Oct. 6, 2014 By Richard Tomkins (UPI)

BAE Systems is to convert more Army M88A1 recovery vehicles to an improved configuration.

YORK, Pa., Oct. 6 -- Dozens of U.S. Army M88A1 recovery vehicles are to be converted to a new configuration by BAE Systems under a $153.6 million contract.

A total of 53 M88A1 recovery vehicles will be converted to the M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System -- or HERCULES -- configuration, which is able to recover the M1 Abrams tank and the heaviest mine-resistant ambush protected variants on the battlefield.

"This contract provides enhanced capabilities for America's soldiers and will help preserve the defense industrial base by retaining critical employees and unique skill sets," said Adam Zarfoss, director of Artillery and Recovery Systems at BAE Systems. "The HERCULES is a significant upgrade over its predecessor and is essential to fulfill successful recovery missions."

Work on the vehicles will be primarily conducted at company facilities in York, Pa., extending the M88 production line within the Combat Vehicle Industrial Base through 2016.

BAE Systems said additional work under the contract would be performed at Anniston Army Depot and BAE Systems' Aiken, S.C., facility.

The company has so far converted nearly 650 U.S. Army M88 vehicles to the HERCULES configuration.

A US soldier assembles a RQ-11 Raven UAV for aerial tactical Reconnaissance of insurgents in Taji, Iraq. Photo: courtesy of the US Department of Defense, photo by tech sergeant Russell E. Cooley IV, US Air Force (released).

3 October 2014 army-technology.com

AeroVironment has been awarded a series of contracts for the supply of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) spare parts to the US Army.

The contracts have a combined value of $27.2m, and cover the delivery of spare parts for the RQ-11B Raven and RQ-20A Puma AE systems.

AeroVironment UAS business segment senior vice-president and general manager Roy Minson said: "Recapitalising the army's large fleet of Raven and Puma AE systems ensures that soldiers have the most effective and reliable small UAS available to support them, wherever and whenever required.

"With AeroVironment original spare parts and upgrades, operators can continue to rely on our combat-proven solutions to deliver better information on-demand, and help them operate more safely and effectively."

The latest orders take the total value of contracts received by the company since May for Raven and Puma AE UAS spare parts and Raven upgrades to $77.6m.

Weighing 4.5lb, the RQ-11B Raven is a lightweight SUAS, designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for military operations, such as low-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and target acquisition missions at ranges of up to 10km.

Comprising three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares, the backpackable, hand-launched sensor platform is widely used by US forces for base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning and force protection operations.

The Puma AE is a third-generation, man-portable and hand-launched SUAS, designed primarily for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions.

Each Puma system features three air vehicles and two ground-control systems. It can fly at a maximum speed of 83km/h and stay airborne for a maximum of two hours using a rechargeable battery.

The drone can also be configured to perform battle damage assessment, maritime intervention operations, visit board search seizure and search and rescue, as well as port and coastal patrolling and drug interdiction missions.

Deliveries under the contract are expected to start within the next year.

Sep 16, 2014 ASDNews Source : Textron

Textron Systems Weapon & Sensor Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) business, announced today its G-CLAWTM precision guided weapon successfully completed a live-fire demonstration recently at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.  The GPS-guided G-CLAW struck within four meters of the designation spot and detonated on the target as intended, proving the weapon’s guidance, warhead and its fuzing capability.

Read more

13.09.2014 par Philippe Chapleau - Lignes de Défense
 

Suite de mon post du 2 septembre sur l'installation de drones US dans le nord du Niger.

C'est sur l'aérodrome de Dirkou (code OACI : DRZD) que les Américains pourraient déployer leurs drones. Cette ville d'une quinzaine de milliers d'habitants est située dans le département de Bilma. Son oasis se trouve sur la route qui va de Tripoli vers le lac Tchad. 

Situé à 560 km au nord-est d'Agadez, Dirkou dispose d'un aérodrome qui est situé 2 km au sud-ouest du centre-ville. La piste bitumée de l'aérodrome mesure 1 600 m de long sur 40 m de large.

