The fuel consumption of USS Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) appears to be running in line with U.S. Navy estimates for their likely operational levels, a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis shows.
NASA’s third New Frontiers-class mission, the Osiris-Rex asteroid sample return probe, cleared a crucial decision point for development May 15 and is expected to proceed in preparation for launch to the asteroid Bennu in September 2016. If all goes well, Osiris-Rex (Origins-Spectral Interpretation Resources Identification Security Regolith Explorer) will return samples of the asteroid to Earth in 2023.
SINGAPORE — With “small-footprint” moves like the deployment of its relatively small Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) here and an extra 2,500 U.S. Marines in Darwin, Australia, the U.S. may be stepping up its resources in the Asia-Pacific with a “rhetorical footprint” that could heighten rather than ease tensions in the region, says William Choong, the Shangri-La Dialogue senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia (IISS).
LONDON — AirTanker, the company charged with providing the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) with air-to-air refueling capability, has been cleared to begin inflight refueling. The long-awaited clearance, granted by the U.K. Military Aviation Authority (MAA) on May 16, means that RAF Panavia Tornado crews can now start refueling training from the new A330 Voyager tankers. Refueling clearances with the Eurofighter Typhoon will follow later along with other aircraft in the inventory.
Initial results of a new study into how to enable U.S. air dominance over a peer adversary in the 2040-50 timeframe will be briefed to Pentagon and service leadership in early summer. Work on the study began in January, led by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and involving weekly meetings with senior Air Force and Navy personnel. The study aligns with Darpa’s belief that layering of technologies rather than single breakthroughs will be required to provide the capabilities needed to meet future defense challenges.
Saab is ready to put its V-200 Skeldar vertical-lift unmanned aircraft into production after testing an improved vehicle, with active bids in play and other requirements in the pipeline. The biggest active pursuit is a U.S. State Department procurement of UAVs for U.S. embassy security. “We expect a decision any day,” says Brian Lawrence, senior vice president for marketing and sales in North America.
MARKUPS BEGIN: The House Armed Services Committee will hold its first markup hearings this week on the fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1960). The subcommittees on strategic forces; intelligence, emerging threats and capabilities; seapower and projection forces; and military personnel will convene on May 22. The tacair and readiness subcommittees meet on May 23. The full HASC committee markup on the bill is scheduled for June 5.
NEW DELHI — Russia’s Rosoboronexport has proposed starting licensed production of its Ka-226T helicopter in India if it wins the contract to supply 197 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters to the country’s military. “We are increasing exports both by deepening the relationship with traditional partners and expanding the geography of sales,” says Grigory Kozlov, head of helicopter exports at Rosoboronexport. “In particular, in India, where we are bidding the Ka-226T.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) may 20 - 22 — Armoured Vehicles UAE 2013, Armed Forces Officers Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE. For more information go to http://www.idga.org/events/ may 20 - 22 — Joint Personnel Recovery, "Assessing the future requirements for a whole government approach to personnel recovery," 76 Portland Place, London, U.K. For more information go to http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com/
NASA’s Ames Research Center will test a 10-in. high deployment system that can launch as many as 24 nanosats at once during piggyback rides on two Defense Department demonstration missions.
The U.S. Navy is seeking up to 90,000 gal. of alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel to conduct testing and certification for use in naval aircraft. To be awarded in June, the contract will be another step along the path towards the Navy’s plan of meeting 50% of its fuel needs from alternative sources by 2020. The solicitation calls for delivery of 20,000 gal. of ATJ-5 fuel by September, with options for two further 10,000-gal. batches by January and March 2014 and up to another 50,000 gal. by March 2015. This will represent a significant scale-up in ATJ production.
With a record flight of more than 48 hr. on fuel-cell power under its belt, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is looking at how to transition its Ion Tiger unmanned aircraft from an experimental vehicle to a tactical system. The 35-lb. Ion Tiger completed a 48-hr., 1-min. flight on April 16-18 with an electric fuel-cell propulsion system using liquid hydrogen stored in a cryogenic tank. The aircraft flew for 26 hr., 2 min. in 2009 using compressed gaseous hydrogen.
ROME and TURIN, Italy — Italy’s air force is awaiting a second C-27J transport outfitted with an anti-improvised explosive device (IED) system, known as Jedi, and plans to buy a total of six of the specialized jammers.
