Haight Bey wins $35.8M contract for autonomous, tactical weather stations

The U.S. Air Force awarded Utah-based Haight Bey & Associates a $35.8 million contract for AN/TMQ automated tactical weather stations.

This contract announcement confirms that the U.S. military will extend the use of the AN/TMQ-53 Tactical Meteorological Observing System (TMOS) until at least 2027.

The TMQ-53 is a vital instrument used ion the weather data collection process. It is a portable, automated weather station that can take collect weather data including wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, cloud height, precipitation and lightning.

Troops prepare a weather data-collection instrument in the field (Photo Courtesy Senior Airman Justyn Freeman).

The data it produces can be used by weather observers in the field or by the Air Force Weather community using satellite communications.

It can make observations in intervals up to one minute, enabling safer and more efficient military flight operations around the world.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense contract announcements, the U.S. Aerospace Management Systems Division in Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts awarded Haight Bey the firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to refurbish the TMOS.

The contract provides parts, spares, repairs, obsolescence management, engineering change proposals and special projects in support of the TMQ-53 system.

Work on the logistics support contract Haight Bey won will be conducted in West Haven, Utah, and is expected to be complete in July 2027.

For more information about the TMQ-53, follow us at Military Field Equipment and watch the short video below:

USAF Fighter Jets, Experimental Drone Fly in Formation to Attempt Data Sharing on New Software

The U.S. Air Force attempted data sharing across a new platform Dec. 9 during the first formation flight of the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning and the Kratos Defense XQ-58A Valkyrie.

This formation flight was part of a demonstration to attempt data transmission between all three aircraft using a novel technology called "gatewayONE".

The F-22 and F-35A successfully shared data using the new technology, but the XQ-58A was unable to connect, according the a USAF release on Dec. 14. All aircraft were equipped with the gatewayONE communications payload, but shortly after takeoff the communications systems lost connectivity with the Valkyrie.

The demonstration flight had 18 test objectives planned and successfully completed nine, says the USAF.

GatewayONE demonstrated it can pass tracks or cues from ground operators to both fighters in the air and passed a cue from the F-35A to the F-22 for the first time. This information is displayed on the aircrafts' normal displays so replacements are not required.

This new communications system is art of the USAF's Advanced Battlefield Management System (ABMS) development program, an effort to create a military internet-like network that can quickly and autonomously pass information between entities across the battlefield. The military hopes that providing more information to its troops using artificial intelligence and automation will enable them to spot the enemy quicker and react faster.

“The future is promising, and gatewayONE will allow the F-22 and F-35 to connect to and feed data sources they’ve never before accessed,” says Lieutenant Colonel Eric Wright, a 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron F-35 pilot. “Those future connections will bring additional battlefield awareness into the cockpit and enable integrated fires across US forces.”

As they stand, the F-22 and F-35 most-secure communication systems cannot communicate directly to one another because they each use different data links, but this flight demonstrated gatewayONE can translate the data formats so information could be passed directly between both aircraft.

This alleviates many complex workarounds the Department of Defense has had to use with the fifth generation aircraft's communication systems during operations, and brings the ABMS program closer to its goal.

“Not only can gatewayONE translate between those formats, in this test it moved data that is normally relegated to an operations center or tactical ground node, directly pushing it into the cockpit at the edge of the multi-domain battlespace for the first time,” says the USAF. 

“Additionally, the test pushed the position data of each platform outside of the aircraft’s close-proximity formation through gatewayONE, which enables battle managers on the ground or in the air to better orchestrate operations.”

The XQ-58A Valkyrie, an unmanned aircraft, was rocket-launched in this formation flight as well and made a “semi-autonomous” flight alongside the F-22 and F-35 for the first time. While it did not accomplish the objectives set out by the program, it was a historic first flight for the experimental drone.

US Approves Taiwan $600 Million Drone Purchase

In a move that will likely complicate Chinese-U.S. relations, the U.S. has approved a sale of $600 million in armed drones to Taiwan, the latest in a series of arms deals for the island country.

