Here are the programs that made the biggest news over the past week:
F-35C lands on carrier deck — After many years of development and testing, an F-35C finally did what everyone was waiting for: it grabbed the cable aboard an aircraft carrier deck for the first time ever,
we reported last week. The Navy’s F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter performed two successful traps aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), a rapid reversal from this summer when the program’s executive officer said problems with the arresting hook and nose gear would push such landings further out. The aircraft, dubbed CF-3 and CF-5, flew Oct. 30 from Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, and then last Monday flew from Yuma straight to the Nimitz off the coast of California. Read more F-35 analysis >>>
UCLASS RFP on hold — The unmanned industry has been waiting with bated breath for the release of a formal request for proposals for the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program — but, unfortunately, everyone will have to wait until a survey of current capabilities across the services is completed. According to Seapower Magazine, a Navy official said at a recent event that the Navy is currently conducting a survey of current and future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities within the Pentagon, and the UCLASS RFP won’t be released until then. The “ISR portfolio review” will inform UCLASS’ requirements, which will operate on carrier decks along with manned aircraft. However, the Navy does expect to wrap up UCLASS requirements by the end of the year, according to the official. We reported back in September that the UCLASS RFP would be on hold until a budget review was completed this fall. Read more UCLASS analysis >>>
Apache investigation underway — The AH-64 Apache has been around a long time, so a mechanical problem with one is less concerning than for, say, an F-35. However, a recent Apache mishap showed hydraulic fluid contamination places other aircraft at risk of catastrophic failure, and the Army will need to investigate the problem further, according to the Washington Times. The investigation began last November when an AH-64 experienced a “Class A aviation mishap” at Fort Rucker in Alabama which caused non-life-threatening injuries to an instructor and a student. Class A mishaps are the most serious type of accidents, and can involve fatalities, a high amount of property damage, or the destruction of military equipment. An Army contracting official, according to the Times, said that corrosion and design issues could result in a contamination of hydraulic fluid when servicing the Apaches. Army officials ordered the systems involved replaced. Read more AH-64 analysis >>>