• During his speech to introduce the Department of Defense’s operational energy strategy Deputy Secretary William J. Lynn says his department accounts for 80% of the federal government’s energy use. Reports also show that each soldier currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan consumes 20 gallons of fuel a day, compared with one gallon during World War II.

• Following the incoming Defense Secretary’s recent assertion that ‘the next Pearl Harbor’ may be a cyber-attack, DoD Buzz outlines some of the problems the Department of Defense’s new cyber-strategy is likely to encounter.

• With just two days to go to the beginning of the Paris Air Show, speculation continues to mount over the content of talks between Safran and Thales.

• The President and CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) says the company is ready to privatize to assist its pursuit of a larger share of the global aerospace and defense market.

• After a few weeks of speculation regarding China’s fifth generation fighter program, the Peoples’ Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) aircraft carrier makes a timely return as new photographs suggest that construction trailers are being moved away from the vessel.

• Danger Room reports on how two Frenchmen have modified telescopes and video cameras to create a do-it-yourself satellite tracker.

• And staying with the do-it-yourself theme, Defence Watch reveals a Canadian man’s attempts to rebuild an Orenda Iraquois engine that once powered the Avro Arrow CF-105.

• Congressional lawmakers from Texas urge the Homeland Security Secretary to provide more unmanned aircraft systems for the border with Mexico.

• The investigation that has grounded all Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors has widened beyond the onboard oxygen generating system (OBOGS).

• Defence Watch reports that General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada remains tight-lipped on the products it intends to submit for the country’s Close Combat Vehicle program.

• The European Defence Agency (EDA) and European Space Agency (ESA) are set to sign a cooperative agreement at the Paris Air Show. The agreement will look at opportunities for the pooling and sharing of resources and the exploration of an EU space situational awareness capability.

• Germany opens its Cyber Defense Center in Bonn. The Center forms part of the German government’s strategy for dealing with cyber threats and will be integral to safeguarding its administrative networks from attack.

• The final day of Europe’s UAS Conference 2011 covered pilot training for medium-altitude-long-endurance (MALE) UAVs and provided an overview of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ portfolio beyond the Predator.

• Danger Room reports on Microsoft’s collaboration with the U.S. Army to overcome one of the soldier’s greatest fears – death by PowerPoint. See also How to Prepare More Powerful Presentations.

• Reuters reports that the Chinese language Liberation Army Daily newspaper has published an article advocating that China builds up cyber warfare capabilities to counter American attempts to “seize the commanding military heights on the Internet”.

• Boeing will lay off up to 225 people at its Wichita, KS facility, as the civilian and military demand cycle drops for certain programs. The Wichita facility is involved in programs like the C-40 Clipper executive and transport fleet, E-4B and E-6B national command aircraft, ongoing support for the B-52H bomber, and soon, final conversion of the KC-46A aerial tankers.

• The French  Directorate General of Armaments awards Zodiac Milpro [PDF] a contract for 20 multi-purpose commando RIBs (ECUME) and four air delivery systems (SLE).

• Rheinmetall unveils new HE DM-11 secondary ammunition for MBT 120mm smoothbore guns. The HE DM-11 can be fired from any in-service 120 mm smoothbore gun and is deemed safe to fire in all climate zones.

• As the Arctic continues to increase in strategic significance Defence Watch considers the Canadian Armed Forces’ procurement requirements.

• Now a former U.S. defense industry CEO joins the debate regarding China’s J-20 fighter.

• Danger Room ponders over the topics to be covered by DARPA’s 100 Years Starship conference. The program ties ethical and moral concerns to DARPA’s quest to achieve interstellar flight by 2111. If Jack Kirby’s - the creator of the Silver Surfer cartoon – comments are anything to go by, then the defense industry will be more than welcome to attend.

• ADS, the UK’s aerospace, defense and security trade organization, publishes its annual aerospace sector survey covering both civil and defense aerospace. The survey outlines a strong performance for the UK’s aerospace sector despite tough economic conditions. Highlights include sales in excess of $38 billion, a 2.1% increase on 2009 figures.

• Boeing announces that its Defense, Space & Security unit has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with three Malaysian companies. The MOUs outline plans to explore business opportunities for manufacturing specialized components and equipment for use in the defense and aerospace sectors.

• Boeing is also urging governments to buy new 737-based military aircraft “sooner rather than later” as the commercial version faces a redesign or retirement in the next few years. The planemaker’s review of the 737 – which includes consideration of larger engines to compete with the Airbus SAS A320neo – may affect production of the P-8 variant used as a submarine hunter.

