US Armed Forces

[Khafee]

Raytheon awarded $19M contract for work on SM-2, SM-6 missiles
By
Allen Cone

A Standard Missile-6 is constructed at Raytheon's facility in Huntsville, Ala. Support work on the missile is done in Tucson, Ariz. Photo courtesy of Raytheon


April 19 (UPI) -- Raytheon has been awarded a $19 million contract for engineering and technical services on the Standard Missile-2 and Standard Missile-6.
The contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, covers engineering and technical services to support SM-2 and SM-6 production and development.

The combined contract is 90 percent for the Navy, with the rest under foreign military sales for Australia, Germany, Denmark, Korea and Japan.
Work will be performed at Raytheon Missile Systems' plant in Tucson, Ariz., which formerly was Sentinel until it was acquired in 2015, and is expected to be completed by April 2020.

The full value of the contract was obligated to Raytheon at time of award, of which $700,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Obligated funds include fiscal 2018 and 2019 other Department of Defense funds; Naval fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation; foreign military sales funds; and Naval fiscal 2017 weapons procurement, the Pentagon said.

The SM-2 missile provides anti-air warfare and limited anti-surface warfare capability against advanced anti-ship missiles and aircraft out to 90 nautical miles. The SM-2 "gives warfighters a greater reach in the battlespace," according to Raytheon. They have a range of 90 to 200 nautical miles.

Due to global demand, the company has restarted its SM-2 missile line after halting production in 2013.

The SM-6 missile is the only missile considered a "triple threat," with anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and sea-based terminal ballistic missile defense "enabling the U.S. and its allies to cost-effectively increase the offensive might of surface forces," according to Raytheon.

The missiles are deployed on cruisers and destroyers in the U.S. Navy, as well as by international customers approved by the Defense Department.
In February 2018, Raytheon was also awarded a $12.1 million modified contract to work on the SM-2 and SM-3 for the U.S. Navy, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea and Netherlands Navy.

Raytheon awarded $19M contract for work on SM-2, SM-6 missiles

 

[Khafee]

Raytheon awarded $12.1M for AIM-9X tactical missiles for U.S., allies
By
Allen Cone
()

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is configured for the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, E/A-18G, F-22 and F-35 fighters. Photo courtesy of Raytheon


April 16 (UPI) -- Raytheon has been awarded a $12.1 million contract for AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and 21 allies.
The contract is for the procurement of the AIM-9X Lot 18 Block II All Up Round tactical short-range air-to-air missile, as well as captive air training missile guidance units, tail caps and containers, the Department of Defense announced Monday.

The governments are Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

Thirty-percent of the work will be performed at Raytheon's plant in Tucson, Ariz. and 10 percent in Andover, Mass. The rest will be done in other U.S. cities, as well as Ottawa, Canada, and Heilbronn, Germany.

Work is expected to be completed by March 2021.

Fiscal 2017, 2018, and 2019 weapons procurement, research, development, test and evaluation in the amount of 12.1 million will be obligated at time of award, $302,997 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year.

The modification combines purchases for the Navy at $884,869 and Air Force at $678,935. The rest comes from foreign military sales.

The missile, which is 9.5 feet long and 5 inches in diameter, is configured for the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, E/A-18G, F-22 and F-35 fighters.

The AIM-9 Sidewinder entered service and was adopted by the U.S. Air Force in 1956, but it could not engage targets close to the ground, and it didn't have nighttime or head-on attack capability, according to the Air Force website.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, which entered service in November 2003, includes advanced infrared-tracking, short-range, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. The Block II variant, which completed its first test firing in November 2008, has a redesigned fuse and a digital ignition safety device to enhance ground handling and in-flight safety.

"The effectiveness and versatility of the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile have been combat proven in several theaters throughout the world," Raytheon wrote on its website.

Raytheon awarded $12.1M for AIM-9X tactical missiles for U.S., allies

 

[Khafee]

Boeing receives contract modification for Standoff Land Attack Missiles
By
Danielle Haynes

Airmen load an AGM-84K SLAM-ER missile on a P-8A Poseidon at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida. File Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jason Kofonow/U.S. Navy


April 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a contract modification for Standoff Land Attack Missiles to support Saudi Arabia.
The Department of Defense announced the $30.14 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract Tuesday.

The initial $64 million contract in April 2018 enabled Boeing to "restart" its AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response production line and expand the production process. The modification allows for the redesign of obsolete parts, analysis and test planning for the weapon system.

Work on the contract was expected to occur in St. Louis, Mo., Indianapolis, Melbourne, Fla., and other locations throughout the United States.
The Pentagon said the contract was expected to be completed in July.

The total amount of the contract will be obligated to Boeing at time of award from foreign military sales funds, which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The AGM-84 SLAM-ER is a precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile that uses GPS and infrared imaging to attack land and sea targets in medium and long range. They can be launched from a number of aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, P-3C Orion and F-15E Strike Eagle.

