DTN News: EADS Continues Flight Test Campaign Of Barracuda....NSI News Source Info # 1100

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - September 17, 2010: In a further test series comprising four flights, EADS Defence and Security (DS) has again successfully tested the technology demonstrator 'Barracuda' at Goose Bay Air Force Base in Canada. Advanced technologies and new procedures have successfully passed new tests under realistic conditions.

As part of the flight tests, DS particularly checked the Sense and Avoid capabilities, Auto Taxi Systems, a Structure Integrated Antenna and the Image Exploitation Chain (Automatic Target Detection Systems).

During this 2010 test campaign in the Goose Bay area of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the jet-propelled unmanned flight system (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV) flew completely autonomously along pre-programmed flight profiles including auto-taxying processes.Flying some 2 hours and 42 minutes in four take-off and landing cycles this summer, the Barracuda now reaches an overall total flight hours of 4 hours and 15 minutes (sum of two test campaigns in 2009 and 2010).

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-eads-continues-flight-test.html

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract $424 Million For Activities In Support Of F-35 JSF....NSI News Source Info # 1099

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - September 17, 2010: Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $424,400,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-09-C-0010) for sustainment activities in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter air system Low Rate Initial Production Lot IV production.
Sustainment activities will include autonomic logistics information system operations and support, block upgrade and concurrency modification planning, site activation, training systems, and support equipment.
Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2012.
This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($61,990,750; 15 percent), U.S. Air Force ($135,694,000; 31 percent), U.S. Marine Corps ($194,465,750; 46 percent), and international partners ($32,249,500; 8 percent). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-lockheed-martin-awarded.html

DTN News: Flight Tests Begin For Eurocopter’s Tiger HAD Support And Attack Helicopter In Spain....NSI News Source Info # 1098

(NSI News Source Info) ALBACETE, Spain - September 17, 2010: The first HAD support and attack version of Eurocopter’s Tiger helicopter has initiated its flight test program at the company’s Albacete facility in Spain.
During the next 15 months, a full program of tests and development flights will be carried out to obtain the first qualific tion step (Block 1), which is scheduled for December 2011. These evaluations will include firing campaigns of the Mistral and Spike missiles planned before the end of this year.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-flight-tests-begin-for.html
“This is the first time that Eurocopter Spain has taken on the responsibility for testing a helicopter prototype,” said Liberto Negral, who is responsible for Eurocopter’s Governmental Programmes in Spain. “We are extremely proud to be performing the Tiger HAD’s flight tests, which are proceeding very well and are on time. This represents a great technical achievement for Eurocopter in Spain.”

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-flight-tests-begin-for.html

Advertisement in an Irish newspaper....NSI News Source Info # 1097

DTN News: Boeing Wins DARPA Vulture II Program....NSI News Source Info # 1096

(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS, - September 17, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Sept. 14 signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and fly the SolarEagle unmanned aircraft for the Vulture II demonstration program. Under the terms of the $89 million contract, SolarEagle will make its first demonstration flight in 2014.
"SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years," said Pat O'Neil, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Vulture II. "That's a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet."

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-boeing-wins-darpa-vulture-ii.html

DTN News: US Air Force Takes 'Cautious' Approach To New Bomber....NSI News Source Info # 1095

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - September 15, 2010: The US military remains committed to building a new long-range bomber but will take a "cautious" approach to avoid costly disasters from past weapons programs, the Air Force's top official said Monday.
The "long-range strike" project also will be focused mainly on delivering conventional rather than nuclear weapons, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said.
While the Air Force was "confident" about the need to develop a new way to strike at a long-distance, it was mindful of past mistakes in bomber programs plagued by delays and cost overruns, he said.
In a press conference after his speech, Donley cited problems with the F-111, B-1 and B-2 bombers, and said the Air Force wanted to rely on proven, existing technologies instead of breaking new ground for the next generation bomber.
He said the fleet would need to be large enough to last over a 30-year period, unlike the B-2 bomber fleet that ended up much smaller than hoped due to high costs.
Twenty B-2s are operated by the United States Air Force. The cost of each aircraft averaged US$737 million in 1997 dollars. Total procurement costs averaged US$929 million per aircraft, which includes spare parts, equipment, retrofitting, and software support. The total program cost, which includes development, engineering and testing, averaged US$2.1 billion per aircraft (in 1997 dollars).Donley also said the long-range platform could be an aircraft or a missile, and that nothing had been ruled out while military planners review various studies on the project.
The Air Force would unveil more details for the program in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, he said.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-us-air-force-takes-cautious.html

DTN News: Russian Aircraft Carrier Readies For Training Mission....NSI News Source Info # 1094

(NSI News Source Info) MURMANSK, Russia - September 15, 2010: Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, has left adry dock after scheduled repairs and is getting ready for a training mission in the Barents Sea, the Northern Fleet said in a statement.
"The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will sail to the Barents Sea at the end of September on a training mission relevant to its main purpose," the statement said.
The warship was assigned to the Northern Fleet in January 1991. It is capable of carrying 26 Su-33 Flanker-D and MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets, and 24 anti-submarine helicopters.
The upcoming mission will most likely involve a comprehensive program of naval pilot training to further develop the skills acquired by pilots at the Nitka Naval Pilot Training Center in Ukraine.
The Admiral Kuznetsov is expected to be docked at Sevmash shipyards in 2012 for full-scale modernization, which will continue for at least five years.
Russia is aiming to finish drafting plans for a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for its Navy by 2012 and build at least three of the ships for its Northern and Pacific fleets.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-russian-aircraft-carrier.html

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Continues To Meet And Exceed F-22 Raptor Production And Delivery Schedule....NSI News Source Info # 1093

(NSI News Source Info) MARIETTA, Ga.,- September 15, 2010: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] continues to meet and exceed the production and delivery schedule for the F-22 Raptor, with 86 straight aircraft delivered on or ahead of schedule to the U.S. Air Force. To date, the company has delivered 166 production F-22s, including 13 this year.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-lockheed-martin-continues-to.html

DTN News: Future Missile System For Gripen....NSI News Source Info # 1092

(NSI News Source Info) LINKOPING, Sweden - September 15, 2010: The integration means that Meteor will be adapted to other Gripen systems, such as the radar and displays. The order includes test flights and test firing, as well as the integration of Meteor with support and maintenance systems such as simulators and planning computers. The Swedish Gripen C/D aircraft will also have a two-way datalink for communication between the aircraft and the missile once it has been fired.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dtn-news-future-missile-system-for.html