Innovative funding arrangements could be crucial in securing a deal to sell advanced jet trainers to Iraq, with Baghdad beginning to consider an acquisition. Sources confirm there have been exploratory contacts with London over the BAE Systems Hawk trainer, though they add that other options are also in the mix. The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 is another candidate, while the Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50 is also a potential offering, possibly through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales mechanism.
GENOA, Italy — Italian defense and aerospace conglomerate Finmeccanica saw revenues grow for the first quarter of 2010, though net profit was down compared to the same period in 2009. Research and development investment was also down slightly. Revenue for the period was €4 billion ($5.3 billion), a 3% rise on the first quarter of 2009. Net profit fell by 15%, down from €108 million for 2009 to €91 million for the first period in 2010. Order intake also was slightly down, but so was debt, which was cut by 2% to €4.3 billion.
L-3 Platform Integration is preparing to start flight tests of the U.S. Navy’s first Spiral 3 configured EP-3E aircraft, following installation of the upgraded intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission avionics suite at its Waco, Texas, facility.
Selected DOD Presolicitations Selected DOD Presolicitations Date of Posting Response Date Authority Opportunity Segment Solicitation code Procurement office Contact E-mail 27-Apr-10 14-May-10 Navy Heat Exhange Plates for USNS Richard B
LONDON — Having recently taken delivery of its first NFH90 maritime helicopter, the French defense ministry projects to achieve operational entry into service in late 2011. After years of delay, France received its first NFH90 — the maritime version of the NH90 — on April 23. The helo will now be used for operational evaluation by the French navy, before deploying. France is the second recipient of an NFH90, after the Netherlands.
BENGALURU, India — Lockheed Martin will announce the winners of its India Innovation Growth Program in May. The aim of the project is to accelerate innovative Indian technologies into the global markets. A workshop is currently underway in Goa. An international panel of experts is expected to award seven gold and seven silver medals each to the winners, out of 30 selected technologies, at a function in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI — The Indian Space Research Organization has delayed the launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) scheduled for May 9, following a marginal drop in pressure in the second stage of the vehicle. The drop in pressure “was noticed during mandatory checks carried out on the PSLV-C15 vehicle,” ISRO says. A new date for the launch of the mission will be decided after the results of the analysis are in; the delay is likely to be weeks.
NEW DELHI — Two years after opening its liaison office in India, General Dynamics U.K., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, will soon be announcing a series of partnerships with small and large Indian companies. A prime contractor and complex systems integrator, General Dynamics U.K. will be looking at opportunities in India in C4I solutions, Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) technology, deployable infrastructure and security.
After a week of program reviews, NASA says the contracting and instrument teams leading its James Webb Space Telescope mission are meeting all science and engineering requirements necessary to support a nominal five-year mission, starting in 2015. Called the mission critical design review (MCDR), the process was centered at prime contractor Northrop Grumman Space System’s plant in Redondo Beach, Calif.
About two-thirds through a highly successful production schedule for its 8,079 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), Oshkosh Corp. is now pushing for M-ATV versions specially designed to carry cargo or work as ambulances. The cargo-carrying utility M-ATV variant also is specially designed to utilize legacy High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) shelters.
HOUSTON — When President Obama altered plans earlier this month to cancel NASA’s Constellation Program by announcing a new role for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, he made no mention of how the White House planned to pay for the spacecraft’s conversion into an escape capsule for the International Space Station (ISS).
BENGALURU, India — India has awarded Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) a contract worth Rs 500 crores ($112.7 million) to install surveillance platforms to protect the country’s coasts in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. BEL Chairman and Managing Director A.K. Datt said April 27 that 46 locations have been identified to install the eye-in-the-sea systems, mainly built around a radar platform. “The entire software for this project has been developed by BEL,” Datt said.
The search for life or evidence of past life in the Solar System is a major factor in the suite of missions being discussed for the upcoming decadal survey in planetary science, according to Steve Squyres of Cornell University, principal investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover missions.
SPACE SCHISM: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden blames dissension within the aerospace community for much of NASA’s legislative difficulties in attempting to shift away from the Constellation program. During recent remarks, he described two “extreme” camps — one committed to the belief that only NASA can safely and effectively launch astronauts and a second that believes the space agency has conspired to keep the commercial sector out of the human spaceflight arena. Both camps have engaged the news media in a destructive campaign to prevail, he charged.
U.S. Coast Guard management of its major Deepwater fleet replacement program is still cause for congressional concern, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
REVVED UP: Republican House defense authorizers expressed concern April 27 over whether there is enough specialized rotorcraft capacity for U.S. special operations forces. “What we’re talking about is a shortfall,” said Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.). “We’re looking for more helicopters.” Rep.
The Australian government on April 28 formally kicked of the competition to buy a new maritime helicopter, with a decision due next year. The government in February already said the bidding would be limited to the NH90 and MH-60R. Now, the solicitation has been formally released to Australian Aerospace, the Eurocopter subsidiary that is the lead for the NFH90’s bid in Australia, and the U.S. Navy, which is leading the foreign military sale offer of the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60.
HOUSTON — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on April 28 asked for solidarity from the agency’s workforce in carrying out President Obama’s strategy for canceling the Constellation Program in favor of new investments in commercial space transportation and advanced technologies to support human deep space exploration.
TAKING CONTROL: A June 2010 announcement is expected over MQ-1/9 ground control station candidate bases. Candidates are Ellsworth AFB, S.D.; Langley AFB, Va.; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; and Whiteman AFB, Mo. Separately, preferred locations for MC-12W aircraft will be announced late this summer, with a final determination anticipated in spring 2011. Candidates are Altus AFB, Okla.; Beale AFB, Calif.; Key Field Air Guard Station, Miss.; Langley; Robins AFB, Ga.; and Whiteman.
LONDON — Better — rather than more — will be a core aim of NATO’s new strategic concept, as top officials recognize there is no economic headroom for increased defense spending, especially with the ongoing challenge of sustaining current levels. “All allies face a severe financial crisis,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says. “It would therefore be foolish to expect defense budgets to increase.” Instead, “making more effective and efficient use of the resources we currently have” is key.
LONDON — As expected, EADS and Finmeccanica have proposed the latter’s M-346 to meet Europe’s long-running Advanced European Jet Pilot Training (AEJPT) program. The two European manufacturers submitted the offer to the European Defense Agency (EDA). A request for information was issued in July 2009, with an M-346 proposal submitted March 15. EADS and Finmeccanica have in the past been rivals for the European jet trainer program. The longstanding project was one of the targets for the EADS Mako design, since shelved.
