June 16, 2011 defpro.com

Yavne | Aeronautics Ltd. has delivered the first Orbiter 3 Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (STUAS) to a first undisclosed customer.

"The Orbiter 3 STUAS brings to the unmanned systems market capabilities that did not exist previously" said Ran Carmeli, Head of the Aerial Division at Aeronautics. "A field deployed, 25 kg electric powered UAS, can now deliver the same ISTAR output achieved up to now only by much larger tactical UAS of a 100 kg and more."

The Orbiter 3 can stay in the air 7 hours, and reach ranges of more than a 100 km. It can carry a wide range of payloads, including the TD-STAMP from Controp Precision Technologies – a state of the art tri-sensor, gyro stabilized mini payload combining CCD, cooled FLIR and a laser designator.

"I believe the Orbiter 3 STUAS will have great market success, moreover, it will dictate real changes in the UAS market." said Aeronautics CEO Avi Leumi. "We receive constant demands for enhanced ISTAR capabilities, maintaining operational flexibility and small logistics – and that’s what the Orbiter 3 is all about."

The Orbiter 3 SUAS is the largest variant of the Orbiter Family of electric powered UAS. Its smaller variants, Orbiter 1 and 2 are deployed operationally worldwide by more than a dozen customers. Practically undetectable, Orbiter UASs are used for a wide range of missions in land warfare including: ISTAR, artillery support, convoy protection and special ops. In the maritime arena, Orbiter serves as an independent ISTAR asset for naval vessels – launched and recovered from its deck.

DALLAS, June 16 (UPI)

Lockheed Martin has been given a follow-on contract from the U.S. Army for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary rockets.

The contract, worth $445 million, is the Army's sixth purchase of the precision munition. Nearly 2,000 GMLRS rockets have been fired in support of U.S. and allied military operations.

Lockheed said the contract includes 735 GMLRS Unitary rocket pods -- six rockets per pod -- and 508 Reduced-Range Practice Rocket pods for the Army and U.S. Marine Corps, as well as GMLRS pods for Foreign Military Sales customers including Japan, Jordan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

Work on the contract will be performed at the company's facilities in Camden, Ark., and Dallas. Deliveries are to begin in December 2012.

"Our enemies fear the precision that GMLRS delivers," said Army Lt. Col. Drew Clanton, the GMLRS product manager at the U.S. Army's Precision Fires, Rockets and Missiles program management office in Huntsville, Ala. "U.S. forces can increase their standoff distances without losing accuracy, which is paramount to our efforts to destroy threats while limiting collateral damage."

GMLRS provides dependable precision strike, a capability demonstrated in Afghanistan and continues to exceed operational-readiness requirements.

"GMLRS continues to be one of the most powerful and precise assets for artillery today," said Scott Arnold, vice president for Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Its heavy use in combat shows our customers trust GMLRS because it's reliable and delivers incredible precision, enabling faster and more effective missions."

The GMLRS Unitary rocket is meeting the needs of the Army, Marines and British army artillery units in theater. The program also is also testing new technology in the IRAD-funded GMLRS+ program, which will integrate advanced capabilities that will keep GMLRS the world's premier long-range precision artillery rocket.

Designed specifically for destroying high-priority targets at ranges up to 43.5 miles, GMLRS has been employed in both urban and non-urban environments. It is an all-weather, rapidly deployable, long-range rocket that delivers precision strike beyond the range of most conventional weapons. Each GMLRS missile is packaged in a MLRS launch pod and is fired from the MLRS family of launchers.

15 Jun 2011 By WILLIAM H. MCMICHAEL DefenseNews

ABOARD THE AMPHIBIOUS TRANSPORT DOCK SAN ANTONIO - The USS San Antonio, crippled since its premature 2005 delivery by problems ranging from construction flaws to maintenance and training issues, appears to have finally been fixed.

The USS San Antonio had been beset with mechanical and electrical problems that kept the ship home this year rather than deploy so that they could finally get repaired. (MC1 Lolita Lewis / U.S. Navy)

Leaders and sailors returning from nine days of tests Wednesday said they were satisfied with the amphibious transport dock's performance during the second phase of sea trials held in the wake of an extended maintenance period that followed the ship being taken off the line nearly two years ago.

