LONDON — A key planning document the U.K. Defense Ministry has been working on to spell out its industrial strategy in the wake of the Strategic Defense and Security Review is now not expected to emerge until February. The document, which industry hopes will pinpoint areas the U.K. government will continue to support, was due last year. But release of the so-called White Paper encountered several delays, in part because of the change in the defense secretary position; Philip Hammond replaced Liam Fox in October.
In yet another show of force, amid the intensifying uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, the Syrian army held an extensive exercise last month. On display were two recent additions to its arsenal—the medium-range Buk-M2 self-propelled air defense system and the Bastion coastal defense system.
In an item about F-15 sales, Washington Outlook in the Jan. 2 edition (p. 23) erroneously referred to the “Royal Singapore Air Force.” Singapore is a republic and has no royalty.
Kerry Lynch (Washington), Michael Bruno (Washington)
The U.S. Air Force might be turning away from Hawker Beechcraft's T-6 trainer, but Mexico is rolling out the red carpet and company representatives hope the move could lead to a long relationship for the embattled Wichita manufacturer south of the border.
The next-generation battlefield—whether high- or low-intensity—may not appear less busy to the unaided eye, but the number of soldiers and airmen immediately involved and in danger will shrink significantly. Instead of troop-carrying helicopters, manned reconnaissance and close air support aircraft, the battlefield and the air over it are going to be thickly populated with a few heavily armored manned vehicles, a lot of robotic ground vehicles, airborne standoff weapons and both unmanned strike and reconnaissance aircraft, say Israeli and U.S. officials.
The biggest problem with creating an anti-electronics attack missile is to control the electromagnetic interference (EMI) created by its directed-energy warhead that could affect actuators, flight controls, onboard computers and communications of the vehicle that carries it, say airborne electronic attack specialists.
Israel is considered a world leader in electronic warfare, but the country's military analysts fear that for the first time in 40 years new Russian air defense systems could have an edge over the Israeli air force (IAF). In the last two years, the Syrian army has deployed Russian Pantsyr-SE1 (SA-22 Greyhound) guns and missiles, short- to medium-range air defense systems and the medium-range Buk-M2 (SA-17) systems. Moscow is still denying constant Syrian requests to procure the S-300PMU (SA-20) air defense system.
Despite its programmatic progress and status as an acquisition reform program for the U.S. Air Force, GPS III—as with any other Pentagon project—is under the microscope and could be subject to funding cuts. The budget environment at the Pentagon gives new meaning to the term “capture team,” which is used to describe the group assigned by a company to win a program. Many contractors say they feel they are in a perpetual “capture team” mode, constantly fighting not only to win programs, but to keep them once they have won the contract.
Boeing's decision to close its Wichita defense plant is a story of too much factory capacity and not enough work. The 2013 closure raises concerns about the future of the company's more than 2,100 employees as jobs shift to facilities in other states.
Sensing continued financial pressure even in the well-protected electronic-warfare domain, the U.S. Navy is slicing through red tape to streamline acquisition of its prized Next Generation Jammer (NGJ).
With little publicity, South Korean engineers are working on the largest and most complicated aircraft their country has built independently, an unmanned surveillance aircraft called MUAV. From the scanty information available, they seem to have a technically successful program on their hands, one that augurs well for their ambitious national industry. The problem is that it might turn out to be a fiscal failure.
Tired of cost and schedule overruns, the U.K. Defense Ministry is applying top-level oversight on troubled programs to force companies to cure persistent ills. Unfortunately, in one of the first test cases—the Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft program—that strategy has not panned out.
Sikorsky has unveiled the industry team supplying components and equipment for, and sharing the cost of, private-venture development of the S-97 Raider light tactical helicopter prototype. The team of 35 companies includes several that together are providing 25% of the total cost of building two prototypes of the high-speed, coaxial-rotor S-97. Sikorsky is providing the remaining 75% from its independent research and development funds.
MARKET UP: The global military aircraft market was worth $38 billion in 2011 and is expected to reach $71.9 billion by 2021, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.58%, according to research report being shopped around by ResearchMoz, a self-described market report warehouse. The U.S., then Europe and Asia-Pacific are the dominant markets, with Europe increasing its share of the global market due to the need to recapitalize aging fleets, despite its budget woes.
LONDON — The first two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters being bought by the U.K. should be delivered to the government in May, according to Peter Luff, minister for defense equipment and support. The first of the aircraft, BK-1, was rolled out by Lockheed Martin in November.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — To get more out of future unmanned air systems and reduce manpower requirements, UAVs should “be allowed to do more things on their own,” says Al Romig, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics New Horizons Forum here, Romig says increased autonomy will be key to cutting cost. “One of the biggest expenses in the military is manpower, so clearly that’s critical to us.”
TRAINER TEAMMATES: BAE/Northrop Grumman are expecting to announce on Jan. 12 that they will bring L-3 Link, known for its crew training experience, onto their team to bid for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X trainer competition. The team, offering a Hawk-based proposal, will likely compete against Alenia’s M346 and Lockheed Martin/KAI with their T-50. Boeing, which had pushed the idea of its own bid based on a clean-sheet design, could eventually opt to join forces with Alenia, but the two so far are mum on negotiations.
Ron Paul, the Republican presidential candidate most likely to support reductions in defense spending, ranks third in terms of donations to GOP hopefuls from defense industry employees.
TOUCHDOWN: The first two U.S. Marine Corps F-35B short-takeoff-vertical-landing Joint Strike Fighters arrived at Eglin AFB, Fla., the home of pilot training for the stealthy Lockheed Martin fighter, on Jan. 11. The troublesome F-35B variant was put on probation a year ago by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates due to technical problems and lackluster testing performance.
