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Japan unveils its hypersonic weapons plans
By: Mike Yeo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan has outlined its research and development road map for its homegrown, standoff hypersonic weapons, confirming that it is seeking an incremental growth in capability and providing more details about the kinds of threats it is targeting with this new class of weapon.
In a Japanese-language document published on the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency website, the government said two classes of standoff hypersonic systems will be deployed — the Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM) and the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP).
The former will be powered by a scramjet engine and appears similar to a typical missile, albeit one that cruises at a much higher speed while capable of traveling at long ranges.
The HVGP, on the other hand, will feature a solid-fuel rocket engine that will boost its warhead payload to a high altitude before separation, where it will then glide to its target using its altitude to maintain high velocity until impact.
The agency also provided more details regarding warhead payloads, with different warheads planned for both seaborne and land targets. The former will be an armor-piercing warhead designed specifically for penetrating “the deck of the [aircraft] carrier,” while a land-attack version will utilize a high-density, explosively formed projectile, or EFP, for area suppression.
Area suppression effects for the latter will be achieved via the use of multiple EFPs, which are more commonly known as a shaped charge. An EFP is made up of a concave metal hemispherical or cone-shaped liner backed by a high explosive, all in a steel or aluminum casing. When the high explosive is detonated, the metal liner is compressed and squeezed forward, forming a jet whose tip may travel as fast as 6 miles per second.
Japan's road map also revealed the country is taking an incremental approach with regard to designing the shapes of warheads and developing solid-fuel engine technology, with plans to field early versions of both in the 2024 to 2028 time frame. They are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.
The agency expects both systems to navigate via satellite navigation with an inertial navigation system as backup. Japan is seeking to establish a network of seven satellites to enable continuous positioning for its self-defense forces, which will enable it to provide continuous navigation data without relying on foreign satellites.
Warhead guidance is achieved via either radio-frequency imaging converted from doppler shift data — which the government agency said will be able to identify stealthy naval targets in all weather conditions — or an infrared seeker capable to discriminating specific targets.
Japan has been conducting R&D into various areas related to hypersonic weapons for a number of years, although most of it was to benefit other fields like satellite navigation and solid-fuel rockets.
More work remains, however, in areas like hypersonic guidance systems, warhead and missile-body thermal shielding, and hypersonic propulsion systems in order for Japan to be able to field a viable standoff hypersonic weapons capability.
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Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 04, 2020
ARMY Baywest LLC,* St. Paul, Minnesota (W912DY-20-D-0015); Bhate Zapata JV,* Birmingham, Alabama (W912DY-20-D-0016); HydroGeoLogic Inc.,* Reston, Virginia (W912DY-20-D-0017); IE Weston Federal Svcs JVB LLC,* West Chester, Pennsylvania (W912DY-20-D-0018); PIKA International Inc.,* Stafford, Texas (W912DY-20-D-0019); and Seres Arcadis SB JV LLC, Mount Pleasant,* South Carolina (W912DY-20-D-0020), will compete for each order of the $400,000,000 cost-plus-fixed fee, firm-fixed-price contract to perform Military Munitions Response Program responses involving conventional munitions and other munitions-related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 18 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 3, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity. NAVY BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4416); Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4417); and General Dynamics, NASSCO, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4418), are being awarded a $275,110,745 firm-fixed-price modification to exercise Option Period Four to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts for complex, emergent and continuous maintenance and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities on surface combatants homeported in San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by March 2021. No funding will be obligated when the option is exercised. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Lyon Shipyard Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0001); BMFT JV,* Chesapeake, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0002); Colonna's Shipyard Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0003); Fairlead Boatworks,* Newport News, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0004); and East Coast Repair and Fabrication,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0005), are each awarded a fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide messing and berthing barges support in support of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia. Lyon Shipyard Inc.* is awarded $82,029,325; BMFT JV* is awarded $87,651,824; Colonna's Shipyard Inc.* is awarded $96,692,648; Fairlead Boatworks* is awarded $97,020,569; and East Coast Repair and Fabrication* is awarded $109,260,981. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative ceiling value of this contract to $109,260,981. Work will be primarily performed in the Hampton Roads area, Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by January 2021; if options are exercised, work is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $60,000 ($12,000 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award, and funding in the amount of $60,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This multiple award contract was procured as a small business set-aide via Federal Business Opportunities with six offers received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Colonna Shipyards Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,536,728 firm-fixed-price contract for a 75-day shipyard availability for the regular post shakedown availability of USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10). Work will include Pump Room 1 and 2 renewal, tow modifications, Pump Room 7 and 8, ladder install, bilge preservation main engine rooms, line shaft bearing annual maintenance, freeze protection pipe heat trace instillation, freeze protection mission bay installation, perform annual stern ramp maintenance, install fuel sensors in diesel fuel service system, modify diesel fuel bunking piping, stern ramp upgrades, fire station isolation valves, adaptive force package temporary sensitive compartment information facility installations and temporary sensitive compartment information facility adaptive force package heating ventilation and an air condition upgrade install. This contract includes a 75-day base period and three options, which if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $10,711,518. Work will be performed at Colonna Shipyard Inc. and is expected to be completed by May 15, 2020. Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $10,536,728 are obligated for fiscal 2020, and will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.SAM.gov website and two offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-6712). Data Link Solutions LLC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $9,140,302 firm-fixed-price order for Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) Cryptographic Modernization (CM) kits. The JTIDS CM Kits will provide a build-to-print solution to maintain secure operations of Link 16 for all versions of the JTIDS terminal. This order covers the production of 47 kits along with the associated program management, testing and logistics support to deliver the kits. This order includes one option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this order to an estimated $12,057,419. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2021. Work will be performed in Wayne, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of July 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,140,302 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order was negotiated as a sole-source under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), using the procedures defined under Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.5 for orders less than $13,000,000. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-20P0003). DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Nexsys Electronics, doing business as MedWeb,* San Francisco, California, was awarded a definitized, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, single award contract (HT0038-19-D-0002) with a maximum value of $52,852,585. This contract provides in-theater systems support services for the Deployed Tele-Radiology System, a commercial imaging product used at military treatment facilities. This effort has one-base year, two option years, and one six-month optional ordering period. The estimated completion date is May 11, 2022. Work location is task order dependent but will primarily occur in San Francisco, California. The base task order was funded by fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance funds. The award is the result of a non-competitive sole-source action. The contracting activity is the Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. (Awarded Dec. 3, 2019) DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $15,275,346 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of KC-135 aircraft structural component fittings (landing gear trunnions). This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a Jan. 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A5-20-F-8228). (Awarded Jan. 31, 2020) *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2074589/source/GovDelivery/