PREDATOR PREY: France appears to be moving away from a possible Foreign Military Sales acquisition of U.S. General Atomics Predator medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs in favor of a European greenfield development. Former French Defense Minister Herve Morin and Laurent Collet-Billon, head of armaments agency DGA, brought up a potential Predator buy with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in separate visits to Washington in mid-2010. However, Morin’s successor, Alain Juppe, seems to see things differently.
BENGALURU, India — After waiting years for a request for proposals (RFP), Rolls-Royce is pulling out of the competition to upgrade India’s fleet of 120 twin-engine Jaguar fighters. The reasons for the company’s decision have been relayed to the Indian defense ministry, according to a source close to the bidding process. Rolls-Royce and its competitor Honeywell, which is offering its F125IN engine for the Jaguar, attended a pre-bid meeting last November.
JOINTLY REDUCED: The reduced and reorganized U.S. Joint Forces Command (Jfcom) will retain 51% of its southeast Virginia workforce, which will be reduced from about 4,700 people to 2,425, Jfcom’s commander says. The bulk of the reductions will affect contractors, according to Army Gen. Ray Odierno, but some military and government civilian reductions also will take place. Service components — Fleet Forces Command, Air Combat Command, Marine Forces Command and Army Forces Command — each will revert to their respective service’s control Aug. 1.
The U.S. Navy says its first three LPD-17 San Antonio Class Amphibious Transport ships “have successfully completed their maiden deployments, meeting not only their anticipated operational requirements but also responding to emergent missions requests,” despite concerns raised recently by a Pentagon Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) report.
BENGALURU, India – India’s Bharat Electronics (BEL) has unveiled its state-of-the-art communication technology showpiece — a software-defined radio (SDR) — at Aero India 2011. Project details emerged starting in November 2010. BEL is developing the SDR in collaboration with the Defense Research and Development Organization.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 16 - 17 — Aviation Week MRO Technology & Requirements Conference, Hilton Embassy Row, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.aviationweek.com/events Feb. 17 — The Wings Club Luncheon featuring Tony Tyler, CEO, Cathay Pacific Airways, The Yale Club, New York. For more information call 212-867-1770 or go to [email protected]
BEIJING and LOS ANGELES — Japan’s defense ministry and industry aim to develop an engine with advanced stealth features, breaking away from reliance on the U.S. for a sixth-generation fighter that would enter service in the 2030s. Japanese engineers have designed the front of their proposed engine to avoid reflecting radio energy back to enemy radar. There also is evidence that the rear of the engine may be arranged to hide the turbines from radar behind the aircraft.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is resuming flight tests of its Avenger jet-powered unmanned aircraft, with the in-flight release of GBU-16 Paveway II laser-guided bombs planned for March. The first prototype, Tail 1, made its first flight in April 2009 and was flown two to three times a week between then and September 2010, General Atomics says. Fuel burn of the 4,800-lb.-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B turbofan is 10% lower than expected, the company adds.
BENGALURU, India—There are still five aircraft types on India’s primary trainer short list, and a downselect is likely in late February or March, say executives involved in the competition. Field trials were completed in October. All those that passed the trials will probably make it through to the next round and be invited to commercial negotiations, one executive says, adding that these negotiations could be completed in a matter of weeks.
Expect the Feb. 15 issue of Aerospace Daily & Defense Report to arrive later than usual. The extra time is to allow the editorial staff to provide more comprehensive coverage of the U.S. federal budget proposal for Fiscal 2012.
I.T. OK: A new study from federal information technology (IT) consultancy Input says demand for vendor-furnished IT services by the U.S. government will increase to $51.7 billion in 2015 from $38.1 billion in 2010, spurring strategic opportunities for contractors after this week’s release of the fiscal 2012 budget request. “What we are seeing is a fairly minimal short-term impact in the IT services contracting sphere relative to other areas of contracting,” notes John Slye, a principal analyst.
Armadillo Aerospace is nearing its first flight into space with a recoverable liquid-fuel sounding rocket dubbed Stig. Plans call for launching what the Texas-based company calls its tube rocket from New Mexico’s Spaceport America to an altitude of 30.5 km (18.9 mi.) early this year, and ultimately moving on to flights into space at an altitude of 150 km (93.2 mi.)
