The U.S. Defense Department is ramping up efforts to develop and field equipment to fight hostile unmanned aerial systems and is reviewing several operational and policy issues to ensure it gets the most from its counterdrone activities.

One such issue is how to increase coordination among various agencies working to advance technology to detect and defeat hostile drones. These include the Joint Staff, the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO), the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell (JRAC) and the military services.

“We’re trying to put a lot of things out in the field,” Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Jack” Shanahan, DoD’s defense intelligence director for warfighter support, told Defense Daily’s Marc Selinger. “The most important thing we should do right now is synchronize all the different efforts out there.” Shanahan spoke at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Assn. luncheon in Northern Virginia March 17.

Trump Nominates Boeing Exec

President Donald Trump has nominated longtime Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan to be the Pentagon's No. 2 official.

If confirmed by the Senate, Shanahan would replace Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, a holdover from the Obama administration.

Shanahan, who is currently based in Washington state, has 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense, including leadership roles in general management, engineering, development and production programs, supply chain management, factory operations, and engineering. He currently is Boeing's SVP for supply chain and operations, overseeing the company's manufacturing operations and supplier management. He has held Boeing leadership positions for rotorcraft, including the attack AH-64D Apache, CH-47 Chinook transport and Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor; for commercial airplanes, including the new 787 Dreamliner, and missile defense, including the long-range Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.

Shanahan holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master of business administration from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Companies Reveal UH-1N Replacement Plans

Several companies revealed their offerings to replace the U.S. Air Force’s UH-1N Huey fleet at last month’s Air Force Assn. Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, Defense Daily’s Rich Abott reports.

The UH-1N Replacement Program plans to replace the Air Force’s entire Huey fleet with 84 new helicopters, which protects Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missiles and launch sites and provides emergency transportation to support continuity-of-government operations missions in Washington, D.C.

In February the Air Force said it would release a second draft request for proposal in April following industry feedback on the initial draft. USAF plans to award a contract in fiscal 2018 for delivery of the first operational helicopter in fiscal 2020/21.

Boeing is teamed with Leonardo to offer the MH139 helicopter as its entry into the completion on March 2; it is based on Leonardo’s AW139 multi-mission helicopter.

Sikorsky said it will offer the HH-60U Black Hawk, noting the Air Force had previously assigned three UH-60M Black Hawks as HH-60Us when the aircraft was given modifications that included an electro-optical sensor and a rescue hoist. It said the HH-60U shares 85% commonality with the Air Force’s incoming fleet of HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters and will share the existing infrastructure supporting the service’s retiring fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawks.

A Bell Helicopter Textron executive said the company was still mulling whether to bid for the program. Possible offerings they have in production include the U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y and AH-1Z and various commercial helicopters.

The final replacement contract could run in the $800-900 million range as a sole-source-like procurement. R&WI