US Units in Europe Demand, Get Lethality Upgrades | French & Indian Chiefs: We’ll Keep Subverting India’s (Broken) Procurement

Americas

• The Army’s European-deployed Stryker mobile guns have been given a provisional thumbs-up for more powerful weapon systems. The current 12.7mm machine guns will be upgraded to 30mm autocannons, with the “high priority need” a reflection of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s requirement for increased lethality, according to a memo obtained by Breaking Defense earlier this month.

• The first GPS-III satellite currently under construction by Lockheed Martin is now ready for system testing. The satellite was connected to its propulsion system on Monday and will undergo rigorous testing in coming months. The GPS-III contract covers eight satellites, which will bring improved accuracy and anti-jamming capabilities compared to current systems.

• On Monday Boeing was awarded a $118.1 million contract modification for training systems and services for the Navy and Australia, in support of the P-8A maritime multimission aircraft, including the procurement of Operational Flight Trainer and Weapon Tactics Trainer systems, as well as other training assets for the Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

• Also on Monday, Virginia-based S-T Solutions was handed a $24.5 million contract modification for support services to the Asymmetric Warfare Group. This support includes the provision of “personnel, expertise and skills” to the AWG, including the observation, training and advising of Army and Allied forces in the identification, mitigation and countering of asymmetric and emerging threats. The AWG incorporates a mix of Service personnel and Department of the Army civilians and contractors.

Middle East

• Saudi Arabia has reportedly used cluster munitions during operations in Yemen against Houthi rebels. Outlawed in 91 countries via a 2008 treaty, another 81 countries reserve the right to keep using them, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the (supplier) US, Iran, Russia, China, the Koreas. In the Middle East, full state signatories include only Iraq and Lebanon.

Asia

• Following the acquisition of 36 Rafale fighters in April through government to government negotiations – side-lining India’s negotiations with manufacturer Dassault – the Indian Defense Minister announced on Monday that further negotiations between the French and Indian governments will begin this month. The Rafale’s selection as preferred bidder in the country’s MMRCA competition subsequently stagnated, with Prime Minister Modi bypassing the negotiations following pressure from the Indian Air Force. The French Defense Minister will visit India later this week, during which time the opening negotiations for more government to government Rafales are expected to begin.

• Meanwhile, an Indian parliamentary panel has slated the country’s defense procurement processes, the failed Rafale negotiations in particular. New Defence Procurement Procedure policies are expected to be finalized this June in an attempt to recover from decades of well-earned notoriety for procurement delays.

• On Monday, the Indian Defense Minister announced that a massive block of potential defense procurement deals had been cleared, with 90% of these in the “Make in India” contract category.

• With 22.5% of all UAV imports over the 1985-2014 period, India has topped the list of unmanned aerial systems importers. The principle beneficiary of India’s UAV spending has been Israel, particularly the IAI Heron and Searcher variants.

• The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has received its sixth Austal Cape-class patrol boat, ordered in August 2011. The $330 million design, built and support contract covers eight ships, with the remaining two set for delivery later this year.

• The Royal Australian Air Force has received its first range-extended JDAM wing kits. Designed by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and manufactured by Boeing and sub-contractor Ferra Engineering, the kits increased the JDAM’s range from 24km to 72km in tests and will equip the RAAF’s F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.

Today’s Video

• The Stryker Mobile Gun System:

Embraer Threatens Delivery Slow-Down to Late-Paying Brazil | SecDef to Push Scorpions to India | Slovakia Executes (smaller) Black Hawk Deal

Americas

• Canada is planning a major mid-life extension program for its fleet of Victoria-class subs. Various options are being considered, with a report expected by June. The project is expected to be worth between $1.2 and $2.5 billion, with the aim of extending the boats’ life by six to eighteen years. Lacking an indigenous submarine industry, the Canadians will have to look to foreign suppliers in order to fulfill modernization requirements.

