Defense`s Feeds

Americas

The US Navy tapped Lockheed Martin with a $7 million contract for Combat System Ship Integration and testing on the next generation of Guided Missile Frigate or FFG(X). The work includes integration engineering support and test planning as well as waterfront ship integration and testing, post-delivery engineering support to government test teams, engineering services for ship integration, and test and developing test program documents for FFG(X) ships. The FFG(X) Class of multimission guided-missile frigates for the Navy, are to be contracted from 2020, as a follow-on to the modular Littoral Combat Ship. The Pentagon is in the process of selecting the prime contractor for the new class of ships. Each ship would have at least 32 vertical launching system cells and an AEGIS-based combat system. On June 20, the Navy released a Request for Proposals for companies to bid on the design and construction of FFG(X). Lockheed had already said in May that it would not submit its own bid for the competition. Under the new contract Lockheed will perform at the FFG(X) ship builder location as well as Moorestown, New Jersey. Scheduled completion date is in June, 2025.

Boeing will supply Trailing Edge Flaps for the US Navy’s Super Hornets. The company will provide 48 Trailing Edge Flaps under a $42.9 million contract. A Trailing Edge is the rear edge of an aircraft’s wing flap, where the airflow separated by the Leading Edge rejoins. Trailing Edge Flaps are used for extra lift on takeoff. Flaps also cause an increase in drag during mid-flight, so they are retracted when not needed. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet maritime strike attack aircraft, manufactured by Boeing, flew for the first time on 29 November 1995. Boeing will perform work within the US, and Switzerland. Work will approximately be finished in June 2021.

Middle East & Africa

According to local reports, the Royal Air Force of Oman performed two medical evacuations in Al Batinah and Dhofar. The first evacuation was for a citizen, who died after falling off a cliff in the mountains. The second medevac was for five Yemenis whose vehicle was damaged in Maqash in Dhofar. This comes within the framework of the humanitarian services provided by the Ministry of Defense and the Sultan’s Armed Forces to citizens and residents jointly with other government institutions.

Europe

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has reportedly inked a contract with shipbuilding company Sevmash for two Project 885-M Yasen M-class multipurpose nuclear-powered attack/cruise missile submarines (SSN/SSGN). The MoD signed a contract at the “Army-2019” military and technical forum, which took place last week near Moscow. “Today we have signed a number of large-scale deals. These deals also cover two new Yasen Class submarines. These are substantial volumes and a very significant contract”, Deputy Russian Defense Minister, Alexei Krivoruchko said. The new boat, the second overall Yasen Class SSN launched by Sevmash and the first upgraded Yasen M Class submarine, conducted its first set of factory and underwater sea trials in September 2018. Notably, the sub is not expected to enter service until the end of 2020 or possibly even later due to technical problems that emerged during dockside trials. The improved Yasen M Class SSN is reportedly quieter than the lead Yasen Class boat. It is built with low magnetic steel to reduce its magnetic signature.

Jane’s reports that Portugal received eight AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven Digital Data Link lightweight hand-launched tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The Ravens were delivered on June 27, and will be delivered to Artillery Regiment No 5’s Surveillance Systems Company. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency purchased the drones under a $5.9 million multiyear contract awarded on August 20, 2018. The Raven B is a lightweight and low-altitude, remote-controlled, man-portable UAV system designed and developed for the US Armed Forces. It performs intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance operations. The Raven is hand-launched. It lands safely through auto-piloting without the need for landing gear and prepared landing strips. Portugal’s purchase includes 36 drones, 36 electro-optical/infrared payloads, 12 ground control stations, 36 EO payloads for training purposes, 12 initial spare parts kits, and 18 remote video terminals with radio systems, as well as a comprehensive training package.

Asia-Pacific

The USS Montgomery or LCS-8 arrived in the Philippines last Saturday as part of her deployment to the Pacific. The Navy has resumed overseas deployments of the Littoral Combat Ships after an 18-month long hiatus. Repeated technical problems on both classes, the Freedom and the Independence Class, led the Navy to stand down all LCS crews in August 2016 – the first-ever stand down for a full class of vessels at once. All LCS personnel with a role in engineering were retrained, and the first four ships procured – two from each class, worth a combined $1.6 billion – were permanently restricted to testing duty. The stand down was soon lifted, but it has been more than a year and a half since an LCS deployed. The visit to Davao was the first indicator of the resumption of the LCS deployments. The USS Montgomery is a Independence Class Ship.

Today’s Video

Watch: US Air Force deployed F-22 Raptors Fighter Jets to Middle-East for the first time

The EDA SES Military Aviation Board (ESMAB) today held its 7th meeting at policy level. The meeting, which took place at the EUROCONTROL premises, was chaired by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.

The meeting was attended by the European Commission’s Director General for Mobility and Transport, Henrik Hololei, the Chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC), General Claudio Graziano, the Director General of Eurocontrol, Eamonn Brennon, the Commission Director for Aviation, Filip Cornelis, as well as representatives from a wide range of key aviation stakeholders, notably the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM), NATO, the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE), the Performance Review Body (PRB) and the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD). Also present were representatives from the four countries EDA has concluded Administrative Agreements with (Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine). The ESMAB policy level is comprising Member States’ military aviation authorities or equivalent.

The meeting allowed participants to have an informal high-level exchange of views between the main civil and military actors involved in this domain, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities for civil and military collaboration in on Single European Sky. 

One of the operational conclusions of the meeting was that the ESMAB agreed to support the document “U-Space, Drones and Military Low-Level Flights” including its annex “Operations for traffic below 500ft AGL: a Military view” and to use this document at national and EU level, as a basis to increase awareness of and support for the interests of military aviation in the framework of U-Space developments. This document will be updated as a living document on a regular basis considering other aspects enlarging the scope of the analysis. The Board also welcomed the EDA-EASA guidelines for the accommodation of military instruments flight rules (IFR) for MALE RPAS under GAT (airspace classes A-C) outside segregated airspace and agreed to use the guidelines as a reference for the accommodation of MALE-type RPAS within the European airspace..

Regarding Higher Airspace Operations, the ESMAB agreed to Support the European Defence Agency activities to monitor the work led by EASA as regard the regulatory framework and the work led by SESAR Joint Undertaking and EUROCONTROL as regards the concept of operations for Higher Airspace.

The ESMAB management was also tasked, with the support of EDA, to further investigate the need to establish of a working group involving Member States representatives, as well as representatives of relevant civil and military organisations (NATO, ECTL, EASA, ICAO, etc.) with the objective to together address the cyber security challenges for the air domain, and to revert to the ESMAB (policy level) with a proposal.

The next policy level meeting of the ESMAB is scheduled for end of January 2020.
 

Background

An EDA SES Military Aviation Board (ESMAB) was created by the European Defence Agency Steering Board on 30 September 2015. Ever since, ESMAB meets at two level : - management/expert level and executive/policy level.

Rules and regulations of the civilian world can have an important impact on the military. Consequently, EDA is now recognised as the interface between Member States, EU institutions and agencies. A prominent example is the impact the Single European Sky and its related regulations have on the military. EDA, in its role of interface and facilitator of the coordination of military views is making the military voices heard in this important modernisation process through its successful cooperation with the European Commission, Eurocontrol, and other key EU bodies and agencies involved in SES. This is also achieved thanks to EDA participating Member States’ commitment to the ESMAB which held its first meeting in May 2016.
 

More information: 

• EDA in Single European Sky (project page)
• The Military In SES / SESAR

 

 

Americas

Insitu won $390.4 million to supply Blackjack drones for the US Marine Corps US Navy, as well as Blackjacks and smaller ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles, for three foreign allies. The contract provides for up to 63 RQ-21A Blackjack attrition air vehicles plus six RQ-21A Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and up to 17 RQ-21A air vehicles for FMS customers, including Canada, Poland and Oman. The contractor will also provide up to 93 ScanEagle UASs in various configurations. Insitu developed the RQ-21A Blackjack program together with the Navy in order of filling the requirement for small tactical drones capable of operating from land and sea. With a flight endurance of up to 16 hours and an altitude ceiling of 19,500ft, RQ-21A can carry loads up to 39 pounds. The runway-independent system can be used to support tactical missions on land and at sea. The Marine Corps’ RQ-21A Blackjack UAS achieved initial operational capability in 2016. Under the new contract, Insitu provides for associated services, including training, test and engineering, development of engineering change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations, hardware installs, repairs and data. Work will take place in Bingen, Washington as well as other locations inside and outside the continental US. Scheduled completion date is in June 2022.

International Marine and Industrial Applicators LLC was tapped with $8.5 million for the accomplishment of preservation and non-SUBSAFE structural repairs and maintenance on USS Michigan or SSGN 727. The deal will provide preservation, structural repairs, anode removal and safety track repair requirements and include all necessary management, material support services, labor, supplies and equipment deemed necessary to perform this work. Non-SUBSAFE means the structural repairs and maintenance are not part of the Submarine Safety Program, a quality assurance program of the US Navy designed to maintain the safety of the submarine fleet. The USS Michigan is the second sub of the Ohio Class of ballistic missile submarines and guided missile submarines. The Michigan was launched on April 26, 1980. It was built to carry the Navy’s third generation submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the Trident C-4. Work under the contract will take place in Bremerton, Washington and is scheduled to be complete by June next year.

Carelton Life Support Systems won an $8 million contract modification for the Phase II Upgrade and qualification testing of the CGU-25 oxygen concentrator on the T-45 aircraft. The McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk is the Navy’s aircraft-carrier capable trainer. The T-45 is tandem-seat pilot trainer that replaces the TA-4J Skyhawk and T-2C Buckeye. It was modified from the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. In 2017, the USN grounded the T-45 fleet for a three-day “safety pause” after more than 100 instructor pilots refused to fly the aircraft. The pilots cited concerns about incidents of hypoxia that they believed to have resulted from faulty onboard oxygen-generation systems. Under the modification, Carelton will perform work in Davenport, Iowa, and work is expected to be finished in July 2021.

Middle East & Africa

Honeywell International won a $16.5 million firm-fixed FMS to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to produce J7 Digital Electronic Control Unit for the Abrams family of vehicles. The M1 Abrams is designed for modern armored ground warfare. It has a 1500 hp AGT1500 multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment along with NBC protection for crew safety. It weighs nearly 68 short tons, which makes it one of the heaviest Main Battle Tanks in service. After the start of the Saudi Arabian intervention in Yemen during 2015 Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Arabian M1 Main Battle Tanks, were deployed near the Saudi Arabia/Yemen border. In August 2016, the US approved a sale of up to 153 more Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia, including 20 “battle damage replacements”, suggesting that some Saudi Arabian Abrams had been destroyed or severely damaged in combat in Yemen. The Kuwaiti Army has 218 M1A2s. Work under the current Foreign Military Sale will take place in Tucson, Arizona, and has a scheduled completion date of June 28, 2024.

A stray missile exploded over northern Cyprus on July 1, Reuters reports. The surface-to-air missile (SAM) was reportedly fired from Syria in response to an Israeli attack. Authorities said the missile sparked blazes in surrounding hills after its remnants landed early on Monday, barely 12 miles north-east of the capital Nicosia. Images of the crash showed the burnt-out remains of a missile that had landed in scrubland in the Turkish-occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus. Markings suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 surface-to-air missile, which can have a range of up to 250 miles. Jamming technology could have diverted the missile.

Europe

British company Meggitt PLC signed a 3 year agreement with BAE systems for a new generator system. According to Meggitt, its solution combines two existing generators into a single generator, capable of fitting into a compressed space envelope. It is designed to create space and weight savings and improves efficiency and performance. Together with BAE Systems, Meggitt has worked on developing a reliable, efficient system that reduces the number of critical parts, making assembly and maintenance much easier.

Asia-Pacific

Raytheon Missile Systems won a $36.7 million firm-fixed-price contract to procure Rolling Airframe Missile Guided Missile Launching System requirements. The deal is for the US Navy as well as Japan. The contract, for which 91% of the value is for the USN and 9% for Japan, is to procure material, fabricate parts, assemble, test, and deliver RAM Mk 49 Mod 3 GMLSs. The RAM guided-missile weapon system is co-developed and co-produced under an international cooperative program between the governments of the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. RAM is a missile system designed to provide anti-ship missile defense for multiple ship platforms. Work is expected to be completed by June 2021.

Today’s Video

Watch: Errant ‘Russian-made Syrian missile’ explodes in Cyprus

Americas

Boeing won a $47.7 million contract modification in support of the Apache Attack Helicopter AH-64E production line and Apache Longbow Crew Trainers. The deal provides Version 6/Improved Drive System enhancement cut-in. The AH-64E is a variant of the twin-turboshaft Apache Attack Helicopter. The AH-64E features improved digital connectivity, the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, more powerful T700-GE-701D engines with upgraded face gear transmission to accommodate more power, capability to control UAVS, and improved landing gear. The Apache is a multi-role helicopter used by the US Army. Boeing has delivered more than 2,200 Apaches to customers around the world since production started. The Longbow Crew Trainer is the centerpiece of Boeing’s AH-64 Apache training. The high-fidelity flight simulator is used by pilots and other personnel to practice aircraft procedures and rehearse missions. Work will take place in Mesa, Arizona, with a scheduled completion date of March 31, 2022.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $22 million modification for support services on the Gray Eagle UAV. The deal calls for procurement of performance based logistics support services for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. The Gray Eagle is a 3,600-pound, 28-foot-long drone with a 56-foot wingspan. It has a range of 2,500 nautical miles and a ceiling of 25,000 feet. Its mission set includes, but is not limited to, wide-area Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), convoy protection, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection and defeat, close air support, communications relay, and weapons delivery missions. General Atomics will perform work at General Atomics’ facility in Poway, California with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2020.

