U.S. defense primes are reporting impressive second-quarter earnings. General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon all raised guidance for 2013, and their stock prices responded favorably. The bite of sequestration—automatic, across-the-board cuts in the Defense Department's budget—has initially proved to be not as harsh as was expected earlier in the year, and operating profits are benefitting from cost-cutting. Shareholders adore the primes' share repurchase
The European Union is keen to set up its own network of space surveillance assets that could track spy satellites and near-Earth objects, help satellite operators avoid orbital-debris collisions and protect critical infrastructure when spent spacecraft or other objects enter Earth's atmosphere. (Photo: NASA)
Flying a helicopter low and fast over rugged terrain—using the hills for masking—to a safe landing in a forest clearing is among the most demanding tasks a pilot can face, but one that U.S. Army researchers believe can be performed autonomously with the right sensors and algorithms.
EADS has sought to be a broad and balanced aerospace group ever since its inception in 2000. That the group is now renamed Airbus—consolidating its weaker businesses—indicates it remains what it was: a commercial aircraft manufacturer with a defense/space and helicopter division.
A testbed for future fuel-efficient transport and unmanned aircraft with slender, flexible wings has made its first flight at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Calif. The X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed was built by the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and NASA to test active aeroelastic control technologies for flutter suppression and gust-load alleviation.
As the European Union's biggest defense powers pare back military budgets, the crisis in public spending is bolstering the EU's case for taking on more responsibility in the realm of defense, space and security. The European Commission (EC) issued a long-awaited slate of broad policy proposals last month that would harmonize defense commerce in Europe, develop common standards, fund dual-use R&D and ultimately see the EU's executive arm purchase and operate its own military hardware.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has flown an improved version of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft with twice the payload and endurance of the Block 1 aircraft now flown by the U.S. Army.
How unmanned aircraft have matured over more than a decade of war is illustrated by the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven. This hand-launched UAV is often overlooked, even though it outnumbers all other U.S. unmanned systems put together—there were 5,394 in service as of November 2012 —but advances in microelectronics have given the Raven capabilities previously associated only with larger aircraft. Small size brings challenges. “Our engineers operate within a tight SWAP [size, weight and power] trade space,” says AeroVironment Vice President Steve Gitlin.
Tap on the icon in the digital edition of AW&ST for an interactive map with more on the U.S. missile defense sensor architecture, or go to AviationWeek.com/misdef
Alenia Aermacchi and TAI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising the interest of both companies in expanding industrial and commercial cooperation on products of mutual interest and identifying potential programmes in third country markets.
New ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) imagery ground control stations are to enter service with two Middle East armed forces in the next 12 months following the award of contacts worth over £2.5 million to a team from Marshall Land Systems, part of Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, and UTC Aerospace Systems.
FLYHT Aerospace Solutions has received a purchase order from a major avionics integrator for seven AFIRS 228 (Automated Flight Information Reporting System) for Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft owned and operated by a Middle-Eastern country's air force.
The incoming CEO of Rockwell Collins believes cuts to the U.S. defense budget are here to stay and says the managers of military programs would be well-advised to wake up to reality.
Click here to view the pdf U.S. Navy Procurement Funding Shifts:2013 Plan for Fiscal 2014 Compared To Actual 2014 Request (Winners) (Then-year dollars in millions) U.S.
LONDON — BAE Systems is pursuing deals for Eurofighter Typhoon jets for the UAE and a follow-up deal for the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The company is keen to push production of the fourth-generation fighter out beyond 2020, CEO Ian King told analysts as the company released its half-year results on Aug. 1.
LONDON — The U.K. Defense Ministry deployed a laser weapon to the South Atlantic as it tried to re-take the Falkland Islands from invading Argentine forces, previously secret documents have recently revealed. A letter, dated January 17, 1983, written by the then-Secretary of State for Defense Michael Heseltine to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher states that the weapon was designed to dazzle Argentine pilots as they attacked British Task Force ships during operations in the waters around the Falklands.
Experts from the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, Commerce, Homeland Security and other agencies are working their way through about 100 formal comments on proposed reforms to the way the government licenses spacecraft for export, but final reforms won’t take effect until next year.
