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The article deals with the flight of the U.S. Air Force's stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the RQ-170 Sentinel from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works over Afghanistan in 2007. It describes the design and features of the RQ-170 UAV. It is said that the aircraft has been created to prevent the application of sensitive technologies. Also noted is the potential use of such aircraft for information gathering on missile tests and multispectral intelligence when flying along the borders of Iran, China and Pakistan.

The article offers updates on the U.S. Navy's EP-X competition. Boeing is developing a design for the P-8A patrol aircraft for the competition to replace the U.S. Navy's aging EP-3E aircraft. Other aircraft designs set for the EP-X include the EA-18G Growler, which is specialized for electronic attack and the Australian Wedgetail for airborne early warning and control. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman would also compete for the EP-X contract.

This article reports that establishing a KC-135 replacement plan in the wake of the defunct KC-767 lease proposal is going to take longer than first thought and could engulf Boeing, EADS, Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. Two studies are likely to influence the Pentagon's direction — an analysis of alternatives on replacing the KC-135s and a refueling needs study. Both are about to wrap up, but Air Force acquisition chief Marvin Sambur says determining a path ahead "could take a while." Northrop Grumman officials appear split internally. Some company officials are eager to partner with EADS, a company with which Northrop Grumman already has extensive relations. However, others think a tanker offering wouldn't be a good fit from a business perspective, and the backlash from Congress could outweigh any benefits from a few orders.

The article discusses the Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) program of the U.S. Navy, technology that will allow for electronic attacks on enemy air defenses. The Navy is said to have requested ideas for near-term achievable technology from industry in advance of issuing a request for proposals or a list of specifications. Two aspects of the NGJ involve pod designs for the Navy's Boeing EA-18G Growler and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Operation of the NGJ technology is explained including evaluation of what enemy sensors detect regarding a U.S. attack plane and how those sensors can be controlled.

The article reports on the integration and commonality of digital sensors among operational forces of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force in response to low-altitude and small-arms fire. In 2009, a competition was launched to design, build and demonstrate prototypes of the Joint and Allied Threat Awareness System to protect Navy and Marine Corps helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft. The competitors are Lockheed Martin and the team of Alliant Techsystems and BAE Systems.

The article focuses the issues facing Lockheed Martin's production of F-22 aircraft in the U.S. The problem confronting the company is that Raptor backing is splintered and senior Pentagon acquisition officials want to shut down production to cut defense spending. Another issue is that some of the Joint Strike Fighters will cost more than the $142 million it takes to buy a Raptor. Furthermore, the secrecy-obscured question of just how good the F-22 is as an air-to-air combat design remains unanswered.

This article reports that Israel plans to keep its aerial domination of the Middle East intact, and that includes buying Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, accelerating its first deliveries, and deciding whose advanced equipment will be packed into the stealthy strike aircraft. A senior Israeli air force (IAF) official says those major areas of concern appear to be on the right track because of an "understanding" with the U.S. officials. But Israel's ambitions to integrate indigenous weaponry pose some problems for the program.

The article reports that the production of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s stealth fighter lines may be interrupted by unfriendly congressional funding and poor export prospects of F-22. The chances of securing congressional approval of a three-year contract for a batch of 60 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors continues to be bleak. U.S. Senate heavyweights remain ranged against the F-22 multiyear purchase , as also Japan accepting the price structure of the F 22 aircrafts.

The article reports that autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles are seen by Australian military planners as fundamental to the nation's network-centric, warfighting capabilities beyond 2020. Lockheed Martin Corp. designed Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) in order to field a stealthy, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. It is expected that the unmanned combat air vehicle would have intelligence-gathering capabilities much like the JSF, which carries an extensive set of sensitive digital receivers for electronic surveillance.

The article reports that Boeing Co. is polishing the design of an EP-3-replacement signals intelligence aircraft for use by the U.S. Navy and possibly for the export market. Moreover, the airframe builder believes the new airplane could appeal across service lines, perhaps to the U.S. Air Force, which some Pentagon critics contend is not focusing on keeping its lead in state-of-the-art intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. Raytheon Co. has designed and built Britain's Astor ground surveillance aircraft from Bombardier's Global Express. The 737-derivative sigint aircraft is being presented in response to the death of the Army/Navy ACS contract, a product of Lockheed Martin Corp.

