Wharton Aerospace & Defense Report

Report Archive

March 2012

• A Message to Our Readers

February 2012

• Vendors Put Futuristic Gear for the Army on Display
• GE Moves Ahead with Next-gen Jet Engines
• Top U.S. Weapons Buyer: Rushing F-35 Production Is ‘Acquisition Malpractice’
• Survey Shows Need to Increase Network Security Funding
• National Lab Seeks Partner to Commercialize Self-Guided Bullet
• Winners and Losers from Expected Pentagon Cuts

January 2012

• Video Game Maker in Tussle with Defense Contractor over Aircraft Images
• TSA Memo: Hackers Tap Railway Networks
• Ford Competing for Blast-proof Vehicle Contracts
• A Search for More Effective Biofuels for Commercial Airplanes
• Foreign Defense and Aerospace Companies Struggle to Crack U.S. Military Market
• Airliners Tapping iPads
• As U.S. Orders Decline, Foreign Orders for F-35 Take Flight

December 2011

• GE and Rolls-Royce Abandon Alternate Engine Fight for JSF
• Aerospace and Defense Firms Protest Pentagon Contracting Proposal
• Boeing Considers Closing Wichita “Tanker” Plant
• “F-35” Caucus Forms to Protect Program from Budget Ax
• iPhone, Android Smartphones Recruited for Official Defense Department Use
• China and U.S. in a Supercomputer Arms Race

November 2011

• Defense Contractors Worried about New Pentagon Regulations on Unclassified Data
• Boeing Ships Massive Bunker-Buster Bombs to the U.S. Air Force
• Chinese Counterfeit Parts Proliferate in U.S. Weapons
• U.S. Hopes to Strengthen Cyber Capabilities
• Defense Cyber Chief: Military Data Safest in the Cloud
• Pentagon Seeks Ways to Make India a Big Buyer of U.S. Systems

October 2011

• Lobbyists Say That Defense Cuts Will Bring Severe Job Losses
• Small-vendor Being Snapped Up to Tap Coveted Federal Contracts
• Congressional Leaders Demand the White House Counter Alleged China Cyber Attacks
• Outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary Says Service Size and Weapons Programs Must Shrink 1011

September 2011

• Iraq Buys $3 Billion Worth of U.S. Fighter Jets
• GE Won’t Let Alternate Engine Go Quietly
• Boeing Tanker Production Assessment Shows "Low" Cost Risk
• A&D Lobbyists Line Up to Sway Special Committee
• Computer-based Attacks Could Lead to Physical Devastation, General Says
• Pentagon Adding Boeing F-18s in Case of F-35 Delays
• F-35 Program Finds Wings Have a Problem, Working on Fix
• New Russian Commercial Regional Jet Faces Image Problem

August 2011

• Military Investment in Clean Energy Companies Seen as Endorsement
• GE Shares Cutting-edge Technology in Aviation Deal with China
• Hypersonic Test Flight Yields Research Data
• Cyber-espionage Deeply Entrenched
• Boeing’s Military Aviation Head Bullish
• New Technologies to Reduce Helicopter Vulnerabilities to Low-tech Weapons
• Drones on the Way to Replacing the Famed U-2 Spy Plane
• Levin and McCain: No Idea How Much Debt Deal Impacts Defense

July 2011

• GAO: Pentagon Needs Clear Line of Control in Cyber Efforts
• Pentagon Should Take Downsizing Lessons From Private Sector
• With End of Shuttle Program, Pentagon Worried about Aerospace Industrial Base
• Boeing Official Says Costs on Track in Air Force Tanker Plans
• Trade Group Warns Big Defense Cuts Worsen Economy
• EADS: Too Big to Succeed?
• U.S. Drone Capabilities Drive New Global Rush
• Pentagon Acquisition Chief Wants End to ‘Self-Fund’ Effort on Alternate F-35 Engine
• Shell Companies Set Up Shop to Dupe the Pentagon

