The Panther is a tactical UAV that ‘combines the flight capabilities of an airplane with helicopter-like hovering, a tilt-rotor propeller, and a fixed wing Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) system, which enables a runway-free takeoff and landing on an unprepared area’.
The Price Negotiating Committee for the Alternate Engine of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk-2 issued a statement on Thursday, saying that it had finalized the Comparative Statement of Tenders. “After evaluation and acceptance of the Technical offer provided by both Eurojet and GE Aviation, the commercial quotes were compared in detail and GE Aviation was declared as the lowest bidder,” said the statement.
Fire-X, an unmanned cargo version of the Bell 407 utility helicopter was supplied external power for the first time earlier this month and is expected to fly by the end of the year. The Fire-X combines the qualities of the Bell 407 and Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout.
Once operational, the USAF SBSS satellite will be its ‘only space-based sensor capable of detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects without the disruptions from weather, atmosphere or time of day that limit ground-based observations’.
The Indian purchase of Harpoon anti-ship missiles has settled the issue of end use monitoring by the US, with both sides agreeing to a compromise that can be a model for future deals.
The Indian Navy has issued a Request For Information for the procurement of a Vertical Take Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle .
If the Indian Air Force has to choose, should it assume a single-engine aircraft to be cheaper or a twin-engine aircraft to be more reliable, to decide their choice for the 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft contest?
Boeing has announced the completion on July 16 of the Final Design Review (FDR) for the P-8I, the Indian Navy’s long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. The P-8I, based on the Boeing 737 commercial airplane, is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy.
Bernhard Gerwart, CEO of Military Air Systems at EADS Defence & Security, said, “Yesterday, I had some meetings with the leaders of the IAF and the MoD and it was more or less confirmed that we had done the flight trials very well,” adding, “Mind you it’s just a feeling,” while pointing out the IAF had made no official statement to him.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) began the trials of the C-17 strategic lift aircraft on Monday. The aircraft will be required to land in high altitude airfields, switch off and take off again. Load carrying capability and expeditionary landing and take off ability is also likely to be examined hands-on by IAF pilots.
The US Navy has compared the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet to fifth generation fighter aircraft, making a strong pitch for its selection in the 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest of the Indian Air Force (IAF). It also said intends to keep the aircraft in service beyond 2035.
The US defense major Boeing has started an Analysis and Experimentation Center in Bangalore in partnership with the Indian government-owned defense company Bharat Electronics Limited. The center will conduct studies for clients that require projections of play-outs of future conflict scenario.
StratPost managed a conversation with the Chief Scientist for the International Space Station program at NASA, Dr. Julie Robinson, just before the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center, who explained the range of work being done on the ISS and how that work would continue despite the imminent end of the space shuttle program this year.
Boeing is working on a program to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with manned aircraft, to enable the latter to control and direct them in the air and increase the scope of ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) sensory inputs.
While so far, Boeing’s Apache combat helicopters have displayed the ability to control a single UAV, the company has multiplied the scope of the same system to enable larger aircraft like the family of 737 AEW&C Wedgetail and P8 to control multiple UAVs.
The high resolution images of the lift-off were provided by the Boeing Company, which facilitated your correspondent’s visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the Atlantis launch.
