LONDON – A project that could result in a European multination buy of aerial-refueling aircraft has taken a step forward with the signing of cooperation agreements. The program started as a pooling and sharing initiative by the European Defense Agency (EDA) and is now being led by the Netherlands. It could result in joint procurement between several European states in what officials describe as a multinational, multirole tanker transport aircraft fleet (MMF) that could enter service by the end of the decade.
The Pentagon needs to get its shipping container management under better control, a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says. “DOD (Department of Defense) uses DOD or commercial carrier shipping containers to transport supplies worldwide,” GAO notes in its report, “Greater Awareness of Recommendations and Improvements in Data Quality Needed to Resolve Container-Management Challenges,” released earlier this month.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) NOV. 24-27 — 4th Annual Qatar Defence Logistics and Support Forum, Intercontinental Doha, Doha, Qatar. For more information go to www.qatardefencelogistics.com/
ALCOA completed acquisition of FIRTH RIXSON, U.K. (jet engine components) in cash/stock deal valued at about $2.85b to strengthen its aerospace portfolio; it expects purchase to increase company revenues by $1.6b in 2016 and $2b by 2019. AERO METALS ALLIANCE, U.K. acquired PROGRESSIVE ALLOY STEELS, SC (stainless steel and aerospace products).
HOUSTON – Humans will be noticeably absent from the NASA/Lockheed Martin Exploration Flight Test-1 Orion capsule as it embarks on its first spaceflight, a two-orbit test mission that will include a searing descent through the Earth’s atmosphere. But the agency intends to gather data from within the spacecraft critical to the welfare of future astronauts.
Boeing Defense Australia has signed a 25-year, A$600 million ($520 million) contract to train Royal Australian Army and Navy pilots under the Helicopter Aircrew Training System program. Flight training will be performed on 15 Airbus Helicopters EC135T2+ aircraft. Thales Australia will provide three full-flight simulators, other training devices, courseware and ground instructors. The contract includes the provision of a new flight-deck-equipped training vessel.
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Monday, Dec. 1 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The next two edition will be dated Friday, Nov. 28. and Tuesday, Dec. 2.
With less money and fewer people to carry out a widening range of global missions, the U.S. military will need more satellite surveillance, unmanned aerial reconnaissance and other spy technology improvements to keep up with rapidly evolving threats around the world, the Pentagon’s top civilian intelligence officer says.
The U.S. Navy is evaluating a scaled-down version of the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (Sewip) system for potential incorporation on future Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), Naval Sea Systems Command (Navsea) confirmed earlier this month. Sewip is an evolutionary development block upgrade program for the SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare (EW) System and will be designated as SLQ-32C(V)6. Still in the early stages of development, its purpose is to provide LCS with an improved electronic warfare suite to improve the ship’s defense capabilities, Navy officials say.
LONDON — Helicopter operator Bristow Group has confirmed it has purchased a pair of AgustaWestland AW139s as part of a contingency plan against delays in the certification of the search-and-rescue capable AW189. The two aircraft have been built by AgustaWestland in Italy as concerns grow about the availability of the new intermediate heavy AW189 to service Bristow’s so-called Long SAR contract with the U.K. Department of Transport.
Textron began fabrication this month of the Navy’s first Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) at its New Orleans plant. The Navy approved Textron In October 2014 to start production following the SSC Production Readiness Review, during which the Navy evaluated the design maturity, availability of materials, and industry’s ability to start and sustain fabrication.
LONDON – The U.S. Navy could fly its Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets beyond 2040, a senior officer says. Speaking at the International Fighter Conference in London on Nov. 20, Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, the Navy’s director of air warfare, told delegates that by simply extrapolating the longevity of the current fleet of U.S. Marine Corps legacy Hornets, which are due to exit the inventory in 2030, it was likely that some F/A-18E/Fs and also EA-18G Growlers could still be flying 40 years after they entered service.
Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) Detachment Rota completed its first selected restricted availability (SRA) on Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) earlier this month in Rota, Spain. The ship completed combined contractor and type commander sea trials after maintenance at the recently opened center, which benefits from the efforts of the Spanish navy and local industry while enabling U.S. ships to operate more effectively in the region.
BEIJING -— Japan has chosen the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye over the Boeing 737 AEW&C to fill a requirement for four surveillance aircraft, while also confirming it will go ahead with orders for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk and Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey. Three RQ-4s will be ordered in the fiscal year beginning in April 2015, NHK television says. The timing of orders for the other types is unknown. The defense ministry announced selection of the E-2D, RQ-4 and MV-22 on Nov. 21.
KELLSTROM DEFENSE AEROSPACE (Merex) has exclusive 3-year licensing agreement extension with Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training to manufacture, market and sell KDA C-130 Short-Pod APU upgrade kits, installation kits and spare parts. VECTOR has 5-year contract to provide structural maintenance/support out of Fleetlands, U.K. for French navy Lynx Mk.4s. FOKKER TECHNOLOGIES was selected by Lockheed Martin to supply drag chute fairing assembly (ordered by Norway) for F-35.
An Israeli cabinet panel has rejected a decision of the defense minister to procure an additional 31 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and limited the procurement of Israel’s second batch of JSFs to only 13.
Test data from the exposure of almost 4,000 material samples on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (Misse) are available online in a NASA database set up for scientists and researchers as part of the Materials and Processes Technical Information System (Maptis). Misse data available includes physical, mechanical and environmental properties for metallic and non-metallic materials that may be used in spacecraft.
Even before Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had formally announced his resignation Nov. 24, White House officials were already talking to reporters about potential successors – and about Hagel’s distance from the White House’s inner circle. Given the difficulty that seems to have been described by many a Cabinet official, maybe the question should not be who the White House will choose, but who will accept the offer.
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Bluetails,” launched its first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye earlier this month during a test flight from Naval Station Norfolk as the squadron gets ready to replace its E-2Cs with the new Hawkeyes.
HOUSTON – The International Space Station (ISS) returned to six-crew status late Nov. 23 with the arrival of three U.S., European and Russian crewmembers. They are prepared to kick off external changes that will pave the way for the dockings of future U.S. commercial crew transports and play initial host to a pair of veteran astronauts trained for a yearlong stay.
LONDON – The U.K. defense ministry has formally signed up for its first batch of four F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, following the finalization of production agreements between Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Defense Department.
Nov. 17, 2014 ARMY Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford Connecticut, was awarded a $771,957,753 modification (P00201) to contract W58RGZ-12-C-0008 for 41 UH-60M helicopters and 24 HH-60M helicopters and to fund associated support functions. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. NAVY
Louis Chenevert, the architect of the biggest aerospace and defense (A&D) acquisition ever and a driving force behind Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan (GTF) engine, has stepped down as chairman and CEO of United Technologies Corp. (UTC). Gregory J. Hayes, UTC’s chief financial officer, is replacing him as CEO. Edward A. Kangas, a member of UTC’s board, will become non-executive chairman.
GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS INC. (GA ASI), HONEYWELL and FAA tested proof-of-concept sense-and-avoid (SAA) system for unmanned aircraft using a Predator B; GA-ASI also flight-tested pre-production air-to-air radar for SAA. NORTHROP GRUMMAN’s board of directors declared quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share on company common stock, payable Dec. 17, to shareholders of record as of the close of business Dec. 1.
Lockheed Martin has crafted a reduced-cost plan to “optionally man” the U.S. Air Force’s high-flying U-2 intelligence aircraft, throwing a new possibility into the mix as Congress weighs whether to shift to an all-Northrop Grumman Global Hawk unmanned aircraft fleet for high-altitude reconnaissance. With an optionally manned U-2, advocates for the so-called Dragon Lady say the venerable aircraft finally can match the endurance offered by the unmanned RQ-4B Global Hawk. Convincing lawmakers and the Pentagon likely will be an uphill battle, though.
