USA military developments

US Army Places Fourth Order for 923 M-ATVs
United States of America, 9 October 2009

Oshkosh Corp, Oshkosh, Wisc., was awarded on Oct. 9, 2009 a $408,406,271 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the procurement of additional Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV's) (923 each) including Basic Issue Items. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, Wisc., with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2012. Five bids were solicited with five bids received. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADCA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0111).

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

General Dynamics Awarded $321 Million by U.S. Navy for Nuclear-Submarine Support Work
United States of America, 6 October 2009

GROTON, Conn. – The U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $320.6 million contract modification for planning yard work, engineering and technical support for nuclear submarines. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

Under the terms of the modification, Electric Boat will provide design, engineering, material and logistics support, and research and development activities for active U.S. submarines and submersibles. Electric Boat also will provide information services, planning, scheduling and technical support for submarine maintenance and modernization activities, training and facility support, and affordability/cost reduction support.

Initially awarded in November 2008, the contract being modified has a potential value of $1.8 billion over five years if all options are exercised and funded.


Source: General Dynamics

US 'bunker buster' bomb to be ready soon: Pentagon

"The Pentagon said on Wednesday a giant "bunker buster" bomb will be ready within months, adding a powerful weapon to the US arsenal amid tensions over Iran's nuclear program. The 30,000-pound massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) is designed to knock out fortified sites buried deep underground, like those used by Iran and North Korea to protect its nuclear work.
"It is under development right now and should be deployable in the coming months," press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
The Defense Department had said in August it wanted to speed up production plans for the super bomb, asking Congress to shift funds to the project.
Congress approved the request and the Pentagon announced Friday it awarded McDonnell Douglas Corporation a 51.9-million-dollar contract to enable B-2 aircraft to carry the enormous MOP.

The bomb, which holds 5,300 pounds of explosives, is designed "to defeat hardened facilities used by hostile states to protect weapons of mass destruction," Morrell said.
But he declined to comment whether the weapon's development was in response to Iran's disputed nuclear program.
"I don't think anybody can divine potential targets or anything of that nature. This is just a capability that we think is necessary given the world we live in these days," he said. "The reality is that the world we live in is one in which there are people who seek to build weapons of mass destruction and they seek to do so in a clandestine fashion."
The United States has refused to rule out military

action against Iran if diplomacy fails though President Barack Obama's administration has played down the possibility.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates

said last month that a military strike against Iran would only "buy time" and delay a nuclear weapons program by about one to three years.
The earth-penetrating MOP is often cited as a potential weapon to take out Iran's underground centrifuge facilities in Natanz.
Iran admitted last month it had been building a new uranium enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom, sparking international outrage. In subsequent talks with world powers, Tehran has adopted a more conciliatory stance and agreed to UN inspections of the new plant.
In an earlier request to Congress, the Pentagon comptroller had cited an "urgent operational need" to develop a weapon against buried targets in "high threat environments," ABC television news reported.
The request for the MOP was backed by US Pacific Command, which oversees an area that includes North Korea, and Central Command, which covers the Middle East, including Iran, it said. Aerospacegiant Boeing manufactures the MOP, which could become the biggest conventional bomb ever used by the US Military."

U.S. 'Bunker Buster' Bomb Ready Soon: Pentagon - Defense News

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and EADS Defence & Security (DS) introduced the first Euro Hawk(R) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in an unveiling ceremony today at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, Calif., facility. The Euro Hawk(R) marks the first international configuration of the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAS, and solidifies Northrop Grumman’s first transatlantic cooperation with Germany and DS.

More than 300 employees from Northrop Grumman and DS and officials from the German Air Force and Ministry of Defence (MoD) gathered today for the ceremony, which concluded in a dramatic curtain drop revealing the distinctively different aircraft that will be equipped with German sensors.

“This Euro Hawk(R) is testament to great collaboration between two companies, two countries and many, many people,” said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and general manager of the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “Established as a 50-50 joint venture between Northrop Grumman and DS, the EuroHawk GmbH team which oversees the program has set a precedent in international relations for Northrop Grumman.”

Based on the Block 20 Global Hawk, Euro Hawk(R) will be equipped with new signal intelligence (SIGINT) mission system developed by DS. A ground station consisting of a mission control and launch and recovery elements will be provided by Northrop Grumman. DS will also provide a SIGINT ground station, which will receive and analyze the data from Euro Hawk(R) as part of an integrated system solution.

