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Boeing Awarded $19.9 Million Contract to Support U.S. Army Apache Helicopters

Source: Boeing Co.; issued Aug. 28, 2007
ST. LOUIS — The Boeing Company has been awarded a $19.9 million U.S. Army contract modification to expand its support of the Apache Reliability and Safety Recapitalization program.

The Recap program, based in Mesa, Ariz., provides the U.S. Army with a kit of 24 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter components that have been overhauled and upgraded to improve reliability as measured by mean time between removals. The parts include the main rotor head, the transmission, gear boxes and much of the helicopter’s drivetrain. Boeing is working continuously to increase the parts’ reliability and safety as the Army’s Apache fleet flies at an accelerated rate in ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The contract modification provides additional kits to Boeing’s Apache Longbow production program, which will incorporate the parts into remanufactured AH-64D helicopters. The Recap contract, now valued at $379 million, runs through mid-2010.

The Recap program is one of several Apache sustainment solutions Boeing Support Systems provides the U.S. Army. Under the Apache Performance-Based Logistics program, Boeing provides total logistics support for hundreds of AH-64D components. The program provides total asset visibility for the customer and supply chain management support through best-of-industry practices.

Since 2001, Boeing has maintained a material availability rate above 90 percent for more than 1,800 D-model components. Through the Corpus Christi Army Depot Partnership, Boeing works side-by-side with the Army to reduce turnaround time on major helicopter components, including Apache transmissions. The goal is to reduce turn-around time by 50 percent over five years.

“The Apache Recap program is an important building block in our comprehensive sustainment solution for the U.S. Army Apache fleet,” said Montie Schlotterbeck, Boeing’s Apache Recap program manager. “We’re focused on providing readiness at the best possible value for our customers, and our Apache sustainment programs continue to do just that.”

The U.S. Army uses Apaches to fulfill attack helicopter and reconnaissance requirements. Featuring fully integrated avionics and weapons, plus state-of-the-art digital communications capabilities, the Apache Longbow helicopter can rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage stationary and moving opposition targets at standoff ranges in nearly all weather environments.

Boeing Selected to Build NASA’s Upper Stage for Ares I

Source:  Boeing Co. Aug 28, 2007

ST. LOUIS — The Boeing Company has been awarded a NASA contract valued at approximately $514.7 million to produce the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. This element provides the navigation, guidance, control and propulsion required for the ascent of the second-stage Ares I into low-Earth orbit.

The Ares I launches the Orion crew exploration vehicle, which will be joined with other elements of NASA’s Constellation program to help propel astronauts to the moon by 2020.

“Boeing will apply its best practices in program management and Lean manufacturing principles from across the company to ensure that we produce the safest, lowest-cost and most reliable upper stage for NASA,” said Roger A. Krone, president of Network and Space Systems, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. “The Boeing team has an experienced and highly skilled workforce that is ready to get started on this exciting new mission for our customer and our nation.”

Boeing will produce from two to six upper stages per year during regular production, depending on NASA requirements. The initial phase of the contract calls for several flight-test production units. If all options of the cost-plus performance contract are exercised through 2017, Boeing could produce as many as 23 upper stages.

“The Boeing team is honored to be selected as NASA’s Ares I Upper Stage production partner and to be part of the Constellation team,” said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration. “We have a proven team that is eager to help NASA and the nation write the next chapter in the history of human space exploration.”

Under the contract, Boeing will employ up to several hundred technical support personnel at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The Center has responsibility for the design of the Ares I, with Boeing providing production engineering support. Boeing also expects to employ up to several hundred production support personnel at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where the upper stage will be assembled.

“The Boeing team will be innovative in our production practices, gained from our extensive experience as the largest aerospace manufacturing company in the world,” said Jim Chilton, vice president of Boeing Exploration Launch Systems and program manager of Ares I Upper Stage production.

Boeing’s team of suppliers includes Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.; Moog Inc.; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Orion Propulsion Inc.; SUMMA Technology Inc.; United Space Alliance; and the United Launch Alliance.

