Rapid Fire 2011-01-13: First Flight Test for Chinese J-20

• Chinese President Hu Jintao confirms 1st flight test of J-20 stealth fighter jet. The debate about it is robust. Some analyses see it as a serious threat to the entire American concept of operations; effectively, a Chinese FB-22. Others point out the ancillary components required to be really effective, and David Axe has a good roundup and a full Diplomat article that calls it “over hyped.” Then, there’s the Russian view…

• ITT’s decision to split into 3 companies was spurred by expected slowdown in defense segment.

• South Korea wants to expand purchases of UAVs, missiles, radar, and missile defense systems from Israel, according to Haaretz.com. Our readers have seen that trend coming…

Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle, Jan 2011

(c) DJ Elliott

DJ Elliott is a retired USN Intelligence Specialist (22 years active duty) who has been analyzing and writing on Iraqi Security Forces developments since 2006. His Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle is an open-source compilation that attempts to map and detail Iraqi units and equipment, as their military branches and internal security forces grow and mature. While “good enough for government use” is not usually uttered as a compliment, US Army TRADOC has maintained permission to use the ISF OOB for their unclassified handouts since 2008.

This compilation is reproduced here with full permission. It offers a set of updates highlighting recent changes in the ISF’s composition and development, followed by the full updated ISF OOBs in PDF format.

TRICARE Gets Met, and It Pays

Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. in Bridgewater, NJ received a fixed-price incentive contract to provide worldwide comprehensive dental care coverage to TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) beneficiaries. At preset, this includes over 1.9 million beneficiaries, mostly family members of uniformed service active duty personnel, the selected reserve, and the individual ready reserve. Work will include managing enrollment and member utilization of diagnostic and preventive services, managing provider networks, claims processing, and customer service and access to data, with criteria for end-beneficiary satisfaction.

The instant award will comprise $7 million for the base year, but the total potential contract value, including the 12-month transition-in base year and 5 one-year option periods for dental care delivery, plus a possible transition-out period, is estimated at $1.884 billion. This contract was competitively procured via the TRICARE Management Activity e-solicitation website, with 5 offers received. The TRICARE Management Activity in Aurora, Colo., is the contracting activity manages the contract (HT9402-11-C-0001).

Israeli Protection Suites for South Korea’s CN-235 Transports

ROKAF CN-235

The 70/30 Elbit/IAI joint venture Elisra Electronic Systems Ltd. recently announced a $29 million contract to supply the Korean Government’s CN-235 transporters with Airborne Electronic Warfare (EW) Suites and Missile Warning Systems (MWS) for its ROKAF CN-235 transports.