Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Bradley Perrett
Lockheed Martin says Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has contracted it to integrate the Sniper electro-optical system with the F-2.

With the U.S. and Japan continuing to work together on ballistic missile defense and other regional security issues, naval leaders from the two countries met recently in Washington to bolster ties.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship LSD 48 USS Ashland reconfigured the ship’s well deck and flight deck earlier this month to support equipment and supplies that needed to be transported to Saipan to provide disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Soudelor.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT approved $1.5b foreign military sale to Japan of two ship sets of the Mk. 7 Aegis Weapon System, AN/SQQ-89A (v) 15J Underwater Weapon system and Cooperative Engagement Capability, plus associated equipment, parts and logistical support.

With lawmakers out of town, think tanks in and around Capitol Hill are filling the vacuum with more discussion of the Iran nuclear deal – both the Heritage Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies take up the subject Thursday. Meanwhile, on Wednesday CSIS will host a discussion on naval aviation featuring Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy marine commandant for aviation, and Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of naval air forces.

Selected U.S. military contracts for Aug. 3, 2015 U.S. AIR FORCE Engineering Research and Consulting Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded an $82,153,023 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research in Propulsion Sciences III. Contractor will provide for on-site research and development to the Air Force Research Laboratory across a wide spectrum of propulsion-related areas. Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, California, is the contracting activity (FA9300-15-C-0004).

By Graham Warwick
The competition was to design a four-seat electric general-aviation aircraft that would be competitive with piston-powered aircraft when it entered service in 2020.

With the U.S. Navy focusing on replacing its Ohio-class nuclear-powered strategic missile fleet, the Senate confirmed the current naval nuclear propulsion program director earlier this month as the next chief of naval operations (CNO).

By Mark Carreau
Two spacewalking cosmonauts marched through 11 tasks outside the International Space Station’s Russian segment on Aug. 10 while colleagues inside tested food grown in space for the first time.

By Joe Anselmo
In agreeing to pay $37.2 billion for specialty metals and parts supplier Precision Castparts, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett signals his confidence that demand for large commercial jets will continue to outpace global economic growth.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Some are concerned the controversy may hurt the Typhoon’s export opportunities as well as relations between the Indian and U.K. air forces.

By Tony Osborne
Pilatus says the Royal Jordanian Air Force PC-9s will be ready for delivery beginning in January 2017.

By Jay Menon
India’s plan to acquire 16 S-70B Seahawk helicopters from Sikorsky is likely to slip further as the U.S. company lobbies to raise the price of the long-delayed deal.

China’s reef development may be part of an Asian trend, but the country’s activities have considerable military potential, according to a recent Rand Corp. analysis.

Research sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) could yield a more effective way to utilize bandwidth to accommodate large numbers of simultaneous users.

While opportunity exists for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, there is still doubt about the availability of resources, says Michael Petters, CEO for Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding, the nation’s leading naval shipbuilder. Petters cites opportunity in undersea unmanned systems and points to the recent new LPD acquisition as examples of the potential for U.S. Navy work, but also calls attention to funding questions.

While opportunity exists for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, there is still doubt about the availability of resources, says Michael Petters, CEO for Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding, the nation’s leading naval shipbuilder. Petters cites opportunity in undersea unmanned systems and points to the recent new LPD acquisition as examples of the potential for U.S. Navy work, but also calls attention to funding questions.

U.S. AIR FORCE completed first F-35A aerial-refueling certification flight with an Italian air force KC-767A tanker July 29 over California, completing 25 boom contacts and transferring 16,000 lb. of fuel. LOCKHEED MARTIN delivered another C-5M airlifter to the U.S. Air Force at Travis, AFB, CA, on Aug. 5, six weeks ahead of contracted delivery date.

Aerospace and defense (A&D) companies are continuing to divest lower-margin businesses such as IT services, according to an analysis of second-quarter global A&D merger & acquisition (M&A) activity by PwC. During the quarter, there were eleven deals worth more than $50 million, with a total value of $3.9 billion, including six divestitures. Deals were down but total value increased compared to the first quarter, which recorded eight deals worth $8.5 billion.

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 31-Sept. 2—AIAA Space and Astronautics Forum and Exposition (Space 2015), Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, California. For more information go to www.aiaa-space.org

The U.S. Air Force is taking a major step forward in its long-desired plan to begin replacing the E-8C Joint Stars air-to-ground surveillance fleet with the release of three competitive contracts to develop next-generation concepts.

By Jay Menon
India finally has scrapped its long-delayed, contentious effort to buy 126 Rafale aircraft from Dassault.

By Graham Warwick
Airbus Group thinks industry should put aside its rivalries and work together to advance the technologies required for a hybrid-electric 100-seat airliner.

By Mark Carreau
Little by little spacecraft are becoming a little more "livable" with useful technologies and amenities that may help to bring future months-to-years long explorations of deep space destinations possible.

By Bradley Perrett
Since BAE has performed overhauls on the 33 aircraft since delivering them to the RAAF between 1999 and 2001, the new contract with the defense department means it will be responsible for all maintenance of the aircraft.