A Videogame With Real Guns: The USA’s CROWS RWS Contracts

Sep 18, 2018 04:58 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is set to further support the US Army's CROWS. The awarded firm-fixed-price contract has a value of $498.3 million and provides for the continued production, sustainment and recurring engineering services needed to keep the M153 CROWS operational. The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, is a multi-vehicle externally mounted remote weapon system that allows the Gunner to remain inside the armor protected vehicle while firing a variety of crew served weapons. It allows on-the-move target acquisition and first-burst target engagement. Capable of target engagement under day and night conditions, the CROWS sensor suite includes a daytime video camera, thermal camera and laser rangefinder. It can mount weapons such as the M2 HB .50-cal Machine Gun, Mk19 40-mm Automatic Grenade Machine Gun, M240B 7.62-mm MG and M249 5.56-mm Squad Automatic Weapon. Work is estimated to be completed by September 2022.

CROWS in Iraq

Most military vehicles can mount some sort of weapon, and even small protected vehicles like up-armored Hummers have top mounts. Manning them can be hazardous, however, as the story behind the Chavis Turret illustrates. Gunners are especially exposed to enemy sniper fire and counter-fire in urban environments, which figure prominently in current and expected war scenarios.

In response, larger armored vehicles have begun using Remote Weapon Systems (RWS), consisting of a gun and sensors that sit on top of the vehicle. These systems are controlled from inside via joystick and screen, and all ammunition, sensors, etc. are part of the topside assembly. The USA’s Common Remotely-Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) brings those capabilities to smaller vehicles, like up-armored Hummers or blast-resistant MRAPs. CROWS orders had traditionally been filled by Recon/Optical Inc., but a major “CROWS-II” framework agreement with Kongsberg in 2007 changed that landscape. In 2012 the CROWS-3 competition confirmed Kongsberg as the incumbent supplier, via a large multi-year contract that will deliver new systems and maintain existing ones.

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Puma AE: An “All Environment” Mini-UAV

Sep 18, 2018 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Aerovironment is being tapped to support and deliver a RQ-20B Puma AE II system to the Estonian armed forces. The firm-fixed-price contract has a value of $8.8 million and includes the UAS and relevant support. The Puma AE is capable of conducting intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition (ISRT), battle damage assessment, maritime patrol, search and rescue and drug interdiction missions over water or land. The Puma is Aerovironment's largest mini-UAV, but it’s still man-portable and hand-launched. The Puma AE’s most significant innovation is that it can land on both land and water, surviving near-vertical “deep stall” final approaches. Work will be performed at the company's facility in Monrovia, California and will be completed by end of March, 2019.

Puma AE team

The mini-UAV market may lack the high individual price tags of vehicles like the RQ-4 Global Hawk, or the battlefield strike impact of an MQ-9 Reaper, but it does have 2 advantages. One is less concern about “deconfliction” with manned aircraft, as described in “RQ-7 Shadow, or the Cessna-sized MQ-1 Predator.

The other advantage is mini-UAVs’ suitability for special operations troops, who are being employed in numbers on the front lines around the world. “Raven UAVs Winning Gold in Afghanistan’s ‘Commando Olympics’” details the global scale of this interest – and in July 2008, a $200 million US SOCOM contract for a breakthrough mini-UAV underscored it again. Now AeroVironment’s S2AS/ RQ-20A Puma AE is moving beyond Special Operations, and into the regular force.

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MH-60R/S: The USA’s New Naval Workhorse Helicopters

Sep 17, 2018 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Royal Saudi Navy now flies the first of its new MH-60R helicopters. The helicopter was handed over at a ceremony last Thursday, marking a major milestone in the Saudi naval multirole helicopter acquisition program. The MH-60R is designed to handle all surface attack and anti-submarine roles by itself, and can fulfil secondary missions that include directing naval surface fire support, search and rescue, vertical replenishment, logistics support, personnel transport, medical evacuation and communications and data relay. Saudi Arabia’s $1.9 billion purchase of 10 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters was finalised in 2015.

