Page 2 - Aerotech News and Review, Feb. 3 2017

Briefs
Navy to begin constructing pier at Port Angeles this summer
The Navy plans this summer to construct a pier and facilities at Port Angeles, Wash., to support vessels that escort submarines between the Hood Canal and the Pacific Ocean.
But pile driving and other work can’t begin until mid-July, when in-water work can be done without harming fish.
The Navy last week received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to remove a jetty as part of the $25 million project.
The Daily News of Port Angeles says the Navy is building a 425-foot pier and other facilities as a rest stop for crews on vessels that escort subma- rines based at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and to comply with Coast Guard requirements for crew rest between missions.
Some residents have raised concerns about noise, environmental and other impacts. AP
Pentagon orders cost reviews of F-35 fighter, Air Force One
Defense Secretary James Mattis Jan. 27 ordered reviews of two key Air Force aircraft programs that have been criticized by President Donald Trump as too expensive.
Mattis asked Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work to conduct a review of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to find ways to “significantly re- duce” the costs. He said the review should com- pare the F-35 with the F/A-18 Super Hornet and determine if an upgraded Hornet could be a cost effective alternative that also meets requirements.
Mattis also asked for a review of the presidential aircraft program — known as Air Force One — to identify cost savings. Boeing is slated to build two new planes to replace the aging models that shuttle the president around the world. The new aircraft would go into service around 2024.
Mattis’ orders come after Trump’s tweets in De- cember revealing that he asked Boeing to “price- out” a comparable Super Hornet became of cost overruns in Lockheed Martin’s F-35.
The stealthy F-35 has a nearly $400 billion price tag. Three versions for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy are being built, and other coun- tries, including Israel, are buying the fighter jet.
Despite the huge cost, the program has strong bipartisan support in Congress, where lawmakers view the aircraft as essential to U.S. national se- curity.
Trump also tweeted last month that the costs of the new Air Force One were “out of control.” He demanded: “Cancel order!”
Last March, the Government Accountability Office, the government’s auditing arm, estimated total program costs at more than $3.2 billion, much of it for research and development, through the 2020 federal budget year. The Defense Depart- ment and Air Force officials put the cost for two new aircraft at about $4 billion, when research and development, construction and future maintenance were included.
The Air Force has pressed for a faster replace- ment schedule, saying the aging current Boeing 747s are becoming too expensive to repair and keep in good flying shape.
While Mattis, Trump and the Pentagon can push for deep cuts or even try to cancel the program, Congress controls the government’s purse strings and makes final budget decisions. AP
Germany extends military training mis- sion in northern Iraq
Germany’s parliament has extended the coun- try’s training mission in northern Iraq for another year.
Some 150 soldiers with the Bundeswehr have been training Kurdish “Peshmerga” militias al- ready for two years to help in the fight against Islamic State extremists.
The decision to extend the mission another year
2
passed easily Jan. 26 with 444 of 557 lawmakers voting for it, the dpa news agency reported.
In a separate vote, lawmakers also agreed to expand the Bundeswehr’s engagement in Mali as part of a U.N. mission in the West African nation, raising the maximum number of soldiers to 1,000 from 650. AP
While Trump stresses military, Asian al- lies seek trade, too
President Donald Trump’s “peace through strength” could mean more U.S. military power in Asia, reassuring allies about America’s resolve to counter China. That is, if they’re still looking to Washington for reassurance.
Trump called his speedy withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership a victory for American workers hurt by multilateral trade pacts. But his reversal of years of U.S.-led efforts may mean the loss of Asian nations’ trust and support in con- fronting an assertive Beijing after many of them, under Washington’s pressure, barreled through similar domestic concerns over jobs and competi- tion.
A weakened partnership with key Asian com- mercial powers could have wide-ranging conse- quences for Americans beyond the trade pact’s potential to bring jobs. It could diminish American influence in a region where economic power is as important as military muscle. AP
Raytheon won’t try to build jet; project was in Mississippi
Raytheon said Jan. 25 that it and a partner are backing out of competition to build a U.S. Air Force training jet.
The announcement came months after Waltham, Mass.,-based Raytheon and an Italian company, Leonardo-Finmeccanica, said they intended to build 350 of the T-100 jets at an assembly plant near Meridian, Miss.
Gov. Phil Bryant and other Mississippi officials had said the project could create 450 jobs.
Raytheon and Leonardo issued a joint statement saying the companies would not pursue contracts for what the Air Force calls the T-X trainer project.
“In February 2016, Raytheon and Leonardo announced their intent to team on the T-X pur- suit. While we remain confident that the T-100 is a strong solution, our companies were unable to reach a business agreement that is in the best inter- est of the U.S. Air Force,” Raytheon spokesman B.J. Boling said in the statement Jan. 25.
Bryant told The Clarion-Ledger the companies’ decision was based on “circumstances beyond the state’s control.” He had touted the project in his Jan. 25 State of the State speech.
The Air Force released requirements for the T-X trainer project last March, and Raytheon an- nounced in October that it and Leonardo would manufacture the jets in eastern Mississippi if they were chosen for the contract.
