As a first step, the U.S. Air Force will be pushing for a more-open systems architecture in Block 4, the first post-service-entry upgrade for the F-35.
In the wake of the Airbus A400M crash, London Bureau Chief Tony Osborne, Military Editor Bill Sweetman and Executive Editor James R. Asker discus the effect of crashes and incidents on early aircraft programs. Among the aircraft discussed are DC-10, A320, A380, F-16, V-22, XB-70, Dark Star and several airships.
Meeting U.S. requirements for security of the F-35 is a key issue behind building new infrastructure at Royal Australian Air Force bases from which the aircraft will operate.
Russia says China will act as an investor—wording that suggests that Russia will provide know-how while China pays. Russia has no requirement for the aircraft, so Beijing and Avic are obviously driving the whole program.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security CEO walks Aviation Week editors through the company’s recent realignment and answers questions about the state of the industry and Boeing’s plans on major defense and space programs.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security chief Chris Chadwick says established contractors need to show their customers “the art of the possible from an innovation perspective.”
Engineers are having trouble extracting data from the flight data recorders of an A400M airlifter that crashed May 9 near Seville, Spain, killing four crewmembers.
India’s plan to procure midair refueler aircraft is progressing well, the country’s defense minister says, marking a major step to increase the operational reach of the air force.
Australia has begun building the infrastructure it will need to support its planned force of at least 72 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings, with much of the work driven by U.S. demands for tightened security of the aircraft and their systems.
Aviation Week defense editors on the recent success of Dassault’s Rafale and Saab’s Gripen fighters and what that means for the rest of the market. Will it spell doom for the Eurofighter Typhoon? Does Boeing’s F-18 have a shot at more orders in Kuwait. And a peek at the upcoming competition for a Turkish fighter.
By implementing common interfaces, software and hardware, the U.S. Army anticipates considerable savings in development time, testing, procurement, training and, ultimately, deployment.
Despite many procurement disappointments, there are also many examples of defense programs which have worked as planned and have stood the test of time.
The cost and scope of two projects in Brazil—co-development and production of Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen fighters and construction of five submarines, the last of them nuclear-powered—will delay launching other major projects, such as renewal of the country’s surface fleet and the SisGAAz ocean and littoral surveillance system, according to industry executives at the LAAD defense and security show here in April.
A small research effort reveals that Japanese defense ministry technologists believe a radical alternative to the fighter as an instrument of air control may soon be available.
