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P-8A Poseidon
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Maritime surveillance and patrol is becoming more and more important, but the USA’s P-3 Orion turboprop fleet is falling apart. The P-7 Long Range Air ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Capable Aircraft program to create an improved P-3 began in 1988, but cost overruns, slow progress, and interest in opening the competition to commercial designs led to the P-7’s cancellation for default in 1990. The successor MMA program was begun in March 2000, and Boeing beat Lockheed’s “Orion 21” with a P-8 design based on their ubiquitous 737 passenger jet. US Navy squadrons finally began taking P-8A Poseidon deliveries in 2012, but the long delays haven’t done their existing P-3 fleet any favors.

Filling the P-3 Orion’s shoes is no easy task. What missions will the new P-8A Poseidon face? What do we know about the platform, the project team, and ongoing developments? Will the P-3’s wide global adoption give its successor a comparable level of export opportunities? Australia and India have already signed on, but has the larger market shifted in the interim?

Program Summary

A P-8 primer

The Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft program to replace the P-3 fleet began in earnest in 2000, and the 737-based P-8A was rolled out in July 2009. The US Navy has ordered 53 of 109 planned aircraft as of February 2014, and received 13.

Initial Operational Capability was declared in November 2013, but P-8A Increment 1 aircraft have a number of problems. Overall, the new plane remains roughly equal to its P-3 predecessor in most surveillance tasks, but it has a much smaller array of weapons, and has experienced ongoing integration and reliability problems. The biggest issues include surface radar scan stability and quality issues, cueing and auto-tracking shortfalls in the electro-optical system, and too many crashes in the mission software controlling everything.

The Navy is trying to fix these and other problems, while developing Increment 2 upgrades. Meanwhile, the P-3 fleet is aging out from under them. P-8A Increment 2 is slated to field in 2016, improving wide-area search and weapon capability. Increment 3, to be fielded around 2019, will improve sensor capabilities and mission system electronics.

India was the plane’s 1st export customer, with an initial order for 8 P-8i variants. They’ve received their 1st aircraft, and plan to increase their order to 12 soon. In February 2014, Australia committed to 8 P-8As plus an option for 4 more, but that contract hasn’t been signed yet.

P-8A Poseidon: Platform & Capabilities

P-8A Poseidon: cutaway
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The P-8 will use the same 737 airframe as the U.S. Navy’s C-40 Clipper naval cargo aircraft, the E-737 Wedgetail AWACS aircraft on order by Australia, Turkey, and South Korea; and the U.S. Air Force’s T-43 Navigation trainer. The base model is Boeing’s 737-800 ERX, with “raked” wingtips that improve performance for low-level flight.

That airframe must accomplish a wide range of tasks. It will search for and destroy submarines, monitor sea traffic, launch missile attacks on naval or land targets as required, act as a flying communications relay for friendly forces, and possibly provide and electronic signal intercepts. Like its predecessor, its radar capabilities will make it well suited for land-surveillance missions, when the Navy decides to use it that way.

A plane with that many capabilities will play a role in a number of emerging military doctrines. It will be a key component in the U.S. Navy’s Sea Power 21 doctrine’s Sea Shield concept, by providing an anti-submarine, anti-ship and anti-smuggling platform that can sweep the area, launch sensors or weapons as needed, and remain aloft for many hours. The P-8A MMA will also play a key role in the U.S. Navy’s FORCEnet architecture, via development of the Common Undersea Picture (CUP). As a secondary role, it will support portions of Sea Power 21’s Sea Strike doctrine with its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

Unrefueled range is published as “over 4,000” nautical miles/ around 7,500 km. A more strenuous flight profile would involve 4 hours on station conducting low-level anti-submarine missions, at a range of more than 1,200 nautical miles/ 2,200 km. A dorsal receptacle allows in-flight refueling if necessary.

P-8: Weapons

P-3 Orion, armed –
note Sidewinder
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The P-8A has 11 weapon hard points: 5 in the rotary weapon bay, 4 under the wings, and 2 under the fuselage. Weapon load can exceed 10t/ 22,000 pounds, and all hard points have digital weapon interfaces.

Given that P-3C Orions have been modified to carry sea-skimming attack missiles like the Harpoon, land attack missiles like the Maverick, and even AIM-9 Sidewinder air-air missiles, it seems reasonable to assume that the Poseidon MMA will be at least as capable. Reaching that plateau would involve carrying sonobuoys, torpedoes, depth charges, Harpoon anti-shipping missiles, SLAM or AGM-65 Maverick land attack missiles, and either AIM-9 Sidewinders or NCADE-derived AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Some Boeing illustrations even show them with JDAM or JSOW GPS-guided weapons attached to underbody hardpoints.

The P-8A’s initially-certified armament will be much more modest, however: Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes, depth charges, and some free-fall bombs, plus a built-in triple launcher and accompanying storage for up to 120 sonobuoys – or devices compatible with a sonobuoy launcher, such as Piasecki’s Turais UAV. American testing is currently underway with Boeing’s AGM-84 Block IC anti-ship missile, Australia is looking into the upgraded AGM-84 Block IG, and India has ordered the AGM-84L Harpoon Block II variant with land attack capability.

Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes equipped with Boeing’s GPS-guided High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) glide bomb kit promise to extend the plane’s capabilities, by turning the torpedo into a weapon that can be launched from high altitude. That allows the P-8A to remain within its preferred aerodynamic envelope of high-altitude cruise, and reduces the fatigue and corrosion associated with low-level flight. Boeing received a development contract in April 2013, but this capability isn’t expected until P-8A Increment 2, with initial operating capability in 2016.

Beyond that, pilots have commented that P-8 suffers from the lack of a precision weapon that can safely be used in a crowded maritime environment. Smaller boats like FACs are more likely to be targets in that kind of crowded littoral environment, so the missiles can be smaller: the TV/infrared guided AGM-65 Maverick, laser/radar guided Brimstone, tri-mode GBU-53 Small Diamater Bomb II, etc. The lack is felt keenly; the earlier the fix can come, the better. By the mid-2020s, the adoption of more advanced anti-ship missiles under the OASuW program seems likely to fix this problem at the high end as well.

P-8: Sensors

P-8 AGS concept
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Weapons don’t mean much unless an enemy can be found. The P-8 will rely on a combination of sonobuoys, radars, day/night surveillance equipment, and ESM (Electronic Support Measures) gear. The Magnetic Anomaly Detector that extends behind P-3s and other maritime patrol aircraft isn’t very useful at altitude, and the USA won’t field it on the P-8A, but India will do so on the P-8i.

A canoe-shaped fairing under the plane is expected to house a mission bay that will initially include the Raytheon-Boeing AN/APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS), designed to provide targeting-grade tracking of moving targets on land and at sea. It reportedly emerged out of a “black” (classified) program, and details regarding the system remain sketchy. It’s known to be a Boeing-Raytheon AESA MTI (Active Electronically Scanned Array/ Moving Target Indicator) radar, and has already been deployed on some Navy P-3s (see pictures – scroll down to “NAWC-23 at Dallas Love Field”).

LSRS is slated for replacement by a modernized evolution called the Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) in Increment 3 or 4. It’s rumored to have performance standards that match or exceed the USA’s current 707-based E-8C JSTARS battlefield surveillance aircraft. The long profile of LSRS/AAS is probably why Boeing moved the P-8’s weapons bay to the back of the plane in 2003, and the radar’s capabilities would allow it the P-8 to serve as a targeting platform for its own or others’ weapons.

AN/APY-10 set
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The AN/APS-137Dv5 radar used on the USA’s most modern P-3Cs will also form a key part of the P-8A’s radar suite, after a number of upgrades and a new designation. This enhanced nose-mounted system has been referred to as AN/APS-197, but was formally given the AN/APY-10 designation in June 2006. It offers reduced weight, improved MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), and a color weather display. In the P-8A, it will also feature improvements such as “joint technical architecture” compliance, better performance in track-while-scan and target detection modes, and full integration with the Boeing mission system.

India’s P-8i adds air-to-air surveillance capabilities to its APY-10 International radar, an enhancement that could filter back to the US fleet in future upgrades.

The AN/ALQ-240v1 Electronic Support Measures system will alert the plane to radar and communications emissions, and track the signals to geolocate their sources. It complements the Early Warning Self Protection System, and enables fast offensive counterattacks.

The P-8’s radars and ESM will be supplemented by L-3 Wescam’s MX-20HD long-range optical surveillance turret. This large surveillance turret houses up to 3 day/night imaging sensors, and 3 laser payloads (i.e. rangefinding, marking/pointing, target designation) that can be swapped in and out. L-3 Enhanced Local Area Processing (ELAP) improves imaging clarity on board, extending effective range and image clarity before the images are broadcast elsewhere.

The most important submarine-finding equipment remains the plane’s sonobuoys, which produce noise and then transmit their receiver data back to the plane. The SSQ-125 MAC will be a generational step forward, but the P-8’s onboard mission software has to be fully capable of interpreting it, and that won’t happen until at least Increment 2. The idea behind Multi-static Active Coherent sonobuoys combines electronically-generated, software-controlled pings, whose echoes can be detected and appropriately identified by multiple receiver sonobuoys in a dropped group. That nullifies a submarine’s standard profile-minimizing head-on maneuver, and the tone’s coherence allows doppler shift equations to reach beyond the contact’s current location and calculate its speed and heading. GPS receivers in source and receiver sonobuoys can sharpen targeting further, which is very useful in conjunction with high-altitude, GPS-guided torpedo kits like HAASW.

P-8: Upgrades & Variants

Mk54 HAAWC
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Additional modifications and improvements can be expected over the program’s life, as is the case for any major weapon systems. The P-8A was designed to incorporate additional “spiral development” of new weapons and equipment, and it won’t really achieve the capabilities defined in the Pentagon’s official June 25/10 Capability Development Document until v3.0.

Spiral One/ Increment 2: Adds initial HAAWC high altitude torpedo capability, Multi-Static Active Coherent (MAC) for wide-area acoustic surveillance, improvements to sonobuoy drops, integration of Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) radar capability, Automatic Identification System ID for use with compliant civilian ships, updates to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) mission system, and other acoustic and communications upgrades. Increment 2 planes should become operational around 2016, but integration and test of these capabilities will be done incrementally. It’s always possible for some items to slip to the next spiral.

Spiral Two/ Increment 3: Enhances MAC, early delivery of HAAWC Datalink, more updates to the TOC mission software, and other changes to the plane’s sensors and systems as time and money allow. Introduction of the Advanced Aerial Sensor (AAS) high-resolution AESA radar is expected in this phase. The goal is to bring the P-8A to full compliance with the 2010 JROC specifications, and give the plane a more open electronic architecture for faster integration of new components, and this increment will take a big step forward with interfaces the MQ-4C Triton UAV, which may include full “Level 4” control of its flight and sensors. The program plans a full and open competition for the Increment 3 system architecture contracts, and intends to buy the intellectual property rights as well.

At the moment, India is the P-8’s only export customer, though Australia has signed an MoU ad paid for joint development. India’s P-8i jets will share a number of systems with the American P-8As, including a version of the AN/APY-10 radar. Other key technologies will be specific to the P-8i, however, owing to technology transfer issues or local choices.

Overland Role?

E-10 M2CA Concept
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With the cancellation of the USAF’s E-10 follow-on to its E-8 JSTARS battlefield surveillance planes, the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon may even be poised to inherit a dual land and sea surveillance role. USN P-3s have already found themselves pressed into overland service, and the much-greater capabilities of the P-8’s LSRS/AAS radars will only make that crossover more attractive.

Boeing has already proposed to replace the USAF’s 17-plane JSTARS fleet with an add-on “P-8 AGS” order, as an alternative to upgrading the 707-based E-8s with new engines, radars, and electronics. That proposal was denied, but the E-8Cs received only a minimal upgrade designed to keep them operational, and the USAF has decided that the 707-based platform is costly to operate and maintain over the long term. They do have a program that aims to field a JSTARS successor by 2022, and if that program survives, the P-8 AGS can expect to compete with the smaller Raytheon/Bombardier Sentinel R1 and a Gulfstream 550/650 derivative.

The USA’s default option is to cancel JSTARS RECAP, in order to fund its KC-46A aerial tanker, F-35 fighter, and new bomber programs. The E-8C JSTARS fleet would then become vulnerable to future USAF fleet-sized cuts. Meanwhile, the P-8As would field in the Navy with comparable or better radars. They would informally take over some of the JSTARS role, alongside USAF surveillance UAVs like RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 40 and its EQ-4 BACN connectivity counterpart.

Something needs to fill the role. NATO’s cancellation of its AGS program’s Airbus 321 MCAR battlefield surveillance jet leaves just 22 battlefield surveillance planes available for global use: the USA’s 707-based JSTARS fleet, and Britain’s newer 5-plane ASTOR Sentinel R1 fleet that’s based on Bombardier’s Global Express business jet.

NATO’s AGS is survived by a 5-UAV program based on the RQ-4B Block 40 Global Hawk, which was originally expected to work with the A321 MCAR as an adjunct. That same 2-tier model survives in the Poseidon program, however, and both tiers of the Navy program will offer land surveillance capabilities. The Poseidon’s Global Hawk UAV companion is called the MQ-4C Triton, developed under a program called BAMS (Broad Area Maritime Surveillance).

The P-8’s BAMS Companion: Kicking It Up a Notch

BAMS/P-8 mission sets
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The P-3 fleet’s heavy use in both maritime surveillance and overland roles points up a potential problem with the P-8A. As an expensive but in-demand asset, a wider coverage scope could actually accelerate the problem of high flight hours building up in a small fleet. The problem is that airplane lives are measured in flight hours, and usage intensity. See the Strategic Review article “Brittle Swords: Low-Density, High-Demand Assets” [PDF] for more background on this phenomenon.

The logical response is to pair the P-8s with a lower cost counterpart. Hence the P-8’s companion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV program, run by NAVAIR’s PMA-263 program management office.

The BAMS competition was widely seen as a fight between Northrop Grumman’s high-flying, jet-powered RQ-4 Global Hawk and General Atomics’ turboprop-powered Mariner (a cousin of its MQ-9 Reaper); but other options were offered as well, including an “optionally manned” business jet.

Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4N Global Hawk eventually won, and will be known as the MQ-4C Triton. The US Navy plans to buy 61 of them + 5 test UAVs, and begin operations in 2015. Like the P-8, the MQ-4C is attracting export interest, which could grow the entire international fleet past 66 machines.

DID’s BAMS FOCUS Article covers MQ-4C requirements, international dimension, contracts, and developments. Given their expected numbers, the Tritons could easily find themselves joining their P-8 companions in overland surveillance roles.

P-8A Poseidon Program

Program Goal & Competitors

P-3C Orion
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Many people would contend that the P-3 Orion is the greatest maritime patrol aircraft ever flown. These aircraft entered service in 1959, and will continue to serve past 2015. Modifications to their equipment have sharpened their capabilities, and even given them a land-attack and surveillance role. In service with 15 countries, the Orion is a great success – but it’s a very old success.

After the abortive P-3G program, the US Navy began a 2-year requirement study in 1997, and the Defense Acquisition Board initiated a number of concept studies during the 2000 to 2002 period. During a 2-phase Component Advanced Development (CAD) program in 2002-2003, Boeing and Lockheed each received $27.5 million to develop their initial designs.

Lockheed’s Orion21 design was based on the P-3 airframe, with United Technologies subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney (7,000 shp PW150A turboprop engine) and Hamilton-Sundstrand (the same 8-bladed NP2000 propeller being refitted to carrier-based E-2 Hawkeye AWACS and C-2 Greyhound aircraft) as key partners.

As noted above, Boeing’s design was based on its 737, one of the most widely produced passenger jets in the world.

Program Timeline

In June 2004, Boeing IDS’ 737-based proposal was awarded the $3.9 billion cost-plus-award-fee contract to develop the Navy’s P-8 Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft. The P-8’s system design and development (SDD) contract covers the full range of platform development including all of the on-board mission systems, the modifications to the airframe itself, all of the training systems, and all of the software laboratories required to produce almost 2 million lines of reliable code. It also covers all of the integrated logistics elements, including the trainers, simulators and courseware. Essentially, everything that’s required to get ready to build the production P-8 is part of the SDD contract.

The MMA Program was cleared by a US technical review board to proceed into the design phase, and passed a preliminary design review in September 2005. In January 2007, their entry received the formal US Navy designation of P-8A Poseidon; and in July 2007, Australia made the P-8 an international program by giving their participation “first pass approval.” In December 2008, India became the 1st export, with a customized P-8i design.

The P-8A achieved American Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in late November 2013. IOC is defined as 1 squadron of 6 aircraft, with personnel who are trained and certified to deploy.

US P-8A Program Budgets

Recent budgets for the P-8A program from FY 2008 to the present have included:

Excel
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Note that annual budgets also include advance procurement for the next year’s buy, so that key items like engines and other long lead-time equipment are ready to go when it’s time to build the P-8s. For instance, the FY 2012 request included long-lead items for 13 FY 2013 aircraft. The Pentagon says that “aircraft procurements are tightly coupled to the [expected] P-3 retirement rates,” but budget cuts will begin to affect production after 2013.

US Numbers and Basing

No?!?
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The U.S. program began as 108 planes, and formally stands at 109 production aircraft plus an additional 8 system design & development aircraft (6 flight-test, 2 ground-test). There will actually be 114 program aircraft. The 1st developmental test aircraft (“T1”) and the 2 ground-based static and fatigue test planes aren’t fully configured, and so they aren’t included in the official program total. The Dec 31/31 SAR lists the P-8’s development and production cost at FY10$ 30.33 billion, and the total life cycle cost for procurement plus 25 years of life cycle support will probably be a bit higher than initial estimates of about FY04$ 44 billion.

The current American basing plan is for:

• 6 operational squadrons at NAS Jacksonville, FL (36)
  
• 1 larger “Fleet Readiness” training squadron at NAS Jacksonville, FL (12)
  
• 6 squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, WA (36)

Instead of basing 3 squadrons at Hawaii Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe Bay, HI, it will only have a rotating squadron detachment. There will also be periodic squadron detachments to Corondo Naval Base, CA near San Diego. Japan has been promised stepped-up P-8A deployments, and that will probably be its own rotating squadron detachment once arrangements are finalized. Beyond operational aircraft, the fleet will have:

• 2 “development squadrons” with 2 aircraft each (4). They will be used for testing and development of standard tactics and procedures, before moving on to operational service at locations to be determined.

• “Pipeline attrition” aircraft that can temporarily replace aircraft that are taken out of action for maintenance, permanently replace crashed aircraft for a squadron, or be inserted as “rotation substitutes” to help keep the fleet’s flying hours more even (19).

P-8A Industrial Partners

The P-8i program in India has also attracted its own set of industrial partners, due to a combination of Indian insistence on local content, and security/technology transfer concerns from the USA. Industrial partners in India include well known players like Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Dynamatic Technologies Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Larsen and Toubro Ltd. (L&T), Wipro Ltd., as well as a set of less familiar aerospace and electronics players. See full coverage at “P-8i: India’s Navy Picks Its Future High-End Maritime Patrol Aircraft“.

As things currently stand, key P-8A Poseidon partners, and some other sub-contractors, include:

One innovation within this group involves the way the base airframes are built. The traditional approach for military planes derived from passenger jets has been to either have a separate production line, or to take a normal airframe from the existing line and make structural changes to it on the military line, along with equipment installations. For the P-8A, the process is different.

The fuselages arrive from Spirit’s commercial 737 production line in Wichita, KS already strengthened, without windows, and with a weapons bay. No modifications are necessary.

Outfitting is completed in Renton, WA, where all or the P-8’s other unique structural features are added right on the main 737 production line. Aircraft quality and performance acceptance flight testing takes place right at Renton Field.

Final installation and checkout of the mission system and special flight test instrumentation happens at Boeing Field, near Seattle, WA.

P-8A Poseidon: Contracts & Key Events

Unlike many other military programs, Boeing appears to be handling the sub-contracts for most of the plane’s equipment itself, which leaves production order figures much closer to the plane’s true purchase cost.

Unless otherwise noted, US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contracts. Note that items unique to India’s P-8is will be covered in that article, and not here.

FY 2015 – 2018

May 28/18: More on the way Boeing is being tapped to provide the Navy with three additional P-8A planes under a $416 million contract. The Poseidon is a multi-mission maritime aircraft that will completely replace the old P-3 fleet. The P-8 uses the same 737 airframe as the US Navy’s C-40 Clipper naval cargo aircraft. The base model is Boeing’s 737-800 ERX, with “raked” wingtips that improve performance for low-level flight. The P-8A has 11 weapon hard points: 5 in the rotary weapon bay, 4 under the wings, and 2 under the fuselage. Weapon load can exceed 10t/ 22,000 pounds, and all hard points have digital weapon interfaces. The aircraft is designed to work in conjunction with the MQ-4C Triton and essentially provides the Navy with an anti-submarine, anti-ship and anti-smuggling platform that can sweep the area, launch sensors or weapons as needed, and remain aloft for many hours. Work will be performed at a number of locations in- and outside the continental US, including Seattle, Washington and Cambridge, United Kingdom. The contract is expected to be completed in October 2020.

April 12/18: Training Systems-US/AUS Boeing has been selected to provide both the US Navy and government of Australia with training systems for P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Valued at $35.9 million, the deal allows the air-framer to provide P-8A Poseidon maintenance device training system upgrades for both customers and falls under a firm-fixed-price contract modification to an existing award and combines purchases for the Navy ($18,063,363; 51 percent); and the government of Australia ($17,905,905; 49 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Jacksonville, Florida and Edinburgh, Australia, running through to January 2020. The Poseidon is an anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft designed to work in conjunction with the MQ-4C Triton, a UAV used for maritime patrol operations, and is also on order with the UK, Norway, and India. In March, Boeing’s 100th Poseidon entered final assembly in Renton, Washington and the firm says its current order backlog will keep its production line running until 2022.

March 22/18: RAAF IOC Australia’s fleet of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft have achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC). So far, the Royal Australian Air Force has taken delivery of six aircraft out of a total order of 12, with the aircraft operated by the No. 11 sqn. from RAAF Edinburgh. “The arrival of the P-8A has allowed Air Force, under Plan Jericho, to develop and evolve new operating concepts, support arrangements and sustainment options,” adds RAAF air marshal Leo Davies. “These will best exploit the P-8A’s sensors and networking as part of integrated Navy and Air Force integrated Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Family of Systems.” Under this plan, first announced in 2015, Canberra also aims to acquire and integrate Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton UAV, and has hinted that it could obtain “up to seven”.

March 07/18: Lot 10 long-lead parts The US Navy has ordered long-lead parts for 19 Lot 10 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, tapping manufacturer Boeing with a $282.2 million contract to carry out the work. Under the terms of the agreement, the parts will cover ten aircraft for the US Navy, as well as covering the foreign military sales of five aircraft to Norway and four to the UK. Work will take place primarily at Seattle, Washington, with other work to take place across the continental US and in Cambridge, UK. Work will be completed by March 2022.

February 5/18: Contracts-Airframe & Engine Support A series of contracts were awarded to industry on Thursday, February 1, in support of the US Navy’s P-8 Poseidon program. Tapped for individual work orders include the program’s lead contractor Boeing, as well as AAR Aircraft Services Inc and StandardAero, for airframe and engine services and depot maintenance valued at more than $268.7 million combined. Airframe work will be led by Boeing, with secondary support from AAR, and includes scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, in-service repair, planner and estimator requirements, technical directive incorporation, airframe modifications and aircraft on ground support. Meanwhile, Standard Aero will lead the work, with support from Boeing, on engine depot work that will include depot maintenance and repair; field assessment, maintenance repair and overhaul engine repair, and technical assistance for removal and replacement of engines. Work will take place at facilities operated by the three awardees across the US and Canada, with a scheduled completion date of January 2019. The contract covers services for the Navy, the government of Australia and foreign military sales customers.

January 12/18: Logistics Services US Navy and Australian government P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) will have integrated logistics services and site activation support provided by the aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing, following the award of a $115.2 million contract modification issued by the Naval Air Systems Command. The majority of the work will take place in Seattle, Washington and at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with some work being carried out in Brisbane, Australia. Scheduled completion is set for September 2021. Under a joint agreement, the new modified contract combines purchases for the US Navy and Australia. The Pentagon is expected to pay out more than $103.3 million, or what amounts to 90 percent of the total contract value, under a cooperative engagement agreement.

August 8/17: The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $11.1 million contract modification to conduct additional ground repair work on the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operated by the service. Work will be carried out at Jacksonville, Fla., as well as other sites throughout the United States and locations in Japan, Australia and Italy, with a scheduled completion of June 2018. The Navy currently operates a fleet of 50 Poseidons and expect future deliveries to bring the fleet to 109 as it replaces its older P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

July 6/17: The US, UK, and Norway are seeking to build a trilateral coalition based around the mutual use of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. While the exact details of the plan have yet to be fleshed out, the agreement will initially seek to establish a framework for further cooperation in areas such as readiness, enhancing defense capability, and interoperability. Additional areas for further cooperation include joint operations in the North Atlantic, information sharing and the possibility of co-locating maintenance and training assets. It is hoped that the co-operation and sharing of assets such as maintenance will help bring costs down and keep readiness rates high for American assets surveilling the waters near Europe.

July 5/17: Northrop Grumman has received a pair of contracts for the AN/ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures system on US Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. With a cumulative worth of $30 million, the orders include depot level repairs and refurbishment of the AN/ALQ-240 and the spare parts necessary. Work will take place at various locations with an estimated completion time of October 2020. The system allows operators greater situational awareness and anticipation of enemy air and naval electronic defenses as it can detect and provide precise location data of enemy radars jammers, and other electronic threats to the P-8 and Navy ships.

June 12/17: Boeing will provide seven deployable crew trainers for P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the US Navy. Delivers of the Deployable Mission Readiness Trainers (DMRTs) will commence in 2019 and includes its Weapons Tactics Trainer system, incorporating sonobuoy and ocean acoustics modeling. The trainers will allow Navy crews to continue simulator training while deployed abroad. The system will also be delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force.

April 30/17: New Zealand has been cleared by the US State Department for the $1.46 billion purchase of four Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft alongside associated equipment and support. The sale will go toward the maintenance of Wellington’s Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) capability, following the retirement of the P-3K maritime patrol aircraft. Japan had also tried to sell the Kawasaki P-1 to New Zealand, a rival platform being marketed agains Boeing’s P-8A.

April 2/17: Boeing has been awarded a $2.1 billion US Navy contract to produce 17 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Under the agreement, the company will deliver 11 units to the Navy, and five for cooperative partners and as foreign military sales, with completion expected for December 2020. The sale also includes manufacturing orders for long lead parts, obsolescence monitoring, and integrated baseline program management reviews. While the destination of the foreign orders were not included, India and Australia are both primary operators of the aircraft.

December 22/16: The US State Department has cleared the potential sale of P-8A surveillance aircraft to Norway. Five aircraft and associated systems and support, valued at $1.75 billion, will be provided in a deal aimed at upgrading Norway’s maritime surveillance capabilities. The P-8 will replace Oslo’s current fleet of P-3 Orions.

December 22/16: The US State Department has cleared the potential sale of P-8A surveillance aircraft to Norway. Five aircraft and associated systems and support, valued at $1.75 billion, will be provided in a deal aimed at upgrading Norway’s maritime surveillance capabilities. The P-8 will replace Oslo’s current fleet of P-3 Orions.

November 30/16: As part of governmental approval to increase defense spending, Norway plans to drop some $1.15 billion on five P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. With Norway sharing a long maritime border with Russia, the acquisition comes as Nordic and Baltic states ramp up modernization and capability efforts in order to dissuade Moscow from trying to pull another “Crimea” in the Baltics. Delivery of the planes will take place between 2021 and 2022 and will replace the current fleet of six P-3 Orion and three DA-20 Jet Falcon aircraft.

October 14/16: Kawasaki Heavy Industries are confident that they can poach customers away from Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon aircraft in favor of their own P-1. The company said that customers looking to move away from their older P-1 Orions see a number of advantages in the Japanese anti-submarine warfare plane over its American counterpart. One advantage touted over the P-8A is the P-1’s four turbofan engines, as a single engine failure will not result in the termination of the mission and allows the plane to operate at lower altitudes.

September 30/16: Boeing rolled out the first of its 12 P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force during a ceremony in Seattle. The maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, based on the design of Boeing’s 737-800 fuselage, will fly to Australia in November. Featuring a weapons bay as well as under-wing and under-fuselage hard points for weapons, the aircraft will be used for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and shipping interdiction as Australia looks to assert itself as a regional security player in the region.

September 2/16: South Korea may join the US Navy, India, and Australia in operating the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, according to defense ministry officials. If given the go ahead, Seoul may purchase four of the aircraft to help expand their surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities following submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) tests by North Korea. The aircraft can fly at altitudes up to 41,000 feet and are capable of striking enemy submarines immediately upon detecting them with weapons such as the MK 54 torpedo.

July 21/16: Boeing is to deliver four P-8 Poseidon aircraft to the Australian government. A US Navy contract modification awarded Boeing a $100 million order to produce and deliver the aircraft by June 2017. Once delivered, the P-8s will engage in long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

July 13/16: Norway has expressed an interest in procuring five to six Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft according to a senior US Navy official. Rear Admiral Dean Peters, program executive officer for anti-submarine warfare, assault, and special missions programs, said the Navy had asked potential P-8 buyers to express their interest by next summer. Production of the aircraft is to cease in the next three years.

July 12/16: While he may be soon out the door as UK Prime Minister, David Cameron has announced the completion of a number of deals for the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and AH-64E attack helicopters during the Farnborough airshow this week. The UK announced its intention to buy the submarine-hunting P-8A planes in November to plug a gap in its defenses that has existed since 2010, when it ditched the Nimrod, built by the local BAE Systems. As a result of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, Cameron was to step down as leader in October, however this could be hastened as only one candidate, Theresa May, remains in the leadership race.

July 6/16: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the Navy to purchase four more Boeing P-8Is during a recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Delivery of the $1 billion order is expected over the next three to four years. This adds to eight others ordered in 2010 to enhance the Navy’s Anti-submarinewarfare (ASW) and maritime patrol capabilities.

May 27/16: Turkish defense procurement officials revealed that the Turkish Navy is keen to induct a long-range maritime patrol aircraft to complement its CN-235 and ATR72 fleet, with Boeing’s P-8A a favored choice. Requirements from Ankara include being able to fly 1,000 to 1,200 nautical miles away from their main base in Turkey, and fly 12 to 15 hours as well as being able to fulfill anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare roles. While a request for information is expected to be released soon, the parameters set may make the competition a very small one.

April 7/16: The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $235.2 million modification contract to obtain long-lead materials and parts required for the P-8A program. The deal will see the company produce and deliver 11 Lot 8 full-rate production IV of the multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft by January 2017. This follows up on a potential $2.5 billion order for the aircraft from January for building the aircraft for both the Navy and the government of Australia.

March 28/16: The UK’s planned purchase of 9 P-8A Poseidon aircraft has been approved by the US State Department. The $3.2 billion sale was a top priority for the British government with the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) saying the aircraft “will enhance Britain’s capabilities to provide national defense and contribute to NATO and coalition operations.” The UK’s intention to purchase the aircraft was made last November in order to help the UK protect its nuclear deterrent and fill a gap left by a much-criticized decision to scrap the Nimrod spy-plane program in 2010.

March 2/16: Boeing is to provide the US Navy with two addition P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft in a deal worth $276.2 million. Production and delivery is expected to be completed by February 2019. The February 29 contract follows the much larger order of 20 P-8A aircraft with 16 for the Navy and four going to Australia. It’s expected that the Navy will require 117 P-8As to take over operations as the P-3C Orion comes closer to the end of its operational life.

February 1/16: The US Navy has placed an order with Boeing for twenty P-8A Poseidon aircraft in a contract worth $2.5 billion. Sixteen will replace the P-3C Orion used by the Navy for long-range, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare as well for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Four will be sold to Australia under the US Foreign Military Sales program. Included in the contract, Boeing will also be tasked with providing obsolescence monitoring, change assessment, and integrated baseline and program management reviews.

July 30/15: Boeing has ended its contract with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, citing shoddy production quality of HAL-manufactured components for India’s P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft under construction by Boeing, as well as components for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The $4.7 million contract in question was signed in February 2010.

July 1/15: Also on Monday the Navy handed Boeing a $358.9 million contract to provide long-lead production materials for twenty-nine Full Rate Production P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. The twenty-nine aircraft are split between Lots II and III, with the Navy set to take nine of the former and sixteen of the latter, with the remaining four Lot III aircraft earmarked for the Royal Australian Air Force. Boeing received a $295.6 million advance acquisition contract in August 2014 for long-lead items for a dozen Full Rate Production Lot II P-8A aircraft, with funding for four of these similarly destined for the RAAF.

June 30/15: The Navy awarded Boeing a $14.1 million delivery order for development and definition of system requirements for the P-8A Poseidon Multi Mission Aircraft, to build towards the program’s Increment 3 Capabilities Integration System Requirements Review Systems Engineering Technical Review. The aim of Increment 3 is to enhance the Multi-Static Active Coherent system, provide early delivery of the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability datalink, improve the Tactical Operations Center mission software and introduce the Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS) high-resolution AESA radar, as well as other changes to the plane’s sensors and systems as time and money allow.

May 27/15: Rockwell Collins was awarded a $24.8 million IDIQ contract to supply the Navy and Australia with aircraft direction finders, radio tuner panels and high frequency radio shipsets for the P-8A Poseidon, with the contract slated for completion in 2020.

May 5/15: On Monday Boeing was awarded a $118.1 million contract modification for training systems and services for the Navy and Australia, in support of the P-8A maritime multimission aircraft, including the procurement of Operational Flight Trainer and Weapon Tactics Trainer systems, as well as other training assets for the Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

Oct 14/15: Delivery #18. Boeing delivered the 18th P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the US Navy ahead of schedule, as it departs Boeing Field in Seattle, WA for the fleet readiness training squadron at NAS Jacksonville, FL. It was Boeing’s 5th delivery of 2014, and Boeing is under contract for 53 P-8As so far. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Delivers 18th P-8A Poseidon to U.S. Navy”.

FY 2014

Full Rate Production begins; Australia commits to 8 planes; Basing decisions made; 1st official deployment; Boeing introducing Challenger MSA as a lower-tier option; DOT&E report shows flaws in the Navy, as well as flaws within the aircraft; Watch those roofs, they bite; An ASW pilot’s viewpoint.

Check-out line
(click to view full)

Sept 29/14: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $11.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for training-specific P-8A data storage architecture updates and upgrades, to include hardware, software, and integration. See also Sept 25/14, which covers data storage architecture changes to existing aircraft. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 Navy aircraft budgets.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX (35%); Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, FL (30%); NAS Whidbey Island, Washington (30%); and St. Louis, MO (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2015. The Naval Air Warfare Center’s Training Systems Division in Orlando, FL manages this contract (N00019-12-C-0112).

Sept 29/14: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $43.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for P-8A integrated logistics and contractor services. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 Navy aircraft budgets.

Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (58%); Jacksonville, FL (12%); Valencia, CA (6%); Linthicum, MD (5%); Greenlawn, NY (3%); and various locations within the United States (16%), and is expected to be complete in April 2017 (N00019-12-C-0112).

Sept 29/14: Infrastructure. RQ Construction, LLC in Carlsbad, CA, wins a $21 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and build the P-8A Tactical Operations Center (TOC) and Mobile Tactical Operations Center at NAS Whidbey Island, WA. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 and 2014 Navy construction budgets. The contract also contains 2 unexercised options, which could raise its value to $23.1 million.

The new low-rise TOC facility will include the commander, patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 headquarters. It will be accompanied by demolition of an existing building, and demolition with hazardous waste disposal may be required. For the mobile TOC, RQ will renovate and convert the current TOC B2771 to a new Mobile TOC. Both facilities will contain classified spaces.

Work will be performed in Oak Harbor, WA, and is expected to be complete by September 2017. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 19 proposals received by NAVFAC NW in Silverdale, WA (N44255-14-C-5006).

Sept 25/14: Upgrades. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $26.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to conduct retrofit services on the Data Storage Architecture in P-8A Low Rate Initial Production Lots 1-3. $9.8 million in FY 2012 Navy aircraft budgets is committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be complete in September 2016 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Aug 18/14: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $30.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “for the development of a structural repair manual in support of the P-8A Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft.” Even as an interactive electronic product, that isn’t cheap. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy aircraft budgets.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA and is expected to be complete in November 2018 (N00019-12-C-0112).

Aug 14/14: FRP-2 long lead. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $295.6 million advance acquisition contract, which buys long-lead time items for 12 Full Rate Production Lot II (FY 2015) P-8As: 8 US Navy ($152 million / 51%), and 4 for Australia ($143.6 million/ 49%). This is Australia’s 1st order, and is likely to contain customization funds as well. $207.8 million is committed immediately, including $55.8 million from Australia.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (82.6%); Baltimore, MD (6.2%); Greenlawn, NY (4.2%); the United Kingdom (3.5%); and North Amityville, NY (3.5%), and is expected to be complete in April 2018. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 (N00019-14-C-0067).

July 31/14: Delivery #15. The US Navy’s 15th P-8A Poseidon arrives at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL, shortly after the VP-16 “War Eagles” finish the type’s 1st deployment abroad at Kadena AB in Okinawa, Japan. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Delivers 15th Production P-8A Poseidon to U.S. Navy”.

July 29/14: Australia. Flight Global reports that Australia is looking to incorporate the AGM-84G Harpoon Block I anti-ship missile into its P-8As. It’s also known as the AGM-84 Block IG, and reportedly adds seeker improvements and re-attack mode. It could be created by upgrading existing Australian AGM-84 missiles, which serve on the AP-3C fleet.

There seems to be a bit of a divergence on the P-8, but no matter which missile is picked, it needs to be fully integrated with the plane’s mission software. The USA has been testing the AGM-84 Block IC, while India’s P-8i seems set to host the GPS/radar guided AGM-84L Block II with land attack capability. Australia has requested Harpoon Block IIs for other platforms, but appears to be satisfied with smaller-scale air-launched upgrades. Sources: Flight Global, “Australia pushes for Harpoon integration on P-8As”.

July 21/14: Infrastructure. Korte Construction Co., DBA The Korte Co. in St. Louis, MO wins a $36.2 million firm-fixed-price contract to build the P-8A Multi-Missioned Maritime Aircraft Training Facility at NAS Whidbey Island, WA. The 2-story operational training facility will include space for 8 OFTs (operational flight trainers) and 6 WTTS (weapons tactical trainers), with associated support network and communications equipment, classrooms, and administrative spaces. The facility will also contain bridge cranes, special access program facility spaces, and extensive networking equipment. All funds are committed immediately using FY 2014 US Navy construction budgets, but a pair of unexercised options could increase the cumulative contract value to $36.3 million.

