C-5 Galaxy
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When it was introduced, back in 1970, the C-5 Galaxy was the largest plane in the world. A second construction program in 1981-1986 delivered 50 more; 4 have been lost in crashes, for a total fleet of 126. Each C-5 aircraft can carry 265,000 pounds of cargo for 4,000 miles (roughly double that of the newer C-17A), or 125,000 pounds for 8,000 miles. Its hinged nose can even be raised to make loading or unloading easier, and the Galaxy’s ability to lift even the heaviest main battle tanks into theater made it a critical part of the transatlantic air bridge that would reinforce Europe in the event of a Russian attack.

During the 2003 run-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom I, C-5s proved their worth again as they helped clear logistics bottlenecks in Europe. Even so, the fleet is not without its issues. The C-5 has the highest operating cost of any Air Force weapon system, and those costs stem from extremely high maintenance demands as well as poor fuel economy. Availability rates routinely hover near 50%. To add insult to injury, the Russians not only built a bigger plane (the AN-124), they sold it off at the end of the Cold War to semi-private operators, turning it into a commercial success whose customer list now includes… NATO.

Sunrise? Sunset?
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Meanwhile, the USA needs long-range, heavy load airlift. The AN-124’s commercial success may get its production line restarted, but the C-5 has no such hope. With C-17s running over $200 million per plane. That isn’t far from the cost of a 747-8 freighter, but it’s still a lot of money. The Air Force believed it could save money by upgrading the older C-5s to renew their avionics (AMP) and engines (RERP). Their hope is that this will eliminate the problems that keep so many C-5s in the hangar, cut down on future maintenance costs, and grow airlift capacity without adding new planes. The plan currently involves converting C-5Bs and up to the modernized C-5M, as the USAF is not yet certain that the upgrades will succeed in meeting readiness goals on the older C-5As. To complicate matters, the program is program experiencing major cost growth, and a battle is ongoing between C-5M and C-17 supporters in Congress.

DID’s FOCUS Article explains why the C-5 AMP/RERP program is such a challenging project, and covers developments on the political and contracting fronts – including a confusingly written program cutback decision that DID sorts out for our readers, and the latest RERP contract…

• The C-5’s AMP/RERP Changes
• The AMP/RERP Program
• Contracts & Key Events, 1999 – Present [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »

“Climb every mountaaain…”
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Developed as a private venture by France’s Giat Industries (now Nexter), the CAESAR system is based around a light 155mm/52 caliber howitzer, mounted on a 6×6 truck chassis fitted with an armored cab. The air-portable mobile howitzer system has been sold to France and Thailand, but its export history had not been as successful as Giat had hoped – and it has a very interesting history in the USA.

In July 2006, Giat Industries announced an export contract for 76 of its CAESAR artillery systems, mounted on a Soframe-Unimog truck chasis. While Giat would not confirm the customer, Agence-France Presse reported that they were destined for Saudi Arabia. This certainly fit expectations in the wake of the July 21/06 defense cooperation agreement it signed with France.

Since then, a number of French deals to Saudi Arabia have fallen through or been delayed indefinitely. A recent Jane’s report adds credence to the AFP reports, however, and indicates that the Caesar sale is moving ahead…

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PAF F-16A drops Mk.82s
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On June 28/06, the US DSCA notified Congress via a series of releases of its intention to provide Pakistan with a $5.1 billion Foreign Military Sales package to upgrade the F-16s that serve as the PAF’s top of the line fighters. Some of these items had been put on hold following the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan & Kashmir, but the request for 36 new F-16 Block 50/52s is now going ahead following the required 30-day review period, along with new weapons, engine modifications, 60 F-16 upgrade kits that would cover Pakistan’s older F-16 A/Bs plus other aircraft it might buy second-hand, and related equipment.

These items are detailed below… along with controversies the proposed sales have created, and some of the conditions attached to the sale by the US government. Another piece of the contract has gone through via engineering change and support purchases.

• Item 1: 36 New F-16 Block 50/52s – $3 billion
• Item 2: Weapons for the New F-16s – $650 Million
• Item 3: F-16A/B Mid-Life Update Modification Kits – $1.3 billion
• Item 4: F-16A/B Engine Modifications & UP/STAR – $151 Million
• Deal Updates and Progress [updated]
• Potential Controversies (July 5, 2006)
  
  Continue Reading… »

The US Department of Defense’s prescription drug spending alone is estimated to reach $15 billion by 2015. GAO examined DOD’s prescription drug spending trends from fiscal years 2000 – 2006 and DOD’s key efforts to limit its prescription drug spending at retail pharmacies, military treatment facilities (MTF), and the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy (TMOP). That spending more than tripled to $6.2 billion in 2006 from $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2000, and retail pharmacy spending drove most of this increase with a $3.4 billion. Part of the issue is that more people arer using more costly retail pharmacies instead of MTFs or mail order, and so the US DoD has used a variety of techniques to try and slow that cost growth.

