds.

Bell representatives report to DID that FLIR Systems’ BRITE Star II(R) /TASS sensor turret is now integrated and tested; another integrated helicopter is currently being built to comply with program requirements. Recent SDD efforts have also included “a recent demonstration of the ARH digital battlefield capabilities” at the Bell Xworx facility’s ARH Mobile Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) in Arlington, TX. The ARH SIL was connected over the tactical internet using the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2, Blue Force Tracker/L-band), with simulated CH-47F, UH-60M, and OH-58D platforms located in Huntsville, AL. This demonstrated the threshold criteria for the US Army’s Net Ready Key Performance Parameter (KPP).

May 9/07: The US House Armed Service Committee submits its FY 2008 budget recommendation, which retains the ARH’s $470 million funding cut, and urges another competition to meet the requirement. See full HASC release and details [PDF format]. A relevant section of the full committee report reads:

“…Current estimates are for procurement unit cost growth to double from original estimates of approximately $5.2 million per aircraft to well over $10.0 million per aircraft. The schedule is currently estimated to slip one year. The committee recommends that the Army terminate this program and initiate a new source selection for the procurement of an ARH. The committee also recommends that the Army consider minor modification of its key performance parameters, to allow more competitors to compete for this program [DID: extending the “ready to fight after unloading from a transport aircraft” requirement from 15 minutes to 30 minutes would apparently allow one additional competitor]. The committee recommends no funds for procurement of ARH; $50.0 million, a decrease of $32.3 million, in PE 64220A for ARH [DID: the R&D program]; and 51.8 million, an increase of $31.0 million, for additional OH-58 modifications. The committee recommends no funds in title XV of this Act [DID: supplemental funding] for ARH.”

A US Army Systems Acquisition Review Council (ASARC) is currently scheduled; it will make a decision re: the program’s future by the end of May 2007 [it did – see May 18/07].

May 1/07: Rep. Neil Abercrombie [D-HI], now Chairman of the House Armed Service committee’s Air-Land subcommittee, issues a release noting their recommendation of termination and a full cut of $470-million in the ARH program request for FY 2008, “which has been behind schedule and over budget.”

Capitol Hill staffers who talked to DID added that the supposed $5.2 million per helicopter figure in the original proposal has become a sticking point, in light of a unit cost heading toward $10 million. Especially when the less complex and demanding Light Utility Helicopter (Eurocopter’s UH-145) had a higher per-helicopter bid; the word “lowball” was used. Bell Helicopter spokespeople, however, say that they offered a legitimate bid based on the specifications given to them by the Army.

April 25/07: An Early User Test (EUT) is completed at the Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, TX. It tested the Army’s requirement is for an ARH-70A to be flight-ready within 15 minutes of arrival in a transport aircraft like the Air Force’s C-130 Hercules or C-17 Globemaster III; the test was completed in under 13 minutes. From Bell Helicopter’s May 10/07 release.

April 18/07: Washington think-tank the Lexington Institute weighs in on the ARH issue. Loren Thompson, who needs to shed all those inhibitions and start telling us what he really thinks:

“Now, in 2007, this dysfunctional bureaucracy has found another candidate for termination: the new armed reconnaissance helicopter it began developing after Comanche was killed three years ago. The program has satisfied every one of the “key performance parameters” established at its inception, from survivability to sustainability to transportability to lethality, but Army executives say it is taking too long and will cost too much money. So there is a move afoot to cancel the program and start over.

Maybe I’m just dense, but isn’t canceling the program and starting over likely to require a lot more time and money than just fixing it? The Army seems to feel that would send the wrong signal, rewarding the contractor for doing a bad job. Of course, that ignores the fact that the program has met all its performance goals, and that the delays are largely traceable to actions the service itself took — like awarding a contract for a “commercial off-the-shelf” purchase, and then continuously tinkering with the on-board equipment.”

YRH-70
(click to view larger)

April 9/07: More ARHs? The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisition Report as of December 2006 notes a rise in the planned buy of ARH-70 helicopters from 368 to 512, and other changes since the November 2005 SAR:

“Program costs increased $1,787.4 million (+49.6 percent) from $3,602.8 million to $5,390.2 million, due primarily to a quantity increase of 144 aircraft from 368 to 512 aircraft to support the Air National Guard combat aviation brigades (+$901.6 million). There were estimating allocations

• (+$85.0 million) as well as increased spares and support (+$570.3 million) associated with the quantity increase. Costs also increased due to higher estimates for production (+$295.7 million) and the application of revised escalation indices (+$41.0 million).”

March 21/07: Stop work. James Ganoe, the Army’s contracting officer for the ARH, sends a stop-work letter to Bell Helicopter re: the ARH program. See DID’s archived copy in PDF format, via the US House Armed Services Committee. The order is rescinded just under a week later, in order to allow Bell to continue to work on the program at its own expense.

As of June 2008, Bell Helicopter is still doing all work on the ARH program at its own expense. The US Army, meanwhile, continues to cooperate with the program by providing personnel et. al.

Stop work

February 2007: TASS trouble. Integration of the BRITE Star TASS will delay the ARH program by at least 6 weeks, pushing back test and fielding dates. The office of the secretary of defense had originally wanted the first ARH unit equipped by the summer of 2009, but senior Army officials pressed for a September 2008 deadline. It would appear that summer of 2009 is now the most likely schedule… IF there are no more schedule slips. National Defense magazine has the details.

Feb 21/07: Accident. Rotorhub reports that a Bell ARH appears severely damaged, following an auto-rotation on to the 4th hole of the Mansfield golf course south of Bell’s Arlington XworkX facility. The aircraft apparently made a short ground-run before the left skid dug in and caused a roll-over. A Bell spokesman later confirmed the incident, which happened 30 minutes into the maiden flight of the SDD #4 aircraft. An investigation is pending, as always, and Rotorhub believes the incident may be fuel-related. Both pilots were unhurt, and the ARH wasn’t carrying its TASS sensor.

Jan 9/07: Brite STAR TASS. FLIR Systems, Inc. announced that it has received a $26.4 million order from Bell Helicopter for its BRITE Star II stabilized multi sensor systems. The order is for production units for the Target Acquisition Sensor Suite (TASS) as part of the US Army’s ARH Program. Work will be performed at FLIR’s facilities in Portland, OR and Orlando, FL; and Deliveries will begin in the second half of 2007.

FY 2005 – 2006

Milestone B. Bell wins ARH. 1st flight for ARH-70A

ANVIS/HUD
(click to view full)

Nov 16/06: HMD. Elbit Systems of America subsidiary EFW announces a $51 million contract through 2012 to supply their Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS) for the ARH-70. The HDTS is based on EFW’s ANVIS/HUD (Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System / Head-Up Display) in use on the USA’s H-60, CH-53, CH-47, CH-46, H-1N/AH-W, and V-22 platforms. HDTS also features a tracking system for pilot targeting and cueing, including Line of Sight (LOS) cueing between pilots or feeds from electro-optical turrets.

This places the HDTS somewhere between ANVIS/HUD, and EFW’s Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS) used by US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilots. EFW is also a partner in the JHMCS helmet used by fighter pilots, and the F-35’s HMDS.

July 20/06: 1st test flight. Bell’s ARH-70A makes its first test flight. The aircraft took off from Bell XworX in Arlington, Texas and flew multiple handling maneuvers, flew in a hover for both in and out of ground effect, and flew in a traffic pattern reaching 80 knots, 500 ft. altitude, with banks up to 30 degrees for a little more than 1.5 hours of flight. While prototype YRH-70 aircraft had flown before, this is the first production aircraft to do so. These initial ARH-70As will be used for flight testing. Bell Helicopter’s press release has more.

1st test flight

July 11/06: FLIR. Bell Helicopter Textron announces that it has selected FLIR Systems’ BRITE Star II(R) airborne stabilized multi-sensor system as the Target Acquisition Sensor Suite (TASS) for the US Army’s ARH-70A. The BRITE Star II is an upgrade to the previous BRITE Star system fielded on the US Marine Corps’ fleet of UH-1N Huey helicopters. It incorporates an advanced third-generation thermal imager, a CCD-TV camera, a laser designator and a laser rangefinder. FLIR Systems was selected following a “Dual Path Development” program designed to reduce program risk, wherein 2 suppliers are selected and the platform is initially designed to include either one.

Nov 15/05: SAR baseline. The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisition Reports as of September 2005 displays the initial SAR submission for the ARH-70 program, following approval to proceed into System Development and Demonstration (Milestone B) on July 26/05. The program’s total cost, including R&D, is pegged at $3.57 billion for 368 machines; with R&D amortized per helicopter, that’s about $10.3 million each.

Bell 407 at work
(click to view full)

July 29/05: Bell wins ARH. Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. of Fort Worth, TX received a $210.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the system development and demonstration (SDD) of the U.S. Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program, including sub-system integration and testing as well as training-device development (W58RGZ-05-C-0234).

Work on the Bell LRH SDD contract will be performed at Fort Worth, TX and is estimated to be complete on Sept 30/08. There were 11 bids solicited on Dec 8/04, and 2 bids were received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL issued the contract. Their public affairs office can be reached at (256) 955-9174.

Appendix B: Initial Winner – Bell’s ARH-70

ARH-70A testing
(click to view full)

Overall, Bell Helicopter’s ARH-70A has more space and weight available for fuel, ammunition, and troops than its OH-58D Kiowa Warrior predecessor. The Bell ARH was also touted as being 18 times more reliable than the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, based on Bell 407 commercial data. Military usage patterns give such comparisons limited usefulness, but there’s no doubt that the Bell 407 single engine commercial helicopter has been highly successful. Over 600 have been produced, accumulating over 1.2 million flight-hours in conditions ranging from arctic to desert and high-altitude environments.

The militarized ARH-70s were set to receive a power boost from the Honeywell HTS900-2 turbine engine, rated at 970 shp. In addition to being designed for extremely low Direct Operating Costs (DOC), the HTS900-2 is equipped with a sophisticated dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system, based on T800 technology. To complement the ARH’s engine upgrade, an upgraded tail rotor from the Bell 427 was added to provide greater directional stability and control authority.

For defense, the helicopter would have the expected exhaust infrared suppressor/diffuser, and use BAE’s Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) defensive kit – another Comanche program reallocation.

ARH key capabilities
(click to view full)

As Systems Integration Leader, Bell Helicopter worked with Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Army’s Technical Integration Center, to reduce cycle time and risk in integrating the ARH Mission Equipment Package (MEP) into the U.S. Army’s Net Centric Environment. Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, FLIR Systems, L-3 Communications, Flight Safety (FSI) and Computer Sciences Corporation were other key members of the team.

The ARH-70’s “glass cockpit” (i.e. all-digital, using display screens) was based on the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS). Weapons carried will include Hellfire 2 laser-guided missiles, a GAU-19 gatling gun, and 70mm Hydra rockets including the laser-guided APKWS II “Hellfire Jr.” versions. It was also envisioned to be digitally integrated with UAVs, ground command, and other aircraft, possibly including the ability to control UAVs from the helicopter. Key digital systems included:

Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS). The HDTS is based on Elbit EFW’s ANVIS/HUD (Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System / Head-Up Display) in use on the USA’s H-60, CH-53, CH-47, CH-46, H-1, and V-22 platforms. HDTS also features a tracking system for pilot targeting and cueing, including Line of Sight (LOS) cueing between pilots or feeds from electro-optical turrets. This places the HDTS somewhere between ANVIS/HUD and EFW’s Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS) used by US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilots. It will be linked to the…

BRITE Star-II surveillance and targeting turret. This replaces the OH-58D Kiowa Helicotpers’ mast-mounted sight. FLIR Systems’ BRITE Star II is also deployed on Bell’s UH-1Y Venom helicopters, which are just entering service with the US Marine Corps. These chin-mounted turrets provide stabilized high magnification viewing in daylight or infrared view, and include built in laser rangefinding and targeting systems so the helicopter can kill what it finds. Full integration of the BRITE Star turret with all helicopter sub-systems proved to be an unexpectedly difficult hurdle, however, delaying the program and raising costs.

Other systems would have included:

• H-76 ACE Global Navigation System
  
• MMR “Tophat” (VOR/ILS/GS/Marker Beacon)
  
• Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS)
  
• (MFD, CDU, PSM, ASPP, MFCU)
  
• ARN-153-V4 TACAN
  
• AN/ARC-231 Radio (HAVEQUICK II, SINCGARS, SATCOM, COMSEC, FM, VHF, UHF)
  
• AN-ARC-201D (SINCGARS, ESIP, FM, VHF)
  
• EPLRS and Blue Force Tracker
  
• MD-1359/A Improved
  
• SDI-599 Secure Digital ICS
  
• Data Transfer Systems (DTS) from Elbit subsidiary EFW for mission data input & flight recording. See July 8/07 item.

Deployability requirements involve the ability to load a pair of ARH helicopters aboard a C-130, then have them unloaded, flyable, and ready to fight within 15 minutes of the completed landing. In a 2007 test, the ARH-70A was ready in under 13 minutes.

Appendix A: The ARH Program – What Happened?

RAH-66 Comanche
(click to view full)

Back in 2004, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) was one of several spinouts in the Army Aviation Modernization Program, after the RAH-66 Comanche (co-MAN-chee) program was canceled. Instead, the funds would be invested in ARH, along with the $3 billion Light Utility Helicopter contract for over 300 Eurocopter UH-145s, the MQ-1C Grey Eagle UAV and the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft to replace the Army’s C-123 Sherpa light transport planes.

The ARH program’s goal was an inexpensive, modified commercial dual-crew, single-pilot helicopter, capable of operating worldwide and accomplishing armed reconnaissance, light attack, troop insertion, and special operations missions. The helicopter’s avionics and targeting sensors would be able to operate during the day and at night, as well as during bad weather or periods of poor visibility.

Its derivation from a certified civilian aircraft was critical, in order to lower initial price, R&D expenses, and maintenance into the required cost range. The technical term for that is a modified off-the-shelf (OTS) airframe, integrated with a non-development item (NDI) mission equipment package that can be assembled from existing products on the market. The original contract with Bell Helicopter, for a derivative of its civilian Bell 407, called for 368 ARH-70 aircraft during FY 2006 – 2013, at a cost of about $6 million each. That request was later raised to 512 aircraft. Full-rate production of the ARH-70 was scheduled to run through 2013-2014, synchronized with OH-58D retirements.

Program execution was another matter. The Army and the Pentagon underestimated the difficulties involved in converting a commercial helicopter for these missions. Then they made decisions that made them their own program’s worst enemy.

One of the most fateful decisions involved program timing. The original summer 2009 deadline would still have been a remarkably fast fielding time from contract to IOC (Initial Operating Capability). Unfortunately, the toll of wear and front-line losses faced by the US Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warriors pushed them to try to move the ARH Program’s schedule forward. A successful limited-user test would have launched low-rate initial production for up to 48 ARH-70s, including 30 to stand up the first unit, by September 2008.

YRH-70 w. Hydras
(click to view full)

It didn’t happen that way.

By the end of 2006, the Army had moved to raise the number of ARH helicopters in the program from 368 to 512. By that time it was released in an official Pentagon report, however, delays and cost changes had already led the Army to suspend funding for the program in March 2007. Initial difficulties with the engines, a raft of specification changes from the US Army after the contract was signed, and initial difficulties integrating the sensor turret, all combined to drive up costs, and delayed IOC projections to 2011.

In May 2007, the US Army considered its options, and decided to stay with Bell Helicopter rather than re-competing the contract. For its own part, Bell Helicopter decided to continue funding the program out of its own pockets, and the Army continued to participate in the development program in all other ways by providing personnel, facilities, etc. If progress eventually lifted the stop-work order, annual budgets would reimburse some development costs, and begin buying machines.

Political observers were less sanguine than the Bell/Army team, and as estimated costs rose, so did hostility from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Some even stated to DID that they believe Bell’s original ARH bid had been “lowballed,” with the intent of raising prices later. In response, Bell Helicopter vigorously insisted that its conduct has been 100% above board. They answered the lowballing charges by pointing to the firm’s decision to invest millions of their own dollars in the development program, after problems arose.

It was a good answer, but even private financing couldn’t save the ARH-70 if Congress refused to fund further testing or production, and July 2008 revelations of spiraling costs per helicopter triggered an automatic program review under Nunn-McCurdy legislation. That was a dangerous juncture for Bell Textron. Too dangerous.

Overall, a helicopter initially bid at around $6 million per aircraft had climbed to a suggested unit cost of $12-14 million. That may represent a 67% savings over the much more advanced Comanche’s $36 million, but it’s also more than 100% above original projections. In hard dollars, overall development and production program cost estimates had risen to about $8.35 billion, up from the baseline of $3.60 billion, while helicopter numbers had jumped from 368 to 512. In other words, the planned order quantity rose nearly 40%, while program cost rose 132%. In July 2007, DID had said that:

“The US Army knows only that it needs to begin receiving working replacements for its shrinking Kiowa Warrior fleet, and it needs to begin receiving them soon. The consequences of the specification changes they made after the contract was signed, and the overall progress of this program, incline the Army to caution now that they’ve reassessed what’s involved in converting a civilian helicopter for front-line military use.

The ARH program’ fate and future course will be decided by the interactions among those 3 corners of the political-military-industrial triangle. America’s politicians ultimately hold the purse strings, and can force the issue if enough of them are determined to do so. Bell’s job, and the Army’s too as long as it holds to its choice of Bell’s helicopter, is to make sure this does not happen. Meanwhile, Bell must continue to show good faith and good progress to its Army customer, while convincing them that any substitute model would encounter issues that are at least as difficult and expensive. The Army’s hard-won caution certainly remains a powerful force in Bell’s favor, but there is always a breaking point. Shaky political support for the program, coupled with costs that sharply reduce the number of ARH helicopters the Army can buy, could create enough pain that even a risky re-compete would become attractive to the US military.”

That breaking point was reached. In October 2008 (Q1 FY 2009), the contract and program were terminated when the US Army said that it would “not certify the… ARH program for continuation.”

Appendix B: Weary Warriors – From the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior to the OH-58F

OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
(click to view full)

In 2012, Ellis Golsen, director of the Capability Development and Integration Directorate at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, restated the core case for armed scout helicopters:

“The Kiowa Warrior, in its current form, is still the basic airframe of an OH-58A/C that we flew in Vietnam… If you look at the history so far, we have corrected or adjusted or fielded an upgraded system for everything except [Armed Aerial Scout]… But those are the guys that are continuing to have to fly in a hostile environment, to provide close support to ground Soldiers.”

First fielded in 1985, Bell Helicopter’s OH-58D Kiowa Warriors were the US Army’s first fully digitized helicopters. Their original role involved using the advanced sensors in their mast-mounted sights to target Soviet tanks and anti-aircraft assets from behind the tree line.

Their sensor package has proven to be equally effective in a new kind of war, however, where fast location and tracking of small targets for rapid attack is the name of the game. Kiowa Warrior pilots like Sarah “Saint” Piro of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are making their mark in Iraq; the OH-58D’s combination of advanced sensors, advanced communications, plus weapons on hand to deal with anything it finds, have put the aircraft in demand:

“The Kiowa’s reconnaissance role also appeals to the pilots because it gives them more autonomy. “I have freedom to maneuver on the battlefield and I pick a target,” said [Monica] Strye, who flew hundreds of hours in combat with the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Iraq, including heavy fighting in Najaf, Karbala and Hilla. “I suppressed enemy mortar teams, called in indirect [fire] on buildings, using artillery or the Air Force to drop bombs on targets I identified.”

The Army says that it needs 368 Kiowas within its force structure, but the total continues to shrink. The USA’s Kiowa Warrior fleet passed the 1.1 million flight hour and 200,000 combat flight hour marks some time ago. Nor has that been the only factor taking a toll on the fleet.

By April 206, Aviation News had reported 28 OH-58Ds lost to accidents, age, and enemy fire during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Given the nature of their combat roles, and lack of heavy protection that equips gunships like the AH-64 Apaches, those figures weren’t a surprise to informed observers. by October 2010, the US Army said there were just 331 OH-58Ds on hand, and confirmed 44 helicopters lost to enemy fire and accidents since 2003.

The Long Bridge: OH-58(I) CDS4 & OH-58D(R)

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

Under the ARH program’s original plans, the OH-58Ds would have remained in Army inventory until 2016. Plans would have upgraded up to 72 OH-58Ds per year, reducing their weight and improving their armor protection. Those programs have continued, and the fleet has benefited.

SEP: The Safety Enhancement Program (SEP – OSIP 2-97-01-0115) completed in September 2011. Energy attenuating seats and cockpit airbags improved crew protection. Engine barrier filters improved operations in sandy/ dusty areas. Rolls Royce M250-C30R/3 Engines with Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) increase control responsiveness, overcome a rotor droop anomaly by providing faster response time to power demands, and improve reliability. An Improved Master Controller Processor Unit (IMCPU) increased memory and throughput, while reducing both base weight and Operating and Support (O&S) costs. IMCPU also accommodates upgraded software for digital communications, including the Variable Message Format (VMF).

The SEP modification converts OH-58D(I) with CDS2 (Control and Display Subsystem v2) into OH-58(R) CDS4 helicopters.

FFU-WRI: The Fielded Fleet Upgrades and Weight Reduction initiative (OSIP 2-02-01-0116) addressed OH-58D(R)s, reducing weight to restore the safety margin for auto-rotation emergency landings. Weight improvements include upgraded mission computers and software, lightweight multi-function displays, a lighter weight and better positioned common transponder, improved lightweight heater system, and improved armor panels, including lightweight floor armor. FFU improves maintenance by making the engine FADEC dual-channel for reliability, and adds a Health Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) for maintenance diagnosis and warnings. Weapons and defense are improved by adding AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS), improved Level 2 Manned-Unmanned (L2MUM) Teaming that can receive sensor feeds up to full motion video from UAVs, a Mast Mounted Sight (MMS) laser pointer, a lightweight composite Universal Weapons Pylon, reduced weight M279A1 Hellfire missile launchers, and an improved .50 cal machine gun.

The OH-58F

OH-58F concept
(click to view full)

As good as these improvements are, they still leave the Army with a serious age-out problem. With the demise of the Kiowa Warriors’ ARH-70 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter replacement program, and continued uncertainty around its Armed Aerial Scout replacement, improved OH-58Ds weren’t going to be enough.

The first part of the solution involves War Replacement Aircraft, to replace those lost. Initial production will take cabins from retired OH-58A Kiowas, strip them, and send them to Bell Helicopter for modification into OH-58D(R) Kiowa Warrior CDS4 cabins. The Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) then installs all remaining structure, equipment, and modifications to bring them to current fleet standard. There aren’t enough OH-58As for this, so Bell Helicopter is working on creating the tooling and production capacity for new cabins as well.

The $3.9 billion OH-58F program is the Army’s long-term solution, and it will eventually take in the War Replacement Aircraft as well.

Even in an era of tight budgets, the Army has made the OH-58F upgrade program one of its highest priorities. The current acquisition strategy is to modify the entire OH-58D fleet. Seven helicopters will be produced during the OH-58F’s Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. After that, the target is 368. The Army plans to field 4 helicopters modified with RDTE funding, once the test program is done. A series of Low-Rate Initial Production lots will build 60 machines, and upgrade associated training devices and simulators. The final 304 helicopters would be delivered during the Full-rate Production period. The OH-58Fs would then remain in US Army inventory until 2036.

OH-58F changes build on the SEP and FFU-WRI, and include…

Airframes: A new-build cabin will replace about 60% of the OH-58D’s airframe, but that still leaves 40% of the airframe that’s as much as 55 years old by the time production finishes. Army budget documents still say that “Recapitalization Program in combination with the KW CASUP results in production of zero-timed [flight hours equivalent] OH-58F airframes and eliminates post production structural overhauls”.

CASUP: Under the Kiowa Warrior Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP – OSIP 2-08-01-0117), weight reductions continue, with the most significant being replacement of the Mast Mounted Sight designed to look over trees at Russian tanks with a lighter, nose-mounted AN/AAS-53 Common Sensor Payload surveillance and targeting turret. The AAS-53 gives up some tactical options, but it’s lighter, requires less maintenance, and is better suited to deserts, mountains, and the man-made “canyons” of urban warfare.