Work will be performed in Oak Harbor, WA, and is expected to be complete by January 2016. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 23 proposals received by NAVFAC Northwest in Silverdale, WA (N44255-14-C-5002).

July 4/14: Foxtrot Alpha’s “Confessions Of A US Navy P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol Pilot” interviews a US Navy P-3C pilot who now flies P-8As. He sees the P-8A as a safer aircraft that’s easier to fly, and the ability to perform any tactical job from any workstation magnifies the aircraft’s flexibility. It’s implied that the new plane will change the standard career zenith from being a Fleet Replacement Instructor, to being a Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Weapons School Instructor.

With that said, “the lack of a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) aboard the P-8A is a drawback,” and the Harpoon missile’s lack of precision in crowded shipping environments makes the current absence of weapons like the AGM-65 Maverick “a major step back”. The growth of long-range anti-aircraft missiles like the HQ-9, S-400, etc. also presents a radar-guided threat to maritime patrol planes in the littoral environment, and so the lack of rasdar-centric defensive systems is a concern in the community. A key excerpt:

“ASW is all about the time from the last known position of the sub in question. Geometry rules everything…. [speed increases] the chance of catching a submarine by minimizing the time from its last point of detection…. There are currently two schools of thought in the Maritime Patrol Community right now when it comes to how the P-8 should be used. One where it works closely along the lines of its predecessor, and follows the P-3’s traditional mission sets of ASuW, ASW and limited ISR, and another where the P-8 can be adapted more dramatically for a litany of missions, including direct attack on ground targets. Personally, I believe the P-8A should also be equipped with a more robust set of weapons and sensors for the fight against smaller vessels in constrained littoral environments.”

Finally, the pilot bemoans the removal of aerial tanker roles from the P-8 MMA’s original vision, which could have tied each squadron to a carrier air wing during deployment phases:

“When a carrier would go into flight ops, the P-8A would launch, tank aircraft using drogue and hose buddy stores, conduct a surveillance flight around the carrier, tank during recovery, and then return to base…. A great idea withered on the vine because of shortsighted petty inter-service politics [from the USAF]”.

A pilot’s view

July 2/14: Delivery #14. Boeing announces delivery of their 14th P-8A Poseidon aircraft on schedule, to NAS Jacksonville, FL. So far, the US Navy has ordered 53, and Boeing will deliver 7 more this year. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing, U.S. Navy Expand P-8A Maritime Patrol Fleet with 14th Delivery”.

June 25/14: Increment 3. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $14.9 million delivery order for P-8A Poseidon Increment 3 Interface Development. $3.3 million is committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Navy R&D budgets.

They’re referring to technical interfaces here, not display screens, and the order involves test beds which can be used to verify that new additions are compatible: 2 Mission Systems Emulation Environment (MSEE) units with all required hardware, Tactical Open Mission software with P-8 baseline architecture interface data exposure modifications, interface adapter computer software configuration items, and P-8A real-time simulator with interactive warfare simulator. In addition, this order includes the development, documentation, and delivery of hardware and software updates for 4 existing MSEE units.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA, and is expected to be complete in September 2016. US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity (N00019-11-G-0001, DO 3051).

June 17/14: JSTARS Recap. The USAF is looking at options for recapitalizing JSTARS, with Initial Operating Capability of 4 planes by 2022, in order to counter escalating operations and maintenance costs. The planes need to accomodate about 13 crew and a 13′ – 20′ radar, stay on station for 8 hours with aerial refueling capability for more, and reach 38,000 feet. The USAF plans to ask for $2.4 billion over the next 5 years, but the dollars don’t really exist to launch another major USAF program. Hence USAF JSTARS recapitalization branch chief Lt. Col. Michael Harm:

“With the completion of the 2011 JSTARS mission area analysis of alternatives study and the onset of Budget Control Act-directed budget levels, it became clear that the future of the JSTARS weapons system lay in a more cost-effective platform as compared to extending the lifecycle of the current 707 airframes.” ….The Air Force is currently drafting requirements for the program, which will be finalized by early 2015, Harm said. In order to keep the system affordable, it plans on using commercial, off-the-shelf equipment and minimizing new technology development.”

Boeing is expected to enter its P-8, which is already configured for the mission and the above requirements once the LSR radar is added. Added costs would be limited to expansion of communications links and software development, and Navy commonality would be a big plus.

Raytheon’s Sentinel R1 already serves in the JSTARS role with Britain’s RAF, and the smaller Bombardier jet needs ongoing system and software development to reach its full potential. Operating costs would be lower, expanding the current USA-UK Airseeker RC-135V Rivet Joint ELINT/SIGINT partnership to encompass Sentinel R1s is a thinkable option, and Bombardier can lean on Raytheon and/or its Learjet subsidiary as the American lead. Aerial refueling might be the issue, given Sentinel’s configuration and the USAF’s insistence on dorsal boom refueling.

Gulfstream is looking to do something similar by partnering up and offer either the G550, which is already in use by Israel and its customers in AEW&C (CAEW) or ELINT/SIGINT (SEMA) variants, or the longer-range G650. They say that the’ve done the design work for aerial refueling, but haven’t had a customer take them up on it yet. E-8 JSTARS lead Northrop Grumman, who led the canceled E-10A program but retains key technologies, is a very logical partnering choice. With that said, Lockheed Martin has their own expertise to offer, and their Dragon Star ISR aircraft-for-lease is a Gulfstream.

The USA’s default option, of course, is to do nothing. The E-8C fleet would then become vulnerable to future USAF fleet-sized cuts. Meanwhile the P-8As would field in the Navy and informally take over some of the JSTARS role, alongside USAF UAVs like RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 40 and its EQ-4 BACN counterpart. Sources: NDIA National Defense, “Industry Ready to Compete for JSTARS Recapitalization Program”.

June 5/14: Testing. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $28.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification for the design, development, fabrication, installation and testing of airworthiness flight test equipment. The challenge is to correctly predict that something might go wrong in future.

Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD (58%); Seattle, WA (34%); and Huntsville, AL (8%), and is expected to be complete in December 2016 (N00019-04-C-3146).

June 4/14: Basing. At the close of the Environmental Impact Study, the US Navy has decided to consolidate P-8A basing. NAS Jacksonville, FL will have 6 squadrons plus the “fleet replacement” training squadron, while NAS Whidbey Island, WA will have the other 6 squadrons. There will be a permanent rotating squadron detachment at Hawaii Marine Corps Base, and periodic squadron detachments to Corondo Naval Base, CA near San Diego.

This effectively means that Jacksonville won, getting 7 squadrons instead of 5, and is less than the 8 Whidbey squadrons being touted earlier (q.v. May 3/13). That doesn’t stop House Armed Services Committee and Electronic Warfare Working group member Rick Larsen [D-WA-2] from claiming credit, though. In full fairness to the Congressman, it’s a better than the initial plan for 4 squadrons, just a climbdown from expectations since the Pentagon decided to concentrate on 2 operating bases. Sources: Rick Larsen’s office, “Larsen: Navy P-8A Decision Great for NASWI, National Security”.

May 12/14: FRP-1. Raytheon in McKinney, TX receives a $50.1 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification, exercising an option for 16 APY-10 radar kits that will be installed in FY 2014’s Full Rate Production Lot I P-8As. It also covers installation and checkout technical support, configuration management, reliability and maintainability failure reporting and corrective actions, engineering change orders/proposals, integrated logistics support, technical data, and repairs.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 Navy aircraft budgets. Work will be performed in McKinney, TX (53.38%), Reston, VA (8.35%); Little Falls, NJ (7.78%); Spring Valley, CA (6.51%); Black Mountain, NC (4.24%); Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada (2.73%); Poway, CA (2.50%); Simsbury, CT (2.43%); Leesburg, VA (2.33%), and various locations throughout the United States (9.75%), and is expected to be complete in November 2016 (N00019-13-C-0161).

April 24/14: Software. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $8.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for P-8A software updates. Mission Software has been a problem for the plane so far (q.v. Jan 23/14 etc.).

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 Navy aircraft and maintenance budgets. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (27.6%); Huntington Beach, CA (18.9%); McKinney, TX (18.4%); Grand Rapids, MI (13.4%); Baltimore, MD (7.8%); Rolling Meadows, IL (4.2%); El Segundo, CA (3.9%); Farmingdale, NY (3%); St. Louis, MO (1.5%); and Amityville, NY (1.3%), and is expected to be complete in August 2015 (N00019-11-G-0001, DO 3008).

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon finally releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report [PDF]. The P-8A’s costs have dropped, mostly because they’re ordering 8 fewer planes:

“Program costs decreased $1,865.8 million (-5.4%) from 34,395.0 million to $33,069.2 million, due primarily to a decrease of 8 [production] aircraft from 117 to 109 (-$1,560.4 million) and a revised estimating methodology for labor hours and rates and adjustments to commercial aircraft pricing (-$548.0 million). There were additional decreases for revised escalation indices (-$255.8 million) and reduced estimates for business base benefits created by the Royal Australian Air Force aircraft procurement (-$184.8 million). These decreases were partially offset by increases in other support due to updated actuals and a revised interim support strategy (+$289.1 million), revised estimates to reflect the application of outyear escalation indices (+$136.0 million), and a net stretch-out of the procurement buy profile (+$121.7 million).”

Fewer planes

April 14/14: LSRS/AAS. Aviation photographer Russell Hill takes pictures of a P-8A at Boeing Field in Seattle, with the canoe-shaped LSRS double-sided ground-looking AESA radar beneath. This bit from Foxtrot Alpha was interesting:

“With this in mind, compartmentalizing [and classifying] the program deep within the Navy may have saved it from being shot down via the [USAF] who would protect their existing, even if potentially inferior, ground moving target indicator mission at all costs. Although some of this is speculative, this same story has come up again and again, both in the press and in my own discussions with people associated with the communities that deployed and developed the LSRS.”

Foxtrot Alpha elaborates on the uses of this system, from tracking targets down to human size, to targeting weapons from its own stores or other platforms via datalink updates, to damage assessments. Can these capabilities be extended to add cruise missile detection and electronic warfare? Even if not, the author is correct in pointing to the E-8C JSTARS overlap. With the JSTARS fleet set to receive only minimal upgrades, we would be equally unsurprised if the P-8 ends up taking over this role. Sources: Foxtrot Alpha, “Exclusive: P-8 Poseidon Flies With Shadowy Radar System Attached”.

April 8/14: MSA. Boeing is targeting P-3 operators for their Challenger MSA, which means they’ll be competing with themselves to some extent. Their Canadian partner Field Aviation adds weight to that by touting future options including SATCOM, side looking airborne radar, and even weapons on wing hardpoints. That last change would sharply narrow the difference between the P-8A and Challenger MSA.

Base MSA equipment will include Selex ES Seaspray 7300 maritime surveillance radar, and FLIR Systems Star Safire 380 day/night surveillance turret. That creates a high-end product for Coast Guards as well as a mid-range product for militaries. The question comes down to customers, and Boeing is reportedly targeting “20 to 30” within a total market space of around $10 billion. As one looks at the list, however, one sees a number of countries within the P-3 customer base who won’t become customers soon, if ever: Australia (P-8 & UAV), Japan (home-built P-1), Brazil (will pick Embraer’s), Canada (P-3 LEX), Chile (C295 MPAs), New Zealand (P-3 LEX), Norway (P-3 LEX), Pakistan (P-3 LEX), Portugal (P-3 LEX & C295 MPAs), Spain (C295 MPA home), and Taiwan (P-3 LEX). As a quick sort, that leaves Argentina, Germany, and South Korea as likely targets before 2025 or so, with possibilities in Chile and Spain as unlikely.

Of course, the same sort reveals that the P-8A itself may have a bit of a long slog for exports, unless it can open markets that the P-3 didn’t reach. Sources: Flight Global, “Boeing to target current P-3 operators for MSA sales”.

March 31/14: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2013, plus time to compile and publish. Changes to the Program Dashboard are reflected in the article. Most of the rest isn’t anything new, though they note that the sonobuoy launcher has experienced testing problems and is still receiving fixes.

On the good news front, GAO cites Boeing’s use of more pre-acceptance flights, which helped resolve more issues before formal acceptance. With that said, the P-8 still seems to have plenty.

Over the longer term, Increment 3 plans to give the plane a more open electronic architecture for faster integration of new components. The program plans a full and open competition for the Increment 3 system architecture contracts, and intends to buy the intellectual property rights as well.

March 5/14: MSA. Well, that was fast. Boeing’s Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) derivative based on the Challenger 605 business jet (q.v. Nov 19/13) recently completed its 1st flight, a 4-hour test that took off from Toronto, Canada’s Pearson International Airport. Boeing’s partner Field Aviation needed to establish that aerodynamic performance met predictions, and that it handled like a regular model even with the radome and other modifications.

Additional airworthiness flights are scheduled for the next 2 months, after which the MSA will fly to a Boeing facility in Seattle for mission system installation and testing. Here’s hoping they can work out some of the myriad bugs in the base P-8 mission system before that happens. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Demonstrator Completes 1st Flight”.

March 4-11/14: FY15 Budget. The USN unveils their preliminary budget request briefings. They aren’t precise, but they do offer planned purchase numbers for key programs. Full numbers follow days later, and are plotted in the charts above. In the P-8A’s case, however, the numbers may mislead.

After buying 16 P-8As in FY 2014 to begin Full Rate Production, the FY 2015 request drops to just 8 (-8 from plan), before the long term plan bounces back to 15 (-1), 13 (-1), 13 (+3), and 7 (+7) planes from FY 2016 – 2019. Note the trick. While stating that the FY15 cut “was necessary to comply with affordability constraints,” the buys are shifted several years into the future, as if the same dilemmas won’t recur. But the same hard choices must be made, when the time comes.

The missing 8 aircraft are found in a separate $26B wish list that is far from certain to get traction in Congress, and the number of flaws in the P-8A could actually make a FY 2015 order cut attractive. It would reduce the number of retrofits required to correct problems with initial aircraft, and move more planes beyond the point at which Increment 2 is likely to be ready. The 737 production line isn’t going anywhere, which gives the Navy the luxury of industrial time. On the other hand, the Navy may not have the same luxury of budgetary time, as future buys must take place with F-35B/C fighter production ramped up, and programs like SSBN-X beginning to bite.

With fewer ships on hand, assets like the P-8 are becoming more important to sea control, playing roles once reserved for sailing frigates. The question is whether the US Navy values that enough, compared to other options like destroyers. They’ve seemed very ready to cut similar assets from even well-performing programs like the E-2D AWACS, and the P-8’s MQ-4 Triton UAV companion is seeing a medium-term procurement slowdown of its own. Sources: USN, PB15 Press Briefing [PDF].

Feb 25/14: FRP-1. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $2.07 billion firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising options for Full Rate Production (q.v. Jan 3/14) Lot 1: 16 P-8As, and 16 Ancillary Mission Equipment kits for the US Navy. Subsequent orders under FRP-1 include:

• $50.1 million APY-10 radars (May 12/14)
  
• $26.9 million DMS re-design (Nov 20/13)

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 Navy aircraft budgets. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (78.4%); Baltimore, MD (4.7%); Greenlawn, NY (2.4%); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1.6%); Rockford, IL (1.1%); North Amityville, NY (1%), and miscellaneous locations throughout the continental United States (10.8%), and is expected to be complete in April 2017 (N00019-12-C-0112).

FRP Lot 1

Feb 21/14: Australia commits. The Australian government gives 2nd pass approval for AIR 7000 Phase 2B, and sets A$ 4 billion as the budget for 8 P-8As and infrastructure. An option for 4 more could be exercised, depending on the forthcoming Defence White Paper review’s conclusions. This isn’t a contract, but one is expected to follow soon.

The planes will be based at RAAFB Edinburgh near Adelaide, in southern Australia, and the program’s A$ 4 billion cost includes new basing, infrastructure, and support facilities. Australia’s 1st P-8A is expected in 2017, with all 8 aircraft fully operational by 2021. The P-8s will perform their work “with high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles,” which are expected to be Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Tritons, but Australia hasn’t formally made its UAV decision yet.

As has so often been the case in the region lately, China is the gift that keeps on giving for American defense contractors. In early February, China sent guided missile destroyers Wuhan and Haikou, the 20,000t landing ship Changbaishan, and a submarine escort through the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. That forced an Australian AP-3C to scramble north to observe their combat simulations, and created pressure on Australia to offer a timely response. Which may help explain why this announcement was made by Prime Minister Abbott himself. Sources: Australian DoD, “P-8A Poseidon Aircraft to boost Australia’s maritime surveillance capabilities” | Australian Aviation, “Govt approves RAAF P-8 acquisition” | The Australian, “RAAF to get eight new Poseidon ocean patrol planes in $4bn deal” || The Lowy Interpreter, “China makes statement as it sends naval ships off Australia’s maritime approaches” | The Diplomat, “Australia Startled by Chinese Naval Excursion” | NZ Herald News, “China warships in Pacific raise alarm” | The Hindu, “New Indian Ocean exercise shows reach of China’s Navy” | China’s CCTV, “Combat vessels training for quick response in electronic war”.

Australian approval

Feb 18/14: Crunch! A 550-foot-long hangar near Naval Air Facility Atsugi collapses, following 21″ of snow in the past week and 35″ over the past month. Washington D.C. residents are nodding grimly in recognition, with visions of roof shoveling dancing in their heads.

The good news is that the recently arrived P-8s are fine, because the facility was an old Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group/ NPPI repair hangar for US and Japanese aircraft, and the P-8s don’t need much of that. The bad news is that at least 4 US Navy P-3C planes were in the hangar, and 3 of them ended up being damaged beyond repair. There’s no immediate word on Japanese aircraft casualties, and cleanup is still underway.

This will give the P-8As much more to do in the near term, while the US Navy figures out how to restore surveillance levels over the medium term. Sources: Stars and Stripes, “Navy Orions likely damaged in hangar collapse”.

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The P-8’s core issues have been covered via advance leaks, but this passage in the report is especially notable, and had not been reported:

“I provided a specific example of the former case to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I found that the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Patrol Aircraft could be fully compliant with all Key Performance Parameter (KPP) and Key System Attribute (KSA) threshold requirements, and nonetheless possess significant shortfalls in mission effectiveness. The P-8 requirements define supporting system characteristics or attributes that are necessary, but not nearly sufficient, to ensure mission effectiveness. In an extreme case, the contractor could deliver an aircraft that meets all the KPPs but has no mission capability whatsoever. Such an airplane would only have to be designed to be reliable, equipped with self-protection features and radios, and capable of transporting weapons and sonobuoys across the specified distances, but would not actually have to have the ability to successfully find and sink threat submarines in an Anti-Submarine Warfare mission (its primary mission). The lack of KPPs/KSAs related directly to mission effectiveness will inevitably create a disconnect…”

Other issues surfaced in the full report, but not in the news reports based on early leaks. SAR radar scans of the surface were a known problem, but DOT&E says they are outright ineffective, and that the problems include radar stability and image quality. These and other gaps give the P-8A Increment I limited effectiveness against “evasive targets attempting to limit exposure to detection by radar and other sensors,” and Mk 54 torpedo limitations add to the platform’s problems in those scenarios. Likewise, the ESM/ELINT system’s deficiencies were known before, but not the fact that “signal identification capabilities are limited [to a narrow level] by ESM signature library-size constraints.” There are problems with interoperability of the communications systems, including the International Maritime Satellite, Common Data Link, and voice satellite systems. Finally, the EWSP defensive system doesn’t offer protection or even warning against radar-guided threats, which include the most likely missiles an enemy fighter might launch at the aircraft.

The report did concede that the P-8A “unarmed ASuW maritime surface target search, classification, track, and cue-to-attack capabilities are equivalent to P-3C capabilities.” On the good news front, there’s the reliability numbers: an on-time take-off rate of 93.6%, and airborne mission abort rate of only 1.6%, both well above operational requirements. The catch is that the mission system has a lot of software faults, which get in the way during missions and need to be fixed.

Work on new capabilities continues. AGM-84 IC Harpoon anti-ship missile testing has begun, but full weapon tests won’t happen until FY 2014. Detection problems are expected to be addressed in Increment 2 with the fielding of the Multi-Static Active Coherent (MAC) system of sonobuoys, and HAASW GPS-guided kits in that increment may offer improved torpedo options against evasive targets, beginning around 2016. Increment 3, to be fielded around 2019, will improve sensor capabilities and the mission system architecture. That’s a good focus, and the level of problems in both areas will demand a lot of extra work before that increment even begins.

Jan 23/14: Testing. Bloomberg News reports that an unreleased copy of the Pentagon’s annual DOT&E report isn’t positive for the P-8A. DOT&E chief Michael Gilmore reports that the P-8 still exhibits “all of the major deficiencies” identified in last year’s report, and is “not effective [DID: does not meet stated criteria] for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission and is not effective for wide area anti-submarine search”.

To review, DOT&E’s FY 2012 annual report (q.v. Jan 17/13) focused on the P-8 sensors’ ability to work as advertised, and to work together. The main radar has track-while-scan deficiencies, problems with high-resolution image quality, radar pointing errors that were especially troublesome over land and in littoral regions, and cross-cue errors with the MX-20HD surveillance turret. The MX-20HD itself had issues with auto-track integration, and interference was making it hard for the AN/ALQ-240(V)1 ESM systems to accurately pinpoint radars and communications sources around the plane.

On the one hand, this is not an adequate standard for a platform that the US Navy has declared as an Initial Operational Capability. On the other hand, these problems don’t make deployment to Japan stupid. Current P-8As may not match up to modernized P-3C Orion SMIP capabilities, but they do offer better availability, and can cover a bigger area. USN Lt Caroline Hutcheson says the P-8s “fully met” the criteria for “effective” patrols, and real-world experience in Asia is a good way of both training the P-8 crews and clarifying the aircraft’s problems. You can bet that it will also train American and Japanese fighter crews, who are likely to be close at hand whenever and wherever the P-8s fly. Sources: Bloomberg, “Boeing Surveillance Plane Found Not Effective for Mission”.

Jan 17/14: Support. Northrop Grumman Systems Electronics Sector in Baltimore, MD receives a $33 million cost-plus-fixed-fee completion job order to design and build AN/ALQ 240 ESM operational test program sets, and stand up a repair depot at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN. ESM detects coherent electro-magnetic emissions and backtracks them to their point of origin, allowing it to pinpoint enemy communications, radars, etc.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 aircraft budgets. Work will be performed in Linthicum, MD, and the contract will run until September 2019. The US Navy Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN manages the contract (N00164-13-G-WT15).

Jan 3/14: NAVAIR PMA-290 receives approval to enter P-8 Full Rate Production from the Milestone Decision Authority. Note that NAVAIR’s date for the release is Jan 17/14, but it didn’t appear on the site until Jan 24/14. Poor form, that. Sources: US NAVAIR, “P-8A aircraft gets green light to enter full rate production”.

FRP approved

Dec 23/13: LRIP-4. A $6.8 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification to buy initial spares for the 8 P-8A aircraft in LRIP Lot IV.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 aircraft budgets. Work will be performed in Grand Rapids, MI (24.9%); Torrance, CA (18.8%); Greenlawn, NY (15%); Irvine, CA (14.5%); Freeland, WA (8.5%); Avenel, NJ (5.2%); Rockford, IL (3.3%); Wilson, NC (3.1%); Manfield, OH (2.8%); Rochester, NY (1.8%); West Chester, OH (1.5%); Sarasota, FL (0.5%), and Wichita, KS (0.1%). Work is expected to be complete in April 2017. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-12-C-0112).

Dec 4/13: #13. Boeing delivers the 13th production P-8A ahead of schedule to NAS Jacksonville, FL, marking a perfect on-time record for the year. This is the last of the LRIP-2 aircraft, and LRIP Lot 3 planes will begin delivery in 2014. So far, Boeing has received 4 LRIP contracts for a total of 37 aircraft. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Delivers 13th P-8A Poseidon to US Navy”.

Nov 29/13: IOC & Deployment. The inaugural operational deployment of the P-8A Poseidon begins, as the VP-16 War Eagles squadron leaves NAS Jacksonville, FL, for Kadena AB in Okinawa, Japan. VP-16’s final P-3C Orion deployment ended in June 2012, and their transition to the new P-8A finished in January 2016.

As the first 2 P-8s took flight to Japan, the US Navy declared Initial Operational Capability for the P-8A. Squadron VP-5 has completed their P-8 transition, and VP-45 began the shift away from the P-3C this summer, after returning from deployment. Meanwhile, the VP-30 FRS and the Integrated Training Center continue to qualify crew members ad replacement personnel. Sources: USN, “P-8A Aircraft Program Achieves Initial Operational Capability” | US NAVAIR, “P-8A: Road to deployment” | Defense News, “Poseidon’s inaugural deployment starts Friday”.

IOC, 1st official deployment

Nov 20/13: Support. Boeing in Seattle WA receives a $10.2 million firm-fixed-price requirements contract to repair 559 different P-8A items on an as-needed basis.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX and is expected to be complete by Sept 30/15. This sole source contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, by NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support in Philadelphia, PA (N00383-14-D-006F).

Nov 20/13: FRP-1. Boeing in Seattle WA receives a $26.9 million to a fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification, exercising an option for diminishing manufacturing sources re-design in support of P-8A Full Rate Production Lot I.

All funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA, and is expected to be complete in April 2017 (N00019-12-C-0112).

Challenger MSA
(click to view full)

Nov 19/13: Challenger MSA. Boeing knows that its 737-based P-8 Poseidon sea control jet may be a bit too much plane for some customers. While the P-8A preps its flight display at the 2013 Dubai airshow, Boeing confirms a long-standing rumor by teaming up with Canada’s Bombardier to offer a surveillance-only Challenger 605 MSA with equal or better endurance and range, a lower purchase price, and lower operating costs. It’s kind of amusing to do this at a venue where some of your booth visitors have larger and more expensive planes than the P-8 in their private hangars, but Dubai’s exhibition draws from a wide geographic area.

The Challenger 605 large business jet’s base range of 4,000 nmi/ 7,408 km is better than the 737-800’s, and its wide cabin is well suited to special mission crews and equipment. It’s believed that the plane will carry the same core mission system as the P-8A, as well as some common sensors, but space considerations are likely to force some sensor downgrades with respect to items like radars, magnetic anomaly detection, etc. Canada’s Field Aviation is currently modifying a Bombardier Challenger 604 jet, and expects to hand it over for initial testing and presentation to potential customers in 2014. Sources: Bombardier, Challenger 605 | Boeing, Nov 19/13 release | Pentagon DVIDS, “DOD supports 2013 Dubai Airshow [Image 1 of 15]”.

Oct 28/13: Increment 3 ABA TD RFP. NAVAIR released its finalized RFP for the P-8A Increment 3 Applications Based Architecture (ABA) development, which will lead to the delivery of 2 prototypes. 2 awards for these ABA TD contracts are expected to be worth about $20 million each. By the EMD phase there will be a single award, but this will be a full and open competition rather than a downselect from the winners of this RFP. The deadline for offers is January 9, 2014. N00019-13-R-0045.

Increment 3 Initial Operational Capability was scheduled to Q1 FY20 as of the March 2013 industry briefing [PDF], which also gives a sense of the requirements scope.

Oct 28/13: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $99.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to add a Maintenance Training Device Suite (MTDS, with 6 Virtual Maintenance Trainer Devices and 14 Hardware Type II devices) and an Ordnance Load Trainer into P-8A LRIP-2.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 procurement funds. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 procurement funds. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (45%); Orlando, FL (25%); Whidbey Island, WA (15%); Huntington Beach, CA (10%); and Jacksonville, FL (5%). Work is expected to be complete in June 2016 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Oct 25/13: Training. Boeing in St. Louis, MO receives a $26.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to incorporate the recent Test Release 21.1 block software upgrade on 8 operational flight trainers, 6 weapons tactics trainers, 3 part task trainers, and 44 mission system desktop trainers. It’s listed as being “in support of the P-8A LRIP-2,” but it’s really a service to the entire fleet, based on upgrades to current configuration.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 procurement funds. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (81%); Huntington Beach, CA (8%); Tampa, FL (8%); Seattle, WA (2%); and Hauppauge, NY (1%), and is expected to be complete in October 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

FY 2013

Australia reaffirms commitment; Initial P-8i delivery; USN revising basing plans?; DOT&E highlights sensor issues; An all-737 US ISR fleet?; China’s hacks include the P-8A.

P-8A in Japan
(click to view full)

Sept 30/13: APY-10. Raytheon in McKinney, TX, is being awarded a $29.5 million firm-fixed-price contract to stand up an APY-10 organic depot maintenance facility. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2011 and 2013 aircraft procurement budgets, and contract options could bring the aggregate total to $39.1 million.

Work will be performed at the Fleet Readiness Center South East, Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be completed by March 31/16. $22.1 million in FY 2011 funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, today. The buy was sole sourced in accordance 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) by the US Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center in Jacksonville, FL (N68836-13-C-0071).

Sept 24/13: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $225 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for 6 P-8A Poseidon OFT (operational flight trainers), 6 WTT (weapons tactics trainers), 2 part task trainers, 1 training systems support center, 3 10-seat electronic classrooms, and a 20-seat electronic classroom. All finds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (30.4%); Tampa, FL (21.3%); Whidbey Island, WA (15.2%); Huntington Beach, CA (5.9%); San Francisco, CA (4.2%); Long Island, NY (2%); Tulsa, OK (1.9%); Jacksonville, FL (0.9%); and various locations throughout the United States (18.2%); and is expected to be complete in March 2018 (N00019-12-C-0112).

Sept 24/13: LRIP-4. Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in McKinney, TX receives a $48.8 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for 14 APY-10 radar kits, as part of the P-8’s LRIP-4 aircraft buy: 13 production, plus 1 spare. Raytheon will also provide a number of services: installation and checkout, technical support, configuration management, reliability and maintainability failure reporting and corrective actions, engineering change orders/proposals, integrated logistics support, interim contractor support, technical data, and repair of repairables. All funds are committed immediately, and see July 31/13 entry for LRIP-4 totals.

Work will be performed in McKinney, TX (99%) and Seattle, WA (1%), and is expected to be complete in January 2016. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302.1, since Raytheon makes the radar (N00019-13-C-0161).

Sept 19/13: LRIP-4 Support. Small business qualifier XTRA Aerospace in Miramar, FL receives a $16 million firm-fixed-price contract for Boeing 737 commercial spare parts, to support LRIP-4’s P-8As (q.v. July 31/13 for totals). There’s certainly a large pool of 737s and associated spares flying all over the world. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Miramar, FL and is expected to be complete in December 2016. This contract was competitively procured via electronic request for proposals, with 3 offers received by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-13-C-0147).

Sept 18/13: LRIP-4. A $172.3 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for product services in support of the 13 LRIP-4 P-8As. They’ll provide spares & logistics support; interim contractor support; support equipment; and change technical publications as the aircraft change. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2011 and 2013 procurement budgets, and $30.1 million will expire on Sept 30/13.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (58.79%); Jacksonville, FL (11.47%); Valencia, CA (5.59%); Linthicum, MD (5.4%); Greenlawn, NY (3.21%); Salt Lake City, UT (1.28%); St. Peters, MO (1.82%); Carson, CA (0.83%); Camden, NJ (0.75%); Mesa, AZ (0.75%); Middlesex, United Kingdom (0.74%); Torrance, CA (0.59%); Mississuaga, Ontario, Canada (0.59%); Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (0.52%); and other various inside the United States (7.63%) and outside the United States locations (0.04%) (N00019-12-C-0112).

Sept 6/13: Increment 3. Small business qualifier Progeny Systems Corp. in Manassas, VA receives a $8.3 million to begin developing a software architecture for P-8A Increment 3. Technically, this is a cost-plus-fixed-fee Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract under Topic N121-045, “Maritime Airborne Service Oriented Architecture Integration.” Phase III contracts are the last stage before commercialization, and this project will finish a service oriented engineering development model for increment 3, along with source code and a Unified Modeling Language (UML) model. All funds are committed immediately, using the FY 2012 RDT&E budget.

Now, let’s unpack that into English.

Software has become a larger and more important component of advanced weapon systems – just as it has in your washing machine. The corollary is that technical and software architecture have a bigger and bigger influence on reliability, maintenance costs, and upgrade costs. The P-8 has a lot of sensors and software, and they need an architecture that lets them all work together even if the individual components change. “Service oriented” means that key capabilities are provided as unified infrastructure, which can be called by programs that may not have many other commonalities. Google Maps, which has been incorporated wholesale into a number of 1st responder applications, is a well-known example of a (web-based) service. At the tools level, UML is a way of modeling the flow and function of software without writing code. That makes quick, iterative changes a lot cheaper. Some UML tools can take the created model, and produce an initial code set that will follow those directions. It’s not an end point, because programmers still need to adjust the code for efficiency and other goals, but it’s a good start that can assist rapid prototyping.

Work will be performed in Manassas, VA, and is expected to be complete in September 2015. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-5 by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, NJ (N68335-13-G-0001).

July 31/13: LRIP-4. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $2.042 billion fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for LRIP Lot 4: 13 P-8As, and 13 ancillary mission equipment kits. It also orders 1 lot of diminishing manufacturing sources parts and long-lead parts associated with next year’s order: 16 P-8As under Full-Rate Production Lot I.

Total spending on LRIP-4 is $2.279 billion, or $175.3 million per plane, and consists of the following awards:

• $48.8 million APY-10 radars (Sept 24/13)
  
• $16 million commercial 737 spares (Sept 19/13)
  
• $172.3 million support (Sept 18/13)
  
• $2.042 billion base

All funds are committed immediately. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (78.4%); Baltimore, MD (4.7%); Greenlawn, NY (2.4%); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1.6%); Rockford, IL (1.1%); North Amityville, NY (1%); and other various locations inside and outside of the United States (10.8%) (N00019-12-C-0112). See also: US NAVAIR | Boeing.

LRIP Lot 4

July 10/13: Australia. A DSCA request for Mk-54 torpedoes confirms the seriousness of Australia’s interest in the P-8A, as the DSCA says:

“Australia will use the MK 54 torpedo on its MH-60R helicopters and intends to use the torpedo on a planned purchase of the P-8A Increment 2 Maritime Patrol and Response aircraft.”

July 8/13: IOT&E done. NAVAIR announces that a July 1/13 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation report found the P-8A “operationally effective, operationally suitable, and ready for fleet introduction.” That keeps the program on track for Operational Evaluation and an initial deployment this winter, when the first P-8A squadron will deploy with P-3 and EP-3 squadrons.

Deliveries to date include 15 aircraft: 6 test aircraft for NAVAIR, and 9 initial production planes to the fleet.

IOT&E complete

June 24/13: Testing. One of NAVAIR’s P-8A test aircraft serving in VX-20 successfully fires an AGM-84D Block IC Harpoon anti-ship missile, which scores a direct hit on the Low Cost Modular Target’s fabric. The Point Mugu Sea Test Range firing is the 1st live Harpoon firing by a P-8. US NAVAIR.

May 31/13: Hacked. The P-8A program is listed as one of several programs that leaked design data to Chinese hackers. Given the P-8’s critical role in the Pacific, and with Pacific allies like Australia and India, this is not a good development.

The leaks are damaging. The question is “how damaging?” All parties are remaining close-lipped about that, though reports show that a number of key P-8 sensors and sensor integration functions aren’t fully effective yet. Even a massive P-8 breach may be closer in scope to the Silicon Valley practice of filing early patents, so they don’t have to reveal subsequently-refined elements of the final working product.

On the flip side, even marginal help in developing their next generation of maritime patrol planes is valuable to the Chinese. Existing maritime patrol planes are based on the old Y-8 four-engine turboprop, but Chinese firms are busy assembling similar A320 family passenger jets in country for Airbus, and intend to design their own narrowbody competitor. China also has direct military experience with the 737, after converting 3 to become military command post aircraft. Washington Post WorldViews | Washington Post.

Hacked

May 30/13: LRIP-3. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $53.6 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for spares in support of the LRIP Lot 3 (q.v. Sept 21/12), which will build 11 P-8As. This brings total P-8A LRIP-3 contracts to $2.263 billion.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (60.80%); Linthicum, MD (14.89%); McKinney, TX (6.44%); Valencia, CA (4.85%); Huntington Beach, CA (3.47%); Mesa, Ariz. (2.22%); Salt Lake City, UT (1.10%); Johnson City, NY (0.95%); Huntington, NY (0.84%); Grand Rapids, MI (0.57%); Richmond, CA (0.50%) and various locations throughout the United States (3.37%), and is expected to be complete in June 2016. All funds are committed immediately (N00019-09-C-0022).

May 7/13: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $14.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for interim P-8A support. All funds are committed immediately.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX (56%) and Seattle, WA (44%); and is expected to be complete in November 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022, PO 0076).

May 3/13: Basing. Rep. Rick Larsen [D-WA-2] emerged from a meeting about the US Navy strategic plan for 2013 – 2030, and promptly told local media that NAS Whidbey Island would be getting 49 planes (8 squadrons), instead of the 24 aircraft (4 squadrons) based there under the original plan. The first 2 P-8A squadrons arrive at NAS Whidbey in 2015, a 3rd will follow in 2016, Squadrons #4-6 arrive in 2017, and the 7th and last squadron arrives in 2018.

The Navy had been considering new basing plans (vid. Nov 14/12), and Larsen’s disclosure indicates that they’ve chosen “Alternative 2”: 49 planes in Whidbey Island, WA; 47 in NAS Jacksonville, FL; and just 2 in MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay. The big loser is obviously Hawaii, which lost 16 of the 18 P-8s that were supposed to be based there for wide-ranging coverage of the Pacific.

Whidbey’s P-8s are deployable planes, but the crews’ families will be in Washington State, and so will more advanced maintenance and support. Whidbey News Times.

April 29/13: LRIP-3 Training. A $21.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to upgrade the Training System Support Center for P-8A LRIP Lot 3, including tooling and data for the Weapons Tactics Trainer. All funds are committed immediately, and $21.1 million will expire at the end of the fiscal year, on Sept 30/13.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in August 2016 (N00019-09-C-0022).

April 17/13: P-8i. India’s P-8i completes flight testing, which included dropping Mk.82 500 pound unguided bombs. Printed materials describe them as “depth bombs” (anti-submarine depth charges), but it’s also true that the addition of an inexpensive Boeing kit could convert Mk.82 bombs to GPS-guided JDAMs, or even JDAM-ER glide bombs with extended range. Time will tell whether the P-8 family capabilities expand in this direction. Boeing feature, incl. video | Boeing Frontiers magazine.

