LOCATIONS
LAND
18 Sep 12. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall opened the new Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) in Headley Court. This is a brand new £16.9m Complex, fully funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which will also feature an Activities of Daily Living flat where patients can learn to live independently. The Complex includes a new state-of-the-art therapy building with a second prosthetics department, radiology department and open plan gym to ensure that injured personnel continue to receive world-class medical care and rehabilitation. In addition to the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Mark Francois, the opening will also be attended by serving personnel and veterans who competed in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
MARITIME
18 Sep 12. The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of its newest amphibious transport dock ship, the future USS Anchorage (LPD 23), from Huntington Ingalls Industries in Avondale, La., Sept. 17. Anchorage is the seventh ship in the LPD 17 San Antonio class. Accepting delivery of Anchorage represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy and is a major milestone in the ship’s transition to operational status. After completion of acceptance trials in July, the shipbuilder performed corrections of deficiencies noted during trials. Anchorage went to sea Sept. 12-13, to confirm satisfactory completion of corrections. The commissioning ceremony is planned for next spring in its namesake city of Anchorage, Alaska. LPD 23 is the second ship in U.S. Navy history to be named for the largest city in Alaska. (Source: ASD Network)
AIR
17 Sep 12. Rolls-Royce and the US Air Force are conducting flight tests for an enhancement for the T56 turboprop engine, which powers the C-130H transport aircraft. The Series 3.5 Engine Enhancement is designed to deliver fuel savings and reliability improvements, resulting in improved life cycle costs. The first C-130H test aircraft began flying recently at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The Series 3.5 Engine Enhancement has already demonstrated greater than 8 percent fuel burn improvement in ground tests, using proven technologies from other Rolls-Royce commercial and military engines, including new blade and vane materials and advanced turbine airfoil aerodynamic designs. The Series 3.5 will also improve performance in ‘hot and high’ conditions.
19 Sep 12. Indonesia takes delivery of first two Airbus Military C295 aircraft. Indonesia has taken delivery of two Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft ordered in February this year. The aircraft are the first of nine to be delivered to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence under the terms of a contract signed by Airbus Military and PT Dirgantara
Indonesia (PT DI). The delivery took place in the Airbus Military San Pablo site in Seville, where the C295 final assembly line is located, at a ceremony attended by the Indonesian Vice Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Airbus Military Vice President Head of Programmes Light & Medium and Derivatives, Rafael Tentor. The aircraft will be operated by the Indonesian Air Force and known in service as the CN295. It will perform a wide variety of roles including military, logistical, humanitarian and medical evacuation missions throughout the huge territory of Indonesia, which includes around 17,000 islands. The delivery of the ninth and last aircraft ordered is scheduled for summer
2014.
18 Sep 12. The US Army is set to take delivery of the final two UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters under contract from Sikorsky Aircraft by the end of this month, for transfer to the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV). Delivery of the three aircraft will allow the Swedish Armed Forces to deploy three aircraft to Afghanistan in April 2013, in support of the country’s commitment to International Security Assistan