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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
14 Mar 19. British Army restarts Dismounted Situational Awareness programme. The British Army will receive funding to restart its Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) programme formally in April after it was paused in 2017, although in the interim progress has been made through an experimental project. The DSA system would consist of three main elements: a communications bearer; an end user device (EUD); and a battle management application (BMA), Lieutenant Colonel Toby Lyle, SO1 command and battlespace management at Army HQ, said at the SMi Future Soldier Technology conference in March in London. A power and data management hub is a possible addition as this enables other devices to be integrated and could provide additional computer processing and encryption.(Source: IHS Jane’s)
05 Mar 19. United Kingdom-Bristol: Anti-ship missiles – 2019/S 048-111467 – Prior information notice for contracts in the field of defence and security. Directive 2009/81/EC
Section I: Contracting authority/entity
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence, Weapons, Torpedoes, Tomahawk and Harpoon (TTH) Project Team
MOD Abbey Wood
BS34 8JH Bristol
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 3067935469
E-mail:
Internet address(es):
General address of the contracting authority/entity: https://www.contracts.mod.uk
Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)
I.2)Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions
II.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority/entity:
Next Generation Surface Ship Guided Weapon (SSGW)
II.4)Short description of nature and scope of works or nature and quantity or value of supplies or services:
The Authority has a possible future requirement to procure a next generation ship launched anti-ship weapon system for use within training and operational roles with the Royal Navy. First delivery of the ship installed equipment would be required by December 2022 and first delivery of missiles would be required by December 2023. The potential contract will be for 4 years, with the potential of option years to follow (up to 9 more years), the potential contract would cover the following activities:
Manufacture and delivery of the weapon system to be delivered in Financial Year 2023/2024.
Installation of the weapon system onto Royal Navy ships.
Provision and support of interface requirements to assist ships installation.
Provision of train the trainer courses.
Maintenance and technical support for the operational upkeep of the weapon system.
Should this requirement proceed, a Contract Notice will be published in due course with more precise requirements and interested parties will be invited to complete an online pre-qualification questionnaire, which will be measured against selected criteria in terms of commercial and technical requirements.
The technical requirement will be base lined against the user requirements and include questions regarding:
— battlefield effect,
— terminal effect,
— interoperability: climatic and environment,
— munition sensitivity,
— system and design safety,
— human factors,
— deployability,
— training,
— sustainability and supply chain,
— Capability resilience and reliability.
Evidence will be required at the PQQ stage to demonstrate the weapon system can meet the Authority’s requirement set.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 100 000 000 and 200 000 000 GBP
II.5)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
35622300
II.6)Scheduled date for start of award procedures and duration of the contract
Scheduled date for start of award procedures: 24.11.2021
II.7)Additional information:
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Information about reserved contracts
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1)Information about European Union funds
VI.2)Additional information:
Advertising Regime OJEU: This contract opportunity is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin and www.contracts.mod.uk GO Reference: GO-201935-DCB-14231704.
VI.3)Information on general regulatory framework
VI.4)Date of dispatch of this notice:
5.3.2019
(Source: Europa TED)
08 Mar 19. United Kingdom-Telford: Repair and maintenance services of military vehicles– 2019/S 048-111477 – Contract notice. Services.
Directive 2009/81/EC
Section I: Contracting authority/entity
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
B15, Mod Donnington
Contact point(s): Adele Eveson
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 1952467207
E-mail:
Internet address(es):
General address of the contracting authority/entity: www.contracts.mod.uk
I.3)Main activity
Defence
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
The Repair and Remanufacture of Various Vehicle Transmissions and Associated Items
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 1: Maintenance and repair services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Telford and Wrekin
NUTS code UKG21
II.1.3)Information on framework agreement
The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
Duration of the framework agreement
Duration in years: 7
Justification for a framework agreement, the duration of which exceeds seven years:
Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 850 000 and 1 700 000 GBP
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
— repair and maintenance services of military vehicles,
— repair and maintenance services of vehicle transmissions,
— repair and maintenance services of military vehicles.
The Authority has a potential requirement to place a 5 year Framework Agreement for the repair and remanufacture of various vehicle transmissions and associated items. There will also be a provision for 2 x 1 year options should this be required and subject to satisfactory supplier performance.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
50630000, 50116400
II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
Babcock DSG Ltd acting as Agents for the Authority has a potential requirement to place a 5 year Framework Agreement for the repair and remanufacture of various vehicle transmissions and associated items. There will also be a provision for 2 x 1 year options should this be required and subject to satisfactory supplier performance.
