By Ann Roosevelt
The Defense Department acknowledges Army aviation is a vital part of the current conflicts, and is reflected in the $143.3 billion Army budget and $102 billion Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) request for fiscal year 2011.
The budget requests $1.4 billion for 72 Sikorsky [UTX] UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in the latest, M configuration. The request would fund 40 aircraft while providing modifications, including a loading system that would allow rapid transition from cargo to passenger missions.
Transitioning CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the D to the F model is funded at $1.2 billion. Boeing [BA] builds the Chinook as well as the AH-64 Apache helicopter, which the Army has requested $887 million to modernize.
The EADS-builtUH-72A Lakota light utility helicopters will receive $326 million
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) come in for strong support as well.
The budget request includes $459 million for the MQ-1 Sky Warrior Extended Range/Multi-Purpose UAV produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI).
Another $505 million is aimed at modifications to the AAI Corp. [TXT]-built RQ-7 Shadow UAV.
The OCO request includes $187 million to replace OH-58 Kiowa Warrior battle losses and to make modifications. Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] built and modifies Kiowa Warriors.
The request includes $198 million for aircraft survivability equipment infrared countermeasures, $41 million for Black Hawks, $71 million for Chinooks and $199 million in Apache modifications.
Army Lt. Gen. Edgar Stanton, military deputy for budget in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, said the service priorities are “unchanged” from last year, starting with caring for and sustaining its people.
The $143.3 billion FY ’11 budget request is a small percentage increase, essentially accounting for inflation, he said.
As part of Army modernization, the service has terminated “Army only” buys of the venerable tactical wheeled Humvee produced by AM General because service needs have been met.
Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy, said the “bumper sticker” for the Quadrennial Defense Review released with the FY ’11 defense budget yesterday would be to “rebalance the force,” something the Army has been working toward for more than two years and expects to complete with this budget request, the service chief of staff has said recently.
DoD also is supporting the creation of two Combat Aviation Brigades, and consolidating existing aviation assets to create a 122th active duty CAB in FY 2011 and activities to create a 13th active duty CAB in FY 2011 to be fielded as soon as possible.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates also approved an added $426 million to increase Army helicopter training.
The Army additionally sets in motion an eighth Stryker brigade combat team by requesting $300 million for Stryker vehicles.
General Dynamics [GD] builds the Stryker as well as the M1A1 Abrams tanks, which the service is upgrading: $231 million for M1A1 Abrams Situational Awareness kits, and M1A2 System Enhancement Program tank upgrades at $183 million.
BAE Systems’ Operation Desert Storm Bradley is slated for $215 million for situational awareness kits, and the Army requests $105 million for the company’s Paladin Integrated Management howitzers as part of low-rate initial production.
Another upgrade is a request for $147 million for Stryker survivability enhancements.
The budget request for FY ’11 continues to flesh out the changes in systems and priorities Gates laid out in April of 2010 (Defense Daily, May 8).