August 21, 2019 | International, Land

Pentagon terminates program for redesigned kill vehicle, preps for new competition

By: Jen Judson

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a statement from Raytheon.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has moved from taking a “strategic pause” on the Redesigned Kill Vehicle program to outright killing it.

The Department of Defense decided to terminate the current Boeing contract to develop the RKV — effective Aug. 22 — “due to technical design problems,” according to an Aug. 21 statement by the department.

Raytheon is the actual developer of the RKV and serves as a sub-contractor to Boeing.

The RKV would have replaced the current Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) on the Ground-Based Interceptor, which makes up the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system designed to protect the homeland from ballistic missile threats. It would have also been fielded on all future ground-based interceptors — a total of 64 ultimately.

The EKV is designed to destroy targets in high-speed collisions after separating from the booster rocket.

The EKV required technical changes in the past several years due to issues in tests. The Missile Defense Agency decided to initiate a program to redesign the kill vehicle. In the meantime, MDA has had several successful tests of the GMD system with the EKV following engineering changes.

Now that the RKV is dead in the water, the Pentagon plans to move forward with a new, next-generation interceptor competition, the statement said.

According to a defense official, no more ground-based interceptors will be built, and all future interceptors that are fielded as part of the GMD system will be the new interceptors.

“Ending the program was the responsible thing to do,” Mike Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said in the statement. “Development programs sometimes encounter problems. After exercising due diligence, we decided the path we're going down wouldn't be fruitful, so we're not going down that path anymore. This decision supports our efforts to gain full value from every future taxpayer dollar spent on defense.”

With the blessing of the undersecretary of defense, Griffin made the decision on Aug. 14 to terminate the program, one week after he told reporters at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, to expect a decision on the way forward for RKV soon.

MDA and Boeing in December 2018 deferred a critical design review of the RKV “due to the failure of certain critical components to meet technical requirements as specified in the development contract,” the statement noted.

After MDA assessed the issues, it issued a stop work order on the contract in May to analyze alternative options.

“The department ultimately determined the technical design problems were so significant as to be either insurmountable or cost-prohibitive to correct,” the statement said.

The DoD plans to take data garnered from research and testing of the RKV prior to its cancellation to inform the next-generation interceptor program, “which will include a new kill vehicle,” according to the statement.

“The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is updating its requirements in the face of an increasingly complex threat environment," Raytheon said in a statement. The company “supports their decision to cease work on the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) and initiate a competition for the next-generation interceptor to meet these advanced threats. Raytheon will continue to develop and offer a wide range of advanced missile defense technologies available to protect the United States now and in the future.”

There are 44 ground-based interceptorss in place at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with plans to add 22 additional missile silos at Fort Greely to support 20 more ground-based interceptors.

The defense official said the Pentagon is still working through the details of a new, next-generation interceptor competition, including when it will be initiated and the pace at which the technology will be developed and fielded.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2019/08/21/dod-tanks-redesigned-kill-vehicle-program-for-homeland-defense-interceptor/

