South Korea Buying GPS-Guided WCMD Cluster Bombs

WCMD Launched

In June 2012, the US DSCA announced South Korea’s formal request to buy up to 367 CBU-105D/B Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD) Sensor Fuzed Weapons and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training, for an estimated cost of up to $325 million.

South Korea has been moving to modernize its air force, from F-15K Slam Eagle fighter buys, to talk of modernizing its F-16 fleet, to the imminent introduction of its own FA-50 lightweight fighter, in partnership with Lockheed Martin. Its latest move would buy a formidable vehicle and boat-killing weapon that could be used from any of these fighters. So, what is a WCMD?

India Buys GPS-Guided “Cans of Whup-Ass”

CBU-97 & BLU-108s

Going after a vehicle such as a surface to air missile launcher, or a cluster of vehicles like a formation of enemy tanks, can be a tricky business for a fast jet pilot. Vehicles hide, they shut off their radars, or there are just too many of them to effectively target and destroy en masse. Weapons like ATK’s AGM-88E AARGM and MBDA’s Brimstone missile can help, but there’s another solution. Textron’s Sensor-Fuzed Weapon (SFW) bomb scatters 40 projectiles to cover 30 acres. The “skeet” projectiles, which look like tuna cans, will search for targets as they descend, then fire the explosive-formed equivalent of a cannon shell through the target’s weak top armor. If no targets are found, 3 safety modes ensure that the area is safe for troops to move through within several minutes – which means it’s also safe for civilians years later.

On Sept 30/08, the US DSCA conveyed India’s formal request for a variant of the SFW with GPS guidance… and now we know which IAF aircraft will carry them.

$100M to Support JASSM & WCMD family Weapons, 2011-2016

AGM-158 JASSM in flight

In mid-June 2011, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL received a 5-year, not-to-exceed $100 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity sole-source contract to provide technical support for the WCMD family of GPS-guided cluster bombs (which can include the CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon), and the AGM-158 JASSM family of stealthy cruise missiles. Delivery orders under this basic contract may be firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, or cost-plus-incentive-fee contracts, and will be managed by the USAF’s Air Armament Center/EBJK at Eglin Air Force Base, FL (FA8682-11-D-0155).

WCMD Launched

The associated FBO announcement corrects some errors in the Pentagon DefenseLINK release, and adds more detail. Lifecycle support includes all efforts related to JASSM, JASSM ER and any JASSM variant, or any WCMD variant, in the areas of system upgrade (i.e. datalink program for JASSM), integration with military aircraft, production improvements, sustainment (including mission planning software, non-warranty repair, and flight test support), management (includes FMS sales efforts, studies and various reports, plus parts obsolescence issues) and logistical support (technical manuals, test kits, technical orders, spares, even support for related simulator modes). The contract covers both US Government and foreign government systems. See the FBO solicitation to find the subcontracting opportunities contact person.

Intercontinental Cans of Whup-Ass

Before: Minotaur

Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Missile Defense Division in San Bernardino, CA received an $8,.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to investigate a concept for a conventional ballistic missile capable of destroying targets at global range in less than one hour flight time. Northrop Grumman will deliver: (1) a delivery vehicle parametric design study, (2) a mission/program planning study. It will be interesting to see how the latency issues are addressed in NGC’s studies.

At this time, all funds have been obligated. Solicitations began April 2007, negotiations were complete May 2007, and work will be complete June 2009. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA (FA8814-07-C-0005).

After: BLU-108s

In order to make maximum use of existing system elements and reduce the cost and development risk associated with a future acquisition, Northrop Grumman will make use of Orbital’s Minotaur rocket, and a delivery vehicle designed to carry and dispense multiple BLU-108B/B sensor fused weapons to the target area. DID has covered these BLU-108 “cans of whup-ass” before; they’re tuna-can shaped explosively-formed penetrators (EFP) with millimeter-wave sensors that use parachutes to spread out in the air, then fire downward through the thin top-armor of enemy vehicles to kill those in their coverage area.

Greece Placing F-16 Orders, Weapons Requests

Greek F-16 Block 50/52s

Lockheed Martin Corp. in Fort Worth, TX recently received a $931.3 million firm-fixed-price and time and materials contract modification. This action provides for 20 operational single place F-16C Block 50 aircraft and 10 operational two place F-16D Block 52 aircraft under the Peace Xenia IV (Greece) program. This contract is additive to a February 2006 contract for $99.7 million.

