Darpa wants to separate payloads from platforms to distribute air warfare; Army offers prizes for lasers that can shoot down mortars and UAVs; Robotic copilot gets a head start; UAV hitches Antarctic balloon ride to 23-km. altitude; Air Force wants a radar that can communicate, navigate and jam.
This week's Check 6 podcast comes to you from Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn. Editors Joe Anselmo and Guy Norris sat down with Greg Gernhardt, the president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, to talk about the company’s geared turbofan engine and its battle for market share with the CFM LEAP-X.
Andrew Masterman has been appointed head of Wyman-Gordon and Jim Pieron head of the Special Metals Corp., both divisions of the Portland, Oregon-based Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC). They are succeeding Kenneth Buck, who will be retiring as executive vice president of PCC and president of Forged Products. Masterman has been president of PCC Fasteners and Pieron has been president of PCC Timet.
Cut unwisely now and pay dearly later is the message from U.S. Defense Department science and technology leaders, who fear spending caps threaten development of advanced capabilities that will be needed in future decades.
Along with basic surveillance information, ADS-B “Out” contains a treasure trove of performance indicators that could be a forensics bonus in the future.
While KAI is confirmed as preferred bidder for KF-X development, the role of Lockheed Martin looks unclear. Airbus may yet be asked to join the program to protect it from a U.S. export veto.
From Freddie Laker to Michael O’Leary, many airline CEOs have pursued a sustainable long-haul, low-cost agenda. No one has succeeded yet, although that day will come.
As the Australian government raises defense spending to 2% from 1.6% of GDP, room is opening up to extend a campaign of military aviation renewal that by now should be coming to an end. Candidates include armed UAVs and top-up orders for transports and tankers.
Test pilots say the F-35 can be cleared for greater agility as a growth option based on the results of basic fighter maneuvers against an F-16 and earlier flight-envelope evaluations.
As the Netherlands gets ready to fly its F-35s in 2019, senior commanders are thinking about how to fill a technological training gap between the Talon and the Lightning II.
Smallsats in low Earth orbit have captured the interest of deep-pocket investors who see new technologies and applications offering substantial returns.
With the capabilities of installed avionics but more flexibility, next-generation electronic flight bags—not tablets—will bring legacy cockpits into the secure NextGen era.
Australian and New Zealand carriers want to tap into the burgeoning services from China by forming alliances with their Chinese counterparts, although regulators are impeding some efforts.