Boeing receives contract modification for Standoff Land Attack Missiles

 

[Khafee]

GenDyn awarded $125M for MK80, BLU-109 bomb components
In addition to the U.S. military, the components are for foreign military sales to Iraq, Bahrain and Singapore.
By
Allen Cone

Munitions maintainers assemble BLU-109 munitions in the small bomb pad during the Combat Ammunitions Production Exercise on May 25, 2010, at Osan Air Base in South Korea. Photo by Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade/U.S. Air Force


April 18 (UPI) -- General Dynamics has received a $125 million contract for MK80 general purpose and BLU-109 Tritonal bomb components, including for Iraq, Bahrain and Singapore.

The contract is for domestic and foreign military sales, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

Work completion is estimated by Oct. 31, 2023, with locations and funding to be performed with each order.

The U.S. Army's Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois supervises much of the U.S. military's conventional weapons production.

In December, General Dynamics received $264.8 million for MK80 and BLU-109 Tritonal bomb components.

The MK80 series of air-dropped, general purpose bombs is relatively light, ranging from 250 pounds to 2,000 pounds. They use many types of explosives, including the high-yield compound Tritonal. About 45 percent of the weight is explosives.

They were developed in the 1950s in response to the need for bombs producing less aerodynamic drag and were used extensively in the Vietnam War, according to the Air Force Armament Museum Foundation.

BLU is an acronym for bomb live unit, used by the U.S. Air Force as "bunker busters" for their ability to penetrate hardened structures before exploding.

The single-piece BLU-109 is 2,000 pounds with a hardened casing, that "provides our customer with a vital resource at a time of growing operational demands, eliminating the potential of a single-point production failure," according to General Dynamics.

GenDyn awarded $125M for MK80, BLU-109 bomb components

 

[Khafee]

APRIL 22, 2019
Boeing awarded $605M for Air Force's 11th WGS comms satellite
By Allen Cone

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket lifts off at 6:56 p.m. on March 15 from Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. On board was the 10th Boeing built Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite. Photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI | License Photo


April 22 (UPI) -- Boeing has been awarded a $605 million contract for the production of the Air Force's 11th Wideband Global Satellite Communication Space Vehicle.

The Department of Defense, which announced the contract on Friday, depends on the WGS system to communicate with warfighters across the globe. Ten Ka-band and 8 X-band beam can be positioned anywhere in the field of view of each satellite, according to Boeing.

The total value of the modified WGS Block II contract is $2.5 billion. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $300 million are being obligated at the time of award.

Work will be performed at Boeing's plant in El Segundo, Calif.

United Launch Alliance ULA is scheduled to launch the 11th satellite aboard a Delta IV rocket in November 2023.

Since 2001, Boeing has been the prime contractor of the WGS, which was first launched in 2008. GS 4, which was launched off in 2012, was the first Block II series.

WGS-10, which was launched March 15, was meant to be the last of the constellation. But in March 2018, Congress added $600 million for the procurement of WGS-11 and WGS-12, though no funds were allocated for launches.

Each launch costs between $200 million to $300 million, Space News reported.

"We have been working very, very closely with Boeing and our other industry partners and our warfighters to make sure that we adhere to the intent of Congress, but don't do things the same old way we've always done with respect to procuring WGS satellites," Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, the commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, told reporters April 11 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

The cost of WGS-6 and WGS-9 was partially funded by project partners Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway and the Czech Republic.

Boeing awarded $605M for Air Force's 11th WGS comms satellite

 

[Khafee]

APRIL 22, 2019
Raytheon awarded $28M for AN/SPY-6(V) radar integration, production
By Allen Cone

The AN/SPY-6(V) air and missile defense radar was installed at the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, in February. Photo courtesy of Raytheon


April 22 (UPI) -- Raytheon has been awarded a $28 million contract for integration and production support of the AN/SPY-6(V) air and missile defense radar for the U.S. Navy.

The contract will include support for continued combat system integration and testing, engineering, training, software and depot maintenance as well as field engineering services, the Defense Department announced Friday.

Work is expected to be completed by this December.

The work will be performed at various locations, including 64 percent in Raytheon's plant in Marlborough, Mass.; as well as 18 percent in Kauai, Hawaii; 8 percent in Portsmouth, R.I.; 7 percent in San Diego; 2 percent in Fair Lakes, Va., and 1 percent in Moorestown, N.J.

Naval fiscal 2017, 2018, and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $25 million will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The radar is on schedule for delivery to the Navy in 2020, replacing the SPY-1 radar.

In February, the Spy-6 air and missile defense radar system successfully completed its most challenging test. It searched for, detected and maintained track of a short-range ballistic missile target launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii.

Because the radar is built using blocks called radar modular assemblies, Raytheon bills the new radar system as the first "truly scalable" radar. The boxes can be stacked and connected to form "any size array to fit the mission requirements of any ships," the company said.

