Defense Industry Daily

Americas

South Korea is equipping three of its guided missile destroyers with a new Aegis combat system. The foreign military sales contract between Lockheed Martin and South Korea is priced at $365.7 million. Lockheed Martin will provide the Republic of Korea Navy with development and integration of the weapon system in its Baseline K2 configuration. The Aegis Combat System manages all combat essential elements on Arleigh-Burke and Ticonderoga-class ships and ensures that the missile launching element, the computer programs, the radar and the displays are fully integrated to work together. The contract covers services such as combat system installation, including staging and integrated logistics support required for the installation; program management, system engineering and computer program development; ship integration and testing; technical manuals and planned maintenance system documentation. Work will be performed at multiple national and international locations, including Moorestown, New Jersey and Ulsan, South Korea. Work on all three vessels is expected to be completed by July 2026.

Boeing is being contracted to supply multiple US foreign military sales customers with anti-ship missiles. The $244.7 million not-to-exceed, firm-fixed-price contract enables the company to procure long lead material for the Harpoon full-rate production Lot 91. The Harpoon Block II is an over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile capable of performing land-strike and anti-ship missions. The missile leverages progress on several other weapons to reduce its cost. The Harpoon’s GPS/INS guidance system is taken from Boeing’s JDAM program, and its GPS antennae and software are found on Boeing’s SLAM. The missile’s 500 pound blast warhead can deliver lethal firepower against targets like coastal missile batteries and ships in port. Work will be performed at multiple locations including – but not limited to – St. Charles, Missouri, Galena, Kansas and Elkton, Maryland.

The Air Force is upgrading the refuelling system for its C-17 Globemaster III short field, heavy-lift transport jets. Bodell Construction will construct the refueling hydrants and ramp expansion at a cost of $20.3 million. A hydrant system is a loop of pipeline located under the aircraft parking ramp that delivers fuel straight from the hydrant fuel tanks to the aircraft. A mobile pantograph allows for continuous fuel delivery to aircraft within 135 feet of a hydrant pit. With the hydrant system about 420 gallons a minute can be transferred to the C-17, which reduces the overall refueling time by half, compared to the current truck refueling method. Work will be performed in Charlotte, North Carolina and is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s defense industry can expect a major influx of Boeing investments. The aerospace giant signed a “reciprocal procurement” agreement on Tuesday, that calls for Boeing to collaborate with Israeli industry to the value of at least 35% of all government deals exceeding $1 million. As Israel is expecting to award Boeing with contracts totalling at $10 billion over the next decade, the agreement could possibly add $3.5 billion in new business to Israel’s economy. “A reciprocal purchase agreement on such a scale is a significant achievement which will lead to the growth of many companies in the domestic market, and to expand their activities and success in international markets,” said Economy Minister Eli Cohen. Boeing is currently competing for a number of Israeli defense procurement contracts, including new F-15 fighter aircraft, aerial tankers and a squadron of transport helicopters.

Europe

The German air force will soon test a new passive radar system in the country’s southern province of Bavaria. During the week-long test German electronics specialist Hensoldt will deploy three of its newly developed TwInvis systems in the Munich area and one roughly 70 miles west, near the city of Ulm. The TwInvis system uses the signal echoes of existing third-party transmitters to detect and track aircraft. According to the company the one radar unit can monitor up to 200 aircraft in 3D within a radius of 250 kilometers. Passive radars have the advantage that they cannot be located by the enemy and are very hard to jam, however to properly function the radars are dependent on a sufficiently strong commercial broadcast activity in the targeted area. The company first unveiled the TwInvis passive radar system at the Berlin Air Show in April, where it was rumored as a technology with the potential to detect stealthy aircraft like the F-35.

Asia-Pacific

India’s Coast Guard (ICG) is upgrading its fleet of maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRA). The upcoming mid-life upgrade of the 17 licence-built Dornier Do-228s is expected to cost about $129 million. The aircraft will help the ICG to monitor the country’s 3,370 mile long coastline and over 77,000+ square miles of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone. According to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) the aircraft will be fitted with “state-of-the-art technology” and Pollution Surveillance Systems. Primary contractor will be India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which acquired the production licence of Do-228s in 1986.

KBRwyle Technology Solutions is being contracted to support the US Army’s Prepositioned Stock Four (APS-4) located in South Korea. The $14.8 million contract modification covers the provision of logistics support services until November 2019. APS-4 is located in Japan and South Korea and supports the Pacific theatre with two armored battalions and one mechanized infantry battalion. The Army maintains a strategic inventory of sustainment supplies as part of Army Pre-positioned Stocks (APS). These stocks sustain forward-deployed and initial follow-on ground forces, and include major end items such as engines, repair parts, medical supplies, packaged petroleum products, barrier/construction materials, operations rations, and clothing required to sustain combat operations. The APS-4 is located at Camp Caroll near Waegwan, about 132 miles southeast of Seoul.

Today’s Video

Watch: NATO stages biggest military exercise since end of Cold War

Happy ‘trails…
(click to view full)

The C-17 has had more money-driven last hurrahs than The Who. Even so, FY 2010 featured the USAF’s last planned orders of C-17 Globemaster III short field, heavy-lift transport jets.

The Pentagon had been trying to end the program for years, but 3 factors led Congress to keep adding new C-17s to the budget, year after year: (1) deep doubts about the premises, pre-9/11 vintage, and quality of the Pentagon’s mobility studies; (2) uncertainty concerning the C-5 Galaxy super-heavy transport’s upgrade programs; and (3) a fleet wear tempo much higher than originally forecast, driven by constant requests from theater for C-17s.

All things end, and there were no new C-17s bought in the FY 2011 or FY 2012 budgets. That would leave the USA with a total ordered fleet of 223, once they’re all under contract. At long last, they are.

Contracts & Key Events, 2009 – Present

Hawaii air show
(click to view full)

Final USAF C-17 purchases, by year, are 15 in FY 2008, 8 in FY 2009, and 10 in FY 2010. Foreign orders have kept the production line alive, and in 2012, a single C-17 was ordered to replace an aircraft that had been destroyed. Order placement may not conform exactly, depending on the progress and timing of negotiations. Those numbers, coupled with greater certainty in the cut-down C-5 upgrade program, and a looming budget crises in the USA, make it likely that the end has finally come. Enhancements and maintenance will continue to attract significant budgets, but USAF production will end. In response, Boeing is throttling back annual C-17 production. In order to keep the C-17 production line and sales cycle alive, they’ll have to depend on foreign orders from export customers like the UAE, India, etc., orders for a civilian transport version to provide outsize cargo and/or remote equipment delivery, or some other contingency.

The expected total of 223 USAF C-17s sits just above the program’s original goal of 210 planes, which may be a fortunate thing. The Global War on Terror created very heavy demand for C-17s, resulting in increased flying hours that are wearing out the fleet early. Adding additional aircraft will help the fleet as a whole last longer, by distributing flight hours across more planes. At the same time, US vehicle programs continue to exceed the weight limit of lesser transports, ensuring robust future demand.

Unless otherwise noted, Boeing Defense, Space and Security’s Global Mobility Systems unit in Long Beach, CA executes the contracts, which are issued by by the 516th AESG/PK at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. Note that separate contracts exist for F117 engines, and for other “government furnished equipment” that is part of the final, operational aircraft.

No more coming
(click to view full)

November 1/18: Refueling Upgrade The Air Force is upgrading the refuelling system for its C-17 Globemaster III short field, heavy-lift transport jets. Bodell Construction will construct the refueling hydrants and ramp expansion at a cost of $20.3 million. A hydrant system is a loop of pipeline located under the aircraft parking ramp that delivers fuel straight from the hydrant fuel tanks to the aircraft. A mobile pantograph allows for continuous fuel delivery to aircraft within 135 feet of a hydrant pit. With the hydrant system about 420 gallons a minute can be transferred to the C-17, which reduces the overall refueling time by half, compared to the current truck refueling method. Work will be performed in Charlotte, North Carolina and is expected to be completed by December 2020.

April 03/18: A long time coming! Boeing has been awarded a contract for the provision of one C-17 aircraft in support of the Indian government. The contract is valued at $262 million. India almost lost out on the deal in November 2017 due to New Delhi’s agonisingly long procurement process. In 2015, the Indian Air Force (IAF) approved the purchase of three C-17s to add to its current fleet of 10. Currently the C-17 production line and sales cycle is heavily depended on foreign orders from export customers like the UAE, India and others. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas and is scheduled for completion by August 2019.

March 13/18 New HUD A three week test period of a Replacement Head-Up Display (RHUD) for the C-17 Globemaster III has just wrapped up at Edwards Air Force Base. During the testing, the 418th Flight Test Squadron’s C-17 Integrated Test Team partnered with pilots from Air Mobility Command Test and Evaluation Squadron Detachment 3 and operational pilots from Travis Air Force Base to collect test data from the ground and in the air. Designed by Elbit Systems of America, the new HUD is larger and has more clarity of symbology than the obsolete Legacy HUD and is designed to be installed and removed easier for maintenance and includes other enhancements.

November 14/17: India is in danger of losing out on purchasing the last available C-17 Globemaster heavy transport aircraft as New Delhi’s agonisingly long procurement process may see manufacturer Boeing offer the aircraft to someone else. In 2015, the Indian Air Force (IAF) approved the purchase of three C-17s to add to its current fleet of ten, but with the Globemaster’s production line already shut down, Boeing only had one remaining to sell. But New Delhi has so far failed to send the formal Letter of Acceptance (LoA) required as part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process and instead are looking to request an extension of the deadline to next year, thus pushing the completion of the procurement process further down the line. As a result, Washington could rescind the offer and instead look at other interested parties.

June 28/17: The US State Department has cleared the possible sale of one C-17 transport aircraft to India. Valued at an estimated $366 million, the package also includes 4 Turbofan F-117-PW-100 engines, a missile warning system, a countermeasures dispensing system and an identification friend or foe transponder. Offsets usually requested by New Delhi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative will be negotiated between both India and lead contractor Boeing.

April 23/17: Canada is to receive a C-17 Globemaster III sustainment package after the US State Department approved the potential foreign military sale. Valued at a possible $195 million, the deal will support five C-17s operated by Canada including tasks such as in-country field services, maintenance and technical support, spares and additional equipment. Boeing will act as lead contractor with support to be provided by Lockheed Martin.

March 13/17: The USAF has announced that it has used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 aircraft. Conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, the 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force (CTF) conducted three sorties with the mini-UAV and it worked so well it allowed the ground crew to sign off on their preflight external inspection of the aircraft. It’s expected that use of such drones will help cut the inspection time from 45-60 minutes to just minutes. The test comes under the CTF’s task to provide agile, innovative flight test capabilities for emerging technologies and to explore the USAF’s future warfighting capabilities.

January 25/17: Besides Trident, the UK has been unsurprisingly cleared to receive continued C-17 logistics support services, and equipment from the US. Valued at an estimated cost of $400 million, provisions in the contract include continued support for eight RAF C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft once the previous deal expires in September.

February 25/16: C-17 transport aircraft used by the UAE military are to be fitted with infrared countermeasure systems in a program that could cost up to $225 million. The provision of AN/AAQ-24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) equipment, and logistics support was approved by the US State Department as a Foreign Military Sale. Eight C-17s will receive a LAIRCM system which includes three Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies (GLTA), six Ultra-Violet Missile Warning System (UVMWS) Sensors AN/AAR-54, and one LAIRCM System Processor Replacement (LSPR).

December 1/15: Boeing has finished production of the final C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and it will make its way to Qatar next year. The completion of the plane will see the Long Beach plant close at a loss of 400 jobs. Since its inception in 1991, 279 Globemasters have been produced at the California facility, but lack of international demand for the plane has rendered keeping the plant open financially unfeasible. C-17 fleets are currently operational in UK, Canada, Qatar and Australia.

April 27/15: Boeing took a flyer and privately financed the production of 10 C-17A Globemasters. With a series of Commonwealth countries expressing interest, five are still left unsold.

Sept 12/13: Era ending. Boeing delivers the USAF’s 223rd and last C-17A Globemaster III, which flies off to its assignment at Joint Base Charleston, SC. It marks the end of an era that began with the C-17’s 1st flight, on Sept 15/91.

In a follow-on release, Boeing says that C-17 production for all customers will end in 2015, with the closure of the Long Beach, CA assembly line after the last 22 C-17s are delivered. It’s possible that a couple of additional orders might materialize, but that’s not enough. As Boeing Defense, Space & Security President Dennis Muilenburg put it:

“Our customers around the world face very tough budget environments. While the desire for the C-17’s capabilities is high, budgets cannot support additional purchases in the timing required to keep the production line open…”

Boeing will take a charge of < $100 million this quarter, and expects to begin the layoff process in 2014 for nearly 3,000 employees in Long Beach, CA; Macon, GA; Mesa, AZ; and St. Louis, MO. They had throttled back production to try and keep the line open for foreign sales, but the number of customers with the budget to buy them was always limited, and so was the amount of extra time those orders could give the production line. Sources: Boeing video feature | Boeing releases, Sept 12 and Sept 15/13.

Final USAF delivery, Plant shutdown announcement

June 19/12: One more. Boeing receives a $169.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 1 USAF C-17A replacement aircraft. Boeing has confirmed that this contract is for the USAF.

It is needed to replace the C-17 lost in the 2010 accident, but the contract doesn’t include important “government-furnished” items like engines (another $35-38 million), military communications and defensive systems, etc. See the February 2011 entry for average C-17 costs.

Work will be performed in Long Beach, CA, and will be complete by May 23/13. The ASC/WLMK at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the contract (FA8614-06-D-2006, DO 0010).

+1 C-17

Jan 23/12: Finis. Boeing in Long Beach, CA receives a $693.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to delivery order (DO) 0006, for 5 more USAF C-17s. DO 0006 is noted on May 16/11, and bought the 1st 5 aircraft of the USAF’s FY 2010 order. This agreement and contract is confirmed as closing the books on USAF C-17 production, by bringing the order to its expected 10.

+5 C-17s

Work will be performed in Long Beach, CA, and is expected to be complete by March 20/13. The ASC/WLMK at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the contract (FA8614-06-D-2006, DO 000603).

May 16/11: A $962.5 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against the basic C-17 production contract, for 5 of the FY 2010 C-17A aircraft. At this time, $471.6 million has been committed.

Boeing representatives said that a contract for the other 5 is expected later in 2011 (FA8614-06-D-2006, DO 0006).

+5 C-17s

February 2011: According to the USAF’s FY 2012 budget documents [PDF], flyaway costs for the last set of FY 2010 C-17s is around $193 million each, rising to a full operational cost per aircraft of about $256 million once spares, site support, training, etc. are also factored in.

All planned USAF orders (incl. FY 2010) and existing export orders would see the C-17 production line end at the end of November 2012, with the USAF taking the final delivery. [Addendum: A subsequent order from Australia pushes this to the end of December 2012.]

Jan 20/11: Boeing announces the 2nd phase of C-17 Program Production Rate and Work Force Reductions. 1,100 employees cut, 900 in Long Beach, CA, as production drops from its high-water mark of 15 C-17s per year down to 10 per year.

Boeing hopes to keep the line open longer this way. The tradeoff is added fixed costs from running the line for more years, vs. the potential for new orders each extra year the line is still running. Recent experience with export orders shows latent demand around the globe, and once the C-17 line stops, strategic airlift options will shrink to rented Russian/Ukrainian AN-124s, or the medium-heavy lift Airbus A400M.

Planes are replaceable
…people aren’t
(click for video)

July 28/10: Crash. A USAF C-17A (tail number 00-0173) crashes at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, killing all 4 crew aboard. The crew were preparing for Elmendorf’s Arctic Thunder Air Show, which went ahead on July 31/10. The crash is attributed to pilot error.

Crash

June 22/10: A $1.5 billion contract modification to buy 8 more C-17 aircraft for the USAF. At this time, $734.4 million has already been committed (FA8614-06-D-2006).

February 2010: Budgets. The USAF’s FY 2011 budget submission [PDF] gives an average C-17 flyaway cost to date of around $201 million over the entire program, rising to a full “weapon system cost” of $267.5 million once required spares and support are also factored in. Despite this, it also notes that:

“The FY2010 appropriation of $2.5B “for the procurement of ten C-17 aircraft, associated spares, support equipment and training equipment as required” is not sufficient for this requirement. Shortfall estimated at $530M.”

These 10 aircraft would push total USAF buys to 223. That’s 13 more than the original program goal of 210, and far more than the 180 plane fleet the USAF would have had without Congressional intervention. On the other hand, the 223 were built over a longer manufacturing time frame than originally planned, and in the face of a fleet whose first C-17s are going to be retiring early due to heavy usage.

Feb 6/09: FY 2009. A firm-fixed-price contract to McDonnell Douglas Corporation of Long Beach, CA for an amount not to exceed $2.95 billion. This is an unfinalized contract to buy 15 more C-17A Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft in FY 2009, and separate contracts can be expected for engines and government furnished equipment that is part of the final, operational plane. At this time, $114.6 million has been committed. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH will manage the contract (FA8614-06-D-2006).

Budgets to the end of FY 2008 would bring the American fleet to 205 aircraft, and the FY 2009 budget calls for 8 more.

+15 C-17s

Additional Readings

• DID – The Global C-17 Sustainment Partnership. After they’re produced, a maintenance partnership with Boeing takes over. That work will continue.

• DID – C-17 Post-Production: The Long Goodbye. Close-out funding to store the production equipment, data, etc. when the line shuts.

• DID – C-17 Production Line Out of Time?

• OC180 News (Aug 10/09) – Round 7 in the Fight for the Boeing C-17 Production Line and Its 5,000 Long Beach Jobs–a Continuing Monday Morning series

• Reuters (Jan 20/09) – Obama renews pledge to invest in military. There are rumors that the C-17 will be green-lighted again, but they prove to be untrue. The administration continues to fight new C-17 appropriations, using a series of escalating threats.

• DID (May 8/08) – C-17A, F-22A May Get Reprieves from Congress

• DID – Interactive: C-5s vs. C-17s in Washington

• DID – Airbus A400M Aerial Transport: Delays and Development

• DID – NATO’s AN-124s: A Russian Solution to the Airlift Problem… And More?

Americas

HRL Laboratories is receiving additional funding to complete work on the military’s next generation of gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. The $9.1 million contract is awarded by DARPA and is expected to be completed by April 2020. The contract is part of DARPA’s Dynamic Range-enhanced Electronics and Materials (DREaM) program that seeks to develop transistors with much improved linearity and noise figure at reduced power consumption for use in electronic devices that manage the electromagnetic spectrum from radio communications to radar. The company develops ultra-linear GaN transistors working in mm-wave frequencies that enable transmission and reception without distortion across the spectrum. The transistors will enable secure ultra-wideband communications with higher data rates, while reducing their draw on the prime power source of their eventual platforms, such as ships or aircraft. Technologies developed under the DREaM program are currently installed on SEWIP and AMDR systems and will be featured on the DoD’s Space Fence and NGJs. Work will be performed at HRL’s facilities in Malibu, California and Huntington Beach, California.

The US Navy is modifying a contract signed with BAE Systems. An additional $9.5 million are being awarded for engineering and integration services on the Trident II, SSGN attack weapon system and strategic weapon surety. The Trident II (D5) strategic weapons system is installed on US Navy Ohio-class submarines and UK Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines. Each Vanguard class submarine has 16 missile tubes and ejects missiles by using high-pressure gas. The Ohio-class submarines can carry up to 24 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with multiple independently-targeted warheads. BAE is not just working on the current Ohio-class submarines, but is also working on the integration of the Trident II D5 SLBM into the future Columbia-class submarines, by leading weapon system interface coordination and configuration management. Work will be performed at multiple locations such as, Rockville, Maryland; Barrow, United Kingdom and New Paris, Ohio. The Navy has obligated more than $1 million from FY 2019 Navy research and development test and evaluation funds, in addition to more than $8.4 million in UK funds.

Northrop Grumman is being tapped to advance the Pentagon’s cyber war-fighting capabilities. The $54.6 million contract allows Northrop Grumman to operate as the systems coordinator to continue development, integration and sustainment of the US Cyber Command’s Unified Platform Program (UPP). The system is intended to support cyber defense, planning command-and-control and situational awareness operations. Pentagon officials say that the UPP is one of the largest most critical acquisition programs to date. The Unified Platform will serve as the Cyber Command’s engine room for global cyber operations by combining different cyberspace platforms that offer a quick and easy access to a complete range of cyber capabilities. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed by October 31, 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Iraq’s T-50 fighter jet fleet continues to grow. The six new T-50IQs advanced trainers were handed over on October 28. This is the third batch of aircraft, that are being procured under a $1.1 billion deal signed in 2013 for 24 T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets from South Korean aerospace firm KAI. Since then 18 aircraft have been added to Iraq’s fleet, with the first batch delivered in March 2017 and the second delivery earlier this year. The T-50IQ variant is based on the FA-50 lightweight fighter model that’s fully fitted for lightweight fighter and light attack roles, with a secondary role as a lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) if necessary. The plane is equipped RWR and NVIS systems, is compatible with JDAMs and LINK-16 and offers more F-16 like attack capabilities than the classic T-50.

Europe

The Spanish Navy’s AB-212 life extension program is nearing its end. SENER and Babcock, the companies tasked with overhauling the helicopters have recently delivered the sixth unit to the service. SENER is responsible for major design, integration and engineering works under the project, while Babcock conducts some of the design, installation, and land and flight testing procedure. The LEP adds another 15 years of lifetime to the helicopters that have been operational since 1974. The upgraded AB-212s are being fitted with new electrical components and their analog cockpit is being replaced with a fully digitalized system. Additionally the helicopters are equipped with new radar, GPS, night vision and self-defense systems. The seventh and last unit expected to be delivered by the end of 2018.

Defense News reports that Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend an extra $1.8 billion on three strategic military programs. This includes cyber and anti-submarine warfare developments and the Dreadnought-class nuclear submarine build program. This decision follows a months long battle for extra cash between Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and Chancellor Philip Hammond. Jon Louth, a RUSI analyst, commented the decision with “It’s welcome, but comes nowhere near addressing the potential funding gap if you add up all the programs in the equipment plan. It does appear to be a significant increase in percentage terms, although the devil will be in the detail.” The MoD is currently trying to bridge a funding gap in its $228 billion 10-year equipment plan.

Asia-Pacific

India’s state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is being tapped to upgrade the country’s M-46 field guns. The $27.7 million contract covers the upgrade of 300 M-46s to a 155mm calibre. The upgrades to the Soviet-era weapons include the replacement of the barrel and breech block and addition of new sighting systems and a new hydraulic rammer to ease loading of shells. The Indian Army had initiated the upgrade of the Soviet-era guns in 2008 with the contract being awarded to the Israeli firm Soltam, now part of Elbit. Soltam’s contract was suspended midway after allegations that it had bribed officials. Later, the government had decided to throw open the contract for domestic companies. The state-run Ordnance Factories Board participated in the tender issued by the Indian Army, competing with two other private manufacturers.

Today’s Video

Watch: Euronaval 2018: Focus on Naval Aviation

Americas

HII is being contracted to repair one of the Navy’s Arleigh-Burke class destroyers. The firm-fixed-price contract is priced at $44.8 million and covers a combination of maintenance, modernization and repair work on the USS O’Kane. Upgrades to the vessel will revolve around reducing the ship’s workload requirements and increasing war-fighting capabilities while reducing total ownership cost to the Navy. Those improvements will include massive overhauls to combat systems, as well as hull, mechanical and electrical upgrades. This contract also includes options could raise the contract value to $51.5 million. DDG-77 will be overhauled at HII’s shipyard in San Diego, California and is expected to be back at sea by January 2020.

Central Lake Armor Express is being tapped to provide the Marine Corps with additional body armor. The contract is valued at $56.4 million and covers the production of up to 65.469 Plate Carrier Generation III – Soft Armor Inserts and data reports for the Marines. The new generation plate carrier was jointly designed by the US Army and the Marine Corps, after commanders called for lighter armor back in 2016. The new design is “less bulky, lighter in weight, and provides a smaller overall footprint than the current plate carrier while maintaining the same soft armor coverage and protection level,” Barabra Hamby, spokeswoman of MARCORSYSCOM told Marine Corps Times in July 2017. The new carriers come in eight sizes and offers better ballistic protection compared to the current design, its lighter weight helps to cut down on soldier fatigue. Fielding of the new body armor will start in June 2019. Work will be performed at Central Lake’s factory in Michigan and is expected to be completed by October 24, 2023.

The US Army is contracting General Dynamics for work on the M1 Abrams modernization program. The $25.7 million firm-fixed-price delivery order is against a five-year contract and provides for the delivery of various electronic components for the M1 Abrams tank. The Pentagon is currently in the process of upgrading several of its tanks to the M1A2 SEPv3 configuration. The new version offers enhanced protection and survivability, as well as a higher lethality than its predecessors. Upgrades include a JSTARS integration, improved power generation and distribution, armor upgrades, a line replaceable redesign and a C-IED suite. “The Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 tank will be the foundation for future incremental system upgrades and can host any mature technology the Army deems operationally relevant,” said Lt. Col. Justin Shell, the Army’s product manager for Abrams. Work will be performed at GD’s facilities in Michigan and Florida and is expected to be completed by September 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The US Air Force is extending its force protection contract with AAI Corp. The $23.7 million contract sees for the provision of ISR services at Bagram and Kandahar Airfields in Afghanistan and optionally at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. AAI will most likely use its Aerosonde as an advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solution in order to provide the US military with the capability to effectively execute a number of deployment operations and engineering support activities. The contract is set to run through March 27, 2024.

Europe

Belgium’s shopping spree now includes the need for a new MALE UAV platform. A Flight Global report suggests that the European-country is interested in acquiring General Atomics’ MQ-9B Sky Guardian, a NATO-standard variant of the B-model Predator. The Sky Guardian has a 13-foot longer wingspan than the Predator-B, a more damage tolerant composite airframe with double the service life, nearly twice the operational endurance and a greater payload capacity. The new variant is able to fly in civil airspace and is immediately NATO interoperable. Belgian defense minister Steven Vandeput told Flight Global that “MALE drones play an increasingly important role in operations, but at European level there is a shortage of this type of aircraft,” and added “with this purchase, Belgium is joining the future and at the same time we are helping to eliminate a European shortage.” If Belgium opts for the Sky Guardian, it would join existing European MQ-9 operators Italy, France, Spain and the UK.

Asia-Pacific

The Royal Australia Navy (RAN) is continuing to bolster its collaborative air-defense capabilities. The service officially inducted its second Hobart-class air warfare destroyer on October 27. The HMAS Brisbane is part of Australia’s SEA 4000 program to replace the RAN’s fleet of Adelaide Class (heavily upgraded FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry Class) frigates that have limited air-defense capabilities and could be hard-pressed to survive against modern anti-ship missiles. Australia’s 7,000t destroyers are based strongly on Spain’s 5,800t F-104 Mendez Nunez AEGIS “frigate”, with some features from the subsequent 6,390t F-105 Cristobal Colon. The vessel’s suite of sensors includes the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon AN/SPY 1D(V) phased array radar, and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B surface search radar. The ship is currently equipped with SM-2 missile variants and will be able to fire the new SM-6 from 2020 onward.

Russian media agency TASS reports, that the country’s first regiment armed with the newly developed Avangard hypersonic intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a hypersonic glide vehicle, will be operational by the end of 2019. “The scheduled period for placing the lead regiment on combat duty is the end of 2019. Initially, the regiment will comprise at least two systems but eventually their number will rise to their organic quantity of six units,” a source told TASS. Hypersonic weapons incorporate the speed of a ballistic missile with the maneuvering capabilities of a cruise missile. Hypersonic weapons refer to a class of weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 (ca. 3,800mph) and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight. The Avangard is a strategic intercontinental ballistic missile system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle that flies at 20 times the speed of sound. It travels through the dense layers of the atmosphere, maneuvering by its flight path and its altitude and breaching ballistic missile defense systems. The deployment is significant after United States President Donald Trump announced that the US planned to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or the INF Treaty.

Today’s Video

Watch: Loading MASSIVE US Plane: McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III in Action

Americas

Boeing is being tapped to upgrade the Navy’s Infrared Search and Track systems. The $131.5 million order covers the procurement and upgrade of weapon replaceable assemblies installed on F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. The contract calls for Boeing to provide weapon replaceable assemblies that will optimize the Block I low-rate initial production jets, and covers other services such as technical risk reduction and tactics development. Infra-Red Search & Track (IRST) systems provide long range thermal imaging against air and ground targets. The systems can defeat radar stealth in some instances, by focusing on engine exhaust, or on the friction of the aircraft as it powers through the atmosphere. US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis recently called for 80 % of the Navy’s fleet of F/A-18s to be mission capable by end of fiscal 2019. Work will be performed at Boeing’s factories in Orlando, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. The systems are expected to be completed in April, 2022.

L3 Technologies is being contracted to advance its prototype developed under the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program. The awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is priced at $35.8 million and provides for the demonstration and test of existing technologies and associated technical data for L3’s NGJ low-band prototype. The NGJ program will eventually replace the AN/ALQ-99 jamming system currently installed on the EA-18G Growler. The broader aim is to develop a more cost effective AEA system with better performance against advanced threats through expanded broadband capability for greater threat coverage. Work will be performed at multiple locations including – but not limited to – Salt Lake City, Utah; Boulder, Colorado and Waco, Texas. L3’s is expected to complete this contract in June 2020.

The US Air Force is awarding Northrop Grumman with a contract for its Precision Real-Time Engagement Combat Identification Sensor Exploitation (PRECISE) program. The $16.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract sees for the development of new technologies that continue to advance combat identification for warfighters. The program seeks to enhance the effectiveness of surveillance radar by blending EO technologies like visible-light, infrared, multispectral, and hyperspectral sensors. Beyond that, PRECISE looks to enhance current radar technologies through signal processing, alternative bandwidths, and similar approaches. Work will be performed at Northrop’s facility in Baltimore, Maryland and is expected to be completed by January 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Nigeria is making progress in its JF-17 fighter jet acquisition program. The country recently signed a $184.3 million contract with Pakistan that covers the production of three PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder fighters. The Thunder is a joint Chinese-Pakistani project aimed at reduceing Pakistan’s dependence on western firms for advanced fighters, by fielding a low-cost multi-role lightweight fighter that can host modern electronics and precision-guided weapons. The fighter jet is a single engine, lightweight, multipurpose combat aircraft that costs $20 million per unit. Nigeria earmarked about $54 billion for the JF-17 program in its 2016 and 2018 budgets.

Europe

Latvia is strengthening its air-defence capabilities. The Latvian National Armed Force recently received the FIM-92A Stinger air-defense system from Denmark. The Stinger missile provides forward, short-range air-defense against low-altitude airborne targets. The Stinger provides Latvia with a SHORAD capability, focused on defending against low-flying aircraft, such as drones and attack helicopters, which present a considerable threat to maneuvering forces. “Currently, we are at a historic stage when Latvia receives significant armaments from allies to strengthen various of its military capabilities. Stinger will significantly contribute to the defense capabilities of Latvian Armed Forces units, opening up new opportunities for our country’s defense,” said Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis. The total contract value and number of units ordered has not been disclosed at this time.

Saab is one step closer to readying the Gripen E for operational use. One of the new JAS-39s successfully completed the first tests to verify the ability to release and launch external payloads earlier this month. During the test one of Saab’s pilots jettisoned one external fuel drop tank and fired an IRIS-T air-to-air missile. “As a pilot, flying with external stores such as drop tank and missiles is important to allow for evaluation of how the aircraft behaves with the stores attached. This test was also used to evaluate the effect on the aircraft when releasing and launching the stores. The highlight was of course to pull the trigger and watch the missile fire away. It also brings us closer to making the aircraft ready for its operational use”, says Marcus Wandt, Experimental Gripen Test Pilot at Saab. The JAS-39 Gripen is an excellent lightweight fighter by all accounts, with attractive flyaway costs and performance. Its canard design allows for quick “slew and point” maneuvers, allowing it to take advantage of the modern trend toward helmet-mounted displays, and air-air missiles with much wider boresight targeting cones.

Asia-Pacific

One of South Korea’s Patriot missiles exploded during recently held annual air defense guided missile practice. South Korean media reports that before it exploded, the PAC-2 missile ascended for about four seconds after being launched at the Daecheon range. South Korea currently fields the PAC-2 GEM variant. This variant still uses the larger PAC-2 fragmentation missile, but have a range of improvements to their guidance systems, fuzes, and so forth. GEM-T is optimized against tactical ballistic missiles, while GEM-C is optimized against cruise missiles. An investigation will try to establish the exact cause of the incident.

The Royal Australian Air Force will soon have one of the world’s most advanced training fleets. BAE Systems Australia is currently upgrading the final Hawk Mk127 aircraft into its Williamtown maintenance facility. The Hawk Mk127 has been in service with the RAAF since 2001, upgrades of the 33 aircraft started in 2016 and are expected to be completed in 2019. The aircraft is an integral part of the air force’s fast jet training system, allowing the RAAF to place highly trained pilots into the cockpits of F/A-18s. The upgraded aircraft come with new training capabilities such as simulated radar, electronic warfare, digital mapping, ground proximity warning system and traffic collision avoidance. The Hawk lead-in fighter jet is prepared to deliver high calibre pilots for the F-35A joint strike fighter fleet.

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EA-18G Growler
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The US Navy owns the only operational tactical jamming fighters in the world, but the AN/ALQ-99 pods they depend on use analog technologies, are hard to maintain, and have reliability issues. All-digital technologies and modern transmit/receive electronics offer huge leaps ahead in capability and availability, which is why the US military is working on a Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) replacement for the pods on its tactical strike aircraft.

The EA-18G Growler will be the NGJ’s first platform, but the flexibility of modern technologies mean that it may not be the last.

Next-Gen Jammer: The Program

EA-18G systems
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The current jamming system used in the Fleet is the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS), which Northrop Grumman has modernized to the ICAP III standard. The overall system was designed in the late 1960s, and fielded with the introduction of the EA-6 Prowler in 1971.

The same pods (2 mid-band, 1 low-band) equip US Navy EA-18G Growler fighters, which began delivery to the fleet in 2008.

A 2002 Airborne Electronic Attack System of Systems Analysis of Alternatives (AEA SoS AoA) determined a compelling need to move beyond the ALQ-99’s capabilities and maintenance record. The US Navy began funding in FY 2010, and aims to develop an NGJ mid-band system for that will enter low-rate production in 2018. Fielding to the US Navy would begin in 2020. The current timeline is:

The broader aim is to develop a more cost effective AEA system with better performance against advanced threats through expanded broadband capability for greater threat coverage against a wider variety of radio frequency emitters, faster collect-analyze-jam loops, more flexibility in terms of jamming profiles that can change in flight, better precision within jamming assignments, and more interoperability.

The 1st step is to replace the mid-band ALQ-99 pods on US Navy EA-18Gs. NGJ Increment 1 would offer better mid-band jamming capabilities, where most current threats reside, at reduced operations and sustainment cost. Digital technologies offer easier upgrades, and the 1st NGJ increment also emphasizes a Modular, Open System Approach (MOSA) to the electronics, in order to lay those foundations for future improvements and deployments.

The AN/ALQ-99 low-band pod on the centerline was recently modernized, and is expected to remain in the fleet for some time, but NGJ is eventually expected to add those functions as Increment 2. Whether this will be done as a separate pod, or integrated into the existing NGJ, is undetermined. Later Increment 3 upgrades are expected to add higher band jamming capabilities, which the Navy doesn’t currently possess.

EC-130H Compass Call
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Future deployments may involve thinking beyond the pod. The eventual goal for the next-generation jammer involves moving beyond the EA-18, and becoming a modular set of gear that could be installed in F-35 variants, or in other aircraft. Larger planes like bombers and special mission EC-130 Hercules could certainly benefit from a modern jamming option.

So, too, could stealth fighters, who would have their cover completely blown by EA-18Gs alongside. Or by pods hanging from their wings. Configuring future NGJ options for internal carriage on stealth fighters could benefit other platforms, too, but initial estimates for F-35 integration costs were very high.

That has led the US Navy to focus on the EA-18G. With a 2020 fielding date expected, senior sources have indicated that it could take until the late 2020s for the US military to look at internal/F-35 integration again. That will leave the USMC’s 4 EA-6B squadrons without an in-service replacement as they retire, shifting the AEA mission entirely to the Navy. There has been some talk of using UAVs as an interim step, and jet-powered MALD-J loiter & jam decoys could be integrated with USMC fighters if the service believes that they needed an interim capability.

Then there’s the question of exports.

In 2012, Australia became the 1st American ally to select a tactical jamming fighter. Forthcoming orders will buy both 12 new EA-18 fighters, and a full set of their accompanying ALQ-99 pods and equipment. Australia will be interested in next-generation jamming pods for the same reliability and performance reasons that they interest the US Navy. Outside of co-development programs, however, clearance for export discussions usually isn’t available until Milestone C allows low-rate production.

If, indeed, the new pods are made available to Australia at all. They remain one of the USA’s closest allies, but new tactical jamming technology tends to be especially sensitive.

Next-Gen Jammer: Budgets

Contracts & Key Events FY 2014 – 2018

GAO protest sustained, but Raytheon wins again.

