Blast Chimney Shows Promise, Questions Remain

Since its veiled debut at an annual U.S. Army conference last year, there has been little news of the structural blast chimney, a potentially groundbreaking technology that promises to protect Humvees and other military vehicles from roadside bombs.

A BLAST FROM an IED-like explosive envelops a Humvee equipped with a "chimney" structure intended to protect vehicle passengers. The U.S. Test Center has put the chimney through a number of such blast tests. (DARPA)

Now, new information is emerging, including blast test results from the Army's Test Center in Aberdeen, Md., and new data from the Marine Corps on the vehicle's durability in difficult terrain. The test results paint a complicated picture of a promising technology that still has to work out some kinks. And until there is more data, it remains unclear how much the chimney contributes to the safety of the people inside.

Back in October, those invited to an off-site art gallery near the Washington Convention Center could view a blast-tested Humvee and learn of its ability to vent explosive energy up through a blast channel that ran through the center of it.

News of the chimney immediately drew questions from skeptics. There were whispers that Hardwire, the company behind the chimney, and its teammate on the project, Humvee-maker AM General, had oversold the technology's potential.

Others wanted to know how a blast channel running straight up through the interior of a Humvee affected the space and visibility for the soldiers inside.

As the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Army and the Marine Corps proceeded to blast-test the vehicles in Aberdeen, defense officials talked about the technology's potential in congressional testimony and in meetings with reporters.

"Visually, it looks very, very promising," Army Secretary John McHugh told lawmakers March 16.

He said he'd watched classified videos in Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey's office of the vehicles being blown up.

Until now, no one outside the program has learned what "very promising" means.

M-ATV PROTECTION, HALF THE WEIGHT

While the tests' results remain classified, DARPA officials say the blasts indicate a Humvee equipped with the structural blast chimney provides the mandatory survivability level required of an M-ATV, the lightest version of the military's mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles. And it does so at almost half the weight.

The gross weight of the Humvees being tested is 16,300 pounds. An M-ATV weighs roughly 30,000 pounds, while the average MRAP weighs 40,000 pounds.

"The data to date indicates that the occupant survivability of this vehicle is comparable to the M-ATV," said Leo Christodoulou, who directs DARPA's Defense Sciences Office.

There have been 11 survivability tests to date, and eight have been under a joint DARPA-Marine Corps-Army program. The Army Test Center has conducted all of the tests.

Five more survivability tests are scheduled before the end of the summer, Christodoulou said.

A DARPA chart prepared earlier in the year for Congress shows that the goal is to achieve MRAP-like survivability at less than half the weight. The companies behind the effort remain confident that such results will be achieved in upcoming tests.

The structural blast chimney holds a lot of promise for even bigger explosions, according to AM General CEO Charles Hall. He said the structural blast chimney could provide the survivability of vehicles two to three times its weight.

Chris Yunker, who leads the vehicle requirements team at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, said the service is watching the blast testing closely.

"When they do the blast testing on this rigid cabin we're seeing pretty good results," Yunker said. "That really caught our attention and we said, 'This is a good design; let's keep looking at it.'"

Despite its moniker, there is much more to the new vehicle design than the chimney.

Hardwire CEO George Tunis explained that all of the components working together keep the vehicle intact, on the ground and its occupants safe.

The clutter inside the vehicle has been cleaned up, with new racks designed to hold gear and ammo. Hardwire picked seats designed by Jankel, which Tunis described as the best blast-mitigating seat on the market.

Hardwire has also redesigned the way the Gunner Protection Kit responds during a blast event, greatly reducing the blast overpressure, he said.

The floor has also been redesigned to absorb as much blast energy as possible, Tunis said.

Finally, there is the chimney, which not only creates a hollow space through the vehicle but a very rigid cab structure that can withstand big explosions. The chimney also connects the ceiling to the floor, which reinforces the floor's strength, Tunis said.

But what once seemed like the key feature - the hollow blast channel - might only play a small role in the vehicle's protection.

Christodoulou said DARPA is still running tests and simulations that will help decouple the contributions of the various components. For the chimney, "the jury is still out," he said.

First and foremost, the chimney provides structural rigidity to the cabin, Yunker said. "There's a little bit of debate on whether there is any venting effect of that chimney."

The numbers he's seen show it may contribute 3 to 7 percent in the decrease of the vehicle's acceleration.

