Defence`s Feeds

Russian T-72B4 Main Battle Tank

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Thanks to Spiridom for the link! This is an absolutely amazing video. I don't know the organization that this lady belongs to but damn!  She dealt with that journalist in almost a brutal...

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Jyrki Katainen, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, today joined the European Defence Agency’s R&T Steering Board meeting at directors level to present the Commission’s European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) and discuss its research implementation.

It was the first time a European Commissioner participated in an EDA Steering Board meeting at directors level which, in itself, reflects the increased importance defence related policies have gained in recent weeks and months, and with it the work done within the Agency.

Vice-President Katainen presented R&T Directors of Member States’ MoDs with the main elements of the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) adopted by the Commission on 30 November, especially the proposed setting up of a European Defence Fund and its ‘research window’ to fund collaborative defence research projects at the EU level. This ‘window’ will be mainly implemented through the Preparatory Action on defence research and should lead to a dedicated European Defence Research Programme (EDRP) in the post-2020 EU multiannual financial framework.
R&T directors reviewed and discussed the EDA involvement in the Preparatory Action as well as the Agency’s role within a potentially upcoming EDRP. They were also updated on how the EDA intends to engage industry in the Capability Development Plan (CDP) process.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq thanked Vice-President Katainen for his presence and welcomed his EDAP presentation. “Any initiative or measure that can help strengthening European defence cooperation and the underlying European Defence and Technological Industrial Base is more than welcome. The Commission has some powerful instruments at its disposal as set out in its Action Plan and I sincerely believe that we should make best use of, interact with and complement those”, he said. Mr Domecq added: “There is a need to carefully articulate and find the right balance between the intergovernmental and the community approach. Finding such balance will determine whether we will be successful together in generating more capabilities, more in cooperation and on a more cost-effective basis”.

Thanks to Spinfight for the link! PDF here.

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Length of video : 79'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

American M136 Single-Shot Anti-Tank Recoilless Rifle

BAE Systems has been awarded a $368m contract to support the US Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office by providing systems engineering and support services for submarines.

The US Marine Corps (USMC) has reportedly grounded its fleet of MV-22 Osprey aircraft in Japan, following a crash involving the tiltrotor military aircraft.

Safran Helicopter Engines has been contracted by the Nato Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA) to support the RTM322-powered European NH90 helicopter fleet.

Americas

• January will see Boeing move the HQ of their defense unit from St Louis to Washington, DC. A company spokesperson said of the move, that “it is driven by our commitment to improve our ability to engage with customers and decision-makers in Washington,” and had been on the cards for some time. The announcement also coincides with a recent push by President-elect Donald Trump to get defense contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to cut costs, but this has been dismissed as a reason for the change of office.

• Communication data links on all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been tested by the USAF. The pilots focused on the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), a direct communications link that allows operators to transmit secure tactical information, and is beneficial for interoperability between the F-35 and the 4th generation planes it is meant to replace, such as F-16s and F/A-18s. MADL also allows for F-35s to share information on air and ground threats in order to more effectively target and engage them.

Middle East & North Africa

• Accusations of war crimes and rising civilian casualties in Yemen has lead the Pentagon to limit military support to Saudi Arabian-led forces fighting in the country. Washington will also revamp future training of the kingdom’s air force to focus on improving Saudi targeting practices, a persistent source of concern for the Obama Administration. Riyadh will lose out on foreign military sales cases for air-dropped munitions and precision-guided munitions.

• The US State Department signed off on a $1.7 billion foreign military sale with Kuwait for the recapitalization of 218 of the kingdom’s M1A2 tanks. Work included in the deal involves the supply of 240 M2A1 machine guns; 480 7.62 M240 machine guns; 240 AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS radios; 1,085 night vision goggles; technical support; and training services. A number of defense contractors will be included in the program, with General Dynamics, Raytheon, Meggitt, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell, all involved.

• Visits to former Islamic State facilities by the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group, has resulted in a report on the state of the self-described caliphate’s arms production capabilities. Although using a range of non-standard materials and chemical explosive precursors, the jihadists have been able to establish a “robust supply chain” of raw materials from Turkey, and the technical precision of its work meant that it could not be described as “improvised” weapons production. The six facilities were located in eastern Mosul and were visited last month following the area’s reclamation by Iraqi special forces.

Europe

• Germany will still seek to give further penalties to Airbus over the severe delays experienced to the delivery of A400M Atlas transport aircraft. A Defense Ministry report to parliament stated that the European multinational A400M program is years behind schedule, with Germany’s share of the costs having risen to 9.6 billion euros ($10.2 billion) from an initial estimate of 8.1 billion euros. Initial aims of the program would have seen Germany receive 11 A400Ms in 2016, for a total of 17. Instead, it will have received just seven by the end of the year.