October 29/18: L3 develops L3 Technologies is being contracted to advance its prototype developed under the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program. The awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is priced at $35.8 million and provides for the demonstration and test of existing technologies and associated technical data for L3’s NGJ low-band prototype. The NGJ program will eventually replace the AN/ALQ-99 jamming system currently installed on the EA-18G Growler. The broader aim is to develop a more cost effective AEA system with better performance against advanced threats through expanded broadband capability for greater threat coverage. Work will be performed at multiple locations including – but not limited to – Salt Lake City, Utah; Boulder, Colorado and Waco, Texas. L3’s is expected to complete this contract in June 2020.

January 3/17: Boeing will provide Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) integration services for the US Navy’s EA-18G aircraft in a deal worth $308 million. Work ordered in the contract includes the program’s engineering phase, as well as the design and manufacturing tasks for 12 ECP 6472 kits, NGJ pod testing, and additional supporting equipment. The NGJ is a Raytheon-led effort to improve airborne electronic warfare capabilities while replacing the existing AN/ALQ-99 pods used by EA-18G Growler aircraft. Industry partners are aiming to reach initial operating capability for the new pods in 2021.

April 15/16: Raytheon has won a $1.01 billion contract for the design, manufacture, integration, demonstration, and test of 15 Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) engineering development model pods. The contract is in support of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the NGJ program, a pod-based tactical jammer that replaces the 40-plus-year ALQ-99 jammer system on the EA-18G aircraft. Raytheon will also manufacture 14 NGJ aero-mechanical test pods, which will be used to verify aircraft flying qualities and pod safe separation from the host aircraft; provide equipment needed for system integration laboratories; and mature manufacturing processes.

April 13/16: The Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Increment 1 (Inc 1) has been approved to enter the Engineering & Manufacturing Development Phase. The announcement was made after the approval by Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, on April 5. During the EMD phase, the pod will undergo further development prior to a system-level critical design review in early- to mid-2017 and then eventual production. Once produced, the pod will replace the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming system currently integrated on the EA-18G GROWLER aircraft.

November 16/15: Raytheon has announced its completion of the US Navy’s Preliminary Design Review for its Next Generation Jammer program. The NGJ is set to replace the ALQ-99 jamming pods on the EA-18G and it is hoped to have reached operational capabilities by 2021.

July 14/14: Testing. At Farnborough 2014, Raytheon officials say that they’re preparing to fly a prototype Next-Generation Jammer pod aboard a Gulfstream jet in September 2014. Sources: DefenseTech, “http://defensetech.org/2014/07/14/raytheon-prep-to-test-new-electronic-jammer/”.

April 23/14: TD Phase. Raytheon in El Segundo, CA receives a $12.6 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification to provide additional funding for NGJ’s Technology Development Phase.

$10 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 RDT&E budgets. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (63%); Dallas, TX (21%); and Fort Wayne, IN (16%), and is expected to be complete in February 2016. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-13-C-0128).

April 1/14: GaN R&D. Raytheon announces that its efforts to replace conventional Silicon Carbide chip substrates with synthetic diamond have taken a step forward, thanks to the DARPA Thermal Management Technologies program’s Near Junction Thermal Transport project. Diamond offers 3-5x higher heat conductivity, allowing a 3x increase in transistor power density without frying the circuit. The NGJ will be using GaN circuits, and that kind of power boost would be a huge help.

Data was obtained using a 0.1 mm x 1.25 mm GaN on diamond HEMT, a device representing a unit cell for constructing Power Amplifier MMICs (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits) that serve as foundations for solid-state RF transmitters and AESA electronics. Sources: Raytheon, “Raytheon hits another major milestone with GaN”.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish.

NGJ’s estimated program total is FY14$ 6.336 billion, including $2.895 billion total for R&D and 9 initial pods, followed by $3.443 billion for 114 production NGJ mid-band pods. System development beyond the Technology Demonstration phase is expected to begin in Q2 2016.

Note that if the Navy gets 22 more EA-18Gs in Fy 2015, it will also have to order another 22 mid-band pods, and the same will be true for Increment 2 low-band and Increment 3 high-band pods as well.

March 4-11/14: FY15 Budget. The US military slowly files its budget documents, detailing planned spending from FY 2014 – 2019. The GAO protest has moved all of the NGJ’s milestones back, and the FY 2014 – 2015 period has $181.9 million cut from the R&D budget. See the article budget and timeline charts for revised details.

Jan 24/14: Raytheon, Again. The US Navy reaffirms Raytheon’s contract award after carrying out a new cost and technical analysis of all 3 original bids. NGJ technology development efforts resume, after a 6+ month delay to the entire program. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute writes that the NGJ mid-band pod and AMDR radar wins are a watershed for Raytheon:

“Coming as it does on the heels of Raytheon’s victory in another pivotal Navy competition to develop a next-generation air and missile defense radar, the jammer re-award seems to confirm that the company has ascended to the top tier of system integrators. Although Raytheon has a long history of innovation in military electronics and guided missiles, it traditionally has been regarded as a subcontractor rather than a top-level system integrator. Under Chairman & CEO William Swanson, though, Raytheon has moved up the technological food chain and is now beating companies once thought to be more capable in competitions to integrate complex systems.”

Sources: Defense Systems, “Raytheon back to work on Next Generation Jammer” | Forbes, “Raytheon Prevails Again In Jammer Contest” | Reuters, “UPDATE 2-Raytheon to keep next-generation jammer contract -U.S. Navy”.

Raytheon re-confirmed

Dec 23/13: Flight Global reports that the US Navy is “taking corrective action by reevaluating proposals and performing and documenting a new cost/technical tradeoff analysis” of the various proposals. They could still find that Raytheon offered the best value, and uphold the contract. Otherwise, the Navy could either choose to terminate Raytheon’s contract and switch the award, or change the RFP in whatever way they deem necessary and ask for re-submission of bids. All of this is pretty much standard procedure. Sources: Flight Global, “US Navy reexamines electronic jamming contract following BAE protest”.

Nov 13/13: GAO decision: the GAO sustained portions of BAE’s protest (see July 18/13 entry), on the basis that:

“the Navy failed to reasonably evaluate technical risk in accordance with the terms of the solicitation, failed to adequately document its evaluation, and improperly credited the awardee with outdated experience. The protester raised various other protest allegations which were denied. GAO’s decision recommends that the Navy reevaluate proposals and properly document the evaluation record. At the conclusion of the reevaluation, GAO recommends that the Navy make a new source selection decision, and document its cost/technical tradeoff analysis with the rationale for the decision.

The GAO legal decision takes no position on the relative merits of these proposals, as assessments of merit are reserved for the agency. Rather, the decision is based on a review of the evaluation materials, the proposals, and the arguments raised by all of the parties during the course of the protest.”

This GAO decision was delayed by 2 weeks because of the government shutdown in October. A redacted version of the decision will be made available publicly after the interested parties have chimed in.

Protest sustained

FY 2013

Raytheon wins Technology Development phase.

ELISRA on AEA Trends
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Aug 20/13: GAO Report misses the forest for the trees. At the US Senate’s request, the Congressional Government Accountability Office auditors review the NGJ program for potential duplication with other Airborne Electronic Attack programs. The GAO’s core problem is simple: they’ve done their standard report, answering the question asked. Even as technology developments ensure that their framework doesn’t make much sense. It’s an auditor’s answer to a Chief Technology Officer’s problem.

GAO itself admits that there’s no duplication in the jammer’s primary air defense suppression (SEAD) role. Their concern involves “secondary” roles, like irregular warfare. The Navy’s counter-point is that these capabilities come at very low cost because their requirements aren’t driving the NGJ’s design.

Electronic systems have become very flexible, and those capabilities are now extending to jammers. NGJ’s possible secondary roles could involve an extremely wide range of collection or jamming tasks. In many cases, the cost of adding them is limited to software development, and in some cases no work is needed. EA-6B Prowlers were used to jam cell phone frequencies in Iraq, for instance, blocking remotely-detonated land mines while flying overwatch for Army convoys. The problem gets bigger when one considers that the mainstreaming of AESA radars is introducing very flexible base hardware for other systems. So the duplication will be coming from both directions, and is inherent to the systems themselves.

There is one small section on the importance of an open systems approach, but even that addresses physical transfer to other platforms, rather than developing new capabilities that are portable across platforms, having common libraries of threat systems and waveforms, etc. Nor is it involved in GAO’s 2 main recommendations, both of which involve more justifications and paperwork re: duplication.

There was probably a time when GAO could have written a report about computer hardware purchases, asking for studies to ensure that they avoided duplication of secondary tasks. With the benefit of 2013 hindsight, we can all see that as lunacy. First, it would have strangled the Personal Computing revolution, missing the operational issue of having flexible assets on hand to perform a growing number of needed tasks, and the managerial issue of using less expensive assets to free up more expensive ones. On the procurement side, it would have utterly missed the real procurement issues of compatibility and standards in networking and in software capability development, as well as the secondary issue of overall system security. Similar trends are at work in the Airborne Electronic Attack space, raising similar issues – but the GAO stuck to its explicit task, and missed them. GAO Report #GAO-13-642.

July 25/13: Stop-work. Raytheon CEO William Swanson, discloses that the US Navy has issued a stop-work order regarding the NGJ. He says that Raytheon is “comfortable” with their ability to retain the contract. Navy spokeswoman Captain Cate Mueller confirmed to Reuters that the Navy issued the order on July 18/13.

That’s standard procedure when a protest is filed, though there have been examples like the Afghan Light Air Support contract, where the relevant service cites a priority need and elects to keep the contract running during the protest period. The LAS case used a provision in the Competition in Contracting Act for that purpose, and it was upheld by a court. Reuters.

July 18/13: Protest. BAE Systems launches a bid protest against the US Navy’s NGJ award to Raytheon. The GAO must hand down a ruling by Oct 28/13.

Until then, the standard approach is to freeze contract spending until the protest is decided. Boeing’s EA-18G work, which needs to happen no matter who wins, has better odds of continuing. GAO Protest Docket | Lexington Institute | Reuters | DID: “How the US GAO’s Bid Protest Process Works and Why Defense Contractors Abuse It.”

July 17/13: EA-18G mods. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $17 million cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for phase I of the NGJ pod’s EA-18G hardware integration. $10 million is committed immediately. As noted earlier (q.v. July 10/12) the EA-18G will need a number of minor changes in order to work with the new pods.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in October 2014. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-11-G-0001, #2049).

July 8/13: TD Phase. Raytheon in El Segundo, CA wins the down-select, and walks away with a $279.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the Next Generation Jammer’s Technology Development phase, which will run to March 2015. The 22-month TD phase is the next step in bringing mature components together into testable subsystems that meet requirements, as well as developing a preliminary design for the new jamming pods. $50 million in Navy FY Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy contract funds is committed immediately.

Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (55.99%); Ft. Wayne, IN (13.36%); Dallas, TX (11.12%); Torrance, CA (9.94%); Clearfield, UT (2.72%), McKinney, TX (2.36%); Tucson, AZ (1.56%); Marion, VA (2.37%); Goleta, CA (0.02%); Forest, MS (0.18%); and Andover, MA (0.38%). This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, and 3 offers were received by US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-13-C-0128). It was only 3 because Northrop Grumman and ITT Exelis teamed up at the end (q.v. Nov 1/12 entry).

Raytheon makes the EA-18G’s AN/APG-79 AESA radar, which could be recruited to become part of the jamming array, and also makes the planes’ AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receivers that are integrated with its radar-killing AGM-88 HARM missiles. Even some of the jamming hardware on the ALQ-99 is Raytheon’s. Off-board, the firm’s jet-powered ADM-160 MALD-J jammer decoys will be carried on Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and could be carried on EA-18Gs if the inboard pylons weren’t needed for fuel. The TD contract will provide Raytheon will opportunities to integrate and leverage all of these components, and more.

If all goes well, flight tests on the EA-18G will take place in the follow-on Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase, which is expected to last 4 1/2 years. Low-Rate Initial Production would start in 2018 under current plans, and the Navy intends to begin fielding the new pods in 2020. US NAVAIR | Raytheon | Defense Tech | Nextgov.

Raytheon wins Technology Development phase contract

June 3/13: ITT. ITT Exelis announces the end of the 33-month NGJ Technology Maturation phase, adding that “technologies that were effectively demonstrated in a laboratory environment include advanced receiver controlled jamming, digital radio frequency memory and mid-band aperture. The Exelis team also proved the effectiveness of its power generation and control systems.”

Throughout the technology maturation phase, work was performed at Exelis facilities in Clifton, NJ, and Amityville and Bohemia, NY. See also Jan 25/12 and Dec 19/11 entries. ITT.

FY 2012

Added TM contracts for all 4 vendors; Program shifted later, removes F-35 from near-term plans; New pods will be sub-sonic; Testing & demonstrations; ITT breaks up with Boeing, adds Northrop Grumman.

NGC’s NGJ
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Nov 1/12: New Team. NGJ competitors Northrop Grumman Corporation and ITT Exelis announce that they are joining forces for the Next Generation Jammer Technology Development phase bid. ITT had been teamed with Boeing, but that team broke apart by mutual agreement at the end of the Technology Maturation phase (q.v. April 16/12 entry). NGC.

July 27/12: NGC. Northrop Grumman announces successful completion of the NGJ Technology Maturation phase. Their work included mission and operational analysis and trades, preliminary design of the pod and Ram Air Turbine, many hours of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, multiple design refinements, construction of the prototype pod, and wind tunnel verification.

Their efforts then went a step farther, and included in-flight demonstrations of their prototype pod and prime power generation (PPG) system, using a Calspan Gulfstream III business jet from Niagara Falls International Airport, NY. The flights validated the pod’s aerodynamic performance, as well as the ram air turbine’s ability generate the vast amounts of power needed to meet the Navy’s requirements. The firm says that all test objectives were successfully met, and that the demonstrated power generation performance exceeded initial estimates.

The firm adds that they received a $24.7 million contract to further advance the critical technology development elements of its Next Generation Jammer solution and mature the concept demonstrator design. If one assumes that this is a refined total for the April 30/12 contract, rather than an additional award, the firm’s announced NGJ contract total would rise to $72.7 million. NGC.

July 10/12: TD RFP. US NAVAIR releases the solicitation for NGJ’s Technology Development Phase, which aims to commit up to $288 million from FY 2013 through 2015. The TD phase will include: (1) Technology Readiness Assessments to confirm Technology Readiness Level 6 (prototype demonstration in an operational environment) status for critical Increment 1 technologies; (2) System Designs to a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to establish the functional and allocated baselines for Increment 1; and (3) Refining technical trade space including those to improve affordability, system efficiency, and host platform compatibility.

The EA-18Gs used for testing may need some modifications, in order to make proper use of the new gear. NAVAIR acknowledges possibilities that include improved fiber networks and switches on board; plus modifications to NGC’s ALQ-218 onboard tactical jamming receiver, mission computer and stores management system, digital memory devices, mission planning software, and specialized jamming equipment including the EIBU, EAU, and Jammer Technique Library.

The US military eventually intends to buy Engineering Development Model (EDM) shipsets at an average of $23.6 million each from 2015 – 2019, and 9 Low Rate Initial Production Lot 1 shipsets at an average of $24.0 million each that will be ordered in 2018.

Tech Development RFP

May 11/12: No F-35. Flight Global talks to Captain John Green, the USN program manager for airborne electronic attack. NAVAIR moved away from their original desire for a single pod, and acknowledged that the initial EA-18G deployment will be a 2-pod solution, focused on the mid-band range where most of the threats are. The USN has a relatively new low-band jammer, whose planned upgrades can keep it relevant. Ultimately, NGJ will add high-band jamming capability, and probably low-band as well.

The technology base will involve an Active Electronically Scanned Array, as expected, and will also use new Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor chips rather than the standard Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). Green touts “at least” a 10x performance jump for these purposes, based on “very, very good numbers” seen in tests to date.

Planned F-35 integration costs also showed very high numbers, and those costs have led the Navy to focus on the EA-18G. Green says that focus could remain until the end of the 2020s.

The other important piece of information is that the Navy has dropped supersonic carriage requirements. The performance (read: fuel and range) penalty was too great, which means the Next-Generation Jammer will probably be limited to the same Mach 0.95 as the previous ALQ-99 pods. Heavy range penalties mean that strike aircraft don’t spend a lot of time at supersonic speeds, and the Navy doesn’t have any planes that can supercruise, but the limit will still have tactical implications for strike packages with EA-18G escorts. Flight Global.

F-35 postponed, No supersonic carriage for pods

April 30/12: TM extensions. The other 3 NGJ contractors receive 1-year extensions to their Next-Generation Jammer Technology Maturation contracts from US NAVAIR, following on the heels of Raytheon’s March 21/12 extension. Work will continue until April 2013, and contracts include:

$20.6 million to BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Inc. in Nashua, NH. Work will be performed in Nashua, NH (39%); Melbourne, FL (25%); Cincinnati, OH (14%); Lansdale, PA (14%); and Baltimore, MD (8%). BAE’s announced NGJ contract total is now $68.2 million (N00019-10-C-0070).

$20.2 million to ITT Corp. in Clifton, NJ. Work will be performed in Clifton, NJ (59%); Amityville, NY (21.8%); Bohemia, NY (11%); Irvine, CA (4.9%); and Langley, VA (3.3%). ITT’s announced NGJ contract total is now $68.4 million (N00019-10-C-0071). See also ITT release.

$20.2 million to Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems – Eastern Region in Bethpage, NY. Work will be performed in Linthicum, MD (55%) and Bethpage, NY (45%). NGC’s announced NGJ contract total is now $68.2 million (N00019-10-C-0072).

April 16/12: Breakup. ITT Exelis announces that their alliance with Boeing will end when the Technology Maturation phase does:

“This amendment was made based on recent acquisition changes and streamlining of the NGJ program. The Exelis-Boeing NGJ team has concluded that to best serve the U.S. Navy’s overall electronic attack capability objectives, Exelis will continue to focus on developing technologies critical to the NGJ program. Boeing will concentrate its efforts on integration of the jammer on the EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.”

ITT Exelis ends up joining forces with fellow competitor Northrop Grumman for the TD Phase bid, while Boeing removes itself from contention.

March 21/12: TM extension. Raytheon Electronic Warfare Systems in Goleta, CA receives a $21.3 million modification to their NGJ Technology Maturation contract (q.v. July 13/10 entry). It extends work for 1 year, to April 2013.

Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (30%); Goleta, CA (25%); Dallas, TX (25%); Fort Wayne, IN (15%); and Andover, MA (5%). Raytheon’s announced NGJ contract total is now $68.8 million (N00019-10-C-0073).

Feb 13/12: Program shift. The USA’s FY 2013 budget documents include materials re: NGJ, which transitioned to a Block approach for development, and changed their Acquisition Strategy. OPNAV rephased program funding in POM 13, resulting in the following schedule changes:

• Milestone A moved from 2nd QTR 2012 to 3rd QTR 2013
  
• Technology Development (Block 1) contract award moved from 3rd QTR 2012 to 3rd QTR 2013
  
• Test and Evaluation Master Plan moved from 1st QTR 2014 to 3rd QTR 2014
  
• Technology Development (Block 2) was added in 2nd QTR 2015
  
• Milestone B (Block 1) moved from 1st QTR 2015 to 3rd QTR 2015
  
• EMD (Block 1) Award moved from 1st QTR 2015 to 3rd QTR 2015
  
• Integrated Testing start moved from 1st QTR 2016 to 3rd QTR 2016
  
• Milestone B (Block 2) added in 1st QTR 2017
  
• EMD (Block 2) added in 2nd QTR 2017
  
• First EDM Delivery moved from 4th QTR 2016 to 4th QTR 2017
  
• Technology Development (Block 3) was added in 4th QTR 2017
  
• Milestone C moved from 4th QTR 2017 to 2nd QTR 2018.

It’s still very early days, and some shifts are to be expected at this point.

Jan 25/12: ITT. The ITT Exelis/ Boeing team touts successful testing of critical NGJ array transmitter components. Tests included Digital Beam-Forming for broadband electronically steerable antenna arrays, performance of the Gallium-Nitride based Mid-Band and High-Band Power Amplifiers, and the required packaging and cooling. Just like the computer on your desk, more power = more cooling, or improved design that keeps the electronics cool in other ways. ITT Exelis.

Dec 19/11: ITT. ITT Exelis and Boeing tout successful wind tunnel testing of a full-scale pod model at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. In addition to generating figures for drag, the tests also ensure that airflow projections for the proposed ram air power turbine check out. ITT Exelis.

Dec 13/11: Raytheon. Raytheon touts successful tests of a critical power generation subsystem within their jammer design, during a series of sea and altitude level wind tunnel tests at Arnold AFB in Tullahoma, TN. The tests involved full power generation, transient load switching and effective thermal control of the unit in operationally relevant environmental conditions. Raytheon.

FY 2009 – 2011

Initial concept development & Technology Maturation contracts; BAE allies with Cobham, ITT with Boeing.

EA-6B: “Magnum!”
(click to view full)

July 13/10: TM Phase 2. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD issues additional Technology Maturation contracts to all 4 firms. All use a cost-plus-fixed-fee structure, which is common for R&D. The added funds will take the initial concepts to the next stage as concept demonstrators, and also refine some of the critical technologies that the contractors are proposing to use. High-power jamming demands lots of electrical power, so power generation will be an important technical challenge. The contracts will run until April 2012:

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Inc. in Nashua, NH receives $41.7 million. Work will be performed in Nashua, NH (32%); Cincinnati, OH (27%); Lansdale, PA (25%); and Melbourne, FL (16%). BAE’s release says that their bid also involves Cobham (q.v. Feb 22/10), GE Aviation (whose technology currently generates all of the F/A-18E/F’s electrical power), and the radio mavens at Harris Corporation (N00019-10-C-0070).

ITT Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems in Clifton, NJ receives $42.5 million. Work will be performed in Clifton, NJ (44%); St. Louis, MO (38%); and North Amityville, NY (18%). They’re partnered with EA-18G manufacturer Boeing (N00019-10-C-0071).

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems – Eastern Region in Bethpage, NY receives $42 million. Work will be performed in Linthicum, MD (60%); Bethpage, NY (34%); Rockledge, FL (5%); and Mojave, CA (1%). NGC’s release adds that the Technology Development phase is expected to start in 2011, but the actual date turns out to be mid-2013 (N00019-10-C-0072).

Raytheon Electronic Warfare Systems in Goleta, CA receives $42 million. Work will be performed in Goleta, CA (25%); El Segundo, CA (25%); Dallas, TX (25%); Fort Wayne, IN (10%); Indianapolis, IN (7%); Torrance, CA (5%); Fairfax, VA (2%); and Anacortes, WA (1%). See also Raytheon release (N00019-10-C-0073).

Technology Maturation phase contracts

Feb 22/10: BAE. BAE Systems and Cobham form a strategic alliance on their proposal for the U.S. Navy’s NGJ. Cobham has worked with the existing ALQ-99 pods, an area where BAE didn’t have any traction. Cobham also brings about 20 years of experience in providing high-power broadband transmitter sub-systems and electronic warfare microwave electronics to the US Navy. BAE Systems.

Nov 6/09: NGC. Northrop Grumman Corporation announces that they’ve submitted their proposal for the Technology Maturation phase in the U.S. Navy’s competition to develop and field the NGJ.

Jan 16/09: TM contracts. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD issues 4 firm-fixed-price Technology Maturation contracts for Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) research, to developing innovative system-level solution concepts (as opposed to component level technologies). The 4 winners were:

BAE Systems in Nashua, NH gets $5.9 million. BAE is the mission systems integrator for the EC-130H Compass Call jamming aircraft, provides the electronic warfare suites for the F-22 and F-35, cooperates with ITT on the IDECM aircraft protection system, and also makes individual countermeasures units (N00019-09-C-0013).

ITT Corp. in Clifton, NJ gets $5.7 million. ITT makes the full AIDEWS and IDECM electronic protection suites for aircraft, ground-based jammers, and the EA-18G’s INCANS system. INCANS lets pilots use their jammers without blanking their own ability to communicate, something that’s a problem on the EA-6B (N00019-09-C-0082).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Bethpage, NY gets $6 million. Northrop Grumman has been involved in Electronic Attack for a while – the EA-6A Prowler was a Grumman aircraft modified by the company. NGC is responsible for the latest ICAP III variants of the ALQ-99 jamming pod on EA-6Bs and EA-18Gs, and has deep AESA radar experience (N00019-09-C-0084). NGC release.

Raytheon Co. in Goleta, CA gets $5.5 million. Raytheon already makes full aircraft self-protection systems like ACES, as well as individual self-protection electronics, and has deep AESA radar experience (N00019-09-C-0085).

Work is expected to be complete in July 2009. These contracts were solicited under an electronic Broad Agency Announcement, and 4 offers were received. See also Flight Global.

NGJ Concept development contracts

Additional Readings Next-Generation Jammer

• US NAVAIR – NGJ Technology Development Phase solicitation.

• FBO.gov (Sept 12/08, #N00019-08-R-0101) – Next Generation Jammer (NGJ). Original Technology Maturation solicitation.

• Raytheon – Next Generation Jammer. Winner over BAE, ITT/NGC.

Related Technologies

• DID FOCUS – EA-18G Program: The USA’s Electronic Growler

• DID – Raytheon’s APG-79 AESA Radars. They equip the EA-18G, and their characteristics would allow them to be used as receivers and jammers themselves.

• Raytheon (Feb 13/13) – Inside the Diamond Mine: Synthetic Gems Get the Military’s Attention. Diamond conducts heat better than almost any material, which is incredibly useful for heat-producing systems like NGJ. They’re working on bonding synthetic diamond to GaN chips, and making progress.

• ITT Exelis – Next Generation Jammer. Teamed with Boeing, then with NGC. 2013 snapshot.

• Northrop Grumman – Next Generation Jammer. Eventually teamed with ITT. Both manufacture ECM systems for other fighters. 2013 snapshot.

Official Reports

• US GAO (Aug 20/13, #GAO-13-642) – Next Generation Jammer: DOD Should Continue to Assess Potential Duplication and Overlap As Program Moves Forward.

• US GAO (Mar 29/12, #GAO-12-175) – Airborne Electronic Attack: Achieving Mission Objectives Depends on Overcoming Acquisition Challenges.

News & Views

• YouTube (June 27/13) – Future Airborne Electronic Warfare [EW] Systems [Aero India 2013]. Presentation by Elbit Senior Director, Mr. Uri Shatit.

• Breaking Defense (Dec 6/12) – Navy Bets On ‘Baby Steps’ To Improve Electronic Warfare; F-35 Jamming Not Enough. Answers the question: why NGJ?

• Aviation Week, via Military.com (Oct 11/10) – US Navy Mulls NGJ Architecture Choice. 3 pods (low-band centerline +2), or 4? And what about the role of UAVs?

• Avionics Today (Sept 1/10) – Jammer Next.

• Aviation Week, via WayBack (April 13/09) – Growler EW Upgrades On The Way.

• Worldwide War Pigs (May 6/08) – Not much Grrrrrr! for the Growler. Eric Palmer points out a number of shortcomings in the planned EA-18G, based on March 2002 NAVAIR slides. Mostly it points out that the gear adds a ton of drag, and that the pods will need to begin their upgrade cycle as soon as they’re fielded. Both true.

• Air Power Australia (1989) – The Anatomy of the TacJammer. They’re quite partial to the USAF’s EF-111 design, which carried its gear internally. That would also be the model if NGJ is installed on stealth fighters.

FC-1/ JF-17, armed
(click to view full)

The FC-1/ JF-17 Thunder is a joint Chinese-Pakistani project that aimed to reduce Pakistan’s dependence on western firms for advanced fighters, by fielding a low-cost multi-role lightweight fighter that can host modern electronics and precision-guided weapons. It isn’t a top-tier competitor, but it represents a clear step up from Pakistan’s Chinese MiG-19/21 derivatives and French Mirage III/V fighters. This positioning addresses a budget-conscious, “good enough” performance market segment that the West once dominated, but has nearly abandoned in recent decades.

Pakistan has fielded JF-17s in squadron strength, with more on order and a Block II R&D program nearing completion. India’s competing Tejas fighter is overcoming project delays by looking to foreign component sources, but Pakistan and China remain out front with their offering, even though they began their project much later than India did. Pakistan and China have even set up a joint JF-17 marketing agency to promote export sales, which hasn’t paid off as quickly as they had hoped, but it would be unwise to count them out just yet…

The JF-17 Thunder, aka. FC-1 Fierce Dragon

JF-17 at IDEAS 2008
(click to view full)

The JF-17/FC-1 is a $20 million class fighter designed as a co-operative venture between Pakistan and China to replace Chinese A-5C (massively modified MiG-19), F-7P (MiG-21+), and French Mirage 3/5 aircraft in Pakistan’s fleet. China also has options to produce them, but has made no firm decisions and seems unenthusiastic. It’s a comparable peer for India’s still-under-development LCA Tejas, Taiwan’s F-CK-1 Ching Kuo fighters, and South Korea’s F/A-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer & light fighter.

F-20 (1980s)

The design itself is fairly conventional, resembling a somewhat boxy F-20. A drag chute can be installed at the base of the rudder, in order to make landings easier and shorter. Power will be provided by the RD-93 derivative of the MiG-29’s RD-33 engine; it’s proven and widely used, but known to leave smoke trails. Future models may see the engine replaced with China’s WS-13, an RD-93 copy with some modifications. Avionics involve a modern “glass” cockpit of digital screens, using Chinese technologies, and commercial processors. Reports indicate that aircraft software coding was done in the commercial C++ language, rather than a military language like Ada.

Farnborough array
(click to view entire)

Conflicting reports exist regarding its databuses: MIL-STD-1553, or the more advanced MIL-STD-1760. That will affect its range of usable weapons, and GPS-guided weapons in particular benefit from the -1760 databus.

China’s KLJ-7 mechanically-scanned array serves as the radar, despite past media references to a deal with Thales, or to the Selex Galileo’s Grifo. Grifo already equips Pakistan’s F-7s (Grifo-7), and some of its Mirage III/Vs (Grifo M3/M5), and Selex Galileo’s own materials [PDF] describe the Grifo S7 as “The version selected for the JF-17 aircraft.” Even so, multiple reports from November 2010 consistently point to the Chinese KLJ-7 instead. the following table compares the JF-17 with India’s indigenous Tejas fighter, which has taken far longer to develop and isn’t quite in service yet:

At present, the main questions concerning Pakistan’s JF-17s revolve around integrated sensors and weapons, rather than the aircraft itself or its performance. The Farnborough 2010 display showed Chinese air-air missiles, a LeiShi-6 guided glide bomb, China’s C802 anti-ship missile, and even a WMD-7 laser designator pod. Full status as a recognized multirole fighter, however, must wait until their ability to use precision laser guidance and/or GPS-guided ground attack weapons is confirmed.

JF-17/FC-1: The Program

PAF F-16A drops Mk.82s
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Sino Defense reminds us that the JF-17/FC-1 ‘Xiaolong’ has a long history. The site recalls that China signed a $550 million agreement with Grumman in 1986 to modernise its J-7 fighter (MiG-21 copy) under the “Super-7” upgrade project, with US and British firms competing to provide the engine and avionics. The project was canceled after the Tienanmen Square massacre, but Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation managed to continue the program with its own resources, and the project was eventually re-branded as FC-1 (Fighter China-1).

The next big step forward for FC-1 came when the USA imposed military export sanctions in response to Pakistan’s nuclear program, and to Chinese-Pakistani transfers of ballistic missile components. With spares for its top-of-the-line F-16s in question, and additional F-16s removed as an option, Pakistan sought help from its Chinese ally.

A joint development and production agreement was signed in June 1999, with China Aviation Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) and Pakistan each contributing 50% of the estimated $150 million in development costs. The design was finalized in 2001, with initial prototype flights beginning in 2003. A JF-17 did not fly with its full avionics suite until 2006, but testing and development appear to have progressed smoothly. Until political complications intervened.

Unfortunately for India, the engine export understanding that they thought they had with Russia, was reversed by Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin. JF-17 production began in 2009, complete with Russian engines.

Chinese J-7E
(click to view full)

Ultimately, Pakistan intends to induct 150-250 JF-17s into its air force, replacing most of its Mirage III/Vs, F-7s (Chinese MiG-21 copies), and A-5Cs (massively modified Chinese MiG-19 derivatives). The A-5s will retire more or less immediately as JF-17s enter service, and the Mirages are next in line for replacement due to their uncertain spares situation. The number of JF-17s requested could rise, and some reports place potential Pakistani orders as high as 300 aircraft. Even at the JF-17’s bargain price, however, Pakistan’s budgets will be hard-pressed to afford that many. In the short term, even reaching the desired goal of 150 JF-17s could prove challenging without external aid.

China has remained on the fence regarding the program, with no PLAAF orders to date. Their air force appears to be more focused on their 4+ generation J-10 design, which offers more advanced capabilities and aerodynamics. The FC-1 remains a candidate to replace large numbers of PLAAF MiG-17s (J-5) and MiG-19s (J-6/ Q-5), if the PLAAF decides it needs to take steps to maintain the size of its force. If not, the FC-1’s role is likely to resemble the Northrop F-5’s. The USA sold them in large numbers to other countries, even as the USAF equipped itself with larger and more expensive designs instead.

Stuck in Sichuan: The Saga

The Pakistan Government had hoped to sign a deal to acquire 150 JF-17/FC-1 fighters in 2007, with 8 aircraft in service by year’s end. China had reportedly even bought 100 Klimov RD-93 engines from Russia for installing on JF-17s, with an option to contract for another 400 engines.

In January 2007, however, Forecast International reported that Russia had refused permission for the transfer of its RD-93 engines, derived from the RD-33 that equips the MiG-29. According to FI the decision came only a few days after a visit to India by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, during which a number of joint defense projects were discussed and agreements were signed. January 2007, DID:

“The military world has no shortage of irony. The defense industry has its moments too, as Pakistan just discovered. An aircraft whose development was driven by military sanctions from the US and Europe is now derailed by military sanctions [regarding its engines]. This leaves the Pakistani Air Force dependent on an alternative from… America. Meanwhile, the Chinese are left with no export launch customer for a plane they may now have to reluctantly buy themselves, instead of the favoured and more capable J-10. Somewhere in Delhi, champagne is pouring – but first, a bit of background.”

Coincidence? Didn’t look like it. Replacement with another engine? Unless it’s a very close copy, that requires re-work of the entire fighter design and takes years. Just ask the Chinese J-10 project team.

As it turned out, however, that wasn’t necessary. The arms market also features no shortage of change, and Russia eventually chose not prevent re-export of the RD-93 engines, in an announcement that caught even India’s diplomats by surprise. The RD-93 comes with some disadvantages, including a tendency to leave smoke trails, but tacit re-export approval removed a huge potential roadblock, and let the program proceed more or less on schedule.

Updates and Key Events 2015 – 2018

 

Dubai 2013

October 29/18: Nigerian buy Nigeria is making progress in its JF-17 fighter jet acquisition program. The country recently signed a $184.3 million contract with Pakistan that covers the production of three PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder fighters. The Thunder is a joint Chinese-Pakistani project aimed at reduceing Pakistan’s dependence on western firms for advanced fighters, by fielding a low-cost multi-role lightweight fighter that can host modern electronics and precision-guided weapons. The fighter jet is a single engine, lightweight, multipurpose combat aircraft that costs $20 million per unit. Nigeria earmarked about $54 billion for the JF-17 program in its 2016 and 2018 budgets.

April 20/18: Potential FMS-Malaysia Speaking to Jane’s on the sidelines of this year’s Defence Services Asia (DSA) expo being held in Kuala Lumpur, an official from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has revealed that preliminary talks have kicked off that may see the JF-17 fighter sold to Malaysia. While stressing that no serious talks have started yet, the anonymous official said that PAC was will to form collaborative partnerships with local industry in Malaysia through which technologies could be transferred to facilitate either localised component manufacturing or maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). Rumours had surfaced that Malaysia was interested in the JF-17 in 2015, but these had been previously downplayed by its defense ministry. This time, if talks were to mature to a further stage, the JF-17 may offer a cost effective solution to the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s requirement for a twin-engine multirole combat aircraft. The RMAF program, which was announced more than a decade ago, has been hindered largely due to a lack of funds.

