• EADS says it might submit bid for KC-X aerial tanker RFP without Northrop Grumman; Pentagon mulls deadline extension. Reuters | Wall Street Journal | Bloomberg | MarketWatch

• EADS CEO says the company is looking to buy a medium-sized defense company in the US.

• Strategy Analytics: Annual market for SATCOM-related electronics to grow from $796 million in 2009 to nearly $2.58 billion in 2020.

• CACI secures $219 million contract to provide C4ISR and IT to SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic.

• F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter passes first vertical landing test.

• Boeing completes design of US Navy free electron laser weapon system to take out high-speed cruise missiles.

• Honeywell gets US Army order to maintain Cold War era Washington-Moscow hotline.

• USA DOE drawing up a strategic plan to deal with China’s dominance of key “rare-earth” mineral supplies.

• People as policy: Northrop Grumman appoints new head for X-47B N-UCAS stealth UAV program – but that’s just one piece of a bigger picture.

• Littoral Combat Ship Freedom (LCS 1) performs drug busts, but sharp debate escalates over the class’ lack of armament and suitability for its missions.

• Rocky Mountain Instrument (RMI) in Lafayette, CO fined $1 million for exporting defense-related optics to China, Russia and other nations without a license. US Justice Department release | RMI release | Denver Business Journal | Associated Press

• Low tech IEDs in Afghanistan vs. high-tech US counter IED devices: number of attacks double.

• Raytheon sets up new missile defense product line, gets $11.9 million order to support Patriot missile field surveillance program.

• UK MoD, Defence Industries Council offer tech exhibition at Yeomanry House.

• Can you hear me now? B-2 bomber gets EHF SATCOM hardware; system has been 3 years in development.

US “Chair” Force?
(click to view full)

UAVs have played a crucial role in gathering intelligence in the US military’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are thousands of UAVs gathering and distributing valuable data on the enemy, but each system uses its own proprietary subsystem to control the air vehicle as well as receive and process the data. Yet commanders need access to information gathered by all types of UAVs that are flying missions in their area of operation.

Recognizing this shortcoming, the Pentagon began an effort in 2008 to break down the proprietary barriers between UAV systems and create a single GCS that will fly all types of drones.

This free-to-view DID Spotlight article examines the problem of proprietary UAV systems and efforts to break down barriers to sharing vital UAV-generated information.

• Ground Control to Major Tom: The Role of GCS
• Come Together: The Pentagon’s UCS-WG
• Are You Going STANAG?: NATO’s Standard
• One is the Loneliest Number: AAI’s OneSystem
• Red ROVER, Red ROVER: The ROVER Datalink
• Masters of the Universe: Raytheon’s UCS
• Too Close to the Sun: ICARUS and Autonomy
• Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings
  
  Continue Reading… »

MTN shipboard VSAT

The US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded a contract worth up to $50 million to MTN Government Services (MTNGS), a subsidiary of Miramar, FL-based MTN Satellite Communications (MTN), to provide global broadband satellite services.

Under the firm, fixed-price, 5-year contract, MTNGS will supply global C- and Ku-band satellite bandwidth to the agency.

The initial 6-month award is for $6.5 million. The contract includes 5 options, which if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $50 million…

Continue Reading… »

Skynet 5 satellite model
(click to view full)

When militaries around the world have wanted to expand their satellite communication (SATCOM) capacity, they traditionally have had 2 choices – either pay a satellite manufacturer billions of dollars to build a satellite constellation and then own and operate the constellation themselves or lease capacity on commercial satellites, with all the attendant concerns about availability and security.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) came up with an innovative approach to expanding its SATCOM capacity called Skynet 5.

Through a GBP 3.6 billion UK MoD private finance initiative (PFI), EADS Astrium manufactures the Skynet 5 satellites and Paradigm owns, manages, and operates the Skynet constellation. The satellites are built to UK military specifications and the UK is committed to purchasing satellite capacity from Paradigm, an EADS Astrium subsidiary…

Continue Reading… »

• USCG acquisition chief warns about declining readiness of cutter fleet [PDF], expects price tag for Deepwater program to reach $27.4 billion.

• UK’s SSN Trafalgar-class fast attack submarine HMS Triumph sets sail for sea trials after 6-year, GBP 300 million refit program that included installation of new sonar and C2 systems and an upgrade of the Tomahawk missile system.

• UK MOD inks GBP 400 million deal to buy capacity on EADS Astrium’s Skynet 5D satellite, which is expected to be launched in 2013; the satellite capacity will be used for military communication, including Bowman radios.

• Der Spiegel: The debate over Germany’s security & defense policies.

