Defense Industry Daily

AEGIS-BMD: CG-70
launches SM-3
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The AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System for missiles, the SM-3 Standard missile, and the ship’s command and control system, in order to give ships the ability to defend against enemy ballistic missiles. Like its less-capable AEGIS counterpart, AEGIS BMD can also work with other radars on land and sea via Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). That lets it receive cues from other platforms and provide information to them, in order to create a more detailed battle picture than any one radar could produce alone.

AEGIS has become a widely-deployed top-tier air defense system, with customers in the USA, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Norway, and Spain. In a dawning age of rogue states and proliferation of mass-destruction weapons, the US Navy is being pushed toward a “shield of the nation” role as the USA’s most flexible and most numerous option for missile defense. AEGIS BMD modifications are the keystone of that effort – in the USA, and beyond.

The AEGIS Naval Ballistic Missile Defense System What Is AEGIS?

AEGIS Combat Control
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Aegis, named after the legendary protective shield of Zeus, is deployed on over 80 serving naval ships around the globe, with many more Aegis-equipped ships planned or under contract. It’s the primary weapons control system on board American Ticonderoga Class Cruisers (CG-47) and Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers (DDG-51), as well as Japan’s Kongo & Atago Class destroyers, Korea’s KDX-III Class destroyers, Norway’s Fridtjof Nansen Class frigates, and Spain’s F-100 Alvaro de Bazan Class frigates. Australia’s Hobart Class F100 derivatives will join this set shortly.

The heart of these ships’ defensive suites is the AN/SPY-1 Radar System, a 3D air/surface search and tracking radar. This high-powered phased array radar is able to perform search, track and missile guidance functions simultaneously, with the ability to track over 100 targets at over 100 miles. Terminal guidance depends on mounted illuminators, since current SM-2 missiles are limited to semi-active radar homing.

Partial AN/SPY-1

The other key to Aegis is the Aegis combat system software, which takes input from a number of systems in order to create a unified picture of the threat environment. AEGIS equipped ships are key elements in modern carrier and battleship battle groups, providing fleet area defense and communicating an integrated air picture for more effective deployment of naval aircraft.

Most Aegis suites can be converted to missile defense, with the addition of hardware upgrades and a set of software updates. We refer to these upgraded systems as AEGIS BMD. The AN/SPY-1B radar variants that equip Ticonderoga class cruisers CG 59-73, and the AN/SPY-1D variant that equips DDG-51 destroyers and foreign Aegis ships in Japan, South Korea, and Spain, can be upgraded to support missile defense. On the other hand, the AN/SPY-1A radar on some Ticonderoga class cruisers is reportedly ineligible. The much smaller AN/SPY-1F hasn’t received a BMD upgrade design, and may or may not be capable.

Aegis was designed from the outset to operate with the Standard missile family, and both systems reach their maximum potential when deployed together. The current mainstay for air defense is the SM-2 Block IIIB. For missile defense, the longer-range SM-3 is the system’s main option, and it’s capable of exo-atmospheric kills up to 200 miles away, as ballistic missile prepare to re-enter the atmosphere. The “Burnt Frost” intercept showed that modified SM-3s were even capable of killing satellites in lower orbits.

A new variant of the SM-2 Block IV is being revived and fielded as the Near Term Sea-Based Terminal weapon (NT-SBT), for last-phase endo-atmospheric intercepts as the warhead descends toward its target. The new SM-6 will begin taking over that terminal defense role as of 2015.

As a ship combat system, Aegis can and does operate with a variety of other weapons, but Raytheon’s Standard family missiles are the only ones with ballistic missile defense capabilities.

AEGIS BMD: Versions & Capabilities

SM-3 Launch –
note rocket booster

AEGIS BMD went to sea with its initial operating capability in October 2004. During at-sea tests, the system and its missiles have been successful in 25/31 interception attempts – and 80.6% success rate.

AEGIS BMD 3.0. Its Long Range Surveillance & Tracking (LRS&T) wasn’t recommended for engaging ballistic missiles, but it reportedly extended the ship’s radar tracking range to 500 km/ 300 miles. That allowed equipped vessels to support engagements by other ships. Over time this version was phased out, as AEGIS BMD ship systems were upgraded.

AEGIS BMD 3.6 Supports full engagement, and was certified for tactical deployment by the U.S. Navy and the USA’s Missile Defense Agency in September 2006. The most recent certified version as of November 2014 is AEGIS BMD 3.6.3. This system retains long range tracking, can engage enemy missiles, and adds the capability to target short-range ballistic missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere in their final stage of flight. This allows them to make full use of SM-2 Block IV variants like NT-SBT, alongside longer-range options like the SM-3. Testing has demonstrated some unplanned bonus capabilities, including the ability to launch using another system’s tracking data, and to intercept MRBMs (1,000 – 3,000 km range).

AEGIS BMD 4.x Improvements include both hardware inserts and software development. Incorporation of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Signal Processor (Aegis BSP) into the AN/SPY-1 radar helps the system detect, track and classify objects more effectively, in order to defeat more complex ballistic missile threats like decoys and multiple warheads. The Aegis BSP, which has been installed in all new Aegis destroyers beginning in 2010, is an open architecture design. BMD 4.x also adds an adjunct computing suite that will continue AEGIS BMD’s migration toward open architecture electronics, and supports the improved SM-3 Block IB missile. The 4.0.2 sub-version on a number of current ships changes the timing of SM-3 rocket pulses, as a response to the FTM-16E2 test failure.

BMD capability will be included in modernized, open architecture combat systems in Aegis cruisers and destroyers starting in 2012, and even US Navy Aegis ships that are not slated for BMD will be changing over to a full open architecture (OSA/ MOSA) system as part of ongoing upgrades to the DDG-51 and CG-47 ships. The move lets the Navy buy commercial electronics components from a much wider variety of suppliers, saving money and ensuring easier future upgrades.

AEGIS BMD 5.0. AEGIS BMD 5.0 is expected to complete the system’s open architecture shift, with a new multi-mission processor and new computing workstations and display systems. There are proposals to upgrade all American Aegis ships with AN/SPY1B/D radars to have AEGIS BMD capability, so the full OSA/MOSA migration could prove significant.

In 2015 – 2016, a BMD 5.0 CU upgrade will restore terminal phase intercept capability within the atmosphere, allowing ships to use the SM-6 as a 2nd line of defense. This upgrade is also known as Aegis Baseline 9.C1, and has already been fitted to some ships, but they haven’t tested terminal intercept capability yet.

SM-3 evolution
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AEGIS BMD 5.1. The next big step forward for AEGIS BMD will be a new missile, coupled with the AEGIS BMD 5.1 software. The SM-3 Block IIA will use a different design that’s 21″ in diameter, instead of 13.5″ like the Block Is. That will allow for more powerful rocket motors, and considerable increases in range. The SM-3 Block I is mostly designed for use against short and medium-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs/MRBMs), and lacks the range to defend countries like Poland or The Czech Republic from the sea.

The Block II’s range will put most of the Czech Republic and Poland within range of inshore ships, and could allow just 2 ships to offer full coverage of Japan. Its improved range and speed will add effectiveness against Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) that have ranges of 3,000 – 5,000 km, as well as some capability against full Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). It’s due in 2018.

AEGIS BMDS: The Program

CEC Concept
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Tracking program spending on ship modifications is difficult to do in isolation, as Pentagon budget documents tend to treat “AEGIS BMDS” as a single category, which includes both ship upgrades and SM-3 missiles. The floating “SBX” radar deployed in the Pacific is also used in naval ballistic missile defense, but it is not an Aegis system and so does not come under AEGIS BMD budgets.

Based on Pentagon documents and outside sources, funding patterns include R&D, ship conversions, and SM-3 missile purchases. A GAO study gives totals over the years as:

FY 1995: $75 million.
FY 1996: $200.4 million.
FY 1997: $304.2 million.
FY 1998: $410 million.
FY 1999: $338.4 million.
FY 2000: $380 million.
FY 2001: $462 million.
FY 2002: $476 million.
FY 2003: $464 million.
FY 2004: $726.2 million.
FY 2005: $1.16 billion.

Beyond that:

The US MDA states that an in-service Aegis ship with no BMD capability can be given AEGIS BMD 3.6.1 capability for about $10 million to $15 million, or a AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 capability for about $53 million. An in-service ship with AEGIS BMD 3.6.1 installed can be upgraded to AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 for about $45 – $55 million more, for a total upgrade cost of $55 – $70 million if you have to do it twice.

BMD Ships & Deployment

We talked to the US Navy in order to confirm the ships, homeports, and combat system details of the fleet’s ships. As of October 2013, every ship from DDG 51 – DDG 77 will have received AEGIS BMD or have entered conversion. Conversions will continue within the fleet, and new ships under the current multi-year contract for DDG 117 – DDG 123 will all be delivered with BMD capabilities pre-installed – likely 5.0CU to start.

It has been a steady rvolution for the fleet, as it morphs toward its new “shield of the nation” role.

In March 2007, just 6 American warships had the ability to engage ballistic missiles, while another 10 were equipped with AEGIS Long Range Surveillance & Tracking version 3.0.

By July 2009, the number of fully BMD-capable ships had grown to 18, with 42 SM-3 missiles and 47 SM-2 Block IV variants available for use.

By the time CRS issued its FY 2012 report, there were 22 ships with AEGIS BMD 3.6.1, 2 with BMD 4.0.1, a store of 104 SM-3 missiles (92 Block IA and 12 Block IBs) to accompany about 100 SM-2 Block IVs.

The FY 2012 budget brought the total number of ordered BMD ship conversions to 35, and a combination of conversions, upgrades, and new-build ships will keep growing that number. From a FY 2013 CRS report:

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In the end, these CRS charts reinforce the belief that a significant portion of America’s destroyer and cruiser fleets will eventually receive these upgrades. Indeed, the US Navy’s FY 2015 – 2043 long-term plan will plateau between 80 – 97 BMD-capable ships.

AEGIS BMD Test History

Beyond the USA

JS Kongo into Pearl
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American ballistic missile defense ships won’t be alone on the seas. Japan has its own AEGIS BMD program, and began full installation of AEGIS BMD 3.6.1 systems in its Kongo Class Aegis destroyers in 2007. All 4 ships have now finished their installations, deployed SM-3 Block I missiles, and participated in BMD tests. The Japanese are also partnered with the USA to develop the SM-3 Block II: a larger, faster missile variant with an improved kill vehicle. This implies long-term upgrades for JMSDF combat systems to AEGIS BMD 5.1.

According to the US Congressional Research Service, other countries that the US military views as potential naval BMD operators of American equipment include the United Kingdom (Type 45 Daring Class, PAAMS/Aster-30 and possibly SM-3 too), the Netherlands (De Zeven Provincien Class, Thales BMD/SM-x), Spain (F100 Class, AEGIS BMD/SM-x), Germany (F124 Class, Thales/SM-x), Denmark (Ivar Huitfeldt Class, Thales/SM-x), South Korea (KDX-III, AEGIS/SM-6 confirmed), and Australia (Hobart Class, AEGIS/SM-6 confirmed, could add SM-3). Note that all countries listed here as potential operators could add SM-3s to Mk.41 vertical launch systems on board, as well as shorter-range SM-6 point defense BMD missiles. Infrastructure for one equals infrastructure for the other.

Aegis ships operate variants of the passive array SPY-1D radar, and one country has already taken steps. Spain already has ships equipped with AEGIS Long Range Surveillance & Tracking version 3.0, and ESPS Menendez Nunez has participated in US missile defense exercises as a tracking ship. The non-Aegis European countries mentioned here use variants of Thales’ SMART-L for long-range scans, coupled with modern active-array fire control radars. The Dutch De Zeven Provincien Class ship HNLMS Tromp has participated in US missile defense exercises as a tracking ship, sporting its Thales combat system and advanced Thales APAR/SMART-L active array radars. The Dutch are currently working to extend the class’ radar range even farther, in preparation for full BMD capabilities.

The US CRS omits France and Italy, even though they host the PAAMS combat system and BMD-capable Aster-30 missile on their 4 Horizon Class ships. France is also committed to building a national BMD system, so their omission is especially puzzling.

Contracts & Updates FY 2015 – 2018

1st BMD 5.0CU test.

FTM-25 explained

June 28/18: FMS request by Spain The government of Spain is looking into purchasing five Aegis Weapon Systems from the US. The DSCA announced that it has made a determination to approve the requested foreign military sale valued at $860,4 million. Aegis, named after the legendary protective shield of Zeus, is deployed on over 80 serving naval ships around the globe. It equips Spain’s fleet of F100 Alvaro de Bazan Class frigates. Its radar system can perform search, track and missile guidance functions simultaneously, with the ability to track over 100 targets at over 100 miles. The Aegis combat system software takes input from a number of systems in order to create a unified picture of the threat environment. The proposed deal also includes the purchase of MK 54 torpedoes, SM-2 Block IIIB missiles and countermeasure systems. Spain currently operates five Aegis frigates and is proficient at using the AEGIS system to its fullest capability. The prime contractors will be Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics.

May 17/18: Zeus upgrades his shield The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is contracting Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems Division in support of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system. The awarded modification of $12.8 million allows for the procurement of material necessary to support the Aegis 6.0 modelling and simulation. Aegis, named after the legendary protective shield of Zeus, Aegis has become a widely-deployed top-tier air defense system. It is deployed on over 80 serving naval ships around the globe, with many more Aegis-equipped ships planned or under contract. The Aegis combat system software takes input from a number of systems in order to create a unified picture of the threat environment. Aegis equipped ships are key elements in modern carrier and battleship battle groups, providing fleet area defense and communicating an integrated air picture for more effective deployment of naval aircraft. Modeling and simulations are computer representations that simulate the system’s performance to assess the capabilities and limitations of how elements or the BMDS perform under a wider variety of conditions than can be accomplished through the limited number of flight tests conducted. Ground tests enable MDA to repeatedly conduct scenarios that may be too costly or subject to constraints as a flight test. The modification increases the total cumulative contract value to $2.8 billion. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey and is scheduled for completion by September 2018.

January 3/18: Contracts-Sustainment Support Lockheed Martin received last Thursday, a $20.5 million contract for upgrades and services for the AEGIS weapon system (AWS). Under the terms of the agreement, Lockheed will provide for logistics and sustainment support for the in-service AEGIS ship fleet in order to prevent delays in the delivery of the AWS upgrades and schedule and operational impacts to the effected ship availabilities. Options, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of the contract to $27.05 million. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, with contract completion scheduled for December 2018.

November 8/17: Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is scheduled to visit the US Navy’s Aegis Ashore test facility in Hawaii during a visit to the volcanic archipelago US state next January. Washington conducts missile intercept tests at the complex on Kauai Island, and Onodera will visit to learn more about the operation of the system and issues it should take into account when introducing the system to its self-defense forces. Tokyo is keen to procure the system as part of its land-based air defense network from North Korean ballistic missiles.

August 31/17: Japan is seeking powerful new radar from the US to boost the operational range of its planned procurement of a land-based version of the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, due in 2023. So far, previous efforts by Tokyo to acquire the AN/SPY-6 AESA radar have not come to fruition, leaving them to rely on existing radar technology that has less range than a new generation of BMD interceptor missiles available. While the US Navy is seemingly behind Japan receiving the technology, there may be a reluctance from the MDA, which is responsible for developing BMD technology, to release such advanced technology before it is fully fielded by the US. Developed by Raytheon and integrated into the Aegis system by Lockheed Martin, SPY-6 radars will also form part of the Pentagon’s new Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, due to be operational in 2022. In order for Japan to receive the Spy-6 in time for the planned deployment of its Aegis Ashore system in 2023, it will need to be cleared long before that 2022 date, in order to give the manufacturers time to build the system.

May 25/17: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has received a $40.8 million modification to an existing contract for production of the MK 82/MK 200 Missile Fire Control System director controller equipment. The Navy contract calls for the delivery of fully functional systems with testing and engineering support and covers systems scheduled to be delivered as part of the Aegis Weapon System for the Republic of Korea and Japan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The work is not expected to affect current ship deployment or operational use and is expected to be completed by December 2021.

April 30/17: Japan is moving ahead with a study into the possibility of deploying the Aegis Ashore missile defense system in the country. Seen as a cheaper alternative to the high profile deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, only two Aegis sites (compared with six THAAD sites) would be needed to cover the entire country from a potential ballistic missile launch from North Korea. At present, Tokyo’s air defense network includes naval-based Aegis destroyers as well as the Patriot system. However, the inclusion of a permanently deployed, land-based Aegis system will allow Japanese forces to respond much quicker to any incoming missile threats.

December 19/16: Recent testing on board the USS John Paul Jones by the US Missile Defense Agency have successfully demonstrated the ability of the Aegis baseline 9.C1 to tackle against a “complex medium-range ballistic missile target. A salvo of two SM-6 Dual I interceptors was fired during the December 14 exercise, using their explosive warheads to defeat the target. Program officials will continue evaluating system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

October 19/16: October 19/16: Aegis or THAAD? With the expectation that Tokyo will request additional money external link to fund missile defense upgrades to repel North Korean ballistic missiles, a study will be funded on whether to buy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system or Aegis Ashore. It’s believed that money will also be provided to improve their existing PAC-3 air defense system as well. However, any purchases or modernizations will take time to implement as North Korea continues with its escalation of missile tests.

September 7/16: The US Navy will field-test the latest Aegis Baseline 9.2C alongside the first intercept test for the SM-3 Block 2A interceptor next month. A new feature added to the software build is the “engage-on-remote” capability that will allow the SM-3 missile to target a ballistic missile during data derived from another sensor such as a satellite. However October’s test will not see that feature tested.

August 22/16: The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has scheduled the testing of the SM-3 Block 2A ballistic missile defense interceptor this October. A joint development involving both the MDA and Japan, the interceptor has been previously flight tested twice by the agency without any target intercepts initially planned. October’s test will see it engage and destroy a medium-range ballistic missile target. If successful, the SM-3 will be in full-rate production in 2017.

August 18/16: Lockheed Martin has received $112 million as part of the 2016 Aegis modernization program. The US Navy contract modification covers the production of multi-mission signal processor equipment sets, ballistic missile defense 4.0.2 equipment, Aegis weapon system modernization upgrade equipment, as well as associated spares to support the fielding of Aegis modernization capabilities to the fleet. Under the program, vessels receiving the upgraded systems will experience increased computing power as well as improved detection and reaction capabilities of its radars.

August 17/16: Japanese and South Korean destroyers are to receive the latest variant of the Aegis combat system after contracts were issued by the US DoD. Two upcoming Japanese and three new Korean vessels will receive the Aegis Baseline 9 system alongside all future US Navy destroyers. Completion of the $490 million deal is expected for June 2022.

June 27/16: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $357 million contract for Advanced Electronic Guidance and Instrumentation System (AEGIS) in-service combat systems for several nations. The contract will see the company provide computer program maintenance, annual inspection and regular overhaul execution support, in-country support, and staging. Replacement of legacy cathode ray tube character readout devices for Japan, logistics depot support for Norway unique line replaceable unit, and AEGIS implementation studies for future Foreign Military Sales (FMS) AEGIS shipbuilding programs to fulfill AEGIS lifetime support requirements of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, Spanish Armada, Royal Australian Navy, and Royal Norwegian Navy. Completion is expected for November 2019.

June 2/16: Raytheon has been awarded a $365.8 million contract for the production of Aegis Weapon System AN/SPY-1D(V) Radar Transmitter Group, Missile Fire Control System MK 99 equipment, and associated engineering services. The contract combines purchases for the US Navy, South Korea, and Japan and contain options that could amount to $423 million. Completion of the contract is expected by October 2022.

May 26/16: USS John Paul Jones was used to validate the ability of the Aegis Baseline 9 to track Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) targets within the Earth’s atmosphere recently. Supported by the Navy, Missile Defense Agency, and Lockheed Martin the use of the missile destroyer marks the first demonstration of Aegis’s ability to conduct a complicated tracking exercise against an MRBM during its endo phase of flight. The development comes as targets and threats have become more advanced, with Aegis BMD evolving over the last 20 years from a tracking experiment to today’s capability in which it can detect, track and engage targets.

December 9/15: The crew of the USS John Paul Jones got quite a workout while testing the Aegis combat system during an exercise off Wake Island on October 31. They first intercepted a short range air launch target (SRALT) missile with the THAAD missile defense system. The Aegis was then tested as a C-17 then launched an extended medium range ballistic missile (EMRBM) through the debris of the first intercept. If that wasn’t enough, the crew were simultaneously engaging a BQM-74E air-breathing target with a Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA guided missile at the time. The tests were aimed at improving and enhancing the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, which is the naval component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System.

Nov 6/14: FTM-25. USS John Paul Jones [DDG 53] successfully engages 1 short-range ballistic missile target with an SM-3 Block IB missile, and 2 cruise missiles with a par of SM-2 Block IIIAs, in the FTM-25 Stellar Wyvern test.

DDG 53 has the Aegis 9.C1 combination, which represents the next evolutionary step. It finishes the system’s open architecture shift, adding a new multi-mission processor and new computing workstations and display systems. The upgrade’s goal is to rapidly switch between BMD and the area air defense role, allowing full use of SM-6 missiles in a terminal BMD role as well as multiple engagements like this one.

Other test participants included discriminating sensors flown on two MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles and sensor systems ashore; Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) Enterprise Sensors Lab; C2BMC Experimentation Lab; and the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex located at PMRF. Sources: US MDA, “Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Successful Intercept Flight Test” | Defense Update, “System upgrades are key in Aegis destroyer’s success defeating ballistic, cruise missile raid on the recent test”.

Oct 17/14: FTX-20. USS John Paul Jones [DDG 53] engages in the FTX-20 tracking test of a ballistic missile target, testing both the combined Aegis 9.C1 combat system (Aegis Baseline 9 with BMD 5.0 Capability Upgrade), and the ability to launch and engage based solely on tracks from remote airborne sensors.

Other test participants included the Sea-Based X-band Radar (SBX), Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstrators; Discrimination Sensor Technology (includes a UAV – likely MQ-9 – with an MTS-B optical sensor turret); Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) Enterprise Sensors Lab; C2BMC Experimentation Lab; and the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex located at PMRF. Sources: US MDA, “Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Detects and Tracks Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Target”.

FY 2014

BMD 5.0 contracted for development, but won’t become universal; CRS highlights program cuts, GAO highlights software glitches and Euro deployments.

FTM-22 test

Jan 15/15 29/14: Raytheon announced that the Navy has approved the SM-6 for additional Aegis systems, to include those Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers from the 1994-keel-laid The Sullivans (DDG-68) onward.

This appears to put to rest concerns that the Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) program wouldn’t be able to employ (see “Weapons” section) the standard family of missiles.

Sept 29/14: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives an $8.1 million contract modification for a single FY 2015 AEGIS BMD 4.0.2 ship installation, bringing the contract’s total value to date to $2.0106 billion.

Work will be performed at Moorestown, NJ, with an expected completion date of March 27/16. The US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001, PO 0154).

Aug 8/14: 4.1/ 5.0. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives a $193.6 million contract modification for necessary material, equipment, and supplies to define, develop, integrate and test Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 4.1 and 5.0 Capability Upgrade baselines through their respective certifications. At present 4.0.2 is the most recent fielded version. $19.5 million in FY 2014 Navy RDT&E funds is committed immediately, and the entire modification brings the contract’s cumulative face value to $2.003 billion.

Work will be performed at Moorestown, NJ, with an expected completion date of May 31/16. fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $19,500,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0276-10-C-0001, PO 0150).

July 23/14: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives a $40.7 million not-to-exceed contract for 1 multi-mission signal processor equipment set, ballistic missile defense 4.0.2 equipment (the most modern fielded variant), and Aegis Weapon System upgraded equipment to support fielding Aegis modernization capabilities to the fleet. $20.3 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 budgets.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (57.8%); Clearwater, FL (41.5%); and Owego, NY (0.7%), and is expected to be complete by March 2016. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to 10 U.S. C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1. US NAVSEA in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-14-C-5106).

May 27/14: Limited Upgrades. USNI reports that many existing BMD ships won’t receive an upgrade to Aegis Baseline 9, which lays a foundation for the use of missiles like the new SM-6 beyond the ship’s radar range, and for terminal ballistic missile defense:

“Out of 28 early Arleigh Burke-class DDGs (Flight I/II), 21 will not receive a full upgrade to their Aegis combat systems and instead have a midlife upgrade that will focus on the mechanical health of the ship and some will have upgrades to the ships’ anti-submarine warfare systems as part of a cost saving strategy, Naval Sea Systems Command told USNI News on Friday…. The estimated cost of the reduced upgrades is about $170 million per ship for the news systems and testing. The full upgrade costs about $270 million…. Ships without a combat system refresh at some point — usually during a midlife upgrade — only average from 17 to 19 years in the fleet, several naval experts told USNI News.”

Our chart of BMD ships has been updated accordingly. Sources: USNI, “Navy Quietly Downscales Destroyer Upgrades”.

April 8/14: CRS Report. The Congressional Research Service updates their backgrounder covering the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system. They confirm DID’s charts regarding these areas, though CRS doesn’t divide general naval BMD from the land-based European implementation.

The FY 2015 budget cuts 132 SM-3 missiles from the FY 2014 budget’s 2015-2018 buys, and it will also change the composition and makeup of the naval BMD fleet via a combination of slower upgrades, and the mothballing of 4 BMD ships. The US Navy’s FY 2015 decision to sideline its 11 newest Ticonderoga Class cruisers (CG 63 – 73) will remove 4 ships from the BMD fleet until the late 2020s, and the damaged USS Port Royal will probably never return to service. Expected returnees include CG 67 USS Shiloh (2024, BMD 4.0.1 now), CG 70 USS Lake Erie (2026, BMD 4.0.2 now) and CG 72 USS Vella Gulf (2027, BMD 3.6.1 now).

Aegis BMD 4.0 is at an advanced stage, but there are still a few things everyone would like to see. They include a test featuring remote authorized engagement with an SM-3 Block IB against a medium/intermediate-range ballistic missile target, operationally realistic testing using its improved engagement coordination with THAAD and PATRIOT missiles, and
an Aegis BMD 4.0 test featuring simultaneous BMD/cruise missile intercepts.

April 7/14: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives a $13.7 million modification to contract for support of Aegis BMD Program Office advanced concepts initiatives, to identify technology for introduction into present and future Baselines/Spirals. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1.789 billion, from $1.775 billion.

All funds are committed immediately, using MDA FY 2014 RDT&E budgets. Work will be performed at Moorestown, NJ, with an expected completion date of June 30/14. The US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001, P00138).

April 1/14: GAO Report. GAO-14-351 focuses on acquisition goals and reporting for missile defense in general. A 17 month delay in the modernized Aegis system is at a problematic point:

“Discovery of software defects continues to outpace the program’s ability to fix them; fixes may have to be implemented after software is delivered.”

March 14/14: GAO report. The GAO releases GAO-14-248R, regarding the USA’s EPAA plans for defending Europe from ballistic missiles. With respect to Aegis Ashore, they note that the Phase 2 system in Romania will be installed with an interim version of its software. The final version won’t be ready until 2017, which makes one wonder about the AEGIS BMD v5.1 software that supposed to be ready for deployment by 2018. This is a wider theme for GAO, who say that:

“A highly concurrent schedule for Aegis Ashore installations and Aegis weapon system development mean issues discovered during testing could require fixes, possibly after operational deployment. DOD believes that concurrency risk is properly balanced… flight testing will not affect technical design.”

March 4/14: MDA Budget. The MDA finally releases its FY15 budget request, with information spanning from FY 2014 – 2019. AEGIS BMD has a number of related budget lines: Aegis Ashore Phase II & III construction, BMD Aegis R&D, Land-Based SM-3 R&D, Aegis SM-3 Blk IIA R&D, Aegis Initial Spares procurement, Aegis Ashore Phase III procurement and AEGIS BMD O&M.

That’s $2.135 billion in FY15, for a diverse set of programs from missiles to ship refits to land-based installations. If BMD testing and BMD targets are added, on the grounds that most MDA testing involves AEGIS BMD systems, the FY15 total rises to $3.006 billion.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The SM-3 Block IA went 4/5 this fiscal year, thanks to a faulty IMU chip in the FTI-01 test’s missile (q.v. Oct 25/12). That chip is only present in a few Block IAs, and isn’t in Block IB. The SM-3 Block IB went 3/3 in FY13, but after a string of 5 successful flights, the report notes an issue with the 2nd missile’s TSRM cold gas regulator during FTM-21. Overall:

“With the completion of FTM-21 and FTM-22, the IOT&E flight testing phase for Aegis BMD 4.0 and SM-3 Block IB guided missiles is nearly complete. However, the program needs to complete Flight Test Other-18 (FTX-18) and planned HWIL testing of raid engagement capability and Information Assurance testing using accredited models and simulations in the test runs-for-the-record before an assessment of effectiveness and suitability can be made. Additionally, the program needs to test Aegis-Aegis, Aegis-THAAD, and Aegis-Patriot engagement coordination; only the first of these three types of engagement coordination is planned for live-target testing before the SM-3 Block IB Full-Rate Production decision in 4QFY14.”

Oct 3/13: FTM-22. An SM-3 Block IB missile from the cruiser USS Lake Erie destroys a medium-range, separating ballistic missile target that was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. It represents the 5th successful test in a row of the SM-3-IB/ AEGIS BMD 4.0.x combination since the September 2011 failure. Sources: MDA release, Oct 4/13 | Lockheed Martin release, Oct 4/13 | Aerojet Rocketdyne release, Oct 4/13.

FY 2013

BMD 5.x development contracts; BMD 4.x installation contracts; SM-3 Block IIB is terminated after reports cast doubts on it; Glitches in FTI-01 test, but successes in 3 others.

FTM-20 launch
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Sept 23/13: R&D. Lockheed Martin Mission System and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives a $20 million sole-source cost-plus-award-fee contract modification. They’ll identify technology for introduction into present and future Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Baselines and upgrades. Initial funding begins with just $50,000 in RDT&E dollars.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ, with an estimated completion date of June 30/14. The US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001, P00125).

Sept 18/13: FTM-21. USS Lake Erie [CG 70] ripple-fires 2 SM-3 Block IB missiles at a short range, separating ballistic missile target. As it happens, missile #2 isn’t needed, because the 1st one hits. The bad news is that missile #2’s TSRM cold gas regulator, which was redesigned after the FTM-15 fail, glitched out during the 2nd pulse rocket motor firing. It didn’t affect the score, but the Navy wants to know if there’s a common underlying root cause they haven’t quite fixed.

As usual, the test centers around the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. It’s the 4th consecutive success for the SM-3 Block IB since the Sept 1/11 failure. Sources: the FY 2013 Annual Report | US MDA release, Sept 18/13 | Lockheed Martin release, Sept 19/13.

Sept 10/13: FTO-1. A successful joint test of AEGIS BMD and land-based THAAD missiles from the Pacific Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site destroys 2 medium range target missiles.

The test involved full inter-operation. A land-based TPY-2 radar was positioned forward as the warning radar. It acquired the targets, and passed that onto the joint C2BMC (Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications) system. C2BMC cued DDG 74 USS Decatur, outfitted with AEGIS BMD 3.6.1 and the SM-3 Block IA missile. Decatur acquired the track, then launch and killed its target. C2BMC also passed the track to a land-based THAAD battery’s own TPY-2 radar, which provided the intercept guidance for a successful pair of THAAD missile shots. The 2nd THAAD missile was actually aimed at the SM-3’s MRBM, in case it had failed to achieve intercept, but that turned out not to be necessary this time. Sources: US MDA, Sept 10/13 release | Lockheed Martin, Sept 11/13 release | Raytheon, Sept 10/13 release.

July 1/13: 5.1 + Increment 2. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ, receives a sole-source, cost-plus-incentive-fee/cost-plus-award-fee/cost-plus-technical-schedule incentive fee contract modification worth $295 million, raising the total contract value to date to $1.73 billion. This covers system engineering and program management for BMD 5.1 software through the Critical Design Review (CDR), and SM-6 interceptor Increment 2 through Preliminary Design Review (PDR).

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ until March 2015. SM-6 Increment 2 will provide terminal-phase ballistic missile defense capability, allowing the missiles to act as a 2nd layer beneath SM-3. BMD 5.1 software and SM-6 Increment 2 are scheduled to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by 2018 (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

May 16/13: FTM-19. An SM-3 Block IB missile is launched from the cruiser USS Lake Erie [CG 70, BMD 4.0.2], and hits a separating, short-range ballistic missile target. This is the 3rd consecutive successful test for the SM-3 Block IB, after its September 2011 failure. Which should clear the way for the full FY 2013 missile order. Overall, this test brings the SM-3 family to 25/31 (about 80%) in ballistic missile intercept tests. US MDA | US DoD | ATK | Lockheed Martin.

April 25/13: BMD 5.0. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training in Moorestown, NJ receives a $69.4 million sole-source, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to continue developing AEGIS BMD 5.0, increasing the total contract value from $1.34 billion to $1.41 billion.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ, and is expected to be complete by May 31/14. The US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

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. The biggest news is the SM-3 Block IIB Next-Generation Aegis Missile’s effective termination into a technology demonstration program. Its ability to defend the USA from European bases became questionable, and its timelines were never realistic. The USA will buy the originally-planned number of land-based GBI missiles instead.

March 15/13: R&D. Lockheed Martin MS2 in Moorestown, NJ receives a sole source, cost-plus-award-fee contract modification. The $24 million option supports Program Office efforts to identify technology for introduction into present and future Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Baselines/Spirals. The total contract value jumps from $1.316 billion to $1.34 billion.

The work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ through Dec 31/13. The contract has no Foreign Military Sale components, and the US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages it (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

Feb 13/13: FTM-20. CG-70 USS Lake Erie uses AEGIS BMD 4.0.2 and an SM-3 Block IA missile to hit a medium-range ballistic missile target, based on tracking data from in-orbit Space Tracking and Surveillance System-Demonstrator (STSS-D) satellites. The 4.0.2 system incorporates the changes made in the wake of the FTM-16E2 failure, and changes the timing of SM-3 rocket pulses.

Tracking from space can extend ship launch ranges, which allows one ship to cover a larger area. On the other hand, a September 2012 NRC report saw the system’s PTSS successor constellation as a waste of money, which provides very little value beyond existing satellites. They recommended that the USA should invest in upgrading the land-based GMD and its radars instead, in order to improve ICBM intercepts.

The missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, as usual. The SM-3 destroyed its target, and initial indications are that all components performed as designed. MDA’s release says that FTM-20 is the 24th successful SM-3 intercept in 30 flight test attempts since intercept tests began in 2002. US MDA | US DoD | ATK | Lockheed Martin | Northrop Grumman | Raytheon.

Feb 11/13: GAO Report. GAO-13-382R: “Standard Missile-3 Block IIB Analysis of Alternatives” throws cold water on the idea that the SM-3 Block 2B can defend the USA from bases in Poland or Romania. The geometry isn’t very good, and success may require a boost-phase intercept. Those are very tricky, and have limited range, because you have to hit the enemy missile within a very short time/ distance.

Some members of the military think it’s possible, at an initial estimated budget of $130 million extra. The problem is the tradeoffs. Liquid propellants can boost speed, but are unsafe on Navy ships due to the fire risks. On the other hand, the middle of the North Sea offers much better missile intercept geometries. Maybe Block 2B shouldn’t be land-based at all, but then why replace Block 2A in such an expensive way? MDA still needs to set the future missile’s performance requirements and limits. Where should the tradeoffs be made?

This brings us to the GAO’s point about the MDA developing the SM-3 Block IIB under a framework that dispenses with a good chunk of the usual paperwork, including an Analysis of Alternatives. On reflection, this is more than a bureaucratic point driven by “records show that programs doing the paperwork usually fare better.” One of the EPAA’s key underlying assumptions is now in question, and the proposed solution must now be in question as well. Is the best solution for land-based European missile defense still SM-3 Block IIB? What are the tradeoffs vs. using a system like the NRC’s recommended GMD-I from the USA (vid. September 2012 entry), and making Block 2B a ship-deployed missile? Does Block 2B even make sense now? Without good answers regarding capability, options, and maintainability, how does the MDA decide – or pick the right winning combination among the Block 2B competitors? A full AoA could improve those answers, and hence the odds of a smart pick.

Feb 7/13: +3 destroyers. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ has its sole-source-cost-plus-incentive-fee/ cost-plus-award-fee contract limit raised by $30.2 million, in order to install AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 on 3 US Navy destroyers. This raises the overall contract from $1.286 billion to $1.316 billion.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ; Pearl Harbor, HI; San Diego, CA, and Norfolk, VA through March 15/15. Initial funding will use FY 2013 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

Oct 25/12: FTI-01. The US Army and Navy conduct a combined developmental and operational tests that involves the back-end C2BMC system, Army PATRIOT PAC-3 and THAAD missile intercepts, and Navy SM-2 and SM-3 missiles launched from USS Fitzgerald [DDG 62]. The PAC-3, THAAD, and SM-2 intercepts all work. The SM-3 Block IA intercept does not.

“The flight test began with an Extended Long Range Air Launch Target (E-LRALT) missile airdropped over the broad ocean area north of Wake Island from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, staged from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, located with the THAAD system on Meck Island, tracked the E-LRALT and a THAAD interceptor successfully intercepted the Medium-Range Ballistic Missile. THAAD was operated by Soldiers from the 32nd AAMDC.

Another short-range ballistic missile was launched from a mobile launch platform located in the broad ocean area northeast of Kwajalein Atoll. The PATRIOT system, manned by soldiers of the 94th AAMDC, detected, tracked and successfully intercepted the target with a PAC-3 interceptor. Additionally, a second PAC-3 interceptor also intercepted a low flying cruise missile target over water.

The USS FITZGERALD (DDG 62) successfully engaged a low flying cruise missile over water. The Aegis system also tracked and launched an SM-3 Block 1A interceptor against a Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM). However, despite indication of a nominal flight of the SM-3 Block 1A interceptor, there was no indication of an intercept of the SRBM.”

Sources: US MDA, “MDA completes BMDS FTI-01 live-fire demonstrations” | Lockheed Martin, “Lockheed Martin’s Missile Defense Systems Engage Multiple Targets During First Ever Integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System Test” | Raytheon, “U.S. Military Engages Targets With Raytheon Equipment in Largest Missile Defense Test in History”.

FTI-01: mixed results

FY 2012

BMD 4.0.1 certified; BMD 5.0 install contract Navy wants to scrap 7 cruisers, Congress wants to keep damaged CG 70; CRS report lays out BMD ship plans; European deployments to Rota planned; 2 tests go well; Key NRC report analyzes ballistic missile defense in-depth, says SM-3-IIB can’t protect USA from European bases.

FY 2013 Budget fight
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Sept 28/12: Keep USS Port Royal? In the wake of Senate Appropriations Committee support, and partial agreement from the House Appropriations Committee support, the US Navy is now saying that it wants to keep USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS Anzio (CG-68), USS Vicksburg (CG 69) and USS Port Royal (CG-73) in service, instead of decommissioning them in March 2013.

USS Port Royal, which ran aground off of Hawaii in 2009 (q.v. Feb 8/09 entry), is the only BMD-capable ship in that set, and her required repairs will pose a separate problem for the Navy and for Congress. It may well be cheaper to pay $55 million and convert one of the other 3 rescued cruisers for the BMD role, than it would be to repair USS Port Royal. Naval Technology.

Sept 25/12: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $27 million contract modification to previously awarded contract for the production of 2 multi-mission signal processor equipment sets that upgrade a SPY-1D radar for BMD, 3 AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 equipment sets, and 5 Aegis Weapon System upgraded equipment sets.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (74%); Clearwater, FL (25%); and Akron, OH (1%), and is expected to be complete by December 2014. $11.8 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12. US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-11-C-5118).

Sept 14/12: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $58.1 million contract modification to produce 1 one FY 2012 multi-mission signal processor equipment set (which upgrades a SPY-1D radar for BMD), 2 AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 equipment sets, and 1 upgraded Aegis weapon system equipment set.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (74%); Clearwater, FL (25%); and Akron, OH (1%), and is expected to finish by December 2014. US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington DC (N00024-11-C-5118).

September 2012: NRC report. The US National Research Council publishes “Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense: An Assessment of Concepts and Systems for U.S. Boost-Phase Missile Defense in Comparison to Other Alternatives.” The report staff have deeply impressive backgrounds related to missile defense, and their main conclusion is that very fundamental reasons of geography and physics make boost-phase defense systems a waste of time.

This includes AEGIS BMD systems. The report explains very clearly that the window for stopping a warhead before it has enough energy to hit “defended” areas makes it difficult to impossible to position a ship in a place that allows even future SM-3 Block II missiles to hit their target. The report still believes that AEGIS BMD has a strong role to play, and will form the core defense of critical locations like Hawaii.

Aug 29/12: BMD 5.0 for 4. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $7.9 million sole source cost-plus-incentive fee/ cost-plus-award-fee contract modification. It exercises an option to install, test and check out the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Baseline 5.0 Weapon System on up to 4 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers, raising the total contract value from $1.272 billion to $1.28 billion. These ships will enter service in FY 2013 and FY 2014.

BMD 5.0 will finish the system’s migration into the DDG Modernization Program’s Open Architecture (OA) efforts, which would allow the installation of Aegis BMD capability as a retrofit to all serving American destroyers. Firing the longer-range US/Japanese SM-3 Block IIA missile will require another upgrade, however, to AEGIS BMD 5.1.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ from Aug 29/12 through Dec 31/15. FY 2012 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds will be used, but they won’t expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The US Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

Aug 10/12: CRS Report. The US Congressional Research Service issues its latest update of “Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress” [PDF]. Key issues highlighted or examined by Mr. O’Rourke include the cost of forward-deploying 4 destroyers to Spain, the FY 2013 budget’s proposal to slow the 2013-2020 ramp-up rate for BMD ships, the potential for European contributions to naval BMD, the inability to simulate China’s DF-21 ship-killing ballistic missile, SM-3 Block IIB risks, and concurrency and technical risk in the AEGIS BMD program generally.

Issues involving the SM-3 Standard missile family are covered in that FOCUS article, while European missile defense is covered in a separate DID Spotlight piece. Other key excerpts:

“As can be seen Table 4, under the FY2013 budget, there are to be 36 BMD-capable Aegis ships by FY2018 [32 converted + 4 new destroyers], or 7 less than projected under the FY2012 budget for FY2018 [37 converted + 6 new destroyers]. The proposal under the FY2013 budget to retire seven Aegis cruisers early, in FY2013 and FY2014… may explain part of the difference… Some observers have been concerned that demands for BMD-capable Aegis ships are growing faster than the number of BMD-capable Aegis ships… [in addition] The Navy projects that implementing the 30-year plan would result in a cruiser/destroyer force that remains below 90 ships every year… except FY2027, and that reaches a minimum of 78 ships… in FY2014-FY2015 and again in FY2034. The projected cruiser-destroyer shortfall is the largest projected shortfall of any ship category…”

June 27/12: FTM-18. USS Lake Erie [CG-70] with its AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 system successfully launches an SM-3 block IB missile to hit a separating ballistic missile target. This is the same configuration that will be used for the land-based Phase 2 of the USA’s European missile defense plan, and represents an important success for the SM-3 block IB after the FTM-16 failure. This firing makes the AEGIS & SM-3 combination 23/28 in intercept tests so far (82.1%), vs. 31/40 (77.5%) for all other missile defense system intercept tests.

The Aegis BMD 4.0.1 configuration and its improved signal processor were certified in March 2012. It is now operational on 2 Navy ships, with installations underway on 2 more. US MDA | Lockheed Martin | Raytheon.

May 9/12: FTM-16E2a. This test goes better than FTM-16E2 (q.v. Sept 1/11), as USS Lake Erie [CG 70] successfully fires its SM-3 Block IB missile and intercepts the target. Sources: US MDA, “Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Successful Intercept Flight Test”.

March 15/12: Scrapping CG 73. The US Navy proposes to scrap 7 Ticonderoga Class cruisers, in order to reduce operations and refit expenses as part of proposed budget cuts. USS Port Royal, an AEGIS BMD capable cruiser that ran aground in 2009, is scheduled for scrapping in March 2013. Information Dissemination on NAVADMIN 087/12.

Feb 16/12: DDGs to Europe. The US Navy announces the 4 Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyers which will be forward deployed to Rota, Spain in FY 2014 and 2015. See also DoD Buzz.

“The four include three from Norfolk, Va; USS Ross, USS Donald Cook, and USS Porter, and one from Mayport, Fla., USS Carney. The ships are in support of President Obama’s European Phased Adaptive Approach to enhance the security of the European region… Ross and Donald Cook will arrive in fiscal 2014 and Carney and Porter in fiscal 2015.”

FY 2011

Equipment and test event contracts; DSB reaffirms support for Aegis/SM-3 combination; CRS lays out ballooning demand, upgrade costs; GAO criticizes MDA’s baselines and cost estimates; FTM-15 test shows early launch-on-remote capability, but FTM-16 Event 2 fails.

DDG-70 fires SM-3
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Sept 1/11: FTM-16E2. The first ABM test of the new SM-3 Block 1B missile does not go well, as the launch from the AEGIS BMD 4.0.1-equipped USS Lake Erie [CG-70] fails to intercept the target missile during “FTM-16, Event 2”. The US MDA is now 21/26 for SM-3 missile intercept attempts, plus one successful satellite kill.

The root cause of failure turns out to be abnormal performance in the 3rd stage, during thrust pulses for final rocket maneuvers. That stage is common to Block IA and Block IB missiles, so the program decides that the least disruptive approach is to change the ship’s Aegis BMD 4 software to control the timing between pulses. There are no further problems in the next 3 SM-3 Block IB tests. US MDA | Aviation Week pre-test | GAO report explains cause.

FTM-16E2 test failure

Aug 23/11: BMD 5.1. Raytheon Missile Systems Co. in Tucson, AZ receives a $9.8 million sole-source, cost-plus-award-fee contract modification. The CLIN 0008 option, “Future Upgrades and Engineering Support,” will help the Missile Defense Agency execute technical analysis for the Aegis BMD 5.1/SM-3 Block IIA combination, and increases the total contract value from $276.7 – $286.5 million.

Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ through Sept 30/16, and will be incrementally funded by FY 2011 research, development, test, and evaluation funds. Though the SM-3 Block IIA is a cooperative program with Japan, this is not a foreign military sales acquisition. The US MDA in Dahlgren, VA manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0005, PO 0015).

July 29/11: Mod Kits. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $118.6 million fixed-price-incentive contract for 2 multi-mission signal processor (MMSP) equipment sets; 3 AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 equipment sets; and 5 Aegis Weapon System upgraded equipment sets, to support fleet BMD modernization. Sets will be delivered to 7 ships: the Ticonderoga Class cruisers USS Princeton [CG 59]; USS Cowpens [CG 63]; and USS Gettysburg [CG 64]; and the Arleigh Burke Class destroyers USS Arleigh Burke [DDG 51]; USS Barry [DDG 52]; USS John Paul [DDG 53]; and USS Benfold [DDG 65].

Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (74%), Clearwater, FL (25%), and Akron, OH (1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2013. This contract was not competitively procured by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, DC (N00024-11-C-5118).

July 6/11: In an open letter, the US Defense Science Board aims to dispel impressions that they recommended against the SM-3, which by its nature is a mid-course or terminal phase interceptor:

“The DSB concluded that the Missile Defense Agency is on the right track in developing European Phased Adapted Approach (EPAA) options, including continued evolution of the SM-3 family of missiles… The DSB also examined the potential in the EPAA context for EI [Early Intercept] in regional defense against short-range missiles before threat payloads could be deployed, and concluded that this was not a viable option because of technical constraints… The fact that this form of EI is not viable in shorter-range regional applications does not imply that either SM-3 family interceptors or the EPAA concept are flawed… MDA is on the right track in pursuing this capability for national missile defense, and examining the potential application in regional defense as a function of the range of threat missiles.”

June 23/11: CRS Report. The US Congressional Research Service releases the latest update of “Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress” [PDF]. Key excerpts:

“Some observers are concerned… that demands from U.S. regional military commanders for BMD-capable Aegis ships are growing faster than the number of BMD-capable Aegis ships. They are also concerned that demands from U.S. regional military commanders for… BMD operations could strain the Navy’s ability to provide regional military commanders with Aegis ships for performing non-BMD missions… Options for Congress include, among other things, the following: accelerating the modification of Aegis ships to BMD-capable configurations, increasing procurement of new Aegis destroyers, increasing procurement of SM-3 missiles, and providing funding for integrating the SM-2 Block IV BMD interceptor missile into the 4.0.1 version of the Aegis BMD system.

