The staff of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee is going to delve into the details of the U.S. Air Force decision to stop production of the Global Hawk Block 30 and put 18 of the unmanned aerial vehicles in storage, the panel’s top Democrat says. Fast becoming one of the most unpopular budget decisions of fiscal 2013 on Capitol Hill, the Air Force’s move to mothball its high-tech UAVs in favor of maintaining its fleet of U-2 intelligence-gathering aircraft drew fire from a number of members of the powerful spending committee at a March 6 hearing.
The fate of the Defense Department’s fiscal 2013 budget request is smack in the middle of a debate among Republicans on the House Budget Committee who are developing a spending resolution for the next fiscal year. Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has “deployed” two subcommittee members, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), to hold the line on defense spending, keeping President Barack Obama’s budget request as a minimum point.
ARMY GE Engine Services Inc., Arkansas City, Kan., was awarded a $242,386,898 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the recapitalization and overhaul services of the T700 and T701D turbine engines. The work will be performed in Winfield, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-D-0007).
ARMY BRASS: India has named Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh as its next army chief, a government official says. The 59-year old Singh will take charge of the service on May 31 when the incumbent Gen. V.K. Singh retires from service. Bikram Singh joined the 1.3-million force after the 1971 war with Pakistan.
YEAR AHEAD: The global defense market will see flat or declining growth this year due to anticipated decreases in military spending, principally in the U.S. and Europe, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is calling on the U.S. to lead an international effort launching air strikes against the Syrian government. “To be clear: This will require the United States to suppress enemy air defenses in at least part of the country,” McCain said during a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate on March 5. He urged the U.S. to build an alliance with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and other “willing allies” in the EU and NATO.
Raytheon intends to develop a system to intercept insurgent rocket attacks under a U.S. Army quick-reaction program that is planned to lead to a demonstration in 18 months, followed by low-rate initial production. The company has received a $79.2 million contract for the Accelerated Improve Intercept Initiative (AI3). The program will combine a Raytheon-developed interceptor with government-furnished launcher, fire-control and command-and-control (C2) systems.
NEW DELHI — A day after India successfully test-fired its 290-km-range (180-mi.) BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and put into operation the second tranche of the weapon system, Pakistan on March 5 tested a nuclear-capable short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile. BrahMos has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 meters (33 ft.) above the ground. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.8. On the other side, Pakistan’s Hatf-2 missile can travel up to 180 km and deliver nuclear as well as conventional warheads with high accuracy.
LONDON — The U.K. expects to start employing Brimstone 2 air-to-ground missiles from Tornado GR4s next year. Brimstone 2 effectively replaces the Dual-Mode Brimstone used heavily during last year’s NATO-led air operations against Libya, as well as in Afghanistan.
Italians are developing a grudge when it comes to Pentagon procurement, and it may come back to haunt the U.S. government. The latest source of frustration is the U.S. Air Force's proposal to mothball 21 C-27J Spartans now on contract with U.S. prime L-3 Communications and the aircraft's maker, Finmeccanica's Alenia Aermacchi unit. At least 13 C-27Js have been delivered, and the Air Force plans to continue production of the final eight—in various stages of construction in Italy—because it would cost more to terminate the contract.
SEATTLE — The U.S. Navy is poised to take delivery of the first production version of Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, opening the way for the start of fleet training at Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida.
Anderson Leveille grew up in Stowe, Vt., and got his first high-school job in the circa-1820 sawmill his dad owned. There were no blueprints or tolerance gauges, so maintaining the wooden teeth on the mill's bevel gears, which were lubricated with sheep tallow, taught Leveille the value of creative engineering.
NEW DELHI — The Indian army has approved an order to buy 100 artillery guns from a state-owned defense manufacturer, the first such procurement of howitzers in almost two decades. “The army has placed orders with the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for procuring 100 155-mm, 52-caliber howitzers and this will be developed on the basis of transfer of technology,” says M.M. Pallam Raju, junior minister for defense.
If the King Air 350ER is the manned intelligence aircraft inextricably associated with the Afghanistan war, what will the platform for the post-Afghanistan conflict look like? It won't be much different, is the growing consensus among industry officials, who believe the move from large, high-end platforms to smaller, cheaper systems is here to stay. The trend has already spurred a number of system integrators to look at the Hawker Beechcraft aircraft, and developers as well are starting to look at other platforms that could fit the bill.
Advanced naval guns that could replace land-attack and anti-ship missiles as well as defend warships from ballistic and cruise missiles have taken a step forward with the start of prototype electromagnetic railgun testing by the U.S. Navy. Railguns can fire guided projectiles farther and faster than conventional guns, rivaling the capability of high-speed missiles, but must overcome challenges with power, cooling and durability before they can be installed on ships. Ultimately, smaller versions could arm combat vehicles and gunship aircraft.
India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and France's Snecma are close to finalizing plans for a new 20,230-lb.-thrust turbofan engine to be developed and built under a joint venture, potentially for the Asian giant's light and advanced medium combat aircraft.
Russia is moving forward with its aggressive plans to enhance the country's combat aircraft prowess, with commitments to modernize its carrier strike force and long-range interdiction capabilities. On March 1, the defense ministry signed a contract with Sukhoi for delivery of 92 Su-34 bombers through 2020. The deal, estimated to be worth 100 billion rubles ($3.4 billion) is the largest for the ministry since the end of the Soviet era, and brings the total number of Su-34s ordered to 124.
Despite recent concerns raised by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the U.S. Navy and Pentagon are maintaining course with their augmented DDG-51 Arleigh Burke destroyer plan.
