.50 cal goodness

ATK business Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. LLC in Independence, MO recently received a pair of firm-fixed-price contracts under DAAA09-99-D-0016 for small arms ammunition from the US government. The Alliant Lake location dates back to World War 2, and had become the USA’s only facility turning out military-grade small arms ammunition. The plant is currently undergoing extensive modernization efforts, while the adoption of General Dynamics as a secondary supplier has helped to ease the USA’s supply crunch for small arms ammunition.

The 3 contracts include a pair on Feb 29/08, and another on March 3/08. The first 2 lay out $21 million for 47,855,400 small caliber (5.56mm – 12.7mm/ .50 cal) rounds, and $13.5 million for 27,779,760 rounds. The 3rd lays out $67.7 million for 304,995,920 rounds. Work on these contracts is expected to be complete by Sept 30/09; in all cases, there was 1 bid solicited on Jan 2/08, and 1 bid was received by The U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, IL.

Carothers Construction Inc. in Water Valley, MS received a $10.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a diagnostic imaging center radiology oncology clinic at Keesler Air Force Base. This project will provide an elevated one-story steel frame and concrete addition on pile foundation, with a concrete slab, concrete and glass exterior, a modified bitumen roof, and all mechanical and electrical systems. The facility will be an adequately sized, efficient, modern, hurricane-protected Diagnostic Imaging Center for the Radiation Oncology Clinic to serve the eligible personnel in the Biloxi/Gulfport MS area, with a connector to the existing hospital.

Work will be performed in Biloxi, MS, and is expected to be complete by September 2009. This contract was competitively procured via the Naval Facilities Engineering Command e-solicitation website, with 5 proposals received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast in Jacksonville, FL (N69450-08-C-0758).

Tejas LCA
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India’s fighter strength has been declining in recent years, as the MiG-21s that form the largest component of its fleet are lost in crashes, or retired due to age and wear. Some MiG-21s are being modernized to MiG-21bis ‘Bison’ configuration, just as other current fighter types are all undergoing modernization programs in order to maintain the fighter force until replacements can arrive. On which note, an ongoing tender will likely see Russian, French, American, Swedish and European manufacturers dueling for a multi-billion dollar, 126+ plane light-medium fighter sale.

This still leaves India without a low-end solution to the twin problems besetting its overall fleet: numbers, and age. The MiG-21bis program adds years of life to those airframes, but that extended lifespan is still quite finite; by 2020, it is very unlikely that any MiG-21s will remain in service. As for the MMRCA program, it may replace some of India’s mid-range fighters – but that still leaves replacement of its MiG-21 fleet as India’s biggest numbers challenge. In this environment, the status of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project matters a great deal to the Indian Air Force’s future prospects – and their and confidence in its success matters as they contemplate their immediate procurement buys. The choices made in the LCA’s design will also affect the lightweight fighter’s export potential, which will in turn feed back again into the overall program’s costs and viability for India over its lifetime.

The latest additions to this article include more extensive information regarding the fighter and its performance, an update re: flight testing, and an reported radar offer from EADS. As the article explains, however, the most critical firing tests are yet to come…

• LCA Tejas: India’s Lightweight Fighter, or Just a Lightweight? [updated]
• The Kaveri Engine: Keystone, or Killer?
• Updates and Events [updated]
• Appendix A: DID Analysis & Op/Ed
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »

MTV, worn
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As the Marines themselves note, “body armor can be traced back to before the Roman Empire, when war was waged with sword and spear and the battlefield rang with the clash of steel on steel.” In time, its protection became so formidable that an armored, mounted warrior feared few enemies. A string of reverses from Crecy into the age of gunpowder led to a growing offensive ascendancy, however, eventually leading to a period of hundreds of years in which warriors headed into battle without armor. In recent decades, modern technology began to offer new materials with remarkable properties, which led to the rise of Kevlar and flak jackets that offered limited protection. Special Forces experiments eventually led to designs that added plate inserts of metal or increasingly advanced ceramics. Which brings us to the present day, where soldiers from advanced militaries are once again heading into battle with 30-50 pounds of body armor. Its protection is rather less total than that provided by the knight’s medieval plate, but a lot of soldiers are still alive because of the protection it does provide. Even so, the modern soldiers shares one complaint with the medieval knight: heavy armor that can limit mobility, and heats up quickly.

