NEW DELHI — India is increasing the budget for its planned defense fiber-optic network by 52.3 billion rupees ($952 million), for a total of 130 billion rupees ($2.3 billion), to keep up with cost growth on the project. “The cost estimate of the project escalated due to [a] change in specifications and other requirements emanating from the users, which includes the network for [the] army, navy and air force,” a government official says.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JULY 9 - 10 — Military airlift Asia-Pacific, “The perfect opportunity to discuss current airlifting capabilities and operations that are happening across Asia-Pacific,” Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. For more information go to www.www.militaryairliftasiapac.com <http://www.militaryairliftasiapac.com
POOLING SATCOM: The European Defense Agency (EDA) achieved an initial operational capability milestone in the area of satellite communication through a new “pooling and sharing” procurement strategy, the organization announced July 4. EDA’s ad hoc project calls for Italy, France, Poland, Romania and the U.K. to share modest amounts of satellite bandwidth as part of a pilot initiative that aims to save money through a common procurement scheme at the European Union level.
With the first phase of X-47B flight testing complete, the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman are turning their focus to preparing the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for the first trials of a pilotless, tailless, stealthy aircraft on an aircraft carrier deck.
PARIS — French defense procurement agency DGA has completed the first qualification firing test of a laser terminal guidance version of Sagem’s AASM SBU-64 precision-guided bomb. The agency’s missile test department conducted the trial May 31 from a production Dassault Rafale fighter at Cazaux air base using a bridge pier located more than 50 km (30 mi.) from the release point as a target. During the test, the target was acquired by an airborne illuminator that was activated during the last few seconds of the weapon’s flight.
NEW DELHI — India is preparing to install a shield to protect against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and ICBMs in some of the country’s major cities. “The final locations, which have adequate stealth features and protection against enemy sabotage, will soon be determined by the government to install the ballistic missile defense [BMD] system,” a defense ministry official says. A detailed proposal is currently being prepared for approval by the Indian government.
Click here to view the pdf Fiscal 2013: Socom-Requested Funding Increases For ISR ($ in thousands) Fiscal 2013: Socom-Requested Funding Increases For ISR ($ in thousands) Acct Line Description Request
Pedro L. “Pete” Rustan, who made a daring escape from Fidel Castro's Cuba as a young man and went on to design U.S. reconnaissance satellites, send a spacecraft to the Moon and develop technology used in the mission to kill Osama bin Laden, died of cancer on June 28 at home in Woodbridge, Va., near Washington. He was 65.
As aerospace and defense suppliers head to this year's Farnborough air show, two of their biggest customers present a stark picture of an industry going in two directions. Boeing Commercial Airplanes is hoping to roll out big orders for its reengined 737 MAX narrowbody jet at the show, further proof of airlines' seemingly insatiable appetite for more efficient aircraft.
This Spanish-built Airbus Military C295, flying over San Pablo Airport in Seville during a test flight, is the first of nine of the airlifters that the Indonesian government has ordered for its air force. The first aircraft is due to be delivered toward the end of September. Indonesia's deputy defense minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, told Aviation Week earlier this year that the first three or four C295s would be made in Spain but the others would be assembled in Bandung at Indonesia's state-owned aircraft manufacturer Indonesian Aerospace (IAe).
The U.S. Air Force has completed the first flight of an aircraft using alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) biofuel on June 28, flying a Fairchild A-10 from Eglin AFB, Fla., “without any issues.” Fuel for the test flight was supplied by Gevo, which was awarded a potential $600,000 contract last year to provide up to 11,000 gal. of ATJ. Gevo uses a fermentation process to convert plant sugars and other biomass to isobutanol, which is further processed to produce a drop-in replacement for JP-8 jet fuel.
With the first phase of X-47B flight testing complete, the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman are turning their focus to preparing the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for the first trials of a pilotless, tailless, stealthy aircraft on an aircraft carrier deck.
It can be assumed that China is developing a combat drone, maybe several. The technology is so obviously part of the future that the rising power cannot ignore it. But making even tentative conclusions about China's progress in the field is not easy. The country's rapid advances in fighter technology suggest it may be little more than a decade behind the West; yet even the U.S. is still years from deploying an unmanned strike aircraft with the penetration capabilities of a modern fighter.
Robert Wall (Madrid), Amy Butler (Washington and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio)
The next two years could see a sea change in the shape of the worldwide airlift market, as new entrants try to secure their global positions while incumbents aim to keep production lines open. Despite tight defense budgets, operations in Afghanistan and increased demand for humanitarian support around the world have kept the airlift market relatively vibrant, a situation not hurt by the fact many air forces are operating aging airlifters.
Few military competitions will mirror the protracted, bare-knuckle fight between Boeing and EADS over the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker program. Now the two rivals are ready to take the battle on the road as other countries look to recapitalize their fleets.
Autonomy—the ability of automated systems to make their own decisions—is essential if the manpower demands of unmanned aircraft are to be minimized. But autonomy means behavior that cannot be predefined and programmed, anathema to certification authorities wanting guarantees a vehicle will always perform as designed.
Japan has come to the conclusion that without exports, there is no way it can sustain its domestic defense industry. Consequently, some in the government are pushing Japan's defense companies to seek overseas sales, but there will be limits on how far the country can go to become a supplier of military aircraft.
Europe may still be playing catch-up with the U.S. when it comes to unmanned combat air vehicles, but in some respects European companies already have more riding on the long-term future of these endeavors than do their North American rivals.
The Royal Air Force is undergoing a sweeping overhaul of its fleet, with a raft of aircraft being phased out and new ones, such as the Air Seeker signals intelligence aircraft, F-35 fighter and Airbus Military A400M transport, coming into service through 2020.
David Fulghum (Washington), Robert Wall (Washington)
The future of large aircraft used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) is undergoing a major change, with many older, tested designs shuffling toward retirement. Replacing them are penetrating manned and unmanned combat aircraft—including F-22, F-35 and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) with enhanced, non-traditional ISR integrated with their attack capabilities. In addition, these designs will be linked with other stealth platforms on and under the sea and in space.
