Aerospace & Defense News - Defense North America

AirGuide Business, Oct 13, 2008

Oct 13, 2008

Pentagon's 2010 budget to be squeezed by financial bailouts Lawmakers in search of cash to bail out the financial industry could look for deep cuts in defense budgets, industry leaders fear. "No one really yet knows when or to what extent defense spending could be affected, but it's unrealistic to think there won't be somPentagon's 2010e measure of impact," said Boeing Co. CEO Jim McNerney in a note to employees last week. Though budgets for fiscal 2009 are set, the Pentagon is planning its priorities for 2010, and at least one influential congressman has warned that cuts are coming. "No matter who wins the White House, the next president is going to be forced to decrease defense spending in order to respond to neglected domestic priorities," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the House's defense appropriations chief. "Because of this, the Defense Department is going to have to make tough budget decisions involving trade-offs between personnel, procurement and future weapons spending." Oct 10, 2008

Aerospace Facts and Figures book available now. The 55th edition of AIA's annual data book, Aerospace Facts and Figures, is now available. This valuable compilation of U.S. aerospace industry data includes more than 100 statistical tables showing trends and recent updates on sales, orders, profits, capital investment, aircraft production, missile and space program funding, research and development, foreign trade, employment, air carrier traffic and financials, and much more. Orders may be placed online (www.aia-aerospace.org/stats/facts_figures/facts_figures.cfm). AIA members receive a $15 discount off the regular $60 price. Oct 7, 2008

AIA cautions against delay of U.K. licensing treaty. A treaty allowing streamlined defense exports to the U.K. has been delayed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, prompting a protest by the Aerospace Industries Association. In a letter to Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., the AIA said the delay was an "unfortunate setback" for a treaty that will "enhance U.S. national security, promote high technology American jobs and help maintain America's continued technological leadership in aerospace and defense." With the State Department now reviewing almost 85,000 licensing requests annually, "caseload management reform is essential," the association said. Financial Times (10/4) Oct 6, 2008

Pentagon funds bomb-sniffing technology based on Fido's nose Engineers once hopeful of quickly creating bomb-sniffing technology to rival a dog's nose are now warning such a system could be at least 10 years away. The Pentagon recently awarded an $18 million grant for further research, extending a program that began in the late 1990s. Because dogs can distinguish the scent of thousands of chemicals, bomb-sniffing technology could one day be deployed from battlefields to airports worldwide. Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press (10/3) Oct 6, 2008

Bell Helicopter, Boeing

Bell Helicopter and Boeing have pulled out of India's $500 million attack helicopter competition, but some industry sources believe that New Delhi could modify some of the tender's terms to get both US manufacturers on board again. India's defense ministry issued a request for proposals for 22 helicopters last May, and had hoped to evaluate the AgustaWestland AW129, Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, Bell AH-1Z SuperCobra, Eurocopter Tiger, Kamov Ka-50 and Mil Mi-28. Oct 10, 2008

Lockheed Martin

Taiwan's hopes of buying Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds from the USA remain bleak, with Washington going ahead with a separate $6.5 billion arms package that includes attack helicopters and upgrades for existing aircraft. The US Department of Defense on 3 October notified Congress of a plan to sell 30 Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters worth $2.5 billion, upgrade packages for Taipei's four Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne warning and control system aircraft, and badly needed spares for the island's Lockheed F-16A/B and Northrop F-5 fighters. Oct 9, 2008

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin joins cyber crime partnership. Lockheed Martin Corp. has joined a broad-based consortium tasked with fighting identity crimes on the Internet. The new Center for Applied Identity Management Research -- which also includes IBM, Visa, the U.S. Secret Service and others -- will focus on cyber crimes including financial fraud, terrorist financing and identity theft. "In spite of our recent successful investigations both domestically and internationally, cyber crime remains a substantial threat that continues to evolve and attack our financial systems," said a Secret Service official. American City Business Journals/Baltimore (10/7) Oct 7, 2008

Lockheed Martin, Harris Corp

Israel's F-35 buy could mean jobs for Florida The proposed $15 billion sale of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Israel could provide a major economic boost to central Florida, where Lockheed Martin builds training systems and weapons-targeting systems for the plane. Harris Corp., maker of the F-35's cockpit communications systems, also is based in the area, along with dozens of subcontractors. Oct 7, 2008