A-10 Thunderbolt II Gets Technological ‘Thumbs Up’

Source: US Air Force; issued Aug. 27, 2007

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — The precision engagement modified A-10C Thunderbolt II received its Initial Operational Capability Aug. 21 during a ceremony here.

The A-10C has received its most significant modifications in its 30-year history, said Lt. Col. Ralph Hansen, chief of A-10 requirements for Air Combat Command.

The modifications, give the A-10C pilots better battlefield capabilities. The now digital A-10C upgrades include: the “hands-on-throttle and stick,” which allows the pilot to drop bombs or switch positions without taking his or her hands off the throttle or stick. The situational awareness data link, allows the pilot to link the targeting pod to a target and the new system will determine the coordinates.

Additionally, the new 1760 data bus that runs most of the weapons systems allows the A-10C to use the joint direct attack munitions, or JDAM, and wind corrected munitions dispensers. The new upgrades also include a digital stores management system. This computer system keeps track of the munitions loaded onto the aircraft and which of those are still on board.

The A-10 is best known for its missions of close-air support, airborne forward air controller, and combat search and rescue. The A-10C can be used against all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles. The upgrades will only enhance those capabilities, according to one pilot.

“The main benefit of the A-10C is the inter-connectivity between the pilot, the weapons and the targets,” said Lt. Col. Timothy G. Smith, commander of the 104th Fighter Squadron for the Maryland Air National Guard. The 104th is the first to receive the new upgrades, just in time for the unit’s upcoming deployment to Iraq, he said.

The advantage of all the new digital systems and weaponry is “the pilots can see much better than they have in the past and perform in all weather,” said Stephen Ramsey, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego. “It is much more than subsystems working together — it is actually all of them integrated together to perform seamlessly,” he said.

The new wiring on the A-10C enables it to carry the Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or Northrop Grumman Litening AT advanced targeting pods. The targeting pods can link up two aircraft or even the air to ground forces below to locate and lock on to targets.

What normally could have taken several minutes to half an hour can now be done in seconds, said Lt. Col. Eric Mann, 104th FS operational requirements division chief for the Guard.

“The A-10C now has the ability to link up and identify targets as a collective with ground forces and any other sources without each individual aircraft having to search and find them,” he said.

One of the key factors in the successful A-10 upgrade is the “total force effort where it includes all of our industry partners, includes the reserves, includes the active duty and certainly our Air National Guard brothers,” said Gen. Ronald E. Keys, commander of ACC.

With around 75 A-10s currently upgraded, the project to modernize the 356 A-10As will cost around $500 million and is scheduled for completion by 2011.

Lockheed, Boeing vie for satellite deal

28/08/2007 at 00:16:47 – UPDATED
WASHINGTON (AP) – Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. are rival bidders for the first phase of a military contract worth up to $2 billion to build a next-generation global satellite system, the companies said Monday.

The Air Force is replacing the 24 GPS satellites currently in orbit with a new system dubbed Global Positioning System III, designed to improve navigation by air, land and sea, and be more difficult for U.S. enemies to disable.

The first phase of the contract, according to the Air Force, is for eight satellites to be delivered by 2013. The deal will be awarded by year-end.

Although Lockheed and Boeing were both suppliers of the existing satellites, the Air Force is expected to select only one contractor team for the first phase of the deal. That winner will automatically be awarded the next two phases of the contract.

The second phase is for another eight satellites by 2016, and the third phase is for another 16 satellites by 2019.

Earlier this year, the Air Force decided to extend talks with both bidders to make sure their proposals met requirements and that each company could upgrade the system for each phase.

However, the Air Force is splitting the contract for the first time into satellite and ground segments to avoid schedule delays.

The ground segment deal, worth $160 million, was expected to be awarded this month but has been delayed until October, according to the Air Force.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin with a team that includes General Dynamics Corp. and ITT Corp. submitted its bid on Friday, said Steve Tatum, a Lockheed spokesman.

