Defense`s Feeds

Skylark-I launch
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Elbit’s Skylark-I mini-UAV has become a popular choice for portable “over the hill” surveillance, as nations like Israel, Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, Poland, Sweden, et. al. adopt it for battlefield use. Bental’s electric propulsion system using brushless permanent magnetic motors is an especial benefit to Skylark operators, as its silent operation avoids warning enemy targets of its presence.

In an effort to build on that success, Elbit soon introduced the larger Skylark-II for battalion level UAV operations, fired from a rail launcher mounted on small wheeled vehicles rather than launched by hand. In exchange for the launcher requirement and a doubling of the crew size to 2, the Skylark-II gains a mission radius of 50-60 km instead of 10 km, and the ability to mount larger sensor packages. Awards soon followed from sources as varied as Popular Science and industry analysts Frost & Sullivan – but awards don’t pay the bills. Fortunately, orders have followed.

The UAVs

Skylark-I Concept
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Skylark I comes in 2 versions. The standard Skylark I is launched by hand, and flies below 1,000 feet for up to 1.5 hours, with a mission range of 10 km/ 6 miles. Each “system” comprises 3 UAVs, 2 surveillance and targeting payloads, a ground station, an operating console and a communications link. Skylark I competes in the mini-UAV market, and remains a serious international competitor to Aerovironment’s popular RQ-11B Raven.

The new Skylark I-LE (long endurance) increases flight time from 1.5 hours to 3 hours, with a mission range “greater than 15 km.” It can carry the same payloads etc. as Skylark I, usually Controp’s D-STAMP or the new uncooled U-STAMP infrared payload.

The LE Block 2 swaps in a new engine and power system, and touts the performance of a Day/Night sensor payload – which is probably Controp’s M-STAMP.

Skylark-II launch
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The larger Skylark II cannot be launched by hand, like its counterparts; it must use a rail launcher instead. The launcher is usually towed by a small wheeled vehicle, and requires 2 crew to operate. The UAV can fly at medium altitudes, with a flight time of around 6 hours, a mission radius of 50-60 km/ 30-36 miles, and larger sensor packages on board. Skylark II competes in the lower tier of the conventional UAV market, alongside models like Boeing’s ScanEagle/ Integrator, Textron AAI’s RQ-7 Shadow, Aeronautics’ Aerostar, IAI’s Searcher, etc.

Its standard mission package is a Micro-CoMPASS turret with a day sensor, cooled infrared night sensor, and a laser illuminator and tracker. An advanced digital communication system from Tadiran Spectralink rounds out its capabilities. Israeli forces will soon be swapping in Controp’s TD STAMP surveillance turret.

There’s also a Skylark II-LE, which could become the standard Skylark II export offering. It moves the engine to the rear, alters the fuselage, and adds a new tail configuration. Endurance has more than doubled to over 15 hours, and with its new datalink, it can operate out to 150 km. This will give it the ability to compete with popular offerings like Boeing’s ScanEagle.

Contracts & Key Events

Note that some sales may not be publicized, or may not be detailed, as is often the case with purchases from Israel. Reports of Skylark buys for Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, and Slovakia have been rumored, but they aren’t reproduced here for lack of confirmation. Israel has also made large sales to countries like Azerbaijan and Georgia, but those sales have not been detailed, so it’s hard to tell if Skylarks have been part of the package.

2015 – 2019

 

Skylark I-LE Block 2
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June 17/19: Philippine Drone Deal Israeli defense company Elbit Systems could possibly net a $180 million drone deal with the Philippines Army, Globes reports. Sources apparently say, that the deal, which includes the Hermes 900, Hermes 450, Skylark 1, and Skylark 3 UAV, could possibly be signed in the next couple of weeks. The Philippine Army will use these UAVs for intelligence gathering, patrols, and border defense missions. The Army will adapt the drones to homeland and internal security missions for the Philippines, a country of many islands that faces terrorist threats. The Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 are multi-role drones used for long-range missions. Skylark 1 and Skylark 3 are tactical UAVS designed mainly for use by field units for real time observation and intelligence gathering missions. Skylark 3 is optimized for both dismounted and vehicle-based operation.

August 19/16: Elbit Systems has launched a maritime variant of its Skylark I Mini UAV. Dubbed Skylark C, the new system offers the extended operational capabilities of its land-based counterpart and provides the ability to inspect maritime activities from a safe distance, observe targets, perform reconnaissance over coastal areas, and perform continuous covert surveillance. Those standing to benefit from this latest offering include special forces and other small-scale naval crews.

November 18/15: Uruguay has expressed an interest in purchasing a number of the Elbit Skylark I UAV after watching them being deployed by the Israeli Defence Forces. The UAV has been deployed extensively by the IDF at battalion-level system in support of artillery units and is operational in many militaries worldwide including Australia, Sweden and Canada. Uruguay would deploy the UAV in order to monitor areas which may potentially host terrorist threats. In August of this year, the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas captured one of the drones after it fell into the Gaza Strip. They claimed to have been able to make its services operational after checking it wasn’t booby trapped.

2012 – 2013

American SUAS ‘win’; Israeli Upgrades; I-LE Block 2 introduced;

Jan 3/13: SUAS 2013-2017. U.S. Army Contracting Command in Natick, MA awards a 5-year, $248 million multiple-vendor fixed-price Small UAS contract. From FBO.gov:

“The Army currently has fielded 1,798 RQ-11B systems and 325 RQ-20A systems and has a requirement to sustain and maintain this existing fleet. The Army has met 92% of the RQ-11B Army Acquisition Objective (AAO), and has met 83% of the anticipated need for RQ-20A (required by USFOR-A-issued JUONS). Additionally, the current [DID: RQ-11B & RQ-20A] fleet has pre-planned spiral upgrades such as the Gimbal payload, which will be competed and retrofitted under this effort. The need exists to complete the AAO; maintain, sustain and upgrade the fleet; and procure future SUAS Systems as required by DoD, Other Government Agencies (OGA) and foreign countries.”

Vendors will compete for each order, and work can include full Unmanned Aerial Systems, upgrades, testing, packaging, marking, and storage and shipping. Work location will be determined with each order, and the contract runs until Dec 20/17. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 5 bids received. All 5 qualified to compete:

• RQ-11B Raven & RQ-20A Puma: AeroVironment Inc. in Monrovia, CA (W911QY-13-D-0073). Obviously, they’re in a strong position for fleet upgrades at least, as well as for additional UAVs.

• NOVA Block III: Altavian in Gainesville, FL (W911QY-13-D-0074). They’re not a household name, but their air/land UAV is working with the USACE (Army Corps of Engineers). They partner with ISR Group Inc. in Savannah, TN for support and service.

• Skylark I-LE Block 2: Elbit Systems of America LLC in Fort Worth, TX (W911QY-13-D-0075).

• Skystinger, and others: Innovative Automation Technologies LLC in Gainesville, FL (W911QY-13-D-0076). Skystinger is more like the RQ-11 Raven, while their AXO is closer to the RQ-20 Puma. Note that The Skystinger is the only UAS that IAT could confirm, but they did say there was more than 1 UAS offered.

• Desert Hawk III: Lockheed Martin Corporation, Owego, NY (W911QY-13-D-0077). The Desert Hawk has been successfully used on the front lines by British forces.

The AECV contract expires in 2013, so this appears to be the follow-on. See also: AeroVironment | Elbit Systems | Gainesville Sun.

SUAS multi-vendor

Dec 13/12: Israel. Israel’s Artillery Corps already employs Skylark I-LE UAVs within its “Sky Rider” unit. The unit is upgrading to the Skylark I-LE Block 2, with the “Version 10” operating system and new communications links. Artillery units are getting a new “Tamoon” command and control system, and the new UAVs will be compatible with Tamoon and with the Army-wide DAP (Digital Army Program). Once the UAV is attached to the DAP, Sky Rider Commander, Lt. Col. Uri Gonen says that battalion commanders will be able to pinpoint a UAV’s location on their screens, and determine the area it is observing.

The Artillery Corps is also looking at a brigade-level UAV, and has held some initial trials. That might be an opportunity for the Skylark II-LE, but there are a number of other UAVs within Israel that could compete for this role. This is Israel, so they expect the winning UAV to be in the field within 18 months. Source: Ba’Machane (official IDF magazine), via Elbit Systems. Note that the translation here is “Sky Rider,” not Sky Raider.”

Aug 2/12: I-LE block II. Elbit Systems announces that it will showcase the new Skylark I-LE Block II at this month’s AUVSI conference in Las Vegas, NV. The new UAV can be built in the USA, and adds a new engine and power system, plus an improved day/night sensor turret.

June 11/12: Sweden. AeroVironment announces that they’ve won Sweden’s competition, and will supply 12 SUAS systems in a mix of RQ-20A Puma AE and Wasp III air vehicles, plus a set of common ground stations, training, and logistics support. Contract options could increase the buy to a total of 30 systems. The firm adds a roundup of foreign RQ-11 Raven, RQ-20 Puma, and Wasp customers, which demonstrates why they’re Elbit’s top competitor:

“In addition to Sweden, other international governments that have purchased AeroVironment small UAS include Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.”

Swedish loss

May 23/12: Airbag issues. Flight International:

“Israel Defense Forces confirms that operations of the mini-unmanned aerial vehicle have been halted until further notice, pending the completion of work to determine what caused its airbag to be deployed in flight several times during recent weeks… Flights… will resume immediately after the issue has been resolved, with the aircraft mainly used by artillery units to provide an “over-the-hill” intelligence capability.”

2008 – 2011

Wins in Israel, France; Canada goes another way; Skylark I-LE introduced.

Skylark-I LE
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Dec 13/11: Sweden. Sweden bought 6 Skylark UAV systems in 2007, but it’s looking to replace them with a follow-on buy. Their FMV is reportedly looking to buy a 2-tier system with ranges of 10 and 20 km, respectively, plus associated common ground control stations.

That could open the door to a buy of Skylark 1LE and Skylark II UAVs, but it also introduces new competitors into the mix. Shephard Media.

Dec 1/11: The UAS Dynamics joint venture ends, as Elbit Systems USA buys General Dynamics’ share. It was marketing Elbit’s Skylark I/II, Hermes 90, and Hermes 450 UAVs in the USA. Elbit Systems.

UAS Dynamics

Dec 20/10: Elbit Systems Ltd. announces a $16 million contract from the Polish Ministry of National Defense to supply a testing set of mobile multi-sensor monitoring and surveillance systems for Poland’s Rosomak, a variant of Patria’s 8×8 AMV wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier. The systems include Skylark UAV integration. Read “Poland & Elbit to Cooperate on Rosomak APC Surveillance Upgrade” for more.

Poland

Aug 3/10: Canada. Canada, previously a Skylark customer, buys [PDF] 5 of Prioria Robotics Maveric mini-UAV systems for use in Afghanistan. See also Nov 19/06 entry.

March 8/10: France. France’s DGA delivers Skylark I and Wasp-III mini-UAVs to French Special Forces, less than 3 months after contracts were signed for Elbit Systems’ Skylark (Oct 18/09) and Aerovironment’s Wasp-III (Nov 4/09), following verification and testing.

The DGA says that the Skylark delivery completes a set, following earlier DGA deliveries in 2008 and 2009. The Wasp-IIIs, on the other hand, will be entering an operational evaluation phase to assess their future value. DGA [in French].

Jan 26/09: Israel. Elbit Systems issues a clarifying release [PDF], adding that that the Israeli “Sky Raider” contract is worth approximately $40 million.

Dec 16/08: Skylark I. Elbit systems announces that Israel’s Defense Ministry has picked the Skylark I-LE to fill the battalion-level “Sky Raider” IDF tender. The IDF has been operating Skylark Is since 2005, but this purchase will supply mini-UAVs for all IDF Ground Forces battalions, including training and logistics support battalions. When the non-linear battlefield makes front lines irrelevant, and your country is 15 km wide at its narrowest point, that’s a smart decision.

Defense Update reports that the IDF intends to buy up to 100 systems at an estimated cost of $50 million, and Flight International states that options could raise the deal’s value to $100 million equivalent. Each system comprises 3 UAVs, 2 U-STAMP uncooled surveillance and targeting payloads developed by Controp, plus a ground station, an operating console and a communications link.

Elbit’s Skylark I LE had to compete with several Israeli UAVs, owing to the country’s strength in that sector. Competing options included IAI’s Bird’s Eye 400/600; Aeronautics Defence Systems Ltd’s Orbiter, which has won some export success; RAFAEL’s shoulder-launched Skylite A and the larger 2-man Skylite B; and Top I Vision/Rotem’s Casper 250.

Note that Defense Update and Flight International have different accounts regarding the competitors and deal value. While DID respects Flight International, Defense Update has earned its reputation as the top source for developments in Israel. Elbit Systems release | Defense Update | Flight International.

Israel’s Sky Rider artillery UAV program

Sept 1/08: Skylark I. Elbit Systems Ltd. announces [PDF] a contract to supply Hermes 450 and Skylark 1 UAV systems to “a country in the Americas” for the total of approximately $25 million. All UAVs are to be delivered within a year.

New information points to Mexico as the customer, with 2 complete Hermes 450 systems and a complete Skylark system.

Mexico

Skylark-I, ADF in Iraq
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Aug 3/08: Skylark I. Australia places its 3rd Skylark I mini-UAV order, valued at “several million dollars.” Elbit informs DID that these are standard Skylark Is, not the new Skylark I-LE model.

Australia is also working with Boeing to lease ScanEagle UAV services as its mid-tier solution, instead of the canceled Project JP129 Elbit Systems release [PDF].

