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  September 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Competition Heats Up For New Class Of Small, Disposable Jet Engines

  bY Steve Trimble Two U.S. engine companies of vastly different sizes have revealed plans to compete against each other to offer small, low-cost jet engines for a new class of expendable unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and future cruise missiles. Kratos Turbine Technologies, a newly acquired and rebranded division of the California-based aerial-targets manufacturer, has launched development of small turbofan and even smaller turbojet engine families in West Palm Beach, Florida. https://aviationweek.com/defense/competition-heats-new-class-small-disposable-jet-engines

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  April 2, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Lockheed nabs $818.2M to produce JASSMs for Air Force, allies

  ByChristen McCurdy April 1 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded an $818.2 million contract for production of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles for the U.S. Air Force and allied militaries, according to the Pentagon. Under the contract Lockheed will produce 360 Lot 17 JASSM-Extended Range missiles, 40 Lot 17 Foreign Military Sales JASSM-ER missiles and 390 Lot 18 JASSM-ER missiles. The deal is funded in part by fiscal year 2018 procurement funds -- to the tune of $767.4 million -- as well as $50.7 million in money from the Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales program. It's unclear who will purchase the missiles produced through FMS under the current contract, but in August 2019 Lockheed received a contract to produce JASSM for Poland, Finland and Australia. The JASSM is a 2,000-pound long-range, air-to-ground standoff missile designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets. The missiles will be produced in Orlando, Fla., and production is expected to be complete on Oct. 31, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/04/01/Lockheed-nabs-8182M-to-produce-JASSMs-for-Air-Force-allies/2211585788006/

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  June 21, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  How the Army will plan cyber and electronic warfare operations

  Mark Pomerleau   With cyber playing a critical role in conflict going forward, the Army has begun to recognize the need to have organic cyber planners within a brigade's staff to offer commanders options related to cyber as well as electronic warfare. Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities, or CEMA cells, have been stood up in each brigade acting as planners to provide targeting options and capabilities to get at commander objectives just as an artillery planner would offer the commander choices related to their field for a pending operation. At the tactical level, these two disciplines – cyber and electronic warfare – have become intertwined. “When I talk to Army commanders and staffs, I try to make the point that I want you to worry less about whether it's a cyber or EW effect,” Lt. Col. Christopher Walls, deputy director for strategy and policy, at the Army's Cyber Directorate within the G-3/5/7, said at the C4ISRNET Conference in May. For example, Walls said for a river crossing mission, a commander might say he needs to buy a few hours to get a battalion across. The CEMA cell, in turn, would look across the capability sets in its portfolio and come up with a course of action. These cells potentially have the ability to allow the commander to target local internet service providers or local routers and prevent opposing forces from using them. The teams may also have an electronic warfare capability that can jam local area network protocols. Finally, these teams might know where mobile switching centers are by digitally geolocating them allowing physical strikes to take them out, Walls said. “I don't want the commander to worry about which of those three things, I just want him to talk to me in terms of desired objective and effects and then us, along with the staff, will determine which capability makes sense,” Walls said. “That's kind of the way we're thinking about the tactical fight.” The best choice comes down to understanding the commander's objectives and intent in order to offer the best solution. “What I would do is understand his intent, what effect he wants and what I'll do is submit that in a formal request and I'll let the higher echelons determine if they can provide that effect,” Capt. Daniel Oconer, brigade CEMA officer, told C4ISRNET during a recent visit to the National Training Center. “In general, all I really need to know for my planning processes is understand what the maneuver force wants to do,” he added. “How do tanks and Bradleys [move], how are the troops on the ground moving. Then, what is their mission? What is their objective? What is the commander's intent? Once I understand that I throw some CEMA flavor, so to say, onto it and then enable them to accomplish their mission.” Oconer is currently billeted as a 29 series electronic warfare officer. The Army will begin to transition these individuals into the cyber branch, or 17 series, so they will all eventually be cyber planners in the CEMA cell. “The way that we're transforming our electronic warfare professionals is they will become cyber operators. They will be the face inside our brigade combat teams and our maneuver formations for cyber operational planning,” Maj. Gen. John Morrison, commander of the Cyber Center of Excellence, said during a May speech. “They're complimentary. You cannot look at electronic warfare professionals and cyber operators in isolation.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2018/06/20/how-the-army-will-plan-cyber-and-electronic-warfare-operations/