A redesigned aircraft wiring harness and MIL-STD-1760 digital interface will improve the range of weapons it can carry. Other efforts include Increased Height Landing Gear, as well as further upgrades to the Control Display Subsystem mission computers, independent digital displays for the pilot and co-pilot; and improved avionics, intercom system, aircraft survivability systems, weapon systems, electrical systems.

The cumulative effects strip 160 pounds of weight out, which should help to improve sluggish performance in hot or high-altitude conditions. In more hospitable environments, it should allow the Kiowa to make less restrictive tradeoffs between full fuel and full weapons.

The question is whether this program will leave any budgetary room for a new Armed Aerial Scout helicopter. The answer: there wasn’t even enough room for the OH-58F.

Additional Readings & Sources

• FedBizOpps (Jan 26/10) – 15–Armed Aerial Scout Helicopter Request for Information. Solicitation Number: W58RGZ-10-R-0175

• GlobalSecurity.org – Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH)

• Bell Helicopter Textron – The Bell ARH-70. See also: Bell ARH Corporate Product Data Sheet [PDF format]

• EADS N.A. – Armed Scout 645. Team web site with Lockheed Martin. The UH-72A Lakota is back – and this time, it’s armed. See also their AAS-72X web site.

• AgustaWestland (April 27/09) – AgustaWestland Unveils The TUHP 149 Helicopter To Meet The Turkish Utility Helicopter Programme. Armed versions available, intended complement their jointly-produced AW129T attack helicopter. Could become an American ARH candidate.

• US Army – The OH-58F Kiowa Warrior.

• Army-Technology.com – OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Reconnaissance / Attack Helicopter, USA

• GlobalSecurity.org – RAH-66 Comanche

• Army-Technology.com – RAH-66 Comanche – Reconnaissance/Attack Helicopter, USA

• DID – Iraq Seeks Armed Reconaissance Helicopters. The DSCA request pitted the Bell 407 vs. Boeing’s updated AH-6 ARH. The 407 won, and militarization is being managed by the US Army.

• Defense Tech (April 2/08) – Why Do Commercial Platforms Make Such Lousy Military Aircraft? “The above is the question that the US Department of Defense is asking itself, courtesy of a new Defense Science Board Task Force chaired by Jacques Gansler…”

• DID (Dec 4/07) – Can the US Army Afford Helicopter Modernization? Even with the cheaper options at hand as Comanche alternatives, the Congressional Budget Office doesn’t think so.

• National Defense Magazine (July 2007) – Army Learns Tough Lessons From Armed Helicopter Letdown. For instance, “Commercial Off The Shelf” is only meaningful if the commercial certification took place under similar conditions and with similar equipment.

• National Defense Magazine (March 2007) – Delivery of armed recon helicopter delayed one year. Good overview of ARH program milestones to date.

• DID (Aug 2/05) – Bell Textron Wins $2.2B ARH Competition With 407 Variant. Also describes the competition.

• Bell Helicopter Textron (July 29/05) – Contract win corporate release.

• DID (June 20/05) – Eurocopter & Bell Battling for $500-600M Indian Army Contract

• Asia Pacific Aviation News – Bell Helicopter offers the Texas-built Bell ARH

Americas

Bell Boeing won a $42.2 million contract modification for fleet software sustainment of the V-22 flight control system. The order includes engineering and technical support for the Osprey. The V-22 Osprey is the world’s first production tiltrotor aircraft, blending the vertical flight capability of a helicopter with an airplane’s speed, range, altitude and endurance. The modification combines purchases for the Marine Corps of $25.5 million and the Air Force of $13 million. Ninety-three percent of work will take place in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania and the remaining seven percent will occur in Fort Worth, Texas. The Pentagon expects the company to fulfill the order by June 2021.

The Navy awarded BAE Systems a $36.7 million contract for demonstration and development of the Dual Band Decoy capability. BAE Systems will demonstrate a new Dual Band towed decoy to help US Navy F/A-18E/F jet fighter-bomber pilots avoid modern sophisticated enemy radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles. The Dual Band Decoy towed decoy project was launched in June last year. It seeks to meet an urgent Navy need to protect crews of area-penetrating attack jets like the Super Hornets from enemy radar-guided missiles that operate on two separate frequencies, such as X-band and S-band. The Dual Band Decoy capability will leverage existing and projected contractor technologies and expand capabilities relative to the currently fielded Integrated Defense Electronic Countermeasures AN/ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Decoy and AN/ALE-50 Advanced Airborne Expendable Decoy used on the F/A-18E/F aircraft. Work will take place in Nashua, New Hampshire and is scheduled to be completed in August 2021.

Lockheed Martin won a $12.7 million modification for post delivery support of the USS St. Louis. The USS St. Louis or LCS-19 is a Freedom Class littoral combat ship of the US Navy. In December, the Navy christened the ship in Marinette, the 10th Freedom-class LCS built by Lockheed Martin’s Fincantieri Marinette Marine. In all, six Freedom Class ships are under construction and two are in the pre-production phase. The company will plan and implement deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. The corrections and upgrades are needed to support St. Louis Sailaway and follow-on post delivery test and trials period, the DoD announced on Thursday. Lockheed will perform work within the US and scheduled completion date is in December next year.

Middle East & Africa

According to TASS, Angola received all 12 Su-30K fighters from the Aviation Repair Plant of Belarus. The aircraft were modified to the Su-30SM standard and are able to fire the RVV-AE (NATO AA-12) air-to-air missile. Alexander Vorobey, Deputy Director for Development of the 558th ARZ said that two SU-30K fighters were transported to Angola in April thus completing the agreement for 12 Su-30K for the Angolan Air Force. The Russian SU-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. The new SU-30SM standards are equipped with 12 points of suspension of aviation weapons and can use guided aircraft missiles such as anti-ship X-31A, anti-radar X-31P, and air-to-air class RVV-AE. To protect against high-precision weapons, each Angolan fighter is equipped with a satellite jamming station.

Europe

Belarus reportedly shows interest in buying Russian-made air defense systems, including Pantsir-S self-propelled hybrid gun/missile air-defense systems and the Tor-M2 self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. Alexander Mikheyev, head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport told this information to TASS at the HeluRussia 2019 exhibition on Friday. The Pantsir-S gun/SAM system was designed for the strategic defense of high-value targets. The Tor missile system is an all-weather low-to-medium altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system. The TOR-M2 / M2E is designed to attack aircraft, helicopters, aerodynamic UAVs, guided missiles and other components of high precision weapons flying at medium, low and extremely low altitudes in adverse air and jamming environment.

Asia-Pacific

The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of SM-2 Block IIIB Standard missiles to South Korea. The deal is valued at $313.9 million. The State Department has cleared the Republic of Korea to procure up to 94 rounds of SM-2 Block IIIB Standard Missiles and twelve MK 97 MOD 0 Guidance Sections for SM-2 Block IIIB. Also included is technical assistance: training and training equipment; publication and technical data; and related logistics support, and other related elements of logistics and program support. South Korea’s military already uses the SM-2, and is in the process of building more missile defense capable destroyers that use the weapons.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the State Department cleared Japan to procure 160 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), and one AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM guidance section. If approved by Congress, the sale would be worth $317 million. The deal includes containers, weapon support and support equipment, spare and repair parts. The sale will provide Japan with “a critical air defense capability to assist in defending the Japanese homeland and US personnel stationed there,” according to the agency.

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Watch: This Robotic M1 Abrams Tank Can Smash Through Enemy Defenses

Americas

Boeing won a $13.4 million contract modification support of the AN/USQ-82(V) family of systems consisting of the Data Multiplex System, Fiber Optic Data Multiplex System, and Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS). The modification provides for design agent and technical services. Boeing will provide advanced and highly specialized technical engineering to assist with system sustainment, cybersecurity enhancement, configuration management, development, qualification and integration of systems, testing and technical support to manufacturing and repair vendors. Essentially, GEDMS is a Government Furnished Equipment build-to-print system, where no commercially adequate products satisfy the design requirements. AN/USQ-82(V) systems are installed and deployed on US Navy DDG 51-class destroyers, in the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense systems, on ships of three countries under Foreign Military Sales cases, in different Navy and FMS land-based test sites, and are also being installed on new-construction LHA 8 and new FMS Japan and Korean DDGs. The GEDMS network 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. Boeing will perform work within the US and scheduled completion date is in March next year.

The US Air Force has successfully demonstrated a new Combat Support Wing concept during a recent deployment to Kinston Regional Jetport. F-15Es from the 4th Fighter Wing were refueled and rearmed by three teams of airmen who are from different career fields in the service. Weapons loaders showed that they could drive a refueling truck while security forces demonstrated they could refuel the aircraft. Avionics specialists were tasked with base security. The concept supports National Defense Strategy priorities to evolve innovative operational concepts and enhance lethality in contested environments. If fielded, it could give the Air Force the ability to quickly deploy in smaller, more efficient and agile teams to austere and potentially contested areas.

Northrop Grumman together with the US Marine Corps successfully completed an initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) for the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) Blocks 1 and 2, the company said in a press release. The milestone demonstrates the suitability and viability of the system, and indicates that the Marine Corps is ready to operate and field G/ATOR Blocks 1 and 2 in their current configuration. The AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR is an advanced, multi-mission active electronically scanned array radar that provides comprehensive real time, 360° situational awareness. The radar system is designed to help soldiers detect and take action against complex, modern threats.

Middle East & Africa

Lockheed Martin teamed up with Israeli defense company Rafael to develop, market, manufacture as well as support Rafael’s Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE) guidance kits for the US market. The Israeli SPICE is an EO/GPS guided guidance kit for converting air-droppable unguided bombs into precision guided bombs. It has been in use since 2003. It is combat-proven and in service with the Israeli Air Force and several other nations worldwide. The teaming agreement covers the SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 kit variants. Over 60 percent of SPICE is already manufactured in the US in eight states.

Europe

Russian President, Vladimir Putin wants to purchase 76 Su-57 before 2028. The Sukhoi Su-57 is the country’s first indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. According to TASS, Putin said in a defense meeting: “The 2028 arms program stipulated the purchase of 16 such jets, we have agreed to purchase 76 such fighters without the increase in prices in the same period of time.” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported that manufacturers reduced prices for both the aircraft and the equipment by 20%, which provided the opportunity to purchase more of these jets.

British Typhoons were launched twice in two days after taking over the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia. On Wednesday, the aircraft intercepted two SU-27 fighters and an IL-22 and escorted the formation towards Russia. On Tuesday, British Typhoon fighters scrambled out of Ämari Air Base in Estonia in response to two Russian SU-27 fighter aircraft and one IL-22 aircraft that were flying along the Baltic coast heading towards Kaliningrad. Britain took over the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission from the German Air Force last month.

Asia-Pacific

China will soon commission its first homemade aircraft carrier, according to local reports. China introduced the domestically made carrier two years ago and delayed Sea Trials were conducted in 2018. The Sea Trials successfully tested the warship’s propulsion system, combat and supply capabilities. The Type 001A may be the first homemade, but it is the second overall aircraft carrier of China, the first one was purchased from Ukraine and refitted. The second domestically developed aircraft carrier is already being built with reports saying it will be the first with catapults.

Today’s Video

Watch: U.S. Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion participates in the Robotic Complex Breach Concept

Americas

Lockheed won an $18.5 million modification that authorizes the procurement of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources redesign activities in support of the F-35 aircraft. The F-35 is a 5th-generation multi-role stealth fighter that is is being acquired by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps to replace and supplement much of their air fleets. Partner nations such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and others are participating in the program. The program has been troubled by a long list of delays, software and hardware problems and cost overruns. It is anticipated to serve as the primary US stealth fighter platform, alongside the F-22 Raptor, for decades to come. In August Lockheed received a $171.7 million modification to support redesign of the air system on Lot 11 of the F-35 Lightning II. Work under the current modification will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and is scheduled to be finished in January 2024.

The Brazilian Air Force will likely receive its first Embraer E-99M airborne early warning and control aircraft in early 2020, Jane’s reports. The E-99 or EMB-145 AEW&C aircraft’s mission system is developed around the Ericsson ERIEYE active, phased-array pulse-Doppler radar and is integrated with an onboard command and control system. Electronic surveillance measures for monitoring communications and non-communications activities are also integrated with the system. The first AEW&C aircraft was delivered to the Brazilian Air Force in July 2002 and deliveries were completed in December 2003. In 2013, Embraer won a $144 million contract to modernize Brazil’s E-99s. The E-99 modernization includes upgrades to the aircraft’s electronic warfare and electronic support measures suites and command and control systems, as well its Saab Microwave Systems PS-890 Erieye surveillance radar system. Two E-99s are undergoing modernization to the configuration E-99M.

Middle East & Africa

The US Navy awarded Boeing a $10.9 million contract modification supporting the Harpoon Block II missiles for Saudi Arabia. The modification provides for obsolescence redesign efforts in support of production and delivery. The Harpoon all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile can be installed on the P-3 Orion, the P-8 Poseidon, the AV-8B Harrier II, the Hornet as well as the B-52H Bombers. Block II intends to to offer an expanded engagement envelope, enhanced resistance to electronic countermeasures and improved targeting. Boeing will perform work within the US. The scheduled completion date is in August this year.

Europe

Germany and the Netherlands are reportedly suspending military training operations in Iraq as the United States warned of increased threats from Iran-backed forces amid an escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran. A German official said Berlin had no indications of its own of any impending attacks on Western interests by Iran and said the training programs could resume in the coming days. Germany has 160 soldiers involved in training Iraqi forces trying to contain Islamic State militants. The Netherlands has 169 military and civilian personnel in Iraq, including about 50 in Erbil, where they are helping to train Kurdish troops. On Wednesday, the US State Department recalled non-emergency personnel from Iraq and advised US citizens against traveling to the country, saying the ongoing standoff with Iran had increased the risk of terror attacks or kidnapping. The US recently announced it would deploy a US carrier strike to the Persian Gulf, citing troubling actions by Iran.

Asia-Pacific

The last three Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder Block II multirole combat aircraft are scheduled to arrive for the Pakistan Air Force by the end of June. The JF-17 Thunder is single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft utilized primarily by Pakistan for aerial reconnaissance, ground attack and aircraft interception. Pakistan’s first Thunder aircraft was rolled out in 2009. The Pakistan Air Force ordered additional 12 platforms in 2017. The JF-17s are currently on the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory final assembly line. Approximately 25 Block II variants of the JF-17 were being manufactured in Pakistan annually. Production will be terminated in favor of the upcoming JF-17 Block III. Block III production will start later this year. There is yet to be made a decision, which radar will be integrated into the aircraft.

The Indian Navy’s fourth Scorpene Class submarine, INS Vela, has launched on Monday. It is one of six Scorpene Class stealth subs built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders as part of Project 75 under a technology transfer partnership with Naval Group. As part of the technology transfer pact, Naval Group offers technical support to MDL in the field of construction, integration and tests of submarines in India. The Scorpene Class Ships can be used to perform various tasks, including anti-surface, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering. Prior to delivery to the Navy, the submarine will be put through trials and tests, both in harbor and at sea. After the tests, equipment and machinery on-board will be integrated.

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Watch: Philippine Army receives first batch of upgraded M113A2 RCWS equipped APC from Elbit Systems

Scorpene cutaway
(click to view full)

India’s submarine fleet currently consists of 16 boats: 10 Russian SSK Kilo (Sindhugosh) Class, 4 locally built SSK U209 (Shishumar) Class, a leased nuclear-powered Improved Akula Class SSN from Russia (INS Chakra), and its own INS Arihant SSBN. Most of the Kilos have been modernized, but readiness rates for India’s existing submarine fleet sits below 40%, and the U209s will have trouble lasting much beyond 2015. With Pakistan acquiring modern submarines, and Chinese submarine building exploding, expanding India’s submarine fleet became an obvious national priority.

In 2005, India confirmed that it would buy 6 Franco-Spanish Scorpene diesel submarines, with an option for 6 more and extensive technology transfer agreements. Unfortunately, 7 years after that deal was signed, “Project 75” has yet to field a single submarine. A poor Indian procurement approach, and state-run inefficiency, are pushing the country’s entire submarine force toward an aging crisis. This DID FOCUS article covers the Scorpene deal and its structure, adds key contracts and new developments, and offers insights into the larger naval picture within and beyond India.

The Scorpene Class

Scorpene
click for video

The SSK Scorpene Class diesel-electric fast attack submarine was jointly developed by DCN of France and Navantia of Spain, and incorporates advancements that stem from being developed about 10 years later than DCN’s Agosta 90 Class. Many of the Scorpene’s internal systems and weapons, however, are shared with Pakistan’s Improved Agosta 90B.

Displacing 1,565 metric tonnes, the standard CM-2000 Scorpene Class is 71.7m (219 feet) long with a submerged speed of over 20 knots, and submerged range at 100% battery usage and 4 knots speed of 134 hours or 536 miles. This new submarine class incorporates a high level of system redundancy to achieve an average 240 days at sea per year per submarine, and the endurance to undertake a 50 day patrol before being resupplied. In addition, its maximum diving depth is 300 meters (about 1,000 feet), giving the commander good tactical freedom for a conventional submarine.

SUBTICS CCS

The Scorpene’s SUBTICS combat management system, with up to 6 multifunction common consoles and a centrally situated tactical table, is co-located with the platform-control facilities. The vessel’s sonar suite includes a long-range passive cylindrical array, an intercept sonar, active sonar, distributed array, flank array, a high-resolution sonar for mine and obstacle avoidance and a towed array. Each Scorpene submarine features 6 bow-mounted 533mm torpedo tubes, and stores 18 weapons divided between torpedoes, missiles, and mines (stacked, up to 30).

India was leaning toward Finmeccanica’s Black Shark, the same heavyweight torpedo used in Chile’s Scorpene subs, but that decision has been put on hold by corruption allegations. Fortunately, a contract for the MBDA SM-39 Exocet was signed along with the original submarine contract. The Exocet SM 39 variant is launched from a submarine’s torpedo tubes using a VSM (Vehicule Sous Marin), a self-propelled and guided container that will maneuver before surfacing so as not to reveal the position of the submarine. Once it surfaces, the Exocet missile leaves the VSM and proceeds to the target like a normal surface variant of the missile.

In addition to these regular weapons, the Scorpene platform also offers advanced capabilities for mine warfare, intelligence gathering and special operations.

Scorpene subs can hold a total company of 31-36 men, with a standard watch team of 9. The control room and the living quarters are mounted on an elastically supported and acoustically isolated floating platform, really a ship within the ship.

The India order brought the number of committed Scorpene submarine sales on the international market to 10. Scorpene orders worldwide now sit at 14, and include Chile (2 O’Higgins class CM-2000 with split Navantia/DCN production, both delivered); Malaysia (2 with split Navantia/DCN production); and now India (6 from DCN-Armaris and local manufacture, 3 each CM-2000 and AM-2000 AIP, delivery expected 2015-2020). Brazil would later undertake its own project, which will build 4 SSK Scorpenes and 1 nuclear-powered SSN fast attack submarine.

India’s Submarine Programs

Current Project 75 figures:

• Submarines: 6 CM-2000 Scorpene Class, #5-6 may have AIP, but that’s unlikely.
  
• Contract signed: 2005
  
• Schedule: Delivery from 2015-2018. May not even begin until 2017.
  
• Cost: INR 235.62 billion

Project 75 had a pre-priced option for 6 more Scorpenes, but India as decided to pursue a follow-on “Project 75i” as a separate program instead. It could field 6 more Scorpenes, or it could field a very different design. The sections below provide more details.

Project 75: Schedule, Cost & Plans

Final construction
(click to view full)

The Scorpene deal had simmered on the back-burner for several years, and media reports touted a deal as “close” in 2004, but nothing was finalized until late 2005. The cost had been subject to varying estimates over the life of those multi-year negotiations, and continued to change after the contract was awarded, but the final figure for the first 6 boats is now generally accepted as being about $4.5 billion.

India’s long-term objective is full made-in-India design, development and construction of submarines. Construction is the first step, and “Project 75” Scorpene submarines will all be built in India at state-owned Magazon Docks Ltd. (MDL).

That insistence on local production, rather than having the first couple built at their home shipyard with Indian workers present on exchange, has cost India. There have been issues involving technology transfer and negotiations, but it’s also true that MDL simply wasn’t ready. Expected delivery dates for the first 6 were set at 2012-2017, until everyone had to bow to the obvious and begin promising 2015-2018. Given the record to date, and the difference between schedule slippage of 1st vs. final deliveries, it’s reasonable to expect deliveries stretching beyond 2018. Recent reports are even suggesting that deliveries may not begin before 2017.

Meanwhile, costs are growing.

Planned costs for the Project 75 deal had a range of reported figures, until a contract was signed. In the end, the reported figure was Rs 15,400 crore, or $3.5 billion converted equivalent at the time. Subsequent auditor reports indicated that the program would actually cost about Rs 18,798 crore (about $4 billion), and escalations to Rs 20,798 crore/ $4.38 billion and then Rs 23,562 crore/ $4.56 billion have followed. That makes for about a 25.4% cost increase from the auditors’ baseline.

Tracking actual contracts is more difficult. Contracts signed as of August 2009 totaled INR 207.98 billion/ Rs 20,798 crore. The contracts were signed at different times, and will be paid over different periods, so a true currency conversion is difficult. A weakening American dollar and Euro have cushioned the increases somewhat, but most of the project’s cost involves local currency purchases. Contracts reportedly include:

• Rs 6,315 crore contract with DCNS’ predecessor for transfer of technology, combat systems and construction design.
  
• Rs 1,062 crore contract with MBDA for sea-skimming Exocet missiles and related systems
  
• Rs 5,888 crore contract with MDL for local submarine construction
  
• Rs 3,553 crore set aside for taxes
  
• Rs 2,160 crore for other project requirements
  
• Rs 2,000 crore added in March 2010 to cover added finalized costs of the “MDL procured material (MPM) packages”
  
• Rs 2,764 crore unaccounted for yet in public releases, but envisaged in final INR 235-237 billion program costs.

Project 75: Industrial

Scorpene
click for video

On the industrial front, the Scorpene deal will enable India to reopen its submarine building assembly lines. The initial plan was for all 6 boats to be built entirely in India by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL), whose submarine lines had been shut down after they finished manufacturing German HDW Type 209 diesel subs in 1994. That plan has remained steadfast, despite delays created by MDL’s work.

The French firm DCNS (Thomson CSF became Thales, which became the Armaris naval JV, then DCNS) was set as the overall industrial prime contractor for this program. DCNS is also in charge of the technology transfer and delivery of all services and equipment, and DCNS subsidiary UDS International will supply the combat systems with help from Thales. An ancillary contract signed between DCNS’ predecessor Armaris and MDL provides for a team of French technical advisers during the construction of the first 2 submarines.

Tracking contract value for foreign firms is challenging.

The key foreign contractors for the Project 75 Scorpene buy are DCNS and Thales, who will provide the “MDL procured material (MPM) packages” of propulsion, sensors, weapons systems etc. that fit into the hull. When the initial contract was signed in 2006, Thales revealed that India’s Scorpene contract was worth nearly EUR 600 million (USD $736 million) to their company, in return for key subsystems for the submarines’ 6 UDS International SUBTICS integrated combat systems, underwater sensors, communications and optronics, and electronic warfare equipment. A corresponding DCN news release put the total value to all members of the DCN Group at EUR 900 million, but did not address possible overlaps with Thales.

Finalized supplier contracts changed overall totals, which increased by EUR 300 million to about EUR 1.8 billion total. The allocations also changed, since Thales sold part of its naval business to DCN in 2007, creating DCNS. Some of the Thales products destined for the Scorpene became part of the DCNS Group when the merger took place.

A variety of Indian subcontractors, such as SEC, Flash Forge, Walchandnagar Industries, et. al. are involved in the submarines’ construction, manufacturing and delivering specific parts for incorporation into the vessels.

By late 2010, delays at MDL led to reports that Scorpene construction might be altered to include other Indian shipyards, and even DCNS in France. That shift to other shipyards hasn’t happened for Project 75, but it is planned for the follow-on Project 75i. Whether that plan can survive rent-seeking lobbying by India’s state-owned industries remains to be seen.

