Archive for May, 2009
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
US military officials and key defence industry figures witnessed a series of successful live firing demonstrations by weapons developer Metal Storm on 27 May 2009 in Las Vegas.
The company fired 3GL grenade launchers using training practice rounds at a vehicle target 275m down range.
Metal Storm CEO Lee Finniear said the operation was performed before more than 400 people at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada during the meeting of National Defence Industrial Association (NDIA) International Infantry and Joint Services Small Arms System.
“275m is a substantial target distance for a grenade launcher, but the trajectory I saw was excellent. Also, I immediately understood the practical benefit of three rounds, as I was able to deliver another two rounds without losing my aim,” he said.
“With a conventional grenade launcher the target would not have been neutralised.”
30 distinct live firing demonstrations with more than 120 rounds were fired and the operation was conducted by a combined team from the US and Australia.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
Kinetics Ltd, established in 1985, is a world leader in the area of life support systems (LSS), auxiliary power units (APU), heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems/environmental control systems (ECS), individual crew and equipment cooling systems (ICECS), NBC/CBRN protection and military and airborne hydraulic systems.
Kinetics develops, qualifies, produces and fields systems and components for a wide range of tracked, wheeled, stationary and airborne military platforms. These include main battle tanks (MBT), self-propelled howitzers (SPH), armoured/infantry fighting vehicles (AFV/IFV), armoured personnel carriers (APC), mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAP), tactical and tactical support vehicles (TV/TSV), utility and utility support vehicles (UV/USV), rocket launchers, shelters, tents, helicopters and aircraft.
NBC/CBRN protection
The NBC/CBRN protection system provides ultimate NBC protection in three possible protection modes and ventilation in peacetime:
Overpressure protection: crew cabin is pressurised with filtered air.
Collective facemask protection: filtered (and optionally conditioned) air is provided to each of the crew NBC facemasks.
Hybrid protection: combined overpressure and collective facemasks protection.
NBC/CBRN detection
An optional integrated chemical and radiation detector enables:
External and internal detection
Audio/visual alarm in case of positive detection
Automatic NBC/CBRN protection operation in case of positive detection
Indication regarding chemical clogging of the NBC/CBRN filter
NBC/CBRN system for rocket launchers and track cabins
The main system features include:
NATO AEP-54 qualified system provides extra protection also against toxic industrial compounds (TIC).
Enhanced NBC/CBRN filter life is achieved by: filter bypass valve allowing hermetically sealing of the NBC/CBRN filter whenever its usage is not required; high efficiency and maintenance-free inertial dust separator (IPS); disposable integrated dust pre-filter; fresh air de-humidifier.
Filter clogging detector alerts whenever the disposable dust pre-filter needs to be replaced.
Integrated chemical and radiation detectors offer maximum safety and control.
Compatible peacetime/training filter provides extended dust capacity.
Adjustable fresh air blower speed is in ventilation mode provides quiet operation and comfort.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
The Swiss-based company Trunz Water Systems manufactures and distributes a sustainable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly solution for water purification and desalination: a complete and ready-to-operate unit which is mobile and independent thanks to its use of solar and/or wind power.
Solar and wind-powered water treatment and desalination systems
Trunz Water Systems has developed a unique solution for water treatment and desalination. The innovative technology produces clean drinking water from polluted water and salt water solar and / or wind power. An ultra-filtration membrane or a reverse osmosis system (for sea or brackish water) removes all viruses and bacteria (and salts) without requiring toxic chemical treatment.
Compact and mobile water purification systems
Trunz Water Systems’ products are compact, mobile and work without ongoing fuel costs. If necessary, the units can be mounted on a trailer or four-wheel-drive for easy relocation. The systems come complete with a borehole pump, solar racks and wind generator and are ready for installation.
All of the Trunz Water Systems products require minimal maintenance – the pre-filtration system as well as the main filter is equipped with an automatic back-flushing system to keep maintenance and service costs as low as possible. The capacity depends on the raw water quality and ranges from 7,000l to 24,000l a day.
Purification and desalination systems with renewable energy sources
Designed to provide relief to communities and camps affected by the lack of a power supply and safe drinking water, Trunz Water Systems products can purify water from almost any polluted freshwater source, including rivers, creeks, and wells. Moreover, two of the Trunz Water Systems purifiers which are equipped with a reverse osmosis system are able to remove chemicals and salt. A main benefit of the systems is their very low energy consumption and, thanks to the wind turbine, the units deliver additional electricity to power computers or recharge small appliances. This is especially useful for military camps in remote areas where medical clinics need oxygen, sterilization or surgical equipment or refrigeration of medicines.
