NEW DELHI — The Indian army has decided to buy 20 Cheetal helicopters and associated equipment from state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to fill a serious need for the multirole aircraft. “We have signed a contract worth [$77 million] with the defense ministry to supply 20 Cheetals to the army over the next four years, besides providing training to its pilots and technical crew,” a HAL spokesman said.
L-3 Communications is exploring whether a German concept from World War II could boost the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability of small naval vessels. During the war, the Germans developed the Focke-Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze (Wagtail), an unpowered autogyro capable of lifting a man. It was towed behind prowling U-boats and used to spot targets and possible threats. The pilot would bark sightings by telephone to the submarine.
When teams of researchers at Germany's Technical University of Hamburg and Kiel University used chemical vapor and a high-temperature oven last summer to produce a new carbon-based lattice they call Aerographite, it immediately grabbed attention for its weight: At 75 times lighter than Styrofoam and six times lighter than air, it is billed as the world's lightest material.
Orbital Sciences Corp. hopes to launch its first Antares rocket next month, paving the way for a second commercial cargo service to the International Space Station (ISS) by summer. The plan assumes a successful on-pad hot-fire test of the liquid-fueled Ukrainian-built rocket, but it will not be delayed by inconclusive results from a NASA probe into the cause of a fairing-separation problem that destroyed the $388 million Glory atmospheric-research mission in 2011.
The Taliban have a lot to worry about when it comes to Western military technology. The latest threat is easy to miss but potentially deadly in its effect: a 4 X 1-in. unmanned air vehicle (UAV) the British Army is deploying for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance in Afghanistan. Called the Black Nano Hornet, the UAV weighs 16 grams (5 oz.) and has a camera with zoom function that transmits still images and full-motion video to a handheld monitor. The U.K.
The Derby missile, manufactured by Rafael, is the weapon of choice for India's Tejas fighter. A contract is to be signed by the end of this month to supply the air-to-air weapon for the light combat jet, developed by India's Aeronautical Development Agency. A key aircraft requirement is integration of a beyond-visual-range missile. The Rafael Python V missile, closely related to Derby, was also an option. The Indian air force has ordered 40 Tejas aircraft and plans to add 160 more: 100 Mk. II versions for the air force and 60 for the navy.
Sikorsky says its contender for the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement, the S-76 Raider, will have a $15 million flyaway cost, compared with an estimated $12 million for an off-the-shelf helicopter. The bold statement is being made to counter claims that the all-new Raider is unaffordable. “There are too many misperceptions out there. It’s time to put in print that this is a $15 million aircraft,” says Steve Engebretson, the company’s AAS program director.
The Pentagon recently signed off on plans to spend more than $1 billion on new equipment for the Afghan air force. The shopping list includes a mix of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, including additional Cessna C-208s, which the air force uses for cargo and personnel transport, and more MD 530F helicopters. While some purchases were expected based on long-standing plans, a major change is the addition of four Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft to replace a fleet of Alenia Aeronautica G.222 transports that proved burdensome to maintain.
Since shedding Soviet-style communism in 1990 and adopting parliamentary government and a market economy, Mongolia has become the most democratic of the Central Asian republics. Moreover, it sits atop the world's largest coal reserve as well as mountains of gold, copper, uranium and rare minerals. In 2012, the landlocked nation posted 13% economic growth. Everything should be coming up roses.
Northrop Grumman is preparing to demonstrate its proposed replacement for the U.S. Air Force’s transportable air defense radars, drawing heavily on a mobile system already under development for the U.S. Marine Corps. Northrop, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon were awarded competitive contracts in August 2012 as a precursor to engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DLRR).
Despite the financial and legal issues that have recently afflicted its parent, Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland is pushing ahead with development and flight-testing of three new rotary-wing aircraft at the same time.
OBAMA ON TOUR: Many Republicans spent last summer touring the nation’s military towns talking about the prospect of sequestration. Now President Barack Obama is on the sequestration circuit, planning to stop at Newport News Shipbuilding on Feb. 26. The Virginia congressional delegation’s response: It’s about time. “While the president speaks in Newport News at the shipyard, five American aircraft carriers sit idle, capturing the stark reality of the readiness crisis that hasn’t waited until March 1 – it has already begun,” says Rep.
Fifteen Republican senators are asking President Barack Obama to withdraw the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to be secretary of defense. The senators, led by John Cornyn (Texas), are rejecting Hagel based on his support for the legitimacy of the current regime in Iran, his thoughts on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and his performance during his confirmation hearing.
EADS is revising its goal for equal revenues from its civil and defense programs by 2020 after failing to finalize its merger with BAE Systems and accounting for cuts in government defense spending. But the European manufacturer has yet to decide on a new target and the future direction of its Cassidian defense business. “There is nothing magical about the 50/50 [goal],” EADS CEO Tom Enders told Aviation Week after a Feb. 21 event at New York’s Wings Club, adding that a new target will be determined after a strategic review is concluded.
LONDON — BAE Systems has reported a fall in earnings and warned that some of its key business areas are likely to suffer further in 2013. In its 2012 results, the company said that U.S. defense budgets had “flattened” and were expected to remain constrained in response to reducing overseas operations in Afghanistan and “measures to address federal deficits.”
Pentagon UAV investments have been on the rise, ranking 46th among all non-construction-related Defense Department expenses in 2011 — the first time in recent years such expenses have cracked the top 50, according to an exclusive Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis. The Pentagon cost category “drones” reached $1.5 billion in contracts and contract modifications, according to AWIN’s analysis of contracting data aggregated by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
NEW YORK — EADS is revising its goal for equal revenues from its civil and defense programs by 2020 after failing to finalize its merger with BAE Systems and accounting for cuts in government defense spending. But the European manufacturer has yet to decide on a new target and the future direction of its Cassidian defense business.
ABU DHABI — The UAE military has debuted a super-heavy multiple launch rocket system fitted to an articulated transport vehicle. The Multiple Cradle Launcher is a 10-wheel trailer fitted with four unguided rocket-launching cradles. The system, which was developed for the UAE army, was produced by Jobaria Defense Systems over three years in the UAE and delivered to the army last year.
