A Clear Mis-allocation of Available Resources?

Hmmmm... a Gulf II war story from over on CSW

I had my own run-in with the "keep it under the table" forces of darkness... I was assigned as liaison for the amphibious forces at 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain in the lead-up to the invasion. About a week before the attack there was a huge kerflufle about wanting to get humanitarian relief supplies into southern Iraq as soon as possible after the border was crossed, but in such a way that the MSRs going north out of Kuwait wouldn't be impacted. The obvious solution was to bring them in by sea, but there was concern about the Shatt-al-Arab being mined and the facilities at the port of Basra being damaged (both by Iraqi sabotage and Coalition bombing). A rushed scheme to clear the water way was concocted, but Brown&Root were adamant that it would take them a minimum of four months to restore the port to operational condition. At this point, after consulting with the various commands I was representing, I proposed that we send a large SeaBee detachment from Kuwait (where their mission to offload the USMC pre-positioning ships and construct an elevated causeway to facilitate resupply cargo discharge was complete, so they were basically sitting idle) up to Basra to repair the port. The SeaBees had the expertise, the necessary construction gear and materials, had vehicles to transport themselves to the site, and had the weapons and training to provide their own security -- more importantly, the 0-6 in charge of the battalion was absolutely confident he could have the port open for business within two weeks and fully functional within a month. It sounded like a real win/win scenario to us. But after I floated the idea up the chain, and 5th Fleet gave a provisional green light to the plan, word came back from SecDef (not CENTCOM, not JCS -- SecDef) that the proposal was rejected and we were not to bring it up again. At my Admiral's request I sent an e-mail to the contact back at the five-sided-funny-farm asking what part of our concept they had issue with so we could submit a revised plan. That evening I took a secure phone call from some O-6 staffer with the SecDef's office telling me very coldly and clearly that I was to NEVER bring up the topic again and that if I did I'd be relieved and sent home (with the veiled implication that disiplinary action wouldn't be out of the question). We dutifully dropped the subject.

There's no independent verification of this, so take it for what it's worth, but it's an interesting indictment of how the occupation was run. By: Brant

Meanwhile, at Booz-Allen-Hamilton

Anyone that's been near these blokes in the field - especially dealing with civil affairs work - knows exactly how this fits.

By: Widow 6-7

The Guys That Exposed China's Military Hacking

By now, you've all heard about the Chinese Army's hacking unit that's been attacking the US.

“Either they are coming from inside Unit 61398,” said Kevin Mandia, the founder and chief executive of Mandiant, in an interview last week, “or the people who run the most-controlled, most-monitored Internet networks in the world are clueless about thousands of people generating attacks from this one neighborhood.” Other security firms that have tracked “Comment Crew” say they also believe the group is state-sponsored, and a recent classified National Intelligence Estimate, issued as a consensus document for all 16 of the United States intelligence agencies, makes a strong case that many of these hacking groups are either run by army officers or are contractors working for commands like Unit 61398, according to officials with knowledge of its classified content.

But now more info is coming out about the guys that are responsible for exposing them.

