FARNBOROUGH — With politicians in the U.S. clamoring for a “hedge” against future missile threats, and budget cuts anticipated on both sides of the Atlantic, Raytheon is pitching a “smart defense” approach.
FARNBOROUGH — The formal rollout of the first Ulyanovsk-built Ilyushin Il-76 heralds the transfer of manufacture of the four-engine transport to Russia from Uzbekistan. Production of the Il-76 at Tashkent effectively ended two decades ago with the Soviet Union’s collapse, leaving the TAPO plant to slowly complete its stock of 40 “white tails” from a total run of 960.
FARNBOROUGH — AgustaWestland will achieve two milestones during this week’s Farnborough air show: delivery of the first AW159 Lynx Wildcat to the U.K. Ministry of Defense on July 11, and the public debut of the AW169 light intermediate helicopter.
FARNBOROUGH — GE Aviation sees plenty of fighter engine and technology demonstrator work keeping it busy in the wake of its loss of the F136 alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, on which it was paired with Rolls-Royce. “We’ve moved on. We’re feeling good about where we are,” says Jean Lydon-Rodgers, VP and general manager for military systems at GE Aviation. “We have 25,000 combat and rotorcraft engines out there, and one focus for us now is to work an upgrade for every one of them.”
Click here to view the pdf 2013 Markup: Lines Increased Only By House Appropriations ($ in thousands) 2013 Markup: Lines Increased Only By House Appropriations ($ in thousands) Description Request HAC $ Change % Change
LONDON and PARIS — Europe may still be playing catch-up with the U.S. when it comes to unmanned combat air vehicles, but in some respects European companies already have more riding on the long-term future of these endeavors than do their North American rivals.
NEW DELHI — India is increasing the budget for its planned defense fiber-optic network by 52.3 billion rupees ($952 million), for a total of 130 billion rupees ($2.3 billion), to keep up with cost growth on the project. “The cost estimate of the project escalated due to [a] change in specifications and other requirements emanating from the users, which includes the network for [the] army, navy and air force,” a government official says.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JULY 9 - 10 — Military airlift Asia-Pacific, “The perfect opportunity to discuss current airlifting capabilities and operations that are happening across Asia-Pacific,” Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. For more information go to www.www.militaryairliftasiapac.com <http://www.militaryairliftasiapac.com
POOLING SATCOM: The European Defense Agency (EDA) achieved an initial operational capability milestone in the area of satellite communication through a new “pooling and sharing” procurement strategy, the organization announced July 4. EDA’s ad hoc project calls for Italy, France, Poland, Romania and the U.K. to share modest amounts of satellite bandwidth as part of a pilot initiative that aims to save money through a common procurement scheme at the European Union level.
With the first phase of X-47B flight testing complete, the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman are turning their focus to preparing the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for the first trials of a pilotless, tailless, stealthy aircraft on an aircraft carrier deck.
PARIS — French defense procurement agency DGA has completed the first qualification firing test of a laser terminal guidance version of Sagem’s AASM SBU-64 precision-guided bomb. The agency’s missile test department conducted the trial May 31 from a production Dassault Rafale fighter at Cazaux air base using a bridge pier located more than 50 km (30 mi.) from the release point as a target. During the test, the target was acquired by an airborne illuminator that was activated during the last few seconds of the weapon’s flight.
The third in a series of advanced European weather satellites and the U.S. EchoStar 17 telecommunications satellite soared into an elliptical transfer orbit July 5
NEW DELHI — India is preparing to install a shield to protect against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and ICBMs in some of the country’s major cities. “The final locations, which have adequate stealth features and protection against enemy sabotage, will soon be determined by the government to install the ballistic missile defense [BMD] system,” a defense ministry official says. A detailed proposal is currently being prepared for approval by the Indian government.
A July 5 story incorrectly characterized Senate committee action on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fiscal 2013 budget request. The Commerce/Justice/Science mark shifts $1.6 billion from NOAA to NASA. The committee says the shift will save $117 million.
Click here to view the pdf Fiscal 2013: Socom-Requested Funding Increases For ISR ($ in thousands) Fiscal 2013: Socom-Requested Funding Increases For ISR ($ in thousands) Acct Line Description Request
As U.S. weather satellite programs struggle with delays and spending problems, a House Science subcommittee has been looking for help — in the form of contingency plans — in filling potential gaps in weather and climate data.
Engineering consultancy Ricardo has been selected to run a series of competitions under a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) program to design a combat vehicle in a fraction of the time required using conventional methods. Under the Fast, Adaptable, Next-Generation Ground (FANG) Challenge, Ricardo will stage three competitions that will use crowd-sourcing to design an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) meeting requirements that mirror the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV).
OXFORDSHIRE, U.K. — British ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker is looking at ways to expand its business beyond simply selling ejection seats and associated spares. This includes a study into how to apply the performance-based logistics model used for many aircraft platforms to its seats. And the company has developed a lightweight seat for use in platforms that to date have lacked an emergency egress system, according to Andrew Martin, who leads business development at the company.
VINASAT-2: The Vinasat-2 communications satellite has been checked out in orbit and is ready for service, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Based on Lockheed’s A2100 bus, the satellite sports 24 Ku-band channels and will provide fixed satellite services to Vietnam and neighboring countries from 131.8 deg. E. Long. Built to last 15 years, Vinasat-2 will be operated by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).