…MDA states that an in-service Aegis ship with no BMD capability can be given a 3.6.1 BMD capability for about $10 million to $15 million, or a 4.0.1 BMD capability for about $53 million. MDA states that an in-service ship with a 3.6.1 BMD capability can be upgraded to a 4.0.1 BMD capability for about $45 million to $55 million.”

July 5/11: Testing. Lockheed Martin has begun testing its AEGIS ACB-12/ Baseline 9 combination (SPY-1 radar & multi-mission signal processor (MMSP)) against live aircraft in a “stressing electronic-attack environment.” The instrumented, pod-equipped Learjets are operated by firms like L-3, on behalf of the US Navy.

ACB-12 will equip both retrofitted ships and new DDG-51 destroyers. Lockheed Martin’s delivery date for Baseline 9 is November 2012, with certification about a year later. Next steps include simulations of a modern Midway-style scenario involving enemy aircraft and ballistic missiles, which have gained new urgency with reports of China’s DF-21 ballistic anti-ship missile. Jim Judd is currently Lockheed Martin’s technical director for ACB-12. Aviation Week.

June 3/11: FTM-16. Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ receives a $219.5 million cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification, finalizing work for the FTM-16 ballistic missile defense test. This finalizes the total contract at $294.5 million, which includes the engineering, development, testing, support and material necessary to deliver an SM-3 Block 1B missile; and to provide engineering support, production engineering and obsolescence, surveillance and flight test support, and travel during the 55-month (about 4.5 year) performance period.

FTM-16 is scheduled for late summer 2011. It will demonstrate AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 mounted in USS Lake Erie [CG 70], in conjunction with the 1st flight test of the SM-3 Block IB interceptor. Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ through Sept 30/15, and about $32 million in FY 2011 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds will be used. The US Missile Defense Agency at Dahlgren Naval Base, VA manages this contract (HQ0276-11-C-0002). See also US MDA testimony to HASC [PDF].

June 1/11: Support. Photon Research Associates in San Diego, CA receives a $9.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for specialized technical systems analysis services in support of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, as well as the land-based THAAD program, on behalf of the US Navy ($8 million/ 85%) and the government of Japan ($1.4 million/ 15%).

These services involve operations research support, physics analysis, test plans and procedures, test data collection analysis and test data review, test monitoring, real-time mission support, technical management support, technical reports and briefing preparations, in support of test and evaluation and systems engineering activities related to various national test ranges as required.

Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (70%), and the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, HI (30%). Work is expected to be complete in May 2013, and $401,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-2, by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, CA (N68936-11-C-0023).

April 15/11: FTM-15. Flight Test Standard Missile-15 fires an SM-3 Block 1A missile against an intermediate-range (officially, 1,864 – 3,418 miles) target, based on AN/TPY-2 ground-based radar data, before the USS O’Kane (DDG 77, equipped with AEGIS BMD 3.6.1) could pick the target up using its own radar. Initial indications are that all components performed as designed, and the missile recorded the 21st successful AEGIS BMD intercept in 25 tries.

The target missile was launched from the Reagan Test Site, located on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, approximately 2,300 miles SW of Hawaii. The AN/TPY-2 radar, which is also used as part of the THAAD missile system, was located on Wake Island, and crewed by Soldiers from the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. It detected and tracked the missile, then sent trajectory information to the 613th Air and Space Operations Center’s C2BMC (Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications) system at Hickam Air Force Base, HI. That was relayed to USS O’Kane, sailing to the west of Hawaii, which launched the SM-3-1A missile about 11 minutes after target take-off. O’Kane’s own AN/SPY-1 radar eventually picked up the incoming missile itself, and controlled the missile until impact.

FTM-15 was less dramatic than the SM-3’s 2008 satellite kill, but it’s equally significant. Launch on remote track was supposed to wait for AEGIS BMD 5.1, and SM-3 Block IB was supposed to begin addressing IRBMs, with full capability only in SM-3 block II. Instead, the test also combined to extend the current system’s proven capabilities, while validating the difficult connections that make a missile defense system more than the sum of its parts, and proving out an important early warning element (STSS satellites) in the system. US MDA | Lockheed Martin | Raytheon | Lexington Institute.

Launch-on-Remote, anti-IRBMs come early

April 6/11: BMD 4.0.1. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $34.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee/ cost-plus-award-fee modification with technical/schedule performance incentives. That money will be used to fund schedule and “within scope” adjustments to AEGIS BMD Baseline 4.0.1 development, and to multi-mission signal processor (MMSP) development under two separate contract line items (CLINs). Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ, and runs through December 2014. FY 2011 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be used to fund this effort, and the US Missile Defense Agency manages the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

For AEGIS BMD 4.0.1, the contract funds an initial delay in the certification schedule, and an adjustment to the original test plan.

For MMSP, it covers an extension to the development schedule, to account for alignment with changes to the ACB-12 overall combat system development and integration program plan. Those changes are “attributable to a delay in delivery of government furnished equipment.”

March 31/11: Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, MA receives a not-to-exceed $10.4 million delivery order for a set of AEGIS BMD radar electronics upgrades. Items include a stable master oscillator (STAMO); radio frequency (RF) combiner; ordnance alteration kits; and associated spares, material and installation services. The STAMO provides a very precise and pure RF source that is amplified in the Continuous Wave Illuminator, so the Fire Control System can illuminate targets for a missile engagement. The RF Coherent Combiner modification improves the accuracy of power and phase monitoring, reducing the need for sphere tracks to assess radar performance.

Raytheon confirmed to DID that these items were AEGIS BMD related. Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA (45%); Burlington, MA (28%); and Andover, MA (27%), and is expected to be complete by August 2013 (N00024-11-G-5116, #0010).

March 24/11: GAO Report. The US GAO issues report #GAO-11-372: “Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability.” Key excerpts:

“In 2010, MDA was able to meet or exceed its delivery goals for several MDA activities, such as missile defense upgrades to Aegis ships… MDA finalized a new process in which detailed baselines were set for several missile defense systems… [but] GAO found its unit and life-cycle cost baselines had unexplained inconsistencies and documentation for six baselines had insufficient evidence to be a high-quality cost estimate… GAO makes 10 recommendations for MDA to strengthen its resource, schedule and test baselines, facilitate baseline reviews, and further improve transparency and accountability. GAO is also making a recommendation to improve MDA’s ability to carry out its test plan. In response, DOD fully concurred with 7 recommendations. It partially concurred with 3…”

FY 2010

Equipment and test event contracts; Multi-year support contract; BMD on 21 ships now; Navy panel on Aegis readiness issues.

USS Lake Erie [CG 70]
(click to view full)

Jan 5/10: Update. Lockheed Martin provides a year-end update of AEGIS BMD progress to date. It is now installed on 21 American ships, as well as all 4 of Japan’s Kongo Class destroyers.

AEGIS BMD 4.0.1 was formally tested in June 2010, with at sea tracking exercises of medium and intermediate range targets during the last quarter of 2010. That iteration will finish AEGIS BMD’s transition an open electronic architecture during the “Advanced Capability Build 12” software and hardware upgrades, scheduled for 2012.

July 7/10: AEGIS Readiness Issues. A Gannett’s Navy Times story discusses their copy of a fleet review panel report. The panel, headed by Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle (ret.), says that:

“The SPY radar has historically been the best supported system in the surface Navy, and coincidentally supports one of the most critical Navy missions today: ballistic-missile defense. Yet SPY manpower, parts, training and performance are in decline… it can be assumed that less important systems could well be in worse material condition.”

Problems behind the rise in requests for technical assistance, and poor performance in inspection reports, include a lack of top-qualified personnel, sailors who aren’t fully trained on maintaining the radars, and a Navy bureaucracy and maintenance funding shortages that make it so difficult to order replacement parts, crews are giving up and commanders are choosing to take risks with lower performance, in order to avoid sidelining the ship. Retired Office of Naval Intelligence analyst and longtime “Combat Fleets of the World” editor A.D. Baker III, offered this summation:

“The Aegis readiness shortfall is just one of a vast number of problems related to pushing people too far and not giving them the training or funding resources to carry out their duties properly… This will significantly affect our putative BMD capability. The money is going to missile development and procurement, not to maintenance of the detection and tracking system – without which the best missiles in the world won’t be of much use.”

June 14/10: Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $131.6 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5101) for 4 multi-mission signal processor equipment sets, 4 ballistic missile defense 4.0.1 equipment sets, and 6 Aegis weapon system upgraded equipment sets.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (82%); Clearwater, FL (13%); and Eagan, MN (5%), and is expected to be complete by September 2013. $9.1 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, DC manages this contract.

April 26/10: BMD 4.0.1. Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a $151.9 million cost-plus-incentive-fee/ cost-plus-award-fee modification, exercising options to complete the development and test of the Aegis BMD Baseline 4.0.1, then install and verify it in 4 Aegis cruisers or destroyers.

Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ from April 2010 through Dec 31/13, and $10 million in research, development, test and evaluation funding from the FY 2010 budget will be used to get this effort underway for the US Missile Defense Agency (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

Feb 10/10: Testing. Lockheed Martin announces that the US Navy awarded the company a $160 million follow-on contract for technical and engineering support at its land-based test facility for the Aegis Ballistic Defense (BMD) System. The Combat Systems Engineering Development Site (CSEDS) in Moorestown, NJ, develops and integrates computer software for the Aegis BMD System. In addition to ongoing support for CSEDS, the new contract calls for Lockheed Martin to support, operate and maintain the Naval Systems Computing Center (NSCC) and the SPY-1A naval radar test suite located near CSEDS.

AEGIS BMD, 2009
(click to enlarge)

Nov 12/09: +6 ships. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency announces the next 6 ships that will be modified for AEGIS BMD. All will be stationed on the East Coast, which currently has just 2 BMD-capable ships. Defense News.

Oct 21/09: AEGIS BMD. Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors in Moorestown, NJ receives a Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee / Cost-Plus-Award-Fee contract with a total value of $1.035 billion, to serve as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Combat System engineering agent and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System design, development and computer program source for Aegis cruisers and destroyers.

Work is to be performed in Moorestown, NJ from Oct 1/09 through Dec 31/14. FY 2009 RDT&E funding will be used to incrementally fund this effort for $15.2 million. The Missile Defense Agency in Dahlgren, VA issued the contract (HQ0276-10-C-0001).

FY 2007 – 2009

Equipment and test event contracts; Satellite killer; Japanese score 1st foreign intercept; Pacific Blitz test failure; USS Port Royal runs aground; BMD 4.0.1 developed and installed; BMD 3.6 testing complete.

USS Port Royal: Oops.
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June 23/09: BMD 4.0.1. Lockheed Martin announces that it has installed the latest BMD 4.0.1 evolution and new Aegis BSP signal processor on the cruiser USS Lake Erie [CG-70]. Over the next year, USS Lake Erie will complete a series of tests, leading up to full certification of the system upgrade by the U.S. Navy in early 2011.

BMD 4.0.1 installed

May 12/09: Mod Kit. Raytheon, Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, MA received a $6.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, with delivery incentives, for one AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability ordnance alteration kit, including radio frequency monitor coherent combiner, technical manual changes and installation/checkout spares.

The AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability modifications are part of the Aegis modernization program along with the multi-mission capability enhancement, a commercial-off-the-shelf based multi-mission signal processor which is being developed in parallel with this procurement. The multi-mission signal processor, and these transmitter modifications, will provide the AN/SPY-1D radar system with near AN/SPY-1D (V) radar performance, augmented with full AEGIS ballistic missile defense signal processor capabilities.

Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA (67.5%); Sudbury, MA (20.5%); and Andover, MA (12%), and is expected to be complete by October 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, DC (N00024-06-G-5109).

Feb 8/09: Aegis, Involuntarily Ashore. The guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal [CG-73], one of just 3 cruisers with AEGIS BMD installed, runs aground off of Hawaii. The warship suffers heavy damage to the underwater bow sonar dome and to her propellers and propeller shafts, and is drydocked. Bubbleheads has a link roundup.

Port Royal runs aground

Nov 1/08: Pacific Blitz. The US Navy has 2 ships fire SM-3s at 2 incoming ballistic missiles. Only 1 of them hots its target. USS Paul Hamilton [DDG 60] fired 1st and was successful, but USS Hopper’s [DDG 70] ability to successfully detect, track and engage the target wasn’t enough to get an interception. The US Navy’s record for intercept tests is now 16 of 19. Sources: US MDA, “Navy Intercepts Ballistic Missile Target in Fleet Exercise Pacific Blitz”.

Mixed test results

Oct 21/08: BMD 3.6. Operational Testing of the Aegis BMD 3.6 System completed.

BMD 3.6 testing done

Burnt Frost

Feb 20/08: Burnt Frost. USS Lake Erie [CG 70] launches a modified SM-3 missile, aimed at a malfunctioning American reconnaissance satellite [USA-193] instead of an enemy missile. The intercept is successful, adding a new dimension to American BMD capabilities.

The 5,000 pound satellite was probably a radar satellite, but the fact that the USA had lost control shortly after launch on Dec 1/06 meant that most of its toxic hydrazine fuel was still on board. Analysis from the Joint Space Operations Command at Vandenberg AFB, CA says that the on-board hydrazine propulsion fuel was successfully and completely neutralized, with “nearly 100 percent of the debris safely burned-up during reentry within 48 hours,” and the remainder of the satellite expected to safely re-enter the atmosphere and burn up “within the next few days.” Sources: US MDA, “One-Time Mission: Operation Burnt Frost” | USAF, “Operations Group blazes new trail during Operation Burnt Frost”.

Satellite kill!

JS Kongo fires SM-3
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Dec 17/07: Japan test. Japan’s JS Kongo AEGIS destroyer [DDG-173] becomes the first ship beyond the US Navy to destroy a ballistic missile, launching an SM-3 Block 1A to successfully intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target fired from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The veteran ABM test participant USS Lake Erie [CG 70] sailed from its homeport of Pearl Harbor to participate as a secondary, using its radar to track the target.

This marks the 12th successful intercept overall for the SM-3. Read “Japanese Destroyer JS Kongo Intercepts Ballistic Missile” and “Japan’s Fleet BMD: Upgrades & UORs” for more in-depth coverage. We won’t be covering further Japanese tests beyond the article’s master chart.

Japan: 1st BMD intercept

March 10/07: Support. General Dynamics Information Technology announces a contract by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to provide support to the Missile Defense Agency’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program directorate. The contract has a total potential value of $191 million over 5 years, if all options are exercised. Under the contract, General Dynamics will provide systems engineering and program management assistance to Aegis BMD for production, fleet introduction and fleet operations and support. The company also will provide test and evaluation engineering management and safety, quality and mission assurance engineering; and support international programs including Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and cooperative development activities.

Feb 28/07: BMD 4.0.1. Lockheed Martin Maritime Sensors and Systems in Moorestown, NJ received a $979.2 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to continue design, test, and deliver the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Block 2006/2008 (Consolidated) Weapon System capability (BMD Baseline 4.0.1). Updates will include an improved signal processor, and continue the AEGIS BMD’s migration to open architecture electronics.

Work will be performed at Moorestown, New Jersey and is expected to be complete by Dec. 2010. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. FY2007 research and development funds will be used. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity (N00024-03-C-6110).

Additional Readings Background: AEGIS BMD and Missile Defense

• US MDA – Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense: Future Capabilities

• Wikipedia – AEGIS Combat System

• US NAVSEA – AEGIS upgrade. Details Advanced Capability Build 2012 (ACB 12) and Technical Insertion 2012 (TI 12).

• GlobalSecurity.org – AEGIS Weapon System Mk7

• HighFrontier.org – Sea-Based Platforms

• GlobalSecurity.org – AN/SPY-1 Radar. Interesting analysis of some of the systems weaknesses as well.

• Information Dissemination (Sept 23/09) – Fact Check – Technicals of AEGIS BMD

Background: Other BMD Assets

• DID FOCUS Article – Raytheon’s Standard Missile Naval Defense Family. Includes ongoing information re: naval anti ballistic missile tests.

• DID FOCUS Article – Dead Aim, Or Dead End? The USA’s DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class Program. Its Raytheon SPY-3 active array radar is not an AEGIS family component, but it will have superior performance and offer its own built-in ballistic missile defense capability, while allowing Cooperative Engagement Capability with AEGIS ships. In addition, the Open Architecture listing in the article’s Additional Readings section contains more materials on that topic.

• DID Spotlight – Japan’s Fleet BMD Upgrades. Covers their Kongo Class AEGIS destroyers.

Official Reports

• US GAO (April 11/14, #GAO-14-314) Ballistic Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Address Implementation Issues and Estimate Long-Term Costs for European Capabilities.

• US Congressional Research Service (#RL33745) – Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [PDF]. Last update April 8/14.

• US GAO (April 1/14, #GAO-14-351) – Missile Defense: Mixed Progress in Achieving Acquisition Goals and Improving Accountability.

• US GAO (Apr 26/13, #GAO-13-432) – Opportunity to Refocus on Strengthening Acquisition Management. Despite the bland title, it had a lot to say re: naval BMD.

• USN PEO-IWS, via WayBack (April 11/11) – Surface Navy Combat System Development Update [PDF]. Presented to The Navy League Sea Air and Space Symposium by Bill Bray. AEGIS evolution features prominently.

• US GAO (March 24/11, #GAO-11-372) – Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability

News & Views

• Aviation Week (Jan 8/09) – Sea-Based BMD Gains Credibility. Dead link.

• Marshal Institute (Aug 3/09) – “Update on Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense and the Navy Air and Missile Defense Center,” Rear Admiral Alan B. Hicks

• DID (Dec 18/07) – US Missile Defense Shifting Toward More Realistic Testing?

• Information Dissemination (June 21/07) – US Navy Ballistic Missile Defense. Well researched article covering the USA’s plans in this area, including ships slated to receive ABM capability.

• Lockheed Martin, via WayBack (Feb 28/07) – Lockheed Martin Awarded $ 979 Million For Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense

• US NOAA, via WayBack (July 10/02) – NOAA Researchers Helping Develop Radar of the Future. Apparently, it has uses in weather forecasting.

Hermes 900
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Elbit Systems has enjoyed considerable domestic and export success with its Hermes 450, which sits at the smaller end of the MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV spectrum. As UAVs proved themselves, Elbit wasn’t interested in ceding the market for larger and more capable MALE UAVs to the likes of IAI and General Atomics.

They invested company funds to create the larger Hermes 900, but those kinds of investments eventually need a buyer. In 2010, their home country of Israel stepped up, and became the anchor buyer for the “Kochav” (“Star”). They weren’t the last. A comparison with the popular Hermes 450 is instructive…

Hermes 450 vs. Hermes 900

Hermes 450
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The Hermes 450 is a common medium surveillance UAV, with a 10 m wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of 550 kg/ 1,212 pounds. The 450 offers about 17-20 hours endurance at up to 18,000 feet altitude, and about 180 kg/ 396 pounds of payload capacity via up to 2 body mountings and optional wing pylons. Satellite communications can be attached, but it requires changes to the aircraft body.

It serves in Israel as a dual surveillance/attack UAV, where it has reportedly been modified to carry fuel tanks, or up to 2 RAFAEL Spike missiles. It also serves unarmed with a number of international customers, including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Georgia, Mexico, Singapore, and the US Border Patrol; and with Britain as the Watchkeeper WK450B ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) UAV.

Hermes 900
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The Hermes 900 offers a larger platform, whose 15m wingspan and 1,180/ 2,204 pound maximum takeoff weight is comparable to the MQ-1 Predator, or to Israel Aerospace Industries’ popular Heron family. Compared to the 450, it offers a higher flight altitude of up to 30,000 feet, with a longer flight time of up to 30-36 hours, and a 350 kg/ 772 pound payload capacity that’s about double the 450’s.

The Hermes 900 incorporates an Internal Auto Takeoff and Landing system that enables auto-landing even on alternate non-instrumented runways, and has advanced features including built-in autonomous emergency procedures, Air Traffic Control radio, radio relay, and an IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) transponder. Satellite communications can be installed for additional control range.

Payloads can include the SELEX Gabianno T-200 X-band SAR/GMTI and MPR land and maritime surveillance radar, the DCoMPASS surveillance and targeting turret, AES 201V ESM/ELINT signal interception and location equipment, the Skyfix/ Skyjam–COMINT/DF communication snooping & optional COMJAM jamming system, or a Communications relay for friendly troops. A maritime configuratoin can add an Automatic Identification System (AIS) to ID compliant ships, Communications relay that lets the operator ‘talk through’ to vessels at sea, and Windward Ltd.’s MarInt satellite-based maritime intelligence analytic system.

Known customer nations to date include Israel, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Elbit actually claims 8 total customers, leaving the missing service branches or countries unclear.

Both the Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 are controlled by Elbit Systems’ Universal Ground Control Station, which can control 2 UAVs at any given time from a single station, with a single operator.

Contracts & Key Events 2014-2018

Order from Brazil; Switzerland picks Hermes 900; Hermes 900 becomes a Star.

Swiss testing
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June 28/18: Hermes to fly in Thailand The Royal Thai Army (RTA) is currently adding four Hermes 450 drones to its inventory. The long-endurance tactical unmanned aerial vehicles are produced by Israel’s Elbit System. The Hermes 450 is a common medium surveillance UAV, with a 10 m wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of 1,212 lb. The 450 offers about 17-20 hours endurance at up to 18,000 feet altitude, and about 396 lb. of payload capacity via up to 2 body mountings and optional wing pylons. The UAVs will be used for operations including target designation; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and mapping. The system is also expected to be used to track insurgency movements and drugs smuggling. The procurement of the Hermes 450 drones was finalized in 2017 at a total cost of $30 million.

August 25/17: Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 UAV has been declared fully operational by the Israel Air Force following the successful completion of evaluations by the service. The inspection carried out included assessments of the aircraft’s operation and maintenance, and the squadron’s flight department’s capability to receive a mission from HQ and complete it successfully, among others. Nicknamed Kochav, it is the most advance UAV in the Israeli Air Force UAV division.

August 22/17: The Hermes 900 UAV is likely to have its full operational capability (FOC) declared by the Israeli Air Force before the end of the month. Developed by Elbit Systems, it is expected that the number of Hermes 900s in use with the air force will be increased once FOC is awarded. The MALE UAV was first used in combat during Israel’s 2014 Protective Edge operation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, accumulating hundreds of flight hours throughout the campaign, flying in excess of 100 times with what the service described as an extremely high success rate. Switzerland and Brazil have also expressed interest in purchasing the UAV.

July 26/17: Elbit Systems announced that it has flown a number of demonstration flights of its Hermes 900 UAV for an interested Philippine Air Force (PAF). Manila is in the market for new intelligence reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities for both patrolling its territorial waters and tackling an insurgency on the archipelago by jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State. Earlier this month, neighboring Singapore offered to send UAVs and urban warfare assets to help the Philippine military tackle the insurgency, platforms which contains fellow Israel firm IAI’s Heron 1—which has a range of 200km and can stay in the air for 24 hours—and the Hermes 900’s predecessor, the Hermes 450—which has half the range and a shorter flying time of 14 hours. The Hermes 900 meanwhile, boasts an endurance of 36 hours and a flight range of 1,850km.

November 15/16: A joint venture agreement has been finalized between Elbit Systems and Adani Enterprises to manufacture UAVs for the Indian market. The joint venture will pitch Elbit’s Hermes 450 and 900 systems in an effort to break the stranglehold currently held by fellow Israeli firm IAI. Having recently joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), New Delhi is forging ahead with procuring armed UAVs in order to tackle militants operating in areas such as the disputed region of Kashmir.

August 26/16: Thales UK is now operating three Hermes 900 as part of the United Nations (UN) Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali. A three year contract had been signed back in December and holds options for a further two years. The contract covers the deployment of three aircraft (two for operational duties, the third as a spare) with two control stations and flight crews to enable the simultaneous use of both aircraft.

April 5/16: Elbit Systems has signed a number of joint venture agreements with Indian companies in order to offer its UAV systems to the country’s market. Adani Aero Defence and Alpha Design Technologies are to co-operate with the Israeli UAV giant to offer their Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAVs to the Indian armed forces. The agreement will see local manufacture at a production facility in India for the airframes and payloads, and meets the terms of the government’s “Make in India” policy that encourages foreign investment and partnership with Indian industry.

November 27/15: Switzerland is to buy six Hermes 900 Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) UAVs from Elbit Systems in a deal worth $200 million. The delivery of the UAVs is expected to be completed by 2020 when the current UAVs in service are retired. The Hermes are thought to provide a considerable increase in the capability of the Swiss Air Force, who currently operate the Ruag Aerospace ADS 95 Ranger for their reconnaissance and surveillance needs. The Hermes saw extensive action during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza last year as well as being used by Brazil when it hosted the World Cup.

September 29/15: Israel’s Elbit Systems has been awarded a $70 million contract by an undisclosed Latin American buyer for the Hermes 900 UAV system. The company was awarded a similar contract in June 2011, also to an undisclosed customer in the region, with the Swiss parliament approving the $250 million acquisition of six Hermes 900 UAVs earlier this month.

June 6/14: Switzerland. The Swiss UAS 15 program picks the Hermes 900 with a heavy fuel engine over IAI’s Super Heron-1, while stressing that their UAVs will remain unarmed. The UAS 15 program has a budget of SFR 250 million (about $280 million), and it will be submitted as part of Switzerland’s 2015 armaments program bill. This isn’t a contract yet, and there won’t be one until the money is approved. The Swiss government confirms that the purchase will involve:

“1 system with 6 drones including sensors, ground components, logistics package, training resources and training.”

The Hermes 900 HFEs will replace Switzerland’s ADS 95 Ranger collaboration between IAI, Oerlikon, and RUAG, which was also exported to Finland. Those tactical UAVs have served since 2000, and the state of the art has moved on since then. Ranger UAVs have an excellent safety record in-country over populated areas, but after the government’s recent tepid and failed defense of its fighter procurement, we’re going to go out on a limb and predict that this will become a major political issue. Absent a serious defense this time, public antipathy to drones in general could hand the government and defense forces another loss.

IAI and Elbit’s UAVs were short-listed as finalists after pre-testing (q.v. Sept 6/12), but the Swiss say that “Hermes 900 HFE has been favoured because it delivered the better overall result in all assessed criteria” during the full evaluation. Regardless of what happens with the Swiss buy, that will be a positive boost for Elbit’s marketing efforts. Swiss Air Force, “ADS 95 Ranger” | Swiss government, “Armed Forces reconnaissance drone system to be replaced” | Elbit Systems, “Elbit Systems Selected as Preferred Supplier for Swiss UAS program”.

Swiss pick Hermes 900

March 26/14: Elbit Systems Ltd. announces a contract from the Brazilian Air Force (“FAB”) for 1 Hermes 900 system, to be delivered within 2 months and equipped with “a new and advanced intelligence gathering system considered as a breakthrough operational solution.” It will form part of the security measures for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and will be operated by FAB in combined missions with their existing Hermes 450 fleet, which was bought in 2011.

Elbit’s AEL SYSTEMAS S.A. subsidiary will supply technical and engineering support, as well as spares and maintenance services.

Elbit’s UAS Division General Manager, Elad Aharonson, is quoted in Ha’aretz calling this sale “…the eighth customer to be equipped with this leading platform…”. That indicates no less than 3 unannounced customers, after Israel, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico. Note that different armed branches within the same country are counted separately. Mexico’s Federal Police bought the Hermes 900, but if the Mexican Air Force and Navy ever decided to their own ink orders, that would make 3 customers in Mexico. Announcements made so far don’t indicate that sort of thing, but they’ve also been vague, and one can expect them to often be partial. If there are unannounced external sales beyond the core 5 countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan are good places to start the search, and we’d be curious about Nigeria. Sources: Elbit Systems, “Elbit Systems Awarded Contract to Supply Brazil with Hermes 900 UAS” | Ha’aretz, “Israel’s Elbit System wins contract to supply Brazil with Hermes 900 drone”.

Brazil buys

March 20/14: Kochav. Israel gives the Hermes 900 a name: Kochav (Hebrew for “Star”). Sources: IAF, “A Star Is Born: A Name Is Chosen For the “Hermes 900″ UAV'”.

2012 – 2013

Orders from Israel, Colombia & Mexico; Maritime patrol configuration introduced.

Hermes 900-MP
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Oct 7/13: Chile. The Chilean Navy is reportedly evaluating the Hermes 900 for maritime patrol tasks. The UAV already serves with the Chilean Air Force (FACh). Sources: Flight Global, “Chilean navy considers Hermes 900 deal”.

Feb 6/13: Maritime. At Aero India 2013 in Bangalore, Elbit Systems launches a Hermes maritime configuration. It includes the SELEX Gabbiano T200 radar (q.v. June 27/11), an Automatic Identification System (AIS) to ID compliant ships, radio relay that lets the operator ‘talk through’ to vessels at sea, and Windward Ltd.’s MarInt satellite-based maritime intelligence analytic system. Sources: AIN, “Elbit Takes New Orders for Hermes 900, Develops Maritime Version of UAS” | Defense Update: “Hermes 900 Takes on Maritime Missions”.

Jan 27/13: Israel. Elbit Systems announces a $35 million contract from the Israel Ministry of Defense to develop “advanced features for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) to be supplied within three years. One of the mission requirements is the quick re-configuration of the UAS’ payloads.”

This isn’t as specific as one would like, but the rest of the release focuses exclusively on the Hermes 900, and links this contract to the Dec 31/12 announcement.

Dec 31/12: Israel. Elbit Systems announces $315 million in contracts from Israel, including $90 million for more Hermes 900 UAS, to be supplied within 3 years, and 8 years of maintenance services.

Another $25 million funds “advanced observation and long-range target acquisition systems… to be supplied over a three-year period.” No word on whether they’re air, land, or sea systems.

Israeli follow-on order, and platform R&D

Sept 6/12: Switzerland. Out of the 11 systems made by 9 companies that were originally in the running for Switzerland’s UAS contract, IAI’s Heron-1 and Elbit’s Hermes 900 are the finalists. In-flight evaluations will take place in September and October 2012 from the Emmen airbase, over central Switzerland and in the Jura region. Hermes 900 flights end on Oct 19/12.

The chosen UAV will replace an older Israeli UAV, the Ranger from RUAG, Oerlikon, & IAI. Sources: armasuisse, “Evaluation ADS 15” | UAS Vision, “Hermes 900 and Heron 1 in Final Flight Tests for Swiss Air Force Contract”.

Aug 5/12: Colombia. Elbit announces yet another Latin American customer. This sale involves Hermes 450 and 900 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to “a Latin American customer.” The buyer is later identified as Colombia, while Elbit’s own release confirms its 1st export sale as Chile.

Elbit said the contract includes the Hermes Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS), Elop’s DCoMPASS surveillance turrets, and satellite communication systems that allow the UAVs to operate over remote areas. Deliveries will be made over the next 2 years. Elbit Systems | Israel’s Arutz Sheva | Asian Defense News | Flight International.

Colombia buys 450s and 900s

Jan 3/12: Mexico. Israel’s Elbit Systems announced a $50 million contract to supply Hermes 900s to:

“…a governmental office of a country in the Americas. The UAS will be operated in a variety of perimeter security missions…. The contract includes Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS) and a variety of payloads and capabilities including: the Electro-Optics Elop Division’s advanced payloads systems, the Elisra Division’s intelligence COMINT systems, SAR/MPR multi mode radar and additional sensors.”

Some sources claim Colombia as the destination, but that turns out to be a subsequent order. The buyer is later identified as Mexico’s Federal Police. Elbit Systems | Aviation Week | Defense Update.

Mexico Federal Police

2007 – 2011

From unveiling to orders from Israel & Chile; Radar picked.

Israeli Hermes 900
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June 27/11: Radar. Elbit Systems has picked Selex Galileo’s Gabbiano-series X-band surveillance radars for the Hermes 450 and Hermes 900. The Hermes 450 will get the 43kg T20 radar, while the Hermes 900 will carry the more powerful 62kg T200 for land and maritime surveillance. defpro | Flight International.

June 6/11: Chile. Elbit Systems announces its 1st export sale for the Hermes 900 UAV, plus ground control, DCoMPASS surveillance systems, and an unidentified radar system, to “a customer in Latin America.”

Other press sources point to Chile, which had already chosen the Hermes 900. The 2010 earthquake demonstrated the need for advanced, rapid response, long endurance aerial surveillance systems. In response, Chile’s competition looked at 4 Israeli UAVs: Elbit’s Heron 900 and IAI’s Heron at the high end, and the Hermes 450 and Aeronautics DS Aerostar at the low end. Defense Update.

1st export: Chile

May 18/11: Chile. Flight International reports that Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 has been picked over IAI’s Heron-1 by the Chilean defence forces.

Jan 10/11: Testing. Elbit Systems’ 1st Hermes 900 UAV has accumulated 350 flight hours, while its 2nd prototype will soon enter flight testing.

A follow-on order from Israel is expected within the framework of the nation’s next multi-year plan. Flight International.

May 5/10: Israeli order. Elbit Systems of Haifa, Israel announces a 3-year, $50 million contract to supply the Israeli Defence Forces with its brand new Hermes 900 systems, along with additional Hermes 450 UAVs. The contract also includes “enhancement of [the IDF’s] existing UAS intelligence capabilities,” which presumably means sensor improvements and extensions.

The award continues ongoing contracts from Israel, including a $30 million contract for Hermes 450 systems in November 2007. Elbit release | Globes | Aviation Week | Defense Update | Flight International.

1st order: Israel

Dec 14/09: Testing. Elbit Systems announces that its Hermes 900 UAV has completed a successful Maiden Flight, and will enter serial production following additional flight tests.

April 1/09: Flight delays. Elbit Systems unveiled the Hermes 900 in mid-2007, but the UAV’s 1st flight has been delayed. The firm is reportedly accelerating efforts to make that flight before the end of 2009, so potential customers can evaluate the design. Flight International.

June 12/07: Elbit announces its Hermes 900 UAV offering, which will share ground control infrastructure with the smaller Hermes 450. Defense Update.

Additional Readings The UAV

• Elbit Systems – Hermes 900 [PDF]. They also advertise a maritime patrol version [PDF].

• Airforce Technology – Hermes 900 Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), Israel.

• Defense Update – Hermes 900.

• Israeli Weapons – Hermes 900.

Ancillary Systems & Payloads

• Elbit Elisra – AES-201/V. ELINT and ESM system. Podded on the Hermes 900.

• Elbit Systems of America – DCOMPASS. Day/night surveillance and targeting turret.

• SELEX ES – Gabbiano Multi Mode data sheet [PDF].

• Windward Ltd. – MarInt – Predictive Maritime Analytics.

• Elbit Elisra – Sky Fix. COMINT system, podded on the Hermes 900.

• Elbit Elisra – Skyjam. Communications jamming, built for each platform out of customizable, interoperable and interconnected airborne COMJAM payload components.

Americas

• Lockheed Martin is being tapped by the Navy in support of its E-2D aircraft. The cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at $64 million and provides for the design, development, and integration of the Advanced Digital Receiver/Processor (ADRP) and Active Front End (AFE) upgrades to the existing E-2D AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system. The ESM system is part of a large makeover program for the Hawkeye. It offers improved classification of radar contacts at longer ranges. The communications suite is modernized to include dual-band SATCOM, as well as improved datalinks. The AN/ALQ-217 ESM system functions as the highly sophisticated ears of advanced-tactical aircraft. As a passive sensor system, the AN/ALQ-217 protects the warfighter by identifying and locating sources of radio-frequency emission and providing a full range of ESM operation. The system autonomously scans the environment allowing for a high probability of detection and accurate identification. Work will be performed Owego, New York and Clearwater, Florida and is expected to be completed in June 2022.

• General Dynamics is being contracted to produce guns for the Navy’s fleet of F/A-18E/F aircraft. The firm-fixed-price contract provides for the procurement of 19 M61A2 20mm gun systems and is valued at $9.6 million. The 20mm M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling gun with an extremely high rate of fire. It has been the principal cannon armament of United States military aircraft for five decades. The M61A2 is mechanically the same as the M61A1, but with thinner barrels to reduce overall mass to 202 lb. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including Saco, Maine; Lyndonville, Vermont and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. The contract is expected to be completed in May 2021.

• The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center is awarding a $47 million contract to Northrop Grumman in support of the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar Space Vehicles 1 and 2. This contract supplements a similar contract to be awarded to Lockheed Martin, that sees for the production of three geosynchronous orbit satellites. The five-satellite constellation known as the next-generation OPIR will succeed the current Space Based Infrared System and will be more survivable against emerging threats. The Air Force is targeting the first next-generation OPIR launch in 2023. The contract provides for system and payload requirements analysis and risk reduction efforts leading to a system requirement review. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California, and is expected to be completed by June 25, 2020.

• Lockheed Martin is receiving another contract in support of F-35 sustainment efforts. The modification to a previously awarded contract provides for work on stand-up depots outside the continental US. Those depots will conduct maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade (MRO&U) efforts of the fighter aircraft. This contract also provides for the procurement of support equipment, labor, and Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) hardware required to stand up the F-35 MRO&U capability. The F-35 was designed with sustainment in mind. The Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) is the fleet management backbone for the F-35. Pilots plan and debrief missions, and sustainment professionals maintain the F-35 using ALIS. Delivering an integrated interface to maintenance, supply chain and sustainment information, ALIS is the single management tool supporting all F-35 operations. It turns maintenance data into actionable information that enables pilots, maintainers and military leaders to make proactive decisions and keep jets flying. This effort combines purchases for the Air Force ($5,9 million), the Marine Corps ($3 million), Navy ($2,9 million) and non-DoD participants ($61,5 million). Work will be performed in New South Wales, Australia; Cameri, Italy; Orlando, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; and El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed in February 2022.

Middle East & Africa

• Raytheon is set to install its surveillance systems at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The $7.9 million contract modification allows for the procurement of Raytheon’s for Persistent Surveillance and Dissemination System, which is part of its Systems Mission Video Distribution System services. The system (PSDS2) provides high quality video from multiple sensors and the associated metadata to support real-time monitoring, decision making, and forensic analysis. It is a combat-proven, video-based persistent surveillance system that is configurable with UAVs, aerostats and ground-based sensors. The system offers a reliable, cost-effective persistent surveillance capability to counter today’s asymmetric threats, which can occur at any time and place. Work will also be performed at Shaw AFB, South Carolina and is expected to be completed by July 2022.

• The engineering corps of the Nigerian Air Force reportedly managed to indigenously repair the Communication Control Unit (CCU) of its F-7Ni fighter aircraft. Nigeria had purchased 15 F-7Ni multi-role combat aircraft from China back in 2005. The F-7 is a single-engine, lightweight fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China. Its design is based on its predecessor, the MiG-21 aircraft and has first been flown in 1966. The F-7 has been designed to perform ground attack missions in all weather conditions. The CCU enables the trainee, instructor and tower to communicate with each other during training missions. In the past the Nigerian Air Force was dependent on foreign vendors to repair their equipment, which usually takes a minimum of 10 months at a considerable cost. Having the in-house capability to repair CCUs and other forms of equipment allows the Nigerian Air Force to boost its training and fighting capabilities.

Europe

• Jane’s reports that Atlas Elektronik and Thales Germany are being contracted to jointly develop the combat management system (CMS) for the German navy’s next five Braunschweig-class K130 corvettes. In December 2001, Germany placed an order for five K130 corvettes based on the MEKO A design from the Arge K130 consortium, consisting of ThyssenKrupp, Blohm + Voss and Nordseewerke. The corvettes replace the German Navy’s Tiger Class and Albatross Class missile fast patrol boats which no longer meet operational requirements. The K130 corvettes are designed with stealth features, low draft, and highly automated weapons and defense systems to support littoral warfare and particularly for operations of a multi-national crisis reaction force. The corvettes are equipped with a Thales Netherlands SEWACO sensor, weapon control and command system, together with link 11 and link 16 tactical communications. Atlas and Thales will develop the hardware element of the CMS plus an update to the software delivered for the first five K130s that have already been delivered to the Navy.

Asia-Pacific

• Australia has announced that it will move forward with its long-planned acquisition of six Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft. The initial $1 billion deal includes one MQ-4C, as well as a $147 million program with the US Navy for development, production, and sustainment of the aircraft. Australia will in total order six drones, including facilities, upgrades and support at a cost of $5.1 billion. The Tritons will support the RAAFs fleet of P-8 Poseidon Maritime Surveillance Aircraft. The first of the Triton aircraft is due to enter service in mid-2023. All six drones would be in operation by late 2025, based in South Australia.

Today’s Video

• Watch the USMCs new wheeled amphibious combat vehicle

(click to view full)

Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye is a carrier-capable “mini-AWACS” aircraft, designed to give long-range warning of incoming aerial threats. Secondary roles include strike command and control, land and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, communications relay, and even civil air traffic control during emergencies. E-2C Hawkeyes began replacing previous Hawkeye versions in 1973. They fly from USN and French carriers, from land bases in the militaries of Egypt, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan; and in a drug interdiction role for the US Naval Reserve. Over 200 Hawkeyes have been produced.

The $17.5 billion E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program aims to build 75 new aircraft with significant radar, engine, and electronics upgrades in order to deal with a world of stealthier cruise missiles, saturation attacks, and a growing need for ground surveillance as well as aerial scans. It looks a lot like the last generation E-2C Hawkeye 2000 upgrade on the outside – but inside, and even outside to some extent, it’s a whole new aircraft.

From E-2A Hawkeyes to the E-2D

NGC on E-2D

The Hawkeye is based on the same airframe as the USA’s C-2 Greyhound cargo aircraft, with the obvious addition of the 24 foot diameter, frisbee-shaped, rotating radome on its back. It carries a crew of 5 – pilot, copilot, and 3 mission system operators.

The first E-2A was delivered in 1964, the first E-2B upgrade in 1969, and as noted above, the first true “second generation” E-2C Hawkeye was delivered in 1973. In 1992, an E-2C Block II update program added the AN/APS-145 and L-304 radar systems; improved Rolls Royce T56-A-427 engines; JTIDS, Link-4A, -11, and 16 datalinks; GPS capability; and various avionics, and electronics upgrades. It finished in 2001. By 2003, Hawkeyes were proving their worth over Iraq in a new capacity: close air support. Smithsonian Air & Space magazine’s July 2008 issue discusses:

“The Hawkeye, of course, wasn’t designed for close air support, but time and again during the fighting in the Gulf, ground troops advanced so rapidly that they passed beyond radio contact with the units that were supposed to coordinate close air support for them. Early on in Iraq, E-2s were pressed into a stopgap role as airborne communications relays between ground forces and the U.S. Army’s Air Support Operations Center. But because the battleground was so fluid and so many airplanes had to be re-routed so quickly, Hawkeyes were given more latitude to pair warfighters with targets. “If the Hawkeye hadn’t been there, I think the [Air Support Operations Center] would have failed,” says Lieutenant Commander Brent Trickel, an E-2 naval flight officer who served as the Navy’s only officer in the Air Support Operations Center during the first few weeks of the war.”

CEC Concept
(click to enlarge)

Technology moves quickly, however, and technology that was cutting edge in 1992 isn’t so cutting edge any more. A subsequent upgrade called the Hawkeye 2000 (HE2K) added the 8-bladed NP2000 propeller, replaced the old computer platform that was inhibiting further modernization with commercial-standard computer component upgrades; and added associated electronics, power, and maintainability modifications, including integrated satellite communications. All of these upgrades pale, however, in comparison to the effectiveness boost offered by adding Co-operative Engagement Capability (CEC). With CEC, the Hawkeye can see everything the ships in its task group can see – and vice-versa, turning the aircraft into a force multiplier to all ships in the group and even enabling ballistic missile defense roles.

Hawkeye 2000 aircraft were first deployed in 2003 aboard USS Nimitz, and additional customers have included Egypt, France, Japan & Taiwan (The UAE submitted a formal request in 2002, but later decided to put its money elsewhere).

E-2D Features
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The next-generation, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is planned as a major platform upgrade, rather than the incremental improvements of Hawkeye 2000. Cruise missiles are becoming stealthier, smaller targets are becoming important, and surveillance in coastal areas and overland is as important to the Navy as aerial surveillance.

The most important improvement to the E-2D AHE is the new APY-9 radar, which can detect and track smaller (or stealthier) targets, in larger numbers, and at greater ranges. It has been described as a 2-generation improvement over previous Hawkeye aircraft. Figures discussed to date involve up to 2,000 targets over 6 million cubic miles, on land and sea. The electronically scanned array offers improved in-service time and maintenance, allows simultaneous air/ground scans with extremely fast focusing on multiple targets, and features lower ‘sidelobe’ leakage, as well as other improvements. Improved clutter & interference cancellation offer significant improvement in tracking small land and sea targets, as well as better performance against electronic jamming. Additional features allow the radar to flip from 3660 degree scan, to 45 degree focused scan, to full power on one target mode against intermittent or stealthy contacts.

The E-2D’s internal equipment also gets a makeover. ESM (Electronic Support Measures) and IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) systems offer improved classification of radar contacts at longer ranges. The communications suite is modernized to include dual-band SATCOM (SATellite COMmunications), as well as improved datalinks. Engines are improved. In-flight refueling capability for longer missions on-station is part of the basic aircraft, not an option. Etc.

E-2D vs. E-2C
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Like any electronic system, however, the E-2D needs an improved interface in order to take advantage of its full capabilities. New mission computers and tactical workstations use commercial off-the-shelf components, providing more power to integrate incoming information into a coherent picture, and easier future upgrades. More to the point, the onscreen interface features dramatic improvements, including larger displays and advances in the front seats that allow the pilot or copilot to participate as 4th mission system operator once the aircraft is on station. The cockpit itself has also received attention, and has been fully modernized with an “all glass” (i.e. screens, not dials) system and a number of enhancements.

The end result is an aircraft that looks a lot like the E-2C Hawkeye 2000, but can scan larger areas for smaller targets; offers a new dimension in coverage by combining strong aerial, maritime, coastal, and land surveillance; can function as an integral part of missile defense efforts against both cruise and ballistic missiles; and allows operators to make better use of its capabilities.

Advances have also taken place on the manufacturing floor. When Northrop Grumman was awarded the system development and demonstration contract for the Advanced Hawkeye in 2003, the company chose to change its manufacturing approach. Engineers created a virtual design environment that integrated the engineering team in Bethpage, NY with the manufacturing team in St. Augustine, FL. They then began to re-engineer the structure, beginning with single detail parts.

In previous Hawkeye platforms, individual sheet-metal components were the basis for all structural assemblies. For the E-2D, a number of substructures were re-designed as machined components. This removes many detail parts, improves the production process, and leaves fewer potential points of failure in the finished aircraft.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: Program

E-2D Rollout
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The US Navy remains the E-2D’s only confirmed customer at this point, but export interest has already been expressed by the UAE and by India. As of April 2011, all 5 test & pilot production E-2Ds had been delivered, and aircraft #10 had begun construction.

Initial operational capability was scheduled for 2011, and the type’s first carrier launch and landing did take place in February 2011, but testing and evaluation lags forced IOC back to October 2014.

As of 2013, an R&D program is underway to add in-flight refueling capability, but that development program will run to 2019.

Full Operational Capability is now scheduled for 2023, when a total of 75 aircraft (2 test, 3 pilot production, 70 operational) will have been delivered as the cornerstone of future US naval surveillance.

American Budgets

At present, total E-2D program cost has risen 40.6% over the original baseline figure of $14.752 billion FY 2012 dollars. The Pentagon’s April 2012 SAR (Selected Acquisition Report) placed the E-2D’s entire program cost, including R&D, production of all aircraft, internal equipment, and equipment required for initial fielding, at $20.737 billion. That works out to $276.5 million per aircraft, up from $196.7 million. Part of the reason for these high figures is that the number bought is only 75, so R&D adds a lot of money per-plane. Part of it is because AWACS aircraft of any type are expensive assets, thanks to all of the advanced radars, electronics etc. crammed into them.

Excel
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Finally, part of it is because of deliberate buying decisions by Congress & the Pentagon, which eliminated a money-saving multi-year buy, and slowed production to stretch budgets, even though the program was performing well. Stretching programs out always costs more money, because every year you extend a production program is another year of fixed costs.

