US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jura said:

May 4, 2017

now Boeing Still Tracking Toward First KC-46A Delivery This Year

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Northrop Grumman receives E-2D contract

By Stephen Carlson | May 24, 2017 at 2:12 PM

May 24 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems

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a $7.6 million contract to support the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

The contract includes testing and integration services for the Embedded National Tactical Receiver and the E-2D Universal Serial Bus ENTR. The update includes the Tactical Receiving Software upgrade.

The work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., and Patuxent River, Md. It is expected to be completed by September 2018. Fiscal 2015 Navy aircraft procurement funds of $7.6 million have been allocated for the program, all of which expires at the end of the fiscal year.

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is a radar, communications, and command-and-control aircraft launched from aircraft carriers. It has a new digital cockpit compared to earlier E-2 versions, has a completely digital data uplink and 360-degree radar.

It can detect enemy aircraft and missiles from hundreds of miles away, and can help direct friendly aircraft and missile strikes using radar data collected.

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New Zealand company partners with U.S. Army for engineered skin
Upside Biotechnologies is collaborating with the U.S. Army to produce engineered skin for burn victims.

By

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| May 24, 2017 at 6:33 AM
May 24 (UPI) -- New Zealand's startup regenerative medicine company, Upside Biotechnologies, has signed a development agreement with the U.S. Army.

The

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, or CRADA, with the Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command is for Upside's engineered skin product developed for people who have sustained major burns.

"This U.S. Army input will be hugely valuable to Upside and will fully assist us in successfully progressing our product to the benefit of all burn sufferers, including U.S. warriors," said Upside Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Feldman.

"USAMRMC is pleased to provide guidance to Upside Biotechnologies as it navigates the U.S. FDA approval process for a novel skin replacement product," added Susan Taylor, product manager for the Tissue Injury and Regenerative Medicine Project Management Office at the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity.

"This product may provide a critical solution in the treatment of service members who have sustained severe burns. Our goal is to help Upside move this product as quickly and as safely as possible through the regulatory process, so it is available to our wounded service members."

Upside's technology enables a small sample of unburnt patient skin to be grown in the laboratory into large areas of full-thickness skin. The lab-grown skin can be used as skin grafts in patients.

The Upside skin is said to be produced faster than that fd any competitive product and has handling characteristics preferred by surgeons.

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Sikorksy awarded contract for King Stallion helicopters
The U.S. Navy awarded the $55 million contract for low-rate production of four CH-53K King Stallion rotorcraft.

By Stephen Carlson | May 23, 2017 at 1:37 PM


May 23 (UPI) -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has received a $55 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the long-lead support of low-rate production of four Lot II CH-53K King Stallion helicopters.

The work will be conducted at the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Conn and is expected to be completed by March 2022, the Department of Defense

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. Fiscal 2017 Navy procurement funds in the amount of $55 million have been allocated to the program. None of the funds will expire by the end of this fiscal year.

The CH-53K King Stallion is an upgrade to the series of Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopters that have been in use for more than 50 years. The Sea Stallion saw extensive action during the Vietnam War, and has served as a staple of naval aviation.

The King Stallion is meant for transporting humanitarian aid, combat troops and medical evacuation. It can also be used for special forces operations and combat search and rescue.

The King Stallion

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27,000 pounds of external sling load. It can carry artillery pieces and Humvee utility vehicles and it's cabin is capable of carrying 463 pallets for cargo transportation.

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The U.S. Army is planning to move pre-positioned stock stationed in South Korea back to the continental United States in order to outfit an armored brigade combat team, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

The move is part of a bigger effort to rebalance brigade combat teams to emphasize the need for heavy, armored BCTs over lighter infantry BCTs. The Army is converting an infantry brigade combat team to create a 15th armored brigade combat team and will build the 16th using the pre-positioned stock from South Korea.

The Army’s pre-positioned stocks — known as APS — are set up in each combatant command to be used in a contingency operation for rapid response, kept in ready “break-the-glass” condition should something arise. But pre-positioned stocks are mutating. The Army is setting up equipment sets to supplement APS in certain combatant commands for use in training and exercises and to help rapidly grow a force if needed. And the pre-positioned stocks themselves are being taken out and exercised more than was traditional in the past.

The chief said after years of conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is realizing it must restructure and rebalance the force to be able to operate in more contested environments against near-peer adversaries.

Taking the equipment from South Korea will be necessary to create the 16th ABCT, “absent that we won’t be able to do it, given the money that we have and production and vehicle inventory that we have,” Milley said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, had asked Milley during the hearing why the Army was removing the equipment from the Korean Peninsula in order to situate it in the United States.

Milley noted the 16th ABCT would be the rotational unit bound for South Korea as part of the Army’s current strategy and said that while there “is an element of risk, we think it’s an acceptable level of risk.”

The rotational ABCT meant for South Korea is an example of the Army’s growing use of rotational forces rather than setting up permanently forward-stationed units. And on top of that trend, the Army wants to see these rotational units deploy with all of their equipment, an exercise that shows the U.S. can rapidly get somewhere it’s not well-established with full capability at a high echelon.

For example, when the Army brought its first rotational ABCT into Europe this January, it took just 14 days after arriving at the seaport of Bremerhaven, Germany, to get all of its equipment in place in Poland and ready to fight.

The Army’s heel-to-toe rotational strategy to deploy units to Europe with all of their equipment flexes a muscle that hasn’t been used in many decades.

While there is some debate as to whether it would be better for the Army to permanently forward-station heavy units like an armored brigade, Milley said his preference is to maintain a heel-to-toe rotational schedule.