January 10/18: Exports-Nigeria, Myanmar Nigerian budget documents for 2018 show that three JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft will be procured from the Chengdu Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, making it the first export purchaser of the fighter to be publicly named. $36 million has been earmarked as partial payment for the purchase, and will also include support equipment and spares. While no official announcement has been names, a Pakistani air force official told FlightGlobal at last year’s Paris Air Show that a “contract had been signed” with an Asian country, and Chinese social media have shown a JF-17 in Myanmar air force markings, and the junta are expected to add 16 models to their inventory. Nigeria is also expected to buy two AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters in 2018, as well as undergoing depot maintenance for two Dassault Alpha Jets and a Lockheed Martin C-130H. May 31/17: Following its first order last June, Pakistan has ordered a second batch of the ASELPOD targeting pod from Turkish defense electronics firm Aselsan. The $25 million repeat order calls for a total of 16 pods to be delivered and will be installed on Islamabad’s fleet of JF-17 fighters. Originally developed by Aselsan for the Turkish Air Force, the targeting pod has already been used on the F-16 and F-4E 2020 aircrafts. The pod works by marking the target with a laser while being monitored with the camera allowing for pilots to fire spot-on shots with sensitive ammunition. May 25/17: The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has completed the development of an air-cooled active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar that it will now propose as a possible solution to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) JF-17 Block-III’s AESA fighter requirement. Design and development of the radar was conducted by AVIC’s 607 Institute, officially known as the China Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (LETRI), and have already developed the SD-10 beyond visual-range active radar-homing air-to-air missile for the PAF. The institute’s announcement on the Chinese micro-blogging site WeChat, stated that the AESA radar will help offset the internal space and power limitations of many in-service fighters, providing these aircraft with an AESA radar that is easier to integrate than liquid-cooled systems, such as the competing KLJ-7A offered by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET). May 2/17: The twin-seat variant of the JF-17 has conducted its maiden flight. Co-developed by Pakistan and China for use by the Pakistan Air Force, the JF-17B also utilises a dorsal fin containing an additional fuel tank, giving the twin-seater a fuel load comparable to the single-seat variant. Images of the fighter also show the addition of a vertical stabiliser, a larger size, and that it rises at a shallower angle from its predecessor. Flight testing of the low-cost fighter had initially been scheduled for late 2016, but Chinese sources have not given any reason for the delay.

February 20/17: Sri Lankan media reports that Pakistan has offered an F-7 fighter for free in return for each JF-17 that Sri Lanka purchases from Islamabad. The report claims that in its efforts to push a deal for the fighter, Pakistan has hired a Singapore-based consultancy group to assist with the lobbying, and that attempts have been made to pay kickbacks to Sri Lankan defense ministry officials as well as high-ranking military personnel.

February 6/17: Myanmar is in advanced discussions with the government of Pakistan to license-build the JF-17 fighter. The talks follow 2015’s purchase of 16 of the fighter’s Block II variant which feature air-to-air refueling capabilities and improved avionics from its predecessor. It has yet to be decided whether that model would be then built in Myanmar, or whether the newer Block III will be pursued.

January 9/17: Budget details proposed by the Nigerian government have revealed that their acquisition of three JF-17 fighters from Pakistan cost $15 million. A total of $68.76 million has been earmarked for various “platform acquisitions … for counter air, counter surface, air ops for strategic effect and air support operations.” Out of the remaining funds, the Nigerian Air Force is building a fleet of 12 Mil Mi-35 air assault helicopters, and are interested in adding the EMB-314 Super Tucano to bolster close air support capabilities.

November 17/16: Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has said it will open up to allow the private defense sector to participate in programs such as the JF-17 Thunder fighter and Super Mushshak trainer. As well as looking for new design and development programs for upgrades to the aircraft, PAC is also entertaining the possibility of allowing collaboration on the manufacture of propulsion and industrial gas turbines. Benefits of opening up the domestic industry include using public funds that otherwise would have gone abroad as domestic stimulus and making it easier for foreign vendors to pick private firms in matters involving sensitive technology intellectual property, which could make transfer-of-technology and expertise easier to negotiate.

November 9/16: Head of the Saudi Royal Air Force, Gen. Muhammad bin Saleh Al Qtaibi, has expressed his country’s interest in purchasing Pakistani aircraft. Al Qtaibi is on an official visit to Pakistan to discuss ongoing security issues in the region, but expressed Saudi intentions towards a hefty procurement of JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighters and Super Mushshak trainers. The Saudis already operate approximately 20 Super Mushshaks but the prospect of a significant export order for JF-17s from the Gulf kingdom adds to the fighter’s growing interest abroad.

October 31/16: Qatar has been linked to the possible purchase of more JF-17 fighter and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft following the release of a statement from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office. Mr. Sharif’s office also wishes to set up military cooperation and production of equipment in Qatar with the assistance of Pakistan and Turkey. He went on to say that Pakistan, Qatar, and Turkey can set up joint ventures for undertaking defence related manufacturing of military equipment. “Our relationship with Qatar means a lot to us and you can count on Pakistan as your closest ally and brotherly state,” he remarked.

September 19/16: The Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 fighter will be making its way to Nigeria after a memorandum of understanding was signed at this year’s AAD. While the exact amount of the fighters has yet to be revealed, further details on the deal are expected to be announced in November during the IDEAS show in Karachi, Pakistan. Nigerian budget allocations released in January, however, earmarked $25 million for three JF-17s, with approximately half that amount made available for the acquisition of ten PAC Super Mushshak basic trainers.

May 3/16: The Sri Lankan media has reported that Pakistan has offered its JF-17 fighter at $29 million each to the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF). Islamabad has been pressing the Sri Lankan government to replace its fleet of MiG-27 and Kfir fleets with its indigenous aircraft, but the deal has been met with opposition from India. Instead, it is thought that the SLAF will purchase fighters from Russia, believed to be in the price range of $20-25 million per aircraft.

February 11/16: The Emir of Qatar will witness a display of the PAF JF-17 fighters as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visits the country this week. A contingent from the Pakistan Air Force are in Doha preparing for the display, as Sharif, along with a high-level delegation, visits to commence a series of diplomatic talks. Areas where both Qatar and Pakistan may improve bilateral relations include energy cooperation, trade and investment, employment opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in Qatar, and in various defense related fields. While a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed, an order for the JF-17 may be a bit premature as Qatar awaits the long delayed deal of Rafale fighters from Dassault.

January 19/16: The visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Sri Lanka did not result in a purchase of JF-17 fighters. A Sri Lankan Air Force spokesperson said that while the fighter is still being considered, among others, a deal was never going to be signed alongside Sharif’s visit to Colombo. The JF-17 still seems to be the top choice for Sri Lanka which is looking to replace the Israeli Kfri jet currently in use.

January 12/16: Following hot on the heels of Sri Lanka and Nigeria, Azerbaijan looks to be the next in line for an order of JF-17s from Pakistan. Following his recent trip to the country, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain said that a deal regarding the sale of defense products to Azerbaijan was just one of several areas in which both were looking to increase cooperation. The potential for increased Azerbaijani-Pakistani trade comes as Chinese officials signed a number of documents with the Caucasus nation in December. Beijing, Pakistan’s partner in the development in the JF-17 program, is looking to develop a “Silk Way” economic belt stretching along developing countries that encompass the historical trade route.

January 8/16: Funding has been set aside for the Nigerian government to purchase three JF-17 aircraft. $25 million has been set aside for the acquisitions. The planned purchase of the Sino-Pakistan developed jet was announced as part of the federal governments defense budget for the 2016 fiscal year and follows the recent order by Sri Lanka for eight JF-17s. Funds have also been set aside to acquire two Mi-35 gunships ($58.2 million) and ten Mushak trainer aircraft ($10.3 million). The Nigerian Army will see $28 million spent on new equipment and trucks for armed personnel as they conduct operations against Boko Haram militants in the north of the country.

January 7/16: Despite the recent rounds of rumors and will-they-won’t-theys, Sri Lanka looks set to purchase eight JF-17 fighters from Pakistan according to Pakistani news sources. Officials to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that a number of agreements were signed between both nations on his visit to Colombo on Tuesday. The agreements cover a wide range of defense, security, trade and counter-terrorism issues and included the provision of the aircraft to Sri Lanka.

January 5/16: The recent heavy promotion by Pakistan of its indigenously produced JF-17 fighter has led to claims that export orders are on the increase. Despite this, Sri Lanka has claimed that it has not made a decision on whether they are to purchase the aircraft for themselves. Recent weeks have seen much ink used in reporting interest in the aircraft by both the Sri Lankan and Indonesian air forces, but as of yet, no official confirmation for orders have been issued. The JF-17 Thunder is co-produced between Pakistan and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation.

December 30/15: While praising the abilities of the home made JF-17 Thunder fighter, Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal, Sohail Aman has said that they are in negotiations with the US government to procure some of the latest F-16s. The announcement was made as the 16th JF-17 aircraft was unveiled and handed over to the Pakistan Air Force. Manufactured locally in cooperation with China, the JF-17 has been lauded as being able to compete with the best of other lightweight multi-role aircraft, and has been marketed heavily by Pakistan at recent air shows. While production for export seems to be on the increase, one wonders exactly why Islamabad is looking to purchase foreign made fighters ahead of locally produced ones, as well as planning to retire older aircraft simultaneously.

December 23/15: Malaysia’s defense minister has said that his government is not interested in purchasing Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter as part of their air force modernization plans. The denial comes after a Malaysian diplomat was reported to have said that his country may look at procuring the JF-17 to help increase the amount of bilateral trade between the two nations. While Malaysia is looking to replace its fleet of F-5E/F and MiG-29 planes with a modern fighter, the Sino-Pakistan produced JF-17 had not been under consideration.

December 22/15: Malaysia may consider purchasing Pakistan’s JF-17 aircraft as part of its current fighter replacement program. Malaysian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr. Hasrul Sani made the announcement citing the excellent relations both nations currently have in terms of defense cooperation. The sale would also see further increase in the bilateral trade between the two, which currently stands at over $2 billion per annum. Other options currently being considered are the Dassault Rafale, Boeing’s F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin’s F-16V. The interest in the JF-17 comes alongside the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project which will see over $40 billion invested in Pakistan’s infrastructure and economic development. Dr. Sani stated that the whole region would stand to benefit from the CPEC project.

November 24/15: Pakistan is to keep using the the Russian made RD-93 engine for its series of JF-17 fighters. The confirmation comes after hints made by Chinese officials that Pakistan would revert back to an original arrangement with China but Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officials are happy with the Russian engine. PAF officials have said that improvements to the JF-17 along with the reliability of the RD-93 engine has resulted in a number of interested parties. Russia on the other hand will be happy to see product solidarity due to economic sanctions over Ukraine closing many export markets.

October 12/15: Sri Lankan Air Force officials are due to arrive in Islamabad in November to discuss a possible acquisition of JF-17 fighters, according to Pakistani press reports. Sri Lanka played down reports in June that the country was the first export customer for the JF-17, stating that a decision has yet to be made on a possible procurement of the fighter.

2010 – 2014

1st & 2nd squadrons stand up; Fatal JF-17 crash; JF-17 Block II production begins; Myanmar interested again; Saudi Arabia’s interest a puzzle.

June 15/14: Myanmar. The government of Myanmar has stepped back from its close Chinese alliance in recent years, but reports indicate that they may be taking a second look at the JF-17. The junta recently bought more Russian MiG-29s instead (q.v. Dec 23/09), but MiG-29s are notoriously difficult to keep in service. The problem is a combination of short part lifespans, and byzantine Russian “service” procedures.

“The Government of Myanmar is planning to acquire technologies from China and Pakistan to build JF-17 multirole combat aircraft at its own aircraft factory to boost its Air Force…. The force is plagued by serviceability issues due to lack of spare parts and trained manpower however introduction of JF-17 would mean that Myanmar Air Force will be investing in such areas to mitigate its short comings.”

Production may be a stretch, but parts production and a local servicing depot may be doable. The report offers an existing force breakdown of 32 MiG-29B/SE as the modern force, plus 25 F-7Ms (Chinese MiG-21 knockoff) and 21 Nanchang A-5C (Chinese plane based on MiG-19 but heavily modified). A mix of 16 Chinese (K-8) and Serbian (Sokol Galeb) jet trainers are used for ground attack roles, as well as pilot training. Sources: Burma Times, “Myanmar plans JF-17 production” | The Diplomat, “Burma to Purchase Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 Fighter Jets” | See also DID, “More MiG-29s for Myanmar”.

June 20/14: R&D. Defense News begins a report in a very odd way, saying that “Contrary to speculation, development of the JF-17 aircraft continues apace…” We’re scratching our heads as to why anyone ever thought otherwise, given announcements re: Block II development and the jet’s clear importance to Pakistan. Indeed, Chief Project Director and Air Vice Marshal Javed Ahmed was quick to aver that the PAF’s 3rd squadron would be operational by year-end.

Ahmed adds that avionics improvements are underway, using the words “situational awareness” but not specifically corroborating rumors of a helmet-mounted display. Near-term improvements will also reportedly focus on “integrating some additional smart and indigenously developed weapons”. The Chinese NRIET KLJ-7 will remain the fighter’s main radar, however, as possible substitutions won’t be considered until the program reaches Block III. An AESA radar, and the possibility of offering drop-in western radar & avionics for export, are both under investigation.

On the other hand, former Pakistani Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail claims that the JF-17’s range is an issue, citing the frequency of flights with drop tanks and the averaged length of sorties. MiG-29s, which use a very similar engine, are known to have range issues, but the JF-17 uses only 1 engine. The Klimov RD-93 is less efficient than GE’s F404/F414, however, and public information gives the JF-17 fuel reserves and operational weight that are similar to the short range Indian Tejas LCA. Tufail may have a point. Sources: Defense News, “JF-17 Developments Indicate Aircraft Is Still On Track”.

Jan 23/14: Saudi Arabia. After Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan visits Pakistan and tours the JF-17 production complex, the World Tribune reports that:

“…officials said representatives of the ministry as well as the Royal Saudi Air Force were examining the feasibility of procuring JF-17 as part of cooperation with Islamabad. “This project could provide the kingdom with technology that could be used in future projects,” an official said.”

Saudi Arabia is an important donor to Pakistan’s government, and there are persistent rumors that the Saudis even financed Pakistan’s nuclear program. On the one hand, JF-17 cooperation could make sense industrially. The Saudis tried to set up a local Eurofighter final assembly and check-out line with BAE, but the kingdom backed off when it became clear that this wouldn’t work. The JF-17 might be an easier starting point, and it would also fit with growing Saudi interest in defense equipment that requires zero American involvement.

On the other hand, there’s no real hole in the RSAF that JF-17s need to fill. The RSAF’s F-5s are no longer frontline fighters; they and the Tornado F3 ADV interceptors have effectively been replaced by an order for 72 high-end Eurofighter Typhoons. The Typhoons already offer a potent non-American option, and the depth and breadth of the pre-existing Al-Yamamah partnership with Britain would make any cancellation a region-altering diplomatic event. Meanwhile, an in-progress order for 84 new Boeing F-15SA Strike Eagles is well underway, and contract penalties would make the order almost pointless to cancel at this point.

The Saudis are already expanding their fighter fleet with these buys. They would have to either expand it further to accommodate the JF-17 – or become industrial partners, and then use JF-17s as a form of regional aid that isn’t subject to American ITAR regulations. Most likely: they do none of those things, while making an ally feel good by being publicly impressed, and holding some initial discussions that go nowhere. Sources: World Tribune, “Saudi eyeing Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jet, modeled from U.S. F-16”.

Dec 19/13: Block-II begins. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra rolls out their 50th JF-17 fighter, and reportedly launches production of the Block II variant with improved avionics, air-to-air refueling capability, and additional weapons. Flight International’s World Air Forces 2013 lists total Pakistan’s JF-17 orders as 70 planes, plus 50 more pending finalization. Meanwhile:

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif…. mentioned the Pakistan China Economic Corridor project, which would link Gwadar to China through Khunjrab Pass and said that economic zones would be set up along the Corridor. The project would have far-reaching impact on the future of both countries, he added. Nawaz said cheap labour in Pakistan would also contribute to the smooth materialisation of projects with China.”

Block 2 production is expected to continue until at least 2016, after which some sources say manufacture of Block 3 will begin. That variant may get a new engine, either an updated RD-93 or possibly a Chinese engine if one is ready. Sources: DAWN, “Production of improved version of JF-17 aircraft launched” | Pakistan’s The Nation, “Production of JF-17 fighter jet launched” | Defense News, “Pakistan Rolls Out 50th JF-17, Block II Production To Commence” | The Diplomat, “Pakistan Begins Producing Block-II JF-17 Aircraft”.

Block II begins

Nov 19/13: Weapons. Flight International carries a report regarding a large Chinese precision strike missile. It’s hard to say how accurate such presentations are, but here’s the claim:

“A full list of specifications for the CM-400AKG missile was played on a loop inside the AVIC exhibit stand at the Dubai air show; a marketing venue for the JF-17 fighter jointly developed between China and Pakistan…. News reports have indicated the CM-400 has entered service with the Pakistan air force. The AVIC video notes vaguely that the 910kg (2,000lb) weapon “can be carried by JF-17, etc”. It is usually compared with the Indian/Russian Brahmos high-speed cruise missile.”

The CM-400AKG export variant of China’s YJ-12 missile supposedly has a reach of up to 130 nmi, in order to keep it within MTCR treaty limits. It flies at Mach 3+ and high altitude, using GPS/INS as base guidance within 50m CEP, with the ability to switch to Imaging Infrared for final targeting of moving items like ships, possibly augmented by L/S/X-band passive radar. Sources: Flight Global, “DUBAI: China details performance of ‘carrier killer’ missile for JF-17”.

Nov 14/11: A Pakistani JF-17 crashes in the mountainous Attock Distrct, killing Squadron Leader Muhammad Hussain. He had ejected successfully, but his parachute failed to open properly. Pak Tribune.

Crash

May 19/11: Shortly after American special forces killed Osama Bin Laden in a unilateral raid 40 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan announces a wide swath of major defense projects with China. The most consequential is that the deep water port of Gwadar in western Pakistan will be run by its paymasters, the Chinese government. Pakistan also wants the Chinese to build a naval base there, and no doubt expects to have its own ships use that facility alongside the Chinese PLAN.

The flashiest aspect of the announcements involve the JF-17, with reports that China will be sending Pakistan 50 improved JF-17 fighters, with upgraded electronics. To date, JF-17s have rolled off of Pakistani manufacturing/finishing lines, but these will reportedly involve more Chinese manufacturing to speed delivery, arriving within 6 months. Reports say that China is financing the deal, though they differ on the terms, and how much of the cost China is absorbing. Some reports paint the fighters as more or less a gift.

The interest in a batch of 50 more JF-17s isn’t a surprise, nor are the planned improvements (vid. Dec 22/10 entry). If deliveries do complete in that time frame, the end of 2011 will see Pakistan with over 92 serving JF-17s. India’s comparable Tejas will have over a year to go before the 1st squadron is formally inducted, and will still be waiting to conduct qualification tests of key weapons. DAWN | DAWN re: expediting | Kakuda Hafiz | Tribune || India’s NDTV | Economic Times || Wall St. Journal.

Chinese A-5/Q-5
(click to view full)

April 12/11: 2nd squadron. PAF No. 16 Squadron at PAFB Peshawar becomes the 2nd operational squadron with the CAIC-PAC JF-17 Thunder.

The ceremony also marks the retirement of the PAF’s A-5C Fantans, a heavily modified derivative of the MiG-19. The Panthers of 16 Sqn. were the 1st PAF squadron to covert to the A-5C in 1983, and the last to operate the type. AirForces Monthly.

March 1/11: Aviation Week reports that Pakistan is in negotiations with the U.S. to get more Lockheed Martin F-16s, but also quotes PAF Air Chief Marshall Rao Qamar Suleman as saying that indigenous projects will remain a priority. As part of that effort, Pakistan intends to eventually field a supplementary datalink, which would work alongside the Link 16 systems carried by the F-16s and communicate with the JF-17 fleet. With respect to the JF-17s:

“Rao says Pakistan will have the second squadron of JF-17s enter operation at the end of March while simultaneously phasing out all of its Nanchang A-5s… “As for the Chengdu F-7s and Dassault Mirages, we will phase these out as we get JF-17s,” Rao says. “Some of Pakistan’s Mirages are the oldest in the world,” he says, adding that some were built in 1967. Phasing out the older Mirages is a top priority. The Mirages are difficult and costly to maintain because no one is producing spare parts for these aircraft anymore, he says. “We are getting secondhand parts, but we don’t know the history of these spare parts we are getting. It’s a flight safety issue and a nightmare for me,” he adds.”

Jan 26/11: Iraq. JF-17s for Iraq? Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh tells a press conference that the Council of Ministers has approved the purchase of 18 F-16s, and budgeted an unspecified sum. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who is also the acting Defense Minister, would negotiate the deal’s final parameters. There has been talk of a $13 billion weapons buy, which would include the existing DSCA request for F-16IQs, but no confirmation as yet.

The USA will reportedly deliver the F-16s to Iraq within 2-3 years, but in the meantime, and even for some time thereafter, Iraq will not be able to police its own airspace effectively. Iraq Order of Battle author DJ Elliott believes that 2018 would be the earliest. The French are presenting a complementary offer of upgraded Mirage F1s, and DJ Elliott reports that the Iraqis may also be looking at a 3rd option: China & Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder. Iraq-Business News | DJ Elliott’s Montrose Toast | UPI | Saudi Arab News re: Iraqi readiness.

Dec 22/10: 1st squadron. Aviation Week reports that about half of the 42 JF-17s Pakistan has ordered (q.v. March 7/09) are now in place, and one squadron is operational. PAF officials now plan to set up a 2nd unit. The focus, as is true in all initial inductions, is on getting all staff familiar with the equipment. Fully qualifying crews for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions will be the next step.

PAF Air Commodore Junaid told the magazine that the government hopes to order a second batch of 50 fighters in 2011, with undefined “enhanced features,” though the avionics package fielded on the baseline JF-17 has reportedly been a positive surprise.

PL-12 & PL-8 on JF-17
(click to view entire)

Nov 18/10: Avionics & Weapons. Reports from Pakistan indicate that the PAF’s JF-17s will be equipped with Chinese radars and SD-10A/PL-12 medium range air-to-air missiles, thanks to a recent contract with China.

The Thales/MBDA ATE consortium had been seen as front runners for a $1.2 billion contract to equip the first 50 Pakistani JF-17s with radars and missiles, and could stand to reap another EUR 15 million or so per plane thereafter. In April 2010, however, Le Monde reported that the French government had refused to clear the deal. That’s not surprising, since France has a $4+ billion contract to build submarines for India, is competing in the $10-11 billion M-MRCA fighter competition, and wants to sell equipment like frigates and missiles in future. France isn’t in the same geo-political position as the USA, which means retaliation for a defense sale of that magnitude is more likely. France’s DCNS still won India’s Scorpene submarine contract, despite building Agosta AIP submarines for Pakistan, but the French government evidently decided not to chance it this time.

PAF Chief Air Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman told The Nation in an exclusive interview that “PAF has no plans to install Western devices and weapons on the aircraft for the time being.” Pakistan’s The Nation || Agence France Presse | India’s Hindustan Times | Russia’s RIA Novosti | India’s Sify.

July 5/10: Engines & Egypt. India isn’t the only party with reservations about Russian engine exports for the JF-17. United Aircraft Corp. CEO Mikhail Pogosyan publicly opposes the sale of 100 RD-93 jet engines to China, citing the threat of FC-1/JF-17 competition against the MiG-29. He says that said the re-export of technologies should be approved by the original manufacturers to avoid unfair competition, but Rosoboronexport’s position is that re-export rights is a government decision with no manufacturer input. RIA Novosti adds that:

“A Russian aircraft industry source said the FC-1 is inferior to MiG-29 in performance, but sells for about $10 million, while the price of a MiG-29 is about $35 mln. MiG-29s are currently competing with FC-1s in an Egyptian tender on the delivery of 32 fighters. In addition, Egypt has launched negotiations with Pakistan on the licensed production of FC-1 aircraft. Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) approved the re-export of RD-93 engines to Egypt as part of the FC-1 fighter package in November 2007.”

Feb 18/10: 1st squadron. The first squadron of JF-17 Thunder aircraft is formally indicted into Pakistan’s Air Force by Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman. DAWN.

1999 – 2009

From MoU through test aircraft, 8 initial planes, and an order for 42; Russia OK’s engines to allow the program to proceed; 1st locally-built JF-17 rolls out; Export loss in Myanmar.

Lift-off?
(click to view full)

Dec 23/09: Myanmar. Myanmar (ex-Burma) reportedly buys 20 MiG-29s from Russia, preferring them over Chinese options that are said to have included the JF-17/ FC-1. Read “More MiG-29s for Myanmar.”

Myanmar loss

Nov 23/09: Industrial. The first JF-17 Thunder built at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra rolls out. The rest of the order is expected to undergo final assembly at by PAC Kamra within the next 3 years. Associated Press of Pakistan | DAWN | Pakistan’s Daily Times | Pakistan’s The Nation | Pakistan Times | SANA News || Chandigarh Tribune | Press Trust of India | China’s Xinhua.

March 7/09: +42. The Associated Press of Pakistan reports that a contract for 42 co-produced JF-17s has been signed in Islamabad by China’s CATIC and the Pakistani Air Force, financed by “seller’s credit.” Production capacity is listed at 15 aircraft in the first year, rising to 30 aircraft per year thereafter.

Pakistan has been flying 8 aircraft to work out tactics, techniques, and procedures, and expects to stand up the first JF-17 squadron before the end of 2009. The aircraft will be based at Peshawar, alongside existing Chinese-made Q-5/A-5C “Fantan” fighters that are a hugely modified Chinese derivative of the MiG-19, and their accompanying JJ-6/FT-6 MiG-19 trainers.

The article adds a quote from Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed. He reiterated that cooperation on China’s canard-winged J-10/FC-20 is also progressing, with first deliveries to Pakistan expected in 2014-15. CATIC’s President MA Zhiping reportedly added that the first FC-20 aircraft built under that agreement would fly in 2009. APP | Pakistan’s The News.

42 JF-17 Block I

Jan 1/09: Industrial. Associated Press of Pakistan quotes Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) chairman Air Marshal Khalid Chaudhry HI (M) T Bt re: the JF-17 project, and PAC’s work more generally. The report was triggered by briefings associated with a visit from Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, head of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Defence Production. Air Marshal Chadhry reportedly said that PAC has the capability to manufacture 75% of the JF-17’s avionics, and 58% of its air frame.

The firm is currently deepening its experience and earning revenue by overhauling about 180 aircraft engines and 60 aircraft per year, including work undertaken by PAC’s Mirage rebuild factory that helps maintain Pakistan’s aged Mirage III/V fighters, and refurbishes scrap Mirages from other countries in order to keep overall fleet numbers up. High-tech avionics machinery recently imported “from various developed countries” is extending PAC’s capacity, and so has a $15 million contract from Boeing for aircraft parts.

Nov 28/08: Exports. Pakistani Ministry of Defence Production Secretary Shahid Siddiq Tirmizi claims that as many as 8 countries have shown interest in buying the JF-17 Thunder fighter. Azerbaijan, Sudan, and Zimbabwe are 3 countries that have been linked to export interest in the past. The News International.

A Pakistan Defense article widens that potential field to include Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.

Nov 20/08: Pakistani Chief of Air Staff ACM(Air Chief Marshal) Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad says that aid the first JF-17 squadron would be inducted into the PAF fleet in the first quarter of 2009.

His accompanying announcement that another 36 high-tech combat aircraft (FC-20, probably a version of China’s J-10) would be inducted into the PAF fleet by 2010 got even more attention, but that didn’t come to pass. Pakistan Daily | Pak Tribune.

April 11/08: Exports. Jane’s Defence Weekly reports that:

“Pakistan and China have established a joint marketing organisation to promote international sales of their JF-17 ‘Thunder’ fighter aircraft, the head of the main Pakistani arms export agency has told Jane’s. Major General Muhammad Farooq, director general of Pakistan’s Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO), described the JF-17 in early April as an ideal “choice for countries which are mindful of their finances.”

March 19/08: An article in Pakistan Defence claims that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) now has 8 JF-17 Thunder aircraft, after 6 more planes were received this March. All 8 will be used for testing and evaluation; the aircraft hasn’t been formally inducted into service yet.

Serial production has begun, and Pakistan’s Air Cheif Marshal reportedly said that about 60% of the airframe and 80% of the avionics would be manufactured in Pakistan by 2010, with production capacity rising to 25 aircraft per year by 2011. If true, it seems likely that deals with significant industrial offsets may be in the cards, as the article also claims that negotiations have begun with British, Italian, and French defense firms over potential avionics and other systems; France has reportedly offered its RC-400 radar and MBDA MICA missile.

Finally, the article claims that that:

“Thirteen countries have so far expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 aircraft are Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Algeria and Sudan.”

Jan 22/08: Industrial. According to India Defence, Pakistan’s national TV reports that it has begun in-country manufacturing of the JF-17 fighter. About half of the on-board equipment and avionics will be manufactured in Kamra, Pakistan, with the rest coming from China.

PakAF Chief of Air Staff Ahmed reportedly committed to 15 aircraft built in 2008 and 20 in 2009, with the goal of building 25-30 per year.

FC-1/ JF-17
(click to view full)

Nov 29/07: Exports. The IWPA reports that:

“Azerbaijan is currently negotiating with Pakistan for the purchase of 24 Chinese-made JF-17 Thunder combat planes, worth between 16 and 18 million dollars each.”

In February 2009, however, Azerbaijan’s APA files a report that says the parties are still in talks, rather than under contract.

Nov 13/07: Jane’s Defense Weekly quotes Pakistani Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed as saying that the Pakistan Air Force will have an operational capability with JF-17 Thunder light fighter aircraft by the end of 2008, and expects to have its first 8 aircraft under a “small batch order” within the next few months.

“Speaking to Jane’s at the Dubai Air Show on 12 November, ACM Ahmed dismissed concerns over the Russian RD-93 engine that powers the joint Sino-Pakistan aircraft as “an issue created from here and there.”

April 26/07: Engine OK. India may need to hold that champagne, in the wake of recent reports. India Defence relays a report from the Russian newspaper Kommersant, which said that Vladimir Putin himself had personally supervised and signed a “Sino-Russian Fighter Assembly Agreement” which included joint assembly of JF-17 fighter aircraft with RD-93 engines, and their supply to third countries. Kommersant added that:

“This permission will enable the supply of 150 Chinese JF-17 fighter aircrafts to Pakistan, and help implement the contract for the supply of Russian engines worth USD 238 million.”

Kommersant added that “the permission does not imply Pakistan’s inclusion in the list of countries with which Russia has direct military-technical cooperation.” The question is whether Russian military-technical cooperation would be required under the Sino-Russian agreement. Meanwhile, the Indians appear to have been blindsided. The Press Counsellor of the Indian Embassy in Moscow Ramesh Chandra told Kommersant that “the Embassy was not aware” of the permission for re-export. See India Defence | India’s domain-b.

Russia OKs engines

March 29/07: Program. Pakistan’s The News International references an interview that Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed gves to Jane’s:

“The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aims to acquire 200-250 JF-17 Thunder (FC-1) fighter aircraft in place of the 150 originally envisaged, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed has said… According to Jane’s Russian sources had initially said emphatically, that the RD-93 engines… could not be re-exported to Pakistan. This position was reversed in November 2006… during a joint [Klimov/ Chengdu] press briefing at the Zhuhai Air Show in China… Pakistani sources claim they have a clear understanding from Chinese authorities that there will be no Russian effort to block the supply of the RD-93 engines to Pakistan. “The Chinese have told us the Russians haven’t issued a written licence but the Russians will not block the supply of the RD-93 to Pakistan,” one senior Pakistani government official told Jane’s.”

March 2/07: Delivery. China delivers a pair of JF-17 fighters equipped with Russian-made RD-93 engines to Pakistan, prompting Indian protests that claim a violation of the end-user agreement between Russia and China. The aircraft were officially presented on March 12/07, and made their first public appearance during the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23/07. Scramble.

April 28/06: Testing. PT-04 makes its first flight with fully operational avionics. Source.

April 2004: Testing. Second prototype flies, though some sources contend that the aircraft in question was PT-03 instead. A total of 4 aircraft were manufactured for flight testing, while PT-05 was designed for static fatigue testing on the ground. APP | Wikipedia.

Aug 25/03: Testing. First prototype aircraft flies. Source.

July 1/03: First prototype completes first taxi trials. Source.

May 13/03: First prototype aircraft rolled out. Source.

1st prototype

September 2001: The FC-1/JF-17’s detailed design is finalized. Source.

1999: MoU. China and Pakistan agreed on 50-50 joint development of the FC-1/Super 7.

Development MoU

Additional Readings Background: JF-17 Thunder

• Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra – JF-17 Aircraft. See also Avionics Systems Co-produced Projects.

• Sino Defence – FC-1/JF-17 Multirole Fighter Aircraft.

• Wikipedia – JF-17 Thunder.

• GlobalSecurity – FC-1 “Chao Qi” / JF-17 Thunder. The Chinese name translates as “Fierce Dragon.”

• GlobalSecurity – JF-17 Thunder.

• JF-17.com. Not an official site.

Background: Aircraft Ancillaries

• Klimov – RD-33 Family. Of which the RD-93 engine is one.

• Selex Galileo – Selex Galileo’s Grifo. The firm is a Finmeccanica subsidiary. While their material has said in the past that their Grifo S7 radar would equip the JF-17, that role seems to have gone to the Chinese.

• Sino Defence – PiLi-12 Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

• Sino Defence – PiLi-5 Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile. The PAF reportedly uses the PL-5E II.

• Sino Defence – LeiShi-6 Precision Guided Glide Bomb.

• Global Security – C-802 / YJ-2 / Ying Ji-802 / CSS-C-8 / SACCADE/ C-8xx / YJ-22 / YJ-82.

• Sino Defence – KongDi-88 (C-802KD) Air-Launched Land-Attack Cruise Missile. Developed from the YJ-82/C802 anti-ship missile.

• PAF Wallpapers (Oct 15/12) – JF-17 Thunder’s Weapon load. Incl. configurations, with pictures.

Background: Other

• DID – $5.1B Proposed in Sales, Upgrades, Weapons for Pakistan’s F-16s. The JF-17’s counterpart in the PAF. Current commitments are for 63 F-16 C/Ds, all at or near Block 52 standard.

Americas

Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, is being contracted to help stem the maintenance burden of the Marine Corps’ CH-53 Super Stallion. The contract is priced at $717.4 million and covers logistics and repair support for 98 components of the CH-53 and MH-53 platforms. H-53 aircraft include the CH-53E Super Stallion medium-heavy transport helicopter that can transport up to 55 troops or 15 tons of cargo, as well as the MH-53E Sea Dragon minesweeper and the MH-53M Pave Low IV CSAR and SOF helicopter. The helicopters have on average a 44:1 maintenance : flying hours ratio. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, North Carolina and Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by December 2022.

Northrop Grumman is being tapped to support the Navy’s ongoing DDG-51 New Construction Ship and DDG-51 Midlife Modernization programs. The company will provide the service with common Integrated Bridge and Navigation Systems (IBNS) at a cost of $18.1 million. The IBNS is a hull, mechanical and electrical upgrade and part of the comprehensive plan to modernize the DDG-51 class to ensure the ships remain combat relevant and affordable throughout their life. The systems to be installed include radar systems, navigation software, ship control software, chart servers, network interface boxes, flat panel displays, global positioning systems, and ship control display systems. Back fit installation of the IBNS systems by the Navy will be conducted at the home ports of the vessels during their modernization windows. This contract also includes a number of options which, if exercises, would raise the total value to $163.9 million. Work will be performed at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The US Air Force is procuring a number of depot level maintenance services from L3 Technologies. The awarded contract is valued at $55.3 million and covers the Organic Depot Activation of MQ-9 communications and data link parts. L3’s tactical common datalink is part of the MQ-9 sensor payload, which can also include General Atomics’ Lynx synthetic aperture radar. A common datalink guarantees the interoperability of military systems and helps the military to achieve information dominance. The common datalink is a family of full duplex, jam-resistant, point-to-point microwave communication links used in imagery and signals intelligence collection systems. Work will be performed at Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania and at the Warner-Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia. The contract is set to run through October 21, 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Turkish media confirms that the country will start installing S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in October 2019. National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the Daily Sabah the military is currently selecting the right personnel which will later be sent to Russia for training. Turkey’s $2 billion purchase of the Russian-made systems was seen as a controversial move by many international observers and raised concern among other NATO member countries. Some US politicians even pressed for cancelling the delivery of F-35 JSFs to Turkey. Regarding this issue, Akar said he did not expect any problems with the delivery of the aircraft. Referencing Ankara’s rift with the US over the S-400 deal, Akar said that when taking into account the current political climate and military situation experiencing such an unfavorable row again was highly unlikely and the project is continuing as anticipated. Turkey is a Tier 3 partner in the JSF program and is expected to buy up to 100 F-35As at a cost of $16 billion.

Europe

Flight Global reports that the UK’s planned procurement of the E-7 Wedgetail system jointly produced by Boeing and Northrop Grumman is raising major concerns by rival producers of AEW&C aircraft. Defense secretary Gavin Williamson in early October confirmed that the UK is in early discussions with Boeing linked to a potential E-7 purchase, describing the 737-based system as “the stand-out performer in our pursuit of a new battlefield surveillance aircraft”. Saab is fiercely stepping up its efforts to halt the non-competitive acquisition. “We are concerned by the lack of competition and the lack of dialogue and response from MoD,” said Andre Walton, head of Saab UK, who notes that Saab’s “significant investment in the UK” is premised on an understanding that the nation is committed to “fair and transparent, free-market competition”. In a recent letter to Defense Committee chairman Julian Lewis, Walton offered the integration of Saab’s Erieye AESA and mission equipment onto the RAF’s A330 Voyager aircraft, which would reduce program costs by removing the need to acquire new aircraft. Flight Global states that factors behind the UK’s preference for the E-7 system stem from a reluctance to invest in a potentially risky development activity, with an acquisition to instead draw on Australia’s large investment in, and operational experience with the Wedgetail’s capability.

