Navy C-40 Fleet Deliveries Complete

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  July 8, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contracts for July 7, 2021

  Today

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  June 23, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  NATO’s new surveillance drone begins test flights over the Mediterranean

  By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — The first of five new NATO surveillance drones began test flights over the Mediterranean Sea this month, nudging the alliance toward a new capability meant to relieve the demand for U.S. equipment. The flights took off from Sigonella air base in Sicily, Italy, the future headquarters of the Northrop Grumman-made Global Hawks of the Alliance Ground Surveillance program. The planes are owned by a collective of 15 NATO members. The alliance's supreme allied commander for Europe, a job currently filled by U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, has tasking authority over the new capability. The North Atlantic Council also gets a say in cases of missions outside of NATO territory. The first two drones arrived late last year. Officials expect the rest of the fleet to make the trip from the manufacturer's facilities in Palmdale, California, throughout the summer. Earlier this spring, travel restrictions spurred by the spread of the novel coronavirus had raised the possibility of a delay in getting the initial plane approved for its flight schedule. But the Italian government allowed a team of Northrop specialists into Italy in late May for acceptance testing, a key step in obtaining an airworthiness certificate for the drone. “COVID-related delays ended up only being a few weeks, but nothing that significant,” Camille Grand, NATO's assistant secretary general for defense investment, told Defense News in an interview, referring to the coronavirus disease. “We are now moving to a pattern of regular flight to enable the force to use the drone.” Officials have been tight-lipped about exactly where they intend to use the aircraft once they are fully operational. “You can imagine missions of looking into the situation on NATO's borders,” Grand said. “Both in the south, in the Middle East or the east. The drones enable you to collect intelligence beyond your airspace.” While the initial aircraft has already completed at least one nine-hour flight over the Mediterranean Sea, it remains to be seen if the the aircraft can get clearance from Italian regulators to fly over land, where air traffic is more crowded and a mishap could be catastrophic. The general idea is to use the Italian airworthiness approval to fly anywhere. “The beauty of the European airspace is that once your are certified in Italy, you can fly across the European airspace,” Grand said. He noted that the certification currently in effect is provisional, and that the scope of the process is “likely to expand over time.” For now, high-flying military surveillance drones traversing the continent must obtain permission from national airspace authorities for a restricted flight corridor to protect nearby civilian traffic. Such is the case, for example, when U.S. unmanned aircraft fly reconnaissance missions close to the Baltics. The Alliance Ground Surveillance program's ambition is to “lift any limitations,” Grand said. “It is a very interesting and fascinating challenge because it is the first time ever that we are incorporating those Global Hawks in what is usually a crowded airspace on a permanent basis.” https://www.defensenews.com/smr/transatlantic-partnerships/2020/06/22/natos-new-surveillance-drone-begins-test-flights-over-the-mediterranean/

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  December 22, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Japan releases record-high budget, but not all programs made the cut

  By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan's defense budget for the next fiscal year will set a record high for the seventh year running, although the approved figure is still lower than that requested by the Defense Ministry. The country's Finance Ministry approved a budget of $51.5 billion for the Defense Ministry, which is $3.5 billion lower that the Defense Ministry requested in September. Funds expected to upgrade Japan's fleet of fighter jets were removed as part of the reduction. Specifically, the request for $205 million to upgrade the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-15J Eagle interceptors was cut in full. The upgrade would have seen the interceptors get new radars and mission computers, and equipped with standoff land-attack missiles. But local media reports said the escalating costs of nonrecurring engineering work prompted a rethink of the program. Japan requested and received the U.S State Department's approval for the upgrade of up to 98 F-15Js for an estimated cost of up to $4.5 billion. The work would have been carried out by F-15 manufacturer Boeing in conjunction with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which built the Japanese jets under license in the 1980s. Plans to buy two more Kawasaki C-2 airlifters and 25 wheeled Type 16 combat vehicles were also impacted, with the adjusted budget now allocating funds for only one C-2 and 22 Type 16. However, plans for Japan to acquire four more Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing jets and two F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing jets over the next fiscal year will go ahead. Japan has an eventual requirement for 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs, which makes it potentially the biggest operator of the Joint Strike Fighter outside of the United States. The country announced earlier this week that it selected Lockheed Martin to partner with local industry in the development of a next-generation fighter jet. The approved budget also allocates $323 million to increase the range of the indigenous truck-launched Type 12 anti-ship missile, with Japan seeking to eventually use the missile from aircraft and ships to strike naval targets from standoff distances. Budget documents also confirmed Japan is conducting a feasibility study on building two more destroyers fitted with the Aegis combat system and radars to beef up ballistic missile defense. The move follows the decision to cancel plans to build two Aegis Ashore systems on Japanese soil due to the danger of boosters from the missile interceptors falling onto populated areas. Previous local media reports said the proposed destroyers would use the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar, which was also selected by Japan for the canceled Aegis Ashore systems. The budget is for the forthcoming Japanese fiscal year, which starts April 1, 2021. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/12/21/japan-releases-record-high-budget-but-not-all-programs-made-the-cut/