The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Light Brazil Attack. Two Kansas Republicans question the Pentagon’s possible acquisition of Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) aircraft made by Brazil-based Embraer in a Nov. 9 letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Todd Tiahrt argue U.S. acquisition of the Brazilian Super Tucano aircraft would be “inappropriate” partly because the Air Force is conducting an analysis of alternatives (AoA) of platforms that may perform the LAAR mission. They also emphasize the U.S. investment in the development of the AT-6B, made by Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft Corp.
…”Unconscionable.” Senate Appropriations Committee report language accompanying the FY ’10 defense appropriations bill calls for a full and open competition for light- attack aircraft, and says the panel expects a FY ’11 budget request for such funding will be based on factors including validated requirements and guidance from the pending Quadrennial Defense Review. “In this current aviation manufacturing crisis, it would be unconscionable for the (Defense) Department to take any steps towards procuring or leasing a foreign aircraft when a U.S.-made option is readily available for any competition that may result from the AoA,” Brownback and Tiahrt write.
Air Force Undersecretary Nominee. President Obama has nominated Erin Conaton, the staff director of the HASC, to be Undersecretary of the Air Force. The position has remained vacant since former astronaut Ron Sega resigned in August 2007. HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) commended the nomination and encouraged the Senate to move quickly to confirm Conaton. “Serving as the committee’s Majority Staff Director since 2007, Erin has consistently demonstrated her leadership ability, mastery of national security issues, and dedication to our men and women in uniform,” Skelton says in a statement. No confirmation hearing has yet been scheduled.
Tactical Airlift Gap Sighted. GAO has warned that the Defense Department could soon be facing a tactical airlift gap. “DoD appears to have addressed its strategic airlift gap, but there is a potential future tactical airlift gap for moving medium weight equipment,” says a report issued by the agency last week. “Also, questions regarding how the Air Force will meet the Army’s direct support mission have not been resolved.” DoD used nearly 700 aircraft, as well as commercial and leased aircraft, to carry about 3 million troops and 800,000 tons of cargo in 2008, according to GAO. C-5s and C-17s move troops and cargo internationally, while C-130s are the primary aircraft that moves them within a theater of operation. Over the next four years, DoD plans to spend about $12 billion to modernize and procure airlifters and is currently studying how many it needs. GAO recommends that the Pentagon determine if additional C-17s are needed, as well as how Army requirements for tactical lift will be met. “The Army and Air Force must resolve fundamental differences in operating requirements and employment strategy for the Joint Future Theater Lift (JFTL),” the auditors write.
EADS Demos Hose and Drogue. The A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), an Airbus Military program, has performed the first fuel transfers with its all-digital hose and drogue system, the company says. The hose-and-drogue “wet contacts” occurred Nov. 10 during a mission that used both the A330 MRTT left and right under-wing pods, with more than 9,200 pounds of fuel transferred to a NATO F/A-18 fighter aircraft. The latest refueling milestone was performed by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) A330 MRTT and followed recent daytime and nighttime refueling operations with the aircraft’s advanced Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS). As a result, both refueling systems on the A330 MRTT have now been demonstrated through flight tests, in preparation for the start of deliveries to international customers beginning in 2010. The A330 MRTT’s all-digital 905E refueling pods can deliver up to 420 gallons of fuel per minute, according to an EADS North America press statement.
Rapid Acquisition. Northrop Grumman has taken to heart Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ decree that “80 percent solutions” be fielded quickly to the warfighter. Dan Leaf, a vice president with Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Information Systems business unit, refers to the method of quickly fielding urgently needed equipment in an irregular war “a new acquisition paradigm.” Leaf says that “non-state actors” can adapt to battlefield changes more quickly than a traditional military, so industry must help the military become more adaptable. Last month, for example, the Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $24 million contract to develop JCREW version 3.3, a radio signal jamming system for the radios that set off improvised explosive devices. JCREW stands for Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare System of Systems. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the agency overseeing the project. Other Northrop Grumman engineers are hard at work on a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) that currently flies on a converted business jet and acts as an Internet server and communications relay. In July, the 653rd Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom AFB, Mass., awarded Northrop Grumman a $276 million contract for the equipment in response to a “joint urgent operational need.” Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will support existing aircraft and put BACN nodes aboard two more manned aircraft, as well as two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.
