• The global armored vehicle and counter IED vehicle market is predicted to reach $25.1 billion this year, but decline to $24.1 billion by 2021, according to ASDReports.com

• Russian prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges against space officials over 4.3 billion ruble loss of 3 Glonass navigation satellites as the result of a failed launch attempt aboard a Proton-M rocket in December 2010.

• Pressure is building for land assaults on Somali pirate havens. Step 1 in the inevitable renaissance of the traditional “punitive expedition” concept?

• General Atomics delivers the 1st set of EMALS electro-magnetic catapult production components, to equip the new Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier class.

• Alenia Aeronautica delivers a stealth-maintaining weapons bay for the prototype nEUROn Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle to France’s Dassault Aviation.

• USAF demonstrates new C2 forward concept design to improve mobility of the JFACC [PDF] command post using existing technology.

• Lockheed Martin chief Bob Stevens tells media that his company is cutting $500 million in cost, most of that coming from a 26% reduction in senior executive personnel through early retirement.

• Royal Navy leases retrofitted ice breaker MV Polarbjorn from Norway’s GC Rieber Shipping to replace damaged ice breaker HMS Endurance in Antarctica.

• Israel Aerospace Industries’ Bedek division is taking its K-767 multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) to the global market. They’ll be converted from used Boeing 767-200s to keep the price low. IAI Bedek has already provided 1 to Colombia, and Israel is actively considering one as a combination VVIP plane/ tanker, alongside its KC-135s.

• Raytheon gets $84.7 million US Navy contact for continued production of the ALR-67v3 digital radar warning receivers for American F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and Swiss F/A-18C/D Hornets. See the linked articles for full details; the Pentagon announced the contract in April 2011.

• Global defense budget is expected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2012, according to ASDReports.com

• Lockheed Martin gets $45.3 million order to upgrade 22 Finnish Army M270 multiple launch rocket systems, enabling them to fire GPS-guided munitions.

• BAE Systems gets GBP 39 million in MOD contracts to improve the intelligence processing capability of the RAF’s Typhoon fighter.

• General Dynamics Electric Boat receives a $33.5 million contract modification to develop advanced submarine technologies for US Navy undersea platforms.

• Northrop Grumman and Georgia Institute of Technology to develop MEMS gyroscope technology for DARPA’s Microscale Rate Integrating Gyroscope program.

• UK uses Roll Over Drills Egress Trainers (RODETs) – armored hulls outfitted like a real vehicle that can be completely rotated – to teach troops at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan how to survive if their vehicle hits an IED.

• US Army Corp of Engineers unveils $5 billion Civil Works plan for FY 2011.

• Nearly 1,000 workers at 3 defense contractors in the Washington, DC area – General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman – are being laid off this year, the Washington Examiner reports.

• A number of projects are working to free science from the bottlenecks of copyright-bound paper articles, even for research produced on the public dime. Open source science is impractical for much defense R&D, except as a potential input. On the other hand, new Open Science approaches have shown great promise for areas like disease cures – which do have a military dimension.

• India continues working on creating a nuclear triad with the deployment of its 1st Arihant class nuclear submarine expected in 2012. It also has inspection teams doing assurance checks in advance of an expected buy of M777 ultra-light howitzers.

• UK announces plans for a new nuclear-powered submarine to replace its existing Vanguard class submarine. Advance design contracts for the missile section started a while ago, and the main build decision is expected in 2016.

• Italy accepts 2 of its 4 ordered KC-767A aerial tankers into service, after a long set of technical delays and certifications.

• Israel is setting up a taskforce to develop defense capabilities against cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Rumor has it that they set up a task force to handle the other end a while back. You’d have to ask the Iranians.

• The US Army may have to spend at least $441 million to replenish prepositioned equipment to meet combatant command planning requirements, part of the $4.5 billion needed to fully reconstitute the Army’s prepositioned stocks, the GAO says.

• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev fires weapons plant officials and defense ministry officials over delays in deliveries of new weapon systems, after musing about the good old days when they would have enjoyed “hard physical labor in the fresh air.” Getting Russia’s defense industry back on its feet won’t be easy – but the money is there. It will happen. Eventually.

• White House unveils [PDF] an international cyberspace strategy that includes a call for tightening global defenses against cyber attack and using “all necessary means” to defend networks. Until the US can go on offense, it doesn’t matter much since there’s no cost to attacks.
  Continue Reading… »

• Turkey’s current account deficit is hitting levels that worry some observers. High levels have been predictors of economic crises in the past. If that comes to pass, there are a lot of new and pending weapons programs that would be affected.

