Bill Sweetman (Washington), David Eshel (Tel Aviv)
The coming year will see nuclear weapons higher on the political agenda than they have been in years, as President Barack Obama’s ambition to move toward a nuclear-free future collides with the desire of other nations to join the nuclear club or keep their memberships current.
The first mine-resistant ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles (M-ATVs) for use by U.S. forces have been shipped to Afghanistan, part of a $3.2-billion contract for 6,219 vehicles that are lighter and smaller than the hulking MRAPs but provide as much protection against roadside bombs. In December, vehicle maker Oshkosh began to push 1,000 vehicles a month off its production lines, and it plans to continue the rate through March, a testament to lessons learned from the MRAP program.
Despite its success, the 2008 war with Georgia brought about a serious transformation of the Russian armed forces, as it showed that the Soviet military legacy could not provide an effective response against regional threats.
After a year of broken promises and blown deadlines, and failure to make progress in flight testing that not even the harshest critics predicted, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is on the defensive.
Japan’s 2010 defense budget was submitted twice. The first request, for ¥4.7 trillion ($52.3 billion), a 3% increase over 2009, was made on Aug. 31 by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In the election one day earlier, the LDP lost its 54-year grip on power to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which won by a landslide on pledges to provide European-style social benefits, cut wasteful outlays and ensure that elected officials, and not bureaucrats, make decisions. The DPJ discarded the budget request and submitted a new one on Oct.
Optigo Systems Ltd.’s main gunshot detection module (GDM) is an electro-optical device with sensor-to shooter capability that focuses on muzzle flashes. The GDM adds precise gunshot detection and locating capabilities to a variety of systems, such as hand-held night-vision devices, vehicle-mounted remotely controlled weapon stations and attack helicopters. The GDM detects muzzle flashes within a nominal field of view, transmits azimuth and elevation to the system and time-tags the gunshot. Optigo says accuracy of azimuth and elevation data is greater than 0.3 deg.
Italian army troops in Afghanistan are testing lightweight, remotely controlled weapon turrets and heavily armored, manned weapon stations to see which provides greater protection. The turrets are being tested on Iveco’s Lince light protected vehicles. They are part of an urgent requirement to either upgrade protection in manned turrets or install unmanned guns. The need arises from roadside bomb attacks, which have wounded or killed gunners. Linces are armed with 7.62- or 12.7-mm. machine guns. The remotely operated turret is Oto Melara’s Hitrole Light (see photo).
Development of strategic nuclear forces remains the top priority for the Russian military. Within the nuclear triad, the military has a big stake in reinforcing naval strategic forces, although the other two elements, ground-based missiles and strategic bombers, are also being modernized.
The costs of war dominate the U.S. defense budget, explaining why major programs (see pp. 51-56) must fight for survival, even with $660 billion plus flowing into the Pentagon in Fiscal 2010.
Rear Adm. Lawrence S. Rice, director of strategy and policy for U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), heads a team that ensures that new strategies fit within the National Military Strategy and other strategic frameworks. A big part of this is the Joint Operating Environment (JOE) document, which helps establish the blueprint for how future joint-forces operations will be conducted. The last JOE came out in December 2008, and the next is due early this year. Senior North American Editor Paul McLeary discussed formation of joint-force strategic doctrine with Rice.
Three Australian PhD. students used their skills in robotics to develop a humanoid target that the Australian military could use for live-fire training. Called Rover, the robot moves as fast as a human, stops suddenly, avoids obstacles and behaves unpredictably—just like an insurgent would in urban combat.
Elbit Systems worked with Humvee manufacturer AM General and armor specialist Plasan in development of Legatus, a light tactical reconnaissance, all-terrain armored vehicle, assembled on a Humvee platform. The air-transportable 4 X 4, on display at Expomil 2009 in Bucharest, Romania, last November, is designed for reconnaissance and relaying real-time intelligence to tactical commanders. It provides vision-based terrain scouting and target acquisition, and is capable of long-range operation over harsh terrain in all weather conditions, day and night.
