MAYBE SO, MAYBE NO: When Congress returns later this month, the Senate majority leader has promised to take up cybersecurity legislation. But the most optimistic odds of it passing are 50-50, says Jim Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It may be possible to reach a compromise on versions of a bill passed in the House and a Senate information-sharing bill, Lewis says. But such a bill would be more of a feel-good measure rather than one that substantially increases cyber protections.
As Iridium readies to launch its Aireon global aviation monitoring venture, the level of investment to come from partner Nav Canada remains in question. Iridium established Aireon in June to provide global aircraft tracking capability through Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers to be built into Iridium NEXT, the McLean, Va.-based satellite fleet operator’s second-generation communications satellite constellation scheduled to launch in 2015.
The FAA is evaluating options to address privacy concerns about the expanded use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) before selecting six test ranges for integrating the aircraft into the national airspace system. Under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the agency is required to develop a comprehensive integration plan by Sept. 30, 2015. In addition, it must establish six test sites as an early step in the process, also required under the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) has flown a Dassault Falcon 20 with one engine burning 100% unblended biofuel produced from carinata, an inedible oil seed crop. Previous biojet flights have used a maximum 50% blend with conventional kerosene, but the fuel’s developers say its hydrocarbon makeup is almost indistinguishable from petroleum-based jet fuel.
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General Electric and Pratt & Whitney have been awarded contracts totaling more than $680 million to demonstrate variable-cycle fighter engines under the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Adaptive Engine Technology Development (AETD) program. AETD is the follow-on to AFRL’s $524 million Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (Advent) program, under which GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce Liberty Works will run adaptive-fan engine demonstrators next year.
A proprietary windscreen cleaner developed internally by PPG Aerospace could extend the useful life of the V-22 Osprey’s acrylic and polycarbonate windscreens, also built by PPG. PPG initially began developing the cleaner to help V-22 maintainers clean bug residue from the windscreens, a process that is time- and energy-intensive, says Connie Poulsen, PPG global director for military transparencies. However, tests of the cleaner revealed that it leaves a residue that may help reduce “hazing” in the windscreen, Poulsen says.
STEALTHY CHINA: China’s second known stealth aircraft, the Shenyang J-31 fighter, made its first flight Oct. 31. The first sight of the aircraft’s planform view confirmed its similarity to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Figher (JSF), with a clipped delta wing and stabilizers mounted well aft on twin tailbooms, and comparison with a J-11 chase aircraft supports earlier estimates that it is in the same size class as the JSF. Like the F-35, the J-31 generated prominent visible vortex wakes from its wingtips, even in low-energy flight.
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The guided-missile Ohio-class submarines — revamped SSBN ballistic missile boats converted into SSGNs — are proving to be some of the most versatile undersea platforms in the U.S. Navy fleet, with the ability to do a number of missions at any given time, says the former commanding officer of the first vessel. The Navy is now trying to figure out ways to operate its Virginia-class SSN attack subs in a similar fashion.
The commander of Naval Surface Forces for U.S. Pacific Fleet says providing ships ready for combat is a major challenge and priority for the U.S. Navy. “We’re getting to the balance between maintenance and modernizations of our ships and providing our sailors with the necessary equipment, repair parts, tools, technical documentation, education, and training to fix and maintain their equipment,” says Vice Adm. Tom Copeman in a recent message to the fleet.
Call it an early holiday wish list or simply a heads-up on what is uppermost in the mind of the U.S. chief of naval operations (CNO), but Adm. Jonathan Greenert recently outlined his list of programmatic priorities for the coming months. “These are the most important efforts we are planning but are far from a comprehensive list of what we will pursue over the next year,” Greenert says in his recently released 2012 “position report.” Here is what Greenert says he needs to meet his “warfighting first” precept:
ALL GROWN UP: The U.S. Air Force’s second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite has completed its on-orbit testing in preparation for transfer for operational use. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was launched in May. In addition to the on-orbit testing of its own systems, it also executed trials to link with AEHF-1.
Initial night flights with a modified helmet-mounted display in the Lockheed Martin F-35 have shown improvements, but the program office says it is too early to declare victory over the visor-projected display’s technical challenges. So far, two night test flights have been performed to assess changes made to eliminate green glow around the edges of the visor, with “positive” results, says the Joint Strike Fighter program office.
An Oct. 24 bombing raid on the Yarmouk weapons factory near Khartoum, Sudan, destroyed dozens of shipping containers thought to be carrying rockets and other weapons headed for Egypt’s lawless Sinai peninsula and Hamas-run Gaza.
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While the U.S. is drawing down troops and pulling back on wartime resources, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pentagon officials say they still need funds for investments to fight evolving battles on cyber and other fronts.