When Kevin Mandia, a retired military cybercrime investigator, decided to expose China as a primary threat to U.S. computer networks, he didn't have to consult with American diplomats in Beijing or declassify tactics to safely reveal government secrets.
He pulled together a 76-page report based on seven years of his company's work and produced the most detailed public account yet of how, he says, the Chinese government has been rummaging through the networks of major U.S. companies.
It wasn't news to Mandia's commercial competitors, or the federal government, that systematic attacks could be traced back to a nondescript office building outside Shanghai that he believes was run by the Chinese army. What was remarkable was that the extraordinary details — code names of hackers, one's affection for Harry Potter and how they stole sensitive trade secrets and passwords — came from a private security company without the official backing of the U.S. military or intelligence agencies that are responsible for protecting the nation from a cyberattack.
The report, embraced by stakeholders in both government and industry, represented a notable alignment of interests in Washington: The Obama administration has pressed for new evidence of Chinese hacking that it can leverage in diplomatic talks — without revealing secrets about its own hacking investigations — and Mandiant makes headlines with its sensational revelations.
The report also shows the balance of power in America's cyberwar has shifted into the hands of the $30 billion-a-year computer security industry.
"We probably kicked the hornet's nest," Mandia, 42, said in an interview at the Alexandria, Va., headquarters of Mandiant. But "tolerance is just dwindling. People are tired of the status quo of being hacked with impunity, where there's no risk or repercussion."
China has disputed Mandiant's allegations.
Mandiant, which took in some $100 million in business last year — up 60 percent from the year before — is part of a lucrative and exploding market that goes beyond antivirus software and firewalls. These "digital forensics" outfits can tell a business whether its systems have been breached and — if the company pays extra — who attacked it.
Mandiant's staff is stocked with retired intelligence and law enforcement agents who specialize in computer forensics and promise their clients confidentiality and control over the investigation. In turn, they get unfettered access to the crime scene and resources to fix the problem (Mandiant won't say exactly how much it charges, but it's estimated to average around $400 an hour).

Now what we need is an open, frank public dialog about what to do about it.

By: Brant

GD Up To Their Roadwheels in Deep Doo-Doo

There's an IG report on General Dynamics "wasting" a metric assload of money on the Stryker program, and apparently never tried not to...

The Army is weighing changes in General Dynamics Corp.’s contract to maintain Stryker armored combat vehicles after the Pentagon’s inspector general found the terms led to excess spending of as much as $336 million, or 23 percent.

The no-bid contract resulted in “little, if any, cost risk for the contractor or incentive to control costs,” the inspector general said in an audit. The Army responded by starting a “business case analysis” of potential changes, according to Ashley Givens, spokeswoman for the service’s Ground Combat Systems.

Under contracts that began in 2002 and were awarded without competition, General Dynamics is paid to perform maintenance and to buy, store and issue spare parts for the Army’s 2,576 Stryker vehicles, which were built by the company.

The 19-ton, eight-wheeled vehicles have driven an estimated 40 million miles (64 million kilometers) during the Iraq and Afghan wars. Seventy-seven Strykers have been destroyed in battle since 2002, and 435 were damaged.

Since the first contract in May 2002, Army officials “have made no progress in converting the high-risk cost-reimbursable contract or portions to a preferred lower risk, firm-fixed contract,” the audit, dated June 18, found. “As a result, the Stryker contract was at a higher risk of misuse, waste and inadequate accountability.”

By: Brant

Core Wargamers

Hey, this position at BAH is pure wargaming at its core.

Basic Qualifications:
-3+ years of experience in operations with the US Navy or US Marine Core
-2+ years of experience as an operator, maintainer, or logistician in in-garrison and expeditionary operations-Experience with the planning and execution of an annual training plan and a wing-level flying hour program in deployed locations from an operational, maintenance, and logistical perspective-Experience at the installation level in installation support of energy-related infrastructure considerations from a civil engineering and utilities perspective
-Active Secret clearance
-BA or BS degree

By: Brant

XeWater Becomes... "ACADEMI"?!

Talk about rebranding... They're rebranding their rebranding. And everyone will still call them "Blackwater."

The company once known as the world's most notorious private security contractor, Blackwater, is changing its name and its look once again in a bid to prove that it has outgrown its toxic reputation.

Renaming the company "ACADEMI" tops a number of changes that have been made by a private equity consortium that purchased the company from former owner Erik Prince last year.

"The message here is not that we're changing the name," said Ted Wright, who came on as the new company CEO in June. "The message is that we're changing the company, and the name just reflects those changes. We have new owners, a new board of directors, a new management team, new location, new attitude on governance, new openness, new strategy - it's a whole new company."

