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Design & Preparations Continue for the USA’s New CVN-21 Super-Carrier

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Budgets, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, Design Innovations, Engines & Propulsion - Naval, Events, FOCUS Articles, Force Structure, Issues - Political, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Procurement Innovations, Small Business, Surface Ships - Combat, Top Stories

SHIP_CV-74_USS_Stennis_and_CV_HMS_Illustrious.jpg
USA’s Nimitz Class &
UK’s Invincible Class
(click to view full)
DII

Contract to improve fiber optics manufacturing will have applications beyond CVN 78. (March 12/10)

Some nations have aircraft carriers. The USA has super-carriers. The French Charles De Gaulle Class nuclear carriers displace about 43,000t. India’s new Vikramaditya/ Admiral Gorshkov Class will have a similar displacement. The future British CVF Queen Elizabeth Class and related French PA2 Project are expected to displace about 65,000t (British) – 74,000t (French), while the British Invincible Class carriers that participated in the Falklands War weigh in at around 22,000t. Invincible actually compares well to Italy’s new Cavour Class (27,000t), and Spain’s Principe de Asturias Class (17,000t). The USA’s Nimitz Class and CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class, in contrast, fall in the 90,000t-105,000t range. Hence the unofficial designation “super-carriers”. Just one of these ships packs a more potent air force than many nations.

CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt Cutaway
Nimitz Class cutaway
(click to view full)

As the successor to the 102,000 ton Nimitz Class super-carriers, the CVN-21 program aims to increase aircraft sortie generation rates by 20%, increase survivability to better handle future threats, require fewer sailors, and have depot maintenance requirements that could support an increase of up to 25% in operational availability. The combination of a new design nuclear propulsion plant and an improved electric plant are expected to provide 2-3 times the electrical generation capacity of previous carriers, which in turn enables systems like an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS, replacing steam-driven catapults), Advanced Arresting Gear, and integrated combat electronics that will leverage advances in open systems architecture. Other CVN-21 features include an enhanced flight deck, improved weapons handling and aircraft servicing efficiency, and a flexible island arrangement allowing for future technology insertion. This graphic points out many of the key improvements.

DID’s CVN-21 FOCUS Article offers a detailed look at a number of the program’s key innovations, as well as a list of relevant contract awards and events.

Rapid Fire: 2010-03-18

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, Daily Rapid Fire, Equipment - Other, Europe - Other, Fighters & Attack, General Dynamics, Helicopters & Rotary, IT - General, IT - Software & Integration, Industry & Trends, Issues - Political, Legal, Middle East - Other, Other Corporation, Support Functions - Other, T&C - CSC, Training & Exercises, UAVs

  • Defense executive panel offers advice to contractors on future industry challenges.
  • ASDReports.com: Global market for armored vehicles will reach $10.3 billion, fueled by continued IED threat.
  • “American Civil Liberties Union” sues the government, asking for in-depth information about the use of UAV strikes in foreign wars.
  • CSC snags 5-year, $27 million contract to provide IT to US DoD’s Dependents Schools-Europe, which runs 81 schools for the children of US military.
  • USAF continues its shift from cost-plus contracts toward fixed-cost, for the F-35 program. Meanwhile, the first production model F-35B hovers in a test.
  • Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Release 1.1 (Single Supply Solution) goes live at Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). Sounds simple. Isn’t, in practice.

The USA’s SBInet Border Security Project

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Boeing, C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, Domestic Security, Electronics - General, Issues - Political, L3 Communications, Other Corporation, Sensors & Guidance, Warfare - Lessons

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Back in June 2006, Boeing and Raytheon teams were preparing for a big border surveillance contract. It was all part of the USA’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a comprehensive plan to secure U.S. borders and reduce illegal immigration, including an array of technical aids and elements on both the northern Canadian border and the southern border with Mexico. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency would lead and execute both the SBI and related SBInet “virtual fence” efforts, mirroring similar programs underway around the world.

As promised, a winner was announced in September 2006 – and it was Team Boeing. In March 2010, however, funding has been frozen.

