V-22 Osprey: The Multi-Year Buys, 2008-2017

Jan 21, 2019 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Defense Logistics Agency awarded the Bell Boeing Joint Program Office $143.9 million for V-22 support. The contract includes performance-based logistics and engineering support for the V-22 platform. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is multi-mission, tiltrotor aircraft that has vertical takeoff and landings well as short takeoff and landing capabilities. In July 2018, Bell Boeing received a $4 billion contract that included the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the Navy, 14 MV-22B aircraft for the Marine Corps, and one CV-22B for the Air Force. Under this performance-based logistics contract, Bell Boeing focuses on improving aircraft maintainability and mission readiness for the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps V-22 fleets. The team’s responsibilities are site activation, maintenance planning, training and trainer support, support equipment, and dedicated field personnel for all V-22 squadrons around the globe. Performance completion date is November 30, 2019.

In March 2008, the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, TX received a $10.4 billion modification that converted the previous N00019-07-C-0001 advance acquisition contract to a fixed-price-incentive-fee, multi-year contract. The new contract rose to $10.92 billion, and was used to buy 143 MV-22 (for USMC) and 31 CV-22 (Air Force Special Operations) Osprey aircraft, plus associated manufacturing tooling to move the aircraft into full production. A follow-on MYP-II contract covered another 99 Ospreys (92 MV-22, 7 CV-22) for $6.524 billion. Totals: $17.444 billion for 235 MV-22s and 38 CV-22s, an average of $63.9 million each.

The V-22 tilt-rotor program has been beset by controversy throughout its 20-year development period. Despite these issues, and the emergence of competitive but more conventional compound helicopter technologies like Piasecki’s X-49 Speedhawk and Sikorsky’s X2, the V-22 program continues to move forward. This DID Spotlight article looks at the V-22’s multi-year purchase contract from 2008-12 and 2013-2017, plus associated contracts for key V-22 systems, program developments, and research sources.

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Starry Eyed: Elbit’s Hermes 900 MALE UAV

Jan 09, 2019 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: For the first time Chile showcased the Elbit Systems Hermes 900 medium-altitude long endurance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that it acquired from Israel in 2011. The Chilean Airforce highlighted the roles of several of its aircraft in fighting recent wildfires. Chile was Israel’s first export customer for the Hermes 900. The UAV was shown on static display at Quintero Air Base. The Hermes 900 is designed for tactical missions, has an endurance of over 30 hours and can fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet. It is currently assigned to surveillance and monitoring.

Hermes 900

Elbit Systems has enjoyed considerable domestic and export success with its Hermes 450, which sits at the smaller end of the MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV spectrum. As UAVs proved themselves, Elbit wasn’t interested in ceding the market for larger and more capable MALE UAVs to the likes of IAI and General Atomics.

They invested company funds to create the larger Hermes 900, but those kinds of investments eventually need a buyer. In 2010, their home country of Israel stepped up, and became the anchor buyer for the “Kochav” (“Star”). They weren’t the last. A comparison with the popular Hermes 450 is instructive…

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The JAS-39 Gripen: Sweden’s 4+ Generation Wild Card

Dec 28, 2018 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) is allocating more funds for Gripen E combat aircraft production. The $48 million contract boost allows Saab to build the Gripen Es from new parts instead with parts from salvaged Gripen Cs. The Swedish Air Force currently has 60 Gripen Es on order and is expected to cost just short of $7 billion in total. The JAS-39 Gripen is an excellent lightweight fighter by all accounts, with attractive flyaway costs and performance. Its canard design allows for quick “slew and point” maneuvers, allowing it to take advantage of the modern trend toward helmet-mounted displays, and air-air missiles with much wider boresight targeting cones.

South African JAS-39D

As a neutral country with a long history of providing for its own defense against all comers, Sweden also has a long tradition of building excellent high-performance fighters with a distinctive look. From the long-serving Saab-35 Draken (“Dragon,” 1955-2005) to the Mach 2, canard-winged Saab-37 Viggen (“Thunderbolt,” 1971-2005), Swedish fighters have stressed short-field launch from dispersed/improvised air fields, world-class performance, and leading-edge design. This record of consistent project success is nothing short of amazing, especially for a country whose population over this period has ranged from 7-9 million people.

This is DID’s FOCUS Article for background, news, and contract awards related to the JAS-39 Gripen (“Griffon”), a canard-winged successor to the Viggen and one of the world’s first 4+ generation fighters. Gripen remains the only lightweight 4+ generation fighter type in service, its performance and operational economics are both world-class, and it has become one of the most recognized fighter aircraft on the planet. Unfortunately for its builders, that recognition has come from its appearance in Saab and Volvo TV commercials, rather than from hoped-for levels of military export success. With its 4+ generation competitors clustered in the $60-120+ million range vs. the Gripen’s claimed $40-60 million, is there a light at the end of the tunnel for Sweden’s lightweight fighter? In 2013 a win in Brazil started to answer that question.