On the same subject

August 27, 2020 | International, Aerospace

US Army pushes Air Launched Effects development with $30 million in contracts
By Garrett Reim The US Army has awarded 10 contracts worth $29.8 million for development of Air Launched Effects technologies, which include unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) that the service sees as working alongside its helicopters. The projects are divided into three focus areas: air vehicle; mission systems; and payloads. The aim of the projects is to eventually produce a new and more advanced Air Launched Effect prototype, the service said on 24 August. Air Launched Effects are a broad category of UAVs that would act as extensions of rotorcraft, performing missions involving reconnaissance, electronic warfare and loitering munition strikes. The service sees Air Launched Effects as important tools for reaching into enemy territory while keeping rotorcraft beyond the range of adversaries' anti-aircraft weapons. It plans to use the drones from its Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs, as well as its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. Alliant Techsystems Operations, Raytheon and Area-I won contracts for Air Launched Effects vehicle design development. In March, the army demonstrated a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk launching an Area-I ALTIUS drone from just 100ft above the ground. L3 Technologies, Rockwell Collins and Aurora Flight Services won mission systems contracts, and Leonardo Electronics, Technology Service, Raytheon, and Alliant Techsystems secured payloads contracts. The army says it plans to select designs for the Air Launched Effect vehicle, payload and mission system for its final prototype in 15 months. The service wants to initially field its prototype in fiscal year 2024. https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/us-army-pushes-air-launched-effects-development-with-30-million-in-contracts/139908.article?referrer=RSS
October 21, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 19, 2018
AIR FORCE Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $62,016,768 cost-plus-incentive-fee option (P00012) to contract FA8675-16-C-0044 for the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) program. This modification provides for the exercise of options for Phase 5 activities and foreign military sales (FMS) drawings for the form, fit and function refresh of the AMRAAM guidance section. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 21, 2020. This contract involves FMS to Norway, Turkey, Japan, Romania, and Australia. FMS funds in the amount of $6,072,542 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado, has been awarded a ceiling $36,043,319 cost-reimbursement type contract for Solid State Laser Effects and Modeling. This contract provides for developing innovative diagnostics/test methods, increasing fidelity, realism and confidence of predictive models, measuring and consolidating laser vulnerability data, and working synergistically with tri-service for high energy laser system research. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 24, 2022. This contract award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9451-19-C-0001). Infinity Systems Engineering LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $22,653,934 firm-fixed-price contract for Global Positioning Systems Engineering, Analysis & Remote Site Sustainment II. The contract provides organizational maintenance and operational support services to the operational unit that will include remote site technicians, network administrative officers and operations support. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,565,094 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA8823‐19‐C‐0001). Advanced Electronics Co., Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been awarded a $9,437,259 modification (FA8505-11-D-0002-0006-12) to contract FA8505-11-D-0002 for the Royal Saudi Air Force Electronic System Test Set. The contract modification incorporates a 15-month extension in order to allow for the completion of the Royal Saudi Air Force Electronic System Test Sets configuration upgrade. Work will be performed Huntsville, Alabama and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is expected to be completed by Dec. 28, 2019. This modification involves foreign military sales for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of 9,437,259 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $28,518,831. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc. Aerospace, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been awarded a $7,838,175 firm-fixed-priced order, for the repair and upgrade of the C-5M Super Galaxy's Versatile Integrated Avionics/Avionics Integrated Units (VIA/AIU). This order provides for the repair and upgrade of 85 of the existing 903 and 904 configuration VIA/AIUs to the 905 configuration. The C-5M VIA/AIU repair and upgrade effort is a key component to the overall Core Mission Computer/Weather Radar aircraft modification/installation kit. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by June 14, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $7,146,972; and fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $691,203 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting (FA8625-18-F-6801). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Rocky Brands Inc., Nelsonville, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $20,566,240 modification (P00005) exercising the second one-year-option period of one-year base contract SPE1C1-17-D-1004 with four one-year option periods for hot-weather combat boots. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Ohio and Puerto Rico, with an Oct. 20, 2019, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $13,567,362 firm-fixed-price contract for life cycle management of programs within multiple ammunition product lines. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 4, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-D-0002). Fabritex Inc.,* Hartwell, Georgia, was awarded a $9,257,500 firm-fixed-price contract for non-corrosive 16-block wire mesh for the manufacture and assembly of articulated concrete mattress squares. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Hartwell, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 18, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $9,257,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis, Tennessee, is the contracting activity (W912EQ-19-C-0001). *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1667326/source/GovDelivery/
January 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Statement From Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan
Under the direction of President Trump, the Department of Defense remains focused on safeguarding our nation. We have deep respect for Secretary Mattis' lifetime of service, and it has been a privilege to serve as his deputy secretary. As acting secretary of defense, I now look forward to working with President Trump to carry out his vision alongside strong leaders including the service secretaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commanders, and senior personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense continues to be one of our nation's bedrock institutions. Our foundational strength lies in the remarkable men and women who volunteer to serve our country and protect our freedoms, while making immense personal sacrifice. It is an honor to work with such a dedicated team committed to the greatness of our nation. https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1722850/statement-from-acting-secretary-of-defense-patrick-m-shanahan/

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