LONDON — Portugal and the Czech Republic are the latest countries to express their intent to buy Embraer KC-390 tanker transports, giving their respective industries a role in development of the military aircraft. Portugal has been a strong prospect for Embraer essentially from the outset of the KC-390, and with the Sept. 10 announcement has made the relationship official. The country would buy six of the airlifters for use by the Portuguese air force. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, has committed to buy two of the tanker/transports.
TOKYO — A new Japanese satellite launched Sept. 11 should eventually provide better navigation coverage over Japan. The Quasi-Zenith System is designed to fly much higher than GPS satellites at an altitude of roughly 40,000 km. (25,000 mi.), supplementing and correcting GPS signals from its higher vantage point and providing better coverage to Japanese users despite mountainous terrain or high buildings.
DETAILED REFORM: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and acquisition czar Ashton Carter will host a press briefing Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. EDT at the Pentagon on new acquisition and procurement guidelines. A Pentagon memorandum says the “series of measures” to be announced are the culmination of internal deliberations and hundreds of outside recommendations, but will be the “refined product of extensive consultations” over several months.
The first group of four helicopter pilots completed a type-conversion course Sept. 13 on the Bell 412EP simulator at the Bengaluru-based Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF). Three of the pilots were from Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd. (GVHL), and the fourth from the Indian Air Force (IAF), who is currently assigned to the Tamil Nadu state government.
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BENGALURU, India — India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has firmed up plans to launch its commercial wing by the end of this year. According to DRDO chief Dr. Prahlada, the new initiative will be similar to the Indian Space Research Organization’s marketing arm, Antrix. “By the end of this year, we will have a dedicated and aggressive body in place to market our technologies. This is part of the ongoing DRDO restructuring process,” Prahlada tells AVIATION WEEK.
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NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force has shortlisted 12 out of 31 original bidders for the modernization of 27 base repair depots and equipment depots located throughout India. The major companies that made the cut include Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Machine Tools, Bharat Electronics Ltd. and the ISGEC Group. The contract, estimated to be worth more than $400 million, is expected to be awarded in February 2011.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) SEPT. 13 - 15 — Annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Md. For more information call (301) 965-2700, or go to www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national
BENGALURA, INDIA – In a bid to reduce accidents, the Bengaluru-based Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) is offering Indian pilots a limited amount of free training in its facility. The move is significant considering the spiraling costs of simulator time, with a majority of Indian helicopter pilots in the civil sector heading to Dubai for training. HATSOFF is a $66.2 million joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and simulation technology leader CAE of Canada.
INDONESIAN TWIN: Indonesia’s two telecom satellite operators, Telkom and Indosat, say they may jointly build a spacecraft to support high-definition TV and broadband demand. The $200 million project would replace Indosat’s Palapa C2, which was launched in 1996 and is nearing the end of its useful life. A newer spacecraft, Palapa D, was boosted into the incorrect orbit by a Long March rocket last year and its life was curtailed to 10 years. The new satellite also could replace Telkom 1, which will end its nominal life in 2014.
Anyone who owns an old car but can’t afford to buy a new one can understand the U.S. Army’s plight in trying to field a successor to its vaunted Bradley Fighting Vehicle. With the Pentagon clamping down on programs that cost too much, take too long and have questionable relevance to current or future conflicts, the Army’s strategy of putting its $40 billion Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) procurement on hold to make sure the service is getting what it really needs is a sound one.
BIG DEAL: The aerospace and defense industry is abuzz with speculation that Boeing could consider buying all or part of Northrop Grumman, fueled by the refusal of Boeing defense chief Dennis Muilenburg to rule out a large-scale merger involving Boeing and another contractor. As Lexington Institute analyst Loren Thompson put it in a recent blog, “Northrop Grumman is the most likely candidate.” But as Thompson also points out, such a merger would likely face some serious government-approval hurdles.
GALILEO TALKS: International Launch Services will submit a proposal this month to orbit the next batch of Galileo Full Operating Capability (FOC) satellites aboard a Proton launcher, following “encouraging talks” with the European Commission. The first 10 FOCs were awarded to Arianespace for launch on Soyuz from Kourou, French Guiana, under a €397 million ($505 million) contract. However, only €700 million has been budgeted for launching the FOC satellites, including 18 not yet contracted. ILS says it can launch the remaining spacecraft within the €700 million.
GENOA, Italy — The Italian air force is about to field the latest upgrade of the Panavia Tornado, effectively assuring an extended life for the fighter bomber in Europe even as other countries are looking at curtailing the fleet’s life.
SELF PROTECTION: Finmeccanica has been awarded a £400 million (€486 million) contract to provide the latest batch of Eurofighter Typhoons their electronic warfare self-protection system. The Tranche 3As are due to be equipped with the same electronic warfare suite already used on Tranche 2 Typhoons, says a company official. The Praetorian defensive aids subsystem includes missile warning sensors, electronic support measures and countermeasures subsystem. Finmeccanica says equipment should be delivered starting in mid-2012.
NEO SHORTAGE: NASA researchers warn the number of known large asteroids, or near-Earth objects (NEOs), may be insufficient to find a suitable candidate for a human visit, and that a space-based NEO telescope survey (NTS) should be considered to discover more targets.
Newly declassified details of the analysis behind the U.S. Air Force’s decision to opt for a next-generation reusable booster system (RBS) reveal a long-term preference for a rocket-based combined-cycle upper-stage orbiter over the nearer-term expendable solution. The RBS plan is in development to replace the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) beyond 2025, and aims to halve launch costs by combining a reusable first stage with expendable upper stages. The booster would take off vertically and return to a runway landing at the launch site.
HOUSTON — Russia’s Progress 39 cargo capsule lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Sept. 10, initiating a flurry of activity aboard the International Space Station that is expected to extend through mid-November. The liftoff at 6:22 a.m. EDT placed the space tug on a course to dock with the station’s aft-most docking port on Sept. 12 at 7:58 a.m. EDT, with just over 5,000 lb. of propellant, water, compressed oxygen, research gear, spare parts and other supplies.
