The U.K. defense ministry says it will use a £1.8 billion ($2.46 billion) budget surplus to bring the Crowsnest helicopter-borne radar system into earlier service. Secretary of State for Defense Philip Hammond said the money, the result of defense underspending in fiscal 2012-2013, would also be used to bring several urgent operational requirements purchased for Afghanistan into the core budget. This will allow them to be utilized after combat operations are completed in late 2014.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has cleared the BAE Systems APKWS-II guided rocket system for use on fixed-wing aircraft following completion of technology demonstration trials.
SONAR UPGRADE: The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems Information and Electronics, Nashua, N.H., an $11,005,126 contract modification to fabricate, assemble, test and deliver three AN/SQQ-32(V)4 Minehunting Sonar Set High Frequency Wideband upgrade systems, the Pentagon announced Oct. 21. The AN/SQQ-32 Minehunting Sonar was designed for deep water minehunting. The work will be performed in Hudson, N.H. (78%), East Granby, Conn. (11%), Littleton, Mass. (5%), Nashua (4%), and Austin, Texas (2%), and is expected to be completed by December 2015.
Continuing funding uncertainty due to the government shutdown, sequestration and funding levels frozen at 2012 levels could hurt the Ground Combat Vehicle and network-centric programs, the Army’s top uniformed and civilian officials said Oct. 21.
In the wake of the Joint Tactical Radio System’s (JTRS) troubles, Harris Corp. is testing a company-funded communications device designed to link helicopters, unmanned aircraft and soldiers.
The launch of India’s first Mars orbiter, scheduled for Oct. 28, has been postponed for a week due to rough weather in the Pacific Ocean, a senior space scientist says. “The weather in the south Pacific Ocean has slowed things down as movement of two Indian ships, carrying terminals on board to track the rocket after it is launched, was delayed due to bad meteorological conditions,” Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan says.
LONDON — The British army is expanding the capabilities of its new AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat as the helicopter progresses toward operational service. The army’s Wildcat Fielding Team is responsible for the tactical development of the aircraft and writing the doctrine for its use, as well as training the first group of its pilots and instructors. Earlier this year, army Wildcats recorded their first 1,000 hr. of flight operations, taking part in a series of small exercises and familiarizing ground troops with the helo’s capabilities.
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis) issued a request for proposals Oct. 17 for potential remote-sensing missions that could fly aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The nonprofit group tasked with managing research on the orbiting outpost’s U.S. national lab segment says it expects to award $1.5 million in grants to selected Earth-observation projects proposed in response to the request for proposals.
Beechcraft reportedly has instructed Credit Suisse to approach prospective buyers, including Cessna Aircraft, just months after the manufacturer emerged from an extensive Chapter 11 reorganization. Beechcraft is not commenting on the Bloomberg report, but CEO Bill Boisture last summer noted to Aviation Week that three of the company’s major shareholders are those that specialized in distressed properties. In those cases, he said, the question comes up on whether they’re long-term owners. “I wouldn’t think so,” he said.
MOSCOW — On Oct. 15, the first Mistral-class helicopter landing dock built for Russia was launched at the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France. The ship, named Vladivostok, had its keel-laying last February. Its after-body was built in Russia, at St. Petersburg Baltiysky Zavod, and arrived in France in July. The ship is expected to return to Russia for customization next year and to be handed over to the Russian navy in November 2014.
DEFENSE FORECAST: In a 10-year forecast for the Defense Department, TechAmerica sees investment accounts falling to $140 billion per year in fiscal 2014 and staying at that level through fiscal 2018, when the numbers increase to about $156 billion.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) oct. 21 - 23— 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.. For more information go to www.ausameetings.org/annual/ oct. 23 — 51st Annual SAFE Association Symposium. Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, Nev. For more information email to [email protected]
Applied DNA Sciences recently concluded a deal with a Pentagon contractor for a 10-year option agreement to provide DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology. The contractor’s name and the contract amount were not disclosed. The company is “a high-tech leader and supports military services such as: the Navy, Army, Air Force, and the Missile Defense Agency, as well as non-military end-users such as NASA and the Department of Homeland Security,” Applied DNA Sciences says.
President Barack Obama’s reported decision to nominate Jeh Johnson to be the fourth secretary of the Department of Homeland Sercurity (DHS) could be helpful for travel-related industries like airlines, and may even help the military and fedeal law enforcement officials to further introduce UAVs into domestic airspace, one of their highest domestic priorities.
While the U.S. Navy can afford to put off the christening of the futuristic DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer for a while, the service cannot accommodate delaying the first deployment of a new Arleigh Burke-class DDG, especially to the Pacific. To that end, the guided-missile destroyer DDG-111 Spruance departed Naval Base San Diego Oct. 16 on its first deployment to the Western Pacific.
HOUSTON — Workers eagerly returned to their jobs at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Oct. 17, following a 16-day furlough, though many remained apprehensive about future budget clashes. The 3,200 civil servants among Johnson’s 14,000-member workforce have been assured by Congress they will be paid for the interlude, potentially along with their next scheduled paycheck on Oct. 25.