Overall Timeline, Plans & Options

Project 75 & 75i Timelines

A March 8/06 release from the Indian Ministry of Defence gives the long history of the Type 75/ Scorpene contract’s genesis. After numerous delays, final negotiations were held with vendors in 2005. This reportedly cut INR 3.13 billion from the 2002 negotiated position, and involved other concessions. Even so, India’s program budget had to rise in order to accommodate the final contract.

As is often true in India, some of this was self-inflicted. In 2009, India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reported that the government’s delays in finalizing a deal had probably raised the project’s cost by 2,838 crore, or about 15% of the project’s total cost – and that was before the additional Rs 2,000 crore contract to DCNS was finalized in 2010.

“Project 75” had options for another 6 submarines, but that was replaced by a 6-boat “Project 75i” competition in 2007. Introducing another competition risks slowing India down, and may add industrial disruption from a new design and new partners, in order to add improved technology. Key requirements reportedly include an Air-Independent Propulsion module, and the ability to launch supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles from vertical launchers. As of 2014, however, there isn’t even an official RFP.

The AIP Option

MESMA AIP section

Like many modern diesel-electric submarines, the Scorpene class is exceptionally quiet. It can also be equipped with an additional section that holds a MESMA brand AIP (air-independent propulsion) system. A CM-2000 Scorpene can operate underwater for 4-6 days without surfacing or snorkeling to get oxygen to recharge its batteries. An AM-2000 Scorpene AIP, in contrast, will be able to operate underwater for up to 18 days depending on variables like speed, etc. Each AIP section costs around $50-60 million, and adds 8.3 meters (27 feet) and 305 tonnes to the hull section. The resulting AM-2000 Scorpene AIP is 70m long, and displaces 1,870t.

Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash has said that the agreement gave India the option of incorporating AIP technology after delivery of the 3rd Scorpene submarine. India’s Navy appeared to be opting to do this in Scorpenes 4-6, but the state-run DRDO research organization made a typical play to develop their own AIP “hull plug” for the Scorpene. They’re now talking about fielding only submarines 5 & 6 as AIP boats, if DRDO’s technology is ready.

The need to test such systems extensively after they’ve been developed means that DRDO has effectively defaulted on their future 2015 delivery target, even as Pakistan fields all 3 of its Agosta 90B boats with mature French MESMA AIP technology inside.

India’s specifications for Project 75i boats are expected to require pre-installed AIP systems.

Sub-Par: India’s Underwater Plans & Realities

Shishumar Class
(click to view full)

If India can overcome its government’s own obstacles to fielding an effective submarine force, reports by Indian media have described a long-term desire to manufacture up to 24 submarines in a phased manner. In the mid-200s, Admiral Prakash publicly stated an objective of “24 subs in 30 years.” A more likely outcome involves cutting the current operational fleet roughly in half by 2025, and returning to the current inadequate fleet size by 2030 – 2035.

Most of the Project 75 delays, and many of the cost increases, are attributable to India’s slow decision making and lack of readiness. Meanwhile, India’s existing fleet continues to age, and the size of India’s submarine fleet will become a serious concern by 2016 or so. The situation is fast approaching a crisis, especially given India’s general Anti-Submarine Warfare weakness. Key risk factors that are creating the crisis include:

Risk: Age-out. Based on a 30-year safe lifetime for submarine hulls due to the constant pressure squeeze and release from diving, India will need to start retiring its first 2 U209/ Shishumar Class submarines around 2016 – 2017, or find a good reason to extend them past that 30-year lifespan. At the same time, 3 of the Navy’s early Kilo/ Sindhugosh Class boats would also be at or beyond a 30-year lifespan by 2017, for a total of 5 boats at risk. By 2020, the figure will be 9 boats: 2 U209s, and 7 Kilo Class. By 2025, all 4 U209s and 8 of the 9 remaining Kilo Class submarines would be past 30 years of service.

If 33 years is the service cutoff instead, the fleet would drop by 3 boats in 2019 (2 U209, 1 Kilo), 2 more in 2020 (2 Kilo), 2 more in 2021 (2 Kilo), 1 in 2022 (1 Kilo), 1 in 2024 (1 Kilo), 1 in 2025 (1 U209), 1 in 2027 (1 U209), and 1 in 2033 (1 Kilo).

Risk: State Firms. Poor performance by state-run firms has gone from a risk to a crisis. Project 75 was supposed to begin Scorpene deliveries in 2012, but that may be delayed to 2017. Since placing a new submarine type in operational service can take up to 2 years of trials and exercises, it could be 2019 before India fields its 1st new operational boat.

Risk: India’s Government. India’s 4th-World class procurement process adds even more risks. The risk of delay has already materialized. Despite initial solicitations in 2008, the 75i RFP still pending in 2014, and even declaring a winner isn’t expected before 2017. India’s navy has given up on its sensible risk-mitigation plans to have the first 2 boats built abroad. Worse, India’s government wants to add state-run Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (HSL) in Visakhapatnam as a submarine builder. This is the same yard that destroyed the Kilo Class INS Sindhukirti in a bungled refit, which does not inspire confidence. There is marginal comfort in the fact that the Modi government intends to open Project 75i to private industry, and substituting inexperience for demonstrated issues of competence may be an improvement.

The bottom line? India is unlikely to field any Project 75i submarines before 2025. Even this date assumes that the 75i competition won’t become bogged down in unsubstantiated allegations and process freezes and fail to deliver anything.

DID reminds our readers that long term plans for major capital acquisitions have a way of shrinking over time as budgetary tradeoffs are made – 32 DD (X) destroyers for the USA became 12, and then 3. The difference is that submarines are the strategic platform of the 21st century, and India needs a strong presence in the Indian Ocean if it intends to be a significant strategic actor. Meanwhile, the buildup of China’s submarine and naval forces is likely to keep the importance of Indian submarines front and center.

Time will tell if actual budgets, shipbuilding execution, and political performance can match the Navy’s appetites. So far, the record isn’t encouraging.

India’s Scorpene Project: Contracts & Key Events 2014-2019

DAC clears Project 75i, but conditions set by India’s political class cut the throat of their submarine force structure; Sindurakshak raised as inquest continues; Other Kilo Class accidents; New government takes action on batteries for existing fleets; Still no action on Black Shark torpedoes.

(ex-)INS Sindhurakshak
(click to view full)

May 16/19: INS Vela launched The Indian Navy’s fourth Scorpene Class submarine, INS Vela, has launched on Monday. It is one of six Scorpene Class stealth subs built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders as part of Project 75 under a technology transfer partnership with Naval Group. As part of the technology transfer pact, Naval Group offers technical support to MDL in the field of construction, integration and tests of submarines in India. The Scorpene Class Ships can be used to perform various tasks, including anti-surface, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering. Prior to delivery to the Navy, the submarine will be put through trials and tests, both in harbor and at sea. After the tests, equipment and machinery on-board will be integrated.

August 26/16: Leaked documents in relation to a new naval submarine for the Indian Navy were stolen from French manufacturer DCNS. The French government made the statement; adding that the information so far showed only operational aspects of the submarines. Both France and India have downplayed the security risk of the leak which has caused concerns over the future of a recently agreed upon $38 billion deal with Australia.

August 25/16: An inquiry into a leak of sensitive technical information of France’s Scorpene attack submarine is being planned by the French government. The leak surfaced in a report by an Australian newspaper who received 22,400 pages of ship builder DCNS’s company data on the six Scorpene boats it’s constructing for the Indian Navy. The company fears that such a leak may harm the company’s deal with Australia to design and build the Shortfin Barracuda A1 diesel-electric submarine.

October 30/15: The Indian Navy kicked off trials of the first of its Scorpene-class submarines on Thursday, with the future INS Kalvari launched from Mumbai shipyards to begin ten months of testing. Six Scorpene (also referred to as Project-75I) boats are due for delivery by 2020, with the Kalvari slated for commissioning next September. Indian state-owned Mazagon Docks Limited partnered with France’s DCNS to develop and build the submarines through a $3.6 billion contract signed in October 2005.

October 9/15: Janes reported that Indonesia is in talks with French shipyard DCNS over the possible sale of a Scorpene 1000 diesel-electric submarine, despite reports that the country’s parliament approved the acquisition of Russian-built Kilo-class boats in September. The Indonesian defense ministry is thought to be considering a purchase of five Russian subs, with the Indonesian Navy currently operating two South Korean-manufactured submarines, with another two on order. The littoral capabilities of the French design may be the reason for a split purchase, with the Russian boats intended for use in deep water. DCNS signed a partnership agreement with Indonesian shipyard PT Pal in November, which included marketing of the Scorpene 1000.

September 29/15: French and US firms have also reportedly begun discussions with the Indian Defence Ministry over possible collaboration for the Indian Navy’s future fleet of six nuclear attack submarines, known as Project-75(I). The discussions are reported to have taken place in July, with the Indian Defence Ministry now in a position to select a NATO partner over Russian assistance in the project. The country’s government is also considering whether to lease another Akula-class boat from Russia, with the Indian Defence Acquisition Council approving the acquisition of six new submarines in October 2014.

July 9/15: India is<href=”http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-in-talks-with-russia-to-lease-new-modern-world-class-nuclear-attack-submarine/articleshow/47980078.cms”> reportedly engaged in talks with Russia over a possible nuclear submarine leasing agreement. The topic is scheduled to be included on a list of topics to be discussed between India’s Modi and Vladimir Putin when the Indian PM visits Moscow next week. It is likely that instead of leasing a third Akula-class attack sub from the Russians to complement the existing leased subs, the Modi government will look to lease a more modern Yasen-class sub, or a customized variant of a different class. Russia recently announced that it will upgrade its own Akula-class fleet, also recently laying-down a fifth Yasen-class boat.

May 4/15: The Indian-manufactured INS Arihant nuclear SSBN is progressing well with sea trials, according to the Chief of the Indian Navy. Launched in 2009, the sub’s reactor went critical in August 2013 and is thought to have begun shakedown voyages from March last year. Based on the Russian Akula-1 design, the INS Arihant is India’s first indigenously-manufactured nuclear sub and a critical component of the country’s pursuit of a nuclear triad capability. In related news, the Indian MoD has restricted all future shipbuilding to domestic yards, with private shipyards having a potential workload of $3.2 billion over the next fifteen years.

Oct 24/14: Project 75i. India’s top-level Defence Acquisition Council clears INR 900 billion in acquisitions, including INR 530 billion for Project 75i to build 6 AIP submarines in India. The government intends to identify capable shipyards for the foreign partnership within the next 2 months, from among 7 major shipyards (4 of which are state-owned).

Wouldn’t it be better to have the outside partners identify their preferred shipyards, since their primary incentive is directed toward contract performance rather than the results of political lobbying? One might add that if the chosen submarine vendor ends up disagreeing with India’s shipyard choice, it’s only going to prolong negotiations whose late timing and contract structure already guarantee a force crisis for India’s submarine fleet.

Other DAC clearances today include 2 SDV underwater commando delivery vehicles; up to INR 32 billion to buy and license-build about 300 Spike family launcher systems and 8,000 missiles; INR 20 billion to have the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board build about 360 more BMP-2 tracked IFVs under license; and INR 18.5 billion for 12 more license-built Do-228NG short-range transport and maritime surveillance aircraft from HAL. Sources: NDTV, “6 Made-in-India Submarines for Navy for 53,000 Crores” | IANS, “Defence ministry clears Israeli anti-tank missile, six submarines”.

DAC Approval: Project 75i

Sept 7/14: Project 75i. Indian policymakers decide to cripple their strategic posture:

“Frustrated with seven years of debilitating delay in even kicking off the process to select a foreign collaborator to help make new-generation stealth submarines, the Navy has junked its long-standing demand for getting two of the six such vessels directly from aboard…. all the six new submarines, armed with both land-attack missile capabilities and air-independent propulsion for greater underwater endurance, will be constructed in India with foreign collaboration under ‘Project-75-India’….

Once the global tender or RFP (request for proposal) for P-75I is issued, it will take at least three years to first select the foreign collaborator and then finalize the project with it. It will thereafter take another seven to eight years for the first submarine to roll out.”

So, no tender. When there is one, we’re at 2017 for a winner. India will need to start retiring U209/ Shishumar Class submarines by 2016, or find an excuse to extend them past a 30-year safe lifespan. At the same time, 3 of the Navy’s early Kilo/ Sindhugosh Class boats would also be at or beyond a 30-year lifespan, for a total of 5 boats at risk this way before a Project 75i winner is even declared. Waiting another 8 years after a winner is declared brings us to 2025 for the 75i rollout, by which time all 4 U209s should be retired, and 8 of India’s 9 Kilo Class boats would have ages ranging from 34 – 39 years. Only INS Sindhushastra would be under the 30-year mark. That could leave India with its submarine force cut in half, when its current fleet of 13 is already acknowledged as inadequate to India’s strategic needs.

In contrast, here’s what strategic urgency that forced the original plan plus urgency looks like: an 2-phase RFP issued in late 2014, with an expeditious evaluation and a winner in 2015. There’s a commitment to build the first 2 boats abroad, with some Indian workers present on exchange, and a target for Indian participation that can be finalized while construction begins. That would add 2 more submarines to India’s fleet by around 2019; even if service cutoff is set at 33 years, India’s total fast attack submarine fleet would still have dropped from 13 to 11 boats. By 2025, if the 1st Indian-built Project 75i boat rolls out as planned, the type has already been through their long trials and exercise period, and can enter operational service before INS Shalki must decommission. It also sails into a reduced but modern fleet that has held steady at 10-12 front-line submarines: 6 Scorpene submarines, the Kilo Class INS Sindhushastra, the U209 Shankul and the soon-to-depart U209 INS Shalki, 2 Project 75i boats with fully trained crews, and a possible renewal of the nuclear-powered INS Chakra’s lease. Sources: The Times of India, “Delays force Navy to drop demand for foreign submarines”.

Program timelines and India’s sub fleet

June 23/14: Batteries. India’s government new has decided to take swift action to replace submarine battery stocks, as India works to keep its existing fleet in the water until 2016.

The Navy has issued an RFP to buy 7 Type-I battery sets (248 batteries each) for Russian-made Kilo-class submarines, plus 2 sets of Type-II batteries (540 batteries each) for their U209 Shishumar Class. They’re also buying new cables. The Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna needs those cables to become operational again, and the belief that old and dangerous battery sets may have played a role in Sindhurakshak’s sinking (q.v. Feb 26/14) has made it clear that the red tape blocking new buys needed to be cut.

What the report doesn’t say is whether a resolution was found for the fact that “the Defence Ministry had stopped purchases from a particular vendor.” One supposes that we won’t know until the RFP responses come in, but these sorts of considerations should have planners attention for the future Scorpene fleet as well. Sources: Mail Online India, “Centre rushes to buy new submarine batteries as Navy suffers shortage”.

June 5/14: Sindhurakshak raised. Resolve Marine Group begins raising INS Sinhurakshak (q.v. Jan 19/14), which has lain at the bottom of Mumbai harbor since explosions sank the Kilo Class submarine on Aug 14/13. After the harbor was dredged to be 8 feet deeper in that area, Resolve used a twin-barge technique that raises the boat using chains, sinks the carrier barge beneath the raised boat, lowers the submarine onto the sunken barge, then refloats the barge and carries the submarine away.

The is important to the entire fleet, and not just because it clears critical space in Mumbai harbor. If forensics reveal that the explosion was terrorism, India will need to overhaul its security procedures. If the problem involved unstable batteries that MoD couldn’t replace in a timely way (q.v. Feb 26/14), then the risk to the entire serving submarine force rises until this can be dealt with, and India’s naval crisis is even worse. Sources: India Today, “INS Sindhurakshak lifted from Mumbai harbour floor in massive salvage operation”.

June 2/14: New Man. The BJP’s Shri Arun Jaitley takes over as Defence Minister, while also holding the ministries of finance and corporate affairs. He himself says that MoD will be a temporary assignment, leading many observers to wonder what’s going on. The answer may lie in the Ministry of Finance’s repeated sabotaging of military modernization project approvals. The Times of India writes:

“The finance ministry is often blamed for being a “big obstacle” for military modernisation plans. But with Arun Jaitley straddling both MoF and MoD as of now, there is “hope” the “detailed action plan” for the submarine fleet will be swiftly cleared. Jaitley, on being asked by TOI if there was “a conflict of interest” in handling both the ministries, replied, “Well, I see it as supplementing of interest”…. Navy is down to just nine operational diesel-electric submarines, with another four stuck in long repairs and refits. All the 13 submarines are over 20 years old, while eight of them have crossed 25…. Though this over Rs 50,000 crore project[75i] was granted “acceptance of necessity” in November 2007, the global tender to select the foreign collaborator is yet to be even floated…. “Since early-April, it’s now again with MoF. The tender or RFP (request for proposal) can be issued only after first the MoF and then the cabinet committee on security approves it,” said a source.”

If a unified minister can get the Project 75i RFP out, finalize the Black Shark torpedo buy, and make a decision about India’s M-MRCA program, he could do a tremendous amount of good for India’s defenses in a very short time. Sources: Indian Gov’t, “Arun Jaitley takes over as Defence Minister” | India’s Economic times, “BJP men, others fail to find logic in alloting defence to Arun Jaitley” | Times of India, “Modi govt must act fast to save India’s depleting submarine fleet”.

May 15/14: Torpedoes & 75i. Ajai Shulka writes that the absence of a torpedo contract needs to be a priority for the new BJP government, if they want to avoid a situation where India’s new Scorpenes are defenseless against enemy submarines:

“Consequently, when the first Scorpene submarine is commissioned in 2016, it will be armed only with the Exocet anti-ship missile. Were it to be challenged by Pakistan’s silent new Khalid-class submarines – the French Agosta-90B -the Scorpene will have empty torpedo tubes. Even if the new government signs the contract quickly, delivery would be unlikely before 2017…. A top-level navy planner laments the MoD’s lack of accountability, contrasting it with how former navy chief, Admiral D K Joshi, took responsibility for warship accidents and resigned.”

Meanwhile, no upgrade and life-extension has been approved or contracted for India’s aging U209 boats, and Project 75i has no contract. When 75i is underway, it plans to entrust construction of 1 of 6 submarines to state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam (HSL) – the same yard that destroyed the Kilo Class INS Sindhukirti during a bungled refit. Building Project 75i in 2 Indian shipyards would also mean paying double for transfer of technology (ToT). On the other hand, it may speed badly-needed deliveries. If you can trust the 2nd shipyard to perform. Sources: India’s Business Standard, “Scorpene subs to join fleet without torpedoes” | See also March 11/13, Dec 23/13 re: torpedoes.

April 10/14: Sabotage? The Sindhuratna Board of Inquiry is reportedly recommending the court martial of a Commodore, and a notation of “severe displeasure” on the records of 2 mid-ranking officers. Another change at the top may be on the way, courtesy of India’s electorate. dna India, “Sindhuratna mishap: Navy Board of Inquiry recommends action against officers” | PTI, “Top Navy officer may face court martial in submarine mishap”.

April 9/14: Sabotage? A preliminary Board of Inquiry still isn’t ruling out sabotage, which was an immediate conclusion when the Kilo Class boat INS Sindhurakshak sank in August 2013. While the initial, minor explosion could have been an accident, malfunction, or human error, the major explosions are attributed to the torpedoes. Those supposedly can’t trigger without human intervention, but the old saw about making things foolproof always applies. More can’t be known until the submarine is fully salvaged around August 2014, and forensic tests can be performed. Sources: The Hindu, “Sindhurakshak may have been sabotaged: probe” | Hindustan Times, “INS Sindhurakshak fire: ‘Sabotage’ angle in report is disturbing”.

April 6/14: Kilo Fire. The Kilo Class boat INS Matanga catches fire while undergoing a refit at Mumbai’s Naval dockyard. It’s a minor incident, involving a contractor performing steel welding in the Sewage Treatment Plant compartment and causing insulating material in the adjacent compartment to smolder. This isn’t something that would happen at sea, and they put the fire out immediately. Deccan Chronicle, “Fire on board INS Matanga at the Naval dockyard in Mumbai, no causalities reported”.

Feb 26/14: Kilo Fire. The Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna experiences a fire during training near Mumbai, killing 2 officers and felling 7 sailors unconscious due to smoke inhalation. The problem was a smoke build-up in the Kilo Class submarine’s battery compartment – a problematic area that has been subject to procurement delays. The Times of India explains:

“TOI has learnt that the batteries on INS Sindhuratna were old and had not been replaced. “The batteries were not changed during its refit (maintenance) that was done in December 2013. The submarine is a diesel-electric vessel, which runs on battery power provided by 240 lead acid batteries weighing about 800 kg each. These batteries tend to release flammable hydrogen gas, especially when they are being charged, and submarines have safety systems to address emergencies arising out of this. Old batteries are even worse,” the source said.”

The submarine wasn’t fully loaded with weapons, which was extremely fortunate for all involved. Reuters adds:

“One former senior submariner describes a gridlock in which bureaucrats make “observations” and note their “reservations”, but make no decisions to buy or replace equipment for fear of being implicated in corruption scandals. “No one wants to touch the damn thing,” he said, noting that delays also cause procurement costs to escalate.”

In response, chief admiral DK Joshi resigns. Joshi is known as a very upright character, and he’s upholding an important tradition by his actions, while also reportedly expressing his own dissatisfaction with the MoD. It’s certainly convenient for some politicians to have him take the blame, but that may not be where the real problem is. Sources: Hindustan Times, “INS Sindhuratna mishap: Navy chief resigns as 2 go missing, 7 injured” | Firstpost India, “INS Sindhuratna: Report on battery system overhaul will haunt AK Antony” | NDTV, “Two officers died in fire on board submarine INS Sindhuratna, confirms Navy” | Reuters, “UPDATE 1-Navy setbacks show defence challenges facing next Indian govt” | Times of India, “Major mishap averted as INS Sindhuratna wasn’t fully loaded”.

Feb 6/14: Project 75i. Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau says that they’ve made progress adding vertical launchers to their newest Amur-1650 submarines, in order to incorporate Klub-S (SS-N-27B/30B) missiles that offer various combinations of subsonic and even terminal supersonic anti-ship, land-attack, and anti-submarine variants. Chief designer Igor Molchanov believes that they could install tubes for Brahmos missiles, without compromising the submarine’s capabilities.

He also made a pitch for Rubin’s own AIP solution, which cracks diesel fuel to obtain its hydrogen instead of storing the highly explosive gas on board. The Amurs are expected to compete against France’s Scorpene, Germany’s U214 or stretched U216, and Spain’s S-80. sources: RIA Novosti, “Russia Prepared to Modify Submarines for Indian Tender”.

Jan 19/14: Kilo Salvage? India has reportedly received 2 RFP responses for a DSRV rescue submarine, in case there’s another submarine emergency. Meanwhile:

“After an exhaustive study, an empowered committee of the Indian Navy has submitted to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that to salvage the sunk, Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhurakshak, will cost upto [sic] Rs 300 crore. However, the MOD is yet to respond. It was learnt that a final decision on this is now being awaited since the MoD is ‘vetting the entire proposal’. It was also learnt that the navy has recommended a particular firm in its report to the MoD.”

That’s about $50 million, and even after paying it, the boat probably can’t be returned to service. On the other hand, no salvage means that the Board of Inquiry is stalled, which matters because there are strong suspicions that she was sunk by a terrorist attack (q.v. Aug 14/13). The sunken sub is also taking up an important berth in Mumbai’s crowded naval base.

Resolve Marine Group subsidiary Resolve India ends up winning the order in February 2014, with a bid described as “under Rs 240 crore” (around $40 million). Sources: India Today, “Salvaging INS Sindhurakshak to cost upto Rs 300 crore, navy tells MoD” [sic] | Times of India, “Indian arm of US company wins Sindhurakshak salvage
bid”.

Jan 19/14: Accident. The Kilo Class boat INS Sindhughosh runs aground while trying to enter Mumbai Harbour. Its entry was delayed, and by the time it was cleared, the tide was too low. Salvage efforts rescue the sub by floating it off as the tide rises.