• Saab will provide RBS 70 simulators to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Lithuania, having imported the portable air defense system since 2004, will see the inclusion of the simulators as a significant improvement to their training capability, allowing for soldiers to practice their deployment and engagement of targets in an exact “virtual” replication of the real world environment that they operate in. Under the contract, Saab will work with the Lithuania-based Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology to integrated customized 3D maps into the simulators. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2018.

Asia Pacific

• Delivery of the first of five leased TC-90 aircraft from Japan to the Philippines will take place in March, 2017. In addition, it was announced that equipment previously stripped from the aircraft by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will be replaced with new avionics before delivery. Manilla plans to use the TC-90s for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, rescue operations and maritime security patrols.

Today’s Video

It’s been 10 years since the F-35’s maiden flight. Testimony from Lockheed Martin test pilot Jon Beesley:

M1A2 SEP
(click to view full)

America’s M1 Abrams tanks come in a number of versions. In addition to the M1A1 that is now standard, the US Army is beginning to field its M1 TUSK for urban warfare. It also operates the M1A2 System Enhancement Program (SEP), currently the most advanced standard variant.

This Spotlight article covers the M1A2 Abrams SEP upgrade program, and will be updated and backfilled as new contracts are issued and key events take place.

M1A2 SEP: Additional Background

Some SEP upgrades
(click to view full)

The M1A2 SEP is builds on the digitized M1A2 platform with an improved armor package of third generation steel-encased depleted uranium armor, a new command and control system, second-generation FLIR thermal sights that include a Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) for “hunter-killer” operation, the Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit (UAAPU) that lets crews run key electronics without running the engine, and a Thermal Management System (TMS – i.e. air conditioning for crew & electronics). The M1A2 SEP also features enhanced electronics like color maps and displays, improved networked communications, high-density computer memory and increased microprocessing speed, a more user friendly “Soldier Machine Interface (SMI)”, and an open operating computing system that will make future upgrades and additions easier.

The M1A2 SEP’s advanced FLIR/thermal sights are part of the US Army’s Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared (HTI SGF) sighting systems program, which creates commonality with other vehicles like the M2/M3 Bradley IFVs.

The M1A2 SEP is a formidable upgrade package, but it was missing a small but crucial item. Troops in Iraq and elsewhere are also clamoring for a phone on the outside of the tank that will let them talk to the vehicle crew. This was common as far back as World War 2, and its lack is hampering coordination on the modern battlefield – especially in urban areas. A General Dynamics representative noted that future M1A2 Abrams TUSK (Tank Urban Survivability Kit) vehicles will have this feature, but the SEP v1 tanks did not.

M1A2 SEP Version 2 configuration, which is just beginning to appear, fixes this. It adds improved displays, sights, and power systems compared to earlier SEP versions – plus the tank-infantry phone. Recent orders also added a CROWS-II top-mounted machine gun with advanced sights. The CROWS system can be controlled from inside the tank using a joystick and screen, removing the need to open the hatch and expose the crews to snipers. SEPv2 is the most technologically advanced digital Abrams tank, and is also positioned for future communications and other technology updates.

Recent budgets for M1A1 enhancements, including both M1A1-Situational Awareness and M1A2 tanks, include:

• FY 2010: $278.8 million for 22 tanks ($93.8M RDT&E, $185.0M procurement)
  
• FY 2011: $294.4 million for 21 tanks ($93.6M RDT&E, $182.0M procurement, $18.8M spares)
  
• FY 2012: $583.9 million for 63 tanks ($9.3M RDT&E, $567.4M procurement, $7.2M spares)
  
• FY 2013 Request: $300.8 million, ($97.3M RDT&E, $203.5M procurement) meant to “complete the final [SEP] production, fielding, and training” – 20-24 tanks by some reports.
  
• FY 2014 Request: $297.4 million ($101.3M RDT&E, $178.1M procurement).

M1A2 SEP: Related Contracts

Commander’s Display Unit

The Armor Site notes that:

“A multi-year contract for 307 M1A2 Abrams Systems Enhancement Program (SEP) tanks was awarded in March 2001 with production into 2004. The current Army plan allows for a fleet of 588 M1A2 SEP, 586 M1A2 and 4,393 M1A1 tanks. The potential exits for a retrofit program of 129 M1A2 tanks to the SEP configuration between 2004 and 2005… The US Army decided to cancel future production of the M1A2 SEP from FY2004, but in June 2005 ordered the upgraded of a further 60 M1A2 tanks to SEP configuration.”

That program has now grown very substantially, and a 2007 contract added 435 more more M1A2 SEPs. Orders have continued to come in, and General Dynamics says that the current multi-year award set will complete the modernization of all M1 tanks in the active-duty army to M1A2 SEP standard. By 2014, however, their interest in keeping the facility running led supportive members of Congress to continue spending money on the program, over the Army’s objections.

Unless otherwise specified, all contracts are awarded by The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI; and the recipient is General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI.

