Latest update (Feb 5/12)

SSK Dolphin Class

In November 2005, reports surfaced that that Germany would sell Israel 2 AIP-equipped Dolphin submarines, to join its existing fleet of 3 conventional diesel-electric Dolphin Class boats. In 2006, the deal for 2 Dolphin AIP boats was finalized at a total of $1.27 billion, with the German government picking up 1/3 of the cost. The new boats are built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft AG (HDW) shipyard, in the Baltic Sea coastal city of Kiel, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in 2010. Those have been delayed, and have not begun as of yet.

Reports that an additional sale may be in the offing have now been confirmed, but just absorbing these 3 new boats will be no small challenge for Israel’s “3rd service”:

• The Dolphin Class, and Its Improvements
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• Frank Kendall has been confirmed as US undersecretary for defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, pending Senate confirmation. He’s been holding the job in an acting capacity since Ashton Carter was promoted to be Deputy SecDef back in September.

• Contradictory rumors are floating on a couple specific programs being cut in the FY13 federal budget request. For lack of material to corroborate or invalidate, we’ll just sit this out until the official Pentagon preview expected tomorrow.

• The House Armed Services Committee released its findings and recommendations [PDF] on the state of DOD’s progress towards auditability: “although the strategy needs more detail and refinement, the DOD has a reasonable strategy and methodology.” Video of yesterday’s related hearing can be found at the bottom of this entry.

• The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency completed the destruction of chemical weapons stockpile at Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah, in application of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Similar work was done to completion at UMCD in Oregon last November.

• Its molecular structure makes this material resilient, fire-resistant, durable, easy to dye, plus it handles moisture well. All interesting properties for combat clothing. And researchers are making the astounding claim that it may grow on sheep. the Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) is investigating the tentatively-named WOOL fabric.

• Divers and medical staff went through 4 days of exercise with the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), equipment jointly owned by Britain, France and Norway that never had to be used so far.

• The DGA French procurement agency received [in French] its 2nd EDA-R landing catamaran (L-CAT) to be carried on Mistral LHDs. The 1st one was delivered last November and 2 others are scheduled by mid-2012. Each Mistral ship can carry 2 L-CATs.

• EADS subsidiary Eurocopter grew its revenue by 12.5% to 5.4 billion euros (about $7B) in 2011 with the delivery of 503 helicopters and 457 net bookings. 32% of its sales came from the military segment.
  Continue Reading… »

SSN Akula Class

Russia hands over INS Chakra; Reports on the Arihant Class; Article reorganization. (Jan 23/12)

According to GlobalSecurity.org, India’s ATV (advanced technology vessel) program to build a nuclear-powered submarine began in 1974, and became a serious effort in 1985. The Federation of American Scientists’ December 1996 document “The Indian Strategic Nuclear Submarine Project: An Open Literature Analysis” remains one of the best single open sources on India’s program. Unfortunately, it was compiled over a decade ago and has become rather dated. That project has continued, and this DID Spotlight article continues to collect open source information on the ATV program.

More and more sources were claiming that a rented Russian Akula class boat would be operational as a training vessel by 2009. The concept was correct, but the date was not. A deadly accident during K-152 Nerpa’s sea trials delayed that project, and further complications have pushed its in-service date to 2011. As efforts to move the Nerpa into service continue, India has finally launched its indigenous nuclear sub Arihant, to begin sea trials and testing…

• The ATV Program: Background [updated]
  • Strategic Pressure: Keeping Up with the Shangs
  • ATV: Searching for Answers
• The Arihant Class: Destroyer of Enemies? [updated]
• Events and Reports [updated]
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• Latest on JSF: Reuters and Bloomberg report that Leon Panetta is about to announce that the F-35-B is off probation; Canadian industrial participation; 1st night flight; 3rd F-35B delivered; F-35C tail hook redesign.

• Israel’s IDF now believes that unrest in Syria has allowed Hezbollah to seize SA-8/ 9K33 vehicle-mounted surface-air missiles. They’re worried that Syria’s large chemical arsenal could also be vulnerable.

