* In Sight, which covers organized crime in the Americas, offers additional context to help make sense of the recent Super Tucano ("Drakos") loss in Colombia, and explains what's at stake if FARC's claim of a shoot-down is correct. * The recent series of intelligence...
USA Articles
ROVER Sics TacAir on Enemies
Start with this...(click to view full) "ROVER" (Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver) is an unimpressive piece of equipment. Mostly, it looks like a ruggedized laptop with antennas. But SpaceWar.com quotes Lt. Col. Gregory E. Harbin, of the 609th Combat...
Rapid Fire July 16, 2012: Droning On
* The American FAA has released thousands of pages of certification documents for UAV flights in civil airspace. They establish which organizations have sought permission, their specific drone models, where they fly, how often, and for how long. Hat tip: reader Jason...
Ascent’s Long-Term UKMFTS Contract for Military Flight Training
Hawk LIFT(click to view full) Back in October 2006, an $840 million contract for BAE's Hawk LIFT trainers aimed to provide advanced jet training for both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots, as part of the consolidated UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS). In...
Rapid Fire July 13, 2012: Birds With Clipped Wings
* HawkerBeechcraft has begun low-rate production of its own AT-6C FAC turboprop, "in response to significant indications of interest around the world." * Unlucky day yesterday for 2 Colombian EMB-314 Drakos (Super Tucano) pilots, whose light attack/ FAC(Forward Air...
Rapid Fire July 12, 2012: Thicker Deficits, Thinner Reports
Reports will be this thin The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its latest report [PDF] on long-term defense budgets (known as FYDP for short). Whether CBO wonks use their own projections or extend the FYDP beyond its 5-year span, they find that the Pentagon...
The DIA’s $5.6 Billion SITA-II Umbrella Contract
In July 2012, the "Virginia Contracting Activity" accepted 10 firms into the $5.6 billion "Solutions for Intelligence Analysis II" program. It succeeds the original December 2007 SITA contract, which consolidated over 30 different contracts under 1 umbrella. These...
Rapid Fire July 11, 2012: Next Generation Jammer TD RFP
* The US Navy's Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) finalized its Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) RFP to handle the Technology Development (TD) phase of the program, following Technology Maturation efforts that involved ITT, BAE, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. NGJ will...
Eurofighter’s Upgrades: Enough? In Time?
Future Typhoonweapons array?(click to view full) At the opening of the Farnborough 2012 defense exhibition, British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed the Eurofighter's future: "Typhoon's growth potential is huge and the four partner nations, Italy, Germany, Spain...

