Sweden plans to buy 40-60 Saab JAS 39E/F fighters after reaching agreement on the joint development, acquisition and operation of the next-generation Gripen with Switzerland, which plans to buy 22. Initial operational capability is scheduled for 2023, and Swedish Defense Minister Karin Enstrom says the estimated life-cycle cost over 30 years for the new Gripen fleet will be SEK90 billion ($13.6 billion).
U.S. Air Force General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of San Diego, Calif. (FA8620-10-G-3038 0013) is being awarded an $87,338,761 firm fixed price, cost plus fixed fee contract for MQ-9 Reaper FY10/11 retrofit kits and installations for up to 80 aircraft. The location of performance is San Diego, Calif. Work is to be completed by August 17, 2016. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
October 30-31, 2012 Paris, France Transforming the Engine MRO Industry Engine MRO’s high-level content stretches far beyond the fundamentals of engine maintenance to provide you with skills, techniques and tools that will enable your success in today’s high-pressure business environment. This event will address: -- Engine Diagnostics & Monitoring -- Repair Strategies & Techniques in New Engine Types
U.S. AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. (FA8682-12-C-0002) is being awarded $81,839,791 firm-fixed price contract for Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammers. Work is to be completed by Aug. 31, 2014. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/EBJM of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. U.S. NAVY
NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) will start taking deliveries of Swiss Pilatus PC-7 MK II turboprop aircraft beginning in February 2013. Deliveries of the 75 trainer aircraft will last until August 2015, Defense Minister A.K. Antony told the Indian parliament. The contract, signed in May, is worth more than 500 million Swiss francs ($520 million). It also covers an integrated, ground-based training system and a comprehensive logistics support package.
Raytheon officials are preparing for the second guided-test-vehicle flight of the developmental Small Diameter Bomb II after a successful, albeit delayed, first shot in July.
CYBERSECURITY REQUIRED: The Pentagon, NASA and the General Services Administration are proposing a new contracting requirement for the “basic safeguarding of contractor information systems that contain information provided by or generated for the government.” The proposal was announced Aug. 24 in the Federal Register; comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov through Oct. 23.
Click here to view the pdf Fiscal 2013 Senate Defense Appropriations Markup ($ in thousands) Fiscal 2013 Senate Defense Appropriations Markup ($ in thousands) Line Description Request SAC %
NEW DELHI — Swedish defense, aerospace and security company Saab AB has joined with Indian ship-builder Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering Ltd. for a $38 million initiative for the construction and maintenance of military hardware. In addition to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on Aug. 24, the two sides also have entered into a technical partnership agreement involving further cooperation and relevant projects.
Construction of two new research ships funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) officially earlier this month in Anacortes, Wash. The design and construction of both Ocean-class Auxiliary General Purpose Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessels will be managed by the Naval Sea Systems Command. Each is expected to be completed in the next 30 to 36 months, with delivery scheduled for late 2014 for AGOR 27 and early 2015 for AGOR 28.
The Pentagon’s massive civilian workforce will be hit hardest and fastest if potential across-the-board federal budget cuts take hold in January, a Washington-based budget analyst says.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 28 - 29 — NDIA Joint Missions Conference, "Science and Technology to the Warfighter," Bloomington Monroe County Convention Center, Bloomington, Ind. For more information go to www.ndia.org/meetings/2280/Pages/default.aspx Sept. 1 - 3 — The Cleveland National Air Show, Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio. For more information go to www.clevelandairshow.com
TEL AVIV — Israeli intelligence analysts are trying to create a template to predict why governments falter, when their influence fails and what then happens to their armies and weapons.
The U.S. Navy says it will cost about $450 million to repair the fire-damaged attack submarine SSN-755 USS Miami, and the service expects to complete the work by April 30, 2015. The estimate includes “10 percent variability due to the unique nature of the repair and the cost impacts of shifting the planned maintenance availabilities of other ships and submarines,” the Navy says.
While defense analysts continue to hammer the U.S. Navy’s spending practices for its ships and other large-expense items, one of the service’s initiatives has quietly been able to save the Navy an average of about $10 million annually for such items as office supplies, wireless services and global business support services. The Navy Supply Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) San Diego “strategically sourced solutions” have already saved the Navy more than $42 million in the last four fiscal years, the service estimates.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army is making headway with plans to demonstrate the utility of nanosatellites and small, low-cost, mobile launchers to provide direct support to deployed forces, bypassing the traditional data processing and dissemination system located in the U.S.
FLYING CATS: EADS subsidiary Cassidian Aviation Training Services (CATS) has selected Cirrus SR20s and SR22s to provide training services to the French air force and navy. A fleet of 13 SR20s will be used for training pilots at the Salon de Provence air base. Seven SR22s will provide navigator training and liaison flights. Another three SR20s will train students of the Ecole Navale at Lanveoc-Poulmic naval air station.
October 9, 2012 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Repair in New Generation Aircraft: Challenges and OpportunitiesLightweight composites will soon rival metals as the primary material for airframes. Are you prepared? This event will highlight the latest developments, challenges and best practices in aircraft composite repair and maintenance technology. It will allow all of the key industry players to discuss best practices and share experiences. Register now! www.aviationweek.com/events/composites
NASA scrubbed efforts to launch the twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe mission spacecraft early Aug. 24, to allow more time to troubleshoot a C-band tracking beacon problem on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket. ULA made plans for a second attempt to launch the $686 million mission from Cape Canaveral early Aug. 25, while technicians analyzed a “frequency drift” noted late in the first countdown. The 20-min. launch window opens at 4:07 a.m. EDT. Forecasters predicted a 60% chance of favorable weather.
