The U.S. Air Force has to do a better job of organizing, funding and fielding its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) programs, according to a National Research Council (NRC) panel. “The responsibility for evaluating and informing decisions about Air Force ISR capabilities is diffuse, overly personnel-intensive, and divided among many organizations, resulting in an excessively lengthy process,” the NRC says in its report, released earlier this month.
LAS VEGAS — Sensing the market is ready, Protonex Technology has introduced a commercial fuel-cell power system for long-endurance unmanned aircraft and ground vehicles. The UAV-H500 proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell runs on compressed hydrogen and is a variant of the unit that powered the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Ion Tiger unmanned aircraft to a flight endurance record of more than 26 hr.
When it comes to defense spending, plans presented by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his new running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), diverge in ways that typify an ongoing rift within the Republican Party.
A control fin that had functioned correctly on two previous flights malfunctioned on the Aug. 14 third flight of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Boeing X-51A Waverider, causing the hypersonic demonstrator to lose control before its scramjet engine could be ignited.
TANKER TANKS: Embraer Defense and Security has awarded Cobham a $30 million contract to develop and supply the auxiliary fuselage fuel tank (AFFT) for the KC-390 tanker aircraft. Cobham’s AFFT will help increase the aircraft’s range for search and rescue operations and maximize fuel offload for air-to-air refueling, the company says. The Brazilian air force is the launch customer for the KC-390, which is scheduled to enter service in 2015.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Lockheed Martin is planning to boost the production rate of its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) interceptors owing to an agreement between the Pentagon and the United Arab Emirates to bundle their buys. The company currently produces three-four Thaad interceptors monthly for the U.S. Lockheed recently delivered the 50th Thaad missile to the U.S. Army to round out the magazine for its first two Thaad batteries, says Mat Joyce, the program’s vice president.
NEW DLEHI — British military firm BAE Systems will pay £6.5 million ($10 million) in damages to India for supplying defective components and fixtures for Hawk Mk-132 advanced jet trainers to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), which delayed delivery of the aircraft to the Indian air force (IAF).
As efforts to introduce routine UAV operations into the U.S. National Airspace System gain momentum, work is progressing to make the system safer and more secure from potential hacking, according to FAA and industry officials.
LAS VEGAS — Northrop Grumman’s ZPY-1 STARLite radar is being prepared for flight testing on the U.S. Army’s AAI RQ-7B Shadow, giving the tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS) an ability to track people on foot through weather. The STARLite is deployed on Army Persistent Threat Detection System surveillance aerostats protecting bases in Afghanistan and is in production to equip the service’s General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1C Gray Eagle medium-altitude UAS.
TEL AVIV — Israel’s unmet aerial refueling requirements are being highlighted as the country mulls possible air strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, and although a U.S. offer of surplus KC-135s would help, it is not a long-term solution.
LAS VEGAS — Boeing subsidiary Insitu is field-testing improved sensors for its ScanEagle as more capable payloads become available for small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS). The 44-lb. ScanEagle normally flies with either an electro-optical (EO) or infrared (IR) turret, but Insitu is flight testing a sensor that combines the current EO camera with a mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imager.
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will be able to deploy the modules for the missions planned for the vessel, U.S. Navy officials say. “Each LCS will deploy with the Mission Package (MP) required to accomplish the Combatant Commander (COCOM)-directed missions,” the Navy said in an information paper provided Aug. 2 by the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Aug. 14 is scheduled to consider a claim by Pilatus Aircraft that it is owed at least $1 million in royalty money by Hawker Beechcraft for the production of the Pilatus-designed airframe used for the T-6/AT-6 military trainer.
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil — Embraer is positioning itself to secure the lion’s share of the billions in defense deals that Brazil has looming on the horizon, which could put it on the path to becoming one of the world’s top defense firms. Contracts up for grabs include Sisfron, a $6 billion integrated border monitoring system that Brazil’s army is implementing to protect the country’s land borders. Brazil has borders with 10 different countries totaling nearly 17,000 km (10,600 mi.).
NRO RETRY: The U.S. Air Force is eyeing Sept. 6 for the rescheduled launch of the National Reconnaissance Office’s latest classified satellite, NROL-36. Originally targeted for an Aug. 2 liftoff from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., the flight had to be postponed while engineers worked through a range instrumentation issue. The fixes for the range issues should be tested and certified by the end of this month, according to Atlas V rocket maker United Launch Alliance.
AIR FORCE BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $25,000,000 multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for sustainment of Viper memory loader verifier and enhanced diagnostic aid support equipment. The location of the performance is BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems, Nashua, N.H., and at the BAE Electronics Facility, Fort Worth. The work is to be completed by Aug. 6, 2016. The 748 SCMG/PKBB is the contracting activity (FA8251-12-D-0003). NAVY
TEL AVIV — Israeli intelligence sources told local media here over the weekend that highly lethal Russian weapons have appeared in the latest Syrian fighting in Aleppo. Analysts believe that these were recently delivered from Russia.
