The INSIDER - August 28, 2012

Missile Matters. JAGM is in the news this week: Reconfigured JAGM Program Scales Back Seeker Capability To Dual-Mode The Army's newly reconfigured Joint Air-To-Ground Missile program will focus on developing a dual-mode seeker to save costs rather than a tri-mode version like the program had previously attempted, according to the Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office chief. Unlike the previous program's attempt to build an entirely new missile with a tri-mode seeker, the new program will mate a new guidance system -- to include a dual-mode seeker -- with the "back-end" of the proven Hellfire missile, Army Col. James Romero, the JAMS program manager told Inside the Army in an Aug. 21 interview. Early this year, the Army announced plans to scale back the JAGM program in an effort to save money, extending the technology-development phase instead of awarding a much-anticipated production contract. Exactly what the scaled-back program would look like was previously uncertain. Service officials had said only they would award the two contractor teams already in the running for JAGM -- Lockheed Martin and a Raytheon-Boeing team -- with new fixed-price contracts to extend the TD phase. And a heads-up on a future rotorcraft effort: JMR Mission Systems Study Contracts Set To Be Awarded This Week The Army is on track to award contracts to study future Joint Multi-Role rotorcraft mission systems technology this week, marking the next step in an effort to bring to life the service's next major helicopter acquisition program that is predicted to come online around 2030, according to the Army project lead for the JMR technology-enabled capability demonstration. Non-Lethality. Inside the Navy, meanwhile, leads off its new issue with Marine Corps news: Marine Corps Will Begin Non-Lethal Weapons CBA During Fiscal Year 2013 The Marine Corps will begin a non-lethal weapons capabilities-based assessment in the second quarter of fiscal year 2013 because a previous analysis is outdated, according to a service official. The CBA will be used to update the non-lethal weapons initial capabilities document for the service. Marines in the field will help prioritize the non-lethal weapons gaps identified in the document, Raymond Grundy, escalation-of-force branch head for the Marine Corps, said Aug. 24 in Stafford, VA. When conducting the last CBA, Grundy brought in 35 Marines to work on the assessment for five days. The service plans to have an ICD draft ready during the second quarter of FY-14 and a Marine Corps Requirements Oversight Council review in the fourth quarter FY-14, according to Grundy. Refueling. More from Inside the Navy: Navy Revisits Bow Bulbs As A Way To Reduce Fuel Consumption The Navy is revisiting a plan begun in the 1990s to make ship bows more hydrodynamic, thereby reducing fuel consumption, as fuel prices continue to rise and the potential savings become greater. A related effort, stern flaps on the back of a ship, has already saved the Navy about $800 million in fuel costs, with about 180 flaps added to fleet ships and the potential to add 20 or 30 more, said Dominic Cusanelli, senior engineer in the resistance and propulsion division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division. Adding a bulb to the bow of a destroyer above the sonar dome could save $400,000 to $800,000 annually per ship -- and with more than 60 destroyers in the fleet, the savings potential is significant, he added. The bow bulb works by redirecting the water flow around the front of the ship, creating less drag and easing the work load on the ship's engines to keep moving at a given speed. Cusanelli said his design should generate a 3 percent fuel savings -- which he admitted doesn't sound like a lot, but given the amount of fuel surface combatants burn, even 1 or 2 percent "is enough that it's worth it to do almost anything," he said during an Aug. 21 interview at NSWC Carderock Division in Maryland. COD. And more carrier questions, this time concerning the COD aircraft the Navy uses: As Navy Mulls Options For COD Replacement, Two Favorites Emerge The Navy likely will face a choice between the highly capable but pricey V-22 Osprey and buying more of the legacy C-2 Greyhound airplanes that serve the fleet today as it mulls the best way to replace the aging fleet of Carrier On-board Delivery (COD) aircraft over the next decade. The service is conducting an analysis of alternatives to determine the best replacement for the C-2 fleet, which can transport cargo and personnel to and from aircraft carriers and has been serving the fleet for decades. One option is to simply replace the C-2 fleet with more C-2s. The production line is already open because of the production of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, which is just beginning production and uses the same basic airframe as the C-2. Steve Squires, director of E-2/C-2 product support and sustainment for manufacturer Northrop Grumman, argued that the current platform offers the range the Navy will need and be able to fly at high enough altitudes so the aircraft won't have to fly around storms. Also, the current fleet is undergoing a service life extension program and won't need to be replaced until the middle of the next decade at the earliest, he said. Carrier news from last week, in case you missed it: PEO Carriers: 'Significant' Amount Of Work Moved Up In CVN-79 Build Plan As the Navy seeks to build