Raw Intel

Americas Boeing won a $2 billion contract modification for Lot 7 production KC-46 aircraft, subscriptions and licenses and G081 flat file. The modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 15 KC-46 aircraft, data, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file being produced under the basic contract. The company delivered the first KC-46A to the Air Force in January 2019. Since then, Boeing has delivered 42 tankers to four different bases. The next-generation KC-46 brings new capabilities and operational flexibility to the US Air Force and international customers. Boeing says the KC-46 is a multirole tanker designed to refuel allied and…

While we are saddled with the best thinking the early 1980s can muster, the Communist Chinese government just updated their military law to better align with their national security requirements. What, exactly, are we doing? I'm pondering a bit over at USNIBlog. Come gnash your teeth with me. 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=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=TGw0uEizdH0:U75thItqEkE:V_sGLiPBpWU http://fe…

Americas The United States and Britain confirmed a joint declaration Tuesday for the Carrier Strike Group 2021 deployment to be led by Britain’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Queen. Signed by acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, the joint declaration enables the deployment of US Navy and Marine Corps equipment and personnel as part of the inaugural operational deployment of the Carrier Strike Group. The deployment will include a detachment of US Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II aircraft and the Navy’s USS The Sullivans. Leonardo and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have announced that they have completed the delivery …

Americas Leonardo announced that it is working with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to install the former’s Seaspray 7500E V2 radar on the MQ-9B SeaGuardian. To be mounted into the centerline radar pod, this radar will be made available to international customers. It replaces the GA-ASI Lynx Multi-mode Radar. According to Leonardo, the Seaspray 7500E V2 is well-suited to the SeaGuardian mission set, using Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology to detect, track and classify hundreds of maritime contacts. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said the thousands of National Guard troops who will provide security in Washington, DC, for the inaugurat…

See that beautiful bird on the right? That was the late-great Pershing II of the Reagan Era that helped the Soviet Union fall apart. It was exceptionally good for a nuclear weapon delivery vehicle with a very impressive accuracy. As it was nuclear only and we made agreements with an empire that eventually went away - we let that capability go. The Chinese and others have not. They have hundreds of conventional short/intermediate/medium range ballistic missiles in their inventory ready to go. We have ... well ... pictures. In the four decades since we decommissioned the Pershing II, a lot has happened. The Communist Chinese have - with our willing help - risen to challe…

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $13 million contract modification, which procures non-recurring site stand-up activity, capability development, information technology systems integration and associated changes to F-35 Lightning II program and industry processes as needed to allow the Defense Logistics Agency and US Transportation Command to assume North American regional warehouse and global transportation and distribution product support provider responsibilities. Work will take place in Texas, Florida, Maryland and South Carolina. Estimated completion date is in March 2022. The Space & Missile Systems Center has reaffirmed its choice of NSTXL to manage the public-pr…

THAAD: In flight (click to view full) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation. This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC…

There is a lot going on in Megan Eckstein and Mallory Shelborne’s article on the discussions last week at the Surface Navy Association Symposium, so I’m going to try to focus on two things; LCS talk and talk in general. I think we need a public speaking safety standdown for Flag Officers. Seriously. We continue to over promise and under deliver. We say things that simply do not survive the follow on question … but don’t take those kind of questions and get away with it. It degrades credibility and makes everyone look like a bad used car salesman. Why do we talk like we are spokesmen for the defense industry as opposed to a customer? Anyway, here we go. Surface war…

Americas Teledyne Brown Engineering won a $39.2 million contract modification for the production of MK11 shallow water combat submersibles. The Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) is a manned submersible and a type of swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV). In the US Navy, SWCS, designated as Mark 11 SDV, will replace the current Mark 8 SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV). It is also requested by the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS), which currently operates 3 SDV’s. Work will take place in Huntsville, Alabama. Expected completion will be by September 2024. The US Navy plans to integrate anti-ship missiles aboard its amphibious ships, it announced this month, part of a larger…

It is 1944 near Cagny in northern France. You are leading a section of two 33-ton M4 Sherman tanks when, all of a sudden, you find yourself facing a Panther, a Tiger I, an old Mark IV — and one70-ton King Tiger. What does an army lieutenant do? Become a naval officer. From the excellent War History Online; Gorman found himself at the top of a ridge, looking down at a field in which the German tanks were gathered. Only 900 feet (274 meters) of open ground stood between him and the feared Königstiger. He knew that if he didn’t act immediately, his two Sherman tanks would likely be taken out. This was when he decided to put a naval tactic to good use. By then, the Germ…