• Flight International reports that Saab has not given up on winning India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contest, despite not making the Indian Air Force’s final shortlist.

• MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates signs a contract in excess of $8 million to provide an unnamed customer with a multi-satellite ground station solution capable of programming, receiving and processing imagery and data.

• The Department of Defense announces $37.8 million-worth of awards to academic institutions to support the purchase of research instrumentation. The Defense University Research Instrumentation Program supports the purchase of equipment that augments current university capabilities or develops new university capabilities to perform defense research. A full list of awards can be accessed here [PDF].

• Spain’s Minister of Defense says that the launch of Hisdesat’s Paz satellite in 2012 will make them the first European country to have a dual Earth observation system for both civilian and military use.

• Speculation mounts that China has developed the world’s second fifth-generation fighter after photographs emerge on web forums of an unknown aircraft standing at an aerodrome. Whilst the aircraft bears similarities with the J-20 prototype there are also rumors that it may be a stealth version of the JH-7 fighter.

• As a British Government Minister declares that offensive cyber warfare is an integral part of the UK’s armory, the Ministry of Defence outline their new Materiel Strategy.

• Cassidian win contract to provide the Canadian Navy new technologies to detect and counter laser-based threats against its vessels.

• The US Navy announces that CVN 79, the 2nd Ford Class aircraft carrier, will be named the USS John F. Kennedy. It will continue the namesake legacy of the non-nuclear powered CV 67, retired in 2007.

• The U.S. Navy successfully tested the DDG 1000’s Integrated Power System (IPS) at full power at the Land Based Test Site located in Philadelphia, May 11.

• The U.S. Navy also approves ATK’s Hostile Fire Indication (HFI) capability upgrade for the AAR-47 Missile Warning System.

• Singapore’s ST Engineering announce the formation of a joint venture (JV) company with Nanyang Technological University and DSO National Laboratories. The JV will design, develop and produce advanced earth observation satellites.

• India’s Mahindra and Mahindra report a 6.4% year-on-year rise in fourth quarter net profit.

• Surviving tail wreckage of the H-60 Black Hawks used in the Bin Laden raid reveals unique “stealth” features. Bill Sweetman discusses the limits of helicopter stealth, and here’s a link to both tail wreckage photos and some derived conceptual illustrations.

• The volume of mergers and acquisitions in the aerospace and defense market increased 70% in the 1st quarter of 2011, compared with 2010, according to the latest report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

• Electronic warfare requirements are expected to fuel demand for space-based communications systems, predicts Strategy Analytics.

• South Korea continues to work on systems for its 3,000t KSS-III diesel-electric fast attack submarine project. It’s also extending its base’s technical capabilities, from combat systems to vertical launchers.

• Qatar’s first C-130J-30 of 4, ordered in October 2008, finishes production.

• Another test of the French GPS/laser guided AASM bomb, against a fast-moving target. Production of this AASM version is set to begin in 2012.

• Are hybrid vehicles in the US military’s future?

• Fueled by military ammunition sales, ATK posts highest annual earnings per share in company history ($9.32), as well as net income of $313 million and sales of $4.8 billion for FY 2011.

• Russia launches the Meridian 4 military communications satellite aboard a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia; Meridian is replacing the aging Molniya satellite system.

• SAIC gets task order worth up to $90 million to provide technical and operations support to the Defense Enterprise Computing Center in Montgomery, AL under the $12.3 billion DISA ENCORE-II contract vehicle.

• Up to $29 million to Carahsoft and CollabNet to provide software and consulting services for DISA’s forge.mil collaborative software development site.

• Osama Bin Shot, Osama Bin Buried. Bin Laden was buried at sea from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson [CVN 70], which completed a major RCOH retrofit in December 2009.

Iridium constellation

Another Boeing sub-contract. (June 9/11)

Most of us remember Iridium as the Motorola-backed, multi-billion dollar commercial satellite phone flop. The expensive, bulky phones, the $2 per minute airtime charge, and the inability to use the phone inside buildings doomed the project, which came online when the cell phone market was taking off. Despite all these problems, the US military found the low-bandwidth satellites and phones very useful in remote areas. So the Pentagon backed an effort for the constellation to be acquired by investors at a fraction of the original $5 billion development cost, and became the revived satellite company’s largest customer.

