Saudi ASTROS-II

At the end of August 2011, Brazil’s Ministerio da Defesa announced the beginning of a BRL 1.09 billion (about $685 million) project to update Avibras’ ASTROS (Artillery SaTuration ROcket System) multiple rocket launcher system to ASTROS 2020 configuration. It will also develop an AV-TM missile option, giving the new system a 300 km strike range that’s similar to the USA’s MLRS/ATACMS combination.

The initial BRL 45 million (about $28 million) in funding belies the importance of this contract, on 2 levels. One is industrial. The other is the future spread of advanced precision strike technologies.

(click to view larger)

Hydra-70 is a family of unguided rockets offering a variety of warhead configurations, from smoke and illumination rounds, to flechettes (hundreds of anti-personnel darts), submunition carriers, and unitary warheads up to 317 pounds. These versatile and relatively inexpensive rockets can be fired from a variety of aircraft, from attack helicopters to jet fighters to light helicopters. Hydra-70s have seen use in Afghanistan and Iraq, and they are arguably the world’s most widely used helicopter-launched weapon system. Magellan’s 70mm CRV-7 rockets and Thales’ 68mm SNEB system are its main Western competitors, while countries using Russian equipment have a variety of choices that begin with the 57mm S-5 family, extending through the 80mm S-8 family, and continuing up to the 266mm S-25.

While 70mm Hydra rockets are low cost weapons, and easy to carry in numbers, they’re not very accurate. This makes them problematic choices for urban warfare if limitations exist on the use of force, and sharply limits their value to platforms like UAVs. The US Army intended to scale back production of the rocket system in 2003, but Congress, led by Senator Leahy [D-VT], reversed the decision with a $900 million contract. Production continues to this day, even as technology developments promise to make Hydra rockets a multi-headed battlefield threat once again:

• Leahy’s Leverage
• Hydra Rockets: Contracts [updated]
• Hydra Precision: APKWS etc.
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• Elbit Systems wins contract to supply an unnamed Latin American country with its Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The contract also includes complementing ground control stations, payload systems and radars. Previous reports peg Chile as the customer for the type’s 1st export order.

• Poor management practices and a lack of procurement staff blamed for Canada’s Department of National Defence’s inability to spend more than $1.5 billion of its $21 billion budget for FY2010-2011.

• Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry signs an agreement with NP Aerospace Jordan to jointly manufacture body armor and helmets.

• MCR LLC acquires JB&A, Inc., a company that provides strategic planning, programming and budgeting, manpower analytical support and other services to U.S. government agencies.

• Hampson Industries to continue with the disposal of its Hampson Precision Automotive Limited subsidiary to a private consortium in spite of a high court ruling that called for the sale to be abandoned amid claims of fraudulent misrepresentation.

• MBDA says that the recent launch of a naval configured Marte MK2 missile sought to qualify the new munition by checking canister behavior and ensuring that the missile and canister separated correctly.

• Second Line of Defense reports that Russian defense industries remain optimistic that China will remain a lucrative source of contracts despite its own industrial advancement.

• The UK’s Chief of the General Staff warns that the British Army faces “serious decline” if the government does not fulfill its pledge to increase defense spending after the 2015 general election. Speaking at at the Royal United Services Institute’s Land Warfare Conference General Sir Peter Wall said spending on the army would “require a real-terms growth in the latter part of the decade” in order to avoid such a decline.

• The Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation says Russia and the United States will set up a maintenance center for Afghanistan’s Mil Mi-17 helicopters.

• Israel deploys an Iron Dome rocket interceptor outside a town 4km from the Gaza Strip.

• Skydex Technologies signs multiple contracts with the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to provide its blast mitigating Convoy Deck product for about 1,000 M-ATV vehicles. 

• DARPA’s crowd-sourced design crusade comes to the aircraft industry in the shape of a fly-off competition. UAVForge has been launched to demonstrate crowd-sourced design of small, persistent perch-and-stare unmanned aircraft. 

• As the Pentagon tries to save manpower, USAF proposes building an ‘intelligent robopallet’ to load cargo onto aircraft.

• 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.

