The F-35C Lightning II carrier variant undergoes drop testing at Vought Aircraft.

November 11, 2011  Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. / Early Warning Blog, Lexington Institute – defpro.com

U.S. Army insiders are worried about the fate of their modernization program. The gifted Gen. Martin Dempsey was unexpectedly elevated to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs after a brief run as the Army's senior officer, and now his respected deputy, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, is preparing to retire. Chiarelli is credited with bringing more discipline and imagination to the modernization challenge than any other Army leader in recent times. So now the service will be run by two warfighters who are less tested in the ways of Washington.

However, newly-minted Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno signaled earlier this month that he may understand what's wrong with military acquisition better than anyone expected. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on November 2 (reported by insidedefense.com), Odierno opined that it might be time "to look at all we do in redundant and overlapping testing." He went on,

Do we need to take a review of our testing requirements? Sometimes we have tests that are done by the private industry and yet we redo the tests because we have to meet certain regulations and requirements. And I think those are areas that we could look at that could reduce those costs significantly.

Praise the Lord! A leader who sees the truth and speaks it! Gen. Odierno may not realize what a self-serving bureaucracy the Pentagon's operational testing and evaluation community has become, but just about everybody is irritated by the way it slows down programs and adds to costs. There's a story that has been making the rounds for the last year that one tester told a program officer, 'I don't want this program to ever get out of testing -- I have kids to put through college.' The story is probably apocryphal, but it captures the mindset that many acquisition personnel and contractors detect in the testing community. Like the attitude Soviet leaders used to have about their nuclear weapons, the view among testers seems to be that too much is not enough.

This problem is not confined to the testing community. It infects the requirements community that loads up new weapons with unaffordable features, and the cost estimators who throw in so many pessimistic assumptions about the price of manufacturing and maintaining weapons that Congress ends up wanting to kill the programs and start over. The Army and Marine Corps right now are straining to save a next-generation jeep that is near death due to a lack of discipline in specifying performance requirements (projected cost: over $350,000 per vehicle before the Army started trimming specs). Meanwhile the Air Force and Navy are getting ready to challenge the assumptions used to generate the latest official cost estimates for the F-35 fighter.

But almost no one has taken on the testing community, and it's about time they did. Gen. Odierno's November 2 remarks indicate that he realizes it isn't just contractors who drive up the cost of programs. The cost overruns are often baked in at the beginning by the baroque demands that the acquisition system imposes on developers. These demands result in long schedule delays, unaffordable unit costs, and weapons features that can't meet the expectations of appropriators. More importantly, they slow the delivery of better combat systems to warfighters. Thank you General Odierno for saying in public what many observers already know -- that some of the "reforms" introduced into the weapons acquisition process in recent decades have made it worse, rather than better.

November 11, 2011 defpro.com

Program plans to put 100-pound satellites into orbit for one-third the cost

Today there’s one way to get a satellite into space: launch it from the ground on a booster rocket, which is expensive and can take weeks or months between missions to prepare the launch pad. And a change in weather can scrap the launch at the last minute.

DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) program seeks to reduce cost, time and weather constraints for launching small satellites from an aircraft.

“Current small satellite payloads can cost up to $30,000 per pound to launch, which is unsustainable over the long haul. Even when our increasingly capable small satellites are launched, they are obliged to go to orbits selected by the primary payload on current launchers, rather than to the orbits their designers and operators would prefer,” said Mitchell Burnside Clapp, DARPA program manager. “Through this program we’d like to see the cost per flight drop to less than $1 million dollars, including the range support costs, for 100-pound payloads, and to be able to launch each of those satellites into a dedicated orbit.”

The vision is for an aircraft to carry the small satellite and its host-booster either inside the aircraft or externally. At the desired altitude and direction the aircraft releases the satellite and booster, which continue their climb into space.

A key benefit of such a system is responsiveness to an immediate need. Within a day of being called up, a satellite launch mission could be conducted from a runway anywhere in the world. Another advantage is the flexibility of an aircraft to deliver a satellite into any desired orbit at any time.

Innovative technologies and techniques required for the ALASA program may include propellant systems, possible in-flight liquid oxygen production, motor case materials, flight controls, nozzle designs, thrust vectoring, throttling, mission planning techniques and airspace clearance procedures.

