The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace and Defense
McHugh In Theater. Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), the new ranking member of HASC, says he tried in vain to solicit equipment requests from Marines he visited in Afghanistan during an early-month visit. “I asked them time and time again–with respect to MRAPs versus 7-tons (trucks) versus Strykers, etcetera, etcetera–‘Did they feel they were being properly resourced?'” McHugh tells Defense Daily. “I worked real hard to solicit a concern, complaint, and I didn’t get a one. So if the troops on the ground, and they’re basically Marines in the area of action (in Afghanistan), don’t tell me that they need something, that’s a pretty good sign.” He and a congressional delegation also visited Iraq and Belgium.
Susan Chronicles. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) now carries the dual role of appropriator and defense authorizer, after she was named late last month to SAC. The other new SAC members this session are: Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). In addition to Collins, three other lawmakers serve on the SAC as well as SASC: Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). The pro-shipbuilding senator from Maine also is the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Missile Defense Muscle. Former Alaska GOP senator Ted Stevens may be gone, but his state’s lawmakers aren’t giving up on advocating for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system at Fort Greely. Murkowski, Sen. Mark Begich (D), who ousted Stevens in the November election, and Rep. Don Young (R) in a Feb. 5 letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates say they see “absolutely no justification for reductions to the GMD System or slowing its implementation,” noting comments from SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) about wanting more testing of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. “The federal budget includes funding to complete the fielding of all interceptors at Fort Greely to bring the system up to full capacity,” the trio of lawmakers remind Gates, arguing successful testing will validate the system to the nation and new Obama administration.
Pres Helo Hello. Connecticut lawmakers ask Navy Secretary Donald Winter in a Feb, 11 letter for a briefing on cost overruns with the program for the VH-71 presidential helicopter, which is under contract with Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, and AgustaWestland. Connecticut-based Sikorsky makes the existing Marine One choppers. “We…respectfully request a thorough report, coupled with a briefing, on the development plans for this program, including an analysis of the potential advantages of either re- opening the contract for bidding or requiring split-production between Lockheed Martin and the incumbent contractor,” states the letter from Connecticut Democrats Sen. Christopher Dodd and Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Christopher Murphy, and James Himes.
Army Secretary? Paul “Buddy” Bucha is a leading contender to become the new Secretary of the Army, according to a source close to the process. A former Medal of Honor of winner and West Point graduate, Bucha was a foreign policy adviser to President Obama during the campaign. Bucha would replace Pete Geren, a Bush administration pick staying on until his successor is in place.
Stimulating R&D. The economic-stimulus bill readied last Friday for the president’s signature includes no Pentagon procurement funding. Yet is has $300 million in defense research and development funds for energy-related projects, demonstrations, and manufacturing enhancements. The monies are to be divided four ways: among the Amy, Navy, Air Force, and defense-wide accounts. “Funds are for improvements in energy generation and efficiency, transmission, regulation, storage, and for use on military installations and within operational forces, to include research and development of energy from fuel cells, wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources to include biofuels and bioenergy,” states a report on the final House-Senate compromise bill. The legislation passed the House last Friday and was set to be taken up by the Senate after Defense Daily‘s deadline.
Purple Play. The Air Force’s top general said he will not engage in kind of “theological debates” over ownership of assets that led to heightened inter-service rivalry during his predecessor’s tenure. Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, says he “is not threatened” by the Army’s efforts to field unmanned aerial systems and cargo aircraft. This is in stark contrast to the past several years of bureaucratic wrangling between the two services, particularly over who should control UAS and their valuable datalinks in theater. “These kinds of theological discussions are really not helpful,” Schwartz says. “What this is really about is, regardless of what uniform people are [wearing]…is the data getting to who needs it?” Army and Air Force officials have also fought over control of the Joint Cargo Aircraft. Schwartz was more circumspect: “This is not a question of ownership, but rather a question of versatility,” he said. “All this other stuff is sort of a black hole for energy,” he adds. “So we’re not playing in that game any more.”
