News

NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $93,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract incorporates the next three planned configurations of the operator flight program/system configuration set into the Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 F and EA-18G aircraft training systems. Additionally, this contract procures spares, support equipment, technical manual updates and on-site training. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (85%) and Amberley, Australia (15%) 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 not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4). Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61340-20-D-0003). Arwi JV LLC,* National City, California, is awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $10,000,000 for roofing repair and maintenance at Naval Base Point Loma, California. Initial task order is awarded at $350,180 for re-roofing at Buildings 260 and 262. Included is the requirement to repair and maintain roof components that are incidental to the main roof structure, such as scupper drains, downspouts, gutters, as well as roof-mounted hardware that may require to be removed and reinstalled by reason of the primary roof repair requirements. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by June 2020. All work on this contract will be performed in San Diego, California. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of February 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Navy (OMN) contract funds in the amount of $350,180 are obligated on this task order and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by OMN. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-20-D-0041). Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $7,992,944 cost plus fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-5405) for design agent engineering and technical support services for the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, SeaRAM, and Land-based Phalanx Weapon System. Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is a fast-reaction terminal defense against low and high-flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other defenses. CIWS is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating outer defense envelopes. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 weapon procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,992,944 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Griffon Aerospace Inc.,* Madison, Alabama, was awarded a $49,957,259 order-dependent contract to procure MQM-170 "Outlaw" Remotely Piloted Vehicle Targets, MQM-171 "Broadsword" Unmanned Aerial Systems - Targets, depot level repair and maintenance, storage of government furnished equipment, base operations services, field operations services, qualification training execution, and inventory and transfer support for targets management office and other Department of Defense customers. 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 Feb. 23, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0006). L-J Inc.,* Cayce, South Carolina, was awarded a $13,456,000 firm-fixed-price contract for furnishing plant, equipment, labor, transportation, fuel, lubricant, supplies and materials, and performing all operations in connection with raising dikes and berms, installation of geotextile, and installation of new spillway systems in Clouter Creek, Berkeley County, South Carolina. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 18, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912HP-20-C-0001). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2092565/source/GovDelivery/

By Ed Adamczyk Feb. 24 (UPI) -- An agreement to advance construction of a joint advanced combat aircraft program was ceremonially signed by French and German defense ministers. A contract for the first phase of the program to build the main aircraft of the Future Combat Air System was awarded last week. It covers the plane's propulsion system, data architecture and simulation environment, the German Defense Ministry said. Airbus, MTU, Safran and Dassault are the lead contractors. Plans for the program include development of a Next-Generation Weapon System whose components include remote carrier vehicles known as "swarming drones" and a sixth-generation fighter plane intended to be ready by 2035 to replace current Rafales, Eurofighters and F-18 Hornet planes. The plane and drones are expected to work in tandem. Two additional areas of work, involving the plane's sensors and stealth capabilities, remain under discussion. The cost of the first phase of the program, which is expected to take 18 months, will cost about $166 million and will be equally shared by Germany and France. Florence Parly, the French defense minister, and her German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ceremonially signed the agreement in Paris on Thursday. While Spain joined the program after it was announced in 2019, and Angelo Olivares, Spain's deputy defense minister, was present at the signing, it is currently a two-nation project. Spain's contributory share remains a topic of negotiation, but it is expected to join and help pay for the project later this year. A flying demonstrator version of the fighter plane is expected by 2026. A mockup of the plane, a shell with no internal components, was unveiled in June 2019 at the Paris Air Show. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/02/24/France-Germany-sign-agreement-to-build-sixth-generation-fighter-plane

