Nov 8, 2011 ASDNews By Eric Kowal, RDECOM - Source : US Army

Fort Benning, Ga. - Nearly 20 Soldiers participated in a two-week assessment of a prototype light machine gun to demonstrate its potential impact on mission effectiveness and to help engineers develop possible improvements to the weapon and its unique ammunition.

The evaluation sought the warfighter's perspective after enduring a series of strenuous combat performance drills with the weapon.

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It had taken six years to get from a concept to a fully functioning weapon that was ready for evaluation, but Kori Phillips, a project management engineer in the Joint Service Small Arms Program, or JSSAP, said it was well worth the wait.

"This is exactly what we have been waiting for," said Phillips. "This is what we need to move forward."

The Soldiers' feedback will be used to influence the user community to develop a Capability Development Document. A CDD is required before the system can transition to a program of record and enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the acquisition life cycle.

This would be the next step needed for the program to move forward toward an eventual fielding of the weapon to Soldiers in the field.

The light machine gun is part of the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies, or LSAT, program, which is managed by the JSSAP, part of the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

The LMG is a gas-operated, cased telescoped light machine gun. It is air-cooled and belt fed with selectable semi-automatic and fully automatic fire and fires from the open-bolt position. Its rate of fire is approximately 650 rounds per minute.

The JSSAP team hopes that the LMG will eventually replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, knows as a SAW, as the standard issue machine gun used by Soldiers in combat zones.

GETTING TO KNOW THE WEAPON

The machine guns and their operators were tested through automatic rifleman tasks and operational scenarios.

The purpose was to assess how the lighter machine gun affects the Soldiers' ability to effectively engage targets from various firing positions after completing tasks that induced physical stress and an elevated heart rate.

The weapons were also evaluated on their suitability regarding portability, safety, compatibility with Soldier equipment, durability in challenging environments, ease of use, and impact on Soldier mobility.

"We ran Soldiers through with both weapon systems and timed them to look at how much faster they could complete the course with the lighter weapon and to gain subjective feedback on mobility and portability issues while they negotiated the obstacles," said Maj. Matthew Bowler, a military advisor to the small arms program.

Immediately after each event, the Soldiers filled out surveys where they offered opinions about how they felt physically, and any issues or malfunctions they experienced with either weapon or its ammunition. They could also include any positive feedback.

On the first day of the second week, the Soldiers marched six miles in full combat gear, including body armor, a 50-pound rucksack and a basic load of ammunition for their respective weapons. Half the Soldiers carried the SAW and the other half carried the LMG.

After the road march, the Soldiers immediately started firing their weapons to measure the effects of muscle fatigue and stress while firing.

Sgt. Brandon Vega, an infantryman with the 2/29 Infantry Battalion, saw an increase in his accuracy when firing the LSAT after the march compared to the SAW.

"The first six round bursts were within the size of a quarter," Vega said. "Then I got three on top of one so I was real impressed with that."

Vega added that, using the SAW, he has yet to achieve the same level of accuracy.

According to a study conducted in 2005, the average fighting load for the SAW gunner is 79 pounds. That is nearly twice the weight a Soldier should carry, according to Army doctrine.

"The Soldier carries too much weight so anything we can do to reduce Soldier load increases the Soldier's effectiveness, his capability on the battlefield and his survivability," said Bowler.

The weight reduction provided by the LMG would have a significant effect on the SAW gunner, the most heavily burdened Soldier in the squad.

With a basic load of 1,000 rounds, the light machine gun and its cased telescoped ammunition is 20.4 pounds lighter than a traditional SAW with the same amount of standard, brass-cased ammunition.

During the assessment, more than 25,000 rounds were fired from eight prototype LMGs.

The suggested rate of fire for machine guns is three to five round bursts whenever possible, eight to ten round bursts at the most. This gives the gunner time to readjust his aim and helps keep the barrel from overheating as quickly.

A high rate of fire increases the possibility of a "cook off." Cook off occurs when the propellant is unintentionally ignited by the heat in the weapon chamber, firing a round unexpectedly and causing a significant safety hazard.

