DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Delivers Another Super Galaxy

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  Lockheed Martin Delivers Another Super Galaxy

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 26, 2012: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] delivered the fifth production C-5M Super Galaxy to the Air Force, July 20, 2012, at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

The Super Galaxy is the eight overall C-5M for the Air Force and will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., before traveling to its permanent home at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

The Super Galaxy is America’s premier global direct delivery weapon system and the only strategic airlifter capable of linking the homeland directly to the warfighter in all theaters of combat without refueling.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/07/dtn-news-defense-news-lockheed-martin.html

DTN News: Farnborough Airshow 2012 - News Dated July 11, 2012

DTN News: Farnborough Airshow 2012 - News Dated July 11, 2012

 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 11, 2012:  Comprehensive daily news related to Farnborough Airshow 2012 of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related on Farnborough Airshow 2012 of TODAY

Airbus A330 gets surgery to improve range

Reuters

FARNBOROUGH, England, LONDON (Reuters) - Airbus's most profitable long-distance jet, the A330, is getting a limited makeover to improve its range as Boeing prepares to bring out a competing new version. ... Watched · Digital cadaver table puts surgeons ...

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UK makes gravity-defying 7.5 percent gain in aerospace

Reuters

FARNBOROUGH (Reuters) - The UK government revealed its high hopes for the British aerospace industry as it announced gravity-defying annual growth of 7.5 percent at the Farnborough Airshow on Tuesday.Though. ... FARNBOROUGH | Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:50pm ...

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(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/07/dtn-news-farnborough-airshow-2012-news.html

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel To Upgrade Air Force With F-35 Advanced Aircrafts

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel To Upgrade Air Force With F-35 Advanced Aircrafts

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 9, 2012: Not long ago, a thick cloud of rumors settled on the new, much-talked-about IDF [Israel Defense Forces] acquisition of 20 F-35's, a fighter plane known as the Stealth produced by the American Lockheed Martin Company. There were rumors regarding production slowdowns and delays of the F-35, known as the “fifth generation fighter plane” (in contrast to the Israeli fourth-generation F-16's). The fear is that they will reach Israel very late — too late to serve the IDF in coping with future challenges.

Lockheed Martin officials rarely circulate official statements regarding their planes. Nevertheless, Steve O'Bryan (vice president for F-35 business development) elucidated in an interview with Ma’ariv Magazine, “We will meet the deadline that we set.”

O'Bryan, an F-18 pilot by training, recently visited Israel. Among his duties in Lockheed Martin is responsibility for coordinating details of the business transaction with Israel. In a conversation with him, O'Bryan dissipates the rumors regarding postponement of the planes’ delivery date. “The various delays are not significant with regard to the overall schedule of the process,” he explains. “We will meet the deadline that was set. [However,] it is possible that some of the upgrades will be carried out at a later date in Israel.”

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/07/dtn-news-israeli-defense-news-israel-to.html

DTN News - NORWAY DEFENSE NEWS: Norway Finalizes First F-35 Fighter Order

DTN News - NORWAY DEFENSE NEWS: Norway Finalizes First F-35 Fighter Order

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 18, 2012: Norway today (June 15) commenced the largest public procurement project in its history. The event was marked by Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide authorizing the order for the first F-35A Lightning II for the Norwegian Armed Forces. 

The decision to move forward was reached following an extended dialogue with the US Department of Defence aimed at securing opportunities for Norwegian industry.

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/06/dtn-news-norway-defense-news-norway.html

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 12, 2012: The IDF plans to approve the procurement of a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a meeting of the General Staff later this month that will convene to finalize the military’s multi-year program.

Called Oz (Hebrew for Strength), the new multi-year program is scheduled to go into effect towards the end of the year. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz will oversee deliberations on the program over the next few weeks and will bring the final plan to the government for approval.

One of the plan’s key elements is expected to be the procurement of a second squadron of F-35s despite reports of possible delays and a rise in cost.

