Rapid Fire: 2011-02-25

• Boeing takes the $30 billion KC-X aerial tanker contract back from Airbus, an outcome that left several observers surprised. More to come on Monday.

• UAE defense contracts announced at IDEX 2011. See the full lists from Day 1 (AED 4+ billion), Day 2 (AED ~4 billion), and Day 3 (AED 3.7 billion). 1 dirhan = $0.2723.

• Russian defense ministry announces 19 trillion ruble ($651 billion) arms procurement program for 2011-2020 that includes plans to buy 100 ships, over 600 aircraft, and 1,000 helicopters.

• Jordan kicks off orders and manufacturing for the RPG-32 Hashim 105mm/ 72mm shoulder-fired rocket system, jointly developed with Russian firms. The new Jordan Russian Electronic Systems Company (JRESCO) facility is expected to have a capacity of 60,000 weapons per year.

• UAE and Russia sign $74 million contract for the modernization of 135 Russian BMP-3 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles used by the UAE armed forces.

• France and Russia are in talks about Russia purchasing Felin advanced “future soldier” system produced by Sagem Défense Sécurité; the equipment includes body armor, ballistic helmet, and portable C4ISR equipment.

• Russia has abandoned its Geo-IK-2 satellite – designed to gather gravitational data to improve guidance of ballistic missiles – which was launched into an incorrect orbit earlier in February.

• China displaying its new LS-6 GPS-guided weapons at IDEX 2011.

• Up to $900 million [PDF] to 11 companies – BAE Systems, InDyne, Johnson Controls, SAIC, Sim-G Technologies and 6 small business qualifiers – to supply electronic security systems to the US Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, AL.

• Also, the US Army Corp of Engineers’ Middle East District is seeking bids to provide Afghanistan reconstruction security support services, including comprehensive security, operations, transportation, aircraft, and intelligence.

• We’ll end on a cheery note, with some fine photos of the 2 Libyan Mirage F1 fighters that landed in Malta, after their pilots defected rather than obey orders to bomb demonstrators.

UAE Gives M346 a LIFT

M-346

The United Arab Emirates’ government announced at IDEX 2009 that it has selected a winner in its lead-in fighter trainer and light attack aircraft competition. The competition has been closely contested, as new options have appeared on the market, and the UAE’s planned order of up to 60 planes could provide an important sales and investment boost.

IDEX 2007 saw the shortlist announced. BAE’s Hawk already serves in this role for a number of air forces around the world, and is in service with the UAE, but their Mk128 variant was eliminated early. That left Aermacchi’s M346, a spinoff from a collaborative effort that also produced Russia’s very similar Yak-130; and Korean Aerospace’s supersonic T/A-50, designed and marketed in conjunction with Lockheed Martin…

Is It Smart for the US Army to Develop Smartphones?

Smartphone: Good Idea?

The US Army soldier is burdened with C4ISR technology. The soldier uses a handheld radio to talk to other soldiers and commanders, Blue Force Tracker to track friendly and enemy forces, a portable GPS receiver to determine location, a ROVER system to receive UAV video feeds, and, if he or she is lucky enough, an Afghan interpreter to communicate with the locals.

What if all these things could be brought together on one device – a smartphone that millions use every day in civilian life. The US Army has undertaken an effort, called Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications (CSDA), to develop smartphones for the office and the battlefield, such as tracking enemy movements, determining locations of fellow soldiers, sending intelligence reports, and receiving live UAV video.

There are a number of obstacles to this bold vision, however, not the least of which is security. How will the Army ensure that all of this classified information is protected using open source commercial technology?