The AN/SPY-6(V) radar is projected to be included on the new DDG-51 Flight III destroyer, which has "vastly increased capability" over DDG 51 Flight IIA ships, according to the Navy.

The first DDH-51 Flight III destroyer, the USS Jack H. Lucas, is under construction in Pascagoula, Miss. Huntington Ingalls Industries' shipbuilding division started fabrication started fabrication last May, signifying the first 100 tons of cut steel.

The second Flight III destroyer, the USS Louis H. Wilson Jr., is being built by General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works in Maine and the USS Ted Stevens will be constructed by Huntington Ingalls in Mississippi.

Raytheon awarded $28M for AN/SPY-6(V) radar integration, production

 

[Khafee]

The Navy Wants 32 More Nuclear Attack Submarines (But Will It Happen?)
Does Washington have the cash?
April 22, 2019
by Kris Osborn

For Block V construction, the Navy is planning to insert a new 84-foot long section designed to house additional missile capability. “Virginia Payload Modules.” The Virginia Payload Modules, to come in future years, will increase the Tomahawk missile firepower of the submarines from 12 missiles up to 40.
Destroying enemy surface ships and submarines, “spying” close to enemy shores, bringing massive firepower to strategic areas and launching deadly undersea drones are all missions the Navy hopes to see more of in the future -- as the service plans to add as many as 32 attack submarines in just the next 15 years.

Overall, the addition of attack submarines represents the largest overall platform increase within the Navy’s ambitious plan to grow the fleet to 355 ships.

“Battle force inventory reaches 301 in 2020 and 355 in 2034,” Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers, told Warrior Maven.

New Navy submarines are hosting an array of breakthrough technologies designed to carve a path into future maritime war; these include more firepower such as Tomahawk missiles and torpedoes, added electrical power for emerging systems such as drones and AI-enabled sensors, navigation and ship defenses.

As evidenced by the Navy’s most recent 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan, the Navy budget seeks to implement a new plan to build three Virginia-class attack submarines some years moving forward. This is, among other things, intended to address an anticipated future attack submarine deficit expected in the coming decade. For quite some time, Combatant Commanders have expressed serious concern that the availability of attack submarines continues to be dangerously lower than what is needed. Navy leadership has been working with Congress to rev-up production.

The previous status quo had been for the Navy to drop from building two Virginia-Class boats per year to one in the early 2020s when construction of the new Columbia-Class nuclear armed submarines begins. The service then moved to a plan to build two Virginia-class submarines and one Columbia-class submarine concurrently, according to findings from a previous Navy assessment.

The new Navy plan is to jump up to three Virginia-class per year when Columbia-class production hits a lull in “off years,” senior service leaders have told Congress.

There are many reasons why attack submarines are increasingly in demand; undersea vehicles are often able to conduct reconnaissance missions closer to targets than large-draft surface ships can. Forward positioning enables them to be “stealthier” in coastal areas, inlets or islands. As part of this, they can also move substantial firepower, in the form of Tomahawk missiles, closer to inland targets.

Not only is the Navy adding substantial firepower to its fleet of attack submarines, but the service is further emphasizing enhanced “spy” like intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance missions. By leveraging an ability to operate closer to enemy shorelines and threat areas than most surface ships, attack submarines can quietly patrol shallow waters near enemy coastline - scanning for enemy submarines, surface ships and coastal threats.

Improved undersea navigation and detection technology, using new sonar, increased computer automation and artificial intelligence, enable quieter, faster movements in littoral waters where enemy mines, small boats and other threatening assets often operate.

Virginia-Class submarines are engineered with a “Fly-by-Wire” capability which allows the ship to quietly linger in shallow waters without having to surface or have each small move controlled by a human operator.

With “Fly-by-Wire” technology, a human operator will order depth and speed, allowing software to direct the movement of the planes and rudder to maintain course and depth, Navy program managers have told Warrior Maven. The ships can be driven primarily through software code and electronics, thus freeing up time and energy for an operator who does not need to manually control each small maneuver.

“The most important feature for maneuvering in littoral waters is the fly-by-wire control system, whereby computers in the control center electronically adjust the submarine's control surfaces, a significant improvement from the hydraulic systems used in the Los Angeles-class,” a 2016 Stanford University “The Future of Nuclear Submarines” paper by Alexander Yachanin writes.

This technology, using upgradable software and fast-growing AI applications, widens the mission envelope for the attack submarines by vastly expanding their ISR potential. Using real-time analytics and an instant ability to draw upon an organize vast data-bases of information and sensor input, computer algorithms can now perform a range of procedural functions historically performed by humans. This can increase speed of maneuverability and an attack submarine's ability to quickly shift course, change speed or alter depth positioning when faced with attacks.

A closer-in or littoral undersea advantage, Navy strategy documents explain, can increase “ashore attack” mission potential along with ISR-empowered anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare operations.