San Antonio's systems are a go - and the ship, following a short maintenance availability to fix discrepancies discovered during the sea trials and an additional independent self-training underway period slated for July, is ready to begin basic training Aug. 1, leaders said.

"San Antonio has made that transition from a ship that was needing a lot of help on the maintenance front [to] the level all my ships are at when they've passed through this phase," said Capt. Mark Scoville, commander of Amphibious Squadron 8. "We know we've got to prove to everybody out there that we're ready to proceed. And that's what we aim to do.

"We're gonna knock their socks off," Scoville said. "I can guarantee you that."

San Antonio had been beset with mechanical and electrical problems - to the point where Fleet Forces Command chief Adm. John Harvey in late 2009 ordered a Judge Advocate General's Manual investigation into the ship's issues and kept the ship home this year rather than deploy so that they could finally get repaired.

The ship's chief engineer for the past six months says - with conviction - that those mechanical and electrical problems have been fixed.

"We are excited to be back to the fleet," said Lt. Cmdr. William Pikul. "We are ready to answer the call to go out to whatever the Navy needs, wherever we need to go. ... This ship has come a long way in the last few months. Every bit of the engineering plant has been proven. ... We've maxed out every engine, every shaft rpm, every item that we've got on board. And we're coming back in still on all four engines, still on ship's power, and we're ready to get back underway again next month."

The first set of sea trials, held in late May, validated the diesel engines, testing their ability to power up and operate free of excess vibration. Drive train vibration emerged as an issue - atop the significant lube oil, communications and other systemic problems - last year, when engineers discovered misaligned or non-tightened foundation bolts and an improperly installed main reduction gear.

This set of trials focused on combat systems - detect-to-engage and radar capability, communications, Mk 46 30 mm cannon system and operating with amphibious craft in the ship's well deck. "All tested out 'sat'," said Cmdr. Neil Koprowski, executive officer for the past year. He said the ship also was maneuvered much more stressfully than during the first set of trials.

The ship's flight deck was certified during the first set of trials. The ship's amphibious warfare capability has not yet earned such an approval but, he said, "We are pushing towards that." By the end of the 20-week basic training phase, he said, the ship will be certified in all mission areas.

Despite the ship's many problems, Koprowski said crew morale has remained high. "They have always seen that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that they will get underway and do their job," he said.

Passing both sets of trials "feels great," said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class (SW) Mike Tucker, assigned to San Antonio for the past two years. "Very good. Yes, sir. Definitely. It's one thing to actually be out here on the water, and being in port behind a desk. It's a good feeling."

"It's been a tough stretch," said Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Michael Hart. "But you know, sailors join the Navy to go out to sea. And the past several weeks of sea trials, I've been able to witness as the crew has come together more and more as a unit. Granted, we're always about self-improvement. We got a long way to go yet. But we are ready to get back into the operational fleet."

15 Jun 2011 By DAVE MAJUMDAR DefenseNews

A Defense Acquisitions Board (DAB) review that would have established a new cost baseline for the triservice F-35 Lightning II has been postponed until the fall, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program's top official said June 15.

The review had been scheduled for late May, then was rescheduled for mid-June. Now, senior leaders have decided to wait until more real-world data is gathered and planning is complete.

"It was decided: why don't we let a little bit more of the performance of the program both in test and production play out through the summer; why don't we let that integrated master schedule get finished, do a schedule risk assessment of it, present that to service leadership, let them ponder IOC [initial operating capability], let the operational test planning complete," said JSF program executive officer Vice Adm. David Venlet. "Then, rather than set a baseline now with a whole bunch of go-finish-your-homework assignments, we will go finish the homework and then present the new baseline for [Pentagon procurement chief] Dr. [Ashton] Carter's approval in the fall of this year."

The delay is a matter of being thorough, not an indication of new problems, Venlet said.