Annual budgets to date include:

Industrial Partners

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye: Contracts & Key Events

E-2D IOC flight
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Unless otherwise specified, US Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts, and Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Corp. in Bethpage, NY, is the contractor.

FY 2016-2018

June 27/18: ESM upgrade Lockheed Martin is being tapped by the Navy in support of its E-2D aircraft. The cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at $64 million and provides for the design, development, and integration of the Advanced Digital Receiver/Processor (ADRP) and Active Front End (AFE) upgrades to the existing E-2D AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system. The ESM system is part of a large makeover program for the Hawkeye. It offers improved classification of radar contacts at longer ranges. The communications suite is modernized to include dual-band SATCOM, as well as improved datalinks. The AN/ALQ-217 ESM system functions as the highly sophisticated ears of advanced-tactical aircraft. As a passive sensor system, the AN/ALQ-217 protects the warfighter by identifying and locating sources of radio-frequency emission and providing a full range of ESM operation. The system autonomously scans the environment allowing for a high probability of detection and accurate identification. Work will be performed Owego, New York and Clearwater, Florida and is expected to be completed in June 2022.

April 24/18: Japan’s E-2C upgrades A Pentagon award last Thursday, April 19, to Northrop Grumman has tasked the firm with supplying identifying friend or foe technology compatible with the E-2C Hawkeye for the government of Japan. Valued at $51.8 million, the US Navy contract is against a previously issued basic ordering agreement and calls for supplies and services required for the delivery, installation, and testing of one Japan E-2C compatible AN/APX-122A Mode 5/S interrogator and transponder unit and will include non-recurring engineering for the developmental laboratory work, integration laboratory testing, software modifications, technical data, training, and post installation ground and flight testing support, kits, and associated hardware for aircraft integration. Work will take place at several locations across the US and in Japan with a scheduled completion time set for December 2020.

April 16/18: Refuelers on the way Northrop Grumman will this year begin the production of the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft to have in-flight refueling (IFR) straight from the factory. Officials said that production of the line’s 46th model—a total of 75 have been ordered by the Navy—will begin later this year and delivered to the customer in 2020. A modified Advanced Hawkeye with a refueling probe has so far took on fuel from KC-130, KC-135, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the KC-10. According to Defense News, the Navy has had a longstanding requirement to make the E-2D capable of being refueled by USAF and Navy tankers, but a lack of funding at the time the aircraft began production meant the Navy couldn’t afford it. The new production cost is expected to be an additional $2 million on top of the ones currently rolling off the production line, however, retrofitting the 45 models made to date is estimated to cost about $6 million per airframe.

March 26/18: Japan support Northrop Grumman Systems Corp, Melbourne, Florida was contracted to provide program and engineering support for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye weapon system trainer for the government of Japan. The contract has a value of $13,8 million and includes development, integration and verification processes. Japan ordered its first E-2D Hawkeye aircraft in 2015. The E-2D weapon system trainer will enable training for Japanese Ministry of Defense weapons system operators in the operation and employment of the Japan E-2D Hawkeye aircraft. The E-2D comes with enhanced operational capabilities including the replacement of the old radar system with Lockheed Martin AN/APY9 radar, upgraded communications suite, mission computer, displays and the incorporation of an all-glass cockpit. The aircraft will improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defence utilizing an AEW&C capability.

February 27/18: Contracts-Lots 6 & 7 Northrop Grumman received Thursday February 22, 2018, two contracts for the US Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program. The first, valued in excess of $99.7 million, covers long-lead parts and support associated with the full rate production Lot 7 aircraft, while the second is a $50.6 million agreement for non-recurring engineering, product support, engineering investigations, engine and software support activity efforts for the full rate production Lot 6. Work on the tactical airborne early warning aircraft will take place at several locations across the United States, with Lot 6 work expected to be complete in March 2019 and Lot 7 work expected to be completed by December 2022.

January 8/18: ARP Orders Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $11.7 million US Navy order from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide Advanced Radar Processor (ARP) hardware sets in support of the service’s E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. Work on the contract will take place in Liverpool, New York (85 percent); Melbourne, Florida (13 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. The delivered sets will be used by the Navy during the operational testing phase and counter electronic attack development test phase of the ARP, scheduled to take place between 2019 and 2020.

November 21/17: Foreign Sales-Milestone-First Flight Northrop Grumman has carried out the first flight of the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) early warning and surveillance aircraft it is building for Japan. Tokyo ordered an initial Hawkeye in 2014, followed by an additional example in August 2016, and will be added to a 13-strong E-2C fleet the Japanese Air Self Defense Forces have been operating since 1983. Both E-2Ds will be delivered next year and in the words of the company “further strengthens its ability to meet Japan’s evolving security and intelligence needs.”

November 02/17: Northrop Grumman announced the successful first refueling of its E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft. The milestone was reached during a four hour flight on July 14 of this year, where the crew performed 10 dry plugs and two wet plugs with the help of a US Navy KC-130 tanker. Awarded in 2013, the aerial refueling contract was granted to give the US Navy the capability and flexibility to conduct missions over four hours. The aerial refueling system modification contains several sub-system upgrades to accommodate the refueling capability including adding the fuel probe plumbing, formation lighting, long-endurance seats, as well as flight control software and hardware changes.

December 20/16: An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye equipped with aerial refueling has made its debut flight. Work carried out by Northrop Grumman included the installation of a probe along with associative piping and electrical cabling, as well as long endurance seats that will enhance the field of view in the cockpit and reduce fatigue over longer missions. A 2013 engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) contract has tasked the company with modifying three aircraft for testing followed by retrofits and production cut-in starting from 2018.

February 25/16: Northrop Grumman has announced that their E-2D Hawkeye aircraft is to carry out its first aerial refueling by the end of 2016. The air-to-air refueling modification is currently being integrated at the company’s newly-renovated St. Augustine, Florida facility. The new capability will be integrated into new-build aircraft, and retrofitted on delivered E-2Ds to increase the time the type can operate on station. The US Navy has so far acquired 22 of the aircraft, and it is believed that the first 31 delivered will then be retrofitted with the capability. All new-builds after that are expected to have the system prior to their roll out.

December 11/15: Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $65 million contract to complete upgrade work on radar systems of 11 E-2D advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work is to take place at several locations across the US, and is expected to be completed by October 2018. $30 million of the contract is said to expire by the end of the current fiscal year.

November 16/15: The first of Japan’s ordered E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft are underway as the US government issued contracts to Northop Grumman for $151 million to build one of the aircraft. Japan hopes to buy four in total which they hope will boost their maritime capabilities in the region.

FY 2015

Japan picks E-2D; Initial Operational Capability

July 2/15: The E-2D Hawkeye has passed a Critical Design Review for its air refueling capability, following a successful Preliminary Design Review in September last year and a $226.7 million engineering, manufacturing and development contract in 2013.

June 2/15: Japan has requested four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and control aircraft from the US, following a decision in November to procure the aircraft along with V-22 Ospreys and Global Hawk UAVs. The Japanese already operate the E-2C version of the Hawkeye, with this potential sale worth an estimated $1.7 billion.

March 16/15 The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye prop planes are off on their first carrier deployment, five of them having been assigned to the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). In addition to having twice the observation resolution, the glass cockpit allows the co-pilot swap between flying duties and helping handle the information inflow.

Dec 1/14: Training. Rockwell Collins won a $26M contract that can reach a maximum value of $40M to upgrade the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Integrated Training System (HITS). This includes modifications to the tactics trainer, a modification to the maintenance trainer, spares, and an operational flight trainer provided by subcontractor ASI. Rockwell Collins was already the incumbent for the Hawkeye Integrated Training System for Aircrew (HITS-A) since a 2008 award, as well as the Hawkeye Integrated Training System for Maintenance (HITS-M). Previously the company was already involved in the E-2C’s training and simulation.

Japanese E-2C

Nov 21/14: Japan. Japan picks the E-2D as its lower-tier AEW&C aircraft, which will slot in below its upgraded E-767 AWACS. The Advanced Hawkeye beat a joint Itochu/Boeing bid involving the E-737, which is in service with Australia and South Korea. There had been rumors about the E-737 being part of an offset deal with Australia for Japanese submarine technology.

For Japan, the bottom line was cost. Both aircraft met Japan’s requirements, but the E-737’s extra speed and range came with extra costs, and the E-2D offers a smoother transition for all JASDF personnel who already work with the E-2C. As a bonus, the Hawkeye offers some basing advantages related to runway length, but that wasn’t mentioned in the official release. Sources: Japan MoD, “Airborne Early Warning & Control Model Selection” [rough translation from the Japanese].

Japan picks E-2D

Oct 10/14: The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye achieves Initial Operational Capability, signifying that a 5-plane Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW-125 “Tigertails”), is manned, trained, equipped and ready to start deployment preparation.

They’re currently assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt [CVN 71], with deployment scheduled for 2015. Sources: US NAVAIR, “U.S. Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft achieves Initial Operational Capability” | US Navy, “CARAEWRON One Two Five” | C4ISR & Networks, “Navy’s Advanced Hawkeye will deploy next year”.

IOC

FY 2014

$3+ billion multi-year buy; DOT&E continues to report technical issues, esp. CEC; E-2D directs JSOW glide bomb; Program production cut over medium term, despite multi-year deal.

E-2D landing
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Sept 11/14: Support. A $7.2 million fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract modification for E-2D FRP Lot 2 software sustainment. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy budgets.

Work will be performed in Melbourne, FL (82%); Liverpool, NY (14%); and Greenlawn, FL (4%), and is expected to be complete in March 2015 (N00019-13-C-9999).

Aug 28/14: Support. A $32.5 million to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive, firm target contract modification for non-recurring engineering in support of the Full Rate Production Lot 2 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy budgets.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (53.47%); Melbourne, FL (20.16%); St. Augustine, FL (9.83%); Indianapolis, Indiana (5.70%); Woodlawn Hills, CA (3.63%); Aire Sur L’Adour, France (2.48%); Menlo Park, CA (1.36%); El Segundo, CA (1.11%); Johnson City, NY (0.97%); Greenlawn, NY (0.80%); Falls Church, VA (0.31%); Marlboro, MA (0.14%); and various locations throughout the United States (0.04%), and is expected to be complete in July 2017 (N00019-13-C-999).

Aug 1/14: Japan. In December 2013, Japan introduced a new defense strategy that aims to improve air and maritime surveillance, as part of a drive to counter increasingly-aggressive Chinese moves. In response, Northrop Grumman is promoting the E-2D as a natural upgrade, since Japan already flies the E-2C. APY-9 radar manufacturer Lockheed Martin is also pushing the E-2D:

“Brad Hicks, vice president of radar programs at Lockheed’s Mission Systems and Sensors business, told the conference that the radar on the E-2D, built by his company, can detect advanced threats. He noted that 800 foreign aircraft violated Japan’s airspace last year…. The E-2D is designed to operate in concert with Lockheed’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, Hicks said.”

Japan uses the AEGIS BMD system on its Kongo and Atago Class destroyers. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman are also touting their Global Hawk family of UAVs, which includes the RQ-4B Global Hawk and a maritime MQ-4C Triton. Sources: Stars and Stripes, “Defense contractors hawk their surveillance planes in Japan”.

July 7/14: Testing. Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems in Bethpage, NY receives a $52.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for material and services to perform an Equivalent Flight Hours fatigue test, which will substantiate the E-2D’s expected service life.

$7.8 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy R&D funds. Work will be performed in El Segundo, CA (68%); Melbourne, FL (30%); and Bethpage, NY (2%), and is expected to be completed in July 2019. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-14-C-0036).

June 30/14: MYP 2014-18. A $3.643 billion modification, finalizing the E-2D’s multi-year fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract for 25 planes from FY 2014 – 2018, bringing the total number of E-2Ds under contract so far to 50, but note that the original proposal to savings that qualified for a multi-year deal involved 32 planes + 7 options (q.v. April 10/13, March 4-11/14). Other contracts that fall within this ambit include:

• $113.7 million: FRP-2 long-lead (July 2/13)

$871.8 million in FY 2014 USN aircraft budgets are committed immediately. Work will be performed in St. Augustine, FL (24.90%); Syracuse, NY (20.58%); Melbourne, FL (7.60%); El Segundo, CA (4.56%); Indianapolis, IN (4.06%); Menlo Park, CA (3.90%); Rolling Meadows, IL (2.30%) and various locations throughout the United States (32.10%); and is expected to be complete in August 2021 (N00019-13-C-9999).

The E-2D Hawkeye is slated to deploy with the first operational squadron, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125, in Fall 2014. See also NAVAIR, “U.S. Navy awards E-2D aircraft contract, saves $369 million” | NGC, “Northrop Grumman Receives $3.6 Billion Multiyear Contract for 25 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Aircraft”.

Multi-Year Buy: 25

June 26/14: Support. An $8.3 million contract to repair 51 line items used in the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye system. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy aircraft budgets.

Work will be performed at Melbourne, FL (40.26%); Liverpool, NY (18.39%); Baltimore, MD (13.74%); Davenport, IA (6.54%); Falls Church, VA (5.56%); and 12 other various locations in the United States (15.51%). Work will complete by June 25/15. This is a non-competitive requirement in accordance with 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1), issued by US NAVSUP Weapons System Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-12-G-034G, DO 7252).

May 29/14: CEC. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Largo, Florida, is being awarded an $11 million contract modification. It exercises an option for 5 AN/USG-3B Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Airborne Systems, which will be installed in E-2Ds to give them 2-way sharing of targeting quality information with other ships and aircraft. The systems need to be installed in new aircraft now, even though performance has been a problem and all parties are working on a fix (q.v. Jan 28/14).

All funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed in St. Petersburg, FL (90%) and Largo, FL (10%), and is expected to be complete by November 2015 (N00024-12-C-5231).

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report. For the E-2D. Costs are increasing, but about 2/3 of that that is Congress & the Pentagon’s fault:

“Program costs increased $1,210.7 million (+5.9%) from $20,455.8 million to $21,666.5 million, due primarily to the net stretch-out of the procurement buy profile delaying 10 aircraft beyond the Future Years Defense Program and extending the end of production two years from FY 2021 to FY 2023 (+$759.1 million). Also, there were other increases for the addition of fighter-to-fighter backlink, data fusion, integrated fire control, net enabled weapons J11 message, navigation warfare anti-global positional system jam electronic protection, and stores performance assessment requested quality (+$341.3 million).”

We haven’t added this to the article’s program dashboard, because Pentagon figures and GAO figures aren’t an apples-to-apples comparison. It’s worthy of note, however, that when past SARs (q.v. March 30/12) are included, Congress and the Pentagon’s decisions have cost this program $2.486 billion.

Delays cost money

March 4-11/14: FY15 Budget. The USN unveils their preliminary budget request briefings, followed by more detailed figures over time. R&D continues, with a FY 2015 focus on adding in-flight refueling, and continuing mission system software development, countermeasures against jamming etc., MIDS-JTRS integration, full-scale fatigue tests, testing and evaluation expenses. RDT&E funding will also be ramping up, rather than down, in subsequent years.

The E-2D continues to be a target for cuts. Despite a multi-year deal for 32 planes and 5 options from FY 2014 – 2018, the current budget aims to cut 7 planes from that base by ordering just 4 in FY15 (-1), 5 in FY16 (-1), 6 in FY17 (-2), 5 in FY18 (-3), and then 5 in FY19. Total cuts from FY 2015 – 2018 are $1.01 billion. Yet the Navy says that:

“The E-2D combined with the SM-6 missile, Cooperative Engagement Capability and the AEGIS combat system is a key component of Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air (NIFC-CA), enabling use of the missile at its maximum kinetic range. The E-2D will ensure the “eyes” of the nation’s sea-based strike capability remain focused on emerging threat systems.”

It’s hard to reconcile the words with the consistent actions. The missing FY15 aircraft can be seen in the Unfunded Priority List That Shall Not Be Named So, and near-term reductions might make sense on technical grounds (q.v. Jan 17/13, Jan 28/14). Cuts 3 and 4 years out tell a different story. Sources: USN, PB15 Press Briefing [PDF] | Detailed budget documents.
March 4/14: Testing. Lockheed Martin Corp. in Liverpool, NY receives a $16.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for specialized test equipment and associated technical data packages and adapters required to perform testing of E-2D AN/APY-9 radar system LRMs (line replacement module “black boxes”).

All funds are committed immediately, using USN FY12 aircraft budgets. Work will be performed in Liverpool, NY, and is expected to be complete in February 2017. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1, and is managed by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ (N68335-14-C-0145).

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The entry focuses on the USG-3B Cooperative Engagement Capability module used in E-2D naval AWACS aircraft. Bottom line: it’s worse than the USG-3 carried by its E-2C predecessors. UGS-3B is operationally suitable (maintaiable), but not operationally effective.

Key problems include misalignments that make it hard to depend on consistent object tracking between platforms (which is CEC’s core purpose). In a similar vein, the system has an issue with dual tracks for single objects that’s well above normal. There are also integration problems with the mission computer, and EM interference problems that affect the radar altimeter. The problems were persistent enough that the Navy has decoupled CEC testing from the E-2D’s own IOT&E evaluation as a new platform.

Oct 27/13: Testing. At the US Navy’s Trident Warrior 2013 demonstration, Super Hornet fighters simulated the launch of an AGM-154C-1 JSOW precision glide bomb, while the E-2D directed the imaginary weapon toward the positively identified target, and received status updates from the “weapon.” In effect, they made the E-2D itself an offensive weapon.

This mirrors a 2009 simulation involving a JSOW C-1 with a Navy P-3 Orion and USAF E-8C JSTARS battlefield surveillance aircraft. Sources: Raytheon, Oct 27/13 release.

FY 2013

Multi-Year deal for 32 + 5 options; FRP-1 orders; Development order for in-flight refueling capability; Testing has some gaps, but good enough for full production; Exports update.

E-2D displays
(click to view full)

Sept 27/13: Refueling. A $226.7 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to design, develop, install, test, and document an In-flight Refueling capable E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. $8.6 million is committed immediately.

The aerodynamics of in-flight refueling for a plane like the E-2D will be a challenge for NGC engineers, but extending the aircraft’s range would be a very big payoff. USN test squadron VX-20 has been conducting limited scope test flights over the past couple of years, in order to identify potential risks. Aerial refueling would be a nice foundation for a Block II/ Increment 2 variant, and NGC has also been working on improving the Standard Automatic Flight Control System (SAFCS) to assist the pilots when refueling. New seats whose adjustments can address pilot field-of-view and crew fatigue are a minor development with a strong payoff, and NGC’s proposed formation lights certainly have their uses as well.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (64%); St. Augustine, FL (21%); Irvine, CA (3.7%); Endicott, NY (2.7%); Ronkonkoma, NY (1.6%); Bohemia, NY (1%); and various locations throughout the United States (6%), and is expected to be complete in January 2019. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-13-C-0135). See also Northrop Gruman, “Northrop Grumman Awarded $226.7 Million for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye In-Flight Refueling”.

R&D to add in-flight refueling

Sept 17/13: An $11.7 million for firm-fixed-price delivery order orders the design, development, first article, and production units for 10 pieces of support equipment unique to the E-2D (PSE); and the procurement of 29 pieces of existing PSE items. All funds are committed immediately from FY 2011 procurement budgets.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in March 2016. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ manages the contract (N68335-10-G-0021, #0009).

Aug 28/13: FRP-1. A $31.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification buys engineering support for E-2D Full Rate Production Lot 1. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (29.88%); St. Augustine, FL (24.38%); Bethpage, NY (12.64%); Greenlawn, NY (10.21%); Woodland Hills, CA (8.2%); El Segundo, CA (6.99%); Menlo Park, CA (4.5%); and various locations within the United States (3.2%); and is expected to be complete in September 2016 (N00019-12-C-0063).

July 24/13: FRP-1. A $617.1 million modification finalizes the 5-plane Full Rate Production Lot 1 advance acquisition contract into a firm-fixed-price contract. All funds are committed immediately.

Total announced contracts under FRP-1 have reached $855.8 million (q.v. Feb 1/12, April 24/13, June 4/13, June 27/13, Aug 28/13), or $171.6 million per plane.

The E-2D was cleared for FRP on Feb 8/13. Work will be performed in St. Augustine, FL (24.90%); Syracuse, NY (20.59%); Bethpage, NY (7.60%); El Segundo, CA (4.56%); Indianapolis, IN (4.6%); Menlo Park, CA (3.90%); Rolling Meadows, IL (2.3%), and approximately 200 various locations within the United States (TL 32.1%) that are individually under 5% (N00019-12-C-0063).

FRP-1: 5 E-2Ds

July 2/13: FRP-2. $113.7 million in advance contracts for FRP Lot 2 long lead materials and related support, which will cover 5 aircraft. The Pentagon announced it as a $9.3 million option, which may be true initially, and $9.3 million is committed immediately. Northrop Grumman gave the maximum figure. This award also changes the FRP-2 advance acquisition contract to a fixed-price contract.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (36.9%); Bethpage, NY (15.6%); El Segundo, CA (7.8%); Chicago, IL (7.4%); Menlo Park, CA (7.1%); Indianapolis, IN (6.8%); Cleveland, Ohio (3.3%); Aire-Sur-L’Adour, France (2.6%); Owego, NY (2.4%); Torrance, CA (2.1%); Edgewood, NY (1.7%); Falls Church, VA (1.4%); and various locations throughout the United States (4.9%); and is expected to be complete in March 2014 (N00019-13-C-9999).

NGC says that total E-2D procurement, including low-rate initial production and full-rate production aircraft, now stands at 30. The USN received its 10th E-2D in June, with another 10 in various stages of manufacture and testing. 2015 remains the expected date for Initial Operational Capability with the U.S. Navy. NGC.

June 27/13: Support. A $32.3 million delivery order to provide spares in support of FRP Lot 1’s 5 ordered E-2Ds. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (37.8%); Indianapolis, IN (23.1%); Bethpage, NY (13.7%); Woodland Hills, CA (6.7%); Greenlawn, NY (3.4%); Marlborough, Mass. (1.9%); Tustin, CA (1.8%); Rockford, IL (1.4%); Falls Church, VA (1.3%); Garden City, NY (1.1%); and other locations within the United States (7.8%), and is expected to be completed in December 2016 (N00019-10-G-0004).

June 4/13: Saved for later. On FBO.gov, NAVAIR announces their intent to give Northrop Grumman a Cost Plus Incentive Fee contract under a “Post Initial Operational Capability” solicitation. The E-2D’s planned IOC date is October 2014, and the contract involves adding an Installation Data Package for adding Secure Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) Chat, Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) and Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Accelerated Mid-Term Interoperability Improvement Program (AMIIP). That will allow retrofits of existing aircraft, and installation in production models.

Northrop Grumman will manage the set as a single entity, but each separate capability may be delivered separately and incorporated into the most appropriate E-2D DSSC software build.

June 4/13: Support. A $17.1 million contract modification for additional product, fleet, and engineering investigations support for the 5 planes in Full Rate Production Lot 1.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (81.94%); Norfolk, VA (8.98%); Syracuse, NY (3.71%); Indianapolis, IN (3.32%); and St. Augustine, FL (2.05%), and work is expected to be complete in June 2014. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 budgets (N00019-12-C-0063).

June 4/13: Support. A not-to-exceed $7.5 million delivery order for the repair of 43 line items on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye System. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 budgets. This is a sole-source contract in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), and is managed by NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-12-G-034G, 07192).

May 31/13: R&D. A $12.8 million delivery order modification, to conduct in-flight refueling risk reduction trade studies for the E-2D (N00019-10-G-0004).

Seems a little late for those – wasn’t that supposed to be a standard feature? We’re asking NAVAIR.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (67%); Endicott, NY (12.6%); Irvine, Calif. (10%); Bohemia, NY (3.8%); Ronkonkoma, NY (3.6%); Windsor Locks, CT (2%); St. Augustine, FL (.8%); and Stanford, CT (.2%), and is expected to be completed in September 2013. Fiscal 2013 Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy contract funds in the amount of $12,808,636 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

April 24/13: Software. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Bethpage, NY receives a $23 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for software sustainment of Full Rate Production Lot 1 aircraft. This delivery order provides all aspects of software management support, including the update and maintenance through the life cycle support. Test reports say the E-2D has some significant software issues (vid. Jan 17/13 entry), so there’s no shortage of things to do.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (86.5%); Syracuse, NY (9.7%); Marlborough, MA (1.3%); Greenlawn, NY (1.3%), and Woodland Hills, CA (1.2%), and is expected to be complete in October 2014. FY 2011 and 2012 Aircraft Procurement funds are being used, and the entire amount is committed immediately. $14.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13 (N00019-10-G-0004).

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.

The FY 2014 request proposes a multi-year agreement (MYP) for 32 E-2Ds, plus options on another 5 from FY 2014-2018, leaving 18 planes left to buy. If the Navy exercises its MYP options in FY 2015-2016, it could bring full-rate production to a steady rate of 8 planes per year. The Navy is estimating MYP savings of $522.8 million over 5 separate annual contracts. About 30% of that is attributable to electronic components whose minimum buy quantities can’t be met under single year procurements, which makes their cost artificially high unless bought in a multi-year deal.

Note that Navy budget documents show the E-2D as a 114-plane program, a figure that must count a number of E-2C 2000 buys. A careful look at actual E-2D orders and schedules confirms that it remains a 75 plane program.

March 28/13: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2012, plus time to compile and publish. The assessment notes that the Navy has stretched production out in order to “save” annual funds, but will pay $1.3 billion more in total – nearly double the March 30/12 SAR’s figure. That might be reduced a bit if the program gets a 32-38 plane multi-year buy approved for FY 2014 – 2018.

On the good news front, the E-2D remains a low-drama program, and the long-standing issue of radar reliability (vid. Jan 17/13 entry) has improved and reached the test plan requirement.

Feb 8/13: FRP. US NAVAIR says that the E-2D has been cleared for Full Rate Production by the Pentagon.

NAVAIR added that their own VX-1 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron had declared the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye “suitable and effective” in their Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) report.

FRP approved

Feb 7/13: Exports. A report in Shephard’s UV Online says that India, Malaysia, and the UAE have all been approved for E-2D exports by the US government. Which is not the same thing as saying that all 3 are negotiating contracts.

Northrop Grumman has responded to India’s RFI for a fixed-wing carrier-based AEW platform, to complement its Ka-31 heliborne AEW. The request is a bit odd, because Indian carriers won’t have catapults, but it is just an RFI. Northrop Grumman continues to promote the E-2D in India.

The UAE has issued a full RFP, after establishing an initial AEW&C capability with an interim order of Saab’s S340-AEW Erieye turboprops. The E-2D is expected to compete against an order of more Saab systems, and against Boeing’s E-737 AEW&C.

Jan 17/13: DOT&E testing. The Pentagon releases the FY 2012 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The E-2D is included, and it has generally performed well in over 600 hours of carrier and land-based Initial Operator Testing & Evaluation (IOT&E) from February – September 2012. The aircraft demonstrated improvements over the E-2C, but a few key gaps remain.

Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) is the biggest gap. It’s supposed to create a single picture, based on inputs from other ships, planes, etc. Instead, it was creating multiple tracks for the same object, and had to be decoupled from other testing. New software loads have been added, and renewed CEC testing began in October 2012, but CEC and full Theater Air & Missile Defense (TAMD) capability won’t be fully tested now until 2015.

The radar and software combination also has a serious problem with tracks. The automated system sometimes swaps labels when tracks get too close, which can be a fatal error. This problem had shown up in previous developmental testing, but IOT&E went ahead anyway. The problem became so serious that operators must now manually label tracks. Obviously, in any stressful environment with many tracks, that’s going to fall apart. Overland reliability in all situations, and radar reliability (vid. March 30/12 entry), were also cited by DOT&E, albeit without specifics.

The final gap is maintenance and training. A maintenance training system for the E-2D won’t be delivered until July 2013, and the E-2D integrated simulator wasn’t available for IOT&E, either.

Dec 28/12: Unplanned Obsolescence. Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, NY, is being awarded a $34.3 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for “obsolescent component redesign” of the E-2D’s mission computer and displays, integrated navigation and control display system, and network file system systems. Once again, we see the phenomenon of key computing components that become outdated and/or unavailable before a major US weapon system can even reach Initial Operational Capability.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (49%); Woodland Hills, CA (20%); Marlborough, MA (21%); Redwood City, CA (8%), and at various locations within the United States (2%), and is expected to be complete in December 2014. All contract funds are committed immediately, and $8.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity (N00019-10-G-0004).

FY 2012

LRIP-4 contract; FRP-1 lead-in; program evaluations.

E-2 concept
(click to view full)

Sept 27/12: Support. A $15 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a fixed-price-incentive-fee contract for additional E-2D system engineering and software maintenance for Production Lot 1 and 2 aircraft.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in May 2015. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-08-C-0027).

Sept 27/12: Spares. An $8.4 million firm-fixed-price delivery order modification, to provide spares for 10 E-2D Low Rate Initial Production Lots 3 and 4 aircraft.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (51.3%); Bethpage, NY (13%); Owego, NY (7.1%); Greenlawn, NY (6.3%); Woodland Hills, CA (6.1%); West Chester, OH (4.2%); North Hollywood, CA (3.0%); Marlborough, MA (2.3%); Horsham, PA (1.6%); New Port Richey, FL (1.6%), and various other locations in the United States (3.5%); and is expected to be complete in October 2015 (N00019-10-G-0004).

April 27/12: Spares. A $31.4 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic order agreement for spare components of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye low rate initial production, Lots 3 and 4 – which is to say, 10 planes.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (54%); El Segundo, CA (9.6%); Bethpage, NY (5.1%); Greenlawn, NY (4.4%); Owego, NY (3.8%); West Chester, Ohio (3.4%); Woodland Hills, CA (3.2%); Irvine, CA (3.5%); Marlborough, MA (2.1%); Bayshore, NY (1.8%); Cleveland, Ohio (1.3%); Davenport, Iowa (1.3%); North Hollywood, CA (1.1%); Horsham, Pa. (0.9%); Rome, Italy (0 .7%); New Port Richey, FL (0.5%); and various other locations in the United States (3.3%). Work is expected to be completed in August 2016 (N00019-10-G-0004).

April 27/12: Electronics. A $15.3 million firm-fixed-price order to buy, store and deliver 146 E-2D avionic units under test.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (53%); Greenlawn, NY (11%); Bethpage, NY (8%); Woodland Hills, CA (7%); Marlborough, MA (5%); West Chester, Ohio (4%); Falls Church, Va. (3%); Ronkonkoma, NY (3%); Rome, Italy (3%); New Port Richey, FL (2%); and Indianapolis, Ind. (1%). Work is expected to be completed in April 2016 (N00019-10-G-0004).

March 30/12: Good GAO review. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs” for 2012. The E-2D program is #13 on the list of highest cost programs to complete, at $11.3 billion. That hasn’t been because of poor program performance, though – a “should cost” analysis helped them negotiate a 4.5% reduction in its 3rd production contract. The GAO sees the E-2D’s technologies as mature, and its design and manufacturing processes as stable. Overall development costs are up 18% from the 2003 baseline to $4.53 billion, and costs are up because of buying decisions, but the remaining technical issues are pretty minor:

“[E-2D testing is done, but] Some development test points related to the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) remain to be completed… because of late deliveries from the CEC program… The E-2D program reported the current radar reliability rate is 71 hours. The radar must achieve a rate of 81 hours prior to the decision to enter full-rate production, which is scheduled for December 2012. DOD test organizations expressed some concern about whether the radar will be able to meet some reliability and performance measures… [but] initial results from a test exercise conducted in November partially addressed the performance concerns, according to an official at a DOD test organization.”

March 30/12: SAR – Congress costs. The Pentagon’s Selected Acquisitions Report ending Dec 31/11 includes the E-2D. The short version: costs are going up because of Congress. They still plan to buy the same 75 planes, just less frugally or intelligently:

“Program costs increased $2,279.3 million (+12.4%) from $18,457.9 million to $20,737.2 million, due primarily to an affordability-driven stretch-out of the procurement buy profile (i.e., movement of 12 aircraft over multiple years) and the addition of two production lots from FY 2012 to FY 2021 (+$780.6 million). The addition of two production lots also increased other support (+$294.7 million). There were further increases due to the removal of projected savings from cancellation of the FY 2014-2018 multi-year procurement (+$651.6 million), the application of revised escalation indices (+$224.6 million), a revised estimate for In-Flight Refueling (+$208.9 million), and increases due to capability enhancements for Secure Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) Chat, E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Fire Control Training, Long Range Tracking, and Counter Electronic Attack (+$161.2 million).”

It’s common for defense programs that are performing well to end up paying for programs that are performing poorly, by being subject to stretch-outs and/or cuts. Unfortunately, the E-2D is a good example.

SAR – how Congress adds costs

March 30/12: Support. A $22.9 million firm-fixed-price order will buy: avionics source data consisting of detailed functional description document packages; development of systems synthesis modeling reports for 34 units under test; and 392 pieces of organizational “O” level support equipment for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in June 2015. The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ manages this contract (N68335-10-G-0021).

Feb 1/12: FRP-1 lead-in. A maximum $157.9 million advance acquisition contract for long lead material etc., in order to support 5 E-2Ds in FY 2013’s Full Rate Production Lot 1. FRP-1 was planned at 7 aircraft, but the eventual plan is reduced to the 5 planes covered here.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (32.6%); Bethpage, NY (15.5%); Dallas, TX (12.4%); Menlo Park, CA (9.8%); Woodland Hills, CA (6%); and various other locations within the United States (23.7%) into March 2013. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-12-C-0063).

Jan 24/12: LRIP-4 contract. A $781.5 million contract modification for 5 FY 2012/ LRIP(low rate initial production) Lot 4 E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (25.36%); Bethpage, NY (25.10%); St. Augustine, FL (19.3%); El Segundo, CA (5.34%); Indianapolis, IN (4.84%); Menlo Park, CA (4.64%); Rolling Meadows, IL (2.50%); and various locations within the United States (12.92%). Work is expected to be complete by May 2015 (N00019-10-C-0044).

LRIP-4: 5 E-2Ds

Jan 20/12: Spares. A $31.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for integrated E-2D LRIP program spares support. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in May 2013 (N00019-10-G-0004).

Jan 17/12: 2011 DOT&E – Radar & CEC. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report for the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation. The E-2D Hawkeye is included, and concerns revolve around 3 core areas: Overland radar performance; Cooperative Engagement Capability; and Reliability. For radar performance, DOT&E suggests a post-evaluation processor upgrade to boost overland performance. It adds:

“As of December 2011, 93% of CEC test points are complete. Carrier suitability testing and the initial cadre of pilots completed carrier qualification in January, August, and September 2011, to support upcoming IOT&E… Discovery of hardware and software integration discrepancies significantly delayed E-2D/CEC integration and testing in FY11… now appears CEC developmental testing will complete in 1QFY12 and is the pacing event for… IOT&E… for the E-2D… [and] for new CEC aircraft hardware (AN/USG-3B) under development by the Navy…

“The [APY-9] radar system reliability, specifically radar mean time between failures, does not currently meet established requirements of 81 hours. While low radar mean time between failures has been a concern for the last two years, it has steadily improved and was 64.3 hours as of July 2011. [Other data are based on small sample sizes, but are under reliability goals].”

FY 2011

DAB approval; LRIP 2/3; carrier and EMALS launch.

1st carrier takeoff
(click to view full)

Sept 27/11: EMALS launch. The EMALS test site at Lakehurst, NJ launches an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. The EMALS electro-magnetic catapult, which will outfit the new USS Gerald R. Ford and replace the old steam catapults on refitted Nimitz Class ships, has already launched an F/A-18E Super Hornet, a T-45 Goshawk jet trainer, and the Hawkeye’s C-2A Greyhound cargo cousin.

About 63 – 65 launches are planned for each aircraft type, and the 2nd phase of aircraft compatibility testing is scheduled to begin in 2012. Engineers will continue reliability testing through 2013, then perform installation, checkout, and shipboard testing, with the goal of shipboard certification in 2015.US Navy.

EMALS catapult launch

August 16/11: SDD. A $47.6 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification for maintenance and repair of components and/or systems that are unique to the E-2D, as part of the SDD program.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (63%); Greenlawn, NY (35%); and Rolling Meadows, IL (2%), and is expected to be complete in December 2012 (N00019-03-C-0057).

July 22/11: LRIP-3 Order. A $760.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to manufacture and deliver 5 LRIP Lot 3/ FY 2011 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, including associated support connected to the delivery. This contract also provides for long lead time materials and related support for 5 LRIP Lot 4/ FY 2012 planes.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (25.36%); Bethpage, NY (25.10%); St. Augustine, FL (19.3%); El Segundo, CA (5.34%); Indianapolis, IN (4.84%); Menlo Park, CA (4.64%); Rolling Meadows, IL (2.50%); and other locations within the United States (12.92%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2015 (N00019-10-C-0044). See also April 13/11 entry.

LRIP-3: 5 E-2Ds

July 22/11: A $34 million contract modification finalizes a fixed-price-incentive-fee contract for 1 additional LRIP Lot 2/ FY 2010 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, bringing it to $170 million, plus long-lead buys, plus Government-Furnished Equipment that’s bought separately.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (25.36%); Bethpage, NY (25.10%); St. Augustine, FL (19.3%); El Segundo, CA (5.34%); Indianapolis, IN (4.84%); Menlo Park, CA (4.64%); Rolling Meadows, IL (2.50%); and various locations throughout the United States (12.92%), and is expected to be complete in July 2013 (N00019-08-C-0027). See also July 22/10 entry.

LRIP-2: now 3 E-2Ds

April 15/11: Spares. A $6.6 million contract modification to provide spare consumables and repairables for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye LRIP Lot 2 as well as the Hawkeye Integrated Training System trainers.

Work is expected to be complete in August 2013 and will be performed in El Segundo, CA (52%); Woodland Hills, CA (27%); Marlborough, MA (16%); Syracuse, NY (4%); and Rolling Meadows, IL (1%) under contract N00019-10-G-0004.

April 14/11: DAB approval. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye has a successful Defense Acquisition Board review. That leads to authorized funding for an additional 10 E-2Ds, via an Acquisition Decision Memorandum signed by undersecretary of defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Dr. Ashton Carter. Subsequent conversations with NAVAIR add some clarity to this announcement:

“The Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program received approval for procurement of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 3 (4 aircraft) and Lot 4 (6 aircraft), as well as Advance Acquisition Contract (AAC) for the procurement of long-lead items to support Full Rate Production (FRP) Lot 1 (7 aircraft) [after it] met all criteria needed to continue LRIP.”

LRIP Lot 4 is 6 planes because there are 5 E-2Ds + 1 combat loss replacement requested in FY 2012. To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered 5 E-2D aircraft to the Navy, and production on the 10th aircraft recently began at Northrop Grumman’s East Coast Manufacturing and Flight Test Center in St. Augustine, FL. The aircraft is on track to enter Initial Operational Test and Evaluation later in 2011. Northrop Grumman.

DAB approval

April 13/11: LRIP-4 lead-in. A $94.6 million contract modification to finalizes a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-10-C-0044) to a fixed-price agreement. As a first step, this modification buys long-lead items for 4 LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) Lot 4 E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes. NAVAIR tells DID that:

“The average unit recurring flyaway (URF) cost for 70 aircraft in then-year dollars is $166.1 million based on President’s Budget 2012.”

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (46.8%); Bethpage, NY (13.5%); El Segundo, CA (2.6%); Potez, France (2.4%); Edgewood, NY (1.9%); Menlo Park, CA (1.6%); Woodland Hills, CA (1.4%); Owego, NY (1.2%); St. Augustine, FL (1.2%); Marlborough, MA (1.1%); Brooklyn Heights, OH (1%); Greenlawn, NY (.6%); and various locations within the United States (24.7%). Work is expected to be complete by December 2011. This contract was not competitively procured (N00019-10-C-0044).

April 5/11: Spares. A $21.3 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for both consumable and repairable E-2D spares, covering the LRIP Lot 2 buy of 3 planes, and Hawkeye Integrated Training System trainers.

Work is expected to be complete in July 2015, and will be performed in El Segundo, CA (30 %); Syracuse, NY (23 %); Woodland Hills, CA (7.6 %); Menlo Park, CA (6.4 %); Marlborough, MA (6.1 %); Bethpage, NY (3.6 %); Indianapolis, IN (3.1 %); Rolling Meadows, IL (1.6 %); St. Augustine, FL (0.75 %); and various locations throughout the United States (17.85%) under contract N00019-10-G-0004.

Feb 8/11: India. India Defence reports that:

“While briefing media personnel in Bangalore on the eve of Aero India 2011, (Retired) Commodore Gyanendra Sharma, Managing Director of Northrop Grumman India announced that the Ministry of Defence has sent a Request for Information (RFI) for E-2D Naval Airborne Early Warning aircraft to Northrop Grumman. As per details given by Mr. Sharma, Indian Navy has shown interest in procuring at least four such aircrafts… Northrop Grumman is positive that a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the same would be issued by year end.”

Feb 1/11: Carrier landing. An E-2D flown by VX-20 squadron makes the type’s 1st carrier takeoff and landing, aboard the USS Harry S. Truman [CVN 75]. Carrier suitability testing is now underway, with 99% of radar testing complete. US Navy | Northrop Grumman.

1st carrier takeoff & landing

Jan 28/11: India. Northrop Grumman announces that an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye crew work-station will be among its Aero India 2011 exhibits, adding that “India is among the very first countries for which the Advanced Hawkeye capability has been released.” Unfortunately, its carriers don’t carry the catapults required to operate it, so any E-2Ds would be based from shore.

Dec 27/10: Industrial. A $7.4 million firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-fee contract. It covers one time efforts associated with turning E-2D engineering drawing changes into E-2D production changes. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (71.5%), and St. Augustine, FL (28.5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2012. $1,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11 (N00019-08-C-0027).

Dec 7/10: Support. A $19.6 million firm-fixed-price delivery order under the basic order agreement to provide integrated logistics support for low rate initial production E-2D aircraft. A performance based support contract is expected down the road, and this contract is expected to handle the transition period. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in October 2011 (N00019-10-G-0004).

FY 2010

1st delivery; SATCOM; IFF.

Catapult test
(click to view full)

Sept 29/10: IFF. A $59.2 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract for IFF Mode 5 and Mode S upgrades. Efforts will include design, implementation, test and evaluation, verification, documentation, acceptance, and certification. Mode 5 IFF offers improved encryption, range, and civil compatibility. It also adds “lethal interrogation” as a must-respond last chance, and the ability to see individual aircraft even when they’re close together. The further addition of the civilian Mode S assigns a discrete ‘squawk’ which is unique to that aircraft. Together, they improve combat identification, and enable unrestricted flight in civilian airspace.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (63%); Greenlawn, NY (35%); and Rolling Meadows, IL (2%). Work is expected to be complete in December 2013 (N00019-03-C-0057).

Sept 29/10: Industrial. A $25 million firm-fixed-price fixed-price-incentive-fee contract modification covers one-time efforts associated with E-2D engineering drawing modifications, and incorporation of open corrective actions required to produce production-ready documentation. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (67%), and St. Augustine, FL (33%), and is expected to be complete in September 2012 (N00019-08-C-0027).

Sept 15/10: SATCOM. A $9 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) to develop a dual satellite communication capability in the E-2D.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (75%); Menlo Park, CA (17%); Westminster, CO (4%); Ronkonkoma, NY (2%); and Whippany, NJ (2%); and is expected to be complete in July 2011.

July 30/10: Fleet entry. The first Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to enter the U.S. Navy fleet is “welcomed home” in a ceremony held at Norfolk Naval Air Station, VA. The 2 pilot production aircraft bought in July 2007 remain on track for delivery in 2010, and Northrop Grumman claims that “manufacturing of four Low-Rate Initial Production aircraft also is progressing well.” Northrop Grumman.

Aug 11/10: C-2 spinoff? Flight International reports that the US Navy has commissioned a 6-month study from Northrop Grumman to look at remanufacturing C-2A Greyhound bodies using tooling and components already developed for the new E-2D Hawkeye, in order to give its 36 carrier-capable cargo planes longer service life.

The C-2As were originally designed to last for 36,000 carrier landings and 15,000 flight hours, and some have already had their center wing boxes replaced. The E-2 Hawkeye is a close derivative, and with Northrop Grumman ramping up E-2D production, refurbishing or building C-2s could become a cheaper option than buying up to 48 V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors for Navy roles that would be anchored by the same Carrier On-board Delivery function.

July 29/10: The 1st E-2D Advanced Hawkeye AWACS is delivered to the fleet at Chambers Field, Naval Station Norfolk, VA. The E-2D will go to the “Greyhawks” of Airborne Early Warning Fleet Replacement Squadron VAW-120, the “Greyhawks,” first. They will fly and operate the new plane, help set its parameters and procedures, and train pilots and Navy flight officers to fly and operate E-2Ds.

Another 2 pilot production E-2Ds are on schedule for delivery in 2010, and 4 Low Rate Initial Production planes are in various stages of manufacture. US Navy | Northrop Grumman | Virginia Pilot.

1st delivery

July 22/10: LRIP-2 partial. A $136 million unfinalized not-to-exceed contract modification for 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from LRIP Lot 2 (FY 2010). This fixed-price-incentive-fee contract is only partial, as LRIP-2 is expected to include 3 planes.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (32.6%); Bethpage, NY (15.5%); Dallas, TX (12.4%); Menlo Park, CA (9.8%); Indianapolis, IN (6.3%); Woodland Hills, CA (6%); Aire-sur-l’Adour, France (2.7%); Brentwood, NY (2.6%); Owego, NY (2.6%); Greenlawn, NY (2.2%); Irvine, CA (1.7%); Marlboro, MA (1.6%); Clemmons, NC (1.6%); Windsor Locks, CT (1.2%); and various locations throughout the U.S. (1.2%). Work is expected to be complete in December 2012 (N00019-08-C-0027).

LRIP-2: 2-3 E-2Ds

March 15/10: LRIP-3 lead-in. A $94.6 million not-to-exceed advance acquisition contract for long lead materials and support associated with the manufacture and delivery of 4 LRIP Lot 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft in FY 2010.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (32.6%); various locations within the United States (23.7%); Bethpage, NY (15.5%); Dallas, TX (12.4%); Menlo Park, CA (9.8%); and Woodland Hills, CA (6%), and is expected to be complete in May 2011. This contract was not competitively procured, as the manufacturer is already set (N00019-10-C-0044).

March 4/10: Radar. Lockheed Martin announces a $171.8 million low-rate initial production contract from Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Bethpage, NY, for 4 AN/APY-9 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) radar systems and spare parts.

The company adds that 2 engineering-development models and 4 pre-production radar systems are currently in flight and qualification testing. Mission system and radar-related testing are currently ahead of schedule, with more than 230 radar flights over the last several months, by the Navy/ Industry integrated test team.

Dec 14/09: Sub-contractors. A $9.3 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-08-C-0027) for “non-recurring engineering in support of new supplier qualification and startup in support of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft low-rate initial production Lot 1 and 2 aircraft.”

According to Northrop Grumman, CPI Aerostructures in Edgewood, NY is the E-2D Outer Wing Panel supplier. They replaced Vought/Schweizer, who provided the E-2C Outer Wing Panel.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (40.63%); Edgewood, NY (22.35%); St. Augustine, FL (20.86%); Aire-sur-l’Adour, France (14.17%); and various locations within the continental United States (1.99%), and is expected to be complete in January 2011.

Dec 14/09: Support. Wyle Laboratories, Inc. in Huntsville, AL receives a $30.6 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00421-03-D-0015) for continued E-2C/ E-2D/ C-2 planning, program and financial services in support of the US Navy and the governments of Egypt, France, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and Canada under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Canada does not operate any C-2 or E-2 family aircraft at this point, which makes their inclusion interesting; the other foreign military inclusions all operate versions of the E-2C. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD, and is expected to be completed in December 2010.

Nov 30/09: CEC. A $6.8 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-5203) build and test AN/USG-3B Airborne Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) Systems for use on the Navy’s new E-2D Hawkeye AWACS aircraft. The AN/USG-3B will create a shared fleet defense capability for the E-2D that will reportedly include assistance with ballistic missile tracking. China’s introduction of anti-ship ballistic missiles will make that a valuable capability twice over.

