A coming wave of low Earth orbit satellite constellations will force a step change in satellite manufacturing, with builders having to become more “industrial-like,” according to a July report from global business advisory firm AlixPartners.
FARNBOROUGH—Lockheed Martin is marketing its LM-100J civil Hercules variant in tandem with the newly unveiled LMH-1 cargo carrying hybrid airship as part of the company’s broader strategic initiative to grow its commercial aerospace business.
A collapse in oil and gas prices that has choked off demand for commercial helicopters has been harsher than anticipated, says Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, but she stands behind the company’s $9 billion acquisition of Sikorsky last year from United Technologies Corp.
Stratcom says the test occurred at 10:28 p.m. July 8, off the coast of Sinpo, North Korea. Tracking data indicate the missile fell over the Sea of Japan.
LOCKHEED MARTIN has $559.5m U.S. Navy contract for non-air vehicle spares, support equipment, Autonomic Logistics Information System hardware and software upgrades, supply chain management, full mission simulators and non-recurring engineering services in support of low-rate initial production lot 10 F-35 Lightning II. BOEING has $78m U.S. Air Force contract to install KC-46 Pegasus maintenance training systems at two Air Force bases: first at McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS, to be operational in Q2 2018; second at a location TBD, operational in 2021.
The chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee is delving into the thorny issue of exporting U.S. satellites for launch on Indian rockets. For U.S. companies seeking cheaper rides to space on smaller satellites, India is an attractive option. But current U.S. policy discourages the use of Indian launch services, and U.S. companies argue that launches by India’s state-sponsored Antrix put U.S. launches at a disadvantage.
In an effort to learn more about the F-35’s ability to find and fix an aircraft with a small radar signature, Norway is now conducting Joint Strike Fighter training in a limited-capability mode against the Vietnam War-era A-4 Skyhawk.
Rolls-Royce will soon get to work at RAF Marham supporting not just the lift fan the company built for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but also the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine that powers the fifth-generation fighter jet.
The fifth Mobile User Objective System satellite experienced an anomaly that required a scheduled “transfer maneuver” to be temporarily halted, the U.S. Navy says.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has described the country’s aerospace industry as one of its greatest strengths and one that needs to be exercised following the country’s so-called Brexit decision to leave the European Union.
The Defense Department’s top acquisitions official is cautiously optimistic after his latest review of Raytheon’s next-generation GPS ground-control system, even as the Pentagon considers terminating the program in the face of a critical cost breach.
Boeing began the Farnborough International Airshow July 11 by securing nearly £5 billion ($6.47 billion) in contracts from the British government for P-8 Poseidon maritime patrollers and Apache attack helicopters.
Reaction Engines, the U.K.-based developer of the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre) for hypersonic aircraft and multi-stage space launch vehicles, is establishing a U.S.-based subsidiary to enable closer engagement with potential American government and industry partners.
The Swedish air force has declared an initial operating capability with the MBDA Meteor air-breathing air-to-air missile on its Gripen fighters, making it the first air arm to introduce the weapon.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has bested six well-resourced rivals to win the U.S. Air Force’s highly sought-after Low-Cost Attritable Strike Unmanned Aerial System technology demonstration program.
The U.S. Air Force is on the verge of declaring its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters operational after resolving a software bug that caused the jets’ systems to stall out mid-flight and have to be rebooted.
Bell’s new CEO Mitch Snyder has declared innovation as his top priority, as the company works to re-position itself in the challenging rotary-wing market.
The Indian Air Force, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Israel Aerospace Industries have recently tested the latest medium-range surface-air missile air and missile defense system, a member of the Barak 8 air defense weapon system.
The tide may be turning for Boeing’s KC-46 tanker program, with Pentagon and industry leaders showing signs they are encouraged by early testing of the company’s fix to a major hardware problem.
The new chief of the U.S. Air Force admonished Boeing for the latest KC-46 tanker schedule slip, telling reporters in his first press conference that he is “concerned and disappointed” about the delay in delivering a sorely needed capability to the fleet.
CANADA will gather industry info over summer on CF-18 replacement, incl. costs, delivery times, NORAD interoperability, readiness, potential benefits to Canadian economy. LOCKHEED MARTIN has $93.9M U.S. Navy contract for procurement of “diminishing manufacturing sources electronic components” for F-35. Work to be complete June 2017.
House Armed Services Ranking Democrat Adam Smith (Wash.) supports the Pentagon’s so-called Third Offset technology strategy, but wonders where the money will come from to carry it out. “Where are we going to save money?” he asks. He suggests not necessarily spending a trillion dollars to recapitalize the nuclear triad as it exists today, as well as not making the U.S. Army and Marine Corps troop end-strengths larger than what can be financially sustained.
