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26 Sep 18. Paraguayan Air Force seeks to repair training aircraft. The Paraguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya: FAP) has issued two contracts to overhaul its training aircraft as it looks to improve availability rates. One contract calls for the calibration and repairs of ENAER T-35 Pillán training aircraft. Specifically, the contract aims to repair the navigation system, as well as the primary flight instruments. The second contract focuses on the service’s Bell UH-1H training helicopters. The components that will be repaired include fuel computer units, hydraulic cylinders, and rotor blades. Due to a limited budget, the FAP has generally focused on repairing its aircraft rather than acquiring new platforms. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
26 Sep 18. On the new battlefield, US Navy must get software updates to the fleet within days, acquisition boss says. The U.S. Navy must receive software updates and patches for the fleet within days if it’s going to win in the future, the Department of the Navy’s acquisition boss said Sept. 25 at Modern Day Marine.
James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, acquisition and development, said the fleet has been working on the rapid development of software to get needed upgrades to the ships ahead of pierside availabilities, a pace he said was too slow for the modern battlefield.
“We recently did one of our proof-of-principles to say: ‘How do you take … software, get it system certified, get it cyber certified then get it out over the airwaves, uploaded on to a ship and into the combat system in 24 hours,” Geurts said.
“My view is unless we get to the point where I can identify a software requirement, whether it’s an [artificial intelligence] algorithm or something, find the solution, get it checked out on the network, give it whatever cyber-proofing it needs and get it into the fight in less than a week, we are not going to be successful in the long run.”
The Navy has increasingly found that its current systems are capable of adjusting to new threats through software upgrades rather than buying new systems and installing them, a time-consuming and cripplingly expensive process that has been the norm in years past.
Geurts said the Navy had to have a software architecture that was amenable to rapid upgrades so that developers would not need to re-test the underlying architecture each time a patch or fix is uploaded.
Furthermore, the service also has to develop cyber security standards that don’t just weigh whether or not something can be compromised but begin to think of it more in terms of risks associated.
“The answer isn’t yes or no, it’s ‘Commander here is your risk.’ And then weigh the risk of doing that [upgrade] versus a potential cyber impact so that commanders can make reasonable command decisions. Because there is always a risk to not doing something. We often talk about the risk of doing something, we don’t often talk about the risk of not doing it.”
Geurts told a gaggle with reporters after the talk that he was not talking about uploading whole new programs that sailors might be unfamiliar with but more iterative upgrades.
“Don’t take that to an extreme to where we will load on something that nobody has ever seen before, but it could be that there is a particular issue or new need, and you can envision us testing and training that shore-side, making sure it’s right – we don’t want to wait for the ship to come home we could potentially blast that out [to the fleet.]”
The Navy is also working more with having digital doppelgangers of its combat system on board its ships so that new technologies can be tested by the crew and commanders before its uploaded into the main combat system, a hedge against reaping unintended consequences by uploading a feature or patch without knowing exactly how it will fit into the ship’s systems.
“The other thing we are doing a lot with is digital twins, where [the ship] might have the combat system that it’s fighting with as well as a digital twin,” Geurts explained. “So you might be able to upload that new feature in the digital twin so you could have both, then it’s up to the commander whether it’s something you adopt or not.” (Source: Defense News)
26 Sep 18. Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd. selects IFS Applications 10 to achieve complete process visibility. IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd. (KS & EW) will deploy IFS Applications™ 10 as its ERP backbone for managing core business processes such as project management, manufacturing, maintenance and engineering. As Pakistan’s largest shipyard and oldest heavy engineering establishment, KS & EW plays an important role in the broadening of the country’s industrial base. To promote productivity and ensure efficiencies across its operations, the company needed to replace its legacy systems with a modern and fully integrated ERP solution. Following a comprehensive evaluation process that included a number of major ERP vendors, KS & EW chose IFS Applications. With the implementation of IFS Applications, all processes will be managed in a single, integrated platform that will give the company complete process visibility in real time as well as improved information accuracy.
“We are impressed with the capabilities of IFS Applications and are delighted to work with a global ERP provider which has successful track record in supporting companies, particularly in shipbuilding,” expressed Rear Admiral Ather Saleem SI(M), Managing Director, KS & EW. He added that IFS will endeavour to accomplish the project well in time and pave the way to bring improvement and enhance efficiency in the yard’s processes and working methodologies.”
