Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, October 13, 2014

The U.S. Army is considering a number of improvements for its MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV, made by General Atomics. Among them is whether to move forward with a Lycoming engine, the DEL-120, to replace the Thielert system now in use on the aircraft. This engine has been approved for use on the Block 0 Gray Eagles—those less-capable early models pressed into service as part of a quick-reaction force. General Atomics has also selected the model for the longer-endurance Improved Gray Eagle (IGE) being developed with company funds, according to spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz.

Tapping its extensive experience in developing technology for its UAV programs, Textron Systems recently won a U.S. Navy contract to develop, build and help deploy an unmanned surface vessel to be used by the service’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet to perform countermine missions. Much of the basic technology used for UAVs performs equally well for unmanned sea craft, says Bill Leonard, Textron director of unmanned systems for the work.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to brief Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman this week on their losses to Raytheon of the $19.5 million contract to develop the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) air defense sensor. Lockheed is slated to be debriefed Wednesday, Oct. 15, with Northrop’s briefing a day later, according to Justin Oakes, a service spokesman. The companies have 10 days following a debrief to protest the loss if they feel the procurement process went afoul.

PARIS – Brazil has earmarked R$1 billion ($417 million) in its 2015 budget bill for new Saab JAS 39E Gripen fighters under the air force’s FX-2 project, according to an Oct. 7 release issued by the Brazilian defense ministry.

NEW DELHI – India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) is 85% complete and on schedule to be deployed with the country’s navy by 2018. The carrier, likely to be named INS Vikrant, is currently being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, in southern India. “At the moment, 85% of the hull is complete and 90% of the fabrication is over,” says Commodore K. Subramaniam, chairman and managing director of Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS secured export license to sell military products (spare parts/components/technical docs) outside Russia. THYSSENKRUPP AEROSPACE, Germany secured agreement with Airbus Helicopters to provide complete global supply chain management of metallic raw materials, including procurement, logistics, quality assurance and fine-tuning the management of blanks.

The U.S. Defense Department has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale of a Lockheed Martin C-130J transport aircraft to the government of Brunei, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) says. The deal, which would include six AE2100D3 turboprop engines and two spares, as well as associated equipment, training and logistical support, is estimated to cost $343 million. DSCA said Oct. 7 the sale will enable Brunei to conduct more humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in support of regional allies and partners.

Northrop Grumman falsified test data of a GPS-based navigation system used to guide U.S. military ships, missiles and aircraft—including Predator and Reaper UAVs—an employee of the aerospace giant claims in a lawsuit, alleging that the company cut corners in the testing process and produced phony test results for the device.

PARIS — As the Pentagon expands military operations against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. is paying $7-10 million per day for the effort, amounting to between $800 million and $1 billion over the past four months, the U.S. Defense Department confirmed Oct. 8.

The U.S. Navy has converted a defunct mini-submarine originally developed for the Advanced Seal Delivery System (ASDS) program into a hands-on training tool for submariners. The ASDS sub was damaged and taken out of service after a severe fire in November 2008. Its resurrection took place at the U.S. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY IMF).