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage.

The US Navy is clearly focused on cash flow rather than total costs, and the P-8A joins other programs that will pay more long-term, in order to pay less per year in the near term. The FY 2014 budget subtracts 9 P-8As from FY 2014-2016, while adding 11 from FY 2017-2018. The procurement difference is around $1.3 billion, but the value of the 2 added planes means the Navy is paying about $800 million more on an even comparison. Assuming the Navy actually sticks to this new plan through 2018, rather than making further cuts.

April 3/13: HAAWC. Boeing in St. Charles, MO wins a $19.2 million combination cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price contract to design and build HAAWC (High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability) kits for lightweight torpedoes. HAAWC is its own effort, but it’s also arguably the most important improvement slated for P-8A Increment 2 aircraft (q.v. Feb 18/13, for changes to the planes). Boeing will build on their experience with JDAM GPS guidance and GBU-39 SDB-I wing kits, in order to create a strap-on kit that adds precision guidance and long glide ranges to existing lightweight torpedoes.

$14.2 million is committed immediately, and $9.8 million of that will expire at the end of the fiscal year, on Sept 30/13. The contract includes options that could raise its value to $47 million.

Work is expected to be completed by April 2016. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via FedBizOpps, and 3 offers were received by US Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC (N00024-13-C-6402). See also Boeing.

March 28/13: GAO Report. The US GAO tables its “Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs“. Which is actually a review for 2012, plus time to compile and publish. The P-8A is generally proceeding well, and Boeing has come to an agreement over limited release of commercially-sensitive pricing information:

“According to program officials, the P-8A has reduced the unit cost of the aircraft on each of its first three production contracts. To help ensure the price is fair and reasonable, DOD negotiated an agreement with Boeing to provide the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) access to data on select Boeing commercial aircraft procurements. The P-8A airframe has been designated a commercial item, so the contractor is not required to submit cost or pricing data. Officials indicated DCAA did not raise any concerns regarding the reasonableness of aircraft pricing prior to the award of the third production contract.”

March 29/13: #7 delivered. Boeing hands over P-8A #7 to the U.S. Navy on schedule, and it departs for NAS Jacksonville, FL. It’s the 1st delivery from the LRIP-2 order. Boeing.

March 25/13: AAS. Aviation Week reports that Boeing will soon get another fatigue testing contract, this time to test the effects of the canoe-shaped AAS long-range radar fairing. Adding it creates new fatigue stress points, so the S-2 full-scale fatigue-test platform at Boeing will conduct 2 complete AAS mission lifetimes, then a 3rd P-8A mission lifetime without the AAS, followed by a residual-strength test and a tear-down analysis.

This is expected to be a $138 million effort, running through 2017. Boeing has already started flight certification work involving AAS-equipped P-8s (vid. Feb 1/12), and this is a logical next step. The AAS is expected to become operational sometime shortly after P-8A Increment 2, which is expected to be in service around 2016.

March 14/13: Fatigue testing. A $128.4 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification covers engineering labor to perform extended lifetime fatigue testing, teardown, and post-teardown analysis of the P-8A airframe. These tests, and the changes that result, are necessary before the US Navy can set a safe flight hours limit for the airframe. They’re hoping for 150% of the airframe’s specified service life, but the testing will tell. Using a long-serving civilian jet as the base should give the Navy a pretty good starting point, but there are some structural changes in this version, and the usage patterns will be rather different.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (95%), and St. Louis, MO (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2018. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation, Navy contract funds. US NAVAIR in Patuxent River Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-04-C-3146).

March 8/13: Training. A $12.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification aims to keep the P-8 simulators in sync with produced aircraft. They’ll update 3 systems to the TR-12 software version, and go through Aircraft Program Revision Records from Block 9.2 to TR-12 to see if they need to add anything else.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in December 2013. All contract funds are committed immediately, and expire at the end of the current fiscal year on Sept 30/13 (N00019-09-C-0022).

March 4/13: Australia. Aviation Week reports that Australia may want more P-8As, at the possible expense of its MQ-4C companion UAVs:

“The RAAF is quietly making a case for 12 Poseidons, arguing that eight would not be enough to cover the vast oceans surrounding the continent. And the unmanned requirement is now described as “up to” seven high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, potentially reducing Northrop Grumman’s opportunity. At the same time the air force sees an argument for a supplementary drone, possibly the Predator, to take on some of the electronic-intelligence missions that would otherwise fall to the Poseidons and Tritons.”

This is a bit of a head-scratcher. The stated purpose of sustained ocean coverage would be better served by adding another orbit of 3-4 MQ-4Cs (to 10-11), and using the P-8s as more of a fleet overwatch and contact response force. Likewise, it makes little sense to use a different UAV for ELINT/SIGINT collection, especially the slow and shorter-range MQ-9. Rather, one would use the MQ-9s in nearer-shore maritime and EEZ patrols, along the lines of the 2006 Northwest Shelf experiments, in order to free up MQ-4Cs for longer-range expeditions over strategic corridors, and the ELINT/SIGINT mission to which they are so well suited.

Feb 8/13: HAASW. ERAPSCO Inc. in Columbia City, IN receives a $7.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification for engineering and manufacturing development services in support of the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare system. This is actually an Increment 2 upgrade to the new P-8A sea control aircraft. It makes drops more accurate by using a GPS-based algorithm; receives, processes, and stores in-buoy GPS data received from AN/SSQ-53, AN/SSQ-62, and AN/SSQ-101B sonobuoys; and will remotely send commands, and receive and process data from the AN/SSQ-101B’s digital datalink.

Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, FL (52%) and Columbia City, IN (48%), and is expected to be complete in May 2014. $890,000 in FY 2013 Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation, Navy contract funds are committed immediately. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD manages this contract (N00421-11-D-0029). See also Military Aerospace.

Feb 4/13: #6 delivered. Boeing delivers the 6th production P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the US Navy, successfully completing the first group of LRIP aircraft from the January 2011 contract. Recall, too, that 6 ready-to deploy aircraft is the threshold for Initial Operational Capability. The Navy isn’t quite there yet.

P-8As #7-9 are undergoing mission systems installation and checkout at Boeing Field in Seattle, WA, and #7 will be delivered to the USN later this quarter. P-8As #10 and #11 are in final assembly on the 737 production line in Renton, WA. Boeing.

Jan 31/13: Support. Boeing receives a $19.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy additional P-8A equipment adaptors, support equipment, and technical publications.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX (70.8%); Seattle, WA (15.7%); St. Peters, MO (10.7%); Falls Church, VA (1.2%); Chatsworth, CA (0.6%); Anaheim, CA (0.2%); El Dorado Hills, CA (0.2%); and Berwyn, PA (0.2%); Camden, NJ (0.2%); and New York, NY (0.2%); and is expected to be complete in April 2015. All contract funds are committed immediately from the FY 2011 “2011 Aircraft Procurement, Navy” budget line, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/13 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Jan 17/13: US DOT&E report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2012 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The P-8 is included, and the P-8A’s participation in international exercises along regular testing is helping them find issues. The good news is that the plane is improving in many areas. The bad news is that the plane still has a lot of gaps and teething issues before it’s ready for serious service.

The P-8’s biggest problems lie with its sensors’ ability to work as advertised, and to work together. The main radar is suffering track-while-scan deficiencies, high-resolution SAR image quality problems, radar pointing errors that are especially troublesome over land and in littoral regions, and cross-cue errors with the MX-20HD surveillance turret. Then there’s the MX-20HD surveillance turret itself, whose auto-track integration isn’t working. The AN/ALQ-240(V)1 ESM systems for pinpointing radars and communications sources around the plane are also problematic, suffering from faulty identification and interference with anti-submarine displays.

Wide-area submarine searches using the twin-sonobuoy multi-static active acoustic capability (MAC) approach will be a big step up from current IEER advanced sonobuoys, but their delayed integration (FY 2014 or later) still leaves adequate sonobuoy capability on board.

The other P-8 problem worth mentioning is that the main fuel tank overheats in hot weather during grounding and low-level flight. This sharply limits anti-submarine flight patterns, especially over chokepoints and critical facilities in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Florida and the Caribbean, East Africa, Hawaii, San Diego, etc. Customers like India and Australia won’t be thrilled, either, unless this is fixed.

DOT&E testing report

Dec 20/12: Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $7.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for P-8A training system program and configuration management, engineering, and quality assurance. This modification will bring the hardware platforms of the Weapons Tactics Trainer (WTT) and Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) up to the LRIP Lot 1 Block 8 configuration, so it keeps up with the planes themselves.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be completed in June 2014. All contract funds are committed immediately, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year on Sept 30/13 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Dec 19/12: P-8i. Boeing “delivers” the first P-8I aircraft to the Indian Navy in Seattle, WA. 2013 will see India receive aircraft #1-3, with planes 4 and 5 under construction.

Indian personnel will conduct some training in the USA with the US Navy, while India builds up INS Rajali at Arakkonam Naval Air Station in Tamil Nadu (SE India). Those imperatives are underscored by the P-8i’s absence from Aero India 2013 in February, despite strong interest and anticipation within India. Boeing | IANS | Boeing re: Aero India 2013.

1st P-8i delivery

Dec 17/12: Upgrades. Boeing in Seattle, WA received a $16.1 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification, covering required engineering and labor to change the cooling medium in the existing P-8A Liquid Air Palletized System (LAPS) from polyalphaolefin, to ethylene glycol and water. They want to ensure compatibility between the LAPS and the Special Mission Cabin Equipment. Once development is done, Boeing will manufacture 3 P-8A conversion A-Kits, for use on the initial aircraft.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (81.6%); Huntsville, AL (8.8%); Mesa AZ (7.6%); and St. Louis, MO (2.0%) and is expected to be complete in December 2014. $14 million is committed immediately, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year on Sept 30/12 (N00019-04-C-3146).

Dec 11/12: R&D. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $175.5 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification for engineering, integration, and test work on P-8A changes and upgrades. The work will cover its weapons management, acoustics, and communication subsystems.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (43.3%); Huntington Beach, CA (22.4%); St. Louis, MO (24%); and Baltimore, MD (10.3%). $31.6 million are committed immediately, with the rest available until December 2015 (N00019-04-C-3146).

Dec 4/12: Training. Under a new 5-year, $56 million contract, Boeing will maintain U.S. Navy aircrew training devices for the P-8A, its P-3C predecessor, EP-3 Aries electronic eavesdropping planes, EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, and older SH-60B Seahawk helicopters.

Mark McGraw, Boeing’s VP for Training Systems and Government Services, says the firm is looking to offer these services internationally. It’s a somewhat natural extension for its own products, like the EA-18G. It’s less natural for Lockheed Martin’s P-3s, Northrop Grumman’s EA-6s, and Sikorsky’s SH-60s.

The training devices are located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, FL; Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, HI; NAS Whidbey Island, WA; and Kadena Air Base, Japan. Boeing will deliver P-8A training systems to NAS Jacksonville in 2013, and other sites will follow with trainers and all support functions. Boeing.

Nov 26/12: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA received a $26.3 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to continue developing the P-8A’s maintenance training curriculum. Materials will include computer-aided instruction for use in a classroom setting, interactive courseware for self-paced in-service training, and practical exercises to be used on various maintenance training devices. This seems like minor stuff, but if it’s done poorly, a multi-billion dollar fleet will suffer from lower readiness rates. Which turns out to be very expensive.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in June 2015. All contract funds are committed immediately, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Nov 14/12: Basing. US Fleet Forces Command announces that they’re considering a number of basing plans for the P-8A, under supplemental environmental impact analyses. Of the 4 plans under consideration, 2 would base just 2 P-8s in Hawaii, instead of having 18 aircraft in 3 squadrons to offer good coverage of the Pacific theater.

The main plan is listed above: 42 planes in NAS Jacksonville, FL; 24 in Whidbey Island, WA; 18 in MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay; and 8 unallocated.

“Alternative 2” would put 47 planes in NAS Jacksonville, FL; 49 in Whidbey Island, WA; and 2 in MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay.

“Alternative 5” would put 47 planes in NAS Jacksonville, FL; 28 in Whidbey Island, WA; and 18 in MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay.

“Alternative 7” would put 54 planes in NAS Jacksonville, FL; 42 in Whidbey Island, WA; and 2 in MCB Hawaii Kaneohe Bay.

Alternatives 2 and 7 would damage the US Navy’s much-hyped “Pacific Pivot,” by having fewer aircraft in good position to offer coverage. Forward basing in Guam and with allies like Japan and Australia may help, but it’s more effective to do that and to base planes in Hawaii. Given the importance of aerial surveillance to anti-submarine warfare, one may also legitimately wonder if just 2 P-8As in Hawaii leaves Pearl Harbor insufficiently defended. The US Navy has often had a problem backing up its proclamations with actual platforms, but this one offers particular cause for scrutiny. Navy EIS site | Pacific Business News.

Oct 18/12: ESM. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $8.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order issued under basic ordering agreement to update the P-8A’s ESM sensor’s digital measurement unit “to overcome obsolescence issues”.

Work will be performed in Linthicum, MD (86%), and Seattle, WA (14%), and is expected to be complete in April 2015. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-11-G-0001).

Oct 5/12: Australia. Australia’s government signs a A$ 73.9 million with the USA to help develop the P-8A Increment 3, marking Australia’s continued commitment to the A$ 5 billion project that will replace its 19 AP-3Cs. This marks A$ 323.9 million in project contributions so far.

The Increment 3 Project Arrangement falls under the Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development Memorandum of Understanding signed in March 2012, which provides the framework by which the P-8A will be acquired, sustained and developed thought it service life. No basing decisions have been made yet, but they’re expected to end up at the AP-3C’s current home, RAAFB Edinburgh in South Australia. Australian DoD | Perth Now || Defense Update | UPI.

P-8A Inc-3 development

Oct 4/12: ESM. Northrop Grumman’s P-8A Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system is officially designated AN/ALQ-240v1. ESM systems use adaptive tuning, precise direction finding and geolocation to detect, identify, and target radars and other electronic threats to the aircraft and Navy vessels.

Northrop Grumman also provides the P-8A platform’s EWSP (early warning self-protection system). ESM isn’t part of that system, but it is complementary. NGC.

Oct 3/12: P-8 AGS advocacy. The Lexington Institute releases a report that recommends replacing all 73 of the USAF’s C-135/ Boeing 707 derived special mission aircraft with 737 derivatives. The E-8C JSTARS fleet of 16 operational planes would be swapped out for a derivative of the P-8A – basically, Boeing’s P-8 AGS concept. Overall, 73 planes would be replaced with 60 aircraft with higher mission-readiness rates, lower operating costs, and the ability to use existing global maintenance networks. It’s a bit of a turnaround for Lexington, who had strongly supported JSTARS re-engining and refurbishment before. Excerpts:

“The Air Force is currently spending so much money to keep its recon planes operational that it may be feasible to develop and field replacements based on commercial derivatives at little additional cost if it can retire aging 707s and C-135s quickly… The cumulative savings of substituting 737s for existing planes would total $100 billion across the life-cycle of the fleet, with annual savings likely to exceed $3 billion once the new planes were fully fielded. Most importantly, the 737 replacement program can be implemented within projected budgets for the ISR fleet… In the process it can eliminate 4,000 support billets and save over 80 million gallons of jet fuel each year, freeing up funding for activities where it can be applied more productively.”

See release | report [PDF].

FY 2012

LRIP-2 & 3 orders; P-8A inducted into USN; Increment 2 R&D; P-8A launches torpedo; Boeing looking at smaller airframe as a budget alternative.

P-8 drops Mk54
(click to view full)

Sept 27/12: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $13.2 million firm-fixed-price contract modification buys spare parts in support of 10 P-8A operational flight trainers (OFTs), 7 weapons tactics trainers, 3 part task trainers, the training systems support center, and 15 electronic classrooms. Boeing will also buy Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15 classified parts; manage spare parts and delivery; coordinate orders, quotes, and receive process; support inventory inspection processes; and deliver the spares. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete in June 2014 (N00019-09-C-0022)

Sept 26/12: Spares. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $34.6 million firm-fixed-price modification to a fixed-price-incentive-fee contract, buying additional spares for the 11 LRIP Lot 3 P-8A aircraft.

Work will be performed in Dallas, TX (59%); Greenlawn, N.Y. (13%); Amityville, N.Y. (8%); Seattle, Wash. (7%); Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (6%); Anaheim, CA (4%); Irvine, CA (2%); and El Paso, TX (1%); and is expected to be complete in September 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Sept 26/12: Support. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $18.9 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for equipment maintenance, site activation, and other support of Low Rate Initial Production P-8As. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (57%); Jacksonville, FL (38%); and Kadena, Japan (5%), and is expected to be complete in November 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Sept 25/12: Part obsolescence. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $15.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order to fix obsolescence issues. They’ll need to replace and integrate suitable hardware and software components in the P-8A’s Multi-Purpose Control Display Unit and Tactical Control Panel that have gone obsolete because those parts aren’t manufactured any more, and the Navy doesn’t have enough inventory to ignore that.

Work will be performed in Grand Rapids, MI (84%), and Seattle, WA (16%); and is expected to be complete in September 2014. All contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-11-G-0001).

Sept 21/12: LRIP-3. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $1.905 billion fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification for 11 Low Rate Initial Production Lot 3 planes. This brings total P-8A LRIP-3 contracts to $2.209 billion.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (75.5%); Baltimore, MD (4%); Greenlawn, NY (2.5%); North Amityville, NY (2.3%); McKinney, TX (1.8%); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1.5%); and various location inside and outside of the continental United States (12.4%), and is expected to be complete in May 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

LRIP-3 main order

Aug 31/12: FRP-1 lead in. A $244.9 million advance acquisition contract to begin buying long-lead materials for 13 P-8As, with firm-fixed-price line items. That means it’s for the FY 2013 order (LRIP-4? FRP-1?).

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.8%); Greenlawn, NY (11.7%); Baltimore, MD (11.0%); North Amityville, NY (8.2%); and McKinney, TX (5.3%); and is expected to be complete in April 2016. This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to FAR6.302-1 (N00019-12-C-0112).

Aug 28/12: Too big? Boeing is starting to look at options beyond its P-8A, because their customers are saying that they don’t need its full versatility, and find its $200 million price tag prohibitive. Bombardier’s Challenger 600 seems to be the target platform, and the resulting plane would probably sacrifice weapon carrying capability in order to be a specialty surveillance plane.

Boeing aren’t the only ones working on this, of course. Established competitors include EADS’ CN-235 Persuader, C-295 MPA, ATR-42 MP, and ATR-72 ASW turboprops; and Embraer’s P-99 MP jet. Saab has options are in development based on the Saab 2000 regional turboprop and Piaggio P-180 executive turboprop, and Russia has a unique offering in development based on its Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft. There is also some talk in Britain of adding maritime patrol capabilities to its Sentinel R1 ground surveillance jets, based on Bombardier’s Challenger.

Among American manufacturers, Lockheed Martin is working on an SC-130J Sea Hercules modification, and the firm says they expect to sign at least one contract “in North Africa.” It’s designed as a $150 million alternative, to be developed in 3 stages. Stage 1 will involve roll-on/ bolt-on radar and electro-optical sensors, and accompanying processing workstations. Stage 2 would add wing-mounted, anti-surface weapons, along with upgraded workstations and weapon control systems. Stage 3 would be a full anti-submarine conversion, including sonobuoys, a magnetic anomaly detector boom, extra fuel pods, and 2 added bays for 6 Harpoon missiles. Defense News.

July 24/12: LRIP-3 lead in. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $107.1 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract modification to provide additional funding for LRIP-3’s long-lead time materials That means items that need to be in the factory early, so that LRIP Lot 3’s 11 planes can be assembled and delivered on time. See also March 26/12 and Sept 8/11 entries – this brings LRIP-3 long-lead orders to $304 million.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.8%); Greenlawn, NY (11.7%); Baltimore, MD (11%); North Amityville, NY (8.2%); and McKinney, TX (5.3%). Work is expected to be complete in May 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

July 24/12: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $28.2 million fixed-price-incentive-firm contract for 22 flight management system trainers; 44 mission systems desktop trainers; 2 desktop training environments; updates to the P-8A Air Combat Training Continuum courseware; and all associated spares, support, and tools.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (48.2%); St. Louis, MO (35.8%); Jacksonville, FL (10.9%); Bloomington, IL (3.2%); Anaheim, CA (0.8%); Dallas, TX (0.8%); and Wichita, KS (0.3%). Work is expected to be completed in June 2014. $25.5 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-09-C-0022).

July 24/12: Australian sub-contractors. Boeing announces a very minor set of contracts ($1.85 million) to Australian companies Lovitt Technologies Australia and Ferra Engineering, to manufacture parts and assemblies for the P-8A.

Lovitt Technologies in Melbourne already supplies parts for the V-22 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and will add mission systems parts and assembly fabrications for the P-8. Ferra Engineering in Brisbane also supplies Super Hornet parts, as well as spares for Boeing’s commercial jets. They’ll add P-8 internal and external airframe parts and assemblies to their roster.

Boeing has a number of programs of interest in Australia, including F/A-18AM/BM Hornet upgrades, new F/A-18F Super Hornets, the E-737 Wedgetail airborne early warning plane, and an expected P-8 buy (vid. May 6/09 entry). Boeing’s Office of Australian Industry Capability (OAIC) works with the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation’s Global Supply Chain Program, to identify and train industrial partners. Over the past 4 years, Boeing says they’ve awarded US$ 230 million in contracts to Australian firms.

July 17/12: #2 delivered. Boeing delivers the 2nd production P-8A to US Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL for aircrew training.

Meanwhile, 3 more P-8As are undergoing mission systems installation and checkout in Seattle, WA, and 3 are in final assembly in Renton, WA. That covers 8 of the 13 low-rate initial production aircraft ordered so far. The 6 flight-test and 2 ground-test P-8As ordered under the development contract are already delivered, and they’ve completed more than 600 sorties and 2,800 flight hours, mostly at NAS Patuxent River, MD. Boeing.

July 18/12: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives an $11.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the Block 9.2 software upgrade of the Operational Flight Trainer, the Weapons Tactics Trainer, and the Part Task Trainer in support LRIP Lot 1. This modification also includes the procurement of a Mission System Desktop Trainer. Bottom line: the trainers must have the same software and capabilities as the flying aircraft.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (85%), Seattle, WA (12%), and Anaheim, CA (3%), and is expected to be complete in May 2013. $9.9 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/12 (N00019-09-C-0022).

July 7/12: P-8i. India’s first P-8i begins flight-testing in Seattle, and all test objectives are met in its initial flight. Boeing test pilots will continue the process at a US Navy test range west of Neah Bay, WA, and at a joint U.S./Canadian test range in the Strait of Georgia. They believe that they are on track to deliver the 1st P-8i to the Indian Navy in 2013. Boeing.

May 12/11: No P-8 JSTARS? Gannett’s Air Force Times reports that that the USAF will hang on to the battlefield surveillance mission, even though it won’t be upgrading its E-8C JSTARS planes. The real story is that the USAF’s F-35, Next-Generation Bomber, and KC-46A aerial tanker projects are sucking all of the budgetary oxygen out of the room. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz:

“I think that [Chief of Naval Operations Adm.] Jon Greenert would tell you that he can’t do both the maritime P-8 mission and the entire GMTI [Ground Moving Target Indicator] overland mission… Based on the analysis of alternatives, the more attractive option is a business-class aircraft with cheek sensors that operates at 40,000-foot plus and at much less of a flying-hour cost… That’s probably the right solution set, but we don’t have the [budgetary] space to pursue it right now.”

A Navy official emphasized that the P-8A’s primary focus is anti-submarine warfare, followed by surveillance in maritime areas. They see overland ISR as a tertiary mission, just as it has been for the P-3C. The long-term question is whether force structure trends will force a change in thinking, if the P-8A becomes the most capable option available. The performance and availability of the USAF’s RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 40 [PDF] fleet is likely to be the determining factor.

May 11/12: Increment II R&D. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $13.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order modification for P-8A Increment II risk reduction activities. This effort includes acoustic processor technology refresh work, multi-static active coherent Phase I capability, Automatic Identification System prototype development, and high altitude anti-submarine warfare sensor capability. As one might guess, Increment II is the next evolution of the design for the fleet, to be built into new aircraft and retrofitted into delivered planes.

Work will be performed in Anaheim, CA (70%), and Seattle, WA (30%), and is expected to be complete in January 2013 (N00019-05-G-0026).

March 28/12: Rollout & induction. The 1st P-8A from the LRIP-1 is inducted into USN Squadron VP-30 at Jacksonville, FL, for training. Following the ceremony, dignitaries cut a ribbon in front of the $40 million, 14-acre P-8A Poseidon Integrated Training Center facility. The first crew begins formal training in July, and the Navy eventually plans on having 42 total P-8As at Jacksonville NAS by 2019: 12 training planes plus 30 operational aircraft.

Boeing spokesman Chick Ramey said that P-8As are currently rolling off the Renton, WA assembly line at a rate of about 1 per month. US Navy photo release | Florida Times-Union | Puget Sound Business Journal.

P-8A induction

March 26/12: LRIP-3 long lead. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $30.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, buying additional long lead time materials for the FY 2012 Low Rate Initial Production III lot of 11 planes.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.8%); Greenlawn, NY (11.7%); Baltimore, MD (11.0%); North Amityville, NY (8.2%); and McKinney, TX (5.3%); and is expected to be complete in May 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

March 23/12: Boeing VP and P-8 program manager Chuck Dabundo says that the P-8A is expected to be ready for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOTE) from June – August 2012. He adds that: “The P-8A full-flight envelope should be cleared to conduct… realistic missions and maneuvering flight profiles during the IOT&E,” addressing one of the concerns from the 2011 DOT&E report (vid. Jan 17/12).

Meanwhile, the 1st operational flight and weapons tactics trainers are completing their set-up in the P-8A Integrated Training Center at NAS Jacksonville, FL. The other LRIP-1 plane is undergoing mission systems installation, with a hand-over to the Navy expected in mid-year. Aviation Week.

March 19/12: Sub-contractors. ITT Exelis touts its compressed air weapon ejection release technology, which successfully launched an MK 54 torpedo from P-8A test aircraft T-3’s weapon bay (vid. Oct 31/11). Many launch systems still use electrically-triggered explosive cartridges for launch separation, which has higher purchase and maintenance costs over time.

ITT was awarded the initial system design and development contract in August 2005, and says that it has received follow-on contracts totaling more than $30 million to date. Work is being performed by the Exelis Electronic Systems division in Amityville, NY.

March 4/12: 1st production delivery. Boeing delivers the first LRIP-1 plane to the US Navy in Seattle, after having built 6 flight-test and 2 ground-test aircraft. The delivery paves the way for flight training to begin. Boeing | Jacksonville Business Journal.

1st production delivery

Feb 13/12: Budget Cuts. The Pentagon submits its FY 2013 funding request. P-8A production will continue to ramp up, to the expected 13 planes, but future buys will be lower than planned, removing 10 planes from the program over the next 4 years. It’s always possible to add them back at the end of the program, but the USA’s current fiscal straits, and long-term entitlements explosions, make that unlikely:

“Due to changing priorities within the Department and funding constraints, the Department deemed that it was a manageable risk to reduce P-8A procurement by 10 aircraft from FY 2013 – FY 2017. Savings total $5.2 billion from FY 2013 – FY 2017.”

Feb 13/12: APY-10 air-air. Raytheon announces that it has delivered the 1st AN/APY-10 International radar to Boeing, for installation in the nose of India’s 1st P-8i. They also confirm that, per rumors reported on Feb 3/10:

“To meet unique requirements for the Indian navy, Raytheon has added an air-to-air mode, which provides the detection and tracking of airborne targets, allowing customers to detect threats in the air as well as at sea. In addition, an interleaved weather and surface search capability has been added to provide the cockpit with up-to-date weather avoidance information while performing surveillance missions.”

Feb 1/12: AAS. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $227 million cost-plus-award-fee modification contract for “interim flight clearance for the P-8A aircraft in the special mission configuration,” using the T-1 and T-3 test aircraft. Later reports confirm that the special configuration involves the P-8’s AAS radar pod.

Boeing tells us that this is about military airworthiness certification, which enables operational use of an aircraft (like a 737) in a special configuration. It’s also the precursor step to full fleet flight clearance. The time and expense involved in such certifications is often overlooked by casual observers, but over the last few years, this step has held up deployment of several big-ticket defense items around the world.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (59%); Baltimore, MD (32%); and St. Louis, MO (9%), and is expected to be complete in August 2016. US Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity(N00019-04-C-3146).

Jan 17/12: DOT&E Report. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The P-8A is included, and currently suffers from 2 major sets of issues that need to be fixed. One is mechanical, and involves bank angle limits. The other is software defects:

“The P-8A currently has an operational flight envelope limit that precludes it from flying at a bank angle greater than 48 degrees when maneuvering. In order to fly operationally realistic tactics during anti-submarine warfare missions, the aircraft will have to fly maneuvers that require a bank angle of 53 degrees… Although 92 percent of the priority 1 [DID: can’t perform mission-essential capability] and [priority] 2 [DID: impairs mission-essential capability, no onboard workaround] software problems have been closed, the current closure rate is not sufficient to have all the priority 1 and 2 software problems resolved by the start of IOT&E [Initial Operational Test & Evaluation]… There are 369 priority 1 and 2 software problems as of September 21, 2011. Software problems discovered during the later stages of the integrated testing may not be fixed in the software version that is currently planned for IOT&E, and may require additional software upgrades prior to starting IOT&E to ensure the software is production-representative.”

Jan 12/12: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $9.2 million cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification for spares, repairables, trainers, and courseware in support of FY 2011 production of P-8As under LRIP Lot 2 (vid. Nov 3/11 entry). Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (60%), and St. Louis, MO (40%), and is expected to be complete in September 2012 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Dec 19/11: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $19.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy 1 P-8A weapons tactics trainer, 9 of its 10-seat e-classrooms, and 6 of its 20-seat e-classrooms, as part of the FY 2011 LRIP Lot 2 production (vid. Nov 3/11 entry).

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (75%), and Seattle, WA (25%), and is expected to be complete in March 2014 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Dec 16/11: Training. The 1st full-motion operational flight trainer (OFT) and weapons tactics trainer (WTT) are delivered and placed in NAS Jacksonville’s P-8A Integrated Training Center. The Navy’s VP-30 Sqn. fleet introduction team (FIT) instructors worked with Boeing on the courseware, and had input into the design of the simulators.

P-8As are expected to begin shipping to patrol squadrons beginning in July 2012. US NAVAIR.

Nov 4/11: Increment II. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $10 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order to help plan Increment 2 acoustic processor technology updates for the P-8A. P-8A increment 2 is scheduled for fielding in 2016.

Work will be performed in Anaheim, CA (75%), and Seattle, WA (25%), and is expected to be complete in January 2013. $2 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00019-05-G-0026).

Nov 3/11: LRIP-2. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $1.378 billion firm-fixed-price-incentive contract modification, to buy Low Rate Initial Production Lot 2’s set of 7 P-8A aircraft, plus US Navy aircrew and maintenance training beginning in 2012, logistics support, spares, support equipment and tools. The training system will include a full-motion, full-visual Operational Flight Trainer that simulates the flight crew stations, and a Weapons Tactics Trainer for the mission crew stations.

Unlike many other military programs, Boeing appears to be handling the sub-contracts for most of the plane’s equipment itself, which leaves these figures much closer to the plane’s true purchase cost.

Work will be performed in Chicago, IL (21.9%); Greenlawn, NY (12.3%); Puget Sound, WA (11.5%); Dallas, TX (6.6%); North Amityville, NY (5.8%); Cambridge, United Kingdom (4.8%); and various locations in and outside the continental United States (37.1%); and is expected to be complete in January 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022). See also Boeing.

LRIP-2 main order

Oct 13/11: Testing. P-8A aircraft T-3 successfully launches its first MK 54 torpedo in the Atlantic Test Range, from 500 feet above water. The test verifies safe separation, with further weapon testing to come. US NAVAIR.

FY 2011

LRIP-1 order; 1st production P-8A flight; P-8i 1st flight; Training arrangements; New production facility; 737 MAX complicates the choices for customers.

P-8 T1 over Cascades
(click to view full)

Sept 28/11: P-8i 1st flight. Initial flight for the P-8i, which takes off from Renton Field, WA and lands 2:31 later at Boeing Field in Seattle, WA. During the flight, Boeing test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations and autopilot flight modes, and took the P-8i to a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet. Boeing.

P-8i 1st flight

Sept 26/11: Training. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $32.8 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for 1 P-8A Operational Flight Trainer and 1 P-8A weapons tactics trainer, as part of LRIP Lot 2. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (75%), and Seattle, WA (25%), and is expected to be complete in April 2014 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Sept 23/11: LRIP-2 ancillaries. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $319.9 million fixed-price incentive-fee contract for P-8A LRIP-2 spare parts, support equipment and tools, logistics support, trainers, and courseware. LRP-2 involves 7 aircraft.

Work will be performed in McKinney, TX (35%); Hazelwood, Mo. (35%); Seattle, WA (14%); Jacksonville, FL (4%); Anaheim, CA (4%); Baltimore, MD (3%); Camden, NJ (3%); and Greenlawn, NY (2%). Work is expected to be complete in March 2014 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Sept 8/11: LRIP-3 lead-in. A $166.8 million fixed-price-incentive contract modification, funding for long lead time materials in support of LRIP Lot 3’s 11 planned P-8As.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.80%); Greenlawn, NY (11.69%); Baltimore, MD (10.98%); North Amityville, NY (8.24%) and McKinney, TX (5.29%); and is expected to be complete in May 2015 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Aug 31/11: Training. Jax Air News reports on the coming transition to the P-8A at the VP-30 Fleet Replacement training squadron. According to Commanding Officer (CO) Capt. Mark Stevens, VP-30 will teach both the P-3 and the P-8, until the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force community completes its transition to the Poseidon by 2017. Flight Instructor Trainers are completing commercial B-737 type rating school in Seattle, WA, then they train in VX-20’s 4 Poseidon test aircraft at Pax River, MD.

The first P-8A transition squadron to be trained at VP-30 will be the VP-16 ‘War Eagles’ beginning in July of 2012, as they return from deployment to face 6 months of training. VP-30 will also begin training replacement P-8 pilots, NFOs and aircrew in August of 2012, at the new P-8A Integrated Training Center (ITC), which includes classrooms, 10 full-motion operational flight trainers (OFT) for pilots, and 9 mission system trainers for aircrew – each with 5 operator stations.

Aug 19/11: Testing. P-8A T2 returns from Yuma, AZ, where hot environment ground and flight tests took place over 13 days from July 7-20/11. July temperatures at Yuma average 107F/ 42C. Now that T2 is back to Patuxent River, MD, it continues required mission systems testing to include the acoustic system, Sonobuoy Launching System, Sonobuoy Positioning System, and Electro-Optical/Infrared system. US NAVAIR | Maryland’s Bay Net.

July 25/11: LRIP-2 lead in. A $21 million fixed-price-incentive-fee contract modification adds more long lead materials funding for the 7 LRIP Lot 2 production aircraft.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.80%); Greenlawn, NY (11.69%); Baltimore, MD (10.98%); North Amityville, NY (8.24%); and McKinney, TX (5.29%). Work is expected to be complete in December 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022).

July 22/11: Testing. US NAVAIR announces that the P-8A completed the clean flutter program in June 2011, including open & closed bay doors, and began loads testing in preparation for Operational Assessment in 2012.

Flutter is described as a vibration that continuously builds in intensity; the team needed to demonstrate that the P-8A remains safe throughout its flight envelope, without weapons. Loads testing verifies that it’s safe with weapons carried.

July 21/11: 737 MAX. American Airlines, which has traditionally been a Boeing/McDonnell Douglas stronghold, splits its $40 billion fleet replacement order between Boeing and Airbus, ordering 460 planes between 2013-2022, with options for more. The new aircraft will replace older MD-80s, as well as larger Boeing 757s and 767s.

Airbus will deliver 260 A319/A320/A321s beginning in 2013, of which half will be A320neo family planes with new geared turbofan engines from Pratt & Whitney (PurePower) or GE/CFM (LEAP-X), beginning in 2017. They also have 365 options with Airbus for additional aircraft. Boeing will deliver 200 737s, beginning in 2013, with options for another 100. Half of those initial 737s, and 60/100 options, will involve 737 MAX planes with LEAP-X engines, but no delivery date is set.

Those re-engined 737 MAX planes will have to be developed and certified, of course, with estimates that place them 1-3 years behind Airbus’ planned 2015 A320neo introduction. The effect is to upset Boeing’s strategy to introduce an entirely new narrowbody jet. Airline interest in the re-engined 737 seems set to delay that planned switchover, and AA’s order alone will keep the 737 in production for at least a decade. This is not good news for Boeing, but it might be good news for military customers of 737 derivatives. The thing is, they now have a choice of their own to make about their future fleets (vid. June 8/11 entry). Using a 737 MAX offers important life-cycle cost reductions, but it also involves modifications to existing designs for 737 specialty aircraft like the P-8. Someone will have to pay for that. American Airlines | Airbus | Boeing | GE/CFM | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Seattle Times | Forbes.

July 7/11: 1st P-8A flight. The first P-8A Poseidon production aircraft completes its first flight, taking off from Renton Field, WA and landing 3 hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle, WA. This is an LRIP Lot 1 plane, which now leaves final assembly and enters mission system installation and checkout in Seattle. Boeing will deliver it to the Navy next year in 2012.

This production P-8A is the first to include an improved CFM56-7BE engine with high- and low-pressure turbine modifications, that is now standard on all new 737NGs. The design also incorporates drag reduction improvements that Boeing started phasing into 737 production earlier this year, but the expected fuel savings vs. older models are only 2% or so, compared to about 15% for geared turbofan models. Boeing | CFM | Boeing re: new design.

June 8/11: 737 dilemmas. Under pressure from planes like Airbus’ developmental A320 NEO and Bombardier’s C-Series, which carry ultra fuel-efficient geared turbofan engines, Boeing is reconsidering the future of its 737 platform. The company had been looking at developing a whole new narrow-body jet by 2020 or so, then discontinuing the 737 around mid-decade. Customer pressure is now leading them to consider a re-engined 737 as an interim step, which means fuselage and landing gear changes.

