Defence`s Feeds

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has formally inducted two locally built cutters to enhance the service's maritime patrol capabilities, an official from the CGA's international affairs division confirmed on 8 June. The 3,000-tonne vessels, Yilan (CG 128) and Kaohsiung (CG 129), were

In efforts to stay ahead of threats to modern cities, more and more city planners are turning to advanced video surveillance equipment, taking advantage of developments in picture resolution, data storage and processing speeds. Of course, having cameras positioned in every corner of a

Construction of the UK Royal Navy’s second new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) has begun, which was marked by a ceremony led by UK Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, at BAE Systems in Glasgow. The Secretary of State formally started construction of HMS MEDWAY, th

Huntington Ingalls Industries has secured a $3.35bn contract to design and construct the second Gerald R Ford class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F Kennedy (CVN 79).

Russia and Egypt have commenced their first joint naval exercise off the Mediterranean Egyptian port of Alexandria, as part of efforts to strengthen military co-operation between the countries.

The UK Royal Navy flagship HMS Bulwark has conducted five migrant rescue missions, rescuing more than 1,000 from the Mediterranean Sea.

The Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD) and US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully completed the first flight of a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA.

OceanServer Technology has received orders for six new Iver autonomous underwater vehicle (AUVs) from three different customers.

 

The U.S. Air Force has released the report and photos of the mishap suffered by an F-35A Lightning II  in June 2014.

A U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Investigation Board team has completed the investigation into the mishap occurred to an F-35A assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on Jun. 23, 2014.

According to the report, the F-35A suffered a failure of the third-stage rotor of the engine fan module. The aircraft was taking off for a training mission when the engine caught fire: the pilot safely aborted the takeoff and exited the aircraft.

Although emergency crews responded to the burning aircraft and extinguished the fire, the F-35A was heavily damaged: “Pieces of the failed rotor arm cut through the engine’s fan case, the engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the aircraft’s upper fuselage. Damage from the engine failure caused leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid to ignite and burn the rear two thirds of the aircraft. The total mishap damage is estimated to be in excess $50 million.”

The mishap caused a fleetwide grounding that prevented the F-35 to attend Farnborough International Air Show.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force via Alert5

 

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Chinese Wanshan WS51200 Special Wheeled Chassis

Incredibly, the camera survived the crash.

The video in this post was allegedly filmed on Aug. 20, 2014, somewhere near Lugansk where a Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopter was hit and shot down by an anti-aircraft missile while on patrol with another helicopter of the same type.

Both crew members, reportedly Major Oleg Biryukov and Captain Anton Rodionov, died in the crash.

It looks like the Hind was flying at low altitude, when it was hit by a missile: in a matter of seconds the helicopter hit the ground and (probably exploded) with the camera the crew members brought with them in the cockpit among the only surviving things.

The photograph below shows the wreckage of the chopper.

Image credit: http://militarizm.livejournal.com/78942.html

According to the information available on the Internet, the helicopter downed by the pro-Russia separatists was Mi-24P “Yellow 15″ from the 7th Army Aviation Regiment, a gunship that had been already hit and damaged by Donetsk People Republic fighters near Slavyansk.

Several Mi-24 helicopters and many other Ukrainian aircraft have been shot down by MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) in eastern Ukrainian during clashes with Russia-backed separatists.

H/T to Matt Fanning for the heads-up

 

Related articles

• Video shows Armenian Mi-24 gunship helicopter hit and shot down with MANPADS by Azeri forces
• [Video] 11 Russian gunship helicopters flying into Ukrainian airspace over Crimea
• Two Ukrainian Gunship helicopters shot down by MANPADS in Eastern Ukraine
• Poland wants new Attack Helicopters to replace Mi-24 Hind gunships. Soon.
• [Video] Russian gunships circling over the roofs of Sevastopol, Crimea
• Malaysian Boeing 777 with 295 people on board shot down over Eastern Ukraine
• These videos show the alleged attack of Ukrainian Gunship Helicopters against their own troops

Chinese DF-31A Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

This cool footage was filmed from a Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet pilot.