FY 2011 – 2017

December 15/16: The US State Department signed off on a $1.7 billion foreign military sale with Kuwait for the recapitalization of 218 of the kingdom’s M1A2 tanks. Work included in the deal involves the supply of 240 M2A1 machine guns; 480 7.62 M240 machine guns; 240 AN/VRC-92E SINCGARS radios; 1,085 night vision goggles; technical support; and training services. A number of defense contractors will be included in the program, with General Dynamics, Raytheon, Meggitt, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell, all involved.

Jan 31/14: +12. A $72.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for 12 M1A2 SEPv2 tanks.

$15.7 million in FY 2013 funds are committed immediately. other procurement funds in the amount of $15,712,969 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Scranton, PA; Anniston, ALA; and Tallahassee, FL; and will run until Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited with one received. With Israel’s Namer heavy IFV order facing significant cuts, any production at Lima surely be welcomed (W56HZV-14-C-0054).

April 29/13: Keep spending. Congress is looking to spend funds over and above the Pentagon’s request, in order to keep General Dynamics Land Systems running at a higher rate. The Lima plant is reportedly producing about 5 M1A2S upgrade kits per month for Saudi Arabia, and 4 M1A1M kits per month for Egypt, plus production of Israeli Namer ultra-heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Of the Army’s 2,400 tanks, about 1,500 – 1,600 have reportedly received the $7.5 million MA2SEPv2 upgrade. The US Army had wanted to stop buying tanks until 2017, using funds for R&D to produce an updated M1 variant.

Congress has other ideas, and $468 million is a consistently-used figure for the extra spending, but that isn’t broken down clearly. What is clear is that the US Army has said it doesn’t want or need more M1A2s, and wants to spend the money elsewhere at a time when its reducing training and maintenance. Congress disagrees for a combination of industrial reasons involving the restart costs of drying up the sub-contractor chain (and killing some of their firms), and political reasons involving jobs in a state with powerful representatives and outsize significance in Presidential politics. AP | CS Monitor.

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage. With respect to the M1 fleet, the budget would spend $279.4 million ($101.3M RDT&E, $178.1M procurement) to:

“…maintain the armor facility at a sustainable level and minimize loss of skilled labor. It also procures numerous approved modifications to fielded M1A2 Abrams tanks, including the Data Distribution Unit (DDU) to enable network interoperability, the Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS), loader tray modification to improve safety and the Commander’s Remote Operating Weapon Station (CROWS).”

April 25/12: General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI wins a $31.1 million firm-fixed-price contract to create 46 Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 vehicles from existing stocks, by installing the upgrade kits.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Scranton, PA; Anniston, AL; and Tallahassee, FL, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W56HZV-12-C-0198).

Dec 23/11: +21. A $59.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Packages and CROWS weapon stations. Based on past contracts, this will cover 21 M1A2 SEPv2 kits, and finish funding for the planned 435 tanks under the program, though an installation contract may still be forthcoming.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

March 1/11: A $59.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for up to 21 Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 upgrade tanks. That means full materials and labor for the upgrades.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

FY 2008 – 2010

M1A2 SEPv2, Iraq
(click to view full)

March 5/10: +22. A $62.1 million firm-fixed-price contract covers Program Year 4, Increment 2 of the Abrams multi-year contract. The Army is buying full materials and labor for 22 M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades.

General Dynamics Land Systems says that before this recent “call-up” of 22 kits, 371 of the 435 total vehicles had been funded. Now, only 42 vehicles require funding, and they expected to be taken care of in the next 2 increments around January 2011 and 2012. These “funding years” are different from “program years”, and PY 4 is expected to cover 39 M1A2 SEPv2s.

Work is to be performed in Lima, OH (75%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Anniston, AL (9%); Scranton, PA (3%); and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/12. TACOM in Warren, MI issued the contract (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Sept 14/09: CROWS. An $18.2 million unfinalized Change Order Modification firm-fixed-price multi-year contract to buy up to 370 Commanders Remote Operated Weapons Stations version 2 kits (CROWS II) for M1A2 SEPv2 upgrade vehicles. Work is to be performed in Lima, OH with an estimated completion date of Aug 31/12 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

March 2/09: A $9.8 million firm-fixed-price, firm fixed price level of effort, cost plus fixed fee contract to provide parts for the reset material necessary to allow Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) to reset 5 Battle Damaged M1 SEPv1 tanks to a SEPv2 configuration, with a 100% option to RESET another 5.

Work is to be performed at Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Aug 31/10 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 24/09: A $32 million firm-fixed-price contract change order issued to RESET 129 of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s Abrams SEPv2 tanks.

Work is to be performed at Lima, Ohio, (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10. One bid was solicited and one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 3/09: A $5.9 million firm fixed price contract change order to buy improved ammunition racks, as part of a RESET program for 90 M1A2 SEPv1 tanks that are being upgraded to SEPv2.

Work is to be performed at Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10 (W56HZV-06-C-0006).

Jan 27/09: +24. An $80.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for the Abrams Multi-Year Contract’s program year 2, increment 2. This contract buys 24 M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades, and funds 6 more tanks in program year 3, increment 1, for a total of 30.

