• Former Northrop Grumman engineer Noshir Gowadia gets 32 years in prison for assisting China in developing a low-signature cruise missile exhaust system and providing classified information on the B-2 Spirit bomber.

• When Aviation Week is writing editorials called “Get Real on National Security,” change is definitely in the air.

• Portland, OR-based Vigor Industrial expects to complete its $130 million purchase [PDF] of Seattle, WA-based military and civilian shipbuilder Todd Shipyards on Jan. 28/11, after Todd allows “go shop” period to expire.

• RAND report [PDF] says there is no “direct benefit” to the US military’s use of alternative fuels for tactical operations. It recommends that the military stick to proven tech, and focus on efficiency rather than cutting edge commercialization.

• ABI Research: Military spending and Gallium Nitride adoption is fueling demand for RF power semiconductors used in radar and military communication and electronics equipment.

• Thermacore gets $3 million contract extension to continue development of active heat sink technologies used to cool military electronics systems, under DARPA’s Micro-technologies for Air-Cooled Exchangers (MACE) program.

• US Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn meets with NATO counterparts about implementing cyber shield plan approved at the Lisbon Summit.

• Cpl. Katrina “Combat Barbie” Hodge, Miss England 2010 and bravery commendation recipient for her actions in Basra, Iraq, is set to deploy to Afghanistan.

F-35A: incoming…

The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners.” Now the challenge is agreeing on production phase membership and arrangements, to be followed by initial purchase commitments in 2009-2010.

This updated article has expanded to feature more detail regarding the F-35 program, including contracts, sub-contracts, and notable events and reports. Recent events and major programs shifts have been added to this article, in order to ensure maximum continuity and context, but a 2011-2012 article will come to the fore soon.

• The F-35 Family of Aircraft
• F-35 Program: Production Timelines & Structure [updated]
• F-35 Program: Controversies and Competitions
• F-35 Program: Events & Developments, CY 2009-2010 [updated]
• F-35 Program: System Development & Production Contracts, FY 2009-2010
• F-35 Program: Ancillary and Sub-contracts, FY 2009 – 2010 [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

LITENING AT onto B-52

“ATP-SE: LITENING Strikes as USAF Splits Future Targeting Pod Orders” covered the USAF’s recent multi-year, dual-buy award of cutting-edge surveillance and targeting pods from Lockheed Martin (Sniper ATP-SE), and Northrop Grumman (LITENING SE). The award was a breakthrough for Northrop Grumman, but they do have other American contracts to supply the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force Reserve/ National Guard.

In late December 2010, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Rolling Meadows, IL received a $486 million contract modification from US Naval Air Systems Command. The firm has now confirmed that order’s precise makeup to DID…

B-52H, B-1B & B-2A

Bomber is back on the agenda. (Jan 6/11)

The good news? 2006 saw a convergence of opinion within the USAF that a new long-range strike platform was needed. This is understandable given the B-52H Stratofortress fleet’s age (40-50 years), the B-1B Lancer’s internal power and electronics issues, both of these platforms’ low survivability against advanced air defense systems, and the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber’s very small numbers (21, of which 7-12 are generally operational). The unmanned J-UCAS program, meanwhile was seen as having inadequate range and payload (Boeing X-45C: 1,400 mile radius with 8 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs). The USAF decided that J-UCAS wasn’t a solution and pulled out, stalling American UCAV development until the Navy chose to go ahead with the carrier-based N-UCAS.

The bad news? They seemed to have little idea of exactly what they wanted in their bomber. The FY 2010 budget killed those plans anyway, but in September 2010, pressure to field a new bomber began to rise again…

• Bad News, Good News [updated]
• Competing Teams
• Additional Readings & Updates [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

• The Harmony Project – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point releases “Self-Inflicted Wounds: Debates and Divisions within al-Qa’ida and its Periphery.” If you want a snapshot of the war from the other side, this is an excellent starting place.

• North Korea has added battle tanks based on the old Soviet Union T-72 to its arsenal and boosted its special forces, artillery pieces, and weapons of mass destruction over the past 2 years, according to South Korea’s 2010 defense white paper. All that said, the South would wipe the floor with them in a full-on war – but at the cost of Seoul.

• Washington state defense contractors are adjusting to lower defense spending.

• Regulatory paperwork causes Airbus to miss it 2010 target for fielding Australia’s KC-30 aerial tanker.

• Canada deploys its initial CC-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

• The XB-70 Valkyrie was almost the 1st nuclear-powered bomber.

• Egypt resisted US pressure to refocus its military to counter “asymmetric threats,” such as terrorism, weapons smuggled into Gaza, and piracy, leaked cable shows.

• MIKEL, a Fall River, MA-based sonar signal processing firm, gets a $9.1 million contract to provide research automation and data fusion, target motion analysis, weapon employment, and tactical decision aids for U.S. Navy submarines.

• ASPI analyst Mark Thomson discusses the underlying economic realities that may cripple western military power, and what that means for Australia.

• French Groupement des Industries de Construction et d’Activités Navales (GICAN) Chairman Jean-Marie Poimboeuf offers some thoughts of his own in the naval sphere.

• The Managing Director of BAE Australia offers some thoughts on that country’s defense industry, and the government’s Strategic Reform Program

• Australia may end up cutting its Armidale Class replacement corvette/OPV project.