Work will be performed in Largo, FL (80%); St. Petersburg, FL (19%), and Dallas, TX (1%), and is expected to be complete by June 2011.

Nov 9/09: SDD. A $15.6 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) to provide Phase I aircraft data management for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, as part of the SDD phase.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (71.3%); Grand Rapids, MI (9.3%); Woodland Hills, CA (6%); St. Augustine, FL (5.4%); Cedar Rapids, IA (3%); Norfolk, VA (2.2%); and various other locations within the United States (2.8%), and is expected to be complete in July 2012.

Oct 16/09: Testing. Northrop Grumman announces that its Delta One test aircraft successfully completed its first land-based catapult launch tests. Both E-2D System Development and Demonstration (SDD) aircraft, Delta One and Delta Two, are currently undergoing shore-based carrier suitability testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD with the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20).

Oct 8/09: India. The US government’s Voice of America news service reports (Text | Video) that India has ordered the E-2D:

“The latest India-U.S. defense deal is the sale of this Airborne Early Warning Air Craft, Hawkeye E-2D, developed by American arms manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. Woolf Gross, the corporate director at the company, says the reconnaissance plane has yet to be introduced in the U.S. Navy. Its sale to India, he says, is a symbol of how close India/U.S. military relations are. “So they [the Indians] could have advanced Hawkeyes in India about the same time that the U.S. Navy becomes fully operational with the same aircraft,” he explained.”

Direct discussions with Northrop Grumman representatives clarified this situation. The E-2D was recently approved for export to India, which clears the way for the USN to conduct E-2D technical briefings with India under American arms export laws. To date, however, there is no sale and no contract.

FY 2009

Operational Assessment; Milestone C; LRIP-1 contract. Interest from India.

FLA flight testing
(click to view full)

Sept 24/09: Spares. A $23 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-05-G-0001) for spares in support of 2 E-2D Lot 1 aircraft. Spares include 2 Quick Engine Change Kits; 2 T-56-A-427A engines; 1 Rotodome; and consumables.

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (30.9%); Bethpage, NY (27.8%); Menlo Park, CA (23.9%); Springville, UT (7.5%); St. Augustine, FL (1.8%); and at various locations within the United States (8.1%), is expected to be complete in May 2013.

Sept 23/09: Spares. A $32.3 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-05-G-0001) for various spares in support of two E-2D Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 1 aircraft.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY, (41%); Bethpage, NY (15.6%); Menlo Park, CA (5.7%); Greenlawn, NY, (4.8%); Woodland Hills, CA (4.6%); Irvine, CA (3.3%); Cleveland, OH (3.2%); West Chester, OH (3.2%); Indianapolis, IN (2.9%); Freeport, NY (2%), and at various locations within the United States (13.7%), and is expected to be complete in February 2013.

Sept 13/09: India. Indian media report that the US government has cleared the E-2D for possible export to India, following the signing of End User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) protocols in July 2009.

India is the second country after the UAE to be cleared by the US State and Defense Departments for E-2D sales, but a specific Foreign Military Sales contract would require clearances for other systems as well. The report states that initial operations would be shore-based, because even the converted 40,000t Admiral Gorshkov will lack the required catapults. India would be able to receive E-2Ds within 3 years of signing a contract. Hindustan Times.

July 31/09: SDD. Northrop Grumman Technical Services Sector in Herndon, VA received a $7 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-08-C-0065), exercising an option for approximately 89,886 hours of engineering and logistics services in support of E-2C, C-2A test and E-2D System Design and Development (SDD) aircraft located at the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ZERO (VX-20) in Patuxent River, MD.

Services will include modification and preparation of the aircraft for test operations, correction of safety of flight discrepancies, quality control inspections, engineering investigations, and logistics and parts support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD, and is expected to be complete in July 2010.

July 7/09: Industrial. Northrop Grumman begin manufacturing its 6th E-2D Hawkeye, and the 1st Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) aircraft for operational use, with the start of keel assembly at the company’s East Coast Manufacturing and Flight Test Center in St. Augustine, FL. This work is being performed under the June 15/09 contract. NGC release.

July 1/09: Engines. A $6.4 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) to buy NP2000-3 Propellar Systems and associated spares for 3 E-2D pilot production aircraft – in other words, 6 of the Hamilton-Sundstrand propellers, plus associated spares. Northrop Grumman receives the contract because they’re the prime integrator.

Work will be performed in Windsor Locks, CT (80%, Hamilton-Sundstrand) and Bethpage, NY (20%, Northrop Grumman), and is expected to be complete in October 2010.

June 15/09: Milestone C, LRIP-1 contract. The E-2D successfully passes its Milestone C review, and a $360.5 million modification finalizes the previously awarded $20 million April 7/09 contract for 2 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) E-2D aircraft (N00019-08-C-0027). In addition, this contract provides long lead materials and related support for the 2 FY 2010 LRIP Lot 2 aircraft. A subsequent Northrop Grumman release adds additional items, and places the contract’s total value at $432 million.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (31.27%); Syracuse, NY (23.57%), various locations within the United States (19.06%); St. Augustine, FL (16.36%); Menlo Park, CA (3.81%); Indianapolis, IN (3.76%); and Rolling Meadows, IL (2.17%), and is expected to be completed in October 2011.

Milestone C and LRIP-1: 2 E-2Ds

June 10/09: To Pax. Northrop Grumman announces that an E-2D test aircraft has flown north to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, to begin carrier suitability testing. The bulk of the testing involves catapult and arrested landing structural tests, also called ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll Tests’, as well as aerodynamic testing for minimum acceptable approach airspeed, and establishing crosswind limits, etc. Logistics, manpower and interoperability compatibility with the carriers are also tested.

June 3/09: The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Integrated Test Team (ITT) – composed of military, civil service and industry personnel from Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, prime contractor Northrop Grumman, and other program contractors – has received the Weapons Systems Award from the 75 year old Order of Daedalians. Their award, and its Colonel Franklin C. Wolfe Memorial Trophy, are presented annually for the most outstanding weapons system development in the aerospace environment. Other recent awards for the team include recognition as a model ITT by Vice Adm. David Architzel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition); the U.S. Navy’s VX-20 Test Team of the Quarter for Q2 2008; he 2008 James S. McDonnell Test Team of the Year from the Society of Experimental Flight Test Engineers; and the 2007 Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Test Team of the Year.

The NGC corporate release identifies the Navy’s current Advanced Hawkeye program manager, Capt. Shane Gahagan; Northrop Grumman’s Jim Culmo, as VP of Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command Control Programs for its Aerospace Systems sector; and Marty McCord, as Northrop Grumman’s Contractor Flight Test Director.

May 13/09: Testing. Northrop Grumman announces that the E-2D program recently reached its 1,000th hour of flight testing at Northrop Grumman’s East Coast Manufacturing and Flight Test Center. The release adds that the aircraft “continues to successfully meet, or exceed, all major program and performance milestones… E-2D pilot production continues ahead of schedule on the first three aircraft, and radar long-range detection performance is exceeding expectations.” The E-2D will fly to NAS Patuxent River later in 2009, for the carrier suitability testing phase.

April 30/09: Support. A $12.7 million modification to a previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract. They will provide integrated logistics services for E-2D Pilot Production aircraft, as part of the SDD phase. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (91%) and at various locations throughout the United States (8%), and is expected to be complete in September 2011 (N00019-03-C-0057).

April 7/09: LRIP-1 lead-in. A not-to-exceed $20 million modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-08-C-0027), buying long lead-time materials and support for the 2 E-2Ds that will be built under LRIP Lot 1.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (32.6%), various locations within the United States (23.7%); Bethpage, NY (15.5%); Dallas, TX (12.4%); Menlo Park, CA (9.8%); and Woodland Hills, CA (6%), and is expected to be complete in August 2011.

March 31/09: GAO report re: delays. The US GAO audit office delivers its 7th annual “Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs report. The E-2D is included among the 47 programs reviewed. Total program cost growth is under 10%, with just 5.8% cost growth during the R&D phase. Overall, the reports rates all 4 of the E-2D AHE’s critical technologies as mature, and the E-2D AHE design as stable. That’s an uncommon combination among similar stage programs, and the cost and schedule figures mark the E-2D as a successful acquisition program. They added that:

“In early flight testing, the program experienced problems with the high power circulators, hydraulic lines, antenna power amplifier modules, and inclement weather, which has resulted in a 4 to 6 month delay in the program’s flight testing schedule… The program is taking a series of steps to address flight testing delays [but] completing flight testing according to its original schedule may not be feasible. According to program officials, the program will experience additional delays due to budget cuts… likely that the budget cuts will impede the program’s ability to meet its planned initial operational capability date due to the reduced number of aircraft available to perform pilot and maintenance training operations to prepare for initial deployment. Program officials estimate this reduction in two aircraft will cause a 12 to 24 month delay in initial operating capability and a 20% increase in the aircraft’s unit cost.”

March 2/09: Electronics. GE Aviation Systems, LLC in Grand Rapids, MI received a $12.1 million ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for aircraft recorders. The order includes 27 Crash Survivable Memory Units (CSMU) for the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors; 120 Crash Survivable Flight Information Recorder (CSFIR) Voice and Data Recorders (VADRs) for the E-2D Hawkeye AWACS plane; and 2 CSFIR Integrated Data Acquisition and Recorder Systems for T-6A trainer aircraft. In addition, this contract provides for CSFIR supply system spares; engineering and product support; CSFIR and CSMU hardware; software upgrades, repairs, and modifications for CSFIR/Structural Flight Recording Set (SFRS) common ground station software.

Work will be performed in Grand Rapids, MI, and is expected to be complete in March 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-09-D-0017).

Feb 6/09: With a new administration in place and the “economic stimulus” package pending in Congress, Northrop Grumman and local leaders step up lobbying for restoration of the FY 2009 budget’s $203.4 million cut to production procurement for the E-2D (see October 2008 entry, and related materials). Tom Vice, sector vice president for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector, says that the firm has the manufacturing capacity to accommodate up to 10 E-2Ds per year.

Program Manager Jim Culmo, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command and Control Programs, believes that there’s a key industrial base issue. The last E-2C will be delivered in 2009, leaving the E-2D program as the sole support. As a result:

“We have major concerns about the jobs impact and here’s why. Northrop Grumman and its 280 suppliers will make their final E-2C Hawkeye deliveries this year, as well as transfer our two SD&D aircraft to Patuxent River Naval Air Station. During this critical transition to LRIP, a reduction in the number of aircraft the Navy had planned to produce has dramatic consequences. This will increase the unit cost to the Navy by approximately 20% [for the 2 aircraft ordered]. It will mean a loss of 350 jobs across our supplier base in 38 U.S. states beginning in the first quarter of 2009. This loss will erode the highly skilled workforce, particularly in the state of Florida, that has been dedicated to this program for decades… Getting these critical skills back once they are gone is going to be extremely challenging.”

There’s also a timeline issue, as delays at this juncture are expected to push back the E-2D’s Initial Operating Capability to 2012-13. Arguments are being made that this might also have an effect on foreign sales, but E-2C+ Hawkeye 2000s would be a viable offering if the timing was that critical to the buyer. See: NGC release | Florida Times-Union | Reuters | St. Augustine Record op-ed.

Nov 13/08: OA done. Northrop Grumman announces that its E-2D has completed operational assessment (OA) after more than 600 flight hours, over half involving in-flight radar testing. OA testing involves the performance of the platform in an environment that resembles actual missions. The firm had set a date for OA completion 5 years ago, and met it on schedule with 92% aircraft availability, all test objectives executed, and no major system failures. The OA report is due in December 2008, and the firm has been given a green rating on production readiness; a “Milestone C” decision on low-rate initial production is due in 2009.

NGC’s corporate release notes that the E-2D has been recognized for its program performance with numerous industry awards in 2008. They include Aviation Week’s Military Laureate Award and its Program Excellence Achievement Award; the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Leroy Grumman Award; and NAVAIR Commander’s Award for Program Management.

OA done, industry awards

October 2008: Budget cut. the FY 2009 defense budget is passed, with a cut of $165.5 million from the request for Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 1 (3 planes to 2, aircraft deferred until 2022), and $37.9 million from long lead-time item buys for FY 2010 LRIP-2, for a total of $203.4 million. The timing of the cut will delay the E-2D’s expected Initial Operational Capability by 12-18 months, to 2012-13.

Because the underlying infrastructure fixed costs don’t change, and E-2C production is ending and cannot absorb any slack, the changes caused an approximate 20% jump in cost per aircraft in FY 2009, a 12.5% jump in FY 2010, and increase other costs by lengthening total production time and incurring more fixed costs for infrastructure, labor, etc. to produce the same number of machines.

FY 2008

SDD. Pilot production.

E-2D cockpit
(click to view full)

Sept 26/08: Pilot production. A $10.7 million modification to a previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract for procurement of Aircraft Change Directives in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) Pilot Production Aircraft, under the E-2D AHE System Development and Demonstration Program. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (71.2%); and St. Augustine, FL, (28.8%) and is expected to be completed in June 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00019-03-C-0057).

Sept 23/08: Support. A $6.2 million modification to a previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) covers support equipment for the 3 Lot 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (69.1%); Menlo Park, CA (5.7%); New Port Richey, FL (5.3%) Islip, NY (3.2%); Dover, NJ (3.1%); Holbrook, NY (2.2%); and other various locations within the United States (11.4%), and is expected to be complete in June 2011.

Sept 22/08: Engines. A $12 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus incentive fee contract for engineering efforts associated with the manufacture and initial fitting of the Lot 1 E-2D Hawkeyes’ T-56-A-427A engines. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (87%) and Bethpage, NY (13%), and is expected to be complete in Sept 2010 (N00019-03-C-0057).

Sept 10/08: The US Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Approves the FY 2009 Defense Appropriations Bill. Their release and summary includes “Funds procurement of 2 E-2D aircraft, a deferral of 1 aircraft.” The aircraft’s radar testing issues are cited as the reason. That approach is accepted in the final, reconciled House/Senate budget.

July 30/08: SDD. Northrop Grumman Technical Services Sector in Herndon, VA received a sole-source $6.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for approximately 89,886 hours of engineering and logistics services in support of E-2C, C-2A test and E-2D System Design and Development (SDD) aircraft located at the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ZERO (VX-20) in Patuxent River, MD.

Services to be provided include modification and preparation of the aircraft for test operations, correct safety of flight discrepancies, quality control inspections, engineering investigations, and logistics and parts support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD and the contract will end in July 2009. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N00421-08-C-0065).

July 2008: Radar flight testing resumes for the E-2D, with no subsequent problems reported.

June 27/08: Pilot production engines. A $36.3 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for T-56-A-427A engines and spares in support of the 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft. For 3 aircraft, that’s 6 engines. NGC is listed as the contractor, even though they’re Rolls Royce engines, because NGC is the prime contractor and hence responsible for integration etc.

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (82%) and Bethpage, NY (18%), and is expected to be complete in September 2010 (N00019-03-C-0057).

June 25/08: Spares. A $20.5 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) covering spare parts for the 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft of Lot 1.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (52.02%); Bethpage, NY (19.49%); Woodlawn, CA (5.82%); Greenlawn, NY (5.60%); Springville, UT (2.90%); Cincinnati, OH (2.14%); Ronkonkoma, NY (2.06%); and at various locations within the United States (9.97%), and is expected to be complete in Sep. 2010.

June 24/08: Pilot production. A $9.4 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for non-recurring engineering efforts involved in the production of required subsystems and components for the Lot 1 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot production Aircraft.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (28.23%); Torrance, CA (14.47%); Dallas, TX (10.80%); Pomezia, Italy (8.74%); Cleveland, OH (8.36%); New Port Richey, FL (8.13%), Owega, NY (6.71%); Freeport, NY (3. 20%) and various locations within the USA (11.54%), and is expected to be complete in Sep. 2010.

June 4/08: Pilot production. A $9.1 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for Electro Magnetic Interference Reduction System Process Hardware for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft; 1 Lot (3 subsystems). Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (90.9%) and Bethpage, N.Y. (9.10%), and is expected to be completed in April 2010.

As noted above, “improved clutter & interference cancellation offers significant improvement in tracking small land and sea targets, as well as better performance against electronic jamming.” It’s also very helpful if an aircraft wishes to collect enemy signals while operating a powerful radar.

April 10/08: SDD. An $11.7 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract for one-time engineering efforts centered around replacing the E-2D’s halon system. Halon is an inert gas used to put out fires by depriving them of burnable atmosphere. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, (87.3%) and St. Augustine, FL (12.7%) and is expected to be complete in Sept 2011 (N00019-03-C-0057).

March 2008: Radar issues. The E-2D program experiences issues as a result of the new radar’s high power requirements. The “high power circulators” that transfer power from the radar amplifiers to the rotodome antenna were initially unable to handle the power levels required by the new radar.

Design changes, and material changes that changed the insulating material in the antenna, are made. General flight testing continues throughout, but radar flight testing is suspended.

Feb 6/08: SDD. A $12 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for recently-specified changes to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye design during the Development and Demonstration Program. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (79.6%) and St. Augustine, FL (20.4%) and is expected to be complete in June 2008.

Dec 26/07: LRIP-1 lead-in. A $50.4 million not-to-exceed advance acquisition contract for long lead material and support for 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye low rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 1 aircraft.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (32.6%), various locations within the United States (23.7%); Bethpage, NY (15.5%); Dallas, TX (12.4%); Menlo Park, CA (9.8%); and Woodland Hills, CA (6%), and is expected to be complete in August 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity (N00019-08-C-0027).

Dec 19/07: CEC. A $22.4 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for cooperative engagement capability developmental efforts in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye System Development and Demonstration Program. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., (92.6%) and St. Augustine, FL (7.4%) and is expected to be completed in July 2009.

CEC allows the Hawkeye to share both a joint battle picture and targeting data with fleet ships, other surveillance aircraft, and even land-based missile units. Like the CEC-equipped E-2C Hawkeye 2000, the E-2D will have targeting capability, and becomes a potential node for ballistic missile defense.

Dec 17/07: India. According to a report in the forthcoming issue of India Strategic defense magazine, the Indian Navy had issued an request for information for the E-2D Hawkeye to the U.S. government. The report said Washington has confirmed India’s interest and said that “as and when a formal request is received from New Delhi, the answer should be positive.” Note also DID’s February 2006 report that Northrop Grumman was working to integrate HAL into its E-2 Hawkeye AWACS program supply chain by way of sourcing aircraft assemblies and components, digitization and other related services

The Indian Navy reportedly wanted their aircraft to be capable of staying in the air for 8 hours instead of 6, and modifications such as “wet” (fuel carrying) wings and the plane’s existing aerial refueling capability are reportedly set to address this. India Today.

Nov 29/07: Testing. Delta Two, the 2nd E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft, completes its first flight from NGC’s St. Augustine, FL manufacturing and flight test center in just over 2 hours, followed by a second flight on Dec 4/07. During the flights, the team conducted a series of air vehicle tests to evaluate airplane flying qualities, engine response, and cockpit instruments. Chief test pilot Mike Holton later said in Northrop Grumman’s release that:

“Our go-forward plan is to fly another flight to check out engine air start capability, and high angle of attack flying qualities, and then we will complete the installation of the weapon system. Once the weapon system is in, we will fly approximately 200 flights to evaluate the new radar. And just like Delta One, which flew its first flight on Aug. 3, Delta Two flew just like an E-2C.”

FY 2007

Rollout, 1st flight.

E-2D, 1st flight
(click to view full)

Sept 26/07: Industrial. A $14.5 million cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract for non-recurring efforts to prepare for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye production at NGC and its suppliers. Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (56.42%); Menlo Park, CA (23.25%); various locations across the United States, (11.23%); and Bethpage, NY (9.1%) and is expected to be complete in December 2008 (N00019-03-C-0057).

Sept 26/07: Training. A $10 million cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract for the procurement of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Prime Mission Equipment for E-2D Trainer requirements.

Work will be performed in Marlborough, MA (39%); Woodland Hills, CA (36.7%); Owego, NY (12%); Bethpage, NY (9.7%); Baltimore, MD (1.6%); and Sylmar, CA (1%) and is expected to be complete in July 2009 (N00019-03-C-0057).

Aug 3/07: 1st Dev Flight. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft, known as Delta One, completes its first flight at St. Augustine, FL. Northrop Grumman Flight Test Pilot Tom Boutin and U.S. Navy Flight Test Pilot Lt. Drew Ballinger along with Northrop Grumman Flight Test Lead Weapon Systems Operator Zyad Hajo lifted off shortly before 11 a.m. and flew for approximately 1.3 hours. NGC release.

1st flight

July 9/07: A $408 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye pilot production aircraft, under the SDD phase.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY (26.5%); at various locations across the United States (25.88%); Syracuse, NY (23.57%); St. Augustine, FL (18.63%); and Menlo Park, CA (5.42%) and is expected to be complete in August 2010. See also Northrop Grumman release.

Pilot production: 3 E-2Ds

April 30/07: Rollout. The first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye makes its first public appearance at a rollout ceremony in St. Augustine, FL. NGC release.

Rollout

April 9/07: The Pentagon’s periodic Selective Acquisition Report updates us re: cost growth in the E-2D program. Full weapons program costs increased from $15,721.5 million to $17,487.0 million (up $1.76 billion/ 11.2%), due primarily to higher Mission Electronics, general procurement, and mission systems pricing (+$653.7 million), buying fewer aircraft per year over a longer period from FY 2009-2020 (+$374.8 million), and additional pilot production funding (+$169.0 million). There were also increases for the addition of the automatic identification system, dual transit satellite communication, and in-flight refueling requirements (+$137.1 million), a revised estimate to reflect new pricing for the system development and demonstration contract (+$234.3 million), and increases in initial spares, peculiar support equipment and training, and other production support costs (+$159.1 million).

At this estimate, each E-2D aircraft will cost $233.1 million when all R&D, pilot production, equipment, and initial support funds are factored in and amortized.

SAR – baseline

Nov 13-15/06: Northrop Grumman Corporation hosts the 5th annual International Hawkeye Users Conference at its manufacturing center in St. Augustine, FL. Every year, the company brings together members of the air forces and navies of Egypt, France, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore and the United States to share lessons-learned and to learn about new capabilities and improvements planned for the world’s E-2 fleet. The NGC release adds that “together, these nations operate over 100 E-2C Hawkeyes…”

FY 2006 and Earlier

Development; CDR.

E-2D #1, Assembly
(click to view full)

July 17/06: Northrop Grumman announces that it has mated the major sub-assemblies of the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye test aircraft into a single fuselage structure at its St. Augustine, FL manufacturing center. NGC release.

Nov 17/05: CDR. Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy announce a successful E-2D critical design review (CDR). All the team’s basic designs, including the new radar, mission computer and workstations had been improved and vetted, and Northrop Grumman can now complete production of the 2 test aircraft to fulfill the SDD phase requirements. NGC release.

CDR

July 20/05: SDD add-on. A $22.6 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) to design, develop, fabricate, assemble, integrate, furnish, manage, test and evaluate an On-Board Oxygen Generating System for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y. (93.8%) and Davenport, Iowa, (6.2%), and is expected to be completed in December 2012.

March 29/04: SDD add-on. A $63.7 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) exercises an option for a Propulsion System Control Monitoring and Maintenance System (PSCMMS) for the E-2 Advanced Hawkeye (AHE). Specifically, the contractor will design, develop, fabricate, assemble, integrate, furnish, manage, test, evaluate and support a PSCMMS as part of the E-2 AHE System Development and Demonstration (SD&D) effort.

Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN (52.61%); Bethpage, N.Y. (41.08%); Windsor Locks, CT (3.92%); and Irvine, CA (2.39%), and is expected to be completed in May 2011.

Aug 11/03: SDD contract. A $1.932 billion cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the E-2 Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) system development and demonstration (SDD) phase, which will consist of modifying two E-2 Hawkeye 2000 aircraft to the E-2 AHE configuration. The contractor will design, develop, fabricate, assemble, integrate, furnish, manage, test, evaluate and support the software, hardware and engineering associated with the SDD phase.

Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y. (55.39%); at various locations across the United States (20.75%); Syracuse, N.Y. (13.91%); Baltimore, MD (4.98%); Menlo Park, CA (3.22%); and El Segundo, CA (1.75%), and is expected to be complete in December 2012. This contract was not competitively procured (N00019-03-C-0057).

E-2D development

Additional Readings

• Northrop Grumman – E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

• Northrop Grumman – E-2C Hawkeye 2000.

• Naval Technology – E-2C/D Hawkeye, United States of America.

• Northrop Grumman – Protect the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Lobbying site designed to restore $200 million in advance funding.

• Defense News (July 31/12) – Navy: Iraq Experience Validates New E-2 Radar. They’re referring to the E-2C’s overland command and control role, which was tempered by its difficulty picking up targets amid land clutter. The E-2D is significantly better at that task.

• NDIA National Defense Magazine, via WayBack (July 2009) – Navy Awaits Arrival of Powerful New Radar-Equipped Aircraft.

• Smithsonian Air & Space, via WayBack (July 2008) – Detect and Direct: The Navy’s newest Hawkeye gets closer to the fight.

Americas

• Aerojet Rocketdyne is being tapped to support the US Army’s inventory of Stinger missiles. The firm-fixed-price contract provides for the procurement of Stinger flight motors and is valued at $47 million. The FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable surface-to-air missile system that has been in service with the US Army since 1981. The “fire-and-forget” Stinger FIM-92 missile employs a passive infrared seeker to home in on its airborne target. The Stinger is launched by a small ejection motor that pushes it a safe distance from the operator before engaging the main two-stage solid-fuel sustainer, which accelerates it to a maximum speed of Mach 2.2 (750 m/s). The warhead is a 6 lb. penetrating hit-to-kill warhead type with an impact fuse and a self-destruct timer. The missile itself has an outward targeting range of up to 15,700 feet and can engage low altitude enemy threats at up to 12,500 feet. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion to be expected by June 2020.

• The Navy is procuring a variety of services in support of its Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) program. The $15,3 million firm-fixed-price modification allows Northrop Grumman to exercise options for fabrication, integration, testing, system production and delivery of peculiar support equipment for ALMDS. The ALMDS entered service with the Navy 13 years ago, it is a Light Detection and Ranging Airborne Mine Countermeasures high area coverage system that detects, classifieds, and localizes floating and near-surface moored sea mines using a blue-green laser. This gets around the inherent flight and drag limitations of towing bulky gear in the water, which allows faster area search. It also lets a helicopter image an entire ocean area and move on without stopping to recover equipment. The ALMDS is integrated with the MH-60S. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida and Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by June 2020.

• Lockheed Martin is being tapped for the provision of F-35 component repair capabilities. The awarded contract modification is valued at $175,3 million and provides for the development, testing, and activation of 13 different repair capabilities in support of the F-35 Lightning depot implementation plan for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy. At present, F-35 production is led by Lockheed Martin, with BAE and Northrop-Grumman playing major supporting roles, and many subcontractors below that. So far, the program has been plagued by a lack of spares and repair logistics. The Government Accountability Office found that the time to repair a part has averaged 172 days which is twice the program’s objective. Upkeep of the F-35 fleet will become more challenging as the Pentagon prepares for what the manager of the program has called a “tsunami” of new production toward an eventual planned US fleet of 2,456 planes plus more than 700 additional planes to be sold to allies. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($82,2 million), Navy ($41,1 million), the Marine Corps ($41,1 million) and non-DoD Participants ($10,8 million). Work will be performed at multiple locations in the continental US and is expected to be completed in November 2021. Locations include Nashua, New Hampshire; Torrance, California; and Redondo Beach, California, among others.

Middle East & Africa

• The Iraqi Air Force is set to receive another 5-year sustainment package in support for its fleet of C-130J transport aircraft as part of a US foreign military sale. Lockheed Martin will support the government of Iraq with contractor logistics support, technical assistance and logistics, to include aircraft and aerospace ground equipment, spares, repairs and familiarization training on the transport aircraft. The deal is valued at $86,7 million. The C-130 Hercules remains one of the longest-running aerospace manufacturing programs of all time. Since 1956, over 40 models and variants have served as the tactical airlift backbone for over 50 nations. The C-130J looks similar, but the number of changes almost makes it a new aircraft. The C-130J Hercules was an early player in Iraq’s rebuilt air force, which remains small and focused on transport and surveillance missions. Work will be performed at Martyr Mohammed Ala Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2022.

Europe

• The French Air Force will soon retire its fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000N nuclear-capable strike aircraft. The Mirage 2000 is a multirole combat fighter from Dassault Aviation of France. It has been operational with the French Air Force since 1984. The Mirage 2000N is a two-seater version, designed for all weather nuclear penetration at low altitude and very high speed. After 30 years of service the Mirage 2000N will be replaced by the Rafale F3. The F3 standard has been in service since 2008. Initial changes to include an added ability to carry French ASMP-A air-launched nuclear missiles.

• Jane’s reports that the Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace Joint Strike Missile (JSM) has entered its final phase of development. The air-launched Joint Strike Missile (JSM) variant is designed to be carried and launched internally from the F-35 Lightning II fighter’s 2 internal bays or carried on external hardpoints by any aircraft type that has integrated the weapon with its systems. Kongsberg changed the wings, moved the intake to the missile’s sides, and added other modifications as the missile progresses through the development phase. Size shrinks slightly to 12’2?, and weight drops to 677lb. Because it’s air launched at speed, range expands to over 175 miles/ 150 nautical miles, with greater range enhancements if launched from higher altitudes. Pending a Final Design Review in June, development of the missile is scheduled for completion by the end of 2018, following which it will be prepared for integration, carriage, and release trials with the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II multirole stealth fighter.

Asia-Pacific

• BAE Systems Land & Armaments is being awarded a contract to support the government of Taiwan as part of a US foreign military sale. The firm-fixed-price contract is valued at $83,63 million and provides for the production of 30 Assault Amphibious Vehicles, 4 Command Vehicles and two Recovery Vehicles. This effort also includes support and test equipment, spares, publications, training, engineering services, logistics, and other technical support required. The AAV or Amtrac, was initially fielded in 1972, and underwent a major service life extension program and product improvement program from 1983-1993. All work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by July 22, 2020.

• The government of New Zealand is planning to replace its ageing fleet of P-3 maritime patrol fleet with up to four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes. A recent report by the New Zealand Defense Force found that it spent $248 million on maintaining its fleet of P-3s over the past 10 years, with costs expected to gradually increase over the coming years. The P-8 will search for and destroy submarines, monitor sea traffic, launch missile attacks on naval or land targets as required, act as a flying communications relay for friendly forces, and possibly provide and electronic signal intercepts. The replacement program could cost up to $1.4 billion in total.

Today’s Video

• The Israeli Army fired a Patriot missile at UAV approaching from Syria

Americas

• The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center is tapping SpaceX in support of its satellite program. The $130 million contract provides for the delivery of the Air Force Space Command-52 satellite by Elon Musk’s Falcon-Heavy rocket. The launch service contract includes launch vehicle production and mission, as well as integration, launch operations and spaceflight worthiness activities. The relatively low-cost price tag secured the deal for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, beating out main rival United Launch Alliance by tens of millions of dollars and earning praise from the Air Force. The Heavy Falcon can deliver a payload of 70 tons to low-Earth orbit. Work will be performed in Hawthorne, California and McGregor, Texas. The military launch is presently scheduled to occur in September 2020 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• The US Army is awarding a contract modification to General Dynamics in support of its Stryker vehicles. The modification provides for the upgrade of Stryker flat bottom vehicles to the double V-hull configuration and is valued at $258 million. The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle will be the future backbone of 8 US Army and 1 National Guard medium armored brigades. The V-hull configuration is the Army’s answer to a high number of killed or wounded soldiers caused by IED blasts. The Stryker double-v hull design channels blast force away from the vehicle and its occupants thus drastically enhancing soldier protection. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020.

• The current modernization program of the Air Force’s B-52H aims to make the platform even more lethal. According to a recently published RFI the Air Force plans to equip the B-52H wing pylon to carry a single weapon weighing up to the 20,000lb class, which potentially includes the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB). The new pylon will essentially quadruple the weight of bombs that the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress is able to carry externally. The B-52H subsonic heavy bomber remains the mainstay of the US strategic fleet after more than 50 years of service. The Air Force originally envisioned replacing B-52s with a fleet of supersonic bombers, but the subsonic, long-range H-model has persisted since it entered the fleet in 1961. Instead of transitioning to retirement, the USAF now plans continue operating the fleet until they reach nearly the century-mark in 2060. The RFI provided no details as to planned costs and timelines for the pylon upgrade, except to say that the total effort from development to fielding should be accomplished between 36 and 72 months.

Middle East & Africa

• Israeli defense contractor Elbit is currently presenting its newly developed wide-area acoustic sensing device called May. May is an innovative sensing and analysis system that provides real-time, autonomous, wide-area acoustic based intelligence that significantly enhances situational awareness and response time of security forces operating in urban and border areas. According to the company the system is based on high-end acoustic sensors which operate interactively within an area of interest. Compact and durable, these fixed-installation sensors sustain long-term, outdoor 24/7 operation using either wired or wireless communications. Once it detects an acoustic anomaly such as gun-fire, the system identifies the event, classifies the sound type, pinpoints the geo-location of the signals and automatically provides actionable information to operating forces.

• The Kingdom of Bahrain is set to receive new fighter jets as part of a US foreign military sale. The deal is valued at $1,12 billion and provides for the production of 16 F-16 V Block 70 aircraft by Lockheed Martin. F-16V or Viper is the latest variant of the Fighting Falcon fourth generation, multi-role, fighter aircraft. It integrates advanced capabilities as part of an upgrade package to better interoperate with fifth-generation fighters, including the F-35 and the F-22. The F-16V fighter jet can be deployed in suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) missions, air-to-ground and air-to-air combat, and deep interdiction and maritime interdiction missions. The aircraft features airborne mission role-change capability and can detect and track time-critical hard-to-find targets in all weather conditions. It also reduces operational costs for the users. Work will be performed in Greenville, South Carolina; and Fort Worth, Texas. The work is expected to be complete by September, 2023.

Europe

• The German multibillion dollar program to replace the German military’s Tornado aircraft is nearing another round of decisions that could narrow the field of bidders. Discussions are being held about the feasibility of an extended service life for the 1970s-era Tornados for an unspecified amount of time, as well as about the aircrafts successors. A formal competition is expected to begin later this year or early 2019 among those aircraft types still deemed suitable by the government at that time. In the running is the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin’s F-35, and Boeing’s F-15 and F-18. In the past the German MoD spoke out in favor of the Eurofighter while the Luftwaffe is leaning more towards the F-35. The final decision depends on a variety of factors, including a nuclear certification of the Eurofighter and how generous the government is with its allocation of procurement funds. Considering the ongoing program problems, it remains to be seen if Berlin can stick to its planned Tornado replacement by 2025.

Asia-Pacific

• According to Jane’s, the Australian government will receive upgraded Gulfstream aircraft as part of a US foreign military sale. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is tapping L-3 Communications for the procurement of two Gulfstream G550 aircraft. The firm-fixed-price contract valued at $83 million. In June 2017 the DoD approved the sale to Australia of up to five G550 aircraft fitted with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and electronic warfare (EW) mission systems, with integration work to be carried out by L-3. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas; and Savannah, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by August 2021.

Today’s Video

• KAI struggles to finalize T-50A deal

M1126, post-IED
(click to view full)

Under current plans, the 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle will be the future backbone of 8 US Army and 1 National Guard medium armored brigades. The 5th Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, WA was the first Stryker unit sent to Afghanistan, deployed in the summer of 2009 as part of a troop level increase. The brigade was equipped with 350 Stryker vehicles. In the first few months of deployment, they lost 21 soldiers, with 40 more wounded, to IED land mines. The losses prompted the Army to examine modifications to their Stryker vehicles, in order to make them more resistant to land mines.

One result is the Stryker hull redesign, creating the v-hulled Stryker DVH. The US Army is now on pace to order 2 brigades worth, as it moves toward the end of Stryker armored vehicle production.

Strykers, Struck: The Afghan Experience & Response

Struck Stryker
(click to view larger)

The Strykers have come under criticism for their performance in Afghanistan since the first Stryker brigade was deployed there in the summer of 2009. The Stryker vehicles have been faulted for their lack of maneuverability on rough terrain, a problem that Canada’s similar LAV-IIIs have also experienced.

That creates an associated vulnerability to IED land mines planted in the road. In June 2009, the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division deployed to Kandahar province. It had 37 troops killed in action and 238 wounded over its year-long deployment, and their flat-bottom Strykers were diverted part-way through into road guard missions, away from intense combat. Their replacement, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, continued the “freedom of movement” missions, and had suffered 14 KIA, 5 noncombat KIA, and more than 100 wounded, as of May 2011. Stars and Stripes reports:

“In one incident in August [2010], a 1st Squadron flat-bottomed Stryker was struck by a massive bomb hidden in a highway culvert in Kandahar province. The blast peeled away the armor protecting its engine like the skin of an orange, snapped off a wheel at the axel and mangled the metal cage that was designed to protect troops from rocket-propelled grenades.

[Pfc. Dustyn Applegate]… doesn’t rate the Stryker as a good vehicle for the sort of counter-IED mission that his unit was engaged in… “That’s the bad thing about the Stryker,” he said. “It has a flat bottom, so when the blast happens, it just blows up instead of up and out like with an MRAP. There is no safe place on the Stryker.”

On the other hand, “M1126 Strykers in Combat: Experiences & Lessons” detailed surprisingly positive reviews of the wheeled APCs’ performance in Iraq. There, they made good use of roads, and their relative silence compared to tracked vehicles was an asset in urban warfare. If the Stryker is not the vehicle for all situations, it has at least proven to be very useful under defined circumstances.

Any campaign that includes the mission of securing key roads, which is to say any mission that depends on economic progress and trade growth, will find Strykers very useful – so long as they remain survivable.

Deflecting Danger: The Strykker DVH Effort

V-Hull at work:
Cougar MRAP
(click to view full)

Hence the Stryker double-v hull design, which channels blast force away from the vehicle and its occupants. The US Army has announced contracts to produce 742 Stryker DVH vehicles, as retrofits and as new production vehicles. That’s the full extent of the current plan, which was a major step beyond the program’s initial plan of 450 Stryker DVHs.

The modified M1126 Stryker ICVV/DVH infantry carrier is the base variant for 7 additional configurations, which will be employed as part of coherent v-hulled Stryker Brigade Combat Teams: M1129 DVH Mortar Carrier, M1130 DVH Command Vehicle, M1131 DVH Fire Support Vehicle, M1132 DVH Engineer Squad Vehicle, M1133 DVH Medical Evacuation Vehicle, M1134 DVH Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle, and the Infantry Carrier Vehicle DVH-Scout (ICVV-S). The ICVV-S is a new configuration that allows internal stowage of the Long Range Advance Scout (LRAS) surveillance system, which is mounted externally on the standard M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicle.

The Stryker DVH program retains a connection with overall Stryker modernization efforts. In a sense, it just prioritized one element of that plan for faster fielding, and made them the front-line vehicles for an SBCT in-theater. That will rise to 2 SBCTs by the end of 2012. After that, the Army says that:

“Once the Army decides on the appropriate future force structure, fleet mix and overall number of combat vehicles, the quantity of DVH Strykers and variants of Strykers will be finalized.”

America isn’t the only one upgrading its LAV-IIIs. Blast-protection efforts are underway for Australia’s ASLAVs, and in Canada via the near-term LAV LORIT program, and their longer-term LAV-III upgrade to the same base vehicle.

To date, however, the Stryker Double-V Hull remains unique to the USA.

Left Behind

Stryker M1128, Iraq
(click to view full)

Some Stryker typers won’t be getting the DVH treatment. The US Army does not plan to purchase Stryker DVH versions of the M1127 Reconnaissance vehicle (which does have an ICVV-S DVH counterpart), M1128 MGS assault gun, or the M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle. Once the DVH vehicles are done, and the last set of M1135s are ordered and produced, overall Stryker production will end.

During the December 2010 Stryker DVH Configuration Steering Board, the Army decided not to pursue full-rate production for the standard M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System, either. While the M1128’s 105mm gun offers potent firepower, the type already has significant weight and protection issues that haven’t been resolved. The Army decided that neither continued production nor DVH made sense for this type, unless the Stryker Modernization program gave the vehicle more base heft and power.

That seems less and less likely. According to US Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Peggy Kageleiry:

“Stryker Modernization has been replaced with a reduced-scope Engineering Change Proposal (ECP). The scope of the ECP for Stryker upgrades is still to be determined, but the following will be considered: buy-back Space, Weight, Power, and Cooling (SWaP-C) deficiencies, improve mobility and protection, and provide ability to accept future network and protection upgrades.”

Contracts & Key Events

M1126 DVH Exchange
(click to view full)

Under the contracts, the GM General Dynamics Land Systems Defense Group partnership in Sterling Heights, MI will provide design and integration engineering services, test articles/prototypes, and procurement of materials, including long-lead materials, to support the modified hull design with related integrated system changes. The US Army says the contract objectives are an integrated solution that will provide improved protection levels to support operations in Afghanistan.

The Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI manages these contracts.

FY 2017-2018

 

M1126 DVH
(click to view full)

June 25/18: V-hull config The US Army is awarding a contract modification to General Dynamics in support of its Stryker vehicles. The modification provides for the upgrade of Stryker flat bottom vehicles to the double V-hull configuration and is valued at $258 million. The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle will be the future backbone of 8 US Army and 1 National Guard medium armored brigades. The V-hull configuration is the Army’s answer to a high number of killed or wounded soldiers caused by IED blasts. The Stryker double-v hull design channels blast force away from the vehicle and its occupants thus drastically enhancing soldier protection. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020.

March 30/18: SHORAD plan laid out The US Army plans to transform its Stryker combat vehicles into maneuverable Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) systems. The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armoured vehicle is likely to be the backbone of several medium armoured brigades. The US Army aims to close a capability gap in SHORAD that needed to be filled for possible operations against near-peer threats such as Russia. One viable candidate for the provision of the system is Boeing with its Avenger launcher, which mounts 8 Stinger missiles on a Humvee jeep, along with an FN M3P .50 cal machine gun, and automated systems that include optical sights, infrared, a laser rangefinder, and an IFF (Identification Friend-Or-Foe) system. Modern units include “slew-to-cue,” which automatically slews the turret to place the sights on targets received from FAAD (Forward Area Air Defense) Command and Control systems. The Avenger launcher can be equipped with several types of missiles including the Longbow Hellfire, AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. The Army expects to be fully under contract by August and expects the first prototypes to be ready by Spring 2019. A request for ordnance technology initiatives to the industry is scheduled to be published by March 30th.

February 20/18: Supply Support Contract-FY19 Spending The US Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $148.9 million contract modification to provide parts supply support for the entire Stryker wheeled combat vehicle program. Awarded on Friday, February 16, work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with the contract expected to run until February 28, 2019. Meanwhile, the Army has also requested $368.3 million for its Stryker program in fiscal year (FY) 2019, looking to use the funds for engineering change proposal (ECP) 1 testing, an ECP 2 lethality upgrade, and supports some fleet-wide modifications such as new C4I equipment, reliability, and performance improvements, and safety fixes. The funding also provides for the logistical support for new Stryker variants armed with a 30 mm remote weapon station.

October 12/17: Two upgunned Stryker infantry carrier vehicle variants will be deployed to Europe in December to undergo operational tests. One, the 30 mm-armed ‘Dragoon’, has been developed by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and features Orbital ATK’s 30 mm calibre XM813 Bushmaster dual feed automatic cannon fitted into Kongsberg’s Medium Calibre Remote Controlled Turret (MC-RCT) and integrated on GDLS’ Strykers. GDLS expect to have 83 Stryker Dragoons completed by May 2018. The second type comes with Raytheon’s Javelin anti-tank missiles on the Kongsberg Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS II), and 87 javelin-equipped units are planned. The vehicles were approved in 2015 in order to fit an operational need statement from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (known as the Dragoons) based at Vilseck in Germany.

October 11/17: Raytheon has unveiled its solution to give the Stryker armored fighting vehicle a mobile air defense capability, a Stinger missile mounted into a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) and integrated on the vehicle. The solution was successfully tested by the US Army at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico last month, where it successfully intercepted several airborne targets. “With so many airborne threats in the battlespace, our ground forces need the protection of additional mobile air defense systems,” said Kim Ernzen, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “Combining these two proven systems gives the Army an immediate, low risk, high-value solution.” The integration was in response to the US Army’s urgent need for mobile air defense for ground troops.

August 11/17: A team combining Boeing and General Dynamics Land Systems will enter a US Army short-range air defense (SHORAD) shoot-off next month. The team will build a short-range air defense system by placing a modernized Avenger air defense system on the back of a Stryker combat vehicle reconfigured to accommodate the system on a turret. The new Avenger is designed to shoot a multitude of different missiles, can be equipped with a 30mm gun and potentially even directed energy weapons down the road. A need for a new SHORAD capability surfaced last year, when the Army noticed a requirement for such platforms in the European theater and has been moving quickly to fill it by developing a system that will give maneuver forces the capability to defend against air threats from peer adversaries on the forward edge of the battlefield.

April 3/17: Latin American governments may soon be operating the Stryker combat vehicle as the US contemplates selling the vehicle to several modernization efforts. Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are all looking to upgrade their armored fleets and the Stryker is seen as an attractive capability that will help with countering threats from “illicit networks” within their borders. If an agreement is secured, it will be the first foreign military sale of the vehicle. Typically armed with either an M2 .50 caliber machine gun or an MK19 40mm grenade launcher mounted in a Protector remote weapon station, the Army has been investing in upgunning and improving the Stryker vehicle by giving it an optional 30mm cannon for anti-air missions and a v-shaped hull to increase protection from explosives.

January 27/17: A US Army Stryker armored vehicle fitted with a 30mm cannon has been tested for the first time. Testing of the cannon, part of a series of upgrades designed to increase the mission capabilities of US Stryker vehicles, was undertaken in order to verify its combat abilities and make future determinations on the vehicle’s armament. The Pentagon’s decision to upgun a number of its Stryker’s – nicknamed the Dragoon – was taken in response to Russia’s 2015 invasion of Ukraine to close a ground vehicle capability gap, according to service leaders. The Army plans to field first of 83 Dragoons by the end of Fiscal 2018.

December 8/16: The US State Department has cleared the sale of 178 reconditioned Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles to the government of Peru. Valued at $668 million, the deal also includes supporting weapons, Remote Weapon Stations, Global Positioning System navigation capabilities, special tool sets, and testing equipment. Once delivered, the vehicles will be used to support border security, disaster response, and counter-terrorism missions.

November 1/16: The first upgunned Stryker infantry carrier vehicle has been returned to the US Army. Designated as the Stryker Dragoon, the vehicle comes armed with a more lethal 30mm cannon and will be fielded with the Germany-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment in May 2018. Other new aspects of the upgrade include an integrated Kongsberg MCT-30mm Weapon System with a remotely-operated, unmanned turret; a new, fully-integrated commander’s station; and upgraded driveline component and hull modifications. Full rate production will commence following an abbreviated test phase in Spring 2017.

FY 2016

 

May 9/16: The US Army has awarded General Dynamic Land Systems a $329 million contract for the production, logistics product development, and test support for the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) 30mm lethality upgrade. Upgrading the lethality and durability of the Army’s Strykers has become a recent priority for the service as the Pentagon looks to increase the vehicle’s operational capabilities. General Dynamic’s work on the project is expected to run until January 15, 2021.

March 4/16: An industry wide search is to be carried out by the US Army to seek increased capabilities for its Stryker units. The Army will look at different sensors, better ways to integrate capabilities, and ways to make vehicles more survivable. This will go beyond the current efforts to upgun the armored vehicle by adding 30mm cannons or Javelin missiles, and to add Double-V Hulls for extra durability. The new and improved vehicles are expected to reach operational capability by early 2018.

February 15/16: The US Army plans to upgun their 8×8 Stryker armored vehicles. The vehicles will be fitted with a 30mm automatic cannon, that comes with air-burst shells, for use in air defense activities. The gun would allow the vehicles to act as a mobile anti-aircraft gun, as the Army looks to increase capabilities of existing systems, while funds for any major programs are non-existent. The upgunning with the 30mm cannon was initially intended to destroy light-armored vehicles such as the Russian BMP, with the inclusion of the air-burst shells allowing for greater capabilities.

