July 27, 2023 | International, Naval
AUKUS succeeds if US eases defense regulations for allies
The greater risk to our own national security is continuing to treat our technology as too precious to share.
March 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Possible New 'Engine War' Recasts Pratt As Champion Of Competition
By Steve Trimble
Pratt & Whitney's F100 (pictured) is designed to be interchangeable with GE Aviation's F110 as the engine for the Boeing F-15 fleet.
A jet engine maker is pressuring the U.S. Defense Department to scrap a plan to award a sole-source contract to a rival for a fleet of new fighters and investigate the opportunity for performance and cost improvements yielded by a competitive selection process.
If that narrative sounds familiar, it is because it echoes a role GE Aviation played for more than 40 years, which included a successful bid in the 1980s to launch the “Great Engine War” over the F-15 and F-16 fleets and a failed campaign that ended almost a decade ago to establish the F136 as the alternate engine for the F-35.
This time, however, the roles are reversed. Pratt & Whitney, which waged fierce lobbying campaigns against competitive engine policies for the F-15, F-16 and F-35, has switched sides in the debate.
In response to the U.S. Air Force's decision to field the F-15EX into production powered solely by GE F110 engines, Pratt has filed two protests with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is scheduled to render judgments on both cases by early July.
The Air Force sided with GE during the Great Engine War in 1984. Seeking to lower costs and motivate Pratt to resolve stall-stagnation problems with the original F100, the Air Force decided that year to split the engine contract for the F-15 and F-16 between GE's F110 and Pratt's F100.
Thirty-six years later, the Air Force now worries about the schedule impact if the GAO sustains either or both of Pratt's protests of the F-15EX engine. Service officials decided to acquire the F-15EX after concluding the F-15C/Ds were too costly to sustain and because it would take too long for the Pratt F135-powered F-35A to replace all of them.
Pratt's protests threaten to disrupt that schedule and erode the Air Force's original business case for the F-15EX.
“If we have to do an engine competition, it will add time—2-3 years,” said Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on March 10.
Only a decade ago, Pratt welcomed a vote by Congress in 2010 to cancel funding for the F-35 program's alternate engine, along with a decision by GE and Rolls-Royce a year later to abandon a plan to self-fund the certification of the F136. But Pratt now embraces the potential benefits of an engine competition for the F-15EX.
“Our government supports competition at all levels, and we're interested in providing the F100 as a competitive alternative,” Pratt Military Engines President Matthew Bromberg told Aviation Week. “If we're not competitive in terms of capability, schedule [and] price, I get it. But after the U.S. government spent all this money creating two engines for the F-15 and F-16 platforms, why would it then not compete a 450-engine program?”
Asked if the existing F100 would require additional development to meet the Air Force's requirements for the F-15EX, Bromberg replied that he cannot answer that question in the absence of a competitive process that allows Pratt access to the specifications. He also noted that the F100 exclusively powers the Air Force's existing fleet of F-15Es.
The F100 and F110 were designed to fit interchangeably in the F-15, although the heavily modified Saudi Arabian F-15SA and the Qatari F-15QA from which the F-15EX was derived are exclusively powered by GE's engine.
The GAO does not release complaints filed by protesters up front, but it does release the full text of decisions. It is not clear why Pratt filed two separate protests on the sole-source decision for the GE engine on the F-15EX, but Bromberg advised not reading too much into it.
“I'd like to obviously be able to discuss them, but I can't because it's a legal process,” Bromberg said. “I would really view them as a single protest on a single procurement action, and that is a lack of competition.”
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July 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace
NATO Airlift Management Program Expands C-17 Training Capability with Boeing Services Contract
Long Beach, California, July 23, 2020 - Boeing [NYSA: BA] will provide aircrew training support for the Strategic Airlift Capability's multinational fleet of C-17 aircraft under a new U.S. Air Force Foreign Military Sale contract for a C-17 Weapon System Trainer (WST) that will be stationed at Pápa Air Base, Hungary. “The NATO Airlift Management Programme provides Strategic Airlift Capability nations with full life cycle management for aircraft and facilities, embodying of collective ownership and Smart Defence,” said Gregory Clark, programme manager, NATO Airlift Management Programme. “The aircrew training partnership with Boeing will ensure ongoing readiness of C-17 aircrews to our member Nations.” Through partnership with Boeing, NATO and the Strategic Airlift Capability can rely on nearly 30 years of experience providing quality training systems and support for the global C-17 fleet. This is the first C-17 training device for Pápa Air Base. It will allow for agile aircrew and engine maintenance training and reduce the time and costs associated with travel, while ensuring aircrew readiness. “We are excited to continue our partnership with NATO and expand its C-17 aircrew training capability,” said Mark Hayes, Pápa, Hungary base manager for Boeing Global Services. “This regional training location will enable the Strategic Airlift Capability to add velocity to aircrew training and proficiency, maintain training readiness, and provide the flexibility to deliver European airlift for decades to come.” Boeing's C-17 WST includes an air vehicle station and loadmaster station, both with instructor operator stations; a core integrated processor task trainer; and computer-based training and courseware. Two years of initial spares to support the training device are also included. This C-17 training device includes innovative technology with upgrades to the visual system and glass mirror display system expanding the total field of view. Boeing is also incorporating technology enhancements to address obsolescence and concurrency with latest aircraft block configuration. NATO C-17 training at Pápa Air Base is expected to begin in 2022. About NSPA The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brings together, in a single organization, acquisition, logistic, medical and infrastructural capabilities including the related procurement function. As NATO's primary enabler, the Agency's mission is to provide effective and cost efficient multinational solutions to the Alliance, its thirty Nations and Partners. The NATO Airlift Management Programme (NAMP) Office located in Pápa (Hungary) is an integral part of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). It manages the full life cycle management of the C-17 aircraft stationed at Pápa Airbase, including acquisition and sustainment on behalf of the member Nations of the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC). NSPA is headquartered in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with main operational centres in France, Hungary and Italy. The Agency employs around 1,500 staff and overseeing over 2,500 contractors in NATO's missions across the world. More info: www.nspa.nato.int About Boeing Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth. # # # Contact Ekaterina Perdaris Boeing Communications +1 703-465-3532 +1 314-810-9592 ekaterina.g.perdaris@boeing.com Roger Gilles Boeing, EU & NATO Communications +32 476 860 954 roger.gilles@boeing.com Francesca De Florio NSPA Communications +352 3063 6309 +352 661 864 300 francesca.deflorio@nspa.nato.int View source version on Boeing Newsroom: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/NATO-Airlift-Management-Program-Expands-C-17-Training-Capability-with-Boeing-Services-Contract
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January 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Sikorsky Upgrading UH-60 Black Hawks to Prevent Corrosion
Sikorsky [LMT] is upgrading the U.S. military's fleet of UH-60 Black Hawks to fight corrosion, increase the number of available flight days for the rotorcraft in Afghanistan and other deployed areas, and reduce operations and maintenance costs. http://www.defensedaily.com/sikorsky-upgrading-uh-60-black-hawks-prevent-corrosion