LOCKHEED MARTIN has a $81.7m U.S. Navy contract to provide multiyear procurement funds for Aegis Weapon System (AWS) Mk. 7 shipsets, associated special tooling and special test equipment. Work to be complete by September 2021. HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has a $499.8m U.S. Coast Guard contract for 8th National Security Cutter.
This week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter kicks off the first of two planned trips to Asia “to affirm defense relationships with allies and build upon key initiatives of the rebalance to the region,” the Pentagon says. His first stops are Japan on April 7, and South Korea on April 9. Next month, on the second leg of the tour, he will address the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and visit India. Meanwhile, in Washington on Tuesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on next steps in U.S.
U.S Army aviation leadership is prioritizing efforts that will enable the force “to fly and fight in any environment,” including reengining its helicopters and accelerating the fielding of systems to enable crews to operate in reduced visibility.
Pratt & Whitney is ramping up retrofits to operational F135 engines with a fix to the problem that led to a catastrophic engine fire last year in the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, and aims to modify the entire fleet by the first quarter of 2016.
To help make its submarines even stealthier, the U.S. Navy recently awarded L-3 KEO of Northampton, Mass., a $111.8 million contract for the development, first article, production and support of the Low-Profile Photonics Mast (LPPM).
Additive manufacturing—or 3D printing—is expected to help at least one competitor seeking to build the next $1 billion U.S. Air Force rocket engine to accelerate the design and production time, but one industry executive warns that a hasty rush to 3D printing can be dangerous.
NASA will work in partnership with five organizations to push the development of composite materials for improved aircraft performance under a new consortium established under the leadership of the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) in Hampton, Virginia.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory plans to demonstrate reconfigurable RF components and front-end architectures that would enable future systems to switch between radar, communication, navigation and electronic-warfare capabilities.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Apr. 7 — SpeedNews Aerospace Additive Manufacturing Briefings, Terranea Resort, Palos Verdes, California. For more information go to http://speednews.com/aerospace-additive-manufacturing-briefings
ROCKWELL COLLINS was picked by U.S. Army to upgrade CF-47Fs with new Required Navigation Performance-Area Navigation (RNP-RNAV) systems. RAYTHEON has $700m USAF contract to support threat warnings and assessments for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Work will be performed at Peterson AFB, CO; Cheyenne Mountain AFS, CO; Vandenberg AFB, CA; and Offutt AFB, NE, and is expected to be complete by March 30, 2020.
Orbital Sciences Corp.’s response to the loss of an Antares launch vehicle with a load of cargo for the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrates the validity of NASA’s decision to begin buying access to low Earth orbit from the private sector, says Administrator Charles Bolden, who praises Orbital CEO David Thompson for taking his lumps and moving on to fulfill his Commercial Resupply Services contract obligations.
French defense procurement agency DGA said April 3 it is continuing to work with A400M prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space to find a solution to the helo-refueling capability gap, and it has no plans to purchase Lockheed Martin C-130Js from the U.S.
India’s state-run airframer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has placed a $78 million follow-on order with Saab for the serial production of an integrated electronic warfare self-protection system for installation on Indian army and air force Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH).
The decision is not unexpected, as the JAGM program has been scaled back to developing a new dual-mode guidance section for the AGM-114R Hellfire “Romeo” missile already produced by Lockheed Martin.
With 69 exemptions granted but 771 petitions still in line at the end of March, the FAA is moving to streamline its process for approving low-risk commercial unmanned aircraft operations under so-called Section 333 legislation.
Darpa is taking advantage of industry efforts already underway to get an early start on its program to demonstrate a drop-in kit to automate existing aircraft, reducing the onboard crew required, and that can be removed and transferred to a different aircraft type.
With recent construction deals under contract for more of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet, U.S. Navy officials are continuing to sing the praises of the vessels while also contracting for more work to upgrade the ships.
Distributing air warfare capabilities across many manned and unmanned platforms that can be upgraded more quickly and cheaply than today’s expensive multirole fighters is the vision behind a new Darpa program to maintain U.S. air superiority through a “system of systems” approach.
China’s emphasis on missile technology and related platforms is forcing the Pentagon – particularly the U.S. Navy – to re-evaluate its traditional forward-presence operations, analysts say.
The U.S. recently awarded Raytheon a $26.9 million contract for continued tweaks and testing support for the Dual-Band Radar (DBR) slated for aircraft carrier CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford as the service looks for radars to outfit later ships of the class.