All of these dynamics affect current and future P-8 customers, as well as potential customers for programs like their E-737 AEW&C. Boeing is urging its customer to place orders for military 737 derivatives before 2020, rather than waiting beyond, and is considering whether it may wish to offer modified variants based on the re-engined 737. The net effect of these moves may actually be to delay, or shift, customer buys. While thousands of 737s will remain in service after the line closes, guaranteeing parts availability for some time, expensive assets like a P-8 or E-737 are expected to be in service for 40-50 years. The prospect of an engine-driven step change in operating costs, alongside a potential next step change via blended wing body designs, in a future world of expensive fuel, adds even more food for thought. Fleets must be renewed, but a potential customer envisioning its fleet in 2065 may hesitate at the prospect of ordering a high-end aircraft platform at the very end of its civil counterpart’s production run, with further step-change technologies on the way. Boeing’s push has the effect of focusing attention on those questions, and it remains to be seen whether the results are positive or negative. Bloomberg.

737 questions

March 9/11: Sub-contractors. BAE Systems announces a Low Rate Initial Production contract from Boeing to provide 6 ruggedized P-8A mission computer systems. No cost figures are released.

March 7/11: Sub-contractors. Spirit AeroSystems delivers the 1st LRIP production P-8A fuselage to Boeing via rail car, whereupon Boeing workers begin final assembly by loading it into a tooling fixture and installing systems, wires and other small parts.

The Poseidon team is using a first-in-industry in-line production process that draws on Boeing’s civilian Next-Generation 737 production system, by making all P-8A military modifications in sequence during fabrication and assembly. The pervasive approach to this point has involved producing a civilian plane, then flying it to another plant for “militarization” work. Boeing.

Feb 2/11: APY-10. Raytheon announces a low rate initial production contract from Boeing to deliver 6 AN/APY-10 radars plus spares as part of LRIP Lot 1 production.

Jan 21/11: LRIP-1 main order. Boeing receives a $1.53 billion contract modification, finalizing the Low Rate Initial Production Lot I (LRIP-1) contract for 6 P-8As to a fixed-price-incentive-firm contract, and launching production. Boeing will supply the 6 planes, plus associated spares, support equipment and tools, logistics support, trainers and courseware. This brings P-8A LRIP-1 contracts to a total of $1.64 billion, including the April 23/09 advance materials contract, or about $273 million per place. That per-plane cost will climb if key mission equipment is provided under separate contracts as “government furnished equipment,” which is usually the case.

It’s quite common for planes from the LRIP sets to be more expensive than full rate production aircraft, sometimes, by another 100-200%. The P-8’s initial production on the live 737 passenger jet line is likely to dampen that tendency, but installing the military equipment will have a learning cost curve of its own. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (76%); Hazelwood, MO (10%); Baltimore, MD (4%); Greenlawn, NY (2%); Tampa, FL (2%); McKinney, TX (1%); North Amityville, NY (1%); Hauppauge, NY (1%); Anaheim, CA (1%); Grand Rapids, MI (1%); and Rockford, IL (1%); and is expected to be complete in January 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022). See also US NAVAIR.

LRIP-1 main order

Jan 7/11: Testing. Boeing completes full-scale static testing of the P-8A Poseidon’s airframe, after ground test plane S1 undergoes 154 different tests, with no failure of the primary structure. During 74 of the tests, the airframe was subjected to 150% of the highest expected flight loads.

In September 2011, the Boeing P-8A team will begin refurbishing the S1 plane to prepare it for live-fire testing at Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA. Boeing will begin fatigue tests on its second ground-test vehicle, S2, later in 2011. Boeing.

Nov 11/10: Industrial. An official ceremony opens the new P-8 aircraft production facility near Boeing Field in Seattle, WA. It’s actually 2nd stage production. Boeing Commercial Airplanes employees assemble the P-8s on the 737 line in Renton, WA, including all structural modifications. That improves flow time, costs, and quality. The next step is a short flight to Boeing Field near Seattle, WA, where Boeing DSS employees install military mission systems and conduct aircraft tests. Boeing.

New facility

Oct 15/10: Testing. NAVAIR’s P-8A test aircraft launches sonobuoys for the first time, as part of P-8 weapons testing. A total of 6 sonobuoys were involved in 3 low altitude launches at the Atlantic Test Range, using the P-8’s rotary launch system.

That system uses 3 three launchers with the capacity to hold 10 sonobuoys each, and it can launch single or multiple shots. The aircraft’s overall sonobuoy storage capacity is 120, fully 50% percent greater than the P-3’s capacity of 80. US NAVAIR.

Oct 4/10: India. India’s navy wants to grow its P-8i fleet to 12 planes, by exercising a $1 billion option for 4 more. Indian sources are telling the media that the prices and offset agreements would be the same as the original $2.1 billion contract for 8 aircraft. The decision follows a recent visit by Indian defense minister Antony and Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma. The proposal will now be sent to India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for approval, and other steps also remain on the to do list. The Times of India:

“P-8Is are being customised to Indian naval requirements, with communication, electronic warfare and other systems being sourced from India. For instance, defence PSU Bharat Electronics is delivering Data Link-II, a communication system to enable rapid exchange of information among Indian warships, submarines aircraft and shore establishments, for the P-8Is to Boeing. There is, however, the question of India having not yet inked the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) being pushed by the US as ”a sensitive technology-enabler” for P-8I and other arms procurements.”

See: India Defence | Times of India | Zee News | China’s Xinhua.

FY 2010

SAR kicks program total up to 122; P-8i passes design review; Indian contract for APY-10 with air-air as well; Boeing proposes P-8 AGS to USAF; Saudi Arabian P-8A interest; Shoot ’em up with Southwest.

E-8C JSTARS
(click to view full)

Sept 13/10: P-8 AGS? The battle over the E-8 JSTARS fleet’s future is heating up. Boeing is proposing a derivative of its P-8A Poseidon sea control aircraft as a proposed $5.5 billion, 1-for-1 replacement of the current E-8C fleet, instead of paying that estimated amount to upgrade the E-8Cs with new cockpits, sensors, and engines. The Boeing AGS version would include the Raytheon-Boeing Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS), Raytheon’s AN/APY-10 multi-mode radar in the nose, some the same Electronic Support Measures for emissions geo-location that are featured on the E/A/18G Growler electronic attack lane, and an electro-optical surveillance and targeting turret. A P-8 derivative would also give the USAF space and integration for weapons on board, or additional sensors in those spaces.

Northrop Grumman believes the Boeing figure may be a lowball price, and has its own proposal to add 1′ x 8′ array radars on the plane’s cheeks, derived from the firm’s APG-77 and APG-81 AESA radars that equip the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters. Today, J-Stars operations have to “break track” with a target to collect an image. The cheek fairings would solve that problem, while keeping the existing AN/APY-7, in order to lower the upgrade price to around $2.7 billion: $900M re-engining, $500M new APY-7 receiver and exciters, $1 billion for the cheek array, $300M for avionics upgrade and battle management improvements. This would replace the previous push to replace the APY-7 with their MP-RTIP radar.

Northrop Grumman executives have expressed concern that USAF officials have not showed them the 2009 initial capabilities document that could launch a competition to replace or upgrade the E-8C, something that’s common practice, even though it isn’t a required step. That may be because the USAF is considering even wider options – like putting the focus on “persistent ground looking radar and optical surveillance with high resolution moving target capability,” instead of an E-8C vs. 737 AGS competition. If so, the firms could find themselves competing with other platforms, possibly including derivatives of airship projects like the US Army’s LEMV and others. Aviation Week | Flight International.

Sept 8/10: LRIP-2 lead-in. A $136.6 million contract modification for long-lead materials in support of P-8A LRIP (low-rate initial production) Lot 2 aircraft.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (63.8%); Greenlawn, NY (11.7%); Baltimore, MD (10.9%); North Amityville, NY (8.3%); and McKinney, TX (5.3%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013 (N00019-09-C-0022).

Sept 8/10: Sub-contractors. India’s Economic Times reports that Maini Global Aerospace (MGA) has bagged an outsourcing contract worth up to $10 million to make structural components for the extended range fuel cells of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime (MMR) aircraft. These components would be common to the P-8A and P-8i.

July 29/10: Testing. Boeing’s T3 test aircraft successfully completes its first flight test, which is focused on aerodynamics and safety. T3 is the P-8A program’s mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft. T3 will soon fly to join the other 2 test aircraft at NAS Patuxent River, MD. Boeing.

July 18/10: AN/APY-10i. Raytheon announces a contract from Boeing to develop an international version of the AN/APY-10 surveillance radar for India’s P-8i. It’s a private arrangement, and Raytheon’s director of strategy and business development, Neil K Peterson, tells DNA India that details of the contract are still being worked out. He adds that “The radar we will be giving to the Indian Navy’s planes will have more features than those with The US Navy.”

This is the first sale of the APY-10 beyond the USA. The challenge is to provide excellent performance, without including some of the American radar’s protected features. Raytheon describes the APY-10 as a “long-range, multimission, maritime and overland surveillance radar.” So far, Raytheon is under contract with Boeing to provide 6 AN/APY-10 systems and spares for the US Navy’s P-8A program, and has delivered 4. The firm says that it remains on or ahead of the production schedule. Raytheon | DNA India.

Improved APY-10

July 16/10: India. Boeing successfully completes the P-8i’s 5-day final design review with the Indian Navy in Renton, WA, USA. That locks in the design for the aircraft, radar, communications, navigation, mission computing, acoustics and sensors, as well as the ground and test support equipment. It also paves the way for the program to begin assembling the first P-8I aircraft, which will include Indian-built sub-systems. Boeing P-8i program manager Leland Wight says that Boeing is on track to start building the P-8I’s empennage section before the end of 2010. Boeing.

P-8i design review

June 2010: BAE Systems completes the mission computer system qualification testing, and flies aboard the program’s 1st mission systems test flight in Seattle. Source.

April 10/10: US Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-20’s first P-8A Poseidon test aircraft arrives at NAVAIR Patuxent River, MD facilities. Capt. Mike Moran, Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program manager (PMA-290), said that the program continues to meet all performance criteria and is on track for initial operational capability in 2013.

The Poseidon Integrated Test Team includes Navy test squadrons VX-20 and VX-1, and Boeing; they will use this “T1” aircraft to evaluate the P-8A’s airworthiness and expand its flight envelope. When the production-configured T2 and T3 arrive later in 2010, they will be used for extensive mission systems and weapons system testing. US NAVAIR release | YouTube video.

April 1/10: SAR baseline. The Pentagon releases its April 2010 Selected Acquisition Report. The P-8A program is on the reporting list, because of the aircraft added to the program plan:

“Program costs increased $1,288.0 million (+3.9%) from $32,852.9 million to $34,140.9 million, due primarily to a quantity increase of nine aircraft from 113 to 122 aircraft (+$1,620.6 million) and associated schedule and estimating allocations (+$50.0 million), and an increase in other support costs associated with the quantity increase (+130.5 million). Costs also increased in estimating due to commercial aircraft pricing, avionics maturation, and aircraft design changes (+$505.2 million); revised assumptions for labor rates, learning curves, new material escalation indices, and other minor estimating changes (+$70.1 million); additional effort for test and evaluation, resolution of aircraft weight growth, and changes in the electro-optical infrared subsystem (+$83.7 million); increased scope to correct deficiencies (+$210.8 million); and costs resulting from the Boeing machinists union strike and rate increases (+$73.0 million). These increases were partially offset by the application of revised escalation indices (-$863.3 million), a decrease in initial spares in accordance with the long-term support strategy (-$278.5 million), acceleration of the procurement buy profile eliminating fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 (-$187.8 million), and removal of the Increment 2 development (-$147.9 million).”

The 122 consists of 117 production P-8A aircraft, 3 production representative aircraft that will support operational testing, and 2 fully configured developmental test aircraft. Aircraft “T1” will fly but is not production representative, so it isn’t counted. Neither are the 2 ground-test partial-builds used for static and fatigue testing, or the es-Southwest LFTE plane.

The other confusing element in this report is the removal of “Increment 2” features. Increment 2, previously known as Spiral 1, adds acoustics and communications upgrades, as well as an initial high altitude weapons capability – the HAAWC torpedo/ Longshot kit.

NAVAIR explains that the P-8A is using an evolutionary acquisition strategy, that will continue to improve the capabilities of the system over the life of the program. So far, so normal. However, none of these forecast improvements are included in the program’s Acquisition Program Baseline (APB: cost, schedule and performance parameters), which is the basis for the SAR. Increments 2 & 3 have received budget funding, with Increment 2 expected to reach Initial Operating Capability around 2016. Since neither of these increments has held a formal milestone review, however, the associated costs don’t formally count yet.

SAR baseline

March 24/10: Just shoot me, redux. Need to speed up testing? Want to shoot a plane full of holes? Fly Southwest! Engineers at NAWCWD’s Weapons Survivability Laboratory (WSL) spent just $200,000 to add a cast-off 737 from Southwest Airlines to the P-8A Poseidon Live-Fire Test and Evaluation (LFTE) Program. NAWCAD WSL vulnerability engineer Paul Gorish found the plane while shopping for individual parts. It came complete with in-flight magazines; and after arriving at China Lake, CA, the engines, auxiliary power unit, avionics and windshield were the only things removed.

LFTE tests involve shooting various sections of the plane with different anti-aircraft rounds that it might encounter in theater, then assessing the damage and using that data to improve the aircraft’s survivability. The first LFTE test will look at how the hydraulics in the tail portion of the aircraft react when hit with a threat. Another test will evaluate how the oxygen bottles will react to a ballistic impact in a fully pressurized cabin.

The original plan called for the ground-test aircraft (S1) to arrive in 2012. Now they can offload some of the tests planned for S1 onto this 737, beginning in summer 2010, and complete all tests within the tight schedule. It’s also expected that Southwest’s former jet will become a source of parts to build-up the incomplete test-plane S1 into a more representative P-8A surrogate. US NAVAIR release.

Feb 4/10: Testing. Boeing successfully completes weapons ground vibration testing on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T1, after loading 18 different weapons configurations onto the test aircraft over a 1 month period. For each set, external shakers induce vibration of the aircraft’s wings, stabilizer and stores to verify the plane’s structural integrity and reactions, using with more than 100 accelerometers and other external devices.

The effort comes before full flight testing at Pax River, MD, and follows May 2009 ground vibration tests without weapons. Boeing release.

Feb 3/10: India. Flight International reports that Boeing plans to put an additional Raytheon radar on the aft section of India’s P-8is, and is exploring an air-to-air mode for the APY-10. India wanted air-to-air capability and a 360 degree radar, and the AN/APY-10 provides only 240 degree coverage from the P-8’s nose section.

Feb 3/10: Self-inflicted delay. Flight International reports that the US Navy is facing a self-inflicted 6-month program delay. The ferry light to Patuxent River, MD was scheduled for September 2009, but the trip had been delayed to Q1 2010. The first 2 P-8As are in Seattle doing flight tests, and could perform all testing there, but the US Navy wants all testing done at NAVAIR’s east coast facility. Unfortunately, the Navy doesn’t have its designated facility ready to receive the P-8, hence the 6-month delay.

Feb 2/10: FY 2011 budget. The Pentagon releases its FY 2011 budget request, containing $2.92 billion for the P-8A program. That request includes $1.99 billion for 7 more P-8 aircraft, advance procurement for 9 FY 2012 aircraft, plus $929.2 million for Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation. The Pentagon adds that “aircraft procurements are tightly coupled to the P-3 retirement rates.”

Feb 2/10: Sub-contractors. Herley Industries, Inc. of in Lancaster, PA announces a $1.5 million sub-contract for integrated microwave assemblies, to be used in the U.S. Navy’s P-8A aircraft. This is Herley’s first production award under the P-8A program, as opposed to system design & development contracts.

Jan 29/10: Studies. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $16.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026). They will conduct studies and analyses for the acoustic processor technology refresh, and capability analysis planning for the P-8A. In an era where more and more countries are fielding quiet, advanced submarines, and electronics become obsolete every 4-5 years, this kind of ongoing work is necessary.

Work will be performed in Anaheim, CA (83%), and Seattle, WA (17%), and is expected to be complete in July 2011.

Dec 4/09: IOT&E. Boeing in Seattle, WA received a $12.5 million not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146) in support of the P-8A initial operation test and evaluation (IOT&E). Specific efforts include the modification of courseware and training devices and transition, and integration of organic maintenance.

Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (60%), and Seattle, WA (40%), and is expected to be complete in January 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $1 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

November 2009: APY-10. A Boeing and Raytheon worker formally finish installation of the APY-10 radar in the nose of P-8A test plane T2. T2 is the P-8A program’s primary mission system testbed, and it will enter the U.S. Navy’s flight test program in early 2010, after a follow-on phase of radar installation and additional instrumentation. During flight tests, US Navy and Boeing pilots will verify the performance of all aircraft sensors, including the APY-10. Boeing release.

Oct 24/09: Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi newspaper The National reports that Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying 6 of Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, in a deal worth a reported $1.3 billion (about 4.8 billion riyals). The National says the lanes would be part of a larger $20 billion naval modernization:

“They took the steps to say to the US Navy that they are interested,” Ray Figueras, the director of strategic development for the P-8 Poseidon at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), said of the Saudi Royal Navy. “We’ve been told there is a need for six.”…Details of the naval overhaul were announced last December when US defence officials said Saudi Arabia wanted to buy the P-8 along with the H-60R Seahawk multimission helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft, unmanned Fire Scout helicopters built by Northrop Grumman, and smaller combat ships… The [P-8] aircraft are said to cost $220 million each…”

Saudi Arabia has long coastlines of shallow seas, and a special interest in protecting the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Its own topography lends itself well to larger fleets of smaller maritime patrol aircraft, but extending operations out to deal with threats like pirates near Yemen and Somalia would require a long-range aircraft. As always in the Gulf, corporate and political relationships also play a strong role in national choices.

Oct 15/09: Testing. The first US Navy test pilot flies a P-8A, alongside a Boeing test pilot. Initial test flights have centered around Boeing’s Seattle facilities, but the P-8A will move to Patuxent River, MD, in early 2010 for more advanced tests. The Integrated Test Team will include personnel from the Navy’s VX-1 and VX-20 squadrons, and from Boeing. They will spend the next 36 months flying and evaluating 3 aircraft, designated T1, T2 and T3. NAVAIR’s release quotes Lt. Roger Stanton:

“For the baseline P-8, it certainly flies like a 737… The interesting flying for the P-8 really will come when we have to emulate the P-3 mission – high bank angle, low altitude, autopilot integrated into our mission with missiles on the wings. It will get interesting.”

FY 2009

India becomes 1st export sale; P-8A rollout; 1st flight; USN wants 117 + 8 P-8s; MoU with Australia; AAS radar follow-on to LSRS; Initial basing plans announced.

P-8A Rollout
(click to view full)

Sept 4/09: DCK cut off. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. in Baltimore, MD receives a $37.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and build a P-8A Operational Training Facility at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The facility will include space for 10 operational flight trainers (OFT), bridge cranes over the OFT devices, 8 weapons tactics trainers, and 4 part task trainers; plus support equipment, computer based training stations, internal and external network communication equipment, training media storage, maintenance support shops, administrative offices, student study rooms, briefing areas, communications closets, and secure compartmented information facilities. The contract also contains an option, which would increase the contract’s value to $37.95 million if exercised. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be complete by June 2011.

If this sounds familiar, it should. The July 2/09 entry describes a similar award to DCK North America. On July 13/09, however, Balfour Beatty Construction files a bid protest with the GAO protesting the US Navy’s award to DCK on multiple grounds. The government review of the protest led them to terminate DCK’s award, and re-evaluate the bids; that removed the basis of the protest, and led to its formal dismissal on Aug 5/09. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company won the re-evaluation, and the contract previously awarded to DCK will be Terminated for Convenience.

This contract was competitively negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 21 proposals received in Phase One and, 7 Phase One offerors selected to proceed to Phase Two. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast in Jacksonville, FL will manage this new contract (N69450-09-C-1291).

Aug 27/09: AAS. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $25 million not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146). Work will be performed in Seattle, WA and is expected to be complete in February 2010.

The award updates Annex B of the P-8A system specification to include additional requirements associated with the Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS)/P-8A interface requirement specification (IRS). The IRS refines requirements for the integration of the AAS maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance radar, and the associated special mission cabin equipment on P-8 aircraft.

July 31/09: AAS/ LSRS. Raytheon announces a multi-year contract authorizing development of the Advanced Airborne Sensor, the follow-on to the canoe-shaped Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS) that equips the most advanced P-3Cs.

As the sensor prime contractor, Raytheon will oversee development, production and installation of the AAS on the P-8A. Raytheon will work closely with its associate prime contractor, Boeing, for engineering, aircraft modifications, integration and flight test.

July 30/09: Final SDD order. A $334.7 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146) for a P-8A Stage II test aircraft with mission systems installed. This is the 3rd and final option aircraft under the original System Development & Demonstration contract. This contract also covers modifications and engineering work needed to turn these 3 additional test aircraft into “production representative” airplanes, and the spares needed to support them.

Contracts under the SDD and test acquisition phase have now grown to about $4.5 billion, and include 8 ordered planes: 6 flight test aircraft, a full-scale static loads test airframe, and a full-scale fatigue test airframe. Two of the flight test aircraft have already successfully flown as part of a Boeing relocation and system flight check process. Testing on the static loads airframe is underway, and the Navy will begin formal flight testing later in 2009.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (82.4%); Norwalk, CT (4.6%); Oklahoma City, OK (4.3%); McKinney, TX (3.4%); Greenlawn, NY (3%); and North Amityville, NY (2.3%), and is expected to be complete in April 2013.

SDD ends at $4.5 billion

July 30/09: P-8A Unveiled. Boeing and the U.S. Navy formally unveil the P-8A Poseidon, during a ceremony at the Boeing facility in Renton, WA. US Navy release | NAVAIR release | Boeing release.

P-8A unveiled

July 2/09: Infrastructure. DCK North America, LLC in Large, PA wins a $37.9 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and build an Operational Training Facility for P-8A aircraft at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL. The facility will include space for 10 Operational Flight Trainers (OFT), 8 Weapons Tactics Trainers, 4 Part Task Trainers, support equipment, bridge cranes over the OFTs, computer based training stations, internal and external network communication equipment, training media storage, maintenance support shops, administrative offices, student study rooms, briefing areas, communications closets, and Secure Compartmented Information Facilities.

Work will be performed in Jacksonville, FL, and is expected to be complete by June 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 21 proposals received in Phase I and 7 Phase I offerors selected to proceed to Phase II. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast in Jacksonville, FL manages this contract (N69450-09-C-1257).

The award is subsequently overturned, following a GAO protest and re-compete.

June-July 2009: The US Navy reviews its future needs and decides that the P-8A program needs to grow to 117 operational aircraft, instead of 108.

May 6/09: Australia MoU. Australia announces a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Navy (USN) to cooperatively develop upgrades to the P-8A Poseidon aircraft and its support systems. Cooperation will begin on P-8A Spiral One. Australia’s DoD hopes the information will help them understand the aircraft better before the final purchase and timing decisions begin, influence the direction of P-8A improvements, and provide early opportunities for Australian industry to become part of the global program.

This ministerial release has raised the total value of Australia’s 8-plane “AIR 7000, Phase 2” program to A$ 5 billion (currently about $3.7 billion) from A$ 4 billion on July 20/07 (see entry), when Australia granted “first pass approval” to the P-8.

Australia MoU

May 5/09: Boeing rolls P-8 model T-2 out of the paint hangar at its Renton, WA, facility, displaying its U.S. Navy colors. T-2 is actually the 3rd of 5 test aircraft. Aircraft T-1 will be painted in the same gray paint scheme later this summer. Photo release.

May 2/09: Australia. Australia’s Defence White Paper reiterates its interest in 8 long-range maritime patrol aircraft, as part of an A$ 5 billion “AIR 7000, Phase 2” program. Boeing’s P-8A will be that aircraft, unless something goes very wrong on the path to a final contract.

P-8 #T-1
(click to view full)

April 25/09: 1st flight. Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon test aircraft #T-1 successfully completes its 1st flight, spending 3:31 in the air and reaching a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet. Prior to takeoff, the P-8A team completed a limited series of flight checks, including engine starts and shutdowns. During the flight, test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight modes, and auxiliary power unit shutdowns and starts.

After Boeing paints the aircraft, installs more test instrumentation, and conducts further ground tests, the integrated Navy/Boeing team will begin formal flight testing of the P-8A during Q3 2009. Boeing release.

1st flight

April 13/09: LRIP-2 lead-in. Boeing in Seattle, WA received a $109.1 million advance acquisition contract to buy long lead-time materials in support of the P-8A’s low rate initial production (LRIP) Lot I orders, and reserve production line slots in support of P-8A LRIP Lot II.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (87%) and Baltimore, MD (13%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR(Federal Acquisition Regulations clause) 6.302-1 (N00019-09-C-0022).

March 12/09: India. In a notice to the US Congress, the State Department has said that it will license the direct commercial sale of P-8i aircraft to India, having factored in “political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations.” India’s domain-b.

A DCS buy doesn’t use a US military office as its agent, and is not subject to the same public notice provisions as a Foreign Military Sale buy. Even so, there are still some legal hurdles and agreements that must be present before a DCS item can be delivered to the customer.

Feb 11/09: India & EUMs. Reports surface that standard American provisions around “End Use Monitoring”, and information sharing restrictions that accompany American defense exports, are beginning to become a problem for the P-8i sale. Read “An EUM Bellwether? India/US Arms Deals Facing Crunch Over Conditions.”

Feb 2/09: Indian partners. The Wall Street Journal’s LiveMint reports that Boeing will buy aerospace structures and aviation electronics products worth at least INR 29.41 billion (about $600 million) from Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T), Wipro Ltd, and simulator-maker CAE’s subsidiary Macmet Technologies Ltd.

Wipro, HCL, L&T and HAL declined to comment, but a Dynamatics, executive confirmed that the firm had been chosen as a vendor. A BEL executive said the firm had entered into an agreement with Boeing for communication equipment, radars, electronic warfare systems and contract manufacturing, but a contract was yet to be signed. Swati Rangachari, a spokeswoman for Boeing in India:

“Our team is working on the offset strategy and will be in touch with industry partners in a while… We will concentrate in the areas of avionics (aviation electronics) and aerostructures.”

Meanwhile, Flight International takes a deeper look at India’s nascent private aerospace industry, and its challenges, in “Can India’s aerospace manufacturers step up?”

Jan 2/09: Basing. The US Navy formally announces its basing plans. the plan involves 13 squadrons: 1 “fleet replacement” (training) squadron and 5 operational squadrons at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, FL; 4 fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, WA; and 3 fleet squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with periodic squadron detachment operations at NAS North Island. Introduction of the P-8A MMA squadrons is projected to begin no later than 2012, and is expected be complete by 2019.

This decision implements the preferred “alternative 5” identified in the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the Introduction of the P-8A Multi-Mission Aircraft into the U.S. Navy Fleet (q.v. Nov 20/08 entry). US Navy.

P-8i concept
(click to view full)

Dec 5/08: India contract. The Indian government announces that it has signed a $2.1 billion deal with Boeing for 8 maritime patrol aircraft in “P-8i” configuration. The $2.1 billion figure is the commonly reported total at the moment; DID cautions readers that exact dollar figures for Indian contracts often take some time to clarify. The contract reportedly includes lifetime maintenance support, and an option for another 8 aircraft. Indian Navy spokesman Commander Nirad Sinha:

“Though we have signed a deal, final clearance is still required from a U.S. authority… The first plane delivery is four years from the final contract signing, so I think it should come in 2013.”

Firm industrial agreements in India and decisions regarding indigenous Indian technologies for the P-8i are expected to follow, and Boeing’s release commits to delivering the 8th aircraft by 2015.

This order makes India the P-8 program’s lead export customer, and 2nd international participant. Australia has joined the program and given the P-8A what’s known as “first pass approval,” but any contract must wait for second pass approval from the government. See: Boeing | India Defence | CNN Money.

8 for India

Dec 29/08: India. The P-8I deal for India appears to be moving closer. India Defence reports that “virtually all the steps” required for the contract to be signed, including tabling of it in the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval, are complete. Reports place the deal at Rs 8,500 crore (about $1.7 billion) for 8 jets, with first delivery coming within 4 years and all deliveries by 2015. India currently flies 8 Tu-142s. India Defence | StrategyPage.

Dec 22/08: Bloomberg News reports that an Oct 31/08 budget memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England approved shifting away as much as $940 million from the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft program, in order to complete payment for the 3rd DDG-1000 destroyer that Congress partially funded in FY 2009. The Navy proposed getting 2 aircraft instead of 6 in the initial production phases.

Meanwhile, the US Navy faces significant challenges keeping the existing fleet of P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft in the air. Almost 1/4 of this aging fleet has been grounded due to safety concerns, and the Navy is forced to retire some aircraft every year. Even though they are in greater demand than ever over key sea lanes, and in overland surveillance roles on the front lines. Early introduction of the P-8A has been touted as critical to maintaining these capabilities, and avoiding both near-term and long-term shortfalls.

Nov 20/08: Basing. The US Navy releases environmental impact statements (EIS), and prepares to go ahead with its initial basing plan for the P-8A fleet. Under a “preferred” basing plan, 84 Poseidons would replace 120 of the older P-3C Orions. Their deployment would involve: 5 squadrons of 6 planes each at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL (30); another 4 squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, WA (24); and 3 squadrons in Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe, Hawaii (18).

The goal would be to begin introducing the planes in 2012, and finish by 2019. The Navy still must issue a “record of decision” for the Poseidon plan.

NAS Brunswick was not considered as a potential home base because all P-3 aircraft and supporting functions are being transferred to NAS Jacksonville per the BRAC 2005 recommendations. The Navy did consider Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu as an alternative Hawaii site, but concluded there wasn’t enough land available at Hickam AFB to support them. US Navy P-8A EIS site | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Seattle Times | Seattle Times re: Hawaii | Honolulu Advertiser, incl. other Kaneohe changes.

Nov 6/08: Engine cert. CFM International’s announces that its CFM56-7B27A/3 engine model has been jointly certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency for the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon, paving the way for flight tests in 2009 and initial operational capability in 2013. Each engine is rated at 27,300 pounds (121 kN) takeoff thrust, and the type has been subjected to extreme heat and icing conditions over extended periods of time as part of its certification.

CFM International (CFM) is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (SAFRAN Group) and General Electric Company. The CFM56-7B family is very widely used in commercial aviation and powers other 737 military derivatives like the Boeing 737 AEW&C “Wedgetail” and the US military’s C-40 transport aircraft. CFM release.

Nov 2/08: Strike over. Boeing’s strike formally ends, after an agreement is reached between Boeing and the IAM.

FY 2008

US orders 1st planes; Live-fire testing; Boeing strike creates disruption; Indian interest becomes serious.

P-8A: oncoming
(click to view full)

Sept 11/08: India. The Times of India reports on the Harpoon missile sale as just one of several pending buys, and says that:

“…This [Harpoon sale] comes even as India’s biggest-ever defence deal with US – the one to buy eight Boeing P-8i long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft for Rs 8,500 crore – has been sent for final clearance to the Cabinet Committee on Security after finalisation of commercial negotiations.”

Sept 10/08: Test plane order. Boeing in Seattle, WA receives a $278 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146), exercising an option for 2 P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) aircraft with mission systems, in support of the System Development and Demonstration Phase of the MMA. This order covers 2 of the 3 test aircraft options included in the original SDD agreement.

Work will be performed in Seattle, WA (90%), and Wichita, KS (10%) once the strike ends, and is expected to be complete in September 2011.

1st aircraft ordered

Sept 9/08: India’s Harpoons. India looks to buy 20 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and other items from Boeing, as part of a $170 million official request announced by the US DSCA. See: “India Requests Harpoon II Missiles” for more details.

This is the air-launched version of the Harpoon, but that missile – and especially its GPS-capable version – is not currently integrated with any of the aircraft in India’s current inventory. India also has its Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, and an air-launched version is currently in development and testing. A Harpoon buy appears to make little sense, except that P-8A aircraft could carry them without requiring an expensive integration project. Something that is not true for India’s existing Russian or French missiles. Which adds fuel to the rumors that a P-8 deal is close.

As it happens, the eventual July 2010 contract will equip India’s 10 Jaguar IM fighters in No.6 Squadron. The P-8i’s missiles have yet to be determined, and will be a separate Foreign Military sale.

India request – missiles

Sept 6/08: Strike! A strike begins at Boeing, shutting down production for any P-8 aircraft that are still in factory assembly. The potential exists for a long and damaging strike at Boeing; DID’s “Boeing Strike Poised to Disrupt Deliveries” covers the key issues and potential impacts.

Aug 12/08: Industrial. Boeing announces that the first P-8A Poseidon for the U.S. Navy has moved from factory assembly to systems integration and pre-flight work. Boeing IDS will now focus on calibrating the flight-test instrumentation on board the aircraft, before moving it to Boeing Field in Seattle early in 2009 for systems integration and additional testing.

Aug 10/08: India. Sindh Today reports that India ‘s contract negotiating committee has completed its report on price negotiations with Boeing, after Boeing won the technical bid and the trials of the product. Negotiations were reportedly stuck due to the end-user agreement, under which Boeing can conduct physical inspections of the aircraft as and when it wants to check if the product is being used for the purpose it has been acquired. This is linked to requirements under American ITAR laws, which regulate sales of military equipment whether they are conducted as FMS or direct commercial sales. India’s defence ministry reportedly separated that set of negotiations from the deal itself, knowing that a signed deal will be significantly harder to cancel, on either side.

The contract will reportedly be a direct commercial agreement between Boeing and the Indian Navy, rather than an announced Foreign Military Sale. The cost is reportedly around $2.2 billion, and that deal will now go to the defence acquisition committee (DAC) and then to the cabinet committee on security (CCS) for approval.

Aug 4/08: LRIP intent. NAVAIR discloses in a FebBizOpps notice that it expects to order 10 P-8A aircraft in fiscal 2010, followed by 12 in FY 2011 and 14 in FY 2012. That would make up the entire set of 36 during Low Rate Initial Production. LRIP is traditionally more expensive than full-rate production, and almost $6.3 billion is budgeted for that phase.

Boeing had said in 2004 that it could accelerate production and move up the first in-service unit by up to a year, from FY 2013 to FY 2012. Now, Flight International reports that “An airframe fatigue crisis facing the Lockheed P-3 Orion fleet has recently forced NAVAIR to publicly consider accepting Boeing’s offer…”

The 10 aircraft projected for FY 2010 would need to receive advance funding for long-lead items in the FY 2009 budget, and should be deliverable by 2012 to stand up one squadron. At the moment, 5 developmental prototypes are in various stages of assembly, with first flight in Q4 2009. As one can see, the timeline for accelerated production hinges strongly on the avoidance of any major engineering or testing issues that delay the P-8A’s progress.

May 20/08: Industrial. P-8 production begins using moving assembly line techniques, which were pioneered with other aircraft. The P-8s will be positioned in a straight-line configuration on the factory floor and stay at a production station for a period of time before advancing to the next station. Standard processes, visual control systems and point-of-use staging are in place, allowing work to flow continuously and quickly. Boeing release.

May 1/08: Industrial. Boeing joins the wing assembly and fuselage of the first P-8A Poseidon in Renton, WA. The next major P-8A assembly milestone will be engine installation this summer. Boeing’s release says that the team remains on track for delivery of the first test aircraft to the Navy in 2009.

April 20/08: India. India’s NDTV reports that:

“India is set to sign a $2.2 billion deal, its biggest with the US, for eight long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, even as the Indian Navy chief opposed ”intrusiveness” in the use of military hardware the country purchases.

Negotiations for the purchase of the Boeing-P8I LRMR aircraft are in the final stages and are likely to be wrapped up during Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta’s visit to the US that began Sunday [DID: That did not happen]. The agreement for the purchase under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route will be signed between the two governments in New Delhi later this year, official sources said.”

March 18/08: MX-20 picked. Boeing picks L-3 Communications Wescam to supply its MX-20HD EO/IR multi-spectral sensor turrets as the P-8A’s digital electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging sensors. L-3 Wescam’s turrets use Enhanced Range Local Area Processing (ELAP) technology to produce real-time image enhancement for EO Day, EO Night & IR video that extends their surveillance range, clarifies the picture, and offers maximum haze penetration.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in mid-2008. Wescam turrets also serve on Britain’s updated Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft. L-3 Wescam release.

Dec 11/07: Sub-contractors. Team Boeing and the US Navy celebrate the start of P-8A fuselage production at Spirit AeroSystems’ Wichita, KS facility, loading the first P-8A fuselage component into a holding fixture on the factory floor. The fuselage assemblies eventually will come together on Spirit’s existing Next-Generation 737 production line. In early 2008, Spirit will ship the first P-8A fuselage to Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Renton, WA for wing assemblies and systems integration. NAVAIR release | Boeing release.

Oct 22/07: Just shoot me. Boeing announces that its P-8A Poseidon team completed the program’s 200th live-fire shot in September 2007, at the U.S. Navy’s Weapons Survivability Laboratory in China Lake, CA. During testing, live ordnance is fired into simulated aircraft sections to replicate a potential threat environment. Dry bays are locations adjacent to fuel that also may contain electrical and hydraulic lines, as well as environmental control systems or engine bleed-air lines. The systems being designed and developed will ensure that dry bay fires are automatically detected and suppressed.

P-8A fire suppression testing began in April 2005, and will continue through 2009. Full-scale live-fire testing is slated for 2012 using the P-8A static test aircraft. Boeing release.

FY 2007

Nose radar becomes APY-10; Curtain lifted on larger LSRS radar; CDR goes well; Australian approval, and Indian interest.

P-8 production
(click to view full)

Aug 9/07: Sub-contractors. Boeing announces that Spirit AeroSystems has joined its P-8A Poseidon industry team. Spirit will build the 737 aircraft’s fuselage and airframe tail sections and struts in Wichita, KS. After completion, Spirit will ship the components to Boeing facilities in Renton, WA for final assembly and introduction of mission-specific systems. Spirit is also part of Boeing’s KC-767 team, and works with Boeing as a partner to produce many of its civilian aircraft.

July 20/07: Australia. Australia grants first pass approval for Phase 2 of its AIR 7000 program, which is the manned aircraft portion. First pass approval allows Australia’s Department of Defence to commence formal negotiations with the United States Navy join the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program; Phase 2 is currently estimated at A$ 4 billion (currently about USD$ 3.52 billion). Australian DoD release.

AIR 7000, Phase 1 involves a Multi-mission Unmanned Aerial System to accompany/ supplement the manned Phase 2 aircraft. Australia gave First Pass Approval to that segment in May 2006, and a final decision and contract regarding participation in the USA’s BAMS program is expected by the end of 2007. These 2 components will replace Australia’s AP-3C Orion aircraft, which are scheduled for retirement in 2018 after over 30 years of service.

