PJ-10 BrahMos
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Major Akash order by India, additional background. (Feb 2/10)

Back in November 2005, The Hindu newspaper reported that India’s government has given the go-ahead for exporting missiles, and that India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is looking to market several of its products internationally. The DRDO will participate in international expos as part of its marketing strategy, and government officials have claimed interest from African, Gulf and South-East Asian countries. They have also noted, however, that India’s government would be required to approve any foreign sales to specific countries. The missile systems in question included:

• The canceled Trishul (“trident”) short-range surface-air missile (SAM)
• Akash (“sky”) medium-range SAM
• Nag (“cobra”) vehicle-mounted anti-armor missile; and the
• Indo-Russian PJ-10 BrahMos medium-range supersonic cruise missile, which is primarily designed as an anti-ship weapon but can also perform land attack.

• The Missiles: IGMP set, and BrahMos [updated]
• Program Updates [updated]
• Appendix A: India’s Export Prospects – DID Op/Ed Analysis (Dec 1/05)
• Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources – Related Reports & News [updated]
• Appendix C: Additional Readings & Sources – The Missiles
  
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USMC KC-130J
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Sierra Nevada Corp. wins a $32M contract for MC-130W consoles, and MC-130Ws head to Haiti. (Jan 29/10)

Special Operations Command’s AC-130H/U gunships can lay down withering hails of accurate fire, up to and including 105mm howitzer shells, in order to support ground troops.

The Marines also wanted heavy aircraft that could support their Leathernecks on the ground. The bad news was that the the Corps could field about 45 KC-130J aerial tankers for the price of a 12-plane AC-130J squadron, and lighter options like the AC-27J “Stinger II” would probably tally similar costs once R&D dollars were factored in. Could the Marines change tack, and offer a modular weapon package that would let them arm their existing tankers as needed? Could armed KC-130Js offer limited fire support, while loitering over the battlefield and using their unique speed range to refuel helicopters and fast jets alike? The Harvest Hawk program aims to do just that. It would give the USMC a far less capable convertible gunship option for Afghanistan, at a cost that’s about 2 orders of magnitude below a dedicated gunship fleet.

Unsurprisingly, the next service to show interest in this concept was SOCOM itself…

• Gunships R Us: Equipping The Hercs [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings and Sources
  
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Hydras & Hellfires
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The versatile Hydra 70mm rocket family is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to widespread efforts underway to convert these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons.

The benefits would be considerable, which explains why strong competition has emerged from all points of the compass. America’s “Advanced Precision-Kill Weapon System (APKWS)” is one of those efforts, and after numerous delays and false starts since its inception in 1996, an “APKWS-II” program finally entered System Design and Development (SDD) in 2006.

The program is now closing in on a Milestone C decision, and Operational Assessment, following a series of recent firings. NAVAIR is also preparing initial sole-source buys…

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Hellfire II

Dec 18/09: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency formally announces [PDF] Egypt’s request to buy another 450 AGM-114K3A Hellfire II missiles, plus spare and repair parts, test and tool sets, personnel training and equipment, publications, and U.S. Government and contractor support. Egypt already has AGM-114K missiles in its inventory, to equip its AH-64D Apache attack helicopters. As such, implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Egypt. The prime contractor is HELLFIRE Ltd., LLC, and the estimated cost is $51 million.

The AGM-114K is the standard Hellfire II anti-armor missile, with a tandem warhead to defeat reactive armor and new features that include semi-active laser homing, a digital autopilot, target reacquisition after lost laser lock, and better resistance to laser countermeasures.

Note that a DSCA announcement is not a sale; if Congress does not block the sale, negotiations may proceed. In this case, the DSCA adds that: “The missiles will be provided in accordance with, and subject to the limitation on use and transfer provided under the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, as embodied in the Letter of Offer and Acceptance.” While this request in likely to be uncontroversial, Egypt’s simultaneous request for Harpoon Block II anti-ship and land-attack missiles has created far more concern in Israel.

Javelin, firing
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After a series of disastrous experiences in Vietnam trying to use 66mm M72 LAW rockets against old Soviet tanks, the US military developed a renewed seriousness about giving its soldiers shoulder-fired weapons that packed enough punch to face down enemy armor. A number of options like the Mk 153 SMAW and the AT4/M136 spun out of that effort in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until electronics had miniaturized for several more cycles that it became possible to solve the next big problem: the need for soldiers to remain exposed to enemy fire while guiding anti-tank missiles to their targets.

Javelin solves both of those problems at once, offering a heavy fire-and-forget missile that will reliably destroy any enemy armored vehicle, and many fortifications as well. While armored threats are less pressing these days, the need to destroy fortified outposts and rooms in buildings remains. Indeed, one of the lessons from both sides of the 2006 war in Lebanon has been the infantry’s use of guided missiles as a form of precision artillery fire.

