L-3 Receives $27M to Support the E-6B TACAMO Fleet (not EA-6B)

E-6B TACAMO

L-3 Vertex Aerospace LLC in Madison, MS received a $27 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for logistics services in support of the E-6B Mercury fleet (aka. TACAMO, as in TAke Charge And Move Out). With the exercise of four, one-year options, the total value of the contract could reach $142.3 million.

Services will be provided to the Commander, Strategic Communications Wing ONE (CSCW-1), and three TACAMO squadrons at Tinker Air Force Base, OK (70%). Support for operations will be given at Travis AFB, CA (10%); Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, MD, including the Systems Integration Lab (10%); and Offutt AFB, NB (10%), and are expected to be complete in October 2006. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; one offer was received by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-06-D-0011). Sources: DefenseLINK, L-3 corporate release.

See DID’s FOCUS Article on the E-6 Program. These “survivable airborne communication system” airplanes support the US Navy’s SSBN ballistic missile submarine force and overall strategic forces. With the advent of the new “Tactical Trident” converted Ohio Class special operations subs, their unique capabilities become even more useful. The E-6B version also has a secondary role as a “Looking Glass” Airborne National Command Post.

N.B. A minor typo in transcription led DID to report originally on the EA-6B, which is the Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. DID salutes reader Robert Frost of the VQ-4 “Shadows” for catching the error, and sending us the improved TACAMO picture.

HQ Bloat, Combat Loss in US Army’s BCT Re-org?

One of the centerpieces of the US Army’s transformation plan has been its proposal to break down divisions into something called “Brigade Combat Teams.” The idea is that the US would be able to deploy the brigades with minimal support from higher-level HQ, something like the US Marine Corps’ pioneering MEUs. By expanding the number of brigades in the army, moving some dedicated support units into the BCTs, and increasing each brigade’s UAV, reconnaissance, and C4SI capabilities, the idea was that the US would effectively have more deployable combat units.

Now some studies prepared by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) on behalf of the Pentagon’s Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate make the case that the result will actually be something else: growth of HQ staff at the expense of combat troops, reducing maneuver batalions by 20% while growing headquarters by 11.5%. According to InsideDefense.com, the 8 studies also…

$76M in Block III Radar Units for AH-64 Attack Helicopters

Radar mast up top

The Lockheed Martin/ Northrop-Grumman joint venture Longbow L.L.C. in Orlando, FL received a $76 million increment as part of a $100 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Apache Block III Radar Electronics Units. Work will be performed in Baltimore, MD (50%), and Orlando, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 11, 2006 by the Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-05-C-0239).

The radar upgrades are part of a larger set of programs aimed at upgrading the US Army’s AH-64 Apache fleet. With the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and rededication of its funding into the Bell 407 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and hopefully the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) to replace the Army’s C-123 Sherpa planes, the Apache will be the USA’s primary attack helicopter for several more decades.

$56.7M more for F-22A Raptor’s F119 Engines

F119 Engine:
Vectored Thrust

United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Group in Hartford, CT received a $56.7 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus fixed-fee contract modification. This undefinitized contractual action will support the F119 jet engine, Lot 6. Each F-22A Raptor carries two of these engines, whose ability to put out extremely high thrust without afterburner is what gives the aircraft its “supercruise” capability of staying above Mach 1 for prolonged periods. The F119′s vectored thrust capabilities, meanwhile, give the Raptor new levels of maneuverability. Work will be complete by March 2006. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract. (FA8611-05-C-2851/P00003).

Pratt & Whitney delivered the 200th F119 engine to the USAF in mid-December 2005, just slightly more than 2 years after delivering the 100th engine.

Eire Buys 15 More Piranha IIIs for EUR 30M

Piranha III w. autocannon

Irish Department of Defence (DoD) and General Dynamics Mowag GmbH signed a EUR 30 million contract for another 15 Piranha III-H 8×8 armored vehicles, with a total value of EUR 36.5 million including VAT. The Piranha III 8×8 is a very close relative of the USA’s Stryker/ LAV III, and it beat Steyr’s Pandur II in the run-off competition. Ireland had originally planned to order 80 vehicles, but later cut the second batch of 40 to 25. This procurement restores the planned numbers, and adds two new variants to the Oglaigh na hEireann. Production will take place at Mowag’s facility in Kreuzlingen, and deliveries will start in February 2007. Payments under the contract will extend from December 2005 to January 2008.

