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Platform engineering contract. (March 15/10)

Right now, in many American ships beyond the top-tier AEGIS destroyers and cruisers, the detect-to-engage sequence against anti-ship missiles requires a lot of manual steps, involving different ship systems that use different displays. When a Mach 3 missile gives you 45 seconds from appearance on ship’s radar to impact, however, seconds of delay can be fatal. Seconds of unnecessary delay are unacceptable.

Hence Raytheon’s Ship Self Defense System (SSDS).

• SSDS: Current Versions
• Contracts & Key Events, 2008 – Present [updated]
  
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Sachsen, sending SM-2
(click to view full)

Greek deal adds submarine construction capabilities. (March 1/10)

ThyseenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) recently announced a “close strategic partnership” and Memorandum of Understanding with the Abu Dhabi MAR group in the United Arab Emirates, but the move is much closer to a sale of key assets. The MoU stipulates a 50/50 joint venture to build naval surface ships, with TKMS retaining a lead role and know-how in all projects with the German Navy and NATO partners. Similarly, Abu Dhabi MAR Group will be responsible for the Middle East and North Africa. At the same time, however, Abu Dhabi MAR is acquiring 80% of TKMS’ key surface ship firms: Blohm + Voss Shipyards, Blohm + Voss Repair, and Blohm + Voss Industries.

The proposed sale follows other recent purchases in Germany by Abu Dhabi MAR, and other recent shipyard sales by TKMS. The net effect is a restructuring of Germany’s naval shipbuilding industry…

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• Incoming US Coast Guard Commandant Papp’s honest memo [PDF] re: operational impact of their 2011 budget causes a stir.

• The US Navy commissions the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer DDG-105 Dewey at the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, CA.

• US Army’s “mad scientist” conference considers enemies’ ability to blend existing, future technologies to disrupt superior forces.

• UK MoD’s top civil servant tells panel that cost dispute prompted cuts in military equipment.

• UK awards K9 bravery citations. Iraq is reluctantly adding more K9 units, but may not be prepared for canine conscientious objectors and PTSD.

• UK institute condemns Cambodia’s plans for private businesses/ individuals to sponsor military units. The practice was widespread in Britain until 1871.

• Human face of PTSD, recovery: “Black Hawk Down” pilot Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant (ret.) speaks.

• Boeing develops 3-D camera for US military application.

‘Tugs of the Future’
at Portsmouth Naval Base
(click to view larger)

By the end of 2010, the UK expects to receive faster, more maneuverable, and more powerful tugs to guide destroyers and aircraft carriers in and out of British ports, under the GBP 1 billion Future Provision Marine Services contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence to Serco Denholm in 2007.

Called “tugs of the future,” the new fleet of 29 marine service vessels will guide the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers and eventually Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers out of Portsmouth Naval Base and other naval bases around the country.

The new Azimuth drive tugs will be able to move more quickly and pull heavier weights than the current fleet of twin-unit tractor tugs (TUTTs).

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Up to $32 million to Lockheed Martin for submarine satellite communication prototype. (March 5/10)

An impressive 18 companies won indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts to develop integration and management technology for radio frequency (RF) radar and communications functions on future naval platforms. The contracts are being awarded by the Office of Naval Research for its Integrated Topside (InTop) Program, which will develop a scalable family of electronic warfare, radar and communication equipment to support multiple classes of ships and other Navy platforms. Each contract has an ordering ceiling of between $50 million and $800 million.

InTop plans to reduce the number of topside equipment on Navy ships through a modular/ open RF architecture…

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More advance models to speed integration. (Feb 25/10)

The US military’s JTRS program began in the late 1990s as an attempt to unify its underlying communications infrastructure. The program was visionary – and very ambitious. Ongoing requirements creep was thrown into the mix, and the result was major delays and cost overruns that eventually led to the complete restructuring of the program.

The part of the program that aimed to create radios for aircraft and ships – the Airborne, Maritime/ Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS) – saw pre-system development and demonstration contracts issued to Team Boeing (Boeing, BBN Technologies, Harris, L-3 Communications, Milcom Systems Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins) and to Team Lockheed (Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon) back in 2004, with an extension in 2006 that brought the totals to about $75 million each. Team Lockheed won the $766.2 million AMF JTRS development contract in March 2008.

• AMF JTRS: Platforms and Prognosis
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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USNS Sacagawea
(click to view full)

$824.6 million for construction of T-AKE 13 and T-AKE 14. (Feb 26/10)

The entire T-AKE dry cargo/ ammunition ship program could have a total value of as much as $6.2 billion, and a size of 14 ships, as the US looks to modernize its supply fleet. The House Armed Services Committee put together an FY 2008 budget that added $456 million for another T-AKE ship – though this figure would not cover all of the internal systems etc. that must be added to make it operational. The FY 2009 budget added 2 more. In total, the US Navy has contracted for 14 T-AKE ships.

