The U.S. Army is moving ahead to develop a ground-based sense-and-avoid (GBSAA) system that will allow operations in civil airspace wherever General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicles are based across the U.S. A prototype of the ground radar-based GBSAA system became operational last year at General Atomics’ El Mirage airfield in California, to allow the UAVs to transit civil airspace to a nearby restricted area for night training flights.
Northrop Grumman is thus far a big loser in the Pentagon’s forthcoming fiscal 2013 budget plan, with severe cuts planned for its premier unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and satellite programs — both under U.S. Air Force supervision.
NASA does not have adequate plans to deal with the significant likelihood that the International Space Station (ISS) may have to be abandoned at some point during the remainder of this decade, nor is it addressing safety issues with its plan to use commercial vehicles to deliver crews to the orbiting outpost, the agency’s outside safety review organization has concluded. In its 2011 annual report, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) sees “more than an outside possibility” that the ISS will suffer a loss-of-mission event during its projected lifetime.
The U.S. Navy will keep its aircraft carrier fleet at the now-magical number, 11, while other ships are being slipped or cut over the next five years — even those the Pentagon says it needs and wants to protect — according to a preview of the upcoming fiscal 2013 budget request detailed Jan. 26 by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The plan scuttles months-long speculation that the Pentagon would delay or cancel some carrier programs and reduce the fleet size.
DEFICIT DOOM: Gordon Adams, an American University professor who had a hand in the Clinton administration’s defense build-down, argues that the Obama administration is merely scratching the surface with its newly unveiled defense cuts, because the nation’s debt is so high that the need to cut the federal deficit will continue. “Washington is going to have to find about $4 trillion in spending and revenue changes over the next 10 years if the nation’s debt is to stabilize at 60% of GDP,” Adams said during a Brookings Institution event Jan. 26.
LONDON — China’s plan to launch 12 more Compass navigation satellites and inaugurate their operational use this year is only one of several key satellite activities planned for 2012.
Hawker Beechcraft is stepping up its fight over the U.S. Air Force’s Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft, saying the decision to give the $355 million program to Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazilian manufacturer Embraer directly conflicts with President Barack Obama’s goal of protecting American manufacturing jobs. The Wichita plane maker has sued to overturn the Air Force decision announced shortly before the new year, and the Air Force issued a stop-work order Jan. 4 to expedite the process of sorting out Hawker’s claims.
NEW DELHI — India’s latest nuclear-capable strategic missile, the Agni-IV, was displayed publicly for the first time on Jan. 26 as the country showcased its military might at the 63rd Republic Day celebrations.
MOSCOW — Russia’s defense ministry has released information about its weapons procurement in 2011, and has already approved its buying plan for 2012. According to Deputy Minister Alexander Sukhorukov, the ministry purchased 30 Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) and Yars ballistic missiles, four military satellites, 21 aircraft, 82 helicopters, one Stereguschiy class corvette, 8,531 military trucks and other military hardware.
Click here to view the pdf Fiscal 2013 Budget: Major Programs Affected ($ in thousands) Fiscal 2013 Budget: Major Programs Affected ($ in thousands) Account Line Number Program FY 2012 Reques
February 14-16, 2012 Hilton Arlington Arlington, VA The premier event shedding light on DoD’s future spending priorities and technologies of growing importance. Featuring: -- Shay Assad, Director Defense Pricing, Ofce Secretary of Defense -- Maj Gen Julian “JB” Burns, US Army - Ret, VP, Defense Affairs, Land & Armaments, BAE Systems
DATA DUMP: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to distribute some of the minute samples its Hayabusa probe returned from the asteroid Itakowa. The spacecraft, which imaged its shadow against the type-S asteroid as it approached in the fall of 2005, returned more than 1,000 asteroid particles measuring about 10 micrometers (0.0004 in.), despite control problems at its target. The tiny samples have been analyzed by Japanese scientists, and now will be available in a peer-reviewed opportunity.
LONDON — The EADS board of directors has approved a planned management reshuffle after naming former European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet to the board in a bid to appease the French government. The leadership transition will now unfold as initially planned, with Airbus CEO Tom Enders replacing retiring EADS CEO Louis Gallois this summer, and Fabrice Bregier moving into the top job at Airbus. Arnaud Lagardere takes over as EADS board chairman from Bodo Uebber.
CENTAUR CUSTOMER: Switzerland has become the first customer for Aurora Flight Sciences’ Centaur optionally piloted aircraft, which is based on a Diamond DA42 certified twin-engine light aircraft. Procurement agency Armasuisse has purchased the aircraft for delivery this year to the Swiss defense department’s flight-test center at Emmen, which will use the Centaur as a testbed for sensors and sense-and-avoid systems to allow unmanned aircraft to operate in civilian airspace.
Rep. Frank Wolf is arguing that recent unrest in Egypt, including raids on nongovernmental groups there, could threaten ample foreign aid to the North African country. The Virginia Republican is circulating with House colleagues a letter he wrote to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that denounces recent raids conducted by Egyptian security and military forces on U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
TEL AVIV — Israel has taken another step toward fielding a four-layered missile defense with Boeing joining Israel Aerospace Industries in developing the Arrow-3, an upper-tier anti-ballistic missile system.
February 14-16, 2012 Hilton Arlington Arlington, VA The premier event shedding light on DoD’s future spending priorities and technologies of growing importance. Featuring: -- Shay Assad, Director Defense Pricing, Ofce Secretary of Defense -- Maj Gen Julian “JB” Burns, US Army - Ret, VP, Defense Affairs, Land & Armaments, BAE Systems
Boeing says the big news in pulse manufacturing is not limited to production ramp-ups in its 737 factories in Washington. It also is making news in manufacturing satellites on an assembly line in El Segundo, Calif. Boeing Satellite Systems has four identical Global Positioning System IIF satellites pulsing through an assembly line with 13 distinct manufacturing “post” positions as part of a U.S. Air Force contract with a total value of $1.35 billion.
Boeing CEO James McNerney predicts that more of the company’s military sales will originate overseas, as the U.S. defense budget comes under pressure. McNerney told analysts Jan. 25 that with “tough U.S. defense budgets,” the company sees “significant upside in the international defense market” for Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS). He forecasts that as much as 25-30% of revenues for the unit could come from international sales “in the next few years.”
GENOA — Even as France’s Safran considers a bid for it, Avio says it is still planning at least a partial initial public offering this year, one it had postponed from the end of 2011 due to Europe’s financial crisis.
Additional autonomy will be key if U.S. unmanned aircraft are to operate in the contested airspace of the future, according to the U.S. Air Force’s first deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