November 6/15: Lithuania has requested 84 Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicles from the US, with the State Department approving the potential Foreign Military Sale. The request also includes 30mm cannons – recently approved as an upgrade for some US Strykers stationed in Europe – and Remote Weapons Stations, as well as machine guns, communications systems and auxiliary equipment. The potential deal is estimated to value $599 million, with 30 US government or contractor personnel required to travel to Lithuania to help implement the introduction and sustainment of the Strykers.

October 6/15: The Army’s Stryker vehicles will benefit from a $411 million upgrade program for the vehicles’ main armament, with the 2016 NDAA bill including $314 million for modification work to the fleet to up-gun their 12.7mm cannons to 30mm guns. The remaining $97 million is earmarked for R&D, with the House and Senate Armed Service Committees criticizing the Army for an increasingly unacceptable per-vehicle cost to upgrade the Stryker fleet. A response to fears that the Strykers would be out-gunned by would-be Russian adversaries in Europe, the Army was given a provisional thumbs-up for the upgrade work in April, with the Hill stipulating that the upgrades will be limited to the Army’s European-deployed Strykers rather than form a fleet-wide upgrade program.

FY 2013 – 2015

 

May 5/15: The Army’s European-deployed Stryker mobile guns have been given a provisional thumbs-up for more powerful weapon systems. The current 12.7mm machine guns will be upgraded to 30mm autocannons, with the “high priority need” a reflection of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s requirement for increased lethality, according to a memo obtained by Breaking Defense earlier this month.

Jan 12/14: Good news, bad news. The good news: the Army wants to convert all 9 of its standard Stryker Brigades to the DVH configuration, using the DVH Exchange option.

The bad news is what you’d expect: no funding beyond the first 2 brigades they’ve already done, and the 3rd they hope to finish by 2016 (q.v. Sept 10/13). Which means GDLS Canada’s LAV-III/ Stryker manufacturing equipment will have to be placed in layaway mode for a future production line restart, to be triggered by either future US Army orders or foreign sales. Either way, however, a line restart always costs extra. Sources: Defense News, “US Plans Radical Upgrade of Stryker Brigades”.

Sept 10/13: 3rd brigade. The Project Manager for the Stryker Brigade Combat Team received the approval from the Army Acquisition Executive to begin buying a 3rd brigade of Stryker DVH vehicles to switch with an existing brigade. The initial 66 vehicle conversions of an eventual 337 have been awarded via a $118 million contract to GDLS. Deliveries will begin in July 2014, and the initial 66 will be complete by February 2015.

As of this order, the DVH Exchange pilot program had wrapped up in April 2013 after delivering 52 vehicles on time and under budget. Remaining brigade orders will be based on the availability of funding, using an incremental approach over FY 2014-2016. Sources: US Army, “Army gives green light for procurement of 3rd Stryker Double-V Hull brigade” | GD, “General Dynamics Awarded $118 Million for Stryker Double-V Hull Vehicles” | Yellowhammer News, “80 Anniston Army Depot jobs preserved with DVH Stryker announcement”.

Orders for 3rd brigade begin

Oct 15/12: DVH Exchange. The US Army announces that they’ve completed the 1st vehicle in their Stryker DVH exchange program. The exchange involves taking a standard Stryker variant, reusing common parts, refurbishing them, and inserting the parts into a vehicle on the DVH production line.

The Army is documenting the teardown and reuse process, in hopes of having clearer figures if the Army decides that it wants more Stryker DVHs later on. Obviously, they’re hoping to find out that this saves money, by using a lot of the old parts. Once they’ve had a chance to try and make this process more efficient, then cost it, they’ll be in position to present a case. US Army.

FY 2012

 

M1126 DVHs, Afghanistan
(click to view full)

March 4/12: Plans. The US Army clarifies its plans for the Stryker DVH: 760 total, to be delivered by the end of 2012, equipping 2 Brigade Combat Teams. When queried, however, Lt. Col. Peggy Kageleiry said that:

“…the Army has a current procurement target of 742 Double-V Hull (DVH) Stryker vehicles… which will be completed by December 2012. Procurement of 158 NBCRVs which are on contract in FY12 & FY13, will complete the current planned Stryker vehicle purchase. Once the Army decides on the appropriate future force structure, fleet mix and overall number of combat vehicles, the quantity of DVH Strykers and variants of Strykers will be finalized.”

With respect to performance in-theater, Lt. Gen. Bill Phillips, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, says there have been about 40 land mine incidents for the DVH. In 38 of those incidents, all soldiers walked away with just minor injuries. In his words: “That vehicle has performed beyond our expectations.”

Jan 18/12: Industrial. GDLS’ newly-acquired Force Protection manufacturing facility in Ladson, SC, will be doing work on another v-hulled vehicle. About $10 million in new work is moving there, to install additional combat-related communication and protection equipment on 292 Stryker DVH (Double-V Hull) 8×8 wheeled APCs, which are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan.

The new work begins in March 2012, and will occupy about 45 jobs until about February 2013. Force Protection.

Jan 17/12: DOT&E Report. The US Defense Department’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation issues his FY 2011 Annual Report, which includes the Stryker DVH program. The program get good reviews, based on tests. The modified Strykers retained the same basic mobility, proved their performance against land mines, and actually had better reliability than their flat-hulled counterparts. They were rated both operationally effective for performance, and operationally suitable for reliability.

Quibbles were minor, involving data collection for the M1126 ICVV’s operational assessment, and problems with the Stryker DVH driver’s compartment being too small for larger Soldiers. The Army is planning a driver’s compartment redesign, and will continue to test the other 7 DVH variants through Q3 2012. In the nearer term, February 2012 is expected to see the end of Styker ICVV-Scout operational testing, and M1129 Mortar Carrier Vehicle DVH developmental and operational testing, at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Oct 25/11: +177. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $367 million order for another 177 Stryker double-V hull (DVH) wheeled APCs, raising the US Army’s buy to 2 full Stryker DVH Brigade Combat Teams. Work on Stryker DVH vehicles is performed in Anniston, AL and Lima, OH, as well as the main production facility in London, ON, Canada (W56HZV-07-D-M112, #0266, Mod.1).

The firm says that over 320 double-V-hulled Stryker vehicles have been produced so far, under a contract awarded in July 2010 for 450 double-V-hull vehicles. Deliveries will be complete by July 2013. DID checked with GDLS, and confirmed that this order brings the total number of ordered Stryker DVH vehicles to 742.

Oct 5/11: +115. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $243 million contract to produce and deliver another 115 Stryker DVHs. General Dynamics will also provide production sustainment support and obsolescence management services. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL, London, ON, Canada, and Lima, OH. Deliveries will be complete by September 2012 (W56HZV-07-D-M112, #0266).

The firm says that about 300 double-V-hulled Strykers have been delivered so far, under a contract awarded in July 2010, with initial deliveries rolling out in May 2011. This order begins to go beyond the program’s original goal of 450. GDLS.

FY 2011

 

M1126, Mosul – no DVH
(click to view full)

June 1/11: A $40 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification “for Stryker double-V hull development and delivery of prototype vehicles.”

Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI, and London, Ontario, Canada, with an estimated completion date of July 30/12. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

May 20/11: Deployment. Stars & Stripes relays the US Army’s statement re: Afghan deployments of the Stryker DVH, and also details combat statistics and criticisms related to the Stryker’s deployments in Afghanistan.

May 9/11: Deployment. US Army:

“In the coming weeks, Soldiers in Afghanistan will begin to see 150 new Strykers with a double-V hull, or DVH… The Stryker DVH, with enhanced armor, wider tires and blast-attenuating seats, went from conception to production in less than one year… “The rapid turnaround of the DVH is responsiveness at its best,” Col. Robert Schumitz, Stryker Brigade Combat Team Project Management Office, project manager, said… Engineers at General Dynamics Land Systems conceived of the double-V-hull design and tested it at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif… There are 140 Stryker DVH’s already in the Army supply chain, and plans are to field a total of 450 vehicles.”

April 12/11: +404. A pair of contracts worth $49.5 million revise earlier orders for 404 vehicles. The wording is confusing, but GDLS clarifies that: “The dod announcements are not new vehicles or contracts” – designating them as limit increases to existing contracts.

A $37.2 million firm-fixed-price contract revises the not-to-exceed amount and obligated amount for Double-V hull production cut-in to 178 Stryker vehicles. Work will be performed at London, Ontario, Canada, and Anniston, AL, with an estimated completion date of Feb 29/12. One bid was solicited and one received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

A $12.3 million firm-fixed-price contract revises the not-to-exceed amount and obligated amount for Double-V hull production cut-in to 226 Stryker vehicles. Work will be performed at London, Ontario, Canada, and Anniston, AL, with an estimated completion date of Feb 29/12. One bid was solicited and one received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

March 3/11: +15. GM GDLS Defense Group, LLC in Sterling Heights, MI receives an $18.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract that will “provide for support for 19 Stryker flat-bottom vehicles and 15 Stryker double-V hull vehicles.” Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Feb 29/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

Dec 3/10: Support. A $91.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee/firm-fixed-price contract, for service to support performance specification changes to the Stryker vehicle. These changes will design and buy “necessary components to support the Stryker mine protection kit” for vehicles in the Afghan theater.

Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (5%), and London, Canada (95%), with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/10. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

Oct 27/10: +46. A $8.3 million firm-fixed-price contract cuts the modified double-v hull design into another 46 Stryker vehicles on the production line. Note that cut-in contracts pay for making the changes and for the new materials, not for the entire Stryker.

Work will be performed in London, Canada (50%), and Anniston, AL (50%), with an estimated completion date of Feb 29/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112, #0256). This order brings the total to the program’s goal of 450 vehicles.

Oct 13/10: +45. A $9.5 million firm-fixed-price contract to cut the modified double-V hull design into the production of another 45 Stryker vehicles. Work is to be performed in London, Ontario, Canada (50%), and Anniston, AL (50%), with an estimated completion date of February 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

FY 2010

 

M1129 MC – no DVH
(click to view full)

Aug 10/10: Renovations may be more difficult than they first appear. A $20 million firm-fixed-price contract adds the modified hull design (double-V hull), into an additional 78 new-build vehicles, raising the total to 359. It also revises the obligated amount for the previous 281 vehicles (vid. July 9/10). Work is to be performed in London, Ontario, Canada (50%), and Anniston, AL (50%), with an estimated completion date of Feb 22/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112). See also GD release.

Aug 6/10: A $9.8 million firm-fixed-price contract revises the obligated amount for the production cut-in of the revised Stryker performance and hull design into 281 new-build vehicles (vid. July 9/10). Work is to be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (30%), and London, Canada (70%), with an estimated completion date of Feb 16/12. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

July 9/10: A $30.1 million firm-fixed-price contract directs production cut-in of the revised Stryker performance specifications, which incorporates a modified double-V hull design, into 281 vehicles. The new vehicles will be sent to Afghanistan. Work will be performed in London, Canada (70%), and Sterling Heights, MI (30%). Deliveries will begin in January 2011 to allow vehicles to be available for use by the Stryker brigade that will rotate into Afghanistan in 2011, and will be completed by February 2012. (W56HZV-07-D-M112). See also GDLS release.

June 1/10: The GM GDLS Defense Group, LLC in Sterling Heights, MI recently received a $29.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract buys 14 Stryker Double-V Hull prototype vehicles for government ballistic, performance/durability, and logistics testing and demonstration.

Work is to be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (41%); and London, ON, Canada (59%), with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/11. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by TACOM, CCTA-AI in Warren, MI (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

April 9/10: A $58.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a modified hull design for the US Army’s Stryker vehicles to improve performance and survivability in Afghanistan. Work is to be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (41%), and London, Ontario, Canada (59%), with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/11 (W56HZV-07-D-M112).

March 11/2010: During US Senate testimony in early 2010, Gen. George Casey said that the US Army was planning to modify the Stryker vehicle with a double V-shaped hull designed to deflect land mine blasts from below.

The Stryker M1135 NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) reconnaissance and M1128 MGS assault gun variants would reportedly not be modified under the current plan. That could create field issues, since the M1128 is meant to act as firepower support in Stryker brigades.

Additional Readings

• General Dynamics Land Systems – Stryker ICV, DVH

• US Army – Army plans major Stryker upgrades. Outlines the next steps beyond the DVH program. A number of DVH vehicles will probably receive these retrofits as well.

• DID – Stryker DVH Armored Vehicles for Colombia. The country ordered 24 LAV-III DVHs in January 2012.

B-52H: flyin’ low,
dyin’ slow…
(click to view full)

Officially, it’s the B-52H Stratofortress. Unofficially, it’s the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F–cker). Either way, this subsonic heavy bomber remains the mainstay of the U.S. strategic fleet after more than 50 years of service. A total of 102 B-52H bombers were delivered from FY 1961-1963, and 94 were still on the books as of May 2009, flying mostly from Barksdale AFB, LA and Minot AFB, ND. Of these, 18 are slated for retirement, leaving a planned fleet of 76. By the time that fleet retires in the 2030s, many will be around 70 years old.

The B-52H can’t be flown against heavy enemy air defenses, but a steady array of upgrades have kept the aircraft relevant to follow-on strikes and current wars, where its long time on station and precision weapons have made the BUFF beautiful. Those changes have included advanced communications, GPS guided weapons, advanced targeting pods, and more. The USAF isn’t done yet adding new features, and maintenance remains a challenge for an aircraft fleet that’s always older than its pilots. All of these things require contracts, and the B-52H fleet has several of them underway. So, how does 2010’s 8-year, $11.9 billion umbrella contract fit in…?

• CONECT, ESP, SWING: How Does This One Fit In?
  
• Contracts & Key Events
  
• Additional Readings
  

CONECT, ESP, SWING: How Does This One Fit In?

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

At the moment, there are at least 3 major contracts underway for the B-52H fleet.

The CONECT (Combat NEtwork Communications Technology) contract was issued in April 2005, and could be worth up to $500 million. CONECT offers a series of upgrades that tie the B-52s into the USAF’s current communications networks. Its most significant combat improvement is the ability to receive new missions in flight, and re-target weapons in the middle of a mission. Ultimately, however, CONECT is an interim contract en route to deeper modernizations. First flight of a refurbished B-52 took place in May 2009. The program accomplished its first test flight on Jan 17/10, and plans further tests in 2011.

Execution of CONECT’s development would remain under the current contract until it’s done, but full production, or any future communications upgrades would apparently fall under the $11.9 billion September 2010 IDIQ.

B-52H: choices, choices…
(click to view full)

The 12-year, $150 million SWING (Smart Weapons Integration Next Generation) contract came into force in June 2006. Under this contract, Boeing performs work to integrate new ordnance on the B-52 fleet, from MALD unmanned decoys, to Sniper ATP surveillance and targeting pods, to AGM-158 JASSM missiles and beyond. Most of this work is software related, and the most important aspect of SWING was adding the Universal Armament Interface as a sort of weapons Application Programming Interface, in order to make integration of future weapons much easier.

Work under the SWING contract will continue in parallel with the new September 2010 contract.

In June 2009, the US Air Force issued the latest B-52 Engineering Sustainment Program (ESP) contract for the fleet, with a 10-year, $750 million ceiling.

There are some important things missing from ESP, however, such as spare parts, modernizations or fleet-wide changes outside of CONECT or SWING, etc. All of those things will fall under the September 2010 contract instead, and so will some previous ESP efforts.

The Sept 2010 contract’s initial spending surprisingly modest – the $600,000 minimum order, as the 1st payment for a $2.3 million order of 16 Evolutionary Data Link (EDL) Phase III kits, plus some basic engineering support through the end of February 2012. As noted above, the $11.9 billion is really a ceiling amount for a lot of other efforts, which may or may not go forward. If they do go forward, however, there’s an umbrella contract ready with all the terms worked out.

B-52H: gas guzzler
(click to view full)

Several well-known upgrades are under consideration for the B-52 fleet, but haven’t been approved and funded yet. USAF spokesman Lt. Col. Jack Miller has told DoD Buzz that it could cover things like:

“Combat Networks Communication Technology (CONECT) production, Extremely High Frequency (EHF) engineering development and production, Strategic Radar Replacement development and production, Tactical Data Link engineering studies, MIL-STD-1760 Internal Weapons Bay production, trade studies, and other programs critical to maintaining B-52 mission capability out to the year 2040.”

The Strategic Radar Replacement Program he mentions would install advanced new radars that could greatly improve the B-52’s ground and aerial surveillance capabilities, identifying targets at long ranges. New radar technologies could also assist with low-level flight, and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Another oft-discussed upgrade is the on-again, off-again Stand Off Jammer program, which would turn some B-52s into very powerful, very long range, very long endurance electronic warfare aircraft that could blind even sophisticated enemy air defenses; locate, classify, analyze, or jam radar or radio signals; or even prevent remote detonation of IED land mines in a given area. B-52 SOJ has been started twice, and suspended twice for lack of funding.

While the USAF has done some necessary re-wiring work, a deep re-wiring akin to the C-5 AMP program is logical at some point, especially in conjunction with upgraded power generation on board to handle all of the new electronics. Any B-52 SOJ program would almost have to do this, and a radar improvement contract may require it as well, but it’s certain that the whole fleet will need this sooner or later. It’s very time-consuming work, but the good news is that some modern ultra-high capacity wiring has also become self-diagnosing, removing one of the biggest maintenance headaches in any airplane.

In a similar vein, but with even more immediate benefits, there has long been talk of re-engining the B-52H fleet, swapping out the ancient and hard to maintain JT3D/TF33 engines with modern turbofans that would dramatically improve performance, fuel efficiency, strike range, and maintainability. The USAF has experience with the benefits and pitfalls of these conversions, having made these kinds of upgrades to its KC-135 tanker fleet to produce the KC-135R, moved forward with re-engining the related E-8C JSTARS fleet of land battle surveillance and control aircraft, and endured the challenges of the C-5M RERP Super Galaxy program for some of its huge aerial transports.

Of course, before major steps like these can be taken, the USAF will need engineering studies. ESP doesn’t cover that, but as Lt. Col. Miller noted, the September 2010 contract does. It would also cover integration and installation of these upgrades into the B-52 fleet, as decisions are made to go forward with specific items.

Contracts & Key Events

B-52H and B-17:
only as old as I feel…
(click to view full)

June 25/18: Deadly payload The current modernization program of the Air Force’s B-52H aims to make the platform even more lethal. According to a recently published RFI the Air Force plans to equip the B-52H wing pylon to carry a single weapon weighing up to the 20,000lb class, which potentially includes the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB). The new pylon will essentially quadruple the weight of bombs that the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress is able to carry externally. The B-52H subsonic heavy bomber remains the mainstay of the US strategic fleet after more than 50 years of service. The Air Force originally envisioned replacing B-52s with a fleet of supersonic bombers, but the subsonic, long-range H-model has persisted since it entered the fleet in 1961. Instead of transitioning to retirement, the USAF now plans continue operating the fleet until they reach nearly the century-mark in 2060. The RFI provided no details as to planned costs and timelines for the pylon upgrade, except to say that the total effort from development to fielding should be accomplished between 36 and 72 months.

March 19/18: Re-engine documents released A request for proposals to re-engine the US Air Force’s B-52 strategic bomber is expected for the first quarter of 2019, documents released by the service last week state. According to the document, the contract for re-engining the USAF’s 76 Boeing B-52H bombers would likely be granted some four to six months after final proposals are submitted, with the service looking to acquire at least 608 new, commercially available turbofan engines to replace the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33s each bomber carries. First produced 60 years ago, the TF33 engine was deemed unsustainable after 2030 due to to age, parts obsolescence and a shrinking supplier base. Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and GE Aviation are possible bidders for the engine replacement program.

December 19/17: Milestone-Record The USAF’s B-52 Stratofortress stealth bomber has used its conventional rotary launcher in combat operations for the first time. The conventional rotary launcher, designed to allow the B-52 to carry more smart bombs, was first used during an operation on November 18 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve—the USA’s campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants operating in Iraq and Syria. Following this, its first use in a deliberately planned combat mission saw a B-52 target Taliban narcotics and IED facilities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, as part of a new offensive to target the group’s revenue streams. During the sortie, the aircraft released 19 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS)—a new record for the most amount of smart bombs dropped by the platform. The offensive also saw the F-22 Raptor employed against Taliban targets for the first time.

December 5/17: Future Upgrades The US Air Force (USAF) will not have funding to re-engine its fleet of B-52 aircraft until 2020, Gen. Robin Rand, head of USAF Global Strike Command, told reporters at the Association of Old Crows conference in Washington. But the multi-year, multi-billion project to supply and integrate new engines to the service’s 76 1952-vintage B-52H bombers has already got industry interested, with Boeing and Rolls Royce already openly campaigning for the contract. However, some analysts are skeptical that the re-engine effort will ever happen, saying that while the “re-engining would save money from the O&M account (fuel and parts)” it “would cost money from the procurement account.”

November 29/17: Milestone Conventional Rotary Launchers (CRL) for B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft have been flown out of Barksdale Air Force Base, LA., by a C-5M Super Galaxy on November 6, to be used for combat overseas. The CRLs allow the long-range strategic bombers to carry GPS guided conventional smart weapons inside its bomb bay, thus increasing the number of weapons it can carry in combat by eight. Speaking on the Milestone, Master Sgt. Adam Levandowski, Air Forces Strategic (AFSTRAT) Armament Systems manager, called the inclusion of the CRLs as “a big game changer for current and future warfare.”

July 28/17: Testers from the USAF’s 419th Flight Test Squadron have validated that the B-52 Stratofortress bomber is capable of dropping the PDU-5/B leaflet bomb. The squadron recently ran two successful sorties where a B-52 released eight PDU-5/B leaflet bombs over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range and eight more over the Precision Impact Range Area at Edwards Air Base. During the sorties, the bombs were released from the aircraft’s external Heavy Stores Adapter Beam and the 419th now plan to drop the bomb from the internal weapons bay on future flights. Developed from the CBU-100 “Rockeye” Cluster Bomb, the PDU-5B was developed to drop leaflets in combat zones, either as psychological warfare or to inform the public.

September 16/16: B-52s are set to be fitted with new ejector seats following a USAF contract award to AMI Industries. The $14 million deal will see the company install the Advanced Conception Ejection Seat (ACES) II ejection seat. Due for completion in December 2018, the ejection seat will be composed of a detachable seatback and bucket structure that does not require removal of the B-2 escape hatches for any maintenance task.

August 15/16: A B-52H bomber equipped with the new Conventional Rotary Launcher (CRL) has successfully dropped three AGM-158 Joint Attack Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) from its internal weapons bay for the first time. While the bomber is capable of carrying 12 of the cruise missiles on its wing pylons, the inclusion of the Conventional Rotary Launcher now enables it to hold a further eight internally, a payload increase of 60%. Next in store for the launcher is more of the same testing but with the inclusion of live weapons followed by final validation of the CLR system’s full capability.

July 22/16: A B-52 has dropped the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) precision-guided bomb from its internal bomb bay for the first time. The test was carried out to certify the new Conventional Rotary Launcher being developed for the legacy bomber. Following the successful drop, testers will now continue with dropping the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Miniature Air Launched Decoy, and the MALD Jammer from the launcher.

April 20/16: Pratt & Whitney has maintained that they can develop a TF33 upgrade package that will keep Boeing’s B-52 bomber flying until the 2040s. The eight engine bomber has kept the same TF33 engine since its induction in 1952, but high fuel consumption had the USAF looking at potential re-engine options. With oil prices dropping dramatically, the program was dropped; but P&W are still looking at improvements for the TF33 that will keep it on-wing, and allow the air force to reduce their maintenance costs.

February 22/16: The USAF has earmarked $491 million over five years for the upgrade of B-52H radars. The modernization plan will replace the outdated Northrop Grumman AN/APQ-166 mechanically scanned array radar with further funds to be made available post-2021. The USAF strategy for the program has yet to be released, but it is likely that the plan will be to modify existing radar technologies and components to suit the B-52H, instead of developing something new, to increase reliability and durability of the radar.

January 15/16: Six B-52s have now been equipped with JDAM capabilities after a series of modifications by Boeing for the USAF. Installation of upgraded internal weapons bay launchers will allow for the bomber to launch eight Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) at one time from the internal bay. Furthermore, the launchers can be easily transferred between aircraft, and will allow the planes to also carry Joint Air-to-Surface Stand Off Missiles (JASSMs) and Miniature Air Launched Decoys (MALDs), increasing their operational capabilities.

September 22/15: The US Air Force has begun removing nuclear weapons capability from 42 B-52H Stratofortresses, in line with regulations set out under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), signed in April 2010. Thirty operational and a dozen mothballed Stratofortresses will be converted to solely conventional bombers, with work having already begun to this effect and due for completion by 2017. Both Russia and the US have until February 2018 to comply with the treaty’s terms. Despite the conversion, planned work to upgrade the fleet of B-52H bombers will form part of a modernization effort to keep nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52s flying into the 2030s and 2040s respectively, with this forecast by the GAO [p. 11] back in July to value $24.4 billion over the FY2015-2024 period.

Sept 29/10: Boeing in Wichita, KS receives a sole-source indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to support the USAF’s B-52H fleet, including modernization work. It could be worth up to $11.9 billion over an 8-year period, but no funds have been committed yet by the ASC/WWVK at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH. “Individual delivery orders will be issued through three contracting activities” (FA8628-10-D-1000). See also: Boeing.

Additional Readings

• USAF Factsheets – B-52H Stratofortress

• Air Force Technology – B-52H Stratofortress Long-Range Multirole Bomber, USA

• DoD Buzz (Oct 7/10) – Why the B-52 Got $11.9 Billion

• ARINC (March 31/10) – ARINC Will Deploy Its Airborne SMARRT System for Battlefield Awareness at JEFX 2010 Exercises . Good example of the types of ongoing improvements under consideration.

• DID – CONECT: B-52H Receiving a Communications Upgrade.

• DID (Jan 13/10) – Boeing Wins $750M to Support the B-52H Fleet. This is ESP.

• DID (July 10/06) – MUSTANG Aims to Check-Out B-52s Faster

• DID (June 29/06) – $150M to Integrate New Weapons on the USA’s B-52 Bombers (updated). This is SWING.

• Mechanical Engineering – CIME (Jan 1/90) – The B-52 – engineered to endure

G550 CAEW

The US Navy is replacing its 2 NP-3D “Billboard” range monitoring aircraft with a new plane, which will use the same core design as the modern AWACS aircraft bought by Israel, Italy, and Singapore: “a Gulfstream G550 long-range business jet with the Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) structural modifications.”

The aircraft needs to be ready by the end of September 2017. So, why the G550 CAEW?

NP-3D “Billboard”
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“The aircraft shall be procured pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Type of Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements.” The Gulfstream G550 CAEW aircraft is the only known aircraft that will satisfy the NAWC-WD Sea Range Support requirements without significant engineering, development, modification, test, and certification effort. This commercial derivative aircraft has both an FAA Type Certificate and the necessary Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) to meet Government airworthiness requirements. No other known commercial derivative aircraft that possesses these necessary type certificates is capable of meeting the mission requirements, and therefore the G550 CAEW is the only aircraft that can meet the Government’s requirements on a timely basis.”

The one area that isn’t clear is the electronics. Some reports note IAI Elta as the sub-contractor, but that doesn’t appear in official announcements or new releases. The text of this FBO.gov announcement, and the fact that they’re buying from Gulfstream rather than Elbit or IAI, suggest that may only be buying the certified airframe. That would mean that they’d need to integrate their own radars, datalinks, etc. for over the horizon monitoring and missile testing. The full AWACS equipment set would certainly work, but it isn’t cheap, and may be more than the mission needs.

Fortunately, the Gulfstream 550 CAEW comes with a lot of built-in space and power for any installations the US Navy wants performed. Sources: FBO.gov Solicitation Number N00019-14-P1-PMA-207-0804 | Defense Update, “Gulfstream jets with Israeli radar to replace US Navy’s P-3 orion in test-range surveillance” | Flight International, “US Navy to order Gulfstream jet for test-range surveillance”.

Updates

June 25/18: Order for Down-under According to Jane’s, the Australian government will receive upgraded Gulfstream aircraft as part of a US foreign military sale. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is tapping L-3 Communications for the procurement of two Gulfstream G550 aircraft. The firm-fixed-price contract valued at $83 million. In June 2017 the DoD approved the sale to Australia of up to five G550 aircraft fitted with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and electronic warfare (EW) mission systems, with integration work to be carried out by L-3. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas; and Savannah, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by August 2021.

September 12/17: L-3 Communications will move forward with migrating the US Air Force’s EC-130H Compass Call equipment to a Gulfstream 550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft, after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) turned down a protest from rivals Boeing and Bombardier last month. The Compass Call “crossdeck” program (EC-X), will transition mission equipment from the USAF’s existing fleet of Lockheed Martin EC-130H aircraft, which serves as a communications eavesdropper and jammer for the service, onto new Gulfstream business jets. A service spokesperson said that a final agreement with L-3 on contract terms, specifications and price of the undefinitised contract action (UCA) is still pending.

June 28/17: A possible $1.3 billion deal has also been cleared by the US State Department that could see up to five Gulfstream G550 aircraft with Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Electronic Warfare (AISREW) mission systems delivered to Australia. The sale will support ongoing efforts by Australia to modernize its Electronic Warfare capability and increases interoperability between the US Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). L-3 Technologies will act as lead contractor on the sale.

May 12/16: The USAF has requested $165.7 million in the FY 2017 defense budget to convert the EC-37B (military designation for the G550) into an electronic attack platform. If selected, the C-37B will eventually replace the EC-130H currently used. According to the service, the selection of the C-37B was made uncompetitively as the aircraft did not require any further certification work.

January 8/16: Australia’s DoD has confirmed that they have purchased two Gulfstream G550 aircraft modified for surveillance and electronic warfare. Confirmation comes after the US DoD announced a foreign military sales contract on December 28. The two corporate aircraft will be fitted with specialized modifications by L-3 Communications Mission Integration in a deal worth $93.6 million.

January 4/16: Australia is to procure and operate the Gulfstream G550 as a special missions aircraft. A US Department of Defense foreign sales contract has awarded L-3 $93 million to provide special missions modifications to the aircraft to be completed by November 30 2017. While the Australian government has yet to confirm its intention to operate special missions aircraft, it is believed that it will be announced in a forthcoming Defence Department white paper.

Americas

• Lockheed Martin is being awarded a contract modification to support the Navy’s Aegis combat system. As the world’s most advanced combat system, Aegis can simultaneously attack land targets, submarines, and surface ships while automatically protecting the fleet against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The modification is valued at $18.92 million and provides for the further development of the ‘virtual twin’ for the Aegis Baseline 9 capability. This includes studies, initiatives, support and a Technical Insertion-08 CG upgrade. The ‘virtual twin’ is the entire set of code that makes up the Aegis combat system Baseline 9 housed within a few computer servers that takes up much less room than the actual Aegis combat system on a guided-missile destroyer or cruiser. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by July 2019

• The Southern Research Institute is being tapped to support the US and UK inventory of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract provides for the thermo-mechanical and aero-thermal ground testing of thermal protection system materials in ballistic re-entry systems and is valued at $9.6 million. The contract also includes the fabrication of flight hardware of such systems. The submarine launched Trident II D5 has been the backbone of US and UK nuclear deterrence since the 1990s. As a launched warhead re-enters the atmosphere it has to withstand temperatures up to 5.500 degrees Fahrenheit. The testing of the missiles’ thermal protection therefore is paramount to the system’ strike capability. This contract combines purchases for the US Navy and the government of the United Kingdom, under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by June 2019.

• The Navy is contracting Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for maintenance work on its arsenal of Mk48 heavyweight torpedoes. The $17,9 million cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only contract provides the commanders of the US Atlantic and Pacific fleet’s submarine force with approximately 56,160 man-hours per year to operate the progressive depot-level repair facility and provide depot-level repairable management functions for Mk 48 readiness. The Mk-48 is a huge 19 feet long, 3,500 lb. heavy torpedo with advanced homing, wire guidance capabilities, and devastating consequences when its 600 lb. warhead hits a target. It is designed to kill both fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high-performance surface ships, and is carried by US Navy and Royal Australian Navy submarines. These torpedoes can operate with or without wire guidance, and can use active and/or passive homing, and can conduct multiple re-attacks if they miss the target. Cost estimates for this weapon are around $2 million each, rising to almost $3 million in some cases with upgrades factored in. This Work will be performed in Yorktown, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September, 2018.

Middle East & Africa

• Afghanistan is set to receive further support for its fleet MD 530F helicopters as part of a US foreign military sale. The $38.43 million contract modification provides for performance based, contractor-managed operations to support systems readiness by MD Helicopters. This includes material management, technical data management, repair, engineering support and the procurement of spares. MD Helicopters had won a competition for the Afghan Air Force in 2011. The MD 530F, or OH-6 Cayuse is a legendary light utility helicopter and gunship. It is the ancestor of the AH-6J/M “Little Bird”. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion by November 2018.

• The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces are currently negotiating the purchase of T-129 attack helicopters from Turkey. The T-129 ATAK is an attack helicopter, but it’s smaller and lighter than classic competitors like Russia’s Mi-28 or the USA’s AH-64 Apache. The T129A EDH carries the nose-mounted 20mm cannon turret with 500 rounds, and 4 pylons for unguided rockets. The T129B version will add Roketsan’s MIZRAK (formerly UMTAS) missiles and CIRIT 70 mm Laser Guided Rockets, and Raytheon’s FIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles. The aircraft is designed for advanced attack and reconnaissance in hot and high environments and rough geography in both day and night conditions. Morocco wants to strengthen its helicopter fleet that mainly consists of reconnaissance and combat helicopters of the types Gazelle, Bell 205 and Bell 206, Chinooks and Predator drones. The north African kingdom is an important US strategic partner in the fight against terrorism. The Turkish-made T-129 would boost Morocco’s deterrence capacity.

Europe

• The German Navy is ordering Norway’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The $26.8 million contract will see for missile delivery by Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace. Kongsberg and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems will work together to further develop and field the missile on a number of German Navy vessels. The stealth-enhanced Naval Strike Missile aims to be a generation beyond the US GM-84 Harpoon. Once the NSM locks on, it strikes ships or land targets with a 265 lb. titanium warhead and programmable fuse. The number of missiles to be delivered has yet not been specified.

• The German government is currently pressing Washington to clarify whether it would let the Eurofighter Typhoon carry nuclear bombs as part of shared Western defenses. Although not a nuclear power, Germany hosts some US nuclear warheads under NATO’s nuclear-sharing policy. Some of those warheads can be delivered to their target with German Tornado’s. As retirement of those warplanes nears, Germany is looking to replace its fleet of 89 Tornados in a multi-billion-euro tender. Currently Ministry of Defense has several options on the table, including the F-35 and the aforementioned Eurofighter Typhoon. Germany’s defense ministry sent a letter to the US Defense Department in April asking whether certification of the European jets was possible, so far, no clear answer has been given.

Asia-Pacific

• The Bangladesh Air Force is set to receive new K-8W JET Trainer aircraft from China under a G2G agreement. The K-8 jet trainer, also known as the K-8 Karakorum or the Hongdu JL-8, is a joint venture between China’s Nanchang-based Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The aircraft has 3 engine options. The most common by production quantity is China’s WS-11, a licensed copy of the Ukranian Ivchenko AI-25TL turbofan. Aircraft so equipped are reportedly designated L-11s. The AI-25TL reportedly delivers 3,600 – 3,800 pounds thrust, and also equips aircraft for most export customers. The jets can carry up to 4 under-wing pylons rated at 500 lb. each. Options include fuel drop tanks, 23mm cannon pods, unguided rockets, unguided bombs, and even short-range air-to-air missiles.

Today’s Video

• Airbus is offering a helicopter armed with HForce to Japan’s AH-X contest

Mk 48: Before and After
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The Mk-48 is the standard heavyweight torpedo used by the US military, and is mounted primarily on submarines. Surface ships use the smaller Mk46 or Mk50. The Mk-54, in contrast, stemmed from the need for a smaller, lighter, and cost effective advanced torpedo – one that could be dropped from helicopters, planes, and smaller ships. In recent years, the US has moved to modernize and maintain its Mk-48 inventory; the Mk-54 also requires servicing and spares.

Many of these contracts were issued under a total enterprise partnership between Raytheon and the US Navy called Team Torpedo, dedicated to meeting the needs of U.S. and allied naval fleets. Team Torpedo combines Raytheon’s manufacturing, design engineering, and support services expertise with the systems engineering and testing capabilities of Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) operations in Newport, RI, and Keyport, WA. Now, a new provider has entered the picture. DID has the complete set of contracts below… plus more details regarding the torpedoes involved, and the answer to the question “what the heck is CBASS standard”?

Heavyweight & Flyweight: Mk-48 ADCAP and Mk-54 Heavy Hitter: The Mk-48

US torpedoes
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The Mk-48 is a huge 533mm torpedo (19 feet long, 3,500+ pounds) with advanced homing, wire guidance capabilities, and devastating consequences when its 300kg warhead hits a target. It is designed to kill both fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high performance surface ships, and is carried by US Navy and Royal Australian Navy submarines. The Mk 48 ADCAP has improved target acquisition range, reduced vulnerability to enemy countermeasures, reduced shipboard constraints such as warm-up and reactivation time, and enhanced effectiveness against surface ships. These torpedoes can operate with or without wire guidance, and can use active and/or passive homing, conducting multiple re-attacks if they miss the target. Cost estimates for this weapon are around $2 million each, rising to almost $3 million in some cases with upgrades factored in.

The Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) kit is for the Mk48, and includes a Broadband Sonar Analog Receiver, preamplifier and interfacing hardware. This gives the retrofitted torpedoes the ability to transmit and receive over a wide frequency band, and takes advantage of broadband signal processing techniques to improve their targeting & tracking capabilities. This is especially helpful in shallower waters, where the bottom and other clutter is more likely to be in the way. CBASS kits procured before the end of FY 2007 were for Mk-48 ADCAP Mod 5 and below, and so they included the Torpedo Propulsion Upgrade (TPU) modification required for forebody/ afterbody compatibility. After that, the kits are used with Mk-48 ADCAP Mod 6 torpedoes, which don’t require the TPU.

Initial CBASS contractor Raytheon also manufactures the AN/BYG-1 combat management system used in new American submarines, and scheduled for retrofit to older Los Angeles class boats and the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins class submarines. This reportedly allows for a degree of synergy that improves the Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo’s effectiveness. In 2011, however, Lockheed Martin stepped into the picture with a key contract win for CBASS kits.

The USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the Netherlands are Mk-48 customers, and Turkey has requested them for its new U214 subs. The Mk-48 doesn’t lack for international competitors, though: Britain (Spearfish), France (F21), Germany (Sea Hake), Italy (Black Shark), and now South Korea (White Shark) all produce plausible alternatives for western submarines. Russia, India, Japan, and China also produce their own heavy torpedoes, but they wouldn’t compete with the Mk-48 because the submarines that carry them are local or Russian designs.

Torpedo to go: The Mk-54

Mk-46, Mk-50, MK-54
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The Mk-54 stemmed from the need for a smaller, lighter, but cost effective advanced torpedo that could be dropped from helicopters, planes, and smaller ships. To achieve this, it combined the expensive Mk-50’s search and homing system with the propulsion system of the Mk-46 torpedo (the previous NATO/US standard), and added off-the-shelf electronic components. Its size improves its ability to go after targets in shallower littoral regions, but the torpedo is designed to work in both deep water and near-shore or shallow environments. Cost estimates for this weapon are around $1 million each.

In 2013, the Navy ordered the MK-54 MOD 0 array and transmitters. The MK-54’s sonar array and transmitters hadn’t been produced since the Navy completed MK-50 production in the mid-1990s, as the MK-54’s common parts were just taken from older MK-50 stocks. The new MOD 0s are substantially the same design, but obsolete parts and material have been switched for modern electronics. A new receiver is also part of Northrop Grumman’s contract, and the technology refresh and proof of design testing were accomplished by Advanced Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University (ARL PSU).

The MK 54 MOD 1 LWT kit is an upgrade that adds a new sonar array assembly, and improved processing capability. The full kit includes a 112-element array, transmitter, receiver, Processor Group Assembly (PGA), Modular Recording and Exercise Control System Second generation (MRECS2), and associated cables. It’s still a developmental product, under a SBIR Phase III framework. Progeny Systems Corporation, of Manassas, VA owns the intellectual property rights, so they’ve been the sole-source for all contracts.

Mk54 HAAWC
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Look up! The new 737-derived P-8 Poseidon aircraft is spurring the special development of special GPS-guided, high-altitude launch kits for the MK-54. The HAASW add-on kit from Boeing is derived from their JDAM bombs, allowing accurate torpedo drops from 35,000 feet in P-8A Poseidon Increment 2 aircraft, instead of the usual ceiling of several hundred feet. Lockheed and Raytheon have developed similar solutions.

Competitors: The MU90 Eurotorp is the Mk-54’s primary international competitor, and it has been very successful in the international marketplace. It ran into severe problems in Australia, however, and those have taken a long time to sort out. BAE Systems’ Stingray has made a few sales as well, and South Korea’s K745 Blue Shark could become an interesting future competitor. Meanwhile, there are still a lot of Mk-46s in service around the world.

Team Torpedo Contracts & Key Events

Unless otherwise specified, contracts are awarded under consolidated contract # N00024-04-C-6101 by The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC to Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA.

FY 2018

Requests: Turkey.

U214 cutaway
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June 22/18: Maintencance needed The Navy is contracting Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for maintenance work on its arsenal of Mk48 heavyweight torpedoes. The $17,9 million cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only contract provides the commanders of the US Atlantic and Pacific fleet’s submarine force with approximately 56,160 man-hours per year to operate the progressive depot-level repair facility and provide depot-level repairable management functions for Mk 48 readiness. The Mk-48 is a huge 19 feet long, 3,500 lb. heavy torpedo with advanced homing, wire guidance capabilities, and devastating consequences when its 600 lb. warhead hits a target. It is designed to kill both fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high-performance surface ships, and is carried by US Navy and Royal Australian Navy submarines. These torpedoes can operate with or without wire guidance, and can use active and/or passive homing, and can conduct multiple re-attacks if they miss the target. Cost estimates for this weapon are around $2 million each, rising to almost $3 million in some cases with upgrades factored in. This Work will be performed in Yorktown, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September, 2018.

FY 2014

Sept 24/14: MK48 Canada. The US DSCA announces Canada’s formal export request for up to 12 MK-48 Mod 7 Advanced Technology Torpedo Conversion Kits, which would upgrade 12 of Canada’s existing inventory of MK-48 torpedoes from Mod 4 to Mod 7. The torpedoes would be used in Canada’s Victoria Class submarines, and the proposed purchase includes containers, spare and repair parts, weapon system support and integration, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and US Government and contractor support.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Sippican, Inc. in Marion, MA; and the estimated cost is up to $41 million, or about $3.42 millon per conversion kit. Canada has significant relevant infrastructure, including MK-48 Mod 4/4M and MK-46 Mod 5A (SW) torpedoes, so they won’t need any additional US government or contractor representatives. Sources: US DSCA #14-49, “Canada – MK-48 Mod 7 Advanced Technology Torpedo Kits”.

DSCA request: Canada MK48-7AT kits (12)

Sept 2/14: MK54. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Annapolis, MD, receives a $27.6 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-type contract modification. It’s exercising an option for proof of MK54 Mod 0 Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) manufacturing/first articles and functional item replacement level components. This includes Array Kits, engineering services hours, hardware repair support, test equipment, additional spares and production support material, and warranty options. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy weapon budgets and foreign military sales to Australia and India.

Note that NGC is responsible for producing new MK-54 nose arrays (q.v. July 25/13), which means that every LWT order is effectively divided between Raytheon and NGC. Raytheon’s Aug 20/14 order + NGC’s contract totals $86.8 million, though Turkey is left out of this NGC announcement.

Work will be performed in Lititz, PA (41%); Annapolis, MD (30%); and Santa Barbara, CA (29%), and is expected to be complete by November 2016. Fiscal 2014 weapons procurement (Navy) and FMS contract funds in the amount of $27,625,777 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, WA, DC manages the contract (N00024-13-C-6412).

Aug 20/14: MK-48 upgrades. Lockheed Martin Sippican, Inc. in Marion, MA receives a $31.9 million fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-type option for 108 MK-48 MOD 7 CBASS Functional Item Replacement (FIR) Kits, related engineering services, CBASS FIR kit spares, and CBASS FIR kit warranty. The kits are designed to upgrade heavyweight torpedoes to this standard; they contain a guidance and control box, broadband analog sonar receiver, preamplifier, cable assemblies, and guidance and control assembly materials. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 and 2014 US Navy weapon budgets.

Work will be performed in Marion, MA (95%), and Syracuse, NY (5%), and is expected to be complete by November 2017 (N00024-11-C-6404).

Aug 20/14: MK-54. Raytheon IDS in Portsmouth, RI receives a $59.2 million contract modification, exercising an option for MK54 Mod 0 Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) Kits, and related engineering and repair services for the upgrades. It involves purchases for the US Navy and the governments of Australia (q.v. Oct 5/10), India (q.v. June 24/11), and Turkey (q.v. May 12/14) under the Foreign Military Sales program. All funds are committed immediately.

See also Sept 2/14 for the other half of this order, involving Northrop Grumman who is responsible for the nose sonar transmitter arrays (q.v. July 25/13). Taken together, they total $86.8 million, though Turkey is left out of the NGC announcement.

Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (60%), and Portsmouth, RI (40%), and is expected to be complete by January 2018 (N00024-11-C-6410).

MK-54 orders: USA, Australia, India, Turkey

May 12/14: Turkey. The US DSCA announces Turkey’s formal export request for up to 48 MK 48 Mod 6 Advanced Technology All-Up-Round (MK-48 Mod 6AT AUR) Warshot Torpedoes, along with containers, fleet exercise sections, exercise fuel tanks, a surface recovery cage and tools, exercise hardware, maintenance facility upgrades, support and test equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, and other forms of US Government and contractor support.

Turkey will use the new torpedoes on their new U214/1200 Cerbe Class submarines, instead of Atlas Elektronik’s Seahake Mod4s. The DSCA says that Turkey is capable of integrating, employing, and maintaining the MK-48 Mod 6ATs, based on their experience to date with light MK-46 Mod 5A(S)W and MK-54s. They add that implementation of this proposed sale won’t require any more US Government or contractors, just occasional contractor engineering and technical services as needed.

The total estimated cost is up to $170 million, but negotiations will determine the exact price. The principal contractor will be Raytheon Company Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA (MK-48); and Lockheed Martin Sippican in Marion, MA (CBASS). Sources: US DSCA #13-56, “Republic of Turkey – MK 48 TORPEDOES”.

DSCA request: Turkey MK-48s (48)

FY 2013

Exports: Australia, India; Development for MK-54 MOD 1; Contract for MK-54 MOD 0 guidance kits.

P-8i concept
(click to view full)

Aug 29/13: MK-48 CBASS. Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc. in Marion, MA receives a $37.3 million contract modification for MK48 Mod 7 CBASS upgrade kits, associated warranties, and related engineering services. The upgrade kits consist of a guidance and control box, broadband analog sonar receiver, preamplifier, cable assemblies, and guidance and control assembly materials.

This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy (77%), where it’s part of a 5-year program to upgrade the submarine fleet to a common standard, and for the Netherlands (13%, q.v. July 29/10) and Canada (10%, q.v. March 23/11) under Foreign Military Sales channels. Work will be performed in Marion, MA (95%), and Syracuse, NY (5%), and is part of a multi-year contract that runs until July 2017. Lockheed Martin adds Manassas, VA and Newport, RI as work locations, and their subsidiary Polaris Contract Manufacturing will build the circuit card and module assembly (N00024-11-C-6404). See also: Lockheed Martin Aug 30/13 release.

USA, Canada, Dutch: MK-48 CBASS

Aug 20/13: +150 Mk-54s. Raytheon’s $28 million contract modification exercises an option to produce 150 MK-54 MOD 0 lightweight torpedo kits, and related engineering and repair services. Northrop Grumman makes the nose arrays for the MOD 0s now (q.v. July 25/13), and Raytheon makes the rest. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (95%), and Portsmouth, RI (5%), and is expected to be complete by November 2016 (N00024-11-C-6410).

