India is planning a $1.5 billion upgrade for its 30 military airports and their air traffic control systems, and reportedly issued a request for bids in January. According to India Defence, invited bidders to Phase 1 included: France’s Thales, the U.S.’s Lockheed Martin, Germany’s Siemens, Italy’s Selex, Britain’s Terma. Indian firms Tata Power and Mumbai-based NELCO were also invited.

Phase 1 will include the supply, installation, testing and integration of equipment subsystems at airfields that include Adampur, AFA, Agra, Ambala, Bagdogra, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Bhuj, Bidar, Chabua, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Gwalior, Halwara, Hasimara, Hindon, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Jorhat, KKD, Nal, Naliya, Pathankot, Pune, Sirsa, Suratgarh, Tezpur, Uttarlai and Yelahanka. India Defence’s “US$ 1.5 Billion Upgrades For 30 Indian Air Force Military Bases” has further details re: the required components and other specifications.

The usual “30% industrial offsets” rule applies to foreign bidders, of course. Which makes Boeing’s Feb 14/08 announcement re: its $500 million joint venture with Tata Industries for “defense-related aerospace component work” all the more interesting. That agreement could also apply toward required offsets from other contracts, of course, most notably India’s $10+ billion MMRCA fighter competition.

F-22 and F-15
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Over the last several months, “Aging Aircraft: USAF F-15 Fleet Grounded” has covered the sudden loss of the USAF’s F-15 A-D Eagle fighter fleet, in the wake of an accident in which one of the USAF’s plane’s broke in half in mid-air due to structural fatigue. The ripple effects have been wide-ranging within the existing fighter fleet, as other aircraft were diverted to cover F-15 missions. Pilot re-certification very nearly became a nightmare of its own. The largest effects, however, may play out on the procurement front. If many of the USAF’s F-15s, which were supposed to serve until 2020, must be retired, how should they be replaced?

The US Air Force Association’s February 2008 Washington Watch feature details some of the considerations, and ripple effects, underway:

“On Dec. 12, 28 Senators and 68 members of the House of Representatives wrote to Pentagon chief Robert M. Gates, urging him to keep buying F-22s, at least through the end of the 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review. They said that, in light of the F-15 groundings and reports indicating that “significantly more than 220” Raptors are needed to fulfill national strategy, ending F-22 production now would be, at best, “ill advised.”.... In late December, Pentagon Comptroller Tina W. Jonas directed USAF to shift $497 million marked for F-22 shutdown costs to fix up the old F-15s instead. The move effectively set the stage for continued F-22 production.

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IqAF Cessna 208B
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“Bird Dogs for the Iraqi Air Force” discussed orders for the IqAF, and the successful history of Cessna’s “bird dog” aircraft in battlefield surveillance and support roles. While the Cessna 172s will be used for flight training, the incoming Cessna Grand Caravan 208B aircraft are equipped with the same cheap surveillance and targeting turrets used on Predator UAVs. The Cessna 172s may also graduate to this role at some point, and there are indications that the Grand Caravans may be armed with light weapons as a surveillance/ light counterinsurgency counterpart to Iraq’s pending COIN aircraft selection.

The Iraqi Air Force is a pale shadow of its former self; in many ways, it is starting over from zero. A small handful of C-130E transports, a couple squadrons of helicopters, and an assortment of light propeller planes are all the IqAF possesses. They’ll need more than that in order to protect Iraq’s basic sovereignty, and training efforts with the USAF are underway. Now, so is a contract to support that effort…

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In conventional silicon transistors, a certain finite voltage swing on the order of 150-200 mV (for high performance devices) is needed to switch a device between the on and off states. Reducing that number would enable drastic improvements in power consumption, because modern chips have many millions of transistors – but the fundamental physics of thermionic emission over an energy barrier is in the way.

International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation of NY recently received a contract option for $6.4 million under a DARPA program known as “Steep-subthreshold-slope Transistors for Electronics with Extremely-low Power (STEEP). The goal is to develop novel transistor technologies based on non-thermionic switching, allowing manufacturers to build high-performance logic circuits with very low power consumption. At this time $4.5 million has been obligated by Det 1 AFRL/PKDA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8650-08-C-7806).

STEEP metrics
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IBM’s new devices under this DARPA-funded research program will utilize a fundamentally different mechanism of operation based upon quantum mechanical tunneling, which allows them be switched on and off over a much smaller voltage range¹. Such devices have previously been demonstrated, but only at extremely low performance levels. The goal of this program is to build a device that meets the performance criteria for much higher-performance computing.

