The best way to make a big splash in the Asia-Pacific (A-P) naval arena is with small ships — fleets of them. AMI International, a consultancy covering the global naval market, says the regional appetite for patrol, maritime security and special operations missions ships “is one of the largest and rapidly expanding segments of the A-P naval market.”
LE BOURGET — Eurocopter expects the three interim fixes that will return the grounded fleet of EC225 heavy helicopters back into operation to be certified in the coming days. The EADS-owned company hopes the package of fixes will allow the aircraft to return operations over hostile environments by mid-July. Eurocopter has already indicated to EC225 operators that the final definitive correction to the problem will be redesign of the bevel gear shaft, a critical component in the main gearbox that drives two lubrication pumps.
Two major U.S. assets considered key for the nation’s Asia-Pacific rebalancing need some tweaking, according to two recent government agency reports. The P-8A Poseidon has been identified as one of the most important aircraft for the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy, but a recent Pentagon Inspector General (IG) report says more testing is needed for the program.
LE BOURGET — International Aero Engines (IAE) will begin building the first V2500-E5 test engine for Embraer’s KC-390 tanker/transport next week. The joint venture plans to deliver three flight-test engines to the Brazilian manufacturer this year, and three more in the first quarter of 2014, says IAE President Jon Beatty. The KC-390 is expected to fly in the second half of next year.
NO FAKES: The Pentagon is close to wrapping up a department-wide Counterfeit Prevention Policy to minimize the introduction of counterfeit parts into the defense supply chain, according to the White House’s new Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property Enforcement. The Pentagon policy follows guidance the Defense Department issued due to a mandate in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization act.
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PARIS — The “War on Cost” is a priority at Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, made more difficult as U.S. military budget constraints stretch out the delivery schedule for the F-35 Lightning II fighter and its PW F135 powerplant. “We face stronger headwinds,” says P&W Military Engines president Bennett Croswell. “But we continue to make progress.”
The U.S. Navy took major strides with two major unmanned underwater vehicle programs this month by finishing reliability testing for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) remote minehunting system (RMS) and deploying the first MK18 Mod 2 Kingfish unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) for operations in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
NEW DELHI — In a blow to India’s state-owned airframe manufacturer, the Indian air force (IAF) is expected to exercise options with Swiss firm Pilatus for 38 PC-7 Mk-II basic turboprop trainers in a deal worth about $275 million. The agreement adds to the 75 Pilatus aircraft the IAF ordered in May 2012 for $520 million and follows a combination of developments, chiefly the failure of state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to meet timelines and projected costs for its own concept trainer.
PARIS — Italy’s Finmeccanica expects to return to profitability this year as the restructuring of the aerospace and defense conglomerate over the last 18 months begins to reap rewards. Progress was slowed by goodwill write-downs in 2012 on its U.S.-based DRS and Europe-based Selex ES defense electronics businesses, and the removal of top management in February amid allegations of corruption that the company strenuously denies.
LE BOURGET — GE Aviation’s helicopter engine business is bringing in $1 billion a year, with sales weighted 70% to the military. But a resurgence of interest in its civil CT7 is expected to swing sales to 70% commercial by 2016. The quantities will remain the same – around 800 engines a year, says Jean Lydon-Rodgers, VP and General Manager of GE Aviation’s military systems. The engine in question is the 2,000 shp-class T700, which powers all Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.
Air Transportation Modernization Conference September 9-11, 2013 Washington, D.C. Re-Defining NextGen: Setting Priorities • Implementing Capabilities • Delivering Benefits Join industry experts including airlines, government agencies and leading technology providers as they answer: What’s next after sequestration? Learn more and register now at www.aviationweek.com/events/nextgen
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) june 24 - 27 — AIAA Ground Testing Conference, Sheraton San Diego Hotel, San Diego, Calif. For more information go to https://www.aiaa.org/EventDetail.aspx?id=16551 june 25 - 27 — JEC Asia Composites Show & Conferences, "An International Exhibition With A Strong Foothold In The Asia Pacific MEA Area," Singapore. For more information go to www.jeccomposites.com/events/jec-asia-2013
President Barack Obama’s call to cut the U.S. operational, strategic nuclear warhead arsenal by up to a third below the New Start treaty’s 1,550 cap, along with the announcement that he is seeking related negotiations with Russia, is drawing criticism from conservatives and even skepticism from some peace advocates.
U.S. federal contractors — particularly primes for the Pentagon and intelligence community — could see hundreds of millions of dollars less in annual profits if lawmakers and the White House lower the cap on how much the government reimburses contractor salaries.
JSF BUY: The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will undergo a review after this summer to decide whether there should be a planned increase in production starting in fiscal 2015, according to the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, Frank Kendall. The Defense Department’s 2014 budget request plan, which does not assume another round of sequestration budget rescissions, outlines total 2014 purchases of 29 F-35s, increasing to 42 for 2015 and 62 for 2016.
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NEW DELHI — Eyeing a potential $2 billion domestic market, India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which recently carved out a separate unmanned air systems (UAS) division as part of a comprehensive diversification drive, wants to ready platforms quickly to meet a raft of current and expected requirements from the armed forces, police and paramilitary.
Aviation Week NextGen Ahead Air Transportation Modernization Conference September 9-11, 2013 Washington, D.C. Re-Defining NextGen: Setting Priorities • Implementing Capabilities • Delivering Benefits Join industry experts including airlines, government agencies and leading technology providers as they answer: What’s next after sequestration?