"I have the luxury of being a combat developer," he said, "and I tell people, 'I don't care if it's bubble gum on the window that makes the thing work.' If it works, we're interested in it."

He said that of the three ways that Marines and soldiers die in roadside bomb attacks, the chimney may be protecting against two.

The chimney does not mitigate a bomb's energy impulse, which still hits the vehicle's underbody, but it may help decrease acceleration from overpressure, according to Yunker.

"It looks to me like there's some venting, because you see smoke and dirt coming out of that chimney," he said.

Troops are also killed by fragmentation and debris, and some of that appears to be going through the chimney as well, he said.

"No matter what the percentage, if it reduces injury by any percent it's worth it," Tunis said.

SYSTEM'S FLAWS

While DARPA continues to investigate the question of the chimney, the Marines are focusing on the Humvee's structural durability after thousands of miles of driving.

"What we're seeing in the structural blast chimney design is similar to a problem we're seeing in other designs," Yunker said. The rigid cabin structure is putting pressure on the Humvee's frame and this is leading to fatigue problems.

"You can drive it a few thousand miles and you'll have some structural damage and pretty quick you'll have some real component failures, so our next step is to focus now on the automotive issues," he said. "It's kind of like we're looking at a house, but we've got a foundation problem."

The Army and the Marine Corps also have to consider cost. The question becomes how much does it cost to solve the problem versus buying new vehicles.

Meanwhile, both services will have other candidates to consider.

"Honestly, we're seeing other designs in that same weight class that are making M-ATV-level protection," Yunker said.

AM General even has another potential offer for the Army and Marine Corps' upcoming Humvee recapitalization programs.

After canvassing industry a few years ago, AM General decided to throw its luck and investment behind the Hardwire solution and a different one from Israeli armor-maker Plasan.

"This [chimney] program is not supposed to be a point solution for anything; it's supposed to inform us to make the next vehicle decisions," Christodoulou said.

While questions about the chimney remain, officials agree that people should let the data speak for itself.

"Let's follow the data. Let's continue to do experimentation and see where the data and the facts take us," Yunker said.

DoD Approves U.S. Army's GCV Plan

Pentagon officials approved the U.S. Army's plan to field a $1.35 billion fleet of armored vehicles called the Ground Combat Vehicle following a July 21 Defense Acquisition Board review.

Army officials will proceed with the GCV program's technology development phase of the vehicle designed to replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Ashton Carter, the Defense Department acquisition chief, approved the Army's plan despite questions from inside and outside the service about the need for the armored vehicle and its affordability.

The Army plans to field more than 1,800 GCVs, which some analysts say could cost the service as much as $10.5 million per vehicle.

"The Army is committed to delivering a vehicle that provides soldiers with protected mobility in modern combat environments. The Army's proposed program builds upon refined requirements and a strategy to achieve an affordable solution to address soldiers' protected mobility in a seven-year schedule to the first production vehicle," according to an Army statement following the decision.

Three industry teams submitted a second round of bids in January to compete in the program's technology development phase of the program. A second round was needed after the service resubmitted the program's Request for Proposals after focusing the GCV's list of requirements.

U.S. To Decide on Taiwan F-16s Oct. 1

TAIPEI - The Obama administration will make a final decision on the sale of 66 F-16C/D fighter jets to Taiwan by Oct. 1, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on July 21.

A U.S. AIR Force F-16C fighter makes a flight from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to Atlantic City, N.J., in this 2001 photo. Taiwan has requested permission from the U.S. government to purchase the F-16C and the F-16D, a two-seat fighter. (U.S. Air Force)

Since 2006, the U.S. has repeatedly rejected Taiwan's letter of request (LOR) for new F-16C/D fighters. China has called the proposed sale, estimated to be worth more than $8 billion, a "red line."

Cornyn has been blocking Senate confirmation of William Burns, nominated to become deputy secretary of state, in an effort to pressure Clinton to approve the deal.

Clinton appears less than likely to upset recent progress in Sino-U.S. relations by releasing new fighters to Taiwan, although she might instead release a mid-life upgrade (MLU) package for the self-governing island's 146 aging F-16A/B fighters.

Last year, the U.S. accepted Taiwan's LOR for the $4.5 billion upgrade package, but then froze the release due to Chinese pressure.