Drinking-water production trailer
The Trunz water trailer can provide safe drinking water within minutes. This system is specifically designed to work under harsh conditions and reliably removes of organic contamination from water sources. The system includes high-quality components to ensure that all materials are as durable and robust as possible. The Trunz water trailer can be adhered to any four-wheel-drive vehicle and allows for easy relocation. Thanks to the solar panels the unit operates completely independently. The energy consumption is exceptionally low (approximately 350 W) and in case bad weather conditions do not allow to charge the batteries to be charged with solar power, a generator (included) will secure ongoing operation of the unit. The Trunz water trailer comes complete and can be set up and initialized with minimal effort. The Trunz water trailer is also available for sea water and / or brackish water.
About Trunz Water Systems
Trunz Water Systems is based in Switzerland and belongs to the Trunz Group which manufactures units in Arbon, Switzerland. With a production area of 18,000m² and modern, high-tech equipment, the ISO certified company guarantees highly professional competence and Swiss quality.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
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One of the defining characteristics of the first three months of the new Obama administration was the decision to conduct a thorough and systematic overhaul of a Pentagon acquisition system, which in the new president’s own words had ‘run amok’.
So it came as no surprise that the submission of May’s $663.8bn defence budget was distinguished by bold programme cuts and the purging of costly acquisition plans, which Obama says offer little to protect the American people.
The proposed core budget, which is yet to be approved by congress, has grown by $20.5bn from the original total provided by congress, an increase of 4%. Besides procurement programmes the budget also includes $130bn in war funding mainly for Iraq and Afghanistan.
The defining characteristics of Obama’s next few months, as far as weapons procurement goes, will be to see that the proposed budget makes its way through congress, if that goes well a settled defence plan will be in place to go under the knife yet again during this year’s quadrennial defence review, where the warfare strategy of a new era will be decided.
Shifting sands – Obama’s vision
“May’s defence budget was distinguished by bold programme cuts and the purging of costly acquisition plans.”In a meeting held in May with president’s Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, Obama reiterated the lasting commitment to defeating Al-Qaeda and supporting the democratically elected governments of both countries. He also made the difficulties plainly clear – the terrain is new and dangerous and there will be more violence and setbacks.
As well as the axing of various dead wood programmes, Obama’s budget also highlights his intention of shifting resources as the war in Iraq winds down to focus on unconventional warfare and the growing threat of irregular warfare in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
From a technology perspective the most important element of the new strategy will the move away from traditional big weapons programmes to more focused issues such as counterinsurgency and equipping the 21,000 new troops headed for Afghanistan.
Improved contract oversight is also a huge priority and the administration has announced the creation of close to 200,000 jobs in the Pentagon, which will help revise how the government buys weapons. The Pentagon may also look at greater use of fix-priced development contracts to make cost estimates more accurate and over-runs less frequent.
The key change in Obama’s overall defence vision, however, will be to raise flagging morale of the forces and public by refocusing the US armed services on people, improving the treatment of soldiers over the entire recruitment-to-retirement lifecycle as well as providing better institutional support abroad.
The chopping block
The US Government Accountability Office has reported severe cost overruns on 97 of the largest defence acquisition programmes, which now amount to a collective total of almost $300bn. As well as being drastically over budget the programmes are also an average of 22 months behind schedule.
To rectify this sorry state of affairs the president has wielded a very free-swinging budget axe.
“The proposed core budget has grown by $20.5bn from the original.”One of the first to go was the presidential helicopter programme being developed by Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland, which threatened to double in cost to over $13bn. The cancellation of $87bn in funding for the ground vehicle portion of the army’s future combat systems (FCS) modernisation programme is also a bold move to end a seemingly fruitless programme, which had drawn many detractors.
Other high-profile changes include removing funding for the alternate engine being developed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce for the F-35 fighter jet, no additional funding for F-22 fighter jets, termination of four of the seven planned DDG-1000 destroyer ships and no funding for new Boeing C-17 transport planes.
A $15bn air force competition for new combat search and rescue helicopters has also gone on the chopping block. As a replacement the air force has proposed spending $90m on two HH-60M Pave Hawk helicopters to replenish the search and rescue fleet.
