Current Events in the Americas

From Aviation Week GPS Issue Latest In History Of JASSM Problems Jul 31, 2007 Amy Butler/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report At least eight components of the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) have caused problems during the stealthy cruise missile's troubled past, contributing to the missile's 42 percent failure rate in recent months. All of the issues are being addressed and some of the involved systems are being fixed or replaced (see chart p. 2). The steady stream of issues, though, demonstrates a pattern of failures that traces back to the first lot of deliveries. As part of a get-well plan for the $5.8 billion prog…

A great read, lots of different things here. http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/how-to-win-in-a-dogfight-stories-from-a-pilot-who-flew-1682723379

From Defense Aerospace Lockheed Martin HAAWC Demonstrates Compatibility with Multiple Launch Platforms in Wind Tunnel Tests (Source: Lockheed Martin; issued July 9, 2008) ORLANDO, FL --- Lockheed Martin’s enhanced High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapons Capability (HAAWC) system recently completed a series of successful high speed wind tunnel tests at a commercial facility in Buffalo, NY. The HAAWC employs a modified Lockheed Martin LongShot Wing Adapter Kit on the MK-54 to allow the launch of torpedoes from high altitudes and long standoff ranges. This technology enables P-3C and P-8A aircrews to launch from outside the range of enemy air defenses. The …

Hagel OKs Navy plan to modify troubled littoral combat ship fleet (Stars and Stripes) Depictions of the planned upgrades (from War is Boring)

Hard-kill anti-torpedo defensive system apparently full deployed in USS George H Bush (and apparently the sensors and warning elements lacking the hard-kill elements in other five carriers, not very clear the article on this point): http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1711759-us-carriers-deploy-new-torpedo-defense-system

From Defense Aerospace Pentagon Contract Announcement (Source; US Department of Defense; issued Jan. 30, 2008) McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $73,707,908 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-08-C-0021) for the system development and demonstration of the Harpoon Block III Missile Program. Work will be performed in St. Charles, Mo. (92.12 percent); Lititz, Penn. (1.93 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (.84 percent); Chatsworth, Calif. (.76 percent); Galena, Kan. (.49 percent); Lowell, Mass. (.42 percent); and various locations across the United States (3.44 percent), and work is expected…

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

Heat From F-35, MV-22 Continue to Plague Big Deck Amphibs (USNI News)

Here's something interesting, from the Latin America desk: http://navaltoday.com/2012/01/03/brazilian...-of-three-opvs/ FWFS, Greg Emerson, DM1(SW), USN-Retired Renton, WA, USA [CV32: Moved to the 'Current Events in the Americas' subforum]

Honor and respect (and diversity): http://www.thedailybeast.com/navy-sailor-could-have-saved-himself-chose-to-save-his-kids-or-die-trying

From Defense Aerospace Air Force Selects Developer for Combat Search And Rescue Replacement Vehicle (Source: US Air Force; issued Nov. 9, 2006) WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Honorable Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force, announced today the selection of Boeing Co., Boeing Helicopter, Ridley Park, Pa. to provide the new Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle, also known as CSAR-X. The announcement comes at the end of a fair and open competition, and thorough evaluation of multiple proposals allowing the Air Force to fulfill its number two acquisition priority. "The Air Force is the only service with forces dedicated to the critical mission of…

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26347/the-navy-is-ripping-out-underperforming-anti-torpedo-torpedoes-from-its-supercarriers

High-Flying, Secret Drone Unveiled DefenseTech Lockheed Martin has pulled the lid off of a secret, stealthy, high-flying drone. Built and flown by its famous "Skunk Works" division, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could serve as a model for a new generation of robotic aircraft that hits targets halfway around the world. With a 90-foot wingspan and a tailless design, the "Polecat" UAV looks like a smaller version of the B-2 stealth bomber. And like the B-2, the drone has been built to be stealthy and sneaky. But the twin-engine Polecat is "90 percent composite materials, rather than metal," the L.A. Daily News notes. "The vehicle is also made from less than 200 …

From Defense Aerospace Setting the Record Straight on F-35 (Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company; issued September 19, 2008) FORT WORTH, Texas --- U.S. Air Force analyses show the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is at least 400 percent more effective in air-to-air combat capability than the best fighters currently available in the international market. The Air Force's standard air-to-air engagement analysis model, also used by allied air forces to assess air-combat performance, pitted the 5th generation F-35 against all advanced 4th generation fighters in a variety of simulated scenarios. The results were clear: the F-35 outperformed the most highly …

HMCS Chicoutimi ready for sea trials in Island waters after three years of repairs (Times Colonist)

From EIN Presswire [excerpt] For gemerson:

Okay, more accident than the dramatic title indicates. Trawler strikes navy ship sending 6 to B.C. hospital (CBC News) Winnipeg is in the middle of the FELEX upgrade.

British Ministry of Defence say discussions at advanced stage

Ship’s visit shows how British sailors live By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2007 16:59:08 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — The important stuff first: British sailors are issued three cans or “tins” of beer after work every day. The snack machines dispense Cadbury chocolate bars. A normal lunch is curry and rice. And when a British ship comes into port, the crew’s rugby team goes ashore to scrounge up a game with the locals. This week and into next, the English amphibious assault ship Ocean is to be in Norfolk for the city’s Azalea Festival, and its crew has been hosting a variety of visitors during its stay. At 667 feet long and 22,500 tons, O…

From Navy Times Air Force: Hornet couldn’t kill Raptor By Seamus O’Connor - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Aug 7, 2007 11:37:16 EDT The F-22 Raptor is the world’s most advanced fighter, but is it invincible? Internet rumors have swirled for months over whether any F-22s had been taken down in simulated combat exercises. Discussion forums are rife with Navy pilots touting a controversial photo appearing to show an F/A-18F Super Hornet gunning down a Raptor. The F-22’s debut combat exercise was at Northern Edge in June 2006. According to Air Force data, the dozen F-22s in attendance racked up an unprecedented kill record of 144-0 the first week alone and su…