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Italian Eurofighters
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IMU order; AESA radar work; Tranche 3B offer. (Aug 19/10)

In the context of European defense budgets under pressure over the past years, the Eurofighter contract was designed to protect the fairness of each participants’ agreed manufacturing work shares, by making it very expensive to back out of committed “Tranche 3” orders. On the other hand, European defense spending continues to decline, even as operational deployments and costs increase. Hence the fractious negotiations, and also the investigation of foreign sell-offs by the member countries.

Eurofighters are very capable aircraft, but serving “Tranche 1” machines have been severely hobbled on the export market by their lack of versatility beyond air superiority missions. Britain has upgraded some of its Tranche 1 machines, and the Tranche 2 fighters that began delivery to member countries in 2008 have added precision ground attack capabilities.

By the end of Tranche 2, however, the 4-nation Eurofighter agreement still had 236 fighters left to go. In June 2009, the partners took a diplomatic way out, splitting Tranche 3 into 2 parts. At the end of July 2009, the 4 partner nations placed a EUR 9 billion Tranche 3A order….

• Eurofighter: Design & Evolution
• Eurofighter: Industrial Structure
• Eurofighter Tranche 3: Plans and Orders [updated]
• Eurofighter: What Next?
• Additional Readings [NEW]
  
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RAAF C-130J-30, flares
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Oman buys 2 more. (Aug 16/10)

The C-130 Hercules remains one of the longest-running aerospace manufacturing programs of all time. Since 1956, over 40 models and variants have served as the tactical airlift backbone for over 50 nations. The C-130J looks similar, but the number of changes almost make it a new aircraft. Those changes also created issues; the program has been the focus of a great deal of controversy in America – and even of a full program restructuring in 2006. Some early concerns from critics were put to rest when the C-130J demonstrated in-theater performance on the front lines that represented a major improvement over its C-130E/H predecessors. A valid follow-on question might be: does it break the bottleneck limitations that have hobbled a number of multi-billion dollar US Army vehicle development programs?

C-130J customers now include Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, India, Israel, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and the United States. American C-130J purchases are taking place under both annual budgets and supplemental wartime funding, in order to replace tactical transport and special forces fleets that are flying old aircraft and in dire need of major repairs. This DID FOCUS Article describes the C-130J, examines the bottleneck issue, covers global developments for the C-130J program, and looks at present and emerging competitors.

• The (Private) Labors of Hercules: the C-130J
• The C-130J and the 20-ton Bottleneck
• Turbulent Flight: The C-130J Program
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources, incl. emerging competitors & Special Operations requirements
  
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RN CVF Concept
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Last shipyard begins construction; Sale rumors resurface; Switch to Super Hornets?; EMALS-type catapult research. (Aug 8/10)

In 1998, Britain’s Strategic Defence review (SDR) announced plans to replace the current set of 3 Invincible Class 22,000t escort carriers with 2 larger, more capable Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) ships that could operate a more powerful force. These new carriers would be joint-service platforms, operating F-35B aircraft, plus helicopters and UAVs from all 3 services in roles that could include ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), force projection and logistics support, close air support, anti-submarine/ anti-surface naval warfare, and land attack.

The scale of the CVF effort relative to Britain’s past experiences means that the program structure is rather complex. It has passed through several stages already, and is being run and conducted within an industrial alliance framework. There is also a parallel international framework, involving cooperation with France on its PA2 carrier as a larger derivative of the CVF design. This DID FOCUS article covers that structure and framework, ongoing developments, and the ships themselves as they round toward final design, construction, and fielding…

• The CVF Queen Elizabeth Class
• Program Team: The Aircraft Carrier Alliance
• CVF Program Management
• The CVF Program: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• CVF-Related Contracts and Events
• Additional Readings & Sources: The Program
• Additional Readings & Sources: The Ships
  
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Oshkosh M-ATV
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EFP protection kits; Field service; M-ATV maintenance issues? (Aug 13/10)

“The Government plans to acquire an MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). The M-ATV is a lighter, off-road, and more maneuverable vehicle that incorporates current MRAP level [bullet and mine blast] protection. The M-ATV will require effectiveness in an off-road mission profile. The vehicle will include EFP (Explosively Formed Projectile land mine) and RPG protection (integral or removable kit). The M-ATV will maximize both protection levels and off-road mobility & maneuverability attributes, and must balance the effects of size and weight while attempting to achieve the stated requirements.”
  —US government FedBizOpps, November 2008

Oshkosh Defense’s M-ATV candidate secured a long-denied MRAP win, and the firm continues to remain ahead of production targets. The initial plan expected to spend up to $3.3 billion to order 5,244 M-ATVs for the US Army (2,598), Marine Corps (1,565), Special Operations Command (643), US Air Force (280) and the Navy (65), plus 93 test vehicles. FY 2010 budgets and purchases have pushed this total even higher, and orders now stand at over 8,000…

• MRAP ATV: Requirements and Contenders
• M-ATV Variants
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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Four teams get up to $100 million in DARPA funding to develop superfast supercomputers. (Aug 6/10)

The US Department of Defense (DoD) High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) was set up in 1992 to modernize DoD’s supercomputing capabilities. The HPCMP was assembled out of a collection of small high performance computing departments run by the services, each with supercomputing capabilities independent of the others.

The HPCMP brings these capabilities together. The program provides supercomputer services, high-speed network communications, and computational science expertise that enables the DoD labs to develop new weapons systems, prepare US aircraft for overseas deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, and assist long-term weather predictions to plan humanitarian and military operations throughout the world…

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Ultra APV demonstrator
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New Army plan bad news for JLTV? Aug 17/10)

In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.