He argued the strategy has “the effect of a permanent unit in there in terms of battlefield effect, but it doesn’t come at the cost and overhead of a permanently stationed force."

Milley said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, has asked the Army to take a look at a forward-stationed ABCT in Europe, particularly the cost compared to a rotational unit.

But Milley said: “My recommendation is continued rotational forces … where you can move from one country to another because these forces won’t be pinned down to a single installation.” In addition, a permanently stationed brigade would involve having to resurrect commissaries and schools and would bring families into a potential conflict zone.

A rotational brigade will “get you battle-focused training and increased unit cohesion for the unit training,” he added.

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U.S. President Donald Trump read the riot act to his fellow NATO alliance leaders for not being “fair” to U.S. taxpayers.

The U.S. commander in chief used the occasion of his maiden summit with NATO leaders on Thursday to remind the alliance that “23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying,” and that they owe “massive amounts."

NATO says a rising number of EU members have increased defense spending "significantly" in the last 12 months, although only a handful, including the UK and Canada, still only meet the 2 percent spending target agreed at a summit in Wales in 2014.

Trump’s comments will disappoint alliance leaders who hoped for a public commitment from the U.S. president to NATO’s security guarantees, which he called into question during his presidential campaign last year.

It was notable that Trump refused to publicly reiterate US commitment to NATO's mutual defense provision, Article 5, which had been invoked just once before: after the terror attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

However, speaking at a news conference after the summit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO leaders had agreed to step up NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism and “fairer burden-sharing.”

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Super Hornet: The US Navy wants its block III

Boeing's Super Hornet will not be too bad for the future. Production of the aircraft is expected to continue into the 2020s and a major modernization program is under development for the US Navy.

The US Navy has ordered 12 F / A-18E / F in 2016 and is negotiating the acquisition of 14 additional aircraft for the fiscal year 2017. Kuwait is currently negotiating the acquisition of 28 aircraft.
The Super Hornet should remain the spearhead of the US Navy, next to the F-35C (the F / A-18 C / D Hornet substitute, the Super Hornet does not yet have a successor), 2040. In order to keep its fighter credible, the US Navy signed a contract with Boeing to launch the development of a new standard, the block III.

The Super Hornet Bk III will change its appearance with the integration of compliant tanks that will increase the range of the F / A-18 E / F. The radar will be replaced by Raytheon's APG 79 a scanning electronics. The detection capacities will also be increased with the possibility of taking away the IRST Block I and II nacelle making it possible to pursue long distance targets by infrared. The Bk III will also include many improvements in terms of electronics. The cockpit will be renovated with an all-screen system and a better view of the tactical situation. The Super Hornet Bk III will be equipped with the IDECM Block IV electronic warfare system. New data links (TTNT and DTPN) should improve integration with E-2, Growler and US Navy AEGIS combat systems. Finally, the engine will also be modernized. All aspects of this modernization have not yet been contracted out.

The Growler E / A-18G Super Hornet electronic warfare version will also be upgraded. There will be compliant tanks, engine upgrades, cockpit upgrades and new data links. The Growler will also be equipped with a new Next Generation Jammer, and the ALQ-218 (End of Wing) system will also be upgraded.

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updated 6/5/2008 6:07:24 PM ET 2008-06-05T22:07:24

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— The first crash of a B-2 stealth bomber was caused by moisture in sensors, the Air Force said.

The military said Thursday that the moisture created bad readings on the February flight. The flight control computer forced the aircraft to pitch up on takeoff.

The aircraft then stalled and crashed at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. It was on its way to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. That's where the fleet is based.

Both pilots ejected. One suffered a spinal compression fracture.

The Air Force grounded the B-2 fleet but resumed flying the planes in late April.

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President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would add funding to buy up to 74 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets through 2022, or 60 more than planned in previous budget forecasts.

The Navy is requesting 14 Super Hornets in Fiscal 2018 to mitigate the service’s strike fighter shortfall, officials said this week. In addition, Trump’s budget proposal inserts new plans to procure 23 more F/A-18E/Fs in FY2019, 14 in FY2020, 14 in FY2021 and 15 in FY2022. The recent request not only includes funding for new Super Hornets, but also advanced procurement dollars to address advanced capabilities.

While Boeing celebrated the intended purchase of new F/A-18E/Fs as a sign that the Trump administration would commit to funding Super Hornets year after year, the status of the five-year funding plan is not settled. During a budget rollout briefing this week, Pentagon officials warned that procurement numbers beyond FY2018 would be subject to change following the outcome of a defence strategy review due this August. John Roth, the Pentagon's deputy comptroller, emphasised that the long-term budget was not informed by strategy or policy.

“We have focused on getting a budget ready for FY2017 and then we pivoted to get '18 done to meet this date as well, the secretary has not spent anytime looking beyond '18,” he says.

Trump’s FY2018 request continues a steady procurement for the navy. Although FY2018 budget documents detail 26 F/A-18E/Fs procured in FY2017, the Navy only received funding to procure 14 fighters for that year. The original FY2017 base budget did not call for a Super Hornet order, but did request two aircraft using overseas contingency operations funding. When the navy released its unfunded priorities list, it included a request for 12 Super Hornets. The service called for another 12 in a supplemental budget released after the election, but those dozen aircraft were not funded.

In February, Trump appeared to foreshadow a larger F/A-18E/F order during a visit to Boeing’s manufacturing complex in North Charleston, South Carolina.

“Do you care if we use the F/A-18 Super Hornets?” Trump asked. “We are looking seriously at a big order. The problem is that [Boeing CEO] Dennis [Muilenberg] is a very tough negotiator, but I think we may get there.”

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