Americas General Electric won a $101.5 million contract modification, which procures 21 T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines and associated engine, programmatic and logistics services in support of CH-53K King Stallion Lot Five low rate initial production aircraft. The King Stallion is the premier heavy-lift helicopter ever built by the United States government. It is an all-new heavy-lift helicopter that will expand the fleet’s ability to move more material more rapidly. That power comes from three new General Electric T-408 engines, which are more powerful and more fuel efficient than the T-64 engines currently outfitted on the CH-53E. The T408 gives the CH-53K helicopter the…

Tejas LCA (click to view full) India’s Light Combat Aircraft program is meant to boost its aviation industry, but it must also solve a pressing military problem. The IAF’s fighter strength has been declining as the MiG-21s that form the bulk of its fleet are lost in crashes, or retired due to age and wear. Most of India’s other Cold War vintage aircraft face similar problems. In response, some MiG-21s have been modernized to MiG-21 ‘Bison’ configuration, and other current fighter types are undergoing modernization programs of their own. The IAF’s hope is that they can maintain an adequate force until the multi-billion dollar 126+ plane MMRCA competition delivers replac…

Are you ready for what is coming? I hope you are, because the diversity industry is tanned, rested, and ready - and in most places already well down their lines of operation. They have the wind at their back. Have you researched the beliefs of the person set to take over the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice? Those who, like me, believe that the most divisive thing you can do to a diverse republic is to set up a spoils system based on race, creed, color or national origin have not been fighting hard enough. Too many of those who should be our natural allies have surrendered high ground after high ground because they convinced themselves that, "it isn…

Americas Boeing won a $1.7 billion contract modification for Lot Six production of KC-46 aircraft, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 12 KC-46 aircraft, data, subscriptions and licenses, and G081 flat file being produced under the basic contract. According to Boeing, this is the sixth production lot of the tankers and is designed to bring new capabilities and operational flexibility to the Air Force and other customers. The KC-46 is a multirole tanker, designed to refuel allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures…

You know about The Long Game, you know about comparative shipbuilding numbers between the USN and the PLAN ... but have you seen the pictures? Behold the graphs I've put over at USNIBlog. Regulars here will not be shocked ... but if anyone tells you all is well in WESTPAC, they are fools or think you are one. Check it out. 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=DPbEJ2TsanA:utLp9GvKxP8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DPbEJ2TsanA:utLp9GvKxP8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DPbEJ2TsanA:ut…

Americas Haight Bey & Associates won a $35.9 million deal for for AN/TMQ-53 Tactical Meteorological Observing System contractor logistics support. The TMQ-53 is a portable, automated weather station that can take observations in up to one minute intervals, enabling flying missions around the world. The AN/TMQ-53 collects weather data, that includes wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, cloud height, precipitation and lightning. The data it produces can be utilized by a weather observer in the field or by the Air Force Weather community using satellite communications. Work will take place in West Haven, Utah and is expected to be finished by July 2027. The …

LPD-17 cutaway (click to view full) LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious assault support vessels are just entering service with the US Navy, and 11 ships of this class are eventually slated to replace up to 41 previous ships. Much like their smaller predecessors, their mission is to embark, transport, land, and support elements of a US Marine Corps Landing Force. The difference is found in these ships’ size, their cost, and the capabilities and technologies used to perform those missions. Among other additions, this new ship is designed to operate the Marines’ new MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, alongside the standard well decks for hovercraft and amphibious armored pe…

Gina Harkins over at Military Times yesterday has some great quotes from CNO Gilday. He is saying things most readers here will be happy with. It would have been ideal for a CNO 10-12 years ago to have said most of the following – because it was as true then as it is now – but we’ll take today over another decade’s wait. We need to look for action and follow through, but this is all very sound stuff; "I don't mean to be dramatic, but I feel like, if the Navy loses its head, if we go off course and we take our eyes off those things we need to focus on ... I think we may not be able to recover in this century," Gilday told reporters Friday, ahead of the document's rele…

Americas Raytheon won a $7.8 million delivery order for the repair of 10 line items associated with the APY-10 radar system used in support of the P-8A aircraft. The AN/APY-10 is integrated into the Boeing mission control and display system aboard the Poseidon for control, display and data distribution. The radar also will provide ultra-high-resolution imaging modes for maritime and overland operations. The radar fits in the nose of the Poseidon. Work will take place in Florida and Texas. Estimated completion will be by May 2023. According to the US Navy, an at-sea experiment with emerging technologies brought over 100 scientists and military personnel together in Califo…

Though I blend in well with the populations of Europe who have ready access to the North Sea, my bloodline has been unconnected to Europe for four centuries. I am an unalloyed North American, yet as our culture is an offshoot of Europe, I keep an eye on the goings on there. You have to as Europe continues to be a source of conflict. Their waring ethno-states generate more national security problems than can be consumed internally. That manages to bring North America in to their scrimmages. Beyond and more impactful today than military , Europe is a source for trends that impact cultural, social, economic, and military change throughout the globe. China is trying to c…