WASTE NOT: Pentagon acquisition officials estimate they may have a “30% inefficiency” rate on the contracts that they execute. This results from “bad business deals,” overly expensive services contracts, poor performance or “bloated overheads,” according to David Van Buren, the Air Force’s top procurement official. Pentagon officials are now studying how to reduce the wasted money at least by half, he told an audience hosted April 23 by the Northern Virginia chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
LCA FLIGHTS: India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is moving closer to its planned December 2010 induction into the Indian air force, following the April 23 first flight of Limited Series Production (LSP) No. 3, the ninth test aircraft to join the flight program. LSP-3 is close to the final configuration of the aircraft, including new avionics, an Israeli Multi-Mode Radar (Aerospace DAILY, April 23), new communication and navigation equipment, and a radar warning receiver. Wing Cmdr. G.
The U.S. electronics industry has a new set of draft standards meant to curtail the counterfeit-parts problem that has been plaguing aerospace programs—especially those associated with the Pentagon—according to Daniel DiMase, a Honeywell Technology Solutions quality engineer. For example, DiMase says, the industry is looking to develop a reverse logistics program to make sure parts returned to the manufacturer are the same parts that were sent out in the first place.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Complex 41 April 22, sending the X-37B experimental space vehicle on its first test flight. Started by NASA in the late 1990s, the X-37 program was adopted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and later transferred to the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, culminating in its launch at 7:52 p.m. EDT.
BENGALURU, India—India’s first state-of-the-art helicopter simulator facility is expected to go live here next month. The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (Hatsoff) is an 50/50 joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and simulation technology company CAE of Canada.
TYPHOONS OK: Following a brief hiatus to check that volcanic ash was not damaging its Eurofighter Typhoons, the U.K. Royal Air Force is once again conducting training flights with the type. The air force halted Typhoon flights—except for aircraft on quick-reaction alert—following the discovery of ash deposits April 21, shortly after the restrictions on flying had been lifted. The Defense Ministry now says: “RAF engineers have confirmed there was no damage to any of the Typhoon aircraft or engines following precautionary investigation of volcanic ash deposits.
BUY BACK: Orbital Sciences Corp. on April 23 announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to $50 million of its common stock over a year-long period. Orbital has repurchased 12,772,038 shares for a total of roughly $207.3 million since its share repurchase program began in 2004. The new authorization replaces the previous $50 million authorization that expired on March 6.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) April 27 - 29 — Aeromart Montreal, “International Business Convention for the Aerospace Industry,” Palais Des Congress. For more information go to www.bciaerospace.com/montreal/en.html May 3 - 5 — Speednews Eighth Annual Aerospace and Defense Industry Suppliers Conference, Intercontinental Los Angeles at Century City, Los Angeles, Calf. For more information go to www.speednews.com
(Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) April 27 - 29 — Aeromart Montreal, “International Business Convention for the Aerospace Industry,” Palais Des Congress. For more information go to www.bciaerospace.com/montreal/en.html May 3 - 5 — Speednews Eighth Annual Aerospace and Defense Industry Suppliers Conference, Intercontinental Los Angeles at Century City, Los Angeles, Calf. For more information go to www.speednews.com
LONDON—The future of Britain’s nuclear deterrent was the focus of animated exchanges during the second of three broadcast debates between the leaders of the U.K.’s main political parties on April 23. Gordon Brown, the prime minister and Labour Party leader, and his Conservative Party opposite number, David Cameron, favor maintaining a submarine-based ballistic missile deterrent. Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg does not.
The U.S. Army needs to improve its early infantry brigade combat team (E-IBCT) Increment 1 unattended urban and tactical ground sensors (U and T-UGS) before the service deploys or even further tests the systems, according to a recent report by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E).
NEW DELHI—The 14th “Malabar” exercise with frontline units of the U.S. Navy’s 7th fleet and the Indian navy’s Western Fleet are being conducted in the Arabian Sea from April 23-May 2. The thrust of the exercise this year will be anti-submarine warfare, surface firings, maritime interdiction, board-search-and-seizure and submarine operations.
