AN-70

Antonov UAC JV; Other developments since 2009. (Oct 5/11)

Antonov’s AN-70 has had a long and difficult development history from its first studies and concepts in 1979, including the dissolution of its sponsoring state in 1991, the crash of the initial prototype aircraft in a 1995 collision with its chase plane, and the selection of the EADS A400M development project as the basis of Europe’s Future Large Aircraft (FLA). Antonov’s project has been kept alive on a shoestring budget by the participating companies, who believe that they have a winner on their hands if they can just bring it into production. The A400M’s struggles and cost escalation, and the C-130J’s 20-ton limitations, have validated that assessment – but assessments don’t meet payroll, or pay for equipment.

The FLA loss was indeed a bitter blow to a Ukrainian program that had already seen many setbacks. For many years, it even looked like the defeat might turn out to be fatal, consigning the AN-70 to “what if” status on par with Canada’s fabled CF-105 Avro Arrow fighter. Recent developments, 30 years after the project first began, look set to change that status…

• Team Antonov’s AN-70 [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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Dutch HNLMS Tromp

As missile defense imperatives get stronger, and western defense budgets get weaker, one might expect both competition and cooperation to increase within this sector. That should be especially true around naval platforms, where multinational deployments are the normal operating mode. There are early signs that this is coming true.

In September 2011, Raytheon announced successful testing for a prototype dual-band datalink, allowing ships that use either Lockheed Martin’s SPY-1/ AEGIS system, or Thales Nederland’s SMART-L and/or APAR radars, to employ the full range of long-range Standard Missiles for air defense. That matters, because the SM-* family also includes a number of options with missile defense capabilities…

• Bulgaria is looking for 8-12 new fighters, and the USA has a financing offer for its F-16s. Other contenders include the JAS-39 Gripen leased by Bulgaria’s neighbors, EADS’ Eurofighter, and even a Russian offer to sell NATO-interoperable MiG-29s (something the Israelis also offer). Bulgaria just signed a MiG-29 repair contract with RAC MiG, but the country has had financial issues with past weapon buys, and the government is in no hurry to buy new fighters.

• British forces are beginning to use Raytheon-BBN’s Boomerang III acoustic sniper detectors in Afghanistan.

• Brazil’s Embraer, and Elbit Systems’ local AEL subsidiary, enter a 51%/49% joint venture. Harpia Sistemas S.A. will focus on UAVs like Elbit’s Heron 450, along the lines of a previous agreement. It will also handle simulators and avionics modernization, where AEL has carved out a strong Brazilian niche.

• Dassault’s Brazilian presentation lists the UAE as a country flying twin-engine fighters. Just one thing: that isn’t true yet, unless they order Dassault’s Rafale (or the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet) to replace their single-engine Mirage 2000-9s. Dassault had a team in the UAE trying to close the Rafale deal last weekend (Les Echos, in French).

• WABEP (Wirksystem zur abstandsfähigen Bekämpfung von Einzel und Punktzielen) UAV double-teaming: Germany has run tests involving Rheinmetall’s KZO reconnaissance drone working with IAI’s Harop loitering kamikaze UAV. WABEP demonstrated data & imagery exchange between the UAV operators, and the ability to pass targeting information to the Harop.

• Australia’s $10,000 DSTO Eureka prize goes to University of Wollongong prof. Salim Bouzerdoum, for a radar that can see through walls and edit out background clutter inside.

• That’s nothing. India’s DRDO R&D agency has gone and invented…. a skin cream. “Lukoskin” will fix that vitiligo condition for ya.

• ATK moves HQ to Arlington, VA.

• Affordable acquisition? Lt. Gen. William Phillips, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology), wants more upfront feedback from industry on likely costs, while Stuart Hazlett, Deputy Director, Program Acquisition and Strategic Sourcing, said competitive bids that receive a single answer will be resolicited for another 30 days. Meanwhile an audit by the DoD’s Inspector General shows overpricing by Sikorsky on Black Hawk spare parts (Bloomberg, DoD IG PDF).

• The Super Committee approved its rules during its 1st meeting (video embedded at the bottom of this entry). Most future meetings will be public, but possibly not all of them. A memo from Democratic staff listing possible options didn’t seem primarily focused on defense. Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) asserted he would quit the panel if further defense cuts were made part of its deliberations. Groups such as the Sunlight Foundation don’t like that most Supercommittee members have fundraisers lined up in the fall.

• Leon Panetta, who told NPR the budget was getting most his attention, will meet members of the Aerospace Industries Association’s next week to argue in favor of sustained budgets. Todd Harrison at the CSBA says the DoD budget could fall by 31% over the next decade in the most aggressive scenario (see his brief from last month).
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In August 2011, Energy Focus, Inc. in Solon, OH received a $23.1 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and manufacture “energy efficient, solid state lighting for general illumination on Navy ships to upgrade all the legacy lighting systems with new energy efficient, solid state lighting as part of the Navy’s green initiative.” Work on this first delivery order will be performed in Solon, OH, and is expected to be completed by Dec 1/11, while $1.2 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/11. This contract was competitively awarded on a best-value basis, with 3 offers received by the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Ship System Engineering Station in Philadelphia, PA (N65540-11-D-0009).