July 3/07: India. Defense News reports that Indian officials will be studying Boeing’s P-8A and Airbus A319 aircraft in France, Germany, Spain and the United States as they prepare for a decision re: their maritime patrol aircraft competition.

Don’t get too excited yet; bids were submitted back in April 2006, but that’s only the very beginning. Indian officials will be sending preliminary evaluations go to the MoD by September 2007, which will lead to a short list of bidders. A preliminary decision and price negotiations will begin “within two years,” i.e. by mid-2009. Past experience has demonstrated that such price negotiations can take years themselves – or even sink deals entirely, something that has happened repeatedly during India’s attempts to purchase second-hand Mirage 2000 fighters.

June 18/07: Sub-contractors. United Technologies subsidiary Hamilton Sundstrand, announces that its Kidde Aerospace & Defense unit has been selected to supply Dry Bay Fire Protection Systems for the Boeing P-8A. The non-halon Dry Bay Fire Protection System will detect and suppress fires and explosions in the aircraft’s compartments in case flammable fluids leak in due to ballistic damage or system faults. The potential program value could exceed $100 million for both domestic and international sales over the life of the program.

Hamilton Sundstrand had previously been selected to supply the electric power generating system, power distribution and cooling systems on the P-8A. Hamilton Sundstrand release.

June 15/07: Perfect CDR. The P-8A Poseidon successfully completes its Critical Design Review (CDR) at Boeing facilities in Seattle, WA, without a single request for action. A CDR without a single request for action is a fairly rare event, and the July 3/07 NAVAIR release explicitly complimented Boeing’s team on their achievement.

The program will seek approval in a summer 2007 program readiness review to build 2 test aircraft before the next milestone decision to enter full-rate production of the Poseidon. Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Dr. Delores Etter would be the approving executive. NAVAIR release.

CDR

May 17/07: LSRS. Ares blog at Aviation Week Reveals the Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS) that equips a few P-3Cs, and will equip the P-8A.

Bill Sweetman discusses the radar, explains the likely link to a design modification made by Boeing early in the program, and notes the possible convergence of the Navy’s P-8A’s mission with the overland surveillance job done by the USAF’s E-8C JSTARS – though NATO’s Airbus 321-based AGS, with its own UAV companion, would appear to be an even closer comparison.

March 29/07: Infrastructure. Sauer, Inc. in Jacksonville, FL received $14.7 million for task #0001 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N62477-04-D-0036) for the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) Test Facilities supporting the MMA Program at Patuxent River, MD. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, MD, and is expected to be complete March 2009. This contract was competitively procured, with 2 proposals received by The Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Washington, DC.

Jan 9/07: P-8A MMA formally given the designation “Poseidon”.

June 28/06: Infrastructure. John C. Grimberg Co. Inc. in Rockville, MD won a $6.1 million for firm-fixed-price task order 0009 under a previously awarded indefinite-quantity, multiple-award construction contract. The funds cover design and construction of P-8 aircraft test facilities at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. It is the first of two projects that together will support the maintenance testing and instrumentation needs of the P-8 MMA program. This phase will build a new 2-story P-8 MMA test complex building on a wooded site adjacent to Building 1463 and across the street from Hangar 305. The building will include engineering offices, maintenance and telecommunications rooms. Work is expected to be completed by July 2007.

The basic contract was competitively procured via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website, with 17 proposals received and an award made on July 22, 2004. The total contract amount is not to exceed $500 million over the base period and 4 option years, and the 7 approved contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the existing contract. Two proposals were received for this task order by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Washington, DC.

June 6/06: “Raytheon P-8A MMA Radar Receives New AN/APY-10 Nomenclature.” As this August 24 release notes, key portions were also delivered to Boeing early for integration into the P-8A.

“APY-10”

FY 2002 – 2006

Competition contracts, but Boeing’s 737 wins; Wing design changes; PDR; Milestone B.

Weapon separation
wind tunnel tests
(click to view full)

Feb 23/06: Testing. Boeing announces the completion of P-8A weapons separation wind tunnel tests at the Arnold Air Force Base Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, TN. These help to ensure that explosives-filled weapons won’t blow up the aircraft when dropped. See release.

Nov 21/05: See DID’s article “Boeing Wins $24M for P-8A & BAMS-Related Software Development”

Nov 9/05: PDR. Boeing announces a successful P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program Preliminary Design Review. During the 5-day session, Navy representatives reviewed the P-8A’s system architecture and initial design to ensure the Boeing-led industry team is on target to meet program performance requirements and can proceed to detailed design. Boeing adds that the integrated team must complete 9 action items before the PDR can be considered officially “closed” or complete.

The next major program milestone will be a Critical Design Review, scheduled for 2007. See Boeing release.

PDR

June 2/05: Boeing announces an altered P-8A wing design to improve low-level performance, changing the wing extension from a blended winglet to a raked or backswept wingtip. See DID coverage.

Wing change

April 5-7/05: SFR. The U.S. Navy’s P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program successfully completes its System Functional Review (SFR), receiving approval from the technical review board (TRB) to proceed toward the design phase – effectively, Milestone B. The review board assessed system requirements and functional performance to determine that all requirements and performance allocations are defined and consistent with cost, schedule and risk constraints.

Stu Young, chairman of the SFR board and technical director for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems division, said “Their progress since award is remarkable.” The next step, a Preliminary Design Review, is scheduled for September 2005. See Boeing release.

SFR

April 18/05: Boeing’s team announces a competition for fire-suppression systems in the P-8’s dry bays adjacent to fuel tanks containing electrical and hydraulic lines, environmental control systems, or engine bleed air lines.

The testing program involves two “iron bird” test fixtures. A gun will fire an explosive projectile to ignite a fire in the bay, while inflicting only moderate damage to the test fixture. Preliminary tests are scheduled for April-May 2005. Development and verification testing of the selected systems will continue through 2009. Full-scale live-fire testing is scheduled for 2012 using the P-8A static test aircraft. There’s more in the full Boeing release.

April 13/05: Boeing’s P-8 team announces the completion of 1,300 hours of high-speed wind-tunnel testing a full week ahead of schedule on March 18, 2005. The team conducted the tests at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffet Field, CA, using a 6.2 percent scale model in the 11-ft. transonic wind tunnel. Previous low-speed wind tunnel tests in Boeing’s 20 x 20 ft. subsonic wind tunnel facility in Philadelphia, PA looked at a variety of unique features, in addition to the basic stability of the aircraft with weapons bay door open, or flaps down, or landing gear down to simulate takeoff and landing conditions.

Preliminary analysis of test data revealed no major surprises or obvious problems, and the team took measures to improve test productivity that saved 200 hours of the testing time. See Boeing high-speed release | low speed release.

Sept 30/04: The Boeing Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program successfully passes an in-depth, 3-day System Requirements Review (SRR) by the U.S. Navy. See Boeing release.

June 14/04: Boeing! Boeing’s team receives a $3.89 billion contract to build the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA). The award goes to Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, CA as a cost-plus-award-fee contract for the System Development and Demonstration of the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft. The team will produce 7 test aircraft during the program’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase.

Work will be performed in Long Beach, CA (91%); Baltimore, MD (4%); McKinney, TX (2.5%); Grand Rapids, MI (1.25%); and Cincinnati, OH (1.25%), and is expected to be complete in June 2012. This contract was competitively procured under a request for proposals, with 2 proposals solicited [DID: Boeing & Lockheed) and 2 offers received by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-04-C-3146).

Boeing states that the P-8 MMA program will employ about 1,600 people at IDS facilities in St. Louis, MO; Seattle, WA; and Patuxent River, MD. See also Boeing release.

Boeing wins SDD

Nov 13/03: Boeing Announces Formation of MMA Industry Team.

Feb 20/03: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Marietta, GA receives a $20.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, multiple award contract (N00019-02-C-3253) to conduct phase II of the multi-mission maritime aircraft component advanced development effort. Work will be performed in Marietta and is to be completed in May 2004. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin release.

Feb 6/03: Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, CA receives a $20.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract (N00019-02-C-3249) for Phase II of the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Program’s Component Advanced Development effort. During CAD Phase II, Boeing will develop and demonstrate key features of the mission system including systems architecture, software, displays and sensors, along with additional air vehicle performance analysis. The Navy plans to award a single contract for MMA System Development and Demonstration, or SDD, in early 2004.

Work will be performed in Puget Sound, WA (54%) and Long Beach, CA (46%), and is to be complete in May 2004. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity. Boeing.

Phase II development competition

Sept 12/02: Boeing announces that they have received one of two contracts for Component Advanced Development, or CAD, of the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, or MMA program. The contract is valued at almost $7 million.

During CAD Phase I, contractors are expected to validate risk mitigations for each concept via modeling and simulation; define and select system architecture; and refine system requirements, validate the operational requirements document, seek source selection for system development and demonstration, and develop milestone-B acquisition documentation. Once this five-month effort is complete, the Navy will choose two or three preferred concepts to be carried forward into CAD Phase II. These concepts will then be further refined and will form the basis of competitive proposals for a single contract award for MMA System Development and Demonstration (SDD), expected in early 2004. See Boeing release.

Sept 12/02: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. announces a $7 million contract for Phase I of the U.S. Navy’s Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) Component Advanced Development (CAD) program.

In its release, Lockheed touts a rigorous system engineering and program management processes and tools to quantify and reduce system risks and to develop detailed plans and schedules for future phases of the program; “these include the successful risk-management approach developed during the JSF concept demonstration program. “In addition, full-scale fatigue test data developed during the P-3 Service Life Assessment program will directly benefit the MMA platform, further reducing program risk… Lockheed Martin’s proposed integrated support system approach is a blend of commercial best practices and proven technologies leveraged from military programs, including the S-3 Prime Vendor Support (PVS) and the F-117 Total System Performance Responsibility programs. S-3 PVS has reduced overall depot-level scheduled maintenance costs by nearly 50 percent, increased aircraft availability by 25 percent and reduced scheduled maintenance tasks by 57 percent.”

Phase I development competition

Appendix A: India’s Interest & Broader Export Potential

TU-142M “Bear”

The P-8 replaces the P-3 Orion aircraft currently in service with 15 countries. The question is, will that be enough to ensure market success?

The Indian Navy’s interest in joining the P-8 program was communicated in 2005, and some Indian Navy sources believed that a Air India’s decision to spend $6 billion on 50 Boeing civil jets would incline Boeing toward a favorable response. Whether or not that purchase was a factor, it’s a matter of record that Boeing submitted a bid involving 8 737-derived P-8 aircraft for India’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft competition – and won.

The P-8A matches the operational profile currently assigned to the Indian Navy’s Russian-made Tupolev-142 “Bear” and Ilyushin-38 “May” long-range reconnaissance, maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. It faced strong competition, and its 2015 delivery schedule was a potential issue the bid; but other factors were also at work, and the plane won.

Discussions concerning the P-8 came in the wake a 2005 visit to India by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, in which the USA expressed its desire to make improvements in their strategic relationship. Given the two nations’ shared interest in an arc that stretches from the Staits of Malacca to the coast of East Africa, many analysts see naval cooperation as the likely linchpin of their future military relationship. Washington’s initial offer of at least 12 P-3C Orions would have matched India’s requirements profile immediately, but participation in the P-8A offered an aircraft with superior performance in all respects, a much longer operational lifespan, plus accompanying strategic, industrial, and prestige benefits. Some analysts considered the request a sort of test by India of its long-term importance to the USA. If so, it appears that the relationship has passed the test.

What about sales beyond India?

P-3/ CP-140 Aurora
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By mid-2005, age had shrunk the global P-3 fleet to something on the order of 225 P-3 type aircraft flying on behalf of 15 countries. Even so, this represents a substantial market. The question is, who will claim it?

Some nations who fly the P-3 already have a natural interest in the P-8, while others like India recognize its obvious usefulness against both the diesel submarine threat and a variety of threats related to the war on terrorism, anti-drug efforts, et. al. As such, the market opportunity for the MMA could be quite substantial. A 2004 story in Aviation Week said that Boeing believes there are opportunities to sell 100 to 150 P-8s abroad.

Subsequent developments have cast doubt on that forecast.

At the end of 2004, Australia, Canada, and Italy were named by the U.S. government as being the most likely partners in the development of the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA). Each potential international partner would be expected to contribute approximately $300 million toward the development of the P-8A. The U.S. also approached other allies but according to eDefense they were “less responsive,” raising the prospect of a competing European system at some future date based on an Airbus airframe – or even a more complete bifurcation of the maritime surveillance market.

The US Navy entered formal talks with Australia, Canada, and Italy, but nobody opted in. Australia has since taken strong steps toward buying P-8As, but Canada has made no commitments of any kind, and Italy has since taken steps to purchase ATR twin-turboprop maritime patrol aircraft instead.

CN-235MP Persuader
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This lack of interest has to concern Boeing, because the P-3’s successor will not be the only game in town. The EU’s focus on developing a rival defense industry, and European states’ reduced need to patrol long sea lanes in the absence of a global Soviet threat, are creating a number of smaller competitors. These include aircraft like the French Falcon Surmar, and the EADS/CASA CN-235MP Persuader already ordered by Spain, Indonesia, Ireland, Turkey, UAE, and the US Coast Guard. Italy is exporting ATR-42MP turboprops and flying them in their Coast Guard, while building larger versions based on the popular ATR-72 for customers like Turkey. Then there are new entrants like Brazil, whose P-99 MPA is based on their successful ERJ-145 regional jet.

During the P-3’s era, long over-water patrols of the vital Atlantic sea lanes were an absolute necessity for all NATO members, lest Soviet submarines destroy all hope of reinforcements from America. With the demise of the Soviet Union, that need is gone. European maritime surveillance and attack requirements have shrunk sharply, and many countries see the P-8’s range and endurance parameters as unnecessary.

As a result, the global maritime patrol category appears to be bifurcating into a broad class of nations who buy smaller and less capable options based on passenger/utility turboprops, business jets, or even long-endurance UAVs, and an elite few with more extensive requirements who can and will buy aircraft in the P-8A’s class.

The USA still faces strategic naval competitors, and its aircraft must still cover long sea lanes. This geographic need is shared to varying degrees by a few other nations like Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Denmark, France, India, Japan, Oman, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, and the UAE. France (ATL3, Falcon 50 Surmar bizjet derivative) and Japan (P-X jet) each have their own programs, and neither Russia nor China are eligible customers for American or European aircraft. Australia, India, and the USA are already on board with the P-8A. Which countries join them likely boils down to how many of the remaining countries (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, plus rich “prestige buyers” in the Middle East), eventually choose to include aircraft with the P-8’s range, equipment, and performance.

Boeing is looking to cover its bases via a Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) partnership with Canada’s Bombardier and Field Aviation. The Challenger 605 large business jet’s base range of 4,000 nmi/ 7,408 km is better than the P-8’s base 737-800 airframe’s, its operating costs will be lower than a 737’s, and its wide cabin is well suited to special mission crews and equipment. The MSA expected to use the P-8’s core mission system, but its size will preclude use of some P-8 sensors, and it won’t be armed. Field Aviation is modifying a Bombardier Challenger 604 jet, and expects to hand it over for initial testing and presentation to potential customers in 2014.

Additional Readings & Sources Background: P-8 Aircraft

• DID – P-8i: India’s Navy Picks Its Future High-End Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

• Boeing – P-8A Poseidon. See also All Systems Go Magazine (2003, Vol.2 #1), with “737 MMA: Boeing Launches New Era“.

• GlobalSecurity.org – P-8A Multimission Maritime Aircraft.

• Naval Technology – P-8A – Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), USA.

• Wikipedia – P-8 Multimission Maritime Aircraft.

Background: P-8 Components & Complementors

• DID – Kicking it Up a Notch: Poseidon’s Unmanned MQ-4C BAMS Companion.

• DID – Global Hawk UAV Prepares for Maritime Role (updated). These efforts are relevant to BAMS.

• Raytheon – AN/APY-10. Redesignated, after significant modification from the P-3’s AN/APS-137 radar. India’s APY-10 variant adds air-to-air capability.

• Flightglobal – US Navy surveillance system developed to rival Northrop Grumman’s JSTARS. They’re discussing the AN/APS-149 LSRS (Littoral Surveillance Radar System), which doesn’t get much public discussion otherwise. August 2007 article.

• L-3 Wescam – MX-20. The P-8’s electro-optical surveillance and targeting turret.

• DID – Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts. Explains the various types.

• Linux Sys-Con (Aug 1/06) – Boeing Selects Wind River Carrier Grade Linux For P-8A MMA System.

• Stork (Nov 18/05) – Stork Aerospace selected by Boeing for development and management of the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) wiring [link offline]. Stork has a world-class specialty in this area, and are doing the wiring for the F-35 fighter as well. The package includes development of all P-8A Mission System wire bundles, fiber optics, coax and data bus wiring systems and delivery of systems for first 3 developmental test aircraft, development laboratories and four follow-on optional operational test aircraft. The contract is currently valued at approximately $12 million during a 4 year period.

• Seapower (June 2005) – Boeing Eyes High Flying Torpedo.. The HAAWC Mk54 lightweight torpedo would be launched from the P-8A Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) at an altitude of 30,000 feet and glide seven to 10 minutes to the water entry point, where it would shed its wings and activate a parachute to lower the torpedo into the water. This avoids the need to make a time-consuming descent from their surveillance altitudes of 30,000 feet to a release altitude of 300-1,000 feet, which saves wear on the wings. Is it also an implicit admission that the 737 is not particularly well suited to long stints at low altitudes?

• Avionics Magazine (Sept 1/04) – B737 Joins the Navy. Excellent treatment of the P-8A’s electronics.

Background: Multimission Maritime Aircraft Program

As always, DID relies heavily on Pentagon budget documents for its charts, etc.

• Nav Log – The P-8: The Adventure Continues. Deeply doubts that the USN will buy the number it plans to buy.

• GlobalSecurity.org – P-7 Long Range Air ASW-Capable Aircraft (LRAACA).

• Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest (2003; Volume 24, Number 3) – Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Survivability in Modern Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Missions [PDF].

• National Defense Magazine (December 2000) – Navy Ponders Options for P-3 Replacement. Good overview of the choices and pressures at hand.

Market & Competitors

• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [AIAA] Aerospace America Magazine, via WayBack (April 2002) – Maritime patrol market: Escaping the doldrums. By the Teal Group, an aerospace industry analyst firm. Very good at outlining the contours of the P-8’s market, as well as some of the turboprop vs. jet trade-offs.

Prop-Driven

• GlobalSecurity.org – P-3 Orion.

• DID – P-3 Recovery Plan Tries to Keep the Fleet in the Air. Bridging to the P-8A is becoming a challenge, as the P-3s wear out. But many current operators face the same challenge, so solutions have been devised.

• Naval Technology – Atlantique ATL3 – Maritime Patrol Aircraft, France.

• DID – Meltem-III: Turkey’s New ATR-72 Maritime Patrol Planes. Turkey is the 1st customer for the ATR-72MP, which are similar in size to the Dash-8 and can be armed. ATR’s smaller ATR-42 has an “ATR Surveyor” maritime surveillance version, which is unarmed.

• Naval Technology – AirTech CN-235MP/MPA – Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Spain / Indonesia.

• Modified Dash-8 turboprop aircraft are serving as the aerial linchpin of Australia’s billion-dollar public-private Coastwatch program, and have been ordered or leased by other nations as well.

Jets

• CASR – Aurora Alternatives – EADS MPA320 / MPA319. The A319 MPA doesn’t have many other sources. This article explains why – it was originally an A320 MPA, but Spain and Italy chose cheaper alternatives. Changes were made, and India was the launch customer target for the “MPA319-CJ”, but Boeing’s P-8i won instead and that may be the end of the Airbus platform. See also Flight International’s “EADS proposes maritime variant of Airbus A319 with bomb bay doors for India.”

• DID FOCUS Article – Nimrod Was Actually a Good Hunter: Upgrading Britain’s Fleet (updated). Provides an interesting basis of comparison to the P-8A program. Like the P-8 Poseidon, the Nimrod is also a converted passenger jet – albeit one of 1950s vintage design. That proved to be a problem, and the program and fleet were eventually scrapped, without replacement.

• DID – Japan’s P-X Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Our readers supplied some answers re: Japan’s absence from the list of P-8 partners.

• CASR – Bombardier Challenger 604 MMA. “Since 2003, Challenger 604 Multi-Mission Aircraft of the Royal Danish Air Force (Flyvevabnet) have been flying sovereignty/fisheries enforcement patrols around Greenland and the Faroe Islands. These Canadian-made aircraft are Bombardier Challenger 604 bizjets equipped with quick-change interiors for different roles including VIP transport, medevac, maritime surveillance (for which search radar is fitted), fisheries / EEZ protection, ice reconnaissance, SAR, and environmental protection…”

• Airliners.net – Dassault Falcon 50. “The Surmar is a maritime patrol version of the [Falcon 50EX] ordered by the French navy (fitted with a FLIR and search radar).” See also Dassault’s Multi-Mission Falcon page.

Battlefield Surveillance

• Britain’s RAF – Sentinel R1. A modified Bombardier Global Express long-range business jet.

News & Views

• Foxtrot Alpha (July 4/14) – Confessions Of A US Navy P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol Pilot. Lots of excellent background and quotes.

• Aviation Week (april 23/14) – Increasing P-8A Capability. Out to Increment 3.

• Aviation Week (April 21/14) – Delays and Cost Challenges Beset Airborne ASW. Discusses the SSQ-125 and MAC, among other technologies.

• Lexington Institute (Oct 3/12) – Modernizing the Air Force’s Electronic Aircraft Fleet: How to Save $100 Billion [PDF]. Advocates a P-8 derivative for overland surveillance, instead of re-engining and maintaining 707-derived E-8C battlefield surveillance planes.

• Lexington Institute (Oct 8/10) – P-8A Poseidon: A New Model For Military Procurement. More than slightly over-optimistic about potential export buyers.

• DID (Nov 21/06) – Aging Aircraft Redux: Seapower on US Navy & USMC Fleets.

• DID (Feb 06/06) – ACS Failure Fallout: Boeing to Offer SIGINT 737. The P-8A team is involved, and the two aircraft would share some common systems. A SIGINT 737 could replace the EP-3 Aries II Orion derivatives currently in service. As it happens, that role is likely to fall to MQ-4C BAMS UAVs instead.

• DID (Aug 24/05) – Follow-Up: Rear Adm. Michael L. Holmes on The USA’s P-3C Force. Excellent in-depth interview, which discusses plans for the P-3 fleet, changes underway in the Navy, and the P-8’s role.

• Lockheed-Martin, via WayBack (April 5/04) – Lockheed Martin’s Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Offers Latest Mission System Technologies for the U.S. Navy

• Lockheed Martin, via WayBack (June 9/03) – Lockheed Martin’s Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Solution Is Right For Many Countries. Apparently not for the USA, however. It was based on the P-3.

• US NAVAIR, via GlobalSecurity (Jan 13/03) – Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft: The Future of Maritime Patrol.

CH-47Fs take off
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DII FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record; this FOCUS Article covers the CH-47F/MH-47G Chinook helicopter programs, in the USA and abroad. These helicopters’ distinctive “flying banana” twin-rotor design stems from the brilliant work of aviation pioneer Frank Piasecki. It gives Chinooks the ability to adjust their positioning very precisely, while carrying a large airframe whose load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030.

The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models, but offers a wide range of improvements in almost every aspect of design and performance. While the related HH-47’s $10-15 billion CSAR-X program win was terminated, delivery orders continue for CH-47Fs and for MH-47G Special Forces configuration helicopters. International orders or formal requests have also come in from Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the UAE, with India and other countries expected to follow.

The New Chinooks: CH-47F, MH-47G, HH-47 CH-47F Family: Initial Improvements

CH-47D Chinooks
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These new aircraft are part of the U.S. Army Cargo Helicopter Modernization Program, but they are based on a long-serving basic design. The CH-47F Chinook and MH-47G Special Ops version are the latest variants in a family of helicopters that first saw service in 1962 during the Vietnam War. New “F/G” models feature numerous upgrades over CH-47Ds (produced 1982-1994), including more powerful engines, reduced vibration, upgraded avionics and self-defense systems, and manufacturing advances designed to improve both mission performance and long term costs.

Engines & Fuel: The new CH-47F has 4,868 shaft horsepower (SHP) from each of its twin T55-GA-714A engines, improving fuel efficiency and enhancing lift performance by approximately 3,900 pounds. The new engines will enable the CH-47F to reach speeds in excess of 175 mph and transport up to 21,016 pounds. As a point of comparison, the original CH-47A’s T55-L7 engines generated 2,650 SHP each, and the CH-47D’s T55-L-712 turboshaft engines produced 3,750 SHP. This improved power will also pay dividends in high-altitude or hot environments, as all aircraft suffer performance penalties in such “hot and high” conditions.

The new Robertson Aviation Extended Range Fuel System of internal auxiliary fuel tanks gives the CH-47F a mission radius greater than 400 miles. Other airframe modifications improve the helicopter’s strategic deployability, reducing the time required for aircraft tear down and build-up by about 60% when deploying them via a C-5 Galaxy or C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport aircraft.

CAAS in MH-47: edited
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Cockpit & Avionics: The new digital cockpit design improves interoperability via the US Army’s Common Aviation Architecture System cockpit, simplifying pilot training and workload. CAAS creates a package that offers Digital Advanced Flight Control System (DAFCS) , displays and avionics. That’s enhanced with moving maps, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and multimode radar pictures for nap-of-earth and low-level flight operations in any visibility or weather, and an advanced data transfer system to store preflight and mission data. Because this is built on the CAAS foundation, expansion, modernization, and even cross-upgrades developed for other helicopters are all thinkable.

Survivability: New survivability features include a Common Missile Warning installation, and Improved Countermeasure Dispenser Systems. The US Army’s ATIRCM contract was intended to round that out with a next-generation defensive system for active laser decoying of enemy guided missiles, and is employed on CH-47s, but turned out to be too heavy to install on the Army’s smaller helicopters. It was limited to CH-47 installations, and terminated.

If the Army’s new CIRCM program to field lighter devices reaches fruition, it will eventually become a common system for all Army machines, and replace ATIRCM via retrofits.

Manufacturing Advances

CH-47F: mid-conversion
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The remanufacture process has become more extensive than the original plans, and now involves wholesale replacement of key sections. The incoming helicopter has its propulsion systems removed and sent for overhaul/replacement, and the cockpit is cut off. What’s left is the aft fuselage and cabin, which is blast stripped to bare metal, inspected, and then has appropriate sections repaired or replaced. True manufacturing splices allow full modularity with large airframe sections, which can be mixed and matched if inspection reveals a need to replace other elements.

Throughout this process, Boeing has pushed to reduce manufacturing costs and improve production efficiency by outsourcing significant sub-sections to firms like L-3 Crestview (new cabins), using lean manufacturing processes on the factory floor, and using related techniques like employee involvement teams.

The new airframe itself is built utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques where large single-piece components replace built-up sheet metal structures and aluminum honeycomb formers. Boeing spokespeople have cited 35% reductions in parts and fastener totals. Doing it this way is expected to reduce operating and support costs while improving the structural integrity of the aircraft, extending the overall useful life of each Chinook. Further structural enhancements in key locations, and advanced corrosion protection via special paints, should also improve durability and lead to longer service life.

2011 British orders have taken another step beyond, to CH-47F models with “machined monolithic” frames. CH-47F Phase II and new-build MH-47G helicopters followed suit.

Variants

MH-47G, Jackal Stone 2010
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MH-47G. These Chinooks are optimized for Special Forces operations. The most obvious difference is the big aerial refueling tube at the front. Less obvious modifications include extra fuel in enlarged side fuel tanks, additional sensors for surveillance, “aircraft survivability equipment,” dual embedded Global Positioning Systems, a redundant navigator for improved accuracy and reliability, and various advanced datalinks that allow the display of Near Real Time Intelligence Data (NRTID). Almost all MH-47Gs are rebuilt from existing helicopters, but a recent contract is producing 8 new-build birds.

HH-47 CASR. This modified MH-47G successfully lifted off as the $4-10 billion CSAR-X combat search and rescue competition’s winning entry in November 2006. That model still exists, and some of its features have been incorporated at the request of other CH-47F customers like Canada and the Netherlands, but the CSAR-X program was canceled in 2009 after a series of successful GAO protests by the losing contractors. The USAF wound up buying much smaller CRH-60M Pave Hawks instead.

Planned MYP-II improvements

CH-47F maintenance
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Cargo & Lift: Initial CH-47Fs don’t offer much beyond the new engines and improved construction, but Phase II/ MYP-II helicopters will have some additions that will be retrofitted back into the rest of the fleet.

The first cargo advance is called COOLS (Cargo On/Off Loading System), and consists of floor panels that flip over, to reveal loading rollers. COOLS panels are expected to begin deploying in February 2013, and their presence will have the side effect of improving floor protection against small arms fire. Chinook modernization manager Lt. Col. Joe Hoecherl explained its importance:

“Right now we have a system that is not on the aircraft. We have to bring it on. What happens now when you are flying is you take off and, if you have a change of mission, you have to go pick up pallets. You can’t push pallets on this floor as it is now. With COOLS, the rolls are going to be built into the floor, so if you have a change of mission you just flip the floor up [and roll the pallets onboard].”

The other advances in this area won’t begin with MYP-II buys, but will be introduced into the production line later, and then added as a retrofit. A new set of composite Advanced Chinook Rotor Blades (ACRB) are projected to able to add another 1,800-pounds of lift capability, thanks to their design. The blades have already gone through some wind-tunnel testing, and are slated for fielding in 2016.

Boeing is also working on an update to the CH-47F’s Improved Vibration Control system, which will be lighter and will have obsolete electronic components replaced.

Maintenance: A number of Boeing’s manufacturing advances are aimed at reducing maintenance, but more can be done. The CHPE (Cargo Platform Health Environment) program of embedded diagnostic and prognostic sensors began installation validation in May 2012, and is slated for MYP-II/ Phase II CH-47Fs. These kinds of HUMS (Health and Usage Monitoring Systems) offer make basic maintenance like rotor track and balance easier, and make diagnosing wider helicopter problems and fleet trends much easier. That saves a lot of money on maintenance, and improves availability in service.

The USA’s Acquisition Plan

CH-47 Assembly Line
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The US Army’s original plan was revised upward a few times from the original 452, and went as high as 533 helicopters in 2012, before coming back to the same place it began in April 2013.

The FY 2014 budget would leave the US military with 451 machines, made up of 382 CH-47Fs and 69 MH-47Gs.

Under the current plan, the Army is modernizing 206 CH-47D Chinooks to the new F-model configuration, while also buying 176 new-build CH-47F Chinooks. New build and refurbished CH-47s are being bought side by side, in order to keep more operational helicopters out of the factory lines and on the front lines.

In the wake of operational success in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM) moved to increase its MH-47G Chinook inventory to 69 machines, adding 8 new helicopters to its 61 remanufactured machines.

The CH-47F was expected to enter service in July 2007, and did receive a US Army go-ahead for full-rate production and fielding that month; it was certified as combat ready with the 101st Airborne in August 2007.

Under a multi-year contract awarded in August 2008, Boeing received 28 orders in 2009, and then began a graduated delivery rate ramp-up through successive years. Boeing submitted a proposal for a CH-47F MYP-II buy to begin in 2013, and that contract was finally signed in May 2013. Note that Foreign Military Sales are available as options under these contracts, if the countries involved want to take advantage of that.

The USAF’s CSAR-X program could have added another 141 HH-47 helicopters, but it was canceled following competitive protests. That saga is detailed in its own article set. CSAR-X was eventually canceled, though the USAF is still looking for a combat search and rescue option via its “CRH” solicitation.

Global Contracts and Key Events

CH-47F & CH-47D
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Customer Orders: US Army (532 planned), US SOCOM (61 planned), Australia (7), Britain (14), Canada (15), Italy (16), the Netherlands (6/9), Turkey (6+/14), United Arab Emirates (6+/16).

Unless otherwise noted, key program events and related awards noted below are assumed to be US orders from Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL; issued to The Boeing Co. in Ridley Park, PA.

Note that contracts to Boeing are not all-inclusive, by any means. As an example, they include installation of Honeywell’s engines, but not the engines themselves, which are “Government Furnished Equipment” (GFE) bought under a separate contract. In a related vein, the purchase contract is usually accompanied by advance materials and “long lead items” contracts earlier. The actual price of a combat-ready CH-47F will be very different.

FY 2016 – 2018

 

Canadian CH-147
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May 28/18: Saudi order The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to receive eight CH-47F transport helicopters from Boeing. The contract modification is valued at over $25.7 million. The contract is funded through of the Fiscal 2017 foreign military sales fund. The CH-47F Chinook’s load capacity has made it the world’s most popular heavy-lift helicopter. The USA expects to be operating Chinooks in their heavy-lift role past 2030. The CH-47F looks similar to earlier models but offers a wide range of improvements in almost every aspect of design and performance. The CH-47F Chinook and MH-47G Special Ops version are the latest variants in a family of helicopters that first saw service in 1962 during the Vietnam War. New “F/G” models feature numerous upgrades over the old CH-47Ds, including more powerful engines, reduced vibration, upgraded avionics and self-defense systems, and manufacturing advances designed to improve both mission performance and long-term costs. Work will be performed in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of July 2021.

April 26/18: German heavy-lift industry team announced A week after Lockheed Martin announced its industrial team that will enter into Germany’s upcoming heavy-lift helicopter competition, Boeing has come out with its list of German collaborators who would help maintain a potential sale of CH-47F Chinooks. Speaking at the Berlin ILA air show, Michael Hostetter, director, Vertical Lift Programs in Germany said that if selected, the local companies will offer maintenance and training to the German military. The German companies —or German units of foreign companies —that Boeing has partnered with are AERO-Bildungs GmbH, Aircraft Philipp, CAE Elektronik GmbH, COTESA, Diehl Defence, Honeywell, Liebherr-Aerospace, Reiser Simulation and Training GmbH, Rockwell Collins, and Rolls-Royce. “The customer has made it very clear that they are looking for low-risk off the shelf solution,” Hostetter said, adding Boeing was able to produce a Chinook every five days at its production site in Philadelphia. He said Boeing could offer either the Foxtrot model or an extended range version, with both offering the air-to-air refueling requirement that Germany is likely to seek.

April 6/18: FMS-Spain The US State Department has cleared the sale of 17 CH-47F Chinook helicopters to the Spanish military. Valued at $1.3 billion, the foreign military sale comes with a host of associated parts and mission equipment including the AN/AAR-57A(V)8 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS). According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), “The proposed sale of the CH-47F aircraft will improve Spain’s heavy lift capability,” adding that “Spain will use this enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Spain will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.”

March 7/18: Potential FMS Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook may have secured a scalp against rival Sikorsky’s CH-53K King Stallion after the Israeli army indicated it would prefer the Chinook to be selected for Israel’s new heavy-lift competition. According to Flight Global, while the helicopters will be operated by the air force, the helicopters are frequently used to transport ground troops thus giving the service’s opinion some weight in the matter. The winner will replace older versions of Sikorsky’s CH-53 Yasur helicopters from the the late 2020s.

August 25/17: Boeing has been awarded a $222.5 million contract modification for the production and delivery of eight CH-47F Chinook helicopters to the Royal Saudi Land Forces. Production of the new builds will be conducted at Ridley Township, Penn., with an estimated completion time of July 31, 2021. Last year, the US State Department approved the sale of 48 CH-47F Chinooks and associated equipment to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth an estimated $3.5 billion. The Royal Saudi Land Forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deploy a variety of US-made helicopters, including UH-60 Black Hawk medium-lift transport aircraft, AH-64 Apache gunships and the CH-47, among others.

July 31/17: Boeing has won a $276.6 million US Army contract for engineering work and manufacturing development for the CH-47F Chinook Block II program. The program will see Boeing upgrade existing CH-47F and special operations MH-47G Chinooks, totaling 542 airframes, including new composite rotor blades for better performance, drivetrain upgrades, and a strengthened airframe. Work will be conducted in Ridley Park, Penn., and is scheduled for completion by July 27, 2020.

July 17/17: The US Special Operations Command has awarded Boeing a $27 million contract to conduct preparatory work on the production of Block 2 MH-47G Chinook special operations helicopters. Under the terms of the agreement, the work will include incorporating new and existing stockpiles of government and contractor components to upgrade CH-47 airframes to the MH-47G variant, with the airframes being modified under the auspices of the Technology Applications Program Office. The variant also includes upgraded digital avionics and flight control systems, a monolithic airframe instead of assembled sheet metal for greater strength and modifications for easier transportation by cargo aircraft. It features other changes to make it better suited for air assault operations and can be refueled in mid-air for greater range.

November 18/16: Greece has taken delivery of three second-hand CH-47SD heavy-lift helicopters. The transfer of the ex-National Guard Chinooks was completed on November 11. Seven more are expected by the end of 2017 as part of a $120 million deal with the US.

October 11/16: Honeywell is working on improving the T55 turboshaft engine found on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Aimed at increasing its power efficiency by 25%, work has begun on developing a new improved compressor that would increase the T55’s engine power – from 4,700shp (3,500kW) to 6,000shp – and reduce fuel usage by 8%. The research coincides with Boeing’s Block 2 upgrade on the helicopter, which aims to increase its lost pay-load capability.

June 13/16: Boeing plans to test its new Chinook rotor blades this October. If successful, the heavy-lift helicopter will gain an extra 2,000lb for its maximum take-off weight. Using honeycomb composite rotor blades, good news from Boeing could see it form part of the CH-47 Block II upgrades the Army is pursuing, and be open to funding previously denied by the Department of Defense (DoD).

March 17/16: The US Army has awarded an $896 million contract to Boeing to refurbish 27 CH-47F Chinook military airlift helicopters and to buy an additional 12 units. The CH-27F upgrade of the troop transport aircraft was completed in 2006. The modification to the contract increases the funds initially going to Boeing for the work by $30 million. Completion of the upgrades and delivery of the new units is expected by December 20, 2020.

January 19/16: The upgrade program of the Chinook CH-47F looks to be shortly approved after a successful meeting at the Army Systems Acquisition Review Council. All that is required for the project to be green lit, is a signed decision memorandum that will allow the service to release a request for proposals for its “Block II” upgrade program. While little is known of the exact upgrades that will be part of the program, it is believed that changes will be made to the electrical system, transmission and rotor system, as well as increasing the helicopter payload by 4,000 pounds to 54,000.

