RAAF C-130J-30, flares
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The C-130 Hercules remains one of the longest-running aerospace manufacturing programs of all time. Since 1956, over 40 models and variants have served as the tactical airlift backbone for over 50 nations. The C-130J looks similar, but the number of changes almost make it a new aircraft. Those changes also created issues; the program has been the focus of a great deal of controversy in America – and even of a full program restructuring in 2006. Some early concerns from critics were put to rest when the C-130J demonstrated in-theater performance on the front lines that represented a major improvement over its C-130E/H predecessors. A valid follow-on question might be: does it break the bottleneck limitations that have hobbled a number of multi-billion dollar US Army vehicle development programs?

C-130J customers now include Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, India, Iraq, Italy, Norway, Oman, Qatar, and the United States. American C-130J purchases are taking place under both annual budgets and supplemental wartime funding, in order to replace tactical transport and special forces fleets that are flying old aircraft and in dire need of major repairs.

This DID FOCUS Article describes the C-130J, examines the bottleneck issue, covers global developments for the C-130J program, and looks at present and emerging competitors. The latest updates include a minor training system purchase, and inquiries from Britain and… France?!?

• The (Private) Labors of Hercules: the C-130J
• The C-130J and the 20-ton Bottleneck
• Turbulent Flight: The C-130J Program
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources, incl. emerging competitors & Special Operations requirements
  
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ISR CONOPS
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The late Dr. Paul McReady’s Aerovironment, Inc. has achieved just renown for the success of its small UAVs like the Army’s RQ-11 Raven and the US Marines’ RQ-14 Dragon Eye/Swift. Outside the military sphere, however, it is best known for civil successes like the human-powered Gossamer Condor, the giant, solar-powered Pathfinder and Helios aircraft, and the flying Quetzalcoatlus northropi ornithopter on display in the Smithsonian museum.

Now the firm’s tradition of military successes and aerial innovation are about to fuse, as it receives a major Advanced Concept/Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (ACTD/JCTD) contract for a UAV that runs on hydrogen fuel cells and can cruise at 55,000-65,000 feet for up to 7 days at a time, while carrying a 1,000 pound payload. Meet Aerovironment’s Global Observer, which promises formidable advantages in roles as diverse as communications relay, persistent ISR, maritime patrol, even storm tracking and weather applications…

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ScanEagle launch
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ScanEagle’s base Insight™ UAV platform was originally developed by Washington State’s Insitu, Inc. to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, in order to ensure that the fish you buy in supermarkets is “dolphin-safe”. It turns out that the same characteristics needed by fishing boats (able to handle the salt-water environment, low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automated flight patterns) are equally important for naval operations from larger vessels, and for battlefield surveillance. A partnership with Boeing took ScanEagle to market in those fields, and the design is carving out a market-leading position in its niche.

This article covers recent developments with the ScanEagle UAV system, which is quickly evolving into a mainstay with the US Navy – and others as well. The latest news involves a big win with US Special Operations Command – and industrial offset contracts in Canada…

• The ScanEagle Family
• Contracts and Key Events: 2008 – Present [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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CV-22 SEAL extraction
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Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, TX received a $7.3 million firm-fixed-price delivery order for one-time engineering services to retrofit 7 CV-22 aircraft per single configuration retrofit ECP V-22-0802. The order will bring the 7 aircraft to a Block B/10 configuration. The firm will also provide the associated retrofit kits for 3 CV-22 aircraft.

The CV-22 is the Air Force Special Operations version of the V-22 Osprey aircraft. The CV-22 fills a long-standing Air Force requirement to conduct long-range insertion and extraction missions. The CV-22 has twice the altitude and speed of current helicopters used in special operations. The Osprey can fly at 316 miles per hour in airplane mode and 115 miles per hour in helicopter mode. The aircraft’s ceiling is 26,000 feet.

Bell-Boeing plans to perform the work in Ridley Park, PA (60%), and Fort Worth, TX (40%) and expects to complete the work in November 2012. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contract (N00019-07-G-0008).

RG-33 variant
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The USA’s Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) program has been a long road for BAE Systems. In the wake of the US Army’s belated realization that mine protection was critical for vehicles in theater, BAE’s designs, long-standing experience in the field, and production capacity had made them an early favorite. By June 20/07, however, contracts had been issued for 3,266 Category I patrol & Category II squad-sized MRAP vehicles, fully 42% of a the program’s planned 7,774 orders. Force Protection had racked up orders for 1,780 Cougar vehicles, and Navistar/Plasan Sasa had come out of the tests at Aberdeen with orders for 1,216 of its MaxxPro joint design. BAE sat in 4th place with orders for just 90 vehicles – 2.8% of the total. It had to be a humbling experience for the firm that went into 2004 as the world leader in the field.

BAE has worked hard to catch up, and recent contracts have put them solidly back into the competition, even as the number of MRAPs in the program more than doubled to over 15,000. The latest orders widen their lead over 3rd place firm Force Protection, and make them one of just 2 firms with a foothold under the new MRAP-II qualifications. MRAP-II includes protection against EFP (explosively-formed projectile) land mines that fire the equivalent of a cannon shell at the vehicle, in addition to the standard underbody blasts.

This in-depth, updated DID feature shines a spotlight on BAE Systems’ family of MRAP offerings, order record, and associated contracts. The MRAP program appears to have reached its vehicle limit, but maintenance and support orders continue. So too, do new Special Operations vehicle orders…

• BAE MRAP: The Vehicles
• BAE MRAP: The Current Tally
• BAE MRAP: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: MRAP Competition Half-Time Update, June 28/07
  
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RGS for V-22
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“V-22 Osprey: A Flying Shame?” detailed a number of very detailed and specific allegations concerning the V-22 Osprey’s performance, testing flaws, and survivability issues in anything beyond low-threat situations like the recent Anbar deployment in Iraq. Despite direct offers, US NAVAIR chose not to respond or address any of those allegations. One of the flaws that appeared headed for correction, however, was the issue of 360 degree covering fire. This capability is useful for fire support. It is especially helpful when entering or covering landing zones, where rotary aircraft are most vulnerable.