• Germany’s KMW delivers 1st Fennek JFST armored reconnaissance vehicles to Bundeswehr for deployment to Afghanistan in April. KMW release [in German]

• Greece reportedly agrees to settle its submarine contract dispute with ThyssenKrupp.

• US Army working to improve its M24 sniper rifles, including a .300 Win Mag upgun.

• South Korea’s KUH Surion utility helicopter makes its first flight.

• US military’s next-generation JPALS flight approach and landing system completes preliminary design review.

• ATK reorganizes into 4 business units; Karen Davis to head armament systems group. ATK release | Associated Press

• China expects to boost defense spending by 7.5% this year, compared to a 14.9% increase in 2009. Washington Post | Wall Street Journal | Los Angeles Times | Xinhua News Agency

• French-Russian gas deal seen as possible preliminary to sale of Mistral amphibious assault ships.

• General Dynamics and Austal will reportedly end their LCS partnership, and plan to bid on Littoral Combat Ship contracts separately.

• Israel adding overlapping surveillance systems, RWS, along Gaza border.

• USAF looking at options to preserve F-22 production tooling. An especially good idea if they actually intend to start retiring F-22s in 2025.

• As cluster munitions treaty prepares to activate on Aug 1/10, US DoD states that “The United States is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions and is not bound by its obligations…”

• US Army launches “Apps for the Army” competition for internal developers. But they already have “Gator Six”...

• Orbital Sciences to acquire General Dynamics’ satellite manufacturing unit for $55 million in cash.

• Boeing transfers on-orbit control, as USAF accepts Wideband Global SATCOM broadband satellite #3.

• Lockheed Martin CEO Stevens sees 10% drop in compensation because of bonus and incentive pay shortfalls.

(click to view full)

Up to $32 million to Lockheed Martin for submarine satellite communication prototype. (March 5/10)

An impressive 18 companies won indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts to develop integration and management technology for radio frequency (RF) radar and communications functions on future naval platforms. The contracts are being awarded by the Office of Naval Research for its Integrated Topside (InTop) Program, which will develop a scalable family of electronic warfare, radar and communication equipment to support multiple classes of ships and other Navy platforms. Each contract has an ordering ceiling of between $50 million and $800 million.

InTop plans to reduce the number of topside equipment on Navy ships through a modular/ open RF architecture…

Continue Reading… »

Boeing Delta IV Heavy
(click to view full)

Delta IV rocket launches 3rd GOES weather satellite into space. (March 4/10)

The EELV program was designed to reduce the cost of government space launches through greater contractor competition, and modifiable rocket families whose system requirements emphasized simplicity, commonality, standardization, new applications of existing technology, streamlined manufacturing capabilities, and more efficient launch-site processing. Result: the Delta IV (Boeing) and Atlas V (Lockheed Martin) heavy rockets.

Paradoxically, that very program may have forced the October 2006 merger of Boeing & Lockheed Martin’s rocket divisions. Crosslink Magazine’s Winter 2004 article “EELV: The Next Stage of Space Launch” offers an excellent briefing that covers EELV’s program innovations and results, while a detailed National Taxpayer’s Union letter to Congress takes a much less positive view.

This DID Spotlight article looks at the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, as well as the contracts that have been placed since the merger, which formed United Launch Alliance…

• Delta IV
• Atlas V
• Military Satellite Payloads
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
  Continue Reading… »

GPS IIIA concept
(click to view full)

Raytheon contract and team for OCX control segment updated, could reach $1.5 billion. (Feb 26/10)

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. It’s hard to be more significant than the USA’s Global Positioning System (GPS), which is widely relied upon for civilian uses, including timing services for stock trades and credit card processing. At the same time, military class (M-code) GPS guidance can now be found in everything from cruise missiles and various precision-guided bombs, to battlefield rockets and even artillery shells. Combat search and rescue radios use it, and so does a broadening array of individual soldier’s equipment. Disruption or decay of of the the critical capabilities provided by this line of communication in space would cripple both the US military, and many aspects of the global economy.

GPS-III satellites are a key part of this PTN (Positioning, Timing & Navigation) system’s future plan, offering several improvements over the existing GPS II family. When fully deployed, the current vision for GPS-III is that the new satellites will feature a new L1C civil signal; a cross-linked command and control architecture that allows the entire GPS constellation to be updated from a single ground station; and a spot beam antenna that provides resistance to hostile military jamming while improving accuracy and integrity. GPS III will also have limited interoperability with Europe’s ongoing Galileo GPS-type satellite constellation, per a 2006 agreement involving Lockheed Martin and EADS.

• The Existing Array
• The GPS III Program [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
  Continue Reading… »