Le vendredi 12 septembre a été mis en ligne un appel d'offres du Contracting Dept de l'US Army (Solicitation Number: W56PFY-14-T-0098) pour des prestations de transport routier entre Niamey et Dirkou (et non pas Agadez). La nature du fret militaire transporté n'est pas précisé dans l'avis.

Si la piste de Dirkou était utilisée par les Américains, elle leur permettrait de surveiller, au plus près, le sud libyen et la zone de transit des trafics sahéliens.

The GXV should be able to reach 95 percent of all terrain, according to goals set by the program.

Sep. 10, 2014 - By KEVIN LILLEY – Defense News

A new research program aims to get the next-generation ground combat vehicle off the drawing board.

And if the drawings of it by an Army civilian are any indication, future soldiers could be riding in a lightweight, agile, easy-to-deploy platform ripped straight from the pages of a graphic novel.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced the launch of the Ground X-Vehicle Technology program last month, but in May, a report called “GXV Operational Vignettes” went out from the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. It includes more than two dozen pages of drawings from James Scott, with TARDEC’s advanced concepts team, offering views of a possible GXV design in a variety of scenarios:

■ Swiveling its turret after somehow “sensing” an enemy sniper, then dispatching most of the building that housed the sni­per.

■ Descending into the war zone via airdrop — eight stored in a single C-17 — and transporting up to 96 soldiers over uneven terrain and through urban environments thanks in part to four independent tracks that can maneuver like wheels.

■ Deflecting incoming ordnance with “movable armor” and stopping a rocket-propelled grenade in midair via an unnamed weapons system.

A TARDEC spokesman confirmed the drawings were part of the Army’s contribution to the DARPA effort and referred all questions to DARPA. A DARPA public affairs contact for the program, who did not wish to be named, said in an email that all available information about GXV-T is on the DARPA website.

Sept. 5 marked a Proposers Day event for the program in DARPA’s offices outside Washington, DC, which was attended by Paul Decker, TARDEC’s deputy program manager for GXV.

The event served to educate possible stakeholders in the project’s requirements, according to a DARPA news release. Those include producing a vehicle that’s 50 percent smaller and lighter than “today’s armored fighting vehicles” and requires half the crew; is twice as fast; can access 95 percent of terrain and has “reduced signatures that enable adversaries to detect and engage vehicles.”

That last part may have led to media reports touting the military’s new “stealth tank,” but beyond reducing detectability, DARPA officials hope to make the vehicle stronger by making sure it can identify and avoid enemy attacks.

“It’s about breaking the ‘more armor’ paradigm,” Kevin Massey, DARPA program manager, said in the release. “We plan to pursue groundbreaking fundamental research and development to help make future armored fighting vehicles significantly more mobile, effective, safe and affordable.”

It’s too early to say what vehicles the GXV might replace, if any, when it would reach even the earliest stages of production, or even whether the designs will resemble the final product — DARPA-generated concept art includes a vehicle with large wheels instead of tracks, for example.

TARDEC, which provides the technological backbone for all Army and Marine ground vehicles, would continue its involvement with the project long past the sketch stages, though DARPA will be in charge of the initial contract awards, which are planned for April 2015 or sooner, according to the news release

14 August 2014 army-technology.com

D3O Lab has received funding from the US Army's Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier for the evaluation of prototype shock-absorbing helmet system solutions.

Under the one-year foreign comparative testing (FCT) programme, the company will assess the blunt trauma characteristics of its prototype D3O trauma reduction and unrivalled shock technology (TRUST) helmet system.

Specifically, the PEO Soldier programme office for protection and individual equipment (SPIE) aims to assess the impact performance of the D3O shock-absorbing helmet system when it is fitted into combat helmets and impacted at 14ft/s, according to military standards.

"D3O TRUST has been developed to improve impact protection against blunt force trauma."

Originally developed with funding support from the Technology Strategy Board, D3O TRUST has been developed to improve impact protection against blunt force trauma, a physical trauma caused by a collision with a non-penetrating object or surface.

