Latest update (Feb 3/12)

LVSR comes ashore

Why are trucks a big deal? Because they are the unglamorous but very necessary backbone of any mobile military force. The US Marines certainly fit the description of a mobile force, and Oshkosh Defense supplies their MTVR medium trucks. In 2006, the Marines took the next step, and chose a winner to replace a worn-down Oshkosh LVS heavy truck fleet that has served since 1985.

Like their predecessors, these new “Logistic Vehicle System Replacement” (LVSR) heavy trucks will usually find themselves transporting heavy equipment, or basic supplies such as ammunition, fuel, and water. The LVSR winner was also an Oshkosh design.

• Oshkosh’s LVSR Truck Family [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
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Ultra APV demonstrator

DOTE testing reveals vehicle & requirements flaws; Budget commitment to JLTVs; JLTV EMD RFP. (Jan 30/12)

In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.

These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially better protection ad durability than existing up-armored Humvees. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, though its future remains cloudy. That’s partly due to expected spending cutbacks, and partly due to the possible presence of “good enough” substitutes…

• JLTV: Program & Risks
  • The JLTV Family of Vehicles
  • JLTV: Goals and Constraints
  • JLTV: To Be, or Not to Be?
• JLTV: Participants and Platforms [updated]
• JLTV: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
• Appendix A: Phase 1 Technology Development’s Losing Teams
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Pierce pumper, USAF

Oshkosh subsidiary Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. in Appleton, WI won a maximum $7.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for fire fighting vehicle pumpers, for use by the US Army. The contract will run until Nov 28/12. There were 3 solicitations made, with 3 responses to the The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia, PA (SPM8EC-11-D-0062-0009).

Fire fighting specialist Pierce was acquired by Oshkosh in 1996, and in 2001, their fire trucks introduced Oshkosh’s TAK-4 independent suspensions. The firm makes a range of fire pumpers, including their own foam systems that can spray multiple foam viscosities at the same time, in order to handle Class A and Class B fires. The Army order, though not large, will be very welcome at Oshkosh…

• The USAF wants to follow in the US Army’s “Land Warrior” wearable computing vest footsteps. That may not be such a great idea. Then again, riding with gear is different than walking and carrying it.

• US Army’s next-generation CIRCM effort to protect helicopters against enemy missiles moves ahead. Note that this won’t help against unguided RPG rockets, which have caused the high-profile helicopter losses in Afghanistan.

• James Hasik weighs in on the Navistar-Oshkosh merger debate, and industry pricing power.

• Reuters reports that Textron is another company that might see some corporate action, though divestiture of some of its parts seems more likely than an outright merger. But such talk about the conglomerate is not new and remains speculative.

• US signs memo with Britain to help them rebuild aircraft carrier capability, after the long hiatus that will follow the recent shelving of their Harriers and carriers.

• Wideband Global Satcom F4, the 1st Block II bird, flew to Florida aboard a C-5 transport plane in November, and is set to launch on Jan 19/12 aboard a Delta IV EELV rocket.

• DARPA’s Extended Solids program is organizing a workshop next month to present its goals and attract researchers. First they would like to identify high pressure material phases of molecular compounds that feature interesting (from a DoD perspective) structural, energetic or functional properties. But perhaps more importantly they’re interested in fabrication processes that don’t require ultrahigh pressure and thus can scale at an acceptable cost. And of course the material has to remain in a stable state under ambient temperature and pressure.

• American logisticians have increased use of the Northern Distribution Network and raised stock levels to mitigate the impact of Pakistan’s closing of border crossings. They had to adapt after Karachi’s port was backed up earlier this month. Of course this is not cost neutral, but military logistics is all about resilience to events such as port closures that can’t be predicted but can be planned against.

• The US Defense Logistics Agency has worked on making its DLAD acquisition directive more user friendly and is now making it available in HTML and PDF formats.

• Former Secretary of Transport Philip Hammond is replacing Liam Fox as the UK’s Minister of Defence, a position that has seen a lot of turnover in past years. Fox resigned under pressure because of the access he gave to his friend Adam Werritty. FT, Guardian, BBC.

• The ADS British trade association surveyed Britain’s security sector. It found domestic sales to account for 81% of the total. 91% of the ~$235M goods and services exported to the US were for cyber security.

• The AP reported on Saturday that all US troops would leave Iraq by year’s end but Defense Department press secretary George Little then denied such a decision had been made. At stake is the number of troops that would remain involved in training the Iraqi military, if any.

• SAIC to add 200 jobs in Utah.

