Raw Intel

I remain firm in my stance that Ike Eisenhower is one of the most impressive leaders this nation every produced and deserves to be in any Top-5 lists of great Americans. Perfect? No. Great? Yes. "To be well read..." - how often have you heard this phrase used? It is usually used as a way to make sure a curious mind does not - through conscious acts of commission or omission - put itself in a echo chamber. It has a secondary benefit; you find jewels you may not have found otherwise. Classic case last night when I found myself digging around for news the new German government and a whole host of problematic decisions. There happened to be an intersection with yesterday's n…

Americas Bell-Boeing won a $7.9 million contract modification, which provides for additional post-production repairs and related system engineering and program management support for the MV-22B Common Configuration Readiness and Modernization retrofit program. The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, medium-lift, multimission tilt-rotor aircraft. The Marine Corps variant, MV-22B, provides reliable and safe transportation of personnel, supplies, and equipment. Work will take place in Pennsylvania and Texas. Estimated completion will be in March 2023. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is underway for a patrol of the Indo-Pacific and this deployment notes a number of firs…

Happy New Year everyone on The Front Porch! 2022 will be 18th year that we've been meeting together here at CDRSalamander ... come July my alter-ego will be legal to vote. Damn, time flies. So many of you I see here have been with us from the beginning. I've only had the pleasure of meeting a few of you IRL, but I do appreciate you taking time from your busy lives to visit here, see what I think you might find interesting, and add your flavor to the stew. Some of you I count as friends, and almost all friendly acquaintances. I really do appreciate all of you and enjoy our exchanges here ... even when you tell me I'm wrong. I learn more from you as a collective than anyth…

Americas The Air Force awarded Canadian Commercial a $70 million deal for the Wescam Aggregate Services Plan. This contract provides for the continuation of contractor logistics support for the three configurations of L-3 Communications/Wescam MX Electro/Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor System line replaceable units installed on the AC-130U/W/J. The AC-130U Spooky is the third generation of C-130 gunships. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the AC-47, to the AC-119, and then the AC-130A which was the basis for the modern C-130 Hercules gunship. Work under the contract will take place in Florida and New Mexico. Estimated completion date is December 31,…

This week, navalists everywhere are having fun with the comments by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth at Center for Strategic and International Studies back on December 1st. First of all ... let's go to the map room. What? Not clear enough? Let me help. Over on twitter, I promised a thorough fisking of her comments ... so here we go. "A more powerful Chinese military helps to underwrite Beijing's strategy to achieve the 'great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation' by 2049 — to include development of the PLA [People's Liberation Army] into a 'world class military' by midcentury," "China's focus on modernizing its military capabilities will strengthen its ability …

Americas Sikorsky won a $30.7 million contract modification by the US Navy, which increases the scope to procure 681 spare parts for the CH-53K low-rate initial production configuration aircraft. The CH-53K King Stallion is a large cargo helicopter designed to replace the Marine Corps fleet of CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters to help move Marines and their equipment from ships offshore onto attack beaches. The CH-53K is a general redesign of the CH-53E. Work will take place in Connecticut, France, Washington, Canada, Florida, West Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Georgia. Estimated completion date will be in December 2026. The Navy awarded General Atomi…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $102.4 million deal for production and delivery of hardware components and spares of the Apache Attack Helicopter Modernized Target Acquisition Designation/Pilot Night Vision Sensor System. The Apache Arrowhead (also Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor or M-TADS/PNVS), is an integrated targeting and night vision system developed by Lockheed Martin for the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is July 31, 2024. General Atomics won a $69.9 million deal that provides non-recurring engineering and program manageme…

EMALS Components (click to view full) As the US Navy continues to build its new CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class carriers, few technologies are as important to their success as the next-generation EMALS (Electro-MAgnetic Launch System) catapult. The question is whether that technology will be ready in time, in order to avoid either costly delays to the program – or an even more costly redesign of the first ship of class. Current steam catapult technology is very entertaining when it launches cars more than 100 feet off of a ship, or gives naval fighters the extra boost they need to achieve flight speed within a launch footprint of a few hundred feet. It’s also stressful for…

If you are going to call something a presence mission, then it needs to actually be present where it matters. If we are trying to make a point about Ukraine ... is the Ionian Sea really where we need to be? I'm pondering over at USNIBlog. Come join the pondering. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DgM0iuqOfao:asacLhbOZm8:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/F…

Americas General Electric Aviation won an $18.4 million order, which provides engineering and engine system improvement services for F414 engine component improvements in support of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.The engine is a 22,000-pound class afterburning turbofan engine. It features an axial compressor with 3 fan stages and 7 high-pressure compressor stages, and 1 high-pressure and 1 low-pressure turbine stage. At a weight of 2,445 pounds, the F414-GE-400 has a thrust-to-weight ratio of nine. Work will take place in Massachusetts. Estimated completion will be in December 2022. BAE Information and Electronic Systems Integration won a maximum $42 million contract …

