Ships Ahoy! The Harpoon Missile Family

May 16, 2019 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US Navy awarded Boeing a $10.9 million contract modification supporting the Harpoon Block II missiles for Saudi Arabia. The modification provides for obsolescence redesign efforts in support of production and delivery. The Harpoon all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile can be installed on the P-3 Orion, the P-8 Poseidon, the AV-8B Harrier II, the Hornet as well as the B-52H Bombers. Block II intends to to offer an expanded engagement envelope, enhanced resistance to electronic countermeasures and improved targeting. Boeing will perform work within the US. The scheduled completion date is in August this year.

Harpoon in flight

The sub-sonic, wave-skimming GM-84 Harpoon is the US Navy’s sole anti-shipping missile, with the minor exception of small helicopter-borne AGM-119B Penguin missiles. The Harpoon has been adapted into several variants, and exported to many navies around the world. At present, the Harpoon family includes AGM-84 air, RGM-84 sea/land, and UGM-84 submarine-launched versions. Variants such as the Joint Standoff Land Attack Missiles and the upgraded AGM-84K SLAM – Expanded Response will also be covered in this DID FOCUS Article. It describes the missiles themselves, and covers global contracts involving this family.

The Harpoon family’s best known competitor is the French/MBDA M38/39/40 Exocet, but recent years have witnessed a growing competitive roster at both the subsonic (Israel’s >Gabriel family, Russia’s SS-N-27 Klub family, Saab’s RBS15, Kongsberg’s stealthy NSM, China’s YJ-82/C-802 used by Hezbollah in Lebanon), and supersonic (Russia’s SS-N-22 Sunburn/Moskit, SS-N-26 Yakhont, and some SS-N-27 Klub variants, India’s SS-N-26 derived PJ-10 BrahMos) tiers.

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JDAM: A GPS-INS Add-on Adds Accuracy to Airstrikes

May 15, 2019 04:58 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US Navy awarded Boeing a $139.8 million modification to continue manufacturing precision laser guidance sets for the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Boeing received a $357.8 million contract in 2015 to manufacture precision laser guided sets for the Navy, the US Air Force and multiple Foreign Military Sales clients. The JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided “smart” weapons. The kit consists of a new tail section that contains an inertial navigation system/global positioning system (INS/GPS) and body strakes for additional stability and lift. The company will supply the military service with 12,000 additional JDAM kits. Work will take place in the US and is expected to be completed in April 2020.

B-2 drops JDAM

Precision bombing has been a significant military goal since the invention of the Norden bomb sight in the 1920s, but its application remained elusive. Over 30 years later, in Vietnam, the destruction of a single target could require 300 bombs, which meant sending an appropriate number of fighters or bombers into harm’s way to deliver them. Even the 1991 Desert Storm war with Iraq featured unguided munitions for the most part. The USAF some laser and TV-guided weapons like Paveway bombs and Maverick missiles, but they were very expensive, and only effective in good weather. If precision bombing was finally to become a reality throughout the Air Force, a new approach would be needed. The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) became that alternative, an engine of military transformation that was also a model of procurement transformation.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This DID FOCUS Article looks at the transformational history of the JDAM GPS-guided bomb program, the ongoing efforts to bring its capabilities up to and beyond the level of dual-mode guidance kits like Israel’s Spice and Raytheon’s Enhanced Paveway, and the contracts issued under the JDAM program since its inception.[updated]

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AH-64E Apache Block III: Evolving Battlefield Roles

May 13, 2019 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Bahrain for 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. The deal is worth $3 billion. The proposed sale would double Qatar’s previous procurement of AH-64Es, which are used for close air support, armed reconnaissance, and anti-tank warfare missions. Included in the sale are the 24 helicopter bodies; 52 T700-GE-701D engines; 26 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight; 26 AN/AAQ-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors; 2,500 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; 28 M230 30mm automatic chain guns; and other equipment and training. The notification does not guarantee a final sale. Congress can still weigh in, and once cleared by Capitol Hill, negotiations between customer and supplier often lead to different prices or quantities.

AH-64 in Afghanistan

The AH-64 Apache will remain the US Army’s primary armed helicopter for several more decades, thanks to the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and the retirement sans replacement of the US Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH). Apaches also serve with a number of American allies, some of whom have already expressed interest in upgrading or expanding their fleets.

The AH-64E Guardian Block III (AB3) is the helicopter’s next big step forward. It incorporates 26 key new-technology insertions that cover flight performance, maintenance costs, sensors & electronics, and even the ability to control UAVs as part of manned-unmanned teaming (MUT). In July 2006, Boeing and U.S. Army officials signed the initial development contract for Block III upgrades to the current and future Apache fleet, via a virtual signing ceremony. By November 2011, the 1st production helicopter had been delivered. So… how many helicopters will be modified under the AH-64 Block III program, what do these modifications include, how is the program structured, and what has been happening since that 2006 award? The short answer is: a lot, including export interest and sales.

