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10 Apr 19. US Army awards CACI sensor systems acquisition services task contract. US information services group CACI has secured a five-year USD71m task order to provide support to the US Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO).
Under the contract, CACI will provide sensor systems acquisition services, such as engineering, quality assurance, logistics, testing, and operations management, the company announced in a press release on 1 April.
CACI will be required to assist the army with technology production, maturation, deployment, and sustainment of new mobility and targeting systems. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
10 Apr 19. The UK wants its bombs to live longer, and it thinks data can help. The United Kingdom is looking to dive deep into data to figure out if it can “eek out” extra life on some of its most vital munitions, a top general tells Defense News.
Gen. Gordon Messenger, the U.K.’s vice chief of the Defence Staff, said in a recent interview that he believes the missiles and bombs currently in stockpile might have a longer shelf life than current standards dictate, and that the Ministry of Defence is working on new ways to use that information.
“One of the things that we’re seeking to improve is our ability to understand what the life of a missile looks and feels like in terms of capturing the data of the environmental conditions and the usage of those missiles because that allows you to make risk-based judgments on how long they can safely operate,” Messenger said.
“And I think getting more data from, you know, in some cases almost missile by missile, to understand what the sort of ‘life journey’ of that missile is. It is that sort of data that gives you the ability to make proper judgments as to the continued safe usage of that missile system,” he added.
The concept of using data is, in theory, a straightforward one. Right now, the U.K. bases the life of its weapons on standards developed by the government, with certain built-in safety assumptions about how many times a weapon can be loaded on and off a plane, how long one can stay in stockpile, and at what point the internal components start to break down.
But those assumptions may not be correct, and with new data-processing and -gathering capabilities, the MoD believes it can challenge some of those assumptions to better judge the so-called life journey of a weapon.
“I think it’s going to allow us to make better judgments than not having that data because if you don’t have that data, then you tend to have to err on the side of caution because safety is paramount,” he said.
However, such data can be easier to obtain in theory than in reality. During its recent first-ever audit, the U.S. Defense Department discovered major issues with internal tracking of equipment. In some cases, the situation was better than expected — the Pentagon found a cache of missile motors it didn’t know it had stored in one base — but if tracking data isn’t trustworthy, it raises questions about how reliable it can be when making decisions about the life expectancy of weapons.
The issue of weapons stockpiles for the U.K. has been ongoing for several years. In 2017, the U.S. agreed to sell the U.K. 1,000 Hellfire missiles out of its own domestic stockpile, a sign taken by analysts that the MoD was in desperate need of the weapons.
And during the December release of its Modernising Defence Programme document, the MoD highlighted the need to strengthen weapons stockpiles, with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson saying: “To improve the combat effectiveness of our forces, we will re-prioritize the current defense program to increase weapon stockpiles.”
But money and data won’t entirely solve the inventory problem. Part of the challenge is simply the reality that industry can only produce so many weapons — a problem the U.S. is currently experiencing. In the Pentagon’s fiscal 2020 budget, for example, five key weapons — the JDAM, Hellfire, SDB-1, SDB-2 and JASSM — are to be procured at quantities that max out industry’s ability to produce them.
“There are some missile stockpiles that are in relatively good health. There are some that are too low for comfort and that we are looking to either eek out the life of those missile systems or procure more,” Messenger said.
Messenger declined to identify specific stockpiles that cause him concern. Both the Paveway IV (produced by American firm Raytheon and a coalition of smaller British companies) and the Brimstone (produced by European consortium MBDA) have been used extensively in the fight against the Islamic State group. Other versions of the Paveway, along with GBU-12 guided bombs and the Storm Shadow cruise missile, have been featured in that operation. (Source: Defense News)
09 Apr 19. Northrop Grumman Selected to Provide Maintenance and Logistics Services to US Navy. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) was selected by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the Naval Aviation Enterprise, as part of a $12.6bn indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) multiple award contract, to compete to provide Contracted Maintenance, Modification, Aircrew and Related Services (CMMARS) to the U.S. Navy. This IDIQ contract will focus on improving readiness, increasing mission availability and providing the most relevant capabilities to today’s warfighters.
