Very-light-jet (VLJ) pioneer Vern Raburn has been named CEO and chairman of Titan Aerospace, a New Mexico-based start-up developing solar-powered, high-altitude, ultra-long-endurance unmanned aircraft. Titan is developing the Solara series of “atmospheric satellites,” aiming to fill the gap between conventional aircraft and spacecraft with solar-powered UAVs that can stay aloft at 65,000 ft. for up to five years.
Angola has become a significant client for Russian weapons, signing a batch of defense contracts valued at $1 billion during the visit of a Russian delegation headed by Vice Premier Dmitry Rogozin to Luanda last week, according to Russian news reports. The package would include 18 Sukhoi Su-30K fighters with associated weaponry, Mi-17 helicopters, small arms and light weapons, ammunition, tanks and artillery systems. Russia also agreed to build a production facility for small arms ammunition in Angola.
While the cost for completing Nimitz-class refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) work was lower than expected, U.S. Navy officials want to do a better job of meeting deadlines. So far, RCOH work has “underran” cost targets, representing a “good return on investment” for the Navy and contractors doing the work, says Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. But meeting deadlines has been a different matter. “We haven’t delivered one on time,” Moore tells Aviation Week. “We haven’t met schedule.”
The next two Falcon 9 v 1.1 launches must perform flawlessly for upstart rocket provider Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to be eligible for certification to carry critical U.S. national security payloads as planned in its cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Air Force. The agreement calls for SpaceX to execute three successful Falcon 9 v1.1 launches, two of which are to be consecutive. The service also is assessing certain engineering and process data for the company to verify compliance with certification criteria.
Critics and supporters of annual, automatic and widespread U.S. budget cuts known as sequestration are being handed a new arena and opportunity in which to reach a potentially decisive conclusion over its fate. The $1 trillion question for federal agencies and defense and budget hawks, of course, is whether to solidify or jettison sequestration for this fiscal year and beyond. Regardless of the outcome, it should be decided by the end of 2014.
As the U.S. Navy gets ready for the christening of the of the next-generation aircraft carrier CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford, the service is now diverting its programmatic attention to the next ship of the class, the CVN-79 John F. Kennedy. “The Ford is in the yard and in the testers’ hands,” says Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. “The principal focus now is: what can I do to get the 79 under contract?”
OMAN RISING: Oman is increasing its naval capabilities, with the recent acceptance of an ocean patrol vessel and live-fire test of the naval VL MICA missile. The Al Shamikh will be the first of three Khareef-class corvettes produced by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy of Oman. MBDA’s VL MICA missile intercepted and destroyed a sea-skimming anti-ship missile during the recent test at a French range in the Mediterranean.
The U.S. Air National Guard has narrowed its search for an electronic flight bag solution for its fleet down from 24 commercially available touch-screen devices to two tablet computers, say officials with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
With the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (Emals) slated to be used on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford CVN-78 tested and proven, and the ship’s dual-band radar (DBR) being put through its own paces, the spotlight of concern is now squarely on the carrier’s proposed new aircraft-landing arresting gear, says U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. “The arresting gear now has most of my attention,” Moore tells the Aviation Week Intelligence Network.
EXPORT RULES: The massive overhaul of the government’s export control system took effect Oct. 15, shifting items in key aerospace categories for aircraft and gas turbine engines to a new list of munitions controlled by the Commerce Department. The change is aimed at easing trade between the U.S. and its closest allies. These two categories alone represent $20 billion in annual exports, according to the State Department.
BEIJING — Japan has permitted Kawasaki Heavy Industries to supply Rolls-Royce with engine parts for the Royal Navy, providing another indication that Tokyo is relaxing its stance against military exports.
LONDON — The British Army Air Corps (AAC) has withdrawn its last helicopters from Germany as the U.K. continues pulling forces out of the country. The final flight took place on Oct. 8, when 1 Regiment, AAC left their base at Gutersloh, Lower Saxony. The unit had been based at Gutersloh since 1993 flying the Westland Lynx and Gazelle helicopters. The Gazelle has since been withdrawn from Germany, leaving only the Lynx to carry out the last sorties in country.
U.S. Army, Navy and Other Procurements: Outyear Funding Decreases 2014-2017. Compares outyear funding estimates from fiscal 2013 request with fiscal 2014 request (then-year dollars in millions, ascending sort on outyear % change, cuts of 20% or greater). Click here to view the pdf
LONDON — Norway wants to purchase an extra six Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) in bid to speed the introduction of the aircraft into the country’s air arm. In its budget proposals for 2014, the Norwegian defense ministry is asking the country’s parliament for the funds to purchase an extra six F-35s for delivery in 2018, in addition to the 10-aircraft buy already approved. Four were ordered back in 2011 and the other six earlier this year. The new order would bring Norway’s purchases so far to 16 aircraft.
LONDON — The Romanian government has signed a contract to purchase 12 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from Portugal. The sale, worth up to €186 million ($253 million), was finalized on Oct. 11 and will see Lisbon transfer nine former Portuguese air force F-16s and a trio of ex-U.S. Air Force aircraft purchased by Portugal to be upgraded and sold to Romania. The deal was signed by the two governments after authorization for the purchase from the U.S. Congress. Around €78 million has already been transferred to Portugal to begin the transaction.
The U.S. Navy is testing technology on Virginia-class attack submarines that could bring the same kind of situational awareness offered by commercial smart phones to submarine crews. The technology helps fuse Google Earth data and sub-specific computer platform needs to provide the same type of terrestrial awareness people have with smart phones to ship commanders patrolling undersea, as detailed in a recent article in UnderSea Warfare, the official magazine of the U.S. Submarine Force.
The U.S. Army made major cuts in its 2014 outyear spending plan, zeroing funding for 11 lines in its “Other Procurement” account, saving $1.6 billion. The U.S. Navy has made a similar sweep through its “Other” account, which includes many comparatively small-dollar items. (See charts pp. 6-11.) Looking at the outyear spending plans cut by 50% or more, the 2014 budget plan estimates spending at $539 million, down from the $3.3 billion estimated in the 2013 plan.
MOSCOW — The long-delayed retrofitting of the Kiev-class Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly the Russian Admiral Gorshkov) finally seems to be over. The ship “will leave our waters and head for India on November 30,” Russian Vice Premier Dmitry Rogozin promised Oct. 14. The handover ceremony will take place in Severodvinsk—where Vikramaditya was retrofitted—on Nov. 16 during the visit of Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony.
The christening of the aircraft carrier CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford is still on schedule for Nov. 9, although the U.S. Navy had indefinitely postponed the Oct. 19 ceremony for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer because of issues related to the federal government shutdown.
David Eshel Tel Aviv, Christina Mackenzie Paris and Bill Sweetman Washington, Christina Mackenzie (Paris), Bill Sweetman (Washington)
Vehicle protection technology has made enormous strides since the improvised explosive device (IED) threat emerged in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the use of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and ballistic threats. The V-hull concept pioneered in South Africa was adapted and modernized for different conditions. New materials were introduced, starting with ceramics that had previously been confined to tank armor, progressing into sophisticated ceramic and plastic hybrid systems, and much stronger transparent materials.
Technical realities, the impact of the global economic crisis and other pressures on defense budgets have slowed but not stopped the development of “future soldier” systems worldwide. The need to provide soldiers with the kind of connectivity and situational awareness they routinely use when out of uniform is more urgent than ever. Some of the key goals, such as reducing the size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements of the equipment a soldier carries, have not changed, but cost is more important.
