The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
McCain Tanks Tanker Talk. Defense Secretary Robert Gates isn’t the only Washington heavyweight reiterating his opposition to buying a replacement Air Force tanker from both Boeing and a Northrop Grumman-European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. team. SASC Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) says he’s “troubled by recent reports that suggest some members of Congress have advocated statutorally directing a split buy.” He adds during a March 17 hearing: “The replacement tanker decision must be based on a competitive process that provides a warfighter with the best possible tanker at the best possible cost to the taxpayer. Obviously, splitting this contract would have a dramatic increase in the cost to the taxpayer. So we don’t need an expedient political decision that is totally impractical and inefficient.”
…Session’s Session. Northrop Grumman publicly says it would be open to a dual tanker procurement, if supportive lawmakers are correct in saying it is the only way to get tankers to warfighters quickly. Would Northrop Grumman supporter Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) support a dual procurement? “The short answer would be ‘Yes,'” the SASC member tells Defense Daily, “but it’s pretty obvious that Boeing would have to make a dramatic reduction in their bid price. As (Pentagon acquisition chief) John Young made clear, Boeing was at $15 billion and Northrop Grumman was at $12 (billion)…But if we can work out something that can move this forward more rapidly, completely change our configuration of our tankers, get new ones in there, I wouldn’t oppose that.”
Hillary’s Helicopter. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly says she did everything in her power as New York senator to ensure that the manufacture of the replacement presidential helicopter in the state went forward, PolitickerNY.com reports. “Clinton said in a conversation at a private gala on March 11 in Washington that she had done ‘everything she could’ to get the contract, according to one attendee,” the publication reports March 20, adding: “‘Now you can’t also ask me to build the helicopters,’ the attendee recalled her saying. ‘Now you’ve got to speak with the current senators. It’s their turn now.'” The Navy recently notified Congress that the VH-71 chopper, built by a Lockheed Martin- Bell Helicopter Textron-AgustaWestland team, suffered a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach. President Obama has also described it as a program “run amok.”
FCS Focus. The HASC Air Land subcommittee has rescheduled its hearing on the Armys’ much-scrutinized Future Combat Systems (FCS) program for this Thursday at 2 p.m. The session scheduled for last Tuesday was canceled because Chairman Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) had a medical emergency. Army officials are expected to further contest parts of a March 12 GAO report on FCS, including the assertion it’s in danger of running over budget, and argue it is well-positioned for a May system-of-systems preliminary design review.
Air Sovereignty Alert. Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, says “our ability to maintain air sovereignty in the future is at risk.” He tells the SASC in writing: “Legacy fighters are aging and will be stressed to maintain reliability and capability as we move into the 2013-2025 timeframe…NORAD’s ability to accomplish its missions will be impacted if legacy fighters retire without a designated replacement being fielded in adequate numbers to maintain NORAD’s air defense response capability. The tradeoff between modernization of legacy airframes and transformation to fifth generation aircraft could limit efforts to keep pace with emerging challenges. Currently, legacy fighters, tankers, and airborne early warning aircraft adequately meet all aspects of the Air Sovereignty Alert mission. Recapitalization of legacy aircraft is critical to the future success of the NORAD mission set.”
Bigger Toolbox. The Army last week for the first time shot an air defense surface-launched variant of an Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) off of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The demonstration took place at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., according to Army program managers. As the service continues to merge its artillery and air defense branches, a common launcher for different types of rockets and missiles would provide soldiers with “a more efficient and versatile platform with which they can engage both ground and air targets,” says one Army artillery commander.
Building An Amphib Fleet. The Navy and Marine Corps need to reuse both the LPD-17 and T-AKE hulls to build an amphib fleet of 33 “echelon ships,” Robert Work, vice president strategic studies for the CSBA, tells attendees at last week’s Surface Navy Association luncheon. Work says he prefers the LPD-17 hull for the future LCCR command ship because it’s a little bit more protected against a nuclear threat environment. He proposes building two LCCRs and then going right into the LSD replacement. “The first seven LSD-LPD-17 hulls you put in, you take seven Whidbey Islands (LSD-41), or Harper’s Ferries (LSD-49) or Boxers (LHD-4),” and convert them to Military Sealift Command ships to become staging ships,” he adds.