The State Department reported Tuesday that Taiwan's purchase of four "weapons ready" remote piloted aircraft and related equipment was approved.

Harpoon anti-ship missile firing (Courtesy website of the Australian navy)

“This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” the State department said. “The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, economic and progress in the region.”

This acquisition would improve Taiwan's defense by bolstering its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and could help deter military action against it. The capabilities have become more important since China has threatened to invade the island.

China's ruling Communist Party still claims Taiwan as part of its territory and regards it as a renegade province since it split with the mainland nation in 1949 during a civil war. It has repeatedly threatened to invade the island, and reacted reacted angrily to previous announcements of weapons sales to Taiwan.

This latest sales announcement is likely to evoke a similar response.

Washington agreed in the 1980s to reduce and eventually end weapons sales to Taiwan, but weapons sales to the island have increased in quantity and quality.

Just last week, the U.S. administration approved plans for a $2.37 billion sale of Harpoon missile systems to Taiwan. This was announced just hours after Beijing announced sanctions on U.S. contractors, including Boeing, who is the lead contractor on the harpoon deal.

While Washington has no formal relations to the island's democratically elected government, it has been its main ally. U.S. law requires the government to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

U.S. law also regulates the way these items can be shipped to the island.

International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)  control the export of defense and military related technologies, which means sensitive items must be exported by ITAR registered entities. Fewer suppliers from the U.S. will be able to facilitate a deal like this one, however select distributors, like Milspec.parts, buyaircraftparts.com, and dodparts.com, are eligible to export ITAR items.

Taiwan has long been a sore subject in Chinese-U.S. relations, but as long as the administration continues to authorize sales to the island, distributors will be selling to them.

GM Delivers First Infantry Squad Vehicle to Army

GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, made its first delivery of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) to the U.S. Army.

As part of a $214.3 million contract awarded in June, the all-terrain troop carrier, based off the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, is designed to transport a nine-soldier infantry squad and their equipment. 

 GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle (Photo Courtesy GM defense)

GM Defense will manufacture 649 ISVs in total, and will support the production of up to 2,065 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years.

The 5,000-pound ISV was engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability.

The midsize truck architecture leverages 90 percent commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, including Chevrolet Performance race components.

These commercial parts, combined with the ISV’s innovative Rollover Protection System, will provide agile transportability on the battlefield to support mission success.

 The GM Defense ISV is based off the award-winning 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture, as shown here.

General Motors recently underwent multiple leadership transitions that will focus on rapidly scaling up vehicle electrification and autonomous technologies. Should this technology improve to a point it is commercially viable, more military contracts may be using electric COTS parts from GM Defense.

For now, this is the first major award and delivery the subsidiary since it was reestablished by its parent company in 2017.

U.S. Army Soldiers to Test New Light Tank Next year

Soldiers of the infantry brigade combat teams will test two prototypes in the U.S. Army light tank competition.

Two light tank prototypes developed by General Dynamics and BAE Systems will begin independent operational testing and evaluation under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to a recent U.S. Army service announcement.

The assessment is set to begin in January 2021 and will run through June 2021.

BAE Systems' entrant in the U.S. Army's Mobile Protected Firepower competition (Photo Courtesy BAE Systems)

The prototypes will be judged by the users themselves to get soldier input.

Work is ongoing to prepare ranges and roads for the arrival of the prototypes said Maj. Gen. Brian Cummings, the Army’s program executive officer for ground combat systems.

The MPF program is the first under Army Futures Command Cross-Functional Team for Next Generation Combat Vehicle that fills a critical capability gap.

“Looking in every war movie ever watched, the infantry has been pinned down and they have a machine gun nest or another enemy vehicle that’s preventing them to get their objective,” said head of combat vehicle modernization Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman. “It takes an Audie Murphy-like character to go up and sneak around and take it out from the rear.”

This new mobile and survivable direct-fire combat vehicle will provide infantry brigade combat teams with the capability to take care of those obstacles to forward progression.

BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems were chosen in December 2018 to build 12 prototypes of the future Army MPF.