Tony Osborne LONDON—For decades, the top role as Chief of Air Staff in Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) has been the preserve of either pilots or aircrewmen. But that tradition could be turned on its head. Senior officers are undertaking a transformation plan called Astra that aims to better harness the RAF's personnel and prepare the air arm for new technologies and multidomain warfare. This includes those in space and cyberspace as the service strives to be ready for the 2040s. And one of the most tangible changes could be a move away from pilots taking up the most senior command posts. Since 1950, only one Chief of the Air Staff has not had a background flying either fighters or bombers, said Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford, who served in the role from 2013 to 2016 with a background as a helicopter pilot. The current air chief, Air Marshal Michael Wigston, previously flew the Panavia Tornado. Before 1950, some of the most famous chiefs, including Sir Hugh Trenchard—often described as the father of the RAF—and Sir Arthur Tedder served in the infantry. “In the old days, predominantly it was what the pilots said that mattered. That's because we operated in a domain that was an exclusive preserve of pilots,” said Air Vice Marshall Ian Gale, assistant chief of the air staff for strategy. He spoke to journalists here on Feb. 24 as the air arm gears up for its annual Air and Space Power conference in July. “We have quite significant amounts of untapped cognitive diversity that we are trying to break into and give a voice to.” Always selecting pilots for the top job is seen by those in other air force posts as a career-limiting glass ceiling. But Gale argues the role should in the future should go to the “best person for the job,” and that could be a “battlespace manager, a cyber specialist or a space specialist.” Selection of a nonpilot for the role of Chief of Air Staff would, Gale said, “send a zero-message outside the air force, but a huge message inside it ... knowing that they may have a role in directing the future of the organization.” Other benefits of Astra will be the introduction of greater automation into tasks, with Gale hinting at new approaches to air traffic control. This is an issue of particular relevance as the RAF is suffering personnel shortages in this area, which is impacting training operations at some bases. This may suggest the RAF is looking at remote tower operations for some of its quieter airfields. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/astra-transformation-could-enable-nonpilots-command-raf

NAVY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded a $233,036,890 firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract action for the procurement of Mk 41 Vertical Launching System vertical launcher module assemblies, modernization kits and spare components. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (74%) and the governments of Korea (18%), Finland (4%), and Germany (4%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (40%); Indianapolis, Indiana (36%); Farmingdale, New York (9%); Saginaw, Michigan (5%); Waverly, Iowa (2%); Thomaston, Connecticut (2%); Chaska, Minnesota (2%); St. Peters, Missouri (1%); Hampstead, Maryland (1%); Santa Rosa, California (1%), and Peachtree City, Georgia (1%), and is expected to be completed by March 2025. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) and foreign military sales funding in the amount of $46,607,377 was 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 one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5310). (Awarded Feb. 14, 2020) Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded an $11,967,528 modification (P00003) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-19-F-2972) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-19-G-0029). This modification provides non-recurring engineering to replace existing subsystems, such as the Data Transfer Unit, Defense Electronic Countermeasure System and ARC-210 radio, with the CH-53K production aircraft. Non-recurring engineering efforts include investigation, systems engineering support, risk analysis, integration development, weight impact, publication updates including maintenance, training, update tooling and qualification testing. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (55.82%); Stratford, Connecticut (35.7%) and Fort Worth, Texas (8.48%), and is expected to be completed in August 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,967,528 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Bath Iron Works, Bath Maine, is awarded an $8,462,959 fixed-price incentive (firm target) modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-2305 to exercise an option for accomplishment of post-delivery availability work items for Guided Missile Destroyer 118. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (93%), Brunswick, Maine (6%), and other locations below 1 % (collectively totaling less than 1%) and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) and fiscal 2013 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,462,959 will be obligated at time of award and funding in the amount of $1,962,124 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Dark Wolf Solutions LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $75,000,000 blanket purchase agreement for cyber innovation services. This award was made from GSA Professional Services Schedule number: GS-00F-086GA. The contractor is a Phase III, Small Business Innovation and Research program participant. The location of performance is Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The work to be conducted includes software penetration testing and adversarial assessment. The work is expected to be complete by Oct. 19, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research development test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,093,286 are being obligated at the time of award via task order FA7014-20-F-0041. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-F-0041). Williams Aerospace & Manufacturing (formerly Merex Aircraft Co.), a Kellstrom Defense company, has been awarded a $40,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the acquisition of A-10 Speed Brake assemblies. This contract provides for upper and lower left speed brakes assembly and upper and lower right speed brakes assembly. Work will be performed in Camarillo, California, and is expected to be complete by February 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Consolidated sustainment activity group working capital funds in the amount of $10,501,432 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8212-20-D-0001). Chemring Energetic Devices Inc., Downers Grove, Illinois, has been awarded a $24,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for supply of various Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices for various U.S. and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) aircraft. Work will be performed in Downers Grove, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by August 2027. The contract involves foreign military sales to Greece, Taiwan, Thailand, Switzerland, Uruguay, India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Denmark, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, South Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Bahrain, Tunisia, Egypt and The Netherlands. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force fiscal 2018 funding in the amount of $1,882,272; Air Force fiscal 2019 funding in the amount of $1,065,552; U.S. Navy fiscal year 2019 funding in the amount of $134,032; Foreign Military Sales funding in the amount of $2,539,705 are being obligated at the time of award under delivery order FA8213-20-F-2525. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-20-D-0002). C. Martin Company Inc., North Las Vegas, Nevada, has been awarded a $7,462,086 option exercise modification (P00007) to previously awarded contract FA8601-18-D-0004. This modification provides for the exercise of an option for additional facility and equipment support under the basic contract. The location of performance is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The work is expected to be completed by March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research development test and evaluation funds are being obligated shortly after award on a task order. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $21,941,348. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Stonewin LLC,* New York, New York, has been awarded a minimum $59,678,523 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for marine gas oil. This was a competitive acquisition with 41 responses received. This is a 56-month base contract with one six-month option period. Locations of performances are Alabama, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas and South Carolina, with an Oct. 31, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Coast Guard and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE608-20-D-0350). EMIT Corp., Houston, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $20,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 104 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with a Feb. 19, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0030). ARMY K S Ware & Associates LLC, Nashville, Tennessee, was awarded a $12,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for value engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 19, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-20-D-0012). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2089858/source/GovDelivery/

