Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Senior leaders from the U.S. and Republic of Korea navies met at the headquarters of the Republic of Korea Fleet earlier this month for a series of staff talks on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) cooperation, U.S. Navy officials say.

By Mark Carreau
New attempts to contact Russia's wayward Progress 59 cargo freighter en route to the International Space Station have so far been unsuccessful.
Space

On Wednesday the full House Armed Services Committee marks up the fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, following last week’s series of subcommittee markups. And the House Science, Space and Technology Committee marks up NASA authorization legislation for fiscal 2016-2017 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee discusses U.S. security policy on Europe on Tuesday morning, and on Wednesday afternoon reviews the U.S. Air Force’s military space programs with service secretary Deborah James, Air Force Space Command chief Gen.

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY’S SPACE DYNAMICS LABORATORY received U.S. patent for Multiple Petal Deployable Telescope, designed to allow precision deployment of larger telescopes on small satellites, positioned within nanometers. PARAGON has subcontract to provide Humidity Control Subassembly (HCS) for BOEING CST-100 crew capsule under development for NASA.

Senior navy leaders from the U.S. 7th Fleet and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) met earlier this month in Zhanjiang, China, “for a professional exchange of ideas” in a variety of technical and operational topics on board the Chinese ship Mount Jinggang at PLAN South Sea Fleet Headquarters, U.S. Navy officials say.

Selected U.S. military contracts for April 20, 2015 U.S. AIR FORCE

A Mars-exploration architecture conceived at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an exercise to keep its engineers on the cutting edge can help garner support for NASA’s open-ended “Evolving Mars” approach to sending humans to the Red Planet, according to the JPL official who ordered the study.

The Swedish government’s newly issued defense bill adds 10.2 billion Swedish kronor ($1.2 billion) to the overall budget for 2016-20 and identifies a number of priorities for the force, according to air force chief of staff Col. Marcus Bjorkgren.

American and Japanese national security leaders detailed new guidelines for U.S.-Japan defense cooperation on April 27, saying the rules will promote peace and stability in the region and worldwide, Defense Department officials say.

Proving again that nothing is truly free, the U.S. Coast Guard still has some costs to incur – and risks to take – with the C-27J aircraft that the service is getting from the Air Force, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) launched Turkmenistan’s first satellite April 27, sending the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT telecommunications spacecraft to geostationary transfer orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

The LHD 1 amphibious assault ship USS Wasp is starting to publicly show off its recent upgrades.

By Tony Osborne
AgustaWestland-owned subsidiary PZL-Swidnik has publicly rebutted a number of statements made by the Polish defense ministry after the company failed to secure a lucrative helicopter contract for the Polish armed forces.

By Jay Menon
India has received approval from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) for a $96 million support deal for its Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifters to help them meet local transport and disaster assistance requirements.

By Tony Osborne
U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) officers hope the planned Block 8 upgrade for its fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules airlifters and the capabilities it will bring will be ready for operation by 2019.

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Dawn mission spacecraft, the first man-made probe to circle two Solar System bodies, is poised for science operations at the large asteroid Ceres, after maneuvering into the first in a succession of lower-altitude orbits.

Saab has unveiled a major upgrade of the JAS 39C/D Gripen’s radar, intended to double its detection and tracking range and give it the ability to track low-radar-cross-section targets.
Defense and Space

In the wake of recent publicity about U.S. drone attacks causing accidental civilian deaths, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says the unmanned operations will continue with the same level of transparency.

Carrying a total combined payload of 9,790 kg (21,600 lb.), the mission lifted off at 5 p.m. local time from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, marking the third launch this year for Arianespace

By Mark Carreau
Robert Cabana, director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, was presented with the 2015 National Space Trophy for career contributions to the U.S. space program in April 24 ceremonies hosted by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation.

The guided-missile destroyer DDG 74 USS McFaul departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this month for an independent deployment in support of ballistic missile defense (BMD), maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 4th, 5th, and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility, U.S. Navy officials say.

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) May 5-6 -- Aviation Week MRO BEER (Baltics, Eastern Europe and Russia), Budapest, Hungary. For more information go to www.aviationweek.com/mrobeer

ROCKWELL COLLINS was selected to supply its Flight2 avionics system for Argentine air force (AAF) program to upgrade five C-130s; L-3 PLATFORM

STRATEGIC DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE predicts Asia-Pacific will be largest military helo market, with compound annual growth rate of 3.1% over the next decade (driven by arms races, replacement needs) and making more than a third of the global market by 2025; North American market is forecast to decline in 2016-18 from sequestration spending caps.