R&D organization Battelle has completed preliminary design of an improved icing spray system to replace equipment now used by the U.S. Army to perform icing certification on military and civil helicopters and smaller fixed-wing aircraft.
While the U.S. Defense Department is becoming more effective in the way it estimates costs for certain studies and reports, it still needs to do a better job of making those assessments, asserts a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Cutting down on those costs, and obtaining a clearer picture of cost estimates, has become a Pentagon priority, GAO notes.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) May 14 - 17 — 2012 Insensitive Munitions and Energetic Materials Technology Symposium, "Insensitive Munitions and Energetic Materials Advancements and their Benefits to the Warfighter," Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. For more information go to www.ndia.org/meetings
ROME – The Italian air force is developing an EC-27 JEDI electronic attack aircraft. The system is effectively a smaller version of the U.S. EC-130H Compass Call that the U.S. Air Force operates. The system is based on commercial off-the-shelf equipment and is set up as a roll-on/roll-off capability, says Italian air force Col. Giuseppe Sgamba, the commander of the Italian air force electronic warfare center.
ROME – Saab is about to embark on flight testing of the BOH pod, a new self-protection system for fighters and light-attack aircraft. The system is the latest iteration of the BOL and BOZ dispense system family. The BOH is integrated in a Sidewinder-sized pod and would be mounted on a weapons station capable of firing the dogfight missile or AIM-120 Amraam missile.
Los Angeles – Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will develop a composite crew compartment with support from Lockheed Martin as part of a complete launch system being proposed with partner Astrium for NASA’s commercial crew program. Unveiling new details about the Liberty project, ATK says the system is on track for initial tests in 2014, with the first crewed test mission anticipated as early as 2015. Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and Liberty program manager, says the test plan supports crewed missions for NASA by 2016 and is built on flight-proven elements.
APACHE CONTRACT: The U.S. Army has awarded Morganti HAC, J.V., of Danbury, Conn., a $54,696,965 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for the construction of facilities and infrastructure to support the procurement of Apache AH-64D helicopters, the Defense Department announced May 10. The work will be performed in Kattamia Air Base, Egypt, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 22, 2012. There were 23 bids solicited, with six received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity.
LONDON – Higher-than-expected costs of converting its aircraft carriers to use F-35Cs has forced the U.K. to return to buying the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing version. The U.K. abandoned the F-35B during the 2010 Strategic Defense & Security Review, arguing the catapult-launch and arrestor gear F-35C was a better fit.
October 9, 2012 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Repair in New Generation Aircraft: Challenges and OpportunitiesLightweight 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. Register now! www.aviationweek.com/events/composites
AVX Aircraft is to study fuel-efficiency improvements for the U.S. Army’s Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopter under a contract awarded via the Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC). The study’s starting point is the Fort Worth-based company’s proposal to upgrade the OH-58D with coaxial rotors and dual ducted-fan propulsors to meet the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement.
ROME – The Australian government has opted to buy 10 Alenia Aermacchi C-27Js to meet its tactical transport needs. The aircraft is to replace the Caribou, retired in 2009. The first C-27J is due in Australia in 2015, followed in late 2016 by its initial operating capability. The aircraft will be based at RAAF Richmond.
Los Angeles – U.S. and Australian researchers say a rocket-boosted, hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet was successfully operated for around 12 sec. while accelerating from Mach 6.5 to Mach 8 during a test from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.
The House Armed Services Committee has approved a defense policy bill to authorize $554 billion in Pentagon spending during fiscal 2013 and that keeps in place a requirement for the Pentagon to start work on a new East Coast missile defense site. The bill, which authorizes $88 billion in war funding, also approved an amendment that will follow the House Appropriations Committee in putting a halt on the Air Force’s plan to scale back the Air National Guard with regard to C-130s.
The U.S. Navy is switching its focus on directed-energy weapons from the megawatt-class free-electron laser to less-powerful solid-state lasers, announcing plans to develop and demonstrate a prototype weapon aboard a Navy ship against aerial and small-boat targets. “We believe it’s time to move forward with solid-state lasers and shift the focus from limited demonstrations to weapon prototype development and related technology advancement,” say Peter Morrison, Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) program officer.
There are many indicators of House authorizers’ generous wishes for Pentagon spending in fiscal 2013, but the best might be this: $1.7 billion for 11 programs for which the Obama administration did not seek a penny.
ROME – The Italian military is taking another look at how to address its future airborne signals intelligence needs, although a tight budget environment makes it uncertain when a new platform will be fielded. The military is exploring its operational needs and future requirements through the use of an airborne sensor laboratory, says a senior Italian air force officer at the Association of Old Crows/Shephard Electronic Warfare Europe conference.
Boeing is looking ahead to a 2013 critical design review of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-46A refueler after wrapping up a monthlong preliminary design review (PDR) in April. The PDR, which took place March 21-April 27, validated that Boeing ’s design “meets system requirements [and] establishes the basis for proceeding with the detailed design,” according to an Air Force statement.
Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) and the Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC)/Embraer team competing once again for a contract to supply light-attack aircraft to Afghanistan may both have reasons for concern with the U.S. Air Force’s revised request for proposals. An amended RFP for the Light Air Support (LAS) program was issued on May 4 after the Air Force decided to restage the competition following its decision to terminate the $355 million contract awarded to SNC in December to supply 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucanos.
The House Armed Services Committee fended off an amendment that could have withheld half of procurement funding for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in fiscal 2013 if it does not deliver to Congress the date the program is to reach an initial operating capability (IOC). Instead, the defense authorization bill being considered by the House will require the Defense Department to provide the IOC date without a penalty.