The much-talked-about missile defence programme has also gone under the knife. The budget calls for cuts of $1.2bn in funding with the ground-based midcourse defence (GMD) system built by Boeing, and the Patriot PAC-3 missile programme run by Raytheon and the kinetic energy interceptor (KEI) boost-phase programme also fell by the wayside.
Instead the administration plans to move away from ‘boost-phase’ intercept programs and onto exploring other interception measures such as the new laser defence systems being built by Northrop Grumman.
Quadrennial defence review
Over the next few months, senior US Department of Defence officials will conduct the congressionally mandated quadrennial defence review (QDR).
This broad examination of the national defence strategy, modernisation, and force structure will establish a defence planning programme and direct the military purchasing plan for the long-term future.
“Obama’s budget also highlights his intention of shifting resources as the war in Iraq winds down.”Speaking at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama in April, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the Pentagon remains too focused on buying weapons that are so costly and complex they take forever to build, and only then in very limited quantities.
“We have to be prepared for the wars we are most likely to fight, not just the wars we’re best suited to fight, or threats we conjure up from potential adversaries with unlimited time and resources,” said Gates.
This review is the fourth such review conducted since the QDR became law in 1996 and could well turn out to be the most important. The new review will be undertaken by a fresh new administration during a period of shifting international strategic and economic dynamics.
The task ahead, however, remains the most difficult faced by a modern war administration. To achieve lasting change against the shifting insurgencies of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Obama will have to achieve a remarkable turnaround in the way the US military goes about its business and he will have to do so against the background of one of the worst economic crises in history.
To call such a balancing act tough is an understatement, but if by cutting back the fat on procurement programmes Obama can create a leaner more-focused war machine then he will have already, in his first few months, created a powerful legacy for future generations.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
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Alex Hawkes: The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently ordered 110 of the Supacat-designed weapons-mounted 4×4 patrol vehicles known as Jackal 2. What enhanced capabilities do this latest-generation model offer the army’s operations in Afghanistan?
Sean Limbrick: There are a number of factors that have contributed to the improvement in performance of these vehicles. In terms of how the Jackal 2 is superior to the original design, it has a much stronger platform provided by our latest-generation chassis which offers increased capacity. When the order was first made from the MoD, the vehicle’s capacity was 6.5t but this has since risen to 7.6t, which means they can carry more fuel provisions, ammunitions and armour.
Another significant improvement is to what we call the ‘hamper’ – this is the part of the vehicle the soldiers use to operate weaponry. We have now moved the gun ring to the middle of the Coyote which has allowed for 360° fire. Before, the user was not able to fire forward for fear of the impact on the driver and commander sat in the front of the vehicle.
The vehicle’s main form of protection – be it from ballistic or improvised explosive devices (IED) – lies in its enhanced mobility and firepower.
AH: So the vehicle’s real strength lies in its ability to defend through attack?
SL: Exactly. The role of this vehicle is not to carry troops from A to B, but to engage in combat with the enemy and in order to do that the weaponry needs to be effectively configured.
“The Coyote is very similar to the Jackal 2 but it is configured in a 6×6 drive train.”AH: And how does the design of the Jackal 2 differ to Supacat’s new 6×6 ‘Coyote’ tactical support vehicle (light) (TSV(L)), which the MoD also placed an order for?
SL: In many respects the Coyote is very similar to the Jackal 2 but it is configured in a 6×6 drive train. This means it can carry significantly heavier payloads. So whereas the Jackal 2 has a payload of 7.6t, the Coyote can carry 10.5t.
The first Jackal was originally designed in 2001 for the UK Special Forces. We have been developing that vehicle design for customers worldwide since and many of the developments made in that time have been combined on the Jackal 2.
Most of the latest developments found on the Jackal 2 are also embodied on the Coyote but at the moment the MoD has embargoed us from issuing too much information about the latter model.
AH: Were both the Jackal 2 and Coyote designed specifically with the Afghanistan terrain in mind?
SL: The terrain in Afghanistan has certainly had an impact on the later alterations of the design but neither was originally designed specifically for Afghanistan.