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France’s Rafale

May 03, 2019 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: In the May issue of Combat Aircraft Magazine, Journalist Angad Singh states that the French Rafale will most likely win India’s 2019 tender for 110 new warplanes. Since India already once ordered 36 Rafales as part of an earlier fighter tender, he explains: “With 36 aircraft already on order and the infrastructure in place for an additional 36, a case could certainly be made that training, basing and sustainment costs for additional aircraft would not be an impossible burden.“ This would be bad news for Lockheed Martin as the company is developing a new variant of its iconic F-16 single-engine fighter in order to compete in the tender. Other candidates for the Indian tender are the Saab Gripen from Sweden, the European Eurofighter Typhoon, the MiG-35 from Russia and the Boeing Super Hornet from the United States.

Dassault Rafale
(click for cutaway view)

Will Dassault’s fighter become a fashionably late fighter platform that builds on its parent company’s past successes – or just “the late Rafale”? It all began as a 1985 break-away from the multinational consortium that went on to create EADS’ Eurofighter. The French needed a lighter aircraft that was suitable for carrier use, and were reportedly unwilling to cede design authority over the project. As is so often true of French defense procurement policy, the choice came down to paying additional costs for full independence and exact needs, or losing key industrial capabilities by partnering or buying abroad. France has generally opted for expensive but independent defense choices, and the Rafale was no exception.

Those costs, and associated delays triggered by the end of the Cold War and reduced funding, proved to be very costly indeed. Unlike previous French fighters, which relied on exports to lower their costs and keep production lines humming, the Rafale has yet to secure a single export contract – in part because initial versions were hampered by impaired capabilities in key roles. The Rafale may, at last, be ready to be what its vendors say: a true omnirole aircraft, ready for prime time on the global export stage. The question is whether it’s too late. Rivals like EADS’ Eurofighter, Russia’s Su-27/30 family, and the American “teen series” of F-15/16/18 variants are all well established. Meanwhile, Saab’s versatile and cheaper JAS-39 Gripen remains a stubborn foe in key export competitions, and the multinational F-35 juggernaut is bearing down on it.

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Top Falcons: The UAE’s F-16 Block 60/61 Fighters

Apr 17, 2019 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Taiwan for the continuation of a pilot training program and maintenance and logistics support for the F-16 aircraft. The deal is valued at $500 million. The latest sale follows an announcement last week that a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract has been awarded to Raytheon to refurbish radar for Taiwan's naval vessels for a total cost of nearly $50 million and a $9 million contract to develop and upgrade Taiwan’s Patriot missile defense system over the next five years. Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) has requested the possible sale for the continuation of the pilot training program and maintenance/logistics support for F-16 aircraft currently at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

F-16F “Desert Falcon”

The most advanced F-16s in the world aren’t American. That distinction belongs to the UAE, whose F-16 E/F Block 60s are a half-generation ahead of the F-16 C/D Block 50/52+ aircraft that form the backbone of the US Air Force, and of many other fleets around the world. The Block 60 has been described as a lower-budget alternative to the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, and there’s a solid argument to be made that their performance figures and broad sensor array will even keep them ahead of pending F-16 modernizations in countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore.

The UAE invested in the “Desert Falcon’s” development, and the contract reportedly includes royalty fees if other countries buy it. Investment doesn’t end when the fighters are delivered, either. Money is still needed for ongoing training, fielding, and equipment needs – and the UAE has decided that they need more planes, too. This DID article showcases the F-16 Block 60/61, and offers a window into its associated costs and life cycle, including dedicated equipment purchases for this fighter fleet.

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

Apr 04, 2019 04:52 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to India. Under the possible deal, India will receive 24 MH-60R Multi-Mission helicopters for an estimated cost of $2.6 billion. According to a report, the sale will provide India the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions along with the ability to perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin. The MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopter is equipped for a range of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search-and-rescue, naval gunfire support, surveillance, communications relay, logistics support and personnel transfer and vertical replenishment.

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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The New Chinooks: Boeing’s Modern H-47 Heavy-Lift Helicopters

Mar 27, 2019 04:50 UTC

Latest updates[?]: India inducted four CH47 Chinooks heavy-lift helos into the Indian Air Force. The Chinook choppers will be used for various military purposes including deploying of troops and machinery at high-altitude locations along the India-Pakistan border. With this, India will join a long list of 19 countries including the US, UK, Japan, and South Korea that deploys the twin-engined, heavy-lift helicopters. India bought 15 Chinooks at a prize of $1.5 billion. The whole fleet is expected to be inducted by March next year. The CH-47 Chinooks are multi-mission heavy-lift transport helicopters. They will be used to transport troops, artillery, supplies, equipment on the battlefield, ammunition and even barrier materials. They can also be used as disaster relief, search and recovery operations, medical evacuation, fire-fighting and civil development.

