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Document created: 1 December 05
Air & Space Power Journal - Winter 2005
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PIREPs |
Lt Col Marlon Camacho, USAF*
No doubt US military personnel deployed overseas in operations such as Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom sometimes notice their coalition partners using a particularly effective piece of equipment during engagements with the enemy. Naturally they probably wonder whether their service has that same device and, if not, how soon the Department of Defense (DOD) could obtain it. In actuality, US war fighters can rapidly (in as little as six months) get their hands on superior foreign equipment and technology they observe while serving in friendly countries around the world. We can do just that by means of the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program managed by the Comparative Testing Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.1 From bullets to aircraft-loading equipment to nanotechnology, the program provides funding for test articles and the testing and evaluation of foreign equipment. Additionally, since the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Congress approve the projects, their procurement funding is virtually locked in. Candidate projects are submitted annually to the OSD by June, and that office normally releases funding by mid-October. The FCT Program saves time, money, and effort compared to the lengthy traditional acquisition cycle.
Since its inception in 1980, the FCT Program has funded over 528 projects with $932 million, resulting in procurements in excess of $6.7 billion in fiscal year 2005 constant-year dollars. Over the past 20 years, the Air Force has received $55 million, resulting in procurements in excess of $1 billion. Through the program, all services and US Special Operations Command have the opportunity to leverage our allies’ technologies and quickly provide their war fighters with much-needed equipment. Each service has a program office dedicated to supporting and strengthening the FCT Program, an effort that attracts the interest of war fighters and foreign vendors alike. Representatives from each of the services attend all major international air shows as well as conduct industry tours of various nations, looking for equipment that could satisfy the needs of their personnel.
Successful FCT projects arise from world-class foreign-defense items produced by allied and other friendly countries, strong US user advocacy and support, a valid operational requirement, and solid procurement potential. Many of these projects have reduced the total ownership cost of military systems, cutting overall acquisition and support expenditures. They also have enhanced standardization and interoperability, improved allied cross-service support, and promoted international cooperation and interoperability.
The Air Force has always played a major role in the FCT Program by identifying resources of allied and friendly nations as a solution to our shortfalls. Several examples come to mind. In need of a 25,000-pound-capacity loader for use with its cargo aircraft, the Air Force identified two foreign sources with such equipment. After rigorous testing in accordance with its standards, the service qualified a single candidate as having the best value for the Air Force, thus procuring a next-generation small loader (fig. 1). The service also determined that the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) (fig. 2) offered a solution to the problem of creating a smaller, lighter, and more efficient guidance system that would allow missile systems to carry a larger, heavier payload. Finally, the Air Force needed more 20 mm ammunition because its existing stock (designated for emergency use only) misfired in chambers, putting pilots and aircraft at risk. After identifying several foreign sources and down-selecting to one, the Air Force is testing the replacement rounds (fig. 3) in accordance with DOD standards and requirements to determine if they will correct the shortfall.
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Figure 1. Next-generation small loader. (From Static Engineering Pty, Ltd., Adelaide, Australia.) |
Figure 2. Microelectromechanical system inertial measurement unit. (From BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom.) |
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Figure 3. 20 mm replacement rounds. (From Diehl BGT Defence GmbH and Co. KG, Überlingen, Germany.) |
*The author leads the Air Force’s Foreign Comparative Testing Program Team, Pentagon, Washington, DC.
Note
1. The Defense Acquisition Challenge Program, a domestic complement to the FCT Program, resembles the latter but focuses on challenging current US technology/solutions with innovative ideas/solutions that could benefit the war fighter. For more information, see Foreign Comparative Testing Program, http://www.safia.hq.af.mil/fct; and Comparative Testing Office, http://www.acq.osd.mil/cto.
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University
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