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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AEDC at work: X-29
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The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), named for U.S. Air Force pioneer Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, bills itself as “The World’s Premier Flight Simulation Test Facility.” Nearly half of the AEDC’s 58 test facilities are unique in the U.S., and 14 are unique in the world.

These specialized test facilities have played a crucial role in the development and sustainment of virtually every high performance aircraft, air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon, missile, and space system in use by all four of the U.S. military services today. The Center has also been involved in the development of every NASA manned space system, many satellites, and numerous commercial aircraft and spacecraft systems.

In 2003, the Air Force consolidated the test operations contract and the base services contract into a single contract for operations, maintenance, information management, and base support…

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New USAF ABU
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“Fractal Creep: New Digitized Camo Uniforms for USAF, USN, Jordan” looked at some of the new fractal camouflage patterns emerging on the market, and the some of the design decisions behind the uniforms themselves. The new uniform design is a pixilated tiger stripe with four soft earth tones consisting of tan, grey, green and blue. The Air Force Battle Uniform will have a permanent crease and will be offered in 50-50 nylon-cotton blend permanent press fabric, eliminating the need for winter and summer weight uniforms. It will also be available in more body sizes, tailored for men and women. A tan T-shirt and polish-free suede cowhide boots in matching green-gray color will accompany the uniform, and will be available in men’s and women’s sizes.

Brig. Gen Robert R. Allardice said that they:

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“Splash Two…!”
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At the dawn of the 21st Century, Singapore decided that it needed a new aircraft to replace its often-upgraded A-4SU Super Skyhawks. This was hardly surprising; John McCain had been flying an older model A-4 Skyhawk when he was shot down during the Vietnam War. The decision to require a twin-engine aircraft eliminated the JAS-39 Gripen and F-16 E/F Block 60 from the competition, and the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Sukhoi Su-30 family were also scratched. That left just three finalists: Boeing’s F-15 Strike Eagle, France’s Rafale, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Limited air-ground capabilities and a slow upgrade schedule splashed the Eurofighter, leaving just 2 contenders still flying. September 2005 releases tapped Boeing as the winner, and the deal was done in December 2005. The 12-plane, $1+ billion order (est. $1.4-1.8 billion) to replace Singapore’s ancient A-4SU Skyhawks was good news for Boeing: Singapore’s F-15SGs, and South Korea’s 40-60 plane F-15K order, are keeping the assembly line open for this 2-seat, multi-role fighter.

The F-15SG will be an advanced version of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle, with minor customization to Singapore’s specifications and the most up-to-date avionics available. The higher-thrust GE F110 engine will be used in place the Pratt & Whitney F100 engines that power some F-16s and most F-15s. AN/APG-63v3 AESA radars will be included, and there are rumors that a number of Israeli electronics and self-defense systems will be part of the F-15SG as well. Sniper XR surveillance & ground targeting pods, and IRST systems built in for air-air engagements, will also be added to Singapore’s standard equipment list.

With all of these features built into its fighters, Singapore has legitimate grounds to argue that it will be flying the world’s most advanced version of the F-15 Strike Eagle – and now the follow-on order has come through….

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B-52H: to 2030?
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The current US Air Force fleet, whose planes are more than 23 years old on average, is the oldest in USAF history. It won’t keep that title for very long. Many transport aircraft and aerial refueling tankers are more than 40 years old – and under current plans, some may be as many as 70-80 years old before they retire. Indeed, even if the US military gets every plane it asks for in its future plans, average aircraft age will continue to rise. Nor is the USA the only country facing this problem.

As this dynamic plays out and average age continues to rise, addressing the issues related to aging aircraft becomes more and more important in order to maintain acceptable force numbers, readiness levels, and aircraft maintainability; avoid squeezing out recapitalization budgets; handle personnel turnover that becomes more and more damaging; and keep maintenance costs in line, despite new technical problems are arising that will present unforeseen difficulties. Like F-15 fighters under flight restrictions due to structural fatigue concerns. Or grounded entirely.

The biggest contracts aren’t always the ones deserving of the most attention. Enter the USA’s Joint Council on Aging Aircraft (JCAA) – and DID’s Spotlight article, which seeks to place the situation and its effects in perspective, via comments and articles that draw on senior sources within the US military and key outside observers….

