Australia Approves 2 Finalist Designs for $2B Amphibious Ships Project

HMAS Manoora LPA

The Australian government has approved the first stage of a $2 billion LHD Amphibious Ships project that will provide the Royal Australian Navy with two new multi-purpose ships that would have air support, amphibious assault, transport and command centre roles. They will replace the Navy’s two existing Kanimbla-Class LPAs (HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora) from about 2010, significantly upgrading Australia’s force projection capabilities.

The government has now given first pass approval to the project and committed $29.8 million towards the Design Development Phase. The finalist ship designs include:

Field Report: British GR7 Harrier IIs in Afghanistan

GR7 Harrier II

In March 2005, DID covered the evolution of the USMC’s AV-8B Harrier II aircraft, and their growing success in the Iraqi theater of war as a close air support platform for urban warfighting. Now the UK’s Ministry of Defence has issued a release concerning the performance of No 3 (Fighter) Squadron’s six GR7A Harrier IIs (AV-8B counterparts) in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which makes for interesting reading.

While US forces are slowly rebuilding the runway at Kandahar, the Harrier’s V/STOL (Vertical/ Short Take-Off and Landing) capability makes it the only fast jet fighter able to operate from the south of the country, and the sole local jet asset readily available to support allied troops on the ground.

$50M for A-160 Hummingbird UAV Concept Demonstrators

A-160 Hummingbird

Boeing Co. subsidiary Frontier Systems Inc. in Irvine, CA received a $50 million ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) of the A-160 Hummingbird Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to assess its military utility and affordability.

The A-160 Hummingbird Warrior is a full-size VTOL UAV that has demonstrated the potential for performance comparable to fixed-wing aircraft with high payload, high altitude, and long duration capabilities, all the while maintaining the utility of a helicopter…

2005 State of the Global Space Industry Released

Atlas IIAS

The International Space Business Council today announced the release of the commercial for-fee publication 2005 State of the Space Industry. This is the 9th issue of the SBC’s report.

The report’s press release & highlights [PDF] notes their findings that world turnover generated from commercial services and government programs reached $103 billion in 2004, and is forecast to exceed $158 billion in 2010. U.S. Defense spending on space has grown from around $15 billion in 2000 to more than $22 billion today and is forecast to reach $28 billion by 2010, though ITAR export restrictions are also cited as a serious competitive problem for U.S. industry. Meanwhile:

$22.9M for Picatinny Arsenal, NJ Base Operations to 2020

Chugach Industries Inc. in Anchorage, AK received a $22.9 million firm-fixed price contract for base operations at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. Maintenance, logistics services and information technology support will be performed at the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal, and is to be completed by Aug. 30, 2020 (if all options are exercised) by this small-business Alaskan-native corporation. The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Picatinny Center for Contracting and Commerce issued the contract (W15QKN-05-C-1023).

$9.7M for Helicopter GPS Displays

UH-60M Cockpit
(click to expand)

BAE Systems Communications, Navigation, Identification & Reconnaissance in Wayne, NJ received a $9.7 million firm-fixed price contract covering 223 computer displays used in the Doppler Global Positioning System Navigation Systems of H-60 Black Hawk and H-47 Chinook helicopters. The work will be performed at BAE’s facilities in Wayne, NJ, and is to be completed by July 31, 2007. The U.S Army Communications-Electronics Command Acquisition Center at Fort Monmouth, NJ issued the contract (W15P7T-05-C-D022).

$6.3M for Accenture’s Help at the DLA

Accenture, LLP in Reston, VA is being awarded a maximum $6.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for Informational Technology Services for the Defense Logistics Agency. The performance completion date is Dec. 5, 2006. There were six proposals submitted and three responded. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (SP0103-05-F-A130).

$214.4M for R&D on Warrior UAV (updated)

ERMP test flight

In August 2005, “Team Warrior” leader General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego, CA won a $214.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research, development, test and evaluation of the Extended Range/ Multi Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (ER/MP UAS), beating the Northrop Grumman/ Aurora Flight Systems/ IAI Hunter II. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc’s “Team Warrior” partners include AAI Corporation (Army One System ground control equipment) and SPARTA, Inc. (extensive logistics support services).

This contract award was facilitated by the reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, and directly supports the Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan. The program could be worth up to $1 billion… and is now covered in DID’s FOCUS Article for the program.