U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom) is planning to base its future AC-130J gunship on the modular “Precision Strike Package” that it is quietly and quickly fielding on the MC-130W. This is a major departure from today’s AC-130H/U configuration, which wields the characteristic side-mounted 105-mm. howitzer and a 40-mm. gun. The decision also reflects a shift in the command’s approach to purchasing new weapons, indicating a bent toward a rapidly achievable, low-cost program using a joint task force for purchasing.
TIME TRAVEL: Under its new export promotion and reform initiative, the Obama administration is promising to cut the delay in approving U.S. exports of encryption products “from 30-60 days to 30 minutes,” according to the White House. Currently, U.S. exporters of products with encryption capabilities like cell phones or network storage systems must petition the Commerce Department for a technical review before an international sale. Such reviews — there are more than 3,300 filings annually — can take between 30-60 days.
Aviation Week has revealed the individual and team winners of its 53rd Annual Laureate Awards, presented March 17 in Washington. The 2010 winners are recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments in the aerospace and defense industries. The Philip J. Klass Lifetime Achievement Award went to Richard W. Taylor, 88, former aircraft designer, test pilot and technology leader who was recognized for his work on B-47 LABS, the B-52, 767 extended twin operations, the 777 and multiple papers he published that shaped FAA advisory circulars.
NAME GAME: Boeing has selected marketing names for its 702 satellite series to distinguish the newest mid-market entry from the traditional and more costly high-powered spacecraft. What was called the 702B when it was launched with an Intelsat order last July will now be known as the 702MP, for medium-powered. That reflects its 6-12 kw. end-of-life power range. The original high-power 702 will now be the 702HP.
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, commander of Expedition 22 to the International Space Station (ISS), and ISS flight engineer Maxim Suraev of Russia landed safely in Kazakhstan March 18 after 167 days on the orbiting facility. With Suraev at the controls, the Soyuz TMA-16 that they rode to the station undocked from the new Poisk module at 4:03 a.m. EDT and touched down near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan at 7:24 a.m. EDT. Both space travelers were reported in good shape after the landing on the snow-covered steppe.
NEW DELHI — Sikorsky Aircraft says the procurement process for the 12-aircraft VIP helicopter program recently nabbed by AgustaWestland lacked transparency, and that Sikorsky’s proposal offered the best value. The Indian defense ministry just signed a deal for 12 AW101 helicopters for the high-profile Air Force Communications squadron. According to an official who was not willing to be named, Sikorsky’s S-92 cost $50 million apiece against the AW101’s $75 million.
The atmosphere greeting the U.S. Coast Guard in the Senate March 18 contrasted sharply with a March 11 House hearing regarding the service’s management of its Deepwater acquisition program. “Make no mistake, I am nowhere close to satisfied with the Coast Guard’s progress on Deepwater,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) at the March 18 nomination hearing for the new Coast Guard Commandant, Vice Adm. Robert Papp. “We will continue to have aggressive oversight. We are not done fixing the Coast Guard acquisition program.”
NEW YORK — Despite a strict cash conservation policy, known drains on the roughly more than €9 billion in cash on hand, and prior concerns by the EADS board about making a deal during a global downturn, EADS CEO Louis Gallois believes an acquisition this year is possible. The company has particularly kept its eye on the U.S., where it is desperate to grow its industrial footprint. Gallois says he is looking for a “medium-size” acquisition, which would be valued at several hundred million dollars.
EXTENSION POSSIBLE: The U.S. Defense Department has received notification from EADS North America indicating possible interest in competing for the Air Force’s KC-X aerial refueling tanker program, according to the Pentagon’s chief spokesman. “And we would welcome that,” Geoff Morrell added. Furthermore, the Pentagon is open to a “reasonable extension” to deadline for replies to its request for proposals.
More pieces in the game to capture the next great military aviation program — a very stealthy platform that combines bomber and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions — are being set in place, but you see them only if you look closely.
International Launch Services (ILS) hopes that cost concerns with Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system could allow the company to get its foot in the door of Europe’s government launch market.
CRAY COMMISSIONED: Australia’s Defense Signals Directorate has commissioned a new Cray supercomputer that the government says will allow faster support by the intelligence agency. The computer also will help the directorate to respond to cyber-threats, according to Greg Combet, the minister for defense personnel, materiel and science. The directorate is equivalent to the U.S. National Security Agency and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, with which it works closely.
NEW YORK — EADS still has not given up hope entirely on competing in the U.S. Air Force KC-X tanker replacement program, and is waiting to see if the U.S. government will open the door.
The multinational Lockheed Martin F-35 achieved its first vertical landing March 18, a major step forward for the struggling stealthy single-engine fighter’s test program. The vertical landing took place about 1:23 p.m. EDT at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The aircraft rode more than 41,000 lb. of thrust to achieve the vertical landing; this milestone is key in proving the aircraft will be suitable for the U.S. Marine Corps and British and Italian forces.
FLYING HIGH: The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on March 12 commemorated the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) satellite. Originally slated for a three-year mission, the satellite continues to collect useful scientific data more than seven years after its design end-of-life despite a “variety of spacecraft anomalies” along the way. Since 2000, engineers and operators have even increased the quantity of data it collects, according to NNSA.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has granted EADS the supplemental type certification (STC) for its work in converting Airbus A330 airliners into multirole tanker transports. The document comes on the back of 60 flight tests hours specifically needed for the STC and 170 flight test hours overall performed for the lead customer, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). EASA’s certification director, Norbert Lohl, handed the document to EADS on March 17 at the safety organization’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
HOVERING: Lockheed Martin’s first F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) aircraft demonstrated the capability to hover freely March 17 during a test flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The aircraft took off conventionally, then pilot Graham Tomlinson slowed it to 60 knots and flew a decelerating approach to zero airspeed at 150 feet above the runway. After completing all hover test points, Tomlinson executed a Stovl landing at 70 knots airspeed, according to Lockheed. Later in the day, BF-1 performed the first F-35 short takeoff too.
Raytheon is on track to execute its first flight test intercept attempt with an SM-3 Block IB missile early next year, according to Ed Miyashiro, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems. The sea-based SM-3 Block IB will feature a new divert-and-attitude-control system as well as a two-color infrared sensor, both improvements over the SM-3 Block IA now in use. These missiles are designed for use with the Aegis ship-based defensive system.
In a bid to spur growth in the aviation alternative fuels market, the Air Transport Association (ATA) and Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) will establish a strategic alliance with a formal signing in Washington March 19. The DESC is responsible for the supply of petroleum products to Defense Department customers, and has already purchased substantial quantities of synthetic coal-, gas- and bio-derived jet fuels for test and evaluation.
The Danish defense ministry says no decision has been made yet on its fighter competition, amid reports that F-35 Joint Strike Fighter problems may have knocked that U.S. offering out of the running. “We are still working on finalizing the military recommendation,” a Danish defense ministry official says. The report is due to go to the minister of defense this year.
TOKYO — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) opened the clean room at its Sagamihara Campus on March 12 to reveal its cube-shaped Akatsuki satellite, which will investigate the climate of Venus in a mission that will overlap with the European Space Agency’s Venus Express.
