• The Guardian in the UK has gathered and crunched more numbers on operations in Libya (see also past linkage to Libyan ops debriefing).

• The Pentagon is about to brief Lockheed Martin on how much F-35s should cost. Memos have also been flying back and forth between DoD and the Air Force on whether training should proceed before more test hours could be completed. Meanwhile the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute would like to hear “more forthright and more detailed rationales” to support the F-35 choice.

• FY13 Pentagon budget to reflect a shift to Asia/Pacific? November/December is when the DOD and the OMB jointly work on the next fiscal year’s budget, aiming for the President’s budget February deadline. In the meantime, it would be nice for Congress to actually pass a budget for the current fiscal year since we’re already 1 month into it.
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Aug 16/11: U.S. Army Contracting Command, Natick, MA issues a multiple-award 5-year umbrella framework worth up to $497 million, implemented as a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract between 26 (23) contractors. Winners will compete to provide US Navy Medicine Research and Development services with personnel, materials, equipment, facilities, science, and technology “that will sustain an acceptable level of medical research.” They included…

• US Army Corp of Engineers unveils $5 billion Civil Works plan for FY 2011.

• Nearly 1,000 workers at 3 defense contractors in the Washington, DC area – General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman – are being laid off this year, the Washington Examiner reports.

• A number of projects are working to free science from the bottlenecks of copyright-bound paper articles, even for research produced on the public dime. Open source science is impractical for much defense R&D, except as a potential input. On the other hand, new Open Science approaches have shown great promise for areas like disease cures – which do have a military dimension.

• India continues working on creating a nuclear triad with the deployment of its 1st Arihant class nuclear submarine expected in 2012. It also has inspection teams doing assurance checks in advance of an expected buy of M777 ultra-light howitzers.

• UK announces plans for a new nuclear-powered submarine to replace its existing Vanguard class submarine. Advance design contracts for the missile section started a while ago, and the main build decision is expected in 2016.

• Italy accepts 2 of its 4 ordered KC-767A aerial tankers into service, after a long set of technical delays and certifications.

• Israel is setting up a taskforce to develop defense capabilities against cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Rumor has it that they set up a task force to handle the other end a while back. You’d have to ask the Iranians.

• UK Public Accounts Committee report cites GBP 3.5 billion in cost overruns for RAF Typhoon fighter program; MoD says program is “under control and back on track.”

• Republican US senators send letter to President Obama, opposing reported proposal giving Russia “red-button” sway over European missile defense shield, and sharing sensitive information about the program.

• Boeing Military Aircraft president Christopher M. Chadwick discusses India’s potential orders for 4 more P-8i sea control jets, and 10 C-17 heavy aerial transports.

• DARPA wants to explore the science of storytelling. Otherwise known as “Neurobiology of Narratives.”

• David Axe offers front-line descriptions of recent combat in Afghanistan.

• Recent NASA R&D funding involves new “magic skin” outer layers for composite airframe structures – incl. conductive film and energy-absorbing foams.

• L-3’s Platform Integration division gets approval to begin low-rate initial production of the ISR mission avionics suite for the US Navy’s EP-3E Spiral 3-configured electronic eavesdropping aircraft.

• Russian Navy floats out 3rd Steregushchy-class corvette (Boyky) from the St. Peterburg Severnaya Verf shipyard.

• UK completes Route Trident extension linking Lashkar Gah and Gereshk in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.

• General Atomics opens a UK division to support its British customer, who has received 6 MQ-9 Reapers and awaits the arrival of the other 4.

• GD NASSCO launches USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) dry cargo/ammunition supply ship at its San Diego shipyard.

• US falls short on efforts to develop and acquire medical countermeasures for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiation, and Nuclear) agents, says GAO [PDF]. As the Japanese are learning, those countermeasures can have civilian applications, too.

• GAO takes DoD’s personnel security clearance program off its high-risk list [PDF] of programs facing fraud, waste, and management challenges; however, its weapons system acquisition program remains on the list.

