Through a Glass, Darkly: Night Vision Gives US Troops Edge

Night raid
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A USA Today article, dramatically demonstrates the advantage night vision capabilities provide to US troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It was Christmas Eve 2007, and US Army Rangers were searching for suspected Al-Qaeda members in Mosul, Iraq. Using their night vision goggles to avoid alerting the enemy, the Rangers found 2 Al-Qaeda suspects who were holding an 11-year-old Iraqi boy hostage. Thanks to their night vision capabilities, they were able to shoot the suspects without harming the boy. After that encounter, a firefight erupted between the Army rangers and Al-Qaeda insurgents, with 10 insurgents killed, including the head of an assassination cell. Army ranger losses? Zero. As former General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the US Army’s 24th Infantry Division in the 1991 Desert Storm conflict, commented: “Our night vision capability provided the single greatest mismatch of the war.”

It still does. This free DID Spotlight Article will examine how this technology works, how its military application has developed over years, how the technology is used by troops in the field, as well as major contracts for procuring night vision goggles.

Exelis Wins $70M Contract for Precision Approach Radar | Elbit Brightnite Illuminates the Obscure | Leonardo-Finmeccanica Launches New 360 Airborne Radar

Americas

• Exelis Inc has been awarded a $70 million contract to provide a maximum of 42 commercial-off-the-shelf Precision Approach Radar (PAR) systems to replace the currently fielded AN-FPN-63(V). The Navy contract will see 21 of the systems go to the US Army, 16 to the Navy, and 5 to the USAF; and it also includes the provision of uninterruptible power supplies, training, and ancillary installation support for each PAR system. Work completion is expected for May 2021.

Middle East North Africa

• Elbit Systems has announced the successful testing of their new BrightNite multi-spectral panoramic vision system. The system was installed on an Airbus Twin-Star helicopter and trialed by a dozen pilots from various Air Forces. BrightNite’s function is to allow utility helicopters to successfully operate in poor visibility missions, and was tested during moonless and pitch-back night-time conditions, when missions are rarely executed.

• While we often look at the high-tech developments in the industry, the Islamic State’s (IS) “Air Force” has been resorting to more traditional methods. Jordanian border police reported intercepting an IS “Spy Plane” in the form of a homing pigeon. The bird was being used to deliver a letter to a Jordanian, but was caught by authorities along Jordan’s 375km border with Syria.

Europe

• The Cyprus National Guard has commenced destroying its expired Mistral surface-to-air missiles at the Kalo Chorio shooting range in Larnaca. A decision to destroy the French-made munitions alongside other weapons and equipment was taken by the National Guard and Ministry of Defense following the 2011 Mari Naval Base blast. The blast killed 12 people following a fire that ignited caches of confiscated Iranian explosives.

• Codenamed “Ptitselov,” sources inside the Russian Defense Ministry have announced that the Russian Airborne Forces are to get the world’s first air-droppable missile defense system. Based on the BMD-4M infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) the system is currently undergoing experimental design work but it will be delivered via parachute. The BMD-4M is equipped with the Bakhcha-U combat unit, which comprises two guns (one 100-mm caliber and one 30-mm caliber) and a machine gun.

• Leonardo-Finmeccanica has launched a new 360 degree airborne radar using fixed panels distributed around the body of aircraft, which it claims is the first of its kind. Known as the Osprey, the fixed radar requires less parts than other 360 degree radar, which would normally sit on a gimbel, located on the belly of an aircraft, running the risk of damage when landing in snow or semi-prepared strips. The radar has already been sold to the Norwegian Air Force for use on their new AW101 search and rescue helicopters.

Asia Pacific

• Airbus and Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland have been shortlisted by Singapore as part of a $1 billion military helicopter procurement. The contract will see the winning company provide utility helicopters to replace Singapore’s older Airbus Super Puma fleet. Following the helicopter contract, the city state will look at modernizing its tactical lift helicopter fleet, maritime patrol aircraft, and could potentially obtain the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by the end of the decade.