June 2011

• U.S. Military Plans to Keep Stealth and Robotic Edge Despite $400 Billion in Cuts
• Boeing Sees a Growth Market in Cyber Protection
• Senators Urge China to Help Track Source of Fake Weapons Parts
• Boeing Executive Worried about U.S. Aerospace Industry’s Future
• China Aircraft Carrier Nears Launch
• India's Software Exports to the Aerospace Industry Taking Off
• The Pentagon’s Framework on How and When Forces Can Engage in Cyber Warfare
• U.S. Defense Contractors Besieged by Cyber Theft

May 2011

• China’s New Rich Help Propel Private Jet Market, but Regulations Slow Growth
• Pentagon Encouraged by Wall Street Take on Aerospace and Defense Stocks
• GE’s ‘Green’ Engine Looks to Add Efficiencies for Military Jets
• White House Plans National Standards for Cyber Security
• Ever-shrinking, Flying, ‘Nano Birds’ Recast the Battlefield
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• European Agency Proposes Inspection of 170 Airbus Jets
• Secret Stealth Helicopter Involved in Mission to Kill bin Laden?
• Defense Department Officials: Declining Budget Will Not Hurt Industrial Base
• Boeing, Lockheed Martin Lose Bids to Supply Jets to India

April 2011

• Defense Department Plans to Rent Space for Military Cargo on Satellites
• U.S. Air Force to Launch New Helicopter Competition
• Defense Department to Focus on Price During Contract Talks
• China's Private Jet Market Taxiing for Takeoff
• Pentagon Seeks Role in Defending U.S. Civilian Cyberspace
• Jet Engine Maker Sees Business Booming
• Cost Sinks F-22 Raptor Data Upgrade
• Two Chinese Nationals Accused of Conspiring to Break Export Controls
• Boeing CFO Says Pentagon Will Get Exactly What It Ordered, Nothing More
• Pentagon Demands an End to Alternate Engine's Construction

March 2011

• Pentagon Looking for ‘Good Enough’ Systems
• Japan Earthquake Exposes Weakness in Aerospace Supply Chain
• Generator Failure During Test Flight Grounds F-35 Fighter Fleet
• Chinese Aviation Company Seeks Business Jet Partners
• DARPA Gave Big Contract to Chief’s Family Firm
• Taiwan Spy Case Endangers Sale of Advanced U.S. Weapons
• Federal Agencies Keeping Spotty Past Performance Records on Contractors
• Bombardier Lands $6.7 Billion Deal with NetJets

February 2011

• Pentagon Plans $500 Million Seed Capital for Cyber Technologies Collaboration
• House Votes to Kill F-35 Alternate Engine Program
• General Scolds Defense Contractors
• Pentagon Okay with Defense Mergers outside Largest Contractors
• Aging Tankers Wasteful, Says General
• U.S. Ends High-tech Export Restrictions to India
• Air Force Says Mix-up Did Not Provide Unfair Advantage in Tanker Bid

January 2011

• China’s Stealth Design Cribbed from Downed U.S. Jet?
• Airbus Tanker Loses Chunk of Refueling Boom in Midair Accident
• Lawmakers Counter Gates on Proposed Cuts to Marine Vehicle
• Military Cyber Operations Not Disclosed in Report to Congress
• New Pentagon Budget to Extend Air Capabilities
• Russia and India Sign Economic and Defense Pacts   
• Senate to Investigate DoD's Data Gaffe in Controversial Tanker Competition

December 2010

• With its F-22s Corroding, Attention Focuses on Lockheed’s F-35
• Airlines Begin to Assess Impact of Boeing 787 Delays
• DOE Report: U.S. Vulnerable to Rare Earth Shortage
• Boeing Tests New Spy Drone
• Supplier Provided Shoddy Metal for Navy Submarines
• Analyst: Boeing Slipping Behind Airbus in Tanker Bid
• Air Force Tests Alternative Fuels on UAVs
• Small Companies with Little Expertise Win Huge Contracts without Competitive Bidding

