COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — China’s space industry remains hopeful it can do business with the U.S., despite a renewed chill in relations. But executives at China Great Wall Industry Corp. are finding it hard to believe that California-based Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX) is offering lower launch prices than they can.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian military is considering formalizing a requirement for a ground-launched cruise missile associated with the Avibras Astros II artillery rocket system. An industry official says preliminary work on the weapon already has begun and that a pending requirements statement should see the program to completion. Development would take several more years, with the exact timeline driven by funding.
The formal request for proposals (RFP) for the U.S. Army’s multibillion-dollar Joint Air-to-Ground Missile contains no major surprises, meaning the winner between a Raytheon-Boeing team and competitor Lockheed Martin could be determined by the long-term lifecycle costs of their respective pitches.
HOUSTON — U.S. researchers are reaching beyond traditional agency-to-agency channels to obtain access to the range of medical and behavioral data coming from Russia’s 520-day Mars mission simulation through cooperative agreements that could help the two spacefaring pioneers and others prepare for future deep-space expeditions.
MOSCOW — Helicopter orders from the Russian military are up and commitments for new types are on the horizon, marking a stark turnaround from the days when military orders were unable to sustain Russia’s domestic manufacturing industry.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian government is in the early stages of developing a hypersonic waverider demonstrator, with the goal of completing the first flight test next year. The operational concept is for a Mach 14 scramjet-powered vehicle that could deploy microsatellites, says a Brazilian air force official.
LONGER STAY: Shuttle Endeavour’s final flight has been extended to 15 days, a 24-hr. addition, to allow more time for the shuttle crew to assist with upgrades of the U.S. carbon dioxide removal system onboard the International Space Station. The STS-134 mission, the 25th trip to orbit for Endeavour, is tentatively scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT.
UAV SUSTAINMENT: While annual sustainment spending for U.S. manned fighters will remain around $1 billion or even decline for the rest of the decade, UAV sustainment will grow to nearly $3 billion a year by 2018, according to Hal Chrisman, a principal at AeroStrategy. Moreover, operators are beginning to look for alternative providers to the original equipment manufacturers, he says.
When it comes to the gathering of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data, the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class submarines are proving to be a star. Thanks in large part to the vessel’s photonics mast, the submarine is able to gather images, electronic signals and other data beyond what the Navy had initially envisioned, according to defense analysts and Navy program brass.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian government is spelling out major emerging acquisition plans that include new satellites, an intelligence aircraft, armored vehicles and ships. The broad outlines of the massive spending initiative are presented in a document the Brazilian defense ministry released at the LAAD Defense & Security show. The document also shows that the country is targeting 2019 for development of an indigenous fighter, the F-XBR.
SINGAPORE — Indonesia plans to order the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 jet trainer and is now poised to discuss the terms of the deal. A letter was sent to KAI informing the company that the T-50 is the preferred choice and that Indonesia is ready to begin the negotiation phase, says an official in South Korea familiar with the situation.
LONDON — Swiss aircraft maker Pilatus delivered strong performance last year in both the military and civil sectors, with the United Arab Emirates’ order for 25 PC-21s — deliveries are due to begin this year — and the Swiss air force placing a supplemental order for two more of the turboprops. The company is also planning to introduce a new general aviation aircraft next year and add workers this year to support its development. The PC-24 would augment the PC-12, which itself recently underwent a major upgrade into the PC-12NG.
GRENADE LAUNCHERS: As part of its $1 billion infantry modernization program, the Indian army is seeking to equip its infantry units with new, semi-automatic 40-mm magazine grenade launchers (MGLs). “India’s Ministry of Defense has invited bids from global firms for the acquisition of these weapons. We are looking to purchase around 1,500 units to be supplied within 12-16 months of signing the contract,” an official of the Indian defense ministry says. The official declined to release financial details.
The murky deal between the U.S. Navy and Air Force over who provides airborne electronic attack and from where is beginning to take form. The arrangement answers the sticky question of why the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) is being put in an underwing pod that a stealthy aircraft cannot carry without making itself vulnerable to radar.
RIO DE JANEIRO — U.S. Air Forces Southern (Afsouth) lists money for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets and exercises among its top unfunded needs. Speaking on the sidelines of the LAAD Defense & Security exhibition here April 12, Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears, Afsouth commander, says ISR assets — both manned and unmanned — are high on his priority list to support U.S. Southern Command requirements.
LOS ANGELES — Lockheed Martin is studying “good candidates” for initial airframe weight savings of 100 lb., plus an additional 100 lb. in added engine thrust as part of plans to increase vertical-lift bring-back margin on the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) variant.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Forget insourcing; “affordability” is preoccupying the U.S. military maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) mind-set, according to the sentiment at Aviation Week’s Military MRO conference this week. “What we’re after is moving toward judgments based on affordability,” says John Johns, assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for maintenance. “That is a huge change.”
RIO DE JANEIRO — Embraer and Elbit Systems’ AEL Sistemas are setting up a joint venture to develop unmanned aircraft for the Brazilian market. Embraer will have a 51% share in the yet-to-be-named business. As part of the deal, Embraer also could take a minority equity stake in AEL, although the size of the holding has not been set, says Luis Carlos Aguiar, president of Embraer Defense & Security. Also still to be defined is how the board of directors will be set up and who will choose the CEO of the new business.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Fresh from an inflight demonstration on the Prisma orbiting testbed, the Swedish Space Corp. group of companies — rebranded as SSC — is offering its non-toxic satellite propulsion technology worldwide as a way to simplify spacecraft ground handling.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian army has begun flight trials using a small, tactical unmanned aircraft to develop its doctrine for operational use of the system. Flight trials began late last year near Sao Paulo, says a Brazilian army officer. The goal is to work out the doctrine to support artillery operations at the division level within the next year or two, he notes.
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — The U.S. Navy will hold contractors to increasingly higher performance standards as it decides whether to grant or continue contracts, according to Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. The Navy will grade performance “at the corporate level,” Stackley said April 13 during his luncheon speech at the 2011 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Symposium and Exhibition here.
SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. Air Force hypersonic test team members say the recent aborted attempt to launch the second X-51A WaveRider had to be scrubbed because the vehicle did not release from the B-52H mothership. The hang-up of the 25-ft.-long stack on March 24, comprising the X-51A and its rocket booster, caused “tense moments” on the ground and in the air, according to test observers.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have completed fueling the first Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) satellite, which is expected to launch May 6. About 5,000 lb. of fuel was added to the satellite, which is based on Lockheed Martin’s A2100 design. The process took place April 8-11, says Jeff Smith, who oversees the program for the company.