• DoD to expand cybersecurity personnel swaps with private industry and add $500 million in cybersecurity research funding in FY 2012, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn tells RSA conference.

• ManTech’s acquisition of TranTech gives company access to DISA’s $12.3 billion ENCORE II IT support contract vehicle.

• The UK MoD is consolidating management of UK military properties under the new Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which will issue consolidated regional facilities management contracts combining physical infrastructure maintenance with support services.

• France’s DGA to buy ECA’s Alister 100 AUV/UUVs for mine clearance work.

• Uganda’s defense spending is expected to rise rapidly over the next decade, reaching $2.15 billion by 2019, compared to only $450 million in 2010, according to BMI.

• Russia’s second S-400 Triumf air defense unit enters service in the Moscow region.

• “Personifying leadership competencies in day-to-day operations.” Meet Master Sgt. Loudres James. All the shiny equipment in the world won’t matter if NCO quality is poor.

• Pentagon chief Robert Gates unveils a plan detailing $150 billion in service cuts and cost savings over the next 5 years, which will be reallocated to weapons programs. The most significant-but-overlooked item? Not any weapon, but the paperwork jihad: removal of 60% of all non-statutory reports, April 2012 sunset for any internal report with a commissioning date prior to 2006, and every report must include the cost of its production as of February 2011. Nice! Gates’ full speech | Pentagon release.

• Could pictures of China’s new Chengdu J-20 Black Eagle stealth fighter jet be just a mock-up?

• Note to military personnel – if you’re asked to fill out an online form, with personal information, in order to be an extra in Transformers 3… don’t do it.

• With US ground forces tied up in Afghanistan, US air and maritime forces will have to be responsible for US power projection in other areas of the globe, says CJCS Guidance for 2011 [PDF].

• Speaking of which, The Economist has tea with Monsoon author Robert Kaplan, discussing the rising centrality of the Indian Ocean basin, and its political and military developments.

• The latest Astute Class submarine, HMS Ambush, is launched from BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

• Harris gets US Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) contract worth up to $475 million to supply Falcon tactical and land mobile radios to US allies.

• Up to $900 million to 8 firms (including 5 small business qualifiers) for US Navy’s Fielded Training System Support III contracts.

• Lockheed Martin touts captive-carry test flights for its JAGM missile contender – but what it really needs in this high-stakes competition is more missiles on target.

• Birds are still way better at flying than machines are. University of Montana’s flight Laboratory is figuring out why and how.

• Volley for serve: US sits tight after North Korea launches artillery volley against South’s Yeonpyeong island.

• This comes hard on the heels of revelations that North Korea has a large, modern uranium enrichment facility, using P-2 centrifuges. This is less an intelligence failure, than an example of intelligence warnings not acted on.

• Chinese drones raising eyebrows. The UAVs’ actual effectiveness is in question, but Chinese determination to produce a wide variety of them is not.

• As part of its defense budget cuts, German Defense Minister Guttenberg says military conscription will end July 1/11.

• Weapons bazaar: Afghanistan could look to buy military equipment from non-NATO countries if NATO supplies prove insufficient, President Karzai said. Of course, they’re already doing that in several areas, like helicopters. Wonder what China would offer for more mineral concessions?

• Northrop Grumman to provide data management support for the DoD’s Defense Manpower Data Center under the $20 billion CIO-SP2i contract vehicle.

• Taxi tests begin testing for Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray stealth UCAV.

• 10th USN C-40A Clipper aircraft delivered by Boeing.

• US NAVAIR receives an initial 11 JSOW-C1 glide bombs with moving target capability, per the JSOW Block III contract.

• ITT delivers the first sponsons for Sikorsky’s new CH-53K heavy-lift naval helicopter.

• Hurt Locker: Face shields on helmets could reduce brain injuries from explosives.

• Yes, flying snakes: DARPA funds research into the aerodynamics of flying snakes. Which, we must admit, are pretty neat little beasties (q.v. video) that can even turn in the air.

