Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Unfortunately, there are too many followers in today's defense industry.
For a self-professed naval power, the U.K. has seen surprisingly large gaps develop in its maritime surveillance capability in recent years, a trend the Defense Ministry is setting out to reverse.
Argentina's modest aerospace ambitions have centered on FAdeA (Fabrica Argentina de Aviones), its main aircraft manufacturer, but have been on the brink of extinction for some time. The country is hoping that FAdeA's nationalization in 2010 will breathe new life into the business and put it on a sustainable footing. Many of Latin America's arms makers were built as national prestige projects during eras of military leadership, and they have seen sharp declines in recent years as democracy has broadened.
The first flight of the U.K.'s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter sets in motion a process that should see the first two international buyers begin to take possession of their aircraft. Lockheed Martin on April 15 completed a 45-min. mission of BK-1. It is the first of two F-35Bs the U.K. is to due receive this year, with delivery expected during the summer. The test aircraft will be used eventually by the U.K. at Eglin AFB, Fla., as part of the training and operational test program there. The U.K. is buying three test aircraft. BK-1 and BK-2 have been built.
In Japan, it was last year's earthquake and tsunami; manufacturers worldwide are still recovering. In the U.S., a swarm of tornadoes ripping across Kansas—and striking Spirit AeroSystems—brought another reminder of just how vulnerable and vastly inter-connected the aviation's supply chain is to natural disasters.
Investors seem to believe that Textron Inc.'s darkest days are behind it. The share price of the 89-year-old parent company of Cessna Aircraft, Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems rose more than 50% during the first quarter of 2012. And while the stock has declined a bit in April, it has recovered from a slump that began a year ago, when it became apparent that a rebound in the lower end of the business jet market was further off than anticipated.
Now it is official. Amid mounting evidence that China is serious about curing its weakness in engine technology, Avic says its highest priority in the coming years will be propulsion. The group has set a budget of 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) for aero-engine work over five years, though that figure is probably only a fraction of actual spending.
The Brazilian air force's requirement that KC-390 tanker/transports serve civil and military markets is underscoring prime contractor Embraer's approach to the airplane's product strategy.
Gone are the days when Brazil's munitions makers were content with building bullets and projectiles. And as the arms industry's technical expertise grows, more complex precision-weapon projects are under way. The first wave of such initiatives is due to come to fruition in the next two years, with industry poised to then tackle the thornier challenges of developing and building sophisticated cruise missiles, air defenses or long-range air-to-air missiles.
“We want to rebuild the general aviation manufacturing industry in Brazil.” Novaer Craft CEO Graciliano Campos confidently announces this bold ambition and, given the large existing global supplier list, it sounds fanciful. But Embraer' success suggests it would be a mistake to write off another startup in this sector. Brazil still has many makers of experimental and light aircraft, but production of certified, piston- and turbine-powered single- and twin-engine aircraft ceased in the 1980s.
The Turkish Air Force has begun training for the acceptance of its new fleet of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems from US manufacturer Boeing.
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — The budget plan to delay the purchase of one Virginia class submarine from fiscal 2014 to 2018 is a retreat in the program’s progress in bringing down unit costs, according to the manager for the U.S. Navy program. The cost hit from the delay has not been totaled, says Rear Adm. Michael Jabaley, because the Block IV 2014-18 contract has not been awarded, but unit cost on a single sub in 2014 would necessarily go up, since overhead costs would remain relatively constant.
NEW DELHI — India on April 19 successfully test-fired a long-range missile capable of targeting parts of northern China and eastern Europe, bringing the emerging South Asian power into an elite club of nations with intercontinental defense capability. The Agni-V, an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit a target up to 5,000 km (3,100 mi.) away, was launched from Wheeler Island off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha at 8:07 a.m. local time, according to V.K. Saraswat, chief of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
AEHF LAUNCH: The second Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite is set to be launched by an Atlas V rocket on May 3 with a backup window of May 5, only days after the scheduled April 30 launch of Space Exploration Technologies’ Falcon 9, both from Cape Canaveral. Operational testing of the spacecraft is set for next year. One of the first two AEHF satellites will eventually be placed in geosynchronous orbit over Europe for Washington to fulfill its agreement to share some of the capacity with the U.K., Canada and the Netherlands.
A repairable fault with a piece of electronics onboard the Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite is prompting Air Force Space Command to hold off on declaring initial operational capability.
GENOA — The Italian air force has achieved initial operational capability for its fleet of four Boeing KC-767A tanker/transports and is mulling its options to equip the aircraft with a self-protection suite. Work is still under way to complete qualification testing and move into full operational capability (FOC), which will probably come first in the transport configuration by mid-2012 and in the refueling role by year’s end. The only Italian aircraft so far qualified for boom refueling is the KC-767A; trials with the KC-130J and the C-27J have yet to start.
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — As the U.S. Navy redoubles its efforts to make maintenance a major priority across the fleet, the service is taking great pains to clean up the tanks and voids in its surface vessels — with special focus on destroyers and cruisers, which have often had to defer shipboard work because of smaller crews.
Desire to allow domestic companies to be more competitive in the global marketplace, but allowing for stricter restrictions against countries including China, Iran, North Korea and Syria.
TRADE NOT TRIM: Conferees for a potential Arms Trade Treaty should know how the U.S. sees the effort championed by President Barack Obama, one diplomat says. First, it “is not a disarmament negotiation; it is an arms trade regulation negotiation,” says Thomas Countryman, assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