A State Department release of the F-16A/B MLU "would be a reiteration of a decision that is already over one year old," said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. "It is not a new commitment."

Since 2007, the U.S. has released more than $16 billion in new arms to Taiwan. After each release, China has increased rhetorical threats and punitive actions. In January 2010, after Washington released a $6.4 billion arms deal to Taiwan, Beijing threatened economic punishment and canceled military exchanges.

Restarting the military dialogue with China has been difficult. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, just concluded a trip to China to expand military relations. Though Mullen expressed concerns about China's military modernization after his trip, the U.S. appears committed to advancing strategic talks.

Clinton's announced deadline happens to fall on China's National Day, roughly equivalent to America's Fourth of July.

But Hammond-Chambers said the timing makes the release of new F-16s difficult for another reason: It is sandwiched between U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden's trip to China next month and Chinese President Hu Jintao's trip to Hawaii in November. Xi Jinping, Hu's anointed successor, will visit the U.S. this winter.

"It doesn't seem plausible that the Obama administration would stand-up for Taiwan policy in the face of two such senior visits from China," Hammond-Chambers said.

While the announcement to make a decision is welcome, "We suspect that the outcome simply reiterates decisions already made, and therefore fails to address Taiwan's central need - new combat aircraft to meet the growing threat from China," Hammond-Chambers said.

Andrew Yang, Taiwan's deputy minister of defense, said the release of new F-16s would not be the end of the world. China has been calling every arms sale a red line for 30 years, he said.

"China will be extremely unpleasant and upset," Yang said. "I don't believe they will take drastic action."

But a failure to release F-16s will damage Taiwan's ability to defend itself, he said. "If we don't have the required jets and replacement of vintage fighter aircraft, you lose your leverage."

Yang said Taiwan has the right to defend itself from outside aggression.

He confirmed that Taiwan's military is researching an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon.

Taiwan also is developing new missiles, but Yang would not confirm whether the self-governing island is preparing to field the Hsiung Feng 2E land-attack cruise missile.

Yang said losing Taiwan to China would be catastrophic for U.S. military power in the Asia-Pacific region. If China built military bases on the island, they would threaten U.S. military dominance of the East China Sea and South China Sea.

The deputy defense minister said Washington also would lose a vital intelligence collector.

"We are collecting good stuff," and sharing it with the U.S., he said.

Taiwan's fighters are aging; meanwhile, China revealed in December its J-20 stealth fighter, and it is preparing sea trials of its first aircraft carrier by the end of the year.

Taiwan has 126 Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), 56 Mirage 2000s, 146 F-16A/Bs and about 60 F-5E/F Tigers. The F-5s and Mirages have serious maintenance problems and will be retired within a decade.

Taiwan's state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. is upgrading 71 IDFs, with delivery scheduled by 2014, and it could upgrade the remaining 55 IDFs if the F-16C/Ds are not approved. Taiwan also has an option to build a new C/D variant of the IDF, but this will not fill the fighter gap with China.

NATO Probes Hackers' Claim of Security Breach

BRUSSELS - NATO is investigating claims by the hacker group Anonymous that it plundered sensitive data from alliance computers, a NATO official said July 22.

"We are aware that Anonymous has claimed to have hacked us and we have security experts investigating these claims," the official said.

"We strongly condemn any leaks of classified documents, which can potentially endanger the security of NATO allies, armed forces and citizens," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The group posted a message on Twitter this week claiming to have looted about a gigabyte of NATO data and said it was too sensitive to release.

"Yes, we haz (sic) more of your delicious data," the Twitter post read.

"You call it war; we laugh at your battleships."

Last month, NATO said it was notified by police dealing with digital crimes that an alliance website was probably breached by hackers.

The e-Bookshop website, a separate service for the public to access alliance publications, did not contain sensitive information.

Malaysia to Deport French Lawyer in Graft Probe

KUALA LUMPUR - A French lawyer for a rights group in an inquiry into alleged corruption linked to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was detained July 22 in Kuala Lumpur and will be deported, the government said.

The Malaysian government has dismissed graft allegations linked to a $1.1-billion submarine purchase in 2002, when Najib was defense minister, saying it is an opposition-backed attempt to smear his image.