On Tuesday, the US Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the quality of production of the aircraft by Lockheed Martin citing a “potentially serious issue” with its electronic warfare capability.

“The committee is... concerned about production quality and whether it is sufficient to ensure the delivery of JSF aircraft to the US and its allies at an affordable price,” the committee said in a report accompanying its fiscal 2013 defense budget bill.

Israel placed an order for its first squadron of F- 35s in October 2010 for $2.75 billion. Under the deal, Israel was supposed to receive 20 aircraft but the number could drop due to the rising cost per plane. The aircraft are expected to begin arriving in Israel sometime in 2017.

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/06/dtn-news-israeli-defense-news-idf-moves.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Asia's Military Spending To Surpass Europe's For First Time

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Asia's Military Spending To Surpass Europe's For First Time

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 26, 2012: 2012 will be a historic moment in the shift of global power from the West to the East. According to expert estimates and figures on military spending, in 2012 Asia's spending on defense will eclipse Europe's for the first time in the modern era.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies, a UK-based think tank focusing on global military and political research and analysis, released its influential "Military Balance 2012" report back in early March.

The report claims that since 2008, financial crises in the West have led to major reductions in defense spending in Europe. Drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq will likely contribute to decreasing numbers in the future. Meanwhile, Asia's continued economic growth, and efforts to modernize and build military forces there, have reinforced higher spending. In the IISS calculations, Europe does not include Russia, and Asia does not include the Middle East, but does include Australasia.

While per capita spending in Europe is still higher, press releases form the institute say that "Asian defense spending is likely to exceed that of Europe, in nominal terms, during 2012." The U.S. accounted for nearly half of all worldwide military spending in 2011, a figure which may be in slight decline over the following years due to defense cutbacks.

IISS says that in real terms, declines in defense spending by 16 out of 28 member states of NATO exceeded 10 percent between 2008 and 2010. Asian spending increased almost 3.2 percent in real terms between 2010 to 2011.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-defense-news-asias-military.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin's DAGR Successfully Engages Moving Target in Apache Demonstration

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin's DAGR Successfully Engages Moving Target in Apache Demonstration

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 14, 2012: Lockheed Martin’s Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) successfully tracked and engaged a moving target in a recent demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.

“DAGR hit a moving target from 3.5 kilometers,” said Hady Mourad, DAGR program director in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business. “Defeating high-value targets on the move is a critical capability, and demonstrating this ability is a significant milestone for the precision-strike DAGR.”

Test pilots launched an inert DAGR round in high winds from an AH-64D Apache, designating the target using the helicopter’s lock-on-before-launch mode. The target was a truck moving at 25 miles per hour. 

The demonstration, which consisted of four flight tests, also showed other DAGR capabilities including use of lock-on-after-launch mode, a long-range 5 kilometer flight and launch from a 5-degree offset. The DAGR round hit within one meter of the laser spot in all four tests.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-defense-news-lockheed-martins.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Two Lockheed Martin F-35Bs Ferried To Eglin, Marking 25th DOD Delivery

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Two Lockheed Martin F-35Bs Ferried To Eglin, Marking 25th DOD Delivery

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 11, 2012: Two Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) production aircraft were ferried to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., today, marking the 24th and 25th F-35 deliveries to the Department of Defense. 

The 5th Generation multirole fighter jets were delivered to the United States Marine Corps and are now assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron 501 residing with the host 33d Fighter Wing.

U.S. Marine Corps pilots Maj. Joseph Bachmann and Lt. Col. Matt Kelly piloted the aircraft, known as BF-9 and BF-10 respectively, which departed Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas at 1:26 p.m. and 1:42 p.m. CDT for an approximate 90-minute flight to Florida’s Emerald Coast. The jets became the 10th and 11th F-35s to join Eglin’s fleet. Both jets will be used for pilot and maintainer training at the F-35 Integrated Training Center there.  