The Indian Navy is initially saying that there was no damage, and that the submarine remains operational. It’s hard to see how this can be determined without a drydock examination, but so far, no decision has been made to do that. Or to launch a Board of Inquiry. Sources: India Today: “Navy salvages submarine INS Sindhughosh stuck off Mumbai coast” | Calcutta Telegraph, “Armed sub scare”.

Kilo aground

Jan 18/14: Torpedoes. India’s DAC may have cleared the INR 18 billion buy of 98 WASS Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes, but the Ministry of Defense has cold feet after the Jan 1/14 cancellation of fellow Finmeccanica Group AgustaWestland’s AW101 VVIP helicopter contract, and is “doing a rethink.”

Finmeccanica won’t be blacklisted, because it would affect too many other Indian programs and fleets. State-sector delays have already pushed the initial Scorpene delivery back to September 2016, so the MoD can afford to dither. Even so, the AW101 court case will take a while, and a decision will probably be needed while it’s still in progress. The Indian Navy is just lucky the submarines weren’t delivered on time, then forced to go without torpedoes. Which may still happen, unless the Ministry is forced into action. Sources: Times of India, “Defence ministry reviews move to buy torpedoes”.

2013

More costs, and more delays, all preventable; BrahMos can launch underwater, just not deploy; Torpedo buy hung up; China buying more advanced Russian subs.

BrahMos
click for video

Dec 23/13: Torpedoes. India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approves an INR 18 billion proposal to buy WASS Black Shark torpedos for the Scorpenes. The decision comes a week before the government decides to cancel a different Finmeccanica group contract for AW101 VVIP helicopters, which is about to become a strongly-contested court case. Sources: The Week, “Proposal to buy torpedos from AW’s sister company”.

Dec 17/13: Project 75i. With its submarine force waning, the Indian MoD announces that 2 of the coming Project 75i submarines will be built abroad:

“Based upon the Naval HQ proposal, Defence Acquisition Council has taken a decision that P-75 I project will have 4 submarines (out of six) built within the country (03 at Mazgaon Dock Limited, Mumbai and 01 at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, on Transfer of Technology, and two to be built in collaborator’s yard abroad.”

Nov 30/13: Scorpene supplemental. France is reportedly offering India an interesting deal. DCNS would build 2 Scorpene submarines in France, for delivery that would coincide with the induction of India’s 1st locally-built boat. In 1 stroke, they’d give India’s navy enough working modern submarines to meet naval commitments, until the rest of the Scorpenes arrive in service.

France is also reportedly pushing to have India make a 2nd-generation fuel cell MESMA system India’s official “Plan B,” in case DRDO can’t meet its 2015 delivery commitment for an indigenous Air-Independent Propulsion supplementary system. Extensive testing requirements for AIP systems all but guarantee that DRDO’s AIP is already late, but DRDO insists as usual that they’re on track this time. Their preferred approach is to wait until official failure in 2015 before beginning any decisions. Which would, of course, hold up construction of submarines #5 & 6, further crippling India’s submarine fleet, while India’s bureaucrats and politicians take their customary years to make a decision.

DRDO is correct to worry that acceptance of MESMA AIPs in the last 2 contracted boats would badly damage hopes for a DRDO-led AIP retrofit of the first 4 Scorpenes. It would also strengthen DCNS’ position for Project 75i, of course, by offering fleet commonality, while proving that MDL is already trained to accomplish MESMA AIP fit-outs. Sources: Livefist, “France Offers 2 Quick Scorpenes, DCNS ‘Worried’ About DRDO’s AIP”.

Aug 26/13: Project 75i. In the wake of the Sindhurakshak’s sinking, Indian media report that the country may look to lease a 2nd nuclear submarine from Russia. On the SSK front, the Times of India reports that defense minister A K Antony may be rethinking the Ministry’s slowness, and consider compromising his own renewed push toward an all-indigenous procurement policy.

In India, this consists of asking bureaucrats to kindly expedite the Project 75i building plan, 14 years after the program was approved to go forward. The paper reports that a Draft CCS Note with required specifications, concrete building plans, etc. will be sent to the Cabinet Committee of Security in “a month or so,” and that it contains the Navy’s requested provision that the 1st 2 submarines would be built abroad. If CCS approval leads to a fast contract, it’s entirely possible that India could have 2 operational Project 75i submarines before it has 2 operational Project 75 Scorpenes. That would shore up the submarine force quickly, but it would also be embarrassing.

The rest of Antony’s reaction consists of chest-beating about no more schedule slippages at state-owned Mazagon Docks Ltd., and calls for better and “faster” refits and maintenance for the shrunken 13-sub fleet – 11 of which are 20-27 years old. Can the Minister guarantee either outcome? No. Are they even technically achievable? If he knew, he would have been doing it already. Sources: Times of India, “Submarine shock: Antony fast-tracks projects”.

Aug 14/13: Sunk. An explosion and fire sink the Kilo Class INS Sindhurakshak while the boat is docked in Mumbai, killing 18 people on board. Firemen manage to contain the blaze to the submarine, so it doesn’t end up sinking the submarine docked next to it as well. The explosion happens the day before India’s independence day, and the comprehensiveness of the damage leaves observers inside and outside India considering the possibility that it was a terrorist plot.

Whether it was or it wasn’t, India’s fleet just lost its 2nd newest submarine. Sources: India’s Business Standard, “INS Sindhurakshak crippled; experts blame battery fire and ammunition explosion” | The Hindu, “Submarine blasts due to ‘possible ignition of armament'” | Hindustan Times, “Russia distances itself from India sub disaster”

Explosion

July 23/13: Late, again. MDL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral Rahul Kumar Shrawat (ret.) confirms to The Hindu that “We have set a new target of September 2016 for delivery of the first Scorpene,” instead of the already-late date of 2015. Deliveries were originally slated to begin in 2012, and the latest confession won’t win many fans in the Indian Navy. The Hindu:

“The Navy, however, is livid over the yard’s persistent disregard for deadlines. Top Navy officials rue that by the time the Scorpenes are commissioned, they would be obsolete. The first three Scorpenes will not even have air independent propulsion (AIP)…. MDL’s long-drawn procurement processes and sluggishness in technology absorption gave the projects hiccups at the start itself. Meanwhile, the project cost grew exponentially from the original Rs.18,798 crore to Rs. 23,562 crore in 2010 with a renewed timeline.”

May 14/13: The Hindustan Times illustrates the dire situation facing India’s navy, due to mismanagement of India’s submarine programs:

“As reported first by HT on April 9, a confidential defence ministry report had warned that India had never before been poised in such a vulnerable situation and its undersea force levels were “at a highly precarious state.” …China operates close to 45 submarines, including two ballistic missile submarines. It also plans to construct 15 additional Yuan-class attack submarines, based on German diesel engine purchases.

The size of India’s submarine fleet will roughly be the same as that of the Pakistani Navy in two years…. merely six to seven submarines, including India’s first and only nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant.”

That may be a bit pessimistic. The 4 U209s will need to begin retiring, leaving 10 Sindhugosh (Kilo) Class submarines that began entering service in 1986. At least 8 of those have been refitted under Project 08773, and can be expected to serve for several more years. That makes 9 submarines, but at Indian operational levels, that leaves just 3-4 boats available for missions. On the other hand, China’s fleet is venturing into the Indian Ocean more often, and bases like Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Gwadar in Pakistan will make that easier and easier. Keeping up with Pakistan won’t be enough, and the article is correct to point out that India is barely clearing even that low bar. Hindustan Times.

April 15/13: More delays and costs coming. The Times of India reports that bureaucratic delays by the Ministry of Defence may force Scorpene submarine deliveries to start in 2016, even as costs are set to rise again:

“According to sources, Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) has informed the Navy that the project would be delayed by another 18 months…. Consultants from Navantia, the Spanish shipbuilding company, left the project in the last few days. The technical assistance pact for Navantia and DCNS, the French partner in the consortium, expired on March 31, sources said. With MDL failing to get the defence ministry’s approval in time, about 10 Spanish consultants working on the submarine project left India…. DCNS leadership is expected to meet with MDL top brass this week in Mumbai and present their own demand for additional technical assistance fee.”

Every problem listed here was preventable, and so is the crisis coming to India’s submarine force. A contract that built the first 2 boats abroad, with Indian engineers and specialists working at the foreign shipyard before transferring home to build the last 4 at MDL, would have cut technical assistance requirements, while delivering working submarines to the navy on time. India’s Navy has learned that lesson, and is lobbying hard for an analogous arrangement under Project 75i. Based on reports to date, the ministry hasn’t learned anything, and is resisting. Its political leaders would rather have the vote bank of state run jobs, and their associated financial arrangements up and down the supply chain. Even if that costs more, and leaves India strategically vulnerable. Somehow, that isn’t corruption.

March 20/13: BrahMos underwater. India successfully tests its supersonic PJ-10 Brahmos Mach 2+ cruise missile from a submarine. BrahMos joint venture CEO A Sivathanu Pillai describes it as the 1st underwater firing of a supersonic cruise missile anywhere in the world, and the missile successfully hit its target 290 km / 156 nm away.

Here’s the catch: none of India’s current submarines can fire the new submarine-launched missile. It’s too big to launch from a torpedo tube, and will need to use a vertical launch tube with the correct diameter. India’s Project 75i submarines are nearly certain to add this modification, but they won’t be ready until 2023 at the earliest, a decade after a submarine-launch Brahmos conducted its 1st test firing.

New Indian Express editorial director Prabhu Chawla attributes this disconnect to poor planning in the MoD. The truth is that there has been no shortage of planning, or lead time. Solicitations for the follow-on Project 75i reportedly began in 2008, and there is still no RFP. Likewise Air-Independent Propulsion was discussed in 2006, but the ball has been dropped and it’s unlikely to appear in any of the 6 ordered Scorpene submarines. What has been in short supply is timely execution, thanks to a combination of delays stemming from MoD practices, industrial failures, and hindrances put in place by politicians. No amount of planning can trump that. Times of India | Chawla op-ed.

March 18/13: Legal. India PIB:

“A complaint was received alleging financial irregularities against the then Director in-charge of Scorpene Submarine project in a Defence Shipyard. The complaint is under enquiry.”

March 11/13: Torpedoes. Defense minister Antony offers a written Parliamentary reply to say that India still hasn’t finalized a contract for torpedoes. A Special Technical Oversight Committee (STOC) was convened to review the complaints about the proposed Black Shark buy, and approved it as fair and to procedure. In other words, no wrongdoing. The high-level political Defence Acquisition Committee accepted the report in September 2012 (6 months ago), and has done… nothing. The purchase has now been delayed for over 3 years.

Welcome to India. Part of the reason involves allegations that WASS’ parent firm Finmeccanica paid bribes to secure a contract for 12 AW101 VVIP helicopters. In Italy, its CEO is facing bribery charges, and has been deposed. That sort of thing could get the parent firm blacklisted, which would also scuttle the torpedo buy, and could make it difficult for India to build its Vikrant Class indigenous aircraft carriers. As of March 11/13, Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland has been given a ‘show cause’ notice regarding cancellation of the AW101s, but did not have the contract cancelled until January 2014. No blacklisting will follow. See also Jan 12/10, Jan 31/11, Oct 28/12. India PIB.

March 8/13: China. An analysis piece in The Hindu by Vladimir Radyuhin points out that China continues to build a modern submarine fleet – including the most advanced conventional subs from Russia. The problem may be a pervasive one, stemming from poor Russian delivery and support on one hand, and India’s red-tape slowness and inability to make decisions on the other:

“At the end of last year, Russia concluded a framework agreement with China for the sale of four Amur-1650 diesel submarines…. It will also mark the first time that Russia has supplied China with more powerful weapon platforms compared with Russian-built systems India has in its arsenals. In the past, the opposite was the rule…. India risks being eclipsed by China on the Russian radar screens. As Russia’s top business daily Kommersant noted recently, even today, Russian officials from top to bottom tend to look at India with “drowsy apathy,” while Mr. Putin’s visit to India last year was long on “meaningless protocol” and short on time and substance.”

Jan 4/13: Investigation. India’s Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has launched an inquiry against Commodore (ret.) Gopal Bharti, who heads up Project 75. The inquiry is in response to an unnamed internal whistleblower. The financial irregularities which include train fare reimbursement and taking his son abroad at public expense, aren’t earth-shattering. On the other hand, the CVC is investigating allegations that Bharti deliberately refused to place orders for 170 critical items, and are curious about the disappearance of 15 high pressure specialized underwater valves from his department.

Innocent until proven guilty, but the range of allegations are pretty broad. Times of India.

2012

India gambles on own AIP system – will it even be ready?; Kilo Class upgrades done; Project 75i gets official OK, but no RFP; India looking for land strike missiles on 75i subs.

Pakistan’s A90Bs
click for video

Dec 4/12: AIP. StratPost offers an AIP system update from Indian Navy chief, Admiral D.K. Joshi

“AIP plugs for the fifth and sixth of (Project) 75 are under consideration. [DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL)] has been tasked to develop that. It is doing so. What is to be seen is whether the… timeline Matches the delayed production timelines of (Project) 75. In case this comes online in conformity with the fifth and sixth ones they will be put into place, but if for some reason they are not ready at that point in time we would not delay the production timelines…. This would [also] become an option for any of the subsequent indigenous options [Project 75i]…. The next line will have an AIP plug.”

Meanwhile, all 3 of Pakistan’s comparable Agosta 90B submarines will include DCNS’ mature MESMA AIP technology.

Dec 5/12: Project 75i. India’s cabinet Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for buying “Project 75i”, India’s next 6 submarines. A global RFP is reportedly due “very soon,” and the Indian government has reportedly decided to spend up to $10 billion/ Rs 55,000 crore on India’s future submarine force.

Project 75i diesel-electric SSK subs will have air-independent propulsion, and India is also looking to equip them with conventional land attack missiles. DCNS could offer the AIM-2000 Scorpene with the MESMA AIP, and might be able to offer integration of MBDA’s developmental MdCN cruise missile. The MdCN is already slated for DCNS’ SSN Barracuda Class nuclear fast attack submarines, and the right electronic commonalities could give any French proposal a notable advantage over German and Spanish competitors.

If India prefers its own BrahMos missile, on the other hand, 2 things will happen. One is that the playing field will be level. The other is that any submarine chosen would have to be a modified design, with vertical launch tubes sized for BrahMos. Indian government | Zee News.

Oct 28/12: Torpedoes. More headaches for India’s Black Shark torpedo buy. As if their direct competitor’s complaint wasn’t enough, a probe is now underway into India’s EUR 560 million purchase of 12 AW101 VIP helicopters. AgustaWestland is also a Finmeccanica company, and there are several cases of India’s blacklist laws being invoked against firms on the basis of mere corruption allegations, with no available proof.

The Rs 1,700 crore buy of 98 torpedoes for the Scorpene fleet was expected to be followed by a similar buy for Project 75i’s 6 submarines, and possibly a 3rd buy to plus up stocks and equip the new SSBN Arihant Class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. That could mean a total of up to Rs 5,100 crore, or about EUR 733 million / $947 million at risk given current conversions.

As for Atlas Elektronik’s claims that the torpedo bid was rigged (vid. Jan 31/11 entry), the Indian MoD’s Acquisitions Wing, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju have all rejected the claims, despite strong circumstantial evidence. India MoD | India’s Business Standard.

July 17/12: Sub-contractors. SEC Industries and DCNS today officially inaugurate new 1,500 m2 of workshop facilities at SEC’s Hyderabad facilities, and formally deliver cofferdam door coamings after successful Factory Acceptance Tests. The work was done under a September 2011 sub-contract between SEC DCNS India Pvt Ltd., and a second sub-contract for additional work was signed in 2012 (vid. March 23/12 entry). DCNS.

June 23/12: Kilo Class. Russia completes its set of 7 mid-life refits and modernizations of India’s Kilo Class submarine fleet, which were delivered from 1986 – 2000. Russia handled repairs and modernization for 7 boats, while Indian shipyards have delivered 1 and are working on another 2.

This last boat, INS Sindhurakshak ended her mid-life refit in Zvezdochka about 15 years after she was built. A submarine’s expected safe lifetime is usually about 30 years, but India may be forced to contemplate a 2nd refit series. Ortherwise, they may not be able to keep their overall submarine fleet at acceptable levels, while they wait for Scorpenes and Project 75i boats arrive. Additional refit efforts generally cost more for each additional year of safe service delivered. The Hindu.

June 11/12: Industrial. DCNS signs a strategic partnership for bringing DCNS technologies, methods and skills into India’s private Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company Limited. Pipavav is a shipbuilder, repair & dry-docking firm, and were recently chosen by MDL to form a Joint Venture to build warships for the Indian Navy. DCNS.

March 23/12: Sub-contractors. DCNS India announces a Scorpene sub-contract and transfer of technology with SEC Industries Pvt Ltd of Hyderabad, India. The deal for hull hatches, cofferdam doors, knuckle hoses, ballast vent valves, High Pressure air cylinders, weapon handling and storage system is worth about Rs 310 crore/ EUR 50 million. To make this work, DCNS will provide SEC with full plans for the components, training for over 40 SEC personnel at DCNS facilities during 2012-2013, plus 5 years of on-the-job training and support for manufacturing and quality control at SEC in Hyderabad.

SEC is known in Indian defense circles as a manufacturer of missile airframes and components, and signed a deal with Israel’s IAI back in 2008. The company’s previous experience had been with heavy pump set and road-roller equipment. DCNS.

March 19/12: Delays. The 1st Indian Scorpene sub is now confirmed as scheduled for delivery in June 2015, barring further delays, and program cost is now confirmed at Rs 23,562 crore (currently about $4.56 billion).

The original schedule was for delivery by December 2012, with submarines arriving each year until December 2017. The new official schedule has deliveries beginning 2.5 years later in June 2015, with submarines arriving every 9 months until September 2018. Costs are up about 25.4% from the original CAG-audited cost of Rs 18,798 crore after the deal was signed, or 87% over the program’s initial 2002 figure. Indian MoD | New Kerala | PTI.

Jan 14/12: Fleet readiness. The Hindu reports that construction of India’s 2nd Arihant Class submarine, Aridamana, leaves it slated for launch in late 2012 or early 2013. Fabrication of the 3rd ATV submarine has begun. Meanwhile, unnamed sources in the Indian Navy continue to express concern about the country’s silent service:

“The decline in the operational availability of submarines [as low as 40 per cent] has seriously compromised the force’s vital sea denial capability. The absence of Air Independent Propulsion… is another debilitating factor.”

What this means is that if India has 12 operational submarines (9 Kilo, 4 U209, 1 in refit at any time), it would only be able to field 4-5 boats in an emergency situation.

2011

Inquiry into Black Shark torpedo buy; Scorpenes will be late; Do India’s U209s need life extensions now?; Navy wants Project 75i to be a mix of foreign and locally-built, in order to be on time; State-run stranglehold on Indian defense industry; MDL-Pipavav public-private JV to build and service warships.

Sept 13/11: Industrial. Private shipbuilder Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company (PDOL) and state-owned Mazagon Dock (MDL) agree to form India’s first public-private partnership venture to build warships and submarines for the Indian Navy.

Mazagon Dock Pipavav Ltd will be held 50/50, and it will help MDL fulfill existing orders while competing for future defence contracts in India. Pipavav chairman Nikhil P Gandhi is quoted as saying that it’s “primarily to fast-forward the process of warships and submarine contracts held currently by the MDL.” India’s Financial Express | Indian Express.

July 29/11: Rear Admiral MT Moraes takes over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Submarines) at Delhi, to look after the planning and acquisition of submarines.

Rear Admiral Srikant is also slated to take over as Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) based at Visakhapatnam, this is the indian Navy’s class authority on submarines, responsible for defining standards, policies and procedures for their operations and maintenance. Rear Admiral G Ashok Kumar will take over as Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. India MoD.

June 8/11: Sub-contractor. DCNS India Pvt. Ltd. signs an undisclosed contract with Flash Forge India Pvt. Ltd., an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer of customized special material forgings based in Visakhapatnam.

This first contract with Flash Forge for the manufacturing of mechanical equipment is the conclusion of a long process for DCNS, which involved identification of potential partners, audits of the manufacturing and quality processes, qualification, and then a competitive Request For Proposal (RFP). With a lot of the advance work out of the way, DCNS expects to announce other local contracts in the near future. DCNS.

June 6/11: IANS relays a report in the May 2011 issue of India Strategic, quoting DCNS India Managing Director Bernard Buisson to say that 2 Scorpene combat systems have been delivered to Mazagon Docks Ltd. (MDL). They’re in the process of integrating the first one.

Buisson reportedly said that there are about 20 – 25 French engineers assisting in technology transfer, and added that DCNS has had technical discussions with the Indian Navy on installing MESMA air independent propulsion (AIP) systems on board the last 2 submarines. That move would raise the subs’ cost, and DCNS said they are (still) awaiting the Navy’s response. IANS | India Strategic.

May 18/11: Delays. The Times of India reports that 2 Indian naval crews will be going to France “after some months” to train for operating the SSK Scorpene fast attack submarines. The article notes that by 2020, India’s fleet will comprise just 5 Kilo Class and 4 U209 Shishumar class boats available, and quotes an unnamed official:

“We now hope to get the first Scorpene by August 2015. Each submarine will have just a 36-member crew since automation levels in them are very high,”… “The first Scorpene will be ‘launched’ into water in 2013, and will be ready for commissioning by August 2015 after extensive harbour and sea trials,” said a top DCNS official. “The target is to deliver the sixth submarine by 2018, one every nine months after the first one in 2015. The third and fourth submarines are already under construction at MDL…”

April 6/11: Stretch the Shishumars? The Scorpene project’s lateness, and uncertainties around Project 75I award and delivery dates, have led India’s Navy to talk with Germany’s HDW about upgrading the capabilities, and extending the lifespans, of its existing U209 Shishumar Class boats, inducted from 1989-1994. Zee News.

Feb 16/11: P75i. Indian media quote Indian navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, who reiterates that the follow-on program to the Scorpene deal is already cleared by India’s government. The result could add 6 more Scorpenes to the order books, or it could result in a parallel program to build another model. With 7 of India’s 14 active submarines due for retirement by 2015, and the Scorpene program 3 years late because of self-inflicted delays, the Indian government’s unwise choice to avoid building any Project 75 Scorpene submarines in France has created a looming crisis for the Navy.

Verma says that the Navy is going through responses to the September 2009 RFI, and hopes to be able to issue a tender in 2011. Responses have reportedly included DCNS (Scorpene AIP), Germany’s HDW (U214) and its Swedish Kockums subsidiary (several options, incl. the forthcoming A26 design), Navantia (S-80), and Russia’s Rosoboronexport (Amur 1650), He adds that Project 75i is looking for an improved combat management system, better sensors and detection range, and the certain inclusion of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology. Reports place the order total at $11 billion, but that seems high even if it includes both the current $4.38 billion for Project 75’s 6 subs, and a Project 75i program for another 6 diesel-electric boats. Time will tell.

The current plan is for India to order 2 submarines built at the winning foreign shipyard, and build 3 at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, and 1 at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakaphatnam. That’s similar to the Project 75 plan pushed by India’s Navy, who wanted 2 boats built abroad because they feared that delays and performance issues might create problems for the Scorpene. Political favoritism overruled that request, and the feared scenario has come to pass. This time, the government is showing slightly more flexibility, by approving the plan to have 2 submarines built abroad in order to avoid a complete crash in fleet numbers. On the other hand, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) refused to accept the recommendation the Project 75i avoid MDL, due to that shipyard’s existing workload. Instead, the government assumes that it would be able to build 3 more submarines, which may even be of a different type, on an accelerated production schedule, while still delivering all 6 Project 75 Scorpene boats to the revised schedule. Yeah, right. IANS | Times of India.

Jan 31/11: Torpedo trouble? India’s Central Vigilance Commissioner has opened an inquiry into Project 75’s planned buy of 98 heavyweight torpedoes, after Atlas Elektronik GmbH executive director Kai Pelzer reportedly lodged a direct complaint. The complaint refers reportedly refers to irregularities in the conduct of the procurement process, including specific charges of corruption. The CVC inquiry was ordered in December 2010.

