With Jordan having started to take delivery of F-16s that the Dutch air force has removed from service, the Pentagon now says it is planning to sell the country the latest AMRAAM air-to-air missile available for the export market. Under a proposed foreign military sales (FMS) agreement, Jordan would pay $131 million for 85 AIM-120-C7s, and also get related equipment such as six captive-carry training missiles. The deal comes just a few days after the Pentagon announced a proposed FMS deal with Bahrain for 25 of Raytheon’s C-7 AMRAAMs.
DENVER — Prime contractor Lockheed Martin has installed spoilers on the wingtips of the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant as insurance against wing drop — the aerodynamic phenomenon that proved so time-consuming to overcome on Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Space shuttle Discovery has reached Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center for its launch on a logistics flight to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as Aug. 25.
Lockheed Martin executives expect the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to continue its investment in Airborne Laser (ABL), despite high-level DOD pressure to curtail the missile defense program. Lockheed Martin is a subcontractor to ABL prime Boeing, providing beam control technology for the high-energy chemical laser provided by Northrop Grumman.
DENVER — The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Vulcan Mach 4 engine program has passed its first phase interim design review amid signs that the initiative is generating increased levels of interest among the government, military and U.S. propulsion industry.
The White House panel reviewing U.S. human spaceflight plans has focused in on seven different ways for NASA to continue its exploration program, a few of them within the bounds of current budget realities. While retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine got White House officials to modify the original charter for the panel he chairs to include budget-busting options in the list it presents for final decisions at the end of the month, the panel still must work out cost and schedule details before its final public session next week.
DENVER — Delays in improvements to the Woomera test range in Australia as well as budget cutbacks have forced organizers of the U.S.-Australian hypersonic HiFire program to shift some flights to U.S. launch sites and cut back the expected number of tests.
The EA-18G Growler is now on the road to a full-rate production decision and it could benefit from an expected Quadrennial Defense Review determination that U.S. expeditionary forces need another 26-30 airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft. Successful completion of operational testing for the U.S. Navy’s digital electronic attack aircraft might trigger the production of more Growler/Grizzly electronic attack aircraft. Senior Pentagon officials have discussed the expeditionary operational shortfall openly in congressional hearings.
DENVER — First flight of the X-51A scramjet demonstrator is now on track for early December while captive carriage tests on the NASA-operated B-52H mothership at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., are set to begin in October. A joint effort by the U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Boeing, the hypersonic vehicle is designed to be the first air-breathing craft to demonstrate sustained speeds in excess of Mach 4 using a “logistically friendly” hydrocarbon fuel.
EURO HAWK: Northrop Grumman has completed assembly of the first Euro Hawk version of the Global Hawk. The unmanned aircraft is scheduled to fly to Germany next year for testing, with additional examples likely to be delivered in 2016 and 2017. The Luftwaffe has plans to field five Euro Hawks to replace its Breguet Atlantic electronic-intelligence aircraft. Euro Hawk is based on the larger Block 20 version of the Global Hawk now in flight-testing for the U.S. Air Force.
BRAZILIAN TESTS: The first of four radar systems being upgraded by ITT’s Brazil PAR-2000 modernization team recently completed Site Acceptance Testing (SAT). The four-day test included logistic and quality inspections, system on- and offline checks and flight certification. The Brazilian special flight inspection group performed the flight certification. The Brazilian Air Force uses ITT’s Precision Approach Radars (PARs) to ensure safe landings in all conditions, especially where visibility is impaired, including night and severe weather landings.
Brazilian federal police are considering buying a specialized version of IAI’s long-endurance, medium-sized Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to expand surveillance of the Amazon. Israeli officials in Tel Aviv say they have completed testing the UAV. It would supplement coverage instituted over the last few years by manned intelligence-gathering aircraft based on fast business jets and armed, two-seat Tucano aircraft operating from bases in the western Amazon basin.
NASA Ames Research Center has produced a “scaffold” that may prove useful for converting inedible cellulose fiber into a high protein food that astronauts could grow on long-duration spaceflights or at outposts on Mars or the moon. Ames’ goal of converting cellulose into sugars is a common one, particularly for researchers interested in creating a biological fuel alternative for petroleum that does not compete with food sources.
The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with a program to purchase 25 aircraft to support the U.S. Air Force Academy’s powered flight program. The service says it will entertain offers for new or used aircraft, as long as the latter have no more than 1,500 flight hours on them. A separate contract will be awarded to support the assets.
Northrop Grumman announced Aug. 3 that it delivered the final, first-stage solid rocket motor for the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to the Air Force on July 23, under the terms of the Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP). The rocket motor was delivered at teammate Alliant Techsystems’ (ATK) production facilities in Promontory, Utah, and is the 624th first-stage motor to be delivered under the 10-year PRP contract.
Despite complaints from pro-military factions that the Pentagon needs even more funding, the Defense Department has done quite well for itself in recent years, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
NEW DELHI — The U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA) and Bell Helicopter Textron are cooperating with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to support the growth of the Indian helicopter market. A USTDA grant for $501,849 for “rotorcraft rulemaking, capacity assessment, airspace classification and airspace design” will be signed under the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before Aug. 15, Aviation Week has learned.
COMBAT READY: The USS Bunker Hill recently completed operational trials of its full combat system — the modernized Aegis Weapon System, built by Lockheed Martin. The Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) evaluated the ship’s combat readiness through comprehensive surface and anti-air warfare exercises, including manned raids and electronic attack scenarios, as well as thorough testing of the system’s tactical data link and air defense capabilities.
NEW DELHI — India has released national guidelines on the “management of chemical terrorism disaster,” compiled by the National Disaster Management Authority. “Terrorists are getting more and more aggressive in their activities the world over. They are adopting newer techniques and technology in their mode of operation and can resort to using chemical weapons to cause maximum casualties,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony said.
PARIS — SES and Eutelsat, the number two and three operators, are both reporting strong revenues and earnings, reflecting the continued health of the telecom satellite sector and the strong showing of satellite manufacturers EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space.