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Saving the Galaxy: The C-5 AMP/RERP Program

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Budgets, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, FOCUS Articles, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Lockheed Martin, Other Corporation, Simulation & Training, Support Functions - Other, Testing & Evaluation, Transport & Utility

AIR C-5 Galaxy Over SF Bay
C-5 Galaxy
(click to view full)
DII

Got to get the maintenance depots ready. (March 16/10)

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. When it was introduced, back in 1970, the C-5 Galaxy was the largest plane in the world. It also has the highest operating cost of any Air Force weapon system, owing to extremely high maintenance demands as well as poor fuel economy. Worse, availability rates routinely hover near 50%. To add insult to injury, the Russians not only built a bigger plane (the AN-124), they sold it off at the end of the Cold War to semi-private operators, turning it into a commercial success whose customer list now includes… NATO.

Meanwhile, the USA still needs long-range, heavy load airlift. The AN-124’s commercial success may get its production line restarted, but the C-5 has no such hope. Boeing’s smaller C-17s cost more than $200 million per plane. That’s about the cost of a 747-8 freighter, for much higher availability rates than the C-5. What’s the right balance?

AIR C-5 Silhouette Sunrise or Sunset
Sunrise? Sunset?
(click to view full)

The US Air Force believed it could save money by upgrading the older C-5s to renew their avionics (AMP) and engines (RERP). Their hope was that this would eliminate the problems that keep so many C-5s in the hangar, cut down on future maintenance costs, and grow airlift capacity without adding new planes. Unfortunately, the program is program experienced major cost growth, and the C-5M program wound up being both cut in size, and cut in 2. The C-5A and C-5B/C fleets are now slated for different treatment, which will deliver fewer of the hoped-for benefits in exchange for lower costs and lower risk.

Rapid Fire: 2010-03-17

Related Stories: Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Asia - Central, Contracts - Awards, Daily Rapid Fire, Design Innovations, Fighters & Attack, IT - Software & Integration, Issues - Political, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, MPs & Justice, Medical, Other Corporation, Pre-RFP, Sensors & Guidance, Simulation & Training, Soldier's Gear, Support Functions - Other, Training & Exercises

  • European shipbuilder consortium (Fincantieri, Damen, Meyer Werft, STX, Thyssen Krupp) and EU sign grant agreement for 3.5 year BESST (Breakthrough in European Ship and Shipbuilding Technologies) project.
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency is looking for industry input for a robotic underground munition that would be an air-dropped mobile platform capable of drilling underground to deliver munitions. FedBizOpps notice | Ubergizmo.com | Tech Journal
  • USJFCOM tests Lockheed Martin’s Valiant Angel system to sort through full-motion video from UAVs and sensors.

The UK’s FRES Transformational Armored Vehicles

Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, BAE, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, Electronics - General, Engineering Vehicles, Europe - E.U., FOCUS Articles, Force Structure, General Dynamics, IT - Cyber-Security, IT - General, IT - Networks & Bandwidth, IT - Software & Integration, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Lockheed Martin, Materials Innovations, New Systems Tech, Other Corporation, Other Equipment - Land, People, Policy - Doctrine, Policy - Procurement, Procurement Innovations, Project Methodologies, R&D - Contracted, Signals Radio & Wireless, Tanks & Mechanized, Thales, Transformation, University-related, Warfare - Trends

Piranha-V VBCI Boxer-MRAV
FRES-U finalists:
There can be… none?
(click to view full)
DII

FRES-SV weapon agreement; Shake, rattle & roll testing; BAE shifts course in bid to win FRES-SV contract. (March 12/10)

Many of Britain’s army vehicles are old and worn, and the necessities of hard service on the battlefield are only accelerating that wear. The multi-billion pound “Future Rapid Effects System” (FRES) aims to recapitalize the core of Britain’s armored vehicle fleet over the next decade or more, filling many of the same medium armor roles as the Stryker Family of armored wheeled vehicles and/or the Future Combat Systems’ Manned Ground Vehicle family. Current estimates indicate a potential requirement for over 3,700 FRES vehicles, including utility and reconnaissance variants. Even so, one should be cautioned that actual numbers bought usually fall short of intended figures for early-stage defense programs.