Atlas Electroniks’ complaint is straightforward: the competition was rigged. The RFP makes the torpedo vendor responsible for seamless integration and/or interface of the torpedo with the SUBTICS combat system. The Finmeccanica/DCNS Blackshark is the Scorpene’s default torpedo, but Atlas had to have their plan approved by the MoD’s Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC). That approval was given, but Atlas’ integration proposal was failed in the user trials. India’s DPP, Para 13, doesn’t allow requirements that “prejudice the technical choices by being narrow and tailor made.” The TEC’s approval escaped that trap, but Para 70a allows only one remaining vendor after trials. Atlas says this was the Navy’s intent all along.

The inquiry suspends India’s planned buy of Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes from Finmeccanica subsidiary Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquel (WASS), until this can be sorted out. Atlas Elektronik Gmbh was offering their DM2A4 Seahake. Both torpedoes feature advanced seeker heads, and can be controlled by a trailing fiber optic cable. Defense World | Economic Times of India | Subsequent Business Standard coverage.

Jan 18/11: Industrial. India’s Economic Times sums up the latest revisions to India’s Defence Procurement Policy, amid hopes that the stranglehold of state-run firms on major Indian defense contracts might be loosened:

“…(DPP) 2011 has made it clear that the state-owned companies will get preference while awarding major defence contracts. Private sector will get certain concessions, but the situation has not gone down well with the players… According to DPP 2011, foreign defence vendors can now discharge their offset obligations in the civil aviation, internal security and training sectors, compared to the earlier mandate of discharging the same in the defence industrial sector only… The minister also brushed away concerns that the new policy guidelines related to the capital intensive shipbuilding industry favoured the defence PSUs, in spite of the demonstrated ability of private sector companies, such as Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Pipavav Shipyard in recent years… L&T, which has invested millions on its state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility at Hazira, was promised a critical role in developing and manufacturing India’s second submarine line, Project 75I, along with the state-owned PSU Mazagon Dock, but was later sidelined… The new policy – which has divided procurement into two different sections – mandates that the DPSU shipyards will be given contracts on a nominated (non-competitive) basis, while the private shipyards will have to participate through a competitive bidding process. Further, it remains the government’s call to decide which contract should be open to competitive bids in the first place, raising questions of whether the government is queering the pitch further.”

2010

Costs rise, delivery slips; India picks WASS Black Shark torpedoes.

December 2010: Torpedoes, etc. WASS (Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei) has launched its first subsidiary in India: Win Blue Water Services (WBWS)/ It will focus on naval equipment, market research and analysis, supporting offset and supply chain management, and creating a service hub for the Middle East and Asia.

WASS has operated in India since 1975. Their A244/S light torpedo recently received an Indian contract to upgrade their stocks to Mod 3, and their Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) partnership is producing the C303 anti-torpedo countermeasures system, which is already 50% indigenized. The firm sees opportunities in artificial underwater targets, underwater surveillance systems for strategic areas and offshore energy production, etc. The more work it does, the more value it can count toward Indian requirements for industrial offsets, and the more it can compete with “indigenous” products for the Indian Navy. WBWS is planning to start joint ventures for its different domains, and is in the process of discussions with Indian companies including Larsen & Toubro. India Strategic.

Dec 2/10: Delays. The headline reads “After delays, Scorpene submarine now on track: Navy chief.” Unfortunately, the IANS article doesn’t offer many specifics to support that contention, so it’s hard to evaluate.

Nov 30/10: P75i. India’s PTI reports that Russia’s Rosoboronexport will offer the latest Amur-1650 class submarines to India for Project 75i, the follow-on tender for 6 new submarines that will either extend or complement the current Scorpene contract.

The Amur is known as the Lada class in Russia, and renaming it the “Amur” for export is probably a good idea, in case anyone still remembers those infamous Lada automobiles. The new class was developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Naval Technology as an improvement to the Project 636 Advanced Kilo-class diesel-electric fast attack submarines, and is said to be even quieter. The 1,765t Amur 1650 variant is larger than the Amur 950 model, and has an option for air independent propulsion. It lacks the 950’s 10 vertical launch tubes, relying instead on 6 reloadable torpedo tubes.

Sept 29/10: Industrial. An Asia Times article, “Leaks in India’s submarine strategy,” says that the submarine construction program has changed:

“India is in the process of getting six Scorpene subs… to be built at the Mazagon facility in Mumbai… but this procurement is experiencing a slowdown. Mazagon Docks in Mumbai will construct three of the six, Hindustan Shipyard Ltd in Visakhapatnam will construct one, and the other two may be procured from foreign sources or built by another private shipyard in India.

“The delivery of the first of the French Scorpenes, which was supposed to enter service in December 2012, has been delayed. Antony addressed this situation in parliament only a few weeks back. This will clearly impact upon India’s undersea force levels,” said [Observer Research Foundation senior fellow Dr. Rajeswar] Rajagopalan. “India has about 35 private shipyards, of which L&T [Larsen & Toubro Ltd] and Pipavav are believed to be competing to build the two submarines, of the six planned.”

The report adds that shrinkage of India’s operational submarine fleet may even force 2 submarines to DCNS shipyards, so they can be delivered and become operational in time. As of March 2012, however, India has done none of these things – just added more overhead and reports, and pushed delivery back.

March 10/10: Costs. DefenseWorld reports that the Indian government has approved another Rs 2,000 crore for the Project 75 Scorpene submarine program, to cover the purchase of contractor-supplied MPM equipment packages for the Project 75 Scorpene submarines.

Negotiations over the price increase have been stalled since October 2005, which has delayed the Project 75 program by 2 years.

Extra for equipment packages

April 26/10: Delays. Sify News quotes a Parliamentary response by defence minister Antony regarding the Scorpenes:

“A programme of construction of six Scorpene submarines is currently underway at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) under transfer of technology from a French company. As per the contract, the first submarine was scheduled to be delivered in December 2012 and thereafter one each every year till December 2017… There has been a delay due to initial teething problems, absorption of technology and augmentation of MDL purchased material. The first submarine is now expected to be delivered in the second half of 2015… The delay in scheduled delivery of submarines is likely to have an impact on the envisaged [submarine] force level… However, the gap in submarine capacity has been addressed by modernisation with the state-of-the-art weapon and sensor fit on the existing submarines…”

See: Sify News | Indian MoD – less detailed.

March 30/10: WIL partnership. An Indian PR Wire release by Walchandnagar Industries quotes DCNS Chairman Patrick Boissier, who was speaking after the unveiling of the “Vinod Doshi Technology Center”:

“Said that the company which was Europe’s leading company in , ship building , off shore patrol vessels and Submarine manufacturing and valued at Euros 2.5 billion had signed an MOU with WIL last year manufacturing of critical technical parts for Scorpene” submarines for the Indian Navy… Walchandnagar Industries was identified for the project after we scouted for strategic partners and we were convinced that they would provide us the with High level technology for critical manufacturing components, he added “Talking about our future plans is premature, but it is possible in the long term to work with Walchandnagar Industry for world markets after our project in India is completed as we have a 30 % market share in Submarine manufacturing.”

While the release adds a piece to the industrial puzzle, careful reading of Mr. Boissier’s statement shows no commitment made.

Jan 12/10: Torpedoes. India’s MoD picks the DCNS/Finmeccanica WASS Blackshark heavyweight torpedo to arm its Scorpene Class submarines. The Blackshark is the standard torpedo offered with the class, and already serves with Malaysia’s Scorpene. India’s total buy is projected at 98 torpedoes, for Rs 1,700 crore, but there is no contract yet.

Their competitor was Atlas Elektronik, who supplies the SUT-B torpedoes that arm India’s upgraded U209 Sindhugosh Class. Atlas’ new DM2 A4 Seahake, which has demonstrated very long range engagements, would have been the torpedo used on the Scorpenes. Source.

Torpedo picked

2009

CAG auditors unimpressed with Project 75; More money needed; India’s submarine readiness problem.

Dec 2/09: Delays. The Indian government confirms earlier reports, via a written reply to a Parliamentary question:

“As per contract signed with Mazagaon Docks Limited (MDL), first Scorpene submarine is scheduled to be delivered in December 2012 and thereafter, one each every year till December 2017. On account of some teething problems, time taken in absorption of technology and delays in augmentation of industrial infrastructure and procurement of MDL purchased materials (MPM), slippage in the delivery schedule is expected. Delay in scheduled delivery of submarines is likely to have an impact on the envisaged submarine force levels [for the Navy as a whole]. Loss on account of the delayed delivery is difficult to quantify at this stage.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Prabhat Jha and Shri Prakash Javadekar in Rajya Sabha today.”

Aug 29/09: Costs. The Times of India reports that the Defence Acquisitions Council has decided to approach the Cabinet Committee on Security to approve a EUR 300 million (about Rs 2,000 crore) cost spike for the French ‘MDL procured material (MPM) packages,’ from a EUR 400 in 2005 to EUR 700 million now. The MPM packages go inside the hulls being produced by Magazon Docks Ltd., and reportedly include virtually all major systems connected with sensors, propulsion, and other systems.

Contracts signed to date include the October 2005 Rs 6,315 crore contract with DCNS’ predecessor for transfer of technology, combat systems and construction design; the October 2005 Rs 1,062 crore contract with MBDA for sea-skimming Exocet missiles and related systems; a Rs 5,888 crore contract with MDL for local submarine construction; Rs 3,553 crore set aside for taxes; and Rs 2,160 crore for other project requirements. Total: Rs 18,798 crore. India Comptroller and Auditor General reports that the government’s 9-year delay in finalizing the deal has probably raised the project’s cost by 2,838 crore, or about 15% of the project’s total cost before this price rise.

July 20-27/09: CAG report critical. India’s Comptroller and Auditor General releases a report critical of the Scorpene acquisition, and Defense Minister A K Antony admits to India’s Parliament that the project is running about 2 years behind schedule, due to “some teething problems, absorption of technology, delays in augmentation of industrial infrastructure and procurement of MDL purchased materials (MPM).”

The CAG report criticizes the fact that the submarine requirement was approved in 1997, but no contract was signed until 2005, and then for only 6 of the envisioned 24 boats. Overall, the project cost had increased from Rs 12,609 crore in October 2002 to Rs 15,447 crore by October 2005 when the contract was signed. Once it was signed, the CAG believes that “the contractual provisions resulted in undue financial advantage to the vendor of a minimum of Rs 349 crore.”

The overall project, which includes a submarine construction facility at Mazagon Dockyards Ltd. (MDL), is placed at Rs 18,798 crore, or 187.98 billion rupees (currently about $4 billion). The Times of India believes that the final program cost will be over Rs 20,000 crore (currently about $4.3 billion), as the cost of key equipment that MDL shipyards needs is rising quickly. Rediff News notes other excerpts from the CAG report, adding that an accompanying Rs 1,062 crore deal for Exocet anti-ship missiles will have issues of its own:

“But even before the missiles becomes operational on the submarine, the warranty period of first two batches of the missiles supplied by the company would have expired, it added. India also extended to the [submarine] vendor “Wide ranging concessions” on warranty, performance bank guarantee, escalation formula, arbitration clause, liquidated damages, agency commission and performance parameters…”

See: Times of India | Rediff news

CAG report & costs

Jan 13/09: Sub-standard force. A CNN-IBN TV program highlights the case of the Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhukirti, whose repair schedule reportedly ran for 10 years, and which “has been in dry dock at Vizag for a refit programme for close to five years now.”

A confidential Indian CAG report is said to have found that only 7 of India’s 16 submarines are available for combat at any time. That’s not an unusual percentage for a submarine force, but if 10 of the 16 are due for phase-out by 2012, the impact on force levels is obvious. To maintain current numbers, one submarine would need to be inducted every 2 years, but there have been no additions since 2001. Source.

2006 – 2008

Deal for subs signed; India considering AIP propulsion addition; Scorpene unlikely to make 2012 deadline; India begins soliciting for follow-on Project 75i submarines.

May 28/08: Delays. The Hindustan Times reports India’s navy may not be able to induct the first Scorpene submarine by the 2012 deadline, as the French have yet to part with crucial details including design and drawing documentation. “A senior navy official confirmed to HT on Tuesday that the project had been delayed by a year.”

The Scorpene project is not the only Indian naval project with delivery issues, and these situations have begun to create combat power issues for India’s navy. The article states that by 2015, India’s fleet will have shrunk from 16 submarines to 10 Kilo Class plus the Scorpenes. See also subsequent Financial Express report.

Feb 28/08: P75i. “India Looking for Additional Submarines.” The Project 75i RFP is reported to be worth about EUR 3 billion/ $4.5 billion, and responding firms are apparently Spain’s Navantia (S-80 confirmed), France’s DCNS (unknown, Scorpene or Marlin Class that’s under design), Russia’s Rubin (Improved Kilo), and Germany’s HDW (unknown, U212A or U214).

Project 75i RFP

March 22/06: Costs. India’s MoD responds to Scorpene-related financial and security breach allegations:

“No contract or contracts were signed with French firms for Rs. 16,000 crore for the Scorpene project. The total cost of the two contracts signed with the two French firms, M/s ARMARIS and MBDA, for the project is Rs. 7,197 crores.

The Government did not pay an extra amount of Rs. 4,500 crore than what was negotiated earlier. On the contrary, after the present Government came to power, it re-examined the project even though all negotiations had been completed in 2002 and the Ministry of Finance had accorded approval to the project in 2003. The present Government held negotiations and was able to achieve a reduction of Rs. 313 crore in the contracts with the two French firms from the negotiated position in 2002… As a result of the negotiations, the Government was also able to achieve several long-term concessions. These included the revision of the escalation formulae to the advantage of the Indian side by adjusting the fixed element in the ARMARIS contract and placing a cap on escalation in the MBDA contract. A cap was also placed on the Exchange Rate Variation (ERV) for calculation of profit for the Public Sector Undertaking, Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL).

Besides the contract with the two French firms, the only other contract that was signed was with the Defence Public Sector undertaking, Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), for Rs. 5,888 crores for the indigenous construction of the submarines. Therefore, even taking into account the value of contract signed with MDL, the total value of all contracts signed for the Scorpene project is Rs. 13,085 crores out of the sanction accorded for Rs. 18,798 crores towards the project. Out of the balance amount of Rs. 5,713 crores, Rs. 3,553 crores is for payments towards taxes and Rs. 2,160 crores towards other items to be acquired during the project period for which only preliminary steps have been taken. No contract or contracts have been signed for the items under this head. A Technical Agreement was also signed between India and France to ensure the continued support of the French Government to the “project.

The Integrity Pacts signed to ensure transparency of the project, contain, severe penalties in case of breach of any of its provisions. The safeguards include cancellation of the contract, recovery of all advances with interest at a rate of 2% higher than the European Inter Bank Offered Rate or EURIBOR, non-payment by the buyer of any dues on any other contract to make such recoveries, imposition of Liquidated Damages and the recovery of all sums paid to any middleman or agent… The French company that has been accused of committing to pay commission to the alleged middleman has denied all the allegations and has stated that all the e-mails published in the articles in a journal that carried this story are fake and fabricated… The French company has since been reported to have filed a case in the Delhi High Court on 24th February 2006 against the journal which first made the allegations.

…Some press reports also sought to establish a link between the Scorpene project and the breach of security that had occurred in the Directorate of Naval Operations in the Naval Head Quarters… However, the leaked information did not pertain to the Scorpene project.”

March 1/06: AIP? “India Looks to Modify Scorpene Subs With MESMA AIP Propulsion.” Submarines 4-6 will include the MESMA system, according to reports. Those reports are contradicted by later reports, which make it clear that no AIP submarines are contracted yet.

The article also includes information about competing AIP systems.

Oct 7/05: After 4 years of delays, India has finally signed a $3.5 billion submarine deal for French-Spanish Scorpene SSKs, to be manufactured under license by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Ltd., and delivered to the Indian Navy between 2012-2017. A contract signed between Armaris and Mazagoan docks provides for a team of French technical advisers during the construction of the first 2 submarines.

The government also awarded global missile systems group MBDA the contract to supply its Exocet SM-39 anti-ship missiles, to arm the Scorpenes. Indian Express.

Scorpene deal & Exocets

Appendix A: India’s Current Submarine Force, and Rival Navies

Chinese SSK Project 636
(click to view full)

India’s two most prominent competitors are Pakistan and China.

Pakistan currently owns 5 submarines. Their 4 French Daphne submarines (Hangor Class) were retired in 2006. A pair of French Agosta 70 submarines (Hashmat Class) acquired from the French Navy were modified to fire Harpoon anti-ship missiles in 1985, but they won’t last much longer. Three updated Agosta 90Bs (Khalid Class) are also in service, commissioned in 1999, 2003, and 2008, respectively. PNS Hamza has a MESMA Air-Independent Propulsion system that lets the submarine stay underwater for much longer periods of time, and the other two Agosta 90B boats are getting MESMA retrofits. On balance, this will make them slightly more advanced than India’s new Scorpenes.

Pakistan had an opportunity to add to its diesel-electric fleet, but they’re reportedly pursuing nuclear submarine technology, while shelving a plan to more than double their advanced SSK fleet. On balance, that’s good news for India.

As of 2008, China owned about 66 submarines; 18 of them were Type 035/33s, which are Chinese derivatives of the 1960s-era Romeo Class. The Romeos were based on 1944 U-Boat designs, and even the 17 Type 35s aren’t expected to last much longer, or retain much of a role beyond training. If one leaves out all SSBN/SSGN nuclear missile submarines, all 5 of China’s problem-plagued Type 091 Han Class SSN nuclear powered attack subs, and all of the Romeo derivatives, China’s attack sub force alone still stood at 36 boats in 2008: 4 Type 093 Shang Class SSNs, 12 Kilo (Project 636) & Advanced Kilo Class (Project 877) SSKs, 13 Type 039 Song Class SSKs, and 7 Type 041 Yuan Class improvements of the diesel-electric Song Class.

China continues to build Shang Class SSNs and Yuan Class SSKs, which means that overall fast attack fleet numbers can be expected to grow.

As noted above, India currently operates 16 submarines, but only 12-14 can be said to be in service, and the fleet could face a noticeable decline beginning in 2015 or so:

Shishumar Class: 4 German Type 209 SSK submarines, built locally and delivered between 1984 – 1994. The vessels are expected to reach their end of service life between 2016-2024. The United News of India (UNI) reported on Sept 6/04 that Siemens of Germany has offered the Indian Navy an upgrade for the Shishumar Class submarines, which will involve the installation of their Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. As of 2014, India has only managed to approve the idea of a non-AIP refit for 2 subs.

Sindhugosh Class: 10 Russian Kilo Class/ Project 877 SSKs, built (1986-1991, 1997, 2000) under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Indian Defense Ministry. They’re very quiet submarines, but there are reports that the Indian Navy considers them underpowered. Most of these subs have received mid-life refits in Russia, but the quality of those refits has been a subject of dispute. Key components of these mid-life refits and upgrades have include tube-launched Klub-S cruise missiles, plus a hydro-acoustic “USHUS” complex, a CCS-MK radio-communication system, and Porpoise Electronic Support Measures to locate radar emissions. A couple of these submarines are still undergoing work in India.

INS Sindhukirti was incapacitated by a bungled refit state-run Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (HSL), and has been laid up since 2007. INS Sindhurakshak was destroyed by an in-harbor explosion in August 2013, leaving 8 operational subs.

Scorpene Class: 0 built or in service. Earliest expected in-service date is now 2015 for the 1st boat, and that date could slip to 2018. The entire fleet of 6 may not be operational until after 2020.

INS Chakra: 1 Improved Akula Class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, owned under a 10-year lease from Russia. Its primary purpose is to train nuclear submarine crews for the Arihant Class, but INS Chakra is fully capable, and could be pressed into operational service. The former K-152 Nerpa was handed over in January 2012, but as of January 2013, the boat had issues with readiness.

Arihant Class SSBN. 1 boat in trials, with 3 others under construction. Designed and built in India, this nuclear-powered submarine has a limited ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. Arihant was launched in July 2009, and conducted her 1st K-15 missile firing in March 2012, but hasn’t been commissioned yet. The Indian Navy hoped to do so in 2013. See “India’s Nuclear Submarine Projects” for further details.

Additional Readings & Sources Background: India’s Submarines

• DCNS – Scorpene.

• Naval-Technology.com – Scorpene Class SSK.

• Deagel.com – Scorpene Basic, or CM-2000 | Scorpene-AIP , or AM-2000 | Scorpene Compact-AIP.

• Rediff.com (Sept. 12/05) – What is the Scorpene?.

• GlobalSecurity.org – Project 75/Scorpene.

• Bharat-Rakshak – Shishumar [Type 209] Class. First 2 boats commissioned in 1986, next 2 in 1992 and 1994.

• DID – Upgrades At Last: Keeping India’s U209 Subs Afloat. So far, they’ve only committed to upgrading the last 2.

• Bharat-Rakshak – Sindhugosh [Kilo] Class. 8 commissioned from 1986-1991, other surviving sub commissioned in 2000. One destroyed, one the victim of a screwed up refit, leaves 8 seaworthy out of 10 bought.

• Bharat-Rakshak – Kalvari Class (Foxtrot Class). All decommissioned now.

Background: India’s Nuclear Submarines

• DID FOCUS – India’s ATV SSN Submarine Project. Covers the INS Chakra lease from Russia, and India’s Arihant Class SSBN.

• GlobalSecurity.org – Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV).

Background: Related Technologies

• DCN – MESMA AIP.

• Undersea Warfare Magazine, via Wayback (Fall 2001) – Air Independent Propulsion: AIP Technology Creates a New Undersea Threat. Very good overview of various AIP technologies.

• Navy League of the United States, Seapower Magazine (December 1999) – The AIP Alternative.

• Wikipedia – Exocet missile.

• Finmeccanica WASS – Black Shark. India’s chosen torpedo, standard on the Scorpene Class.

Additional Readings: News and Events

• Rediff News – Scorpene project archive.

• India Strategic (June 2012) – Indian Navy to select Wake Homing Torpedo.

• India Strategic (May 2011) – Indian Navy’s second Submarine Line will witness strong competition. Discusses the decline of India’s submarine force, and Project 75i.

• Asia Times (Sept 29/10) – Leaks in India’s submarine strategy.

• BBC (Oct 23/09) – Crucial Indian defence deals delayed. These include the Navy’s submarine and aircraft carrier projects, advanced trainers for the air force, and coastal surveillance plans. “For its part, the government has been slow in responding to criticism – even from its auditing organisation. When it comes to defence issues in India, speed does not seem to be of paramount importance.”

• CNN-IBN (Jan 13/09) – Are We Battle Ready: Submarine repair that takes forever. Describes an overhaul of INS Sindhukirti, one of the Navy’s Kilo Class subs. It has been drydocked for 5 years, and the reapirs at Hindustan shipyards, which has no experience in this area, are expected to take a total of 10 years instead of the 1-2 years that would be expected elsewhere.

• IBN Live (Oct 25/08) – Indian Navy’s submarine fleet in poor health: CAG. “The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)… states that no more than 48 per cent of India’s submarine fleet is available for waging war, should India be attacked… “The Indian Navy currently hold just 67 per cent of the force level envisaged in its 1985 plan,” the report says.”

• India Defence, via WayBack (Oct 19/08) – Indian Navy Project-75A: RFIs Issued for Six Advanced Submarines; Rosoboronexport, Armaris, HDW in the Fray. These would be a follow-on to the original Scorpene purchase. AIPs and land-atack capability are both requirements.

• Rediff News/PTI, via WayBack (Oct 7/05) – India signs Scorpene submarine deal.

• The Indian Express (Oct 7/05) – Scorpene Deal Inked in Delhi.

• Times of India (Sept 13/05) – Scorpene Ahoy! Also contains a paragraph concerning India’s intention of building a nuclear submarine.

• Rediff.com, via WayBack (Sept 12/05) – India to Buy 6 Scorpene Submarines.

• Times of India (Sept 12/05) – Scorpene: India’s Latest Weapon.

• DCN Release re: Chilean Navy (Sept 12/05) – DCN Delivers First New-Generation Submarine to Chilean Navy [dead link].

• The Tribune of Chandrigarh, via WayBack (Aug 11/05) – Admiral Arun Prakash: Scorpene Deal Awaits Cabinet Nod. Good set of additional naval updates in this article. Note that the Scorpene deal discussed here of 2 buy, 4 build is different than the deal being reported now.