November 2010

• Air Force Warns Troops about Location-awareness Services on Social Networking Sites
• China Rushing to Develop Drones
• Aerospace Investors Contemplate Long-term Risk
• Veterans Running Businesses
• Air Force Has No Set Schedule for Next-gen Long-range Bomber
• Defense Undersecretary Sees Military Spending at Risk
• Boeing to Start Production of New Generation of Apache
• New Rivals Chip Away at Boeing and Airbus Duopoly

October 2010

• Business Jet Travel Headed Toward Recovery
• India Defense on Spending Spree to Replace Aging Soviet-era Fighter Jets, Transport Planes
• U.S. general suggests a compromise for GE, Rolls F-35 alternate engine controversy
• Financial Disclosure for Military Mentors Called a Necessary Step
• Solar Energy to Power Marines Headed to War
• JFCOM Cuts a Preview of the Budget Battles Ahead
• Defense Backing Democratic Incumbents
• China Dominates "Rare Earths" Mining
• Are You Ready for a “Horse Saddle” Commercial Flight Seat?
• Quick Analysis: Preparing for Gates’ Successor

September 2010

• Northrop Drone Cost Increase Unacceptable
• U.S. Army on a Hiring Spree to Bulk Up Its Contracting Workforce
• Tanking Global Economy Slows American Arms Sales
• Military Leadership Tips Gleaned from the Business World
• Coming Soon to U.S. Air Force Screens: HD
• Iraq to Buy $13 Billion in U.S. Arms, Equipment
• A Quick Turnaround to Defend U.S. Helicopters in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Defense, Energy Departments Clash over Wind Power

August 2010

• Pentagon Warning: Chinese Recruiting Civilian Hackers to Attack U.S. Networks
• Saudi Arabia Said to Buy $60 Billion in U.S. Weapons
• Gates Takes On Three Controversial Pentagon Targets
• U.S. Forces Embrace Social Media
• Boeing may benefit from Lockheed's F-35 delays
• Air Force Commander in Europe Warns of Over-reliance on Drones
• Entrenched Pentagon Procurement Culture Leads to Miscommunication
• Several F-35 Parts Failing

July 2010

• Experts Stumped in Attempting to Form Public/Private Partnership to Thwart Cyber Attacks
• Innovating on the Fly and over the Battlefield
• Security Experts Fall Head-Over-Heels for Security Threat
• Pentagon Weakens Disclosure Rule for Senior Mentors
• Joint Strike Fighter Testing
• Conflict of Interest
• Spending on Weapons to Grow Despite Overall Defense Cuts
• Lockheed Martin Adapts to Meet New Pentagon Rules on Conflict of Interest
• White House Announces New Space Policy
• Best Practices for Implementing New Technologies

June 2010

• Drones to Become More Bird-like
• Open Source Android Phone Likely Winner over iPhone in Defense Market
• Pentagon Procurement Process: Fair and Transparent in Tanker Deal, Pentagon Says
• New Technologies Seek to Make IEDs Obsolete
• Boeing to Bid for Presidential Helicopter Fleet Contract
• Looking at Small Business Lessons for Big Changes at the Pentagon
• France Late on $2.2 Billion in Payments to Companies
• Defense Contracts: Winner Should Take It All

May 2010

• DoD Proposes Defending Private Sector Systems
• China's New Jet Fighter Ready by 2018
• Surveillance Blimps Heading to Afghanistan
• Recall of 44,00 Combat Helmets Follows Two Investigations
• The U.S. Navy Announces New Acquisition Principles
• Gates Called ‘Gutsy’
• Rolls-Royce and G.E. Offer to Cut Price to Build Alternate F-35 Engines
• Pentagon Confirms Giving Two $1.4 Billion No-bid Fuel Contracts to Alleged Shady Companies