Javelin is not an ideal candidate for that latter role due to its high cost-per-unit; nevertheless, it has often been used this way. Its performance in Iraq has revealed a clear niche on both low and high intensity battlefields, and led to rising popularity with international and American clients. This DID FOCUS Article covers the Javelin anti-armor missile system, and associated contracts and key events. The latest items include a frontline push from Britain, and a related order…

• The Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile System
• Javelin ATGM: The Program [updated]
• Javelin ATGM: Reports from the Front
• Javelin: Contracts & Key Events (2004 – Present [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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TOW Launch
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LaBarge in St. Louis, MO received a $7.3 million order from Raytheon Missile Systems to provide complex wiring harnesses for the US Army’s TOW (tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided) weapon system.

TOW is a long-range, anti-armor family of attack missiles designed to destroy a range of targets, from reinforced tanks to bunkers and urban fortifications.

The wireless TOW missiles receive commands from the gunner through a wireless data link, instead of the wire connection that the system used for over 30 years. Because the wireless system is built into the missile and the missile case, wireless TOW works with all existing launch platforms…

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Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) received a follow-on task order from the US Army Aviation and Missile Lifecycle Management Command (AMCOM) to provide professional and engineering support services to the Army Aviation & Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center (AMRDEC).

The single award, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity task order has a 5-year period of performance and a ceiling value of $848 million. The task order was awarded under the AMCOM Expedited Professional & Engineering Support Services (EXPRESS) contract vehicle, which has a total ceiling of $7.7 billion.

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YRH-70 w. Hydras
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In July 2008, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Iraq’s formal request to buy 24 helicopters. Based on the request, Iraq seems to be interested in Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters that act as scouts, perform light close air support, and escort other helicopters on dangerous missions.

The IqAF currently relies on a small force of Russia’s popular Mi-8/17 and refurbished Bell “Huey II” helicopters. While the Russian helicopters can be armed, their status as Iraq’s only medium utility helicopters makes them a poor fit for an ARH role. Instead, Iraq chose between 2 competitors: Bell’s 407, whose derivative ARH-70A won the competition in America but ran into trouble; and Boeing’s AH-6 “Little Bird” light attack helicopters used by US Special Forces. AH-6s are very effective in urban settings, and provided critical fire support during the 1991 “Blackhawk Down” incident.

The DSCA documents also included requests for airborne weapons – something the nascent post-Saddam IqAf has not really had to this point. Now, it appears that Iraq has picked its ARH winner – and issued production contracts. Even so, much still remains to be decided…

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(click to download)

Defense was an issue in the last Australian election. The center-left Labor Party attacked the center-right Liberal Party by citing mismanaged projects, and accusing the Howard government of making poor choices on key defense platforms like the F/A-18F Super Hornet and F-35A Joint Strike fighters. That sniping continued even after Labor won the election, and has been evident in more than a few Defence Ministry releases.

The new government made some program changes, such as canceling the SH-2G Seasprite contract. Yet it has been more notable for the programs it has not changed: problematic upgrades of Australia’s Oliver Hazard Perry frigates were continued, the late purchase of F/A-18F Super Hornets was ratified rather than canceled, and observers waited for the real shoe to drop: the government’s promised 2009 Defence White Paper, which would lay out Australia’s long-term strategic assessments, and procurement plans.

On May 2/09, Australia’s government released “Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030.” DID has reviewed that document, and the reaction to date… including a new ASPI roundup of reactions from around Asia.

• Fast Incoming
• The Highlight Reel
• Additional Readings & Assessments [updated]
  
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Death from above
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The Viper Strike began life as the BAT – a canceled munition option for ground-fired ATACMS missiles. After USAF Predator UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles began to show promise in the Global War on Terror, however, US Army planners began to examine their options. Could they place a similar capability in the hands of Army ground commanders? In July 2002, these examinations led to the award of a 90-day contract to demonstrate the possibility of BAT deployment on a modified U.S. Army RQ-5 Hunter UAV.

Those tests went well, and Viper Strikes are currently carried by RQ-5B Hunter UAVs in Iraq – see this video of a Viper Strike in testing [MPG, 13.2 MB]. The weapon’s small size (3 feet long, 44 pounds) and special advantages in urban fights, mountainous terrain, etc. give it a chance of spreading to other platforms. Special Operations Command has shown interest, but without front-line deployment, progress has been very slow.

Is the Viper Strike a case of “the right weapon at the right time”? Or a case of “caught betwixt and between”? A recent announcement may offer some hope for this innovative weapon…

• Viper Strike: The Weapon
• SOCOM’s Solution: Viper Strikes for AC-130s?
• Contracts & Key Events
• Additional Readings
  
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