• Aero India 2011 exhibition takes flight.

• The USA OKs its next-generation SSBN-X nuclear missile submarines for Milestone A studies, to accompany missile compartment contracts already underway.

• Even as reports gather that China has tested Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles of its own.

• How did Northrop Grumman do in the fourth quarter? Depends who you talk to: Reuters | Wall Street Journal.

• Pentagon backs mergers and acquisitions among smaller defense suppliers, but not for the heavy hitters.

• DoD is requesting $7 billion less in FY 2012 than was forecast last year, according to a Bloomberg report.

• US Army wants more “Punisher” XM25 semi-automatic high-explosive airburst weapons for Afghanistan.

• US SOCOM forces stretched to the limit in Afghanistan, commander warns.

• Defense electronics contracts totaled in excess of a billion dollars in January 2011, according to Strategy Analytics.

• Greenbelt, MD-based Gryphon Technologies is adding 60 jobs and office space in Bloomington, IN, to accommodate its $26.6 million logistics services contract with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

• Harris snags $9 million order to supply Falcon II 400-watt AN/PRC-150-C radios for the US Army’s Joint Biological Point Detection System [PDF] designed to identify biological threats on the battlefield.

• Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that he wants to replace Russia’s iconic Kalashnikov assault rifles and Dragunov SVD sniper rifles, possibly with foreign made weapons. Unsurprisingly, controversy ensues. Media mistake alert: current Kalashnikovs in Russian service are not 7.62mm AK-47/AKMs. They’re 5.45mm AK-74s, which entered service in the 1990s.

• Did the Serbian shoot-down of an F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter in 1999 contribute to Chinese development of its J-20 stealth fighter?

• Israeli firm Aeronautics DS is set to begin manufacturing parts of its Aerostar and Orbiter UAVs, and performing final assembly, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Azeri use of the UAVs will benefit both countries. Since the opening of the Baku-Ceyhan (Turkey) oil pipeline in 2006, Azerbaijan has become one of Israel’s biggest crude oil suppliers. At least, until Israel transitions to a natural gas economy...

• Boeing to slow C-17A heavy airlifter production (14 in 2010, 13 in 2011, 10/yr. after), and cut 1,100 workers – mostly at Long Beach, CA.

• Good news for BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards (formerly Atlantic Marine Florida LLC), as navy contracts for cruisers and destroyers, post-delivery work on Pakistan’s new frigate, and post-delivery work on Littoral Combat Ships has nearly doubled its work force to 1,100 in the past 6 months.

• German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg orders investigation into German armed forces following reports of mutiny aboard a naval training ship, an accidental shooting in Afghanistan, and army mail tampering claims.

• US contractors that provide maintenance work for military equipment are worried that US administration’s plan to bring outsourced jobs inside federal government will cost them billions of dollars.

• US Army aviation worries about long-term helicopter plans. That has been a serious question for some time now, but perhaps privately-funded efforts will help step into that gap. If the Army lets them.

• Hacker sells what is claimed to be administrative control to US military websites.

• US Army releases handbook advising troops on security for social media use.

• Pentagon chief Robert Gates warns about China’s J-20 Black Eagle stealth fighter jet, DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile during his first visit to Beijing.

• US DoD belt-tightening plan could benefit Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and L-3, says FBR analyst Patrick McCarthy.

• Kit Up! and DefenseTech discuss the Taliban’s performance in defeating and overrunning OP Topside and COP Kahler near Wanat, Afghanistan, with reference to the final report. Intelligent use of gear by the Taliban made a difference – and so, apparently, did problems with the Americans’ M4 carbines.

• US Army recognizes its Top 10 inventions for 2010. CERDEC goes into more detail about the REPPS backpack solar power system, Duke v3 CREW jammer; and the Wolfhound system for finding the radio used by that enemy you can hear talking, or think might be nearby scouting you, but can’t see.

• Israel Defense Force considers anti-mortar system along Gaza border.

• Pentagon’s proposal to increase health care fees for working-age military retirees draws fire.

M24 sniper system

Snipers have become critical assets in the current wars, and enemies who routinely use human shields have changed their profession from a group that was stigmatized even in their own armies, to widely appreciated specialists. In Afghanistan, the rifles’ 7.62mm or heavier calibers, and long range in an environment that routinely sees engagements beyond 300 meters, makes snipers very desirable in regular engagements, as well as special missions.