Nine nations have taken part in Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015, a multinational flying exercise that included approximately 115 combat aircraft deployed at several airbases in Sweden and Norway.

Among the air arms that attended ACE 2015 there is the Finnish Air Force that took part in the drills with F/A-18 Hornet jets based at Rovaniemi (Finland) and Bodø (Norway).

On Jun. 4, at the end of their ACE 2015 mission, two FiAF Hornets returned to Bodø flying over the Norwegian coastline, mountains and fjords: here below you can see the view those pilots enjoyed from their cockpits.

If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it on FB.

H/T Giuliano Ranieri for the heads-up

Earlier discussions on violent extremist movements such as the Islamic State and the Levant (ISIL) give credence to the reasons why religion, nationality, organisation or even ethnicity, as points of reference in defining this phenomenon, are moot. This vortex of violence, as we have c

Americas

• Lockheed Martin saw a $920.4 million advanced acquisition contract on Thursday for the F-35 program. This award covers the production of 94 low rate initial production Joint Strike Fighters, with these spread across the three F-35 variants.. 78 F-35A models will be manufactured and delivered, with 44 of these destined for the Air Force and the remainder earmarked for international partners. The other 16 aircraft are split between the -B and -C models, with fourteen of the former going to the Marine Corps, as well as Italy and the UK, while two -C models will go to the Navy and Marines.

• The Navy has accepted a third Lockheed Martin-manufactured MUOS communications satellite, with the satellite successfully completing testing in orbit following its launch in January. The Navy has ordered five Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites, which are intended to provide UHF SATCOM capabilities using an Internet Protocol-based system. The first two MUOS satellites were launched in 2012 and 2013, with the fourth scheduled for later this year.

• The Army has begun testing Black Hornet micro UAVs, with the tiny helicopters previously seeing service with the British Army in Afghanistan, as well as with the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Black Hornet has also seen more limited use by US Special Forces.

• Logos Technologies Inc. was awarded a $32.8 million Navy contract on Thursday to research compact sensor packages for unmanned aerial systems, such as the RQ-21 Blackjack and RQ-8 Firescout, specifically looking at wide area airborne surveillance, hyperspectral imaging, high resolution imaging and light detection and ranging capabilities.

Europe

• The UK and France are exploring the possibility of collaborating for Reaper UAV training, logistics and support services. The British operate ten of the aircraft, with these all deployed on operations over Iraq, with France taking delivery of a third Reaper at the end of May, with twelve set to be delivered by 2019.

• A Russian MIG-29 crashed in Southern Russia on Thursday, with both pilots managing to safely eject. Russia bought 16 MIG-29SMTs in 2013, with these set for delivery by 2016.

• The Lithuanian Air Force has taken delivery of the first of three Airbus AS365 N5+ Dauphin search and rescue helicopters, following a contract in October 2013.

Middle East

• Lebanon has requested 1,000 AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles from the US, with this potential deal estimated to value $146 million. The missile is in service with many countries worldwide, with a href=”http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/iraq-wants-hellfires-lots-and-lots-of-them-026078/”>Iraq ordering 5,000 of the missiles in August last year.

• Egypt is also looking to buy a border security system from the US, in order to better equip its border with Libya, in a potential sale valued at $100 million. The proposed sale would include a commercially available system produced by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and DRS Technologies.

Asia

• Following yesterday’s news that the US and India have signed a set of technology development agreements, the head of the US Navy’s carrier program office Rear Adm. Tom Moore will meet with officials from the Indian Navy later this month to discuss the future of India’s second carrier. The two nations formed a joint working group in January, with development work for the country’s second indigenous aircraft carrier – the INS Vishal – already underway.

• Indian firm Larsen & Toubro has been awarded a $73.1 million contract to design and construction of a floating dock for the Indian Navy. The floating dock will be self-sufficient and capable of operating day and night to service and resupply surface vessels and submarines. The company saw fourth-quarter profits fall by 27% at the end of May.

• Following the latest Indian Air Force Sukhoi SU-30MKI crash in May, Russia & India Report has published an insightful piece assessing the likely causes of the high accident rate amongst the IAF’s SU-30MKI fleet.

