U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is continuing to voice concerns he raised when he was the Pentagon’s acquisition chief over the continuing trend of mergers, acquisitions and consolidation involving major defense contractors. “What I said then, and still believe, is that it was important to avoid excessive consolidation in the defense industry, to the point where we did not have multiple vendors who could compete with one another on many programs,” he says.
FORECAST INTERNATIONAL predicts 1,304 light military rotorcraft (<15,000 lb. each) will be produced worldwide from 2015-34; production valued at $19.9b in constant U.S. dollars. Annual production projected to increase from 171 units in 2015 to 223 in 2016, then decrease, reaching a low of 68 units in 2022 and 2023.
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After being the monopoly rocket supplier to the U.S. government for national security launches for nearly 10 years, the tables have turned for United Launch Alliance.
Having flown its S-97 Raider high-speed rotorcraft a second time, Sikorsky is looking forward to the merger with Lockheed Martin and to working closely with the defense giant on missionizing the light tactical helicopter for potential customers.
The Kestrel Maritime ViDAR system has been developed by Australian computer-vision software company Sentient and ScanEagle sensor supplier Hood Technology for installation on the Block D version of the UAV now deployed with most customers.
Hybrid-airship developer Aeros plans to freeze the configuration of its ML866 66-ton-payload cargo airship by year’s end. Work underway includes developing test articles for structural components and the buoyancy-management system.
Calspan has received a $1.57 million contract to provide a next-generation variable-stability system (VSS) for a Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter flown by the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (NTPS) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have developed a new polymeric fuel additive that could reduce the intensity of post-impact explosions, potentially without adversely affecting engine performance.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is still voicing concerns about the trend of mergers, acquisitions and consolidation involving major defense contractors.
Though the bulk of ULA’s work is still with the U.S. government and will remain so for years to come, CEO Tory Bruno is posturing the company to be more competitive in the commercial market.
Hard on the heels of its stunning images of the shockwaves produced by a supersonic aircraft via air-to-air schlieren photography, NASA has released similar images taken from the ground and using the Sun as the background.
Russia’s Progress 61 resupply capsule sprinted toward an Oct. 1 rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station following a successful liftoff.
While Chinese leaders say they will not use artificially bolstered islands in the South China Sea for military purposes, simply maintaining control of those places may lead to even more tension in the region, CSIS says.
India wants to have a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that is entirely manufactured, assembled and launched by industry over the next three to four years.
U.S. and allied forces were given “one or two hours’ notice” on Sept. 30 of Russia’s intention to launch air attacks in Syria, a U.S. Air Force general says.