Non-Standard Aviation. Air Force Special Operations Command will receive its first 10 Polish-built M-28 Skytruck light cargo/passenger aircraft in June, an AFSOC official says. The Skytruck will shuttle special operators to areas with unimproved landing strips, Col. J.D. Clem, deputy director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments for the command, says. The fleet will be based at Cannon AFB, N.M., like AFSOC’s other non-standard aviation assets. “If I need to carry six guys some place, I don’t want to have to send a C-130,” Clem says. “But, if I want six guys to land on an unimproved strip, the PC-12 [Pilatus] is not the plane to use.” AFSOC plans to receive the Skytrucks over the next two years. A twin engine high-wing strutted monoplane, the Skytruck can carry 19 people in the back with a maximum take-off and landing weight of 16,534 pounds and a maximum speed of 223 knots. The aircraft will not be equipped with any specialized sensors or other reconnaissance equipment. “The non-standard aviation is simply to haul people around,” Clem says. “There is nothing really cosmic about it at all.”
Onward And Upward. The Air Force plans to complete a round of flight testing for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) this month despite another detonation failure on Jan. 30, a spokeswoman for the service says. A Failure Review Board is investigating the incident, but “based on preliminary analysis, the most recent failure does not appear to be the same as that noted in the Nov. 8 test missions,” says Lt. Col. Karen Platt. Two failed detonations were recorded on that date. The service now plans to complete the remaining four test shots of the Lot 5 reliability series this month, according to Platt. “Once all data is analyzed and scored, results will be released,” she says. Last May, the Pentagon allowed the Air Force and Lockheed Martin to resume the program following cost overruns and several flight test failures. The program encountered significant cost growth in the previous year and failed four flight tests within a week. The breach of a congressional cost growth cap eventually led to termination discussions. The Pentagon certified a restructured program for JASSM, a precision cruise missile, last spring.
Waiting. Pentagon acquisition chief John Young tells reporters he’d like to see the Navy award the contracts for the next two LCS. He also wants to see those ships bought for the right price too, he adds. “These contracts are critical because they are going to set a price point for the next ships,” Young says. “I am not inclined to rush that contract just to get it under contract, although I am worried about the workforce, and the learning that helped build the first ships being lost.” The price for the two FY ’09 ships is important, Young says, because it will tell the Navy and DoD whether there is any hope of getting to the congressionally mandated cost cap. “We need to have an aggressive negotiation with industry on this, and that’s what the Navy is doing right now,” he adds.
…Getting On Track. Young says he has at least a dozen initiatives that are working very hard to help programs start with a firm foundation, to execute to cost and schedule, and have oversight that restrains requirements. He is also asking the acquisition team to aggressively engage the budget process to make sure programs are funded so they can be executed. “[I am] trying real hard from a lot of different perspectives to make progress in the acquisition system,” Young notes. “We can’t let the budget stretch out programs…add cost to them…and all be mad at each other because the programs cost more money.”
Fused. GD AIS says it was awarded a Navy contract, potentially worth up to $95.2 million, for research, development and operation of Information Fusion (IF) as it relates to the Information Fusion Center established by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. Information Fusion is the process of correlating data from multiple sources to derive information of enhanced value to users. Efforts under this contract will include research and development, integration and testing, continual advancement and operation of the Information Fusion Center; training for newly developed software, hardware and other products; and independent verification and validation of sensors and systems relating to critical infrastructure protection and force protection, GD adds.
Saving Bucks. Five major cost-savings initiatives, by the Cumbersome Work Practices Task Force (CWP-TF) and implemented by the four Naval Shipyards (NSYs), are projected to save $692,000 per Los Angeles (SSN-688)-class submarine, the Navy says. Among the five implemented initiatives: An action item that eliminates a submarine hull inspection requirement that necessitates removal of hull tiles during major overhauls. This effort is projected to deliver nearly $500,000 in savings per Los Angeles-class submarine major availability, the Navy says. Counting the five initiatives that have been implemented, the task force is managing a total of 13 action items, including three new initiatives for 2009. When completed and fully implemented, the 10 initial initiatives are projected to additionally save $1.09 million per docked planned incremental availability for aircraft carriers.
