French missile maker MBDA acquired the ramjet integration and testing activities of Roxel France on Dec. 1 following the signing of an agreement with propulsion company Herakles, a subsidiary of Safran and an equal shareholder with MBDA of the Roxel group. Specializing in tactical propulsion technology in France and the U.K., Roxel will continue to produce solid-rocket motors for MBDA missiles as well as other system suppliers, giving MBDA a leading position in ramjet technology in Europe.
Pierre Chao, a longtime aerospace and defense (A&D) industry sage and managing partner at Renaissance Strategic Advisors, succinctly sums up what the outcome of the budget impasse in Washington between Republicans and Democrats should be. “Your taxes are going to go up, your benefits are going to go down, and spending is going to go down,” he said in a post-election address to Aviation Week’s A&D Programs conference. “My six-year-old daughter knows this.”
European defence manufacturer MBDA confirmed today that the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) has successfully carried out the first operational firing of a VL MICA missile.
LONDON — The defense division of EADS, Cassidian, has announced sweeping job cuts as it restructures in a bid to save a further €200 million ($259 million) a year by 2014. Nearly 850 personnel, many in management and administration positions, are to be let go as part of the restructure plans detailed in letters sent to employees on Nov. 30.
AgustaWestland contends the Danish government’s decision to buy Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters will cost taxpayers 1 billion kroner ($173 million) more than if Denmark had chosen the AW159 Lynx Wildcat.
WEAPONS POLICY: The Pentagon has issued a new policy that “establishes guidelines designed to minimize the probability and consequences of failures in autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems that could lead to unintended engagements.” The Nov. 21 policy, Directive 3000.09, also assigns responsibilities for development and use of autonomous and semi-autonomous functions in weapon systems, including unmanned platforms.
The leaders of the House Privacy Caucus blasted a response from the FAA about how privacy protections for UAVs in civilian airspace should be handled, amid conflicting pressures on the agency as to how quickly it should select six test sites and whether it should be considering privacy issues at all.
TIMING THE PAIN: Fiscal 2014 — not 2013 — will be the worst year for federal contractors, including defense companies, if the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration take effect in January 2013, says Alan Chvotkin, vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council. That is because the sharp drop-off in federal spending under sequestration, the second part of the Budget Control Act preoccupying policymakers in Washington right now, will not be felt via contracting opportunities until then.
The Senate did not close out action on the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill in three days as had been anticipated, instead shooting for an agreement to wrap up work early this week. As floor work continues, senators are already looking toward resolving the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Here’s a look at some of the outstanding issues:
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have settled on a price of roughly $3.8 billion for the next batch of F-35 fighters, after more than a year of negotiations, according to program sources. A few details remain to be worked out on low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 5 for the Joint Strike Fighter program, though the contract is likely to be signed in days.
As the U.S. struggles with deficit-reduction demands, sequestration—the automatic budget cuts of the Budget Control Act of 2011—will take effect Jan. 2, 2013, if Washington does not enact a new law before then. But no matter how this develops, the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and their organizing office will probably wind up with less money in 2013 and beyond, if this year is any an indication. On Oct. 30, the Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said intelligence spending in fiscal 2012 (ended Sept.
Submarines are among the most secretive and secure strategic assets any nation deploys. So it is good news for U.K. and NATO defense planners that London is not backing away from its commitment to develop new nuclear boats, despite ongoing budget pressures and a projected total cost of £15-20 billion ($24-32 billion) at 2006-07 prices. In late October, the U.K.
A significant part of Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas in Gaza takes place overhead and well out of sight. Israel is doubtless using the observation capabilities of its satellites to detect and monitor activities by the terrorist group, which for years has fired rockets into southern Israel, lately increasing their range and potential lethality. During the hostilities last month, Hamas deployed Fajr 5 rockets with 45-mi. range, long enough to hit Tel Aviv.
Do not expect a let-up in the worldwide hunt for Al Qaeda, says U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Indeed, do not be surprised to see or hear reports of U.S. UAVs and Special Operations Forces in North Africa, Yemen and Somalia, he all-but-said-explicitly in a speech to the left-leaning Center for New American Security last month.
Interoperability is an important factor driving the modification of three aircraft for electronic intelligence. The Royal Air Force is scheduled to take delivery of the first RC-135W Airseeker aircraft in December 2013, following its conversion for the mission by prime contractor L-3 Communications in a U.K. program overseen by the U.S. Air Force. The Airseeker aircraft are Boeing KC-135 tankers that were flown by the U.S. Air Force but are being converted to the USAF Rivet Joint surveillance configuration (see photo).
Engineers do not expect three small cracks that appeared in the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle pressure vessel to delay the planned first flight of NASA's next human spacecraft in 2014. The cracks in three adjacent radial ribs machined into the aft bulkhead did not go all the way through, and the vessel continued to hold pressure after the cracks appeared when pressure reached 21.6 psi, according to a NASA spokeswoman. Orion's normal operating pressure is 14.7 psi.
The U.S. Air Force's classified research and development budget is supporting two major programs, according to industry and government sources: an unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Northrop Grumman and a bomber demonstrator from Lockheed Martin. In the last few weeks, an industry executive has told Aviation Week that Lockheed Martin is building a “Next Generation Bomber”—the name NGB was used, although the Air Force's requirement is now known as the Long-Range Strike Bomber—at Palmdale, Calif.
