AH-60L
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The UH-60M Black Hawk is currently the most advanced UH-60/S-70 model, whose variants are in service with the US Army and over 20 other countries around the world. To date, UH-60M customers include the USA, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, plus a request from Egypt. Unlike global competitors such as Russia’s Mi-8/17 series, however, the UH-60’s operational armament is generally limited to door guns. That may be about to change, thanks to a UAE initiative.

Colombia currently flies the armed S-70 “Arpia III”, and Sikorsky has worked on armed “AH-60” versions as an offering in some foreign competitions, but efforts to sell the concept in Australia and elsewhere were less successful. Nevertheless, Sikorsky executives see considerable potential for multi-role helicopters and conversion kits, in an era of global insurgencies, tight budgets, and limited helicopter numbers. Now, the UAE has become their launch customer. What is Sikorsky’s Battlehawk, and what are their plans?

• Battlehawk, and Sikorsky’s Level 1-3 Kits [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

• 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.

F-15s: Note Kill Stickers
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F-15s and F-16s make up the backbone of Israel’s potent fighter force. The IDF’s main fighter is the F-16 Fighting Falcon, including aging F-16 A/B Netz (“Falcon”), plus F-16C Barak (“Lightning”) and 2-seat F-16D Brakeets (“Thunderbolt”), and now the heavily customized two-seat F-16I Block 52+ Soufa (“Storm”). The Israelis fly the largest contingent of F-16s outside the United States, alongside longer range, higher performance F-15s. F-15A-D Baz (“Eagle”) models have greatly distinguished themselves in IDF service, and the customized two-seat F-15I Ra’ahm (“Thunder”) Strike Eagle is optimized for advanced ground attack and long range interception. All of these aircraft are heavily modified from the US versions, with Israeli avionics, self-protection systems, weapons, and sometimes radars as well.

While Israel’s F-16A/B Netz inventory may well be sold on the international market, their F-16 C/D and F-15 A-D planes were expected to serve the Air Force Corps until at least 2020. Unfortunately, Israel’s new F-35As won’t even start arriving until 2016 or 2017. To keep their edge, Israel began spending money in 2006 to improve and upgrade its legacy fighter fleet:

• Cheyl Ha’Avir: Upgrading the Fleet [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings [NEW]
  Continue Reading… »

F-16B & X-35

In an exclusive June 2006 interview, Israeli Air Force (IAF) chief procurement officer Brigadier-General Ze’ev Snir told Israel’s Globes publication that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was a key part of their IAF recapitalization plans, and that Israel intends to buy over 100 of the fighters to replace their F-16s over time. Since then, however, the expected cost of that purchase has more than doubled.

The necessary contract ad to deal with that sticker shock, with issues like the incorporation of Israeli technologies and industrial work, and with slips in the internal F-35 program. Israel was even contemplating delaying its purchase, which would have removed an important early adopter for the multinational program. In the end, however, Israel decided to forego other fighter options, and became the first foreign contract for operational F-35s:

• F-35 for Israel: Key Issues
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

IEDs: The Aftermath

JCREW 3.1 contract for USMC. (Dec 15/11)

The US military is working on the next-generation of jammers to defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that pose such a grave threat to US forces deployed overseas. The jammers are called Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) devices. They are high-power, modular, programmable, multiband radio frequency jammers designed to deny enemy use of selected portions of the radio frequency spectrum. They come in 3 varieties – fixed, mounted, and dismounted.

The first generations of JCREW devices were developed and deployed quickly to meet an urgent need in the field. The next generation of JCREW devices, known as 3.x, are being developed to increase capabilities and tap into the power of the network to enhance their effectiveness. The JCREW 3.1 version is a dismounted device, the 3.2 version is a mounted device, and the 3.3 version is being developed to work in mounted, dismounted, and fixed-installation roles, using a common open architecture of electronics…

Egyptian Air Force F-16D

Egypt picks Sniper pods; Egypt’s election earthquake; F-16 infrastructure contract. (Dec 7/11)

The Egyptian government wants to buy another 24 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft, associated parts, weapons, and equipment to modernize its air force. The October 2009 request, made through the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to Congress, could be worth as much as $3.2 billion to Lockheed Martin and the other contractors involved. The formal request came a few months after the Obama administration conveyed its support for Egypt’s long-standing request to buy the Block 50/52 aircraft.

