Israeli Request for Anti-Missile Help at Mercy of Sequestration | GAO: Smaller Procurement Projects Also Poorly Performing, Measured

Americas

• The U.S. approved BAE’s Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures system for export.

• The General Accountability Office released its study (PDF) of 15 ACAT II and ACAT III programs – those not reaching the lofty spending heights of the major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs) – and found that, generally, they face the same problems as the MDAPs. That is, they are more often than not over budget and late, and that the reasons behind the overages and tardiness are the same: “changing performance requirements, testing issues, quantity changes, and flaws in original cost estimates, among other factors.”

• Bell Helicopter announced a 200-helicopter deal signed with Air Methods Corporation, a heavy user of helicopter emergency medical services craft.

• Orbital ATK is starting to test newly designed propulsion components to power what it hopes will be a March 2016 first launch for the upgraded Antares rocket. In October, an Antares exploded in an event blamed by Orbital ATK on Russian engines designed and built about half a century ago and refurbished by Aerojet, a Russian firm. The new engines are to be RD-181 engines made by Russian firm Energomash.

Europe

• Now that the U.S. has green-lighted UAV sales to allies, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Spanish engineering firm SENER are partnering to bring the Predator B to Iberia.

• In the course of expressing some unvarnished opinions to the AP about the benefits of providing arms to Ukraine, General Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe, gave the short shopping list of what Ukrainian military officials would most want: “intelligence, counter fire capability and something that can stop a Russian tank.”

• Defense News caught a small procurement competition notice asking for up to 50 buses to be provided in Ukraine to ferry trainers and troops in support of an American training effort to train four companies of Ukrainian National Guard. That plan is said to be on hold while the Administration waits to see how successful the most recent cease fire proves.

• France will soon have a second built-for-Russia Mistral class helicopter carrier on its hands. The first, the Vladivostok, is biding its time while France waits for a period during which Russia does not appear to be acting war-like against European allies. The second, the Sevastopol, should
  

Middle East

Israel is asking for almost half a billion dollars in help with anti-missile defense, and amount about three times what the White House’s budget had tabled, and a difficult one to shift into the budget if sequestration is retained through the coming fiscal year. One observer said he thought the funds might be freed, and if so, it would be likely to come from the Lockheed THAAD program budget.

Today’s Video

• BAE’s old but much respected Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures system, recently approved for export…