All interested proposers, particularly those with unique solutions in the above technical areas, are encouraged to respond to the Broad Agency Announcement by Dec. 20, 2011. View the announcement here: http://go.usa.gov/IrN.

source dmna.state.ny.us

Nov 11, 2011 ASDNews Source : US Navy From Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships, Public Affairs

Norfolk, Va. - Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships (PEO LCS), delivered the first three unmanned surface vessels to the U.S. Navy's Riverine Group 1, Nov. 1.

Known as MUSCL, the Modular Unmanned Surface Craft Littoral, is an X-class unmanned surface vessel, designed to reduce risk to manned forces and perform tedious and repetitive surveillance tasks.

MUSCL is a two-man portable craft with capabilities that include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions that provide real-time monitoring of suspicious vessels, personnel, and activity along waterways, shorelines, and under bridges and piers. The units can be employed from Navy riverine assault or patrol boats.

Riverine Group One personnel will maintain and evaluate the three delivered systems for form, fit and functionality.

PEO LCS is leading system development, production, and delivery of the system in partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Centers at Panama City, Fla., and Carderock Combatant Craft Division, in Little Creek, Va.

PEO LCS, an affiliated program executive office of Naval Sea Systems Command, provides a single program executive responsible for acquiring and maintaining the littoral mission capabilities of the littoral combat ship class, beginning with procurement, and ending with fleet employment and sustainment. PEO LCS designs, delivers and maintains the systems, equipment and weapons necessary to dominate the littoral battle space and provide U.S. forces with assured access to coastal areas.

Nov 11, 2011 ASDNews Source : US Navy

Washington - The Department of Defense announced Nov. 9 the creation of a new office to integrate air and naval combat capabilities in support of emerging national security requirements.

In the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates directed the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to develop a comprehensive concept to counter emerging anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) challenges. The services collaborated to develop the Air-Sea Battle (ASB) concept. On Aug. 12, 2011, Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove established the Air-Sea Battle Office (ASBO), creating a framework to implement the ASB concept.

The ASB concept will guide the services as they work together to maintain a continued U.S. advantage against the global proliferation of advanced military technologies and A2/AD capabilities. Air-Sea Battle will leverage military and technological capabilities that reflect unprecedented Navy, Marine and Air Force collaboration, cooperation, integration, and resource investments.

The ASBO will oversee the concept implementation by facilitating coordination among the services, influencing service wargames, fostering development and integration of air and naval capabilities, and collaborating with the joint forces. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will each dedicate a minimum of two field grade officers or civil service equivalents to the ASBO.

Implementation of the ASB concept by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will foster positive change in the institutional relationships among the services, the integration of acquisition strategies, and the conceptual approach to warfare. The ASB concept is a natural and deliberate evolution of U.S. warfighting to counter emerging A2/AD threats that include conventional ballistic missiles, long-range precision cruise missiles, advanced integrated air and missile defense systems, electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, submarines, surface combatants, and modern combat aircraft. Air-Sea Battle will enable the projection of force in defense of U.S. interests and those of our allies and by sustaining stability and freedom of access throughout the global commons.

10/11/2011 Les Echos

(Reuters) - La division défense de Boeing se prépare au "pire", à savoir une diminution du budget défense des Etats-Unis de 1.000 milliards de dollars (734 milliards d'euros) sur dix ans, a annoncé jeudi Dennis Muilenburg, directeur général de la division.

S'exprimant lors d'un forum organisé par Bank of America Merrill Lynch, il a déclaré que le constructeur aéronautique devait se montrer réaliste en matière des perspectives budgétaires.

"D'un point de vue opérationnel, du point de vue de la productivité, nous partons du principe que ce scénario du pire va arriver. Nous adoptons notre structure de coûts pour faire face à une réduction du budget de 1.000 milliards de dollars", a poursuivi Dennis Muilenburg.

Le comité spécial du Congrès mis sur pied cet été à la suite du relèvement du plafond de la dette des Etats-Unis doit faire ses recommandations ce mois-ci sur 1.200 milliards de baisses des dépenses.

Si un accord n'est pas trouvé, des coupes automatiques entreraient en vigueur, devant être réparties de manière égale entre programmes militaires et programmes civils.

Cela forcerait le département de la Défense à prendre d'importantes mesures de réduction des dépenses en plus des 350 milliards de coupes déjà programmés pour la prochaine décennie.

