Excalibur 155mm

April 4/11: Raytheon in Tucson, AZ receives a $172.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for “a block” of M982 Excalibur GPS-guided 155mm artillery shells. They are especially important given restrictive rules of engagement in Afghanistan, which require this level of accuracy. Excalibur has been a leading weapon in an emerging trend, where precision-guided artillery is coupled with long-endurance aerial surveillance and targeting, to create a much faster, more reliable, and cheaper alternative to close air support fighters with precision-guided bombs.

Numbers were not disclosed, but even at their estimated cost of $100,000+ each, that’s still a lot of shells. Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ; McAlester, OK; Farmington, NM; Niceville, FL; Healdsburg, CA; Anniston, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Anaheim, CA; Williamsport, PA; Joplin, MO; Lowell, MA; Karlskoga, Sweden; and the United Kingdom; with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Picatinny, NJ (W15QKN-07-C-0100).

Raytheon’s subsequent release notes that this contract marks the beginning of full rate production for Excalibur Ia-2, adding that the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have fired over 300 Excalibur shells in the past year.

81mm mortar
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Improved 5.56mm; New production facility opening. (Jan 19/11)

A weapon without ammunition is useless, which is why ammunition is almost always a strategic national capability whose production must remain in-country. On the other hand, government demand has a tendency to swing up and down within narrow limits, and the demands of efficiency usually lead to a single supplier situation – often using equipment that dates back to World War 2. The USA has run into problems because of its reliance on a single small arms ammunition plant, for instance, and has moved to modernize and diversify its base. Its ally Australia is modernizing key ammunition facilities, and trying to modernize its industrial approach as well.

Then there’s Britain, whose long-term defense contracting practices are establishing world-class benchmarks. The UK MoD had been working on an arrangement that secures national supply needs from British sources, and ensures that modernization investments continues to improve industrial efficiency. Hence the new 15-year, GBP 2+ billion “Munitions Acquisition Supply Solution” (MASS) program, inaugurated in August 2008…

• BAE and The MASS Program
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
  Continue Reading… »

Now: M2A2 105mm

Self-propelled Phase 2 delayed – will it be abandoned? (Oct 8/10)

In February 2006 the Australian Government gave first pass approval for the replacement of the ADF’s current 105mm and 155mm artillery pieces with new, more capable, artillery systems that feature improved mobility, protection, range and accuracy. Current systems are all towed, and include the aged 105mm M2A2, the L119 Hamel 105mm Field Gun, and the M198 155mm Howitzer. Options for replacing them include a mix of self-propelled artillery systems and lightweight towed artillery systems under an A$ 450-600 million project known as LAND 17. The project will also examine advanced high precision munitions and a networked command and fire control system.

So, how does this project fit into Australia’s larger defense plans? What’s the expected program timeline? And who are the declared and potential contenders? That matters even more now that the solicitation has been released. DID covers the program, and a number of the confirmed or likely competitors… but one category has now been decided.

• The LAND 17 Program
• LAND 17: Likely Contenders
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  Continue Reading… »

• Can We Share? The Times of London is reporting that the UK and France are discussing an agreement to share aircraft carriers because of severe defense budget constraints in both countries, although the Wall Street Journals says the two sides are only talking about coordinating carrier retrofits so that one carrier is always available from the European theater.

• Chinese Surprise: Was a recent Chinese space maneuver using 2 satellites, the SJ-12 and SJ-06F, in preparation for a space exploration program or a space warfare program? Wired.com examines the question.

• Cool, Clear Water: Aqua-Chem gets DLA contract worth up to $386 million to supply water purification systems that provide fresh drinking water for US soldiers in remote locations.

• Up to $219 million to Northrop Grumman to provide personnel to operate the C-RAM anti-mortar defense systems at forward operating bases in Afghanistan.

• CSC snags subcontract worth up to $50 million to provide analysis support for threat detection of attacks on DoD’s networks.

• Op-ed: Pentagon officials argue for phased adaptive ballistic missile defense to counter threat from rogue states.

• Controversy over F-35 design changes that may make it more vulnerable.

• EADS to continue funding development of Talarion MALE UAV despite reluctance of European partners to place orders. This study may also have had something to do with EADS’ decision.

• Eurosatory 2010 is on in Paris, France. BAE presents its new CV90 Armadillo family of tracked IFVs and RG41 wheeled APC, GD presents its Eagle V patrol vehicle, Renault its VAB Mk.II wheeled APC.