Work will be performed at Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of June 30/12. One bid was solicited and one bid received (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GDLS release.

Nov 20/08: +180 RESET. A $63.7 million firm-fixed-price contract, exercising an option to RESET 180 Abrams M1A2 SEPv1 to SEPv2 tanks. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, FL, Anniston, AL, Scranton, PA, and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/10. One bid was solicited and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

See also Aug 5/08 entry, and the GDLS release.

Aug 29/08: General Dynamics Lands Systems Division in Sterling Heights, MI received a $30.8 million cost-reimbursable contract to procure long-lead-materials. These materials will be bought in as a prelude to upgrading 129 Third Armored Cavalry Regiment Abrams tanks to the M1A2 SEP configuration.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Anniston, AL; Scranton, PA; and Sterling Heights, MI, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/09. One bid was solicited, and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Aug 5/08: A $613.5 million Firm Fixed Price, contract for Award Program Year One increment 2, in a multi-year contract for Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 upgrades. The contract will upgrade 235 M1A1 tanks to this configuration.

The order was made under a multi-year contract (see Feb 7/08 entry) which authorized the modernization of 435 M1A1 tanks that have been in the Army’s inventory for more than 20 years. An additional 180 tanks remain to be upgraded through the program, which will complete the conversion of all tanks in the Army’s active component to the M1A2 SEP V2 configuration.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH; Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Sterling Heights, MI; and Scranton, PA, and is expected to be complete by Oct 31/11. There was one bid solicited from the manufacturer on Oct 5/07, and one bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006). See also GDLS release.

June 3/08: A $19.8 million cost-reimbursable-no-fee contract for the procurement of long lead material to support maintenance of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Abrams M1A2 SEP tanks. Work will be performed primarily in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by Oct 30/09. One bid was solicited on April 29/08 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

April 28/08: A $28.2 million cost-no-fee contract for long lead materials, which will be used in the recapitalization of M1A2 SEPv1 tanks. Work will be performed primarily in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete on Nov 28/08. One bid was solicited on Jan 18/08 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Feb 7/08: Multi-Year SEP contract. A $39.5 million firm-fixed price contract to upgrade 20 Abrams tanks to M1A2 SEPv2 standard. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Sterling Heights, MI; Lima, OH; and Scranton, PA. The upgrade program is expected to be completed by June 30/13. One bid was solicited on Oct 5/07, and 1 bid was received by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-G-0006). General Dynamics says that this award is in addition to the Jan 15/08 award to fund parts for the upgrades.

General Dynamics announces that this is just the first increment of a $1.5 billion multi-year contract to upgrade 435 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to M1A2 SEPv2 configuration. They add that this multi-year procurement contract “will complete the modernization of all remaining M1A1 tanks which have been in the US Army’s inventory for more than 20 years.”

Multi-year contract: 435

Jan 15/08: A $12.4 million cost-no fee contract “for system enhancement package upgrade vehicles.” Work will be performed in Lima Army Tank Plant, OH, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2008. One bid was solicited on Oct 5/07, and 1 bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Dec 19/07: +180 RESET. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $257.8 million award for procurement of materials and labor required to RESET 180 Abrams tanks under the Abrams Improved SEP Reset (ISR) program. The program could total more than $320 million if all options are exercised. As part of the Improved Systems Enhancement Package (SEP) Reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are modified to the SEP Version 2 configuration.

Deliveries begin in September 2009, and are expected to be complete by September 2010. Work will be performed by existing employees in Anniston, AL; Tallahassee, FL; Lima, OH; Sterling Heights, MI; and Scranton, PA. There was 1 bid solicited on Feb 13/07, and 1 bid was received (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Nov 19/07: +240 RESET. General Dynamics Land Systems received an $88.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for reset of 240 M1A2 Abrams tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2009 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

As part of the reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are upgraded to the SEP Version 2 configuration. GDLS release.

Oct 3/07: A $16.5 million delivery order as part of a $24 million firm-fixed-price contract to provide parts for the reset of battle-damaged SEPv1 Tanks to a SEPv2 configuration. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 14, 2007 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Oct 1/07: A delivery order amount of $20.1 million as part of a $510.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for reset of Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Packages to the M1A2 Tanks. As part of the Improved Systems Enhancement Package (SEP) reset program, M1A2 SEP Version 1 tanks are modified to the SEP Version 2 configuration, which includes improved displays, sights, power, and a tank-infantry phone. It is the most technologically advanced digital Abrams tank and is positioned for future technology insertions for compatibility with the Army’s Future Combat Systems.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 20, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GD release.

FY 2005 – 2007

M1A2, getting the range
(click to view full)

Aug 13/07: A delivery order amount of $5.7 million as part of a $6.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for spare parts for the M1A2 System Enhancement Program Tank. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2010. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 14, 2007 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-02-G-0009).