International Business. ATK sees more opportunities for international business and is relying on international markets for more of its growth, company officials say. International sales will be up about 50 percent this fiscal year, they say. A key driver is sales of ammunition to foreign customers, which is expected to be up 75 percent this fiscal year, ATK says.
ASP Update This Week. A House Science panel on Tuesday afternoon will continue its review of the Department of Homeland Security’s next-generation radiation portal monitoring program as it hosts several government witnesses. At the first hearing in June, the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight received reports from the GAO and the National Research Council saying the Advanced Spectroscopic Portals (ASP) show limited improvements over existing systems and that their costs outweigh their benefits (Defense Daily, June 23, 25 and 26). The title of tommorrow’s hearing–The Science of Security Part II: Technical Problems Continue to Hinder Advanced Radiation Monitors–suggests that the news may not be getting any better. The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the agency responsible for overseening the ASP effort, had said earlier this year that they had hoped Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would certify ASP by October, or at least this fall (Defense Daily, June 10). Certification would clear the way for production.
The Draft Is Back. The Navy issued its draft RFP for the new LCS acquisition plan on Nov. 10. The new plan is to hold a winner-take-all competition between two competing teams, one led by General Dynamics and one by Lockheed Martin. The winner will be awarded 10 ships–two in FY ’10 and options for eight more (two per year) between FY ’11 and ’14. The Navy will also buy a single combat system from one of the two companies that will become government furnished equipment. The full RFP is expected by the end of the year. It should also be noted that the Navy’s new acquisition plan for LCS has not yet been approved by Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter.
T&E In The Cyber Domain. Mounting an effective cyber defense takes new capabilities, William Lynn, deputy secretary of defense, tells attendees at Defense Daily‘s IT Acquisition Summit last week. “We put weapon systems through extensive evaluation. We test the skills of our troops on training ranges. But we have no such equivalent in cyber security.” DARPA, which helped invent the Internet decades ago, is leading the DoD’s effort to build a national cyber range–a model of the Internet, Lynn says. “This will, in effect, allow us to engage in real-world simulations so we can develop, test, and field new leap ahead capabilities for cyber security,” he adds. “As we build new capabilities, we can’t retreat behind a fortress of firewalls. Today’s cyber threats are organic and constantly evolving. Our defenses must do the same. We can’t afford a digital version of the Maginot Line.”
…Buying IT. Should the government buy IT like an aircraft, or purchase an outcome? Lynn says the concept is usable in some circumstances. “The danger you have in the acquisition world is going to a ‘one size fits all’ path. In the appropriate circumstances, that purchase of an outcome can work. I think in other cases it may not work well at all,” he says. “I think what we need to do and need to be working on in the next few months is identify the suite of techniques that can work in the IT world rather than seeking a single silver bullet solution that will work for all IT acquisitions. We are going to have to develop a suite of approaches rather than a single approach. In that construct, an outcome oriented [approach] could work in certain circumstances.”
Open Sourcing. The use of open source information is much more critical because of the huge volumes of information available today, Vice Adm. Jack Dorsett, director of information dominance (N2/N6), tells Defense Daily. “With the explosion of information on the Internet or with media outlets having their own sources of information, it is absolutely imperative in the modern world to be paying attention to what those media sources provide,” he says. Intelligence personnel also turn to information that individuals post on the Internet, although Dorsett acknowledges it is much more difficult to trust the credibility and validity of that information. “There have been occasions when information has come from individuals that has had tremendous value to the nation,” he adds.
…Heavy Reading. Dorsett says there are a variety of mechanisms for fusing information, from the Ocean Surveillance Information System (OSIS) to new systems and tools, not just in watch centers or command centers but also on desktop computers for analysts. “We have a tool that we call TRIPWIRE. It helps facilitate analysts’ understanding of information, categorizes information, and gives analysts alerts to new information that is coming in. That’s a tool that has become relatively common in the last couple of years.” There is a lot of test and evaluation that is ongoing with new fusion tools and devices, Dorsett adds. “Part of our responsibility in the N2/N6 organization is to encourage the innovative testing, [and] then bring the best of breed into our programs…across the Navy command centers and operational entities where we need them.”