GMD REMATCH: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to redo the failed Jan. 31 Ground-Based Midcourse Defense intercept attempt, MDA Director U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly says. The agency still has not publicly released the cause of the failure, although solid-rocket motor “chuffing” from the target apparently overwhelmed the primary Sea-Based X-band sensor with more than 2,000 objects. In testimony before the Senate last week, O’Reilly simply said SBX “stopped transmitting.”
BOAT KILLER: U.S. Navy officials are kicking off an analysis of alternatives for a future anti-surface-warfare weapon. USAF plans to contribute to the study, and Air Combat Command officials are hoping there is a place for the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm). There have been plans to add a data link to Jassm for inflight updates to attack ship targets, but the Navy has been cool on the missile, which has spiked in cost.
A key test to demonstrate technology for high-performance, long-endurance, maneuvering hypersonic flight has been conducted over the Pacific by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The unpowered HTV-2 hypersonic test vehicle was launched at around 4 p.m. local time on April 22 by a Minotaur IV Lite booster from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., aimed at a broad ocean area north of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The U.S. Air Force’s “fighter gap” is shrinking dramatically, but not because more aircraft are being acquired. The service hopes to buy 1,763 Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the coming years to replace 2,228 legacy fighters. The difference is because each new F-35 and the existing Lockheed Martin F-22s will be far more capable than their predecessors.
Some Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are questioning whether NASA has violated stipulations of its Fiscal 2010 appropriation language by moving to terminate elements of the Constellation program early. Their questions echo concerns raised in March by a group of House lawmakers who sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office asking for an investigation of NASA’s actions.
BENGALURU, India — India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was set to fly April 22 for the first time with the Israeli Elta Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) onboard. An Indian defense ministry official confirmed to Aviation Week that “weather permitting, we are aiming for the flight on April 22.” Preparations were in full swing at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL) military airport for the critical flight, with last-minute mandatory safety checks underway. Airport sources confirmed that all flying activities were set to be stopped during the Tejas flight.
TOKYO — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa’s asteroid sample return mission is on schedule to return to Earth June 13. Hayabusa has traveled about 2 billion km. (1.25 billion mi.) since its launch in May 2003. It reached the Itokawa asteroid in September 2005, successfully landing in November. After experiencing a number of nearly fatal problems, the spacecraft is now only 20 million km. (12.5 million mi.) from Earth and is scheduled to release its Sample Recovery Capsule at 40,000 km. (25,000 mi.) out.
MOSCOW — Russia’s acquisition of a majority stake in Antonov may have been on the agenda for discussion during the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Kiev on April 21, although such a deal would not guarantee the future of the An-70 military airlifter. The moribund joint program will remain outside the scope of any tie-up between Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer until the Antonov An-70 completes government trials in the Ukraine.
PARIS — The European Union’s Risk-sharing Finance Facility (RFF) will provide a 225 million euro ($340 million) loan to help finance construction and launch of the Alphasat high-power telecom satellite mission. The RFF is a debt-based investment fund created in 2007 by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to back high-risk innovative technology undertakings. It currently has €1 billion of funding.
EXOCET ACQUISITION: Qatar is the latest customer for MBDA’s Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missile. The Qatari Emiri Navy is buying the missile for its four Vita-class patrol vessels. The Block 3 version of the Exocet is already on order for the French navy — through upgrading the Block 2 missile — and the first firing from a Horizon-class frigate was carried out in March. The Block 3 missile is fitted with a turbojet engine considerably increasing the weapon’s engagement range.
VOLCANO FALLOUT: The Royal Air Force on April 21 suspended Eurofighter Typhoon training flights shortly after resuming its normal flying program after finding volcanic ash deposits on a few aircraft during post-flight inspection. The affected aircraft are undergoing engine checks. Typhoon aircraft on quick reaction alert were not affected by the suspension.
