The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Stayin’ On. Sean Stackley will continue as the Navy’s chief acquisition officer, the White House reports. Stackley took over as ASN RDA in the summer of 2008. As the Navy’s acquisition chief, he is responsible for the development and procurement of Navy and Marine Corps platforms and warfare systems. Before his appointment, Stackley served as a Professional Staff Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he was responsible for overseeing Navy and Marine Corps programs, U.S. Transportation Command matters, and related policy for the Seapower Subcommittee. He began his career as a surface warfare officer and has served in a range of industrial, fleet, program office, and headquarters assignments in ship design and construction, maintenance, logistics, and acquisition policy. Stackley is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and also holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.
Still Tilting. Boeing, along with industry partner Bell Helicopter Textron, is sticking to its guns in development of a quad-titlrotor derivative of the V-22 Osprey for the Army-Air Force Joint Future Theater Lift (JFTL) concept, despite significant changes to the ground service’s planned vehicle mix. Phil Dunford, vice president of Boeing’s rotorcraft operations, says he is confident that a tiltrotor platform is still the best solution for the Army’s intra-theater airlift needs–even though the lightweight combat vehicles that had been part of its Future Combat Systems (FCS) modernization program have been scrapped in favor of what in all likelihood will be a significantly heavier vehicle. “We’re still waiting on the new [Analysis of Alternatives] to see what direction the Army will go with this,” Dunford says. “We still believe in this concept, but really we have to cut down the development timeline for these revolutionary rotorcraft programs. Twenty-five years for a new product is just not good enough any more.”
Changing of the Guard. Gen. William Fraser III assumed command of Air Combat Command last week during a ceremony at Langley AFB, Va. Fraser, who had been serving as the Air Force vice chief of staff since last October, replaces Gen. John Corley, who retires on Nov. 1. Fraser was assigned to Langley from 2005 to 2006 as ACC vice commander. Fraser received Senate confirmation in May for his new post.
WTO Wrangling. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), a backer of the Northrop Grumman-European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. bid to build the Air Force tanker, says press reports and Boeing-supporting lawmakers are overstating the magnitude of the World Trade Organization’s interim ruling on U.S. claims of allegedly improper European government subsidies granted to Airbus, an EADS company. Shelby, a defense appropriator, notes in a Sept. 10 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the WTO’s interim report found many of the instances of European government aid to Airbus were legal. “I remain concerned with numerous press statements by Members of Congress seeking retaliation on this decision through the upcoming tanker contract,” Shelby says. “It would be a grave mistake, with severe consequences to both our economy and trade relations, to use a preliminary WTO report as justification for restricting the ability of our military to procure the best equipment possible.”
… DoD On WTO. Pentagon officials are examining the preliminary WTO report, spokesman Geoff Morrell tells reporters Sept. 9. “Right now people are looking into that, to see what if any impact the WTO decision would have, on our dealings with Airbus and others potentially,” Morrell says at the Pentagon. “It’s a fairly recent decision. And that has just been tasked to people who deal with such matters. And I don’t have anything to report back on what they’ve come up with. But I can assure you, it’s being looked at. And we’ll figure out what the impact is.”
Buying IT. Trying to get the latest IT systems into the hands of warfighters can take time because of an acquisition process more suited to buying aircraft, ships, tanks and vehicles. It’s an issue that certainly has the attention of Brig. Gen. George Allen, director of C4I and CIO for the Marine Corps. Allen tells Defense Daily he understands the need to provide advances in technology quickly to Marines who are engaged in current theaters of operation. “There are USMC processes in place that allow for divergence from the standard acquisition process to meet real-time operational demands. Urgent UNS comes to mind,” he says. “Each request is carefully evaluated to determine whether it is urgent, resources are available and if it warrants moving outside the normal acquisition process.”
…A Separate Path For IT? Is there a need for a separate IT acquisition system or a modification to DoD 5000? Allen thinks so. “Because of the rapid pace of technology advancement, it is clear that the current acquisition process for procuring an aircraft, truck or rifle is much different than acquiring IT systems. An acquisition approach which increases the speed of contracting, preserves acquisition integrity, and supports the Marine Corps IT needs is optimal.” OSD is working very hard at this right now, Allen adds. “They have working groups that are in session right now to look at a rapid IT acquisition process and we fully support that and we are very hopeful that something can turn around to make a lot more sense for us.”
Keeping Up With The Block 2s. Any changes made to the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet’s mission computer would, to the greatest extent possible, be retrofitted into the current inventory of Super Hornets, Marcia Hart-Wise, PEO(T) spokeswoman, tells Defense Daily. “There were significant aircraft and avionics architecture changes made to the Block 2 Super Hornets and Growlers to install the increased capability of the Advanced Mission Computers and Displays (AMC&D) system and the Advanced Crew Station (ACS), which improved the pilot-vehicle interface,” she says. “Retrofitting these changes to the Block 1 Super Hornet airframes is not economically feasible. However, most of the Block 1 aircraft will be retrofitted with the second-generation AMC (Type 2 AMC), including newer displays for some, leaving only 32 E/F aircraft using the AYK-14 mission computer.” Future updates to the mission computers will be considered for retrofit into existing F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18Gs on a case-by-case basis. The program office’s goal is to keep the Block 2 avionics architecture the same for all Block 2 aircraft, Hart-Wise adds.
Evolving The Standard Missile. Raytheon’s $93 million Navy contract for the SM-6 Block I continues the company’s evolution of trying to bring some new technologies into what the SM-2 already had, which was an incredibly capable airframe, Louis Moncada, SM-6 program director, tells Defense Daily. “It allows us to do things like ‘over the horizon’ and to do things where the missile begins to operate slightly more autonomously from the ship than it has in the past,” he says. “That allows the warfighter to have a lot of flexibility in using the weapon. It allows him to extend its range, allows us to essentially take the Standard Missile one more step where now not only do we have [a] semi- active [seeker]…but it allows us to add a lot more flexibility to the missile with this active seeker.”
