HONOLULU, Hawaii — Having proven their worth for antisubmarine warfare (ASW) operations, the MH-60R, or Romeo, helicopters are also impressing Pacific-based crews with their ability to fly when needed. “We’ve had great reliability with these new helicopters,” says Cmdr. Brannon Bickel, executive officer of the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM)-37, stationed at Kaneohe Bay. The Romeo shift is mirroring the official shift to the HSM setup from the Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL).
ROLLS PROBED: The U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has begun an investigation into Rolls-Royce’s activities in foreign markets. The company announced last week that a “formal investigation” had been launched by the SFO relating to “bribery and corruption in overseas markets.” The move follows a Dec. 6, 2012, announcement when the aero-engine manufacturer revealed it had passed details of an internal review to the SFO about allegations of misconduct in Indonesia and China. Several reports in the U.K.
BEIJING — A Chinese military utility helicopter roughly equivalent to the Sikorsky H-60 made its first flight on Dec. 23, state media report. The helicopter, with the unconfirmed designation Z-20, is a 10-metric-ton (22,000 lb.) aircraft suitable for operation from high-altitude fields, China Central Television says. For almost three decades, China has relied on 24 UH-60 Black Hawks bought in the 1980s for such operations.
When the third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-3), the USS Fort Worth, leaves next year for its Western Pacific deployment, the ship will feature an automated fuel quality testing system that could revolutionize the way the fleet makes such checks, says Capt. J.R. Garner, commodore of LCS Squadron One. “This is not just going on LCS,” Garner says. “This could go on all Navy ships.”
U.S. ARMY Boeing Co, Ridley, Park, Pa., was awarded a $617,676,589 modification (P0004) to contract W58RGZ-14-C-0003 for the remanufacture of twenty- two CH-47F helicopters, six new CH-47F helicopters, and long lead funding for remanufacturing thirteen CH-47F helicopters. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $615,046,591 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2020. Work will be performed at Ridley Park, Pa. Army Contracting Command, Redstone, Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems has established a new unit in the Fort Worth, Texas, area to run its just-launched F-16 upgrade effort with South Korea and pursue other update programs for the F-16, F-15 and F/A-18.
Canada is preparing to take delivery of AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft systems, delivered and supported by MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates (MDA). The acquisition will give Canadian army field units their own reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition capability.
LONDON — Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, known as SSM, has finalized a deal for the Hurkus turboprop training aircraft for use by the Turkish air force. The SSM signed a series production agreement for 15 aircraft with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) on Dec. 26. The aircraft will be Hurkus-B variants configured with a digital cockpit developed by Turkish electronics firm Aselsan. The first aircraft is due to be delivered in 48 months.
After shortlisting 25 proposals from 24 states, the FAA has selected six test sites across the U.S. to conduct civil unmanned aircraft system (UAS) research. Geographic and climatic diversity were key requirements for the selection. The six selected operators are: the University of Alaska, the state of Nevada, New York’s Griffiss International Airport, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Canada has cancelled a planned C$2 billion ($1.9 billion) purchase of armored vehicles, saying they are no longer required. BAE Systems, General Dynamics and Nexter were competing for the contract to supply 108 heavily protected Close Combat Vehicles (CCV). Conceived to meet threats encountered in Afghanistan, the CCV armored personnel carrier was intended to fill the protection, mobility and firepower gap between the Canadian army’s Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) and Leopard 2 main battle tank.
NEW DELHI — Almost 30 years after it was conceived, India’s indigenously designed and developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has reached the second phase of its long-awaited Initial Operational Clearance (IOC II), clearing the way for its induction into the Indian air force. The LCA, manufactured by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), will now be called Tejas Mk. 1. It will be called Tejas Mk. 2 after receiving its final operational clearance (FOC), slated for the end of 2014.
HONOLULU, Hawaii — The U.S. Navy is seeing the price of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) hulls decreasing and the service is now looking at developing more common ship systems to further reduce costs, says Rear Adm. Brian Antonio, LCS program executive officer. “Both shipbuilders right now are showing great progress,” Antonio tells Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN). “And we’ve delivered seaframes that meet the high-level requirements and knock down challenges.”
Teams using robots developed by companies now owned by Google took five of the top eight places in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (Darpa) Robotics Challenge trails, staged in Homestead, Fla., on Dec. 20-21. A humanoid robot designed by Tokyo-based Schaft scored highest among 16 teams that took part in the trials to demonstrate the ability of robots to perform a series of disaster-response tasks from climbing a ladder to driving a vehicle.
LONDON — Denmark’s decision to select the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk as its future shipboard helicopter did not break procurement regulations, a national watchdog has ruled.
With the first set of Pratt & Whitney engines delivered for the U.S. Air Force’s KC-46 test aircraft, Boeing is planning to roll out the first green 767-2C next year. The 767-2C is the customized commercial platform on which the KC-46 is designed. The 2C includes provisions — such as customized plumbing — to support the KC-46’s refueling mission.
Defense spending in Europe has taken a marked downward turn, according to figures released by the European Defense Agency (EDA) in September 2013, with investments being hit particularly hard. In 2011, total defense expenditures by EU member states—excluding Denmark, which has opted out of the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy, and Croatia, which became a member in mid-2013—fell by €1 billion to €192.5 billion ($265 billion), a drop of over 2%.
Japan's 2014 defense budget request asks for a 3% increase over the 2013 budget, continuing the sudden upward trend set in motion by the right-wing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe upon his December 2012 return to power. The previous center-left government planned a 1.3% decrease in defense spending, which had already seen 10 consecutive contractions since 2003.