“The SIGINT system provides standoff capability to detect electronic and communications emitters,” said Nicolas Chamussy, senior vice president of Mission Air Systems for DS. “Thanks to our outstanding partnership with Northrop Grumman, the German Armed Forces will be able to independently cover their needs for SIGINT data collection and analysis, thus contributing to NATO, EU and UN peacekeeping operations.”

The ceremony also included remarks by Ruediger Knopfel, deputy branch chief of Fixed Wing Aircraft for the German MoD; Gen. Hermann Muntz, director of Air Force Armaments and deputy commander for the German Air Force Weapon Systems Command; and Col. Volker Saueressig, division chief IMINT for Strategic Reconnaissance Command.

With a wingspan larger than a commercial airliner and endurance of 30 hours, Euro Hawk(R) is an interoperable, modular and cost-effective replacement to the aging fleet of manned Breguet Atlantic aircraft, which have been in service since 1972 and will be retired in 2010. Subsequent systems are anticipated for delivery between 2016 and 2017 following successful testing and introduction in German operational service in 2011.

On Jan. 31, 2007, the German MoD awarded a $559 million contract to EuroHawk GmbH for the development, test and support of the Euro Hawk(R) SIGINT system.

“Under this contract, EuroHawk GmbH will also provide aircraft modifications, mission control and launch and recovery ground segments, flight test and logistics support and will act as the national prime contractor for the German MoD through the entire lifecycle of the Euro Hawk(R),” said Heinz-Juergen Rommel, chief executive officer of the EuroHawk GmbH.

DS is a systems solutions provider for armed forces and civil security worldwide. Its portfolio ranges from sensors and secure networks through missiles to aircraft and UAVs as well as global security, service and support solutions. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2008, EADS employed a workforce of about 118,000.

Northrop Grumman and EADS Defence & Security Unveil First Euro Hawk(R) Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft IDRW.ORG

CIRCOR Aerospace Selected by Boeing IDS for T-45 Goshawk Accumulator Pressure Gauge Work
United States of America, 9 October 2009

CORONA, CALIF. – The CIRCOR Aerospace Products Group, a business unit of CIRCOR International (NYSE: CIR), has been awarded a contract from The Boeing Company to design, develop, and manufacture an Accumulator Pressure Gauge that will be retrofitted on the U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk fleet. CIRCOR Aerospace completed qualification in June 2009 and will perform final assembly and testing at its Corona, Calif., facility; production will begin the first quarter of 2010.

“CIRCOR Aerospace is proud to work with Boeing to meet the needs of the U.S. Navy. We have an extensive history of designing and manufacturing various gauge products and look forward to supporting Boeing and the U.S. Navy on this retrofit program,” said Ryan E. Nelson, Director of Customer Programs at CIRCOR Aerospace Inc.




Source : CIRCOR Aerospace Inc.

GBU-40 Small Diameter Bomb II Successfully Engages Target in Flight Test
United States of America, 12 October 2009

The Boeing [NYSE: BA] GBU-40 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II team successfully concluded a 42-month risk reduction program on Sept. 29 with a flight test in which the weapon impacted its target.

"Our design, development and testing have resulted in a highly capable, robust system that not only meets the needs of today's warfighters, but also has the capacity to adapt to the unknowns of tomorrow's threats and operational conditions," said Debra Rub, Weapons Programs vice president. "Bottom line, our weapon system has proven itself, and when this capability is available to the warfighter it will help transform the battlefield."

In the latest test, the Guided Test Vehicle (GTV), dropped from an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was equipped with form-factored (production-ready) components, including a Harris data link, Lockheed Martin tri-mode seeker, and modified SDB Increment I (GBU-39) assemblies. The weapon received in-flight target updates using a tactical radio communications system, which were processed by the seeker. Using the updates, the seeker successfully performed all objective functions, including search, detect, track and classify. The weapon fuze detonated upon impact with the intended target.

The weapon performed as planned and achieved all test goals. The team collected full telemetry data on the weapon's subsystems, providing confirmation of system performance and validation of the weapon's design and producibility.

"This successful test caps a stellar risk reduction phase for the program," said Dan Jaspering, director of Direct Attack Programs for Boeing. "It's exciting to have a proven, mature system as the U.S. Air Force moves toward awarding an Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract next year.

"Boeing's successful track record with SDB I and the risk reduction program for SDB II pave the way for a truly low-risk path through validation, operational testing and scheduled fielding," Jaspering added.