This order includes 9 infantry carrier vehicles. They will be equipped with the same 12.7 mm Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station that is standard issue on the USA’s LAV III M1126 Stryker ICV, whose Iraq experiences were recently covered by DID. Another 6 vehicles will be fitted as infantry fighting vehicles, with a stabilized Oto Melara turret and 30 mm autocannon for heavier firepower on the move. These Piranha IIIs are intended to enhance the ability of Ireland to participate in international operations, and reflect the growing understanding that such forces need increased protection against mines and ballistic weapons. The Minister of Defence has stated that they will be used mainly in the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance roles on overseas missions.

$7.6M to Improve Ticonderoga Class Ship Controls

L-3 Henschel in Newburyport, MA is being awarded a $7.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for Data Acquisition Unit shipsets, training, and testing site sets together with engineering services and provisioned items. Work will be performed in Newburyport, MA and is expected to be complete by October 2006. The contract was competitively procured and advertised on the Internet, with one offer received by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC (N00024-06-C-4200).

This contract is in support of the CG-47 Ticonderoga Class Cruiser Integrated Ship Controls (ISC) Program. The ISC Program integrates all ship control functions by utilizing commercially available technology. Installation involves removing old analog consoles and replacing them with modern digital workstations. The new workstations generally take up less space, are more trouble free, and are easier to use. Ain’t Moore’s Law grand?

$312M to Install ARC-231 Skyfire Radios in US Army Helicopters (updated)

AH-64D Apache Longbow

Raytheon Company received a $312 million, five-year indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract by the U.S. Army’s Communications and Electronics Command to provide AN/ARC-231 Skyfire radio systems for the US Army’s fleet of helicopters. Raytheon will also provide ongoing mission support as part of the contract, which supports the US Army’s MARS (Multiple-band Avionics Radio Suite) program, which aims to add new radio capabilities in the absence of JTRS, and provide Blue Force Tracker capabilities as well.

The AN/ARC-231 is a VHF/UHF, line-of-sight, demand-assigned, software-programmable, multiple access radio and satellite communication system. Bottom line? It improves the quality of voice and data radio communications. Designed by Raytheon in Ft. Wayne, IN and manufactured in Largo, FL, the Skyfire is currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan on US Army helicopters, and on US Navy and Air Force aircraft. Skyfire installation is part of the Block II upgrade for the USA’s most modern AH-64D Apache attack helicopters. Over time, Skyfire will replace or substitute for existing ARC-186 and ARC-164 radios in more than 1,100 in CH-47F Chinook, UH-60M Black Hawk, and AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters. See corporate release, also eDefense Online.

US Military Buying Body Armor Side Inserts (updated)

There has been a lot of discussion about the USA’s Interceptor OTV body armor lately, but few include the much-neglected procurement/ supply capacity dimensions. We hope to have a DID article covering that aspect as time permits. Meanwhile, some soldiers serving on the front lines believe that even more weight and restricted mobility (especially in Hummers) are more likely to get them hurt than protect them. Army Secretary Francis Harvey, on the other hand, believes every GI should wear a couple of extra protective panels along the sides of the armor vest.

The US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD recently issued a pair of side panel related contracts to Ceradyne and Point Blank Body Armor, worth a total of $88.9 million.

Pentagon’s $13 Bn “Encore II” RFP Gets Revised, Extended

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) said it will extend the due date for proposals on its 5+5 year, $13 billion Encore II enterprise services contract. An internal Defense Department review will require revisions to the December 5, 2005 RFP, and DISA expects to release a new deadline within a week.

Encore II is the result of a journey that began during Desert Storm, and is itself a way-station of sorts along the path to another key DISA project, Net-Centric Enterprise Services. What’s all this about?

Electronic Warfare Systems a $28 Bn Market Over Next Decade

EA-18G Growler

Industry analyst firm Forecast International’s “The Market for Electronic Warfare Systems” predicts that the development and production of leading electronic warfare systems will represent a $28 billion market over the next 10 years. The category includes jammers, radar warning receivers (RWRs), electronic support measure (ESM) systems, and missile countermeasure systems.