Convention suggests the Moon formed in the late planet-forming stages of the 4.6-billion-year-old Solar System, when a Mars-sized impactor struck the Earth—the final “giant impact” in an accretion process involving primarily small protoplanets.
The $925 million deal, revealed this week by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), covers 15 AH-1Zs and also includes the purchase of 1,000 Hellfire missiles to arm them.
ELBIT SYSTEMS OF AMERICA has SAIC contract for color helmet display and tracking system for evaluation on U.S. Navy’s MH-60S. MEXICAN NAVY ordered (as launch customer) two winglet-equipped C295Ws. SAAB booked follow-on order from HAL, India, for serial production of integrated EW self-protection system for India’s Dhruv helicopter.
William Gerstenmaier, associate NASA administrator for human exploration and operations, is getting a little touchy about quick-fix approaches for going to Mars. “Probably every other day I read another concept with pictures of stick rockets launching to orbit and how they’re going to go to Mars in X amount of time,” he tells the NASA Advisory Council. “We’re kind of stepping back and saying, ‘Let’s get all the big-picture assumptions nailed before we start homing in on a solution,’” he says.
The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing for its first and only operational testing period for the F-35B in advance of declaring initial operational capability for the stealthy, single-engine fighter as early as July.
Human-exploration planners at NASA are in the midst of a detailed new look at what it will take to get humans to Mars, using an “evolvable-Mars” approach that defers some key decisions to avoid getting locked into technology that could become obsolete before it is needed.
The documents, revealed by the VRT television station at the end of March, examine Belgium’s defensive needs out to 2030 and discuss significant defense cuts in a bid to save €1.7 billion ($1.8 billion) on defense by 2019.
The longer-range AARGM-Extended Range version of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile has to fit internally in the F-35A/C versions of the Joint Strike Fighter, according to a U.S. Navy request for information.
Brazilian defense minister Jaques Wagner and his Argentine counterpart, Agustin Rossi, discussed the possible sale of up to 24 Gripen NGs during bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires on April 7, the Brazilian defense ministry announced.
Led by the European Space Agency (ESA), Rosetta has been flying a series of trajectories around Comet 67P since February, allowing the spacecraft to collect scientific data at various distances from the comet.
During recent BMD testing in the Pacific involving ships equipped with the Aegis combat system—which is being honed to better conduct BMD missions—an electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensor already in the current inventory was mounted on a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV and trained on the upper atmosphere, Matlock said during a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event.
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT approved $952m Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan of 15 AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters, 1,000 AGM-114R Hellfire II Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support. RAYTHEON has $517.3m U.S. Navy contracts for Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 engineering and manufacturing development (EMD), to prepare program for fiscal 2018 Milestone C decision. Work to be complete by May 2019.
Sen. John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, declared he will run for a sixth term during a speech to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix. He touted his home-state work to protect the fleet of A-10 Warthogs stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson and drew contrasts between his foreign policy opinions and the choices made by President Barack Obama. “With a full heart, I ask Arizonans again for their support as I seek re-election to the Senate,” McCain said.
Blue Origin has completed acceptance flight tests of its cryogenic BE-3 deep-throttle engine, and plans to begin autonomous flight tests with the reusable New Shepard suborbital human spacecraft it will power later this year.
NASA’s long-running Messenger spacecraft orbiting Mercury used the last of its hydrazine propellant this week in a bid to carry out a low-altitude, monthlong final mission extension to study polar ice deposits and other surface features that distinguish the planet closest to the Sun.
The Defense Safety Authority (DSA) officially formed on April 1 will act as the overarching body for all of the U.K. defense ministry’s safety agencies.
Subject-matter expert exchanges during NEA between the U.S. and the Vietnam People’s Navy focused on maritime-domain awareness, shipboard-damage control, submarine rescue, legal symposia, band concerts, community-service events, and team sports.
Using a prototype of Darpa’s Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) system, the inert missile was fired from 4.5 mi. away to support a simulated downed friendly pilot during the Marine Corps infantry/aviation exercise Talon Reach.
CSCS developed the Advanced Warfare Training curriculum, delivered in three phases and designed to be repeated on an 18-24-month cycle to help fleet sailors prepare for thwarting a range of modern anti-ship and ballistic missiles, Navy officials say.
“The Coast Guard has delayed the feasibility test for using the crew rotation concept (CRC) to achieve increased operational days at sea with its National Security Cutters (NSC) until 2019,” GAO notes in the report, “Timely Actions Needed to Address Risks in Using Rotational Crews,” released earlier this month.
The nations agreed to develop the MALE UAV during a meeting of government ministers in Berlin on March 31, following joint proposals for the MALE 2020 system submitted by Airbus, Alenia Aermacchi and Dassault Aviation to national governments of the three countries in spring 2014.
The U.S., its allies and partners have invested heavily in Asia-Pacific region defense and the Pentagon plans to continue to do so, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says.