October 14/15: The Army will likely release a Request for Proposals for the CH-47 Chinook Block 2 program early next year; however the enhancements required by the Army have yet to be finalized. Janes reports that one of the possible technologies set for inclusion in the Block 2 package is the Advanced Chinook Rotor Blade (ACRB), thought capable of adding an additional 1,800lb of lift capacity, with the Army having already invested $17.9 million in March 2013 to develop the technology.

FY 2015

 

September 10/15: Flightglobal reports that the Netherlands plans to procure 14 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, upgrade its six existing F model aircraft, and retire ten older D models. The new F models will not be in the CH-47F (NL) configuration as per previous orders, owing to budgetary constraints, but will instead be modified US Army CH-47F designs, acquired through the Foreign Military Sales program and scheduled for delivery in 2019. The $1 billion project will eventually see the Dutch operate 20 upgraded CH-47F helicopters, which will boast new VHF radios, self-protection equipment and fast-rope insertion/extraction systems, among other upgrades.

August 10/15: The Army wants to restart production of the Boeing MH-47G Chinook special mission helicopter in a new Block II design. With eight Block I variants scheduled for delivery by the end of 2015, the specific upgrades incorporated into the Block II version have not been disclosed. The first MH-47G Block I was delivered in October 2014, with the pace of SOCOM operations driving the requirement for new build helicopters. The new Block II variants will reportedly replace some or all of SOCOM’s 61 Block I MH-47Gs.

May 6/15: The first pair of F-model CH-47 helicopters have entered service with the Australian Army, with five more scheduled for delivery by August. The seven helicopters were ordered in 2010 contract along with training simulators and spares for $470 million. The Aussie F models are US-configured, in comparison to other international customers such as the UK and Canada which ordered modified versions.

Oct 15/14: Brazil. Boeing spokesman Scott Day says that “We have had some early discussions about the Chinook with the Brazilian Army,” but said the potential order is “not a large one.”

Brazil’s military doesn’t have any helicopters as large as the CH-47F. The closest they get is AS532 Super Puma medium helicopters and their more modern iteration, the EC725 Cougar. A small number of CH-47s would be very useful for hauling heavier cargo loads into remote areas without an airstrip, and especially for recovery of other helicopters. Sources: WKZO, “Exclusive: Boeing eyes possible Chinook helicopter sale to Brazil”.

FY 2014 – 2015

 

CH-47Fs
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March 25/15: The Netherlands looks set to receive 17 CH-47F helicopters in a $1.05 billion Foreign Military Sale from the US. The new aircraft will replace the Netherlands’s existing fleet of CH-47D variants and will complement a previous sale of CH-47Fs in 2006.

Sept 29/14: new MH-47G. Boeing delivers the first new-build MH-47G to US Army Army Special Operations Aviation Command a full month ahead of schedule, as part of an 8-helicopter, $300 million program that will last through 2015.

Production improvements on the new-build models include more robust, improved monolithic machined-frames that were pioneered for the British Chinook Mk.6 (q.v. Aug 22/11), a digital flight control system, and improved air transportability. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Delivers First New-Build MH-47G Special Operations Chinook”.

Sept 26/14: Support. A 5+ year, $499.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for American H-47 helicopter support services, encompassing engineering, logistics, data analysis, technical data reproduction, supportability, and management requirements for pre-through post-production, sustainment, and fleet support of all H-47 variants.

Delivery order 0001 is exercised immediately, and the rest will be allocated as needed, with work location and funding determined for each order. The support contract runs until Dec 31/19. Bids were solicited via the internet, with 1 received (W58RGZ-14-D-0075).

5-year H-47 support contract

Sept 15/14: Upgrades. Boeing in Ridley Park, PA receives a $27.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to develop, test, and bench qualify a modified electrical system for the CH-47.

Fiscal 2014 other funds in the amount of $27,700,422 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30, 2017. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL manages the contract (W58RGZ-04-G-0023, 0308).

Aug 29/14: India. The new BJP government’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) makes a number of key moves, beginning with cancellation of the 197-helicopter Light Utility Helicopter competition. At the same time, however, DAC effectively cleared the purchase of 15 CH-47F Chinook and 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, by approving Boeing’s industrial offset proposals. Sources: Defense News, “India Cancels $1 Billion Light Helicopter Tender” | Financial Express, “Make in India kicks off with defence deals” | Indian Express, “Centre scraps light utility helicopter tender, opens it to Indian players” | NDTV, “Modi Government Drops Rs 6000-Crore Foreign Chopper Plan, Wants ‘Made in India'”.

July 31/14: Engines. Honeywell Aerospace International, Phoenix, Arizona, was awarded a $121.9 million initial foreign military sales contract order, on behalf of Turkey, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Note that Morocco isn’t a CH-47F customer, but their request for 3 CH-47Ds included the uprated 714A engines.

It’s the 1st order under a new contract covering up to 440 total T55-GA-714A engines and 365 T55-GA-714A engine fielding kits. All funds for this order are committed immediately, but the wider contract will have a total potential value well north of $121 million.

Work will be performed until Dec 31/18 in Phoenix, AZ. US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-14-C-0021, PO 0001).

July 29/14: 1st Phase II. Boeing delivers the first CH-47F Phase II to the U.S. Army, 1 month ahead of schedule, in a ceremony at the production facility in Ridley Township, PA. Sources: Boeing, “Boeing Delivers First U.S. Army Multiyear II Configured Chinook”.

1st CH-47F Phase II

July 22/14: COOLS. A $65.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for 204 Cargo On/Off Loading System (COOLS) A-Kits; 204 COOLS B-Kits; and 22 COOLS Ballistic Protection System (BPS) Kits. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2013 US Army budgets. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Nov 29/19.

COOLS (Cargo On/Off Loading System) consists of floor panels that flip over to reveal loading rollers. Before the CH-47F Phase II was introduced, the loading rollers had to be installed independently. That made loading and unloading supply pallets much more difficult and tedious. In contrast, metal COOLS floors can be flipped in place in minutes, while providing extra ballistic protection as a bonus (W58RGZ-14-C-0063).

May 22/14: +1 CH-47F. Boeing in Ridley Park, PA receives a $25.9 million contract modification under the multi-year contract, exercising an option for 1 CH-47F Chinook helicopter. All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 US Army budgets.

Note that this isn’t the full purchase price of a CH-47F, which also has Government Furnished Equipment aboard that is bought under other contracts. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/20 (W58RGZ-13-C-0002, PO 0009).

April 17/14: Support. A $43.3 million contract modification for new equipment and equipment training to Army units receiving the CH-47F. All funds are committed immediately, using Army FY 2014 budgets. Work will run until Feb 29/16, at continental United States and overseas locations (W58RGZ-13-C-0114, PO 0003).

April 9/14: An $8.9 million modification to the MYP-II contract, covering overruns for Production Lot 12 and advance buys for Lot 13. All funds are committed from FY 2011, 2012 and 2014 budgets. Estimated completion date is Dec 31/20. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA (W58RGZ-13-C-0002, PO 0008).

April 3/14: Phase II. A $19 million contract modification to integrate improved drive train development, as part of the CH-47F Phase II Aircraft Component Improvement Program. All funds are committed immediately, from FY 2014 RDT&E budgets. Estimated completion date is May 29/15 (W58RGZ-04-G-0023, 0307).

March 18/14: Phase II. Boeing in Ridley Park, PA receives a $15.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee to develop and test a CH-47F Phase II Lightweight Fuel System as part of the Airframe Component Improvement Program. Work will be performed at Ridley Park, PA until March 15/17. Bids were solicited via the Web, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

strong>Dec 26/13: +28 CH-47F. Boeing in Ridley, Park, PPA receives a $617.7 million order for FY 2014 production, under the current multi-year contract (q.v. June 11-17/13): 22 remanufactured CH-47Fs, 6 new CH-47Fs, and long lead funding for remanufacturing 13 CH-47F helicopters in FY 2015. Note that the FY 2015 budget projections called for 30 remanufactured helicopters.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2014 other procurement funds. Work will be performed at Ridley Park, PA, and the estimated completion date for the contract is listed as Dec 31/20 (W58RGZ-14-C-0003, PO 004).

Jan 28/14: DOT&E Testing Report. The Pentagon releases the FY 2013 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The MH-47 gets some good news, thanks to a better armoring system:

“The Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD), contracting with The Protective Group, completed work on this project during FY13. They developed a non?permanent armor to fit under the floor of the MH-47 helicopter cabin. The goal was to maintain the same minimum level of ballistic protection as the fielded armor, with better durability and less installed weight. Locating the armor under the cabin floor panels greatly reduces the wear and increases its lifespan. The designers also developed an installation and removal system that is lightweight, requires minimal aircraft modification and manpower, and does not interfere with maintenance requirements, mission equipment, or cargo loading systems. The project demonstrated armor panel installation and removal in minutes and achieved a 34 percent reduction in weight over the currently fielded ballistic protection system.”

FY 2013

FY 2013-2017 multi-year deal; +1 MH-47G; Late Dutch deliveries finally begin; Preferred bidder in India; Prospects in Libya?; DVE system for MH-47Gs to help see in tough conditions.

CH-47F got moves
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Sept 27/13: Libya order? The Libya Herald reports that the country is looking to buy transport helicopters, in order to reach remote communities and vastly improve border control. IHS Jane’s and Boeing both report that the Chinook is a serious contender. Despite Libya’s past as an anti-American state and Soviet client, they have a long history with the CH-47 thanks to license-built sales from Italy’s AgustaWestland. Most of their 20 Chinooks were destroyed in the civil war, with just 1 reportedly flying.

The Chinook can expect competition from options like Eurocopter’s EC725, and the most interesting question might be whether the CH-47F deal with AgustaWestland includes Libya within the June 2008 agreement’s export zone, and under what terms. The other big question is the size of Libya’s desired order. Senior Boeing manager Steve Barlage said in August that the desired order was more of a full replacement: 6 CH-47Ds and 16 CH-47Fs. Recent accounts, however, involve just 6 CH-47Ds, which could be taken from American or Canadian stocks and sold through Boeing.

Libya has vast potential oil riches, but the country is in somewhat poor shape, and oil production has plunged sharply to under 100,000 barrels per day in the wake of strikes and disorder at key terminals. At the same time, US government financing to backstop arms deals is limited. There are ways to square that circle, including an export order from AgustaWestland that leverages Italian export credits, but it’s all up to Libya. Sources: Libya Herald, “Military considers $700 million Chinook helicopter deal” | Defense News, “US Firms Eye Late Entry Into Libyan Defense Market” | SKy News Australia, “Libya oil production slumps over strike”.

Sept 27/13: +7 MH-47G. A $78.2 million firm-fixed-price contract finalizes an order for 7 new-build MH-47G helicopters, which is the total for that type under the recent multi-year contract (q.v. June 11-17/13).

Even as bare airframes, this amount seems a bit low (q.v. Dec 11/12). The final cost of each ready-to operate MH-47G is, of course, considerably higher. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA. One bid was solicited and 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023, 0275503).

Sept 27/13: MH-47 DVE. The Technical Applications Contracting Office in Fort Eustis, VA issues 3 contracts to develop and field “the degraded visual environments (DVE) system.” DVE will “integrate information from [MH-47E/G and MH-60K/L/M helicopter] sensors,” in order to help aircrews perm their missions through rain, fog, sand brownouts, etc. Dust-driven brownouts are an especially prevalent killer in many operating theaters, and the advanced sensors already on board US SOCOM’s helicopters offer an interesting option for cutting through the clutter. See also: US Army, “Army acquiring ‘brown-out’ assistance for helos” for additional context regarding this area in general. This area is being pursued by a number of US military programs, and by a number of private companies.

The 60-month SOCOM DVE contracts were awarded from 5 offers received in response to the FBO.gov solicitation, and they will run until Aug 31/17. Winners include:

Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, IA wins a maximum $22.4 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost reimbursement contract, with $1.3 million in FY 2013 research, development, test and evaluation funds committed immediately for task order 0001 (H92241-13-D-0008).

Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, NV receives a maximum $22.6 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee DVE contract, with $624,013 in FY 2013 research, development, test and evaluation funds committed immediately for task order 0001 (H92241-13-D-0010).

Boeing in Philadelphia, PA wins a maximum $23 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee DVE contract, with $2.1 million in FY 2013 research, development, test and evaluation funds committed immediately for task order 0001 (H92241-13-D-0011).

July 18/13: Support. A maximum $39.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for helicopter support and personnel training services, aimed at units receiving the CH-47F. FY 2013 procurement funds are being used, and 1 bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-13-C-0114).

June 24/13: Italy. The Italian Army’s 1st ICH-47F Chinook performs its 15-minute maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s Vergiate plant in Italy. Under the joint agreement, AW makes the drive systems, handles system integration for Italy’s unique requirements, and performs final assembly. They also have the same kind of wider export permission in their region that they enjoyed with the CH-47C.

Italy ordered up to 20 ICH-47Fs (16 + 4 options – q.v. May 13/09), to replace the 1st Regiment’s 40 CH-47Cs that entered service in 1973. Delivery of this 1st helicopter is scheduled for early 2014, with final deliveries in 2017. AgustaWestland | Read “Italy Buying CH-47F Helicopters” for more.

June 11-17/13: MYP. A $3.414 billion firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract for remanufactured and new-build CH-47F cargo helicopters, with $1.317 billion of FY 2011-2013 funds committed immediately. Boeing announces it as a contract for 177 helicopters from FY 2013 – 2017, which could rise to 215. If it does rise that high, the Pentagon announces the contract maximum as $4.984 billion. Boeing is touting up to $800 million of savings vs. single-year buys, plus a $130 million investment they’ve already made to modernize the Chinook factory in Pennsylvania.

The Pentagon adds that a portion of the initial contract involves foreign military sales for Turkey and the UAE. The USA’s FY 2013 budget submission involved just 155 helicopters and $373 million in savings, for a total of $3.363 billion. That indicates another 22 helicopters in this base order, but Turkey and the UAE together have just 16 helicopters left in their DSCA requests (8 each), so the numbers don’t add immediately.

As of this date, there were 241 CH-47Fs in the Army and National Guard, with 15 units operating them and a 16th being equipped. CH-47F units have logged more than 86,000 combat hours in Afghanistan, maintaining an operational readiness rate of over 80%, compared to equally new technology like the V-22 tilt-rotor whose readiness rate is 70% or less. Boeing cites a final Army target of 464 CH-47Fs, including 24 to replace helicopters that have been lost, but that’s at variance with FY 2014 Pentagon budget documents (W58RGZ-13-C-0002). Boeing.

Multi-Year Contract:
177 – 215 helicopters

April 10/13: FY 2014 Budget. The President releases a proposed budget at last, the latest in modern memory. The Senate and House were already working on budgets in his absence, but the Pentagon’s submission is actually important to proceedings going forward. See ongoing DID coverage.

The FY 2013 program plan was 533 helicopters: 237 New Build + 226 remanufactured. The FY 2014 program plan cuts that by 20 remanufactured helicopters (to 207) and 61 new-build helicopters (to 176), but the interesting thing about the cuts is that they mostly take place after 2017. The reason is the multi-year buy proposal, which runs from FY 2013 – 2017. There is a cut of $527 million in the FY 2017 budget projection, and if you look closely, it’s mostly from the total removal of new-build funding that year. The exact impact of these cuts on the entire program’s cost isn’t clear yet, and will have to await a Pentagon Selected Acquisitions Report (SAR).

March 21/13: Improved rotor. A $17.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification for Advanced Chinook Rotor Blade (ACRB) design and engineering services. This blade is slated to be added part-way through CH-47F Block II production, with fielding in 2016. If it performs to spec, it will add another 1,800-pounds of lift capability, and could be retrofitted to the rest of the fleet. See also Aug 4/12 entry.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of March 18/17 (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Dec 11/12: +1 MH-47G. A $34.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to buy 1 MH-47G special operations variant Chinook helicopter. There’s a fair bit of separate equipment that also goes into these, so our standard warning about prices is magnified in this case.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Dec 5/12: India. The Indian government officially announces that Boeing’s CH-47F is its preferred bidder. In India, an “L1” bidder is the one that offers the lowest cost, after all adjustments have been made to the proposal. Depending on the competition, price adjustments could be made as a result of industrial benefits plans, maintenance figures, etc.:

“In the proposal initiated by Indian Air Force (IAF) for procurement of 15 Heavy Lift Helicopters, M/s Boeing with Chinook Helicopter has emerged as the L1 Vendor. The cost of the Contract would depend upon outcome of the Contract negotiation with the L1 Vendor, which has not yet concluded.

The Field Evaluation Trials for these Helicopters conducted by the Indian Air Force have found them to be compliant with all the stated Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQRs). Divulging further details in this regard may not be in the interest of National security.”

Nov 28/12: Canada. Canada’s DND provides an update re: its 15-helicopter “CH-147” project. They say that the project is currently on-budget for its C$ 2.3 billion procurement phase, and on schedule. The add that Boeing is also on track to meet its target of $1.25 billion in industrial offset commitments. The RCAF currently has 2 CH-47Fs flying, and will continue to fly test missions in 2013.

The first CH-147 is scheduled to arrive on schedule at a new CFB Petawawa, ON facility in June 2013. Helicopters will be delivered at a rate of approximately one aircraft per month, with all aircraft being delivered over a 12-month period, reaching Initial Operational Capability in 2014, as planned. Canada DND.

Nov 19/12: Sub-contractors. Canadian landing gear specialist Heroux-Devtek Inc. in Longeuil, PQ receives a multi-year contract from Boeing to manufacture the landing gear for all US Army CH-47F helicopters bought under MYP-II. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2014 and run into 2019. Current MYP-II contract expectations will involve 155 helicopters, but this sub-contract also includes options for up to 150 additional landing gear sets to 2019. America isn’t likely to order another 150 CH-47Fs, but foreign buyers might, and MYP-II lets them benefit from the same bulk-order prices negotiated by the US government.

Heroux-Devtek is already an incumbent landing gear supplier for the CH-47F, thanks to the Sept 24/09 MoU that let them bid to supply all H-47F aircraft delivered to customers outside the United States. In September 2012, they received a license to fabricate replacement parts, and to carry out repair and overhaul services, for the landing gear of all Chinook variants. This agreement completes the trifecta. Heroux-Devtek release [PDF].

Oct 28/12: India. The Ministry of Defence has reportedly designated Boeing’s bid to supply 15 CH-47Fs as the “L-1” (lowest adjusted bid) in Russia’s heavy-lift helicopter competition. If a contract is finalized, the CH-47F will have beaten Russia’s larger and more powerful Mi-26T2, which already serves in India’s armed forces. Both types have proven themselves in Afghanistan, and commercial Mi-26 helicopters have been hired to airlift crashed CH-47Ds back to base.

One key difference? The CH-47F may have just half of the Mi-26’s takeoff weight, but it can be transported in India’s new fleet of C-17A Globemaster heavy-lift jets. That will give an Indian CH-47F fleet a much greater deployment reach. Times of India.

Oct 8/12: Netherlands. The Dutch Armed Forces receives their first 2 CH-47F-NLs, growing their CH-47 fleet to 13 (11 Ds, 2 Fs). The delivery is significantly later than the original date of 2009.

For training purposes, the Luchtmachthanden has stationed 3 training CH-47Ds in Fort Hood, TX. They’ve also set up local training at the School of the Air-Ground Cooperation in Schaarsbergen, including a 10m fixed drop to practice ropedowns. Dutch MvD [in Dutch].

Oct 5/12: Support. Boeing announces a 5-year, $185 million Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contract to manage production, overhaul and distribution of the Army’s supply of Chinook helicopter rotor blades. This includes older CH-47D models, as well as the CH-47F. Boeing now has performance-based support contracts within the AH-64 Apache, V-22 Osprey, and international CH-47 programs. They add that:

“Boeing has been collaborating with U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command for several years on ways to improve the tooling used to produce and repair Chinook rotor blades. The company also has increased the efficiency and capacity of its Chinook supply chain through the use of improved asset management and forecasting tools, an enhanced supplier network and a public-private partnership with the Corpus Christi Army Depot.”

Oct 5/12: HUMS. An $8.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for CH-47F cargo-platform health environment (CPHE) field demonstration kits. Boeing confirms that these embedded HUMS (Health and Usage Monitoring Systems) will track wear and performance for specific mechanical components and areas. The contract supports initial CPHE fielding, and this aircraft monitoring system is part of the Multi Year II suite of improvements to the CH-47F.

The initial fielding contract, however, is issued under an older agreement. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 28/13. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Oct 4/12: IVCS. A $17.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to qualify Improved Vibration Control Systems for use on the CH-47. Boeing says that IVCS replaces the existing system, reducing weight and issues with part obsolescence. It is not part of the Multi Year II suite of improvements to the CH-47F.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Sept 28/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Oct 2/12: COOLS. A $13 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for “cargo on/off loading systems.” Boeing confirms that this contract is for the new Cargo On/Off Loading System (COOLS), which provides a convertible roller/ flat floor surface for the CH-47F, and incidentally improves bullet protection in the floor. COOLS will be installed in all MYP-II Chinooks, and will be retrofitted into all existing F-model Chinooks.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

FY 2012

FY 2012 buys; FY 2013-17 plans; 2nd multi-year US deal for improved CH-47Fs?; Australian & UAE contracts; Survivability.

CH-47F, FOB Bastion
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Sept 25/12: Support. A $12.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for CH-47F maintenance. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Sept 11/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Aug 16/12: 50th Anniversary. Boeing marks the 50th anniversary of delivering the first H-47 Chinook military helicopter, making it Boeing’s longest continuously running production program. The company has delivered more than 1,200 Chinooks to 18 operators around the world, and more than 800 still in operation today.

The production line near Philadelphia is about to see the end of a $130 million renovation that will help Boeing increase Chinook production rates without breaking the bank. Boeing says that they are scheduled to deliver nearly 60 Chinooks this year. They have a proposal for a multi-year American buy, and a backlog of foreign orders.

Aug 14/12: Australia/ UAE. An $81.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification of an existing contract for “CH-47F aircraft in support of foreign military sales.” Boeing explains to DID that this converts the existing Bridge Contract for CH-47F Foreign Military Sales (vid. Jan 5/12), formally converting the (now 14) helicopters from a Multi Year I to a Multi Year II configuration with the added floor loading systems, etc. It also establishes firm delivery dates for Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The total contract value is now $451.1 million.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of June 15/15. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-12-C-0010).

Australia & UAE

Aug 14/12: Improved Rotor. A $37.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services in support of the Advanced Chinook’s rotor blade tooling. Advanced Chinook incorporates a number of modifications to the base CH-47F, and the new rotor blade design is one of the most important ones.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/15. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Aug 7/12: AVMS. Boeing announces that it will embark on Phase II of its Adaptive Vehicle Management System (AVMS), an advanced flight control system that’s designed to improve maneuverability and performance. It achieves these goals by adapting the flight controls to the aircraft’s flight condition, environment and even computed pilot intent.

The $18 million U.S. Army contract is a joint development project between Boeing and the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) and will encompass more than 100 hours of flight test time. In Phase II, the team will fly the AVMS system on the modified Boeing H-6 helicopter used in Phase I, as well as on the larger Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.

May 16/12: MH-47G. Rolls Royce Corp. in Indianapolis, IN receives a $17 million firm-fixed-price and cost-no-fee contract for MH-47G helicopter infrared exhaust suppressors, including systems components, initial fielding spares and spare parts.

Work location will be determined with each task order, until May 10/17. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by U.S. Army Contracting Command in Fort Eustis, VA (W91215-12-D-0001).

April 9/12: A $26.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for “services in support of the Chinook cargo helicopter advance procurement, long lead items.” Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

April 4/12: US Army Plans. US Army CH-47 F-model project manager Lt. Col. Brad Killen states that the Army plans to have a “pure” fleet of 440 F-model Chinooks by 2018, thanks to a combination of CH-47F buys and upgrades. So far, the Army has accepted 169 CH-47Fs, and its long history of upgrades still includes the first CH-47A ever delivered. About 50 years later, it’s serving in Afghanistan, as a CH-47D.

Lt. Col. Killen has a colleague, thanks to the Army’s recent move to install a Lt. Col. Joe Hoecherl as the special program manager for CH-47F modernization. Key initiatives includes the new composite rotor blade, slated for flight testing in summer 2015; the COOLS Cargo On/Off Loading System of flippable rotors, which will begin fielding in February 2013; and the CHPE Cargo Platform Health Environment of embedded diagnostic and prognostic sensors, which begins installation validation in May 2012. US Army.

Feb 13/12: FY 2013 budget. The US Army request is $1,462.3 million for 44 CH-47Fs. $1,159.4 million will fund 19 new-build and 19 remanufactured/Service Life Extension Program helicopters, while another $231.3 million buys 6 Overseas Contingency CH-47Fs to replace combat losses. The accompanying document says that:

“Protection of the CH-47 is a major part of the Army’s continued focus on aviation and maintaining an effective Aviation Modernization program, specifically modernization of the Army Rotary Wing fleet. The Department requests funding for procurement of 25 new F-model aircraft while remanufacturing 19 more. Also, funding will be used for further improvements and upgrades, including a loading system to enable rapid reconfiguration from cargo to passenger missions. Funding in FY 2013 is $1.2 billion and totals $5.7 billion from FY 2013 – FY 2017.”

Feb 13/12: +32 CH-47F. A $676 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy 32 CH-47F new build helicopter airframes, plus installation of GFE equipment like engines, etc. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Feb 13/12: A $21.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, covering initial production fielding support for each new equipment training site equipped with the CH-47 cargo helicopter.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of April 30/13. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-11-C-0093).

Feb 13/12: Cargo upgrade. A $13.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to manufacture and test 5 Cargo On-and-Off Loading System prototypes. As noted above, this is a proposed modification to the existing CH-47F.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Jan 17/12: DOT&E on Survivability. The Pentagon releases the FY2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). The CH-47 is cited as a system performing well on all measures, but there were some interesting notes about survivability:

“Rotorcraft Sponson RPG Vulnerability. This project is demonstrating methods of suppressing fires resulting from RPG impacts to sponson fuel tanks [DID: those bulges on the lower sides] – with emphasis on occupant survivability. For several U.S. rotorcraft, fuel tanks are contained in sponsons that are adjacent to the main cabin. Current data indicates that the U.S. aircraft are being shot with RPGs and sponsons should be protected.

…Combat Incident Emerging Threat Investigation. This project is addressing a recent combat incident in Afghanistan that raised concerns about a potential new threat to helicopters. In this incident, a CH-47 helicopter was damaged in a manner uncharacteristic of any previous incident. JCAT requested JLF Air support by providing threat-target characterization data for their incident investigation. Results from two shots completed against a surrogate airframe were provided to JCAT. The initial results from these tests allowed JCAT to understand the engagement conditions and subsequent damage with confidence, increasing the value of information provided to operational commanders.”

Jan 5/12: Australia & UAE. A $370 million firm-fixed-price contract to “provide for the services in support of the bridge requirement for new CH-47 F model aircraft to support foreign military sales.” The English translation, based on responses to our inquiries, is that Australia and the UAE are buying 13 CH-47Fs (7 of 7 Australia, 6 of 16 UAE) under the US Army’s contract, in order to benefit from its volume pricing. The 14th helicopter will be bought by the US Army.

As always, this is buying base airframes, plus integration of GFE. Even so, CH-47F customers like Britain and Canada, who ordered heavily customized versions, can’t take advantage of this approach. Neither can Italy, who will produce the machines in-country under an agreement between Boeing and AgustaWestland.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of June 30/16. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by the US Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL, on behalf of its Foreign Military Sale clients (W58RGZ-12-C-0010). See also Dec 3/09 entry, “Australia Ordering CH-47F Chinooks“, and Boeing’s release.

CH-47Fs: 7 Australia, 6 UAE, & 1 USA

Jan 5/12: A $218.7 million firm-fixed-price contract. Clarifications revealed that the FY 2012 order will produce the last 12 refurbished CH-47F (converted from CH-47D) airframes under the current multi-year contract, as well as installation of equipment like engines etc. that are bought by the government under separate contracts. Boeing submitted an offer for a follow-on multi-year CH-47F contract in November 2011 (vid. Nov 4/11, Oct 12/11), and expects that if their offer is accepted, it would happen around January 2013.

Note that final contract dates are not the same as final delivery dates, so the 1st multi-year program will still be building machines during any follow-on contract’s initial couple of years. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Nov 4/11: MYP-II offer. Boeing has tabled its 2nd multi-year buy offer to the US government, for another 155 CH-47F family helicopters, as the end comes into view for its first $4.3 billion, multi-year contract for 191 helicopters.

Boeing CH-47Fs currently equip 8 U.S. Army units, and 6 of those units have completed deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army is in the process of training and equipping the 9th unit. Boeing.

Oct 12/11: MYP-II = CH-47F+. Boeing is preparing its next multi-year buy offer to the US government for 155 more CH-47 family helicopters, which would end the program of record.

Procurement wouldn’t start until 2013, and the new machines would include a number of changes including flip-over cargo rollers on the floor. They’re also developing a new rotor blade to give the helicopter about 2,000 more pounds of lift, without hurting forward flight performance. The new rotor is headed for a Critical Design Review in January 2012, but probably won’t deliver in time to begin the next buy. Defense News.

FY 2011

FY 2011 buys; British & Turkish buys; Dutch 1st flight; New sensor turrets; Canada’s Auditor-General is very critical.

CH-47F, Ft. Campbell
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Sept 14/11: A $6.75 million firm-fixed-price contract modification “to support the CH-47F Chinook helicopter renew aircraft.” Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/15. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Aug 22/11: UK contract. The UK MoD signs a GBP 1 billion ($1.64 billion) contract with Boeing for 14 new “CH-47 Mk6” Chinook helicopters, plus associated support for the first 5 years.

Boeing confirmed that these are new-build helicopters, which use the same T55-GA-714A engines that are installed on the F model, and being retrofitted to existing RAF Chinooks. The CH-47F is also known for its use of large, single-piece components, and the UK advisory touts a “new, machined monolithic airframe.” That appears to be a CH-47F base, but extensive changes and additions include UK-specific avionics, communication and navigation equipment; forward-looking infrared surveillance turrets; a rescue hoist; and defensive systems against guided missiles. Canada made similar changes to the “CH-147s” it bought.

The RAF will receive the 1st Mk6 aircraft for initial trials and testing in 2013, to enter service in May 2014. By early 2015, 3 CH-47 Mk6 helicopters are slated to be ready for operational deployment, and delivery of all 14 helicopters is expected to finish by the end of 2015. The RAF intends to have all 14 operational by early 2017, bringing their total Chinook fleet to 60 (barring further losses). UK MoD | Boeing.

Britain: 14 “CH-47 Mk6”

Aug 14/11: Turkey. As expected, Turkey’s DSCA request (vid. Dec 8/09, June 6/11) shrunk by 66% and turned into an initial order for 6 CH-47Fs, with 5 going to the Army, and 1 to their Special Forces Command. An unnamed procurement official was reported as saying the contract was signed last month for about $400 million. Delivery is scheduled to take place between 2013 – 2014. The country didn’t have heavy-lift helicopters yet, so this is a notable step forward for them. Hürriyet Daily News.

Turkey: 6 CH-47F

Aug 11/11: MH-47G. An $8.4 million firm-fixed-price contract to buy Digital Automatic Flight Control Systems for the Special Operations MH-47G. They’re actually manufactured by BAE.

Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 1/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Contracting Center in Fort Eustis, VA (W91215-11-D-0001).

Aug 4/11: MH-47G. Raytheon in McKinney, TX receives a $21 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for 8-15 AN/ZSQ-2v1 Assault and 0-5 AN/ZSQ-2v2 Attack Electro-Optical Sensor Systems. The FBO solicitation specified only MH-47Gs, but the DefenseLINK release referred to US SOCOM’s MH-47G Chinook and MH-60M Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Campbell, KY.

Work will be performed primarily in McKinney, TX and is expected to be completed by Aug 2/13. A $15.6 million Delivery order 0001 was issued on Aug 2/11. This is a sole-source contract under the authority of FAR 6.302-1 (H92241-11-D-0006). See also FBO.gov.

The ZSQ-2 electro-optical turrets share a number of sub-systems in common with similar Raytheon products that equip aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper, MH-60R Seahawk, etc., as Raytheon seeks to take things one step further with a Common Sensor Payload design for the US Army. The ZSQ-2s have begun receiving upgrades with 3rd generation FLIR night vision systems.

June 29/11: +8 CH-47F. A $174.1 million firm-fixed-price contract, covering the 4th year (FY 2011) of the current CH-47F multiyear contract, and exercising the Production Lot IX option for 8 new-build CH-47Fs.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

June 6/11: Turkey. Turkey’s DSCA request (vid. Dec 3/09) may be close to a contract, but for fewer helicopters. Hurriyet Daily News quotes an unnamed “senior procurement official,” who says that a $300 million deal for 6 of the 14 notified CH-47Fs is close to finalization, with deliveries to begin in 2013. The official added that “After the helicopters begin to arrive, we plan to make some modifications on them according to suit our specific needs.”

Contract negotiations among the SSM, the U.S. government and Boeing were launched in 2010. The deal is reportedly for 6 Army helicopters because of financial constraints, leaving the remaining 8 as a future option.

May 10/11: Training. A $23.7 million firm-fixed-price contract covers initial production fielding support for each new equipment training site equipped with the CH-47F.

Boeing describes it a bit differently, as Initial Production Fielding Support modifications on 49 CH-47F Chinook helicopters at Boeing’s Millville, NJ Modification Center, which opened in 2010. After the Chinooks are delivered from the production line in Philadelphia to the Army, they are flown to Millville, where Boeing structural and electrical employees make specialized avionics and airframe modifications to support new Army requirements. The contract will also support 2 New Equipment Training teams, who help train US Army Chinook units in the USA and abroad on the upgrades.

The US Army lists the estimated completion date as April 30/13, while Boeing says that the current contract period extends the current work of modifying Chinook aircraft at the Boeing Millville facility from May 2011 through April 2012. Both could be right; DoD announcements may not include option periods, and may cover only part of the contract’s total possible funds (W58RGZ-11-C-0093). See also Boeing release.

March 30/11: +25 CH-47F. A $528.1 million firm-fixed-price contract for 25 nCH-47F Chinooks, as the FY 2011 new-build order. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

March 3/11: ECM. Boeing receives a $13.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F infrared suppressor systems modification B-kits. The idea is make the helicopter’s hot engine exhaust gasses less of a clear target for heat-seeking missiles. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of May 31/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Feb 16/11: Engines. Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, AZ received a $43.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for 50 T55-GA-714A engines and 30 T55-GA-714A engine fielding kits. Work will be performed in Phoenix, AZ, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-04-C-0061).

Dec 28/10: +11 CH-47F. A $242 million firm-fixed-price contract for 11 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, as the FY 2011 remanufactured order. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Dec 28/10: Support. A $10 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for training, equipping, sustaining, and other support and services for the CH-47F Chinook program. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of April 30/11. One bid was solicited with one bid was received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Dec 8/10: Dutch 1st flight. 1st flight of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) CH-47F (NL) Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. The new version is scheduled to complete its flight test program in August 2011, after approximately 100 flight hours. There are 2 aircraft in flight test as of January 2011, of the order for 6. The CH-47F-NLs will join an existing fleet of 11 CH-47Ds, as the Dutch become the 1st international customer to field an F model variant.

The new Dutch Chinooks are equipped with self-protection systems, engine air particle separators, a forward-looking infrared system, and fast rope positions, which will be used to support Special Forces operations. Boeing | DID’s full CH-47F (NL) coverage.

Dec 3/10: A $50.7 million firm-fixed-price contract commits funding for CH-47F production Lot 10 long lead time items. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Nov 3/10: Improvements. Boeing continues to work on CH-47F/MH-47G improvements. They include a redesigned rotor blade, improved engine controls for the “fat tank” MH-47Gs, and an integrated cargo roller system for the CH-47Fs. These features could be part of a new configuration set that will be finalized in June 2011. Deliveries would start in 2014, under what Boeing hopes will be a new multi-year contract.

The new blade was derived from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche scout/attack helicopter, and has a swept dihedral-anhedral blade tip, using 3 airfoil sections instead of 2. It’s designed to add 2,000 pounds of lift, without hindering forward-flight performance. Wind tunnel testing is done, and the next step is making full-size blades for dynamic and fatigue testing, followed by 2014 flight tests. Aviation Week.

Oct 28/10: Canadian criticism. Canada’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) releases their 2010 Fall report. Canada’s CH-147 program rates a very negative verdict. Most important, they contend that the procurement process itself was unfair, and that DND kept senior decision makers in the dark about major changes to the project and its costs.

Read “On The Verge: Canada’s $4B+ Program for Medium-Heavy Transport Helicopters” for the full details, including links to background materials.

Oct 13/10: +2 CH-47F. A $43.5 million firm-fixed-price contract, exercising the option for 2 CH-47F new Chinook cargo helicopters. The order is technically placed on Sept 30/10, the last day of FY 2010. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Oct 13/10: Support. A $12 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, covering 57,700 hours of CH-47F engineering services support, to include integration of engineering change proposals, product improvement, and other modifications to the CH-47F cargo helicopter. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/12. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CCAM-CH-A in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

FY 2010

FY 2010 buys; Requests & plans from Australia, Britain, Turkey, UAE; 100th CH-47F delivered.

MH-47G, 2010 exercise
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Aug 6/10: Support. A $5.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order modification for 27,310 hours of engineering services support of “CH-47F unique items identification candidates, non-recurring engineering.” Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31/12. One bid was solicited with one bid relieved (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

DID asked about this, and the Army eventually explained that Boeing will be evaluating parts to determine where and how to permanently mark items over $5,000, or serially tracked items, with machine readable code per the Pentagon’s Item Unique Identification (IUID) mandate.

July 30/10: The 10th Mountain Division becomes the 6th US Army unit to field the CH-47F. It’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade’s 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion has equipped its B Company at Fort Drum, NY, which will begin advanced mission training including simulated assault, troop-transport and cargo-movement exercises, and high mountain operations. Boeing.

July 22/10: #100. The 100th CH-47F rolls out of the Boeing facility near Philadelphia, PA, during a ceremony commemorating the milestone and the Army’s acceptance of the helicopter. More than 2,500 Boeing employees gathered inside the flight deck hangar to join in the commemoration. US Army | Boeing.

100th CH-47F

April 16/10: Support. A pair of cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts for engineering services, worth a combined $38.2 million for 183,993 hours. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/11. In both cases, just 1 bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

The first contract exercises a $30.2 million option for 145,480 hours, while the second exercises an $8 million option for 38,513 hours.

