The European Space Agency (ESA) has delayed the April launch of its fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) as it tests a replacement component on the cargo vessel’s Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC). Previously slated to launch April 18, the Astrium-built ATV-4 was delivered in September to the European Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, where it is undergoing final integration and test prior to the mission. It is the fourth of five ATVs slated to launch to the ISS between 2008 and 2014.
LONDON — BAE Systems has reported a fall in earnings and warned that some of its key business areas are likely to suffer further in 2013. In its 2012 results, the company said that U.S. defense budgets had “flattened” and were expected to remain constrained in response to reducing overseas operations in Afghanistan and “measures to address federal deficits.”
Pentagon UAV investments have been on the rise, ranking 46th among all non-construction-related Defense Department expenses in 2011 — the first time in recent years such expenses have cracked the top 50, according to an exclusive Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis. The Pentagon cost category “drones” reached $1.5 billion in contracts and contract modifications, according to AWIN’s analysis of contracting data aggregated by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
The FAA is formally placing significant emphasis on privacy concerns regarding its congressional mandate to stand up test sites for domestic unmanned air systems (UAS) and to integrate the aircraft into the national airspace. In a Feb. 21 Federal Register notice, FAA Chief Counsel Kathryn Thomson said even formal allegations of wrongdoing could cost interested parties their certification.
NEW YORK — EADS is revising its goal for equal revenues from its civil and defense programs by 2020 after failing to finalize its merger with BAE Systems and accounting for cuts in government defense spending. But the European manufacturer has yet to decide on a new target and the future direction of its Cassidian defense business.
Often faulted for failing to meet science project cost and schedule targets, NASA seems to be following an effective strategy with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Project, or Maven. The $453 million mission, scheduled for launch Nov. 18, will study climate-influencing changes in the Martian upper atmosphere. If the mission is successful, Maven’s development could become a case study for other science mission projects, according to NASA’s inspector general (IG).
NASA’s Space Technology Program, upgraded this week into a full-fledged mission directorate at the agency’s headquarters, is funding development of an electric-thruster technology that holds promise both in propulsion for tiny cubesats and as a lightweight replacement for attitude-control and in-space propulsion systems on larger spacecraft.
OBAMA ON TOUR: Many Republicans spent last summer touring the nation’s military towns talking about the prospect of sequestration. Now President Barack Obama is on the sequestration circuit, planning to stop at Newport News Shipbuilding on Feb. 26. The Virginia congressional delegation’s response: It’s about time. “While the president speaks in Newport News at the shipyard, five American aircraft carriers sit idle, capturing the stark reality of the readiness crisis that hasn’t waited until March 1 – it has already begun,” says Rep.
Fifteen Republican senators are asking President Barack Obama to withdraw the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to be secretary of defense. The senators, led by John Cornyn (Texas), are rejecting Hagel based on his support for the legitimacy of the current regime in Iran, his thoughts on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and his performance during his confirmation hearing.
The Pentagon spent years studying how to navigate the effects of budget cuts on its industrial base. Now, cuts are likely to be imposed on the Defense Department, which will have little ability to manage them, officials fear.
ABU DHABI — Saab officials say they are open to ideas about additional expansion in the Middle East following the successful creation of a new subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Advanced Radar Systems (ADARS) was formed by Saab in partnership with the UAE defense holding company Tawazun earlier in February with the express purpose of developing new radar systems for the Middle East market. But Micael Johansson, Saab’s senior vice president for electronic defense systems, says the opportunities don’t just end with radars.
BENGALURU — Thales’ joint ventures in India are structured to give the French conglomerate an edge when competing for defense contracts in the country. The company’s managing director for India, Eric Lenseigne, says Thales recently announced two major joint ventures with Indian companies: Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Samtel. Thales has capped its stake at 26%, in line with India’s foreign ownership laws for defense companies. But Lenseigne says this also means that the work these Indian joint ventures do qualifies for offsets.
ABU DHABI — The UAE military has debuted a super-heavy multiple launch rocket system fitted to an articulated transport vehicle. The Multiple Cradle Launcher is a 10-wheel trailer fitted with four unguided rocket-launching cradles. The system, which was developed for the UAE army, was produced by Jobaria Defense Systems over three years in the UAE and delivered to the army last year.
ABU DHABI — The Iraqi navy is interested in buying the Bell UH-1Y Huey to protect its shoreline and critical oil installations. According to Steve Schultz, director of international business development at Bell Helicopter, the Iraqi navy has a requirement for between six and eight utility helicopters. A decision is likely later this year. “The Iraqis only have a small coastline, but they have a lot of energy facilities to look after,” said Schultz, who hopes a navy purchase could spur interest in other branches of the Iraqi military.
NEW DELHI — India will take a “second look” at its policies on defense production and procurement to lessen reliance on imported weapons and avoid controversies such as the bribery scandal surrounding the AW101 helicopter deal with Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland. Defense Minister A.K. Antony is urging defense forces to transform their approach of relying on imports to meet operational requirements and instead give priority to indigenization in the defense sector.