…Joint Efforts. The Navy is working with the Air Force on BAMS and Global Hawk to determine how the two services can partner better, Dorsett notes. “We are reviewing all aspects of our programs and hopefully we will put up some options for the CNO and Chief of Staff of the Air Force where we could take both of our programs forward together, more closely, than perhaps we have been in the past.”
New Spanish Sub Sonar System. Lockheed Martin completes in-water testing of a new cylindrical array sonar system for Spain’s S-80 class diesel electric submarines at the U.S. Navy’s Underwater Test Facility at Seneca Lake, N.Y., the company reports. The cylindrical array is the primary acoustic sensor for submerged operations. It consists of a special hydrophone configuration that is unique to every platform. Lockheed Martin designed and developed the S-80’s new array under a 2005 contract from the Spanish government to provide the submarine’s integrated combat system. In addition to the cylindrical array sonar, the S-80’s integrated combat system also will contain a flank array sonar and a passive ranging sonar, as well as mine and obstacle detection sonar. The flank and passive ranging sonars were successfully tested in June. The sonars are designed, manufactured and assembled by Lockheed Martin’s Undersea Systems business. The new S-80 integrated combat system leverages proven commercial technology used on the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-, Seawolf- and Los Angeles-class submarines, as well as Lockheed Martin’s experience as the lead contractor for the U.S. Navy’s ARCI program, the company says.
Noise Study. Boeing receives a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing’s MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company’s ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS, the company says. Boeing envisions MECC as an extension of the manned P-8A aircraft’s combat systems capability, providing P-8A crews with additional validation and supporting the P-8A in simultaneously conducting both low and high altitude anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and command-and- control intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Boeing will begin testing the MECC sensor system, vehicle integration and magnetic noise reduction in 2010, the company adds.
Comms On The Go. L-3 Communications’ Datron and Linkabit divisions have provided Communications-On-The-Move (COTM) Antenna and Modem technologies for the first Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force Mobile Modular Command and Control (MAGTF M2C2) vehicle, the company reports. This new mobile command center will provide the Marines with on-the-move communications, along with a reach-back capability to other information sources over-the-horizon. M2C2 vehicles are currently being prepared for use in Afghanistan, L-3 adds. The L-3 supplied M2C2 communications package includes both OTM and On The Pause (OTP) SATCOM antenna and modem technologies, which allows the vehicle to maintain wideband Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, the company says. The vehicle initially operates using commercial Ku Band satellites. However, in less than 30 minutes, the COTM terminal can switch from Ku-to-Ka Band operation by means of an Interchangeable Feed Kit. This capability provides the Marine Corps with greater mission flexibility by enabling increased communications options in harsh or challenging environments, adds L-3.
Out With The Old. The Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program office will retire the Spiral 2.0 Service Discovery environment on Dec. 19. In September, customers were asked to discontinue using Spiral 2.0 services for publishing and to re-register their services on the updated Service Discovery version 4. Service Discovery version 4 was installed earlier this year, and has successfully completed a follow-on operational test and evaluation, DISA says. “This is now the official environment for the NCES Service Discovery capability and many of our customers are currently using this new release. This release is a significant upgrade from the Spiral 2.0 version; it introduced new user interfaces for both service publishing and service inquiry, as well as a streamlined publishing process, which is integrated with the DoD Metadata Registry and the Enterprise Catalog,” DISA adds.
Saving Lives. Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells employees at the Oshkosh Corp. M-ATV production facility their work is vital. “With every vehicle you complete, you are saving American lives and giving our troops the tools they need to accomplish their mission and come home safely,” Gates says on a Nov. 12 visit. M-ATV has the protection of legacy MRAPs while providing improved mobility to traverse the harsh and unimproved road infrastructure in Afghanistan.