Feb 25/10: Australia. The Australian Government gives second pass approval to “Project AIR 9000 Phase 5C” for 7 CH-47Fs, at a budget of AUD $755 million. This approves the plan’s details, but is not itself a contract. Australia expects to field the first 2 helicopters in 2014, with all 7 expected by 2017. The ministerial statement makes it clear that the 7 CH-47Fs would replace 5th Aviation Regiment, C squadron’s existing 6 CH-47Ds, would also be based in Townsville, and would be expected to serve until 2040.

Per the recommendations of past commissions like Australia’s famous Kinnaird Review, Senator Faulkner said the new aircraft will be procured and maintained in the same broad configuration as the United States Army CH-47Fs. Australia also promised to consider joining the USA’s Chinook Product Improvement Program as a way to keep those configurations aligned, “when information on this program is of second pass quality.” Having said all that, however, “The new Australian Chinooks will also receive some additional ADF-specific equipment to meet certain operational and safety requirements.”

CH-47F taking off
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Dec 16/09: FY 2009. A $704.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for 21 new build aircraft and 14 remanufactured CH-47s. This is the 3rd year of a multi-year contract for CH-47Fs, and work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Dec 15/09: UK plans. Gordon Brown’s Labour Party government and the British Ministry of Defence announce plans to buy 10 new CH-47 Chinook helicopters for delivery in 2012-2013, with the intent to buy another 12 Chinooks later. The Chinooks will replace the planned Future Medium Helicopter competition to field a successor for Britain’s 34 AS330 Puma HC1s, and 46 H-3 Sea Kings. This is not a formal contract yet, and it is likely but not certain that the new helicopters will be CH-47Fs with British adaptations.

Dec 8/09: Turkey request. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces Turkey’s official request for up to 14 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters, as well as 32 T55-GA-714A Turbine engines (28 fitted + 4 spares), 28 AN/ARC-201E Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS), 14 AN/APR-39A(V)1 Radar Signal Detecting Sets, and the required special tools and test equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, site survey, personnel training and training equipment, ferry services, and U.S. Government and contractor support services.

A DSCA request is not a sale; if the sale is not blocked in Congress by Dec 22/09, and a contract is concluded later, the estimated cost of the complete package could be up to $1.2 billion.

The prime contractor will be the Boeing Company in Ridley Park, PA. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale, and even though these will be Turkey’s first heavy-lift helicopters, this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Turkey. DSCA announcement [PDF] | Defense News with Turkish reaction.

DSCA request: Turkey (14 CH-47F)

Dec 3/09: UAE request. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces the United Arab Emirates official request to buy CH-47Fs and associated systems. The estimated cost is $2 billion, the prime contractor will be Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis, MO, and the DSCA release [PDF] adds an interesting note:

“The proposed sale will provide the United Arab Emirates the capability to transport equipment and troops in the region, as well as to support U.S. and NATO airlift requirements in Afghanistan.”[emphasis DID’s]

Though it is not discussed much, the UAE does have troops in Afghanistan, serving as part of ISAF. Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of 4 contractor representatives in the UAE for a period of 1 year, with an option for 2 additional years. During helicopter delivery, 1 additional U.S. government and 4 contractor representatives will be required for 1 week for quality assurance. Specific items requested include:

• 16 CH-47F Chinook helicopters
  
• 38 T55-GA-714A Turbine engines (32 quipped, 6 spares)
  
• 20 AN/APX-118 Identification Friend or Foe Transponders
  
• 20 AN/ARC-220 (RT-1749) Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) with Electronic counter-countermeasures
  
• 40 AN/ARC-231 (RT-1808A) Receiver / Transmitters
  
• 18 AN/APR-39A(V)1 Radar Signal Detecting Sets with Mission Data Sets
  
• Plus flight and radar signal simulators, support equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, site survey, construction and facilities, and U.S. Government and contractor support.

Note that a DSCA request is not a contract, which must be signed after the 30-day Congressional blocking period has expired. The UAE also has some additional challenges these days, owing to $60 billion dollar debt default issues in Dubai. The UAE’s central government in Abu Dhabi is limiting its willingness to guarantee that debt, however.

DSCA request: UAE (16 CH-47F)

Dec 3/09: Support. Boeing in Ridley Park, PA receives a $21 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for interim contract support Phase II. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/10. One bid was solicited with one bid received by U.S. Army Contracting Command’s Aviation & Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Nov 9/09: UK. Defense News reports that Britain is planning to cancel its Future Medium Helicopter competition, and order Boeing Chinooks instead. The proposed move is part of a Ministry of Defence helicopter strategy called “Vision 2020,” which still requires approval by government ministers.

Oct 28/09: Dutch. Luchtvaartnieuws reports [dead link, in Dutch] that the 6 initial Dutch CH-47Fs will be delayed to the end of 2010, due in part to software issues. They were originally scheduled to arrive by early 2010.

The practical consequence? If the Dutch decide not to stay in Afghanistan past 2011, their CH-47Fs may not be deployed there.

Oct 19/09: Sub-contractors. VT Group US, a unit of UK-based VT Group, announces a 5-year, $29.1 million contract to provide logistics analyses and support for the Army’s fleet of CH-47D/F Chinook cargo helicopters.

Under the terms of the contract, VT Group’s Technical Services Division will provide CH-47D/F logistics fleet management, sustainment, CH-47F product manager, foreign military sales, and sustainment support related to all CH-47 cargo helicopters in the Army’s fleet. This includes logistic support to be performed for the CH-47D/F programs, subsystems, product improvements, and the Army’s modernization plan for the CH-47s.

FY 2009

FY 2009 orders; Italian buy; Australian request.

Sept 24/09: Sub-contractors. Canadian landing gear specialist Heroux-Devtek Inc. in Longeuil, PQ signs a 4-year Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing. It makes them eligible to provide landing gear for all H-47F aircraft scheduled to be delivered to export customers over the firm’s FY 2012-2016 period. Héroux-Devtek may also be considered for an intellectual property license to service variants in the worldwide fleet of over 1,000 Chinook helicopters, and the firm is especially interested in that aftermarket services opportunity.

This MOU follows the Canadian government’s Aug 10/09 announcement to order 15 new “CH-147” Medium to Heavy Lift Helicopters, and supports Boeing’s Industrial & Regional Benefits commitment for the MHLH program. Heroux-Devtek release [PDF].

Sept 17/09: Turkey. Turkey is moving closer to a CH-47F contract, and its SSM procurement agency has reportedly added 4 Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR)/ Special Operations versions to its desired buy, raising the total to 14. Flight International reports that a letter of request has now been issued, and a contract signature is expected by mid-2010 via the USA’s Foreign Military Sales mechanism.

Sept 14/09: +6 MH-47G. A $17.8 million firm-fixed-price contract involving 6 MH-47G Recap, Lot 7 Recap Aircraft. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of May 30/10 (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

As the price might suggest, this is not the full remanufacturing cost. Boeing representatives confirmed that it will be used to refurbish rotor blades, transmissions, and other re-used parts as part of the overall remanufacturing process.

Aug 3/09: +5 CH-47F. A $108.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F multiyear contract option for 5 new-build CH-47s, as part of FY 2009/ Production lot 7. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid solicited with one bid received (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

July 1/09: Australia. Shephard Group reports that Australia may not place a contract order for new CH-47Fs until 2012, and doesn’t expect to field them before 2016-2018. In the interim, Australia hopes to issue maintenance support tenders for its 6 existing CH-47Ds.

The original acquisition plan, approved by the Liberal Party government, would have bought 3 new-build CH-47Fs, and remanufactured existing CH-47Ds to CH-47F configuration. The new Defence Capability Plan, issued this day, revises the timeline.

May 13/09: Italian order. Italy’s ARMAEREO procurement agency signs a EUR 900 million ($1.23 billion equivalent) contract to buy 16 CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters for the Italian Army, with an option for 4 more. Read “Italy Buying CH-47F Helicopters” for more details, and updates.

Italy: 16 CH-47Fs

April 23/09: Australia request. The USA’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] Australia’s official request to buy 7 CH-47F Chinook helicopters with 14 T55-GA-714A Turbine engines, 7 Dillon Aero M134D 7.62mm Miniguns, 16 AN/ARC-201D Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radios (SINCGARS), 7 Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below Blue Force Trackers (FBCB2/BFT), 2 spare T-55-GA-714A Turbine engines, plus mission equipment, communication and navigation equipment, ground support equipment, spare and repair parts, special tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, and support.

The estimated cost is $560 million, but a DSCA request is not a contract. See “Australia Ordering CH-47F Chinooks” for further details and updates.

DSCA request: Australia (7 CH-47F)

April 23/09: +7 CH-47F. A $142 million firm-fixed-price contract for 7 new-build CH-47Fs in FY 2009, adding helicopters to the existing multi-year contract (see Aug 27/08) under production Lot 7 (see Dec 24/08). Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited and one bid received.

Note that the 5-year contract includes options for up to 24 additional helicopters over its lifetime, in addition to agreed yearly production figures. This order brings Lot 7 production to 38 helicopters: 23 new-build CH-47Fs, and 15 remanufactured CH-47Fs (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

April 13/09: Boeing announces that a 4th U.S. Army unit has fielded the CH-47F Chinook: Company B of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Feb 26/09: Delivery. Boeing announces delivery of the first CH-47F Chinook manufactured under the 5-year U.S. Army contract awarded in August 2008. The helicopter will be assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, the 4th unit scheduled to be equipped under the Army’s ongoing Chinook modernization program.

1st MYP CH-47F

Dec 24/08: +31 CH-47F. A $620.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for 31 Lot 7 production CH-47Fs, built under the 2nd year of the multi-year contract announced on Aug 27/08. This FY 2008 / Year 2 order includes 16 new-build CH-47Fs, 15 remanufactured CH-47Fs, plus Lot 8 long lead time items.

These contracts also include integration of “government furnished equipment” like engines, electronics, and defensive systems, but the equipment itself is bought under separate contracts. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/13. One bid was solicited and one bid received by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-08-C-0098).

Dec 19/08: +6 MH-47G. A $114 million firm-fixed price contract for a modification that finalizes both long lead items for, and the procurement or remanufacture of, 6 Special Forces MH-47E aircraft to the MH-47G configuration.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA and Middletown, DE and is expected to be complete by May 30/11. One bid was solicited on May 8/08 by the Aviation Integration Directorate at Aviation and Missile Command, Fort Eustis, VA (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Dec 15/08: Support. A $12.7 million cost plus fixed price contract for CH-47F Interim Contractor Support. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/09. One bid was solicited and one bid was received (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Nov 18/08: Boeing announces that its CH-47F Chinook helicopter has been fielded by Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, TX. This is the 3rd U.S. Army unit to field the CH-47F since the aircraft was certified combat-ready in July 2007.

Nov 14/08: Sub-contractors. Eaton Corp. announces that it will receive new work from Boeing Company, as part of the CH-47F multi-year contract. Specific terms were not disclosed, but Eaton will supply a hydraulic system engine pump, motor pump and control box and the hydraulic control valves; fluid conveyance system hoses, tubes and fittings; lubrication system components and the helicopter’s engines health debris monitoring components.

FY 2008

USA’s Multi-Year Buy; Canadian buy; Italian partnership; CAAS cockpit ready; Sabotage.

CH-47F, Ft. Hood
(click to view full)

Aug 27/08: MYP-I. Boeing announces a 5-year, $4.3 billion U.S. Army contract for 181 CH-47F Chinooks, and 10 additional Chinooks under FY 2008 supplemental funding. There are also options in the award for an additional 24 helicopters over the course of the contract, which would bring the total to 215.

The DefenseLINK release describes an initial $722.7 million payment on the firm-fixed-price multiyear contract (W58RGZ-08-C-0098), which runs until Sept 30/13. It comprises 109 CH-47F new-build aircraft, 72 CH-47F remanufactured aircraft, and priced options for 34 CH-47F new build aircraft (10 FY08 + 24 options).

Boeing claims the multi-year award creates production security for the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Township, PA, and for its sub-contractors in over 45 states. They also claim a cost savings of more than $449 million for the U.S. Army. To date, Boeing has delivered 48 CH-47F helicopters to the U.S. Army, training and equipping two units, with a 3rd unit scheduled to stand up in August 2008. The helicopters are currently undergoing its first deployment to Iraq. Boeing release.

MYP Contract

July 16/08: Italian partnership. Boeing and Finmeccanica SpA subsidiary AgustaWestland sign an agreement that defines the terms for the joint manufacture of new CH-47F Chinook helicopters to replace earlier models used by the Italian Army. Orders are expected to follow, and not just from Italy. The agreement also includes a licensing arrangement that lets AgustaWestland to market, sell and produce the Boeing CH-47F Chinook to the United Kingdom, other European countries, and “several countries in the Mediterranean region.”

AgustaWestland has been Boeing’s European partner for other versions of the CH-47, and this new agreement continues and extends that relationship. As prime contractor for the Italian CH-47F, AgustaWestland will be responsible for design and systems integration, and for aircraft delivery to the Italian Army. Boeing Rotorcraft Systems will build the fuselage in Ridley Park, PA. Boeing release | AgustaWestland release.

Italian partnership

May 13/08: Sabotage. During QA inspections, a pair of newly assembled Chinook helicopters at the Boeing plant south of Philadelphia are found to have severed wires in them, and a propeller part (washer) where one didn’t belong. The incident was subsequently determined to be deliberate sabotage, and the production line was closed for 2 days. Digital Journal, “Two Chinook Helicopters Sabotaged At Boeing Plant” | Boeing release May 15 | Philly.com, “Probe at Boeing plant shoddy workmanship or sabotage”.

Sabotage

May 6/08: Engines. Honeywell International of Phoenix, AZ received a maximum $48.9 million, Firm-Fixed price Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Engine and Maintenance Support for the T55-GA-714A Engines and Components used on the MH-47G Helicopters. Work will primarily be performed at Greer, SC and is expected to be completed by Dec 31/12. This contract was awarded as a sole source, to the firm that makes the engines (H92241-08-D-0006).

April 7/08: Canada contract. Canada’s Ministry of Public Works and Government Services announces a March 2008 sole-source RFP to Boeing for 16 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, plus 20 years of associated in-service support (ISS), with an extension option for the life expectancy of the aircraft.

These helicopters use CH-47Fs as their base, but include so many modifications that they’re almost a different helicopter. That ends up costing the Canadians. See the June 28/06 entry for details, and read “On The Verge: Canada’s $4.7B Program for Medium-Heavy Transport Helicopters” for full coverage. Canada is also looking to buy 6 CH-47D helicopters for delivery before February 2009. They end up being used in Afghanistan in order to meet Parliament’s requirements for continuing the mission, and could be upgraded after the CH-47Fs arrive.

Canada: 16 “CH-147”

Feb 1/08: FY 2008. A “large firm-fixed price contract [for 10] CH-47F new build production helicopters” is announced on DefenseLINK. DID is later able to confirm the figure: $280.5 million. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/12. One bid was solicited on Dec 31/03, and 1 bid was received by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-04-C-0012).

A Feb 27/08 Boeing release corrects the number 11 helicopters, and adds that this award brings the number of new CH-47F Chinooks on contract to 59. Aircraft deliveries under this award will begin in 2011.

11 CH-47Fs

Oct 8/07: CAAS. Rockwell Collins announces that its Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) in the Boeing CH-47F cockpit has been declared operationally ready for deployment by the U.S. Army. The CAAS upgrades/suites were delivered on time, and on budget.

Initially developed for US Special Operations Forces’ MH-47 and MH-60 helicopter fleets, Rockwell Collins’ CAAS solution was subsequently incorporated into the UH-60M, MH-60T, VH-60N Presidential helicopter, ARH-70A, and the CH-53E and CH-53K.

CH-47F CAAS ready

FY 2006 – 2007

US orders; 1st production rollout; CH-47F declared combat-ready; HH-47’s CSAR-X crash begins; Europe’s notional HLR; Requests & plans in Canada, Italy, Netherlands.

CH-47F, Ft. Irwin
(click to view full)

Sept 14/07: +1. A $25.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract (W58RGZ-04-C-0012) for a CH-47F New Build Production Helicopter. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA and is expected to be complete by Dec 31/12. This was a sole source contract initiated on Dec 31/03 by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL.

1 CH-47F

Sept 4/07: Europe. Defense Aerospace reports that the Franco-Germany Heavy Lift Helicopter (HTL/FTH) program may not involve full development of a new design, and says that 3 helicopters are being evaluated in the initial phase: the Boeing CH-47F Chinook, the Sikorsky CH-53K project, and Mil’s Mi-26T. See DID’s in-depth coverage of this program, its emerging requirements, and the contenders. That “growth version” of the CH-47F would appear to be necessary if Boeing wants to be a serious competitor.

Aug 17/07: Jane’s International Defence Review reports that: “Boeing is looking to enhance the workhorse helicopter to improve range and payload. Director of Boeing H-47 programmes Jack Dougherty said in a presentation to reporters at Fort Campbell that the company continues to fund research into the possibility of a “growth Chinook” beyond the CH-47F.”

Aug 14/07: Combat-ready. The CH-47F Chinook helicopter has been certified combat-ready by the U.S. Army and 13 have been fielded to the first operational unit: the 101st Airborne Division’s Bravo Company (“Varsity”), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Ft. Campbell, KY. Boeing release.

Combat ready

July 16/07: Boeing announces U.S. Army authorization for full-rate production and fielding of the new CH-47F Chinook helicopter, following operational testing at Fort Campbell, KY, in April 2007. Boeing will now move forward with First Unit Fielding in July 2007. Boeing release.

FRP

July 8/07: CH-47F new. A $76.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F new build production helicopters. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2012. This was a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 31, 2003 (W58RGZ-04-C-0012).

CH-47F new-build

July 5/07: MH-47G. Boeing Co. in Ridley Park, PA receives a delivery order amount of $52.7 million as part of a $147.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for remanufacture of H-47 aircraft to the MH-47G configuration.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA (98.3%), and Middletown, DE (1.7%), and is expected to be complete by Aug. 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on June 28, 2006 by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Fort Eustis, VA (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

July 5/07: MH-47G. Boeing Co. in Ridley Park, PA receives a delivery order amount of $6.5 million as part of a $112.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for remanufacture of H-47 Aircraft to the MH-47G configuration, and an option for additional aircraft.

Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA (98.3%), and Middletown, DE (1.7%), and is expected to be complete by May 31, 2010. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 11, 2007 by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Fort Eustis, VA (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

MH-47G rebuilds

June 18/07: Testing. Boeing announces that the CH-47F Chinook helicopter has successfully completed U.S. Army operational testing at Ft. Campbell, KY. Testing was completed ahead of schedule by Bravo Company (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); the tests simulated numerous mission scenarios, including air assault, combat re-supply and transport operations, over more than 60 flight test hours. Boeing release.

CH-47F testing done

April 5/07: Italy. Boeing Corp. says it expects that Italy will buy 16-20 CH-47Fs, through a joint production agreement with Italian conglomerate Finmecccanica SpA. The deal has reportedly been in the works for a while, and Boeing said it expects the orders around 2008-2009.

Boeing spokesman Joseph LaMarca says that the expected Italian purchase will be a direct commercial sale, with AgustaWestland as the prime contractor and Boeing as the lead subcontractor. In 2006, the 2 companies signed a new memorandum of understanding that lays out an industrial agreement for further Italian Chinook production. World Aeronautical Press Agency.

March 3/07: MH-47G. A delivery order amount of $48.2 million as part of a $69.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for long lead items used to remanufacture Chinooks to the MH-47G US Special Forces configuration. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA (98.3%), and Middletown, DE (1.7%), and is expected to be complete by Aug. 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jun. 28, 2006 by the U.S. Army Aviation Integration Directorate in Fort Eustis, VA (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Feb 27/06: CSAR-X hits turbulence, eventually crashes. The US Government Accountability Office upholds protests by Sikorsky & Lockheed Martin. It orders the USAF to re-bid the CSAR-X contract, and cancel Boeing’s HH-47 contract if another firm is deemed to have the better bid. This kicks off an acrimonious process featuring revisions to the RFP, public criticism by the contractors involved, and a second round of protests. It eventually leads to Air Force cancellation of the entire CSAR-X program.

CSAR-X begins its crash

Feb 19/07: Testing. The first production CH-47F has moved into Operational Testing at Ft. Campbell, KY after completing acceptance and developmental flight testing in December 2006. This phase, which ends in April 2007, includes more than 60 flight test hours that simulate a wide range of mission scenarios. Flight tests will be conducted by Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Boeing release.

Dec 22/06: CH-47F rebuilds. The full delivery order amount of $650.3 million is received as part of a firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F remanufacture. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 28, 2005 (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

Dec 22/06: New CH-47Fs. A $406.4 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for the CH-47F new build helicopters. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2012. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 28, 2005 (W58RGZ-04-C-0012).

Dec 22/06 – Boeing addendum: A Jan 3/06 press release from Boeing puts the total value of these contracts at $1.5 billion, and describes the order as production contracts for 16 new-build CH-47Fs and 9 remanufactured CH-47Fs valued at $624 million, plus options for 22 additional new-build CH-47Fs and 19 remanufactured CH-47Fs valued at more than $920 million. Presumably, the $406.4 million announcement represents the 19 remanufactured aircraft, with an $515 million option still outstanding for the 22 new-build CH-47Fs. Aircraft deliveries will begin in early 2008.

25 CH-47Fs, options for 41

Nov 9/06: CSAR-X. Boeing announces that it has won the $10 billion CSAR-X combat search-and-rescue competition with its HH-47 variant. The contract calls for 145 aircraft: 4 test platforms, and 141 production helicopters. It’s eventually canceled. See DID’s FOCUS Article.

CSAR-X “win”

Nov 7/06: New CH-47Fs. A $163.3 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for CH-47F New Build Production Helicopters. Based on past order totals and contract values, this will buy the US Army about 8 CH-47Fs.

Work will be performed in Philadelphia, PA, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 29, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 31, 2003 (W58RGZ-04-C-0012).

First flight
(click to view full)

Oct 23/06: The first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter successfully completes its first flight from the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Park, PA.

1st CH-47F flight

Sept 27/06: Dutch request. US DSCA notifies Congress of the Netherlands’ request for up to 9 new CH-47F helicopters along with 18 of Honeywell’s T55-L-714A turbine engines and 18 Common Architecture Avionics System (CAAS) cockpits. The latter set will be used as spares, and will also help upgrade 11 of its existing CH-47D Chinook Cargo Helicopters to CH-47F configuration. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $652 million, and principal contractors in this sale will also include Honeywell, Incorporated of Phoenix, AZ.

In February 2007, a contract is issued for only 6 new-build CH-47F (NL) helicopters, without the CAAS cockpits. DID details the new helicopters, and explains what’s going on.

Dutch request 9, buy 6

June 28/06: Canada. Canada announces an estimated $4.7 billion project to acquire a fleet of 16 medium-to heavy-lift helicopters. The announcement is made as an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN), which permits the Government to identify an intended contract award winner (in this case, the Boeing CH-47F Chinook) and then buy that choice unless an offer deemed to be better is received from industry within 30 days. See complete DID coverage in “On The Verge: Canada’s $4.7B Program for Medium-Heavy Transport Helicopters“, including the links to the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, and some potential timing issues for the CH-47F.

June 15/06: The first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter is unveiled to the U.S. Army during a rollout ceremony in Ridley Park, PA. See Boeing release.

CH-47F rollout

April 18/06: A $7.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for long lead parts for the CH-47 Helicopter. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, PA and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on April 1, 2005 (W58RGZ-04-C-0012).

Awards under contract # W58RGZ-04-C-0012 have also included:

• Feb 16/06: $24.4M for undefined new-build CH-47F
  
• Aug 30/05: $53.4M for 2 new-build CH-47F
  
• May 10/05: 186.2M for undefined new-build CH-47F
  
• Dec 23/04: $243.0M for 10 new-build CH-47F
  
• Dec 05/03: $151.5M for 7 new-build CH-47F

See Appendix A for more details.

Appendix A: Reconciling Previous Contracts and Numbers

Helping hand
(click to view full)

The problem DID ran into was difficulty reconciling announced contracts with corporate releases and also getting a firmer set of numbers, in order to get a more complete picture. A January 12, 2005 Boeing press release, for instance, noted that Boeing had signed a $549 million contract on Dec. 21, 2004 with the U.S. Army for 17 new-build CH-47F Chinook helicopters. This included seven aircraft authorized in December 2003 as part of the FY ’03 supplemental defense appropriation bill, and 10 aircraft approved in the current fiscal year defense budget (which ended Oct 2005, by which point the contract announcements had risen to $634.1M).

Fortunately, Boeing CH-47 Program Manager Ken Eland bails us out with an excellent explanation. Photos and links added…

“Chinook contract history is complex, because it involves both undefinitized contract actions (UCAs), which you may consider initial contract agreements, that lay out approximate monetary values for statements of work, and the full contract awards, subject to a large number of terms and conditions that specify in very minute detail costs for each step we undertake in the production process, starting with procurement of components and systems.

On December 5, 2003, Boeing and the Army agreed on an undefinitized contract action for $151.5 million to cover initial costs for development and production of seven new-build CH-47Fs. The funding for this action came from a supplemental appropriation. The purpose of the UCA was to energize the program quickly, given the availability of funds. The appropriation was not the final contract value, but an authorization value for the contract we would sign the following year.

CH-47F
(click to view full)

We signed the full contract in December of 2004, with a definitized value of $306.4 million.

We also signed a contract in December of 2004 for $243 million for ten new-build CH-47Fs. We had, in other words, booked 17 brand new CH-47Fs to add to the Army’s existing Chinook fleet, all of which we are modernizing under the Cargo Helicopter Modernization Program that we initiated in 2003, with first deliveries for Production Lot 1 in 2004. That program is slated to continue until about 2019 under the current production and delivery schedule. The 17 new CH-47Fs are the first installment of 55 currently authorized to increase the Army’s Chinook fleet.

To effectuate this change, we modified the previous definitized contract, increasing its value to $549 million ($243 million + $306.4 million).

On May 10, 2005, we agreed to a contract action for $186.2 million for “Renew” CH-47Fs. These aircraft are inducted CH-47Ds that are remanufactured into CH-47Fs. We have termed these aircraft with new fuselages “Renew” rather than remanufactured, to distinguish from those with modernized rather than new fuselages. Production Lot 3 involves 8 CH-47Fs, all of which will utilize new structures. All aircraft in Production Lots 1 and 2 used reconditioned fuselages, and were MH-47G Special Operation Chinooks, except the first one, a CH-47F.

In August 2005, we also added $53.4 million in another undefinitized contract agreement for two more CH-47Fs. This amount was a not-to-exceed (NTE) value, and we later definitized the actual value at $48.6 million for two new CH-47Fs. A modification was also included for additional configuration items to the CH-47F baseline valued at $19M. This increased the value of the New Build contract to $616.6M ($549M + $48.6M + $19M)

We also were awarded a $298.1 million contract for the Cargo Helicopter Modernization Program for Production Lot 4, consisting of 15 renewed CH-47Fs. This amount will cover recapitalization of aircraft systems and any over and above costs we incur for unplanned modernization work that may occur due to the condition of the inducted aircraft.

This month, February 2006, we added another $24.4 million contract for one additional new-build CH-47F.

So, our current contract status is as follows:

• We have a contract in place for 20 new build CH-47Fs with a total value of $640 million that also includes nonrecurring costs associated with development. ($549 million + $48.6 million + $19M + $24.4 million, rounded to take into account other minor contract modifications).

• Our Cargo Helicopter Modernization Program involves renewed CH-47Fs for Production Lots #3 (8 aircraft) and #4 (15 aircraft) totaling 23 aircraft with a contract value of $484 million.

• Lots 1 and 2 already have been delivered. As noted, all except one CH-47F, the initial delivery in Lot 1, have been MH-47G Special Operations Chinooks. FYI, we delivered 22 G models in those two lots.

• Deliveries of the 17 new-build [DID: CH-47F] Chinooks will begin in September 2006 and continue through the end of 2008.”

N.B. The contracts for Lot 1 and Lot 2 related to CH-47F model are not included in this article. The values discussed here only reflected models starting with Lot 3, and the initial New Build contract.

Additional Readings Background: Helicopters

• Boeing – CH-47D/F Chinook.

• Boeing, via WayBack – MH-47E/G Special Operations Chinook.

• Army Technology – CH-47D/MH-47E Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopter, USA.

• The Helicopter Page, via WayBack – How Helicopters Work. Actually, all about the H-47 Chinook and how tandem-rotor helicopters work. Very enlightening. Especially the story at the end.

• Chinook Helicopters and Company H, 4th Battalion, 7th Aviation Regiment: “CH-47 Chinook Helicopter News and History”, via WayBack – Chinook-Helicopter.com. Excellent site for all things related to the CH-47, with an especially impressive set of pages, photos, etc. covering actual operations.

National CH-47F Family Variants

• DID – Australia Ordering CH-47F Chinooks. They avoided the extra costs and delays the Canadian and Dutch faced, by buying standard American configuration. Major procurement reform reports like the Kinnaird Review have consistently recommended that sort of approach.

• DID – Britain Ordering More Chinooks. Their “CH-47 Mk.6” sure sounds a lot like the CH-47F, with some changes.

• DID – On The Verge: Canada’s $4B+ Program for Medium-Heavy Transport Helicopters. Covers Canada’s CH-147s, which are a unique configuration. That really drove up costs.

• DID – Chinooks for the Dutch: The CH-47F (NL) Heavy-Lift Helicopter. Not the same configuration as the US model.

• DID – Italy Buying CH-47F Helicopters. Known as “ICH-47Fs” there. The prime contractor is AgustaWestland, who will complete final assembly and has a license to sell and produce the CH-47F for Britain, other European countries, and “several countries in the Mediterranean region.” That extends similar arrangements with previous CH-47 models.

News & Views

• Boeing Features (Aug 19/13) – Making a ‘cool’ Chinook. Deals with the COOLS convertible cargo floor, includes a video.

• Rotorhub (Oct 23/12) – AUSA 2012: Boeing preparing for next steps on Chinook roadmap.

• Flight International, via WayBack (April 1/08) – New Chinook models extend heavylift helicopter’s life.

Merlin & HMS Sutherland
(click to view full)

As part of Britain’s fiscal rebalancing, The Royal Navy is set to inherent the RAF’s Merlin HC3/3A medium-heavy battlefield helicopter fleet, while simultaneously upgrading its existing set of Merlin HM Mk1s. The entire effort approaches $3 billion for a final total of 55 refurbished helicopters, and these refurbishments will be carried out as part of the AW101 fleet’s long-term maintenance plan.

The navy’s existing fleet is being progressively upgraded and returned to service, adding a range of technological improvements to the helicopter’s avionics, control systems, sensors, and radar. The Royal Navy received 44 EH101 Merlin HM1s between 1998-2002 for training, surface attack and anti-submarine warfare duties, and has since lost 2 in accidents. The remaining 42 helicopters are now expected to remain in service until 2029, though only 30-38 will be upgraded. Another 28 EH101 Merlin HC3/ HC3A medium support helicopters currently serve with the UK Royal Air Force, and they will join the Navy to succeed the Sea King Mk.4 Commandos as the Royal Marines’ battlefield helicopters.

The Navy’s Merlins: Support and Upgrades

Team Lockheed’s Role: Merlin Mk.2

Merlin Mk2
(click to view video)

EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 helicopters will undergo GBP 1.15 billion ($2.04 billion at milestone conversion) in upgrades from original manufacturer AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin UK. Originally built in the 1990s as an anti-submarine and search-and-rescue aircraft, the Merlin has taken on an increasingly wide range of roles. This extensive upgrade program is designed to give the Royal Navy upgrades in current capabilities, far greater operational flexibility, and reduced lifetime maintenance costs.

The Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) program will target 30 helicopters, with an option for a further 8. They will be progressively upgraded to Mk.2 status from 2010 at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil, UK facility, with Full Rate Production slated to begin in 2012. The new AW101 Merlin Mk2 helicopters began delivery in July 2013, with Full Operational Capability scheduled for 2014.

Merlin Mk.2s
(click to view full)

Lockheed Martin UK is the lead integrator for MSCP, and it received a GBP 750 million contract to help implement an open systems electronics architecture in the helicopters; improve the mission systems processing capabilities; add new capabilities for the Merlin’s Blue Kestrel Radar and Sonar system; broaden datalinks; and upgrade the aircrew console and avionics, including large flat panel touch screens. On a tactical level, these improvements will enable 40 times the number of targets to be tracked compared to the Merlin Mk.1, improve submarine detection in shallow water, and enhance night operations.

While improved capabilities will flow from these upgrades, the primary goal is to resolve electronics obsolescence issues in the current Mk1 variant, and reduce through life support and operating costs. The UK already has an IMOS through-life support contract with AgustaWestland, but a different structure for the support contract will not, by itself, solve problems with the underlying technology.

Overall, this Mk.2 Merlin technology upgrade is expected to reduce pilot workload, cost of ownership, maintenance and weight while giving improved survivability, safety, aircraft handling and agility.

Lockheed’s team includes AEI, BAE, CAE, Selex, Smiths, Thales, and QinetiQ. The firm estimates that this order creates or secures around 1,400 jobs across the UK’s defense industry.

AgustaWestland: The Merlin Mk.4 Commando

Sea King Mk.4
(click to view full)

The RAFs 28 Merlin HC3 battlefield helicopters are also due for conversion, in order to replace existing Sea King Commando Mk.4 helicopters used by the Royal Marines. Around 25 AW101s are likely to be updated to the Merlin Mk.4 configuration, which will include the same cockpit modernizations and obsolescence/ minor redesigns for the Mk.2, plus standard naval changes like a folding rotor head, strengthened landing gear, deck lashing points, and a fast roping point for the Royal Marines.

The contract wasn’t issued until early 2014, and the Sea Kings are all expected to retire in 2016. The 1st fully-converted Mk.4s won’t even be available for trials until Sept 2017, and IOC won’t take place until 2018.

To bridge that gap, an initial 7 Army Merlins will receive only the folding rotor head that’s required for shipboard use. These Merlin Mk.3i will serve as an interim bridge before the arrival of the full Mk.4 conversions.

AgustaWestland: The HEAT Is On

AgustaWestland EH101
(click to view full)

An independent but closely related GBP 400 million contract was issued to AgustaWestland, who will design, produce and integrate the new avionics suite. The most visible feature will be the new cockpit primary flight displays, incorporating touch screen technology to deliver increased crew efficiency. An updated communication and navigation system will be a less visible but equally important set of changes.

The changes are an opportunity to incorporate more of an Open Systems Architecture (OSA) into the helicopter, using standard electronics components to make adaption faster and easier, instead of requiring expensive and time-consuming efforts to design proprietary circuits.

Mechanically, the MCSP program will also see AgustaWestland introduce its Helicopter Electro Actuation Technology (HEAT) onto the EH101 Merlin HM Mk1. HEAT introduces a cutting edge 3rd generation fly by wire system that uses electrical actuators to provide the control inputs to the helicopter’s rotor systems, instead of using hydraulic units. Unlike other fly-by-wire systems developed for helicopters, the AgustaWestland HEAT system uses electro-actuation for both the main and tail rotors. The brushless electric motor actuators incorporate quadruplex 4-lane architecture with fail technology, allowing the system to function safely even after failure of 2 of the systems. The electrical actuators are maintenance-free and, unlike mechanical systems, do not require the same rigging checks to be made post maintenance.

In naval operations, these systems will allow flights in poorer weather than was previously possible, while the improved handling gives the helicopter more agility and better handling in nap-of-the-earth flights.

The HEAT system’s components underwent extensive testing in 2005 that covered system performance, durability, vibration, environmental, high-intensity radiated fields and lightning strike protection. Results were positive.

Britain’s Bottom Line(s)

Britain’s government actually has 2 bottom lines here. One is cost. Another is industrial.

The UK MoD expects AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin’s upgrades to deliver cost reductions of around GBP 575 million by removing obsolete, hard to buy parts, and lower support costs. The project will “enable the cost-effective management of obsolescence on an aircraft which has components and design features that are becoming difficult to support…”

These deals also reflect the objectives of the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy white paper, which seeks to safeguard national capabilities across strategically important industry sectors – including rotorcraft manufacturing and support.

Merlin IOS and associated programs are part of that drive. AgustaWestland’s managing director of military programmes, Alan Johnston, has noted that:

“The EH101 is the first helicopter in the world to utilise this advanced technology [HEAT] which will bring significant operational and cost benefits to customers. We are pleased that, by adopting the partnering principles being developed between AgustaWestland and the UK MoD, we will be able to introduce this important technology into the EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 fleet”

As Mr. Johnson alluded, The HEAT programme is being funded through an innovative contracting strategy which builds on the partnered principles outlined in the UK’s recent Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) Draft. AgustaWestland will offset the HEAT system production costs against future cost of ownership savings that in future Merlin support contracts.

EH101 Cockpit
(click to view full)

Just as politics has 2 bottom lines, so does the military. The difference is that instead of overall costs and industrial considerations, the military confronts the twin lines of overall costs and available capability.

Unfortunately, the Merlin has been problematic for the military’s 2nd bottom line. British Merlins have displayed low readiness rates, and this has been consistent over a number of years.

New technologies may help there. On the other hand, the 2006 announcements offered no indication of whether the planned modifications would address the structural issues that have already led to the loss of one British Merlin, or the issues that led Canada to ground its CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue fleet for several months. As DID’s coverage of the USA’s CSAR-X competition noted:

“Canada has grounded its EH101/CH-149 Cormorant search-and-rescue fleet due to persistent cracks in the tail rotor hub (cracks believed to have caused the crash of a British EH101 Merlin as well), and reassigned smaller “twin Huey” Bell 412/ CH-146 Griffon helicopters to that role. The Canadians are also experiencing EH101 maintenance requirements and costs about 200% higher than originally forecast.”

Contracts & Key Events

1st deliveries

Although the AW101 is an AgustaWestland product, Lockheed Martin UK was awarded the original Merlin Mk1 contract for the 44 Navy ASW/ASuW helicopters in 1991, with AgustaWestland acting as sub-prime. That structure has remained consistent for the Merlins, and Lockheed Martin UK is also one of AgustaWestland’s strategic partners providing support and training services under the IMOS through-life maintenance program. In practice, MCSP and IMOS are linked, because through-life maintenance milestones are the Navy’s preferred time to install capability upgrades.