At present, the possible future requirement covers but is not limited to the repair and refurbishment of the following NSN’s:
DMC NSN description
7SDP 2520-99-131-8581 gearbox
7SDP 2520-12-338-8716 transmission, mech, VEH
7SDP 2530-99-147-1404 wheel, drive
7SDP 2520-99-126-2055 transmission, mech, VEH
7SDP 2530-99-563-5639 wheel drive
7SDP 2520-99-197-4267 transmission, mechanical
7SDP 2520-99-795-3551 differential, driving AXL
7SDP 2520-12-338-8717 transmission, mech, VEH
7SDP 2530-99-759-5488 wheel drive
7SDP 2520-99-902-5039 wheel drive
No business whatsoever is guaranteed under any resulting Framework Agreement or contract indeed there is no guarantee that any Framework Agreement or contract will be put in place in relation to this notice. Bidders should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between 850 000 and 1 700 000 GBP
II.2.2)Information about options
Options: yes
Description of these options: Babcock DSG acting on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence has a potential requirement to place a 5 year Framework Agreement with the possibility of a further 2 x 1 year options.
Provisional timetable for recourse to these options:
in months: 60 (from the award of the contract)
III.1.4)Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject, in particular with regard to security of supply and security of information:
The Authority reserves the right to amend any condition related to security of information to reflect any changes in national law or government policy. If any contract documents are accompanied by a security aspects letter, the Authority reserves the right to amend the terms of the security aspects letter to reflect any changes in national law or government policy whether in respect of the applicable protective marking scheme, specific protective markings given, the aspects to which any protective marking applies or otherwise.
VI.3)Additional information:
The Contracting Authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are Small or Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.The Authority reserves the right to amend any condition related to security of information to reflect any changes in national law or government policy. If any contract documents are accompanied by instructions on safeguarding classified information (e.g. a security aspects letter), the Authority reserves the right to amend the terms of these instructions to reflect any changes in national law or government policy, whether in respect of the applicable protective marking scheme, specific protective markings given, the aspects to which any protective marking applies, or otherwise. The link below to the Gov.uk website provides information on the Government Security Classification.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-security-classifications
Advertising Regime OJEU: This contract opportunity is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin and www.contracts.mod.uk
All responders are required to complete a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ) at https://supplier-cyber-protection.service.gov.uk, to demonstrate compliance. Bidding organisations will need to enter this reference when completing the SAQ, in order to link their response to this risk assessment.
If you require any assistance, please contact: The service support centre if your query relates to system navigation or access, using the contact form, or by tel: (+44) 0161 413 7981
Cyber Risk reference: RAR -5ZNK78A7
VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures
Ministry of Defence, DSG, Defence Support Group (DSG)
Building B15, MOD Donnington
TF2 8JT Telford
United Kingdom
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 1952967207
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
5.3.2019
(Source: Europa TED)
USA
14 Mar 19. US Army plans to stop building newest CH-47 variant in FY20, except for special ops. The Army is planning to stop procuring the newest version of the CH-47 F-model Chinook for the conventional force after fiscal year 2020, closing out the program at the end of the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
While details on the plan are not yet available (more budget materials are slated to post March 18), the Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters, in a March 14 interview at the Pentagon, that the service will finish buying EMD versions of the Block II Chinook in FY20 and will only buy G-model Chinooks for Army Special Operations beyond that.
The Army decided to cut its production of Chinook Block II aircraft as part of a larger effort to find funding to cover major modernization priorities in the near-term including plans to design and bring online two new, state-of-the-art helicopters — a Long-Range Assault and an Attack Reconnaissance aircraft.
The service is seeking to apply nearly $60bn over the next five years to fund modernization efforts across six major priorities: Long-Range Precision Fires, Next-Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, the Network, Air-and-Missile Defense and Soldier Lethality.
FVL is the Army’s third top priority and is ambitious given the service’s track record in procuring new helicopters over the past several decades.
McCarthy said the decision was based around the fact that the Chinook Block I is the youngest in the fleet and is “a very capable asset.” Additionally, “we have 10 percent more than we need,” he said.
While the service plans to cut the Block II program, McCarthy said he did not believe the move would trigger a Nunn-McCurdy breach, which happens when a program experiences a cost growth that exceeds statutory thresholds. Historically, breaches of this nature can be caused by reducing a planned buy of a platform, to the point that production unit cost rises to more expensive levels.