• India’s ongoing AgustaWestland helicopter bribery scandal is likely to cause further delay to the country’s perpetual Rafale fighter negotiation with France. An increasingly cautious government in New Delhi still hasn’t finalized an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France as bilateral discussions continue to drag on. The $8.9 billion deal includes 36 Rafale fighters alongside state of the art stealth, radar, thrust vectoring for missiles, and materials for electronics and micro-electronics from defense companies Dassault, Thales and Safran.

Today’s Video

• A look at Ebit Systems’ Brightnite system:

MQ-9 Takeoff/Landing Automation Pursued by USAF | Indonesia/Russia to Sign Su-35 Deal EOM | NK Gears Up for New Class of Ballistic Missile Subs

Americas

• The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded a $119 million contract to Yorktown Systems Group. Under the contract, Yorktown will provide advisory and assistance services for office administration support to the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) organizations, including foreign military sales, in support of technical, engineering, advisory, and management support. Services will be provided until contract completion in July 2021.

• Canada’s replacement for the CC-150 Polaris aerial refueling tanker will only be considered after the fighter to replace the Hornet has been selected, according to the head of Royal Canadian Air Force. Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood told lawmakers that its fighter selection will in turn determine its tanker needs saying, “So whether it is a probe-and-drogue, as we use right now, or a boom that flies into a refueling receptacle, we will replace the tanker aircraft with whatever our front-line fighter is at the time.” Canada’s Polaris lifespan is to run until 2026.

• An upgrade to automate takeoff and landing of MQ-9 Reaper UAVs is being pursued by the USAF, making training Reaper pilots easier and allowing access to more runways. A similar upgrade already exists on US Army MQ-1C Grey Eagles. According to General Atomics’ senior director of strategic development, Chris Pehrson, the air force tried last year to shift money from other accounts to begin implementing the automatic takeoff and landing system, but the request was denied by Congress.

Middle East North Africa

• Testing of newer versions of Israeli-made weapons systems is currently underway, and will be eventually installed on Israel’s coming F-35I Adir fleets. While specifics regarding the systems being tested have not been released, the list includes versions of Rafael’s Spice precision-guided bombs and infrared- and radar-guided air-to-air missiles. Testing has been conducted using Boeing F-15s and Lockheed F-16s.

Europe

• While many European nations have been quick to join the ongoing bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, not all are being fully utilized. Dutch F-16s sent in February seldom fly over Syria as they are not equipped with satellite communication equipment. Instead they need to reply on ground controllers to find targets, and since no NATO ground troops are deployed in Syria, Dutch F-16s are not being used. The Netherlands’s decision to join action in Syria followed after months of debate and appeals from the US and France.

Asia Pacific

• Inking of contracts between Indonesia and Russia for eight Su-35 fighters is to occur at the end of the month. Indonesia’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the signing will coincide with the visit to Russia of President Joko Widodo from May 19-20 during the Russia-ASEAN Summit. Jakarta’s new signing follows on the purchase of 24 Su-27/30 aircraft as part of its drive to modernize its fleet.

• Corruption allegations have been debated in India’s Parliament in relation to the 2010 purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland UK. The $553 million contract allegedly involved payments made to Indian officials by AgustaWestland UK’s parent company, Finmeccanica. Last month, an Italian court ruled that the deal had indeed included payoffs, which has now resulted in Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar giving a chronology of the procurement process from when the Indian Air Force first sought to acquire the VVIP helicopters to replace the aging MI-8 helicopter. The contract was cancelled in 2014 by India on grounds of a breach of the pre-contract integrity pact.

• North Korea has completed the external renovation of a shipyard dedicated to building and launching a new class of ballistic missile submarines. Satellite photographs indicate that external work on the yard’s submarine construction halls has been completed, and a ramp where new vessels are launched is nearly finished. While experts say no such vessels would be completed before 2020, Pyongyang will eventually be capable of building and launching submarines much larger than the GORAE-class — including a new class of ballistic missile submarines.

