• At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on President Obama’s unilateral decision to engage US forces in Libya, State Department Advisor Harold Koh stated that Congressional approval was not required due to the ‘limited’ nature of military operations. Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) responded that the United States’ roles in Libya are significant as it provides the majority of intelligence and air refueling.

• The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a confirmation hearing for the commander chosen to replace General David Petraeus in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General John Allen.

• The US Army issues a Request for Information (RFI) to support the development of the Medium Range Multi-Purpose (MRMP) Vertical Take Off and Landing UAS acquisition strategy. The RFI also covers the Army and Navy Medium Range Maritime UAS (MRMUAS) Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) program.

• The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) orders 12,500 rugged encrypted tablet personal computers from Software Box Ltd. The £30 million ($48 million) five-year contract also includes maintenance support and forms part of the Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) project.

• Speculation mounts that Textron may follow L-3 and become a target for activist investors.

• Northrop Grumman signs a Global Supply Chain (GSC) Deed with the Australian Ministry of Defence. The deed forms part of a program designed to increase the presence of Australia’s defense industry within global supply chains.

• Russia announces the successful test-firing of its Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Prior to today only seven of the fourteen previous test launches of the Bulava were deemed a success.

• Italy takes delivery of its first NH90 NFH naval helicopter, making it the 2nd delivery customer after the Netherlands. But when will the type be fully operational?

• The US DoD announces that recruitment and retention levels for all four active services and five of six reserve components met or exceeded their year-to-end accession goals.

• UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox is due to unveil the findings of the Defence Reform Unit’s Report. It is likely the report will lead to an overhaul in the number of Armed Forces senior officers and a radical shake-up of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) senior decision making body, the defence board.

• The Pentagon is to send almost $45 million in aid to Burundi and Uganda to help tackle the growing terrorist threat in Somalia. Items being shipped out include four Raven shoulder-launched unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), body armor and surveillance systems.

• Russia is to resume test launches of its Bulava submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on June 28. At least four test launches are scheduled for this year.

• Australian think tank the Lowy Institute releases a report examining maritime security issues in the Asia Pacific region. Crisis and confidence: major power and maritime security in Indo-Pacific Asia argues that the changing maritime strategies of the region’s major powers are increasing the prospect of Asia becoming a danger zone for conflict at sea.

• Another Australian think tank says that a combination of scandals and equipment-related problems have left the nation’s defense in a ‘beyond tolerable’ condition.  The Australian Strategic Policy Institute advocates improving civilian influence within the Ministry of Defence and making the services more accountable when problems occur.

• Israel’s Defense Ministry clears its authorities of any wrongdoing after Spanish businessmen attempted to sell to Iran Bell B-112 helicopters previously used by the Israeli Air Force.

• South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration among the government agencies to be targeted by the Ministry of National Defense’s new inspection system. The Ministry’s plans form part of attempts to curb corruption and promote military reform.

• Debate regarding China’s fighter aircraft program continues unabated. A recently-published report [PDF] predicts that China is 5-10 years away from from being able to consistently mass produce turbofan engines for a fifth-generation fighter.

SSN-688I cutaway

June 20/11: Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Sensors in Eagan, MN receives a $758.2 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-award-fee, and cost reimbursable contract line item numbers. They’ll design, produce, install and support Technical Insertion-[20]12 and Technical Insertion -[20]14 hardware into US submarines, upgrading their internal electronics using a combination of Navy and commercial standards.

Using commercial standards at all is a step forward from past practice, and Lockheed Martin has gained considerable sales and experience by packaging commercial standards for naval military use. In terms of supported submarines…

• The latest ASDReports study predicts that a total of 154 submarines are to be procured between 2011 and 2021, costing $186.3 billion. While North America is expected to constitute 47% of sales, regional hostility among Asian states will drive the submarine market over the forecast period.

• A Department of Defense report to Congress indicates that the Lockheed Martin F-35 has emerged as a candidate to replace Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as a carrier-based air dominance fighter for the US Navy after 2025.

• The U.S. Navy asks businesses to develop innovative approaches to make sea air safe for lasers.

