The U.S. Navy’s bolstered efforts to better maintain Aegis weapon systems are going well, but the service still has plenty of work to do, says the admiral who put the plan into action. “I have seen improvement across the board,” says Adm. John Harvey, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “But are we done? Absolutely not.” At Harvey’s insistence, the Navy started a more robust maintenance and monitoring plan to get the radar and combat system problems under control.`
MANILA — The South China Sea dispute has led the Philippines to move to strengthen its military capability as quickly as possible as a hedge against maritime intrusions by China. The government is planning to sign contracts before the end of July for the purchase of military aircraft as part of its air force’s modernization program.
LUCID RETIRES: Five-time space traveler Shannon Lucid has retired from NASA after 34 years and more than 223 days in space. A member of the first class of NASA astronauts to include women, Lucid is the only U.S. woman to live and work on Russia’s Mir space station, a 188-day mission that was extended twice to last more than six weeks longer than anticipated at launch on the space shuttle Atlantis.
A cockpit upgrade for 20 U.S. Navy Lockheed Martin C-130Ts could be the first program to use a new open-systems avionics standard developed by government and industry to enable software reuse to speed the fielding of new capabilities. The first version of the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) technical standard was released Jan. 30, after just 18 months of work by a consortium formed under the auspices of open-systems standards organization The Open Group.
The top military officers in the U.S. Air Force and Army have signed a memorandum of agreement that outlines how the Air Force will provide direct airlift support to deployed Army units, an issue that had been a concern for some officers in light of a Pentagon decision to terminate the C-27J that was specifically purchased for that mission.
NEW DELHI and LONDON — The Indian government has named Dassault Aviation’s Rafale offering ahead of the Eurofighter Typhoon as the “lowest bidder” in the competition to supply at least 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) to the Indian air force. The development effectively means Rafale has won the $11 billion competition unless contractual talks now due to unfold in the coming months derail and prevent a deal from being signed. Industrial offset and other details still need to be worked out.
HERON DOWN: Weeks after being declared operational, one of the Israeli air force’s strategic UAVs, the medium-altitude long-endurance Eitan (Heron TP), crashed during a test flight Jan. 29. One of five produced so far by prime contractor IAI, the 4,000-kg (9,000-lb.) Heron TP was tested carrying a new payload, apparently on the limit of its carrying capability. “What we know is that one of the wings broke,” said Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan, air force commander.
A homeland security mission assigned largely to the Air National Guard in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks still lacks a plan to deal with its aging aircraft, according to the draft of a U.S. Government Accountability Office report obtained by Aviation Week. The report is coming at a delicate time for the Air Force. Supporters of the Air National Guard are sensing that reductions will be announced with the Feb. 13 budget release and are already mobilizing their response.
Luxembourg-based SES S.A. is moving its new SES-3 telecommunication satellite from an orbital slot servicing North America to one over Asia to meet growing demand there. Launched in July 2011, SES-3 will be positioned at 108.2 deg. E. Long. to serve the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where the company says it is receiving “growing” demand from commercial and government customers.
GENOA — Avio’s continued growth is reflected in its 2011 results, which improved from the previous year despite the difficult economic scenario in Europe. The Italian aerospace propulsion company, which is led by Francesco Caio, reached the €2 billion ($2.6 billion) revenue mark, improving by 14.5%, compared with €1.75 billion the year before. The company’s operating results also improved, to €380 million, versus €360 million in 2010.
The U.S. Navy is studying its force structure in a review that could very well drop the floor on the 313-ship fleet that has anchored the nation’s maritime defense strategy for years. Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the relatively new chief of naval operations (CNO), has asked the top Navy command to generate a force structure study to take into account the new military strategy of the Obama administration, as well as the tighter fiscal reality that will be presented with the fiscal 2013 budget, says Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
The U.S. Navy has already altered its Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship, LCS-1, to address problems uncovered in testing, but the ship still needs to be fundamentally redesigned, say leading defense analysts. They base their conclusions on briefings from the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) revealing findings of Navy and industry reports detailing the vessel’s hull and deckhouse cracking and engine problems. AWIN was given exclusive access to the documents.
LONDON — The Hungarian government has extended its lease of Gripen fighters until at least 2026. The move comes as the Czech Republic, another Gripen user, considers its course of action, with air force officials suggesting they, too, would like to remain committed to Saab’s single-engine fighter. Prague is due to make a decision this year on how to sustain its fighter capacity after 2015.
U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin officials contest the findings of service and contractor reports from last year indicating that the cracking and engine problems on the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) were far worse than the program initially acknowledged, and say those issues have been fixed. The Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) was granted exclusive access to the reports, which service officials say they do not know about and could be outdated.
TOTAL CONTROL: Shortly after joining forces in defense electronics, Thales and Safran have moved to ensure their joint venture has full control of infrared detector maker Sofradir. The two French aerospace and defense companies have acquired Areva’s 20% stake in Sofradir for an undisclosed amount. The two buyers will each hold 50% in the company. Late last year, after prolonged discussion, Safran and Thales agreed to pool their electro-optical activities.
Over the next decade, the international market should produce about 5,500 main battle tanks worth more than $24 billion, according to a new analysis from the Forecast International Weapons Group.