LVSR IOCs. The Marine Corps’ newest logistics vehicle-Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR)-has achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC), the Marine Corps says. Fielding of the LVSR began stateside in April for user trials and testing, with the Marine Expeditionary Forces (I MEF at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and II MEF at Camp Lejeune, N.C.) and in late August, fielding was completed at III MEF in Okinawa. The 10×10 vehicle is equipped with Oshkosh’s TAK-4r independent suspension system. It has enhanced maneuverability from its four-axle steering capabilities and makes a complete 360-degree turn in nearly 84 feet. The LVSR will be used by the Marine Corps for the on and off-road transportation of heavy payloads, such as munitions, fuel, water and heavy equipment. The Marine Corps plans to acquire 1,592 LVSRs in cargo, wrecker and fifth-wheel variants.
Helping The Brazilian Navy. Brazil selects Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine to supply state-of-the-art navigation systems for four new NAPA 500-ton patrol vessels, with options for six additional vessels., the company reports. Sperry Marine will supply integrated bridge systems based on its new-generation VisionMaster FT(tm) navigation technology, including VisionMaster FT consoles, an electronic chart display and information system, navigation radars, heading and speed sensors, echosounder, steering control, mission data recorder and other subsystems. Sperry Marine will also supply MK 27F fiber-optic attitude and heading reference systems for the vessels under a separate contract, says Northrop Grumman. Sperry Marine previously won contracts to supply the same systems for the first two ships of the NAPA 500 class, which are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2009, the company adds.
New Partnership. BAE Systems and the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA) jointly agree to set up a manufacturing center designed to produce composite armor for public and private sector clients. “It was a historic day for Rock Island Arsenal,” says Col. Craig Cotter, commander of RIA. “It is a critical step forward in our efforts to expand our current capabilities.” BAE will provide the technology and processes to allow RIA to produce composite armor used in military ground vehicles, commercial armored vehicles, soldier protection equipment and other safety and survivability applications. This will complement BAE’s Tensylonr manufacturing. “We are committed to investing in the research and development of lightweight material solutions, which will help increase the survivability of products used by our men and women in uniform,” says Tony Russell, president of the company’s Security & Survivability business.
New Alliance. Northrop Grumman forms a strategic alliance with Finmeccanica’s SELEX Galileo to compete for the Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program. CIRCM is intended to provide the U.S. military with a laser-based infrared (IR) countermeasures solution against current and future IR threat systems. For the CIRCM program, the Northrop Grumman-SELEX Galileo team has integrated the ECLIPSE micro pointer/tracker with a processing and laser countermeasures capability to produce a 4th generation lightweight, highly reliable Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system specifically designed for medium and light helicopter protection.
New Mast. Lockheed Martin introduces a new, state-of-the art, robust Common Mast System (CMS) to support ground vehicle sensors, providing warfighters significantly enhanced situational awareness in all battlefield conditions. CMS, announced Sept. 9, is a highly-stable, elevated sensor platform for ground vehicles, providing support for sensor operation in any elevated position while on-the-move or in defilade, the company says. Developed as a Lockheed Martin independent research and development program, the CMS is a revolutionary design with significant improvements over current sensor mounts. While traditional platforms mount the sensor at the roofline, the Lockheed Martin CMS can elevate the sensor suite up to five meters above ground level. Once elevated, the CMS can remain extended at vehicle speeds up to 30 kilometers-per-hour for enhanced line-of-sight over rolling terrain, low buildings, heavy shrubbery, low tree lines and other obstructions.
More Trucks. Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corp., will deliver more than 45 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4s under a more than $23 million delivery order from the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command. Oshkosh Defense will manufacture and deliver the HEMTT M984 A4 Wreckers. Production will begin in March 2010 and will be completed by May 2010. The Oshkosh HEMTT’s 13-ton payload and off-road capabilities make it the backbone for the Army’s logistics fleet.
Industry Recognition. Sept. 16 will be the first National Aerospace Day and, according to Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion Blakey, an opportunity to say thank you to a very important part of the workforce in the United States that every day produces real benefit to the economy. “We’re really proud of our exports, $95 billion last year and a $57 billion export surplus…the largest by far of any manufacturing sector, so there is a lot to say thank you for,” Blakey says. The day also marks AIA’s 90th anniversary.
…Issue Focus. National Aerospace Day will give a good opportunity to focus on issues that are a broad concern to the aerospace and defense industry, Blakey says. Last week the House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing the importance of the maintaining the industry and Blakey is expecting the Senate to take action on a declaration this week. “The White House has been calling for facts and figures, so we’re hoping the President will take note as well,” she adds.
…Keynotes. Capitol Hill events on Sept. 16 will include a breakfast discussion of the defense and space industrial base with new NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Defense Science Board member Jacques Gansler. Norm Augustine, Chairman, Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, will speak during an aerospace caucus luncheon and following an afternoon of meetings between industry leaders and lawmakers, Senator Dan Inouye (D-Hawaii) will receive the “Wings of Liberty” sculpture. “This is the highest level of honor that the aerospace industry conveys on a Member of Congress,” Blakey says.
Reset Investments. AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey says that while there is inherent stability and slight growth expected this year in the aerospace and defense industry, real concerns remain on defense modernization. “We’re behind on this and it’s something we’re going to have to invest more heavily,” Blakey says. While she’s encouraged by some real growth in defense appropriations, from the standpoint of modernization, the broad procurement account of about $108 billion in the Senate Bill is not enough, she adds. “We should be somewhere between $120 billion-$150 billion to be resetting the way we need to do.”