Current Events in the Americas

Carrier Cut Could Be Back on Table (DefenseNews)

From Defense Aerospace Textron's Bell Helicopter Granted Approval for Full Rate Production of V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor (Source: Bell Helicopter; issued Sept. 28, 2005) PROVIDENCE, RI & FORT WORTH, TX --- Marking a major milestone in aviation, Textron Inc. today announced that its Bell Helicopter unit has been granted approval by the United States Defense Department for Full Rate Production (FRP) of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Current plans include the delivery of 360 aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), 50 for the U.S. Air Force and 48 for the U.S. Navy. The total program is worth in excess of $19 billion to Bell and Textron thr…

From Defence Talk Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group to Surge Deploy US Navy | Jan 25, 2007 SAN DIEGO: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group (CSG), with more than 5,000 sailors, will surge deploy Jan. 27, while USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) undergoes scheduled maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. The Ronald Reagan CSG is deploying under the Navy's Fleet Response Plan (FRP) and will operate in the western Pacific in support of U.S. commitments in the region. FRP provides the U.S. with the ability to respond to any global commitment with flexible and sustainable forces and the ability to rapidly respond to a range of situations on short notice. The Ronald Rea…

From Aviation Week Secret Surveillance Satellites To Launch In June Craig Covault/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report A secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) dual-satellite ocean surveillance mission to track potential terrorist movements at sea and monitor Chinese and Iranian ship tactics is being readied for liftoff June 14 from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V, intelligence sources tell Aviation Week. The National Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) flight is designated NRO L-30. The importance of NRO's space ocean surveillance role in connection with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard has been elevated since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The nee…

Robots Clear Waterways of Deadly Mines Associated Press | July 27, 2007 PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - As it slowly moves in the shallow water along a beach, the robot splashes its fins like a small child playing in the surf. But the prototype device has a serious mission: destroying mines that could kill Marines and Navy SEALs as they come on shore. Such technology is considered the future of underwater bomb detection. "It's a kamikaze vehicle, a suicidal robot," said Mathieu Kemp, a scientist with Durham, N.C.-based Nekton Research, LCC, which created the Transphibian. The 3-foot-long device, which will some day carry 14 pounds of plastic explosives and at…

From Flight International DATE: 23/12/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com US Navy mulls slashing F-35C orders next year By Stephen Trimble The US Navy has disclosed it may cut as many as three out of four carrier variant aircraft from next year's batch of orders for Lockheed Martin F-35s. Any cuts would reduce the overall number of F-35s ordered in the fourth lot of low rate initial production (LRIP-4) from 32 to as low as 29. The US Air Force and the US Marine Corps still intend to buy 13 F-35As and 15 F-35Bs, respectively, according to an acquisition notice posted yesterday. But the first batch of F-35Cs purchased during the LRIP phase could vary from …

From Flight International DATE: 03/04/09 SOURCE: Flight International Brazilian fighter programme ready to fly By Rebecca Barrett Financial constraints and an unwillingness to commit investment impeded Brazil's first attempt at a fighter programme. But the age of its fighter fleet now threatens the nation's security to the point that the government's back is against the wall and it has been forced to respond. Fortunately for Brazil, it appears that the pieces necessary to complete the project are in place. Years of strong economic growth will be the backbone of support for Project FX-2. The programme will offer Brazil a capital return on its investment …

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_uss_new_york Built with steel salvaged from the WTC wreckage. Buddha

Unless you've been living under a rock, the never ending saga of fanbois versus hater continues in the world of JSF. Here, Aviation Week's Bill Sweetman takes a crack at tearing (yet) another new one in JSF. A Tale of Two Tales

Next-Generation Harpoon Missile Offered to Navy (DOD Buzz) Cue Brains' disdain.

From Aviation Week & Space Technology And so the real troubles of the JSF development begin. IMHO, the US has much to lose if this very important program goes belly up. What do you think ?

Navy debates STOVL JSF future Marines, U.K. worry about F-35 variant By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Monday Apr 30, 2007 10:49:54 EDT Despite public support by Pentagon and Navy leaders for the short-take-off/vertical-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, debates about the planned acquisition and operation of the F-35B continue behind the scenes — worrying Marine Corps officials and potential foreign customers who are counting on the versatile aircraft. Navy officials have set no public deadline to settle JSF procurement plans, but a current Navy briefing document provides a rare window on the debate. It argues that the STOVL version s…

From ARES Sarko Closes Deal for SSNs, Helicopters Posted by Robert Wall at 12/24/2008 5:12 AM CST Brazil has now officially signed up to buy 50 EC725 medium-lift helicopters, making it the largest customer for the Eurocopter rotorcraft. At the same time, France and Brazil agreed on a deal in which Brazil will buy four DCNS Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines - and will co-produce, with France, its first nuclear attack submarine (SSN). The deal was signed in the presence of French president Nicolas Sarkozy - described by some rivals as France's best arms salesman - who was visiting his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil should no…

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

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

Hypersonic threat simulation test UAV to be employed next year from Stratolaunch: https://www.stratolaunch.com/vehicles/talon-a

Here's an interesting overview of some of the sonobuoys used by the US Navy. Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts Posted 25-Jan-2007 05:04 defenseindustrydaily.com Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of a submarine (active detection). They usually float, or have at least some part of them that does. Specialized sonobuoys can also detect electric fields, magnetic anomalies, and bioluminescence (light emitted by microscopic organisms disturbed by a passing submarine); as well as measuring…

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt] CV32: Rumors and reports that Global Hawk, well, sucked, have been floating for around some time now. Unfortunate, really.

Best to have a thread on this - especially as it may well affect military pay and ultimately budgets.

From DefenseNews [excerpt] CV32: For the folks who decry the Hornet as a 'dog' in the turning and burning department, this is not going to come as happy news.