One additional STOVL production jet, BF-11, will join the fleet at Eglin in the coming days. All three jets were formally accepted by the U.S. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) on behalf of the Marine Corps with the signing of Department of Defense Form 250 (DD-250). 

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-defense-news-two-lockheed.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Program Remains The Centerpiece Of Future Tactical Aviation

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Program Remains The Centerpiece Of Future Tactical Aviation

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 10, 2012: Senior leaders from the Air Force and Navy affirmed yesterday that the F-35 joint strike fighter remains the centerpiece of the tactical aircraft program and will play a large part in the services’ ongoing modernization plans.

Navy Vice Adm. David J. Venlet, F-35 Lightning II program executive officer, told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s airland subcommittee that the F-35’s basic engine designs were deemed sound and deliverable after a battery of tests and observations over the past year.

“While there is still risk in the program, it is risk-balanced,” Venlet said. “I have confidence in the resilience of the plan to absorb further learning discovery and stay on track.”

Still, Venlet said, the program will “not execute itself,” and will require resources, tools and processes to enable disciplined decisions on development and incremental capability delivery. (Read complete strory on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-defense-news-f-35-lightning-ii.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Delivers Final, Historic F-22 Raptor To U.S. Air Force

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Delivers Final, Historic F-22 Raptor To U.S. Air Force

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2012: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] leadership delivered today the 195th and last F-22 Raptor to U.S. Air Force leadership in a ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics site here. With this delivery, the U.S. Air Force now possesses the world’s only 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft fleet in the world. 

“There is no longer any nation that wishes us ill or any adversary who wishes us harm that has any doubt that their actions will have consequences – that they will be held to account and that our response will be undeterred,” said Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin’s chairman and CEO. “The very existence of this airplane – your airplane – has altered the strategic landscape forever.”

A host of distinguished officials participated in this monumental event, including senior leaders from Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force; local, state and national elected officials; and Lockheed Martin employees who helped build the F-22 Raptor fleet.

This final Raptor joins a U.S. Air Force fleet of 187 operational F-22s and will join other F-22s in the Air Force’s 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. In all, Lockheed Martin delivered 195 F-22s to the Air Force beginning in 1997, with eight Raptors used as test aircraft.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-defense-news-lockheed-martin.html

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Japan Proceed To Order Initial Four F-35 JSF With Option Of 38 From Lockheed Martin

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Japan Proceed To Order Initial Four F-35 JSF With Option Of 38 From Lockheed Martin

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2012: The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress April 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan for a possible sale of an initial four F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft with an option to purchase an additional 38 F-35 CTOL aircraft. The estimated cost is $10 billion.

All aircraft will be configured with the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines, and 5 spare Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines.  Other Aircraft Equipment includes:  Electronic Warfare Systems, Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence/Communication, Navigational and Identifications (C4I/CNI), Autonomic Logistics Global Support System (ALGS), Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), Flight Mission Trainer, Weapons Employment Capability, and other Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities, F-35 unique infrared flares, reprogramming center, and F-35 Performance Based Logistics.  Also included:  software development/integration, flight test instrumentation, aircraft ferry and tanker support, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.  The estimated cost is $10 billion.  

Japan is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and a key ally of the United States in ensuring the peace and stability of this region.  The U.S. Government shares bases and facilities in Japan.  This proposed sale is consistent with these U.S. objectives and with the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-japan-defense-news-japan.html

DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: US Raises Hope Of Sale Of New F-16 Fighter Jets To Taiwan

DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: US Raises Hope Of Sale Of New F-16 Fighter Jets To Taiwan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 28, 2012: The Obama administration will give “serious consideration” to selling Taiwan new Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) (LMT) F-16 fighter jets, a White House official said, creating a potential new flashpoint with China ahead of next week’s high- level meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials.

A jet sale “warrants serious consideration given the growing military threat to Taiwan,” Robert Nabors, the White House’s director of legislative affairs, said in a letter yesterday to Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican.