While the trajectories of American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan are heading in opposite directions in 2010—with U.S. forces slated to begin drawing down in Iraq at the same time that President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan—the missions in both countries will nevertheless resemble each another in one crucial respect. The name of the game these days is building host nation capacity.
The 500-gram (1-lb.) Mosquito flies for 30 min. up to 3,000 meters (9,800 ft.) from its launch point. When Israel Aerospace Industries demonstrated it publicly for the first time in 2009, Mosquito was launched by a catapult crafted from a diver’s spear gun. Once airborne, the electrically powered micro-UAV is silent as it rapidly climbs to cruising altitude (100 meters). Mosquito collects images over the horizon. The current electro-optical sensor has a CCD camera, but future systems will use a daylight CCD and/or bolometric (uncooled) infrared imager.
Israel approved on Sept. 30 another 1.5 billion shekels ($397 million) for defense, to address the threat from Iran. The allocation came after approval of the current two-year budget (2009-10). The defense budget for 2010 is 53.2 billion shekels—the highest ever.
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed the existence of the “Beast of Kandahar,” an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) seen flying in Afghanistan. The jet aircraft—a tailless flying wing with sensor pods faired into the upper surface of each wing—is the RQ-170 Sentinel, developed by Lockheed Martin. USAF confirmation came after discussion of the UAV emerged on DTI’s Ares blog. The RQ-170 is flown by the 30th Reconnaissance Sqdn.
Giuseppe Orsi has been CEO of AgustaWestland since 2004. Under his tenure, the company has become a leader in the rotary-wing industry, with programs in pace-setting technology such as the high-speed tiltrotor, a growing market share, solid financial results and, lately, plans for expansion into Eastern Europe via Poland, where AgustaWestland will acquire helicopter manufacturer PZL Swidnik. DTI Contributing Editor Andy Nativi met with Orsi recently and discussed a number of topics including his financial forecast for the company, R&D investments and growth plans.
Device manufacturer Neuro Kinetics Inc. is collaborating with one U.S. military medical laboratory and three medical centers in a comprehensive research project to improve early diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). This is a critical research area, since an estimated 20% of soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from mild TBIs.
Adieu, Kosovo. NATO has wanted to say this for years, but it remains bogged down, maintaining a force to protect the Serb minority from Kosovars and stabilize the country.
Navies of many countries are procuring amphibious vessels. The type of ship they want depends on what their armies need. French military shipyard DCNS is making gains with its Mistral-class multimission ship which, although not yet exported, has caught the eye of more than one foreign navy, notably Russia’s (DTI December 2009, p. 24). Contributing Editor Christina Mackenzie spoke with DCNS Business Development Director Michel Accary about the Mistral.
December was a great news month. Editor-in-Chief Bill Sweetman posted a photo of a secret UAV we dubbed “The Beast of Kandahar” on Ares, and he and Aviation Week Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum got an admission from the Air Force that it was the RQ-117 Sentinel built by Lockheed Martin. This brought recording-breaking traffic. We also followed the A400M’s first flight, which resulted in readers suggesting names for the aircraft. No prizes, unfortunately, but lots of insight from the responses. What’s in a name? Read for yourself:
Beneath the economic strength, industrial vitality and rising standard of living that most people see in India, there is a dark and violent side born from decades of neglect, discrimination and regional tensions. These have spawned insurgency and terrorism that threaten stability and economic gains. Added to this are neighboring countries with their own interests and threats, and it’s clear that India has problems that must be resolved by diplomacy, social programs or credible shows of force.
Reaction to the Pentagon’s announcement in November that the Joint Strike Fighter’s (JSF) core system software would not be made available to program partners was, initially, striking in its silence. Inside the U.K. Defense Ministry, the silence rang of bemusement about the country’s situation as a major partner in the program. It was not until two weeks later that the Defense Ministry issued an anodyne statement, reassuring politicians and others that nothing had changed.
The U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler has been declared operational, marking a new era in the Pentagon’s ability to conduct electronic attack missions. The aircraft’s introduction will bring relief to an overtasked and aging EA-6B fleet, which has been conducting escort jamming missions since the Air Force retired the EF-111 in 1998. The Navy declared initial operational capability for the Growler in September.