"That is not a sign of alarm. It is, I think, a determination to continue in a deliberate fashion with good solid fundamentals applied to get things done," he said.

Venlet called the independent cost estimate and the program's internal cost estimate mature and tightly integrated.

The jet is doing well in testing and it is meeting its key performance parameters (KPP), Venlet said.

The Air Force's F-35A model had previously fallen just short of some of the parameters.

"There is not a lot of margin, but we expect all of them to be met," Venlet said. "We have data and some issues in development that caused us to assess a current status of the range for the [Conventional Take-off and landing variant] to be below its KPP number … but we also have a body of test data. We're sort of getting an aggregation of measured test points of specific fuel consumption that's better than the models."

There are also certain easy ways to gain extra range by accessing what would otherwise be considered unusable fuel by manipulating values giving the jet some extra margin, he said.

He also noted that some fluctuation is expected in day-to-day performance numbers during flight testing

Jun 15, 2011 By Jen DiMascio aerospace daily and defense report

The House Appropriations Committee on June 14 approved a $649 billion bill to fund the Defense Department and the war in Afghanistan for fiscal 2012, adding a vote of confidence for the nation’s most expensive weapon system – the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The bill now includes a provision stating that the powerful House committee “remains committed to the success” of the F-35 program. The amendment was proposed by Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who represents the district that includes Lockheed Martin’s JSF production facility. The provision is a symbolic gesture, providing a marked departure from the days before the ban on earmarks and a crushing federal deficit put the crimp on appropriators’ ability to add funding where they saw fit. The bill nearly provides President Barack Obama’s full request for JSFs, at $2.7 billion for the program this year to purchase 32 aircraft, and withholding $75.7 million for premature software development. The full House is expected to debate the measure next week.

Rep. Norm Dicks (Wash.), the top Democrat on the committee, agrees with Granger, saying that he hoped the committee could have increased the purchase of JSFs.

“The point of it is, if we can get more planes into the program, the cost comes down,” Dicks says. “And we have all of these allies that are involved in this program.”

According to defense industry officials, the committee sought to add six additional F-35s but was rebuffed by the administration.

The House panel is leaning far in support of the program, which has been under fire recently for cost increases. The Pentagon is in the midst of a so-called “should-cost” review to figure out a reasonable baseline for the program, now worth more than $300 billion. And the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, Ashton Carter, recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee it may cost as much as $1 trillion to maintain the program over its lifespan – a figure that prompted many lawmakers to question whether the Pentagon is seeking alternatives (Aerospace DAILY, May 20). He also said the contractor could not make more than 32 aircraft in a year.

The appropriators continued to show their intent to support programs even in the absence of additional funding. They included an amendment “encouraging” engine upgrades for the M1 Abrams tank, sponsored by Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.). According to Bonner, the upgraded engine could provide up to a 14% improvement in fuel efficiency.

The panel wanted to add funding to develop the engine, but could not, says Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), the defense subcommittee chairman. And in an earmark-free era, the full committee also could not choose a think tank to carry out the next big war policy report.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) added a provision to the defense spending bill, calling for a study of Afghanistan and Pakistan along the lines of the Iraq Study Group report led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker, 3rd, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton and facilitated by the U.S. Institute of Peace. Wolf complains that because of the ban on earmarks, he could not specify in the bill that John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, could provide the report.

June 16, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Army; issued June 14, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- The Army is working to drive productivity growth, maximize efficiency and eliminate redundancy through an approach called "Should-Cost/Will-Cost" management, service officials said.

The push to implement the new approach to acquisition came as guidance from Dr. Ashton Carter, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

"Dr. Carter is challenging program managers to drive productivity improvements into their programs during contract negotiation and program execution," said Heidi Shyu, the acting assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.

Shyu said the approach involves scrutinizing every element of government and contractor costs. The "Should-Cost/Will-Cost" approach is grounded in an effort to lower costs and improve affordability within acquisition programs by increasing scrutiny and targeting areas of potential cost reduction. Carter's guidance to the services stresses the need to reduce overhead costs where possible and increase the measure of analysis given to programs.

