Polaris, mainly known for snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and light military vehicles, unveiled plans to move into larger vehicles at the Association of the U.S. Army show in Washington Oct. 22. Its Humvee-based Armor Concept Demonstrator vehicle is the result of a partnership with Seattle-based M9 Defense, which has developed a new composite forming process combining heat and hydrostatic pressure, in a machine called a “boroclave.”
TEL AVIV — Israel’s Elta is presenting new tactical radar options for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to meet a need for ultra-rapid response to mortar attacks.
Honeywell says its business and commercial aviation products were top performers among its four business sectors in the third quarter and will remain so through 2013, despite expectations for a continued slowdown in the global economy. Sales for the Aerospace division, which includes business and commercial aviation as well as defense and space, were up 4% to $3 billion year-over-year in the third quarter due to a 9% increase in commercial product sales. Defense and space revenue decreased 1%.
NEW DELHI — India plans to buy 270 F-125IN turbofan engines from Honeywell to improve its fleet of Jaguar aircraft, the key strike asset for the Indian air force (IAF). “The defense ministry on Oct. 15 issued a request for proposal to Honeywell to supply the turbofan engines through the U.S. foreign military sales route,” IAF spokesman Wing Cmdr. Gerard Galway tells Aviation Week.
Bell Helicopter is the latest contender for the Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement to demonstrate its candidate to the U.S. Army, but the only one with a flyable helicopter, hoping the service shuns a competition and stays with its existing armed scout. That’s because the company’s proposal is to upgrade the Army’s Bell-built OH-58D Kiowa Warriors with new engines and rotors to give them the 6k/95 (6,000-ft./95F) hot-and-high performance the Army is seeking.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — While some ballistic missile defense strategists have suggested it might be better to do away with the traditional nuclear triad defense and deterrence policy, U.S. Navy leaders in charge of those missions say more collaboration with the Air Force is needed, and the two services could start to work toward a common missile. “The Air Force and Navy must look for ways to collaborate,” says Rear Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems programs. “Maintaining the triad is key to deterrence.”
While many of the world’s leading military powers are looking to cut back on defense spending, submarine building and maintenance contracts remain on the rise. The U.S. Navy, for example, this week picked up a $495 million option on a contract with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Corp. unit for design agent, planning yard, engineering and technical support for active nuclear submarines.
The U.S. Navy has developed new fiber-optic support equipment that will decrease the number of aircraft avionics systems turned in for repair and recertification. The service introduced the Fiber Optic Common Support Equipment (Focse) to the fleet in early September. Focse was developed by engineers with the Aviation Support Equipment Program Office (PMA-260) and allows technicians to check fiber-optic cables, reducing the unnecessary replacement of functional avionics equipment.
AAI Corp. says its problems starting up unmanned-aircraft fee-for-service operations for Pentagon customers “are in the rear-view mirror” and systems deployed in-theater are “delivering what they need.” Under contracts with the U.S. Navy and Special Operations Command (Socom), AAI is providing full-motion video to deployed forces using company-owned and operated Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). “We have aircraft in the air and are executing,” says Steve Reid, vice president of AAI’s unmanned aircraft systems business.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) and a host of small businesses are lobbying debate moderator Bob Schiffer to pose a question about sequestration during the Oct. 22 presidential debate on foreign policy. The issue of a potential $1 trillion across-the-board federal budget penalty came up briefly during the vice presidential debate. But it was not a major topic during either of the two previous debates.
In Virginia, the politics of defense budget cuts is in full swing, as the Republican governor and three Democratic lawmakers engage in a war of letters about how to handle looming budget reductions.
Capitol Hill may be quiet in the run-up to the November elections, but behind the scenes lobbyists are sparring over a proposal that would dramatically lower the amount the government can pay for defense contractor salaries. The fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee contains a provision that would lower the cap on compensation from its current high point of $763,029 to the same salary made by Vice President Joe Biden, $230,700.
The C212 is an unpressurized, twin-turboprop lift military transport with room for 25 fully equipped troops or a payload of 6,504 lb. The aircraft is also used for maritime patrol. Developed by Spain's CASA as the Aviocar, the C212 made its first flight in March 1971. Approximately 476 C212s (of all versions) had been built through 2011. Airbus Military now builds only the C212-400, with two Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701C engines rated at 925 shp each; this version received Spanish certification in 1998.
The Boeing T-45 Goshawk is a variant of the BAE Hawk, designed specifically for aircraft carrier pilot training. The twin-seat aircraft is powered by a single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour 871 (F405-401) non-afterburning turbofan (5,845-lb.-thrust), also known as the F405-RR-401. First flight occurred in 1988, and the first aircraft carrier landing in 1991. The final version was the T-45C, equipped with a digital glass cockpit. Approximately 221 production T-45s were built through 2009.
Development of this two-seat advanced jet trainer was formally launched in 1997, with Lockheed Martin as a participant, responsible for avionics, flight controls and wings. The first prototype flew in August 2002. Two versions have been developed: the T-50 and weapons-capable TA-50 lead-in fighter trainer. T-50s and TA-50s are powered by a single General Electric F404-102 augmented turbofan (17,700-lb.-thrust). A new light fighter variant, the FA-50, is being designed, with the South Korean air force planning to acquire about 150.
The An-70 transport is a high-wing military transport powered by four 14,000-shp ZMKB Progress D-27 “propfan” engines with six-blade counter-rotating propellers. Maximum payload is 103,615 lb. Two An-70 prototypes were built and flown: one in 1994 and a second in 1997. Each was involved in an accident, but both were repaired. In 2006, Russia pulled out of a deal to acquire 164 aircraft, leaving Ukraine as the sole customer. With the project facing difficulties, Russia reentered the program in 2009, with a plan to purchase 60 aircraft through 2020.
The Yak-130 is a Yakovlev-designed subsonic advanced trainer and light attack aircraft powered by two 5,512-lb.-thrust ZMKB Progress AI-222-25 or Soyuz RD-2500 turbofans (prototypes used Klimov RD-35s). The first flight of a prototype took place in 1996, followed by the first production aircraft in 2004. Twelve Yak-130s were produced through 2011. From 2012 through 2021, Irkut is forecast to build 163 Yak-130s.
The Fuji T-7, also known as the T-3 Kai or KM-2F, is a tandem two-seat trainer derived from Fuji's earlier piston-engined T-3. It is powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250-B17F turboprop. First flight of a prototype, converted from a T-3, occurred in 1998. In 2000, the T-7 was selected over the Pilatus PC-7 as the new primary trainer for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Deliveries began in 2002, with 49 produced through 2008, when the final aircraft was delivered. The T-5 remains in production, with 50 produced through 2011.
The H-92 is the military variant of Sikorsky's S-92 civil model. It is powered by two GE CT7-8C turboshafts rated at approximately 2,550 shp each. When configured for the land assault mission, the H-92 provides a 200-nm radius of action and the ability to carry 22 troops at 3,000 ft on a 91.5F day. The first version is the CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter for Canada. Seven H-92s were produced through 2011, with 22 units forecast for production from 2012 through 2021.
The SH-2 Seasprite is a multipurpose naval helicopter. First flight was in 1959, and 191 were built. No new aircraft have been produced since the early 1990s. The two variants still in use are the SH-2F, powered by two GE T58-8F turboshafts rated at 1,350 shp each, and the modernized SH-2G, powered by two GE T700-401s rated at 1,690 shp each. The Seasprite is still marketed by Kaman.