The US Navy’s published “Commander’s Intent for the United States Submarine Force,” published last year, writes - “We are uniquely capable of, and often best employed in, stealthy, clandestine and independent operations……. we exploit the advantages of undersea concealment which allow us to: , Conduct undetected operations such as strategic deterrent patrols, intelligence collection, Special Operations Forces support, non-provocative transits, and repositioning.”

The Navy is implementing elements of this strategy with its recently launched USS South Dakota, a Block III Virginia-Class attack submarine engineered with a host of new, unprecedented undersea technologies, Navy officials said.

Many of these innovations, which have been underway and tested as prototypes for many years, are now operational as the USS South Dakota enters service; service technology developers have, in a general way, said the advances in undersea technologies built, integrated, tested and now operational on the South Dakota include quieting technologies for the engine room to make the submarine harder to detect, a new large vertical array and additional "quieting" coating materials for the hull, Navy officials have told Warrior Maven.

The Block III Virginia-Class submarines also have what’s called a Large Aperture Bow conformal array sonar system – designed to listen for an acoustic ping, analyze the return signal, and provide the location and possible contours of enemy ships, submarines and other threats.

The Block III Virginia-Class submarines also have what’s called a Large Aperture Bow conformal array sonar system – designed to send out an acoustic ping, analyze the return signal, and provide the location and possible contours of enemy ships, submarines and other threats.

For Block V construction, the Navy is planning to insert a new 84-foot long section designed to house additional missile capability. “Virginia Payload Modules.” The Virginia Payload Modules, to come in future years, will increase the Tomahawk missile firepower of the submarines from 12 missiles up to 40.

The VPM submarines will have an additional (approximately 84 feet) section with four additional Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of carrying seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, for a ship total of 40 Tomahawks.

Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has a Masters in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

The Navy Wants 32 More Nuclear Attack Submarines (But Will It Happen?)

Does Washington have the cash?

nationalinterest.org

 

[Khafee]

April 22, 2019
Check Out the Navy's New 'Light' Aircraft Carriers (Thanks to the F-35B)
A big change is coming.
by David Axe

The U.S. Navy is beginning to deploy its nine amphibious assault ships with large numbers of fixed-wing F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, in essence transforming the 40,000-ton-displacement vessels into light aircraft carriers.

Cheaper and easier to build and maintain than 100,000-ton supercarriers are, light carriers might seem like an attractive option for many navies that are trying to enhance their at-sea aviation capabilities.

But the U.K. Royal Navy, which is struggling to afford the two 70,000-ton Queen Elizabeth-class carriers it’s building for a total of $10 billion, should ignore light carriers, U.K. Defense Journal’s George Allison argued. This despite the Royal Navy having operated 22,000-ton Invincible-class carriers are recently as 2014.

“Operational experience shows that larger carriers have significant advantages,” Allison wrote.

For example, the Invincible class typically hosted around 12 Sea Harriers and with that their decks were fairly crowded. Tabloids often like to quote 12 as the maximum number of F-35Bs the new Queen Elizabeth class will be able to carry, however this is nonsense.

The smaller the carrier, the fewer aircraft it can support and the greater waste of resources it becomes when compared to larger carriers. The smaller the carrier, the more the vessels size restricts the performance of the aircraft on board.

The three Invincible-class carriers, which the Queen Elizabeth class will replace, operated small and relatively low-performance Sea Harriers. The larger F-35 that will operate from the new carriers is more effective than the Sea Harrier. It carries much more and it flies much faster and much farther.

It’s also a more complicated aircraft, requiring more equipment and personnel. A carrier accommodating as many F-35Bs as the Invincible accommodated Sea Harriers would be far larger by necessity in order to effectively operate the modern, larger aircraft.

The U.S. Navy might object to this line of reasoning. USS Wasp in March 2019 deployed to the Indo-Pacific region with no fewer than 10 F-35Bs on board. An assault ship usually embarks just six F-35s or older AV-8B Harrier jump jets.

As the Marines in recent years began replacing old AV-8Bs and other jets with "fifth-generation" F-35s, planners dusted off the "Harrier carrier" concept and rebranded it as the "Lightning carrier." Other naval experts simply refer to the Harrier and Lightning carriers as "light carriers."

A Lightning carrier would embark between 16 and 20 F-35s, compared to the roughly 40 strike fighters that a supercarrier normally carries. A Lightning carrier should be able to sustain 40 sorties per day, the Marines estimated. A new Ford-class supercarrier, by contrast, is supposed to be able to sustain 160 sorties per day.

"While the amphibious assault ship will never replace the aircraft carrier, it can be complementary, if employed in imaginative ways," the Corps stated. "A Lightning carrier, taking full advantage of the amphibious assault ship as a sea base, can provide the naval and joint force with significant access, collection and strike capabilities."

And a light carrier could help the Navy shift to a more survivable fleet design. Worrying over the increasing lethality of Chinese and Russian anti-ship missiles, in early 2019 the Navy proposed to decommission the supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman 25 years early in the 2020s, dropping the fleet of large flattops to 10 in the medium term and as few as nine in the long term.

