NEW DELHI—The Indian air force is continuously modernizing its equipment, as well as making new purchases, Defense Minister A.K. Antony tells parliament. The IAF phases out obsolete systems and upgrades and extends the life of other equipment when feasible, he says. Obsolete equipment like the MiG-23, MiG-25 and Canberra aircraft has been phased out, Antony says. Existing fighters including the MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and Su-30 MKI, as well as transport aircraft such as the An-32 and other helicopters, are being upgraded.
EADS is prepared to be more aggressive in making acquisitions as it moves to increase its share of a constrained U.S. defense market. The European aerospace giant had limited any acquisitions in the U.S. to $500 million or less as it moved to conserve cash after the global economic downturn hit. But with the outlook much improved for its commercial Airbus unit, the company’s board is now prepared to sign off on bigger deals if the right opportunity comes along.
RENEWED START: The Obama administration is setting ratification of the New Start nuclear arms reduction deal with Russia as a top priority during the so-called lame-duck session of Congress starting later this month. “There’s no sense in putting off what we need now to the next Congress,” Defense Department Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. Still, department officials downplayed concerns that the treaty would fare worse once the more conservative-infused 112th Congress is seated next year.
United Space Alliance (USA) has received a one-year, $165 million contract extension from NASA’s Johnson Space Center for support of mission and flight crew operations following the retirement of the shuttle. The extension — to Sept. 30, 2012, from Oct. 1, 2011 — includes ground-based training and support for the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities.
HYDERABAD—India flew the fifth limited series production (LSP-5) version of its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft on Nov. 19, marking a significant milestone on Tejas’s march toward operational status. Although the flight readiness review board had cleared LSP-5 to fly the previous week, poor weather in Bengaluru delayed the mission.
Investors have made a lot of money and lost large sums betting on specialty metals companies Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) and Ladish. Shares in ATI, a leading producer of titanium and nickel-based super alloys, rocketed from $2.10 in 2003 to nearly $120 four years late—and then plummeted to $15 when the global economic downturn hit. Similarly Ladish, which specializes in forging, casting and machining parts for jet engines, airframes and helicopters, saw its stock rise from about $5 in 2003 to $60 in 2007—and then fall back to where it started.
ZHUHAI, China—Avic’s helicopter manufacturer Avicopter aims to achieve certification for its light commercial helicopter, the AC311, late next year and also complete first deliveries before the end of 2011.
U.S. and U.K. companies are realigning their structures to profit from a new wave of intelligence, cyber, information and electronic weaponry, as well as the sophisticated sensors that will guide them.
LICENSED RETURN: The FAA on Nov. 22 granted Space Exploration Technologies a license to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit, as anticipated. SpaceX was expected to receive such a license and had already received one for the launch—now expected Dec. 7—of its Dragon capsule (Aerospace DAILY, Nov. 9). The license is valid for a year from issue.
Seven nano-to-mini-sized satellites on the U.S. Defense Department’s Space Development Program’s 26th mission (STP-S26) began deploying just 17 min. after an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV lifted them to a 403-mi. high orbit Nov. 19 from Alaska Aerospace’s Kodiak launch site in Alaska.
LONDON – NATO has set into motion a series of steps to realize its vision to expand missile defenses to protect member states. The move, long pushed by the U.S. and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, would see the alliance’s current focus of protecting only deployed forces grow to include coverage of members’ territories. But the move, decided during the meeting of NATO heads of state on Nov. 19-20 during their summit in Lisbon, stops short of committing funding to implement the concept.
ARMY Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Nov. 17 a $797,889,723 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of 4,773 family of medium tactical vehicles. The work is to be performed in Oshkosh, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).
THALES REVIEW: Thales is preparing to conclude a strategic review that could see it spin off holdings in some non-core areas to strengthen its weak financial performance. Among the possible spin-offs, to be examined by the board of directors in early December, are the very short-range air defense missile system, which the French and British governments would like to see merged with those at MBDA (Aviation Week & Space Technology, Nov. 15, p. 45). According to Parisian daily Les Echos, Thales’ TDA munitions affiliate may also be on the block.
AIR FORCE Booze Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean , Va. , was awarded a $9,500,000 contract which will create proactive radar electronic protection techniques using multi input multi output and waveform diversity. At this time, $724,000 has been obligated. AFRL/PKMN, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio , is the contracting activity (FA8650-11-D-1011). NAVY
U.S. Air Force officials plan to review revised KC-10 CNS/ATM upgrade proposals from bidders because of a problem in the original source selection that awarded Boeing the $216 million contract, says Col. Michael Schmidt, contractor logistics support programs director for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. Boeing won the contract to upgrade all 59 KC-10s in June, and a stop-work order was issued Oct. 13. Bidders deemed by the Air Force to be “in the competitive range” were notified Nov. 17 that they can submit revised proposals.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) racked up its fourth successful flight of a Delta IV Heavy, which blasted off Nov. 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., carrying a classified satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The launch occurred at 5:58 p.m. EST. ULA halted commentary about 7 min. after liftoff. At the time, the vehicle was performing as expected.
HYDERABAD—India’s state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) is developing a software-driven radio (SDR) set for India’s armed forces. Able to function at any frequency, the SDR is lightweight, easy to operate and cost-effective, the company says. Different radio sets are now being used, depending on very high-frequency, ultra-high-frequency, high-frequency and L-band needs. BEL says the SDR would revolutionize communications on the battlefield.
AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Herndon , Va. , was awarded a $49,900,000 contract which will provide fully functional messaging systems to the operational messaging community, including Air Force Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency, Department of Defense, intelligence community members, federal government departments/agencies and our coalition partners for messaging and data handling systems. At this time no money has been obligated. AFRL/RIKF, Rome , N.Y. , is the contracting activity (FA8750-11-D-0031).
Besides an additional 20 Lockheed Martin F-35s, at a cost of around $3 billion, if Israel makes more movement for peace with Palestinians, the U.S. also has pledged to provide Israel with more technologies and capabilities to counter threats from Iran and to veto any anti-Israeli resolution in the U.N. or the International Atomic Energy Agency. Further, the U.S. has proposed signing a new defense treaty with Israel if a peace accord with the Palestinians can be achieved.
MBDA has signed a three-year agreement with the Italian Aerospace Research Center that will boost the European missile maker’s R&D capability while ensuring the long-term future of the Italian research organization. The agreement, which is renewable, will cover a broad range of activities, including composite airframes for subsonic/supersonic applications; guidance, navigation and control systems for next generation launchers and hypersonic vehicles; and anti-ballistic missile defense.
LRIP 4: The Pentagon said late Nov. 19 that the Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics of Fort Worth a $3.49 billion contract modification for manufacture and delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter low-rate initial production Lot 4 aircraft. The modification also converts the contract type from a cost-plus-incentive-fee to a fixed-price-incentive (firm target).
