United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno says his choice of planning to reuse only the BE-4 engines – not the entire first stage – of the company’s new Vulcan rocket was driven purely by the economics.
United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno says Aerojet Rocketdyne’s claim of delivering an AR-1 rocket engine capable of operating on the Atlas V or Vulcan vehicles by 2018 is “ridiculous.”
This new rocket is the company’s path to substantially reduce its cost to launch — a critical factor as the company’s monopoly over national security launches is eroding — and compete against SpaceX.
India is rethinking its long-delayed 126-aircraft Medium-Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal, and may opt to scrap the fighter purchase in favor of government-to-government sales.
Opportunities for South African defence and security products in South and Latin America are growing, and Denel is stepping up its marketing efforts in these key markets, says the Group CEO of Denel SOC, Riaz Saloojee, as the Denel Group prepares for its participation at the LAAD 2015 trade and exhibitions show in Rio de Janeiro.
India plans to purchase 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition “as quickly as possible,” though both the Indian and French governments said further negotiations are still underway.
While the U.S. Marine Corps awaits the delayed first flight of its CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, Sikorsky is using test vehicles for additional tasks on the ground to make the best use of the schedule slippage.
The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing for its first and only operational testing period for the F-35B in advance of declaring initial operational capability for the stealthy, single-engine fighter as early as July.
Australia’s E-7 Wedgetails are about to be fully operational—but not finally operational. The latter status will probably be reached the day before it is retired, because the type will always be subject to upgrades.
Arms exports from companies in EU member states taking a hit as governments think twice about approving deals with Russia and countries in the Middle East
U.S. Air Force Secretary discusses creating an apples-to-apples comparison of ULA and SpaceX launch cost, embracing public-private partnerships for a new rocket engine and developing trust with new market entrants.
Pratt & Whitney is ramping up retrofits to operational F135 engines with a fix to the problem that led to a catastrophic engine fire last year in the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, and aims to modify the entire fleet by the first quarter of 2016.
With four bidders in the running, the U.S. Air Force is confident the competition will drive cost down to an affordable level, despite high design expectations.
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.
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.