3rd Aussie order

June 18/08: Upgrades. UV-Online reports that Elbit has made significant changes to its line of Skylark UAVs:

“Meanwhile the work on the company’s Skylark UAVs has vastly improved the performance of both the Skylark I and II. The company has changed some of the elements of the airframe structure, integrated a new battery and looked at power management. According to officials the new Skylark I-Long Endurance (LE) and Skylark-II LE can now stay aloft a lot longer.

The Skylark I-LE has doubled its endurance from 90 minutes to three hours with a mission range greater than 15km. The Skylark II-LE is almost completely a new system in its outward image with a much changed aerostructure. The engine has bee moved to the rear, the fuselage has been altered and there is also a new tail configuration. The endurance has more than doubled to over 15 hours and with a new datalink it can operate out to 150km.”

March 24/08: Skylark I. Elbit Systems Ltd. announces [PDF format] that it has won “a tender involving 10 of the leading UAV manufacturers worldwide,” and will supply Skylark I UAV systems to France’s Special Forces. This contract marks Elbit Systems’ first UAV contract with France.

France

2005 – 2006

Wins in Australia, Canada, South Korea; Problems with Canadian UAVs; Skylark II introduced.

Skylark II concept
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Dec 17/07: Skylark II. Elbit System announces that the Skylark-II has been selected by the South Korean military as their “preferred solution” in ” a tender involving extensive technical tests and including UAV manufacturers from all over the world.” The first phase of the contract includes one comprehensive Skylark® II system. Additional systems are expected in the future.

The UAVs will be equipped with their standard-issue payload: Elbit subsidiary Elop’s advanced 8″ Micro-CoMPASS turret with a day sensor, cooled night sensor, laser illuminator and tracker; and an advanced digital communication system from Tadiran Spectralink, which is about to be wholly merged [PDF] into Elbit Systems. Elbit release.

South Korea

June 17/07: Recognition. Elbit Systems Ltd. announces that business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has presented them with a “Best Innovative Product Award” for 2007 in the Aviation & Defense Category, for their Skylark-II. It is praised for bringing the capabilities of more expensive UAVs to a smaller and cheaper vehicle. Philadelphia Examiner | Israel Times.

Nov 19/06: Skylark I. Israel’s Globes business daily relays a Flight International report re: Canadian experiences with the Skylark I in Afghanistan:

“The British weekly quotes a technical director in the Canadian Army interim small UAV programme, Captain Rob Sanders as saying, “Most of them aren’t flying in Afghanistan. For some reason, in some parts of the country it will fly great, or today it will fly. The same one, at a separate time tonight, won’t fly. So they have grounded them all trying to figure out what is going on. We are sending a couple of specialists over there to sort that out.”

Despite requests, Elbit declines to provide updates concerning the resolution of this problem. On April 6/09, Boeing subsidiary Insitu receives an award to provide “small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) services” to support the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere, using its ScanEagle UAV.

Canada problems, loss

Nov 8/06: Recognition. Elbit Systems Ltd. announces [PDF | HTML via Shepherd] that its Skylark II UAV has received a “2006 Best of What’s New” Award from Popular Science Magazine in the Aviation and Space category. If you haven’t heard of this feature before, the magazine explains:

“Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of new products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year; breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. The winners – the Best of What’s New – are awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science, the most widely read issue of the year since the debut of Best of What’s New in 1987. Best of What’s New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 10 categories: Automotive, Aviation & Space, Computing, Engineering, Gadgets, General Innovation, Home Entertainment, Home Tech, Personal Health and Recreation.”

Oct 3/06: Skylark I. Canada joins Australia in choosing Elbit’s Skylark. The UAV was first ordered on a temporary basis, as part of the $200 million set of emergency purchases for Operation Archer in November 2005.

It was picked more formally as Canada’s future mini-UAV in October 2006, following a competition that reportedly included IAI’s I-View 50 with its unique parafoil landing system, and Boeing’s larger ScanEagle UAV. Thales Canada will act as the prime contractor.

Canada

June 13/06: Skylark II. Elbit Systems formally introduces the Skylark II “close range class tactical UAV system.” Release.

Skylark II

Nov 3/05: Skylark I. Australia chose Elbit’s Skylark as its mini-UAV, to complement Israel Aerospace Industries’ larger I-View 250 and some Boeing ScanEagles used at battalion and brigade levels.

Australia

Additional Readings

• Elbit Systems – Skylark I-LE

• Defense Update – Skylark 1 LE Mini Unmanned Aerial vehicle (Mini-UAV)

• Israeli Weapons – Skylark 1

• Controp – M-STAMP, Stabilized Miniature Payload

• Elbit Systems – Skylark II

• Elbit Systems El-op – Micro-CoMPASS for UAV [PDF]

• DID Spotlight – Raven UAVs Winning Gold in Afghanistan’s “Commando Olympics”. Covers a wide variety of mini-UAV buys for use in theater, including Skylarks.

• Aviation Week Defense Technology International (March 8/08) – Mini-UAVs Rack Up Big Gains

• Aviation Week & Space Technology (Aug 7/02, via AeroVironment) – War on Terrorism Boosts Deployment of Mini-UAVs

Americas

Huntington Ingalls will perform early service life period work on the USS Gerald R. Ford. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC awarded the deal, which is valued at $687.1 million. Per the terms of the contract, Huntington Ingalls will support ship repair and modernization during continuous incremental availabilities, planned incremental availabilities, full-ship shock trials and continuous maintenance and emergent maintenance during the ship’s early service life period. The company will perform work until June 2024. The Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier or CVN 78 is the lead ship of her class. CVN 78 is the first new US aircraft carrier design in 40 years. The ship has 250% more electrical capacity than previous carriers, which will allow the ship to load weapons and launch aircraft faster than ever before. The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently undergoing sea trials. She is scheduled to be delivered in October and deployed around 2020. Issues with Ford’s nuclear propulsion system and Advanced Weapons Elevator had delayed the delivery for three months.

The US Special Operations Command awarded Boeing a $194.2 million delivery order modification. The deal procures six renew-build and one new-build MH-47G rotary wing aircraft. The MH-47G is the special operations variant of Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook multi-role, heavy-lift helicopter used by the US Army Special Operations Aviation Command. The aircraft is able to support heavy-lift missions such as troop, weapons, vehicles and other equipment transportation, as well as civil and humanitarian relief missions. It can conduct long-range missions at a low level and in adverse weather conditions during the day and at night. The CH-47F/MH- 47G modernization programs, which includes a mix of remanufactured and new aircraft, will help the aircraft remain in the Army fleet at least through the 2030s. The current modification will sustain US Special Operations Forces (SOF) heavy assault, rotary wing aircraft and mitigate the impact of the MH-47G aircraft availability in light of increased SOF operational demands.

Middle East & Africa

Boeing will supply more than 2,000 pieces of equipment to repair Kuwaiti Super Hornets under a $41 million contract. The deal is for peculiar support equipment, support equipment spares and test equipment for the maintenance and repair of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft. The Naval Air Warfare Center in Lakehurst, New Jersey awarded the deal. Boeing will perform work in St. Louis, Missouri and will finish in June 2022. In 2018, the US Navy placed a potential $1.17 billion contract with Boeing to develop Kuwait’s Super Hornet baseline configuration. The Super Hornets will be delivered by 2022.

Israel’s Elbit System launched a new Long Range Oblique Photography (LOROP) system that according to the company introduces Multi-Spectral sensing capability and Artificial Intelligence analytics to stand-off strategic intelligence gathering missions. The so called Condor MS integrates three high resolution Electro Optic sensors into the already widely operational Condor 2 system. The sensors are Visible & Near Infra-Red (VNIR), Medium-Wave Infrared (MWIR), and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR). The Condor systems can be installed onboard platforms like the F-16 A/B/C/D/I, F-4, SU-30 and B-737. According to a press release by Elbit, the new Condor MS can identify a large number of targets at extremely high rates, hence significantly shortening the time frame needed to close sensor-to-shooter loops.

Europe

The US Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana awarded a $10 million contract to Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division for removable media cartridges. The deal supports the Trident Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) program and includes Foreign Military Sales funding to the UK. The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of the US Navy’s submarine-launched fleet ballistic missile. It is a three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided ballistic missile developed by Lockheed Martin. The missile can carry multiple independently targeted reentry bodies for a maximum range of over 7,360 kilometers. A system upgrade is incorporating requirement changes to increase performance and address obsolescence. Curtiss-Wright will perform work in Fairborn, Ohio, and will finish by October 2024.

Asia-Pacific

Japan is planning to put an experimental infrared sensor on board the ALOS-3 satellite that it plans to launch into space orbit next year. The government will mount a sensor on the satellite in order to acquire its own early warning satellite capability to detect ballistic missiles launched from North Korea and elsewhere. The image sensor that uses tiny semiconductor particles is said to be able to detect infrared rays in two wavelength bands. ALOS-3 is an earth observation satellite that continuously observes the global land area, and orbits at an altitude of 669 kilometers.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : DRDO Tests Hypersonic Prototype,Anti-Artillery System,Defence Space Agency

Americas

Lockheed Martin launched the latest version of an advanced visualization and training tool for Apache AH-64 sensor system maintainers, called Rely3D. According to Lockheed Martin RELY3D is an interactive suite of applications that supports Apache aircraft maintainers with M-TADS/PNVS virtual guides, 3-D animations, wiring diagrams and more. The advanced tool is aimed at reducing maintenance time on the Apache M-TADS/PNVS system. M-TADS/PNVS provides Apache helicopter pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities for mission success and flight safety during any time of the day and in any weather. Lockheed Martin developed RELY3D based on an employee idea to improve maintenance efficiency through interactive training content. The tool helps reduce training time for Apache aircraft maintainers by up to 60%, the company noted.

According to Defense News, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter continues to face a number of serious deficiencies that could negatively impact pilots and missions. Valerie Insinna writes that documents show, the F-35 struggles with things like cabin pressure spikes that cause ear and sinus pains and loss of aircraft control with certain maneuvers. She also mentions issues with the helmet-mounted display and night vision camera that contribute to the difficulty of landing the F-35C on an aircraft carrier. The documents describe some of these problems as category 1 deficiencies, which is a designation only given to major flaws that impact safety or mission effectiveness. Most of the issues described have not been publicly communicated. However, Defense Department leaders want to decide by the end of the year if they should move forward with full-rate production.

Middle East & Africa

According to a press release, UVision plans to present its Hero-400EC’s Multi-Canister Launcher at the upcoming Paris Air Show. The Israeli company describes the Hero-400EC as a long-range, high-precision Loitering munition system with a low acoustic, visual and thermal signature that can locate, track and strike static as well as moving targets with high accuracy, stealth, and minimal collateral damage. The Hero-400EC loitering munition is 2.1 meters long and has a wing span of 2.4 meters as well as a maximum take-off weight of 40kg. UVision designed the weapon system to engage a range of stationary or moving targets, including armored vehicles, main battle tanks (MBTs), entrenched and fortified positions, and targets in confined urban environments. It is also suitable for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. The company unveiled the system in 2017. The new launcher is suitable for a wide range of land and naval applications. UVision will also reveal an advanced configuration of the Hero-120 with multi-purpose warheads.

Rafael together with IAI’s Elta Systems will upgrade the Litening 5 and Reccelite XR all-weather stand-off airborne electro-optic targeting pods with a synthetic aperture radar imagery intelligence payload, Jane’s reports. The Litening 5 is a high-resolution multi-sensor targeting pod, incorporating an upgraded 1.2K x 1.2K large aperture forward-looking mid-wave infrared and a short-wave infrared. In addition to more diverse targeting, the pods are said to feature inter-asset communications and sensor sharing capabilities. The fifth generation of the targeting pod is now capable of targeting from long range, enabling strike aircraft to employ guided weapons from standoff range without relying on external support. Litening 5 employs a new sensor package, utilizing an optical assembly and larger aperture tailored specifically for the new sensors, enabling the increased identification and recognition distance. Reccelite XR is a multi-spectral, multi-role, real-time standoff reconnaissance system that consists of an airborne pod, a wide digital datalink and a ground exploitation station. Similar to the Litening 5, Reccelite XR received an enhanced sensor package comprising megapixel-size arrays of near-infrared, mid-wave infrared, color sensors and short-wave infrared.

Europe

Rheinmetall won a $104 million order to deliver 252 unprotected transport vehicles with payloads of five and fifteen tonnes to the German „Bundeswehr“. In 2017, the German company signed an agreement to build 2,271 state-of-the-art military trucks. The agreement includes special tools and training services and is worth about $1 billion. Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH will build and deliver the just ordered vehicles until the end of the year.

Asia-Pacific

India launched an indigenously-developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) in its maiden test from a base off the Odisha coast on June 12. Initial reports say that the test was successful. According to India Today however, the Defense Research and Development Organization could not achieve the wanted results. The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration vehicle that can cruise up to a speed of mach 6 and rise up to an altitude of 32. kilometers in 20 seconds. A successful test of a hypersonic technology transporter vehicle could boost the development of a hypersonic cruise missile, the Brahmos II, which is currently under development with Scramjet technology.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : Mig-29K Surprise Rafale,NASAMS-2 Puzzle,Predator Fast Track,1st Apache July

Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive and Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy announced today in the presence of Mr Gabriel-Beniamin Leș, Minister of National Defence of Romania the initiation of the Third Phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS III).

The announcement was made in the margins of the 4th CF SEDSS II Conference which is held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and hosted by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence. 