According to the Military Times,

"GDLS is building a vehicle that takes the United Kingdom’s AJAX chassis and combines it with an M1 Abrams tank turret.

BAE Systems' design is an updated M8 Buford armored gun system with new capabilities and components."

To qualify as light tanks, at least two tanks, each weighing less than 40 tons, should fit on a C-17 cargo aircraft.

While 2021 still feels far away, these suppliers can plan to provide light tank parts in the coming months as these prototypes go through the final stages of preparation for testing.

These tanks will be tested on lethality, survivability and mobility, and the U.S. Army can expect a need for extra parts as the 24 prototypes may encure damage during testing.

Boeing wins $2,2 billion contract for small diameter bombs

Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company won a $2.2 billion contract on Sept. 24 to manufacture and deliver Small Diameter Bombs under a multiyear buy contracting arrangement.

Awarded under the Small Diameter Bomb Increment I weapon program by U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, this is a fixed-price-incentive, firm-target contract worth $2,239,707,532. 

Loading a bomb rack onto an F-15E Strike Eagle (Photo Courtesy U.S. Air Force)

The contract provides for a guaranteed minimum Lot 15 award and a five-year ordering period for Small Diameter Bomb Increment I, focused lethality munition, containers and carriages for the Department of Defense and Foreign Military Sales partner nations, involving Foreign Military Sales to Australia, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Korea, Netherlands and Norway.

Work will be conducted in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by September 2027.

The Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) is a precise and accurate weapon that allows the combat aircraft to deliver decisive air power. The 250 lb (110 kg) precision-guided glide bomb is intended to provide aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of more accurate bombs.

SDI I combines GPS and internal inertial navigation to achieve precise guidance accuracy, and has penetrator design with an additional blast and fragmentation capability. It can be set to initiate on impact or a preset height above the intended target, enabling more options for attack.

According to Defense Blog, "Combatant Commanders use SDB I to attack fixed or relocatable targets that remain stationary from weapon release to impact. Units can engage both soft and hardened targets to include communications facilities, aircraft bunkers, industrial complexes, and lightly armored ground combat systems and vehicles."

Boeing states the SDB system is the next generation of low-cost and low collateral-damage precision strike weapons for internal and external carriage. SDBs offer precision guidance, compact size and a range of 60 nautical miles to allow today's soldiers to more accurately prosecute more targets per mission.

This contract comes after a previous contract modification awarded to Boeing by the USAF not to exceed $280 million for Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB) integration and engineering support. Under this contract, Boeing is set to provide SDB weapon integration on selected weapon platforms and support of the fielded weapon system. Work is also being done in St. Louis, expected to be complete in 2024.

The weapon system is currently integrated on the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, and AC-130, and the Air Force has the plan to integrate SDB for use on the A-10 Thunderbolt, MQ-9 Reaper, B-1 Lancer, B-2 Stealth Bomber, and the B-52 Stratofortress, according to the modified contract.

For more information about the aircraft fighting systems and defense weapons, follow the Military Field Equipment blog.

Northrup Grumman wins $13.3 billion Contract for Air Force's ICBM System

The Department of the Air Force awarded Northrup Grumman a $13.3 billion Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program Sept. 8.

The contract will provide for the engineering and manufacturing of  GBSD, a US land-based intercontinental ballistic missile system that will replace the Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Weapon System. Work will be done in Roy, Utah, and multiple other locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed February 2029.

Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test

Here's why this is important:

Nuclear deterrence has been the cornerstone of national security policy for decades, and is a fundamental factor in the continued protection for the U.S. and its allies, according to a U.S. Air Force release.

“Modernizing the nuclear strategic triad is a top priority of our military,” said Defense Secretary Dr. Mark Esper.  “It’s key to our nation’s defense."

Land-based ICBMs have been part of the United States' primary strategic deterrence for 50 years. They are part of the nuclear-armed triad, which also includes submarine-launched ballistic missiles and long range heavy bombers, developed to protect the U.S. from the Soviet Union. Today, the army needs updated weapons to protect the U.S. from nuclear-armed rogue states and non-state international actors.

