The U.S. Air Force is touting the success of a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) flight-test that took place over White Sands Missile Range, N.M., earlier this month. The launch was the first in a series of flight-tests that are scheduled to run through December 2008, the Air Force said in a May 31 statement. "Everything went as planned and the launch was a total success," JASSM Block 2 Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Stephen Davis said in the statement.
EW SYSTEM: BAE Systems has delivered the first electronic warfare (EW) system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program to prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, the company said May 31. BAE has built four JSF EW systems, which are comprised of electronic support measures and countermeasures hardware. The EW suite delivered to Lockheed Martin on April 28 will be used by the company during integration tests in Fort Worth.
Former NetJets president W.W. (Bill) Boisture is joining the Carlyle Group. The longtime business aviation executive has signed on as a senior advisor to the private equity giant's Aerospace & Defense team and will help identify attractive investments in the sector, Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle said May 31.
ADELAIDE, Australia - Unmanned aircraft operating on their own - and soon, teams and swarms of them working together in sophisticated electronic attacks or intelligence gathering missions - are already planned as part of Australia's military future. However, what Australia wants in the way of unmanned vehicles isn't yet available on the world market. As a result, Australian Defence Force (ADF) planners are going to spend a few years figuring out the long-term potential of not only UAVs, but also unmanned underwater and ground vehicles.
LCS COMPETITION: General Dynamics Corp.'s Littoral Combat Ship team will conduct an open competition to identify the best combat system capabilities, shipboard electronics and software for the third General Dynamics LCS and follow-on ships, the company said May 26. The company will host an industry day to discuss its approach and opportunities from 8 a.m. to noon Eastern time on May 31 at the Washington Dulles Marriott, Dulles, Va.
Arianespace dual-launched Thailand's Thaicom 5 and Mexico's Satmex 6 spacecraft on May 27 using an Ariane 5 rocket from the company's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff took place at 6:09 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Eastern time). The two spacecraft together weighed more than 8,200 kilograms (18,078 pounds), which marked a record for satellite mass delivered to orbit in a single launch, according to Arianespace.
In a bid for larger markets, Danish defense electronics companies are looking to larger European suppliers to help them expand their international business. Two deals announced this week highlight the development, with EADS and Terma announcing expanded cooperation and Saab saying it is outright buying Denmark's Maersk Data Defense in a $12.5 million deal. The latter still requires approval from national authorities.
PURCHASE: Rockwell Collins has closed on its purchase of Evans & Sutherland's military and commercial simulation business. The $71.5 million cash and debt acquisition includes simulation facilities in Salt Lake City, Orlando, and the United Kingdom that employ about 200 people. Rockwell Collins says the Evans & Sutherland operations will broaden its simulation capabilities and allow it to offer hardware and software to create highly realistic visual images for simulation, training, engineering and other applications.
The upcoming June 1 spacewalk by the Expedition 13 crew of the International Space Station (ISS) will re-activate an external vent for the finicky Russian Elektron oxygen generation system, which has been having trouble restarting after being turned off. The Elektron, which generates breathable air from wastewater, requires an external vent to release hydrogen byproduct into space. Last year, an electrolyte leak into the system's original vent line made it unusable.
Fledgling space elevator company Liftport Inc. says it plans to distribute an "encyclopedia" of technical questions associated with space elevators later this year in the hopes of attracting university researchers to the field. "We're trying to develop individual questions that would make really great research topics for a Ph.D. candidate" or other researcher, Liftport President Michael Laine said during a press conference in Washington on May 30.
ANTIMINE SUPPORT: EDO Corp. said May 26 it was awarded a five-year, $25.2 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy with support and maintenance of airborne mine-countermeasure systems. Work covered by the contract includes engineering design, in-service engineering and depot maintenance and repair for a range of littoral and deep-water mine-countermeasure systems.
CANBERRA - Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles are seen by senior Australian planners as fundamental to the nation's network-centric, warfighting capabilities beyond 2020. In fact, they may buy fewer next-generation, Lockheed Martin-designed Joint Strike Fighters in order to field a stealthy, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
Space Adventures Ltd. announced May 30 that it will purchase Space Launch Corp. of Fountain Valley, Calif. The deal is expected to go through within the next 60 days, according to a spokeswoman. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Independent aircraft parts manufacturer Heico is acquiring Arger Enterprises Inc., a 29-year-old company that designs and distributes FAA-approved aircraft and engine parts for commercial airliners. Terms of the cash deal were not disclosed. Arger operates two main facilities, one in Reno, Nev., where it is headquartered, and a second in Miami. It also has a worldwide sales network.