At the request of Malaysian human rights group Suaram, French judicial officials opened a probe in March 2010 into the sale of the two Scorpene submarines, which were made by French shipbuilder DCN.

William Bourdon, Suaram's lawyer in France, was detained by immigration officials when his plane arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on a domestic flight July 22, he said.

"After a few questions, two hours of waiting and different transfers, a deportation order was served on me," he told AFP.

"I told the Malaysian police that I did not understand this decision, which is devoid of any justification. I was not given any explanation, and nor was the embassy representative who was with me."

Bourdon had arrived in Malaysia on July 21 to speak at a Suaram fundraiser in Penang state, and had been due to speak at another function July 22.

Immigration director general Alias Ahmad confirmed in a statement that Bourdon had been arrested and would be deported.

"Investigations by the immigration department revealed that Bourdon had violated the terms of his social visit pass," he said without elaborating.

Bourdon said he was told he would be sent back to France on Sunday evening and would be held in the airport detention centre in the interim, but took the initiative to leave as soon as possible.

"This expulsion is serious interference with the exercise of the legal profession, which is protected under international law," he said.

"I wonder if the expulsion isn't a sign of a certain nervousness among the Malaysian authorities."

Suaram alleges DCN paid a commission of 114 million euros ($160 million) to a company called Perimekar, which is linked to Abdul Razak Baginda, an associate of Najib's.

Abdul Razak has been acquitted of charges of abetting the 2006 murder of his mistress, Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu, which the opposition has also been trying to link to Najib.

But Najib has denied any link to that case. The Malaysian government has also maintained that the submarine deal, brokered when Najib was defense minister, was free of graft and that Perimekar had not improperly benefited.

USAF Suspects Carbon Monoxide in F-22 Grounding

The prolonged grounding of the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor fleet may be due to carbon monoxide entering the cockpit via the aircraft's oxygen system, two sources said.

Investigators say carbon monoxide may have caused the grounding of the F-22 fleet. The gas generated by the planes' jet engines may have gotten into cockpits at a base in Alaska, where pilots often start the engines inside a hangar before takeoff. (U.S. Air Force)

Service leaders grounded the stealthy twin-engine fighter May 3, after 14 incidents when F-22 pilots suffered "hypoxia-like symptoms."

Air Force officials initially suspected a problem with the aircraft's On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), but that is looking less likely, the sources said.
Instead, investigators now suspect that carbon monoxide generated by the plane's jet engines is getting into the cockpit.
Part of the problem may be the procedures used at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where most of the known incidents have occurred. Because of the harsh climate, pilots often start their jet engines inside a hangar before taking off. Investigators suspect that exhaust gases are getting trapped in the building and subsequently sucked back into the engines, where they enter the bleed air intakes that supply the OBOGS, sources said.
The design and placement of the intakes, which are located within the engines' compressor sections, are fairly standard for jet aircraft.
There is no immediate fix in sight, sources said.
Asked for comment, an Air Force spokesman said he had no further information at this time.
"The safety of our aircrews is paramount, and the Air Force continues to carefully study all factors of F-22 flight safety," said Maj. Chad Steffey.
However, a July 21 press release says Air Force Secretary Michael Donley has ordered the service's Scientific Advisory Board to conduct a "quick-look study" of "aircraft using on-board oxygen generation systems."
One aviation safety expert said that if the hypoxia is being caused by carbon monoxide in the cockpit, the gas is likely being generated by the plane's engines.
"I would think that it has something to do with exhaust flow somehow getting into the oxygen generating system," said Hans Weber, who sat on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee, and is president of Tecop International, a San Diego consulting firm.
Even a small amount of the colorless, odorless gas can have serious effects, Weber said.
"It doesn't take a large concentration of carbon monoxide to start affecting people, making them ill - and not just ill but really diminishing their ability to perceive anything."
Weber said the difficulty of the fix will depend on the problem.
If the carbon monoxide is being ingested because the engines are being started in confined spaces, a fix could be as simple as moving the jet outside, Weber said. If the engine must be started inside the hangar, the startup of the oxygen system might be delayed until the jet is out in the open, he said.
But if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide are entering the cockpit despite these changes, the Air Force might have to add bulky cartridges or scrubbers to the life-support system, he said.
The U.S. Navy has had similar problems with the OBOGS on its F/A-18 Hornet, which sucked carbon monoxide into its oxygen system during carrier operations.
Between 2002 and 2009, Hornet aviators suffered 64 reported episodes of hypoxia, including two that killed the pilots, according to the July-August 2010 issue of "Approach," a Navy Safety Center publication.
Some 77 percent of the incidents happened in single-seat Hornets, which saw 3.2 incidents per 100,000 flight hours. The two-seat version saw 1.7 incidents per 100,000 flight hours.
According to Navy documents, "Prolonged exposure to jet engine exhaust while sitting behind another aircraft waiting to take off and operating with low bleed air pressures can result in carbon monoxide (CO) breaking through … into the pilot's breathing gas."
The Navy modified the planes' OBOGS to fix the problem, has had no recent similar incidents, and is not currently investigating the systems, Naval Air Systems Command officials said.

