EL/M-2032

In February 2012, IAI revealed that it has secured a $150 million contract for its EL/M-2032 fighter radar, from an unnamed customer. A Globes report places the customer within Asia.

The EL/M-2032 can be delivered in different sizes, and equips a number of different aircraft. It has been fitted to F-16s, including Israel’s own fleet. It has also been used to upgrade V/STOL Sea Harriers, F-5E/F Tiger light fighters, and F-4 Phantom, Kfir C10s, and Jaguar strike fighters around the world; and was recently picked for South Korea’s TA-50 and India Tejas lightweight fighters. So the question is, who’s the customer?

Harfang UAV, DGA

Mantis picked? (Feb 5/12)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have become a must-have item for modern armies, and the pressures of modern campaigns are forcing rapid acquisitions. Mini-UAVs are being bought off the shelf, and leased tactical options like Boeing’s ScanEagles and Aeronautics DS’ Aerostars have carved out their own niche. These days, rent-a-UAS services even include high-end MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) options like IAI’s Heron UAVs.

France bought mini-UAVs off the shelf, but turned to a build-in-partnership approach for its high-end machines. That sacrificed some fielding speed and cost, in order to build the industrial capabilities of key French firms. Their Harfang/ SIDM IUAV Program to field an IAI Heron derivative hit some snags; fortunately, France had started early, and the Harfang is now serving in Afghanistan. The existing fleet isn’t keeping up with France’s growing land and naval needs, however, which leads to the question: what’s next?

The answer is a fleet of advanced medium UAVs, type unspecified, under a program labeled “DTIA”. Deliveries have been pushed back from 2013-2015 to 2020 or later, and options for France are reportedly rather broad. Their choice may become a joint program with Britain, and may even influence UAV decisions in other countries. Meanwhile, France has chosen modified IAI Heron TP/ Heron-2 UAVs as an interim solution. Or have they…?

• France’s Next MALE UAV: Contenders [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank published a report [PDF] on the South China Sea, a potential hot zone because of its sea lanes and China’s increasingly assertive territorial claims driven by natural resources such as deepwater oil and gas. Just surveying these resources has been a source of tension between China and neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines.

• IAI says: Our President is retiring. Oh, and by the way, we just made a $1.1 billion sale to an unnamed Asian country (Globes first reported it was India but later retracted). It reportedly includes aircraft (UAVs? G550 ISR? KC-767 MMTT?), missiles (ground strike, anti-ship or naval air defense), and intelligence technologies (very wide range).

• Fellow Israeli UAV firm Aeronautics DS now has 8 long-range Dominator XP UAVs in different stages of work, as the DA42-based UAV ramps up production in the wake of export clearances.

• Little Rock AFB, AR accepts the 4th of 5 C-130H Avionics Modernization Program test & evaluation transport aircraft, and the 1st modified by the USAF’s Warner Robins ALC.

• Christmas came for the Swiss, with delayed delivery of their initial AEV-3 Geniepanzer heavy armored engineering vehicles. The Dutch and Swedes will be glad that problems were ironed out over there.

• Airdrops by US troops over Afghanistan reached a record last year at almost 16M pounds (about 7,250 tonnes). They like their JPADS. The airdrop ramp-up started a few years ago.

• THE US Air Force has a quick review on the state of eye injury protection and post-injury care. See also from the Army: Combat eye protection | Vision conservation and readiness program [PDF].

• US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jacob Lew will wrap-up the FY13 President Budget then replace William Daley as President Obama’s Chief of Staff.

General Dynamics Team
Trimaran LCS Design
(click to enlarge)

Class services from each builder; LCS 3 post-production support; Mine-hunting ancillaries. (Dec 19/11)

Exploit simplicity, numbers, the pace of technology development in electronics and robotics, and fast reconfiguration. That was the US Navy’s idea for the low-end backbone of its future surface combatant fleet. Inspired by successful experiments like Denmark’s Standard Flex ships, the US Navy’s $30+ billion “Littoral Combat Ship” program was intended to create a new generation of affordable surface combatants that could operate in dangerous shallow and near-shore environments, while remaining affordable and capable throughout their lifetimes.

It hasn’t worked that way. In practice, what the Navy wanted, the capabilities needed to perform primary naval missions, and what could be delivered for the sums available, have proven nearly irreconcilable. The LCS program has changed its fundamental acquisition plan several times since 2005, and canceled contracts with both competing teams, without escaping any of its fundamental issues. This public-access FOCUS article offer a wealth of research material, alongside looks at the LCS program’s designs, industry teams procurement plans, military controversies, and contracts.