The ability of the vehicle to use terrain off the beaten track is, however, particularly applicable to the situation in Afghanistan. The Taliban know where there is going to be traffic and they can pre-empt military forces passing through a particular place. Obviously if you are able to take the vehicle off-track then you change the rules of engagement. The threat of IEDs or mines is therefore very much mitigated by the ability to travel off-road and at speed.
AH: What are some of the latest armouring solutions incorporated into the design of both vehicles?
SL: The armouring solutions on the Jackal 1 and Jackal 2 are very similar. We have learnt a lot from the experiences of Jackal 1 but that has only led to subtle amendments rather then any full-scale changes to the basic armouring solutions.
“The Coyote vehicle is now capable of
360° fire.”Hard-steel armour blast plates are located throughout the vehicle’s floor and composite ballistic armour is located at the sides. As the vehicle is open in its design, the degree of protection is obviously limited by its operational use. Within that compromise, however, we have installed ballistic protection panels around the vehicle, which reduce the secondary effects of detonations.
AH: What technology has been implemented onboard the vehicles to provide soldiers in battle with updated information?
SL: There is a strong focus on communications onboard the Jackal 2 and Coyote, which unfortunately I am not allowed to talk too extensively about. The MoD has invested heavily in augmenting the vehicles with systems that enable soldiers to be updated with as much information from as many sources as possible.
At the moment they carry radio systems on many different operating levels and depending on the user, may also have other systems onboard that offer rolling maps or strategic battle information.
Supacat has been placed in charge of providing computer entry systems rather then basic data platforms onboard the latest vehicles. The MoD was originally responsible for integrating the systems onboard our vehicles, but on the Jackal 2 we have provided a data platform that ensures all systems work effectively and integrate with the vehicle.
AH: What refuelling capabilities have been incorporated into the design of the vehicles in order for them to operate in remote areas?
SL: These are primarily long-range vehicles designed for patrols. The Jackal 2, for example, carries a main fuel tank, an auxiliary fuel tank and significant space for additional jerry cans to be carried on the hamper. Cross-fuelling systems are provided on the vehicles that integrate all those options.
Depending on what supplies are carried onboard, the vehicles can generally last a full week on patrol. Essentially they can travel 700km-800km on the main tanks and then using the additional jerry cans they could last anything up to 2,000km. They operate using either diesel or jet fuel.
AH: How does Supacat plan to meet the MoD’s £55m order of 110 Jackal 2 and 70 Coyote vehicles on time and on budget?
“The first Jackal was originally designed in 2001 for the UK Special Forces.”SL: Supacat is responsible for the design, development, prototyping, integration and overall programme management. We have a strong alliance with our production partner Babcock, which is responsible for detailed production planning, purchasing and manufacturing at their Devonport dockyard facility. There is also a single project office located at Dunkeswell in Devon which provides overall control and ensures that the vehicles are being produced at the rate required.
Essentially the strength of this programme will be down to our close partnership with Babcock and we are both working towards the same end result – which is to deliver to the vehicles to the MoD in Afghanistan by the end of 2009.
Because of the timescale of this particular project, we have also tried to work around including as many of the latest improvements to the vehicle as possible. We are therefore running a constant development policy with Babcock, whereby the MoD is able to suggest minor or sometimes significant improvements to the vehicle and we will be able to respond accordingly. That level of feedback from the MoD will continue to be a prominent feature of the programme as we go forward.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
The acquisition of new aircraft for Russia’s military transport aviation will begin in 2012, while modernized Il-76, An-22 and An-124 aircraft will remain in service for another 20-30 years, a senior Air Force official said on Friday.
According to various sources, there are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, An-72 Coaler, An-22 Cock, An-124 Condor and Il-76 Candid planes. Most of the aircraft entered service in the 1960s and 1970s and are considered outdated by modern safety and noise pollution standards.
“The current state arms procurement program envisions the acquisition of new aircraft for military transport aviation starting in 2012,” Lt. Gen. Viktor Kachalkin, commander of the 61st Air Army told a news conference in Moscow.
In the light transport category, Russia has opted for the Il-112V plane although the aircraft is still at the design stage.
In the medium-lift category, Russia relies on a joint Russian-Indian project set to be implemented in three to four years. Russia and India signed last year an intergovernmental agreement on the joint development of a multi-role transport aircraft (MTA).
There is also a need for the Russian-Ukrainian An-70 medium-range transport plane, Kachalkin said.
