THE PENTAGON — After a slight dip in the fiscal 2015 spending plan to about $2 billion, proposed U.S. Navy science and technology (S&T) funding holds steady through fiscal 2019, focusing on such programs as the Lockheed Martin F-35, Sikorsky CH-53K and railgun prototype. “In the R&D [research and development] account, science and technology funding declines 2% in FY ‘15 and then remains steady over the balance of the FYDP [Future Years Defense Program],” says Rear Adm. William Lescher, deputy assistant Navy secretary for budget.
NEW DELHI — Russian defense company Almaz-Antey hopes India will buy its Tor-M2KM to meet the country’s requirement for short-range air-defense missile systems. India recently floated a tender to buy 52 short-range air-defense systems to form two missile regiments in the army.
The U.S. Navy’s decision to stop buying MH-60 helicopters after fiscal 2015 – a year before it had planned – would breach a current multiyear contract agreement with Sikorsky.
Raytheon is preparing to submit a bid to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to build the first batch of SM-3 Block IIA ballistic missile interceptors while gearing up for the first flight test next year. The proposal will include the sale of 22 of the missiles, which are now being developed, says Mitch Stevison, SM-3 program director for the company. They would be purchased by MDA with research and development funding.
NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) and navy are worried that the decision to temporarily halt all dealings with engine maker Rolls-Royce may affect future operations and acquisitions of several aircraft. India on March 3 put all defense contracts with Rolls-Royce on hold following allegations that the British company paid bribes to win lucrative contracts to supply Hawk advanced trainer jet engines to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).
LONDON — The Czech government has approved a renewed lease agreement for its Saab JAS-39C Gripen combat aircraft fleet. The deal will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Prague’s leasing of 14 Gripens — 12 single-seat and two twin-seat aircraft — will be extended to 2027, with a possible option for two extra years until 2029. The deal between the Czech and Swedish governments will begin in late September 2015.
When it comes to a follow-on design for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, it may be easier to discuss what is not under consideration than what is. The Navy will consider modifications to existing designs, variants of other ship classes, foreign or domestic hulls, or something brand new, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations.
North Korea’s continued missile testing and its aggressive geopolitical posture in the Asia-Pacific region make the country a major force for the U.S. to be concerned with, a recent Pentagon report says. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains one of the United States’ most critical security challenges for many reasons,” says the report, “Military and Security Developments Involving the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea,” released earlier this month to Congress.
For years, patrol ships have been the forgotten stepchildren of the U.S. Navy. As noted naval historian, analyst and author Norman Polmar writes in his most recent edition of the Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet: “Historically, the Navy’s leadership has not supported the operation of these ships and on several occasions has attempted to discard the ships.”
A program to develop packages that can lie dormant on the ocean floor for years—then release unmanned vehicles on command—is moving toward a demonstration, with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to brief potential bidders on the next phases of its Upward Falling Payloads (UFP) program in Washington on Mar. 24.
With its study of future air dominance systems set to produce prototyping recommendations later this year, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is seeking ideas for distributed battle management concepts. The broad agency announcement (BAA) is one of several expected to emerge from the air dominance study, led by Darpa but also involving the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The study is seeking to identify what is needed to maintain U.S. air dominance beyond 2030.
THE PENTAGON — The U.S. decision on whether to refuel or decommission the aircraft carrier CVN-73 USS George Washington promises to leave a mark on the fleet size, the U.S. Navy’s aircraft needs and the nation’s overall combat ship force.
LONDON — Airbus Defense and Space has rolled out a new version of the PZL 130 Orlik turboprop training aircraft. The Orlik Multi-Purpose Trainer (MPT) was rolled out from the company’s facility at Warsaw-Okecie Airport in Poland on March 7, and features a modernized glass cockpit and other systems to allow operators to carry out more basic tactical training and a lead-in to combat training. The aircraft is a variant of the Orlik TC II, which is already in service with the Polish air force as their basic training aircraft.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) will kick off the program to demonstrate the Tactical Boost/Glide (TBG) hypersonic weapon on March 26 with a briefing in Washington for potential proposers. TBG is one of two new high-speed strike weapon programs Darpa plans to pursue with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The other is the Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program.
THE PENTAGON — The U.S. Navy plans to request EA-18G Growlers in the service’s unfunded priorities list to address future electronic attack (EA) needs for joint operations, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations. During a March 10 budget briefing, Greenert did not say how many additional aircraft would be included in the request, but a senior Navy official said the service would ask for 22 in the list it planned to send to the Defense Department later that day.
ARMY Ronal Industries Inc., Troy, Mich. was awarded a $7,422,150 firm-fixed-price, multiyear indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for 2,075 fan vaneaxials for the M109 howitzer. Funding and work performance location will be determined with each order. The estimated completion date is July, 31, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with two received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-0042). NAVY
Plans by the U.S. Army to purchase another 100 Airbus UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters to support future rotary-wing training will not affect Airbus Helicopters’ plans to assemble AS350 Ecureuil/Astar helicopters in the U.S., company officials say. Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter, announced in September 2013 that it would begin assembly of the light, single-engined helicopter at the company’s Columbus, Miss., plant after the fiscal 2014 budget revealed Army plans to cut procurement of the UH-72 Lakota.
While the Pentagon rethinks and restructures its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the U.S. has agreed to help Japan develop its own coastal warship with similar attributes. Recent Pentagon guidance directs the U.S. Navy to halt negotiations for any more LCS contracts less than halfway through the service’s proposed 52-ship buy, as the Defense Department reviews other options to make the vessels more lethal and survivable.
LONDON — Airbus Defense and Space and the Turkish government are said to be involved in “intensive” discussions over the delayed delivery of the country’s first Airbus A400M airlifter. The talks heated up after comments by Airbus CEO Tom Enders at the company’s annual press conference on Feb. 26, during which he described the protracted negotiations and “bargaining” between Turkey and Airbus over the late delivery of Turkey’s first A400M as an “increasingly unbearable situation.
Citing concerns of the potential ramifications on the safety of the national airspace system, FAA is appealing a National Transportation Safety Board administrative law judge’s decision to dismiss a proposed civil penalty for unauthorized use of an unmanned aircraft system. The law judge’s determination puts the penalty on hold while the agency appeals the case to the full NTSB.
THE PENTAGON — While the U.S. Navy looks to cut other appropriation categories in its fiscal 2015 spending plan, the request includes a slight increase for research and development (R&D) activities. The Navy is seeking about $16.3 billion in its fiscal 2015 plan, compared with the $16 billion it requested in 2014. Still, the other appropriation categories all included requested cuts in fiscal 2015—the biggest being $38.4 billion for procurement—compared to the $43.5 billion requested in fiscal 2014.
NEW DELHI — With the Indian government and AgustaWestland on the threshold of what could be lengthy litigation over the cancellation of a deal for 12 AW101 VVIP helicopters, the Indian air force (IAF) has decided to fast-track a back-up, with time running out for its shaky fleet of Soviet-era Mi-8 executive transport rotorcraft.
