Aria’s airship
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In early 209, Aria International, Inc. announced a contract from the Royal Thai Army to provide in-country surveillance and communications solutions and services, for an aggregate purchase price of $9.7 million. The RTA surveillance system consists of a manned airship with military-grade imaging and communications systems, a state-of-the-art Mobile Command and Control Vehicle, and upgrades to existing communications and facilities to receive real-time surveillance data.

Thailand has the questionable distinction of being saddled with the bloodiest Islamist insurgency most people have never heard of. The American export system hindering their order, however, is well known around the world…

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AN/PRC-117G concept
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Harris Corp recently received a basic purchasing agreement contract worth up to $419 million to supply the US Army with Falcon III AN/PRC-117G [data sheet, PDF] multiband tactical manpack radios, and vehicular power-amplifier adapter systems. The initial delivery order under the contract is valued at $165 million. Radio systems from this order will be deployed by the Army for missions worldwide to provide next-generation, high-speed tactical satellite and voice-and-data communications.

The AN/PRC-117G manpack radio is about half the size of currently fielded multiband systems, and has a frequency range of 30 MHz – 2 GHz. The radio supports streaming video, imagery, biometrics, logistics and other data-intensive applications. The Falcon III-R AN/PRC-117G-C is a JTRS-approved manpack radio that incorporates the Harris Advanced Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) for mobile ad-hoc networking, which provides secure IP data to the tactical Internet at on-air rates up to 10 Megabits per second (Mbps). This high data rate is joined with mobile ad-hoc networking, automated network establishment and maintenance, and integrated security. In addition, the AN/PRC-117G-C and its software-defined architecture offers interoperability with currently fielded radios, incorporating SINCGARS, Havequick II, and the High Performance Waveform (HPW), as well as MIL-STD-181B Tactical Satellite (TACSAT) capability. For encryption, the AN/PRC-117G-C uses the Harris Sierra II software-programmable encryption module. In January 2008, Harris announced its NSA certification, and the PRC-117G was part of a 10-day Army exercise in December 2007 that focused on integrating new networking technologies with the Patriot Missile System.

French Mirage F1s
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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 Aerienne Algerienne also flies SU-24 Fencer and SU-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft, even more modern and capable MiG-29s, and is set to receive 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 that will prevent complete overmatch, and provide a measure of security. Initially, they looked to France. France’s Rafale is part of a set of European 4+ generation fighters that were developed and fielded during the 1990s-early 21st century, with the aim of surpassing existing offerings among America’s “teen series” fighters, as well as Russia’s Mig-29 Fulcrum and SU-27/30 Flanker family. “Dogfight at the Casbah: Rafale vs. F-16” discussed the French sales slip-ups that cost Dassault its first export order for the 4+ generation fighter. That outcome is now official.

Just to make things worse, the final multi-billion dollar deal involves new-build F-16s, at a price comparable to the rumored figures for the Rafale. Not to mention an accompanying American deal to replace Morocco’s T-37 trainer fleet with T-6Cs, and contracts for air-launched weapons, targeting pods, and C-27J short-haul transports. The latest development includes a DSCA request for CH-47D helicopters…

• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Why The F-16? DID Analysis – Dec. 2007
• Additional Readings
  
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Falcon II Multiband Radio
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Harris Corp.’s RF Communications Division in Rochester, NY received a 5-year, $90 million ceiling firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for up to 3,385 AN/PRC-117F multiband radio vehicular installation kits from the US Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) in Quantico, VA. In addition, Harris will provide associated documentation, technical and training support, training manuals, spares, and other ancillary items.

Harris also recently received a contract worth up to $419 million to supply the next-generation Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband tactical manpack radios and vehicular power-amplifier adapter systems. “US Contracts for Next-Gen Tactical Radio Upgrades” has more on next-generation tactical radios.

The Falcon III AN/PRC-117F [pdf] is a multiband manpack software-defined radio covering the 30 MHz to 512 MHz frequency spectrum…

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Those Were the Days
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The US military has a vast store of supplies and equipment around the world. Keeping track of all that stuff has always been a challenge. In World War II, the US Army kept track using IBM punch cards and electric accounting machines (EAMs).

Well today, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have replaced punch cards and RFID readers and computers have replaced the EAMs. The RFID tags work like “wireless bar codes” that record, track, and manage the supplies and equipment of a modern networked military.

Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have focused attention on the performance of the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) supply chain management in support of deployed US troops. The availability of spare parts and other critical supply items affects the readiness and operational capabilities of the forces, and the supply chain can be a critical link in determining outcomes on the battlefield.

So, not only does RFID technology help keep track of supplies and equipment, it also helps get critical supplies to the battlefield at the right time and place. DoD’s latest effort to ensure RFID technology gets where it needs to go is a $6.6 million order to Lockheed Martin’s Savi for RFID supply chain tracking technologies…

• Key Technologies
• Applications
• Benefits
• Problems
• RF-ITV System
• Other Uses
• Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings
  
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Slimmer and Trimmer
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General Dynamics C4 Systems received a contract, worth up to $50 million, to supply the US Army with engineering and logistics-support services for the Land Warrior [pdf] integrated modular fighting systems.

A couple of years ago, it looked like the Land Warrior program was dead due to soldiers’ concerns that the equipment was too heavy and complex. However, after trimming down the system from 17 pounds to 7.2 pounds, the Army is moving ahead with the program. “Infantry-21: Land Warrior’s Reviews – And Resurrection?” has more on the controversy.

The new contract enables General Dynamics’ field service engineers to deploy with all Land Warrior-equipped units and provide support for housing, repairing and shipping spare and replacement Land Warrior gear worldwide…

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FS Latouche Treville
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DCNS recently announced a EUR 310 million (currently about $462 million) set of multi-year contracts to maintain 22 of the French Navy’s ships. The firm has been providing support to the French Navy for a long time, though it has operated as state-owned DCN for many of those deals. They are characterized as “through-life support” (TLS), even though they are periodic rather than continuing to the vessel’s out of service dates.

In October 2005, the French Navy’s maintenance contracts continued a shift toward performance-based logistics, via a pair of EUR 288.5 million contracts to DCN: a 3.5 year effort to support a variety of surface ships, plus another to support for one of France’s Triomphant class ballistic missile submarines.

The 2009 contracts are issued to DCN’s successor firm DCNS, which is still majority-owned by the French state. They cover a wider array of ships…

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In November 2005, “Taiwan Orders F-16 Training in USA, But Larger Defense Buys Remain in Limbo” described the gridlock that had hampered key weapons sales of P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, Patriot PAC-3 missiles, and diesel-electric submarines to Taiwan – in some cases, since 1997. The opposition KMT party’s flip-flops and determined stalling tactics eventually created a crisis in US-Taiwan relations, which finally soured to the point that the USA refused a Taiwanese request for F-16C/D aircraft.

That seems to have brought things to a head. Most of the budget and political issues were eventually sorted out, and after a long delay, some major elements of Taiwan’s requested modernization program appear to be moving forward: P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, Patriot missile upgrades; and requests for AH-64D attack helicopters, E-2 AWACS planes, and missiles for defense against aircraft, ships, and tanks. These are must-have capabilities when facing a Chinese government that has vowed to take the country by force, and is building an extensive submarine fleet, a large array of ballistic missiles, an upgraded fighter fleet, and a number of amphibious-capable divisions.

Chinese pressure continues to stall some of Taiwan’s important upgrades, including diesel-electric submarines and American fighter jets. Meanwhile, upgrades to its Patriot air and missile defense systems continue…

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BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services in Rockville, MD received a $30.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical services and supplies for new and/or existing communication-electronic platforms, equipment, systems and subsystems for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) Special Communications Requirements Division.

The contract is for a 1-year base term with 4 option years. The total value is approximately $165 million, if all of the option years are exercised.

BAE Systems will perform design, development, systems integration, test and evaluation, maintenance, and logistics services for a range of communications and electronics platforms for the NAWCAD division…

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Aeroflex 7200 Radio Tester
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Aeroflex Wichita in Wichita, KS won [pdf] a maximum $40.5 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract from the US Marine Corps for ground radio maintenance automatic test systems. A delivery order with a value of $16.3 million is being issued concurrently with the contract award.

Under the contract, Aeroflex will supply its 7200 Configurable Automated Test Set (CATS) equipment, which is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform for testing the performance of software-defined radios, including the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS). “US Contracts for Next-Gen Tactical Radio Upgrades” provides insights into the JTRS program, which is intended to bring the next-generation tactical radio system to US troops.

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