Aug 8/07: +???. The full delivery order amount of $270.6 million as part of a firm-fixed-price contract for system enhancement package for the Abrams M1A2 Tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by July 31/10. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 16, 2007. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Aug 8/07: +???. The full delivery order amount of $139.3 million for retrofit of M1A2 Vehicles to M1A2 SEP Version 2 configuration. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Jan 31/10. This was a sole source contract initiated on Feb. 21/07 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Specific details re: numbers et. al. are usually present in General Dynamics’ follow-on releases; not this time.

April 18/07: The full delivery order amount of $9.1 million as part of a cost contract for long-lead material for RESET for battle damaged M1A2 System Enhancement Package tanks. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL (40%), Lima, OH (20%), Sterling Heights, MI (10%), and Scranton, PA (30%), and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 10, 2007 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). GDLS release.

Dec 4/06: +312 RESET. A delivery order amount of $305 million as part of a $351 million cost contract for RESET of Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP)v1 to M1A2 SEPv2 tanks, and long lead material for the additional RESET of M1A2 SEPv1 and M1A2 SEPv2 tanks. A GDLS representative confirms that the contact covers 312 tanks returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete on Sept. 30, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 20, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Nov 27/06: +180. The full $379.8 million delivery order amount of a firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade 180 M1A2 tanks to Abrams M1A2 SEP Version 2 status, along with total packing fielding material for initial fielding. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%), and is expected to be complete by Nov 30/09. This was a sole source contract initiated on August 29, 2006 (W56HZV-06-G-0006). See also GDLS press release, and a subsequent release which gives the number. A GDLS representative confirmed that the conversions involved M1A2 tanks.

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received an $11 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the System Enhancement Package RESET Program. This would be the RESET maintenance program for M1A2 SEP tanks. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 22, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $32.6 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the Improved System Enhancement Package RESET Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 29, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $24.2 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Zero-Timed X1100-3B Transmissions in Support of the System Enhancement Package Retrofit Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 18, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

Nov 27/06: GM subsidiary Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN received a $16.1 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Upgraded X1100-3B Transmissions with Refurbished Containers in Support of the System Enhancement Package Program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, IN and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 25, 2006 (DAAE07-01-C-N040).

M1A2 Abrams

Aug 4/06: +60. General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received the full delivery order amount of $134.7 million as part of a firm-fixed-price contract for Abrams M1A2 SEP (system enhancement package) retrofits to 60 existing M1A2 Abrams tanks, along with total package fielding material for initial fielding. The M1A2 SEP is the latest, most technologically advanced Abrams variant, and the contract also includes a $145 million option to upgrade 60 more M1A2s, bringing the total to $280 million if all options are exercised.

Work on this SEP upgrade contract will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Anniston, AL (9%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Sterling Heights, MI (3%). Delivery of the first 60 vehicles is slated to begin in November 2007 and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2008. Delivery of the 60 option vehicles would begin in November 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Feb. 1, 2006 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

July 8/05: An estimated $7.3 million firm-fixed price contract for 90 commanders display units for the M1A2 Abrams System Enhanced Program (M1A2 SEP) Tank. The work is to be performed at the company’s Tallahassee, FL location and is to be completed Sept. 20, 2007. The Tank-automotive Armament Command in Rock Island, IL issued the contract (DAAE20-02-G-0009 delivery order 0109).

June 20/05: +???. A $141.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks to the System and Continuous Enhancement Program Configurations. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Imperial Valley, CA (1%), Tallahassee, FL (1%), Sterling Heights, MI (1%), Scranton, PA (3%), and Anniston, AL (9%), and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 1, 2003 (DAAE07-01-G-N001). See GDLS press release, which places the number of tanks upgraded to M1A2 SEP at 60. It adds that vehicle deliveries to General Dynamics are scheduled for January through October 2007, with vehicle hand-off to the U.S. Army expected in January 2008.

April 29/05: An $8.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for unique spares for the M1A2 SEP Abrams Tank, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Work will be performed in Killeen, TX (85%); Sterling Heights, MI (10%); and Southwest Asia (5%), and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2010. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 14, 2004 by US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL (W52H09-05-C-0089). See also GDLS press release.

FY 1996 – 2004

Sept 2/04: A $22.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for repair and modification to 111 M1A2 SEP Tanks. Work will be performed in Lima, OH and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2005. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 14, 2004 (DAAE07-01-G-N001). A subsequent GDLS press release clarified that this is a contract “to repair and modify 111 M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Package (SEP) tanks that have recently returned from the war zone.” Work will be performed at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2005. The total value for this effort is actually about $70 million, allocated between TACOM ($40 million, to include major component repair by Anniston Army Depot), and GDLS ($29.9 Million).

May 6/04: +65. General Dynamics Land Systems announces a $121 million delivery order as part of a contract valued at $244 million, to retrofit 65 M1A2 Abrams tanks to the M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Program) configuration. The tanks are being retrofitted to modernize the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Work will be performed with the existing workforce at General Dynamics’ facilities in Lima, OH (74%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Anniston, AL (9%); Scranton, PA (3%); Imperial Valley, CA. (1%); Muskegon, MI (1%); and Sterling Heights, MI (1%). Work will also be done at Fort Carson, CO (1%).