• As Israel continues to develop David’s Sling, President Shimon Peres calls for the creation of a missile defense system that would surround Iran.

• Harris Corporation releases new software for the Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio system

• Ricardo, Inc., U.S. subsidiary of Ricardo plc, announces the formation of a strategic business alliance with XRD Inc. (XRDi) and NW UAV to design, develop and manufacture a family of heavy-fuel engine solutions for unmanned systems.

• Flight International lists the likely competitors for USAF’s UH1-N replacement contract.

• A visit to SRI International’s Silicon Valley premises shows that while 67% of its research work is for the Department of Defense, profit margins for government agency projects are only 3 to 4%.

• Canada’s Public Works Minister’s reminder that companies bidding on National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy contracts have been asked not to employ lobbyists raises eyebrows at CANSEC.

• U.S. Army Acquisition chief Malcolm O’Neill resigns.

• Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ May 24/11 swan song speech at the neo-conservative AEI think-tank continues to echo. See the official transcript of his remarks, and the video.

• Vice Admiral John Blake tells Congress that a projected shortfall in the number of attack submarines may force the Navy to examine extending the lives of some subs. Shipbuilding expert counters it may be hard to extend service of fast-attack subs because of limitations on the lives of pressure hulls.

• Russia may begin purchasing Antonov’s An-70 military transport aircraft between 2012 and 2013.

• Cobham announce that its HeliSAS  Autopilot and Stability Augmentation System has been granted Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) status by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the Eurocopter AS350 model series and EC130 helicopters.

• Boeing opens Exploration Launch Systems Engineering and Integration office near Kennedy Space Center to support the operational readiness of NASA’s next launch system.

• Israel may see David’s Sling as a wider air defense replacement for its MIM-23 Hawk missiles, not just a high-end rocket killer.

• As China’s first aircraft carrier moves closer to commencing sea trials doubts are raised about the ship’s ‘military impact’.

• US Supreme Court throws out lower court ruling that would have required Boeing and General Dynamics to repay $3 billion to the federal government for the cancelled A-12 Avenger fighter program.

• Does SpaceX have lessons to teach NASA? After it spends under $400 million to do what would have taken NASA around $4 billion, Congressional testimony says “yes!”, and SpaceX underscores its cost positions. Next step? Falcon 9 Heavy, which aims to challenge the current Boeing/Lockheed EELV heavy lift platforms on cost and payload.

• FLIR Systems, a supplier of thermal imaging and threat detection systems, agrees to pay $39 million to two former executives to settle litigation related to its 2004 acquisition of Indigo Systems.

• L-3’s Systems Field Support division gets contract worth up to $300 million to provide C-12 aircraft logistics support and maintenance to the US Navy and USAF.

• SAIC snags contract worth up to $85 million to provide fighter operational test and evaluation services at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center.

• US Army honors the MQ-5B Hunter UAV as “the little program that could,” with a history going back to 1989. Hunters still serve on the front lines, and some are now armed with GBU-44 Viper Strike mini-weapons.

• Smiths Detection receives $30 million order to provide battlefield chemical agent detectors for the US DoD’s Joint Chemical Agent Detector program.

• China’s submarine buildup is creating pressure on Asian countries to improve their anti-submarine capabilities – and add subs of their own. Given the volume of Chinese shipping that must pass through narrow chokepoints in and around Indonesia, it’s not a good strategic trade for China.

• Crews for India’s ordered Scorpene diesel-electric submarines are due to begin training in France, soon. The goal is now delivery by 2015, with all 6 delivered by the end of 2018.

• Loose or broken bolts caused South Korea to suspend operations for its 3 type U214 subs through much of 2010, and into 2011. The problem was fixed, and contracts to build its next set of 6 more U214s continue.

• Global defense budget is expected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2012, according to ASDReports.com

• Lockheed Martin gets $45.3 million order to upgrade 22 Finnish Army M270 multiple launch rocket systems, enabling them to fire GPS-guided munitions.

• BAE Systems gets GBP 39 million in MOD contracts to improve the intelligence processing capability of the RAF’s Typhoon fighter.

