Former Indian President A.P.J. Kalam has lent his name to a new cooperative effort by experts in the U.S. and India to advance space solar power (SSP) as a way to improve life on Earth.
Powered exoskeletons that enable ground crews to load and unload transports, or arm combat aircraft with missiles and bombs, unaided by bulky ground equipment, could be one of the first of a new breed of systems that augment human performance. Raytheon is demonstrating a second-generation exoskeleton, the XOS 2, that enables the wearer to lift up to 200 lb. with ease, while providing the agility to climb stairs, walk at speeds up to 3.5 mph. and even kick a soccer ball.
CALIFORNIA CHRISTENING: The U.S. Navy will christen its newest attack submarine, California, on Nov. 6 at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. The eighth submarine of the Virginia class, California (SSN 781) is tailored for anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, ISR, irregular warfare and mine warfare missions, according to the Navy. It will be the seventh ship to bear the name California.
As the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives brings new leadership to the committees that oversee the Defense Department, it remains unclear how military funding will fare as Congress grapples with a national debt that is fast approaching $14 trillion.
The Nov. 2 midterm U.S. congressional elections gave NASA a new House appropriations “cardinal” and a tight-fisted Republican majority in the House that might scuttle plans for an extra space shuttle flight next summer. NASA needs $600 million to keep the shuttle program running long enough to send one more shuttle-load of supplies aloft to keep the International Space Station stocked until commercial cargo carriers come online. The Democrat-controlled House authorized the mission, but NASA still does not have a Fiscal 2011 funding appropriation.
Hughes Network Systems (HNS) hopes a successful high-speed trial in Australia will help pave the way for the company to supply satellites and ground equipment for Australia’s National Broadband Network and other projects aimed at bridging the digital divide.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has learned that development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be further delayed, on top of the 13-month slip that was disclosed in March. Gates also was advised in a Nov. 2 briefing that operations and support costs for the F-35 will be re-budgeted at 1.5 times the aircraft it replaces, more than twice the original goal and 50% more than more recent projections, according to reports.
LONDON — The British government has formally kicked off the process of developing a Defense Industrial and Technology policy in the wake of the cost-cutting Strategic Defense and Security Review. Peter Luff, minister for defense equipment, support, and technology, has told industry to start providing input for a planning document, a so-called green paper, that is to be completed by year-end and help in crafting the formal policy next year.
BEIJING — Chinese spacecraft builder CAST aims to develop a larger satellite bus matched to the throw weight of the Long March 5 rocket under development by sister company CALT. The bus will have a mass of 6.5-7 tons, be able to carry a payload of 1.2-1.5 tons and supply 15-20 kw. of electrical power, CAST President Yang Baohua says. The design life will be 15 years and the designation DFH-5.
GENOA, Italy — Missile-maker MBDA has signed a three-year agreement with the Italian Aerospace Research Center (CIRA) that will boost the European missile maker’s R&D capability while ensuring the long-term future of the Italian research organization. The agreement, which is renewable, will cover a broad range of activities, including composite airframes for subsonic/supersonic applications; guidance, navigation and control systems for next-generation launchers and hypersonic vehicles; and antiballistic missile defense.
LONDON — BAE Systems and Dassault have agreed to cooperate on development of a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft and a potential unmanned combat aircraft to provide the industrial underpinning for closer Franco-British defense cooperation.
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HYPERSONIC RESEARCH: NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has amended its “Research Opportunities in Aeronautics 2010” announcement to solicit additional proposals in support of the agency’s Hypersonics Project. The directorate is interested in enabling technologies in air-breathing access to space and EDL (entry, descent and landing) of high-mass vehicles in planetary atmospheres. “NASA expects educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and industry engaged in foundational research will be the announcement’s primary award recipients,” the agency says.
Boeing has completed wind tunnel tests of a new rotor blade for the CH-47F Chinook that is designed to generate 2,000 lb. more lift without degrading the heavy-lift-helicopter’s forward-flight performance. Results of scale-model tests of the latest blade configuration are “promising,” says Pat Donnelly, CH-47F/G program manager. “We are seeing the lift we are looking for with little or no degradation in forward flight.”
The revamped request for proposals (RFP) for the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) is “imminent” and will focus more on engineering and manufacturing and less on technology development while giving contractors the option of trading off some cost and capability elements for later increments, spokesman Paul Mehney says.
BEIJING — The small-satellite subsidiary of Chinese spacecraft maker the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) expects to sign its first foreign sale by the end of next year. The company, DFH Satellite Co., can make 10 satellites a year and will launch that many next year, says Director General Ge Yujun. That will mark a significant acceleration in its activity. Since its founding in 2001, DFH Satellite has developed 21 spacecraft, 17 of which remain in orbit.
PARIS — Joint carrier and expeditionary forces, shared nuclear test facilities and common weapon systems – including nuclear submarines, UAVs and missiles – are among the highlights of a comprehensive defense and security treaty agreed to by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Nov. 2.
PHOENIX — Aerospace contractors must face the reality that defense budgets are going to remain under pressure for years to come and figure out how to keep their companies relevant in a leaner environment, says a senior industry executive. “The crunch has begun,” says Tom Bell, vice president for business strategy at Boeing Military Aircraft. “It’s real, and it’s going to be with us for some time.”
PARIS — Eutelsat is planning to order a new satellite to replace a communications satellite that failed after launch on Oct. 29. W3B, launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket along with a Japanese satellite, BSAT-3B, was declared a total loss after an anomaly was detected on the satellite’s propulsion subsystem, preventing its insertion into geostationary orbit.
PARIS — French tactical unmanned aerial vehicle specialist Sagem has signed agreements with companies in Kazakhstan and Ukraine to market and co-produce UAVs based on experience with its Sperwer product line. Sagem agreed with Kazakhstan Engineering to set up a joint venture to sell and build tactical UAV systems to government-sanctioned military and civil customers. The Safran affiliate also struck a teaming agreement with Chuguev of Ukraine to market and produce UAVs in that country. Both agreements are subject to government approvals.
LONDON — Airbus Military has clarified its plans for the A400M’s first dry contact refueling flight tests, which are due to take place before the end of the year. The trials will be undertaken with a U.K. Royal Air Force Vickers VC10 tanker, but it will not be operated from the RAF Brize Norton airbase in the U.K., as Airbus previously indicated. The RAF will instead position the aircraft at Toulouse for the trials, according to Airbus.
