Showing results 1 - 10 of 86 for the search terms: v-22.
Results for "v-22"
US Marines to Get G/ATOR AESA Ground Radars
16-Nov-2009 13:12 EST |
Related Stories: Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, FOCUS Articles, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Other Equipment - Land, Procurement Innovations, Radars
G/ATOR diorama
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The US military’s long run of unquestioned air superiority has led to shortcuts in mobile land-based air defenses, and the US Marines are no exception. A December 2005 release from Sen. Schumer’s office [D-NY] said that: “Current radar performance does not meet operational forces requirements… consequences could potentially allow opposing forces to gain air and ground superiority in future operational areas.”
One of the programs in the works to address this gap is the G/ATOR mobile radar system. It’s actually the result of fusing two programs: the Multi-Role Radar System (MRRS), and Ground Weapons Locator Radar (GWLR) requirements. When G/ATOR Increment IV becomes operational, it will replace and consolidate numerous legacy radars, including the AN/TPS-63 air surveillance, AN/MPQ-62 force control, AN/TPS-73 air traffic control, AN/UPS-3 air defense, and AN/TPQ-36/37 artillery tracking & locating radar systems.
The latest updates involve a contract modification that will change G/ATOR’s associated vehicle…
E-2D Hawkeye: The Navy’s New AWACS
09-Nov-2009 09:25 EST |
Related Stories: ABM, Americas - USA, Asia - India, Avionics, C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, Events, FOCUS Articles, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Radars, Raytheon, Rolls Royce, Signals Intercept, Cryptography, etc., Specialty Aircraft, United Technologies
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Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye serves as the US Navy and French Navy’s carrier-capable “mini-AWACS” aircraft. Its primary role is advance warning of incoming aerial threats; ship-based radars are far larger and more powerful, but cannot scan below the angle of the horizon. Secondary roles include strike command and control, land and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, communications relay, and even civil air traffic control during emergencies. E-2C Hawkeyes began replacing previous Hawkeye versions in 1973; they also fly from land bases in the militaries of Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and Taiwan; and are flown by the US Naval Reserve in a drug interdiction role. Over 200 Hawkeyes have been produced.
The $17.5 billion E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program aims to build 75 new aircraft with significant radar, engine, and electronics upgrades in order to deal with a world of stealthier cruise missiles, saturation attacks, and a growing need for ground surveillance as well as aerial scans. It looks a lot like the last generation E-2C Hawkeye 2000 upgrade on the outside – but inside, and even outside to some extent, it’s a whole new aircraft.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This DID FOCUS Article covers the E-2D program, from the new platform and its capabilities to the budgets, contracts, and companies making it all fly. The latest news involves a $15.6 million Northrop Grumman order to provide Phase I aircraft data management for the E-2D aircraft…
LPD-17 San Antonio Class: The USA’s New Amphibious Ships (updated)
05-Nov-2009 15:16 EST |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, Design Innovations, Expeditionary Warfare, FOCUS Articles, Forces - Marines, IT - General, Issues - Political, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Partnerships & Consortia, Policy - Procurement, Power Projection, Procurement Innovations, Project Failures, Project Methodologies, Radars, Raytheon, Surface Ships - Other
LPD-17 cutaway
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LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious assault support vessels are a new class of ship which is just entering service with the US Navy. Much like their predecessors, their mission is to embark, transport, land, and support elements of a US Marine Corps Landing Force. What changes are the capabilities and technologies incorporated to perform that mission. This new ship class includes significant internal technology and design upgrades, and is designed to operate accompanying platforms like the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle amphibious armored personnel carrier.
Between 10-11 scheduled ships of this class are slated to assume the functional duties of up to 41 previous ships, including the USA’s older LSD-36 USS Anchorage class dock landing ships (all decommissioned as of 2004, LSD-36 and LSD-38 transferred to Taiwan) and its LPD-4 USS Austin Class ships (12 built and serving, LPD 14 Trenton now India’s INS Jalashva). The San Antonio class ships may also replace 2 classes of ships currently mothballed and held in reserve status under the Amphibious Lift Enhancement Program (ALEP): the LST-1179 Newport class tank landing ships, and LKA-113 Charleston class amphibious cargo ships.
Welcome to Norfolk…
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Replacing that many existing ships is already a very tall order. While its design incorporates notable advances, the San Antonio Class has also had its share of teething problems. So, too, has the New Orleans shipyard to which most of this contract has been assigned. The number of serious issues encountered in this ship class have been much higher than usual, and more extensive. The initial ships have been criticized for sub-standard workmanship, and it took 2 1/2 years after the initial ship of class was delivered and accepted before any ship of class was sent on an operational cruise. Whereupon the USS San Antonio promptly found itself laid up Bahrain due to oil leaks. Meanwhile, costs are almost twice the originally promised amounts at over $1.7 billion per ship – 2 to 3 times as much as many foreign LPD classes, and more than 10 times as much as Singapore’s 6,600 ton Endeavour Class LPD.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This is DID’s FOCUS Article for the San Antonio Class, detailing the ships’ unique features and capabilities, its program innovations and issues, ship timelines, and related contracts throughout the program’s history. As has become DID custom, the most recent additions are highlighted in green type. The latest developments include a contract to Raytheon that could be worth over $175 million, and the imminent commissioning of the LPD 21 New York, which contains steel from the destroyed World Trade Center…
V-22 Osprey: The Multi-Year Program
03-Nov-2009 16:36 EST |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Boeing, Contracts - Modifications, Engines - Aircraft, Europe - E.U., GE, Helicopters & Rotary, Issues - Political, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Policy - Procurement, Rolls Royce, Spotlight articles
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In March 2008, the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, TX received a $10.4 billion modification that converted the previous advance acquisition contract (N00019-07-C-0001) to a fixed-price-incentive-fee, multi-year contract. The new contract now sits at $10.8 billion, and will be used to buy 141 MV-22 (for USMC) and 31 CV-22 (Air Force Special Operations) Osprey aircraft, plus associated manufacturing tooling to move the aircraft into full production.
The V-22 tilt-rotor program has been beset by controversy throughout its 20-year development period. DID’s “V-22 Osprey: A Flying Shame?” offers a focused look at a number of specific allegations associated with the program, with material from Pentagon test reports, critical reviews, ongoing news reports, and the US military’s responses. Despite these issues, and the emergence of competitive but more conventional compound helicopter technologies like Piasecki’s X-49 Speedhawk and Sikorsky’s X2, the V-22 program continues to move forward. This DID Spotlight article looks at the V-22’s new multi-year purchase contract, associated contracts for key V-22 systems, and program developments that arise after the contract conversion.
The latest developments involve a slew of minor contracts, and a very negative GAO report on the program. Which does nothing to change the program…
LTM Gets $25.8M Order to Support the Fleet Readiness Center East
28-Oct-2009 10:57 EDT |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Bases & Infrastructure, Contracts - Modifications, Engines - Aircraft, Fighters & Attack, Helicopters & Rotary, Other Corporation, Support & Maintenance, UAVs
LTM in Havelock, NC received a $25.8 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-01-D-0101) to support the Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East at Cherry Point, NC.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in Patuxent River, MD is exercising an option on the contract for LTM to provide approximately 431,707 hours of maintenance planning and design interface technical/management support services that include evaluating initial designs and proposed design changes, maintenance planning, and sustaining maintenance plans.
The FRC East provides maintenance, engineering and logistics support primarily for US Navy and US Marine Corps aircraft…
Continue reading…
Britain’s New CVF Future Carriers
25-Oct-2009 15:22 EDT |
Related Stories: Asia - China, BAE, Britain/U.K., Budgets, Contracts - Awards, Corporate Innovations, Europe - France, Events, FOCUS Articles, Force Structure, Issues - Political, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Partnerships & Consortia, Power Projection, Procurement Innovations, Project Management, Project Methodologies, Rolls Royce, Rumours, Surface Ships - Combat, Thales
RN CVF Concept
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In 1998, Britain’s Strategic Defence review (SDR) announced plans to replace the current set of 3 Invincible Class 22,000t escort carriers with 2 larger, more capable Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) ships that could operate a more powerful force. These new carriers would be joint-service platforms, operating aircraft and UAVs from all 3 services (Navy, RAF, Army) in roles that could include ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), force projection and logistics support, close air support, anti-submarine/ anti-surface naval warfare, and land attack.
The scale of the CVF effort relative to Britain’s past experiences means that the program structure is rather complex. It has passed through several stages already, and is being run and conducted within an industrial alliance framework. There is also a parallel international framework, involving cooperation with France on its PA2 carrier as a larger derivative of the CVF design.
This DID FOCUS article covers that structure and framework, ongoing developments, and the ships themselves as they round toward final design, construction, and fielding. The latest addition involves a report that one of the 2 carriers has been quasi-canceled, and Britain’s F-35 buy will be severely slashed…
Lockheed-Martin US101 Wins, Loses U.S. Presidential Helicopter Contract (updated)
22-Oct-2009 10:01 EDT |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, FOCUS Articles, Finmeccanica, GE, Issues - Political, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Transport & Utility
VH-71 Concept
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In June 2005, the U.S. Navy selected the US101 for a new fleet of “Marine One” helicopters for the President of the United States. The US101 is an American variant of AgustaWestland’s successful EH101 multimission medium helicopter; it beat out Sikorsky’s S-92 Superhawk, which is already in use as a VIP state transport in countries like South Korea. Lockheed Martin, which leads Team US101 as prime contractor, received a $1.7 billion contract from the Navy for the Marine One program’s systems development and demonstration phase.
