Afghan commando trainees

If the allied strategy in Afghanistan really rests on the eventual ability of their central government to handle the lion’s share of the campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, its government will have to be able to manage itself at an acceptable level of competence. Given the fact that the cost of equipping and maintaining Afghanistan’s defense forces is well beyond that government’s entire budget, its competence is equally important to foreign financial donors.

That very competence has been strongly questioned in recent years, with Afghanistan’s interior ministry and national police coming in for special criticism. Managing their quality is a difficult political problem, as the requirement of Afghan independence and the reality of the country’s culture and political actors collide. Then, too, the local approach can sometimes be the right approach, even if it seems strange or inefficient at first. That’s why locally-appropriate training programs at the management level, as well as the tactical level, must be part of any transition plan. Even as their ultimate effectiveness depends on the commitment and people in place among their trainees. To that end, L-3’s MPRI division has received a series of contracts:

MH-6J “Little Bird”:
Rangers lead the way!

US Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) has been extremely busy since Sept 11/01, a situation which creates corresponding demands on their support infrastructure. SOCOM is famous for having a practical, results-oriented, “get it done now” approach to contracting, and there are a number of umbrella contracts designed to provide them with outsourced support and maintenance services of all kinds. One of the these contracts is SOFSA CLS (Special Operations Forces Support Activity, Contractor Logistics Support); contrary to some media reports that it exemplifies a trend toward contracted services, it has been running for over 20 years now.

On March 3/09, the Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin would be replacing L-3 Communications Integrated Systems as the designated contractor for SOFSA CLS, which has 3 primary components: (1) aircraft, vehicle and equipment maintenance, (2) critical infrastructure support, and (3) business process transformation. L-3 protested that award, received a sizeable interim award, and got the Lockheed win canceled, pending a re-compete. Then, a May 2010 scandal changed everything…

M4 SOPMOD

L-3 Communications subsidiary EOTech, Inc. in Ann Arbor, MI received a $25 million sole-source, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract, to provide their optical sighting system for U.S. Special Operations Command’s M4A1 carbines. Work will be performed in Ann Arbor, MI and is expected to be complete by May 2015. $262,636 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10. The US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane, IN manages this contract (N00164-10-D-JN68).

EOTech HWS

EOTech offers a unique technology, thanks to its Holographic Weapon Sight. The firm says that their night-vision compatible sight combines ranging and aiming in one image, which is not affected by problems like mud on the sight, or even a cracked sight window. This simple simulator demonstrates the basic sight picture.

Finnish C-295M

In May 2006, the Finnish Air Force officially selected EADS CASA’s C-295M as its next generation tactical transport aircraft. They will replace Finland’s aging Fokker F-27 transports at Tikkakoski AB, as the older aircraft are decommissioned in 2015. This decision finalizes a selection process that took over 18 months, including flights in both near-arctic and hot summer conditions. The C-295M’s standard competitor is Alenia’s C-27J Spartan; each type has won some competitions, and lost others. The C-295 won this one.

May 2010 saw a follow-on order, and then a special aircraft modification…

System F6 concept

Satellites are currently big, expensive to build and launch, vulnerable, impossible in practice to upgrade on-orbit, difficult to replace – and critical to military effectiveness. That’s a really bad combination. Now add program risk and cost inflation driven by those issues, as the military tries to launch the most advanced technologies it can, in a uniquely ‘no fail’ environment.

DARPA’s System F6 program aims at nothing less than a revolution in satellite technology, aimed at removing those constraints. If successful, it will develop and demonstrate the basic building blocks of a totally new space architecture, in which traditional integrated satellites are replaced by clusters of smaller, cheaper, wirelessly interconnected space modules that form a “virtual” satellite.

• Fractionated Space: The F6 Program [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

• Russia: No more gas-for-military base deals.

• China looks to strengthen its nuclear retaliatory capability.

• US House Armed Services Committee approves the IMPROVE Acquisition Act [pdf], which would reform the defense acquisition process.