The FRES program was spawned by the UK’s withdrawal from the German-Dutch-UK Boxer MRAV modular wheeled APC program, in order to develop a more deployable vehicle that fit Britain’s exact requirements. Those initial requirements were challenging, however, and experience in Iraq and Afghanistan led to decisions that changed a number of requirements. In the end, GD MOWAG’s Piranha V won the utility vehicle competition. FRES-U is not the end of the competition, however, or the contracts. In fact, FRES-U had the winning bidder’s preferred status revoked; that entire phase will now take a back seat to the FRS-SV scout version…

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: 2009-2010

Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, BAE, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, Design Innovations, ECM, Electronics - General, Engines - Aircraft, Europe - Other, FOCUS Articles, Fighters & Attack, Finmeccanica, GE, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Lockheed Martin, Middle East - Israel, Northrop-Grumman, Official Reports, Other Corporation, Partnerships & Consortia, Policy - Procurement, R&D - Contracted, Radars, Rumours, Security & Secrecy, Sensors & Guidance, Testing & Evaluation, Transformation

F-35A
F-35A: incoming…
(click to view full)
DII

Denmark picks Super Hornet?; New program head nominated; Landing gear contract; new flight decks wanted. (March 18/10)

The $300+ billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners.” Now the challenge is agreeing on production phase membership and arrangements, to be followed by initial purchase commitments in 2009-2010.

This updated article has expanded to feature more detail regarding the F-35 program, including contracts, sub-contracts, and notable events and reports.


INS Vikramaditya: Waiting for Gorshkov…

Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, Asia - India, Boeing, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Intent, Events, Fighters & Attack, Force Structure, Helicopters & Rotary, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Rumours, Russia, Spotlight articles, Support Functions - Other, Surface Ships - Combat

CV Admiral Gorshkov
Adm. Gorshkov: Before.
(click to view full)

New Gorshkov, MiG-29K contracts; first MiG-29Ks inducted. (March 11/10)

This free-to-view DID Spotlight article offers an in-depth look at India’s troubled attempt to convert and field a full-size aircraft carrier, before time and wear force it to retire its existing naval aviation and ships.

Right now, there are 2 major concerns in India. One is slipping timelines. The other concern involves Vikramaditya’s 3-fold cost increase, including worries that Russia will raise it rates yet again once India is deeper into the commitment trap. The carrier purchase has now become the subject of high level diplomacy, involving a shipyard that can’t even execute on commercial contracts. An agreement in principle reportedly exists, but negotiations that began in 2007 have yet to lead to a revised contract. Recent Russian demands continued to raise the price, even as deliveries of India’s new MiG-29K naval fighters got underway. March 12/10 should see the signing of a new contract, which India hopes the Russians will honor.

Israeli Plans to Buy F-35s Hitting Obstacles, Moving Forward

Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, Contracts - Intent, ECM, Fighters & Attack, Helicopters & Rotary, Issues - Political, Lobbying, Lockheed Martin, Middle East - Israel, New Systems Tech, Rumours, Support Functions - Other, Transport & Utility, United Technologies

F-35 and F-16 aircraft
F-16B & X-35
(click to view full)

Expected March 2010 deal faces 1+ year delay; other Mid-east export issues come up. (March 11/10)

In an exclusive June 2006 interview, Israeli Air Force (IAF) chief procurement officer Brigadier-General Ze’ev Snir told Israel’s Globes publication that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was a key part of their IAF recapitalization plans, and that Israel intends to buy over 100 of the fighters to replace their F-16s over time. Since then, however, the expected cost of that purchase has more than doubled.

The necessary contract must deal with that sticker shock, with issues like the incorporation of Israeli technologies, and with slips in the internal F-35 program before it can be signed. Israel is even contemplating delaying its purchase, removing an important early adopter for the multi-national program…

German Shipbuilding Restructured: UAE’s Firm Buys Blohm+Voss

Related Stories: Europe - Other, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Mergers & Acquisitions, Middle East - Other, Other Corporation, Partnerships & Consortia, Surface Ships - Combat, Surface Ships - Other

F124 fires SM-2
Sachsen, sending SM-2
(click to view full)

Greek deal adds submarine construction capabilities. (March 1/10)

ThyseenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) recently announced a “close strategic partnership” and Memorandum of Understanding with the Abu Dhabi MAR group in the United Arab Emirates, but the move is much closer to a sale of key assets. The MoU stipulates a 50/50 joint venture to build naval surface ships, with TKMS retaining a lead role and know-how in all projects with the German Navy and NATO partners. Similarly, Abu Dhabi MAR Group will be responsible for the Middle East and North Africa. At the same time, however, Abu Dhabi MAR is acquiring 80% of TKMS’ key surface ship firms: Blohm + Voss Shipyards, Blohm + Voss Repair, and Blohm + Voss Industries.

The proposed sale follows other recent purchases in Germany by Abu Dhabi MAR, and other recent shipyard sales by TKMS. The net effect is a restructuring of Germany’s naval shipbuilding industry…

Continue Reading… »

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