Middle East & Africa

The US State Department approved a possible FMS to Morocco for continuing sustainment support to its current F-16 fleet for an estimated cost of $250.4 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. Morocco purchased their F-16s in 2011. In late 2014 Morocco sent F-16s into combat in Syria and Iraq. In March 2019, the US State Department has approved the upgrade of 23 Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16 Block 52+ to the F?16V configuration for an estimated cost of $985.2 million.

Europe

The US Army awarded Lockheed Martin $106.1 million for Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor systems, subcomponent production and technical services for the Apache Attack Helicopters. The deal involves Foreign Military Sales to the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS), also known as Arrowhead, is an electro-optical sensor that provides enhanced situational awareness to Apache’s aircrew with greater performance and survivability. It offers long-range, precision engagement and pilotage solution for missions conducted during the day, night or adverse weather conditions. Estimated completion date is March 31, 2023.

The State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Germany, through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency acting as its Agent. The Sale provides for AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missiles. Berlin had requested up to 91 AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) Tactical Missiles, and up to 8 AGM-88E AARGM Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM). Also included are up to six telemetry/flight termination systems, Flight Data Recorders (FDR), US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services and miscellaneous support equipment, and other related elements of logistical and program support.

Asia-Pacific

According to local reports, the Indian Air Force will be participating in its biggest joint air exercise of 2019 with the French Air Force at France from July 1 to 14. The French Embassy in New Delhi said that the Garuda-VI exercise is a tactical Indo-French exercise aimed at enhancing the interoperability level of the French and Indian crews in air defense and ground attack missions as part of the Indo-Pacific cooperation between the two countries. The exercise is alternately held in France and India. The Indian Air Force contingent comprises of 120 air-warriors and four Sukhoi 30 MKI along with an IL-78 flight refueling aircraft.

Today’s Video

Watch: One Dozen F-22 Raptors Sent to Persian Gulf amid Iran Tensions For Stability

Air India A330
(click to view full)

By the early 2000s, India’s Air Force was expressing interest in buying modern aerial tankers, AWACS radar planes, maritime patrol aircraft, and other long-range, high-value aircraft. Things always take a longer time than they should in India, but the IAF is moving ahead on all fronts. IL-76TD based A-50EI Phalcon AWACS radar aircraft are arriving from Israel, as are has ordered Lockheed Martin’s C-130J-30 Hercules transports for its special forces and Boeing’s 737-derived P-8i Neptune for maritime patrol. A project is underway to develop a mid-size AWACS aircraft, and a competition will select a similar-sized maritime patrol plane to complement the new P-8is.

Aerial tankers enhance the capability of nearly every aircraft in this set, along with India’s fighter fleet. The IAF already operates Russian IL-76 transports, and 6 or 7 related IL-78MK “Midas” aerial tankers, but that won’t be enough. As the Indian Air Force inducts new high-value aircraft, the need for aerial refueling tankers grows along with them. In response, the IAF plans to buy another 6 aerial tankers. In order to add to its fleet, however, the IAF must first overcome India’s bureaucracy.

India’s New Tankers: Enter Airbus

IL-78MK with SU-30MKIs
(click to expand)

Despite the IL-76 family’s strong position within the IAF as transport and aerial tanker planes, and an attractive price tag of well under $100 million for the base aircraft, May 2009 reports from India indicated that Russia’s position as India’s top arms exporter was about to take another blow.

Airbus’ A330 Multi-Role Tanker/Transport (MRTT), which had won the initial KC-X tanker competition in the USA, was reportedly about to win a EUR 1 billion order for 6 Indian aerial tankers. If so, India’s aerial tanker fleet would double to a mixed group of 12, while the A330 MRTT’s confirmed customer base would expand to include Australia, Britain, India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The A330’s is a much more expensive base airplane, with commercial costs reported at over $150 million. Its other drawback is its lack of commonality with the IAF’s existing fleet, which creates additional burdens for maintenance and spares. On the other hand, commonality is not an insuperable barrier. Air India already operates the A330, and other buyers have leveraged their national airlines’ experience. Australia, for example, hired Quantas as its “KC-30B” maintenance provider, creating a global maintenance network. Given the historically poor performance of Russian suppliers, and India’s expectation that it would deploy its forces abroad more often in the coming years, that kind of maintenance arrangement was attractive to the IAF. The A330 would also offer them a more modern platform and engines, with good fuel economy and an advanced refueling system.

The problem was India’s Finance Ministry. They refused to approve the IAF’s choice, on the grounds that the A330 was not the lowest-cost option. The government gave up, and canceled the initial tender in January 2010.

The IAF’s need for more aerial tankers didn’t change, but its tactics did. A v2.0 RFP was released in September 2010: the IAF’s goal remains a buy of up to 6 more aerial tankers, with a budget of up to $2 billion. Besides an increased budget, the big difference this time is that the IAF has added lifetime operating costs into the equation.

RAAF A330-MRTT/ KC-30B
(click to view full)

Boeing’s KC-767 is smaller than the A330, and reportedly offers even more economical long-term operating costs, but it was not bid. That left Round 2 as a re-match between the same 2 competitors: IL-78MK vs. A330 MRTT.

India’s military believes that their RFP v2.0 changes will make the A330 cheaper to buy over the long-term, even if it’s more expensive in the short term. A design optimized for high-altitude cruise instead of short takeoffs with heavy loads, fitted with western avionics and engines, and having commonality with existing Indian airline fleets, may indeed be able to win on lifetime cost. After all, India knows the IL-78’s operating costs. If Airbus figures show a total cost crossover at some point within a reasonable service lifetime, it’s a simple matter of setting the RFP’s calculation time frame accordingly, in order to get the aircraft you wanted in the first place.

Will that work? The answer may depend on how much extra margin was built into the service lifetime assumptions. Boeing’s KC-X win showed that an unprofitable bid can upset standard calculations, and India’s procurement system has been vulnerable to Russia’s “lowball, then renegotiate” tactics in the past.

Contracts and Key Events

July 1/19: Refueling Aircraft to participate in Exercise According to local reports, the Indian Air Force will be participating in its biggest joint air exercise of 2019 with the French Air Force at France from July 1 to 14. The French Embassy in New Delhi said that the Garuda-VI exercise is a tactical Indo-French exercise aimed at enhancing the interoperability level of the French and Indian crews in air defense and ground attack missions as part of the Indo-Pacific cooperation between the two countries. The exercise is alternately held in France and India. The Indian Air Force contingent comprises of 120 air-warriors and four Sukhoi 30 MKI along with an IL-78 flight refueling aircraft.

January 29/18: Competition Restart For the third time in seven years, India has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the purchase of six aerial refueling tankers. Issued on January 25, the new procurement hopes to overcome pricing issues which have befallen the previous acquisition attempts, and will include necessary training and associated equipment. Previous entrants into the competition include the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) and Ilyushin’s Il-78. At present, India operates six IL-78 tankers that were purchased in the 2003-2004 Fiscal Year, however, improper storage and maintenance over the years has adversely effected their serviceability and life, and the aircraft continue to fly with vintage 1985 avionics.

February 14/17: India’s state-run Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is seeking permission to buy six A330s from Airbus and convert them into early warning radar platforms. The deal is currently before the Cabinet Committee on Security and once clearances are given, the DRDO claim they can have the indigenously-built Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) integrated on the first aircraft and delivered to the Indian Air Force within seven years. The IAF has also recently inducted an indigenous AWACS platform on a Brazilian-made Embraer-145 aircraft.

July 29/16: The Indian government has backtracked on a plan to procure six A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft for the Indian Air Force. This marks the second time that India has scrapped the aircraft’s tender which is estimated at $2 billion. But Airbus, already in the midst of financial hits due to its A400M transporter, seems to be remaining confident with an official saying the company “will engage with the Indian government in finding a way to bring the A330 MRTT’s capabilities to the IAF.”

March 8/16: Airbus plans to generate $2 billion in procurement under the “Make In India” initiative between now and 2020. The statement comes as the company’s Indian suppliers and partners generated over $500 million worth of aero-structures, components, materials, and services in India during 2015, which represented a 15% growth over the previous year. Over 45 suppliers, both private and public, have employed more than 6,000 people to contribute toward most of Airbus’ leading platforms, including the A380, A350 XWB, A320 Family, A330, C295W, A400M, Eurofighter, Tiger, and NH90. The company hopes that its willingness to engage in the “Make In India” program will put it in the running for India’s plans for a indigenous fighter.

January 26/16: Delays in the approval of six Airbus MRTT tankers has given to a rise in tensions between Indian Air Force brass and the Defense Ministry. The former has grown frustrated with the ministry’s lack of decision regarding the acquisition which is said to be worth $2 billion. The IAF, citing the urgency to quickly induct any new tankers into the air force, want either the purchase to be confirmed or a new competition to be announced and quickly processed. With the manufacturer’s headquarters stationed in Toulouse, the visit of French President Hollande may be cause for the renewed sense of urgency. But with the Dassault’s sale of Rafale fighters going nowhere fast, the tanker procurement might not go as quickly as the air force wants.

March 5/14: Singapore. Singapore picks the A330-MRTT as their aerial refueling platform and signs a contract for 6 planes, joining Australia as regional operators. Airbus also discusses Indian negotiations, which they still describe as being “in the final stages of contractual negotiations” for 6 aircraft.” MINDEF cyberpioneer, “Dr Ng showcases SAF 2030 at budget debate” | Airbus Military, “Singapore selects Airbus Defence and Space A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport” | Flight Global, “Singapore confirms A330 MRTT buy”.

Feb 25/14: Airbus officials tell Flight International that they’re “in the final stages of negotiations and down to the fine contractual details,” and have extended their bid terms to July 2014 at the request of the Indian government. National elections is coming by May 2014, which means another extension will almost certainly be needed.

India is yet to finalize its choice of A330 engine, which they’ve set up as a separate acquisition. In practice, that’s between GE’s CF6-80E1A3 or the Rolls-Royce Trent 772B. Pratt and Whitney’s PW-4168A exists in theory, but India would be the 1st to pick it if they do. Sources: “Airbus Military extends India A330 MRTT bid until July”.

Jan 9/14: Progress on the MRTT has been delayed by the death of the senior acquisition official, but meetings have been scheduled for mid-January 2014, according to “an informed source close to the program” who adds that “This contract has no political overtones or baggage attached to it.” Which makes it possible to imagine an actual contract, if it can fit into a budget that has been reduced for the 2nd year in a row. Sources: AIN, “India May Close Interim MMRCA Deal Soon – Plus MRTT”.

Jan 11/13: Airbus Military confirms they have been selected as the preferred bidder. After further negotiations to flesh out details, they expect a final production contract later this year.

Jan 4/13: A330 reportedly L-1. The Times of India quotes unnamed Ministry of Defence sources who say that the Airbus A330 MRTT was indeed L-1, the lowest cost offer when lifetime operating costs are accounted for.

“Defence ministry sources on Thursday said the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company (EADS) “is now being called for the final commercial negotiations” for acquisition of six Airbus-330 MRTT…. The actual contract will be inked in the 2013-14 financial year since commercial negotiations with EADS will take some time. Moreover, there has been a massive cut (Rs 10,000 crore) in the defence capital budget for the ongoing fiscal…. the four-engine IL-78 and the two-engine Airbus-330 had passed the extensive field evaluation trials conducted by IAF but the latter emerged the cheaper option in the subsequent commercial evaluation…. “Four to five years have been lost. IAF could have got the Airbus-330 MRTT much earlier and at a cheaper cost,” said the source.”

The note about capital acquisition cuts is actually the bigger story. India has many major programs underway at the same time, and cost has been notably absent from the criteria for some of its most expensive buys. If ambition is forced to meet fiscal reality in the next few years, the collision could be messy.

Airbus picked, again

March 21/12: India’s PTI reports that there is no change to the basic situation, though Airbus thinks the final total may be more than 6 aerial tankers after follow-on buys:

“Flight trials were concluded by the end of last year. So the ball is now back in the court of Indian authorities,” Ian Elliott, Vice President, Defence Capability Marketing, Airbus told reporters… Talking about the requirement placed by the IAF, he said, “Requirement is of six tankers. But it is the initial stage of the competition and that number can probably go up because of the nature of the requirement in this part of the world.”

Jan 2/12: Rediff reports that the IAF has finished trial reports for the Airbus A330 MRTT and Ilyushin IL-78 Midas aerial tankers, following July 2011 trials in Spain (Airbus) and Russia (Ilyushin), as well as earlier trials at India’s Gwailor AB. Rediff | UPI.

Nov 28/11: Defence Minister Antony responds to a Parliamentary inquiry by saying that:

“Indian Air Force is processing a case for procurement of six Air to Air Re-fuellers from the global market. The Defence Procurement Procedure envisages a timeline of about two and a half years from the date of issue-of RFP to conclusion of contract in such multi-vendor cases. The delivery schedule is expected to be between 36 to 51 months from the date of signing the contract.”

In other words, India won’t see its new aerial tankers for another 4-5 years, and possibly much longer. By this time, Boeing’s 767-based KC-46A had won the American KC-X competition, removing uncertainties and ensuring production for many years to come.

KC-46A concept
(click to view full)

Feb 24/11: Boeing 767 for American KC-X. The KC-46A win surprises many aerospace analysts, who expected an EADS win based on leaks that EADS had scored better in the USAF’s models, and expectations they could price their planes lower. That expectation proved untrue, for 2 reasons.

