TuAF F-16s
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On September 28, 2006, the US DSCA notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Turkey of 30 more F-16C Block 50 aircraft, as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $2.9 billion. This sale is in addition to Turkey’s $1.1 billion upgrade program for its existing F-16 fleet, which aims to bring all of its aircraft to a common configuration. More than 200 F-16 aircraft currently make up the backbone of Turkey’s current fighter fleet, and this marks the 52nd follow-on buy of F-16s by 14 repeat customers. Over 4,300 F-16s have been delivered to 24 nations. The final Turkish F-16 under this contract will be delivered in 2013.

DID readers will also recall the recent buy of 30 F-16 Block 50/52 Plus aircraft by Turkey’s rival Greece. While the Hellenic Air force has decided to pass on the option for an additional 10 F-16s and delayed consideration of new fighters beyond 2011, Turkey joined the F-35’s production planning phase in 2007. If they decide to continue, orders will be placed in 2008-2009.

Meanwhile, the Government of Turkey is moving ahead with its F-16 fleet expansion plans. This article will cover the deal as its component contracts and agreements come together…..

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PJ-10 BrahMos
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Back in November 2005, The Hindu newspaper reported that India’s government has given the go-ahead for exporting missiles, and that India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is looking to market several of its products internationally. The DRDO will participate in international expos as part of its marketing strategy, and government officials have claimed interest from African, Gulf and South-East Asian countries. They have also noted, however, that India’s government would be required to approve any foreign sales to specific countries.

The missile systems in question include:

• Trishul (“trident”) short-range surface-air missile (SAM)
• Akash (“sky”) medium-range SAM
• Nag (“cobra”) anti-armor missile; and the
• Indo-Russian BrahMos medium-range supersonic cruise missile, which is primarily designed as an anti-ship weapon but can also perform land attack.

DID describes each of these programs, then adds some analysis that offers insights into these long-running missile programs and their competitive prospects. Updates have also been added, including news re: India’s production plans for the BrahMos, plus ongoing updates and budget figures as of January 2008 re: the Trishul, Akash and Nag missiles…

• The Missiles: IGMP + BrahMos
• Program Updates
• Appendix A: India’s Export Prospects – DID Op/Ed Analysis (Dec. 2005)
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources – Related Reports & News
• Appendix C: Additional Readings & Sources – The Missiles
  
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Fix that pipe!
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When things go wrong on a naval ship, they can go very badly wrong indeed. Accidents, hostile fire, or hazardous conditions can force a crew to fight to save their vessel. Since humans don’t survive very well in open ocean, it’s usually a fight to save themselves as well. Effective damage control is a critical sailor’s skill, one that cannot be provided as effectively by automated systems. Executing it often requires iron nerve as well as knowledge, which is why testing and training needs to be as realistic as possible.

The Haskell Co. in Jacksonville, FL recently won a $12 million firm-fixed price task order under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract (N62472-01-D-0075/ 0004), to design and build a 2 story Damage Control School Trainer Facility at Naval Support Activity, Norfolk, VA. The facility will provide student training on techniques to arrest ship flooding situations. Construction includes a damage control wet trainer (“USS Buttercup”), trainer rooms, classrooms, and support spaces. Demolition includes a portion of Building #N30 (also including a pool, trainer device and associated equipment) where the current wet-trainer exists on Naval Station, Norfolk. The contract contains one additional option totaling $220,000, which may be exercised within 120 calendar days, bringing the total contract amount to $12.25 million. Work is expected to be complete by September 2009. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic in Norfolk, VA received 2 proposals for this task order.

Japanese E-2C
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On Feb 25/08, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp in Bethpage, NY received two contracts via the US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD related to Japan’s E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft. Work will be performed in Bethpage, NY, and is expected to be complete in June 2010.

On was a $25.9 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against basic ordering agreement N00421-05-G-0001, to provide Upgrade Kits 12 and 13 for the Japanese Foreign Military Sales (FMS) E-2C aircraft program. The other is an $11.2 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against basic ordering agreement N00421-05-G-0001 to provide spare parts for the Japanese E-2C fleet.

G/ATOR diorama
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The US military’s long run of unquestioned air superiority has led to shortcuts in mobile land-based air defenses, and the US Marines are no exception. A December 2005 release from Sen. Schumer’s office [D-NY] said that: “Current radar performance does not meet operational forces requirements… consequences could potentially allow opposing forces to gain air and ground superiority in future operational areas.”

One of the programs in the works to address this gap is the G/ATOR mobile radar system. It’s actually the result of fusing two programs: the Multi-Role Radar System (MRRS), and Ground Weapons Locator Radar (GWLR) requirements. When G/ATOR Increment IV becomes operational, it will replace and consolidate numerous legacy radars, including the AN/TPS-63 air surveillance, AN/MPQ-62 force control, AN/TPS-73 air traffic control and AN/UPS-3 air defense radar systems.

The USA isn’t the only country with an initiative like this underway. Germany, for instance, is deploying a similar concept with its BUR (Bodenuberwachungsradar), mounted on a blast-resistant Dingo 2 vehicle. At present, the Marines’ G/ATOR is slated for a smaller and less protected vehicle. This choice preserves the ability to carry it into position quickly under a wider range of helicopters, in exchange for less protection on the ground. the FOCUS Article below describes the system, its planned upgrade path, and contracts and events…

• The G/ATOR Program
• Contracts & Key Events
• Additional Readings & Sources, incl. Related Systems
  
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RB 57 NLAW
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The Soviet tank threat may be history for now, but missiles that can attack moving trucks, armored vehicles, and bunkers remain in demand. This is especially true in urban situations, where the ability to fire a rocket or missile safely from inside an enclosed space is a very important plus.

