ER/MP, armed

Support for front-line QRC detachments. (Jan 17/12)

In August 2005, “Team Warrior” leader General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego, CA won a $214.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of the Extended Range/ Multi Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (ER/MP UAS). That was just the first step along the US Army’s road to fielding a true Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, armed UAV, modified from the USAF’s famous MQ-1 Predator. Now, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle has entered low-rate production as the Army’s high-end UAV.

The ER/MP program is part of the US Army’s reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, and directly supports the Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan. ER/MP could be a $1 billion effort, and its position got a boost when a 2007 program restructuring cut the Future Combat Systems Class III UAV competition in favor of ER/MP. Now, in FY 2011, the MQ-1C “Gray Eagle” prepares to move into full production, following the first big “Key West” battle of the 21st century between the USAF and US Army…

• The MQ-1C Gray Eagle, and its Band of Brothers
• The Army’s ER/MP Program
• ER/MP UAS – Enter the Warrior: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: US Army et. al. vs. USAF Over UAVs
• Appendix B: Additional Readings – Who Controls the UAVs?
• Appendix C: Other Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• Britain is really missing its Nimrod patrol planes. They had to dispatch a Type 42 destroyer from Portsmouth on the English Channel, to watch a Russian battlegroup 25 miles off of Scotland that included the Admiral Kuznetzov aircraft carrier.

• The British Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded BAE a £40M (about $63M) contract dubbed Future Combat Air System (FCAS) to support UAV research.

• A $1 billion cyber-warfare program in Iran? Hard to judge. It might add credence to claims that they hacked Lockheed’s RQ-170 stealth UAV down, though there are doubts. The USAF’s emergency buy of a General Atomics Predator C Avenger jet UAV, and reports that it will be deployed to Afghanistan as an apparent replacement, make one wonder if there is a flaw.

• A quick think tank review on Dear Leader’s death: CNAS, CSIS, CFR, Brookings, USIP. Euphemism of the day: uncertainty. It’s quite dark there, who really knows what’s going on?

• Looks like Frank Kendall is well positioned to be confirmed as US acquisition deputy secretary, a position he’s filled in an acting capacity since last September.

• The new Counter-IED Collective and Individual Mounted Training Program at Camp Atterbury (Indiana) tries to simulate the sound and furor of living through an IED blast within an armored vehicle.

• Advances in battlefield medicine have relied on better protection gear, medical practices and logistics to increase survival rates.

• In speeches to Brazil’s generals [in Portuguese], president Dilma Rousseff and defense minister Celso Amorim said financial mechanisms should be put in place to give more visibility and continuity to the country’s defense procurements, thus providing a sustainable foundation for the local industry (as opposed to relying on exports). In the last decade Brazil has grown its official reserves to the 6th position in the world with $350B as of November 2011. Last week French Prime Minister Fillon met with Amorim.

The concept

Power system contracts to GA, BAE; 1,000th shot; CNR discusses the field; Significant article updates. (Dec 9/11)

Back in March 2006, BAE Systems received a contract for “design and production of the 32 MJ Laboratory Launcher for the U.S. Navy.” Some hint of what they are talking about can be gleaned from the name. The project is an electro-magnetic rail gun that accelerates a projectile to incredibly high speeds without using explosives.

The attraction of such systems is no mystery – they promise to fire their ammunition 10 or more times farther than conventional naval gun shells, while sharply reducing both the required size of each shell, and the amount of dangerous explosive material carried on board ship. Progress is being made, but there are still major technical challenges to overcome before a working rail gun becomes a serious naval option. This DID FOCUS article looks at the key technical challenges, the programs, and the history of key contracts and events…

• Rail Guns: Concept & Technology Developments [updated]
• Rail Guns: The US EMRG Program [updated]
• Rail Guns: Key Contracts & Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

Latest update: Dec 8/11

Reaper, ready…

The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, once called “Predator B,” is somewhat similar to the famous Predator. Until you look at the tail. Or its size. Or its weapons. It’s called “Reaper” for a reason – while it packs the same surveillance gear, it’s much more of a hunter-killer design. Some have called it the first fielded Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV).

The Reaper UCAV will play a significant role in the future USAF, even though its capability set makes the MQ-9 considerably more expensive than MQ-1 Predators, whose price benefits from less advanced design and volume production orders. Given these high-end capabilities, and expenses, one might not have expected the MQ-9 to enjoy better export success than its famous cousin. Nevertheless, that’s what appears to be happening. MQ-9 operators currently include the USA and Britain, who have both used it in hunter-killer mode, and Italy. Other countries are also expressing interest, and international deployments are accelerating.