The Italian government is slashing its defense budget to free resources for a new welfare program. Officials in Rome will cut about $512.3 million from the budget which will be announced to parliament in the coming days. As a result Italy will halt all ongoing purchases of NH-90 helicopters in 2019, and will suspend the planned upgrade of its Tornado aircraft. Italy planned to spend about $4.5 billion on 56 NH-90s for its Army and Navy. The country is also putting a $34 million deal for the MBDA Camm-Er missile defense system on hold, but expects its restart in one years time. The only program that makes the cut will be the F-35 although upcoming purchases will be slowed in order to spread out payments.

Asia-Pacific

Raytheon says the the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) conducted five flight tests of the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) interceptor over the summer. During the tests the navy fired three SM-2 Block IIIB missiles to destroy simulated aerial threats. The SM-2 is the most commonly encountered variant, and a long series of upgrades have kept it current over the years. SM-2 Block IIIB is the most popular version at present, swapping ICWI capability for an infrared (IR) guidance mode capability developed by the Missile Homing Improvement Program (MHIP). SM-2 versions are provided as medium range (50 mile) rounds that can be fired from AEGIS rail launchers, AEGIS vertical launch systems, and Tartar rail launchers. Raytheon discontinued production of the missile in 2013, but restarted the SM-2 line in 2017 after demand from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands, according to the company.

Today’s Video

Watch: Naval Group Latest Innovations at Euronaval 2018

Americas

General Atomics is being awarded with a modification to a previously awarded contract. The modification is priced at $192.6 million and provides for continued performance-based logistics services through April 23, 2019. The MQ-1C Gray Eagle is quite similar to the Predator, but it’s a little bit bigger, can carry more weapons, and has an engine that can run on the same “heavy fuel” that fills up the Army’s land vehicles. The drone can fulfil both surveillance and attack roles. The UAVs are now operated by the US Army and by SOCOM’s “Night Stalkers” regiment. Work will be performed at GA’s factory in Poway, California.

General Dynamics is being contracted to continue US, UK submarine fire control systems work. The cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at $18.5 million and covers research and development, and sustainment efforts for the US, UK SSBN Fire Control Sub-system (FCS) and the US SSGN Attack Weapon Control System (AWCS). The new SSBNs will start to replace the current Ohio-class by 2027. The FCS is part of the vessel’s strategic weapons system (SWS) that further includes the Trident II D5 Life Extension missile, launcher, navigation systems, and associated support systems. The SSGN AWCS consists of an integrated Launch Control System interfaced with the Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System and the Captain’s Information and Control Station, having the capability to launch up to 154 missiles from a maximum of 22 missile tubes. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Kings Bay, Georgia and Dahlgren, Virginia.

Embraer’s KC-390 is now officially certified by the Brazilian aviation authority, Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil. This marks a major milestone in the program. Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, president and chief executive of Embraer notes “the certification of KC-390, the largest and most complex aircraft developed throughout Embraer’s history, expresses the high technological level achieved by the company”, and added “I would like to congratulate the teams that participated in the development of this program in partnership with the Brazilian Air Force.” The Brazilian Air Force currently has 28 multi-role tankers on order, with the first expected to be delivered in the first half of 2019. Embraer hopes that its new aircraft will rival Lockheed Martin’s C-130. There are currently 38 letters of intent from international customers, including six LOIs from Argentina, six from Chile, 12 from Colombia, two from Czech Republic, and six from Portugal.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is being contracted to supply India’s navy with additional air and missile defense systems. The deal is worth $777 million and covers the delivery of several Barak-8 systems for seven Indian warships. The navalised Barak-8 project aims to give India’s naval defenses a much longer reach, with the intention of eventually making it India’s primary naval SAM. The missile can fly to ranges of up to 42 miles, provides 360° coverage and can engage multiple targets simultaneously. State-owned IAI, Israel’s largest defense firm, said worldwide sales of the Barak-8 system now totalled more than $6 billion. India, which has longstanding territorial disputes with neighbors China and Pakistan, has signed several big-ticket defense deals since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.

Europe

Saab is being awarded with its first contract for the T-X development phase. The $117 million contract covers Saab’s engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the US Air Force’s future trainer platform. The contract runs parallel to Boeing’s efforts in the program and will cover activities running through 2022. The contract is part of an initial $813 million deal for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) portion, which provides for five aircraft and seven simulators. The T-X is designed to bring pilot training into the 21st century, providing an aircraft to train pilots in the pipeline to fly the F-35 Lightning II. The complete program is valued at an estimated $9.2 billion for 351 aircraft.

Saab is introducing a new hypersonic mode to its Sea Giraffe naval radar. The new Hypersonic Detection Mode enables the radar to detect and track targets travelling at hypersonic speeds, a threat that is persistently increasing. As the company notes in its press release, the HDM capability builds on Saab’s next generation track while scan technology, which enables track start within a fraction of a second for any number of targets, including stealthy ones, in all conditions. “The hypersonic threat is credible and increasing. Navies around the world are asking for a capability to retain their dominant battlespace awareness and to give them crucial time to act. We are able to meet these requirements by using our existing technology, adapting it for the hypersonic challenge”, says Anders Carp, head of Saab’s business area Surveillance.

MBDA will soon launch a naval version of its proven MMP 5th generation missile system. MBDA’s Missile Moyenne Portee has been designed to be France’s next portable anti-armor missile for troops and vehicles. Its attack modes include fire and forget, man in the loop mode, re-assignment in flight, and even seeker lock-on after launch. As a medium missile, it needs to kill targets up to an including main battle tanks. The unveiling of the missile at Euronaval follows an operational evaluation campaign carried out at the end of the summer by the French armed forces in Djibouti to confirm the reliability and operational performance of the MMP system in a hot environment, both from the ground and also from a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) moving at high speed. The new missile variant can be used on fast attack craft or semi-rigid boats for missions against hostile ships, coastal defenses or armored vehicles, especially in support of a landing of small units or Special Forces.

Asia-Pacific

Jane’s reports that the Royal Australian Navy is one step closer towards fully qualifying the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) on board its Canberra-class amphibious assault ships. The service recently held a number of maintenance and flight trials on board HMAS Canberra, testing the helicopter as an embarked platform. Australia’s Tiger version is a modified Tiger in its French HAP variant, equipped with a Nexter 30mm cannon, and a laser designator incorporated in the roof-mounted Sagem Strix sight. The helicopter can fire Hellfire II, Stingers and 70 mm rockets. The Tigers will provide the amphibious assault ship with forward scouting, strike capabilities.

Today’s Video

Watch: M1128 Mobile Gun & 30mm Stryker Dragoon (ICVD) In Action

MMP
(click to view full)

MBDA’s Missile Moyenne Portee (MMP, for “middle range missile”) is designed to be France’s next portable anti-armor missile for troops and vehicles. The question is whether it can achieve anything close to its predecessor’s popularity.

France currently relies on wire-guided MILAN portable anti-tank missiles for its troops and vehicles, but the design was first introduced in the early 1970s. Despite a series of version upgrades, and tremendous export success to over 30 countries, the French found themselves forced to buy American Javelin missiles in 2010 as an Urgent Operational Requirement. The MMP program, begun in early 2012, aims to fix that for next time.

The MMP System

MILAN ER
click for video

The goal is a missile whose attack modes can include fire and forget, man in the loop mode, re-assignment in flight, and even seeker lock-on after launch. As a medium missile, it needs to kill targets up to an including main battle tanks, while remaining effective in urban warfare scenarios that focus on reinforced buildings. Urban effectiveness has also driven a design that’s designed to be fired from confined spaces without barbecuing the operator.

Each missile in its tube weighs 15 kg/ 33.07 pounds, while the separate firing unit adds another 11 kg / 24.25 pounds. Launchers will also be designed for armored vehicles like France’s VBCI IFVs.

MMP’s command unit and missile use Sagem’s dual-mode uncooled infrared and visible channel seekers, and MEMS IMU inertial navigation. An uncooled IR seeker is especially useful, because it can be used very quickly, as opposed to cooled seekers like Javelin’s that require 30 or so seconds to become ready. MMP can also be directed against non-line of sight targets, cued via datalink from a UAV or other integrated system.

Once fired, communication between the missile and the firing unit relies on a fiber optic wire, allowing the operator to intervene with a manual override that’s almost impossible to jam.

MBDA on MMP/MLP
click for video

The missile’s multipurpose tandem warhead is designed to defeat 2m of concrete or 1m of vehicle Rolled Homogenous Armor, and the tandem design will allow it to be effective against explosive reactive armor protection. Minimum lethal range against its full target set is listed as 2.5 km/ 1.34 miles, which includes disembarked personnel or personnel under hardened cover, as well as modern tanks.

MBDA says that MMP has an actual range of 4 km/ 2.16 miles, and an MLP variant aims to double that to 8 km. MLP will keep the basic MMP form factor, but lengthen the pop-out wings and make other improvements. It’s is scheduled to debut in 2018, with helicopter integration on Eurocopter’s EC665 Tiger HAD attack helicopters slated for 2020.

MMP and MLP missiles will also be candidates for integration on armored vehicles. The missile is slated to be paired with the unique CT40 turret on France’s future EBRC wheeled light tanks, and mock-ups have been shown on

MBDA has an order from France, but they’ll need to secure a number of export customers before the program can be deemed a success like the MILAN. Key global competitors will include the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin missile (cooled IIR, no man in the loop), RAFAEL of Israel’s popular Spike family (cooled IIR/optical, optional man in the loop), Raytheon’s now-wireless BGM-71 TOW family (optical, man in the loop), Russia’s AT-14 Korenet-E (laser beamrider), and Saab’s Bill 2 (optical, man in the loop) with its top attack profile.

Contracts & Key Events

MMP: fire indoors
(click to view full) FY2018

October 25/18: Naval version MBDA will soon launch a naval version of its proven MMP 5th generation missile system. MBDA’s Missile Moyenne Portee has been designed to be France’s next portable anti-armor missile for troops and vehicles. Its attack modes include fire and forget, man in the loop mode, re-assignment in flight, and even seeker lock-on after launch. As a medium missile, it needs to kill targets up to an including main battle tanks. The unveiling of the missile at Euronaval follows an operational evaluation campaign carried out at the end of the summer by the French armed forces in Djibouti to confirm the reliability and operational performance of the MMP system in a hot environment, both from the ground and also from a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) moving at high speed. The new missile variant can be used on fast attack craft or semi-rigid boats for missions against hostile ships, coastal defenses or armored vehicles, especially in support of a landing of small units or Special Forces.

FY2014

June 17/14: Sub-contractors. Sagem Group announces a contract from MBDA to develop and build the optronic (electro-optical) control unit for the firing-posts, and the MMP’s twin-mode seeker. The first tranche of the contract provides for the production of more than 1,500 seekers and 225 optronic control units, to be delivered starting in 2016.

The MMP missile seeker will use an uncooled infrared channel (fire and forget) or a visible wavelength channel (man in the loop), and incorporates an inertial reference unit (IRU) to help the seeker and the missile itself understand where it is at any given moment. The Montlucon plant will make the inertial components.

The optronic control unit will be fitted with a high-definition twin-field infrared sensor offering advanced image processing, a daytime video channel, GPS receiver, and magnetic compass. The twin-field system gives the gunner images from both the cameras in the firing-post and the missile’s seeker. A laser rangefinder will be optional. Both the optronic units and the seekers will be produced by Sagem’s Poitiers plant. Sources: Sagem DS, “Sagem to supply seeker and firing-posts optronics for MBDA’s new MMP medium-range missile”.

June 12/14: MBDA Systems is at Eurosatory 2014, touting MMP for dismounted troops, deployed on a model of Nexter’s CT40 40mm canon turret for IFVs, and mounted on MBDA’s MPCV wheeled patrol vehicle and missile carrier.

The CT40 will equip Britain’s FRES-SV and Warrior WSCP tracked IFVs, but Britain uses the American Javelin missile as its mainstay. MBDA’s main target involves the French Scorpion meta-program’s wheeled EBRC vehicles, whose CT40 turret and MPP missiles are slated to replace the light tank firepower provided by current wheeled AMX-10. MBDA’s MPCV already has been exported to Saudi Arabia’s National Guard in its air defense version, and its light weight, mobility, and low cost make it an interesting scout vehicle offering for countries in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Finally, a CT40/MPP combination would also be thinkable in a turret upgrade or export sale of French IFVs like the VBCI. Sources: MBDA, “MBDA presents MMP, the market’s only 5th generation land combat missile”.

Dec 3/13: France’s DGA awards MBDA a contract to begin MMP production. The initial order is for 175 launchers and 450 missiles, which will enter service in 2017 and finish deliveries by 2019. The full program for France will involve 400 launchers and 2,850 missiles. Sources: DGA, “La DGA notifie le programme du missile moyenne portée (MMP)” | MBDA, “MBDA Notified By France Of MMP Weapon System Order”.

Production begins

Nov 26/13: Go-ahead. French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announces to the Assemblée Nationale that the MMP missile is one of the projects approved in the new 2014-2019 budget. France has a sane budget system with multi-year allocations, which really helps with project stability. Key excerpt:

“D’ici la fin de 2013, pourront ainsi etre engages le missile moyenne portee MMP, qui prendra la succession des missiles MILAN, essentiel a la fois pour l’armee de terre et notre industrie missiliere…. Parmi ces equipements, bien sur, un certain nombre sera polyvalent. C’est ainsi que nous recevrons, sur cette periode, les satellites du programme MUSIS, mais egalement 450 missiles moyenne portee (MMP), les premiers MRTT, 15 A400M”

Sources: French MdlD, “LPM : allocution de Jean-Yves Le Drian, ministre de la Défense devant l’Assemblée nationale”

June 19/13: Testing. MBDA has started MMP integration tests, and the configuration of the missile and its associated equipment are now fixed. Testing has included the uncooled IR seeker, the latest generation cameras in the firing post, firing post ergonomics, and the dynamic behavior of the fiber optic connection. At the same time, environmental testing of a full model have enabled MMP’s sub-assembly environmental specifications.

Firing trials have included safe confined space launches in Bourges, central France, and the warhead has been tested “against the latest generation of explosive reactive armour”.

MBDA still needs to conduct shock and vibration tests, full system environmental tests, and warhead tests against concrete structures. Studies have begun with Nexter to integrate MMP on the CT-40 canon turret, and this will presumably focus on the long-range (8 km) MLP model. Sources: MBDA, “MBDA Starts MMP Integration Tests”.

Dec 30/11: The French DGA procurement agency awards MBDA an MMP risk reduction contract for the medium range missile (MMP) program. MBDA has actually been developing the missile using its own funds, and this contract is about validating the technical choices made so far.

France’s formal MMP development program is scheduled for launch in late 2012, and will eventually replace MILAN missiles that have been in service with the French armed forces since 1974. Sources: DGA, “La succession du missile Milan en préparation” | MBDA, “New System To Replace The Milan Missile”.

Development begins

Additional Readings

• MBDA – MMP.

Associated & Potential Platforms

• DID – VBCI: France’s Wheeled APC. It’s a likely platform for the missile, but that will require modifications to the turret, or a swap upgrade to the Nexter CT40 with its caseless ammunition and MMP mounting option.

• Army Technology – Multi Purpose Combat Vehicle (MPCV), France. Mockup shown at Eurosatory 2014; the air defense version has been exported to the Saudi National Guard.

MMP Missile Competitors

• DID – Pilum High: The Javelin Anti-Armor Missile. MMP’s main competitor; France even placed a 2010 order.

• RAFAEL – SPIKE Family of Multi-Purpose, Tactical Missiles. Dismounted and helicopter mounted.

• Raytheon – TOW Weapon System. The BGM-71 family is very wide ranging, with dismounted, vehicle mounted, and helicopter mounted missiles. Now has a wireless operator-guided option as TOW-RF.

• Army Technology – Kornet E Anti-Tank Missile, Russia. NATO designation AT-14.

• Saab – Bill 2 Overfly, Top Attack Missile System. Its top attack profile is especially deadly to tanks.

Americas

A major component of the B61-12 nuclear bomb will now be produced at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. The Complex is one of the nation’s most important national security assets. The 811 acre site contains the world’s largest stockpile of highly enriched uranium, enough to build 14.000 nuclear warheads. Y-12 is now qualified to manufacture the B61-12’s canned subassembly, which is the second stage of a modern thermonuclear weapon, and is also part of the nuclear explosives package. Y-12 Site Manager Bill Tindal said, “We are delivering a key contribution to global security through this program. I couldn’t be more proud of how all organizations pulled together to accomplish this difficult task.” The B-61 is currently undergoing a life extension program, which will consolidate four versions of the bomb into one. The nuke can be launched from B-2A, B-21, F-15E, F-16C/D, F-16 MLU, F-35 and PA-200 aircraft. Delivery of the first production unit is scheduled for March 2019.

Colonna’s Shipyard is being contracted to work on the Navy’s first Spearhead-class ship during the ship’s upcoming regular overhaul and dry docking phase. The firm-fixed-price contract is valued at $7.9 million and provides for a 67-calendar day shipyard availability. The contractor will be responsible to conduct structural inspection of the hull, perform a variety of repairs, support the main propulsion engine’s overhaul, replace heater exchangers and perform gear maintenance. The USNS Spearhead is an Expeditionary Fast Transport ship that was launched in 2011, it is designed for the fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment with aviation support. Work will be performed at Colonna’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. The Regular Overhaul availability is expected to be completed by January, 2019.

National Industries for the Blind is being awarded with a contract modification that extends a one-year base contract for the second year in a row. The modification is priced at $13.1 million and allows for the continued production for the advanced combat helmet (ACH) pad suspension system. The ACH is made of a new type of Kevlar to provide improved ballistic and impact protection. The helmets are also designed to allow an unobstructed field of view and increased ambient hearing capabilities for the wearer. Modular, flame-retardant, and moisture-resistant pads act as the suspension system between the wearer’s head and the helmet. This allows a soldier to fight more effectively when wearing body armor. Work will be performed at facilities in Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. This second option period is set to run through October 26, 2019.

Contitech is being tapped to provide the US Army with vehicle tracks for its M109 Paladin artillery system. The firm-fixed-price contract is valued at $20.1 million and will run through July 8, 2021. The M109 family of systems has been in service since 1962. The latest variant is the BAE produced Paladin M109A7 next-generation artillery system. The new variant incorporates upgrades to hull, turret, engine, and suspension systems that offer increased reliability, survivability and performance over its predecessor. The 155 mm cannon is mounted on the chassis structure common to the Bradley tracked fighting vehicle. Work will be performed at Contitech’s factory in Fairlawn, Ohio.

Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia may be blocked from future arms purchases as world leaders are calling on the government to provide more information on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. German chancellor Angela Merkel recently said that future weapon deliveries to the Middle-Eastern nation are highly unlikely until an investigation into the journalist’s death has been carried out. The German parliament approved exports worth $416.4 million to Saudi Arabia in 2018 alone, making it Germany’s second biggest defense customer, right after Algeria. One of the largest deals in recent year included the Saudi purchase of 270 Leopard A2 Main Battle Tanks. Germany is currently calling on other countries to consider setting up bans on the sales of arms to Riyadh.

Europe

Belgian news agency, Belga reports that the country has chosen Lockheed Martin’s F-35 JSF over the Eurofighter Typhoon to replace its old fleet of F-16s. Despite the final deadline being set for October 29, government sources are confident that the US-made fighter jet will make the cut. Lockheed spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson told Reuters that “the F-35 offers transformational capability for the Belgian Air Force and, if selected, will align them with a global coalition operating the world’s most advanced aircraft.” The potential deal could also strengthen Lockheed’s position in forthcoming tenders in Switzerland, Finland and Germany. The order for jets due for delivery from 2023 is estimated to be worth $4.14 billion. European countries that currently fly the F-35 include Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Norway.

Jane’s reports that the Romanian Ministry of Defence is expected to soon make a decision on the procurement of new multirole corvettes. The planned acquisition program sees for the delivery of four corvettes at a cost if $1.85 billion. The new 2.500 ton-class vessels must come with capabilities across the ASW, anti-surface warfare, AAW, EW, SAR and naval gunfire support spectrum. Current bidders include Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the Netherlands, Italy’s Fincantieri, and France’s Naval Group. All bidders are currently in line with Romanian stipulations for local industry participation. The French Naval Group, has associated with local Constanta Shipyard, Dutch group Damen Shipyards, owns the Galati shipyard and is in the process of acquiring the Mangalia shipyard, Italian group Fincatieri, controls the Tulcea and Braila shipyards. The corvette program is the centrepiece of Romania’s naval modernization process that seeks to mitigate the growing Russian military threat in the Black Sea.

Asia-Pacific

India’s sole operational aircraft carrier will start sea trials by the start of next week. The INS Vikramaditya recently completed its second refitment at Cochin Shipyard, a process which cost close to $96 million. Captain Puruvir Das, the carrier’s commanding officer, told the New Indian Express “soon, we will start the sea trials, which will take place off the Kochi and Goa coasts. We are hopeful of returning to the Western Naval Command without delay.” During the refitment major work was carried out, including an extensive hull survey and repainting, as well as some large scale repair of the ship’s shaft system. “The refitment will enhance the operations of Vikramaditya. It will be ready for sea operations once the trials are completed,” added Captain Das. The Kiev-class former Russian Navy aircraft carrier has been in service since 2013 and upgrade of its infrastructure were started in September 2016.

Today’s Video

Watch: GAO: Flight Test of a B61-12 Nuclear Bomb

Before: M109 & M992
(click to view full)

The USA’s 155mm M109 self-propelled howitzers (SPH) were first introduced in 1962, as a form of armored mobile artillery that could stand up to the massed fire tactics of Soviet heavy artillery and rockets. They and their companion M992 Armored Ammunition Resupply Vehicles (AARV) have been rebuilt and upgraded several times, most recently via the M109A6 Paladin upgrade.

In the meantime, the Army has re-learned a few home truths. Artillery arrives in seconds rather than minutes or hours, is never unavailable due to bad weather, and cheaply delivers a volume of explosive destruction that would otherwise require hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bombers and precision weapons. Most combat casualties in the gunpowder age have come from artillery fire, and the US Army will need its mobile fleet for some time to come. So, too, will the many countries that have bought the M109 and still use it, unless BAE wishes to cede that market to South Korea’s modern K9/K10 system, or new concept candidates like the KMW/GDLS DONAR. What to do? Enter the Paladin PIM program.

PIM Program: A New M109A7/ M992A3 Paladin

M109 Limitations & the M109A6 Paladin

M109A6 Paladin, fired
(click to view full)

While the M109 was technically mobile, in practice it was only semi-mobile. The need to string communications wire in order to physically connect the battery’s howitzers and their fire-control center fixed the vehicles in position. Surveyors were used to calculate the battery’s location as part of this process, and the entire emplacement and readying procedure could easily take 15-20 minutes. So, too, could the process of taking this setup down so the battery could move to another location. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that spending so much time outside of any protective armor was going to get a lot of people killed in any serious conflict involving tools like attack helicopters, massed artillery and rocket fire, and nifty toys like artillery-locating radars that backtrack the origin point of incoming shells.

The M109A6 Paladin addressed these issues via computerization and communications upgrades. Secure SINCGARS radios replaced the wires. Inertial navigation systems and sensors attached to the gun automatically tell the crew where they are, and where their shells are likely to land. Finally, automatic gun-laying translates the fire co-ordinates to a specific gun position. No aiming circles. No surveyed fire points. No wire lines. Just move into the assigned position area somewhere, calculate data, receive orders from the platoon operations center, use FBCB2 (aka “Blue Force Tracker”) to verify the location of “friendlies,” use the automatic PDFCS (Paladin Digital Fire Control System) to aim the gun and send the shell on its way. Once the fire mission is over, the vehicle can move off, receive another target, then quickly lay and fire again.

Improved armor added even more protection to the new system, and an upgraded engine and transmission made the M109A6 speedier. On-board prognostics and diagnostics were installed to improve the vehicles’ readiness and maintainability. Finally, ammunition stowage was made safer, and the load was increased from 36 rounds to 39 rounds of 155mm shells. Some of which can be M982 Excalibur GPS-guided shells.

The M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle (FAASV) vehicle is the M019’s companion. The M992A2 is also referred to as “Carrier Ammunition Tracked” by the US Army, which is an apt name because it holds up to 90 shells on 2 racks (up to 12,000 pounds total), plus an hydraulic conveyor belt to help with loading the M109. In practice, the duo’s crews often handle that task manually. The Paladin PIM program will enhance the FAASV/CAT to M992A3.

M109A7 PIM: The Weapon

M109, firing
(click to view full)

The Paladin Integrated Management partnership builds on the A6’s advances, but there are so many changes that it’s almost a new-build program.

The BAE/Army partnership will re-use the turret structure and the main 155/39 mm gun. As such, additional range and accuracy depends on using new projectiles like the rocket-boosted & GPS-guided M982 Excalibur, or ATK’s non-boosted PGK screw-in guidance system. Both are explicitly contemplated in the Paladin PIM’s loading systems. Maximum rate of fire also remains unchanged, because tube structure and temperature remain the limiting factor for sustained rates of fire.

The Paladin Digital Fire Control System is somewhere between old and new. The system has continued to receive upgrades, and is being produced by BAE and Northrop Grumman. GPS is currently provided via older PLGR systems, with data sent to the Dynamic Reference Unit – Hybrid (DRU-H inertial navigator), but the obsolescence of electronic components within this box means that DRU-H and possibly PLGR are on the future replacement list.

M109A7 PIM
(click to view full)

What will be new? Two big advances:

Chassis. Previous M109 upgrades hadn’t altered the M109’s 1950s configuration. The new chassis are being fabricated & assembled with components from the M2/M3 Bradley IFV (e.g. engine, transmission, final drives, etc.), in order to create more commonality across America’s Heavy Brigade Combat teams. BAE Systems expects a growth in overall weight of less than 5%, but the combined effects of the new chassis and more robust drive components give Paladin PIM the ability to operate at higher weights than its current GVW maximum of about 39 tons/ 35.4 tonnes. That will be tested, given the expected weight of the T2 add-on armor and separate underbelly armor add-on kits.

All-Electric. The M109A7 PIM also incorporates select technologies from the Future Combat Systems 155mm NLOS-C (Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon), including modern electric gun drive systems to replace the current 1960s-era hydraulically-operated elevation and azimuth drives. The removal of the hydraulic systems saves the crew a tremendous amount of maintenance, and they retain manual backups for gun laying just in case.

The shift to an electric turret included a major redesign of the vehicle’s power system, converting the 600 hp engine’s work into up to 70 kW of 600 volt/ 28 volt direct current for use by various on-board systems. The power system’s modularity means that if any one of the motors inside fails, it can be replaced in the field within less than 15 minutes, using the same single part type. In concrete terms, it means the howitzer crew can handle the problem themselves and continue the mission, instead of withdrawing for repairs.

Paladin PIM: The Program

Adam Zarfoss, BAE Systems’ director of artillery programs:

“Artillery is playing an important role in operations in Iraq, with the Paladin providing critical fire support with both standard and precision munitions… The M109A6-PIM is the next step in Paladin development to ensure this essential fire support system remains ready and sustainable for soldiers in the HBCT [Heavy Brigade Combat Teams] through its projected life beyond the year 2050.”

Even with the previous-generation Paladin’s computerization and fast, safe set-up and take-down, a noticeable capability gap existed between the M109A6 used in Iraq, and newer self-propelled guns. At the same time, America’s comparable XM2001 Crusader/ XM2002 ARRV was canceled as an $11 billion Cold War relic in 2002, and the light 155mm NLOS-C died with the 2009 removal of the Future Combat Systems ground vehicle program.

The Paladin Integrated Management Program is designed to handle America’s future needs in the absence of Crusader and NLOS-C, and close some of the M109A6’s technological gaps. The initial goal was 600 M109A7 / M992A3 vehicle sets, but that has been lowered slightly to 558.

BAE Systems and the U.S. Army have signed a 2007 memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a Public-Private Partnership (P3) to develop and sustain the Army’s M109A6 vehicles throughout their life cycle. The establishment of a P3 will capitalize on the strengths and capabilities of each organization to ensure the cost-effective and on-time reset of the current fleet of M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicles (FAASV), as well as the planned production of the M109A7/M992A3 Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) systems.

PIM prototypes were originally slated to be delivered to the US Army for test and evaluation in 2009, but changes to the program meant that the prototype contract wasn’t even issued until October 2009. That moved prototype delivery back to May 2011.

By January 2012, BAE had completed Phase I of the Army’s formal Developmental Test Program, with 5 vehicles returning for refurbishment, and 2 remaining at Aberdeen Proving Grounds for further tests. Full testing of all vehicles was set to resume in June 2012, and the Milestone C approval to proceed with Low-Rate-Initial-Production (LRIP) was scheduled for June 2013. In practice LRIP approval by the Defense Acquisition Board slipped to October 2013, and formal induction didn’t take place until May 2014.

Industrial Team

M992 cutaway
(click to view full)

Parties to the memorandum signing include BAE Systems leaders, US Army TACOM (Tank, automotive & Armaments COMmand), The Army’s PEO-GCS (Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems), the Army’s PKM-HBCT (Project Manager – Heavy Brigade Combat Team), and the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama. The MoU was signed during the AUSA 2007 conference in Washington, DC.

BAE Systems has significant experience with public-private partnerships thanks to Britain’s “future contracting for availability” innovations. In the USA, meanwhile, it has a long standing and successful partnership with the Red River Army Depot in Texas to remanufacture and upgrade the USA’s M2/M3 Bradley fighting vehicles.

The Army’s PM-HBCT will manage the M109 RESET activities. Anniston Army Depot will retain labor and lead the majority of the program, including the M109A6-PIM production process, through the public-private partnership. They will be integrated into the PIM Integrated Product Development Teams (IPDTs) structure during the design phase, and will support the manufacture of the prototype vehicles.

During the production phase, Anniston Army Depot will be responsible for induction of vehicles, overhaul of critical components like the gun system, and modification/ upgrade of the cab structure. BAE Systems will be responsible for materials management. The partially assembled cabs, along with overhauled components, will be provided to BAE Systems for integration with the new M109A7 PIM chassis. Areas involved in production will include York, PA; Aiken, SC; and Elgin, OK where final assembly will take place.

Export Potential

PzH-2000

A total of 975 M109A6 Paladins were produced for the US Army, and another 225 or so were produced for Taiwan. Full rate production ceased in 1999. BAE built a small final batch to fill out an Army National Guard request, which finished in 2001.

Most other countries who use the M109 (Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Kuwait, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, Iran on its own, soon Iraq with US support) employ previous versions, ranging from M109A1s to M109A5s.

That’s a lot of potential upgrades.

So far, the most popular upgrade abroad is the M109A5+, which adds independent position location via GPS/INS, and radio transmission of co-ordinates. It’s a budget-conscious upgrade that omits the M109A6’s automatic gun-laying, which would require a tear-down and rebuild of the turret. It also omits the PIM upgrades, which make very substantial changes to every part of the vehicle.

On the other hand, countries that do decide to field fully modern armored artillery systems will find that Paladin PIM is still generally cheaper than buying new heavy systems. That’s enough to succeed in America. What about the rest of the world?

Abroad, Paladin PIM will be competing against options like KMW’s PzH-2000, Denel’s G6, and Samsung’s K9/K10 on the heavy side, some of which offer more advanced features. It will also have to deal with substitution threats from lightly-armored truck-mounted 155mm artillery like BAE/Saab’s Archer, Elbit’s Atmos, and Nexter’s Caesar. It’s still early days, but the M109A7 Paladin PIM system has yet to find an export customer.

Contracts and Key Events

Unless otherwise noted, US Army TACOM in Warren, MI issues the contracts to BAE Systems Land & Armaments’ Ground Systems Division in York, PA.

FY 2018

 

At Fort Sill

October 24/18: Tracks Contitech is being tapped to provide the US Army with vehicle tracks for its M109 Paladin artillery system. The firm-fixed-price contract is valued at $20.1 million and will run through July 8, 2021. The M109 family of systems has been in service since 1962. The latest variant is the BAE produced Paladin M109A7 next-generation artillery system. The new variant incorporates upgrades to hull, turret, engine, and suspension systems that offer increased reliability, survivability and performance over its predecessor. The 155 mm cannon is mounted on the chassis structure common to the Bradley tracked fighting vehicle. Work will be performed at Contitech’s factory in Fairlawn, Ohio.

FY 2016

August 11/16: Howitzers in the Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) program are being questioned over deficiencies with the weapon’s maximum rate of fire and problems with the automatic fire extinguisher that could potentially endanger the crew. The DoD’s inspector general raised the queries in a report released last week. 2012 and 2013 tests saw the howitzer fail the test for maximum rate of fire which led to a redesign of hardware, software and firing procedures but still failed a total of four out of eight attempts following the fixes “under non-stressful firing conditions.”

November 2/15: The Army announced on Friday that they have awarded a $245.3 million contract modification for 30 M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, along with 30 M992A3 Armored Ammunition Resupply Vehicles. This low rate initial production-2 (LRIP-2) modification (Option 2) follows a similar award (Option 1) in October 2014 for 18 of each vehicle, with the two options scheduled for deliveries by February 2017 and June 2018 respectively.

FY 2015

 

Oct 31/14: LRIP-2. A $141.8 million fixed-price-incentive contract modification exercises Option 1 for 18 M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers and 18 M992A3 Carrier Ammunition Tracked vehicles. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 and 2015 Army budgets. This raises the contract’s total value (q.v. Oct 30/13) to $386.7 million so far.

Estimated completion date is Feb 28/17. Work will be performed in Elgin, OK (18%), and York, PA (82%) (W56HZV-14-C-0002, PO 0011).

LRIP-2 order: 18 SPH, 18 CAT

FY 2014

Milestone C approval; LRIP contract; GAO and DOT&E reports highlight remaining issues.

M109A7: Fire!
(click to view full)

July 18/14: EMD. An $88.3 million modification to contract to extend the existing M109A7 and M992A3 engineering and manufacturing development contract to incorporate low rate initial production test support. $14.1 million in FY 2013 and 2014 US Army RDT&E funding is committed immediately.

This raises announced Paladin PIM EMD contracts (q.v. Jan 17/12) to $401.6 million. Estimated completion date is March 31/17. Work will be performed in York, PA (W56HZV-09-C-0550, PO 0081).

May 19/14: Inducted. The US Army formally inducts the Paladin PIM system, and gives the systems new designations. It’s now the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, with its companion M992A3 ammunition carrier. Low-rate initial production will begin in summer 2014, as M109A6s and M992A2s are shipped the Anniston Army Depot for disassembly. Some of those parts, especially the cab and cannon assembly, will be used along with new components like the chassis, engine, transmission, suspension, steering system, and power system.

US Army PM self-propelled howitzer systems Lt. Col. Michael Zahuranic is especially pleased by the fact that the upgrade creates more space, saves weight, and improves power and cooling, making it much easier to add new capabilities until its planned phase-out in 2050. BAE Systems VP and GM Mark Signorelli was also happy today, both for the milestone it represents for his company and because he had commanded a M109A3 when he was in the US Army. Sources: US Army, “Army inducts self-propelled howitzer into low-rate initial production”.

Inducted as M109A7 / M992A3

May 14/14: Engines. BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP in York, PA receives a $16.1 million contract modification for an advance buy of V903 engines, to equip PIM low rate initial production vehicles.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 budgets. Work will be performed in Columbus, IN (77%), and York, PA (23%), with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/18. US Army Contracting Command-Tank and Automotive in Warren, MI manages the contract (W56HZV-14-C-0002, PO 0003).

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish. For the PIM program, its design is mature. So are its 2 critical new technologies: power pack integration, and the ceramic bearing of the generator assembly. On the other hand, weight limits are a concern, and testing had better go right, because the program’s schedule leaves very little time for fixes if tests show problems.

The largest single technology risk involves the current contractor for the engine and transmission, who may cease production due to lack of orders. That could force a vendor switch and even a redesign of the engine compartment, raising costs between $32 – $100 million and adding a “significant” schedule delay.

The Milestone C delay from June – October 2013 was staff-driven due to sequestration. Other delays to the start of developmental testing stemmed from changes to protection and survivability requirements, which led to a new ballistic hull and turret and new armor kits.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The revised program schedule reduces the program’s planned low-rate (LRIP) production run from 72 sets – 66 sets, while cutting the LRIP period from 4 years – 3 years.

The new M109A6 PIM has done well in tests with GPS-guided shells, with a CEP of less than 10m for rocket-boosted M982 Ia-2 Excalibur shells out to 35 miles, and average CEP of 24m out to 15 miles for ATK’s screw-in Precision Guidance Kit. The bad news is that ordinary shells are a problem. In 2012 Limited User Tests, the PIM failed to meet accuracy requirements at short (4-6 km) ranges, offered a timeliness downgrade from M109A6 standards by meeting less than 20% of fire mission time standards, and displayed deformation and jamming of the M82 primer when firing when firing M232A1 Modular Artillery Charge System (MACS) Charge 5 propellant.

