Defense Industry Daily

Austrian Typhoons
w. IRIS-T missiles
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In 2003, Austria signed a EUR 2 billion contract to receive 18 EADS Eurofighters plus required support (just over $2.5 billion, or about $140 million per plane). The aircraft were already under construction in Germany when the 2006 election results forced the leftist SPO party, whose campaign promises included canceling the fighter deal, into the Austrian government coalition.

That shift led to a fraught series of negotiations within Austria, and then with EADS. The 2 sides played a game of billion-dollar chicken, leading to a settlement in 2007. The Eurofighter’s rough ride in Austria seemed to be over with delivery of the 15th and final aircraft in 2009, but controversies continue.

Contracts and Key Events

Airborne.
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Grandiose statements from the SPO immediately after the 2006 election were followed by a quick crash back to reality, as the mathematics of the electoral results asserted themselves. Eventually, a grand coalition government was formed that pledged to resume negotiations with EADS, after a response from Eurofighter GmbH set Austria’s cost of cancellation at EUR 1.2 billion in return for zero aircraft.

While those negotiations continued, the first Austrian Eurofighter flew, #2 was rolled out, #3-6 were in final assembly, and the rest kept advancing into partial assembly.

Eventually, a EUR 1.63 billion compromise was set for 15 Tranche 1, Block 5 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and support services. Germany is a key source of support and training, allowing the Austrians to use their infrastructure and facilities.

2018

 

A380 escorts
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December 10/18: What will it be? The Austrian government is currently debating the future of the country’s air force. Austrian newspaper Die Presse reports that the coalition government is split over whether to keep its fleet of Eurofighter Tranche 1 Block 5 fighter aircraft or replace them with new Saab Gripen jets. Austria is currently in a legal battle with the Eurofighter consortium, accusing them of fraud and wilful deception in connection with the $2 billion, 12 unit plane order signed in 2003. The conservatives prefer to keep the Eurofighters, whereas the Freedom Party prefers to replace the planes. Die Presse notes that both options would cost about the same, and adds that keeping the jets will also require various upgrades and new weapon systems. Austria’s MoD is currently plagued by a declining budget but needs to replace its ageing aircraft fleet, upcoming purchases may include new helicopters and Leonardo’s M-345.

2014

June 20/14: Going to broke. Austria continues to cut their defense budget, with planned reductions to 0.5% of GDP that may leave them with almost no air force. Austria’s Kurier pegs flight-hour costs for Austria’s Eurofighters at an astonishing EUR 70,000, and says that the budget will force the jets to cancel quick-reaction exercises, and operate the planes only from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

In addition, agreements would be required with Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, in order to coordinate air policing by allowing other nations’ aircraft to overfly Austria. The question is whether they will be interested, given their own tight budgets. Hungary already has an agreement with Slovenia, but they only have 14 jets. The Czech air force isn’t any bigger, and Slovakia can’t help. Switzerland’s own air force can’t operate around the clock, and recently had to depend on the French and Italians to deal with a highjacked jet that landed in their country. The failure of their recent fighter referendum leaves them in a position where they need to conserve remaining flight hours in their F/A-18C/D Hornets.

If the de facto result of this policy is to partially cede Austrian air sovereignty to Germany, is that really a politically wise move? A second-loop question might also ask whether picking a fighter known to have high operating expenses was a good idea for Austria in the first place. Sources: Austria Kurier, “Ungarische Gripen sollen Wien sichern”.

May 15/14: Going to broke. SPO Party Defence Minister Gerald Klug admits that the army “is no longer financially viable” at a total budget of EUR 1.948 billion, which includes EUR 1.3 billion in personnel costs. Vehicles are being impounded, helicopters are running into trouble, and even deployments to flooded areas are being delayed as the Army looks to rent civilian vehicles.

Meanwhile, the air force has only 12 pilots for its 15 Eurofighters. The problem is that they have to maintain flying qualifications, and there are only enough flight hours to keep 12 pilots qualified. Others have reportedly been redeployed into the Army as simulator instructors. sources: Austria’s The Local, “Austrian army ‘going broke'” and “Only 12 pilots for 15 Eurofighter jets”.

2009 – 2013

 

Coming and Going
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Oct 23/13: Upgrades. Eurofighter GmbH announces that Austria’s Eurofighter Typhoons “now have the latest capability standard for Tranche 1 aircraft,” but it isn’t clear what that means.

The Typhoon’s Phase 1 Enhancements include full integration of the LITENING III surveillance & targeting pod, the ability to use dual-mode GPS/laser guided smart bombs, IFF mode 5, and the ability to use the HMSS helmet-mounted display for ground attack. On the other hand, it won’t be ready for customers before the end of 2013, and and requires Tranche 2 fighters. Austria is already done with their upgrade. Eurofighter gave meaningless details, which amount to “some new hardware and software were installed.” Sources: Eurofighter GmbH, “Austrian Eurofighters equipped with latest capability standard for Tranche 1 aircraft” and “Increased operational capabilities for Eurofighter Typhoon”.

Sept 19/13: Investigation. Format magazine reports that in July 2013, Austrian police searched the Voelklermarkt offices of US-based automotive supplier Dana Holding Corp, as part of Austria’s investigation of EADS over the Eurofighter sale. German prosecutors say EADS paid at least EUR 50 million (around $67 million) in bribes to Austrian officials, but they’re going to have to prove that. Sources: Reuters, “Austrian police search Dana offices in Eurofighter investigation: report”.

Nov 12/12: Corruption scandal. Austrian police have raided the home of Frank Walter P., whose companies were involved in the Eurofighter deal under the aegis of industrial offsets. Many are in fact just shell companies, and there is now suspicion that the firms were a vector for bribes to Austrian politicians. The allegation on the warrant translates as “collective bribery in coincidence with aggravated breach of trust,” in connection with up to EUR 113.5 million in funds placed with a variety of firms.

The arrangement began to unravel when Italian police arrested Gianfranco Lande for a Ponzi scheme that scammed the Calabrian mafia. He wouldn’t discuss the mafia, but he needed protection, so he told investigators that he had created a complex web of companies for a large corporation in Germany, with (now defunct) London-based Vector Aerospace LLP at its center. Lande also named individuals at EADS. One question involves how far the scandal will reach into EADS, and whether it will trigger the resignation of CEO Tom Enders.

Appendix A-8 of the classified agreement reportedly contains the terms that revolve around Article 304 of the Austrian Criminal Code, which prohibits bribes paid directly or by 3rd parties. Would proven bribes invalidate the contract? If so, the planes could be returned to EADS, and Austria’s payment could be refunded. It’s very likely that the government would prefer some sort of re-negotiation, anyway, instead of removing all of Austria’s fighters and being forced to start deal negotiations again. Der Spiegel.

Bribery scandal

Feb 17/10: The Austrian Bundesheer responds to a range of allegations, including allegations that its Eurofighter force suffers from low availability. The key question appears to revolve around the meaning of “einsatzbereit,” which could translate as “mission ready”, but seems here to mean “ready for launch.”

What the Bundesheer says is that it doesn’t make military or economic sense to keep all 15 Eurofighters “einsatzarbeit”, as air policing duties require just 2 planes plus a replacement fighter at the ready. The release cites the World Economic Forum in Davos, which had 2 aircraft in the air at all times, and involved 10 Eurofighters “ständig einsatzbereit.” OK, fine. But what’s the readiness rate if the others are called upon? Austrian Bundesheer [in German].

Feb 16/10: Fender bender. An Austrian Eurofighter has a minor mishap on landing, which is expected to cost EUR 15,000. The plane was coming in for an emergency landing, when its landing gear finally deployed. That was the good news. The bad news is that the rear arrester hook was extended as part of the emergency landing process, and slammed back into the fuselage after it hit the runway. Krone | Aviation Week.

Sept 24/09: Eurofighter delivers the 15th and final aircraft ordered by the Austrian Armed Forces, as the aircraft is rolled out from the EADS Defence & Security Manching assembly line, located close to Munich, Germany.

Logistics and training support under the 2003 contract helped the Austrian Air Force begin operational air policing missions by June 2008 – just 11 months after delivery of the first Eurofighter. Since the first Typhoon entered service, Eurofighter GmbH says that the aircraft have flown more than 1,100 flying hours from the Air Surveillance Wing’s home base in Zeltweg, Austria. Eurofighter GmbH.

All 15 delivered

July 21/09: Eurofighter Typhoons in service with the Air Surveillance Wing of Osterreichische Luftstreitkrafte, Austria’s Joint Armed Forces Command, have reached the 1,000 flying hours milestone. The Uberwachungsgeschwader (overwatch squadron) has received 12 aircraft to date, and delivery of the remaining 3 is planned during the coming months. Eurofighter GmbH.

2007 – 2008

 

Under construction
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July 1/08: Austrian Eurofighter Typhoons formally take over the protection of Austrian airspace under the leadership of the Joint Armed Forces Command, Graz, and the Air Surveillance Command, Wals, of the Austrian military. The fighters have been active before this date, most notably patrolling the skies over the Austrian host stadiums during the Euro 2008 soccer championships. Eurofighter GmbH.

Sept 13/07: The 2nd Austrian Eurofighter is delivered and arrives at Zeltweg Air Base. Eurofighter GmbH.

July 12/07: The first Eurofighter Typhoon is delivered to the Osterreichische Luftstreitkrafte at its new home base at Zeltweg air base, Austria. AS001 is the 125th Eurofighter Typhoon to be delivered to all customers.

Meanwhile, the first flight of Typhoon AS002 took place at EADS Military Air Systems at Manching on 09 July 2007, while aircraft AS003 – AS006 are in final assembly at EADS in Manching, Germany. Eurofighter GmbH.

June 26/07: The Eurofighter consortium of of Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, EADS CASA and EADS Deutschland reaches agreement with the Government of Austria. Instead of 18 aircraft, Austria will receive 15 Eurofighters with latest capability standard of Tranche 1. There will also be “a price reduction on the negotiated in-service Support Contract that has not been signed yet,” probably coupled with training cutbacks to reduce the need for service.

The price reduction on the contract is EUR 370 million, leaving the contract at about EUR 1.63 billion. Eurofighter GmbH announcement.

Note that most recent Eurofighter version is Tranche 2, scheduled for delivery beginning in 2008. Tranche 1 jets are mostly air superiority fighters, unless additional equipment is added or retrofitted. Eurofighter GmbH’s reference to “equipment standard strictly meeting the requirement for air surveillance” seems to imply that these upgrades will not be present, thus restricting Austria’s Eurofighters to combat air patrol until/unless the political dynamic changes and modifications are made in a future contract.

Austrian settlement

May 6/07: Austria’s Defence Minister says that Eurofighter GmbH has broken off talks, and threatens unilateral cancellation. EADS says it merely canceled the next negotiating session, after a parliamentary inquiry panel indicated it wanted to complete its investigation before further talks were held. Lots of sturm und drang. Not a lot of substance. See translated and annotated release at defence-aerospace.

AS001 rollout
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March 21/07: Eurofighter GmbH announces a successful flight for the first production Austrian Eurofighter. AS001, Austrian Air Force designation 7L+WA, is a Block 5 standard aircraft, representing the last build standard of Tranche 1 (Block 5). Austria is supported in the acceptance process by the German Ministry of Defence, which flies the Eurofighter and is handling all acceptance testing and related process. Eurofighter adds this update re: program status, which bears directly on contract cancellation expenses:

“The second aircraft for Austria, AS002, was rolled out only a few days earlier and is now undergoing final checks before engine runs and the addition of Air Force colour scheme to the aircraft. First flight is scheduled for April 2007. AS003 through to AS006 are in Final assembly, while the major components for AS007 through to AS018 are in production. The training simulator has been installed at Zeltweg, the Main Operating Base (MOB) of the Austrian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, and first flights in the simulator have been achieved. This training device is currently undergoing an upgrade to the software, allowing for a greater capability in aircrew training.”

Under the terms of the contract, Austria will receive 18 aircraft, and deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2009. Eurofighter GmbH CEO, Aloysius Rauen, adds:

“The flight of AS001 as the first Austrian Eurofighter Typhoon and the first export Eurofighter Typhoon [DID: beyond the 4 partner countries], is a major milestone in the programme.”

1st flight

Jan 24/07: Eurofighter GmbH launches a German language web site promoting the Austrian Eurofighter purchase.

Jan 8/07: The socialist SPO and the center-right OVP agree to form a grand coalition. Together with the OVP a “very comprehensive working programme” of about 180 pages had been developed for the next four years, said SPO leader Alfred Gusenbauer. The announcement adds that “The negotiations on the Eurofighter military jets are to be resumed to reach a more cost-favourable solution.”

Given that there is a contract in place, and EADS has made its position on cancellation clear, it will be interesting to see if that phrase ends up meaning much beyond “we tried.”

2006

 

Austrian F-5Es & Draken
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Nov 6/06: Defense Aerospace translates a Ministry of Defence release issued in German-Austrian. In response to an Austrian request for an analysis of options relating to a possible cancellation of the contract, Eurofighter GmbH quoted a figure of EUR 1.2 billion (about $1.53 billion), in return for which Austria would receive no aircraft.

“In the letter, Eurofighter GmbH stated that, to large extent, it has already attained the major production milestones. In addition, approximately 400 subcontractors would be affected by a termination of contract.”

This looks like an opening negotiation bid to us, but the fact that it’s backed by a signed contract makes it a fairly strong one.

Oct 30/06: The socialist SPO party has assembled a majority for a committee of inquiry on the Eurofighter deal, by adding the Green + FPO parties. In response, the conservative OVP party has suspended talks to form a coalition.

Austrian reader Robert Toegel adds that: “Our last committee of inquiry on jets was working over a 4-year-period and the second batch of Saab 105Oe jets is still flying.”

Earlier in October 2006, Austria’s SPO had this to say:

“A committee of inquiry should clarify the political responsibility for the senseless procurement of this unbelievably expensive war machine,” Josef Cap, the Social Democrats’ floor leader, told Vienna’s Der Standard newspaper. “We don’t need the Eurofighter. It is not an ideological, but a financial issue. I’ve got nothing against these planes as such. But they cost an awful lot of money. I always believed that there were much better things to be done with that money.”

Odds are, those things don’t involve alternative fighter choices; Austria’s Luftabteilung recently retired its 1960s-era Draken fighters, and now flies rented 1970s-era Swiss F-5Es. At any rate, the translated Deutsche Welle article has a couple of errors (South Korea and Singapore made firm decisions and bought F-15s instead, and Greece canceled its 60-plane order), but is reasonably good at explaining the Austrian situation.

DID Local Reader Commentary

Not again.

Austrian reader Robert Toegel writes from Vienna:

“The Socialist Party SPO [DID: O = Oesterreich, or Austria], which won the last election has promised to stop the Eurofighter deal. Now, the only potential partner for a coalition is the conservative party OVP, which signed the contract. The socialist party is on the way to “modify” their position to form a new government. Mr. Caps statement is a preparation for this negotiations. The conservative party will probably not even start negotiations when the socialists really insist on a committee of inquiry.

In Austria fighter deals are very unpopular – we had the same problems when we introduced the Drakens. The socialists have no alternative for air policing tasks and would fight against any plane. As long the conservatives will be part of the government, as long the contract will not be canceled.

Both parties will start negotiations shortly. The SPO got the official note to start with negotiations from the President. I predict many Eurofighter press statements in the next months with many personal opinions without relevance.”

An accurate description, it seems, of any statement or analysis that doesn’t include the political coalition dynamics involved. The politics of the situation make cancellation very unlikely, and would be the same even if both party’s political positions were reversed. Toegel later adds:

“I forgot to note, that the Austrian Air Force has just started the first ground crew training course in Kaufbeuren (GER). From 10.09.06 to 05.04.07 there will be 6 courses for 6 to 14 crewmembers. 72 crewmembers will be trained in Germany (Source: Luftwaffe.de).”

Additional Readings

• DID (Aug 4/09) – Eurofighter’s EUR 9B Multinational Tranche 3A Contract. Austria is not a Tranche 3 buyer, but the article has the type’s full production history and details.

Americas

Huntington Ingalls (HII) is being contracted to support two of the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification is priced at $10.7 million and provides for material purchases and management for the USS Chosin and USS Vicksburg. HII will provide a number of efforts including engineering, technical, planning, ship configuration, data, and logistics work. These efforts cover lifetime support of both maintenance and modernization. The Ticonderoga Class remains critical to American seapower, functioning as anti-air defense platform, and contributing substantial anti-ship and anti-submarine combat power to its assigned naval groups. Work will be performed at HII’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be complete by August 2019.

Flight Global reports that the US Marine Corps intends to replace two of its ageing C-9B Skytrain executive transports with two Boeing C-40 aircraft. Supported by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the USMC is currently conducting a market survey to identify a potential business that could procure and deliver the aircraft. NAVAIR says it is open to considering a second-hand aircraft, however the it is more likely that the service will turn to Boeing, the aircraft’s sole manufacturer. The 737 based C-40 Clipper comes in 3 variants; the C-40A is a Navy aircraft, while its counterpart C-40C and executive/VIP C-40Bs are USAF planes. The C-40A is modified with a large cargo door, and the strengthened wings and landing gear of the 737-800. The aircraft is certified to operate in three configurations: an all-passenger configuration that can accommodate 121 passengers, an all-cargo configuration of eight cargo pallets, or a combination of three pallets and 70 passengers. The Clipper has a range of 3,400 nautical miles with 5,000 pounds of cargo, and can carry up to 40,000 pounds.

Middle East & Africa

The Egyptian Navy inks a five-year in-service support agreement with France’s Naval Group. Managed by a company subsidiary work will be performed in the port of Alexandria and covers a number of vessels. “This milestone marks a new step in the long-term strategic partnership between Naval Group and the Egyptian Navy. Naval Group is proud to serve the Egyptian Navy,” Naval Group said. The Egyptian Navy took delivery of the second out of four Naval Group produced Gowind-corvettes in September 2018; the navy’s other Naval Group vessel, the FREMM multi-mission frigate Tahya Misr was delivered in 2015. In June 2016, Naval Group delivered two Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels to the Egyptian Navy.

Europe

Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) is contracting Saab to deliver Giraffe 4A multi-function radars and maintain the military’s Arthur artillery locating system. The Giraffe 4A digital multi-channel system features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology based on gallium nitride (GaN). The system can be used for air surveillance and air defense as well as warning and artillery locating tasks. “Our ground-based radar Giraffe 4A strengthens our customers’ capability to detect incoming threats including tactical ballistic missiles. Tensions around us are increasing and the system gives our customers a world-class multi-function capability that helps to protect their interests”, says Anders Carp, Head of Saab’s business area Surveillance. Arthur is a stand alone medium-range passive phased array C-band radar that detects incoming shells and rockets, and determines where they were fired from before the shells can even land. The system can reportedly detect a mortar bomb at 55 km, shells at 31 km rockets at 50 – 60 km, locating targets at a rate of 100 per minute. It has been sold to several countries, including South Korea and the United Kingdom.

The Dutch Armed Forces are procuring a number of next-generation container systems from the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group. The Cambridge headquartered company will provide more than 1400 container systems over the next five years under this $127 million deal. The production order includes command and control shelters, workshops, controlled atmosphere and basic stores units, together with a 14-year fully integrated availability support package, including a full availability-based fleet management package. Alistair McPhee, chief executive of Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, told Business Weekly: “Winning this contract is a major milestone in the strategic development of our Land Systems business and emphasises our capability to manage major programmes which benefits not only Marshall but local suppliers. “During both the implementation and support phases of this contract we will be working closely with Dutch industry not only as part of the supply chain but also as part of the development of our business across Europe.” Marshall “specialises in providing deployable infrastructure or shelters, vehicle systems and support services to military forces worldwide”. Army Technology notes that more than 6,000 shelters in more than 200 configurations are in currently in service.

The Franco-German training academy (EFA) in Le Cannet-des-Maures in South-East France is now equipped with a fully upgraded Eurocopter Tiger simulation system. The system has been configured to train aircrews of France’s Tiger HAD combat support variant and Germany’s UHT Step 2 anti-tank and fire support variant. Work is being done as part of the Tiger Aircrew Training Means (TATM) program that started in December 2014. Performed by Thales and Rheinmetall, upgrade work included new cockpit configurations, displays and avionics for both variants and new weapons systems for the HAD version. Awarded by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, the program also includes a support package for all 20 simulators in service until 2025.

Asia-Pacific

Two US Marine aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Japan during a nightime air-to-air refueling exercise on Thursday. The incident involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 tanker aircraft. CNN was told that five crew were on board the KC-130 and two on the F/A-18 at the time of the crash. The ‘mishap’, as the US Marine Corps describes it, happened some 200 miles of the coast as the aircraft flew through adverse weather conditions. Two Marines were rescued. One is in “fair condition”, while the other “is being transported to a local hospital for evaluation”, Corps’ officials told the BBC. F/A-18 Super Hornets are designed for both air-superiority and land attack missions, and can carry a variety of ordnance ranging from air-to-air missiles and precision-guided bombs to standoff munitions. The US Marines fly smaller, earlier-generation F/A-18 C/D Hornets that are no longer in production. The KC-130J is a multi-role, medium-sized fixed-wing aerial refueling aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin, it essentially is a very advanced derivative of the standard C-130J.

Today’s Video

Watch: Royal Navy and RAF locked in dogfight over new jets | Sky News

C-40A Clipper
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The 737 based C-40 Clipper represents a substantial upgrade over the 1970s-era, DC-9 based C-9 Skytrains and 727-based C-22Bs that have performed its transport roles to date. The C-9s are still in service with the US Naval Reserve and USAF, but they’re expected to be be phased out as the C-40s take up the load. Meanwhile, concern has been expressed about the funding levels for this replacement program, as well as the USAF and US Navy C-9 fleet’s continued durability. The USAF’s C-9A models are of particular concern.

The C-40 comes in 3 variants; the C-40A is a Navy aircraft, while its counterpart C-40C and executive/ VIP C-40Bs are USAF planes. The USAF’s C-40 leasing contracts have been a source of some controversy, but the program has continued, alongside Air Force and Navy buys.

The C-40 Programs

C-40A loading
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To create a US Navy C-40, the 737-700C airframe is modified with a large cargo door, and the strengthened wings and landing gear of the 737-800. The resulting aircraft has a range of 3,400 nautical miles with 5,000 pounds of cargo, and can carry up to 40,000 pounds. A fully digital “glass” cockpit allows for future growth and is also fitted with a head-up display. Another major improvement is the GPS in its navigation system, which aids in airport approaches within Third World countries who possess older, less reliable ground systems.

The U.S. Naval Reserve Fleet Logistics Support Wing operated 29 of the old DC-9 based C-9B Skytrain Combi aircraft (90 passengers, 30,000 pound limit, shorter range than C-40A), providing high-priority cargo and passenger airlift for the U.S. Navy fleet worldwide. The C-9s were operated by 7 Naval Reserve units nationwide, and provided 85% of the worldwide airlift requirements for the entire Navy. C-40s are currently based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base Forth Worth, TX; NAS Jacksonville, FL; NAS North Island in San Diego, CA; and NAS Oceana, VA.

The Navy’s C-40A replacements were initially ordered and delivered with standard wings, but airline usage has shown significant fuel-savings benefits from adding turned-up “winglets” on the end. New-build C-40As from aircraft #9 onward will now have those winglets, and earlier C-40As have been retrofitted.

C-40B, delivered
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The USAF is also buying C-40s. They aim to replace their DC-9 derived C-9As, and their 4 727-derived C-22Bs.

The USAF C-40Bs operate as an “office in the sky” for senior military and government leaders. C-40Bs are equipped with the Connexion system, providing secure in-flight broadband connectivity that includes data/video transmit and receive capability. Its visual profile matches the C-40C’s and new-build C-40As, with turned up winglets. Boeing delivered the last C-40B in 2005.

The C-40C is the USAF’s counterpart to the Navy’s C-40A. Both types are certified to operate in one of 3 configurations: an all-passenger (121) configuration; an all-cargo configuration of up to 8 pallets; or a combination (“combi”) configuration that will accommodate up to 3 cargo pallets and 70 passengers. Unlike its C-40A counterpart, the C-40C has always used the common 737-700 configuration with turned-up winglets.

To date, orders have been placed for 25 C-40 family aircraft: 14 Navy C-40As, 4 USAF C-40Bs, and 7 USAF C-40Cs. A June 2006 release from Boeing said that the US Navy might buy up to 32 aircraft, but a 2008 NAVAIR release placed the Navy’s planned total at just 18 C-40As.

Contracts and Key Events FY 2018

 

C-40B in CENTCOM
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December 7/18: USMC wants more Flight Global reports that the US Marine Corps intends to replace two of its ageing C-9B Skytrain executive transports with two Boeing C-40 aircraft. Supported by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the USMC is currently conducting a market survey to identify a potential business that could procure and deliver the aircraft. NAVAIR says it is open to considering a second-hand aircraft, however the it is more likely that the service will turn to Boeing, the aircraft’s sole manufacturer. The 737 based C-40 Clipper comes in 3 variants; the C-40A is a Navy aircraft, while its counterpart C-40C and executive/VIP C-40Bs are USAF planes. The C-40A is modified with a large cargo door, and the strengthened wings and landing gear of the 737-800. The aircraft is certified to operate in three configurations: an all-passenger configuration that can accommodate 121 passengers, an all-cargo configuration of eight cargo pallets, or a combination of three pallets and 70 passengers. The Clipper has a range of 3,400 nautical miles with 5,000 pounds of cargo, and can carry up to 40,000 pounds.

FY 2014

June 28/14: The US Navy retires its last C-9 Skytrain II (DC-9), after a service career for the type that began in 1973. At the type’s height in the mid-1980s, there were 29 planes in service.

It did transfer 2 planes to VMR-1 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, “where they will continue service [with the Marines] until replacement aircraft are purchased.” Sources: US NAVAIR, “Navy says farewell to the C-9 Skytrain II aircraft”.

Navy retires C-9B

May 22/14: USN Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a a $22 million indefinite-delivery requirements contract, for sustaining engineering services to the US Navy’s C-40A aircraft fleet. Funds will be committed as necessary.

Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and the overall contract runs to January 2019. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-2. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00019-14-D-0002).

Dec 17/13: USAF Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $82 million delivery order for C-32A (757-200ER) and C-40B/C integrated fleet support (IFS) for calendar year 2014.

All funds are committed immediately, from FY 2014 O&M budgets. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, MD; Scott Air Force Base, IL; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and other locations as necessary, and is expected to be completed by Dec 3/14. The USAF Life Cycle Management Center/WLKLB at Tinker AFB, OK manages the contract (F33657-01-D-0013, DO 0378).

FY 2011 – 2013

#13 – 15 ordered; #10-12 delivered; Support contracts; C-40C communications upgrades.

C-40A #12 arrives
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Sept 27/13: +1. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $69.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy 1 C-40A Clipper aircraft for the US Navy. All funds are committed immediately.

C-40A #15 bought

Work will be performed in Renton, WA (90%); Seattle, WA (6%); San Antonio, TX (2%); and Oklahoma City, OK (2%), and is expected to be complete in November 2016. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-13-C-0026).

Sept 26/13: Comms. Boeing in Oklahoma City, OK receives a $6.8 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for AN/ARC-210 Gen-V radio upgrades to C-32A (Boeing 757) and C-40B (737) planes. It will upgrade the ARC-210 Gen-V radio to meet the Cryptographic Modernization program. All funds are committed immediately.

Work location will depend on aircraft availability, and is expected to be complete by March 31/15. USAF Force Life Cycle Management Center/WLKLB in Tinker AFB, OK manages the contract (F33657-01-D-0013, 0374).

June 6/13: Support. Boeing in Wichita, KS receives a $17.3 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract option to support the Navy’s C-40A aircraft fleet. Services to be provided include commercial depot support and site support at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL (25%); NAS Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, TX (25%); NAS North Island, CA (25%); and NAS Oceana, VA (25%).

Work will be complete in July 2015, and delivery orders will be issued as needed until then (N00019-10-D-0017).

Dec 20/12: +2. Boeing in Wichita, KS receives a $145 million firm-fixed-price contract for 2 US Navy C-40A Clippers. Aircraft #13 and 14 will be the revised design with winglets, which has been the default production choice since aircraft #9.

Work will be performed in Renton, WA (92.7%), Seattle, WA (4.9%), San Antonio, TX (1.7%), and Oklahoma City, OK (0.7%) and is expected to be complete in March 2015. All contract funds are committed immediately, and $72.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. US Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity (N00019-13-C0026).

C-40As #13-14 bought

Dec 17/12: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $80.5 million delivery order contract for USAF C-32A and C-40B/C integrated fleet support. The C-32A is a Boeing 757 derivative, which sometimes carries the Vice President.

Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Scott Air Force Base, Ramstein Air Base, Hickam Air Force Base, and other locations as necessary. Work is expected to be complete by Dec 31/13. The AFLCMC/WLKLB at Tinker AFB, OK (F33657-01-D-0013, PO 0365)

Dec 14/12: Comms. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $12.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for High Speed Data Aircraft modifications to the USAF’s C-40C.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA, and is expected to be complete by Aug 30/15. The AFLCMC/WLKLB at Tinker AFB, OK manages this contract (F33657-01-D-0013, PO 0369).

Oct 21/11: #12 delivered. Boeing delivers the 12th C-40A transport aircraft to the U.S. Navy from the company’s Wichita, KS facility. Boeing.

Jan 31/11: Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $11.8 million contract modification, funding calendar year 2011 sustaining engineering for the C-32A (4 Boeing 757s, “Air Force Two” with VP on board) and C-40B/C fleets. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the ASC/WLVK at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (F33657-01-D-0013).

Jan 28/11: #11 delivered. Boeing delivers the 11th C-40A transport aircraft to the U.S. Navy from the company’s Wichita, KS facility. Boeing is under contract to deliver the 12th C-40A to the Navy later in 2011. Boeing.

Nov 19/10: #10 delivered. Boeing delivers the 10th C-40A transport/cargo aircraft to the US Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (NUFEA) fleet, after modifications are made at the company’s Wichita, KS facility. Boeing’s release states that it’s on contract to deliver 2 additional C-40As; one 737 is currently being modified at the Wichita, KS facility, while the other is handled by the Boeing Commercial Airplanes production line in Renton, WA. Boeing.

FY 2009 – 2010

2 more C-40As; 1 C-40B lease-to-own buyout; 1 more C-40C; Existing leases; C-40B communication upgrades; Support contracts.

HI, Bye: VP-4 Departs
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Aug 25/10: Leased C-40C. Boeing’s Derivative Airplanes Program in Seattle, WA receives a $26 million contract modification to provide 1 Boeing 737 – C40C leased aircraft. All funds have been committed by the ASC/WLVK agt Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (FA8625-10-C-6599).

June 21/10: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA wins a 5-year, $80.9 million contract to support the US Navy’s C-40A aircraft fleet. Services to be provided under the firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract include commercial depot support and site support at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, FL; the NAS Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, TX; NAS North Island, CA; and NAS Oceana, VA.

Work will be performed in Atlanta, GA (50%); Fort Worth, TX (30%); Seattle, WA (5%); Jacksonville, FL (5%); North Island, CA (5%); and Oceana, VA (5%), and will be complete in July 2015. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, and 3 offers were received by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-10-D-0017).

Boeing’s release places the contract’s value at over $100 million, which is in addition to Boeing’s current C-40A support involving sustaining engineering, winglet modifications, and other emergent needs. The C-40 CLS supports the Navy’s current fleet of 9 C-40As. Boeing is on contract to deliver 3 more C-40As, which are scheduled to enter service in 2010 and 2011.

May 27/10: Support. L-3 Communications Corp. in Arlington, TX received $10.7 million for additional support services to the Navy’s C-40A aircraft fleet, under a firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0110).

Services to be provided include inventory management and support, to include tracking and control of government and contractor-owned inventory; scheduled and unscheduled depot-level support; drop-in maintenance; component repair and overhaul of government- and contractor-owned inventory; replacement of government- and contractor-owned inventory; contractor field teams; engine condition monitoring; site activation; and site support at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, TX, NAS Jacksonville, FL, and NAS North Island, CA.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (22%); NAS Jacksonville, FL (22%); NAS North Island, CA (22%); Oklahoma City, OK (20%); Arlington, TX (8%); and Tulsa, OK (6%). Work is expected to be complete in November 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract.

April 19/10: Support. A $12 million contract to pay for calendar year 2010 sustaining engineering support, for the C-32A and C-40B/C fleets. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the 655th AESS/SYKA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (F33657-01-D-0013).

Feb 17/10: Comms. upgrade. Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, CA receives a $64.8 million contract which will provide mission communication system upgrades for 4 C-32A aircraft and 4 C-40B aircraft. The C-40Bs are offices in the sky and VIP jets. The C-32As are larger 757-based VIP jets, and they carry the Vice-president (“Air Force Two”), members of the U.S. cabinet and Congress, and other government officials.

At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the 655th AESS/SYKA, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8625-10-C-6500).

USAF C-40C
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Dec 18/09: C-40C. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $89.7 million contract which will purchase 1 C-40C aircraft. Boeing has confirmed that this is a contract for a new aircraft, minus government-furnished equipment (GFE). It is not the remaining cost of an existing lease, as was the case with the Dec 1/09 entry.

At this time, $13.6 million has been committed by the 655th AESS/SYKA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8625-10-C-6505).

C-40C bought

Dec 18/09: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA is awarded the annual C-32A and C-40B/C contractor fleet support (Jan 1/10 through Dec 31/10) contract. At this time, the entire amount of $75.2 million has been committed by the 655th AESS/SYKA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (F33657-01-D-0013).

Dec 7/09: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $6 million contract which will provide for C-32A and C-40B on-board communications equipment. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the 655 AESS/SYKA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (F33657-01-D-0013).

The USAF’s C-32 757 derivative, also known as “Air Force Two” when the Vice President is aboard, and its C-40B VIP aircraft, are equipped with a variety of specialized communications equipment, including in-flight IP-based broadband connectivity.

Dec 1/09: C-40B. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $28 million contract which provides for 1 Boeing 737 C-40B aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH manages the contract (FA8625-10-C-6599).

Discussions with Boeing reveal that this covers the purchase of the remaining cost of a leased C-40B that is currently based at Ramstein AB in Germany. One of the 4 USAF aircraft was leased with an option to buy, and this contract exercises that option.

C-40B lease buyout

Aug 24/09: Winglet retrofit. Boeing receives a $6.5 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement for 4 winglets. US NAVAIR has confirmed that they will be used to retrofit 2 of the first 4 C-40As, bringing them to the same aerodynamic configuration as new-build C-40As.

Work will be performed in Wichita, KS (50%) and Seattle, WA (50%), and is expected to be complete in December 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N00019-05-G-0026).

Jan 26/09: A firm fixed price contract to Boeing for $11.7 million. This contract will provide the C-40 “communication equipment subscription service” for CY 2009. This is almost certainly related to the C-40B’s Connexion in-flight broadband service.

At this time, the entire amount has been committed by USAF ASC/655 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (F33657-01-C-0013).

Dec 15/08: Boeing receives a $136.1 million firm-fixed-price contract from the US Navy for 2 C-40A Clipper aircraft, which would bring the Navy’s C-40A fleet to 11 aircraft. These aircraft will use the Navy’s new configuration, with turned-up winglets on the ends of the wings.

Work will be performed in Renton, WA (88%); and Wichita, KS (12%) and is expected to be complete in February 2011. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00019-09-C-0080). NAVAIR release.

C-40As #10-11 bought

FY 2006 – 2008

9th C-40A delivered; LAIRCM added to C-40Bs for defense, logistics support.

C-9C and C-40C
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Nov 28/07: Support. L-3 Communications Corp. in Arlington, TX received $17 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0110), exercising an option for logistics support of the Navy’s C-40A fleet. Services to be provided include site activation; site support; inventory management and support; depot level support (scheduled and unscheduled); drop-in maintenance; component repair and overhaul of government and contractor-owned inventory; contractor field teams; replacement of government and contractor-owned inventory; and engine condition monitoring.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (22%); Jacksonville, FL (22%); North Island, CA (22%); Oklahoma City, OK (20%); Arlington, TX (8%); and Tulsa, OK (6%), and is expected to be complete in November 2006. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

Nov 1/07: LAIRCM on C-40Bs. Boeing begins fitting Northrop Grumman’s LAIRCM defensive systems onto the C-40B fleet. LAIRCM decoys shoulder-fired, infrared-guided anti-aircraft missiles by using laser pulses to confuse its seeker. Boeing.