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CFB Bagotville
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Canada’s Air Force currently has a traditional structure based around air wings. The inauguration of Mission Support Squadrons of self-sustaining logistics teams has begun to change that, and Canada has taken another step toward more modern concepts with the formation of an Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) at CFB Bagotville, Quebec. Bagotville is currently home to 3 Wing, and one of only 2 CF-18 fighter bases in Canada (the other is Cold Lake, Alberta).

Planes will not be shifted; this is a personnel and command move. The new AEW will be composed of a Command Element, an Operations Support Flight, and a Mission Support Flight. It will train together and deploy as a self-contained unit from CFB Bagotville in Quebec, with aircraft and personnel tailored to the specific requirements of an operation. A fully staffed and properly supported expeditionary wing will require a total of up to 550 personnel with associated investments in infrastructure and equipment estimated at up to C$ 300 million (currently about $285 million) between 2008 – 2015.

See also: July 20 DND announcement | The Hon. Gordon O’Connor’s speaking notes for the ceremony.

The Department of Defense Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) is a multi-agency Department of Defense program that supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional science and engineering disciplines. They’re especially interested in efforts where cross-fertilization can accelerate research progress, hasten the transition of basic research findings to practical applications, further key infrastructure such as research instrumentation development, or just help to train students in science and/or engineering in areas of importance to the US DoD.

In April 2007, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced the FY 2007 competition MURI awards, which will fund 10 awards to to 29 academic institutions, totaling about $60 million over 5 years. MURI awards are typically larger and longer in duration than traditional awards, with a 3-year base period plus a 2-year option contingent upon both availability of appropriation funds and satisfactory research progress. Topics ranged from “Dynamic Decision making in complex task environments: Principles and neural mechanisms” to “Biologically-Inspired Flight for Micro Air Vehicles” and many points in-between; this PDF file contains the entire list. Winners included teams at:

• Boston University, MA
• Brown University, RI
• University of Colorado
• George Mason University, VA
• Harvard University, MA
• University of Michigan
• Northwestern University, IL
• Princeton University, NJ
• Stanford University, CA
• University of Virginia
  
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CAP Cessna 182
Skylane
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The US Civil Air Patrol was established as the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force in 1941, just before the Pearl Harbor attack. It has now been placed under the Air Force Homeland Security Directorate. CAP’s volunteer pilots fly reconnaissance missions for homeland security, search and rescue and disaster relief, and even counterdrug reconnaissance at the request of government or law enforcement agencies. They transport medical personnel and supplies, blood and live tissue. In times of disaster, they assess damage and transport emergency personnel from site to site. Now, a modest modernization is underway.

Overall, it’s an exceptionally effective, and cost-effective, force. DID offers details regarding a recent contract, as well as CAP’s force structure, budget, and ongoing modernization programs…

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Yes, that’s a whole boat
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Last September, DID’s “Robins AFB Wins Shingo Gold Prize” covered the C-5 Programmed Depot Maintenance workforce’s receipt of an award that BusinessWeek magazine referred to as the “Nobel prize of manufacturing,” awarded annually to companies that demonstrate world-class business results through the implementation of Lean Manufacturing principles and practices. Robins AFB were the first public sector winner of the Shingo (Gold level) prize.

This year, 3 groups from the 402nd Maintenance Wing of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center accepted awards at the Shingo Public Sector Conference on September 7th….

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B-52H: gas guzzler
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The rising cost of fuel has received extensive coverage and military attention of late. This includes US Air Combat Command (ACC) officials, who are reportedly bracing for a “budget crisis” while looking for future fuel alternatives and simulators to pick up some of the slack.

The USAF reports that it paid about $4.2 billion for petroleum in FY 2005, with JP-8 jet fuel at $1.74/gallon and BP as the #1 fuel provider among many thanks to its lowest-cost bid. That was still almost $1.4 billion more than fiscal 2004, and more than the $3.57 billion spent on petroleum in FY 2005 by the US Army, Navy and Marines combined. Indeed, ACC reportedly faced an FY 2005 shortfall of $825 million in must-pay funds.

Recent prices reflect a 31% jump to about $2.53 per gallon, and there are consequences…

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