U.S. and Chinese naval leaders continue to develop more channels for cooperation, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. “With regard to China and our relations, I like the trend we’re on right now,” Greenert said July 19 during a media briefing. Some “tangible outcomes” are resulting from this cooperation, he says.
PAYING BILLS: House Republican leaders are trying to schedule consideration and passage of their appropriations panel’s version of fiscal 2014 spending for the Pentagon and related defense efforts before the sacred August recess. But since it could be the legislative vehicle of choice for some lawmakers’ hoped-for restrictions on going to war in Syria, or obliterating the National Security Agency surveillance programs making headlines, those leaders are arguing with members of their own caucus as much as Democrats.
As the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and federal lawmakers both paint a bull’s-eye this week on the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, service officials are trying to put the small combat ship in the best light.
Even as the U.S. Navy is spending a good part of this summer investing time and resources in rebuilding its forces abroad, the service also has to keep ships, people and equipment for missions closer to home. The Third Fleet area of operations conducts and supports maritime law enforcement, interdiction and security operations with the U.S. Coast Guard, similar to missions slated for the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), which is making its deployment debut this summer in Singapore.
An 8% increase in commercial aerospace original equipment sales and a 3% improvement in commercial aftermarket revenues helped Honeywell Aerospace mitigate the adverse effects of an 8% decline in defense and space sales in the second quarter. Despite a 1% decline in overall sales to $3 billion, Honeywell Aerospace posted a 4% year-on-year rise in operating income to $583 million and a 0.9 percentage point gain in segment margin to 19.5%.
To better cushion itself from the financial blow of sequestration, the U.S. Navy is officially seeking reprogramming authority from Congress to shift certain funds, and also plans to scrutinize its major contracts line by line looking for immediate savings, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations (CNO.)
TEL AVIV — Under a veil of secrecy, Israel test-fired a ballistic missile believed to be an improved version of the nuclear-capable Jericho III on July 12. Israeli defense sources say that the test was “highly successful.” The missile was launched from the missile test center at Palmachim Air Force base, south of Tel Aviv, into an unknown range westbound, and landed in the Mediterranean. The launch of the heavy missile was clearly visible throughout Israel’s southern Mediterranean coast.
In the wake of June's Paris air show, both Airbus and Boeing issued victory statements detailing orders, options, commitments and letters of intent reportedly signed during the five-day event. Both rivals claimed they achieved or surpassed their most optimistic sales predictions, disseminating robust releases to the media. And, once more, the press corps—in most cases without the required restraint—agreed to the rules of the game, although that was largely meaningless.
In the North Sea, the Eurocopter EC225 has been a workhorse, plying routes between bases in Norway and Scotland oil and gas platforms. But for 10 months, the helicopter has been missing from such operations, grounded as engineers searched for the root cause of the failure in its bevel gear vertical shaft. For the major operators in the North Sea region such as Bond Offshore Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters and CHC Scotia, the loss of the type from their fleets had a dramatic impact on their capacity to fly for customers.
More space programs are set to feel sequestration's effects, particularly on the civilian side as lawmakers responsible for NASA are increasingly—and bitterly—at odds. Last week, Senate appropriators, led by Democrats, recommended $18 billion for the agency for 2014. But despite his stated approval of the legislation, senior Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) voted against the measure in committee because it adheres to Senate Democrats' overall federal budget allocations.
The nine USAF fighter squadrons grounded since April by the 2011 Budget Control Act's automatic sequestration cuts are flying again, but whether they will remain so after September—and whether there will be anyone to fly or maintain them starting
Airbus and Boeing led the news, but perhaps the biggest surprise at June's Paris air show as Bell Helicopter's decision to power its new light single with a Turbomeca engine. To fly in 2014, the long-awaited JetRanger replacement will be powered by a 450-550-shp Arrius, the first new Bell to have a French engine.
Carbon in its many forms is transforming manufacturing, from electronics to structures. Aerospace uses carbon in fiber form, but new nano-structured materials are emerging that promise improved properties and expanded applications.
JAMMER PROTEST: BAE Systems filed a protest July 18 of the $279.4 million contract the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon to develop the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod to replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system now carried by the EA-18G Growler. NGJ is planned to become operational in 2020. A Northrop Grumman/ITT Exelis team also bid for and lost the program. The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s decision on the protest is due by Oct. 28.
U.S. partners and allies in the Asia-Pacific region are about to embark on a spending spree for military purchases and research and development (R&D), according to an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis of data provided by Avascent Analytics.