MK-54s: USA

July 25/13: MK-54 MOD 0. Northrop Grumman Corp. in Annapolis, MD wins a $46 million firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-type contract to produce 428 MK-54 MOD 0 nose array kits. They’ll make proof of manufacturing/first articles, functional item replacement components, and additional spares and production support material, while providing engineering services hours, hardware repair support, test equipment, and warranty options.

All $46 million is committed immediately, and immediate customers include the U.S. Navy (52%, implicitly 223), and exports to the governments of Australia (41%, implicitly 175) and India (7%, implicitly 30). Options could bring the contract’s value to $294.4 million, and bring total production to 3,000 for the USA and Mk-54 export customers.

When asked, the Navy explained that the MK-54’s sonar array and transmitters haven’t been produced so far, just re-used as Government-Furnished Equipment from Navy stocks of 550 Northrop Grumman MK-50s and spares. Mk-50 production ended in the mid-1990s, so those have run out. The “new” MK-54 MOD 0 array and transmitter are substantially the same design, but obsolete parts and material have been replaced with modern electronics. A new receiver is also part of the Northrop Grumman contract, which leverages some of the things NGC learned as lead designer for the current MK48 ADCAP Mod 7 CBASS heavy torpedo upgrade. The technology refresh and proof of design testing were accomplished by Advanced Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University (ARL PSU).

Work will be performed in Lititz, PA (40.5%); Annapolis, MD (30.9%); and Santa Barbara, CA (28.6%), and is expected to be complete by July 2016. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the E-commerce and FBO.gov websites, and 2 offers received by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC (N00024-13-C-6412). See also NGC Aug 14/13 release.

Mk-54 MOD 0 nose arrays to NGC

July 10/13: Australia. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] Australia’s formal export request for up to 100 MK-54 All-Up-Round Torpedoes, 13 MK-54 Exercise Sections, 13 MK-54 Exercise Fuel Tanks, 5 Recoverable Exercise Torpedoes, support and test equipment for upgrades to MK 695 Mod 1 capability, plus spare and repair parts, and various forms of US government and contractor support. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA is the contractor, and the DSCA says that:

“Australia will use the MK 54 torpedo on its MH-60R helicopters and intends to use the torpedo on a planned purchase of the P-8A Increment 2 Maritime Patrol and Response aircraft.”

Links added by DID. The MH-60Rs are under construction, while the P-8A Increment 2 isn’t slated to be ready before 2016.

DSCA: Mk-54s for Australia (100)

May 7/13: MK-54 MOD 1. US NAVSEA announces sole source solicitation N00024-13-R-6409, to buy 890 of Progeny Systems’ MK 54 MOD 1 Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) kits, Production Support Material, Spares, Engineering Services, and MK 54 MOD 1 unique test equipment using a firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The FY 2014 base year will involve 40 units, the FY 2015 (50) & 2016 (100) option years would be Low Rate Initial Production, and FY 2017 – 2018 would be Full Rate Production option years for up to 350 units.

The MK 54 MOD 1 LWT kit is an upgrade that adds a new sonar array assembly, and improved processing capability. It includes a 112-element array, transmitter, receiver, Processor Group Assembly (PGA), Modular Recording and Exercise Control System Second generation MRECS2, and associated cables. Progeny Systems Corporation, of Manassas, VA gets the sole-source solicitation because their SBIR Phase III R&D contract (N00024-08-C-6272) gave them data rights to the MK 54 MOD 1 technology. The NAVSEA announcement was updated May 30/13. FBO.gov.

Mk-54 MOD 1

Oct 18/12: Raytheon announces a $45.3 million contract to provide MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related services for the US Navy, Australia, and India. It’s exercised as an option under the current umbrella contract, but Raytheon doesn’t release numbers.

Australia’s Oct 5/10 request involved up to 200 torpedoes, while India’s June 24/11 request involved up to 32 MK54 all-up rounds for its new P-8i sea control planes.

Australia, India, USA: MK-54s

FY 2012

USA, Canada MK-48s.

MK-48 loading, Guam
(click to view full)

Sept 7/12: +76 CBASS. Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc. in Marion, MA receives $21 million to produce 76 MK48 Mod 7 CBASS functional item replacement kits, and supporting warranty, engineering services, spares and production support material, for the US Navy (58 kits, 79%) and Canada (18 kits, 21%). This modifies a combination fixed-price incentive, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee cost-only option contract.

The upgrade kits consist of a guidance and control box, broadband analog sonar receiver, preamplifier, cable assemblies, and guidance and control assembly materials. Canada has qualified its trouble-plagued Victoria Class submarines with the MK48 to replace British Spearfish torpedoes, and is busy retrofitting older MK48 torpedoes that were in its stocks to a modern standard. The 18 kits are half of their March 23/11 DSCA request.

Work will be performed in Marion, MA (95%), and Syracuse, NY (5%), and is expected to complete by December 2016. US Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-11-C-6404).

USA, Canada:
MK-48 CBASS

April 6/12: MK48 maintenance. Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. in Colorado Springs, CO receives a $10 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to staff and maintain the intermediate maintenance activity facility at the Naval Underwater Warfare Center, Keyport Detachment, Pacific in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The contractor will perform maintenance on about 300 MK48 MOD 6/7 ADCAP torpedoes, and will be required to perform approximately 25 torpedo turnarounds per month.

Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be complete by April 2013. All contract funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year, on Sept 30/12. This contract was not competitively procured (N00024-12-C-6401).

Oct 13/11: P-8A. P-8A aircraft T-3 successfully launches its first MK 54 torpedo in the Atlantic Test Range, from 500 feet above water. The test verifies safe separation, with further weapon testing to come. US NAVAIR | Raytheon.

FY 2011

USA, Australia, Canada, India.

Mk-54 Promo
(click to view full)

Sept 19/11: 100 MK54. Raytheon IDS in Portsmouth, RI receives a $42.6 million fixed-price incentive, firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-type contract for 100 MK 54, MOD 0 lightweight torpedoes. The contract includes options that could push its value to $558.4 million over 4 years, as it buys new weapons, test equipment, spares, engineering, and repair services related to upgrades of US Navy lightweight torpedoes.

Work will be performed in Portsmouth, RI (80%), and Keyport, WA (20%), and is expected to completed by October 2015. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Business Opportunities website, with 4 offers received (N00024-11-C-6410). See also Raytheon release.

USA: Mk-54s

Aug 11/11: ASROC. The US Department of the Navy issues FBO.gov presolicitation #N0010411RK105:

“The U.S. Navy intends to place an order for repair and upgrade various components for the ASROC MK54 Missile. The Government does not have drawings or required technical data to repair or upgrade thses [sic] components”

ASROC is a missile, which attaches to a lightweight torpedo (RUM-139B with Mk46 or RUM-139C with Mk54) and allows rapid engagement using a warship’s vertical launch cells. Once it reaches the target area, the torpedo drops into the water without the booster, and tracks normally. While Raytheon is the MK54’s manufacturer, VL-ASROC is a Lockheed Martin product; given the lack of government data, one or both of these contractors must be retained.

June 24/11: The US DSCA announces [PDF] India’s request to buy 32 MK-54 All-Up-Round Lightweight Torpedoes, 3 recoverable exercise torpedoes, 1 training shape, plus containers, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, transportation, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support. The estimated cost is $86 million, but actual costs will depend on a negotiated contract.

India intends to use the torpedoes on its forthcoming 8 P-8i Neptune maritime patrol aircraft, and the numbers involved mark this as an initial familiarity and training buy. Prime contractors are listed as “Boeing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, and a yet to be identified U.S. torpedo contractor.” Which is odd. Technically, Boeing is the P-8i lead integrator, but the Mk-54 is a Raytheon design. On the other hand, Lockheed Martin offers the GPS-guided, high altitude launch HAAWC/Longshot, consisting of an adapter kit mounted on a Mk-54. If India wants HAAWCs, Lockheed Martin could be listed as the contractor.

There is a possible industrial offset agreement in connection with the proposed sale, and implementation will require an unfinalized number of U.S. Government and contractor representatives in-country visits on a temporary basis for technical reviews, support, and oversight.

DSCA request: India MK-54s (32)

May 16/11: Taiwan. Taiwan’s military reportedly plans to budget $860 million to purchase new Mk54 and Mk48 torpedoes over the a 10-year period.

$300 million will reportedly be used to buy 600 Mk54 lightweight torpedoes, replacing existing Mk46s. They’re designed to launch for ships, and from aircraft like Taiwan’s incoming P-3C Orion sea control planes.

Another $160 million will be spent on the purchase of 40 Mk48s, replacing the existing German-made SUT heavyweight torpedoes Taiwan acquired with its 2 Hai Lung II (Zvaardis) Class subs built by the Netherlands. Another $400 million would cover 100 Mk48s, if Taiwan finds a way to source and purchase the 4-8 diesel-electric submarines it wants. Focus Taiwan.

March 31/11: Support. Raytheon Full Service Partnering Corp. in Keyport, WA receives a $47 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for engineering services in support of lightweight and heavyweight torpedo systems.

This effort includes combined purchases for the US Navy (82%), and the governments of Canada (8%), Japan (4%), Brazil (4%), and Turkey (2%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Newport, R.I., and is expected to be complete by March 2016; $50,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured, with one offer received via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website by the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Newport, RI (N66604-11-D-0633).

March 23/11: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Canada’s request for 36 MK-48 Mod 7 Advanced Technology (AT) Torpedo Conversion Kits for their existing MK-48 Mod 4 stocks, plus containers, spare and repair parts, weapon system support & integration, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support.

The estimated cost is $125 million, but the actual price will be finalized once a contract is signed. That may not happy very soon, as a federal election has just been forced by the minority Conservative Party government’s fall over its proposed budget. $3.5 million per torpedo does seem rather high for conversion kits, but it is in line with the Netherlands’ July 29/10 request for the same thing.

Canada intends to use the MK 48 7ATs on their Victoria Class diesel-electric fast attack submarines. No technical issues are expected, as the country already has some torpedoes of this type in stock, has significant experience with the MK 48 Mod 4/4M and MK 46 5A(S)W, and has good infrastructure for maintaining these weapons.

DSCA request: Canada MK-48 MOD7 kits (36)

March 4/11: New CBASS supplier. Lockheed Martin Sippican, Inc. in Marion, MA receives a $50.6 million fixed-price incentive, firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-type contract for MK48 Mod 7 CBASS functional item replacement (FIR) upgrade kits (guidance & control box, broadband analog sonar receiver, preamplifier, cable assemblies, and guidance and control materials); plus engineering services hours, hardware repair support, test equipment, additional spares and production support material, and warranty options should all options be exercised. This contract includes options which could bring its cumulative value to $235.2 million.

Work will be performed in Marion, MA (99%), and Akron, OH (1%), and is expected to be complete by May 2014. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 5 offers received by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC (N00024-11-C-6404).

USA – new CBASS supplier

Oct 5/10: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Australia’s official request to buy up to 200 MK 54 All-Up-Round Torpedoes, 179 MK 54 Flight in Air Material Kits to mount them onto aircraft, 10 MK 54 Exercise Sections, 10 MK 54 Exercise Fuel Tanks, 10 MK 54 Dummy Torpedoes, 6 MK 54 Ground Handling Torpedoes for safe training, plus support and test equipment to upgrade Intermediate Maintenance Activity to full MK 54 capability, spare and repair parts, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, and other forms of U.S. government and contractor support.

It’s an interesting request, because Australia had picked the Eurotorp MU90 as its lightweight torpedo, but an MH-60R pick would require either a MK-54 purchase or expensive integration work. The estimated cost is up to $169 million, and the prime contractor will be Raytheon Company Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA.

DSCA request: MK-54s for Australia (200)

FY 2008 – 2010

USA, Australia, Netherlands, Turkey.

Loading a Mk-48
(click to view larger)

July 29/10: The US DSCA announces [PDF] The Netherlands’ official request to buy 40 MK-48 Mod 7 Advanced Technology (AT) Torpedo Conversion Kits, 40 containers, plus support and test equipment, spare and repair parts, weapon system support and integration, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and other U.S. Government and contractor support. The Netherlands wants to upgrade its current stock of MK 48 Mod 4 torpedoes to the MK 48 Mod 7AT, for use on its Walrus Class diesel-electric fast attack submarines. Asked about the difference between this upgrade and the USA’s MK 48 ADCAP, a Raytheon representative relied that:

“The Advanced Technology (AT) configuration was developed to provide compatibility to the launching interfaces of international submarine configurations.”

The estimated cost is up to $150 million, and the prime contractor will be Raytheon Company Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA. The Netherlands won’t require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to The Netherlands, though Contractor Engineering and Technical Services (CETS) may be required on an interim basis for installations.

DSCA request: Dutch MK-48 MOD 7 kits (40)

Nov 30/09: Sub-contractors. Raytheon IDS issues a $2.6 million contract to electronics contract manufacturer LaBarge Inc. in St. Louis, MO. The firm has ordered wiring harnesses to fit its MK 48 and MK 54 torpedoes. This is the first time LaBarge has supplied parts for the 2 torpedo programs.

LaBarge will make the wiring harnesses at the company’s Berryville, AK plant, and should be finished in December 2011. Raytheon makes torpedoes at the company’s Torpedo and Readiness Center, co-located with the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Keyport, WA, as well as at the Raytheon Seapower Capability Center in Portsmouth, RI. Interconnection World.

Aug 7/09: +49 MK-54s. A $19.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6101) to provide additional MK 54 torpedoes and support services necessary to support Fleet Operational Requirements for the various torpedo product lines. Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (50%) and Portsmouth, RI (50%), and is expected to be complete by October 2011.

Raytheon’s Sept 9/09 release says that the addition of this order places them under contract to deliver 241 total Mk-54 kits, of which 100 kits will be delivered to the Turkish Navy via a Foreign Military Sales agreement. That raises the total number of MK-54s announced on Oct 9/08 by 49, from 192 to 241.

USA, Turkey:
Mk-54

Jan 8/09: Sub-contractors. Progeny Systems Corporation in Manassas, VA received a $13.5 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost plus fixed fee contract for engineering services in support of the MK54 torpedo systems. The contractor will be required to perform engineering efforts including technology assessment, mechanical and electrical component analysis, hardware/software development, critical item testing, hardware/software integration, certification and test, and life cycle logistics studies necessary for the testing and evaluation, prototype and engineering development model components of torpedo systems.

Work will be performed in Manassas, VA (80%), and other locations including Newport, R.I. (20%), and is expected to be complete by January 2014. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Newport, RI (N66604-09-D-0002).

Oct 9/08: A $171.1 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6101) to provide MK48 and MK54 torpedoes on a firm fixed-price basis, plus engineering and support. This is a continuation of MK48 ADCAP, MK48 CBASS and MK54 torpedo programs under contracts N00024-98-C-6107, N00024-00-C-6100, N00024-00-C-6102 and N00024-03-C-6104. The total amount funded at contract award will be $166.3 million, and contract funds in the amount of $48.9 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year (Sept 30/09).

Raytheon’s subsequent release places the number at 192 MK54s, and 228 MK48 CBASS torpedo upgrade kits to the US Navy. Raytheon IDS will supply the Royal Australian Navy with 19 of the CBASS kits, and the Turkish Navy with 100 MK54 torpedo kits.

Work on the contracts will be performed at Raytheon’s Torpedo and Readiness Center, co-located with the U.S. Navy at NUWC Division Keyport, WA (50%), and at the Seapower Capability Center in Portsmouth, RI (50%). Work is expected to be complete by July 2011.

USA, Australia, Turkey: Mk-48 & Mk-54

Aug 1/08: Contract conversion. A $6 million modification to previously awarded contract N00024-04-C-6101 to provide cost growth funding for the P2U NRE (Producibility 2nd Year Upgrade) completion efforts, and to convert the contract to Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) buys. This effort is a continuation of MK48 ADCAP, MK48 CBASS and MK54 torpedo programs under contracts N00024-98-C-6107, N00024-00-C-6100, N00024-00-C-6102 and N00024-03-C-6104. Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (50%) and Portsmouth, RI (50%), and is expected to be complete by September 2009 .

Contracts converted

July 28/08: A $12.3 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6101) for production material in support of the FY 2007/2008 MK48/MK54 torpedo buy. This effort is a continuation of MK48 ADCAP, MK48 CBASS and MK54 torpedo programs under contracts N00024-98-C-6107, N00024-00-C-6100, N00024-00-C-6102 and N00024-03-C-6104. Work will be performed in Keyport, WA and is expected to be complete by September 2008.

FY 2004 – 2007

MK-54 FRP. USA, Australia.

Mk54 testing
(click to view full)

Dec 21/06: Support. Raytheon announces that Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded them a $12.5 million contract for technical engineering, repair and maintenance services in support of the MK48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedo. This award is a contract modification exercising a one-year option that was included in the original technical services contract awarded in April 2006. Under the contract, IDS will perform intermediate-level maintenance, repair and refurbishment of MK48 ADCAP torpedoes currently in the U.S. Navy’s fleet inventory of training and warshot torpedoes. The inventory is used for fleet training, readiness and submarine-launched torpedo warshot exercises. Work on the contract will be performed in Pearl Harbor, HI; Yorktown, VA; and Poulsbo, WA.

Dec 7/06: Delivery. A NAVSEA announcement notes that the first Warshot MK 48 Mod 7 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) Heavyweight Torpedoes were delivered to the Fleet and loaded aboard the Improved Los Angeles Class submarine USS Pasadena [SSN 752] in Pearl Harbor, HI. See NAVSEA release for further details.

MK48 MOD 7 delivery

Aug 1/06: Support. A $5 million firm-fixed-price modification to purchase additional spares, and issue a technical issue to support fleet operational requirements for the various torpedo product lines. This will satisfy additional fiscal year 2006 Navy and Royal Australian Navy requirements for MK48 advanced capability and MK54 Mod 6 lightweight torpedo spares and MK48 common broadband advanced sonar system Mod 7 heavyweight production engineering support. This modification combines requirements for the US Navy (99%) and the Royal Australian Navy (1%). Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (90%), and Portsmouth, RI (10%), and is expected to be complete by June 2009.

July 31/06: 107 MK48, 105 MK54. An estimated $95.4 million firm-fixed-price modification for the necessary quantities of Mk48 heavyweight torpedo and Mk 54 lightweight torpedo support services necessary to support fleet operational requirements. It represents the consolidated MK48 and MK54 torpedo kit hardware buy, with engineering and repair services. This contract combines support for the US Navy (70%) and the Government of Australia (30%) under the foreign military sales program. Work will be performed at Raytheon’s Torpedo and Readiness Center, co-located with the U.S. Navy at NUWC Division Keyport and at the Maritime Mission Center in Portsmouth, RI (10%) and in Keyport, WA (90%), and is expected to be complete by June 2009.

For the modifications announced on July 31/06 and Aug 1/06 under the consolidated torpedo contract, Raytheon will deliver electronic systems and components, spares and services for 105 MK-54 lightweight torpedoes and 107 MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes. They will also support the MK-48 upgrade and configuration to CBASS standard, which entered full-rate production in June 2006. The August 1,2006 contract also covers torpedo spares, production engineering and technical support for fleet operational requirements for the U.S. and Royal Australian Navy’s inventories.

These were described as “fiscal year 2006 procurement quantities,” indicating that this is the full order for the year.

USA, Australia:
Mk-48 & Mk-54

Jan 11/05: FY 2005. A $78.7 million firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-04-C-6101) for fiscal year 2005 consolidated MK-48 and MK-54 torpedo hardware, and associated engineering and repair services.

Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (90%) and Portsmouth, RI (10%), and is expected to be completed by September 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification supports requirements for the U.S. Navy (90%) and Royal Australian Navy (10%), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

USA:
MK-48 & Mk-54

Oct 26/04: MK-54. Raytheon begins full rate production of the Mk54 lightweight torpedo. “Under the consolidated procurement contract for fiscal year 2004, Raytheon will deliver 51 MK54 lightweight torpedoes and associated whole-life support services. The five-year contract value, including exercised options, is expected to exceed $500 million.” See complete news release.

MK-54 FRP

June 22/04: 101 MK48, 51 MK54. Raytheon Systems Co. Integrated Defense Systems in Keyport, WA received a firm-fixed price letter contract with a not to exceed value of $70.2 million for the consolidated procurement of FY 2004 undersea weapons requirements for 91 MK48 advanced capability (ADCAP) Mod 6 heavyweight torpedoes, including 15 kits in support of the next generation MK-48 CBASS Mod 7 initial production; production engineering for the MK48 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) Mod 7 heavyweight (HWT); 51 MK54 Mod 6 lightweight (LWT) torpedoes; and associated support services.

This effort is a continuation of MK48 ADCAP, MK48 CBASS and MK54 torpedo for the primary purpose of purchasing the necessary quantities of torpedoes and support services necessary to support further operational evaluation, future milestone decisions, and initial operational capability for the various torpedo product lines. Work will be performed in Keyport, WA (90%) and Portsmouth, RI (10%), and is expected to be completed by June 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-04-C-6101).

See also Raytheon release, which adds 20 MK-48 ADCAP Mod6 kits for Australia to the above totals.

USA, Australia:
Mk-48 & Mk-54

Additional Readings

• Department Of The Navy Fiscal Year (FY) 2006/FY 2007 Budget Estimates (February 2005) – Justification Of Estimates: Weapons Procurement, Navy [PDF].

• US Navy – MK 48 Heavyweight Torpedo.

• Raytheon – MK 48 Mod 6 Advanced Technology

• Lockheed Martin – Hitting the Mark with Upgraded CBASS.

• GlobalSecurity.org – Mk-48 Torpedo.

• US Navy – MK 54 – Torpedo.

• Raytheon – MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo.

• Federation of American Scientists – MK-54 Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo.

• Lockheed Martin – HAAWC. High-altitude GPS-guided kit. Boeing actually won.

• Raytheon – Fish Hawk. High-altitude GPS-guided kit. Boeing actually won.

• Eurotorp Consortium.

• US Dept. of the Navy Acquisition One Source – Exchange of Non-Excess Property for New Assets in the MK46 and MK54 Torpedo Programs. Innovative idea.

• DID (May 31/07) – Longshot: A Swooping HAAWC for Torpedoes. Enables high-altitude launch, turning the Mk54 into a GPS-guided glide weapon that releases the torpedo near sea level.

• Australian Defence Materiel Organization (June 21/06) – JP 2070 ADF – Lightweight ASW Torpedo – Project Djimindi. Selected the MU90 Eurotorp. It hasn’t gone well.

• Spacewar (June 14/06) – Navy Selects LockMart For MK-54 Torpedoes High Altitude Launch Capability

• DID (Nov 15/05) – Australia’s Collins Class Subs, Submariners On Track for Upgrades. Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes are part of those upgrades.

• Seapower Magazine (June 2005) – Boeing Eyes High-Flying Torpedo. For the P-8A MMA program. The 737-based P-8A is a capable aircraft, but doesn’t do as well as a turboprop when flying just 100 feet above the waves.

• Undersea Warfare Magazine (Winter/Spring 2002) – Torpedoes and the Next Generation of Undersea Weapons

• Thanks to reader Gregory L. Bender, P.E. of Defense Holdings, Inc. for catching an (incorrect) reference to the Mk48’s use on surface ships. At present, they use smaller Mk46 and Mk50 torpedoes.

Afghan MD-530F
(click to view full)

In March 2011, MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, AZ won a competition for the Afghan Air Force that could reach as many as 54 helicopters over the life of the 4 year contract, giving it an implicit value of up to $180 million. Discussions with MD Helicopters confirmed that these are MD 530Fs, designed for high altitude and/or hot weather operations, where thinner air costs helicopters some of their lift.

The MD 530F uses Rolls Royce’s 650 shp 250-C30 engine, instead of the 500E’s 450-shp 250-C20R. That drives a 5-bladed set of main-rotor blades that have been extended 6 inches, along with lengthened tail rotors on a correspondingly longer tail boom. In a typical working configuration, at a design gross weight of 3,100 pounds/ 1,406 kg and a useful load of over 1,509 pounds/ 684 kg, it can hover out-of-ground effect at 11,600 feet/ 3,536m (ISA + 20°C). An optional cargo hook is rated for 2,000 pounds/ 907 kg, and the helicopter also has a flat aft cargo compartment floor for internal loads. These may be training helicopters, but they can be repurposed for light utility tasks. MD Helicopter designs are not unknown in the military market.

MD’s Military Rise, Fall… and Rise?

Israeli MD 500
(click to view larger)

Hughes’ OH-6 Cayuse/”Loach” was legendary as a light utility helicopter and gunship. OH-6s still serve with some militaries, their AH-6J/M “Little Bird” descendant is still used as a light gunship by US Special Forces’ 160th SOAR, and the MD500/530 Defender series of light attack helicopters is still in operation around the world in Israel, South Korea, and elsewhere.

The purchase and breakup of Hughes Helicopter into Boeing (AH-64 Apache, AH-6 Little Bird) and MD (civilian helicopters) badly hurt this helicopter family’s global momentum and presence, as Boeing chose to focus on the AH-64 Apache as its military offering. After its 2005 purchase and recapitalization by Patriarch Partners, MD tried to re-enter the light military segment, but losses in the US Army’s ARH armed reconnaissance and LUH light utility competitions left them still looking for a new military foothold.

Military MD-530F
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While Mexico’s Navy uses the innovative MD Explorer, whose quieter NOTAR rotorless tail design sharply lowers the advance warning given to its targets, other military export orders have been slim. The Afghan order could reverse that trend, and the fleet will now be used well beyond the primary trainer role, re-establishing MD Helicopters as a global competitor in the light utility space.

MD-530G

MD Helicopters has a July 2010 Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing for the AH-6i Light Attack Helicopter [PDF], which has been selected by Jordan and bought by Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the firm is developing their own MD-530G armed scout variant, and the Afghans have given them a contract to apply the upgrade to their fleet.

MD-530G modifications begin with upgraded landing skids that can handle 3,750 pounds maximum weight. A Rhode & Schwarz M3AR tactical radio, Robertson fuel system, and Kinetic Defense ballistic armor panels follow. Mission equipment includes L-3 Wescam’s MX-10 day/night surveillance & targeting turret, and MACE Aviation’s Extended Range Weapons Wing (ER2W) with up to 4 weapon stations, linked to a MOOG Storage Management System (SMS) and other required electronics. Initial weapon options will involve Dillon Aero’s multi-barrel M134D-H 7.62mm Minigun on the inside 2 hardpoints. Possibilities for the wingtip hardpoints include FN Herstal’s HMP-400 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun Pod (400 rounds), FN’s RMP 12.7mm Rocket Machine Gun Pod (250 rounds + 3 rockets), or 7-shot 70mm rocket pods. Raytheon’s laser-guided 70mm TALON rockets can be carried on FN’s RMP, or in Arnold Defense’s M260 pod.

MD’s main global competitors are armed variants of the Bell 407, variants of Eurocopter’s EC145 and EC635 – and for advanced militaries, armed VT-UAVs like Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8 Fire Scout.

Contracts & Key Events

Afghan MD-530Fs

June 22/18: More support Afghanistan is set to receive further support for its fleet MD 530F helicopters as part of a US foreign military sale. The $38.43 million contract modification provides for performance based, contractor-managed operations to support systems readiness by MD Helicopters. This includes material management, technical data management, repair, engineering support and the procurement of spares. MD Helicopters had won a competition for the Afghan Air Force in 2011. The MD 530F, or OH-6 Cayuse is a legendary light utility helicopter and gunship. It is the ancestor of the AH-6J/M “Little Bird”. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion by November 2018.

May 11/18: More power for AFG Jane’s reports that the Afghan Air Force recently flew its first operational mission with its recently acquired ‘Black Hawk’. Afghanistan is set to receive 159 Black Hawks by 2020 as the United States transitions the country’s armed forces over from its approximately 80 Russian-built Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ helicopters that are nearing the end of their service lives. The country will also receive further 30 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack and reconnaissance helicopters and six A-29 Super Tucano light attack turboprops.

March 12/18: Armed ISR order Orbital ATK has landed a $86.4 million contract to supply the Afghan Air Force with armed intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The agreement covers the delivery of an AC-208 Eliminator aircraft with delivery to be completed by June 2019 after work at Forth Worth, Texas. More than $42.3 million will be obligated to Orbital ATK from fiscal 2017 Afghan security forces funds and the sale involves pseudo foreign military sales. Orbital ATK advertises the AC-208 Eliminator as a mini-gunship equipped with 70mm (2.75in) guided rockets and Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The aircraft also comes with sensors, target designators, data links and self-protection systems.

January 3/18: New Aircraft-Potential Contract Orbital ATK will deliver seven armed Cessna AC-208 Caravan aircraft to the Afghan National Army under a USAF awarded contract, if no suitable alternatives are received by January 12. The notice was posted on December 27, and invited comments on a plan to award the contract to Orbital ATK without a competition, with non-American bids excluded on security grounds. Orbital advertises the AC-208 Eliminator as a mini-gunship equipped with 70mm (2.75in) guided rockets and Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, as well as sensors, target designators, data links and self-protection systems. If the deal goes ahead, the seven Cessnas will add to the 208 aircraft already supplied by the Department of Defense to the Afghan military and police between Fiscal 2007 and 2016, according to a 10 August report by the US Government Accountability Office. Kabul already uses unarmed C-208 turboprops for cargo and utility transport duties.

September 11/17: The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded MD Helicopters a $1.39 billion contract to provide 150 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light utility helicopters to the government of Afghanistan. The deal includes maintenance, support services and pilot training. Production sites and funding under the foreign military sales program (FMS) will be determined by each order as it is requested, with a scheduled delivery date of August 31, 2022. It is hoped that the Cayuse Warrior, along with the Embraer Super Tucano light attack aircraft can fill the gap left by Afghanistan’s ageing Soviet-era aircraft, however the new aircraft thus far have been in small numbers and with mixed results. With the Cayuse Warrior, one pilot complained that when fully loaded it had a maximum altitude of only 8,000 ft., making it incapable of crossing many of the mountain ranges in Afghanistan. It is unarmored and there have been reports of mechanical unreliability, the .50 machine guns repeatedly jamming in action, and the lack of gunsights requiring the weapons to be aimed by tracers.

May 30/17: MD Helicopters has received a $76.7 million contract for logistical and contractor support for MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters operated by the Afghan Air Force. US Army Fiscal 2017 funds of $37.6 million have been allocated to the program, with work to be carried out in Mesa, Ariz., and Afghanistan. The program is expected to be finished by May 31, 2018. 27 Cayuse Warriors were delivered to Kabul last year to assist in a variety of missions including escorts, over-watch, and close air support.

August 29/16: The Afghan Air Force has received its final batch of four MD-530 Cayuse Warrior helicopters. Unlike the previous delivery of five, the latest units are equipped with rocket and .50 caliber firing capabilities. This brings to 27 the number of Cayuse warriors now operated by the AAF, who often engage in providing aerial escort to convoys, providing over-watch to ANDSF operations and responding to “troops in contact” situations.

January 14/16: MD Helicopters are to manufacture and deliver twelve more MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Scout Attack helicopters to the Afghan Air Force. The addition will add to the twelve already in use by the air force. The previous 2015 order saw the aircraft delivered and operational within nine months, and have already seen successful operational duty. Five training variants are also in use and have been upgraded to the Cayuse configuration. The order adds to the gradual increase in participation by the Afghan Armed Forces in running and conducting their own security operations under the eye of the US.

September 28/15: Afghan pilots flying the country’s recently-operational MD-530 helicopters have expressed criticism of the Cayuse Warrior aircraft, citing a lack of range and jamming of the twin .50 cal machine guns installed through a contract last October. The mountains bordering the helicopters’ Kabul operating base are posing a challenge for the small helicopters, with the thin air reducing lift, limiting effective range and placing Taliban operating areas out of reach.

August 13/15: Afghanistan’s armed MD-530 helicopters have been used in combat for the first time, reports indicated on Wednesday. The Afghan Security Forces announced in July that the helicopters would be equipped with rocket pods to complement .50 cal machine guns. MD Helicopters was awarded a contract in March 2011 for the first six helicopters, with an additional order for a further twelve announced in September 2014.

Oct 8/14: Investigation. The Associated Press reports that the US Dept. of Justice Department is looking into allegations that a former Army Colonel gave MD Helicopters inside information to help them win key foreign contracts that restored their offerings to the global military market. Meanwhile, the contracts remain valid.

“(Retired Col. Bert) Vergez provided [main MD investor Lynn] Tilton with details about upcoming contracts to give her company an advantage over the competition, according to internal company documents obtained by the AP and interviews with people knowledgeable of the investigation but not authorized to discuss the matter…. [his] hiring by Tilton so quickly after hanging up his uniform may have violated rules requiring that federal officials wait a year or more before receiving compensation from a company they dealt with while working for the government…. Vergez, who is no longer employed by MD Helicopters or Patriarch Partners, did not return emails and telephone calls seeking comment.”

Former MD Helicopters employees Philip Marsteller and Robert Swisher have also filed a civil suit against Vergez, Tilton and MD Helicopters / Patriarch Partners under the Federal False Claims Act, a whistleblowing law whose “qui tam” provisions would allow them to receive 10-30% of any judgement rendered. Their claim says that they warned the company that the hiring would be illegal, and notes their concern over the “level of Col. Vergez’ subservience to Tilton and his continuing involvement in MD’s Army contracts.” Sources: US Dept. of Justice, “The False Claims Act: A Primer” [PDF] | AP Big Story, “Company wins new contracts despite federal probe”.

Oct 1/14: Arm 17. MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, AZ receives a maximum $44.2 million firm-fixed-price, unfinalized contract for the Afghan Air Force, to arm 17 of their MD-530F helicopters. The fleet order for enough MD-530Fs is already in place (q.v. Sept 26/14), and they’ve already created that modification: the MD-530G. $21.7 million is committed immediately.

The MD-530G is the right kind of helicopter to make a difference on Afghanistan’s battlefield, in an environment where the Afghan military is doing most of the fighting. Can they keep the helicopters running and supplied with working weapons, pilot them effectively, and hold enough ground to let the MD-530Gs work? Time will tell.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of Sept 29/15. One bid was solicited with 1 received by US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-14-C-0081). See also AIN, “MD Helicopters To Supply ‘Cayuse Warrior’ for Afghan Force”.

Arm them

Sept 26/14: MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, AZ receives a $35.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for 12 more Afghan MD-530F primary trainer helicopters, bringing announced orders to 18. Meanwhile, MD Helicopters has been finalizing its MD-530G armed scout model/ conversion. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Sept 29/15. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL is the contracting agency. The contract was announced on this date, but awarded Sept 19/14 (W58RGZ-11-C-0070, PO 0019).

12 more

May 8/12: Sub-contractors. For each new Afghan MD-530F, Cobham Aerospace Communications will supply 4 of its N301A audio controllers; Cobham Antenna Systems will provide VHF communications, VOR/LOC/GS V-Dipole, DME, and Navigation Splitter Antennas; and Cobham Commercial Systems will supply an Artex C406-2HM emergency locator transmitter. Cobham plc [PDF] | Arabian Aerospace.

Feb 21/12: A US Army article discusses the training process and personnel involved in the MD-530F effort.

Sept 13/11: MD Helicopters, Inc. presents the first 3 Afghan MD-530Fs to the U.S. Army, as part of the Rotary Wing Primary Training Aircraft-Afghanistan Program.

Sept 7/11: MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, AZ receives a $14.2 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide logistics support and flight training devices for the Afghan Air Force’s MD 530Fs. Work will be performed in Shindand, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of March 31/16. One bid was solicited for this, with one bid received by U.S. Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-11-C-0070).

AAF

March 14/11: MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, AZ wins an initial $19.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 6 new primary training helicopters, 2 corresponding flight training devices, and critical spare parts for the Afghan Air Force.

That initial order could reach as many as 54 helicopters over the life of the 4 year contract, giving it an implicit value of up to $180 million. Work will be performed in Mesa, AZ with an estimated completion date of March 31/16. The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL solicited 9 bids, with 4 bids received (W58RGZ-11-C-0070).

First 6 helicopters and infrastructure

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

Americas

• US Marine Corps Task Force Southwest is contracting General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to boost its UAS system intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance surge. The un-definitized contract is valued at $39.56 million and will see for General Atomics to fly its own unarmed MQ-9 Reapers in support of US Marines missions in the US Central Command area of operation. General Atomics will provide a single “orbit” supplying coverage over one particular area 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The company could have to conduct missions lasting 24-hours or more in certain cases, but with advance notice. In January NAVAIR awarded a similar contract in support of USMC deployment in Afghanistan. The Marines currently conduct advisory missions in Afghanistan’s infamous Helmand province, as well as portions of neighboring Nimroz province, both of which border Pakistan. Work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona and Poway, California, the CENTCOM’s area of operatio, and is expected to be completed in November 2018.

• Metron Inc. is being tapped by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for an effort titled advanced modular payloads for unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). The $8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract includes options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $21 million. This contract is part of a wider US Navy research project that seeks to develop certain kinds of software and hardware for advanced UUV autonomy and deployment. Future UUV’s will be able to operate in the open ocean and in coastal waters and harbors on missions lasting more than 70 days to gather intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) information. UUVs will be launched from a pier or a variety of platforms, including the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Virginia class nuclear submarine via its payload module or an enhanced dry deck shelter. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by December 2019.

• The US Navy is awarding a cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to General Dynamics Electric Boat. The modification is valued at $225 million and provides for work on the next nine Block V Virginia-class attack submarines. Block V submarines will be longer than previously built Virginia-class subs, to accommodate four Virginia Payload Module (VPM) tubes, which will each contain seven Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs). The VPM offers exceptional flexibility as well for the integration of future payload types, such as unmanned systems or next-generation weapons. Work will be performed at various sites throughout the US, including Spring Grove, Illinois; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Jacksonville, Florida, among others. It is expected to be completed by January 2019. The deal will see General Dynamics provide economic ordering quantity material for work in fiscal 2019 through 2023.

Middle East & Africa

• The government of the United Arab Emirates is placing a $38.8 million order with Saab in support of its advanced airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) solution GlobalEye. The Erieye family of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft offer of small size, lower purchase price, dual air/sea scan capabilities, and comparatively cheap operating costs are making it one of the world’s most popular AEW systems. Saab is currently producing the GlobalEye AEW&C, combining air, maritime and ground surveillance in one single solution. GlobalEye combines a full suite of sophisticated sensors including the powerful new extended range radar (Erieye ER), with the ultra-long range Global 6000 jet aircraft. According to Saab, the Erieye ER gives the aircraft a 70% increase of the detection range (about 403 miles) compared to the previous version. The radar provides wide-area moving target indication (GMTI) as well as improved performance against small targets such as stealth aircraft, unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles or submarine periscopes. GlobalEye brings extended detection range, endurance and the ability to perform multiple roles, including tasks such as search and rescue, border surveillance and military operations.

Europe

• Jane’s reports that Belgium’s Air Combat Capability Program (ACCaP) is currently facing another roadblock, as the government considers a previously disregarded option to upgrade its incumbent fleet and not necessarily acquire a new-build aircraft. The ACCaP began in December 2015 when the Belgian government confirmed a requirement for 34 new multi-role combat aircraft to replace the 54 ageing Belgian F-16s in the 2023 to 2028 timeframe. Two offerings were being considered for the replacement of the F-16AM/BM fleet under the program, including the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Final bids for the two aircraft were offered to the Belgian government under the formal acquisition process in February 2018.

• French defense manufacturer Nexter is currently developing its Katana family of 155 mm precision guided munitions (PGMs). According to the company the Katana munitions can be fired from all 52 caliber artillery systems, while retaining the traditional artillery qualities: continuous fire, all-weather capability, high cost/efficiency ratio. Its specific architecture, allows for Katana to be used for close support and will treat all types of targets thanks to its multi-mode rocket. The rocket is programmable to operate by proximity, impact, or with delay. With a maximum range between 18 miles for the first generation and 37 miles for the next, Katana will be able to strike targets with pinpoint precision. The projectile’s guidance is ensured by a hybridization between a GNSS signal receiver and an inertial measurement unit. In the future, meter scale precision will be accessible through the addition of an optional semi-active laser distance gauge.

Asia-Pacific

• The Australian Department of Defense is currently entering Phase 3 of its Land 400 procurement project. Phase 3 looks into ensuring the Army’s Close Combat Capability, primarily enabled by the current Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and MSV mission systems. One likely contender will be German defense contractor Rheinmetall with its Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle. Along with the Lynx KF41 family of vehicles, Rheinmetall has also designed a companion Lance 2.0 turret, which the German designer said will result “in a revolutionary IFV with a level of adaptability, survivability and capacity not seen before in an IFV family”. The modular survivability systems of the Lynx will also provide unprecedented flexibility for armed forces to cope with the wide variety of threats faced across the spectrum of conflict, Rheinmetall said. Should Rheinmetall be selected for the LAND 400 Phase 3 project, the Lynx vehicles will be built in Ipswich, Queensland.

• Recent video footage suggests that China is now able to deploy the submarine-launched version of its YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM). The YJ-18 is a vertically-launched missile that can travel at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 3 and has a range of 335 miles. It carries a 661 lb. warhead that can take out a destroyer-sized ship and severely damage a carrier-sized vessel. The YJ-18 system is designed for the destruction of various surface ships from an enemy’s landing squadrons, convoys, carrier strike groups, as well as single vessels and land-based radiocontrast targets in conditions of intensive fire and electronic countermeasures. The YJ-18’s ability to accelerate to supersonic speeds close to its target makes it difficult for ships to destroy the incoming missile with on-board guns. This ASCM also increases the stand-off distance for Chinese vessels and contributes to their anti-access area denial (A2/AD) capabilities. China’s A2/AD capabilities could prove critical during a conflict in the western Pacific and adds to its growing arsenal of anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles.

Today’s Video

• Skunk Works celebrates its 75th anniversary

Arabian/Persian Gulf
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In November 2009, Saab announced a 1.5 billion SEK (about $220 million) contract from the United Arab Emirates for 2 of its Saab 340 regional turboprops, equipped with Erieye active-array radars that can scan large airspace volumes, and with related command and control systems. The Saab 340 AEW contract also includes ground equipment, initial spares, and support services.

The UAE is just the latest buyer of Saab’s Erieye system.

The Erieye, and Its Competitors

cutaway view
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The Erieye family of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft offer of small size, lower purchase price, dual air/sea scan capabilities, and comparatively cheap operating costs are making it one of the world’s most popular AEW systems. The antenna reportedly provides coverage out to 450km, with a detection range of 350km even inchallenging conditions. The Erieye Ground Interface Segment (EGIS) provides a 2-way exchange of data via an associated “Link-E” datalink sub-system, and the plane’s capabilities can can also reportedly be used to support border control or even rescue operations.

The UAE joins Sweden, Pakistan, and Thailand, who have all ordered systems based on Saab’s S340/S2000 regional passenger turboprops. Brazil, Mexico, and Greece all ordered R-99As/ EMB-145 AEW&Cs that pair Erieye with Embraer’s ERJ145 regional passenger jets.

Key global competitors for Erieye systems include Boeing’s developmental E-737 ordered by Australia, South Korea, and Turkey; Israel’s Phalcon system (active on 707, IL-76, and Gulfstream G550 jets), and Northrop Grumman’s carrier-capable E-2 Hawkeye. That may become relevant, as some reports depict the Saab 340 Erieye as an interim system for the UAE, on the way to a final purchase of additional AWACS platforms.

The UAE’s aircraft order also fits into a regional trend, as the Emirates move to establish a leadership position within the Gulf Cooperation Council’s accelerating command-and-control efforts. Over time, the GCC’s ability to fuse the UAE’s efforts with local infrastructure like long range radars, Saudi Arabian 707-based E-3 AWACS/TASS planes, and other assets, may begin to produce cooperative situational awareness on a regional level.

Contracts & Key Events

Thai S340 Erieye
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June 21/18: Follow-up order The government of the United Arab Emirates is placing a $38.8 million order with Saab in support of its advanced airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) solution GlobalEye. The Erieye family of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft offer of small size, lower purchase price, dual air/sea scan capabilities, and comparatively cheap operating costs are making it one of the world’s most popular AEW systems. Saab is currently producing the GlobalEye AEW&C, combining air, maritime and ground surveillance in one single solution. GlobalEye combines a full suite of sophisticated sensors including the powerful new extended range radar (Erieye ER), with the ultra-long range Global 6000 jet aircraft. According to Saab, the Erieye ER gives the aircraft a 70% increase of the detection range (about 403 miles) compared to the previous version. The radar provides wide-area moving target indication (GMTI) as well as improved performance against small targets such as stealth aircraft, unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles or submarine periscopes. GlobalEye brings extended detection range, endurance and the ability to perform multiple roles, including tasks such as search and rescue, border surveillance and military operations.

April 27/17: Saab’s backlog shows that a third order has been placed for the GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft. While the customer was not revealed, the company has already received a $1.27 billion order from the UAE for two examples, which places the Saab Erieye airborne early warning radar, a ground surveillance radar and other intelligence-gathering sensors aboard an adapted Bombardier Global 6000 business jet. The firm received a second order worth $236 million in January from another unnamed buyer. Speaking on the uptake in interest, Saab CEO Håkan Buskhe added that the company forsees “an increase in leads, and an increase in offers that we are sending out to different customers.”

December 30/16: Saab will provide maintenance and support services for the Erieye early warning and control radar system it has sold to the UAE. Valued at $17.3 million, the two-year contract will cover support of Saab’s airborne 340 Erieye radar, Saab 340 aircraft and ground equipment. Speaking on the deal, Saab official Jonas Hjelm said the “agreement is a confirmation of our ability to deliver a comprehensive support solution over the product’s entire life cycle, during which we are able to guarantee availability for the customer.”

September 26/16: While the UK doesn’t look set to acquire Gripen fighters anytime soon, Saab are keen that their GlobalEye AEW&C platform would be an ideal replacement for the RAF’s current fleet of six Boeing E-3 Sentrys. The company believes that products such as its EyrieEye ER system – or a larger package like the Bombardier Global 6000-based GlobalEye – are still in the running in the UK market, even though London looks set to keep the E-3s operational until 2035. Until then, recent GlobalEye purchaser UAE may provide some operational reviews before the UK decides to go the full monty on GlobalEye.

May 25/16: Saab has announced increased interest in its configuration of a Bombardier 6000 business jet with the company’s GlobalEye system for the UAE. The $1.27 billion deal will see the heavily adapted Global 6000 to be capable of conducting airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), maritime and land surveillance, and electronic intelligence duties. Included in the package is Saab’s improved Erieye ER active electronically scanned array radar, now capable of a 70% greater detection range than its previous sensor, and the ability to spot challenging targets, such as cruise missiles, small unmanned air vehicles and hovering helicopters. Combining its below-fuselage mounted maritime search radar and electro-optical/infrared sensor will enable operators to locate surface threats and submarine periscopes, while its primary sensor’s synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indication modes will be used to locate land targets.

February 18/16: Following a custom $1.27 billion two-aircraft deal to provide an early warning and control (AEW&C) system to the UAE, Saab has officially launched the new early warning aircraft to the wider market. The GlobalEye combines the Erieye ER active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with Bombardier’s Global 6000 business jet. The Erieye had been previously offered on the Embraer 145, Saab 2000 and Saab 340, but its incorporation on the Global 6000 will allow it much greater altitude and endurance capabilities, flying at 11,000 ft for 11 hours. The business jet will likely be armed with Saab’s RBS-15 anti-ship missile and a lightweight torpedo; possibly a EuroTorp weapon. Saab’s announcement comes as they look to provide maritime, land, and air surveillance capabilities to countries increasingly involved in anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, or territorial monitoring operations.

November 10/15: Saab has received an order for two additional Airborne Early Warning aircraft from the United Arab Emirates in a deal valuing $1.27 billion. The Swing Role Surveillance System (SRSR) will incorporate the company’s Erieye radar and other sensors aboard two Bombardier Global 600 business jet platforms. The UAE already operates two Saab Erieye-equipped AEW turboprop aircraft, ordered in November 2009 through a $220 million contract.

March 16/11: The Khaleej Times reports that Sweden’s Saab Group will deliver the 2nd S340 Erieye to the UAE slightly late, in April 2011. It quotes Swedish Ambassador Magnus Scholdtz as saying that “We’ve offered to the UAE to sell 4 more such aircraft… it is up to the UAE to decide.”