CG MOD OK. The USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) earlier this month successfully completed sea trials to test and validate its recently installed combat systems off the coast of San Diego. Bunker Hill‘s crew successfully tested the ship’s new Aegis Weapons System, the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and SPQ-9B Radar. Successful firing of the Close-in Weapons System (CIWS) Block 1B and the 5″/.62 caliber gun were also completed, the Navy reports. Bunker Hill is the first guided-missile cruiser to receive a complete set of upgrades as part of the Navy’s Cruiser Modernization program. Each of the Navy’s 22 Ticonderoga-class cruisers is scheduled for modernization over the next 10 years.
…Open Is Key For CG. A key feature of the ship’s modernization is the installation of Aegis Open Architecture (AOA) to upgrade the Aegis Weapon System. The AOA upgrade provides the capacity for future combat system growth over the life of the class as well as mission expansion, such as ballistic missile defense, the Navy says. Over the next several years, SEA 21 will manage this structured modernization program to ensure that these ships reach their expected 35-year service life, which is vital for the Navy’s goal of a 313-ship fleet. Additional testing will occur over the next several months, and Bunker Hill is projected to rejoin the fleet in early fiscal year 2010, the Navy adds.
Helo Joint Venture. Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland and Tata Sons sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Aero India air show for the formation of an Indian joint venture company, which will establish a final assembly line for the AW119 helicopter in India. The joint venture company will be responsible for AW119 final assembly, completion and delivery to customers worldwide while AgustaWestland will retain responsibility for worldwide marketing and sales. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered from the new facility in 2011, with production forecast to rise to 30 aircraft per year to meet worldwide demand. It is envisaged that the joint venture company would supply the current Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter program of the Indian Armed Forces, for which AgustaWestland has already proposed the AW119 to be manufactured in India.
Deployment Role. EADS Defence & Security plays a decisive role in the deployment of the SIDM UAV of the French Air Force to Afghanistan. Systeme de Drone MALE (SIDM) “is an autonomous system with an almost around-the-clock endurance, a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers and a very effective sensor suite consisting of electro-optical and infrared, laser designator and an synthetic-aperture imaging radar with ground moving target indicator,” Nicolas Chamussy, Senior Vice President for Mission Air Systems in the DS business unit MAS, says in a statement. It was officially taken over by the French customer from the DS Business Unit Military Air Systems at the end of January 2009. The airlift of the SIDM systems–three aerial vehicles with their ground segment–to Bagram is under way. EADS DS also will provide logistics support with an ancillary base on constant alert, and with voluntary personnel in the area. “SIDM and the experience gained from this system will pave the way for the French-German-Spanish Advanced UAV, which will represent the new generation of sophisticated and efficient European UAVs for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,” Chamussy says.
Marine Support. General Dynamics-Canada will supply spare parts for RG-31 Mk5E vehicles under a $27.2 million contract modification from Marine Corps Systems Command under the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program. The parts will be used to support vehicles that were manufactured under a delivery order awarded to GDLS-Canada in July 2008 for 773 RG-31 Mk5E vehicles for the MRAP program. In total, 1,397 General Dynamics RG-31 vehicles have been ordered under the MRAP program.
New Launchers. Lockheed Martin receives a $31.3 million contract modification to provide additional M299 launchers and related equipment to the Army. The M299 is used aboard a variety of platforms to launch all variants of the Hellfire missile. Under the modification to the $51.3 million Launcher Bridge 3 contract awarded in 2007, Lockheed Martin will supply an additional 298 M299 helicopter-mounted four-rail missile launchers, 134 launcher electronic assemblies (LEA) and multiple spares. The original contract called for delivery of 430 launchers and 376 LEAs to U.S. and international forces, and it also included multiple spares, engineering services and depot support.Deliveries under the original Bridge 3 contract are currently underway. Lockheed Martin is increasing the rate of production to accommodate the work. With the additional orders, deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2011.