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The USA’s NGJ Strike Jammers: Raytheon’s Mid-Band Win

Oct 29, 2018 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: L3 Technologies is being contracted to advance its prototype developed under the Navy's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program. The awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is priced at $35.8 million and provides for the demonstration and test of existing technologies and associated technical data for L3's NGJ low-band prototype. The NGJ program will eventually replace the AN/ALQ-99 jamming system currently installed on the EA-18G Growler. The broader aim is to develop a more cost effective AEA system with better performance against advanced threats through expanded broadband capability for greater threat coverage. Work will be performed at multiple locations including - but not limited to - Salt Lake City, Utah; Boulder, Colorado and Waco, Texas. L3's is expected to complete this contract in June 2020.

EA-18G Growler

The US Navy owns the only operational tactical jamming fighters in the world, but the AN/ALQ-99 pods they depend on use analog technologies, are hard to maintain, and have reliability issues. All-digital technologies and modern transmit/receive electronics offer huge leaps ahead in capability and availability, which is why the US military is working on a Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) replacement for the pods on its tactical strike aircraft.

The EA-18G Growler will be the NGJ’s first platform, but the flexibility of modern technologies mean that it may not be the last.

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Modernizing Canada’s Halifax Class Frigates

Feb 23, 2018 04:58 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Raytheon Canada will overhaul and provide in-service support for the Royal Canadian Navy's Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems. Valued at CAD$330 million (USD$260.1 million), the deal tasks Raytheon with providing "maintenance, fleet technical support, repair and overhaul services on the Phalanx mounts which will ensure the systems are ready to address current and emerging threats." Work will take place at Raytheon Canada's Calgary facility. The deal follows an award reported earlier this month for Raytheon to upgrade the radars used on the RCN's Phalanx CIWS.

HMCS Montreal & sub:
HMCS Windsor

Launched between 1988-1995, and commissioned between 1992-1996, Canada’s 12 City Class (now Halifax Class) frigates currently form the high end of its naval capabilities. The Canadian Navy has declined drastically from its post-WWII status as the world’s 4th largest navy, and the Halifax Class itself is finding that its open-ocean design is not suited to cope with modern littoral threats and improving anti-ship missiles. Replacement vessels are still many years away, which means that the 4,750t frigates will need to be modernized within the limits of their design if they are to remain effective.

Canada’s government has decided to fund that modernization, much as Australia and New Zealand are modernizing the Halifax Class’ ANZAC Frigate contemporaries. Refits are scheduled to begin with HMCS Halifax in 2010, and that ship is scheduled to re-enter service about 18 months later in 2012. By 2017, all 12 frigates are scheduled to be upgraded as part of a C$ 3.1 billion (about $2.9 billion) program. This DII Spotlight article explains the scope of the upgrades, notes the current systems, and covers the contracts and developments involved.

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Israel’s AH-64A Attack Helos Get Custom Upgrades – Despite the USA

Oct 26, 2017 04:58 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Israeli military authorities have lifted the remaining restrictions on AH-64 Apache flights following an accident this summer. The IAF Apache fleet had been temporarily grounded in the immediate aftermath of the August 7 crash—which resulted in the death of one crew member—but flights were later resumed under heavy restrictions while a final report on the incident was being compiled. The final report found that the crash at Ramon air base was caused by incorrect installation of a tail rotor control rod after a preliminary report ruled out a previously identified problem of tail rotor blade cracks which caused a temporary halt to operations in July.

Israeli AH-64D

Israel’s attack helicopter fleet still flies AH-1 Cobras, but larger and more heavily armored AH-64 Apache helicopters began arriving in 1990, and have distinguished themselves in a number of war since. The country received 44 AH-64A helicopters from 1990 – 1993. Additional buys, conversions, and losses placed the fleet at 45 helicopters as of Flight Global’s World Air Forces 2013 report, split between AH-64As and more modern AH-64D Longbows.

The AH-64D Longbow’s sophisticated mast-mounted radar can quickly pick up tanks and other dangerous targets, but isn’t designed to distinguish civilians from combatants, or to hover close over the deck in highly populated areas. Confronted by asymmetrical urban warfare and budget priority issues, and faced with a lack of cooperation from the Obama administration, the IAF decided in 2010 to forego AH-64D upgrades for their remaining helicopters. On the other hand, the type’s consistent usefulness has led Israeli to make extensive improvements of their own, to the point where Israel has effectively created their own improved AH-64A configuration…

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Hydra, Awakened: Guided Air-Ground Rockets

Sep 05, 2017 04:59 UTC

Latest updates[?]: * General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been awarded a $60 million US Army contract modification to an earlier 2014 award for additional Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket systems. The rockets will be for US combat aircraft and for customers of the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The unguided 2.75"/70mm Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket comes in a wide variety of warhead configurations and is used by a variety offixed-wing and rotary aircraft, including Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, F-16 Fighting Falcons and aircraft of other nations.