One was an unprofitable bid by Boeing, who bid $20.6 billion vs. EADS $22.6 billion to develop and build the initial planes. The other had to do with changes to the KC-X v2.0 formula. These are adjusted prices. Rep. Norm Dicks [D-WA], for example, claims credit for successful pressure to change the USAF’s costing model from 25 years of expected fuel costs to 40 years, which he boasts cost Airbus “billions of dollars” in the respective calculations.

This decision has implications for India, on a couple of fronts. One is that it removes all production uncertainty for a KC-767, if Boeing wishes to change its mind and bid. The other is the insight it provides into the ways that RFP construction and bids can interact, in a competition of this type.

Jan 20/11: Reports indicate that the EADS A330 MRTT will face off once again against Russia’s IL-78, for India’s aerial refueling contract. IAI Bedek offered to convert a used Boeing 767-300 MMTT the way they did for Colombia, carrying the same IAI refueling system used on the IL-78s, but India insisted on new-build aircraft. On the new-build front, Boeing itself did not submit a KC-767 bid, and indeed made an active decision not to bid. Boeing DSS India VP Vivek Lall told reporters that:

“Only upon the outcome of the [American] KC-X competition will we be able to fully determine our ability to participate in future international competitions.”

Without a KC-767 order from the USAF, Boeing will close the 767 production line, in favor of putting resources into 777 and 787 production. If so, it would leave Japan (4 AWACS, 4 KC-767), Italy (4 KC-767), and Colombia (IAI 767-MMTT) as the only 767 military operators, alongside the world’s large civilian fleets. See: Defense Update | DNA India | Flight International | RIA Novosti | Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

September 2010: India’s Air Force issues a revised aerial tanker RFP.

Jan 6/10: DNA India reports that India’s government has canceled the proposed program, after the Ministry of Finance insisted on “L1 norms” where the cheapest item that satisfies the criteria must be bought.

That means the IL-78, but the Indian Air Force had justified their A330-MRTT choice in a detailed written reply, based on superior technology, competitive through-life costs, and the ability to service it in India. That last provision would help to avoid the dismal in-service readiness record of Russian equipment, which generally has to be shipped to Russia and back if anything significant goes wrong. An IAF officer told DNA:

“For every bit of sophistication, we have to pay a price, and that makes a huge difference in the battlefield… It would take us a few years now to select a tanker, unless they force us to buy the Russian tanker.”

The reason it would take years is because the tender would have to be started over again from the beginning, with criteria set up to exclude the IL-78 and favor the A330. This would achieve the same effect as complying with the IAF’s stated preferences, just force the service to jump through far more bureaucratic hoops before getting the aircraft it wants.

Dec 14/09: Reports surface that India’s mid-air refueling program may be canceled and rebid, following September 2009 objections from the Ministry of Finance over procedural maters, and the selection of Airbus over Russia’s IL-78. Brahmand Defence & Aerospace News | Indian Express | Defense News.

May 28/09: Pravda reports that India rejected the IL-78s because of they didn’t meet stated requisitions, but adds that Russia’s poor performance with spare parts supplies and after-sales service also played a role.

May 25/09: The Hindustan Times adds more fuel to the fire:

“In an exclusive interview to HT, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said, “We have finished all evaluations and selected the A330 MRTT. The deal will come up for final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) very soon. The Russian platform did not meet certain requirements.”

The report places the deal’s value at 48,000 crore, which would be INR 480 billion or $10.1 billion. It’s very likely that this is a typographical error. The actual value for a purchase of this type should be closer to $1 billion, a figure that was also used in the article.

Jan 4/09: India Defence reports that the IL-78 may be set to lose the IAF’s follow-on order. That order’s value is reported as EUR 1 billion, or about $1.3 billion at the time.

Americas

BAE Systems together with Serco Inc. and Scientific Research Corporation each won combined contracts by the US Navy valued at $1.8 billion to support the branch’s shipbuilding programs, including communications and computers systems aboard vessels. The work will be performed aboard new construction aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships, including refueling and complex overhaul ships. The programs require integrated work on integrated command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems (C41). This includes logistics, integration, engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection, zone integration and installation. Throughout the duration of the awarded contracts, the total obligated amount on orders for all of the awarded contracts combined will not exceed $747,097,000. Seventy-three percent of the work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, 17 percent in Charleston, South Carolina and 10 percent in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Work is expected to be completed by June 2029.

On its way to its new homeport in Florida, the future Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings suffered damage after hitting another vessel in Montreal, Canada on June 24. The ship was awaiting its formal commissioning and the hope is that this incident will not delay its entry into service. The Billings struck the geared bulker Rosaire Desgagnes after it lost control for still unknown reasons. There were no reported injuries to personnel on either ship. There is no word yet about potential damage to the Rosaire Desgagnes. Construction of the future Billings began in 2014 and she was launched in 2017. The Navy officially took delivery of the Billings back in February. Lockheed Martin is the contractor. The ship left the shipyard for Mayport earlier in June. After delivery, new Freedom Class LCSs must sail through the Great Lakes and up the St. Lawrence Seaway in order to get out into the Atlantic Ocean and then make their way to their future homeports.

Middle East & Africa

Jane’s reports that a French Gazelle helicopter crashed while flying near the border of Mali and Niger under the auspices of Operation ‘Barkhane’. The incident occurred in mid-June. All three personnel onboard were reportedly immediately rescued. After a controlled crash landing, the two pilots were extracted by being strapped to the landing gear of an Airbus Tiger attack helicopter. The third person, a special forces soldier, destroyed the damaged Gazelle before being exfiltrated in another helicopter. Operation Barkhane is an insurgent operation in Africa’s Sahel region that started in August 2014. It consists of a 3,000-strong French Force.

Europe

The Russian defense ministry confirmed the purchase of 76 Su-57 multirole fighter jets under a contract with Sukhoi Company at the Army 2019 Forum. The jets will be supplied by 2028. Already in May, president Putin said that Russia planned to purchase 76 SU-57s instead of 16 by 2028 without increasing the price. The Sukhoi Su-57 is the country’s first indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. It can destroy all air, ground, and water surface targets.

Germany finished evaluating the Mikado (Mikoraufklärungsdrohne) UAV. The quadrocopter is powered by four brush and gearless electric motors. When disassembled, Mikado can be stored together with the ground station and the operating unit in a special backpack and transported by a soldier. The system includes batteries that allow up to six flights. The drone is used for reconnaissance in the local area to locate objects, identify and provide an optimal situation image. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support tasked the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment with the evaluation of the quadcopter’s characteristics, carrying out the assessment at the Feilenmoos test site in May 2019 in cooperation with the Air Force Center of Aerospace Medicine. The system underwent a special reconnaissance-mission, during which it had to find and identify different targets in the visual and infrared spectrum. Based on the results of this initial test, further tests will be performed.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea has finished development of a 120 mm self-propelled mortar system that has been integrated into an M113 tracked armored personnel carrier (APC). The self-propelled system, development of which began in March 2014, has successfully met all the requirements set by the South Korean military following final tests and evaluations. According to the Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), final tests and evaluations confirmed that the new system met all the military requirements and is to replace aging 107-mm mortars. Developed for the Republic of Korea Army by several South Korean companies under $35.7 million, the integrated mortar system has a strike range 2.3 times that of the aging M30 107 mm rifled mortar it is expected to replace.

Today’s Video

Watch: The Most Aggressive F-22 Raptor Demo ever in Skyfest 2019

EDA’s Steering Board in Capability Directors composition today endorsed the first edition of the Strategic Context Cases (SCC) which will guide the practical implementation of the 11 EU Capability Development Priorities approved by EDA Member States in June 2018. The SCC should ensure the priorities are implemented in a way that improves the coherence of the European capability landscape and leads to cooperative projects which contribute to close identified capability shortfalls.

The 11 SCC – one for every priority agreed last year (*) – describe in concrete terms what the current capability situation is, including the activities planned or already ongoing at national and/or multinational level in order to address the shortfalls. The outcomes of the NATO Defence Planning Process and the activities undertaken in the context of the Framework Nations Concept (FNC) are also taken into account in order to ensure coherence of output and avoid unnecessary duplication.

The SCC highlight in particular the major challenges to the coherence of the European capability landscape in each of these areas in the short, medium and long term. “We all know that there are pressing capability challenges across the whole spectrum. For example, there is a growing threat from the use of mini-drones to our military forces”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq commented. “The SCC will provide concrete and tangible gains across the Member States in addressing this issue in the short, medium and long term”. They also provide guidance to address these challenges by offering ‘avenues of approach’ for potential cooperation between participating Member States that could help achieve the priorities and improve the coherence of the European capability landscape.

The SCC are integrating documents: each of them also reflects the R&T priorities identified in the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) and related R&T activities linked to each capability priority. Cross references of the SCC to the Key Strategic Activities (KSA) which are considered important for the implementation of the priority such as technologies, skills and industrial manufacturing capacities will be added once the KSA reports are approved by the Steering Board.

To prepare the SCC, EDA worked closely with Member States, the EU Military Committee (EUMC), the EU Military Staff (EUMS) and European industry which was consulted to collect their views on technological solutions to close identified capability gaps and face the new security challenges. The Agency also ran staff to staff meetings with NATO to ensure activities developed by participating Member States within NATO are correctly reflected.

The next step in the elaboration of the first edition of the SCC will happen in February 2020 when EDA will present to the Steering Board part two of the SCC containing roadmaps of ongoing capability development activities and possible new ones which, subject to the necessary ad-hoc decisions by Member States, could be taken forward in the Agency framework. The SCC are living documents and will be updated by EDA over time, also on the basis of Member States’ feedback, to make sure they always reflect the latest developments in the implementation of each and every priority.
 

Background

In June 2018, the EDA Steering Board in Capability Directors formation endorsed the 2018 Capability Development Plan (CDP) and approved the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities. In their Council conclusions adopted on 25 June 2018, Member States agreed that “these priorities, as a key reference for Member States' and EU's capability development, will inform CARD, PESCO and the European Defence Fund, which bring a step-change in defence cooperation, thus contributing to coherence among these three distinct but mutually reinforcing initiatives”. The June 2018 Steering Board also tasked the Agency to start the preparatory work for the implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities, including with a view to the elaboration of SCC. In November 2018, the Steering Board tasked the Agency to proceed with the development of the SCC and to come up with a first edition by June 2019. Endorsed by the Steering Board, the SCC will now be forwarded to the Council as agreed by the Member States in the Council conclusions of 17 June 2019.
 

More information: 

• 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities (EDA brochure)
• CDP factsheet

 

(*) The 11 EU Capability Development Priorities approved by Member States in 2018 relate to the following domains:

• Ground Combat Capabilities
• Enhanced Logistic and Medical Supporting Capabilities
• Naval Manoeuvrability
• Underwater Control contributing to resilience at Sea
• Air Superiority
• Air Mobility
• Integration of Military Air Capabilities in a changing Aviation Sector
• Enabling capabilities for cyber responsive operation
• Space-based information and communication services
• Information Superiority
• Cross-Domain Capabilities contributing to achieve EU’s Level of Ambition. 

 

 

Americas

BAE Systems won a $14.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for an upgraded MK45 Mod 4 gun mount. The 5-inch MK 45 light weight gun mount system is fired aboard guided missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke and CG-47 Class ships. The MK 45 gun was developed as a lighter weight, more easily maintained replacement for the MK 42 5″/54 caliber gun mount. It is designed to engage surface and air targets and to provide naval surface fire support for expeditionary operations. The modification also includes for the MK45 associated components. The contract will provide all necessary material and services required to overhaul and upgrade MK 45 gun mounts to support AEGIS Modernization and Arleigh Burke new construction requirements. BAE Systems will perform work in Louisville, Kentucky, and is expected to be finished by October 2023.

Sikorsky will provide engineering services for the H-60 Blackhawk under a $91.3 million hybrid contract. The deal also features other support services for all versions of the Blackhawk four-bladed twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter. The Blackhawk is the primary medium lift helicopter for the US Army that performs a wide range of missions encompassing Air Assault, MEDEVAC, CSAR, Command and Control, and VIP transport. The newest version of the Army’s premier combat utility helicopter, the UH-60M, ensures compatibility with the US Army’s Future Force. It aims to improve the Forces’ effectiveness, reduce their vulnerability and allow for future growth, while lowering operating and support costs. At the beginning of the month it was reported that Sikorsky had tested a retrofit technology kit for the first time to operate a Blackhawk helicopter with full-authority, fly-by-wire flight controls. Estimated completion date for work under the new contract is June 27, 2019.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli, US and UK F-35 stealth fighter jets participated in a joint exercise over the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday, Israel Defense reports. The exercise called „Tri-Lightning“ was a one-day defensive counter air exercise involving friendly and adversary aircraft from the three participating countries and consisted of active and passive air defense operations. The Israeli Defense Forces emphasized that the exercise was pre-scheduled as part of the annual training graph and constitutes a unique opportunity for the joint training of the fifth-generation combat aircraft. Additionally, the exercise enabled the cooperation between the Air Forces and the development of joint capabilities.

Europe

Saab just inked a framework agreement with the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) in order of providing the Swedish Armed Forces with the Carl-Gustaf 84 mm man-portable reusable anti-tank weapon. The FMV can place orders in a ten-year-period under the agreement. It allows FMV to make quick and cost effective purchasing on behalf of the Swedish Armed Forces with a minimum of red tape. In addition, the Estonian and Latvian Armed Forces are also allowed to purchase under this framework agreement. The Carl-Gustaf provides high tactical flexibility through its wide range of ammunition types. It is fully optimized for dismounted soldiers who need a light-weight, and high-impact weapon. Saab unveiled the Carl-Gustaf M4 in October 2014 during AUSA, the Association of the US Army in Washington DC.