• The MQ-9 Reaper, and its Little Brothers
• Program Highlights [NEW]
• Future Planning & Developments [NEW]
• Contracts & Key Events, 2005 SDD – Present [updated]
• OICU: MQ-9 Ancillaries
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

UCAS-D/ N-UCAS concept

Aerial refueling tests. (Jan 26/12)

In early 2006 the future of DARPA’s J-UCAS program seemed uncertain. It aimed to create Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV) for the USAF and Navy that could approach the capabilities of an F-117 stealth fighter. Boeing’s X-45C was set to face off against Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Pegasus, the program had demonstrated successful tests that included dropping bombs, and aerial refueling tests were envisioned.

J-UCAS was eventually canceled when the services failed to take it up, but the technologies have survived, and the US Navy remained interested. A May 2007 non-partisan report discussed the lengthening reach of ship-killers. Meanwhile, the US Navy’s carrier fleet sees its strike range shrinking to 1950s distances, and prepares for a future with fewer carrier air wings than operational carriers. Could UCAV/UCAS vehicles with longer ranges, and indefinite flight time limits via aerial refueling, solve these problems? Some people in the Navy seem to think that they might. Hence UCAS-D/ N-UCAS, which received a major push in the FY 2010 defense review. Even as emerging privately-developed options are expanding the Navy’s future choices…

• Naval Air, Unmanned: Programs & Potential
• UCAS-D: Program & Team [updated]
• UCAS-D: Northrop Grumman’s X-47B
• Naval UCAVs: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional UCAV Readings
  Continue Reading… »

EMALS Components

British CVF work begins. (Dec 21/11)

As the US Navy continues to build its new CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class carriers, few technologies are as important to their success as the next-generation EMALS (Electro-MAgnetic Launch System) catapult. The question is whether that technology will be ready in time, in order to avoid either costly delays to the program – or an even more costly redesign of the first ship of class.

Current steam catapult technology is very entertaining when it launches cars more than 100 feet off of a ship, or gives naval fighters the extra boost they need to achieve flight speed within a launch footprint of a few hundred feet. It’s also stressful for the aircraft involved, very maintenance intensive, and not really compatible with modern gas turbine propulsion systems. At present, however, steam is the only option for launching supersonic jet fighters from carrier decks. EMALS aims to leap beyond steam’s limitations, delivering significant efficiency savings, a more survivable system, and improved effectiveness. This free-to-view spotlight article covers the technology, the program, and its progress to date.

• From Steam to Magnets: EMALS vs. Current Approaches [updated]
• Program Teams
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

USS Kidd [DDG-100]

The US Navy’s DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers are the backbone of their present and future fleet. Unfortunately, they have a problem. Two problems, actually.

One problem involves keeping the fleet’s operating costs low, especially fuel use. These ships aren’t as efficient as more modern designs, especially at the low cruising speeds that make up so much of a ship’s operating life. The other problem is that DDG-51 destroyers are having trouble generating enough power, especially if they want to receive new radars like the proposed AMDR. Since this destroyer class includes the majority of American ballistic missile-defense ships, their ability to remain relevant, and to field an upgraded “Flight III” variant, is critical to maintaining US sea power.

A Northrop Grumman team, which includes Curtiss-Wright and L-3, believes that they may have the answer to both problems. Nor are they the only firm looking into this…

US “Chair” Force?

$65M to General Atomics. (September 30/11)

UAVs have played a crucial role in gathering intelligence in the US military’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are thousands of UAVs gathering and distributing valuable data on the enemy, but each system uses its own proprietary subsystem to control the air vehicle as well as receive and process the data. Yet commanders need access to information gathered by all types of UAVs that are flying missions in their area of operation.

Recognizing this shortcoming, the Pentagon began an effort in 2008 to break down the proprietary barriers between UAV systems and create a single GCS that will fly all types of drones.

This free-to-view DID Spotlight article examines the problem of proprietary UAV systems and efforts to break down barriers to sharing vital UAV-generated information.

• Ground Control to Major Tom: The Role of GCS
• Come Together: The Pentagon’s UCS-WG
• Are You Going STANAG?: NATO’s Standard
• One is the Loneliest Number: AAI’s OneSystem
• Red ROVER, Red ROVER: The ROVER Datalink
• Masters of the Universe: Raytheon’s CGCS
• Too Close to the Sun: ICARUS and Autonomy
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• 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.

MQ-9 Reaper

Aug 5/11: The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announces a maximum $48.4 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to General Atomics Aeronautical in Poway, CA to develop and demonstrate “precision three-dimensional tracking of ballistic missiles from a long endurance, high-altitude unmanned air system.” This contract was competitively procured via a broad agency announcement, with “multiple white papers received in response,” and work will be performed in Poway, CA from August 2011 through August 2016. $11.8 million in FY 2011 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be used to incrementally fund the 1st task order (HQ0147-11-D-0013).