The EDA Chief Executive emphasised that “the Agency’s interest in energy has been increasing in the last years, primarily because the Ministries of Defence have identified the importance of this topic, and because of how energy affects and will change our life in the future”. As he pointed out, “disruptive technologies and new business models are reshaping the energy ecosystem and the defence sector needs to be part of this”. New trends such as digitalisation, electrification, innovative energy technologies in battery storage, smart buildings, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, integrated energy management systems as well as unknown malicious and hybrid threats require the defence sector not only to adapt to the fast-paced changing security environment but also to be able to recover when compromised.

Mr Ristori remarked that “all strands of the EU’s energy policy -energy efficiency, renewables, security of supply, interconnections- have an impact on our common European defence. That is why I believe the start of Phase III is an important step forward which reaffirms the Commission’s strong commitment to address our common energy challenges in close cooperation with the European Defence Agency”. He also said that “by improving the way the defence and security sector uses energy, new real economic opportunities can arise, creating jobs and growth for all Europeans”.

Phase III will continue pursuing the implementation of the EU legal framework on energy and will reaffirm the Consultation Forum as the appropriate vehicle to share best practice, information and experiences among the EU Ministries of Defence. With the support of the European Commission the Forum will bring closer the defence and energy communities with a view to improving energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources, and the protection of defence energy-related critical infrastructures.

Building on the know-how of the previous Phases and with the aim of adapting to future energy dynamics, Phase III will foresee the creation of a new ad-hoc transversal working group, which will cover the thematic activities on energy management and finance as well as a novel category on state-of-the-art technologies affecting the energy-defence dimension.

Phase III is expected to enable economic, operational and strategic results within the context of project ideas, guidelines, and action plans that can assist Ministries of Defence to apply more affordable, resilient, and sustainable energy models at the national level. To address such objectives, the Agency will implement several multi-dimensional activities ranging from high-level conferences and thematic workshops to table-top exercises.

Phase III will also be underpinned by the organisation of Energy Technology Solutions events engaging the civil sector, the industry and academia to ensure that the Forum keeps pace with the leading-edge developments in energy.

With the support of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the collaboration of the members of the Forum, the Agency will focus its work on how to better support Ministries of Defence to enhance strategic autonomy and resilience through a diversity of options within the nexus of the European Energy eco-system including the European defence dimension.
 

More information:

• About CF SEDSS II 
• Defence Energy Data 2016 & 2017 (EDA factsheet)
  
  

Over 130 experts from 27 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations participate in the 4th Conference of the Second Phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II) in Bucharest. The Conference, which is held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and hosted by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, marks the successful completion of the Second Phase of the CF SEDSS II initiated in October 2017.

Today’s conference was officially opened by Mr Gabriel-Beniamin Leș, Minister of National Defence of Romania, Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy and Mr Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

Mr Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, emphasised in his speech that the “Bucharest conference marks the successful completion of a project which proved that sustainable energy matters for defence and that greener defence energy matters for the European Union”. The Chief Executive expressed his satisfaction “as the Consultation Forum has enabled directly or indirectly several Ministries of Defence to develop national defence energy strategies, implement Energy Management Systems, launch projects related to energy performance and consider initiating joint collaborative projects to address common energy challenges”. 

European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER) and the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) contributed to the work of the Forum by providing an EU long-term perspective on EU energy legislation, policy and action plans. With the support of the European Commission, the defence sector has come closer to the wider energy community and joined the Union’s efforts to transit to an Energy Union. Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy acknowledged in his introductory speech, “the substantial work of the Ministries of Defence to apply sustainable energy in the defence sector and to pursue the implementation of the EU legal framework on energy”. 

The second Phase of the Forum developed a more practical defence-centric approach and focused on a range of activities such as improving energy management and energy efficiency of military building stock and fixed infrastructure, the integration of energy sources in defence infrastructure and the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure against hybrid threats.

During Phase II the working groups collected more than 30 project ideas, of which 18 were elaborated to comprehensive project proposals. To support their realisation, the Agency applied an internal methodology called “IdentiFunding for Energy”, which matched these ideas with more than 30 eligible funding opportunities, enhancing the probability of their implementation. As a first step, the Agency is currently supporting Ministries of Defence to prepare three (3) applications for funding.

Mr Domecq announced that “EDA is ready to allocate additional budget to support at least five (5) other applications demonstrating the commitment of the Agency to meet the expectation of the Ministries of Defence in producing tangible results”.
 

Next Conference

The Bucharest Conference marked the finalisation of the Second Phase of the Consultation Forum. Currently, EDA and DG ENER are preparing Phase III. It is expected that the first Conference of Phase III will take place during the first quarter of 2020. In the meantime, EDA and DG ENER are also organising a Joint Defence Energy Conference to be held at the end of 2019 in Brussels in preparation of phase III. More information will be uploaded on the EDA’s dedicated website “European Defence Energy Network (EDEN)”
 

About the CF SEDSS II

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission initiative managed by EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring in August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

More information:

• Full speech of EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq

• Defence Energy Data 2016 & 2017 (EDA factsheet)

• About CF SEDSS II

• Moving towards defence sustainable energy models
• European Funding Gateway for Energy in Defence
• Legislation and Policy

Americas

Sikorsky won a $542 million firm-fixed price modification to produce six VH-92A Presidential Helicopters. Under the terms of the contract, known as Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 1, Sikorsky will begin deliveries of six VH-92A helicopters in 2021. The remaining production aircraft will be delivered in 2022 and 2023. The contract also provides spares and training support. The VH-92A is the military variant of the Sikorsky S-92. It is currently under development and will replace the Marine One US Presidential Transport Fleet. The aircraft has undergone government testing and operational assessments, including over 520 flight test hours establishing the aircraft’s technical maturity and readiness of its mission systems. Lockheed Martin delivered and installed the first VH-92A training device at the Presidential Helicopter Squadron HMX-1 in Quantico, Virginia, earlier this year. Sikorsky will perform work within the US and is expected to be finished in April 2022.

The US Navy awarded Boeing a $22.8 million contract modification for additional acoustics software support activity and engineering support for the P-8A Poseidon. The modification also incorporates virtual machine efforts and develops and integrates software for Multi-static Active Coherent Enhancements. The Poseidon is capable of broad-area maritime and littoral operations. It is also effective at humanitarian and search and rescue missions. The aircraft is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and ISR missions. Work will take place in Huntington Beach, California and is scheduled to be complete in January 2022.

Saab announced that the US Navy ordered additional Sea Giraffe Multi Mode Radars (MMR) for the Coast Guard’s offshore patrol cutter. Saab initially won a contract that includes multiple line item options for additional Sea Giraffe MMR systems in 2017. The deal also covered manufacturing, inspection, testing and delivery of the radars, which will be deployed on the Coast Guard’s Heritage class offshore patrol cutter. The Sea Giraffe MMR is a three-dimensional, electronically scanned, phased-array radar that offers high-radiated power, selectable waveforms and modern signal processing abilities. Saab’s Sea Giraffe AMB radar, designated AN/SPS-77 in the US, is currently deployed on the US Navy’s Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship. Saab will deliver the Radars between 2020 and 2022 and will carry out work in Syracuse, New York in the US and Gothenburg, Sweden.

Middle East & Africa

Elbit announced that its Hermes 45 Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS) will be premiering at the upcoming Paris Airshow 2019. According to the Israeli company „Hermes 45 offers a unique combination of extended range and duration with point launch and recovery, to and from land and maritime platforms thus enhancing Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities at the brigade and division levels and also for naval squadron units“. Elbit launched the small tactical-level unmanned aircraft system in 2017. It has a maximum operating endurance of more than 24 hours and a maximum takeoff weight of 65 kg, including a payload capacity of up to 15 kg, and can simultaneously operate with up to three payloads. Hermes 45 reportedly features a flight range of 200 kilometers or an extended Beyond Line of Sight range and an internal payload bay that supports multi-payload operation, including EO/IR, Marine-Radar, Terrain Dominance, Electronic Warfare and communications.

Europe

According to reports, a Russian Su-27 intercepted US and Swedish reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Monday. The incident is the latest in a series of similar encounters occurring at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. The Russian defense ministry said in a statement: “On June 10, the Russian airspace control services over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea detected two air targets approaching Russia’s state border. A Su-27 fighter jet of the Baltic Fleet’s Air Defense Forces was scrambled to intercept the targets,” the statement said. The Su-27 identified the two foreign airplanes as a US Air Force RC-135 plane and a Swedish Air Force Gulfstream reconnaissance aircraft. The Baltops-2019 NATO naval drills are held on June 9 until June 21 in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. Around 40 ships and submarines, and 40 aircraft from 18 countries will take part in the military exercise.

Asia-Pacific

In a press release, Thales announced that the Australian Defense Forces awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) $15 million for the prototype and process development of a 155mm XM1113 Rocket-Assisted Projectile Round. The XM1113 RAP uses rocket technology to deliver greater thrust to the round, when compared to its predecessor, the legacy M549A1. It provides the user with cannon-launched munitions to engage targets beyond the current 30 kilometer capability. Thales Australia became a part of the GD-OTS international supply chain in 2018, enabling co-production and technology transfer for a variety of critical munitions products. According to the press release, GD-OTS is working with Thales Australia to expand the international Supply Chain enabling the US Government to make the system available to additional customers. The deal could potentially lead to additional exports from Thales’s operations at the Benalla and Mulwala sites, potentially securing and increasing jobs and investment for Thales and its local supply chain.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Defense released its Defense Capability Plan 2019 on June 11, outlining the investment priorities for the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) to 2030. The highest priority project within the plan is the replacement of the five Hercules transport aircraft. The preferred option for this replacement is the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, which is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft by Lockheed Martin. The C-130J already flies with over 21 nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. New Zealand’s current Hercules first started services in the 1960s and is getting more and more expensive and harder to maintain. The C-130J-30 is a stretch version of the C-130J adding 15 feet to the fuselage, increasing usable space in the cargo compartment.

Today’s Video

Watch: RUSSIAN PRS 1M HYPERSONIC INTERCEPTOR ! FULL ANALYSIS

Americas

Northrop Grumman Systems won a $958 million firm-fixed-price contract to deliver 30 full-rate production Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar systems for the US Marine Corps. The deal includes spares parts and retrofit kits. The AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR system provides multi-faceted detection and tracking capabilities to support engagement of a wide range of hostile threats, and offers robust air traffic control capabilities to ensure the safety of Marines worldwide. The G/ATOR comes in two distinct software variants: Block I conducts air defense and surveillance missions for aviation command and control squadrons, and Block II targets the source of incoming artillery and other ground-based fires. The radar is able to detect low-observable targets with low radar cross sections such as rockets, artillery, mortars, cruise missiles and drones. Northrop will perform work within the US and is expected to be finished by January 13, 2025.

The US Navy contracted Bath Iron Works with a $61.7 million modification in support of the DDG 51 Class destroyers. The deal is for lead years services, which is a broad category encompassing necessary engineering support and configuration, baseline upgrades and new technology support, data and logistics management, analysis, acceptance trials, post-delivery test and trials and other elements of supporting construction of DDG 51 Class destroyers. DDG 51 Arleigh Burke destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. The ships use the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multifunction radar array. The ships were designed to use Tomahawk and other surface-to-air missiles and engage in antisubmarine warfare. Majority of the work under the contract modification will take place in Maine and is scheduled to be completed by June next year-

Middle East & Africa

Iran unveiled a new defense system called the „Khordad 15th“. The weapons system was displayed in a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami in Tehran, during which he said that it could detect targets as far away as 150 kilometers and hit several targets with the indigenous “Sayyad-3” missiles. According to reports, the missile system is a high-precision weapon capable of flying at low altitudes and able to carry a significant payload. Iran has worked in recent years to build its own weapons locally, rather than relying on foreign actors. Iran’s missile program was among the reasons cited by US President Donald Trump for leaving the 2015 nuclear deal last year and reimposing crippling sanctions. Recently Trump said he would be willing to reopen talks as long as Iran agreed to give up nuclear weapons.

Europe

China turns to the Ukraine to upgrade its military, the Washington Post reports. Chinese investors are reportedly asking staff at a Ukrainian aircraft engine factory about record-keeping and planning, the setup of production lines and the interplay between workshops. China is looking to upgrade its military and has found a willing partner in Motor Sich, because it can supply warplane engines as well as the know-how to possibly make a Chinese-built version in the future. Motor Sich has lost its biggest market, specifically supplying engines for military helicopters and other aircraft, after the Eastern Ukrainian War broke out in 2014.

Asia-Pacific

According to local reports, Kazan will be finishing up the upgrades of the Ansat helicopter next year. Ansat is a light twin-engine gas turbine multi-purpose helicopter with 7-9 seats. The fuselage has a pair of doors in pilot’s cab, and a pair of upwards and downwards opening side doors in transport compartment. After the seats have been removed, it can take 1000 kg of cargo inside. On external hook, it can take 1300 kg of load. The Kazan Helicopter Plant is upgrading the Ansat light multipurpose helicopter at the moment. Work is carried out in two stages: the first block of modernization was completed in 2018, the second will be finished next year. The company also continues work on starting a serial production of the modernized Ansat.

After the sudden crash of a Japanese F-35 into the Pacific Ocean in April, reports now saw this was caused by „spatial disorientation“ of its pilot. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force jet disappeared from radar while on a training mission with three other F-35s off northern Japan on April 9. There was no indication from the jet’s pilot, Maj. Akinori Hosomi, of any problems with the aircraft before contact was lost. The Ministry of Defense said Monday that Hosomi, a 41-year-old with 3,200 hours of flight experience, essentially flew the stealth fighter straight into the ocean during the night training mission. About 15 seconds lapsed between the pilot’s last communication and loss of contact with the plane. “We believe it highly likely the pilot was suffering from vertigo or spatial disorientation and wasn’t aware of his condition”, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in a briefing.