FINAL DISCOVERY: NASA’s space shuttle program management cleared Discovery for its long-delayed final mission on Feb. 11, the first in a two-step approval process leading to a liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Feb. 24 at 4:50 p.m. EST. The agency will host an executive level Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 18, leading to a formal launch date assignment. STS-133 will mark the 39th and final mission for Discovery, the oldest remaining shuttle.
MEXICO WAY: Eurocopter will build a new facility in Queretaro, Mexico, to support its global supply chain. The move follows a decision by the Mexican government last September to buy six additional EC725 Caracal helicopters to complement six acquired in March 2009, which Eurocopter had said would justify the estimated $500 million cost of the facility.
NASA BUCKS: NASA’s fiscal 2012 budget will continue to funnel money to commercial spaceflight and open-ended technology development, at the expense of a definite launch date for the troubled James Webb Space Telescope and robotic precursors for future exploration. The budget requests funds to fly a third shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) this year, and to funnel enough money to the private companies developing space taxis for low Earth orbit for first flights in 2015.
Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney expects to receive contracts totaling around $1 billion under the Pentagon’s plan to extend development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The extra funds will pay for additional engines and support for flight testing of the F-35, and for production improvements to the F135 engine, says Warren Boley, Pratt’s military engines president.
BENGALURU, India — U.S. defense giant Boeing has no firm plans to jointly develop aircraft with India, but recognizes this may be a step it needs to take in the future. “I think we have to take it one step at a time. We’re looking at what sort of agreements make sense and I wouldn’t rule it out,” says Mark Kronenberg, VP of international business development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, on the sidelines at Aero India this week.
BENGALURU, India — Embraer has decided to increase the wingspan of its KC-390, a military transport/tanker currently in development and due to enter its joint-definition phase very soon. The Brazilian aircraft maker’s executive VP for defense, Orlando Neto, says the company has increased the wingspan to about 140 ft. Previously, the wingspan was reportedly set at 115 ft. He says the wingspan was increased “to allow for more stability, so the aircraft can refuel helicopters.”
Lockheed Martin engineers in Denver are awaiting the arrival of the first complete Orion crew exploration vehicle structure for the start of ground tests. The ground test article left NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans by truck on Feb. 10. In Denver, technicians will integrate it with its heat shield and thermal protection backshell.
ASIAN GAME: New National Military Objectives are designed to counter “violent extremism,” deter and defeat aggression, boost international and regional security and shape the future U.S. force — especially with an eye toward the Asia-Pacific region, according to a Defense Department statement Feb. 8 on the first revision to the National Military Strategy in seven years. “The international community must address the root cause of driving people toward extremism,” according to the strategy, whose biggest change entails emphasizing international and regional security.
TANKER BIDS: Boeing and EADS each have submitted proposals for the U.S. Air Force’s latest attempt to buy a KC-135 replacement. The Air Force plans to buy a fleet of 179 tankers through the KC-X program, which is estimated to be worth about $35 billion. The service has not said when a winner will be announced. The proposal deadline is Feb. 11.
PARIS — SSSP, the consortium of air traffic control providers that runs Europe’s Egnos GPS augmentation system, says the system will be declared available for air navigation on March 2 by the European Commission, which owns the system.
BENGALURU, India — India’s air force and navy have both been expressing an interest in amphibious aircraft, highlighting the competitive relationship between the two organizations. Industry executives say the air force and the navy have been holding separate discussions with foreign aircraft makers about ordering amphibious aircraft that will be used to monitor India’s seas and coastline.
PARIS — Eumetsat officials say Belgium, the only country that has not yet approved development of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) weather satellite system, is poised to sign on, ending a two-month quest to finalize the €2.8 billion ($3.8 billion) program. In early December the Eumetsat council OK’d full-scale development of the space segment of the system, which will replace the existing Meteosat Second Generation network starting in 2018. Development is subject to release of funds by Belgium and three other countries.
