Today's Top News

• Blakey: Sequestration would put severe-weather warnings at risk
  Polar-orbiting weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will lose critical funding if government sequestration cuts are allowed to go forward, and that threatens Americans' safety in severe weather, writes Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "We can't afford to let severe budget cuts take weather forecasting back to the Dark Ages. NOAA satellites save lives and money at a time when our weather is becoming more and more volatile," she writes. The Birmingham News (Ala.) (7/29)     

Defense

• U.S. export-reform plan is on track, White House says
  A new export-control strategy that will make it easier for U.S. defense firms to sell products oversees is nearing the finish line, a White House official says. The list will shrink the number of products that defense firms are banned from exporting overseas, says Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. The Hill/DEFCON Hill blog (7/27)     

• Pentagon eyes "mini-sequester" and other plans
  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is considering four possible plans to cope with sequestration cuts, including a "mini-sequester" that puts into place the first years of budget cuts but delays the rest. Panetta outlined the scenarios with defense CEOs during a meeting last week. Defense News (7/29)     

• Overseas arms sales get help from U.S. government
  Defense firms got a helping hand from the federal government this year, as its advocacy helped expand foreign arms sales, said Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. U.S. defense firms have seen increasing demand in Asia and the Middle East for their products. Reuters (7/27)     

• EADS posts strong Q2 earnings, raises full-year outlook
  European aerospace firm EADS says it expects full-year earnings of 2.7 billion euros for the full year, up from its previous guidance of 2.5 billion, with expectations buoyed by strong second-quarter revenue and earnings. The company saw revenue climb 12% in the quarter and posted earnings of 461 million euros, up from 121 million euros a year earlier, driven by strong commercial deliveries of its Airbus jet and by higher prices. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (7/27), Bloomberg Businessweek (7/27)     

• Other News

• Sequestration could force loss of additional 100,000 troops
  Air Force Times (free registration) (7/26)     

• Defense cuts are becoming a major issue in November elections
  The Hill/DEFCON Hill blog (7/28)     

• U.S. Cyber Command chief: Key U.S. infrastructure is under increasing cyberattack
  The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (7/26)     

• Sequestration threat doesn't boost defense-lobby spending
  The Hill/DEFCON Hill blog (7/27)     

Commercial Aviation

• NTSB is investigating Boeing 787 engine issue
  The National Transportation Safety Board is probing a Boeing jet that experienced engine issues during preflight testing Saturday at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. "[W]e are unaware of any operational issue that would present concerns about the continued safe operation of in-service 787s powered by GE engines," Boeing stated. "However, should the investigation determine a need to act, Boeing has the processes in place to take action and will do so appropriately." Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)/The Associated Press (7/29), Airwise/Reuters (7/30)     

Featured Content

Space

• Space launch system passes critical review
  The launch system that will send NASA's Orion spacecraft into orbit has passed a key review and is now moving to the design phase. NASA's Space Launch System Program has cleared reviews that set the system's requirements, 10 months after the program was started. United Press International (7/27)     

• Curiosity adjusts flight path for Mars landing
  NASA Mars rover Curiosity corrected its course Sunday to put it on the path for a landing near the base of Mount Sharp next week. NASA expects the fine-tuning to be the last required before the rover lands on Mars and begins a two-year study of the planet. Spaceflight Now (7/29)     

• Other News

• Air Force is moving forward on Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, GAO says
  Aerospace Daily & Defense Report (7/27)     

• Air Force awards $339M satellite contract to Boeing
  Reuters (7/27)     

AIA Releases New Report Predicting Widespread American Job Losses: A new economic impact analysis concludes that 2.14 million American jobs could be lost as the Budget Control Act's sequestration mandate on January 2, 2013 approaches. Cuts of $1.2 trillion will begin to take effect if Congress and the administration do not find a solution.

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AIA dailyLead® readers in the past week.

• United Technologies will sell Hamilton Sundstrand for $3.46B (Bloomberg)

• All Nippon Airways removes 5 Dreamliners from active service (Los Angeles Times)

• Outlook dims for quick sequestration solution, observers say (The Hill)

• Air Force identifies F-22 fix; Pentagon allows flights (The Hill)

• Department of Defense could lay off civilians, Pentagon says (The Hill)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

AIA News

• New report predicts widespread American job losses -- government employees, teachers, nurses among at-risk workers
  A new economic impact analysis concludes that 2.14 million American jobs could be lost if the Budget Control Act's sequestration mandate takes effect on January 2, 2013. That is the date that budget cuts of $1.2 trillion start throughout government unless Congress and the administration agree on a solution. Read more.     

• Defense Industrial Base Task Force Meets with Secretary Panetta
  Joint Statement by AIA, NDIA and PSC. Leaders of the defense industrial base task force, organized by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Defense Industrial Association and the Professional Services Council met with Secretary Panetta and senior members of his acquisition and budget team to discuss the severe consequences of sequestration on our industrial base and national security. Read more.     

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