Northrop Grumman brings decades of mission systems and aviation sustainment support expertise. Along with its heritage of providing and supporting U.S. Naval Aviation platforms as a trusted partner of the U.S. Navy, the company will improve fleet readiness and integrate modern capabilities to ensure mission success.
“CMMARS helps us solidify our partnership with the Navy as a trusted provider of aircraft capabilities, support, sustainment and modernization to ensure they have the tools needed to conduct combat operations around the globe,” said John Parker, vice president and general manager, global logistics and modernization, Northrop Grumman. “We look forward to expanding our support of the Naval Aviation Enterprise. For decades, the Navy has flown Northrop Grumman aircraft or aircraft in which we have been a major partner in, and we want to continue to provide the capabilities and support needed for decades to come.”
08 Apr 19. Australian navy to overhaul IT equipment. The IT equipment used on Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships will receive a major overhaul worth about AUD600m (USD429m), Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds announced on 9 April. The government plans to strengthen the RAN’s computer networks by modernising the current Fleet Information Environment (FIE), which has supported the navy’s deployed computer network requirements for over a decade.
“The FIE consists of both classified and unclassified computer networks, which are used throughout the fleet,” said Pyne, adding that these networks can exchange information within the ship or externally using radio and satellite connections. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 Apr 19. Harris wins ground-based EW systems support contract with USAF. Harris has secured a contract from the US Air Force (USAF) to continue to support ground-based electronic warfare (EW) systems and infrastructure. The provision of mission-essential EW systems support will help maintain the USAF’s space superiority. The USAF aims to make use of advanced, space-based surveillance, communications, navigation and meteorology systems to offer a critical advantage to troops and allies.
Harris will provide depot support and sustainment engineering, system upgrades and modifications, studies and analysis, future systems transition, and operations support.
Harris Space Superiority vice-president and general manager Chris Forseth said: “Harris will help maintain US space superiority by providing ground-based, electronic warfare systems support to airforce space command anywhere in the world.”
The company will use its experience in providing critical depot support, sustainment engineering, system upgrades and innovations to deliver the contracted work.
In January last year, Harris was awarded a contract modification to continue to provide space control depot support. The company originally received the contract in 2008 and the latest modification increased the total value of the contract to more than $530m.
The company also received a contract to develop and deliver handheld video data link (HH-VDL) radios to the USAF to help improve situational awareness and connectivity for troops.
Last week, the firm reached an agreement to sell its night vision business to Elbit Systems of America for a cash consideration of $350m.
The transaction is part of the regulatory requirement for Harris’ planned merger with L3 Technologies. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
09 Apr 19. NATO Codification System For France. The French Ministry of Defence has awarded the contract for the development and integration of a custom codification solution to ESG. The focus of this future service provision will be the N-CORE NG codification software (NATO Codification System Repository) developed by ESG. The N-CORE NG NATO Codification System is a standardised system for identifying, classifying and assigning stock numbers to materials. It allows maximum efficiency in logistics support and the administration of extremely large and sometimes highly complex material data. N-CORE is offered in different pre-defined packages. Each package includes the core system and one or more extra modules. N-CORE NG has a centralised database, provision of NSN data, various standard interfaces like SAP interface, support of mass change processes, and many more. (Source: ESD Spotlight)
09 Apr 19. Peraton wins Canada CF-18 fleet support contract extension. Peraton has secured a contract extension for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) CF-18 Avionics Optimized Weapon System Support programme. Under the $30m contract, Peraton will continue to provide support for the CF-18 fighter fleet for an additional year.
The company provides maintenance, engineering, and materiel support services for the entire CF-18 avionics suite and associated support equipment. Services rendered by the company to the fleet include supply chain management, automated test equipment engineering support, maintenance and repair, and proactive obsolescence management.
