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July 8, 2020 | International, Aerospace

US approves Osprey sale to Indonesia as Japan preps to deploy the aircraft

By SETH ROBSON | STARS AND STRIPESPublished: July 7, 2020

The State Department has approved the sale of eight MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to Indonesia, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Monday.

The announcement comes as Japan prepares to deploy its first of 17 Ospreys to Camp Kisarazu, a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force airfield in Chiba Prefecture.

The total cost to Indonesia for the helicopter/airplane hybrids along with related equipment is estimated at $2 billion, the agency said in a statement.

The sale includes 24 Rolls Royce engines, infrared radars, missile warning systems, multi-band radios, airborne GPS, machine guns and various other equipment along with software, training for personnel and U.S. government and contractor engineering, logistics and technical support, the statement said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation with territory spread across more than 17,000 islands, employs a large fleet of conventional military aircraft for disaster relief and in a decades' long fight against Islamic extremists. Like several other Southeast Asia nations, Indonesia claims South China Sea territory that is also claimed by China.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of an important regional partner that is a force for political stability, and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region,” the agency's statement said. “It is vital to U.S. national interest to assist Indonesia in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability.”

The proposed sale will enhance Indonesia's humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities and support amphibious operations, the statement added.

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono said during a press conference Tuesday that his nation's first Osprey was scheduled to arrive at the base Monday, but its delivery was delayed by bad weather. The aircraft would travel to Kisarazu “hereafter” weather permitting, he said.

U.S. forces in the Far East include Air Force CV-22 Ospreys stationed at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, and Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The Marine Corps has flown Ospreys out of Okinawa since 2012.

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/us-approves-osprey-sale-to-indonesia-as-japan-preps-to-deploy-the-aircraft-1.636591

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  • Bell collaborates on Micro-Unmanned Aerial Systems

    September 6, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    Bell collaborates on Micro-Unmanned Aerial Systems

    Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Bell Helicopter met in June 2018 to focus on the development of micro unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The project surrounds what Bell describes as miniature, lightweight reconnaissance vehicles that soldiers can carry onto the battlefield and deploy in a confined space. The collaboration began after Bell representatives travelled to Adelphi, Maryland, to attend an open campus event at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in November 2016. After a year and a half of information sharing, the two parties signed a five-year cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) in March 2018. “We're trying to get data on the fundamental level, to build up a knowledge base of vehicles, because their expertise is in designing the vehicles, whereas our expertise is the fundamentals of them,” said Dr. John Hrynuk, a mechanical engineer in ARL's Vehicle Technology Directorate (VTD). “We want new technology; they want new vehicles. Together, we want to enhance technologies for the soldiers – that's what makes it the absolute perfect collaboration.” Bell engineers Dakota Easley and Levi Hefner recently visited ARL to perform experiments on micro UAS using the facility's wind tunnel. Bell explains the visit was prompted by vehicle control challenges its researchers had observed in early flight testing. With the help of ARL scientists and equipment, according to Bell, the engineers were able to isolate their earlier challenges and improve the performance of the aerial vehicle. “The wind tunnel here at ARL has been beneficial in providing data that explains why certain things are happening on the control side. Now we're able to better analyze our tests to enhance the performance of our vehicles,” Hefner said. “This collaboration is great because we're heading into a new design space with these small vehicles.” https://www.wingsmagazine.com/news/bell-micro-uas-15855

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - April 24, 2020

    April 27, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - April 24, 2020

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    April 25, 2024 | International, Aerospace

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