How do T-AKE ships fit into US naval operations? What ships do they replace? What’s the tie-in to US civilian industrial capacity? How were environmental standards built into their design? And what contracts have been issued for T-AKE ships to date?

• T-AKE Ships: Mission & Capabilities
• T-AKE Ships: The Civilian Industry Angle
• T-AKE Ships & the Environment
• T-AKE Ships: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
  Continue Reading… »

• Raytheon team snags $886.4 million contract for GPS OCX advanced control segment.

• PWC reports that aerospace & defense mergers hit a record low in 2009. It wasn’t a good deal year for the chemicals sector, either, but transport and logistics was busy in Q4.

• Portsmouth becomes 5th of 6 UK shipyards involved in building Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, while Britain’s Conservative Party wants to know more about cancellation options. DID has in-depth coverage of the CVF carriers.

• Harris gets $78 million order for MRAP radios.

• Der Spiegel: A330 flight 447 from Rio to Paris may give new meaning to the term “software crash”; expect blowback into KC-X aerial tanker competition.

• General Dynamics NASSCO delivers USNS Matthew Perry, the 9th T-AKE supply ship, to US Navy’s Military Sealift Command.

• German Army report criticizes the NH90 helicopter for limited capabilities and other deficiencies.

• US Army releases RFP for next-generation armored vehicles.

• Frost & Sullivan: Indian Army’s land combat systems modernization to generate $33.76 billion in revenues.

LPD-17 cutaway
(click to view full)

Up to $249.4 million to Northrop Grumman to provide LCE&S services for the LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious assault ships. (Feb 16/10)

LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious assault support vessels are just entering service with the US Navy. Between 10-12 scheduled ships of this new class are slated to assume the functional duties of up to 41 previous ships. Much like their smaller predecessors, their mission is to embark, transport, land, and support elements of a US Marine Corps Landing Force. What changes are the ships’ size, their cost, and the capabilities and technologies used to perform those missions. Among other additions, this new ship is designed to operate accompanying platforms like the Marines’ MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle amphibious armored personnel carrier.

While its design incorporates notable advances, the San Antonio Class has also had its share of teething problems. So, too, has the New Orleans shipyard to which most of this contract has been assigned. The number of serious issues encountered in this ship class have been much higher than usual, and more extensive. The initial ships have been criticized for sub-standard workmanship, and it took 2 1/2 years after the initial ship of class was delivered and accepted before any ship of class was sent on an operational cruise. Whereupon the USS San Antonio promptly found itself laid up Bahrain due to oil leaks. Meanwhile, costs are almost twice the originally promised amounts at over $1.7 billion per ship – 2 to 3 times as much as many foreign LPD classes, and more than 10 times as much as Singapore’s 6,600 ton Endeavour Class LPD.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This is DID’s FOCUS Article for the San Antonio Class, detailing the ships’ unique features and capabilities, its program innovations and issues, ship timelines, and related contracts throughout the program’s history. As has become DID custom, the most recent additions are highlighted in green type...

• LPD-17 San Antonio Class: Capabilities and Features
• LPD-17 San Antonio Class: Process & Issues
• LPD-17 San Antonio Class: Program, Budgets & Timelines
• LPD-17 San Antonio Class: Contracts and Events (1996-Present) [updated]
• Appendix A: Additional Readings & Sources – LPD-17 Ship Class
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources – News and Views
  
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• US SPAWAR awards up to $3.2 billion in contracts for DoD C2 software support.

• Back from driving LeMans, Lord Drayson picks up his British military reform agenda.

• EADS gets new offer from 7 member governments to save the A400M military transport plane program.

• US knows it wants a front-line LEMV surveillance blimp – but how to field one? RFP is now out.

• Russia’s 5th generation PAK-FA fighter makes its 2nd flight. And just how good could it be?

• Iran crushes popular protests using high-tech Chinese riot vehicles.

• US may help Lebanon field AT-6B Texan or EMB-314 Super Tucano counter-insurgency aircraft by 2013.

• P-8A Poseidon aircraft passes armed ground vibration tests.

• Fincantieri’s new US subsidiary hires former head of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors.

• AeroVironment stock selloff: an overreaction?

• India to spend billions of dollars to upgrade military equipment.

• Tata Motors plans to bid on $75.8 million Indian Army light truck contract.

• US Army confronts challenge of aging helicopter fleet.

• Alion gets $71.8 million Seaport-E task order to support US Navy’s PEO Ships.

• Up to $46 million to URS for aircraft maintenance at Robins AFB.

• China to allow nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz [CVN 68] to make a port call in Hong Kong, despite decision to suspend military exchanges with the US over Taiwan arms sales.

• Top Taliban military commander captured in Pakistan, says top US official.