CN-235MPA Persuader
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In 2005, DID covered a report on Latin American arms procurement that highlighted Venezuela as the major arms buyer in the region. In November 2005, Defense-Aerospace.com translated a document (URL now broken) noting that Spain’s Minister of Defence Jose Bono had attended a contract-signing ceremony wherein EADS-CASA will deliver 12 aircraft and Navantia would deliver 8 ships; the total value of both contracts was EUR 1.7 billion ($2 billion), of which the aircraft represented only about EUR 450-500 million.

Other sources noted that Spain would deliver 10 C-295 light-medium transport aircraft and 2 CASA EADS CN-235MPA Persuader maritime patrol aircraft. Though the contract reports did not specify exact ship classes, the deal also reportedly included 4 corvettes and 4 patrol vessels from Spanish ship-builder Navantia.

Technology transfer export laws – and their accompanying restrictions – would play a role in this sale. Some parts of the deal would make it, and others wouldn’t. In the aftermath, work continues…

• Suddenly You Find You’re Out There, Walking in a Storm…
• Yesterday’s Gone: Progress and Developments
• Appendix A: The Nature of the Vessels
  
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Mastiff, Afghanistan
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UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Oct 8/07 that Britain will buy another 140 (170?) blast-resistant Mastiff vehicles for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The MoD intends to finalize the deal for this additional set vehicles “in the next few weeks,” and has set aside GBP 100 million (about $200 million) for this purpose. This order would bring the total number of Mastiffs ordered to 248, with additional buys of blast-resistant vehicles scheduled via Britian’s MPPV program.

Mastiffs are derived from Force Protection’s popular “Cougar” blast-resistant vehicles, which serve with the US military. Variants of the Cougar also serve with or have been ordered for the militaries of Iraq (ILAV ‘Badger’), Canada (reportedly similar to the ‘Mastiff’ design), and Yemen (ILAV). For British Mastiff orders, NP Aerospace in Coventry integrates and up-armors delivered Cougars to create the finished Mastiff vehicle.

Richard North links to the Parliamentary debate that followed, and offers an interesting observation that tracks with parallel experiences in the USA:

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AN/TPS-59 radar
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Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensor in Electronics Park, Syracuse, NY is responsible for developing, maintaining, and upgrading the AN/TPS-59(V)3 Long Range Radar System. The TPS-59 is an all solid-state L-Band, 3-dimensional air defense radar which is tactically mobile and provides long-range surveillance and ground-control intercept capability. It supports enroute traffic control to a distance of 300 nautical miles, and its 740 km/ 400 nautical mile range and full 360 degree azimuth scan results in a surveillance volume of 603 million km3 for tactical missile defense. The TPS-59 is in service with the USMC, Bahrain, and Egypt, and is the only long range 3D Radar in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The related FPS-117 family of solid-state radars is in service with the USAF, and 16 countries around the world.

Developed for the United States Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the United States Marine Corps, the TPS-59 (V)3 is designed to operate with Patriot missile batteries. These radars have been modernized and upgraded several times during their lifespan, in order to keep them on the cutting edge of technology. In August 1996, at White Sands Missile Range, the AN/TPS-59(V)3/HAWK system completed a test program in which it intercepted and destroyed a LANCE short range theater ballistic missile and 2 air breathing drones simultaneously in an operational test. Those kinds of improvements and modernizations continue today…

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Falcon HTV Concept
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The path toward a hypersonic space plane has been a slow one, filled with twists and turns one would expect given the technological leap involved. Speeds of Mach 8+ place tremendous heat and resistance stresses on a craft. Building a vehicle that is both light enough to achieve the speeds desired at reasonable cost, and robust enough to survive those speeds, is no easy task.

The famous SR-71 Blackbird, which cruised at “only” Mach 3, made heavy use of titanium and had to use slip fits instead of rivets in many places, so that the plane wouldn’t tear itself apart when 800-900 degree surface temperatures made it expand. On the ground, and when being refueled shortly after takeoff, the plane would reportedly leak like a sieve until speed and heat had given the airframe its requisite fit. While the state of the art has advanced since then, so have the desired speeds – and the accompanying challenges.

Despite these hurdles, the potential of a truly hypersonic aircraft for reconnaissance, global strike/ transport, and low-cost access to near-space and space make DARPA’s FALCON HTV program a compelling goal on both engineering and military grounds. DID covers its ongoing developments below…

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E-2C Hawkeye
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On Dec 4/07, the US DSCA announced the United Arab Emirates’ official request for 3 used, refurbished E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft with radar and antennae. Upgrades and refurbishments include E-2C Group II Navigation Upgrade configuration, and 8 improved T56-A-427 Turbo Shaft engines, which extend its range and cruise time vs. the standard T56-A-425s.

When combined with the UAE’s $9 billion request for Patriot missiles, and other recent initiatives, it would appear that the UAE is taking strong steps to beef up its defensive and surveillance capabilities. The DSCA release did not mention Co-operative Engagement Capability, however, which confer anti-ballistic missile capabilities and would have been present in the 5 Hawkeye 2000 aircraft the UAE requested in 2002. DID explains what happened to that sale, how it fits into a larger picture, and where things stand now…

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I protest, you protest, we all protest ITES. So it seemed after the US Army chose 11 of the 17 bidders as winners, eligible to compete for $20 billion worth of defense-related IT contracts under the ITES-2 umbrella vehicle. Northrop Grumman is probably glad that it protested – not only did it win re-admittance to the winners circle (along with all other eliminated firms), but it just landed a key battlefield logistics contract that could be worth up to $600 million.

