Rapid Fire 2011-04-18: RAF Typhoon Cost Overruns
Apr 17, 2011 21:57 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff- UK Public Accounts Committee report cites GBP 3.5 billion in cost overruns for RAF Typhoon fighter program; MoD says program is “under control and back on track.”
- Republican US senators send letter to President Obama, opposing reported proposal giving Russia “red-button” sway over European missile defense shield, and sharing sensitive information about the program.
- Boeing Military Aircraft president Christopher M. Chadwick discusses India’s potential orders for 4 more P-8i sea control jets, and 10 C-17 heavy aerial transports.
- DARPA wants to explore the science of storytelling. Otherwise known as “Neurobiology of Narratives.”
- David Axe offers front-line descriptions of recent combat in Afghanistan.
- Recent NASA R&D funding involves new “magic skin” outer layers for composite airframe structures – incl. conductive film and energy-absorbing foams.
- L-3′s Platform Integration division gets approval to begin low-rate initial production of the ISR mission avionics suite for the US Navy’s EP-3E Spiral 3-configured electronic eavesdropping aircraft.
- Russian Navy floats out 3rd Steregushchy-class corvette (Boyky) from the St. Peterburg Severnaya Verf shipyard.
- UK completes Route Trident extension linking Lashkar Gah and Gereshk in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
- General Atomics opens a UK division to support its British customer, who has received 6 MQ-9 Reapers and awaits the arrival of the other 4.
- GD NASSCO launches USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) dry cargo/ammunition supply ship at its San Diego shipyard.
- US falls short on efforts to develop and acquire medical countermeasures for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiation, and Nuclear) agents, says GAO [PDF]. As the Japanese are learning, those countermeasures can have civilian applications, too.
Categories: Air Reconnaissance, Avionics, Bases & Infrastructure, Boeing, Britain/U.K., Daily Rapid Fire, DARPA, Fighters & Attack, General Atomics, India, Issues - Political, L3 Communications, Logistics, Official Reports, Protective Systems - Aircraft, Russia, Science - Basic Research, Specialty Aircraft, Surface Ships - Combat, Transport & Utility, USA, WMD Defenses