• After 2 failed attempts earlier this month, Oshkosh made a deal with UAW Local 578 for their 5-year contract that 77% of union members approved.

• Boeing consolidates its DRT, Argon, and ISR assets into an Electronic & Mission Systems (E&MS) division to go after the C4ISR market. DRT and Argon ST were acquired in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

• South Korea’s military exports to grow strongly through the rest of the decade.

• China is expanding its military reach, says Aviation Week.

• Defining a new “Air Sea Battle” strategy for Asia is in the works at the Pentagon, but it seems to shun the role of ground forces in coastal warfare.

• The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was expecting significant savings throughout the federal government thanks to data center consolidation, but agencies came back with much smaller projected numbers.

• US Marine science advisor Franz Gayl saw his indefinite suspension put on hold. In 2007 Gayl released information on tardy MRAP procurement, then he had his security clearance revoked last year in what some describe as retaliation for his whistle-blowing.

• NATO’s Undersea Research Centre (NURC) in Italy is testing small autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) equipped with sonars to detect mines in shallow waters, among other applications.

• The British Royal Navy plans to make up to 3,250 people redundant in the next 3 years.

• When dealing with US federal contracts, it takes a lawyer to untangle whether and why a business is considered small or not.

• If a US House or Senate Appropriations Committee marks a program below its President Budget amount, how do the services and DoD appeal? It’s a complex process but the Defense Acquisition University has a good walkthrough.

• After a delay of more than 2 years, the US DOD releases a new 2.0 draft [MS Word] of its Commercial Item Handbook and is asking for comments by Nov. 30, 2011. The first version was published 10 years ago and covers “any item of a type customarily used by the general public, or by nongovernmental entities, for purposes other than governmental purposes”. This includes but is not limited to Commercially Available Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products.

• Lousy logistics loses wars. The US GAO reckons the Department of Defense has improved its prepositioned stock management but should provide more visibility to Congress on the status and condition of prepositioned materiel. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) have been working this year on a Comprehensive Materiel Response Plan (CMRP) which should address the GAO’s concerns. To catch up on the DLA’s daunting work, this presentation [PDF] by director of DLA Logistics Operations Brig. Gen. Lynn Collyar comes handy. The current Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (ASD L&MR) Alan F. Estevez was appointed last August (he was formerly deputy but acting ASD) and pointed to the CMRP as a useful tool in his Senate testimony [PDF]. See also his Logistics Strategic Plan [PDF].

• The United Auto Workers Local 578 union met with Oshkosh management on Saturday after having decisively rejected the company’s contract offer on Friday. They agreed to more talks tomorrow and Thursday.

• The US Army released the complete draft RFP for the HMMWV Modernized Expanded Capacity Vehicle (HMMWV MECV) Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDTE) phase. This recap program intends to modernize M1151 and M1152 Humvees. The Industry Daily for source selection is scheduled on October 7 at Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANG), MI. Up to 3 RDTE contracts will be rewarded out of that 1st phase with a finalized RFP due on Nov. 10. The Production Phase RFP is tentatively scheduled to be released 1QFY13 (i.e. less that 15 months from now) and source from a single producer, with an aim of capping unit manufacturing cost at $180K. According to Defense News, so far the 4 following teams have lined up: Granite Tactical Vehicles/Textron Systems, AM General, BAE Systems and Oshkosh.

• The San Diego Union-Tribune says the US Marines’ aviation is facing a period of turbulence.

• Lockheed Martin is still pushing for the sale of new F-16 C/Ds to Taiwan, according to Reuters, based on a memo they have seen that the manufacturer sent to US lawmakers. The firm doesn’t seem to believe F-35s to be a credible option.

• France is working on its 2012 defense budget. The government asked for slightly less than 32 billion euros (about $43B) excluding pension costs. This translates into a 3% increase for “equipment” (procurement and maintenance). New acquisitions would include 11 Rafale jets, 8 NH90 helicopters, 1 FREMM frigate and 100 VBCI infantry vehicles – MinDef, DSI [both in French]. The original 1958 constitution of the Fifth Republic gave very strong powers to the executive branch, but constitutional reforms in past years have increased legislative budgetary review powers. The overall process is still much shorter than the protracted back-and-forths known in the US.

• The dog ate my homework while I was at my grandma’s funeral. As expected, the US House of Representative approved a short stopgap bill. More voting will be necessary to lengthen the continuing resolution into November, then at some point the budget for the fiscal year starting tomorrow will actually be wrapped up.