Russian company Kalashnikov launched its next-generation kamikaze drone, local reports say. The reconnaissance and attack drone can autonomously locate and destroy hostile targets in the air, on land and in the water. The drone is dubbed „Lancet“. The Lancet was the second high-precision attack drone presented by ZALA AERO, a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov group, this year. According to ZALA, the weapon system has already been tested. Earlier at the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the Kalashnikov presented the „Kubik“ kamikaze drone. However, this drone did not have a television channel guidance.

Asia-Pacific

India’s Ministry of Defense has sent Requests for Expression of Interest (REoIs) to local shipyards inviting them to participate in the long-deferred Project-75 India that aims to domestically construct six diesel-electric attack submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems for the Indian Navy. The REoIs were sent out on June 20. The shipyards have two months to respond to the REoI. Project-75I is the second project after the procurement of 111 armed light naval utility helicopters and 24 naval multirole helicopters, under the MoD’s SP model. The Defense Acquisition Council, the Indian MoD’s principal procurement body chaired by the country’s defense minister, has approved the procurement of the six new SSKs back in January.

Today’s Video

Watch: US Military and NATO forces allies crossed Europe For Stability

SCAF : Future Combat Air System

Tag: SCALF

Americas

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy megarocket successfully launched 24 satellites into orbit. The launch, which was part of a complex government mission, marked several firsts for the SpaceX team. It was the first nighttime launch for the Falcon Heavy, the first time this kind of government mission used two SpaceX boosters that have been flown before and the first time ever the military used the world’s most powerful weapon. The rocket blasted off at 2:30 am EDT on June 25. It was the Falcon Heavy’s third overall flight. The rocket carried payloads for universities, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the nonprofit organization The Planetary Society. The aim of the launch was for the rocket to release the satellites in three different orbits over a period of hours. The satellites will orbit Earth near the equator, taking measurements of the tropics and subtropics, and monitoring the ionosphere for the effects of solar storms. Additionally, the Defense Department and NASA will operate the satellites. Some are intended to conduct space environmental monitoring, communications and advanced space technologies. SpaceX founder Elon Musk called the mission the „most difficult“ ever for the company. While the overall launch was successful, SpaceX had to face one mishap: the center core of the rocket crashed into the ocean instead of landing on the drone ship „Of course I love you“. It is unclear why the center core missed its target. The disappointment was evident in the SpaceX headquarters during the livestream as initial celebration gave way to silence after the center core crashed.

L3 Technologies won a $73.7 million contract in support of the submarine photonics mast programs. The deal provides for repair, upgrades and overall services. A photonics mast is a sensor on a submarine that functions much like a periscope but without requiring a periscope tube. This prevents water leakage in the event of damage. The Navy started fitting photonics masts to the Virginia Class submarines in 2004. The Naval Sea Systems Command contracted L-3 with $48.7 million in 2015 to develop and build a new, slimmer version of its photonics mast for the Virginia Class submarines. In the boats, traditional periscopes have been supplanted by two Photonics Masts that house color, high-resolution black and white, and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. L3 will perform 98 percent of the work in Northampton, Massachusetts and is expected to be finished by June 2025.

Middle East & Africa

Qatar’s $6.4 billion deal with the UK in 2018 to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon fighter jets was the largest UK export credit deal ever, the recent UK Export Finance report shows. In the UKEF report, it says: „As well as being its centenary, this has also been a record year for UKEF, with the largest amount of business underwritten in a single year for decades. This included support for the biggest transaction in its history, worth nearly £5 billion for the export of defence equipment to Qatar. As well as supporting BAE Systems, MBDA UK and their thousands of UK employees and suppliers, this contract will strengthen our own defence capabilities and those of an important strategic ally“. According to Jane’s the provision of credit to Qatar continues the UKEF’s trend in recent years to engage primarily with the defense materiel requirements of countries from the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Europe

Lockheed Martin won a $561.8 million FMS contract to Bahrain, Poland and Romania for the Army tactical missile guided missile. The contract for the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, includes guided missiles and a launching Service Life Extension Program, or SLEP III. According to Lockheed, the rounds will include sensor technology that provides the recently qualified Height-of-Burst capability. They will produce the rounds at the company’s Precision Fires Production Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas. Lockheed is expanding its Camden manufacturing facilities to include the capability to produce ATACMS and other upcoming missiles. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2022.

MBDA Germany and Lockheed Martin’s joint venture, the TLVS bidders consortium, submitted its proposal to develop, test and deliver TLVS, Germany’s future Integrated Air and Missile Defense system, MBDA said in a news release. The tender proposes an efficient four-phased approach that includes development, integration, testing and delivery of a fielded multi-mission system. The TLVS (Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem) is designed to replace Germany’s aging, sectored Patriot systems. It will be the first-ever integrated air and missile defense system able to simultaneously detect, track and intercept multiple threat sets, including medium and short-range threats with full 360-degree coverage. According to MBDA, the fielded unit will deliver new capabilities and significant performance enhancements well beyond the MEADS program and all known systems. The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program is aimed to replace Patriot missiles in the United States, the older Hawk system in Germany, and Italy’s even older Nike Hercules missiles.

Asia-Pacific

India’s Ministry of Defense approved the procurement of 10 more Boeing P-8I Neptune long-range maritime multi-mission aircraft for the Indian Navy for a total of $3 billion. The proposed P-8Is are expected to supplement 12 similar platforms, eight of which were ordered in 2009 for $2.1 billion and delivered by 2015. The other four were ordered in 2016 for $1.1 billion and are scheduled for delivery from 2021. The actual contract is scheduled to be signed early next year. First, the deal will have to be cleared by the Defense Acquisition Council, which is headed by defense minister Rajnath Singh and includes the three chiefs and the defense secretary, and then, by the Cabinet Committee on Security, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and includes the finance, defense, home and external affairs ministers.

Today’s Video

Watch: SpaceX successfully launches Falcon Heavy rocket

Falcon 9 Engines

DID has covered SpaceX’s role in DARPA’s Responsive Small Spacelift Launch Vehicles program with its Falcon I design, and noted the Low-Earth Orbit launch contracts it had secured for various customers. RSSLV is designed to create a less expensive, quick launch capability. Yet SpaceX is developing a whole family of launch rockets, and recently announced a much larger Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) class rocket called the Falcon 9.

It’s a long way from the venture’s beginnings, when PayPal founder (and SpaceX CEO) Elon Musk noted that “The computer and Internet revolutions have given a great deal of capital to the ‘Star Wars’ fans.” SpaceX stuck to its original plan – giving private firms and government agencies that want to launch satellites a $6 million alternative to the cheapest existing rockets, which now cost $30 million per flight. Now, it’s branching out.

The Falcon 9

SpaceX initially intended to follow its first vehicle development, Falcon 1, with the intermediate class Falcon 5 launch vehicle. However, in response to customer requirements for low cost enhanced launch capability, SpaceX accelerated development of an EELV-class vehicle, upgrading Falcon 5 to Falcon 9. SpaceX has sold a Falcon 9 launch to a US government customer, and still plans to make Falcon 5 available in late 2007. Their efforts are worth watching, and could affect the military satellite launch market.

With up to a 17 ft (5.2 m) diameter fairing, Falcon 9 is capable of launching approximately 21,000 lbs (9,500 kg) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in its medium configuration and 55,000 lbs (25,000 kg) to LEO in its heavy configuration, a lift capacity greater than any other launch vehicle. In the medium configuration, Falcon 9 is priced at $27 million per flight with a 12 ft (3.6 m) fairing and $35 million with a 17 ft fairing. Prices include all launch range and third party insurance costs, and SpaceX claims that this makes Falcon 9 the most cost efficient vehicle in its class worldwide.

Nine SpaceX Merlin engines power the Falcon 9 first stage with 85,000 lbs of sea level thrust per engine, for a total thrust on liftoff of 765,000 pounds. After engine start, Falcon is held down until all vehicle systems are verified to be functioning normally before release for liftoff.

Although in-flight failures are very rarely explosive, a Kevlar shield protects each engine from debris in the event of its neighbor failing. The second stage tank of Falcon 9 is simply a shorter version of the first stage tank and uses most of the same tooling, material and manufacturing techniques. This results in significant cost savings in vehicle production. A single Merlin engine powers the Falcon 9 upper stage, with dual redundant hypergolic igniters (TEA-TEB) with four injection ports for added reliability of restart.

Falcon Family
(click to view full)

SpaceX: Rocket Science With A Difference

SpaceX’s approach to vehicle design is interesting, and may make them a strong lower-budget alternative to Boeing and Lockheed – and a potentially strong competitor to Ariane or Russian launch options.

An overview of SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets and launch schedules can be found here. Their designs incorporate a number of well thought-out approaches to balancing low cost and reliability.

SpaceX’s analysis noted that the vast majority of launch vehicle failures in the past two decades can be attributed to three causes: engine, stage separation and, to a much lesser degree, avionics failures. An analysis of launch failure history between 1980 and 1999 by Aerospace Corporation showed that 91% of known failures can be attributed to those subsystems.

Falcon 1

In response, they designed Falcon 1 to have only one engine per stage and only one stage separation event – the minimum pragmatically possible number. Falcon 9 uses similar engines, electronics, guidance & control and separation systems to Falcon 1, but is built on a different scale and uses multiple engines.

In the case of Falcon 5 and Falcon 9, the multiple engines are set up so that the vehicles will be capable of sustaining an engine failure at any point in flight and successfully completing their mission. These architectures are improved versions of those employed by the Saturn V and Saturn I rockets of the Apollo Program, which had flawless flight records despite losing engines on a number of missions.

SpaceX hold-before-release system is required by commercial airplanes, but rarely seen on launch vehicles. After first stage engine start, the Falcon is held down and not released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating normally. An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occurs if any off nominal conditions are detected. It is, after all, cheaper to reset a launch than to replace a cargo that is often worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Keeping the design to only one stage separation event, and adding triple redundant flight computers and inertial navigation, with a GPS overlay for additional orbit insertion accuracy, take advantage of design and lowering costs for electronics to address the remaining reliability issues while keeping the cost of launch economical.

Falcon 5 and Falcon 9 will also be the world’s first launch vehicles where all stages are designed for reuse.

Reuse is not currently factored into their launch prices, but SpaceX has publicly stated that it will make further reductions in launch prices when the economics of stage recovery and checkout are fully understood.

SpaceX: The Future

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has stated that eventually, he wants to pave the way for safe and reliable airplane-like trips to space. “If anyone can do it,” says Mike Griffin, a former NASA exec (at the time – he’s now NASA Administrator) and president of the venture-capital firm In-Q-Tel, “Elon can. He has an incredible track record.”

• So, Mike Griffin used to be a former executive of NASA and a current head honcho at In-Q-Tel. Now he’s a former In-Q-Tel executive and a current head honcho at NASA. Thanks to the readers who wrote in to point this out. Does this make him a “re-former” NASA executive? I guess we’ll see.

Updates

June 26/19: Third Launch SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy megarocket successfully launched 24 satellites into orbit. The launch, which was part of a complex government mission, marked several firsts for the SpaceX team. It was the first nighttime launch for the Falcon Heavy, the first time this kind of government mission used two SpaceX boosters that have been flown before and the first time ever the military used the world’s most powerful weapon. The rocket blasted off at 2:30 am EDT on June 25. It was the Falcon Heavy’s third overall flight. The rocket carried payloads for universities, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the nonprofit organization The Planetary Society. The aim of the launch was for the rocket to release the satellites in three different orbits over a period of hours. The satellites will orbit Earth near the equator, taking measurements of the tropics and subtropics, and monitoring the ionosphere for the effects of solar storms. Additionally, the Defense Department and NASA will operate the satellites. Some are intended to conduct space environmental monitoring, communications and advanced space technologies. SpaceX founder Elon Musk called the mission the „most difficult“ ever for the company. While the overall launch was successful, SpaceX had to face one mishap: the center core of the rocket crashed into the ocean instead of landing on the drone ship „Of course I love you“. It is unclear why the center core missed its target. The disappointment was evident in the SpaceX headquarters during the livestream as initial celebration gave way to silence after the center core crashed.

September 15/16: SpaceX aims to resume rocket flights in November following a launch pad fire that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and an Israeli communications satellite it was due to lift into orbit earlier this month. The company stated that it has suspended Falcon 9 flights until it completes its investigation into why the rocket burst into flames during fueling for a routine prelaunch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. SpaceX had previously stated that a nearly-completed second launch site in Florida, located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), would be finished in November. The pad was last used to launch NASA’s space shuttles five years ago.

April 29/16: The USAF awarded an $82.7 million contract to Space Explorations Tech. (SpaceX) to launch a GPS III satellite in May 2018. The move represents a shift away from the decade-long monopoly held by giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin on military space launches. Work to be carried out under the contract includes production of a Falcon 9 rocket, spacecraft integration, launch operations, and space flight certification.

April 12/16: Last Friday saw SpaceX successfully land a first-stage Falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. This is the second time SpaceX has successfully landed a rocket back on earth after putting a payload in space, but the first such landing on an ocean-going barge. An earlier attempt at a similar landing failed last December when the first stage rocket tipped over and exploded. Friday’s flight saw the Falcon 9 deliver cargo to the International Space Station.

