In a large-scale, multinational exercise, a Raytheon-made Standard Missile-3 successfully engaged a ballistic missile target fired from a U.K. range in the Outer Hebrides near Scotland - the first time the interceptor was tested in European waters. SM-3 is a defensive weapon used by the U.S. Navy to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. This "hit-to-kill" missile interceptor uses an exoatmospheric "kill vehicle" to collide with targets in space, a capability that's been likened to hitting a bullet with a bullet. The massive collision of the kill vehicle hitting its target obliterates the threat completely-explosives are not necessary. The resulting impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph. The test, At Sea Demo (ASD) 2015, was organized by the Maritime Theater Missile Defense Forum, a group of countries dedicated to improving sea-based missile defense through improved cooperation and interoperability.
Learn MoreDucommun Incorporated has just announced that it has been awarded a new multi-year contract from Boeing to manufacture position sensors for both the US Navy and the UK Navy’s Trident Navigation system. These new position sensors, otherwise known as resolvers, will be augmented to US Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class submarines. Ducommun produced the original resolvers for Polaris and Poseidon class submarines, and this deal only further strengthens their relationship with the US Navy. The resolvers will be manufactured and tested at Ducommun’s Carson-based facility through 2017.
Learn MoreThe United States Air Force has awarded a contract to Orbital ATK for the initial production of the MJU-73/B.
Learn MoreCessna has begun a three-week tour of their new business jet, the Citation Latitude, at London Biggin Hill airport as part of a multi-city tour. The journey began in London on September 15th, which is annual Business and General Aviation Day.
Learn MoreGE Aviation will supply its CF6-80E1 engines to power the two new Airbus A330-300 aircraft operated by Singapore-based BOC Aviation. The two aircraft have been placed on long-term lease with EVA Airways Corporation. With 256 aircraft operated by 61 airlines in 30 countries worldwide, BOC Aviation is primarily involved in leasing aircraft. Bank of China-owned BOC Aviation aims to acquire 195 aircraft this year. The firm has operations in Dublin, London, Seattle and Tianjin. The Airbus airplanes will be delivered to BOC Aviation by 2017.
Learn MoreLockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA) celebrated a milestone this past week as they successfully launched their 100th mission. The Cape Canaveral-based mission used the Atlas V rocket to drop off Mexico’s next-generation Morelos-3 satellite into orbit. The Atlas V launch vehicle included an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 upper stage engine, two AJ-60A solid rocket boosters, six helium pressurization tanks, and a dozen Centaur upper stage thrusters which are used to correct flight path.
Learn MoreAfter much deliberation, the US Air Force has finally decided to move forward with Lockheed Martin’s innovative space debris surveillance system, otherwise known as the Space Fence. The billion-dollar project will see Lockheed create an S-band phased-array radar system on that will vastly improve the space debris detection capabilities of the US Air Force for the foreseeable future. The completed Space Fence project will be capable of automatically detecting baseball-sized objects as far as 1,900 kilometers away from the Earth’s surface. This will give the US Air Force a much greater understanding of the near space environment moving forward.
Learn MoreNASA has decided to extend a contract with Boeing to continue providing key engineering support services, resources, and personnel to its space program for the next five years. The contract, valued at $1.18 billion, will help keep the space station flying through 2020 while also assessing the feasibility of extending the service life of the station’s primary structural elements another 13 years.
Learn MoreAirbus Defense and Space has recently developed a new Counter-UAV systems capable of detecting and hijacking intruding Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The Counter UAV combines sensor data with signal analysis and jamming technologies to provide electronic countermeasures over ranges of up to 10 km. Using infrared cameras and direction finders, the Counter-UAV system detects intruding UAVs and can even locate the user to arrest them. Airbus has included a new jamming system within the Counter-UAV, which allows jamming signals to only intercept the relevant frequencies. Via Smart Response Jamming Technology developed by Airbus Defence and Space, the relevant frequencies are jammed while other frequencies within the range remain operational.
Learn MoreBAE Systems successfully fired their new Meteor missiles from a Eurofighter Typhoon in a test conducted this week at the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides range.
Learn MoreLockheed Martin and Roketsan signed a contract Wednesday at the Turkish missile company’s booth at DSEI, minting a cooperation agreement to develop the SOM-J missile intended for integration into the US Air Force and Navy versions of the F-35 fighter jet. The 100nm (185km)-range air-to-surface standoff cruise missile has been adapted from Roketsan’s larger Stand Off Missile (SOM), and will be carried internally in the F-35. It is in a similar class to Norway’s Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile.
Learn MoreThe A330-200, the shorter-fuselage variant of Airbus’ A330 twin-engine wide body family, has won EASA certification, some five months after the larger A330-300 earned certification from European authorities, Airbus announced on Tuesday. The company has expressed confidence that approval from the U.S. authorities would follow. Launched in 2012, the increased-takeoff-weight A330-200 and A330-300 incorporate a new aerodynamic package, engine improvements and, in the -300 version, an optional center fuel tank which not only furthers the distance at which it can travel but also cut down precious refueling time. The range of the new A330-200 is increased by up to 350 nautical miles/650 kilometers compared to today’s 238 ton model, allowing customers to fly missions up to 7,250 nm/ 13,400 km. Thanks to aerodynamic refinements and engine enhancements, the A330-200 will reduce its fuel consumption by nearly two percent.
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