Blackwater was dogged by controversy as it rose from a training facility in Moyock, North Carolina, in the late '90s, to a private security powerhouse at the height of the war in Iraq. But as business boomed, so did the demand for growth, and rules regarding issues like compliance and governance were sometimes not followed. There were also accusations that some Blackwater guards operating in Iraq's virtually lawless environment were heavy-handed, and then a deadly shooting in a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007 was the beginning of the end for the company.

Prince tried changing the Blackwater name to Xe, before selling it late last year to the group of investors led by Jason DeYonker, a managing partner at Forte Capital Advisors, and Dean Bosacki, managing partner of Manhattan Partners. The other investing partners remain anonymous.

By: Brant

The "Army of Jason Bournes" Claims Another Career

The USAF civilian who oversaw a questionably-legal 'spy ring' in the AfPak theater has resigned.

A man accused of running an illegal contractor spy ring in Afghanistan has resigned from the Air Force, still maintaining his innocence, and still facing possible criminal charges.
Two investigations continue in a case that has tested the definition of what contractors are allowed to do in war zones.
Air Force civilian employee Michael Furlong, together with his boss, Mark Johnson, resigned in July after the Air Force inspector general told the men they'd face official censure for how they ran an information gathering network in Afghanistan.
"After 17 months of DOD investigations and an FBI investigation, it was determined that no criminal laws were broken," Furlong wrote in his August 12 resignation letter, obtained by the Associated Press.
But inquiries continue by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service, a senior defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters still under legal review.
The CIA alleged in late 2009 that Furlong's private military contractors were running an illegal covert spying network in Afghanistan and Pakistan, managed by legendary ex-spymaster Duane R. Clarridge. The then-CIA station chief complained those contractors were helping target terrorists for capture and kill operations, and getting in the way of agency operations on the ground, according to multiple U.S. officials briefed on the investigation. All officials spoke anonymously to discuss intelligence matters.

Now, what's really funny are the comments on the article, by a bunch of people who have -zero- idea how intel/security work. They think the gov't shut it down b/c it was doing too good of a job competing w/ the CIA. Oy.

You can follow the older coverage here:
GrogNews: Pentagon Investigating AfPak News "Intel" Unit
GrogNews: Covert? Or Rogue? StratCom/OSINT website masking hit squad?
GrogNews: Investigating the Rogue Hit Squad
GrogNews: Investigating A Parallel "Intel Agency" and How It Was Buried In Clever Contracting


By: Brant

Political Speechifying

I'm at a lunch for military businesses, and SEN Kay Hagan (D-NC) is giving a keynote address. Plenty of political chederleading about debt/fiscal crisis.
The part that's wrankled me, though, is this... Per SEN Hagan, North Carolina has:
- 3d largest military footprint in US
- 1.12% of federal defense spending coming to the state
She wants to change that ratio so that spending is closer in line with thr size of the military presence.
Well, let's see... no shipyards, no aircraft assembly lines, no armored vehicle plants...
You cut off Blackwater.
You've got light infantry/SOF guys who are *supposed* to be gear-lite.
Essentially, you're planning to boost this funding with base reconstruction, which is not significantly different from any other construction. It's just that you get to claim it as "defense spending" when it all comes in.
Finally, why are treating defense spending as a jobs program, instead of putting dollars where they make sense for, y'know, defending the country...?

By: Brant

Booz-Allen Hacked

Cyber-hacktivist group Anonymous attacked Booz-Allen-Hamilton and supposedly got 90,000 email IDs. Which is interesting, considering they don't have 90,000 employees.

They apparently were able to get encrypted versions of the email passwords only, 53,000 of which carried the military ".mil" domains, the report said.

The hackers also wiped out 4GB of Booz Allen source code in an attack they called "Military Meltdown Monday". The group said, "We infiltrated a server on their network that basically had no security measures in place."

Booz Allen provides technological services including cyber-security consulting to the American military and other US government agencies. Its staff includes Michael McConnell, former director of the National Security Agency.