October 12/15: The Pentagon has denied United Launch Alliance a waiver that would have allowed the company to continue using Russian RD-180 rockets. SpaceX was unhappy that the company’s competitor for defense and intelligence satellite launch services requested the waiver, with ULA previously threatening to withdraw from future competition with SpaceX if the waiver was denied. SpaceX was cleared for national security launches in May, with Congress passing the 2015 defense authorization law in December 2014 to curtail the use of the RD-180 by ULA, resulting in protests from some within the Pentagon earlier this year.

May 28/15: SpaceX has been cleared by the Air Force for national security-related launches, injecting competition into a previous United Launch Alliance monopoly on private DoD launches. This is part of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain’s efforts to end US reliance on the Russia-manufactured RD-180 rocket for space launches. However, the Pentagon has previously urged Congress to allow ULA to continue using the Russian rockets in order to “ensure access to space”.

EDA today celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a ceremony in its premises attended by the Head of the Agency, Federica Mogherini, high representatives (Ministers, Deputy Ministers, State Secretaries, Chiefs of Defence, Ambassadors) from its 27 Member States and the four associated countries, the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, Deputy Secretary-Generals of the EEAS, the Director General of the EU Military Staff, several European Commissioners and Commission Director-Generals, Executive Directors and senior officials of all EU institutions and agencies, NATO senior representatives as well representatives from the European defence industry and the media.  

In her commemoration speech, Federica Mogherini, the Head of the Agency, recalled the tremendous progress made in European defence cooperation over recent years - especially since the publication of the EU Global Strategy in 2016 - and stressed the role played by EDA in this endeavour. “Five years ago, no-one imagined how far we would come. European defence cooperation has expanded like never before. We have created the instruments to make European defence cooperation become the norm. And the Agency has been at the core of all our work and of all the progress that we have achieved together”, she stated. “All this work wasn't just long overdue. It was urgent and necessary. All of our Member States, today, need European cooperation to guarantee the security of our citizens. European defence is first and foremost about the security of European citizens”.

With CARD, PESCO and the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU has put in place the tools it needs to enhance defence cooperation and make it work for the benefit of a stronger and more efficient, coherent and interoperable European defence. “The European Defence Agency has made essential contributions to crafting these initiatives all along the way, and it is now central in their implementation. The Agency is the secretariat for both the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence and on PESCO, together with the European External Action Service and the EU Military Staff. And you are working with Member States so that their defence budgets incorporate our common Capability Development Plan", Ms Mogherini said. "In these years, I have seen this Agency grow and adapt to new tasks and challenges – and let me thank everyone who works here for your professionalism and flexibility. Your role is now more important than ever, and it will be essential to ensure that EDA always has the means to fulfill its new tasks", shed added. 

The Head of the Agency concluded by saying: "It was a privilege for me to be Head of the Defence Agency in this extraordinary moment for European defence. It has been an honour to lead the Agency in these five years, and up until its fifteenth birthday. And whatever will happen next, I know that there are some great professionals here, working every day to make our cooperation more effective, our industry stronger, and our continent more secure.So let me thank you for these years together, and happy birthday to everyone at EDA".  
 

“EDA is and will remain a central institution of European defence”

Previously, in his opening address as the representative of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel-Beniamin Leș commended the Agency “for its substantial contribution and support to European Defence efforts” throughout the past 15 years. EDA is nowadays recognised as a “key player” in advancing the EU’s role in security and defence, he said. The Agency’s Long-Term Review was “natural” and necessary to keep it fit for purpose. The enhancement of the Agency proved relevant, especially when looking at the crucial role EDA plays nowadays as part of the CARD and PESCO secretariats and in the implementation of the EU defence initiatives in general, the Minister stated.  “We encourage the Agency to continue to support the development of a common understanding regarding the new EU defence initiatives, including the possibilities of simplifying the processes and rules, to continue pursuing coherence of these initiatives and to further contribute to the coherence of output and timelines between relevant EU and NATO processes”, Mr Leș stated. Member States, too, have to change and adapt the way they do defence planning, he said. “PESCO, CARD, EDF are not just political initiative, but they need to become national defence planning instruments. We count on EDA support in this regard”. The Minister, who thanked for the “excellent cooperation” during the Romanian EU Presidency, concluded by saying: “EDA is and will remain a central institution of European defence. As an intergovernmental organisation, it will continue to be closely attached to the needs of the Member States, and this is the main feature that we need to preserve. Romania will remain a strong supporter of EDA as it has always been. You can count on us”. 
 

Working for more coherent European capability landscape

 In his welcome words to the 200 external guests and EDA staff, Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed that since its creation in July 2004, the Agency and the 700 colleagues who worked for it over the past 15 years were always (and still are) driven by one central commitment: to help Member States improve their defence capabilities through cooperation, by working together. “Our mission is very clear: to support Member States in the development of their defence capabilities. All our work is geared towards making this mission a reality”, he said. The Agency can be proud of what it has achieved so far in circumstances that were difficult at times, he said. Not only has it established itself as the “main architect of EU defence capability priorities” thanks to the roles it plays in steering the Capability Development Plan process, the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda and the identification of Europe’s Key Strategic Activities, but it is also recognised as Europe’s central hub for multinational capability development and manager of collaborative defence research, as Europe’s common training ground for common enhanced interoperability as well as the military’s voice and interface in other EU policies. Most importantly, EDA is increasingly seen as the guardian of coherence among the new EU defence initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF). “I am proud of the impact this house makes, in the interest of a more coherent European capability landscape owned and used by our Member States”, Mr Domecq said, calling Member States to make “full use of EDA’s potential”.
 

More information

• Special 15th anniversary edition of ‘European Defence Matters’ magazine
• Speech by Federica Mogherini, Head of EDA (video)

 

 

The latest European Defence Matters magazine (N°17) is now available. This special edition is entirely focused on the European Defence Agency’s 15th Anniversary which is being celebrated this summer. Together with previous and current stakeholders, decision-makers and partners, we look back at how the Agency has evolved over the past 15 years, what it has achieved so far and what its future prospects are.  This special 15th Anniversary edition is already available in PDF and will soon also be accessible via online version.

After a foreword by Federica Mogherini, the Head of the Agency, the magazine reviews the events and developments in 2002/2003 (European Convention, Thessaloniki European Council, etc.) which led to the creation of the Agency in 2004. Javier Solana, the first EU High Representative for the Common and Security Policy (1999-2009) and first Head of EDA (2004-2009), also shares his recollections and analyses in an interesting and exclusive article for European Defence Matters.

We also sat down with those who, as Chief Executives, have steered the Agency through 15 exciting yet challenging years: Nick Witney (2004-2007), Claude-France Arnould (2011-2015) and Jorge Domecq who is currently (since 2015) in charge. Alexander Weis, who served as Chief Executive from 2007-2011, could unfortunately not attend this joint interview.

Member States’ views on EDA’s role and achievements in EU Defence are represented in this magazine by Finnish Defence Minister Antii Kaikkonen who explains in his contribution why the Agency is “the right intergovernmental platform for joint capability prioritisation, planning and development”.

In a series of six articles, we then describe and assess what can probably be considered as EDA’s main achievements over the past 15 years during which the Agency has established itself as: - the main architect of EU defence capability priorities; - the manager of European defence research; - the European hub for multinational capability development; - the military voice and interface for EU policies; - Europe’s training pitch for enhanced interoperability; - the guardian of coherence among the newly set-up EU defence cooperation tools.

In the ‘Industry Talk’ section, MBDA’s new CEO Eric Béranger shares his views on how European defence cooperation in Europe (and EDA’s role in it) have evolved over the past 15 years and what the industrial prospects and challenges are for the future. He also touches upon the implementation of the recent EU defence initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF).

The NATO view on European defence, EDA and EU/NATO cooperation is provided for this magazine by former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy & Planning, Heinrich Brauss, who is now a Senior Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

Thoughts and reflections by representatives of some of EDA’s main partner organisations as well as a very interesting and inspiring outlook analysis (‘Quo Vadis EDA?’) by Dick Zandee, Head of the Security Unit of the research department of the Clingendael Institute in The Hague) round off this very special European Defence Matters magazine.     

Have a look immediately – and enjoy!
 

More information:

• Special 15th Anniversary edition - European Defence Matters N°17 (PDF)

 

Americas

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems won a $96.6 million contract modification for the initial production of the Silent Knight Radar system for the US Special Operations Command. The Silent Knight Radar is a terrain following, terrain avoidance system designed to increase the situational awareness of aircraft and helicopters in low visibility conditions. Silent Knight is claimed to be 30 percent lighter than previous airborne systems and to require less power, which means a lower probability of detection/interception. The system includes a range of new applications, including navigation support systems and threat detection and identification. The radar also features ground mapping and weather detection capabilities. The contract modification increases the ceiling to $300 million for continued low-rate initial production of the radar system for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. Raytheon will perform work in McKinney and Forest, Mississippi, and is scheduled to be complete by October 2022.

Leidos won a $72.8 million contract to help the US Navy build a wide area surveillance technology to support antisubmarine warfare missions. The company will specifically develop the Transformational Reliable Acoustic Path System (TRAPS) for the Navy’s Maritime Surveillance Systems Program Office. The TRAPS capability complements fixed surveillance systems and the surveillance towed array sensor system. It provides flexible and responsive wide area surveillance for theater antisubmarine warfare commanders worldwide. Work will take place in Long Beach, Mississippi, and is scheduled to be finished by June 2022.

The Navy tapped Lockheed Martin to build elements of the Virginia Class submarines. The firm-fixed-price, cost contract is valued at $16.3 million and has the company build multifunction modular masts for the submarines’ Block V hull, which can be extended by sections, depending on the requirements of the vessels’ strike capabilities. The Virginia Class of nuclear powered fast attack submarines is the US Navy’s latest undersea warfare platform. Block V subs incorporate the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), an added section of the ship, which will extend the hull by 84 feet and boost its strike capabilities. Virginia Class submarines with Block V armaments are capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles. The VPM will increase the number of torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles the Virginia class can carry. 70 percent of the work will take place in Nashua, new Hampshire, and 30 percent in Syracuse, New York. Scheduled completion date is in June next year.

Middle East & Africa

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Northrop Grumman a $17.8 million contract for sustainment services in support of the Lebanese Air Force Armed Caravan Program. The Cessna 208 Caravan is an American single-engined turboprop, fixed-tricycle landing gear, short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft. The airplane is able to seat between and fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo operations. The Lebanese Air Force currently holds three Cessna AC 208 for reconnaissance and ground attack roles. The deal provides field service representatives, repair and return, calibration, support equipment and spares. Work will take place in Beirut, Lebanon. Scheduled completion date is June 30, 2021.

Europe

Jane’s reports that the Czech Republic is planning to procure two C295 transport aircraft, and upgrade 33 T-72M Main Battle Tanks as well as a flight planning system. The Czech Defense Minister submitted three contracts with a combined value of $176.6 million. Airbus reportedly offered the Czech Republic the two C295s for 2020-21, with the possibility of deferring payment until 2022-23, the original delivery dates. The T-72M4CZ MBTs were produced in the Czech Republic in 2003-2006 under a Russian license. The tank`s outdated components, including fire-control systems and control units, will be replaced. Work will be conducted at the state-owned company VOP CZ’s plant through 2023.

Two German Eurofighter Typhoons collided and subsequently crashed in the northeast of Germany, reportedly killing one of the pilots. According to the German Air Force, the aircraft were taking part in an air combat exercise when they collided and crashed near Laage Air Base. The German newspaper „Die Welt“ called the incident „the worst crash in the history of the Eurofighter“. It is yet unknown, what caused the collision. The accident comes in the midst of the Luftwaffe’s plans to procure more Eurofighters. The old models of the German Eurofighters are to be replaced by modernized variants. The cost for one Eurofighter is roughly valued at $148 million.

Asia-Pacific

FlexDecks Inc. won a $17.2 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for up to 40 V-22 and 40 MV-22B maintenance wing platform stands in support of the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy as well as the government of Japan. The first Japanese V-22 Osprey multi-mission tilt-rotor aircraft Block C type rolled out on August 24, 2017 at the Bell facility in Amarillo, Texas. In January 2015, Japan’s parliament had approved a defense budget with funding for five V-22s. In September 2018, the Japanese Ministry of Defense decided to ya href=https://www.janes.com/article/83299/tokyo-to-delay-deployment-of-osprey-tiltrotors-amid-local-opposition>delay the deployment of the first five MV-22B aircraft it had received due to local opposition.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : India Starts 6 Next Gen SSN,M-88 Core Kaveri For AMCA,MPATGM By 2021

Americas

Leidos won a $30 million cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification for integrated logistic support, fleet support and life cycle sustainment of the US Navy’s AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 surface ship Undersea Warfare Systems. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 is a combat system that’s able to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects and torpedo threats. It is the primary undersea warfare system used aboard US Navy surface combatants. The system uses active and passive sonar to conduct anti-submarine warfare search. The acoustic energy received is processed and displayed to enable operators to detect, classify, localize, and track threat submarines. Leidos will perform work within the US as well as Japan and Spain and is expected to be finished by June next year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Austal a modification for Littoral Combat Ship Class design services. The deal also includes integrated data and product model environment (IDPME) support. The IPDME will enable the Navy to access enterprise data management, visualization, program management applications, and network management and control. According to the Department of Defense, the company will provide efforts to support Littoral Combat Ship Class ships, including but not limited to technical analyses, non-recurring engineering, configuration management, software maintenance and development, production assessments, and diminishing manufacturing sources and seaframe reliability analysis. The Littoral Combat Ship is a set of two classes of relatively small surface vessels designed for operations near shore by the US Navy. Work under the modification will take place in Alabama and Massachusetts and is scheduled to be complete by June 2025.