• K-Street Washington lobbyists see promise in the 2012 retirees, but how’s this for a blunt assessment? “Republicans are bonds. Dems are the options you play with the last 20 percent of your money…”

• The US Coast Guard is getting more and more interested in underwater inspection & surveillance. Their Research & Development Center is currently evaluating an advanced Underwater Imaging System (UIS) from CodaOctopus.

• Meanwhile, WSG has finished the initial demonstrations of their Argus One platform to the U.S. Department of Defense at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nevada Test Site. Yes, this is our unmanned blimp, and yes, we are happy to see you.

• Could the same gas hydrates that caused the BP Deepwater Horizon’s blowup become a stable, low-energy input energy storage medium for hydrogen?

• Algorithms matter. Researchers have developed one that offers up to 10x improvement on the fast Fourier transform, widely used for tasks like image compression.

• Did the US Army’s policy of refusing to arm MEDEVAC helicopters, in a war against illegal combatants, cause the death of a US service member? Rep. Tom Akin [R-MO-2] is upset. The US Army responds.

• Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy’s principal deputy Dr. James N. Miller will replace her when she leaves next month according to Yahoo News.

• Memo from the Pentagon: “Multiple U.S. Army Public Health Command studies of basic trainees have demonstrated that shoe selection based on arch type does not reduce injuries.” They do have a lot of soldiers running, so they ought to know a thing or 2. What follows are tips and cautions re: using new “minimalist” running shoes like the New Balance Minimus.

• It’s hard to call people who pay farmers 1/1,000th of their crop’s value Marxists, but FARC tries to wear the mask. Turns out they’re under pressure on the cocaine front, so they’re switching to… cattle rustling.

• President Obama will attend today’s Pentagon briefing on strategic adjustments that will lead to a 10+% reduction in the number of ground troops (presumably from peak levels): NYT | Reuters | C-Span stream (to start live at 10:50am ET).

• The UK’s defence secretary Philip Hammond will meet his American counterpart Leon Panetta later today. Hammond’s take: “today the debt crisis should be considered the greatest strategic threat to the future security of our nations. The fact is, in this era of austerity… not even the United States can afford the astronomical resource commitment required to deal with every threat from every source.”

• Boeing confirmed it’s going to close its Wichita plant in Kansas by the end of 2013. Some of the 2,000+ jobs will be moved to sites in the states of California, Oklahoma and Washington; others will be cut. Congressman Mike Pompeo is fuming while Tom Cole and Rick Larsen are obviously more upbeat.

• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) chief Marion Blakey: “At this point we see all of the oxygen in the room being absorbed by the presidential debates. We want to be part of that oxygen, if you will.” (WSJ)

• The British MoD is using balls of rubber strengthened with Kevlar to deliver fuel by helicopter or transport aircraft. Known as the Mk 5 Air Portable Fuel Containers and manufactured by GKN Aerospace, they weight 2 tonnes (4,400 pounds) when full. See a short video at the bottom of this entry. Now, wouldn’t this make sense slung under a K-Max?

• Vincent Manzo, a research analyst at the National Defense University asks [PDF]: where do space and cyberspace fit in questions of deterrence and escalation in cross-domain operations?

• DARPA scientists have found that using an antibiotic and a protein together is more effective to fight radiation than when used separately. Well, at least for mice, but the potential for human application seems promising.

• Gunther Krauter, the general secretary of Austria’s (left wing) Social Democrats (SPO), said the country should sell its Eurofighter jets. Though they belong to the same political party that’s currently leading the government, such as sale is not on the agenda of defence Minister Norbert Darabos, so he was not thrilled by Krauter’s unexpected suggestion: Austrian Independent | Austrian Times. Austria does plan to sell many of its tanks; another contentious issue is Darabos’ support for ending conscription (Germany did so last year, France too in the late 90’s/early 00’s). The right wing People’s Party (OVP), the junior member in an obviously uneasy coalition, had its spokesman call the SPO (in German) the Unsicherheitspartei (the “non-security party”). Surely there must be a 19-letter word for “ouch” in German.
  Continue Reading… »

M50 mask training

In December 2011, Avon Protection Systems, Inc. in Cadillac, MI won a 5-year, $176.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to make M61 filter canisters for the new M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask. Work will be performed in Cadillac, MI, and is expected to run until Dec 22/16. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 6 bids received by U.S. Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (W911SR-12-D-0001).