USN Heli Plan

The US Army’s UH-60 Black Hawks have always had a naval counterpart. SH-60B/F Seahawk/ LAMPS helicopters were outfitted with maritime radar, sonobuoys, and other specialized equipment that let them perform a wide variety of roles, from supply and transport, to anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and even surface attack with torpedoes or Kongsberg’s AGM-119 Penguin missiles. Like their land-based counterparts, however, the Seahawks are getting older. The Reagan defense build-up is receding into history, and its products are wearing out.

European countries chose to build new designs like the medium-heavy EH101 and the NH90 medium helicopter. They’re larger than the H-60s, make heavy use of corrosion-proof composites, and add new features like rear ramps. The USA, in contrast, decided to upgrade existing H-60 designs for the Army and Navy. Hence the MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopter (aka. “Romeo”) and MH-60S (aka. “Sierra”) Seahawks. MH-60Rs and MH-60Ss will eventually replace all SH-60B/F & HH-60H Seahawks, HH-1N Hueys, UH-3H Sea Kings, and CH-46D Sea Knight helicopters currently in the US Navy’s inventory. Both programs are underway, and will be covered in this DID FOCUS Article.

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Apache Helicopter Pilots Take Aim with Arrowhead

Aug 31, 2018 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The United Arab Emirates will receive a number of sensors, designators and processors for its AH-64E Apache helicopters as part of a US Foreign Military Sale. Lockheed Martin will produce modernized day sensor assembly (M-DSA) kits, laser range finder designators, and flight code processors at a cost of $44.8 million. The M-DSA, also known as Arrowhead, is an electro-optical and fire control system that the Apache helicopter pilots use for combat targeting of their Hellfire missiles and other weapons, as well as flying in day, night, or bad weather missions. Tin 2010, the UAE bought a total of 60 Apaches in a $5 billion deal. Work will be performed at the contractor's location in Orlando, Florida and is scheduled for completion by the end of April, 2022.

AH-64 & Arrowhead

For much of the post-WWII era, US helicopter pilots have been trained to fly “low and fast.” This was based on combat experience in Korea and Vietnam. In the urban environments of Iraq and Afghanistan, however, flying low and fast has made helicopters more vulnerable to a number of threats: terrain, wires/powerlines, rocket propelled grenades, small arms fire, and shoulder-fired missiles.

Enter the Arrowhead system. Arrowhead is an electro-optical and fire control system that AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots use for combat targeting of their Hellfire missiles and other weapons, as well as flying in day, night, or bad weather missions. The system also provides accurate targeting at high altitudes, a practice that also has its drawbacks. This free-to-view Spotlight article covers the Arrowhead’s characteristics, components, contacts, consequences, and contracts.

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Pilum High: The Javelin Anti-Armor Missile

Aug 28, 2018 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US Army is modernizing its stockpiles of Javelin missiles. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin will conduct a holistic engineering development to modernise the Javelin Weapon System under this $14.3 million contract modification. The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable anti-tank missile used to destroy moving vehicles, fixed fortifications, troops in the open and low-flying helicopters. It can be used for direct fire or in a pop-up mode that allows it to hit tanks from above to take advantage of their thinner top armor. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona and is expected to be completed by September, 2020.

Javelin, firing

The FGM-148 Javelin missile system aimed to solve 2 key problems experienced by American forces. One was a series of disastrous experiences in Vietnam, trying to use 66mm M72 LAW rockets against old Soviet tanks. A number of replacement options like the Mk 153 SMAW and the AT4/M136 spun out of that effort in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until electronics had miniaturized for several more cycles that it became possible to solve the next big problem: the need for soldiers to remain exposed to enemy fire while guiding anti-tank missiles to their targets.

Javelin solves both of those problems at once, offering a heavy fire-and-forget missile that will reliably destroy any enemy armored vehicle, and many fortifications as well. While armored threats are less pressing these days, the need to destroy fortified outposts and rooms in buildings remains. Indeed, one of the lessons from both sides of the 2006 war in Lebanon has been the infantry’s use of guided missiles as a form of precision artillery fire. Javelin isn’t an ideal candidate for that latter role, due to its high cost-per-unit; nevertheless, it has often been used this way. Its performance in Iraq has revealed a clear niche on both low and high intensity battlefields, and led to rising popularity with American and international clients.