In December, Raytheon held a ceremony in Meridian to celebrate its intention to build jets there. Speakers included Raytheon President of Space and Airborne Systems Rick Yuse, Bryant and Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mis- sissippi.
However, in October, a defense industry ana- lyst with the Teal Group in suburban Washington, D.C., Richard Aboulafia, told The Meridian Star that Raytheon’s proposal to build the system in Mississippi was a longshot because Raytheon did not design its own planes.
“Raytheon’s bid has the weakest chance of winning the bid,” Aboulafia said. “Raytheon just doesn’t have the capability of designing its own planes and that’s why they’ve partnered with Leonardo.” AP
Two Poles injured in crash with U.S. Army truck
A U.S. Army truck has collided with a private
van in southwestern Poland, hospitalizing two Poles.
It is the third recent accident involving a U.S. Army vehicle in Poland where American troops are being deployed as a deterrent force toward a belligerent Russia.
Spokesman for Poland’s Army order force, Maj. Artur Karpienko, said Jan. 24 the truck crossed into the opposite lane and hit the van near the town of Swietoszow. The van’s driver and passenger were hospitalized, local police spokeswoman Syl- wia Woroniec said.
In two separate events last week, two U.S. Amy trucks skidded on narrow, slippery roads in the area, slightly injuring two soldiers.
Poland’s local roads are narrow, with one lane only in each direction. In winter they can be cov- ered in snow and ice. AP
NATO boosts its Baltic presence, new troops start to arrive
The first of a 1,200-strong NATO force have arrived in Lithuania close to a key Russian Baltic Sea exclave amid growing fears on security in the region.
The more than 100 Belgian army troops and five dozen military vehicles sailed to Klaipeda, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Russia’s Kalinin- grad exclave, which has a navy base and long- range missile systems.
The Belgians will join German, Dutch and Nor- wegian troops at the Rukla base in central Lithu- ania.
At last year’s NATO summit in Warsaw, the alliance decided to deploy forces in the countries bordering Russia and Belarus. There is a fear in the Baltic countries and Poland that the former So- viet republics could be next, after Russia displayed its might in Georgia and Ukraine. AP
Japan’s military launches first communi- cations satellite
Japan successfully launched its first military communications satellite Jan. 24 that is designed to upgrade its network in the face of China’s in- creasingly assertive maritime activity and North Korea’s missile threat.
The Kirameki-2 satellite was on an H-2A rocket that lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The satellite separated from the rocket and entered a designated orbit, the Defense Ministry said.
It is the first of three satellites that will replace three civilian ones currently used by Japan’s mili- tary. The new satellites will allow military units to communicate on a high-speed and high-capacity network.
The new satellites are also aimed at stepping up Japan’s emergency response capability in case of natural disaster, China’s maritime activity from southern Japanese waters to the South China Sea, as well as missile threats from North Korea. The satellites are also planned for use for Japanese troops operating overseas as part of international peacekeeping operations, including those in South Sudan and off the Somali coast, Kyodo News re- ported.
The Kirameki-1 was supposed to be launched in July 2016, but was damaged during transport to a launch pad in French Guiana. It is undergo- ing repair and now is scheduled for launch in 2018. AP
Pakistan test-fires ballistic missile
Pakistan says it has successfully tested a sur- face-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles) that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The military said Jan. 24 the Ababeel missile can evade enemy radar and deliver multiple pre- cisely targeted warheads.
See BRIEFS, Page 10
How to contact Aerotech News and Review
• Mail: 456 E. Ave. K-4,
Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
• E-Mail: editor@aerotechnews.com • Phone: (661) 945-5634
• Fax: (661) 723-7757
Advertising
Corporate Headquarters: (877) 247-9288
Subscriber Services
Subscriptions to Aerotech News and Review are $59 for six months or $89 for one year. For more in- formation, contact the subscription department at:
456 E. Ave. K-4, #8, Lancaster CA 93535
Story ideas, letters, editorials
Please address all letters and edi- torials to Stuart A. Ibberson, editor, 456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
Web Site
Access the Aerotech News web site at www.aerotechnews.com
Submissions for upcoming events, air shows and museums should be ad- dressed to Web Updates, 456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
For questions concerning the web site, contact the webmaster at webmaster@ aerotechnews.com.
Where you can get Aerotech News and Review
For information on Aerotech distribution, call (661) 945-5634 or e-mail delivery@aerotechnews.com.
Aerotech News and Review is published every Friday serving the aerospace and defense industry of Southern Califor- nia, Nevada and Arizona. News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication. The publisher as- sumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used.
Your comments are welcomed and encouraged. Write to the address below.
• Publisher .........................Paul Kinison
• Business Manager.............Lisa Kinison
• Editor..............................StuartIbberson
• National Advertising
Manager ..........................Paul Kinison
Aerotech News and Review
456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8 Lancaster, CA 93535
e-mail: editor@aerotechnews.com Visit our web site at www.aerotechnews.com
Aerotech News and Review www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview
February 3, 2017