Une nouvelle campagne d'essais en vol du démonstrateur technologique de drone de combat furtif nEUROn vient de s'achever à DGA Essais en vol (Istres). Le drone furtif de Dassault Aviation s'est essayé au combat collaboratif. A Paris ce 20 février, la ministre Florence Parly recevait les délégations allemandes et espagnoles pour la signature du contrats de développement des démonstrateurs du SCAF. Ci-dessus: une vue d'artiste datant de plusieurs années montrant un drone de combat aux côtés du Rafale - Dassaut Aviation La DGA (Direction générale de l'armement) a annoncé la fin de la cinquième campagne d'essais en vol du démonstrateur nEUROn. Mandatée par elle-même au profit de l'Etat, elle "a été menée en coopération avec Dassault Aviation pour la mise en œuvre du vecteur aérien et avec la participation des forces. Un de ses objectifs était d'étudier l'utilisation d'un drone de combat furtif dans un contexte opérationnel, impliquant également une réflexion sur les tactiques de défense face à un tel vecteur." L'information principale concernant cette nouvelle campagne est la réalisation d'un vol d'essai en ambiance de combat collaboratif réalisé avec 5 Rafale et 1 Awacs, "dans des configurations tactiques multiples". Les résultats sont en cours d'analyse approfondie. Ils apporteront selon la DGA des éléments majeurs pour aiguiller les choix d'architecture et de technologie du SCAF. Programme à - seulement - 450 millions d'euros entamé il y a une douzaine d'années, le Neuron prouve une nouvelle fois toute la pertinence d'une politique active dans le domaine des démonstrateurs. Et si l'on parle aujourd'hui surtout des "remote carriers" dans le cadre du SCAF (système de combat aérien futur), il ne fait pas de doute qu'un drone de combat furtif aura toute sa place dans cette architecture, aux côtés du Rafale, du futur chasseur européen, et autres effecteurs déportés... Signature du contrat de démonstrateur du SCAF Et ce 20 février à Paris, près d'une semaine après l'aval du Bundestag (voir lien ci-dessous), la ministre des Armées Florence Parly recevait les autres parties au programme SCAF, à savoir les Allemands et les Espagnols, pour la signature du contrat de démonstrateurs. Lire aussi: Lancement de la phase de démonstrateur du SCAF Comme convenu, Dassault Aviation (qui pour l'occasion exhibait des maquettes du "NGF") hérite de la maîtrise d'ouvrage pour le futur chasseur, avec Airbus DS comme "main partners". Airbus est maître d'oeuvre pour les remote carriers, avec la collaboration de MBDA, collaboration qui était déjà affichée au Bourget en juin 2019, et est également en charge avec Thalès du "Air combat cloud" (ACC), à savoir l'architecture numérique du SCAF. Safran et MTU s'occuperont de la motorisation, mais le démonstrateur du chasseur utilisera lui vraisemblablement les moteurs M88 du Rafale. Le tout est chapeauté par la DGA, manager du programme. Si les démonstrateurs, dont l'avion, doivent voler en 2026, et qu'environ 150 millions d'euros ont été apportés au programme pour ces études préliminaires, il s'agira de trouver 4 milliards d'euros d'ici 2025, et 8 au total d'ici 2030. S'agissant de la participation espagnole, qui doit se clarifier durant les prochains mois, trois entreprises s'ajoutent à la participation de Madrid, principalement sur les drones. Il s'agit de GMV, SENER Aeroespacial et Tecnobit Grupo Oesia, qui ont annoncé ce 17 février un accord dans le cadre du plan industriel coordonné par le ministère espagnol de la Défense. La problématique Indra, que l'Espagne insiste pour intégrer au développement de l'ACC en dépit des réticences d'Airbus, reste à régler cependant. http://www.paxaquitania.fr/2020/02/fin-dune-5eme-campagne-dessais-pour-le.html

Airbus et Thales ont signé un accord afin de mener conjointement le développement de l'Air Combat Cloud du SCAF. Qui dit système de systèmes, dit connectivité. En effet, le SCAF rime avec combat collaboratif et échange de données entre les différentes plateformes intégrées. Airbus et Thales ont donc signé un accord le 20 février, officialisant leur collaboration sur le volet Air Combat Cloud du SCAF. Une première phase de démonstrations sera conduite au cours des 18 prochains mois, dans le cadre du contrat Phase 1A du SCAF. Les travaux qui seront réalisés lors de cette première étape serviront de base aux développements futurs. Données. Un travail important attend donc désormais les deux industriels, au regard de l'avancée technologique qui caractérise les vecteurs du SCAF. Que ce soit le NGF (nex generation fighter), les remote carriers (drones d'accompagnement) mais également toutes les plateformes d'ores et déjà existantes, ces aéronefs collectent une quantité de plus en plus importante de données. Celles-ci doivent être triées, traitées et analysées, afin de fournir une information enrichie aux opérationnels et les aider dans leur prise de décision. « Au sein du SCAF, l'Air Combat Cloud va, en temps réel, connecter et synchroniser toutes les plateformes et permettre de traiter et distribuer l'information afin d'améliorer la connaissance situationnelle et permettre la conduite d'opérations en collaboration », détaille Thales. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/scaf-la-connectivit-des-systmes-sera-assure-par-airbus-et-thales-22622