This article focuses on a new wave of concepts that has emerged from the U.S. Air Force quest for unmanned Hunter-Killer aircraft. But most of the aerospace industry's responses, from Northrop Grumman, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Aurora Flight Sciences and Lockheed Martin, remain shrouded in mystery. Northrop Grumman aggressively spun up two designs, an unmanned version of Scaled Composites' Proteus research aircraft and a smaller, Global Hawk look-alike. Aurora Flight Sciences and Israel Aircraft Industries teamed on an armed version of a turboprop twin-boom, 8,500-lb.

Reports on the claims being made by Lockheed Martin and Boeing regarding the flight test programs for the Joint Strike Fighter competition in the United States. Eyeing of the Pentagon's aircraft contract; Potential aircraft sales; Capabilities of Lockheed Martin's X-35B; Strengths of the direct-thrust propulsion system of Boeing's X-32.

Reports that Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co.'s DarkStar unmanned aerial vehicle has completed two phases of taxi test. Versatility of the aircraft; Ballistic missile intercept flatform.

Reports that Lockheed Martin is seeking international partners to develop a family of transport/tanker aircraft for the 21st century. The company producing a range of futuristic designs to meet the expected demand; How the transport/tanker market is shifting; The United States to require a new generation airlifter in the 2007-15 time frame; Lockheed Martin discussing its proposals with potential partners in Asia and Europe.

Looks at the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition, as of November 1996. How the outcome of the competition will affect the Pentagon's strategy to infuse commercial practices into military aircraft design and development; Lockheed Martin's design representing the more conservative, low-risk approach; Why Boeing and McDonnell Douglas were considered riskier; The confidence of the Pentagon in Boeing; The JSF program as a test for the defense industry.

The article focuses on the specification of the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 unmanned stealth aircraft that replaces the Next-Generation Bomber of the U.S. Air Force for Afghanistan. Features include lasers and devices that produce microwaves, electronic invasion of networks that link tactical weapons and the ability to attack enemy sensors for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). It is said that the new aircraft reflects the lessons learned from the war. Lieutenant General Dave Deptula notes that RQ-17 is about fast assimilation of data.

The article reports on China's recent announcement that a Chinese fighter of nominally the same technology generation as the Lockheed Martin F-22, will soon enter flight testing, and a jet airlifter larger than the Airbus A400M will be unveiled by end of 2009. China's fighter announcement mocks a previous statement of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that China would have no fifth-generation fighters by 2020. The aircraft is almost certainly designed for supersonic cruise without afterburning.

The article reports on the political tension that arise in the U.S. Congress and Senate over the Lockheed Martin-led F-22 Raptor program. The Congress, for one, has expressed its persistent support for the F-22 program. But the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have remained divided over the issue of earmarking funds for the program. Despite this, several senior Democratic defense appropriators still supported the Raptor program with production of 20 additional aircraft and retention of the Lockheed production line for another thee years.

The article focuses on the designs developed by several companies for the EP-X aircraft, the U.S. Navy's replacement for the aging EP-3E Aries II signals and communications surveillance aircraft. The proposed design would include a large-aperture AESA radar that would grant the aircraft network-centric warfare and esoteric field of information operation capabilities. The competitors mentioned include Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

The article looks at issues concerning a clause in Lockheed Martin's F-22 contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The clause is expected to cost taxpayers $147 million and will be applied if production of the Raptor is canceled because senior civilian defense officials refuse to spend congressional funds appropriated for the production of 20 additional aircraft. According to officials within the aerospace industry, it should not to be considered a penalty clause but part of the Tail-up section for any multi-year contract.

The article reports on the problems of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in fulfilling a number of contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense. Poor past performance at the company was cited as a key reason for its failed joint bid with prime contractor Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy's future maritime surveillance drone. Lockheed Martin/General Atomics protested the U.S. Navy's decision in late April 2008 to award the $1.6-billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) design contract to Northrop Grumman.