"I will require the manager of each major program to conduct a Should-Cost analysis, justifying each element of program cost and showing how it is improving year by year or meeting other relevant benchmarks for value," writes Carter in a Sept. 14, 2010 Memorandum for Acquisition Professionals.

Carter went on to say that managers should be driving productivity improvements in their programs, and should be scrutinizing every element of program cost to determine if what elements can be reduced relative to the year before.

Because of the guidance, each program manager must now provide a "Should-Cost" estimate, designed as an internal management tool for incentivizing performance.

The "Should-Cost" estimate will then be compared and measured against the "Will-Cost" estimate, described as the official program position for budgeting, programming and reporting.

"By January 1, 2012 all ACAT I, II, and III programs will have milestone decision authority-approved 'Should-Cost' execution targets," Shyu writes. The goal of the approach is to improve business practices and increase efficiency in contracting and acquisition program management.

"Program managers must begin to drive leanness through 'Should-Cost' management," Shyu said.

Program managers have historically argued that they could bring certain elements of a program in for less cost compared to independent cost estimates developed by outside organizations, said Cherie Smith, who directs the ASA(ALT) Performance Assessment and Root Cause Analyses Directorate.

"It doesn't take a crystal ball to see that we are going to be expected to do more with less," Smith said. "Within the established financial boundaries, Ms. Shyu's goal is to incentivize our PMs by allowing them the ability to use these savings to lower risk in other areas of their program."

Along with mandating affordability and establishing a Should-Cost management approach, additional elements of the Army effort to implement Dr. Carter's guidance include initiatives to eliminate redundancy within warfighter portfolios, make production rates more stable and economical and set shorter timelines to manage programs.

Jun 15 2011 David Pugliese’s Defence Watch

Press release from CAE;

Alma, May 31, 2011 – The municipal council of the town of Alma and the directors of the Alma Airport are proud to announce the official creation of the Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) Excellence Center.

For over two years, the leaders of the town and the airport have been working with many local, regional and national partners to develop the UAV Excellence Center. CAE, a world leader in simulation technologies and training services, will be a member of the Center’s board of directors.

Located at the Alma Airport and incorporated as a non-profit organization, the UAV Excellence Center will offer the following services in the coming years:

·      Training;

·      Tests and trials;

·      Air operations;

·      Maintenance;

·      Manufacturing;

·      Research and development.

According to city councillor Pascale Pilote, president of Alma Airport: “With a world leader like CAE on the board of directors, the UAV Excellence Center will be able to benefit from its vast aerospace expertise. This is a first step that will help the Center establish partnerships to bring other players in the field of UAVs to Alma.”

Alma mayor Marc Asselin: “We have confidence in the UAV sector’s potential to create high-tech jobs and positive economic impacts.”

The UAV industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, and the market is undergoing a major expansion in the energy, telecommunications, natural resources, safety and surveillance sectors.

June 15, 2011: STRATEGY PAGE

Combat pilots in Afghanistan have, like many businesses, discovered new and useful ways to use the iPad. U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilots found the iPad a useful way to carry hundreds of military maps, rather than the hassle of using paper versions. Marine commanders quickly realized this "field expedient" (a military "hack" that adopts something for unofficial use while in the combat zone) worked, and made it official. That meant buying iPads for this and getting to work coming up with more uses.

This is nothing new. The U.S. Army has established an app store (the Army Marketplace) for military smart phone users. This includes the iPad, which soldiers are also big fans of. The army app store includes an "App Wanted" section where users can post descriptions of an app they need. If a developer (in uniform, or an army approved civilian with access to the Army Marketplace) is interested, a discussion can be started on an attached message board. The army hopes that the needed app will be quickly created and made available at the Army Marketplace. Developers can charge for their apps, although the army is also willing to pay developers to create needed apps that have been described by military smart phone users.

