• MBDA unveils the CVS401 Perseus concept missile system. Cast as MBDA’s “vision of a multi-role strike weapon system for 2030 and beyond”, Perseus is designed to be operated through advanced Operations and Mission Planning Systems across all platforms.

• MBDA also announces a successful underwater test launch of France’s SCALP/MdCN cruise missile, which will equip the future SSN Barracuda fast attack submarine. A 2006 French contract for 250 missiles covered both ship and submarine launched versions.

• Centurum wins a performance-based contract to provide command and control systems support for new Department of Defense (DoD) integrated systems and networks. The potential cumulative value of this contract is an estimated $77 million.

• Speaking to a media roundtable at the Paris Air Show, the President and Chief Executive of Boeing reflected on the company’s recent fortunes within Asia’s defense markets.

• US KC-46A 767 tankers will carry Raytheon’s AN/ALR-69 radar warning receivers, and their anti-jam GPS receivers.

• Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems announces that it has sold compact intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to an unnamed Latin American customer. The ELI-3120 is used for a number of homeland security tasks including the deterring of arms and narcotics trafficking.

• Research and Markets publishes the Syria Defense and Security Report Q3 2011.

• Three days after the completion of Operation Sea Breeze 2011, an unidentified diplomat tells RIA Novosti that Russia should not be surprised by talks between Ukraine and NATO that discussed “everything but membership”.

• Defense Legislation outlines the options to address Members of Congress’ concerns about the United States’ ability to acquire rare earth elements used in various defense weapons systems.

• Honeywell Aerospace’s President follows comments made by Boeing 24 hours earlier by also declaring that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will provide growth opportunities despite cuts to US defense expenditure. Beyond UAS, Mike Madsen also sees potential in retrofit and modernization programs.

• France’s Safran and China’s AVIC sign two memorandums of understanding (MoU) at the Paris Air Show. The first MoU focuses upon the development of new-generation turboshaft engines for heavy helicopters; the other concerns collaboration on avionics equipment for all types of aircraft.

• The Chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries sees opportunities for business development in the United States and Brazil, re-emphasizes the importance of defense ties with Turkey and has mixed feelings about joint ventures.

• Buoyed by recent contract wins in Sweden and Australia, Sikorsky looks to India as the next opportunity for export growth.

• M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS systems can carry more than just 227mm rockets. With thousands of North Korean artillery tubes pointed at Seoul, South Korea’s M270s are deployed near the border now, carrying ATACMS missiles that can hit Pyongyang.

• United Aircraft Corporation’s chief says that Russia’s Sukhoi PAK-FA fifth generation fighter is showing progress in its test flight program, before branding China’s J-20 as more for effect than substance.

• Carpenter Technology Corporation announces the acquisition of Latrobe Speciality Metals for approximately $338 million. Latrobe manufactures materials for aerospace and defense in the United States and United Kingdom.

• Defense Tech says that European fighters dominated the skies at the first day of the Paris Air Show.

• They also dominate India’s M-MRCA fighter competition, which may become more important. India’s proposed Mirage 2000 upgrade project is reportedly losing support among senior decision-makers.

• The deputy commander of Armenia’s air force tells journalists that the country manufactures and supplies its own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the country’s armed forces.

• Qatar’s 1st of 4 stretched C-130J-30 tactical transports takes to the air.

• Danger Room reports on a good few months for the Global Hawk drone.

• Admiral Jonathan Greenert will be the next US Chief of Naval Operations. Information Dissemination  responds: “If we ignore ADM Greenert’s total failure at Fleet Forces Command, this is good news.”

• WikiLeaks cables reveal that elements in Japan are thinking about their own nuclear deterrence, as confidence in the USA’s alliance and nuclear guarantee weakens.

• “What Gates’ [NATO] speech shows more than anything is the strategic weakness of cooperative strategy… The value of burden sharing only exists when there are mutually shared threats to stability and security, not when there are mutually shared benefits of stability and security.” If so, what does that mean for the US Navy’s Seapower strategy?

• Deputy Defense Secretary William J Lynn tells the Aerospace Industry Association that it is important to preserve the manufacturing facilities, financial strength and durability of the defense industrial base in the face of spending cuts.

• In a news briefing on the eve of the Paris Air Show, the head of strategy and business development for Boeing’s Defense Space and Security Unit sees cyber-security and new unmanned aircraft programs as growth opportunities despite impending cuts to US defense expenditure. Sales to Asia, the Middle East and Latin America are also under consideration.

• Raytheon receives a contract from the US Air Force to produce the first airborne tactical hyperspectral sensor system. The Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral (ACES HY) is an infrared sensor system developed to identify targets based on their spectral characteristics.

• As the US Department of Defense seeks greater energy efficiency across its operations, Honeywell and Safran sign a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture to deliver a new electric green taxiing system for aircraft.

• Australia’s Ministry of Defence announces that the tender for a $300 million five-year contract for the repair and maintenance of the Navy’s eight Anzac Class frigates has been released.

• Research and Markets publishes its Iran Defense and Security Report Q3 2011.

• Following last week’s pledge to improve defense ties between Israel and China, Xinhua reports on the social, economic and political factors driving the Israeli defense industry.

• In an address to the Center for Strategic Decision Research’s 28th International Workshop on Global Security, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn outlined the Defense Industrial Base Cyber Pilot. The program will enable the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to share classified information with participating defense companies to help them defend their computer networks from attack.

• Reuters reports that new versions of the malware that infiltrated the computer system of the U.S. Central Command in 2008 are still infecting U.S. networks.

• Former UK Defence Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind says the country should improve its overall response to state sponsored cyber-attacks.

• Israeli defense exports reached $7.2 billion in 2010, an increase on $6.9 billion for the previous year.

• The US Army is pursuing a 2-track future rifle strategy: its Individual Carbine competition; and the possibility of simply competing M4 Carbine buys, now that they own the data rights.

• Boeing has scored a big C-17 sale in India, but Flight International reports that “Arab Spring” unrest has delayed both Kuwait’s cleared C-17 purchase, and Qatar’s interest in adding 2 more C-17s to its fleet.

• Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin’s 3rd & 4th of 6 ordered Indian Special Forces C-130J-30 tactical transports take off for India.

• The US Navy’s new AARGM radar-killer missiles have begun testing on its new EA-18G Growler electronic warfare fighters.

• Boeing’s Phantom Eye high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned airborne system completes 12 days of tests at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

• India and China are to resume military ties one year after they were suspended due to a visa dispute.

• UAS Vision reports on the second day of the European UAS Conference, 2011. Brazil’s use of UAS to safeguard its borders and reports from Afghanistan are among the topics up for discussion.

• Reuters reports that the Chinese language Liberation Army Daily newspaper has published an article advocating that China builds up cyber warfare capabilities to counter American attempts to “seize the commanding military heights on the Internet”.

• Boeing will lay off up to 225 people at its Wichita, KS facility, as the civilian and military demand cycle drops for certain programs. The Wichita facility is involved in programs like the C-40 Clipper executive and transport fleet, E-4B and E-6B national command aircraft, ongoing support for the B-52H bomber, and soon, final conversion of the KC-46A aerial tankers.

• The French  Directorate General of Armaments awards Zodiac Milpro [PDF] a contract for 20 multi-purpose commando RIBs (ECUME) and four air delivery systems (SLE).

• Rheinmetall unveils new HE DM-11 secondary ammunition for MBT 120mm smoothbore guns. The HE DM-11 can be fired from any in-service 120 mm smoothbore gun and is deemed safe to fire in all climate zones.

• As the Arctic continues to increase in strategic significance Defence Watch considers the Canadian Armed Forces’ procurement requirements.

• Now a former U.S. defense industry CEO joins the debate regarding China’s J-20 fighter.

• Danger Room ponders over the topics to be covered by DARPA’s 100 Years Starship conference. The program ties ethical and moral concerns to DARPA’s quest to achieve interstellar flight by 2111. If Jack Kirby’s - the creator of the Silver Surfer cartoon – comments are anything to go by, then the defense industry will be more than welcome to attend.

Hawk LIFT

Back in October 2006, an $840 million contract for BAE’s Hawk LIFT trainers aimed to provide advanced jet training for both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots, as part of the consolidated UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS). In November 2006, the Ascent team of VT Group plc and Lockheed Martin announced their status as Preferred Bidder to provide military flying training to the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps for the next 25 years.

In June 2008, they secured the contract. That began a combination of infrastructure build-out, aircraft modification, and managed competition, aimed at fulfilling a contract that was estimated at up to GBP 6 billion (about $11.7 billion) when it was signed…

• UKMFTS and its Components: Fixed Wing & Helicopters [NEW]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

24th Air Force

As the US defense budget is seeing targeted cuts, one area that seems to be getting more money is cybersecurity. The US military has announced plans to spend billions on technology to secure its networks.