The article reports on the decision of the U.S. Navy to select a Northrop Grumman to design its new surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles. The decision appears to secure the company's foothold as that service's preferred unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provider. The April 22, 2008 announcement also stamped out Lockheed Martin's attempt, as a prime contractor for a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-derived design, to break into the Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV market.

The article offers information on the new VH-71 presidential helicopter. The helicopter will have classified capabilities as well as some slightly visible secrets. Program officials admit to it being hardened to electromagnetic pulses (EMP) generated by nuclear explosions. That threat points to one of the crucial capabilities of the AgustaWestland-designed VH-71 is its advanced Lockheed Martin communications system.

The article reports on the budget plan by the U.S. Department of Defense for fiscal 2009. The department's $515.4-billion request for fiscal 2009 will leave the successor of U.S. President George W. Bush with a host of unpaid bills and unanswered questions about the fate of some major acquisition programs. The budget request lacks funding to shut down the Lockheed Martin F-22 line as well as any seed money for future purchases.

The article discusses issues related to the plan of Boeing to launch future variants of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, followed with the promise of leap to what some now dub a sixth-generation combat aircraft. The company is continuing to push both the Super Hornet and the F-15 Eagle in the export arena and may be releasing some potential Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter markets. Options being considered are to further improve the Super Hornet's stealth characteristics in the forward hemisphere coupled with an increase in range.

The article reports that design is under way for new two-seat strike fighters and electronic-attack aircraft, which are quickly emerging as a combat necessity. Senior military officials say that new tandem designs, combined with advanced sensor packages and wideband data links, are at least doubling the capabilities of tactical aircraft. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are each either fielding or designing at least two new two-seat aircraft.

The article focuses on implications of the case filed by Lockheed Martin Corp., against its rival Boeing Co., for using stolen documents during a rocket competition nearly a decade ago. The U.S. Justice Department reached an agreement with Boeing last week to pay $615 million in penalties for its misdeeds, although it will not pursue criminal charges against the aerospace giant despite significant evidence in the document scandal and the company's illegal job negotiations with a former Air Force procurement official. Lockheed Martin last year agreed to drop the lawsuit if the government approves a plan to merge its and Boeing's rocket-making businesses. Both companies had been losing money on their Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle families, and combining operations would save money for the government and improve their business cases. While Lockheed Martin is eager to get the deal approved, Boeing is less anxious to agree to reduced pricing.

This article reports that Lockheed Martin Corp. is preparing to leap into the fray for the U.S. Army/Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft program with the first four-engine offering in what had been a contest between twin-engine designs. Meanwhile, Boeing Co. plans to announce an alliance with Alenia and L-3 Communications to market the C-27J in which Lockheed Martin also has a stake. With the deadline for replies to the request for proposals pushed back three weeks from the original date of May 17, Lockheed Martin planners will put forward a proposal for its C-130J short-fuselage variant, which can take advantage of the established training and logistics chain already in place as well as a program for biennial upgrades to cockpit avionics.

The article informs that the plans of the U.S. Air Force to replace the engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) are likely to suffer due to economic constraints. The General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 engine for the Lockheed Martin Corp.'s JSF was axed from the Pentagon's 2007 budget request, despite political and industrial efforts to keep the program on track. The decision leaves Pratt & Whitney Corp.'s F135 as the sole engine. British government and industry have allied with General Electric Co. in a lobbying effort to get the program back into the budget.

This article reports that the U.S. Army has opened a Pandora's box for the Pentagon's airborne signals intelligence community with its decision to terminate the Aerial Common Sensor program. Options emerging from the aerospace industry envision a package of common sensors and communications links that can be inserted into a wide variety of manned and unmanned aircraft that are chosen to meet requirements of individual organizations. After several weeks of discussions with Lockheed Martin Corp., Army leaders finally determined that changes essential to the Aerial Common Sensor program would be so fundamental, they couldn't continue with the current effort. Moreover, Army Program Executive Officer Edward T. Bair adds that the service will try to improve and standardize the RC-12 fleet, which has long been operating with different system standards.

