ASIAN ALLIES: The U.S. State Department approved and reported to Congress more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to countries across the Asia-Pacific region in 2013, according to Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Tom Kelly. And for the fourth consecutive year, total U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) have exceeded $30 billion, he told an audience earlier this month at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The latest statistics show U.S.
TERROR CONCERNS: The Moroccan government is boosting its defense budget in response to the risk of attacks from native terrorists and the arms race with neighboring Algeria, according to a new report from Strategic Defense Intelligence (SDI). The country spent $16.8 billion on defense between 2009-2013, and by 2018 that number is expected to grow to $20.5 billion. The country’s overall defense budget is expected to gradually increase from $3.8 billion in 2014 to $4.5 billion in 2018.
The Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013 notwithstanding, the top civilian and uniformed leaders of the Pentagon told reporters there Dec. 19 that the majority of so-called sequestration budget cuts remain in effect and that Washington faces tough choices about national security spending.
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 is training for NASA’s unmanned Exploration Flight Test-One (EFT-1) for its Orion spacecraft, scheduled for early next year off the coast of Southern California. HSC-8’s aircraft will launch from San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship LPD-22 USS San Diego and assist the crews that will recover the craft into the ship’s well-deck.
Rockwell Collins’ Control Technologies division has submitted a patent application for a Sun- and star-sensing system that could augment or substitute for an aircraft’s position, attitude and heading avionics in a GPS-denied environment. The technology was developed in part by the former senior director of Rockwell Collins Control Technologies, David Vos, who left the company in May 2012 to become a “technology entrepreneur.”
MUNICH — EADS Astrium has signed an agreement with Inmarsat to resell commercial and military broadband capacity on the London-based fleet operator’s new constellation of all-Ka-band Global Xpress satellites, giving them privileged access to the globally available mobile broadband network.
The U.K., which has hoped to sell Eurofighter Typhoons to the UAE, has learned that any potential deal is at least on hold. “The UAE have advised that they have elected not to proceed with these proposals at this time,” says a note to prime contractor BAE Systems’s investors. The U.K. had been negotiating with UAE for the sale of about 60 aircraft, with Prime Minister David Cameron traveling to the Dubai air show in the hopes of lobbying for BAE’s bid to sell the fighter jets.
While the U.S. Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has been attracting most of the attention in the Asia Pacific on its first deployment, aircraft carriers represent the real muscle behind the nation’s Pacific pivot, according to the service admiral charged with overseeing the fleet there. When it comes right down to it, Navy leaders say, nothing combines presence, power and flexibility on the sea like an aircraft carrier, and those ships will make the difference in the Asia Pacific.
Rockwell Collins’ Control Technologies division has submitted a patent application for a Sun- and star-sensing system that could augment or substitute for an aircraft’s position, attitude and heading avionics in a GPS-denied environment.
An upgrade to equip AAI Corp. RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aircraft systems with the high-capacity tactical common data link (TCDL) is heading into final testing on the way to entering operation with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps beginning in late 2014. The RQ-7B(V)2 upgrade will provide interoperability with other unmanned and manned aircraft, including the Army’s General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle and Boeing AH-64E Apache. To be deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, the AH-64E can control unmanned air vehicles and their payloads via TCDL.
Dodging the sequestration bullet somewhat, the U.S. aerospace industry will turn in 18% stronger profits for 2013 despite slightly slower sales, powered by a civil sector rebound which swelled the U.S. aerospace trade surplus to record levels, the Aerospace Industries Association says in its preliminary report card on the sector.
LOS ANGELES — Boeing has named Dennis Muilenburg, the current leader of the company’s defense arm, as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer, paving the way for the 49-year-old executive’s eventual move to potentially succeed Boeing’s chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney. The leadership reshuffle sees two top executives advance to the level of vice chairmen, the appointment of a company president and chief operating officer and the naming of new leaders for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Boeing Military Aircraft.
BUDGET PASSED: The U.S. Senate passed the so-called Ryan-Murray budget framework Dec. 18, sending the compromise to the White House to be signed into law. Senators voted 64-36 in favor of the bill, although several expressed criticism of the framework or their inability to amend it like most bills considered on the floor. The agreement was announced last week by House and Senate Budget committee chairmen Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen.
Israel’s Urban Aeronautics has completed untethered, automated test flights of its AirMule vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft as it prepares for mission demonstrations scheduled for next year. The 1,000-kg (2,200-lb.) ducted-rotor air vehicle conducted several tests that included vertical takeoff, flight to a specific location and back to a vertical landing, the company says. A second prototype is planned to fly in the second half of 2014.
The Swedish defense materiel agency, FMV, has signed a 16.4 billion Swedish Krona production deal with Saab to modify 60 JAS 39 Gripen C fighters to the Gripen E standard.
The Brazilian government has selected the Saab JAS 39E Gripen for its F-X2 next generation fighter requirement. Brasilia has taken more than 12 years to decide on the new fighter, with the selection finally coming on Dec. 18. The Brazilian air force will receive 36 Gripens in the new Gripen E configuration, which has also been ordered by the Swedish air force and selected by the Swiss air force.
When it comes to trade in defense goods with the U.K., the relationship with the U.S. needs to be less lopsided, the U.K.’s ambassador to the U.S. says. To fix that, Peter John Westmacott suggested the U.S. purchase MBDA’s Brimstone missiles during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that centered on ways the U.S. can foster more federated partnerships with allies.
The Swedish air force helicopter wing has taken delivery of the first of its latest batch of NH90 utility helicopters, 12 years after placing the order for the aircraft. The first of the new aircraft, locally designated HKP14D, was delivered to the Linkoping-based unit on Dec. 17, after testing by the country’s defense procurement agency, FMV.
U.S. senators voted this morning to allow debate on the so-called Ryan-Murray budget compromise to end, a key procedural decision that permits the upper chamber to pass the deal and — assuming no differences with the House’s version — to go to the White House to become law.
Japan’s 2014 defense budget request asks for a 3% increase over the 2013 budget, continuing the sudden upward trend set in motion by right-wing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe upon his December 2012 return to power. The previous center-left government planned a 1.3% decrease in defense spending, which had already seen 10 consecutive contractions since 2003.