• AeroVironment’s Global Observer High Altitude, Extreme Endurance UAV completes initial flight testing at Edwards AFB, CA.

• Russia presses for limits to troop and equipment levels in NATO’s new members.

• Iranian Cyber Army offers botnets for rent to cyber criminals, after hacking Twitter and Chinese search engine Baidu.

• RAF unit puts out fires in Afghanistan, literally.

• General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman post higher third-quarter profits and boost earnings guidance for year.

• Boeing agrees to pay $4 million to settle US Department of Justice lawsuit alleging company overcharged the USAF for B-1 bomber towed decoy system kits.

• US universities weigh in on the direction of, and trends in, US defense research as it applies to them.

• Packing Aid: The US is expected to offer Pakistan $2 billion in military aid during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit this week.

• No Tweet Zone: Israel is banning the use of social media sites while soldiers are on base to reduce security leaks.

• HawkerBeechcraft AT-6C light attack turboprop aircraft finish Operational Assessment testing with USAF and Air National Guard pilots at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. See also corporate release [PDF]. Meanwhile, the corresponding LAAR program’s status remains very uncertain.

• Up to $249 million to Raytheon to remanufacture, overhaul, and repair equipment for the USMC Logistics Command.

• ATK gets $67 million contract to supply AAR-47 Missile Warning System weapon replaceable assemblies – which include optical sensors, control indicators, and computer processors – for helicopters and transport aircraft.

• Blissed Out: People in the US military are more satisfied at work than their private sector counterparts.

B-52H: flyin’ low,
dyin’ slow…

Officially, it’s the B-52H Stratofortress. Unofficially, it’s the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F**cker). Either way, this subsonic heavy bomber remains the mainstay of the U.S. strategic fleet after more than 50 years of service. A total of 102 B-52H bombers were delivered from FY 1961-1963, and 94 were still on the books as of May 2009, flying mostly from Barksdale AFB, LA and Minot AFB, ND. Of these, 18 are slated for retirement, leaving a planned fleet of 76. By the time that fleet retires in the 2030s, many will be around 70 years old.

The B-52H can’t be flown against heavy enemy air defenses, but a steady array of upgrades have kept the aircraft relevant to follow-on strikes and current wars, where its long time on station and precision weapons have made the BUFF beautiful. Those changes have included advanced communications, GPS guided weapons, advanced targeting pods, and more. The USAF isn’t done yet adding new features, and maintenance remains a challenge for an aircraft fleet that’s always older than its pilots. All of these things require contracts, and the B-52H fleet has several of them underway. So, how does 2010’s 8-year, $11.9 billion umbrella contract fit in…?

• CONECT, ESP, SWING: How Does This One Fit In?
• Contracts & Key Events
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• The Jerusalem Post gets a first-ever look into Israel’s “Sky Crows” electronic warfare unit, even as the CSM reports that the sophisticated “Stuxnet” software worm may be of Israeli origin. Its target? Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor.

• The US Small Business Administration suspends Virginia’s GTSI from government work on grounds of fraud, following a Washington Post investigation into contracting practices involving Alaska Native Corporations as fronts. GTSI vows to fight the suspension, even as it rejects a takeover offer from (ANC) Eyak Technology.

• New Pentagon rules widen the distinctions between contractors and government workers, but teamwork is still possible.

• Inter-Korean military talks end with no progress primarily because of ongoing tension over North Korea’s sinking of the ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772), a Pohang-class patrol combat corvette.

• NATO fuel trucks attacked and destroyed in Pakistan.

• Tactical radios: Harris receives $9.6 million contract to supply its RF-301M-HH handhelds to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

• Merlin the Magician: UK Royal Navy tests Merlin helicopters with Sting Ray Mod 1 anti-submarine torpedoes.

• L-1 gets $5.5 million order to expand licenses for the US DoD to use the company’s biometric ID system.

• Give Peace a Chance? Despite increasing belligerence coming from the north, including deployment of an additional 200 250mm MLRS rocket launchers along the border, South Korea is proposing holding inter-Korean military talks.

• A Scoop NZ story on the Indian arms export opportunity for the USA.

• Reports of BILL 2 anti-tank missile exports from Sweden to Saudi Arabia spark controversy.

• US Navy Cyclone Class patrol boat fleet sidelined for repairs; not surprising given their usage levels.

• A growing opportunity for “optionally manned” UAVs?

• Overseas Flight: Taiwan’s Army Aviation Special Forces Command recently flew a fleet of Army helicopters – including CH-47SD, AH-1W, OH-58D and UH-1H models – to the outlying Penghu Islands, 30 miles off Taiwan’s southwestern coast, the first ever cross-sea helicopter drill performed by the command.

• Renewed Interest: UK Defense Secretary appoints Lord Philip to head independent review of the 1994 crash of an RAF CH-47C Chinook helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland, after discovery of a controversial pre-crash UK MoD internal document describing problems with engine software.

• Big Sky Country: Local ranchers, pilots oppose plans to quadruple the size of the Powder River Training Complex [PDF], based at Ellworth AFB in South Dakota, to accommodate training of B-1B Lancer bombers.

• General Dynamics Land Systems gets $68 million contract to provide technical support, including identifying improvements and replacing obsolete parts, for the US Army’s M1 Abrams main battle tank.

• Frost & Sullivan: US DoD expected to increase spending on enterprise IT products and services by $2 billion, to $8.8 billion, by 2015.