Nov 17/09: 1.5 billion SEK (about $220 million) contract for 2 of Saab’s S340 Erieyes announced. An official statement hinted at more orders to come, saying that:

“The UAE Air Force & Air Defence is currently evaluating several options to purchase permanent solution Command and Early Warning aircraft to meet the UAE Armed Forces operational requirements.”

Local defense media picked up on this theme amd noted the order’s interim status, pending a wider buy that could involve more Erieyes, Boeing’s 737 AEW&C, or Northrop Grumman’s new E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Deliveries of the 2 Erieye planes are scheduled for Q3 2010, and Q1 2011. Saab [PDF] | Arabian Aerospace | Dubai Airshow 09 | Khaleej Times | UAE’s The National.

Additional Readings

• Saab Group – Erieye AEW&C Airborne Border Surveillance

• DID – UAE Looking to Become a Regional C2 Leader. They bought the required back-end ground systems for national command and control first, so they could make full use of AEW&C systems when they finally bought some. Smart.

• DID (Oct 11/10) – Saab’s Mysterious S-2000 AEW&C Customer? Saudi Arabia. Essentially the same plane & system as the UAE is buying.

• Aviation Week (Feb 13/08) – Low-Cost and Effective AEW Systems Find Buyers

• C4ISR Journal (Jan 4/08) – AEW&C contenders confident as UAE decision nears

Americas

• The Navy is ordering protective systems in support of its V-22 aircraft. The $20 million fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract sees for the production of up to 200 Ballistic Protection System panel sets and single floor spares for the V-22 by MACRO Industries. The V-22 has specific Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) driven aircraft vulnerability programmatic requirements and was a lead aircraft subject to Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) oversight with the Live Fire Test Law passed in 1987. Many vulnerability reduction techniques have been applied to the V-22 airframe. These technologies range from inherent structural design requirements such as ballistic protection panels to active fire suppression systems to prevent sustained fire in the aircraft. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected to be completed in June 2023.

• The Navy is contracting Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC in support of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) platform. The cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursement modification is valued at $12.2 million and provides for software engineering services to support the LCS Mission Modules program. The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship has been designed to counter a number of “asymmetric” threats like coastal mines, quiet diesel submarines, global piracy, and terrorists on small fast attack boats. Instead of designing a single platform that is able to take over those tasks the Navy opted for developing a ship that can be adapted to specific mission requirements by integrating swappable mission modules. Therefore, the LCS program includes packages for Mine Warfare, Anti-submarine Warfare and Surface Warfare. The LCS Mission Modules Program Office packages a variety of technologies to these ends, many of which are produced by other program offices and delivered as elements of a particular mission module. Work will be performed in Hauppauge, New York; Columbia, Maryland and Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by June 2019.

• Oshkosh Defense LLC is being awarded a contract modification by the US Army. The modification is valued at $18 million and supports the production of vehicles belonging to the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. Oshkosh has provided the core of the US Army’s Heavy Tactical Vehicle capability for over 20 years. The awarded contract provides for work on recapitalized guided missile transport trucks, recapitalized load handling system trucks, new palletized load system trucks and new palletized load system trailers. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of January 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• The government of Armenia is reportedly in the final stages of negotiating the procurement of fighter jets from Russia. It is expected that the Armenian government will sign a contract for the delivery of a yet unspecified number of Su-30SM aircraft in 1 to 2 years. The Su-30SM is a multirole fighter aircraft developed by JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau for the Russian Air Force. It is an advanced derivative of the Su-30MK combat aircraft family. The Su-30SM can be deployed in counter-air strikes, counter-land and counter-sea missions. It can conduct electronic counter-countermeasures and early warning tasks. The aircraft also acts as a command-and-control platform within a fleet of combat aircraft performing joint missions. The Armenian Air Force currently has a fleet of old Su-25 and MiG-29 fighter jets.

Europe

• The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently fielding their upgraded Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). The upgrade of the BMP-1 Svatava is being performed by Slovak company Konštrukta Defence. The Svatava is a modernized version of the BMP-1 dating from the 1980s. The BMP-1 Svatava, or BPsVI is an armored reconnaissance vehicle. Its turret is equipped with the Turra 30 remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) armed with a 30mm 2A42 automatic cannon, a PKT 7.62mm coaxial medium machinegun and a twin launcher of Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel) ATGMs. Additionally, the turret is fitted with a fire control system, laser warning system, smoke grenades, commander observation and aiming sight day TV camera, thermal camera and laser range finder. The performed upgrades will extend the lifetime of the IFVs by at least 20 years and costs less than procuring new vehicles. A total of 35 upgraded IFVs will be delivered to the Slovak ISTAR Battalion.

• Jane’s reports that the UK military has lost another Thales WK 450 Watchkeeper to an accident. Britain’s Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program was devised to give the Royal Artillery an advanced mid-range UAV for surveillance and is complementary to other ISTAR systems in the Royal inventory. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform. The UAV is designed to provide continuous 24/7 surveillance when needed, using unmanned air vehicles able to stay airborne for more than 16 hours each through night and poor weather. So far, the UK military has lost five Watchkeepers, three of which crashed in the last 12 months. The Watchkeeper UAV and 47 Regiment Royal Artillery that operates it were due to achieve full operating capability (FOC) earlier in 2018, but this milestone was postponed after the platform failed to obtain a key flight safety certificate in November 2017.

Asia-Pacific

• The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is planning to equip its fleet of Northrop F-5 fighters with IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles. The Thai government recently signed a repeat order with German manufacturer Diehl Defense. The IRIS-T missile emerged after Germany pulled out of the joint US-UK-German ASRAAM program. The IRIS-T family of missiles includes three variants: the IRIS-T air-to-air guided missile, the IRIS-T SL (Surface Launched) medium range guided missile and the IRIS-T SLS (Surface-Launched, Short-Range) guided missile. The missile incorporates a tail-controlled, winged airframe design using completely newly developed components. Its main segments include a guidance section, warhead, rocket motor and control section with fins and jet vane. The IRIS-T entered service in December 2005 with the air forces of participating program nations including Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Spain. The export customers of the IRIS-T are Austria, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

• Malaysia’s defense contractor Kembara Suci is currently awaiting a firm order for its newly developed special operations vehicle (SOV). The SOV will replace the current fleet of Mercedes-G jeeps. Kembara Suci’s SOV is powered by a Caterpillar 5-cylinder line diesel developing 197hp at 2,400 rpm and is fitted with 70R17 pneumatics. At prototype stage, it features front independent suspensions of the double whish-bone type with coil springs, while at the rear we find leaf springs on a rigid axle. It carries four passengers in the seats plus a fifth operator in the back, manning the 40 mm AGL. On top of the troop compartment we find a 12.7 MG, while the vehicle commander on the left has a 7.62 mm machine gun at his disposal. The company is quoting a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 7,000 lb. This includes a 3,306 lb. payload comprising 21 gallons of fuel, the crew, weapons, ammunition, water stowed in containers either side of the rear stowage area, and other essential equipment.

Today’s Video

• Rheinmetall shows its KF41 Lynx next-gen combat vehicle

Watchkeeper 450
(click to view full)

Britain’s Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program aims to give the Royal Artillery an advanced mid-range UAV for surveillance – and possibly more. Watchkeeper will be an important system, working within a complementary suite of manned (vid. ASTOR Sentinel R1) and unmanned (Buster, Desert Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper) aerial Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition Reconnaissance (ISTAR) systems. This will make it a core element of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Network-Enabled Capability strategy.

The initial August 2005 contract award to Thales UK’s joint venture was worth around GBP 700 million, but that has risen, and the program expected to create or sustain up to 2,100 high-quality manufacturing jobs in the UK. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform, which is serving as a contractor-operated interim solution on the front lines of battle.

Watchkeeper: Rationale & Concept

Watchkeeper is a mid-tier ISTAR program. After its Phoenix UAV fleet was deemed unfit for purpose, something had to be done to complement Britain’s man-portable Desert Hawk and Buster UAVs at the low end, and manned platforms like the ASTOR Sentinel R1 jets at the high end. Britain bought 10 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs as an interim ISTAR/Strike platform, but they won’t be the middle tier of its aerial ISTAR assets.

That role will fall instead to the Watchkeeper platform, based on the Israeli Hermes 450 UAV. Initial costs were pegged at GBP 800 million (about $1.6 billion in June 2007), but have since risen to GBP 1.08 billion (about $1.775 billion in February 2014).

The in service dates for Watchkeeper have moved back and forth, but the concept has not. Watchkeeper is designed to provide continuous 24/7 surveillance when needed, using unmanned air vehicles able to stay airborne for more than 16 hours each through night and poor weather.

Britain expects to continue improving the platform post-delivery, and the Royal Artillery hopes to arm the UAVs by 2020. A proliferation of small precision weapons like Thales’ LMM and MBDA’s Viper-E make that very thinkable. At this point, however, the Watchkeeper program has no specifics and no schedule for that sort of thing.

WK450: The Platform Watchkeeper: UAV

Hermes 180
(click to view full)

When the UK MoD announced Thales UK’s team as preferred bidders in July 2004, Watchkeeper WK180 and WK450 were based on the Elbit Hermes 180 & 450 tactical UAVs as a high-low mix. While the Hermes 180 substantially outperforms the Phoenix, Thales decided to concentrate on offering only the larger WK450 platform as a single solution that could perform all required tasks, including sensing, communication relay, and other activities. From their release:

“Where needed, two unmanned air vehicles will operate in combination (for example to allow operations by one air vehicle at low levels below clouds while maintaining line of sight communications via a second UAV flying at higher levels (acting as a communications relay). These air vehicles will now be of the same type (WK450) providing increased functionality and capability growth.”

WK450 concept –
note dual sensors
(click to view full)

The Hermes 450 UAV is 6.1 m long, with a 10.5 m wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight of 450 kg/ 990 pounds, making about twice the size of the Phoenix UAVs it will replace. Built using a composite structure for maximum strength and light weight, it was designed for tactical long endurance missions and has multiple-payload capability (150 kg, 300 L, 1.6 kVA). It is powered by a 52 hp rotary UEL engine that provides a maximum speed of 95 KTAS@SL, at an operating altitude up to 18,000 feet, with endurance over 20 hours – 2x the altitude, and 5x the endurance, of Phoenix. Fully redundant avionics, fully autonomous flight, and the option of control via either line-of-sight and/or satellite communication data links are included. Watchkeeper can be launched by catapult from a vehicle (truck or BvS10 Viking light tracked armor), or take off from a runway.

Watchkeeper: Sensors

I-Master insides
(click to view full)

The complete UAV includes at least 2 main sensor package options – COMPASS and I-Master:

CoMPASS (Compact Multi-Purpose Advanced Stabilized System) is an optical surveillance and targeting turret that provides high quality day and night imagery in black & white or color; eyesafe laser range finding, target designation and marking; superior stabilization performance; highly accurate Line of Sight (LOS) positioning capability with enhanced automatic video tracker; precise LOS angular and range data; special scan patterns; and enhanced image processing. Also known as CoMPASS IV, it is optimized for smaller platforms like UAVs and features a full digital open architecture. It weighs 38 kg/ 85 pounds and includes a 3rd generation 320×256 fpa FLIR with microscan, and Picture in Picture functions.

I-Master is a lightweight high performance radar that combines a high-resolution, all-weather Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and a Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) to detect both vehicle and infantry movements. Most high quality SAR/GMTI radars are too heavy and costly to be carried as a dual payload in tactical UAVs, but I-Master weighs just 30 kg/ 65 pounds.

At present, the UK MoD has not discussed arming Watchkeeper UAVs. Israel has reportedly armed its own Hermes 450s, so that door is presumably open if Britain changes their mind.

Watchkeeper: System

Hermes GCS Console
(click to view full)

The complete Watchkeeper system consists of the WK450/ Hermes 450B unmanned air vehicle carrying day/night sensors and laser target designator, connected by a data link to a network of containerized Ground Control Stations where operators will control the entire mission and interface within a network enabled environment. The Watchkeeper’s Ground Control Station will be larger, as it has been containerized to fit a 20′ ISO shipping container format. The result is more straightforward transportability, more room inside (including room for an Image Analyst when needed), and the potential for growth in its electronics.

The GCS will be carried by standard Supacat DROPS trucks supplied as Government Furnished Equipment, and might also be towable using BvS10 vehicles equipped with devices like Amaze-N-Tow. The system is capable of rapid deployment and operations anywhere in the world.

Watchkeeper: Team and Program

Thales UK and its team were selected in July 2004 as preferred bidders for this final phase of the Watchkeeper program. As part of that effort, Thales has established a joint company called U-TacS in Leicester, England with Elbit Systems. The ownership split is 49% Thales/ 51% Elbit Systems, and Elbit is the firm’s largest subcontractor; they will execute approximately 1/3 of the UK contract’s value. Elbit notes, however, that the majority of U-TacS’ activity will be executed in the UK, with a significant amount of its work sub-contracted to small and medium sized enterprises across the country.

The total program currently involves 54 UAVs, and 15 ground stations.

UAV Tactical Systems Limited (U-TacS) manufactures sub-systems for Watchkeeper, and for the rapidly growing worldwide UAV market. Thales estimates that their production could be worth up to $3 billion over the next 10 years, or approximately double the size of the Watchkeeper program. Thales UK claims their consortium will create or sustain up to 2,100 high technology jobs throughout the UK supply chain, adding that “exports are expected to increase this total to 2500.” The industrial Watchkeeper team includes:

• Thales UK in Crawley, Wells, Leicester, Glasgow, Bury St. Edmunds, St Asaph, Taunton, and Staines. Prime Contractor responsible for systems integration, engineering, and manufacturing.
  
• Elbit Systems (UAV Engines Ltd) in Lichfield. UAV design, UAV engines.
  
• Advanced Composites Group. Materials and epoxy.
  
• Cubic Corporation in Greenford, UK. Datalinks, esp. for transferring time critical information from multiple UAVs operating in the same geographical area without mutual interference. Also their Multi-Service Target Control System Data Link Transceiver (MDLT), developed for command and control of multiple UAVs from a single ground station.
  
• LogicaCMG in Leatherhead, UK. Digital battlespace integration.
  
• Lola Composites Ltd. in Huntingdon, UK. Composite structure assembly.
  
• Marshall SV in Cambridge, UK. Ground station shelters and support.
  
• Praxis in Bath, UK. Program safety.
  
• The UK’s QinetiQ defense research firm. Airworthiness consultancy and image data management.
  
• Supacat in Honiton, UK. Wheeled ground vehicles – though BAE Hagglunds’ tracked BvS10 Vikings will also be used;
  
• Vega in Welwyn Garden City, Bristol, Fareham. Training;
  
• Boeing in London (joined March 8/04 to support future US/UK interoperability, partner in the scheduled technology and capability upgrades);
  
• Cobham in Wimborne & Dorset. The existing supplier of UAVs and launchers for the British Army’s ill-fated Phoenix program, joined the team July 5/04.

Hermes 450
(click to view full)

According to the UK NAO’s 2004 Major Projects Report, Watchkeeper was due to enter service in November 2006; the 2004 Parliamentary Defence Committee reports gave a similar time frame. The August 2005 contract signing placed the initial in-service date at 2010 instead, but forces in the field needed them earlier.

To address this, a service was bought from U-TacS on a “capability service provision basis,” which is government-speak for “rented”. Thales retains ownership of the standard Hermes 450 drones, which are operated and maintained by applicable units like 32 Regiment Royal Artillery. Contractors are supplied by U-TacS (a joint Thales and Elbit company) for deployed operations, and provide support in theater. When Watchkeeper’s delivery date slipped by almost 2 years, those rent-a-drones ensured that a Plan B was in place.

This sort of thing has become commonplace. Countries renting UAVs for use on the front lines in Afghanistan include the USA (ScanEagle), Australia (ScanEagle, Heron-1), Canada (Heron-1), Germany (Heron-1), and the Netherlands (Aerostar), among others.

Pre-Watchkeeper U-TacS services began operations in Iraq in July 2007, and began operations in Afghanistan in September 2007. The service reached full operating capability in early 2008, and continues to this day. Those rentals will keep going for a while, as the UAVs have not been released to service. A January 2014 NAO report now places Watchkeeper initial release to service in mid-2014, and Full Operating Capability around September 2015.

Could Watchkeeper earn export orders?

Elbit Systems Hermes 450 is a popular base model. This UAV is currently in service or on order with Israel, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Crotaia, Georgia, Mexico, Singapore, the UK (as Watchkeeper), and the USA (Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol, US military’s Joint UAV Joint Test and Evaluation platform), among other countries.

Watchkeeper would compete with the Hermes 450 for international orders, and there are no exports at this point. France is reportedly ordering a single trial system, which may lead to wider adoption in future. The most intriguing option may be Poland, whose government wanted by buy Hermes 450s from Elbit. Unfortunately, IAI’s counter-tactics created a diplomatic incident big enough for Israel to ban both competitors from exporting there. A purchase from Britain is one way to solve that problem.

Contracts & Key Events 2014 – 2018

Handover and beginning of training; NAO report; Commons Defence Committee report; Royal Artillery wants Watchkeepers armed; WK450 subject to US ITAR; Opportunity in Poland?

WK450

June 20/18: Jane’s reports that the UK military has lost another Thales WK 450 Watchkeeper to an accident. Britain’s Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program was devised to give the Royal Artillery an advanced mid-range UAV for surveillance and is complementary to other ISTAR systems in the Royal inventory. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform. The UAV is designed to provide continuous 24/7 surveillance when needed, using unmanned air vehicles able to stay airborne for more than 16 hours each through night and poor weather. So far, the UK military has lost five Watchkeepers, three of which crashed in the last 12 months. The Watchkeeper UAV and 47 Regiment Royal Artillery that operates it were due to achieve full operating capability (FOC) earlier in 2018, but this milestone was postponed after the platform failed to obtain a key flight safety certificate in November 2017.

November 5/15: A British Army Watchkeeper UAV has crashed while coming in to land at a test and evaluation site in the south west of England. The GBP1.2 billion ($2.4 billion) program has come under fire for cost overruns, with the majority of the 33 Watchkeepers owned by the British currently in storage. An Initial Operating Capability timetabled for 2017 is unlikely to be achieved, with the Ministry of Defence ultimately planning to procure 54 of the aircraft.

October 5/15: The UK’s Watchkeeper UAV program has come under fire for cost overruns, with the majority of the 33 delivered Watchkeepers in storage despite a price tag of GBP1.2 billion ($2.4 billion). The program’s Initial Operating Capability timetable of 2017 is unlikely to be met, with only six British Army pilots trained to use the system. In total 54 Watchkeepers are due to enter service, with only three having seen very limited active service in Afghanistan. The news comes as British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Sunday that he plans to double the UK’s fleet of UAVs.

Sept 29/14: After a long series of delays, the UK Ministry of Defence announces the 1st operational flights of Watchkeeper in Afghanistan. Sources: Thales, “Thales welcomes Watchkeeper operations for British Army in Afghanistan”.

July 29/14: The UK government responds to the Commons Defence committee’s RPAS report (q.v. March 11/14). There’s no decision yet re: Afghan deployment, but there are some lessons learned per the Committee’s request.

Software certification and electronic technical publications provided unpleasant surprises, project governance needed to change, and finding and training qualified personnel was an issue. The tone of the report, however, places a different risk in the pole position:

“An underestimation of the challenges of delivering sufficient quality evidence to underpin the Watchkeeper System Safety Case led to the delay to the achievement of the system Release to Service. This lesson has informed the Scavenger and Future Combat Air programmes where Airworthiness Certification has been highlighted as one of the key risks to success driving appropriate levels of contingency.”

Sources: UK House of Commons Select Committee on Defense, “Remote Control: Remotely Piloted Air Systems – current and future UK use – Defence Committee: Government Response”.

March 11/14: Report. The UK House of Commons Defense Committee releases “Remote Control: Remotely Piloted Air Systems – current and future UK use.” With respect to the 5-UAV, GBP 847 million Watchkeeper program, it’s now 3 years behind schedule due to flight certification and other issues, and the incorporation of an American de-icing system will subject it to US ITAR export control laws. That could be especially troublesome if future Watchkeepers are armed, the Royal Artillery “has aspirations” to arm them. At this point, however, the program has no specifics and no schedule for that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, the report describes Civil Aviation Authority limitations on training in Britain as “the greatest constraint upon the operation of military UAS within the UK”. The Committee doesn’t think Watchkeeper isn’t going to deploy to Afghanistan, so this is going to become a pressing issue once initial training is done at Boscombe Down. Fortunately, Watchkeeper partner Thales is also one of the leading industry players in the GBP 30 million ASTREA (Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment) consortium, which is helping to develop a roadmap for use of UAS outside of military segregated airspace. The WK450 is being fitted with a system that will make it compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, but a full solution is still a few years away.

Across the Channel, France is conducting an Operational Assessment per the 2012 summit terms, with help from the UK under a Memorandum of Understanding that provides access to Boscombe Down and the loan of British equipment to enable live flying in France. A procurement decision is expected by the end of 2014. Sources: See “Additional Readings” section for links.

March 5/14: Handover. The UK MoD announces that Watchkeeper has been cleared to begin military flight training with the Royal Artillery from Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. The 600+ flight-hours to date have involved UTacS personnel at the controls, so this is effectively the beginning of release to service. They’re rather late, as initial plans would have reached this stage before the end of 2011.

The Army’s flights will take place in restricted airspace over the Salisbury Plain Training Area, at an altitude of 8,000 – 16,000 feet, and will be overseen by military air traffic controllers. Sources: UK MoD, “Army cleared to fly next-generation eye-in-the-sky” | Flight Global, “British Army to start Watchkeeper flights in April” | The Telegraph, “Watchkeeper: the army’s latest ‘spy in the sky'”.

Initial Release to Service

Feb 10/14: Poland. IAI went too far in disputing Poland’s preference for its Israeli rival Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV. How far? So far that the resulting controversies forced Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defence to resign, and damaged diplomatic relations between Israel and Poland. Israel’s Ministry of Defense was very unamused, and reacted by barring both firms from exporting UAVs to Poland. Israel’s Aeronautics DS, which has already exported Orbiter mini-UAV systems to Poland, should be thrilled. Except that they had their own contract for Aerostar UAVs canceled in 2012 on performance grounds, with damages sought.

If Poland really wants the Hermes 450, they could probably circumvent Israel’s ban by ordering the derivative Watchkeeper MK450 system from Thales in Britain. Sources: Globes, “Defense Ministry nixes UAV sale to Poland” | Ha’aretz, “Polish official accused of illicitly favoring Israel-made drones” [July 2013] | sUAS News, “Polish MoD Cancels Contract with Israeli UAV Supplier” [October 2012].

Feb 5/14: NAO Report. The UK NAO releases its Major Projects Authority Annual Report, which covers the entire British government. A report focused on the MoD will come later, but Watchkeeper has earned a place in this report as a red-tagged project, and has its costs and issues discussed. Why?

“The red rating reflects the delay in achieving Release to Service. The programme has been slowed by more stringent software certification requirements than anticipated, the rectification of a small number of safety ? critical deficiencies in the system’s technical publications, and errors in the training courseware….. In March 2013, the Authority raised serious concerns that the Release to Service date would not be met, but acknowledged that the target of reaching Full Operating Capability of Watchkeeper in September 2015 was more attainable. A Departmental review of the programme is under way [to re-evaluate timelines]…. Equipment deliveries remain on track and over 900 hours of flight trials have taken place, as of October 2013.”

Training on the new system began in January 2014, and Watchkeeper is scheduled for initial Release to Service in early 2014. Which would be a bit more than 3 yewars late. Sources: UK NAO, “Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2012?13 and government project assurance”.

2011 – 2013

UK delays and crashes a problem; France will evaluate Watchkeeper.

WK450 flight trials
(click to view full)

September 2013: The UK’s Military Aviation Authority (MAA) provides a Statement of Type Design Assurance for Watchkeeper, confirming its airworthiness. Sources: UK NAO, “Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2012?13 and government project assurance”.

Feb 13/13: The Guardian reports the results of a freedom of Information request concerning British UAV crashes since 2007, which have cut the overall fleet in about half. Crashes include 1 of their 10 Reaper armed UAVs; 9 Hermes 450s (8 Afghanistan, 1 Iraq) over 75,000 flight hours; 412 Desert Hawk mini-UAVs over more than 30,000 missions; and 25 rotary wing RQ-16 Tarantula Hawk UAVs and Black Hornet mini-UAVs.

“Faced with a mounting bill for the crashes, and fewer UAVs to use, the MoD has admitted that it is trying “to increase airmanship standards in a number of areas” by updating training courses. But officials also insist the drones are being worked hard in difficult conditions, and breakdowns are to be expected…. Despite the high loss rate, the military believes the Desert Hawk still provides “indispensable and flexible” intelligence to UK ground forces – and value for money.”

That may be so, but these crash figures are going to make civil certification challenging.

Watchkeeper test
(click to view full)

Jan 7/13: Size & cost. In response to written questions from MPs Alison Seabeck [Lab – Plymouth Moor View], Under Secretary of State for Defence Philip Dunne [Cons – Ludlow] discusses the Watchkeeper program. He affirms that the program involves 54 UAVs and 15 ground stations, and admits that formal airworthiness certification is taking longer than expected. He implies that this thoroughness is necessary because the WK450 will be the “first large unmanned air system to fly in UK airspace,” without mentioning crash rates.

Program and support costs will be declining over the next 3 years, from GBP 73 million, to GBP 59 million, to GBP 28 million. With respect to costs in Afghanistan:

“The cost to the Government of supporting Hermes 450 in Afghanistan since September 2010 has been [GBP] 61.3 million. This has been funded from the net additional cost of Military Operations element of the Treasury Reserve, which would in any case have been drawn upon to support Watchkeeper had it deployed on time.”

Oct 24/12: Crashes. From Hansard. MP Angus Robertson [SNP – Moray] asks Minister of State for Defence Maj. Andrew Robathan (ret.) [Cons, South Leicestershire and former SAS] about Britain’s experience with the Hermes. The reply reveals a large number of crashes, and some concern about training and pilot quality or adaptation:

“Mr Robathan: The Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is not flown in the UK nor have there been any crashes in the UK. [DID: Watchkeeper prototypes are being excluded; they have flown in the UK]

Since 2007 there have been 11 Hermes 450 crashes in Afghanistan.

An end-to-end review for army unmanned aerial systems training has recently been conducted which reported at the end of September 2012. As a result, several changes have already been made to unmanned aerial systems training to increase airmanship standards in a number of areas, with further improvements to follow.”

Hermes’ high crash rate

July 25/12: Following a meeting in London, defense ministers from the UK and France confirm that France will buy 1 WK450B Watchkeeper system for operational assessments and trials in 2012 and 2013. Watchkeeper is currently late, with the gap being filled by leased Hermes 450 UAVs from Elbit. Thales states that Watchkeeper is currently undergoing field trials with the British Army, and has completed more than 400 test flights.

They also agreed on a joint EUR 13 million (about $15.7 million) UCAV research study by BAE (Taranis) and Dassault (nEUROn lead). A coming contract will link Rolls-Royce, whose Adour engine powers both Taranis and nEUROn, with France’s Safran in a joint study for future UCAV engine options.

What did not happen, is any kind of collaboration announcement on an Anglo-French medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV, like the Dassault/BAE Telemos. That’s the very category Watchkeeper could end up replacing, as a smaller but adequate solution. Defense News | Thales Group.

France in

Feb 17/12: France, too? Britain & France follow up on their Nov 2/10 cooperation statement, saying that as one of their joint UAV efforts, France will evaluate the Watchkeeper:

“France confirms its interest for the Watchkeeper system recognising the opportunities this would create for cooperation on technical, support, operational and development of doctrine and concepts. An evaluation of the system by France will begin in 2012, in the framework of its national procurement process, and conclude in 2013.”

The Elbit/Thales MK450B Watchkeeper is smaller and less capable than France’s Harfang Heron derivatives, and much smaller than France’s chosen Heron TP interim UAV or Telemos bi-national MALE project. Still, it is a Medium Altitude, Long Endurance class UAV. Depending on what France chooses to do, it could either complement the Harfang fleet after 2013, or become a Heron substitute. UK Prime Minister | Defense-Aerospace.

Nov 16/11: NAO. The British NAO releases its Major Projects Report 2011. This isn’t good:

“The most significant changes were a 12-month delay in the timetable for the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle project, which was largely due to the contractor’s failing to deliver against the agreed schedule…”

June 13/11: Under review. The UK Ministry of Defence’s Major Projects Review Board meets for the first time. Watchkeeper is 1 of 3 projects on its initial list for scrutiny, and its main contract value is listed at GBP 635 million.

The MBRP can take a page from the Australian playbook and designate “Projects of Concern.” This would be a blow to the program, but in the end, they decided not to do so for Watchkeeper. UK MoD.

Jan 17/11: IHS Jane’s reports that the 2011 spending and planning round (PR11) will feature a number of cuts, including a program to arm the Watchkeeper UAVs. Britain already fields the larger MQ-9 Reaper UAV, which can be heavily armed.

2009 – 2010

Interim Hermes 450 rentals extended; WK450 Testing.

RAF Hermes 450
rent-a-drones
(click to view full)

Oct 24/10: Rental extension. UAS Tactical Systems Ltd. (U-TacS) in Leicester, UK receives a follow-on Urgent Operating Capability (UOR) contract worth approximately $70 million, to continue providing its rent-a-UAV service to the UK’s Armed Forces over the next 18 months.

As was the case with the previous U-TacS UOR contracts, awarded in 2007 and 2009, this contract also includes the provision and support of Hermes 450 UAS systems, training for UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) staff in the use and maintenance of the system, and the provision of contractor logistic support (CLS) and program management services. Elbit Systems.

More rentals

April 15/10: Support. UPI reports that UAS Tactical Systems Ltd. (UTacS) has received a $70 million contract from Thales UK, to provide logistics support services for the Watchkeeper program over the next 3 years.

April 14/10:

A bit later than expected, but the maiden UK flight of a production configuration Watchkeeper UAV happens in a 20-mnute flight from Parc Aberporth in West Wales. Thales UK. Thales UK.

1st production flight

April 12/10: Rentals. The stop-gap Hermes 450s operated by UTacS as contractor-leased UAV services have now flown more than 30,000 operational hours over more than 2,000 sorties. The release adds that the UAVs are providing most of the surveillance used by British forces in Afghanistan, and the October 2010 end of contract could be extended until April 2011. Thales UK | Defence Management | Shephard Group.

April 7/10: Sub-contractors. Advanced Composites Group announces that it has been qualified by Elbit Systems to supply materials for the construction of the Thales Watchkeeper 450 (WK450) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV). The UAv is apparently constructed from ACG’s LTM 26EL prepregs and MTM 46 epoxy prepreg system, with the build carried out by Lola Composites Ltd. in Huntingdon, UK and integrated at UTacS in Leicester, UK. JEC Composites.

Aug 13/09: Testing. Thales UK announces that Watchkeeper successfully completed a key set of inaugural flights in June 2009, which will allow the system to progress to a series of ground system and flight trials at Parc Aberporth in West Wales in late 2009.

The test flights included all elements of the system and sub-system, including radar controlled Automatic Take-Off and Landing System (ATOLS), Autonomous Systems Flight Control, Ground Control Station, data links, video imagery downlink, Electro Optic / Infrared (EO/IR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar with Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) payloads. Flight trials also took place from a semi-prepared landing strip with rough ground and obstacles, demonstrating an ability to operate from open fields with minimum preparation.

Work continues with the development of payloads, software, flight management and ground infrastructure systems.

April 14/09: Sub-contractors. Shepard Group reports that QinetiQ has delivered infrastructure to support the Watchkeeper’s unmanned air trials program at Parc Aberporth, Ceredigion, as part of a GBP 5 million contract. Thales is now clear to migrate the trials program to the UK by October 2009. Initial live flying elements of the operator training are expected to commence in March 2010, contributing to systems acceptance and deployment in October 2010.

2007 – 2008

Interim Hermes 450 rentals begin; Phoenix UAV ends; A Viking companion.

In for a Landing
(click to view full)

Nov 24/08: Testing. Thales UK announces a successful 1st set of system flight trials at Elbit’s facilities in Israel. The UAV was controlled by the WATCHKEEPER Ground Control Station using software produced by Thales UK at its Crawley facility.

These trials of the UAV, which operates with dual payloads, will continue into 2009, and will validate the key mission system capability of the WATCHKEEPER system. Full WATCHKEEPER systems trials will begin in the UK in 2009. Remaining test program objectives include:

• System command and control of UAV from WATCHKEEPER GCS
  
• Initial assessment of system data link performance
  
• Dual payload installation
  
• Generation and exploitation of payload imagery (the ‘imagery chain’)
  
• Avionics system trials (IFF and airborne radio assessment)
  
• Further systems ATOLS assessment
  
• Electrical power system performance with dual payloads installed

August 2008: Demonstration of the Watchkeeper UAV’s Automatic Take-Off and landing (ATOL) capability. Source.

April 16/08: Testing. The Hermes 450B Watchkeeper UAV makes its first flight from Elbit’s Megiddo airfield facility in northern Israel. Interesting scholarly side note: “Mount Megiddo” is “Har Megiddon” in Hebrew. Say that one slowly, and you’ll understand.

The rest of 2008 will see testing and integration of the automatic take-off and landing (ATOL) system, the I-Master radar and EO/IR/LTD payloads including the COMPASS EO/IR system and the I-Master radar. Thales release.

Watchkeeper flies

April 14/08: Flight International reports that the British Army’s Elbit Systems Hermes 450 deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq has reached a total of 7,000 flying hours. Lessons learned are being rolled into the Watchkeeper program.

March 31/08: Farewell, Phoenix. Phoenix UAVs officially go out of service, to be replaced by the WATCHKEEPER system in 2010. During the interim, the Lydian Hermes 450 System will be used and is currently operating in both Iraq and Afghanistan. UK MoD release.

Phoenix UAV retired

Watchkeeper display
(click to view full)

Sept 12/07: Jane’s International Defence Review reports that the British Army is set to increase the operational tempo of its Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Afghanistan and Iraq, after completing more than 1,000 flying hours since deployment in July 2007.

Sept 11/07: Rentals. U-TacS has obviously received clearance to discuss its Hermes 450 UAV’s work in theater and key milestone dates, via a press release. It states that:

“Within only two weeks of IOC [DID: July 5/07], due to the intensity of operations, the UAV systems have been called upon to provide consistent and reliable ISTAR coverage over extended periods with only a 90-minute turn-around time before returning to station: “a truly reliable and stunning performance for our UK troops,” according to a senior officer in theatre. “The H-450 ISTAR capability allows immediate and rapid reaction to a threat, with unmatched flexibility and minimum maintenance to support UK forces in adverse conditions. It’s made a considerable difference to our capability.”

July 5/07: Rentals. Initial Operational Capability declared for Britain’s Hermes 450 systems.

June 20/07: Rentals. First Hermes 450 UAV flight in theater.

June 14/07: First in-theater delivery of Watchkeeper systems to British forces in Iraq. That was quick. It’s likely that these are actually the standard Hermes 450 UAVs, bought through the rental agreement.

June 14/07: Final version? Thales unveils production WATCHKEEPER air vehicle design. “Thales UK has unveiled the final configuration of the WATCHKEEPER unmanned air vehicle (UAV) following a Critical Design Review by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).”

June 7/07: Rentals. Elbit Systems and Thales announce that U-TacS has received an urgent ISTAR(intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and reconnaissance) support contract from Britain’s armed forces, “to provide unmanned air vehicle (UAV) systems to support UK forces on current operations.” The $110 million contract covers a program that:

“…will commence immediately and will take place over the next few years. The contract includes Hermes(R) 450 UAV systems, as well as training of the UK MoD staff in use and maintenance of the system, and the provision of contractor logistic support (CLS) and program management services. This work will be managed from the U-TacS facility in Leicester, UK, which currently employs approximately 100 personnel.”

Thales UK CEO Alex Dorrian, CEO of Thales UK, confirms that this will result in fielded vehicles long before the formal 2010 in-service date:

“It is very important for industry to be able to react quickly in this way to provide support to emerging requirements. As an additional benefit the experience that UK forces will gain in operating this equipment will give an insight into the greater capability that WATCHKEEPER will offer when it comes into service at the end of the decade.”

See Elbit release [PDF] | Thales release.

Initial rent-a-UAV interim deal

May 10/07: Israeli civil certification Elbit’s Hermes 450 UAV Gets Civil Certification In Israel. This is a first step toward broader civil certification, which is a major UAV focus for the EU’s European Defence Agency. If that kind of civil certification is possible in Europe, it would open up a wide variety of domestic roles for UAVs like the Watchkeeper. In Israel’s case, of course, the line between civil and military airspace is much foggier, owing to the country’s small size and the widespread distribution of terror attacks against it.

Israeli civil cert

BvS10 during UK trials
(click to view full)

May 2/07: New role for the Viking. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded BAE Systems Hagglunds a contract for another 21 BvS10 Viking armoured all-terrain vehicles. This order is in addition to an earlier batch of 108 that began delivery to the UK’s Royal Marine Commandos in July 2003.

The armored all-terrain vehicles will be used as an equipment transporter for the UK’s new Mk450 Watchkeeper UAV system. Prototype vehicles are scheduled for delivery at the end of 2007, with production deliveries to commence in the second half of 2008.

Viking tow

2004 – 2006

From preferred bidder to contract and 1st flight.

ParcAberporth landing
(click to view full)

Dec 20/05: Sub-contractors. Thales UK announces that Watchkeeper sensor packages will include Elbit El-Op’s CoMPASS advanced electro-optical surveillance & targeting system, and a variant of the Thales UK I-Master radar system. Both systems are detailed above. Thales release | Elbit Systems release [PDF].

Oct 28/05: Sub-contractors. UAV Tactical Systems Limited (U-TacS) receives a GBP 317 million order (over $500 million), to be performed over an 8-year period.

This event also marks the formal announcement and naming of the U-TacS joint venture. Elbit Systems’ release [PDF format] notes that U-TacS’ financial statements will be consolidated within their financial reports.

Sept 7/05: The first flight of a large UAV in UK airspace takes place at the ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems event in Wales, using a Hermes 450 UAV. The Hermes 450 took off early in the day and maintained constant surveillance during the event. The UAV is able to remain airborne for over 16 hours. High-resolution imagery from the UAV’s optical and infra-red sensors was transmitted to the ground by a data link and displayed on large screens at the ParcAberporth event.

This is the first time a large UAV has been certified to fly in UK airspace; he Civil Air Traffic Movement Log recorded the UAV’s sortie through civil airspace and as with all flights it displayed the aircraft type, number of passengers and call sign. For the first time ever it showed “zero” people on board. The call sign was “UAV Silver 01”. Thales UK release.

1st UK UAV flight

August 4/05: The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Thales UK announce a contract worth GBP 700 million (about $1.24 billion at the time) for the full Development, Manufacture and Initial Support (DMIS) phases of the WATCHKEEPER program. “This programme will deliver equipment, training and facilities, with the capability coming into service from 2010.” Thales UK release.

Development contract

July 21/05: Thles UK announces that the Watchkeeper program’s initial phase has received “best practices” recognition from the UK National Audit Office (NAO). See full NAO case study here [PDF format].

Like its U.S. GAO counterpart, the NAO is responsible for scrutinizing public spending on behalf of Parliament, and the Major Projects Report monitors the performance of all major defense projects. Phase Three of the report, which details good practice and improvements, used Watchkeeper as a case study, highlighting its bid processes, program structure and adherence to supply chain relationship code of practice which seek “to promote better team working with the contractor.”

July 20/04: Preferred bidder. Thales UK’s consortium is the preferred bidder for the Watchkeeper ISTAR program. Thales UK release.

Appendix A: Phoenix’s Ashes

No rebirth here:
the Phoenix UAV
(click to view full)

Watchkeepers will fill a role that had been occupied, but became vacant due to poor performance. Britain has operated Phoenix UAVs for several years, but the program had been something of an embarrassment and their limitations were well known. General Fulton testified to the UK’s Parliamentary Defense Committee in early 2004 that:

“In terms of effectiveness of UAVs, yes, the Americans made a lot of use of them. The Americans, as we know, have a much greater variety of them and they have developed them much further than we have, but nevertheless, there is a great deal of investment going in this country to improve or to increase the use that we make of them. As far as Phoenix is concerned, Phoenix has been a much maligned equipment in the past, but was identified by General Brims as one of his war winners and he certainly found it extremely useful, with all its known shortcomings. Yes, the attrition rate was high… In terms of causes of loss, technical reasons are believed to account for the majority of those that were lost… Phoenix is very much a last-generation air vehicle and a last-generation system… We are not going to go out and buy more Phoenix. Watchkeeper is due in service in 2005-06 and will provide a two-step change in our capability in the information-gathering capability that will be provided… We are very keen not to make changes to the Watchkeeper requirement, so that we do not keep chasing the latest requirement, and we do not fall into the same trap we fell into with Bowman [radios].”

Spyflight, not normally prone to histrionics, is less reticent about Phoenix:

“A total of 23 were lost in Gulf War II, between Mar-Apr 03, where it was nicknamed the ‘Bugger-Off’ by British troops because they generally never returned from a sortie – the residents of Basra are welcome to them.”

One can add another 12 Phoenix UAVs reportedly lost during NATO operations in Kosovo, including 2 lost to enemy fire.

Additional Readings and Sources Background: Watchkeeper Program

• UK MoD Fact Sheet – Watchkeeper. 2007 snapshot. More about the program than the platform.

• UK MoD – Network Enabled Capability (NEC) – Joint Services Publication 777 (JSP 777). 2005 snapshot.

• UK Parliamentary Defence Committee (March 3/04) – Select Committee on Defence Third Report, Ch. 9: Major Defence Equipment. Includes testimony re: effectiveness in Iraq.

Background: Watchkeeper UAV & Ancillaries

• Elbit Systems – Hermes 450 – Tactical Long Endurance UAS

• Army-Technology.com – Watchkeeper Tactical UAV System, United Kingdom

• Defence Update – Hermes 450 and WK 450 Watchkeeper

• Israeli Weapons – Hermes 450

• Elbit systems El-op – Airborne Applications: Stabilized Payloads

• Thales UK (July 20/04) – Thales launches I-MASTER, new lightweight high performance surveillance radar. Includes some performance characteristics, provides more information than Thales Group’s Surveillance Radars page (2007 snapshot).

Background: Related UAVs

• DID – Size Matters: Elbit’s Hermes 900 MALE UAV. Larger, Predator-sized variant with more endurance and payload. U-TacS could be changed to offer it, if a customer wanted it.

• Elbit Systems – Hermes 180. Smaller UAV, originally to have served as Watchkeeper’s low end. Dropped by Thales between their selection as preferred bidder and the contract signing, and no longer promoted by Elbit

• DID – Britain’s RAF Buying up to 10 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. They bought all 10, which serve a tier above Watchkeeper as Britain’s high-end, armed UAVs.

• Army Technology – Phoenix Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, United Kingdom

• Spyflight UK – Phoenix UAV. Not complimentary.

• Wikipedia – BAE Systems Phoenix.

• Aeronautics.RU – The Rise and Fall of Phoenix [dead link]. First line: “It is not often that a piece of modern military equipment becomes a museum exhibit so soon after entering service…”

News & Views

• UK Parliament House of Commons Defence Committee (March 11/14) – Remote Control: Remotely Piloted Air Systems – current and future UK use. Full Report, Volume 1 [PDF] | Volume 2 | Government’s Response.

• UK MoD (Aug 30/13) – Desert Rats prepare for Afghanistan.

• UK MoD (Oct 3/11) – Defence Secretary confirms first project of concern. Not Watchkeeper, though it’s 1 of the 3 under review, and will be revisited.

• Defence Management (Aug 19/09) – ISTAR problems ‘leading to casualties’ [dead link]. Gaps in the MoD’s ability to fill personnel slots and man the relevant posts are part of the problem.

• Flight International (June 2/08) – Thales outlines progress on Watchkeeper UAV program. Derived from Thales’ April 25/08 submission to Parliament’s Select Committee on Defence.

• UK MoD (Sept 27/07) – Unmanned aerial vehicles on the lookout over Iraq. “The safety record of the H450 in theatre is first class. To date, all take offs and landings have been successful, and no air vehicles have been lost… The equipment has now also been delivered to a second theatre and both will ramp up to a full operating capability by February 2008.”

• Flight International (Jan 12/06) – UK RAF to raise UAV squadron. A squadron of 2 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. They will be “fitted for, but not with, weapons.” At least, that was the plan back in January 2006 – but things changed.

Americas

• The Navy is procuring spares for its F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Under the $503 million contract modification Lockheed Martin will provide air vehicle initial spares, to include F-35 deployment spares packages, afloat spares packages, and associated consumables required to support the air vehicle delivery schedules for the Air Force, Marine Corps and non-DoD participants. The F-35 program has had a variety of issues with spare part availability. The logistics system designed to keep the F-35 fleet flying often doesn’t, with more than a fifth of grounded planes sitting idle waiting for spare parts. According to a report by Aviation Week & Space Technology, twenty two percent of the F-35s grounded globally are unable to fly because they are waiting on parts. This contract modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($106,5 million); Marine Corps ($91,6 million); Navy ($68,1 million); and non-DoD participants ($236,8 million). Work will be performed at various locations inside and outside the continental US. They include Fort Worth, Texas; El Segundo, California and Cheltenham, United Kingdom. Work is expected to be completed in December 2023.

• DRS Sustainment Systems Inc. is being tapped by the US Army in support of its fleet of Abrams tanks. The fixed-price-incentive contract is valued at $192 million and provides for the procurement of Abrams Active Protection systems, sets of countermeasures, as well as calibration and maintenance kits in support of the tanks Enhancement program. The active protection system (APS) will equip a brigade of US Army tanks, protecting them during a deployment to Europe in 2020. Up to 80 M1A2 Abrams are set to be retrofitted with the Israeli-made Trophy system. Trophy works by ringing a tank with flat panel radar sensors that constantly monitor for incoming threats. Once an incoming tank round, anti-tank missile, or shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket is detected on a collision course with the tank, the Trophy system launches a number of explosively formed projectiles in a shotgun-like pattern at the incoming threat weapon. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020.

• The US Army is contracting Raytheon Missile Systems for the production of artillery shells. The contract modification is valued at $93 million and provides for the procurement of Excalibur 155mm projectiles. The M982 Excalibur is delivered as a complete 155mm artillery shell, with GPS guidance and pop-out fins. Excalibur is an International Cooperative Development program involving the USA and Sweden, on account of their interest for their Archer artillery program. The most recent operational version is the Excalibur Block Ia-2. It adds base bleed technology and maximum charge compatibility, in order to increase range from 14.3 to 25.9 statute miles when fired from US howitzers or Denel’s G6. One Excalibur round costs about $70.000. Work will be performed at various locations, including Tucson, Arizona; McAlester, Oklahoma; Karlskoga, Sweden and South Plymouth, United Kingdom. The contract has an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2020.

• Marvin Engineering is set to supply the Air Force with launcher systems in support of its AIM-120 missile systems. The $126 million contract provides for 1,450 guided missile launchers and 925 sub-assembly components used for F-15s, F-16s and Navy F-18s AIM-120 systems. US-only AIM-120D missiles feature the C7 improvements, but the D version reportedly adds a very strong set of upgrades, making it more capable and lethal. Work will be performed in Inglewood, California, and is expected to be completed by May 28, 2023.

Middle East & Africa

• The government of Kuwait will receive software updates for its fleet of Super Hornet fighter aircraft as part of a US foreign military sale. As part of the an un-definitized contract action with a not-to-exceed value of $179 million, Boeing will provide the system configuration set H12K for the Kuwait Air Force configured F/A-18E/F Aircraft software development. The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. At present, Super Hornets that can compete against contemporary designs, albeit with some drawbacks. The F/A-18 platform is currently receiving a general upgrade to its electronics, performance and stealth as means of extending its service life to 2030 and beyond. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in September 2022.

Europe

• French defense manufacturer Daher is currently testing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) configuration for its TBM 910 and TBM 930 single-engine turboprop aircraft. The new configuration allows the mounting of sensors and high-definition cameras beneath the wings of the aircraft. The TBM 910/TBM 930 ISR version also can fly surveillance missions with a multi-sensor optronic retractable turret, as well as a Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator. The TBM 910 is just as fast as its predecessor in flight, while offering pilots quicker access to cockpit information, along with safety-enhancing guidance and improved readability. The aircraft is a cheaper alternative to the high-end TBM 930 version. Both aircraft have a maximum cruise speed of 330kt, a 1,730nm range and fuel consumption of 37gal per hour. The aircraft can take off and land from 2,455ft runways.

