Two heads, so far, have rolled in the program office for the U.S. Air Force’s replacement tanker after two documents involved in the competition were each sent to the wrong company. Two unidentified members of the program office, but not the program manager, have been replaced.
Bangalore—India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia’s Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI) have conducted more flight trials of India’s Kaveri engine on a modified Flying Test Bed (FTB) IL-76 transport aircraft. Mohan Rao, director of the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bangalore, told Aviation Week that flight data analysis from the first flight on Nov. 3 was submitted to GFRI officials, who presented a detailed report to Russia’s Ministry of Industries.
Paris—After a year of bickering over the scope of work, the European Space Agency has awarded a team led by Thales Alenia Space a preliminary contract to begin developing the space segment of Europe’s next-generation geostationary weather satellite system.
Los Angeles AFB, Calif.—The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a small version of the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (Npoess) spacecraft to house its forthcoming Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS), says Douglas Loverro, deputy of the Space and Missile Systems Center here. The decision to go with a smaller satellite bus will pull about 35% of the weight from the spacecraft, he tells Aviation Week. It comes after months of wrangling over the U.S. government’s future weather-monitoring satellite constellation.
While the debate smolders over the future of the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV)—and possibly even the service’s future as an amphibious assault force—China continues to bolster its own amphibious potential, according to a recent report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Hyderabad—India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has adapted a new philosophy for its missile programs, with the objective of combating time and cost overruns. The “Model Change” is expected to reduce cycle time from 15 years to around 6-7 years. Avinash Chander, the director of DRDO’s Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), told Aviation Week in Hyderabad that the new emphasis is the result of a collective reassessment conducted by top missile scientists and engineers.
NEW DELHI—The Indian air force is continuously modernizing its equipment, as well as making new purchases, Defense Minister A.K. Antony tells parliament. The IAF phases out obsolete systems and upgrades and extends the life of other equipment when feasible, he says. Obsolete equipment like the MiG-23, MiG-25 and Canberra aircraft has been phased out, Antony says. Existing fighters including the MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and Su-30 MKI, as well as transport aircraft such as the An-32 and other helicopters, are being upgraded.
EADS is prepared to be more aggressive in making acquisitions as it moves to increase its share of a constrained U.S. defense market. The European aerospace giant had limited any acquisitions in the U.S. to $500 million or less as it moved to conserve cash after the global economic downturn hit. But with the outlook much improved for its commercial Airbus unit, the company’s board is now prepared to sign off on bigger deals if the right opportunity comes along.
RENEWED START: The Obama administration is setting ratification of the New Start nuclear arms reduction deal with Russia as a top priority during the so-called lame-duck session of Congress starting later this month. “There’s no sense in putting off what we need now to the next Congress,” Defense Department Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. Still, department officials downplayed concerns that the treaty would fare worse once the more conservative-infused 112th Congress is seated next year.
United Space Alliance (USA) has received a one-year, $165 million contract extension from NASA’s Johnson Space Center for support of mission and flight crew operations following the retirement of the shuttle. The extension — to Sept. 30, 2012, from Oct. 1, 2011 — includes ground-based training and support for the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities.
HYDERABAD—India flew the fifth limited series production (LSP-5) version of its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft on Nov. 19, marking a significant milestone on Tejas’s march toward operational status. Although the flight readiness review board had cleared LSP-5 to fly the previous week, poor weather in Bengaluru delayed the mission.
Investors have made a lot of money and lost large sums betting on specialty metals companies Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) and Ladish. Shares in ATI, a leading producer of titanium and nickel-based super alloys, rocketed from $2.10 in 2003 to nearly $120 four years late—and then plummeted to $15 when the global economic downturn hit. Similarly Ladish, which specializes in forging, casting and machining parts for jet engines, airframes and helicopters, saw its stock rise from about $5 in 2003 to $60 in 2007—and then fall back to where it started.
ZHUHAI, China—Avic’s helicopter manufacturer Avicopter aims to achieve certification for its light commercial helicopter, the AC311, late next year and also complete first deliveries before the end of 2011.
U.S. and U.K. companies are realigning their structures to profit from a new wave of intelligence, cyber, information and electronic weaponry, as well as the sophisticated sensors that will guide them.
LICENSED RETURN: The FAA on Nov. 22 granted Space Exploration Technologies a license to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit, as anticipated. SpaceX was expected to receive such a license and had already received one for the launch—now expected Dec. 7—of its Dragon capsule (Aerospace DAILY, Nov. 9). The license is valid for a year from issue.
Seven nano-to-mini-sized satellites on the U.S. Defense Department’s Space Development Program’s 26th mission (STP-S26) began deploying just 17 min. after an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV lifted them to a 403-mi. high orbit Nov. 19 from Alaska Aerospace’s Kodiak launch site in Alaska.
LONDON – NATO has set into motion a series of steps to realize its vision to expand missile defenses to protect member states. The move, long pushed by the U.S. and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, would see the alliance’s current focus of protecting only deployed forces grow to include coverage of members’ territories. But the move, decided during the meeting of NATO heads of state on Nov. 19-20 during their summit in Lisbon, stops short of committing funding to implement the concept.
ARMY Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Nov. 17 a $797,889,723 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of 4,773 family of medium tactical vehicles. The work is to be performed in Oshkosh, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).
THALES REVIEW: Thales is preparing to conclude a strategic review that could see it spin off holdings in some non-core areas to strengthen its weak financial performance. Among the possible spin-offs, to be examined by the board of directors in early December, are the very short-range air defense missile system, which the French and British governments would like to see merged with those at MBDA (Aviation Week & Space Technology, Nov. 15, p. 45). According to Parisian daily Les Echos, Thales’ TDA munitions affiliate may also be on the block.