U.S. Navy: Tests Show Fire Scout Improvements

More than a thousand hours of flight time carried out this year by deployed Fire Scout unmanned helicopters is evidence that the system is working through its developmental problems and showing itself able to deliver a reliable reconnaissance and surveillance capability, the program's U.S. Navy managers said.

Three Fire Scout unmanned helicopters sit ready for shipment from Maryland to Afghanistan on April 13. Fire Scouts have performed better on deployment than in tests, program managers claim. (Kelly Schindler / U.S. Navy)

"Since May 21, we've got over 718 hours of flight time in Afghanistan," said Capt. Patrick Smith, the Navy's Fire Scout program manager at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. "We have a monthly goal of 300 hours, and in June we hit 307. In July, we're tracking toward 375 hours. Our reports back from our U.S. and allied customers have been very, very favorable. And this is why I would call all the work done in early 2011 a success. The proof is in the pudding with what we're doing in Afghanistan."

Two Fire Scout systems, including six aircraft and their control units, were sent to Afghanistan in April and May at the request of combatant commanders. Another system with two aircraft has been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and Horn of Africa region aboard the frigate Halyburton.
"We've put over 435 hours of flight time from USS Halyburton," Smith said, despite the June 21 loss of one of the aircraft over Libya. A replacement aircraft was soon sent out to the frigate, he added.
The reliability of the MQ-8B Fire Scout was recently called into question by an "early fielding report" prepared by the Pentagon's Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). The report, which relied on data and observations completed this spring, claimed the control data link between airborne drones and their ground-based controllers was "fragile," and that the Navy's test program was not realistic or complete.
The Navy plans to buy up to 168 Fire Scouts from Northrop Grumman to operate from ships at sea. The program is still in its test phases, and is not expected to be declared operationally effective until 2013.
The DOT&E report chided the program for an inability to provide a "time-sensitive" asset, and claimed that half the missions flying from the Halyburton were unsuccessful.
"The deployment had two purposes," Smith said. "Integration with the ship to support anti-piracy and maritime operations, and as a proof of concept with our special operations forces in supporting sea-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
"We've had some fantastic collection of data," Smith said. "We've had very good reports from the customers."
Smith did not dispute the DOT&E report's findings that the early spring tests at Webster Field in southern Maryland were difficult.
"We were surging to meet the Afghan deployment," he said. "We were able to prove out all the hot weather changes that were incorporated. All the payload issues. And train the crews.
"We were not able to execute a major scenario that would truly simulate what they would see in Afghanistan. We were able to do it in parts, but not altogether."
Among the problems, he said, were range limitations, scheduling issues, and the availability of aircraft and people.
"We were also packing up the systems to ship them to Afghanistan," said Cmdr. Manny Picon, the program's military lead.
"We have a bit more hindsight now than was available then they wrote the report," Smith said. "The big thing we're tying to get out is we understand the issues. We've had issues with the data link as reported in the early fielding reports. We look at the flight hours as more of an indicator as to how we've been able to produce."
A well-publicized event last year when a Fire Scout headed for Washington after its data link was lost was due to a software problem that's been fixed, Smith said. Reliability has not been a significant factor on the deployed systems.
"With Halyburton and in Afghanistan, we've not seen similar behavior, losing the links, that we saw at Webster," Smith said, nor have there been major problems in restoring lost links. "Yes, they've had dropped links, but it has not impacted missions. It's been restored and missions have continued. I would classify them as minor interruptions, as you'd have with any radio system. Our datalink reliability is in the high 90 percentages."