News
Navy’s newest ship breaks down, limps into port –
The littoral combat ship Milwaukee, the Navy’s newest ship, broke down Dec. 11 and had to be towed more than 40 nautical miles to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va.
Business
Rolls-Royce’s submarine business could be nationalized –
Rolls-Royce’s submarine arm could be nationalized to keep Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons contract out of foreign hands.
Turkey receives third A400M transport aircraft –
A third A400M military transport aircraft was delivered to the Turkish Air Force, Turkish officials said.
Northrop hopes for Tern deal; offers flying wing helo –
Northrop Grumman is developing an intriguing bird for a DARPA program called the TERN.
Mayer appointed chairman, CEO at Nexter –
The French government said Dec. 11 Stéphane Mayer will be appointed as chairman and chief executive of land weapons maker Nexter Systems and will also be co-chairman of the joint venture with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.
RR-Honeywell engine to power Turkish light Helc –
Turkish Aerospace Industries has signed an agreement with a partnership of Rolls-Royce and Honeywell for the acquisition of engines that will power a light utility helicopter the Turkish company develops, Weber Shandwick, a public relations company for the venture, said Dec. 10.
Army awards Harris $800 million expeditionary warfare contract –
Harris Corp. has been awarded an $800 million Army contract for expeditionary warfare services for the Army Research Laboratory.
Lockheed will not protest Marine Corps vehicle contracts –
Lockheed Martin said Dec. 11 it had decided not to file a formal protest against contracts awarded by the U.S. Marine Corps to Science Applications International Corp and BAE Systems Plc to build prototypes of a new wheeled amphibious combat vehicle.
Embraer’s KC-390 to join Canada’s SAR bid –
Embraer is set to shake up the competition to provide Canada with search-and-rescue aircraft as the Brazilian firm seeks export orders for its new KC-390.
Piranha 5 gets first client in Spain –
The Piranha 5 has been chosen as the future 8×8 armored fighting vehicle of the Spanish Army. Three Spanish companies — Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Indra and Sapa — will develop a first research and development contract of $99 million in a temporary joint venture basis.
Lockheed Martin delivers 2,500th C-130 Hercules –
“This milestone delivery is a source of pride for our team and the global C-130 community,” said George Shultz, vice president and general manager, C-130 Programs at Lockheed Martin. “The Hercules is a global asset and versatile workhorse that is truly without equal. This delivery represents the C-130’s strength in numbers and its ongoing relevancy to operators around the world.”
Navy awards $67 million C4ISR contract –
The Navy has awarded a $67.2 million C4ISR contract to three companies.
Italian firm uncertain over date for Kuwait Eurofighter contract –
Italian defense group Finmeccanica is not certain it will sign a contract for the sale of 28 Eurofighter jets with Kuwait before Dec. 25, company CEO Mauro Moretti said Dec. 10.
Chilean Navy selects UTC Aerospace Systems imaging systems –
The Chilean Navy will be using UTC Aerospace System’s Cloud Cap Technology TASE500 imaging systems.
Defense
As Congress pushes Defense Department reform, so does Carter –
As Congress presses ahead with potentially historic and overarching bureaucratic reforms at the Defense Department, the Pentagon — which recently had acquisitions and retirement system overhauls foisted on it – is working to get ahead of the wave, and plans to introduce its own slate of proposals by early next year.
USS America receives upgraded flight deck to support F-35 JSF –
The U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) has received an upgraded flight deck, with a thermal spray coating to support the F-35 joint strike fighters (JSF) during future operations.
Pentagon approves next step for JSTARS recap –
The Pentagon has given the U.S. Air Force the green light to take the next step in its effort to recapitalize its ground-surveillance fleet.
Veterans
Veterans have 9/11-linked diseases, advocacy groups say –
A veterans advocacy group is calling for the Veterans Affairs Department to grant a presumption of service connection for 13 illnesses recognized in victims and first responders of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks.
Choice words for VA’s Veterans Choice program –
“In the entire health care system, veterans are the only ones who are told where they have to go for care,” said Villarreal, 30, of Hobart. “The Choice program was supposed to take care of that. It hasn’t.”
Space
‘We must get to Mars before World War III kicks off’ –
Mankind may only have a brief window to set foot on Mars before a disaster such as a third world war makes it no longer possible, Elon Musk has warned.