• Meanwhile, France is presenting its Munitions Precision Metrique (MPM) program [in French], which aims to offer a family of tank shells, 155mm artillery, 120mm mortars, GMLRS rockets, and 68mm SNEB rockets that use semi-active laser guidance + INS to get 1m CEP precision, instead of GPS/INS guidance’s 10m (decametrique).

• It’s called job security. US Navy loses 3 REMUS-100 UUVs, calls in the old standby dolphins and sea lions to find them.

• Australia’s new submarine support facility in Henderson, Western Australia, is open for work. They can use that help.

• Too many zeros: The Associated Press added 3 zeros to an $8.4 million Sikorsky Aircraft order for normal maintenance work on the VH-3D Sea King presidential helicopter fleet. Speaking of needing help… $8.4 billion should be intuitively wrong for that.

• Not business as usual: SAIC snags contract worth up to $75 million to provide technical support for the US DoD Business Transformation Agency’s Enterprise Planning & Investment Directorate.

• Japanese spacecraft lands in Australia with asteroid samples. Bruce Willis and crew not on it…

• Do the H2O: Global Defense Technology & Systems wins $45 million contract for mobile systems to package purified water for front-line Marines.

• Salt Lake seed money: Utah launches initiative to lift defense, aerospace industries.

M762A1 electronic time fuze

L-3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems in Cincinnati, OH received a $24.1 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply M762A1 electronic time fuzes [pdf].

The fuze is used on all 105mm and 155mm artillery-delivered cargo, smoke, and illumination projectiles. It can be set manually by the user or automatically by an inductive fuze setter…

Bofors Archer system

BAE Systems Bofors’ Archer is a light, air-portable, and highly automated 155/52 light mobile artillery system. Archer began as a Swedish project, administered by their FMV procurement agency. Funding was provided for system development and some initial production, but the project’s future had been shadowed by anemic Swedish defense budgets.

In May 2007, however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Norway’s FLO procurement agency, which evolved into a joint production venture. Now, initial production orders have moved the Archer system from concept to imminent reality.

M142 HIMARS

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Missile and Fires Control in Grand Prairie, TX received a $151.2 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) full rate production Lot 5 launchers for the US Army.

The contract includes 46 Army launchers; 1 Army launcher rebuild; launchers loader module trainer kit; product definition data package maintenance tack; new equipment training; and support equipment.

The HIMARS is the newest member of the multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) family.

M734A1 Mortar Fuze
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L-3 Fuzing & Ordnance Systems in Cincinnati, OH received a $98.5 million firm-fixed-price contract with 4 firm-fixed-priced options for the production and delivery of US Army mortar fuzes.

The fuze controls separation of the munition from the delivery platform and triggers its detonation. Safety features are built into all fuzes to protect personnel while handling ammunition during storage, transit and deployment.

L-3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, a unit of L-3 Communications, will provide the US Army with M734A1 and M783 fuzes…

CAESAR, firing
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Unlike Britain and the USA, France’s economic stimulus package includes military modernization funds. As part of that effort. France’s DGA procurement agency recently announced [in French] 3 ammunition purchases worth EUR 43.9 million (currently $62.3 million).

One contract for EUR 7.2 million goes to Diehl’s Defence’s French subsidiary Junghans T2M SAS, for multi-mode fuzes to equip the 155mm shells carried by France’s truck-mounted CAESAR expeditionary self-propelled howitzers. Fuzing options include impact detonation, short post-impact delayed detonation for punching into buildings and strongpoints, time-delay fuzing, and proximity fuzing. They’re paired with a EUR 16.7 million contract to Nexter Munitions for LU 211-IM 155mm MURAT shells. The French MURAT standard involves shells whose insensitive explosives are far less likely to become a local safety hazard if they fail to detonate. It is similar to LOVA standard, and complies with NATO STANAG 4439, as well as the STANAG 4224 safety standard. The LU 211 family is also distinguished by the use of field-fitted bases that can be either hollow-base or extended range base-bleed, as the situation requires. The CAESAR cannon was qualified for these new munitions and fuzes at the beginning of July 2009, and a battery recently deployed to Afghanistan.

The 3rd order is a EUR 20 million contract to Thales subsidiary TDA Armement SAS for 120mm mortar shells to equip its rifled mortars. These mortars are in use by a number of countries, including the US Marine Corps (as the EFSS). This French order will include both high-explosive and illumination shells.