Iridium Communications Inc. has been steadily picking up customers beyond the Pentagon. They now have almost 360,000 subscribers, and in 2007, they began planing a second-generation satellite constellation called Iridium NEXT. With launches expected to begin in 2015, Iridium NEXT will offer higher data speeds, flexible bandwidth allocation, and IP-based routing. In the meantime, militaries have found innovative ways to use Iridium’s services, making Iridium NEXT a privately-held but significant space resource for future military operations…

• Iridium: Now, and NEXT
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

COBRA DANE

March 29/11: Raytheon Technical Services Co. in Dulles, VA receives an $11.9 million firm-fixed-price radar operations and maintenance contract modification. The firm will ensure the availability of the COBRA DANE radar facility, to a performance standard that can “collect 100% of the tasked data collection opportunities that pass through its field of view.” Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN. The AFISRA/A7KRB at Patrick AFB, FL manages the contract (FA7022-11-C-0010).

Raytheon’s April 25/11 release placed the contract total at up to $65 million, but discussions with Raytheon confirmed that their figure included the 4 option years, as well as the initial base year announced by the Pentagon.

The AN/FPS-108 Cobra Dane radar sits on Shemya island in the Alaskan Aleutians. It has a face nearly 100 feet in diameter, and plays a number of key roles within the USA’s advanced long range radar network. One of its most important “tasked data collection opportunities” is its constant monitoring of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula and Kura ballistic missile test range, hence that 100% requirement. Other key missions include monitoring the growing space hazard of orbital debris, and missile defense monitoring for NORAD and the US Missile Defense Agency.

• Boeing takes the $30 billion KC-X aerial tanker contract back from Airbus, an outcome that left several observers surprised. More to come on Monday.

• UAE defense contracts announced at IDEX 2011. See the full lists from Day 1 (AED 4+ billion), Day 2 (AED ~4 billion), and Day 3 (AED 3.7 billion). 1 dirhan = $0.2723.

• Russian defense ministry announces 19 trillion ruble ($651 billion) arms procurement program for 2011-2020 that includes plans to buy 100 ships, over 600 aircraft, and 1,000 helicopters.

• Jordan kicks off orders and manufacturing for the RPG-32 Hashim 105mm/ 72mm shoulder-fired rocket system, jointly developed with Russian firms. The new Jordan Russian Electronic Systems Company (JRESCO) facility is expected to have a capacity of 60,000 weapons per year.

• UAE and Russia sign $74 million contract for the modernization of 135 Russian BMP-3 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles used by the UAE armed forces.

• France and Russia are in talks about Russia purchasing Felin advanced “future soldier” system produced by Sagem Défense Sécurité; the equipment includes body armor, ballistic helmet, and portable C4ISR equipment.

• Russia has abandoned its Geo-IK-2 satellite – designed to gather gravitational data to improve guidance of ballistic missiles – which was launched into an incorrect orbit earlier in February.

• China displaying its new LS-6 GPS-guided weapons at IDEX 2011.

• Up to $900 million [PDF] to 11 companies – BAE Systems, InDyne, Johnson Controls, SAIC, Sim-G Technologies and 6 small business qualifiers – to supply electronic security systems to the US Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, AL.

• Also, the US Army Corp of Engineers’ Middle East District is seeking bids to provide Afghanistan reconstruction security support services, including comprehensive security, operations, transportation, aircraft, and intelligence.

• We’ll end on a cheery note, with some fine photos of the 2 Libyan Mirage F1 fighters that landed in Malta, after their pilots defected rather than obey orders to bomb demonstrators.

• US, French defense chiefs ink agreement on space situational awareness.

• Global defense firm are vying for a piece of India’s defense industry, which Boeing expects to be worth $31 billion in 10 years.

• Bridge over the River Arghandab?: Portable bridges produced by Alpha Composites help British troops in Helmand province, Afghanistan, cross short gaps in terrain.

• AAR to shut down former Blackwater operations in Currituck County, NC, affecting 260 employees.

• USMC Captain Eric Schmidt sentenced to 6 years by federal judge for skimming nearly $2 million using fraudulent military equipment orders.

• Would you like some Bubba Gump Shrimp?: The US Defense Commissary Agency is buying up Gulf seafood to serve at 72 base commissaries along the East Coast to boost the Gulf’s fishing industry.

• L-3 Communications to redeem $650 million in notes due 2015.

• US administration has been slow to implement cybersecurity protection for critical infrastructure, CSIS says [PDF].

• Do. Not. Mess. With a Gurkha. Not even if you have 39 friends behind you. Good on his regiment, too…