The Army has begun using some very innovative approaches in its effort to fix the defects (q.v. July 30/12), and in January 2013, the program began installing and testing a series of Corrective Actions, Producibility, and Obsolescence (CPO) changes for the SPH and CAT. The Army intends to fix the timeliness problem using hardware and software changes, and there have been some positive indicators in subsequent tests. Meanwhile, they intend to continue testing upgraded suspension and transmission components in light of increased weight from the underbelly and T2 up-armoring kits.

A special research team is looking at the MACS problems. They’re considering a wide range of options: propellant changes, breech & firing mechanism redesigns, alternative ignition systems, or even restricting the PIM to 4 MACS charges and taking the range penalty.

Oct 30/13: LRIP. BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP in York, PA receives a $195.4 million fixed-price-plus-incentive contract for Low-Rate Initial Production of 19 Paladin PIM self-propelled Howitzers (SPH), 13 SPH Threshold 2 (T2) armor kits as up-armoring options, 18 Carrier Ammunition Tracked (CAT, formerly FAASV reloader) vehicles, 11 CAT T2 armor kits, and 37 lots of basic issue items. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 RDT&E ($14.6 million) and “other” ($180.8 million) budgets.

Work will be performed at York, PA; Elgin, OK; and 24 locations throughout the United States until Feb 29/16. One bid was solicited and one received by US Army TACOM in Warren, MI.

The 1st production vehicle is expected to roll out of the depot in mid-2015. BAE says that this contract could rise to $688 million for about 66 vehicle sets (likely 67 SPH and 66 CAT), plus spares, kits and technical documentation (W56HZV-14-C-0002). Note that this is slightly less than envisioned before (q.v. Dec 6/12). See also: BAE, Oct 31/13 release.

LRIP-1 order: 19 SPH, 18 CAT

October 2013. The Defense Acquisition Board green-lights the Paladin Integrated Management program for low rate initial production. To that effect, the FY 2014 budget submitted by the Army in April 2013 asked for $260.2 million in base procurement to field a lot of 18 SPHs and CATs (Carrier Ammunition, Tracked) at a unit cost of about $14.45 million. A LRIP award is expected soon so that production can begin next year.

The Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) milestone had been scheduled for Q4 FY2016, back when Milestone C was expected in June 2013. Meeting that deadline will depend on whether corrective actions to address deficiencies found in tests (q.v. December 2012) can be made fast enough.

LRIP decision / Milestone C

FY 2012 – 2013

EMD contract finalized; Production moves to Elgin, OK; What videogames have to teach the PIM program.

PIM LUT

December 2012: Test results. The Pentagon’s Operational Test & Evaluation Office publishes its 1st report [PDF] on PIM. The Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) was approved in March 2012, and prototypes refurbished in June 2012 had gone through Phase II development testing by October 2012, following Phase I tests a year earlier.

Vehicle discrepancies after repeated gun shock were higher than with legacy subsystems, including PDFCS. A software issue between the Muzzle Velocity Radar System (MVRS) and PDFCS led to frequent failures. The SPH also failed to meet its climbing requirement, though DOTE doesn’t say whether that’s a problem with meeting a paper spec or a more serious mobility issue.

The report notes that the program’s tight schedule means corrective actions will have to wait until the LRIP phase. This leads DOTE to conclude that “the schedule for development, test, and implementation of those [corrective action, producibility, and obsolescence (CPO)] changes is high-risk and challenging.”

Dec 6/12: BAE Systems announces that they’ve picked the Elgin, OK facility in the Fort Sill Industrial Park for M109A6 Paladin PIM Low Rate Initial Production. This will move those jobs to Elgin about 2-3 years sooner than the original plan. BAE, in turn, wants to be next to the Army’s Artillery Center of Excellence and its experienced personnel.

The PIM LRIP award is expected in Q3 2013, and will involve just 72 PIM systems. Key components of the PIM production vehicles, including the chassis, will be sent to the Elgin facility from BAE Systems manufacturing facilities and suppliers. As part of final assembly and checkout, BAE Systems will use Fort Sill for mobility and firing verification.

July 30/12: Videogames & Telemetry. David Musgrave is the Army’s project lead for fire control software development on the M109A6 PIM, and he’s having a problem:

“We were encountering some problems with firing tests. I started asking questions looking for objective use data. How often does subsystem X fail? When it does fail, what was the user trying to do at the time? How often does a user perform Y task? The truth was I couldn’t get any decent answers. I was frustrated that there was a very limited information channel from our system back to us while it was being used.”

He thinks the solution might involve taking a tip from the videogame industry, which uses “telemetry” to track how people are interacting with the games, and what they’re using or not using. A presentation from BioWare’s Georg Zoller was especially inspirational, and Musgrave has a good head on his shoulders when it comes to the reality of implementation in the Army. He sees huge potential benefits for program managers, units, and soldiers alike, but only if the system doesn’t interfere with the weapon in any way, and the program doesn’t try to do too much. The biggest technical challenge will be finding a reasonable method to reliably get the tracking data back to a central server. See also US Army Article | Full RDECOM PowerPoint Presentation [PDF].

Jan 17/12: EMD. A $313.1 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification for PIM engineering design, logistics and test and evaluation services, which will complete the Engineering, Manufacturing & Design phase. Work will be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W56HZV-09-C-0550). Additional EMD contracts bring the total to $401.6 million, and include:

• $88.5 million adds LRIP test support (July 18/14)

In discussions, BAE representatives added that the 7 prototype PIM vehicles (5 howitzers, 2 resupply vehicles) delivered in May 2011 have logged over 7,500 miles, fired over 2,600 rounds, and come through extreme temperature testing to complete Phase I of the Army’s Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) tests. Testing will resume in June 2012, and the next step after that is a June 2013 Milestone C decision, which would begin low-rate initial production. BAE release.

EMD Contract

Oct 24/11: EMD. A $9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide refurbishment and analysis services for the PIM Bridge 3 effort. Work will be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/12. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-09-C-0550).

Oct 5/11: EMD. A $9.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the PIM Bridge 1 effort. Work will be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/11. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0550).

Oct 5/11: T2. A $7.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to buy the PIM’s T-2 Armor Kits. Work will be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0550).

Oct 5/11: Transmission. L3 Communications Corp. in Muskegon, MI receives a $7.9 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, to develop a common transmission for the Bradley Family IFV/CFVs, and the Paladin Integrated Management vehicles. Work will be performed in Muskegon, MI, with an estimated completion date of Nov 15/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0098).

FY 2007 – 2011

From MoU to delivery on initial prototypes.

M109A6 PIM
(click to view full)

June 7/11: An $11.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification, to buy PIM ballistic hulls and turrets. Recall that the new PIM chassis are being fabricated & assembled with Bradley common components.

Work will be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of April 30/12. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-09-C-0550).

May 2011: Delivery. The 7 PIM prototypes are delivered to the U.S. Army, on schedule. Source.

Prototypes delivered

Oct 28/10: BAE Systems announces that they are on track to deliver 7 Paladin/FAASV Integrated Management (PIM) prototype vehicles to the U.S. Army on schedule, under the $63.9 million August 2009 research and development contract, announced in October 2009 (5 M109s, 2 FAASVs).

The initial PIM vehicles are conducting contractor testing in Yuma, AZ and Aberdeen, MD before they are delivered for government testing in January 2011.

June 15/10: An $8.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, for Paladin PIM line replaceable units. Work is to be performed in York, PA, with an estimated completion date of June 30/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-09-0550).

Jan 20/10: Rollout. BAE Systems unveils its upgraded PIM (Paladin Integrated Management) vehicle to military customers, Congressional representatives, community leaders and employees at a ceremony held at its York facility. This is the 1st vehicle built under the Oct 5/09 contract. BAE Systems release.

Oct 5/09: Prototypes. BAE Systems announces a $63.9 million contract from the U.S. Army Tank Automotive & Armaments Command for 5 prototype M109A6 PIM self-propelled howitzer vehicles, and 2 prototype M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles (FAASV).

Development contract

Nov 4/08: PDFCS. BAE systems announces a $20 million contract from the US Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, to purchase and deliver 140 Paladin Digital Fire Control Systems (PDFCS) kits, and more than 60 spare components to support the system. They will be added to the 450 or so kits that have already been ordered under this contract.

Some of the kits under this contract will be installed on vehicles at fielding sites across the world, while others will be shipped to an Army Depot where they will be used on the Paladin reset line. Work will be performed by the existing workforce at BAE Systems facilities in York, PA; Sterling Heights, MI; and Anniston, AL beginning in September 2009. Deliveries are scheduled to be complete by January 2010.

Oct 9/07: MoU. BAE Systems and the US Army sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a Public-Private Partnership to develop and sustain the Army’s M109 Family of Vehicles throughout their life cycle. BAE Systems release.

Oct 8/07: BAE Systems unveils the M109A6-PIM Paladin upgrade at the AUSA 2007 show in Washington DC. BAE Systems release.

Unveiling & Partnership

Additional Readings

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

Background: Artillery & Shells

• US Army – M109 Family of Vehicles [PDF].

• BAE Systems – Paladin Integrated Management (M109A6 PIM).

• GlobalSecurity.com – M109 155mm SP Howitzer. The M109A6 Paladin has a separate, subsidiary entry.

• Wikipedia – M109 Howitzer. Good list of purchasing countries.

• Maine Military Authority – Capabilities: M-109 Howitzer. “Maine Military Authority stores M-109 Howitzers for the United States Army Security Assistance Center (USASAC). These Howitzers are available for sale to foreign militaries. Maine Military Authority has the capability to rebuild M-109 Howitzers and return them to fully Mission Capable (FMC) status. MMA has rebuilt 72 Howitzers to date for USASAC.”

• DID – GPS-Guided Shells: The New Excaliburs. Block Ib and Excalibur-S are relevant to the M109A7.

• DID – New Frontiers for Raytheon’s Excalibur GPS Guided Shells. From June 2013.

• DID – ATK’s PGK: Turning Shells into Precision Artillery. Less accurate and less range than Excalibur, but cheaper.

News & Views

• US Army (May 19/14) – Army inducts self-propelled howitzer into low-rate initial production.

• US Army (Sept 1/11) – Army developing new self-propelled howitzer.

• US Army (April 15/11) – Army harvests technology from canceled programs. Paladin PIM benefited from NLOS-C.

• NDIA National Defense Magazine (May 2010) – Army Resuscitates Mobile Artillery Program. Some NLOS-C technologies will move to the M109 Paladin PIM.

Americas

The US Air Force is procuring more updated Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) from Raytheon. The awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee option is valued at $62 million and provides for more missiles that integrate the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) of the AMRAAM guidance section. Friday’s contract involves foreign military sales to Norway, Turkey, Japan, Romania, and Australia. The Air Force’s AMRAAM F3R project is a comprehensive effort to mitigate the effects of parts obsolescence and diminishing manufacturing sources in the missile’s guidance section to extend the missile’s lifetime well into the 2020s. The F3R effort includes the substantial redesign of subsystems that include a new ASIC design, new hardware and a new signal processor. Work will be performed at Raytheon’s factory in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Honeywell International is being tapped to support the Air Force’s fleet of C-5M Super Galaxy transport aircraft. Under this $7.8 million firm-fixed-priced order the company will be responsible to upgrade 85 Versatile Integrated Avionics/Avionics Integrated Units (VIA/AIU) to the 905 configuration. The upgrades are part of the Galaxy’s Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) avionics program. The VIA software system has six primary “partitions” or applications that include flight management, com/nav/surveillance/identification (CNSI), communication management, display services and all-weather flight control. The C-5M VIA/AIU repair and upgrade effort is a key component to the overall Core Mission Computer/Weather Radar aircraft modification/installation kit that replaces the current mission computer, and replaces the weather radar with a commercial off-the-shelf color weather radar. Work will be perfumed at Honeywell’s location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by June 14, 2020.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp will support the Directed Energy Directorate with Solid State Laser Effects and Modeling efforts. The awarded cost-reimbursement type contract is priced at $36 million and allows the company to develop innovative diagnostic and test methods, increase the fidelity, realism and confidence of predictive models, measure and consolidate laser vulnerability data and support the general high energy laser system research environment. The Directorate focuses on four research areas: Laser Systems, High Power Electro magnetics, Weapons Modeling, Simulation and Analysis, and Directed Energy and Electro-Optics for Space Superiority. Among other things, the Directorate develops future offensive and defensive laser concepts, and models the synergy of directed energy and kinetic weapons at mission level. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Work under this contract is expected to be completed by October 2022.

Canada’s Surface Combatants program is picking up pace as Lockheed emerges as the preferred bidder to design the next fleet of Royal Canadian Navy ships. This brings Lockheed one step closer to land the potential contract worth more than $45 billion. The company pitched BAE’s Type 26 design to the government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilders, a Canadian firm that would actually build the ships. BAE and Lockheed are now set to negotiate the specific terms of the deal, which would cover the construction of 15 frigates and associated equipment and services. What follows now is a due diligence process, which includes negotiations with Lockheed on intellectual property rights, an assessment of combat systems performance an assessment of the company’s financial capability to deliver the project and verification of various other administrative matters. If all goes well the Canadian government could award the contract in 2019 with construction expected to be begin by the early 2020s.

Middle East & Africa

South Africa’s Denel Vehicle Systems is adding a new version of the RG31 Mk5 to its portfolio. The baseline of the 4 by 4 MRAP is usually used as an armoured personnel carrier (APC), the new version however integrates the Tactical Remote Turret 30 (TRT-30). The remodelled vehicle’s TRT-30 armament suite consists of a Russian 30 mm 2A42 dual-feed cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. The gunner can remotely control the weapons via a flat-screen man machine interface (MMI) and twin control handles. The TRT is also fitted with an automatic target tracker (ATT) that gives the gunner more accuracy while the vehicle os moving. Dubbed the Ibululu, the platform is equipped with a 205 kW Cummins engine that accelerates the 16 ton vehicle to speeds of up to 62 mph, and an Axle Tech 4000 (5G) suspension that allows for cross-country mobility.

Europe

Aero Vodochody is taking first orders for its new L-39NG jet trainers. Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar recently announced that the country will buy six L-39NGs to replace its outdated fleet of L-39 Albatros aircraft. “The Ministry of Defence and the military are interested in these aircraft, negotiations are, of course, already taking place and we will acquire these aircraft,” Metnar told Ceska Televize. The NG is the latest multi-role, advanced jet trainer aircraft designed by the company and is intended to provide enhanced military flight training capabilities required for fourth and fifth-generation fighters. The company hopes to export the new platform to various global customers and estimates that it could deliver more than 100 L-39NGs over the next decade.

Asia-Pacific

The Indonesian government plans to renegotiate its partnership with South Korea in the K-FX development program. The agreement between the two countries was formalised in 2014, and outlined that Indonesia will contribute about $1.9 billion to the project which has an overall value of $7.9 billion. Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs is seeking to negotiate a way for Indonesia to pay its contribution, of which about $200 million is unpaid. Reuters says that “Indonesia’s request on the financial terms of the deal comes as it is trying to support the rupiah, which is trading near a 20-year-low, and to reduce the use of foreign exchange reserves.” The KF-X program will likely be South Korea’s largest defense acquisition program, that sees for the delivery of 120 jets for its own air force, and 80 to Indonesia.

Today’s Video

Watch: AUSA 2018 Association U.S. Army defense exhibition

Americas

Navistar Defense is being contracted by the US Army to provide technical support to its MRAP fleet. The contract modification is priced at $19.7 million and provides for technical support for the in-production and out-of-production MaxxPro family of vehicles. MRAP vehicles are designed from the outset for blast-resistance against land mines and even car bombs. These vehicles normally serve a variety of roles including as armored personnel or weapons carrier, convoy protection platform, key leader vehicle and command post and armored ambulance. This contract combines a number of orders that will run through March 2020.

Austal is being tapped to start building the Navy’s next Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship. The undefinitized contract action is valued at $57.8 million and allows for the procurement of long-lead-time material and production engineering services. The Spearhead-class vessels are designed for the fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment with aviation support. Bridging the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift, EPFs transport personnel, equipment and supplies over operational distances with access to littoral offload points including austere, minor and degraded ports often found in developing countries. The vessels are able to transport 600 short tons of military equipment to a range of 1.200 nautical miles at speeds of up to 35 knots. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including – but not limited to – Novi, Michigan; Mobile, Alabama and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The US Navy’s 13th EPF is expected to be completed by November 2021.

The Air Force plans to procure another Bombardier business jet for its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program. BACN is an airborne communications relay that extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies, and “translates” among incompatible communications systems. The BACN modified Bombardier Global 6000 would be outfitted with a specialised mission package that includes antennas, radios, flight-tracker inhibition systems and more. Dubbed the E-11A, the aircraft allows ground troops to reach needed support over mountainous terrain with imagery, video, voice and data, and it can also act as a high-altitude relay, including airdrop and airstrike operations. If the acquisition is approved the jet would be the fifth of its kind in the BACN fleet, which would grow to nine aircraft in total.

Middle East & Africa

The Qatari government will not proceed with its planned acquisition of three Boeing produced E-737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. At the end of DIMDEX 2014 in late March, reports surfaced that Qatar had embarked on a $23 billion shopping spree that would have included the purchase of the three E-737s at cost of $1.8 billion. The Gulf state has chosen not to complete the transaction, Boeing told Jane’s on October 18th. The Wedgetail operates at an altitude of 30,000ft to 40,000f and is flown by two flight crew with between six and ten mission crew members. The aircraft is fitted with an MESA (multirole electronically scanned array) radar from Northrop Grumman. That radar exchanges the traditional AWACS rotating dome for the E-7A’s “top hat” stationary antenna. The Qatar Emiri Air Force currently has no airborne early warning capability, it is yet unclear if Qatar will purchase an alternative platform or if it has decided not to field an airborne early warning capability altogether.

Europe

The UK is requesting the purchase of sixteen H-47 Chinooks from Boeing. The potential Foreign Military Sales contract is priced at $3.5 billion and would include the delivery of the helicopters equipped with GPS, missile warning systems, radio-frequency countermeasures, multi-mode radars, electro-optical sensor systems and other equipment. The extended range Chinooks will be armed with M-134D-T mini­ guns and M240H machine guns. The CH-47F Chinook is the latest variant of the combat proven platform. Renewals include a new Robertson Aviation Extended Range Fuel System of internal auxiliary fuel tanks that gives the helicopter a mission radius greater than 400 miles. The Royal Air Force’s current operational Chinook fleet comprises Mk 4 and Mk 6 aircraft, fitted with digital glass cockpits. The UK’s Chinook Sustainment Programme aims to build on the platform’s success, recapitalising existing airframes and extending the capability out to 2040.

Reuters reports that Belgium will likely make a decision on which fighter jet to buy to replace its ageing F-16s by the end of this month. The country’s multi-billion contract will see for the purchase of 34 fighter jets. Current contestant are Lockheed Martin with its F-35 and BAE with the Eurofighter. “The Belgian competition is the F-35’s to lose,” Harry Breach, a London-based analyst told Reuters. He further added that the Typhoon would be a more expensive option and that smaller countries tend to pick a jet with lower size, payload and range for affordability reasons. France is not running with the Rafale, but has an interest in preventing the further spread of the F-35 in Europe. Lockheed’s proposal reportedly includes significant opportunities for Belgian companies to contribute to the global F-35 enterprise, BAE on the other hand offers Belgium a possible role in future European combat jet developments if it picks the Eurofighter over the F-35.

Poland plans to move ahead with the planned acquisition of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) as part of its HOMAR program. The program sees for the purchase of three squadron-level units 18 launchers each, plus 2 launchers for training operations. HIMARS is a lighter version of the M270 MLRS multiple launch rocket system. Poland would be second European country to purchase the system, with Romania being the first. Both countries are NATO members and are currently strengthening their air-defense systems to deter Russia. The potential acquisition of the 56 HIMARS launchers is priced at $250 million, with the first units expected to be delivered by 2022.

Asia-Pacific

Russian media outlet, TASS reports that the Russian Army will now be able to fire a new missile from the S-400 Triumf system. Dubbed the 40N6 hypersonic long-range surface-to-air missile is designed to engage low flying aerial targets at ranges of up to 400 kilometers. The 40N6 is designed to strike early warning and electronic warfare aircraft, airborne command posts, strategic bombers, and hypersonic cruise and ballistic missiles. The missile’s destruction range is up to 380 km for aerial targets and up to 15km for ballistic weapons at an altitude ranging from 10 m to 35 km. The average flight speed is 1,190 m/s. With its new homing head, the missile can destroy aircraft beyond the boundaries of the radio visibility of ground-based radars. Russia plans to purchase over one thousand missiles through 2027.

Today’s Video

Watch: A Ride Out To The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)

Austal MRV/JHSV concept
(click to view full)

When moving whole units, shipping is always the cheaper, higher-capacity option. Slow speed and port access are the big issues, but what if ship transit times could be cut sharply, and full-service ports weren’t necessary? After Australia led the way by using what amounted to fast car ferries for military operations, the US Army and Navy decided to give it a go. Both services leased Incat TSV/HSV wave-piercing catamaran ship designs, while the Marines’ charged ahead with very successful use of Austal’s Westpac Express high-speed catamaran. These Australian-designed ships all give commanders the ability to roll on a company with full gear and equipment (or roll on a full infantry battalion if used only as a troop transport), haul it intra-theater distances at 38 knots, then move their shallow draft safely into austere ports to roll them off.

Their successful use, and continued success on operations, attracted favorable comment and notice from all services. So favorable that the experiments have led to a $3+ billion program called the Joint High Speed Vessel. These designs may even have uses beyond simple ferrying and transport.

The JHSV Ships

Austal concept
(click to view full)

The design specifications established for the JHSV described an ocean-going vessel 450 feet in length or less, capable of carrying 600 short tons of cargo up to 1,200 nautical miles at a speed of 35 knots. It must also have seats for at least 312 passengers, and must be able to provide long-term berthing and galley facilities for at least 104 of those passengers in addition to the vessel’s 41 crew.

A single firm was ultimately selected to produce all planned JHSV ships, and Austal beat their rival Incat for the contract. Austal’s design ventured slightly beyond the program’s specifications. Length is just 103.0m/ 337.9 ft, with a Beam of 28.5m/ 93.5 ft, and a miniscule Draught of just 3.83m/ 12.57 ft.

The ship’s 4 Wartsalia WLD-1400-SR waterjets are powered by the same MTU 8000 class diesel engines used on Austal’s Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship, and the Hawaii Superferries. Specifically, JHSVs use 4 MTU 20V8000 M71Ls, rated at a maximum of 9.1 MW each. These engines and waterjets can push the ships to the required 35 knots at full cargo load, or 43 knots unloaded.

Austal’s design offers embarked troop berthing for 150 (104 permanent, 46 temporary) that can support 14 days of operations. Alternatively, airline-style seating for 354 troops, in addition to the crew of 41, allows the ship to support 96 hours of operations. Cargo capacity is up to 700 short tons/ 635 metric tons, in a usable cargo area 1863 m2/ 20,053 ft2, with a clear height of 4.75m and a turning diameter of 26.21m. The cargo area also has 6 ISO TEU (20′ ISO container) interface panels, for containers that need power. The Austere Loading Ramp Arrangement can support vehicles up to 70 ton M1A2 Abrams tanks, per requirements, and a telescoping boom crane can lift 18.2 metric tons at 10m, dropping to 12.3 metric tons at 15m.

The ship is required to be able to transport 600 short tons of troops, supplies, and equipment 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots, through wave height of up to 4 feet. It won’t quite manage that, in part because its 12.5 short tons overweight. Required range will also suffer a bit at 23 knots cruise speed (4,018 nmi vs. 4,700 nmi).

The JHSV’s flight deck can support all current Navy helicopters up to and including the Marines’ current med/heavy CH-53E Super Stallion, and Vertical Replenishment has been tested using a tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey. Flight operations will be handled by Kongsberg Maritime’s night-capable Helicopter Operations Surveillance System (HOSS).

HSV-2 Swift, frontal
(click to view full)

As NAVSEA noted:

“[JHSV] will be capable of transporting Army and Marine Corps company-sized units with their vehicles, or reconfigure to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion. Its 35-45 nautical miles per hour speed allows for rapid deployment and maneuver of conventional or special operations forces.

The JHSV will not be a combatant vessel. Its construction will be similar to high-speed commercial ferries used around the world, and the design will include a flight deck and an off-load ramp which can be lowered on a pier or quay wall – allowing vehicles to quickly drive off the ship.

JHSV testing

JHSV’s shallow draft will allow it access to small austere ports common in developing countries. This makes the JHSV an extremely flexible asset ideal for three types of missions: support of relief operations in small or damaged ports; as a flexible logistics support vessel for the Joint Commander; or as the key enabler for rapid transport of a Marine Light Armored Reconnaissance Company or an Army Stryker unit.”

It has taken time, but the US military is beginning to expand its thinking beyond these obvious applications, and begin thinking about ways to employ the JHSV’s vast internal space and mobility in front-line missions. The most dramatic example may involve mounting a 32MJ railgun on USNS Millinocket [JHSV 3] in 2016.

The JHSV Program

Incat JHSV concept – lost
(click to view full)

The Joint High Speed Vessel’s Initial Capability Document received approval from the Department of Defense Joint Requirements Oversight Council on Nov 1/05, with all 4 military services concurring. The initial goal was 5 Army vessels, and 3 Navy vessels, for a program worth about $1.6 billion, but the Navy’s interest has continued to grow. The contract signed in November 2008 called for up to 10 ships, split evenly between the Army and Navy. An initial Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) allowed the U.S. Navy to use its surface ship acquisition expertise to buy these vessels on the Army’s behalf, with Army participation – until program changes moved all of these ships to the Navy’s procurement budget and operation.

All of the JHSVs were then transferred to Maritime Sealift Command under a May 2011 agreement. The first 4 / 10 projected vessels will be crewed by civil service mariners. JHSV 5-10 are slated to be crewed by contracted civilian mariners working for a private company. Military mission personnel will embark with either set, as required by mission sponsors. The goal was for JHSV to achieve Initial Operational Capability in 2012, and JHSV 1 just made it.

All ordered JHSV ships have been named now, and ships with the USNS listing have been delivered to US Military Sealift Command:

• JHSV 1 USNS Spearhead (has deployed)
  
• JHSV 2 USNS Choctaw County (accepted)
  
• JHSV 3 USNS Millinocket
  
• JHSV 4 USNS Fall River
  
• JHSV 5 Trenton Resolute
  
• JHSV 6 Brunswick
  
• JHSV 7 Carson City Courageous
  
• JHSV 8 Yuma
  
• JHSV 9 Bismarck (North Dakota, not Otto von) Sacrifice
  
• JHSV 10 Burlington

• HSV USNS Guam (ex-Huakai)
  
• HSV USNS Puerto Rico (ex-Alakai)

The Pentagon’s April 2011 Selected Acquisition Report placed the program at 18 ships, and its total cost at about $FY08 3.5 billion. That changed as FY 2013 budget plans cut all ships beyond the 10 in the current contract, and the US Navy is negotiating over cancellation of its JHSV 10 contract due to sequestration cuts. Annual budgets to date have included:

FY 2008: $231.9 million, 1 ship funded.
Navy: $18.4M RDT&E
Army: $5M RDT&E, $208.6M production, 1 ship

FY 2009: $364.2 million, 2 ships funded.
Navy: $11.6M RDT&E, $181.3M production, 1 ship
Army: $3.0M RDT&E, $168.3M production, 1 ship

FY 2010: $391.1 million, 2 ships funded
Navy: $8.2M RDT&E, $202.5M production, 1 ship
Army: $3.0M RDT&E, $177.4M production, 1 ship

FY 2011: $390.1 million, 2 ships funded.
Navy: $3.5M RDT&E, $203.9M production, 1 ship
Army: $3.0M RDT&E, $179.7M production, 1 ship

FY 2012: $376.4 million, 2 ships funded.
Navy: $4.1M RDT&E, $372.3M production, 2 ships

FY 2013 request: $376.4 million, 1 ship funded.
Navy: $1.9M RDT&E, $189.2M production, 10th & final ship

Note that advance materials purchases for future years are included in each year’s procurement budgets. After FY 2013, JHSV budgets are very small, reflecting only minor post-shakedown work.

Supplements: From Leased to Bought

Hawaii Superferry
(click to view full)

At present, 1 leased vessel remains in military service, following the end of Incat’s HSV-2 Swift lease. Austal’s HSV 4676 Westpac Express catamaran continues to serve in Military Sealift Command in the Pacific around Guam and Japan, working closely with the Marine Corps as a troop and cargo transport.

HSV-2 Swift’s influence lives on in the JHSV concept of operations. The ship had supported relief operations in Indonesia post-tsunami, and in the Gulf Coast region following hurricane Katrina. In both cases, Swift’s high speed and shallow draft combined to make it an ideal platform for the delivery of relief supplies and support of other platforms operating in the area. During operations following Katrina, Swift was able to use ports that were inaccessible to other ships of the logistics force. It has also been a platform for UAV and aerostat experiments.

It’s likely that both charters will soon be replaced, thanks to a recently-purchased alternative with many similarities to the JHSV.

After its ferry service was forced into bankruptcy by environmental lawfare, the Hawaii Superferries Huakai and Alakai were pressed into service by their main creditor: the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). They were called into service in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and these Austal-built ships were very successful in that role. Both ferries were ultimately bought by the US Navy in 2011, for just $35 million. Once their $35 million conversions are done, they’re likely to replace Westpac Express and Swift as USNS Guam (ex-Huakai) and USNS Puerto Rico (ex-Alakai, slightly smaller). The superferries will offer more troop-carrying berths than their similar JHSV counterparts, in exchange for less military flexibility.

USNS Guam is expected to relieve Westpac Express in the Pacific some time in FY 2015.

Contracts & Key Events FY 2014-2018

JHSV 1 passes trials & deploys; JHSV 3 passes acceptance trials; JHSV 4 launched.

JHSV 1 deploys
(click to view full)

October 22/18: EPF-13 Austal is being tapped to start building the Navy’s next Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship. The undefinitized contract action is valued at $57.8 million and allows for the procurement of long-lead-time material and production engineering services. The Spearhead-class vessels are designed for the fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment with aviation support. Bridging the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift, EPFs transport personnel, equipment and supplies over operational distances with access to littoral offload points including austere, minor and degraded ports often found in developing countries. The vessels are able to transport 600 short tons of military equipment to a range of 1.200 nautical miles at speeds of up to 35 knots. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including – but not limited to – Novi, Michigan; Mobile, Alabama and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The US Navy’s 13th EPF is expected to be completed by November 2021.

February 28/18: Christening Ceremony The US Navy has christened its latest Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, the USNS Burlington, during a ceremony in Mobile, Alabama, on Saturday. It is the tenth of 12 Expeditionary Fast Transports being built for the Navy at a cost of $1.9 billion. Overseeing the event were the ship’s primary sponsors US Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife Marcelle Pomerleau. Marcelle Leahy said naming the ship after the Vermont city of Burlington was “fitting because Vermonters have long heeded the nation’s call to service.” Built by Austal USA, the vessel is designed to transport troops and equipment at high-speeds and in shallow waters for rapid deployment. The Navy says it can “carry 600 short tons of military cargo for 1,200 nautical miles, at an average speed of 35 knots.” This equates to the Burlington being able to carry 1,200,000 pounds for 1,380 miles at an average speed of 40 mph. It also has a flight deck for helicopter operations and an off-loading ramp for disembarkment missions.

Sept 26/14: Naming. “Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the next joint high speed vessel (JHSV) will be named USNS Trenton during a ceremony in Trenton, New Jersey, Sept. 25.” Um, OK. Trenton, which is still under construction, was publicly named by the Secretary of the Navy on April 12/13 (q.v.) Sources: US Navy, “SECNAV Names the Next Joint High Speed Vessel”.

Sept 16/14: #4 delivered. Austal delivers USNS Fall River to US Military Sealift Command. Construction update:

“Preparations are underway for the launch of Trenton (JHSV 5) later this month with construction on Brunswick (JHSV 6) progressing well. Metal cutting began for Carson City (JHSV 7) in early September.”

Sources: Austal, “Austal Delivers Fourth Joint High Speed Vessel”.

USNS Fall River

June 13/14: Aerostat zapped. From US Naval Forces Southern Command:

“During routine testing off the coast of Key West, the Aerostat tethered off the Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) was struck by lightning at 12:21 in the morning, June 12…. The lightning strike caused the Aerostat to deflate and land in the water. Response efforts were delayed as the thunderstorm moved into the area. The Aerostat was subsequently sunk so to pose no hazard to other vessels or navigation.”

Aerostats are tethered blimps, used to dramatically expand a JHSV’s field of view (q.v. April 27/13). This can be very useful for survey and interdict deployments like Operation Martillo (q.v. March 31/14). Sources: US Navy, “USNAVSO/US 4th Fleet Statement regarding AEROSTAT”.

May 20/14: JHSV 3. USNS Millinocket will become the 1st JHSV deployed to the far east, where it will operate alongside the leased ship Westpac Express [HSV-4676] and the former Hawaii Superferry USNS Guam [HST-1].

MSC’s JHSV project officer Mike Souza says that USNS Millinocket is preparing for a move to San Diego, CA. She’ll serve as a display platform for the two EM Railgun prototypes during the May 26/14 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Launch Technology in La Jolla, CA. Some final post-delivery tests and trials will follow, including some interface testing with a Mobile Landing Platform ship. Once the post shakedown availability trials and fixes are done, Millinocket head to an unspecified new homeport in the Far East. Sources: Seapower, “Millinocket Will Be the First JHSV in Westpac”.

April 7/14: Experiment: Railgun. The US Navy plans to use JHSV 3 Millinocket as a test platform for one of its newest weapons in 2016: a 32MJ rail gun that can fire projectiles about 100 miles at Mach 7 speeds. JHSV was picked as the trial platform because it has the space to carry the large system on its deck and in its cargo bay. The gun itself isn’t unusually large, but once you throw in the capacitors for power storage, any additional power needs, extensive maintenance tools and parts, and ammunition, it adds up fast. Rolling and bolting that onto a JHSV is much easier than using any warship, and the trial underscores JHSV’s usefulness as a concept testbed.

On the weapon’s side of the equation, ONR Chief Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder touts the railgun’s economic benefit, as well as its military edge in extending the bombardment range of naval guns and the number of rounds on board. It’s true that $25,000 for a defensive railgun shot against incoming missiles is orders of magnitude better than a RIM-116 RAM ($900,000) or RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile ($1.5 million), assuming the unproven assumption of equal effectiveness. One must also compute operating and maintenance costs over the railgun’s lifetime, however, which are going to be far higher than they would be for an All-Up-Round missile in its canister. The JHSV tests will offer some early data re: the gun’s robustness under trial conditions at sea, and that cost data point could end up being as valuable as any performance data. Sources: Reuters, “U.S. Navy to test futuristic, super-fast gun at sea in 2016”.

March 31/14: Operations. USNS Spearhead [JHSV 1] is preparing for a 2nd deployment, this time to the 4th Fleet’s waters around the Caribbean and South America. The US military is taking cautious steps to expand JHSV uses, and is explicitly following in the footsteps of HSV-2 Swift’s 2013 deployment. It’s well short of full innovation toward mothership roles, but still a step forward.

These extensions still have JHSV 1 operating primarily in a ferry capacity, with “adaptive force packages.” They’ll be carrying the USMC’s 4th Law Enforcement Battalion and equipment to the Dominican Republic. After the Marines are ferried back to Florida, a trip to Belize will involve a Navy Seabee explosive ordnance disposal detachment, and a riverine crew. From Belize, a a mobile diving and salvage unit and an explosive ordnance disposal team will be ferried from Guatemala to Colombia, before all of the units that were in Guatemala and Columbia end up ferried to Honduras.

In between, USNS Spearhead will “conduct detection and monitoring activities” in support of the multinational anti-drug Operation Martillo. Spearhead’s exact role isn’t made clear, but Spearhead works well with helicopters, Swift has shown that UAVs can be used from these ships, and it would be possible to have boarding teams embarked. Sources: US Navy, “Plans Finalized for USNS Spearhead’s Deployment to 4th Fleet AOR”.

March 21/14: #3 delivered. Austal delivers USNS Millinocket to US Military Sealift Command. They add that:

“Ships currently under construction are JHSV 4, which was christened in January and is being prepared for sea trials, JHSV 5, which has begun final assembly, and JHSV 6, which commenced construction in January in the module manufacturing facility. Five Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships are also in construction at Austal’s US shipyard…”

Sources: Austal, “Austal Delivers Third Joint High Speed Vessel” | GD-AIS, “Austal Delivers USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3)”.

USNS Millinocket

March 10/14: JHSV 5. Trenton’s keel is formally laid. Sources: Austal USA, “Austal Commemorates Keel Laying for Trenton (JHSV 5)”.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). JHSV will be able to carry 354 passengers for 96 hours, which is better than the required 312, but it’s overweight by 12.5 tons, and will fall short of required ranges at 23 knots (4,018 nmi vs. 4,700) and 35 knots (won’t make 1,200 nmi) transit speed. The extra weight amounts to about 4% fuel load, or 3,565 gallons.