One of the more impressive apps was one that assisted troops calling in air and artillery fire. Specialized, and now portable, computers have been used in the military for decades, to help troops who call in artillery fire, or air strikes. But these "forward controllers" have to lug around a lot of gear, as they move, often on foot, with the infantry they support. Every bit of weight counts. The less you carry, the more energy you have for life-and-death tasks. Now, there is an app for that, and the forward controllers can leave behind gear that has now been replaced by an iPhone app.

The army and marines see these portable devices as key battlefield tools. Not just for communication, but for a wide range of data handling (computer) chores. Some of these apps turn the iPad or smart phone into part of a weapon. The military wants to work closely with Apple to ensure the troops get the software they need, as well as customized hardware. Details are largely kept secret. But now the military knows, for certain, that creating lots of these apps requires more time and effort than many troops can muster. Then there is the problem of maintaining (upgrading and fixing bugs). So the army is going to establish a team to take care of this, using some army personnel and contractors as part of a permanent organization.

This is all part of a trend. In the last decade, the U.S. military found the iPod music player an increasingly useful tool. This happened for two reasons. As time went on (the iPod was introduced just after September 11, 2001), more and more troops bought iPods. By 2005, most troops had them. The iPod was the perfect entertainment device for the battlefield. When you got a chance to take a break, you put in the ear buds, turned it on, and were in a different place for a few minutes. The iPod battery usually kept going until the next time you got a chance to recharge.

The second reason was that, from the beginning, the iPod could do other things (run software for things other than listening to music). That's because the iPod was, basically, a very small personal computer. In fact, the iPhone is basically an high end iPod (sold as such as the iPod Touch), with cell phone capability added.

At first, most of the other iPod software was games, but soon non-game applications were added. There was a problem for the military, however. Except for some skilled hackers, no one but Apple, or with the help of Apple, could create software for the iPod. Despite that, the U.S. Army had some military software written for the iPod. This worked well, but it took over a year to get new software for an iPod, a delay that did not encourage rapid development. That changed three years ago, when Apple opened its App Store, and released a tool kit (SDK) for programmers to develop software for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This meant that military programmers could create Touch software to suit their needs, and do it quickly. In less than a year, hundreds of military-specific Touch programs have been created. Many do not show up in the App Store, as they are only for military use.

The Touch, and now the $500 iPad, have become the new "most favorite gadgets" for the troops. The Touch is cheap (under $230), has the same interface as the iPhone, has several hundred thousand programs (and growing rapidly) available, and can also serve as an iPod (to listen to music or view vids). The Touch has caught on, and it does the job better than any earlier PDA. The Touch also has wi-fi built in, making it easier for the troops to get new software or data onto their Touch. The iPad is basically a larger Touch, and popular for reading magazines, and consulting technical manuals. Troops have long been reading books on the iPhone and Touch. Now, smart phones like the iPhone are becoming increasingly common, so much so that few troops will go off to war without one. And the smart phones get smarter every year. As of  2011, your average smart phone has the computing power of a ten year old laptop.

For use in the combat zone, troops usually put one of the many protective covers on their smart phone, Touch, or iPad and, so far, these devices have held up well under battlefield conditions. Meanwhile, some of the software written for earlier iPods, is now available for the Touch and iPhone. This includes the VCommunicator Mobile software and libraries. This system translates English phrases into many foreign languages. Each language takes up four gigabytes per language, so they easily fit on the Touch. The software displays graphics, showing either the phrase in Arabic, or a video of a soldier making the appropriate hand gesture (there are a lot of those in Arabic), and this looks great on the Touch. There are collections of phrases for specific situations, like checkpoint, raid or patrol. You can use any accessory made for the iPod, like larger displays or megaphones. Non-combat troops have found the Touch, and especially the iPad, as a useful way to carry hundreds of technical manuals around, for use while maintaining or repairing equipment. Some tech personnel have made videos of how to carry out particularly difficult repair or maintenance procedures, and passed these "show and tell" vids around.