Boeing declined to disclose its team members.

Shares of Lockheed rose $2.39, or 2.4 percent, to $102.41 Monday, while shares of Boeing rose 7 cents to $98.54.

(This version CORRECTS that current system has 24 satellites, not 32.)

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Next-Gen Blackhawk is Born

From Defense Tech friend Bob Cox over at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Sky Talk blog…

Vought Aircraft said it has delivered the first cabin for the Army’s new generation UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter to Sikorsky Aircraft. The M-model, featuring souped up cockpit avionics, new engines and rotor blade design will be the Army’s workhorse troop transport, utility and medical evacuation helicopter for the next 20 or 30 years.

The Army expects to buy some 1,200 of the M-model Blackhawk as it phases out its older A and L models. Sikorsky began Blackhawk production in 1978 with more than 3,000 of the aircraft in use worldwide.

Vought won a contract from Sikorsky and began production of Blackhawk cabins at its Dallas plant in 2005. To date the company has built 55 cabins, 39 Army L-models and 16 Navy S-models. More than 300 people work on the Blackhawk program at the west Dallas plant.

Vought would like to have the Blackhawk cabin work on a long term basis, but Sikorsky will re-bid the program later this year before going to a multi-year production contracts. Chief Executive Elmer Doty, seeking to improve Vought’s financial performance, has been trying to negotiate more attractive contracts with its customers.

Russia Unveils Pilotless Stealth Aircraft

Russia has unveiled a mock-up of a pilotless bomber jet that Russian engineers say will evade enemy radars even better than U.S. Stealth bombers and fighters.

Russian television Thursday showed a full-size model of the bat-like jet at an ongoing international air show outside Moscow. The report said the so-called “Skat” aircraft is equipped to carry cruise missiles and can hit targets both at land and at sea.
Source: Voice of America news; issued Aug. 23, 2007

President Vladimir Putin in June vowed to build up Russia’s military capabilities, in response to U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in central Europe.

Since then, Moscow has resumed the Soviet-era practice of sending long-range bomber flights on regular patrols across the globe. Mr. Putin has also unveiled a new air defense system near Moscow, and ordered the production of an intercontinental ballistic missile for a new generation of nuclear submarines.

Aviation Week’s Article

by Alexey Komarov and Douglas Barrie/Moscow

MiG today revealed a full-scale engineering mock-up of its unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) design, nicknamed Skat (Skate). Work on the low-observable design began over two years ago, and MiG will produce a flight worthy prototype within 24-months.

The MiG program is one of two competing designs that will be presented to the Russian Defense Ministry as a strike UCAV. Sukhoi is also understood to be working on a UCAV.

MiG unveiled the program during the Moscow air show, though only a few journalists were taken off the show site to a MiG facility at the Gromov flight test research institute.

Skat has two internal weapons bays, capable of carrying air-to-surface missiles as large as the Kh-31 (AS-17 Krytpon). Possible roles include the suppression and attack of enemy air defenses.

MiG is working with a number of Russian companies and state institutes — including the 2nd Central Scientific Research Institute — on Skat. The institute is known to be closely involved in low-observable research and development.

The first version of Skat to fly is planned to be piloted in order to meet Russian flight regulations. A number of aerodynamic configurations have been wind-tunnel tested, including with small twin fins. MiG has settled on a tail-less configuration.

The single-engine subsonic design has an 11.5 meter wingspan, and it is 10.25 meters long. The UCAV has a maximum take-off weight of 10 tons, with a maximum speed of 800 kilometers per hour (497 mph) at low altitude. It is intended to carry a combat load of up to two tons, with a combat radius of 2,000 km.

The Skat will be powered by the Klimov RD-5000B, a derivative of the RD-93. Two demonstrators will be built, the second will be unmanned. The flight tests will be used to prove the design and air vehicle systems. Weapon firings will also be carried out.

To see more pictures, click over to the Ares weblog.

