Nov 17, 2011 21:57 UTC
Eurofighter over Dubai
With the 2011 Dubai Airshow in full swing, the biggest question on site is: what’s happening to the UAE’s planned fighter deal? The United Arab Emirates’ interest in up to 60 Dassault Rafale fighters has seen years of negotiations, and the 2011 show was expected to be the clincher.
Instead, it has opened the door to Eurofighter GmbH, even as Boeing admits to giving classified technical briefings centered on its F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15 Strike Eagle families. Unlike Eurofighter, Boeing hasn’t received an RFP, but other reports suggest that the UAE may be about to reduce its planned new jet order and buy more of its unique Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60s, regardless of what happens next. The bombshell hit at Dubai’s 2011 air show.
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Jul 13, 2011 16:49 UTC
APFSDS in flight
ATK recently announced a $77 million, 3-year contract, exercising an option to develop and qualify the USA’s new 120mm tank-killing round for use in the U.S. Army’s M1A2 SEP Abrams tanks. The M829E4 is called the Advanced Kinetic Energy round, and belongs to a class known as APFSDS-T: Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot with Tracer. As the picture shows, the shell casing releases a penetrator sabot dart, which flies at extreme velocity to punch through enemy tank armor. The tracer element makes it easy to see the round in flight.
While manufacturers like Rheinmetall use tungsten alloys for the APFSDS dart, American rounds use alloys of similarly-dense depleted uranium (DU)…
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Jun 12, 2011 18:32 UTC
Leon Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee that his main objective as the new Defense Secretary will be to ensure that the United States continues to have the best trained, best equipped and strongest military in the world. Despite the Department of Defense’ efforts to cut $400 billion as part of deficit reduction measures Panetta also stressed to the Committee the United States does not need to choose between strong fiscal discipline and a strong national defense. Instead the challenge lies in designing budgets that eliminate wasteful spending while protecting those core elements deemed vital to national security.
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Aug 18, 2009 13:31 UTC
The US Army awarded a total of $8.6 million in performance-based task orders for environmental remediation services at Army facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The Army has two environment remediation programs for active/operating Army installations – the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) and the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP). The IRP is a program to identify, investigate and clean up hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants resulting from past US Department of Defense (DoD) operations and activities. The MMRP addresses the safety, health, and environmental issues caused by past DoD munitions-related activities. Congress established the MMRP to address unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions and munitions constituents located at sites on other than operational ranges.
The recent Army task orders are for both types of remediation programs…
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Jul 26, 2009 09:00 UTC
K-Dog: disco is worse
The global proliferation of advanced, ultra-quiet diesel electric submarines has prompted a number of responses around the globe, from initial-stage efforts to mimic a shark’s senses in the USA, to the most obvious route of using more powerful active sonars. In Western countries, concerns have been expressed that these sonars may disorient or scare marine mammals, leading to decompression sickness or disruption of their biological sonar navigation systems. This has led to (unsuccessful) lawsuits aimed at curtailing submarine exercises by Western navies.
In December 2007, USN Rear Adm. Lawrence S. Rice, director of Naval Operations Environmental Readiness, discussed some of the measures that are being taken to investigate the issue, and also mitigate any possible effects. In January 2008, a court battle erupted over undersea training off the coast of San Diego, CA, throwing the issue back into the limelight and potentially crippling Navy training before a dangerous deployment to the Persian Gulf. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ follow-on ruling was predictable, but in November 2008, the US Supreme Court issued its ruling.
In light of that favorable ruling, a settlement has now been reached on the Navy’s terms. The Navy has just been given permission to conduct exercises near Hawaii, and this, too, is likely to end up in court, along with its planned training near Florida. Meanwhile, the US Navy continues to fund marine mammal research – which may begin to include UUVs and/or USVs…
- Sonar and Marine Mammals
- Updates and Key Events [updated]
- Additional Readings
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May 17, 2009 14:58 UTC
CH2M Hill-Kleinfelder of San Diego, CA, won a maximum $100 million cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for long-term environmental regulation compliance in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). This AOR includes California (80%), Arizona (5%), Nevada (5%), Colorado (4%), New Mexico (2%), Utah (2%), and other federal and Department of Defense installations nationwide (2%). NAVFAC manages the planning, design and construction of shore facilities for U.S. Navy activities around the world.
Under the contract, CH2M Hill-Kleinfelder will provide studies, evaluations, consultation, conceptual design, value engineering, risk assessments, pilot or treatability projects, operation monitoring and optimization of environmental treatment or control systems. These services will enable the Navy and the Marine Corps to comply with Department of Defense, federal, state, local, and installation specific environment laws, regulations, and guidance.
The firm expects to complete the work by May 2014. The first task order of $1.9 million has been awarded and is due to be complete by May 2010. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities and Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 4 proposals received by NAVFAC Southwest, based in San Diego, CA (N62473-09-D-2622).