January 3, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Sometime in the very near future, probably this month, the U.S. Army will announce the winner of a competition to develop a new engine for most of the service's helicopters. Called the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), it is a multibillion-dollar effort that has often been described as the Army's top aviation modernization priority.
It isn't hard to see why. The weight of Army light and medium helicopters has been growing by 70-100 pounds per year since they debuted in the last century as new equipment, munitions and armor were added. As a result, both the Black Hawk utility helicopter and the Apache attack helicopter are under-powered when operating in “high-hot” conditions, meaning above 6,000 feet in temperatures of 95 degrees or greater.
Such conditions are common in places like the Persian Gulf, and pose a challenge to conducting missions successfully. In 2006, the Army launched an effort to develop an engine that could provide 50% more power than the existing General Electric T700 engine (3,000 versus 2,000 shaft horsepower), while reducing fuel consumption by 25% and extending the life of the engine 20%.
That in itself was a tall order, but the new engine also had to fit into thousands of fielded helicopters with minimal modifications, and it couldn't weigh more than 500 pounds (the current engine weighs 456 pounds). The Army also wanted each engine to cost much less than the T700–not just in the cost of manufacturing the new engines, but in the cost of maintaining them across a multi-decade service life.
Given these very demanding requirements, and a dearth of money for modernization during the Obama years, it isn't surprising that a dozen years passed before the Army felt it was in a position to pick a design that met all the service's needs. But now it is. The choice is between a successor to the T700 built by General Electric Aviation, and a competing design offered by a joint venture of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney (a unit of United Technologies, and contributor to my think tank). The decision has probably already been made, and simply awaits formal announcement later this month.
March 7, 2024 | International, Land
There are bipartisan calls to hit the breaks as defense spending nears $1 trillion. Others say that amount is not enough to fund U.S. strategy worldwide.
December 2, 2020 | International, Land
By Christen McCurdy Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Oshkosh Defense inked two deals $911 million this week to deliver Joint Light Tactical Vehicles to the U.S. and overseas partners. On Tuesday, the defense contractor announced that U.S. Army Contracting Command had placed an order for 2,738 JLTVs for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, "along with a select group of NATO and non-NATO allies." The Pentagon also announced the domestic sale on Monday night. Under the deal, valued at $888.4 million, Oshkosh is contracted to deliver 2,679 JLTVs, 1,001 trailers and 6,725 kits to the four branches of the U.S. military, with a completion date of Oct. 31, 2022. Oshkosh also inked a $23 million deal this week to provide 59 vehicles to Brazil, Lithuania and North Macedonia. "The men and women of Oshkosh Defense take great pride in what they do," said George Mansfield, Vice President and General Manager of Joint Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "Designing, building, and delivering the world's most capable light tactical vehicle, the Oshkosh JLTV, is one of our greatest accomplishments. And we plan to continue building the Oshkosh JLTV for many years to come," Mansfield said. This week's deals follow several lucrative awards for the vehicles -- which were developed by the Marines and the Army as a replacement for Humvee -- in the past calendar year. This week's deals come nearly a year after Oshkosh was awarded an $803.9 million contract to provide JLTVs to the U.S. military and military of Montenegro. In July, the U.S. Army Contracting Command ordered the construction of 248 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles by Oshkosh, a deal worth $127.7 million, and in February Oshkosh was awarded a $407.3 million contract modification to procure joint light tactical vehicles for the Army. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/12/01/Oshkosh-nabs-911M-for-JLTVs-for-US-Lithuania-Brazil-Macedonia/5731606846235
November 5, 2024 | International, Land
The Iron Fist APS is an advanced Hard Kill system aimed at enhancing the self-defense capabilities of light and heavy armored platforms against modern battlefield threats