17 janvier 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By: Aaron Mehta
WASHINGTON — The long-delayed Missile Defense Review, which will be formally introduced by President Donald Trump at the Pentagon Thursday, will call for research and investments to ensure America's security for the next several decades: laser technology, the F-35 as an ICBM killer, and potentially putting interceptors in space.
Trump will roll out the report at 11 a.m. Thursday as part of his third visit to the Pentagon since taking office.
Expected to attend the rollout is a who's who of national security officials, including vice president Mike Pence, national security adviser John Bolton; Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan; Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson; Army Secretary Mark Esper; Pentagon policy head John Rood; Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord; Pentagon technology head Mike Griffin; and Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, a leading advocate for missile defense.
A senior administration official, speaking to reporters ahead of the report's release, confirmed a number of new technologies that Defense News has learned are highlighted in the report. The official told reporters that overall, the review looks at “the comprehensive environment the United States faces, and our allies and partners face. It does posture forces to be prepared for capabilities that currently exist and that we anticipate in the future.”
It's been a long road for the MDR to finally emerge. Pentagon officials originally said the document would be released in late 2017 — then February, then mid-May and then late in the summer. In September, Rood, who as undersecretary of defense for policy is the point man for the MDR, indicated the report could come out in a matter of weeks. And in October, Shanahan, then the deputy secretary of defense, said the document had been done “for some time.”
There is also widespread speculation in the missile defense community that the review has been delayed, at least in part, because of the warmed relations between the Trump administration and North Korea. Notably, the mid-May time frame for release, which was floated by Shanahan in April, lined up President Donald Trump's planned meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While that meeting was canceled and then eventually happened in June, there was a sense the Pentagon did not want to do anything that could jeopardize those talks, such as releasing a report discussing how the U.S. could counter North Korean capabilities.
Ironically, Trump will be rolling the report out just hours before a high-level North Korean delegation is expected to arrive in Washington for talks with the administration. However, Sung-Yoon Lee, a Korean expert with Tufts University‘s Fletcher School, doesn't expect that to impact any negotiations.
“North Korea has the upper hand and is playing hard to get,” Lee said, and so won't make a big deal out of the MDR's statements on North Korea.
“Their propaganda machinery at home may issue a statement a couple of days later, but [lead North Korean official Kim Yong Chol] would be foolish to address it while he's in D.C," he added.
Technological changes
Much of the technology discussed in the MDR will require many years of development, and in some cases will never come to fruition. But the following points give a good sense of the let's-try-everything approach the Pentagon is putting forth with the report:
Turn the SM-3 and F-35 into ICBM killers: The SM-3 Block IIA ship-launched interceptor is designed for dealing with regional threats. But the Pentagon intends to test the weapon as a counter-ICBM system in 2020, as part of a goal of creating an extra layer of protection for the homeland. In essence, the department wants to offer as many options as possible, scattered around the globe, for making sure nothing gets through the safety net.
The department has previously said the F-35 could be used in some capacity for missile defense, but the MDR calls for the testing and development of a new or modified interceptor which could shoot down a ballistic missile in the boost phase; expect early R&D funding for such a weapon to be in the FY20 budget request. There is also the possibility of using the F-35, equipped with its array of sensors, to hunt and track mobile missile units, which is a key part of North Korea's doctrine.
Lasers on drones: The idea of using directed energy weapons, more commonly known as lasers, to take out a missile in the boost phase is not new, but it has received a boost in the past year in comments from technological leaders inside the building. In theory, putting a drone equipped with a laser high in the air at around 60,000 feet would keep it safe from any missile defense systems, while providing overwatch on potential launch sites. However, this idea feels more far-flung than others, in part because both the scaled up laser that would be needed for such capabilities has yet to be invented, let alone paired with a system that would be able to stay that high for long periods of time.
In the meantime, DoD is developing a low-power laser demonstrator to evaluate and test what technologies would be needed to make such a system a reality, despite the fact that airborne laser weapons are perhaps the hardest directed energy system to develop.
Space-based sensors: In the FY19 defense authorization bill, Congress required the missile defense agency to fully study and prototype ways to increase the space-based sensor layer. It's been another focus area for Griffin during his time in the Pentagon.
“A space-based layer of sensors is something we are looking at to help give early warning, tracking and discrimination of missiles when they are launched,” the administration official said. “We see space as an area that's very important as far as advanced, next-level capabilities that will help us stay ahead of the threat.”
Just what that layer looks like, however, remains to be seen. Expect some form of disaggregated architecture, relying on many smaller systems rather than the expensive, highly-capable systems that the U.S. has traditionally relied upon. Hosting sensor payloads on commercial satellites could also be in play.
The hope is to demo some form of space-based sensor layer by early in the 2020s.
Space-based interceptors: Perhaps the most controversial of the ideas being considered in the document comes from the idea of having interceptors placed in orbit to take out ballistic missiles. Picture a satellite equipped with 10 rockets that, when triggered by the sensor net, can target and launch against an incoming missile.