Today’s Video

Watch: The F-35 Could Intercept a N. Korean Missile Launch – but it Could Bring an All-Out Fight

A grant agreement worth of €1.88 million was signed on 25 May 2019 for the Strategic Technology Foresight action called SOLOMON to be carried out under the EU Preparatory Action in the field of defence research. The grant agreement was signed between the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the winning consortium led by Engineering Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A. (The other members of the consortium can be found in the SOLOMON project page)

The Strategic Technology Foresight action called SOLOMON (Strategy-Oriented anaLysis Of the Market fOrces in EU defeNce) was selected following an EU-wide call for proposals organised by EDA closing on 28 June 2018. The action aims to provide an effective way for tackling the issue of critical defence technological dependencies for the EU regarding current and future systems and capabilities. The winning consortium encompasses a total of 18 participants from 10 countries. The project will be complementary to the PYTHIA project, which was selected following the Preparatory Action Call on Strategic Technology Foresight 2017.

The SOLOMON project is part of the Preparatory Action, aimed at testing the mechanisms that can prepare, organise and deliver a variety of EU-funded cooperative defence research and technology development (R&T) activities to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defence industry and to stimulate cooperation amongst R&T actors in the EU Member States.

The signature of this grant agreement continues the path towards EU defence integration and paves the way for developing a future European Defence Fund, especially its research dimension, as part of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027). The next step in 2019 will be the signatures of the grant agreements related to the calls on electronic design technologies for defence application and effects.

The PADR implementation is run by the European Defence Agency (EDA) following the mandate of a Delegation Agreement between the Commission and EDA signed on 31st May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects to be launched within the PADR.

The PADR implementation is run by the European Defence Agency (EDA) following the mandate of a Delegation Agreement between the Commission and EDA signed on 31st May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects to be launched within the PADR.
 

More information:

• Financial decision
• 2018 calls for proposals published for PA on Defence Research (EDA webnews, 15 March 2018)
• Factsheet ‘Preparatory Action for CSDP-related research’
• Preparatory Action for Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR SOLOMON project page

Dark Blade 2019, already the 13th multinational training organised under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), was successfully completed last week at Náměšť airbase in the Czech Republic.

A total of 29 air assets from Belgium (3 A-109 and 3 NH-90), Czech Republic (5 Mi-24, 6 Mi-171 and 4 L-159 “Alca”), Germany (3 CH-53), Hungary (3 Mi-24 and 2 Mi-27), Slovenia (1 AS-532) and Poland (1 W-3A) were involved in the exercise, as well as around 1,200 military staff. Observers from Serbia, the Netherlands, Sweden and the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC) also attended. Furthermore, a multinational Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) team and an Electronic Warfare (EW) emulator system were also involved. A mentor team encompassing helicopter tactics instructors from Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK supported the academic part of the exercise and provided mentoring and standardisation during the planning and execution phases of all Composite Air Operations (COMAO) missions.

The main objective of DB19 was the performance of 8 day/night COMAO missions in a realistic, harsh and complex environment, as well as to carry out specific training as evasion training, live firing, formation flights, paratrooper and scuba jumps, rappelling and fast roping. In total, some 290 flights were performed amounting to around 500 flight hours. 

A Distinguished Visitors Day was organized on 28 May, attended by Czech Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar, the President of the Czech Senate, Jaroslav Kubera, as well as other military and civilian authorities.

During the closing ceremony on 30 May, EDA’s Project Officer Rotary Wing, José Pablo Romera, thanked the Czech Air Force, and in particular 22nd HAB Náměšť Airbase Commander, Col Miroslav Svoboda and all his team, for the outstanding organisation and execution of the exercise. A special thanks also went to all the participants for their proactive involvement and cooperative mindset which resulted in the achievement of the expected training objectives.

The next EDA helicopter exercise, ‘Swift Blade 2020’, will take place in April 2020 and will be jointly hosted by The Netherlands and Belgium, with Gilze-Rijen Air Base as the main location.
 

Background

A decade ago, the multinational helicopter training cooperation started in EDA with the aim of improving the European helicopter operational capability for crisis management operations and prepare helicopter crews for deployments by providing them advanced helicopter tactics training. Over time, requirements related to interoperability and training standardisation have been added to ensure that training does not only improve national readiness, but also supports multinational cooperation.

Since 2009, 13 Blade exercises held in eight different European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Hungary and Czech Republic), 9 helicopter tactics symposiums, 63 Helicopter Tactics Courses, 6 Helicopter Tactics Instructors Courses and several other training activities, as COMAO planning courses and the EW courses have been carried out under EDA management and involving 15 EDA Member States.

The outcome of all those trainings is a high level of operational interoperability and helicopter cooperation among a large number of EDA member states. The next important step will be the transfer of all those activities and programmes (HEP, HTC and HTIC) to a future Multinational Helicopter Training Centre (MHTC) by end of 2021.
 

More information

• DARK BLADE factsheet
• DARK BLADE kicks off in the Czech Republic (EDA webnews)
• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)
• HOT BLADE 2018 improved joint and combined helicopter training (EDA news)

 

Americas

General Dynamics won a $25.6 million firm-fixed-price contract to produce MK 46 Modification 2 Gun Weapon Systems for use on modern Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships. MK46 30mm all-weather, day/night, fully stabilized weapon system is a remotely operated system that uses a high-velocity cannon for shipboard self-defense against small, high-speed surface targets. It is the main deck gun for LPD-17 ships and is the secondary gun battery for LCS, and Zumwalt Class ships. The contract is for the procurement of two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LCS Surface Warfare Mission module, two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LPD-29, two 30mm MK 46 MOD 2 GWSs for the LPD-30, and associated spare parts. General Dynamics will perform work within the US and is expected to be finished by September 2021.

Sikorsky has flown its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) technology aboard a UH-60A Black Hawk testbed helicopter for the first time. The company said in a press release that the flight took place on May 29 and it marked the official start to the flight test program for the soon-to-be optionally piloted aircraft. “This is the first full authority fly-by-wire retrofit kit developed by Sikorsky that has completely removed mechanical flight controls from the aircraft,” Lockheed Martin said. The OPV trials are part of a wider effort led by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to demonstrate unmanned helicopter operations under its Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System program. Follow-on flight testing aims to include envelope expansion throughout the summer leading to flights without any pilots in 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Five Rafales for the Qatari Amiri Air Force arrived at Dukhan Air Base on June 5. Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was on hand to welcome the pilots and the jets home. Qatar inked a number of major arms deals after Riyadh and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announced a total economic boycott of Doha in June 2017. Qatar ordered 24 of the Rafales from France in 2015, adding 12 more last year. It also has an option to buy 36 more. In February, France formally handed the first of the aircraft over to Qatar in a ceremony in Merignac, southwestern France, where the planes are built. Qatar has separately inked deals with France for 50 Airbus A321 passenger planes as well as a deal with Britain to buy Typhoon fighters.

Europe

Aero Vodochody delivered three new L-159T2 light attack/trainer aircraft to the Czech Republic. The new T2 twin seat aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 2018, has a newly built central and forward fuselage, and is fully NVG compatible. The L-159 aircraft is operated by Czech Air Force, Iraqi Air Force and US company Draken International. According to reports, the cockpit has a multi-function display and upgraded version of the VS-20 ejection seat, while the aircraft offers single-point pressure refueling capability and carries self-protection systems in the form of countermeasures and a radar warning receiver. This makes the trainer perfect to train for the fleet of Gripens that student pilots move onto.

Finnish defense and aerospace group Patria has acquired Belgian aircraft propulsion maintenance operation Belgium Engine Center (BEC) from AIM Norway, said an official press release from Patria. BEC is a military jet engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center that services the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine which powers F-15 and F-16 aircraft around the globe. The center also provides material management services for those engines. BEC has its operating base in Herstal in Belgium, and has about 90 employees. AIM Norway acquired BEC in 2016. The acquisition comes after Patria acquired Norwegian aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul specialist AIM Norway in partnership with Kongsberg of Norway in December 2018.

Asia-Pacific

The Japanese defense ministry plans to deploy a radar-equipped Aegis Ashore unit in the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Araya training area in Akita, the capital of the prefecture. However, officials found several mistakes in the survey documents that supported the need to deploy missile interceptors in Akita, local news reported Thursday. The defense ministry said on May 27 that 19 other candidate sites were “unfit” for Aegis Ashore deployment, Jiji Press reported. The government survey in question included errors for terrain data on nine other areas that provided comparisons to the designated site. The US State Department approved the Aegis Ashore systems purchase to Japan in January. Total cost of the system is estimated at more than $2 billion.

Today’s Video

Watch: China’s first sea launch: Long March-11 launches from a ship at sea

Americas

L-3 Communications Integrated Systems won a fixed-price-incentive-firm contract for aircraft avionics upgrades on 176 C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft. The deal is worth $499.6 million. The contract covers engineering and manufacturing development, as well as training and logistics requirements. The Hercules was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft and is able to user unprepared runways for takeoff and landing. It is now used for gunship, airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol and aerial firefighting. The 40 variants of the aircraft, which include the C-130J Super Hercules, are used by more than 60 countries. Work will primarily be performed at L-3 Communications’ Waco, Texas, facility, with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2029.

The US Air Force awarded Universal Propulsion a $92 million contract to supply the Modernized ACES II Electronic Sequencer for the ejection seat on US as well as Foreign Military Sales aircraft. ACES II is an ejection seat system that senses the conditions of the ejection, such as airspeed and altitude, and selects the appropriate drogue and main parachute deployments to minimize the forces on the occupant. It is used on Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamis F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, WB-57, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft. Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates are the foreign military sales customers. Universal Propulsion will perform work in Fairfield, California, and is expected to be finished by August 2026.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will unveil the new tactical Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) of the Heron Family – the T-Heron – in the upcoming Paris Air Show. Ground Forces and Coast Guard as well as other protection forces will be able to use the T-Heron. It is designed for tactical missions on the battlefield and features a high level of flight safety and reliability. It reportedly is also resistant to extreme weather conditions. With its advanced, certified and proven Rotax engine, the drone can reach a maximum altitude of 24,000 feet and a top speed of 120 knots. The new UAV is capable of carrying several payloads simultaneously of up to 180 kg. The T-Heron will use the same automatic takeoff and landing capability as its family members, but will also be able to deploy from unprepared runways, so will not have to rely on being operated from airfields and can instead be forward deployed as required.

Europe

According to reports, the German Army finished its firing training for the Rafael Spike LR anti-tank guided missile. Spike is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance. It has an imaging infrared seeker. Rafael has sold over 30,000 Spike missiles to 31 countries around the world. The German training involved the firing of 54 live Spike missiles by gunners using the new Spike integrated control launch unit (ICLU) launcher. Complex firing scenarios, like beyond-line-of-sight engagements, retargeting mid-flight, firing in total darkness in infrared, as well as having to cope with adverse weather conditions, like intense rain and strong winds were part of the exercise.

An Apache Attack Helicopter landed on the deck of the UK Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, for the first time, to commence its preliminary ship integration testing on June 3. The Apache that conducted the first landing belonged to the British Army’s Attack Helicopter Force (AHF) and assigned to 656 Squadron Army Air Corps. Under Joint Helicopter Command, the Attack Helicopter will begin a series of tests and evaluations in a so called Platform Ship Integration Testing, or PSITs for short. The visit is also part of the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Asia-Pacific

China successfully launched its first sea-based rocket. A Long March-11 solid propellant carrier rocket blasted off at 12:06 pm from a mobile platform. It is China’s first space launch from a sea-based platform and the 306th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. The rocket reportedly also carried two communications satellites courtesy of China 125, a Beijing-based technology company that plans to launch hundreds of satellites to provide global data networking services. About six minutes after the launch into space, five commercial satellites and a pair of “technical experiment” probes – called Bufeng, or Wind Catchers – reached their designated orbits.

Today’s Video

Watch: Incredible: F-35B vs AV-8B Harrier II Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $56.9 million contract modification to procure Mk 48 Mod 7 guidance and control (G&C) sections and Mk 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS). The company will also produce Functional Item Replacement (FIR) kits, spares and production support material, apart from offering related engineering services and hardware repair support, for G&C sections and CBASS kits. The MK 48 Mod 7 CBASS is an upgraded version of the MK 48 Advanced Capability Mod 6 Advanced Common Torpedo, manufactured by Raytheon. Lockheed Martin’s MK 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo is the US Navy’s most potent anti-surface and anti-submarine weapon in use aboard allied submarines. The torpedo has been designed to be exceedingly lethal and effective against threats operating in deep and shallow waters. Work will take place in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and is scheduled to be finished by March 2021.

Raytheon announced that it completed the final developmental test of the latest generation of the Ship Self Defense System or SSDS, Integrated Combat System for the USS Gerald R. Ford or CVN 78. Mike Fabel, Raytheon’s SSDS program manager said that the successful dual-target test would demonstrate the maturity of the Ship Self Defense System ICS and paves the way for operational testing to begin. SSDS is an open, distributed combat management system in service on US carriers and amphibious ships. The CVN 78 SSDS Integrated Combat System incorporates several elements including Raytheon’s dual band radar, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM), and the Rolling Airframe Missile. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of the Ford Class Carriers. Gerald R. Ford is equipped with an AN/SPY-3 and an AN7SPY-4 active electronically scanned array multi function radar.