• Huntington Ingalls christened DDG-113 on Saturday, with the new Arleigh Burke-class ship named after the Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient John Finn. The 29th ship of the class, the Navy recently told Congress that it would pursue a ten-ship multiyear contract for the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class in 2018, as part of its thirty-year shipbuilding plan.

• The Air Force awarded a $51.9 million contract to Ohio-based Sawdey Solution Services Inc. Friday for advisory and assistance services to the Agile Combat Support Directorate, while the Navy awarded a $16 million contract for legacy data processing subsystems for Ohio-class subs.

• Embraer is contemplating slowing the KC-390 production line in response to the Brazilian government’s lethargic payment schedule, a result of attempts to firm the country’s federal budget. The Brazilian manufacturer posted a $58.9 million first quarter loss on Thursday, with a falling real.

Europe

• European firm Airbus is reportedly making a formal complaint against the German intelligence services over alleged industrial espionage after reports surfaced that German intelligence helped the US in gathering technical information that was later reported to be used by the US to spy on the firm.

• Slovakia is buying nine UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the US for $261 million, significantly less than the $450 million deal previously slated by the DSCA. This is the latest in a flurry of Black Hawk contracts, with Mexico and Tunisian recently the same variant of the UH-60. Bahrain became the first international customer for the M model in 2010.

Asia

• Vietnam is buying fifty submarine-launched 3M-14E Klub land attack missiles. The missiles will equip Vietnam’s fleet of Kilo-class subs, with Russia having already handed the Vietnamese twenty-eight of the missiles in the last two years, according to recent SIPRI database updates. This is likely to alter Chinese strategic planning, given the significant capability jump such missiles provide.

• China’s J-11D fighter has completed its maiden flight. The upgraded D model also reportedly includes the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system developed for the J-16, which the PLAAF received last year. The new aircraft is also purported to boast composite materials and improved air to air capabilities. However, reports have detailed how the PLAAF may require both the J-11D and the Russian Su-35, in order to fill a capability gap before China’s fifth-generation fighters enter service.

• The Indian-manufactured INS Arihant nuclear SSBN is progressing well with sea trials, according to the Chief of the Indian Navy. Launched in 2009, the sub’s reactor went critical in August 2013 and is thought to have begun shakedown voyages from March last year. Based on the Russian Akula-1 design, the INS Arihant is India’s first indigenously-manufactured nuclear sub and a critical component of the country’s pursuit of a nuclear triad capability. In related news, the Indian MoD has restricted all future shipbuilding to domestic yards, with private shipyards having a potential workload of $3.2 billion over the next fifteen years.

• Two Indian firms are reportedly moving to sell 108 new MLRS systems to the Indian Army. The TATA Group and Larson & Toubro are primary manufacturers of the Pinaka MLRS and are set to take the lion’s share of the $306.6 million contract, which is yet to be signed off by the Defence Ministry.

• US Secretary of Defense Carter is expected to offer the Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack/trainer aircraft to India through a joint technology development program known as the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) when he visits the country in June. The Scorpion will be one of a host of agenda items Carter is expected to discuss on his visit. Nigeria and the UAE have also expressed interest in the cheap aircraft, which boasts low production costs through a high portion of commercial components, pushing the aircraft’s per-unit price to less than $20 million.

Today’s Video

• Chinese media on the J-11D:

Victoria Class Submarine Fleet Creating Canadian Controversies

HMCS Victoria

Canada’s aging fleet of Oberon class submarines had become simply too old to put in the water. In July 2000, their de facto retirement became official. The question was: what, if anything, would replace them? With long coastlines, and a significant portion of its iced-in northern seas used as running grounds for foreign submarines, Canada’s military believed that giving up its submarine capability was not a viable option for a country that wished to maintain its sovereignty.