Because of the design of the chamber, the LMG is very unlikely to experience a cook off, Phillips said. Technical tests showed that more than 250 rounds could be fired without a risk of cook off. The M249 SAW has been known to cook off at 220 rounds under certain circumstances.

OTHER ASSESSMENTS

In another assessment of shooting while under physical stress, Soldiers wore body armor and sprinted 200 yards with their weapons and a basic load of ammunition, then rapidly engaged close-range targets from the standing position. Again, they performed this task with both weapons. Many Soldiers saw an improvement in their overall time with the lighter weapon.

"Today we ran with the LSAT and with the SAW," said Cpl. Nickolaus Hammack, one of the military police Soldiers participating in the assessment. "Both were pretty trying but the SAW hands down is way heavier. Especially going up a hill, you feel the weight on you. (The) LSAT is a lot lighter weapon. It really is a joy to have."

The third week of assessment involved Soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment. They used two of the LMGs as part of a squad maneuver live-fire exercise to determine how the attributes of the new weapon system would impact squad effectiveness.

The exercise was conducted in an urban setting where the Soldiers used the weapon for suppressive fire and for room-clearing.

The Rangers said they liked the semi-auto feature that made the LMG a much more viable weapon for room-clearing than the SAW.

Additionally, one Ranger commented that the weight of the LMG as a system was "noticeably better" than that of the Mk 46 variant of the SAW that they currently use, because of the significantly lighter ammunition that dramatically increased his mobility while maneuvering as part of the squad.

FUTURE OF THE LIGHT MACHINE GUN

Overall, the Soldiers' comments were positive and they overwhelmingly preferred the LMG to the SAW. They were impressed by the weapon's light weight, decreased felt recoil, and related increase in accuracy and better control.

The Soldiers' input could lead to design changes to any final product. However, no decision has been made on whether the LMG will eventually be fielded.

Spc. Brandon Smith, an infantryman, spent two weeks comparing the weapons.

"I could see a whole squad carrying it (the LMG)," he said. "You would own the battlefield."

7 November 2011 naval-technology.com

The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Directorate has demonstrated an AAI-built dedicated Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System for test and evaluation purposes.

AAI UAS general manager and senior vice president Steven Reid said: "This dedicated test and evaluation system is an excellent way for Marine Corps to continue validating new missions for their Shadow assets."

The new system will support US Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical UAS Program Office (PMA-263) test and evaluation initiatives.

The system will be equipped with a wide focal plane array camera (WFPAC) payload to conduct persistent surveillance over wider search areas.

The system is used in testing various new payloads in support of new additional mission profiles, and is currently in service with US, Italy and Sweden.

AN/FPS-117 early warning long-range surveillance radar. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

November 7, 2011 defpro.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. | The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin $46.8 million in contract options to begin modernizing 29 long-range radars which provide advanced warning and air traffic control surveillance over North America's airspace.

Under initial options of the Essential Parts Replacement Program (EPRP) contract, Lockheed Martin will complete engineering planning and begin to upgrade 29 geographically disbursed AN/FPS-117 long-range surveillance radars. Expected follow-on contract options will replace and update all the radars' signal and data processors to current commercial technology standards, cost effectively extending their operational lives thru 2025.

These FPS-117 radars were originally installed by Lockheed Martin in the early 1980s as part of the Seek Igloo North Warning program. The company has provided several technology upgrades since then.

"Our open architecture approach to L-Band radars provides commonality in supporting and sustaining a fleet of more than 175 long-range radars operational around the world," said Frank Mekker, EPRP program manager for Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems & Sensors business. "Signal processing upgrades like EPRP are leveraged across this fleet, including the TPS-59, FPS-117, TPS-77, and even our Three Dimensional Expeditionary Long Range Radar (3DELRR), to provide significant lifecycle cost savings for our customers."

In recent years, Lockheed Martin has successfully completed similar radar modernizations at sites in the United Kingdom, Germany, Romania and Kuwait.