Jen DiMascio The Pentagon is in the midst of a massive upgrade of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, designed to protect the U.S. against an attack by an ICBM. The new Next-Generation Interceptor (NGI) would modernize GMD, arming it with an all-up round that can counter more sophisticated ICBMs. In pursuing the new program, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will end the planned purchase of 20 current-generation GMD Ground-Based Interceptors (GBI), after already having canceled a key aspect of that system, the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV). While it works on NGI, the MDA also intends to supplement its defense of the U.S. against ICBMs with shorter-range interceptors that provide regional defense. The change in course will not be cheap. GMD itself has cost more than $68 billion over its lifetime. In its fiscal 2021 budget request, the MDA is asking for $664 million in fiscal 2021 for NGI and another $4.3 billion through fiscal 2025.It is an amount that will grow over time and that some worry could pull funding from other urgent priorities, as the type and number of missile threats from other countries evolves to include more sophisticated ballistic missiles and hypersonic weaponry. The MDA is poised to issue a classified request for proposals to sponsor two contractors through a preliminary design review (PDR) of a new interceptor and kill vehicle—the part of the interceptor that defeats an incoming missile while in space. MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill says the agency plans to award contracts by the end of 2020, with the intention of starting testing in the mid-2020s and putting NGIs in silos by 2027, 2028 or beyond. “Right now we're funded through PDR, and you know there's plenty of arguments out there that you [have] got to go all the way to the [critical design review (CDR)]. We'll have that conversation when the time is right,” says Hill. The release of the budget solidifies a plan that has been slowly percolating in the background. Last March, Boeing was put on notice after the RKV—a projectile launched by the GBI booster that is tasked with locating and defeating the incoming ICBM in space—did not meet the needs of its CDR. The Government Accountability Office noted problems with the program meeting its cost and schedule goals “with no signs of arresting these trends.” By August 2019, Mike Griffin, the Pentagon's top research and engineering official, stopped work on the RKV after the MDA had spent more than $1 billion to develop it, as it was not proving to be reliable. These RKVs were to ride atop the next 20 GBIs, a project overseen and integrated by Boeing, which Congress had approved in 2018 after a spate of North Korean missile tests. In concert with ending the RKV, Congress rerouted that funding to the NGI, and the MDA conducted a review of options for the interceptor. Coming out of that assessment, budget officials say they will not buy the 20 new GBIs as the military embarks on NGI development. New NGIs are so far being planned to be placed in silos that were to be inhabited by GBIs, according to Hill. “The current intention is for the Next-Generation Interceptors to be able to work with both current and future sensor systems,” says MDA spokesman Mark Wright. From a security standpoint, existing GBIs will still protect the U.S. from foreign missile threats, says Hill, but he adds that over time their reliability will begin to fall off. While the NGI program works its way through development, the MDA plans to supplement GMD with a layered network of theater-range systems—the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) and the Aegis Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 2A—to fill any gaps in defending the U.S. from North Korean missile attacks. “What this budget really does for us is it starts to say, ‘Let's take advantage of these regional systems that have been so successful and are very flexible and deployable,'” Hill says. In 2020, the MDA will test the SM-3 Block 2A missile against an ICBM. “When we prove that we can take out an ICBM with an Aegis ship or an Aegis Ashore site with an SM-3 Block 2A, then you want to ramp up the evolution of the threat on the target side, right? We'll want to go against more complex threats,” Hill says. That will require upgrading the combat system used by Aegis ships so it can process data from new sensors and engage with a missile. Adding the ability to launch SM-3 Block 2A missiles on ships or from Aegis Ashore sites will give combatant commanders the additional flexibility they have sought, he adds. A future commander could then choose to launch a GBI, THAAD, SM-3 or, when it is ready, NGI. Such an interim solution using regional systems is still far from a reality. The Pentagon is requesting $139 million in its fiscal 2021 budget to “initiate the development and demonstration of a new interceptor prototype to support contiguous U.S. defense as part of the tiered homeland defense effort,” the MDA's budget materials state. That involves developing hardware and software and conducting demonstrations leading to a flight test in fiscal 2023. One other potential gap in the missile defense architecture is in Pacific-based radars that would have cued GBIs to protect