In 2000, the UK Ministry of Defence carried out a series of trials to evaluate missiles for their “NLAW” program. In the summer of 2002, the Saab/Thales MBT-LAW team beat the Predator/Kestrel system from Lockheed Martin, MBDA and Insys. The Swedish FMV and British Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) followed by ordering final development of the RB 57 NLAW for the United Kingdom and Sweden. Assembly will take place at Thales Air Defence in Belfast.

Saab Bofors Dynamics of Sweden and Thales Air Defence in the UK have a marketing agreement that lets customers buy the system from Saab Bofors Dynamics or Thales Air Defence – and now Saab as added another customer to the list, while expanding the Swedish order…

• The RB57 NLAW/ MBT-LAW
• Contracts and Key Developments
• Additional Information & Sources
  
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In late December 2007, BAE Systems signed a definitive agreement to sell its Surveillance and Attack business in Lansdale, PA to Cobham Defence Electronic Systems Corporation, for $240 million on a debt and cash free basis, payable on completion. The goodwill arising on completion is an allowable tax expense with an estimated net present value of $45 million, resulting in an effective price of $195 million. For the year ended Dec 31/06, BAE’s S&A division generated revenue of $91 million, and profits of $14 million, with gross assets of about $34 million as of Sept 30/07. The effective price represents a multiple of approximately 11.1×2006 EBITDA.

The cash transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2008, following receipt of regulatory approvals. That has now happened.

Lansdale’s 400 or so employees provide broadband high-power transmitter and radio frequency front-end systems for military aircraft….

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Protests, 2001-2007
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In “General bemoans glut of Air Force contract protests”, Government Executive magazine quotes Gen. Bruce Carlson, the commander of US Air Force Material Command [link added by DID]:

”[he said] that the contract for the huge airborne tanker program will be awarded by the end of this month, but he also expressed confidence that the protest against the decision already has been written. The reason… is that there are no penalties for a losing bidder to protest, even though the appeals delay vital acquisition programs and cost the military hundreds of millions of dollars. The protest of the November 2006 decision on the Air Force’s new combat search and rescue helicopter, won by the Boeing CH-47, has cost the Air Force $800 million, Carlson said…. The general told reporters at a forum sponsored by Aviation Week that there should be some form of penalty instituted for protests that are found to be unwarranted. He said that some losing bidders file protests with 20 or 30 elements when perhaps only one part has any foundation….”

The general is correct concerning the costs, and some US Government Accountability Office protests do appear to cross the line between customer and supplier in attempting to dictate the criteria as well as the process. The near-certainty of protests around major awards has also had the effect of shutting smaller firms out of the bidding altogether for key contracts. There are considerations on the other side of the ledger as well, however….

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Mk93 mount & M2

The Mk93 Heavy Machine Gun Mounting System is used to lessen the recoil of heavy weapons like the 40mm MK19 Grenade Machine Gun (GMG) and the .50 caliber/12.7mm M2 Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), improving their accuracy. It attaches to a tripod for infantry use, but it’s seen much more frequently as part of a vehicular mount, using the MK175 pintle pedestal. The MK93 requires no external adapters or tools, and consists of a gun carriage and cradle assembly, a train stop bracket, an ammunition can holder, a bolt-on small pintle, a bolt-on large pintle, and a stowage bar assembly. The U.S. Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL recently announced a set of contracts for these items to:

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Shadow 200 in Iraq
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With delays to satellite programs forcing costly civilian bandwidth buys, and breakthrough programs like TSAT still a distant reality, the US military is looking for ways to deliver bandwidth to the front lines. Urban areas and mountainous in particular can pose a problem, as traditional “line of sight” options have range and coverage issues. the fact that these conditions describe vast swathes of Iraq and Afghanistan illustrates the importance of the problem.

One obvious option is to use a flying communications relay. High-value assets like E-8C JSTARS and Nimrod aircraft have been used in this capacity, but the operational and depreciation costs of their flight hours make this a very expensive solution. Options like Aerovironment’s giant Global Observer hydrogen-powered UAV promise high-altitude relays with strong capacity, but there won’t be very many of those around, either. The US Army in particular was looking for a lower-cost option that could provide more dispersed but smaller coverage areas.

The US Army’s RQ-7 Shadow 200 UAV fleet may not be armed, but it racked up almost 100,000 flight hours in 2007, providing surveillance and targeting to the front lines. Meanwhile Harris Corp.’s JTRS-compatible AN/PRC-152-C Falcon-III handheld radios have racked up their own contracts for short-range tactical communications, competing against Thales’ AN/PRC-148-JEM in the multi-billion dollar CISCHR contract and other awards. Now the US Army has elected to put the two together, and mount AN/PRC-152-C radios in the Shadow 200 UAVs as short-range, widely available communication relays that can keep squads in touch. Harris informs DID that “hundreds” of these packages are being purchased, and notes that this application is still evolving. The Fall 2007 issue of Army Communicator gives this Communications Relay Package a range of up to 170 km/ 105 miles; the PRC-152-C covers the 30-512 MHz frequency range with Advanced Narrowband Digital Voice Terminal (ANDVT) voice, up to 56 kbits/sec data, and an optional High Performance Waveform (HPW). Harris release.