Les groupes de défense suppriment des postes et vendent des filiales considérées comme étant non stratégiques dans l'anticipation de la contraction du budget militaires aux Etats-Unis.

Dennis Muilenburg a cependant ajouté qu'il y avait des opportunités à l'international, notamment au Moyen-Orient et dans la région Asie-Océanie.

10 November 2011 by the Shephard News Team

General Dynamics Advanced Informational Systems (GD AIS) has been awarded an $86.7 million contract by the US Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command for the design and development of a Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (SMCM UUV) system. According to General Dynamics, the system will initially form part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Warfare mission package being developed by the company for the Littoral Combat Ship fleet for the US Navy.

According to the company, the SMCM UUV system will allow Navy commanders and sailors to reliably detect and identify mines in high-clutter underwater environments in a single pass, including mines that are suspended in the ocean, resting on the sea floor or buried. Additionally, it will gather environmental data that can provide intelligence support for other mine warfare systems.

General Dynamics will ‘use an open systems architecture approach to ensure the SMCM UUV will have the flexibility to be integrated into missions on Littoral Combat Ships, as well as other ship types’. The design will focus on the Navy’s evolving and dynamic mission requirements, ‘plug and play’ integration for ship systems and mission modules, and the capability to quickly reconfigure the ship to meet changing mission requirements.

The contract covers one Engineering Development Model (EDM) and five low-rate initial production systems if all options are exercised.

November 9, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: BAE Systems; issued November 9, 2011)

NASHUA, New Hampshire --- The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recently successfully fired the first shots of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS) from a UH-1Y helicopter, in preparation for fielding in 2012.

The successful shots, which took place at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, California, Sept. 9-13, mark the start of APKWS testing on the UH-1Y, and are part of the program’s low-rate initial production phase.

Developed by BAE Systems in partnership with the U.S. government, the APKWS semi-active laser guidance section integrates with existing 2.75-inch rocket motors and warheads, giving aviators a highly precise weapon that is effective against soft and lightly armored targets while minimizing collateral damage. BAE Systems designed the system’s laser guidance and control section.

During the tests, Marine pilots fired a total of six shots from a UH-1Y against stationary targets with ranges varying from 1.5 to 5 kilometers. The initial shots from UH-1Y mark the first time a MK152 warhead has been fired from any aircraft, allowing safer operation aboard ships than the previous M151 warhead.

"I am very excited to bring this new capability to our Marines in combat,” said Captain Brian Corey, Program Manager, PMA-242. “This highly effective weapon will allow aviators to complete their missions while minimizing the risk of harm to allies and non-combatants."

APKWS brings three essential operational benefits to those in combat. First, the BAE Systems guidance section is designed for compatibility with current 2.75-inch rocket motors, warheads, and fuzes, enhancing the capability of the existing 100,000-unit inventory of unguided rockets. Second, the system provides the lowest collateral damage for precision engagement, while at the same time giving the military greater flexibility to engage the enemy. Finally, the unit cost is on track to meet the Navy’s objective against lower value targets.

“BAE Systems is focused on getting APKWS to the warfighter next year,” said John Watkins, director of Missile & Munitions Solutions in Nashua, where the system’s laser guidance and control section is built. "APKWS will provide an evolutionary step in the lethality and utility of the UH-1Y. For the first time, the UH-1Y will have the ability to autonomously provide precision guided munitions, dramatically increasing its effectiveness against armored and reinforced targets while decreasing collateral damage."

The Navy assumed acquisition oversight of the APKWS program in 2008. In addition to its planned use on rotary-wing platforms, the Navy has entered into a Joint Concept Technology Demonstration program with the U.S. Air Force to evaluate the suitability of APKWS for fixed-wing platforms.

APKWS entered the first phase of production testing at China Lake’s facility last month. A launcher successfully fired two laser-guided rockets and hit a stationary target. The test firings initiated a sequence of tests that allow the Navy to accept the guidance sections for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation, the final test phase prior to fielding the system.

Initial Operating Capability of APKWS on the Marine Corps AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters is scheduled for the spring of year 2012.

source nosint.blogspot.com

November 9, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued November 9, 2011)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $97,818,196 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to support the Javelin Hardware Program.

Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received.

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0376).