All this is nothing new. When PCs first showed up in the late 1970s, younger troops were, as usual, early adopters. And many of them quickly found ways to create software that made their jobs easier. Databases and programs, created by the troops, that figured things out more quickly and effortlessly, kept showing up throughout the 1980s. It took about a decade for the brass to catch on, and another decade for the senior military people to embrace this flood of computerization. So when the iPod Touch came along, it was quickly adopted. And no one in uniform was surprised. This was in large part because so many of today's generals and admirals remember how programmable calculators were introduced when they were young, and how they and their troops adopted these devices for military use. This rapid adoption of technology has now become part of the military DNA, and it started at the bottom.

Jun 15 2011 David Pugliese’s Defence Watch

I’ve had two articles so far in the Citizen about the Defence Department ordering precision guided munitions (or more accurately, the components needed to transform “dumb” bombs into smart bombs) to replenish stocks used in the Libyan war.

The latest order is for 1,000 bomb kits.

The original order last month was for more than 1,300 such kits. So in total more than 2,300 Paveway bombs.

The orders consist of specialized nose and tail systems, which transform an unguided dumb bombs into a laser-guided smart bombs.

After the Ottawa Citizen broke the news about the first order of weapons in May, Defence Department acknowledged it was indeed purchasing more bombs. It, however, has declined to discuss the numbers or costs, citing operational security.

In an email at that time, the Defence Department noted the Guided Bomb Unit-12, also known as Paveway II, is made up of a variety of components purchased separately. It stated the Defence Department "is currently taking delivery of selected components from the U.S. Government, through a Foreign Military Sale case, to replenish stocks consumed in operations."

The Defence Department was also continuing discussions with the U.S. for future requirements of these components, according to the email.

"The components of the GBU-12s are being acquired now to ensure sufficient stocks are available to support Operation Mobile, as well as for future needs," the email added.

So how much is this costing taxpayers?

According to DND, “for operational security reasons” the cost is not being released.

But John Pike, director of the Washington-based defence think-tank, Global Security.org, has said the weapons cost around $100,000 each.

However, another analyst, Bob Bergen of the University of Calgary noted in his study of Canada’s participation in the 1999 Kosovo air war, each Paveway cost Canada in those days $25,000.

At the CANSEC military trade show in Ottawa on June 2 an officer I was talking to suggested the cost of $35,000 for each bomb.

But hold on, says another well-placed source.

That individual says that each “bomb set” costs $15,000.

The CF, however, - as noted previously - isn’t talking.

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire

Since the last F-35 flight test program update issued May 11, Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation multirole fighter conducted 93 test flights, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 411. 

Overall, the F-35 program remains ahead of the overall goals for test flights and test points year-to-date. Through May 31, the program accomplished 378 flights versus a plan of 297 and accomplished 3,342 test points against a plan of 2,217.

Several flight test and production key milestones were accomplished since the last report:

•     The F-35B short takeoff /vertical landing (STOVL) jet BF-1 performed the 100th vertical landing for the test program on May 12. For 2011, 106 vertical landings have been performed.
•     The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet AF-1 flew to Mach 1.53, the fastest-to-date speed of the existing aircraft fleet.  AF-7 completed the longest test mission to date lasting 4.1 hours.
•     During the month of May, all three variants of the F-35 flew a combined total of 94 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flights, the most achieved in a single month in program history. 
•     The F-35 program flew the most flights ever recorded on one day (May 25) when a combined total of 10 flights (includes SDD and LRIP) were completed at all three of its flight test locations at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. (PAX).
•     The U.S. Air Force accepted into its fleet, the second of a planned 1,763 production-model F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters when AF-6 was delivered to EAFB on May 13.  AF-6 was the second aircraft in Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lot one contractually delivered.
•     One of the first two F-35A production aircraft that will be delivered to Eglin AFB, Fla., accomplished its first flight on May 13. Known as AF-9, the aircraft will be delivered to Eglin for pilot and maintainer training later this year. This jet is the second aircraft to fly from LRIP lot two. 
•     Two F-35C carrier variant (CV) aircraft, known as CF-2 and CF-3, were delivered to the F-35 test fleet at PAX. CF-2 was delivered May 16 and CF-3 delivered June 2.
•     CF-2 successfully completed the first F-35 public fly by at the Andrews AFB, Md., Joint Services Open House Air Show during the opening ceremony for the event May 21.

