July 24, 2023 | International, Security
To innovate, DoD must be allowed to move faster
The Pentagon needs Congress to allow it to move more quickly in adopting new technologies.
September 21, 2018 | International, Aerospace
How does the US Air Force plan to keep bombers affordable?
By: Daniel Cebul
WASHINGTON — The U.S. strategic bomber program plays a vital role in U.S. nuclear and conventional posture, providing both penetrating and standoff capabilities that allow the U.S. to hit targets almost anywhere in the world. But as the Air Force expands from 312 to 386 operational squadrons — planning to increase the bomber squadron from nine to 14 — how can the service keep costs within reason?
A key to keeping down modernization costs will be the force's ability to field systems that can easily be updated as new technology develops, according to Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of Global Strike Command.
“What I really want to drive home is that if we have a force, whatever the size of the force, it has to be affordable,” Ray said at the Air Force Association's annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Sept. 18. Ray believes prices will be affordable depending on the service's “ability to field a relevant force as part of our integrated capabilities, both nuclear and conventional, that has a rapid capability to be updated and modified.”
Communications systems, weapons, sensors and defensive capabilities are very sensitive to technological change, which “is already going on much faster than what we can field right now using the old legacy processes,” Ray said. Ray pointed to the B-21 bomber as having "the right attributes that are going to set us up for success.”
Others suggest that looking at the unit price for bombers is deceptive and does not allow the Air Force to address its critical modernization needs.
“It is very easy to look at individual unit cost [per bomber], but that does not equate to value," Retired Lt. Gen David Deptula said. "People, particularly programmers, like to talk about cost, but they don't talk about the effectiveness piece.”
This sentiment was echoed by retired Lt. Gen. Bob Elder Jr., who feels the public and some military members do not appreciate the active role bombers play in defending the U.S. As busy as these bombers are, Edler said, “it's a bargain” for how much the Air Force pays for them.
Deptula also believes that if the Air Force is serious about modernization, it is past time that requirements for meeting U.S. strategic goals determine force structure, rather than depending on “arbitrary budget lines.”
“For way too long our force structure has been solely driven by the budget and not the war-fighting demands of our nation's security strategy,” he said. “I dare say no one will argue with the preamble of the Constitution, which basically talks about how we form government to provide for the common defense, and then to promote the general welfare. It doesn't say the other way around.”
“People will say the new enterprise is going to be too expensive, so don't keep it. I don't agree,” Ray said, adding that a more competitive approach will enable the Air Force to drive down procurement and modernization costs.
“I have got to know our competitive nature of our approach will draw the talent from industry; or if I'm not quite certain with a technical capability or the capability is so far advanced I can't draw the talent from industry, now I find myself with an important issue,” Ray noted.
In regard to ensuring the service can get the funding to grow its squadrons, Ray added: “Where you drop cost down and have a rapid modification capability or a relevant force for an extended period of time, then you begin to tell a more complete story,” which he explained should help dollars keep flowing into necessary programs.
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October 21, 2020 | International, Land, Security
BAE Offers Truck-Mounted Howitzer For Army Stryker Units
Already fielded in Sweden — and mounted on a Volvo truck — BAE's 155 mm Archer will compete in a US Army “shoot off” early next year. SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. WASHINGTON: The Army is seeking a self-propelled replacement for its venerable towed artillery pieces. The old ones can't keep up with mechanized Stryker units and lack armor protection. BAE Systems says its Archer armored howitzer is the quickest cannon on the draw — a life-or-death factor in fast-moving future combats. The US is experimenting intensely in how to speed the process from detecting a potential target to sending accurate target coordinates to a specific gun. Once Archer receives such target coordinates, it can come to a stop and open fire within 20 seconds, said Henrik Knape, a BAE exec based in Sweden, where the gun is already in service. Within two minutes from that first shot, Knape went on, the truck-mounted 155mm howitzer can fire another five to seven rounds, get back underway, and put 500 meters (a third of a mile) between itself and the location it fired from. That's a long enough distance in a short enough time that retaliatory fire from the enemy's artillery is probably going to miss. Even for an advanced adversary (pronounce that “Russia”), which uses specialized counter-battery radars to track the trajectory of incoming rounds and calculate the precise position of the unit firing them, it will take multiple minutes to bring its own guns or drones to bear. In US operations, the time from detecting a target to firing on it is typically “tens of minutes.” Experimental artificial-intelligence systems can cut that to tens of seconds, but those are years from being battle ready. Archer has other advantages as well, Knape and his US-based colleague Chris King told a small group of reporters: It's been in Swedish service since 2016, with the Defense Ministry asking Parliament to fund another 24 guns, so it's already extensively field-tested. It's armored against shrapnel and small arms, in case the enemy does get close. Its long barrel – 52 calibers, a third longer than the standard US howitzer – gives it extended range, comparable to the tracked ERCA howitzer entering service with US armored units in 2023. That gun is already qualified in US testing to fire precision-guided projectiles like Raytheon's Excalibur and BAE's own BONUS. And it's mounted on a six-wheel-drive, articulated Volvo chassis with enough cross-country mobility to keep up with the Army's 8×8 Strykers, which currently have only towed guns to accompany them.There are smaller wheeled artillery vehicles on the market than Archer, which doesn't fit on the standard C-130 turboprop transport, Knape and King acknowledged. (We check out a Humvee-mounted 105 mm cannon here).But none of them, they argue, has Archer's combination of firepower, protection, and quickness. The secret to that speed is automation, BAE says. While the US Army's current systems – both towed howitzers and the armored M109 Paladin – still rely largely on human muscle to manhandle heavy shells into the gun, Archer has a built-in autoloader. While well-trained human crews can actually fire faster than autoloaders for brief periods, the mechanical systems don't get tired or injured, and they allow for a much smaller gun crew. Archer can theoretically operate with a single soldier aboard, although it's designed for a crew of three – all of whom can stay inside the armored cabin while the weapon fires and reloads.https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/bae-offers-truck-mounted-howitzer-for-army-stryker-units/
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December 31, 2018 | International, Naval
Bath Iron Works receives $26 million Navy contract for ship modernization
By J. CRAIG ANDERSON | The Portland Herald Press PORTLAND, Maine (Tribune News Service) — The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics subsidiary Bath Iron Works a $26.4 million contract to provide upgrade and maintenance services for DDG-1000 “Zumwalt-class” guided missile destroyers, the company said Thursday. The contract includes options which, if exercised and fully funded by the Navy, would bring the total value of the contract to $86.7 million and extend the contract through 2023. The contract is for what are known as “planning yard services,” which include design, material kitting, logistics, planning and execution of ship maintenance and modernization. Most of the planning yard services work will be performed in Maine, BIW said in a written statement. BIW already manages maintenance and modernization for DDG-51 destroyers and littoral combat ships. “We are committed to supporting the Navy with high-quality, affordable post-delivery and modernization services that contribute to the readiness and capability of the fleet around the world,” BIW President Dirk Lesko said in the statement. “This award indicates confidence on the part of the Navy in our ability to maintain DDG-1000 class ships well into the future.” ——— ©2018 the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine) Visit the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine) at www.pressherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. https://www.stripes.com/news/us/bath-iron-works-receives-26-million-navy-contract-for-ship-modernization-1.562348