In May 2015, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation said that it will establish a Seattle engineering center with a local partner that will employ about 150 people in support of its forthcoming MRJ regional jet. The new engineering center will be operated by local firm AeroTEC, which provides airplane manufacturers with engineering support to speed development and certification. According to AeroTEC president Lee Human, in June of this year, the company will move to a new expanded facility in the Sodo area near its current site.
Earlier today, SES announced that they have awarded a contract to SpaceX to launch two new satellites, the SES-14 and the SES-16/GovSat aboard its Falcon 9 rocket in 2017. The two satellites are to be built by the Defense and Space division of Airbus Group and Orbital ATK. The contract to SpaceX emerged shortly after SES selected Airbus and Orbital ATK to build the satellites. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is a European multinational aerospace and defense corporation that in addition to developing and marketing satellites, manufactures aircraft parts as well as civil airliners.
Airbus has chosen Rockwell Collins as its provider for Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) interface and communications units (EICU) for the A320 and A330 aircraft.
Originally designated as the XS-1, the Bell X-1 is historically important as the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. It was a supersonic research project sponsored by the US Air Force. The X-1’s first flight occurred in January 1946, including test flights done in California at Muroc Army Air Field, now known as Edwards Air Force Base. This aircraft became the first to fly faster than the speed of sound with a historical speed of 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) per hours (Mach 1.06).
In a recent joint venture between Lockheed Martin, Kaman Aerospace, and Neya Systems, an unmanned air and ground emergency evacuation was conducted on March 26th. This included the use of the unmanned aerial system (UAS) Control Segment (UCS) Architecture and K-MAX cargo helicopter.
After field-testing the Navy’s Maritime Augmented Guidance system, the USS George H.W. Bush returned to Norfolk on April 26th. This system is equipped with Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies software. Referred to as the MAGIC CARPET, this software is made for F/A-18E/F/G aircraft. It can automatically maneuver based on jet speed and angle of attack to the ground surface.
The former head of the famous tire manufacturer Michelin Group, François Michelin, passed away this past Wednesday at the age of 88.No details on the cause of death were available immediately.The grandson of company co-founder Edouard Michelin spent over half his life at his family’s company, most recently as a co-managing director until 1999 and having an active role until his retirement in 2002.
Northrop Grumman has partnered with the California Institute of Technology to work together on a space-based solar power system called Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI).
In a recent announcement in April 2015, the Indian Air Force (IAF) states that it is approaching the finalization of a deal with Dassault Aviation for the procurement of 36 Rafale multi-role combat aircraft. Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister, stated, “Our civil servants will discuss terms and conditions in more detail and continue the negotiations." Under a government cooperation, Modi had asked France to supply the aircraft in fly-away condition in an effort to address the importance of fighter jets within the country. This previous agreement took place in January 2012 under a $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) contract. If put into action, 18 of the total 126 Rafales would be manufactured in France and the additional 108 would be assembled within India by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). However, this plan was delayed because Dassault did not want to guarantee Indian-built fighter jets.
In a recent joint venture announced in April 2015, Raytheon and Kongsberg hope to source solutions for the upcoming OASuW (Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare) mission. This marks the second time that the two companies combined efforts, the first of which took place last year for the development of the Joint Strike Missile.
With the constant need for evolving defense strategies, the United States Department of Defense has taken an increased interest in emerging technologies and robotics. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has maintained a lasting reputation for innovation and perseverance. The agency has launched a recent project to expand on current technology, known as the Systems of System Integration Technology and Experimentation (SoSITE). In an April 2015 announcement, a representative of DARPA stated, “As advanced technologies have become more readily available to adversaries on commercial markets, the nation’s focus on ever more complex weapons systems has become not just a strength but also a weakness. Effective as they are, US military systems today are often too expensive to procure in the quantities needed, and may take so long to develop that the electronic components they contain are obsolete by the time they become operational.
In April 2015, the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles and associated equipment to Pakistan. The sale, which is estimated to be worth nearly USD$1 billion, will supply the Pakistani government with precision-strike, enhanced-survivability aircraft that it can operate at high altitudes for counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency in South Asia. The deal, which still needs to get approved by Congress, would be worth $952 million to four contractors: Textron Co.'s Bell Helicopter, General Electric Aviation, The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp.Specifically, the Pakistani government will receive 15 Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, 32 T-700 General Electric 401C engines (including 30 installed and two spares), 1,000 Lockheed Martin AGM-114 R Hellfire II missiles in containers, 36 H-1 technical refresh mission computers, 17 AN/AAQ-30 target sight systems and 629F-23 ultra-high frequency/very high frequency communication systems.
