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  July 13, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  China’s stealth fighter goes into mass production after thrust upgrade

  The J-20B has overcome agility problems to finally be considered a fully fledged fifth-generation fighter, military source says Aircraft still will be fitted with Russian engine but ‘Chinese version could be ready in a year or two' A modified version of China's first stealth fighter jet, the J-20, has formally entered mass production, with upgrades earning it a place as a fifth-generation fighter jet, according to a military source close to the project. The moment was marked at a ceremonial unveiling of the modified J-20B stealth fighter jet on Wednesday attended by many senior military leaders including Central Military Commission (CMC) vice-chairman General Zhang Youxia, the source said. Zhang is the second-ranked vice-chairman of the CMC and is in charge of weapons development for the People's Liberation Army. “Mass production of the J-20B started on Wednesday. It has finally become a complete stealth fighter jet, with its agility meeting the original criteria,” the source said. “The most significant change to the fighter jet is that it is now equipped with thrust vector control.” Thrust vector control (TVC) allows pilots to better control the aircraft by redirecting engine thrust. In 2018, China debuted its J-10C multirole fighter – fitted with a WS-10 Taihang engine – at the China air show in Zhuhai, putting the aircraft through its paces in a performance that indicated that China had succeeded in thrust technology. While the TVC technology had been applied to the stealth fighter, the J-20B would still use Russian Saturn AL-31 engines because more work needed to be done on China's WS-15 engine, the source said. Chinese engineers have been developing high-thrust turbofan WS-15 engines for the J-20, but that work has fallen behind schedule. “The Chinese engine designed for the J-20s still failed to meet requirements, but its development is going quite smoothly, and it may be ready in the next one or two years,” the source said. “The ultimate goal is to equip the J-20B fighter jets with domestic engines.” China was thought to have built about 50 J-20s by the end of 2019, but problems with the jets' engines delayed further production plans. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth assembly plant in Texas delivered 134 F-35 stealth fighters in 2019, three more than its target and 47 per cent more than its output in 2018, according to the company. China's first batch of J-20s entered service in 2017 when the US decided to deploy more than 100 F-35s to Japan and South Korea that year. The J-20 was meant to be a fifth-generation fighter jet on a par with Lockheed's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning multirole strike fighters. Fifth-generation fighters are defined by their stealth technology, supersonic cruising speed, super manoeuvrability, and highly integrated avionics. But the earlier version of the J-20 was described by Western media as a “dedicated interceptor aircraft” because of its lack of agility. “The launch of the J-20B means this aircraft now is a formal fifth-generation fighter jet,” the military source said, adding that Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC), which manufactures the J-20s, had received “heavy orders” from the PLA. CAC set up its fourth production line in 2019, each one with a capacity to make about one J-20 a month. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3092839/chinas-stealth-fighter-goes-mass-production-after-thrust

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  January 29, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 27, 2020