The Naval Air Systems Command tapped Bell Boeing Joint Project Office to facilitate additional structural improvements, tooling assessment, and test aircraft retrofit tooling in support of the V-22 Nacelle Improvement effort. The contract modification provides for non-recurring engineering. Bell-Boeing’s V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. It is the first production tiltrotor aircraft. Bell Boeing wants to increase Osprey mission readiness rates by 10 to 12 percent by removing eight of the 10 wiring interface boxes on the aircraft’s nacelles, changing wiring types, and through nacelle structural upgrades, such as latch changes. The fleet’s readiness rate has been below 60 percent. 84 percent of the work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas with a scheduled completion date in August next year.

Middle East & Africa

General Electric won a $24.9 million modification by the US Naval Air Systems Command to procure 72 F-414-GE-400 engines for the F/A-18 Super Hornets of the Navy and the government of Kuwait. 24 will be for the US Navy and 48 for Kuwait. The General Electric F414 is an afterburning turbofan engine. The contract also includes two spare and six test F414-GE-400 install engines devices for the government of Kuwait. Kuwait will underwrite 69 percent of the figure, or $17.5 million, under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work, which will take place in Evandale, Ohio, is scheduled to be finished in December next year.

The US confirmed that Iran shot down an American Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk. While Iran claimed the drone had violated Iranian airspace, the US insists that the aircraft had been over international waters at the time. The attack comes in a time of tensions between Iran and the US. Last week, the US announced it wants to send 1,000 additional troops to the region. It has already sent an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers. Jane’s reports that shooting down the Global Hawk might have confirmed that Iran has developed highly capable surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems in recent years. Iran credited a 3 Khordad, one of several new indigenous surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, with the shootdown. There are no fixed SAM sites within range of the shootdown location, affirming the claim that a mobile system like the 3 Khordad was used in the engagement.

Europe

The 47th annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise came to an end on Friday in Kiel, Germany. The annual maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region is one of the largest exercises in northern Europe. It started on June 9. The US Navy’s 2nd Fleet was leading the two-week-exercise. Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as NATO partner nations Finland and Sweden, participated and completed 389 serials, a planning term for a coordinated military exercise. During the exercise, a UK-led Maritime First Responder Force took to sea for the first time. The nine-nation Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) was formally created a year ago. The BALTOPS 2019 exercise is the second of three phases of the Baltic Protector Deployment 2019. UPI reports that BALTOPS ended with the start of “Kiel Week,” an annual sailing competition which draws millions of tourists to the city of Kiel.

Asia-Pacific

The Bangladesh Air Force ordered additional surplus ex-Royal Air Force C-130J Super Hercules. It previously had ordered two units from the UK. Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group will undertake the support contract. The new Super Hercules aircraft will improve Bangladesh’s overall airlift and logistics capability. The procurement also allows the Bangladesh Air Force to retire older C-130B Hercules it acquired second hand from the US in 2004. The C-130J is expected to become the most capable airlift asset of the BAF.

Today’s Video

Watch: U.S. Navy Successfully Tests Upgraded RAM Missile

Two EDA projects - one related to the sharing of spare parts and the other to additive manufacturing (3D-printing) - were involved in the CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN 2019 (CL19) exercise, Europe’s largest international logistics exercise, which took place at the Drawsko Pomorskie training area in the Northwest of Poland from 3-14 June. The event was organised by the Multinational Logistic Coordination Center (MLCC), a multinational sponsored centre for all issues related to multinational logistic cooperation.

Some 3,400 troops from 31 countries (including 21 EU Member States) as well as representatives from 11 international organisations participated in this event. The exercise provided participants with a rare opportunity to test and train logistic procedures within a realistic multinational operational context under real life conditions. EDA was present at the exercise with two projects:

• the Sharing of Spare Parts project (SoSP) launched in 2015 by 12 EDA Member States. In a nutshell, it provides a simplified request-and-response mechanism for the exchange of military services and spare parts between the participating MoDs, based on agreed standards. It offers different ways to compensate for the loan of equipment, including through a barter mechanism. Using the SoSP process is cost-free for contributing Member States. A dedicated SoSP handbook has been developed, setting common standards and processes. The reason why SoSP was brought to the CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN 2019 exercise in Poland was to test and validate its accuracy and applicability, which was done with success.  Now that it has been validated, the SoSP process handbook is considered ‘mission proven’ and ready to be used by the contributing Member States’ MoDs.
• the Additive Manufacturing (AM) project. AM is widely considered as a potential game-changer as it could, inter alia, help reduce the logistic footprint of military missions. In 2018, EDA commissioned a feasibility study on AM with regard to EDA R&T activities. As a follow-up step to move onward from R&T to capability development, EDA proposed to Member States to test AM during a military exercise under real-life conditions. Together with France and Spain, EDA prepared the AM test which took place during the CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN 2019 exercise. Concretely, EDA deployed an AM Demonstrator in the form of a 20 ft standard container equipped with PolyJet and Fused Deposition Modelling technologies, 3-D scanner and appropriate software. Prior to the exercise, specific spare parts for military assets used at the exercise were identified by France and Spain. All of them could be printed during the exercise. Furthermore, the exercise showed that using a 20 ft container for the printing ensures logistical flexibility in the operational support and reduces the logistic footprint of a military operation. AM is thus a useful alternative to classical warehousing in military logistic supply chains, ensuring increased availability of spare parts, considerable time and cost savings as well as operational flexibility.

During the CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN 2019 Visitors Days, EDA had the opportunity to present AM as a potential technology for military purposes and has received a lot of positive feedback. The discussions during the Visitors Days underlined the necessity of establishing a forum within EDA for subject matter experts to exchange experiences and discuss logistic processes, technology developments and legislative issues to further promote AM and support Member States in their efforts to better use the AM potential to develop a military capability, as also highlighted in the 2018 Capability Development Plan (CDP) and the subsequent Strategic Context Cases (SCCs).
 

More information:

• EDA factsheet - Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) Feasibility Study & Technology Demonstration
• 3D-printing community explores applications for defence
• EDA’s 3D-Printing project for Energetic Materials launched
  
  

Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $76.7 million modification in support of the AEGIS development and test sites operations. The option is for continued technical engineering, configuration management, associated equipment/supplies, quality assurance, information assurance and other operation and maintenance efforts at the Combat Systems Engineering Development Site, SPY-1A Test Facility and Naval Systems Computing Center. The deal also provides for continued site maintenance and planned improvements of the sites for AEGIS Combat System and Aegis Weapon System upgrades to CG-47 and DDG-51 class ships through the completion of Advanced Capability Build 20 and Technology Insertion 16, in addition to AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense and FMS requirements. The AEGIS Weapon System is a centralized, automated, command-and-control and weapons control system that was designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill. The modification combines purchases for the US Navy and Missile Defense Agency as well as the governments of Japan, Australia, South Korea and Norway. Work is scheduled to be complete by June 2020.

The US Navy contracted Ultralife with $10 million to procure Universal Vehicle Adapter radio battery chargers, MRC-UVA-V1, in support of the Family of Special Operations Vehicles Ground Mobility Vehicle and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected platforms. The MRC-UVA-V1 is a handheld radio charging solution for vehicle communications. The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected family of vehicles provides soldiers with highly survivable multimission platforms capable of mitigating improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively formed penetrators, underbody mines and small arms fire threats which produce the greatest number of casualties in Overseas Contingency Operations. Ultralife will perform work in Newark, New York and is expected to be complete in June 2024.

Middle East & Africa

The US Army Contracting Command awarded Sikorsky a $15 million contract modification to procure the Post Green DD250 aircraft support, storage and maintenance for UH-60M aircraft for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of the National Guard. The UH-60M is a variant of the Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopter. The UH-60M has multi-mission capabilities and features a new airframe, advanced digital avionics and a powerful propulsion system. It can be used to perform tactical transport, utility, combat search-and-rescue, airborne assault, command-and-control, medical evacuation, aerial sustainment, search-and-rescue, disaster relief and fire-fighting. In July 2017, Sikorsky secured a $3.8 billion contract from the US Department of Defense to deliver 142 UH-60M helicopters for the US Army and 115 helicopters to the National Guard of Saudi Arabia. Sikorsky will perform work in Stratford, Connecticut and estimated completion date is April 30, 2022. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount were obligated at the time of the award.

Europe

Thales announced that it won a contract to design and build the ground segment for the next-generation Syracuse 4 satellite communication system for the French armed forces. Syracuse 4 is a geostationary military satcom program designed to replace the Syracuse 3A and Syracuse 3B satellites currently in orbit. According to Thales, Syracuse 4 will benefit from Thales’s expertise in satellite communication systems, which the company has built up as a technology orchestrator and integrator in France and internationally. It will rely on the System21 highly secure transmission system to guarantee the availability and confidentiality of all communications and protection against jamming, interference, interception, detection and cyberattacks. This contract will enable French Armed Forces to meet their initial strategic capability objectives for the Scorpion vehicle program, the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier and the Rafale combat aircraft.

According to local reports, Bulgarian president Rumen Radev warned the government not to cut the F-16 fighter aircraft package. The government is in negotiations with the US on the acquisition of new F-16 fighter jets. Radev wants to make sure that the aircraft’s combat capabilities will not be cut back for the sake of lowering the price. The president is a skilled fighter pilot who headed the Bulgarian Air Force before being elected President and Commander-in-Chief. “Every move down and trimming back of this package already leads to the impossibility of achieving the airplane’s operational capabilities, so I expect the government to ensure that there is no cut in the combat capabilities, and Bulgarian taxpayers will not give their money in vain,” Radev said. The government has already received a concrete offer for the acquisition of eight F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft, It however hopes to reduce it to about $1.2 billion in the framework of negotiations.

Asia-Pacific

The New Zealand government said it has made progress in its program to procure Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the US government. New Zealand agreed to procure four P-8A aircraft in July 2018. It said at that time that the acquisition – including training systems, infrastructure, and introduction into service costs – would total $1.5 billion. A factsheet released last week states that delivery of the first P-8A to the RNZAF is expected by April 2023 with initial operating capability achieved by July of the same year. The entire fleet of four aircraft is slated to reach final operating capability by 2025.

Today’s Video

Watch: RAFAEL Litening + SAR

Americas

The US Navy completed guided flight tests for Raytheon’s Block 2A short-range, surface-to-air missile, the company announced in a press release This means the missile is ready for the Navy and Raytheon expects to deliver the RAM Block 2A by the end of the year. The RAM is a supersonic, lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget weapon. It is designed to destroy anti-ship missiles. The Block 2 variant has a larger rocket motor, advanced control section and an enhanced RF receiver capable of detecting the quietest of threat emitters. The improvements make the missile two and a half times more maneuverable, with one and a half times the effective intercept range, Raytheon says. The RAM is deployed on more than 165 ships in 11 countries, ranging from 500-ton fast attack craft to 95,000-ton aircraft carriers. The tests occurred at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California, and from the Navy’s self-defense test ship off the coast of Southern California.

Lockheed Martin announced that it finished a demonstration of its radar solution for the US Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) program during a Sense-Off at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. In May, the Army requested proposals for prototypes after it had struggled to procure a new radar for its integrated air and missile defense system meant to replace the Patriot AMD system. Lockheed Martin completed a two-week-series of exercises showcasing how its new solution will meet the Army’s requirements for the LTAMDS system, while providing additional deployment strategies for the air and missile defense mission.

FlightGlobal reports that the US Air Force is still finding foreign object debris insight KC-46 Pegasus refueling tankers. Tools, rubbish and left-over parts, including loose nuts, are being found since Boeing first delivered the refuelers in January and revamped its inspection process. Assistant secretary of the Air Force, Will Roper cited „cultural issues“ as the root of the problem. Air Force stopped accepting the planes from Boeing in February until its inspection process was changed. Deliveries resumed in March and were halted again after the Air Force found more debris. Will Roper says, he expects all of the KC-46s are going to have foreign object debris.

Middle East & Africa

Israel will replace its own refueling tankers. The country made the first step towards replacing its old Boeing-707 tankers by submitting a Letter of Request to the US Government, for the acquisition of two new Boeing KC-46 refueling tankers. The request is for the acquisition of two aircraft with an option for the future acquisition of an additional six. Israel Defense reports that Airborne refueling tankers are vital for the Israel Air Force to extend its long strategic reach. They provide the Air Force with the ability to reach countries within the third, distant circle.

Europe

Saab relaunched the HMS Uppland. The Uppland is a Gotland Class Submarine. Two ships of the class now have concluded comprehensive mid-life upgrades. The Swedish Navy’s diesel-electric subs are the world’s first submarines to feature a Stirling engine air-independent propulsion system. This extends their underwater endurance from a few days to weeks. The mid-life upgrades saw the submarines receive an additional 2 meter hull section to accommodate the third generation of the Stirling air-independent propulsion engine and a diver lock-out chamber in addition to combat management and ship management systems upgrades. The updated version of Uppland and her sister ship Gotland are paving the way for the next generation of Swedish air independent propulsion submarines: the Blekinge Class, or A26.

Asia-Pacific

The Philippine Navy commissioned two Leonardo AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopters and four Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles in a ceremony on June 17 at the Naval Base Heracleo Alano in Cavite City. The AW159 are part of a $101 million deal signed with Leonardo in 2016. They feature anti-submarine warfare capabilities and will serve with the Naval Air Wing’s Squadron MH-40 at the Danilo Atienza Air Base. The helicopters will be deployed from the José Rizal Class frigates, the first of which was launched on May 23 at the Ulsan facility of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries. The four Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles were ordered in April 2016 from South Korean defense company Hanwha Techwin.