Middle East & Africa

The US Air Force awarded Textron Systems a $24.3 million contract action for AC-208 contract logistics support and maintenance training for Afghanistan. The AC-208 Eliminator Armed Caravan is an advanced reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft. The Air Force awarded the aircraft’s manufacturer Orbital ATK a firm fixed price contract worth $86.4 million to supply Afghanistan with seven AC-208 Eliminator aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered to the Afghanistan Air Force under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The AC-208 deliveries are expected to conclude in 2019. Textron Systems will perform work Kabul, Afghanistan, and is expected to be finished by May 31, 2020.

Europe

Elbit Systems announced that its German subsidiary will supply the E-Lynx Soldier Radio Systems to the German Army. The E-Lynx soldier radios will come in handheld and vehicular configurations. According to Elbit, the radios provide forces with the capability to use several voice groups in a single channel and fast data services and enable effective closing of the sensor to shooter loop and accurate monitoring of forces location based on radio integrated Blue Force Tracking (BFT) capability. The systems will be used at the platoon and company levels and will be installed onboard various combat vehicles including the SPz PUMA.

The US State Department approved a possible sale of F-16C/D Block 70/72 aircraft to Bulgaria. The deal is worth $1.7 billion. Prime contractor will be Lockheed Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland. The sale would bring a US fighter platform to an Eastern European member of NATO, marking a recent continuance in the shift from dependence upon Russian-based equipment dating back to the Cold War era when imposition of Soviet puppet states and its Warsaw Pact counter-NATO edifice dominated the region. Bulgaria had initially hoped to finalize a deal for the F-16s in 2018 allowing for deliveries to run through 2021, with in-service capability initially achieved by 2020. If a deal is reached in the coming months, these timeframes will be pushed out by a year or two. The F-16 Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration. Capability upgrades include the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture, and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the F-16s by more than 50 percent.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea and New Zealand signed an agreement to collaborate on defense development and production activity. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that DAPA minister Wang Jung-hong and New Zealand’s Secretary of Defense Helene Quilter signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul. In April, South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. launched New Zealand’s future fleet tanker/replenishment vessel, called Aoteaora. It will likely be delivered and commissioned in 2020.

Today’s Video

Watch: High Alert : Why the Legendary F-15 Might Be Poised for an Epic Comeback

Latest updates: 22-month support contract for the Caravans.

Cessna 208B to Kirkuk
(click to view full)

“Bird Dogs for the Iraqi Air Force” has covered the growth of Iraq’s primary trainer fleet of Cessna 172 and 208Bs, alongside surveillance and even attack variants of the same aircraft. Now, Afghanistan is beginning the same process, and needs primary training aircraft for new air force candidates. Soon, they may need more.

Active military use of “grasshopper”/ “bird dog” aircraft is merely the re-invention of doctrines that worked very well in World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam. The combination of lower tech, lower prices, and lower crash rates than UAVs will continue to give “bird dog” aircraft a military role as light cargo planes, spotters, and even attack aircraft in countries that are watching their budgets…

Contracts & Key Events

Cessna 182
(click to view full)

June 5/19: Contract Logistics Support and Maintenance Training The US Air Force awarded Textron Systems a $24.3 million contract action for AC-208 contract logistics support and maintenance training for Afghanistan. The AC-208 Eliminator Armed Caravan is an advanced reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft. The Air Force awarded the aircraft’s manufacturer Orbital ATK a firm fixed price contract worth $86.4 million to supply Afghanistan with seven AC-208 Eliminator aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered to the Afghanistan Air Force under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The AC-208 deliveries are expected to conclude in 2019. Textron Systems will perform work Kabul, Afghanistan, and is expected to be finished by May 31, 2020.

Sept 27/12: The Cessna Aircraft Co. in Wichita, KS receives a is being awarded a $12.7 million contract modification, covering interim contract support for Afghanistan’s C-280B Caravans in the Basic Trainer/Light Lift Program.

Work will be performed in Wichita, KS until July 31/14. The AFLCMC/WLZI at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the contract on Afghanistan’s behalf (FA8617-11-C-6209, PO 0011).

May 26/11: The Cessna Aircraft Co. in Wichita, KS receives an $88.5 million firm-fixed price, single award contract for the Afghanistan Basic Trainer/Light Lift Family of Systems: 6 Cessna T-182T aircraft; 26 Cessna 208Bs; 6 aircrew training devices; plus interim contractor support for the aircraft, training devices in Afghanistan, and advisor training. The 877th AESG/SYI at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH manages the contract (FA8617-11-C-6209).

In Iraq, some C-208B Caravans have been fitted with surveillance turrets, and some of those have even been armed with Hellfire missiles as “AC-208B Combat Caravans.” Afghanistan has opted for the Cessna 182 Skylane Turbo, however, over Iraq’s Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The Skyhawk is the most popular aircraft in the world for a reason, but Afghanistan’s high altitudes and air-thinning hot weather spells require more power. The Skylane Turbo’s Lycoming TIO-540-AK1A engine delivers full-rated power all the way to its maximum operating altitude of 20,000 feet.

Additional Readings

• DID – Bird Dogs for the Iraqi Air Force

• DID – US SDAF Buying Cessna C-208B Caravan Light Planes. These 4 C-208Bs may be destined for Afghanistan; the announcement is inconclusive.

• DID – Military Again: Afghan AF Picks MD-530F Helicopters. Also for training and assorted other duties. They’ll serve alongside Mi-17 medium helicopters and a handful of Mi-24/35 attack helicopters.

• USAF (Nov 1/11) – C-208B Roadshow comes to Kabul

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $29.3 million contract modification to produce TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array production units, accessories, shipping products, and spare modules for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations aboard surface warships. The TB-37, part of the AN/SQQ-89(V) Undersea Warfare/Anti-Submarine Warfare Combat System, is a next-generation passive and active sonar receiver configured as a long 3-inch-diameter array that can be towed behind surface ships. It is for Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, Ticonderoga Class cruisers, the Littoral Combat Ships, and Zumwalt Class land-attack destroyer. It is able to operate at a variety of depths to enable surface warships to detect and localize enemy submarines attempting to hide in different ocean layers of varying temperatures and salinity. Lockheed will perform work in New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Scheduled completion date is in June 2021.

The US Navy awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. a $9.8 million task order for the AN/SPN-46(V) landing system upgrade program. The deal addresses obsolescence issues, system degraders, deficiency correction and cybersecurity implementation. The AN/SPN-46(V) is a Precision Approach and Landing System. It is capable of controlling up to two aircraft simultaneously in a “leapfrog” pattern because of two dual-band radar antennas. As each approaching aircraft being assisted by the system lands, another can be “acquired”. Work will take place in St. Inigoes, Maryland and is scheduled to be finished by May next year.

Lockheed Marin won a $9.3 million order for post shakedown availability on the Navy’s future USS Billings or LCS-15. The Billings is a Littoral Combat Ship currently undergoing sea trials. It is the 17th littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy and eighth of the Freedom variant to join the fleet. She will be commissioned on August 3 in Key West, Florida and will be tasked with near-shore multi-purpose missions that utilize her ability to deploy and recover landing craft and helicopter. A vessel is typically not committed to any timetables or tasks until it completes its shakedown cruise. While the ship is assigned to the industrial activity for this purpose, this period is known as an “availability”. The awarded deal provides advance planning, accomplishment and emergent availabilities. Work will take place within the US and is expected to be completed by January 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Russia’s Ministry of Defense will soon be able to establish permanent missions within its counterparts in the Central African Republic and Sudan. Jane’s reports that the country has signed agreements with the African States that will run for seven years and will automatically renew if they are not terminated. The aim is to resolve military issues, provide training, and support the acquisition and maintenance of equipment.

Europe

The Belarusian company AGAT Control Systems will soon finish the Berkut-3, a Group 1-class drone. The UAV reportedly has a wingspan of 3 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 11 kg, and has the ability to carry a 2 kg payload. It can be assembled within 10 minutes and launched and recovered via a catapult and a parachute respectively. It is equipped with a combined inertial navigation system (INS) and GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation receiver. The system also includes a digital still camera, infrared camera, or TV camera – ground control station (GCS), datalink, and a ruggedized storage container.

Asia-Pacific

Insitu won $47.9 million to deliver ScanEagle drones to four US allies in Asia. The company will deliver 34 ScanEagles to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The order also provides for spare payloads, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, training, technical services and field service representatives for each nation. The drone delivers high-quality imagery for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The UAV is based on Insitu’s SeaScan miniature robotic aircraft and draws on Boeing’s systems integration, communications and payload technologies. It carries either an electro-optical or an infrared camera. Both are inertially stabilized. Insitu will perform 70 percent of the work under the new contract in Bingen, Washington as well as at multiple shore and at sea locations, including nine percent in Malaysia, five percent each in Philippines and Vietnam, and four percent in Indonesia. Expected completion is in March 2022.

Indonesia could get Su-35 supplies as soon as the end of the year, according to Russian reports. Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu stated that Jakarta would not cancel the contract on jet supplies despite the US sanctions against Russia. The sanctions aim to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, involvement in the Syrian war, and interference in the 2016 US presidential election. In February last year Indonesia signed contracts for the purchase of 11 SU-35s. The Defense Ministry has already signed all the necessary paperwork. However, the Trade Ministry and Finance Ministry are still in the process of approval. Indonesia is the second country after China to buy Su-35 aircraft from Russia. The Asian nation wants the fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of F-5 Tigers.

An AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 13 people on board reportedly went missing on Monday afternoon around 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Arunachal’s Menchuka close to the border with China. According to the IAF the aircraft took off from Jorhat 12:27 pm, and its last contact with the ground control was at 1 pm. The IAF has deployed C-130J and AN-32 aircraft next to two Mi-17 choppers while the Indian Army has pressed into service advance light helicopters to locate the missing Antonov AN-32 aircraft. The AN-32 is a Soviet Union-origin twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft. The IAF was the aircraft’s launch customer.

Today’s Video

Watch: High Alert : U.S. Air Force deploys F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft to Poland

(click to view full)

Naval technologies have advanced on many fronts, but one of the most significant is the growing roster of diesel-electric submarines that boast exceptional quietness. Some of the newer AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) models even have the ability to operate without surfacing for a week or two at a time. In exercises against the US Navy, diesel-electric submarines have successfully ‘killed’ their nuclear counterparts, and in 2006, a Chinese submarine reportedly surprised a US carrier battlegroup by surfacing within it.

The US Navy is slowly moving to beef up anti-submarine capabilities that had been neglected since the end of the Cold War, and other navies are also beginning to adjust. One of the first areas that requires attention is improved detection. That means wider coverage areas, longer baselines, better sonar and other detection systems, and greater use of small unmanned platforms on the surface and underwater. With UUV/USV platforms still maturing, and almost every advanced navy except the Chinese getting smaller due to the cost of new warships, towed systems are a natural place to start.

The New MFTA

DDG-51 modernization
(click to view full)

In the USA, towed array systems are made by a number of manufacturers: EDO/ITT, L-3, Lockheed Martin Undersea Systems, and the small specialist firm Chesapeake Science Corp. are a few of the firms involved.

Unlike a ship’s main bow-mounted sonar, towed arrays can quickly be fitted to any ship with a minimum of yard work. Towed arrays will also be necessary adjuncts to future unmanned anti-submarine vehicles, as their low weight and streamlined shape makes them usable by smaller platforms. Hence MFTA (Multi-Function Towed Array) production contracts since 2008, which are replacing America’s existing set of AN/SQR-19 TACTAS arrays.

The new AN/SQR-20 (now TB-37U) MFTA is the first new surface ship array to be built for the U.S. Navy in 25 years, and is configured as a long 3″ diameter array that can be towed behind surface ships. It is an active and passive sonar sensor, meaning it can listen silently for enemy submarines, or can send out a an active sonar ping and listen for the echoes. MFTA provides several enhancements over the existing AN/SQR-19 TACTAS, including better coverage, better detection capability, and better reliability.

The new towed array will be integrated with AN/SQQ-89Av15 underwater combat systems that are being installed aboard Arleigh Burke Class guided missile destroyers and Ticonderoga Class missile cruisers as part of their planned upgrades. It’s also slated for use on DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class “destroyers” as part of the AN/SQQ-90 dual-and sonar, and aboard the Littoral Combat Ships as part of their Anti-Submarine Warfare mission package.

WLD-1 USV

While the array is described as “towed”, it can still be helpful for the array to have some attached movement capability. One of the key technical issues faced by towed arrays is the fact that knowing the shape of the array in the water is critical to interpreting its results. Unfortunately, currents, maneuvers by the towing vessel, and a myriad of other factors can change the array’s shape in the water. Self-monitoring via a pinging device and listening “birds” clipped along the array (birds because they measure “time of flight”) is a commonly used approach to calculating the array’s shape, and some kind of monitoring approach will continue to be necessary.

Having a streamlined node on the end with some maneuvering ability of its own – a UUV, for instance – can still be quite helpful, allowing operators to adjust the array line’s shape so it remains more useful more often. The US Navy specifically declined to discuss any aspect along these lines, saying that towing characteristics and features were not for public release.

The other unmanned mobility option would be to expand coverage by attaching the relatively small arrays to unmanned vehicles, allowing a warship to cover a much larger area, and to use unmanned vehicles as quiet advance scouts.

Lockheed Martin has confirmed to DID that part of the MFTA contract included an option involving the Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) snorkeling unmanned surface vehicle (USV). RMMV was expected to have a significant role to play in anti-submarine warfare (as the WLD-1), but the US Navy decided to restrict it to LCS’ counter-mine warfare package. That still leaves possibilities aboard USN cruisers and destroyers, but unless the USV improves significantly, WLD-1 probably would be more of a position adjustment aid than a towing platform. Overall USV technology, on the other hand, is expected to improve significantly in the coming decades. It’s very likely that some kind of USV or UUV system will eventually be deployed with MFTA as an independent sensor set.

