First C-17 Globemaster III delivered to NATO SAC

Boeing Delivers 12-Nation Strategic Airlift Capability’s 1st C-17 Globemaster III

Reference: Boeing

Image: Globemaster.de

The Boeing Company delivered the first Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at its final assembly facility in Long Beach, paving the way for the advanced airlifter’s historic arrival at Pápa Air Base, Hungary, later this month. The SAC’s approach to shared use of the strategic airlifter is regarded as a model for the pooled acquisition and management of defense capabilities.

“I salute the 12 nations that have joined together to form the Strategic Airlift Capability,” said U.S. Air Force Col. John Zazworsky, the first commander of Pápa Air Base’s Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW). “This aircraft, along with the two that will follow, is a direct result of their commitment to giving SAC advanced airlift capabilities that will save lives around the world. We look forward to our first mission.” The HAW is the operational unit responsible for conducting airlift missions in support of national requirements.

“We’ve dreamed about this day for many years, and now it’s here,” said Gunnar Borch, who serves as General Manager of the NATO Airlift Management Agency (NAMA). “This historic partnership shows how much can be accomplished when nations work together to achieve a common goal.” NAMA is responsible for the acquisition, day-to-day management, and support of the C-17 fleet on behalf of NATO and all participating SAC nations.

“What you are doing is being watched and admired around the world,” said Jean Chamberlin, Boeing vice president and general manager of Global Mobility Systems. “It is truly remarkable to see 12 great nations working together to secure the world’s most advanced airlifter to support military, humanitarian, disaster-relief and peacekeeping missions. We thank you for choosing the C-17 and its unequaled readiness for any mission, anywhere, any time.”

The SAC group includes 10 NATO nations -- Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, United States -- and Partnership for Peace members Sweden and Finland. They will share acquisition and operating costs for the eventual fleet of three C-17s over the nearly 30-year agreement.

The first SAC C-17 will arrive at Pápa Air Base just prior to the activation of the HAW on July 27. Boeing will deliver the two remaining C-17s in September and October.

The SAC’s first C-17 bears the number 01 on its nose, symbolizing the first aircraft delivered to the SAC group. Because Hungary is the host nation for the HAW, the airlifter's tail is marked with red, white and green stripes. The air base’s name, "PAPA," is painted on a blue background that runs across the vertical stabilizer. The HAW will be operated by multinational crews from the 12 participating nations.

A Boeing team will provide support for the SAC C-17s, including material management and depot maintenance support, under Global Services & Support’s C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership program.

Further reading: C-17A Globemaster III Walkaround (b-domke.de)

Two major milestones achieved for High Integrity GPS

Boeing/Iridium Team Completes High Integrity GPS Program Milestones

Reference: Boeing

Image: GCN

A team led by Boeing with support from Iridium Satellite LLC announced that it has achieved two major milestones to further develop and demonstrate capability enhancements to the High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) program for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

The first milestone, completion of the Enhanced Narrowband (ENB) software modification to computers on Iridium satellites, enables second-generation GPS-aiding signals to be broadcast through the entire Iridium constellation. These broadcasts will enable rapid, more accurate GPS position fixes anywhere in the world. The GPS-aiding signal will allow appropriately equipped warfighters to quickly lock on and maintain a GPS signal, even while operating in restrictive environments such as urban areas, forests, mountains and canyons, as well as under enemy jamming attempts or amid battlefield radio frequency noise.

The second milestone was a demonstration of the acquisition of a GPS signal under substantial jamming while moving.

The principle behind High Integrity GPS, also known in government circles as "iGPS," uses satellite signals from the Iridium low-Earth orbit telecommunications system and the U.S. Air Force-operated GPS mid-Earth orbit navigational satellites. Iridium provides a high power signal and rapidly changing ground track to accelerate an initial position fix by users. The GPS system provides navigational data in time, location and velocity. The result is an augmentation to GPS that provides iGPS receivers with improved navigation, higher signal integrity, precision accuracy and more jam-resistant capabilities.

High Integrity GPS also has the potential to provide geographic positioning data to within centimeters, a vast improvement over current stand-alone GPS, which provides data within meters.

The team includes Boeing Phantom Works' Advanced Network and Space Systems, Iridium, Rockwell Collins, Coherent Navigation and experts from academia

Further reading: High Integrity GPS/ iGPS: Boeing’s Iridium Ace Card (Defence Industry Daily)

U.S. Air Force invests on C2 security during cyber attacks

Boeing Awarded $1.2 Million Air Force Contract to Demonstrate Cyber Command and Control Solutions

Reference: Boeing

Image: SMI

Boeing was awarded a $1.2 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y., to study and demonstrate improved situational awareness, visualization, and automated course-of-action processing for network environments during cyber attack. Boeing will analyze network operations, develop procedures and processes, and apply tools that will enhance network command and control capabilities. The results of the study will be demonstrated at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Boeing's technology solution provides the Air Force with tools to enhance their network architecture, giving them secure, positive measures to ensure mission success."

Boeing, along with subsidiaries Federated Software Group (FSG) and Tapestry Solutions, will demonstrate a test system that maintains positive command and control of cyber assets through automated alerts and actions. The system will enable the Air Force to perform its missions under all network conditions. Technical and programmatic leadership of the program will be accomplished at Boeing facilities in Anaheim, Calif., and Herndon, Va., building on cyber architecture and technologies developed for a variety of internal and government customers.

The system will include Boeing's Common Enterprise Mission Oriented Architecture, a network service-oriented architecture middleware solution that allows easy generalization of network interfaces and automated services and provides seamless integration of new features and capabilities without network disruption.

Royal Australian Air Force receives the first of 24 new Super Hornets

Boeing Debuts 1st Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet

Reference: Boeing

Image: ABC News

Boeing unveiled the first of 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during a ceremony at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' production facilities in St. Louis. The aircraft will be delivered later this month, three months ahead of schedule. The remaining 23 Super Hornets, each equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, will be delivered to the RAAF throughout 2010 and 2011.

The Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a multirole aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. Boeing has delivered more than 395 F/A-18E/Fs to the U.S. Navy.

Boeing will upgrade data communications on U.S. Navy destroyers

Boeing Awarded Additional US Navy Communications Network Design Services Contract

Reference: Boeing
Image: Steelnavy.com

The Boeing Company has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract valued at $42.9 million including options to continue providing communications network design and technical engineering services on guided missile destroyers. The sole-source contract supports the AN/USQ-82 Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Optic Data Multiplex System (GEDMS/FODMS) program and is a five-year cost-plus, fixed-fee term contract.

This contract is part of the U.S. Navy's effort to build, operate and modernize the DDG-51 class guided missile destroyers. GEDMS also is included in the Aegis weapon system package for various foreign navies.

Boeing has developed a complete information-transfer system that enhances reliability, maintainability and survivability by managing data from the ship's navigation, steering-control, damage-control, machinery-control, combat and internal communications systems. The Data Multiplex System network design replaces the miles of point-to-point cables, signal converters, junction boxes and switchboards associated with conventional cabling on a guided missile destroyer.