Under the EPRP contract, Lockheed Martin will modernize 15 radars in Alaska, 11 in Canada, and one each in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Utah, which are part of the Air Force's Atmospheric Early Warning System, by 2014. The contract also includes replacement of the radar site's secondary surveillance radar, used for air traffic control purposes. The EPRP acquisition is being led by the Ogden Air Logistics Center of the Air Force Material Command at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The NATO-certified AN/FPS-117 radar is the world's most widely used three-dimensional, solid-state radar. Today, FPS-117 and TPS-77, a transportable version of the 117, radar systems are operational in 25 countries. Capable of operating completely unmanned, many have performed for years in remote, inhospitable areas and in a wide range of operational environments.

Lockheed Martin's FPS-117 L-band radar provides continuous high-quality surveillance on air targets at ranges out to 250 miles. The radar offers superior performance even in high clutter environments thanks to its solid-state design and L-band operation. The AN/FPS-117's advanced pencil beam architecture provides exceptional detection and tracking, as well as outstanding adaptability to changing environmental conditions.

November 7, 2011 By David Axe - the-diplomat.com

The U.S. Navy has quietly added a capability to its future carrier-launched unmanned warplane that has the potential to tilt the Pacific balance of power. On November 2, the Navy announced it would add equipment and software for aerial refueling to one of its two in-development X-47B armed drones built by Northrop Grumman.

The change could extend, by thousands of miles, the useful striking range of the Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, starting in around seven years’ time. That could put them beyond the effective range of the fast attack vessels, diesel-powered submarines and anti-ship ballistic missiles that China is developing in order to create a defensive perimeter around the Western Pacific.

The first X-47 took off on its inaugural flight in California in February. The roughly 40-foot-long pilotless warplane, which is largely autonomous but can also be controlled remotely by a pilot sitting in front of a computer screen, is scheduled to begin carrier tests sometime in 2013 aboard the USS George Washington.

According to last week’s announcement, the X-47B will follow the carrier tests with in-air refueling trials in 2014. The modified X-47 will be compatible with Navy- and Air Force-style refueling gear, lending it maximum flexibility.

The Navy and Air Force use flying tankers to extend the range of their warplanes. But even with aerial refueling, traditional manned aircraft are limited by the endurance of their human pilots. A typical sortie by a Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter travels no more than 450 miles and lasts just a few hours.

The approximately 450-mile striking range of today’s carrier air wings could force the Navy to sail into China's main defensive zone in order to launch strikes on Chinese targets, thereby placing the carriers at risk.

But an unpiloted aircraft could fly as long as its equipment functioned and its onboard supply of lubricants and other fluids held out – ranging potentially thousands of miles over several days of flight. Carriers with armed, aerially-refueled drones could strike targets anywhere in the Pacific from mid-ocean safe zones.

It’s for that reason that a small contingent of analysts and officials fought to save the $1.5 billion X-47B development effort during a time, three years ago, when it was threatened by budget cuts and opposition from the Navy’s deeply traditional senior pilots. In 2008, analysts from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments gave the X-47 a 50-50 chance of being canceled in the next budget.

So CSBA analysts Robert Work and Tom Ehrhard produced a hard-hitting report extolling the X-47’s virtues. And in early 2009, the Barack Obama administration tapped Work to be the Navy’s new undersecretary. Work’s growing influence guaranteed the X-47’s survival, and the decision to add refueling gear ensured it would meet its maximum military potential.

The Navy aims to equip its carriers with an operational, X-47-style drone warplane beginning in 2018.

Photo: US Navy

Nov 7, 2011 By Michael Fabey - aerospace daily and defense report

Enhanced ballistic missile defense (BMD) missions will stretch the future U.S. Navy destroyer force beyond its fleet limits as well as put even more pressure on the service’s already stressed funding accounts, according to an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis and a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.

CRS notes the projected necessary U.S. destroyer fleet size has grown by 6% to 94, partly to accommodate growing BMD missions.