Nov 2/06: Support. L-3 Communications Corp., Arlington, Texas, is being awarded an $18.2 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0110) to exercise an option for logistics support of the Navy’s C-40A fleet. Services to be provided include site activation; site support; inventory management and support; depot level support (scheduled and unscheduled); drop-in maintenance; component repair and overhaul of government and contractor-owned inventory; contractor field teams; replacement of government and contractor-owned inventory; and engine condition monitoring.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (22%); Jacksonville, FL (22%); North Island, CA (22%); Oklahoma City, OK (20%); Arlington, TX (8%); and Tulsa, OK (6%), and is expected to be complete in November 2006. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

May 25/06: #9 delivered. Boeing never announced the Navy’s order of a 9th C-40A Clipper transport aircraft, but the plane is delivered to Squadron VR-57 of the Naval Reserve’s Fleet Logistics Support Wing, 36 days ahead of schedule. The plane is the first C-40A to be built with turned-up winglets on the ends of its wings.

New-design C-40A #9 delivered

March 10/06: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA received a $76.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to fund the annual C-40 and C-32 contractor integrated fleet support contract through calendar year 2006. At this time, $30.6 million has been committed. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH manages this contract (F33657-01-D-0013/ no modification # announced).

Nov 29/05: Support. L-3 Communications Corp. in Arlington, TX receives a $20 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0110), exercising an option for logistics support services to the US Naval Reserve’s C-40A Clipper aircraft fleet. Services to be provided under L-3’s most recent C-40A support contract include site activation; site support; inventory management and support; depot level support (scheduled and unscheduled); drop-in maintenance; component repair and overhaul of government and contractor-owned inventory; contractor field teams; replacement of government and contractor-owned inventory; and engine condition monitoring.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (22%); Jacksonville, FL (22%); North Island, CA (22%); Oklahoma City, OK (20%); Arlington, TX (8%); and Tulsa, OK (6%), and is expected to be complete in November 2006. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

FY 2003 – 2005

C-40A #7 delivered, #8 bought; 4-plane lease; Support contracts.

C-40A in Katrina relief
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Feb 14/05: Investigation. GovExec reports that the USAF’s C-40 lease contracts have been referred to the Investigator General as part of the Darlene Druyun influence-peddling scandal.

Dec 4/04: Support. L-3 Communications Corp. in Arlington, TX receives a $20.4 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-04-D-0110), exercising an option for logistics support services to the US Naval Reserve’s C-40A Clipper aircraft fleet. Services to be provided include site activation; site support; inventory management and support; depot level support (scheduled and unscheduled); drop-in maintenance; component repair and overhaul of government and contractor-owned inventory; contractor field teams; replacement of government and contractor-owned inventory; and engine condition monitoring.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX (33%); Jacksonville, FL (33%); Oklahoma City, OK (20%); Arlington, TX (8%); and Tulsa, OK (6%), and is expected to be complete in November 2006. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.

Nov 22/04: #7 delivered. The 7th C-40A Clipper aircraft is delivered to the US Navy.

July 23/04: A 2004 release by Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL] and Congressmen Jerry Costello [D-IL] and John Shimkus [R-IL] touts their success in securing money for C-40s at a local air base, in order to keep it open.

The letter illustrates some of the ongoing issues around C-40 fleet size, funding, local interest, etc. with hard dollar figures.

Nov 24/03: Boeing announces that the U.S. Navy has ordered an 8th C-40A Clipper for its Unique Fleet Essential Airlift Replacement Aircraft program.

Boeing’s release adds that the US Naval Reserve provides line maintenance on the C-40A aircraft, while Boeing and its industry partner Delta Air Lines are on contract for 3 years of initial logistics support providing site support, spares management and heavy maintenance.

C-40A #8

Sept 17/02: Boeing received a $217.7 million firm-fixed-price contract from the Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH to lease up to 4 C-40 aircraft (F33657-02-C-0017).

It also received a $52.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification that added ordering provisions for Contractor Logistics Support for up to 4 C-40 series leased aircraft (F33657-01-D-0013, P00014). Total: $270.3 million.

4-plane lease

FY 1998 – 2002

C-40 rollout; C-40As: #3 bought; Contract for 7 more; CBO analysis of USAF leases.

July 23/02: CBO on leasing. Rep. Curt Weldon, Chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Procurement, is presented with an interesting July 2002 Congressional Budget Office analysis covering the USAF’s decision to lease its C-40 aircraft. The CBO concludes that the difference between the leasing deals and outright purchase of the aircraft was quite small, and questions the choice.

Aug 06/01: C-40A. Boeing announces a C-40 aircraft order from the USAF to begin replacing 4 US Air National Guard 727-derivative C-22B aircraft that were manufactured in the mid-1960s, and acquired in the mid-1980s. This is the 2nd C-40 aircraft ordered by the USAF under the contract established with Boeing in February 2001.

With an interior configuration identical to the C-40B platform, the aircraft will be used to improve the Air National Guard’s capability for rapid response to team travel and special air mission tasking.

C-40A #7

Jan 03/01: C-40A. Boeing announces that the U.S. Navy has ordered a 6th C-40A for its Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift Replacement Aircraft (NUFEA-RA) program.

At this point in the Navy’s program, 2 C-40As are at Boeing in Wichita, KS for modifications that allow the aircraft to be operated in the combi mode. A 3rd aircraft has completed flight testing and will be flown to Wichita for modifications. A 4th is expected to join it in February 2002, and Flight Safety Boeing is training Naval Reserve flight crews and maintenance technicians.

C-40A #6

Feb 9/01: Boeing wins an $800 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide for up to 7 C-40 aircraft, and up to 10 years of associated contractor logistics support.

The contract has provisions that can allow for incorporation of the contractor logistics support effort for the USAF’s 757-derivative C-32 aircraft into this contract. The Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the deal (F33657-01-D-0013).

Base contract: up to 7 C-40As

Sept 09/ 2000: Boeing rolls out the 1st C-40A Clipper for the U.S. Naval Reserve, at a festive celebration held at Boeing Field in Seattle. Boeing release.

Rollout

June 10/1998: Boeing announces that the U.S. Navy has exercised its option for a 3rd C-40A, under its Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift Replacement Aircraft (NUFEA-RA) program. The Navy had ordered 2 of the 737-700C derivatives in September 1997, with an option to purchase a 3rd.

The contract, valued at $163 million, calls for deliveries to the Commander Naval Air Reserve Forces to begin in December 2000. Boeing

C-40A #3 bought

Additional Readings

• Boeing – C-40A Clipper Military Transport. Operated by the US Navy.

• Boeing – C-40B Special-Mission Aircraft, USAF: Provides airlift with an office-in-the-sky environment for U.S. combatant commanders and other senior government officials. C-40Bs are equipped with the Connexion by Boeing system, providing secure in-flight broadband connectivity.

• Boeing – C-40C Operational Support and Team Travel Aircraft. USAF Reserve.

Americas

The US Air Force is contracting L-3 Technologies for sustainment work on its fleet of E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The firm-fixed price requirements contract provides for repair and overhaul of electron tubes installed on the E-3 at a cost of $7.8 million. L-3 started to supply Wide Band Klystron Power Amplifiers for the E-3 in 2005. Those electron tubes replaced older narrow chain klystron tubes installed on the E-3. The WBKAs have a better reliability, system redundancy and simplified logistics. The WBKPA is integral to the radar subsystem, which provides all-weather surveillance and command, control and communications (C3) functions needed by commanders. Work will be performed at L-3’s factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and is scheduled for completion by June 5, 2024.

Boeing achieves another milestone in its KC-46 tanker program and sets the stage for the start of Initial Operational Test & Evaluation testing next year. The Pegasus successfully achieved its Phase II receiver certification, and proved that it can refuel F-16, KC-135, C-17, A-10, KC-46, B-52, and F/A-18 aircraft. Phase II consisted of three weeks of flights with F-15E fighter jets stationed at Edwards AFB in California. Boeing says in a press statement, that during the tests a KC-46 and receiver aircraft flew at different airspeeds, altitudes and configurations to ensure compatibility and performance throughout the refueling envelope of each receiver. “The Air Force crews were with us every step of the way during this critical testing,” said Jake Kwasnik, KC-46 test program manager. “It was awesome to see everyone working together as we conducted flights out of Boeing Field and also at Edwards and Minot Air Force bases.” Phase III receiver testing will start in 2019, and includes training with additional receiver aircraft. Boeing is currently on contract for the first 52 of an expected 179 tankers for the US Air Force.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that the Iranian Navy is taking two more Ghadir submarines into service. The launch ceremony was held at Bandar Abbas naval base on November 29. The Ghadir-class mini submarines allow the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) to operate in shallow waters such as the Persian Gulf. The IRIN claims that the submarines have sonar-evading technology and can launch missiles from under water, as well as fire torpedoes and drop marine mines. Those small subs weigh less than 150 metric tons and are used for short missions, with no living accommodations for a crew of up to nine. Iran does not disclose the total number of submarines in its fleet, however, it is believed to have some 12 light and three Russian-made submarines.

Europe

General Atomics is being contracted to support France’s fleet of MQ-9 UAVs. Priced at $26.7 million, the contract provides for contractor logistics support phase three and involves 100% Foreign Military Sales to France. France bought six MQ-9 Reaper Block 1 UAVs in a roughly $600 million deal back in 2014. In August 2018 General Atomics was awarded a $123 million procurement contract for six additional MQ-9 Reapers in their latest Block 5 version. They should be delivered to the French Air Force by May 1, 2020. France’s MQ-9s are currently just able to perform surveillance missions, however the air force plans to weaponize the platforms sometime between 2019 and 2020. The Reaper is a single-engine, turbo-prop, remotely piloted armed reconnaissance aircraft designed to operate over-the-horizon at medium altitude for long endurance. Work will be performed at GAASI’s factory in Poway, California and is expected to be completed in December 31, 2019.

Leonardo’s new C-27J Spartan baseline configuration performs its first flight at the company’s Aircraft Division Turin plant. Launched in 1997, the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft incorporates the same propulsion system and advanced avionics as the C-130J Hercules Transporter, giving it the name “Baby Herc”. The aircraft design is based on the proven G-222 airframe from Alenia, with turboprop engines from Allison and advanced systems from Lockheed Martin. The new base configuration comprises a new avionics system, new cockpit control panels and LED aircraft lights. Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s Aircraft Division Managing Director, said: “New operators will enjoy modern avionics and improved operational cost and performance within the aircraft flyaway price. The main benefits of the new C-27J baseline configuration are compliance with new civil aviation regulations and military requirements obsolescence risk reduction.” A total of 85 C-27Js are currently in service with 14 countries around the globe ranging from Greece to Chad.

Asia-Pacific

AAI Corporation is receiving additional funding to maintain logistics services in support of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The $152.7 million contract modification provides for contractor logistics sustainment services for the Shadow RQ-7B unmanned aerial system. Australia bought several RQ-7B Shadow 200 UAVs in 2011 as part of its Joint Project 129 Phase 2. The aircraft can see targets up to 125 kilometers away from the brigade tactical operations center, and recognize tactical vehicles up to 8,000 feet above the ground at more than 3.5 kilometers slant range, day or night. The drone can fly for 9 hours and carries pa¥loads of up-to 95 lbs. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is set to run through May 29, 2020.

Japan’s planned upgrade of its Boeing F-15 Eagle fighter jets will likely be supported by the US government and Boeing under the Foreign Military Sales process. Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries delivered some 213 license-built F-15 variants the country’s air force between 1981 and 1999. Some 200 remain in service, of which about 88 were continuously upgraded over the past decade, gradually incorporating additional improvements like Link 16. Tokyo now plans to upgrade two of its F-15J/DJ interceptors at a cost of $89 million. According to Defense News, the upcoming upgrades include new electronic warfare equipment, and larger weapon load out – increasing the number of missiles the aircraft can carry – and the integration of the AGM-158 JASSM. Shigeyuki Uno, the principal deputy director of the defense planning and programming division of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, also told Defense News that the F-15s radar will also be upgraded, which will likely involve the AN/APG-63(V)3 or the AN/APG-63(V)1, both are AESA radars produced by Raytheon. Japan’s midterm defense program guidelines, to be released by the end of 2018, are expected to provide more details on this program, including the number of F-15s Japan plans to upgrade.

Today’s Video

Watch: Strike Fighter Ball 2018 [East Coast]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02f7b9_Tlk8

Americas

Austal is being contracted to build another Spearhead-class vessel for the US Navy. The cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action is priced at $40.4 million and procures long-lead-time material and production engineering services for Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) 14. EPF ships are the go-to platform for fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment. These vessels bridge the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift. Their capability to access austere, minor and degraded ports make them very suitable for operations in underdeveloped countries. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including – but not limited to – Novi, Michigan; Chesapeake, Virginia and Iron Mountain, Michigan. The US Navy’s 14th EPF is expected to be completed by July 2022.

Northrop Grumman is receiving more money to increase the operational range of four US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The awarded contract modification is valued at $21 million and allows for the installation of aerial refueling retrofit kits on four E-2Ds. The retrofit kits comprise a probe and associated piping, electrical and lighting upgrades, and long endurance seats that will enhance field of view in the cockpit and reduce fatigue over longer missions. The aerial refuelling capability effectively doubles the time the Hawkeye can stay in the air conducting its mission. The upgraded version of the Advanced Hawkeye flew for the first time in December 2016. Work will be performed at Northrop’s factory in St. Augustine, Florida and is expected to be completed in June 2020.

Navy is ordering integrated logistics and engineering support services for itself and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The contract modification, worth $10.5 million, exercises an option to provide calendar year 2019 support services for the Harpoon and SLAM-ER weapon systems. The GM-84 Harpoon is the US Navy’s sole anti-shipping missile, which competes with MBDA’s Exocet and Saab’s RBS15, among others. The AGM-84K SLAM-ER is an advanced derivative of the Harpoon missile, and competes with precision attack missiles like Lockheed’s JASSM, and European missiles like the EADS Taurus KEPD 350 and the MBDA Storm Shadow. The modification combines purchases for the Navy totalling at $2.5 million and FMS customers in the amount of $7.9 million. Work will be performed at Boeing facilities in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Charles, Missouri; Yorktown, Virginia and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Performance is set to run through November 2019.

Middle East & Africa

MTU America is being tapped to deliver a number of engines and engine components to Israel. The $7.9 million delivery order is part of a US Foreign Military Sale to support Israeli marine vessels. The company will deliver engines and engine components to multiple engine series: ranging from the M90 to SE84. MTU is the largest supplier of engines to the Israeli Navy. Its engines are found a variety of vessel ranging from Sa’ar-5 missile frigates and Dolphin-class submarines. The order is entirely funded through the FMS program. Work will be performed at MTU’s factory in Brownstown Township, Michigan. Work under this contract is scheduled for completion by September 2019.

Europe

Italy’s F-35s have reached their initial operating capability, making it the first European country to do so. “This is an important day, since it is the first concrete integration of fourth and fifth generation aircraft,” General Alberto Rosso, the country’s Air Force chief, told media at Italy’s Amendola Air Base, located in the south, it’s home to 8 Italian JSFs. Italy is a Tier 2 partner in the F-35 program, and is host to a European Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) production line in Cameri. The country’s government recently decided that it will slow down its F-35 acquisitions, decreasing its intake from 10 to 6. Base commander Colonel Davide Marzinotto notes that upgrading the aircraft from Block 3i to Block 3F was a key to achieving the jet’s IOC. The Italian Air Force currently intends to buy a mix of A and B variants, 90 F-35s in total.

Poland plans to accelerate its replacement program of the air force’s Soviet-era aircraft. Fighter jets in service include RAC MiG-29 fighters and Sukhoi Su-22 ground-attack aircraft. The replacement program is part of the country’s Harpia requirement which intends to induct new fighter aircraft from 2024 onwards. Warsaw is reportedly looking for an aircraft that can perform a number of combat roles, including certain maritime operations and electronic warfare missions. Flight Global notes that Boeing may offer the F-15 or F/A-18E/F; Leonardo, acting on behalf of the Eurofighter consortium, will offer the Typhoon; Lockheed Martin could pitch the F-16 or F-35, and Saab could promote its Gripen E. The Polish government intends to complete the analytical and conceptual phase of the Harpia program by the end of February 2019, paving the way for starting the procurement process.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Navy (IN) agrees to lease one Akula-2 class SSN as part of an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed with Russia. The $3.3 billion deal comes with a six-year refit and rebuild availability, that including nuclear reactor replacement and installation of India-made systems on board the vessel. The INS Chakra, India’s other Akula-2 submarine, is on ten-year lease totalling at $2.5 billion. The Chakra serves as a training vessel with secondary operational capabilities. The navy can now choose between two Akula-2 class submarines: the in 1989 launched K-391 Bratsk, or the K-295 Samara, launched in 1994. In August 2018 India successfully launched a nuclear capable SLBM from INS Arihant – India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine – completing the country’s nuclear triad.

Today’s Video

Watch: Alakran 120 mm Light Mortar System (Indo Defence 2018) | Jane’s

Americas

Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. is being awarded with three individual contracts for work on the Naval Nuclear Propulsion program. Awarded by the Naval Sea System Command, the contracts have cumulative face value of $1.7 billion and provide for various naval nuclear propulsion components. The components provide nuclear propulsion capabilities to power a variety of Navy vessels, including submarines and aircraft carriers, by drawing power from a small nuclear power plant installed on the vessel. FY 2019 shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $1.2 billion are being obligated which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will to various levels be performed at the company’s facilities in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and in Schenectady, New York.

Lockheed Martin is receiving a contract modification to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS). Issued by the Naval Sea Systems Command, the $20.5 million modification supports Aegis baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. Efforts covered under this contract include shipboard integration engineering; Aegis test team support; Aegis modernization team engineering support; ballistic missile defense test team support and AWS element assessments. The contract provides for work on five new-construction DDG 51-class ships and for modernisation work on another five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The deal also covers integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all ships with Aegis baselines up to and including advanced capability build 12. The AWS is a centralized, automated, C2 and weapons control system featuring a radar that can perform search, track and missile guidance functions simultaneously, with a track capacity of more than 100 targets. Work will be performed at multiple locations – including, but not limited to – Bath, Maine; San Diego, California and Deveselu, Romania.

Sierra Nevada Corp. is being contracted to permanently install the Airborne Mission Networking System on US Air Force bases throughout the continental US. The $9.2 million contract modification provides for the installation of trial kits. The Airborne Mission Networking System is designed to utilize all airborne communication assets to connect with space and surface networks building a seamless communications platform across all three major domains of warfare: Air, Space, and Terrestrial. This modification raises the contract’s total cumulative face value to $39 million. Work will be performed in Centennial, Colorado and at US government facilities as required. Performance of the contract is expected to be completed by September 16, 2019.

L-3 Communications is being tapped to provide support services for the US Air Force’s T-1A Jayhawk advanced trainer aircraft. The work order calls for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A trainer aircraft, with work to take place at the following USAF bases: Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. The T-1A aircraft is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer aircraft used for advanced pilot training. It is used by the Air Force for flying strategic, tactical airlift and tanker aircraft. Scheduled completion is slated for November 30, 2019. Total value of the contract is $97.5 million, with a total of $48 million in FY2019 operations and maintenance funds being obligated at the time of the award.

Middle East & Africa

Communications and Power Industries is being contracted to support the Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK) missile system in use with US allies. The $24.8 million contract includes Foreign Military Sales to Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and other global partners. The countries will receive Klystron Tubes spares for the MIM-23 HAWK surface-to-air missile launcher. The MIM-23 is a Raytheon designed all-weather low to medium altitude ground-to-air missile system. Development of the system started in the late 1950s with an IOC achieved in August 1960. Klystron Tubes are high power microwave vacuum tubes used to amplify radar signals. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of November 27, 2023.

Israeli defene electronics contractor Elbit announces that it won a multi-million deal awarded by an undisclosed Asia-Pacific country. The 6-year contract has a reported value of $112 million and provides for advanced airborne intelligence systems. Bezhalel Machlis, Elbit President & CEO, said: “We are pleased to be awarded this contract to supply an intelligence solution that addresses both current and future battlefield requirements. We see a continuous demand for our systems due to our unique capacity to offer comprehensive and agile solutions encompassing platforms, payloads and analysis technologies.” Further information is currently not available.

Europe

The US State Department is determined to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to Poland. Poland is requesting the purchase of 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) M142 Launchers, and other related equipment for an estimated cost of $655 million. If approved by Congress, Poland would receive the launchers, GMLRS M31unitary and M30A1 alternative warheads and ATACMS M57 unitary warheads. The defense package also includes Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems, launcher pod assemblies and High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles. The DSCA release states that Poland will use the HIMARS to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Main contractor will be Lockheed Martin.

Slovakia’s upcoming fighter jet acquisition remains a topic of contention. Last Friday the Slovakian MoD announced that it had finalised three agreements regarding the purchase of 14 F-16s plus associated training and equipment; shortly after Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini declared the contracts to be invalid due to missing approval by the finance ministry. “Premier Pellegrini considers the contracts regarding the purchase of F-16 fighters signed earlier in the day by the defense ministry to be invalid for the moment, as the finance ministry still hasn’t approved the deal,” a statement said. Some analysts suggest that this squabble is rooted in an internal power struggle between right-wing Defense Minister Peter Gajdos and the populist-left Pellegrini. Slovakia wants to buy several F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-designed, Russian made MiG-29 fighter jets.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Navy (IN) says that the INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier will begin sea trials in 2020. The carrier has entered its final phase of construction at Kochi shipyard. The INS Vikrant, is a 37,000-tonne Project 71 carrier with a short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) configuration that has been under construction since 2009. Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is currently pressing for building a second indigenous aircraft carrier. “The case for a second IAC has received necessary impetus though it is still a decade away. Construction would be spread over 7-10 years. We will see the start of construction in three years,” Admiral Lanba told media representatives on the sidelines of a Navy conference on Monday.

Today’s Video

Watch: RAF F-35Bs Scramble With F-15s And Rafales To Defeat An Enemy | Forces TV

Americas

The US Navy is allocating more funding towards studying and improving the F-35’s operational capability. Lockheed Martin is receiving a $18.5 million modification to a previously awarded IDIQ contract. The extra money covers program-related and logistical work and analysis of the F-35’s ability to accomplish its mission requirements set by the US military and other partnering nations and foreign buyers. Included in the analysis is a study looking into cost and weight reductions and simulations of the aircraft’s performance with modelling and simulation activities. Work will be performed at Lockheed’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2019.

IAP Worldwide Services is being contracted to ensure the operational readiness of the US Air Force’s fleet of E-6B Mercury aircraft. Priced at $76.8 million, the modified contract exercises the third option year for logistics support services on the “survivable airborne communication system” airplanes. The E-6B Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) aircraft are 707-300 derivatives designed to support the Navy’s SSBN ballistic missile submarine force and overall strategic forces. The contract enables IAP Worldwide to maintain and support the Mercury and covers the provision of support equipment, aircraft weapon system parts, associated support sites, and supporting organizations. Work is expected to be completed in November 2019 with 70% of the work performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and 10% each done at facilities in Patuxent River, Maryland; Bellevue, Nebraska; and Fairfield, California.

Sierra Nevada Corp is receiving a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to support US SOCOM’s fleet of heavy gunships. Awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, the contract provides for the procurement of standoff precision guided munitions modified cargo doors and sensor conversion units at a cost of $30.8 million. This contract supports the service’s fleet of AC-130 aircraft that will soon be equipped with Dynetics’ GBU-69/B Small Glide Munitions (SGMs) Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM). The AC-130U Spooky is a highly modified C-130, its primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by December 2024.

Radiance Technologies is being tapped to provide the US Army with high energy laser lethality research, assessment and support. The contract with an estimated completion date of November 15, 2023 is valued at $28.2 million. US services currently have multiple directed energy weapons-related programs running, some of which show promise. A number of US Army programs are reportedly showing promise during concept demonstrations and their potential relevance in addressing a number of current and emerging threats to US ground forces. In the past Radiance has worked on the Army’s High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck, or HELMTT, which is a 50 kilowatts class laser system integrated in a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. HELMTT is meant to provide a weapons system to Soldiers that requires less logistics support than a kinetic weapons system, and is less costly to operate. Work will be performed at the company’s facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Department of Defense FY 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $724,000 are being obligated.

Middle East & Africa

The Moroccan government is requesting the purchase of 162 Abrams tank enhancement kits from the US. The potential deal is priced at $1.3 billion and is currently pending approval by Congress. Already approved by the State Department the Foreign Military Sales package will procure enhancements to variants such as the M1A1 Abrams situational awareness (baseline version), the M1A2M with commander’s independent thermal viewer, or the M1A1 US Marine Corps version equipped with slew to cue. The deal further procures 324 M240 Machine Guns, 1035 M865 Training SABOT Rounds and 1610 M831Al HEAT Rounds. Additional items to be acquired include 162 export single channel ground and airborne radio systems (SINCGARS), 162 RT-1702 receiver transmitters, 162 M250 smoke grenade launchers, and special armor, as well as other related elements of logistics and program support. Prime contractor will be General Dynamics, with work to be performed at Anniston Army Depot, Alabama. The DSCA notice states that the enhancements will contribute to the modernization of Morocco’s tank fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats.

Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet reports, that Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has found a solution to finalising a defense order with Pakistan. The order sees for the delivery of 30 T129 ATAK helicopters to Pakistan. This $1.5 billion deal was stalled due to the US DoD refusing to issue the Turkish company with an export license. This forced TAI to look for a replacement of the US and British-made LHTEC CTS800-4A turboshaft engines. Turkey and Pakistan have now agreed to acquiring a replacement variant for the engines. According to Hurriyet producers in France and Poland are being considered as potential suppliers, provided that the new engine shows adequate performance in high-altitude and bad weather conditions during upcoming tests.

Europe

Science and Engineering Services is being tapped to modernize four SH-60F Seahawk helicopters for the Spanish Navy. The Foreign Military Sale is priced at $25 million and provides for aircraft refurbishment, modification and delivery. The SH-60F is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission helicopter and part of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The variant is designed to conduct ASW and SAR missions and is extensively used for logistics, transporting personnel, mail, and supplies between ships. The helicopter can also fulfil a ‘Plane Guard’ mission, which is a rescue mission that is airborne any time the host Aircraft Carrier is launching or recovering aircraft. The Spanish Navy currently has 12 Seahawks in its inventory. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $6 million are being obligated. Work will be performed at the company’s factory in Huntsville, Alabama. The SeaHawks will be back in Spain by March 2021.

Asia-Pacific

Taiwan’s air force is hoping that the US approves its requested purchase for new F-16V fighter jets. The air force sees the F-16V as a platform that would increase the country’s air defense capabilities, while also being a cheaper alternative to the costly F-35. Defense Minister Yan Defa minded that the service must evaluate the platform based on its combat strength and supplement capability to the other three aircraft types in service, he also reassured that any proposed platform that meets the operational requirements will be taken into consideration. Taiwan’s main fighter platforms are the F-16, AIDC F-CK-1 known as Indigenous Defense Fighter and the Mirage 2000, all of which are about 20 years old. Past requests for the purchase of 66 F-16C/D fighters were rejected by the US government. As an alternative the US proposed the delivery of F-16Vs which have a comparable performance to the C/D variants. Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping told the South China Morning Post that ‘the US had considered selling the production lines of its discontinued F-16 and F-18 fighter jets to India, and it was possible it may also sell the F-16 production line to Taiwan’.

Today’s Video

Watch: F-15E Strike Eagle Cockpit Vid • Exercise Point Blank (2018)

USMC KC-130J
(click to view full)

Special Operations Command’s AC-130H/U gunships can lay down withering hails of accurate fire, up to and including 105mm howitzer shells, in order to support ground troops.

The Marines also wanted heavy aircraft that could support their Leathernecks on the ground. The bad news was that the Corps could field about 45 KC-130J aerial tankers for the price of a 12-plane AC-130J squadron. Lighter options like the AC-27J “Stinger II” would probably tally similar costs, once R&D dollars were distributed among such a small fleet. Could the Marines change tack, and offer a modular weapon package that would let them arm their existing tankers as needed? Could armed KC-130Js offer limited fire support, while loitering over the battlefield and using their unique speed envelope to refuel helicopters and fast jets alike? The Harvest Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit (HAWK) program aims to do just that. It gives the USMC a far less capable convertible gunship option in Afghanistan, but the cost is about 2 orders of magnitude below a dedicated gunship fleet. Unsurprisingly, the next service to show interest in this concept was SOCOM itself.

Gunships R Us: Equipping The Hercs The US Marines: KC-130J Harvest HAWK

AC-130H Specter
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The Marines’ initial Harvest HAWK plan is to field 3 kits, but the eventual plan is to have 3 roll-on/ roll-off kits per squadron. That would mean about 9 kits by 2011, and 12 kits when the last KC-130T aerial refueling squadron converts to KC-130Js after 2012. All USMC KC-130Js are expected to receive the wiring needed to carry the kits, which will be improved and refined over time.

Harvest HAWK Capability I involves a roll-on/roll-off set of surveillance displays and fire control electronics, plus “Blue Force Tracker” to keep tabs on friendly troops, and ROVER to communicate with them. Outside the cabin, a modular surveillance and targeting unit takes up the rear portion of the inboard left external fuel tank, or may simply be mounted below that tank as a surveillance turret. The sensor choice was said to involve 2 candidates. Lockheed Martin’s AN/AAQ-30 TSS, which is also used in the Marines’ AH-1Z attack helicopter and has been installed in some SOCOM AC-130s, won. L-3 Wescam’s popular MX-15 surveillance and targeting turret was the competitor, but competing against the Harvest Hawk’s integrator is not a promising position.

Harvest HAWK Capability II involves mounting an M299 missile rack for 4 AGM-114P Hellfires and/or up to 16 DAGR laser-guided 70mm rockets to the left wing, in place of the left-hand outboard aerial refueling pod. This leaves the left wing carrying the weapons and some fuel, while the right wing retains full aerial refueling capabilities. Capability IV (see below) was also moved up, and the 10-tube rear ramp “Gunslinger” system and precision weapons were effectively added to this increment.

After early testing for Capabilities I & II took place, initial orders and testing followed. Deployment to Afghanistan started in summer 2010.

M230 30mm
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Harvest HAWK Capability III involves a modular 30mm cannon linked to the fire control, which is expected to be rolled in and mounted in the troop door. Daniel Watters of The Gun Zone writes to say that the Marines’ choice of 30mm gun is interesting, and explains the tradeoffs:

“While the Mk 44 Bushmaster II [30x173mm] and M230 Chain Gun [30x113mm] are both nominally 30mm, their cartridges are very different…There is a major difference in size, power, and range. The Mk 44 Bushmaster II has already been adopted by the US Navy and USMC for other applications… The 30x173mm uses a heavier projectile with a larger explosive filling, and is fired at a higher velocity [which] should have a noticeable maximum range advantage. Perhaps it would be easier to fabricate a stable mount for the less powerful M230 than the Mk 44… M230 and its ammunition are also lighter and more compact.”

US Special Forces tried fitting 30mm cannon to their AC-130U “Spooky” gunships, but found that the gun’s accuracy level wasn’t suited to their missions. In response, they implemented a “retrograde” to their earlier 25mm and 40mm weapons. The Marines say that the 30mm cannon will suit their objectives. Time will tell, but either way, the lack of pinpoint-accurate, extreme-volume gunfire will be one of the principal differences between SOCOM’s AC-130s, and kit gunships like the KC-130Js or MC-130Ws.

Capability III has yet to even select a gun at this point, much less test and integrate one. According to US Navy NAVAIR: “…capability III [will begin] when funding becomes available.” ATK finalized a roll-on/off palletized kit for the GAU-23 cannon in mid-2012, which may help funding become available.

Viper Strike
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Capability IV originally involved adding additional Standoff Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGMs) to the Harvest HAWK, but that got moved ahead to Capability II. They’re dropped out of a 10-tube “Gunslinger” launcher that fits on the rear ramp, but their future involves a new pressurized “Derringer Door”. That 10-tube launcher switches in for the regular paratroop door, allowing Harvest HAWK planes to drop weapons without depressurizing the cabin, and/or asking those inside to don oxygen masks.

Efforts were already underway to incorporate and test Northrop Grumman’s (now MBDA’s) GBU-44 Viper Strike laser/GPS-guided weapons on the KC-130Js, and they were under consideration by SOCOM for its AC-130s. Raytheon’s small “Griffin” missiles were also added. The rocket-powered Griffin B can replace Hellfires on an M299 launcher, on 3 for 1 basis. For the C-130 fleet, however, the unpowered, gravity-dropped Griffin A seems to be the mainstay. Other weapons are likely, especially from US SOCOM. One weapon they have confirmed funding for is Textron’s cylindrical 64-pound C-LAW, whose airburst devastates soft ground targets over an area the size of a football field.

Specifics regarding additional weapon plans are thin at the moment, but other options could conceivably include 81mm or larger mortars, using General Dynamics’ RCFC GPS guidance kits; tiny missiles like the NAVAIR/DRS Spike; and spinoffs from the explosion of small precision-guided bombs entering the market: Lockheed Martin’s Scorpion, MBDA’s Saber, etc. Later Harvest HAWK phases will reportedly add stations for Hellfire laser-guided missiles on both wings, instead of just the port wing. The M299 launchers would be mounted on the outside of the plane’s outboard aerial refueling pods.

US AFSOC: MC-130W Combat Spear/ Stinger II

MC-130W Combat Spear
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A similar effort is emerging from US Special Operations Command.

US Navy NAVAIR PMA-207 has been working with US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to share information on Harvest Hawk, and a US SOCOM program is now converting its MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft along Harvest Hawk lines. Similar kits could also be fielded for SOCOM’s forthcoming HC-130J Combat King II and MC-130J Combat Shadow IIs, and they may even spread beyond that.

MC-130W. In the near term, their MC-130Ws are newly-converted C-130H aircraft, with 12 delivered as combat replacements from 2006-2011. MC-130W base roles include infiltration/ exfiltration of special operations teams, aerial refueling including combat search-and-rescue support, and psychological operations. Key additions above the based C-130H include a strengthened tail to cope with low-level drops; improved avionics and navigation that integrates GPS, AN/APN-241 radar, and AN/AAQ-38 Infrared systems; a full suite of top-of-the-line threat detection and countermeasures gear; and a communication suite that includes satellite communications with data burst, making it hard for enemies to locate the plane by tracking its transmissions. A UARRSI dorsal receptacle lets any boom-equipped aerial tanker refuel it in the air, while the MC-130W can itself act as a refueler for hose-and-drogue equipped aircraft or helicopters, using its Mk 32B-902E refueling pods.

The other difference from previous AFSOC gunships involved precision ranged weapons. MC-130Ws will have a 4-rail wing-mount for laser-guided AGM-114P Hellfire missiles or 70mm laser-guided DAGR rockets, and a 10-tube “Gunslinger” system that can launch small precision-guided weapons.

“Gunslinger”
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All 12 MC-130Ws will soon be converting to “Project Dragon Spear” aircraft, which add roll-on, roll-off kits featuring added sensors, communications systems, the Adaptive Carriage Environment (ACE), and weapons. Some sources refer to those as “AC-130W,” but the official USAF designation remains MC-130W.

Dragon Spear weapons will include a GAU-23 dual-feed 30mm gun with about 500 rounds, with the assembly bolted to the floor of the plane. It fires single shots or short bursts, instead of the “wall of lead” that’s associated with an AC-130H/U gunship, or the Vietnam-era C-47 “Puff the Magic Dragon” whose upgraded descendants still serve in Colombia and Indonesia.

The MC-130W represents an acquisition departure for SOCOM, who stood up its 1st Joint Acquisition Task Force in June 2009 to handle the initial MC-130W conversion and buy. The project had a minimum capability model in less than 90 days, and deployed a working aircraft within 18 months. The experience has gone well enough that SOCOM is reportedly considering using JATFs on other projects.

It has also led to a shift in mindset, wherein a government-owned “Precision Strike Package” will sit at the core of SOCOM’s new gunships.