In response to this shift in priorities, traditional defense contractors, such as BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman have been on a buying spree, snatching up cybersecurity firms left and right. At the same time, a number of these companies have proven vulnerable to cyber attacks themselves, with some analysts seeing a tie to a security breach at RSA, which provides technology for remote access of employees to their corporate networks.

This article examines this shift in the US defense industry and defense spending regarding cybersecurity. In particular, the article examines where the money being earmarked for cybersecurity is going and what kind of initiatives are being undertaken by the US military.

• Buying Spree
• Where’s the Money Going?
• US Cyber Command
• Pentagon’s Cyber 3.0
• Is the Boom a Bust?
• Key Contacts
• Additional Reading
  Continue Reading… »

• Fitch Ratings grades Lockheed Martin’s financial status as ‘A-’. The ratings are supported by such factors as Lockheed Martin’s competitive position in the defense sector and growth prospects for several large programs. F-35 program restructuring and related cost growth gives cause for concern.

• The Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency says the Defense Department is streamlining the administration of the foreign military sales program. The move comes as foreign military sales average $30 billion for each of the last three years, up almost three-fold from the 2005-2008 timeframe.

• Honeywell announces that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire EMS Technologies, Inc., a provider of connectivity solutions for mobile networking, rugged mobile computers, and satellite communications, for approximately $491 million.
  Continue Reading… »

• A new report from Pike Research predicts that global military agencies’ spending on renewable energy technologies will continue to rise rapidly over the next two decades, growing from $1.8 billion per year in 2010 to $26.8 billion by 2030. Portable soldier power, land, air, sea vehicles and facilities operations will account for the majority of expenditure.

• The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) plans to award QinetiQ a $40 million 5 year contract to develop and evaluate new ground-based missile-and air-defense systems architectures in the Architecture Characterization Program (A2CP).

• The U.S. Air Force awards General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $7.8 million contract to develop an Open System Architecture (OSA) common back-end digital processor for its radio frequency (RF) electronic devices. The contract covers radars, SIGINT sensors, electronic-warfare and communication systems.

• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will unveil the new Medium-weight Laser Guided Bomb (MLGB) at the upcoming Paris Air Show. The MLGB is a dual mode laser guided/GPS guided weapon optimized for light attack aircraft.

• The BBC reports on Saab’s attempts to expand sales of its defense and service solutions to customers around the world. Key to the company’s strategy is the modification of its Saab 340 and 2000 aircraft for ‘special missions’ aimed at combating ‘worldwide threats.’

• Turkey’s Prime Minister pledges that the domestic defense sector will produce “tanks, helicopters, planes, unmanned aircraft and military satellites in the next 12 years.” Prior to his recent election victory Recep Tayyip Erdo?an identified Turkey’s national defense industry as one of the pillars of a modern economy in the 2020s.

• UAS Vision reports that the technology research section of the Japanese Self Defence Forces has developed an unmanned flying ball capable of conducting search-and-rescue and espionage missions.

• The incoming U.S. Defense Secretary tells Congress that the challenge is to design budgets that eliminate wasteful and duplicative spending, while safeguarding the nation’s defense.

• Giovanni de Briganti’s report on the performance of French Rafale fighters over Libya also includes useful information concerning Sagem DS’ GPS-guided AASM bombs, the uses of MIDS/Link-16, and doctrinal/operational shifts underway within the Armée de l’Air.

• Meanwhile, bids are in, and final tests done for the US Army & Navy’s big JAGM missile program. It will become America’s future light strike missile, replacing Hellfire, TOW & Maverick, so the stakes are high.

• Lockheed Martin receives a $58.6 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to provide 110 VOSS II vehicle-mounted sensor systems and 30 PRDSS free-standing, portable, rapid deployment surveillance systems.

• Iridium NEXT satellite contractor Thales Alenia space tabs Boeing to provide system integration and testing support. Meanwhile, the legacy Iridium service just added a new wrinkle: free calls for ships attacked by pirates.

• Northrop Grumman announces the development and demonstration of a new lightweight processor that identifies, tracks and defeats infrared missiles launched against rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The processor forms part of Northrop Grumman’s U.S. Army Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) self-protection system offering.

• Ukraine’s Ukrspetsexport signs a $100 million contract with the Ethiopian Defense Ministry to supply over 200 T-72 tanks. The state-run company has a T-72 upgrade program that involves mounting a 120mm KBA-101 gun to the tank.

• India has successfully test-fired a Prithvi (P-II) surface-to-surface missile from a test range in Orissa. The missile failed a similar test in September 2010.

• Canada’s Minister of National Defence says the cost of extending the country’s mission in Libya until the end of September 2011 will be $60 million.