U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin officials contest the findings of service and contractor reports from last year indicating that the cracking and engine problems on the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) were far worse than the program initially acknowledged, and say those issues have been fixed. The Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) was granted exclusive access to the reports, which service officials say they do not know about and could be outdated.
TOTAL CONTROL: Shortly after joining forces in defense electronics, Thales and Safran have moved to ensure their joint venture has full control of infrared detector maker Sofradir. The two French aerospace and defense companies have acquired Areva’s 20% stake in Sofradir for an undisclosed amount. The two buyers will each hold 50% in the company. Late last year, after prolonged discussion, Safran and Thales agreed to pool their electro-optical activities.
Over the next decade, the international market should produce about 5,500 main battle tanks worth more than $24 billion, according to a new analysis from the Forecast International Weapons Group.
PARIS — Eurocopter delivered the first operational NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) to the DGA French armaments agency on Jan. 30 for use by the French army air corps, the company announced. France has ordered 34 TTHs and is expected to exercise an option this year to purchase an additional 34 as the army gradually replaces its fleet of SA 330 Pumas.
Fifteen new Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, some of which are participating in the flight testing so critical to moving the troubled Joint Strike Fighter program forward, have been grounded owing to improper loading of parachutes in their ejection seats.
LONDON — The U.K. Defense Ministry has launched the development of the Sea Ceptor ship-based short-range air defense system intended to equip the future Type 26 Global Combat Ship and also modernize the in-service Type 23 frigates starting in 2016. MBDA has received a 483 million pound ($759 million) system demonstration phase contract to work on the system, also called the Future Local Area Air Defense System. Sea Ceptor is being designed to destroy aircraft and supersonic anti-ship missiles, including saturation attacks.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: The first of the retired space shuttle orbiters to go on display will arrive at its final destination April 17. Discovery is due to land at Washington Dulles International Airport atop a shuttle carrier aircraft, and be delivered to the National Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at the airport two days later. NASA’s workhorse shuttle will replace the atmospheric test article Enterprise in the museum display.
AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $17,424,398 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide test integration of software to enhance the system performance of the AIM 120D missile. The location of the performance is Tucson. The work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. AAC/EBAK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-090C-0201 P00013).
LONDON — The Australian government is assessing how U.S. plans to reduce near-term F-35 purchases and mothball the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft may impact its own procurement plans. Following last week’s Pentagon announcement that the pace of F-35 purchases was under scrutiny, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith says, “We will now give consideration to whether the timetable for the purchase of those 12 Joint Strike Fighters should occur on the same timetable.”
The U.S. Navy’s only major satellite program, which is designed to provide unprecedented Ultra-High Frequency satellite communications to military personnel around the globe, has so far slipped through the round of fiscal 2013 budget cuts unscathed despite some development shortcomings. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Jan 26 that he was terminating the Air Force’s Defense Weather Satellite System because it was “premature to need.”
Even though defense budgets are finally beginning to turn downward, the Pentagon has avoided eye-popping program kills, leaving plenty of space on the negotiating table for another round of deficit reductions, defense analysts say.
The U.S. Army will not redeploy the two Heavy Brigade Combat Teams that it is pulling out of Europe in 2013 and 2014, Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno,said Jan. 27.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 1 - 2 — Aviation Week MRO Middle East Conference & Exhibition, "The leading must-attend aviation maintenance exhibition and conference in the region," Airport Expo, Dubai, UAE For more information go to www.aviationweek.com/events feb. 14 - 16 — Singapore Airshow, Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore. For more information go to www.singaporeairshow.com/default.aspx
HOUSTON — Applications for a place in NASA’s astronaut corps surged past the 5,100 mark on Jan. 27, as a midnight deadline approached for one of the nine to 15 estimated openings in the class of 2013. The space agency selected nine men and women from 3,600 applicants in 2009, the most recent astronaut class.
NASA has granted the Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) of San Diego a pair of six-month contract extensions valued at $32.9 million for continued safety and mission assurance and technical support services at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The agreement provides support for the International Space Station, Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and yet-to-be-named programs managed from Houston by the space agency, according to a Jan. 26 announcement. The extension period begins May 1.
Aviation Week Intelligence Network analysis of H.R. 2055
Click here to view the pdf Fiscal 2012 Appropriations: Defense-wide Procurement ($ in thousands) Fiscal 2012 Appropriations: Defense-wide Procurement ($ in thousands) Budget Line #: Program Request Appropriated
The U.S. Air Force is likely to place new cargo and intelligence-collection platforms that are currently supporting war efforts in Afghanistan into storage in the name of cost savings as the Pentagon strives to reduce spending. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Jan. 26 that buys of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Block 30 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and L-3 Communications/Alenia Aeronautica C-27J tactical airlifters will be halted (Aerospace DAILY, Jan. 27).
NEW DELHI — The value of aerospace and defense (A&D) exports from India is likely to reach $2 billion by the end of India’s current fiscal year on March 31, according to the country’s leading industry body. With 18% growth during the first three quarters, aircraft exports including component parts stood at about $1.31 billion, versus $1.11 billion in the year-ago period, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
Concern is emerging over whether the stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s schedule and cost woes are due to production and testing problems only, or whether some unplanned costs could be linked to cyber-intrusion of the program and data theft.