The Interceptor Outer Tactical Vest became the US military’s standard equipment around the dawn of the 21st century, but the US Marines were less impressed. In the wake of negative After-Action Reviews, they turned to Protective Products International in Sunrise, FL to make a different design, the Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) designed by an ex-Marine.

Now, a halt has been placed on MTV orders, following complaints from the field…

• MTV: Features
• MTV: Contracts and Developments
• Additional Readings
  
  Continue Reading… »

Purple Heart
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DID has covered the USA’s Base Realignment and Closure process before, a fairly unique effort whereby a commission draws up a list of bases to be closed, and the Congress must vote yes or no to the entire list. The result is that it becomes much harder (but not impossible) for Congressmen to protect each base, and easier to create a basing system whose priorities are shifted toward military rather than political needs.

The 2005 BRAC Commission’s recommendation to realign and consolidate facilities in the USA’s National Capital Region, in order to meet the medical and security needs of the 21st century, includes the realignment of all tertiary medical services currently located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The new joint operational medical facility will be named the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and will be staffed by personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force. The existing Walter Reed main installation is mandated to close by 2011, according to the BRAC law.

DID thought this was an interesting BRAC initiative to cover going forward as a Spotlight article… and then the controversies hit. In their aftermath, the first contract has now been issued for construction of the new facility. DID chronicles the contracts – and the controversies – in this DII public-access article…


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JHL: QTR Concept
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In 2005, the US military and NASA announced the kickoff of the Army-led Joint Heavy Lift program, with the award of 5 contracts for the Concept Design and Analysis (CDA) of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) rotorcraft. This is a futuristic aircraft that’s imagined as having the C-130 Hercules aircraft’s 20 ton cargo capacity, but with the ability to take off and land like a helicopter. No current US military helicopter platform even comes close to that vision, and so the competitors are deploying some radical and different technologies in their attempts to meet these goals. DID covers each of them below.

CH-53E Super Stallion

At the same time, the US Marine Corps’ vital medium-heavy lift CH-53E Super Sea Stallion helicopters are beginning to to wear out their airframes. Hence the HLR Heavy Lift Replacement (HLR) program, aimed at fielding new-build CH-53K aircraft beginning in 2013-2015. The US Air Force, meanwhile, has its AJACS program, which aims to produce a C-130 replacement beginning around 2020.

All 3 programs may face a rough ride ahead. Runaway cost growth on numerous US defense programs, operational demands, and a looming demographic crisis in social programs all work to create budget squeezes, and hence pressures for program consolidation. The USMC’s affordable CH-53X track upgrade was very nearly sidetracked via a merger with he R&D heavy, schedule-uncertain, JHL, and may not be in the clear yet. The USAF’s AJACS program to replace the C-130 Hercules with a modern 20+ ton transport is also facing scrutiny of this sort, and those pressures, too may increase. Conversely, it is also possible that the JHL program could find itself edged out by a pair of more conventional helicopter and aircraft solutions from the USMC and USAF. DID notes the technologies, the politics, and progress to date. Recent news includes the winnowing of the program down to 3 contenders, the unveiling of Sikorsky’s X2 demonstrator, and a key partnership for Lockheed Martin…

• The JHL Program (i.e. “Continue reading…”)
• The Contenders
  • The Modernized Standbys [updated]
  • Sikorsky’s Compound Helicopter Option [updated]
  • The Tilt-Rotors [updated]
• Contracts and Key Developments [updated]
• Appendix A: ‘Borging’ HLR & the CH-53’s Future (Oct 2005)
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources – JHL Program
• Appendix C: Additional Readings & Sources – HLR Program (CH-53X)
  
  Continue Reading… »

KC-X options
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In January 2007, the big question was whether there would be a competition for the USA’s KC-X aerial tanker RFP, which will cover 175 production aircraft and 4 test platforms. The cost for this first phase alone is likely to reach $35+ billion, but the USAF believes that adding new plane types to America’s 40-50 year old aerial tanker fleet is its #1 priority, lest unpredictable age or fatigue issues like the ones its F-15A-D fleet is experiencing ground its aerial tankers – and with them, a substantial slice of the USA’s total airpower.

