EGLIN AFB, Fla. — Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has begun looking for an alternative helmet system for the stealthy aircraft, as problems with the current Vision Systems International helmet continue to plague the program.
Avalon, Australia — Lockheed Martin is working on some new product features to fulfill specific requirements for some F-35 overseas customers. Australia has asked that the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) F-35s be capable of using both the “probe and drogue” and “boom and receptacle” aerial refueling systems, says Tom Burbage, Lockheed executive vice president in charge of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
NEW DELHI — Another update to India’s new Defense Procurement Procedures (DPP 2011) is expected in the first week of April. Major changes will involve the technology-transfer clause. The policy will include technologies listed by the Defense Research and Development Organization that will be accepted as offsets. Currently, technology transfer from foreign vendors doing business with India is mandatory and cannot be charged for in India’s biggest defense procurement — the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program to buy 126 fighters.
HOUSTON — NASA’s Mission Management Team approved a second one-day extension of shuttle Discovery’s trouble-free final mission on March 3, while astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) upgraded and repaired U.S. and Russian carbon dioxide removal systems and supervised an altitude-raising maneuver that sets up the departures and arrivals of future Soyuz and shuttle crews.
BREAKING THE ICE: Part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s fiscal 2012 budget request includes a plan to reactivate heavy icebreaker CGC Polar Star for a 2013 deployment and to transition the crew to the ship from the icebreaker CGC Polar Sea, which has been plagued by engine failures for nearly the past two years and is being proposed for decommissioning in the coming fiscal year. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp acknowledged to Congress the transition time would leave a gap in the service’s ice-breaking operations.
While all eyes and most future aircraft carrier hopes rested on December’s first successful Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (Emals) launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet, the real test is about to begin — making sure the Emals equipment can be produced in time to ensure the CVN-78 can be delivered on schedule. “The real risk here has always been in the production phase,” says Scott Forney, vice president of electromagnetic systems for Emals contractor General Atomics.
AVALON, Australia — Australia anticipates that it will achieve initial operational capability (IOC) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 in late 2018, about 18 months after the U.S. Air Force achieves its IOC for the stealthy fighter. Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Vice Marshal Kym Osley, who is leading the introduction of F-35s into the RAAF, says the service had originally planned for a four-year gap between the U.S. Air Force IOC and the RAAF IOC, but delays in the F-35 program have whittled that margin down.
With the cancellation of its amphibious Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), the U.S. Marine Corps has released several requests for information (RFIs) looking for industry proposals to meet its future amphibious needs.
URGENT CONSOLIDATION: Congressional auditors recommend the Pentagon consolidate all of the military’s urgent needs processes into one part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, while keeping the development of weapons and systems at the armed services’ respective program offices. In a March 1 report on federal waste and duplication, the U.S.
BEIJING — China will launch the unmanned target for its first space docking in the second half of this year, having slipped a schedule that previously called for the module to be sent to orbit no later than 2010.
Use of the Economy Act to justify the U.S. Air Force’s sole-source purchase of helicopters for nuclear ICBM support and executive lift is only one of a number of options under consideration, says David Van Buren, the service’s senior acquisition official.
The U.S. Air Force’s debriefing for losing KC-X bidder EADS North America spanned two days to allow the service to follow up on some items with the contractor, according to a program official. The company’s debriefing on its loss wrapped up with a session March 1, the official says. It began with a 90-min. session Feb. 28.
HOUSTON — Discovery astronauts Steve Bowen and Al Drew safely vented a failed thermal control system pump and whipped through a list of maintenance tasks outside the International Space Station on March 2, foreshadowing a successful final mission for NASA’s fleet leader.
AVALON, Australia — The chief of staff of the Japanese air force says it is important for Japan to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in March for FX fighters. Japan’s program for 50 FXs to replace its fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-4s has dragged on for years and been delayed due to budget constraints. But industry executives say the Japanese defense ministry is now working to issue the RFP in March.
May 24-25, 2011 Washington Marriott - Washington, D.C. Managing Cybersecurity – from Policy to Protocol Find out where opportunities exist for the industry and how to effectively thwart potential cyber threats. www.aviationweek.com/events Click here to view the pdf
UNAUTHORIZED: Some House Science Committee members are critical of NASA’s fiscal 2012 budget request, which they say “flips” congressional priorities embodied in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act, giving more emphasis to evolving commercial cargo services into a commercial crew-delivery capability and less to the heavy-lift crew launcher and Orion-based crew capsule that Congress wants. “Commercial crew was not ignored, but to be perfectly clear, it was not — and is not — Congress’ first priority,” says Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), the committee chairman.
LONDON — The U.K. will retire two Tornado squadrons effective June 1 as part of decisions made in last year’s Strategic Defense and Security Review. The affected units, 13 Sqdn. at RAF Marham and 14 Sqdn. at RAF Lossiemouth, are only the start of a process that will see the Royal Air Force (RAF) trim its assets to 136 Tornado GR4s spread over five squadrons. The Air Force Board Standing Committee selected the Tornado squadrons that would be shuttered.
AVALON, Australia — The introduction of Lockheed Martin F-35s will spur demand for advanced jet trainers such as the Alenia Aermacchi M-346, says the Italian air force’s deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Maurizio Lodovisi. Lodovisi says the operational costs of advanced fighters such as the F-35 are such that “it could be nice to have an advanced jet trainer such as the M-346.” If more training can be done on advanced jet trainers, rather than on advanced fighters, then it will help air forces to reduce costs, he says.
AVIATION WEEK Laureate Awards 53rd Annual Laureates Awards AVIATION WEEK’s annual Laureate Awards brings together distinguished professionals to celebrate individuals and teams for their outstanding contributions. These achievements are exemplified by a spirit of exploration, innovation, and vision. They encourage others to strive for significant broad-reaching progress in aviation and aerospace. Inspire and be inspired.
AVALON, Australia — The U.S. Navy plans its first Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicle base to achieve initial operational capability in late 2015, covering the Persian Gulf, according the service’s BAMS program manager, Capt. Robert Dishman. Dishman says the U.S. is negotiating with countries in the region regarding location of the base. If piracy continues to be a problem in the Gulf of Aden, then these UAVs also will be used there, he adds. BAMS is based on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk UAV.
CAPE CANAVERAL — Three months after the U.S. Air Force’s experimental Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) returned from a debut spaceflight that spanned 224 days, its sister ship is being prepared for liftoff March 4 on a follow-on mission. Like its predecessor, OTV-2 will launch aboard an Atlas V booster from Cape Canaveral AFS. The 2-hr. launch window opens at 3:39 p.m. EST.
SAT STUDY: The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded a $1.5 million contract to Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to study how commercial technologies and best practices can be applied to military communications needs. Palo Alto, Calif.-based SS/L is primarily a commercial satellite manufacturer, although it is also a leader in hosted payloads for government/military customers. The contract came from the Air Force’s Milsatcom Systems Directorate.