Today’s Video

• Russian Su-24 buzzing the USS Donald Cook:

True North: L-3 Supporting Canada’s A310/MRTT Fleet

CC-150 & CF-18s

In August 2013, L-3 Communications’ MAS division in Mirabel, PQ received a 5-7 year, C$ 683 million / $669 million continuation of their 2012 complete in-service support (ISS) contract for Canada’s 5 CC-150 Polaris aircraft. The full amount will only be realized if the 2-year option is exercised. L-3 MAS will be responsible for overall program management, materiel management, engineering support, flightline maintenance, and heavy maintenance, plus component maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services.

LM Gets $1.2B Contract Mod for 13 F-35s | USN: Summer RFP Release for MQ-25 Stingray | France Requests More Hellfire Missiles Under FMS

Americas

• Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1.2 billion contract for the production of 13 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Delivery of the fighters will see six F-35Bs sent to the USMC, three F-35As for the USAF and four F-35Cs for the US Navy. Work on the fighters is expected to be completed by December 2019.

• The US Navy is expected to release a risk-reduction request for proposals (RFP) for its MQ-25 Stingray program this summer. This will help set out the timeline in which the service can realistically expect the tanker system to be deployed on-board its carrier fleet. It is expected that this will be followed by an engineering, manufacturing and design RFP in early FY2017. Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman all have designs they were going to pitch for UCLASS, and are expected to modify them for the Stingray’s new role.

• Raytheon Apace and Airborne Systems has been awarded a contract for the continued low-rate initial production of the Silent Knight Radar system in support of US Special Operations Command. The value of the contract has the potential worth of up to $49.5 million and will continue for the year. The contract will be funded via delivery/task orders, and depending on the requirement may be funded using research, development, test and evaluation; procurement; and operation and maintenance funding.

• Boeing has announced that they expect orders of F-15 and F/A-18 fighters to keep production rolling into the 2020s. While the last order of F-15s by Saudi Arabia will be completed by 2019, it is expected that the US Navy will purchase more F/A-18s while export orders of the F-15 will continue to partner nations. The company has recently been implementing a series of cost cutting measures to boost productivity in the wake of losing out on the recent bomber program for the USAF to Northrop Grumman.

Middle East North Africa

• The first F-35I for the Israeli Air Force will be rolled out by Lockheed Martin on June 22 at the manufacturer’s Forth Worth plant. The ceremony will be met by an Israeli delegation led by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Israel’s order of F-35s will then be fitted with the indigenously developed C4 software system designed to meet the Israel Defense Force’s requirement that all Israeli aircraft have unique electronic systems in order to keep a technological edge.

• Algeria has commissioned into service the first of its two Meko A-200 frigates, which were ordered from German naval equipment manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in April 2012. Among other state-of-the-art armaments and navigational and communication equipment, the vessel features the Saab Sea Giraffe AMB (Agile Multi-Beam) 3-D surveillance radar, Saab CEROS 200 radar/electro-optical fire control directors and a Thales UMS4132 King-klip sonar unit. Armaments on the vessel include one OTO Melara 127/64 LW (Lightweight) 127mm naval gun, two MSI-Defense 30mm cannons, Rheinmetall Defense MASS soft-kill decoy launchers, Denel Dynamics Umkhonto-IR missiles, MU90 torpedoes and Saab/Diehl Defense RBS 15 Mk3 anti-ship missiles.

Europe

• France has requested to amend a previously-approved Foreign Military Sale of AGM-114K1A Hellfire missiles and increase the number ordered from 112 to 200. The estimated cost of the amendment is expected to be around $25 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) says the missiles “will directly support French forces actively engaged in operations in Mali and Northern Africa.”

