Here are the programs that made the biggest news over the past week:
F35’s engine flexing too much — In yet another setback for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, we reported that the program has come to realize the F135 engine flexes during flight much more than the Pentagon anticipated. It was the over-flexing that led to an aircraft fire and temporary grounding of the F-35 fleet this summer. The problem is that the engine fan blades are cutting much deeper and quicker into the rubber in the engine than expected during extreme maneuvers, as well as rub against other metal parts. F135 manufacturer Pratt & Whitney say they will have a prototype done by the end of this month that will solve the problem. Read more F-35 analysis >>>
SM-6 for BMD? — The Navy’s future weapon of choice for protecting the fleet from incoming airborne threats, the SM-6, could be capable of providing terminal ballistic missile defense as soon as the end of next year, we reported. The program is currently in low-rate production and recently had a successful over-the-horizon air defense test, but the company wants to prove a BMD capability with the SM-6 sooner rather than later. If Raytheon is unable to achieve that by the end of 2015, it hopes to do so in early 2016. Read more SM-6 analysis >>>
P-8s on China’s doorstep — Malaysia has offered the Navy the use of its base in the eastern portion of the country to stage P-8 Poseidon aircraft, according to Seapower Magazine. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert made the announcement during a presentation in Washington, noting that the Navy plans to “continue to nurture” such opportunities. A staging site in Malaysia would be a boon to the Navy, which is seeking to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region as part of a shift in strategy. The P-8, with its abilities to surveil the wide expanses of the Pacific Ocean, will be a key part of that strategy, and being able to station them right in the heart of Southeast Asia will make life easier for the service. However, it may not sit so well with another nation in the region: China, which buzzed a P-8 with a fighter in a recent highly publicized incident. Read more P-8 analysis >>>
Hagel to get LCS replacement options soon — The effort to find a replacement for the LCS continues to roll along. A few months removed from the Pentagon’s decision to cut 20 ships from the program of record, Reuters reported that the Navy is wrapping up its recommendations after a detailed study of options for a frigate-like vessel and will brief Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. As we noted in recent analysis, LCS builders Lockheed Martin and Austal USA could still vie for the replacement program, but they face an uphill battle in getting cost under control and stiff competition in the form of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ National Security Cutter platform. Read more LCS analysis >>>
British Tridents in Kings Bay? — Could British Trident-armed subs be headed to U.S. shores soon? A report from the UK’s Sunday Express indicates that if Scotland declares independence, Britain will ship its Trident-equipped subs from a Scottish base to the United States until it can figure out a long-term solution, due to the fact that a newly independent Scotland would be a non-NATO nation. It will be an expensive move for the UK: A Trident sub naval base south of Scotland would cost £3 billion (nearly $5 billion) and take a decade to complete. The temporary move to the United States wouldn’t cost very much. Most likely, the subs would be stationed at the Navy’s submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga., which features a major Trident refit center. Read more Trident analysis >>>
