Initial results of a new study into how to enable U.S. air dominance over a peer adversary in the 2040-50 timeframe will be briefed to Pentagon and service leadership in early summer. Work on the study began in January, led by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and involving weekly meetings with senior Air Force and Navy personnel. The study aligns with Darpa’s belief that layering of technologies rather than single breakthroughs will be required to provide the capabilities needed to meet future defense challenges.
Saab is ready to put its V-200 Skeldar vertical-lift unmanned aircraft into production after testing an improved vehicle, with active bids in play and other requirements in the pipeline. The biggest active pursuit is a U.S. State Department procurement of UAVs for U.S. embassy security. “We expect a decision any day,” says Brian Lawrence, senior vice president for marketing and sales in North America.
MARKUPS BEGIN: The House Armed Services Committee will hold its first markup hearings this week on the fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1960). The subcommittees on strategic forces; intelligence, emerging threats and capabilities; seapower and projection forces; and military personnel will convene on May 22. The tacair and readiness subcommittees meet on May 23. The full HASC committee markup on the bill is scheduled for June 5.
NEW DELHI — Russia’s Rosoboronexport has proposed starting licensed production of its Ka-226T helicopter in India if it wins the contract to supply 197 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters to the country’s military. “We are increasing exports both by deepening the relationship with traditional partners and expanding the geography of sales,” says Grigory Kozlov, head of helicopter exports at Rosoboronexport. “In particular, in India, where we are bidding the Ka-226T.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) may 20 - 22 — Armoured Vehicles UAE 2013, Armed Forces Officers Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE. For more information go to http://www.idga.org/events/ may 20 - 22 — Joint Personnel Recovery, "Assessing the future requirements for a whole government approach to personnel recovery," 76 Portland Place, London, U.K. For more information go to http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com/
NASA’s Ames Research Center will test a 10-in. high deployment system that can launch as many as 24 nanosats at once during piggyback rides on two Defense Department demonstration missions.
The U.S. Navy is seeking up to 90,000 gal. of alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel to conduct testing and certification for use in naval aircraft. To be awarded in June, the contract will be another step along the path towards the Navy’s plan of meeting 50% of its fuel needs from alternative sources by 2020. The solicitation calls for delivery of 20,000 gal. of ATJ-5 fuel by September, with options for two further 10,000-gal. batches by January and March 2014 and up to another 50,000 gal. by March 2015. This will represent a significant scale-up in ATJ production.
With a record flight of more than 48 hr. on fuel-cell power under its belt, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is looking at how to transition its Ion Tiger unmanned aircraft from an experimental vehicle to a tactical system. The 35-lb. Ion Tiger completed a 48-hr., 1-min. flight on April 16-18 with an electric fuel-cell propulsion system using liquid hydrogen stored in a cryogenic tank. The aircraft flew for 26 hr., 2 min. in 2009 using compressed gaseous hydrogen.
ROME and TURIN, Italy — Italy’s air force is awaiting a second C-27J transport outfitted with an anti-improvised explosive device (IED) system, known as Jedi, and plans to buy a total of six of the specialized jammers.
SINGAPORE — The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) USS Freedom is scheduled to get under way May 17 for some of its initial operations here, says Cmdr. Tim Wilke, the vessel’s commanding officer. U.S. Navy officials say repairs were made to address power outages while the ship was in transit and coolant leaks when it docked in port. Asked to discuss any other existing or potential problems that could affect Freedom’s performance, officials declined, saying responding to such queries could endanger the vessel’s operational security.
LONDON — Trials to integrate MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-ground missile on the U.K.’s fleet of General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers are set to take place this fall, government ministers say. In written testimony on May 15, Philip Dunne, the under secretary of state for defense equipment, support and technology at the U.K. defense ministry, told Parliament that he expected the trials to “proceed in the autumn.”
SINGAPORE — Viking Air is developing a new surveillance variant of its Twin Otter Guardian 400 for the international market. The Canadian company has sold surveillance variants of the Twin Otter 400 before, but Joar Gronlund, non-executive director of Viking partner Field Aviation, argues the previous ones were really customized aircraft, and that Viking Air has decided to have a more standardized variant to make it easier and more cost-effective to support the aircraft later on.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has achieved its third successful test of the Raytheon SM-3 IB interceptor as well as its first flight demonstration of a new ballistic missile target designed by Lockheed Martin.