Remington Arms Company Inc. in Ilion, NY recently received an $8.9 million firm-fixed-price contract from the Afghan government for M24 sniper rifles (and see weapon review), with bipods for stable shooting. Work will be performed in Ilion, NY, and is expected to be complete by Sept 30/14. One bid was solicited with one bid received by the U.S. Army TACOM LCMC in Rock Island, IL (W56HZV-11-D-0049).

Sniper rifles are tracked more closely than other weapons, and American forces in Iraq and beyond have consistently pushed for general weapon tracking programs that allow tight monitoring of access and use. One hopes this is enough to avoid having this order end up as a de facto delivery to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, for use in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• Wikileaks, and China’s role in North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

• The value of US defense contracts to Massachusetts businesses has almost tripled since 2001, reaching $15.6 billion last year.

• Reality disconnect, Example 1,754,348: Gen. Cartwright says the US military must begin to value scale and numbers, not just capabilities. Meanwhile, the proposed Ground Combat Vehicle to replace the M2/M3 Bradley has an expected price of $9-10 million per GCV, and twice the expected per-mile operating cost of a Bradley. Guess they haven’t started yet.

• XM25 auto-ranging grenade gun deployed to Afghanistan – but using it as intended seems to violate the Rules of Engagement.

• US, Japan back stronger South Korean military stance against North, as US and South Korean military commanders hold talks.

• Getting personal: US military does poor job at protecting soldiers’ personal information, warn West Point professors.

• Puma team delivers first 2 IFVs to Germany.

• Proposed 1.4% pay raise not sitting well with US military personnel.

• Tens of thousands of jobs could be cut at EADS because of Germany’s tight defense budget, according to FT Deutschland.

5.56mm Mk46 MOD1

FN Manufacturing in Columbia, SC received an $11.5 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the MK46 MOD1 lightweight machine gun and MK48 MOD1 lightweight machine gun, along with spare and repair parts in support of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Columbia, SC, and is expected to be complete by November 2015. $25,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. FN is the only firm that makes these weapons, so this contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in Crane, IN (N00164-11-D-JN65).

Both the MK46 LMG and MK48 lightweight GPMG are designed specifically for US special ops requirements. The Mk46 is a variant of the ubiquitous 5.56mm M249 “Minimi” Squad Automatic Weapon, but adds some features and removes about a pound of weight. The Mk48 is a heavier 7.62mm variant, whose longer lethal range is very useful in environments like Afghanistan.

• Hijacked: China is denying a claim made in a report [PDF] by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that it hijacked US Internet traffic, including Pentagon traffic, for 18 minutes in April.

• India’s Defence Minister AK Antony says change is coming to India’s defense industry, including a more even playing field for the private sector.

• Billions for Boeing: The aerospace giant has taken out a $2.38 billion, 364-day revolving credit agreement.

• USAF F-22A crashes in Alaska on a nighttime training mission. Wreckage found, but so far, not the pilot.

• Bad days for South Africa’s navy. First, one of its U209/1400 submarines can’t go to sea for lack of a trained crew. Then, one of its MEKO 200 frigates, touted as ”[the] perfect ships for our type of coast”, breaks its engine in conditions that Rear-Adm. Bernard Teuteberg describes as “particular to the sea states we operate in.”

• Russia delivers a total of 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and over 2.5 million rounds of ammunition to Afghanistan, for use by police units in and around the capital, Kabul. The betting pool is now open: how many of those rifles will remain in police hands by the end of 2011?

• San Diego-based defense contractor Cubic Corp to pay $124 million to acquire Abraxas, a Herndon, VA-based provider of risk mitigation services to the national security community.

• Wyle gets 5-year, $66.9 million task order to provide engineering and C4ISR support to the US Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office.

• India’s 1st indigenous AEW&C radar is reportedly ready to be sent to Brazil, for integration on an ERJ145 regional jet.

• Leased Australian Heron UAVs have resumed flights in Afghanistan, following a 24 hour suspension.

• American Defense Systems, a Hicksville, NY-based supplier of transparent and opaque armor, had a net loss of $395,000 and a 31% decline in revenues from continuing operations for the third quarter, which the company attributed to a slowdown in government orders.