Which is nice – but why does this really matter in the field? Consider 3 factors making themselves felt on the front lines, plus one above them, and another behind:

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Gripen & S-1000
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A recent sale to Thailand has expanded Saab’s horizons somewhat, as the Gripen beat out the SU-30s favored by the previous Thai government to replace its 15-25 aging F-5B/Es; other reported candidates were Russia’s MiG-29 and France’s Rafale, and the F-16 had been considered a leading contender given Thailand’s extensive history with that aircraft. In order to achieve this win, however, Saab has to throw in a very significant “something extra.”

The sale itself also runs future political risks due to Thailand’s situation; but a contract has now been signed…

• The Thai AF and the Program
• Wild Card: Thailand’s Political Situation
• Contracts & Key Events
• Additional Readings
  
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Stryker M1128
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In February 2006, “New Stryker Variants Gear Up for Testing” described the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System, and the M1135 Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle. The vehicles passed testing and have been fielded to Army units, but Military.com reports that the M1128 MGS is experiencing serious problems in the field. Comments like these are not what a manufacturer like General Dynamics, or a military, wants to hear:

“I wish [the enemy] would just blow mine up so I could be done with it,” said [4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment] Spec. Kyle Handrahan, 22, of Anaheim, Calif.”

What seems to be the trouble?

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On Feb 7/08, the USA’s Congressional “Government Accountability Office” auditors released report #GAO-08-298, “DOD’s Practices and Processes for Multiyear Procurement Should Be Improved.” Multi-year procurements are used for a number of key projects, including the F-22A Raptor fighter, H-60 helicopters, and more. Official reports have cited it as a helpful factor in a number of past programs, which has kept costs down by facilitating bulk buys, plant investments, timely hiring and training, greater employment stability and hence better learning curves, et. al.

Does it always work that way? No. The GAO report examined the multi-year programs for the C-17A Globemaster III heavy transport, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter, AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter, F-22A fighter, and V-22 tilt-rotor. From the GAO’s report abstract:

“Although the law has clear requirements for stable, low risk programs with realistic cost and savings estimates, lack of guidance and a rigorous process is not achieving this. It is difficult to precisely determine the impact of multiyear contracting on procurement costs. GAO studies of three recent MYPs identified unit cost growth ranging from 10 to 30 percent compared to original estimates, due to changes in labor and material costs, requirements and funding, and other factors. In some cases, actual MYP costs were higher than estimates for annual contracts. Although annual contracts also have unit cost growth, it is arguably more problematic for MYP’s because of the up-front investments and the government’s exposure to risk over multiple years. MYP savings were on average higher before changes in law called for “substantial savings” rather than a specific quantitative standard. Other factors—lower quantities of modern systems procured, stricter cancellation liability allowances, and contraction in the defense industrial base—may have also impacted savings by lessening opportunities for more efficient purchases, a key attribute of MYPs. DOD does not track multiyear results against original expectations and makes little effort to validate if actual savings were achieved. GAO’s case studies indicate that evaluating actual MYP results provides valuable information on the veracity of original estimates in the justification packages, the impacts on costs and risks from internal and external events, and lessons learned that can be used to improve future multiyear candidates and savings opportunities.”

AH-64, Afghanistan
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Releases or articles that clearly explain a contract or product milestone make a big difference to media pickup, and organizational branding. DID supports the Plain English Campaign, which counts the UK Ministry of Defence as an official member who has benefited from applying their principles. QinetiQ North America’s subsidiary Westar Aerospace & Defense Group Inc. hasn’t earned the same Crystal Mark, but their recent release provides another example of Plain English at work. The firm recently received a one-year, $13.3 million task order to provide “technical services, and systems engineering and management expertise to the Apache Attack Helicopter Project Manager’s Office (PMO).” Westar’s release explains in plain English:

“Westar, which has been fulfilling Army Aviation task orders for more than 18 years, will…. support the PMO to ensure that all software (i.e. weapons, navigation, radar, flight control displays, countermeasures and on-board mission planning systems) have the most relevant and safest software available for use throughout the Army Active, Reserve and National Guard components. “Before any changes are made to the Apache, whether it’s a modification to the entire fleet or to a single aircraft, our job is to support engineering recommendations that ensure the strictest of system specification requirements are met. That’s our area of expertise,” said Kurt Heine, Vice President, EXPRESS Programs, Westar Aerospace & Defense Group.”

Crystal clear communication of competence. Congratulations.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA leads US Department of Defense efforts to stop the global spread, transfer, and usage of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

Recently, they issued a $6.1 million contract to Dyncorp’s CSC Systems & Solutions, Inc. subsidiary in Alexandria, VA, to support the “International Counter Proliferation Program.” Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, VA, and is expected to be complete by Aug 27/08. One bid was solicited on Jan 2/08, and 1 bid was received (DTRA01-02-D-0064).