AC-130J. Up to 32 new AC-130Js are now expected to serve alongside the 12 new AC-130W Dragon Spears, replacing existing AC-130H/Us. Initially, the AC-130Js will use roll on/off kits from the Dragon Spear project in an HC-130J airframe. Eventually, they’ll install their own “Precision Strike Package” that includes a side-firing 30mm GAU-23A chain gun, wing-mounted GBU-39 GPS-guided SDB-I bombs, and laser-guided AGM-176 Griffin missiles launched from a “Gunslinger” attachment on the read cargo door. It may eventually add a side-firing 105mm howitzer like existing AC-130H/Us, and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles like the Marines’ KC-130J Harvest Hawks, but those aren’t currently funded. These weapons will be controlled from a dual-console Mission Operator Pallet in the cargo bay, which will include multiple video, data, and communication links.

Contracts & Key Events

Unless otherwise indicated, these contracts are managed by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD.

FY 2015 – 2018

KC-130J Harvest Hawk upgrade plans.

KC-130J-HH, Kandahar
(click to view full)

December 3/18: Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition Sierra Nevada Corp is receiving a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to support US SOCOM’s fleet of heavy gunships. Awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, the contract provides for the procurement of standoff precision guided munitions modified cargo doors and sensor conversion units at a cost of $30.8 million. This contract supports the service’s fleet of AC-130 aircraft that will soon be equipped with Dynetics’ GBU-69/B Small Glide Munitions (SGMs) Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM). The AC-130U Spooky is a highly modified C-130, its primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by December 2024.

April 16/18: More money needed for lasers Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging threats, Air Force Lt. Gen. Marshall Webb told lawmakers that the service still lacks adequate funds for a program to add a laser to the AC-130J gunship. The Head of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Webb was answering a question from Sen. Martin Heinrich on why the service is moving slowly from testing a four-kilowatt laser to a 30-kilowatt version and now directly to a 60-kilowatt laser. “We’re $58 million short of having a full program that would get us a 60-kilowatt laser flying on an AC-130 by 2022,” Webb stated. In February, Webb told a roundtable discussion with reporters at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, that the “challenge on having the laser is funding.”

March 23/18: Logistics support Sierra Nevada has been contracted by the US Air Force to provide logistics support for two USAF aircraft precision strike packages of weapons and sensors. Nearing a value just shy of $20 million, the order exercises options on a previous contract to provide additional services to AC-130J and AC-130W aircraft, bringing the total value of the contract to $72.3 million. Work will be carried out at Canon Air Force Base, in Curry County, New Mexico, and Hurlburt Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Florida. Work is expected to wrap up by March 31, 2019. The AC-130J Ghostrider is a gunship that gained its initial operational capability (IOC) in September 2017 and will replace the AC-130H once enough crews are trained to operate them, while the AC-130W, AKA the Stinger II, has been flying since 2010 and is a highly modified C-130H.

July 4/17: Dynetics has been contracted by the USAF to deliver 70 GBU-69/B Small Glide Munitions (SGMs), with options to buy 30 more. With a value of $10.9 million, the missiles are reportedly scheduled to be installed on AC-130 aircraft operated by the service. Dynetics’ Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM) beat out competition from Textron’s G-CLAW, Raytheon’s Griffin and Northrop Grumman’s Viper Strike munition, as is was the only one of the competitors to satisfy the competition’s full requirements.

December 7/15: The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and US Navy are to collaborate on the development of a laser mounted weapon for the AC-130 aircraft. The move comes as the Navy has been developing and researching energy directed weapons with their Laser Weapon System, which saw deployment aboard the Afloat Forward Staging Base USS Ponce last year. The lasers success will be the basis for a cooperation between the two branches, and how this can aid the development of a similar system for aircraft. The AC-130 will conceivably see a miniaturized version of the one used on the USS Ponce, and possess both offensive and defensive capabilities. It is hoped the lasers will help gunships disable enemy systems and improve identification of targets on the ground. This would avoid incidents such as the bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan in October.

Nov 3/14: KC-130J USMC Plan. The USMC’s Aviation Plan to 2030 [PDF] has its own entry for the KC-130J Harvest Hawk, which currently uses AGM-114P2A Hellfire, AGM-176B Griffin, and GBU-44 Viper Strike precision weapons:

“MROC Decision 19-2012 reduced the total kit inventory objective from 9 kits to 6 kits with 3 kits each going to 2d MAW and 3d MAW. A total of 10 aircraft are modified to employ the Harvest Hawk kits with 5 modified aircraft in 2d MAW and 5 modified aircraft in 3d MAW. Beginning in 2015, the mission kit will receive sensor and fire control system upgrades to address system obsolescence and eliminate deficiencies, while sustaining relevancy through transition from P2A hellfire to the P4 Hellfire.”

2017 will kick off a slew of improvements, from the Software Reprogrammable Payload (SRP) radio replacement; to Hellfire missile upgrades as noted above; to a switch from the AAQ-30 TSS surveillance and targeting turret used on USMC AH-1Zs, to the MX-20 used on Navy P-8A sea control aircraft. It will also begin to replace the Fire Control Station with a Mission Operator Pallet like the AC-130J’s. Blue Force Tracker battlefield management is already on board the Harvest Hawks, and its Link-16 aerial counterpart will begin retrofits in FY 2018, along with other fleet-wide C-130J Block 7.0/8.1 upgrades like Mode 5 IFF, GPS approach capability, ADS-B (out), RNP/RNAV, and a new flight management system. FY 2019 will see the beginning of JAGM missile integration, offering a dual-mode radar/laser-guided option beside the laser-only AGM-114P4 Hellfire.

FY 2013 – 2014

AC-130J flies; AC-130J details; Hellfires for AC-130W; DOT&E report re: SOCOM’s fleet highlights an armoring problem.

AC-130J
(click to view full)

May 22/14: AC-130 Upgrades. At the annual SOFIC conference, SOCOM’s systems acquisition manager for standoff precision-guided munitions, Erich Borgstede, says that they are just beginning to fit AGM-114 Hellfire missiles on the AC-130W/Js. They’ve also developed a laser-guided small diameter bomb [SDB-I is a 250 pound GPS-only weapon] that will be fielded this summer.

“According to slides presented at the briefing, SOCOM is also looking at the potential of using helmet mounted displays, digital map upgrades, and using mobile devices to help do mission planning in the near future.”

Those changes would also apply to their HC/MC-130 fleet. Sources: Defense News, “SOCOM soon getting more capable, deadlier Ospreys and C-130s”.

March 28/14: AC-130W support. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a sole-source $14 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for contractor logistics support of the AC-130W’s precision strike package. Contractor logistics support employees also deploy with aircraft in support of special operations Missions.

$10.9 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 O&M funds. Work will be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, NM, and is expected to be complete March 31/15. The USAF Life Cycle Management Center’s Special Operation Forces Contracting Division, at Robins AFB, GA manages the contract (FA8509-14-C-0001).

Jan 31/14: AC-130J. The USAF flies a fully-converted AC-130J gunship for the 1st time, at Eglin AFB, FL. They also appear to have scaled the program back a bit:

“A total of 32 MC-130J aircraft will be modified for AFSOC as part of a $2.4 billion AC-130J program to grow the future fleet, according to Capt. Greg Sullivan, the USSOCOM AC-130J on-site program manager at Det. 1.”

The Pentagon’s recently-released DOT&E report for FY 2013 had placed the AC-130J program at 37 aircraft. Sources: USAF, “New AC-130J completes first test flight”.

AC-130J flies

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). Their focus is on US SOCOM’s variants: HC-130J/MC-130J Combat King II CSAR/ Commando II transports, and AC-130J “Ghostrider” gunships. The USAF intends to field 37 HC-130J Combat King IIs developed to Increment 2 capability, 57 MC-130J Commando IIs developed to Increment 3 capability, and 37 AC-130J Ghostrider gunships that will be converted from MC-103Js (TL: 94 MC-130Js produced).

The AC-130J program conducted a Preliminary Design Review in March 2013 and a Critical Design Review in August 2013, and 1st flight was expected in January 2014. The PSP weapon set is planned in 3 increments, and both development and the Live Fire Alternative Test Plan (ATP) will leverage some data from the C-130H-based AC-130W. The core problem across this fleet involves the enhanced electrical system and in 400 Amp power supply, which is required for Increment 3 upgrades and AC-130J gunship conversions. At present, the fleet is limited to a 200 Amp system. This was also concerning:

“Armor requirements and the amount of armor differ significantly between the AC-130U and AC-130J aircraft. The AC-130U armor was designed to provide protection to the aircrew stations, personnel, ammunition, and critical systems against a single 37 mm high-explosive incendiary round at a range of 10,000 feet, while the AC-130J’s primary crewmember positions and oxygen supplies should be protected against single 7.62 mm ball projectile at 100 meters [DID: just 330 feet, where bullet velocity is higher] …. The planned armor layout on the AC-130J does not include the Mission Operator Pallet, which should be considered a “primary crewmember” position and protected in accordance with the associated Force Protection Key Performance Parameter (KPP).”

The 37mm criterion isn’t random: most AC-130 kills over Vietnam involved 37mm guns. It isn’t rare for gunships to face enemies that can deploy 14.5mm – 23mm guns, to say nothing of the common .50 cal/ 12.7mm caliber. Even an unarmored C-130J would be a difficult kill for a 12.7mm machine gun. With that said, it sounds like they’ve left the crew nearly unprotected, in an aircraft that’s designed to go where the enemy is shooting. That does require an explanation.

June 4/13: AC-130J Sub-contractors. The AC-130J Ghostrider will be equipped with a configuration of QinetiQ’s enhanced LAST lightweight composite armor. Protection will depend on how much they use, and LAST’s aerial density is 37 kg/m2. Protection up to 7.62mm armor piercing is the minimum useful level, and seems to be the AC-130J’s standard. SOCOM could certainly justify higher levels, especially in critical areas, but they’d rather make the weight tradeoffs in an airplane that’s already packed with heavy gear. Jane’s adds that:

“A total of 37 AC-130J aircraft will replace AFSOC’s eight ageing AC-130H platforms, a significant increase from the 16 originally planned. It is understood that the procurement of the additional platforms will allow the 12 AC-130W Dragon Spear/Stinger II platforms currently performing gunship duties to revert back to their baseline MC-130W Combat Spear [multi-role] configuration.”

Sources: QinetiQ NA, “QinetiQ North America’s LAST Armor to Protect C-130 Aircraft” | IHS Jane’s, “New armour for AC-130J gunships”.

March 20/13: Hellfire? US SOCOM fixed-wing PEO Col. Michael Schmidt (USAF) confirms that they’re looking to add AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles to the AC-130W’s “Precision Strike Package,” using F-15 racks mounted on the AC-130W’s hard points. Money has to be found in the budget, but he’s confident that it will happen at some point.

Since the AC-130J Ghostrider will initially be fielded with the same Precision Strike Package, AC-130W integration could end up extending to the new fleet. Sources: Defense Tech, “Air Force set to arm AC-130W with Hellfire missiles”.

Dec 20/12: AC-130W Support. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a $7.9 million contract modification for “logistics support of the Precision Strike Package on the AC-130W aircraft, Stinger II Program.”

The location of the performance is Cannon Air Force Base, NM. Work is expected to be completed by Dec 31/13. The AFLCMC/WIKAA at Robins AFB, GA manages the contract (FA8509-12-C-0001, PO 0006).

FY 2012

AC-130J production begins; Griffin, G-CLAW, and GAU-23 weapons; Derringer Door introduced; MC-130W to become Dragon Spear.

“Derringer Door”
(click to view full)

Aug 27/12: G-CLAW. Textron Defense Systems announces a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with U.S. Special Operations Command’s Program Executive Office – Fixed Wing, focused on Textron Defense Systems’ Guided Clean Area Weapon (G-CLAW). The GPS-guided cylinder will be integrated into SOPGM launch tube dispensers, and receive flight and weapon safety certifications. From there, Textron Defense Systems and USSOCOM will conduct inert and live-fire demonstrations from a tactical carrier aircraft such as the MC-130W Dragon Spear. Integration activities will culminate in an end-to-end, live-fire demonstration.

The 64-pound CLAW was actually designed as a safe sub-munition for cluster bombs, like the GPS-guided CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon. Instead of releasing hockey-puck shaped guided explosives to take out tanks, the entire tube is a weapon, whose air-burst is lethal to troops and unarmored vehicles over an area the size of a football field. A number of safety features ensure that it never becomes an unexploded ordnance hazard.

July 23/12: AC-130J. Production begins in Marietta, GA, but the gunship is actually built as an MC-130J Commando II. It will become an “AC-130J” (vid. Feb 19/12 contract) when it’s equipped with a “Precision Strike Package.” When queried, Lockheed Martin representatives said that:

“The initial contract is to cross-deck the current MC-130W equipment to the new AC-130Js. The PSP referenced here is a new package.”

AC-130J Initial Operating Capability is scheduled for 2015, and AFSOC expects to order 16. Lockheed Martin.

July 9/12: MC-130W. ATK announces that a rapid prototyping effort has created a modified variant of their Mk44 Bushmaster Automatic Cannon for MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft. The 30mm gun is now officially known as the GAU-23, and uses ATK’s PGU-46/B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) ammunition for its missions.

ATK adds that in June 2011, the U.S. Air Force announced the conversion of 12 of its MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft to the Dragon Spear configuration.

The US Marines may also be interested, now that the technology is mature (vid. Aug 17/11). The MC-130W Dragon Spear will bolt the GAU-23 in, but ATK has developed a Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO/RO) pallet and weapons mount for use on other aircraft, like the USMC’s KC-130Js.

May 2012: Naming. The MC-130W Dragon Spear is renamed the AC-130W Stinger II, while the AC-130J picks up the designation “Ghostrider”. Sources: USAF Fact Sheets.

May 14/12: Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA receives an $18.4 million firm-fixed-price contract that buys 3 Harvest HAWK sets, and pays to modify 7 KC-130Js with Harvest HAWK installations.

Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA (90%), and Marietta, GA (10%), and is expected to be complete in June 2014. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304c1. US Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-12-C-0094).

April 16/12: Viper Strike. MBDA announces that its GBU-44/E Viper Strike scored “multiple direct hits”, after being launched from the KC-130J’s new “Derringer Door” during developmental testing at China Lake, CA. Viper Strike also proved out its new fast attack software load, designed to improve performance against time sensitive targets.

Feb 23/12: Derringer Door. US NAVAIR announces successful testing and fielding of a Harvest HAWK “Derringer Door” pressurized launcher, which will be used instead of the “Gunslinger” system on future aircraft. The 10-round set replaces the plane’s paratrooper door, and lets the plane launch small precision-guided munitions like Griffin, without depressurizing the cabin and forcing the crew to use oxygen gear. By freeing up the cargo ramp, it also lets KC-130J Harvest HAWKs continue to perform cargo missions, while keeping the weapon launcher on board.

Like the rest of the Harvest HAWK kit, the Derringer Door system is removable.

Nov 7/11: KC-130J-HH stats. Inside the Navy reports [subscription] on Griffin usage in Afghanistan:

“Less than a year after first introducing it to the fleet, the Marine Corps has already used the Harvest Hawk… to fire 74 Hellfire and 13 Griffin missiles… while also providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, a Marine aviation official said here recently.”

FY 2011

KC-130J Harvest Hawk deployment & reports; Scorpion tested; Viper Strike precision munitions bought.

KC-130J Harvest HAWK
at FOB Dwyer
(click to view full)

Aug 22/11: Viper Strike. Northrop Grumman announces an unspecified additional contract to deliver “multiple” GBU-44 Viper Strike GPS/laser guided mini glide bombs to the Joint Attack Munition Systems (JAMS) Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, AL. Deliveries will begin in 2011, for eventual integration onto the KC-130J Harvest Hawk. See also June 2/10 entry.

All the Viper Strike munitions on Harvest Hawk will now carry the latest software load, which greatly enhances the weapon’s effectiveness against moving targets. In recent testing at China Lake, CA, Viper Strike scored multiple hits against moving vehicles in various scenarios.

Aug 17/11: KC-130J-HH. The USMC is looking at upgrading its KC-130Js for better close-air support to address known limitations (vid. July 28/11 entry). Maj. Richard Roberts told National Defense magazine the addition of a 30mm GAU-23 cannon to Harvest Hawk is again under consideration, which if confirmed would let the program meet its Capability III milestone. The possibility of this graft was reviewed back in 2009, but the integration tech was deemed too immature back then.

According to National Defense, as of last month the 1 Harvest Hawk deployed in Afghanistan had fired 42 Hellfire and 11 Griffin missiles and identified 8 IEDs. A 2nd unit will soon be rotated in so that the 1st one can be used for training purposes.

July 28/11: KC-130J-HH. The USMC discusses Harvest Hawk operations, noting that the Harvest Hawk contingents don’t yet have close-air support experience, so the Marines are drawing fire-control officers from its F/A-18 Hornet fighter, AV-8B Harrier II fighter, and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter units. With respect to the aircraft’s usage:

“One Harvest HAWK flew for about 10 hours and fired its entire compliment of Hellfire missiles during combat operations in Afghanistan, March 14. An F/A-18 Hornet can only fly for an hour and thirty minutes without tanker support, according to [VMGR-252 fire control officer Capt. Thane A.] Norman. “Currently, we have a Harvest HAWK temporarily assigned to our detachment with 2nd MAW (Fwd.),” said [VMGR-252 commander Lt. Col. Charles J.] Moses. “It provides coverage for eight to 10 percent of joint tactical air requests in their area of operations, which is a significant number considering it’s only a single aircraft.”

Feb 25/11: MC-130W. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a $22.3 million contract modification for interim contract support under the Dragon Spear program, to help provide and install precision strike packages in 12 MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft. At this time, $10.4 million has been committed by the WRALC/GRUKA at Robins AFB, GA (FA8509-10-C-0013; PO0003).

Feb 8/11: MC-130W & lasers. Defense News quotes SOCOM chief Adm. Eric Olson, who says the MC-130W Dragon Spear went from concept to flying with a minimum capability in less than 90 days, and deployed in 18 months. It has already deployed to Iraq, and is now flying in Afghanistan. Defense News adds that:

“The four-star admiral also touted a system used in Afghanistan that involves an “airborne-mounted overt laser that projects a beam that illuminates a spot on the ground.” Commanders “are finding more and more uses for an illuminated spot on the ground,” he said. “It can prevent fratricide, it can cause people to muster against a target, it can have a powerful psychological effect if you are standing in the beam.” SOCOM officials are currently building tactics, techniques and procedures for the system.”

While Adm. Olson was not specific, C-130s are certainly natural platforms for that kind of system.

Feb 4/11: KC-130J-HH stats. Marines of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Detachment A, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), are preparing to return from a 6-month deployment at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan to their home at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA. VMGR-352’s KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft performed a number of transport and aerial refueling missions, while pioneering the “Harvest HAWK” kit’s use on the front lines.

Overall VMGR-352 crews completed 7,852 sorties and reached 7,897 flight hours. They also tracked 25,190 assault support requests, 65,815 additional passengers and 23,629,371 pounds of cargo. The Harvest Hawk completed 93 sorties, flew more than 565 hours and completed 191 joint tactical airstrike requests. USMC.

Nov 23/10: KC-130J-HH Action Report. Official report of a USMC KC-130J Harvest HAWK supporting 2 squads of Marines with India Company, 3rd Bn., 5th Marines. The squads ran into an attempted ambush, and the USMC explains what happened after that:

“The Marines immediately began firing at the enemy and gained superior firepower. The fight intensified as Marines were under fire from medium-machine-gun and small-arms fire. The Marines then played their trump card, calling in 60 mm and 120 mm mortars and close air support. An UH-1 Huey and an AH-1W Super Cobra fired hundreds of rounds, and a KC-130J ‘Harvest Hawk’ fired a Hell-Fire Missile. Artillery Marines played their part as well, firing multiple GPS-guided shells. The firefight lasted about two hours and killed an estimated 8-10 enemy fighters, said 1st Lt. Stephen Cooney, the executive officer with India Company, 3rd Bn., 5th Marines.”

October 2010: KC-130J-HH deploys. The lone production KC-130J Harvest Hawk deploys to Afghanistan, with the USMC’s VMGR-352.

Harvest Hawk deploys

FY 2010

MC-130W operational; Contracts from SOCOM and USMC.

MC-130W
(click to view full)

Sept 24/10: MC-130W. L-3 Communications TCS, Inc. in Warner Robins, GA receives a $29.4 million contract which would modify up to 4 MC-130Ws to install a precision strike package. At this time, no funds have been committed by the WR-ALC/GRUKA at Robins Air Force Base, GA (FA8509-20-C-0027).

Sept 21/10: MC-130W. L-3 Communications TCS, Inc. in Warner Robins, GA adds $15.8 million to a previous contract to install the Precision Strike package in 8 MC-130Ws. That’s on top of $45.2 million that had been committed before, raising the contract to $61 million. The WR-ALC/GRUKA at Robins Air Force Base, GA manages this contract (FA8509-09-C-0037; Action Under PZ0001).

Sept 14/10: MC-130W. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a $12.5 million contract which will provide consoles for integration onto MC-130W aircraft. At this time, all funds have been committed by the ASC/WISS at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (FA8629-09-C-2445).

June 17/10: Scorpion drop. One of Lockheed Martin’s Scorpion precision glide-bombs is successfully flight tested in a 5,000 foot drop from a C-130. The small glide bomb uses a combination of GPS/INS and semi-active laser (SAL) guidance to hit a target 1.65 miles away, at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ. These Scorpion weapons have already been used in combat by CIA drones, but the C-130 test is new.

Scorpion was developed under the Small Smart Weapon program, which began in 2006. It’s just 21.5″ long and 4.5″ wide, with a range of up to 10 miles if it can glide from altitude. The system is modular, and the front guidance section will be switchable between a human-directed laser seeker, self-guiding imaging infrared (IIR) matched to pre-programmed target sets, or semi-autonomous millimeter wave radar. The warhead section is also a module, with multiple options. Overall weight is under 35 pounds. The weapon is carried by fitting up to 3 Scorpions on a conventional Hellfire rail, or up to 2 in a tube launcher. Lockheed Martin release | Scorpion product page | CBS News | Tactical Life | Washington Post | Comparison with Hellfire II.

June 3/10: MC-130W. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a $20.9 million contract to provide interim contractor support of MC-130W modifications to install “a precision strike package” in support of US SOCOM’s “Project Dragon Spear.” At this time, $10 million has been committed by the 580th ACSG/GFKAA at Robins Air Force Base, GA (FA8509-10-C-0013).

June 2/10: Viper Strike. Northrop Grumman announces a contract to deliver 65 SOPGM/ GBU-44 Viper Strike munitions to the Joint Attack Munition Systems (JAMS) Project Office, within the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal, AL. The Viper Strikes will be delivered in 2010, for integration onto the KC-130J Harvest Hawk.

April 10/10: KC-130J-HH Phase 1 Done. Harvest Hawk completes Phase 1 testing at Pax River, MD, and leaves for required maintenance and continued testing at NAVAIR’s China Lake, CA range. The Patuxent River, MD Test Team included personnel from Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-20 and VX-23, Operational Test Squadron 1 VX-1, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352), Lockheed Martin, the Joint Attack Munitions Systems (JAMS) project office, NAVAIR’s AIR 4.6 Human Systems department, and NAVAIR’s AIR-5.1 Integrated Systems Evaluation, Experimentation, and Test (ISEET) department.

NAVAIR says that it is working a complimentary effort to test and deploy the Standoff Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM, aka. “Viper Strike“) as a stand alone capability for Harvest HAWK, and that the first aircraft is scheduled to deploy by summer 2010 equipped with the AN/AAQ-30 TSS, AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles, and SOPGM. The 30 mm cannon, which will be mounted in the left side troop door, has been deferred to a later block upgrade. NAVAIR release.

End Harvest Hawk Phase 1

March 25/10: SOCOM Plans. Aviation Week DTI reports that U.S. Special Operations Command will base its future AC-130J gunship on the government-owned “Precision Strike Package” design used in the MC-130W. The February 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review will replace 8 AC-130H Spectre gunships with 8 new “AC?130Js,” based on the C-130J, instead of the earlier model C-130H that forms the core of the MC-130W. Another 8 AC-130Js will be added on top, giving SOCOM 17 AC-130U Spookys, 12 MC-130W Combat/Dragon Spears, and 16 AC-130Js.

SOCOM officials also hope that a modular design will let them easily add new capabilities to the fleet in future, creating what US SOCOM Deputy Acquisition Director James Geurts describes as “a family of precision strike capabilities that we can port onto different [Special Operations Forces] platforms.” The difference between SOCOM’s approach and the USMC’s Harvest Hawk will involve a greater emphasis on precision strike, instead of suppression.

Specific AC-130J requirements are still in flux, but FY 2011’s budget asks for $9.9 million in initial funding. The first serious funding is reportedly slated for FY 2012.

March 17/10: KC-130J-HH. A Harvest HAWK equipped KC-130J from USMC VMGR-352 squadron “The Raiders” arrives at NAVAIR’s Patuxent River, MD facilities from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA for testing. Source.

Jan 29/10: MC-130W. Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a $32.7 million contract to provide consoles for integration onto the MC-130W “Combat Spear” aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the 667th AESS/SYKA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8629-09-C-2445).

Jan 13/10: MC-130W. The 27th Special Operations Wing deploys 2 MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft from the 73rd Special Operations Squadron in support of humanitarian operations in Haiti. The deployment is a reminder that these multi-role aircraft can be deployed in unarmed roles, with or without their advanced sensors and weapons.

The release does not mention specifics, but advanced thermal sensors can be used for tasks like to seeing heat sources in disaster situations, as well as pinpointing armed enemies on a battlefield. Canon AFB release | Canon AFB picture | Clovis News Journal

MC-130W deployed

Nov 17/09: MC-130W Gun. ATK announces a $20 million contract to:

“…provide 30mm PGU-46/B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) ammunition for the ATK-produced Mk44 30mm cannon on the multi-role, MC-130W Combat Spear gunship, which will support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Contracting Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio awarded the contract.”

It would seem that AFSOCOM has made its 30mm gun choice. ATK will produce the ammunition at the company’s facilities in Radford, VA and Rocket Center, WVA. Deliveries will be complete in December 2010.

FY 2009

Concept definitions; Initial contracts; Testing begins.

M299 on KC-130J
(click to view full)

Sept 30/09: KC-130J-HH. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Marietta, GA receives a $21.3 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0053) for 2 Harvest HAWK capability I and II kits for the Marine Corps KC-130J aircraft. Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA, and is expected to be complete in December 2010. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, which is technically this very day.

Aug 29/09: KC-130J-HH. Harvest HAWK testing begins, to verify that changes to the KC-130J’s flight characteristics are either entirely absent, or known and compensated.

The retrofitted KC-130J used an AN/AAQ-30 Targeting Sight System, and a 4-weapon Hellfire II weapons rack in place of the left-hand aerial refueling pod. The right wing can still carry fuel for aerial refueling, while the left wing carries the kit. There is no discussion of a direct fire gun, but the release does add that Lockheed Martin plans to retrofit the Marine Corps’ fleet of KC-130J aircraft with the necessary wiring to carry Harvest Hawk, so that any aircraft could be quickly converted for use. USMC release.

Harvest Hawk testing begins

June 4/09: Gunslinger. An AFSOCOM pre-solicitation notice [FedBizOpps MS Word format | WIRED Danger Zone] discusses one option for mounting precision guided weapons on the MC-130Ws:

“The goal for Gunslinger is to have 10 or more Standoff Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGMs) loaded and ready to fire in rapid succession, reload in flight, and not modify the SOPGMs or their Common Launch Tube (CLT). The Gunslinger system must be interoperable with the Government’s SOPGM Battle Management System (BMS)… If only one qualified source responds the Government reserves the right to issue a sole source contract to that qualified source.

The Air Armament Center Capabilities Integration Directorate (AAC/XR) proposes to procure Gunslinger System Engineering which will include; design and ground demonstration of the Gunslinger system using a surrogate aircraft provided by the Government or a contractor provided mock up representative of the MC-130W. The design is allowed to include both permanent and removable portions. The installation as designed shall not prevent the aircraft from performing the cargo/transport mission when the removable portion is not in place. The permanent portion shall maintain cabin pressure when the removable portion is installed as well as when it is not installed. The time to install and uninstall the removable portions shall be minimized. The goal is less than five (5) minutes. The contractor shall develop an aircraft modification package with drawings and supporting data for installing the Gunslinger system and submit it to the aircraft OSS&E authority for approval to proceed with the aircraft modification.”

May 15/09: AFSOCOM’s analogues. Gannett’s Air Force times reports that Air Force Special Operations Command’s plan to buy 16 C-27Js under the Joint Cargo Aircraft program, for conversion to AC-27J Stinger II gunships, has fallen apart with the removal of Army C-27J funding in the FY 2010 budget.

In response, they’re investigating a “Plan B” that would add roll-on, roll-off kits to its MC-130W Combat Spear fleet. The MC-130W program began in 2006 to replace combat losses of the MC-130E/H Combat Talon, but it’s based on converted C-130H models, rather than new “J” version of the Hercules.

May 8/09: HH R&D. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Marietta, GA received a $22.8 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop a roll-on, roll-off armed targeting capability for the Marine Corps’ KC-130J.

Work will be performed in Palmdale, CA and is expected to be complete in December 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $15.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured (N00019-09-C-0053).

May 4/09: SOCOM PSP 360. The USAF is also interested in this concept, and issues a PIXS solicitation for a “Precision Strike Pkg 360 Degree Situational Awareness Camera System.” The solicitation adds that:

“This system would operate at altitudes at or above 10,000 feet and act as a hostile fire indicator system to provide aircrew with the ability to virtually scan the outside of the aircraft for hostile ground threats that would possibly target them. This system is part of a broader Persistence Strike Package (PSP). The purpose of the PSP program is to add a modular PSP to a medium lift cargo aircraft, to include a medium caliber gun and Stand-Off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGM).”

Additional Readings and Sources Background: Projects & Aircraft

• FedBizOpps solicitation (April 13/09) – Harvest Hawk modification to KC-130J Aircraft. The initial solicitation involves 3 kits, and adds “As the sole source designer, developer, and manufacturer of KC-130J aircraft, LM is uniquely qualified to meet the United States Marine Corps (USMC) summer 2009 deployment schedule.”

• Lockheed Martin – KC-130J Super Tanker

• USAF Fact Sheet – AC-130H/U Gunship

• USAF Fact Sheet – AC-130W Stinger II. Formerly the MC-130W Combat Spear/ Dragon Spear. Aircraft cost lists around $150 million: $108 million for the fully equipped plane + $39 million for the PSP weapon package. The PSP lists ATK’s 30mm GAU-23/A cannon, Boeing’s GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, and Raytheon’s AGM-176 Griffin-B missile.

• USAF Fact Sheet – AC-130J Ghost Rider. Will include a 105mm gun as well as the PSP. “The first AC-130J aircraft is scheduled to begin developmental test and evaluation in January 2014. The first squadron will be located at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., while other locations are to be determined. Initial operational capacity is expected in fiscal 2017 and the last [37th] delivery is scheduled for fiscal 2021.”

Background: Associated Equipment & Weapons

• Lockheed Martin – TSS

• Jane’s – Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-30 Target Sight System (TSS) (United States)

• L-3 Wescam – MX-15Di

• DID – A Spookier Spooky, 30mm at a Time. That was the idea, anyway.

• ATK – M230 30mm Chain Gun Automatic Cannon

• Designation Systems – Boeing/Lockheed Martin (Rockwell/Martin Marietta) AGM-114 Hellfire

• DID Spotlight – Raytheon’s AGM-176 Griffin Mini-Missiles.

• DID Spotlight – GBU-44 Viper Strike: Death From Above

• Defense Update – Griffin Small Tactical Munition. Griffin and STM are actually 2 separate weapons. Explains the difference between Griffin A (used on the MC-130W) and Griffin B.

• Lockheed Martin – Scorpion. Small precision glide weapon similar to NG’s Viper Strike and Raytheon’s Griffin. No longer listed on the Products page.

• DID – Mortars from Aircraft? The Shadow Knows… Small RQ-7 UAVs could soon carry GPS-guided mortars, and other weapons.

Competitors

• DID – Pocket Gunship: From AC-XX to the MC-27J Praetorian. Italy is the 1st customer, after US SOCOM declined.

• DID – Jordan’s Pocket Gunships: Converted CN-235s. The buy was announced at IDEX 2011, and could create a light gunship analogue to SOCOM’s proposed AC-27Js.

News & Views

• Strategy Page (Feb 16/11) – Gunships Come Out Of The Darkness.

• Defense News (Feb 8/11) – SOCOM Moved Quickly To Create Daytime Gunship.

• NDIA National Defense (August 2010) – Special Operations Aviators Gear Up for Aircraft Upgrades .

• Aviation Week DTI (March 25/10) – Socom Refines AC-130J Gunship Plans.

• Flight International (April 2/09) – US Marine Corps plans to convert KC-130J tankers into gunships.

• Aviation Week (Aug 18-25/08) – Marine Gunship.

• Gannett’s Marine Corps Times (April 24/08) – Corps weighs gunship firepower options.

Americas

Sikorsky is being contracted for upgrades to the helicopters used by Marine Helicopter Squadron One. Awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, the deal is worth close to $15 million and modifies the previous terms of an IDIQ for executive helicopter special progressive aircraft rework. The task order provides for security, project engineering, sustainment engineering, integrated logistics support, material support, program support and training. The executive helicopter program flies two types of rotorcraft, the VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N White Hawk. The Marine Corps currently operates 11 VH-3D Sea Kings, and 8 smaller VH-60N Black Hawk helicopters. The current helicopters will eventually be replaced by VH-92As. Work will be performed at Sikorsky’s factory in Stratford, Connecticut and in Quantico, Virginia. Performance of the contract is scheduled for completion by November 2019.

The Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office is receiving a ceiling increase for additional V-22 Osprey support. The modification is priced at $20.5 million and provides for additional Joint Performance Based Logistics support for the MV-22 flown by the Marine Corps, and the CV-22 flown by US SOCOM and by the Air Force. The Corps’ currently flies the Osprey in its Block C configuration which adds features AN/ALE-47 defensive systems, a “Cabin Situational Awareness Device”, a Color Weather Radar System and large HUD displays. The CV-22 features more sophisticated surveillance capabilities, beefed-up defensive systems that include the AN/ALQ-211v2, extra fuel tanks, and useful capabilities like terrain-following flight. Its most current configuration is the CV-22 Block 20. Work will be performed at multiple locations throughout the United States, including Fort Worth, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and St. Louis, Missouri. The contract is set to run through January 2019.

Middle East & Africa

Egypt is requesting the purchase of 10 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. Approved by the State Department, the deal is valued at $1 billion and will expand Egypt’s existing fleet of multi-mission heavy attack helicopters in an attempt to beef up forces to counter terrorist activities emanating from the Sinai Peninsula. Included in the deal are targeting systems, Hellfire missiles, night vision goggles, radars and other equipment needed for combat operations. Spare parts, maintenance services and training materials are also included in the sale. The Apache Guardian is the latest variant of the helicopter boasting a greater stand-off attack capability and more advanced sensors. The armored attack helicopter carries a 30mm chaingun and can fire a variety of rockets and guided missiles. Main contractors will be Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon.

Sierra Nevada Corp is being tapped to provide outside of continental US (OCONUS) contractor logistic support. Worth $329 million the undefinitized contract action will support 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft flown by the Nigerian Air Force. Included in the deal are ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment, alternate mission equipment and FLIR systems for six aircraft. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $220 million are being obligated for this contract. The A-29s will assist the Nigerian military in conducting surveillance, reconnaissance and counter insurgency operations against threats such as piracy in the Niger Delta as well as the ongoing insurgency by the jihadists of Boko Haram.

Saudi Arabia is one step closer in acquiring Lockheed’s THAAD missile defense system. The Kingdom recently signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the US. Priced at $15 billion, the deal includes the delivery of 44 THAAD launchers, 360 THAAD Interceptor Missiles, 16 THAAD Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Station Group, and seven AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars. “After completing required congressional notifications in 2017, followed by many months of negotiation, signing letters of offer and acceptance marks a step toward protecting the United States and its regional partners from Iranian-origin missiles,” CNBC was told by State Department spokesperson. THAAD is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces.

Europe

Bulgaria’s upcoming fighter jet overhaul program is expected to cost about $106 million. The Bulgarian Air Force is in dire need to modernise its fleet of ageing Soviet-era combat aircraft, as an acquisition process to choose a modern NATO-standard aircraft is still pending. A statement by the Bulgarian MoD says that the overhaul program is needed so that the air force can continue to carry out its NATO required air policing duties. “The implementation of the project is directly dependent on the implementation of the project to acquire a new type of combat aircraft and is of paramount importance both for the national security and defence of the country and for the implementation of the Nato collective defence mechanisms and the common security and defence of the EU,” the statement said. The Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft, designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The MiG-29 is a twin-engine jet fighter aircraft developed as an air superiority fighter.

Asia-Pacific

Global helicopter manufacturers are currently eyeing an upcoming Japanese requirement for over 50 attack helicopters. Previously known as AH-X competition, the ‘New Attack Helicopter’ requirement seeks to replace the current AH-1Ss in service with the Japan Ground Self Defence Force. An initial RFI was issued in May, to which Bell, Boeing, Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus Helicopters, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries responded. Flight Global notes that Bell is promoting its AH-1Z. Leonardo is pitching its upcoming AW-249 with an offer for a full industrial package. Airbus is promoting its HForce configured H-125Ms and Mitsubishi is offering upgraded UH-60s. A request for proposals is expected to follow in the next months.

Today’s Video

Watch: F-15E Strike Eagle Cockpit Vid • Exercise Point Blank (2018)

Americas

The US Army is ordering another batch of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles from Oshkosh. Oshkosh will deliver 6,017 JLTVs at a cost of $1,7 billion. The JLTV program started in 2006, with the aim to develop a successor platform to the Humvee. The new platform provides more survivability from insurgent attacks such as road-side bombings and boasts a greater payload capacity and modularity. The agreement also includes the delivery 22,166 kits, which include installation and packaging kits. Work will take place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by September 2019.

Raytheon is receiving additional funding to support the Navy’s stockpiles of SM-2 and SM-6 Standard surface-to-air missiles. Awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, the $37,3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification provides for intermediate-level repair and maintenance work. The SM-2 Standard is a series of surface-to-air missiles deployed on guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, designed to engage enemy missiles and aircraft to ranges of up to 100 miles. The SM-6 IA ERAM is supersonic missile designed as a supplement to the SM-2. It is designed to target a variety of targets ranging from aircraft to ballistic missiles in their terminal phase of descent. Work will be split between Raytheon’s facilities in Tucson, Arizona; Camden, Arkansas and Huntsville, Alabama. Performance of the contract is set to run through November, 2019.

Middle East & Africa

Qatar is requesting the purchase of a National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) from the US. The $215 million deal has been approved by the State Department and pending approval by Congress. If approved the deal will see for the procurement of 40 AIM 120C-7 AMRAAM missiles, one spare missile guidance section, one spare control section and eight captive air training missiles. NASAMS is a medium-range, network-centric air defence system that can be deployed to identify and engage enemy aircraft, and to protect high-value assets and mass population centres against air-to-surface threats. The AIM 120C-7 is the most advanced AMRAAM approved for export beyond the USA. It features an improved seeker head, greater jamming resistance, and a slightly longer range than other versions. Other items including in the contract are missile containers, software for the AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel Radar, spares and other equipment and services. Main contractor will be Raytheon.

The US State Department is determined to approve a Foreign Military Sale to Egypt. Priced at $201 million the potential deal calls for the delivery of 46,000 M831A1 and M865 rounds and 10,000 APFSDS-T rounds. The 46,000 120mm Target Practice – Tracer (M831A1) and 120 mm Target Practice, Cone Stabilized, Discarding Sabot – (M865) rounds; and the 10,000 120mm 4th-Generation Kinetic Energy-Tungsten (KE-W) A4 Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Tracer (APFSDS-T) rounds, will replace older round models in the Egypt’s M1A1 Abrams ammunition inventory. Egypt will use those rounds to arm the tanks that are currently fighting the Islamic State in the Sinai peninsula. The training rounds will be used to ready M1A1 tank crews for operational deployments. This announcement supersedes another FMS request delivered to Congress on September 17, 2018. Work will be performed at General Dynamics-OTS’ St. Petersburg, Florida facility

Europe

The UK Army Air Corps’ Apache AH1 salvaging program is nearing its end. The last two of 14 Army attack helicopters will be delivered to the US where they will be dismantled; recovered material and components will then bye refused on newly build AH-64E Guardians. This effort is part of the UK MoD’s Apache Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) which calls for the delivery of 50 new-build Apache Guardians at a price of $488 million. The FMS contract with Boeing was inked in May 2017 and includes the remanufacture of 38 Apache AH1s and a further 12 entirely new build Apache Guardians. The Apache Guardian attack helicopter is the latest version of the AH-64. It has a number of improvements and upgrades, including more powerful engines, upgraded transmission, a new fire control radar, new sensors, avionics and has improved night operation capabilities.

Asia-Pacific

Japanese media suggest that Tokyo is preparing to order another 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The country’s MoD says that it needs more F-35s as replacement for its ageing F-15s, and government plans to approve the acquisition in its upcoming National Defense Program Guidelines. Japan currently has 42 F-35s on order which will succeed its fleet of 91 upgraded F-4 “Phantom Kai” fighters. by 2024.The additional 100 planes will replace half of Japan’s 213 F-15J Eagle air superiority fighters, this order will likely be mix of the A and B variants. To accommodate the F-35 B STOVL variant, Tokyo plans to overhaul and revamp one of its JS Izumo helicopter carrier to host the fighters. The total contract value is estimated to be around $9 billion.

South Korean aerospace and defense firm KAI is expected to unveil a prototype of its new light armed helicopter next month. Developed in a partnership with Airbus, the LCH-LAH will replace the ageing MD500s and 70 AH-1S Cobras flown by the South Korean Army. Based on the Eurocopter EC 155 helicopter, the LAH is designed to fly at a speed of upward of 324 kilometers per hour and have a range of some 905 km. Its maximum take-off load is 4.9 tons with the chopper to be equipped with a 20-mm gun and anti-armor guided missiles made locally. “Following the rollout of the LAH’s prototype next month, an engine test is scheduled in March next year and a maiden flight in May,” a KAI official told Korean media. The first operational LCH-LAH is expected to be delivered by the end of 2022.

Today’s Video

Watch: Mountain Warfare Training

Ultra APV demonstrator
(click to view full)

In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.

These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially better protection ad durability than existing up-armored Humvees. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, and recent budget planning endorsements have solidifed a future that was looking shaky. Now, can the Army’s program deliver?

JLTV: Program & Risks

ONR’s testbed
(click to view full)

The JLTV program began in 2005, with the Army’s recognition that its HMMWV contract would expire in a couple of years, and that a better vehicle was needed to face current threats. The US Army bears overall JLTV responsibility through a Joint Program Office within its Tank, Automotive, and Armament Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI. US Marine Corps participation is centered on a program office under the supervision of the Program Executive Officer Land Systems (PEO LS) Marine Corps at Quantico, VA.

JLTV has benefited from a number of military research programs. They include the Army’s Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS), as well as prototyping efforts on the Ford F350-based Ultra Armored Patrol. Ultra AP was an Office of Naval Research program, involving Badenoch LLC and engineers from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Georgia Tech Research Institute. JLTV has its own requirements set, and was originally envisaged as having a $160 million Technology Development Phase (TDP) with 2 winners; a higher-level review increased the maximum to 3 winners, but did not increase funding.

Those TDP contracts were supposed to be placed in the 3rd quarter of FY 2008, but weren’t issued until Q1 FY 2009. Winners were subject to armor and ballistic testing, system tests, and live fire testing.

At the end of the TD phase, initial plans called for 2 System Design and Development (SDD) contract awards in Q2 FY 2011, in order to finish the base design and develop the remaining variants. That phase is now called EMD (Engineering & Manufacturing Development), and 3 contracts were issued in August 2012. Col. John Myers, Project Manager for the Army’s Joint Combat Support Services, has always said that that this will be another full and open competition – which means that losers in the TD Phase could conceivably invest, adapt, and win the SDD contract. That’s exactly what happened.

The EMD phase will be followed by a final competition that includes both low and full rate production, and the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Source Selection Authority plans to award a production contract to one winning team in 2015. Final numbers haven’t been determined yet, but the current projected quantity is about 50,000 JLTVs over an 8-year span. The ultimate value could rise to $30-40 billion over more than a decade, giving JLTV the potential to become the world’s largest single land system contract.

The JLTV Family of Vehicles

JLTV family comcept
(click to view full)

JLTV is designed to be very modular, which could eventually lead to a dizzying array of variants if the US military wishes. Vehicles must show better performance than the current HMMWV fleet in protection, mobility in dry conditions, and other RFP areas such as power generation; and each category must also be able to tow a trailer with similar capacity. They must be externally transportable in sling mode by CH-47 Chinook or CH-53 Stalion family heavy-lift helicopters, and 2 must be transportable in a C-130 Hercules medium transport aircraft.

Initially, JLTV fell into 3 payload categories for the Technology Development phase, with individual variants in each category to come later.

JLTV Category A. General 4-seat utility vehicle, payload 3,500 pounds. May be thought of as the base vehicle, to be built during the Technology Development (TD) phase.

JLTV Category B. Will be used as the base for most variants. Payload must be 4,000 pounds, desired objective is 4,500. The TD phase will build the 6-seat Infantry Carrier and the C2OTM Command on the move variants. Category B Reconnaissance, Heavy Guns Carrier, TOW ITAS missile carrier, Medium utility, and Ambulance (3 seat + 2 litter) variants will be developed during the SDD phase.

JLTV Category C. The “small truck” class. Payload must be 5,100 pounds. The general shelter carrier and utility variant will be developed during the TD phase; its Hummer M1097 and M1152 analogues are used as mounts for semi-mobile command posts, as equipment carriers, and as light trucks. A larger (3 seat + 4 litter) JLTV ambulance variant will be developed during the SDD phase.

As the US military prepares for a production contract, the types have been set more clearly into 4 initial production variants:

• M1278 JLTV-HGC (Heavy Guns Carrier). From CAT B, accommodates mounted crew-served weapons in a protected gun mount. Some manufacturers claim that their design could comfortably step beyond .50 caliber.

• M1279 JLTV-UTL. Utility/ Cargo light truck variant, from CAT C. Unlike the others, which are all 4-seat vehicles, JLTV-UTL is 2-seat to make more room in back.

• M1280 JLTV-GP. General Purpose vehicle, from CAT A.

• M1281 JLTV-CCWC (Close-Combat Weapons Carrier). From CAT B, an anti-tank/ anti-armor platform that will employ the Army’s TOW-ITAS missile and sight system (called M41 Saber in the USMC), along with direct-fire weapons such as the M2 .50-cal machine gun.

JLTV: Goals and Constraints

HMMWV, IEDed
(click to view full)

IED land mines were the #1 killer of American troops in Iraq, and up-armoring flat-bottomed Humvees proved to be an inadequate response. This finally led to the MRAP program at the end of 2006, which will have ordered and produced nearly 16,000 blast-resistant vehicles in less than 3 years. British experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has been similar, with 1/8 of all its casualties inflicted on troops riding in poorly-protected Land Rover Snatch jeeps. Those conditions have prompted several senior officer resignations in protest, including highly placed SAS commanders.

While some countries like Australia and Germany were foresighted enough to develop and field mine-resistant vehicles before 2001, a collective realization is sinking in across the board that up-armoring flat-bottomed vehicles with inadequate carrying capacity, in order to provide a level of protection that is better but still poor, simply will not do. Future patrol vehicles will need to be designed from the outset for blast-resistance against land mines and even car bombs.

There’s no getting around it: JLTV’s requirements will drive up the cost of Army vehicles in combat zones. Smart designs like v-hulls, composite blast pans, crushable composite structures, and improved armors do help – but they come at a cost. They cost money, and they cost weight.

Cougar MRAP et. al.
(click to view full)

The current roster of MRAP vehicles cost around $450,000-$650,000 each, with additional costs for “government furnished equipment” like remote-control turrets, electronics and radios, IED jammers, and other ancillaries. These items can drive an MRAP’s cost to nearly $1 million each, compared to a HMMWV’s $250,000 or so. Given military death benefits of about $500,000 per soldier, however, a full Hummer with all hands lost actually costs $3.25 million – and that’s just the money. There is more to cost than just procurement cost. The question is, will there be more in the budgets to cover the JLTV difference? So far, the response has been to shrink the order until it fits, while attempting to cap costs.

JLTV vehicles will be smaller and lighter than MRAPs, which tends to lower relative cost. On the other hand, they will need to use more innovative design approaches and materials, in order to deliver quality protection. Their “government furnished equipment” costs can be expected to rise in cost over time, because that has been the consistent trend over the last several decades. Final average cost for every fully equipped JLTV could conceivably reach over $700,000, and containing costs under $500,000 is likely to prove very challenging.

The laws of physics also have their say, requiring mass in order to withstand certain levels of explosive power. A military Hummer maxes out at about 12,000 pounds fully loaded. Blast resistant vehicles with MRAP protection levels begin at around 30,000 pounds when empty, and the Cougar 6×6 MRAP depicted in the photo above has a fully loaded Gross Vehicle Weight of 52,000 pounds. On the other hand, Force Protection’s Cougar 6×6 has been hit by huge IED land mine blasts involving several hundred pounds of explosives – and had every single crew member walk away from the resulting wreck.

That outcome was partly the result of design that avoids killers like flat bottoms, which often take several hits from a single mine blast as the explosion is reflected back at the ground and returns to the vehicle, over and over again. Blast-resistant vehicles are also careful about the placement of items that can be blown up into the cabin, and their bottoms avoid nooks and crannies that would act as “blast traps,” catching the force of land mine explosions like a ship’s sail catches wind. Even design has its limits, however; more weight allows heavier construction, more vehicle stability against even a deflected blast’s awesome punch, and a better ratio of protection to usable interior space.

Design a 14,000 – 20,000 pound vehicle with the same mine protection as a Cougar 6×6 is close to a “mission impossible,” though the Army seems to be asking for exactly that outcome. FY 2011 testing has begun to reveal the weaknesses inherent in that approach, as weight is already proving to be an issue for the off-road mobility that the US Marines prize so highly.

Instead, a successful and survivable JLTV program needs to be built around an inevitable set of tradeoffs. Requirements like lower height for shipboard transportability mean reduced v-hull angles, and less room between the hull and the ground when a mine goes off. Those decisions may be more compatible with off-road capability, which benefits from a lower center of gravity – up to a point. On the other hand, a complex suspension might deliver improved off-road mobility, with great clearance underneath, at the cost of extra weight, extra cost, and possibly poorer reliability. In this weight class, interlinked engineering problems make it very difficult to make just one decision.

JLTV: To Be, or Not to Be?

Oshkosh M-ATV
(click to view full)

JLTV’s biggest challenge will be to survive as a program. The US Army and Marine Corps both face huge maintenance budget “overhangs” as a result of long and hard equipment use required on the front-lines. Even the current rate of wartime supplemental funding has left both services short of the annual funds required for full maintenance and replacement. To make matters worse, both services have large, high-profile procurement programs (Ground Combat Vehicle, V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, USMC armored vehicle replacements) that are set to suck up massive development and/or procurement funds. Meanwhile, urgent MRAP and M-ATV “JLTV bridge buy” contracts are filling a similar niche for protected patrol vehicles, and creating a small explosion of related design ideas and in-production technologies. All the while employing a set of companies and workers with powerful local lobbying leverage, amidst an overall budgetary environment in which US military spending is expected to decline.

When seen in that light, the US military’s strategy shift away from initial visions involving large JLTV System Design and Development contracts makes a lot of sense. Instead, a set of relatively small design and development contracts, coupled with options for self-financed projects that have demonstrated success in following rounds, will give the US military its pick of 6-7 different and fully developed JLTV vehicles, all for under $300 million.

Buying the vehicles in quantity will be a different ball game, and planned JLTV numbers have declined steadily. The program’s next challenge will be to get a significant number of JLTV vehicles bought and delivered, amidst a budget environment that has moved from “tightening” to “crisis imminent”.

M-ATV’s off-road mobility, and orders to date for over 8,000 vehicles, give Oshkosh an especially strong fallback position. If JLTV falters for budgetary and technical reasons, the Army’s “bridge buy” M-ATV vehicles are already being kept in the force, alongside some of Navistar’s MaxxPro MRAPs. It wouldn’t be ideal, but those fleets could form the basis of an expeditionary force, while the military goes back to buying modified HMMWVs or other less-protected vehicles.

JLTV: Participants and Platforms

BAE/ Navistar’s Valanx
(click to view full)

Unsurprisingly, the JLTV field has displayed a certain degree of design convergence, within a very different set of core approaches to the problem. Since the competition will remain fully open at every step, it’s worth tracking all submissions. Even if a design loses a round, private development work could still make it a winner in the next round.

Government releases initially said that the JLTV program received 7 qualifying submissions in response to its initial Request for Proposal. Phase 1 saw Technology Development contract awards to 3 winners: AM General and General Dynamics’ General Tactical Vehicles joint venture (GTV Eagle), BAE and Navistar (Valanx), and a Lockheed Martin team that features heavy participation from BAE Systems’ Tactical Vehicle Systems division in Sealy, TX.

Phase 2 awarded Engineering & Manufacturing Development contracts to 3 winners: The team of Lockheed and BAE TVS from round 1, AM General for its solo BRV-O entry, and Oshkosh for its privately developed L-ATV.

BAE Systems: Valanx (won TDP, lost EMD)

Valanx & trailer
(click to view full)

At one time, the firms that are now part of BAE Systems had owned the world market for blast-resistant vehicles. BAE’s early lack of success in the MRAP competition was a rude shock, but a combination of acquisitions and execution brought them back to the #2 position by competition’s end. BAE firms also have a substantial combat vehicle heritage designing Bradley and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, M113 tracked armored personnel carriers, Bv family armored all-terrain carriers, and other widely-used combat platforms. The US Army’s FMTV medium trucks offered an outstanding wheeled vehicle production background – except for one small problem. That group within BAE was already working with Lockheed Martin. BAE U.S. Combat Systems drew heavily on its combat vehicle heritage for the JLTV’s “Valanx” design, therefore, and covered its production gap with a strong alliance: Navistar, a huge commercial and military trucking firm who had finished #1 in the USA’s MRAP program. Navistar eventually split from the partnership, toward the end of the TD phase.

The Valanx reflects BAE’s combat vehicle heritage and design approaches. “Chicken tests” were performed for length of operation without oil, as were some other tests not done on normal trucks. MRAP lessons learned re: v-hull angle and materials, spacing between the “v” and ground, and aspects like fireproof spall liners were incorporated. Hull shaping and internal layout were designed to maximize sightlines, including the ability to survey the rear quadrant while sitting in the vehicle, as well as offering improved stowage. With respect to armaments, BAE’s RG-33 is reportedly the only MRAP vehicle in theater that has been equipped with a fully stabilized turret for accurate fire on the move. Their JLTV design’s body rigidity would build on that heritage, allowing the cupola hole to mount and fire substantially larger weapons than a HMMWV could safely carry.

Sightlines and stowage were only some of the user-centric design aspects incorporated into the vehicle. Close examination shows windows that are all the same, which means just one spare type to stock. The hydraulic suspension system will raise and lower the vehicle for off-roading or ship transport, but it can also pick up just one corner to make tire changes easier. The spare tire carrier is an integrated jack, and BAE claims that a “5% female” (female in lowest 5% of Army physical requirements) can change their JLTV’s tire, quickly, if required. Observers may also note the extra space from the tire to the wheel well rims; this allows units to bolt up different size wheel and tire assemblies in order to change the vehicle’s characteristics, lowering ground pressure with MRAP-size tires for off-road activities or heavier loads, or using smaller tires for less weight and more efficient on-road use.

The BAE team chose not to create a hybrid drive vehicle, on the grounds that a conventional drive train would let them meet all requirements at less weight and less cost. Instead, the Valanx’s lightweight independent suspension and drivetrain are made by Arvin Meritor, the US Army’s largest axle supplier. With that said, their Valanx does leverage BAE HybriDrive technologies used in thousands of Orion passenger buses, in order to exceed the military’s electrical power production requirements. A full set of embedded diagnostic and prognostic systems, leveraging several classified and non-classified databuses, will be used to help keep these vehicles running reliably. Navistar JLTV product page | BAE/ Navistar partnership announcement | Feb 2008 JLTV unveiling: BAE | Aviation Week article.

BAE also competed for the M-ATV interim buy, using 2 designs. One design is a lighter, improved version of their Caiman MRAP, which is derived in turn from the Army’s standard FMTV medium trucks. The second submission was a modified Valanx. Both lost to Oshkosh.

GDLS & AM General’s GTV EAGLE (won TDP, lost EMD)

GTV’s design
(click to view full)

AM General are the builders of the current Hummer fleet. General Dynamics Land Systems builds M1 Abrams tanks, was a partner with Force Protection to deliver Cougar MRAPs via the Force Dynamics joint venture, and finally bought Force Protection in December 2011. The firm also has very strong systems integration capabilities, and is involved in key radio and electronics programs that will equip America’s future soldiers. GTV is the AM General/ GDLS joint venture for the JLTV, and Eagle is the name for their design.

In 2006, both AM General and General Dynamics were awarded JLTV “Best Technical Approach” trade studies by the Office of Naval Research. Their joint design stresses design maturity and proven components, and includes a “unique modular and scalable trailer that has mobility equal to the JLTV vehicle itself.” GDLS and AM General reportedly invested over $10 million for risk reduction development and maturation of this vehicle and its In-Hub Hybrid Electric Drive system. Their AGMV used a hexagon shaped armored capsule for its uses in mine protection, side blast deflection, and small-arms protection. GTV site | Defense Update Nov 2007 article.

Lockheed Martin & BAE TVS (TD & EMD Winner)

LM/ BAE’s UVL Class C
(click to view full)

Lockheed Martin’s 2006 purchase of small British specialist vehicle designer HMT was an interesting shift for the firm, which has not been a major contender for military ground vehicle design. The firm has put a serious effort behind that push, however, leveraging wins for research programs like Future Tactical Truck System, and using their own private development funds. These resources were invested to build, evaluate, and refine its JLTV designs over several prototypes, and thousands of miles of testing – choices that ended up giving this team the best maturity and technical risk rating available: “Excellent/ Very Low Risk”.

Even so, Lockheed Martin knew from the outset that it would need a very serious production partner in order to field a credible design, and a credible bid. It found one early in Armor Holdings, who designed and built the US Army’s FMTV medium truck fleet. This may be the Army’s second largest vehicle fleet, with well over 40,000 trucks delivered to date plus another 2,000 or so derivative Caiman MRAPs. In 2007, a multi-billion dollar deal made Armor Holdings part of BAE “General Tactical Systems” – and created a “firewall” within BAE Systems between its 2 JLTV teams. All FMTV-related expertise remains exclusively at Team Lockheed’s disposal, and has been used to create a fully joint design and volume production plan. Other team members include Alcoa Defense (aluminum materials technology, design), JWF (machining and fabrication), plus Cummins Engine, Allison Transmission, Bosch, Meritor Defense, Lotus Engineering, L3 Combat Propulsion Systems, and Vehma International of America.

Lockheed Martin is a systems design firm at heart, and that approach became a big focus for the JLTV. Within that approach, survivability uses a wide array of techniques, including diverting energy via a v-hull; absorbing energy; visual, noise and infrared signature reduction; and ergonomics and individual reaction analysis. Team spokespeople stressed that a number of these elements are proprietary, and are not obvious from external viewing.

Producibility can easily be set aside in the rush to solve hard engineering problems. As expected given the team’s FMTV background, this was also a focus. The 3rd focus was maintainability and readiness, which is a particular strength of the FMTV truck fleet. Armor Holdings had the FMTV’s proven electronic diagnostic and troubleshooting systems, while Lockheed brought higher-level prognostic approaches derived from projects like its F-35 fighter and its accompanying fleet-wide ALIS system. In the end, their joint commitment and effort was rewarded with a TDP contract. 2006 teaming announcement | Alcoa joins the team | LM Team unveils Category C prototype | LM team Category B testing release.

Phase 2 Engineering & Manufacturing Development: Outside Entries

Ocelot unveiled
(click to view full)

As intended, the EMD Phase bids also attracted bids that hadn’t been part of the earlier TD phase.

AM General: BRV-O (Won EMD). The day after the RFP was due, AM General announced that in addition to the GTV Eagle, it had also submitting its own privately-developed BRV-O (Blast Resistant Vehicle – Off road) as an independent bid. The firm has a set of partners, but wouldn’t discuss them, or offer specifics about their vehicle beyond boilerplate like “self-leveling suspension,” “crew capsule and modular armor”, and “C4ISR backbone”.

General Dynamics: Ocelot (???) Force Protection’s Cheetah lost the JLTV TD phase competition, then the M-ATV interim bridge vehicle competition, then faded into oblivion. The firm still has an offering in this weight class, however, thanks to Britain’s Light Protected Patrol Vehicle competition. Instead of entering the Cheetah, Force Protection worked in conjunction with its British partners to invent a modular, 7.5 ton Ocelot vehicle that could give the firm another crack at JLTV.

Orders for British “Foxhounds” pushed the vehicle into production, and JLTV is a tempting target, but General Dynamics bought Force Protection in December 2011. The company could enter the Ocelot as a stand-alone JLTV EMD contender, and compete against its GTV partnership with AM General. The question is whether it will choose to do so – as its partner AM General did. The EMD phase had 7 bidders, which leaves 1 unaccounted for. If Ocelot was that missing contender, it didn’t win, but it has enough of a production base to finance improvements and enter again.

International Saratoga
(click to view full)

Navistar: Saratoga (Lost EMD). Navistar wound up splitting from its Valanx partner BAE Systems to offer its Saratoga design. It looks a lot like some of the v-hulled HMMWV upgrades on the market, but early reports indicate that it doesn’t use a v-hull for underbody blast protection. Navistar launched the Saratoga in October 2011, after conducting its own automotive and blast testing. Their funding as the #1 producer of standard MRAP vehicles would have helped back Saratoga’s development.

Saratoga was reportedly aimed at the HMMWV Recapitalization/ MECV competition, but that went away. As JLTV’s requirements and cost targets have shrunk, however, Navistar apparently decided that a “less is more” solution was smart positioning. An emailed release said that the decision makers at Navistar:

“…believe it is appealing to nations facing uncertain futures and limited budgets… Down the road, there may be an opportunity for Navistar to bid for a JLTV production contract after the EMD phase is complete. We will seriously consider that option.”

Oshkosh: L-ATV (Won EMD). They may have lost the initial JLTV Technology Development competition, but their immediate fallback was a huge success. A reworked M-ATV version of their vehicle won the planned bridge buys to JLTV, using a less high-tech approach. The M-ATV’s 8,000+ orders could easily finance further JLTV research to improve their team’s perceived technical maturity, while providing a potential commonality angle.

Which is exactly what happened, leading to the smaller, privately-developed L-ATV. It includes an updated TAK-4i version of the firm’s widely-used TAK-4 independent suspension system, and can add an optional ProPulse hybrid diesel-electric drive train for power storage and export.

JLTV: Contracts and Key Events FY 2016 – 2018

Production RFP.

AM General BRV-O

November 29/18: $1.7b order The US Army is ordering another batch of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles from Oshkosh. Oshkosh will deliver 6,017 JLTVs at a cost of $1,7 billion. The JLTV program started in 2006, with the aim to develop a successor platform to the Humvee. The new platform provides more survivability from insurgent attacks such as road-side bombings and boasts a greater payload capacity and modularity. The agreement also includes the delivery 22,166 kits, which include installation and packaging kits. Work will take place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by September 2019.

February 7/18: Contracts-Vehicles & Kits Oshkosh Defense will provide the US Army with 416 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), under a contract awarded by the service last Friday, February 2. Valued at $106.3 million, the agreement also includes the delivery of 832 kits, which include installation and packaging kits. Work will take place in Oshkosh, Wisconson, and is expected to be complete by March 2019.

December 28/17: Contracts-Orders Oskosh Defense will produce 258 joint light tactical vehicles (JLTV) and 1,727 kits under a $100.1 million US Army contract. Work will take place at the firm’s base in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion time for May 31, 2019. Funding will be appropriated from fiscal 2017 and 2018 US Army other procurement funds, coupled with funds from the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the Office of Chief Army Reserves.

September 15/17: Oshkosh Defense has brought its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) to the DSEI show in London, England. In anticipation of a forthcoming sale to the UK, the model brought was given an obligatory coat of British Army green paint, and came equipped with an in-service Kongsberg remote weapon station, AmSafe Bridport anti-rocket-propelled grenade armor and a Harris radio. George Mansfield, the vice president of international programs at Oshkosh Defence, said the configuration was meant to give a glimpse of the sort of items the British could fit based on those already in the inventory. He noted it wasn’t representative of any particular requirement. While the US State Department have already cleared the foreign military sale (FMS), the MoD does not expect a final decision on the FMS proposal until “early 2018.” The final go-ahead for the deal may have to await the results of a largely financially driven capability review due for completion by the end of the year by the British government.

August 03/17: The latest order of the Joint light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program has been made by the US Army, with the service requesting the production and delivery of 748 vehicles and 2,359 installed and packaged kits from manufacturer Oshkosh. Valued at $195 million, this has been the fifth JLTV buy since 2015 as part of Low Rate Initial Production orders, while testing and evaluation of the new land vehicle continues. It is anticipated that a decision on Full Rate Production of the JLTV will be made in fiscal year 2019 and first units delivered to the Army later that year.

July 12/17: Washington has also cleared the $1.035 billion sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) and accessories to the UK. Under the deal, as many as 2,747 vehicles will be delivered, alongside baseline integration kits, basic issue item kits, B-kit armor, engine arctic kits, fording kits, run-flat kits, spare tire kits, silent watch kits, power expansion kits cargo cover kits, maintainer and operator training, and US logistics and support services. If approved by Congress, JLTV manufacturer Oshkosh Defense will act as main contractor.

January 4/17: Further orders for Oshkosh’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) have been made by the US Army. 409 of the vehicles will be produced in a $179 million contract, with work expected to be completed by this December. Initial low-rate production of the JLTV began last year, as the US Army and USMC look to replace their Humvees.

September 1/16: The US Army is planning to make the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) its new Light Reconnaissance Vehicle platform and arm it with a variant of the M230 chain gun found on the AH-64 attack helicopter. Manufacturer Oshkosh won a $6.7 billion contract last fall to build the first 17,000 production models of the JLTV. In total, the Army and Marine Corps plan to buy a total of nearly 55,000 of the combat vehicles, including 49,100 for the Army and 5,500 for the Corps, to replace about a third of the Humvee fleets.

June 23/16: The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) could see its first export order, with the UK currently in talks with the Pentagon over a potential Foreign Military Sale. If agreed, the vehicles would be acquired as part of the MoD’s Multi-Role Vehicle-Protected (MRV-P) program under its package one requirement, the smallest for carrying troops and other light duties. Package two involves larger troop carrying and battlefield ambulance vehicles with package 3 involving light protected recovery vehicles.

April 15/16: Thanks to the legal disruption caused by Lockheed Martin over the US Army’s selection of Oshkosh for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, it is likely that the vehicle won’t reach its initial operational capability (IOC) on time. Oshkosh came out the victor over Humvee-maker AM General and Lockheed for the $6.7 billion low-rate initial production contract award to build 16,901 vehicles. However, the program had been put on a 97 day halt due to the lawsuit, with work only continuing in December. The Army is now anticipating a six-month delay in reaching its IOC milestone now expected for late 2019.

March 29/16: The US Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program (JLTV) will cost significantly less than initially expected, according to a a recent Pentagon Selected Acquisition Report (SAR). The program’s cost is to drop about $6 billion, over 19 percent, from $30.6 billion to $24.7 billion. Breaking down the savings, $3.7 billion goes in realized savings, $1.3 billion in adjustments due to a stretched out procurement, and $550 million due to a changed methodology in estimating technical data package costs, among a few other factors.

February 17/16: Despite a well publicized ongoing lawsuit, Oshkosh is to continue the production of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) after the US Court of Federal Claims denied Lockheed Martin’s request to stop the work on the case pending. The JLTV program, potentially worth up to $30 billion, was temporarily paused after Lockheed filed a complaint to the Government Accountability Office against the contract award to Oshkosh. This was dismissed by the GAO and a case was then taken by Lockheed to the federal court in December. The court’s decision to allow Oshkosh to continue manufacturing of the vehicles is a strong indicator that any appeals by Lockheed will be dismissed.

February 4/16: Following Michael Gilmore’s thoughts on the F-35 program, his report has also shed some light on the hotly contested Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) competition. His report goes into detail on how the three offerings for the USMC Humvee replacement faired in tests. While Lockheed Martin and competition winner Oshkosh met protection requirements, Humvee producer AM General fell short. The shortfall resulted in AM General losing out on a contract potentially worth $30 billion, one of the biggest Army contracts in recent times. Lockheed Martin went on to begin a legal proceeding against the award to Oshkosh; however, these were thrown out before the new year.

December 17/15: Oshkosh Corporation has been allowed to resume building tactical vehicles for the US Army. The go ahead was given after the company was forced to halt production of 17,000 Light Tactical Vehicles specified on the $6.75 billion contract which was awarded in August. Rival bidder Lockheed Martin had challenged the decision to award Oshkosh Corp the tender, bringing it to the watchdog Government Accountability Office. The GAO dismissed Lockheed’s objections, allowing the production to continue.

FY 2015

Production RFP.

September 09/15: Lockheed is protesting the award to its competitor of the massive JLTV program. The GAO said that the decision on the protest would be made before things start to close up in D.C. for Christmas. AM General, the other firm losing to Oshkosh, opted not to protest.

August 27/15: It should go without saying that yesterday’s Oshkosh award of the JLTV program may well be contested. The Army has yet to debrief Lockheed or AM General, a key step in the process toward a proper GAO protest.

August 26/15: Oshkosh won one of the largest land forces defense contracts ever, taking the $30 billion JLTV contract. The initial order for 17,000 vehicles will start replacing Humvees in fiscal 2016 and really ramp in 2018. Runner ups were Lockheed and AM General.

Dec 12/14: Production RFP. USTACOM releases the 4th and final iteration of its JLTV RFP for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and Full Rate Production (FRP). This comes right after the 3rd draft, indicating that changes were minimal. Contractors have until February 5, 2015 to send questions, with proposals due by Feb. 10. Communications with parties other than the 3 potential prime contractors will be kept to a minimum. The Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract should last 3 years of LRIP followed by 5 years at full rate. Pricing the years out will depend of whether Multiyear Procurement (MYP) is approved by Congress. Solicitation W56HZV-14-R-0039.

Dec 02/14: 3rd RFP Draft. USTACOM releases the 3rd iteration of its draft JLTV RFP. Communication remains limited to one-on-one meetings with the 3 EMD winners, under an approved Justification and Approval that allows limited competition. There will still be a lot of work ahead even after the final RFP is issued and a contract awarded, as the pursuit of a MYP strategy at the the full rate production stage will require congressional approval.

Source: W56HZV-14-R-0039.

Nov 19/14: Limited User Testing. Limited User Testing (LUT) has been completed by the US Army and Marine Corps between September and October with the prototypes that all 3 EMD participants had provided.

Oct 8/14: 2nd RFP Draft. the US military releases their 2nd Draft RFP for JLTV. It envisions a maximum of 8 years for the production contract & options, using range pricing to determine unit prices for vehicles and kits.

Per H.1.3.1., orders could rise to 16,700 vehicles on a firm-fixed-price basis that changes using agreed yearly cost escalation, with the JLTV mission package mix determined each year from 4 options: M1278 Heavy guns carrier, M1279 Utility/ cargo, M1280 General purpose, M1281 close-combat weapons carrier. They could add up to 97 refurbished JLTV-FoVs to make 16,797, but they need to exercise the refurbished options in Lots 1-5.

The government can also order up to 32 trailers on a firm-fixed-price basis in any increment, and up to 164,697 packaged and installed kits on a firm-fixed-price basis. Sources: TACOM Warren Procurement Network, “2nd DRAFT RFP W56HZV-14-R-0039” | FBO.gov #W56HZV14R0039.

FY 2013 – 2014

Program updates; Test vehicles produced; RFP drafts begin, as initial variants become clearer.

Sept 24/14: The JLTV designs remain staples at shows like AUSA and Modern Day Marine eXpo, as the firm compete to build almost 17,000 vehicles, with the initial production contracts expected in summer 2015 (183 Army and 7 USMC). Will the military go beyond that?

“Overall, the Army aims to purchase about 49,000 of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, while the Marine Corps plans to acquire about 5,500 of the trucks. Both services have pledged their commitment to the program despite facing automatic budget cuts known as sequestration…. estimated the effort to develop and build the vehicles at almost $23 billion, or about $400,000 per truck, according to a 2013 report from the Congressional Research Service. Leaders have maintained each vehicle will cost about $250,000.”

We’ll see. Sources: DoD Buzz, “Army to Start Next JLTV Competition This Fall”.

Sept 5/14: LMCO. The Lockheed Martin Team’s JLTV program successfully completed the government’s Production Readiness Review (PRR) of their Camden, AK Ground Vehicle Assembly facility.

The Camden site has won a a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Manufacturing Excellence before, but Lockheed doesn’t have a history with vehicles, and BAE’s Sealy, TX facility was gutted by Oshkosh’s money-losing bid for FMTV trucks. That makes this kind of approval more important to them than it is to other teams. Sources: LMCO, “U.S. Government Gives Green Light to Lockheed Martin Team’s JLTV Production Plans”.

June 25/14: Draft RFP v1. The government issues its initial draft RFP for JLTV. One advantage to EMD Phase selection: Joint Program Office JLTV will only answer questions or take comments from the 3 EMD contractors, though non-classified materials and answers will be posted and available to anyone. Sources: TACOM Warren Procurement Network, “1st Draft Request for Proposal (RFP), Attachments and Exhibits” | FBO.gov #W56HZV14R0039, “23–Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and Full Rate Production (FRP) Special Notice – Draft RFP
Solicitation Number”.

Draft RFPs begin

June 18/13: Program update. Despite sequestration, JLTV program officials tell military.com that they’re on track to deliver a low-rate-initial production JLTV award to a single vendor in FY 2015. AM General, Lockheed Martin, and Oshkosh are scheduled to deliver 22 vehicles each for testing in August 2013. They’ll go through off-road and soft soil testing, shipboard and ship to shore tests, and blast testing. Testing will help create a requirements document that will be validated by late FY 2014 – early FY 2015, which in turn paves the way for an RFP. The final step is an open competition, followed by final award.

The official per-unit limit remains at to $250,000 per vehicle, thanks to on-going trade-offs throughout the Technology Development process. On the other hand, by the time the services finish adding communications, manned weapons stations or RWS, and other gear, it’s reasonable to expect a final price around $400,000 – 500,000+.

The wild card? Program managers acknowledge that another year of sequestration cuts would force new choices on the military, which could change the program. That’s very likely to happen, which could turn programs like the USMC’s HMMWV improvement (q.v. Sept 27/12) from complements to competitors. Military.com.

June 10-22/13: Test vehicles. The EMD phase vendors have manufactured their initial testing vehicles for the US government, with formal deliveries scheduled to run through August. The JLTV prototypes will receive additional “mission packages” from their manufacturers or from the government, in order to convert them to specific testing configurations like Heavy Guns Carrier. AM General | Lockheed Martin | Oshkosh Defense.

FY 2012

RFP & responses lead to EMD awards; BAE/Navistar team splits; AM General submits its own bid; USMC’s HMMWV improvement complement.

Lockheed/BAE’s lineup
(click to view full)

Sept 27/12: USMC HMMWVs. Military.com reports on the USMC’s internal math, which says they won’t be able to replace 24,000 HMMWVs with 5,500 JLTVs bought around 2017 – 2022.

The rest will need to come from a HMMWV improvement program, without getting into the same “costs as much as buying new” swamp as HMMMWV RECAP. Solution? Start with a clear price limit, and try to figure out what you can afford for that. The interesting thing is that instead of focusing on blast protection, the program seems to aim at restoring vehicle performance, payload, and reliability to the level it was at before before conventional up-armoring. Military.com.

Sept 4/12: Thou Shalt not Protest. Navistar withdraws a GAO protest that it had filed just a few days earlier. According to the company they first filed their protest because of regulatory timing constraints, but after reviewing their debriefing, they decided not to proceed. BAE Systems will not challenge the award, either. Marine Corps Times.

Meanwhile Hardwire LLC announced that it was behind the mystery 7th (failed) bid. The company made blast chimney demonstrations on Humvees a couple of years ago. Defense News.

Aug 24/12: EMD triple award. 3 awards are made for the 27-month Engineering & Manufacturing Development phase, with an estimated completion date of Nov 8/14. The winners will deliver 22 vehicles within 12 to 14 months for further testing and evaluation. TACOM in Warren, MI received 7 bids, and the winners were:

Lockheed Martin Corp. in Grand Prairie, TX wins a $65 million firm-fixed-price contract. Work will be performed in Lockheed Martin’s Grand Prairie, TX facility, and BAE TVS’ Sealy, TX plant (W56HZV-12-C-0262).

AM General LLC in South Bend, IN wins a $63.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for their BRV-O. Work will be performed in Livonia, MI, and Mishawaka, IN (W56HZV-12-C-0258).

Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, WI wins a $55.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for their L-ATV. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, WI (W56HZV-12-C-0264).

The awards vindicate AM General and Oshkosh’s choice to submit their own bids, while TD phase winners BAE (Valanx) and General Dynamics (Eagle) are on their own if they want to continue. Navistar (Saratoga) could also elect to continue with private development, and enter the production competition. The 7th bidder isn’t clear, but General Dynamics may have also bid its Ocelot/Foxhound.

BAE has the most interesting decision, as they remain involved in EMD through their participation in the Lockheed Martin-led team. A win with Lockheed would keep their Texas plant alive and in position to contest the next FMTV medium truck contract, which Oshkosh is now known to have bid at a significant loss. Shareholder dissatisfaction makes a repeat of that strategy unlikely for Oshkosh, which must give BAE hope to recapture the Sealy factory’s cornerstone. Their Valanx is associated with other facilities. Is it better for BAE to hedge its bets with Valanx development, or keep the development money for other things and go all in with Lockheed Martin? See also US Army, belatedly | FBO.gov | AM General | Lockheed Martin | Oshkosh | James Hasik sees industrial considerations in the award, and explains further.

JLTV EMD Phase

March 27/12: RFP bids in. BAE, Lockheed Martin, and Oshkosh announce their JLTV submissions. The due date had originally been March 13/12, but it was extended. The government plans to award up to 3 JLTV EMD contracts in June 2012, for delivery of 22 prototype vehicles and other equipment for testing.

AM General announces the next day that in addition to its joint GTV submission with General Dynamics Land Systems, it will be submitting a design of its own called the BRV-O (Blast Resistant Vehicle – Off road). AM General developed the vehicle itself, and says it has put BRV-O through 300,000 miles of road testing. It also says that it has a number of industrial partners for system integration, etc., but won’t name them.

BAE US Combat Systems’ JLTV team includes Northrop Grumman for systems integration, Arvin Meritor for the suspension, and now Ford for the engine. Their Valanx will use the same Power Stroke 6.7 liter turbocharged diesel that powers Ford’s commercial F-series trucks. BAE describes it as having “class-leading fuel economy and the best horsepower and torque of any engine in its class,” and told DoD Buzz that when Navistar and BAE Systems split, and BAE Systems needed a company to build them an engine, Ford was the obvious answer.

The partnership between General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General has confirmed that they’re bidding a design called the EAGLE. This double-v hull design is not the same as GD MOWAG’s light patrol vehicle offering that used to be based on the HMMWV, and now (EAGLE IV) uses the Duro truck as its base.

Lockheed Martin’s JLTV team includes BAE Tactical Vehicle Systems in Sealy, TX, plus Cummins Engine, Allison Transmission, Bosch, Meritor Defense, Lotus Engineering, L3 Combat Propulsion Systems, and Vehma International of America. Their release touted the weight and cost savings in their revised designs, using a combination of digital engineering analysis, virtual design builds, component tests and physical stress testing. BAE-TVS appears to be positioned as the manufacturing centerpiece, and has capacity after Oshkosh bid below cost to take their FMTV truck contract away.

Navistar has split from BAE Systems, and is offering its Saratoga design, which looks a lot like some of the V-hulled HMMWV upgrades on the market. Navistar launched the vehicle in October 2011, after conducting its own automotive and blast testing. Navistar Defense President Archie Massicotte said that: “The Saratoga is a solid design and now that we have seen the requirements of the JLTV migrate toward our vehicle capabilities, we are in a position to modify the Saratoga to fit those requirements.”

Oshkosh, as predicted, is entering its L-ATV derivative of the popular M-ATV, which has become the US military’s most widely ordered blast-resistant vehicle. Their bid includes their new and improved TAK-4i independent suspension, and an optional Oshkosh ProPulse diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

Force Protection, which has been absorbed into GD Land Systems, was silent on whether or not it bid its Ocelot.

Bid surprises for some

March 4/12: Not that people doubt the Army’s ability to deliver a JLTV vehicle with HMMWV size and MRAP-level protection for $250,000… but they do. The Army is responding. Lt. Gen. Bill Phillips, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology:

“In July [2011], the Army released the “Decker-Wagner” review of its acquisition processes… Phillips said the Army has already implemented 29 of the 76 recommendations in the report, and will implement a total of 63 of those recommendations total — with the majority complete by the summer… Now, he said, the service is looking at what capabilities a requirement provides, is it feasible in terms of execution on the timeline, and is it affordable.

One beneficiary of the Army’s new acquisition processes is the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Phillips said the JLTV might have cost the Army close to $500,000 per vehicle if the Army had gone forward with the strategy it had during the technology development phase of the vehicle. Today, he said, as a result of how the Army changed the way it does requirements “we are confident we can bring this vehicle in for less than $250,000.”

Acquisition processes don’t change the laws of physics. Phillips cites the successful MRAP program as a reason for faith, but those vehicles cost over $500,000 each, and were far heavier than JLTV’s goal. The proof will be in the delivery.

Feb 28/12: Col. Dave Bassett, the project manager for Army tactical vehicles, tells the AUSA conference that he has confidence in the coming responses to JLTV. In his opinion:

“Industry, they don’t need another two years to design this vehicle… They are ready now to respond with mature designs to our solicitation.”

Jan 30/12: JLTV EMD RFP. FBO.gov solicitation #W56HZV11R0329:

“The solicitation for the JLTV EMD phase… shall be conducted on a source selection basis utilizing a “tradeoff” process to obtain the best value to the Government. The full and open competitive source selection process will result in an award to up to three firm-fixed price contracts for the EMD(Engineering & Manufacturing Development) phase focusing on fabrication, assembly, integration, testing and test support, and related requirements in accordance with the contract and the JLTV Purchase Description. Each JLTV Contractor shall deliver prototype vehicles, ballistic structures, armor coupons, additional test assets, and contractor furnished kits, trailers and data requirements. Contract award is currently planned for June of 2012. “

The response date in March 13/12. Per the program’s original plan, vendors that were not picked for the initial JLTV development phase can enter vehicles in this competition.

EMD phase RFP

Jan 26/12: Saved by the budget? Preliminary FY 2013 budget materials discuss coming shifts in Pentagon priorities, as the defense department moves to make future cuts. The JLTV ids an exception, however: “HMMWVs – terminated upgrades and focused modernization resources on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle,” in line with recent US Army declarations. Pentagon release | “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” [PDF]

The US Army declares that it will not pursue offerings of upgraded HMMWVs, and intends to stick with the JLTV program, following an agreement with the Marine Corps. The question, of course, is whether Congress will go along with this decision. Lexington Institute.

Jan 17/12: Testing warnings. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The JLTV is included, and tests indicate a couple of warning signs. To sum up: they need roads, reliability has been poor, MRAPs are uncomfortable, and the laws of physics haven’t been repealed.

“During TD testing, all vendor vehicles experienced difficulty with mobility in soft soil due to vehicle weight and other vehicle design factors. In the TD, the reliability of vendor vehicles demonstrated between 71 to 902 Mean Miles Between Operational Mission Failure (MMBOMF) versus the required 3,600 MMBOMF. The Army increased the underbody threat requirement during TD to be equivalent to the protection provided by the [heavier M-ATV] vehicle. The ability to achieve the increased level of protection while also satisfying other JLTV requirements [DID: like, say, mobility in soft soil] is not known.”

Mobility will be an especial issue for the US Marines. The testers also complained about communications integration, and the same visibility and internal layout issues that have bedeviled other blast-resistant designs. BAE’s Valanx was supposedly designed to offset that, but:

“All three JLTV vendor vehicles had problems demonstrating functionality of government furnished command, control, and communication equipment in vehicles… Lack of adequate storage space for ammunition, restricted visibility due to small windows, positioning of window panels, and uncomfortable seats with poor seating arrangements were common problems between vendor prototypes and variants.”

Oct 10/11: NAV Saratoga. Navistar Defense introduces its Saratoga light patrol vehicle at AUSA. It’s initially aimed at the HMMWV Recapitalization/ MECV program, but ends up becoming Navistar’s JLTV offering. Navistar | Aviation Week Ares | Defense Update.

Oct 3/11: JLTV EMD RFP Draft. The latest Army-Marine Corps JLTV solicitation favors existing designs over new, and may lead to the program’s demise in favor of recapitalized and modified HMMWVs.

The $250,000 target cost will be a challenge all by itself, but the new solicitation may actually kill JLTV altogether, by driving both new and existing designs out of the competition. By reducing expected production to just 20,000 vehicles over 8 years (3 LRIP, 5 full-rate), it becomes more difficult for firms to recover costs for new designs. On the other hand, demands to hand over technical data rights, and a plan to re-compete the production contract for the winning vehicle after several years, make it unattractive for firms to place a valuable existing design at risk. US Army TACOM Page | FBO.gov | Defense News | Lexington Institute.

FY 2011

Oshkosh debuts L-ATV; JLTV cut rumors prod Plan Bs.

L-ATV
(click to view full)

Sept 13/11: OSK L-ATV. Oshkosh unveils its smaller “L-ATV” protected patrol vehicle, which it describes as fully compliant with all JLTV program specifications. The firm was eliminated from the technical demonstrator contract phase, but the next phase will be re-opened to outside bidders. Oshkosh did the expected thing, and leveraged its M-ATV win to fund development.

The L-ATV will feature the improved TAK-4i independent suspension, which “uses a proprietary technology to deliver 20 inches of independent wheel travel – 25 percent more wheel travel than any vehicle in the U.S. military’s fleets.” It can also raise or lower the vehicle, ensuring transportability in ships and aircraft, while still offering enough height for all-terrain mobility and mine blast protection.

Sept 13/11: JLTV future. The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee moves to cancel JLTV in their version of the FY 2012 defense bill, which would shift the MECV upgraded HMMWV effort into JLTV’s place. If the curt remains final, which is a long way from happening. AOL Defense.

April 28/11: As the teams prepare for the JTLV Engineering & Manufacturing Development contract awards in early 2012, BAE and Navistar’s Team Valanx adds Northrop Grumman to their consortium.

Northrop Grumman will serve as the C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) lead, responsible for the integration of command and control hardware and software, computers and communications equipment, and sensors and sensor suites for intelligence gathering and force protection. BAE Systems.

Oct 25/10: JLTV future. BAE’s Plan B: v-hulled HMMWVs. At AUSA 2010, BAE Systems announces its “Integrated Smart V,” a lightweight monocoque V-hull HMMWV that reuses a large percentage of existing HMMWV components, including the power train and wheel assemblies. It adds a layered monocoque hull with a V-shaped underbody that totally encapsulates the crew, and BAE line lead Chris Chambers adds that “…using clips attached to the monocoque V-hull, the ISV provides a rigid, uncompromising protection solution at an affordable price.”

BAE’s ISV solution comes as budget cuts make JLTV an attractive target, and the USMC looks for an option that will meet its height requirements for stowage aboard ship. They’re not the only firm to be thinking along those lines – Textron has a “capsulized” HMMWV of its own, and have teamed with another firm that has done work along similar lines: Granite Tactical Vehicles. HMMWV ISV could also offer an emergency HMMWV fleet recapitalization option that would bring new work to BAE’s land systems business, which has been hurt by its loss of FMTV truck production, and by the end of MRAP main production orders. BAE Systems.

FY 2010

Australia contracts; Army strategy leaves JLTV in question; Interest from India.

Ocelot modularity
(click to view full)

Aug 17/10: JLTV future. DoD Buzz reports that the US Army’s latest Tactical Vehicle Strategy looks like bad news for the JLTV, with small buys spaced over time to equip deployed units. Bottom line?

“Here’s the basic plan. Overall, the Army will shrink its fleet of HUMVEEs, MRAPs and medium trucks to 244,000 by 2025 from its current 260,000. How? The service will rid itself of 4,000 of the hardest to maintain and most beat up MRAPS by 2025. It will scrap the 28,000-strong M35 fleet and replace it with new FMTVs for a fleet total of 76,000. That will mean a total reduction of 4,000 trucks. The HUMVEE fleet will shrink the most, going from 101,000 to 35,000 by 2025. But there appears to be one big hole in the Army plan. It does not project how many Joint Light Tactical Wheeled Vehicles it will be. The strategy’s answer: TBD.”

See the full Army Tactical Vehicle Strategy [PDF].

Aug 9/10: Australia. The General Tactical Vehicles JV between General Dynamics and AM General in Sterling Heights, MI receives a $9 million cost-share contract for the design and development of 3 JLTV subconfigurations for Australia, and the delivery of 2 JLTV subconfiguration vehicles and 1 companion trailer for government testing.

Work is to be performed in Livonia, MI (47%); Sterling Heights, MI (41%); Muskegon, MI (9%); and South Bend, IN (3%), with an estimated completion date of May 19/11. JLTV bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 7 bids received by the US Army TACOM Contracting Center in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0108).

June 23/10: Australia. Lockheed Martin Corp. in Owego, NY receives an $8.5 million cost-plus- fixed-fee contract. They will design and develop 3 JLTV sub-configurations for Australia with right-hand drive, and deliver 2 JLTV sub configurations vehicles and 1 companion trailer for Australian government testing.

Work will be performed in Owego, NY, and the contracted is expected to run until May 19/11. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web, with 7 bids received by the US Army’s TACOM Contracting Center in Warren, MI (W56HZV-09-C-0109).

June 17/10: Australia. The BAE Land Systems – Navistar – ArvinMeritor team hands over 3 Australian JLTVs in a ceremony at West Point, MS. All 3 types are represented: a Category A General Purpose vehicle, a Category B Command and Control on the Move vehicle and a Category C Utility/cargo variant. The prototypes are very similar to American JLTV models, but include requested Australian modifications and a right-side driver. They will undergo tropical environment, reliability testing, and blast testing in Australia.

BAE Systems is Australia’s largest defense company, employing more than 6,000 people at 100 locations across Australia. BAE Systems.

May 26/10: Australia. Australia’s Overlander Phase 4 will have 3 new competitors. Australia’s Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, Greg Combet, announces that Thales Australia, Force Protection Europe, and General Dynamics Land Systems will each receive 6-month contracts worth up to A$ 9 million each, in order to develop “Protected Mobility Vehicle” prototypes. Those prototypes would compete against any winners from the American/Australian JLTV competition, for a roughly A$ 1 billion, 1,300 vehicle contract.

Force Protection is partnered with England’s Ricardo to develop the modular Ocelot, which is also competing for a similar contract in Britain. Bushmaster MPV manufacturers Thales Australia have designed a smaller vehicle called the Hawkei, named after one of Australia’s Death Adders. Their partners include Boeing Defence Australia, PAC Group, and Israeli armor manufacturer and designer Plasan Sasa. GDLS has several options, including a lighter variant of their RG-31 with Oshkosh’s TAK-4 suspension upgrade, currently serving with the US military in Afghanistan. As noted above, they are also partnered with Humvee manufacturer AMC General for the JLTV competition. Australian DoD | Force Protection | Thales Australia.

Made in Australia option

May 3/10: BAE. The BAE Systems/ Navistar/ ArvinMeritor team announces the handover of 7 JLTV prototypes and 4 companion trailers to the U.S. Army. The mix of vehicles included 2 JLTV Category A General Purpose vehicles, 4 JLTV Category B Infantry Carriers, and 1 Category C Utility Carrier. The team is now focused on completing the build of 3 additional variants and a companion trailer, to be delivered to Australia in June 2010.

Sites participating in this team’s JLTV development include: York, PA; Ontario, San Diego and Santa Clara, CA; Dearborn Heights, Sterling Heights and Troy, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Johnson City, NY; Austin, TX; Nashua, NH; Reston, VA; Melrose Park and Warrenville, IL; Fort Wayne, IN; West Point, MS; Huntsville, AL; and Laurinberg and Aiken, SC. Navistar.

April 28/10: GTV. The General Tactical Vehicles (GTV) team of General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General delivers 7 JLTV prototypes, plus 4 trailers and supporting equipment to the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps for Technology Development (TD) phase testing. The TD phase includes a 12-month test and evaluation process at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, in Aberdeen, MD, and at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, AZ. The delivery is ahead of schedule, and follows GTV’s previous ahead-of-schedule deliveries of armor samples, ballistic hulls and spare parts.

Don Howe, is the GTV senior program director, and David Caldwell is GTV deputy program director. Howe says that GTV has invested in additional JLTV vehicles and trailers as part of its independent R&D program. GD release.

March 30/10: GAO Report. The US GAO audit office delivers its 8th annual “Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs report.

Because the program is at such early stages, the GAO report is more of a quick update than in-depth analysis. The JLTV program completed Preliminary Design Reviews during the summer of 2009, Critical Design Reviews are planned for early fiscal year 2010, and by Q4 FY 2011 (summer), the program expects to begin engineering and manufacturing development. FY 2008-2010 RDTE (Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation) funding is $306.68 million ($16.44 million Army, $143.24 million USMC).

Feb 25/10: LMCO. Lockheed Martin unveils its 4th operational JLTV prototype at the AUSA convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It’s a 2nd variant of the original Infantry Carrier JLTV Category B model, which was unveiled in October 2007. Lockheed Martin’s team introduced their Category C Utility Vehicle in February 2008, and its Category A General Purpose Mobility model in October 2008.

Currently all of the Lockheed Martin JLTV prototypes are in system test, where they have accumulated over 30,000 combined test miles, more than half of which have been conducted off-road. Lockheed Martin.

Nov 4/09: The General Dynamics/ AM General joint venture, General Tactical Vehicles (GTV), announces that they are the first JLTV contractor to complete the JLTV Critical Design Review, adding:

“GTV is transitioning into the vehicle and trailer build and test phase for the JLTV units deliverable to the government in the spring of 2010 under its technology development contract awarded last October.”

Oct 6/09: Australia and… India? Aviation Week’s Ares reports that India is in discussions to join the JLTV program, and Australia has given notice that will continue their participation into the next phase. Meanwhile, the 3 selected vehicle teams are about 1/3 of the way through the existing phase, with Preliminary Design Reviews done and Critical Design Reviews coming up over the next 2 months.

With respect to a potential threat from the existing Oshkosh M-ATV, JLTV program officials state that the programs share 320 mission requirements, but JLTV adds another 580 to create a full Hummer-like family of light tactical vehicles. They see the programs as complementary, which could be true if the 580 additional requirements are dfficult for M-ATV to meet within its existing design. It would take a budget crunch to really test those theories – but one may be coming.

FY 2009

JLTV Tech Dev contracts; GAO denied TD protests; Australia is in; British won’t be buying.

Lockheed’s Aussie JLTV
(click to view full)

Sept 30/09: Australian contracts. The US Army and Marine Corps formally awarded Technology Development (TD) contract modifications to each of JLTV’s 3 industry partners in accordance with the Australian Project Arrangement (PA). Under the original US contracts, each of the JLTV industry teams are delivering ballistic testing sample and a number of ballistic hulls for evaluation at Aberdeen Test Center, followed by prototype vehicles and trailers during April/May 2010, for 12 months of Government Testing at Aberdeen Test Center, MD and Yuma Test Center, AZ.

Program leaders on each side include USMC JLTV program manager Lt. Col. Ruben Garza, and Lt. Col. Alistair Dickie of the Australian Army. At present, 2 Australian Co-operative Program Personnel are supporting the JLTV Program Management Office at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, MI. Australian vehicles will add reliability and performance testing for up to 15,000 miles per vehicle, followed by shipment to Australia for tropical environment testing, and additional reliability and ballistic testing. To this effect, US Army TACOM notes independent modifications made to BAE Systems, General Tactical Vehicles and Lockheed Martin contracts during July and August 2009:

BAE Systems Land & Armaments: Deliver 3 right-side operation JLTV vehicles and one companion trailer: a JLTV-A General Purpose Mobility, a JLTV-B-C2OTM/AU Command Control On-The-Move, a JLTV-C-UTL/AU Utility Vehicle-Shelter Carrier, and a JLTV/T-AU Prototype Companion Trailer.

General Tactical Vehicles (GTV): Design 3 right-side operation JLTV vehicles (Payload categories A, B, and C) and then build 2 (categories B and C), along with one JLTV-T/AU Prototype Companion Trailer.

Lockheed Martin: Design 3 right-side operation JLTV vehicles (Payload categories A, B, and C) and then build 2 (categories B and C), along with one JLTV-T/AU Prototype Companion Trailer.

Australia TD contracts

June 30/09: M-ATV. The US government awards the first big M-ATV delivery order, in order to field 5,244 vehicles in 2009-2010 that will act as a front-line bridge in Afghanistan between the limitations of existing Hummers and MRAPs, and JLTV. The initial $1.056 billion delivery order for 2,244 vehicles goes to Oshkosh, whose design is based on their MTVR medium truck and has a Gross Vehicle Weight of 16.5 tons/ 32,500 pounds. Additional orders follow.

The result could revive Oshkosh’s design for subsequent rounds of the JLTV competition, either as a solo venture or via renewed cooperation with Northrop Grumman. Read “M-ATV: A Win, at Last, for Oshkosh” for more.

March 18/08: Australia. Liberal Party opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull criticizes Australia’s involvement in the JLTV program, drawing a response from the Labor Party government. Turnbull:

“We’ve had another issue that we’ve raised in the Parliament this morning about a new armoured vehicle which should be made in Australia. The Thales company, which makes the Bushmasters in Bendigo, has been making these armoured vehicles in Australia for the Australian Army very successfully and the Government is looking for a new vehicle and it is actually inviting an American company to make a prototype… they say they are committed to jobs and yet every example…”

Australia has already raised its quota of Bushmaster MRAP vehicles several times, and the vehicle has a dedicated niche in Project Overlander. That niche is different from the JLTV’s niche, however, which is why American firms are submitting different vehicles. With respect to LAND 121 (Overlander) Phase 4, Mnister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon notes that the original announcement had said that local Australian options would also be explored. An RFP to local industry is due in April 2009, and the DoD is expected to present options to the government in late 2009. Malcolm Turnbull interview transcript | Ministerial response.

Feb 26/09: Sub-contractors. ArvinMeritor, Inc. announces that they will be the JLTV drivetrain supplier for the Lockheed Martin team, which includes BAE General Tactical Systems; and for BAE U.S. Combat Systems, who leads the BAE/Navistar team. ArvinMeritor began working on new products and technologies for the JLTV program in 2006, participating in the Nevada Automotive Test Centers (NATC) Combat Tactical Vehicle Technical Demonstrator program.

Their solutions for the JLTV program include the Meritor lightweight, high mobility independent suspensions, an integrated all-wheel drive system, a central tire inflation system, semi-active damping, and MeritorWABCO hydraulic braking systems with electronic stability control.

Feb 26/09: LMCO. Lockheed Martin unveils a 4th JLTV prototype at the AUSA 209 conference; it is a 2nd variant design of the JLTV-B infantry carrier. All of the Lockheed Martin JLTV prototypes are in system tes, and have accumulated over 30,000 combined test miles, more than half of which have been conducted off-road to simulate mission conditions. Lockheed Martin release.

JLTV evaluations
(click to view full)

Feb 17/09: GAO – Protests denied. The US GAO rules on JLTV protests from Northrop Grumman Space and Missile Systems Corporation, and Textron Marine & Land Systems Corporation. The protests are denied, allowing the JLTV program to move forward as the winning contracts are “unfrozen”.

The full decision was released to the public in early March 2009. See the bid evaluation grid at left for the 3 winners, and the 2 protesters. Northrop Grumman’s offering had by far the lowest cost of these 5, at an estimated $32.95 million compared to the overall average of $50.1 million. Their design and technology was considered to have moderate technical risk, however, which can result is escalating future costs once development begins. The winning bidders’ had better technical maturity and integration ratings than Northrop Grumman’s; only fellow protester Textron’s entry was worse, and at an estimated development price of $53.32 million.

Since the “Technical was significantly more important than logistics commonality, which was more important than cost; cost and past performance/small business participation were approximately equal in importance,” in the RFP criteria, the GAO saw no reason to overturn a selection made on that basis. Other areas of protest, including the adequacy of the GD/AMC team’s small business contracting plan, were also deined. Full decision re: file #B-400837 | Full decision, PDF format.

GAO go-ahead

Nov 17/08: No British JLTV. Aviation Week reports that Britain will not be part of the JLTV program via its Operational Utility Vehicle Systems (OUVS) project, even though a joint working group was set up with the JLTV program in Q3 2008. Britan’s minister for defense equipment and support Quenton Davies reportedly said that:

“The JLTV capability is a replacement for Humvee and performs both a utility vehicle and patrol vehicle role. It therefore goes beyond the requirement for OUVS and the two parties have agreed that there is not enough synergy to warrant collaboration on the acquisition of vehicles at this time.”

Britain already has 400 JLTV type patrol vehicles on order: Iveco’s Panther /MLV/ Lince, which is also in servce with or ordered by Italy, Belgium, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Norway, and Spain. It should be entering service in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009.

The British aren’t coming

Nov 7/08: GAO protest. Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Defense file a formal protest with the US Congressional Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting a review of the JLTV evaluation conducted by the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Source Selection Authority (SSA). They claim that the SSA misapplied the stated evaluation criteria, by giving design maturity more weight than advertised; did not make the value of a demonstrator vehicle clear; “relied unreasonably on company self-evaluations of design maturity and failed to conduct an adequate, independent assessment”; and undervalued their lowest cost bid.

The firm further charges that these changes amounted to an “unannounced agency decision to transform the solicitation from a TD (Technology Demonstrator) phase to a defacto System Development and Demonstration (SDD) effort.” That might be a very wise move for the JLTV program, but the government must advise bidders of any material shifts to a program’s criteria or direction during the bid process.

Contract awards are held up until a GAO protest ruling is issued – see Feb 17/09 for resolution. NGC release.

New dawn?
(click to view full)

Oct 29-30/08: JLTV TD contracts. The US Army issues contract releases on DefenseLink, as well as longer articles on Army.mil, as it makes 3 awards. See US Army: Army awards development contracts for JLTV | Army awards three Joint Light Tactical Vehicle technology phase development contracts || Defense News | Defense Update | WIRED Danger Room | Bloomberg | Crain’s Detroit | Milwaukee-Wisconsin Jounral Sentinel re: Oshkosh elimination | South Bend Tribune re: AM General. Also:

Oct 30/08: BAE Systems Land & Armaments-Grounds System Division in Santa Clara, CA won a $40.5 million cost share contract for the JLTV’s 27-month technology development phase. Work will be performed in Santa Clara, CA, Warrenville, IL, Johnson City, NY, and Troy, MI, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/11. Bids were solicited via the Web, with 7 bids received by the US Army’s Tank & Automotive Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-08-C-0426). BAE release | Navistar release.

Oct 30/08: General Tactical Vehicles in Sterling Heights, MI won a $45.1 million cost share contract for the JLTV’s 27-month technology development phase. As noted above, GTV is a joint venture partnership between AM General and General Dynamics Land Systems. Work will be performed in Livonia, MI, Sterling Heights, MI, Muskegon, MI, and South Bend, IN, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/11. Bids were solicited via the Web, with 7 bids received by the US Army’s Tank & Automotive Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-08-C-0430). GTV release at: Geeral Dynamics | GTV | AM General.

Oct 30/08: Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY won a $35.9 million cost share contract for the JLTV’s 27-month technology development phase. Work will be performed in Owego, NY, and Sealy, TX, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/11. Bids were solicited via the Web, with 7 bids received by the US Army’s Tank & Automotive Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-08-C-0431). Work in Sealy, TX involves its core partner, BAE Systems’ Armor Holdings. Lockheed Martin release.

Tech Development Phase

Oct 29/08: Australia in. Australia’s Labor Party Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announces that the Government has given approval to commence planning for Phase 4 of the multi-billion dollar LAND 121 “Overlander” project. Phase 4 will replace some of the Australian Defence Force’s 4,200 Land Rovers with a fleet of protected light mobility vehicles.

As part of their plan to examine all of their options, Australia has decided to participate in the JLTV’s technology demonstration phase. This is not a total commitment to the JLTV program’s 3 contenders, however; Australia’s DoD will also engage with industry to explore other options. Ministerial Speech | Australian DoD release.

Australia joins

FY 2008 and Earlier

Getting it together.

USMC HMMWV, Iraq:
Fill ‘er up!
(click to view full)

August 2008: The US Army and Marine Corps present their synchronized joint wheeled vehicle strategy.

Feb 5/08: JLTV RFP. An RFP for the JLTV’s Technology Development Phase is issued to industry.

Dec 22/07: JLTV ADM. The Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics USD (AT&L) signs an Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) directing the JLTV Program to move from the Concept Refinement Phase into the Technology Development Phase (TDP) of the DOD System Acquisition Process. Source: CRS.

November 2007: The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)”…concerned that the Pentagon’s multi-billion dollar procurement plans for a raft of new tactical wheeled vehicles may be laden with excessive redundancy,” directs the Army and Marine Corps to develop and present a strategy by March 31/08. In the same month, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) calls for a similar assessment by July 1/08. The OMB report is extended to that date, in order to synchronize the 2 requests.

Sept 2007: JLTV dis-approval. The Pentagon’s acquisition executive, John Young, dis-approves the JLTV RFP, and directs the US Army and Marines to “go back to the drawing board and develop a robust technology development phase.” Source: CRS.

November 2006: JLTV approval. The US military Joint Chief of Staff’s Joint Requirement Oversight Council (JROC) approves the JLTV program. Source: CRS.

Additional Readings

• US Army TACOM – Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). In light of the GAO protest, see esp. question #40 in the April 9/08 Q&A.

• AM General – BRV-O mini-site

• BAE Systems – The Valanx. The BAE/ Navistar/ Northrop Grumman team.

• General Tactical Vehicles – Official Site. The GDLS/AM General team.

• Lockheed Martin – Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

• Navistar – International Saratoga.

• Oshkosh Defense – JLTV: Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

Key Background

• US Congressional Research Service (updated Aug 28/08) – Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV): Background and Issues for Congress. “Some analysts say that unless the Pentagon can convincingly demonstrate that JLTVs are unique vehicles with capabilities not found in HMMWVs, ECV2s, and MRAPs, it will likely be difficult to justify a service-wide “pure fleet” of well over 100,000 JLTVs at the current estimated cost. Army and Marine plans to “mothball” a large portion of the $23 billion-plus MRAP fleet might also prove to be contentious unless JLTVs can provide comparable or superior troop protection.”

• Badenoch LLC – The 7 Forensic Causes of Injury or Death in Military Vehicles. Defensive systems must account in some way for all 7.

• Breach Bang Clear – JLTV and MRAP vs. Reality: Part 1 | Part 2. By Survival Consultants International’s David Woroner. Explains some of the physics involved in explosions, and in penetrating weapons like RPGs. Conditionally in favor of the program, but argues that JLTV will need to be able to add better armor than is currently available, in order to remain viable over the long term. Also notes the maneuverability issue of tracks vs. wheels.

Related Efforts & News

• Badenoch LLC – Ultra AP. A concept vehicle used by the US military to refine its ideas about JLTV. This page includes a number of up-close, in-depth explanations of the vehicle’s innovative design features; they are quite extensive.

• DID – M-ATV: A Win, at Last, for Oshkosh. The $3.3 billion, 5,244 vehicle program will field front-line vehicles designed to bringe the gap between MRAPs and the JLTV. Oshkosh’s winning entry is based on its MTVR medium truck, and has a GWV of 32,500 pounds (16.25 tons).

• DoD Buzz (Sept 27/12) – Marine Humvees get a second life

• The Australian (Oct 23/10) – Innovation saving our soldiers’ lives. Goes into a number of Austrlian R&D efforts aimed at improving vehicle protection.

