Greek F-16D, F-16C
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Greece terminated its $6 billion Eurofighter contract in favor of F-16s. Now that sale has taken the next step, as Greece has submitted its order for the aircraft and ancillary electronics, spares, and weapons. (For comparison, see Turkey’s May 2005 F-16 upgrade program.)

On October 25, 2005, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) formally notified Congress [PDF] of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Greece of 40 F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft as well as associated equipment and services. That sale continues to move forward, item by item; the total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $3.1 billion. The latest component is a decision concerning reconnaissance pods. The first aircraft has now been delivered, and Greece’s full order request now features:

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F-22 Cutaway
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The F/A-22 and F-35’s advanced built-in radars and electronics can be levered to turn these planes into electronic warfare aircraft. Meanwhile, some of the key trends in military I/O highlight the increasing need for high-bandwidth links. That need is biting with equal or greater force between aircraft, and between aircraft and other platforms, as the increasingly rich array of combat data available finds itself constricted by older protocols and low-bandwidth linkages.

As it turns out, the solution may have been sitting right under their noses.

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C-9B Skytrain II
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L-3 Communications Link Simulation and Training (L-3 Link) division recently announced a $43.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy to serve as prime contractor on the C-9 Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) program. In conjunction with their partners Goodrich Corporation Aviation Technical Services division, Pacific Gas Turbine Center, and Patriot Aviation Services, they will be responsible for overall program management encompassing aircraft depot support, engine depot support, and site support for 24 C-9 aircraft. There are also a pair of C-9 aircraft operated by NASA to support reduced gravity studies (aka. “Vomit Comets”). Should the U.S. Navy exercise 4 additional one-year contract options, the potential contract value of the C-9 CLS program could grow to approximately $230 million.

Work will take place at 6 U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force installations: Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, WA; NAS Oceana, VA; NAS Atlanta, GA; NAS Willow Grove, PA; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC; and Scott Air Force Base, IL.

C-9A Nightingale
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The C-9s are military variants of the Super 30 stretched DC-9 short-haul passenger jet, and were built from the mid-1960s through the mid-1990s. The C-9A Nightingales that once performed aeromedical evacuation have been retired, which caused some trepidation at first but led to a new way of approaching the problem; now this “90% approach” is being credited with reducing casualties. The remaining C-9s serve as VIP transports and cargo aircraft, but age is catching up with them. Their Pratt and Whitney JT8-D-9 engines are noisy and inefficient by modern standards, their airframes have many flight-hours on them, and even with some avionics upgrades their older cockpit layout and equipment remain a drawback. Some C-9s are being replaced by 737-derived C-40s, but despite calls to retire the fleet by 2010 there are no plans to fully fund a replacement by modern C-40 A/B/C transports. L-3 also has the CLS contract for the C-40A fleet, and their specialty in aircraft support is a quiet but significant contributor to L-3’s bottom line.

F-18C DMT: Briefing room
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L-3 Communications’ Link Simulation and Training (L-3 Link) division has received a $40.9 million contract from defense procurement agency Armasuisse to build and deliver 4 networked F/A-18C Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFTs) for the Swiss F/A-18 Flight Simulator Upgrade program. The networked F/A-18C TOFTs will include the standard personal computer image generation system and 360 degree field-of-view visual displays, and a Mission Operation Center with full oversight of all TOFTs and the ability to maneuver enemy or friendly aircraft. A Swiss Air Force-customized brief/debrief room will enable F/A-18 aircrews use real world mission planning systems during preparation, and review captured mission data afterward.

F-18C TOFT: mission

Most important, the systems’ networked capabilities will enable Swiss F/A-18 pilots to train in the simulators while operating as a tactical team.

L-3 Link is slated to begin delivery to Payerne Air Force Base in the latter part of 2008, and the systems will be ready for training in 2009. Similar L-3 Link systems are used by the US Navy (see video), Australia’s RAAF, and the Canadian Air Force. L-3 release.

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E-737 Cutaway
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Other countries have criticized the USA’s ITAR policy for being as much about unfair trade competition as it is about genuine security. August 2006 events in Korea would certainly appear to strengthen their case… and now a November 8, 2006 KOIS report puts the final nail in by announcing a $1.6 billion contract “win” for 4 Boeing E-737 early-warning aircraft. Yet Boeing was always the ROK’s second choice, and its “win” came about by default.

