RQ-4A Global Hawk

Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV has established a dominant position in the High Altitude/ Long Endurance UAV market. While they are not cheap, they are uniquely capable. During Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the system flew only 5% of the US Air Force’s high altitude reconnaissance sorties, but accounted for more than 55% of the time-sensitive targeting imagery generated to support strike missions. The RQ-4 Global Hawk was also a leading contender in the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV competition, and eventually won.

The Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration Program aims to use the proven RQ-4 Global Hawk airframe as a test bed for operational concepts and technologies that will eventually find their way into BAMS, and contribute valuable understanding to the new field of maritime surveillance with high-flying UAVs…

Slocum Glider

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., in Huntsville, AL recently received approval from the U.S. Navy to move into the Full Rate Production (FRP) Phase on the underwater Littoral Battlespace Sensing-Glider (LBS-G) Program. The first Full Rate Production option calls for the manufacture of 35 gliders, with additional options for 100 more, and a total contract value of $53.1 million if all options are exercised. US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command manages the contract.

The Teledyne Team has already delivered 15 Low Rate Initial Production LBS-Gs to the US Navy’s Program Executive Office for C4I, under a December 2010 contract. That team includes Teledyne Brown (System Integration), Teledyne Webb Research in East Falmouth, MA (Slocum Glider development and production), and the University of Washington – Applied Physics Lab (Glider Operations Center software). Their 2m long design features a very innovative propulsion concept…

• On this St. Patrick’s Day, check out Ireland’s Defense Forces Review 2010 [PDF].

• UK Army general to head government’s GBP 650 million cybersecurity effort.

• Former head of Air Force Space Command, Bob Butterworth, questions USAF’s new Evolutionary Acquisition for Space Strategy, as Air Force Under Secretary Erin Conaton faces House grilling on strategy.

• Aerospace and defense counterfeit parts may have “life or death” consequences, warns new AIA report [PDF].

• Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine unit gets subcontract from BAE Systems to upgrade the machinery control, alarm, and surveillance systems on 8 Royal Navy Hunt-class mine hunters.

• General Dynamics receives contract worth up to $260 million to support training programs at the US Army’s Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

• Up to $33 million to DynCorp to provide munitions logistics support to the US Army’s 1st Theater Sustainment Command in Kuwait under an SAIC contract.

• The Pentagon must buy American-made solar panels, according to the FY 2011 defense authorization law; many of Nellis Air Force Base solar panels are Chinese made.

• Doling out justice: US DoJ charges former NASA employee with illegally exporting military infrared technology to South Korea without an export license; Army staff sergeant gets 7.5 years for aiding a government contractor in stealing $1.5 million in fuel from FOB Shank in eastern Afghanistan.

• South Korea installing underwater sensors near its border with North Korea. Better late than never, we suppose.

• BAE Systems thinks they’ve developed a viable anti-piracy laser weapon.

• Edwards AFB prepares to test the next generation of UAVs: Aerovironment’s Global Observer, Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray, and Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Pegasus N-UCAS.

• Boeing’s 787 and Airbus A380. What does their past decade teach us about requirements setting and engineering choices in other aerospace projects?

• Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance, which joined forces following the Air France KLM merger, announce a contract with Boeing to install the French E-3F AWACS fleet’s modification kits.

• Lockheed Martin participates in joint US Navy-Royal Navy ARTIST research program to develop advanced naval radar systems.

• Up to $47 million to URS to provide software engineering services support to the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgen Division.

• The Harmony Project – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point releases “Self-Inflicted Wounds: Debates and Divisions within al-Qa’ida and its Periphery.” If you want a snapshot of the war from the other side, this is an excellent starting place.

• North Korea has added battle tanks based on the old Soviet Union T-72 to its arsenal and boosted its special forces, artillery pieces, and weapons of mass destruction over the past 2 years, according to South Korea’s 2010 defense white paper. All that said, the South would wipe the floor with them in a full-on war – but at the cost of Seoul.

• Washington state defense contractors are adjusting to lower defense spending.

• Regulatory paperwork causes Airbus to miss it 2010 target for fielding Australia’s KC-30 aerial tanker.

• Canada deploys its initial CC-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

• The XB-70 Valkyrie was almost the 1st nuclear-powered bomber.

• Egypt resisted US pressure to refocus its military to counter “asymmetric threats,” such as terrorism, weapons smuggled into Gaza, and piracy, leaked cable shows.

• MIKEL, a Fall River, MA-based sonar signal processing firm, gets a $9.1 million contract to provide research automation and data fusion, target motion analysis, weapon employment, and tactical decision aids for U.S. Navy submarines.

• Raytheon pays hefty fee of $490 million to acquire military cybersecurity firm Applied Signal after intense bidding war.

• Germany’s Wegmann Group acquires Siemens AG’s 49% stake in land vehicle leader Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW). They will become the sole shareholder, pending regulatory and anti-trust approvals.

• Israel is reportedly deploying Merkava tanks equipped with “Windbreaker”/Trophy active defense systems to the Gaza border, in view of recent ATGM attacks and intelligence reports that Hamas has upgraded its anti-tank capabilities. The lessons from the 2006 war are at work.

• On the other hand, the Iron Dome rocket protection system for Israeli towns remains in storage, even though rocket attacks are increasing again.