April 2010

• New Weaponry Era Dawns with Unmanned Space Vehicles
• Pentagon Launches Study on Adaptation
• EADS to Enter Bid in Tanker Competition
• Quick Analysis: Fixed-price Contracting Heading to Space
• Going Green to Save U.S. Military $1.6 Billion Over Time
• The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Returns to Its Innovative Roots
• Gates Sets Limits for Military 'Mentors'
• More Weapons Programs to Get JET Scrutiny
• U.S., French Presidents Enter Tanker Competition Controversy
• Despite Legal Hurdle, U.S. Looks to Export Drone Technology to Allies

March 2010

• U-2 Spy Jet Close to Retirement but Still Useful
• Clearing Skies: Boeing Anticipates an Increase in Demand
• Will the Pentagon Extend Tanker Deadline?
• Global Arms Trade Continues to Rise despite Recession
• Pentagon Proposes Network Security Regulation for Contractors
• Northrop Grumman Drops out of Tanker Competition
• The Competition Is in High Gear to Woo Northrop Grumman
• Defense Budget Contrast: Europe Lowers Funding, While India Announces Record Spending

February 2010

• Air Force Official: Despite Delay, Joint Strike Fighter Needs Will Be Met
• War Game Exposes Lack of U.S. Cyber-Crisis Coordination
• Leadership Changes for Defense Subcommittee
• Hacker Gets a Leading DARPA Job
• Pentagon Seeking Offensive Cyber Capabilities
• U.S. Defense Department Unveils 30-year Aviation Plan
• Sikorsky Venture to Build Unmanned Helicopters
• For the First Time, China Threatens Sanctions Against U.S. Defense Contractors

January 2010

• U.S. Army Wish List Includes Big Items for Afghanistan War Effort
• The Benefits of Defense Companies Clustering around Washington, D.C.
• Lockheed Martin F-35 Flew Just 10% of Planned 2009 Tests
• Flexible Weapons Key to U.S. Navy's Future Success
• DARPA to Build Simulation to Defend Against Cyber Attacks
• Leaked Budget Plans Hint at JSF Program Restructuring
• As Cyber Attacks Increase, Private Companies Outbid Government for Cyber-defenders
• Gates Orders Review of Conflict of Interest by Retired Senior Military Mentors

December 2009

• Tight Credit Is Choking Many Small Suppliers
• To Avoid Airbus A400M Contract Problems, Turn to "Performance-based Contracting"
• "Bunker buster" Bomb Delayed
• U.S.-Russia to Discuss Cyber Security
• Software Code Source of Tension for F-35 Sales
• The "Beast of Kandahar" Has Been Unmasked
• Wisconsin Incentives Seal the Deal for the Pentagon
• Pentagon: WTO Decision against Airbus Should Not Be a Factor in Tanker Competition
• The Challenge Of Succeeding A Successful Chief Executive

November 2009

• Small Projects Get More Funding from the Pentagon
• ‘New Era’ of Performance-based Reimbursements Begins at Defense Department
• The F-35 Is Behind Schedule and Faces Cost Overruns
• Defense Department Is Now Using Wikis for Sensitive Information
• South Africa Deals a Blow to Airbus A400M
• Work to Preserve the Innovative Fervor of a Start-up after an Acquisition
• Air Force Readies for the Gorgon Stare
• Pentagon Eyes Crash Analysis on 1,300 Satellites

October 2009

• Security Experts Worried about Military Chips from Offshore
• RFID Tracks Military Supplies
• U.S. Woos India to Get Onboard for American Transport Aircrafts
• Congressional Budget Office Projects Rising Defense Costs
• Pay for What You Get: Putting Performance-based Contracting to the Test
• Authorization Bill Is a Clear Sign of Refocused Military Priorities
• Pentagon Weapons Buyer Considers More Fixed-Price Contracts
• U.S. Army Pushing for an R&D Budget to Improve Body Armor
• Contest for Refueling Tanker Heats Up Once Again
• Soldiers in Afghanistan Say MRAPs Have Their Weak Points
• The Rise of Robotics in Warfare
• French Arms Sales Spike

