U.S. Army aviation officials are to brief industry on the results of flight demonstrations conducted late last year as they await a decision on whether they can acquire the new Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) helicopter to replace the Bell OH-58D/F Kiowa Warrior. Aviation-branch officials briefed Army and Pentagon leadership on the results of its AAS study earlier this year, recommending a new acquisition program rather than extending the service life of the 1980s-vintage Kiowa Warrior.
Raytheon has received a subcontract from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to deliver a fifth-generation, medium-frequency, hull-mounted sonar system as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (Darpa) Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (Actuv) program.
The additional crewmembers the U.S. Navy decided to put aboard its first-of-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1), the USS Freedom, on its first deployment are working well, says Vice Adm. Richard Hunt, the director of Navy staff and head of the special LCS Council of leading service admirals empowered to get the program back on track.
The U.S. Navy is trying to get a handle on the best technology or combination of technologies for ship self-defense, says Vice Adm. Richard Hunt, the director of Navy staff and the head of the special LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) Council of leading service admirals empowered to get the program back on track. Asked whether the LCS would employ chaff, decoys or other ship-defense measures, Hunt said, “We’re looking at all of that. It’s bigger than LCS.”
Cerebrotech Medical Systems Inc. hopes to develop a non-invasive sensor to monitor brain fluid changes believed responsible for vision changes detected in astronauts assigned to long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station.
NEW DELHI — India’s state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) plans to develop an advanced aerostat and communication system to boost military air defenses and enhance surveillance. BEL director S.K. Sharma says the Bengaluru-based defense firm will jointly work with U.S.-based aerostat and airship maker TCOM to design and develop the aerosatat system. “The partnership will augment the surveillance capabilities of our defense services, security services and law enforcement agencies,” Sharma says.
AIR LAUNCH: A Payerne, Switzerland-based startup has joined with France’s Dassault, the European Space Agency and others to propose an air-launched, reusable, unpiloted space shuttle optimized for launching small satellites at low cost. Swiss Space Systems plans to use a vehicle based on Dassault Aviation’s Vehra airborne reusable hypersonic vehicle concept, and a throwaway upper stage, to orbit satellites weighing as much as 250 kg at altitudes of 600-800 km.
The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) — one of the Pentagon’s top contracting watchdogs – should consider rescinding or augmenting certain recent reports because of lapses in “professional judgment” used to construct them, a recent Defense Department Inspector General (IG) report says. The IG performed quality assurance reviews on 50 DCAA reports issued during the first half of fiscal 2010, evaluating assignments from all five DCAA regions and the Field Detachment to determine compliance with government auditing standards and DCAA policies and procedures.
Denmark will reopen its competition for a new fighter to replace its F-16s, the country’s government told the Joint Strike Fighter program office in a March 13 letter. Denmark is a Tier 3 JSF partner and was expected to order 48 F-35As The decision was taken after Eurofighter asked to rejoin the competition, the Danish defense ministry says, adding that it also expects Boeing and Saab to pitch the Super Hornet and JAS 39E Gripen. The JSF remains a candidate. Denmark expects to select a new fighter in mid-2015.
The U.S. military shift to the Asia-Pacific region will require continued investments in stealthy aircraft, submarines, reconnaissance platforms and ballistic missile defense (BMD), says Tom Donilon, the nation’s security advisor. The military will need to focus more on fifth-generation aircraft such as F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as well as radars and other BMD-related equipment, Donilon said March 11 during a speech at the Asia Society in New York, according to the American Forces Press.
PORT OF CALL: The U.s. Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Freedom, arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam March 11. Following a brief port visit, Freedom will deploy to Southeast Asia and Singapore for approximately eight months. Marking the first of many planned rotational deployments to the Western Pacific for the new LCS platform, Freedom will conduct maritime security operations with regional partners and allies.
LONDON — Eurocopter and Kazakhstan Engineering have signed an agreement to explore the assembly of military helicopters in Kazakhstan. The two companies already have a 50/50 joint venture called Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering. It was established in 2011 to produce EC145 helicopters for Kazakh military and government agencies. The JV last year also agreed to assemble 20 EC725 heavy helicopters for the Kazakh armed forces.
The commander of a Swedish air force Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter unit says his crews are ready to drop bombs as part of coalition operations following their participation in the Red Flag exercise in the U.S. During Operation Unified Protector, the U.N.-backed operation over Libya, Swedish politicians limited Swedish air force Gripens to a tactical reconnaissance and counter-air role. “Red Flag shows our politicians that we are capable of dropping weapons in complex air environments,” says Col. Anders Segerby, commander of the air arm’s F17 Wing.
An Indian cruise missile test was terminated March 12 after the missile failed to hit the target and deviated from its course during its first launch. But Nirbhay, India’s first indigenously developed subsonic cruise missile, did successfully meet its basic mission objectives, said India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which developed the missile.
LONDON — The Airbus Military A400M military airlifter has achieved European Aviation Safety Agency certification, marking another milestone as the company pushes to get the first aircraft delivered to the French air force before June and the Paris air show. The European regulator granted the aircraft its type certificate on March 13. According to the company, Military initial operating clearance is ongoing.
Honeywell is set to receive initial certification of a combined satellite-based communications and helicopter health and usage monitoring system (HUMS), which will send real-time alerts of exceedances and maintenance issues to ground personnel. The development, which will be offered initially as an option under a supplemental type certificate on the Sikorsky S-76C++, combines the company’s Zing HUMS and the latest Sky Connect III version of Honeywell’s satcom and aircraft tracking system.
LONDON — The first aircrew trained by the U.K. Military Flight Training System (MFTS) have begun graduating, but senior officials say they face a “voyage of discovery” as the service expands to cover other elements of training.