The SSL program actually began when a submarine sonar technician, irritated by the constant buzz of his LED bunk lamp, asked if the Navy could find an LED replacement…

• As politicians send condolences to families of servicemen killed in the CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash, consideration is given to the development of countermeasures to protect military aircraft from low-tech weapons.

• An internal audit of Ferrostal by American-based law firm Debevoise and Plimpton concludes that the firm paid R300 million (about $43 million) in bribes to South African politicians, including current President Zuma, as part of the U209-1400 submarine sale in 2000.

• Israel’s Knesset rejects the Defense Ministry’s request to increase its budget by ILS620 million ($175 million) over concerns that the increase will be used to pay debts with defense industries.

• Raytheon has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to provide support to its Anomaly Detection at Multiple Scales (ADAMS) project to understand ‘insider’ threats to information systems.

• EADS’ Eurocopter subsidiary delivers 3 EC135 helicopters to the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF).

• The Bulgarian Government is to sell its 35.8% stake in arms and munitions manufacturer Arsenal Kazanlak. Bids will be welcomed from companies involved in weapons production.

• The Brookings Institution think tank will hold a panel discussion on August 12 to analyze the impact of deficit reduction plans on US national security and foreign policy.

ASDS

Northrop Grumman’s ASDS “Advanced SEAL Delivery System” aimed to build mini-subs as successors to the current SDV (SEAL/Swimmer Delivery Vehicle). It began with great promise. The SDVs, carried on US modified Benjamin Franklin Class [SSBN-640] special warfare submarines, as well as new Ohio Class SSGNs, were old – and cold. ASDS would offer a modern, dry alternative, with advanced sensors besides.

In the end, however, technical and reliability issues proved insuperable. The program spiraled out of control, with cost overruns of 400+%. In its place, a less ambitious SWCS replacement program is beginning to take shape, even as the private sector begins to step in with options of its own. This DID FOCUS article chronicles the ASDS program’s history, its designated successors, and emerging privately-funded alternatives:

• What’s Next? The SWCS/JMMS
• To Davy Jones’ Locker & Back: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: DID Op/Ed, December 2005
• Appendix B: The ASDS Program & Mission
• Appendix C: ASDS Taking on Water
• Appendix D: Additional Readings and Sources
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• 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.

(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
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X-45C, F/A18F, F-15E

Ridin’ to Dryden; 1st flight. (April 27/11)

In 1998, Boeing began a revolutionary development program: create an unmanned aircraft that was about the size of the USAF’s F-117 stealth fighter, with similar performance, better stealth, and better range. DARPA’s J-UCAS program launched Boeing’s X-45A and Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs), which went on to perform tests that included multiple UCAV flights, bomb drops, and other aviation firsts.

J-UCAS was effectively killed in 2006, though it went on to spawn the Navy’s UCAS-D competition. NGC’s X-47B Pegasus won, but the Pentagon’s back-and-forth over the USAF’s Next-Generation Bomber program gave Boeing an incentive to remain active. The bomber program will either create a big opening for UCAVs, or allow Boeing to lever any new advances in stealthy UCAV design for its bomber bid. Not so coincidentally, Boeing is using company funds to put its X-45C back on track, as the “Phantom Ray”...

• Boeing’s X-45s
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
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• Boeing charged the US Army $13 million more than the “fair and reasonable” price for 18 parts, the DoD Inspector General concludes [PDF]; so far, Boeing has refunded $1.6 million.

• House Armed Services Committee panels release details of FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act markups.

• Australia’s DoD adapting to new disclosure rules for all government agencies.

• Australia delivers its initial report on its MRH-90 (NH90) helicopter program. Short version? The program’s on probation.

• US AFSOC begins running a transportable $7.5M waste to energy plasma system at Hurlburt Airfield, FL. It has 5x more capacity than the next biggest system using this technology.

• The textile specialists at Ehmke Manufacturing have designed a new system of body armor vests and attachments they call “Higher Ground.” They’ve put some thought into it, too… check it out.

• NATO-related spending is expected to fuel a turnaround in the Romanian defense market, from a 1.5% decline from 2006 to 2010 to 2.8% annual growth through 2015, according to iCD Research.

• ATK receives more than $488 million in US Army orders to produce a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50 caliber military ammunition at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo.

• A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to launch the first satellite (GEO-1) of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS)-High satellite constellation on May 6 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.

• MCR in McLean, VA wins an $8.8 million contract to provide management and acquisition support for NATO’s Consultation, Command, and Control Agency.