The helmet uses the company's unique patented technology to offer superior impact protection and comfort compared with existing helmets.

D3O general manager Mostyn Thomas said: "D3O has conveyed to this product the R&D expertise it has honed in creating industry-leading protective helmets for the US team sports market, particularly American football and baseball.

"D3O is committed to creating personal protection equipment, which will help to reduce the thousands of very common injuries affecting soldiers each year."

The D3O TRUST helmet consists of three individual parts, including a shock-absorbing liner to absorb and dissipate the energy released in the collision, an inflatable system that fits the solution to a range of head shapes, and a skull cap to offer more comfort and help with sweat management.

The shock-absorption liner is in turn encapsulated using D3O's new smart skin technology, which is a wipe-clean thermoplastic polyurethane that provides durability and an anti-microbial barrier.

Blunt force trauma is the principal cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and mild TBI, with the former affecting nearly 31,000 UK soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2006 and 2013.

MSV Maritime Support Vessel project

August 14, 2014: Strategy Page

The U.S. Navy SEAL commandoes used to have a near-monopoly on launching raids and other special operations missions from the sea. But now MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations Command) and U.S. Army Special Forces (which includes Delta Force) operators are also training to launch operations “from the sea”. The SEALs will probably retain their monopoly on scuba type operations because the SEALs already have a lot of training and regular practice in this specialized area. But given the shift of U.S. attention to the Pacific and the greater probability that more commando missions will be launched from the sea, more of the existing American commando force needs this kind of training.

To support this increase need for seaborne commando operations the navy is building special commando support ships and having more surface combat ships prepare to support commando operations. These preparations increasingly involve bringing in SEALs, MARSOC or Special Forces operators for training exercises. The commandos can be delivered via small transports to carriers and thence by helicopter to smaller ships (destroyers, amphibious carriers or the new LCS) for the actual mission (via a smaller boat that goes to a nearby beach.) The commandos also practice going in via low-flying helicopter or, if they are SEALs, via the specialized mini-subs that most American SSN (attack subs) can carry on their deck.

The navy and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) have been planning this shift for several years now and it includes creating some special commando support ships. In late 2013 the U.S. Navy began converting a 30,000 ton container ship to serve as a seagoing base (MSV or Maritime Support Vessel) for SOCOM commandos and support troops. Over $100 million is being spent to do the conversion. What’s interesting about this is that it’s an old idea.

Back in 2004 the U.S. Navy was asked by SOCOM to look into the idea of modifying a container ship for use as seagoing base for Special Operations troops (Special Forces and commandos). This idea was apparently inspired by incidents in the past decade where SOCOM forces had been based temporarily on navy ships. Off Haiti in 1996 and Afghanistan in 2001 the Navy provided an aircraft carrier with most of its air wing withdrawn and replaced with Army or Special Operations helicopters and personnel. While this tactic demonstrated tremendous flexibility on the part of the navy it could not be done on a regular basis because it tied up one of the most valuable navy assets (carriers and their crews.) Then in 2001 the navy began converting four SSBNs (ballistic missile firing nuclear subs) to carry 154 cruise missiles as well as SOCOM (so far mainly SEALs) commandos.  This includes commando equipment and special boats to get them ashore.

The conversion concept had several major advantages over the traditional approach of building a new type of military ship. Commercial vessels, even ones the size of aircraft carriers (large tankers and container carriers), typically require crews of less than fifty rather than thousands for military ships of the same size. A large container ship used for military purposes could be operated by fewer than a hundred sailors compared to 1,100 on an LHD or 3,200 on a Nimitz-class carrier. It would also be easier to upgrade, as the modules could be removed and replaced independently.

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) would own and operate these ships using civilian crews. The navy would keep one or two of these ships ready at all times plus a reserve of special containers ashore for use on additional MSC-owned ships or those leased from commercial users.

The current MSV project uses a smaller (30,000 ton) container ship and will handle a few hundred SOCOM operators and support troops and less than a dozen helicopters plus some small commando boats.