against an attack on Hawaii. The “Pacific radar is no longer in our budget,” Hill says. Today, forward-deployed AN/TPY-2 radars and a deployable (sea-based X-band) radar work with the GMD system in that region. Plus, Aegis ships can be repositioned, he adds. “We realize we need to take another look at that architecture,” he says, which will focus on the Pacific region. Missile defense experts are not unsupportive of the effort to build a new NGI. But they do question whether the cost will leach funding for other important priorities. Frank Rose, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, points out that GBIs are built using 1990s technology and as a development prototype tasked for an operational mission. That means that requirements such as reliability, survivability and suitability were afterthoughts. Despite the sound logic involved in moving toward a new interceptor, “I see a couple of challenges,” he says. That includes that the Pentagon's budget request was flat for fiscal 2021, a trend likely to continue. In the years ahead, the military will have big bills for its nuclear modernization budget and to recapitalize its conventional forces, which will hit about the time budgets for NGI would need to swell to support procurement of the system. Meanwhile, in the near-to-midterm, the U.S. is likely to be dealing with a limited North Korean threat. Over time, the threats will grow in number and sophistication. Given challenges with the budget—not to mention technical challenges with developing a successful kill vehicle—Rose wonders if that money could be applied elsewhere. Kingston Reif, director of disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, is skeptical the MDA can deliver an NGI on its current timeline. “Congress must be extremely wary of allowing the Pentagon to repeat the mistakes that have plagued the GMD system in the past,” he says. “In particular, the development, procurement and fielding of the NGI should not be schedule-driven but based on the maturity of the technology and successful testing under operationally realistic conditions. Accelerating development programs risks saddling them with cost overruns, schedule delays, test failures and program cancellations—as has been the case with the GMD program and other missile defense programs to date.” The expansion of U.S. homeland missile defense may be viewed as a provocation by Russia and China “and likely prompt them to consider steps to further enhance the survivability of their nuclear arsenals in ways that will undermine the security of the United States and its allies,” Reif says. “The costs and risks of expanding the U.S. homeland defense footprint in this way greatly outweigh the benefits.” But like all proposals, it will be up to lawmakers to decide and is likely to be a point of interest in the year ahead. “This is the single biggest muscle movement in the 2021 budget proposal, and Congress will be scrutinizing carefully whether the administration has a compelling vision and realistic funding stream for the short, medium and long term,” says Tom Karako, director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/missile-defense-weapons/mda-embarks-new-generation-missile-defense

Budget has $9.8 billion for cyber security and cyber warfare; $3.2 billion for hypersonics; and $800 million for artificial intelligence (AI) research. THE MIL & AERO COMMENTARY – The 2021 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) budget proposal is out, and it looks like several years of consistent growth driven by the Trump Administration may be leveling off. A closer look, however, may indicate a pivot to new leading-edge technologies and away from legacy systems. DOD leaders in their fiscal 2021 budget request to Congress, which was released last month, are asking for $705.4 billion, which is down about 1 percent from this year's level of $712.6 billion. Before you conclude that the Pentagon budget has turned flat, however, take a look at where the money's going. First, the bad news: procurement. This is where big-ticket items like aircraft, combat vehicles, and ships get funding. The DOD's procurement budget request for 2021 is $136.9 billion, down nearly 7 percent from this year's level of $147.1 billion. Contained in the DOD budget for procurement, moreover, are aggressive cuts to legacy weapons systems. The U.S. Air Force, for example, will retire 24 RQ-4 Block 20 and Block 30 Global Hawk Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Block 30 multi-intelligence aircraft UAVs next year. Related: Army researchers eye fuel cells to provide power for infantry wearable electronics on the leading edge The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, will retire four Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers. The U.S. Army plans to eliminate 13 programs involving munitions, fires, protection, sustainment, mobility, mission command, and cyber programs that no longer are priorities. Additional cuts are expected. Next year the Navy plans no additional purchases of P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft; the MQ-4 Triton long-range maritime patrol UAV; or the MQ-25 Stingray