• The US Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) at the White House’s Office of Management of Budget (OMB) would like to increase inter-agency procurement [PDF] in order to reduce waste by duplication, says FPP administrator Daniel Gordon. Deduplication efforts will cost money and time too…

• (Former) U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III reviews the recent progress made on cyberstrategy. But daunting challenges are ahead. For one, the Pentagon wants to know the cost of industrial espionage by hacking.

• The FBI raided Boeing’s Ridley Park, PA plant to charge 37 people with distributing or trying to get prescription drugs such as oxycodone, a powerful opioid painkiller. V-22 Ospreys and CH-47 Chinooks are manufactured there.

• US Army Gen. Martin Dempsey is replacing Adm. Mike Mullen as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno replaced Dempsey as Chief of Staff of the Army earlier this month. On Mullen’s departure: WSJ, Stars & Stripes.

• X-47B flight test video embedded below, taken at Edwards AFB, CA where the UCAS had its first flight back in February:
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• Oshkosh becomes the latest target of activist investors, after Carl Icahn declares that he owns 9.5% of the armored truck maker.

• Brown University releases a report on the costs of the United States’ wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The Costs of Wars Since 2001 [PDF] estimates that 225,000 lives have been lost and future conflict will take spending to $4 trillion.

• Former UK Defence Secretary Lord John Reid urges the government to establish a cyber resilience task force or risk reliance on systems that it cannot influence. Failure to do so may deter investment from technology companies.

• Thales is to merge two of its subsidiaries to create a new specialist company. Thales Communications and Security aims to double the company’s cyber-security sales to $1 billion by 2020.

• As China’s space program gathers in sophistication and momentum, calls for the United States to maintain its military edge in space seem set to increase.

• Following the recent successful test launch of a Bulava submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Russia announces plans to launch the missile from its second Borey class nuclear-powered submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, later this year. This was closely followed by the announcement that the Russian Navy is set to receive three nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the year.

• Canada’s National Shipbuiding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) Secretariat announces that it will extend the bid period for the NSPS program. The decision was made after two bidders requested the extension, a move that was poorly received by politicians and shipbuilders.

• A new Electronics.Ca Publications report predicts that the global machine vision and vision guided robotics market will be worth $15.3 billion by 2015. The Asia Pacific region is expected to continue its dominance over this time period.

• MDA, Ltd. and IAI’s Stark Aerospace announce the availability of Persist-INT, a turnkey unmanned airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) service, for NATO ISAF forces in Afghanistan. MDA already operates Heron UAVs for Canada and Australia in theater.

• The French Government and Thales agree to pay EUR 630 million in compensation for bribes related to a contract to supply 6 frigates to Taiwan.

• Oshkosh Defense is to deliver more than 730 trucks for the U.S. Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV), including new and recapitalized Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4s and new Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) A1s, following orders from TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC).

• QinetiQ North America wins a $36.5 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide scientific, engineering and analytical services to the Air Force Technical Application Center’s (AFTAC) Expert Scientific & Analytical Support (ESAS) program at Patrick AFB, FL. The ESAS contract will support AFTAC’s provision of advanced proliferation monitoring technologies and nuclear treaty compliance monitoring.

• DCS Corporation receives a contract award for Missile Defense Agency Engineering and Support Service (MiDAESS). The company will provide advisory and assistance services to the MDA’s Directorates of Engineering, Test, Advanced Technology, and Information Management and Technology Operations.

• Flight International reports that Elbit Systems is in talks with Honeywell and Rockwell Collins regarding cooperation on next-generation avionics for fighter, transport and rotorcraft platforms. Elbit is currently seeking investors for the development of its CockpitNG system unveiled at last year’s Farnborough Air Show.

• Poland issues a request for proposals to the manufacturers interested in competing for its 16 aircraft lead-in fighter trainer contract. The firms have until July 29th to submit their final offers, with Warsaw expected to sign off on the deal by late 2011 or early 2012.

• The Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organisation reports that Denmark’s forces operating in Libya are running out of bombs for their F-16 fighters. The Netherlands have been asked to replenish Danish stocks.

• The internet continues to provide plenty of speculation regarding recently released pictures of China’s supposedly new fifth-generation fighter. One blog adds to the JH-7B debate by overlaying pictures of the aircraft.

The Clark/ Balfour Beatty JV in Bethesda, MD a $7.5 million firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of a previously awarded firm-fixed-price design-build contract for an in-vitro fertilization clinic and stem cell laboratory at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $741.1 million – but that’s for the massive construction underway at the NNMC generally, not just the clinic. Work will be performed in Bethesda, MD, and is expected to be complete by July 2011. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington in Washington, DC (N40080-08-C-0007).