The program ahead of the FY20 budget request laid out a program where Boeing would build 542 Bock II Chinooks — 473 F-models and 69 G-models. It is unclear how many aircraft were to be built during the EMD phase.
Boeing is currently under contract to build eight MH-47G Chinooks for special operators.
“Delaying the CH-47 Block II production funding would have significant detrimental impacts for fleet readiness, the defense industrial base and tax payers, and hamper soldiers’ abilities to carry critical payloads,” a Boeing statement sent to Defense News March 14 states.
Back in October, Boeing told Defense News it feared the Army might take funding from the Block II Chinook to pay for FVL modernization efforts coming down the pipeline.
Boeing officials argued the Chinook program should move toward a rapid upgrade because there is no cargo-specific helicopter replacement on the horizon in the next 30 years. The company was running analysis to see what the impact might be if the Army decided to slow the procurement of the upgraded helicopters.
For the company, one of the biggest concerns is that the Chinooks haven’t been recapitalized in a long time. Block II was supposed obviate the need for a recap.
Additionally, an Army analysis of alternatives for Block II, ahead for the program a few years ago, found that the Block II upgrade would be cheaper than a recap process while providing more capability than a simple recap.
An F-model Chinook has become heavier and heavier with the addition of aircraft survivability equipment and ballistic protection systems among other upgrades.
The upgrades in the Block II version include newly designed rotorblades, major changes to the drive system and other improvements like non-segmented fuel cells. The aircraft is expected to buy back roughly 4,000 pounds of additional load capacity and adds range capability.
The Army approved the Chinook Block II effort to move into the EMD phase in April 2017 and the program officially began in July 2017.
Boeing was under contract to build three EMD aircraft for the Army. In October the first two were already on the final assembly line. The aircraft are expected to fly in the middle of this year.
The company expects a production decision in July of 2021, which, depending on budget details may be moot aside from special operations G-model orders. (Source: Defense News)
13 Mar 19. US Air Force asks for $35m in new budget for light-attack experiment. The U.S. Air Force’s light-attack experiment isn’t dead yet, as the service is requesting $35m in its fiscal 2020 budget to continue the effort with a more expansive set of airframes that could involve drones and jets.
Maj. Gen. John Pletcher, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for budget, confirmed Tuesday that the service included funding in its FY20 budget for the light-attack experiment as well as “procurement dollars in the outyears that will allow us to start a program, should the results of the experiment say it’s a good investment to do so.”
Earlier this year, Air Force Under Secretary Matt Donovan confirmed that the service was not ready to begin a program of record for light-attack aircraft, despite holding two rounds of demonstrations and issuing draft requests for proposals.
At that point, the competition seemed to be down to Textron’s AT-6 Wolverine and the A-29 Super Tucano, made by Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
However, Pletcher said the Air Force did not get the buy-in it wanted to see from international allies and partners, defying the idea that a light-attack plane could build interoperability with foreign militaries.
“This decision the Air Force had to make this year was, essentially, are we ready to go to a program of record given what we have learned up to this point with the first two experiments — keeping in mind the light-attack [experiment] is all about allies and partners. That’s the most important thing,” he said.
“[With] the results of the experiments from the first two phases, we just didn’t feel comfortable that we had the right mix of capabilities that was going to attract the partners and allies that we needed,” he added
Although Pletcher didn’t say what the new phase of experimentation would entail, he noted that one component would be a study that looks at allies’ light-attack requirements as well as what industry could provide in the realm of rotorcraft, turboprop and turbojet planes, as well as unmanned aircraft.
Last month, Air Combat Command head Gen. Mike Holmes said the service is looking at whether its T-X training jet could have utility as a light-attack aircraft.
“At the informal level, I have some guys that work for me that are thinking through what the requirement might be for those different versions [of T-X],” he said.
“When or if that transitions and becomes something more formal will depend on a lot of things,” he added, noting that one of those variables is the budget. (Source: Defense News)
11 Mar 19. USAF awards funding to 51 companies at inaugural Pitch Day event. The US Air Force (USAF) has handed out contracts to 51 companies at the inaugural Air Force Pitch Day event held in New York, US. The total initial value of the contracts is around $8.75m. The Air Force Pitch Day was designed for commercial investment pitch competitions and saw contracts awarded in minutes. The aim of the pitch day is to facilitate contracts and same-day awards with simplified processing. It involves a new approach that seeks to end time-consuming contractual processes typically seen in the military.