• DID (Dec 14/04) – India Close to Deal on Scorpene Sub Technology. Depending on what the meaning of “close” is…

Additional Readings: Rival Navies

• Naval-Technology.com – Agosta 90B SSK.

• Official Pakistani Navy Site – PN Dimensions: Submarine Force Agosta 70 and Agosta 90B, the latter equipped with AIP and German DM2A4 Heavy Weight Torpedoes.

• GlobalSecurity.org – Hangor Class (Fr. Daphne).

• Pakistani Post Office – Brief History of Submarine Construction in Pakistan.

• GlobalSecurity.org – China/ Ships.

Americas

The US Navy awarded Boeing a $139.8 million modification to continue manufacturing precision laser guidance sets for the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Boeing received a $357.8 million contract in 2015 to manufacture precision laser guided sets for the Navy, the US Air Force and multiple Foreign Military Sales clients. The JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided “smart” weapons. The kit consists of a new tail section that contains an inertial navigation system/global positioning system (INS/GPS) and body strakes for additional stability and lift. The company will supply the military service with 12,000 additional JDAM kits. Work will take place in the US and is expected to be completed in April 2020.

Raytheon Missiles Systems won 101.3 million to build the tactically launched and optically tracked wireless-guided missiles, or TOW. The company will build the radio-controlled anti-tank missiles for the US Army. The weapon system includes TOW 2A, TOW 2B Aero and TOW Bunker Buster versions. It is deployed by more than 40 international Armed Forces and integrated on more than 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms. According to Raytheon, the TOW missile enables ground forces to achieve overmatch against adversary armored and wheeled systems, regardless of the environment or conditions. Raytheon has delivered more than 700,000 TOW weapon systems and expects upgrade programs will extend the missile’s life cycle beyond 2050. They were first produced in 1970. The company will perform work in Tucson and expects completion on August 31, 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The Israeli Navy deployed its Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS) equipped Seagull in an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise. According to Elbit, the Seagull Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) systems have superior mine counter measures (MCM) capability. The Seagull facilitates end-to-end mind hunting operations, including detection, classification, location, identification and neutralization of bottom, moored and drifting sea mines while taking the sailor out of the mine field. The HELRAS is a naval helicopter undersea sensor that can detect submarines up to 12 kilometers. A HELRAS dipping sonar was recently converted for operation onboard the Seagull. The exercise, which was conducted together with the Hellenic Navy, demonstrated that operating a dipping sonar onboard such a vessel significantly increases the operational working time while substantially enhancing detection capabilities and the effectiveness of Anti-Submarine Warfare.

Europe

Saab will provide the UK Royal Navy with its AUV62-AT anti-submarine warfare training system. The company received the order together with UK-based QinetiQ. AUV62-AT provides real-time warfare exposure to the ASW units of Naval Forces. The training system helps ASW units to conduct cost-efficient training activities, while avoiding the use of submarines. It resembles a real submarine in a range of ASW scenarios and can be deployed in operator training activities, as well as the evaluation of sonar and other command control systems. The procurement follows a period of testing and evaluation together with QinetiQ and the Royal Navy.

Asia-Pacific

According to reports, South Korea’s early warning systems may not have detected North Korean missiles tested last week. Reasons for the Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft, and early warning systems on Aegis ships not detecting the missiles are currently being investigated. North Korea’s missiles flew 260 miles and 170 miles. They were launched from Kusong in the northwest last Thursday. South Korea just recently approved plans for the next batch of Aegis destroyers. A contract for the construction of the destroyers is scheduled to be signed with Hyundai Heavy Industries later this year. South Korea’s Peace Eye fleet started deployment in 2011-2012. A total of four aircraft are deployed in the network, but one aircraft is undergoing maintenance.

Lockheed Martin will not sell its F-21 fighter jet to any other country in the event of India placing an order of 114 planes. The company specifically configured the F-21 for the Indian Air Force. Lockheed would produce the fighter in India together with Tata. Lockheed Martin, which has a longstanding relationship of 25 years in India, unveiled the F-21 during the Aero India show in Bengaluru in February, saying it will address the Indian Air Force’s unique requirements. The newest offer is an attempt by the company to pitch itself ahead of its US, European and Russian competitors for the deal.

Today’s Video

Watch: Otokar debut AKREP IIe: Turkey’s first Electric Armoured Vehicle

Americas

The US Air Force awarded Boeing an $11.2 million contract in support of the F-15. The F-15 Eagle is the Air Force’s primary fighter jet. It has electronic systems and weaponry for detecting, acquiring, tracking and attacking enemy aircraft while operating in either friendly or enemy-controlled airspace. The contract provides for post-production support tasks/services unique to the original equipment manufacturer as required to maintain an adequate level of continuous sustaining engineering and logistics support for the Air Force and Foreign Military Sales. FMS include Saudi Arabia and Israel. Boeing is finishing a major 2009 F-15 order from Saudi Arabia. The Royal Saudi Air Force has the third largest number of F-15s in its fleet, behind Japan and the United States. The USAF has requested $7.8 billion for eight F-15s next year and 72 in the four years after that. Boeing will perform work in St. Louis and is expecting completion by November 9, 2027.

The MQ-4C Triton’s development cost grew 2% from FY 2018. It is now predicted that the UAVs will cost 61% more than initially estimated, Jane’sreports. The Triton is based on the Global Hawk UAS. It provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions. The UAV will support a wide range of missions including maritime ISR patrol, signals intelligence, search and rescue and communications relay. The aircraft can fly over 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 10 miles, with an operational range of 8,200 nautical miles. The first flight of the Triton took place on May 22, 2013. According to the Government Accountability Office’s annual weapon system assessment, the current cost estimate for the Triton, in FY 2019 is $5.7 billion. The original estimate from 2009 was $3.5 billion. Reportedly, issues with wing production posed continued risk to the Triton’s production schedule, quality, and cost.

Middle East & Africa

Turkey’s largest military exercise, called Sea Wolf, started on Monday. It will run through May 25 in the eastern Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea. Supervised by the Turkish Navy, 131 warships, 57 warplanes and 33 helicopters will participate in the exercise. High-level submarines, frigates, naval artilleries, armed UAVs, as well as search and rescue units will also participate. Domestic and national weapon systems including high-speed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Simsek and anti-surface defense boat Albatros will hold drills. The exercise is conducted amid tensions between Greek and Turkey. On Sunday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it claimed that Greece does not respect the demilitarized status of the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea. The statement further called on all NATO warships and vessels currently operating in the region to refrain from using Greek island ports eastern Aegean for visits and refueling.

Europe

The first of three upgraded F-16s for the Portuguese Air Force arrived in Portugal on May 9. The Air Force operates a total of 45 F-16A/B block 15 aircraft. The delivered aircraft was the first of two single-seat F-16AMs, the second of which is scheduled for delivery in late July, to be followed by a twin-seat F-16BM in late 2019. Portugal received its very first F-16 in 1993. The F-16 gradually replaced the A-7P Corsair II, initially in the air defense role and later also in the ground attack role, with the last Portuguese Corsair II aircraft being retired in 1999.

Spanish systems and sensors house Indra won a contract to supply the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom with an advanced long-range air defense deployable radar. The Indra LTR25 L-band radar offers very high long-range detection capabilities, comparable to those of larger fixed radars, but with the added advantage of being able to operate very quickly and be transported in small aircraft, such as the C130. Indra is a leading company in the development of radars and one of the main suppliers of this type of solutions for NATO. The company has won all the tenders awarded by the Alliance in the last five years. Its systems also cover surveillance of the whole south-western flank of Europe. Indra has delivered over 50 radars in total to countries from five continents.

Asia-Pacific

According to reports, a Japan-based American F-35B had to abort take-off due to a bird strike. The aircraft with Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing likely suffered $2 million in damages. The incident, classified as a Class A Mishap, is currently under investigation and a complete damage assessment is underway. The bird strike happened near Iwakuni, Japan.

Today’s Video

Watch: US Navy is eyeing a big change to its new stealth-Battleship

Americas

United Launch Services won a $149.4 million modification in support of National Security Launch delta IV heavy launch services. The modification is for the National Reconnaissance Office mission NROL-68, the second of three missions awarded to ULA under the Launch Vehicle Production Services contract in October 2018. The deal provides for a Delta IV heavy-lift rocket variant for the US Air Force’s National Security Space Launch program. ULA was awarded three NRO missions in October— NROL-91, NROL-68, and NROL-70 — scheduled to launch in fiscal year 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Work under the modification will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and company sites in Colorado and Alabama. The scheduled completion date is in December 2022.

The Navy awarded Rolls-Royce an $8.6 million contract modification in order to procure 10 MT7 marin turbine installation parts kit shipsets for the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 100 class craft. The LCAC 100 will enhance the US amphibious force’s ship-to-shore capacity with a rated load capacity per craft of 74 short tonnes. LCAC-1s have a 60-short tonne-rated payload. The landing craft was originally designated the Ship-to-Shore Connector and is intended to support the rapid movement of Marine expeditionary forces from naval vessels to shore and will be able to tactically deliver personnel and heavy equipment. The LCAC 100 craft consists of four MT7 turbines. The Rolls-Royce MT7 delivers between 4 to 5 MW and shares common core architecture with the AE1107C-Liberty aero engine. The procurement is in support of the Ship-to-Shore Connector Program. An MT7 installation parts kit is one “shipset” consisting of four engine intakes, two right-hand engine exhausts and two left-hand engine exhausts. Work will take place in Indiana and is expected to be finished by January 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Northrop Grumman won a $7.2 million modification for the procurement of up to 42 additional technical refresh mission computers for the AH-1Z aircraft in support of the government of Bahrain. In November, Bahrain confirmed an order of 12 Bell AH-1Z Vipers worth $912 million. Along with the helicopters, which will be delivered starting in late 2022, the US government also gave the go-ahead for a series of munitions to be supplied. The modification of the Foreign Military Sale includes trainer units and spare units. Northrop will perform work in Utah, Maryland, and California and is expected to finish work in December 2023.

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Qatar for 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. The deal is worth $3 billion. The proposed sale would double Qatar’s previous procurement of AH-64Es, which are used for close air support, armed reconnaissance, and anti-tank warfare missions. Included in the sale are the 24 helicopter bodies; 52 T700-GE-701D engines; 26 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight; 26 AN/AAQ-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors; 2,500 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; 28 M230 30mm automatic chain guns; and other equipment and training. The notification does not guarantee a final sale. Congress can still weigh in, and once cleared by Capitol Hill, negotiations between customer and supplier often lead to different prices or quantities.

Europe

Leonardo had a strong start into the 2019 financial year, according to a report published by the company on May 8. The most striking contributor to Leonardo’s improved first quarter performance was its Defence Electronics and Security division. Revenues generated in the period rose to $3.1 million, a year- on-year increase of 11.2%, while the company’s earnings before interest, tax, and amortization (EBITA) were up 6.5% at $183.1 million. In particular, defense electronics and security business secured orders worth $1.7 billion, up 56 percent year-on-year, while helicopters won contracts for $773 million, with an increase of 13 percent.

Asia-Pacific

The first batch of four Korean amphibious assault vehicles (KAAVs) arrived in the Philippines. The Philippine’s Department of National Defense ordered the Hanwha Defense Systems KAAV7A1 vehicles for the Philippine Marine Corps. The vehicles that have arrived in the Asian country are part of a $46 million contract that was signed between the Philippine government and South Korean defense firm Hanwha Techwin in April 2016. The firm, which was formerly known as Samsung Techwin, confirmed the contract after it emerged as the sole bidder for Manila’s AAV procurement program. The next batch of four more KAAV7A1 is said to be delivered by August this year, and are in advanced stages of construction.

Today’s Video

Watch: Boeing Unveils New Version of F/A-18 Super Hornet Developed for U.S. Navy

Americas

Raytheon won a $15.3 million contract in support of the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). The deal includes design agent and engineering service efforts. According to Raytheon, the CEC program provides a sensor network with integrated fire control capability that significantly improves strike force air and missile defense capabilities by coordinating measurement data from strike force air search sensors on CEC-equipped units into a single, integrated real-time, composite track air picture. CEC improves battle force effectiveness by improving overall situational awareness and by enabling longer range, cooperative, multiple, or layered engagement strategies. CEC will be designed to help the military service coordinate measurement data from sensors during strike force air search missions and facilitate battle force situational awareness. Raytheon will perform work in Florida. The scheduled completion date is in September 2022.

The US Navy awarded L3 Technology a $14.1 million contract modification for MK 20 MOD 1 Electro-Optical Sensor Systems, which is a major component of the MK 34 Gun Weapon Systems employed by the DDG 51 class, CG 47 class and the Coast Guard’s offshore patrol centers. The MK 20 provides highly accurate, three-dimensional, time-tagged target position data in support of GWS operations, as well as day and night imagery to support visual detection and identification, navigation, surveillance and situational awareness. The modification also provides for radar cross section kits, shock ring kits, engineering support services, and spares for both the Navy and Coast Guard. The systems are to support the Gun Weapon Systems by performing safety check-sighting, look-point-shoot, target ranges, identification of air and surface targets in support of anti-air warfare and anti-surface warfare. Work will take place in Massachusetts and is scheduled to be completed by August 2021.

L3 Technologies and Northrop Grumman each won contract modifications in support of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ LB) controller, receiver, exciter, and power generation subsystems. NGJ-LB is an external radar and communications jamming pod that is carried underneath an aircraft and is part of a larger series of weapon systems contracts that are planned to ultimately replace the aging ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System currently used on Boeing EA-18G Growlers. The Navy awarded both companies more then $13 million for the modifications, which also provide for NGJ LB technique development, incorporation of updated goals documents, and environmental testing of the transmitter group. In October, L3 and Northrop won two separate $36 million technology demonstration contracts for the NGJ LB. Work by both companies is scheduled to be completed in June next year.

Middle East & Africa

According to reports, the US Marine Corps is seeking new air defense systems as it faces advancing military capabilities from Russia and China and contends with the proliferation of drone technology among small terror groups. The Corps is eyeing Israel’s Iron Dome or SkyHunter. According to a Senate briefing, the Marine Corps sought limited funding in fiscal year 2019 to begin testing and integration of the SkyHunter system with the Corps’ Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, or G/ATOR. The Iron Dome is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometers away. It is effective day or night and in all weather conditions including low clouds, rain, dust storms and fog. It features a first-of-its-kind multi-mission launcher designed to fire a variety of interceptor missiles. The Marine Corps has reportedly considered mounting the launchers and Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptors on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, and Oshkosh’s Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement truck, or MTVR.

Europe

The UK Ministry of Defense gave Industry teams that have been bidding for the Royal Navy’s Type 31e frigate program additional financial headroom. The Ministry also loosened some commercial conditions in regard of design and build phase. The Type 31e program is for the acquisition of a class of five globally deployable general-purpose frigates geared towards forward-deployed maritime security, presence, and defense engagement operations. A few days ago it was reported that industry insiders warned of spiraling costs related to the project. The move by the Ministry of Defense means that the bidders will no longer be responsible for bearing the costs of government furnished equipment in their bids.

Asia-Pacific

The US government together with the Japanese Ministry of Defense are deepening their talks about Japan’s program to develop a platform in order to replace Japan’s Mitsubishi F-2 fighter, Jane’s reports. The F-2 support fighter aircraft is a multi role single engine fighter aircraft, which also resulted from a joint Japan and USA development program. But with the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2 aircraft due to be retired in the mid-2030s, Japan has begun to examine potential replacement fighter jets. Costs may be reduced through joint development with other nations and industry giants from countries such as the US and the UK have proposed development plans based on existing aircraft. Discussions between the US and Japan are currently focused on the fighter aircraft technologies that the US would transfer to Japan to support the next-generation fighter program, which Japan wants to make a decision on in the near future.

The training ground for the Taiwanese F-16 pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona will be relocated to Tucson International Airport within the next two years. The relocation will cost Taiwan approximately $8 million. Taiwan’s pilots have trained at Luke Air Force Base for more than 20 years since the country purchased the first batch of F-16 fighter jets from the US. The transfer of the 21st Fighter Squadron, where Taiwanese pilots are trained to fly F-16 jets, will begin in 2020, to provide space for new F-35 fighters.

Today’s Video

Watch: IDEF 2019 Aselsan Turkish defense industry equipment for military and security forces

Americas

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin an $84.9 million modification for the AEGIS combat system. The deal provides for engineering, architecture, development, integration and test as well as Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air integration and test, and training, studies and computer program maintenance. Aegis is a centralized, automated command-and-control and weapons control system that was designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill. Lockheed will perform work in Moorestown, New Jersey. The scheduled completion date is in December this year.

Pratt & Whitney won a $55.7 million contract modification for additional funding for F135 long lead items. The deal supports the production delivery schedule, and exercises an option for additional initial spare parts. It also provides program administrative labor for the global spares pool in support of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, non-US DoD participants and Foreign Military Sales customers.The Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan powers all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Ten years ago, Pratt & Whitney delivered its first production version of the engine for the F-35 fighter program. The company managed to reduce the cost of producing each engine by over half in the last ten years. It plans to continue cutting manufacturing costs in the years ahead through tight management of production processes and suppliers. Work under the current modification will take place within the US and the UK and is expected to be finished by April 2022.

BAE Systems won a $10.9 million delivery order to upgrade the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance section. APKWS is an add-on kit that turns a standard unguided 2.75-inch 70 millimeter rocket into a precision laser-guided munition to give warfighters a low-cost surgical strike capability. Typically the kit fits on the Hydra 70 fin-stabilized unguided air-to-ground rocket. The APKWS rocket is qualified on the AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters, and is expected to be similarly qualified for use on several other rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The system is available to allied forces through Foreign Military Sales. The order asks BAE Systems to combine separate guidance sections for the APKWS II intended for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft into one hardware and software solution. The APKWS II uses semi-active laser-guidance for US military and allied military aircraft. BAE will perform work in New Hampshire and Texas and the scheduled completion date is in April 2021.

Middle East & Africa

The last of 36 F-16IQ Fighting Falcon aircraft arrived in Iraq on May 3. Having ordered its F-16IQs in two batches of 18 aircraft during 2011 and 2012, the Iraqi Air Force received its first one in late 2014. However, because of the critical security situation in the country at that time, Iraqi pilots and maintainers trained on their new aircraft alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing at Tucson, Arizona. The F-16IQ’s first reported combat mission came in April 2018, with a raid being flown against Islamic State targets in Syria. The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced in early April this year that a new batch of F-16s would soon arrive at the Balad Air Base as part of the agreement between Iraq and the US.

Europe

Romania wants to purchase a new drone for expansion and modernization plans. The Navy seeks to purchase a completely new unmanned aerial system for the maritime and riverine domaine. The reason for this is growing tensions with Russia on the Black Sea. Romania wants to expend its presence in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and elsewhere as needed by allies as well as maintain a submarine program beyond 2030. Additionally, plans are underway to buy four new multipurpose corvettes as the core of the Romanian Navy, and to modernize its Type 22 frigates defensenews reports.

According to local reports, the upgraded version of Russia’s Su-25 will get a sighting system with artificial intelligence elements that will be able to independently identify hostile targets, keep them in sight and guide missiles. The pilot would only have to select a target on the screen and the rest would be taken care of by AI. The new technology has reportedly been integrated into the unified troop command and control system, which allows mapping an optimal route towards the target and the trajectory of using weapons. The upgraded attack aircraft will also receive data on targets from external sources through the command and control system.

Asia-Pacific

Bloomberg reports that the weapons launched by North Korea on Saturday traveled into the stratosphere and flew long enough to strike deep into South Korea. The test could mean that North Korea is looking to thwart US missile interceptors, according to Kim Ki-ho, a defense professor at Kyonggi University in Seoul and former army colonel. Specifically, the weapons appeared to be flying too low to be intercepted by the US THAAD system and too fast for the Patriot System. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a transportable system that intercepts ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight. It can intercept missiles flying at an altitude of 40 kilometers or more. Low-altitude missiles can be defended by the Patriot missile defense system. The Patriot is is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. Neither the US nor South Korea have confirmed North Korea fired a ballistic missile, which would be in violation of international agreements and complicate their current detente with Pyongyang.

Today’s Video

Watch: U.S. B-52s Take off for Bomber Task Force deployment from Barksdale Air Force Base

Americas

BAE Systems together with Lockheed Martin have supplied the US Air Force with long-range anti-ship missiles (LRASM) for the B-1B bomber aircraft, reaching early operational capability ahead of schedule. LRASM is equipped with BAE-built sensor and targeting technology that works to detect and engage adversarial warships. Bruce Konigsberg, the company’s Radio Frequency Sensors product area director explained that the ”sensor systems provide US warfighters with a strike capability that lets them engage protected, high-value maritime targets from safe distances. The missile provides a critical advantage to US warfighters”. The system uses semi-autonomous guidance and target cueing data to precisely locate and attack targets, reducing reliance on ISR platforms, networking links, and GPS navigation, which could be compromised by enemy electronic weapons. The service branch accepted the missile systems after completing integration, simulation and flight tests aimed to demonstrate mission readiness of the technology. BAE will produce more than 50 additional LRASM sensors for integration onto the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is preparing to flight test two hypersonic weapons. DARPA director Steven Walker said during a breakfast meeting in Washington DC on May 1that both hypersonic vehicle prototypes were on track to have flights „before the calendar year ends“. One vehicle is part of the hypersonic air-breathing weapon concept, or HAWC, program. The other is the tactical boost glide, or TBG, effort. The military envisions developing TBG as an air-launched rocket with speeds faster than Mach 5 and able to reach altitudes of nearly 200,000 ft. The HAWC is also designed to be air launched but is envisioned as a hypersonic cruise missile. By the end of 2019, DARPA plans to flight test both weapons off a B-52 bomber. However, if qualifying challenges occur, Walker said the tests could extend into the early 2020 time frame. Additionally to working with the USAF on TBG and HAWC, DARPA has partnered with the US Army on the Operational Fires development program that is essentially a ground-launched capability with the TBG “front end“.

Middle East & Africa

The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Bahrain for various Patriot missile systems and related support and equipment. The Patriot missile systems deal is for $2.5 billion and adds Bahrain to a list of 16 countries that use the system. In addition to the United States, other countries in the region using the system include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Poland, Romania and Sweden are among the other militaries to most recently acquire the Patriot system. Bahrain has requested 60 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, 36 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles with canisters, nine M903 launching stations, five antenna mast groups, three electrical power plants III, two AN/MPQ-65 radar sets and two AN/MSQ-132 engagement control stations along with communications equipment, various tools, support equipment, training, technical equipment, and engineering and logistics support services. Lockheed-Martin is the prime contractor for the PAC-3 missile.

Europe

British Typhoons officially started their NATO Baltic Air Policing mission from Amari Air Base in Estonia on May 3. The aircraft from XI(F) Squadron normally based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire already arrived on April 24 and the crew has been working with the German Luftwaffe and their Eurofighters to prepare themselves for the NATO mission of providing a Quick Reaction Alert capability off the Baltic Sea area around Estonia. The Handover Ceremony marked the replacement of the German aircraft with the British Typhoons and their crew.

Asia-Pacific

On May 4, the Chinese and the Russian Navy conducted their first ever joint warship-based live-fire missile exercise as part of the Joint Sea 2019 China-Russia naval drills. The Joint Sea 2019 is the latest iteration of an annual naval exercise between China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy and the Russian Navy that has been taking place since 2012. The drill was split into two parts, with the shore part of the exercise conducted from April 29 to 30, while the sea component was set to take place from May 1 to 4 in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. The air defense exercise started around 12:40 pm on Saturday. Upon their approaches, the Chines Navy’s destroyer Harbin and Russian Navy’s anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs launched a short-range surface-to-air missile each and successfully intercepted the two incoming threats.

The Pentagon 2019 China Military Power Report says the first Chinese aircraft carrier with catapults will enter the fleet in 2022. China began construction of its second domestically built aircraft carrier in 2018. The new carrier, which will be the third overall carrier for China, will be larger than the first domestically constructed ship and will feature a catapult launch system. According to the Pentagon report, the design will enable the carrier to support additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early-warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations. China has one carrier, the Liaoning, in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Formerly a Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, this vessel is the flagship of China’s Navy.