Based on the contract schedule, the first US101 that was equipped to transport the President was expected to be available in 2009. The entire fleet of 28 US101s was scheduled for delivered to the Marine One squadron by late 2015.
This is DID’s FOCUS Article for the program. In 2008, the US Navy reached an agreement to proceed with the VH-71, despite a cost per aircraft equal to or greater than the President’s Air Force One 747s. In 2009, the program’s massive requirements changes and accompanying costs overruns led to its proposed cancellation, and a first round of layoffs from Lockheed Martin. Another round is on the way in the wake of a formal stop-work order and program cancellation, even as the Pentagon considers buying 2 different helicopters in the follow-on program. Recent additions include upgrades for the existing Presidential helicopter fleet, and veto recommendation threats from SecDef Gates…
MH-60R/S: The USA’s New Naval Workhorse Helicopters
06-Oct-2009 12:40 EDT |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Avionics, Budgets, Coastal & Littoral, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, FOCUS Articles, Force Structure, Helicopters & Rotary, IT - Software & Integration, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Raytheon, Sensors & Guidance, United Technologies
USN Heli Plan
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The US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawks have always had a naval counterpart. SH-60B/F Seahawk/ LAMPS helicopters were outfitted with maritime radar, sonobuoys, and other specialized equipment that let them perform a wide variety of roles, from supply and transport, to anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and even surface attack with their Penguin missiles. Like their land-based counterparts, however, the Seahawks are getting older. The Reagan defense build-up is receding into history, and its products are wearing out.
European countries chose to build new designs like the medium-heavy EH101 and the smaller NH90: larger helicopters built with corrosion-proof composites, and new features like rear ramps. The USA, in contrast, decided to upgrade existing H-60 designs for the Army and Navy. Hence the MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter (aka. “Romeo”) and MH-60S (aka. “Sierra”) Seahawks. MH-60Rs and MH-60Ss will eventually replace all SH-60B/F & HH-60H Seahawks, HH-1N Hueys, UH-3H Sea Kings, and CH-46D Sea Knight helicopters currently in the US Navy’s inventory.
Both programs are underway, and will be covered in this DID FOCUS Article. The latest additions include a number of minor contracts for associated equipment, and reports of growing export interest in the MH-60R…
JLTV: Hummer v2.0, or MRAP Lite?
06-Oct-2009 09:11 EDT |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, BAE, Boeing, Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, Europe - Other, FOCUS Articles, Finmeccanica, General Dynamics, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Middle East - Israel, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Partnerships & Consortia, R&D - Contracted, R&D - Private, Raytheon, T&C - SAIC
Ultra APV demonstrator
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In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles that do not need to be designed for combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.
These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Hummers as its main tactical vehicle in combat zones. The military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than the MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially improved protection over existing up-armored Hummers. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc. The end of October 2008 saw 3 contract awards out of 7 qualifying submissions, which will be developed over the next 27 months into rival designs for the JLTV’s systems design and development phase.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, though its future remains cloudy due to expected spending cutbacks and the possible presence of “good enough” substitutes. Recent updates include Australia’s continued participation, India’s interest, and a progress report…
Snakes and Rotors: The USMC’s H-1 Helicopter Program
22-Sep-2009 13:16 EDT |
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, FOCUS Articles, Forces - Marines, GE, Helicopters & Rotary, IT - Software & Integration, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Simulation & Training, Thales
The US Marines’ helicopter force is aging on all levels, from CH-46 Sea Knights that are far older than their pilots, to the 1980s-era UH-1N Hueys and AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters that make up the Corps’ helicopter assault force. While the V-22 program has staggered along for almost 2 decades under accidents, technical delays, and cost issues, replacement of the USMC’s backbone helicopter assets has languished. Given the high-demand scenarios inherent in the current war, other efforts are clearly required.
Enter the H-1 program, the USMC’s plan to remanufacture older helicopters into new and improved UH-1Y utility and AH-1Z attack helicopters. The new versions would discard the signature 2-bladed rotors for modern 4-bladed improvements, redo the aircraft’s electronics, and add improved engines and weapons to offer a new level of performance. It seemed simple, but hasn’t quite worked out that way. The H-1 program has encountered its share of delays and issues, but the program survived its review, and continues on into the low-rate initial production stage and Initial Operational Capability.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This article covers the H-1 helicopter programs’ rationales and changes, the upgrades involved in each model, program developments and annual budgets, the full timeline of contracts and key program developments, and related research sources. Recent additions include updated production plans, and an engineering change contract centered on the AH-1Z’s engines…