• House Armed Services Air and Land Forces ranking member Rep. Bartlett [R-MD] expresses concern about the USAF’s plans for its force structure, especially Air National Guard C-130 plans.

• USAF unveils first HC-130J Super Hercules special forces search and rescue/ tanker aircraft. USAF | Lockheed Martin.

• Atlas V rocket launches with X-37 spaceplane on board.

• L-3 posts 11% rise in net income on slightly higher sales.

• Israel Military Industries completes Turkey’s $688 million M-60T “Sabra” tank upgrade project. Procurement relations are stable, though political ties remain strained. See IMI [PDF] | AvWeek Ares.

• How’s your Farsi? Video of Iran’s military exercises in Persian Gulf.

• Case to supply thousands of M400W skid steers and M400T compact track loaders to US Army for use in Afghanistan under $160 million contract.

• Turkish navy commanders aboard the F-493 TCG Gelibolu, a G-class frigade that is an updated version of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate, capture 13 pirates in the Indian Ocean.

• Reports indicate a Taliban buildup in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They don’t publicize their procurement activities, of course.

• Germany’s democratically-accountable government does, though. Marder tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicles and PzH-2000 tracked mobile howitzers are on the way to Afghanistan, in response to increased attacks.

• Gen. McChrystal, meanwhile, says the US military is using too many contractors in Afghanistan.

• Sikorsky (H-92) and Lockheed (AW101) to partner on the next Presidential helicopter? Seems so – submitting the H-92.

• US Navy highlights its green energy research, incl. microbial fuel cells.

• Nuclear aircraft carrier USS Enterprise [CVN 65] formally redelivered to US Navy, following an extended and over-budget repair cycle.

• Korean lawmakers urge military response if North found responsible for sinking of ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772), the Pohang-class patrol combat corvette. To say that their options are limited is a deep understatement.

• UK Army bomb disposal unit clears IEDs from road to Shahzad in the dangerous South West Helmand area of Afghanistan.

• Canada changes its military recruitment strategy as mission in Afghanistan comes to an end.

• L-3’s STRATIS division snags a 5-year, $152 million contract to provide IT and cyber operations support for the USAF Central Command.

M762A1 electronic time fuze

L-3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems in Cincinnati, OH received a $24.1 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply M762A1 electronic time fuzes [pdf].

The fuze is used on all 105mm and 155mm artillery-delivered cargo, smoke, and illumination projectiles. It can be set manually by the user or automatically by an inductive fuze setter…

• UK MoD details latest defense RAF contracts and agreements, including maintenance for Hawk T Mk2 jet trainers, a cut in its A400M transport order, and a contract signing for its future CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

• UK parliamentary committee warns that MoD’s military hospitals might not be ready to handle an increase in casualties from more intense fighting in Afghanistan. Committee of Public Accounts report | Telegraph | Daily Mail | Mirror

• South Korea defense minister thinks mine may be responsible for explosion aboard ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772), the Pohang-class patrol combat corvette that sunk with 46 crew members aboard. Associated Press | Wall Street Journal | Reuters | Korea Times | BBC

• Teal Group: Worldwide Mission Model predicts 2,229 space payloads will be launched between 2010 and 2029, with 19% of those coming from the military; UAV market to reach $80 billion over 10 years.

• Russia may unveil its next-generation T-95 main battle tank in summer 2010.

• L-3 Wescam awarded $110 million contract to supply EO/IR MX-15Di imaging turrets for USAF fixed-wing aircraft. Equipped aircraft include the MC-12W King Air.

• Harris gets $74 million follow-on order for Falcon III AN/PRC-152-C handheld radios with RF-5980-SA001 vehicle adapters for use in M-ATVs. Original contract was worth $119 million.

• AAR snags $24 million order for US Army mobile shelters, bringing total to 1,500 under 10-year contract.

Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) Center Atlantic, Charleston, SC awarded a a $39 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to L-3 Services in Mount Laurel, NJ for integrated engineering support services for US Navy C4ISR and C2 systems.

This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to an estimated $269 million.