Proponents of the U.S. antimissile Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which experienced a widely watched test failure July 5, are blaming reduced funding for what is now a long string of program shortfalls. But with another round of major spending reductions practically guaranteed later this year at the Pentagon, GMD will face a crowded field of major defense acquisition programs jockeying for precious defense dollars.
“A fighter pilot patrols the area allotted to him in any manner he sees fit. When he sees the enemy, he attacks and kills.” What makes it likely that Manfred von Richthofen really said that is the sentence that follows it: Alles andere ist Unsinn. Anything else is nonsense.
Sequestration could affect the second-tier suppliers for the U.S. submarine and aircraft carrier procurement programs, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations (CNO). “I worry about the nuclear supplier base,” Greenert said July 11 during an event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He estimates that up to 80% of the components needed for the nation’s sub-building programs are single-sourced.
Internal politics in Italy have prompted Alenia Aermacchi and Lockheed Martin to dash long-held plans for a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Italian final assembly and checkout (FACO) facility for the stealthy F-35 fighter. The event — which was to be attended by senior Italian air force and defense ministry officials, top industry executives, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program manager in the Pentagon — was slated for July 18.
Walking through the Paris air show last month, I was struck by the large number of companies exhibiting under one regional or cluster umbrella. There were, to mention a few, Aerospace Valley, Rockford Area Aerospace Network, Monterrey Aerocluster Mexico, Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster, Aero Montreal, Skywin Wallonie and Northwest Aerospace Alliance. Such groupings have a basic economic rationale: They allow small suppliers to be present at a show without bearing the full costs of renting their own stands in an exhibit hall.
As the nation’s newest aircraft carrier gets ready for its scheduled fall christening, the U.S. Navy continues to mount a defense for the ship and the program, which still face battles in Congress over cost and relevance. “Our biggest event this year will be the introduction to the Navy and the nation of our newest aircraft carrier, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), with the christening and launch of on Nov. 9, 2013,” says Rear Adm. Tom Moore, program executive officer, aircraft carriers, in a recent blog.
LONDON — Antonov has test-flown a new version of the world’s biggest biplane, the An-2. The Ukrainian company says the updated model, called An-2-100, will offer enhanced performance thanks to its new Motor Sich MS-14 turboprop, replacing the Shvetsov ASh-62IR engine that dates back to the Second World War.
Critics of the recent U.S. Marine Corps buildup in Darwin, Australia fail to recognize the long-term significance of the move, says Gen. James Amos, Corps commandant. Some say the additional 2,500 Marines will make no measurable difference in overall U.S. Asia-Pacific geopolitical standing. “That’s just an installment,” Amos said June 26 during a media roundtable discussion. The Marines plan to make a larger long-term investment there, he says.
The U.S. Navy brass is nearly gushing about the growing relationship it is building with what many Asian defense experts see as the Pentagon’s biggest potential threat in the region: China Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the U.S. chief of naval operations, lauded China’s interest in participating in next year’s Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) exercise, during a July 11 event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Raytheon will design and test key subsystems for the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod and take the program through the preliminary design review under its 22-month, $279.4 million contract for the technology development (TD) phase. Work will include performance demonstrations of the pod’s active, electronically scanned array (AESA) apertures, prime power generation, cooling systems, jamming exciters and structural components, according to Naval Air Systems Command (Navair).
In another move to bolster presence in the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship LHD-6 USS Bonhomme Richard and embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Brisbane, Australia earlier this month. The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is in Australia to participate in the biennial combined-joint exercise Talisman Saber.
For the first time in seven years, the Pentagon is updating its rules of engagement for cyber operations, including major retaliatory strikes, while the Obama administration is implementing a first-ever “playbook” for how the U.S. government is supposed to deal with digital attacks.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) July 15 - 17 — 49th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, San Jose, Calif. For more information go to www.aiaa.org/EventDetail.aspx?id=16854 July 16 - 17 — RotorTech Asia Pacific 2013 Conference and Exhibition, "Embrasing Asia's Growing Helicopter Market," Singapore. For more information go to www.cdmc.org.cn/2013/rap/
LONDON — The German government has placed an order for 15 Eurocopter EC645 T2 utility helicopters for the country’s special forces units. The €194 million ($252 million) deal, announced on July 11, makes Germany the first customer for the EC645 T2, which is the military variant of the EC145 T2 launched by the manufacturer in 2011. Eurocopter says the deal includes the helicopters and equipment packages for Germany’s special forces command, known as the KSK, to conduct their missions.
With the recent successful carrier landing of the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) Demonstrator, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, is emphasizing the potential for electronic attack (EA) missions for future operations using that type of aircraft.
While foreign competition worries U.S. manufacturers of titanium aircraft components, consolidation remains a bigger concern, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). “There is concern that U.S. manufacturers are losing market share to qualifying country manufacturers that are able to use foreign produced titanium,” GAO says in a recent report.
