Advocates for LightSquared are using a time-honored Washington technique in arguing that the company should be allowed to proceed with plans to build a 4G wireless broadband network — they’re reframing the debate, painting objections about interference with GPS signals as needlessly complex. “Our opponents have turned basic engineering issues into a political debate,” LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja told a Capitol Hill audience Dec. 7.
HEAVY LIFTING: On Dec. 15 NASA will host an industry day at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to share information on the advanced booster for the agency’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. Marshall leads SLS development for NASA. The 130-metric-ton SLS will require an advanced booster with a significant increase in thrust over existing U.S. liquid or solid boosters, according to the agency. Its first full-scale test flight is set for 2017.
NEW DELHI — India has issued a letter of request to buy an additional nine more C-130J transport aircraft, Defense Minister A.K. Antony told parliament Dec. 7. On Oct. 26, the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of a possible sale to India of six Lockheed Martin C-130Js, plus associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support, for an estimated $1.2 billion, on top of six of the airlifters ordered for the same price in 2008.
HOUSTON — At a time when other NASA contractors have been downsizing to adjust to the post-shuttle era, Qinetiq North America has seen its workforce grow as it helps the agency tackle future challenges in life-support systems and other areas. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Qinetiq North America is attempting to place biological approaches to advanced life-support system development for human deep-space exploration on a par with traditional physical/chemical strategies.
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Indonesia’s air force wants more Lockheed Martin C-130s and to also have a modern airborne early warning (AEW) capability, but these two procurements appear to be further down the line.
NEW DELHI — India’s indigenous Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C), which is being built on a modified Embraer EMB-145 aircraft in Brazil, made its first flight Dec. 6.
LOS ANGELES — The long-running saga of selling F-16s to Iraq has come to an end with Lockheed Martin winning an $835 million foreign military sales contract to provide 18 aircraft. The Defense Department award on Dec. 5 covers 12 F-16C and six F-16D Block 52 aircraft, plus spares and support, and runs through May 2018. The work is expected to keep the production line in Fort Worth running through 2015 and is the first firm F-16 order for Lockheed Martin in more than a year.
House and Senate lawmakers have agreed to fund defense at $518 billion for fiscal 2012, lawmakers and defense lobbyists say. The bill is likely to be included in an omnibus spending package that could clear both chambers before current continuing resolutions expire Dec. 16. And although problems on policy issues involving spending bills could make the process bumpy, lawmakers and aides are hopeful of reaching agreements that will avert a government shutdown.
LANGKAWI, Malyasia — Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport is highlighting its commitment to Malaysia in its effort to win a new contract for 18 fighters.
LOS ANGELES — Plans by the U.S. Air Force to replace its expendable launchers with a reusable booster system (RBS) have taken a big step forward with the award of three technology development contracts potentially worth up to $250 million.
OPPOSING GRIPEN: Opponents of the Swiss government’s decision to buy JAS-39E/F Gripen fighters are calling for a public referendum in the hope that it would kill the deal. The left SP party, which convened this past weekend in Luzern, has long opposed the fighter procurement, so the opposition is not tied, specifically, to the decision in favor of the Swedish Gripen. However, with last week’s decision to buy 22 Gripens, the referendum issue has been put back on the political agenda.
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Victor Komardin, the deputy director of Russia’s arms export agency Rosoboronexport, contends that the two short-listed candidates for India’s Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition have effectively ruled themselves out by putting too high a price on their fighters.
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Indonesia’s defense minister wants more local content in Airbus Military C295s assembled in Indonesia. “We’re looking at more than 50% local content on the C295,” Purnomo Yusgiantoro told Aviation Week on the sidelines of the LIMA Airshow in Langkawi, Malaysia, Dec. 6.
Andrew Mellon Auditorium Washington, D.C. March 7, 2012 The Aviation Week Laureate Awards recognize individuals and teams for their extraordinary accomplishments. Their achievements embody the spirit of exploration, innovation and vision that inspire others to strive for significant broad-reaching progress in aviation and aerospace. Join us at this black tie dinner and celebrate the best of the industry’s best! www.aviationweek.com/events/current/lau/index.htm
NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) has dispatched two of its Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft to France as part of a long-awaited deal to upgrade around 50 of the aging supersonic fighters. The modernization will cost an estimated $2.4 billion under an agreement signed between India, Thales and Dassault Aviation in July.
NEW DELHI — Yet another Indian air force MiG combat aircraft has crashed, the eighth IAF MiG to go down this year. The pilot ejected safely. The MiG-21 Bison fighter took off from Sirsa Air Force station base on the morning of Dec. 2 for a regular practice flight and crashed a short time later into a field in a village in northern India’s Haryana state about 40 km away, police and air force officials said. An IAF spokesman said the pilot, Wing Cmdr. J.D. Singh, was safe.
Work on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is on track to stay within its latest cost and schedule plan, NASA told Congress Dec. 6, now that the agency has implemented recommendations from the outside panel that found the 6.5-meter segmented infrared telescope’s cost had jumped by $3.6 billion over its earlier estimate.
It was indeed a stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel that crashed in Iran, say U.S. Air Force officials with connections to the intelligence community. Iran says it was shot down, while U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) specialists say the flying wing broke contact with its ground station and subsequently crashed.
PARIS — The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is scaling back plans to supply the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat) with sensors slated to fly on its next-generation, polar-orbiting weather satellite.
AIR FORCE United Launch Services, L.L.C., Littleton, Colo., is being awarded a $150,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This undefinitized contractual action is to provide Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launch services in support of the fifth Wideband Global Satellite Communication mission. The location of performance is United Launch Services, Littleton, Colo. The Space and Missile Systems Center, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8811-11-C-0001).
Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Kepler extra-solar planet-finding mission have confirmed their first Earth-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star 600 light years from Earth, while almost doubling the number of candidates identified as they improve data-analysis techniques.
