Rapid Fire 2011-11-03: AFMC Restructured | German Adjustments | Chemical Disposal
Nov 02, 2011 23:45 EDTRelated Stories: ABM, Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Asia - Japan, Bases & Infrastructure, Boeing, Chemical Weapons, Europe - Other, Events, Fighters & Attack, Helicopters & Rotary, Issues - Political, Lockheed Martin, Missiles - Surface-Air, New Systems Tech, Raytheon, Russia, Sensors & Guidance, Testing & Evaluation, UAVs, Warfare - Trends
- The USAF is restructuring its Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) from 12 centers to 5 is one of the major steps within broader changes in its civilian workforce which should amount to adding “5,900 positions in acquisition, the nuclear enterprise, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other key areas while reducing approximately 9,000 positions in management, staff, and support areas.”
- The Russian Defense Ministry and United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have sorted out their pricing disagreements on Yasen and Borey class nuclear-powered submarines. That’s their good news. Gaddafi’s fall on the other hand means billions of dollars of lost potential arms exports.
- In talks with the German government, EADS is reportedly ready to waive penalties triggered by reduced Eurofighter orders in exchange for Talarion UAV orders. Germany has been leasing IAI Herons for the last 2 years. [Nov. 7 update: Germany says no.]
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- The Bundeswehr also recently announced a significant BRAC-like program leading to 31 base closures: Der Spiegel | Deutsche Welle (both in English).
- An F-15 from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force lost a wing part during a training flight yesterday. Japan’s F-15 fleet was grounded twice this year after a fatal crash in July and a minor incident last month.
- Boeing delivers its 1st production AH-64D Apache Block III attack helicopter to the US Army.
- Lockheed Martin MFC is busy test-firing a new Patriot PAC-3 Reduced Cost Initiative missile variant.
- A test uses the infrared sensors on 4 Raytheon MTS-B/AAS-52 sensor turrets to track ballistic targets for the Missile Defense Agency. ABIR doesn’t have an official platform yet, but they’re using the MTS-B’s usual MQ-9 Reaper drones as carriers for now.
- Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) completed the disposal of the chemical weapons stockpile at Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD) in Oregon. This work started 7 years ago. Both facilities will be closed within the next 2 years.
- The Financial Times urges politicians and investors to take the long view on the real-world potential of newer materials such as graphene, based on the uneven track record of similarly hyped carbon fiber.
- The US House’s Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces had a hearing yesterday on combat aviation programs. On the table: F-35 contract renegotiation, bomber costs. See 1st video embedded below. Meanwhile the full HASC had yet another “sequestration looks really, really scary” hearing.
- Online hacker group Anonymous to Mexico’s brutal Zetas drug cartel: Release our member, or else you’ll be one sorry bunch of pendejos – and so will the people on your payroll. This one is a new chapter in information warfare. Love the “V for Vendetta” mask in the video, which you can view in the 2nd embed below [in Spanish]:
