USA
14 Oct 21. US Army remains sanguine on FVL schedule and cost estimates. The US Army maintains a close watch on costs amid progress on major new rotorcraft programmes. The Future Vertical Lift (FVL) rotorcraft programme is on course to get two new-design aircraft in service by 2030, MG Walter Rugen, head of the FVL Cross-Functional Team (CFT) for US Army Futures Command, said on 13 October during the annual AUSA event in Washington DC. The Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), intended to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, is now in the source selection phase. The two competing prototypes for the Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) armed scout helicopter, the Bell Invictus 360 and the Sikorsky Raider X2, are under construction. Rugen acknowledged that the decision to proceed with two simultaneous US Army rotorcraft programmes remains controversial.
‘Simultaneity always comes up. It hearkens back to the 1990s,’ he said, referring to a time when a multiplicity of competing programmes first delayed and ultimately contributed to the decision to cancel the Comanche scout helicopter programme.
Yet the goal in the FVL programme to produce two new clean-sheet complex military aircraft with cutting-edge technologies runs the risk of cost increases. The compressed timeframe could lead to an increased reliance on concurrency in development and production.
Rugen said that the FVL CFT has been ‘heavily engaged with cost estimators, working on parametric cost estimates from day one’ of the programme. He added that cost estimates from the Department of the Army and the Cost Assistant and Program Evaluation directorate in the DoD had assessed the feasibility of the FVL programme schedule and projected lifecycle costs.
Rugen also said he considered affordability the ‘crown jewel’ of the programme.
MG David Francis, who commands the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker in Alabama, also expressed confidence on 13 October that the FVL programme is unlikely to suffer from large-scale cost increases and schedule delays.
‘Risk has been bought down by technology demonstrators’ flown for the two FLRAA designs, he said, resulting in ‘better-informed requirements than in any previous programme’.
Francis added: ‘Industry has demonstrated capabilities we are looking for.’
The US Army recently demonstrated Air Launched Effects (ALE), which is a family of guided weapons and UAVs capable of mounting explosive and non-kinetic effects warheads or carrying out ISR missions.
ALE will be launched from the FARA platform as well as from other aircraft (including the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs) using the Modular Effects Launcher (MEL).
Two ALE air vehicles were launched from a MEL mounted on a UH-60 Black Hawk, which acted as a surrogate FARA aircraft during testing in the first week of October.
‘The ALE Modular Effects Launcher is an open systems launcher. This prototype effort is to inform the launcher that goes into the FARA design,’ Rugen said. (Source: Shephard)
REST OF THE WORLD
13 Oct 21. Thailand expresses interest in the F-35. Thailand wants to maintain its status as a leading air force in Southeast Asia, but to do that it needs new fighters. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is looking for a fighter to replace its F-16 fleet as it nears the end of its lifespan and is gradually decommissioned. The new RTAF commander has shown interest in the F-35. ACM Napadej Thupatemi, who took up his post on 1 October, commented that the RTAF should think about having a better aircraft than those it presently has. If the country can maintain an adequate defence budget, he believes a stealthy fighter like the F-35A conforms to the needs of the RTAF. (Source: Shephard)
12 Oct 21. Australian Parliamentary committee to scrutinise LAND 19 investment. The Commonwealth government’s $266m public works program to support the Army’s future integrated air and missile defence system is set to come under the microscope. The parliamentary standing committee on public works has confirmed it will scrutinise a Defence proposal to invest over $266m in public works supporting the LAND 19 Phase 7B program, which aims to deliver an Army-operated component of the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence (JIAMD) capability. The hearing forms part of a broader assessment of the government’s commitment to develop facilities at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia. The inquiry involves the examination of the need, scope, function and cost effectiveness of the proposed operational support and training facilities. Committee members will also assess whether the works would deliver bespoke facilities and infrastructure, enabling Army’s 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery to raise, train and sustain new defence capability acquired under the LAND 19 Phase 7B Short Range Ground Based Air Defence project. The Assistant Minister to the Minister for the Public Service, Ben Morton, first requested an inquiry into the program in August. The committee called on interested stakeholders to lodge submissions by 7 October 2021. (Source: Defence Connect)
08 Jun 18. Philippines seeks additional FA-50 light attack aircraft from South Korea. The Philippines is looking to acquire a further 12 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50PH Fighting Eagle light combat and trainer aircraft to add to 12 already received, national media reported on 8 June. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was quoted as saying that the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte had personally ordered the follow-on procurement “when he saw how effective [the FA-50PH] was” in combating Islamist militants in Marawi City in 2017. “We may acquire an additional 12 but it depends on what kind of build up the air force wants,” Lorenzana told the Manila Bulletin publication. KAI had not responded a Jane’srequest for confirmation by the time of publication. The Philippines Air Force (PAF) acquired its current 12 FA-50s in 2014 for approximately PHP19bn (USD361m at the time). KAI delivered the first two aircraft at the end of 2015, another two in late 2016, and the remainder during 2017. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/IHS Jane’s)
11 Oct 21. NGTF seeks Multi-Function Aperture Grand Challenge proposals. The Next Generation Technology Fund (NGTF) seeks proposals from industry and academia to develop next-generation Multi-Functional Array (MFA) antennas capable of supporting Electronic Warfare (EW) functions over a wide frequency, as well as radar communications.