…Escort Service. Work also proposes building four LHRs and calling them escort carriers. “I don’t believe they are a true amphibious assault ship…[an] amphibious assault ship needs a well deck…I do believe…recommend…you cut down to 10 carriers, and build four escort carriers.” And the Navy’s Maritime Pre-position Force Future “needs to be completely rethought,” he adds.
…The Price Is Right. Work estimates that his plan for the Navy’s fleet would cost $21 billion. That would also pay for the SSBN(X), $500 million annually for small combatants and $750 million for modernization efforts. “When you compare it to the Navy’s plan, it is very close to what the Navy is thinking.” Work questions if the Navy will even get $20 billion a year. “It will be tough. [Rep. Gene] Taylor (D-Miss.) said he didn’t see much more than $14 [billion]…and you have to pay for refueling…refurbs…and SSBN. It would be a totally different Navy…you’d have to start with a clean sheet of paper.”
Delivering The Message. Since the release of the Navy’s maritime strategy document, service officials, along with Marine Corps and Cost Guard officials, have crisscrossed the country in their conversation with America. Even with the effort, the question still remains: Is there a good understanding in the country of what exactly the Navy does? “I am afraid there isn’t. I think we have a few problems there,” then-Navy Secretary Donald Winter tells Defense Daily in one of his last interviews before leaving office. “First of all is the classical problem–a smaller and smaller part of the American populace has much connection with the military anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I think the all-volunteer military is the only way to go, but one of the unintended consequences of that is that the vast majority of the American people just don’t understand, and not surprisingly so.”
…No Connection To The Sea. The other thing that is unique to the Navy, Winter says, is that most Americans have very little, if any, connection with the maritime domain. “What percentage of the American populace has traveled by ship…has any connection to the maritime commerce…has any sense of how much we as a nation depend on the maritime?” Another advantage the Navy has is that it doesn’t impose itself on other nations, Winter adds. “We are off-shore…we are not a big presence. But that is also emblematic of the fact that we don’t impose ourselves on this nation much at all either.”
Accident. The USS New Orleans (LPD-18) and the USS Hartford (SSN-768) collided March 19 in the Strait of Hormuz while on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO), the Navy says. Fifteen sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly injured. All have returned to duty, the Navy adds. While the service is evaluating the damage to both ships, the Navy says there was no damage to the Hartford‘s propulsion system. The New Orleans, however, suffered a ruptured fuel tank resulting in 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel marine spilling into the strait, the Navy says.
New Cyber Venture. SRC announces plans to create a new business area for cyber capabilities, based out of Chantilly, Va., the company says. The not-for-profit research and development organization is already heavily invested and experienced in several cyber capabilities today, and the creation of their Cyber Business Area will increase their focus on the emerging market. Cyber, in the sense of Government security and defense, provides a broad market space and numerous opportunities across a myriad of disciplines. Many of these areas align with the company’s charter and vision: to improve the quality of life in America and keep its citizens safe, the company says.
Saving Bucks. Shipboard coatings initiatives managed by NAVSEA’s Engineering for Reduced Maintenance (ERM) program are projected to save the Navy more than $1.8 billion over 20 years, the Navy says. One of the initiatives, which is being worked in conjunction with the NAVSEA Cumbersome Work Practices Task Force, calls for a new, high-solids, rapid-cure, single-coat painting process that requires less application time than current three-coat systems. Prepping and painting the tanks and voids has traditionally been a lengthy, tedious and labor-intensive process. The single-coat initiative uses new paints that can be rapidly applied in a single coat and take much less time to dry than previous paints. This cuts the time waiting for the initial coat to dry, along with the time required to apply two additional coats of paint and the days-long drying period between each coat, the Navy adds.
…Other Initiatives. Single-coat paints have been successfully demonstrated on aircraft carriers, submarines, amphibious ships and surface combatants. The coatings are projected to last as long as 20 years, reducing the fleet need to replace coatings for decades to come, the Navy notes. Another coatings initiative is the development and installation of tank wireless corrosion sensors in ballast tanks on Navy amphibious ships. The sensors constantly track the performance of the coating in a ballast tank by monitoring how effectively the coating is controling corrosion in the tank. Because the devices are wireless, inspectors can remotely monitor the tanks, avoiding the time and expense of opening, gas-freeing and inspecting the tanks. Wireless corrosion sensors reduce the time required to inspect a tank from days to a matter of minutes, resulting in an average tank inspection cost savings of around $12,000 per tank. The team is also developing a tank inspection tool called the Insertable Stalk Inspection System (ISIS) that links directly to Navy paperless maintenance database systems, the Navy says. This should reduce overall maintenance planning and inspection costs. ISIS essentially provides a safe and low-cost method to assess coating conditions with a high degree of accuracy in tanks that are corroding, the Navy says.