Asia Pacific

• The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is to announce its downselect of an unmanned rotorcraft with UMS Skeldar confident its V200 UAV will be among the choices. One system will be acquired by the RAN to carry out land-based risk-reduction testing and training ahead of a full-scale acquisition of a UAV for ship-borne operations onboard the new frigates that it is acquiring. Carl Foucard, deputy head of business development and head of sales for Skeldar, says that the UAV’s Hirth heavy-fuel engine matches the RAN’s propulsion requirement, and the company is ready to supply the system.

Today’s Video

• 2016 Top 10 Superiority Fighters:

P&W: F135 Engine Dev Wraps After 15 Years | Russia Flight Testing United 40 MALE UAV | Kenya Commences Building 700km Wall

Americas

• DefenseOne contains a piece highlighting the Pentagon’s $10 million program exploring the possibilities of automating the search for mobile missile launchers by teaching computers to filter them out from their surroundings. Researchers are experimenting with algorithms which train computers to pick out launcher-shaped objects in the ocean of digital imagery collected by American spy satellites, manned aircraft, or drones, and do it at least well enough to alert analysts to possible hits. At present, North Korea has been using these types of launchers while conducting missile tests.

• Following 15 years of work, Pratt & Whitney announced that they are coming to the end of the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter‘s F135 propulsion system. The F135 team is also about 85% of the way through correcting an engine fault inherent in 180 early-model units which caused one aircraft to catch fire on the runway at Eglin AFB, Florida in June 2014. Derived from the F119-100 turbofan that powers the F-22 Raptor, the F135 was selected for both Lockheed X-35 and Boeing X-32 JSF prototypes.

• Embraer’s second and final test aircraft of its KC-390 program has made its maiden flight test with the company optimistic that it’s sale of 32 of the transport-tankers to Brazil will continue. Brazil, the aircraft’s only confirmed purchaser, is in the midst of political turmoil caused by a mass corruption scandal and slow economy. Further more, a decrease in government spending resulted in payments to Embraer ceasing for several months in 2015, denying the program $300 million in unpaid bills. Both parties have, however, now come to an agreement to continue payments and pay off the balance over the next four years.

Middle East North Africa

• Saudi Arabia will launch a government-owned military holding company by the first quarter of 2017 to oversee the development of the local military industry. The announcement comes as the kingdom moves to direct 50 percent of its military purchases toward domestic industries. In 2005, Saudi defense spending totaled $87.2 billion, but only 2% of that went toward local industries.

Europe

• Norway’s decision to pursue its new submarine procurement with NATO member suppliers has dashed hopes of increased Nordic defense cooperation and cross-border industrial ties. Sweden’s Saab had offered its customized version of the Swedish next-generation A-26 submarine to Norway, however Oslo decided to omit the manufacturer from its sub procurement shortlist. Instead, Germany’s Thyssen Krupp and France’s Direction des Constructions Navales Services (DCNS) have been selected as possible suppliers of the Navy’s new submarine-class.

• Russia has confirmed that is is flight testing the United 40 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The United 40 (referring to the 40th anniversary of unification of the Arab emirates) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) class surveillance and combat UAV built by Abu Dhabi-based company Adcom. Containing an S-shaped fuselage in a tandem biplane configuration, the UAV is very tolerant to shifts in its centre of gravity. Munitions are carried externally on four 100 kg (220 lb) underwing pylons and internally within a six-round revolving dispenser.

Africa

• Construction of a 700km security wall along the Kenyan-Somali border has been confirmed by the Kenyan government. Stretching along Kenyas northeastern border with Somalia, the wall is part of a broader national security plan to curb cross-border terror attacks by Somali terrorist group al-Shabab. The security barrier consists of a concrete wall ringed with a barbed-wire electric fence and trenches. It will also have observation posts where electronic surveillance cameras will be installed to monitor movements on either side of the border.