Contracts and Key Events

CG-47 modernization
(click to view full)

Unless otherwise noted, contracts are issued by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC, to Lockheed Martin Mission in Liverpool, NY. The division’s name changes, but it’s the same maritime sensor group.

June 4/19: Production Units and Accessories Lockheed Martin won a $29.3 million contract modification to produce TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array production units, accessories, shipping products, and spare modules for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations aboard surface warships. The TB-37, part of the AN/SQQ-89(V) Undersea Warfare/Anti-Submarine Warfare Combat System, is a next-generation passive and active sonar receiver configured as a long 3-inch-diameter array that can be towed behind surface ships. It is for Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, Ticonderoga Class cruisers, the Littoral Combat Ships, and Zumwalt Class land-attack destroyer. It is able to operate at a variety of depths to enable surface warships to detect and localize enemy submarines attempting to hide in different ocean layers of varying temperatures and salinity. Lockheed will perform work in New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Scheduled completion date is in June 2021.

May 25/15: Lockheed Martin has been handed a $27.3 million option for seven TB-37 multi-function towed array (MFTA) production units, as well as auxiliary equipment and support services. The work and production will be split between the US Navy and Japan under a previous Foreign Military Sale. The TB-37 is a potent anti-submarine warfare sensor, with the system offering several enhancements to the AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array System which it replaces. The TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array is the first new surface ship array to be built for the US Navy in 25 years and is configured as a long array that can be towed behind surface ships for ASW mission sets.

May 19/14: +9. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Liverpool, NY, is being awarded a $31.8 million contract modification, exercising options for 9 TB-37/U Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA) production units, tow cables, electro-optical slip rings, drogues, and engineering services.

$30.1 million is committed immediately, using various FY 2014 US Navy budgets. Work will be performed in Liverpool, NY (66%), Millersville, MD (33%), and Marion, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be complete by July 2016 (N00024-13-C-6292).

Sept 30/13: A $44.7 million fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for TB-37/U MFTAs and associated support. They’ll act as part of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Antisubmarine Warfare Combat Systems on board USN DDG-51 and CG-47 cruisers.

$28.2 of the $44.7 million is committed immediately, and the contract includes options which could bring its cumulative value to $199.1 million.

Lockheed Martin confirmed that the designation has changed, but it’s the same product. TB-37/U = SQR-20. Presumably, TB-37/U systems for the DDG-1000’s SQQ-90 dual-band sonar, and the Littoral Combat Ship’s forthcoming ASW module, are all handled under separate contracts.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%), and Millersville, MD (40%), and is expected to be complete by April 2015. This contract was competitively procured via FBO.gov, with 2 offers received by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC (N00024-13-C-6292). Sources: FBO.gov | Pentagon DefenseLINK, Sept 30/13.

Multi-year contract & Designation changed

March 15/12: A $14.95 million contract modification to produce and support of AN/SQR-20 MFTAs. The Pentagon release specifically mentions production for the AN/SQQ-89Av15 antisubmarine warfare combat systems on board modernized US Navy cruisers and destroyers.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%); Baltimore, MD (20%); Cleveland, OH (14%); and Phoenix, AZ (6%). Work is expected to be complete by January 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00024-08-C-6282).

March 25/11: A $7.9 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification exercises an option to produce more AN/SQR-20 MFTAs. Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%); Baltimore, MD (20%); Cleveland, OH (14%); and Phoenix, AZ (6%), and is expected to be complete by January 2013 (N00024-08-C-6282). See also Military & Aerospace Electronics.

March 24/10: A $12.2 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification exercises an option to produce more AN/SQR-20 MFTAs. Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%); Baltimore, MD (20%); Cleveland, OH (14%); and Phoenix, AZ (6%), and is expected to be complete by December 2012 (N00024-08-C-6282).

Dec 17/08: Lockheed Martin-MS2 in Liverpool, NY received a $15.1 million firm-fixed-price, cost plus fixed fee option under an existing contract (N00024-08-C-6282) to produce and support MFTAs for the AN/SQQ-89Av15 antisubmarine warfare (ASW) combat systems.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%), Baltimore, MD (20%), Cleveland, OH (14%), and Phoenix, AZ (6%) and is expected to be complete by December 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract.

June 23/08: MFTA appears to be ready to begin production. Lockheed Martin announces a $10 million contract to produce and support MFTAs for the U.S. Navy’s AN/SQQ-89 Antisubmarine Warfare Combat System. Work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s Syracuse, NY facility, in collaboration with Chesapeake Science Corporation in Millersville, MD. Lockheed Martin release.

Nov 21/07: A 3rd revision [PDF format] is made to the RFP. Several sections clarify the structure of the production options, and restate the government’s option not to exercise them if it so chooses. With respect to the issue of the drawings raised in the Nov 5/07 amendment, it adds this language:

“1. The Government may have some of the drawings available to it in a modifiable format and to the extent such drawings are available the Government will make them available after award, as a courtesy, upon request by the successful offeror. The Government, however, will be under no obligation to provide any such drawings at all or in a given time frame, nor will the Government be under an obligation to convert any drawings into a modifiable format.”

Nov 5/07: A revised RFP (Amendment 0002), includes questions and answers that indicate a serious controversy with one of the [unnamed] bidders, who believes the competition is not level:

“We have some serious concerns with respect to the referenced competition:

a. The competition is for a “winner take all” FFP contract [rest relates to numbers produced, Navy clarified]…

b. Our competitor, Lockheed Martin contributed to the design of the Engineering Development Model and the drawing package (their CAGE code appears on some drawings). The RFP states that the drawing package is being provided for information only, but also says that if a contractor uses a drawing package or design other than provided by the Navy it will be viewed as a risk. Hence, the Government is mandating a baseline system engineered by Lockheed Martin and allowing them to bid as a supplier…

c. The Navy has provided the drawing package, with some drawings missing, in PDF format. The selected contractor will have to re-deliver a production data package… We asked for the drawing package in CAD/CAM, i.e. modifiable format, but RFP Amendment 1 denied our request. We will be at a substantial cost disadvantage in that we will have to re-develop the entire data package, whereas Lockheed can proceed with the modifiable format they already have available.

[Complaints are also raised re: incomplete test data and drawing information]

It seems to us that we are at a disadvantage with respect to our competitor who constructed the original drawing package, has built and tested an array [for which limited data was provided to others], and has insight into the revised “informational” drawing package that is the only recognized low risk approach…”

The Navy’s response involved changes in only one area – that the drawing package information was provided for information only, and that contractors had to meet the government’s requirements. Which included either using the existing MFTA design, or providing an “in-depth comparison” with the Navy’s “informational design.” RFP, incl. amendment and Q&A.

Sept 15/07: The US Navy issues a Request for Proposal for the production of up to 75 Multi-Function Towed Arrays for the AN/SQQ-89A(V) 15 Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Combat System. This RFP and related files listed under solicitation number N00024-07-R-6217 are issued electronically, and some controversy ensues re: the way the competition was set up. FBO advance notice.

Additional Readings

• US Navy Fact File – AN/SQQ-89(V) Undersea Warfare / Anti-Submarine Warfare Combat System

• Global Security – AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array SONAR (TACTAS)

Americas

The US Air Force awarded D&D Machinery a $8.9 million contract for the C-17 Globemaster program. The deal is for the Aircraft Engine Ground Handling Trailer, which is required to incorporate I-beam rails to interface with the rollers on the engine cradle. The C-17 is a high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed transport aircraft, that can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain. The US Air Force ordered its last C-17 in 2010. In 2012, a single C-17 was ordered to replace an aircraft that had been destroyed. The estimated total cost over the lifetime of the aircraft’s program is $328 million to $368 million. Work under the contract will take place in San Antonio, Texas and has a scheduled completion date of September 18, 2023.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems won a $7.5 million contract modification in support of the Navy’s AH-1Z helicopters. The company will build 37 A/A49E-7(V4) gun turrets for the US Navy’s as well as the government of Bahrain’s Vipers. The Bell AH-1Z Viper is an American twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, that was developed for the United States Marine Corps as part of the H-1 upgrade program. The AH-1Z features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system. The major components of the A/A49E-7(V4) are the M197 20MM rotary gun, gun turret, control system and ammunition handling system. The A/A49E-7(V4) gun turret system is chin mounted on the AH-1Z chopper providing the capability to position, feed, and fire the M197 20MM rotary gun. It provides air-to-air and air-to-ground capability. GenDyn will perform work under the contract modification in Maine, Vermont, and is expected to finish work by January 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The US Navy awarded General Atomics a $36.5 million modification for nine months of Group 5 unmanned air system intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services. Group 5 indicates that the unmanned aerial vehicles are in the largest category of Defense Department classifications at greater than 1,320 pounds and functioning at altitudes above 18,000 feet. Specifically, the services are for Task Force Southwest and Marine Corps operations utilizing contractor-owned/contractor-operated MQ-9 unmanned air systems. Task Force Southwest is an American operation in Afghanistan under NATO’s Operation Resolute. It conducts security force assistance to train, advise, and assist missions to enable credible and sustainable Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in southwestern Afghanistan. The drones can carry precision guided bombs and missiles. The Reapers provide a wide-area persistent surveillance capability with the help of the so called Gorgon Stare System, which consists of nearly 370 individual cameras that can simultaneously grab imagery across a 40-square mile zone. Analysts can combine those images into a single mosaic map and look for significant changes or patterns of activity and track vehicles and personnel movements over large areas. General Atomics will perform work within the US and outside the continental US. Scheduled completion date is in February next year.

Europe

Belarus presented its 9m318 surface-to-air missile prototype at MILEX 2019 defense exhibition in Minsk earlier this month. Jane’s reports, that the missile, developed by OKB TSP Scientific Production Limited Liability Company, can engage high-speed maneuverable aerodynamic targets with low radar cross-section, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, tactical ballistic, anti-ship, cruise, and air-launched missiles, and surface and radio-emitting ground targets in an electronically contested environment. The 9M318 rocket is actually developed for the Buk-MB3 medium-range anti-aircraft missile system that can hit objects at a distance of up to 70 kilometers and at an altitude of up to 25 kilometers.

Asia-Pacific

Malaysia plans to replace its S-61 helicopter. Royal Malaysian Air Force chief General, Affendi Buang said that the service is looking at a range of helicopters including the EC725. However, Buang recently visited Russia to have a closer look at the Yak-130, which is another possible procurement for Malaysia. However, the acquisition of the lightweight aircraft is still not certain. Malaysia received the first S-61 in 1967. The Eurocopter EC725 is a long-range tactical transport helicopter specially developed to meet a French Air Force requirement for a helicopter for combat search and rescue operations. It made its maiden flight in 2000. The chopper can carry 28 troops or 12 stretchers. Alternatively it can carry 5,670 kg of payload internally. External payload capacity is around 4,500 kg.

According to Northrop Grumman, the company completed its first delivery of an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force on March 29. The Japan Ministry of Defense chose the Northrop Grumman E-2D as its next airborne early warning requirement in November 2014. The Advanced Hawkeyes will help the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in surveilling and securing the country’s airspace but also its territorial waters. They can detect aircraft and ships. The APY-9 Radar fitted in the E-2D has an effective range of over 500 km or 270 nautical miles. Japan previously operated the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye since 1983 and is the largest E-2 operator outside the US.

Today’s Video

Watch: IDET 2019 International Fair of Defence and Security Technology Exhibition Brno Czech Republic Day 1

EC725 SAR/SOF
(click to view full)

Malaysia’s Bermana News reports that Eurocopter has received a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the Malaysian Defence Ministry for 12 EC725 Cougar medium search and rescue (SAR) helicopters. Negotiations for the EC725s had been suspended in October 2008, in the wake of the financial crisis; at the time, they were not supposed to resume until 2011. At the April 2010 Defence Services Asia (DSA) show in Kuala Lumpur, however, Defence minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly signed a letter-of-acceptance. Eurocopter is now working with the government to finalize the contract, which is expected to happen when Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak returns from overseas and the cabinet has a chance to meet and sign off on the deal.

The EC725s would replace the existing fleet of about 20 aged S-61 Sea King/”Nuris”, and are expected to arrive in 2012-2013. The reported deal figure is MYR 1.6 billion ($500 million). EC725s, and their civilian EC225 counterparts, are used by several countries in the region for SAR work. China operates a couple, as does the Japanese Coast Guard. Indonesia has ordered 2, and Taiwan is believed to have ordered 3 EC225s, with an option for 17 more.

Malaysia is also reportedly shopping for attack helicopters. Contenders mentioned so far include Eurocopter’s dedicated Tiger scout/attack helicopter, which also serves in Australia, and versatile S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopters than can be armed with advanced “Battlehawk” kits. Malaysia’s Bernama News | Defense World | Flight International | Singapore’s Straits Times.

 

Contracts and Events

June 3/19: Replacing S-61? Malaysia plans to replace its S-61 helicopter. Royal Malaysian Air Force chief General, Affendi Buang said that the service is looking at a range of helicopters including the EC725. However, Buang recently visited Russia to have a closer look at the Yak-130, which is another possible procurement for Malaysia. However, the acquisition of the lightweight aircraft is still not certain. Malaysia received the first S-61 in 1967. The Eurocopter EC725 is a long-range tactical transport helicopter specially developed to meet a French Air Force requirement for a helicopter for combat search and rescue operations. It made its maiden flight in 2000. The chopper can carry 28 troops or 12 stretchers. Alternatively it can carry 5,670 kg of payload internally. External payload capacity is around 4,500 kg.