• Turkey’s next-generation fighters are among them. There are reports of growing interest in a split-buy, to reduce dependence on the USA. Italy’s government is pushing Turkey to solve that problem by joining the Eurofighter consortium. Turkey might also pick a hi-low approach, and join existing arms partners South Korea and Indonesia in KF-X.

• BAE Systems snags 10-year, $850 million contract to manage the US Army’s Radford ammunition plant in southwest Virginia; stock of incumbent ATK takes a hit.

• In the money: EADS posts a net loss of EUR 12 million, on revenues of EUR 9.9 billion, as a result of negative dollar accounting revaluation; however, net cash reserves reach record EUR 12.2 billion (~17.2B USD).

• Russian Space Forces plans to test a new Voronezh DM radar being built near Baltic port of Kaliningrad by end of 2011, one of four radars being built to fill radar coverage gaps created by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

• Goodrich completes EUR 331 million for Microtecnica, a Turin, Italy-based provider of flight control actuation systems for helicopters, aircraft, missile actuation, and aircraft thermal and environmental control systems for military and commercial customers.

• Azerbaijan extends joint production agreement with South Africa’s Paramount Group to produce an additional 30 Marauder [PDF] and 30 Matador [PDF] mine-protected vehicles, with deliveries running through late 2012.

• Raytheon & Boeing finish government testing of their JAGM light strike missile contender, and keep their perfect test record.

• Good news: 1st A109 light helicopter from the May 2008 contract enters service in New Zealand. Bad news: They’re still waiting for the NH90-TTH medium helicopters from their July 2006 contract.

• Northrop Grumman is cutting 200 jobs at its Electronics Systems division, mostly in the Baltimore area.

• Terrorists have procurement networks, too – most of which also have criminal uses. Read FP Magazine’s slanted but still enlightening “Tunnelnomics” piece re: the Israeli/Gaza border.

• Economic events will be driving more and more military budget decisions over the next few years. Writing in Caixin Weekly, Andy Xie pens “Chimerica’s Slippery Slope to Stagflation.”

• State-controlled Russian Helicopters indefinitely suspends $500 million IPO due to lack of interest; company announces delivery of 3 Mi-171Sh helicopters to Peru defense ministry.

• Boeing delivers UAE’s 1st C-17A heavy airlifter. The UAE ordered 6: they will take delivery of 3 more C-17s in 2011, and 2 in 2012.

• The Royal Netherlands Navy takes delivery of mission planning and analysis systems from Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland for its fleet of NH90 NFH medium twin naval helicopters.

• Alexander could have used this: Elbit Systems snags EUR 43 million contract to build a helicopter pilot training center for Macedonia’s defense and security forces. Macedonian airpower is mostly helicopters.

• UK’s new Defense Infrastructure Organisation plans to save GBP 1 billion over the next 4 years through sale of surplus land and buildings.

• Lockheed Martin gets $24 million USMC contract to upgrade 36 gunnery trainers for the M1A1 main battle tank and LAV-25 light armored vehicle.

• General Dynamics NASSCO lays keel for T-AKE 14, a US Navy Lewis and Clark class dry cargo/ammunition ship. They also tout considerable manufacturing improvements over the class’ lifetime.

• Col. Tom Lynch, USAR (ret.) discusses policy & perils in Pakistan. Now that Pakistan has basically been caught harboring Osama Bin Laden, many aspects of the US-Pakistan relationship, and its associated military aid, are in question. Read the contrasting viewpoints as food for thought.

• The liberal-centrist hybrid warfare specialists at the Center for a New American Security think-tank release “Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels and U.S. National Security”, and “Security Through Partnership: Fighting Transnational Cartels in the Western Hemisphere.” They are entirely correct to recognize crime cartels as near-state-level security threats, and their reports are worth attention.

• European Defence Agency is calling on members to reduce or eliminate reliance on outside suppliers for key technologies. Translation: buy American less often. The EDA’s effort is independent of issues with US export controls, but America’s combination of actions and inaction have made the EU’s reception warmer, and their task much easier.

• Keith Hennessey on why the USA’s upcoming debt-limit increase fight will be different than budget battles.

• Pentagon figures out that the services and industry has gamed its requirements process. Proposes new process. Wonder who can adapt faster?

• The Jihadis’ “Worlds of Warcraft”, and the intrinsic logic of “gamified” interaction systems.

• Georgia annuls agreement with Russia allowing Russian troops to transport military equipment across the country to a base in Armenia. Something to do with Russia trying to annul Georgia…

• Thales picks up a $50 million sub-contract for rifled 120mm mortar ammunition, as part of the US Marines’ EFSS program. The system was recently deployed in Afghanistan.

