Casa to supply Coast Guard
EADS Casa has received a $87.4 million contract from prime contractor Lockheed Martin for the supply of two Casa CN235-300 maritime patrol aircraft for the US Coast Guard.
The aircraft will form part of the USCG's Integrated Deepwater System (IDS). Deepwater is a multi-year programme under which the Coast Guard's ageing ships and aircraft will be replaced or modernised, and its command and control and logistics systems improved and integrated.
Anglo French navalco-operation mooted
A French navy decision that a second aircraft carrier would be diesel-powered has opened the possibility of co-operation between France and Britain on the three new carriers required by the two countries.
The two navies have similar carrier requirements, although France requires a carrier capable of operating short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR ) or conventional take-off and landing (CTOL ) aircraft, while the Royal Navy will use STOVL F-35s on its carriers.
A collaborative programme would offer substantial savings from the development phase, and from in-service support costs.
Israel to develop smaller Python
Less than a year after unveiling the fifth-generation version of its Python air-to-air missile, Israel has embarked on development of a sixth-generation model.
The Rafael Armament Development Authority has decided to invest in a notional Python 6: "We are talking about a missile that will be operational in 10 years," says Dr Eitan Yudelevich, Rafael's vice-president marketing.
The Israeli air force is seeking a class of smaller, lighter air-to-air missiles suitable for carriage by types such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It wants a weapon with a dual-mode seeker to enable it to use both active radar and passive infrared guidance. The missile's reduced size will result in a smaller warhead than current systems, thus requiring a high level of targeting accuracy.
Source: Flight Daily News