Governing space-related endeavors is one of the newest fields of law. During the Cold War, humans made their first real foray into outer space, or what is sometimes referred to as the Final Frontier. Much like the United States when it was still not fully settled by European colonizers, the Final Frontier is fairly lawless and ungoverned. Ten years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into space, the first legal instrument ever created concerning outer space was introduced – the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967. This treaty made installing weapons assembly of mass destruction in space illegal, kept outer space and its objects free from claims of sovereignty, and made every nation liable for their own space activities. However, as private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Orbital Sciences Corporation continue to work towards and develop technologies for commercial space transport and eventual colonization, the need for space law encroaches with ever greater urgency.
The F-35 Generation III Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) manufactured by Rockwell Collins is the world’s most advanced biocular helmet-mounted display system—bringing unprecedented visual capability to the world’s most advanced tactical aircraft. Notably, it is also the world’s most expensive helmet. The cost of each custom-made helmet is more than $400,000 USD. This special helmet has been designed to provide pilots with revolutionary situational awareness. The main features of the helmet, which has a custom liner for precise fit and comfort, include virtual head-up display, high accuracy tracking with auto-boresighting, active noise reduction, digital night vision sensor, and much more. Its integrated head-up display is the first to provide pilots with all the critical information they need on the helmet’s visor ensuring that every mission, day or night, is supported with unsurpassed situational awareness, tactical capability and safety. When a pilot looks down, he usually sees the floor of the aircraft. With the Rockwell Collins helmet, instead of seeing the floor of the airplane, he sees the world below him external to the aircraft. If the pilot looks up or behind him, he sees the sky.
Announced in March of 2015, the Florida Air Guard will send a force of 12 F-15C Eagles and 200 soldiers to the Netherlands and Bulgaria. The deployment is part of the United States’ efforts in Operation Atlantic Resolve, a NATO cooperation aimed towards responding to recent Russian-led tension in the region. A representative from the United States Air Force in Europe stated that this will be the first Air National Guard “theater security package” or TSP to deploy. The force will station in bases at Leeuwarden in Netherlands and Graf Ignatievo in Bulgaria and train with NATO allies. The first US theater security package (forces deployed to reassure Eastern European allies of the United States’ commitment to stability in the region and increase the US response capability) was sent out in February and included a fleet of 12 A-10C Thunderbolts and 300 airmen from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base of Arizona. These deployments are expected to last for a duration of six months. In addition to TSPs, the US has already sent 14 F-16 fighter aircraft to Estonia to participate in joint training exercises with the country’s air force.
At Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference in March of 2015, the company announced plans to develop a large unmanned aerial vehicle to provide internet connectivity in remote locales. The new drone has already completed its first test flight in the United Kingdom. Some preliminary specifications of the aircraft include: a wingspan the size of a Boeing 737 (approximately 29 meters), a solar-powered energy system, a projected 60,000 feet altitude ceiling, and a loitering time of many months. The company anticipates that the drone will only have a weight of approximately three to four thousand pounds, or the weight of an average car. Facebook’s internet drone project has been dubbed project Aquila, named after the eagle in Greek mythology tasked with carrying Zeus’s thunderbolts.
In March of 2015, Boeing delivered the Lot 1 production remote controlled QF-16 full scale aerial target (FSAT) drone to the Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. "The United States Air Force's QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target provides the next generation of combat training and testing for our nation's warfighters," Boeing said in the description of the optionally unmanned target drones.
RBC Bearings has initiated their acquisition of Dover’s Sargent Aerospace & Defense by signing the $500 million deal. This is the first company to be acquired by RBC Bearings within the last 15 months, with the last being Western Precision Aero LLC, Climax Metal Products Company, and Turbine Components Inc. in 2013. Financed through cash and senior debts, the finalization of the acquisition looks to be completed in the fiscal first quarter of 2016.
In 2014, the Republic of Korea issued a request for proposals on a next-generation, aerial refueling tanker. South Korea intends to acquire four aircraft for the country’s first tanker squadron and is currently considering three bids. While a decision was expected by the end of 2014, South Korea has postponed making an official selection by 12 months. The contract, carried out by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition and Program Administration, is worth approximately $1.3 billion USD. Entries from companies across the globe are being considered. Candidates include the KC-46 (developed by The Boeing Company of the United States), the Airbus A330 MRTT (developed by European consortium Airbus Defence & Space), and lastly a converted Boeing 767-300ER tanker transport manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.