The article reports that Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Skunk Works division is secretly developing a stealthy, long-endurance unmanned aircraft for penetrating deep inside hostile airspace to collect intelligence. The division is perceived as lagging rivals Boeing and Northrop Grumman Corp. in the unmanned aerial vehicle field. By early next year at the latest, the company is expected to announce that, with the U.S. Air Force's backing, it is building one or more demonstrators of what the Pentagon has newly designated as an unmanned aircraft system.

This article reports that Raytheon Co. is suing its partner, Lockheed Martin, on a lucrative U.S. Air Force ground-station contract after the latter announced its departure from the team to join forces with rival Northrop Grumman for the next increment of work. A U.S. district court judge in Alexandria, Virginia, already denied Raytheon's request for an injunction barring Lockheed Martin from working with Northrop Grumman on the Air Force's Distributed Common Ground Station. Raytheon accuses Lockheed Martin of breaching its 2003 teaming agreement and misappropriating trade secrets. But Raytheon argues in its complaint that its teaming arrangement with Lockheed Martin is exclusive.

The article reports that defense-spending cuts are compounded by threat of walkout by Lockheed Martin Corp. machinists. Lockheed Martin production of the F/A-22 and C-130J, as well as C-5 modifications, could survive a "matter of some weeks" without major disruption if employees go on strike March 8, 2005 as threatened, say company insiders. Parts and subassemblies in the supply line, as well as the efforts of salaried employees to keep production going, are expected to buy the company some time. Lockheed Martin officials have already communicated their strike-contingency plans to U.S. Air Force leadership.

This article reports that Lockheed Martin Corp. is bowing out as Alenia's co-prime contractor on the C-27J, but L-3 Communications has stepped in to pursue future light transport buys for the U.S. Army and Air Force that are expected to be worth more than $3.5 billion and perhaps twice that in 3-5 years across a world-wide market. The two companies have established a 50-50% joint venture, called Global Military Aircraft Systems, which is to become the prime contractor for any C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft sale in the North American market. Potential sales include 12-15 combination transport and search-and-rescue aircraft for Canada and another 120-140 small transports to reinvigorate the U.S. medium airlift capability.

This article discusses the investigation related to crash of the test aircraft F/A-22. Early analysis of the recent Lockheed Martin Corp. manufactured F/A-22 crash at Nellis AFB, Nevada is for the most part, producing theories of what did not cause the accident. The test did not involve flying with a heavy ferry-load of fuel, shifting the aircraft's center of gravity or taking off with insufficient speed. One early inquiry involved determining if there was an aircraft taking off on a parallel runway that could have produced a wake or vortices that affected the F/A-22.

The article presents information related to aeronautics in the U.S. Lockheed Martin Corp. designers are taking the wraps off four concepts they are offering to the U.S. Air Force to meet its requirements for an interim long-range strike platform to fit in between the B-2 and whatever will replace the 21 stealth bombers in the 2035 period. Pratt & Whitney Corp. officials say they arc testing derivative F119 engines both for new long-range strike and long-range reconnaissance aircraft concepts.

The article presents information on recent developments, from across the world, related to aviation. U.S. Air Force leaders plan to buy short takeoff F-35B Joint Strike Fighters to give better close air support to the Army and Marine Corps. The U.S. Air Force's top leaders say the service will buy several wings of the short takeoff/vertical landing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, following the news from Lockheed Martin Corp.'s engineers that the aircraft is shedding more than a ton of weight and gaining thrust.

Military plane manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Corp. halted testing of the engine it designed for the short takeoff/vertical landing version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, while partner Lockheed Martin Corp. juggled its management team. Senior U.S. Air Force officials are keeping up the pressure to stay with the F-35 program, however, by arguing that these new aircraft will allow them to reduce the Air Force's size. "I predict that we will be significantly smaller in the next 20 years than we are today but with the same capability or better," says Hal Homburg, chief of U.S. Air Combat Command.