  NAVY National Technologies Associates Inc., California, Maryland, is awarded a $104,947,467 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides contractor logistics; research, development, test and evaluation; limited engineering and aircraft maintenance support on designated aircraft in direct support of the Presidential Helicopters Program Office, Helicopter Marine Squadron One (HMX-1), and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Twenty-One (HX-21). Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (90%); and Quantico, Virginia (10%), and is expected to be completed in February 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0023). Jacobs Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee, is awarded a $52,317,627 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support (BOS) services at naval installations located in Jefferson and Kitsap counties, Washington referred to as West Sound (WSBOS). BOS services to be performed include general information, management and administration, fire and emergency services, facilities support (including facility management, facility investment, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery facility investment and pavement clearance), wastewater transportation and environmental services. The maximum dollar value including the base period and seven option periods is $418,981,521 that includes potential maximum award fee. Work will be performed in Jefferson (4%) and Kitsap (96%) Counties, Washington, and is expected to be complete by May 2028. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $29,217,632 for recurring work will be obligated on an individual task order issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-20-D-0001). Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $13,894,236 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursement-type contract to provide animal care, training, and maintenance and operation of marine mammals participating in the Navy Marine Mammal Program. This one-year contract includes four one-year option periods that, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $73,251,343. Work will be performed at government facilities in San Diego, California (53%); Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia (24%); and Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington (23%). The period of performance of the base award is from Jan. 27, 2020, through Jan. 26, 2021. If all options were exercised, the period of performance would extend through Jan. 26, 2025. Fiscal 2020 funds will be obligated using Navy working capital funds. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is awarded using other than full and open competition in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-3416). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $13,598,776 firm-fixed-price delivery order N00024-20-F-5608 under previously awarded contract N00024-15-D-5217 for 98 Technical Insertion Sixteen (TI-16) Common Display System (CDS) Variant A air-cooled production consoles. The CDS is a set of watch station consoles designed to support the implementation of open architecture in Navy combat systems. The TI-16 CDS is the next evolution in the CDS family and consists of a three-eyed horizontal display console. This delivery order combines purchases for the Navy (98%) and Coast Guard (2%). Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (37%); fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) (2%); fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (44%); and fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (17%) funding for $13,598,776 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DRS Laurel Technologies, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is awarded an $8,686,145 firm-fixed-price contract for Launch Control Unit Mk 235 Mods 11 and 12 production in support of the Vertical Launch System (VLS). The launch control units are used to select and issue pre-launch and launch commands to selected missiles in the VLS. This order will provide for the fabrication, assembly, test, final acceptance and delivery of VLS Launch Control Unit Mk 235 Mod 11, part number 7104280-119, and Mk 235 Mod 12, part number 7104280-129. The VLS is equipped with two redundant launch control units, each of which is electrically interfaced with all of the launch sequencers in the system. This contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $44,306,594. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (73%); and the government of Norway (27%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through October 2022. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding for $4,185,153; and fiscal 2020 FMS funding for $4,500,992 will be obligated at time of award and will not 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, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (N-63394-20-C-0002). ARMY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $72,575,612 firm-fixed-price contract for services in support of the existing Night Eagle System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2022. Fiscal 2020, 2021 and 2022 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $72,575,612 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-C-0021). (Awarded Jan. 25, 2020) The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $54,446,000 modification (P00047) to contract W58RGZ-16-C-0023 for retrofit kits and software development for the Apache attack helicopter. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $26,678,540 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Syracuse Research Corp. Inc., North Syracuse, New York, was awarded a $22,075,156 modification (P000013) to contract W31P4Q-19-C-0005 for a six-month extension for support to the Counter-Unmanned Aerial System, Expeditionary, Low Slow Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System program. Work will be performed in North Syracuse, New York, with an estimated completion date of July 27, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation; operations and maintenance, Army; and other procurement, Army funds in the combined amount of $22,075,156 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Thirteen companies have been awarded Option Year Two modifications under the following Category A III, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contracts: American Airlines, Fort Worth, Texas (HTC711-18-D-C003); Air Transportation International, Irving, Texas (HTC711-18-D-C004); Atlas Air, Purchase, New York (HTC711-18-D-C005); Delta Air Lines Inc., Atlanta, Georgia (HTC711-18-D-C006); FedEx, Washington, District of Columbia (HTC711-18-D-C007); Hawaiian Airlines Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (HTC711-18-D-C008); JetBlue Airways, Long Island City, New York (HTC711-18-D-C009); Miami Air International, Miami, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C010); National Air Cargo Inc., Orlando, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C011); Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Inc., Purchase, New York (HTC711-18-D-C012); United Parcel Service Co., Louisville, Kentucky (HTC711-18-D-C013); USA Jet Airlines, Belleville, Michigan (HTC711-18-D-C014); and Western Global Airlines, Estero, Florida (HTC711-18-D-C015). The companies are eligible to compete at the task order level for an option year estimated amount of $41,441,067. The program's cumulative value increased from $82,884,634 to an estimated $124,325,701. This modification provides international commercial scheduled air cargo transportation services. Services encompass time-definite, door-to-door pick-up and delivery, transportation, intransit visibility, government-approved third party payment system participation and expedited customs processing and clearance of less than full planeloads for the movement of regular and recurring hazardous, refrigerated/cold chain, life and death, narcotics and other regular recurring cargo shipments. Work will be performed world-wide. Option Year Two period of performance is Feb. 1, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY UnWrapped Inc., Lowell, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $16,786,440 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery contract for leather gloves. This was a competitive acquisition with seven responses received. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Jan. 27, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1235). https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2066978/source/GovDelivery/

