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.
The U.S. Army is still considering going forward with the Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program, aimed at replacing the aging OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, with a variant of an off-the-shelf design, the service’s top procurement officer said July 18.
The U.S. Army did not properly scrutinize some parts purchases for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter, allowing manufacturer Boeing to overcharge for some items, according to the Pentagon Inspector General (IG).
BEIJING — Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has published a drawing of a moderately stealthy fighter concept based on its T-50 series of supersonic trainers and light-attack aircraft. The concept aircraft is far smaller and less ambitious than the all-new, twin-engine KF-X designs promoted by South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development, the leading proponent of building an indigenous South Korea fighter.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $17 million contract for the first phase of integrating Raytheon’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod onto Boeing’s EA-18G Growler aircraft. The phase 1 hardware integration will ensure the designs of the required modifications are suitable for the technology development stage of the NGJ pod program, according to the contract announcement.
ASPEN, Colo. — The U.S. Defense Department is mobilizing 40 new cyber teams, totaling an estimated 4,000 workers from existing military cyber positions, for both offensive and defensive missions in cyberspace, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said July 18.
LONDON — A series of upgrades for the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb will form the first phase of development for the U.K.’s Selected Precision Effects at Range (Spear). The Spear program is developing a new generation of air-to-ground weapons for the U.K.’s combat aircraft including the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The first phase, Spear Cap (Capability) 1, sees several improvements in the capability of the Paveway IV.
TEL AVIV — Despite ongoing political upheaval in the Middle East, Israel is launching the most drastic cut to its armed forces to date. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has presented a plan to downsize its ground, air and naval forces, cutting units, platforms and personnel, and may face another round of reductions. “It’s a revolutionary plan,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. “In a few years we will see a different IDF.”
FOURTH ESTATE: Making good on promises to trim the “fourth estate” of offices, staff and services outside the three branches of the military, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced a 20% reduction in funding for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff and the Military Service Headquarters over fiscal 2015-19, amounting to an estimated $1.5-2 billion in savings.
Despite the effects of sequestration and continuing budget resolutions, the U.S. Navy brass feels it is anchored securely when it comes to ships, aircraft and other platforms. What the service is looking to develop now is better command-and-control capability. “We’ve got the platforms,” says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. “What do we need? It is command-and-control, [including] the organization and the staff. That’s what we’ve got to work on,” he said July 11 during a Center for Strategic and International Studies event.
The kill vehicle failed to separate from the third stage of a Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) during the failed July 5 flight test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, preventing the GBI from destroying its target, says Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. James Syring.
The U.S. Navy is planning to loft its second in a series of next-generation narrowband communications satellites on Friday, July 19. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V is slated to boost the second Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) spacecraft during a 44-min. launch window that opens at 8:48 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral. The launch vehicle is an Atlas V 551, meaning it will use a 5-meter fairing and five strap-on, solid-rocket boosters.
Whether it is the Airbus A380 or Boeing 787, program issues leading to delays and redesigns have some in the aerospace industry arguing that traditional systems engineering is broken. But Dassault Systemes attributes the problem to design tools that have failed to keep pace with program complexity.
AEHF CHECKOUT: Technicians at Cape Canaveral will spend the next several months preparing the third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-3) military communications satellite, after the U.S. Air Force and manufacturer Lockheed Martin Space Systems delivered it with a C-5 Galaxy flying out of Travis AFB, Calif. Launch from Complex 41 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V is scheduled for this fall.