A new Ford-class supercarrier costs around $13 billion. An America-class assault ships costs just $3 billion. A light carrier based on an amphibious ship "might be a low-risk, alternative pathway for the Navy to reduce carrier costs if such a variant were procured in greater numbers than the current carrier shipbuilding plan," California think-tank RAND explained in a 2017 report. "Our analysis suggests a two-to-one replacement."

Japan, too, is converting two assault ships into light carriers embarking F-35Bs. South Korea in theory could do the same with its own two assault ships. But the British fleet should stick to large carriers, Allison wrote.

Larger vessels do not have to be resupplied as often, impacting both the effectiveness of the carrier and her vulnerability. Because a carrier is more vulnerable when being replenished, the vessel typically withdraws from station for that function. Much of the time lost is the time spent heading away from station and returning. The smaller the carrier, the more time lost and a bigger logistics chain required in support.

A larger ship is likely to survive damage that will sink or disable a smaller one. The smaller the proportion of a ship that gets damaged, the better the chance that the ship can survive the damage and keep on fighting. It takes sheer size to provide enough protection against all the weapons likely to be used against a carrier, from bombs to cruise missiles to torpedoes.

The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers “are not the largest class of carrier in the world but they are most likely the smallest and least expensive carrier the Royal Navy could build which still have the advantages that large carriers offer,” Allison concluded.

Check Out the Navy's New 'Light' Aircraft Carriers (Thanks to the F-35B)

A big change is coming.

nationalinterest.org

 

[Khafee]

April 22, 2019
Here's An Idea: The Air Force Builds 200 B-21 Stealth Bombers

Russia or China will hate it.
by Kyle Mizokami

The B-21 has disappeared into the “black” world of military technology, and will only reemerge when the bomber is ready.

On October 27, 2015, nearly thirty-four years to the day after Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to develop the first stealth bomber, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop a contract for a new bomber: the B-21 Raider. While many of the details of the Raider are shrouded in mystery, we do know a few things about it, and can infer others.

The B-21 Raider bomber takes its name from both the twenty-first century and the legendary 1942 raid by Gen. James “Jimmy” Doolittle’s force of B-25 Mitchell bombers against targets in and around Tokyo, Japan. In invoking the Doolittle Raid, the Air Force is drawing attention to attack’s audacious nature, the strategic and tactical surprise, and the epic distances General Doolittle and his “raiders” flew to accomplish their mission.

A tailless, batlike aircraft, the official rendering of the B-21 Raider released by the Air Force bears a superficial resemblance to the B-2 Spirit bomber. There are important distinctions, however. The B-21 moves its engines closer to the wing root, where they occupy the juncture between wing and fuselage, whereas the B-2’s twin pairs of General Electric F118-GE-100 engines are distinctly apart from the fuselage on the wing. The

Raider’s engine air intakes are angled and not serrated like those on the B-2 Spirit. The Raider also has overwing exhausts to mask the infrared signature of the four engines, unlike the B-2. (Interestingly, this is exactly how the B-2’s exhausts were depicted in an April 1988 artist’s conception of that bomber.)

The aircraft appears similar in size to the B-2 Spirit, almost certainly making it a four-engine bomber. The announcement of Pratt and Whitney in 2016 as a B-21 subcontractor narrows down the new bomber’s engines to two designs: the F-100 and the F-135. The mature F-100, which powers the F-15 Eagle series of fighters, seems a sound choice, but the Air Force may want the F-135, which powers the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, for its growth potential and ability to lower engine costs for the F-35 fleet.

Like its predecessor, the B-21 Raider will be a heavy strategic bomber designed to carry both nuclear and conventional weapons. If the B-2 is of similar size, it follows it will carry a similar amount of ordinance. This means two bomb bays. In order to keep costs down, the Air Force may elect to reuse the Advanced Applications Rotary Launcher from the B-2 bomber. The AARL is fitted one per bomb bay, each capable of carrying eight bombs or missiles.

In the nuclear mission, the Air Force will arm the B-21 with the Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile, the next-generation stealthy nuclear cruise missile. It will also carry B-61 free-fall nuclear gravity bombs, particularly the new B61-12 bomb with “dial-a-yield” capability. A combination of these two weapons will allow the B-21 to use its stealthy cruise missiles to clear a path through the enemy air-defense network before dropping B-61 bombs on primary and secondary targets.

For conventional missions, the B-21 will carry the JASSM-ER conventional cruise missile and two-thousand-pound GBU-31 Joint Directed Attack Munition satellite-guided bombs. The B-21 could use these weapons in a similar manner as its nuclear weapons, blasting its way through the enemy’s defenses before dropping JDAMs. Alternately, the B-21 could be used as a missile truck, launching up to sixteen JASSM-ERs at enemy targets from a distance, or penetrating less sophisticated enemy defenses to deliver JDAMs on target. The B-21 will also need to carry the thirty-thousand-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, as the B-2 is currently the only bomber capable of lifting the enormous bomb.