• House Armed Services Committee releases full committee markup of the FY 2012 defense authorization bill, which revives the F136 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

• Peru’s $1 billion SIVAM Amazon basin surveillance program attracts IAI interest, centered on its Gulfstream G550 CAEW platform. Neighboring Chile uses the same Phalcon radar technology, mounted on a 707. In Peru, IAI can be expected to compete with Embraer’s ERJ-145 based R-99A/B surveillance aircraft, which handle SIVAM duties for Brazil.

• Israel is planning to invest $1 billion in development and production of the Iron Dome rocket/artillery defense system, says Defense Ministry.
  Continue Reading… »

• President Obama names Leon Panetta as the new US defense secretary and Gen. David Petraeus as the new CIA director, replacing Panetta. Tom Ricks sees Panetta’s appointment as the precursor to large budget cuts.

• The general’s shift to the CIA is especially interesting, given the growing intelligence role carved out by the US military and special forces since 2001. One early flashpoint: Petraeus’ optimism about Afghanistan reportedly isn’t shared at the CIA.

• Middle East military air market is predicted to triple between 2011 and 2020, says Frost & Sullivan.

• Contractors could take hit from US Navy’s decision to suspend the contracting authority of the Naval Undersea Naval Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, RI due to alleged bribery scandal involving a NUWC engineer.

• DoD lacks plan to replace National Security Personnel System, GAO warns.

• Boeing and the U.S. Navy celebrate the induction of the 500th Super Hornet family fighter (F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers) into the US Navy. It would have been ordered under the previous MYP-II multi-year contract, not the current MYP-III deal.

• US Customs & Border Protection gets its 2nd re-winged P-3C, of 14 planned. Unlike Navy P-3s, some USCBP aircraft (P-3 AEW vs.P-3 Tracker) have a distinctive AWACS radome on their backs.

• ATK gets $80 million order from General Dynamics to produce MK90 propellant grains for the MK66 rocket motor used in the Hydra-70 rocket systems.

• Latest military activity in Libya from Reuters.

• Growth in worldwide military spending slowed to 1.3% in 2010, down from 5.9% in 2009, but overall spending still hit a record $1.63 trillion, according to an annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

• The Israeli Knesset’s Finance Committee approves a NIS 260 million increase in defense spending, but balks at another NIS 124 million increase requested by the Finance Ministry.

• Separated at birth: China’s M20 ballistic missile system for export looks a lot like Russia’s 9K720 Iskander (SS-26 Stone) system.

• Dutch auction: Netherlands Defense Ministry is planning to put 60 Leopard tanks, 17 Cougar helicopters, 4 mine-sweepers, and at least 19 F-16s up for sale.

• Prospects for sales of Avibras Industria Aerospacial’s ASTROS II and III multiple launch rocket systems remain slim, says Forecast International.

• Russia, Brazil are in talks to jointly produce GAZ-2330 Tiger light-armored police vehicles.

• Israel’s Iron Dome rocket/artillery defense system in action.

• Israel’s Elbit Systems sues government of Georgia in UK court for $100 million in connection with military contracts signed in 2007.

• RAF Tornado takes out a Libyan tank.

• Still cutting: UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says news reports that Libyan operations are prompting a rethink of defense budget cuts are wrong.

• RAF MQ-9 Reaper UAV notches 20,000 operational flying hours in Afghanistan.

• Russia’s Almaz-Antei design bureau expects to complete development of the next-generation S-500 air defense system by 2015-2016.

• Georgia expects to meet technical requirements for NATO membership in 2-3 years.

• US costs of Libyan operation total $550 million so far, according to DoD official.

• Flight International provides an overview of allied air operations and assets against Libyan air defenses, and adds the destruction of a Libyan plane by a French Rafale fighter – after the Libyan aircraft landed. The evolving Wikipedia entry remains an excellent overview of the forces at work so far, and includes a timeline. See also Canada’s National Post, who shows recent events using changing maps.

• While initial goals have been reached, NATO remains divided on what’s next, as are key US figures. Meanwhile, as WIRED puts it: “While Libya War Grows, Obama Team Denies It’s a War.” That’s dangerous territory for an administration with no Congressional approval for its actions, hence a 60-day time limit, and no endgame in sight.
  Continue Reading… »