Autonomous refueling of one high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft has taken a step forward with a close-proximity flight by a NASA-owned Global Hawk and an aircraft simulating another Global Hawk acting as a tanker. At 45,000 ft. Scaled Composites’ manned Proteus, simulating the tanker, flew to within 40 ft. of the unmanned Global Hawk, acting as the receiver. The flight was conducted to reduce risk for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (Darpa) KQ-X autonomous high-altitude aerial refueling demonstration, planned for 2012.
KNOCKOFFS: The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) said March 9 it would start an investigation of the effect of counterfeit electronic parts on the Pentagon supply chain. “Counterfeit electronic parts pose a risk to our national security, the reliability of our weapons systems and the safety of our military men and women,” SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a joint statement about the investigation.
Northrop Grumman’s ZPY-1 STARLite unmanned aircraft radar will be installed on Lockheed Martin aerostats deployed to Afghanistan by April to enhance security at forward operating bases. The STARLite — which provides synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging and ground moving-target indication (GMTI) of vehicles when mounted on the Army’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft — has been modified to provide “dismount moving-target indication” (DMTI) of slow-moving individuals from the aerostat.
As Congress continues to flounder in debates over how to fund the federal government through this fiscal year, U.S. nuclear submarine builders warn that the tendency to rely on so-called continuing resolutions (CRs) extending funding at 2010 levels threatens to sink the Navy’s attack sub-building deals.
HONG KONG — Chinese fighter builder Avic Defense is seeking negotiations with all major Western business jet manufacturers as it looks to launch itself into the field. After China’s slow progress in independently developing commercial aircraft, Avic Defense has concluded that it needs to work with an experienced foreign company to get into business aircraft manufacturing, says one industry executive. Its ambition to build a large, high-performance aircraft has apparently underscored the need for outside help.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — As the U.S. Navy and contractors continue to test aircraft launching systems, radars and other subsystems on the CVN-78, the ship itself remains on schedule for a 2015 delivery, according to service brass and officials at shipbuilder Northrop Grumman. Indeed, the Northrop yard here is packed with large pieces of the lead ship of the Ford-class carrier, even as the yard starts work on the next carrier of the class, CVN-79.
HONG KONG — Russian Helicopters and Chinese partner Avicopter are in the technical definition phase of their proposed Advanced Heavy Lifter program, with no deadline set to move into full-scale development. Each of the two companies is likely to take responsibility for its own part of the proposed helicopter if and when the program is formally launched, says Victor Egorov, deputy director of marketing at Russian Helicopters.
BENGALURU, India — India’s high-profile Aero India show is under a cloud following media reports that an Indian air force (IAF) officer accepted bribes from foreign exhibitors in exchange for prime exhibit space. According to the popular South Indian daily the Deccan Herald, an IAF officer was caught accepting a bribe of $450 from an exhibitor during Aero India 2011, which was held in February.
While the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have been touting the recent performance of Aegis-related ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems, the service’s radar plans appear to hold even more promise. The Navy’s anticipated next-generation system — the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) — has great potential for BMD missions in certain key areas, according to John Geary, president of SEG, a Telephonics Corp. unit that provides threat engineering and analysis for MDA and the Aegis BMD programs.
Planetary scientists working through the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) have made a mission to cache Martian samples for a later return to Earth their top priority for the 2013-22 decade, but only if its cost can be held down to permit other missions. The Planetary Science Decadal Survey is organized by the NRC at the request of NASA and the National Science Foundation. Its aim is to set clear priorities for Solar System exploration for the coming decade and make specific recommendations to NASA on which missions to fund.
EXPEDITIONARY AMMO: The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded General Dynamics a contract potentially worth $198.7 million for 120-mm mortar ammunition for the Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS). The EFSS ammunition is a family of spin-stabilized, insensitive munitions. Fitted with standard U.S. artillery fuses, the ammunition provides ground troops with point detonation and airburst capabilities, according to the company.
Former U.S. Air Force four-star generals are encouraging the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and others in Congress to call for establishing a no-fly zone over three key parts of Libya.
LOS ANGELES — The contest for development and sustainment of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) ballistic interceptor missiles marks a turning point in the evolution of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, says bidder and current prime contractor Boeing.
SAN FRANCISCO — Lockheed Martin is in the last week of thermal vacuum tests before shipping Juno, NASA’s solar-powered Jupiter spacecraft, to Cape Canaveral in early April for its scheduled Aug. 5 liftoff. Launch will be on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551. Following Juno’s arrival at Jupiter in 2016, it will orbit the gas giant’s poles 33 times to investigate the planet’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
An estimated $100 billion worth of medium and heavy helicopters will be sold around the world over the next nine years, according to a new report by Forecast International. The study projects a total of 4,434 rotorcraft will be produced from 2011 through 2020, with medium/heavy rotorcraft being defined as having a gross weight of at least 15,000 lb.
LOS ANGELES — Boeing is preparing the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) for a further missile intercept attempt, and plans to use the modified 747 freighter to test elements of future large-scale, solid-state directed-energy weapons.
REGULAR EXERCISE: The U.S. 7th Fleet and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) completed the Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) joint exercise earlier this month, the U.S. Navy announced last week. FST is an annual ballistic missile defense (BMD) exercise designed to enhance training in BMD against threats to regional and homeland installations and units. “This fleet synthetic training event provides a great opportunity to exercise with our JMSDF allies and U.S. joint forces in Hawaii and Japan in a fast-paced, realistic environment,” says Capt.
BENGALURU, India — Following the latest successful test of an air defense interceptor, India’s defense research chief says the technology for anti-satellite missiles is within the country’s grasp. The March 6 intercept test featured an advanced air defense interceptor incorporating new technologies including an RF seeker, fiber-optic gyroscopes and directional warheads. The missile executed a textbook prescribed intercept of a modified Prithvi missile at an altitude of 16 km (10 mi.) above the Bay of Bengal.
BENGALURU, India — Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) soon will hand over five Mk. 3 versions of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) to the Indian army. This is in addition to the five Dhruv Mk. 3 helicopters delivered to the service during the just-concluded Aero India 2011 symposium, which marked the first deliveries in a total order of 159 advanced Dhruv variants. HAL says the rest of the helicopters will be delivered in phases over the next five years.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to use its new Extended Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (EMRBM) during a flight trial in the fourth quarter of 2012. Lockheed Martin was awarded a $359 million contract a year ago to develop the target, which is described as having a longer range than a typical medium-range threat system. “EMRBM can fly short but it is really optimized to be at the higher end,” says Tory Bruno, vice president of strategic systems and missile defense for Lockheed Martin Space Systems here.
EADS faces an uphill task to meet growth targets in the U.S. market in the wake of its loss of the U.S. Air Force KC-X tanker program to rival Boeing. The European aerospace and defense contractor has a goal for its North American unit to reach $10 billion in revenue by 2020 as part of CEO Louis Gallois’ Vision 2020 for the company. Sean O’Keefe, CEO of EADS North America, says that reaching that goal “will take some real, serious work. No doubt about it.”
BAE Systems will extend the application of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided 2.75-in. rocket beyond helicopters to fixed-wing aircraft under a $19.7 million U.S. Navy contract. The 27-month program will culminate in 30 test launches from the U.S. Air Force A-10 and Marine Corps AV-8B close air-support aircraft — 16 performance shots and 14 military utility assessment firings. The contract includes delivery of another 50 rounds for further evaluation.