May 28/18: Royal Navy receives HC4 The UK has taken delivery of the first of an eventual 25 AW101 Merlin HC4 helicopters. The delivery is part of the Royal Navy’s effort to modernize its fleet of transport helicopters. The entire effort approaches $3 billion for a final total of 55 refurbished helicopters, and these refurbishments will be carried out as part of the AW101 fleet’s long-term maintenance plan. After being upgraded and marinized under a $517 million contract, the Merlin HC4 heavy-lift transport helicopter will be operated by the RN’s Commando Helicopter Force. The Merlin HC4s replace the fleet of existing Sea King Commando Mk.4 helicopters, their updated configuration includes the same cockpit modernizations and redesigns as for the Mk.2, plus standard naval changes like a folding rotor head, strengthened landing gear, deck lashing points, and a fast roping point for the Royal Marines. The next milestone for the Merlin HC4 will be embarkation aboard the RN’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

October 20/15: The Royal Navy has received the first of seven AgustaWestland HC3 Merlin helicopters, forming the first tranche of 25 helicopters as part of the Merlin Capability Sustainment Program. With the seven helicopters expected to reach initial operating capability next spring, they will replace Sea King HC4s from March.

September 16/15: The Royal Navy’s fleet of Mk2 Merlin anti-submarine helicopters has achieved Full Operating Capability (FOC), with 24 of 30 helicopters now delivered. A part of the $1.2 billion Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme, the upgrading of the 30 helicopters follows a GBP750 million contract with prime contractor Lockheed Martin, with the first five helicopters delivered back in July 2013 after work began in 2010.

Merlin HC3
(click to view full)

Oct 1/14: All Navy. RAF Benson in Oxfordshire hosts the official ceremony that transfers the British Army’s 2 Support Helicopter Force squadrons to the Naval Commando Helicopter Force.

RAF 78 Squadron is disbanded at the ceremony, and 846 Naval Air Squadron stands up. It will remain at RAF Benson until Spring 2015, when the helicopters will finish their transfer to Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset. RAF 28 (Army Cooperation) Squadron will remain in its current role for a little while, in order to ensure that enough helicopters are in place while the Army’s CH-47 Chinooks and AS332 Pumas are upgraded, RAF 28 squadron will formally disband later in 2015, and stand up as 845 Naval Air Squadron before it also moves to Yeovilton. Sources: RAF, “Royal Air Force Hand Over Merlin To Royal Navy”.

Full handover to Navy

July 14/14: Mk2. UK Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne announces that the Merlin Mk.2 has already entered service with the Royal Navy, 4 months ahead of the original schedule. Sources: UK MoD, “Navy’s sub-hunting helicopters enter service early”.

Jan 28/14: Mk4/4i. The Navy’s long-expected “Mk.4” upgrade (q.v. Jan 18/11) to the Army’s transferred Merlin HC3 helicopters is signed as the GBP 330 million (about $545 million) Merlin Life Sustainment Programme, which is a lot less expensive that the GBP 454 million originally reported by Aviation Week. MLSP will modify the helicopters, but they will remain within the AW101 fleet’s IMOS support framework.

The Navy will take command of the RAF’s Merlin HC3 fleet late in 2014, and both RAF squadrons will formally disband in mid-2015. The Mk4 Phase 1 program to add folding rotors and make basic changes to 7 interim (Mk.4i) helicopters will start immediately, for delivery during 2015-2016. The Sea Kings will retire in 2016, but the full Mk4 Phase 2 helicopters won’t really be ready until 2018. Sources: UK MoD, “Helicopter investment secures 1,000 UK jobs” | AgustaWestland, “AgustaWestland Awarded UK MoD Merlin Life Sustainment Programme and Apache Integrated Operational Support Contracts Valued at £760 Million” | Aviation Week, “U.K. To Spend £454M On Merlin Modernization Program”.

Mk.4/4i conversion contract

July 24/13: Mk2 Handover. The first 5 of 30 planned Merlin Mk.2 helicopters are handed over to the Royal Navy’s 824 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose, in Southwest England. Deployment is expected in summer 2014, and all deliveries are expected to finish in 2015. Royal Navy | AgustaWestland.

April 11/11: Thales announces a renewed contract with Lockheed Martin UK for the next phase of IMOS, from 2011-2016. The undisclosed contract continues the availability-based support package for the Merlin Mk1 and Mk2’s acoustic sub-system: the popular, multi-platform Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters (FLASH) Active Dipping Sonar, and the parallel sonics sub-system for sonobuoy processing.

Thales will support the fleet by providing service management, supply support, technical support and equipment performance analysis. The will also replace the sonobuoy-related sonics sub-system with a phased introduction of a new Thales acoustic sub-system, including a new common acoustic processor incorporating the latest processing technology. That work will be done under the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme.

Merlin IMOS, Phase 2

Jan 18/11: Aviation Week reports that in parallel with the Navy’s Merlin Mk.2 program, the UK MoD is planning for upgrades to the RAF’s 28 HC3 and HC3A variants in 4-6 years. Those “Mk.3” plans seem to involve moving them into the Navy, including the addition of the naval version’s folding rotors and tail, tie-downs, and the Mk.2’s cockpit avionics upgrade. The RAF is still fighting to retain the machines, operating them from land or off of ships as needed.

The article adds that full-rate Mk.2 upgrades are slated to start in 2011, reaching up to 10 rotorcraft at one time, with a 9 month modification cycle for each machine. While full-rate production would begin in early 2012, therefore, the 1st production delivery would come near year end.

Although the main focus is life extension, capability upgrades also are being introduced, including new radar modes (such as inverse aperture radar) and improved acoustic processing.

Oct 25/10: Lockheed Martin UK – Integrated Systems and AgustaWestland announce that MCSP01, the first upgraded Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopter, has performed a successful maiden flight at the AgustaWestland facility in Yeovil, UK. It marks the start of an intensive MCSP flight-test program.

Four trials aircraft will be dedicated to test and evaluation of the new aircraft, avionics and mission systems at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil site through to late 2011. The helicopters will then transfer to QinetiQ at Boscombe Down to perform further mission system performance evaluation, and Release to Service trials. Aircraft conversion will be undertaken at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility, with full rate production in early 2012. The Merlin Mk2 is scheduled to enter service in 2013, and achieve Full Operational Capability in 2014. Lockheed Martin UK.

Mk.2 first flight

March 6/06: British Merlin fleet’s IMOS through-life support contract announced. See “AgustaWestland Lands GBP 450M Through-Life Support Contract for UK EH101s” for more.

Merlin IMOS support contract

Jan 12/06: The UK MoD announces the Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) program, with Lockheed Martin as the lead firm. It involves GBP 1.15 billion in upgrades from original manufacturer AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin UK. The program will target 30 helicopters, with an option for a further 8. They will be progressively upgraded to Mk.2 status from 2010 at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil, UK facility, with Full Rate Production slated to begin in 2012. UK MoD | Defense-Aerospace.com (Jan 13/06) – Lockheed UK & AgustaWestland corporate releases

MSCP upgrade contract

Additional Readings & Sources

Note that the helicopters’ original designation was “EH101”. This was shifted to “AW101” in 2007, but the UK has always used designations of “Merlin xxxx”. Future naval designations will be Merlin Mk2 for the naval version, and Merlin Mk4/4A for the Royal Marine Commando version.

Background: Helicopters

• DID – AgustaWestland’s Through-Life Support for UK Merlin Helis. IMOS.

• AgustaWestland – AW101.

• Royal Air Force – Merlin HC3. The HC3As are 6 former Danish helicopters; Britain did a deal with Denmark to buy the 6, in exchange for 6 later AW101 production slots. In exchange for not having those AW101s for a few years, Denmark gets newer helicopters to replace them, plus money.

• Army Technology – AW101 (EH101) Transport Helicopter, Italy / UK.

• Royal Navy – Merlin ASW.

• Lockheed Martin UK – Merlin HM MK1 (Merlin).

• Naval Technology – Merlin ASW / Transport Helicopter, United Kingdom.

• Royal Navy – Sea King Mk4.

News & Views

• Defense News (Nov 20/13) – AgustaWestland Poised to Win Helo Conversion, Sustainment Work.

• Royal Navy (Sept 12/13) – Future commando helicopters join Royal Marines in the field for the first time. Former Army Merlin HC 3s.

• Aviation Week (Jan 14/11) – Merlin’s New Look. Discusses the 30 Merlin Mk2s.

• AgustaWestland (Dec 1/06) – AgustaWestland launches HEAT programme for EH101.

Heute Montag beginnt in Bern die Sommersession. National- und Ständerat haben ein hartes Stück Arbeit vor sich. Es warten brisante Dossiers und Debatten mit politischem Zündstoff.

Besonders die erste Sessionswoche hat es in sich. Der Nationalrat eröffnet mit einer Diskussion darüber, wie viel die Parlamentarier über ihre Tätigkeiten und Mandate preisgeben müssen. Anschliessend steht eine von der Aussenpolitischen Kommission verfasste Erklärung zum Krieg in Syrien zur Debatte. Zum Mittel der Erklärung hatte der Nationalrat zuletzt 2013 im Steuerstreit mit den USA gegriffen.

Am Dienstag geht es um eine Lockerung der Bedingungen für die Rückerstattung der Verrechnungssteuer. Für den Bund wäre das mit tieferen Einnahmen verbunden. Am Mittwoch steht im Nationalrat die Selbstbestimmungsinitiative auf dem Programm. Mit dieser will die SVP dem Schweizer Verfassungsrecht Vorrang vor Völkerrecht einräumen. Der Nationalrat muss entscheiden, ob er dazu einen Gegenvorschlag vorlegen will.

Am gleichen Tag geht es um die Übernahme des EU-Waffenrechts. Der Bundesrat hat sich bei der Umsetzung bereits viele Freiheiten genommen. Die vorberatende Kommission verlangt nun jedoch Anpassungen, die schwerlich mit der EU-Richtlinie vereinbar sind.

Zum Abschluss der ersten Woche geht es im Nationalrat um die Zersiedelungs-Initiative der Jungen Grünen und um die Staatsrechnung 2017. Diese hat wegen umstrittener Rückstellungen und Fehlbuchungen für Diskussionen gesorgt.

Zündstoff gibt es in der ersten Sessionswoche auch im Ständerat. Am Montag geht es um die Lockerung der harten Strafen bei Raserdelikten und um Medienvielfalt. Am Dienstag diskutiert die kleine Kammer erneut über Lohngleichheit. In einer ersten Runde hatte sie die Vorschläge abgelehnt. Die Kommission beharrt jedoch darauf.

Am Mittwoch befasst sich der Ständerat zum zweiten Mal mit der Reform der Ergänzungsleistungen. Weil der Nationalrat in erster Linie sparen will, zeichnet sich ein längeres Seilziehen ab. Über die neuen Regeln für Gentests bei Menschen dürften sich die Räte hingegen rasch einig werden. Die Woche schliesst der Ständerat mit einer Diskussion über das Rüstungsprogramm und den Sinn von Schutzwesten für die ganze Truppe ab.

Zu Beginn der zweiten Sessionswoche steht in der kleinen Kammer die Staatsrechnung auf dem Programm. Am Tag darauf diskutiert sie über eine Änderung des Jagdgesetzes. Damit würde der Schutz des Wolfes stark gelockert. Am Donnerstag packt der Ständerat die Steuervorlage 17 an, das Nachfolgeprojekt der gescheiterten Unternehmenssteuerreform III. Die Kommission hat dazu einen Kompromiss erarbeitet, der auch Geld für die AHV vorsieht.

Im Nationalrat steht die Agrarpolitik im Fokus. Nach der Debatte über die Hornkuh-Initiative dürfte es am Montag der zweiten Woche zur «Chropfleerete» über die Landwirtschaftspolitik kommen. Anlass ist ein Bericht des Bundesrats (AP22+), der schon für viel böses Blut gesorgt hat.

In der letzten Sessionswoche diskutiert der Nationalrat über die Revision des Datenschutzgesetzes und über weitere Finanzhilfen für Kinderkrippen. Auf der Traktandenliste steht auch die Revision des Beschaffungsrechts. Umstritten sind die Vorschläge des Bundesrats zur Geheimhaltung von Ausschreibungsunterlagen.

Das letzte grosse Dossier, mit dem sich der Nationalrat befasst, ist die Reform des Aktienrechts. Dies Vorlage enthält unter anderem einen indirekten Gegenvorschlag zur Konzernverantwortungs-Initiative und eine Frauenquote für Verwaltungsräte und Geschäftsleitungen grosser börsenkotierter Unternehmen.

Im Ständerat ist der Montag der dritten Sessionswoche befrachtet. Zur Diskussion steht eine Ausweitung des Heimatreiseverbots für Flüchtlinge auf Nachbarstaaten. Der Rat entscheidet ausserdem über die elektronische Fussfessel für Stalker. Die Sommersession endet am 15. Juni.

Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron will sich nach der spektakulären Rettung eines Knaben in Paris durch einen illegalen Einwanderer aus Mali persönlich mit dem Mann treffen.

Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron will sich nach der spektakulären Rettung eines Knaben in Paris durch einen illegalen Einwanderer aus Mali persönlich mit dem Mann treffen. Der 22-jährige Mamoudou Gassama aus Mali wurde für Montag in den Elysée-Palast eingeladen.

 

Gassama hatte das Kind am Samstagabend mit einer waghalsigen Kletteraktion gerettet. Der Knabe baumelte an der Aussenseite einer Balkonbrüstung eines Hauses in Paris und drohte, vier Stockwerke in die Tiefe zu stürzen.

Derzeit ein Held

Passanten filmten, wie der junge Mann sich an der Fassade eines Gebäudes von Balkon zu Balkon nach oben hangelte, bis er das Kind erreichte und über die Brüstung zurück auf den Balkon zog. Das Video von der Rettungsaktion wurde in sozialen Netzwerken bereits Millionen Mal aufgerufen.

Die Bürgermeisterin von Paris, Anne Hidalgo, bedankte sich im Kurzbotschaftendienst Twitter sowie in einem Telefonat bei dem jungen Malier. «Er sagte mir, er sei vor einigen Monaten aus Mali hierher gekommen und träume davon, sich hier ein Leben aufzubauen», erklärte Hidalgo. «Ich sagte ihm, dass seine heroische Tat ein Vorbild für alle Bürger ist und dass die Stadt Paris natürlich daran interessiert ist, ihn bei seinen Bemühungen zu unterstützen, sich in Frankreich niederzulassen.»

Ersten Erkenntnissen zufolge waren die Eltern des vierjährigen Jungen nicht zu Hause, als das Kind vom Balkon zu fallen drohte. Der Vater des Jungen wurde in Untersuchungshaft genommen, gegen ihn wird wegen Verletzung der Aufsichtspflicht ermittelt, wie aus Justizkreisen verlautete. Die Mutter war zu dem Zeitpunkt nicht in Paris. (SDA)

The US has imposed tariffs on Rwanda over an obscure import: Second-hand clothes.

The US has imposed tariffs on Rwanda over an obscure import: Second-hand clothes.

Réunie à Ouidah du 23 au 25 mai 2018, la Conférence épiscopale du Bénin (CEB) s'est penchée sur la situation sociopolitique du pays et la visite du chef de l'État au Vatican.
À travers un communiqué rendu public au terme des trois jours de conclave, la conférence a donné son point de vue sur le séjour du Président de la République du Bénin au Vatican. Les évêques saluent cette visite qui est à l'actif de la diplomatique béninoise. Tout en reconnaissant unanimement ces relations fructueuses entre le Bénin et le Saint Siège, les évêques ont demandé la protection et l'assistance de Dieu sur le pays. Cette rencontre entre dans le cadre de la troisième session plénière pastorale des Evêques du Bénin. Le mois de mai étant celui de souvenir des dix ans de décès du cardinal Bernardin Gantin, les évêques ont au cours de leur rencontre honoré la mémoire du patriarche. Concernant la visite de Patrice Talon au Saint Siège, les évêques se sont dits satisfaits du déroulement de ce séjour du Chef de l'Etat. Il s'agit pour la Confefence épiscopale d'un grand coup réussi de la diplomatie du chef de l'Etat. Mgr Eugène Cyrille Houndékon, porte-parole, des évêques du Bénin a salué la diligence du chef de l'État. La Conférence épiscopale du Bénin estime que ladite visite est de nature à consolider la fructueuse coopération entre le Saint Siège et la République du Bénin. Ils ont unanimement salué ce déplacement de Patrice Talon à Rome.
Giscard AMOUSSOU

Der Gastbeitrag von Ferdinand Fichtner ist am 26.05.2018 in der Fuldaer Zeitung erschienen.

Die US-Regierung hat entschieden, die EU zumindest bis Ende Mai von Schutzzöllen auf Aluminium und Stahl auszunehmen. Entspannung will sich aber trotzdem nicht einstellen, weil in der EU unterschiedliche Politikstile kollidieren: Die deutsche Regierung will darauf setzen, Trump durch das Angebot gegenseitiger Zollsenkungen von seinem Plan abzubringen. Dagegen sehen andere Länder und die EU-Kommission offensichtlich nicht ein, dass man der US-Politik jetzt durch Zollgeschenke entgegenkomme, wo doch die USA die Regeln der Welthandelsorganisation WTO missachtet hätten; vielmehr sollten Gegenzölle in Erwägung gezogen werden. 

Beide Argumentationen sind schief. Grundsätzlich schaden Zölle dem Wirtschaftsraum, den sie vorgeblich schützen sollen. Sie führen dazu, dass bisher importierte Produkte selbst produziert werden müssen. Das hört sich zunächst mal nicht schlecht an - es kann Arbeitsplätze in den durch den Zoll geschützten Branchen schaffen -, führt aber zu steigenden Preisen für diejenigen, die die (teureren) inländischen Produkte weiterverarbeiten oder verbrauchen. Verwendet beispielsweise die amerikanische Autoindustrie teuren US-Stahl anstatt des billigeren europäischen Stahls, so sinken dort die Margen oder die Preise für in den USA produzierte Autos steigen. Beides ist aus US-Sicht nicht günstig und überwiegt in der Regel bei Weitem etwaige positive Effekte des Zolls. So schadet die US-Regierung nicht nur europäischen Exporteuren, die weniger in die USA verkaufen, sondern auch der eigenen Bevölkerung, wenn die Zölle tatsächlich eingeführt werden. Mit Gegenzöllen durch die europäische Seite würde weiter an dieser Kostenspirale gedreht: Zu den Mehrkosten infolge der US-Zölle kämen die oben beschriebenen Belastungen von Einfuhrzöllen, diesmal für die europäische Wirtschaft. Auch besteht die ernste Gefahr, dass die US-Seite mit weiteren Zöllen reagieren würde - zum eigenen Schaden, aber eben auch zu erheblichen Kosten für die europäische und gerade die exportorientierte deutsche Wirtschaft. 

Die Befriedungspolitik der deutschen Regierung hat vor diesem Hintergrund durchaus ihren Charme. Man scheint Trump beim Wort zu nehmen, der vorgibt, auf einen freieren Welthandel hinwirken zu wollen, indem man ihm einen Zollsenkungswettbewerb statt eines Zollerhebungswettbewerbs anbietet. Nur sprechen viele frühere Äußerungen Trumps nicht dafür, dass ein freier Welthandel sein wahres Ziel ist. Vielmehr scheint es ihm um einen “fairen” Welthandel zu gehen, wobei “Fairness” dabei in erster Linie auf eine offensichtliche Besserstellung der US-Wirtschaft abzielt. Tatsächlich dürfte die mit gegenseitigen Zollsenkungen zwar verbunden sein, offensichtlich im Trumpschen Sinne wären sie aber wohl nicht: Die oben skizzierten Zollwirkungen lassen sich nur schlecht per Twitter erklären. So könnte doch die konfrontative Strategie der EU-Kommission der bessere Weg sein.

Die glaubhafte Drohung, auf die Einführung von US-Zöllen mit gezielten, symbolträchtige Bereiche der US-Wirtschaft treffenden Gegenzöllen zu reagieren, könnte größeren Widerstand bei US-Wählerinnen und –Wählern nach sich ziehen als das Angebot gegenseitiger Zollsenkungen. Klar ist aber auch: Käme es zu dauerhaft höheren Zöllen und einer Eskalation des Konflikts, stünden alle Seiten schlechter da als bisher. Der größte Schaden wäre freilich, wenn sich die WTO als machtlos erwiese und weiter an Bedeutung verlöre. Parallel zu den bilateralen Verhandlungen muss daher auch ein Schlichtungsverfahren vor der WTO angestrebt werden. Aber vielleicht muss es ja so weit nicht kommen und es gelingt den Europäern, Trump von seinen Plänen abzubringen. Ein innereuropäischer Dissens ist dabei nicht zwingend schädlich: Nach Art einer „Good Cop, Bad Cop“-Strategie sollte die EU-Seite sowohl ernstzunehmende Drohungen aussprechen als auch attraktive Auswege anbieten. Haben diese beiden Botschaften verschiedene Absender, so hätte Trump die Chance, gesichtswahrend einen Rückzieher zu machen, ohne dass dies zu Hause als Einknicken angekreidet wird.

President Macron is to thank a Malian man who saved a child dangling from a fourth-floor Paris balcony.

Der konservative Kandidat Iván Duque hat die erste Runde der Präsidentschaftswahl in Kolumbien gewonnen. Der Bewerber der rechten Partei Centro Democrático kam auf 39,1 Prozent der Stimmen.

Der konservative Kandidat Iván Duque hat die erste Runde der Präsidentschaftswahl in Kolumbien gewonnen. Der Bewerber der rechten Partei Centro Democrático kam auf 39,1 Prozent, wie das Wahlamt am Sonntag nach Auszählung von fast allen Stimmen mitteilte.

An zweiter Stelle lag Gustavo Petro von der linken Bewegung Colombia Humana mit 25,1 Prozent. Die beiden Bestplatzierten treten bei einer Stichwahl am 17. Juni gegeneinander an.

Farc im Mittelpunkt

Auf dem dritten Platz landete der Ex-Bürgermeister von Medellín, Sergio Fajardo, mit 23,8 Prozent. Der frühere Vizepräsident Germán Vargas Lleras kam auf 7,2 Prozent; für den ehemaligen Friedensunterhändler Humberto de la Calle stimmten 2,1 Prozent.

Bei der Abstimmung ging es vor allem um die Zukunft des historischen Friedensabkommens mit der linken Guerillabewegung Farc. Der international bejubelte Friedensprozess ist in dem südamerikanischen Land selbst äusserst umstritten. Duque will den Vertrag in wesentlichen Punkten ändern und könnte die Ex-Rebellen damit zurück in den Untergrund treiben. Petro will hingegen an dem Abkommen festhalten.

Seit zwei Jahren Frieden

Die Regierung und die Farc hatten den Bürgerkrieg im Herbst 2016 mit einem Friedensvertrag beigelegt. In dem mehr als 50 Jahre andauernden Konflikt waren über 220'000 Menschen ums Leben gekommen und Millionen vertrieben worden. Die Farc hat die Waffen niedergelegt und will künftig als politische Partei für ihre Ziele eintreten. Für ihre schweren Verbrechen haben sie laut Vertrag nur mit relativ milden Strafen zu rechnen. Zudem erhalten die Ex-Rebellen für zwei Legislaturperioden zehn Sitze im Kongress.

Zwar hat die Gewalt in Kolumbien seit dem Friedensvertrag deutlich nachgelassen, Experten erwarten in den kommenden Jahren ein solides Wirtschaftswachstum. Trotzdem sind viele Menschen mit dem Abkommen unzufrieden. Nach dem Geschmack der Rechten machte der Staat den Rebellen zu viele Zugeständnisse, nach Ansicht der Linken erfüllt die Regierung ihre Zusagen nicht. (SDA)

Le problème des titulaires du diplôme d’études universitaires appliquées (DEUA) ne serait en passe de connaître son épilogue. Comme il fallait s’y attendre, les communiqués du ministère de l’enseignement supérieur sur la revendication des détenteurs du diplôme d’études universitaires appliquées, DEUA, n’a pas été du goût des concernés. Le ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, qui pensait avoir tiré son épingle du jeu en orientant ces diplômés vers la poursuite des études en 3e année licence système LMD, n’a fait qu’exacerber la tension. Le comité national de défense des DEUA, qui se dit “étonné par cette sortie médiatique”, a vivement réagi.  “La communication du ministère n’a pas apporté de réponses à nos doléances, mais certains passages de son contenu ont beaucoup plus levé le voile sur plusieurs interrogations et de graves vérités qui nécessiteraient l’envoi d’une commission d’enquête pour découvrir les dessous de cette affaire.” Le responsable du comité regrette que le ministre “ait ignoré le fond du problème et que le débat soit dévié et détourné. Nous l’avons dès le début centré sur la réhabilitation de notre diplôme et la reconnaissance de sa valeur et non la poursuite des études.” Autrement dit, élever ce diplôme au rang de la licence du système LMD vu que les deux sanctionnent un parcours identique : bac+ 3 ans d’études supérieures. Soit une équivalence administrative et non scientifique pour que les 100 000 fonctionnaires détenteurs de ce diplôme aient les mêmes droits professionnels et les mêmes chances dans l’évolution de leur carrière. Il faut savoir que les DEUA sont classés sur un pied d’égalité avec les diplômés des centres de formation, les techniciens supérieurs et les DEUA délivrés par l’UFC. Et c’est tout le malheur des contestataires. “Au lieu d’ouvrir un sérieux débat avec les spécialistes en vue de régler cette question et installer en urgence des commissions mixtes vu que c’est lui qui a lancé ce diplôme, le ministère a préféré la fuite en avant”, regrette Allili. Pourtant “la création d’un nouveau diplôme ne se fait pas de façon aléatoire, mais repose sur des critères liés au développement national et aux compétences scientifiques des universitaires”.  Le fait d’assimiler les DEUA à des “cadres moyens suffisamment compétents” a provoqué l’ire des concernés qui jugent ces affirmations “graves et ne reposant sur aucun fondement juridique”. Le décret exécutif instituant le DEUA du 21 juillet 1990 évoque une “formation supérieure de courte durée ou graduation du 1er degré”. Question du comité : “Le Mesrs prodigue des formations supérieures ou des formations moyennes qui sont, en principe, du ressort de la formation professionnelle ?” Autre grief retenu contre le Mesrs : le DEUA a été créé pour permettre à des compétences moyennes d’intégrer le monde du travail à la fin des études. Mais, en réalité, “la majorité des diplômés n’ont pas eu cette chance pour la simple raison que leur diplôme avait la même valeur que celui de milliers de TS délivré par les centres de formation”, que les recruteurs ont privilégié.

L’ultimatum donné à Sellal
L’ancien premier ministre, Abdelmalek Sellal, avait confié  que le problème des DEUA va connaître une fin heureuse et ce, via l’approbation par le gouvernement des doléances des 217 000 diplômés. Réagissant à cet engagement de l’ancien Premier ministre, l’Association des DEUA, avait estimé que cette nouvelle étape dans la prise en charge du dossier de ces diplômés est de bon augure. Mais l’engagement est une chose et sa concrétisation en est une autre. Et quand le fossé entre les deux s’élargit, la protestation refait surface, inévitablement.  Prudente, l’association des diplômés, qui avait menacé de reprendre les actions de protestation via des rassemblements devant le siège de la Fonction publique, exige du concret et fixe un ultimatum. “L’ancien Premier ministre avait un mois pour prendre une position claire et concrétiser officiellement son engagement”, mais il a été remplacé, répliqua l’association. Et de poursuivre : “(…) et ce, pour s’éviter et nous éviter le retour à la contestation et à la perturbation qui ont marqué ces derniers mois.” S’adressant aux DEUA, le président de l’association soulignera : “La balle est dans leur camp. Pour l’heure, nous restons pacifistes et raisonnables et comptons arracher nos droits via le dialogue, sauf s’ils veulent le contraire.”

Les titulaires du DEUA de Sonelgaz menacent
La colère est à son comble chez les titulaires des Diplômes d’études universitaires appliquées (DEUA), occupant des postes dans le groupe Sonelgaz. Les détenteurs du DEUA ont brandi la menace de passer à l’offensive pour exiger l’application des promesses faites par les responsables concernés et satisfaction de leurs revendications. La commission nationale des titulaires du DEUA, affiliée au syndicat national autonome des travailleurs de l’électricité et du GAZ (SNATEGS), prépare son prochain mouvement de protestation qui risque, selon ce syndicat, de paralyser les services du groupe Sonelgaz, étant donner que la majorité des travailleurs de cette entreprise publique sont détenteurs d’un diplôme bac+3, d’études universitaires appliquées (DEUA). Ces protestataires dénoncent avec force le fait que l’administration n’a pas encore procédé à l’application du décret présidentiel relatif à leur reclassement en catégorie «A». «Près de deux ans après la promulgation du décret de reclassification des titulaires de ce diplôme dans la Fonction publique, l’administration n’est toujours pas décidée à l’appliquer», déplore encore un membre de la commission en question. À noter que le décret présidentiel 304/07 fixant la grille indiciaire des traitements et le régime de rémunération des fonctionnaires a été abrogé par le nouveau décret 14-266 du 28 septembre 2014, mais n’a pas encore été appliqué. Ce qui a suscité la colère des détenteurs du DEUA qui demandent l’application de ce dernier décret présidentiel, et la révision de la classification de cette catégorie de travailleurs du 13 à l’échelle 15. Les détenteurs du DEUA exigent également la revalorisation de l’expérience professionnelle et le calcul des années de travail dans la révision de la classification de cette catégorie de travailleurs. Par ailleurs et en vue de renforcer ses rangs, la commission en question a appelé tous les détenteurs du DEUA à travers les 48 filiales du Groupe Sonelgaz, à être vigilants et à se mobiliser autour de leur base afin de faire valoir leurs revendications.

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Aziza Mehdid

Un mémorandum de coopération sur la mise en œuvre du programme national d’efficacité énergétique dans le secteur des travaux publics et des transports a été signé par le ministre de l’Energie et celui des Travaux publics et des Transports, respectivement Mustapha Guitouni et Abdelghani Zaalane.
Ce mémorandum de coopération prévoit une subvention du Fonds national pour la maîtrise de l’énergie et pour les énergies renouvelables et la cogénération (FNMERC) à hauteur de 50% du coût global de conversion, et ce, au profit des chauffeurs de taxi, ainsi que la promotion à grande échelle du gaz de pétrole liquéfié carburant (GPL/c) et du gaz naturel comprimé (GNC).
Un premier objectif de conversion en GPL/c de 50 000 taxis est ainsi fixé pour l’année 2018.
En vertu de ce mémorandum, les deux parties conviennent également d’engager une réflexion sur les voies et moyens permettant une implication accrue de tous les opérateurs de transport public, ainsi que les automobilistes, dans la mise en œuvre du programme national d’efficacité énergétique.
Lors de son intervention, Zaalane a indiqué que la signature de ce mémorandum permettra de concrétiser une grande partie des objectifs assignés au titre du programme national d’efficacité énergétique.
Entre autres objectifs, le ministre a cité la réduction à hauteur de 9% de la consommation énergétique totale, soit une économie de 63 millions de tonnes équivalent pétrole (Tep) (40 milliards de dollars).
Cette action devra également permettre, selon le ministre des Travaux publics, de généraliser l’utilisation du GPL/c à plus d’un million de véhicules et plus de 20 000 bus, et de créer 180 000 postes d’emploi.
Zaalane n’a pas manqué de signaler que dans le monde les moyens de transport sont les plus grands polluants et consomment de l’énergie à hauteur de 41%.
Le directeur général des transports, Mourad Khoukhi, a indiqué, quant à lui, qu’afin d’affiner les données brutes du parc taxis, une enquête a été lancée par le ministère des Travaux publics et des Transports à travers les directions des transports des wilayas et en collaboration avec les syndicats des chauffeurs de taxi.
Cette enquête avait pour objectif de déterminer la classification des taxis par type de motorisation (essence, diesel et GPL) et le potentiel de taxis susceptibles d’être convertis au GPL/c par wilaya.
Khoukhi a précisé, à ce propos, qu’au 31 mars 2018 le nombre de taxis nouveaux est de 66 901, dont 6 020 appartenant à 582 sociétés de taxis.
Il a ajouté que le nombre de taxis collectifs urbains est de 15 687 alors que celui des taxis collectifs interurbains est de 20.462 et les taxis collectifs interwilayas atteignent 14.869.

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Kamel Cheriti

A Bab El Oued, front de mer, quartier El Kettani se trouve un immense espace, spécialement aménagé pour ce mois de Ramadhan, au grand bonheur des citoyens. C’est un village de toile composé d’un grand nombre de pavillons de moyenne capacité et complété par une gigantesque tente qui impressionne par ses dimensions hors du commun.

Regroupées ensemble dans un même lieu, les tentes de moyenne capacité représentent le marché de proximité, spécialement Ramadhan. Avec pour devise du producteur au consommateur, ce marché soulage les ménages de la flambée des prix que connaît l’avènement du Ramadhan. Les produits laitiers, les pâtes, l’huile, les boissons, les détergents, les gâteaux industriels, sont vendus à prix d’usine. Les dattes, les viandes rouges et blanches, les œufs, les fruits et légumes, sont aussi disponibles, moins chers que dans les marchés habituels. L’avantage, c’est qu’ici, inutile d’en faire des stocks, tout est ouvert pendant la journée avec disponibilité de la marchandise.
Quant à l’immense pavillon de ce village, sa fonction est d’être le restaurant Errahma pour tout Bab El Oued. Sa capacité est tellement grande qu’il est en mesure d’accepter tous les arrivants qui se présentent à l’heure du ftour.
Il ouvre dix minutes avant l’adhan du maghrib, et malgré le nombre considérable de jeûneurs arrivant par vagues, tout se fait dans la discipline et le calme, grâce à l’accueil fraternel du personnel et aussi au confort des lieux. Aïssa,un quadragénaire parle : « Je suis heureux de venir ici, on mange à sa faim ; aujourd’hui par exemple, c’est une chorba avec sa viande et un plat de résistance, mtéouam, avec trois grandes boules de viandes hachée, un yaourt, du jus à volonté et de la Saïda. ». Aïssa enchaîne, « Ce qui est bien ici, c’est la gentillesse extrême des serveurs et surtout d’arriver au dernier moment avec l’assurance de trouver une place. Ailleurs, il faut venir deux heures à l’avance, une heure à attendre dehors et une heure attablé avant le ftoure » .
Dans ce restaurant Errahma pas comme les autres, ce sont des belles tables rondes et larges qui accueillent douze personnes et les lieux sont si accueillants qu’on prolonge volontiers le temps imparti au ftour pour l’apprécier davantage.

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Volvo Cars, le constructeur automobile premium, a enregistré près de 80 000 commandes de son nouveau SUV compact XC40 récompensé et augmente sa production en Europe et en Chine pour répondre à la demande.

Etant donné l’extraordinaire popularité de la Voiture européenne de l’année 2018, l’usine de Gand va augmenter sa production et Volvo Cars compte renforcer, dès le premier semestre 2019, la capacité de production en XC40de son site de Luqiao, en Chine.

« Le succès du XC40 dépasse nos prévisions les plus optimistes », s’est réjoui Håkan Samuelsson, Président et CEO de Volvo Cars. « Le segment des SUV compact est le plus dynamique de l’industrie automobile à l’heure actuelle, et les nouveaux modèles basés sur la plate-forme CMA devraient nous permettre de capitaliser encore plus sur cette croissance ».

Lancé fin 2017 et salué dans le monde entier, le XC40 est la première Volvo à avoir été élue – en mars dernier – Voiture européenne de l’année.

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Volkswagen a levé le voile sur un nouveau SUV compact portant la dénomination de Tharu et destiné dans un premier temps au marché chinois avant d’aller conquérir d’autre marchés à l’international, hormis l’européen.

Sur le plan esthétique, le Tharu dégage une impression de déjà vu, avec un mélange entre un air général de Skoda Kodiaq et un faciès du nouveau Tiguan tandis que l’arrière s’inspire de l’Atlas et viendra proposer une offre économique comparativement au reste de la gamme sur certains marchés. En Chine, il viendra se positionner sous le Tiguan qui n’est disponible qu’en version allongée tandis qu’iil pourrait faire office de remplaçant du T-Rocsur les marchés ou ce dernier ne sera pas commercialisé.

Sous le capot, le Tharu disposera de deux quatre cylindres essence, le 1.2 litres de 116 chevaux et le 1.4 litres de 150 chevaux.

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Présentée au Salon de Genève 2016, la Bugatti Chiron voit la centième unité sortir des chaînes de l’usine de Molsheim dont la capacité est de 70 unités/an.

Fabriquée à seulement 500 unités en cinq ans, la Bugatti Chiron atteint ainsi le 1/5 de sa production programmée avec une unité qui trouvera refuge au Moyen-Orient, région qui représente un quart des ventes.

La Bugatti Chiron n°100 se distingue par sa finition en fibre de carbone et une teinte bleue, avec des détails de contraste en rouge, et des jantes noires ainsi qu’une sellerie en cuir rouge dans l’habitacle. SOn tarif serait de l’ordre de 2.8 millions d’Euros.

Pour rappel, Bugatti Chiron impressionne par les chiffres : 4.54m de long pour moins de 2 T, W16 de 8.0 litres, double injection directe et indirecte, 4 turbocompresseurs dont 2 opérationnels à partir de 3 800 tr/mn, 1500ch à 6 700 tr/mn, 1 600Nm de couple entre 2 000 et 6 000 tr/mn, moins de 2.5 sec au 0 à 100 km/h, moins de 6.5 sec pour le 0 à 200 km/h , moins de 13.6 sec pour le 0 à 300 km/h et une vitesse de pointe limitée électroniquement à 380 km/h. Mais comme pour la Veyron, une seconde clé permet de pousser la limite à 420 km/h, une vitesse qui est également autolimitée.

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Sidi Achour Motos Pièces, représentant officiel et exclusif de plusieurs marques d ’équipements et de pièces moto homologuées, annonce l’arrivée d’une nouvelle marque dans son escarcelle, l’allemande Wunderlich.

Wunderlich, principal fournisseur d’équipements et accessoires pour motos BMW, est désormais présent en Algérie, à travers son représentant officiel Sidi Achour Motos Pièces.

Wunderlich qui a été crée en 1987 en Allemagne propose une gamme de produits qui couvre plus de 3 000 accessoires et produits destinés aux modèles actuels de motos BMW, et à presque tous les modèles de Boxer à deux soupapes, annonce la page Facebook du représentant algérien.

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L’Australien Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) a remporté dimanche pour la première fois de sa carrière le Grand Prix de Monaco de Formule 1 en devançant l’Allemand Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) et le Britannique Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

Pôle et victoire, le Grand Prix de Monaco aura été entièrement à l’avantage du pilote Red Bull malgré une perte de puissance qui enregistre ainsi sa seconde victoire de la saison mais surtout une première victoire à Monaco.

Une victoire qui lui permet de pointer à la troisième place du classement général à 29 points du leader Hamilton et à 24 de Vetell.

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Alakhbar – Une citoyenne sénégalaise a trouvé la mort dans les environs de Keur-Macène, dans le Sud mauritanien, au cours d’un...