Projected production expenses really ramp up in fiscal 2016 and 2017, with the Pentagon slated to spend at least $3.8 billion during each of those years.
ARMY Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Kongsberg, Norway, was awarded an $85,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure spare parts and services in support of the common remotely operated weapon station. The work will be performed in Johnstown, Pa., with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-07-D-0018).
ARMY Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded a $2,827,576,695 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement, as well as support services and technical data, of up to 916 UH/MH-60 Helicopters for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Foreign Military Sales. The work will be performed in Stratford, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-C-0008).
Improvements being made to U.S. Navy vessels in Mayport, Fla., will help pave the way for basing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier there, says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations (CNO). A carrier move to Mayport has been a political hot potato for some time. Virginia lawmakers, for example, have battled against moving a carrier’s home port from their state. The Navy blunted some of the criticism in this year’s fiscal 2013 budget request by delaying funding for the move.
FARNBOROUGH — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, who leads a state long known for its aerospace presence, is hoping for a rebound after Boeing’s recent departure from the state.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JULY 16 — 24th Annual Greater Washington Aviation Open, "the regions largest Aviation Golf Charity," Lansdown Golf Resort near Leesburg, Va. For more information contact [email protected] or go to www.gwao.org JULY 26 - 28 — NewSpace 2012, "The Space Frontier Foundation's Annual Conference," Moffett Field, Calif. For more information go to spacefrontier.org/ns12registration/
France carried out its first full test firing of the MdCN (missile de croisiere naval) equipped with an infrared seeker at the Biscarrosse test range in southwestern France July 9, simulating full-up engagement of the MBDA-built naval cruise missile in a frigate configuration.
Deal would leave the defense business — which in recent years has been Hawker Beechcraft’s most lucrative — as either a standalone operation or to be sold separately.
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are expected to out-spend each of their sister services roughly two-to-one on Electronic Warfare (EW) programs during the next decade. In a 10-year period starting in fiscal 2008 and ending fiscal 2017 the Navy and Marines have spent or are slated to spend a cumulative total of about $21.9 billion, based on a database provided by Avascent’s 050, an online market analysis toolkit for global defense programs.
Not only are Brazil and other countries interested in F-18s, but foreign militaries also are eyeing some of the console improvements being featured on the latest proposed Super Hornets.
Despite a slew of scandals and defense acquisition issues in India, Mark Kronenberg, vice president of international business development for Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS), remains upbeat about business opportunities in the South Asian nation. Kronenberg sat for an exclusive interview in New Delhi with Aviation Week's Jay Menon before the Farnborough International Airshow and discussed why he thinks Boeing is entering banner times in India. AW&ST: What are the opportunities that Boeing is eyeing in India?
Amy Butler (Farnborough), Andy Nativi (Farnborough)
Alenia Aermacchi and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) are planning to begin testing the first MC-27J multimission airlifter—outfitted with a 30-mm cannon for the gunship role—this fall. The test campaign comes as the manufacturer works to carve out more market share for the tactical airlifter in the wake of a U.S. Air Force decision earlier this year to walk away from it and shelve brand new hardware due to budget pressures.
With fewer dollars available for new programs, the Pentagon is at a pivot point for its multibillion air- and spaceborne intelligence collection portfolio.
City and state officials in Alabama are still celebrating Airbus's decision to build an A320 final assembly line in Mobile. By any measure, the planned $600 million industrial facility will be a big stimulus to the local economy. It also will add to the southeastern U.S.'s emergence as a major hub for aerospace manufacturing. What may not be apparent yet, however, is how much the supplier base across North America could share in that bonanza.
Shock, disbelief, dismay, distrust. Stages of grief? No, these adjectives sum up the reaction to the news that Hawker Beechcraft has agreed to sell itself to a Chinese manufacturer for about $1.8 billion (see p. 40). It remains to be seen whether the property will actually change hands, although there is no reason at this point to doubt it will. Nonetheless, the announcement stunned aerospace professionals.
Now that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has secured the tactical and strategic airlift that it wanted, its next procurement is of VIP air transportation.
The plot is thickening once again as the U.S. Air Force continues its troubled quest to field a Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft for use in Afghanistan. Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer and U.S. aerospace giant Boeing have joined forces to provide a combined A-29 Super Tucano offering to the Air Force for its next round of bidding on the program.
Rafael, Israel's leading missile development center, continues to work quietly on an air-to-air derivative of the Stunner interceptor—to be designated Python 6, or the Future Advanced Air-to-Air Missile (FAAM). The Stunner is a surface-to-air weapon being developed in partnership with Raytheon for Israel's David's Sling air and missile defense system. The Python 6 has been chronicled for almost a decade.
FARNBOROUGH — With politicians not even close to a deal that would avert an automatic $1 trillion reduction in government spending at the start of next year — about half of that targeted at the Pentagon — state and local officials are aggressively courting the commercial aircraft and supply chain business, where the outlook is much brighter.
A U.S. Navy team tested communication software for the Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program aboard the aircraft carrier CVN-75 USS Harry S. Truman this month during its sea trials. The UCAS-D program, based at Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) at NAS Patuxent River, Md., is designed to demonstrate the ability of the unmanned, autonomous X-47B UAV to launch from and land safely on an aircraft carrier.