UAV. The counterweight to these procurement cuts, however, is in the DOD's budget for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). As procurement spending is going down, the research budget is headed in the other direction. The Pentagon is asking for $106.6 billion, which is up about 1 percent from this year's research budget of $106.6 billion. Revealing is money is going. The DOD next year plans to spend $9.8 billion for cyber security and cyber warfare -- up 81 percent from $5.4 billion this year; $3.2 billion for hypersonics; $1.5 billion for military microelectronics and 5G networking; and $800 million for artificial intelligence (AI) research. Related: The new era of high-power electromagnetic weapons The Pentagon hypersonics budget will pay for research and development initiatives to develop the Army Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon; Navy Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS); and Air Force Advanced Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). Research money also would include $1.1 billion for the Navy's next-generation frigate; $4.4 billion for the future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine; and $464 million for two Large Unmanned Surface Vessels. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is asking for $3.6 billion in 2021, a 3 percent increase from the $3.5 billion the agency received this year. DARPA has asked for $322.7 million for electronics research in 2021 -- a 1.7 increase from the 317.2 million the agency received this year. For sensors research, DARPA is asking for $200.2 million in 2021 -- a 26 percent increase over the $158.9 million the agency received this year. Related: Military researchers host industry day briefings for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning So, in short, it sounds like out with the old, and in with the new at the Pentagon. Four Navy cruisers that are at least 30 years ago are heading for retirement. Large, slow, and vulnerable Global Hawk UAVs are to be taken out of service, and Army programs no longer relevant amid today's global threats will be taken off the board. At the same time, enabling technologies considered crucial for today's military needs are on the upswing: hypersonic munitions and aircraft, cyber security and cyber warfare, 5G networking, and artificial intelligence. Perhaps the DOD has been due for a house cleaning like this for a while. Getting rid of obsolescent weapons systems makes sense because they're past the point of diminishing returns. Pumping more money into technologies for tomorrow's battlefield makes sense, too. These kinds of realignments are painful, yet essential. https://www.militaryaerospace.com/defense-executive/article/14168362/dod-budget-leadingedge-technologies-research

February 19, 2020 - With the contract signing for construction for the new supply ship HNLMS Den Helder, more than a hundred, mainly Dutch companies receive work. The contract was signed today in Den Helder by the Director of Defence Material Organization (DMO), Vice Admiral Arie Jan de Waard and Arnout Damen, the new CEO of the family business Damen Shipyards Group. Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) will supervise the project, together with DMO, as the main contractor. Damen will not do this alone; more than a hundred companies from the Dutch naval construction sector are involved in this ship. This means that a large part of the sector will be deployed to participate in this innovative new ship. With HNLMS Den Helder, the maritime supply capacity of the Royal Netherlands Navy will be restored. The ship will operate alongside the Joint Support Ship HNLMS Karel Doorman. This vessel also forms the basis for the design of this Combat Support Ship. The new ship can be used worldwide and can operate under high threat, protected by frigates. In addition, she can be used in the fight against drug trafficking, controlling refugee flows and providing emergency aid. The supply ship, which is almost 200 metres long, will receive a 75-person crew and can also take 75 extra people on board. There is room for several helicopters and around 20 containers. The design explicitly looked at fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. The combination of diesel engines, hull shape and propeller design reduces fuel consumption by around 6 % compared to HNLMS Karel Doorman. The building contract is not contracted out elsewhere in Europe. DMO wishes to keep the knowledge and skills of designing and building naval ships in the Netherlands. The armed forces thus invoked Article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It states that Member States may protect essential security interests. This also relates to the production of defence equipment. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. A year later, in the second quarter of 2025, the Combat Support Ship must be operable. The size of the total project budget is 375 million euros. View source version on Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) : https://www.damen.com/en/news/2020/02/main_contractor_damen_and_more_than_a_hundred_companies_contribute_to_css