its next aircraft carrier in less time and for less money, program officials are working with the Newport News Shipbuilding staff near Norfolk, VA, to sift through a slew of ideas to boost efficiency. PEOs Discussing Pilot Program To Buy Jointly, Request Common Specs Program executive officers for ships, submarines and aircraft carriers are in the "formulation stage" of planning an effort to work across programs to more affordably procure common items, such as air-conditioning plants or welding labor. Radio Report. Latest on JTRS: Army Releases $140 Million RFP For JTRS Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio The Army last week released a request for proposals for the Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio, troubling at least one defense company with its stated requirements. The MNVR is part of the Joint Tactical Radio System and is the replacement for the canceled Ground Mobile Radio. The two-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract has a maximum value of $140 million, according to the Aug. 23 RFP, which was released ahead of the Aug. 28 target date. Some potential industry competitors include Harris Corp., Raytheon, and ITT Exelis. Meanwhile, General Dynamics C4 Systems has claimed the MNVR is not needed because the company can offer the Army a JTRS Manpack radio that runs both SRW and WNW. Industry had been anxiously awaiting release of the RFP since April, when the JTRS program office alerted companies that the MNVR faced a months-long delay due to a funding reprogramming request that had to be approved by all four congressional defense oversight committees. Looking East. Inside the Army on the service's POM shifts: Army FY-14 Program Plans Tinged With Asia-Pacific Partnership Efforts Army leaders have sprinkled into their new five-year spending plan a raft of initiatives aimed at establishing a stronger ground service footing in the Asia-Pacific region, according to officials familiar with the proposal. This year's submission of the fiscal year 2014 program objective memorandum to the Office of the Secretary of Defense will be the ground service's first opportunity to present specific plans -- and associated costs -- for implementing the Obama administration's strategic defense guidance, unveiled in January. The policy stresses the need for DOD to dial up its activities in the Asia-Pacific region, making the case that key national interests are closely tied to goings-on there. The Army's strategy underlying the POM rests heavily on security cooperation with Asian nations. This includes arms sales, joint trainings and basing arrangements, according to officials. In the past, any such moves have drawn condemnation from Chinese leaders who fear U.S. encroachment in their environs. The Unmanned. A grab bag of sorts: Miniaturization Of Robots Seen As 'Game-Changing' In OSD Workshop While the advent of military robotic technology may not be a game-changing development, efforts to make such systems much smaller could amount to such a leap, according participants in an Office of the Secretary of Defense-sponsored workshop that took place at the Army War College earlier this month. Army Tries To Beef Up Nascent Capability To Combat Enemy Drones The Army is working to increase its capability to counter unmanned aerial system threats, though its efforts remain in the early stages as potential enemy threats are an ever-increasing concern, according to officials and experts. Navy To Release Unmanned Influence Sweep System RFP By End Of Year The Navy hopes to release a request for proposals by the end of this year for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System, an unmanned surface vehicle that will serve as a key part of Increment 3 of the Littoral Combat Ship's mine countermeasures mission package, according to a spokeswoman. Paper Trail. New and noteworthy documents: Navy Memo On The LCS Council In an Aug. 22, 2012, memo, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert designates the Navy Staff director as chairman of the Littoral Combat Ship Council. DOD Memo On Rapid Fulfillment of COCOMs' Urgent Operational Needs The Aug. 24, 2012, Defense Department directive "establishes the Warfighter Senior Integration Group (SIG) as a standing DOD-wide forum to . . . lead and facilitate agile and rapid responses to combatant commander urgent operational needs (UONs)." DBB Report On Linking And Streamlining Defense Acquisition Processes The April 2012 Defense Business Board report offers "recommendations to reform defense acquisition through shared leadership, accountability, and responsibility." DOD IG Report On COCOMs' Disaster-Relief Operational Plans The Aug. 14, 2012, Defense Department inspector general's report finds that "most geographic combatant commands effectively planned and executed disaster relief operations, but improvements could be made." Main Event. Another conference you should know about: IDGA's Military Aviation Summit November 12-14, Jacksonville, FL IDGA’s Military Aviation Summit will provide the aviation community with a unique forum to discuss and explore current and future programs, business objectives and the evolution of military aviation. Attendees will benefit from direct access and networking opportunities with key program managers, international partners, contractors, industry suppliers and leading academia across the entire military aviation community – all under one roof and at the same time! -- Dan Dupont