Today’s Video

Watch: Airbus A400M Atlas will replace old C-130 military transport aircraft in the Belgian Air Force

Americas

Orbital Sciences, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman won a $46.8 million contract modification to provide Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target capability upgrade kits and associated engineering. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the ICBM program. The company and its industry partners were chartered with maintaining readiness of the nation’s ICBM weapon system by ensuring the system’s total performance. The 18-plus year contract delivered sustaining engineering support and two Acquisition Category I / 13 Acquisition Category III ICBM modernization programs. According to Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK has played a key role on every Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program for more than five decades. Since the Minuteman I was first fielded in 1962, Orbital ATK, along with its legacy companies, has provided motor stages and refurbishment services for the program. Last year it was reported, that Northrop Grumman and Boeing were developing competing designs for a new intercontinental ballistic missile that will replace the aging Minuteman III. Orbital Sciences will perform work in Chandler, Arizona and the scheduled completion date is in December 2023.

The US Air Force launched a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The unarmed rocket equipped with a test re-entry vehicle took off at 2:42 a.m. on Wednesday. The missile traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. According to the Air Force, the test was designed to verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system in an effort “to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent. The Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and US Strategic Command use data collected from test launches for ongoing force development evaluation.

Insitu won a $23 million modification for Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MEUAS) 1.5B intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services. MEUAS is a fee-for-service or “power by the hour” contractor-owned and operated UAV network deployed in support of Special Operations Command. It uses catapult-launched mid-sized UAVs to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to special forces on the ground. Insitu manufactures the ScanEagle UAV for the US military. The ScanEagle is an ISR-capable drone that can operate at high altitudes and has a very high endurance of over 24 hours. It carries an assortment of sensory and surveillance equipment.

Middle East & Africa

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missiles Segment Enhanced to the United Arab Emirates. The sale, which is valued at $2.7 billion, would entail 452 PAC-3 MSE and related equipment. The UAE requested a possible sale of 452 PAC-3 Missiles Segment Enhanced. Also included are tools and test equipment, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, spare and repair parts, facility design, US Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics, sustainment and program support.

Bahrain requested to buy 32 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles and various other weapon systems to support its F-16 Block 70/F-16V aircraft fleet for an estimated cost of $750 million. The contract also includes 32 AIM-9X missiles and 20 AGM-84 Block II Harpoon missiles among others. These weapons support the new procurement of F-16 Block 70 and upgrades of existing F-16V aircraft, providing an increase in the capability of existing aircraft to sustain operations, meet training requirements, and support transition training for pilots to the upgraded aircraft. The principal contractors for this effort will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Raytheon Missile Systems, and Boeing Corporation. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Europe

During the IDEF 2019, Turkish company Nero Industries announced it had signed a contract to supply the Ukrainian government with 90 Umay soft-kill active protection systems. Jane’s reports, that the Umay systems uses laser warning receivers that are able to operate across either a 180° arc, or through 360°. In addition to sensors detecting laser radiation, designed to detect second-generation anti-tank systems with a laser beam guidance system, it includes the director of an aerosol smoke screen, which can counter up to eight grenades in course of countering the enemy.

Asia-Pacific

India plans to build an aircraft carrier along the lines of the British HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the „Make in India“ negotiations. The Indian Navy wants to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a so-called “copycat supercarrier“, named INS Vishal. The Sunday Mirror reports that „an Indian delegation has already visited Rosyth dockyard in Scotland where HMS Queen Elizabeth was assembled and where a second supercarrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is now being built“. The report notes that such a new Naval carrier would serve alongside India’s 45,000-ton carrier INS Vikramaditya. The design for UK aircraft carriers is owned by the British and French aerospace giants BAE and Thales. The reported India-UK Naval deal would follow the sale of Britain’s Falklands War carrier HMS Hermes to India in 1987.

Today’s Video

Watch: IDEF 2019 SSB Turkish Defense industry defense and security products for military market Turkey

Americas

The Air Force and Raytheon successfully conducted an exercise involving high-energy microwaves and guided lasers to shoot down drones. Raytheon’s advanced high power microwave (HPM) and mobile high energy laser (HEL) systems engaged and defeated multiple unmanned aerial system targets. The high energy laser system uses invisible beams of light to shoot down aerial targets, and the high-powered microwave bursts disrupt drone guidance systems. Its primary advantages are speed and a low cost per engagement. The weapons have been mounted on all-terrain vehicles specially made by Minnesota’s Polaris Industries for the military. Raytheon and the US. Air Force Research Laboratory have partnered on a $2 million contract to test and demonstrate high-power microwave and counter-UAV technologies.

The US Air Force conducted an airstrike targeting terrorist organization Islamic State’s assets at Wadi Ashai, Iraq using the F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the first time. The conventional take-off and landing fighter jets, performing the strike in support of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, used a Joint Direct Attack Munition to conduct the air strike to take out an entrenched Daesh tunnel network and weapons cache deep in the Hamrin Mountains. The strike marked the first combat employment of the F-35A. The F-35A aircraft were recently deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, US, to Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE and joined the Combined Forces Air Component team in the CENTCOM area of operations (AOR) last month.

Collins Aerospace announced that it had supported the first end-to-end flight of General Atomic Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft in civil airspace. The flight took place at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona on March 12. General Atomics used the Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system as part of the interface for the flight’s ground control station. The integration of the FAA-certified Pro Line Fusion into UAS ground control stations helps to bring together a multitude of data inputs such as weather, airspace information, mission data, SAR pattern flight management and notice to airmen notifications, providing real-time mission optimization and a common operating picture for the operator.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish company Aselsan finished integration of the PULAT Active Protections System to Turkish Army’s M60T main battle tanks. Aselsan developed PULAT to meet the emerging demand to protect against the increase of rocket (RPG) and anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) threats against tanks. PULAT detects anti-tank missiles or rockets approaching to the platform with its high technology radar and disables them at optimum range from the platform by utilizing Hard-Kill method. ASELSAN has also been developing the AKKOR active protection system for ALTAY main battle tanks. The system is currently undergoing field tests and will be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces along with mass production ALTAY main battle tanks.

Aselsan introduced another new technology at the IDEF 19 in Istanbul, which started on April 30. The Turkish company showcased an active electronically scanned array (AESA) design that is being pitched for integration on the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 fleet. According to the company, the radar will be able to perform non-co-operative and automatic target recognition, while also featuring protection against radar frequency jamming, and has electronic support and electronic attack functions. Aselsan sees the radar competing with systems such as Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar on the domestic and export market.

Europe

Raytheon won a $159 million contract to support large-scale, live training exercises at the US Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany. Raytheon developed the Mobile Instrumentation System technology that enables the distributed training. On the ground at JMRC, Raytheon provides a range of services including training area instrumentation, after action reviews and battlefield effects to increase training realism. The US Army Garrison Hohenfels Training Area is the largest US Army Europe maneuver training area and comes under the command of the Commanding General, Joint Multinational Training Center, Grafenwoehr.

Asia-Pacific

In the May issue of Combat Aircraft Magazine, Journalist Angad Singh states that the French Rafale will most likely win India’s 2019 tender for 110 new warplanes. Since India already once ordered 36 Rafales as part of an earlier fighter tender, he explains: “With 36 aircraft already on order and the infrastructure in place for an additional 36, a case could certainly be made that training, basing and sustainment costs for additional aircraft would not be an impossible burden.“ This would be bad news for Lockheed Martin as the company is developing a new variant of its iconic F-16 single-engine fighter in order to compete in the tender. Other candidates for the Indian tender are the Saab Gripen from Sweden, the European Eurofighter Typhoon, the MiG-35 from Russia and the Boeing Super Hornet from the United States.

Today’s Video

Watch: IDEF 2019 international defense industry fair exhibition show daily news Istanbul Turkey Day 2

Americas

Northrop Grumman won a contract action with a not-to-exceed-value of $132.3 million to integrate the Department of Navy Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system onto aircraft for the US Navy, Army, and the governments of the UK and Norway. The deal provides necessary hardware and systems technical support, analysis and studies for the integration work. The LAIRCM system enhances individual aircraft survival through improved aircrew situational awareness of the electromagnetic threat environment. The fundamental requirement for the LAIRCM system is to provide protection against man-portable, shoulder-fired and vehicle launched infrared guided missiles. Hardware for the procurement includes 283 advanced threat warning sensors, 79 control indicator unit replaceables, 52 -2103 signal processors, 120 infrared missile warning sensors, 91 Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies (GLTAs), 13 multi-role electro-optical end-to-end test sets, 190 GLTA shipping containers, 46 high capacity cards, 10 LAIRCM signal processor replacements smart connector assemblies, and 123 personal computer memory card, international association cards. Northrop will perform work within the US and expected completion date is in June 2021.

Boeing won a $21.1 million delivery order to procure inlet retrofit kits for the T-45 aircraft. The deal also includes support equipment and special tooling and engineering as well as logistics support for installations. In January, the US Navy tapped Boeing with a $56.7 million contract for T-45 support. The T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. The T-45 was selected to meet the US Navy requirement for an undergraduate jet pilot trainer to replace the TA-4J Skyhawk and T-2C Buckeye. It features a new forward fuselage deepened to house a new twin-wheel nose gear, redesigned main gear units, a taller fin and tailplane of increased span, a single ventral fin, fuselage side-mounted airbrakes, an arrester hook and small fins ahead of and below the tailplanes. Work for the delivery order will take place in Patuxent River, Maryland and is scheduled to be completed in July next year.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that new Algerian aerial vehicles carried out an airstrike on April 28 and 29. The two El Djazair UAVs successfully engaged with a target in a mountainous area. This was the first time the Ministry of National Defense in Algeria announced a UAV strike. The target was identified by an El Djazair 54 and engaged with two El Djazair 55s. On December 20, 2018, the Algerian National People’s Army conducted air operations at the Central Air Polygon in Hassi Bahbah, located in the region of Ain Ouessara in central Algeria. It deployed four reconnaissance drones, armed and manufactured in Algeria.

Europe

Sweden could approve an extension of operations with the Saab Gripen C/D beyond 2030. This would increase the size of Sweden’s fighter inventory beyond the 60 E-model examples currently on order for its Air Force. The Air Force holds an active fleet of 100 Gripen. Saab has been awarded to produce 60 new-generation E-model fighters for the service, with operations to commence early in the next decade. Gripen C/D is a new-generation, multi-role combat aircraft currently in operation with the Air Forces of Sweden, South Africa, Hungary, Czech Republic and Thailand. Stockholm could confirm the decision to extend Gripen C/D operations on May 14, when it publishes its next long-term defense bill.

Asia-Pacific

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd resumed flight tests of the HJT-36 Sitara twin-seat aircraft. Testing had been put on hold for three years after the aircraft encountered problems on the spin test flights in 2016. HAL developed the Sitara for the Intermediate Jet Trainer program, which aims to produce a direct replacement for the Indian Air Force Kiran. The production of the Kiran ended in 1989. HAL received a 1999 contract to develop the HJT-36 Sitara as an intermediate trainer successor, but the firm has missed its 2007 in-service date very badly, and a number of crashes have raised concerns. The aircraft that flew recently features a repositioned vertical fin and other design changes. It is possible that, if the new configuration proves up to customer expectations, the Indian Air Force may buy 73 serial examples. Working out remedies to improve spin characteristics for an otherwise promising and mature design required extensive wind testing on scale models. During the past three years, HAL also addressed issues of excessive airframe weight, while its program partners in Russia had more time to improve the engine that powers the HJT-36.

India’s Ministry of Defense awarded a $901.5 million contract to Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers to build eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASWSWC) vessels for the Indian Navy. The vessels will be equipped with advanced integrated platform management systems including propulsion, auxiliary, power generation, distribution and damage control machinery. They will have a speed of 25 knot and will be capable of full-scale sub surface surveillance of coastal waters and coordinated ASW operations with aircraft. The first ASWSWC will be delivered within 42 months, followed by two vessels per year. The performance period for the project is seven years.

Today’s Video

Watch: Amazing video of Wings Over Wayne Air Show 2019, featuring breathtaking stunts, airpower and more

LAIRCM Concept
(click to view full)

Defense Support Services (DS2), a Greenville, SC-based venture between Lockheed Martin and Day & Zimmermann, received a $96 million contract to provide support for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) System.

Northrop Grumman’s LAIRCM is a laser-based countermeasures system that is designed to defend C-17 and C-130 transport aircraft and other large, slow-moving aircraft from an infrared missile attack by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat, and activating a high-intensity system of pulsed lasers to track and defeat the threat by confusing its guidance head…

The LAIRCM was developed in response to heat seeking missiles that are able to outsmart the flares that large aircraft deploy to thwart them. Particularly troublesome are the shoulder-fired man-portable air-defense missiles (MANPADS). More than 700,000 MANPADS are estimated to have been produced in the past 30 years. According to the USAF, 90% of all US air combat losses for the last 25 years can be attributed to infrared missiles, such as MANPADS.

The LAIRCM system has 2 small laser transmitter assemblies mounted on the rear of the plane, as well as 5 missile warning transmitters at various points on the aircraft. The most prominent warning transmitters are in 2 projections on top of the aircraft just back of the cockpit that resemble “horns.” Processors in the cockpit and rear of the plane collect the data and transmit information to the aircrew.

Capt. Jeffrey Bryant, USAF 95th Airlift Squadron’s standardization and evaluation navigator, said that the USAF has seen a lot of MANPADS in Iraq. He explains how the LAIRCM system defeats them.

“The laser transmitters are the heart of the system. They basically work to interrupt the infrared signal, or heat. The two rear lasers ‘blind’ the missile’s eyeball, so it disables the missile’s ability to follow the heat source from the plane.”

The US Air Force’s Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base manages the DS2 contact (FA8625-10-D-6501).

Updates

May 2/19: LAIRCM Integration Northrop Grumman won a contract action with a not-to-exceed-value of $132.3 million to integrate the Department of Navy Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system onto aircraft for the US Navy, Army, and the governments of the UK and Norway. The deal provides necessary hardware and systems technical support, analysis and studies for the integration work. The LAIRCM system enhances individual aircraft survival through improved aircrew situational awareness of the electromagnetic threat environment. The fundamental requirement for the LAIRCM system is to provide protection against man-portable, shoulder-fired and vehicle launched infrared guided missiles. Hardware for the procurement includes 283 advanced threat warning sensors, 79 control indicator unit replaceables, 52 -2103 signal processors, 120 infrared missile warning sensors, 91 Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies (GLTAs), 13 multi-role electro-optical end-to-end test sets, 190 GLTA shipping containers, 46 high capacity cards, 10 LAIRCM signal processor replacements smart connector assemblies, and 123 personal computer memory card, international association cards. Northrop will perform work within the US and expected completion date is in June 2021.

November 22/16: South Korea has been cleared to continue with their purchase of Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure systems (LAIRCM). Developed by Northrop Grumman, the pods are designed to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. The $141 million sale will see four LAIRCM systems procured for Korean A-330 multirole tanker aircraft. South Korean F-16s are also slated for upgrade, following the awarding of a $1.2 billion contract by the Pentagon to Lockheed Martin.

August 9/16: Northrop Grumman has been awarded $45 million as part of the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) program. The USAF deal will see NG conduct work on processor replacement and support hardware with completion expected for April 2018. First fielded in 2005, LAIRCM provides automatic protection against shoulder-fired, vehicle-launched, and other infrared-guided missiles for large transport and rotary-wing aircraft.

HPT-32
(click to view full)

India’s stalled defense procurements have become an international joke, but they’re not funny to front-line participants. The country’s attempts to buy simple artillery pieces have become infamous, but their current problem with trainer aircraft is arguably a more significant wound.

You can’t produce pilots properly without appropriate training, but the IAF’s fleet of 114 locally-designed HPT-32 Deepak basic trainers has been grounded since August 2009, because they aren’t seen as reliable enough or safe enough to fly. Since then, equally aged HJT-16 Kiran jets are being used for both Stage-I and Stage-II fighter training. That yawning gap has added urgency to a replacement buy, but progress has been predictably slow. With its high-end Hawk AJT jet trainer deals behind them after 20+ years of effort, can the IAF take the next step, and plug the hole in the middle of its training? In May 2012, it did.

India’s Trainer Choice(s) Basic Training: Pilatus Wins the Competition

IAF PC-7 MkII
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By June 2011, Switzerland’s Pilatus had emerged as the IAF’s preferred basic choice with their PC-7 Mark II, which is in wide international use with over 20 air forces. The PC-7 Mark II, introduced in 1994, adds all of the avionics advances and some airframe changes from the P-9M, but uses a very cost-efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C engine. The engine provides less power, in return for a lower price and lower operating costs. Ejection seats, an anti-g system, and On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) help round out its capabilities; and the plane is still touted as being suitable for aerobatics, tactical flying, and night flying. All of these things mark a sharp step up from the HPT-32.

Overall, Pilatus has touted the PC-7 as a trainer that can cover both basic and intermediate training roles, at very low operating costs. In recent years they’ve backed off a bit, emphasizing the PC-9M and PC-21 turboprops as their advanced trainer offerings. On the other hand, the PC-7 Mark II’s original South African customer uses it as the sole lead-in to the same Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer that India flies. Like the HPT-32s, PC-7s can be armed, and this has been done by a number of customers.

To win, Pilatus beat Korean Aerospace’s KT-1 and Hawker Beechcraft’s T-6C in the finals. Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano armed trainer, Finmeccanica’s M-311 jet trainer, and Grob’s G-120 TP didn’t make it past the technical trials.

In May 2012, the IAF has signed a contract to import 75 PC-7s from Pilatus in fly-away condition, and the planes were formally inducted into the IAF in February 2013. Some Indian pilots trained on the PC-7s in Switzerland, then returned to India as trainers themselves.

A HAL proposal for a locally developed “HTT-40 trainer” also lost out at some point in this process, but it has been revived under political pressure as a developmental program. The problem, as a May 2013 article in the Daily Mail explains, is timing:

“As per the project report submitted by the company in 2011, it had promised to deliver two aircraft by 2019 and 10 by 2021. At this rate, the IAF can begin training on home-built [HTT-40s] only by 2022…. The Defence Acquisition Council had mandated IAF to exercise the [38-plane option] clause to buy more aircraft from the foreign vendor only if HAL’s HTT-40 does not take off before the delivery of first Pilatus PC-7. With first Pilatus arriving in February and HTT-40 nowhere in sight, the IAF will go for 38 more PC-7s.”

HAL wants the government to mandate the HTT-40 as the IAF’s only trainer option beyond the initial 75 PC-7s, but the IAF disagrees vigorously, citing timing problems, training volume needs, and HAL’s known problems handling their workload on other programs. Even so, state-owned HAL has managed to block the intended February 2013 approval for the PC-7 contract’s 38-plane option clause. India’s government continues to dither over any means of moving forward, whether that means buying from Switzerland and moving on, having HAL build 106 PC-7s under license, or mandating the HTT-40.

Intermediate Trainers: HAL’s IJT

HJT-36 IJT
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India’s current intermediate training curriculum rests on a dwindling stock of HJT-16 Kiran jets. They were first introduced in 1968, though another 65 Kiran Mk.IIs entered service beginning in 1985. They serve as the bridge between existing basic flight trainers, and the IAF’s advanced Hawk Mk.132s.

HAL received a 1999 contract to develop the HJT-36 Sitara as an intermediate trainer successor, but the firm has missed its 2007 in-service date very badly, and a number of crashes have raised concerns. HAL is contracted to deliver 12 limited series production aircraft and 75 production IJTs, but the Sitara still hasn’t achieved initial certification as of late 2013, and remains saddled with serious aerodynamic issues.

The question is whether the plane can enter service by 2015, and whether it will be safe if it does. A mid-2014 admission that major redesigns are required casts serious doubt on both requirements.

The PC-7 fleet performs the intermediate training role in other countries, and the threat of choking the IAF’s pilot training pipeline may be crippling enough to force a potential opportunity. As of mid-2014, the IAF is floating a foreign RFI for an intermediate trainer that can also serve in counter-insurgency roles. The IAF is already flying one – but India has a long political history of pursuing indigenous programs well past the point of crisis.

Contracts & Key Events 2014 – 2019

HAL admits IJT must be redesigned; IAF looks abroad for IJT options; PC-7s noticeably improving IAF training.

PC-7 Mk.II: unfrozen
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May 2/19: Flight Tests Recommence Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd resumed flight tests of the HJT-36 Sitara twin-seat aircraft. Testing had been put on hold for three years after the aircraft encountered problems on the spin test flights in 2016. HAL developed the Sitara for the Intermediate Jet Trainer program, which aims to produce a direct replacement for the Indian Air Force Kiran. The production of the Kiran ended in 1989. HAL received a 1999 contract to develop the HJT-36 Sitara as an intermediate trainer successor, but the firm has missed its 2007 in-service date very badly, and a number of crashes have raised concerns. The aircraft that flew recently features a repositioned vertical fin and other design changes. It is possible that, if the new configuration proves up to customer expectations, the Indian Air Force may buy 73 serial examples. Working out remedies to improve spin characteristics for an otherwise promising and mature design required extensive wind testing on scale models. During the past three years, HAL also addressed issues of excessive airframe weight, while its program partners in Russia had more time to improve the engine that powers the HJT-36.

June 2/16: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) has made its maiden flight after much delay. The Indian indigenous trainer will see at least 70 of the aircraft procured by the Indian Air Force despite the service’s preference for the Swiss built Pilatus PC-7 Mark II. Funding for the HTT-40 had been blocked by the Defense Ministry after the IAF claimed that the trainer would be too expensive, too heavy, and that it will not meet their need.

Aug 5/14: IJT. Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley makes it official, in response to a Rajya Sabha question:

“HAL, which has been developing the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), as a replacement for the Kiran aircraft, has not so far been able to resolve critical wing and airframe Design & Development issues related to stall and spin.

In order to meet the emergent situation created due to inordinate delay in the IJT project, IAF has already initiated the process for extending the technical life of the Kiran aircraft. The IAF has also initiated action to look for alternate options for the IJT.”

See March 30/14 for that RFI. Sources: India MoD, “Replacement of Intermediate Trainer Planes of the IAF”.

July 5/14: IJT redesign. Shiv Aroor’s exclusive report says that HAL is looking for foreign help to redesign the HJT-36 Sitara, and offers some excerpts from the RFI:

“The HJT-36 aircraft presently weighs around 4150 Kg in its Normal Training Configuration…. HAL is envisaging achieving maximum possible weight reduction / optimisation for the aircraft…. The design of the above need to be revisited, analyzed and the scope for weight reduction / optimization studied while ensuring the required strength, stiffness & fatigue criteria…. Towards this HAL is looking forward for partnership / technical assistance / consultancy from a well experienced airframe design house…. This weight reduction / optimization study must be comprehensive, encompassing all the Structure, Mechanical Systems & Electrical Avionics Systems.”

In light of this call for help, it becomes very doubtful that the plane can enter service by 2015 – a date that would already be 8 years late. Indeed, it’s legitimate to question whether the design will ever meet the IAF’s criteria. Whether or not the IAF opens another competition (q.v. March 30/14) will be a political decision. Sources: Livefist, “EXCLUSIVE: Totally Cornered, HAL To Re-design Lumbering Intermediate Trainer”.

May 8/14: PC-7. Pilatus explains how important the PC-7 Mk.IIs have been to India. The translation needs a bit of work, but the gist is very clear. Available, reliable aircraft make a huge difference to pilot training quality:

“Due to the excellent endurance, low maintenance and reliability of the PC-7 MkII aircraft, the Indian Air Force supported by Pilatus has been able to maintain a very high availability rate on the flight line since the introduction of the new platform. Thanks to this, the Indian Air Force is already planning to advance their plans to enhance the number of student pilots by 150% from the next course…. Furthermore, the PC-7 MkII has enabled the Indian Air Force to increase the basic training syllabus in terms of flight hours by 220% compared to the old syllabus and increase the solo content from only 1 to 14 sorties.”

