March 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.
WASHINGTON: As Russian and Chinese-made anti-aircraft weapons become ever more lethal, human pilots are, quite literally, the last thing the Army wants to send into harm's way. Before the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft makes its first probe into enemy airspace, and long before the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft carries troops deep into hostile territory, a whole array of unmanned aircraft will scout out the enemy defenses, deceive their radars, and strike vital points.
In fact, much of this drone technology should be available years before the manned FARA and FLRAA aircraft enter production, which means it can help the Army's existing helicopters survive an increasingly dangerous world.
“What we have to do is improve our stand-off and our survivability with the introduction of some technology that will be available prior to the actual FVL [Future Vertical Lift] platform,” said Maj. Gen. David Francis, the commander of the Army's Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala. That includes a new Long-Range Precision Munition – the Army's buying the Israeli Spike missile as an interim solution, but that may not be the permanent one – and a whole family of mini-drones known as Air-Launched Effects (ALE), because they can be launched from the missile racks on both future and existing helicopters.
“Those combined, we think, will keep us very, very competitive in that [air defense] environment until we get the increased speed and survivability of our Future Vertical Lift platforms,” Francis told me during an interview.
Replacing Shadow & Predator
Air-Launched Effects aren't the only drones the Army's Future Vertical Lift task force is developing. The most immediate effort is a competition to replace the aging RQ-7 Shadow, which requires a runway, with a new Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS), which will take off and land vertically like a helicopter, from wherever soldiers need it. FTUAS also needs to be quieter, so the enemy can't hear it coming as easily, and to require less support equipment, so the Army can more easily deploy it to a war zone more and keep it working in harsh conditions.
The service originally selected two companies to provide demonstration aircraft, then decided to double the number to four. This year, samples of all four types are going to operational Army combat brigades, which will try out the different designs and provide feedback that helps the service shapes its final, formal requirement.
Three of the contenders – Arcturus UAV's Jump 20, L3 Harris Technologies' FVR-90, and Textron's Aerosonde HQ – share a similar configuration, something we've never seen on a full-size manned aircraft. Each of them has wings and a pusher propeller in back for forward flight, but also quadcopter-style mini-rotors for vertical takeoff and landing. The fourth, equally unconventional design is Martin UAV's V-Bat, a “tail-sitter” that has a single large fan for both vertical and forward flight, changing from one mode to the other by simply turning 90 degrees.
Just as FTUAS will replace the Shadow, the Army also wants to replace its long-range Grey Eagle – a variant of the iconic but venerable Predator – with a new Advanced Unmanned Aerial System. The service has revealed very little about what it's looking for in the Advanced UAS, however.
Air-Launched Effects & Missiles
The most innovative of the Army's future drones, however, is definitely the Air-Launched Effects family, because ALE doesn't replace any existing unmanned aircraft. It's altogether new. As computers simultaneously shrink and grow more powerful, it becomes possible to build drones small enough for a person or another aircraft to carry – and to make them smart enough that they can operate largely autonomously, without a human being to provide constant direction by remote control.
Those advances make possible a radically new kind of operation — a single manned mothership launching a flock of mini-drones to scout ahead and provide a host of what the military blandly calls “effects,” from decoying the enemy with fake transmissions to jamming their radars to blowing them up. That combination of new technology and new tactics, in turn, could dramatically improve the chances of Army aviators to survive and prevail in future wars.
“When we look at ALE and Long-Range Precision Munition,” said Brig. Gen. Walter Rugen, the Army's FVL director, “what we're finding, in our modeling and our experimentation at Yuma last year, is you really generate that stand-off and overmatch against threats....We can stay outside their weapon engagement zone, and put effects on them.”
In the time-honored military framework where you “find, fix, and finish” an enemy, Rugen told me in an interview alongside Gen. Francis, “Air-Launched Effects are what is going to find and fix these threats, and then what the long-range precision munition is going to do is finish that threat.”