However, he said the procurement of new aircraft would not be enough to satisfy the demand for the high mobility of Russia’s Armed Forces in line with a new military doctrine. Therefore, the current military transport fleet must be thoroughly upgraded and the service life of existing planes should be extended for another 20-30 years, the general said.
“We are planning a deep modernization of the fleet of Il-76 and An-124 in service. Their airframes are still in great shape, and what we really need is to upgrade the avionics and possibly engines,” Kachalkin said.
The Russian Air Force has begun in 2002 to upgrade its Il-76MD transport aircraft, but this has been a slow process. According to the modernization program, 12 Il-76 aircraft are due to be modernized to Il-76MD-90 variant before 2010.
The An-124 and its modernized version, the An-124-100, will remain in service as a strategic heavy airlift transport aircraft. Russia currently deploys an air regiment equipped with these planes.
May 30, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
If you ask people to free-associate defence technology and the Pentagon, chances are that the answer you’ll get is DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. That’s because DARPA focuses on highly innovative technology, the stuff of science fiction. Here’s DARPA’s online pitch to prospective programme managers: ‘We embrace high-risk, high-payoff ideas’ that could ‘provide disruptive change for the US military’.
In this spirit, we have selected five programmes or technological themes currently on DARPA’s plate. To make the selection task more interesting, we deliberately excluded robotic and information warfare programmes, which have received much press recently here and elsewhere.
“DARPA focuses on highly innovative technology, the stuff of science fiction.”BATTLEFIELD ‘CLENS’ING
From the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) comes CLENS, the camouflaged long-endurance nano sensor. The programme’s acronym should have substituted ‘network’ for ‘nano’: the system is actually a network of sensors that a few soldiers can scatter around to detect ‘movement of interest’ over a wide area, and the sensors themselves, being the size of a brick, are not really nanoscale.
Nevertheless, the sensor nodes are light enough, according to the programme statement, ‘to cover large areas of interest with a quantity of nodes that can be easily transported and deployed by a small unit of action’. Presumably the sensors weigh much less than a brick. In any event, they can operate as a network while being separated by 60ft, and like the ‘Energizer bunny’, they can keep going and going for at least six months without service or battery changes.
IPTO anticipates that CLENS will deliver robust detection and low false alarm performance in urban, riverine, subterranean, forested, and similarly challenging environments. This is exactly what the US Army needed in Vietnam.
NO RIGHT TO PRIVACY: VISIBUILDING
From the Strategic Technology Office (STO) comes the Visibuilding programme. There’s no acronym confusion here – the goal is to create sensors that will enable soldiers to see inside buildings (from outside, of course).
Specifically, STO seeks a way to execute three functions: determine building layout, locate unusual quantities of materials, and find people. To achieve this, Visibuilding focuses on three primary technical challenges:
Phenomenology of signal penetration into buildings, which resist traditional radar and infrared detection
Sensor positioning and use to maximise information about the building, because unlike a human body being X-rayed, buildings come in radically different shapes, sizes, and materials. In other words, the more apt comparison is to an MRI scanner, except that the imaging devices ought to be smaller than the target
Model-based 3D building deconvolution that operates in a multipath-rich, diffractive environment. Translation: filtering out the echoes and distortions that buildings inject into signals, and then matching the remaining data, which doubtless will be incomplete, with 3D architectural templates that predict the full design with fairly high accuracy
“Visibuilding sensors will enable soldiers to see inside buildings.”STO actually runs a few programmes like Visibuilding. For example, Radar Scope is a handheld device designed to enable soldiers to ‘see’ what’s behind a single wall. Therefore, seeing inside buildings is just one example of the larger effort to sense around or through obstacles – or SATO, if DARPA ever wants to consolidate these efforts into one programme with a single acronym.
REVENGE OF THE MICROBE: BIODEMILITARISATION
Suppose all these sensors actually find something, like an IED cache that may or may not be booby-trapped. What to do then?
One solution being pursued by STO is the BDM (Biodemilitarisation of Munitions) programme. This concept envisions the use of bacteria, organic compounds, and/or other biological agents to render explosives harmless. This goal comprises two tasks:
Perforation of the explosive casing in a way that won’t set off the explosive material inside. Given that most casings are metal, this job would not appear to require exotic cocktails – traditional sulphuric acid would work. Of course, the trick is to put the acid on the casing without allowing it to come into contact with the soldiers employing the system.