Overall testing results have been positive. Loading tests demonstrated suitability up to M-1A2 tank loading onto a floating causeway. If the ships need replenishment at sea, both USNS Spearhead and USNS Choctaw County have successfully conducted fuel-only underway replenishments. For other supplies, vertical replenishment tests have included an MH-60S helicopter at night, and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotos by day, and Aircraft Dynamic Interface testing has included MH-53E Minehunting helicopters. DOT&E says that “manning and facilities can accommodate handling of all required helicopters, with the exception of fuel and power.” Finally, DOR&E says that with an embarked security team and weapons, JHSV can engage a moving surface threat. The bad news, aside from ship range?

“The JHSV’s organic container load trailer is not effective for loading 20-foot long metal storage containers. During the IOT&E, the test team took five hours to connect the container load trailer with a storage container and failed to load it…”

Jan 17/14: JHSV 4. Fall River is launched at Austal’s Mobile, AL shipyard, after a side trip to BAE. Instead of moving down a slipway, launches are now float-off affairs from a BAE floating drydock. Getting to the drydock requires a transfer onto a barge, using Berard Transportation rollers. The ship was christened on Jan 11/14, and will be formally delivered to the USN later in 2014, after final fitting out. Austal adds that:

“Three JHSVs and four LCSs are currently under construction in Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard. Austal will begin production of one more ship in each program before the end of January.”

Sources: Austal, “Austal Launches USNS Fall River (JHSV 4)” and “USNS Fall River (JHSV 4) Christened – One of seven Navy vessels currently under construction at Austal USA”.

Jan 16/14: JHSV 1 deploys. Operational use of the JHSV fleet begins with USNS Spearhead’s deployment from NAB Little Creek. She’ll head to “the US 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility” (Africa) until May 2014, then on to the 4th Fleet AOR (Central & South America) until December 2014. Sources: USN, “USNS Spearhead departs on Maiden Deployment”.

1st deployment

Jan 9/14: JHSV 3. USNS Millinocket successfully completes Navy Acceptance Trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Formal delivery is expected in late January. Sources: MarineLog, “JHSV 3 completes Acceptance Trials”.

Oct 8/13: JHSV 1. USNS Spearhead has successfully completed initial operational testing and evaluation with the US Navy. Sources: Austal, “JHSV 1 successfully completes US Navy operational testing”.

FY 2013

JHSV 10 bought, but Navy wants to cancel it over sequestration; JHSV 1 & 2 delivered; JHSV 3 launched; Keel-laying for JHSV 4; Aerostat experiment.

JHSV 2 Launch
(click to view full)

July 31 – Aug 6/13: Testing. USS Spearhead completes Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Total Ship Survivability Trials, thanks to about 280 Marines from 1st Battalion/ 2nd Marine Regiment/ 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion. The Marines embarked Spearhead with their weapons, gear and vehicles and traveled from Morehead City, NC, to Mayport Naval Station, FL and back, while participating in various tests. Sources: US MSC Sealift magazine, October 2013.

June 6/13: Naming. The Secretary of the Navy names the last 3 JHSV ships under contract.

The future USNS Yuma (JHSV 8) honors the city in Arizona near the USMC’s big testing range, and will be the 4th ship to bear this name. JHSV 9 USNS Bismarck is named in honor of North Dakota’s capital city. As one might imagine, it’s a first for the US Navy. JHSV 10 USNS Burlington is also a first, named for the largest city in Vermont. US DoD.

June 6/13: JHSV 2. USNS Choctaw County is accepted into service, after completing acceptance trials in May. Delivery just 6 months after the 1st ship in the class is a very fast pace. US Navy | Austal.

USNS Choctaw County

June 5/13: JHSV 3. Millinocket is launched from the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, AL. It’s not done, just entering the final phase of construction, test, and activation, followed by preparation for sea trials late in 2013. US NAVSEA | Austal.

May 23/13: JHSV 4. The keel is formally laid for Fall River. Austal.

May 3/13: JHSV 2. USNS Choctaw County successfully completes USN Acceptance Trials. Sources: Austal, “Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2) completes Acceptance Trials”.

April 27/13: Aerostat experiment. The Miami Herald reports that the chartered catamaran HSV 2 Swift is currently testing an interesting combination for the US Navy. An aerostat (tethered blimp) mooring system has been attached to the starboard rear at the helicopter deck, and sailors are deploying hand-launched Aerovironment Puma mini-UAVs to investigate targets cued by the aerostat’s radar and optical sensors. When fully deployed to 2,000 feet, Raven Inc’s TIF-25K gives Swift a sea surveillance radius of 50 miles at almost zero operating cost, roughly doubling a warship’s surveillance radius, and increasing Swift’s by 10x.

The JHSV ships and Hawaii Superferries (esp. USNS Puerto Rico) are natural fits for this configuration, given their similarity to HSV 2. If weight and other issues can be worked out, the USA’s Littoral Combat Ships like the trimaran Independence Class could also be an option, and so could amphibious LSD and LPD ships. Still, Swift needs to work out a coherent concept of operations in these trials, including the question of barrier vs. mobile surveillance approaches.

If all goes well with the operational tests, the US Navy will consult with drug enforcement agencies, including the Key West, FL Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF) that oversees Operation Martillo in the Caribbean. If the system is deployed, the biggest losers would probably be expensive-to-operate P-3 quad-turboprop sea control planes. US personnel have also begun promoting the concept to other nations, including Colombia, though those countries would almost certainly use their own ships.

April 20/13: JHSV 3 christened. The Millinocket is christened at Austal’s Alabama shipyard, named after 2 Maine towns. No word on negotiations concerning JHSV 10, though Austal’s release does make a point of noting 10 JHSV vessels under contract. US MSC | Austal.

April 12/13: Naming. 3 JHSV ships are among the 7 named by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who actually stuck to class naming conventions this time instead of veering into political partisanship.

JHSV 5 will become USNS Trenton, after New Jersey’s capital city. JHSV 6 will become USNS Brunswick, after the seaport in Georgia. JHSV 7 will become USNS Carson City, after Nevada’s capital city. Pentagon, “Secretary of the Navy Names Multiple Ships”.

April 5/13: LCS Council. The CNO adds the JHSV program to the portfolio of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Council, which was set up to manage the logistics, support, training, and concept of operations involved in making LCS a useful part of the fleet. Sources: Gannett’s Navy Times, “LCS council adds new member”.

Added to LCS Council

March 15/13: JHSV 2. Choctaw County completes builder’s trials, reaching speeds of more than 41 knots. Delivery is expected this summer. Austal.

March 2/13: JHSV 10. The US Navy’s guidance regarding sequestration budget cuts involves negotiations to cancel JHSV 10’s contract. They have to hold negotiations, because the contract is already live. The question will be cancellation costs.

Dec 20/12: JHSV 10. Austal USA in Mobile, AL receives a $166.9 million contract modification, exercising the construction option for JHSV 10. All contract funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Mobile, AL (48%); Pittsfield, MA (9%); Franklin, MA (3%); Philadelphia, PA (3%); Henderson, Western Australia (3%); Atlanta, GA (2%); Chicago, IL (2%); Gulfport, MS (2%); Slidell, LA (1%); Iron Mountain, MI (1%); Houston, TX (1%); Dallas, TX (1%); Chesapeake, VA (1%); Milwaukee, WI (1%); Brookfield, WI (1%), and various sites inside and outside the United States each below 1% (21% tl.), and is expected to be complete by June 2017. US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-08-C-2217).

JHSV 10 bought

Dec 5/12: #1 delivered. US Military Sealift Command accepts delivery of USNS Spearhead [JHSV 1] at Austal Shipyard in Mobile, AL.

Following delivery to the Navy, Spearhead will participate in operational testing before sailing to its layberth in Little Creek, VA. The Navy says that it expects the ship to begin conducting missions in Q1 of FY 2013. Which is to say, by Dec 31/12. US MSC | US Navy | Austal.

USNS Spearhead

Oct 1/12: JHSV 2 launch. Choctaw County is launched in Mobile, AL.

FY 2011 – 2012

JHSV becomes Navy-only; JHSVs 4-9 bought; 2 Superferries bought, re-named; JHSV program to end at 10; JHSV 1 christening, trials; Corrosion controversy.

Austal JHSV concept
(click to view full)

Sept 15/12: JHSV 2 christened. USNS Choctaw County is christened during a ceremony at Austal USA in Mobile, AL. US MSC | Pentagon.

May 30/12: Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announces that the next JHSV will be named the USNS Millinocket. Pentagon.

May 8/12: The US Navy re-names the Hawaiian Superferries, which will becomes USNS Guam and USNS Puerto Rico.

They do not say, but it’s likely that the larger Huakai, tabbed to replace the Westpac Express and move Marines to and from Okinawa and Guam, is the future USNS Guam. The smaller Alakai was being considered for missions in Latin America and/or Africa, so it’s likely that she’ll become USNS Puerto Rico.US DoD.

April 25/12: The first of 43 modules for JHSV 3 have been successfully transported from the Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF), and erected in the final assembly bay on the waterfront, in preparation for the May 3/12 keel-laying ceremony. The 46 tonne, 20.4m x 8.3m x 9.4m module will be part of one of the catamaran akas. Austal.

April 19/12: JHSV-1 trials. The future USNS Spearhead completes builder’s trials of the ship’s propulsion plant, communication and navigational systems, ride control systems, pollution control systems; and first-of-class maneuverability and stability trials. The ship reached speeds of more than 35 knots, exceeding the program’s requirements.

Next steps include INSURV inspection, and commissioning. US Navy acceptance is scheduled by the end of 2012. USN PEO Ships | Austal.

Feb 24/12:JHSV 8-9. Austal USA in Mobile, AL receives a $321.7 million contract modification, exercising construction options for JHSV 8 and JHSV 9.

Work will be performed in Mobile, AL (48%); Pittsfield, MA (9%); Franklin, MA (3%); Philadelphia, PA (3%); Atlanta, GA (2%); Chicago, IL (2%); Gulfport, MS (2%); Slidell, LA (1%); Iron Mountain, MI (1%); Houston, TX (1%); Dallas, TX (1%); Chesapeake, VA (1%); Milwaukee, WI (1%); Brookfield, WI (1%); various sites throughout the United States (5%); and various sites outside of the United States (19%). Work is expected to be complete by April 2016 (N00024-08-C-2217).

Austal’s release offers a snapshot of current progress. USNS Spearhead is scheduled for builder’s sea trials in early March 2012. JHSV 2 is taking shape in Austal’s final assembly bay. Modules for JHSV 3 are being built, and the ship’s official keel laying is scheduled for April 12/12.

JHSV 8 & 9 bought

Jan 26/12: JHSV cut. The Pentagon issues initial guidance for its FY 2013 budget, and next plans. They include lowering planned JHSV buys by 8 ships, leaving only the 10 in the current contract. Pentagon release | “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” [PDF] | Alabama Press-Register.

Just 10

Jan 20/12: Superferry supplement bought. Inside the Navy reports that the cost for the 2 Hawaii Superferries, plus required modifications, is actually $70 million. The superferries were seen as a better option to move 880 Marines, because JHSV wasn’t designed for maximum passenger seating. Read “Hawaii Superferry’s Bankruptcy = US Navy Opportunity” for full coverage.

Dec 19/11: Superferries. The Defense Authorization Act of 2012, which will soon become law, looks set to buy both of the Austal-built Hawaii Superferries out of the firm’s bankruptcy, then send them to US MSC, alongside the future JHSV vessels. Read “Hawaii Superferry’s Bankruptcy = US Navy Opportunity” for full coverage.

Superferry supplements bought

Oct 10/11: JHSV 3 begun. Austal announces the official beginning of fabrication for JHSV 3 Fortitude. Austal USA President and COO, Joe Rella:

“The race is on… The world is about to learn just how much value Austal’s investments in modular ship fabrication offers our Navy and Military Sealift Command customers. We challenge ourselves every day to build each ship faster and more efficiently than the one before.”

Oct 7/11: JHSV 6 named. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus names JHSV 6 as USNS Choctaw County. He grew up in that Mississippi county, though there are also Choctaw counties in Alabama and Oklahoma. Ray Mabus said that “I chose to name JHSV after Choctaw County to honor those men and women who represent rural America.”

The name eventually migrates to JHSV 2. US MSC.

Sept 10/11: JHSV 1 christened. JHSV-1 Spearhead is launched at Austal USA’s yard in Mobile, AL. The formal christening ceremony is held on Sept 17/11. The ship is reported to be slightly over budget, but not badly so – a welcome departure for a USN first ship of class. US MSC | Austal | Alabama Press-Register | Maritime Executive.

June 30/11: JHSV 6-7. Austal USA in Mobile, AL receives a $312.9 million contract modification, exercising options for JHSVs 6 and 7. Note, as usual, that this is not the full price of a ready to serve ship. On the other hand, JHSVs have much lower amounts of “government furnished equipment” beyond the base seaframe and installed gear, so the figure will be much closer than it would for a warship.

Options remain for another 3 ships under the current FY 2009-2013 contract, though the program of record tops out at 18 ships. Spearhead [JHSV 1] is scheduled for launch in August 2011, and delivery in December 2011, with other ships currently in various stages of assembly.

Work will be performed in Mobile, AL (48%); Pittsfield, MA (9%); Franklin, MA (3%); Philadelphia, PA (3%); Henderson, WA (3%); Atlanta, GA (2%); Chicago, IL (2%); Gulfport, MS (2%); Slidell, LA (1%); Iron Mountain, MI (1%); Houston, TX (1%); Dallas, TX (1%); Chesapeake, VA (1%); Milwaukee, WI (1%); and Brookfield, WI (1%), with other efforts performed at various sites throughout the United States (5%) and outside the United States (16%). Work is expected to be complete by June 2014. US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-08-C-2217). See also US NAVSEA | Austal.

JHSV 10 bought

June 20-22/11: Corrosion issues? After USS Independence [LCS-2] corrosion reports hit Austal’s share price, a company release addresses the issue. It notes the complete lack of such problems on all of Austal’s commercial and military ships to date, and suggests that the US Navy may have failed to follow basic procedures. Information Dissemination has a different take, and wonders if Austal’s JHSV, which may not have a cathodic protection system either, could also be at risk due to the military’s added electronics:

“In the case of LCS-2, the problem was apparently accelerated by stray currents in the hull from the electrical distribution system problems the ship has been having since it was turned over to the Navy. LCS-4 doesn’t have [a cathodic protection system] either, but apparently CPS is part of the lessons learned process and was included in the fixed-price contracts for Austal versions of the LCS beginning with LCS-6. LCS-2 will have the CPS installed at the next drydock period, while Austal has said a CPS will be added to LCS-4 before the ship is turned over to the Navy. The question everyone seems to be asking is whether the JHSV could suffer the same issue… I’d be curious to know if Westpac Express has a CPS installed, or some other form of prevention is used at all.”

MarineLog’s report says that yes, cathodic protection is used on Westpac Express. See: Austal | Alabama Press-Register | Information Dissemination | MarineLog | WIRED Danger Room.

June 17/11: Corrosion issues? The US Navy has told Congressional appropriations committees that “aggressive” corrosion was found in the propulsion areas of the Littoral Combat Ship USS Independence, which rely on Wartsila waterjets. The ship has been given temporary repairs, but permanent repairs will require dry-docking and removal of the water-jet propulsion system. The strong Australian dollar has hurt Austal’s commercial exports, so this blow to its defense business has added impetus. Bloomberg | Alabama Press-Register | Sydney Morning Herald.

Corrosion in new ships isn’t unheard of, though it’s never a good sign. Norway’s Fridtjof Nansen Class AEGIS frigates had this problem, for instance. The Independence Class runs some risks that are specific to its all-aluminum construction, however, as key subsystems with different metals create risks of galvanic corrosion.

Corrosion controversy

June 11/11: Industrial accident. A 50-ton block from JHSV Vigilant, containing the ship’s service diesel generators, breaks loose while the module is being lifted and repositioned for further work. One source reported that pad eyes tore loose from the module, causing it to fall about 3 feet and tip over.

The extent of the damage to the module, and the cost of repairs, are still being assessed. The good news is that modular construction ensures less schedule impact. Defense News.

Accident

June 9/11: Inside the Navy reports that a June 14/11 Defense Acquisition Board meeting will determine the Navy’s readiness to procure JHSV ships 6-10. Defense officials may opt to fast-track the decision as a “paper DAB,” granting approval without requiring a meeting.

June 2/11: Sub-contract. Taber Extrusions LLC announces contracts to supply extruded aluminum products for JHSV 3 Fortitude, and LCS 6 Jackson, from its facilities in Russellville, AR and Gulfport, MS. Some structural extrusions for both ships will also be manufactured by Taber and supplied to Austal through a contract with O’Neal Steel Corp.

Taber has an 8,600 ton extrusion press with a rectangular container and billet configuration. The firm says that compared with smaller presses and round containers, their tool gives superior metal flow patterns with much tighter tolerances for flatness, straightness and twist; and better assurance of critical thickness dimensions. The resulting wide multi-void extrusions are friction stir welded into panels, and tight tolerances improve productivity while reducing downstream scrap. When finished, they make up some of the ship’s decking, superstructure and bulkheads.

May 2/11: Army Out. The US Army signs a memorandum of agreement to transfer custody of all 5 of its JHSVs to US Military Sealift Command. Army watercraft personnel who had been training to operate the ships have been reassigned. Instead, JHSVs will be operated by the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command, and crewed by civil service (JHSV 1-4) or civilian contract (JHSV 5-10) sailors. The transfer was approved in principle in December 2010, during Army-Navy talks.

MSC has been slated to operate the Navy JHSVs since August 2008, and in May 2010, MSC announced that the vessels would each have a core crew of 21 mariners (vid. May 13/10 entry). That template will now apply to all ships of class, which will carry a USNS designation instead of the Navy’s USS. US DoD | US MSC | Gannett’s Navy Times.

Navy-only now

Oct 12/10: #4 & 5 bought. Austal USA in Mobile, AL receives a $204.7 million contract modification, exercising options to build JHSV 4 and 5. Work will be performed in Mobile, AL, and is expected to be complete by December 2013. US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-08-C-2217).

The $204.7 million is on top of the earlier $99.6 million long-lead materials contract, bringing the total so far to $304.3 million for the 2 ships. See also Austal.

JHSV 4 & 5 bought

FY 2009 – 2010

Program baseline set; Austal wins; JHSVs #1-3 bought; Long-lead items for #4-5; JHSV 1 keel-laying; Austal opens new manufacturing facility; Hawaii Superferries in Haiti; JHSV program to reach 23 ships?

JHSV 1 construction
(click to view full)

Sept 28/10: JHSV 2 begins. Austal announces that they’ve begun construction of JHSV 2 Vigilant for Maritime Sealift Command. A subsequent release fixes the start date at Sept 13/10.

July 22/10: JHSV 1 keel-laying. Keel-laying for the first JHSV ship, Spearhead, at Austal’s Mobile, AL facility. Austal | Press-Register advance report.

June 3/10: #4-5 lead-in. Austal USA in Mobile, AL receives a $99.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2217) for JHSV 4 and 5 long lead time materials, including main propulsion engines, aluminum, waterjets, reduction gears, generators and other components, beginning in fall 2010.

Work will be performed in Detroit, MI (38%); Chesapeake, VA (18%); Henderson, Australia (13%); Gulfport, MS (10%); Ravenswood, WVA (9%); Ft. Lauderdale, FL (4%); Mobile, AL (3%); Auburn, IN (2.6%); Winter Haven, FL (1%); Gardena, CA (1%); and Davenport, IA (0.4%), and is expected to be complete by December 2011. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages this contract. See also Austal release.

May 26/10: Sub-contract. Kongsberg Maritime has successfully delivered the first JHSV Helicopter Operations Surveillance System (HOSS) to General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. The sub-contract was awarded in November 2009.

The JHSV HOSS system will provide comprehensive flight deck coverage for helicopter operations, even in very low light conditions, on a MIL-S-901D shock qualified 19″ SXGA liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor in the JHSV control room. The monitor’s Night Vision Device (NVD) optical filter makes it suitable for night operations in ship compartments directly overlooking the flight deck. defpro.

March 25/10: JHSV 4 named. US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus officially names the 2nd US Navy ship under the JHSV program: USNS Fall River [JHSV 4]. US Navy | Gannett’s Navy Times.

March 16/10: Support. Reuters reports on a recent US Navy SBIR research solicitation, aimed at more quickly and cheaply diagnosing cracking in aluminum ship structures. From US Navy SBIR N10A-T041: “Fracture Evaluation and Design Tool for Welded Aluminum Ship Structures Subjected to Impulsive Dynamic Loading” :

“A new analysis tool combined with an experimental validation protocol is needed to accurately characterize the dynamic response and fracture behavior of welded aluminum ship structures subjected to extreme loading events. The goal of this effort is to develop an explicit dynamic failure prediction toolkit for fracture assessment of welded thin-walled aluminum structures. To efficiently characterize a large size ship structure, innovative modeling techniques using fractured shell elements are needed along with a mesh independent crack insertion and propagation capability. In addition to innovative crack simulation in a shell structure, advanced constitutive models have to be implemented in the toolkit to capture the rate dependence and anisotropy in strength, plastic flow and ductility. Developing and demonstrating novel damage simulation and fracture prediction methods has significant potential impact on design and operation of current and future Navy welded aluminum, ship structural systems.”

US Navy Commander Victor Chen reiterated the Navy’s confidence in the JHSV and Littoral Combat Ships; the JHSV is aluminum construction, as is the LCS-2 Independence Class, and the LCS-1 Freedom Class uses an aluminum superstructure on a steel hull. He adds that:

“We already have a level of confidence in how to work with aluminum. The Office of Naval Research is trying to expand the knowledge base and build on what we already know.”

May 13/10: Crewing plans. The US Navy and Military Sealift Command announce the crewing plan for USN JHSVs (even numbers, JHSVs 2-10). Because the ships are new and could conduct a wide variety of missions, MSC determined that the best course of action is to institute a pilot program where JHSV 2 Vigilant and JHSV 4 Fall River will be crewed by 21 civil service mariners each, in order to create a base of experience and knowledge. Delivery as USNS Vigilant is scheduled for FY 2013, but the crews arrive beforehand; while USNS Fall River’s delivery is scheduled for FY 2014. JHSVs 6, 8 and 10 will be crewed with 21 civilian contract mariners each, with specifications developed based on experience with the first 2 ships.

The Army Transportation Corps officers have apparently won their argument to crew the Army’s JHSVs as USAV ships, involving larger crews of soldiers. Within a year, however, that victory would be undone. US MSC.

April 2/10: SAR baseline. The Pentagon adds [PDF] the JHSV program to its Selected Acquisition Reports. The program’s baseline is $3.9355 billion, and subsequent SARs set the number of ships at 18. The program is listed under the US Navy.

Baseline

Feb 11/10: Superferries. The former Hawaii superferries Huakai and Alakai are pressed into service by the USA’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), in the wake of the disaster in Haiti. The ships are managed by Hornblower Marine Services (HMS), and the deployment is seen as an earl concept test of the similar JHSV design’s operations. Haiti’s lack of port infrastructure has not, to date, been a major problem for these ships.

Maritime Executive magazine has the full report, and see also July 30/08 entry.

Feb 3/10: JHSV Boost? Defense News reports that the JHSV program may be about to get a very big boost. Navy Undersecretary Bob Work:

“There was a big debate within the [Navy] department on patrol craft, PCs… People said these are very good for irregular warfare. But when we looked at it we said we wanted to have self-deployable platforms that have a lot of payload space that you can take to the fight whatever you need – SEALs, Marines, riverine squadrons. So we decided to increase the Joint High Speed Vessel program.” Work said the Navy now envisions buying up to 23 of the ships for its own use, in addition to five being built for the Army. “We like their self-deployability aspects,” Work said. “They can be a sea base, they can be an Africa Partnership Station, they’re extremely flexible.”

Jan 28/10: JHSV 2 & 3. Austal USA in Mobile AL receives a $204.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2217), exercising options for JHSV ships 2 and 3. Work will be performed in Mobile, AL, and is expected to be complete by July 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC issued the contract. See also the June 19/09 entry for related advance materials purchases.

The accompanying Austal release, adds that the similar (ex-)Hawaii Superferry ships, “Alakai” and “Huakai,” have been mobilized by the US Maritime Administration, and are currently supporting the ongoing relief operation in Haiti.

JHSV 2 & 3 bought

Dec 18/09: Industrial. Austal announces success in the US Navy’s Production Readiness Review (PRR), which allows their Mobile, AL facility to immediately begin construction of Fortitude [JHSV 1]. US Navy Program Manager George Sutton referred in part to Austal’s recently-competed Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF) when he said that:

“Considerable investments in the Austal shipyard coupled with the implementation of proven commercial technology gives me high levels of confidence in the shipyard’s ability to execute the program.”

Nov 10/09: Industrial. Austal officially opens its new $88 million state-of-the-art Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF) in Mobile, AL, equipping its US shipyard with the ability to build up to three 100 metre-plus vessels each year. Phase 1 facility boasts 35,000 m2 of manufacturing space under one roof, including a 7,900 m2 warehouse, as well as paved parking for more than 2,000 vehicles.

The MMF will increase Austal USA’s capacity to assemble and outfit unit modules before consolidating them into the full vessel, automating component manufacture, including pipe runs, from a 3D model. This approach is widely used in advanced European and Asian shipyards, but is less common in the USA. Austal’s MMF is equipped with routers for the precise cutting of aluminum plate, as well as automated pipe and plate benders. Test constructions are currently underway at the new facility, with work on the first 103 meter JHSV scheduled to commence before the end of 2009. The facility will also build LCS-2 Independence class trimarans for the Littoral Combat Ship program. Austal release.

July 17/09: Ship names 1-3. The Pentagon announces names for the first 3 JHSV ships. The Army will field Fortitude [JHSV 1] and Spearhead [JHSV 3], while the Navy’s first JHSV will be named Vigilant [JHSV 2]. The names for JHSV 2 and 3 eventually change.

Spearhead would later become the name for JHSV 1 instead. US Navy Team Ships | MarineLog.

June 19/09: #2-3 lead in. Austal USA in Mobile AL receives a $99.6 million modification to their JHSV contract (N00024-08-C-2217), covering long lead time materials needed for JHSV 2 and JHSV 3. These materials include items like aluminum for the hulls, main propulsion engines, waterjets, reduction gears, generators, and other components that need to be on hand before construction begins in June 2010.

Work will be performed in Detroit, MI (38%); Chesapeake, VA (18%); Henderson, Australia, (13%); Gulfport, MS (10%); Ravenswood, WVA (9%); and Ft. Lauderdale, FL (4%); Mobile, AL (3%); Auburn, IN (2.6%); Winter Haven, FL (1%); Gardena, CA (1%); and Davenport, IA (0.4%), and is expected to be complete by July 2013. US Naval Sea Systems Command manages the contract

Once construction contracts are awarded for the 2 ships later in FY 2009, these materials will be moved with their associated costs into their respective ship construction line items.

April 6/09: US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates takes the unusual but approved step of making his FY 2010 defense budget recommendations public. They include another 2 high speed ship charters from 2009-2011, until JHSV ships begin arriving.

Nov 13/08: Austal wins. Austal USA in Mobile AL received a $185.4 million Phase II modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2217) for 1 (one) JHSV, and for associated shore-based spares. The firm also has options for up to 9 additional ships by 2013, which could raise the contract’s total value to about $1.6 billion. The Naval Sea Systems Command, in Washington Navy Yard, DC manages this contract, which eliminates fellow Phase I winners Bollinger/Incat and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The 103m JHSV design appears to be based on Austal’s Westpac Express catamaran, which is currently under long term charter to the US Marines.

Work on this initial contract will be performed at the firm’s American facility in Mobile, AL and is expected to be complete by November 2010. Austal is teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, who will design, integrate, and test the JHSV’s electronic systems, including an Open Architecture Computing Infrastructure, internal and external communications, electronic navigation, aviation, and armament systems.

Austal already produces ships in Mobile, AL, which has about 1,000 employees and will now grow to about 1,500 employees. Ships produced at this location include some similar civilian designs like the Hawaii Superferry, as well as the Independence Class trimaran Littoral Combat Ship produced in partnership with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. Austal USA is growing the Alabama facility, and phase one of what will ultimately be a $170 million expansion should be complete by summer 2009. The assembly-line style manufacturing building will allow construction of 3 LCS/ JHSV/ Hawaii superferry scale vessels per year, rising to a capacity of 6 ships per year at full build out. Austal | General Dynamics | Marinelog | Alabama Press-Register | Biloxi-Gulfport Sun-Herald | Western Australia Today | Maine’s Brunswick Times-Record re: union lobbying in Congress to scrutinize the deal.

Austal Wins! JHSV 1 bought

FY 2005 – 2008

From initial requirements draft, to 3-team preliminary design contracts, to final RFP submissions.

Westpac express,
loading in Australia
(click to view full)

July 30/08: Austal announces its final Phase II JHSV submission to the US Navy, following an extensive detailed design and review process. The firm expects that a single Phase II contract for up to 10 JHSV ships will be awarded in late 2008.

Austal’s release adds the interesting tidbit that the firm was recently awarded a new contract to provide additional features and equipment on Hawaii Superferry’s second commercial 107 meter catamaran, in order to allow its use by the military if required.

Jan 31/08: Preliminary design. The US Department of Defense awards a trio of $3 million Phase I preliminary design contracts for the JHSV. Winners include:

Team Austal: Austal USA, Austal Ships (Australia), and General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (GDAIS). This is sort of the same Austal/GD core team building the trimaran LCS 2 Independence design for the USA’s Littoral Combat Ship competition – but note competitor #3…

Team Incat: Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Incat of Australia, and its design arm Revolution Design, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and Kvichak Marine in Washington State, and Gladding-Hearn (Duclos Corp) in Massachusetts. Their design will be based on Incat’s 112 meter wave-piercing catamaran, currently in commercial service. Consortium source.

General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works. No information.

See: US NAVSEA release [PDF] | Incat Australia release | Austal release | UPI re: Bath Iron Works | Springbored’s blog commentary re: Austal-GD dynamics.

Preliminary design contracts

April 23-27/07: Representatives of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the shipbuilding industry meet at at Quantico Marine Corps Base, VA, to discuss the JHSV’s current status of the Joint High Speed Vessel and update prospective contractors on the vessel’s design requirements. US Army release.

November 2005: Initial Draft. The JHSV program office’s Initial Capability Document received approval from the Department of Defense Joint Requirements Oversight Council in early November. All four military services concurred with the decision. The Analysis of Alternatives for this program is scheduled to report out before the end of the 2005 calendar year, and procurement of the lead ship is planned for FY 2008. NAVSEA release

Appendix A: The US Military’s HSV/TSV Experience

Westpac Express
(click to view full)

Instead of arising from a drawing board or a notional requirements sheet, the JHSV’s requirements were based on 7 years of experience operating similar leased vessels, from 2001-2008. The core concept is based on an Australian innovation: fast catamaran ferries from Austal and Incat that are in widespread civilian use. Each ship has a carrying capacity equal to about 20 C-17 heavy airlifters, and their waterjets can power these aluminum catamarans through the water at a consistent 35-40 knots in calm seas. Robert Kaplan, in “Hog Pilot and Blue Water Grunts“:

“Who thought up the idea of using car ferries to get Marines to a combat zone and then link up with pre-positioning ships?” I asked a Marine chief warrant officer. “No-one at the Pentagon. Just a bunch of guys brainstorming here,” the chief replied.”

It was more than just brainstorming. Incat’s HMAS Jervis Bay had been used very effectively by Australia during East Timor’s 1999 independence referendum and subsequent operations, and its demonstrated capabilities attracted American interest.

The chartered vessels quickly lived up to their billing. Normal transit for a Marine battalion from Okinawa, Japan to South Korea aboard ferry or amphibious shipping is about 2-3 days, and moving it by air would take 14-17 “lifts” from C-17 aircraft, a process that might require several trips unless that many planes were available. The same deployment could be carried out by Austal’s chartered WestPac Express catamaran in 24-30 hours; which is to say, at about half the time of conventional naval options, and at about 25% of airlift’s costs. One ship can carry a complete battalion of up to 970 Marines, along with 663 tons of vehicles and equipment. If the Marines must deploy from Guam, where many are being moved from Okinawa, the added distance makes JHSV an even more timely and cost efficient option.

“I Serve With HSV-2!”
(click to view full)

Austal’s ships weren’t the only high speed vessels in operation. The Army operated Incat’s HSVX-1 Joint Venture in conjunction with the Navy, and TSV-1X Spearhead was under sole Army control until its 2005 return to commercial service. Both ships saw extensive Army use in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as supporting operations in the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Horn of Africa, Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia.

In one operation, TSV-1X Spearhead moved the 101st Airborne Division’s military police and their equipment from Djibouti, Africa to Kuwait in the Persian Gulf. The fast catamaran made the 2,000 mile trip in just 2.5 days. Its naval LSV predecessor would have needed 10 days to make the voyage, and would only have carried the equipment, forcing the troops to fly separately.

HSVX-1 Joint Venture was even used by Special Operations Command as a proof-of-concept platform for a special operations force afloat in the western Pacific. Its modifications included a helicopter landing deck and hangar, along with a small military command, control and communications suite. Modifications to its complement also included ScanEagle UAVs, letting US Navy experiment with UAVs, blimps and related vehicles in a persistent surveillance role. The combination of high speed transport, persistent surveillance, and advanced communications may prove to be very complementary.

A 3rd Incat ship, the 112m HSV-2 Swift, was contracted to serve as an interim Mine Warfare Command and Support Ship (MCS), supporting R&D into new mine warfare modular payloads. From 2004 onward, its scope of use became far broader, and Swift’s geographic range expanded to include Africa, Asia, and recovery efforts in the USA after Hurricane Katrina. It remains in American service as of 2013, and continues to trial new approaches like aerostats and UAVs.

If HSVX-1 and HSV-2’s experiences sound a lot like the USA’s forthcoming Littoral Combat Ships, the similarity is no accident. Experience with these high-speed catamarans has played an important role in developing the LCS concept of operations, though the US Navy may not have taken the experiments to their logical conclusion. Given the emergence of naval unmanned vehicles, some observers believe that JHSV’s size and lower cost make it a better choice than the smaller LCS as a “robotic swarm mothership”.

Additional Readings & Sources

Thanks to DID reader and long-serving US MSC vet Lee Wahler for his assistance with this article.

JHSV and its Relatives

• US Navy Fact File – Joint High-Speed Vessel – JHSV

• US Navy PEO Ships PMS-325 – Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV). 2007 snapshot.

• US Navy NWDC – Naval Concept Development – High Speed Vessel. 2007 snapshot.

• JHSV Program – Joint High Speed Vessel Program Overview: SNAME SD-5 & IHS. Sept 28/06 presentation.

• DID – Hawaii Superferry’s Bankruptcy = US Navy Opportunity. Became USNS Guam and USNS Puerto Rico, based on vessels similar to the JHSV.

• DID – U.S. Marines Extend Westpac Express TSV Ship Charter.

• US Military Sealift Command – WESTPAC EXPRESS, MV.

• US Military Sealift Command – HSV SWIFT. December 2013 snapshot. No longer leased.

Ancillary Equipment

• DID – Ruin on Rails: The US Navy’s Railgun Project. JHSV 3 will serve as a testbed.

• DID – From Dolphins to Destroyers: The ScanEagle UAV. USNS Swift was a testbed, and JHSVs can be expected to operate this and Insitu’s follow-on RQ-21 Blackjack UAV in future.

News & Views

• Soldiers Magazine, via The Free Library (August 2007) – Launching the JHSV.

• US Army (April 30/07) – Services Chart Course for New Vessel.

• Inside the Navy via Military.com (July 13/06) – Joint High-Speed Vessel Taking Shape.

• Seapower Magazine (May 2006) – In the Shallows: The Joint High-Speed Vessel will bring a new dimension to U.S. forces.

• National Defense Magazine (November 2005) – Navy’s High-Speed Vessel Aids Relief Effort.

• US Armed Forces Press Service (Oct 21/02) – “Joint Venture” Craft Cruises to the Future .

E-11A BACN
(click to view full)

In late June 2009, the USAF awarded Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems Inc., of San Diego, CA an urgent requirement contract for its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) System. Under current plans, Northrop Grumman will help the USAF deploy BACN in up to 4 “E-11” Bombardier BD-700 Global Express (see also BACN-modified photo) ultra-long-range business jets, and in up to 4 EQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20 UAVs, for sustained deployment through 2015.

BACN is an airborne communications relay that extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies, and “translates” among incompatible communications systems. That may sound trivial, but on a tactical level, it definitely isn’t.

The BACN System

Global Express
(click to view full)

BACN was developed under a Department of Defense Microelectronic Activity contract (#H94003-04-D-0005), as part of the Interim Gateway Program. It provides a high-speed, Internet protocol (IP)-based airborne network infrastructure that that extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies, and “translates” among incompatible communications systems – including both tactical and civil cellular systems. Using BACN, a Special Forces soldier on the ground could use a civil cell phone to speak to a fighter pilot in the cockpit.