May 15/03: +14. A delivery order amount of $26 million, under a firm-fixed-price contract to retrofit 14 M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks to the M1A2 SEP configuration. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (75%), Imperial Valley, CA (1%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), Sterling Heights, MI (1%), Scranton, PA (3%), Anniston, AL (9%), and Muskegon, IL (1%), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2004. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 29, 2002 (DAAE07-01-G-N001).

Nov 29/02: A delivery order amount of $5.8 million as part of an $8.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for 10 gigabyte solid state removable memory cartridges for retrofit into M1A2 Abrams SEP tanks. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights (0.2%) and Bloomington, MN (99.8%), and is to be complete by Aug. 31, 2003. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 15, 2002 (DAAE07-01-G-N001).

May 16/02: A delivery order amount of $2.9 million as part of a $5.8 million (cumulative total) un-priced contractual action for 9 lines of spare parts in support of the M1A2 SEP Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Lima, OH (10%); Imperial, CA (40%); Tallahassee, FL (40%), Anniston, AL (10%), and is to be complete by Oct. 30, 2003. This is a sole-source contract initiated on Feb. 14, 2002 by the U. S. Army Tank and Automotive Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-97-G-0002).

Feb 9/01: +240. A $142 million modification to firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract DAAE07-95-C-0292. This procurement is an equitable adjustment to change-order modification P00110, that incorporated the System Enhancement Package (SEP) into 240 M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks. This modification adds first article tests for the SEP into 240 tanks, adds material and testing for Under Armor Auxiliary Power Units that are to be retrofitted onto M1A2 Abrams Upgrade Tanks with the SEP.

Work will be performed in Lima, OH (80%); Scranton, PA (3%); Imperial Valley, CA (1%); Anniston, AL (4%); Tallahassee, FL (10%); Muskegon, MS (1%), and Sterling Heights, MI (1%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2001. Of the total contract funds, $97.3 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 18, 1995.

Jan 16/01: The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC received a $6 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61339-95-C-0015, exercising an option for the production of one M1A2 Tank System Enhancement Package and one Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Maintenance Training System, Trainer Unique Modification Kit.

Work will be performed in Research Triangle Park, NC (60%) and Daytona, FL (40%); and is expected to be complete by September 2001. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL issued the contract.

Feb 10/2000: The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC received a $5 million modification to previously awarded contract N61339-95-C-0015 for the design, refurbishment, documentation, fabrication, integration, testing, manufacture, delivery and installation of the M1A2 system enhancement package maintenance training systems. Work will be performed in Research Triangle Park, NC (60%) and Daytona, FL (40%), and is expected to be complete by November 2000. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL issued the contract.

Dec 22/99: A $24.9 million modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract DAAE07-96-C-X195, to exercise the option for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program, a system enhancement package M1A2 retrofit for the Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by July 30, 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 2, 1996.

Nov 23/99: A $5 modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract DAAE07-96-C-X195, to exercise priced options for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program, the M1A2 retrofit System Enhancement Package. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by Aug. 30, 2001. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 2, 1996.

May 4/98: A $9.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for various spares in support of fielding of the System Enhancement Package (SEP) of the M1A2 upgrade tank. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, FL (75%); Lima, OH (10%); Imperial Valley, CA (10%); and Scranton, OH (5%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2000. This is a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 8, 1997 by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Command at Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-97-G-0002/0008).

Sept 26/97: A $7.3 million increment of a $24.3 million modification to a $127.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development for the Abrams System Enhancement Package (ASEP) that will be incorporated into the M1A2 Abrams Tank. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 1999. Of the total contract funds, $14,757 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 23, 1994 (DAAE07-94-C-0727).

Aug 8/96: A $10 million modification to a cost plus fixed fee contract for two Heavy Assault Bridge Pre-Low Rate Initial Production Pilot/Test vehicles in Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) configuration. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI and is expected to be complete by February 28, 1998. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 29, 1996 (DAAE07-94-C-0727).

Additional Readings & Sources

• The Armor Site – M1A1/2 Abrams. Simply the best Abrams tank reference.

• James Hasik’s “What to do about Lima and York” series (March – August 2013) – Part 1 | Part 2 – findings from A.T. Kearney, and a radical suggestion for consolidation | Part 3 – and now the Iraqi-Saudi alternative.

• NBC News (July 28/12) – The M1 Abrams: The Army tank that could not be stopped

• US Army – (Feb 19/08) – Modified M1-A2 Abrams Tanks Improve Safety, Precision. Describes the TUSK modifications.

• US Army Logistics Management College, ALOG Magazine (Jan-Feb 1996) – Keeping M1A1’s in Action. A new way to employ the Army’s M1A1 full-up power pack (FUPP) saves time and money and helps ensure a combat-ready tank unit. A FUPP consists of a Honeywell AGT-1500 turbine engine, which contains four modules, and an Allison X1100-3B transmission.