Assuming successful execution of task one, the end task is rapid decomposition of the explosive into something non-explosive. The actual chemical pathway would obviously depend on the nature of the explosive material. For example, a neat trick would be to reverse-brew ammonium nitrate explosives back into fertiliser – which would be the 21st century equivalent of beating swords into ploughshares.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that the possibilities are endless here. Suppose the explosive is ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil (ANFO)? That’s even better, because reverse-processing ANFO could yield not only fertiliser, but also gasoline. Imagine solving the food, energy, and terrorism problems all at the same time – there’s technological leverage for you.
“Seeing inside buildings is just one example of the larger effort to sense around or through obstacles.”FUTURE SNIPING: TAKING AIM AT MARKSMANSHIP
Even a cursory count of DARPA’s initiatives reveals four sniper programmes, three at STO and one at the Tactical Technology Office (TTO). This organisational messiness is characteristic of visionary research, in which one never knows where the next great idea will come from. This is also known as the Jackson Pollock theory of R&D: throw enough paint on canvas and eventually you’ll get a masterpiece.
At least themes in technology are more transparent than in modern art. For example, these four programmes comprise a neat 2×2 matrix.
From the STO comes a detection programme for offensive sniper operations: AWSS (all-weather sniper scope). The final product should, as the DARPA brochure states, ‘enable shooters to see through fog and haze and provide increased range, accuracy and lethality in low-visibility conditions’. Engineers hope that new image processing techniques can exploit visible-light and infrared inputs to increase effective combat range by a factor of ten.
You can’t hit what you can’t see, but seeing a target doesn’t mean you’ll hit it. Consequently, the STO also sponsors the unfortunately initialled ASS/OS programme (advanced sighting system / one shot). The goal is for snipers to ‘accurately hit targets with the first round, under crosswind conditions, at the maximum effective range of the weapon’. To do this, the associated technology will systematise what snipers have traditionally done by feel: measure downrange atmospheric turbulence, humidity, and other relevant factors over a wide range of operating conditions (see AWSS).
Unlike very high-tech operations, sniper tactics are a two-way street, but if DARPA has its way, none of the future traffic will be incoming. Enter the C-sniper (counter-sniper) programme, which aims to detect and neutralise enemy snipers before they can engage US Forces. Given that snipers don’t advertise their presence before the bullet crack, the C-sniper system is expected to operate in always-on mode from a moving vehicle. Presumably, the signatures to be exploited can be inferred from DARPA’s own offense programmes – e.g. radiation from laser scopes, or reflections off optical scopes.
C-sniper is actually a follow on to a larger programme called Crosshairs. Managed by TTO, Crosshairs is aimed at producing systems to detect enemy bullets, RPGs, (ATGMs) and mortars fired at US military vehicles and to prevent them from striking the vehicle. Incredibly, threat identification and localisation will be accomplished in sufficient time to enable both automatic and man-in-the-loop responses. In other words, Crosshairs would be the Superman of defensive systems – faster than a speeding bullet.
Should the enemy be firing kryptonite, Crosshairs also includes an offensive component that presumably would enable the ‘firee’ to shoot right back at the firer, or if C-sniper works as planned, even before. The best defence is still a good offense – or so we think, although it would be interesting to see a tag team match of AWSS and ASS/OS against C-sniper and Crosshairs.
PROJECT MAHEM: NOT FIGHT CLUB
From the TTO, finally, comes MAHEM, the magneto-hydrodynamic explosive munition. Like the Navy’s planned railgun batteries and DARPA’s own electromagnetic-launch mortar, MAHEM addresses the conceptual inefficiency of conventional high explosive: by nature, it explodes equally in all directions.
“The best defence is still a good offense.”This is inefficient because the target usually lies in one direction, and although current techniques like shaped charges or self-forged fragments improve efficiency, they impose a price in terms of absorbed and therefore ‘lost’ energy.
The nice thing about electromagnetism, by contrast, is that it lines up along a single directional axis. A system that can precisely generate and control EM energy, therefore, can generate more kill for the bang, so to speak, because every single fragment created can be tailored for and directed at a specific target.
As the sales brochure says, ‘MAHEM [can] accurately time multiple (and aimable) jets and fragments from a single charge with much higher velocity, hence increased lethality and kill precision, than conventional EFJ / SFP’. In this respect, MAHEM is like the ‘anti-fight club’ – it takes the chaos out of destruction.