Today’s Video

• A RQ-21A launch and recovery at sea…

Key Points Antonov is seeking to establish links with Polish industry to improve its aircraft equipment and marketability. The negotiations come as Ukraine seeks to increase collaboration with Western companies to improve its technical capability and product quality. Ukrainian aircraft producer

USN MH-60S test
(click to view full)

Hellfire I/II missiles are the USA’s preferred aerial anti-armor missile, and are widely deployed with America’s allies. They equip America’s helicopter fleets (AH-64, AH-1, OH-58D, MH-60S/R), AH-64 and S-70 helicopters flown by its allies, and even Australia and France’s Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters. Range is officially listed as 9 km/ 5.6 miles.

While Hellfires lack the fast-jet launch capabilities – and correspondingly extended maximum range – of the UK’s MBDA Brimstone missiles, Lockheed Martin’s missile has made big inroads as the world’s high-end helicopter-launched missile. It has also carved out unique niches as tripod-launched coastal defense assets, as the guided missile integrated into American UAVs like the MQ-1 Predator family, and even as a missile option for transport aircraft like the AC-208B Combat Caravan and C-130J/W Hercules.

Lockheed Martin’s Hellfires AGM-114K-A warhead
(click to view full)

Hellfire II missiles comes in several variants. The AGM-114K is the basic Hellfire II missile, with the standard semi-active laser guidance that allows for flexible designation of targets, and flexible missile attack profiles. It uses a shaped-charge HEAT(High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead that can destroy armored vehicles, or punch into buildings.

The recently-introduced AGM-114K-A variant adds a blast fragmentation sleeve to the HEAT warhead’s anti-tank capability, giving it added versatility against unarmored targets in the open.

The AM-114M version was originally developed for the Navy; its warhead is solely blast fragmentation, which is effective against boats, lightly armored vehicles, etc.

The AGM-114N variant uses a thermobaric (“metal augmented charge”) warhead that can suck the air out of a cave, collapse a building, or produce an astoundingly large blast radius out in the open.

A new AGM-114R “multi-purpose” Hellfire II is headed into production/ conversion. It adds some guidance and navigation improvements, and goes one step further than the K-A variant: it’s intended to work well against all 3 target types: armored vehicles, fortified positions, or soft/open targets. The “Romeo” will become the mainstay of the future Hellfire fleet, used from helicopters and UAVs, until and unless Hellfire itself is supplanted by the JAGM program. Hellfire systems product manager US Army Lt. Col. Mike Brown:

“One of the most noticeable operational enhancements in the AGM-114R missile is that the pilot can now select the [blast type] while on the move and without having to have a pre-set mission load prior to departure… This is a big deal in insurgency warfare, as witnessed in Afghanistan where the Taliban are fighting in the open and simultaneously planning their next attacks in amongst the local populace using fixed structure facilities to screen their presence.”

The AGM-114R2 goes a step farther, and adds a height of burst sensor to make the 3-way warhead even more useful.

AGM-114P onto MQ-9
(click to view full)

Four more Hellfire variants feature key changes that aren’t related to their warhead types.

The AGM-114L “Longbow Hellfire” adds a millimeter-wave radar seeker, which makes it a “fire-and-forget” missile. It’s integrated with the mast-mounted Longbow radar on AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters, and AH-1 Cobra family attack helicopters have been tested with different add-ons that would give them similar capabilities. It can also be guided by ship radars, and its fire-and-forget capabilities make it a very useful defense against small boat suicide swarms. The US Navy is taking on Army stocks to use in its Littoral Combat Ship.

The AGM-114P variant is modified for use from UAVs flying at altitude. That requires greater environmental tolerances, as the difference between temperature at launch altitude and near the target can be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The AGM-114P’s 3-axis inertial measuring unit (IMU) also gives it a 360-degree targeting capability, making it easier to fire from UAVs that lack a helicopter’s swivel-and-point maneuverability. Its unique features will also be present in the new AGM-114R, which will succeed it.

The AGM-114Q model is a training round, with an inert mass that’s the same weight as the warhead. It’s used for live-fire training, where it creates less mess.

