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Dilemma for Boeing as Pentagon Issues Revised RFP for KC-X
August 22, 2008
Boeing faces a tough decision, now that the Pentagon has confirmed that bigger is better in the KC-X tanker competition. “We’ve now revised the language to make it unambiguous that we intend to provide consideration above threshold for fuel offload,” said U.S. director of defense procurement and acquisition policy Shay Assad. He spoke at a press briefing on...
moreGAO Confirms Naval Global Hawk as Winner of BAMS
August 22, 2008
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied a protest by Lockheed Martin over the U.S. Navy’s selection of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N Global Hawk UAV for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) contract. The ruling allows Northrop to proceed with the $2.3 billion system design and development phase of BAMS. The ruling by the GAO also revealed...
moreBoeing Confident on C-17 Future; Pitching New Version
August 22, 2008
Continuing production of the C-17 Globemaster airlifter into the next decade now seems assured. Boeing officials are quietly confident that the U.S. Congress will add another 15 of these airplanes to the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, following similar action for FY09. The company also expects “at least 15 more international orders,” according to Dave Bowman,...
moreBoeing Pushes P-8 for U.S. Navy EP-X Requirement
August 22, 2008
The U.S. Navy is expected to issue a draft request for proposals this quarter for the EP-X intelligence-gathering aircraft, which will replace the EP-3 Aries. In a recent briefing, Boeing revealed that Raytheon was joining its team to bid the P-8 Poseidon for EP-X. The P-8 is derived from the 737 airliner and is already slated to replace the Navy’s aging...
moreRaytheon Paveway IV Smart Bomb Now Available to RAF
August 22, 2008
A new “smart” bomb employing three guidance modes is entering service with the UK Royal Air Force. The Raytheon Paveway IV is a 500-pound laser-guided weapon that can alternately be guided by GPS, with backup from an INS system if GPS is not available for any reason (such as jamming). The bomb encountered technical delays during development, caused mainly...
moreSaudi Typhoon Deal Progresses, but Corruption Probes still Threaten
July 21, 2008
The first seven Eurofighter Typhoons for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) are now in final assembly at the Warton, UK facility of BAE Systems. The company will say only that the first flight is planned for “later this year.” The date of the first delivery to the Kingdom is known to be June 2009. The first 24 of the 72 Typhoons that are being supplied to...
moreUK Royal Air Force To Replace Nimrod SIGINT Aircraft with RC-135s
July 21, 2008
The UK Royal Air Force flies three Nimrod R.1 versions that are dedicated to SIGINT (signals intelligence). They were converted from MR.2 maritime patrol aircraft, and their sensors have been upgraded regularly to monitor emerging new threats and signals. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) developed a plan for a complete replacement of the aircraft’s SIGINT...
moreBAE Hawk Marketing Refocused after Jet Trainer Eliminated in Singapore
July 21, 2008
Although neither the UAE nor Singapore has yet chosen their new jet trainer, both have now eliminated the BAE Systems Hawk from consideration. They continue to evaluate the more modern Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and KAI/Lockheed Martin T-50 Golden Eagle. These setbacks have caused BAE to refocus the Hawk sales campaign on upgrades and through-life support....
morePilatus PC-21 Now Training Singaporean Students
July 21, 2008
Student pilots from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) have begun basic flight training on the Pilatus PC-21 advanced turboprop. Twelve aircraft have now been airfreighted to the RSAF’s Flying Training School at Pearce airbase in Australia and re-assembled. The remaining seven are due for delivery next month. They are replacing Alenia Aermacchi...
moreRaptor Thrills at Farnborough but Thanks to Escort?
July 21, 2008
This columnist never did discover why the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor that displayed at this month’s Farnborough airshow, needed an escort from an F-15 fighter. The top-of-the-line stealth fighter flew from RAF Fairford, only 50 miles away, where it was due to make its international debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo. When that show was abandoned...
moreEF-18G Growler Readying for Fleet Duty
July 21, 2008
Ahead of schedule and under budget, Boeing delivered the first of an expected 85 operational models of its EF-18G Growler to the U.S. Navy in early June, followed by three more during July and August. Electronic attack squadron VAQ-129 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, received the aircraft, which are expected to enter operational...
moreNimrod MRA.4 not in service till 2010
July 18, 2008
After a year in which the BAE Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft has received unprecedented negative publicity in the UK, it’s hardly surprising that BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) are not showing the new MRA.4 version here at Farnborough. Four years after it first flew, the Nimrod MRA.4 has still not made a public debut. The negative...
moreNorthrop Grumman and Boeing evaluate their KC-X chances
July 18, 2008
Northrop Grumman rates its chances of clinching the KC-X contract as only 50 percent, if the US Congress intervenes in the decision. Paul Meyer, who heads the company’s bid team, told Aviation International News of his confidence that the Pentagon would select the KC-45 again second time round. But he fears that protectionist sentiment could overturn the...
moreThrough the gates of The Portal
July 18, 2008
A year ago The Portal opened its doors. The facility, located at QinetiQ’s Cody Technology Park site on the north side of Farnborough airfield, is an advanced experimentation and analysis suite. Established by Boeing in partnership with QinetiQ, The Portal draws on advanced simulation techniques, virtual operations and the insertion of live operations to...
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