Asia Pacific

• The Sri Lankan media has reported that Pakistan has offered its JF-17 fighter at $29 million each to the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF). Islamabad has been pressing the Sri Lankan government to replace its fleet of MiG-27 and Kfir fleets with its indigenous aircraft, but the deal has been met with opposition from India. Instead, it is thought that the SLAF will purchase fighters from Russia, believed to be in the price range of $20-25 million per aircraft.

Today’s Video

• A look at the BMP-T Terminator:

F-15 Wheel & Brake Upgrades to Save USAF $194M | Osprey Successfully Refuels F-35B | US Will Not Subsidize F-16s for Pakistan

Americas

• Textron is currently testing their upgraded RQ-7 Shadow M2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which they believe will allow the system to undertake increased mission capabilities currently reserved for larger UAVs such as the MQ-1 Predator. At present, Shadow V2s are used by the US Army in conjunction with AH-64 Apaches to fill the armed reconnaissance mission, following the retirement of the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter. The Shadow M2 will add longer endurance, more capable payloads, and more power than the M2 version, and also gain a satellite uplink that allows it to communicate beyond-line-of-sight.

• USAF’s fleet of more than 500 F-15s are to get a wheel and brake upgrade after successful flight testing. Once completed, F-15C/D/E fighters will be capable of undertaking 1,400 landings before having to swap out their brakes. The USAF stands to save over $194 million in F-15 maintenance costs once all of the aircraft are fitted with the upgrade, and this will be the first brake testing to be carried out on the jet since the 1980s.

• A USMC MV-22 Osprey has given a successful ground refueling of a Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The one-hour test consisted of hooking up fuel transfer lines between the two aircraft with the MV-22 fueling the F-35B with an aerial refueling to follow. Both aircraft will be used to allow the Marine Corps to employ assets in austere environments on short notice without having to rely on long-term planning and fixed facilities.

• The Missile Defense Agency has awarded a $235.3 million contract to Millennium Engineering & Integration to provide advisory and assistance services for test, exercise, and wargames in support of technical, engineering, advisory and management support. This contract provides support for the development, implementation, sustainment, and assessment of test processes, procedures, plans, and policies to support the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) through the test life cycle. Completion of the contract is expected for June 2020.

Europe

• The first prototype of the Ka-62 twin-engine helicopter successfully completed its maiden flight. Items tested on the multi-purpose rotorcraft included the main power supply systems and avionics during a ten minute hover flight at Progress Aircraft-Manufacturing Enterprise’s site in eastern Russia. Capable of undertaking a wide variety of missions, the Ka-62 has been designed for transportation, search and rescue, and for work in Russia’s oil and gas industry.

Asia Pacific

• Pakistan’s hope to procure subsidized F-16 fighters from the US has been scuppered by US Congress. State Department officials reported that if Islamabad wishes to purchase eight of the aircraft, it will cost up to $480 million, two and a half times the original cost. US foreign military financing of the deal had been criticized by many lawmakers who believed that Pakistan wasn’t doing enough to tackle Islamic militants operating in the country, and who would more likely use the F-16s against neighboring India than combating terrorism.

• Longbow LLC, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, has been awarded a contract by the Indian government to provide fire control radar (FCR) systems with advanced air and ground targeting capabilities. The $57.1 million contract will see Longbow install 12 systems on India’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, and could be worth up to $116.7 million. The FCR’s air over-watch mode provides aircrews with 360-degree situational awareness, improving survivability and mission success.

• Japan and the Philippines will conclude talks this week to lease five Beechcraft TC-90 Kind Airs from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to Manila. Japan’s Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani will call his Filipino counterpart Gazmin today, May 2nd to finalize the deal. The aircraft will help boost the Philippine’s maritime security efforts, particularly patrolling territory in the West Philippine Sea.

Today’s Video

• Turkey’s indigenous Bayraktar TB2 UAV successfully dropped a Roketsan MAM-L laser-guided glide bomb on April 29: