An article on page 28 of the print edition of the March 25 issue should have noted that the Pentagon is planning to select a non-deployed AN/TPY-2 radar for use in Japan to monitor North Korean ballistic missile launches, adding to the one already located in Shariki. Those deployed to Qatar, Turkey and Israel are not candidates for deployment in Japan. The article in the digital edition of the magazine was correct.
One of Mexico's smallest states in area and population, Queretaro had a well-established industrial base in food processing, electronics, metals and automotive products in its eponymous capital city when the persistence of state officials caught the attention of Bombardier Aerospace in 2005.
Chihuahua, the capital of Mexico's largest state (also called Chihuahua), is a pioneer in aerospace manufacturing and a locus especially for general and business aviation original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). But in the past few years, growth has come courtesy of larger aircraft.
To counter the mounting number of cyberattacks, a group of senators led by Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) are working on legislation urging the Pentagon to train members of the National Guard to respond to cyberthreats. The bill would establish Cyber Guard units in every state that could be activated by governors or the Defense Secretary and would draw on the private-sector information technology expertise of members of the National Guard. The bill is aimed at offsetting a shortage of cyberexperts across the government.
Open architecture is frequently a misnomer in avionics development, as proprietary elements often sneak in during design and prevent software from being truly reusable and portable between platforms.
Success in the U.S. Army's growing catalog of work in linking unmanned and manned aviation assets could lead it to reduce reliance on helicopters, potentially impacting the planned buys of Boeing Apache AH-64Es and future Armed Aerial Scouts (AAS).
After more than decade planning it, seven years trying to achieve it and one failed attempt to do it, U.K. government officials have finally sealed a deal to harmonize the country's multiple search and rescue (SAR) helicopter operations under one agency.
U.S. Africa Command (Africom) is a great idea, but it should spend more time engaging with African militaries and less time painting schools and digging wells, according to a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa. Jendayi Frazer, the first woman appointed U.S. ambassador to South Africa and a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said she “very much supported” Africom when it was created by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, but thought it got its mandate wrong at first.
The U.S. Navy is getting set to renew its approvals for at-sea sonar and explosives testing, while trying to defuse concerns about the possible effects on marime mammals. “The Navy is renewing authorizations that will enable us to continue to train and test live sonar and explosives at sea for another five years [2019],” says Rear Adm. KevinSlates, director of the energy and environmental readiness division for the chief of naval operations, in a recent blog.
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Indonesia, which will soon become a manufacturer and marketer of the Airbus Military C295, is considering off-loading its unwanted Indonesian air force Fokker F27s by offering the Dutch-made aircraft in conjunction with the sale of new C295s.
THE PENTAGON — While U.S. Navy and media reports continue to surface questioning the survivability and combat capability of the service’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet, the service’s leading admiral now overseeing the program says the vessel’s survivability is a package deal that combines aspects of ship design, operations and even paint scheme.
LONDON — The U.K. Royal Air Force is exploring the possible use of a new Boeing C-17 Globemaster simulator opened by FlightSafety International at Farnborough. The new and yet-to-be-announced simulator, which was completed by the company in conjunction with Boeing at the end of 2012, is the second C-17 flight simulation facility outside the U.S. The other is owned by the Royal Australian Air Force and is located at Amberley, Queensland.
NEW DELHI — BAE Systems is looking at new joint programs with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) beyond the ongoing Hawk advanced jet trainer. “Our business relationship with HAL should go beyond Hawk to work on new projects in 17 countries across the world where we have our presence,” BAE Chairman Dick Olver says. HAL currently produces the Hawk Mk. 132 under license from the British aerospace firm. Of the 123 Hawks that India is buying, 24 were delivered in a fly-away condition by BAE, while the remaining 99 are being manufactured by HAL.
The U.S. Air Force could clear the Delta IV rocket for flight as soon as May as investigators work to finish a mishap investigation for the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10B2 upper stage.
LONDON — With the signing of the U.K. government’s search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter deal on March 26, Bristow is set to become the launch customer of the AgustaWestland AW189 medium helicopter.
LOS ANGELES — European Space Agency (ESA) researchers evaluating a hypersonic concept demonstrator called Hexafly are studying the potential of flight testing two different scaled versions of the same Mach 8 vehicle.
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Indonesia’s Air Chief Marshal Ida Bagus Putu Dunia, who was appointed in December, is open to the government’s decision to allow more commercial access to Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, which is a base for military transports. “We are supportive of the government’s decision. They are still working on that. There are some decisions [still to come] regarding operations at Halim. But we are happy for airlines to use Halim,” Ida Bagus told Aviation Week on the sidelines of this week’s LIMA Airshow in Malaysia.
Global climate change, increasing population and development are growing as national security issues, a U.S. State Department official said March 20. Kerri-Ann Jones, assistant secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, says she is “seeing these issues now become more and more threats to stability. They’re foreign policy issues.”
CYBER GUARD: To counter the mounting number of cyber attacks, a group of senators led by Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) are working on legislation urging the Pentagon to train members of the National Guard to respond to cyber threats. The bill would establish Cyber Guard units in every state that could be activated by state governors or the Defense Secretary and would draw on the private-sector information technology expertise of National Guard members. The bill is aimed at offsetting a shortage of cyber experts across government.
While the U.S. Navy still officially counts the Griffin missile as part of the Littoral Combat Ship’s (LCS) surface warfare (SUW) module package, the service is now testing the system aboard other ships to see if it is actually up to the task, even for the short term, says the head of the LCS Council of admirals overseeing the vessel.
