9 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By: Andrew Chuter
WARTON — With a complex weapons integration program squared away, giving Royal Air Force Typhoon jets more punch, key sensors on the jet could see an upgrade.
The RAF's test and evaluation squadron is already test flying the Litening 5 targeting pod in order to optimize its operation by Typhoon pilots. Work is also underway to update and improve the reliability of the jets Pirate passive infrared airborne track equipment, said Andy Flynn, BAE System's Typhoon capability director.
Known as Project Centurion, the British late last year completed integration of MBDA's Meteor, Brimstone and Storm Shadow missiles on Typhoon in 47 months. At a cost of around £425 million, or $515.83 million, the program allowed the RAF to stand down the entire fleet of Tornado jets that had provided the primary strike capability.
Flynn told reporters during a briefing at the company's Warton combat air site in northwest England Aug. 7 that the sensor work was “the next iteration of Centurion.”
“Agile spiral development and keeping the aircraft relevant is the phase we are in. We have done the big leap and it's now about keeping it relevant,” he said.
The Tornado was a two-seat aircraft, whereas the Typhoon is single seat. Flynn said the work on the Litening 5 was about easing pilot workload.
“What we are doing now is getting the feedback from customer and operations teams on how to make that tasking simpler and really increase the cycle time on ops. We've already got Litening 5 pods up in the air as an iteration and we are seeking feedback from 41 Squadron [the test and evaluation squadron], ” he said.
The plan is to get the enhanced capability “out to the front line by the end of next year,” said Flynn.
Development phase work is also underway on a new iteration of Pirate as well improving the reliability and robustness of the sensor.
“That work is in the development phase and we are doing that over the Autumn period. What we are doing on Typhoon overall is really enhancing the sensors capability as well making the workload easier for the pilot,” said Flynn.
The sensor changes are a small part of a wider capability update on the Typhoon to keep aircraft relevant until they go out of service, currently set for 2040.
On the horizon for the RAF is a new e-scan radar, known as Radar 2, which is being developed for the British by Leonardo; the new BAE Striker II helmet; and networked enabled weapons.
But, Eurofighter, the Airbus, BAE, and Leonardo industrial partnership responsible for the development and production of the Typhoon, is also conducting a review of future potential updates to the fighter. Eurofighter announced at the Paris Air Show in June a deal valued at 53.7 million euros with the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency, or NETMA, to undertake a long-term evolution review of the fighter and the EJ200 engine over the next 19 months. NETMA represents the British, German, Italian and Spanish governments.
Flynn said there were more than 50 separate candidate technologies being considered by the evolution review. Some of those potential upgrades could also find themselves cross decking to the Tempest sixth-generation fighter now being proposed by the British.
Clive Marrison, the industrial requirements director for Team Tempest, the industrial/government partnership leading the next-generation fighter work , said both jets could benefit from close development ties.
“Typhoon could benefit from some of the technologies that Tempest is looking at and by the same token Tempest could benefit from some of the technologies that Typhoon is investing in,” said Marrison.
For example: Some of the cockpit and helmet work BAE is doing might allow industry to offer some of those technologies back into Typhoon, said Marrison.
While the BAE executives were looking into the future for British combat air capabilities, the Typhoon approaches a landmark of sorts to be celebrated. Sixteen years after taking delivery of its first Typhoon, the RAF is preparing to receive the final aircraft ordered for its fleet in the next few weeks, said Flynn.
The final aircraft in a British order for 160 Typhoons made its test flight recently and is due to be handed over to the RAF in the coming weeks.
Completion of the order leaves 24 aircraft destined for Qatar on the order book for BAE, although it is also building parts of the Typhoons sold to Kuwait by Eurofighter partner Leonardo.
Three equipment sets have so far been completed at BAE's Samlesbury plant near Warton, destined for the Leonardo assembly site in Italy.
Flynn said the Qatar build program was just getting underway. The 24 aircraft order will see deliveries start in 2022 with completion set for 2024.