• Ground Combat Technology (August 2010) – As The JLTV Program Moves Through The Technology-Development, Its Unique Advantages Emerge

• Defense News (Aug 4/08) – DoD’s JLTV Becoming International Effort. Cites interest from Australia, Britain, and other NATO and non-NATO countries. Quotes Army Col. John Mysers: “They have spent time interacting with the Army on requirements. Industry is ready for this… If we are learning enough in the TD phase, we could have an abbreviated SDD phase. We’ll have vehicles that have demonstrated core capabilities… We will have achievable requirements. We told industry in advance of the RFP [request for proposal], ‘This is where you want to focus your efforts and R&D funds.'”

• Defense News (June 16/08) – Lockheed To Unveil Adaptable Vehicle for U.K. Needs. Offers a window into Lockheed’s ground vehicle investments, and into future British needs that will either parallel or merge with JLTV.

• Motley Fool (Jan 10/08) – Who Wants to Be a 70-Billionaire?

• DID (May 5/06) – DefenseTech’s Hybrid Reality Check. Fielding military hybrid vehicles may be more challenging than expected.

• DID (May 24/05) – Shadow Hybrid Vehicle to Become a Power Source. Winner of this RST-V technology demonstration program for a hybrid-powered reconnaissance vehicle that could be carried in a V-22? General Dynamics Land Systems.

Appendix A: Phase 1 Technology Development’s Losing Teams

FP’s Cheetah:
Nowhere to run
(click to view full)

With so many contenders, a number of participants were assured of walking away disappointed. Adding these 5 teams to the 3 winners gives 8, but TACOM reports only 7 qualifying bids. The GAO would later clarify somewhat, by saying that there were 8 initial respondents, and 6 teams who were invited to bid. TACOM will not reveal who did not submit a bid, but a fully open EMD system development contract award ensures that any of these teams could conceivably continue investing, and find themselves back in the running.

DID offers all 5 partnerships that stated plans to contend for JLTV TD. We also explain why we’re not likely to see any of them return to the JLTV competition.

Force Protection and DRS. The life-saving performance of Force Protection’s Cougar and Buffalo vehicles in theater triggered the USA’s MRAP vehicle program, and the firm has been working on its lighter Cheetah vehicle for a couple of years. Despite a big jump on its competitors in testing and feedback from the US military, however, Cheetah did not make the final 3. That failure is a huge blow to Force Protection, who also dropped to a distant 3rd place in the USA’s MRAP competition, as orders for their Cougar MRAP vehicles faded toward the end. Force Protection partnership release | Cheetah product page.

The firm’s remaining hope was that Cheetah’s developed and tested status would lead to “interim bridge buys,” to fill the USMC and Army’s M-ATV needs for lighter blast-resistant vehicles between now and 2014. To that end, they brought the Cheetah within their Force Dynamics joint venture with GDLS. The M-ATV effort also failed, which doomed the Cheetah.

Force Protection formally wrote off its investment in the Cheetah, and no longer publicizes it as an offering. The company’s acquisition by General Dynamics removed the firm from any list of future contenders.

Blackwater and Raytheon. This was the most interesting partnership on a corporate level. Blackwater’s contract security forces have their own array of equipment; some is bought off the shelf, but the firm has quickly turned its field experience into a range of fielded designs for everything from protective vests, to blast-resistant vehicles, to a surveillance blimp. This JLTV design was reportedly based on a cut-down version of their Grizzly mine-resistant vehicle, with Raytheon acting as the electronics integrator.

A win for Blackwater (now Xe) would have had seismic implications, creating the potential for controversy on a political level, and invidious comparisons from a military procurement standpoint. The effective dissolution of Blackwater’s equipment group, and massive changes to the company, ensure that they won’t be back later on. Defense News report | Tactical Life feature | Blackwater USA vehicles video.

Team Boeing. Boeing seems like an unlikely contender for a vehicle program, but their key roles in the US Army’s Future Combat Systems program and Britain’s FRES armored vehicle program do give them credibility. Their main JLTV partner was Textron, whose comparatively lightweight M1117 Guardian ASV armored cars failed the extra-tough MRAP competition tests – but have been ordered by the hundreds in separate contracts to equip American military police and some foreign forces. Other JLTV partners included Boeing’s Future Combat System prime partner SAIC, Ford (engine options and power train), MillenWorks (offroad racing and rapid prototyping heritage, LTV design was reportedly the base), and Carlson Technology (maintenance and pit stop engineering experts). Their design featured a hybrid engine, and a full electric drive train that doesn’t need to be mechanically coupled to the engine. Boeing release.

The JLTV competition has changed significantly since then. Boeing would have to make wholesale changes to their design in order to compete, and they’ve shown no public interest in doing that.

KMW/ L-3’s F2USA
(click to view full)

KMW and L-3. Germany’s KMW is a global military vehicle leader, with products that include everything from Dingo 2 mine-resistant vehicles, to tiny air-portable Wiesel tracked infantry enhancement vehicles, to Leopard 2 tanks. KMW offered its new F2 wheeled vehicle family as a JLTV contender, using L-3 as its American partner and electronics integrator.

The F2 builds on KMWs Fennek reconnaissance vehicle design, which has been adopted by several European armies, and has seen combat use by Dutch and German forces. Fennek’s strengths include a low detection profile across the spectrum, very good mobility, long range, and excellent self sufficiency. Fennek’s mine protection is not seen as a similar strength, though the F2 presumably included additional protection. KMW partnership announcement | F2 family product page.

Unlike its fellows in this section, the Fennek remains a well-regarded, established product in the global defense space. It’s also a high-end product, designed for advanced reconnaissance missions. JLTV’s new price targets aren’t a fit for the Fennek.

NGC/ Oshkosh concept
(click to view full)

Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh. Oshkosh produces the US Marines’ MTVR medium truck, and the Army’s FHTV heavy trucks. The firm struck 3 different MRAP partnerships (PVI’s Alpha, Thales Australia’s Bushmaster, i3/Ceradyne’s Bull) – then struck out in the competition, while its competitor Navistar vaulted into the #1 spot. Northrop Grumman led this partnership, which leveraged Oshkosh’s vehicle manufacturing experience, its MTVR trucks’ TAK-4 off-road suspension, and its heavy truck work with ProPulse(TM) hybrid drive technology

Americas

Boeing is being contracted to support the DoD’s Protected Tactical Enterprise Service program. Awarded by the Space and Missile Systems Center, the $383 million contract provides for development of a ground system that protects tactical satellite communications from enemy jamming. The Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) will be a hub-and-spoke system that reaches out to tactical warfighters and uses the WGS constellation. It will tap the Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW), which the government developed to provide secure communications in a frequency-agnostic format. The US military relies on a complex set of Military Satellite Communication (MILSATCOM) and tactical networks. These networks transport command and control (C2), sensor, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) information to enable timely and decisive operations. As electronic threats against satellite communication are rapidly advancing the US military needs more robust networks that allow its warfighters to securely and effectively communicate in the most congested electronic environments. Work will be performed at Boeing’s facility in El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2025.

The US Army Contracting Command is modifying a contract with Lockheed Martin. The company will receive an extra $79 million to cover further work on Apache night vision sensor systems, subcomponent production and technical services. Night vision is enabled by Lockheed’s M-TADS/PNVS Arrowhead. Arrowhead is an electro-optical and fire control system that the Apache helicopter pilots use for combat targeting of their Hellfire missiles and other weapons, as well as flying in day, night, or bad weather missions. The Apache’s night vision sensors work on the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which detects the infrared light released by heated objects. The FLIR sensor has three fields-of-view, a multi-target tracker, multiple-code laser spot tracking, and internal boresight. Work locations and relevant funding will be determined with each order. The contract is set to run through October 2021.

Raytheon Vision System is being awarded with a follow-up contract for the Focused Opportunity Reaching Toward Reliable Electro-Optic Strategic Sensors (FORTRESS) program. The contract modification is priced at $19 million and is seeking to develop more capable mid-wave infrared focal plane arrays for persistent surveillance applications. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s FORTRESS program seeks to advance and maintain the state-of-the-art, scientific knowledge, growth, processing, and characterization capability in low-noise infrared sensor chip assemblies (SCAs) for national strategic space applications such as electro-optical surveillance satellites. Raytheon will produce larger and more resistant SCA’s that are able to withstand bombardment by space radiation, as well as laser attacks. Work will be performed at Raytheon’s factory in Goleta, California and is expected to be completed by February 2022.

Lockheed Martin is being tapped to continue to the next phase of its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block II Infrared Search and Track (IRST) upgrade program. Awarded by Boeing, the $108 million contract allows for the development, platform integration, flight test and qualification of the IRST21 Block II sensor system installed on the US Navy’s Super Hornet fighter aircraft. IRST21 is a multi-function sensor system that has been designed to provide long-range detection and tracking of airborne threats in radar-denied environments. It is a passive, long-range sensor system that uses infrared search and track technology to detect and track heat coming off the engines of enemy aircraft. The IRST21 autonomously detects and tracks airborne targets at long ranges, and can merge the data with the fighters’ other sensors to provide a multi-dimensional view of threats. The Navy plans to field a 170 Block II sensor across its F-18 fleet.

Middle East & Africa

The Qatar Emiri Air Force expects to receive its first batch of F-15QA fighter jets by March 2021. This will be the first batch of the 36 unit order, with the remainder to be delivered in batches of four every three months. Qatar’s new F-15s will come with a totally remodeled cockpit featuring large panel touch screen displays and a new HUD display. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah inaugurated the F-15QA production line at Boeing’s St. Louis factory in August 2018. Qatar’s $12 billion F-15 order is part of a general drive to strengthen the country’s air power, which also includes the purchase of 12 Dassault Rafales and 24 Eurofighter Typhoons.

Europe

British defense contractor BAE Systems plans to soon introduce a new advanced combat systems technology to Royal Navy warships. As part of a $27 million investment, BAE plans to begin operational trials of an augmented-reality system sometime next year. During those initial trials BAE’s system will be installed on a Type 23 frigate, where the bridge watch officer will be equipped with augmented-reality glasses that allow the officer to blend real-world visuals with data generated by sensors, like radars and sonars, laid over the top in a similar fashion to the Striker II pilot’s helmet. At a later stage BAE plans to supplement the system with artificial intelligence as a tool to quickly process data and help reach crucial decisions faster. “These technologies have the potential to transform maritime warfare and greatly increase the situational awareness and efficiency of crews on board Royal Navy ships,” said BAE’s head of technology for naval systems Frank Cotton.

Asia-Pacific

Swedish company Saab will collaborate with BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin to develop and integrate the new combat system for Australia’s Hunter-class frigates. Australia will procure a total of nine frigates under its SEA 5000 future frigate program. The Hunter-class is based on BAE’s Type 26 frigate, one of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warships. Hunter-class ships will mount an indigenous CEA Phased-Array Radar, integrated with the Aegis combat management system used by the US Navy. Equipped with a Mk 41 VLS the vessels will be able to shoot ESSMs and SM-2s. BAE is responsible for the design, integration, testing and activation of the combat system; Lockheed will manufacture and deliver the Aegis weapon system, while Saab Australia will build an advanced tactical interface. “The fact that BAE Systems Australia has selected Saab as partner is further proof of our world-class combat system integration capabilities,” Anders Carp, head of Saab’s business area surveillance, said in a company announcement on Friday. “The extensive skills and experience that we bring to this project will complement those of BAE Systems.”

Today’s Video

Watch: Maiden flight of Mi-38T

ANZAC-ASMD
(click to view full)

As Asia-Pacific nations invest in submarines, serious regional players also need to invest in anti-submarine capabilities. Aircraft like the P-8A Poseidon are great, but nothing really replaces dedicated and capable ASW ships. Their opponents’ anti-ship missiles are also experiencing a jump in capability, so a secondary air defense role isn’t optional. Australia’s 4 remaining FFG-7 Adelaide Class frigates have finished an expensive and somewhat rickety systems upgrade, but they fall short of what’s needed, and won’t last all that much longer. The RAN’s 6 ANZAC Class frigates are receiving much smoother ASMD air defense upgrades that will make them quite useful, but their service life will begin ebbing around 2024.

Hence Australia’s SEA 5000 Future Frigate program, which may receive an early push from issues with Australia’s naval industrial base…

SEA 5000 Future Frigate Options Made in Australia: Hobart Lite

F105 sea trials
(click to view full)

Given the number of jobs involved, any government’s preferred choice would be to build the next set of anti-submarine warfare frigates in Australia at ASC. The current preference is to place Australian CEAFAR/ CEAMOUNT radar systems on the same hull used for the 7,000t Hobart Class high-end air defense destroyers, backed by the same Saab 9LV Mk3E combat system used in the upgraded ANZAC Class, and using medium-range Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles for air defense instead of advanced long-range SM-6s.

While ship construction is usually only 40% or so of a warship’s cost, size will affect costs for both construction and operations, and that in turn could affect the goal of fielding 8 ships. 7,000t is quite large for an anti-submarine frigate. Even with some equipment cost reductions from the Hobart Class, Australia would be very hard pressed to build 8 ASW ships, when it struggled to build just 3 air defense destroyers.

Nor is Sen. Johnston altogether correct that the 6,391t F105 used as Hobart’s base was designed to be an anti-submarine ship. The F100s were designed to be high-end air defense ships with potential future growth to ballistic missile defense, but as multi-role ships, they’re also expected to have anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. Australia made their own ASW choices with their multi-role Hobart Class derivatives, and SEA 5000 could simply adopt the same equipment set.

A better question might be whether better ASW capabilities could be created at lower cost, using a different design. Navantia’s smaller and derivative F-310 Fridtjof Nansen Class 5,290t frigates, for instance, were explicitly designed for Norway with a focus on anti-submarine warfare. They retained the AEGIS combat system, but made different compromises, using a smaller SPY-1F radar to create solid but secondary air defense capabilities based around the same Evolved Sea Sparrow missile planned for SEA 5000. Their design and configuration also appears to lend itself much better to CEAFAR/ CEAMOUNT. Costs in 2000 for Spanish-built ships using the American AN/SPY-1F radar and AEGIS combat system were about $326 million per ship.

On the other hand, one of the Hobart Class’ big problems has involved issues with translating Navantia’s designs into production, and the SEA 4000 program is still facing serious issues. If those issues can be solved, Australia’s government could argue that it’s best to use a design that has finally been worked out for SEA 5000, rather than going through the same cycle of overruns and build issues in Australia with a new Navantia design.

Plan B: Buying Abroad

HNoMS F-310
(click to view full)

The current Liberal government has said that if ASC cannot improve productivity measures like their 150 man-hours per tonne, and bring them close to global standards like 60 man-hours per tonne, the ships may have to be built elsewhere. This is a marked policy difference from the Labor Party, but it’s worth stressing that carrying out this threat would mean that attempts to put the Air Warfare Destroyer program back on track had failed. That certainly isn’t what the Liberal government wants.

Nevertheless, it’s possible that the the cost of their “big ASW” frigate solution, or marginal but barely-acceptable performance at ASC, could force a rethink.

“Elsewhere” still gives the government options. For starters, Australia could cushion the local cost and risk premium by building 1-3 ships abroad in their home shipyards, with Australian shipbuilders working there on exchange programs as a way of improving their proficiency and productivity. The rest of the ships could then be built back in Australia.

In terms of technical options, a number of global vendors have already begun talking to Australia.

Type 26, 2013
click for video

Nansen Class (Spain’s Navantia). If the government wanted to stick with Navantia, and possibly even with ASC, it’s noted above that their F-310 Nansen Class design may offer Australia additional savings and performance, at the price of some extra risk if all frigates are built in Australia. They would still have to substitute CEAFAR/CEAMOUNT for the SPY-1 radar, and the 9LV combat system for AEGIS, but that’s what they’re already researching anyway for the Hobart hull.

FREMM (Franco-Italian DCNS/ Fincantieri). The French Aquitaine Class offers ASW plus advanced radar, missile, and air defense capabilities, at a reasonable price, with proven service thanks to home country programs and exports to Morocco. The problem for Australia is that adopting it would prevent the use of their preferred weapons and force new buys, unless Australia changed almost all of the ship’s mission systems: DCNS SYLVER VLS instead of Lockheed’s MK.41 VLS, MBDA Aster-15 vs. Raytheon ESSM, MBDA Exocet vs. Boeing Harpoon or Kongsberg NSM/JSM, Oto Melara 76mm gun vs. BAE’s Mk.45 127mm. Not likely.

Type 26 (UK’s BAE). Britain has already begun talking to Australia about involvement in the UK’s future frigate program, whose cost target of GBP 350 – 450 million would make them thinkable options for an 8-ship buy. Britain is also a long-standing ally with close relations, and BAE Australia is already a shipbuilder.

The Type 26’s mission systems aren’t finalized yet, and that would likely be the main point of contention with Australia. It could be possible for each party to end up with their own customized design, but there comes a point where that’s almost as expensive as designing your own ship. If the design is common, on the other hand, it means that Britain will probably have to accept some extra costs, without shielding Australia from needing to invest their own R&D. Britain has already picked the Type 997 Artisan rotating radar, for instance, while Australia would want a CEAFAR/CEAMOUNT staring array that would force a redesign of the Type 26’s mast and superstructure. Australia wants the Saab 9LV Mk3E combat system used on its upgraded ANZACs, while Britain would prefer to reuse technologies from the PAAMS system aboard its Type 45 Daring Class air defense destroyers. That could be an area where Australia might get their way, but Britain would have to pick the American Mk.41 vertical launch system, instead of the French SYLVER A50 VLS on its Type 45 Daring Class air defense destroyers, in order to ensure compatibility between Britain’s MBDA CAMM-M air defense missiles and Australia’s chosen RIM-162 ESSM. That choice would shut Britain out of using the same Aster-15 missiles on board its Daring Class as the Type 26’s high-end defense, unless it pays to integrate Aster-15 with the Mk.41 and/or combat system. Etc.

Contracts & Key Events

Upgraded ANZAC
(click to enlarge)

November 28/18: Saab Swedish company Saab will collaborate with BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin to develop and integrate the new combat system for Australia’s Hunter-class frigates. Australia will procure a total of nine frigates under its SEA 5000 future frigate program. The Hunter-class is based on BAE’s Type 26 frigate, one of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warships. Hunter-class ships will mount an indigenous CEA Phased-Array Radar, integrated with the Aegis combat management system used by the US Navy. Equipped with a Mk 41 VLS the vessels will be able to shoot ESSMs and SM-2s. BAE is responsible for the design, integration, testing and activation of the combat system; Lockheed will manufacture and deliver the Aegis weapon system, while Saab Australia will build an advanced tactical interface. “The fact that BAE Systems Australia has selected Saab as partner is further proof of our world-class combat system integration capabilities,” Anders Carp, head of Saab’s business area surveillance, said in a company announcement on Friday. “The extensive skills and experience that we bring to this project will complement those of BAE Systems.”

September 03/17: GE’s Marine Solutions’ LM2500 gas turbine modules will be manufactured by Australian RJE Global for the Royal Australian Navy frigate program. A Memorandum of Understanding signed by both firms will also see RJE Global manufacture a number of components for the gas turbines. The LM2500 gas turbines will be for the RAN’s nine-ship SEA 5000 Future Frigate Program, as the turbines are operational on two of the short-listed, qualified ship designs for the new vessels—Fincantieri’s FREMM and Navantia’s F100 frigates. The new frigates will replace the navy’s ageing Anzac-class frigates.

April 19/16: Proposals submitted by BAE Systems, Fincantieri and Navantia have been shortlisted for the Australian government’s program to build nine new frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. France’s DCNS of and TKMS of Germany’s offering were eliminated from the $27 billion program which will see the ships built in Adelaide, South Australia. The first steel expected to be cut in 2020 and will be fitted with phased array radar systems being developed by Australia’s CEA Technologies. Designs remaining are BAE Systems’ Global Combat Ship, based on the Type 26 frigate; Fincantieri’s anti-submarine warfare FREMM (Fregata Europea Multi-Missione) and a redesigned version of Navantia’s Álvaro de Bazán (F100) class vessel.

June 6/14: Initial Studies. Australia’s new Liberal government has some announcements to make, including funding for initial studies around the SEA 5000 future frigate program. The announcement is made at CEA Technologies, so it shouldn’t surprise that the CEAFAR/CEAMOUNT radar combination will be part of these frigates. The initial commitment is A$ 78.2 million, for design & engineering studies around installation of the CEAFAR/ CEAMOUNT radar faces and associated electrical & cooling systems on the same Navantia 7,000t hull used for the Hobart Class air defense destroyer. The active-array radar faces are likely to be larger than the comparable system deployed on Australia’s upgraded 3,600t ANZAC Class, which would give the Australians additional power and growth margin to deal with more advanced future threats. As Minister Johnston puts it:

“The hull was originally designed by Navantia to be an anti-submarine warfare hull, so I’m reasonably confident that with the right construction, the right noise-suppression systems, it will be a very suitable hull…. the essence of the Future Frigate program is the CEAFAR Active Phased Array Radar used in conjunction with the Evolved Sea Sparrow and the Saab 9LV [Mk3E] Combat Management System, now that is all Australian product and I must say I am extremely proud…. We have seen a way forward for us to – for the first time – have an almost totally indigenous Command and Control structure that is world-class on frigates.”

The goal is “at least eight ships….” Unfortunately, the timing isn’t likely to help Australia’s industrial base, which is very concerned about the gap between finishing the current LHDs and destroyers, and beginning construction of the next set of ships or submarines. This contract for white-collar design work makes it easier to keep the design staffs going, as the AWD and LHD programs don’t need them very much any more. With respect to the core manufacturing staff:

“If we were going to have a solution to the ‘Valley of Death’ decisions needed to be made two or more years ago [during the previous Labor government], I don’t have the magic wand that is required to say ‘here are the designs, here are the ships, set about the task of building them’. What I am seeking to do today is to mitigate the problem that I have inherited as best I can with limited finance.”

With that said, recall the Minister’s threats re: buying abroad if ASC can’t improve its productivity, which the Minister says stands at 150 man-hours per tonne instead of the global benchmark of 60. Sources: Australian DoD, “Minister for Defence – Transcript – Naval shipbuilding announcement, CEA Technologies, Canberra” and “Minister for Defence – Boosting Australia’s maritime capabilities”.

June 4/14: ASC On Notice. Australia’s new Liberal Party government announces another Air Warfare Destroyer program restructuring, “dealing with a range of unresolved structural and systemic issues that have remained unaddressed for too long.” The overall project is 21 months behind, with Hobart delayed to 2016, and delivery of the 3rd ship shifted to March 2019. Defense minister Johnston reminds reporters that this is the program’s 3rd remediation cycle, and patience seems a bit thin. In the wake of former US Secretary of the Navy Don Winter’s report (q.v. Nov 18/13), and an ANAO review (q.v. March 6/14), SEA 4000 is now on Australia’s “Projects of Concern” list. In addition:

“…the reform strategy that Professor Winter has recommended to the Government will seek to improve ship building productivity at the Air Warfare Destroyer Ship Builder ASC and its sub-contractors. It will include the urgent insertion of an experienced ship building management team into ASC [emphasis ours] and after we have been able to augment ship building capacity, we will seek to pursue the reallocation of blocks between ship yards to ensure that the program is sustainable and that productivity levels are maximised….”

Johnston delivered a 2nd major shot across ASC’s bow. Submarines may be considered to be a top-tier strategic industrial capability, but:

“Now we’ve got potentially another 8 future frigates that we would like to build in Australia, but I am sending a very clear message out today. If we can’t fix this, that is something that will certainly be in jeopardy, because I don’t believe the Government will support an enterprise that cannot deliver productively.”

The next step is a lot of complex negotiations, especially given the legal issues around existing contracts. The government is saying that these negotiations are why they won’t release Winters’ full report now. Sources: Australia DoD, “Minister for Finance and Minister for Defence – Joint Media Release – Putting the Air Warfare Destroyer program back on track” | “Minister for Defence – Air Warfare Destroyer added to Projects of Concern list” | “Minister for Finance and Minister for Defence – Joint Press Conference – Review of the Air Warfare Destroyer program”.

Feb 3/14: Hobart Class hull? ASC in Adelaide holds a ceremony for destroyer #2 Brisbane. There are a number of questions swirling around reports of large cost overruns, the inquiry the government announced last year, etc. The Minister’s response:

“I don’t believe it is government policy for a 4th Air Warfare Destroyer at this time because we have a White Paper coming. Those issues are very important to inform the White Paper and there is a possibility that this hull can be used for the SEA 5000 [DID: future ASW frigate] programme but we are a long way from finalising that. So, let’s just not try and speculate too much before we put everything together in a White Paper…”

Sources: Australia MoD “Minister for Defence – Transcript – Keel-laying ceremony for Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) HMAS Brisbane, Techport Australia, Adelaide” and “Minister for Defence – Transcript – Doorstop at Keel-laying ceremony for Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) HMAS Brisbane, Techport Australia, Adelaide”.

Additional Readings

• Australia DMO – SEA 5000.

• DID – Australia’s Hazard(ous) Frigate Upgrades: Done at Last. Sort of. SEA 5000’s most urgent replacement task.

Background: Preferred Choices

• DID – Hobart Class Ships: Aussie Anti-Air Umbrella. The hull of these 7,000t ships is Australia’s initial choice as a base for their future frigates.

• Saab – 9LV CMS Combat Management System. Very popular worldwide; Australia’s variant on their ANZAC Class is the Mk3E, while Saab is up to Mk.4.

• DID – Australia and USA Collaborating on New Small-Ship Radars. The CEAFAR/CEAMOUNT set of X-band active array radars.

• DID – Naval Swiss Army Knife: MK 41 Vertical Missile Launch Systems (VLS). Handles most of the ship’s important weapons.

• DID – RIM-162 ESSM Missile: Naval Anti-Air in a Quad Pack. Preferred air defense choice for SEA 5000; likely to be the Block 2 with an active seeker head. Good air defense that can be loaded 4 per cell in the Mk.41 VLS, but no ballistic missile intercept capability.

• DID – Australia’s MH-60R Maritime Helicopters. This is the RAN’s future naval and ASW helicopter, and sits in the medium class between larger offerings like AgustaWestland’s AW101 and compact ASW options like the AW159 Lynx Wildcat.

Background: Other Possibilities

• Navantia – F-310 “Fridtjof Nansen” Frigate [PDF]. Easiest alternative if cost or other issues sink the “Hobart ASW” plan.

• DCNS – FREMM Aquitaine. France’s standard FREMM variant, more focused on anti-submarine warfare than the air defense and land attack FREDA design.

• DID – Britain’s Future Frigates: Type 26 & 27 Global Combat Ships.

Americas

The US Army is ordering a special netting system from Saab. The Swedish company will deliver several of its Ultra Lightweight Camouflage Net Systems (ULCANS) at a cost of $66 million. The ULCANS system consists of one hexagonal and one rhomboidal screen, available in both woodland and desert version. It features a simplified interconnect system and effective snape disrupters. These multi-spectral camouflage nets offer improved concealment for vehicles and field positions by masking visual, thermal, near infra-red and broadband radar signatures. Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab Defense and Security USA, said: ‘Saab’s camouflage systems provide the US Army with a state of the art signature management capability for its land forces including exceptional levels of multispectral protection against any possible sensor threat available today.’ The netting system are expected to be delivered between 2019 and 2020.

The US Air Force’s 461st Flight Test Squadron is currently testing an Auto GCAS system on F-35 JSFs. Stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System fitted aircraft will undergo several rounds of testing. Auto GCAS is designed to prevent CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) mishaps by executing an automatic recovery maneuver when terrain impact is imminent. The system relies on a set of sensors that continently measure the fighter jets trajectory, speed, terrain data and pilot input. If GCAS senses an incoming crash, the system calculates the best way to recover to a safe trajectory, automatically overrides the flight controls and flies the aircraft away from danger. The GCAS system is being developed by Lockheed Martin and will be “the stepping stone to increased combat capability via a fully capable combat autopilot that will be able to execute tactical manoeuvres to defeat inbound kinetic and non-kinetic threats, and maximise lethality through precise weapon employment,” says Lt Col Raven LeClair, a F-35 test pilot with the 461st Flight Test Squadron.

Middle East & Africa

Israel’s Golden Eagle Squadron is welcoming two more F-35i Adir advanced fighter aircraft. The new aircraft will be stationed at Israeli Air Force’s Nevatim base, southeast of Beersheba. The planes took off from the United States last week, but were slightly delayed in arriving in Israel, apparently due to bad weather. Israel’s F-35i ‘Adir’ fighter is based on the standard F-35A variant modified with Israeli-made electronic counter-measures systems. Israel has, for now, agreed to purchase 50 F-35 fighters in total from the United States, which are scheduled to be delivered in installments of twos and threes by 2024. With a need to keep ahead of regional changes and increased threats in the Middle East, the Israeli Air Force is expected to soon place orders on several new aircraft to upgrade its ageing squadrons.

Europe

Europe’s next-generation fighter jet program will officially launch next year. Airbus and Dassault Aviation will be the first contractors to start work on the Franco-German project. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel first announced plans for the development program in July 2017, with the first contracts expected to be issued in early 2019. “This is a decisive step for European defense, which shows that France and Germany can unite for future projects,” the two governments said in a statement on Wednesday. The two companies will now jointly draft a common concept for the new Future Combat Air System (FCAS), this includes the fighters design, its weapons and connectivity with other aircraft, including UAVs. The FCAS program, known in France as SCAF (Système de Combat Aérien Futur), is envisioned as a complex system of systems comprising a new-generation fighter aircraft, unmanned combat aircraft, future air-launched missiles, and swarms of small drones, all interconnected with satellites, other aircraft, NATO networks as well as national and allied ground and naval combat systems. Key technology challenges for the firms will be the design of an engine fulfilling the needs of a stealthy aircraft with high connectivity and excellent performance.

Asia-Pacific

The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) will soon deploy the country’s next-generation Surface-to-Air Anti-Missile. Dubbed the Haegung, the missile which also known as K-SAAM, is a 3.07 m long ship-based anti-air projectile that employs inertial mid-course guidance and a dual microwave and imaging infrared seeker for terminal guidance. The missile is being developed by South Korea’s state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and recently completed an evaluation test, where 9 out of 10 missiles accurately hit their targets. In development since 2011, the Haegung will soon start to replace Raytheon’s Rolling Airframe Missile, the current system operated by the South Korean Navy.

Today’s Video

Watch: Last Days Of The EA-6B Prowler

Americas

The US Special Operations Command is modifying a contract with Insitu. The additional $18 million cover mid-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services under the MEUAS 1.5B program. Insitu will use its ScanEagle as an advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) solution in order to provide the US military with the capability to effectively execute a number of deployment operations. The ScanEagle is an unmanned aerial vehicle that can hover over areas for over 24 hours at a maximum altitude of 19,000 feet and carry several kinds of sensor payloads and other equipment. The modification increases the ceiling value of the contract to $250 million in an attempt to bridge gaps in ISR services as orders transition to MEUAS III.

The US Naval Sea Systems Command is contracting VT Halter Marine to start production on the Military Sealift Command’s next survey ship. The contract is priced at $9 million and provides for further design engineering, procurement of long-lead time material and limited advanced production of the Oceanographic Survey Ship (T-AGS 67). MSC’s oceanographic survey ships are special mission ships, which are operated by civilian mariners who work for private companies under contract. These ships can perform acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys. They gather data that provides much of the military’s information on the ocean environment. The collected data helps to improve technology in undersea warfare and enemy ship detection. Work will be performed at the company’s facilities in Pascagoula, Mississippi; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New Orleans, Louisiana. Performance of the contract is scheduled for completion by May 2019.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that South Africa’s Denel group is accelerating the development of its Cheetah C-RAM missile. Reinart Moraal, Denel Dynamics’ chief systems engineer says that successful trials of the Cheetah missile earlier this year have taken it closer to full integration with Rheinmetall Defence’s Oerlikon Skyshield CAP. The Cheetah missile flies at Mach 3 to ranges of 10.000 m and acts as an effector as part of a C-RAM system designed to counter cruise missiles, UAVs and helicopters. The Cheetah-Skyshield combination will protect South African troops against widely available light artillery weapons, such as shoulder fired rocket launchers, mortars and light cannons, which are increasingly found on the asymmetric battlefield.

Europe

The Serbian Air Force will soon receive its first two H-145M multirole helicopters. They are part of a 9 unit order, with first deliveries scheduled for December. The M is the member of the H145 family and can be deployed in transportation, special operations, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), search-and-rescue, fire support, and medical evacuation missions. The helicopters are equipped with the HForce battle management system designed to engage conventional and asymmetric threats with a large set of ballistic or guided air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons.. The platform can be fitted with different equipment packages depending on individual mission requirements. The Serbian aircraft will be equipped with a fast roping system, high-performance camera, fire support equipment, ballistic protection as well as an electronic countermeasures system to support the most demanding missions. The Serbian government expects to receive all six H145M battlefield support helicopters by the end of 2019. The contract between Airbus Helicopters and Serbia foresees transfer of technology, spare parts, tools and documentation for the helicopters’ maintenance and repair.

Germany’s next steps in its upcoming fighter jet acquisiiton program will be announced by the end of the year. Sources familiar with the process told Reuters that the Eurofighter consortium and Lockheed Martin will be the main contenders in the multi-billion competition. The new fighter jets will replace the Luftwaffe’s ageing fleet of Tornado aircraft, which will be phased out from 2025 onwards. Ursula Von der Leyen, Germany’s Defense Minister, favours a European solution which would put the Eurofighter in the lead, but her office also reviewed data submitted in April by the US government on the F-35, and the F-15 and F/A-18E/F jets, both built by Boeing. One of Germany’s key requirement will be a nuclear capability. The new jets must be able to carry and deliver nuclear bombs, so that Germany can fulfil some of its NATO nuclear-sharing policy obligations. This nuclear requirement put tip to balance in favour of Lockheed’s F-35, as nuclear certification is much cheaper than the Eurofighter’s which is estimated to cost over $793 million. A decision on the Tornado’s replacement needs to be approved by parliament within the next two years and a contract signed by 2020 or 2021 to ensure deliveries by 2025.

CFM International is being contracted to deliver a new jet engine to Norway under the Foreign Military Sales program. Priced at $13 million the contract sees for the procurement of one P-8 Poseidon engine. The Poseidon is powered by a CFM56-7B27AE high-bypass turbofan aircraft engine. Norway bought nine Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft in 2016 to replace its ageing P-3 Orion fleet. Work will be performed at factories in Villaroche, France, Evendale, Ohio, Bromont, Canada and Singapore. The contract is set to run through September 2019.

Asia-Pacific

Vietnam will equip its KCT-15 cruise missiles with Russia’s GLONASS system. GLONASS is one of four GPS systems. The KCT-15 is Vietnam’s license build version of Russia’s Kh-35 anti-ship missile. Development of the Kh-35 started as a Soviet response to the US Harpoon, but was adopted into service only in 2003. The Kh-35 carries a 300 lbs High Explosive Fragmentation warhead, and is designed to pierce horizontally through the bulkheads and compartments prior to exploding inside the ship. It travels at subsonic speed and is effective against frigates and smaller destroyers. Yevgeny Bushmin, Russia’s vice-president, recently said that the Kremlin was very supportive of concluding an intergovernmental agreement with Vietnam on the development and use of the GLONASS system. GLONASS is a high-altitude orbital space complex comprised of six high-elliptical orbiting satellites, that will provide high-precision navigation services from 2023 onwards. This will give Vietnam extensive access to Russia’s GLONASS network.

Today’s Video

Watch: Watch the Philippine Navy’s latest round of testing the Spike-ER

Americas

Thales Defense and Security is being awarded with a delivery order for the repair of the airborne low frequency sonar system (ALFS) sonar dome installed on the Navy’s MH-60R helicopters. The undefinitized contract action is priced at $14 million and covers the repair of 58 sonar units. The AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) is the primary undersea warfare (USW) sensor of the MH-60R multi-mission helicopter. This integrated dipping sonar system enables the ‘Romeo’ to perform ASW missions. including submarine detection, tracking, localization and classification. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Maryland and Brest, France. Performance is expected to be completed by November 2020.

Boeing is being contracted to increase resilience of the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communication system. The $14 million contract modification includes mitigation and anti-jam efforts and additional strings. The Wideband Global SATCOM satellite system is the successor to the Defense Satellite Communications System-III, and is the backbone of US military global satellite communications. The WGS constellation provides flexible, high-capacity high-data-rate and long-haul communications for the nation’s warfighters. Boeing’s experts will provide an X-Band anti-jam upgrade for the satellite constellation that increases resilience to unintentional and hostile electronic threats. Work will be performed at Boeing’s facilities in El Segundo, California and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2021.