The U.S. Airforce undertook a major ICBM modernization program in 1997, with a 15-year ICBM Prime Integration Contract awarded to a team of multiple defense companies led by Northrup Grumman. Since then, the team has been working on modernization of thousands of missile propulsion, guidance, re-entry, and ground system components with the goal of extending the life of the U.S. Minuteman III ICBM to 2030.

The contract awarded Northrup this week advances the U.S.'s ability to maintain a robust, flexible and responsive strategic deterrent to meet changing global threats (ie. the nuclear armed rogue states and non state actors).

On Sept. 2, Air Force Global Strike Command airmen launched an unarmed Miinuteman III with a test re-etry vehicle, verifying the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system and demonstrating that the U.S. nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter twenty-first century threats.

For more information regarding Air Force ICBMs and other military contract work, follow Military Field Equipment on Blogger, and visit AeroBase Group for a wide-selection of military equipment.

Tactical Field Equipment

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Field Equipment for military personnel – Tactical Survival

Category	Description	National Stock Number - NSN	Federal Supply Class
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, HOT CLIMATE	1680-00-973-1861	1680
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, COLD CLIMATE	1680-00-973-1862	1680
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, OVER WATER	1680-00-973-1863	1680
Survival Equipment	FISHING KIT, EMERGENCY USCG	4220-00-125-8751	4220
Survival Equipment	FISHING KIT, SURVIVAL	4220-00-244-0764	4220
Survival Equipment	BAILER, BOAT	4220-00-485-3006	4220
Survival Equipment	FISHING KIT, EMERGENCY	4220-01-181-3154	4220
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, PARACHUTE	4240-00-741-9713	4240
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, LIFE RAFT	4240-01-040-0110	4240
Survival Equipment	KNIFE, POCKET	5110-00-162-2205	5110
PSAT	PORT SEAL ASSEMBLY KIT	5120-01-319-0786	5120
Survival Equipment	LIGHT MARKER DESTRESS	6230-01-411-8525	6230
Survival Equipment	MIRROR, SIGNALING, EMERGENCY	6350-00-261-9772	6350
Survival Equipment	MIRROR, SIGNALING, EMERGENCY	6350-01-455-6671	6350
Survival Equipment	MOLESKIN, ADHESIVE TAPE	6510-00-203-6010	6510
Survival Equipment	SAW, FLEXABLE 16 INCH	6515-00-296-2529	6515
Survival Equipment	SAW, FLEXABLE 16 INCH	6515-00-296-2529	6515
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE	6545-00-116-1410	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE	6545-00-139-3671	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, AIRMAN	6545-00-152-1578	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, AIRMAN	6545-00-231-9421	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, AIRMAN	6545-00-478-6504	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, INDIVIDUAL	6545-00-823-8165	6545
Survival Equipment	EYE DRESSING KIT	6545-00-853-6309	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE	6545-00-919-6650	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE	6545-00-922-1200	6545
First Aid Kit	SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SET	6545-00-957-7650	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, INDIVIDUAL	6545-01-094-8412	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, SPECIAL FORCES	6545-01-444-8217	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, SPECIAL FORCES	6545-01-444-8218	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, SPECIAL FORCES	6545-01-444-8219	6545
Survival Kits	SURVIVAL KIT, SPECIAL FORCES	6545-01-444-8220	6545
First Aid Kit	FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE	6545-01-521-8515	6545
Survival Equipment	COMPASS, WRIST	6605-00-809-5252	6605
Survival Equipment	COMPASS, LENSATIC	6605-01-196-6971	6605
Survival Equipment	WATER PURIFACTION TABLETS	6850-00-985-7166	6850
Survival Equipment	KNIFE, HUNTING	7340-00-098-4327	7340
Survival Equipment	BAG, 6 X 6 ZIPLOC	8105-01-521-0403	8105
Survival Equipment	PANEL MARKER	8345-00-140-4232	8345
Survival Equipment	INSECT HEADNET AND MITTEN SET	8415-01-192-2357	8415