Like many new weapons systems, the Air Force has instructed Northrop Grumman to build the bomber with a so-called “open architecture” hardware and software system. As a result, unlike previous bombers, the B-21 could become much more than just a heavy bomber. The open-architecture specification should ensure that future upgrades will be relatively easy to integrate into the B-21, and for the bomber to adapt to a slew of new, different missions. The bomber’s weapons bay could end up being more of a mission payload bay, with surveillance, communications, drone or electronic warfare packages loaded inside to facilitate a variety of missions, particularly in denied environments. The Raider is on the path to being America’s first multirole bomber.

The B-21 Raider is set to fly in the mid-2020s, and the Air Force plans to buy at least a hundred of the bombers to replace the B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers. A larger fleet of up to two hundred bombers is possible, but entirely bound to fiscal realities. We don’t know what the Raider in its final form will look like, or when the Air Force will release more information on an aircraft it wants to carefully protect. The B-21 has disappeared into the “black” world of military technology, and will only reemerge when the bomber is ready.

Here's An Idea: The Air Force Builds 200 B-21 Stealth Bombers

Russia or China will hate it.

nationalinterest.org

 

[Khafee]

Lockheed awarded $362.7M for Army's multiple launch rocket systems
By
Allen Cone
APRIL 23, 2019

As many as 12 surface-to-surface rockets and two Army tactical missiles can be fired in less than a minute, from M270 launchers. Photo courtesy U.S. Army/Flckr


April 23 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $362.7 million contract to supply the U.S. Army with multiple launch rocket systems.
The contract comprises M270A0 to M270A2 launchers as well as a M270A2 flyaway package kit, M270A2 authorized stockage list kits, M270A2 production line spares kits, the Defense Department announced Monday. Also provided will be production line restart costs, improvements to launcher mechanical system test stand upgrade services, proposal costs, and over and above repair services.

Work will be performed at Lockheed's plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, as well as Camden, Ariz., and New Boston, Texas. The estimated completion date is Nov. 30, 2022.

Army fiscal 2019 other procurement in the amount of $177.7 million were obligated at the time of the award. Bids were solicited online with only one from Lockheed received.

Last December, the General Service Administration published a proposed contract action with Lockheed Martin that will include a 12-month base and seven option years for up to 385 MLRS M270A2, the latest model. This contract action will extend the operational life of the MLRS Launcher to 2050 by addressing obsolescence issues.

The multiple launch systems are highly mobile and can be operated by a three-member crew. As many as 12 surface-to-surface rockets and two Army Tactical Missile System missiles can be fired in less than a minute, according to Lockheed.

They were used in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1990 to 1991.

In 2002, the Army began converting the fleet to M270A1 from existing M270s. They appear identical to the older versions incorporate an improved fire control system and an improved launcher mechanical System. M270A1 launchers also feature improved survivability, reduced operating cost, increased munition options and GPS navigation.

Lockheed awarded $362.7M for Army's multiple launch rocket systems

 

[Khafee]

Lockheed awarded $20M to provide services for subs' warfare systems
By Allen Cone
APRIL 23, 2019

The USS Columbia, a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, is one of several Navy subs that uses the AN/BLQ-10 electronic warfare system. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael H. Lee/U.S. Navy


April 23 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $20 million contract to provide engineering and technical services for the AN/BLQ-10 submarine electronic warfare system.

The contract for the (TI)-20, TI-22 and TI-24 includes the design, development, testing, integration, technology insertion/refreshment and system support of new-construction and in-service submarines, Lockheed announced Monday.


Work will be performed at the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence in Syracuse, N.Y., and Manassas, Va.

The AN/BLQ-10 is designed for the three current fast-track Ohio classes: Virginia, Los Angeles and Seawolf. The open architecture platform can accommodate current and future mission needs and technology upgrades, including future Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines.

RELATED GenDyn awarded $269.2M for missile tubes for U.S., U.K. subs


"Lockheed Martin is honored to be selected to provide the next generation electronic warfare system for the U.S. Navy," Joe Ottaviano, electronic warfare program director, rotary and mission systems, said in a press release. "The AN/BLQ-10 system will continue to provide our warfighters with situational awareness and enhanced capabilities that outpace the threat."

Since 2000, Lockheed Martin has provided the U.S. Navy with AN/BLQ-10 systems.

In 2008, the system's first technology insertion added a subsystem to intercept some low-probability-of-intercept radar signals.

Officials at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., wanted Lockheed to modernize the AN/BLQ-10 system, Military & Aerospacereported last August.

The AN/BLQ-10 processes radar signals through masts and periscopes to detect threats, including counter detection, collision and target locations. Then, crews can rapidly analyze and identify critical signals to determine hostile, neutral or friendly situations.

"Right now, every part of the Navy's fleet has some ability to detect threats," Ottaviano said on Lockheed's website. "But it's often happening in real-time. They see us, we see them, and both sides are trying to figure out what to do. The Navy's goal is to get enough information so ships can detect a threat and respond before the other side even knows we're there."