Think of thing in the Navy that, well, just don't make it to the recruiting advertisements. Deploying over the holiday season. Finding out your "liberty port" is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Throw in the post COVID-19 experience, and, well ... so sorry Shipmates. USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), a Freedom variant littoral combat ship, remains in port as some Sailors test positive for COVID-19. The crew is 100% immunized and all COVID-19 positive Sailors are isolated on board and away from other crew members. A portion of those infected have exhibited mild symptoms. The vaccine continues to demonstrate effectiveness against serious illness. I've spent a bit of time in GTMO. Besides swi…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $324.1 million contract modification, which exercises options to support calendar year 2022 modification and retrofit activities for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to include the procurement of material modification kits as well as program management, non-recurring engineering, aircraft induction, contractor field, depot site and laser shock peening site support. The modification adds scope for the procurement of material kits as well as special tooling and test equipment necessary to support F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft retrofit and modification efforts for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-US Department of Defense partici…

Americas Boeing won a $239.6 million deal for the Apache Improved Turbine Engine Integration Phase II. The US Army plans to use the next-generation engine in all Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter engines. The service is also planning on using it on Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft it plans to field in the 2030s. Work will take place in Arizona. Estimated completion date is December 31. Raytheon won a $250 million deal for a StormBreaker Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) integrated engineering change proposal. The StormBreaker bomb is an air-launched precision strike weapon manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems for the US Air Force and the US Navy. Work will ta…

May the Christmas spirit find you where ever you may may be. The US Navy wishes you peace on this day, but if you don't want peace ... well ... in the finest traditions back to George Washington, we can handle that too. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:F7zBnMyn0Lo…

Simply a superb almost 8-minutes from The Guardian of all places. Take some time to listen to the people who are living - and fighting - in eastern Ukraine. I find the part of the interview with Senior Lieutenant Misha Novitskyi starting at the 05:56 point especially to the point. Ukraine wants to be part of the 21st Century. Russia wants to drag her back to the 20th. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=EfTO_YjToTQ:Tvoh-lNX8Xs:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=EfTO_YjToTQ:Tvoh-lNX8Xs:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedbur…

Americas Sikorsky won a $29.5, which procures logistics support analysis and products resulting from production engineering changes and diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages to include technical publications, logistics support analysis and logistics product data in support of CH-53K aircraft production and fielding. The Super Stallion can be fielded from amphibious assault ships for the transportation of personnel and equipment. Estimated completion date is in December 2022. Work will be performed in Connecticut and the US. Northrop Grumman won a $245.8 million contract modification, which provides for the exercise of five option contract line items to…

Americas Boeing won a $30.3 million delivery order for the repair of 93 EA horizontal stabilizers used on the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. The period of performance for this delivery order begins January 2022 and will be completed by September 2023 with no option periods. Work will take place in Florida and Missouri. The period of performance for this delivery order begins January 2022 and will be completed by September 2023 with no option periods. The US Air Force is working on placing USB ports on the B-52 bomber, Bossier Now reports. This will allow the crew to charge their electronic tabs on long-distance flights without having to resort to ba…

I guess to answer this post's title question, we could start by listing to what they are telling us. It really could be that simple. If things went sideways in Ukraine, what have the Russians been working on? They've told us and in places, showed us. Are we ready? I'm pondering over at USNIBlog. Come by and see what the General of the Army has to say. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=z2xSGKgpjc4:U8jshxJr-zg:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=z2xSGKgpjc4:U8jshxJr-zg:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogs…

Desire and will are powerful things. With luck, hard work, and good timing ... really wanting something enough can be the key to making things you desire come to pass. Little warning though ... wanting something by itself is not enough. It has to match with reality. Few things are more real than being cold, being able to produce products at market prices, and to be in control of the energy you need to be a modern nation. Germany is about to see if desire - to be a "green superpower" fully dedicated to the carbon-neutral pagan god - is enough. Germany is set to close almost half of its nuclear power capacity before the end of the year, putting further strain on European g…

Americas Nammo Defense Systems won a $498 million contract for the full rate production of M72 Light Assault Weapon variants and components for shoulder-launched munitions training systems. The M72 LAW is a portable, one-shot 66mm unguided anti-tank weapon and was adopted by the US Army and Marine Corps as their primary individual infantry anti-tank weapon in 1963, Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Estimated completion date is December 19, 2026. The US Navy and Boeing have successfully maneuvered the T1 test asset on an aircraft carrier for the first time – an early step forward in ensuring the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler will seamlessly integrat…