A Kawasaki military transport aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force accidentally dropped 81mm mortar with supplies from the air during training in Shizuoka Prefecture. The incident happened during the training of the Ground Self-Defense Force 1st Airborne (Kuu Tei) team over the Higashi-Fuji Training Center. A C-1 transport aircraft accidentally dropped the mortar system. Though the accident was not life-threatening, the Self Defense Force announced they would do their best to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : Tempest India Investment,Mach 6 HSDTV Test,FICV Prototype,Abhyas Drone 2020

A26 SOF concept
(click to view full)

Submarines remain the ultimate maritime insurance policy, which is why so many countries treat the ability to build or design them as a strategic capability. Sweden is trying to recover from a disastrous pair of assumptions in the early 21st century, and preserve both their industrial capabilities and their country’s defenses.

The narrow, shallow Baltic seas present their own special challenges, but Swedish designs have proven themselves very capable. In order to field their next-generation design, however, Sweden may have to do something unusual: partner with other countries…

Sweden’s New Submarine

A26 concept
(click to view full)

The A26 was originally envisioned as a 62m boat with about 1,800t displacement when surfaced, and more when fully submerged. It would be designed to excel in littoral operations, while remaining a capable ocean-going vessel. As a point of comparison, that size is a bit larger than the German U212A/214, and about the same as the Scorpene AM-2000 AIP, all of which are ocean-going boats.

Kockums A26 design also included a 6m x 1.5m Multimission Portal flexible payload lock system, in addition to its twin pairs of conventional 533mm and 400mm torpedo tubes. Envisaged weapons include torpedoes and mines, but not anti-ship missiles.

The lock system makes it easy for commandos to enter and exit the boat, and is large enough to allow the launch and retrieval of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. UUVs are expected to play a larger role in future submarine warfare. They can already provide advance surveying and sensing capabilities, and their modification toward a combat role is a certainty. This will likely begin with coordinated decoying tactics, but UUVs are expected to graduate to active combat capabilities before the A26 leaves service.

Background: AIP

The A26 will be equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) supplement to its diesel-electric systems, which is intended to allow it to remain underwater for up to 18 days at relatively slow speeds before its AIP fuel is exhausted. That avoids the need to surface and suck air for diesel combustion to recharge its batteries, a vulnerable time that was the absolute bane of submarine operations until the USA introduced nuclear-powered boats. The A26’s AIP system will be Kockums’ Stirling, which also equips Sweden’s 3 Gotland and 2 Sodermanland Class submarines, Singapore’s Archer Class Sodermanlund variant, and Japan’s Soryu Class.

To date, Swedish submarines have been renowned for their quietness. HMS Gotland performed well enough in Mediterranean naval exercises to earn an invitation and eventual 2-year lease from the USA, which brought the boat and crew to San Diego to help train its forces against an advanced diesel-electric boat. In return, the Swedes got a nice payment, outstanding training for their own crews, and a record of torpedo “kills” against US Navy submarines and carriers in exercises.

That reputation for stealth was dented somewhat by Australia’s much-enlarged 3,400t (submerged) Collins Class boats, which were designed by Kockums based on the 1,150t Vastergotland Class and built in Australia. For various reasons, the AIP-less Collins Class are known to be rather noisier than they ought to be. The topic remains relevant because Australia may become a partner in the A26 program. If they do, they will demand a larger design with greater range, longer endurance, and probably missile-firing capability. Saab, in turn, will need to avoid a repeat of whatever happened to the Collins design.

Poland, which has become alarmed by recent Russian military operations to annex parts of Georgia and Ukraine, is another potential partner. They are looking to lease or buy 2 submarines by the early 2020s, with a 3rd to come by 2030.

Contracts & Key Events

Sweden destroys Kockums, contracts with Saab to finalize the A26 design; Australia a potential A26 partner.

A26 concept
(click to view full) 2019

June 20/19: Mid-Life Lift Saab relaunched the HMS Uppland. The Uppland is a Gotland Class Submarine. Two ships of the class now have concluded comprehensive mid-life upgrades. The Swedish Navy’s diesel-electric subs are the world’s first submarines to feature a Stirling engine air-independent propulsion system. This extends their underwater endurance from a few days to weeks. The mid-life upgrades saw the submarines receive an additional 2 meter hull section to accommodate the third generation of the Stirling air-independent propulsion engine and a diver lock-out chamber in addition to combat management and ship management systems upgrades. The updated version of Uppland and her sister ship Gotland are paving the way for the next generation of Swedish air independent propulsion submarines: the Blekinge Class, or A26.

2014

July 1/15: Saab landed a $1 billion contract on Tuesday for the construction of two A26 submarines, in addition to planned upgrades to the Swedish Navy’s Gotland-class subs. The two Type A26 boats will be delivered in 2018 and 2019, with the Swedish government announcing their intention to procure the subs back in March. The announcement dispels rumours in the Swedish press last week which reported that the procurement was likely to be delayed owing to cost overruns.

June 23/15: The Swedish planned procurement of Saab Kockums A26 submarines may be delayed owing to inflating cost forecasts, according to Swedish press reports. The government announced its intention to acquire the boats in March, allocating $1 billion for the acquisition of two A26 submarines, alongside upgrades to the Swedish Navy’s Gotland-class subs.

Nov 8/14: Australia. Saab CEO Hakan Bushke will be unveiling Saab’s offer to Australia at the Submarine Institute of Australia’s centenary conference, but Australia’s government confirms that it has already received the unsolicited bid. At this point, all the report will say is that:

“It includes a lower price than its competitors and a smooth flow of Japanese submarine [propulsion] technology from the Soryu Class boat, because Sweden is a partner in the Japanese project. There will also be substantial technology transfer and industrial offsets for Australia, including jobs in Adelaide during the build phase.”

Sources: News Corp., “Australian jobs promise as Sweden’s Saab Group bids for Navy’s $20 billion plus submarine project”.

Sept 11/14: Australia. Sweden wasn’t part of the Australian government’s initial submarine evaluations, because Kockums was still trapped and suppressed within TKMS. That has changed. Saab CEO Hakan Bushke says that they’re willing to design a 4,000t submarine for Australia, and take ASC and Royal Australian Navy engineers and technicians to work on its new A26 design. Bushke:

“As of July 2, Saab completed a full takeover of Kockums which is now Saab Kockums and the Swedish Kingdom now controls the intellectual property for… [Australia’s currently-serving] Collins class submarines…. If there is an open competition, Saab Kockums will be in it.”

The question is whether there will be an open competition. Australia’s government has been handed a program that’s already badly behind, and an existing Collins Class fleet whose cost-effective and performance-effective lifecycle is being questioned. Japan’s Soryu Class is already designed, built, and in service, unlike its German and Swedish competitors. Meanwhile, state-owned ASC has lost this government’s confidence as a shipbuilder, and delays in awarding a contract make it harder to reduce ASC’s role. Sources: Australia Financial Review, “Swedes launch desperate bid for Oz submarine project” | Business Insider Australia, “Germany Joins The Race To Build Australia’s New Submarine Fleet” | Business Insider Australia, “Australia Could Get A Great Deal On Its New Submarine Fleet If Tony Abbot Wants It”.

Visby Corvette
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June 29/14: Sold! Saab finalizes the deal with ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG to buy its former Kockums subsidiary. Dagens Industri had speculated on Friday that it would cost about SEK 500 million, but the final price tag was just SEK 340 million ($50.5 million) on 2013 sales of SEK 1.7 billion (2011/2012: SEK 1.9 billion) and income from operations of approximately SEK 34 million (2011/2012: SEK 13 million).

Existing funds will be used to finance Saab’s acquisition, which still has to be approved ThyssenKrupp Group’s board, German authorities, and the Swedish Competition Authority. These approvals are expected during July 2014.

In a way, this acquisition closes a long loop. The original 1999 acquisition of Kockums by HDW was an all-shares transaction, which saw Celsius AB give up Kockums in exchange for 25% of HDW, with an option to exit the business for a lump sum. After Saab acquired almost all of Celsius in 2000, they opted to be paid the lump sum and exit. Celsius had also owned 49% of Australia Submarine corp. (ASC), but the Australian government used its leverage over the larger merger to help them nationalize ASC in 2000, instead of completing its transfer to HDW. Now, there is talk of Saab buying ASC alongside Kockums. Sources: Thyssen Krupp, “ThyssenKrupp and Saab agree on sale of Swedish shipyard activities ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AB (formerly Kockums)” | The Local – Sweden, “Saab completes Kockums shipyard deal” || Background: Cision 1999-09-22, “Celsius: Kockums Naval Systems and HDW merge” | Saab Group 2000-02-25, “Saab has acquired 99 percent of the shares in Celsius” | The Australian, “Subs divide: tale of two companies”.

Saab buys Kockums

June 26/14: Saab would like to remind everyone that a “a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding” (q.v. April 14/14) is exactly that:

“The discussions are at a final stage but still ongoing…. Saab has chosen to clarify the status of these discussions due to information published in the media.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt one’s negotiating position when many of Kockums’ engineers are already hired away, and the government has seized key plans and physical equipment where it has a share of the intellectual property. Sources: Saab Group, “Saab still in ongoing talks concerning an acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AB”.

June 10/14: Netherlands. The Netherlands has determined that an overhaul of its locally-designed Walrus Class submarines doesn’t make financial or operational sense, after a 20-25 year service life. They need new boats, but can’t afford to replace all 4, and their submarine industry died after Chinese pressure killed a sale to Taiwan. The solution? Present an initial plan this year, and go Dutch:

“As a result of the current budget constraints, the Dutch MoD is looking for an international partner to increase economy of scale and reduce costs of ownership in a new submarine programme. ‘We are open to discuss the whole spectrum from training to logistics,’ [CO Submarine Services Capt. Hugo] Ammerlaan said. While the MoD is currently exploring a variety of options it sees Norway as a potential partner for co-developing and building submarines.”

That’s an interesting assessment. Norway isn’t a strong design/build partner, though Kongsberg’s combat system is often used in German U-boats, and well proven. Really making this work probably requires at least one more major partner, be it French (Scorpene), German/Italian/Korean (U2xx), or Swedish (A26). Spain’s S-80 was part of the Sept 11/12 RFI, but its severe weight issues have derailed development and made it a very unlikely candidate. Sources: Shephard Maritime Security, “UDT: Dutch MoD advances submarine replacement”.

June 9/14: Sweden. Saab announces SEK 467 million (about $70.2 million) in orders from the Swedish FMV. They’ll produce construction and production plans for the next generation submarines, and a mid-life update of 2 Gotland Class AIP submarines. This implies that Sweden has gone back to its original plan of upgrading only HMS Gotland and HMS Halland (q.v. Oct 5/12), instead of upgrading HMS Uppland as well per some April 2014 reports.

This contract includes the completion of systems design for the new subs, and “detail construction” for the Gotland Class upgrades over 2014-2015. The work will be carried out in Sweden, and conducted within Saab’s business area Security and Defence Solutions.

In addition, FMV and Saab have signed a long term Letter of Intent to support Sweden’s submarine force. The Letter of Intent extends from 2015-2024 and comprises support, development, design and production of submarines and other underwater systems. If all options are exercised and new boats are built, the LoI could be worth approximately SEK 11.2 billion (about $1.683 billion at current conversion). Guess it’s time to hire away the rest of TKMS’ local Kockums engineers. Sources: FMV, “FMV bestaller undervattensverksamhet” | Saab Group, “Saab receives orders from FMV and has signed a Letter of Intent regarding underwater systems”.

Sweden orders renewed sub design, Gotland upgrades

April 14/14: Saab to buy Kockums. Saab AB and ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG sign a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding concerning the sale of the Swedish shipyard ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AB (formerly named Kockums), including its Malmo, Karlskrona, and Musko operations, to Saab AB.

“Both parties agree that during the negotiations phase, the integrity and the operating ability of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AB must be safeguarded. The transaction will be subject to regulatory approval. The negotiations between Saab AB and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AB are at an early stage and more information will follow.”

There’s a major backstory here. Sweden’s FMV effectively raided TKMS’ offices in Malmo “to take sensitive technological equipment,” but FMV says that since “…it was a transfer of defence material, belonging to FMV, all information regarding the transfer is classified as secret”. It’s generally believed that they came and took the A26 submarine’s plans, as well as a complete Stirling Air-Independent Propulsion system, which are technically owned by the Swedish state. A country that believes time is of the essence, and doesn’t want what it perceives as a hostile corporation to have leverage from holding state materials, might be inclined to move swiftly. The very fact that this happened speaks to how badly relations between Sweden and TKMS have deteriorated. Sources: Saab, “Saab and ThyssenKrupp have signed a MoU on an acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems” | Radio Sweden, “Defence authority leaves empty-handed after Kockums raid” | The Local – Sweden, “‘Baffling’ Swedish raid on German sub makers” | The Local, “Swedes ‘took engine’ in German sub site raid”.

Saab buying Kockums

April 12/14: Australia. The Collins Class was built around a Swedish design, and News Corp Australia says that Saab and the Swedish Government have been engaged in secret talks around a new joint submarine effort. That proposed approach may have the potential to cut through many of the dilemmas faced by Australia’s government, and Sweden’s as well. Here’s Australia’s problem, as explained in the SMH:

“This week the Australian Strategic Policy Institute hosted a conference billed as the “Submarine Choice” – but the arguments simply shot past each other. Nothing connected. The Navy stressed its strategic need for submarines without reference to the budget; industry obsessed about the business case without worrying about how such massive expenditure would severely unbalance the forces; while politicians agonised over the need to save jobs and save money, despite the fact these objectives stand in direct contradiction to one another. In the meantime, the bandwagon rolls remorselessly onwards.”