Such a system would have many benefits, especially defensively. In particular, asserts the TTO, challenges such as destroying incoming shells or missiles, or even neutralising mine explosions, would be feasible.
May 29, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces Egypt’s formal request for 12 AH-64D Block II Apache Longbow attack helicopters, 27 T700-GE-701D engines, 36 “Arrowhead” Modernized TADS/PVNS sensors, 28 M299 Hellfire Longbow missile launchers, 14 AN/ALQ-144v3 “disco ball” infrared jammers, and 14 AN/APR-39Bv2 radar signal detecting sets. Egypt will also buy composite horizontal stabilizers, Integrated Helmet and Display Sight Systems (IHADSS), helicopter repair and return, transportation, depot maintenance, spare and repair parts, and other related support items and services.
These helicopters would join 35-42 AH-64s already operated by the Egyptian Air Force, which have been upgraded to AH-64D Block I status. The estimated cost for this order is $820 million, but a DSCA request is not the same thing as a formal contract. The exact details are a matter for negotiation, unless Congress blocks the sale within 30 days.
The prime contractors would be Boeing in Mesa, AZ and St. Louis, MO (AH-64); GE in Lynn, MA (engines); and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL (Arrowhead, M299). Note that the APR-39B is a Northrop Grumman product, BAE Systems makes the “disco ball”, and IHADDS is a Honeywell product – but they are not prime contractors. Implementation will require the assignment of a U.S. Government representative to Egypt for a period of 6 years to provide intensive coordination, monitoring, and technical assistance, as well as 6 Contractor Field Service Representatives for a period of 5-10 years.
May 29, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
Walbridge Aldinger Co. Inc. in Detroit, MI won a $149.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of an Infantry Brigade Combat Team Barracks at Fort Stewart, GA. Walbridge expects to complete the work by March 15/11. There were 4 proposals solicited with 3 received by the U.S. Army Engineer District in Savannah, GA (W912HN-07-D-0054).
Under the contract, Walbridge will build 3 small and 3 medium tactical vehicle equipment maintenance facilities (totaling 159,870 square feet) with an accompanying tactical/ organizational vehicle paved parking area (155.5 square feet); and Infantry Brigade Combat Team Barracks (364,777 square feet) consisting of administrative modules, supply (readiness modules) and covered paved parking area (66,555 square feet). The project also includes construction of infrastructure and utilities, including access roads; electricity, natural gas, water, and sewer services; water storage tank and well; security perimeter fencing with gates; security lighting and exterior lighting; parking and walking areas; gutter and storm water drainage; signage; information systems; site improvements; and landscaping.
The construction is to accommodate changes at Fort Stewart, including the addition of an infantry brigade combat team in fiscal year 2011. Fort Stewart is best known as the home of the 3rd Infantry Division. The additional brigade is part of a broader effort, announced in 2007, to grow the US Army by 74,200 troops and 6 brigade combat teams (BCTs)/ 8 support brigades. “US Army Stationing Decisions, FY 2008-2013” (subscription) provides a full list and timetable.
May 29, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
Five small businesses won cost-plus fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts to build and maintain structures and facilities at Navy and Marine Corp facilities worldwide. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command awarded the contracts to Sound & Sea Technology Inc. in Lynnwood, WA (N62583-09-D-0064); PCCI Inc. in Alexandria, VA (N62583-09-D-0065); Truston Technologies Inc. in Annapolis, MD (N62583-09-D-0066); GPA Technologies Inc. in Ventura, CA (N62583-09-D-0067); and MAR Inc. in Rockville, MD (N62583-09-D-0068). The maximum dollar value, including the base period and 4 option years, for all 5 contracts is $250 million.
The work will provide support for Naval Ocean Facilities Engineering Program (NOFP) requirements managed by the Engineering Service Center, Port Hueneme. Projects will involve incidental construction work or equipment fabrication, including ocean cable systems, ocean work systems, waterfront facilities, hyperbaric facilities, offshore structures, moorings, and ocean construction equipment. The companies will perform the work in environmental conditions ranging from Arctic to Tropic and at all water depths where equipment installation or removal, maintenance, inspection, repair, and salvage operations may be required.
The expected completion date of the work is May 2014. The contracts were competitively procured as a 100% small business set-aside via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 6 proposals received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s Specialty Center Acquisitions in Port Hueneme, CA.