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Team Torpedo: US Firms Sell & Support MK48s and MK54s

Aug 24, 2018 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Progeny Systems is set to supply the Navy and a number of US foreign military sales customers with a number of Mk-54 Mod 1 lightweight torpedo kits. The contract has a value of $40.6 million, but includes options which, if exercised, would increase the total face value of the contract to $303.2 million. FMS customers include Canada, Australia, the UK and Taiwan. The Mod 1 kit is an upgrade that adds a new sonar array assembly, and improved processing capability. The torpedo has a price-tag of $1 million per piece and is designed to work in both deep water and near-shore or shallow environments. Work will bet performed at multiple locations, including Charleroi, Pennsylvania; Salt Lake City, Utah and Manassas, Virgini

Mk 48: Before and After
(click for full sequence)

The Mk-48 is the standard heavyweight torpedo used by the US military, and is mounted primarily on submarines. Surface ships use the smaller Mk46 or Mk50. The Mk-54, in contrast, stemmed from the need for a smaller, lighter, and cost effective advanced torpedo – one that could be dropped from helicopters, planes, and smaller ships. In recent years, the US has moved to modernize and maintain its Mk-48 inventory; the Mk-54 also requires servicing and spares.

Many of these contracts were issued under a total enterprise partnership between Raytheon and the US Navy called Team Torpedo, dedicated to meeting the needs of U.S. and allied naval fleets. Team Torpedo combines Raytheon’s manufacturing, design engineering, and support services expertise with the systems engineering and testing capabilities of Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) operations in Newport, RI, and Keyport, WA. Now, a new provider has entered the picture. DID has the complete set of contracts below… plus more details regarding the torpedoes involved, and the answer to the question “what the heck is CBASS standard”?

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Moving Target: Raytheon’s GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb II

Jul 02, 2018 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Air Force is contracting Raytheon in support of weapons integration on its fleet of F/A-18E/F fighter aircraft. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is valued at $93 million and provides for the integration of the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) onto the fighter jet. Raytheon’s GBU-53/B SDB-II is 7? in diameter around the tri-mode (laser, IIR, radar) seeker, with a clamshell protective door that comes off when the bomb is dropped. Range is expected to be up to 40 nautical miles when launched at altitude, thanks to a high lift-to-drag ratio in the design. Since SDB-II is an unpowered glide bomb, its actual range will always depend on launching altitude and circumstances. This contract provides for the testing, analysis, support and sustainment of SDB II weapon onto the F/A-18E/F platform with developmental and operational testing. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by July 1, 2023.

GBU-53/B, aka. SDB-II

The 250 pound GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb gives American fighters the ability to carry more high-precision GPS-guided glide bombs, without sacrificing punching power against fortified targets. The initial award to Boeing was controversial, and the Darlene Druyun corruption scandal ultimately forced a re-compete of the Increment II development program. Whereas the initial GBU-39 SDB-I offered GPS-guided accuracy in a small and streamlined package, the goal of the GBU-53 SDB-II competition was a bomb that could hit moving targets in any weather, using a combination of guidance modes.

For the SDB-II competition, Boeing found itself allied with Lockheed Martin, its key opponent for the initial SDB-I contract. Its main competitor this time was Raytheon, whose SDB-II bid team found itself sharing its tri-mode seeker technology with a separate Boeing team, as they compete together for the tri-service JAGM missile award against… Lockheed Martin. So, is Raytheon’s win of the SDB-II competition also good news for its main competitor? It’s certainly good news for Raytheon, who wins a program that could be worth over $5 billion.

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APKWS II: Laser-Guided Hydra Rockets in Production At Last

Jun 29, 2018 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Navy is ordering more fire power from BAE Systems. The company is being awarded a contract modification to a previous firm-fixed-price delivery order valued at $224,3 million. The modification provides for the production and delivery of an additional 10,185 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems II (APKWS II). The APKWS program has been devised to give the Hydra 70mm rocket family a new lease of life by converting these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons. The procurement of the additional units will upgrade the current 2.75-inch rocket system to a semi-active laser-guided precision weapon in support of the Air Force, Army, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($144,1 million), Army ($58,5 million); Navy ($17,1 million); and FMS ($4,4 million). Work will be performed in Hudson, New Hampshire (70 percent); and Austin, Texas (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2019.

