Citing the Pentagon’s refocus on the Asia Pacific, Australian shipbuilder Austal acquired Hydraulink NT, an engineering company based in Darwin, one of the major U.S. launching points for the region. Austal is a partner for such major U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV).
The future USNS Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV-2) Choctaw County launched Oct. 1 in Mobile, Ala., marking a key milestone in the ship’s construction. JHSV-2 is a noncombatant transport ship that will be used for fast intratheater transportation of troops, military vehicles, and equipment. Austal USA built the ship, the second of a 10-ship program.
In a moment of desperation, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters recently he is ready to support “whatever the hell deal” Congress can make to avoid a nearly $1 trillion reduction in government spending, half of which could hit the Pentagon in January. But after more than a year of warnings about the devastation the budget penalty known as sequestration could wreak on the U.S. economy, it is still uncertain whether the results of the presidential election will allow for a delay to pass through Congress in the lame-duck session.
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
Reported incidents of counterfeit electronic component parts this year are maintaining the record pace set in 2011, according to information and analytics provider IHS. The analysis highlights the need for continued vigilance and improved detection and avoidance measures at a time when U.S. defense representatives are scheduled to update acquisition rules, IHS says.
Aviation Week Laureate Awards March 7, 2013 National Building Museum Washington, D.C. Time: 6:00 p.m. Aviation Week’s 56th annual Laureate Awards will recognize individuals/teams for their extraordinary accomplishments. Their achievements embody the spirit of exploration, innovation and vision that inspire others to strive for significant, broad-reaching progress in aviation and aerospace. Call for Nominations
NAPLES, Italy — Crewmembers on China’s next mission to the Tiangong-1 mini-space station will practice on-orbit repairs and refueling techniques, as preparations continue for launch of a three-module station by the end of the decade. The Shenzhou 10 crew has not been selected yet, according to Wang Zhaoyao, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office. The mission next year will continue work started with the Shenzhou 9 flight in June, Wang says, adding to China’s experience with rendezvous and docking.
The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics’ Electric Boat unit a $100.4 million contract modification to provide lead-yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The contract has a potential cumulative value of $881 million through 2014 if all options are exercised and funded. Under the contract, Electric Boat will develop, maintain and update design drawings and data, including technology insertions, for each Virginia-class submarine throughout its construction and post-shakedown availability periods.
MOSCOW — Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov has resumed flight trials of its An-70 medium military transport aircraft. The first three test flights were performed Sept. 27-30 near Kiev and involved the only existing prototype (tail number UR-NTK) with improved powerplants and avionics.
AEROSTAR ABORTED: Poland’s defense ministry has canceled a $35 million contract with Israel’s Aeronautics to supply Aerostar tactical unmanned aircraft, and is seeking its money back with penalties for nondelivery. Two Aerostar systems, each with four unmanned aircraft, were ordered in 2010 to meet an urgent operational requirement to support Polish army units in Afghanistan. The systems did not meet Poland’s requirements when delivered, and the agreement was renegotiated in 2011 to provide two leased systems in Afghanistan.
Tracked ground vehicles continue to maintain traction in Pentagon funding with the recent $395 million U.S. Army contract award for Abrams tank modernization improvements. The Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems the eight-year contract for research, development and testing in preparation for the Abrams main battle tank Engineering Change Proposal 1 (ECP1) production. The contract has an initial value of $80 million over 12 months. The contract includes no provisions for tank production work.
While the U.S. Navy is trying to do a better job of maintaining its surface fleet, the service needs to more effectively gauge the risks in carrying out its ship readiness plan, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). In 2010, the Navy concluded that decisions it made to increase the efficiencies of its surface force had adversely affected ship readiness and service life, GAO notes. To improve ship readiness, the Navy developed a new strategy, which includes several initiatives.
NAPLES, Italy — The European Space Agency (ESA) will propose making minor improvements to its new Vega rocket when the agency’s council of ministers meets in November to set ESA’s multiyear budget. One such improvement would involve boosting the fuel capacity of Vega’s P80 engine to compensate for a planned shift in the rocket’s launch trajectory, which Fabrizi says is necessary to ensure telemetry is accurately received from a ground-tracking station.
NAPLES, Italy — Russia’s Rockot small-satellite launcher will remain in service for government and commercial missions through the end of this decade, when the new Angara 1 light launcher in development at Russia’s Krunichev Space Center is expected to come online.
SINGAPORE — Lockheed Martin has secured a contract to help upgrade the Taiwan air force’s 145 Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs. The U.S. government awarded Lockheed Martin the contract, which is valued at up to $1.85 billion, Lockheed says. The retrofit program will include adding an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar as well as upgrades to the electronic warfare and other avionics systems, and will be based on the F-16V configuration announced by Lockheed Martin earlier this year, the company says.
Israel is planning to double the manufacturing capacity of its Tamir interceptor, an integral part of the recently fielded “Iron Dome” counter-rocket and short-range-missile system. Four Iron Dome batteries are deployed in southern Israel with two more to follow next year, says Lt. Col. Merav Davidovits, missile defense liaison for the Israel Defense Force in Washington. During a briefing Oct. 2 hosted by The Heritage Foundation, she declined to identify the current or future capacity of Rafael’s production line for the Tamir interceptor.