DID has been covering Greece’s $3.1 billion F-16 buy since July 2005, when that country canceled a $6 billion order for 60 Eurofighters in favor of a 2-phase buy that would begin with more F-16s. See DID’s article covering Greece’s F-16 purchase, including updates; below, we’ve also included the DSCA December 8, 2006 announcement of Greece’s $104 million precision weapons request for its F-16s…

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: SDD Contracts & Events 2006

F-35 Variants

The F-35 Lightning II is a major multinational program which is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role strike fighter that will have three variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet.

This article covers the $300 billion international program’s events, main contracts, and ancillary programs during FY/CY 2006, while the most recent developments are tracked here.

• F-35 Program 2008
  
• F-35 Program 2007
  
• F-35 Program: Events & Developments (2006)
  
• F-35 Program: System Development & Production Contracts (2006)
  
• F-35 Program: Ancillary and Sub-contracts (2006)

• The F-35 Family of Aircraft**
  
• F-35 Program: Production Timelines & Structure**
  
• Additional Readings & Sources**
  

$108.1M for 13,280 “Cans of Whup-Ass”

F-16 with 4 CBU-97s

Textron Systems Corp. in Wilmington, MA received a $108.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for 332 Full Rate Production (FRP) Sensor Fuzed Weapons (SFW), in support of the F-16 aircraft. Work will be complete by March 2008, and the Headquarters Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, FL issued the contract (FA8677-06-C-0010). There is no contract modification number at this time.

What’s a “Sensor Fuzed Weapon,” and how does that relate to the title?

$11M for 135 BRU-55 Smart Bomb Racks

BRU-55 Schematic
(click to expand)

EDO MTECH Inc. in Huntingdon Valley, PA is being awarded an $11 million firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 135 BRU-55 Smart Racks (Bomb Release Units), first article acceptance testing, lot acceptance testing, integrated logistics support, and technical data. BRU-55 allows carriage of two smart weapons(up to 1000lb class) on a single aircraft station. BRU-55 weapons currently consist of JSOW missiles, 1000 lb JDAMs, and WCMD smart cluster bombs, and it is currently deployable on F-16 and F-18 aircraft. The BRU-55 uses the MIL-STD-1760 interface (A/C-to-Rack and Rack-to-Weapons), and future expansion to other MIL-STD-1760 aircraft and weapons is possible.

Work on this contract will be performed in Huntingdon Valley, PA and is expected to be complete in June 2007. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N00019-05-C-0026).

$52.9M in Smart Cluster Bomb Kits to Oman, USAF

WCMD Launched

Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Orlando FL received a $52.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 1,655 Production Phase Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) Tail Kits: 1,618 for the U.S. Air Force (with warranty), 15 USAF tail kits (no warranty), 22 Foreign Military Sales tail kits to Oman, and 100 Production Phase Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser – Extended Range (WCMD-ER) kits for the USAF.

The Wind Compensated Munitions Dispenser [WCMD “Wick-Mid”] is an inexpensive tail kit that uses inertial guidance to steer cluster bombs from a known release point to precise target coordinates while compensating for launch transients, winds aloft, surface winds and adverse weather. The WCMD kit thus turns “dumb” cluster bombs into accurate “smart” weapons. Currently, the dispenser is achieving an accuracy of within 30 feet. Aircraft employ WCMD from a wide range of altitudes, in adverse weather, using various tactics such as level, dive, and toss bombing, and bombing on coordinates.

WCMD Launched

Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Orlando FL received a $52.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 1,655 Production Phase Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) Tail Kits: 1,618 for the U.S. Air Force (with warranty), 15 USAF tail kits (no warranty), 22 Foreign Military Sales tail kits to Oman, and 100 Production Phase Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser – Extended Range (WCMD-ER) kits for the USAF.

The Wind Compensated Munitions Dispenser [WCMD “Wick-Mid”] is an inexpensive tail kit that uses inertial guidance to steer cluster bombs from a known release point to precise target coordinates while compensating for launch transients, winds aloft, surface winds and adverse weather. The WCMD kit thus turns “dumb” cluster bombs into accurate “smart” weapons. Currently, the dispenser is achieving an accuracy of within 30 feet. Aircraft employ WCMD from a wide range of altitudes, in adverse weather, using various tactics such as level, dive, and toss bombing, and bombing on coordinates.