The call for proposals closes at 2.00 PM (AEST) on 18 November 2021.
This is a three-phased program designed to run over a 5-year period. The first phase of the program will end in February 2022 and focuses on developing the core concepts addressing the S&T challenges and retiring the risks.
The program is now seeking responses from interested parties to participate in Phase 2 of the program. The goal of this phase is to develop Australian-based and sovereign capabilities in one of the following ways:
- establish new industrial capabilities relevant to MFA
- leverage existing in-house industry capabilities
- focused research in collaboration with industry partners.
The NGTF is seeking responses that address key topics:
Antenna array elements and surface: 2 developed array designs operating over a decade of bandwidth, providing wide scan angle range and dual polarisation.
Impedance matching: Novel impedance matching techniques are being designed to meet the multi-function wideband requirements of the antenna surfaces.
Beam forming and excitation: Novel forms of array excitation for beam forming, steering and control accompany the MFA surface designs.
RF amplifier design: GaN power amplifier and low noise amplifier designs for the MFA front-end RF transceiver to support multi-carrier functionality across a decadal bandwidth.
Circulator and switch design: Development of switch and circulator designs capable of operating with high isolation across the MFA bandwidth.
Self-Interference Cancellation: Wideband interference cancellation, based on novel Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STaR) techniques suited to the antenna surface designs.
Digital Pre-Distortion: Digital pre-distortion of RF amplifiers under load to enable wideband multi-carrier operation with minimal impact from in-band distortion.
System simulator: Phase 1 established a high fidelity electromagnetic simulation environment that is being used to assist with validation and future-proofing of the array designs.
Thermal Management: Novel semiconductor design combined with electronic fabrication techniques to improve thermal management.
The call for proposals closes at 2.00 PM (AEST) on 18 November 2021. Responses are to be submitted electronically via the AusTender website. (Source: Rumour Control)
11 Oct 21. DIN calls for capability statements on Disruptive Weapon Effects. On behalf of DST Group the Sydney based Defence Innovation Network (DIN) is calling for capability statements from universities and industry SMEs to help Defence counter a new wave of emerging challenges. The capability statements will help address a key DST Group STaR Shot, Disruptive Weapon Effects, by enabling complex and agile operations in contested environments. Responses are due on 8 November 2021.
DST Group is looking for researchers and companies working in the areas of AI, robotics and autonomy, sensing, navigation and control, teaming, advanced propulsion systems, advanced material and energetics. The emergence of new advanced and unconventional weapons is transforming the battlefield. The introduction of novel approaches to applying kinetic and non-kinetic effects, and the progress made in AI-enabled technologies create new risks and challenges.
To address the impact of these emerging and disruptive technologies and counter the threat, DST Group requires input from multiple disciplines and a range of skills and expertise in system design and integration, and in modelling, simulation and testing.
To support this challenge, the DIN is calling for capability statements from Australian universities, SMEs and publicly funded research organisations covering the following areas:
- Sensors and Fusion— Novel sensor technologies; multi-mode sensors; distributed and coordinated sensing; sensor-data fusion and processing.
- Power, Energy and Propulsion– Advanced materials and manufacturing methods to improve performance and reduce size, weight and power needs of weapons systems; collect, store and employ energy in efficient ways to maximize performance or endurance; small-sized, thrust-on-demand propulsion concepts, high performance energetic material.