Embraer is one step closer in achieving the Final Operation Capability (FOC) for its KC-390 transport aircraft. During recently held tests at Brasília Air Force Base, Embraer was able to successfully complete troop unloading, evacuation by hatch and evacuation tests through the front and rear doors of the multi-mission medium airlift. About 370 Brazilian Air Force and Brazilian Army participated in the tests. “By completing this important stage of the testing campaign toward final military certification with excellence, the KC-390 demonstrates compliance with the industry’s most stringent operating and safety standards,” said Walter Pinto Junior, vice-president of the KC-390 Program. 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.

One of the Air Force’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighters dropped for the first time a GBU-49 precision bomb. The converted “dumb” bomb was dropped during a combat training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II is a dual-mode GPS and laser-guided 500 pound bomb designed for attacking both stationary and moving targets. It is an improved derivative of the laser-guided GB-10 Paveway II. “It’s a really flexible weapon,” Lt. Col. Matthew Johnston said in a press release. “It was reliable, accurate, and effective.” The GBU-49 can be used in a variety of weather conditions.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries can now offer a next-generation version of its Drone Guard counter-UAV system. Drone guard is able to detect, track and disrupt hostile UAVs. Developed by IAI subsidiary Elta, Drone Guard is comprised of 3-Dimensional (3D) radars and Electro-Optical (EO) sensors for detection and identification, as well as dedicated Electronic Attack (EA) jamming systems for disrupting drone flight. The radar setup includes the ELM-218M, ELM-2026B and ELM-2026 for short (3km), medium (5km) and long (6 km) ranges, respectively. The newly developed next-generation system adds a communication intelligence (COMINT) suite for more precise detection, classification and identification based on broadcast frequencies. The jamming disrupts the drone’s flight and can either cause it to return to its point-of-origin (‘Return Home’ function) or to shut down and make a crash landing.

Europe

The Belgium government is advancing in its MQ-9B acquisition program. The Belgian MoD will now start negotiations with the US Government to acquire the SkyGuardian UAS. The SkyGuardian is 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. “We look forward to providing our unmanned aircraft systems to meet Belgium’s mission requirements, while also supporting the NATO Alliance,” said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. “We are also eager to work with our industrial partners in Belgium on a host of activities ranging from manufacturing to maintenance.” The MQ-9B also flys for the UK Royal Air Force, where it is the main platform of the country’s Protector program.

Asia-Pacific

Russian firm Rosoboronexport is being contracted to supply the Indian Army with a Very-Short-Range Air Defence, or VSHORAD system. The decision about the $1.5 billion delay comes after months of delays over complaints made by other competitors in the competition. The Russian company reportedly undercut offers by Sweden’s SAAB RBS-70 NG and France’s MBDA Mistral. Both Saab and MBDA have complained to the Indian army that the Russian firm was even allowed to be a finalist, as it had failed two initial technical tests. It is latest model of Russian MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense system) technology. It offers superior performance over earlier supplied SA-18 missiles to India. The Igla-S can be used to engage a variety of targets including tactical aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The new systems will replace India’s ageing inventory of Igla-M air defense systems.

Today’s Video

Watch: Watch the Su-57 operating in Syria

The US military needs a bigger data firehose. In an era of streaming data from proliferating UAVs and other persistent surveillance platforms, and the need for control of those systems anywhere in the world, bandwidth is almost as important as fuel. Commercial satellite communications (SATCOM) can fill some of the gaps, but it’s expensive, and may not be available when needed. The Wideband Gapfiller SATCOM (now Wideband Global SATCOM) program began as a way to ease these problems in the near term, but went on to become one of the twin pillars of US military communications, alongside the hardened AEHF constellation. Both satellite types expanded their roles after the super-high bandwidth T-SAT program was canceled. Instead, the USA is adding WGS and AEHF satellites in space, even as it makes both programs multi-national efforts here on earth.

WGS is a set of 13-kilowatt spacecraft based on Boeing’s model 702 commercial satellite. These satellites will handle a significant portion of the USA’s warfighting bandwidth requirements, supporting tactical C4ISR(command, control, communications, and computers; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance); battle management; and combat support needs. Upon its 2007 launch into geosynchronous orbit, WGS Flight 1 became the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest capacity communication satellite. WGS F4, launched in January 2012, offers further improvements, as do satellites from WGS F8. The constellation is set to grow to 10, including international participation.

This is DID’s FOCUS Article covering the WGS program’s specifications, budgets, travails, international partnerships, and contracts, with links to additional research materials.

WGS: Capabilities & Role

WGS
(click for video)

The WGS constellation has limitations, as its wideband communications are “unprotected” against jamming and nuclear effects. This makes them less secure than programs like AEHF or the canceled T-SAT. On the other hand, WGS excels in 3 areas: bandwidth, coverage, and flexibility.

The WGS payload can filter and route 4.875 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. Depending on the exact ground equipment and network settings, each satellite can support data transmission rates ranging from 2.1 to 3.6 Gbps – more than 10 times the communications capacity of the predecessor DSCS III satellite’s 0.25 Gbps. Indeed, just 1 WGS satellite provides more throughput than the entire Defense Service Communications Satellite (DSCS) constellation did before WGS F1 was launched.

Reconfigurable antennas and a digital channelizer allow WGS to tailor its coverage areas, and to connect X-band and Ka-band users anywhere within the satellite’s field of view. The WGS design includes 19 independent coverage areas that can be positioned throughout the field of view of each satellite. To accomplish this, it uses 8 steerable and shapeable X-band beams formed by separate transmit and receive phased arrays; 10 Ka-band beams served by independently steerable, diplexed antennas, including 3 with selectable RF polarization; and transmit/receive X-band Earth coverage beams. Within those limits, WGS’ digital channelizer divides the uplink bandwidth into nearly 1,900 independently routable 2.6 MHz subchannels, providing connectivity from any uplink coverage area to any downlink coverage area (including X and Ka band crossbanding). The channelizer supports multicast and broadcast services, and provides uplink spectrum monitoring to support network control.

A new channelizer in WGS F8-F10 looks set to increase that throughput, by removing the bottleneck in the satellite’s architecture and letting the birds take full advantage of their antennas. Instantaneously filtered and routed bandwidth rises to 190% vs. the 100% baseline for previous Block II satellites (about 9.25 GHz). Data capacity rises to 130% (up to 4.68 Gbps transmission rates) depending on loading, but exact system throughput is dependent on how the satellite is used. The number of independently routable 2.6MHz subchannels, including crossbanding, is expected to increase from 1,900 to approximately 3,200.

Boeing adds that:

“Despite all of its military features, WGS is substantially more cost-effective than leased commercial SATCOM bandwidth.”

It’s also more flexible. Unlike commercial services, WGS satellites can be repositioned in orbit to adapt to changing mission requirements.

WGS-4 and the Block II set will be similar to the 3 Block I satellites, but will include a switchable radio frequency bypass capability designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth. The RF bypass will support data rates of up to 311 megabits per second, which is about 3x the rate of Block I birds, allowing platforms like the US Navy’s RQ-4N BAMS UAVs to rely on the WGS constellation for satellite control.

The U.S. MILSATCOM Joint Program Office (MJPO), Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), is responsible for development, acquisition and sustainment of the WGS Program, which is a joint-service program funded by the US Air Force and Army. A total of 8 satellites are currently planned, augmenting X-band communications now provided by the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) and one-way Ka-band service provided by the Global Broadcast Service (GBS). Additionally, WGS will provide a new 2-way Ka-band service.

Operation of WGS is a shared responsibility. Spacecraft platform control is accomplished by the 3rd Space Operations Squadron (3 SOPS) at Schriever AFB in Colorado Springs, CO, using WGS mission unique software and databases provided by Boeing, and hosted on the Command and Control Segment Consolidated (CCS-C) system fielded by Integral Systems, Inc. The satellite is designed for compatibility with current S-band capabilities, as well as the planned Unified S-band (USB) formats and frequencies. The Army controls the communications payloads and warfighter transmissions from 4 Wideband SATCOM Operations Centers (WSOCs) around the world, using ground equipment hardware and software developed by Boeing, ITT Industries, and Raytheon. Each Gapfiller Satellite Configuration and Control Element (GSCCE) has the capability to control up to 3 satellites at a time, via “in-band” (X-band or Ka-band) telemetry and command links.

The WGS Program & Schedule

Thermal vacuum testing
(click to view full)

The T-SAT Transformational Satellite Network that was originally intended to replace WGS, has been canceled. To address that gap, the US Department of Defense is buying AEHF-4 and 5 for secure communications, and will field a total of 10 WGS satellites, instead of just 3. The program has also become international. Australia bought WGS F6, and an international consortium led by Canada funded WGS F9, leaving 8 satellites to be funded by the USAF. Full members now include the USA, Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, all of whom have seats on a WGS partnership steering committee.

The program even received the Air Force’s John J. Welch Award for acquisition management in 2001 for its use of commercial approaches. On the whole, the end results mark WGS as an unquestioned success.

That doesn’t mean the program has been problem free. Far from it.

For starters, total program cost rose well beyond $1.8 billion, and the initial launch was pushed back almost 3 years.

Wideband Global SATCOM F1 was originally scheduled to be launched in 2004, to be followed by 2 more satellites launched on Delta IV and Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) rockets. That schedule was pushed back to F1 launch in 2007, with F2 also intended to go aloft in 2007, and F3 scheduled for 2008.

WGS F1 actually launched in October 2007, and was placed into service over the Pacific Ocean region, but wasn’t declared operational until April 2008.

WGS F2 launched in April 2009. It’s in service over the Middle East.

WGS F3 had its schedule moved back several times; it was eventually launched in December 2009, and was declared operational in March 2010. Its operations cover Europe and Africa.

The WGS program’s design, integration and manufacturing issues stemmed from a number of causes. One was less-than-anticipated commercial demand for the base 702 satellite, which reduced the program’s expected ability to leverage commercial expertise and orders. A second problem arose after a launch date in December 2005 was scratched, in favor of a higher priority satellite. The delay was actually very fortunate, as subsequent checks found a widespread problem with fasteners in WGS F1. That manufacturing issue caused heavy slippage in the satellite’s launch date, and created an expensive production gap between satellites F3 and F4 until the USAF was satisfied that future satellites wouldn’t need all that rework.

The Block II contract called for the launch of F4 by the first quarter of 2011, and subsequent launches of F5 and F6 in 2012 and 2013 (moving the launch schedules back by about a year).

In reality, WGS F4 didn’t launch until January 2012. It was declared operational in August 2012, and covers the Indian Ocean Region.

WGS F5 lifted off in May 2013, and will cover the Americas once it’s operational.

WGS F6 lifted off in August 2013.

Satellite F7 is scheduled to launch in FY 2016, and F8 is scheduled for FY 2017.

Budgets & Participants

WGS satellite, closeup
(click to view full)

As one might guess, the program’s budget has grown in tandem with the constellation. WGS was originally envisaged as a US-only program, with an upper limit of $1.3 billion for 6 satellites. As of the FY 2014 budget, the American WGS program will involve about $3.35 billion in American procurement costs alone, for a constellation of 10 satellites: 8 paid for by the USA, and the other 2 paid for by international customers. Contributing countries can use any satellite in the constellation, within pre-arranged terms for bandwidth, access, etc.

That growth took place over time, but most of it came early. By December 2009, program costs in $FY01 had grown to $2.971 billion for 7 American satellites, owing in part to the costs and manufacturing delays mentioned above. New expenses included associated ground-based payload command and control systems, mission unique software and databases, satellite simulators, logistics support and operator training. When the 2012 budget added a 10th satellite to the constellation, the USA was committed to 8 birds.

According to US DoD documents, recent budget allocations to the program have included:

WGS Industrial Team

As the prime contractor and overall systems integrator, Boeing supplies the satellites, and also performs final satellite processing and preparations for launch, as well as initial orbital operations and on-orbit testing. Listed members of Boeing’s WGS team have included:

The internationalization of WGS is likely to add suppliers from those countries as well, in accordance with local industrial offset agreements.

WGS Program: Contracts & Key Events FY 2018

F5 and 6.

WGS-5 mission
click for video

November 23/18: Resilience Boeing is being contracted to increase resilience of the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communication system. The $14 million contract modification includes mitigation and anti-jam efforts and additional strings. The Wideband Global SATCOM satellite system is the successor to the Defense Satellite Communications System-III, and is the backbone of US military global satellite communications. The WGS constellation provides flexible, high-capacity high-data-rate and long-haul communications for the nation’s warfighters. Boeing’s experts will provide an X-Band anti-jam upgrade for the satellite constellation that increases resilience to unintentional and hostile electronic threats. Work will be performed at Boeing’s facilities in El Segundo, California and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by February 28, 2021.

FY 2013

Aug 7/13: F6 Launch. Australia’s WGS-6 successfully lifts off aboard a Delta IV medium+ (5,4) configuration rocket, which means a 5m diameter payload fairing, and 4 strap-on boosters. All 3 WGS Block II satellites have been launched using this configuration, and WGS payloads make up all 4 of the configuration’s launches to date. Unlike past launches, this one was funded entirely by Australia.

About an hour later, controllers confirmed that WGS-6 was functioning as expected. As usual, it’s going to be a few months before the satellite is in its final orbit, handed over, tested by both Boeing and the USAF, and declared operational. Current estimates are for full operational status in early 2014.

USAF SMC MILSATCOM director Dave Madden is quoted as saying that the satellite’s final coverage area isn’t finalized yet, but any area it picks will overlap one or more of the other satellites. It doesn’t really matter, since Australia has bought into service from the whole constellation, and Australia’s areas of interest are already covered by existing birds. Australia DoD | ULA | ATK | Boeing | Spaceflight Now.

WGS-6 launch

May 24/13: F5 launch. WGS-5 lifts off aboard a Delta IV heavy rocket. Subsequent reports reveal that this satellite will cover the Americas, completing the constellation’s initial global service.

This launch involved more work than usual, following the successful but low-performing GPS IIF-3 launch in October 2012. The United Launch Alliance, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), and USAF had been working on their investigations, and they made a number of changes before ULA and the USAF would issue flight clearances. Engine testing replicated fuel leaks in the upper-stage RL10 engine, similar to those observed in the GPS IIF-3 launch. That led to a regime of extensive engine and launch-vehicle inspections. Launch vehicle hardware modifications include in-flight helium purges to critical areas. Operational changes include changes to how the engine is thermally conditioned in-flight post-boost, to prepare for the first engine start. They all seemed to work for this launch, but it will take a few launches to really be sure.

The satellite is fully launched, but it isn’t in its operational orbit yet. That process will take over a month of controlled burns, monitoring, and testing. ULA pre-launch | ULA post-launch | ATK | Boeing.

WGS-5 launch

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage.

For FY 2014, PE 0303600F (Wideband Global SATCOM (Space)) seems to disappear, but even a comparison of the corresponding 3020F line shows a sizeable drop of around $82.1 million in WGS procurement funding from FY 2013-2017. Launch costs fall under the EELV budget line, and the associated pre-launch delivery, post-launch checkout, and satellite sustainment costs don’t seem like a very flexible outlay. We asked USAF SMC for clarification, and they offered a reasonable explanation – but wow, $80 million over 4 years, in savings, from ONE program:

“The cost savings are a result of reduced level of Government Program Management and Administration effort required to manage and execute the Firm-Fixed Price contract for the acquisition of WGS satellites 7-10.”

FY 2012

Program goes multi-national; WGS-4 launched; WGS-8-10 contracts; WGS-10 lead items.

WGS-4, pre-launch
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July 27/12: WGS F10. Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $317.7 million contract modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for WGS Satellite Vehicle 10 (SV10) production, processing, launch, and on-orbit activation.

This modification adds an additional satellite to the $1.1 billion WGS 7-9 contract (vid. Sept 1/11), but only 3 of those satellites were American, so from the Pentagon’s point of view, its terms didn’t change. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA by March 31/18. As usual, the contract is managed by US Space & Missile Command at Los Angeles AFB, in El Segundo, CA (FA8808-10-C-0001, PZ0026). See also USAF | Boeing.

WGS-10

July 6/12: USAF Space Command announces a $111 million contract modification to Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, to develop a better bandwidth channelizer for WGS F8 and F9. USAF officials say that it will improve overall bandwidth on each satellite by 90%, and add that its development was funded by savings from the WGS 7-9 block-buy contract.

A satellite bandwidth increase is an odd effect from a channelizer, which normally apportions satellite bandwidth among different channels. Some interesting channelizer development has been done in recent years by firms like RF Engines Ltd. and others, and the USAF saw an opportunity to remove the bandwidth bottleneck in WGS’ architecture. Which wasn’t the antenna, but the channelizer.

WGS 8-10, with the new channelizer, are still officially Block II satellites. Bandwidth rises to 190% of previous Block II satellites, data capacity rises to 130% (vs. the 100% baseline of previous Block IIs) depending on loading, but exact system throughput is dependent on how the satellite is used. The number of independently routable 2.6MHz sub-channels, including crossbanding, is expected to increase from 1,900 to approximately 3,200.

June 15/12: Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, Inc. in Bethesda, MD receives a $10.7 million firm-fixed-price/ cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to operate, maintain, and sustain the Camp Parks Communication Annex site equipment. Camp Parks is 1 of 5 Automated Remote Tracking Stations (ARTS), with the mission control center located at nearby Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale, CA. The Camp Parks ARTS is used to test and analyze signals form communications and navigation satellites. It supports WGS satellite performance in orbit testing, payload characterization testing, and other satellite on-orbit ancillary tests as needed.

Work will be performed in Bethesda, MD. Work is to be completed by Nov 30/12. The SMC/PKJW at Los Angeles AFB, CA manages the contract (GSA-00-Q-09BGD0039/ FA8808-12-F-0001).

May 10/12: F10 lead in. Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. in El Segundo, CA receives a $21 million firm-fixed-price contract to purchase parts for SV10, under the “Wideband Global SATCOM 7 & Beyond” contract. The life size Buzz Lightyear action figure is presumably thrown in for free, though it may be interesting to see who gets it; WGS-10 was paid for by a consortium of countries (vid. Jan 17/12).

Work will be performed Palm Bay, FL and El Segundo, CA,and is to be complete by June 2012. USAF SMC HQ / PKJW in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8808-10-C-0001, PO 0031).

April 12/12: Boeing announces that the USAF has accepted control of WGS F4, after several weeks of rigorous on-orbit tests from Boeing’s Mission Control Center in El Segundo, CA, and from “government facilities in central California.” Air Force operations personnel at Schriever AFB, CO are conducting additional tests, and preparing to move WGS-4 into its operational position so it can go into service this summer.

Jan 19/12: F4 launch. The 1st Block II satellite, WGS-4, successfully blasts off from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta IV Medium-plus. It then sends signals from space, indicating readiness for on-orbit testing. So far, WGS 1 & 2 have launched on Atlas V EELV rockets, while 3 & 4 launched on Delta IVs.

WGS-4 used a ULA single common booster core powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine, along with 4 ATK GEM 60 solid rocket motors. The 5m diameter upper stage was powered by a PWR RL10B-2 engine, with the satellite encapsulated in a 5m diameter composite payload fairing. ULA | Boeing | Boeing post-launch | ATK | America Space.

WGS-4 launch

Jan 17/12: WGS International. At the Canadian Embassy press conference in Washington, USAF deputy undersecretary for international affairs Heidi Grant announces that Canada won’t be alone. All together, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand have agreed to contribute $620 million toward development and launch of a 9th WGS satellite, in return for access to the system.

As noted below, Canada is investing the lion’s share, at $333 million. New Zealand is investing NZ$ 83.2 million [$66.5 million] over 20 years, which compares favorably to the current model of $NZ 4.3m per year, growing at about 10% per year, for 1/20th of the bandwidth. Australia’s experience has shown (vid. Aug 30/11 entry) that participation in WGS also entails changes to ground and receiving infrastructure. The Canadian Forces are defining requirements and preparing a separate tender for that, and the other countries involved will be doing likewise.

American officials said that they are open to negotiating the entry of new members, but said there were no specific expansion plans at the moment. USAF | New Zealand government | NextGov | Reuters | TMCNet.

WGS-9 international

Jan 17/12: Canada joins. Canada announces that it’s joining the WGS program, which will be known to DND as the Mercury Global project. DND currently pays about C$ 25 million per year to commercial providers, and was expecting those costs to rise over the next 20 years. As battlefield bandwidth demands continue to grow, it remains to be seen whether WGS will be able to serve as a full substitute for commercial providers.

“By signing the WGS Memorandum of Understanding, Canada joins allies such as Australia, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States. In exchange for a contribution of [C$] 337.3 million [DID: about $333 million], the CF will obtain approximately 20 years of access to reserved frequencies for military communications systems in theatres of operation across the globe. This cost is approximately [C$] 140 million less than what was approved by the Order in Council in October 2011… The signing of the MOU will provide funding for the construction of a ninth satellite.”

Canada’s IRB industrial offsets policy applies to this buy, but it’s a bit more complicated than usual. Boeing, Canada’s largest aerospace firm, must place activities in Canada equal to the standard 100% of Boeing’s C$ 240 million share. Since the WGS agreement was a direct government-to-government MoU, the Boeing agreement is a separate document. That document also commits Boeing to provide 20% of that C$ 240 million in “direct and/or global value chain business activities” involving Canada’s space sector, and a possibly-overlapping 10% with Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. Canada DND.

Canada joins

Jan 12/12: F9 contract. Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. in El Segundo, CA receives a $376.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) Block II follow-on contract, “exercising the option to produce, process, launch, and activate on-orbit WGS F9.” Per the pattern for WGS F8 (vid. Dec 16/11), it’s part of the $1.1 billion maximum contract announced on Sept 1/11, rather than being extra monies on top of that figure. Later events reveal that most of the satellite’s cost is paid for by Canada.

Boeing’s own release describes it as a production option to make WGS F8, and authorization to produce F9 through a cooperative agreement with Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and New Zealand. They value the WGS-9 authorization and the WGS-8 production option at a combined $673 million, as part of the $1.09 billion umbrella contract announced in September 2011.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX, and is expected to be complete by May 2013. The USAF SMC/PKJW in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8808-10-C-001, PO 0020).

WGS-9 option

Dec 30/11: Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA, is being awarded a $9.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification. It pays for a study around upgrading the Wideband Global SATCOM Block II’s digital channelizer, as part of ongoing modernizations. This is normal for very expensive platforms that take a long time to build. Just because 2 satellites are “Block II” doesn’t always mean they’re the same, just as 2 Nimitz Class aircraft carriers can be very different under the skin.

Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA, and is expected to be complete on Jan 1/12 – which implies that the study is already done. The USAF SMC/PKJW in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8808-10-C-0001, PO 0021).

Dec 16/11: F8 contract. Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA receives a $296.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for WGS F8, as part of the Block II satellite follow-on. “The contract exercises the option to produce, process, launch, and activate on-orbit Satellite Vehicle Eight as previously negotiated.” Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA, and is expected to be complete by July 31/16. This was a sole-source acquisition by SMC/PKJW in El Segundo, CA (FA8808-10-C-001, PO 0018). See also USAF.

When queried, Boeing spokespeople explained that:

“Today’s authorization is one of those options on the [Sept 1/11] contract [clarified: and is part of that announced $1.1 billion rather than an addition to it]… The Block II satellites feature a switchable radio frequency bypass that enables the transmission of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery at data rates approximately three times greater than the rates available on Block I satellites.”

WGS-8 option

Dec 15/11: Engineers complete the Delta IV rocket encapsulation procedure for WGS F4, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, FL. The event marks completion of Air Force Satellite Control Network compatibility testing, payload and bus functional testing and propellant load. The launch is scheduled for Jan 19/12, which is about a year after the original plan. USAF.

Dec 7/11: ITT Systems Corp. in Colorado Springs, CO won a $121.3 million multi-year, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract “for the services in support of the [WGS] missions identified in the Operational Management System.”

Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, CO; Fort Meade, MD; Fort Detrick, MD; Wahiawa, Hawaii; Landstuhl, Germany; Okinawa, Japan; Fort Gordon, GA; MacDill Air Force Base, FL; and Canberra, Australia, and will run until Jan 31/19. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 3 bids received by the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Peterson AFB, CO (W91260-12-C-0001).

Nov 28/11: F5 launch contract. United Launch Services, LLC in Littleton, CO receives a $150 million unfinalized firm-fixed-price contract, for launch services in support of WGS F5, using their roster of EELV rockets. WGS uses the medium-heavy lift Delta IV or Atlas V. The USAF Space and Missile Systems Center in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8811-11-C-0001).

Nov 17/11: Boeing begins shipping WGS-4 to Cape Canaveral, FL, in preparation for a January 2012 launch. The first Block II WGS satellite flew to Florida aboard a C-5 transport plane.

Oct 28/11: Canada, eh? Canada could also be set to join WGS, and may spend as much as $477 million to participate. The Conservative majority government has given Cabinet approval up to that sum, which means it’s a done deal if it stays within those costs. DND spokesman Daniel Bouin:

“After Afghanistan and Libya, our efforts in those two countries have proven that the exchange of information between headquarters and deployed elements is critical to modern military operations and their success. So, in order to meet that intent while ensuring good value for taxpayer money, we’re seeking out an agreement with international allies that will provide Canadian forces with access to an international constellation of satellites.”

U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, Gregory Schulte, reportedly said on Oct 4/11 that the USAF was in the final phases of developing similar WGS arrangements with several other allies. Canada is also looking to field a 2-satellite “Polar Communications and Weather Mission” constellation of their own, to cover the High Arctic where WGS doesn’t reach. Canada’s Postmedia | Satellite Today.

Oct 11/11: More countries in? Reports surface that The Netherlands is one of several US allies getting ready to join the WGS program, in order to provide more bandwidth for their military forces. By 2018, the WGS program could have 9 satellites in orbit to provide global coverage, serving the USA, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg and New Zealand. Aviation Week | Defense Systems.

FY 2011

WGS 7-9 umbrella contract; Australian ancillaries.

WGS satellite, entire
(click to view full)

Sept 1/11: F7-F9 umbrella. Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. of El Segundo, CA receives a maximum $1.1 billion firm-fixed-price contract modification to allow production of WGS Satellite Vehicle F7 (See also Aug 19/10 entry), as well as advance procurement for Satellite Vehicle F8, per the program changes announced in the April 1/10 Selected Acquisitions Report. Finally, this contract includes options to produce, process, and launch and activate F8 and F9 on-orbit.

The SMC/PKJW in El Segundo, CA issued the contract (FA8808-10-C-0001, PO 0006). See also USAF | Boeing.

Contract, incl. WGS-7 option

Aug 30/11: Australian ancillaries. The Australian Government agrees to first pass approval for Joint Project 2008 Phase 5B, which will buy transportable land terminals to equip the Army, upgrades of the satellite communications fit on Royal Australian Navy platforms, and the establishment of a satellite communications network management system.

The total cost of Joint Project 2008 Phase 5B is cost capped between A$ 300-500 million (currently $320-535 million) in the Public Defence Capability Plan. Initial funding of A$ 12 million has been approved for project development and risk mitigation studies, which must happen between 1st and 2nd pass approval. Studies will include the potential upgrade of the Geraldton ground station, and construction of a new ground station facility in Eastern Australia. Australian DoD.

Australian ancillaries

April 20/11: The USAF says that WGS is proving very helpful in coordinating post-tsunami Japan relief efforts. Ka-band is reserved for emergency use in Japan, and such satellite signals are not allowed. Instead, they’re using WGS X-band transmissions, and using the satellite’s crosslinking capability to transmit to Ka-band receivers outside the region.

Dec 8/10: Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA receives a $6 million contract modification to purchase a spare battery for WGS Block II satellites 5 & 6, or as a test battery for the Block II follow on contract, depending on things like satellites meeting launch schedules, discovering anomalies that would require a battery swap-out, etc. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the SMC/PKJ at Los Angeles AFB, CA (FA8808-06-C-0001; P00094).

Dec 8/10: Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $26.4 million contract modification, exercising the option for WGS-6 launch services. This option modification is fully funded by the Australian government, and the entire amount has been committed. The SMC/MC in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001; P00109).

FY 2010

WGS-3 launched; WGS Block I (F1-F3) all on station; WGS-7 lead-in; SAR officially grows program to 8.

Aug 19/10: F7 lead-in. Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA receives a $182.2 million contract “which will provide the necessary items to begin production of Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite 7.” At this time, $164.4 million has been committed by the MCSW/PK at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA (FA8808-10-C-0001). See also Reuters.

Aug 2/10: WGS Block I on-station. WGS-3 enters formal service with the U.S. Air Force. The first 2 WGS satellites are operating over the Pacific Ocean and Middle East, respectively, while WGS-3 is located over the Atlantic Ocean. This completes the WGS Block I network. Boeing | SatNews Daily | StrategyPage.

June 25/10: Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. in El Segundo, CA receives a $6.8 million contract modification, which pays for additional on-ground testing thermal vacuum tests of the first WGS Block II satellite, SV4. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by HQ SMC/MCSW/PK in El Segundo, CA (FA8808-06-C-0001/ P00090).

June 25/10: The USAF announces that U.S. Strategic Command has accepted operational command and control of WGS-3.

WGS-3 is operated by the 3rd Space Operations Squadron at the 50th Space Wing in Schriever Air Force Base, CO. It’s under the operational command of the Joint Forces Component Commander for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, where the JFCC SPACE Joint Space Operations Center continuously monitors WGS-3’s orbital safety and operational status.

May 25/10: Northrop Grumman announces the last flight test of the 1st airborne Ka-based satellite terminal for use with the WGS system. The flight test used the communications terminal system installed on a modified business jet aircraft to connect with a WGS via the Ka-band link. The test is the 2nd of 3 phases required to certify the airborne communications system for WGS operations. Northrop Grumman is performing the certification under the Multi-Role Tactical Common Data Link (MR-TCDL) Developmental and Operational Test program contract.

April 1/10: The Pentagon releases its April 2010 Selected Acquisitions Report, covering major program changes up to December 2009. WGS qualifies as a full breach under Nunn-McCurdy Legislation, as the program rises to 8 satellites and deals with its issues:

“WGS (Wideband Global Satellite Communications) – The APUC (Average Procurement Unit Cost) increased 27.2% to the current APB and 39.5% to the original APB. The original WGS acquisition strategy, approved in June 2000, called for a commercial-like Firm Fixed Price (FFP) competitively awarded contract with options for six satellites. The original program was baselined for 3 satellites assuming commercial pricing. At the time of the original WGS 1-6 contract award, a strong commercial market for wideband communication satellites was expected. Production options for WGS 1-3 were exercised, and the first satellite launched on October 10, 2007. Due to limited resources and other priorities, the contract options for satellites 4-6 were not exercised before they expired.

Subsequent decisions resulted in the department deciding to award another contract for WGS 4-6 Advanced Procurement and Production. A production break of approximately three years was introduced between WGS 3 and WGS 4. Further, following the acquisition of WGS 1-3, the commercial communication satellite market took a significant downturn, and the WGS X-band phased array transmit and receive system and digital channelizer capability were no longer available commercially. More recently, the department directed the procurement of additional satellite vehicles to support and maintain an eight satellite constellation. These satellites will follow a second break in production estimated at two years which will require re-establishing the supplier and contractor base and addressing issues with parts obsolescence.”

Officially, the accompanying PDF table lists WGS as having only 7 satellites, even though the test (and US FY 2011 budget documents) says 8. Total cost is now pegged at $2.971 billion in $FY01, or $3.441 billion in “then year” dollars (expected dollars actually paid, including inflation).

WGS expands

March 1/10: The USAF accepts control of the 3rd WGS satellite, after the satellite passed several weeks of on-orbit tests. WGS-3 completes the initial WGS constellation, and will be followed by 3 more WGS satellites under Block II of its USAF contract. Boeing release

Jan 29/10: Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA received a $21 million change order to the Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) program to integrate, test, and store the 1.5 ship-sets of xenon-ion propulsion system (XIPS) hardware procured. The XIPS is used to maneuver the satellite into its orbit and to change the satellite’s location if necessary. At this time, $14 million has been obligated. MCSW/PKW in El Segundo, CA manages the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001, P00070).

December 2009: Boeing integrates the WGS-4 payload module with a high-power Boeing 702 platform at the company’s Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, CA. WGS-4 is the first of 3 satellites to be built under the Block II contract, adding features like a radio frequency bypass designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth. Over the next few months, the WGS team will conduct final integration activities followed by rigorous environmental testing, including vibration and thermal-vacuum tests.

WGS-1 and WGS-2, launched in October 2007 and April 2009, are already in service. WGS-3 was launched in December 2009. Boeing release.

Dec 5/09: F3 launch. After a Dec 2/09 launch was canceled for inclement weather and a Dec 3/09 launch was scrubbed due to a ground system fault, a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket lifted off from its Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex-37 launch pad at 8:47 p.m. EST, with WGS-3 on board. It was the 36th successful ULA mission in 36 months. Boeing later reported that the satellite had checked out, and sent the first signals from space. Following a series of orbital maneuvers and on-orbit tests over the West Coast of the United States, WGS-3 will be placed into geosynchronous Earth orbit over the Atlantic Ocean.

The satellite joins WGS-1, which entered service over the Pacific Ocean in April 2008, and WGS-2, which began operations over the Middle East in August 2009. Both had been launched by the ULA’s Atlas V rockets. NASA Spaceflight mission overview | ULA Mission Overview [PDF] | Boeing.

WGS-3 launch

FY 2009

Australia buy WGS-6; WGS-2 launched; WGS-3 stored.

WGS-2 launch
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Sept 14/09: Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $6.5 million contract to store the 3rd Wideband Global Satellite. Obviously, satellite storage carries very stringent environmental and security requirements, above and beyond normal warehousing. At this time the entire amount has been obligated by the SMC/MCSW/PK at HQ Space and Missile Command in El Segundo, CA (F04601-00-C-0011, P00190).

WGS F3 was originally intended for launch in 2008. Current plans call for a mid-November 2009 launch, on board a Delta IV EELV rocket, from Cape Canaveral, FL.

June 15/09: Following an on-orbit checkout, Boeing successfully transfers control of WGS-2 to the U.S. Air Force, which will monitor and control the new satellite from Schriever Air Force Base, CO. Boeing release.

May 28/09: A $6.3 million contract modification for Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. of El Segundo, CA, exercising the 3rd 3-month storage option for WGS-3. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by HQ Space and Missile Command in El Segundo, CA (F04701-00-C-0011, P00182).

Spaceflight Now indicates that the Delta 4 launch of WGS-3 has no fixed date, but is expected in late summer or early fall 2009.

April 7/09: Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA receives an estimated $8.1 million modification to a fixed price incentive contract to provide sustaining engineering for Post-Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of WGS-2. At this time, the entire amount has been committed by the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA (FA8808-06C-0001, P00044).

April 3/09: F2 launch. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carries WGS-2 into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. A ground station in Dongara, Australia, receives the satellite’s first signals 44 minutes later, at 9:15 p.m. Eastern time, and Boeing controllers in El Segundo, CA confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally. Boeing.

WGS-2 launch

March 17/09: WGS-2’s launch is scrubbed, when an anomalous leak rate was detected in the Centaur upper stage oxidizer valve. A follow-on review of the time needed to inspect the Atlas V rocket, fix the identified problem and prepare for a rescheduled attempt revealed it could not take place prior to the Delta II launch date on March 24/09, so the schedule will be moved back beyond that. That date was later set for March 31st, but the satellite ended up launching on April 3rd.

Feb 25/09: Boeing Satellite Systems of El Segundo, CA receives a not-to-exceed $8 million change order modification. This contract will purchase Thermal Cycling Testing on the solar panel arrays of the WGS-2 and WGS-3 Block I satellites. At this time, $6 million has been committed. The Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing HQ in El Segundo, CA manages this contract (F04701-00-C-0011, 00172).

Dec 17/08: Australia buys F6. Contract for US/Aussie WGS-6. The USAF modifies a fixed-price incentive contract to Boeing Satellite Systems, Incorporated in El Segundo, CA, adding $233.9 million by exercising the option for WGS satellite #6. At this time, the entire amount has been committed. SMC/MCSW, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA manages the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001, P00036).