Shiraz Lye, Director, Sales and Marketing for IFS in South Asia, added, “We are confident that IFS technology will bring about great improvements in efficiency, as well as greater visibility and integrity throughout the company’s vast scale of operations. IFS fully understands the business challenges associated with such a large-scale implementation and our team has extensive experience in working with clients in this sector. With our expertise and best practices, we look forward to delivering an outstanding solution that will meet the high standards of KS & EW.”
The implementation will be supported by Synergy Computers (Pvt.) Ltd., a member of the IFS Partner Network. Iqbal Ahmed, CEO, Synergy Computers, added, “The combination of functional and technical capabilities of IFS Applications and the service delivery of Synergy Computers will ensure that the business and operational requirements of KS & EW are met in full. With our expertise and best practices, we look forward to delivering an outstanding solution that will meet the high expectations of KS & EW. We are excited to be a part of this project, which is of national interest, and look forward to delivering it on time and on budget.”
25 Sep 18. Peraton Expands Calgary Operations to Advance Canada Defence Program Support. As a leading provider of high value logistics and support to Canadian Defence for more than 35 years, Peraton recently completed its Calgary facility operations expansion and modernization. The new facility will enable broader support of Canada’s CF-18 fighter fleet and position the company for future growth on fighter platforms and programs. Peraton’s Calgary facility, at 76,000-plus square feet, now with an engineering lab for operational design and development, is a “one-stop-shop” for integrated logistics support. The site provides full life-cycle supply chain management for the largest allocation of government-owned materiel in Canada.
“With our proven record of efficiency, having reduced costs for the CF-18 fleet, we are well equipped and ready to scale to support Canada’s future fighter program,” said Gus Bontzos, president, Defence and Electronic Warfare sector. “We are also proud partners in spurring enterprise development, with 60 percent of our supplier base in Canada comprised primarily of small to medium sized businesses.”
Peraton’s investment is helping to propel Calgary’s economic growth, sparking renewed growth in specialized high-tech jobs. With its development of a platform-agnostic, scalable sustainment model that can optimize program performance for any platform – air, land, or sea, the Peraton model represents the next generation of cooperative military advancement. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
25 Sep 18. Ranger Land Systems Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded a $15,512,732 firm-fixed-price, time and materials, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period for commercial maintenance, refurbishment, inspection and repair of Bearcats, High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, Logistics Vehicle System Replacement, 7-ton trucks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, aircraft rescue firefighting and tactical trailers. Work will be performed in Jasper, Indiana, and is expected to be completed by September 2023. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $671,628 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-18-D-JV22).
24 Sep 18. US Air Force turns to data analytics to solve B-1, C-5 maintenance challenges. The U.S. Air Force is making changes to the way it sustains the B-1B Lancer bomber and C-5 Super Galaxy cargo plane, moving to a maintenance approach that will allow it to use data analytics to predict problems, the acting head of Air Force Materiel Command said.
Both the B-1 and C-5 fleets transitioned to a conditions-based maintenance model last month, Lt. Gen. Robert McMurry, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, told Defense News in a Sept. 18 interview.
“Given the aging fleet situation that we have, we probably need to be using data better to take care of it — which is a drive toward what most everyone right now is saying is the right way to manage fleet sustainment, which is through condition-based maintenance and data analytics,” he said. “So we’re trying to bring that on.”
The approach — which involves using algorithms to predict the need for repairs rather than waiting for a part to break — is a standard practice in the commercial airline industry to help reduce maintenance-related delays or cancellations, but has been less common in the Air Force.
AFMC determined it needed to make a greater push toward conditions-based maintenance as a result of servicewide reviews triggered by rising concerns about the number of aviation-related mishaps.
The first review, directed by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein, involved a one-day standdown that would give flying and maintenance units a chance to communicate potential safety concerns up the chain of command. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, then the head of AFMC, also directed the organizations under her command, like the Air Force Sustaiment Center, to evaluate its own data.
The reviews have since concluded, with the Air Force finding “two systems … where high risk was accepted,” said McMurry, noting that “operational security does not allow us to identify them.”
“Our process is dealing with those responsibly,” he added.
The B-1 and C-5 were chosen as pilot programs for the conditions-based maintenance approach because they are sustained by airmen and have older, relatively small inventories, making for a more manageable data set.
But the planes have something else in common — a recent history of well-publicized mishaps. The C-5 has sustained a number of nose landing gear malfunctions that led to a standdown and maintenance assessment in 2017. But despite a fix being put in place, there have still been problems with the gear, such as a March 2018 event where one C-5 landed on its nose at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
Meanwhile, the B-1 fleet was temporarily grounded in June after a safety investigation board found problems with ejection seat components while investigating a May 1 emergency landingwhere the ejection seats did not deploy.
