November 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval

Northrop Grumman to build Coyote supersonic target missiles for Navy, Japan

Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A $57 million contract with Northrop Grumman to build supersonic target missiles for the U.S. Navy and Japan has been announced by the U.S. Defense Department.

The deal calls for manufacture and delivery of 19 GQM-163A Coyote sea-skimming targets -- 16 for the U.S. Navy and three for the Japan Self-Defense Force -- according to a Tuesday Pentagon statement.

The Japanese government will provide $9.01 million of the funding for the contract, the statement said.

The maneuverable, sea-skimming missile is used as a cost-efficient simulation of an anti-ship cruise missile, and is capable of traveling at 2.5 times the speed of sound.

It has sea-skimming capabilities, indicating that it can operate 20 feet above the surface of the ocean, and is used as a target. It can also provide research into ship defense systems and support fleet training exercises.

First test-launched in 2004, the United States, Japan, Australia and France include the missile in their arsenals.

Rail-launched from Navy test and training ranges, the18-foot long missile reaches its high speed after it separates from following the separation of a Hercules MK-70 first-stage solid-fuel booster rocket.

The contract calls for work to be completed by 2023.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/11/04/Northrop-Grumman-to-build-Coyote-supersonic-target-missiles-for-Navy-Japan/5501604515149

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May 7, 2019 | International, Aerospace

NAVAIR: New Presidential Helicopter Production to Start Soon
By: Ben Werner NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Naval Air Systems Command has a handshake deal in place to start production of the Sikorsky VH-92A, the next generation presidential helicopter, officials said on Monday. NAVAIR has already taken possession of three VH-92A aircraft and the program is scheduled to have a milestone decision meeting at the end of the month with Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts. Based on the feedback from test pilots, VH-92A production is expected to start soon after the milestone meeting, Marine Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Masiello, the program executive officer for Air anti-submarine warfare, assault and special mission programs (PEO (A)) said during a presentation at the Navy League's 2019 Sea Air Space exposition. “I believe that things went reasonably well,” Masiello said of the recent VH-92A testing. “The reason I say that is because I know where the aircraft took off from every day and I know where they landed every day, and it was where it was supposed to. The feedback was relatively positive.” In one instance, a VH-92A flew into Washington D.C., swooping low over the National Mall on an otherwise quiet Saturday morning, and practicing landing on the White House lawn. That VH-92A was the first helicopter delivered to NAVAIR. The initial operational capability is expected to occur in late 2020, and the full production line is on track to complete in 2023. Assuming the end of May meeting with Geurts is positive, Masiello said the plan is to award Sikorsky a production contract and executive options to build the VH-92 throughout the life of the program as needed, Masiello said. As part of the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program, Sikorsky was in 2014 awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build a fleet of six helicopters to start, but with options for the Navy to purchase up to 17 more helicopters. This is the second attempt to replace the current decades-old VH-3Ds presidential helicopters currently in use. In 2005, Lockheed Martin's proposed VH-71 helicopter beat the Sikorsky helicopter in the competition to build the Presidential helicopters. Years of delays and cost overruns caused the Pentagon to scrap the project in 2008 and start the process over with a new round of bidding, according to a Congressional Research Service report. A decade later, Sikorsky won a new competition with its VH-92A design, a variant of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter which is used by 11 other nations to transport their heads of state. Lockheed Martin purchased Sikorsky for $9 billion in 2015. https://news.usni.org/2019/05/06/navair-new-presidential-helicopter-production-to-start-soon
June 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

New Zealand military buys 5 Lockheed Hercules planes for $1 billion
By: Nick Perry, The Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand's military said Friday it will buy five Super Hercules transport planes from Lockheed Martin for $1 billion. The planes will replace the military's existing fleet of Hercules, all of which are more than 50 years old and have been involved in a series of embarrassing breakdowns over recent years. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the new planes will be used for operations in New Zealand, the South Pacific and Antarctica. “Generations of New Zealanders have grown up and grown old with the Hercules, and they know these aircraft are an essential first line of response," Mark said in a statement. He said the new planes will be able to carry a bigger payload as well as travel farther and faster than the current fleet. Three of the nation's current C-130 Hercules planes date back to 1965 and the other two to 1969. They have been upgraded over the years, but frequent breakdowns have hampered some high-profile missions. At one point last year, the entire fleet was temporarily grounded. New Zealand will take delivery of the first of the new C-130J-30 aircraft in 2024 with the full fleet operating by 2025. The price tag of 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars (nearly U.S. $1 billion) includes a flight simulator and supporting infrastructure. Lockheed Martin is based in the U.S. state of Maryland. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/06/05/new-zealand-military-buys-5-lockheed-hercules-planes-for-1-billion/
October 1, 2023 | International, Aerospace

F-35 program finishes years-late tests needed for full production
The complex simulations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland were meant to test how well the F-35 would perform in real-world combat scenarios.

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Northrop Grumman to build Coyote supersonic target missiles for Navy, Japan

On the same subject

F-35 program finishes years-late tests needed for full production The complex simulations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland were meant to test how well the F-35 would perform in real-world combat scenarios.

F-35 program finishes years-late tests needed for full production
The complex simulations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland were meant to test how well the F-35 would perform in real-world combat scenarios.