…Ramp Up. Having exceeded M-ATV delivery requirements for four consecutive months, Oshkosh’s production output will ramp up to 1,000 vehicles per month in December, the company says. The first delivery order was June 30; the first vehicles arrived in Afghanistan in October. Robert Bohn, Oshkosh Corp. chairman and CEO, says, “in addition to meeting on-time delivery for our other commercial and defense customer orders, we continue to rapidly produce M-ATVs at increasing levels for operations in Afghanistan. We also are fully supporting the M-ATV program beyond the production line, from the delivery of spare-parts kits to in-theater support.”
Navy Radios. The Navy awards a potential $450 million four-year production contract to Rockwell Collins for ARC-210 radios. “This contract continues a nearly 20-year relationship between Rockwell Collins and the U.S. Navy and serves as a model for government-industry teaming,” says Greg Churchill, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Government Systems for Rockwell Collins, in a statement. “The end result has been the development of a radio that is used for airborne multi-band, multi-mode communications across most branches of the U.S. military.”With more than 28,000 radios fielded, the ARC-210 is installed on more than 180 platforms worldwide and is operating in more than 40 countries.
Largest Exhibition Coming. The largest exhibition of modeling, simulation and virtual reality in the world is scheduled to open Nov. 30 in Orlando, Fla. With nearly 500 exhibitors from around the world and encompassing over 200,000 square feet of exhibition space, the event, called the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), points the way to the future for the entire M&S industry. For more details, please visit http://www.iitsec.org/welcome/.
MANTIS Flies. BAE Systems has successfully flown the largest fully autonomous unmanned aircraft ever to be built in the United Kingdom, a next generation autonomous system called MANTIS. The UAV completed its maiden flight in Woomera, South Australia. MANTIS successfully completed a series of trials demonstrating the capability of the system and the potential of large unmanned systems to support future U.K. MoD operational needs. U.K. MoD and U.K. Industry jointly fund MANTIS. In Phase 1, BAE is working with the MoD and industry partners such as Rolls-Royce; QinetiQ; GE Aviation; Meggitt; and Selex Galileo. The all-electric MANTIS has a 20-foot wingspan.
Counter-Piracy Meet. Military staff from NATO’s Maritime Command in Northwood, U.K., visited Beijing earlier this month to attend an international counter-piracy meeting hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Defense. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the international coordination between navies around the world to protect ships from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. Besides the NATO staff, also attending were officers from EU Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain, as well as military representatives from India, Japan, Pakistan and Russia. All acknowledged the importance of sharing information on pirate activity in the region.
Network Centric. John Thomas, retired brigadier and former Signal Officer-in-Chief of the British Army, says cross-military capability and military-civil interoperability are key benefits to the implementation of The U.K.’s Bowman tactical C4I communications modernization program. Thomas, now director of strategy for General Dynamics UK’s C4I business, delivered a keynote address at last week’s Network Centric Operations Asia 2009 conference in Singapore. Brunei is taking key strides in civil-military interoperability at the national and international level, he says. Brunei is running a competition for its Joint Operations Center. General Dynamics UK is participating in the Brunei competition.
Lakota Maritime. EADS North America says it has delivered the first of five H-72A training helicopters for the Navy. The H-72A fleet will be based at the Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., where it will be used to train U.S. military and allied test pilots. The H-72A shares the same airframe and is manufactured on the same production line as the U.S. Army’s UH-72A Lakota LUH–both of which are produced in Mississippi by EADS’s American Eurocopter subsidiary. EADS North America COO Dave Oliver says: “The expansion of UH-72A/H-72A missions demonstrates the adaptability of the aircraft to a wide range of operational scenarios.”
…Special Helo. The Navy H-72As have specific equipment for the pilot training mission, including the ability to jettison cockpit doors, a cockpit voice and flight data recorder, a main rotor blade folding kit and an air traffic advisory system. All five H-72As will be painted in the Naval Test Pilot School’s high-visibility white and orange. The Army plans to acquire 345 UH-72As through 2016 in addition to the five H-72As being acquired for the U.S. Navy. EADS North America also is offering the Armed Scout 645 variant for the U.S. Army’s armed aerial scout requirement.