The Egyptian Air Force is the 4th largest F-16 operator in the world, mustering about 195 F-16s of 220 ordered. Their overall fighter fleet is a mix of high-end F-16s and Mirage 2000s, low-end Chinese F-7s (MiG-21 copy) bought from the Chinese, a few F-4 Phantom II jets, and upgraded but very aged Soviet MiG-21s and French Mirage 5s…

C-17 over Hawaii

This in-depth, public-access DII Spotlight Article offers key statistics for the C-17A, explains the Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership’s (GSP) components, and details its contracts. While the C-17 may have limited production time in its future, the C-17 GSP is likely to continue for many years. The rising cost of maintenance has made it a greater concern to the world’s militaries, and new contract vehicles are reflecting that. Under the C-17 GSP, Boeing has total system support responsibility for the big transport aircraft, including materiel management and depot maintenance, for fleets around the world. The goal is total aircraft sustainment support under a single contract, in order to achieve improvements in mission readiness, while reducing operating and support costs.

The initial C-17 GSP contract has grown and broadened, even as Boeing’s customer base grew in the USAF (now 223), Australia (6), Britain (8), Canada (4), India (10-16), Qatar (2-4), NATO (3), the UAE (6) – and possibly Kuwait (1):

• The C-17 Globemaster III
• The C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership
• The C-17 PE/PI Program
• Contracts and Key Events, FY 2004-Present [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

French Mirage F1s

Morocco’s combat air force currently flies 2 squadrons of old F-5s, and 2 squadrons of only slightly newer Mirage F1s; T-37 light jets serve as key transitional trainers. Their neighbor and rival Algeria flies MiG-23s of similar vintage, but the Force Aérienne Algérienne also flies SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft, even more modern and capable MiG-29s, and is receiving multi-role SU-30MKs as part of a multi-billion dollar weapons deal with Russia.

Morocco can’t beat that array. Instead, they’re looking for replacement aircraft and upgrades that will prevent complete overmatch, and provide a measure of security. Initially, they looked to France, but key reversals have handed most of this modernization work to the United States…

• Slips & Shifts
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Why The F-16? DID Analysis – Dec. 2007
• Additional Readings [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

ADM-160B/C MALD

Milestone C: MALD-J approved for production; Industrial team. (Nov 29/11)

The Bosnian “Nighthawk Down” incident in 1999 showed that even old air defense systems could still be dangerous, and that smart tactics and selective use could keep those systems alive against heavy opposition. The challenge is finding them and targeting them. Against truly advanced air defense systems like the Russian SA-20 family, however, the challenge is survival. Advanced stealth technologies, advanced anti-radar weapons, and successful electronic jamming are required.

Air-launched decoys help, too. They’re not a new concept by any means, and the same technologies used in cruise missiles allow construction of “stealth in reverse” decoys that can fly long distances along pre-planned flight patterns, carrying radar reflectors that can simulate the radar return of fighter or bomber aircraft. Enemy air defenses see them as incoming aircraft, and must decide to either shut down and hide, or activate and reveal their position. If American aircraft are flying behind a wave a decoys, either option can be dangerous. The US Navy has the ITALD, and the USAF’s ADM-160B/C Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) program began as a DARPA effort in 1996, but made it all the way into production, and is branching out into new fields…

• MALD and Its Variants [updated]
• Industrial Team [NEW]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

USS Philippine Sea

A quick look at almost any modern warship shows a bewildering array of gear on its mast and upper surfaces. These “topside apertures” serve an array of functions, from communications, to data transmission, to electronic listening and defense. Not only do they disrupt ship smoothness, and hence radar profiles, when installed, but they can also be extremely difficult to integrate together so that object A’s transmissions aren’t interfering with critical service B. While firms like Thales in Europe pursue “integrated modular mast” technologies, the US Navy is aiming to go one step beyond. They’re funding “Integrated Topside” R&D to go beyond just a pre-packaged array, and turn all of these little bolt-ons into one common, smooth-running, and upgradeable basic architecture.

InTop for surface ships will be based on AESA radar technology, and aims to become an innovative, scalable suite of electronic warfare, information operations, and line-of-sight communications hardware and software. Its performance goals are to improve ships’ anti-radar profiles, increase communications bandwidth, and resolve electromagnetic interference and compatibility issues…