In a pair of December 2005 articles, DID covered the $1.8 billion competition for South Korea’s E-X airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft, designed to detect incursions into ROK airspace and act as a sort of air traffic control for the air war. Right now, Korea doesn’t have any, relying solely on its allies; by 2012, it wants at least 4 aircraft. In response, there were two main competitors.

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P-3C & Mk20 Rockeyes
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Earlier DID articles have noted the extra effort required to preserve the USA’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance & patrol aircraft in light of airframes that were wearing out, radar upgrades, and even weapons upgrades that have increased demand to include overland operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Lockheed has even started a wing replacement production line for the P-3 aircraft, wehich is currently used by at least 13 countries around the world. Its 737-based successor the P-8A MMA, which DID has also covered, will not begin to enter service until 2011 at the earliest, and UAV supplementation via a Maritime version of Global Hawk or a successor system like the BAMS is still at least a couple of years away even for the USA.

A recent pair of contracts focus on two noteworthy areas: wing fixes, and land attack upgrades.

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+3 Terrorist Bane

Oct 3/06: L-3 Communications subsidiary MPRI Inc. in Alexandria, VA received a $15 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for law enforcement personnel embedded with units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C. (13%), and Iraq or Afghanistan (87%), and the contract will end on Sept. 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 31, 2006 by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (W91CRB-06-C-0040).

DID has also reported MPRI contracts for operating artillery ranges in Iraq, and staff recruitment at Fort Knox.

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Do you feel lucky…?
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The T-45 Training System includes T-45 Goshawk aircraft, advanced flight simulators, computer-assisted instructional programs, a computerized training integration system, and a contractor logistics support package. The integration of all five elements is designed to produce a superior pilot in less time and at lower cost than previous training systems.

The US Navy used the T-45TS to train its pilots for the transition to modern jet fighters – and carrier landings. This is not a risk-free assignment, by any means; nevertheless, it’s a critical link in the naval aviation chain. DID recaps its coverage of the complete T45TS system, notes the budgetary figures, and covers the FY 2006 contracts. See this link for coverage beyond 2006, which also includes the contracts and material noted below.

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Back in June 2006, we gave our readers the heads-up in “Boeing, Raytheon Teams Readying US Border Security Submissions”. This was all part of the USA’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a comprehensive plan to secure U.S. borders and reduce illegal immigration, including an array of technical aids and elements on both the northern Canadian border and the southern border with Mexico. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency will lead and execute both the SBI and related SBInet “virtual fence” efforts.

As promised, a winner was announced in September 2006… and it’s team Boeing. The SBInet contract work will be performed over a three-year period with three one-year options, and is estimated at about $2.1 billion total. The BBC reports that first part of the contract to be announced is a $67 million deal to cover just 28 miles along the Mexican border with Arizona, and notes that Boeing’s tender includes plans for 300 radar towers along the borders. Other sub-contractors will be added to the winning team over time, but according to Boeing’s release its core companies include:

• Centech, in Arlington, VA
• DRS Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, in Palm Bay, FL
• Kollsman Inc. (an Elbit Systems of America company), in Merrimack, NH
• L-3 Government Services Inc., in Washington, DC
• L-3 Communication Systems West, in Salt Lake City, UT
• Lucent Technologies, in Murray Hill, NJ
• Perot Systems, in Plano, TX
• Unisys Global Public Sector, in Reston, VA
• USIS, in Washington, DC

As an aside, we draw reader attention to the July 2006 article “Israel Discovering Transformation’s Limits?” which noted the failure of a high-tech Israeli “virtual fence” approach in allowing the surprise kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. SBInet may be very helpful, but its limits must be understood as well.

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Hawker 800

On Sept 6, 2006, the US DSCA announced South Korea’s request for continuing support of their RC-800 Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, as well as the accompanying Reconnaissance Ground Stations that process and analyze the data gathered. Work will include contractor services, maintenance, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, communication support, prime mission equipment (PME), technical support, contractor engineering, and other related elements of program support. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $200 million.

RC-800?!?

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