Unfortunately, the country’s purchase of 4 second-hand diesel-electric Upholder Class submarines from Britain ran into controversy almost from its inception. In early 2008, controversy flared again as the submarines’ C$ 1.5 billion Victoria Class In-Service Support Contract (VISSC) became an issue. Subsequent revelations concerning spiraling costs, boats in poor condition, and few to no actual submarines in service have kept the fleet controversial to the present day.

House Protects A-10 from Air Force | Swiss F-5s Left on Lawn | Most of India’s Arjun Tanks Aren’t Working

Americas

• On Thursdaythe House Armed Services Committee voted to keep the A-10 operational for another year, with the 2016 defense policy bill including an amendment to prohibit the Air Force from retiring the plane. The amendment – proposed by Rep. McSally – passed while a “middle ground” amendment proposed by Rep. Moulton failed. That amendment would have allowed the Air Force to retain a hundred of the aircraft while retiring up to 164.

• On Thursday, Raytheon was awarded a $559.2 million undefinitized contract action by the Missile Defense Agency for multiple fixed-price incentive firm, firm-fixed-price and cost reimbursable contract line items. The first of these is an order for 44 Standard Missile-3 Block IB missiles.

• The Navy meanwhile awarded United Technologies a low-rate initial production contract valued at $157 million for variants of the F-135 engine, the propulsion system of the F-35. The initial production of 90 engines is split between the F-135-PW-100 and -PW-600 variants, with Thursday’s LRIP contract consisting of 76 of the former and 14 of the latter, with 35 of the systems earmarked for foreign partners and Foreign Military Sales.

• Boeing has been handed a $247.1 million support contract by the Army for Apache and Chinook airframe and weapons system overhaul, repair and recapitalization. The work is expected to run to 2019.

Europe

• The French defense procurement agency announced Thursday that a Rafale fighter successfully test-fired a Meteor missile for the first time earlier this week [French]. The beyond-visual-range missile has been developed by European missile house MBDA, with France becoming the fourth customer for the weapon in 2011. Tuesday’s test involved personnel from the French DGA, Rafale manufacturer Dassault and MBDA, with the Rafale’s Meteor capability forming an important part of the fighter’s F3R upgrade program.

• In the latest headache for the Swiss Air Force, the planned mothballing of F-5 fighters – following the discovery of structural cracks earlier this month – is delayed [German] because there are not enough hangars available to store the aircraft.

• Saab is anticipating a finalized contract for new Swedish submarines within months, while also negotiating mid-life upgrades to the Swedish Navy’s Gotland-class. Sweden agreed in March to procure two new A26 subs, with the pre-upgrade Gotland-class already a very capable design

Middle East

• Dassault’s already strained Rafale production lines are to be put under even greater pressure following the announcement Thursday of a $7 billion contract with Qatar for 24 of the fighters. The UAE also restarted talks with the French earlier this month, following the jet’s recent successful export to Egypt and India.

Asia

• The majority of India’s fleet of Arjun main battle tanks are reportedly inoperable owing to problems integrating several foreign-manufactured systems. The Indian Army has identified 18 major problems with the vehicles, with 78 more minor issues also contributing to the low level of availability. The Mark II version of the Arjun – currently under development by the Defense Research and Development Organization – has also seen setbacks in recent months.

• South Korea is establishing a civilian defense procurement academy, looking to create an air-gap between industry and the military. Modeled after the Defense Acquisition University in the US, this attempt to minimize corruption in the defense-industrial base comes amidst a significant government anti-corruption drive. Three South Korean defense firms – Doosan DST, Lig Nex1 and Poongsan – were recently identified as having no anti-corruption measures in place in the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Index.

Africa

• South African firm Denel is reportedly exploring the possibility of restarting the Rooivalk helicopter production line. The company is looking into the feasibility of finding potential foreign partners, integrating technology improvements and subsequently restarting the production line, with a clearer idea of the Rooivalk’s future expected within 18 months.

Today’s Video

• The Rooivalk helicopter – uglier than an Apache?