The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Small Aircraft Weaponization. ATK has created a palletized mount for its Mk-44 Bushmaster automatic cannon for integration onto small aircraft that is generating “numerous inquiries from potential international customers for that solution,” says Mark DeYoung, the company’s president and CEO. The company displayed a version of the palletized gun system at the Farnborough Air Show in Britain earlier this summer on an Alenia MC-27 gunship, he says. DeYoung adds that “Coming out of Farnborough there was a lot of excitement about shifting ATK’s special mission aircraft business from a sensor business to a weaponization business.” He also says that the Air Force has designated the Mk-44 for operational use on airborne platforms.
State-DoD Great. Relations between the State and Defense departments are the “best they’ve ever been,” Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro tells a Center for Strategic and International Studies audience Aug. 8. Shapiro says one reason for this is that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta emphasizes how important the State Department is to national security. “As you may have noticed, you don’t see many stories in the press of policy disagreements in this administration descending into bureaucratic backstabbing and that’s for a reason,” Shapiro says. “The working relationships are better than ever. This is important because (our) partnership with the DoD spans the entirety of regional and functional diplomacy at the State Department. Counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, counter-proliferation, energy security and counter-trafficking are just some of the areas where we work together.”
…Global Need. Shapiro says globalization makes coordination between the State Department and DoD even more essential. “In a world that is increasingly interconnected with global supply chains, highly developed global financial systems and unprecedented global travel and connectivity, the potential impact of both state based and transnational threats have become magnified,” Shapiro says. “As Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton observed, the geometry of global power is becoming more distributed and diffuse even as the challenges we face become more complex and cross cutting.”
…Working Together. Shapiro says the State Department is taking “tangible steps” to improve interagency cooperation with DoD. One is personnel exchanges, which includes the first-ever Foreign Policy Adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shapiro says another step is increasing cooperation in planning and a third is working with the Commerce Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to update and modernize the nation’s export control system.
Raytheon’s Pyros. Raytheon completes a successful warhead and guidance system test of its Pyros small tactical munition, the company says in an Aug. 7 statement. Raytheon says the end-to-end test validates the weapon’s guidance modes (semi-active laser and Global Positioning System), its height-of-burst sensor, electronic safe and arm device and multi-effects warhead. Raytheon says Pyros drops from one of the company’s Cobra unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) in parameters closely approximating those typically seen in current contingency operations. While directly over the target, the warhead detonates at a predetermined height following inputs from the weapon’s height-of-burst sensor, according to a statement.
Orbital’s HYLAS 2 Launches. The HYLAS 2 satellite built by Orbital Sciences for Avanti Communications Group PLC successfully launches into orbit Aug. 2 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, Orbital says in a statement. The satellite successfully separates from the rocket’s final stage approximately 34 minutes after liftoff. HYLAS 2 will provide two-way communications services to facilitate high-speed delivery of data to end-user applications such as corporate networking, broadband Internet access and business continuity services. Avanti sells satellite data communications services to telecommunications companies, which use them to supply residential, enterprise and institutional users.
Indonesian Super Tucano. Brazilian manufacturer Embraer delivers four of its light attack and tactical training A-29 Super Tucanos to Indonesia’s air force at a ceremony held at Embraer’s São Paulo facility, the company says Aug. 6 in a statement. The four A-29s are from an initial batch of eight purchased by Indonesia in 2010. Indonesia has since ordered a second batch of eight A-29s as part of its equipment modernization exercise. Embraer is teaming with U.S. manufacturer Sierra Nevada Defense Corp. to offer its A-29 as part of the U.S. Light Air Support competition to provide Afghanistan with light attack aircraft.
PANAMAX In Motion. U.S. Army South, with armed forces from 17 nations, enters the last week of the annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX 2012 exercise. Conducted Aug. 6-17 simultaneously at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Miami, Fla., Suffolk, Va., and in Panama, the exercise brings together sea, air and land forces in a joint and combined operation focused on defending the Panama Canal from attacks by a violent extremist organization as well as responding to natural disasters and pandemic outbreaks in various locations. This year, the United States, Brazil, Colombia, are participating as is Argentina, Belize, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Peru. The exercise ensures the nations are prepared to deploy and conduct contingency operations together.
More GMLRS. Lockheed Martin delivers the 20,000th Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary rocket to the Army. Lt. Col. T.J. Wright, Army product manager for Precision Guided Missiles and Rockets, says: “GMLRS has a bright future as the long-range, precision-fire weapon of choice when commanders need to decisively and accurately attack high-value targets while minimizing the risk of collateral damage. The development of the GMLRS Alternative Warhead will also add a critical area weapon capability.…” Scott Arnold, vice president of precision fires in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business, says, “Our workforce is committed to providing weapon systems that protect our warfighters when it is needed most.” More than 2,300 of the long-range GMLRS Unitary rounds have been fired by U.S. Army, Marine Corps and British forces in coalition operations, and the rocket has achieved a combat reliability rate of 98 percent.
Successful SOTG Rotation. Australia says the most recent Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) rotation in Afghanistan is home now after achieving significant success in recent months. The SOTF did lose Sgt. Blaine Diddams killed while on a mission to capture an insurgent commander. The rotation commander, known only as Lt. Col. J, praised the significant results achieved by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and their Australian Special Forces partners in the Uruzgan province, saying: “Australian Special Forces worked closely with Afghan partner forces on nearly every mission and conducted numerous training courses throughout the rotation.” Chief of Joint Operations Lt. Gen. Ash Power said Australian Special Forces soldiers and their ANSF partner forces worked closely removing a large number of insurgent commanders. “The loss of so many commanders is a significant blow to the insurgency, which will hamper their ability to coordinate and conduct attacks against Afghan and international Forces.”