The Osprey’s huge propellers and the positioning of its engines had created obstruction issues for normal machine gun mounting locations, but AUSA 2007 saw BAE Systems promoting a retractable belly turret solution based on a 3-barrel 7.62mm GAU-17 minigun. Special Operations Command has ordered some, and now the US Marines are getting set to deploy with some..

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A160T carries
1,000 pounds
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Helicopters are familiar sights in the sky, and recent years have seen a variety of unmanned helicopter options introduced into the market. Boeing’s entry lays a breathtaking challenge before the field: what could the military do with a helicopter-like, autonomously-flown UAV with a range of 2,500 nautical miles and endurance of 16-24 hours, carrying a payload of 300-1,000 pounds, and doing it all more quietly than conventional helicopters? For that matter, imagine what disaster relief officials could do with something that had all the positive search characteristics of a helicopter, but much longer endurance. It could also be a lot quieter.

Enter the A160 Hummingbird Warrior, which was picked up in one of Boeing’s corporate acquisition deals and uses a very unconventional rotor technology. The firm’s Phantom Works division continues to develop it as a revolutionary technology demonstrator and future UAV platform. With the Army’s Class IV UAV role and the Navy’s VTUAV locked up by the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout, Boeing’s sales options may seem thin. Their platform’s capabilities may interest the USA’s Special Operations Command and Department of Homeland Security, however, and exceptional performance gains will always create market opportunities in the civil and military space. At least, Boeing hopes so.

This is DID’s FOCUS article covering the A160 program. Which appears to have strong interest from US Special Operations Command…

• The A160T Hummingbird [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »

(click to download)

Defense was an issue in the last Australian election. The center-left Labor Party attacked the center-right Liberal Party by citing mismanaged projects, and accusing the Howard government of making poor choices on key defense platforms like the F/A-18F Super Hornet and F-35A Joint Strike fighters. That sniping continued even after Labor won the election, and has been evident in more than a few Defence Ministry releases.

The new government made some program changes, such as canceling the SH-2G Seasprite contract. Yet it has been more notable for the programs it has not changed: problematic upgrades of Australia’s Oliver Hazard Perry frigates were continued, the late purchase of F/A-18F Super Hornets was ratified rather than canceled, and observers waited for the real shoe to drop: the government’s promised 2009 Defence White Paper, which would lay out Australia’s long-term strategic assessments, and procurement plans.

On May 2/09, Australia’s government released “Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030.” DID has reviewed that document, and the reaction to date…

• Fast Incoming
• The Highlight Reel
• Additional Readings & Assessments
  
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EC725, Le Bourget 2007
by David Monniaux
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France’s approach to economic stimulus has had a decidedly military component, with buys ranging from VBCI wheeled armored personnel carriers to a Mistral Class LHD ship. Now France has added another component of its package: a EUR 220 million contract for 5 more EC725 Caracal helicopters for combat search and rescue, special forces, and medium utility roles, to bring its total fleet to 14.

The EC725 was created when France decided in 1996 that it needed a helicopter designed for Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. At first, they chose the AS532 A2 Super Puma/ Cougar, but after extensive trials, the French Air Force recommended so many changes that it required a new variant. The 11 tonne EC725 SAR variant was born, and made its maiden flight in November 2000. Key characteristics include a fuel load of 3750 liters/ 990 gallons, giving the helicopter a flight time of 5 hours 30 minutes; plus air-to-air refueling capability, a reinforced main gearbox, a new 5-bladed main rotor, a 4-axis autopilot, a homing system for emergency locator beacons, armor plating, and integrated defenses. French Caracal helicopters are fitted with surveillance and targeting turrets, and carry the most modern avionics and navigation equipment. MAG 58 machine guns are also commonly fitted to helicopters, which can also accommodate search lights, winches, and other rescue gear as needed.

These helicopters will be built at Eurocopter’s main facility in Margianne, France. This purchase is expected to secure 10 Eurocopter jobs over the next 3 years, and another 150 jobs among its supplier companies, while improving France’s special forces and search and rescue capabilities. Recent orders from Brazil (50) and Mexico (6) are improving the EC725’s prospects as a recognized export competitor, as well as the program’s contribution to Eurocopter’s workload and bottom line. French DGA [in French] | Eurocopter | Aviation Week.

CH-47Fs take off
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Trying to make sense of government releases and contracts is challenging at the best of times. Trying to make sense of defense-related contracts takes the challenge to a whole new level. Research quickly revealed that the scattered CH-47F contracts we’ve been seeing were part of a much larger effort to recapitalize America’s CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet. DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record; this is DID’s FOCUS Article for the CH-47F/MH-47G helicopter programs, in the USA and abroad.

While the forced re-compete of the HH-47’s $10-15 billion CSAR-X program win goes on, Boeing has completed operational testing of the CH-47F, and delivery orders continue for CH-47Fs and MH-47G Special Forces configuration helicopters. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030, and the history and structure of that effort is detailed below.

The latest news involves an exercised option for more CH-47Fs, and successful fielding by the 82nd Airborne Division…

• The New Chinooks: CH-47F, MH-47G, HH-47 (Continue reading…)
• The US Army’s Acquisition Plan, Plus Global Events & Contracts [updated]
• Appendix A: Reconciling Previous Contracts and Numbers
  
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