And if you'd like to here Mike McConnell talk about cybersecurity, you can listen to him talk about the "Cybersecurity Balancing Act" on BAH's own website. One of the bullet-point highlights of the talk? "Protecting against insider and outsider threats". Indeed.

UPDATE:
Doctrine Man weighs in...

By: Brant

The DoD Announcing a Trade Show?

Y'know, I've been to a LOT of these military trade shows, and the new Force Protection Equipment Demonstration VIII sounds pretty cool, but why is the DoD issuing an official press release about a completely commercial trade show? Did you see DoD announcements of IITSEC? SOFEX? No? What makes this one so special?

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today that the 2011 Force Protection Equipment Demonstration (FPED VIII) will be held May 17-19, at Stafford Regional Airport in Northern Va. The event is intended to increase awareness of material solutions to force protection and counterterrorism challenges for military commanders and first-responder personnel.

Nearly 600 exhibitors will present more than 3,000 items of force protection equipment and systems at the regional airport, approximately 40 miles south of Washington, D.C. The event is not open to the general public.

Force Protection Equipment Demonstration VIII will focus on immediately available commercial off-the-shelf equipment that can reduce or eliminate vulnerability to terrorist attacks against personnel, equipment and infrastructure. Items demonstrated in previous FPEDs have been successfully employed in Iraq and Afghanistan, at military installations and other locations throughout the United States, and at bases, embassies and other critical locations around the world.

The demonstration covers 20 equipment categories, including automated entry control systems and equipment; armored and utility vehicles; biometrics; blast protection/mitigation systems; cargo inspection devices; chemical and biological detection, mitigation and protection equipment; communications equipment; delay and denial technology; explosives detection systems; explosive ordnance disposal equipment; fence sensor systems; individual protective equipment; night vision and optics devices; non-lethal weapons and technology; physical security equipment sensor and surveillance systems; robotic vehicles and systems; unattended ground sensors; unmanned aerial vehicles; vulnerability assessment/analysis software tools, and waterside security equipment.

By: Brant

More Problems With F-35 Revealed

More bad news for the JSF program. The B variant is on probation and now it seems that the F-35A variant is not performing as expected. No news on the F-35C.

The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter has previously undisclosed problems with its handling, avionics, afterburner and helmet-mounted display, according to a report by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

Both the Air Force F-35A variant and Marine Corps’ F-35B model experienced “transonic wing roll-off, [and] greater than expected sideslip during medium angle-of-attack testing,” the report said.

The report also says that various components are not as reliable as expected.

Additionally, the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engine has encountered an afterburner “screech,” in which airflow disruptions cause severe vibrations, preventing the engine from reaching maximum power. That problem has delayed some required testing.

According to the report, the program has already begun efforts to fix the problem. Pratt and Whitney officials were not immediately available for comment.

Further, the report indicates problems with the aircraft’s helmet-mounted display. Unlike many previous aircraft, the F-35 does not have a cockpit-mounted head-up display; the pilot instead views critical data projected on the helmet visor.

By: Shelldrake

Advanced UAVs On The Horizon

The next generation of military UAVs will be bigger, faster, and boast more firepower. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of manned fighters and bombers?

The massive Global Observer, built by AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif., is capable of flying for days at a stratosphere-skimming 65,000 feet, out of range of most anti-aircraft missiles. The plane is built to survey 280,000 square miles — an area larger than Afghanistan — at a single glance. That would give the Pentagon an "unblinking eye" over the war zone and offer a cheaper, more effective alternative to spy satellites watching from outer space.

The estimated $30 million robotic aircraft is one of three revolutionary drones being tested in coming weeks at Edwards Air Force Base.

Another is the bat-winged X-47B drone, built by Northrop Grumman, which could carry laser-guided bombs and be launched from an aircraft carrier. The third is Boeing's Phantom Ray drone that could slip behind enemy lines to knock out radar installations, clearing the way for fighters and bombers.