The MDR does not call for investment in space-based interceptors at this point. Instead, the department will launch a study, lasting perhaps six months, to look into the most promising technologies and come up with estimates for cost and time; after the study is done, the department will look to move forward if it makes sense.
But don't expect lasers in space anytime soon, with the administration official saying nothing has been determined, only that “we're going to study it and we'll see whether or not it's feasible.”
10 mars 2024 | International, Terrestre
It would be a gross overstatement to say there's a wedge developing between Defence Minister Bill Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on defence spending. But recent polls suggest there may be a wedge opening up between federal politicians and average Canadians alarmed at the state of this country's military.
3 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
AIR FORCE National Aerospace Solutions LLC, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, has been awarded an $181,934,683 cost-plus-award-fee modification (P00106) to contract FA9101-15-C-0500 for test operations and sustainment. This modification adds Option Year Four for test operations, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements and some support services for the Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold AFB, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2021. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,186,513,728. Air Force Test Center, Arnold AFB, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Range Generation Next LLC, Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $13,941,843 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P000297) to contract FA8806-15-C-0001 for cyber hardened infrastructure support. This modification supports an increase in launch and test range requirements. The primary locations of performance are the Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; and the Western Range, Vandenberg AFB, California. Work is expected to be completed Feb. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,941,843 are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value is $1,210,861,882. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. Oracle America Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,499,623 firm-fixed-price contract to provide software licenses, Oracle Service Cloud Hosting Services and maintenance in support of the myPers Customer Relationship Management software. The vendor will be required to provide 1,000 full software licenses for business process owners/administrators and 5,000 light software licenses for users requiring access to support customers. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed May 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,249,812 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-C-0024). (Awarded May 29, 2020) NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Woodland Hills, California, is awarded a $79,083,495 modification (P00018) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N68936-15-D-0013. This modification increases the ceiling for the research and development of AH-1Z and UH-1Y system configuration set mission computers in support of the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, California (98%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1%); and Baltimore, Maryland (1%). Efforts include researching alternatives, investigating and documenting new capabilities and anomalies related to avionics and weapons, designing, developing, integrating, verifying, validating and testing upgrades to existing mission computer software and ancillary hardware and/or improved functionality and obsolescence management of the mission computer. This modification also includes the logistics requirements to support the system. Work is expected to be complete by April 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Viasat Inc., Carlsbad, California, is awarded $75,373,500 (a modification with a maximum potential value) under previously awarded, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract N00039-15-D-0043 for the Block Upgrade II retrofit of multifunctional information distribution system (MIDS) low volume terminals. Work will be performed in Carlsbad, California. The terminals provide secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for the Navy, Air Force and Army platforms as well as Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be complete by May 2024. This modification will increase the current contract value from $599,093,506 to $674,467,006. No funding is being obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This contract modification was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). Only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1) was addressed under Justification and Approval No. 18,413 (April 2, 2018) and the contract was awarded on behalf of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System Program Office. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Trandes Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $24,388,698 for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N66001-20-D-0336) to provide engineering services to support electronic tactical air navigation, air traffic and command control, landing systems and joint tactical systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (75%); and potential air traffic control sites, ships, and Department of Defense facilities worldwide (25%). The period of performance of the base award is from June 2, 2020, to June 1, 2022. If all options are exercised, the period of performance will extend through June 1, 2025. This two-year contract includes three one-year options, which if exercised will bring the potential value of this contact to an estimated $63,833,003. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and potential funding from other government agencies to include the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside via request for proposal which was published on the contract opportunities section of the System for Award Management website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Two proposals were received and one was selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Metson Marine Services Inc. (N66604-20-D-M001); Seaward Services Inc. (N66604-20-D-M002); and Oceanetics Inc. (N66604-20-D-M003), are awarded $22,950,296 for a maximum value, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract for the procurement of operational and logistic services required to support various at-sea tests for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport customers. Work will be performed at the contractors' sites and at government locations based on each individual task orders all over the world and is expected to be complete by June 2025. For these base five-year contracts, funding will not be obligated at time of award; the $1,000 minimum guarantee will be executed on each awardee's initial task order. Fiscal 2020 service cost center funding in the amount of $3,000 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This multiple-award contract was competitively procured and three acceptable offers were received via the BETA.SAM.gov website. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $17,649,408 modification (P00001) to firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee order N0001920-F-0025 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (39.2%); Ronkonkoma, New York (23.98%); Bethpage, New York (18.02%); Petaluma, California (6.8%); Irvine, California (6.76%); Melbourne, Florida (3.25%); Minden, Nebraska (1.5%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (.49%). This modification procures fabrication and installation support to retrofit the Link 16 (L16) Crypto-Modernization (CM)/Hybrid-Beyond Line of Sight (HBLOS) capability on 34 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. This modification also provides for the retrofit of four sets of support equipment to satisfy operational requirements for the L16 and HBLOS as well as the procurement of five new radio interface units in support of the installation schedule for the CM/HBLOS capability. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $17,649,408 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. AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California, is awarded $9,054,900 for cost-plus-award-fee task order N62742-19-F-4006 modification under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program advanced studies, part three, at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF). Work will be performed in PHNSY and IMF, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and provides for 17 advanced studies and project management for Site 1, PHNSY and IMF, in accordance with the scope of work as negotiated. Work is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 Navy contract funds in the amount of $9,054,900 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-16-D-3555). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $7,815,609 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-6327 to provide equitable adjustments for engineering change proposals for Increment One Block One (I1B1) Systems low rate initial production in support of the Expeditionary Warfare Program Office. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. This modification is to provide for an equitable adjustment for already completed engineering work for Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devises Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems that provide combat troops protection against Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (RCIEDs). CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles and permanent structures. The Joint CREW (JCREW) I1B1 system is the first generation system that develops a common open architecture across all three capabilities and provides protection for worldwide military operations. This modification is issued to ensure JCREW systems are viable for future production and maintain operational readiness for the field. Work is expected to be complete by May 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds; 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds; and 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,815,609 will be obligated at time of award; $5,011,497 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 28, 2020) DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Agile Defense Inc.,* Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $31,225,244 modification (P00052) to previously awarded task order HR0011-15-F-0002 for unclassified information technology services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the task order from $176,513,865 to $207,739,109. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of February 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $12,224,558 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Chi-Chack LLC,* Tacoma, Washington, was awarded a $29,082,048 firm-fixed-price contract for language and culture services to include creativity and flexibility to meet the unique instruction needs of commanders requiring language and/or culture related capabilities. 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 May 31, 2025. U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W9124720D9001). Technica LLC,* Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded an $11,316,045 modification (0004 C4) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0018 for Fort Bliss, Texas, Logistics Readiness Center support services to include maintenance, transportation and supply. Work will be performed in El Paso, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 1, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $11,316,045 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Maloof Weathertight Solutions LLC, Warner Robins, Georgia, was awarded an $8,847,818 firm-fixed-price contract to provide all work for repair and replacement of roof projects at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 1, 2023. U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Stewart, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W9124M-20-D-0006). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, New York, has been awarded a maximum $15,236,585 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for aviation control interface. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a June 1, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0044). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, has been awarded a $12,494,230 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-KF0C) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-16-G-0005) for AAQ-24 ATW sensors. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Illinois, with a May 31, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2205772/source/GovDelivery/
21 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Toyko has put the breaks on its Aegis Ashore program, and there are reports its support for the Global Hawk buy may be soft. By PAUL MCLEARYon August 20, 2020 at 4:29 PM WASHINGTON: As Japan undergoes the deepest rethink of its defense posture since the end of the Second World War, some big-ticket acquisition programs appear to be on shaky ground as the country retools to counter a rapidly modernizing Chinese military. Tokyo put the brakes on two planned Aegis Ashore missile defense systems set to be built on the mainland, a surprise June move that came after local communities protested about the powerful radars and possibility that rocket debris could fall on local communities. That reversal on a major $2.1 billion program led to questions over what other changes the government of Shinzo Abe might consider as it retools its defense strategy and considers funneling more money into offensive strike weapons, as opposed to purely defensive systems. Earlier this week, fresh reports emerged from Tokyo that the government might also be reconsidering its purchase of three Global Hawk UAVs, which would provide long-endurance surveillance capabilities. One source with knowledge of the program said, despite the reports, the Japanese government has indicated it supports the Global Hawk program, even in the face of possible divestiture by the US Air Force of its block 30 variants, the same version Northrop Grumman is making for Japan. Despite the moves in Washington, South Korea is still in the process of buying four block 30 Global Hawks, the first of which was delivered in April. Further south, Australia purchased six MQ-4C Tritons — the maritime version of the Global Hawk — with the first three to be delivered between 2023 and 2025. With those allies remaining in the program, and the US flying the drone from Guam on a seasonal basis, the allies have started to build a powerful, long-endurance sensor layer, along with its attendant supply chain. That sort of capability would fit within plans the Indo-Pacific Command pitched to the Trump administration earlier this year to invest billions in joint infrastructure across the region. The proposal has found bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, with the Republican-controlled Senate's version of the annual defense policy bill including $1.4 billion for an Indo-Pacific Deterrence Initiative, while the Democratic-controlled House had $3.6 billion for an Indo-Pacific Reassurance Initiative focused on shoring up allies and partners. A conference committee will have to thrash out the differences and fill in almost all the details this fall. The Japanese Ministry of Defense did not respond to questions on the issue by publication. “Unmanned systems are going to be vital — in particular underwater unmanned systems and also aerial unmanned systems — given that Japan is an archipelago,” Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, professor at Pusan National University, said during a virtual event sponsored by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday. “Those are the domains that are most vital to Japan's security. It's really about Japan thinking about what we can afford to do, what we need to do.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/08/japans-reset-raises-questions-over-big-programs