• United Technologies’ LifePort gets 5-year contract worth up to $45.5 million to provide Stanchion Litter Systems (stretchers) for US military medical evacuation.

• ASFT founder Anjan Dutta-Gupta agrees to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence, RI to bribery of a public official in connection with an alleged kickback scheme of more than $9 million in Navy defense technology contracts.

• General Dynamics gets $13 million in contracts to supply 22 M61A2 20mm Gatling gun systems for the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F fighters and GAU-19/A Gatling gun spare items for the US Army.

• Pentagon procures Kevlar underwear and titanium athletic supporters to provide protection for US troops in Afghanistan from IEDs. Now that’s what we call protection!

“Where does it hurt?”

The US military is a military on the move. It also is a military on the computer and the network. Linking those two aspects together are notebook computers that can be taken on patrol as well as used on the flight line, at a command post, or in a field hospital.

But US military’s notebooks are not like everyday laptops. They are built to withstand the harsh conditions of Afghanistan or the demanding conditions of flight-line maintenance. They need to be rugged and able to withstand sand, water, wind, heat, cold, jarring impacts, and various chemicals and fluids.

This article examines the US military’s standards and criteria for rugged notebook computers, the environmental and work environments that the rugged computers must be able to endure, as well as assessments of how rugged computers respond in practice. But first, let’s examine what we mean by the term “rugged.”

• What is rugged equipment?
• Gold standard
• On the battlefield
• Flight-line use
• Procurement of rugged computers
• Key Contacts
• Additional Reading
  Continue Reading… »

• Reuters Special Report: How Libya is a showcase in the new arms race. Dassault’s Rafale fighters definitely grabbed attention with their reconnaissance and ground attack punch – still needs a targeting pod, though. Competing Eurofighters are touting EGBU-16 GPS/laser-guided bomb tests and showcasing their Paveway precision attack punch in Libya, complete with targeting pods, while Tornados fire the new MBDA Brimstone anti-armor missiles. Meanwhile, the US State Department has reportedly restricted some proposed regional arms sales from American firms.

• Qatar supplies French-made Milan anti-tank missile systems to Libyan rebels. Can they use them effectively?

• SpaceX prepping Falcon 9 Heavy rocket, aims to surpass EELV performance and break the $1,000 per pound barrier for payload delivery to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• Northrop Grumman, US Navy successfully test laser weapon by setting target boat on fire.

• After posting a healthy 8.6% annual growth rate from 2006 to 2010, Portugal’s defense budget is headed for a .45% annual decline through 2015, according to iCD Research. Of course, if Portugal’s lenders keep raising their rates… any Wall St. types want a used F-16 for their garage? Maybe a U212A submarine to cruise Cape Cod?

• US Army Rapid Fielding Initiative’s Project Workhorse hopes to field a load-carrying, soldier-following robot to Afghanistan by October 2011. Nothing like testing the idea on terrain fit for the Mars Rover.

• IAI is offering a tethered ETOP UFO-style UAV in Latin America, to provide 10+ km radius surveillance from tactical ground vehicles.

• SAIC gets $41 million SeaPort-e task order to develop a lifecycle research program to combat equipment and infrastructure corrosion, which the DoD estimates [PDF] costs $22.5 billion per year to address.

• Pall gets $14 million order to supply engine filters for 59 US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

• Setpoint Systems snags an $11.9 million contract from ATK Small Caliber Systems to provide 4 additional .50-caliber ammunition case manufacturing systems at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, MO.

• ROE Farce. Taliban detainees who had been videotaped placing bombs in the culverts of roads near Kandahar, with chemical traces found on their hands, are released after 96 hours rather than prosecuted, in a drearily familiar routine. All the technology in the world won’t make up for terrible policy, and its corresponding effects on both morale and local cooperation.

• Defense industry needs to improve cost, weight, and energy efficiencies in new weapons systems, US defense officials tell US Navy League conference.

• Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace says DoD should be in charge of US cybersecurity, not the Department of Homeland Security.

• Microsemi and Anaren are competing to acquire AML Communications, a Camarillo, CA-based defense electronics supplier (e.g., for Raytheon’s MALD decoys). With a bid of $28 million, Microsemi is the front runner.

• Meanwhile, Forbes is predicting a wave of consolidation in the defense electronics market.

• Lockheed Martin, URS, and InDyne team to bid on USAF Launch and Test Range System Integrated Support Contract (LISC), which is a follow-on to the Spacelift Range Systems contract currently held by ITT. LISC is expected to be awarded in 2012 for an estimated value of between $2 billion and $3 billion.

• ATK gets $49.9 million contract option to supply LW30mm M789 HEDP ammunition [PDF] for the M230 chain gun mounted on the US Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.