- Systems Guidance, Navigation and Control— Cognitive and visual navigation; distributed control, dynamic task allocation, path planning and trajectory optimisation.
- Teaming, Swarming and Collaborative tactics– Cooperative, coordinated and collaborative behaviour; group formation and swarm control; reasoning under uncertainty and learning; synthetic environment for modelling and testing of algorithms; ethical and trustworthy systems.
- Systems and sub-systems engineering– Modular concept design, adaptive and rapidly re-configurable platforms, plug and play modules, miniaturised components and sub-systems, remotely deployable platforms.
These capability statements will be used to inform DSTG about the core capabilities residing in Australia, which can be leveraged to support the “More, Together: Defence Science and Technology Strategy 2030”, and, in particular, the STaR Shot focused on “Disruptive Weapon Effects” (DWE).
Many organisations may have significant capabilities spanning more than one area of interest, says DST Group. So, in order to identify the most relevant universities/industry organisations, it asks that within individual organisations submissions are coordinated, prioritised and consolidated: if an organisation wishes to propose capability in more than one area of interest, DST Group wants separate capability statements specific to the area of interest, to a maximum of three capability statements.
Following receipt and analysis of the capability statements, DIN (in conjunction with the DWE STaR Shot Lead) will use this information to guide future engagement with the most relevant elements of the Australian innovation ecosystem.
Responses are due on 8 November 2021.
To learn more about the Disruptive Weapon Effects STaR Shot and how you can be involved, the DIN is organising an information session on Tuesday, 19 October 2021 at 10.00 -11.00 AM with STaR Shot Leader Nathalie Colineau.
Please register your intent to attend this forum here.: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/dstg-dwe-capability-call-info-session-tickets-186332955887 (Source: Rumour Control)
11 Oct 21. Lockheed Martin Australia and Shoal Group sign teaming agreement for JP 9102. The pair have entered into a teaming agreement to deliver the ADF’s next-generation military satellite communications system. Lockheed Martin Australia has announced that the Shoal Group has agreed to partner with the Lockheed led consortium for Defence’s JP 9102 bid, drawing upon their joint expertise to deliver next-generation military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) capabilities for the Australian Defence Force. The teaming agreement is expected to leverage Shoal’s expertise in model-based systems engineering, alongside Lockheed Martin Australia’ pedigree in space, to develop the MILSATCOM system.
According to a release from the prime, the Adelaide-based Shoal Group will collaborate “throughout each stage of the project” – with space now a Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority.
David Ball, space regional director at Lockheed Martin Australia, explained that the core capabilities of both organisations will build a more robust product for the program.
“As a sovereign capability partner on various Defence programs, Lockheed Martin Australia has long recognised that Shoal Group punches above its weight in the complex world of model-based system engineering,” Ball said.
“This teaming agreement combines Shoal Group’s expertise and Lockheed Martin Australia’s optimal solution for a resilient, operationally superior military satellite system.
“The multi-award-winning team at Shoal Group brings unmatched expertise in the use of digital design tools and analytics that will support us in minimising risks and maximising schedule assurance. This teaming builds on Lockheed Martin’s proven record of superior military satellite communications solutions and will ensure the development of a sovereign MILSATCOM system that will be defined by its resilience and operational superiority.”
Since the research into risk mitigation began in 2020, the Lockheed Martin Australia bid has expanded into defining capability, proposal development, systems design, integration and supply chain management needs. As part of the partnership, Shoal is expected to provide capability enhancement in systems engineering modelling and management, project reviews and analysis.
Shaun Wilson, founder and head of business development for Shoal Group, explained that the companies possess complementary capabilities that will enhance the development of the JP 9102 system.
“Our partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia reflects the trust, respect and complementary skillsets needed on a project of this scale and importance. It builds on a legacy of successful multi-domain cooperation in everything from undersea warfare to Integrated Air and Missile Defence and now space-based communications,” Wilson said.
“Shoal Group specialises in engineering solutions for complex systems and by partnering with Lockheed Martin Australia in the delivery of a ‘world’s best’ sovereign satellite communications system we see the exponential potential for our business in terms of space systems capability development and long-term growth.”
The announcement comes after Clearbox Systems agreed to join the consortium. (Source: Defence Connect)