• Jane’s reports that France’s Arquus Hornet remote controlled weapon system (RCWS). The newly developed system will equip the future French Army’s fleet of armored fighting vehicles. Arquus is already a protected vehicle and integrated support market leader, and a major player in the Scorpion program. The Hornet range RCWS are highly dependable and deliver optimum connectivity, with the tactical situation being displayed on screen. The most basic version, called the Hornet Lite, will be armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun (MG) provided with 400 rounds of ammunition. The standard Hornet RCWS can be armed with a 7.62 mm MAG58 with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 12.7 mm M2 HB MG with 300 rounds, or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher (AGL) with 64 grenades. Ammunition is stored in a box magazine on the left side. The Griffon APCs will field the Hornet from 2019 and will be followed by the Jaguar reconnaissance vehicle from 2021.

Asia-Pacific

• The Philippine Navy could potentially receive more Beechcraft King Air TC-90 patrol aircraft from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The JMSDF has given the Navy five TC-90 patrol aircraft as part of a deal made in 2016. Three of the delivered aircraft are already operational, while the other two are being equipped and painted for Philippine service. The TC-90 has a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 226 knots, and is capable of carrying eight passengers, along with the pilots. The additional TC-90s are expected to boost the Philippine Navy’s capability in intelligence surveillance reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maritime air surveillance.

Today’s Video

• German defense manufacturer KMW floats new tank design!

M1A2 SEP
(click to view full)

America’s M1 Abrams tanks come in a number of versions. In addition to the M1A1 that is now standard, the US Army is beginning to field its M1 TUSK for urban warfare. It also operates the M1A2 System Enhancement Program (SEP), currently the most advanced standard variant.

This Spotlight article covers the M1A2 Abrams SEP upgrade program, and will be updated and backfilled as new contracts are issued and key events take place.

M1A2 SEP: Additional Background

Some SEP upgrades
(click to view full)

The M1A2 SEP is builds on the digitized M1A2 platform with an improved armor package of third generation steel-encased depleted uranium armor, a new command and control system, second-generation FLIR thermal sights that include a Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) for “hunter-killer” operation, the Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit (UAAPU) that lets crews run key electronics without running the engine, and a Thermal Management System (TMS – i.e. air conditioning for crew & electronics). The M1A2 SEP also features enhanced electronics like color maps and displays, improved networked communications, high-density computer memory and increased microprocessing speed, a more user friendly “Soldier Machine Interface (SMI)”, and an open operating computing system that will make future upgrades and additions easier.

The M1A2 SEP’s advanced FLIR/thermal sights are part of the US Army’s Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared (HTI SGF) sighting systems program, which creates commonality with other vehicles like the M2/M3 Bradley IFVs.

The M1A2 SEP is a formidable upgrade package, but it was missing a small but crucial item. Troops in Iraq and elsewhere are also clamoring for a phone on the outside of the tank that will let them talk to the vehicle crew. This was common as far back as World War 2, and its lack is hampering coordination on the modern battlefield – especially in urban areas. A General Dynamics representative noted that future M1A2 Abrams TUSK (Tank Urban Survivability Kit) vehicles will have this feature, but the SEP v1 tanks did not.

M1A2 SEP Version 2 configuration, which is just beginning to appear, fixes this. It adds improved displays, sights, and power systems compared to earlier SEP versions – plus the tank-infantry phone. Recent orders also added a CROWS-II top-mounted machine gun with advanced sights. The CROWS system can be controlled from inside the tank using a joystick and screen, removing the need to open the hatch and expose the crews to snipers. SEPv2 is the most technologically advanced digital Abrams tank, and is also positioned for future communications and other technology updates.

Recent budgets for M1A1 enhancements, including both M1A1-Situational Awareness and M1A2 tanks, include:

• FY 2010: $278.8 million for 22 tanks ($93.8M RDT&E, $185.0M procurement)
  
• FY 2011: $294.4 million for 21 tanks ($93.6M RDT&E, $182.0M procurement, $18.8M spares)
  
• FY 2012: $583.9 million for 63 tanks ($9.3M RDT&E, $567.4M procurement, $7.2M spares)
  
• FY 2013 Request: $300.8 million, ($97.3M RDT&E, $203.5M procurement) meant to “complete the final [SEP] production, fielding, and training” – 20-24 tanks by some reports.
  
• FY 2014 Request: $297.4 million ($101.3M RDT&E, $178.1M procurement).

M1A2 SEP: Related Contracts

Commander’s Display Unit

The Armor Site notes that:

“A multi-year contract for 307 M1A2 Abrams Systems Enhancement Program (SEP) tanks was awarded in March 2001 with production into 2004. The current Army plan allows for a fleet of 588 M1A2 SEP, 586 M1A2 and 4,393 M1A1 tanks. The potential exits for a retrofit program of 129 M1A2 tanks to the SEP configuration between 2004 and 2005… The US Army decided to cancel future production of the M1A2 SEP from FY2004, but in June 2005 ordered the upgraded of a further 60 M1A2 tanks to SEP configuration.”

That program has now grown very substantially, and a 2007 contract added 435 more more M1A2 SEPs. Orders have continued to come in, and General Dynamics says that the current multi-year award set will complete the modernization of all M1 tanks in the active-duty army to M1A2 SEP standard. By 2014, however, their interest in keeping the facility running led supportive members of Congress to continue spending money on the program, over the Army’s objections.

Unless otherwise specified, all contracts are awarded by The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI; and the recipient is General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI.

FY 2011 – 2018

June 19/18: Trophy APS to be installed DRS Sustainment Systems Inc. is being tapped by the US Army in support of its fleet of Abrams tanks. The fixed-price-incentive contract is valued at $192 million and provides for the procurement of Abrams Active Protection systems, sets of countermeasures, as well as calibration and maintenance kits in support of the tanks Enhancement program. The active protection system (APS) will equip a brigade of US Army tanks, protecting them during a deployment to Europe in 2020. Up to 80 M1A2 Abrams are set to be retrofitted with the Israeli-made Trophy system. Trophy works by ringing a tank with flat panel radar sensors that constantly monitor for incoming threats. Once an incoming tank round, anti-tank missile, or shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket is detected on a collision course with the tank, the Trophy system launches a number of explosively formed projectiles in a shotgun-like pattern at the incoming threat weapon. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020.

December 28/17: Contracts-SEPv3 Upgrades Up to 786 M1A1 configured Abrams vehicles are set to be upgraded to the newly configured M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEPv3), under a $2.6 billion US Army fixed-price-incentive contract awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems unit. The deal also entitles the company to upgrade M1A1 vehicles to M1A12S and M1A2-K vehicles. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of December 21, 2020. The SEPv3 package includes upgrades in the areas of survivability, maintainability, full efficiency and network capability.

December 4/17: Contracts-Additional Order Norway’s Kongsberg has been selected by the US Army to deliver additional enhancements and upgrades on the service’s M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank. The $3.9 million award, which dates back to an earlier August 2012 contract between the firm and the US Department of Defense (DoD), calls for additional deliveries of the Protector Low Profile Common Remote Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) System, as well as spare parts for sustainment. The Protector RWS allows for greater protector of US military troops and commanders by allowing them to fire and engage enemy targets from inside the Abrams tank, as opposed to exposing themselves while operating small- to medium-caliber weapon systems mounted on the outside of the vehicle.

October 12/17: The first six initial production vehicles of the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank System Enhancement Package Version 3 (SEPv3) has been rolled out for the first time after delivery to the US Army. Production for the M1A2 SEPv3 is being conducted at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC) in Lima, Ohio and at the Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama. Improvements added to the new tanks include a joint tactical radio system that integrates handheld, manpack, and small-form fit radios to maintain battle command and communications interoperability with future brigade combat teams. It also comes with an improved power generation and distribution equipment, as well as counter remote control improvised explosive device electronic warfare/Duke V3 equipment. An ammunition data link for programing the M829A4 advanced kinetic energy and advanced multi-purpose rounds has also been added, as well as a quiet auxiliary power unit to operate on-board systems during silent watch operations, and armor upgrades. Over time, the SEPv3s will replace the M1A2 SEPv2, which have been in production since 2005.

September 07/17: General Dynamics Land Systems has won two US Department of Defense (DoD) contracts for the upgrade of M1A2 series of main battle tanks for the US Army. The first contract, valued at $311 million, calls for the firm to upgrade seven Abrams tanks from the M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 into a SEPv4 variant. Upgrades included in the SEPv4 package include an improved Commander and Gunner’s Primary Sights, thermal systems, and other enhancements to the tank’s armor and mobility. The second deal, estimated to be worth $270 million, will see production of 45 Abrams SEPv3 tanksto the US Army, with production starting this fall.

August 30/17: The US Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $310 million contract for engineering changes to the M1A2 Abrams tank System Enhancement Package Version 3. Work to be undertaken include the design, development and integration for the upgrades to the M1A2, with a projected completion date scheduled for Feb. 28, 2024. The M1A2 SEP 3 are upgraded versions of the M1A2 Abrams tank, and feature improved power generation, networking capabilities and have a lower-profile Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) system for its top-mounted .50mm machine gun.

August 03/17: General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $270.2 million contract to provide System Enhancement Package (SEP) components for upgraded US Army M1A2 SEPv2 and SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks. According to the work order, GD will provide, install, and integrate System Enhancement Package v2 legacy components for 45 M1A2 SEPv3 tanks and 60 additional sets of SEPv2 and SEPv3 parts, as well as providing tooling, test, and support equipment. Work will be carried out primarily at Lima Army Tank Plant in Ohio, and other sites in the United States, and is scheduled to run until Aug. 21, 2019. The SEPv2 includes upgraded computers, improved front and side armor, a improved transmission, new infrared sensors and a Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) for the .50 machine gun. While the SEPv3 has improved power generation, networking capabilities and possesses a lower-profile CROWS system.

December 15/16: The US State Department signed off on a $1.7 billion foreign military sale with Kuwait for the recapitalization of 218 of the kingdom’s M1A2 tanks. Work included in the deal involves the supply of 240 M2A1 machine guns; 480 7.62 M240 machine guns; 240 AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS radios; 1,085 night vision goggles; technical support; and training services. A number of defense contractors will be included in the program, with General Dynamics, Raytheon, Meggitt, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell, all involved.

Jan 31/14: +12. A $72.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for 12 M1A2 SEPv2 tanks.

$15.7 million in FY 2013 funds are committed immediately. other procurement funds in the amount of $15,712,969 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Scranton, PA; Anniston, ALA; and Tallahassee, FL; and will run until Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited with one received. With Israel’s Namer heavy IFV order facing significant cuts, any production at Lima surely be welcomed (W56HZV-14-C-0054).

April 29/13: Keep spending. Congress is looking to spend funds over and above the Pentagon’s request, in order to keep General Dynamics Land Systems running at a higher rate. The Lima plant is reportedly producing about 5 M1A2S upgrade kits per month for Saudi Arabia, and 4 M1A1M kits per month for Egypt, plus production of Israeli Namer ultra-heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Of the Army’s 2,400 tanks, about 1,500 – 1,600 have reportedly received the $7.5 million MA2SEPv2 upgrade. The US Army had wanted to stop buying tanks until 2017, using funds for R&D to produce an updated M1 variant.

Congress has other ideas, and $468 million is a consistently-used figure for the extra spending, but that isn’t broken down clearly. What is clear is that the US Army has said it doesn’t want or need more M1A2s, and wants to spend the money elsewhere at a time when its reducing training and maintenance. Congress disagrees for a combination of industrial reasons involving the restart costs of drying up the sub-contractor chain (and killing some of their firms), and political reasons involving jobs in a state with powerful representatives and outsize significance in Presidential politics. AP | CS Monitor.

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. With respect to the M1 fleet, the budget would spend $279.4 million ($101.3M RDT&E, $178.1M procurement) to:

“…maintain the armor facility at a sustainable level and minimize loss of skilled labor. It also procures numerous approved modifications to fielded M1A2 Abrams tanks, including the Data Distribution Unit (DDU) to enable network interoperability, the Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS), loader tray modification to improve safety and the Commander’s Remote Operating Weapon Station (CROWS).”

April 25/12: General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI wins a $31.1 million firm-fixed-price contract to create 46 Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 vehicles from existing stocks, by installing the upgrade kits.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Scranton, PA; Anniston, AL; and Tallahassee, FL, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W56HZV-12-C-0198).

Dec 23/11: +21. A $59.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Packages and CROWS weapon stations. Based on past contracts, this will cover 21 M1A2 SEPv2 kits, and finish funding for the planned 435 tanks under the program, though an installation contract may still be forthcoming.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

March 1/11: A $59.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for up to 21 Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 upgrade tanks. That means full materials and labor for the upgrades.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

FY 2008 – 2010

 

M1A2 SEPv2, Iraq
(click to view full)

March 5/10: +22. A $62.1 million firm-fixed-price contract covers Program Year 4, Increment 2 of the Abrams multi-year contract. The Army is buying full materials and labor for 22 M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades.

General Dynamics Land Systems says that before this recent “call-up” of 22 kits, 371 of the 435 total vehicles had been funded. Now, only 42 vehicles require funding, and they expected to be taken care of in the next 2 increments around January 2011 and 2012. These “funding years” are different from “program years”, and PY 4 is expected to cover 39 M1A2 SEPv2s.

Work is to be performed in Lima, OH (75%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Anniston, AL (9%); Scranton, PA (3%); and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/12. TACOM in Warren, MI issued the contract (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Sept 14/09: CROWS. An $18.2 million unfinalized Change Order Modification firm-fixed-price multi-year contract to buy up to 370 Commanders Remote Operated Weapons Stations version 2 kits (CROWS II) for M1A2 SEPv2 upgrade vehicles. Work is to be performed in Lima, OH with an estimated completion date of Aug 31/12 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

March 2/09: A $9.8 million firm-fixed-price, firm fixed price level of effort, cost plus fixed fee contract to provide parts for the reset material necessary to allow Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) to reset 5 Battle Damaged M1 SEPv1 tanks to a SEPv2 configuration, with a 100% option to RESET another 5.

Work is to be performed at Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Aug 31/10 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 24/09: A $32 million firm-fixed-price contract change order issued to RESET 129 of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s Abrams SEPv2 tanks.

Work is to be performed at Lima, Ohio, (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10. One bid was solicited and one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 3/09: A $5.9 million firm fixed price contract change order to buy improved ammunition racks, as part of a RESET program for 90 M1A2 SEPv1 tanks that are being upgraded to SEPv2.

Work is to be performed at Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10 (W56HZV-06-C-0006).

Jan 27/09: +24. An $80.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for the Abrams Multi-Year Contract’s program year 2, increment 2. This contract buys 24 M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades, and funds 6 more tanks in program year 3, increment 1, for a total of 30.

Work will be performed at Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/12. One bid was solicited and one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GDLS release.

Nov 20/08: +180 RESET. A $63.7 million firm-fixed-price contract, exercising an option to RESET 180 Abrams M1A2 SEPv1 to SEPv2 tanks. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, FL, Anniston, AL, Scranton, PA, and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10. One bid was solicited and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

See also Aug 5/08 entry, and the GDLS release.

Aug 29/08: General Dynamics Lands Systems Division in Sterling Heights, MI received a $30.8 million cost-reimbursable contract to procure long-lead-materials. These materials will be bought in as a prelude to upgrading 129 Third Armored Cavalry Regiment Abrams tanks to the M1A2 SEP configuration.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/09. One bid was solicited, and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Aug 5/08: A $613.5 million Firm Fixed Price, contract for Award Program Year One increment 2, in a multi-year contract for Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades. The contract will upgrade 235 M1A1 tanks to this configuration.

The order was made under a multi-year contract (see Feb 7/08 entry) which authorized the modernization of 435 M1A1 tanks that have been in the Army’s inventory for more than 20 years. An additional 180 tanks remain to be upgraded through the program, which will complete the conversion of all tanks in the Army’s active component to the M1A2 SEP V2 configuration.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Sterling Heights, MI; and Scranton, PA, and is expected to be complete by Oct 31/11. There was one bid solicited from the manufacturer on Oct 5/07, and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006). See also GDLS release.

June 3/08: A $19.8 million cost-reimbursable-no-fee contract for the procurement of long lead material to support maintenance of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Abrams M1A2 SEP tanks. Work will be performed primarily in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by Oct 30/09. One bid was solicited on April 29/08 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

April 28/08: A $28.2 million cost-no-fee contract for long lead materials, which will be used in the recapitalization of M1A2 SEPv1 tanks. Work will be performed primarily in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete on Nov 28/08. One bid was solicited on Jan 18/08 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 7/08: Multi-Year SEP contract. A $39.5 million firm-fixed price contract to upgrade 20 Abrams tanks to M1A2 SEPv2 standard. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Sterling Heights, MI; Lima, OH; and Scranton, PA. The upgrade program is expected to be completed by June 30/13. One bid was solicited on Oct 5/07, and 1 bid was received by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-G-0006). General Dynamics says that this award is in addition to the Jan 15/08 award to fund parts for the upgrades.

General Dynamics announces that this is just the first increment of a $1.5 billion multi-year contract to upgrade 435 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to M1A2 SEPv2 configuration. They add that this multi-year procurement contract “will complete the modernization of all remaining M1A1 tanks which have been in the US Army’s inventory for more than 20 years.”

Multi-year contract: 435

Jan 15/08: A $12.4 million cost-no fee contract “for system enhancement package upgrade vehicles.” Work will be performed in Lima Army Tank Plant, OH, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2008. One bid was solicited on Oct 5/07, and 1 bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Dec 19/07: +180 RESET. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $257.8 million award for procurement of materials and labor required to RESET 180 Abrams tanks under the Abrams Improved SEP Reset (ISR) program. The program could total more than $320 million if all options are exercised. As part of the Improved Systems Enhancement Package (SEP) Reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are modified to the SEP Version 2 configuration.

Deliveries begin in September 2009, and are expected to be complete by September 2010. Work will be performed by existing employees in Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Lima, OH; Sterling Heights, MI; and Scranton, PA. There was 1 bid solicited on Feb 13/07, and 1 bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Nov 19/07: +240 RESET. General Dynamics Land Systems received an $88.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for reset of 240 M1A2 Abrams tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2009 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

As part of the reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are upgraded to the SEP Version 2 configuration. GDLS release.

Oct 3/07: A $16.5 million delivery order as part of a $24 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide parts for the reset of battle-damaged SEPv1 Tanks to a SEPv2 configuration. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 14, 2007 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Oct 1/07: A delivery order amount of $20.1 million as part of a $510.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for reset of Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Packages to the M1A2 Tanks. As part of the Improved Systems Enhancement Package (SEP) reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are modified to the SEP Version 2 configuration, which includes improved displays, sights, power, and a tank-infantry phone. It is the most technologically advanced digital Abrams tank and is positioned for future technology insertions for compatibility with the Army’s Future Combat Systems.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 20, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GD release.

FY 2005 – 2007

 

M1A2, getting the range
(click to view full)

Aug 13/07: A delivery order amount of $5.7 million as part of a $6.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for spare parts for the M1A2 System Enhancement Program Tank. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2010. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 14, 2007 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-02-G-0009).

Aug 8/07: +???. The full delivery order amount of $270.6 million as part of a firm-fixed-price contract for system enhancement package for the Abrams M1A2 Tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by July 31/10. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 16, 2007. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Aug 8/07: +???. The full delivery order amount of $139.3 million for retrofit of M1A2 Vehicles to M1A2 SEP Version 2 configuration. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Jan 31/10. This was a sole source contract initiated on Feb. 21/07 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Specific details re: numbers et. al. are usually present in General Dynamics’ follow-on releases; not this time.

April 18/07: The full delivery order amount of $9.1 million as part of a cost contract for long-lead material for RESET for battle damaged M1A2 System Enhancement Package tanks. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL (40%), Lima, OH (20%), Sterling Heights, MI (10%), and Scranton, PA (30%), and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 10, 2007 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GDLS release.

Dec 4/06: +312 RESET. A delivery order amount of $305 million as part of a $351 million cost contract for RESET of Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP)v1 to M1A2 SEPv2 tanks, and long lead material for the additional RESET of M1A2 SEPv1 and M1A2 SEPv2 tanks. A GDLS representative confirms that the contact covers 312 tanks returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete on Sept. 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 20, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Nov 27/06: +180. The full $379.8 million delivery order amount of a firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade 180 M1A2 tanks to Abrams M1A2 SEP Version 2 status, along with total packing fielding material for initial fielding. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Nov 30/09. This was a sole source contract initiated on August 29, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). See also GDLS press release, and a subsequent release which gives the number. A GDLS representative confirmed that the conversions involved M1A2 tanks.

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received an $11 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the System Enhancement Package RESET Program. This would be the RESET maintenance program for M1A2 SEP tanks. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 22, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $32.6 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the Improved System Enhancement Package RESET Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 29, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $24.2 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the System Enhancement Package Retrofit Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 18, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $16.1 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Upgraded X1100-3B Transmissions with Refurbished Containers in Support of the System Enhancement Package Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 25, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

M1A2 Abrams

Aug 4/06: +60. General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received the full delivery order amount of $134.7 million as part of a firm-fixed-price contract for Abrams M1A2 SEP (system enhancement package) retrofits to 60 existing M1A2 Abrams tanks, along with total package fielding material for initial fielding. The M1A2 SEP is the latest, most technologically advanced Abrams variant, and the contract also includes a $145 million option to upgrade 60 more M1A2s, bringing the total to $280 million if all options are exercised.

Work on this SEP upgrade contract will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%). Delivery of the first 60 vehicles is slated to begin in November 2007 and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2008. Delivery of the 60 option vehicles would begin in November 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Feb. 1, 2006 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

July 8/05: An estimated $7.3 million firm-fixed price contract for 90 commanders display units for the M1A2 Abrams System Enhanced Program (M1A2 SEP) Tank. The work is to be performed at the company’s Tallahassee, FL location and is to be completed Sept. 20, 2007. The Tank-automotive Armament Command in Rock Island, IL issued the contract (DAAE20-02-G-0009 delivery order 0109).

June 20/05: +???. A $141.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks to the System and Continuous Enhancement Program Configurations. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Imperial Valley, CA (1%), Tallahassee, FL (1%), Sterling Heights, MI (1%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Anniston, AL (9%), and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 1, 2003 (DAAE07-01-G-N001). See GDLS press release, which places the number of tanks upgraded to M1A2 SEP at 60. It adds that vehicle deliveries to General Dynamics are scheduled for January through October 2007, with vehicle hand-off to the U.S. Army expected in January 2008.

April 29/05: An $8.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for unique spares for the M1A2 SEP Abrams Tank, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Work will be performed in Killeen, TX (85%); Sterling Heights, MI (10%); and Southwest Asia (5%), and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2010. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 14, 2004 by US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL (W52H09-05-C-0089). See also GDLS press release.

FY 1996 – 2004

 

Sept 2/04: A $22.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for repair and modification to 111 M1A2 SEP Tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2005. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 14, 2004 (DAAE07-01-G-N001). A subsequent GDLS press release clarified that this is a contract “to repair and modify 111 M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Package (SEP) tanks that have recently returned from the war zone.” Work will be performed at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2005. The total value for this effort is actually about $70 million, allocated between TACOM ($40 million, to include major component repair by Anniston Army Depot), and GDLS ($29.9 Million).

May 6/04: +65. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $121 million delivery order as part of a contract valued at $244 million, to retrofit 65 M1A2 Abrams tanks to the M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Program) configuration. The tanks are being retrofitted to modernize the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Work will be performed with the existing workforce at General Dynamics’ facilities in Lima, OH (74%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Anniston, AL (9%); Scranton, PA (3%); Imperial Valley, CA. (1%); Muskegon, MI (1%); and Sterling Heights, MI (1%). Work will also be done at Fort Carson, CO (1%).

May 15/03: +14. A delivery order amount of $26 million, under a firm-fixed-price contract to retrofit 14 M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks to the M1A2 SEP configuration. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Imperial Valley, CA (1%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Sterling Heights, MI (1%), Scranton, PA (3%), Anniston, AL (9%), and Muskegon, IL (1%), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2004. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 29, 2002 (DAAE07-01-G-N001).

Nov 29/02: A delivery order amount of $5.8 million as part of an $8.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 10 gigabyte solid state removable memory cartridges for retrofit into M1A2 Abrams SEP tanks. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights (0.2%) and Bloomington, MN (99.8%), and is to be complete by Aug. 31, 2003. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 15, 2002 (DAAE07-01-G-N001).

May 16/02: A delivery order amount of $2.9 million as part of a $5.8 million (cumulative total) un-priced contractual action for 9 lines of spare parts in support of the M1A2 SEP Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (10%); Imperial, CA (40%); Tallahassee, FL (40%), Anniston, AL (10%), and is to be complete by Oct. 30, 2003. This is a sole-source contract initiated on Feb. 14, 2002 by the U. S. Army Tank and Automotive Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-97-G-0002).

Feb 9/01: +240. A $142 million modification to firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract DAAE07-95-C-0292. This procurement is an equitable adjustment to change-order modification P00110, that incorporated the System Enhancement Package (SEP) into 240 M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks. This modification adds first article tests for the SEP into 240 tanks, adds material and testing for Under Armor Auxiliary Power Units that are to be retrofitted onto M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks with the SEP.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (80%); Scranton, PA (3%); Imperial Valley, CA (1%); Anniston, AL (4%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Muskegon, MS (1%), and Sterling Heights, MI (1%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2001. Of the total contract funds, $97.3 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 18, 1995.

Jan 16/01: The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC received a $6 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61339-95-C-0015, exercising an option for the production of one M1A2 Tank System Enhancement Package and one Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Maintenance Training System, Trainer Unique Modification Kit.

Work will be performed in Research Triangle Park, NC (60%) and Daytona, FL (40%); and is expected to be complete by September 2001. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL issued the contract.

Feb 10/2000: The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC received a $5 million modification to previously awarded contract N61339-95-C-0015 for the design, refurbishment, documentation, fabrication, integration, testing, manufacture, delivery and installation of the M1A2 system enhancement package maintenance training systems. Work will be performed in Research Triangle Park, NC (60%) and Daytona, FL (40%), and is expected to be complete by November 2000. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL issued the contract.

Dec 22/99: A $24.9 million modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract DAAE07-96-C-X195, to exercise the option for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program, a system enhancement package M1A2 retrofit for the Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 2, 1996.

Nov 23/99: A $5 modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract DAAE07-96-C-X195, to exercise priced options for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program, the M1A2 retrofit System Enhancement Package. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by Aug. 30, 2001. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 2, 1996.

May 4/98: A $9.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for various spares in support of fielding of the System Enhancement Package (SEP) of the M1A2 upgrade tank. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, FL (75%); Lima, OH (10%); Imperial Valley, CA (10%); and Scranton, OH (5%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2000. This is a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 8, 1997 by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Command at Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-97-G-0002/0008).

Sept 26/97: A $7.3 million increment of a $24.3 million modification to a $127.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development for the Abrams System Enhancement Package (ASEP) that will be incorporated into the M1A2 Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 1999. Of the total contract funds, $14,757 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 23, 1994 (DAAE07-94-C-0727).

Aug 8/96: A $10 million modification to a cost plus fixed fee contract for two Heavy Assault Bridge Pre-Low Rate Initial Production Pilot/Test vehicles in Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) configuration. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by February 28, 1998. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 29, 1996 (DAAE07-94-C-0727).

Additional Readings & Sources

• The Armor Site – M1A1/2 Abrams. Simply the best Abrams tank reference.

• James Hasik’s “What to do about Lima and York” series (March – August 2013) – Part 1 | Part 2 – findings from A.T. Kearney, and a radical suggestion for consolidation | Part 3 – and now the Iraqi-Saudi alternative.

• NBC News (July 28/12) – The M1 Abrams: The Army tank that could not be stopped

• US Army – (Feb 19/08) – Modified M1-A2 Abrams Tanks Improve Safety, Precision. Describes the TUSK modifications.

• US Army Logistics Management College, ALOG Magazine (Jan-Feb 1996) – Keeping M1A1’s in Action. A new way to employ the Army’s M1A1 full-up power pack (FUPP) saves time and money and helps ensure a combat-ready tank unit. A FUPP consists of a Honeywell AGT-1500 turbine engine, which contains four modules, and an Allison X1100-3B transmission.

M777 fires M982
(click to view full)

Unlike ATK’s screw-in PGK nose, the M982 Excalibur is delivered as a complete 155mm artillery shell, with GPS guidance and pop-out fins. Its arrival on the battlefield made artillery relevant again in counter-insurgency scenarios, while offering lethal counter-battery fire in high-end scenarios.

Excalibur’s integrated design makes it more expensive than screw-in fuze/guidance options like PGK, but it’s also more accurate. As electronics, GPS, and hence screw-in systems improve, Raytheon needs to stay ahead. The Excalibur Ib has improved accuracy and cost, but next steps involve new guidance systems that would dramatically expand Excalibur’s capabilities and market.

The Excalibur System

Excalibur 155mm
(click to view full)

Excalibur is an International Cooperative Development program involving the USA and Sweden, on account of their interest for their Archer artillery program. Canada and Australia have also reportedly purchased the shells, for use in their M777 towed 155mm howitzers. Excalibur Block I shells are standard high-explosives, while Blocks II & III will add and refine additional guidance.

Excalibur Increment Ia-1. Initially fielded to units in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Urgent Operational Request.

Increment Ia-2. Fielded in early FY 2012 and greatly increases range from 25.2 kilometers to 40.5 kilometers. The Excalibur guided projectile program is using an incremental development approach to provide a combat capability to the Soldier as quickly as possible while delivering advanced capabilities at lower costs. Excalibur Increment Ib will provide further performance improvements while significantly lowering unit costs. Increment Ib completed a successful Milestone C Decision Review on December 12, 2012. The first Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract was awarded on December 21, 2012, second LRIP option was awarded August 26, 2013 and third LRIP option was awarded December 16, 2013.

The most recent operational version is the Excalibur Block Ia-2 (M982). It adds base bleed technology and maximum charge compatibility, in order to increase range from 25.3 to 40.5 km (14.3 to 25.9 statute miles) when fired from U.S. howitzers or Denel’s G6. Excalibur Ia-2 received its type classification in 2010, and was fielded in fall 2011. Some tests have seen 100% of shots land within 5m, instead of the advertised 50% within 10m. The longest combat shot to date appears to be 36 km/ 22.4 miles.

Increment Ib. The M982E1 aims for the same performance with fewer parts, in order to reduce the shells’ cost and improve the initial shell’s existing 10% unreliability rate. Its Based on orders to date, it’s succeeding on the cost front, as it costs less than half what earlier model Excalibur shells used to cost several years ago – about $70,000 per round, instead of $150,000.

Tests also show accuracy improvements, with IOT&E tests as close as 2m CEP. That compares to 20-25m for ATK’s PGK, which makes a big difference in combat.

5″ naval gun
(click to view full)

Block II (Excalibur -S/-N5). Further R&D is underway to add a robust semi-active laser guidance system, creating an Excalibur-S laser/GPS guided shell that can hit targets designated by forward troops UAVs, etc. The dual-mode guidance may also be available as an upgrade.

This combination will have even greater naval potential as the Excalibur N5, which could be fired at moving naval and land targets. Its casing would make the N5 mechanically compatible with the 127mm/ 5″ naval guns that equip all American destroyers and cruisers, and many foreign warships besides, but full compatibility and effectiveness will generally require some form of combat system integration. Read “New Frontiers for Raytheon’s Excalibur GPS Guided Shells” (q.v. Additional Readings) for more.

Contracts & Key Events

Unless otherwise indicated, all contracts are issued by US Army Contracting Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ to Raytheon Co. in Tucson, AZ. The original solicitation received 3 bids.

1b testing
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June 19/18: More Excalibur rounds The US Army is contracting Raytheon Missile Systems for the production of artillery shells. The contract modification is valued at $93 million and provides for the procurement of Excalibur 155mm projectiles. The M982 Excalibur is delivered as a complete 155mm artillery shell, with GPS guidance and pop-out fins. Excalibur is an International Cooperative Development program involving the USA and Sweden, on account of their interest for their Archer artillery program. The most recent operational version is the Excalibur Block Ia-2. It adds base bleed technology and maximum charge compatibility, in order to increase range from 14.3 to 25.9 statute miles when fired from US howitzers or Denel’s G6. One Excalibur round costs about $70.000. Work will be performed at various locations, including Tucson, Arizona; McAlester, Oklahoma; Karlskoga, Sweden and South Plymouth, United Kingdom. The contract has an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2020.

September 20/17: The US Army has contracted Raytheon Missile Systems $127 million contract modification for additional Excalibur 155mm guided artillery rounds. Work will be performed at locations throughout the United States, England and other locations, with the production expected to wrap up by April 30, 2019. The M982 Excalibur is an extended-range GPS-guided shell used by 155mm artillery guns like the M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer used by the US Army and similar weapons systems.

July 13/14: More FY14? Excalibur 1b’s falling cost per round may be bad news for PGK in the USA, as an omnibus reprogramming request asks to add $28.7 million and buy 403 more Excalibur Increment Ib rounds, taking FY 2014 production (q.v. March 4-11/14) to 1,332. The catch is that they’d cut $36 million from ATK’s less expensive PGK screw-in guidance program at the same time. The PGK screws into the nose of an existing 155mm shell, but its accuracy goal is just 50m CEP or less, and testing results have them in the neighborhood of 20m CEP.

That would be more than half of FY 2014’s planned 4,857 PGKs, and the quantity reductions risk increasing costs per PGK above the $13,000 or so expected in FY 2014. A steep production drop would be especially damaging, so it’s a good thing that Australia’s Aug 30/13 order is still boosting the PGK production line. Sources: IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, “DoD seeks to add USD35 million for Excalibur, cut USD36 million from PGK”.

June 27/14: Raytheon Company in Tucson, AZ receives a $51.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to acquire a total of 757 projectiles under Option #5 of the US Army’s Excalibur 155mm increment lb production contract. This brings total Option #5 orders to 853 shells (q.v. Dec 16/13) All funds are committed immediately, mostly using FY 2014 budgets.

Work will be performed at Anniston, AL( 2.87%); Tucson, AZ (15.15%); Phoenix, AZ, (0.05%); East Camden, Arkansas (7.34%); Chino, CA (0.01%); Corona, CA (0.01%); Healdsburg, CA (19.19%); Inglewood, CA (0.01%); Santa Ana, CA (1.1%); Valencia, CA (0.04%); Woodridge, IL (0.54%); Cedar Rapids, IA (8.27%); Cincinnati, OH (6.37%); Lowell, MA (3.37%); Minneapolis, MN (0.02%); Joplin, MO (2.60%); Farmington, NM (1.42%); McAlester, OK (1.14%); McKinney, TX (0.47%); Kariskoga, Sweden (15.84%); the United Kingdom (7.82%); and Glenrothes, Scotland (6.01%), with an estimated completion date of Feb 29/16. US Army Contracting Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ manages the contract (W15QKN-08-C-0530, PO 0056).

757 Excal-Ib shells

June 15/14: -S testing. Raytheon announces that they successfully tested an Excalibur-S shell by giving it the wrong GPS location, then designating the correct target with a laser. It hit the correct target, while demonstrating that the laser spot tracker could survive the huge stress and G-forces at firing time. Raytheon Missile Systems’ VP Land Warfare Systems, Michelle Lohmeier adds that:

“Excalibur S also paves the way for Excalibur Ib customers to upgrade their Excalibur Ib guidance and navigation units with GPS and LST capability. Several international customers have expressed strong interest in Excalibur S, and this same capability can also be incorporated into the 5-inch Excalibur naval variant…. Raytheon is planning a live fire demonstration of the Excalibur N5 later this year.”

The test, like the Excalibur-S development itself, is privately-funded. Sources: Raytheon, “Raytheon conducts first live fire test of Excalibur S”.

1st Laser/GPS fire test

May 20/14: Testing. Raytheon announces that they’ve successfully finished Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for Excalibur Ib, conducted with Fort Riley’s 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery. Tests reportedly averaged less than 2m CEP, a very impressive figure that continues a trend of improving GPS-guided accuracy.

This moves the program one step closer to full rate production. The question is how many more Excalibur shells the Army intends to buy (q.v. March 4-11/14). Meanwhile, Raytheon is funding its own development work for the laser/GPS Excalibur-S and its naval Excalibur N5 counterpart, and intends to conduct live-fire tests of Excalibur-S in 2014. Sources: Raytheon: “Raytheon’s Excalibur Ib moves closer to full rate production”.

May 9/14: USN interest. FBO.gov has a relevant RFI from the US Navy. That isn’t a commitment to anything, but there are an array of new privately-developed offerings hitting the market. Which is good, because past American 127mm ERGM development programs have been expensive disasters:

“NSWCDD on behalf of the Major Program Manager, Surface Ship Weapons (PEO IWS 3.0) seeks information from industry on guided projectile concepts compatible with the MK 34 5-inch Gun Weapon System (GWS). The goal is to improve operational effectiveness over currently fielded conventional munitions and approximately double the current range of the gun system to support Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) / Land Attack missions, and increase capabilities for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), including against Fast Attack Craft (FAC) and Fast In-Shore Attack Craft (FIAC).”

That formulation is an advantage for Excalibur N5, which adds semi-active laser homing to the GPS guidance on BAE’s MS-SGP, Lockheed’s LRLAP 5″, and initial in-service models of Oto Melara’s Vulcano. Oto Melara is developing laser/GPs and IIR/GPS variants in collaboration with Diehl, however, and boasts significantly longer range than standard Excalibur shells. Sources: FBO.gov, “R&D WEAPONS – Solicitation Number: N00178-14-Q-1010” | USNI, “Navy Taking a Second Look at A Five-Inch Guided Round”.

March 4-11/14: FY15 Budget. The US military slowly files its budget documents, detailing planned spending from FY 2014 – 2019. The US Army plans to buy 2,657 Excalibur shells from FY 2013 – 2016 inclusive, for total program orders of 6,876 guided shells, but there are no production budgets after that. FY 2014 would buy 929, FY 2015 would buy 416, and FY 2016 would buy 472.

Dec 16/13: LRIP-3. A $15.1 million contract modification to contract to acquire 216 Excalibur Ib projectiles for the US Army: 120 under option #4, 96 under option #5, and 14 palletized containers. $14.775 million in US Army FY 2014 budgets are committed immediately. Raytheon’s Dec 20/13 release confirms that amount, which represents a continued drop to about $69,907 per shell.

Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ; McAlester, OK; Farmington, N.M.; East Camden, AR; Healdsburg, CA; Anniston, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Cedar Rapids, IA; Joplin, MO; Lowell, MA; Corona, CA; Inglewood, CA; Chino, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Santa Ana, CA; McKinney, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Woodridge, IL; Valencia, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Congers, NY; the United Kingdom; and Sweden. The estimated completion date is Feb 28/15. One bid was solicited with 1 received (W15QKN-08-C-0530, PO 0051).

216 Excal-Ib shells

Aug 26/13: LRIP-2. A $54.1 million firm-fixed price contract modification exercises an option to buy another 765 Excalibur 155mm Increment Ib projectiles, using FY 2013 Other procurement budgets. That works out to about $70,720 per shell.

This order refers to “multiple” locations, which are presumably the same as the Jan 3/13 award (W15QKN-08-C-0530, PO 0047).

765 Excal-Ib shells

Jan 3/13: LRIP-1. A $56.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy M982A1 Excalibur 155mm Precision Engagement Projectiles, also known as the Block Ib. Raytheon confirms that this FY 2012 contract marks the start of low-rate initial production, with options through FY 2016 for American and foreign military sales. Deliveries to the US Army will begin in Q4 2013.

Work on the Excalibur Ib LRIP contract will be performed in Tucson, AZ; McAlester, OK; Farmington, NM; Camden, AR; Healdsburg, CA; Anniston, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Cedar Rapids, IA; Joplin, MO; Lowell, MA; Corona, CA; Inglewood, CA; Chino, IL; Sweden; and United Kingdom; with an estimated completion date of April 30/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ (W15QKN-08-C-0530). See also Raytheon Sept 10/13 release.

Excal-Ib Low-rate production begins

Dec 12/12: Milestone C. Milestone C review passed, clearing the way for Low-Rate Initial Production of M982E1 Excalibur Ib shells. Source: US Army budget documents.

Milestone C

Feb 16/09: Testing. A Raytheon release touts the 45th firing of Excalibur 1b’s low-cost titanium base, as part of design testing. Raytheon’s goal is to use fewer parts and simpler manufacturing, in order to improve both costs and reliability while keeping its “proven six-meter (19.7 feet) accuracy”. They’ve also integrated range-extending base bleed into the shells’ fin extension. Component testing of the new base design will continue through May 2009.

Sept 29/08: R&D. A $12.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for M982E1 Excalibur 155mm Increment Ib, “Precision Enhancement Projectiles,” with a unitary warhead. Work will be performed in Radford, VA, with an estimated completion date of March 3/10 (W15QKN-08-C-0530).

Raytheon’s Oct 20/08 release refers to this funding as the Increment 1b’s “initial design and maturation phase.”

Additional Readings

• Raytheon – Excalibur Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile.

• DID – New Frontiers for Raytheon’s Excalibur GPS Guided Shells. Raytheon is working on a laser/GPS version, which could have naval applications as well.

• Raytheon (Dec 10/13) – Raytheon Excalibur demonstrates unparalleled precision in live-fire testing from PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer.

• Raytheon (June 11/12) – US Marines fire Excalibur from record range in Afghanistan.

• Raytheon (May 8/12) – Raytheon fires Excalibur from G6 self-propelled howitzer.

Americas

• The Navy is awarding an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Boeing. The $1.5 billion contract provides for the production of configuration sets and associated services in support of the life cycle upgrades of F/A-18A/B, C/D, E/F and EA-18G aircraft in support of the Navy and foreign military sales customers. The different versions of Super Hornets fighter aircraft are the backbone of naval aviation. They fulfill strike roles and can conduct tactical refueling sorties. Additionally, the EA-18G Growler has new electronics, and mounts special electronic warfare pods on the aircraft’s underwing instead of its 20mm canon. Boeing’s upgrade program is based on the Super Hornet Roadmap centered around 3 areas: doubling down on electronic advances, trying to improve flight performance in strike or air superiority roles, and improving the design’s radar signature. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($1,18 billion) and various FMS customers ($333.8 million). Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri and China Lake, California, and is expected to be completed in June 2023.

• The US Army is tapping BAE Systems Land & Armaments in support of its Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). The $347 million fixed-price-incentive-fee contract sees for the production of up to 473 Bradley M2A4 and M7A4 vehicles, and for the procurement of authorized stockage list spares, and additional packages for legacy component repair. Introduced in the 1980s during the Reagan defense build-up, the Bradleys were a departure from the usual mold of lightly armed Armored Personnel Carriers. During Desert Storm the vehicles combination of firepower, mobility, and protection made them a valuable asset. The Bradleys’ high level of protection against anti-tank rockets has proven to be a significant plus, and operational readiness has reportedly exceeded 94%, during urban and cross-country missions that have covered more than 8 million miles. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of June 2019.

• The Air Force is contracting General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems in support of its MQ-9 Reaper platform. The contract modification provides for the product ionization of the Lynx Block 20A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) configuration and is valued at $22 million. The new Lynx SAR is set to replace the current configuration of the system on the future MQ-9 Block 5 remotely piloted aircraft. The Reaper packs the same surveillance gear as the famous Predator but is more of a hunter-killer design. The Lynx radar is designed to meet the onboard challenges of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft systems environment, the it consumes minimal Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP) while delivering precision air-to-surface targeting accuracy and superb wide-area search capabilities. Lynx includes two spotlight and two stripmap SAR modes. Spotlight mode produces high-resolution imagery on a defined point. Stripmap mode mosaics multiple spot SAR images together to form one large image. Work will be performed in Poway, California, and is expected to be complete by June 2020.

Middle East & Africa

• The Israeli defense manufacturer BlueBird Aero Systems is currently promoting the newly developed cargo variant of its ThunderB UAV. The compact UAV is designed to offer long endurance and extended range capabilities similar to those offered by larger unmanned aircraft weighing 440 lb. The ThunderB is a high-wing UAV integrating a V-shaped tail and housing a gimballed payload unit in the forward section of its fuselage. The UAV lacks a landing gear as it is recovered using a parachute system. The old variant was able to carry up to 7.7 lb. of payload and was designed for ISTAR, SAR and commercial missions. According to Jane’s, the new variant can carry a cargo payload of up to 8.8 lb. in two capsules that can be fitted under the platform’s wings Once transported to its destination, the cargo is then dropped using an electro-mechanical mechanism, landing with a high degree of accuracy at the intended drop site. The cargo capsules can also be fitted with a parachute to prevent the payload from being damaged.

• South African defense contractor Milkor will soon unveil its prototypes of the MN Centurion high-speed interceptor craft and MA 380 unmanned aerial system (UAS). The MN Centurion high-speed interceptor craft is a 39 ft. stepped hull, hydrofoil-assisted catamaran design with lightweight composite structure and a reduced radar signature. Designed and configured for multi-role operations, it is ideally suited for long endurance missions. The command and control bridge houses world class communications and surveillance equipment, along with its reduced radar signature hull, giving this craft the advantage for surveillance patrol, counter-piracy, and asset protection missions. The vessel can also be configured to operate as an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). The MA 380 has a low wing T-tail design with low-drag, low wing loading and retractable landing gear. It is equipped with optical imagery equipment providing real-time high definition, infrared and multispectral video data. The MA 380 has a big wingspan of 39 ft. A MALE platform, it has a maximum range of 1.242 miles and can reach a maximum speed of 136 mph/h. It features a maximum payload capacity of 176 lb. Both systems are expected to be shown at the Africa Aerospace and Defense Expo in September 2018.

Europe

• The assembly of a F-35 Joint Strike Fighters is currently underway at Leonardo’s facility in Cameri, Italy. The fighter aircraft are destined for the Netherlands Air Force. The Netherlands is planning to assemble most of its F-35s at the line at Cameri in northern Italy, where Italian Air Force and Navy F-35s are already being assembled. Italy and the Netherlands are both Tier 2 partners in the multi-billion JSF program. The Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour aircraft carrier is expected to need at least 22 F-35Bs to replace its AV-8 Harrier fighters. The aircraft currently assembled in Cameri is the ninth of the Netherlands’ order of 37 F-35As. Italy is currently due to purchase 60 F-35 As and 30 F-35Bs.

• Serbia’s Yugoimport company has recently unveiled the X-01 Strsljen VTOL UAV. The X-01 Strsljen is being developed by Serbian firm EDePro and is being marketed by Yugoimport. According to Airforce-Technology, the airframe of the Strsljen rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is built using carbon fiber, lightweight steel and aluminum materials. The rotorcraft takes-off vertically using a two-blade main rotor with a teetering head. The tubular skid landing gear is attached to the helicopter’s fuselage structure to facilitate safe landing even on hard surfaces. An integrated autopilot system is installed to provide stabilization and control for the helicopter in all axes. It will provide the UAV with the ability to fly in fully autonomous mode from take-off to landing. The unmanned helicopter is equipped with weapon pylons under the fuselage to carry air-to-surface weapons such as Spider anti-tank missiles and 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

Asia-Pacific

• The Philippine Navy is set to conduct its first test fire of its Spike-ER surface-to-surface missile. The missiles are being fitted onto the Navy’s small MPACs (multi-purpose assault crafts). The Spike infantry system consists of a missile in its cannister, a tripod, a Command Launch Unit that contains the optics and firing system, and a battery. It can go from “off” to firing in less than 30 seconds, as the operator lays the cross hairs on the aim point using either the 10x day sight, or the clip-on thermal imaging night sight. The extended-range (8km) version, Spike-ER, also has a larger warhead. It is designed for mounting on light combat vehicles but can also be removed from a tripod. A bi-directional fiber-optic datalink provides Spike-ER with a fire and steer mode. The Philippine Navy’s Spike-ER missiles with its launchers and tracking systems were delivered to the Philippines from Israel last April.

Today’s Video

• An Israeli F-16 drops the newly developed Rampage missile