So far, India has taken delivery of 35 PC-7 trainers since the contract was signed in May 2012, and the remaining 40 are being flown in on an accelerated monthly schedule. A Fixed Base Full Mission Simulator is now operational at Dundigal, with a 2nd simulator and other training systems scheduled to be operational by the end of 2014. Overall, the PC-7 MkII fleet has achieved more than 12,000 flying hours, and accumulated well over 24,000 landings since deliveries began in February 2013. Sources: Pilatus, “Indian Air Force Pilatus PC-7 MkII Fleet Clocks Record Performance”.

March 30/14: IJT competition? The IAF has reportedly published a non-binding global RFI regarding intermediate (Stage-II) jet trainers “for a primary task of Stage–II training of Pilots and also capable to undertake a secondary task of Counter Insurgent Operations” (sic).” The specifications seem to aim directly at some of the HJT-36 Sitara’s problem areas:

“Stalling. An unmistakable natural stall warning should be available, irrespective of the configuration. (b) Spinning. The aircraft must be resistant to spin but it should be possible to perform intentional spin upto six turns to either side and recover safely thereafter. The aircraft behavior in the spin should be predictable and consistent. (c) Aerobatics The IJT should be capable of performing loops, barrel rolls, rolls, combination maneuvers and negative ‘g’ flight without adverse effects on the engine and aircraft structure. The aircraft should be capable of sustained inverted flight for at least 30 seconds at sea level at maximum takeoff power…. The aircraft should be capable of carrying at least 1000 kg of external load. The aircraft should be equipped with a minimum of five hard points and each hard point on the wing should be stressed to carry at least 300 kg stores. The aircraft should be, free from buffet, dutch roll, snaking and wing rock during air to ground weapon training. The aircraft should be capable of employing the following armament: (a) Gun. A light weight gun/ gun-pod with adequate ammunition for at least 5 sec of firing time. (b) Rocket Pods. Reusable rocket pods. (c) Bombs. Should be able to carry at least 4×250 kg retarded or ballistic bombs. The stations should be capable of employing Carrier Bomb Light Stores (CBLS) type of dispensers for carriage of practice bombs (25 lbs and 3 Kg).

Defense News says that the RFI was reportedly sent to Russia’s Yakolev; Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi; Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI); Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Beechcraft; and Sweden’s Saab. That’s a strange list, if true. Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Saab don’t really have current products in this space. Russia’s Yak-130 is a different class, overlapping India’s existing high-end Hawk AJT fleet; ditto KAI’s supersonic T-50 jet. Beechcraft doesn’t make jet trainers, just a T-6C turboprop which is designed for the basic-intermediate role, as is KAI’s KT-1. Ironically, these 2 turboprops were the finalists that Pilatus beat with the PC-7 Mk.II. The only real jet candidate would be Alenia, whose M-311 jet trainer didn’t even make the finals against Pilatus’ PC-7 Mk.II.

If India demands jets, the PC-7 wouldn’t qualify, but the hardpoint requirements may be within the PC-7’s 1,000 kg capacity. There have been efforts to arm the HJT-36 (q.v. Feb 19/11), but it isn’t clear how successful they have been. Sources: Livefist, “HAL’s IJT Delayed, IAF Scouts Foreign Source” | Defense NEws May 2014, “India Looks Abroad for New Jet Trainer”.

Feb 10/14: IJT. Defence Minister Shri AK Antony admits that the HJT-36 IJT isn’t going to arrive any time soon:

“The Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) is planned to replace Kiran Mk-I. Due to repeated revisions in the time line set for the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) of IJT, and also considering the present state of the project regarding induction of the IJT in Indian Air Force (IAF), it has been decided to extend the use of Kiran Mk-I.

After the study of the fatigue life spectrum of Kiran Mk-I aircraft, the Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (Aircraft) has recommended extension of Total Technical Life of the aircraft. This will help IAF to utilize the fleet till 2017-18, though in gradually reducing numbers.”

Sources: Indian MoD, “Replacement of Kiran Aircraft” | India’s Economic Times, “5th gen fighter aircraft project with Russia delayed: A K Antony”.

Jan 20/14: Next BTA? Ajai Shukla pens an oped that looks at HAL’s arguments for the HTT-40, while dismissing any concerns raised by the other side. That isn’t very valuable in and of itself, and makes his “full” cost figures suspect. On the other hand, he details the IAF’s counter-proposal: INR 24.05 billion (about $393 million) for 10 more full PC-7 imports, and 96 license-assembled PC-7 Mk.IIs at IAF’s 5 Base Repair Depot in Sulur, Tamil Nadu: 28 semi-knocked down kits, and 68 fully knocked-down parts sets.

There is merit to his point that lifetime costs are larger than purchase costs. An India unable to produce its own spares locally does leave itself at the risk of paying more, and subject to currency fluctuations. The core argument involves pinning down the potential differences, and then asking whether the IAF’s training fleet is both economically small enough, and militarily important enough, to justify the tradeoffs in exchange for a no-risk solution. The IAF says yes, and makes an argument. Shulka won’t address the question.

The most interesting point Shulka makes is that the original Basic Trainer Aircraft RFP only covered 75 fully built aircraft. Could a competitor snarl the proceedings by citing the failure to include a local-assembly under Transfer of Technology option, on the basis that they would have won had it been part of the tender? Anywhere other than India, the answer would be no. Separate contracts are separate. In India? Who knows. Sources: Business Standard, “Is indigenisation just a slogan?”

2012 – 2013

PC-7 Mk.II contract signed, plane inducted; HAL fighting to push its HTT-40, attacks procurement process and stalls follow-on basic trainer buy; KAI’s procurement challenge fails; India’s weak currency becomes a problem.

2013 induction

Dec 18/13: HTT-40. Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh replies to a Parliamentary question in India’s Rajya Sabha upper chamber, and attaches a number to HAL’s basic trainer attempt. It’s a bit less than previous reports (q.v. April 15/13):

“HAL has sanctioned an amount of Rs.176.93 crore [DID: INR 1.77 billion, currently about $29 million] for preliminary design phase and detailed design phase activities of Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) aircraft. IAF has expressed reservations over acquiring the HTT-40 developed by HAL and has recast its proposal from ‘Make’ category to ‘Buy and Make’ category to procure the balance 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA).”

Source: India MoD, “Use of HTT-40 Trainer by IAF”.

Oct 14/13: Build to print? The IAF is forwarding what seems to be a compromise proposal: have HAL build the last 106 PC-7 Mk.II trainers, using blueprints supplied by Pilatus. Sources:

Oct 10/13: IJT. HAL is having serious flight and safety problems with its HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer. The plane has an inherent asymmetry that makes the aircraft roll around 16 degrees during stall trials. That’s very dangerous to trainee pilots, and has forced the suspension of stall testing. HAL is still saying that they hope to get the HJT-36’s Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by the end of December 2013, but “insiders” don’t consider that very likely.

HAL is contracted to deliver 12 limited series production aircraft and 75 production IJTs, but the IJT program has been in trouble for several years now. The original IOC date was supposed to be 2007, but a string of crashes (q.v. April 29/11) and other problems have pushed the likely date back by 7 years or more. It’s not a very good advertisement for HAL’s “MTT-40” lobbying, and the longer-term question is whether continued IJT problems will push effective fielding beyond the old HJT-16 fleet’s safe life. Sources: Indian Express, “HAL struggling with jet trainer project”.

July 30/13: Currency exchange. India’s Business Standard follows up on its earlier report about HAL’s HTT-40 trainer offer by discussing an IAF clarification, but won’t quote that clarification or link to it. That’s bad practice and questionable ethics, especially when other sources note the IAF statement’s citation of persistent delays and problems across all of HAL’s aircraft production programs. With that said, the Business Standard makes an important point along the way.

The flyaway price of each PC-7 Mk.II trainer in the contract is reportedly SFR 6.09 million. Since payment is linked to delivery, India’s declining rupee is steadily making each subsequent trainer more expensive. The IAF had given a mean figure of INR 300 million for the 2014 delivery year, but on May 24/12 when the contract was signed, the conversion worked out to INR 360.8 million each. Today’s conversion is INR 394.7 million – a 9.4% cost hike. India’s RBI is stepping up its defense of the currency as it approaches record lows, but a current account deficit amounting to 4.8% of GDP requires broader policy changes to avert further decline.

Currency exchange factors weren’t part of the cost figures in IAF Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne’s letter to Defence Minister A K Antony earlier this month, and the letter also gave wrong information regarding some basic specifications like the PC-7’s flight speed. That’s bad form indeed, and could become a club in the Minister’s hands if he wishes to pursue this issue. India’s Business Standard | India Today | Reuters.

July 29/13: Changed standards. India’s Business Standard reports that the IAF changed a number of key specifications for its trainer competition, after laying down a more stringent Preliminary Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (PSQR) for the HTT-40. Items changed include zero-zero ejection seats (lowered to 0/60), instructor visibility levels from the rear cockpit, the ability to the instructor to simulate front-seat instrument failures in flight, glide ratio reduced from 12:1 to 10:1, and the need for a pressurized cabin.

The report adds an important missing piece, which seems to explain HAL’s sudden ability to offer their HTT-40 for 42% less: lower standards. India’s critical shortage of IAF basic trainers pushed the service to look abroad, rather than risk serious damage to pilot training while waiting for a developmental plane. Once that decision is made, it’s entirely normal to set performance requirements to a standard that invites more competitors and better deals. Especially when dealing with established offerings, whose performance has proven more than adequate to train thousands of pilots in air forces all around the world.

These moves are especially notable because India has had serious problems with a number of important military programs, which remain in limbo to this day because of poor (and often late) framing of unusual requirements with no reference to the marketplace, followed by rigid insistence that vendors provide off-the-shelf, unmodified solutions. Current high-profile casualties of that approach include India’s LUH/RSH light helicopter program, a body armor program for soldiers, the lightweight assault rifle program, 2 armored personnel carrier programs that included an urgent deployment need, upgrades to India’s BMP-2 APCs, new anti-tank missiles, the QR-SAM and MR-SAM air defense programs, and 155mm towed and self-propelled howitzers. Taken together, this is a huge and serious set of gaps in India’s military capabilities, and adding basic flight training to this list would have been catastrophic.

Lower standards could allow a legitimate price reduction from HAL, though one has to acknowledge that estimates for an airplane that exists only on paper are wildly unreliable. In contrast, bids from abroad involved tested, in-production aircraft that are known to be able to meet both performance and cost specifications. Those considerations also factor in to vendor ratings, if the buyer is competent. India’s Business Standard.

April 15/13: I’m sorry, Danuj, you can’t do that. India’s Business Standard reports that the option for 37 more PC-7 Mk.II trainers is being stalled by HAL. The state-owned firm is demanding that the IAF buy 108 of their undeveloped HTT-40 trainer instead, in order to meet India’s requirement for a total of 183 basic trainers.

They’re leaning on defense minister Antony’s recent fetish for India-only production, in order to avoid “corruption” in defense procurement. We use fetish here in its traditional sense: a key component of animist magic that is performed as a placebo, in return for tangible recompense. To review:

After a long history of late or deficient performance on other aircraft programs, and a INR 600 million per trainer bid (vid. Dec 19/12) that got them thrown out of the competition, HAL has miraculously discovered that they can offer the HTT-40 for just INR 350 million per plane, a 42% reduction that’s suddenly cheaper than Pilatus’ proven INR 385 million figure. This will include development of an armed HTT-40, and HAL is also claiming lower life-cycle costs.

Bids for blueprints-only aircraft tend to be followed by “unexpected” price hikes once political commitment makes it hard to back out. That same commitment dynamic may be driving HAL itself, after their corporate investment of about INR 2 billion (about $36 million) to develop the HTT-40. The corresponding life cycle cost estimates are also likely to be too low, and experience shows that truthful figures require a flying fleet like Pilatus’, not paper promises without a prototype.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force will find it difficult to train its pilots, because HAL is lobbying to block planes the IAF says it needs, by making promises it almost certainly can’t keep. All in return for money and political favors. Which, somehow, doesn’t qualify as corruption. India’s Business Standard, ”
HAL’s trainer pitted as Rs 4,500 cr cheaper than Swiss Pilatus trainer” | UK Daily Mail India, “HAL’s trainer aircraft headed for disaster as development costs soar”.

March 13/13: IJT. In a Parliamentary reply, Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh says that:

“Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed two contracts with HAL for delivery of 12 Limited Series Production Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) aircraft and 73 Series Production IJT aircraft. The IJT aircraft is presently targeted to be inducted in IAF in the year 2014 onwards.”

That would make 15 years from initial contract to induction for HAL’s HJT-36 Sitara intermediate trainer jet, which is already late. Even so, 2014 gives the IAF a very narrow window in which to shelve this project, and they probably won’t. The opportunity, such as it is, is that the IAF envisaged possible orders of 200-250 IJTs, for use in “Intermediate Stage 2” training. That leaves about 115-160 aircraft as potential pickups for a rival like the PC-7 MkII, if HAL’s IJT runs into delivery, service, or cost issues.

Feb 4/13: Options clause. India’s Business Standard reports the IAF will exercise their contract option to buy another 37 Pilatus trainers at the same price, which is reportedly INR 300 million per plane. This brings India’s Swiss-made order total to 112:

“A top IAF official told Business Standard, “The contract for 75 Pilatus trainers, which was signed last year, includes an options clause that allows India to order an extra 50 per cent of the contracted number of aircraft (i.e. 37 trainers) at the same price as the first 75 trainers. We will exercise this options clause this month.”

Feb 2/13: the first 3 Indian PC-7 Mk.IIs arrive at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, near Hyderabad. They were flown in by the Swiss pilots. MSN India | WebIndia123.

1st PC-7s arrive

Dec 19/12: HHT-40s and IJTs. India’s Business Standard reports that HAL had also been a contender in the basic trainer competition, with a proposal to develop and build 106 “Hindustan Turbo Trainer – 40” (HTT-40) planes. The problem was that HAL was about twice as expensive as foreign-built aircraft, at Rs 60 crore per plane. Basic trainers aren’t exactly a strategically vital competency, so that was it for HAL. The paper even suggests that additional PC-7 Mk.IIs beyond the initial 75 could be manufactured in Switzerland.

The other question the paper raises involves the IAF’s missing solution for “Stage 2” intermediate training, between the PC-7 and the jet-powered Hawk AJT. Pilatus touts their plane as being effective through Stage 2, but HAL continues its 14-year old quest to develop an Intermediate Jet Trainer. A 2011 crash has set that option back again, and more problems or unfavorable cost comparisons could earn the PC-7 another slice of business.

PC-7 Mark II
(click to view full)

May 24/12: PC-7 contract. India and Pilatus sign a contract for 75 PC-7 MkII turboprop aircraft, their integrated ground based training system, and a comprehensive logistics support package. The contract also contains an option clause for extending the contract to 105 planes. Indian reports place the initial contract value at INR 29 billion, but Pilatus rates it higher, at “in excess of 500 million” Swiss Francs. In dollar terms, it’s worth over $525 million.

Delivery of the PC-7s and their associated training systems is scheduled to begin by the end of 2012, and the 30-plane option clause will expire in May 2015. As part of this contract, Pilatus will establish in-country depot level maintenance capabilities at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which will allow the IAF to fix the planes in country, instead of having to send them back to Switzerland. Pilatus has also entered into the required 30% value industrial offset contract, and says that it is “our intention to leverage the offset opportunity to establish manufacturing capability for the region in support of our business plans for India.”

It’s a very good week for Pilatus, who just won a 55 plane order from Saudi Arabia for 55 of its top of the line PC-21 trainers. India’s contract is the largest single contract in the company’s history, and will extend Pilatus’ global fleet of turboprop trainers to more than 900 aircraft. IANS | PTI | Swissinfo | Flight International.

PC-7 contract

May 2-3/12: KAI aside. India’s Minister of Defence Shri AK Antony, in a written reply to Shri PiyushGoyal in Rajya Sabha:

“The proposal for procurement of Basic Trainer Aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is awaiting consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)… A representation submitted by M/s Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), one of the bidders, has been found to be devoid of merit.”

Korean Air Industries (KAI) had alleged flaws in the selection procedure, on the grounds that Pilatus’ bid was incomplete. Antony’s written response sets off a flurry of reports, indicating that the PC-7 deal’s major bottleneck has been cleared. India MoD | Times of India | Flight International | Jane’s.

2009 – 2011

HPT-32 basic trainer fleet in crisis; Pilatus picked as preferred; HJT-36 crash.

PC-7 Mk.II
(click to view full)

July 18/11: Indian media reports that Pilatus’ rivals are pressing the Indian government to keep their aircraft in the race, but the IAF is sticking by its preference. The PC-7 Mk.II is said to be a lot less expensive than the most modern offerings like Pilatus’ PC-21. That was a key to its win, but it’s also a plane in wide use around the world.

Pilatus is conducting commercial negotiations with the Indian government, after which India’s parliament must approve the budget for the deal. If the billion-dollar, 181 plane deal is approved, 75 aircraft would reportedly be delivered by Pilatus in flyaway condition, with another 106 to be built by HAL in India. India Strategic | Flight International.

June 18/11: Contract details. The daily Le Temps reports that Pilatus Aircraft is about to sign a record SFR 850 million (about $1.01 billion) deal to supply 75 PC-7 MkII trainers to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which could eventually be extended to as many as 200 of the single-engined turboprops.

Pilatus declined to comment on the report that the trainer had been selected as the winner of offers invited by India in 2009 for a new trainer. Aviation Week offered quotes that stressed the absence of a deal, quoting Indian chief of air staff, Air Marshal P.V. Naik as saying that:

“Of the three short-listed firms from the U.S. [T-6], Korea [KT-1] and Switzerland [PC-7 Mk.II], the bid made by Pilatus has emerged the lowest… We have started price negotiations with the Swiss vendor for supplying 75 aircraft…”

Other contenders that didn’t make the IAF’s short list reportedly included Grob’s G-120 TP, Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano, and Finmeccanica’s jet-powered M-311. See The Hindu | France 24 | Oman Tribune | Aviation Week.

April 29/11: IJT. HJT-36 prototype #S-3466 crashes in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. It’s the 3rd crash in 4 years for the intermediate flight trainer, which was supposed to become operational in 2007. A crash at Aero India 2007 had a plane swerve off the runway just as the pilot was getting airborne; and in February 2009, the 2nd prototype landed on its belly. DNA, “IJT aircraft crashes for third time in 4 years”.

IJT crashes

Feb 19/11: IJT. HAL is looking to arm the HJT-36 Sitara, and is reportedly inviting bids to give the platform a 12.7-mm gun pod with 200 roun
d capacity on its in-board wing stations. That makes sense, since the Sitara will be used for primary weapon training of pilots in gunnery, rocketry, bombing and weapon aiming. The bad news? Initial Operational Clearance is slated for June 2011, and the plane is entering final tests. This seems a bit late to be looking at such fundamental capabilities. Sources: Livefist, “Effort To Arm Indian Stage-2 Trainer Begins”.

Oct 2/09: An Indian Express report says that India is urgently seeking up to 180 trainer aircraft to replace or augment its trainer fleet at all levels, in the wake of problems with the lower-tier HPT-32 fleet and contract issues with its upper-tier Hawk AJT program.

The report adds that a plan to buy 40 additional Hawk AJTs has hit a roadblock, due to differences over price between BAE and the IAF.

Oct 1/09: HPT-32s. Plans to phase out India’s grounded HPT-32 basic trainer fleet will intensify India’s needs for trainer aircraft at all levels. Indian Express quotes Air Chief Marshal P V Naik:

“The IAF lost two experienced instructors in a fatal crash of HPT-32 this year. We have ordered an inquiry and a study on the aircraft, as we have had a lot of problems since their induction in 1984. We hope to use it only till 2013-14″…

Sept 2/09: HPT-32s. India’s Business Standard:

“The Indian Air Force (IAF) is desperately short of aircraft for training its flight cadets. With the entire fleet of basic trainers – the HPT-32 Deepak – grounded after a series of crashes, advanced training is suffering equally due to unexpected delays in the manufacture of the Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) in India…

Trainer crisis

Additional Readings

• Bharat Rakshak – HAL HJT-36. Photos. “The first flight of the HJT-36 was done on 7th March 2003 by Sqn Ldr Baldev Singh (Retd), Chief Test Pilot (Fixed Wing (FW)) of HAL. He took up the IJT on its maiden flight, which lasted for about 20 minutes.”

• Pilatus – PC-7 Mark II. The main site defers to the PC-9M for Advanced/Intermediate training roles, but countries like South Africa are already using PC-7 Mk.IIs all the way up to Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer transition.

IAF Fighters

• DID – India Ordering, Modernizing SU-30MKIs.

• DID – India’s M-MRCA Fighter Competition.

• DID – LCA Tejas: An Indian Fighter – With Foreign Help.

Americas

Boeing won $5.7 billion for Pegasus Combat Capability (PC2) enhancements. According to the DoD, work will include a broad range of post-production related non-recurring and recurring requirements centered on KC-46 air vehicle needs. The Pegasus KC-46 is a refueling tanker that was developed from the Boeing 767 jet. Boeing was first contracted to build four KC-46A aircraft under the $3.9 billion KC-X contract awarded by the USAF in 2011. The Air Force took delivery of the first two Pegasus aircraft in January this year. However, in March debris issues occurred and acceptance was stopped. Deliveries were resumed last week. Boeing will perform PC2 work in Seattle and the scheduled completion date is April 28, 2029.

The Navy tapped Lockheed Martin with a $1.1 billion contract in support of the F-35 Lightning II. The deal is a cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost share contract that includes ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, Automatic Logistics Information System operation and maintenance, reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support, supply chain management, and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. The contract is in support of the F-35 Lightning II for the Air Force, Navy, non-US DoD participants and Foreign Military Sales customers. FMS partners are Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Work will take place within the US and the UK and is expected to be finished in December 2022.

Northrop Grumman will provide product support and software support activity efforts for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. The Navy awarded the company a $38.8 million contract modification. Earlier this month Northrop won a $3.2 billion deal to buy 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye surveillance aircraft. The twin-turboprop airborne early warning aircraft had its first flight in August 2007. The Advanced Hawkeye features the new AN/APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, flight management system, improved T56-A-427A engines, and a glass cockpit. Northrop will perform work under the modification within the US and is expecting completion in April 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Boeing was tapped for post-production system support including product support of the Apache aircraft for the Saudi Arabia National Guard. The Foreign Military Sales contract modification awarded by the US Army is worth $39.5 million. In 2008, the US approved the purchase of 12 AH-64Ds requested by Saudi Arabia. In October 2010, Saudi Arabia requested a further 70 AH-64Ds to improve its ability to effectively protect its borders. Boeing will perform work under the modification in the US and Saudi Arabia. Work is expected to be finished by April 29, 2020.

PAE Government Systems won an $8.2 million Foreign Military Sales modification for the National Maintenance Strategy Ground Vehicle Support effort for Afghanistan. In 2017, the company won a National Maintenance Strategy contract to support the US Army’s mission in Afghanistan. The contract was slated to run five-and-a-half years with a base value of $142 million. Work under the current modification will take place in Kabul, Afghanistan and is scheduled to be finished by the end of August, 2022.

Europe

Rheinmetall won a contract from the Dutch Armed Forces to modernize their Bergepanzer 3 Büffel armored recovery vehicles. The BPz3 was jointly developed by the Bundeswehr and the Netherlands based on the Leopard 2. „Starting immediately, Rheinmetall will completely overhaul the Royal Netherlands Army’s Bergepanzer 3 Büffel ARVs, bringing them up to the latest technological and tactical standard. This will extend the service life of these tried-and-tested combat support vehicles through the year 2040“, Rheinmetall stated. The exact value of the contract, signed on April 18, was not disclosed. In a first phase, four vehicles will get a combat performance upgrade. The first vehicles are scheduled to be delivered to the Netherland in the beginning of 2021.

Asia-Pacific

According to Jane’s, Russia donated two Mil Mi-8MT „Hip-H“ multirole medium helicopters and nine upgraded BRDM-2M 4×4 reconnaissance vehicles to Kyrgyzstan. The choppers are supposed to increase transport and search-and-rescue capabilities of the military in Kyrgyzstan. The reconnaissance vehicles, which are reportedly of the same configuration as those delivered to Laos in January, are to enhance maneuverability of ground troops. According to the Russian government, the donated equipment has an estimated value of $5.9 million.

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