One of the few Afghans convicted of war crimes has been released from a British jail and deported to Afghanistan. Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, a Hezb-e Islami commander, was convicted in 2005 of hostage-taking and torture. He preyed on people fleeing the civil war in Kabul in the mid-1990s, infamously keeping a ‘human dog’, a man who would attack people with his teeth. As AAN’s Kate Clark reports, despite the threat Zardad poses to the witnesses who testified against him, at least some were not informed by the UK government that he was coming back to Afghanistan; nor have any measures been put in place to protect them.

Zardad was released from jail just over half-way through his sentence, AAN understands, for ‘good behaviour’ and has now been deported from the UK to Afghanistan. He was due to arrive in Kabul today, 14 December 2016. Supporters were pictured putting up banners at Kabul International airport naming him a hero and welcoming him home; they included at least one non-uniformed, armed man (see here). The men had gathered just outside the terminal building, past the major security checks and beyond where normal people can go to welcome passengers. Some official authorisation must have been obtained. Pahjwok reported that hundreds of people had “thronged the airport” to welcome the convicted war criminal and “around 50 vehicles with tinted glasses and Zardad photographs left the airport at around 11am.” It was not clear if Zardad was transferred to the convoy or if, as the journalist Bilal Sarwary reported, he was taken into NDS custody at the airport. Whether that was for investigation or for his own protection was also not clear.

The crimes

Zardad’s crimes date back to the mid-1990s, when during a time of extreme brutality, he managed to become one of the most infamous commanders of the Afghan civil war. His rise to power came after the fall of the communist government in 1992. Fighting as a Hezb-e Islami commander, he captured positions outside the town of Sarobi on the main Kabul-Jalalabad road. In Kabul, there was vicious fighting between the mujahedin factions in Kabul and elsewhere in the country, with intense bombardments of the capital and the kidnapping, rape and murder of civilians; it prompted waves of people to flee the capital (for detail, see reports by the United Nations and the Afghanistan Justice Project’s. Zardad’s main activity at his Sarobi base during this period was preying on those trying to escape the conflict and find sanctuary, as well as traders trying to get supplies in to the capital.

When Hezb-e Islami positions fell to the Taleban, Zardad fled, arriving eventually in London on a false passport and claiming asylum. A BBC team tracked him down to a house in a south London suburb in 2000 and he came under police investigation. He was arrested in 2003 and put on trial at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey) in London in 2004. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict and a second trial was ordered for the following year.

The Trial

Zardad was not British and his crimes had not been committed on British soil, but under the UN Convention Against Torture, Britain viewed itself as obliged to investigate and prosecute a suspected torturer who had come within its jurisdiction. This was a landmark trial and the attorney general himself, Lord Goldsmith, lead the prosecution. Zardad’s crimes were so “merciless” and such “an affront to justice”, he said, that they could be tried in any country.

At his second trial, Zardad was found guilty of conspiracy to torture and take hostages and sentenced to two prison terms, each of 20 years, to be served concurrently. As I reported at the time:

He and his men would carry out beatings and torture in order to extort money from people or imprison them until their relatives paid ransoms. One witness said he was held for four months and beaten so frequently that his family failed to recognise him. Travellers on the Sarobi road have recalled being terrorised by one of Zardad’s men who was named Zardad’s Dog: he would attack people with his teeth and hands, clawing and biting their ears, nose or testicles, if ordered to do so. Another threat was to be forced to kiss a corpse which had been allowed to decompose, swell up and blacken over a period of days. (1)

The Guardian also reported on the verdict:

[Witnesses] told how they had been imprisoned in containers for months on end, chained up and repeatedly beaten. Zardad himself allegedly executed one driver and a witness told how, aged seven, he witnessed his father’s ear being cut off by Zardad’s men. His father died of a heart attack three days later. Another witness… said [Zardad’s human] “dog” was set upon the occupant of a fruit lorry after it was stopped at the checkpoint. Ordered to hand out the fruit to Zardad’s soldiers the victim was too slow and was bitten by the long-haired man known as the “dog”. “I saw it with my own eyes,” the witness said. 

At his sentencing, the judge, Justice Tready, told Zardad that for a period of over three years, “as a powerful warlord, [you] presided over a brutal regime of terror in areas under your control. You represented the only real form of authority, law and government in the areas under your control and you grossly abused your power.”

The Witnesses

Zardad’s conviction (see the legal details of the case here) “hinged on credible and coherent witness testimony” (see AAN report here). 16 Afghans gave evidence, mostly by video link, but three in person. Humanitarian aid officials who were working in Afghanistan at the time also gave evidence, providing a clear description of Zardad’s base and helping to establish the fact that Zardad had controlled it, thereby corroborating the testimony of the torture victims.

