FARNBOURGH AIR SHOW: When Lockheed Martin bumped North Grumman’s Disgtributed Aperture System from the F-35 program in favor one offered by Raytheon, analysts were shocked. it largely drove Northrop out of a significant segment of the electro-optical sensor market and was believed to significantly reduce the company’s revenue over the life of the F-35. Greg… Keep reading →

Northrop Grumman was pushed aside today by Lockheed Martin as it picked Raytheon to build perhaps the F-35’s most important sensor, the Distributed Aperture System. “It’s a major upset,” Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said when I asked him to discuss the decision.

“I’d say six to seven years to essentially work out the Concept of Operations (and) develop the capabilities,” Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves told the Senate.

AUSA: Bell Helicopter’s exhibit at this week’s Association of the United States Army convention includes a full-scale mockup of the V-280 Valor, the new tiltrotor the company is building. From the outside, it sure looks like a close cousin of the V-22 Osprey. Under the skin, the V-280 seems a lot more like a prop-driven F-35. The… Keep reading →