Rockwell Collins is expanding its unmanned-aircraft flight-control technology to provide an optionally piloted capability for manned platforms. Applications include the U.S. Air Force’s Blue Devil 2 airship and AgustaWestland’s SW-4 unmanned helicopter. The company is a leading supplier of integrated navigation and flight-control systems for unmanned aircraft; its Athena systems fly on the U.S. Army’s AAI RQ-7B Shadow and the Navy’s Boeing Insitu RQ-21A small tactical unmanned aircraft systems.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is continuing her search for ways to get back the second Virginia submarine buy in 2014 delayed in the U.S. Navy’s 2013 budget request. At an April 26 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committe’s (SASC) seapower subcommittee, Ayotte asked Navy Assistant Secretary Sean Stackley about a funding possibility he’d described in testimony to SASC the previous week that could restore the delayed buy without much additional cost.
NEW DELHI — The Indian defense ministry (MOD) has ordered an investigation into Italian news reports that illegal commissions may have been paid to swing a $700 million deal signed two years ago for 12 VVIP helicopters. Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony made the announcement shortly after reports in the Italian press pointed to allegations of €51 million ($67.4 million) that were paid by AgustaWestland to a Switzerland-based agent to push through the Indian deal.
F-22 COSTS: Concerned about mounting modernization costs for the F-22A, and noting that they far outstripped similar expenses for F-15s, F-16s and F/A-18s, Senate appropriators sought an explanation from the Government Accountability Office. GAO’s answer: The F-22A began in 1991 as a single-step program, not expecting significant future modernization. The other programs started with the expectation of incremental upgrades over time.
NEW DELHI — India’s Tata Motors has signed a cooperation agreement with a Malaysian company to develop, promote and market its military trucks for the Malaysian armed forces. “Tata Motors and DRB-Hicom Defense Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech), a wholly owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Berhad, Malaysia, have signed a cooperation agreement to enable both Deftech and Tata Motors to develop, promote and market Tata’s high-mobility 4x4 trucks with payloads ranging from 2.5-5 metric tons for the armed forces of Malaysia,” Tata says.
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
An April 25 story incorrectly reported the funding status of FAA test sites for incorporating unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace. The Defense Authorization Act and FAA reauthorization mandated, but did not fund, establishing the test sites.
HOUSTON — A three-man, U.S. and Russian crew departed the International Space Station (ISS) early April 27, descending to Earth aboard their 28 Soyuz spacecraft for a safe ending to a 165-day mission that was marked by major hard- and software upgrades to the orbiting laboratory’s command and control functions as well as a rigorous research agenda.
Northrop Grumman is getting Bell Helicopter under contract to provide a modified commercial Model 407 as the first step after receiving a $262 million U.S. Navy award for development and initial production of the improved MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aircraft.
After receiving assurances from the White House that it is continuing to work on a “near-term course of action” regarding the imbalance in fighter jets between Taiwan and China, the Senate formally approved the nomination of the assistant secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific affairs.
The 20-min. naval prototype (NP-1) test sortie took place over Bengaluru and was flown by Air Commodore T.A. Maolankar and co-pilot Wing Commander Maltesh Prabhu.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) may 1 - 3 — American Helicopter Society's 68th Annual Forum and Technology Display, "Steering Vertical Flight Technology in New Directions," Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas. For more information go to www.vtol.org
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — State-owned defense company Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is about to pass some major milestones for its attack helicopter and primary trainer aircraft programs, which should make TAI a bigger industry player.
The U.S. Air Force is reviewing its plans for combat search and rescue to determine whether current fleet-sizing assumptions for the HH-60G and replacement Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) still reflect operational needs.
In a year when the defense industry has been preparing for steep cutbacks, lawmakers’ first crack at funding the Pentagon in fiscal 2013 should have industry officials smiling from ear to ear. The House Armed Services Committee is poised to add billions to President Barack Obama’s budget request in its version of the defense authorization bill to ensure that programs slated for cutbacks — everything from ships to submarines, missile defense systems, manned aircraft and UAVs — will continue.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Indonesia has ambitions to be a major defense exporter and will increasingly be working to secure partnerships that can help it achieve that goal. The government is formulating guidelines for international joint development of defense equipment including military aircraft, the country’s deputy defense minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, told Aviation Week at the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, earlier this month.
After reports about leaks and rust continuing to plague the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship project, lawmakers are moving to mandate that the Navy provide a “comprehensive briefing” on the program. The Project on Government Oversight last week released a report detailing corrosion and design flaws on both the General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin ships.
As tensions between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv continue to mount over Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons technologies, the U.S. has quietly begun a deployment of its premier stealthy fighter, the twin-engine F-22, to the United Arab Emirates. Multiple Lockheed Martin aircraft will operate out of Al Dhafra Air Base there, industry sources say. This is the same base from which U.S. U-2s and Global Hawk UAVs have been launched since shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The U.K. saw defense exports drop in 2011, but growth in security-related exports helped offset those declines to keep total exports on defense and security flat at £8 billion ($13 billion) year-on-year. The security business saw growth to £2.6 billion, up from £2 billion in 2010, with defense down £400 million to £5.4 billion. “The increase in the security sector reinforces a consistent picture of year-on-year growth,” Stephen Green, the minister for trade and investment, says in statement announcing the 2011 figures.
VOYAGER THRUST: An updated version of a thruster originally developed for NASA’s Voyager spacecraft missions in the 1970s has been adapted by Aerojet for future space exploration vehicles, including human-rated craft. The recently completed tests of the MR-104H monopropellant hydrazine thruster, conducted with Boeing and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, were focused on modifying the small engine with a modern, two-seat valve as well as evaluating an improved nozzle.