The TGM M36E7 corresponds to what the USAF would call a “CATM” – a training missile with the seeker head, but no rocket or warhead.

Contracts and Key Events Naval concept
(click to view full)

Unless otherwise noted, orders are issued by the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL, to Hellfire Systems, LLC in Orlando, FL – a Lockheed Martin/ Boeing joint venture.

June 5/15: Lebanon has requested 1,000 AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles from the US, with this potential deal estimated to value $146 million. The missile is in service with many countries worldwide, with a href=”http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/iraq-wants-hellfires-lots-and-lots-of-them-026078/”>Iraq ordering 5,000 of the missiles in August last year.

Aug 14/14: The Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee have deferred action on a Pentagon request to shift $7.1 million from other accounts into the Hellfire missile program, as part of a larger reprogramming request. Note that deferral is not denial, it just means that other things need to happen first.

The FY 2014 budget had expected to buy 550 missiles for $58.5 million, but use in the field leaves the Pentagon $7.1 million short in order to keep stocks stable. Sources: Defense News, “Defense Panels Hold Up $7M Funding Shift for Hellfire Missiles – for Now”.

April 9/14: Hellfire for LCS. The US Navy confirms that they have picked the AGM-114L Hellfire Longbow radar-guided missile as the SUW Package’s initial missile. Hellfire Longbow won’t have any more range than Raytheon’s Griffin (~3.5 nmi), but the radar seeker allows the ship’s radar to perform targeting for salvos of multiple fire-and-forget missiles against incoming boat swarms. In contrast, the Griffin’s laser designation must target one boat at a time, from a position that’s almost certain to have a more restricted field of view.

Lockheed Martin says that the missile has had 3 successful test firings (q.v. Jan 14/14), and there are plans to test-fire the missile from LCS itself in 2014, using a new vertical launcher. Unfortunately for Lockheed Martin, there’s no immediate prospect of orders from the Navy, as its AGM-114L missiles would be drawn from existing US Army stocks. Those have shelf life limitations anyway, which is one reason the Army intends to begin buying JAGM laser/radar guided Hellfire derivatives around FY 2017. On the the other hand, US Navy deployment opens a market niche around the world, so future orders are possible. Sources: DoD Buzz, “Navy Adds Hellfire Missiles to LCS” | USNI News, “Navy Axes Griffin Missile In Favor of Longbow Hellfire for LCS”.

Feb 10/14: FY 2014. Hellfire Systems, LLC in Orlando, FL receives a $157.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification, exercising an option for FY 2014 Hellfire II missile production requirements that include foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Indonesia.

All funds are committed immediately, using FY 2012 – 2014 budgets. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, with an estimated completion date of Nov 30/16. US Army Contracting Command ? Redstone Arsenal (Missile) at Redstone, AL manages the contract, and acts an an FMS agent for other countries (W31P4Q-11-C-2042, PO 0068).

FY 2014 order: USA, Jordan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia

Jan 14/14: Naval test. The US Army and Navy conduct multiple naval test firings of Hellfire Longbow millimeter-wave radar guided missiles, targeting high-speed boat targets at ranges of up to 6 km. The tests were conducted from a launcher aboard a 65-foot surface craft, using progressively more complex scenarios.

The swarming boat threat is subject to much discussion in an era where the boats themselves can be explosive-packed weapons on suicide missions, with the ability to do serious damage to high-end ships. Ship-based solutions are beginning to proliferate, even if purchases and installation remain slow. Lockheed Martin has experience with Hellfire as a helicopter-mounted solution to the problem, so the extension is natural, and the Longbow variant’s fire-and-forget operations is especially well suited to swarm defense. Lockheed Martin also leads the Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship team.

On the other hand, Longbow Hellfire doesn’t have the range that LCS ships really need. They’re also a bit late to the maritime game. Raytheon’s shorter-range and cheaper AGM-176 Griffin is already in naval use, and the Javelin/Centurion missile & launcher combination for small boats can tie into Raytheon’s land force customer base. Lockheed Martin would also be feeling a bit of pressure from MBDA, who are running demonstrations that tout their dual-mode laser/radar guided Brimstone missile. Sources: Lockheed Martin, “Longbow Missiles Demonstrate Littoral Attack Capability”.