British police, reported The Guardian, had “travelled to Afghanistan under armed guard to interview victims, many of whom were in fear of their lives after receiving threats to stop them giving evidence.” It also quoted Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch, who lead the investigation, saying, “We had to find witnesses in remote parts of Afghanistan and give them the confidence to come forward to give evidence in a British court,” he said. The verdict shows what can be achieved, and that the UK is not a safe haven for people like Zardad.”

Some witnesses were not informed of Zardad’s release and imminent arrival and, as far as AAN knows, no measures have been put in place to protect them. AAN understands the British police had tried to contact all witnesses, spoken directly to some but failed to locate others. A British Embassy spokesperson told AAN it was “usual police process is to notify all witnesses before the release of any convicted criminals.”

Given Zardad’s record of violent abuses and the fact that he continues to have friends and relatives in high places, the threat that he will try to revenge himself on witnesses and their families is credible. Human Rights Watch’s Afghanistan researcher, Patricia Gossman, told AAN:

Zardad’s trial and conviction in the UK was seen as a signal case for universal jurisdiction and a very rare case of justice in the long history of war crimes and human rights abuse in Afghanistan. In cutting his sentence in half and – most importantly – failing to take into consideration the security of witnesses who bravely testified at the trial and to whom Zardad poses a credible threat, the UK has set back justice in Afghanistan and betrayed Zardad’s victims. One has to wonder why any Afghan would give statements to the ICC [International Criminal Court] or speak up for human rights when this is the support they get. (2) 

AAN put in calls to the Ministry of Interior, NDS and the Presidential Palace but could get no comment on government plans. However, it seems top-level meetings were taking place today to decide what to do with Zardad. He is not without influential friends and some tribal backing from among Ahmadzais who will be pushing for his release. Whether or not the government plans to establish mechanisms to ensure he cannot harm witnesses is also not apparent.

 The conviction of Zardad was a landmark case, helping to establish that the most severe crimes can be prosecuted anywhere. If witnesses cannot be assured that they will be protected from reprisal, however, it will become impossible to get this sort of justice in the future.

 

 

(1) Published by Middle East International (not available online).

(2) In November 2016, the International Criminal Court, said it would be taking a decision “imminently” on whether or not to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity which allegedly have taken place on Afghan soil since 2003, perpetrated by the Taleban, Afghan government forces and the United States military and CIA. For more detail, see AAN reporting here.

 

will take place on 25-26 January 2017 in Brussels.

An extraordinary joint AFCO/SEDE meeting will take place on 15 December, 10:30-12:00, in Strasbourg (see announcement below).

Organisations or interest groups who wish to apply for access to the European Parliament will find the relevant information below.

Further information
watch the meeting live
Access rights for interest group representatives
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The third in a series of five meetings of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) was held in Rome on 22 – 24 November 2016.

The conference was opened by Major General Francesco Maurizio Noto Director, Energy Task Force, Italian MoD, from the Italian Ministry of Defence, Mrs Claudia Canaveri Deputy Head of Energy Efficiency at DG Energy, and Mr Denis Roger, Director European Synergies and Innovation at the European Defence Agency. It was closed by Mr Rini Goos, Deputy Chief Executive European Defence Agency.

“We need to maintain the momentum of the Consultation Forum events and gain an increased pace on delivering sustainable energy to the Defence sector,” EDA Director European Synergies and Innovation Denis Roger said during his opening address. “We need to develop a framework for increasing resilience to the impacts of energy insecurity on Defence capability, whilst enabling MODs to meet international and national commitments. Energy must increasingly be an integral element to the planning and delivery of military capability.”

Building on the success of the first and second events held in Brussels and Dublin earlier this year, this third conference was attended by around 100 experts from government administrations representing the majority of EDA Member States, as well as industry, academia, NATO representatives and the European Commission.

In closing the conference, EDA Deputy Chief Executive Rini Goos set out, “The sustainable energy challenge that all of us in the European Defence community need to address is how we are going to confront our own entrenched thinking and approaches, embracing innovative new concepts to ensure that we can continue to deliver world class military capability”. Mr Goos concluded, “Through an approach of cooperation, collaboration, and complementarity, you have the combined and continued support of the European Defence Agency and the Commission in this endeavor.”

 

Background

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector is a European Commission initiative managed by the European Defence Agency. It brings together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practice on improving energy management, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy.
The Consultation Forum takes place in a series of five plenary meetings over 24 months, concluding in October 2017. The work is carried out in three parallel working groups each with a particular focus: (1) Energy Management, (2) Energy Efficiency & 3) Renewable Energy.

 

More information:

• 1st CF SEDSS meeting report (Brussels, January 2016)
• 2nd CF SEDSS meeting report (Dublin, June 2016)
• CF SEDSS factsheet
• European Defence Energy Network (EDEN)
  
  

Russian MiG-21 Jet Fighter Aircraft

The Egyptian Navy has officially received the first of four Howaldtswerke-Deutche Werft (HDW) 209/1400mod class submarines, S41, from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Kiel.