Americas

The Navy awarded Timken Gears and Services a $147.4 million contract modification for Main Reduction Gear shipsets for Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers. The gear is designed to transfer power from a pair of main gas turbine engines to propulsion shafts of the vessels. Each of the Arleigh Burke ships has one gear assembly for each of the two propulsion shafts. In 2016 Timken has been awarded a $1.04 billion contract for main reduction gears for the Arleigh Burke destroyers. The destroyers are equipped with the Aegis combat system which integrates the ship’s sensors and weapons systems to engage anti-ship missile threats. Timken will perform work within the US and is expected to complete work by November 2022.

Northrop Grumman Systems won $65.2 million to deliver three Triton UAVs. The company is building the MQ-4C Triton to fly maritime surveillance missions as long as 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles to enable coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The UAV’s suite of sensors can detect and classify different types of ships automatically. The Triton is planned to be an important component of the Navy’s 21st century strategy for conducting surveillance of surface ship and submarine traffic in the vast Pacific and other oceans. The Triton UAV will work together with the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon manned maritime patrol aircraft. The contract is for the Navy and the government of Australia and also provides equipment and associated materials for three ground stations. Northrop will perform work within the US and scheduled completion date is in June 2020.

Middle East & Africa

Israel is looking at CH-53 King Stallion as a possible replacement for the CH-53 Yas’ur (Sea Stallion) helicopters that have been in Israeli service for more than 40 years. According to Jane’s, Israeli Air Force officials let Lockheed Martin know about their intention. Israel started looking for a replacement for its Sea Stallion last year. The CH-53 King Stallion, which is designed to transport dozens of fighters and heavy weaponry to operations on the front or deep inside enemy territory, can carry two heavy SUVs in its cabin. The CH-53K has three hooks for carrying cargo on ropes. The Yas’ur has only one. The King Stallion can be refueled mid-air and has cutting-edge autopilot and landing features, enabling its pilot to touch down almost without using his hands.

Europe

BAE Systems won a $39.5 million contract action for the French MQ-9 FMS Sensor Pod effort. The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper or Predator B is a UAV capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The drone is designed primarily for attack missions but can also be used for surveillance, close air support and reconnaissance. The MQ-9 has a a high cruise speed, a flight ceiling up to 40,000 feet and can carry a larger sensor and weapons payload than its predecessors. France introduced the Reaper in 2013, when it requested the purchase of 16 MQ-9 aircraft and associated equipment at a cost of $1.5 billion. The new contract provides for the production of FMS sensor pods, which will be utilized on the French Air Force MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and Block 30 Mobile Ground Control Stations. Work will take place in Nashua, New Hampshire, and is scheduled to be finished by April 30, 2023.

Irkutsk Aviation Plan completed the assembly of the fifth Yak-152 prototype, according to local reports.The Yak-52 is a Russian trainer aircraft by Yakovlev Design Bureau. The first prototype flew on September 29, 2016. The aircraft is intended to provide primary pilot training, professional selection, and occupational guidance for future military fighter pilots. The Russian Ministry of Defense contracted Yakovlev in June 2015 to supply approximately 150 Yak-152 aircraft by 2020. The Yak-152 trainer aircraft has a length of 7.72m, wing span of 8.82m and a height of 2.47m. The maximum take-off weight is 1,320kg and it can carry a maximum fuel load of 200kg. It features a monocoque fuselage made up of four longerons. Reportedly, a sixth prototype is under construction.

Asia-Pacific

The Indian Air Force wants to arm its fleet of Su-30MKI multirole fighters with Rafael Advanced Defense System I-Derby extended range (ER) beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). The Indian Air Force is reportedly in talks with Rafael to acquire the I-Derby ER, which has a range of 100 km because of it is superior to the aging Russian Vympel R-77 air-to-air missile, currently under service of the IAF. These developments come after the fire-and-forget I-Derby ER missile, which features a software-defined radar seeker and a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, was selected to be the primary AAM to arm the IAF’s indigenously designed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft following successful test-firings in July 2018.

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Americas

Northrop Grumman won a $66.3 million modification in support of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance – Demonstrator (BAMS-D) Program. The deal provides for operation and maintenance services and includes logistics and sustaining engineering support. The Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV was intended to provide persistent, maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capability. The demonstrator program supported real-world operations under US Northern Command (NORTHCOM). By June 2012, the BAMS-D aircraft continued to support more than 50 percent of maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in theater and had flown more than 5,500 combat hours in support of combat operations since 2008. Raytheon will perform work under the current modification in Patuxent River, Maryland as well as Rancho Bernardo, California and other locations and is expected to complete its work in June 2020.

The Navy tapped Colonna’s Shipyard with $9.3 million in support of the USS San Francisco or SSN-711. The contract is for
demilitarization of the exterior hull, internal equipment, bulkheads, decking, piping, and other fixtures. Work will take place in Portsmouth, Virginia and is scheduled to be finished by September this year. The San Francisco is a Los Angeles Class nuclear submarine. On January 8, 2005, the submarine collided with an undersea mountain southeast of Guam. The ship’s forward ballast tanks and her sonar dome were severely damaged, but her inner hull was not breached and there was no damage to the nuclear reactor. Repairs were made. San Francisco returned to Point Loma from her sixth deployment in October 2016.

Embraer is close to the end of its KC-390 military certification tests, Jane’s reports. The company’s goal is for the aircraft to enter service with the Brazilian Air Force at the end of the year. The KC-390 is medium-size, twin-engine jet-powered military transport aircraft. Embraer received a $1.3 billion development order from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for its KC-390 medium-weight military transport jet in April 2009. The aircraft made its first flight in February 2015. KC-390 utilizes computed air release point technology integrated with fly-by-wire system to provide greater accuracy during air dropping, thereby reducing crew workload. The next step for the aircraft will be to complete continuous computed drop point (CCDP) certification, combat offload, and aerial refueling. Other tests will be for the KC-390’s self-protection system, both the chaff and flare and the direct infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) capability. However, it is possible that some tests may be pushed to 2020.

Middle East & Africa

The Belorussian 558 ARP company completed the deliveries of all 12 refurbished and upgraded Sukhoi Su-30K heavyweight multirole fighters ordered by Angola. Angola’s fighters had been upgraded to Su-30SM standard, giving them the ability to fire anti-ship and air-to-air missiles. They are also fitted with jammers. The SU-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat super maneuverable fighter aircraft. The Su-20SM has improved avionics including glass cockpit and Bars-R radar, amongst others. It has canards and AL-31FP engines with thrust vector control for improved maneuvrability.

Europe

Sikorsky responded to the German „Schwerer Transporthubschrauber“ STH Program’s call for competition. It is offering the CH-53K King Stallion. A formal request for proposals for the “Schwerer Transporthubschrauber” (STH) program is expected this summer to replace the older CH-53 the German Air Force currently flies. The CH-53K has flown more than 1,400 test hours and has met all the outer reaches of the test envelope, according to Sikorsky. The King Stallion’s test program so far has included high altitude, hot temperature, and degraded visual environment flights, maximum weight single-point cargo hook sling load of 36,000 pounds (16,329 kilograms), forward flight speed of over 200 knots, 60 degrees angle of bank turns, altitude of 18,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), 12-degree slope landings and takeoffs; external load auto-jettison; and gunfire testing. Boeing’s CH-47F is another expected competitor for the program.

Asia-Pacific

India’s investigation into the fatal crash of a Mirage 2000 fighter in February found that the incident was probably caused by an issue with the jet’s fly-by-wire flight control system. Reportedly, a glitch in the Mirage 2000’s flight computer that kicks in without warning, causes the aircraft to behave unpredictably. Apparently, Indian Air Force flight records examined by the Court of Inquiry show at least four such incidents in the past. In each incident the aircraft suddenly and without command from the pilot, jerked its nose towards the ground. Then, the nose would jerk upwards. Each time, the aircraft has continued these so called “pitch oscillations” for several seconds before resuming normal flight. Dassault supplies the flight computer. The company initially offered the explanation that the “pitch rate gyrometers”, which are sensors that tell the flight computer the aircraft’s attitude, were not securely fitted. However, the Mirage 2000s behaved perfectly for the rest of the flight when the incidents occurred. Dassault has yet to comment on the assumptions of a faulty flight computer.

The Australian Navy was tailed by the Chinese Military as it travelled towards Vietnam on the South Chinese Sea. The HMAS Canberra was ending a three-month-long tour of seven Asian nations involving three other Australian warships, aircraft and more than 1,200 defense personnel. The ships journeyed near islands controversially claimed by Beijing. Defense officials confirmed, that the ships had a “professional” and “friendly” interaction with the People’s Liberation Army during Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019, an Australian Defense Forces regional engagement mission.

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IAF Mirage 2000TH takeoff
(click to view full)

In an effort to offset the growing number of age-related combat aircraft retirements, India is engaged in a round of fighter fleet upgrades. In December 2006, India Defence reported that the Indian Air Force was “close to finalizing” a EUR 1.5 billion (about $2 billion) deal to upgrade its fleet of 51 49 Mirage-2000 ‘Vajra’ fighter jets.

The aim was to give the aircraft, inaugurated into IAF service in 1985-1988, another 20-25 years of service life. Of course, “close to finalizing” means something very different in Indian defense circles than it does elsewhere. It took 4 years before there was even a preliminary agreement, and 5 years later, the negotiated agreement appears to be higher than original reports. So, what is India getting for its money?

The Vajra Upgrades

MICA: Radar or IR
(click to view full)

The upgrade will bring India’s Mirages to the full Mirage 2000v5 Mk 2 standard, including a new RDY-3 radar with greater air-air and air-ground capability, a new night vision compatible all-digital cockpit, and improved electronic warfare systems. These will be tied into a joint tactical information data link system (JTIDS, usually Link 16 compatible but not always), plus helmet-mounted sights for wide-angle heat-seeking missiles. As part of the upgrade, the aircraft will also be equipped with MBDA’s Mica family of medium range missiles.

MBDA was probably unamused by India Defence’s December 2006 description of its wares as “an advanced medium-range missile that is the French counterpart to the more capable American AMRAAM missile [link added]”. MICA would actually replace both the radar-guided Super 350 MRAAM and Magic-II short-range infrared missiles on Indian Mirages, offering better performance and range. While the MICA-RF does have mediocre range compared to the AIM-120C AMRAAM, or even the Russian R-77 used by the IAF’s SU-30MKIs, it’s unique in offering a MICA-IR heat-seeking IR version for a potent medium range ‘no warning’ targeting option. French pilots who used the MICA-IR over Libya report that its sensor alone is a useful input to their systems, and its passive seeker with lock-on after launch means that it can be fired from beyond visual range at enemy aircraft, without creating any warning from the opposing fighter’s radar warning receivers. India will join France, Egypt, Greece, Taiwan and the UAE as operators of the Mirage 2000/MICA combo.

Work on the upgrades will be performed by a French-Indian consortium including Dassault (aircraft manufacturer), Thales (weapons systems integrator), MBDA (missiles) and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Contracts and Key Events 2019

May 30/19: Faulty Flight Computer? India’s investigation into the fatal crash of a Mirage 2000 fighter in February found that the incident was probably caused by an issue with the jet’s fly-by-wire flight control system. Reportedly, a glitch in the Mirage 2000’s flight computer that kicks in without warning, causes the aircraft to behave unpredictably. Apparently, Indian Air Force flight records examined by the Court of Inquiry show at least four such incidents in the past. In each incident the aircraft suddenly and without command from the pilot, jerked its nose towards the ground. Then, the nose would jerk upwards. Each time, the aircraft has continued these so called “pitch oscillations” for several seconds before resuming normal flight. Dassault supplies the flight computer. The company initially offered the explanation that the “pitch rate gyrometers”, which are sensors that tell the flight computer the aircraft’s attitude, were not securely fitted. However, the Mirage 2000s behaved perfectly for the rest of the flight when the incidents occurred. Dassault has yet to comment on the assumptions of a faulty flight computer.

2016

September 27/16: An upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter operated by the Indian Air Force has successfully test-fired the Mica air-to-air missile. The MBDA made missile system was recently acquired from France and follows a $2.4 billion deal to upgrade the IAF’s fleet of 51 Mirage fighters. Once completed all of the fighters will be of the Mirage 2000-5 Mark 2 variant, which boasts new radar systems, a new weapon suite, missiles, electronic warfare system and modern electronic warfare.

2014

Aging fleet partly grounded.

September 2014: State of the fleet. AIN reports that a quarter of India’s Mirage 2000 fleet is grounded because a contract for spares has been stuck in the bureaucracy for years. This means some planes are scavenged for parts.

Meanwhile, the 2 aircraft upgraded in France are awaiting certification. Beyond that, the 7-year timeline to complete the upgrades seems optimistic in light of HAL’s habitual tardiness. At least their staff has reportedly already been trained in France. Source: AIN – Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 Upgrade Progresses Despite Groundings.

Feb 2014: designator pods. Rafael tells Air & Cosmos that the company won sometime in 2013 a tender from the IAF for 164 Litening 4 pods for its entire existing fleet of fighters/bombers. This doesn’t bode well for France’s PDL-NG, and Rafael says integration on Rafales is under discussion with Dassault.

2011 – 2013

Crashes. MICA and Upgrade deals.

IAF Mirage 2000s
(click to view full)

Oct 5/13: 1st flight. Dassault Aviation performed the first flight with an upgraded Mirage 2000 at the Istres air base in southern France near Marseilles. It is one of 2 aircraft that will be upgraded in France, while work on the remaining 47 will be performed by HAL in Bangalore.