The Army's budget request for fiscal year 2021 includes $152 million to field Israeli armsmaker Rafael's Spike NLOS (Non-Line Of Sight) missile to three Combat Aviation Brigades. “We're currently projecting that it would be an FY'22 initial [operational capability,” Rugen told me. “But that's just our initial increment of the Long-Range Precision Munition. We will follow that on with more detailed requirements to fix some of the challenges that we see already with Spike [and] improve upon that capability.”
To make all this work, however, the Army needs more than new missiles and mini-drones. It also needs a digital communications system that can rapidly pass data between manned and unmanned aircraft, not through slow and error-prone humans, but near-instantly from machine to machine. The electronic architecture to make that possible is the subject of the next story in this series.
https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/fvl-attack-of-the-drones
July 19, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
A&D should be an enviable career, but as the U.S. sees a vast migration of workers, industry fears being left behind.
May 13, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY LiteFighter System LLC,** Canton, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $200,000,000 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for commercial-off-the-shelf shelters and tents. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a 12-month base contract with three one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Kentucky, Mississippi and Georgia, with a May 9, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1130). Buffalo Supply Inc., Lafayette, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $42,422,105 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical/surgical supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with 16 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no options. Location of performance is Colorado, with a May 9, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-19-D-0008). Varec Inc., Norcross, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $25,998,175 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for electronic point of sales and supporting services for fixed facility fuel distribution devices. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year base contract with 10 one-year option periods. Location of performance is worldwide support, both in the continental U.S. and outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS), with a May 9, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Columbus, Ohio (SP4702-19-D-0002). Transaero Inc.,* Melville, New York, has been awarded a maximum $10,504,719 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for air data computers. This was a limited competitive acquisition using justification from Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2), which states only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, and extended to include only one or a limited number of responsible sources. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are New York and the United Kingdom, with a May 10, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-19-D-0074). ARMY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Sierra Vista, Arizona, was awarded a $163,588,331 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Hunter unmanned aircraft system fleet support for operations, maintenance, engineering, re-engineering and remanufacturing. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Sierra Vista, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of May 9, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $41,883,787 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-C-0033). Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $101,333,802 modification (P00014) to contract W31P4Q-17-C-0194 to procure Tactically-Launched Optically-Tracked Wireless-Guided missiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2017 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $101,333,802 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. HHI Corp.,* Ogden, Utah, was awarded a $48,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract repair and construction at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 9, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-19-D-0071). G.L.H.C. Services Inc.,* Lumberton, North Carolina, was awarded a $13,000,000 modification (P00003) to contract W912HN-17-D-0004 for general construction and design-build construction. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Trend Construction Inc., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $13,000,000 modification (P00004) to contract W912HN-15-D-0001 for general construction and design-build construction. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $10,508,635 modification (P00049) to contract W31P4Q-16-C-0102 to develop and qualify a modular rocket pod and launch tubes for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that will be adaptable to future munitions. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2018 missile procurement, Army funds in the amount of $10,508,635 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Milliman Solutions LLC, Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $9,010,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command a commercial web-based prescription medication reporting system. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2024. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-19-D-0017). Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $8,339,000 modification (0001 34) to contract W31P4Q-18-A-0011 for systems engineering support. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 3, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,339,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Harris Corp., Clifton, New Jersey, has been awarded $71,761,512 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services. This contract provides for nonrecurring engineering services for AN/ ALQ-172 countermeasures systems, to include performing a form, fit, function, and interface replacement of the AN/ALQ-172 Line Replaceable Unit (LRU)-2, and LRU-3, documents and/or technical orders. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 9, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 consolidated sustainment activity group-engineering funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8522-19-C-0003). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an $11,205,341 indefinite-delivery requirements contract for F-15 sustaining engineering services. This contract provides for post-production support tasks/services unique to the original equipment manufacturer as required to maintain an adequate level of continuous sustaining engineering and logistics support for the Air Force and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) F-15 fleets. Work will be performed primarily in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 9, 2027. This contract involves FMS to Saudi Arabia and Israel. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contacting activity (FA8505‐19‐D-0001). *Small business **Service-disabled veteran-owned small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1844479/source/GovDelivery/
March 18, 2024 | International, Land
On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, will hold a media availability to announce a significant investment to deliver quality health care to Canadian Armed Forces members.