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  September 28, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  Italy eyes path into US Army’s next-gen helo program, thanks to EU pandemic-relief fund

  Tom Kington ROME – Italy is considering using funds handed over by the European Union for its Covid-damaged economy as a way to fund defense technology programs including the U.S. Future Vertical Lift helicopter initiative. The so-called FVL program to build next-generation helicopters is currently being pursued by the United States only, but is listed as a possible target for Italian investment in a document drawn up by Italy's industry ministry and seen by Defense News. The cash would come from the the European Union's 750 billion euro Recovery Fund, conceived this year to help European member states relaunch their economies after the devastation caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. Rome is due to receive the largest share, totalling just over 200 billion euros in grants and loans. Italy's government ministries have come up with hundreds of ideas for investing the money, with a focus on job creation, green technologies, digital programs that include extending broadband internet access, and building new rail lines and hospitals. Defense also features on the preliminary list. The defense funding, the document states, would “allow a technological leap in research, innovation and the construction of very high performance dual use platforms with a reduced environmental impact, total cyber security and digital innovation.” Examples given are “sixth generation aircraft”, a likely reference to Italy's commitment to the UK Tempest program, “advanced submarine technology”, unmanned technology, artificial intelligence and ships. Guido Crosetto, the head of Italian aerospace and defense industry group AIAD, said new developments in marine propulsion could be a focus for naval funding. The surprising item on the list is “FVL new generation helicopters.” Led by the US Army, the Future Vertical Lift program is split into different projects including a Future Attack Reconnaissance aircraft (FARA), with Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky and Bell chosen to build prototypes. Bell and a Sikorsky-Boeing team have each built and flown technology demonstrator aircraft that will inform the Army's other next-generation aircraft pursuit — the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). Bell has spent almost three years flying its V-280 Valor tilt rotor while Sikorsky trailed behind with its SB-1 Defiant coaxial aircraft due to manufacturing issues. The US Army said this month that eight militaries around the world had already expressed interest in FVL programs. Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, director of the Army's Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, said bilateral deals were being worked on, but did not name the countries. Vincenzo Amendola, Italy's minister for European Affairs, told Defense News that any suggestions about what Italy's EU cash would be used for were a long way off being confirmed. “Italy's plan for spending does not need to be presented to the EU until between January and April 2021,” he said. Crosetto said he was keen to see defense programs make the final shortlist, starting with cash to get involved with FVL. “It's fundamental,” he said. “We are talking about a faster helicopter and we have a world leader in the helicopter business,” he said, referring to Italian defense champion Leonardo. “We cannot ignore it,” he added. “In general, aeronautics needs state aid in normal times, and it is certainly a sector which has been impacted by Covid-19,” he said. Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky, is already holding discussions with Leonardo about teaming on development of Sikorsky's FVL technology, a source with knowledge of the talks told Defense News. “The discussions involve working on a medium-sized civilian version of the coaxial helicopter, with possible government versions also. Lockheed Martin is interested in a European partner to handle European sales and share risk costs,” said the source, who declined to be named. He added, however, that a stumbling block for Leonardo was its need to continue spending money developing its own civilian tilt rotor, the AW609. “It is not clear if Leonardo will have the cash or the engineering capacity to work on the FVL project and the AW609,” he said. A second program which is soaking up helicopter development cash at Leonardo is the AW249, a replacement for the AW129 Mangusta attack helicopter. Jen Judson in Washington contributed to this report https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/25/italy-eyes-path-into-us-armys-next-gen-helo-program-thanks-to-eu-pandemic-relief-fund/