U.S. Army Moves Out on Future Combat Systems (FCS) Replacement
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Contract Awards, Department of Defense, Events, Federal Budget Process, Restructuring, SAIC, Services, U.S. Army, development program
One of the major budget decisions of the Obama Administration was to end the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. This overarching system-of-systems was to provide new vehicles, weapons, unmanned vehicles and data links to provide a rapid, hard hitting replacement for the heavy armored force built around the M1 tank and the M2 Bradley fighting vehicles. The FCS had seen major growth in cost and schedule and it’s requirements pre-dated operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration decided to end the program. Boeing (BA) and SAIC (SAIC) were the prime contractors on it.
To replace FCS the Army stood up a Brigade Modernization Program that would take parts of the old program and also begin development of new requirements and vehicles. With the passage of the 2010 defense budget last week the Army took the first step by awarding Boeing a contract for initialization of Increment 1 of the new program. This contract is to provide the soldier on the ground enhanced surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities. Increment 1 will include some unmanned ground and air vehicles as well as sensors and a network to integrate them.
Further increments of the program will see further investment in new vehicles and weapons designed to the new requirements.
Army Buys More Strykers From General Dynamics
Filed under: Business Line, Canada, Companies, Congress, Contract Awards, Countries, Department of Defense, Events, General Dynamics, Services, U.S. Army, logistics, production program
The U.S. Army awarded General Dynamics a contract to build a further 352 Stryker vehicles. The total contract has a value of over $640 million. The Styrker wheeled vehicle is made in several variants from a basic troop carrying one to others with different weapons such as mortars, anti-tank missiles and even a large gun.
The Stryker initially was intended to be the bridge vehicle between the current heavy brigades and the upcoming Future Combat Systems (FCS) which was based on wheeled vehicles as well. FCS has been canceled by the Obama Administration but the number of Stryker equipped brigades is planned to increase. The vehicle has been deployed to Iraq and operated fairly successfully. General Dynamics has built almost three thousand of the vehicles. They are based on systems originally developed and built for the Canadian military.
FCS Cancellation Fallout
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Events, Federal Budget Process, IT, Restructuring, SAIC, Services, U.S. Army, development program, logistics, production program
The cancellation of the current Future Combat Systems (FCS) development contract was one of the cornerstones of the Obama Administrations 2010 defense budget. The program of new vehicles, unmanned aerial and ground systems, and the data links connecting them was estimated at over $160 billion. The Army still has a requirement for a upgrade to their combat brigades currently using the Eighties produced M1/M2 vehicles and the Styker Interim system. As such a new program was set up to replace FCS almost immediately after the contract with Boeing and SAIC was canceled.
Now the Army is concerned that the money planned for in the budget may not be available for this new program. At a minimum some of it will be needed to pay the termination fees related to the various contracts ended prematurely. They were ended at the convenience of the government so the contractors are entitled to payment for whatever work they had done and what it takes to close out the contracts. If the money doesn’t remain in the FCS line then the Army will be forced to fund it from other programs.
Congress in their mark up of the 2010 budget cut most of the money budgeted for this as they felt there were sufficient current funds to cover this. This may be a little too much penny save pound foolish. The Army knows fairly well what is needed and probably budgeted appropriately. The cost to other parts of the Army including the new modernization program may be quite high.
TSAT Contract Latest To Be Ended
Filed under: Booz Allen Hamilton, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Department of Defense, Events, Federal Budget Process, Lockheed Martin, S&T, Satellites, Services, U.S. Air Force, development program, space
Secretary of Defense Gates announced that in the FY10 budget plenty of different programs would be ended. Unlike previous administrations who decide to de-fund a contract in next year’s budget but let the current year play out Gates has aggressively ended the contracts. The latest one announced was the U.S. Air Force’s Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT).
When the budget plans were announced in April the plan was to end this system and begin development of two new separate systems for the same mission. The TSAT like most military satellite and space programs had suffered delays and cost problems. They were not insurmountable but as time goes by the Pentagon often looks at different or new requirements that the older planned systems may not meet.
So following in the footsteps of the VH-71, Future Combat Systems (FCS) and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) programs the TSAT contracts were terminated for convenience today. There were two separate contracts — one with Lockheed Martin for mission operations systems and one with Booz Allen Hamilton for systems engineering.
One idea of doing this so fast is to prevent Congress from keeping the program alive through continuing funding despite the Pentagon’s request. Without an active contract it will be hard to do this in the next year. More to come on all of these various moves as the budget makes its progress.
Oklahoma Congressional Delegation Not Happy with FCS Decisions
Filed under: BAE Systems, Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Department of Defense, Events, Federal Budget Process, Proposal, Restructuring, Services, U.S. Army, development program
In yet another story of Congressional reaction to the decisions by Secretary Gates in next year’s budget. The one recommending cancellation of the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) manned vehicles had the Oklahoma Senators and Representatives expressing strong reservations. The Oklahoman writes that Senator Inhofe who has been a strong supporter of the Non-Line of Sight Cannon (NLOS) system blames President Obama for this plan. The system would be assembled at a BAE plant in Elgin, OK. This is yet another example of how even though the Pentagon may propose cuts or ending programs Congress will have the ability to keep them going through adding funding in the Appropriations bill. Inhofe has always supported the system which was planned to enter into limited production in the near future. The FCS vehicles are planned to be lighter, faster and more fuel efficient then the current suite of heavy, tracked vehicles used by the U.S. Army. They would make up for there lack of armor through speed and reaction time. The FCS envisioned a heavily networked system that would allow greater situational awareness that would help U.S. troops engage faster. This decision by Gates is just one of several that will end up being decided in Congress.
Press Release: Raytheon Completes Successful Intercept Tests for Future Combat Systems Active Protection System
MCKINNEY, Texas, Oct. 6, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Company (NYSE:
RTN), working in partnership with the Army, the Future Combat Systems Lead
Systems Integration team of Boeing and Science Applications International,
and BAE Systems, has passed a major milestone by completing successful
stationary and moving target intercept tests for the FCS Active Protection
System (APS).
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