Under the Global Combat Support System-Army (Field/Tactical) program (GCSS-Army) contract, Northrop Grumman’s Mission System sector will lead a team (NGC MS, IBM Global Services, Computer Sciences Corporation, Joint Logistics Managers, Inc., and SAP America) to implement an enterprise system capable of providing the current status of all Army equipment and assets so that soldiers can best anticipate, allocate and manage the flow of available resources. CGSS-Army will be a global system that supports Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve forces, re-engineering the current STAMIS system. As a key element of the Army’s larger vision for the integration of its major logistics systems and processes, GCSS-Army will also be important in the management of logistical assets of future programs. If it was up and running now, for instance, it would be used to track MRAP-related logistics.

NGC received initial funding of $10 million on this cost plus fixed fee task order, which is valued at up to $600 million over 7 years. NGC release.

Chilean Bell 412
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Chile is a country with a lot of area to cover, ranging from long sea coasts and maritime areas to deserts and mountain ranges, in temperatures that range from hot to near-Arctic. While new F-16 C/D aircraft from the USA and second-hand Dutch F-16 MLUs will replace its 15 Mirage 50 Panteras as they prepare to retire, its F-5 E/F fleet is also headed for the scrap yard soon. In more prosaic roles, Chile has rather fewer military helicopters in its Army, Navy, and Air Force than one might imagine given its rugged topography. Looking over its long coast, meanwhile, the country must contemplate the finite lifespan of its aging P-3ACH Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

Fortunately, copper prices are high these days, which gives the country some fiscal breathing room to undertake fleet recapitalizations – including a recent land purchase of Leopard 2A4 tanks. Now, a pair of recent aircraft purchases aim to begin redressing Chile’s recapitalization needs in helicopter support and maritime patrol – though neither is what one might call a large deal…

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In December 2005, “UK Warns USA Over ITAR Arms Restrictions” and “ITAR Fallout: Britain to Pull Out of F-35 JSF Program?” seemed to herald a very difficult period in Anglo-American defense relations. Despite the promises of 2 successive American Presidents, the ITAR exemptions that Britain had sought remained blocked in America’s legislature – and European initiatives to resume defense exports to China were not improving the situation. Meanwhile, MPs in Britain were becoming very insistent on a fix. DID’s articles explained the nature of America’s ITAR arms export restrictions, the issues at play, and the stakes.

In time, many of these issues were worked out. In August 2006, the US and UK reached a technology transfer agreement concerning the F-35 fighter – an agreement that would serve as a model for other F-35 industrial partners. By December 2007, Tier 1 partner Britain had signed the F-35’s Production, Sustainment & Follow On Development MoU.

A broader fix was still on the agenda, however, and in July 2007 it materialized as a a treaty that would change the way the American and British defense firms cooperate on defense programs. The treaty is progressing toward ratification in Britain, but some key details remain to be worked out. Those details are likely to matter a great deal to the American side in particular. This Spotlight article aims to act as a one-stop briefing that explains the treaty’s motivation, key terms, and outstanding issues; keeps track of ongoing developments; and links to the key documents…

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AN/APG-68v9
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Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of Linthicum Heights, MD has received an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity and firm-fixed price contract for $730 million covering up to 514 AN/APG-68v9 radar systems.

These mechanically-scanned array radars have become standard in new-build F-16 C/D aircraft, and represent significant advances over previous models. In comparison with previous APG-68 radars, the v9 model offers improved detection range and resolution in both air-air and air-ground modes. Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology processors allow 5x faster processing speed and 10x memory capacity, along with high resistance to interference or countermeasures, and future growth potential. In air-air mode, the APG-68V9 offers 30% longer detection ranges, and can search in a larger volume while tracking up to 4 targets. In air-ground mode, its synthetic aperture radar mode generates high-resolution pictures and mapping with resolution under 1 meter, comparable to military imaging satellites. Enhanced GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) functionality and an inertial measurement unit complement its SAR capabilities with improved tracking performance and auto-boresight capability, and its increased detection range even functions amidst the inevitable clutter that accompanies sea surveillance mode.

Dec 7/07: The first delivery order under the contract covers 30 radar systems for the government of Turkey, which will be accomplished under the firm fixed price portion of the contract and obligate $36 million. Turkey has a $1.8 billion program underway to acquire 30 more F-16 C/D aircraft. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH holds the contract (FA8615-08-D-6035, D001).

Saudi E-3
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The 707-based E-3 aircraft forms the backbone of American, British, French, and NATO airborne early warning and control (AWACS), monitoring large swathes of airspace from an elevated position to detect incursions by enemy fighters, missiles, and even UAVs. When coupled with communications systems that allow it act as an airborne relay and command post for the aerial fight, they become unquiely valuable weapons systems. Many are well over 20 years old, however, and so upgrades have been ongoing to American, British, French, and NATO aircraft. Key upgrades in this area include Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits that improve the AWACS radar by boosting its sensitivity, toughening it against jamming, and improving its reliability. The passive listening electronic support measures (ESM) system is another popular enhancement, which helps the plane detect, identify and track electronic transmissions from ground, airborne and maritime sources to determine radar and weapons system types.

Saudi Arabia bought 5 E-3A AWACS planes and 8 KE-3A tankers (similar to KC-135 in that it is also based on a 707, but has more commonality with the E-3) under the “Peace Sentinel” program, which began in 1981 and saw deliveries commence in 1986. Like Boeing’s US, British, French, and NATO customers, they are now seeking upgrades to keep their aircraft up to date in technology terms…

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