Headlines – December 4, 2015 - Aerotech News & Review

News

All combat jobs open to women in the military –
The Defense Department will lift all gender-based restrictions on military service starting in January, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Dec. 3.

Business

General Dynamics, Troysgate Bridge virtual, live-fire training –
General Dynamics and Troysgate — a small business headquartered in Lenoir, North Carolina — have developed the InForce Advanced Live Combat System Training solution to close a gap in military and law enforcement training that falls between virtual and live fire.

Cubic looks to train soldiers to use social media as battlefield tool –
Cubic, a leader in training and simulation solutions for the U.S. military, has developed a training tool that teaches war fighters how to use social media to their advantage in shaping and interpreting the battlefield.

Brimstone missile joins Syria war as U.K. hits Islamic State –
Britain’s intervention in the war in Syria, backed by lawmakers late Wednesday, will bolster the fight against Islamic State with a precision weapon that military experts say should broaden the range of enemy assets that can be destroyed at minimal risk to civilians.

Fire Scout completes operational assessment –
The MQ-8C Fire Scout has completed a three-week operational assessment.

ISIS fight reshaping U.S. arms exports to partners –
A slight uptick in approvals for sales to anti-ISIS coalition partners has masked a big shift in the kinds of weapons being sold.

Global sonobuoy market to reach $317 million –
The global sonobuoy market will reach $316.6 million by 2020, according to a forecast by research firm MarketsandMarkets. This reflects a compound annual growth rate of 6.96 percent from $226.1 million in 2015.

Pentagon might cut 2017 F-35 budget; Lockheed Martin in trouble? –
Although the total defense budget is not expected to be reduced, the F-35, among various other projects would receive reduced government spending. Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, announced in an industry conference, “Dollar for dollar it probably gives us more combat capability than any other investment that we’re making, but we’ve got a lot of other things that we need to do as well.”

Marines order Puma small UAS –
AeroVironment has been awarded a Marine Corps contract for RQ-20A AE Puma small unmanned aircraft systems.

Lockheed martin wins air-to-surface missile contract –
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $302 million contract for a JASSM air-to-surface missile program, the Pentagon announced Dec. 3.

Navy awards big contract to Raytheon in Indy –
Raytheon Technical Services in Indianapolis has secured a major military contract. The nearly $53 million deal involves repairing components used for F-18 aircraft in the U.S. Navy.

Defense

Army grounds aircraft to review safety after crashes –
The Army is grounding all aircraft in active-duty units across the country for the next five days in order to review safety and training procedures in the wake of two deadly helicopter crashes over the past two weeks.

Navy accepts fourth MUOS communication satellite –
The fourth satellite that will make up the Navy’s high bandwidth next generation communication constellation has been accepted by the service, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Navy seeking to extend use of training ranges in California, Hawaii –
With a trio of public informational meetings this week in San Diego and Hawaii, the Navy embarked on a familiar trek: Get federal approval to keep using sonar and explosives, along with conducting other fleet training and operations, in two key training regions off Hawaii and Southern California.

Instability questions about Zumwalt Destroyer are nothing new –
The advanced destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is scheduled to put to sea next week to begin a series of sea trials. It will be the first time the 610-foot-long ship meets the ocean, the culmination of concept and design work that began in the 1990s.

New tech could help Air Force fight an old foe: bad weather –
The head of Air Force Special Operations Command hopes new technology can help the service defeat one of its oldest foes: weather.

Air Force hiring contractor pilots, sensor operators and maintainers for Reapers –
Faced with an ongoing shortage of remotely piloted aircraft operators and the need to train more RPA pilots, the Air Force is hiring civilian contractor pilots, sensor operators and maintainers for MQ-9 Reapers, officials said.

AFSOC leveraging lessons from Navy for AC-130J laser –
Air Force Special Operations command is working with the Navy to leverage lessons learned from the deployment of a shipboard laser weapon system to inform the development of a miniaturized version that could be mounted on an AC-130 gunship.