Rolls-Royce has begun testing a high pressure-ratio compressor for a future fuel-efficient engine for subsonic military transports, patrol aircraft and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. The announcement comes after news that Rolls has not been selected for the next phase of a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) program to demonstrate adaptive engines for post-2020 combat aircraft (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 18).
LIMITED CONFIDENCE: Financial analysts at Lazard Capital Markets have “limited confidence” that Congress will be able to avoid the budget penalty known as sequestration, which is due to be triggered Jan. 2. “Investors should view the sequestration threat as real,” the analysts say in a research note. But they think sequestration is unlikely to be the law of the land for very long.
Lockheed Martin officials are creeping closer to a solution to problems with the tailhook design for the U.S. Navy F-35C. The original design failed to snag the arresting wire in early testing owing to two problems: the point of the hook was not sharp enough to scoop under the wire and securely grab it, and a dampener device was not sufficient to maintain a hold on the wire. Essentially, the hook was bouncing upon landing, reducing the likelihood of a successful arrested landing.
The union representing Boeing engineers has lodged a preemptive strike in its negotiations over a four-year contract, recommending that its 23,000 members reject the company’s contract offer before it is formally presented.
Boeing is exhausting its management reserve on the U.S. Air Force KC-46A aerial refueler program faster than expected, and the program management team is investigating the cause as it assembles a revised cost estimate for Congress, a senior Air Force official says.
While Pentagon procurement of unmanned systems is likely to shrink as the U.S. pulls back from overseas military conflicts, those programs still should be one of the few solid acquisition bets in the coming years, says Christopher Chadwick, Boeing Military Aircraft president. At the same time, the development of those systems will present some of the most difficult challenges in military acquisition, according to a recent Defense Science Board (DSB) report.
JUST SAY NO: Negotiators for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (Speea) are recommending that the union’s 23,000 members reject Boeing’s contract offer before the company has made its “best and final” proposal. The engineers’ contract expires Oct. 6 and negotiations on a 4-year contract are under way. “There is nothing in this offer worth accepting,” says Speea Executive Director Ray Goforth.
AIR FORCE Schafer Corp., Chelmsford, Mass. (FA7022-11-C-0009, P00012), is being awarded an $8,468,294 contract modification for particle analysis services. The contract modification provides for the exercise of the second contract option period. The location of the performance is Sunol, Calif. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2013. The contracting activity is AF ISR Agency/A7KRB, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.
Australia is starting to show interest in the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program after deciding to upgrade 12 of its 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets to the EA-18G Growler electronic-attack configuration. The NGJ is planned to replace the ALQ-99 jamming pods now carried by the Growler. Four teams are competing for the next phase of the program, with a single technology-development (TD) contract planned to be awarded in June 2013. Initial operational capability is scheduled for 2020.
BEIJING — South Korea’s program to indigenously develop a stealth fighter is facing severe political obstacles, with the finance ministry seeking to delay development and an influential think tank casting doubt on the project’s viability. In addition, a key program opponent may become defense minister in the next presidential term, which will begin in February.
As the chatter level rises on a possible restart of the F-22 Raptor production line, the U.S. Air Force says it is continuing its investigation of pilot-oxygen problems in the fighter’s cockpit. The F-22 regained some altitude earlier this month with recent comments by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that restarting the line could be considered.
TEL AVIV — The Israeli air force (IAF) has resumed operations with its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle after lifting a grounding order imposed following a Jan. 29 crash. The decision came after a successful test conducted in the south, clearing the aircraft for safe operation.
The U.S. Defense Department’s procurement of wheeled tactical vehicles (WTVs) has dropped sharply since fiscal 2008, leaving U.S. companies to seek international sales, which so far have not come close to filling the gap.
The successful incorporation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system will require regular assessments and a clear approach to addressing privacy concerns, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds in a new report. The investigative arm of the U.S. Congress says the FAA, in particular, should frequently monitor its efforts to fulfill UAS requirements and deadlines signed into law in February as part of a four-year agency reauthorization.
The incoming director of the F-35 program says that a poor relationship between the Joint Program Office, customers and prime contractor Lockheed Martin is the biggest threat to the success of the stealthy, single-engine fighter.
The U.S. Air Force has begun flight tests of the upgraded Rolls-Royce T56 on a C-130H, which could help extend the service life of the transport to 2040. Flight tests of the T56 Series 3.5 enhancement package are taking place at Edwards AFB, Calif., using an Air National Guard-operated Lockheed Martin C-130H. Testing aims to verify a predicted fuel burn improvement of around 8%, as well as assessing flying qualities and improved payload capability.
