Great Engine War II Ends: F136 Engine Discontinued by GE/RR

Gentlemen, start your…

Back in January 2006 the Pentagon attempted to remove FY 2007 funding from the F-35 Lightning II’s second engine option, the GE/ Rolls Royce F136. As predicted, protests from fellow Tier 1 partner Britain followed at the highest levels of government. Many in the US Congress, meanwhile, were openly skeptical of handing Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine the keys to the entire F-35 fleet. In the end, the Pentagon’s argument that low program risk made R&D spending on F136 development a waste, failed. Congress re-inserted funding, and F136 development has continued on schedule.

Fast forward to the FY 2008 budget. For the second year in a row, the USAF removed funding for the GE/RR F136, arguing that killing the F136 would free up $1.8 billion. Politicians disagreed, and the USA’s GAO auditors backed them up. Funding was reinstated. Again. That process was repeated every year until December 2011, when Pratt & Whitney was finally handed its engine monopoly over all 3 services’ core fighter jet of the future.

Elbit USA Supplying WAC-HUD EMA Upgrades to USAF F-16s

US F-16, Balkans 1999

Elbit Systems of America, LLC in Fort Worth, TX has been producing F-16 related components for over 2 decades; indeed, that’s how the US subsidiary got its start in the aviation market. It wasn’t a huge stretch, as Israel’s F-16s contain a lot of Israeli electronics. That expertise has translated into service and export sales, including production in and for the F-16′s original home market.

Elbit Systems of America, LLC recently announced a $38.5 million, 5-year, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity from the US Defense Logistics Agency-Ogden, with $3 million in initial orders. In return, they’ll supply Electronic Module Assemblies (EMA) for Wide Angle Conventional Head- Up Displays (WAC-HUDs), to equip all USAF F-16C/D Block 30 and Block 50 cockpits. Elbit says that their new design is the result of a partnership with the USAF, adding that the result reduces total part count, lowers power consumption, and significantly improves mean time between failures (MTBF). All of which translates into lower life-cycle costs.

Elbit & GD Create, Dissolve UAS Dynamics LLC for US Market

The UAV market’s low cost of entry is spurring manufacturers around the world to enter, or re-enter, the military aircraft market as prime contractors. That’s also true in the USA, where former aviation powerhouses Northrop and Grumman have a stable of high-end UAVs; and Raytheon unveiled the Killer Bee 4, which will become a full-spectrum UAV family.

Even former fighter manufacturer General Dynamics stepped back in for a while, via a May 2009 partnership between Elbit Systems of America, LLC and General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products…

Rapid Fire 2011-12-05: Japan’s ATD-X Stealth Fighter

• The Pentagon is considering updating Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to incorporate a “proposal adequacy checklist” for proposals in response to solicitations that require submission of certified cost or pricing data. Comments should be sent to DoD in writing before January 31, 2012, to be considered in the formation of the final rule.

• Switzerland’s largest socialist party (SPS) passes a resolution saying that they’ll try to stop the deal for 22 Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighters. We aren’t surprised, either.

• Photos of a Japanese ATD-X stealth fighter mock-up. Which seems to be re-using a Mitsubishi F1 canopy. Still waiting for cool transforming robots…