Pentagon Announcements: Contracts Awarded for MV-22 Upgrade

Source: US Department of Defense; issued Aug. 23, 2007

-Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $49,253,292 cost-plus-award-fee contract for non-recurring development of the V-22 Block C Environmental Control System Upgrade.
Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa. (98 percent), and Fort Worth, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2011.
Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured.
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-07-C-0040).

–Bell Boeing Joint Program Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $10,455,008 fixed-price-incentive-fee contract for all non-recurring engineering for the MV-22 aircraft, numbers 41 through 60, to be retrofitted to the Block B.
Contractor will incorporate all approved engineering change proposals associated with the upgrade of Block A aircraft to Block B configuration.
Work will be performed in Ridley Park/Township, Pa. (50 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2008.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-06-C-0296).

–The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded an $8,110,070 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-3017) to exercise an option for engineering and logistics services in support of the MV-22 Total Life Cycle Logistics Support effort.
Services to be provided include planning and management; supportability analysis; training; support equipment; facilities management; computer resources; supportability test and evaluation; packaging, handling, storage and transportation of supplies; post-DD250 engineering and technical support; site/unit activation; on-site representative support; logistics life cycle cost; age exploration; configuration management; technical publications; and Naval Air Training and Operational Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) support.
Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa. (45 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (40 percent); and New River, N.C. (15 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2007.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

MCAS Miramar hosts MV-22 Ospreys

(Older news but still current..)

Boeing Projects $70 Billion Market for Russia and the CIS

Source:  Boeing News Release

MOSCOW, Aug. 22, 2007 — Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will require 1,060 new airplanes worth about $70 billion over the next 20 years, according to The Boeing Company’s [NYSE:BA] updated annual forecast for the commercial airplane market. The complete forecast, known as the Boeing Current Market Outlook, is available on the Boeing web.

This year marks the first year that Boeing has published its forecast for the Russia/CIS region as part of the Current Market Outlook.

Airplanes in the Boeing 737 size range will account for 44 percent of all commercial jetliners delivered to Russian and CIS airlines during the next 20 years, amounting to 470 units valued at $30 billion.

Eleven percent — or 110 units at a value of $20 billion — will be twin-aisle airplanes like the Boeing 777 and 787.

Forty-three percent will be smaller regional jets while airplanes of the Boeing 747 size or larger will comprise 2 percent of the market.

“We will witness significant growth in the demand for air travel as the economies of Russia and the CIS continue to expand,” said Craig Jones, vice president of Sales for Russia/CIS, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Both domestic and international air traffic has increased in Russia and the CIS by 36 percent over the last 10 years. Most indicators point toward continued economic growth for the region.”

“We’ve already seen airlines like Aeroflot and S7 Airlines in Russia, AeroSvit in the Ukraine, Azerbaijan Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways order new single-aisle and twin-aisle airplanes this year. We can expect continued steady demand for new airplanes as airlines look to modernize and grow their fleets,” Jones said.

“Liberalization of air traffic regulations, airline consolidation and the reduction or elimination of high tariffs on new airplanes could generate additional demand for new airplanes.”

The flying public’s demand for more point-to-point travel options will also stimulate demand for smaller airplanes. In the past, large airplanes like the 747 were the only airplanes able to fly very long distances. This forced large numbers of passengers to make connections through major hubs to get to their ultimate destinations, through what is called the hub-and-spoke system.

As smaller airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737, the 777 and the 787 are much more fuel efficient thanks to advanced technologies and innovation, they are able to fly longer distances with fewer passengers than a 747 and still remain profitable for the airlines that operate them.

For instance, today a traveler in Moscow wanting to fly to Honolulu or Rio de Janeiro would have to fly through Los Angeles or another large city first, then onto Honolulu or Rio de Janeiro. A passenger in Novosibirsk going to Havana would have to fly through Moscow first. With the 787, that same traveler can fly direct from Moscow to Honolulu, Moscow to Rio de Janeiro, or Novosibirsk to Havana.