BACN supports seamless movement of imagery, video, voice and digital messages, with support for waveforms that include SINCGARS (single-channel ground and airborne radio system), DAMA (demand assigned multiple access), EPLRS (enhanced position location reporting system), SADL (situation awareness data link), Link 16, and IP-based networking connectivity using TTN (tactical targeting network), TCDL (tactical common data link) technology, CLIP (Common Link Integration Processing), and 802.11b. Northrop Grumman’s joint translator/forwarder (JXF), originally developed for US Joint Forces Command, is to accomplish digital-message transformation.

That kind of system can be especially useful in rugged terrain that block line-of-sight communications, in combined civil/military situations, or when different services or even different countries are operating side by side in the field. Afghanistan meets all of those criteria, an so do some aspects of operations in Iraq.

F-22A: Got BACN?
(click to view full)

There are even reports that BACN may be installed in the F-22 Raptor as a communications gateway that would solve some of that platform’s issues; releases concerning the JEFX 08 exercises were vague on this subject, mentioning only BACN’s ability to receive unique F-22 waveforms.

As of 2006, the Northrop Grumman BACN team included:

• Northrop Grumman’s Defense Mission Systems, Space Technology, Integrated Systems and Information Technology sectors
  
• NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX
  
• Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, IA
  
• Raytheon Solipsys in Laurel, MD
  
• L3 Communications in Salt Lake City, UT
  
• Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, CA
  
• ViaSat Inc. in Carlsbad, CA

BACN served

Northrop Grumman and teammate Orion Air Group provide 24/7 operations and support services for BACN on the front lines.

At present, BACN is flying on 3 modified E-11A Global Express long-range business jets (1 leased, 2 USAF-owned), and 3 (soon 4) EQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20 UAV variants. Another E-11 plane has been contracted for integration.

Contracts and Key Events

Unless otherwise specified, contracts are issued and managed by the staffs at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA, and performed by Northrop Grumman. Contracts began with the firm’s Defense Mission Systems, Inc. unit in San Diego, CA, then shifted to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp’s Defense Systems Division in Herndon, VA after 2010, following the firm’s move to Washington, DC. Since then, the contractor’s side had shifted back and forth between Herndon VA and what is now Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp. in San Diego, CA.

FY 2014 – 2018

 

EQ-4B Operations

October 22/18: Fleet growth The Air Force plans to procure another Bombardier business jet for its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program. BACN is an airborne communications relay that extends communications ranges, bridges between radio frequencies, and “translates” among incompatible communications systems. The BACN modified Bombardier Global 6000 would be outfitted with a specialised mission package that includes antennas, radios, flight-tracker inhibition systems and more. Dubbed the E-11A, the aircraft allows ground troops to reach needed support over mountainous terrain with imagery, video, voice and data, and it can also act as a high-altitude relay, including airdrop and airstrike operations. If the acquisition is approved the jet would be the fifth of its kind in the BACN fleet, which would grow to nine aircraft in total.

January 18/18: Payload Operation & Support Northrop Grumman were awarded Friday, a $172 million one-year US Air Force contract for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN). Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop will provide BACN payload operation and support for payload equipment and services, with work to take place at San Diego, California and overseas locations. The BACN allows ground troops to reach needed support over mountainous terrain with imagery, video, voice and data, and it can also act as a high-altitude relay, including airdrop and airstrike operations. It is designed to work with the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV—designated EQ-4B—and the BD700 manned aircraft platform—flown by the USAF as the E-11A. Last September, Grumman received $265 million for support of four BACN E-11A aircraft.

June 6/15: On Monday the Air Force awarded a $145.4 million contract modification for services in support of the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node Joint Urgent Operational Need (BACN JUON). Contractor Northrop Grumman also benefited from a $35.7 million modification to the KC-10 tanker Contractor Logistics Support program.

Aug 6/14: Northrop Grumman Corporation announces an $89.7 million contract option to continue operating and supporting BACN (4 E-11A jets, 3 EQ-4B UAVs, all payloads) in support of overseas contingency missions through June 2015. Sources: NGC, “Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Continue BACN Mission Support Contract”.

Jan 15/14: Northrop Grumman Information Systems in Herndon, VA receives a $52.3 million firm-fixed-price cost-reimbursement modification, exercising CLIN options to continue supporting and operating E-11A BACN aircraft.

$31.8 million in FY 2014 O&M funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed at Kandahar AB, Afghanistan, as well as Wichita, KS, and is expected to be complete by Jan 23/15 (FA8726-13-C-0001, PO 0013).

FY 2011 – 2013

SmartNode on Firebird
(click to view full)

May 7/13: Northrop Grumman Space and Missile Systems Corp. in San Diego, CA receives a $89.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification, extending the FY 2009 BACN payload contract that covers deployment support and operation of the fielded systems.

Work will be performed at San Diego, CA, and abroad at locations where currently deployed until June 22/14. $7.5 million in FY 2013 Operations and Maintenance funds are committed immediately by the USAF Life Cycle Management Center/HNAK at Hanscom AFB, MA (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0076).

Nov 1/12: E-11A. A $48.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for E-11A BACN platform maintenance at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan. The contract will run until February 2018. Whether the Afghan regime will run that long is another question (FA8726-13-C-0001).

Sept 27/12: 4th E-11A. A $33 million contract modification for BACN Node payload integration and supplemental type certificates on E-11A aircraft S/N 9506. That serial number indicates a new contractor-owned aircraft. This will bring the number of E-11As to 4: 2 leased, and 2 government-owned.

Work will be performed in San Diego, CA, and is expected to be completed by Oct 31/13. The AFLCMC/HNAK at Hanscom AFB, MA manages the contract (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0059).

New E-11
A

Sept 7/12: EQ-4B #4. Northrop Grumman delivers the USAF’s 4th EQ-4B Global Hawk 4 months ahead of schedule, in a flight from the Palmdale, CA facility to Grand Forks AFB, ND. It’s the 2nd scheduled delivery from the Dec 28/11 entry.

Briefings with appropriate personnel reveal that it may be the 4th EQ-4B delivered, but it’s only the 3rd one flying for the USAF. The Aug 20/11 crash (added below) explains the discrepancy. NGC release, Oct 23/12.

June 2012: EQ-4B #3. Northrop Grumman delivers the USAF’s 3rd EQ-4B Global Hawk ahead of schedule. It’s the 1st scheduled delivery from the Dec 28/11 entry. Source.

June 21/12: All. A $106.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification, to extend the deployment and operation of BACN payloads installed in 3 EA-11A jets and 3 E-Q4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles.

Work will run to June 22/13, and will be performed both within the United States, and outside the USA where currently deployed (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0043).

June 21/12: E-11A. A $50.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for 8 more months of E-11A Platform Maintenance support for the 3 aircraft: tail numbers 9355, 9358, and 9001. Work will be performed at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan until Feb 24/13 (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0053).

May 17/12: SmartNode – BACN Lite. Northrop Grumman completes a series of test flights for its SmartNode Pod, which is based on BACN technology but can be carried by smaller aircraft and UAVs. SmartNode can connect to BACN platforms, ground operational centers or other pods to create encrypted, high-bandwidth digital data and voice connectivity. The project is funded by the firm and by a US military customer, and Northrop Grumman used its own Firebird “optionally manned” plane because the designated platform wasn’t immediately available for testing.

The SmartNode Pod is designed to be a part of the Pentagon’s Joint Aerial Layer Network (JALN), which would link ground, space and airborne communications nodes to offer military forces the bandwidth they require. That had been the goal of the $20-25 billion TSAT satellite program, before it was cancelled; JALN represents a much more diverse and incremental approach to the same problem. Discussions with Northrop Grumman indicate that BACN would sit at the top tier of JALN, while SmartNode is a mid-tier solution that won’t do satellite communications, has fewer message translation options, won’t support as many networks, and won’t support many of the classified American networks. On the other hand, it’s a 250 pound payload that can fly on MALE(Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs like the US Army’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle, IAI’s Heron, etc., providing high-bandwidth relay and a useful subset of technical translations at less cost, in more places. NGC | USAF re: JALN.

March 30/12: E-11A. A $26.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, time-and-material contract modification exercises options for a 7.5 month extension of E-11A serial number 11-9001 services, in support of Overseas Contingency Operations from April 1/12 through Nov 16/12. Should be painted in a nice military grey by now (vid. Nov 18/11), but the USAF hasn’t bought the jet, yet.

Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (44%) and Yorktown, VA (56%) – (FA8726-09-C-0010, Modification PO 0050).

Feb 23/12: E-11A. A $34.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification adds a 4-month extension for the continued operations support and maintenance of the USAF’s 2 BACN E-11A jets, and operational support and maintenance of the BACN payloads. Work will take place in San Diego, CA, and the extension runs until June 22/12 (FA8726-09-C-0010 PO 0042).

Dec 28/11: EQ-4B. Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems Inc. in San Diego, CA receives a $47.2 million firm-fixed-price contract to buy and integrate BACN payloads on 2 more RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20 aircraft: AF-11 and AF-13. These 2 HALE UAVs will be provided to Northrop Grumman as government furnished property. Then Northrop Grumman will integrate the BACN payload and turn them into EQ-4Bs, bringing the delivered fleet to 4 and the serving fleet to 3.

Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA, and is expected to be complete by Aug 22/12 for AF-11, and Dec 15/12 for AF-13. USAF Material Command’s Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, MA (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0041).

2 more EQ-4B UAVs

Nov 18/11: E-11A. A $29.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification. The modification is for a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Plan (CAMP) Level 8C inspection of Air Force aircraft E-11A, serial number 11-9001, followed by a 5-month extension of the operation and support of the aircraft. It also provides an option to repaint the aircraft to USAF specifications, and for correction of any faults found during CAMP inspection.

This is the same sort of sequence followed for the other 2 leased jets, just before the USAF bought them. One firm was solicited and one firm submitted a proposal to USAF Materiel Command’s Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, MA (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0038).

Nov 3/11: The USAF’s BACN platforms get official designations. The Bombardier BD-700s are E-11As, and the modified Global Hawk Block 20 UAVs are EQ-4Bs. Northrop Grumman.

Designations

Sept 30/11: E-11A. Orion Air Group, LLC in Newport News, VA receives a $50 million firm fixed price contract to buy 2 of the leased “E-11A” Global Express BD-700-1A10 jets, serial # 9355 & 9358, including their engines. The aircraft and engines were provided to the Pentagon by Northrop Grumman, under a sub-lease for operations (FA8726-09-C-0010). Now we know why the Sept 21/11 contract had that re-painting option.

US Air Force Materiel Command, Electronic Systems Center, Airborne Networks Division at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA manages this contract (FA8307-11-C-0014).

Bizjet buyout: 2 E-11As

Sept 21/11: E-11A. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.’s Defense Systems Division in Herndon, VA receives a 5-month, $43 million extension to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to operate and maintain the other 2 E-11A Global Express BACN jets, serial numbers 11-9355 and 11-9358. This contract also provides for the operation and maintenance of the BACN payload by Northrop Grumman, and offers an option to re-paint the 2 BD-700 aircraft to USAF specifications (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0035).

Aug 20/11: EQ-4B lost. One of the USAF’s EQ-4B’s (tail number 04-2017) crashes about 105 nautical miles NW of Kandahar, during a communications relay mission over Afghanistan. The accident investigation believes that a connector failed, which led to the loss of electricity for the payload, and for the aileron and spoiler flight control systems. That made the UAV uncontrollable, and it arrowed into the ground within 4 minutes. There isn’t much left, as one might imagine given the UAV’s starting altitude. The investigation isn’t 100% definitive, because the avionics were not recovered at the crash site.

The EQ4B is home-based at Beale AFB, CA with the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, but it was forward-deployed to Afghanistan for its missions. Crash investigation [PDF].

EQ-4B crash

July 8/11: E-11A. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.’s Defense Systems Division in Herndon, VA receives a 4-month, $20.7 million extension to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for operate and maintain E-11A Global Express BACN jet, serial number 1-900. This contract also provides for the operations and maintenance of the BACN payload (FA8726-09-C-0010, PO 0032).

June 25/11: The BACN system completes its 2,000th USAF mission flown in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Since the system was deployed to support Afghan theater operations in October 2008, BACN has accumulated more than 20,000 operational flight hours in those 2,000 missions, with a mission availability rate of 98%.

The interval from Oct 1/08 – June 25/11 inclusive is 998 days, which means an average sortie rate of about 2 missions per day, 24/7.

Mission #2,000

Dec 21/10: The Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) have selected the BACN Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON) program to receive one of the Top 5 DoD Program Awards given annually for excellence in systems engineering.

BACN also has been honored in 2010 with the Weapon Systems Award from the Order of Daedalians, a national fraternity of military pilots, and the 2010 Network Centric Warfare Award for Outstanding Achievement from a Defense Industry Partner, from the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement. Northrop Grumman.

Recognition

Dec 13/10: E-11A. A $74.6 million option for continued maintenance and support of the payload installed in 2 of 3 modified BD-700 Global Express aircraft leased from March 2011 through October 2011. Money will be committed as needs arise (FA8726-09-C-0010; P00021).

Nov 30/10: All. A $34.1 million contract modification to extend BACN payload maintenance and support in current theaters of war. At this time, $10 million has been committed (FA8726-09-C-0010; P00020).

FY 2006 – 2010

RQ-4B Block 20
(click to view full)

Sept 22/10: EQ-4B. Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems Sector in San Diego, CA received a $20 million contract modification which will provide replenishment spares relative to the RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20 BACN joint urgent operational need effort. WR-ALC/GRCKA at Robins Air Force Base, GA manages this contract (FA8528-09-D-0001; PO 0016).

BACN was originally deployed on board a high altitude NASA WB-57 aircraft. Deployment on board the Global Hawk UAV is the next step beyond its current platform, a modified Bombardier Global Express business jet.

March 11/10: Sub-contractors. ViaSat in Carlsbad, CA receives $21.5 million firm-fixed-price contract and delivery order for MIDS-LVT Link 16 terminals, combining purchases for the USA (68%) and Germany (11%); and for Australia (18%) and South Korea (3%) under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Contract funds in the amount of $1.6 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Carlsbad, CA (30%) and in various other sites worldwide (70%), and is expected to be complete by Feb 28/12. This contract was competitively procured via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems E-commerce Web site, with 2 offers received, based on a synopsis released via the Federal Business Opportunities Web site (N00039-10-D-0032).

ViaSat’s subsequent release says that this new award includes LVT (1) terminal variants for F/A-18, P-3, and E-2D aircraft; and MH-60R/S helicopters, along with terminals for the BACN program and other U.S. Navy applications. The MIDS-LVT Lot 11 order also includes LVT (2) “ground” terminal variants for various U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and Joint Forces applications, as well as terminals for Germany, Australia, and Korea.

Feb 22/10: All. Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems, Inc. in San Diego, CA, was awarded a $77.9 million contract to maintain and support the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node system “in support of overseas contingency operations” through fiscal year 2010. The award is corrected on Feb 25/10 to add an order number, and say that only $58.4 million has been committed (FA8726-09-C-0010, P00008).

Jan 26/10: Recognition. At the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement’s Network Enabled Operations conference in Arlington, VA, BACN receives the 2010 Network Centric Warfare Award for Outstanding Achievement from a Defense Industry Partner. NGC release.

Sept 14/09: All. A $35.5 million contract to provide the rapid fielding and support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node System. At this time no money has been obligated; it will be allocated as needs arise (FA8726-09-C-0010, P00003).

June 24/09: Contract. A $276.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee urgent requirement contract for its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) System. At this time, $97.8 million has been obligated by the 653rd Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA (FA8726-09-C-0010).

The contract will fund fielding in 3 long-range Bombardier BD-700 Global Express jets, and 2 Global Hawk RQ-4B Block 20 UAVs. It will also fund the company’s support for continuing operations of the existing BACN-equipped BD-700, which the Air Force deployed to the front lines in December 2008. See also Northrop Grumman release.

BACN ordered

Oct 18/06: Development. Northrop Grumman will continue to enhance and expand the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) under 2 recently awarded Defense Microelectronics Activity contracts, issued under its Advanced Technology Support Program.

The 16-month, $25 million BACN Spiral Technical Phase II will continue base development, building on the initial $25.7 million BACN contract in April 2005. The 24-month, $8.5 million Intraflight Datalink Gateway System will add a secure data link allowing the F-22 Raptor to communicate with other platforms without compromising its stealth. Northrop Grumman.

BACN Development Phase II

Additional Readings

• Northrop Grumman – Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN).

• Northrop Grumman (March 18/10) – Daniel “Fig” Leaf Addresses Irregular Warfare (IW) Conference. Mentions BACN. Lt. Gen. Dan “Fig” Leaf, U.S. Air Force (ret.) is Northrop Grumman Information Systems’ Vice President, Full Spectrum Initiatives.

• Northrop Grumman (May 13/08) – Northrop Grumman’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node Enables Unprecedented Real-Time Distribution of F-22 Data to Legacy Aircraft.

• Northrop Grumman (Aug 8/06) – BACN Sizzles at JEFX; Northrop Grumman Completes Test of Joint Airborne Network System.

• Northrop Grumman (July 19/06) – Northrop Grumman Brings BACN to California Disaster-Recovery Exercise.

UAE KC-30 concept
(click to view full)

At the end of DIMDEX 2014 in late March, reports surfaced that Qatar had embarked on a $23 billion shopping spree, buying advanced air defense systems, anti-tank missiles, fast boats, and a mix of utility, attack, and naval helicopters. They also made a pair of high-end aerial purchases with far-reaching implications: long-range aerial tankers, and a medium-range AWACS fleet.

QEAF’s Reach: The A330-MRTT Tanker and E-737 AEW&C

QEAF Mirage 2000-5
(click to view full)

Aerial Refueling is a critical asset for militaries that want to extend their strike and surveillance reach. The A330 is large, given Qatar’s needs, but it was still an obvious choice. Fellow GCC members the UAE and Saudi Arabia already committed to the A330-MRTT (KC-30), and over 30 A330s fly for state-owned Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., which has no 767s.

Qatar’s fighter fleet is small, at just 12 aircraft. Even so, the country has been extending its military reach, alongside the extended media reach associated with Al-Jazeera. QEAF Mirage 2000s participated in operations over Libya, for instance, with help from allies. The A330 tankers would give them independent reach in a similar situation, and they will remain useful as Qatar buys 24-72 new fighters to replace the Mirages. Each A330-MRTT is capable of deploying up to 4 fighters 2,800 nmi / 5,200 km, while carrying up to 20 tonnes of cargo. Maximum cargo capacity is 45 tonnes, though they would trade much of their refueling capacity and 270-300 passenger capacity if they were loaded that heavily. In this role, they will supplement and sometimes support the QEAF’s 4 new C-130J-30 intratheater tactical transports, and 4 new C-17A inter-theater tactical heavy jet transports.

Turkish E-737
(click to view full)

Airspace control and coordination are another critical requirement set for advanced militaries. To meet that need, various sorts of Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C/ AWACS) options are available on the global market. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan all operate Saab’s Erieye turboprops, for instance, and Brazil’s Embraer makes a variant that mounts an Erieye radar and onboard command system in their ERJ-145 regional jets. It makes some sense for the Saudis to also operate E-3 AWACS, but a 737 is a big platform for the tiny peninsula of Qatar’s territorial needs. The tankers will give the QEAF’s E-737s extra-long surveillance times, and extended reach. The question is where they intend to reach, unless it’s simply a prestige buy.

Contracts & Key Events

Saudi A330-MRTT
(click to view full) 2018

October 22/18: Cancellation The Qatari government will not proceed with its planned acquisition of three Boeing produced E-737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. At the end of DIMDEX 2014 in late March, reports surfaced that Qatar had embarked on a $23 billion shopping spree that would have included the purchase of the three E-737s at cost of $1.8 billion. The Gulf state has chosen not to complete the transaction, Boeing told Jane’s on October 18th. The Wedgetail operates at an altitude of 30,000ft to 40,000f and is flown by two flight crew with between six and ten mission crew members. The aircraft is fitted with an MESA (multirole electronically scanned array) radar from Northrop Grumman. That radar exchanges the traditional AWACS rotating dome for the E-7A’s “top hat” stationary antenna. The Qatar Emiri Air Force currently has no airborne early warning capability, it is yet unclear if Qatar will purchase an alternative platform or if it has decided not to field an airborne early warning capability altogether.

2014

March 27/14: Contracts. At DIMDEX 2014 in Doha, the Emirate reportedly signs $23 billion worth of deals, including one for 2 A330-MRTT aerial tankers, and another for 3 E-737 AEW&C planes. The wording of all language is ambiguous, and the Boeing deal in particular may still be under negotiations.

Airbus Defense & Space says that Qatar’s choice of the A330 MRTT makes them the 7th customer, after Australia, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. That and other language would appear to indicate a firm deal, though Airbus will only say that their plane “has been selected”. Half of the 34 A330 aerial tankers on order around the world are already in service, India is “in the final stages of contractual negotiations” for another 6 of their own, and the French are expected to buy 10-14 over the next couple of years.

Qatar will be Boeing’s 4th customer for the E-737, which has no Airbus equivalent. Australia, South Korea, and Turkey already operate it. One of the interesting commercial/ political developments to watch will be whether Turkey winds up being gifted with a significant chunk of the support requirements for this fleet. Sources: Airbus Military, “Qatar selects Airbus A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker” | Al Defaiya, “Qatar Announces Big Defense Deals at DIMDEX 2014” | Arabian Aerospace, “Qatar to buy Airbus A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport” | Australian Aviation, “Qatar to buy MRTTs, AEW&C and more” | Reuters, “Qatar buys helicopters, missiles in $23 billion arms deals”.

Additional Readings

• Airbus Military – A330MRTT.

• Airforce Technology – Boeing 737 AEW&C Wedgetail Early Warning Aircraft, Australia

• DID – UAE Buys Saab’s Erieye AEW&C Aircraft. A smaller option, also in use in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The UAE is considering a purchase of larger AWACS, but before they bought any planes, they spent a lot of money to install national-level command and control systems on the ground. That’s smart.

Americas

Northrop Grumman is being contracted to upgrade the Navy’s electronic warfare aircraft. The awarded contract is valued at $697 million and provides for upgraded EA-18G system configuration sets (SCS) and Airborne Electronic Attack and Electronic Warfare systems. The deal also includes the provision of final upgrades for the EA-6B aircraft, which is expected to be retired in 2019. The order combines purchases for the US Navy and government of Australia under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Growler is the Navy’s land- and carrier-based, radar and communication jamming aircraft. The plane’s Airborne Electronic Attack and Electronic Warfare systems include a new ALQ-218 receiver, a next-generation ALQ-99 jamming pod, am APG-79 AESA radar and an Electronic Attack suite. SCS is operational software that gives the Growler its combat capabilities. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including Point Mugu, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Bethpage, New York and Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The updates are expected to be completed in October 2023.

Boeing is being tapped to support the US Intercontinental Ballistic Missile modernisation program which intends to keep the Minuteman III operational through 2030. The company will deliver eight digital components and 75 message processor drawers in compliance with the government’s minimum requirement for the ICBM program under this $55.6 million undefinitized contract. This action supports the program’s Cryptography Upgrade Increment II, which fully integrates KS-60 capabilities of remote key/code change and irreversible code transformation. Work under the sole-sourced and firm-price-incentive-fee contract will take place in Huntsville, Alabama and Huntington Beach, California. The project is slated for completion on February 11, 2019.

Boeing will miss the delivery deadline of its first KC-46 tanker aircraft to the US Air Force, which was set for October 27th. US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told journalists in a round-table at Bloomberg headquarters in New York, that the service and the company are currently trying “to lay down the path forward for delivery and to make sure the deficiencies that have been identified are taken care of in a way that brings that aircraft in as promised.” The missed deadline is the latest in a series of missed deadlines, that include unresolved deficiencies with the tanker’s system for midair refueling and a delayed FAA certification. The KC-46 acquisition program sees for the delivery of 179 tankers at a cost of $44.3 billion, with the first aircraft expected to be delivered between April and June 2016.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is starting the fabrication of the US Navy’s next amphibious assault ship. The Bougainville is the third America-class amphibious assault ship and first Flight I ship constructed for the Navy. The America-class ships are part of the Navy’s Seapower 21 doctrine and replace the already decommissioned Tarawa-class LHAs. They are based on the more modern LHD Wasp Class design, with the LHD’s landing craft and well deck removed in favor of more planes and hangar space. The vessels are able to embark F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and V-22 Osprey aircraft. “Bougainville represents the next generation of amphibious capabilities and is a key component to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy,” James F. Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said in a press release. “The ability to both support Joint Strike Fighter and put Marines ashore will ensure that the Amphibious Fleet remains agile and capable of expeditionary warfare well into the 21st century.” The USS Bougainville (LHA 8) is scheduled to be delivered in 2024.

Middle East & Africa

The government of Iraq will receive a number of new Toyota Land Cruisers as part of a FMS deal. TGS USA will deliver the vehicles and spare parts under this $39.5 million firm-fixed-price contract. The Land Cruiser model comes either as a pickup or as a SUV. The various types offer a flexible set of options with different load carrying capacities and levels of armor.

Europe

The Portuguese Air Force is ordering five new helicopters from Leonardo. The company will deliver AW119Kx light-singles for multirole missions under this $23 million contract. The ‘Koalas’ will perform a wide range of roles including training, MEDEVAC, troop transport and short range maritime search and rescue (SAR), the platform may also be used for firefighting. The new aircraft will eventually replace Portugal’s current fleet of eight Aérospatiale SA316 Alouette III light helicopters. Deliveries are set to start in late 2018 from Leonardo’s plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with completion of deliveries expected by early 2020.

The UK Royal Air Force marks another milestone in its F-35 JSF program. One of the RAF’s B variant was successfully refuelled by a Voyager tanker aircraft. The refuelling took place earlier this week over the North Sea at 19,000 feet. Britain’s Voyager, is an Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) that functions both as an aerial tanker and a transport aircraft. A F-35B pilot told Forces TV that “it’s fantastic to be able to link up the UK’s 5th generation asset with the RAF’s Voyager tanker in UK skies for the first time.”

Asia-Pacific

A team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is currently training to operate the country’s future CH-47F helicopters. The team is made up of four pilots and four flight engineers who started their training in Delaware on Monday. The CH-47F Chinook is the latest variant in a family of helicopters that first saw service in 1962 during the Vietnam War. The upgraded version includes more powerful engines, reduced vibration, upgraded avionics and self-defense systems, and manufacturing advances designed to improve both mission performance and long term costs. The IAF plans to introduce the Chinooks to its fleet in the near future. India purchased 15 CH-47F Chinook and 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters under a 2014 deal valued at $3.1 billion.

Today’s Video

Watch: RAF Voyager refuels F-35B for the first time in the UK

LGM-30G Minuteman III
(click to view full)

For 50 years, land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) have been part of the US primary strategic deterrence capability, the nuclear-armed triad that also includes submarine-launched ballistic missiles and long range heavy bombers.

Although the main target for the US deterrent – the Soviet Union – imploded in 1991, other threats – such as nuclear-armed rogue states and non-state actors – have emerged. To address these new threats, the US Air Force undertook a major ICBM modernization program.

To carry out this program, the USAF awarded a 15-year ICBM Prime Integration Contract (F42610-98-C-0001) in 1997 to a team led by Northrop Grumman. Since then, the team, which includes Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and ATK, has been carrying out a major modernization of the ICBM system to ensure its readiness.

ICBM Prime

Minuteman III launch

The ICBM Prime Integration Contract covers modernization of thousands of missile propulsion, guidance, re-entry, and ground system components. The goal is to extend the US Minuteman III ICBM’s life to 2030.

Some of the larger programs covered by the contract include:

• ICBM Security Modernization Program, which is implementing steps to keep nuclear-tipped ICBMs securely in their silos;

• Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle (SERV) Program, which is fitting Minuteman III ICBMs with the Mk 21 re-entry vehicle from the decommissioned Peacekeeper missile force – a change that will provide US Strategic Command planners with increased targeting flexibility and enhanced safety;

• Propulsion Replacement Program, which is remanufacturing motors to replace Minuteman III’s aging propellant to maintain booster reliability;

• Guidance Replacement Program, which is substituting the NS-50 missile guidance set for aging 1960s vintage guidance electronics, improving flight reliability, system maintainability, and nuclear safety;

• Propulsion System Rocket Engine Life Extension Program, which is replacing engine components originally produced in the 1970s that had a 10-year design life;

• Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting Service Life Extension Program, which is updating ICBM command and control capability;

• Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network program, which upgraded communications in all Minuteman III launch control centers and also connected these systems to the Milstar satellite communications system; and

• Improvement to the launch control centers, accomplished through the Environmental Control System program, which is upgrading climate controls to ensure that electronics and ground support systems are maintained at specified pre-set temperatures.

Contracts and Key Events

Still Ready.

Numerous contract modifications have been issued under the ICBM Prime Integration Contract (F42610-98-C-0001). Below are contract modifications covered by DID over the years. Unless otherwise noted, the contracts are awarded by Hill Air Force Base in northern Utah to Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems in Clearfield, UT.

October 19/18: Cryptography II Boeing is being tapped to support the US Intercontinental Ballistic Missile modernisation program which intends to keep the Minuteman III operational through 2030. The company will deliver eight digital components and 75 message processor drawers in compliance with the government’s minimum requirement for the ICBM program under this $55.6 million undefinitized contract. This action supports the program’s Cryptography Upgrade Increment II, which fully integrates KS-60 capabilities of remote key/code change and irreversible code transformation. Work under the sole-sourced and firm-price-incentive-fee contract will take place in Huntsville, Alabama and Huntington Beach, California. The project is slated for completion on February 11, 2019.

August 1/16: Two contracts are to be awarded by the USAF in 2017 for a new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) weapons system, or ground-based strategic deterrent. On Friday, the service released a request for proposals for the replacement of the existing Minutemen III ICBMs as part of the military’s costly modernization of its atomic weapons systems. The next ten years will see up to $350 billion spent on the modernization with some analysts suggesting the costs will run in excess of $1 trillion over 30 years.

June 8/16: The USAF has claimed it is not looking at a road-mobile option for its next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Under the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program the aging Minuteman III ICBM fleet will be replaced. Speaking about the mobile option, a service official said “We want to make sure that as we look at GBSD, we’re building it modular so if changes need to be made in the weapon system you don’t have to open up, let’s say, the software to redo the entire software.”

March 14/11: Lockheed Martin announces it received a $12.5 million contract from Northrop Grumman for refurbishment of re-entry vehicle arming and fuzing assemblies for the Minuteman III. Under the subcontract, Lockheed Martin Space System’s Valley Forge facility in King of Prussia, PA will replace components and refurbish and test the assemblies. The subcontract includes an option for a second year. Under an earlier contract in 2009, Lockheed Martin demonstrated the feasibility of the refurbishment effort. Lockheed Martin is the original equipment manufacturer for the arming and fuzing assembly.

Oct 6/10: Lockheed Martin announces it received a $106 million contract from Northrop Grumman to develop next-generation re-entry field support equipment (RFSE) for the Minuteman III. Under the 58-month contract, Lockheed Martin will design, develop, test, and deliver 2 sets of RFSE, with an additional 10 RFSE sets to be delivered in a follow-on contract. The RFSE will replace the aging Minuteman III Re-entry System Test Set (RSTS). Lockheed Martin will continue to sustain the RSTS, for which it is the original equipment manufacturer, until deployment of the replacement RFSE, which will be used, along with SERV support equipment, to test Mk12A and Mk21 re-entry vehicles.

April 19/10: $33.8 million to provide sustainment support for the Minuteman weapon system. At this time, $31.8 has been obligated.

April 2/10: $15.3 million contract to provide a Minuteman enhancement reliability accelerometer engineering and feasibility study, Phase III, prototype phase. At this time, $10.9 million has been obligated.

Dec 24/09: A $16.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the exercise of options 12 and 13 for the Propulsion System Rocket Engine Life Extension Program.

Nov 19/09: A $31.1 million contract modification to provide for the Remote Visual Assessment Program in support of the ICBM Security Modernization Program.

Dec 21/06: A $53.1 million fixed-price-incentive-firm and cost-plus-award fee contract modification, exercising option 1 to continue upgrading the Environmental Control System for the Minuteman III ICBM system. Work is expected to be complete October 2008.

Nov 1/06: A $225.2 million cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-plus-incentive fee contract modification to remanufacture Stage 1, 2, and 3 rockets motors and offer product quality assurance test support. The contractor will provide 75 complete booster components sets (one each Stage 1, 2 and 3 motors and an ordnance kit) and 2 product quality assurance test motors.

April 6/06: A $34.8 million cost-plus incentive-fee contract modification to begin to provide for full rate production of Minuteman III Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicles (SERV) on US ICBMs. The scheduled completion date is March 2010.

March 17/06: A $7.7 million fixed price incentive (firm target) award fee, firm-fixed price contract modification for Guidance Replacement Program (GRP) full rate production (FRP) Value Engineering Change Proposal 01-OPIC-030 and 01-IPIC-0009.

March 17/06: A $25 million fixed price incentive firm with award fee contract modification. This contract will provide environmental control system units, deployment activities, and interim contractor support to upgrade the launch facilities and missile alert facilities at the 3 US ICBM missile wings. Work is expected to be complete October 2007.

Jan 19/06: A $225.2 million cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-award-fee contract modification for ICBM Propulsion Replacement Program. Full Rate Production (FRP) options FRP5, FRP6, and FRP7 restructure modification for 212 stage 1, 2 and 3 rocket motors, production quality assurance, ordnance production, and contractor cost data reports.

Sept 20/05: A $122.7 million cost plus award fee contract modification to exercise option VIII for the ICBM Prime Integrated Contract to support the Minuteman ICBM. Work on the contract will be complete by September 2006.

June 20/05: A $5.9 million cost-plus award-fee contract modification to ensure that US ICBM Reentry Vehicles (which carry nuclear warheads) remain functional until retirement and that an industrial base exists to support replacement follow-on systems. Work is expected to be complete by June 2007.

May 19/05: A $24 million cost-plus award-fee contract modification to provide for ICBM Security Modernization Program Fast Rising B-Plug Low Rate Initial Production; 15 B-Plug Kits and 6 B-Plug Kit Installations will be produced under this contract modification. Work is expected to be complete by September 2007.

Additional Readings

• DID (Nov 19/09) – No Dr. Strangelove Here: USAF Takes Steps to Beef Up ICBM Security

• DID (Dec 21/06) – $53.1M for Minuteman III ECS Upgrades

• DID (Nov 1/06) – $225.2M to Remanufacture Minuteman III Rocket Motors

• DID (April 6/06) – SERV Program for “Safety Enhanced” Nuclear Warhead RVs Enters Full-Rate Production

• DID (March 17/06) – $32.7M to N-G as Part of US ICBM Refurbishment

• DID (Jan 19/06) – US Spends $225.2M for 212 ICBM Rocket Motors

• DID (Sept 20/05) – MX Missiles Deactivated, Minutemen at the Ready (updated)

• DID (June 20/05) – $5.9M to Keep ICBM Warheads Operational

• DID (May 19/05) – $24M for ICBM Security Doors

• DID (April 11/05) – $7M to Upgrade ICBM Readiness Testing

LHA-R/NAAS Concept
(click to view full)

Modern U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) / Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). LHA/LHD are a key element of the Seapower 21 doctrine pillars of Sea Strike and Sea Basing, transporting, launching, and landing elements of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) via a combination of LCAC hovercraft, amphibious transports and vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft.

Designed to project power and maintain presence, LHA-Replacement (LHA-R, aka. LH-X, and now the New Amphibious Assault Ship or NAAS) large deck amphibious assault ships were slated to replace the US Navy’s 6 LHA-1 Tarawa Class vessels. They are based on the more modern LHD Wasp Class design, with the LHD’s landing craft and well deck removed in favor of more planes and hangar space. While its LHA/LHD predecessors were amphibious assault ships with a secondary aviation element, it’s fair to describe the America Class as escort carriers with a secondary amphibious assault role.

The NAAS Program

LHA-R concept
(click to view: large!)

The LHA-R program may have been in the works since PMS-377 was put in charge in November 2000, but it took several years to get underway as a major spending program.

LHA 6 America, the lead LHA-R vessel, was planned for delivery to the U.S. Navy in October 2013, though when that date came and went, sea trials had yet to take place. It and should be in service by 2015. The ultimate question is how many ships of class will be built. Support for the limited NAAS buy of 2 ships is already set, and LHA 7 Tripoli is due for delivery in June 2018. The question is the 3rd ship, and any ships after that.

The FY13-18 FYDP does feature a 3rd “LHA-R” ship in FY 2017, pushed back a year from the original plan. In April 2009, Gannett’s Navy Times revealed that the Marines were having second thoughts about the well deck removal, and the limitations this created for the total force. Altering ship plans for LHA 6 or LHA 7 would have been too expensive, but “LHA 8’s” planned cost, and these previous statements by the Navy and Marines, suggest that this ship will have a well deck. Low amounts allocated for LHA 8 design also indicate that any well-deck equipped ship is likely to be a fairly close derivation of an existing design. So, too, does the math inherent in the ships’ volume and internal layout limits. In other words, LHA 8 looks set to be a slightly updated variant of the all-electric LHD 8 Makin Island design. In effect, it would become “LHD 9”. This return of the well deck is later confirmed as the “Flight 1” configuration.