Previous flight tests were conducted in May and August 2007. Boeing also conducted an extensive captive-carry flight test program for the SDB II seeker, data link and guidance subsystems aboard its King Air test bed aircraft. The tests exercised weapon components and software under a variety of tactically relevant conditions. In June, the program completed a Boeing internal Critical Design Review with Air Force participation.

Boeing is teamed with Lockheed Martin in the SDB II program competition, and as the prime contractor will provide the air vehicle and system integration. Lockheed Martin will supply the sensor/seeker.


Source: The Boeing Company

Optex Systems Receives General Dynamics Purchase Order for Additional ICWS Periscopes
United States of America, 13 October 2009

RICHARDSON, Texas | Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. (OTCBBPXS), a leading manufacturer of optical sighting systems and assemblies primarily for Department of Defense applications, today announced that General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), awarded Optex a $1.9 million purchase order for additional ICWS (Improved Commander's Weapon Station) Periscopes. The ICWS Periscopes are a critical component of the M1A2 Abrams Tank; and additionally, Optex is currently manufacturing other plastic periscopes for General Dynamics Land Systems for the M1A2 Abrams Tank.

Delivery of the ICWS Periscopes is scheduled to begin in January 2011 and continue through February 2013.

Danny Schoening, COO of Optex Systems, commented, "We are pleased to have been awarded this latest purchase order with General Dynamics Land Systems. This is the latest step in our ongoing relationship with General Dynamics Land Systems and demonstrates our ongoing track record of delivery of quality products and great customer service. We are proud to be able to continue to provide technology to support the efforts of our troops around the world."


Source: Optex

Amphib New York set to leave for namesake city
United States of America, 13 October 2009

AVONDALE, La. — The amphibious transport dock New York, built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center site, is heading to its namesake city.

The warship built in south Louisiana, is to leave Tuesday. The Navy will officially commissioned it in New York in early November.

Organizers of a “line the levees” event in the New Orleans area hope several thousand people turn out Tuesday morning for the send-off.

One organizer, Lola Lass, says she expects a festive, patriotic scene. Flags were to be handed out to people gathering at a riverfront park.

Thousands of workers helped build the ship at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s yard in Avondale.

A company spokesman says two ships under construction — Arlington and Somerset — will join the New York as 9-11 “tribute” ships.


Source: The Associated Press






Class and type: San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (U.S. Navy)

Length: 684 feet (208.5 meters)

Beam: 105 feet (31.9 meters)

Displacement: Approximately 24,900 tons full load

Aircraft: Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. The ship’s hangar can store 1-2 aircraft.

Armament: Two 30 mm Close-in-Guns, for surface threat defense; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense

Landing Craft: Two LCACs (air cushion) or one LCU (conventional)

EFVs: 14 Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles

Power plant: Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 41,600 shp
Crew 360 Sailors (28 officers, 332 enlisted) and 3 Marines

Troops: 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.

[mod]Sunny can you please paste the links to your sources instead of just citing the source. Thanks[/mod]

Blue Ridge Arrives in Cairns
United States of America, 12 October 2009

CAIRNS, Australia -- USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and the embarked U.S. 7th Fleet staff arrived in Cairns, Australia for a scheduled port visit as part of the ship's fall deployment to further positive relations with regional partners Oct. 12.

The amphibious command ship crew and embarked staff will have the opportunity to enjoy an area of Australia known for its beautiful landscapes and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

"The crew is full of anticipation about the Cairns visit," said Capt. Thom W. Burke, Blue Ridge commanding officer. "We just finished a week-long visit to Sydney, which was a sensational port visit. Now we are anxious to get out and see more of Australia, especially this beautiful city and its surroundings."

While in Cairns, the 7th Fleet flagship will take in the sights during the numerous scheduled tours, participate in community outreach projects, and welcome local Cairns residents for guided tours of the ship, all in the spirit of friendship and camaraderie.

"The U.S. and Australia have a proud, longstanding history of working together," Burke said. "Visiting Cairns is an outstanding opportunity for Blue Ridge to experience this breathtaking place."

Blue Ridge departed its forward-deployed home of Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 2 and visited Guam Sept. 12-14, New Caledonia Sept. 23-26, and Sydney Sept. 29 to Oct. 6.