The U.S. Navy's Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program will be in the spotlight this week as Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp., find out which company will supply the platform. However, several Pentagon officials in Virginia, insist that activities in the shadows hold the key to the program's success. The most important elements of MMA, say Pentagon intelligence officials, may turn out to be the products derived from the maritime patrol system, such as gathering enemy signals, analyzing communications networks and finding the weak links that allow computer attacks. The way network-centric warfare is to be fought will require large aircraft that can study enemy forces for many hours to capture the electronic fingerprints that reveal how computer systems, anti-aircraft defenses and mobile ballistic missile forces operate.

With long-term military budget cuts looming once again, the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin Corp., are finally talking about some of the F/A-22 Raptor's closely held secrets that they hope will keep the U.S. Congress paying for the $132-million stealth aircraft. While these conversations, many of them informal, didn't touch on "even one-third of its classified capabilities," according to one pilot, they included the ability to hunt down and destroy cruise missiles well behind enemy lines, the introduction of a new missile that allows the head-on attack and destruction of stealthy enemy missiles, a tailless bomber derivative design, a planned electronic attack capability so powerful that it actually damages enemy electronics, and modifications that would allow the aircraft's electronic package to invade enemy computer networks.

As a part of planning for the fiscal 2005 defense budget Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim has approved a proposal for a cut of 70 aircraft from the early purchases of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) and channelise funds for research and development. It is hoped that the axed aircraft would be reinserted elsewhere in the program, thereby maintaining the projected total at 2,443 aircraft. Companies like Northrop Grumman Corp. and Boeing, building prototypes for the Joint Unmanned Combat Aircraft System competition, view the slowdown with some relish since unmanned strike aircraft programs will provide competition for JSF during the manned aircraft's later production lots.

General Atomics Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp., teamed for the U.S. Navy's broad-area maritime surveillance unmanned aircraft competition, are set to upstage arch-rival Northrop Grumman Corp. by demonstrating a new vehicle next spring, perhaps as early as February. A version of Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk is not slated to conduct its demonstration until 2006 in a $150-million, the U.S. Navy-financed program. General Atomics and Lockheed Martin will use their own funding in a move calculated to put their competitor on the defensive.

Not a lot has been written about new products from the company Lockheed Martin Skunk Works during the last couple of years, but aerospace officials say the advanced projects company has produced prototypes of a classified, unmanned aerial vehicle, built strictly as an intelligence-gathering aircraft, that "has been used" operationally over Iraq. The aircraft is described by a U.S. Air Force official as a derivative of the "DarkStar" (Tier 3-minus) program that was canceled after the demonstration aircraft was test flown and then declared operationally unsuitable. The new Lockheed Martin Skunk Works unmanned aerial vehicle is "highly reliable," in part because of a much improved flight control system.

Focuses on plans of Lockheed Martin Corp. for demonstrating capabilities for low-observable aircraft on a test range near Edwards Air Force Base in California. Advantages of the demonstrations for designing combat aircraft; Application of Total Integrated Warfare demonstration in linking strategic, operational and tactical warfare levels; Features of the airborne electronic attack tests.

Reports the development of laser systems by Lockheed Martin to be used for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the AC-130 planes in the U.S. Joint venture of the company with Raytheon Co. in developing the lasers; Advantages of directed-energy weapons; Capability of laser weapons to engage in aerial and ground targets.

Reports the plans of the U.S. Air Force of purchasing missiles for the unmanned aircrafts. Plans of buying low-cost autonomous attack system from Lockheed Martin; Accuracy of the missile; Lethality of air defense weapons.

Focuses on the improvements in the Joint Strike Fighter stealth made by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. Demand for an increase radar reflection in all directions; Decrease the aircrafts signature and simplifying the maintenance; Elimination of low observability maintenance issues.

Reports on the short takeoff and vertical landing portion of Joint Strike Fighter flight tests. Stovl flight tests by Boeing and Lockheed Martin; Boeing's flight test program for its X-32B; Lockheed Martin's testing of its X-35.

Focuses on efforts to enhance the stealth capabilities of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and other combat aircraft in the United States as of April 23, 2001. Electro-optical target sensor developed by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for the JSF.

Reports on testing of the X-35C, Lockheed Martin's demonstrator for its United States Navy Joint Strike Fighter design. Comparison with the Air Force's version of the stealth strike aircraft; Initial test data.