Report #GAO-08-327, “DOD Pharmacy Program: Continued Efforts Needed to Reduce Growth in Spending at Retail Pharmacies,” goes into more detail regarding these issues, and the solutions being tried, from pharmacy rebates, to outreach efforts like the Member Choice Center, to initiatives aimed at changing copayment policies to provide the right incentives. See also “TRICARE Trials & Tribulations,” which places prescription drug costs within a much larger issue of US military medical costs more generally.

MQ-1C Sky Warrior
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In August 2005, “Team Warrior” leader General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego, CA won a $214.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of the Extended Range/ Multi Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (ER/MP UAS). The Warrior was designed to fill both surveillance and attack roles, and the MQ-1C Sky Warrior derived from General Atomics’ famous MQ-1 Predator beat the Hunter II system offered by Northrop Grumman, Aurora Flight Systems, and IAI.

The Sky Warrior ER/MP program is part of the US Army’s reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, and directly supports the Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan. ER/MP could be a $1 billion effort, and recently strengthened its position when a 2007 program restructuring cut the Future Combat Systems Class III UAV competition.

Now, in FY 2008, the MQ-1C Sky Warrior ER/MP prepares to move into production – as the first big “Key West” battle of the 21st century between the USAF and US Army reaches a resolution. But the Sky Warrior and Predator will be merging into a single program. What does that mean, exactly? DID asked. Meanwhile, our readers asked us to explain the differences between the MQ-1 Predator, MQ-1C Sky Warrior, and MQ-9 Reaper. DID is happy to oblige. MQ-1C Block 1 SkyWarrior UAVs have now begun flying and orders are coming in, even as the program’s engine supplier appears to be in very serious legal and financial trouble…

• The MQ-1C Sky Warrior, and its Band of Brothers [updated]
• The Army’s Sky Warrior Program [updated]
• ER/MP UAS – Enter the Warrior: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: US Army et. al. vs. USAF Over UAVs
• Appendix B: Additional Readings – Who Controls the UAVs?
• Appendix C: Additional Readings
  
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3BCT-101st, Iraq-
no Chavis turrets?
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Navistar subsidiary International Military and Government LLC (IMG) in, Warrenville, IL has now won over $3.5 billion in contracts to date under the MRAP program. The Category I MRUV vehicle’s role is similar to a Hummer’s, albeit with more carrying capacity and much more protection. That has become a staple for IMG’s entry, recently dubbed the “MaxxPro” by its manufacturer. Their collaboration with an Israeli firm who provides up-armored vehicles for the Marines appears to have overcome lukewarm initial interest, and is being ordered in quantity; but even successful survivors of Aberdeen’s tests may not offer enough protection against the class of land mines now seeing wider use in Iraq. Nevertheless, the MRAP program has become a production race – and Navistar is doing very well under those competitive terms; a July 2007 order vaulted them into 1st place for number of MRAP vehicles ordered, and they have kept that position since.

That big July 2007 order came hot on the heels of US Secretary of Defense Gates’ request to Congress for an extra $1.2 billion in FY 2007 to fund an additional 2,650 MRAP vehicles, on the grounds that manufacturers appear to be ramping up production faster than previously forecast. Meanwhile, key inputs such as steel and tires which might otherwise have become production bottlenecks are being expedited under a DX rating that gives the MRAP program priority over almost all other military programs. Sen. Biden [D-DE], who often heard responses re: lack of industrial capacity when he began asking why more MRAP vehicles weren’t in theater, is probably feeling almost as happy as Navistar’s Board now that his “put the money together, issue the contracts, and let’s find out” speech [MS Word], embodied in Amendment #739 to the FY 2007 military budget, has become the US military’s go-forward plan.

The latest items include a $250+ million contract for engineering modifications to add armor…

• MaxxPro: A Collaborative Success (i.e. Continue reading…)
• MaxxPro Contracts [updated]
• MPV or APC to Face EFPs? (June 2007)
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »

RQ-7, flightline
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AAI Corp. in Hunt Valley, MD received a $127.6 million firm-fixed price contract for the full rate production buy for 14 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle systems and associated support equipment. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, MD and is expected to be complete on Mar. 15, 2010. One bid was solicited on Aug 16/07 by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (W58RGZ-08-C-0023). This compares to a $153.4 million contract for 14 systems in December 2007.