So far the Air Force has put more than 100 algorithms in place to help B-1 and C-5 maintainers discover sustainment trends, McMurry said. It will take the Air Force anywhere from three to 18 months to validate and optimize each algorithm, but the service is already seeing “early benefits” to both the B-1 and C-5 fleets.
For example, B-1 maintainers are now sending fuel migration reports to engineers that can determine which aircraft to inspect for fuel leaks, an issue that could lead to airmen slipping and injuring themselves or other maintenance-related mishaps. It also results in fewer man-hours needed to troubleshoot fuel leaks and reduces costs by cutting down on fuel waste.
The process is similarly helpful in the C-5 fleet, helping maintainers detect anomalous behavior in specific aircraft parts — such as a valve in the engine bleed air system — which can then be fixed during depot maintenance before the aircraft returns to service, reducing the likelihood of the valve breaking later on and having to be grounded for repairs, he said.
The Air Force is looking for opportunities to expand the conditions-based maintenance approach beyond the C-5 and B-1, McMurry said. The question is whether all Air Force programs should follow the same model or custom-build one that fits each specific aircraft.
“I’m hoping to know by this fall. We have a senior leader conference where we’ll discuss some of that,” he said. “My personal guess is, to go at speed, we would disperse. We would let them do their thing. If you try to consolidate too much, you’ll end up with a lot of data use questions that are too challenging than are really worthwhile.” (Source: Defense News)
24 Sep 18. First series-production Pampa III makes maiden flight. The first production-standard FAdeA IA-63 Pampa III advanced jet trainer aircraft made its first flight on 21 September. The aircraft, serial E-824, is the first of three such aircraft due to be delivered to the Argentine Air Force (FAA) to augment its 18 older Pampa IIs. These Pampa IIs will, in time, be upgraded to the Pampa III standard, with the main work comprising the fitting of a full ‘glass’ cockpit. This milestone marks the resumption of Pampa production after the last models rolled off the then-Lockheed Martin-owned line in 2008. A further 16 partially completed aircraft have been in storage since that time. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/IHS Jane’s)
26 Sep 18. TECRO requests $330m sale of spare aviation parts from US. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale order II to provide Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US (TECRO) with funds for blanket order requisitions. With an estimated cost of $330m, the proposed sale order has been requested by TECRO and approved by the US State Department. The funds will be provided for stock replenishment supply of standard spare parts, in addition to repair or replacement of spare parts in support of the F-16, C-130, F-5, Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) aircraft, as well as all other aircraft systems and subsystems.
“With the delivery, the spare and repair aviation parts will be used to maintain the defensive and transport aerial fleet of the recipient, which has been operating the aircraft fleets since 1996.”
TECRO in the US has requested an order to provide funds for blanket order requisitions under a Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement.
Consistent with the US law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8, the possible deal also includes the provision for other related elements of logistics and programme support. With the delivery, the spare and repair aviation parts will be used to maintain the defensive and transport aerial fleet of the recipient, which has been operating the aircraft fleets since 1996. Recipients will be able to integrate the related equipment and support into their armed forces easily. The proposed sale will help support the US foreign policy and national security while enhancing political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
24 Sep 18. Jacobs and Turner & Townsend JV wins PDP contract for UK MoD DE&S. Jacobs Engineering Group and Turner & Townsend joint venture has secured a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) trading agency Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). Under the deal, the two companies will be responsible for jointly operating as the Program Delivery Partner (PDP) for the trading organisation. According to an estimation by the UK agency, the total value of the contract is expected to be up to $320m.
Jacobs Engineering Group Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear International senior vice-president Pete Lutwyche said: “Our global programme delivery expertise, coupled with our extensive defence and non-defence capabilities, positions Jacobs ideally – along with our partners – to support DE&S’ continuing transformation programme and journey to becoming a world-leading, best-in-class defence delivery organisation.”