Aug 5/13: Support. A a written reply to Shri Kalikesh N. Singh Deo in Lok Sabha sets out the cost of maintaining India’s Mirage fleet over the 2012-13 budget period. The total is INR 4.8685 billion (about $80 million): INR 2.28 billion for spares, INR 1.91 billion for aggregated repairs and maintenance, INR 611.6 million for “capital procurement,” and INR 66.9 million for “capital repair.”

It would be very useful to know how many flight-hours those figures reflect, but the questioner didn’t ask. Maybe next time. India MoD.

March 4/13: Upgrade Costs. Defence Minister AK Antony’s written response to a Parliamentary question snaps the upgrade’s costs into perspective:

“The last contracted price for each Mirage-2000 aircraft in the year 2000 was Rs 133 crore. The contract for upgrade was signed in 2011 wherein the cost of upgrading one aircraft was Rs 167 crore…. Applying an escalation of 3.5 per cent per annum as per the Pricing Policy Review Committee, to the contacted cost of the year 2000, it works out to be Rs 195 crore at 2011 levels. Thus, the upgrade has been undertaken at 85 per cent of the escalated cost of the aircraft.”

See: The Hindu.

April 27/12: India’s Mirage 2000s are resuming operational flights, as each aircraft is checked and cleared. India’s PTI.

Flights resume

April 10/12: Engine issues? Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne says that IAF Mirages are expected to resume flying operations by the end of this month. He also says that “some issues were detected in the engine of the crashed aircraft which was taken to France by original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Snecma for investigations.”

If this turns out to be true, the scope of the fleet’s upgrades may expand to include engine fixes. Negotiations would determine who pays for that, and how much. Times of India | Zee News.

March 5/12: Crash. Another IAF Mirage 2000 crashes. The type has now had just 6 crashes in IAF service since the 1980s, but these last 2 lead to a fleet grounding. Note that some reports place the crash number at 10, but most say 6.

Crash – Fleet grounded

Feb 24/12: Crash. An IAF Mirage 2000 crashes shortly after takeoff from Gwailor. It is flown by Air Officer Personnel (AOP) Air Marshal Anil Chopra, who is injured.

Crash

Jan 30/12: A subsequent Parliamentary reply confirms that the MICA missile deal with MBDA was signed on this day, for 493 missiles. India PIB.

Jan 4/11: the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security clears an proposed EUR 950 million (about Rs. 6,600 crore/ $1.23 billion) deal to equip its 51 upgraded Mirage 2000s with 490-500 MBDA MICA air-to-air missiles, replacing the fleet’s Matra Super 530D medium-range and Magic-II short-range missiles in one stroke. The actual contract signing is expected in about a month.

Under the eventual deal, MBDA will also have to meet the standard Indian requirements of 30% industrial offsets, and integration of the MICAs with the improved Mirages will reportedly be handled by Thales. New Kerala | PTI | Defense News.

MICA Missile deal

Dec 19/11: A Parliamentary answer by defense minister Antony sheds more light on the Mirage 2000 upgrade deal, and places it in context with others:

“Contracts have been signed with M/s Thales, France, along with M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for upgrade of the Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, with M/s HAL for upgrade of the Jaguar aircraft and with M/s RAC-MiG Russia for upgrade of the MiG-29 aircraft. These contracts are under implementation.

The cost of the contract for upgrade of the Mirage 2000 with the M/s Thales, France is Euro 1470 million while the cost of the contract with HAL is 2020 crores [about EUR 291 million; total for both is $2.04 billion, as of Dec 19/11]. The upgrade of the aircraft is expected to be completed by mid 2021. The cost of upgrade of the MiG-29 aircraft is USD 964 million and it is expected to be completed by 2016. The cost for upgrade of the Jaguar aircraft is Rs.3113.02 crores [about $585 million as of Dec 19/11] and the aircraft are expected to be upgraded by December 2017.”

July 29/11: India signs the Mirage 2000 fleet upgrade contract with Dassault and Thales. Dassault | Thales Group.

Mirage 2000 upgrade contract

July 12/11: A source in the Indian Air force tells Agence France Presse that:

“The defence secretary has agreed to the proposal put forward by French defence majors Dassault and Thales and (European group) MBDA for the Mirage-2000 retrofit…”

The source states that India’s cabinet committee on security cleared the deal on July 13/11, and added that it’s the 9-year, $2.3-2.4 billion deal discussed earlier. Only the 1st 2 jets will be refitted in France, with the next 2 done by HAL in India under French supervision, and the rest done by HAL. India’s standard 30% industrial offset obligation will apply, but HAL’s workshare is a very substantial percentage.

Some media sources cite India’s rapidly declining fighter fleet numbers as the key impetus for the deal. Of course, that fleet is declining in part because India’s fighter programs are behind schedule, and its procurement programs suffer from extreme slowness and delays. While bureaucrats ponder, entropy and use eats at the existing fleet. Calcutta Telegraph | Economic Times of India | Hindustan Times | Machinist India | AFP via France 24 | Flight International.

June 19/11: IANS reports that top decision-makers in India are split over the Mirage 2000 upgrade proposal, citing its overall cost (note that the report’s math doesn’t add, but see below).

There’s also some grumbling about the short service life that would be left in some airframes after the upgrades are done, based on the promises in the 1982 contract and the quoted 9-year time frame for the work. The more relevant figure, however, is expected flight hours after the upgrade, which may include airframe refurbishment. The general expectation in published reports is about 20-25 years, or about 6,000 – 7,500 more flying hours, but this has not been explicitly broken down in reports we’ve seen.

May 19/11: We’ve heard this before. This time, it may even be true. The Times of India reports that the deal is negotiated, and remains true to the pattern of the first 4-6 upgrades in France, with the rest performed in India by installing delivered kits:

“Defence ministry sources on Wednesday said the long-awaited deal with France for the upgrade of 52 Mirage-2000 multi-role fighters in IAF’s combat fleet is “finally ready” at a cost of almost Rs 11,000 crore… “This is also now going to CCS for approval. Another big contract, which was being progressed simultaneously, for around 450 MICA (interception and aerial combat missiles) systems to arm the upgraded Mirages is also in the final stages now,” said a source… This means the overall Mirage upgrade package, including the fire-and-forget MICA missiles and the infrastructure build-up at HAL, will eventually cross the Rs 15,000-crore mark.”

That’s about $3.32 billion / EUR 2.33 billion. Or, to put it another way, almost $65 million/ EUR 45.6 million to upgrade and arm each of the IAF’s 51 jets. That price rises further if required new facilities at HAL are added as a project cost. For that kind of money, the IAF could replace its Mirage 2000s with 25-35 more M-MRCA planes (Typhoon or Eurofighter), or about 50 similarly capable new SU-30MKIs. Or, it could bulk up its fleet by replacing the Mirages on a better than 1:1 basis with locally-built HAL Tejas LCA fighters, whose capabilities fall somewhere between existing Mirage 2000s and the proposed upgrade.

Feb 10/11: Still no deal. PTI reports that the Indian Air Force hopes to sign the long-stuck deal by March 2011. Air Chief Marshal P V Naik said that differences over price and legal issues had blocked progress, but “negotiations have been concluded and report has been submitted to the Defence Ministry.” Now the question is whether the contract will be authorized. Deccan Herald.

2008 – 2010

Maintenance contract deadlock resolved; No resolution for upgrade negotiations.

IAF Mirage 2000H
(click to view full)

Dec 6/10: Agreement in principle? Media reports indicate that France and India have agreed on the basic structure of a EUR 2.1 to 2.2 billion upgrade deal, which reportedly includes EUR 700-900 million for MBDA’s Mica air-to-air missiles. That deal still has not been signed, however, and isn’t expected to be signed until March 2011. Time will tell.

The agreement was announced as part of French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s visit, which also included over $9 billion in nuclear power deals for 3rd-generation advanced European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs). India’s DDI government news | Bloomberg | India’s Business Standard | Economic Times of India | Press TV (video) | Sify | Times of India | Usine Nouvelle [in French] || Text of France-India partnership declaration.

March 1/10: Negotiations. Indian chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik tells the Times of India that a final deal on the Mirage 2000 upgrades:

“…should happen shortly… A French team will be coming again in early-March to finalise the details. The CNC (contract negotiation committee) should conclude in another two months. The Cabinet Committee on Security’s approval will then be sought.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed a visit to India later in 2010, which is usually a convenient time to sign deals like this. DID readers should be cautioned, however, that to India’s defense procurement bureaucracy, “soon” can just as easily mean “several years from now.”

Oct 16/09: Negotiations. India’s Business Standard reports that the Mirage 2000 upgrade deal may have fallen through. The beneficiary would be the MMRCA competition for 126+ medium fighters, but Dassault may have hurt its chances there, too:

“According to senior IAF sources, Dassault has refused to reduce its quota of Rs 10,000 crore ($2.1 billion) for extending the service life of the IAF’s Mirage-2000 fleet by fitting new radars and avionics. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) considers this price – Rs 196 crore ($41 million) per aircraft – unacceptably high… [and] is veering around to the view that the Mirage-2000 fleet should continue service in its current form. After six squadrons (126 aircraft) of MMRCAs have entered IAF service, an additional two squadrons [DID: about 40-44 planes] of MMRCAs would be built to replace the 51 Mirage-2000 fighters. That amounts to a 40 per cent rise in the MMRCA’s numbers [DID: more like 32-35%; even 48 planes would be only 38%].

Israeli aerospace companies have reportedly entered the fray, offering to upgrade the Mirage-2000 for half the price being quoted by Dassault. The MoD, however, is not inclined to accept that offer [due to bureaucratic rules that require the OEM to perform upgrades].

…The IAF, traditionally a staunch supporter of Dassault and the Mirage-2000 fighter, is apparently changing its views. Dassault, say pilots, has badly damaged its credibility during the recent negotiations by arm-twisting the IAF over the supply of spares for the Mirage-2000 fleet.”

July 14/09: Negotiations. As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for Paris, The Times of India reports that India resolved their differences over the initial asking price of Rs 14,000 crore (INR 140 billion, about EUR 2.5 billion 2 years ago), and are now all set to ink a Rs 10,000 crore (INR 100 billion, about EUR 1.795 billion/ $2.475 billion) deal to upgrade the IAF’s 55-60 Mirage 2000s. The structure reportedly involves 4-6 aircraft upgraded in France, with the rest upgraded in India by HAL.

“Under the upgrade, the entire airframe will be stripped down to be re-wired and re-equipped with new avionics, mission computers, glass cockpits, helmet-mounted displays, electronic warfare suites and of course weapon systems to extend and enhance the operational life of the multi-role fighters.”

Indian troops led France’s big Bastille Day parade in Paris, and the visit is also reported to include discussions regarding civil nuclear energy cooperation, coastal security monitoring equipment, French proposals for joint development of short-range anti-aircraft missiles, and ongoing competitions involving French A330 aerial tankers and Rafale fighter jets. See also follow-on reports, many of which place the Mirage deal at Rs 9,500 crore: Calcutta Telegraph | Economic Times of India | The Hindu | Sify

Feb 8/09: Negotiations. IANS quotes Thales’ head of solutions for governments sector, Pierre-Yves Chaltiel:

“Pointing out that the technical and programme issues relating to the Mirage-2000 upgrade ‘have been discussed and agreed (to)’, Chaltiel said: ‘We have put everything in place with all our Indian industrial partners, through the transfer of knowledge and technology, for the Indian industry to be in full capacity during the execution phases of the programme.’ “

What’s still missing, are a decision and and contract.

Nov 7/08: Negotiations. IANS reports progress toward a deal. Thales has reportedly offered to deliver the first 2 aircraft from its facilities in France within 40 months of signing, while it helped HAL upgrade 2 more aircraft in India to gain familiarity. Thereafter, HAL would upgrade one aircraft every month, for 47 months. IANS:

“…the IAF is known to have been considering the upgrade for at least two years but floated a request for proposal (RFP) only in April, to which Thales replied in July. Price negotiations are set to begin later this month.”

Pierre-Yves Chaltiel, senior vice president for Thales aerospace government programs, is quoted in another report as saying that “The project is part of a broader strategic partnership between France and India to be implemented under a government-to-government agreement.” Even so, the IANS report adds that another 2-year delay is quite possible:

“…another Thales official pointed out that a decision on the upgrade would have to be taken by the end of this year so that the project could begin early 2009, ahead of the parliamentary polls that are due by May but could be advanced to February.

“Our experience, not only with India but with other countries also, has been that if an election comes in the way, a decision on a project like this can be delayed by at least two years,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.”

See: IANS, via Times of India’s Economic Times | Rediff | India Defence.

Aug 5/08: In 1982, Dassault and the IAF signed a maintenance contract for India’s Mirage 2000 aircraft. That agreement was due for renewal 25 years later, in 2007. Now, India Defence reports that a new agreement has been reached, after a 6-month negotiating stalemate that was moving toward court action:

“Ministry sources said a six-month stalemate between the two sides was finally broken when the Indian side acceded to the French company’s demands pertaining to charges on liquidated damages. Half of the Air Force’s 46 Mirage 2000-H aircraft faced grounding had the stalemate persisted, a service official said. Dassault had insisted on renewing the maintenance contract only if liquidated charges are calculated at the rate of 0.5 percent of the total contract on a monthly basis. The Defence Ministry wanted the 0.5 percent to be calculated per week.”

Dassault reportedly got its way on this issue after threatening to take the matter to the courts, which would have created very long delays to repairs and probably would have grounded the fleet.

Maintenance contract deadlock broken