F-16F “Desert Falcon”

The most advanced F-16s in the world are not American. That distinction belongs to the United Arab Emirates, whose F-16 E/F Block 60s are a half-generation ahead of the F-16 C/D Block 50/52+ aircraft that form the backbone of the US Air Force, and of many other fleets around the world. The Block 60 has been described as a lower-budget alternative to the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter – and has been treated as such in countries like India and the Netherlands, as they contemplate their future fighter needs.

The UAE invested in the type’s development, and with that investment comes inevitable fielding, training, and equipping needs. This DID article showcases the F-16 E/F “Desert Falcon,” and offers a window into its associated costs and life cycle, including dedicated equipment purchases for this fighter fleet:

• The F-16E/F “Desert Falcon” [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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• Two members of the Commission on Wartime Contracting say that $30 billion-worth of expenditure on contracts and grants in Afghanistan and Iraq have been wasted through poor planning, shifting requirements and negligence. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must do better.

• Flight Global/PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) Top 100 Special Report: 2010 a year of rebound says that while the aerospace sector enjoyed a 2% growth in revenue, defense spending remains flat. The list of the 20 largest aerospace companies by revenues [PDF] remains relatively unchanged, with Boeing and EADS maintaining their top positions.

• China continues to refute the findings of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) annual report on its military and security policies. The deputy secretary of the China Society of Military Science labels the report as ‘groundless’ and a product of Cold War thinking.

• BAE Australia has delivered the 1st Hobart Class Destroyer ship block to project lead, ASC, but only after some very high profile problems at their shipyard.

• Dragon, Britain’s 4th Type 45 Air Defense Destroyer, is sailing to Portsmouth for acceptance by the Royal Navy.

• Indian media say that the freed ship MV Nafis-1 contained evidence that Pakistan is supporting some Somali pirates.

• Chile is set to receive its final batch of F-16 fighters from the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).

• A French Mirage fighter and Lithuanian L-39 Albatross trainer collide midair during exercises.

• The first photographs emerge of Chinese aircraft on display at the Changchun First Aviation Open Day. The pictures come days after photographs suggesting that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) J-11B heavy fighter is operational.

• Opinions vary as to the make and role of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crashed over southwest Pakistan last week.

• Data recently compiled by Bloomberg shows that ManTech, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin are among 9 companies that receive 70% of their revenue from the US government. Bloomberg also predicts that such companies have the most to lose from the recently announced budget cuts.

• A Russian defense industry insider claims that China’s fifth-generation J-20 fighter may be be based upon the Mikoyan 1.44 rejected by Moscow during its tender to develop a stealth fighter.

• Meanwhile Russia’s state-run Rosoboronexport reveals that it will sell $9 billion-worth of arms and equipment throughout 2011.  One customer could be Venezuela, whose President, Hugo Chavez,  today thanked Moscow for its help in re-equipping its armed forces.

• The website Spend Matters UK/Europe reveals that the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is paying US consulting firm Alix Partners almost £4,000 ($6,500) per day to help find savings in contract negotiations.

• Arguments over Israel’s defense budget continue, as the Defense Ministry accuses the Treasury of using defense expenditures to cover up its mistakes.

• CACI International reports Fourth Quarter FY2011 revenue of $963.2 million, a 13.5% increase on the corresponding period for FY2010. The US Department of Defense (DoD) accounted for almost $780 million in revenue.

• AEE Technology Co. becomes the first Chinese company to exhibit at AUVSI North America 2011. The company showcased its F50, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) billed as capable of monitoring protests.

• Russia’s Morinformsystem-Agat JSC unveils its ‘Pandora’s Box’ cruise missile system. The company is marketing the system as a ‘take anywhere’ weapon capable of attacking naval and land targets with the Klub-K 3M 54TE missile.

• Russia’s state-run Rosoboronexport reveals that it has lost $4 billion-worth of defense export contracts with Libya.

• Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tells the National Defense University that the United States can enact budget cuts without compromising national security.

• Protests across Israel have prompted a rethink of defense expenditure plans. The Government is considering starting its five-year spending plan in 2013. Investment in training, missile and rocket interception systems are expected to compensate for troop reductions.

• The Technical Director of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory says at AUVSI North America 2011 that the US Marines see the AeroVironment Switchblade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a suitable armed platform for top-down attack capability.

• The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force claims its re-equipment program is steadily progressing despite problems with delivery and funding.  Col General Alexander Zelin added that Russia’s T-50 stealth fighter will be delivered by 2014-15.

• Russia’s Aviastar reveals at the MAKS 2011 air show that it plans to test fly its first production Il-76MD transport aircraft by 2012. Meanwhile, the state-owned aircraft and air defense manufacturer United Industrial Corporation (Oboronprom) announced plans to boost its contract portfolio to $21 billion by the end of 2011.

• China labels rumors that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency provided access to the US Black Hawk stealth helicopter destroyed in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound as ‘groundless and ridiculous’.

• A senior Russian defense official claims that the Sukhoi T-50/PAK-FA stealth fighter will be the ‘principal plane’ of the Russian and Indian Air Forces.

• A new Pike Research report predicts that the military fuel cell market will reach $1.2 billion by 2017, an increase from $9 million in 2011.

• Moscow’s MAKS 2011 air show has prompted a number of developments concerning Russia’s military and defense industry. Russia’s Air Force is expected to receive 450 helicopters this year, including the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator. The state-run United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) plans to provide the Air Force with 20 new aircraft a year. UAC is also keen on securing a contract to supply the military with 10 Antonov AN-124 freighters.

• Western aerospace contractors keep at low profile at Taiwan Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) 2011. Boeing and General Electric miss the show altogether.

• Elbit Systems’ Second Quarter 2011 Results show revenues at $691.6 million, as compared with $603.3 million for last year’s corresponding quarter. C4I and airborne systems were leading contributors to the increase.

• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is considering aerial refueling options for the upgraded version of its Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

• The US Army awards an Omnibus III $497 million indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the provision of support to the US Navy Medicine Research and Development (R&D) programs.

• Meanwhile, the General Services Administration (GSA) awards N~Ask Inc., BIT Systems and CACI Technologies an IDIQ contract worth up to $40 million for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Engineering Support Services (SESS II).

• Ukraine’s Arsenal Design Bureau claims to have developed a ‘world class’ infrared seeker for use on anti-ship missiles.

• The DoD Inspector General’s internal audit of DARPA contract awards will likely pay close attention to business conducted with RedXDefense, a bomb detection company co-founded by the current director of DARPA.

• Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and South Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, says that US foreign policy needs to make the transition from the immediate challenges of the Middle East to address ‘long term and deeply consequential issues in Asia’.

• Israel sees the visit of the Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as an opportunity to influence China’s arms sales to the wider Middle East.

• Russia makes a number of announcements regarding the future shape of its air defense systems. The mid-range Vityaz air defense system is expected to replace the S-300 by 2014, with the short-range Morfey due to be introduced by 2013. It is also expected that S-500 air defense systems will be deployed around Moscow by 2015.

• Saab completes the acquisition of air traffic and defense management systems provider Sensis Corporation.

• The CIA’s former Director of Operations, Chad Sweet, outlines to the Washington Journal US strategies to counter homegrown terrorism.

• South Korean media relays that a Chinese Army publication sees the country’s first aircraft carrier as being utilized to deal with territorial disputes. This contradicts the Chinese Defense Ministry’s assertion that the carrier is for training purposes only.

• The UK’s Disposal Services Authority (DSA) is assuming greater responsibility for plugging the £36 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) budget. Products it is seeking to dispose of include a replica Harrier jet, Saxon armored personnel carrier and luxury watches for intelligence agents.

• Rumors are circulating that the Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency provided Chinese engineers with access to the remnants of the Black Hawk stealth helicopter that crashed during the US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

• Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Buck Mckeon (R-CA) is among senior Republican lawmakers to have written a letter to the White House and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta requesting disclosure of interim results of a comprehensive review of military spending.

• The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) confirms the launch of the Lockheed Martin developed Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2). DARPA indicates that the HTV-2 reached a speed of Mach 20 and provided nine minutes of data before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

• DARPA awards a $10 million contract to General Atomics for post delivery services for the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) Phase 4, Demonstration Laser Weapons System (DLWS).

• The implications of US debt ceiling policies and China’s launch of its J-20 stealth fighter and first aircraft carrier have prompted academics to predict the future shape of the United States’ presence within the Asia Pacific region.

• Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and fellow members of the Defense Energy Security Caucus (DESC) send a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging him to spare research into renewable energy solutions from budget cuts.

• Israel’s Defense Ministry is keen to purchase military equipment due to be retired from service after the US withdrawal from Iraq. Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) in particular are looking to replace their aging fleet of Humvee combat vehicles.

