LONDON — In a move to ease some of the pressure on its defense budget, the U.K. government says it may use development funding to bolster overseas efforts already financed by military spending. The comments come in a parliamentary report addressing the House of Commons defense committee’s concerns about the Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR).
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Air Force says the second planned mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) will “expand the operating envelope” of the autonomous space vehicle, potentially increasing the orbital cross-range and capability of landing in stronger crosswinds. Richard McKinney, Air Force undersecretary for space programs, says the second test X-37B – OTV-2 – is being prepared in Boeing’s California space facilities for transfer “soon” to Cape Canaveral. From there it will be launched on an Atlas V in the March-April 2011 time period.
CAPE CANAVERAL — Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is delaying until at least Dec. 8 the debut flight of its Dragon capsule due to a potential problem with a nozzle in the Falcon 9 launcher’s second-stage engine.
YEMEN BELLS: Bell Helicopter is to provide Yemen with four Huey IIs, training and support under a $27 million contract funded by the U.S. government. All four upgraded UH-1Hs are complete and supporting training in the U.S. and are expected to be delivered ahead of schedule in January, less than a year after initial requirements were identified, Bell says. The deal includes training for 12 pilots and 32 maintenance technicians, plus a support team to help start operations.
BENGALURU, INDIA — The Indian army will receive the first batch of upgraded Soviet-made Schilka tanks from next year onward. Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) has completed giving the first tank a new lease on life at its Military Radar Strategic Business Unit in Bengaluru.
BENGALURU, India — The Indian Air Force’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft logged its 1,500th flight on Dec. 4, marking a small but significant milestone in the program. The flight was completed when the PV-2 landed at Bengaluru Military Airport from Goa Naval Station, India, sources tell Aviation Week. It was piloted by Group Capt. Suneet Krishna of the National Flight Test Center (NFTC).
BENGALURU, India — India and France further cemented their longstanding space ties on Dec. 4 with the visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Satellite Center in Bengaluru. On the occasion, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said that two more launch contracts have been handed over to French launch provider Arianespace.
GENOA, Italy — The Italian air force has started operating the first C-27J Spartan full flight simulator (FFS), built by Alenia Aeronautica. The simulator has been activated at the 46th AeroBrigade home base in Pisa, where a training center has been built that also houses a C-130J FFS.
PARIS and MOSCOW — A Proton M Block DM rocket failed on Dec. 5, sending its payload of three Glonass satellites crashing into the Pacific. Russian space agency Roscosmos says the rocket failed to achieve its intended orbit and an inquiry has been opened to investigate the cause . But the agency, prime contractor Khrunichev and International Launch Services, which markets commercial versions of the Proton M, all declined to offer specifics.
LONDON — In discussing Brazil’s F-X2 fighter competition, Embraer CEO Frederico Curado suggested a U.S. purchase of Super Tucanos could benefit Boeing’s effort to sell the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Curado’s comments are far short of a quid-pro-quo proposal, but the Embraer CEO apparently believed a deal to buy U.S.-assembled Super Tucanos would be an easier way to satisfy offset requirements than using Boeing’s large commercial aircraft business.
AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Wichita, Kan., was awarded a $134,000,000 contract modification which will provide for the 2011 heavy maintenance effort scheduled to be accomplished on VC-25 tail number 92-9000. The special air mission aircraft provides air transportation for the president and is one of two assigned to the 89th Air Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, Md. At this time, $19,398,467 has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKB, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-09-C-0005; P00020). NAVY
NEW DELHI — French shipbuilder DCNS says the first of six diesel-electric Scorpene submarines will be delivered to India’s Magazon Dock Ltd. (MDL) in Mumbai in 2013, now that initial roadblocks concerning technology transfer have been overcome. Scorpene “is one of the biggest transfer of technology [TOT] programs because it is the first time that the TOT starts from the first ship, which is generally built at the OEM premises,” says Patrick Boissier, Chairman and CEO of DCNS. “MDL now has the necessary technology for submarine production.”
NEW DELHI — A Block III+ version of India’s 290-km. (180-mi.) range Brahmos supersonic cruise missile was fired Dec. 2 from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher by Indian army personnel at the interim test range at Chandipur on the east coast of Orissa. This follows a test firing of the advanced version of Brahmos Block-II in September, which was the third launch in the series for the Indian army.
NEW DELHI — The lack of inter-agency security coordination exposed during the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks resulted in the Indian navy taking numerous initiatives to strengthen security of coastal areas. The most significant step has been the integration of all maritime stakeholders, including several state and central agencies into the coastal security matrix, according to Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Nirmal Verma.
LONDON — The U.K. Royal Air Force is slated to begin introducing Tristars that have undergone a major avionics upgrade back into its fleet in the spring.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia is planning to place an order for jet trainers and is interested in expanding its fleet of fighters, helicopters and fixed-wing transports. The country’s defense minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, says the three finalists in the jet trainer competition are from South Korea, Russia and the Czech Republic. Industry executives say the types are the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50, Yakovlev Yak-130 and Aero Vodochody L-159, respectively.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works — known for its revolutionary technology work in building the SR-71, F-117 and F-35 — will have a new vice president and general manager. Frank Cappuccio, the unit’s longtime head, is stepping down in June. He led the company’s successful Joint Strike Fighter competition win over Boeing.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) attempted to test-fire its Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 3, ahead of a planned Dec. 7 launch, but a high-pressure reading triggered an automatic abort a second before ignition. The test was tentatively retargeted for Dec. 4, with no immediate impact to the launch date. The rocket will carry a Dragon cargo capsule on a demonstration mission for NASA. A similar engine abort occurred prior to the successful debut flight of Falcon 9 on June 4.
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Air Force is reviewing test data from the first X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-1), which completed a picture-perfect autonomous landing at 1:16 a.m. Pacific Time at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Dec. 3 after a 220-day space mission.
HOUSTON — NASA shuttle managers have pushed Discovery’s launch to no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011, following a Dec. 3 decision to carry out more testing in their pursuit of the elusive root cause of cracks in the orbiter’s external fuel tank.
LOS ANGELES — General Electric and Rolls-Royce have been granted a two-week breathing space by the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) to continue tests of the endangered F136 Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine. GE-Rolls says the JPO “has enabled us to find a way to stretch the funding” for continued testing of the F136 until Dec. 17, the date earlier indicated as a possible extension by the development team.
BENGALURU, India — The Bird Strike Research Group of India (BSRGI), a national body to combat bird-strike incidents in civil and military aviation, will be formed in Bengaluru by January 2011.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) DEC. 6 - 7 — Technology Training Corp. Space Security & Defense Conference, Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. For more information call 310-563-1223, fax 310-563-1220 or see www.ttcus.com DEC. 6 - 8 — IDGA Ninth Annual Future Naval Summit, Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel Waterfront Conference Center, Norfolk, Va. For more information go to www.futurenavalplanssummit.com
Unmanned cargo helicopters from both Boeing and Lockheed Martin/Kaman will go through an operational assessment in summer 2011 before the U.S. Navy decides which of the two systems will be deployed to Afghanistan to support U.S. Marine Corps forces. Boeing has been awarded $29.9 million and Lockheed $45.8 million for cargo unmanned aircraft system services. The contracts cover two air vehicles, three remote ground control stations, a quick-reaction assessment (QRA) and an option for a six-month deployment.