Nov 10, 2011 ASDNews Source : Naval Air Systems Command

Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. - Navy test pilot Lt. Chris Tabert flies F-35C test aircraft CF-3 off the TC-7 steam catapult at NAS Patuxent River Nov. 4. The launch was the first time the test catapult here launched an F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Previous catapult testing occurred in Lakehurst, N.J. The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment. Initial carrier trials for the F-35C are scheduled for 2013. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River before delivery to the fleet.

10 November 2011 by Andrew White - shephardmedia.com

Mercury Computer Systems unveiled its latest 96-terabyte Digital Storage Unit (DSU) designed for ISR platforms at the MILCOM exhibition in Baltimore this week.

The decision to bring the product to the market responds to the development of 'sophisticated' new ISR sensors which generate huge amounts of data requiring unprecedented demands on data storage for processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) or post-mission forensics.

Unable to provide specific details, Mercury solutions marketing manager Thomas Roberts said the DSU was already operational on an undisclosed UAV operating in theatre since the start of the year.

However, he was able to confirm that a total of no more than 10 DSUs had been delivered to the programme. He told Shephard that the DSU boosted data storage capability by between 400 and 800% when compared to other legacy systems.

'The explosion in both the number of sensors and amount of data they generate is driving the need for larger capacity embedded storage solutions,' continued Mercury's senior VP and general manager, Didier Thibaud.

For this reason, the company told Shephard that it was looking to offer up the DSU for other applications including ground mobile vehicle and wide area aerial surveillance, both of which require large amounts of embedded storage.

'Several programmes are looking at it, although they are mostly UAVs. We are also looking at smaller variants of the DSU', Roberts concluded, although this will include smaller amounts of data storage capability.

10.11.2011 par P.CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

Lockheed Martin poursuit sa restructuration. Après avoir vendu PAE (Pacific Architects and Engineers) en février dernier à Lindsay Goldberg Llc (un lecteur de ce blog me l'avait aimablement signalé en avril, lorsque la vente avait totalement été finalisée), la firme US vient de se séparer de DS2 (Defense Support Services), une joint venture créée en 2004 avec Day&Zimmerman.

En fait, DS2 rejoint PAE pour constituer une entité de plus de 10 000 employés, présente dans une quarantaine de pays et spécialisée dans la maintenance d'avions et de véhicules militaires, dans la logistique et le facility management.

A B-2 Spirit refuels from a KC-135 during a deployment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

(Photo: U.S. Air Force, Val Gempis)

November 10, 2011 defpro.com

Redesign Promises to Reduce Maintenance Costs, Improve Aircraft Availability

PALMDALE, Calif. | Northrop Grumman recently won a $109 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce a redesigned aft deck for the B-2 stealth bomber, further enhancing the world's most survivable aircraft.

The B-2 Spirit's aft deck, a metallic panel on the bomber's upper surface that shields its composite airframe from the heat of engine exhaust, will be redesigned for long-term reliability and affordability. The retrofit will enable the aircraft to span normal long-term maintenance cycles without additional services or repairs.

The newly redesigned structure reflects Northrop Grumman's thorough thermal and structural analysis of the aft deck, its adjoining structures and the operating environment.

"Implementing a redesigned aft deck is an important part of guaranteeing the long-term viability of the B-2," said Dave Mazur, Northrop Grumman's vice president of Long Range Strike and B-2 program manager. "We are committed to assisting the Air Force in developing and implementing proactive solutions that are in the best interest of the B-2 fleet."

The aft deck enhancement is the latest spares replacement the Air Force, Northrop Grumman and its suppliers have undertaken to ensure the B-2 remains one of the most survivable weapons systems in the world.

"The B-2 industry team is working closely with the U.S. Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency to improve aircraft availability," said Gary Roehrig, director and program manager for B-2 Product Support. "This is a complex effort, but it's key to fully equipping the warfighter."

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber remains the only long-range, large-payload aircraft that can penetrate deeply into protected airspace. In concert with the Air Force's air superiority fleet, which provides airspace control, and the Air Force's tanker refueling fleet, which enables global mobility, the B-2 helps ensure an effective U.S. response to threats anywhere in the world. It can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles unrefueled and more than 10,000 nautical miles with just one aerial refueling, giving it the ability to reach any point on the globe within hours.

Work will be conducted at Northrop Grumman facilities in Palmdale, Calif., and St. Augustine, Fla. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2, the flagship of the nation's long range strike arsenal.