As a Japanese weapon, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries F-2 fighter was built in Japan—and only for Japan. In 2011 the government, taking delivery of the last of 94 F-2s, looked at how much it would cost to build more. The answer: ¥15 billion ($193 million) apiece, more than the marginal price that any country has paid for any fighter from a mature production line.
Goodrich's five-year campaign to get its ACES 5 ejection seat onto the F-35A is likely to meet the same fate as General Electric/Rolls-Royce's push to keep an alternate engine in the Joint Strike Fighter program—failure. Last month, the engine manufacturer finally gave up on its years-long attempts to keep the F136 engine alive after consistent and stiff opposition from Pentagon leadership.
Back when two-way radios the size of bricks were the closest things to cell phones, and beepers the equivalent of texting, a 20-something manager of a General Motors chassis line in Montreal ducked out of work to run an errand. As luck would have it, a glitch shut down the auto line just as he reached the checkout counter. Suddenly, a gargantuan belt strapped around his waist came to life, with two beepers shrieking and flashing and the radio squawking.
Fresh troubles are delaying India's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft program, with final operational clearance slipping by more than a year to December 2014.
Is Hawker Beechcraft down to its last strike? Ever since a brutal downturn took hold in the business aviation sector three years ago, deliveries of T-6 trainers and intelligence-and-reconnaissance versions of King Air models to the Pentagon and other militaries have been a lifeline for the Wichita-based company. Sales have been so brisk that the company's owners have fielded queries about the profitable military business from unsolicited buyers.
Bill Sweetman (Washington), David Fulghum (Washington)
The small unmanned aircraft was carrying sensor balls mounted in an internal compartment with specially treated transparent panels—developed for the F-22.
Building Business AgustaWestland continues to invest more than 10% of revenue in R&D, to maintain helicopter development, upgrade existing models and extend its catalog. The company, owned by Finmeccanica, is entering the unmanned rotorcraft market and will have its first demonstrators this year. Also planned are the maiden flight of the 8-ton AW189 helicopter (see photo), unveiling of a new 4-5-ton helicopter, and initial operational capability of the T129, the Turkish variant of the AW129 Mongoose combat helicopter.
Russia is adapting its military to new threats, most of which come from neighbors. This large-scale reform started in 2008, after the war with Georgia over the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and is aimed at enabling the military to quickly respond to local challenges. In a presentation on the new shape of the armed forces, Army Gen. Nikolay Makarov, chief of the general staff, confirmed that Russia could be involved in conflict around most of its borders.
Ballistic missile defense (BMD) needs saved the U.S. Navy's DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class production line from mothballs a couple of years ago. Now the service is treading water, trying to keep the destroyers shipshape and their missile-defeating Aegis combat systems up and running.
Growth Dynamics Aselsan, Turkey's biggest defense contractor, started in 1975 as a small company doing licensed production of electronic systems. Aselsan today is a high-tech company with four divisions representing almost every facet of defense electronics. It continues to grow, giving Turkey independence in a key segment of defense technology.
A satirical comic strip called Doctrine Man has racked up followers on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for its smart, sarcastic commentary on military life. So who is Doctrine Man? He asks the same question: “Caped man of mystery, mild-mannered Army officer gone cynical, or just another ham with mediocre PowerPoint skills?
Trailblazer In a field that has traditionally been dominated by defense contractors and large auto manufacturers, Granite Tactical Vehicles of Mount Pilot, N.C., is a rare creature. Started by former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Berman, the company is competing for lucrative Defense Department contracts to refurbish thousands of Humvees to make them more survivable.
Bill Sweetman (Washington), Paul McLeary (Washington)
“We have run out of money, so now we must think,” remarked U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Philip Breedlove during a presentation on the emerging Air/Sea Battle concept in July. It's becoming a common saying. The military is not in its current predicament by accident. Poor performance—programs years or decades behind schedule, costing too much to acquire and costing far too much to operate—has helped drive almost every military in the world to make pious sounds about “doing more with less” while doing exactly the opposite.
Most European nations are cutting defense spending as they struggle with national debt and the growing impact of the euro crisis. The long-standing NATO recommendation that members spend 2% of GDP on defense will be achieved by fewer countries. Even governments that meet this target will spend less in real terms as economic problems force declines in GDP.
Early December—as this is written—is not the best time to talk about the future of the Eurofighter Typhoon program. India's defense ministry may have announced the winner of its Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest by the time this issue appears.
As two Asian giants jostle for regional power and influence, India, traditionally the silent one, is now working to diffuse tensions with its largest trading partner, China.
Recent events in the West Bank raise suspicions that ultra-religious Jewish settlers are operating a terror organization, which has committed several dozen “price-tag” attacks against Palestinians over the past year. A price-tag attack is one in which radical settlers exact a price from local Palestinians for actions taken against their settlements.