Peraton defence and homeland security sector president John Coleman said: “For more than three decades, Peraton has partnered with the Canadian Armed Forces and RCAF to provide high-value logistics support on a long succession of avionics programmes.
“Our platform-agnostic sustainment approach is a trusted element of the CF-18 fighter fleet, delivering cost-effective, maximum fleet availability through an integrated product team approach.”
The company’s headquarters in Calgary comprises warehousing capabilities and training facilities. In addition, the 76,000ft² site includes engineering labs for the design and development of test protocols.
In September, Peraton completed the expansion and modernisation of its Calgary facility operations to offer broader support of Canada’s CF-18 fighter fleet.
Peraton implements a multi-platform compatible, scalable sustainment model to optimise programme performance across air, land, or sea and facilitate cooperative military advancement.
The firm has been supporting the country’s CF-18 fleet for more than 30 years.
The Government of Canada reached an agreement in November to procure 18 used F-18 fighter jets from Australia. As a long-term plan, the country is looking to acquire a new fleet of 88 advanced fighter jets to boost its air combat capabilities. The first of the planned fighters is anticipated to be received in 2025. The RCAF expects the fleet to continue operations beyond 2060. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
09 Apr 19. Airbus Australia Pacific wins Tiger support contract extension. Airbus Australia Pacific has won a contract extension to continue providing support for the Australian Army’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH). The company is under contract to deliver through-life support (TLS) for the helicopter, which entered service in 2004.
Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said: “With an anticipated value of up to $790m, this contract will see the continued employment of 60 staff in Darwin who provide maintenance and logistics support services at Army’s 1st Aviation Regiment.”
The extension will also help retain 70 staff at the Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey, Queensland. Furthermore, a workforce of 130 at Brisbane Airport will continue employment to provide commercial, engineering and logistics services. The Tiger ARH is a two-seat attack helicopter that currently serves as a critical asset for the Australian Defence Force. The Australian Army deploys the helicopter to perform precise day and night surveillance, as well as fire-support missions.
Australian Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds said: “As part of this arrangement there is a provision for Airbus to provide long-term labour to support the continued capability of army aviation platforms across Australia.
“It allows the defence to exercise flexibility to continue its work with existing industry partners to support and improve the fleet whilst also meeting the capability requirements of the army.”
In 2011, Airbus completed the delivery of 22 ARH Tiger helicopters to the Australian Army.
Approximately 21 Tiger helicopters were approved to undergo upgrades under the LAND 2089 Phase 3B programme in 2014.
A modified version of the Tiger HAP helicopter, the ARH is armed with an M299 launcher for firing Hellfire II anti-tank missiles and 70mm free-flight Hydra rockets, the Nexter 30mm cannon and four Stinger air-to-air missiles. (Source: army-technology.com)
08 Apr 19. US Navy Reports Progress On Increasing Fighter Mission Capable Rates. Navy officials last week told a House panel that fighter aircraft are increasing mission capable (MC) rates in line with former Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ 2018 directive. In September, Mattis issued a memo to the Secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, Under
Secretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Under Secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness directing them to meet a minimum 80 percent mission capability rates starting in FY 2019 Navy and Air Force F-35s, F-22s, and F-18s. At the time, about 50 percent of the Navy Super Hornets were not mission capable. The Navy’s director of air warfare, Rear Adm. Scott Conn, told the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee on Thursday that the Navy has gotten F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet MC rates range between 63 and 76 percent. He called this a “volatile stock market” with the highs getting higher and the lows not getting as low as before but overall “the vectors are going in the right direction.”
Conn noted the specific numbers are “a snapshot in time on a given day, and they fluctuate in between.”
“We need to understand what is causing that variance, fix what we can to maximize the peaks, minimize the valleys, and keep the vector going in the right direction,” Conn added. He said the Navy has achieved this improvement by inviting industry to assess the Navy’s processes at their squadrons, depots in California, and intermediate activities.
The Navy has reduced planned maintenance intervals (PMIs) for Super Hornets from 120 to 60 days.
“Not only did we cut it in half, the quality of the product that’s coming out of that PMI event is that much better and the aircraft is flying within a week from that PMI event, in some cases 4 days,” Conn said.
At an event last December, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said when he joined the administration naval aviation readiness overall was around 41 percent. He noted a newly hired
former Southwest Airlines [LUV] maintenance official helped turn around the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet lines, increasing throughput by 40 percent in 10.5 weeks. Conn added the service is also trying to reduce 84-day inspections to three days and he wants to treat the “artisans” that do the PMIs and repair parts akin to surgeons.
“Surgeons don’t leave the patient and don’t leave the operating room in the middle of procedure. You plan the event. You know the resources you require and you keep the artisan focused on that effort,” Conn said.
The Program Executive Officer (PEO) for the F-35 program also reported improvements on the F-35s by variant.
Vice Adm. Mathias Winter said his program’s snapshot of F-35 mission capable rates finds the F-35A Air Force variant at 61 percent, F-35B short take-off and vertical landing variant at 64 percent, and the F-35C carrier variant at 84 percent.
“When we deploy and we provide afloat spares packages and deploy packages – those mission capability rates average between 65 and 85 percent as you move forth,” he said.
Winter explained the program has “identified the root causes and the levers needed to ensure the availability and the mission capability rates for the F-35.”
His office found they need larger spare parts inventories on the flight line, making sure it has the capacity to repair parts or accelerate depot stand ups in the U.S., and push flight line maintenance to warfighters on the flight line. Previously, maintainers had to send parts back to the manufacturer for repair or order additional parts. Now, maintainers are getting more spare parts and are authorized to fix parts on the flight line. In December, John Pendleton, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), told a Senate panel the F-35 80 percent mission capable goal would be difficult to achieve because it requires consistent and clear definitions. He also noted mission capable is a lower standard than fully mission capable, which includes the ability to perform all high-end mission by an aircraft. Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation, noted at the Thursday hearing that unlike in the past the services are now computing F-35 costs the same. While previously different services computed F-35 costs differently, in the last year the services, F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), and Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office “are all on the same sheet of music when it comes to those criteria that were included for the cost.” (Source: Defense Daily)
03 Apr 19. Pakistan outlines FGFA industrial aims. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has outlined ambitious plans to support its development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) – otherwise known in Pakistan as Project AZM. The PAC enterprise, which is owned and run by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), has established a new office – the Aviation Research, Indigenization & Development (AvRID) unit – to lead the FGFA programme, it confirmed. The development programme is supported through Pakistan’s development of a new aerospace complex – named ‘Aviation City’ – that was launched in 2017 to support Project AZM and other national military aerospace requirements.
“The office of DG [Director General] AvRID has been established to transform into reality the [PAF’s] air staff vision… with the long-term goal of developing our own fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA),” PAC said on its website.
“[The] development of [the] FGFA would be a major national programme that would entail a massive amount of work, not all of which may possibly be carried out within PAC or even within Pakistan.
“Such large-scale development requires synergetic efforts from a number of industrial (public and private) and academic organisations to fulfill the enormous task,” it added.
In order to “manage an engineering development programme of this magnitude”, effective technical, engineering, and project management processes need to be established, PAC said.
PAC also outlined several specialist project teams that it will establish in collaboration with other national agencies as part of the Aviation City initiative.
These include an engineering management and support office, an Aviation Design Institute, a Mission Electronics Design Institute, an Aero Structures Design Institute, an Advanced Technologies Centre, and a Flight Test Centre.
PAC states that AvRID will collaborate with and leverage the capabilities of these various Aviation City agencies in undertaking Project AZM. “This [will] put together components of industry and academia to build a high-end research centre to enhance indigenisation capability. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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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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