• General Dynamics Electric Boat receives a $33.5 million contract modification to develop advanced submarine technologies for US Navy undersea platforms.

• Northrop Grumman and Georgia Institute of Technology to develop MEMS gyroscope technology for DARPA’s Microscale Rate Integrating Gyroscope program.

• UK uses Roll Over Drills Egress Trainers (RODETs) – armored hulls outfitted like a real vehicle that can be completely rotated – to teach troops at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan how to survive if their vehicle hits an IED.

• US Army Corp of Engineers unveils $5 billion Civil Works plan for FY 2011.

• Nearly 1,000 workers at 3 defense contractors in the Washington, DC area – General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman – are being laid off this year, the Washington Examiner reports.

• A number of projects are working to free science from the bottlenecks of copyright-bound paper articles, even for research produced on the public dime. Open source science is impractical for much defense R&D, except as a potential input. On the other hand, new Open Science approaches have shown great promise for areas like disease cures – which do have a military dimension.

• India continues working on creating a nuclear triad with the deployment of its 1st Arihant class nuclear submarine expected in 2012. It also has inspection teams doing assurance checks in advance of an expected buy of M777 ultra-light howitzers.

• UK announces plans for a new nuclear-powered submarine to replace its existing Vanguard class submarine. Advance design contracts for the missile section started a while ago, and the main build decision is expected in 2016.

• Italy accepts 2 of its 4 ordered KC-767A aerial tankers into service, after a long set of technical delays and certifications.

• Israel is setting up a taskforce to develop defense capabilities against cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Rumor has it that they set up a task force to handle the other end a while back. You’d have to ask the Iranians.

Papanikolis at HDW

Make that EUR 120 million in bribes; HDW pulls out of additional construction. (May 17/11)

On Monday Sept 21/09, ThyssenKrupp Marine informed the Greek Minister of Defence that it was canceling “The Archimedes Project” contract for 4 U-214 diesel-electric submarines with Air-Independent Propulsion technology, because the government’s payments had remained underwater for too long. Accumulated payment arrears were over EUR 520 million (then $767 million), and so ThyssenKrupp and its subsidiary Hellenic Shipyards sought international arbitration, in order to recover some of the payments due under its contract.

That development was the just the latest chapter in a long and continuing saga. If the issue remained unresolved, or arbitration resulted in termination payments but no delivery, Greece might have found itself without a submarine force. Now, a resolution is close – but prosecutions may be equally near:

• Greece’s Submarine Programs: Types and Travails
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Contracts Under Water – Greece’s 2009 Default
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Background
  Continue Reading… »

• Osama Bin Laden is killed by US Navy SEALs... in a Pakistani mansion about 40 miles outside Islamabad. No SEALs killed, but 1 American helicopter was damaged and then destroyed by the SEALs. A Pakistani helicopter may have also gone down. Unfortunately, Ayman-al Zawahiri, the brains of the operation, is still alive.

• General Dynamics Electric Boat receives $1.2 billion to begin construction of the 14th Virginia-class submarine, SSN-787, part of Block III with a revised bow design.

• Russia lays out its vision of European missile defense.

• Angola & Kenya may become the next customers for IAI’s Heron-1 UAV or UAV services, joining export customers like Brazil, India & Turkey, and rent-a-UAV customers like Australia, Canada & Germany.

• Saab sees potential Gripen jet fighter orders in Brazil, Romania, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. All are possible. Likely is another matter.

• Pentagon looks to place military payloads on commercial satellites in order to reduce costs. On the other hand, they’re not moving to take advantage of Iridium NEXT’s slots, which would seem to be a natural opportunity. But Iridium is just 1 of 7 firms in the new “Hosted Payload Alliance” lobby group.

• Wyle gets $14 million contract to provide IT services to support DARPA’s relocation in Arlington, VA.

• Atlas Air to begin providing passenger service for US military personnel in May, completing its existing military cargo service.

• “Why GE, Coca-Cola, and IBM Are Getting Into the Water Business.” Underlying these efforts: it’s becoming so important, that it will rival oil as a source of conflict in the 21st century.