These aircraft would represent a major technological advance over the Predator and Reaper drones that the Obama administration has deployed as a central element of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. Unlike most of the fleet of more than 7,000 drones, the new remotely piloted planes will have jet engines and the ability to evade enemy radar.

By: Shelldrake

Probationary Status of STOVL F-35 Will Not Affect Canadian Purchase

Canada's planned F-35 purchase will not be affected by the US government's decision to place the STOVL version of the F-35 stealth fighter on probation.

The U.S. government announced Thursday that the development of the model of the F-35 fighter jet ordered by the Marine Corps will be put on a two-year "probation" due to "significant testing problems" and will be cancelled if it cannot be fixed.

The aircraft in question differs from the one the Conservative government committed to buying this summer for a record $16 billion, a figure critics say combines the $9 billion purchase price with estimated maintenance costs. Critics also claim the contract was awarded without competition, something the Conservatives have denied.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged problems with the overall progress of the Joint Strike Fighter Program — which the Canadian government said will replace its aging fleet of CF-18s — during a briefing at the Pentagon to explain a series of cuts in military spending that will save the U.S. government an estimated $100 billion over five years.

"The Joint Strike Fighter program received special scrutiny, given its substantial cost, ongoing development issues, and its central place in the future of U.S. military aviation," said Gates.

While he said that two of the three JSF aircraft — to be built by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin — are "proceeding satisfactorily," the Marine Corps version has been put on hold for two years.

"If we cannot fix this variant during this time frame and get it back on track in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be cancelled," said Gates.

Officials at Canada's Department of National Defence said that problems with the Marines' fighter jet have nothing to do with the one Canada will buy.

"I say without hesitation . . . this is the only aircraft for the future," said Maj.-Gen. Tom Lawson, the assistant chief of Canada's air staff.

The government committed to buying the air force version of the F-35, the CTOL (conventional take off landing), which is "much the same as fighters that Canada has flown in its history," and makes up the majority of the estimated 3,000 jets to be built for allied air forces around the globe, Lawson said.

The marine variant, the STOVL (short-take off vertical landing) allows an aircraft to land vertically. That requires the movement of large engine parts and has represented the bulk of additional costs and delays associated with the JSF, said Lawson.

There is another version for the U.S. navy.

Andre Fillion, director-general of major project delivery (air) at the Defence Department, said he doesn't anticipate any delays in the delivery of F-35s to Canada, which is set to begin in 2016 and end in 2022.

By: Shelldrake

Bye Bye TSA?

Transportation Security Administration personnel may soon be replaced by private security officers at some major US airports.

Every spring, private security officers at San Francisco International Airport compete in a workplace "March Madness"-style tournament for cash prizes, some as high as $1,500.

The games: finding illegal items and explosives in carry-on bags; successfully picking locks on difficult-to-open luggage; and spotting a would-be terrorist (in this case Covenant Aviation Security's president, Gerald L. Berry) on security videos.

"The bonuses are pretty handsome," Berry said. "We have to be good - equal or better than the feds. So we work at it, and we incentivize."

Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which governs Dulles International and Reagan National airports, is studying the option, spokeswoman Tara Hamilton said.

For airports, the change isn't about money. At issue, airport managers and security experts say, is the unwieldy size and bureaucracy of the federal aviation security system. Private firms may be able to do the job more efficiently and with a personal touch, they argue.

Airports that choose private screeners must submit the request to the TSA. There are no specific criteria for approval, but federal officials can decide whether to grant the request "based on the airport's record of compliance on security regulations and requirements." The TSA pays for the cost of the screening and has the final say on which company gets the contract.

By: Shelldrake

Boeing's Phantom Ray UAV Debuts

Riding on the back of a 747 is at best a modest start for a new UAV that Boeing hopes will eventually replace manned aircraft in a variety of combat missions.

