Pilatus PC-21
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During the 2009 Dubai airshow, the United Arab Emirates signed a contract with Pilatus to buy 25 PC-21 intermediate trainer aircraft, in a package worth $511 million. That package also covers several training simulators and associated systems and services. The UAE will join Switzerland and Singapore as PC-21 operators; earlier PC-7 and PC-9 designs are widely used around the world. Pilatus | Dubai Airshow 09.

UAE Air Force flight training takes place at Al-Ain near the Omani border, beginning with basic training on Grob 115s. The PC-21s will replace the existing Pilatus PC-7 fleet. An expected contract for Alenia’s M346 advanced jet trainers will replace the BAE Hawks, and possibly the Alenia MB-339As, that are currently used in the lead-in-fighter trainer (LIFT) and instructor trainer roles. Staff Major General Pilot Faris Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Chief of Logistics Staff, United Arab Emirates GHQ Armed Forces:

“These [PC-21] aircraft will be used for basic and combat operational training which will help train pilots in modern systems, such as navigation, radar, early warning, night vision, thermal cameras and data link systems. They will also help in training them in launching munitions, bombs, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.”

Patriot PAC-2
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A 2007 US National Intelligence Assessment [redacted NIE summary] believes Iran’s nuclear program has stopped, but others, including the United Nations and Israel are more skeptical. Intelligence is always a very uncertain and ambiguous exercise, and occasionally features assessments like the infamous NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) whose 1962 judgment was that there were no Soviet missiles in Cuba [1]. Uncertainty creates perceptions of risk, and perceptions of risk lead to behaviors aimed at reducing that risk. Iraq is no longer a missile/WMD threat, Iran’s regular and Revolutionary Guards air forces remain relatively weak, and Iran’s ballistic missiles based on North Korean designs lack accuracy. Still, even a lucky conventional missile could create havoc in some Gulf states if it hit important oil-related infrastructure, or hit the larger and more nebulous target of business confidence.

Arms spending is an incomplete but very concrete way of tracking a state’s real assessment of threats and priorities. It’s becoming clear that Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have stepped up their defense spending in recent years. Those expenditures cover a range of equipment, but anti-ballistic missile capabilities appear to be rising to the top of the priority list.

In June 2008, over $10 billion worth of December 2007 Patriot missile upgrade requests in the UAE and Kuwait shone a spotlight on the region’s new defense priorities. In December 2008, a multi-billion dollar Patriot missile contract from the UAE seemed to lock in that shift, and Kuwait is proceeding with upgrades to its own Patriot systems. Upgrades that have led to recent contracts, and sales requests…

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Dr. Strangelove
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In the 1960s dark comedy Dr. Strangelove, a rogue US Air Force general succeeds in usurping the US “fail-safe” security system preventing unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. As a result, a nuclear weapon is dropped on the Soviet Union, the doomsday machine is activated, and the protagonists argue about who gets to ride out the war in mine shafts.

In the 21st century, the US Air Force is taking steps to make sure that nuclear-tipped ICBMs stay securely in their silos. Through the ICBM Security Modernization Program, the USAF has launched a number of initiatives to beef up silo security.

One of those initiatives is the Remote Visual Assessment Program, which is designed to improve the situational awareness of the security staff around the ICBM silos. To support that program, the USAF awarded Northrop Grumman a $31 million contract.

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Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) received a follow-on task order from the US Army Aviation and Missile Lifecycle Management Command (AMCOM) to provide professional and engineering support services to the Army Aviation & Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center (AMRDEC).

The single award, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity task order has a 5-year period of performance and a ceiling value of $848 million. The task order was awarded under the AMCOM Expedited Professional & Engineering Support Services (EXPRESS) contract vehicle, which has a total ceiling of $7.7 billion.

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Engineering Services Network (ESN) in Arlington, VA received a $47 million contract to provide information technology service support to the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

The 75th Air Base Wing is responsible for base operating support of all units at Hill AFB.

