Last updated: Wednesday Jan 29, 2020 - 05:00 UTC ()
From VH-71 to VXX: the Future of US Presidential Helicopters
AH-64E Apache Block III: Evolving Battlefield Roles
Rapid Fire | Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 05:00 UTC ()
National Technologies Associates Tapped For Presidential Helicopter Support | Croatian OH-58D Crashed | Japan To Launch Space Defense Unit
Americas
National Technologies Associates won a $104.9 million deal in support of the Presidential Helicopters Program Office, Helicopter Marine Squadron One (HMX-1), and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Twenty-One (HX-21). The contract is specifically for contractor logistics; research, development, test and evaluation; limited engineering and aircraft maintenance support on designated aircraft. The Presidential Helicopters Program Office has the responsibility of providing current and future (VXX) safe and timely helicopter transportation for the President and Vice President of the United States, heads of state and other official parties. Work will take place in Maryland and Virginia and is expected to be complete in February 2025.
The US Army awarded Boeing a $54.4 contract modification for retrofit kits and software development for the Apache Attack Helicopter. The Apache is a twin-engined army attack helicopter. It entered service with the US Army in 1984 and has been exported to Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UK. The US Army has more than 800 Apaches in service. The US military first used the Apache in combat back in 1989 in Panama. It was also used in Operation Desert Storm and has supported low intensity and peacekeeping operations worldwide including Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo. Boeing will perform work under the modification in Mesa, Arizona. Estimated completion date is November 30, 2021.
Middle East & Africa
The US Air Force has confirmed that one of its Bombardier E-11A aircraft was lost in Afghanistan. The aircraft went down in Taliban-controlled territory in eastern Afghanistan on January 27. The service has four of these aircraft carrying the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node. It is unclear how many people were on board. Taliban social media accounts have posted unverified footage showing a burnt-out plane with US Air Force markings. The E-11A is an electronics surveillance aircraft used to bridge communications on the battlefield. Given the mountainous and rugged terrain in Afghanistan, the E-11A is essential for transmitting communications between ground units, commanders as well as other assets in the region. The aircraft is assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.
Europe
Lockheed Martin started building the first F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter for Denmark. Production began at its Fort Worth production facility in Texas. According to the company, the forward fuselage of aircraft L-001, the first of 27 F-35As destined for the Royal Danish Air Force entered production the week prior. Completion of this aircraft is scheduled for late 2020. Having selected the F-35A to replace its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons in 2016, Denmark decided in 2018 to hedge payments of $3.7 billion so that the country’s department of defense could acquire the aircraft at a fixed price in its local currency, the Krone.
Croatia has lost a OH-58D on January 27 when the helicopter crashed off the country’s coast during a training flight. One pilot has been confirmed killed, while search is underway for the second crew member. The military helicopter crashed into the Adriatic Sea during a training flight. Reportedly the helicopter crashed between the island of Zlarin and the coastal town of Zablace near Sibenik. Croatia reportedly obtained 16 Kiowa Warrior helicopters, made between 2010 and 2012, as a donation from the United States in 2016.
Asia-Pacific
The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday his country will form a space defense unit to protect itself from potential threats as rivals develop missiles and other technology, noting that the new unit will work closely with its American counterpart recently launched by President Donald Trump. The Space Domain Mission Unit will start in April as part of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, Abe said in a policy speech marking the start of the year’s parliamentary session. He also said that Japan must defend itself from threats in cyberspace and from electromagnetic interference against Japanese satellites. Concerns are growing that China and Russia are seeking ways to interfere, disable or destroy satellites.
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More In-depth Contract News & Updates
$ervice’s Bottom Line: The T56 Engine Example, 2013 – 2019
| Rolls Royce won a $69.1 million deal for the T56 Engine Component Improvement Program (CIP). The T56 Engine CIP establishes a prioritized list of projects each calendar year to include developing engineering changes to the engines, developing organizational, intermediate and depot level repairs as needed, and designing modifications to existing support equipment as well as initiating new support equipment designs as required by engine driven changes. The T56 family military turboprop is the leading large turboprop engine globally by a number of units sold and has over 230 million operating hours. It was originally developed by the Allison Engine Company for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport entering production in 1954. It has been a Rolls-Royce product since 1995 when Allison was acquired by Rolls-Royce. The T56 is a robust, reliable turboprop engine operating in military and civil aircraft worldwide. The engine’s commercial version, the T56 501-D, is the world-leading large turboprop engine. Work will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana and is scheduled to be finished by December 31, 2029. More »
US Navy on the T-AKE As It Beefs Up Supply Ship Capacity
| Vigor Marine won a 15.3 million contract or a 75 calendar-day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10). Vigor Marine is a commercial repair and modernization subsidiary of Vigor Industrial. The shipyard offers eight drydocks, more than 15,000 feet of pier space and tens of thousands of square feet of superior indoor facilities to serve vessels of nearly any size. The USNS Charles Drew is a Lewis and Clark Class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, built in 2009. The Navy vessel was delivered to Military Sealift Command on 14 July 2010 and began conducting missions for MSC in spring 2011, mainly operating in the Pacific Ocean. Work will take place in Portland, Oregon. Expected completion will be by May 9, 2020. More »
The New Chinooks: Boeing’s Modern H-47 Heavy-Lift Helicopters
| The Pentagon’s semiannual report “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” revealed that Washington plans to provide CH-47 helicopters to Afghanistan’s Special Mission Wing. The report says the Pentagon has approved the plan and the Wing’s Mi-17s will be replaced by the Chinook by 2023. It states that “The United States continued to provide the ANDSF the necessary equipment and training to improve their capacity during this reporting period and focused advisory efforts at the “point of need” with reliable security partners to increase their effectiveness.” “DoD continued to provide additional combat aircraft to the Afghan Air Force and plans to provide CH-47 Chinook helicopters to the Special Mission Wing to support its counter-terrorism operations and replace its Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters,” the report also said. The NATO-led Train, Advise, Assist Mission officials had earlier said that the alliance would step up efforts to triple the size of the Afghan Air Force by 2023. More »
Bringing Home the BACN to Front-Line Forces
| Northrop Grumman won a $217.2 million modification, which provides for Battlefield Airborne Communications Node payload operation and support for payload equipment and services. Under the contract, Northrup Grumman will support payload equipment and services for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, a US Air Force relay and gateway system carried by the EQ-48 and Bombardier E-11A aircraft. The node enables real-time information flow across the battlespace in line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight operations. Work will take place in San Diego and at undisclosed overseas locations, with an expected completion date of January 23, 2021. More »
V-22 Osprey: The Multi-Year Buys, 2008-2017
| BAE Systems Controls won a $7.7 million contract modification, which provides for non-recurring engineering for the Forward Defense Weapons Systems cockpit controls and cabin intrusion reduction effort and associated prototypes in support of the tiltrotor aircraft, CV-22. The CV-22 Osprey is the US Air Force special operations variant of the V-22 tiltrotor transport aircraft. It features enhancements and flight control systems that enable it to operate in high-risk combat environments to rescue downed pilots, or insert and extract special operations forces behind enemy lines. The third variant of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, the CMV-22B, took flight for the first time recently on January 21. Work will take place in Endicott, New York, Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Estimated completion date is in June 2022. More »
