U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) is looking for technologies and equipment that will assist force projection in an area of responsibility that includes half the world’s surface area, its commanding general says.
HOUSTON — Studies of smooth, low, rounded mounds near patches of rough, blocky terrain revealed by high-resolution cameras aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest the Moon was volcanically active within the past 50 million years – or much more recently and for longer than previous evidence suggested, according to a study led by Arizona State University (ASU) researchers.
PARIS — Two European instruments designed to fly on NASA’s next-generation astronomical observatory have successfully completed a 120-day thermal vacuum test campaign, the second of three such trials underway at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
LONDON — BAE Systems has fitted its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) to a European-made rocket as part of a demonstration for the Australian armed forces. The August trials, announced by the company on Oct. 13, saw the APKWS guidance kit fitted to a standard 2.75-in. (70mm) rocket produced by Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ). Until now all APKWS have been fitted to Hydra rockets produced by General Dynamics.
RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS secured export license to sell military products (spare parts/components/technical docs) outside Russia. THYSSENKRUPP AEROSPACE, Germany secured agreement with Airbus Helicopters to provide complete global supply chain management of metallic raw materials, including procurement, logistics, quality assurance and fine-tuning the management of blanks.
The U.S. Army is considering a number of improvements for its MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV, made by General Atomics. Among them is whether to move forward with a Lycoming engine, the DEL-120, to replace the Thielert system now in use on the aircraft. This engine has been approved for use on the Block 0 Gray Eagles—those less-capable early models pressed into service as part of a quick-reaction force. General Atomics has also selected the model for the longer-endurance Improved Gray Eagle (IGE) being developed with company funds, according to spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz.
The U.S. Defense Department has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale of a Lockheed Martin C-130J transport aircraft to the government of Brunei, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) says. The deal, which would include six AE2100D3 turboprop engines and two spares, as well as associated equipment, training and logistical support, is estimated to cost $343 million. DSCA said Oct. 7 the sale will enable Brunei to conduct more humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in support of regional allies and partners.
Northrop Grumman falsified test data of a GPS-based navigation system used to guide U.S. military ships, missiles and aircraft—including Predator and Reaper UAVs—an employee of the aerospace giant claims in a lawsuit, alleging that the company cut corners in the testing process and produced phony test results for the device.
Tapping its extensive experience in developing technology for its UAV programs, Textron Systems recently won a U.S. Navy contract to develop, build and help deploy an unmanned surface vessel to be used by the service’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet to perform countermine missions. Much of the basic technology used for UAVs performs equally well for unmanned sea craft, says Bill Leonard, Textron director of unmanned systems for the work.
The U.S. Air Force is planning to brief Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman this week on their losses to Raytheon of the $19.5 million contract to develop the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) air defense sensor. Lockheed is slated to be debriefed Wednesday, Oct. 15, with Northrop’s briefing a day later, according to Justin Oakes, a service spokesman. The companies have 10 days following a debrief to protest the loss if they feel the procurement process went afoul.