Illustrating the emergence of point-to-point, in Europe the number of nonstop flights has grown at an average rate of about 5 percent and the average airplane size has fallen. More passengers are flying direct routes on smaller airplanes.

The Next-Generation 737 will help airlines meet demand for shorter, more direct routes, and the all-new fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner will provide needed capacity for longer-range direct flights.

As air traffic increases, newer airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737, the 787 and the 747-8 Intercontinental will help meet increased demand while also lowering airplane emissions compared to older aircraft. Boeing and its engine partners will continue to develop new-technology breakthroughs, beyond those on the 787, to further reduce aircraft emissions.

“Today aviation represents 2 percent of global emissions while contributing 8 percent to the world economy. It’s a small percentage, but nonetheless we are committed to continuing to find ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products,” Jones said.

Air traffic within Russia and the CIS is expected to grow 6 percent per year over the next 20 years. Traffic on transatlantic routes between Russia/CIS and North America is projected to increase 4.1 percent annually.

Worldwide, Boeing estimates the fleet will require 28,600 new jets by 2026 worth about $2.8 trillion. The Boeing market forecast is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and respected analysis of the commercial aviation market.

Russia Air Show: Flexing Military Might?

Article by Anna Smolchenko – Business Week
Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be using any opportunity he can these days to remind the world—perhaps especially the U.S.—that he is rebuilding his country’s military, political, and economic might. On Aug. 17, he ordered strategic bombers to resume patrols over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for the first time in years. Thousands of Russian and Chinese troops are currently conducting joint military exercises. And on Aug. 21, Putin presided over the opening of the largest air show in post-Soviet history as combat planes roared over the Zhukovsky airfield outside Moscow. “[We must maintain] our leadership in the production of combat aircraft,” Putin declared at the opening.

Are these signs of a new Cold War or something more nuanced? It’s as hard as ever to read the inscrutable Putin, but he seems determined to ensure his legacy as the leader who won back world respect for Russia before his second term ends next year. Whatever the Russian President’s political or military agenda, rebuilding the defense and aviation industries are key goals for the Kremlin. And Russia is making some progress—as the aviation show testifies.

Civilian Aviation Lags Military Industry

A key player is Rosoboronexport, the state arms trader and sponsor of the International Aviation & Space Show. The company is run by Sergei Chemezov, who is sometimes mentioned as a possible successor to Putin. On the air show’s first day, Rosoboronexport signed an agreement to sell to Indonesia six Sukhoi fighter jets, which will be delivered between 2008 and 2010. The deal, estimated at $350 million, is Russia’s largest arms contract with Indonesia to date. Overall, Rosoboronexport this year has inked agreements worth $2.5 billion to export Russian-made aircraft.

Most industry observers agree that Russia’s civilian aviation industry is lagging behind the fighter aircraft makers. “Our military aviation is all right. The commercial aviation is slowly recovering,” says Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center of Analysis of Strategies & Technologies, a defense think tank. To boost the Russian industry’s ability to compete in passenger and transport jets against Boeing (BA) and Airbus, the Kremlin created United Aircraft, a state holding company combining key producers such as MiG, Sukhoi, Ilyushin, Tupolev, and Irkut. United Aircraft’s ambitious goal: to produce and sell about 4,500 aircraft worth some $250 billion by 2025. For starters, Russian airlines are expected to order some $600 million in Russian-built aircraft at the Moscow air show.

Other deals include a new joint venture between Boeing and Russia’s titanium giant, VSPMO-Avisma. The new company, Ural Boeing Manufacturing, will produce titanium parts for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet. VSMPO-Avisma, majority-owned by Rosoboronexport, supplies titanium products to Boeing, Airbus, Brazil’s Embraer (ERJ) and other aerospace groups. Earlier this year, Russian airliner Aeroflot (AFLT.RTS) signed a major deal to buy 22 Boeing Dreamliners—another sign of Boeing’s close ties to the Russian market.

Altogether, more than 750 companies from Russia and abroad, including markets as far away as Zimbabwe, are taking part in the six-day International Aviation & Space Show.