• J. Michael Gilmor, the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) within the US DoD released his FY2011 report. Among other changes made in recent months, he notes that his organization now has input at the Joint Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS) level to help make sure requirements for new programs are measurable and testable. For reference: FY2010 report.

• The latest think tank memos [all PDFs]: CSBA delivers two trendy topics in one swoop on defeating Iran’s anti-access/area-denial threats; CSIS offers a new security architecture for the Arctic; and the Lexington Institute predictably asks the military to limit its industrial roles.

• US defense acquisition regulation is updated with a waiver allowing procurement from the UK of certain items that normally have to be sourced from the national [i.e. American] technology and industrial base. This waiver is effective for a year beginning on February 1st and covers air circuit breakers, small welded shipboard anchors and mooring chains, gyrocompasses, electronic navigation chart systems, steering controls, pumps, propulsion and machinery control systems, and totally enclosed lifeboats.

• DefenceWeb: The USAF says that it knows what went wrong with the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth UAV that Iran captured, and continues to use the type.

• Speaking of long-range drones, Israel has just blocked a sale of Aeronautics DS’ Dominator XP UAV to… Abu Dhabi. An unspecified export contract was reported in July, but most of us didn’t think of the United Arab Emirates. Perhaps this will open an opportunity for the Predator XP?

• Lockheed Martin acquired Procerus Technologies, a designer of UAV avionics created in 2004 and based in Utah.

• Britain is beginning work on a National Space Security Policy, which will seek to cover both military and civil use of space.

• Raytheon delivers its 30th SSDS ship combat system, and keeps its record of always delivering early.

• The ARGUS wide-area surveillance system, deploying to Afghanistan soon aboard Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird ultra-long endurance helicopter UAVs, collects 6 trillion bytes of information a day. Which is why technologies to manage that information firehose are so important.

• Can games-maker Electronic Arts use the likeness of aircraft like the MV-22 and AH-1Z in its games, or does it needs the manufacturer’s permission? That’s the subject of a recent lawsuit.

• House Armed Services Committee (HASC) member Todd Platts (R-PA-19) announced he won’t seek reelection.

• Video of yesterday’s HASC panel on business challenges within the defense industry embedded below, with John Shoraka of the Small Business Administration (SBA), Linda Hillmer who chairs the Small Business Division at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), and Lynn M. Schubert, President of the Surety & Fidelity Association of America. Hillmer complained about bundling squeezing small businesses in sub-contracting positions:
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SBIRS-High

GEO-2 done testing; GEO-1 performing as expected in orbit. (Dec 13/11)

The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS)-High satellite program is a key component of the USA’s future missile alert system, designed to give maximum warning and monitoring of ballistic missile launches anywhere in the world. The new satellites will replace the existing Defense Support Program (DSP) fleet. Their infrared sensors have 3x the sensitivity of DSP and 2x the revisit rate, while providing better persistent coverage.

Unfortunately, the program has been beset by massive cost overruns on the order of 400%, technical challenges that continue to present problems, and uncertainties about performance. Despite these problems, the U.S. Air Force is proceeding with the program, and has terminated potential alternatives and supplements.

• SBIRS – High: Current State
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) has recently released the following Requests for Proposals (RFP), modifications and other notifications:

• The US Navy adds an additional clause and extends the closing date to 9th September for its RFP for a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract for the acquisition of engineering and technical support services for the Virginia Class (SSN 774) submarine and the Ohio Replacement Program (ORP).
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• Concerns are raised that the presence of Chinese telecommunications companies in US markets may provide the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with ‘back door’ opportunities to listen to communications networks.

• Analysts outline the pros and cons of the respective bidders for Japan’s fighter contest. While Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is regarded the favorite, outsourcing opportunities still make the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornets serious contenders.

• Meanwhile, reports emerge that Japan’s Ministry of Defense is preparing to allocate Y7.9 billion ($120 million) to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for research relating to the ATD-X experimental aircraft program.

• Boeing’s proposed KC-46A 767 aerial tanker completes its 1st major program milestone.

• Russia signs off all but one contract for its heavily criticized arms procurement program.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) tables proposals for the indigenous defense sector to develop a replacement for its fleet of Avro transport aircraft.

• CACI completes its $61.5 million acquisition of cybersecurity and IT solutions provider Paradigm Holdings.