• Looking for a graphic that snaps Britain’s defense review decisions into focus? Canada’s National Post has it.

• Promoting Diversity: Pentagon wants to diversify supplier base for cybersecurity systems and products.

• Supply Bottleneck: Prices for rare-earth metals used in high-tech weapons have soared in response to Chinese export quotas.

• Sikorsky and partner firms are funding 2 prototypes of their “S-97 Raider” X2 compound helicopter, and intend to fly it in 2014. The Raider will be a scout/ light utility/ light attack machine, with V-22 class speed, but the safety and lower costs of a helicopter design.

• Rumbles begin that France and Britain may cooperate on next-generation SSBN nuclear missile submarines. Since the Astute Class has just launched, and the Barracuda Class is well along in development, there’s no point talking about their SSN fast attack counterparts.

• Thinking Adjustment: BAE Systems lowers its earnings per share projection in response to UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review [PDF].

• Deutsche Bank lowers its 2010 earnings per share estimate for Boeing to $4.07 from $4.15 due to weak defense business performance.

• SBIRS-High GEO-2 satellite assembled.

• Terminating IEDs: Northrop Grumman’s Remotec gets $11.2 million contract to upgrade the USAF’s fleet of 173 Andros HD-1 unmanned ground vehicles to help with IED disposal.

• Fluid Situation: Ohio Aerospace Institute snags $9.3 million contract to provide computational analysis of aircraft fluid dynamics for the US Air Force Research Lab’s Air Vehicles Directorate.

• 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics winner Andre Geim explains why graphene is the stuff of the future. DARPA agrees, and so does the Pentagon’s MURI.

• A US NAVAIR PMA-202 employee shares her experiences deploying to Iraq.

• US government contractors will face more scrutiny re: their plans for including small business subcontractors in contracts.

• “China to conquer world arms market with poor quality rip-offs” complains Pravda, who says the new Type 41 Yuan Class submarine is actually a Kilo Class ripoff, after Russia sold the type to China. Gee, that has never happened before…

• Pentagon’s cyber warriors prepare to defend US civilian infrastructure, as Washington, DC-based defense contractors expand their cybersecurity offerings.

• Aviation Week reports that both Lockheed Martin and elements in the USAF are re-thinking the decision to terminate full C-5M RERP upgrades for the C-5A fleet – and even looking at placing some retired C-5As in the civilian market. At 55% mission readiness rates, though… read “Saving the Galaxy: The C-5 AMP/RERP Program” for more background.

• First C-130J-30 Special Forces transport for India takes wing.

• US Marines’ new AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter successfully completes Operational Evaluation.

• USS Harry S. Truman and FS Charles De Gaulle conduct joint exercises, including cross-carrier landings and a Rafale engine swap-out on the Truman.

• It’s Official: US, China defense heads will meet in Vietnam next week despite tensions over Taiwan arms sales.

• Odyssey Systems in Wakefield, MA racks up $36.4 million in consulting work for the US Air Force Space Command as part of the $450 million Contract for Space and Missile Capabilities.

• Kratos to sell $24.6 million in stock to pay for the $45 million purchase of Henry Bros Electronics, a provider of surveillance, thermal imaging, radar, and biometric technologies.

• BAE Systems gets $7 million order to supply armor kits for the US Army’s M915A5 military line haul tractors manufactured by Daimler Trucks.

Ebola patient

Significant progress at AVI Biopharma? (Aug 22/10)

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA is awarding contracts to find new anti-viral compounds that are effective against hemorrhagic fever viruses, a class that includes Ebola and other diseases.

Drug development is a long and expensive process ($100 million is often mentioned as the table stakes to get a drug through approvals), and promising therapies do not all make it through the research and testing stages. Even so, the research is interesting:

• AVI BioPharma’s AntiSense Approach [updated]
• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals & Tekmira’s RNAi Approach
• Functional Genetics’ TSG101 Approach
• Peregrine Pharmaceuticals’ Bavituximab
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
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