As part of the approach, the USAF awarded Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to companies through a process that involved a streamlined evaluation of documentation and in-person presentations.
According to USAF vice-chief of staff general Stephen Wilson, streamlining the contract process will enable the airforce to deliver speed of capability to the battlefield.
Wilson said: “Events such as Pitch Day allow us to connect small businesses to the operator, then to a real problem and bring those two together to build a partnership.
“The fact that these small businesses don’t have to go get loans, or bridges, waiting for that 120 days to get on contract is a big deal.”
During the 30-day application period, the USAF received 417 submissions, which included 59 businesses that were selected to pitch their proposals in person.
Following the presentations, officials granted an initial award of up to $158,000 to 51 companies.
The pitch day enabled businesses to receive contracts and much-needed funding that enable them to quickly begin working on their ideas.
USAF acquisition, technology and logistics assistant secretary Dr Will Roper said: “The fact that these small businesses don’t have to go get loans, or bridges, waiting for that 120 days to get on contract is a big deal. It means they can focus immediately on working with us, understanding our users, delivering for the warfighter.”
With the successful completion of the inaugural pitch day event, the USAF needs to organise such activity at scale, noted Roper. The airforce intends to use the potential of the collaboration with small businesses to enhance national security in air, space and cyberspace.(Source: airforce-technology.com)
11 Mar 19. DARPA seeks tools for 3D underground mapping and surveying. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has issued a request for information on advanced technologies and methodologies for 3D mapping and surveying of underground environments. The request is in support of the agency’s Subterranean (SubT) Challenge, which aims to equip troops and first responders with superior capabilities to effectively execute missions underground.
It will inform the agency’s pursuit of technologies for collecting and characterising 3D mapping and surveying data, which will allow troops to quickly and accurately conduct combat operations and disaster missions in the subterranean domain.
DARPA Tactical Technology Office (TTO) programme manager Timothy Chung said: “What makes subterranean areas challenging for precision mapping and surveying, such as lack of GPS, constrained passages, dark or dust-filled air, is similar to what inhibits safe and speedy underground operations for our warfighters.
“Building an accurate three-dimensional picture is a key enabler to rapidly and remotely exploring and searching subterranean spaces.”
DARPA’s SubT Challenge seeks to examine ways to quickly map, navigate, search, and exploit underground environments such as human-made tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks.
Technologies that are designed to provide accurate and high-resolution precise and reproducible survey points with no dependence on substantial infrastructure are of particular interest.
Furthermore, technologies should be able to support easy manipulation, interpreted, and rendered data products into 3D mesh objects.
Selected proposals will demonstrate their capabilities for possible use in the SubT Challenge. (Source: army-technology.com)
09 Mar 19. NAVAIR to Test Autonomous Cargo UAS Payload Requirement. The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) plans to conduct an ‘Autonomous Cargo UAS (unmanned aerial system) Experiment’ to identify and evaluate proposed UAS systems’ ability to autonomously deliver payloads weighing up to 50 lb (23 kg) between ships and shore locations. NAVAIR has invited several companies to participate in the tests conducted by the command’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to carry reduced payloads 50 n miles, starting 25 March, at Patuxent River, Maryland. Air vehicles will be assessed on their ability to autonomously launch from a shore location, navigate via two waypoints to a vessel making bare steerage (between 3and 5kt) in open water up to 25 n miles away, loiter for 10 minutes, alight on the vessel, take off again without refuelling or recharging, and return to the original launch point. (Source: UAS VISION/IHS Jane’s)
07 Mar 19. USN to contract two USMC Clipper liaison aircraft by mid-2019. The US Navy is to award a contract for two Boeing C-40A Clipper liaison aircraft for the US Marine Corps (USMC) in the first half of this year. A replacement requirement document release by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on 7 March notes that the service intends to release a formal solicitation on 29 March for the two new-build or pre-owned 737-700C passenger and cargo aircraft that will replace the USMC’s two McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain II airliners previously flown and retired in 2014. A contract will then be awarded by 28 June. As noted by the NAVAIR Tactical Airlift Program Office, the two 737-700C airliners will be delivered in a ‘combi-convertible’ configuration that enables the aircraft to be configured for all-passenger (121 persons), all-cargo (36,000 lb [16,330 kg] across eight 463L pallets), or a combination of passengers and cargo fits. They will also be equipped with USMC or US Navy (USN) unique avionics equipment.
