To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) oct. 16 - 17 — NDIA Gulf Coast Chapter 38th Air Armament Symposium, Emerald Coast Convention Center, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. For more information go to www.ndia.org/meetings/Pages/default.aspx oct. 15 - 18 — Aerospace Testing Seminar, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif. For more information go to www.aerospace.org/education/conferences/
The Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program recently started to evaluate the second of two industry railgun prototype launchers at a facility in Dahlgren, Va., officials announced Oct. 10. General Atomics has delivered its prototype launcher to Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division, where engineers have engaged in a series of tests similar to the evaluations conducted on the prototype demonstrator made by BAE Systems which arrived on Jan. 30.
The Pentagon is on the cusp of finalizing new rules of engagement for activities in the cyberdomain, including how to defend domestic networks and respond in the event of an attack.
TURKISH INTERCEPTION: Given the international impasse over the conflict in Syria, “practical measures,” such as the interception of civilian aircraft, will become increasingly important for neighboring countries seeking to restrict Syrian forces’ access to military goods from external sources, say analysts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). “Turkey is well-placed to stop illicit arms shipments,” Sipri says.
While the U.S. Marine Corps is drawing down its force levels to reflect the nation’s pullback from overseas military operations, the service also is shifting focus to more covert or cyber-based operations, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says. “As the Marine Corps is getting smaller, there are two areas in which it is bigger,” Mabus said Oct. 9 during a luncheon hosted by the National Aeronautic Association. “One is special operations and the other is cyber.”
CYBER SUMMIT: The U.S. Air Force is planning to conduct a Cyber Summit next month to help the service and industry shape the mission and its requirements for the future, according to Lt. Gen. Mike Basla, the service’s CIO at the Pentagon. The summit will be hosted by Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and Secretary Michael Donley, and attended by senior leaders in the service.
The Obama administration is nearing the final and most contentious phase of its massive export control reform — telling Congress what items it ultimately plans to transfer from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to one controlled by the Commerce Department. By the end of the year, congressional aides are anticipating the administration will detail how it will transfer two key aerospace categories of products from the USML controlled by the State Department to the Commerce list.
TEL AVIV — Armoring light combat vehicles has always been a compromise, as the weight allowed for the armor could never provide adequate protection against all threats. Future combat vehicles need to maintain a good balance between mobility, protection, size and weight — and all that at an affordable cost.
NAGOYA, Japan — Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) forecasts sales of about 100 civil derivatives of its XC-2 aircraft in the next 30 years, should the manufacturer decide to proceed with such a program after completing the development of its military transport. The Japanese manufacturer has started building the first four series-production units of the XC-2, says a program official, and the country’s defense ministry is test flying two prototypes.
The DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer passed a major milestone this month with the delivery of the ship’s composite deckhouse to the U.S. Navy. Weighing in at 900 tons and bigger than half a football field, the deckhouse packs the ship’s bridge, radars, antennas and intake/exhaust systems into a structure designed to provide a significantly smaller radar cross section than any other ship in the service’s current fleet.
NEW DELHI — India is likely to buy an additional 42 Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft and 71 medium-lift helicopters from Russia. The Su-30 MKI order will be in addition to the 230 aircraft of the type already contracted for, as the Indian air force (IAF) plans to raise 13 to 14 squadrons in the near future, according to a defense ministry official. The Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, is jointly developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for the IAF.
A Mitt Romney administration would take an “incremental” approach to U.S. defense weaponry development while fighting cost growth and schedule delays with “strong civilian leadership” that heads off so-called “requirements creep” by program proponents in the military and industry.
Conventional prompt global strike (CPGS) has been a subject of more talk than action in the U.S. defense community for the past decade, but a new study by the hawkish National Institute for Public Policy (NIPP) argues that political and technological change favors a new look at the concept.
AMSTERDAM — The collapse of merger talks between EADS and BAE Systems raises serious questions about the future course of both companies and shows how much influence European governments have over EADS. The two companies called off their planned merger Oct. 10, hours before the expiration of a deadline set by a British takeover commission. Executives mustered last-ditch efforts to save the deal, but it had become increasingly clear since late last week that political reservations could not be overcome.
Aerospace & Defense Programs November 6-7, 2012 Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Ariz. Join top defense leaders for discussions on complexity, lessons learned, and affordability aimed at improving program performance! Themes for 2012 include: -- Complexity -- Driving improvement and the roles that innovation and technology play -- Value chain optimization
Airbus Military has teamed with Yellowknife, Northern Territories-based aviation services company Discovery Air to offer the C295 light tactical transport for the Canadian Forces’ Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) program. Discovery has signed a memorandum of understanding to be the primary Canadian partner in the bid, providing in-service support. Other Canadian suppliers on the C295 are Pratt & Whitney Canada, CAE, L-3 Wescam and Vector Aerospace.
The effect to the Pentagon of an across-the-board budget cut will be 1.9% steeper than outlined by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last month, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee tells lawmakers in an Oct. 9 letter.
HOUSTON — Working ahead of schedule, astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully grappled and berthed the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon re-supply capsule early Oct. 10, less than 60 hr. after the freighter lifted off. The three-member crew was scheduled to enter the supply ship on Oct. 11, or possibly late Oct. 10, for a 17-day, 2,675-lb. cargo swap (See charts pp. 6-8). The SpaceX mission marks the first cargo flight under the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company’s $1.6 billion, multi-mission NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract.