• LCS: Concept & Needs
• LCS Solution = Standard Equipment + Mission Modules
• LCS: Controversies & Cautions
• LCS: Export Potential
• LCS: Designs & Teams
• LCS: Budgets and Program Structure
• LCS Ship Roster
• LCS: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• LCS Ancillaries: Mission Module & Weapon Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

Rustom-H mockup

3 variants; Rustom-1 flights. (Nov 11/11)

India has not been left out of the global UAV push. The country operates Israeli Searcher tactical UAVs, and Heron Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs, placing an additional Heron order in 2005. It has also undertaken development programs for a smaller UAV, the “Nishant”. With its “Rustom” program, however, India hopes to offer a UAV in the Heron/ Predator/ Watchkeeper class of MALE UAVs.

It had also hoped to begin to change a culture and tradition of wholly state-owned development of military hardware, which has not always performed well, or served India’s needs. A recent award has selected a winner, and moved the project forward. It may also serve as a reminder that bureaucracies are very difficult to change.

• The Rustom family of UAVs [NEW]
• Procurement & the Private Sector: India’s Struggles
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

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… »

• Following the release of its annual assessment of China’s military power, a US Department of Defense official suggests that Beijing has also developed a ‘workable design’ of its DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile. Meanwhile, China has continued its condemnation by saying the report indulged in exaggeration and ‘groundless suspicion’.

• Successful test of the CONECT upgrade to USAF B-52H heavy bombers; program on track to finish ground and flight tests in October 2011.

• EADS passes a half way point, delivers the 180th UH-72A light utility helicopter to the US military.

• The US Navy confirms the successful test-flight of a T-45 Goshawk trainer using biofuel.

• Following Hugo Chavez’s recent gratitude for Russian assistance in re-equipping Venezuela’s armed forces, diplomatic sources reveal that Moscow is preparing to loan Caracas an additional $4 billion for military purchases.

• The US Air Force awards Vision Systems International a $36 million contract for electrical and electronic equipment components.

• Rosoboronexport delivers 6 Mi-17 helicopters to Indonesia. A $56 million contract was signed by Jakarta and the state-owned corporation for the helicopters.

• The US military continues to reallocate hundreds of millions toward surveillance, mostly for Special Operations. But are they looking for ISR in all the wrong places?

• With the end of the Libyan conflict seemingly in sight, a number of interesting stories are beginning to emerge. France confirms the deployment of its EADS/IAI Harfang unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over Libyan airspace. Qatar also punched above its weight by providing military training and special forces.

• 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.

• 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.

• A recent meeting of the Defense Business Board at the Pentagon recommended the creation of a single Defense Logistics Organization (DLO) [PDF]. The Board argued that a single DLO with sole responsibility for supply, maintenance and transportation would increase logistics effectiveness and efficiency.

• The former Director of National Intelligence, Admiral (Ret.) Dennis Blair, tells the Aspen Security Forum that the United States should stop unilateral drone attacks and work in closer partnership with countries where unmanned campaigns are conducted. See embedded video at the bottom of this entry.

• Raytheon’s Second Quarter Results show net sales of approximately $6.2 billion, a slight increase on corresponding figures for 2010. The company’s Chairman and CEO attributes a strong second quarter performance to its ‘focus on execution and cost reduction strategies’.

• A US Marine Corps Officer tells the Lexington Institute’s Capitol Hill Electronic Attack Conference that the service is preparing to undertake tests on the new Intrepid Tiger II [PDF] communications intelligence and jamming pod.

• Israel and India are reportedly negotiating to buy 3 more IL-76 Phalcon AWACs aircraft, to follow the current order of 3. IAI had been touting the long-range G550 CAEW used by Israel and Singapore as an even better follow up.

• EADS attributes its ‘solid results’ for the first half year 2011 to strong demand in the commercial aviation sector. The company reports that revenues increased in the first six months of 2011 by 8% to €21.9 billion ($31.2 billion).

• Dassault accuses Safran of holding up talks in relation to the French Government-backed deal to swap assets with Thales.

• The US Army awards Olin Corporation a $29 million contract to provide Small Caliber Ammunition for Caliber .50, 7.62mm and 5.56mm.

• Russia is studying the possibility of deploying paratroopers as part of its multi-branch Arctic contingent.  This may be extended to helicopter regiments by 2020, when Russia’s arms procurement program is due to be completed.

• A number of blog articles have highlighted the problems the Indian Air Force faces in keeping its ageing fleet of Soviet-built fighters airworthy. This may have proved influential upon recent decisions taken in relation to India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) competition.
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