NAVAIR did not say when the aircraft might be delivered, and, while it did not give a proposed contract value, the USMC’s budget request from 2017 put the value at USD207.5m. Once in service the two USMC Clippers will join the 15 such aircraft already fielded by the USN for a combined fleet of 17. The C-40A is used primarily to move ship crew and cargo from the US to forward locations. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 Mar 19. US Government chooses DRS for M-LIDS C-UAS and SRC for E-LIDS C-UAS. The US government reports it intends to solicit and negotiate with DRS to provide Mobile Low, Slow Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated Defeat system (M-LIDS) and SRC to satisfy the requirements of Expeditionary Low, Slow Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated Defeat system (E-LIDS). The M-LIDS requirement is for a C-UAS capability to detect, track, classify, evaluate and defeat Group 1, Group 2, and low-end Group 3 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). “DRS is, and has been, the developer, and integrator of M-LIDS,” says the government.
The E-LIDS programme is for the procurement, delivery, and sustainment of the hardware, software, and firmware in support of the U.S. Army and Joint Urgent Occupational Need (JUON) CC-0558. This C-UAS capability is also required to detect, track, classify, evaluate and defeat Group 1, Group 2, and low-end Group 3 UAS. (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
13 Mar 19. US Air Force to buy handful of light attack aircraft. Textron Aviation Defense would offer its Scorpion aircraft if the USAF opens its LAE to turbojet aircraft. Key Points:
- The US Air Force will buy two to three aircraft from each of its previous Light Attack Experiment participants
- The service was previously non-committal on procuring aircraft
The US Air Force (USAF) will buy two to three aircraft each from Light Attack Experiment (LAE) participants Textron Aviation and Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC), but it is unclear exactly when those aircraft will be procured.
USAF Secretary Heather Wilson said on 13 March that the service is procuring aircraft as part of its LAE expansion beyond only turboprop aircraft. The Textron Aviation AT-6 Wolverine and the SNC/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, both turboprops, were the only two aircraft to participate in the LAE in the past two years.
USAF Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said on 13 March that these procured LAE aircraft will be placed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Hurlburt Air Force Base, Florida. Nellis Air Force Base, he said, is home to USAF conventional training while Hurlburt Air Force Base is home to the service’s special operations. Gen Goldfein also said the US Marine Corps (USMC) will join the LAE, but he did not provide specifics. The USMC did not return a request for comment prior to publication.
The USAF requested USD35m for LAE in its fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) budget request. Service spokesperson Ann Stefanek said on 13 March that the USAF plans to use FY 2019 funds to procure these LAE aircraft from Textron Aviation and SNC. She did not respond when asked when, exactly, the USAF would procure these aircraft. The USAF said Congress has appropriated about USD200m for LAE so far and that there is roughly USD60m left in FY 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) funds and USD100m in FY 2019 procurement funds. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
REST OF THE WORLD
14 Mar 19. Brazil plans to acquire a new support vessel to expand Antarctic operations. The Brazilian Navy has issued a request for information for a support vessel that will assist the nation’s Antarctic operations, according to a recent announcement in the Brazilian government’s Diário Oficial da União (DOU). Brazil’s Antarctic campaigns (OPERANTAR) are primarily carried out by polar vesselAlmirante Maximiano (H-41) and oceanographic vessel Ary Rongel (H-44). Maxiamiaowas launched in 1974 and acquired by the navy in 2008, while Rongel was launched in 1981 and acquired in 1994. It is unclear if either vessel will be decommissioned when the new vessel is acquired or if either or both will continue to operate in some type of auxiliary capacity. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
14 Mar 19. Brazil receives BAFOs for its corvette project. The four consortiums led by international shipbuilders vying to win the construction contract for four Tamandaré-class multi-purpose combat corvettes for the Brazilian Navy delivered their best and final offer (BAFO) on 8 March. The winner of the corvette project will be announced at the end of March, the navy told Jane’s. The Brazilian Navy will negotiate the contract for the ships with the winning team.
Damen/Saab-, Naval Group-, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems-, and Fincantieri/Leonardo-led teams were shortlisted on 15 October 2018 by the Navy Programs Management Directorate (DGePM). All four consortiums include Brazilian companies.