The reported Swedish solution would buy ASC, and embark on a fully cooperative joint design for Sweden and Australia’s next submarines. Australia would receive a design that’s explicitly built for Australia’s needs – a necessary compromise for Sweden, whose needs are different. It’s also worth noting that the Japanese Soryu Class propulsion system which is attracting so much interest from Australia’s Navy is part Swedish. From industry’s point of view, making ASC part of Saab removes any conflict of interests with a foreign firm that acts as the project lead, creating both development jobs/skills, and production work. From the politicians’ point of view, a program that includes Sweden and Australia offers the added security of shared risk, and shared acquisitions.

Sweden is looking to re-establish an independent submarine industry (q.v. March 26/14), and their challenge will be buying enough talent, building an equivalent production workforce, and designing the new sub within Sweden’s budgets. Australia offers Sweden a development partner, and a workforce with good experience. Poland has also been mentioned by some sources as a possible team member. Sources: News Corp., “Swedish firm Saab bids to design new Royal Australian Navy submarines” | Sydney Morning Herald, “Swedish-Australian submarines could fit defence needs”.

March 26/14: Sweden. Sweden is looking at ways to restore its indigenous submarine-building capability, and Saab is involved:

“Defence and security company Saab is currently working on the order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) regarding a study on a consolidated underwater strategy. Commenting the article by Karin Enström, Swedish Minister for Defence, in the Swedish business daily Dagens Industri, Saab would like to clarify that no further order has been placed.

As previously announced, defence and security company Saab, received a contract from FMV at the end of February 2014. The order was to conduct a study on a consolidated underwater strategy. This study is now being carried out within the business area Security and Defence Solutions.”

Sweden’s problem is that they allowed ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to buy Kockums, Sweden’s submarine builder and the Collins Class’ designer. TKMS promised to keep Kockums as an independent firm, but the reality is that they’ve blocked Kockums’ efforts to export their submarines to existing customer like Singapore, in favor of a new German U216 design. This suggests that the acquisition may have had more to do with removing a competitor, but Sweden is a neutral country that is disinclined to depend on others. Sweden’s government has pulled out of talks with TKMS concerning their next-generatin A26 submarine, and is turning to Saab, who is hiring Kockums engineers and trying to become a sub-builder. Sources: Saab, “Comment on statement regarding the Swedish stand on the underwater domain from the the Minister for Defence”.

2010 – 2013

Initial A26 design contract; Approval for more, but no deal; Contract to design Gotland Class upgrades establishes time window; Poland becomes a potential opportunity; TKMS engages in Kockums-blocking.

U216 concept
(click to view full)

Dec 2/13: Kockums-Blockers. Singapore’s new submarine buy unwittingly becomes the catalyst for a seismic shift in Sweden’s submarine industry. The city-state is an existing Kockums customer, with 2 advanced Archer (ex-Vastergotland Class) boats in service, but TKMS prevented Kockums from bidding to replace them. Instead, the German company offered a new “U218SG” model, which is what Singapore bought. Specifications remain hazy for now, but it’s believed to be a modified version of the 4,000t Type 216 that HDW has been touting at shows.

The deal created a crisis in Sweden. When Kockums AB was sold to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2004, Sweden’s belief was that (a) they weren’t really under external threat any more, and (b) that the merger would allow Sweden’s submarine industry and expertise to remain, with a larger pool of investment and skills behind them. Both premises were drastically wrong. Beginning in 2008, Russia’s invasion of Georgia began making it clear that it intended to use the weapons it was rearming itself with. Meanwhile, the global submarine export market’s size, and consistent insistence by customers on local construction, meant that there wasn’t enough room for TKMS to maintain both Germany’s HDW and Sweden’s Kockums to compete against the Russians and French. Unsurprisingly, the German company chose the larger and more popular German submarine division.

Sweden’s negotiations with TKMS had remained deadlocked since 2010, and now they were faced with a clear message that their national submarine capabilities would be lost within TKMS. They decided to act, and everything since has followed. Sources: Singapore MINDEF, “MINDEF Signs Contract to Acquire Two Submarines” | TKMS, “ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems receives major submarine order from Singapore” | Defense Update, “Singapore’s Type-218SG – Forerunner of a new Submarine Class?” | Senang Diri, “Republic of Singapore Navy Type 218SG submarine buy caps 18-year journey in underwater warfare”.

Singapore sinks Swedish smugness

Nov 15/13: Poland. Alarmed by recent Russian aggression, and eager to replace its 2 Russian Kilo Class submarines as its primary insurance policy in the Baltic, Poland announces that they’re looking for 3 new submarines. Translated:

“The Polish Navy, according to the approved Technical Modernisation Programme 2013-2022, is expected to receive three new submarines. Two will go to its facilities by 2022 – a third by 2030.”

The general expectation was that Poland would lease a pair of German U214 submarines, and eventually buy them. A May 27/14 “Letter of Intention” to increase co-operation between the 2 countries’ navies included a “submarine operating authority,” after all. By late November, Poland wasn’t going ahead with any such deal just yet, though reports indicated that they might water down their requirements so that the U212A submarines could fit them. By March 2014, Swedish media were beginning to report that Poland could become a Swedish partner in the new A26 design. Sources: Polish MON, “Okrety podwodne – rozmawiajmy o faktach” | The Local – Germany, “Poland gives thumbs down to German subs” | SvD Naringsliv, “Sverige tar tillbaka ubatarna”.

May 16/13: IP deal. Australia’s government signs a deal with Sweden’s FMV procurement agency, covering Intellectual Property rights for submarine design and technology. As RAND’s 2011 report had noted (q.v. Dec 13/11), this was a major stumbling block for any sort of Evolved Collins design, since the original is based on a scaled-up version of Kockums submarine technology and designs.

The agreement covers use of Collins Class submarine technology for the Future Submarine Program. It also creates a framework and principles for the negotiation of Intellectual Property rights, if Australia wants to be able to use and disclose other Swedish submarine technology for an Evolved Collins solution. Disclosure is included because there are sub-contractors et. al. who require some level of disclosure in order to work on the project. Defense Ministers Joint Communique | Australia DoD.

Swedish Intellectual Property Agreement

Gotland Class

Oct 5/12: Gotlands. Kockums CIO John Ahlmarks says that they’ve received an order from Sweden worth several hundred million kronor to modernize 2 of Sweden’s 3 Gotland Class submarines. Some changes are apparently driven by new environmental regulations. Others are related to keeping the boats in service from their launch in the mid-1990s to 2025-2030. That will give Sweden enough time to replace the Gotland Class with a follow-on order, after replacing the 2 Sodermanlund Class boats with 2 A26s in the early 2020s.

The physical upgrades will cover HMS Gotland and HMS Halland, and are expected to take place from 2014 – 2017. HMS Uppland will be left as is for budgetary reasons. Sources: NyTeknik, “Kockums far stor ubatsorder”.

June 16/10: Sweden. The Swedish Parliament votes in favor of allowing the government to procure 2 new submarines during 2010, per the proposed spring budget presented earlier this year by the government. Of course, the FMV and Kockums must come to an agreement, but the company says that they’ve started to prepare by hiring new employees. Sources: Kockums AB, “Swedish Parliament votes in favor of procuring new submarines”.

Feb 25/10: Sweden. Kockums AB, which is part of Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), has signed a contract with Sweden’s FMV for the next-generation A26 submarine’s design phase.

The A26 is envisioned as a 62m boat with about 1,800t displacement at surface, and more when fully submerged. It will be designed for mainly littoral operations, but that size is also suitable for ocean-going capabilities, especially when equipped with Kockums’ Stirling AIP system. Kockums A26 design includes a new innovative flexible payload, with a 6m x 1.5m Multimission Portal flexible payload lock system in addition to its conventional 533mm and 400mm torpedo tubes. Sources: Kockums AB, “Kockums receives overall design order for next-generation submarine”.

A26 design contract

Additional Readings Background: A26

• TKMS Kockuyms – Kockums A26.

• TKMS Kockums – Kockums Stirling AIP System. Property of the Swedish government, now.

Background: Other Submarines

• Naval Technology – SS Soryu Class Submarines, Japan.

• TKMS Kockums – Kockums Stirling AIP used by Japan: Air-independent Stirling propulsion in submarines since 2001.

News & Views

• Naval Technology (Feb 19/14) – Sink or swim: Sweden’s new A-26 next-gen submarine in doubt.

• Wall St. Journal (March 23/14) – Dispute Threatens ThyssenKrupp’s Submarine Business.

• SvD Naringsliv (March 18/14) – Sverige tar tillbaka ubåtarna. Mentions Australia and Poland as potential collaborators on a Swedish submarine design.

• Defense News (March 2/14) – Saab Maneuvers To Buy Swedish Submarine Maker. Following a late February decision by Sweden’s FMV to give Saab a $3.87 million contract. The point? To study Saab’s ability to produce Sweden’s next-generation submarine, instead of Kockums.

• Sverige Radio (Feb 27/14) – Osäker framtid för Kockum. “Uncertain future for Kockum”.

• The Local – Germany (Nov 29/13) – Poland gives thumbs down to German subs. “…but sources have told The Local that on the back of a landmark naval deal between the two countries, Poland is likely to lease two subs anyway.” Over the longer term, could Poland become a partner?

• Polish MON (Nov 15/13) – Okrety podwodne – rozmawiajmy o faktach. Excerpt Trans.: “The Polish Navy, according to the approved Technical Modernisation Programme 2013-2022, is expected to receive three new submarines. Two will go to its facilities by 2022 – a third by 2030.”

Americas

The US Air Force awarded the federal Canadian Commercial Corporation a $10.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for C5M Super Galaxy Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Production. The C5M strategic transport aircraft is a modernized version of the C5 Galaxy. Lockheed Martin manufactured the aircraft to extend the capability of the C-5 fleet to remain in service at least until 2040. The C-5M Super Galaxy transport aircraft achieved initial operational capability in February 2014. The aircraft set 89 world aeronautical records to date. Work will take place in Ottawa, Canada and is scheduled to be complete by the end of October this year.

Raytheon won a $29.6 million delivery order, which provides for the upgrade of the Block IV Tomahawk missile equipment. The upgrade includes test equipment like the system Integration Laboratory, the Air Vehicle System Integration Laboratory, hot-benches, automated flight test equipment and associated test equipment. Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles can launch from a ship or a submarine and can fly into heavily defended airspace more than 1,000 miles away to conduct strikes on targets with minimal collateral damage. The cruise missile is designed to circle for hours above or away from its target and change course on command. The Tomahawk is also able to send an image of its target to controllers right before it hits the target. The latest Block IV variant includes a two-way satellite data-link that enables the missile to be retargeted in flight to pre-programmed, alternate target. Raytheon will perform work within the US and is expected to finish in June 2021. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Middle East & Africa

The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is holding a large-scale drill simulating a multi-front war. The drill started on Sunday and also premiers the F-35i Adir stealth fighter jet. The F-35i Adir is the result of the Israeli procurement of F-35 Lightning II. The first nine Israeli aircraft became operational in 2017. The Adir will be the only F-35 variant to enter service heavily tailored to a foreign country’s specifications. Israel’s multi-front drill also includes all aircraft from combat squadrons, helicopters and transport planes as well as troops from the Aerial Defense Division and the IAF control units. The drill is aimed at improving the readiness and efficiency of the IAF to cope with a multi-front wartime scenario including numerous attacks over a short period of time as well as assistance to ground forces, who are full partners in the drill.

Europe

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems won a $91 million contract to support the UK’s MQ-9A Contractor Logistics Support Phase IV Program. The deal provides for depot repair, life cycle sustainment, and software maintenance services. The Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle is able to perform remotely controlled autonomous flight operations. The UK operates Reapers since 2006. In 2007 the UK’s defense ministry deployed the MQ-9A to Afghanistan. Since 2014 the Royal Air Force’s Reapers are part of the Operation Shader, the United Kingdom’s contribution to US-led military intervention against the Islamic State. The drone has an endurance of over 27 hours, a speed of 240 knots true airspeed, can operate at an altitude of up to 50,000 feet, and has a 1,746 kg payload capacity that includes 1,361 kg of external stores. General Atomics will perform work under the new contract in Poway, California and is expected to be finished by September 30, 2021. The contract involves 100 percent FMS funds to the UK.

Asia-Pacific

Jane’s reports that the Indian Air Force wants to limit the use of its aging fleet of Antonov An-32 ‘Cline’ transport aircraft. Just recently an AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 13 people on board crashed 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Arunachal’s Menchuka, killing all 13 service personnel. Senior Indian Air Force officers said, the Force plans to curtail operations of the service’s 105 Soviet-era An-32s in the country’s Himalayan regions and over the Bay of Bengal due to safety concerns. Four fatal accidents involving the twin-engine turboprop transporter, resulting in the deaths of 54 service personnel and civilians, have taken place since the early years of the AN-32’s services for the Indian Air Force.

The Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class frigate HMAS Arunta (II) has reportedly rejoined the fleet after having undergone a 20-month-long Anzac Mid-Life Capability Assurance Program upgrade at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia. The Arunta is the first of eight ships of the class to have completed the extensive upgrade. She returned in early June to its home port of Fleet Base West where she rejoined the fleet. The 118 meter-long ship, which was commissioned in December 1998, will soon start to conduct work-ups and testing the new equipment on board.

Today’s Video

Watch: Dassault Rafale Fighter Flying Display at Paris Air Show 2019 – AINtv Express