Lockheed Martin is to go ahead with its Net Dragon upgrade planned for the USAF's U-2S fleet. The system will equip the fleet with a beyond-line-of-sight communications relay capability for forward-deployed forces on the ground or in the air. At present, the aircraft uses a Dragon Fly modem that will allow a soldier on the ground to relay full-motion video to another soldier miles away. The new upgrade increases the difficulty for competitors to get ahead of Lockheed, with a planned L-3 Communications upgrade due on the plan within the next few months. An L-3 Communication satellite modem will allow the same forces on the ground to call up imagery and other information from intelligence databases, such as the distributed common ground system. More »
M-346 Advanced Jet Trainer: Nine additional Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainers have been ordered by the Italian government, doubling the initial order by the air force. The Honeywell F124-powered aircraft come at a cost of $336 million, with delivery to commence this year and last until 2018. In addition to the trainers, the contract also includes logistics support and a further, unspecified development effort for a wider integrated training system. More »
Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS): BAE Systems and the UK government have signed a contract extending the company's development of a new class of Type 26 anti-submarine frigate. The $670 million deal will run from this April for 15 months, and follows a previous 12 month extension of demonstration phase which comes to an end next month. Work will now be carried out to further maturing the frigates design, and manufacturing of equipment for the first three of eight ships scheduled to be built by BAE. However, neither BAE or the MoD commented on whether a full scale production will follow the end of the latest contract. More »
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Rapid Fire | Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 00:59 UTC ()
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed a 3D printed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Tests carried out on the Corrosion Resistant Aerial Covert Unmanned Nautical System (CRACUNS) have proven that it can remained submerged in saltwater for two months, and then be launched into the air to carry out its mission. CRACUNS enables new capabilities not possible with existing UAV or UUV platforms. Its ability to operate in the harsh littoral (shore) environment, as well as its payload flexibility, enables a wide array of potential missions.
The operational capability of the T-X advanced jet trainer program will be two years late as the USAF decided to delay the release of the request for proposals until late December. According to an Air Force spokesman, refining the planned industry solicitation has taken longer than anticipated, and the delay takes into account the desire to reduce “any potential misinterpretations, which will result in offers better-positioned to meet training requirements.” At present, at least four teams are shaping up to offer submissions with Raytheon, Finmeccanica, and CAE offering the T-100 and Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries have teamed up for the T-50A. Meanwhile a pair of clean-sheet designs is being put forth by a Boeing/Saab team and a Northrop Grumman-led coalition that includes BAE Systems and L2.
Lockheed Martin is to go ahead with its Net Dragon upgrade planned for the USAF’s U-2S fleet. The system will equip the fleet with a beyond-line-of-sight communications relay capability for forward-deployed forces on the ground or in the air. At present, the aircraft uses a Dragon Fly modem that will allow a soldier on the ground to relay full-motion video to another soldier miles away. The new upgrade increases the difficulty for competitors to get ahead of Lockheed, with a planned L-3 Communications upgrade due on the plan within the next few months. An L-3 Communication satellite modem will allow the same forces on the ground to call up imagery and other information from intelligence databases, such as the distributed common ground system.
Oshkosh has been awarded over $433 million in several contracts for recapitalization work on vehicles for the US Army. A $197.8 million deal will see the delivery of recapitalized Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT). Another will see $135.6 million for recapitalized palletized load systems, while the final $100.4 million contract will see conversion work on M1074A0 to M1075A1 for heavy tactical vehicles. All contracts will be completed by November 30, 2017.
Middle East & North Africa
Lebanon and Kenya are to receive Huey II helicopters through the US Army. Last week, Bell Helicopters received a $19 million contract to furnish three Huey IIs for the Lebanese government, with delivery due to be completed in 2017. Meanwhile the Army’s non-standard rotary wing aircraft office began seeking potential sources to produce another five Huey IIs for the Republic of Kenya. Bell’s Huey II modernization program rebuilds old aircraft with commercial Bell 212 dynamic components and the Honeywell T53-703 powerplant.
Europe
Nine additional Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainers have been ordered by the Italian government, doubling the initial order by the air force. The Honeywell F124-powered aircraft come at a cost of $336 million, with delivery to commence this year and last until 2018. In addition to the trainers, the contract also includes logistics support and a further, unspecified development effort for a wider integrated training system.