The first three consortiums have offered existing proven designs tailored to meet Brazilian Navy requirements, while Fincantieri proposed a design by the Brazilian Navy’s Ships Projects Center. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
15 Mar 19. Collaboration between primes key to AIR 6500 success: Boeing. The complexity of integrating inter-service platforms is one of the major challenges for AIR 6500 bidders. For Boeing, the success of integrating individual platforms for Army and Air Force has cleared the path forward, promoting partnership between defence primes.
Conceptualised as a “system-of-systems” responsible for combining the data gathering, analysis and firing solutions of inter-service platforms like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, E-7A Wedgetail, P-8A Poseidon, Hobart Class and Hunter Class and the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) LAND 19 Phase 7B, AIR 6500 has become an increasingly challenging project.
The challenge laid down to industry by the RAAF and government has been taken up enthusiastically by industry keen to be at the cutting-edge of capability delivery, particularly given the opportunity to establish a paradigm-shifting integrated, multi-domain combat and battle management system capable of air and missile defence for a force as technologically advanced as the Australian Defence Force.
Boeing, one of the prime contractors tendering for the AIR 6500 program, has sought to identify the nuances and challenges of the program, while presenting solutions to benefit all parties.
Hugh Webster, chief engineer of new business at Boeing Defence Australia, told Defence Connect, “This complex Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence (JIAMD) and Battle Management System, really is a necessity for the ADF. The system will ‘knit together’ individual capability packages SEA 5000 and LAND 19 Phase 7B to existing ‘nodes’ and ‘shooters’ like the E-7A Wedgetail and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.”
At present, the challenges are largely defined by integrating a multi-layered system made up of individual platforms, including the short-range, ground based air and missile defence capabilities like Raytheon’s NASAMS system as part of LAND 19 Phase 7B, with the ground-based AIR 6500 program and a national Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system, which includes platforms like the Hobart and Hunter Class vessels, Wedgetail and F-35.
“From Boeing’s perspective, the program is too large and too complex for anyone prime to successfully deliver on its own, particularly without a clearly defined technical roadmap for each of the layers within the proposed ‘system-of-systems’,” Webster said.
Recognising this, Boeing recognised that success will require a long-term operational and technical roadmap, identifying the need for a single IAMD “glue” that will be responsible for combining the individual and highly specialised capabilities provided by other prime contractors, like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, through the aforementioned platforms.
“We have looked at each of the contributing platforms, like Lockheed Martin’s Aegis in the Hobart and Hunter Class, the F-35, Boeing’s Wedgetail, ‘Loyal Wingman’ and Project Currawong, and the Raytheon NASAMS platform, and recognised we need to focus on working together to deliver the outcome Air Force and government are asking for,” Webster explained.
Boeing’s technical vision reinforces the need for Defence and industry to work between and among themselves, and with Australian SMEs, to deliver local solutions that can then be paired with the right mix of US technology to deliver best-for-warfighter solutions.
“This technical vision also recognises the unique role Australian SMEs play in the broader equation. World-leading companies like CEA Technologies and Daramont bring unique leading-edge technology, systems and capability solutions to the table,” Webster said.
Additionally, Boeing’s solution seeks to draw on the methodology of successful integration programs like Project Currawong and the E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C), particularly the close working relationships between acquirers, operational users and industry. This locally driven success developing and delivering complex “systems-of-systems” programs for the ADF shows that AIR 6500 design, integration, delivery and support would also benefit from a strong Australian presence.
“Our focus isn’t on ‘shiny new toys’, it is on helping Air Force and government to tangibly identify and answer the roadmap questions, while demonstrating the success and precedence Boeing has had combining various prime contractors, platforms, operational users and Australian SMEs to meet clearly defined capability requirements,” Webster told Defence Connect.
The AIR 6500 Project presents an opportunity for Australian industry to participate in an exciting and strategically important program to build and maintain an enduring and regionally superior Australian capability, with an opportunity to enter export markets.
The ADF’s existing air defence systems will be upgraded or replaced by Project AIR 6500. This investment will provide the foundation for an enhanced, integrated air and missile defence system for the ADF, ensuring that the delivered system is able to fuse and share information to enhance the accuracy and speed of ADF’s systems response to air and missile threats.
The delivered architecture will have the flexibility for further enhancement to handle more complex threats and to integrate new technologies as they emerge. The ADF will also acquire ground-based active electronically scanned array radars from around 2020 and expand Australia’s access to air and space situational awareness information, including through space-based systems. A solicitation to industry is expected in 2019. Contract signature for the successful prime systems integrator and system deliverer will be in 2020, with an initial capability to be fielded by 2024. (Source: Defence Connect)
14 Mar 19. Labor to remain committed to future subs but push for viability review. Ahead of the expected May poll, opposition spokesman on defence Richard Marles has reaffirmed Labor’s commitment to the $50bn future submarine program, but has stated that a Labor government would conduct a review of the project to ensure suitability.
The signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), the signing of the Attack Class submarine design contract, the formal signing of the Framework Agreement between Naval Group Australia and ASC and the request for expressions of interest (EOI) for capital equipment related to the Submarine Construction Yard (SCY) in recent months appear to demonstrate the gathering pace of the $50bn SEA 1000 program.
Despite these recent project milestones, opposition spokesman on defence Richard Marles has identified in an interview with The Australian that the $50bn contract would be one of the key programs of focus for an incumbent Labor government.
Marles has in the past raised concerns about the future viability of the submarine as a strategic deterrence platform, which appears to be the core premise of any proposed review into the Future Submarine Program.
“We should not assume, for example, that the state of science which makes the submarine king in 2018 will always persist … Yet there are large numbers of scientists seeking to lift the veil of the sea. If they do, the continued role of submarines becomes uncertain,” Marles outlined during an address to the Submarine Institute of Australia in late 2018.
Building on these concerns, Marles reiterated persistent concerns about capability gaps resulting from the projected delivery time frames for the Attack Class, beginning with HMAS Attack, which is expected to be put-to-sea in the mid-2030s, with a cadence of a new submarine entering service every two years following out until the 2080s.
Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) outlined the growing capability gap concerns that are first and foremost in the minds of both government and opposition defence ministers, saying, “I think Navy’s acquisition of the Future Submarine is right (absent a current option for nuclear powered and propelled submarines) but it’s going to take way too long to acquire the boats.
“We won’t have five Shortfin Barracudas out of 12 until the mid-2040s, for example. In the interim, we have to soldier on with a fleet of six ageing (though updated) Collins Class boats. Updates will be expensive, and a concern would have to be whether those updated Collins will be sufficient given the rapid modernisation of China’s SSN (nuclear powered) and SSK (diesel-electric) fleet,” Davis said.
While any proposed pause to the project as identified by Marles during his interview with The Australian would serve to delay the acquisition program, Marles’ previous commentary reinforces Labor’s commitment to delivering the Attack Class, while highlighting the opposition’s promise to minimise any capability gaps, should it become apparent one is unavoidable.
“In acquiring the Future Submarine it is imperative that no capability gap is created in the transition from the Collins Class submarine to the future submarine,” Marles said.
“In thinking through the issue of preventing a capability gap arising, attention must not only be given to the submarine itself, but also to the critical need to train the large number of extra submariners we will need for them.”
This focus also supports Marles’ commentary around the Future Submarine Program, which has remained consistently focused on ensuring that the platform delivered would provide the ADF with the strategic deterrence capabilities promised, Australian industry with certainty, and Australian tax payers with a value-for-money platform capable of performing the roles government requires.
“That said, a Shorten Labor government would actively manage the Future Submarine Program with a view to ensuring: that our capability needs are met as measured against our competitors, that the program delivers value for money, and that the program is genuinely leveraging the building of an Australian defence industry,” Marles explained.
With the election a little over two months away, the debate about Australia’s largest ever defence acquisition program is quickly becoming an election topic. Have your say in the comments section below, or get in touch with . (Source: Defence Connect)
10 Mar 19. 40-Ton Class Heavy Helicopter Jointly Developed by China, Russia to be Delivered by 2032. The 40-ton class heavy helicopter, jointly developed by China and Russia, is expected to be delivered by 2032, said Wu Ximing, a Chinese political advisor and chief designer of helicopters for the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
“Russia is more experienced in the transmission system when it comes to 40-ton class helicopters, as Russia’s Mi-26 is of the 56-ton class. Our goal in the cooperation is to learn from Russia’s strong points and close the gap,” Wu told the Global Times at a Thursday press conference featuring Chinese legislators and political advisors in the field of aviation.
Wu said that China lacks experience in technologies related to the transmission system. Russia’s state corporation Rostec is set to sign “the contract of the century” with China on the helicopter “in the coming two months” after four years’ talks on the project, Russia’s Tass news agency quoted Viktor Kladov, a Rostec representative, as saying in February. As a strategic cooperation project between the two countries, China has now reached agreements with Russia in technology, management and business-related fields, Wu said.