Boeing's best hope for growing its share of the burgeoning market for combat drones — capable of stalking and killing enemies without risking U.S. pilots — first took flight on Monday, looking like a giant sting ray strapped to the back of one of the company's signature 747s.

Taking a short trip over the region, the Phantom Ray left Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on top of the plane that NASA normally uses to transport the space shuttle orbiter.

The flight's brevity belied Boeing's grand ambition in developing an unmanned aircraft capable of a wide range of military missions: supporting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppressing enemy air defenses; electronic attack; aerial fueling; even fighting enemy jets. The prototype vehicle was carried aloft at 1:44 p.m. and returned 50 minutes later, to the applause and gloved high-fives of a couple of dozen Boeing and NASA employees on the tarmac.

By: Shelldrake

GrogNews Daily Headlines

abbreviated version...

How big is the chasm between the US military and the citizens they protect? (soon to be ) Former Congressman Ike Skelton thinks it's large, and growing.

Another anti-ship missile contract for Lockheed?

Is Nigeria about to report Iran to the UN for violating arms sanctions?

By: Brant

Reining in the Contractors

A group of security contractors has banded together and signed a code of conduct intended to help regulate their behavior.

Major private security companies signed a code of conduct Tuesday, pledging to respect human rights and the rule of law in conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, where some have been accused of abuses against the local population and reckless behavior.

The voluntary code developed by industry and governments was signed by 58 companies including Britain's G4S and U.S.-based DynCorp International and Xe Services — formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide.

"This initiative has the potential to address gaps in oversight and accountability," said U.S. State Department legal adviser Harold Koh.

Private security companies contracted by governments and non-governmental organizations have seen a boom in business over the past decades, particularly due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have been hired to guard individuals, installations and convoys.

For a more in-depth look at private security contractors, check out this article from globalresearch.ca
It opens thus...

These non-state entities of the XXIst century operate in extremely blurred situations where the frontiers are difficult to separate. The new security industry of private companies moves large quantities of weapons and military equipment. It provides services for military operations recruiting former militaries as civilians to carry out passive or defensive security.

However, these individuals cannot be considered as civilians, given that they often carry and use weapons, interrogate prisoners, load bombs, drive military trucks and fulfill other essential military functions. Those who are armed can easily switch from a passive/defensive to an active/offensive role and can commit human rights violations and even destabilize governments. They cannot be considered soldiers or supporting militias under international humanitarian law either, since they are not part of the army or in the chain of command, and often belong to a large number of different nationalities.

PMSC personnel cannot usually be considered to be mercenaries for the definition of mercenaries as stipulated in the international conventions dealing with this issue does not generally apply to the personnel of PMSCs which are legally operating in foreign countries under contracts of legally registered companies.

Private military and security companies operate in a legal vacuum: they pose a threat to civilians and to international human rights law. The UN Human Rights Council has entrusted the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, principally, with the mandate: “To monitor and study the effects of the activities of private companies offering military assistance, consultancy and security services on the international market on the enjoyment of human Rights (…) and to prepare draft international basic principles that encourage respect for human rights on the part of those companies in their activities”.

By: Brant

Upgrade Coming For US Army Recce Helicopters

Defence Talk has reported details of the planned upgrade to the US Army's fleet of OH-58D reconnaissance helicopters.

The Kiowa Warrior OH-58D, the Army's primary armed reconnaissance scout aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan, is about to get a makeover that will extend its life well into the future.

Col. Robert Grigsby, project manager for the Kiowa Warrior Product Management Office, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., told aviation writers during the 2010 Association of the U.S. Army's Annual Meeting and Exhibition Tuesday that a new equipment package planned for the OH-58D includes such items as an upgraded sensor, digital inter-cockpit communications, and software for enhanced situational awareness that will keep the aircraft fighting for years to come.

"Once the Army determines what the path to the future is for the armed aerial scout, that will determine how long the Kiowa Warrior will be in the inventory," he said. "What we've done is provide the capability to keep this aircraft viable while the Army makes that decision."

