Fleet size matters, but so does capability when it comes to deciding the right ship mix for the Pacific-pivot focus of the U.S. Navy in the coming years, the chief of naval operations (CNO) says. While the Navy will be looking to put more ships in the Pacific, the service also will be focused on plugging in the right kind of ships, according to CNO Adm. Jonathan Greenert.
NROL-15: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the National Reconnaissance Office’s third of four planned classified satellites for the year lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral at 9:15 a.m. EDT June 29. The flight of NROL-15 marked the second launch for the NRO in nine days. The Delta IV Heavy featured a center common booster core along with two strap-on common booster cores, each powered by an RS-68A Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine producing 797,000 lb. of thrust.
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee are leaning on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to push for an agreement to avoid a potential $55 billion reduction in defense spending early next year.
BEIJING — A tightly wrapped object the size and shape of a combat aircraft was hauled along Chinese highways in June, sparking speculation that the country was deliberately revealing a new twin-engine fighter from Shenyang Aircraft. Although a real fighter would not normally ride about 1,800 km (1,100 mi.) on a truck with its wings attached, a full-scale model for testing its radar cross section or another purpose might.
October 9, 2012 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Repair in New Generation Aircraft: Challenges and Opportunities Lightweight composites will soon rival metals as the primary material for airframes. Are you prepared? This event will highlight the latest developments, challenges and best practices in aircraft composite repair and maintenance technology. It will allow all of the key industry players to discuss best practices and share experiences.
The head of satellite services provider Inmarsat says he would like to see more established launch service providers in the market, and hopes that new and returning players such as Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Sea Launch will help foster more choice and competition in the future.
DENVER — Research outcomes on the International Space Station (ISS) will be so important to the future of U.S. human spaceflight that NASA is considering bartering for Russian crew time to help out with research in its facilities.
In a major consolidation to address an era of fixed-price contracts and lower defense and civil space spending, Lockheed Martin Space Systems is establishing two basic business lines — military and civil — rather than the separate talent pools devoted to more specific requirements in each of those areas.
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The U.S. plan for its European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to ballistic missile defense (BMD) took another step closer to proving its viability with a second successful flight intercept test this week. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and crewmembers of the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie conducted the Aegis flight test on June 26. The test is a solid win for the program, which has faced questions over development costs and testing issues.
VETO BAIT: Just as it did for the House version of the defense authorization bill, the White House is threatening to veto the defense spending bill for 2013. The Obama administration has a long list of objections to the bill, but its biggest problem is the fact that the House bill exceeds by more than $5 billion spending caps on the Pentagon established last year by the Budget Control Act (BCA). And even though that amount is offset by reductions in other House spending bills, the shift is a no-go for the administration.
Perhaps more than any other service, the U.S. Navy is facing an identity crisis as it tries to find the funds to support the fleet of ships it says it needs in the coming decades just as the Pentagon and Congress are tightening the budget belt. Navy officials and defense analysts disagree about what exactly the Navy needs to focus its investments on as the service looks to build and rebuild its submarine, destroyer, amphibious and aircraft carrier fleets nearly simultaneously.
SUN BLOCK: Preflight test layers for the sunshield that will protect NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are meeting performance targets during engineering tests, according to telescope prime Northrop Grumman. The tennis-court-sized sunshield is designed to keep the telescope cool enough in its Earth-trailing orbit for its sensitive infrared instruments to work. The membrane layers of the sunshield, each as thin as a human hair, are made of Kapton. ManTech International produces the sunshield.
GRIPEN OFFSETS: Saab is meeting with Swiss industry this week to help define the details of the offset program associated with Switzerland’s planned purchase of 22 Gripen NGs. The offset contract itself is not expected to be signed until 2013 or 2014, according to the Swiss defense armaments agency, armasuisse. But the meetings, taking place in Bern and unfolding through June 29, are designed to help intensify contacts between Saab and potential offset partners. The talks also involve other Gripen NG industrial stakeholders and Swiss companies.
The U.S. Army is evaluating AgustaWestland’s AW139 medium twin-turbine helicopter as the company prepares to propose the smaller AW169 for the service’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement. AgustaWestland North America is the first of five companies expected to provide available helicopters for evaluation in voluntary flight demonstrations as part of the Army’s AAS acquisition strategy.
James Albaugh, the Boeing veteran who has been a management leader in all of the company’s product markets — space, defense and airliners — will retire as president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) on Oct. 1. Boeing Chairman and CEO James McNerney has named another company veteran to succeed Albaugh. Executive Vice President Raymond L. Conner joined Boeing 34 years ago as a mechanic and currently heads its global sales operations.
LOS ANGELES — Rolls-Royce confirms it is throwing its hat into the ring for the U.S. Air Force’s Adaptive Engine Technology Development program (AETD), which aims to demonstrate potential fuel saving features for sixth-generation fighters as well as future bombers and other tactical aircraft. Mark Wilson, chief operating officer of Rolls-Royce’s Liberty Works advanced development organization in Indianapolis, says “We did put in a bid for the adaptive engine technology program, and this is currently in source selection with the Air Force.”