Sept 26/13: A $248.7 million firm-fixed price contract modification for 3,318 Hellfire II missiles in containers (various models) for the US Army, Navy and Air Force; as well as exports to Saudi Arabia, Korea, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Australia.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, and purchases will include funding will be from US FY 2011 through 2013 budgets. This was a non-competitive acquisition with one bid solicited and one received (W31P4Q-11-C-0242, PO 0049).

Aug 20/13: UAE. An $8.2 million firm-fixed-price, no-option contract modification with a cumulative maximum value of $886.2 million for Hellfire II foreign military sales (FMS) offset requirement to the United Arab Emirates. It’s part of the USA’s contract, because it’s also the umbrella for other buyers who want to take advantage of the USA’s volume discount. The benefits flow both ways, ans an order of this size will help keep prices down for the US military.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL. Only 1 bid was solicited, as is common in these situations (W31P4Q-11-C-0242, PO 0043).

Dec 20/12: A $114.1 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy various models of Hellfire II tactical missiles in containers. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL with an estimated completion date of Feb 28/14. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W31P4Q-11-C-0242). The overall contract has now reached $730.5 million.

Oct 4/12: Finalized. A $403.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy various models of Hellfire II missiles. Work will be performed in Orlando, FL with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received (W31P4Q-11-C-0242).

Looks like they’ve finalized the underlying contract.

Contract finalized

Jan 5/12: A $53.9 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to buy more Hellfire II missiles, type and numbers unspecified. Inquiries reveal that the underlying contract, announced on Aug 1/11, still hasn’t been finalized.

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/14. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-11-C-0242).

USMC AH-1Z: Launch!
(click to view full)

Aug 1/11: A $159 million firm-fixed-price, unfinalized contract begins procurement of 3,097 AGM-114N/P/Q/R Hellfire II missiles in containers; 16 Hellfire II guidance test articles to verify production lot performance; and engineering, equipment, and production services. The new multi-year contract’s final terms and number of missiles remain under negotiation, but this contract allows production to continue while those details are hammered out. FBO.gov sets the contract’s limits as:

“HELLFIRE II FY11-14 production contract requirements for a maximum total quantity of 24,000 HELLFIRE II missiles in containaers, conversion of a maximum total quantity of 1,800 HELLFIRE II missiles from one model to another HELLFIRE II model, and production of a maximum total quantity of 5,832 HELLFIRE II spare parts, consisting of 40 different national stock numbers (varying quantities).”

Work will be performed in Orlando, FL, with an estimated completion date of Sept 30/14. Since the missiles have only 1 owning manufacturer, 1 sole-source bid was solicited, with 1 bid received (W31P4Q-11-C-0242).

New multi-year contract

Additional Readings

• Lockheed Martin – Hellfire II Missile

• Boeing – History: Rockwell International AGM-114 Hellfire

• Global Security – AGM-114 Hellfire Modular Missile System (HMMS)

• Designation Systems – Boeing/Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire

• DID – JAGM: Joint Common Missile Program. JAGM will replace AGM-114 Hellfire, *GM-71 TOW, and AGM-65 Maverick missile variants on Army and Navy helicopters, UAVs, and fighter aircraft… if the program is not cancelled first.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari met with Brazilian Minister of Defence Jaques Wagner in Brasilia on 2 June, mainly to seek Brazilian military support for Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State by exploring potential defence cooperation and procurement programmes. No further details of

Democrats and Republicans are heading towards a budget battle in the coming weeks, as the latter try to increase defence funding and the former try to initiate negotiations for increasing funding more broadly. ANALYSIS The Senate is in the process of considering amendments to the annual defence

THREE soldiers, six vigilantes, and dozens of Boko Haram militants were killed during armed clashes that broke out after militants attacked a military base on the outskirts of the city of Maiduguri in Nigeria's Borno state on 14 May, AFP reported. The attack was reported to have been commenced by