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ARMY Cardno GS Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0027); AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California (W91278-19-D-0025); Atkins North America Inc., Dallas, Texas (W91278-19-D-0026); HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction Inc., Englewood, Colorado (W91278-19-D-0028); Tetra Tech Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0031); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Dallas, Texas (W91278-19-D-0029) and Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0030) will compete for each order of the $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect and engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 12 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Hughes Network Systems LLC, Germantown, Maryland, was awarded an $11,823,659 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the research and development effort to research solutions, prototype products and demonstrate solutions that include machine learning to improve transport and network performance availability and reliability. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Germantown, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,863,123 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGU-19-C-0016). Techwerks LLC,* Arlington Heights, Illinois, was awarded an $8,920,153 modification (P00018) to contract W911QY-17-C-0101 for labor, other direct costs and travel in support of Walter Reid Army Institute of Research Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide Risk Reduction Review. Work will be performed in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of July 1, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,863,077 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded an $8,168,074 modification (P00005) to contract W81XWH-18-C-0337 to provide diagnostic and clinical research support. Work will be performed in Silver Spring, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2023. Fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program funds in the amount of $6,834,794 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $42,875,328 fixed-price-incentive delivery order (N00019-19-F-2412) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This order provides for the procurement of 48 trailing edge flaps for F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (72%); Lucerne Switzerland (20%); Paramount, California (5%); Hot Springs, Arkansas (3%), and is expected to be completed in June 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $42,875,328 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $7,120,812 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price contract for Combat System Ship Integration and Test on Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) new-construction ships. The work executed under this contract includes combat system (CS) ship integration engineering support and test planning, conducting a waterfront CS ship integration and test program, post-delivery engineering support to government test teams, engineering services for CS ship integration and test and developing test program documents for FFG(X) ships. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $124,980,289. Work will be performed at the FFG(X) ship builder location (70 percent) and Moorestown, New Jersey (30 percent), and is expected to be complete in June 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2029. Fiscal 2019 research development test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated at the 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 three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5602). AIR FORCE CACI Technologies Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $34,837,804 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for software agility and resiliency software/hardware. This contract provides for the development of technology and methods to test and evaluate the effectiveness of virtual infrastructure with regard to malware analysis and mission assurance and web-based mission management functionality integration with current operational systems. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,150,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-0014). The Design Knowledge Co.,* Fairborn, Ohio, has been awarded a $15,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Advanced Visualization, Automation and Novel Computing Enterprise (ADVANCE). This contract provides for the Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort that extends the previous Phase I and Phase III efforts by adding in other relevant algorithms, automation, cloud based integrations, full-spectrum workflows, advanced visualization, models and simulation to increase the technology readiness levels by testing and validating the ADVANCE system within a relevant environment of live set networks. Work will be performed at Fairborn, Ohio; and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by September 2025. This award is derived from, extends or completes efforts made under prior SBIR funding agreements and is authorized under 10 U.S. Code 2034(b)(2) or 41 U.S. Code 3303(b). Fiscal 2019 research development test and evaluation funds in the amount of $592,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-19-C-0038). LinQuest Corp., Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a $12,824,336 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification (P00098) to previously awarded contract FA8808-13-C-0009 for systems integration and engineering services. The contract modification provides for the extension of the period of performance of the current contract for a period of two months of services. This two month extension is to ensure continuity of services and provide the required 60-day transition period as a result of the delay in the award of the competitive follow-on contract. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2017 procurement; 2018 research and development; and 2019 procurement; operations and maintenance; and research and development funds in the amount of $6,259,555 are being obligated at the time of award. Los Angeles Air Force Base Space and Missile Systems Center Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded $8,045,715 modification (P00004) to previously awarded firm-fixed price contract FA4890-17-C-0014 for persistent surveillance and dissemination system of systems and mission video distribution system services. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $15,626,799 to $23,672,514. Work will be performed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,022,857 are being obligated at time of award. Headquarters ACC, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, has been awarded a $7,497,087 firm-fixed-price, task order (FA8131-19-F-0002) to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract FA8131-18-D-0001 for contractor logistics support of the Air National Guard's C-26 Fleet. This task order is to provide sustainment and engineering support for the current fleet of 11 aircraft. Work will be performed at Fresno, California; Clarksburg, West Virginia; Kirtland, New Mexico; Meridian, Mississippi; Ellington Field, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Fairchild, Washington; Tucson, Arizona; Madison, Wisconsin and Montgomery, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Air National Guard operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,497,087 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Exelan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $8,080,106 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for Budesonide Inhalation Suspension. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. Locations of performance are Florida and India, with a June 30, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services and Federal Bureau of Prisons. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D2-19-D-0075). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1893327/source/GovDelivery/