To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) July 19 - 25 — Farnborough International Airshow, “One of the World’s Most Iconic Global Aviation Events,” For more information go to http://www.farnborough.com/
A U.S. Senate authorization measure that appears to break a political impasse over NASA’s exploration blueprint would require the agency to establish a nonprofit organization to manage and stimulate research activities in the National Laboratory portions of the International Space Station. The nonprofit would shoulder responsibilities for encouraging and prioritizing research as well as facilitate transportation to and from the outpost.
RETURN TO LESSOR: The Italian air force plans to end the lease of F-16s from the U.S. by June 2012, with some aircraft already being returned. The aircraft are assigned to the 37th Fighter Wing, where all the F-16s have been concentrated, including those originally assigned to 5th Fighter Wing of Cervia. The aircraft served as a gapfiller around 2003-04 while the Italian air force waited for its Eurofighter Typhoons.
SEEKING CSAR: EADS North America has thrown its hat into the ring for the U.S. Air Force’s HH-60 Personnel Recovery Recapitalization effort, the follow-on to the cancelled CSAR-X combat search-and-rescue program. The company has provided information on the Eurocopter EC725 and NH Industries NH90. ”We feel those platforms offer proven capabilities at best value and lowest possible risk to the Air Force and taxpayers,” says COO Dave Oliver. Boeing is offering the CH-47; Bell-Boeing, the V-22; and Sikorsky has teamed with Lockheed Martin to bid the UH-60M.
FEWER NUKES: A group of science activists claims the Obama administration plans to cut the U.S. nuclear arsenal by up to 40% by 2021 while also spending nearly $175 billion over the next 20 years to build new facilities and maintain and modify thousands of weapons. Last week, the Federation of American Scientists and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) revealed what they say are elements of the administration’s long-awaited Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, which was sent to Congress in May.
SOLAR WIND: Qinetiq’s latest Zephyr solar-powered unmanned aircraft has passed the halfway mark in a planned two-week flight that would set a new endurance record and demonstrate the aircraft’s capability to stay aloft for months. The flight over Yuma Proving Ground. Ariz., began on July 9 and has exceeded the unofficial record of 82.5 hr. set by the previous Zephyr in 2008. The latest version is 50% larger, to house more lithium-sulphur batteries, and has a longer wingspan, new winglets and T-tail to reduce drag and conserve energy overnight.
Wes Bush has wasted no time putting his mark on Northrop Grumman Corp. Three days after he became CEO on Jan. 1, the U.S. defense and space giant announced it would move its headquarters to the Washington area from Los Angeles. Then, Northrop pulled out of a partnership with EADS NV to bid on the gargantuan U.S. Air Force tanker contract.
PASSIVE RADAR: Thales’s new Homeland Alerter 100 passive radar is nearing operational status, following its deployment as part of the low- to medium-altitude air defense system assigned to protect dignitaries and the public during France’s annual July 14 celebrations. Passive radars use signals from radio and TV antennas instead of emitting their own signal, permitting low cost and compact designs that are stealthy and resistant to jamming or antimissile attack and ideal for countering small or low-observable targets.
TAKE TEN: The U.S. Navy is getting closer to its planned fleet of 14 T-AKE dry cargo/ammunition ships, following delivery of the tenth on July 14. The USNS Charles Drew was accepted by the Navy at the General Dynamics-NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif. NASSCO is under contract for the construction of the T-AKE 1 class. The USNS Charles Drew will help the Navy maintain a global forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea.
GOES-R: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has picked Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., to develop the antenna system that will support NOAA’s next-generation GOES-R weather satellites under a $130.7 million contract. The system will be developed and operated at NOAA’s Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station in Wallops, Va., and at NOAA’s GOES-R Remote Backup facility in Fairmont, W.Va. It will include six new, large-aperture antennas. The GOES-R series is set to begin launching in 2015.
U.S. Senate homeland security appropriators are rejecting the Obama administration’s proposal to cut Coast Guard billets by 1,112, decommission five ships — “when only two new vessels are available to replace them” — and to eliminate other assets. An official summary distributed by aides July 14 said the bill restores $40.8 million and 876 military billets toward two high-endurance cutters, five maritime safety and security teams, five short-range helicopters and two seasonal air facilities.
The Obama administration and lawmakers are looking for better ways to buy and manage their Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) tools, according to a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. “Congress has repeatedly emphasized the need for a more comprehensive approach to ISR as a whole,” says CRS defense specialist Richard Best in his report. One shift is due to the focus on Afghanistan operations, but there are broader concerns as well.
The U.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Center for test and evaluation has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.1 million contract for further testing of its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) advanced robotic exoskeleton. The system helps a user carry up to 200 lb. “with minimal effort” by transferring weight from heavy loads to the ground via the battery-powered, titanium legs of the lower-body exoskeleton.
JSF ORDER: Canada is expected to announce its commitment to purchase 65 Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters on July 16. Ottawa will be the second of the eight international development partners to commit to procurement of the JSF. The Australian government has already approved the acquisition of an initial tranche of 14 of a planned 75 F-35As.
A NASA oversight committee unanimously passed a bill July 15 that supports the Obama administration’s plan to end the Constellation Moon program — in name anyway — but replaces the White House’s proposed technology initiatives with a heavy-lift rocket program, continued support for the space shuttle and an Orion-like capsule capable of deep space travel.
NEW DELHI — India is planning to issue a letter of request to the U.S. government for a U.S. foreign military sale (FMS) of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned aerial system (VTUAS). The Indian government is expected to send a request via the U.S. Embassy for FMS clearance, as “the technology is not for release,” an Indian navy official says. Northrop has made presentations on the system over the past few years to the Indian navy and army.
PARIS — Astrium Services and Cisco have concluded an agreement to jointly study future space Internet protocol (IP) router applications. Space routers act as computers in the sky, permitting large blocks of data in various frequency bands to be merged and transferred to multiple terrestrial receivers in a single step, based on instructions in the uplink. Their use obviates the need to rely on teleports to route the data and considerably augments data, voice and video download rates.
September 29-30, 2010 ExCeL, London, UK Learn to maintain military assets longer; sustain aircraft beyond forecast; recover from budget cuts, delays and program cancellations, and develop new strategies required to deliver and support equipment. Learn more at www.aviationweek.com/events Click here to view the pdf
PARIS — Eutelsat and Qatar’s Supreme Council of Information and Communications Technology (ictQatar) have selected Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to supply a high-throughput satellite to jointly serve broadcasting, communications and government markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
LONDON — Selex Galileo is looking to expand its workshare on Saab’s Gripen NG, with an eye on electronic warfare equipment. The two sides plan to have initial discussions about cooperating on the fighter’s defensive aids subsystem at the Farnborough Airshow next week, says Bob Mason, vice president for marketing and sales at Selex Galileo.
BEIJING — Indonesia will work with South Korea in joint development, production and marketing of the KF-X fighter that Seoul has previously planned to develop with support from foreign companies but not foreign governments. Indonesia will pay 20% of the development costs and buy about 50 of the aircraft, which South Korea aims at developing to the standard of generation 4.5, having given up hopes of achieving fifth-generation technology.
