Recent technological and programmatic improvements have greatly expanded China’s ability to potentially deploy ballistic missiles on a regional and global basis — including submarine-launched missiles capable of hitting mainland U.S. targets, a recent U.S. government report says.
American air power continues to dominate joint counterterrorism operations against Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which capitalized on 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that culminated in the internationally supported transfer of power from longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi in February 2012.
A Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet equipped with prototype conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) made its first flight from St. Louis on Aug. 5. Boeing did not announce the event officially, but it was observed by a local photographer. The aircraft, a late production version, will be used for a series of tests this month to validate the aerodynamics and radar cross-section of the aircraft with the CFTs and the centerline weapons pod, both proposed for the Advanced Super Hornet configuration of the aircraft.
Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver, who has been a policy lightning rod at agency headquarters as the Obama administration worked to shift U.S. human spaceflight from a government-run operation to a commercial venture, has resigned to take a job as general manager of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot, the agency’s No. 3 manager and top-ranking civil servant, is a likely possibility to fill Garver’s post on an acting basis until the White House can nominate another political appointee.
Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship LHD-4 USS Boxer are slated to become the first West Coast crew to deploy with the MV-22 Osprey this fall. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166 is embarked on Boxer as a part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and will deploy with 12 Ospreys, the U.S. Navy says. The Osprey is intended to replace the CH-46E Sea Knight, the platform the Marine Corps has used since the Vietnam War. The Osprey can carry more combat troops and has a farther flight range than the Sea Knight.
Scientists launched small UAVs from a research vessel during a July 13-18 experiment to help boost the Navy’s radar and communications performance at sea. Sailing off Virginia Beach, Va., the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) research vessel Knorr explored ocean and atmospheric weather variations that can change the angle that radar and radio waves bend, making it more difficult for ships to remain undetected and hindering their ability to communicate or locate adversaries, Navy officials say.
LONDON — Bristow Helicopters has begun offering the AgustaWestland AW189 to its oil and gas customers in the North Sea region. The company, which has ordered six of the type for the offshore support mission, has been demonstrating the aircraft to customers since July 30 using one of AgustaWestland’s pre-production aircraft at Norwich Airport, U.K., one of the locations where the new aircraft is likely to be based once it enters service in early 2014.
FURLOUGHS SHORTENED: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has reduced furloughs for civilian Defense Department employees from 11 days to six, but that may come at the expense of weapons systems as the Pentagon continues to wrestle with budget cuts. “Hoping to be able to reduce furloughs, we submitted a large reprogramming proposal to Congress in May, asking them to let us move funds from acquisition accounts into day-to-day operating accounts,” Hagel said in announcing the changes to anticipated furloughs.
NEW DELHI — India is exploring the possibility of building a 65,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier as it gains confidence in its warship-making capability. The Indian navy is undertaking a detailed study on the size, type of aircraft, aircraft launch and recovery systems, and propulsion. “All options are being considered, including nuclear propulsion ... However, no final decision has been taken,” Navy Vice-Chief Adm. R.K. Dhowan says.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) expect to greet the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s HTV-4 early Aug. 9, following the unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft’s successful weekend liftoff from the Tanageshima Launch Center.
The U.S. Navy has opted for a steel deckhouse for its next DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer, after years of touting composite deckhouses as a way to keep the ship lighter and stealthier. The Navy inked a $212 million contract earlier this month with General Dynamics – Bath Iron Works (BIW) to design and build a steel deckhouse for DDG-1002, the USS Lyndon B. Johnson. The deckhouse shuffle represents more rough seas for the Zumwalt program.
U.S. military airlift providers, already facing the long-expected demand decline tied to drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, are also coping with a huge reduction in one-way commercial charters, Atlas Air executives report. “With the decline in military cargo demand, we’re also seeing a very dramatic decline in one-way requests from the military,” Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings President William Flynn explained during an earnings report call on Aug. 1.
Click here to view the pdf U.S. Army Procurement Funding Shifts:2013 Plan for Fiscal 2014 Compared to Actual 2014 Request (Losers) (Then-year dollars in millions) U.S.
The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) wants a further review of the Pentagon’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) to guarantee competition and ensure the military makes the best overall acquisition decision. The SAC’s concerns come in the wake of the July 18 protest by BAE Systems of the $279.4 million NGJ contract that the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon to develop the pod to replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system now carried by the Boeing EA-18G Growler aircraft.
Belgium has taken delivery of its first NH90 in the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) configuration. The country becomes the fifth nation to take delivery of the naval version of the twin-engine utility helicopter, which is produced by NHIndustries, a consortium of Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Fokker.
The Senate fiscal 2014 defense spending bill makes a modest increase to an account that usually doesn’t attract much attention, adding $725,386 to the “Classified programs” line in the Air Force’s “Other procurement” account. It’s a modest 5% increase to the $15.2 million for U.S. Air Force “Other Procurement” line 999, summarizing multiple programs. The committee report on the bill (S.1429) explains the increase as “Classified adjustment.” The full Senate Appropriations Committee marked up the bill Aug. 1.
WGS WINDOW: The U.S. Air Force is anticipating a launch window for its sixth Boeing Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft of 49 min. starting at 8:29 a.m. EDT Aug. 7. The satellite, which will provide high-bandwidth data and voice communications for U.S. and Australian forces, will be lofted by a United Launch Alliance Delta IV with four solid-rocket motors and a 5-meter fairing, from Cape Canaveral.WGS-6 is the final “Block 2” standard satellite, which includes a bypass to allow for quick transfer of video data collected by unmanned aircraft.