The comments risk spawning a political clash with China as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner prepare to meet their Chinese counterparts in Beijing next week for annual talks. China, which insists that Taiwan be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary, has cut military contacts with the U.S. in the past over American arms sales to the island.

“This is going to cause huge problems for the Chinese,” Bonnie Glaser, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in an interview. The tension may be compounded if a human-rights group’s speculation bears out that an activist who escaped house arrest in eastern China this week is holed up at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, she said.

New F-16 C/D fighters would replace aging F-5 jets and supplement a refurbishment program for Taiwan’s F-16 A/Bs that President Barack Obama’s administration announced in September.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-taiwan-defense-news-us-raises.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To ITT Corp For The Procurement Of 15 AN/ALQ-211(V) Related To Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D Model Production Aircraft

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To ITT Corp For The Procurement Of 15 AN/ALQ-211(V) Related To Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D Model Production Aircraft

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 26, 2012:  ITT Corp., Clifton, N.J., is being awarded a $47,530,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure 15 AN/ALQ-211(V); four airborne integrated defensive electronic warfare suites; and two sets of antenna couplers for support production.  

The effort is in support of the Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D model production aircraft.  The location of the performance is Clifton, N.J.  

Work is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2014.  WR-ALC/GRWKB, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8540-12-C-0014).     

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-dod-awarded_9793.html

DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Military Says Copying U.S. Drone

DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Military Says Copying U.S. Drone

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 23, 2012: Iran's military has started to build a copy of a U.S. surveillance drone captured last year after breaking the software encryption, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, said engineers were in the final stages of decoding data from the Sentinel aircraft, which came down in December near the Afghan border, Mehr news agency reported.

Iran said the unmanned aircraft was shot down, but Washington disputes that and says the security systems mean Iran is unlikely to get valuable information from the Lockheed Martin Corp drone.

"The Americans should be aware to what extent we have infiltrated the plane," Fars news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying. "Our experts have full understanding of its components and program."

Iran's military regular announces defense and engineering developments, but some analysts are skeptical as to how reliable those reports are.

U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, a member of the Armed Services Committee, voiced his own doubts.

"There's a history here of Iranian bluster, particularly now when they're on the defensive because of our economic sanctions against them," Lieberman said in a television interview.

The RQ-170 Sentinel has been widely used since 2010 in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It played a role in the raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed last year, analysts say.

An Iranian defense official said recently that Tehran has received numerous requests for information on the craft and that China and Russia have shown most interest.

The loss of the plane sparked some concerns that sophisticated technology could fall into the hands of countries developing their own unmanned planes. The main worry centers on the special coatings on the craft's surface.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-iran-defense-news-iran.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fighter Jet’s Skyrocketing Costs Are On Congress’ Radar

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fighter Jet’s Skyrocketing Costs Are On Congress’ Radar

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 22, 2012: The radar-evading F-35 fighter jet, a nearly $400-billion weapons program under development for more than a decade, is facing its worst turbulence since Washington decided to buy it in 2001 — when it was billed as the most affordable, lethal and survivable military aircraft ever built for the U.S. and its allies.

A two-star general serving as the military's project manager was fired over the program's never-ending problems. The Pentagon has delayed orders of the aircraft, and the fighter jet is caught in the middle of a major spending fight in Congress. What's more, the plane has roiled political debate in Canada, the Netherlands and other allies that are picking up 10% of the development costs.

GRAPHIC: F-35 joint strike fighter

The Obama administration wants to delay the purchase of 179 jets to save $15 billion. But there is pressure to cut more. Next week, the Pentagon's F-35 program manager is set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Although much of the debate is taking place in Washington, the melodrama is being closely watched in Southern California, where much is at stake. Only last week, executives of F-35 maker Lockheed Martin Corp. made an appearance in El Segundo to remind local businesses and aerospace workers that the F-35 will have a huge financial effect in the years to come — pumping an estimated $6 billion into the state's economy and creating 27,000 jobs.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-fighter-jets.html