The new M50 mask is designed to be more compact, lighter, more comfortable and more effective than the older M40. When worn in conjunction with a MOPP suit, the mask allows over 24 hours of protection against chemical or biological agents and radioactive particulates. Improvements include a single cast, optically correct visor with a wider field of view than the previous twin-lens design, and a twin conformal filter for a 50% improvement in breathing resistance. Anyone who has ever tried heavy physical exertion in a gas mask understands how much that improvement means. The convenient integrated 3L Camelbak for drinking, and clip-on sunglasses or corrective lenses, will also be appreciated.

• President Obama signed the FY12 defense authorization bill (HR1540) on December 31 but expressed “serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.”

• A $355M contract (FA8637-12-D-6001) confirms the USAF procurement of 20 Light Air Support (LAS) Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano aircraft, via Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). Deliveries of this batch of 20 planes is expected to be completed by the end of April 2014. Last year Hawker Beechcraft filed a GAO protest for being excluded from the RFP and sued the US Air Force after losing the protest. DefenseLink | SNC | DefesaNet [in Portuguese].

• Some former officers of the British Armed Forces are concerned that increased use of reserve forces serves to mask lack of personnel in the standing Army.

• The UK’s National Archives receive records from government departments after 30 years, when most of these documents are then made public. The 1981 archives reveal that the purchase of Trident nuclear weapons was less than consensual in the Cabinet (is it now?). Strong opinions were offered, as Foreign Secretary Peter Carrington stated at the time: “Failure to acquire Trident would have left the French as the only nuclear power in Europe. This would be intolerable.” He also warned Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that “reductions would be interpreted by both the islanders and the Argentines as a reduction in our commitment to the [Falkland] islands and in our willingness to defend them.” This was just months before the Argentinian military invaded. For more historical context, see Margaret Thatcher’s files as Prime Minister, 1981.

• Fast forward to last month: the Mercosur trading bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and land-locked Paraguay) agreed to prohibit ships flying the Falklands flag from entering its members’ ports.

• The Latest Defense AT&L [PDF] covers among other topics: contingency contracting (staying clear of mentioning the work of the now closed Commission on Wartime Contracting), the Afghan vendor base, critical path drag in project management, and collaboration between Program Managers (PMs) and Contracting Officers (KOs).

• This Should-Cost template [PPTX] provides a notional guide for presenting a summary of a program’s “should cost” plans and estimates, to flesh out “Better Buying Power” acquisition guidance published by the Pentagon last year.

• The US House Armed Services Committee released a summary of the conference report on the FY12 Defense Authorization Act.

• Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy has announced she will step down early next year.

• Turkish papers report that Syria’s regime is taking warheads from its chemical weapon stocks, and has armed its medium range missiles. Syria’s Shabab-2 (Iranian) and Hwasong-6/ Scud-C (North Korean) missiles could hit southern and eastern Turkey, which is supporting the Free Syria Army against the regime. Russia, ever helpful, reportedly sent the Syrian regime 3 million gas masks.

• The US State Department says they’ve secured and destroyed around 5,000 Libyan SA-7 and related shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. The regime had about 20,000, and teams are still trying to account for the rest: destroyed in fighting, abandoned, or…?

• Reports surface that Brazil may want the 3 completed “Port of Spain” Class offshore patrol vessels that Trinidad & Tobago canceled, with an option to build another 5 in Brazil. Brazil has been building its submarine force, and there’s a large naval contract on the horizon to build a variety of surface combatants.

• Norway’s AMRAAM-based NASAMS air defense system is going mobile. With the USA canceling its truck-based SL-AMRAAM, and international interest in the capability, that could be good for Kongsberg’s exports, too.

• Navy Cmdr. Charles Coughlin (ret.) gets 3.5 years in prison, after it’s determined that he faked being injured by falling debris in the Pentagon on 9/11. He had received $331,000 from the victims’ fund, a Purple Heart, and a Meritorious Service Medal.

• 2 OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed last night at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, killing 4 soldiers.