Boom.

Sen. Leahy’s [D-VT] worked in the mid-2000s to keep the Hydra 70mm rocket family alive through special appropriations, just in time for the Hydras’ potential on the battlefield to rise again. The key was the addition of low-cost precision guidance, which would expand the number of precision weapons carried by helicopters, aircraft, and even UAVs.

Over the last few years, the US Army’s 2nd attempt at an APKWS 70mm guided rocket had a near-death experience, before righting the program with Navy funding. Meanwhile, private development efforts are introducing new competitors into the precision-guided rocket space: Lockheed Martin, Thales TDA, and a raft of international partnerships involving major defense firms and partners in Korea, the UAE, Canada/Norway, and Israel. This DID FOCUS article covers the most prominent competitors within the guided rocket trend. Their products will sit between full anti-armor missiles like Hellfire, TOW, and Brimstone, and an emerging class of ultra-small precision attack weapons like Northrop Grumman’s Viper Strike, Raytheon’s Griffin, etc.

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VBTP Guarani: A New APC for Brazil

Jan 10, 2017 00:57 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Israel's Elbit Systems has been contracted by the Brazilian Army to supply remote controlled weapons stations. Named REMAX, the system will be supplied over a five-year period and an initial production order worth $7.5 million. A REMAX turret is fitted on Brazilian VBTP-MR Guarani APCs, which includes a .50 machine gun, gives soldiers 360° capacity and is equipped with night vision, thermal vision, high resolution camera and zoom.

VBTP concept

In December 2009, Brazil signed a EUR 2.5 billion deal with Italy’s Iveco that aims to renew its wheeled armored personnel carrier fleet, and revive Brazil’s land vehicle defense industry in the bargain. The 6×6 Guarani Viatura Blindada Transporte de Pessoal, Media de Rodas (VBTP-MR) is envisaged as a vehicle family that can replace Engesa’s wheeled vehicles. Their EE-9 and EE-11 have suffered from age-related problems, questionable protection levels, and a shortage of ready spares since Engesa’s 1993 bankruptcy.

Iveco is best known around the world for its trucks, but its Iveco Fiat Oto Melara joint venture has designed and fielded the core of Italy’s tank, wheeled APC, and tracked IFV fleets. The firm already has the new Puma wheeled 6×6/ 4×4 APC in its offering set, but the VBTP will offer them a new market, a new joint venture, and new export opportunities.

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F-X2: Brazil’s Saab Contract for Gripen’s a Done Deal

Dec 19, 2016 00:48 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The former president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has lashed out against allegations that he interfered with a government tender to procure new fighters. Lula's lawyers said he had no role in the selection of the Saab Gripen fighter jets in December 2013, and obtained no illicit gains related to the deal. In response to the case, Saab reiterated that they had rigorous policies controlling their business relationships, and highlighted that the company and their representatives were not facing any charges.

FAB JAS-39E

As Brazil started boosting its defense budgets in past years, its Navy and Army received funds to replace broken-down equipment, while new fighters will be a critical centerpiece of the Forca Aerea Brasileira’s (FAB) efforts.

Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, France’s Dassault’s Rafale, Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen NG were picked as finalists. But after repeated stalling, for years the question was whether Brazil would actually place an order, or fold up the competition like the ill-fated 2011 F-X process. At the end of 2013, Brazil unexpectedly picked the Swedish offer, thanks to its offsets, price, and lack of diplomatic baggage. An initial contract is now in place, and this Spotlight article takes you through the competition, choices, and ongoing developments in a country that seems likely to become the world’s largest Gripen fleet.

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LAS in, LAS out: Counter-Insurgency Planes for the USA and its Allies

Sep 25, 2014 18:40 UTC

Latest updates[?]: 1st delivery. Power sharing agreement in Afghanistan doesn't solve daunting problems.

Winner

The USA needs a plane that can provide effective precision close air support and JTAC training, and costs about $1,000 per flight hour to operate – instead of the $15,000+ they’re paying now to use advanced jet fighters at 10% of their capabilities. Countries on the front lines of the war’s battles needed a plane that small or new air forces can field within a reasonable time, and use effectively. If these 2 needs are filled by the same aircraft, everything becomes easier for US allies and commanders. One would think that this would have been obvious around October 2001, but it took until 2008 for this understanding to even gain momentum within the Pentagon. A series of intra-service, political, and legal fights have ensured that these capabilities won’t arrive before 2015 at the earliest, and won’t arrive for the USAF at all.

The USA has now issued 2 contracts related to this need. The first was killed by a lawsuit that the USAF didn’t think they could defend successfully. Since February 2013 they have a contract that they hope will stick. The 3 big questions are simple. Will the past be prologue for the new award? Will there be an Afghan government to begin taking delivery of their 20 planes much beyond 2014? And will another allied government soon need to use this umbrella contract for its own war?

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