September 2009

• The Air Force Wins Back Control of Tanker Bids
• Small Inventions with Big Impact Recognized by the Army
• Navy Raises Fuel efficiency with a Hybrid Electric Ship
• Defense Industry to Face Shortage of Key Materials
• Boeing Engineers Cite Time Spent Fixing Errors in Outsourced Work
• Personal Cooling Units Work to Reduce Heat
• Boeing's Commercial Airplane Division Faces a Major Shake-up
• With Kennedy's Passing, New England Defense Industry Loses a Major Supporter

August 2009

• Without Software, Britain's Chinook Helicopter Fleet Idled
• Middle Eastern Countries to Spend More Than $100 Billion on Arms over Five Years
• Procurement Cuts to Pay for Troop Increase
• U.S. Army to Unveil Modernization Plans That Replace Its Canceled Future Combat System
• New Hand-held Device Identifies Targets Three Miles Away
• Classified Acquisition Budget Hits $36 Billion
• Boeing Unveils Sub-hunting Poseidon Jet
• 2008 Shows Decline in Arms Exported by U.S.

July 2009

• Senate Votes to Slash Funding for Alternate F-35 Jet Engine
• Airbus A400M Development Problems Should Have Been Expected
• Raytheon to Redesign Tomahawk Cruise Missile to Strike Moving Targets
• As the Pentagon Shifts Spending Priorities, Some Defense Contractors Gain While Others Lose
• Auto Law Firms Tap Defense Business
• India Considers Raising the Limit on Foreign Direct Investment for Defense
• Aging Satellites Could Weaken GPS Signal
• Cyber Attacks Target White House, Pentagon and South Korean Government Agencies
• Huge Orders for Jet Fighters May Force Consolidation for Contractors
• Boeing Takes Hit on Two Fronts
• Innovation: Sometimes It Takes a Village

June 2009

• Quick Analysis: The Repercussions of the Litigious Tanker Competition
• Congress Wants A Better Tracking System for Weapons Supplied to Pakistan, Afghanistan
• Low-cost Warplanes See Rising Popularity
• Space Junk on Defense Department’s Radar
• UVAs Join the War against Drugs
• Military Spending Sets New Record
• The Push to Expand Defense Acquistion Workforce
• Navy Defends Aviation Orders

May 2009

• Obama Announces Strategy to Thwart Cyber Attacks
• Cancellation Costs for President's Copter Likely to Soar
• India Invites Bids to Replace Its Aging Soviet-era Helicopter Fleet
• Gates Says Next-Generation Bomber Might Be Unmanned
• U.S. Air Force Selects Base for Its New Cyber Command Center
• Army Steers towards New Combat Vehicle
• Hard Drive Purchased on eBay Revealed Highly Sensitive Missile Launch Procedure
• New Consensus Security Audit Guidelines
• Military Wants More Armored Vehicles in Afghanistan to Deal with Road-side Bombs
• Navy to Focus on Cybersecurity by Protecting Undersea Internet Cables
• Pentagon Funds a $400M Blimp Project

April 2009

• Measure to Fight War Profiteering Moves to Full Senate
• Pentagon Seeks to Shrink Weapons
• Air Force Might Control Cargo Aircraft Program
• Gates Urges Movement on Arms Buyer Nomination
• Rival Contractors Agree to Work Together on Stealth Destroyer
• High-tech Cocaine-loaded Mini-subs
• Senator Levin Considers Defense Exec Pay Cuts
• Military Has Alaska in Its Target for Synthetic Fuel Project
• Airbus Military Transport Plane Might Get Its Wings Clipped
• Making Robots More Like Us

March 2009

• Cybersecurity Ringing Alarm Bells
• Northrop Advance Brings Era of Laser Gun Closer
• Canceling Marine One? Perhaps Not
• Storing Heavy Equipment in the Gulf Region
• Obama Seeks to Delay Tanker, Cancel Bomber, but Lawmakers Insist They Are a Priority
• Body Armor Making Marines Too Slow
• Severe and Persistent Delays Might Lead to A400M Airbus Order Cancellations
• Army Seeks to Update Its Electronic Warfare Capabilities