Hydras & Hellfires

The versatile Hydra 70mm rocket family is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to widespread programs aimed at converting these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons. Conversion benefits include cost, use on both helicopters and fighters, more precision weapons per platform, low collateral damage, and the activation of large weapon stockpiles that couldn’t be used under strict rules of engagement.

Firms all over the world have grasped this opportunity, which explains why strong competition has emerged from all points of the compass. America’s “Advanced Precision-Kill Weapon System (APKWS)” is one of those efforts, but the road from obvious premise to working weapon has been slow. After numerous delays and false starts since its inception in 1996, an “APKWS-II” program finally entered System Design and Development (SDD) in 2006. In 2010, it entered low-rate production, and it was fielded to the front lines in 2012. That date will still put APKWS on the cutting edge of battlefield technology, as a leading player in a larger trend toward guided air-to-ground rockets.

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The UK’s Watchkeeper ISTAR UAV

Jun 20, 2018 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Jane’s reports that the UK military has lost another Thales WK 450 Watchkeeper to an accident. Britain’s Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program was devised to give the Royal Artillery an advanced mid-range UAV for surveillance and is complementary to other ISTAR systems in the Royal inventory. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform. The UAV is designed to provide continuous 24/7 surveillance when needed, using unmanned air vehicles able to stay airborne for more than 16 hours each through night and poor weather. So far, the UK military has lost five Watchkeepers, three of which crashed in the last 12 months. The Watchkeeper UAV and 47 Regiment Royal Artillery that operates it were due to achieve full operating capability (FOC) earlier in 2018, but this milestone was postponed after the platform failed to obtain a key flight safety certificate in November 2017.

Watchkeeper 450

Britain’s Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Program aims to give the Royal Artillery an advanced mid-range UAV for surveillance – and possibly more. Watchkeeper will be an important system, working within a complementary suite of manned (vid. ASTOR Sentinel R1) and unmanned (Buster, Desert Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper) aerial Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition Reconnaissance (ISTAR) systems. This will make it a core element of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Network-Enabled Capability strategy.

The initial August 2005 contract award to Thales UK’s joint venture was worth around GBP 700 million, but that has risen, and the program expected to create or sustain up to 2,100 high-quality manufacturing jobs in the UK. The Watchkeeper platform is based on Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 UAV platform, which is serving as a contractor-operated interim solution on the front lines of battle.

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Canada’s CH-148 Cyclones: 4th Time Lucky?

Jun 06, 2018 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Canadian government has reaffirmed its intention to proceed with Leonardo Helicopters-led modernization of its AW101 Cormorant search and rescue rotorcraft, and to potentially increase its fleet size from 14 to 21 examples. Canada and Leonardo are currently during the final finalization stages of outlining the requirements for the CH-149 Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade program, including fleet augmentation, simulation and training. The Cormorant is a medium-lift helicopter used in both military and civil applications. It is based on AugustaWestland’s AW-101. The potential deal provides for new avionics equipment, electro-optical and infrared sensors, as well as the integration of Leonardo's Osprey active electronically scanned array radar. Canada has operated the AW101 as its primary rotary-wing search and rescue capability since 2002. Canada aims to extending the lifetime of its CH-149 fleet to 2040 and beyond.

CH-148 Cyclone

Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program has been a textbook military procurement program over its long history. Unfortunately, it has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s 50-year old Sea King fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more. Eventually, the Canadian military settled on Sikorsky’s H-92 Superhawk as the basis of its new CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter, which will serve from the decks of Canada’s naval ships and bases.

The civilian S-92 has gone on to some commercial success. To date, however, Canada has been the H-92’s only military customer – with all of the associated systems integration and naval conversion burdens that one would expect. After a long series of badly missed milestones and delivery delays, there are also deeper questions being raised concerning both the machines’ fitness, and DND’s conduct of the program as a whole. This article covers the rationale for, history of, and developments within Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Program.

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