CH-47Fs take off

DII FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record; this FOCUS Article covers the CH-47F/MH-47G Chinook helicopter programs, in the USA and abroad. These helicopters’ distinctive “flying banana” twin-rotor design stems from the brilliant work of aviation pioneer Frank Piasecki. It gives Chinooks the ability to adjust their positioning very precisely, while carrying a large airframe whose load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030.

The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models, but offers a wide range of improvements in almost every aspect of design and performance. While the related HH-47’s $10-15 billion CSAR-X program win was terminated, delivery orders continue for CH-47Fs and for MH-47G Special Forces configuration helicopters. International orders or formal requests have also come in from Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UAE, with India and other countries expected to follow.

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RIM-162 ESSM Missile: Naval Anti-Air in a Quad Pack

Mar 20, 2019 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The Naval Sea Systems Command tapped Raytheon Missile Systems with a $97.8 million modification to obtain materials needed for fiscal 2019 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 low-rate initial requirements. The ESSM is a medium-range, surface-to-air missile that is currently in service with the US Navy and some of the 12 NATO Sea Sparrow consortium nations. Consortium members include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Turkey and the US. The missile is equipped with a tail-control system to obtain high speed and maneuverability. It can operate in all weather conditions and has a length of about 3.64m, diameter of 254mm and a weight of 280kg. The Evolved SEASPARROW Missile program is an international cooperative effort to design, develop, test, and procure ESSM missiles. Work will take place in Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Mexico, Greece, Denmark, Turkey, Portugal as well as various sites within the US and is scheduled to be finished by March 2023.

RIM-162: sections

The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft, and is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. Compared to the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, ESSM is effectively a new missile with a larger, more powerful rocket motor for increased range, a different aerodynamic layout for improved agility, and the latest missile guidance technology. Testing has even shown the ESSM to be effective against fast surface craft, an option that greatly expands the missile’s utility. As a further bonus, the RIM-162 ESSM has the ability to be “quad-packed” in the Mk 41 vertical launching system, allowing 4 missiles to be carried per launch cell instead of loading one larger SM-2 Standard missile or similar equipment.

This is DID’s FOCUS article for the program, containing details about the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile family, and contracts placed under this program since 1999. The Sea Sparrow was widely used aboard NATO warships, so it isn’t surprising that the ESSM is an international program. The NATO Sea Sparrow Consortium includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the USA – as well as non-NATO Australia. Foreign Military Sales ESSM customers outside this consortium include Japan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.

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US Hellfire Missile Orders, FY 2011-2018

Feb 25, 2019 04:56 UTC

Latest updates[?]: The US Army Contracting Command awarded Longbow LLC a $10.5 million contract modification for Laser and Longbow Hellfire engineering services. Hellfire missiles are the USA’s preferred aerial anti-armor missile, and are widely deployed with America’s allies. The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile. It is a combat proven tactical missile system using multiple launch platforms. The Hellfire can be fired from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, waterborne vessels and land-based systems against a variety of targets. Longbow LLC produces equipment for the aerospace and defense industry including electrical components for helicopters and other vehicles. Work under the modification will take place in Orlando, Florida and is scheduled to be completed by the end of February next year.

USN MH-60S test

Hellfire I/II missiles are the USA’s preferred aerial anti-armor missile, and are widely deployed with America’s allies. They equip America’s helicopter fleets (AH-64, AH-1, OH-58D, MH-60S/R), AH-64 and S-70 helicopters flown by its allies, and even Australia and France’s Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters. Range is officially listed as 9 km/ 5.6 miles.

While Hellfires lack the fast-jet launch capabilities – and correspondingly extended maximum range – of the UK’s MBDA Brimstone missiles, Lockheed Martin’s missile has made big inroads as the world’s high-end helicopter-launched missile. It has also carved out unique niches as tripod-launched coastal defense assets, as the guided missile integrated into American UAVs like the MQ-1 Predator family, and even as a missile option for transport aircraft like the AC-208B Combat Caravan and C-130J/W Hercules.

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UAE Buys Saab’s Erieye AEW&C Aircraft

Jan 08, 2019 04:54 UTC

Latest updates[?]: Saab’s second GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft successfully completed its first flight on Thursday. The flight lasted three hours, collecting flight-test data and was operated from the company’s airfield in Linköping, Sweden. GlobalEye is a multi-role airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) solution. It consists of a suite of sensors using Saabs’s Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar and mission system. The aircraft has extended detection range, endurance and manages tasks such as search and rescue, border surveillance, and military operations.

Arabian/Persian Gulf

In November 2009, Saab announced a 1.5 billion SEK (about $220 million) contract from the United Arab Emirates for 2 of its Saab 340 regional turboprops, equipped with Erieye active-array radars that can scan large airspace volumes, and with related command and control systems. The Saab 340 AEW contract also includes ground equipment, initial spares, and support services.

The UAE is just the latest buyer of Saab’s Erieye system.

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