BAE Systems and the UK government have signed a contract extending the company’s development of a new class of Type 26 anti-submarine frigate. The $670 million deal will run from this April for 15 months, and follows a previous 12 month extension of demonstration phase which comes to an end next month. Work will now be carried out to further maturing the frigates design, and manufacturing of equipment for the first three of eight ships scheduled to be built by BAE. However, neither BAE or the MoD commented on whether a full scale production will follow the end of the latest contract.
Asia Pacific
India’s defense ministry has received two detailed project reports from companies looking to develop the Indian Army’s new battlefield management system. Tata Power SED with Larsen & Toubro, and state-owned Bharat Electronics with Rolta India submitted the two bids for the $6 billion system, with the winner being chosen to make prototypes within six months. The $300 million prototype development has four variants: for the infantry battalion group, combat group (armor), combat group (mechanized infantry), and special forces group. Technologies to be included in each prototype include a geographical information system, multi-sensor data fusion system, rugged computing devices, and a software defined radio-based communication system for soldiers.
Today’s Video
The 3D printed Corrosion Resistant Aerial Covert Unmanned Nautical System:
| Delaying investment into a 6th generation fighter has been recommended by Lockheed Martin, who is instead favoring a “robust” modernization program to keep fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s capable against new counter-air threats. The comments were made by the company's Skunk Works chief Rob Weiss, who claims such a modernization will achieve the air dominance that America desires for the next 30 to 40 years. Lockheed currently holds dominance in the fifth generation market, and looks to push block upgrades of existing aircraft as the USAF and Navy assess their fighter requirements over the oncoming decades. Meanwhile, competitors Boeing and Northrop Grumman would like to break back into the high-end combat jet market after losing the winner takes all Joint Strike Fighter competition.
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| AH-64 Apache helicopters are likely to receive a turret upgrade next year, which could save the Army up to $500 million in operations and life-cycle costs. Lockheed Martin began developing a High Reliability Turret for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) as part of a contract awarded in 2014, and currently expects to receive an engineering change proposal approval around the fourth quarter of 2017 that will allow them to start low-rate procurement. The new turrets will allow for increased slew rates as well as smaller, more affordable line-replaceable modules.
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| Qatar's purchase of Dassault Rafale fighters has been financed with the help of Japanese banks. The Gulf state recently paid a 15% down payment on its order, which in total amounts to $6.8 billion. The loan highlights a growing relationship with Japan through Japanese business interests in areas of construction and finance. Investments and projects involving Japanese companies include construction for the 2022 World Cup, and the building of a subway system in Doha, while Qatar supplies liquefied gas to Japan. The participation of Japanese money in the deal comes as tighter EU financial regulations to European banks bring lending under greater scrutiny, while a US loan to buy French technology may have upset Boeing, a competitor to Dassault in the fighter market.
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| The USAF and Honeywell are investigating a still-undetermined problem with the starter-generator on the MQ-9 Reaper Block 1 version's Honeywell turboprop engine. Seventeen MQ-9 crashes have been avoided since last April, however, thanks to a backup electrical system that has been installed as a safeguard, which allows for the aircraft to fly for another ten hours. Since the UAV's first flight, the USAF have lost dozens during missions, at a cost of $20-25 million per aircraft. This has intensified in 2015, as the steeping up of anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Africa saw 10 MQ-9 and 10 MQ-1 crashes in that last year alone. More »
| Lockheed Martin is to restart production on its MK 41 Vertical Launching System with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned its Middle River plant in Baltimore County, Maryland on March 24. According to an invitation to media, the MK 41 VLS is “the only launching system capable [sic] launching anti-air, anti-submarine, surface-to-surface and strike missiles and can receive orders from multiple weapon control systems to handle every warfighting mission." The news comes as Lockheed was awarded a potential three-year $197.6 million contract modification to carry out computer program baseline development work on the US Navy's Aegis combat systems, of which the MK 41 is a core component.
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| The German Air Force may look to acquire additional transport aircraft alongside its procurement of Airbus A400Ms. Sources within the government and military have denied that the new buys are in relation to ongoing problems with the A400M; however, as many as ten new aircraft may be purchased. Potential models for the Germans could be Lockheed's C130 Hercules, as the A400M is too wide and heavy to land on some runways.
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