Several upgrades are slated for the OH-58D, which will be re-designated as the F model, but perhaps the greatest with will be the level-2 Manned-Unmanned teaming. Grigsby said this technology will enable Kiowa aviators to receive and transmit full motion video between other aircraft to include unmanned aerial vehicles. Working with the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., the system was successfully tested in July 2009 and recently integrated into the aircraft.

"This is the first opportunity for the scout aircraft to have the same capability that was put into the Apache fleet and (it will) give them the opportunity to see data in their cockpit that's coming in from UAVs of a potential target area. This gives them situational awareness prior to coming on the scene and (and enables them to) be able to rapidly engage the target."

Kiowa pilots will now be able to transmit their own sensor data to troops on the ground as well.

Among several other improvements to the aircraft will be an advanced Nose Mounted Electro Optical Sensor, improved cockpit control hardware, full-color multi-function displays, and digital HELLFIRE missile future upgrades.

Grigsby said all these changes will make the Kiowa Warrior more effective on the battlefield. "What it will do in my opinion is provide an aircraft that is more suited to the operational environment in which our Soldiers are having to fly in, and allow them to provide better support to the warfighter on the ground."

For an aircraft the Army has relied on for 39 years and seen its share of combat, the upgrades could not come at a better time. Grigsby noted that since 2001, the Kiowa accounts for nearly 50 percent of reconnaissance and attack missions flown in Iraq and Afghanistan, the highest of all Army aviation assets. He added that while the aircraft is designed to fly about 14 flight hours per month, the operational tempo from supporting two wars has resulted in the OH-58D pulling lots of overtime.

"We are flying an average 85-90 hours per month on these aircraft because the warfighter wants them flying. They depend on the Kiowa Warrior being there when they need them. "

Meanwhile, Grigsby said changes to the OH-58 platform will come over time. "It's an incremental approach to how we upgrade the aircraft, to get it where it needs to be and provide the warfighter with this enhanced capability," he added.

He said upgrades such as the reinforced floor armor is being install now, while the man-ummanned teaming system is scheduled to be installed in 2011. The Army plans for the OH-58F model to begin fielding in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015.

In the meantime, Grigsby said the Army intends to bolster its inventory of the OH58D by continuing to convert older OH-58A models. There are currently 331 Kiowa aircraft on hand after losing 44 of them since 2003 to enemy fire and accidents.

"We have an authorization to go out and buy wartime replacement aircraft, so what we are doing is taking Alpha model OH58s and converting them into D models. The plan is to eventually convert to new metal production aircraft as we move forward and the supply of OH-58A's dries up."

By: Shelldrake

Innovative Ship Designs Revealed At Euronaval Show

New design concepts for a Spanish multirole frigate and a French drone carrier attracted considerable attention at the recent Euronaval show.

Spain's Navantia, designer and builder of a wide range of warships, presented its Multimission Future Frigate, or F2M2. The stealthy ship at first glance looks like a combination of two new American designs, but Navantia naval architect Juan de la Cueva insisted it is intended for different uses.

"We are not thinking of the F2M2 as a littoral combat ship [LCS]," de la Cueva said. "This is intended as a multirole frigate, not for littoral missions."

The F2M2 is not based on a particular government requirement, de la Cueva said, but incorporates a number of concepts and innovations developed in the past few years by Navantia. The ship, meant to be produced in the 4,500- to 5,000-ton range, is notionally about 140 meters long with a beam of 30 meters and a draft of about 5 meters.

A combined diesel-electric and gas turbine plant featuring two electric motors and one gas turbine would drive three water jets, the outer two being steerable. Speed would be about 30 knots, and a total of 150 personnel could be accommodated.

Forward, the F2M2 presents a conventional frigate bow with a medium-caliber gun and vertical launch system. The superstructure, however, bears a striking resemblance to the U.S. Navy's DDG 1000-class destroyer, with angular, flat-sided faces that incorporate all the ship's sensors. No masts or sensors project from the superstructure block; a single exhaust is located on the topmost deck, and air intakes are flush with the structure.