• France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) awards a consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent a 16-year contract worth €350 million ($500 million) to update the Air Force’s Internet Protocol-based telecommunication networks.

• Reports emerge that China has delayed the launch of its Tiangong 1 Space Lab. The delay is the result of the unsuccessful launch of a Shijian 11 satellite in mid-August.

• To follow up on yesterday’s report from the Commission on Wartime Reporting, C-Span has an interview (embedded below) of commission members Christopher Shays and Charles Tiefer.
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• The Department of Defense releases Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2011 [PDF]. While the report acknowledges China’s growing importance to peacekeeping and an array of international security operations, Taiwan remains the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ‘main strategic direction’. State media reiterated that China’s defense policy is defensive in nature and criticized US interference over Taiwan.

• Boeing delivers three more F-15K Slam Eagles to South Korea.

• The Iranian Ambassador to Moscow hopes that the International Court of Arbitration will rule in favor of Tehran over the legality of Russia’s $800 million contract to supply Iran with S-300 air defense systems.

• Meanwhile, sources claim that Russia will next test-launch its Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on the 27th August. The launch will be from the Borey Class Yuri Dolgoruky strategic nuclear submarine.

• Research and Markets adds Defense and Security in India 2011 Report to its list of publications. The report says India spent $39 billion on defense and security in 2010, and continues to look towards self-sufficiency. Publication also comes at a time when Robert Sher, Deputy Assistant of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, called US-Indian defense ties a ‘natural partnership’.

• Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) release a statement saying that the failure of the Russian Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) underscores the need for American leadership in space and the development of the Space Launch System (SLS).

• As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases a report [PDF] on US initiatives to safeguard maritime energy security, analysts line up to argue that the US Navy should increase its focus on irregular warfare challenges.

• Interest in China’s J-20 stealth fighter continues at a relentless pace. A new set of photographs reveal the aircraft’s weapons bay. Photos have also emerged of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) North Sea Fleet’s nuclear submarine base.

• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes Pakistan Assistance: Relatively Little of the $3 Billion in Requested Assistance is Subject to State’s Certification of Pakistan’s Progress on Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism Issues [PDF].

• The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Gregory Schulte, tells a defense writers group that the United States is seeking dialogue with China concerning the ‘rules of the road’ in outer space.

• The UK Government unveils its Building Stability Overseas Strategy [PDF]. The strategy is an inter-departmental initiative encompassing the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID).

• Boeing and Lockheed Martin pronounce themselves satisfied with the explanations received for their elimination from India’s M-MRCA fighter competition.

• Lockheed Martin also announces the introduction of a voluntary lay off program to be offered to 6,500 employees at the company’s Corporate Headquarters and Enterprise Business Services.

• Thales provides Australia with the 800th Bushmaster armored vehicle completed at its Bendingo production plant.

• L-1 Identity Solutions and Safran announce that they have received notification from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that the investigation of their merger transaction has been satisfactorily completed.  The transaction is expected to be completed within five working days.

• Russia use the visit of the UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, to announce plans to increase bilateral military cooperation.

• A report emerges outlining – and bringing into question – a worrying rate of cannibalisation undertaken by the US Navy.

• Does China’s defense industry have lessons for India? US MINERVA Initiative winner Prof. Tai Ming Cheung says yes, even if India disregards the cheating and stealing part.

• The Department of Defense (DoD) releases [PDF] its strategy for operating in cyberspace. Speaking at its launch, Assistant Defense Secretary William J Lynn III said the strategy rested upon five pillars that aim to harden defenses and reduce incentives for cyber attacks.

• The DoD also announces that a comprehensive review found only 20 out of 249 renewable projects impacted upon US military missions. The findings help clear the way for the future production of more than 10 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity.

• As NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls on alliance members to send more planes to Libya,  the UK Ministry of Defence announces that it is deploy four additional Tornado GR4s to assist in reconnaissance.

• The EA18-G Growler electronic warfare fighter’s 1st combat deployment returns, as 1st carrier-based deployment is out. And where’s that 3rd operational squadron?

• Israel expects to issue a request for proposals for an advanced jet trainer by the first week of August. Alenia-Aermacchi’s M-346 and Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin’s T-50 are expected to be among the contenders.

• The European Union (EU) criticizes China’s latest export quota for rare earth products for not bringing about any ‘noticeable change’.