• In the UK the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) released a scathing report on the lack of cost-effective armored vehicle capability. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) responded rather defensively but as Think Defence argues, what’s surprising about brutal weather and the use of landmines? This debate and dynamic are not new, see for instance MRAPs, Irregular Warfare, and Pentagon Reform [PDF] from the US National Defense University. Back to the UK’s present controversy, a quick summary in the video below:
  Continue Reading… »

• US NAVAIR performs the 1st steam catapult launch of its carrier-borne F-35C Lightning II fighter, from its land testing facility at NAS Patuxent River, MD. Short video at the bottom of this entry.

• Should the US DoD be restricted to buying only steel melted in the US?

• The Pentagon presented its tentative Air-Sea Battle doctrine which will be developed by the creatively-named Air-Sea Battle Office (ASBO). Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) likes it, though that’s hardly surprising. Two elephants in the room: China, and the US Army. More: DOD Buzz | Defense News | Washington Times | Information Dissemination.

• Australia accepts its 3rd of 4 A330 MRTT/KC-30A aerial refueling tankers, at RAAFB Amberley.

• Republican US Senators Jon Kyl (AZ) and Richard Lugar (IN) sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to lean in favor of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) rather than the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). The point of contention: how to regulate cluster munitions.

• Republicans and Democrats are leaking their respective outlines of what the Super Committee could enact to meets its deficit reduction goals, with its deadline looming in less than 3 weeks while the current continuing resolution expires in 8 days. Such leaks are usually not a sign that negotiations are proceeding productively and in good faith. Roll Call | Politico. Some lawmakers want to prevent the automatic cuts from happening if the super committee doesn’t reach an agreement, which would pretty much defeat its purpose.

• But wouldn’t it help knowing how much is spent in the first place? Nuclear weapons is one area where nobody seems to agree on the numbers.

• The French Marine Nationale sailed almost all its available fleet during the Libyan Harmattan operation, including 3 nuclear subs, according to Mer & Marine [in French].
  Continue Reading… »

• The USAF is restructuring its Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) from 12 centers to 5 is one of the major steps within broader changes in its civilian workforce which should amount to adding “5,900 positions in acquisition, the nuclear enterprise, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other key areas while reducing approximately 9,000 positions in management, staff, and support areas.”

• The Russian Defense Ministry and United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have sorted out their pricing disagreements on Yasen and Borey class nuclear-powered submarines. That’s their good news. Gaddafi’s fall on the other hand means billions of dollars of lost potential arms exports.

• In talks with the German government, EADS is reportedly ready to waive penalties triggered by reduced Eurofighter orders in exchange for Talarion UAV orders. Germany has been leasing IAI Herons for the last 2 years. [Nov. 7 update: Germany says no.]

• The Bundeswehr also recently announced a significant BRAC-like program leading to 31 base closures: Der Spiegel | Deutsche Welle (both in English).

• An F-15 from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force lost a wing part during a training flight yesterday. Japan’s F-15 fleet was grounded twice this year after a fatal crash in July and a minor incident last month.

• Boeing delivers its 1st production AH-64D Apache Block III attack helicopter to the US Army.

• Lockheed Martin MFC is busy test-firing a new Patriot PAC-3 Reduced Cost Initiative missile variant.

• A test uses the infrared sensors on 4 Raytheon MTS-B/AAS-52 sensor turrets to track ballistic targets for the Missile Defense Agency. ABIR doesn’t have an official platform yet, but they’re using the MTS-B’s usual MQ-9 Reaper drones as carriers for now.

• Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) completed the disposal of the chemical weapons stockpile at Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD) in Oregon. This work started 7 years ago. Both facilities will be closed within the next 2 years.

• The Financial Times urges politicians and investors to take the long view on the real-world potential of newer materials such as graphene, based on the uneven track record of similarly hyped carbon fiber.

• The US House’s Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces had a hearing yesterday on combat aviation programs. On the table: F-35 contract renegotiation, bomber costs. See 1st video embedded below. Meanwhile the full HASC had yet another “sequestration looks really, really scary” hearing.

• Online hacker group Anonymous to Mexico’s brutal Zetas drug cartel: Release our member, or else you’ll be one sorry bunch of pendejos – and so will the people on your payroll. This one is a new chapter in information warfare. Love the “V for Vendetta” mask in the video, which you can view in the 2nd embed below [in Spanish]:
  Continue Reading… »