While the U.S. Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has been attracting most of the attention in the Asia Pacific on its first deployment, aircraft carriers represent the real muscle behind the nation’s Pacific pivot, according to the service admiral charged with overseeing the fleet there. When it comes right down to it, Navy leaders say, nothing combines presence, power and flexibility on the sea like an aircraft carrier, and those ships will make the difference in the Asia Pacific.
BEIJING — Chinese development engineers encountered great challenges in developing the main engine for Chang’e 3 lunar probe, says the chief designer for the propulsion program, Jin Guangming.
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HOUSTON — U.S. astronauts aboard the International Space Station area readying their NASA spacesuits, including the protective garment that leaked water into a helmet during a July 16 excursion, for a series of spacewalks intended to repair a crippled external cooling system.
BEIJING — China’s Chang’e 3 lunar probe, despite encountering unexpectedly extreme temperature disparities on the Moon’s surface, has six of its eight scientific instruments activated and operating properly. Optical and ultraviolet imaging experiments have begun, but as of Dec. 17 controllers had not yet activated an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and an imaging spectrometer operating in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The probe arrived on the Moon on Dec. 14 GMT.
BUDGET PASSED: The U.S. Senate passed the so-called Ryan-Murray budget framework Dec. 18, sending the compromise to the White House to be signed into law. Senators voted 64-36 in favor of the bill, although several expressed criticism of the framework or their inability to amend it like most bills considered on the floor. The agreement was announced last week by House and Senate Budget committee chairmen Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen.
Israel’s Urban Aeronautics has completed untethered, automated test flights of its AirMule vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft as it prepares for mission demonstrations scheduled for next year. The 1,000-kg (2,200-lb.) ducted-rotor air vehicle conducted several tests that included vertical takeoff, flight to a specific location and back to a vertical landing, the company says. A second prototype is planned to fly in the second half of 2014.
The Swedish defense materiel agency, FMV, has signed a 16.4 billion Swedish Krona production deal with Saab to modify 60 JAS 39 Gripen C fighters to the Gripen E standard.
The Brazilian government has selected the Saab JAS 39E Gripen for its F-X2 next generation fighter requirement. Brasilia has taken more than 12 years to decide on the new fighter, with the selection finally coming on Dec. 18. The Brazilian air force will receive 36 Gripens in the new Gripen E configuration, which has also been ordered by the Swedish air force and selected by the Swiss air force.
An upgrade to equip AAI Corp. RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aircraft systems with the high-capacity tactical common data link (TCDL) is heading into final testing on the way to entering operation with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps beginning in late 2014. The RQ-7B(V)2 upgrade will provide interoperability with other unmanned and manned aircraft, including the Army’s General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle and Boeing AH-64E Apache. To be deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, the AH-64E can control unmanned air vehicles and their payloads via TCDL.
Dodging the sequestration bullet somewhat, the U.S. aerospace industry will turn in 18% stronger profits for 2013 despite slightly slower sales, powered by a civil sector rebound which swelled the U.S. aerospace trade surplus to record levels, the Aerospace Industries Association says in its preliminary report card on the sector.
LOS ANGELES — Boeing has named Dennis Muilenburg, the current leader of the company’s defense arm, as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer, paving the way for the 49-year-old executive’s eventual move to potentially succeed Boeing’s chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney. The leadership reshuffle sees two top executives advance to the level of vice chairmen, the appointment of a company president and chief operating officer and the naming of new leaders for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Boeing Military Aircraft.
HOMELAND SECRETARY: The U.S. Senate late Dec. 16 confirmed President Barack Obama’s nominee, Jeh Johnson, to become the next and fourth secretary of homeland security. Senators backed him 78-16 to take over the parent department of the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration, among other agencies. Johnson is known for having good relations with lawmakers from when he served as the top lawyer for both the Air Force and later the entire Defense Department.
Giving a strong signal that robotics development is heading toward machines that mimic the capabilities of humans and animals, Google has acquired Boston Dynamics, which has built several legged robots for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). Privately held Boston Dynamics has developed the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) for Darpa, a prototype robotic “pack mule” designed to follow a team of soldiers autonomously over a rugged terrain like a trained animal, carrying equipment and following verbal or visual commands.
Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) has completed all its milestones under NASA’s Commercial Crew Development 2 (CCDev2) program, which culminated in the first free-flight test and runway landing of its Dream Chaser spacecraft. Other milestones in the development of the reusable, lifting-body human spacecraft included a systems requirement review, flight simulator development, the creation of a vehicle avionics integration laboratory, a system definition review, a flight control integration laboratory and a preliminary design review, the company said Dec. 16.
Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center exerted almost 1 million lb. of force on a simulated rocket tank before it failed in the second round of testing designed to improve design models and take weight out of the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) and other vehicles.
Australia has withdrawn its AAI Corp. Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft systems from Afghanistan as it winds down combat operations, but has extended the deployment of Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS to April 2014. The RQ-7B Shadows had been operating in Uruzgan province since 2012. Australia acquired two Shadow systems in August 2010 under an A$175 million ($155 million) contract, and they had recently passed 10,000 hr. of operations based at Tarin Kot in Uruzgan.
When it comes to trade in defense goods with the U.K., the relationship with the U.S. needs to be less lopsided, the U.K.’s ambassador to the U.S. says. To fix that, Peter John Westmacott suggested the U.S. purchase MBDA’s Brimstone missiles during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that centered on ways the U.S. can foster more federated partnerships with allies.
The Swedish air force helicopter wing has taken delivery of the first of its latest batch of NH90 utility helicopters, 12 years after placing the order for the aircraft. The first of the new aircraft, locally designated HKP14D, was delivered to the Linkoping-based unit on Dec. 17, after testing by the country’s defense procurement agency, FMV.
HOUSTON — NASA began testing software patches intended to restore fine control over a crippled external cooling loop aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 17, while setting Dec. 21 to begin a three-spacewalk repair campaign. At the same time, NASA postponed until January plans for the Orbital Sciences “ORB-1” resupply mission to the six-person orbiting laboratory.
2014 NOW HERE!!! Stop Guessing What the Future Holds With Aviation Week’s Military Fleet & MRO Forecast. This 10 year, year-over-year forecast provides an in-depth understanding of what’s to come so you can locate new business opportunities. To schedule a personal demo, call 866.857.0148 or +1.515.237.3682
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), a sharp critic of NASA management and a vocal human rights advocate, announced Dec. 17 he will not seek re-election next year. Wolf’s decision opens the chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the U.S. space agency, and may allow closer space cooperation between the U.S. and China.