• Russia’s Deputy Defense Secretary says that the overpricing of military equipment is caused by too many subcontractors within the domestic defense sector. Mikhail Mokretsov also claimed that contractors have more to do with logistics rather than production. Meanwhile, President Dmitry Medvedev has sacked a number of generals, including the head of the electronic warfare branch.

• China’s Chief of General Staff, General Chen Bingde, uses the visit of South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin to continue his criticism of the United States. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, praised South Korea for showing restraint in the face of recent provocations from North Korea.

• While the final Space Shuttle mission temporarily brings an end to manned spaceflight, the United States remains dominant in terms of covert- and not so covert - military satellites and space-based systems.

• Oshkosh becomes the latest target of activist investors, after Carl Icahn declares that he owns 9.5% of the armored truck maker.

• Brown University releases a report on the costs of the United States’ wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The Costs of Wars Since 2001 [PDF] estimates that 225,000 lives have been lost and future conflict will take spending to $4 trillion.

• Former UK Defence Secretary Lord John Reid urges the government to establish a cyber resilience task force or risk reliance on systems that it cannot influence. Failure to do so may deter investment from technology companies.

• Thales is to merge two of its subsidiaries to create a new specialist company. Thales Communications and Security aims to double the company’s cyber-security sales to $1 billion by 2020.

• As China’s space program gathers in sophistication and momentum, calls for the United States to maintain its military edge in space seem set to increase.

• Following the recent successful test launch of a Bulava submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Russia announces plans to launch the missile from its second Borey class nuclear-powered submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, later this year. This was closely followed by the announcement that the Russian Navy is set to receive three nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the year.

• Canada’s National Shipbuiding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) Secretariat announces that it will extend the bid period for the NSPS program. The decision was made after two bidders requested the extension, a move that was poorly received by politicians and shipbuilders.

• UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox is confident that the findings of the Defence Reform Unit’s report [PDF] will help tackle the financial and structural problems endemic across the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Opposition gives its tacit support to the review of senior officer’s posts.

• Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates reiterates concerns made at a speech in Brussels by repeating his call that NATO’s European partners pool their defense funds to bolster declining military power. Last Friday French President Nicolas Sarkozy attributed Gates’ statement to the bitterness of a retiring man (official Elysée statement, in French).

• L-3’s new majority shareholder, Relational Investors, is keen on breaking the company into smaller pieces, a trend which may be replicated across the industry as the downturn in defense spending gathers momentum.

• Retired Brigadier General David Reist tells C-Span that lessons from the drawdown in Iraq will be of limited use for the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

• Russia has launched a Soyuz-U rocket with a Cosmos class military satellite onboard. The satellite joins an estimated fleet of 60-70 Russian military reconnaissance satellites currently in orbit.

• From this November, new recruits for Singapore’s Armed Forces will be supplied with handheld touchscreen devices like the iPad. It is anticipated that the technology can be integrated beyond basic training and into operations.

• The Aerospace Industries Association voices its concerns about cuts to national security space programs outlined in the 2012 House Defense Appropriations Bill.

• L-3 Communications’ Chief Executive believes the company is well placed to cope with the downturn in defense spending, sees the Middle East and India as its growth markets.

• Harris Corporation receives a $23 million contract to supply the Department of Defense with RF310M-HH handheld tactical radios.

• The Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox, tells Parliament that the cost of UK military operations in Libya could reach £260 million ($416 million). Net estimate costs of military operations for six months is in the region of £120 million ($192 million), with an additional £140 million ($224 million) to replenish munitions.

• The 1st NATO aircraft downed over Libya is… USS Halyburton’s [FFG-40] unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter drone. The production line will receive a condolence telegram soon.

• Raytheon’s RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow naval air defense missile will follow its larger SM-3 ballistic missile defense weapon onto land, as a medium-range air defense option.

• Italy gives its new M-346/T-346A lead-in fighter trainer jets military type certification, a long but critical step in customer acceptance of a new type.

• DoD Buzz posts its final report from the Paris Air Show. Its verdict is that while the civil and commercial aerospace sector enjoyed the show, their defense counterparts were largely in “survival mode”.

• Danger Room reports on the latest development in “active protection” technology. Artis’ Iron Curtain system fires its countermeasure at the last moment before the munition hits its target.