Excalibur 155mm
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The GPS-guided M982 Excalibur artillery shell is not an anti-tank round, unlike the SMArt 155 shells Australia bought in October 2007. Excalibur’s accuracy brings its own capabilities, however, including precise counter-fire at enemy artillery and mortars located via projectile-tracking radars. Its shells can also target a particular building near troops under fire, providing a much faster, cheaper, and more reliable alternative to close air support fighters with precision-guided bombs. Both of these capabilities are important on the front-lines, where Australian troops are engaged.

DID readers will recall Australia’s LAND 17 artillery replacement contract, currently underway, aimed at purchasing a new set of towed and mobile 155mm howitzers capable of firing shells like SMArt 155 and the M982 Excalibur. In the mean time, however, a secondary solution is available – and Australia appears to have submitted a modified request…

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AEY Betrayal?
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Reports surfaced in late March that a company with several hundred million dollars worth of contracts, acting as the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces, has been delivering substandard ammunition and violating military export regulations. It operated out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, FL, and employed a 22 year old licensed masseur as its Vice President. Naturally, a number of readers recommended it as DID’s lead April Fool’s Day story. Unfortunately, the story is not a joke.

In March 2007, “$298M to AEY for Ammo in Afghanistan” covered one of the firm’s key contracts. As of March 25/08, however, AEY, Inc. is barred from future contracts with any agency of the US government, and is under investigation by the Department of Defense’s inspector general and by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Complaints include the quality and origins of ammunition it provided, and allegations of corruption.

Now an investigation by Government Executive Magazine may help shed light on how the firm was able to win the contracts it received. Apparently, it helps to be a “small, disadvantaged business”...

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M777: dragon’s breath
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The M777 ultra-lightweight towed 155mm howitzer has an integrated digital fire control system, and can fire all existing 155mm projectiles. Nothing new there. What is new is the fact that this 9,700 pound howitzer saves over 6,000 pounds of weight by making extensive use of titanium and advanced aluminum alloys, allowing it to be carried by Marine Corps MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft or medium helicopters, and/or airdropped by C-130 aircraft. The new gun is a joint program between the US Army and Marine Corps to replace existing 155mm M198s, and will perform fire support for U.S. Marine Air Ground Task Forces and U.S. Army Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

Britain is also an M777 LWH development partner, but Canada became the first country to field it in combat via an emergency buy before their 2006 “Operation Archer” deployment to Afghanistan. This is is DID’s new FOCUS article covering the M777 program. The latest news is an additional order from the USA…

• M777: Capabilities and Upgrades
• M777: Program
• M777: Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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.50 cal goodness

ATK business Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. LLC in Independence, MO recently received a pair of firm-fixed-price contracts under DAAA09-99-D-0016 for small arms ammunition from the US government. The Alliant Lake location dates back to World War 2, and had become the USA’s only facility turning out military-grade small arms ammunition. The plant is currently undergoing extensive modernization efforts, while the adoption of General Dynamics as a secondary supplier has helped to ease the USA’s supply crunch for small arms ammunition.

The 3 contracts include a pair on Feb 29/08, and another on March 3/08. The first 2 lay out $21 million for 47,855,400 small caliber (5.56mm – 12.7mm/ .50 cal) rounds, and $13.5 million for 27,779,760 rounds. The 3rd lays out $67.7 million for 304,995,920 rounds. Work on these contracts is expected to be complete by Sept 30/09; in all cases, there was 1 bid solicited on Jan 2/08, and 1 bid was received by The U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, IL.

Tiger HAP & HAC
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A formal contract concerning an HAD version of Eurocopter’s Tiger scout/ attack helicopter was recently signed in Bonn, Germany between Eurocopter Tiger and OCCAR, a French/European organization for armament cooperation. This agreement supersedes the official launch ITP for the multi-role HAD (Helicoptere Appui Destruction) version of the Tiger, signed on December 8th, 2004 by France and Spain. It also set out initial procurement numbers for Spain. This was followed by the French DGA’s official announcement re: the restructuring of its own 80 helicopter order.

Eurocopter’s Tiger had always had a very odd setup in that it came in two seemingly incomplete versions (HAP and HAC/UHT), severely limiting its flexibility. The new Tiger HAD variant helps to rectify this, and has entered a new stage thanks to testing, and ancillary weapons orders from France and Spain…

• Tiger Species: HAP, HAC-UHT, ARH, and HAD [updated]
• Contracts & Related Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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Anibal

Spain’s armed forces have recently placed a wide range of orders for vehicles, radios, ammunition, and other supplies and services, which are worth about EUR 250 million (currently $363 million) taken together.

Items include:

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G6 SP Howitzer
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In September 2005, “South Africa’s Denel Forced Into Strategic Shift” examined the changed business landscape for the firm, which was suffering from the collapse of its domestic arms market as a source of guaranteed funding, and a flood of red ink on its balance sheet. The turnabout has been slow, but the firm’s leadership has made it clear that global alliances and sub-contractor status, with a prime role in its domestic market, is the way forward for them.

One of the product groups Denel has always been known for is its artillery systems, which may be the best in the world. Their accurate G6 155mm howitzers continue to outrange all competitors, and the base-bleed ammunition technology they pioneered has become a widespread option for countries looking to extend the range of their existing artillery systems. Industrial partnerships with Rheinmetall and Diehl BGT Defence of Germany have led to orders to supply Germany’s 155mm howitzer and 120mm mortar ammunition, and partnerships have also been explored with General Dynamics in the USA.

Despite their difficulties winning international sales with a superior product, Denel isn’t quite ready to give up its artillery system crown jewels just yet. On the ammunition front, however, business partner Rheinmetall’s move to combine the 2 firms’ customer coverage and technologies has met with a warmer reception…

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The U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island, IL recently issued a delivery order for the full amount of a $52.2 million firm-fixed-price contract with ATK’s Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co., LLC in Independence, MO. Work will be performed in Independence, MO and is expected to be complete by Sept 30/09. One bid was solicited on Oct 31/06, and 1 bid was received (DAAA09-99-D-0016).

The contract is slated to finance the ongoing modernization and enhancement of ammunition production at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, a legacy of World War II that remains the USA’s main manufacturing plant for small caliber (.50 caliber and lower) ammunition. In July 2005, “Pass The Ammunition: Army Taking Action on Small-Cal Shortages” explained the issues American forces have faced with ammunition shortages, and the steps that have been taken over the past few years to address this issue.

WAH-64Ds
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When the USA and the Netherlands deployed their AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to Afghanistan, the Longbow millimeter-wave radar that sits atop the rotor didn’t accompany them. The Dutch helicopters didn’t have that option due to budget pressures, and the Americans decided that the mast-mounted radar would just compromise performance against an opponent that had no armored vehicles to track, and no weapons that made fire-and-forget missile tactics necessary.

The British thought about it, and decided to take a different tack. Their WAH-64s were equipped with RTM322 Mk250 engines [PDF], giving them commonalities with the EH101 Merlin fleet and 2,260 shp – a 19% boost over the 1,890 shp GE T701Cs that power most other Apaches. With power to spare and additional internal fuel tanks, they kept the radars on and focused on finding ways to use them in theater…

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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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