Blue Ridge serves under commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7/Task Force 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force. Blue Ridge is the flagship for commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

15 Oct 2009

TOKYO - Japan's new defense minister said October 15 that rules governing the U.S. troop presence on Okinawa island were "humiliating" while conceding that a major American base would likely have to stay there.

Toshimi Kitazawa, whose center-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took power last month, was speaking ahead of a visit next week by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a month before a trip by President Barack Obama.
The minister stressed his party's message that, while Tokyo values the traditionally strong relationship with the United States, it is also seeking less subservient U.S. ties than those under its conservative predecessors.

Japan wants "to build a new relationship that meets the requirements of the new era instead of getting mired in fears of offending them," the minister said, stressing however that the alliance remains "extremely important."

Next week, the 71-year-old minister said, he wants to have "candid talks" with Gates about the American military presence on southern Okinawa, which is home to more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan.

A flashpoint has long been the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Base, located in a crowded urban area on the island, where residents have been angered by aircraft noise while community frictions with U.S. service personnel have grown.

Anger rose especially after the 1995 gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl and the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by U.S. military servicemen.

Under the 1960 Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the troops fall under American, not Japanese, criminal jurisdiction - although more recently indicted suspects in serious cases have been handed to Japanese authorities.

Despite this, the "people in Okinawa as a whole feel that the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement is humiliating," Kitazawa said. "We will propose to review the agreement when Mr. Gates comes here.

"People living close to U.S. bases say 'please close the U.S. bases, eliminate the noise,'" he said. "We want to end the suffering and the burden endured by the Okinawan people who have long hosted the U.S. bases."

He added: "Okinawan people have high hopes that change will come to their lives after the change of government."

Under a 2006 agreement struck under a conservative Japanese government and the U.S. administration of George W. Bush, the air base is to be closed and relocated to a coastal area of Okinawa by 2014.

But new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said he wants the base to be moved off Okinawa, even out of Japan altogether, although this week he appeared to soften his stance.

Kitazawa said Tokyo wants to renegotiate the agreement on realigning U.S. forces, which also includes a plan to move 8,000 U.S. troops to Guam - although Washington has already indicated it expects the deal to stand.

But Kitazawa also said that Japan had few other options than to relocate the Futenma base somewhere within Okinawa.

"Regarding a relocation outside Okinawa, where else do we have?" he said.

"It's extremely difficult to find an alternative place in the current situation.

"In reality we can only slightly change the current plan," because of the geographical features of the Okinawan coast, Kitazawa said.

Hours earlier in Washington Japan informed White House and Pentagon officials that it would end an Indian Ocean naval refueling mission backing the war in Afghanistan when its mandate expires in January.

The minister said that "the most feasible support Japan can offer in terms of Afghanistan is civilian support," adding that one option would be for Japanese air force planes to transport aid to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Other issues to be discussed with Gates would include Japan's choice of next-generation fighter jets.

Although the U.S.-made Lockheed Martin F-35 is one option, the minister said that "our choice is wide open to other options, of non-American-made jets."

Japan Minister: U.S. Troop Agreement 'Humiliating' - Defense News

Thu Oct 15, 2009

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's alliance with the United States will become more important with China's rise as a military power, Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said on Thursday, dismissing concerns that ties could weaken.

The new Democratic Party government's pledge to take a more independent diplomatic stance from the United States has caused uncertainty among investors, given the pivotal role of the alliance in a region also home to an unpredictable North Korea.

U.S. efforts to improve relations with Beijing have also sparked concerns about whether its alliance with Japan, whose own ties with Beijing have often been fraught, could be undermined.

Kitazawa reaffirmed the importance of the relationship with Washington a week ahead of a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and less than a month before U.S. President Barack Obama visits both Japan and China.

"It is true that China is building up its navy and air force. But their intentions are not clear to us," Kitazawa said.

"As China increases its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, there may be countries that feel threatened. In that sense, the value of the Japan-U.S. alliance will actually increase."

A range of security issues, from U.S. bases on the island of Okinawa, to Japan's likely withdrawal from a naval refuelling mission backing U.S. forces in Afghanistan, have caused disquiet ahead of the alliance's 50th anniversary next year.

Kitazawa said changes would be minor.

"Some details may have changed, but for the most part we want to improve what we already have," he said of the alliance. The U.S.-Japan joint ballistic missile defence programme will, for example, be largely unchanged, he said.

U.S. officials have also maintained an upbeat tone on ties since the Democrats won their landslide election victory in August.

