LONDON — Thales U.K. says it is hopeful that its Watchkeeper UAV system will be certified by the end of the year. The process of certification by the U.K. Military Aviation Authority has slowed the UAV’s entry into service with the British army. The aircraft should have been operational some three years ago, but the complexity of certifying what is the first UAV to be certified by the MAA has affected its introduction into service.
The Sept. 17 return to flight of Russia’s Proton rocket was postponed Sept. 11 for technical reasons associated with the Russian launch vehicle. Marketed by International Launch Services (ILS) of Reston, Va., the commercial mission was slated to loft The EADS-Astrium-built Astra 2E satellite for fleet operator SES of Luxembourg. “The launch date will be determined at a later time,” ILS said in a Sept. 12 statement.
While the need for submarines and related forces is on the rise, U.S. Navy officials say they are facing a shortfall of such forces that needs to be addressed now by Congress. “As the threat grows from advances in sensors and weapons such as cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles and integrated air defense systems, more pressure will be placed on undersea forces,” Undersea Warfare Director Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge said Sept. 12 in spoken and written testimony during a House Armed Services Committee seapower subcommittee hearing.
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NEW DELHI — India’s longest-range, nuclear-weapons-capable Agni-V ballistic missile is scheduled to be tested for a second time on Sept. 15. The missile, designed to hit targets at distances of up to 5,000 km (3,100 mi.), will be test-fired from Wheeler Island off the eastern coast of Odisha. Agni-V was first test-fired in April 2012, with the guidance systems — one of the most critical elements in determining the efficiency of a missile — working as expected.
A top executive at Saab sought to deflect speculation Sept. 12 that its Gripen fighter would be offered for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X future trainer requirement.
LONDON — Following in the footsteps of their land-based brethren, U.K. maritime force planners are mulling how to apply architectures to ship design and construction. The U.K. has a new standard for all land vehicle purchases stipulating that new vehicles must seamlessly integrate subsystems that troops control from a standardized flat-screen crew station. The now-mandatory Generic Vehicle Architecture has cut costs, boosted innovation from smaller companies and helped land forces respond more quickly to shifting threats.
LONDON — The head of the U.K. Royal Air Force says a requirement for a new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) could re-emerge. Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford, who took over the post as Chief of the Air Staff in July, told delegates at the Defense Services Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition on Sept. 11 that the air force had to “tidy up one or two loose ends that we left out of the last SDSR [Strategic Defense and Security Review] in terms of where we wish to go as a nation, with the likes of our maritime patrol capability.”
LONDON — Nexter introduced an all-new armored personnel carrier called Titus (Tactical Infantry Transport and Utility System) at the Defense & Security Equipment International show Sept. 11 in London. Aimed at the export market, Titus is designed as a compact, agile vehicle using commercial off-the-shelf components to reduce acquisition and operating costs.
THIRD SITE: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency issued its shortlist for a potential third missile defense site in the U.S. The sites are Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Ohio, Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Vermont, the Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training site in Portsmouth, Maine, Fort Custer Combined Training Center in Michigan and the Army’s Fort Drum in New York. While politicians in New York and Maine have openly sought to host the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System, Vermont Sen.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) will be taking steps to improve the way it evaluates Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) proposals and awards contracts based on those proposals, in the wake of a critical Pentagon Inspector General (IG) review. “Darpa personnel did not consistently adhere to the scientific review process and Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements before awarding contracts from BAAs for 35 of 36 contracts,” the IG says in a recent report.
TIANJIN, China — A Chinese unmanned helicopter derived from the U.S. Brantly B-2B two-seater is nearing certification, with the Civil Aviation Administration of China completing its review of the aircraft in August. The Chinese navy is interesting in the helicopter, the V750, for carrying a light maritime search and surveillance radar, says the aircraft’s manufacturer, Weifang Freeksy Aviation Industry.
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November 13-14, 2013 Arizona Biltmore Phoenix, AZ Featuring the 2013 Program Excellence Awards recognizing the best in program performance and leadership! Top aerospace and defense program leaders come together to evaluate program performance — where money is being spent and best practices in tackling efficiency and cost, strategy, and supply chain.
PARIS — French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says France’s first two MQ-9 Reapers will be delivered to the armed forces and sent before the end of the year to Niger, where they could be used to support French troops deployed as part of Operation Serval in Mali. “The first two drones will be delivered and operational in Niamey before the end of the year,” he told French lawmakers Sept. 3.
Aeros has begun outdoor tethered flights of its Dragon Dream rigid-hull hybrid airship, with a first free flight of the subscale demonstrator expected shortly. The variable-buoyancy vehicle reached at altitude of around 50 ft. on its first tethered flight outside the Tustin, Calif., airship hangar on Sept. 7. This followed the award of a FAA experimental certificate allowing company-funded research and development flights.
The Pentagon and NASA will spend $44 billion developing and launching spacecraft over the next five fiscal years, including a $7 billion chunk to develop NASA’s heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
LONDON — European missile manufacturer MBDA has secured a £250 million ($400 million) production contract for the Sea Ceptor naval air defense missile.
LOS ANGELES — SpaceX is gearing up for the first launch of its upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., carrying a Canadian satellite, on Sept. 15. “We are looking towards launch at the weekend,” says Adam Harris, SpaceX government sales vice president. “It’s on the pad at Vandenberg AFB and things [are] looking really great there,” he adds. The upgraded Falcon 9 launch, which is the vehicle’s inaugural deployment from the U.S. West Coast, will loft the Canadian-built CAScade, Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer (Cassiope) satellite.
LONDON — BAE Systems has awarded design and development contracts for four more key systems on the U.K.’s future Type 26 warships, underscoring the vessel’s emphasis on stealth.