These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially better protection ad durability than existing up-armored Humvees. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc. The end of October 2008 saw 3 contract awards out of 7 qualifying submissions, which are being developed into rival designs for the JLTV’s systems design and development phase.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, though its future remains cloudy due to expected spending cutbacks and the possible presence of “good enough” substitutes…

• JLTV: Program & Risks
• JLTV: Goals and Constraints
• JLTV: Participants and Platforms
• JLTV: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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F-35A: incoming…
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20 F-35As for Israel; Turkish ramp-up, NGC ramp-up; EOTS testing. (Aug 17/10)

The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an “affordably stealthy” multi-role fighter that will have 3 variants: the F-35A conventional version for the US Air Force et. al.; the F-35B Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing for the US Marines, British Royal Navy, et. al.; and the F-35C conventional carrier-launched version for the US Navy. The aircraft is named after Lockheed’s famous WW2 P-38 Lightning, and the Mach 2, stacked-engine English Electric (now BAE) Lightning jet. Lightning II system development partners included The USA & Britain (Tier 1), Italy and the Netherlands (Tier 2), and Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey (Tier 3), with Singapore and Israel as “Security Cooperation Partners.” Now the challenge is agreeing on production phase membership and arrangements, to be followed by initial purchase commitments in 2009-2010.

This updated article has expanded to feature more detail regarding the F-35 program, including contracts, sub-contracts, and notable events and reports.

• The F-35 Family of Aircraft
• F-35 Program: Production Timelines & Structure
• F-35 Program: Controversies and Competitions
• F-35 Program: Events & Developments, CY 2009-2010 [updated]
• F-35 Program: System Development & Production Contracts, FY 2009-2010 [updated]
• F-35 Program: Ancillary and Sub-contracts, FY 2009 – 2010 [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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A400M rollout, Seville
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The A400M “Grizzly”; Flight Management System issues; A400M passes wing stress testing. (Aug 4/10)

Airbus’ A400M is a EUR 20+ billion program that aims to repeat Airbus’ civilian successes in the full size military transport market. A series of smart design decisions were made around capacity (35-37 tonnes/ 38-40 US tons, large enough for survivable armored vehicles), extensive use of modern materials, multi-role capability as a refueling tanker, and a multinational industrial program; all of which leave the aircraft well positioned to take overall market share from Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules. If the USA’s C-17 is allowed to go out of production, the A400M would also have a strong position in the strategic transport market, with only Russian IL-76 and AN-124 aircraft as competition. To date, 184 orders have been placed by Germany (60), France (50), Spain (27), Britain (25), Turkey (10), South Africa (8), Belgium (7), Malaysia (4), and Luxembourg (1); and Chile has expressed an unfinalized interest in 3 planes.

EADS’ biggest issue, by far, has been funding for a project that is more than EUR 7 billion over budget. The next biggest issue is timing, as A400M delivery penalties and Lockheed Martin’s strong push for its serving C-130J Super Hercules cast a pall over the A400M’s potential future. The entire project has been under moratorium for over a year as all parties decided what to do. Cancellation was not a realistic contractual option for most customers, but late deliveries could be refused, giving both Airbus and its customers negotiating leverage. This DID Spotlight article covers the latest developments, as the A400M project slides toward a new agreement, and production…

• The A400M Program: A Snapshot
• The A400M Program: Airbus’ Dilemmas
• Updates & Key Events, 2009-Present [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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SU-35 flight test, 2009
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Platform updates; Libya deal still expected. (July 23/10)

As one of our readers noted, DID’s articles from 2005-2007 seem to describe 2 different SU-35s. One was a mid-life modernized SU-27 Flanker, but there’s also a much more re-engineered “SU-35” variant with canards, thrust vectoring, etc. which has been confused with (and possibly redesignated between) the SU-37. So… what do we mean by “SU-35”?

Revelations after 2007 began to provide answers. This article explains the sources of the widespread confusion regarding the SU-35’s layout and key characteristics, reviews what is now known about the platform, and tracks its development. Those developments are likely to have broad consequences. The aircraft has a home customer in the Russian Air Force, and the SU-35 is being positioned to succeed most SU-30MK variants as Russia’s fighter export of choice within the coming decade…

• Which Sukhoi? The SU-35 Platform [updated]
• SU-35: Export Prospects
• SU-35: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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• The Russian Defense Ministry plans to spend 20 trillion rubles ($656 billion) on its 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, which includes purchases of 1,000 helicopters, 20 An-124 Ruslan transport planes, and 70 T-50/PAK-FA fighter jets.

• A report issued by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense estimates that China will have 2,000 short- and medium-range missiles, capable of destroying 90% of Taiwan’s infrastructure, pointed at the island by the end of 2010.

• US DoD’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awards 5-year TASER contracts worth up to $1 billion to 18 firms to provide engineering, prototype, integration/deployment, and sustainment support to the agency.

• Dutch are refurbishing their force’s Diemaco/Colt rifles, but their KCT special forces are trading up to the HK416.

• First Harrier GR9 equipped under the TIEC datalink program flies, as part of the RAF’s “Capability E” upgrades.

• Flexing Muscle: The USS George Washington [CVN-73] heads to Pusan in preparation for joint US-South Korean naval exercises.

• Skill Shortage: The Professional Services Council, the US government services contractors association, wonders whether the Pentagon has the personnel to handle the work being in-sourced as a result of congressional mandates.

• United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney, Volvo Aero Norway team on $61 million venture to build military aircraft engine shafts, including shafts for the F135 for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F119 for the F-22 Raptor fighter.