Arty And The Boxer. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the first time reveals a new artillery system, the integration of the 155 mm artillery gun module (AGM) in the multi-role armored vehicle 8×8 Boxer. The system combines the capabilities of both systems: fully automated loading, shooting and remote operation of the AGM, with the Boxer’s faster operational deployability over long distances and high crew protection, KMW says in a statement at Eurosatory in Paris, when the system was unveiled. This combination represents a significant staffing reduction while maintaining a high firepower and sustainment, it says.
… More Leopard Action. KMW also debuts the latest upgrade of the main battle tank Leopard 2 family, the German Leopard 2 A7. Some of the improvements for the A7 are an improved day and night vision capability, programmable ammunition, a current management system and a fighting compartment cooling system with 17 kW power generators.
Military Batteries. Saft will provide nickel based batteries and cells for military aircraft applications under a new $17.5 million contract. “With this contract, Saft reinforces its presence in the supply of batteries for both the aviation and defense industries,” says Bruce McRae, director of Aviation, Saft America Inc. “Saft’s ULM® continues to be a superior solution for DLA and its customers. We look forward to continuing our relationship with DLA and advancing battery and cell technology for defense aircraft.” DLA is the combat and logistics support agency providing the full spectrum of logistics, acquisition and technical services. With this agreement, Saft will provide a single interface for the supply of batteries for military aircraft supporting DLA’s customer, the front line troops. The three-year contract was signed in late March and includes two, one-year options periods. Deliveries begin this year.
Signing Up. Nearly 70 retired generals from various military branches, including seven four-star generals, write to President Obama in appreciation for the new Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Obama established the 496,000-acre monument May 21 using the executive authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to permanently protect these public lands near Las Cruces in Southern New Mexico. The letter, signed by 68 general officers with 2,290 total years of service to the nation, says the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is an important place for men and women serving in our Armed Forces to recuperate and recreate after returning from strenuous overseas missions and to reconnect with family and friends. The designation also protects some of the Deming Bombing Targets, where World War II military history unfolded as bomber pilots and crew practiced using the Norden bombsight technology. The proclamation came after more than a decade of efforts by New Mexicans to secure protections for these lands. A copy of the letter can be found at: http://www.vetvoicefoundation.org/docs/Generals-Letter.pdf
Remembering Navy Yard shootings. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, plan to hold a ceremony on Monday to honor the victims of the September 16, 2013 mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard that left 12 employees dead. Mabus will present posthumous awards for those killed, and will also honor employees who responded heroically during the tragedy. Authorities killed the gunman after an intense shoot out. The awards include the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal with Valor, Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and the Department of the Navy Award of Merit for Group Achievement. “With the shock and senselessness of the tragedy, came the courageous actions of the first responders, caregivers, and the Navy family,” Mabus said in a release Friday. The shooting took place in NAVSEA’s building 197. That building is under renovation due to the damage and is not expected to reopen until next spring.
LHA Keel Laying. A keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Tripoli (LHA-7), the second amphibious assault ship of the new America class, took place on Friday at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The LHA-7 will be more aviation oriented with an enlarged hangar deck, and will be the first amphibious ship fully equipped to integrate the Marine Corp. variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
New Networks. Foreign fighters flocking to Syria are coming from all over the world and will present a threat to the western world, Frank Ciluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington Univ. tells a House panel. “You’re going to see Yemenis with bomb making experience meeting up with Brits who have social media experience,” he says. “It’s these new networks that I think are going to be of significant concern and don’t think for a minute that al-Qaida isn’t doing talent spotting on the battlefield and identifying individuals that they’ll turn back to the west. This is a big concern.” Ciluffo says more than 3,000 westerners, including more than 70 Americans, have entered Syria to fight against the government there. “At some point, they return.”
SAC HS Markup. The Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee (SAC HS) will mark up its version of the FY ’15 Homeland Security Bill on Tuesday morning. House appropriators have already marked up a $39.2 billion spending bill for the department, an amount that is nearly $900 million higher than requested.
Praise for New USCG Assets. The Government Accountability Office says in a new report that operators of new Coast Guard ships and aircraft “extol” their performance, citing them as saying the new assets “are generally demonstrating improved mission performance over the assets they are replacing.” It adds that “these new assets have greater fuel and food capacity, automation, and handling/sea-keeping, all of which increase endurance and effectiveness.”
…But Short on Requirements. However, the GAO says these assets also aren’t meeting requirements. It says the Fast Response Cutter didn’t meet its operational availability because a key engine part failed in testing. The report also says that the HC-144A Maritime Patrol Aircraft completed initial operational testing “but did not successfully demonstrate many key requirements during these tests.” GAO says that the Department of Homeland Security’s and the Coast Guard’s management guidance for acquisitions isn’t clear about when programs have to meet minimum performance standards. The report also says that even though three of eight planned National Security Cutters have been delivered, operational testing of the ship and its C4ISR system haven’t been completed and that the Coast Guard has determined it will cost $140 million to make design changes to meet requirements.
New AFSMC Chief. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves formally assumes command of Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC) from Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski Thursday in a change of command ceremony at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., according to a service statement. Greaves was formerly a major general and deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Pawlikowski is now military deputy in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. She replaces Lt. Gen. Charles Davis, who retires Sept. 1.
LAIRCM. The Air Force awards Northrop Grumman a $238 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to provide hardware and support for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) program, according to a company statement. Under the terms of the contract modification, Northrop Grumman will deliver additional transmitters, missile warning sensors, processors, lasers, control interface units and supporting equipment to the Air Force through April 2016. LAICM automatically detects a missile launch, determines if it is a threat and activates a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
C-5 RERP. The Air Force awards Lockheed Martin a $223 million fixed-price contract modification for the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP), according to a service statement. The contract modification installs General Electric engines and 69 aircraft enhancements to extend C-5M life through 2040. Under this modification, a total of 11 C-5 aircraft will be modified with RERP to increase aircraft performance, payload capability and transportation. Work is expected to be completed by January 2017. The C-5 cargo aircraft features four GE turbofans with 50,580 pounds of thrust and 285,000 pounds of maximum payload.
