Rocket Lab to open spacecraft parts manufacturing facility in Maryland

On the same subject

• 

  July 10, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group awarded support contract for Blue Angels’ ‘Fat Albert’ replacement

  Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group today announced it has been awarded the contract to support the entry into service of the new replacement for the Blue Angels' iconic Fat Albert, the C-130 support aircraft to the US Navy's air display team. Marshall will carry out the maintenance, paint and minor modifications to the US Navy's replacement ‘Fat Albert'. The aircraft is a C-130J that the US Navy recently purchased from the UK Ministry of Defence to replace the C-130T that the squadron used for 17 years until May this year. The new Fat Albert is a C-130J Super Hercules, four-engine, six-blade turboprop, which will serve as the US Navy's Blue Angels' Flight Demonstration Squadron (NFDS) logistical support aircraft. Marshall is the global leading C-130 support company outside of the USA and was chosen for its proven expertise with C-130 modification, repair and overhaul (MRO) work and the speed with which the company can make the aircraft operational. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group CEO, Alistair McPhee said: “We are delighted that the US Navy has chosen us to work on the new replacement Fat Albert,” “We have worked on Royal Air Force C-130s for 50 years and we support a number of international Air Force customers who have purchased surplus C-130s from the UK MOD. It feels like a natural progression for us, but very exciting nevertheless. Fat Albert is a head-turner and plays a major part in supporting the Blue Angels' display team.” Lt. Col. Robert Hurst, PMA-207 C/KC-130 Deputy Program Manager, said: “Our partners at the UK MOD and Marshall have been instrumental in executing this extremely challenging acquisition. We have always had a great partnership with the UK and this only adds to the list of ways we accomplish great things together.” Fat Albert takes part in the display team's flying performances, as well as being a crucial support aircraft, carrying the Blue Angels' tools, spare parts and engineers. Marshall will perform depth maintenance on the aircraft, which will include an upgrade to some of its systems to align them to the retired Fat Albert. It will then be repainted in the Blue Angels' iconic blue, yellow and white colours. Fat Albert is expected to be operational in the first part of next year. https://marshalladg.com/insights-news/marshall-aerospace-and-defence-group-awarded-support-contract-for-blue-angels-fat-albert-replacement

• 

  June 19, 2024 | International, Aerospace

  Thales to create joint venture with Ukraine to boost military supplies

• 

  July 24, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  Marines Test New Drone Swarms a Single Operator Can Control

  By Gina Harkins One Marine could soon dispatch more than a dozen drones to jam enemy communications and take out targets -- all from a single handheld tablet. The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab has successfully tested the ability to have a single Marine operate six drones in the air simultaneously. The goal is to get that up to 15 and to see the small unmanned systems stay in the air for hours at a time. "What we're looking at is ... minimal operator burden so [a Marine's] face isn't down in a tablet," said Capt. Matt Cornachio, a fires project officer with the Warfighting Lab's science and technology division. "It's sort of having the machines do the work for you, so you give them intent and they operate." That could help ground troops in remote or hotly contested locations augment 60mm mortar fire with precision strikes. Cornachio said they're looking for drones with a host of potentials, including swarming, automatic-target recognition, kinetic-strike and electronic-warfare capabilities. "Your swarm is multifaceted so you have several warheads that hold their own capabilities in that cloud," he said. "... We see the precise nature of loitering munitions to augment company-level fires." In order to carry out a range of missions -- from delivering explosives to jamming communications, the Marine Corps is on the hunt for drone swarms that can stay in the air for hours. The Warfighting Lab held a drone-endurance test in the desert this month, Cornachio said, during which one unmanned aircraft flew for nearly two hours straight. "It's not out of the realm of possibility that these things could be in the air for three or four hours, so the smaller, the better," he added. Getting to the point where one Marine controls a swarm of drones is a big change from unmanned systems like the Switchblade, which required one operator per drone. That kamikaze-style drone delivers a payload equivalent to a 40mm grenade. The Warfighting Lab's efforts are part of a larger Marine Corps strategy called Sea Dragon 2025. Marines are experimenting with drones, self-driving vehicles, robotics and other technology that can limit their exposure in the field. The use of unmanned technology could be especially beneficial in complex urban environments, said Brig. Gen. Christian Wortman, head of the Warfighting Lab. "We can use manned-unmanned teaming and unmanned systems to take on some of the most dangerous tasks that Marines are executing in that kind of an urban environment," he said. https://www.military.com/defensetech/2018/07/23/marines-test-new-drone-swarms-single-operator-can-control.html