In perhaps a sign of its seriousness in wanting to balance its defense equipment plan and budget, the U.K. is contemplating reversing a key modernization decision by again switching which F-35 Joint Strike Fighter model the country will buy.
Israel usually does not telegraph its punches or hype new technology, but now its leaders have done so. They say they are upgrading the long-range, high-altitude Arrow and other anti-missile systems and intend to test them soon. “We are introducing Block 4,” says a senior Israeli official. “That involves the new Green Pine radar [with more and better transmitter/receiver modules], new software for command and control, and enhanced performance of the Arrow 2 interceptor missiles against a variety of threats, including a much-expanded battlespace.”
Icing has been a threat to aviation since the dawn of the aeronautic age, and as manufacturers pursue efficiency improvements measured in fractions of a percent, the power demanded to protect aircraft—whether by bleed air or electrical heating—is coming under attack. At the same time, unmanned-aircraft developers see the need to operate in all weather conditions, but cannot afford the power and weight penalties associated with traditional anti-icing systems. Nanotechnology may hold the answer, at both ends of the spectrum.
To overcome equipment inadequacies, New Zealand's air force has set its sights on acquiring more advanced turboprop trainers while the navy wants more helicopters.
LONDON — EADS appears to be rethinking its push of the Talarion unmanned aircraft, after a prolonged period of unsuccessfully trying to get Germany and other European countries to back its development. “For the time being we are not pushing the development of Talarion,” EADS CEO Louis Gallois says. Instead, “we have decided to work on technology programs linked to drones.” EADS continues to fly its Barracuda unmanned aircraft demonstrator and, this year, plans another flight test campaign in Goose Bay, Canada.
U.S. lawmakers have taken note of reports that annual Chinese defense spending has now topped $100 billion, increasing by about 11% over last year, although they differ in their interpretation of what is driving the upward spiral in spending.
The U.S. Air Force is developing network weapons to attack aircraft. Electronic warfare specialists know the technology is already a double-edged sword, however. The Chinese, a senior service official says, are already working hard on, and in some cases fielding, similar systems to attack high-value aircraft used for early warning, electronic surveillance, command and control, and intelligence.
ADULT SUPERVISION: A long-awaited analysis of alternatives (AOA) on the future ground surveillance architecture for the U.S. Air Force is complete, according to Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements. However, findings will not be released until Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gives approval. This process appears to deviate from normal protocol; typically, a service oversees matters related to its own AOAs.
FAA is soliciting advice on a congressionally mandated pilot program to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace. The mandate was adopted as part of the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, along with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed by President Barack Obama late last year. Congress directed the agency to establish six UAS test sites to help FAA safely and efficiently integrate civil, public and military UAS into the same airspace with manned airplanes by 2015.
The Defense Department Inspector General (IG) says classified intelligence has been released without proper authorization over the past few years, and the Pentagon is changing the way it handles such leaks. “We confirmed with DOD components that some unauthorized disclosures of SCI [Sensitive Compartmented Information] to the public did occur within DOD between December 23, 2008 and December 23, 2011,” the Pentagon deputy inspector general for intelligence and special program assessments says in its Feb. 27 report.
Leading aerospace manufacturers are preparing to bid for a major air traffic control overhaul being planned by Australian civil and military aviation officials. The program is unusual in that it will replace the backbone ATC systems, both terminal and en route, for Airservices Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This will enable harmonization across the country’s main ATC automation platforms. The contract is expected to be worth more than $300 million, according to industry sources.
The U.S. Marine Corps’ fiscal 2013 budget request focuses on restoring its fleet of aircraft, which have been ravaged by war and time. The Marine Corps says it needs to continue full funding and development of the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the MV-22B Osprey and other major aircraft programs to reinvigorate its aviation arm, which has been weakened by combat operations and hamstrung by outdated technology.
With climate change sparking international interest in the polar regions, U.S. military forces are starting to warm up to operations in those realms. U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC), for example, touted the delivery last month of more than 6.8 million lb. of supplies to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in support of Operation Deep Freeze, by the chartered container ship MV Green Wave. At the same time, the U.S. Coast Guard is focusing on bolstering its Arctic operations.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, chief of the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), says he could use more UAVs, ships, and surveillance technology, such as foliage-penetrating radar that can spot insurgents and drug runners in the triple canopy jungles of Latin America. But the general is also realistic. With the war in Afghanistan still under way, Fraser knows getting that gear to the Southern Command theater of operations is easier said than done.
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) USS Freedom is slated to sail for Singapore in a “demonstration” deployment to prove the LCS concept of operations and pave the way for the LCS vessels that the U.S. Navy intends to station there, according to Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations (CNO).
The European Commission has given the green light for France and Italy to financially support the Eurocopter X-4 and AgustaWestland AW169 development programs.
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Air Force has funded flight tests of upgraded Rolls-Royce T56 engines on a Lockheed Martin C-130H aimed at increasing reliability and service life as well as cutting fuel consumption by around 8%.
U.S. Navy officials are trying to find a way to restore funding for another Virginia-class attack submarine into its next budget that was cut from the long-term spending plan included in the fiscal 2013 request. While such a move will have strong lawmaker support in New England and Virginia, where the subs are built, there have been no concrete plans offered on how to generate the funds, which were cut to meet congressional demands.
C4I FALLOFF: Forecast International is predicting the top 200 C4I programs worldwide will total $6.992 billion in 2012 but then decline to an annual $2.391 billion in 2021. According to the analysts, the 65.79% drop ($4.6 billion less in annual spending) in projected annual sales indicates that more than half of the programs will be completed by the end of the 10-year forecast period of 2012-2021. The total expenditure for C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence) over that period will be at least $40.882 billion.
The U.S. Army’s first Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) battery has taken delivery of its 24th missile, a milestone that closes out Lockheed Martin’s deliverables for this first fire unit. This achievement comes roughly one year later than planned owing to problems developing an optical block sensor, which prevents accidental interceptor firing. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, had in 2010 temporarily halted Thaad interceptor production due to a failure to get the part certified.
LONDON — The sustained growth in defense spending in the Asia-Pacific region could see it overtake European military outlays. After several years of convergence, the crossover point could come this year, says John Chipman, chief executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in releasing “The Military Balance 2012.”
The FCC is extending the comment period until March 16 on a recent notice that LightSquared had not met the conditions set by the agency to begin operational deployment of a high-powered terrestrial 4G voice and data network in the L band. Citing concerns that the network would pose aviation safety risks by interfering with GPS units, the FCC last month indefinitely suspended LightSquared’s conditional waiver to operate the network in bands adjacent to those used by GPS (Aerospace DAILY, Feb. 16).
LONDON — Cobham is evaluating several acquisition possibilities with an eye on businesses that could strengthen its commercial operations. “We have been very, very active on two or three acquisition possibilities,” CFO Warren Tucker says in releasing 2011 results. The deals are more likely to be in the commercial sector, although strengthening its security and surveillance portfolio also is in the cards, he indicates.