The hull amidships widens to a trimaran configuration and reaches its full width over the last third of the ship. A hangar is fitted in the aft part of the superstructure, and the flight deck is spotted for two NH90 helicopters. Space and weight for surface-to-surface missiles is located ahead of the hangar, atop which secondary guns can be mounted.

As in the U.S. Navy's LCS, a mission bay is located beneath the flight deck, with aside door ramp fitted to starboard. Unlike the LCS, though, above-water torpedo tubes are intended to be fitted in the bay.

While a ramp for a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) was on the model displayed here, de la Cueva said a roll-on/roll-off deck, somewhat similar to that on the Danish flexible support ship Absalon, could be fitted.

The ship would be built with a steel hull, de la Cueva said. Final determination of the superstructure material has yet to be made, he said, although it is likely to be a composite material rather than aluminum.

Navantia will make its official presentation of the F2M2 concept Nov. 4 at Ferrol, Spain, in conjunction with the launch of the Cristobal Colon, last of the F100 Aegis frigates for the Spanish Navy.

A different type of ship, but one that also attracted onlookers, was on display for the first time by Bureau Mauric, a French naval architecture firm in Nantes and Marseilles.

The 70-meter drone carrier or offshore patrol vessel (OPV) also features a trimaran hull, but with a beam of 28 meters is meant to provide excellent seakeeping and stability characteristics, said Vincent Seguin, the project's chief engineer.

The ship's steel hulls are topped by a flight deck, with an aluminum superstructure offset to starboard to provide a portside deck spot for a medium-sized helicopter, or flying area for small UAVs. The hangar embedded in the superstructure features roller doors both aft and to port to simultaneously accommodate manned and unmanned aircraft operations.

Like the F2M2 and the LCS, the drone carrier features a mission bay, with ramp doors on each side, and an RHIB ramp in the stern.

One somewhat unusual feature is that the ship has twin propellers rather than the water jets of other ships - a nod, Seguin said, to the design's emphasis on seakeeping rather than speed.

With an average displacement of 1,800 tons, the drone carrier would not be a small ship, but could be adapted to a variety of OPV and multirole uses.

By: Shelldrake

Bungled Keel Construction Leads To Lloyd's Monitoring

The Australian Submarine Corporation will be closely monitored by inspectors from Lloyd's Register Asia following a costly blunder that has derailed construction of the Australian Navy's new air warfare destroyer.

Independent inspectors have been ordered in to monitor the construction of the navy's first air warfare destroyer in a Melbourne shipyard after a central keel block was bungled, throwing the $8 billion project into chaos.

The decision to tighten the scrutiny of the Melbourne arm of the AWD project reflects concern about the quality of work being carried out by subcontractor BAE Systems Australia, which manages the Williamstown shipyard where the mistake was made.

The Australian yesterday revealed that faulty welding and inadequate quality control at Williamstown had resulted in the central keel block of the first AWD warship, the Hobart, being made to the wrong dimensions -- a blunder that will cost tens of millions of dollars and delay the project by about six months.

It is understood the chief shipbuilder in the AWD project, the Adelaide-based Australian Submarine Corporation, has asked shipping experts from Lloyd's Register Asia to visit the Williamstown shipyards to ensure the blocks are being built to internationally recognised standards.

ASC is believed to have asked Lloyd's to become involved about four weeks ago when it became aware of the gravity of the keel bungle. The Lloyd's advisers are likely to visit the shipyards once a week for at least the next six months to help oversee the construction.

Spokespeople from ASC and Lloyd's declined to comment yesterday. The three new 6500-tonne AWDs are being built in Melbourne, Newcastle and Adelaide and were due to enter service from 2014, but this schedule is now unlikely to be met.

By: Shelldrake