LONDON— The U.K. Defense Ministry says it has agreed in principle on a deal for the first production batch of F-35B Lightning IIs for use on the country’s new aircraft carriers.
BOEING delivered the 300th CH-47F Chinook to U.S. ARMY since 2006; 18 units have been trained and equipped with the aircraft. EMBRAER rolled out the first prototype KC-390 military transport at at Gavião Peixoto; first flight is planned before end of 2014.
LONDON—The Brazilian defense ministry has formally signed the $5.4 billion deal to purchase the Saab Gripen fighter, which it selected in its F-X2 competition. The contract, signed between Saab and the Brazilian air force’s Aeronautics Command (Comaer) on Oct. 24, is for 36 new-generation Gripens, comprising 28 single-seat and eight twin-seat aircraft. Contract signature came just two days before Brazil’s Oct. 26 presidential election, which saw incumbent president Dilma Rousseff returned to power after a narrow win in the polls.
On Oct. 28, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hosts a press event in which officials from Guiness World Records will recognize the agency’s Terahertz Electronics program for creating the fastest solid-stage amplifier integrated circuit ever measured. On Oct. 28-29, TechAmerica holds its 50th Annual Vision Conference, with speakers including Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall and Pentagon CFO Mike McCord. And with Congress out of session in Washington, local think tanks are filling the discussion gap: On Oct.
The U.S. Air Force is reviewing whether to continue with the Gorgon Stare wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) sensor program beyond the limited quick-reaction capability already fielded, and plans to make a decision by the end of the year. Air Combat Command (ACC) officials are formulating a recommendation for review by the Air Force Requirements Oversight Council, says Franklin Stone, who handles Gorgon Stare requirements for the command. They declined to provide insight on the proposal in advanced of the final decision.
U.S. Navy engineers are harvesting weapon system components from decommissioned U.S. Navy frigates (FFG) for re-use on Coast Guard cutters. The resurrection of components from four decommissioned frigates has already saved $24 million, with more savings expected from a fifth ship, according to the service. Navy officials say the program underscores the growing collaboration between the two services.
NEW DELHI—India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared long-pending projects worth over $13.1 billion during an Oct. 25 meeting, including a proposal to buy 12 upgraded Dornier surveillance aircraft for the navy. As part of the new government’s insistence on home-grown products, the navy will buy the aircraft from state-run aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) at a cost of $310 million. Though no delivery schedule has been fixed, HAL hopes to deliver the aircraft from 2016 through 2019.
HOUSTON—Thrusters from the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle-5 fired for 3.5 min. Oct. 27 to push the International Space Station away from orbital debris on a course calculated to pass within two tenths of a mi. of the orbiting lab. The debris source was identified as the inactive Cosmos 2251 communications satellite that collided with a U.S. Iridium communications satellite on Feb. 10, 2009, Jay Bolden, a spokesman for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, confirmed.
LOS ANGELES — Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) plans to attempt the first powered vertical landing of a Falcon 9 first stage onto a specially built flat-top barge in the Atlantic in early December.
Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter recently completed successful precision sloped landing tests at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California, in preparation for at-sea testing. The Fire Scout has been undergoing rigorous flight testing and validation, which will culminate in actual takeoff and landing on the deck of a Navy vessel at sea. The MQ-8C is the company’s latest variant, which performs intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the U.S. Navy.
HOUSTON—Russia’s Progress 56 re-supply capsule departed the International Space Station early Oct. 27, clearing a second berthing port aboard the six-person orbiting science laboratory for two cargo missions awaiting liftoff this week. Progress 56, which arrived on July 23, undocked from the Russian segment’s Pirs module at 1:38 a.m. EDT. The trash-laden Russian spacecraft is scheduled to remain in orbit until Nov. 19 before making a destructive descent into the Pacific Ocean.
As the U.S. sharpens its Asia-Pacific focus, the country is moving toward different kinds of relationships in the region, and Guam is becoming an increasingly important part of that effort, according to a senior Pentagon policy advisor.
The U.S. Navy’s Specialized and Proven Aircraft Program Office (PMA-226) has expanded its mission, taking over management of F-5 N/Fs and F-16 A/Bs that simulate adversary aircraft during training exercises, as well as the acquisition of services using commercial aircraft, Navy officials say.
Though Boeing insists it will be able to provide the U.S. Air Force with the 18 KC-46 Pegasus tankers it has promised by August 2017, flight of the first platform continues to inch to the right.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a $207.3 million contract modification for procurement of four Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ator) low-rate initial production systems.
