Thales is preparing for a three-month flight-test program of its RBE2 radar on Rafale with delivery of the first production version to Dassault. The French military expects to begin fielding the active, electronically scanned array radar next year. Flight testing will involve Rafale C137; the radar is being installed at Dassault’s Merignac facility in southern France. The flight-test campaign will take place at the Istres flight-test center.
Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. is facing a critical shortage of engineers—in aerospace and other industries—and that not enough students are studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields to offset this coming shortfall. A corollary to this belief is that U.S. high-school test scores in these critical subjects are low, hampering the country’s future competitiveness. But according to some academics, this conventional wisdom is a fallacy that industry repeats for its own ends.
LIFE-CYCLE SOLUTIONS: Expect to see Rockwell Collins announce renewal of its $17.2 million life-cycle support contract with the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The company says it has a 100% availability rate for helicopter cockpit replacement parts for its common avionics architecture system. Also expect Rockwell Collins to introduce a tailored life-cycle service solution called FlexForce for military and government agencies. The FlexForce program is designed to provide transparent repair and supply-chain visibility on a performance basis.
TRAINING PARTNERS: German glider manufacturer Grob Aircraft will supply its G 120TP computer-based training system for Argentina’s Fadea IA-63 Pampa II lead-in fighter/trainer. State-owned Fadea has completed flight tests of the Pampa, which has been re-engined with the Honeywell TFE 731-40 geared turbofan engine.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Growing concern over cyberattacks against its radar and air command and control systems has prompted ThalesRaytheonSystems to launch a program to protect its systems from being spoofed.
The cost of the Pentagon’s largest weapon system continues to grow, as a Pentagon official contends that the increases are being brought under control.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Elbit is targeting Brazil for its latest laser-guided rocket project, hoping to convince the government to change its preferred rocket and add a precision-guidance system. The goal of the self-funded effort is to begin the first demonstration firings of the new laser-guided rocket by year’s end, to help generate interest within the Brazilian military, an industry official says. The weapon is slated for use on Panther and other helicopters, as well as the A-29 Super Tucano.
NEW DELHI — India’s defense minister says the country’s defense expenditures will continue to increase as the modernization of its armed forces remains a top priority. “Our armed forces need to have access to [the] latest defense technologies, equipped with the state-of-the-art platforms, equipment and systems. With the projected growth of the Indian economy expected at a trajectory of 8-10% for the next two decades, expenditures on defense in absolute terms is bound to increase,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony said in inaugurating DefExpo 2012 here.
The defense industry has been on edge since last summer about a potential $1 trillion reduction in military spending over the next decade, but it’s not an issue that registers with the voting public. To make the military’s angst known, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) is planning a “Defend Our Defenders” road show. The multistop tour aims to bring in retired military brass, members of Congress and industry to build the public’s interest in defense spending so it can be an issue on the campaign stump before November.
In another clear signal that moderation in the U.S. Congress is on the margins, House lawmakers have booted a deficit compromise proposal based on a bipartisan commission from 2010. The vote occurred as Republicans and Democrats are calling for prompt action on a deal to avert a potential $1.2 trillion across-the-board cut in government spending due to take place Jan. 2, 2013.
MINESWEEPER: The U.S. Navy recently finished a second round of testing to further prove the countermine mission potential for its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The second phase started with testing of each of the components designed for the mine countermeasures package on the LCS-2 USS Independence, including the Remote Minehunting System, Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems, Airborne Mine Neutralization System and the AN/AQS-20A sonar. Navy officials then tested multiple systems in concert, finally culminating in successful mine detection and neutralization tests.
GENOA — Italy’s Finmeccanica will establish a defense unit in 2013 to combine all of its U.S. operations, including aeronautics, helicopters and defense electronics, to be led by former U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn. The move, unveiled earlier this week by Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi, is part of several significant changes in the beleaguered giant’s strategy, structure and businesses. The changes are necessary, Orsi says, to return Finmeccanica to profitability as soon as this year.
As Europe and China prepare to talk potential International Space Station (ISS) cooperation in Paris this month, NASA’s top official is tempering expectations, absent approval from Congress and all five nations supporting the orbiting outpost.
NEW DELHI — Indian engineering company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Ltd. and South Korean defense firm Samsung Techwin Co. are joining forces in a bid to build self-propelled artillery guns for the Indian army. According to an announcement made at the DefExpo 2012 here, the two companies have formed a joint venture to compete for the Tracked Self-Propelled Artillery Program.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) analysis of 96 programs in the 2011 Pentagon portfolio puts their total cost to complete at $1.58 trillion, a 5% increase over the previous year. The 10 largest programs account for more than half the portfolio cost; the Joint Strike Fighter’s $327 billion total accounts for one-fifth. In assessing the overall impact of program cost growth, GAO observes that more than 60% of programs “lost buying power” because of increases in unit costs.
NEW DELHI — India’s “air defense is 97% obsolete,” the country’s soon-to-retire army chief Gen. V.K. Singh wrote in a recent letter to the Indian premier that discusses a number of major issues plaguing the Indian military. The content of the letter, dated March 12, was leaked to the media March 28.
Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk Block 30 may have a shot at escaping U.S. Air Force plans to place it in storage. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, says he will recommend continuing funding for the high-flying unmanned aircraft. “That may prevail, at least in the House defense subcommittee.” According to Moran, the “taxpayer is best served” by the Global Hawk, as compared to the U-2 intelligence-gathering aircraft, which the Air Force wants to continue using.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Embraer has added three countries to its A-29 Super Tucano customer list with Burkina Faso, Angola and Mauritania. Burkina Faso already received its three aircraft last year, with talks under way for more. Angola is buying six aircraft, with three to be delivered this year and the rest next year. The size of the Mauritania deal was not disclosed; all are to be delivered this year. All three countries are buying the Embraer-developed Training and Operation Support System. The total contract value is $180 million for the deals.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Brazil is expected to give the go-ahead this year to a new ground-launched cruise missile development program. Avibras has been working on the technology to launch the new weapon, called TM (Tactical Missile), from the Astros II artillery rocket system, but more serious engineering work will require government funding. A production contract is expected to follow in three to four years, according to an industry official.
TAOYUAN CITY, Taiwan — Taiwan has ambitions to develop an aerospace park around its main international gateway, Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, but there are issues that need to be overcome. The main problem is that the Taoyuan County government, which is spearheading the initiative, has yet to secure the land needed to develop the aerospace park, named Aerotropolis.