The ship’s timeline at the end of the FYDP makes it vulnerable to further budget cuts, and so does the higher price of a well deck equipped vessel. The FYDP has set aside $4.4 billion, compared to the Navy’s 2012 estimates of $3.2 – $3.3 billion per ship for the America Class. Time will tell whether the 3rd New Amphibious Assault Ship survives.

Note that even at that lower price, America Class ships already far exceed the cost of smaller LHDs like France’s 21,500t helicopter-only Mistral Class LHD (EUR 325M/ $485M), though the American ships are designed to naval survivability levels, and feature far more advanced defenses and launch capabilities.

A better comparison may be Australia’s 27,500t, jet-capable Canberra Class LHDs (AUD$ 1.6 billion/ USD$ 1.4 billion per), or Italy’s 27,100t Cavour Class escort carrier, which combines F-35B launch capability with housing for troops, and vehicle ramps for heavy vehicles stored inside (about EUR 1.5 billion/ $1.975 billion). Measured on a per-ton basis, their cost is not all that far off. The tactical tradeoff is that larger ships like the America Class gain new fighter spots and storage capacity faster than they grow in tonnage. On the flip side, they offer less survivability and mission flexibility than 2 Cavour Class ships might enjoy.

The LHA-R Ships: 21st Century Escort Carriers

LHD Wasp Class
(click to view full)

LHA-R/NAAS design modifications aimed to optimize aviation operations and support activities. The end product is essentially a revival of the World War 2 escort carrier concept, with integrated berthing, cargo, and light vehicle spaces for Marines.

At 844 feet long and 106 feet wide, LHA-R ships will be almost 80 feet longer than USS Wasp and 10 feet wider, since they don’t have to fit through the Panama Canal. As a result, these ships will weigh in at 45,594 long tons fully loaded, rather than LHD 8’s 41,649t full load. The Navy prefers not to call their America Class ships carriers, but will admit that they’re an “aviation centric” design. In plain English, they’re really CVL/CVE aircraft carriers with crew space for 1,204, that can also berth up to 1,686 Marines, with a possible surge to 1,800 people for short periods of time. These NAAS ships will rely on a mix of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft for most of their tasks, from close air support, to transport, to helicopter coverage.

Protection comes in 3 layers, from the medium-range Evolved SeaSparrow launchers, to the short-range RAM missile system, to close-in defenses that range from radar-guided Mk.15 Phalanx 20mm gatling guns to a range of decoy systems. Few small carriers have defenses this comprehensive, and some full-size carriers in Britain and India will also fall short by comparison. Even so, advances in modern cruise missiles makes the Navy doubt LHA-R’s survivability against a determined multi-missile swarm.

DID uses the term “escort carriers” due to their relative size compared to America’s 95,000t+ nuclear-powered supercarriers, and also due to the size of their aerial complement, which is reduced by the ship’s amphibious mission. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the America Class’ overall displacement is larger than France’s 43,000t FS Charles De Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, or the American World War 2 Essex Class carriers’ 36,380t.

Like the Tarawa and Wasp classes, NAAS ships will have a flat flight deck, without a “ski ramp” on the front. With a ski ramp, V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing) fighters like the Harrier, STOVL (Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing) fighters like the F-35B, UAVs, or tilt-rotor aircraft can all take off with larger loads, while using less fuel. On the other hand, a fully flat deck increases the number of deck locations available for landing or parking aircraft.

The US Navy thought hard about this choice. During the Analysis of Alternatives phase, they considered a 69,000 ton “Dual Tram Line” option with an LHD 8 sized well deck for hovercraft, an angled flight deck like an aircraft carrier’s, and a ski ramp that allows aircraft to take off with heavier loads. Existing F-35B-capable platforms that already use the ski ramp approach include Britain’s new 65,000t Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, Italy’s new 27,100t Cavour Class aircraft carrier/LHD, and Navantia’s 27,500t BPE / Canberra Class LHDs. The Navy eventually chose to pursue a design based on LHD 8 Makin Island instead, as the path of least risk and best cost containment. For good or ill, they also decided against adding a ski ramp.

Eliminating the ramp did give them a couple more “spot factors.” A ship’s possible aircraft combinations are calculated by totaling “spot factors” (SF), and amphibious ships use the CH-46E Sea Knight’s space requirements as their base (1.0). The aged Sea Knights are being phased out, however, and will not be part of the America Class’ 58.0 Spot Factor air wings. Instead, these air wings are expected to include MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors (2.22 SF), CH-53E/K heavy transport helicopters (2.68/?), MH-60R/S multi-role utility helicopters (1.0), UH-1Y troop transport helicopters (0.94), and AH-1Z attack helicopters (0.92); and/or 6-23 fixed wing F-35B Lightning II STOVL fighters (2.0).

These new aircraft, and the MV-22 in particular, drove many of the ship’s key requirements. When one compares the “standard” complements of the LHA-R vs. the existing LHD Wasp Class, the result is about a 45% increase in required “spot factors,” for the same number of airframes: [1]

• 12 MV-22 vs. 12 CH-46 (+14.64 SF)
  
• 2 MH-60S vs. 2 UH-1 for SAR (+0.14 SF)
  
• 4 CH-35K vs. 4 CH-53E (assumed even)
  
• 3 UH-1Y vs. 3 UH-1N (+0.03 SF)
  
• 4 AH-1Z vs. 4 AH-1W (+0.36 SF)
  
• 6 F-35B vs. 6 AV-8B (+2.82 SF)

In single-role carrier configuration, America Class ships will embark 2 MH-60S helicopters for Search And Rescue, and take on 20 F-35B fighters plus all of the required spares, extra weapons, etc. Even so, the F-35B will have just 2 landing spots that can handle the heat from its engine: #7 and #9.

Floor footage wasn’t the only thing affected by the class’ escort carrier configuration. High-bay enlargement of the maintenance hangar in 2 areas was required in order to accommodate USMC MV-22s or AFSOC CV-22s, which can’t be brought in for full servicing on current LHA Tarawa and LHD Wasp Class ships.

A final aviation advantage comes from the addition of fuel tanks, in place of the ballast tanks used by the Tarawa and Wasp classes to offset the weight of a filled well deck. That more than doubles available JP-5 aviation fuel, from 600,000 gallons to a full 1.3 million gallons.

The Well Deck Issue

LHA 3 launches LCAC
(click to view full)

There’s a cost to these changes.

While it’s called an amphibious assault ship, the America class lacks those ship types’ characteristic feature: a floodable well deck for launching landing craft. The US Navy and Marines initially decided that there were enough other ships in the fleet with well decks, and contended that the use of LHA/LHD ships to transport and land heavy vehicles tends to be rare anyway. They eventually changed their minds, and “LHA 8” may now include a well deck, but LHA 6 America and LHA 7 Tripoli will be built without.

Removal of the traditional well deck offers some advantages. For starters, it provides America Class Flight 0 ships with an extended hangar deck and aviation support spaces. It also lowers LHA/CVL America Class maintenance costs. In exchange, the America Class can’t launch and land medium-heavy vehicles like the USMC’s AAV7 amphibious armored personnel carriers, their future amphibious APCs; or LCAC hovercraft that can carry vehicles like M1 tanks, LAVs, and mine resistant MRAP-type vehicles ashore.

Lift-on/ Lift-off cranes, which could have mitigated this shortfall by transferring cargo to other ships, are also absent from the design. If LHA-R Flight 0 ships decide to carry heavier vehicles, or require faster offload given the 14,000+ pound empty weight of even very light mine-resistant vehicles, their sole options will be their CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, or offloading by ramp onto a port’s docks.

Power and Influence: Secondary Ship Features

Naval LM2500
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Propulsion and power is the same hybrid system as LHD 8, which is a plus for the Navy. It involves 2 GE LM2500+ gas turbines, each rated at 35,290 shaft horsepower at U.S. Navy standard day conditions (100 degrees F), and a pair of 5,000 hp auxiliary propulsion motors. The hybrid propulsion system enables the ship’s propellers to be driven either by the gas turbines or by electric motors, which are powered from the ship service electrical system. This allows the ship to operate in a more fuel efficient mode throughout its speed range, while being able to generate far more electricity to power onboard electronics, etc.

Finally, the new class resembles its LHA/LHD predecessors in that will be able to operate as the flagship for a full expeditionary strike group. Its enhanced and reconfigurable command and control complex will be based on the US Navy’s directive to use open architecture electronics whenever possible, in order to lower costs and make future upgrades easier.

A hospital facility complements these advanced command and aviation capabilities when assisting in humanitarian operations, and serves the amphibious combat force. It’s about 67% smaller than USS Makin Island’s [LHD 8], as a result of expanding the hangar bay.

LHA-R: Contracts & Key Events

launch timelapse

Unless otherwise specified, all contracts are awarded by the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, DC, to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (now Huntington Ingalls, Inc.) in Pascagoula, MS. The company’s Ingalls operations in Pascagoula, MS is where the USA’s current fleet of Tarawa Class LHA and Wasp Class LHD amphibious ships were all built.

FY 2015-2018

October 19/18: HII starts fabricating LHA-8 Huntington Ingalls Industries is starting the fabrication of the US Navy’s next amphibious assault ship. The Bougainville is the third America-class amphibious assault ship and first Flight I ship constructed for the Navy. The America-class ships are part of the Navy’s Seapower 21 doctrine and replace the already decommissioned Tarawa-class LHAs. They are based on the more modern LHD Wasp Class design, with the LHD’s landing craft and well deck removed in favor of more planes and hangar space. The vessels are able to embark F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and V-22 Osprey aircraft. “Bougainville represents the next generation of amphibious capabilities and is a key component to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy,” James F. Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said in a press release. “The ability to both support Joint Strike Fighter and put Marines ashore will ensure that the Amphibious Fleet remains agile and capable of expeditionary warfare well into the 21st century.” The USS Bougainville (LHA 8) is scheduled to be delivered in 2024.

September 18/17: The US Navy’s newest America-class amphibious assault ship has been christened the USS Tripoli (LHA7). During a ceremony in Pascagoula, Miss., on Saturday, acting Undersecretary of the Navy Thomas Dee said the vessel “will be a force multiplier, and her crew will proudly serve our country for decades to come. I am grateful to the men and women of Ingalls Shipbuilding for their dedication and to the citizens of Pascagoula for their unwavering support as we continue to make our Navy stronger.” The Tripoli is an enlarged version of the America-class of amphibious assault ships. It is 844 feet long, displaces 45,000 tons and has larger hangars and storage capacity for aircraft and helicopters. Once operational, the US Marine Corps is expected to to deploy their vertical take-off and landing version of the F-35 Lightning II on the ship.

June 21/17: Huntington Ingalls has been awarded a $3 billion contract modification for the design and construction of the America-class Landing Helicopter Assault Replacement Amphibious Assault Ship. The majority of work will take place in Pascagoula, Miss., with further work to be carried out at smaller sites. Completion is expected for January 2024. The vessels will go towards the replacing the US Navy’s fleet of Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships.

May 8/17: Shipyard Huntington Ingalls has launched the second ship in the America-class of amphibious assault ship 13 weeks ahead of schedule. The future USS Tripoli can carry 12 Osprey aircraft and six F-35s and is fitted with .50 caliber machine guns and 20mm CWIS cannons. It can also support AV-8B Harriers, Cobra attack helicopter, cargo carriers, and other equipment. More America-class vessels are expected to be built in 2018, with the next vessel to be named after the WW2 Bougainville campaign.

April 10/17: The Navy’s USS America has successfully shot down a UAV with the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), during live-fire exercises designed to verify the new amphibious assault ship’s defense capabilities. During the test, the UAV posed as an anti-ship missile threat while the RAM utilized its quick-reaction fire-and-forget capabilities to down the drone. The USS America is the first vessel of its class and is designed to accommodate modern fighters such as the F-35B, alongside other vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft and helicopters. It will support US Marine Corps aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war.

Feb 25/15: Navy to pit two yards against each other in duopolistic design competition for LHA-8, new oilers and LX(R) dock landing ship. Mindful of the trend of shipyards to consolidate to the point where there is barely the opportunity for real competition, the Navy is deliberately packaging three very different major defense acquisition programs together and selecting two shipyards to bid for each, with the explicit expectation that each will be rewarded at least one. General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries will compete for the redesign of the LHA-8 (which sorely needs its well deck back now that Marines vehicles have plumped up); the T-AO(X) fleet oiler and the LX(R) dock landing ship replacement.

“Each shipyard will be awarded one detail design and construction contract for LHA 8 or one DD&C for T-AO(X) ships 1-6,” said a Navy representative. “This approach balances the Navy’s commitment to maintaining a viable shipbuilding industrial base while aggressively pursuing competition.” The arbitrary connection of three disparate programs and the automatic win that could go to a loser seems reminiscent of a kindergarten awards ceremony, but at least the creation and maintenance of this duopoly appears to be deliberate. It may shed light on the decision-making process as it happens for the Ingalls/BIW duopoly on the Arleigh Burke contracts and the ancient Newport News/Electric Boat rivalry for submarine work.

FY 2013-2014

LHA 6 nearing completion. LHA 8 will have a well deck.

America sea trials

July 15/15: The Navy has reportedly issued a Request for Proposals to two shipyards for a third America-class amphibious warship (LHA-8) and six next-generation oilers (TAO(X)). The RFP was sent to General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries, with the Navy looking to pit the two yards against one another for contracts to manufacture the first six oilers or LHA-8.

Oct 11/14: LHA 6 Commissioned. The ship is formally commissioned at Pier 30/32 during San Francisco Fleet Week.

She is the 4th ship to bear that name, with predecessors that include a schooner, a World War I transport [ID-3006], and a conventionally-powered aircraft carrier [CV 66, 1965-1996]. Sources: US Navy, Full video and “USS America Joins the Fleet”.

USS America

Aug 26/14: Visits, F-35B Prep. LHA 6 America is visiting around South America on its way to San Francisco, with 4 MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotors, 3 H-60 Seahawk helicopters, and a special purpose MAGTF (Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force) on board. The ship hasn’t even been commissioned yet, and they’re treating the visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Peru as a training cruise.

After PCU America’s commissioning and shakedown, a Post-Shakedown Availability visit to the shipyard expects to install modifications that will let the ship safely use F-35B fighters. To achieve that, intercostal structural additions will be inserted underneath flight deck landing spots numbers 7 and 9, in order to deal with the heat produced by the F-35B’s F135-PW-600 LiftFan engine. Those changes are currently being tested on the USS Wasp [LHD 8]. Sources: Defense Tech, “USS America Tours South America, Prepares for JSF”.

July 11/14: LHA 6. LHA 6 America leaves the Ingalls Shipbuilding division at Pascagoula, MS, sailing to the West Coast in preparation for her Oct 11/14 commissioning in San Francisco, CA. Sources: HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Amphibious Assault Ship America (LHA 6) Sails Away”.

June 20/14: LHA 7 keel. The official keel-laying ceremony for LHA 7 Tripoli takes places at HII’s Pascagoula, MS shipyard. Sources: HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Authenticates Keel of Amphibious Assault Ship Tripoli (LHA 7)”.

June 13/14: LHA 8. General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, CA receives a $23.5 million contract modification for early industry involvement in the LHA 8/ LHA(R) Flight 1 affordability design phase. LHA 8 is supposed to put the well deck back, pushing the design much closer to USS Makin Island [LHD-8]. Unfortunately, the ship has seen estimates as high as $4.4 billion. If the designers can reduce that figure, the ship’s odds of surviving coming budget battles will improve.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 RDT&E budgets. Work will be performed in San Diego, CA and is expected to be complete by May 2015. US NAVSEA in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-13-C-2401). See also HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Awarded $23.5 Million LHA 8 Affordability Contract”.

LHA 8 initial design

April 10/14: LHA 6 Delivery. HII’s Ingalls shipyard delivers the LHA 6 America to the US Navy in Pascagoula, MS. Commissioning is set for late 2014. Sources: US Navy, “Navy Accepts Delivery of the future USS America” | HII, “Ingalls Shipbuilding Delivers Amphibious Assault Ship America (LHA 6)”.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish. The report cites a high degree of rework on LHA 6, and the fact that they began construction with the design just 65% complete may have something to do with that. That has raised costs, and helped make the ship’s delivery 19 months late. Another $42.4 million will be spent on rework of the ship’s deck to cope with the F-35B’s exhaust and downwash (q.v. Jan 17/12). GAO adds that:

“Although not considered critical technologies, the program has identified an additional six key subsystems necessary to achieve capabilities. Five of these subsystems are mature. The sixth, the [GPS-guided] Joint Precision Approach and Landing System, is still in development, but LHA 6 can use backup aviation control systems to meet requirements. There are no new critical technologies expected for LHA 7 or LHA 8, but requirements for LHA 8 are still in development.”

Beyond the new deck design, design changes to LHA 7 will include a new firefighting system; and updates to the radar and the command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems. One hopes that key survivability upgrades (q.v. Jan 28/14) are also on this list. Design changes to LHA 8 will add a well deck that can accommodate 2 landing craft, and they’re considering designs that would allow compartments to be reconfigured in low-risk areas, in order to meet changing mission needs with less rework.

Jan 31/14: INSURV. LHA 6 America completes Navy acceptance trials off the coast of Pascagoula, MS. The Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) evaluated all of the ship’s major systems, including combat, propulsion, communications, navigation, mission systems and aviation capabilities. It passed with no major deficiencies, which is a real achievement for a first-of-class ship. Delivery is planned for spring 2014. Sources: US NAVSEA, “LHA 6 Completes Acceptance Trials” | HII, “Video Release — Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Amphibious Ship America (LHA 6) Sails the Gulf of Mexico for Successful Acceptance Trials”.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The America Class is included, and some of its deficiencies aren’t really about the ship – but others are.

It has been known for some time that the SSDS combat system needs continued improvement, and test aboard Nimitz Class supercarriers indicate that some modern cruise missile attacks will overwhelm existing defenses. The technical term is “Probability of Raid Annihilation”, and LHA-R isn’t likely to meet the goal the Navy set (q.v. Jan 17/12). Some of that is traceable to the design, however:

“LFT&E analysis completed so far identified potential problems in susceptibility and vulnerability that would likely result in the LHA-6 being unable to maintain or recover mission capability following a hit by certain threat weapons, the details of which are classified. The Navy’s required updated analysis is behind schedule jeopardizing planning for follow-on ship survivability improvements…. In particular, some fluid systems need additional isolation valves, sensors, and remote operators to allow rapid identification and isolation of damage and reconfiguration for restoration of the mission capability they support. Additionally, the egress from some of the troop and crew berthing spaces may result in crew causalities and delay damage control actions. The Navy has plans to incorporate some corrective actions for follow-on ships.”

Nov 7-9/13: Builder trials for PCU America are conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. If all goes well she is to be delivered to the Navy in March 2014. LHA 6, the 4th ship named USS America, will join the Pacific Fleet and have San Diego, CA as its homeport. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is scheduled for September 2016. Sources: HII, Nov 14/13 release | US Navy PEO Ships, Nov 7/13 release | DefenseTech: First America-class Amphib Nears Completion.

June 2013: LHA 8. The Navy plans to complete the Preliminary Design of LHA 8 during FY13, finalize its Capability Development Document (CDD) and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), and get started on contract design. The Senate Armed Services Committee is somewhat skeptical and recommends the addition of $20 million to the LHA-8 (i.e. flight 1) development budget because “[r]epeated Navy shipbuilding programs have shown that failing to complete a ship’s design before starting construction inevitably leads to cost growth and schedule delays.” Senate NDAA FY 2014 report 113-044 | PE 64567N budget justification [PDF].

April 2013: The FY14 President Budget still sets the order of a 3rd LHA ship to FY2017 as of the latest FYDP. The delivery of LHA 6 is however delayed by 6 months. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson had testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services in February that this delay was one of the consequences of starting FY13 under a continuing resolution (CR) preventing the start of new programs.

Schedule as of April 2014

November 2012: The Navy conducts an operational assessment of LHA 6, though they don’t release any results publicly.

Oct 20/12: The US Navy christens Pre-Commissioning Unit America [LHA 6] at HII’s shipyard in Pascagoula, MS. USN.

FY 2012

LHA 7 main contract, named “Tripoli”; LHA 6 launch; DOT&E report highlight survivability fears against modern missiles.

LHA 6 berthed
(click to view full)

June 5/12: LHA 6 launch. HII launches LHA 6 America at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS. Instead of sliding down a ramp, the ship just floated free of a drydock – but first, the 29,000 ton proto-ship became one of the largest objects moved across land when it was translated to the drydock. HII.

LHA 6 launch

May 31/12: LHA 7 main contract. A $2.381 billion fixed-price incentive contract modification, covering LHA 7 Tripoli’s detail design and construction, and installation (but not the purchase) of Government Furnished Equipment bought under separate contracts. Work will also include crew familiarization, technical manuals, and engineering and post-delivery industrial services.

Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS (92.5%); Charlottesville, VA (2.4%); Beloit, WI (1.5%); Ocean Springs, MS (1.4%); Santa Fe Springs, CA (1.2%); and Brunswick, GA (1%), and is expected to be complete by June 2018 (N00024-10-C-2229). See also US Navy.

LHA 7

May 4/12: LHA 7 Tripoli. The Secretary of the Navy picks USS Tripoli as LHA 7’s future name. This isn’t a reference to recent events, but to the USMC’s early battles against the Barbary Pirates, immortalized in the Marines’ battle hymn: “From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…”

Appropriately enough, the 1st USS Tripoli was CVE-64, a World War 2 escort carrier that served in the Atlantic theater. The 2nd USS Tripoli was LPH-10, a helicopter carrier that served in Vietnam. US Navy.

April 4/12: A $50.3 million contract modification for additional long lead time material in support of LHA 7. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS, and is expected to complete by May 2013 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Feb 13/12: FY13 PB. The President’s budget request for FY2013 sets the contract award date for LHA 7 to May 2012, with construction to start in April 2013, and expected delivery in March 2018. A more expensive LHA 8 ship has also been added in FY 2017.

Feb 6/12: LHA 7 lead-in. A $9 million contract modification for additional LHA 7 long lead time materials. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by May 2013 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Jan 26/12: LHA 7 delayed. Preliminary FY 2013 budget materials discuss coming shifts in Pentagon priorities, as the defense department moves to make future cuts. The America Class is involved:

“To ensure sufficient resources to protect these strategic priorities, we will reduce the number of ships by slowing the pace of building new ships and by accelerating the retirement of some existing ships. These include… Slipping a large deck amphibious ship (LHA) by 1 year.”

See: Pentagon release | “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” [PDF]

Jan 17/12: DOT&E report. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The America Class is included, even though they haven’t conducted testing yet. Some of the ship’s systems have been tested elsewhere, however, and their problems affect the ship. At the same time, some aspects of the design itself are being questioned, and so is ship survivability.

The good news is that LHA 6 will likely meet its Key Performance Parameters for vehicular stowage space, F-35B capacity, vertical take-off and landing spots, cargo space, and troop accommodations; but it will have much less hospital capacity than other American LHA/LHDs. DOT&E wonders if it will be enough.

The bad news is that LHA 6’s 12,000 pound limit for the vehicle ramp from the hangar deck to the flight deck, is a serious problem. Since the America Class has no well deck and no crane, everything must be airlifted ashore. There’s no point in having a ramp that can support 70-ton tanks and 24-ton LAVs, but even an up-armored HMMWV would stress the ramp as currently designed. Worse, blast-resistant MRAP or JLTV vehicles that could be airlifted off by a CH-53K, and would be necessary for many operations, couldn’t be carried on the ship. Those limitations are magnified by DOT&E’s statement that the USN and USMC haven’t yet produced a concept of operations or concept of employment that accounts for the America Class’ lack of a well deck, or that takes advantage of its enhanced aviation capability. On which note:

“Jet blast from the F-35Bs is expected to produce unsafe forces on flight deck personnel up to 75 feet from the short take-off line. MV-22 operations produce heat levels that might damage the flight deck and overwhelm the environmental controls in the spaces immediately below the flight deck.”

A full survivability assessment report is due in FY12, but DOT&E is concerned that:

“Due to long-standing and previously identified legacy sensor limitations, LHA-6 may be vulnerable to certain airborne threat flight profiles. Based on combat systems testing on other platforms, it is unlikely that LHA-6’s Ship Self-Defense System Mk 2-based combat system (including Nulka, SLQ-32, and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) will meet the ship’s Probability of Raid Annihilation requirement against anti-ship cruise missiles.”

This is true, but worth deeper analysis. Part of the problem is that there’s only so much weaponry one puts on ships like this. Its armament is actually substantially stronger than foreign LHDs like the Mistral or Juan Carlos/Canberra Classes, and matches up evenly against the Italian Cavour Class light carrier and amphibious support vessel. If advances in enemy weapons create a problem, other ships will have to compensate, or the cost of each NAAS ship would become very high indeed.

In this case, however, DOT&E is citing performance shortfalls against certain threat types by the ship’s component weapons: RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-116 RAM, Nulka, SLQ-32, and the ship’s radars. The radar shortfalls are a known issue, but unless the USN opted for a foreign radar design, there’s no reasonably-priced radar option that would fix them. As for the weapons, they are a real problem for the fleet, but extraneous to this one program. The long term solution is for their capabilities to improve, or the Navy to adjust its tactics to address their weaknesses, if it can.

FY 2010 – 2011

LHA 7 added to program, and lead-in buys begin; Any LHA 8 will have a well deck.

LHA 7 concept
(click to view full)

Aug 1/11: RAM. A $7.4 million contract modification for 3 refurbished and upgraded rolling airframe missile MK 49 Mod 3 Guided Missile Launch Systems with associated hardware, for use on LHA 7 (2 systems) and LCS 5 (Detroit, Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship, 1 system).

Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ, and is expected to be complete by March 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00024-11-C-5448).

April 15/11: SAR to 2 ships. The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisitions Report ending Dec 30/10 includes the America Class under significant cost increases, for an obvious reason:

“LHA 6 – Program costs increased $3,458.9 million (+102.7%) from $3,367.9 million to $6,826.8 million, due primarily to the addition of one ship from one to two ships.”

March 31/11: LHA lead-in. A not-to-exceed $28.7 million contract modification for the procurement of additional long lead time material in support of “the LHA replacement flight 0 amphibious assault ship.” That could describe LHA 6 America, or LHA 7; timelines suggest that it probably means LHA 7.

Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA (79.9%), and Pascagoula, MS (20.1%), and is expected to be complete by March 2014 (N00024-10-C-2229).

Oct 28/10: A $48.1 million contract modification for additional planning and advanced engineering services in support of LHA 7. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS, and is expected to be complete by May 2012 (N00024-10-C-2229). See also Northrop Grumman.

June 30/10: LHA 7 lead-in. A not-to-exceed $175.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for LHA 7 long-lead time material, planning, and advance engineering services. The as-yet unnamed LHA 7 will be an LHA-R Flight 0 ship just like America [LHA 6], which is now 25% complete. Long lead time materials include items like main reduction gears, which must be complete and ready to go very early in the build stage. With all contract options exercised, this contract could reach $193 million.

Work will be performed in Brunswick, GA (24.4%); locations yet to be determined (24.2%); Pascagoula, MS (23.1%); Los Angeles, CA (17.3%); York, PN (9.3%); and Brampton, Canada (1.7%), and is expected to be complete by March 2014. This contract was not competitively procured (N00024-10-C-2229). See also Northrop Grumman release.

March 30/10: GAO. The US GAO audit office delivers its 8th annual “Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs report. With respect to LHA-R, it says:

“The LHA 6 began construction in December 2008 with mature technologies, but [only 65%]… of its design complete… Approximately 45 percent of the LHA 6 design is based on the LHD 8. The Navy conducted two production readiness reviews to assess the shipbuilder’s readiness to commence full construction. In addition, as of September 2009, the program office had conducted unit readiness reviews for 141 of the ship’s 216 assembly units. The LHA 6 is likely to experience further cost growth because postdelivery rework of the ship’s deck may be necessary to cope with the intense, hot downwash of the Joint Strike Fighter… The Navy is planning to conduct aircraft tests on the LHD 1 during the fall of 2010, and will then determine whether the LHA 6 [and other ships that will operate it] need to modify their flight decks. The program office does not expect the Navy to finalize a solution for the LHA 6 prior to ship delivery…”

March 22/10: Gannett’s Navy Times:

“More than two years before the amphibious assault ship America enters the fleet, Marine officials have already drawn up early plans for a version of the ship that includes a major component America is missing – a well deck. The “LHA 8 concept,” as it was called in a presentation Monday by Marine Corps Combat Development Command, would combine new aviation features the Marines want in the America class with a traditional big-deck capacity for landing craft and green gear… the Navy’s most recent shipbuilding program includes no plans for such a ship… Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has said it would be prohibitively expensive to alter the designs for America or the follow-on LHA 7, so they’ll be built as planned.”

FY 2008 – 2009

LHA 6 keel laid; America Class.

RIM-116 RAM Launch

Aug 28/09: Well deck rethink? Information Dissemination reports that the Marines may be rethinking the removal of this class’ well decks:

“When the Marines decided to remove the well deck on the LHA (R) for USS America (LHA 6), it was a decision to move towards specialization. No surprise then that this year the Marines testified in front of Congress that the well deck will be added to future LHA (R)s as soon as possible, because just the removal of the well deck turned the LHA (R) into too much of a specialization for the Marines to overcome shortcomings in necessary sealift throughput.”

July 17/09: LHA 6 keel laid. Northrop Grumman Corporation holds the keel authentication ceremony for LHA 6 at the company’s Pascagoula facility.

Per Navy and maritime tradition, ship sponsor Lynne Pace had her initials welded onto a ceremonial steel plate noting the ship’s keel had been “truly and fairly laid.” Ms. Pace is the wife of retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the first US Marine to Chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff. NGC release.

Oct 20/08: LM2500. GE’s LM2500+ gas turbines will power the USS America, which surprises no-one. The same engine was used on LHD-8, and its use in LHA 6 was expected from the outset. Northrop Grumman’s formal selection merely makes it official.

The LHA 6 ship’s mechanical-electric propulsion system will consist of 2 LM2500+ gas turbines, each rated at 35,290 shaft horsepower at U.S. Navy standard day conditions (100 degrees F), and a pair of 5,000 hp auxiliary propulsion motors. The hybrid propulsion system enables the ship’s propellers to be driven either by the gas turbines or by the electric motors, which are powered from the ship service electrical system. This allows the ship to operate in a more fuel efficient mode throughout its speed range, and also gives it more electrical capacity to power sensors and onboard equipment. MarineLog.

June 27/08: America Class. US Navy Secretary Donald Winter announces that LHA 6 would be named USS America when it is brought into service, a move that also names the ship class.

The new America would be the 4th ship in US Navy service to bear the name; the last such ship was CV 66, the Kitty Hawk Class aircraft carrier commissioned in 1965, decommissioned in 1996, and sunk as an 2005 experiment using explosives, torpedoes and naval gunfire. US Navy | Gannett’s Navy Times.

Class named

March 20/08: LHA 6. Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit has been selected to supply the Machinery Control System (MCS) for LHA 6, under a contract valued at approximately $47.6 million. The contract work includes hardware, software, design, engineering, logistics, training, testing and shipboard integration support. It also includes an option for continuing logistics support of the MCS and its land-based test facility through the end of the LHA 6 ship guaranty period. The work will be performed at Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine facility in Charlottesville, VA and at the Pascagoula shipyard.

The MCS for LHA 6 will be a completely integrated network for monitoring and controlling the ship’s main propulsion plant and auxiliary systems, and will include more than 50 data acquisition units located around the ship, 25 operating consoles, 10 electric plant and propulsion plant controllers, and multiple redundant local-area network switches. It is based on a similar system being supplied by Sperry Marine for Makin Island [LHD 8], which has the same gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution and electric auxiliary systems. NGC release.

Jan 30/08: SSDS. Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems in San Diego, CA received a $17.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5105) for FY 2008 production of 4 “Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) MK 2 Tactical Ship Sets. SSDS will form the core of the ships’ self-defense capabilities, tying together, coordinating, and even automating the sensors, weapons, and decisions involved from detection, to engagement, to kill against anti-ship missiles etc. Raytheon will also conduct a special study to define engineering changes to the SSDS MK 2 product baseline in support of the LHA 6 Combat System configuration.

Work will be performed in Portsmouth, RI, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 2009. This contract was not competitively procured.

FY 2007 and Earlier

LHA 6 initial milestones.

F-35B vertical landing
(click to view full)

June 1/07: LHA 6 order. A $2.4 billion fixed-price incentive modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) for the detail design and construction of the LHA 6 Amphibious Assault Ship. The LHA 6 LHA-R Class will replace the LHA 1 Tarawa. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS (95%) and New Orleans, LA (5%), and is expected to be complete by August 2012.

Philip Teel, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman’s Ship Systems sector, is quoted in Northrop Grumman’s release:

“This contract award reinforces the U.S. Navy’s confidence that we have recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina and are capable of meeting the warfighters’ needs in a timely and cost effective manner.”

LHA 6

June 15/06: LHA 6 lead-in. A $20.4 million modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) to exercise a cost-plus-fixed-fee option for special studies and procurement of additional long lead-time material, in support of LHA 6 ship construction. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by December 2006.

Feb 13/06: A $93.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification under a previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-2221) exercises options to initiate engineering and detail design for the LHA-R Flight 0 Amphibious Assault Ship, and procure additional long lead time material in support of ship construction. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, MS and is expected to be complete by December 2006.

July 15/05: LHA 6 lead-in. A $109.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for advanced planning, long lead time materials, systems engineering, and special studies for the first LHA-R Flight 0 Amphibious Assault Ship. Work on this contract will be performed at t Work is expected to be complete by December 2006. The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis (N00024-05-C-2221). The total contract value, if all options are exercised, will be $264 million.

Aug 6/04: LHA 6 lead-in. FY 2005 Defense Appropriations Act includes $150 million for Advance Procurement related to LHA-R Flight 0

Aug 5/04: LHA-R CDD formally entered into JCIDS review process

June 17/04: Feasibility Design completed; results briefed to ASN (RD&A)

April 30/04: Required Capabilities Letter for LHA(R) Flight 0 issued by ASN (RD&A), CNO and CMC

Jan 23/04: ASN (RD&A) formally asks for additional cost vs. capability studies

September 2002: Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) Report re: possible range of ship designs completed

July 20/01: MS A Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM)

March 5/01: Mission Need Statement (MNS)

Nov 20/2000: NAVSEA’s PMS377 designated as LHA-R Program Managers

Footnotes

fn1. Spot factor figures, MV-22 maintenance, and fuel capabilities given in US PEO-Ships briefing presentation to the NDIA. [return to article]

Additional Readings Background: The America Class

• US Navy – Amphibious Assault Ships Fact File

• US Navy SURFPAC – LHD/LHA

• PEO Ships – Amphibious Assault Ships Replacement.

• HII – LHA

• Global Security – LH-X. LHA-R was the next step, and a significant change.

Background: Ship Ancillaries

• DID – CEC: Cooperative Engagement for Fleet Defense

• DID – RIM-162 ESSM Missile: Naval Anti-Air in a Quad Pack

• DID – Phalanx CIWS: The Last Defense, On Ship and Ashore. LHA-Rs use Phalanx Block IB.

• DID – RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) Systems: Contracts & Events

• DID – USN Ship Protection: From “Slick 32s” to SEWIP

• DID – NGC Contracted for USN/RAN SPQ-9B Radars & Support.

• DID – SSDS: Quicker Naval Response to Cruise Missiles. LHA-Rs use the combat system’s Mk.2 MOD 4B variant.

Background: Aircraft

• DID – CH-53K: The U.S. Marines’ HLR Helicopter Program.

• DID – Snakes and Rotors: The USMC’s H-1 Helicopter Program.

• DID – MH-60R/S: The USA’s New Naval Workhorse Helicopters. Any LHx ship could also embark MH-60R helicopters for added anti-submarine punch, but distributed hosting on destroyers and LCS ships is almost always a better idea for the fleet.

• DID – V-22 Osprey: The Multi-Year Buys, 2008-2017.

News & Views

• Sea Power 21 – Doctrine circa 2002.

• Naval Postgraduate School (June 2012) – Thesis on the effect of shipboard design decisions in amphibious warfare [PDF].

• US NAVSEA (June 2005) – LHA-R Cargo Handling System Trade Study Models [PDF]. Back when the ships were planned with a well deck; sets out options et. al for cargo functions within that space.

• Congressional Budget Office (Nov 1/04) – The Future of the Navy’s Amphibious and Maritime Prepositioning Forces. Notes that the Navy’s current plan risks industrial and capacity shortfalls.

• National Defense Magazine (August 2004) – Navy Downsizing Could Weaken Marine Corps Expeditionary Posture.

• Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Div (March 2004) – LHA(R): Designing the Next Generation of Big Deck Amphibious Assault Ships [PDF] with initial specs that are different from the final specifications.

• DSpace at MIT, Department of Ocean Engineering (May 30/02) – LHA-R: Amphibious Assault Ships For The 21st Century [PDF]. An initial set of modeled concepts and discussion the includes extensive modeling work on a notional trimaran hull design, as well as a thorough look at the LHA-R’s required capabilities and various trade-offs. Interesting read, and a thorough discussion document.