Aug 12 by David Axe – War is boring

A taxonomy of armored vehicles, volume four — the tricked-out M-1

The U.S. occupation of Iraq is over. The Afghanistan war is winding down. Today America faces “emerging threats in an increasingly sophisticated technological environment,” according to Gen. John Campbell, the Army vice chief of staff.

For the U.S. ground combat branches that means a renewed emphasis on fast-moving armored warfare. The Army and Marines are dusting off heavy vehicles that played a minor role in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In this series, we spotlight some of the more obscure, weird and lamented armored behemoths. The battle wagons of a new era of warfare. The focus of this volume — the Army’s latest M-1 tank … with all the bells and whistles.

Read full article

August 12, 2014, Washington – Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

SB>1 Defiant expected to fly in 2017

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Boeing (NYSE: BA) have been selected to build a helicopter for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator Phase 1 program (JMR TD), paving the way for the next generation of vertical lift aircraft.

The U.S. Army Aviation Technology Directorate (AATD) selected the Sikorsky-Boeing team to continue the development of the SB>1 Defiant, a medium-lift helicopter configured to Sikorsky’s X2™ coaxial design, through flight testing. First flight for the program is expected in 2017.

“Defiant will use Sikorsky’s proven X2 technology to overcome aircraft design challenges, which will be critical requirements on future vertical lift aircraft,” said Mick Maurer, Sikorsky president. “The Sikorsky-Boeing team’s integrated approach has created a unique blend of expertise, innovative spirit and customer commitment that are unmatched in the industry. The complementary capabilities of each team member have delivered a design that will provide the best future vertical lift solution to the U.S. Army, and the flexibility of our design makes it suited for naval applications as well. This is a major leap forward.”

The Defiant aircraft will feature counter-rotating rigid main rotor blades for vertical and forward flight, a pusher propeller for high-speed acceleration and deceleration, and an advanced fly-by-wire flight control system.

“Our team brings leadership and new ways of thinking to aircraft development,” said Shelley Lavender, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. “As the original equipment manufacturers for both the Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, we bring tremendous technological breadth and depth to the customer. I believe our technical capabilities and experience in development and flight testing of complex rotorcraft systems were a key factor in the customer’s decision.”

To date, Sikorsky and Boeing collectively have delivered more than 3,000 helicopters to the Army in support of its challenging missions.

The JMR TD program supports the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program to deliver the next generation of vertical lift aircraft with greater performance, reliability and affordability. The Defiant aircraft packages evolutionary technologies in a new, innovative and affordable design that flies faster, farther and with more payload.

The JMR TD Program offers Sikorsky and Boeing the opportunity to partner with the U.S. Government in demonstrating the maturity of advanced and enabling future vertical lift technologies. Sikorsky and Boeing formed their JMR team in January 2013, and each company has invested significantly in the program.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 56,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense

August 08, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Cubic Corp.; issued August 06, 2014)

Cubic Awarded Major New Contract to Supply Army Mobile Instrumented Training System

SAN DIEGO, Calif. –-– Cubic Corporation announced today that it was competitively selected to supply the Army Mobile Instrumented Training System (AMITS) for the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).

The initial award is valued at $12.5 million, and the contract, if fully funded, has a potential value in excess of $200 million. The five-year contract covers a base year and four option years.

“Cubic is proud to provide AMITS training equipment to the U.S. Army. This next-generation Homestation Instrumentation Training System (HITS) capability provides the Army with usability enhancements that increase the effectiveness of Homestation Training,” said Dave Schmitz, president of Cubic Defense Systems. “AMITS incorporates automation and ease-of-use features such as intuitive applications and game-based virtual instruction that stimulate user engagement, remove complexity, reduce setup time, and minimize operational and sustainment costs, which translate into increased time available for tactical training.”