"Overall, we are very confident that our relationship between the United States and Japan will continue to be a cornerstone of our engagement in the Asia-Pacific region," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. "I see a really healthy revitalisation."

Kitazawa said this week that Japan would withdraw its ships from an Indian Ocean refuelling mission when its legal mandate expires, although no final decision has been made.

He said on Thursday the mission was highly unlikely to re-start, but denied Japan was returning to what critics call "cheque-book diplomacy", or providing cash rather than personnel to back U.S. military activities.

"It's a mistake to call it 'chequebook diplomacy' -- it is the diplomacy of the heart," he said.

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has raised the possibility of expanding civilian contributions to Afghanistan, possibly by providing job training to help former Taliban fighters make a living, but noted the danger of dispatching civilians. On the question of U.S. bases, Kitazawa said Japan's pacifist constitution obliged it to accept the presence of the forces, but that it was important to relieve the disproportionate burden on the southern island of Okinawa. Almost half U.S. forces in Asia are based in Japan.

Despite its concerns over China's military rise, Japan wants to improve its own ties with Beijing, which have grown warmer in recent years, though ill feeling remains over Tokyo's military aggression before and during World War Two.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama often speaks of his ambitions to secure stability by creating an East Asian community inspired by the European Union, although he admits that differing levels of development within the region make this a long-term aim.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldN...43173820091015

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac assessed that Serbia was not currently interested in submitting an application to join NATO. Nor did Serbia ever asked the organization as a condition for further promotion of cooperation, he stressed in an interview for news agency Tanjug.

- Rather, the national assembly adopted a resolution on military neutrality of the country in relation to existing military alliances, said the Minister. Remember that these days the National Assembly, despite the laws set by the MoD, looked into adoption of the strategy for national security and defense, concluded Sutanovac.

Serbia is not set to forget any time soon the NATO bombing campaign in which many of its army barracks, companies, factories, hospitals, as well as the RTS TV building were destroyed.


MINA - Serbia not interested becoming part of NATO

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Oct. 14, 2009) The battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) arrives at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard to begin a three-month, $18 million effort of extensive maintenance and preservation work. Missouri is the last battleship made by the U.S., and was the site of Japan's unconditional surrender ending World War II. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Mark Logico/Released)

That is one beautiful ship!

Bell Helicopter sued in $3.6M dispute by Lockheed Martin

Link

Lockheed Martin Corp. is taking Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to court in a contract dispute valued at about $3.6 million, according to court documents.

The suit, filed last week in federal district court in Fort Worth, alleges that Hurst-based Bell failed to pay Maryland’s Lockheed for changes that Lockheed made to a system that tracks targets for precision weapons in AH-1Z Cobra helicopters.
A Bell spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment Monday.

“It is Lockheed Martin’s policy not to comment on pending litigation, but we do plan to pursue this action vigorously in court,” said Heather Kelly, a company spokeswoman, in a statement e-mailed to the Dallas Business Journal.

Lockheed was a Bell subcontractor on a Bell contract with the U.S. Marine Corps., with Lockheed’s duties including making the weapons-tracking system for the AH-1Z helicopters, court records say.

After Lockheed produced the target-tracking technology in June 2002, Marine Corps pilots requested unspecified changes to the system, court records say. “These requests were communicated to Lockheed Martin with no reference to any specific failure of (the weapons-tracking system) to meet performance requirements,” Lockheed’s suit says.

Bell told Lockheed to make the changes that the Marine Corps pilots had requested, and “threatened to terminate” the contract between the two companies if Lockheed failed to do so, court records say.

Lockheed made the changes “with the understanding” that it would be paid for doing so, Lockheed’s suit says. But Lockheed has not been paid, court records allege.

Lockheed is claiming that Bell breached the contract and, among other things, is seeking payment of the $3.6 million it claims it is owed, along with attorneys’ fees.

Thu, Oct 22, 2009

ockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors is being awarded a $1,034,550,502 contract by US Department of Defense.

The contract is for Lockheed Martin to serve as the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Combat System engineering agent and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System design, development and computer program source for Aegis cruisers and destroyers.

Work is to be performed in Moorestown, N.J. The period of performance is from Oct. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2014. FY 09 Research, development, test and evaluation funding will be used to incrementally fund this effort for $15,207,030.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=3739&h=US%20DOD%20has%20awarded %20$1%20billion%20ballistic%20missile%20defense%20 system%20contract%20to%20Lockheed%20Martin