The September report cites two leading options to mitigate the shortfall: buying and adding DDG-51 destroyers to the Navy’s shipbuilding plan or extending the lives of Flight I/II DDG-51s to about 45 years, about 10 years beyond their currently planned 35-year service lives. Either plan would have serious financial implications for the Navy.

The Navy has never stinted on funding its destroyer programs, which ranked sixth among the service’s top expenses between 1998 and 2009, with $12.3 billion in contracts and contract modifications, according to an exclusive AWIN analysis of contracting data aggregated by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.

The least-expensive option would be to extend the lives of the current destroyers, CRS says.

“This option could be much less expensive on a per-hull basis than adding DDG-51s to the shipbuilding plan,” CRS reports. “The life-extended Flight I/II DDG-51s, however, might be less capable than new DDG-51s added to the shipbuilding plan, making the calculation of the relative cost effectiveness of these two options more complex.”

Further, CRS notes, extending the service lives of Flight I/II DDG-51s could require increasing, perhaps soon, funding levels for the maintenance of these ships, to help ensure they will remain in good enough shape to have their lives extended for another 10 years. The question is: Where will the money come from?

The Navy is already stretched thin for its maintenance funding. The service spent $12.4 billion on non-nuclear ship repair and maintenance between 1998 and 2009, the AWIN analysis shows.

“This additional maintenance funding would be on top of funding that the Navy has already programmed to help ensure that these ships can remain in service to the end of their currently planned 35-year lives,” CRS reports. “The potential need to increase maintenance funding soon could make the question of whether to extend the lives of these ships a potentially near-term issue for policymakers.”

Lawmakers will be forced to decide whether to pay now, or more later.

“If the service lives of Flight I/II DDG-51s are not extended, then preventing the cruiser-destroyer force from dropping below 95% of the required 94-ship level in coming years could require putting 22 additional DDG-51s into the 30-year shipbuilding plan between now and FY2029,” CRS reports.

Navy budget documents suggest a fiscal 2012 DDG-51 price tag of about $2 billion, analysts say.

And there still is some time pressure to buy more destroyers sooner rather than later, CRS says: “Since procurement of Ohio replacement (SSBN[X]) ballistic missile submarines could complicate the Navy’s ability to afford to procure other kinds of Navy ships starting in fiscal 2019, one option would be to add some or most of these 22 DDG-51s to the shipbuilding plan prior to fiscal 2019.”

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire

Raytheon Company has won a $31.1 million contract to design lighter, power-efficient devices that the U.S. military uses to securely transmit voice and data traffic. It is the first technology upgrade to the shoebox-shaped devices in more than two decades.

These devices are portable and can be used in a variety of airborne, land and maritime combat situations. Under a multiyear agreement, Raytheon will replace stand-alone cryptographic units with affordable, modern products that use data-scrambling algorithms to encrypt information on one end and then decrypt it on the other.

Known as VACM, for VINSON/ANDVT Crypto Modernization, the highly competitive program sets new standards for encryption performance and ease of use. Raytheon's new cryptographic module is available to select markets at a significantly lower cost than current competitive solutions.

"Our new units have the same connectors and form factors as the old ones, maintaining compatibility with the legacy installations," said Jeff Miller, director of Raytheon Network Centric Systems' Tactical Communication Systems. "This guarantees backward compatibility with all the existing platforms, greatly reducing installation and maintenance costs."

"Raytheon is using modern encryption standards so that these data-scrambling devices, and the radios they're attached to, can communicate seamlessly with one another," he said. "Securing our nation's secrets while fostering communication is paramount to victory on any battlefield, and this is exactly what Raytheon is delivering."

The VACM contract is one of the U.S. Air Force Cryptologic Systems Division's largest programs. Raytheon will initially design and test the cryptographic units before replacing the legacy systems that are in use today.

Nov 7, 2011 ASDNews Source : The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)

Ridley Township, Pa. - The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Army for a multiyear contract for the production and delivery of 155 CH-47F helicopters.