• Correction: In a previous version of the Nov 12/10 Rapid Fire, we incorrectly reported that Raytheon had laid off 1,000 workers; the 1,000 figure was for layoffs at other Massachusetts employers. In fact, the number of employees laid off by Raytheon was not disclosed.

• India’s comptroller and auditor general criticizes the Defense Ministry’s plans to build an army carbine factory in Amethi, northeast India, for poor site selection, defective planning, and hasty decision making.

• Meanwhile, the Indian Navy is proceeding with a $1.5 billion tender to replace its Alouette-III derivative Chetak naval helicopters with 56 light naval utility helicopters. RFPs are expected to go out to existing supplier Kamov (Ka-28/Ka-27), and to Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, Sikorsky, and Bell Helicopter. HAL’s Dhruv could be a wild card.

• SRA gets contract worth up to $100 million to support DoD medical research program.

• US reportedly offering Pakistan RQ-7 Shadow and/or ScanEagle UAVs – but reportedly won’t provide armed MQ-1 Predators.

• Saab Training snags $39 million USMC contract to supply ranges and facilities to provide live fire gunnery training for US Marines.

• NIST tests new smartphone app that enables two-way translation of Afghan Pashto dialect and English for use by the US military in Afghanistan as part of DARPA’s TRANSTAC program.

• Guns of August: While Sen. McCain backs the US beefing up Georgia’s air defenses, Russia is deploying S-300 air defense systems in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.

• Dos Vedanya: US and Russian Air Forces wrap up 1st ever joint air defense drills.

• The Russian Defense Ministry plans to spend 20 trillion rubles ($656 billion) on its 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, which includes purchases of 1,000 helicopters, 20 An-124 Ruslan transport planes, and 70 T-50/PAK-FA fighter jets.

• A report issued by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense estimates that China will have 2,000 short- and medium-range missiles, capable of destroying 90% of Taiwan’s infrastructure, pointed at the island by the end of 2010.

• US DoD’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awards 5-year TASER contracts worth up to $1 billion to 18 firms to provide engineering, prototype, integration/deployment, and sustainment support to the agency.

• Dutch are refurbishing their force’s Diemaco/Colt rifles, but their KCT special forces are trading up to the HK416.

• First Harrier GR9 equipped under the TIEC datalink program flies, as part of the RAF’s “Capability E” upgrades.

• Flexing Muscle: The USS George Washington [CVN-73] heads to Pusan in preparation for joint US-South Korean naval exercises.

• Skill Shortage: The Professional Services Council, the US government services contractors association, wonders whether the Pentagon has the personnel to handle the work being in-sourced as a result of congressional mandates.

• United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney, Volvo Aero Norway team on $61 million venture to build military aircraft engine shafts, including shafts for the F135 for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F119 for the F-22 Raptor fighter.

M249 SAW, Afghanistan

HK wins; Commandant skeptical, but authorizes limited buy and combat test. (July 1/10)

The US Marines are looking to replace their M249 5.56mm light machine guns in their infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) battalions. Many have become worn from use, and can be more hindrance than help in some of the close-quarters urban warfare situations dominating current battlefields. They also have a reputation for jamming, and at 15-17 pounds empty, these belt-fed weapons are rather heavy.

In its initial 2005 FedBizOps.com solicitation for an “Infantry Automatic Rifle” (IAR), the Marines wanted two big things. First, the gun had to fire from either the open or closed bolt position. This would give it the single-shot and “first through the door” capabilities that the M249 lacks, while allowing for more sustained fire than an M16 can handle without risking ammunition “cook off” in a heated barrel. It also had to be considerably lighter than the M249, at just 12.5 pounds maximum and 10.5 pounds desired weight. In exchange, the Marines decided they were willing to trade the SAW’s belt-fed design for switchable 30 round magazines, which are used up much more quickly but can also be changed in battle much more quickly.

The result was not a true light machine gun, but something in between an LMG and an assault rifle. That shift in the 13-man Marine squad has its advocates and detractors. DID offers more background concerning the USMC’s IAR contenders, contracts… and controversy.

• The Contenders
• IAR What IAR: The Choice [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings [updated]
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