Makin Good. The amphibious assault ship Makin Island (LHD-8) successfully completed acceptance trials March 19 after spending three days at sea. The trials took place off the coast of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s Pascagoula facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, the Navy says. All major systems and equipment were tested by INSURV. Makin Island, which will be the eighth Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, differs from the other ships of the class because of its innovative new propulsion system. This unique auxiliary propulsion system (APS) is designed with fuel efficiency in mind. Instead of using main propulsion engines to power the ship’s shaft, the APS uses two induction- type auxiliary propulsion motors powered from the ship’s electrical grid. The ship will be able to use its APS approximately 75 percent of the time, replacing the less-efficient gas turbines., the Navy says. The propulsion plant and electrical distribution and auxiliary systems designed and built for Makin Island will also be used aboard the future USS America (LHA-6), the first ship in the LHA Replacement program.
Ambulance Showcase. Today and tomorrow General Dynamics showcases its Stryker Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV) for the first time in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill. The Army is now delivering the MEVs across the service. The MEVs are standard with the seven Stryker Brigade Combat Teams. Army combat medics and General Dynamics personnel will be on hand at Garfield Circle, next to the U.S. Botanic Gardens, to talk about the Army’s newest ambulance.
NATO Goes Metro. Marking its 60th Anniversary Summit, NATO will spotlight Allied efforts in Afghanistan through a campaign in the capital where the North Atlantic Treaty was signed to found the organization. NATO will run a display campaign in Washington, D.C.’s Metro system from today through April 19, coinciding with the 60th Anniversary Summit jointly hosted by France and Germany. The 20″x21″ displays will run inside the Washington Metro cars where they will be visible to tens of thousands of commuters and tourists daily. The displays use powerful, intimate photographs to illustrate the diverse missions performed by Allies and Afghans in support of the security mission in the country. They include Spanish tactical air controllers, British Royal Marine Commandos, Afghan National Army and Police, Lithuanian civil affairs teams and French paratroopers, among others
Plug And Play. Work on the JTRS Ground Mobile Radio continues as the program continually adds more nodes, says Ralph Moslener, Boeing JTRS GMR program manager, in a teleconference last week. By early 2010, “we’ll probably be up to 60 nodes,” and may add more, depending on discussions with the Future Combat System program. “We are under contract to do modeling and simulation for 250 nodes,” he says. “We completed that.”
Highest Level. General Dynamics Amphibious Systems achieves Maturity Level 5 rating on the SEI’s Capability Maturity Modelr Integration (CMMI) Version 1.2, the highest maturity rating a company can obtain in a combined systems engineering, software engineering and supplier sourcing process evaluation. “The General Dynamics Amphibious Systems software engineering teams have consistently provided quality products for our customers, from baselined software builds, prototypes and technical and design support to requirements and testing,” Robert Turner, vice president, General Dynamics Amphibious Systems, says. “This CMMIr Level 5 appraisal enhances our competitive position in today’s market as well as confirms what we’ve always known: Our people are world-class performers, and consistently deliver high-performance, low-risk solutions.”
Millions of Magazines. Brownells, the Iowa gunsmithing tool and firearm accessory supplier, receives another contract for magazines from Army TACOM, Rock Island, Ill. The contract calls for a total of 1.4 million magazines with deliveries to begin in June and be completed by June 2010. Company CEO Frank Brownell says, “We’re so honored to have been selected to help our military keep a steady supply of good equipment going to the brave folks defending our freedom.” The contract will be filled with the latest specification, Improved 30-Round Magazine design. Company President Pete Brownell says, “We’ve ramped up production considerably to meet the production schedule and plan to keep building a sufficient supply of magazines for the civilian market, too.” Brownells first military magazine contract ran from November 2006 to May 2007 and was completed on time with all lots passing every phase of the rigorous testing required.
Forum. SNA holds its first maritime security forum March 25 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn. This event will bring Navy, Coast Guard, industry, inter-agency and international stakeholders together to discuss the Cooperative Strategy for 21st century seapower and how it applies to maritime security. Among those slated to speak at the event are: Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert Papp, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Richard Kelly, Navy Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, and Navy Rear Adm. Mike Mahon.