While they may disagree on energy policy, crucially for the aviation industry President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney do agree that a national program designed to expand the production of biofuels should continue. As the Pentagon and airlines try to bridge the gap between the technical feasibility and commercial availability of advanced biofuels as drop-in replacements for fossil fuels, government support for scaling up both feedstock and fuel production is proving critical—and controversial.
For General Electric, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)-led push to develop a variable-cycle engine for the next generation of combat aircraft is a blast from the past. After all, the company's variable-bypass YF120 still holds the record for supersonic cruise speed without afterburner, set in 1990 at Mach 1.6 on the Northrop YF-23 Advanced Tactical Fighter prototype.
Last fall, a bill to block U.S. air carriers from participating in the EU's emissions trading system flew through the House of Representatives. Now it appears stalled there until after the Nov. 6 elections, industry and congressional sources say. The bill, co-sponsored by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), was approved by the Senate before the chamber adjourned for recess. Supporters had expressed hope that the House would consider the bill during its pro-forma session before the elections, but 435 members would need to say yes.
U.S. Naval Supply Systems (Navsup) Command this month awarded a $218.4 million Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract to Bell-Boeing for the V-22 Osprey, the first such award designed to serve both Marine Corps and Air Force variants of the tiltrotor.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D), the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is proposing a framework for how Congress can reach a deal on $4 trillion in deficit reduction next year, but he will not be on Capitol Hill to reach the compromise. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, tried to prevent last year's budget penalty from taking place, but he will not be around either. And Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) helped broker deals on two transportation bills in 2011. But by January, he will be gone, too.
Australia's 2009 defense white paper unveiled a great pile of proposed equipment orders and pledged a great deal of money to pay for them. It was, more than anything, Australia's long-term defense plan for coping with a rising China. Yet even then analysts doubted that the promised budget would be enough, and they wondered whether the extra money would really come through.
While the Pentagon has continued to invest heavily in the logistics of transporting war support and other equipment, a recent government audit report says the Defense Department (DOD) needs to hone those efforts, particularly when it comes to pre-positioned materiel.
President Barack Obama's widely panned debate included criticism for his lack of interest and intensity. The lackluster performance extended to the few areas in which aerospace and defense entered the discussion, as Obama opted to ignore messages that resonate with Americans in favor of dusting off an old battle that never took off. And his attacks on Mitt Romney's proposal to spend 4% of GDP on defense during a time of tight budgets went nowhere.
CORRUPTION COSTS: Transparency International U.K. estimates the global cost of corruption in the defense sector now amounts to at least $20 billion annually, based on data from the World Bank and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. “This equates to the total sum pledged by the G8 in L’Aquila in 2009 to fight world hunger,” the watchdog group says.
NEW DELHI — The Indian government is likely to conclude a multibillion contract with Dassault Aviation for 126 Rafale fighters in six months or less, with contract negotiations reaching a crucial stage and inquiries into the selection process concluded. Sources stressed that “all hurdles have been cleared,” following questions in the Indian parliament about how the commercial bids were interpreted.
NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) soon will choose a winner in a protracted bid to buy new short-range infrared homing missiles for more than 100 of its Jaguar strike jets. With the elimination of Diehl’s IRIS-T last year ahead of field evaluation trials, the competition has come down to the Rafael Python-5 and MBDA’s Advanced, Short-Range Air-To-Air Missile (Asraam). The missiles will be mounted on the Jaguar’s unique over-wing pylons, where the platform currently deploys out-of-production Matra R550 Magic short-range heat-seeking missiles.
Citing the Pentagon’s refocus on the Asia Pacific, Australian shipbuilder Austal acquired Hydraulink NT, an engineering company based in Darwin, one of the major U.S. launching points for the region. Austal is a partner for such major U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV).
The future USNS Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV-2) Choctaw County launched Oct. 1 in Mobile, Ala., marking a key milestone in the ship’s construction. JHSV-2 is a noncombatant transport ship that will be used for fast intratheater transportation of troops, military vehicles, and equipment. Austal USA built the ship, the second of a 10-ship program.
In a moment of desperation, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters recently he is ready to support “whatever the hell deal” Congress can make to avoid a nearly $1 trillion reduction in government spending, half of which could hit the Pentagon in January. But after more than a year of warnings about the devastation the budget penalty known as sequestration could wreak on the U.S. economy, it is still uncertain whether the results of the presidential election will allow for a delay to pass through Congress in the lame-duck session.
Reported incidents of counterfeit electronic component parts this year are maintaining the record pace set in 2011, according to information and analytics provider IHS. The analysis highlights the need for continued vigilance and improved detection and avoidance measures at a time when U.S. defense representatives are scheduled to update acquisition rules, IHS says.
The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics’ Electric Boat unit a $100.4 million contract modification to provide lead-yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The contract has a potential cumulative value of $881 million through 2014 if all options are exercised and funded. Under the contract, Electric Boat will develop, maintain and update design drawings and data, including technology insertions, for each Virginia-class submarine throughout its construction and post-shakedown availability periods.