• Australian media say Sikorsky’s MH-60R may have an edge over the NH90-NFH in Australia’s naval helicopter competition. Time will tell.

• Colombia sought aerial defense system from US to counter Venezuela, US documents from WikiLeaks show. Given Venezuela’s recent buys, that can’t be surprising.

• Patria’s deal with Sweden for at least 113 AMV 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carriers has survived legal challenges, and become a binding contract.

• US cautious about North Korean pledge to allow IAEA nuclear inspectors.

• BAE Systems snags $14 million US Navy contract to supply 4 AN/SQQ-32(V)4 minehunting sonar systems that are replacing the Raytheon-supplied AN/SQQ-32(V)3 sonar [PDF] currently employed aboard the MCM-1 Avenger Class minesweepers.

• DARPA launches programs intended to prevent cybersecurity Pearl Harbor.

• Harris gets $5.5 million USMC order for additional vehicular amplifier adapters for the Falcon III AN/PRC-117G wideband tactical radios.

• Northern exposure: New South Korean Defense Minister Kim says country should refocus its military capabilities to deal with threat from North.

• Decline and fall: Could European military budget cuts undermine the continent’s international clout even further?

• Strategy Analytics: The market for military embedded computers based on COTS components is predicted to double by 2010 to $4 billion.

• Up to $36 million to Todd Shipyards to repair and modernize the systems on the USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN 68).

• Northrop Grumman’s AMSEC gets contract worth up to $30.5 million to provide services and support for US Navy cargo and weapons handling systems.

• Entente cordial redux: UK, France ink historic defense accord that includes setting up a joint expeditionary force, shared use of aircraft carriers, cooperation on weapons procurement and logistics, and joint cybersecurity efforts.

• Aviation Week reports that global spending reviews, particularly in Europe, are having ripple effects in the global market for fighter jets.

• On the road to Bishkek: Mina and Red Star supply jet fuel to US forces in Kyrgyzstan under $3 billion contracts

• Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Chiarelli says US Army’s weapons-buying process may need a “big bang” shakeup to become broadly effective.

• US Army’s enhanced 5.56mm bullets are in production. That’s enhanced within the limits of their caliber choice, of course.

• Military investment is boosting the incipient market for algae-produced fuels.

• The US Coast Guard remains way behind in its use of UAVs. Budget issues are cited, but useful, low-cost systems are available if the Coast Guard decides they’re a priority.

• More information, please: Russia wants more info on proposed NATO missile defense system before deciding whether to join it.

• Outgoing Israeli military intelligence chief warns Russia is providing Syria with advanced anti-aircraft weapons that set Israeli defense capabilities “back to their status in the 1970s Suez years.”

• KEYW Corp. to acquire Sycamore.US, a cybersecurity software provider to the US military and commercial customers, for $27 million in cash.

• Sparton secures $12 million contract to provide engineering services for the US Navy’s sonobuoy program.

• USA reportedly prepping a $2 billion military aid package for Pakistan, even as Foreign Policy magazine openly wonders if there’s any way to fix the country, and India has concerns of its own. China’s Xinhua has its own slant.

• iCD Research: The Israeli defense sector is expected to grow at a 3% compound annual growth rate, reaching $15.8 billion by 2015; defense spending is expected to focus on procurement of missile defense systems, fighter aircraft, submarines and armored vehicles.

• US Coast Guard releases their v5.0 Blueprint for Continuous Improvement in acquisition and contracting.

• Iris Independent Research offers their KC-X competition white paper, “9 Secrets of the Tanker War.” One entirely unsurprising conclusion: KC-X is it; there will be no KC-Y and KC-Z as planned.

• Playing hardball: Sen. Jim Webb [D-VA] is holding up DoD civilian and flag officer nominations until he receives data related to the decision to close JFCOM in Norfolk, VA.

• Australian DSTO and Thales Australia working on a fiber optic towed array (FOTA) project to improve detection of submarines.

• Deja-vu all over again: Under a proposal being developed by NATO, the Russian military might be returning to Afghanistan for the first time since the Soviet army left the country in 1989.

• Never say die: Phase II of a $100 million Armed Forces Reserve Center at WWI-era Ellington Field in Houston is expected to be completed in January.

• HawkerBeechcraft laying off another 350 workers.

• US Army expects to save $100 million and improve email function integration by migrating 1.4 million unclassified email accounts to the DISA-managed Microsoft Exchange 2010 service.

• L-3 gets $92.4 million contract to provide the US Army with a battlefield anti-intrusion system (BAIS) [PDF], which is a sensor-based early warning system for small tactical units.

• Lockheed Martin snags $66 million in task orders to provide software for the Army’s Battle Command System.

• Indian Aid: India pledges to assist Vietnam in modernizing its military equipment.

• Show US the Money: US wants NATO countries to put their money where their mouths are.

• Cyber Team: US government increases military role in thwarting cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure with signing of DoD-DHS memo [PDF].

• Noteworthy: Raytheon sells $2 billion in notes to pay off existing debt.

• ATK repurchases $275 million in convertible notes due 2024.

• CSC wins contract worth up to $270 million to provide support to the Missile Defense Agency.

• Lockheed Martin gets $24 million contract extension from the US Navy to provide acoustic processing and tracking capabilities to detect and track submarines.