The following statistics reflect the cumulative flight test activity totals for 2011:

•  F-35A CTOL jets have flown 183 times.
•  F-35B STOVL aircraft have completed 166 flights.
•  F-35C CV jets have flown 62 times.
•  From the start of flight testing in December 2006 through June 13, 2011, F-35s flew 971 times, including the production-model acceptance flights and AA-1.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

14 Jun 2011 By KATE BRANNEN DefenseNews

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted for an assessment of operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan modeled after the 2006 Iraq Study Group.

The committee approved an amendment put forward by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., that would provide $1 million to form a bipartisan Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group. Wolf said he'd talked to John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and that Hamre agreed to facilitate the study.

However, due to the House's rules against earmarks, Wolf could not write the amendment so that it specifically directed CSIS to lead the study. Instead, it is left to the Pentagon to choose an "independent, private sector entity" through competition.

Wolf said a $1 million earmark created the Iraq Study Group.

The Iraq Study Group was a 10-person bipartisan panel created in 2006 and co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. The United States Institute for Peace (USIP) coordinated the study's group work. In the defense authorization bill passed last month, the House voted to defund USIP.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group would also be made up of five Democrats and five Republicans and would have 90 to 120 days to complete the study.

"We need fresh eyes on the target," Wolf said. "Some of the best minds I've spoken to have said this is a good idea."

In his opening statement, Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., raised his concerns about the opportunity costs of operations in Afghanistan. He said operations there increasingly come at the expense of domestic priorities, such as education and jobs programs in the U.S.

"I am increasingly convinced that the administration has to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan," said Dicks, who serves as the ranking member of the committee.

SAN DIEGO, June 14, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)

The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Firebird intelligence-gathering air system successfully used three different high-definition video sensors and an electronics support payload all at the same time – a future capability sought by the U.S. military that's available today.

Photos and a video accompanying this release are available at http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=224276

The flight marks the first time three electro-optical, infrared sensors have been used simultaneously with a fourth payload on an aircraft. This capability was proven on May 20 at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., with additional missions through June 3 as part of the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Empire Challenge 2011 exercise.

"Firebird's universal interface is what makes this all possible," said Rick Crooks, director of special projects and Firebird program manager for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "It's very similar to plugging a memory stick into a computer – it's automatically recognized without needing to load new software. With this 'plug-and-play' technology we can place many different sensors on Firebird and operate them in a matter of minutes."

Crooks explained that this capability is important to warfighters because it significantly reduces the time needed to replace sensors so they can ready Firebird quickly for different missions. The flight team can install the three high-definition full-motion video (HD FMV) sensors along with a communications payload in less than an hour.

During Empire Challenge, the Firebird team also showed how real-time HD video could be sent to different locations including a ground control station, remote terminals, a tablet computer and a cellular phone. Control of the sensors was done independently through the ground station and remote terminals.

"Not only can soldiers on the ground and aircraft crews see the video and data, but they also control the sensors independently," said Crooks. "This two-way control really puts the power of Firebird's systems in their hands. By being able to go through a remote terminal or a cellular phone, we've made it possible for soldiers on the front-line to more effectively use these systems to gain the edge they need."

The three HD FMV sensors were supplied by FLIR Systems, with the fourth payload being the Northrop Grumman-produced Common Signals Intelligence System 1500 that provided an electronics support and direction finding capability.

The team was able to switch between eight different sensors during the exercise. To date, Firebird has used 15 different intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor payloads.

Northrop Grumman leads the Firebird program with teammate Scaled Composites – the aircraft innovation firm founded by famed engineer Burt Rutan who designed SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spacecraft.

Firebird was intentionally designed to be flown as a manned or unmanned air system. It can be easily modified for both flight modes.

Northrop Grumman Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Allied Holdings, Inc., acquired Scaled Composites in 2007. Reporting into the corporation's Aerospace Systems Advanced Programs and Technology division, Scaled Composites operates as a separate company supporting Northrop Grumman and other customers.