Under the new contract, Cubic will provide a mobile Training Command Center (TCC) and Mobile Network Nodes (MNNs) as well as instrumentation radios for soldiers and vehicles. AMITS provides a Force-on-Force (FOF) training experience where data is collected, recorded, and used to observe unit performance, monitor safety, teach doctrine, and provide feedback to units through formal After Action Reviews (AARs). The communications architecture supports greater speed, scalability, and improved reliability and coverage for tracking live players.

Cubic’s solution draws from its extensive experience integrating and fielding instrumented live combat training systems worldwide. The system is a powerful enabler for the commanders at all levels, battalion and below, to train soldiers. AMITS supports the soldiers’ ability to train, contributes to their units’ readiness, and ultimately their combat effectiveness.

Cubic Corporation is the parent company of three major business segments. Cubic Defense Systems is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems and secure communications. Mission Support Services is a leading provider of training, operations, maintenance, technical and other support services for the U.S. and allied nations.

The ultimate goal is to replace the tracer rounds with the OWL rounds and, potentially, put OWL on the back of every ball round. Since it is anticipated that OWL will be applied to all ball rounds, effectively making ball rounds trace without the need of a cavity, they will all have the same trajectory. And since the shooter can see the exact trajectory of where their round is heading, they can quickly make adjustments to get on target faster. Photo: US Army by Reece Lodder.

Aug 6, 2014 defense-update.com

Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal are researching a way to develop a tracer round that will be visible to the shooter in daylight and night time but would remain invisible to the enemy at night.

Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal are researching a way to develop a tracer round that will be visible to the shooter in daylight and night time but would remain invisible to the enemy at night.

Tracer rounds, which are usually loaded as every fifth round in machine gun belts, provide essential information to Soldiers firing at an enemy target by creating a line-of-sight that allows them to track the trajectory of their bullets and adjust their aim. However, the pyrotechnic streak they emit also gives away the shooter’s location by allowing the enemy to follow the line of pyrotechnic back to the shooter.

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01/08/2014 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

The US Army's long-serving M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are being upgraded to be made more mobile.

To be carried out by Loc Performance Products - previously in competition with three other bidding parties - the Bradley IFV upgrades will see the vehicles gain track kits, shock absorbers, new suspension support systems and other revisions.

The work is as per the US Army's instruction and has a contract value of $161m. According to Loc Performance Products' President, Lou Burr, the contract is a real "game-changer...it's going to nearly double the size of our company."

Bradley IFV Upgrades

Burr adds, in the company's Bradley IFV upgrades press release: "This award represents a watershed moment in procurement history for the US Army. This type of contract is normally sole-sourced to the original Prime Contractor, which typically does not result in Best Value for the Army.

"Because this was a full and open competition, the Army saves taxpayers millions of dollars, and demonstrates a new model for cost-effective procurement. We look forward to restoring lost mobility to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and providing this superior equipment to our warfighters."

US Army M2 Bradley

The US Army's M2 Bradley fighting vehicle entered service in 1981. Armed primarily with a 25mm M242 Chain Gun, the type can be fitted with TOW anti-tank missiles and also boasts a 7.62mm M240C machine gun. Crewed by three service personnel, the Bradley IFV can accommodate six more troops, has a top speed of 41 miles per hour and a maximum range of 300 miles.

Since the M2's introduction, a host of enhanced models have followed it into service, including the current generation M2A3 whose operational history includes deployments in Iraq.

Besides the United States, Saudi Arabia is the only other Bradley IFV user but Iraq may soon take delivery of 200 M2A2 variants if discussions now in progress become a firm order.

Ultimately, the Bradley IFV will be replaced in US Army service by the Ground Combat Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Initial GCV designs have already emerged but a definitive layout is due out from DARPA - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - sometime next year.

8 juil. 2014 NATO

The biggest multi-national live-fire exercise in Europe of 2014 has ended with a bang at the US Army's Joint Multinational Training Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany. For the first time US tanks have been brought back to Europe for training purposes. The aim is to enhance NATO's interoperability and preparedness.

The video shows US soldiers, Abrams tanks and Bradley armoured personnel carriers firing live-rounds on pop-up targets. It also features Romanian tanks in action together.