The agency is responsible for managing a wide range of projects to procure and support equipment and services for the effective operation of the UK Armed Forces. The current PDP contract will help support DE&S in equipping and supporting the UK Armed Forces where and when required. Through the project, the contracted companies will provide customised, specialist resources, products and services to support the project management, project controls and integrated logistics requirements of DE&S over the next two years, with an option to extend for another two years. Headquartered in Abbey Wood, Bristol, DE&S will require more than 400 personnel to support the programme. Under the Equinox joint venture, the UK businesses of Jacobs and Turner & Townsend will use their capability and resource base and global best practices to enable DE&S deliver specialist, temporary project management, project controls and integrated logistics. (Source: army-technology.com)
24 Sep 18. Argentina receives modernised C-130 airlifter. The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina: FAA) has received a modernised Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from the country’s Fábrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA), it was announced on 19 September. The aircraft, TC-70, was upgraded by Argentinean technicians that had been trained by L3 Technologies. A total of five C-130s will be renovated, with the last two aircraft (TC-64 and TC-66) being delivered in 2019. The upgrades are designed to keep the FAA’s Hercules fleet operational for another two decades. The upgrade is part of a wider revamp of Argentina’s airborne capabilities, with recent acquisitions including Bell 412EP helicopters and Beechcraft T-6C+ Texan II trainer and light combat aircraft from the United States. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
24 Sep 18. Saab Receives Arthur Support Contract from South Korea. Saab has signed a contract with South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) regarding support for the Arthur Weapon Locating System. This Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract includes spare parts supply and support for the Republic of Korea Army and Marine Corps. The contract value is approximately 500m SEK and the contract period 2018-2023. Saab made the first delivery of Arthur systems to South Korea in 2009, and have had annual support contracts for these systems in place since 2012. Saab also participated in delivery of additional Arthur systems from 2012 within a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) with the Korean company LIG Nex1.
“South Korea, the largest operator of our Arthur Weapon Locating System, is a very important customer with demanding requirements. This five-year contract is further proof of our successful collaboration with the South Korean forces and we are proud to continue contributing to the country’s safety by providing on-site support for the Arthur systems, says Anders Carp, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s business area Surveillance. Saab will carry out the majority of the work with its local support team in South Korea, while all spare parts will be supplied by Saab in Gothenburg, Sweden.
21 Sep 18. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, is awarded $64,800,000 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001918F2470 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026). This delivery order provides for the low rate initial production 3 initial spares operational requirement to support organizational level maintenance for the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS). The initial spares requirement consists of six antenna group assemblies, six wideband receivers/exciters, ten radar signal processors (RSP), two antenna drive electronics and two RSP external power supplies for the MFAS. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (35 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (21.5 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (12.3 percent); Exeter, New Hampshire (9.1 percent); San Diego, California (6.3 percent); Annapolis, Maryland (4.5 percent); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (3.8 percent); Hampstead, Maryland (2 percent); various locations within the continental U.S. (4.8 percent), and various locations outside the continental U.S. (0.7 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $64,800,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
21 Sep 18. BAE Systems Hawaii Shipyards Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is awarded a $31,927,422 cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to definitize previously-awarded undefinitized contract action N00024-14-C-4412 for scheduled extended docking selected restricted availability (EDSRA) for USS Hopper (DDG 70), homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii. A focal point of the work is to support alteration installation team modernization packages. The scheduled EDSRA is the opportunity in the ship’s life cycle primarily to conduct repair and alteration to systems that will update and improve the ship’s military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by July, 2020. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $19,641,877, fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,790,109, and fiscal 2018 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $111,793, will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
21 Sep 18. US NAVSUP opens new headquarters for Fleet Logistics Center Bahrain. The US Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) has opened a new headquarters building for Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) in Bahrain. The opening ceremony for the building at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain was performed by NAVSUP commander rear admiral Michelle C Skubic and the 48th Chief of the Supply Corps. NAVSUP FLC Bahrain commanding officer captain Terrel Fisher said: “Moving out of dispersed warehouse office spaces into a permanent office setting boosts the quality of life for the workforce.
“We now have improved facilities for our team to perform their daily work of supporting the fleet and our many partners around base.”
The headquarters will help consolidate a number of departments working under NAVSUP FLC Bahrain and will enable cross-departmental communication and collaboration. In addition, the facility will help increase the delivery of NAVSUP’s products and services to local customers. With office accommodation for 97 personnel, the facility will be able to provide space for the NAVSUP’s leadership, administrative office, business office, contracting office, general counsel and command support staff. The NAVSUP Bahrain centre is one of eight FLCs currently operating in the country under NAVSUP commander Skubic. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, US, and employing a total worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, the US Navy command focuses on missions to deliver supplies, services and support to the navy and joint troops. In April, the UK Royal Navy opened its new Naval Support Facility at Mina Salman port in Bahrain, which serves as the hub for the navy’s enhanced operations in the Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. (Source: naval-technology.com)
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About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK].
To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com.
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