Hill AFB is home to the Ogden Air Logistics Center, which provides worldwide engineering and logistics management for the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet, A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft, and Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. The base performs depot maintenance of the F-16, A-10 and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

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cutaway view
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Saab recently announced a 1.5 billion SEK (about $220 million) contract from the United Arab Emirates for 2 of its Saab 340 regional turboprops, equipped with Erieye active-array radars that can scan large airspace volumes, and with related command and control systems. The Saab 340 AEW contract also includes ground equipment, initial spares, and support services. An official statement hinted at more orders to come, saying that:

“The UAE Air Force & Air Defence is currently evaluating several options to purchase permanent solution Command and Early Warning aircraft to meet the UAE Armed Forces operational requirements.”

The UAE is just the latest buyer of Saab’s Erieye system…

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RAF Eurofighters, Nevada
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BAE’s growing expertise with “contracting for availability” performance-based support are netting it important international contracts, as well as British ones.

Britain is already implementing the Typhoon Availability Service (TAS) for its Eurofighter fleet. With 4 of 72 Typhoons delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force, and flying operations commencing, on Oct 12/09, BAE systems announced a detailed 3-year contract for “The Salam Support Solution.” This is a full availability-based service contract, which also includes Saudi pilot training in the UK and training for RSAF maintenance technicians. The deal’s value was not disclosed, but Saudi support contracts tend to be very large due to the range of contractor services they need.

BAE Systems followed that up by announcing a 5.5 year performance-based contract worth more than GBP 400 million (currently about $654 million), to support the ECR-90 radars and defensive aids sub systems (DASS) on the core partner nations’ Eurofighter fleets. Now, SELEX Galileo is announcing a large sub-contract…

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Live fire exercise
at Udari Range, Kuwait
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L-3 Communications’ MPRI division received a $162.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee follow-on contract to support the US Army Central Command’s Kuwait Observer-Controller Team program.

Under this award, MPRI will provide training for US and Coalition forces at the Udari Range in Kuwait as a subcontractor to Raytheon. The initial contract period is for 7 months and includes 2 option years that would extend it to April 2012.

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Adm. Gorshkov: Before.
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This free-to-view DID Spotlight article offers an in-depth look at India’s troubled attempt to convert and field a full-size aircraft carrier, before time and wear force it to retire its existing naval aviation and ships.

Right now, there are 2 major concerns in India. One is slipping timelines. INS Viraat was scheduled to retire in 2009. It’s only semi-operational, and nearing the limits of its mechanical life, even as shortages of flyable Sea Harrier fighters are creating issues of their own. Meanwhile, the delivery date for India’s locally-built 37,000t escort carrier project appears to be slipping to 2015 or so. This leaves India’s Navy with a serious scheduling problem, and no significant carrier force.

The other concern involves Vikramaditya’s 3-fold cost increase, including worries that Russia will raise it rates yet again once India is deeper into the commitment trap. The carrier purchase has now become the subject of high level diplomacy, involving a shipyard that can’t even execute on commercial contracts. An agreement in principle reportedly exists, but negotiations that began in 2007 have yet to lead to a revised contract.

Recent Russian demands have continued to raise the price, even as advance work related to India’s new MiG-29K naval fighters continues. The latest news is a report that India is expressing interest in buying one of Britain’s 65,000t CVF carriers, as negotiations with Russia remain stalled…

• Waiting for Gorshkov – A History
• Gorshkov-Vikramaditya: Aerial Complement
• INS Vikramaditya: Updates & Contracts [updated]
• Appendix A: Additional Readings – Equipment Profiles
• Appendix B: Additional Readings – Related Developments
  
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Rome Research Corp., a Rome, NY-based subsidiary of PAR Technology Corp., received a 5-year contract worth up to $43.1 million to provide operator level personnel to the 21st Signal Brigade for its work operating and maintaining US Army Global Information Grid (GIG) facilities within the continental United States.

The US Department of Defense’s GIG represents a globally interconnected, end-to-end set of information capabilities and processes for collecting, processing, and managing information for US troops, policymakers, and support personnel. Each US military service operates a segment of the GIG…

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