Under the contract, at least 200 heavy helicopters will be built in China, Kladov said in 2017, Russia’s state TV channel RT reported then. China is responsible for the helicopter’s design and production and Russia would be acting as a technical partner, Kladov said. The heavy helicopter, dubbed Advanced Heavy Lift, would have a weight-lift capability of 15 tons, a range of 630 kilometers and a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour, RT reported.
A heavy helicopter can usually be used to airlift heavy cargo and vehicles without the need of an airfield. For military use, a heavy helicopter can transport troops, armored vehicles, artillery and rockets. For civilian use, it can lift heavy engineering vehicles to sites where normal transportation routes could not reach in case of a natural disaster, military observers said.
China will have a complete helicopter family covering from 500-kilogram class to 40-ton class, to satisfy all kinds of needs, Wu said. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Global Times)
11 Mar 19. Australian Defence calls for proposals for wearable assistive technologies. Universities have the opportunity to receive up to $600,000 in funding from Defence Science and Technology (DST) for helping Defence “better understand the capacity of wearable assistive technologies for enhancing the physical performance of the soldier”.
Wearable assistive devices can range from full body exoskeletons to joint support and augmentation, which enhances the body’s natural physical ability.
Defence said these technologies “are rapidly maturing”, and with 70 unique occupations in the Australian Army alone, the opportunities for the use of these technologies is “endless”.
Lockheed Martin showcased its FORTIS exoskeleton technology at Avalon Airshow, alongside Deakin University’s Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation (IISRI).
James Heading, business development senior manager at Lockheed Martin missiles and fire control, echoed Defence’s statement on the “maturing” nature of these technologies.
“The innovative work done by the Deakin University team extends the technological foundation for the FORTIS exoskeleton and helps open up a broader range of applications across defence, automotive and mining industries, and we look forward to continuing our engagements together,” Heading said.
Deakin researchers have designed and 3D-printed new attachments to expand the functionality of the FORTIS, allowing the exoskeleton to accommodate external loads usually mounted on the back of the human body.
Defence envisions that assistive devices will have a “transformational impact on the tasks and roles performed by the workforce”, using examples such as combat engineer squadrons having the ability to build a bridge, or health support companies setting up field hospitals on humanitarian missions.
DST’s Land Division is seeking to “build a larger capability in wearable assistive technology research through a partnership with an Australian university”, with proposals needing to be submitted by 8 May 2019. (Source: Defence Connect)
12 Mar 19. Indonesia leans towards Iver Huitfeldt class for frigate acquisition. Key Points:
- A variant of Denmark’s Iver Huitfeldt class has emerged as a front-runner in Indonesia’s USD720 m two-frigate acquisition programme
- Development follows a defence industry co-operation agreement signed between Denmark’s Odense Maritime Technology, and the Indonesian Navy’s Naval Design Centre
Defence planners from the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) are increasingly leaning towards a variant of the Iver Huitfeldt class in their quest to acquire two more frigates for the country’s navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut: TNI-AL).
The frigates are being acquired as part of the second phase of the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) modernisation blueprint, which runs from 2015 to 2019. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
11 Mar 19. Taiwan Could Receive New F-16V Jets As Soon As 2020. Taiwan could begin to receive its first batch of 66 new F16V fighter jets from the U.S. as soon as the end of 2020. Taiwan has made new progress in the purchase of 66 F16V jets from the U.S. On Feb. 27, the Ministry of National Defense officially submitted its application for the fighter jets, according to the Apple Daily. The U.S. is expected to give an official decision on the request within 120 days, and mostly likely June at the latest. The estimated cost of the new warplanes will be between NT$240bn (US$7.76bn) and NT$250bn (US$8.08bn), and delivery of the jets could begin by late 2020.
A military official told China Times that the reason why Taiwan is opting for F-16V jets instead of the state-of-the art F-35 fighters is that the U.S. has said it is not willing to sell the advanced aircraft to Taiwan for at least 10 years. In addition, the official said it will take another eight years produce the jets for Taiwan and to train its pilots on the fifth-generation combat aircraft, thus meaning it could be 18 years before Taiwan could fly the F-35.
The official disclosed that if the request for the F-16V fighters goes through smoothly, they will be ready for delivery by the end of 2020 or early 2021. At present, the U.S. has not officially quoted an exact price and it will ultimately depend on the specifications chosen for the jets. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Taiwan News)
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