February 2009

• Defense Budget to Scrutinize Weapons Development Costs and Schedules
• Pentagon Tester Questions U.S. Missile Defense Effectiveness
• Fixing the Weapon Systems Acquisition Pipeline
• GAO: Lost U.S. Weapons Might Be Slipping into Taliban Hands
• India Hikes Defense Spending by 24 Percent
• GAO: DoD Must Assess How Efficiently It Uses Service Contractors
• Aerospace Companies Vie for Contracts in Indian Air Show
• Top Arms Buyer: Sharing Tanker Contract Is a Bad Idea
• New Vehicles Being Built to Meet Afghan Terrain's Challenges

January 2009

• U.S. Military Hopes to Be Energized by Alternative Fuels
• Military Seeks Help from Biometrics to Secure Domestic Bases
• Thrift-store MP3 Player Exposes Data on U.S. Soldiers and Equipment in Afghanistan
• DoD to Standardize UAV Data Transmission
• Defense Companies Pitch Jobs to Protect Projects
• Wharton Aerospace Conference
• The Software Challenge: Balancing Costs and Security Risks
• U.S. Army Has $3.6 Billion in Excess Spare Parts
• Top U.S. Naval Officer Calls for an Increase in Fleet Size
• The Cost of Cleaning Up After the Navy's "Electronic Spillage"
• Defense Spending May Come to the Rescue of the Economy
• Brazil’s $12 Billion in Military Purchases from France Aimed at Building an Arms Industry
• Pentagon Reduces Guidelines, Contract Amount for Communications Satellites

December 2008

• FAA Approves Construction of World’s First Commercial Spaceport
• New Design Hopes to Challenge Osprey's Vertical-Horizontal Capabilities
• A $27 Billion Amphibious Vehicle Program Must Pass Critical Test to Survive
• Despite Economic Turbulence, U.S. Aerospace Industry Shows Resilience
• Balancing the Pentagon's Focus Between Conventional and Non-Conventional Warfare
• Reforming the Procurement Process
• Northrop Loses Bargaining Chip in Refueling Tanker Competition
• Opening Doors but Hiding Conflicts of Interest

November 2008

• Navy Calls for New Air Fleet in Hawaii
• Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Urges More Weapons Flexibility
• Pentagon to Reduce Procurement of Unmanned Aerial Craft by a Third over the Next Decade
• EADS to Outsource Components, Systems and Software to Indian Suppliers
• A View From Above: Chertoff Proposes Role for Government
• Influential Defense Business Board Recommends Cuts to Large Weapons Programs
• Rising Disaster Relief Missions Offer the Industry a New Marketing Opportunity
• Moonstruck: What Will India's Lunar Mission Achieve?
• The Ray Gun Is No Longer Science Fiction
• Defense Spending Cuts Coming with the Economic Downturn

October 2008

• Survey: Regulation Compliance Now the Top Priority for California Aerospace and Defense Manufacturers
• Decisions on Controversial Defense Contracts on Hold until Next Administration
• Military R&D: Hits and Misses
• Continuing Strike Grounds Boeing Profits
• Defense Contractors Look for New Markets
• Counterfeit Chips Threaten Weapons System Failures
• New Article: Outsourcing in Defense and Aerospace
• John McCain on Cost-Plus Contracting

September 2008

• Defense in Times of Economic Distress
• Welcome

Podcasts

• A View from Above: Mark H. Ronald, management consultant, Business Consulting LLC
• A View from Above: Rob Mullins, Senior Vice President, ATK
• A View from Above: Steve Gaffney, chairman and CEO, DynCorp International
• A View from Above: Gerard DeMuro of General Dynamics
• A View From Above: Roei Ganzarski of Boeing

More

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