Boeing’s KC-767 Advanced Tanker was matched up against Airbus’ larger A330 MRTT/KC-30 for this competition. Each has a consortium, and each had advantages. After all the studies, the lobbying, and the proposal refinements, however, the USAF has picked a winner on Feb 29/08

The A330 MRTT/ KC-30B from Northrop Grumman and EADS Airbus will now become the USAF’s next aerial tanker – if the USAF can make its decision stick…

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F-35A
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Back in 2006, when it was time for partner nations to sign on to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s production definition phase, the Dutch came aboard relatively early. That appears to be true again, as a Dutch MvD release indicates that they will participate in the multinational Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) Phase of the JSF program, rather than conducting this phase on their own. IOT&E will be used to validate the F-35A’s capabilities, while testing and refining both operational tactics & employment concepts, and ensuring smooth integration of the aircraft into the Dutch Air Force in time for the scheduled Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2016.

The first test aircraft is scheduled for a decision before May 31/08, with down-payment of 10% of the aircraft’s costs for long-lead items. A Cabinet decision will follow in 2009 re: both test aircraft, with a second aircraft arriving that year if the decision is positive. Otherwise, the long-lead items et. al. will be sold to other operators. The multinational IOT&E phase will pool 24 aircraft in total (10 F-35A, 8 F-35B, 6 F-35C), and will run from 2011-2013. The estimated cost for the Dutch will be about EUR 274.6 million, plus EUR 16.1 million in operating costs over this time frame. In contrast, a national program was estimated at close to EUR 500 million, with IOC in 2018 at the earliest, and would require leased space in another country anyway due to space restrictions at home.

The full acquisition program will be postponed, however, because of changes to timing and numbers on the American side. These would have forced the Dutch to buy earlier in overall production, which can raise costs sharply. One option being discussed is called “Level Line Pricing,” in which partnering countries agree on a common price over multiple production blocks. This makes prices more stable, but costs more for those planning to buy later in the level-line period. At present, the Netherlands expects their final F-35A delivery to take place in 2023, with a total budget of EUR 5.667 billion instead of EUR 5.465 billion for their 85 aircraft. Ministerie van Defensie release [Dutch] | Accompanying PDF document [Dutch]. DID appreciates the assistance of subscriber David Vandenberghe.

RB-M
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MarineLog reports that the Manitowoc Marine Group has been awarded an additional $35 million delivery order for 18 RB-M vessels by the U.S. Coast Guard. The new vessels are part of a $600 million Coast Guard contract for up to 250 Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) vessels, and Manitowoc is the prime contractor and program manager for this multi-year project. Thus far 30 boats are under contract, including this order. Manitowoc will share the construction of these 18 boats equally with its RB-M team partner, Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle, WA. Delivery will begin in Q3 2009.

Manitowoc is also part of Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship team (as Marinette Marine), and is a participant in the Improved Navy Lighterage System.

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In the 1970s, fighter aircraft began to appear with Head-Up Displays (HUD) that projected key information, targeting crosshairs et. al. onto a seemingly clear piece of glass, so the pilot could keep his eyes on the sky instead of looking down at his instruments. We’ve been wondering when we’d see them in our automobiles ever since. In the 1990s, another innovation appeared: helmet-mounted displays put the HUD inside the pilot’s helmet, providing this information even when the pilot wasn’t looking straight ahead. The Israelis were already using a system called DASH when a set of former East German MiG-29s equipped with HMDs slaughtered USAF F-16s in exercises, and helmet-mounted displays suddenly became must-haves for modern fighters.

The Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) projects visual targeting and aircraft performance information on the back of the helmet’s visor, including aircraft altitude, airspeed, gravitational pull, angle of attack, and weapons sighting, enabling the pilot to monitor this information without interrupting the field of view through the cockpit canopy. The system uses a magnetic transmitter unit fixed to the pilot’s seat and a magnetic field probe mounted on the helmet to define helmet pointing positioning. A Helmet Vehicle Interface (HVI) interacts with the aircraft system bus to provide signal generation for the helmet display. This provides significant improvement for close combat targeting and engagement.

A September 2005 exchange with Boeing enabled DID to gain insights into the rocky past, overall state, and future of a program that has experienced its share of snags and controversy – but gone on to become the #1 helmet-mounted sight in the world today. That information fits nicely with DID’s expansion of our coverage to detail the JHMCS’ game-changing effects on air combat, its production sets and known customers, and all contracts since full-rate production began. The latest item is a minor contract to equip USAF F-15Es…

• JHMCS: A Combat Multiplier [updated] (i.e. Continue reading…)
• JHMCS: The Program to Date
• JHMCS: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: JHMCS History & Challenges
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »