Not anymore.
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Northrop Grumman’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS) uses a powerful ground-looking Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mounted on a Boeing 707-300 airframe, in order to give American commanders outstanding battlefield surveillance and communications relay capabilities. The Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system aimed to create a similar capability as a pooled NATO asset, based on a mix of smaller Airbus A321 airframes and RQ-4B Gobal Hawk UAVs, coupled with ground stations. In the end, however, the program was slashed by deleting its manned aircraft and advanced radar entirely.

This will become DID’s FOCUS Article covering the AGS program, from its platforms to its program structure to its procurements. The most recent item is the signing of the AGS Programme Memorandum of Understanding (PMOU)...

• The Need for AGS
• NATO AGS: Program & History
• NATO AGS: Platforms & Technologies
• NATO AGS: Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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T-50 Golden Eagle
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Korea’s defense industry is advancing on all fronts these days. On the armored vehicle front, vehicles like the XK2 tank and K9/K10 self propelled howitzer are beginning to win export orders, and its XK-21/KNIFV amphibious infantry fighting vehicle may not be too far behind. All fill key market niches, promising performance at a comparatively inexpensive price. Its shipbuilding industry, one of the world’s busiest, is beginning to turn out LHDs, and December 2008 saw its first-of-class KDX-III AEGIS destroyer accepted into service on time and on budget. Now its aerospace industry is in flight abroad with the already-exported KT-1 trainer. Not to mention a clever entry into an incipient market.

Enter the T-50 Golden Eagle family, which offers a supersonic high-end trainer and light fighter aircraft at an attractive price. The aircraft is hitting the international market just as many of the world’s jet training fleets are reaching ages of 30 years or more, and high-end fighters are pricing themselves out of reach for many countries. The TA-50 LIFT variant and F/A-50 lightweight fighter are especially attractive as lightweight export fighters, and the ROKAF’s own F-5E/F Tiger II and F-4 Phantom fighters are more than due for replacement.

Weapons export and corporate issues have now been resolved, and a contract to produce the F/A-50 is underway. So, too, is a major new radar contract to equip them…

• T/F/A-50: The Program, The Planes
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded 7 firms indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award design-bid-build construction contracts worth up to $100 million for general building type projects at US Marine Corps facilities in South Carolina. The general building type projects include new construction, renovation, alteration, and repair of facilities and infrastructure, roofing, demolition, and routine renovation.

The contractors will perform the work at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island (45%); Marine Corps Air Station at Beaufort (45%); and the Naval Hospital at Beaufort (10 percent).

The winning contractors are all small business qualifiers:

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Phalanx, firing
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The radar-guided, rapid-firing Mk. 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS, pron. “see-whiz”) can fire between 3,000-4,500 20mm cannon rounds per minute, either autonomously or under manual command, as a last-ditch defense against incoming missiles and other targets. Phalanx uses closed-loop spotting with advanced radar and computer technology to locate, identify and direct a stream of armor piercing projectiles toward the target (see video: MPEG | AVI, with hat tips to the good folks at Digg.com).

These capabilities have made the Phalanx CIWS a critical bolt-on sub-system for naval vessels around the world. The latest fielded development is C-RAM/Centurion, a land-based system designed to defend against incoming artillery and mortars. This DID Spotlight article offers updated, in-depth coverage that describes ongoing deployment and research projects within the Phalanx family of weapons, the new land-based system’s new technologies and roles, and international contracts from FY 2005 onward. As of Feb 28/07, More than 895 Phalanx systems had been built and deployed in the navies of 22 nations.

The latest additions include a program to upgrade Canada’s weapons, and a technical services contract…

• The Phalanx Platform: Competition, Upgrades & Developments
• Land-Based Phalanx: C-RAM
• Phalanx Contracts and Key Events, FY 2005-Present [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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Aeroflex 7200 Radio Tester
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Aeroflex Wichita in Wichita, KS won [pdf] a maximum $40.5 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract from the US Marine Corps for ground radio maintenance automatic test systems. A delivery order with a value of $16.3 million is being issued concurrently with the contract award.

Under the contract, Aeroflex will supply its 7200 Configurable Automated Test Set (CATS) equipment, which is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform for testing the performance of software-defined radios, including the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS). “US Contracts for Next-Gen Tactical Radio Upgrades” provides insights into the JTRS program, which is intended to bring the next-generation tactical radio system to US troops.

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Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV received 2 follow-up orders to supply Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.1 dismounted systems to meet the requirements of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dismounted JCREW systems are electronic jammers designed to prevent the initiation of radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIED).

Under the original contract (N00024-09-C-6306) awarded June 2009, Sierra Nevada is to provide up to 2,500 JCREW 3.1 dismounted systems, support equipment and services, and additional long-lead time material, for a total contract value of $248.3 million.

Sierra has received 2 contract modifications on that original contract worth $106.9 million to supply parts and material for the JCREW dismounted systems…

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Papanikolis at HDW
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Settlement reached, sale of HSY shipyard. (March 11/10)

On Monday Sept 21/09, ThyssenKrupp Marine informed the Greek Minister of Defence that it was canceling “The Archimedes Project” contract for 4 U-214 diesel-electric submarines with Air-Independent Propulsion technology, because the government’s payments had remained underwater for too long. Accumulated payment arrears are over EUR 520 million ($767 million). ThyssenKrupp and its subsidiary Hellenic Shipyards will now seek international arbitration, in order to recover some of the payments due under its contract.

This development is the just the latest chapter in a long saga. If the issue remains unresolved, or arbitration results in termination payments but no delivery, Greece could find itself without a submarine force…

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Viking 400
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On Sept 11/09, L-3 Communications Geneva Aerospace of Carrollton, TX received a not-to-exceed $250 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for U.S. Special Operations Command’s Expeditionary Unmanned Aircraft System. The competed contract is for 1 year with 4 option years, with a minimum of $5 million and orders to be issued as desired (H92222-09-D-0051). That minimum was met immediately in the initial $6.6 million delivery order. See also L-3 release.

L-3 is not known as a UAV maker; instead, Geneva Aero is best known as a maker of key flight and datalink systems for use in UAVs. The firm is expanding their reach, however, and L-3 representatives have now confirmed that the SOCOM UAV is their Viking 400 model [PDF]. It’s larger than SOCOM’s Puma AE mini-UAVs, and in a similar size class to Aerovironment’s RQ-7 Shadow.

The all-composite Viking 400 UAV is 14.7 feet (4.5m) long with a 20 foot (6.1m) wingspan, and is assembled in the field like a model aircraft. It weighs 320 pounds (145 km) empty, and is powered by Zanzoterra’s 38hp 498i Twin Boxer engine. Maximum payload is 75-100 pounds (34-45 kg) of sensors in nearly 7,000 cubic inches of payload volume. The UAV leverages L-3 Geneva Aerospace’s extensive work on its flightTEK autonomous take-off and landing system, and missions are flown using GPS waypoint navigation that can be reassigned during flight. Payloads can include Electro-Optical/ Infared, LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging, a sort of laser radar that’s good at seeing through trees and obstacles), SIGINT (SIGnals INTelligence – communication intercepts), ELINT and/or CBRN (Chemical/ Biological/ Radiological/ Nuclear) sensors. UAV Range is over 70 nautical miles (130 km) at a speed of 60-90 knots (111-167 km/h), but line-of-sight is required for the datalink to work.

The US Navy’s Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk awarded 5 cost-plus fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts worth up to $391.5 million to provide professional support services to Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC). The support services include program management, logistics, financial management, and administrative support services.

CNIC has overall shore installation management responsibility and authority for naval installation support; it is the Navy’s point of contact for installation policy and program execution oversight. CNIC’s management responsibilities include port operations, weapons storage, environmental aspects, planning and real estate, housing, emergency management, recreational programs, child care and youth programs.

Below are the 5 contractors who were awarded CNIC support contracts, their contract numbers and amounts:

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Lockheed Martin’s Savi Technology in Mountain View, CA received a maximum $100 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity/ indefinite-delivery, sole source contract for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and magnetic mounting brackets. RFID tags are similar to wireless bar codes and are used to track US military supplies and equipment.

The firm has worked with the US military for over a decade to build their RF In-Transit Visibility (ITV) network, which spans more than 45 countries and tracks military supplies through 4,000 sites. “US Getting Savi at Ammo Depots” has more on the RF ITV network.

Savi was selected in December 2008 to compete for work on the US Army’s RFID III contract…

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