The Shadow is the Army’s de facto Class-II/battalion-level UAV; it is too small to carry weapons, but it can serve as a targeter for laser or GPS guided missiles, rockets, and artillery shells. The Shadow is also being developed as a communication relay with an impressive coverage range. Each Shadow system includes 4 RQ-7B unmanned aircraft, 2 One System® ground control stations and ground data terminals, 4 One System remote video terminals, a One System portable ground control station, and associated components and support equipment.

The system’s biggest challenge at the moment is “deconfliction,” or staying out of the way of other aircraft. As “Field Report on Raven, Shadow UAVs From the 101st” discusses, this limits the UAVs’ flexibility, and forces 48 hour flight plan lead times rather than fast reaction launches. Even so, Shadow UAVs accumulated almost 100,000 flight hours on the front lines in 2007.

M1A2 Abrams TUSK
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TUSK stands for “Tank Urban Survival Kit,” and represents the American approach to the problem of employing tanks in urban situations where weapons elevation, protection placement, and other design elements aren’t designed to cope with key threats. The Leopard 2 PSO (Peace Support Operations) is another example of this kind of adaptation, albeit with a different combat engineering slant and camouflage improvements. France has its AZUR program for the LeClerc, and other vehicles as well. Israel’s Merkava tanks are seeing their own modifications, including a rear sniper porthole to go with its traditional under-armor mortar and space for infantry; now dedicated APC versions are also in the mix. What is certain is that combat in urban terrain is the way of the future, as demonstrated by trends over the last 15 years of major military engagements.

This is DID’s FOCUS Article for this important new tank variant. Recent additions include a minor contract for TUSK equipment…

Continue Reading… »

LHD 8 construction
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LHD 8 Makin Island is under construction in Pascagoula, MS as the last ship of America’s Wasp Class amphibious assault carriers. While many of its characteristics are similar to its sister ships, there are also differences. For one thing, it will be a no-steam, all electric ship, including electric propulsion, all driven by 2 GE LM2500+ gas turbines and 6 diesel-electric generators. Other features will include central machinery control using fiber optics, upgraded communications systems including tele-medicine, structural modifications required to host and service the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and self-defense improvements including the SSDS Mk 2 Mod 3A unified combat system controlling Phalanx Block 1B guns, RIM-116B RAM short-range missiles, and RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles.

The keel was laid in February 2004, but all these changes meant that about 67% of the previous line drawings, and 75% of the test procedures, needed to be modified for Makin Island. Then Hurricane Katrina hit the in-progress ship hard. The labor pool also took a hit, with up to 1/3 of the Gulf Coast personnel leaving the area and the company. The pool of electrical professionals was especially hard hit, with 55-60% of the LHD 8’s current labor force under the 4-5 year threshold for experienced workers.

Even so, Katrina hit in August 2005. Which is why Northrop Grumman was surprised at the slowness of its integration and testing progress during final construction in 2008, as part of the ship’s preparation for sea trials. That led to a comprehensive review and audit – and a bill of $320-360 million to fix the ship, which will be footed by Northrop Grumman…

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M1151 HMMWV, new
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While orders and shipments of blast-resistant MRAP vehicles continue to roll, the flat-bottomed, vulnerable, but lighter Hummers remain the core of the US wheeled vehicle fleet. They are still seeing extensive use on the front lines, and the early wear created by the weight of their add-on armor has led to RESET maintenance programs for some Hummers and allied giveaways for others.

The US Army had about 19,000 HMMWV vehicles in Iraq alone in mid-2007, and even accelerating shipments of MRAPs have only reached 5,200+ to all services throughout all of CENTCOM as of April 2008. As Hummers wear out and are given away, or sent to a depot, they must be replaced. Some replacement involves cycling vehicles from other units into theater, but those units must eventually have their lost vehicles replaced with Hummers or with something else, in order to maintain their own readiness rates for deployment. Hence the necessity for ongoing buys of more Hummers, in the absence of a plan to provide immediate replacements on a fleet-wide basis.

AM General, LLC in South Bend, IN recently received a $650.1 million firm-fixed price contract for 4,526 HMMWVs of various types. That’s about $144,000 per Hummer, compared with the $500-550 thousand average for more survivable MRAP vehicles. Note that this is not the final cost, however, as all vehicles will also receive expensive additional equipment like electronics, mounted weapons, up-armoring kits, et. al. after they’re produced. Production be performed in Mishawaka, IN and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/09. One bid was solicited on March 17/06 by US Army TACOM in Warren, MI (DAAE07-01-C-S0001).

UPDATE: In May 2008, another 3,216 Hummers for $522.4 million.