"This second multiyear contract proposal will provide not only the vertical lift capability that warfighters use and need every day, but also will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers and the U.S. government," said Leanne Caret, Boeing vice president, H-47 Programs. "With this contract Boeing, and its partners in more than 45 states, will be able to negotiate longer-term agreements with suppliers, make necessary investments in production tooling and processes, and more effectively plan for capital expenditures."

The H-47 program is halfway through its first multiyear contract, awarded in August 2008, for 191 CH-47F Chinook aircraft and originally valued at $4.3 billion. This second five-year, firm fixed-price proposal would provide the Army with close to the full complement of 464 Chinooks outlined in the Department of Defense program of record for the CH-47F helicopter. The new contract will yield double-digit percentage savings over a single-year procurement strategy.

Since completing the first CH-47F production aircraft in August 2006, Boeing has trained and equipped eight U.S. Army units and is in the process of equipping the ninth. Six units have completed deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the helicopter has logged nearly 70,000 flight hours and maintained an operational readiness rate of over 85 percent conducting air assault, transport, medical evacuations and support operations.

photo theday.com

6 novembre 2011 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Les femmes qui seront les premières à être affectées sur des sous-marins américains ont reçu vendredi leur diplôme à la Naval Submarine School de Groton.

Dix-neuf femmes ont terminé le cours de 10 semaines de formation d’officier, aux côtés de 73 hommes. 8 femmes étaient déjà sorties du cours en juillet, mais devaient subir des formations complémentaires.

Les diplômées de vendredi ont terminé les 6 mois de l’Ecole de propulsion nucléaire, 6 mois d’entrainement sur le prototype de réacteur et le cours d’officier. Certaines embarqueront sur leur sous-marin dès la semaine prochaine.

Référence : The Day (Etats-Unis)

photo Ahunt

02 novembre 2011 La Presse Canadienne

Ottawa - Les forces aériennes du Canada ont commandé 65 chasseurs, un nombre qui répond aux besoins du pays à cet égard, a affirmé aux Communes le ministre de la Défense, mercredi.

Peter MacKay répliquait ainsi aux attaques de l'opposition en lien avec des documents internes de son ministère, qui démontrent que le Canada n'a pas prévu de marge de manoeuvre advenant des pertes - accidentelles ou autres -, des F-35 pour leur durée de vie prévue.

Dans la note de service sur les chasseurs multirôle, le Canada songeait à acheter quelque 80 appareils. Le chiffre a toutefois été revu à la baisse par le gouvernement de Stephen Harper, sans explication, au moment de dévoiler sa stratégie pour le secteur de la défense, il y a quelques années. Des analystes de la défense ont expliqué la décision par le prix exorbitant pour acquérir les chasseurs, qui oscille entre 75 et 150 millions $ chacun.

M. MacKay et le ministre associé de la Défense, Julian Fantino, ont tous deux répété que le coût de la transaction, évaluée à 9 milliards $, était final et qu'il ne serait pas dépassé.

Une note interne du ministère et datée de 2010, dont La Presse Canadienne a obtenu copie, souligne que le Canada fait l'achat du «minimum acceptable pour la taille d'une flotte», et qu'on aurait précisé à la force aérienne de se «tenir prêt à gérer les risques opérationnels si la flotte devait être réduite à un nombre inférieur à 65 pour des raisons d'usure».

Le ministre MacKay a toutefois déclaré mercredi que l'équipement commandé pour la force aérienne du Canada serait bien suffisant.

«En bref, il s'agit là du chiffre demandé par les responsables de la force aérienne et ils nous ont clairement indiqué que c'était ce dont ils avaient besoin. Ils nous ont clairement indiqué que cela permettrait à nos pilotes de la force aérienne d'exécuter l'importante tâche que nous leur avons confiée», a-t-il soutenu.

Les Américains se sont déjà plaints que le Canada n'avait pas suffisamment de CF-18 pour assurer la défense de ses propres villes en cas d'attaque majeure. L'ambassade américaine à Ottawa avait fait part, en 2004, de ses craintes qu'Ottawa pourrait ne pas acheter suffisamment d'appareils pour remplacer sa flotte, révélait-on dans une diplomatique diffusée par WikiLeaks.

La Défense nationale a refusé plus tôt cette semaine de commenter l'affaire.

GARNISON VALCARTIER, QC, le 4 nov. 2011 /CNW Telbec

Près de 250 membres du 12e Régiment blindé du Canada (12 RBC) s'entraîneront dans les MRC de Les Chenaux, de Mékinac, de La Jacques-Cartier et de Portneuf du 7 au 18 novembre prochains afin de parfaire leurs habiletés de reconnaissance blindée.

Cet exercice a pour principal objectif de permettre aux troupes de s'entraîner de manière réaliste. Dans ce contexte, leur habileté de reconnaissance exercée sert à perfectionner l'expertise du 12 RBC pour relever les défis auxquels les militaires font face au Canada comme à l'étranger.

Afin de maximiser leur entraînement, les militaires ont parfois à se déplacer à l'extérieur de la garnison vers des lieux offrant des caractéristiques géographiques diversifiées.

Des efforts seront déployés afin de minimiser les répercussions possibles sur l'environnement et la population. Le 12 RBC tient d'ailleurs à remercier les citoyens des régions visitées pour leur accueil.

Australian soldiers set up the light weight C-RAM radar at a multinational base in Afghanistan.

source defpro.com

Nov 1, 2011 ASDNews Sources Northrop Grumman Corporation

Huntsville, Ala. - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a $124 million award to provide personnel for expanded operations of Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) sense-and-warn systems in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The $124 million contract comprises two portions: the $76 million first-year option of the task order for Afghanistan operations first announced August 2010 and issued under the Encore II contract vehicle from the Defense Information Systems Agency at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; and $48 million for increased tasking in Afghanistan and to provide personnel for C-RAM sense-and-warn operations in Iraq.

Since initial fielding more than six years ago, the C-RAM system is credited with saving hundreds of lives through its ability to provide early warning of incoming indirect fire. Working closely with the U.S. Army, Northrop Grumman helped to take the C-RAM capability from concept to reality in less than 18 months. C-RAM is maintaining its purpose to protect troops serving Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

"C-RAM continues to demonstrate its value on the battlefield saving lives," said Mike Twyman, vice president of integrated command, control, communications and intelligence systems for Northrop Grumman Information Systems. "We are proud to continue our collaboration with the Army to bring ever-evolving force protection capabilities to those in harm's way."

C-RAM uses sensor, command and control (C2) and visualization tools to detect threatening objects and locate the sources of incoming fire. Once the threat is confirmed, its C2 system provides accurate warning to exposed soldiers and other personnel. Simultaneously, the C2 system provides correlated track data to the intercept system to negate the incoming RAM threat. Additionally, the C2 system passes point of origin and point of impact information on to other systems and sensors to aid the proper response.

02.11.2011 Force Protection - army-guide.com

Force Protection Industries, Inc., a FORCE PROTECTION, INC. group company, today announced it has received a firm fixed price modification to existing contract W56HZV-08-C-0028 from U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, Michigan, with an approximate value of $185.9 million for the purchase of an additional 167 Buffalo A2 Mine Protected Clearance Vehicles and 102 Buffalo A2 Bar Armor Kits.

Work is to be performed in Ladson, South Carolina, with deliveries extending to April 2014.

Michael Moody, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Force Protection said, “Today’s announced modification provides Force Protection important revenue visibility into 2014. In addition, by securing Full Material Release and authorization to proceed to Full Rate Production, the Buffalo has achieved additional significant milestones on the path to achieving formal Program of Record status within the U.S. Army’s installed fleet of vehicles.”

Mr. Moody concluded, “We remain extremely proud of the service record of the Buffalo and the countless Soldiers’ lives saved performing critical route clearance missions. We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Army and other domestic services, as well as militaries worldwide, to ensure troops have the necessary resources to promote their success on the battlefield.”