Lockheed awarded $20M to provide services for subs' warfare systems

 

[Khafee]

Stennis joins Lincoln as second carrier strike group in Mediterranean
By Allen Cone
APRIL 23, 2019

U.S. Navy Sailors attach an F/A-18E Super Hornet to a steam-powered catapult on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday. Photo Mass Communication Spec. 3rd Class Grant G. Grady/U.S. Navy/Flickr


April 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy now has two strike groups operating in the Mediterranean Sea as the John C. Stennis carrier joined the Abraham Lincolngroup on Monday.

The Lincoln strike group entered Europe en route to the Mediterranean after being deployed on April 1 from its home port in Norfolk. The Stennis deployed from Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Wash., on Oct. 15, 2018.


The last time two carriers operated in the Mediterranean at the same time was in the summer of 2016, when the Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman CSGs were deployed there simultaneously.

"It's a rare opportunity to train with two carrier strike groups together," Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, said in a news release Monday. "Dual carrier operations here in the Mediterranean showcase the inherent flexibility and scalability maritime forces provide to the joint force, while demonstrating our ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the region."

The groups will work with regional allies and partners at sea.

"These combined operations will enhance combat readiness and interoperability with key allies and partners, and ensure our forces are better prepared to carry out a full range of missions, anytime, anywhere, around the world," Franchetti said.

The Stennis and Lincoln are among 10 Nimitz-class, nuclear carriers in the naval fleet. Each carrier contains around 6,000 crew members, including airwing members.

RELATED USS Eisenhower back at sea after upgrades in Norfolk

They are now part of the U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy.

The two carriers are also shifting home ports. Lincoln is heading to San Diego. After being in the Mediterranean, it will sail in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean. The Stennis, meanwhile, will sail to Norfolk after its European tour.

The Stennis strike group includes its carrier air wing, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Mobile Bay and USS Antietam, and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 21.

RELATED USS Harry Truman leaves port after three months of maintenance, training

After its deployment, the Stennis will begin its four-year mid-life refueling and complex overhaul at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, USNI News reported.

The Lincoln's group includes its carrier air wing, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, and destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mason and USS Nitzey. The Alvaro de Bazan-class Spanish frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez is also sailing with the Lincoln strike group.

In 2013, the carrier underwent overhaul for four years, including preparing the ship to accommodate F-35C fighters.

The Truman was the last carrier in the European theater in 2018.

The USS Harry S. Truman and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower departed within hours of each other from Norfolk earlier this month.

Stennis joins Lincoln as second carrier strike group in Mediterranean

 

[Khafee]

Coast Guard plans to add resources in Arctic to counter Russia, China
By Allen Cone
APRIL 23, 2019

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy escorts the Russian tanker Renda 250 miles south of Nome, Alaska, in the Bering Sea on January 6, 2012. The vessels were transiting through ice up to 5-feet thick in this area. Photo by Sara Francis/U.S. Coast Guard | License Photo


April 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard wants to add resources to the Arctic because "dramatic changes in the physical environment" of the region have allowed China and Russia to become more competitive there.

The military branch has proposed upgrading ships, aircraft, unmanned systems and communications systems in a 48-page Arctic Strategic Outlook, which was released Monday.

"Since the release of the Coast Guard Arctic Strategy in 2013, the resurgence of nation-state competition has coincided with dramatic changes in the physical environment of the Arctic, which has elevated the region's prominence as a strategically competitive space," the report says. "America's two nearest-peer powers, Russia and China, have both declared the region a national priority and made corresponding investments in capability and capacity to expand their influence in the region."

Because of Russia and China's "persistent challenges to the rules-based international order around the globe," there is concern of "similar infringement to the continued peaceful stability of the Arctic region."

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The agency said it can uniquely address these challenges as the only U.S. service that combines military and civil authorities.

"Before, it was a peaceful, safe, secure Arctic collaboration," Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the Coast Guard, said in an interview with Stars and Stripes. "None of that goes away. We want the Arctic to be a peaceful place where we work to cross international lines here with partner nations that share interests in a transparent fashion. But I think if you're looking around at what's going on in the Arctic, I would say it's maybe trending in a slightly different direction. This will pivot with a little more focus on projecting."

The U.S. territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Arctic comprises 1 million square miles and has a $3 billion economic impact on Alaska's seafood industry, 90 billion barrels of oil reserves, 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and $1 trillion value of earth minerals, including zinc, nickel and lead.

RELATED National security cutter Midgett completes acceptance trials for Coast Guard

But since 2013, China has engaged in six expeditions to the region, despite not being an Arctic nation. The communist nation has made the Arctic a strategic priority, declaring themselves a "Near-Arctic state," according to the report.

China has constructed a second multi-mission ice-capable ship and plans to build a nuclear-powered icebreaker, officials write in the report. And the nation wants to build "Polar Silk Road" in which goods can be delivered from China to Europe through the Arctic Ocean as ice in waterways diminish.

Russia has built 14 additional icebreakers, as well as six bases there, since 2013 as it continues to invest heavily in military facilities. Its fleet of 40 icebreakers is the largest in the world.

RELATED Rising air temperatures driving climate change in the Arctic

The Coast Guard has only one heavy icebreaker, and it also serves the Antarctic -- the Polar Star, which was commissioned in 1976. The USCGC Healy is a medium icebreaker commissioned in 1999 that is based in Seattle and goes to the Arctic. The Navy has none.

Last September, the Coast Guard changed the name of the heavy polar icebreaker to the Polar Security Cutter to highlight its importance to national security.

Congress has approved a $655 million to begin building the first of up to six polar security cutters.

In addition to vessel problems, there are Coast Guard communications weaknesses in the Arctic.

"Closing the communications gap is a whole-of-government challenge and will require intensive partnerships across the interagency, industry, and the international community, as well as the State of Alaska and Alaska Native communities," according to the report. "As commercial, recreational, and subsistence-based activities increase, the Coast Guard must also work cooperatively to enhance communications with and between stakeholders."

The Arctic's role in geostrategic competition is growing mainly because reductions in permanent sea ice have exposed coastal borders and facilitated increased human and economic activity.

Because of warming of the Arctic, there are longer and larger windows of reduced ice conditions. From 2006 to 2018, satellite imagery observed the 12 lowest Arctic ice extents on record.

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Defense Department, which includes the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines, is preparing its own new Arctic strategy for Congress in June.

Coast Guard plans to add resources in Arctic to counter Russia, China

 

[Khafee]

Air Force's B-1B bombers back in the air after month-long safety inspection
April 24, 2019
By Ed Adamczyk

The U.S. Air Force fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers began returning to the air this week after a month-long grounding for safety inspections. Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo

April 24 (UPI) -- Flights of the U.S. Air Force fleet of 62 B-1B Lancer bombers resumed after a nearly month-long stand-down for safety inspections, the Air Force announced.

A precautionary halt to flights, and an all-inclusive inspection of each plane's egress system, which includes all methods of airmen departing a plane, was ordered on March 28.

The Air Force Global Strike Command said Tuesday that individual planes will return to the air as inspections and maintenance are completed.

The order came after potentially fleet-wide issues regarding the planes' drogue parachutes were identified. A parachute on an ejection seat was found to be incorrectly installed, prompting the call for inspections.

"We are proud of the tremendous efforts of our maintainers and Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians in identifying, inspecting, and remediating any potential issues with the B-1B egress system," said Maj. Gen. James Dawkins Jr., commander of the 8th Air Force. "The aircraft are still safe to fly and we are confident that this stand-down has resulted in increased safety within the B-1B fleet."

Air Force's B-1B bombers back in the air after month-long safety inspection - UPI.com

Flights of the Air Force's B-1B Lancer bombers have resumed after a nearly month-long stand-down after potentially fleet-wide issues regarding the planes' drogue parachutes were identified.

www.upi.com

 

[Khafee]

Lockheed Martin cuts ribbon on South Carolina F-16 production line
By Ed Adamczyk


April 24 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin opened its new F-16 fighter plane production line in Greenville, S.C., nearly two years after announcing it would move there.

Guests at the ribbon cutting on Tuesday included Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, as well as South Carolina representatives in Congress, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Reps. Ralph Norman, William Timmons and Jeff Duncan.

"Today, we mark the beginning of a new chapter, building the most advanced fourth generation fighter ever," Lockheed Martin Greenville general manager Mike Fox said at the event.

The company announced in 2017 that its F-16 production line would move to Greenville from Fort Worth, Texas. Up to 400 new jobs will be created to build F-16 Block 70 aircraft, largely for foreign customers, when manufacturing begins later this year. The Fort Worth plant will build F-35s.

"South Carolina's workforce is second to none, and the fact that Lockheed Martin continues to invest and put its faith in South Carolinians to build the newest F-16s in Greenville speaks volumes about our state and the company," said McMaster. "Every person who calls South Carolina home should be proud that the F-16 is made right here in the Palmetto state."

Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Morocco are among the most recent customers for the fighter plane.

About 3,000 operational F-16s are in service in 25 countries, and the company expects new F-16 production line to build at least 400 more aircraft. In March, Lockheed Martin announced the establishment of the first F-16 Falcon Depot, a maintenance facility for foreign-owned F-16s, in Norway.

There have been 4,558 F-16s built since its introduction in 1974, with approximately 3,000 operational F-16s currently in service in 25 countries, and Lockheed expects new F-16 production opportunities totaling more than 400 aircraft.

Lockheed Martin cuts ribbon on South Carolina F-16 production line - UPI.com

Lockheed Martin opened its new F-16 fighter plane production line in Greenville, S.C., nearly two years after announcing it would move there.

www.upi.com