• Russia is expected to showcase a prototype Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation fighter at next week’s MAKS 2011 air show.

• Ukraine’s Prime Minister says the country may privatize some of its defense industries. However those deemed as ‘strategic defense companies’ are like to remain under state control.

• The US Army awards Cherokee Nation Red Wing a $20.5 million contract to provide helicopter rotor blades, drive mechanisms and components. Meanwhile Sikorsky wins a $23 million contract to provide the US Army with airframe structural components.

• The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awards Lockheed Martin a $13 million contract to continue maintenance of the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS). Should NAVAIR exercise the three remaining options, the contract value could rise to $50.2 million.

• A leaked report prepared by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) says that the Royal Navy is ‘woefully unprepared’ for future operations within the Arctic Circle. There is particular concern that cold weather measures have not been built into warships, including the new Type 45 destroyers.

• The proposed merger between Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Rafael appears to have been cancelled by the Israeli Government, who will push instead for the privatization of IMI.

• Russia is to unveil its first strike UAV at next week’s MAKS 2011 air show. Vega will be showing a mock-up of the Lutch, a UAV based on the Sigma 5 piloted aircraft.

• Russia also announces the development of two new air defense systems. This includes the Vityaz [PDF] a further development of the S-300 medium-range air defense system already in service.

• Italian budget austerity looks set to hit its defense modernization hard, even as the country struggles to keep up with the demands of the war in Libya.

• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will unveil its Ghost rotary mini UAV system at next week’s AUVSI Unmanned Air Systems North America 2011 show. The Ghost is designed to provide real-time intelligence to ground forces operating in urban areas.

• China ends months of intrigue and speculation by announcing that its first aircraft carrier has now left port to conduct sea trials.

• With $6,000 and a military surplus FMQ-117B target, you too can build a UAV that hacks phones and intercepts Wi-Fi signals. Bet the paparazzi will love that one. No word from Mr Murdoch yet.

• NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanks General David Petraeus for his command of coalition troops, and hails the handing over of Bamiyan province to Afghan security forces as the beginning of full transition.

• UK Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox is set to unveil a radical overhaul of the British Army. It is expected that regular troop levels will fall from 101,000 to 82,000 by 2020. Dr Fox is also expected to endorse a review of the UK’s use of its reserve forces for frontline activities.

• L-3 uses the UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) to unveil its Spydr intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The Spydr is based upon Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air 350-ER with the potential to be equipped with L-3’s processing, exploitation and dissemination systems.
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• Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and Defense Under Secretary for Policy Michelle Flournoy testified at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on President Obama’s Afghanistan troop reduction plan – C-Span video.

• The UK’s RUSI think tank and Cranfield University publish their joint paper [PDF] on reform of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Proposed changes outlined in The Defence Reform Agenda include military reorganization away from single service orientation and organizational change to stimulate greater financial accountability.

• The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM) calls for the raising of permissible limit of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defense sector from 26% to 49%. ASSOCHAM believes that increased FDI will stimulate technology transfers and develop the Indian defense sector’s capabilities.

• Reuters reports that Daimler and Rolls-Royce now have full control of the engine manufacturer Tognum AG. Over the past few weeks the Anglo-German partnership has increased its majority shareholder stake from 58% to 94% of the company.

• Speculation regarding China’s stealth fighter program is now accompanied by intrigue over its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The Dew Line publishes a photograph of a UAV flying above a Chinese naval vessel on exercises near Okinawa which does not appear to resemble China’s ASN-209 or ASN-802 drones.

• Officials from the Malaysian, Indonesian and South Korean Ministries of Defense to discuss regional development of armored vehicle fleets at the 3rd Armoured Vehicles Asia conference in Singapore. The announcement comes after Malaysia’s recent decision to award the BAE Systems NSS joint venture a $557 million to supply its armed forces with 257 AV-8 8×8 wheeled armor vehicles.

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the Philippines’ Foreign Secretary that the United States is prepared to provide the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with affordable military equipment to safeguard its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

• The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the Defence Posture Review will move Australia on from WWII-era thinking regarding ‘secondary defense areas’ as energy resources off Western Australia and Northern Territory become security considerations. The review will also make it difficult for Australia to sit out a future US-China conflict.

• Danger Room reports on the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s hearing on General David Petraeus becoming the next Director of the CIA. They suggest that Petraeus’ remarks are the closest a top intelligence official has come to saying that unmanned airstrikes are not the CIA’s only counterterrorist measure.