With this authorization, Boeing is now fully funded for the production of all 3 WGS Block II satellites, and is on track to deliver the first in this new series in 2011.

See also Boeing’s release, the Dec 21/07 long lead time materials order below, and the Nov 14/07 agreement regarding this joint US/Australian satellite.

Australia buys WGS-6

FY 2008

WGS-1 operational; Australia joins; WGS-5 bought; WGS-6 lead-in.

WGS-1 launch
(click to view full)

April 16/08: Operational. The first Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite is declared operational. US Army release | Boeing release.

April 11/08: Fast acceptance. Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander, Air Force Space Command; and Army Lt. Gen. Kevin T. Campbell, commander of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL, sign a memorandum at Peterson Air Force Base, CO. It recommends that USSTRATCOM accept of command and control of the first Wideband Global SATCOM satellite ahead of schedule. Source.

Dec 21/07: F5 contract. Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. of El Segundo, CA received a firm-fixed-price contract for $229.7 million, exercising an option to build WGS satellite #5. This includes the contract requirement to increase the target price due to changes in the foreign currency exchange rate. At this time $510.5 million has been obligated. HQ, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (FA8808-06C-0001, P00018).

WGS-5 option

Dec 21/07: F6 lead-in. Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. of El Segundo, CA receives a firm-fixed-price contract for $51.7 million, exercising an option to begin advance materials procurement for WGS-6 and begin construction. HQ Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001, P00019).

The Commonwealth of Australia is funding the procurement as part of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments. See also Boeing release

Nov 14/07: Australia joins. A memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Australian governments formally adds Australian Defence Force access to WGS services worldwide in exchange for funding the constellation’s 6th satellite.

The 6th WGS satellite, a Block II version, will carry the radio frequency (RF) bypass capability designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth. The RF bypass supports data rates of up to 311 Megabits per second, more than 200 times faster than most cable or DSL connections. WGS-6 is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2012.Source.

Australia on board

Oct 10/07: F1 launch. WGS-1 is successfully launched at 8:22 p.m. Eastern (ZULU -0500) by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, FL. Following a nominal 45-minute flight, the launch vehicle’s upper stage deployed the spacecraft, and a ground station in Dongara, Australia received the satellite’s first signals 47 minutes later at 9:09 p.m. Eastern. Boeing controllers in El Segundo, CA confirmed that the satellite is healthy, and the firm has acquired signals from the first Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite. Boeing release.

WGS-1 launch

Oct 3/07: Australia. Australia’s Minister for Defence announces that the Australian Government will enter into an A$ 927 million partnership (about $820 million) with the United States to become part of the new Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) constellation. Dr. Brendan Nelson says that “I expect to finalise the arrangement through the signing of a government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding shortly after the 30 day US Congressional Notification Period.”

Under this arrangement, Australia will fund one satellite plus associated ground infrastructure, extending the constellation to 6 satellites. In return, they will receive global coverage from WGS, which will become the backbone of their military satellite communications capability. Minister Nelson’s release states that WGS “will comfortably handle the increase in ADF communications requirements… out to at least 2024.”

Achieving full operational WGS capability by 2013 will coincide with the predicted capability drawdown of the SingTel/Optus C1 satellite. The SingTel/Optus C1 satellite will remain an important element of Australia’s satellite capability until it fails, and will be maintained in parallel with WGS. DoD Ministerial release.

FY 2007

WGS 4-6 umbrella contract; WGS 4 bought.

June 26/07: Integral Systems, Inc. in Lanham, MD received a $5.8 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification. It modifies the Command and Control System-Consolidated (CCS-C) effort to support the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) Program Operations Readiness, add training, and incorporate changes to the system/Subsystem Specification (SSS) to clarify development requirements for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite program.

The CCS-C program provides an upgraded capability to command and control the Air Force’s communication satellites, including the Defense Satellite Communication System, Milstar, Advanced Extremely High Frequency, and Wideband Gapfiller Satellites. At this time, $2 million has been obligated, and work will be complete in June 2010. The Headquarters Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing in Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-01-C-0012/P00118).

June 5/07: Boeing announces that they have successfully completed end-to-end testing of the Boeing/ITT WGS payload command and control system, paving the way for the launch of the first WGS satellite in the summer of 2007. Three years late, and over budget by more than 33%, but apparently ready at last. The tests also demonstrated a unique design feature of the WGS system, allowing both U.S. Air Force and Army operators to control the payload via separate S-band and in-band (X or Ka-band) radio frequency links for greater operational flexibility and redundancy.

During the tests, the newly-installed WGS ground station equipment at the Camp Roberts Wideband Satellite Communications Operations Center in Paso Robles, CA communicated with a WGS satellite located at Boeing’s El Segundo, CA satellite factory, successfully routing operational commands through the Satellite Operations Center at Schriever Air Force Base, CO and a U.S. Air Force satellite control network connection at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. Boeing release.

April 24/07: Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $27 million fixed-price-incentive contract modification. This action provides for two priced for Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing WGS Vehicle F4: 1) Launch Services and 2) Astrotech Launch Site Processing Facilities. At this time, no funds have been obligated. Work will be complete in September 2011. The Headquarters Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001/P00009).

Nov 2/06: F4 contract. Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $299.9 million fixed-price-incentive contract modification, exercising an option for the production of Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) Space Vehicle F4. At this time, total funds have been obligated. Work will be complete March 2011. The Headquarters Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001/P00004). See also Boeing’s press release.

WGS-4 option

Oct 18/06: F4-F6 umbrella. Boeing and the U.S. Air Force MILSATCOM Systems Wing have signed a $1.067 billion contract for up to three more Wideband Global SATCOM satellites (WGS), if all options are exercised. The Block II satellites will be similar to the three Block I satellites already in production, but Boeing will add a radio frequency bypass capability designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring ultra-high bandwidth and data rates demanded by unmanned aerial vehicles.

The new Block II contract also gives the USAF the flexibility to independently exercise options for long-lead material, production and launch services for WGS F4 through F6. In February 2006, the Air Force authorized Boeing to begin non-recurring engineering and advanced procurement of parts for the fourth WGS satellite. At the time of this release Boeing anticipates Air Force authorization to proceed with full production of WGS F4 and to begin long-lead work for F5 by the end of 2006. See Boeing press release.

Contract

FY 2006

WGS-4 lead-in; Program delays.

Sept 26/06: Boeing announces the completion of Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum (SCTV) testing for the first of its Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellites. The tests, conducted over two months at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, CA, evaluated the WGS operating systems’ ability to withstand the extreme vacuum and hot and cold temperatures of space. See Boeing release.

July 27/06: The Boeing-led team announces that its WGS program has successfully completed 2 more key space-to-ground compatibility tests with partners Universal Space Network (USN) and ITT Industries. The joint tests were conducted at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, CA, in order to test interoperability between the satellite and two key ground control systems.

Boeing and USN demonstrated the compatibility between the satellite’s telemetry, command and ranging systems and USN’s ground network which controls the satellites. USN’s network of ground stations in Hawaii, Alaska and a collaborative station in Italy will play crucial roles during WGS transfer orbit operations and initial on-orbit testing.

Boeing also verified telemetry and command interface compatibility between the satellite and the Gapfiller Satellite Configuration and Control Element (GSCCE). The GSCCE payload control system, designed by Boeing and ITT Industries, will be fielded at Wideband Satellite Communications Operations Centers around the world. The tests confirmed the system’s ability to properly configure the digital channelizer and the X-band phased array antennas, which are key elements of the WGS communications payload. See Boeing release.

June 1/06: The 1st of 3 Wideband Gapfiller Satellites (WGS) successfully completes key dynamic environmental tests to confirm the spacecraft’s structural design and mechanical integrity. See Boeing release.

Feb 17/06: F4 lead-in. Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. in El Segundo, CA received a $148.2 million firm-fixed incentive with firm-target contract to begin work on the fourth WGS satellite. As part of the non-recurring engineering effort, Boeing Satellite Systems will be addressing spacecraft hardware obsolescence issues through the implementation of alternative components or designs, or selection of new suppliers. They’ll also be handling advance procurement of long-lead-time parts for the manufacture of WGS #4. Solicitations began December 2005, negotiations were complete in February 2006, and work will be complete by July 2007. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (FA8808-06-C-0001).

Nov 18/05: Boeing Satellite Systems in Los Angeles, CA received a $7.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to add Pedigree Reviews of Wideband Gapfiller Satellites (WGS) F1, F2 and F3. The Pedigree Review rigorously audits all critical components and subsystems, and is designed to help ensure that the satellite will work in the “one chance to get it right” environment that characterizes space-based equipment. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-00-C-0011/P00112).

FY 2001 – 2005

Boeing wins competition; WGS 1-3 bought.

June 9/05: Boeing Satellite Systems in Los Angeles, CA received a $6.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification authorizing Satellite 3 launch services to provide launch support and early operations, including orbit-raising on-orbit checkout for Wideband Gapfiller Satellite Flight 3. Boeing Satellite Systems will accomplish this work at their El Segundo, CA facility, Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, FL, and at other locations as required. This contract action will not lengthen the period of performance beyond the current overall period of performance on contract, and work will be complete by January 2007. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-00-C-0011, P00105).

Dec 20/02: F3 contract. The Boeing-led team is awarded a contract option to build a third WGS satellite. With the current option for the WGS F3 satellite, Boeing lists the total value of the WGS program contract at approximately $660 million. See Boeing release.

March 6/02: F1-F2 contract. Boeing’s team receives $336.4 million to build the first two satellites in the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) system. The contract also includes long-lead material for a third satellite. See Boeing release.

Contracts

Aug 20/01: PDR. The Boeing-led team announces successful completion of a recent series of preliminary design reviews (PDRs), an important early project milestone. Twelve days of PDRs focused on the space and ground segments of the program as well as the overall system. The meetings involved a broad range of customer participation, including Air Force, Army, Navy and Department of Defense agency personnel, as well as their system engineering and technical assistance support contractors. Also included were WGS program teammates and senior technical experts from Boeing. See Boeing release.

Jan 03/01: Boeing wins. A satellite communications industry team led by Boeing wins the contract to develop the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) system. A joint-service program funded by the Air Force and Army, WGS is a firm, fixed-price award with an initial value of $160.3 million and a potential total value of $1.3 billion that includes options for as many as six Boeing 702 satellites and their associated spacecraft and payload control equipment. Operational and logistics support and training are also included in the program, and the procuring agency is the Air Force Materiel Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center. See Boeing release.

Additional Readings

• MILSATCOM: WGS

• Boeing – Transformational Wideband Communication Capabilities for the Warfighter (WGS product home page)

• Spaceflight Now – WGS fact sheet

• Boeing – Boeing 702 fleet

• Boeing – Satellite Launch Schedule

• Boeing Feature (Aug 16/10) – Lifeline for the troops. About the WGS program

• Boeing IDS All Systems Go (Vol 1, #3) – Leveraging Technology. Article covers WGS.

• USAF (March 17/08) – New satellite provides more power, better warfighter support

• USAF (Oct 15/07) – Air Force, Boeing team up for early-orbit operations

• USAF (Oct 9/07) – Airmen Train for Wideband Global SATCOM

• DID (Sept 28/06) – GAO 2006 Report on Key US Weapons Programs. Includes coverage of WGS on pages 119-120.

• US Department of Defense (Nov 15/05) – DoD Releases Selected Acquisition Reports. WGS is listed as a program with slipping schedule/costs, and some issues are noted.

• DID (Aug 4/05) – GAO Report: Satellite Programs Show Overruns Across the Board. Including WGS.

Americas

The US Air Force’s next-generation stealth bombers will be maintained at Tinker Air Base in Oklahoma and at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The B-21 Raider previously referred to as the Long-Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B, is expected to be delivered in the mid-2020s. The air bases will be responsible to coordinate all maintenance and sustainment efforts of the new aircraft, which includes leading testing and evaluation efforts. This decision comes as the Northrop Grumman-made B-21 is expected to enter its critical design review milestone next month. The Air Force plans to buy a total of 100 Raiders as replacement to its fleet of B-2s and B-1Bs, which are expected to be retired by 2040. “From flight testing the X-15 to the F-117, Edwards AFB in the Mohave Desert has been at the forefront of keeping our Air Force on the cutting edge,” says Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen David L. Goldfein. “Now, testing the B-21 Raider will begin another historic chapter in the base’s history.”

Vista Outdoor Sales is being contracted to supply special ammunition to the Navy and the Marine Corps. Awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, the firm-fixed-price, IDIQ contract provides for the delivery of 5.56mm ball, carbine, barrier ammunition. This ammunition is designed to defeat intermediate barriers such as auto windshields and doors while providing sufficient terminal performance. The full name and designation of the round is the MK 318 MOD 0 “Cartridge, Caliber 5.56mm Ball, Carbine, Barrier”. Developed as a SOST (Special Operations Science and Technology) ammo, the 62 grain bullet features an open tip with lead at the front and a thick copper base. The lead is designed to defeat barriers and the copper to penetrate the barrier. Work will be performed at the company’s factory in Anoka, Minnesota. The $41.2 million contract is expected to be completed by November 2023.

IMSAR LLC is being tapped to proceed to Phase III of a previously awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The awarded $10 million delivery order provides for ongoing work on the SBIR Topic AF112-144 entitled “Advanced Radar Concepts for Small (Tier I/II) Remotely Piloted Aircrafts.” The research program aims to develop a small multi-mode Ground Surveillance Radar (GSR) for small UAV’s. GSR is an integral part of the DoD’s Battlefield Awareness requirement. However nearly all ‘small radars’ (weighing 10 lbs or less) are limited to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) processing and lack a Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Dismount Detection Radar (DDR) capability. IMSAR is responsible to develop a new ‘small radar’ that incorporates SAR, GMTI and DDR capabilities and bridges the gap between advanced weapon system radars, and small Size Weight & Power radar systems that can operate on Group I/II Remotely Piloted Aircrafts.

Middle East & Africa

The Israel Air Force (IAF) is set to acquire upgraded F-15s to supplement its fleet of F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter aircraft. The squadron of F-15IAs will include certain stealth capabilities, such as radar-absorbing paint and internal weapons carriage. The fighter jets will be capable of carrying 11 missiles, in addition to 28 heavy, smart bombs for ground targets. Other additions include Raytheon’s AN/APG-63(V)3 AESA radar, a long-range infrared search and track (IRST) sensor system, allowing for a “first sigh-first shot-first kill” capability and a helmet cueing system. With this upcoming purchase, Israel will be the third Middle-Eastern country to do so. Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar have ordered their respective SA and QA variants which are the most advanced Eagles in the world. However experts say that Israel’s Eagle will be even more capable and advanced than the others. The upcoming deal marks the first Boeing fighter jet acquisition by the Israeli Air Force in two decades, with the first F-15IA expected to arrive in Israel as soon as 2023. The IDF says the new F-15 will not completely replace the F-35 stealth fighter, but is intended to reinforce the systems currently in place to enhance the range of capabilities to an optimal position vis-à-vis its missions—from Iran to Gaza.

Europe

The Czech Republic joins the multi-national European MALE RPAS program, formerly known as EuroDrone and EuroMALE project. The effort headed by Germany in partnership with France, Italy, and Spain was noted in the European Council’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) updated list of projects. This advanced UAV is being developed in partnership with Dassault Aviation (France) and Leonardo (Italy) and will from now on probably involve Aero Vodochody as it is the Czech Republic’s prime defense contractor. The drone is slightly bigger as IAI’s Heron TP has a turboprop engine and will be capable of carrying various weapon systems. EuroMALE external link is the second biggest European defense project and costs about $356 million. The drone has a wingspan of 26 meters, can carry up to 992 pounds of equipment and can fly for about 24 hours on an altitude of 49.000 feet. The European MALE RPAS development phase is expected to be launched in 2019, with a prototype first flight expected in early 2023 and delivery of the first system in about 2025.

Asia-Pacific

The Japanese government is requesting the purchase of several Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). If approved by Congress the deal would see for the delivery of 32 AIM-120C-7 missiles at a cost of $63 million. Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM has become the world market leader for medium range air-to-air missiles. At present, the AIM-120-C7 is the most advanced AMRAAM approved for export beyond the USA. It features an improved seeker head, greater jamming resistance, and slightly longer range. Also included are containers, weapon support and support equipment as well as various contractor repair and support services. The DSCA notice states that the potential deal will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by supporting a key US ally and one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific.

The US State Department is determined to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan. The $561 million sale includes the delivery of 8 SM-3 IB missiles and 13 SM-3 IIA missiles. Block IB missiles allow the Japanese navy to defend against medium range and some intermediate range missiles developed by rouge regimes such as North Korea. IB upgrades include an advanced 2-color infrared seeker, and a 10-thruster solid throttling divert and attitude control system. Block IIA is a co-operative US-Japanese program, that adds a larger, more maneuverable “high-divert” kill vehicle. Once deployed the IIA missile will handle the near-strategic IRBM threat, and even engage some ICBMs. The contract also includes the provision of missile canisters and contractor support ranging from technical assistance, engineering and logistical support services. Prime contractors will be Raytheon and BAE Systems, who will respectively produce the missiles and canisters.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indo Defence 2018: Pandur II 8×8 Infantry Fighting vehicle

B-52H, B-1B & B-2A
(click to view full)

The good news? 2006 saw a convergence of opinion within the USAF that a new long-range strike platform was needed. This is understandable given the B-52H Stratofortress fleet’s age (40-50 years), the B-1B Lancer’s internal power and electronics issues, both of these platforms’ low survivability against advanced air defense systems, and the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber’s very small numbers (21, of which 7-12 are generally operational). The unmanned J-UCAS program, meanwhile was seen as having inadequate range and payload (Boeing X-45C: 1,400 mile radius with 8 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs). The USAF decided that J-UCAS wasn’t a solution and pulled out, stalling American UCAV development until the Navy chose to go ahead with the carrier-based N-UCAS.

The bad news? They seemed to have little idea of exactly what they wanted in their bomber. The FY 2010 budget killed those plans anyway, but in September 2010, pressure to field a new bomber began to rise again. By the time fiscal year 2015 budget planning was in motion, both DoD and the Air Force seemed committed to making the program one of the service’s top 3 priorities.

Bad News, Good News

FB-22: out
(click to view full)

BAD NEWS: Officials disagreed on what kind of aircraft or missile should be designed to meet the requirement. A single plane? A missile? A family of aircraft? Manned or unmanned? A fighter-bomber like the FB-22/FB-23 idea to fill the FB-111’s vacant shoes, or a full-reach heavy bomber? A traditional land-based platform, or should it be carrier capable? Something comparable to the $2 billion B-2s to take on the toughest strike missions – or more of a utility aircraft like some of the “arsenal aircraft” proposals, aimed at replacing the B-52s with a platform based on a passenger jet or C-17 that would be more economical to fly and maintain? And where do proposals to simply re-engine the B-52 fleet fit in?

Until (unless) this was sorted out, R&D efforts could not succeed – and issues of future force structure remained open questions. An official Analysis of Alternatives was scheduled for Spring 2007, and the articles below chronicle developments in that process as it works its way forward. At this point, it appears certain that the new bomber will fly at subsonic speeds, and incorporate modern advances in stealth technology. Other elements are less clear.

THE GOOD NEWS? Key technologies, from stealth to control of unmanned combat aircraft, have taken many steps forward since this discussion began.

In September 2006, Inside Defense reported that the US Air Force was responding to ongoing Congressional pressure with a proposed $5 billion initial investment over the next few years. Their goal was to develop a next-generation long-range strike platform by 2018, with a fly-off before final platform selection.

All of this work was effectively brought to a halt when US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced his FY 2010 budget recommendations, and effectively suspended the competition. Research may continue in some related technologies under ‘black’ (non-public) budgets, but Sec 124 of the Senate’s S.1390 FY 2010 defense budget was clear:

“On May 7, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the termination of the next generation bomber aircraft program in the document of the Office of Management and Budget entitled ‘Terminations, Reductions, and Savings,’ stating that ‘there is no urgent need to begin an expensive development program for a new bomber’ and that ‘the future bomber fleet may not be affordable over the next six years’.”

By 2010, however, pressure began to rise again to field a new bomber. The breakthrough came, ironically, during a January 2011 speech about $150 billion in spending and program reductions:

“Finally, a major area of investment for the Air Force will be a new long-range, nuclear-capable penetrating bomber. This aircraft – which will have the option of being piloted remotely – will be designed and developed using proven technologies, an approach that should make it possible to deliver this capability on schedule and in quantity. It is important that we begin this project now to ensure that a new bomber can be ready before the current aging fleet goes out of service. The follow on bomber represents a key component of a joint portfolio of conventional deep-strike capabilities – an area that should be a high priority for future defense investment given the anti-access challenges our military faces.”

Competing Teams

Phantom Ray rollout
(click to view larger)

On the contractor side, the program seemed to be shaping clearly, the picture has become muddy again.

On Jan 25/08, Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced that they would be cooperating on a bid of their own. Their team will perform studies and system development efforts “in pursuit of the anticipated U.S. Air Force Next Generation Bomber program.” Their collaborative research and development efforts will include will include work in advanced sensors, future electronic warfare solutions, better networked awareness of the broader battlefield, command and control issues for stealth platforms, and virtual warfare simulation and experimentation.

By March 2010, however, the joint team members were each going their own way. Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray provides them with a very useful test platform that could become a base for a new unmanned bomber, and Lockheed Martin’s own work on “black program” UAVs gives them growing expertise as well. They eventually got back together in 2013, once requirements began to clarify.

Northrop Grumman is another obvious contender, as the designer and manufacturer of the B-2A Spirit Stealth bomber. The firm has moved away from designing full-scale manned military aircraft in recent years, but there are persistent rumors of black (secret) program contracts related to the design of a next-generation bomber, and NGC’s leadership has indicated that black programs are a growing strategic focus for the company. Taken in tandem, it seems likely that Northrop Grumman is already working on a next-generation stealth bomber design. CFO James Palmer admitted as much during a financial conference in November 2013.

Update

November 22/18: Base The US Air Force’s next-generation stealth bombers will be maintained at Tinker Air Base in Oklahoma and at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The B-21 Raider previously referred to as the Long-Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B, is expected to be delivered in the mid-2020s. The air bases will be responsible to coordinate all maintenance and sustainment efforts of the new aircraft, which includes leading testing and evaluation efforts. This decision comes as the Northrop Grumman-made B-21 is expected to enter its critical design review milestone next month. The Air Force plans to buy a total of 100 Raiders as replacement to its fleet of B-2s and B-1Bs, which are expected to be retired by 2040. “From flight testing the X-15 to the F-117, Edwards AFB in the Mohave Desert has been at the forefront of keeping our Air Force on the cutting edge,” says Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen David L. Goldfein. “Now, testing the B-21 Raider will begin another historic chapter in the base’s history.”

May 17/17: The Pentagon’s inspector general has opened an investigation as to whether the USAF has imposed unnecessary additional secrecy on its B-21 bomber program. Last year, the Air Force rebuffed requests, including from Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, to reveal basic information such as the value of the development contract awarded to lead contractor Northrop Grumman or the amount of the fee set aside to encourage meeting program goals, citing their potential value to adversaries. Now, the DoD’s watchdog office will review and submit a report to Congress within the next six months aiming to ascertain whether there is the right mix of balanced program classification and transparency.

March 9/17: Vice chief of the staff of the USAF Gen. Stephen Wilson has announced that the preliminary design review for the B-21 Raider has been completed. The progress on the new long-range bomber came as Wilson spoke to a House Armed Services Committee hearing on nuclear deterrence where he told lawmakers that he receives regular updates on the uber-classified program and is happy with its progression. Since the award of the B-21 contract to Northrop Grumman in October 2015, news has been scarce on the program’s development as the company and Air Force try to protect any information about the bomber’s design and development from leaking out into the press or to potential adversaries.

October 27/16: While heavily redacted, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a 52-page ruling on Boeing’s protest of the B-21 competition won by Northrop Grumman. Quoting “significantly lower proposed prices” for initial production, the agency found Boeing would be hard-pressed to match Northrop’s bid to work on the $80 billion stealth-bomber program. Boeing has slammed the GAO’s analysis as flawed.

September 21/16: The USAF’s new long-range strike bomber has officially been named the B-21 Raider. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James made the announcement on Monday in what is a tribute to the legacy of WW2’s Doolittle Raiders rather than a reference to the Indiana Jones movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The Doolittle Raiders are known for their surprise attack against Japan during on April 18, 1942, which forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense, and boosted morale among Americans and US allies abroad.

September 4/15: Northrop Grumman and competitor coalition Lockheed Martin and Boeing submitted designs for the new long range bomber, with a decision expected in October. The first versions produced are expected to be manned craft, with unmanned craft coming a few years later. Designs are said to be more detailed at the stage than is typical.

Additional Readings

• DID – Carrier UCAVs: The Return of UCAS. N-UCAS is a funded Northrop Grumman project.

• DID – Ride on the Ray: Boeing’s X-45 UCAVs

• DID – Funds to Boeing, NGC to Advance UAV Aerial Refueling.

• Bloomberg (Dec 6/13) – U.S. Bomber Planes at $81 Billion Seen 47% More Than Plan. USAF estimate is $55 billion for 100 planes. CSBA says $81 billion, incl. $20 billion R&D. Stimson Center says $68.2 billion. Bloomberg Government says $78.4 million.

• Wall St. Journal (Nov 3/13) – Pentagon Toils to Build a Bomber on a Budget [subscription req’d]

• Forbes (Oct 29/13) – Why A Boeing-Lockheed Martin Long Range Strike Bomber Team Will Be Hard To Beat. By Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute.

• Lockheed Martin (Oct 25/13) – Boeing, Lockheed Martin Team for U.S. Air Force Bomber Program. Again. Boeing would be the prime contractor.

• James Hasik (July 10/13) – Is the USAF’s Next Bomber Program Way Too Ambitious?

• Aviation Week (June 30/11) – What We Are Allowed to Know About the Bomber. Short answer: not much. Optionally manned, stealthy, plans for 80-100.

• Joint Forces Quarterly (#60, Q1 2011) – Long Range Conventional Strike: A Joint Family of Systems [PDF]. Good article, penned by Northrop Grumman analysts; see also Aviation Week Ares coverage.

• Aviation Week Ares (March 18/11) – Where The 2018 Bomber Went

• Aviation Week Ares (Feb 18/11) – A Quick Look At The USAF’s New Bomber Requirements

• US Department of Defense (Jan 6/10) – Statement on Department Budget and Efficiencies. As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

• Defense News (Sept 15/10) – P&W Pitches Engine For Long-Range Strike. Their PW9000, part of a new class of engines called “geared turbofans” that offer a wider variable thrust range, and much better fuel efficiency.

• NDIA’s National Defense magazine (Sept 15/10) – Air Force Under Pressure to Fund New Bomber.

• CSBA Report (Sept 14/10) – Sustaining America’s Strategic Advantage in Long-Range Strike [PDF]

• Defense News (Sept 13/10) – USAF Secretary: New Bomber Critical for the U.S.. But it would be built for conventional strike, and only certified for the nuclear mission later, if at all.

• Aviation Week (March 1/10) – A Lockheed/Boeing Breakup Over Bomber? There’s a $200 million request in the FY 2011 budget that lays the foundations for a bomber program revival, but Boeing Phantom Works’ President says cooperation with Lockheed Martin is “in stasis”.

• Aviation Week Ares (Dec 16/09) – New Bomber Claims New Missions. ISR, and possibly directed energy weapons?

• Government Executive (May 14/09) – Gates says next-generation bomber might fly without pilot

• Gvernment Executive (May 21/09) – Commander agrees with decision to delay new bomber. In light of upcoming START nuclear treaty negotiations with Moscow, expected to start in a few months.

• DID (April 6/09) – Gates Lays Out Key FY 2010 Budget Recommendations. The program is effectively canceled. “We will not pursue a development program for a follow-on Air Force bomber until we have a better understanding of the need, the requirement, and the technology.”

• Aviation Week Ares (Sept 10/08) – Northrop Grumman Boosts New Bomber

• Military.com (June 7/08) – Secret Plan for ‘Invisible Bombers’. The report claims that Northrop Grumman has received a secret development contract to develop a bomber-class aircraft with a radar signature 1/10th that of a mosquito.

• The Register (May 29/08) – SpaceShipOne firm to build Stealth Bomber 4.0? Also explains some of the evidence for the belief that this program has gone “black” (i.e. super-secret, no longer openly reported or discussed).

• DTI, via Military.com (April 28/08) – New AF Bomber May Also Fly Recon. Or at least, an unmanned version might. Note that there will be limitations: the USA’s B-2 stealth bomber, for instance, tends to confine itself to night missions against defended sites, because it has little ability to protect itself once it has been seen visually. Any unmanned bomber would have a similar issue.

• Defense Technology International, via Military.com (Dec 4/07) – New Bomber to Carry Nukes. A decision that could raise its cost by 50%, due to the required redundancy and EMP hardening. It also guarantees that the bomber will be a maned aircraft, not a UAV or UCAV.

• Government Executive magazine (Aug 15/07) – Air Force’s commitment to new bomber a matter of debate

• USAF, Air Force magazine (August 2007) – Great Expectations. “Air Combat Command recently conducted an analysis of alternatives for such an aircraft, and the Air Force has decided which capabilities it will seek in its next generation long-range strike system. The study evaluated “midterm” requirements, the state of technology, and the need to have a fully operational aircraft on the ramp in 2018. The results were, in some cases, quite surprising…”

• Government Executive magazine (June 13/07) – Air Force envisions stealthy long-range bomber for 2018. “The service, which hopes to fly the bomber by 2018, likely will use the F-22’s stealth and maneuverability capabilities when developing the new aircraft, Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., said during a breakfast with reporters… The service also plans to make the bomber a subsonic propulsion aircraft, said Elder…” The article adds that the USAF may be mandated by Congress to have 76 B-52s, but it’s only manning 56.

• Aviation Week (May 2/07) – Next Decade”s AF Bomber To Be Subsonic, Manned [sic]

• Air Force Association (February 2007) – Return of the Bomber: The Future of Long-Range Strike [PDF format, 642k]. In-depth report and analysis by Dr. Rebecca Grant of ISIS.

• USAF, Air Force magazine (October 2006) – The 2018 Bomber and Its Friends

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Sept 30/06) – New Bomber Program to Begin ‘Black’. Which means a classified program. “The ACC chief said programmatic details such as anticipated costs and initial capability milestones will be disclosed to the public. However, issues pertaining to the platform’s projected range, speed and payload will remain closely held secrets known only by a select number of service and Pentagon officials intimately involved with or charged with overseeing its development.”

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Sept 2/06) – Air Force has ‘Hard Time’ Developing Bomber

• Inside Defense via Military.com (Aug 25/06) – Big Down Payment for Future Bombers

• USAF (July 26/06) – Gen. Moseley: New long-range bomber on horizon for 2018

• USAF, Air Force magazine (June 2006) – No Easy Answers on New Bomber

• Air & Space Power Journal (Summer 2005) – “Narrowing the global-strike gap with an airborne aircraft carrier”

tag: 2018bomber

Americas

Lockheed Martin is being contracted to mitigate the upcoming obsolescence of F-35 JSF essential semiconductors. Awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, the $41.5 million firm-fixed-price delivery order provides for procurement of new Xilinx and Intel-Altera field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). An FPGA is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing. They are configurable computer processors with large amounts of logic gates and RAM blocks to implement complex digital computations. The devices can carry out any logical function similar to an application-specific integrated circuit. The F-35s communication, navigation, and identification friend or foe (IFF) avionics rely on FPGAs, as do other critical electronic subsystems aboard the advanced fighter aircraft. The contract combines purchases for the US Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, as well as to FMS customers. Work will be performed at Lockheed’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in February 2019.

The US Navy is procuring a number of Identification Friend or Foe Interrogator (IFFI) units for its P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Telephonics will deliver up-to 50 IFFIs and their associated mounting trays at a cost of $15.1 million. This contract also includes purchases for partner countries and FMS customers. The AN/UPX-43 is a Mark XIIA monopulse and AIMS-certified IFF interrogator for command and control. It enables air traffic controllers and air defenders to identify military and civilian aircraft, verify forces as friendly, and determine their bearing and range. The first order under this IDIQ contract combines purchases for the Navy ($2.7 million) and for the British Royal Air Force ($900 million). Work will be performed at Telephonics’ factory in Farmingdale, New York, and is expected to be completed in November 2021.

Thales Air Traffic Management is being tapped to support worldwide aircraft deployment by the US military. The awarded firm-fixed-price contract option provides for 9 Deployable-Instrument Landing System (D-ILS) production units and has a value of $30.6 million. The highly mobile D-ILS units will be used in airfield environments to precisely guide pilots on their final approach during low-visibility or low-ceiling weather conditions. The Thales D-ILS essentially provides the equivalent of fixed-based Instrument Landing System capability at tactical airfields and environmentally diverse regions such as sites hit by natural disasters. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $126 million. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by September, 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli military officials are satisfied with the performance of the country’s Iron Dome air-defense system. Iron Dome is an effective, truck-towed mobile air defense system developed to counter very short range rockets and artillery shell (155mm) threats with ranges of up to 70km. During a recent escalation several militant organisations in the Gaza Strip launched a barrage of missile and mortar fire into Israel. From the 12th to the 13th of November about 460 107mm and 122mm short-range rockets and mortars were launched towards southern Israel. An IDF source told Jane’s that the Iron Dome batteries “performed in an excellent manner” by intercepting more than 100 projectiles heading towards civilian built-up areas in Israel.

Europe

The US State Department is determined to approve a FMS to NATO. Requested by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency the potential $320.5 million contract sees for the sale of various precision guided munitions kits. This includes the delivery of 2040 JDAM kits for GBU-31 2000 lbs and GBU-38 500lbs bombs. The contract further includes the delivery of required Munitions Adapter Units, Enhanced Computer Control Groups and Joint Programmable Fuzes for the weapon systems. Prime contractors Boeing and Raytheon will also provide NATO with laser kits, proximity sensors, Wireless Paveway Avionics Kit (WIPAK) interfaces and logistic services. This order will support following NATO members: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. This sale increases the quantity of precision-guided munitions within NATO and allows for their pre-coordinated transfer in support of national and NATO requirements.

The Finnish government is concluding the pre-bid dialogue phase of its H-X contest which seeks to find a suitable replacement for the country’s fleet of 62 Boeing F/A-18C/Ds. During this phase the government held a series of talks with industry with the aim to outline the contract parameters and the industrial offset proposed for Finnish industry. Shortlisted companies include Boeing with its F-18 Super Hornet, Dassault with its Rafale, Lockheed Martin and its F-35 JSF, Saab’s Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Helsinki expect preliminary offers early next year, with improved bids leading to a final decision in 2021. First deliveries are expected to commence in 2025. Project manager Lauri Puranen wrote in a blog on the Finnish MoD website that “all the manufacturers have taken the challenge seriously and are striving to provide Finland with the best possible overall package,” adding that “none of the candidates have a better or worse status”.

Asia-Pacific

Tokyo is ordering the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Northrop Grumman. The $489 million contract includes the delivery of three RQ-4 Block 30i air vehicles, two ground control elements, spares, support equipment and other program activities. Each UAV will contain an enhanced integrated sensor suite payload (EEIS). Developed by Raytheon, the EISS comprises an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, synthetic aperture radar imagery, and ground moving target indicator elements. The Global Hawk’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of ISR collection capability to support joint combatant forces in worldwide peacetime, contingency and wartime operations. The Global Hawk provides persistent near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT) and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors. Work will be performed at Northrop Grumman’s factory in San Diego and will run through September 2022.

The Royal Australian Air Force is fitting external fuel tanks on its C-130J Hercules aircraft in an attempt to boost its ability to perform a range of missions. The fuel tanks increase the fuel capacity of a Hercules from 19 tonnes to 27 tonnes. “Extra fuel is useful during Forward Arming and Refuelling Point operations, where the crew land and offload fuel to another aircraft, vehicle or storage tank,” Air Commodore William Kourelakos said in a statement. Flown by the Air Mobility Group, the effectiveness of the external tanks will be tested in December, where one C-130J will support Operation Christmas Drop in Guam. This involves the delivery of donated gifts to remote island communities in the West Pacific. “Some of these missions are to islands more than 2000km from Guam, where there’s very limited options to divert in the event of an emergency. Carrying that extra fuel would make some aspects of mission planning easier, allow crews to deliver to more island communities, or increase the amount of time loitering at a Drop Zone,” the Air Commodore concluded.

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