The U.S. Navy’s shipboard Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) mobile radar suite—used to monitor and verify missile treaties and provide ballistic missile test data—has overcome programmatic delays and other problems but still faces more obstacles, according to the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). “The CJR program executed a compressed test schedule caused by programmatic complications and technical setbacks during the integration and developmental test,” DOT&E says.
CYBER CHIEF: U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Michael Rogers has been nominated to replace Gen. Keith Alexander as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the NSA and the chief of the Central Security Service. Rogers currently commands U.S. Fleet Cyber Command. This makes him the third person named Mike Rogers in a high-profile national security position. He joins lawmakers Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who leads the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who leads a House Armed Services panel on strategic forces.
NEW DELHI — India has decided to use its Russian-made Mi-17 V-5 helicopters to transport important political leaders during the ensuing election campaigns, after authorities truncated an order for 12 AgustaWestland AW101 VIP transport helos over alleged corruption charges.
Civil Air Patrol – the U.S. Air Force auxiliary and the largest single operator of Cessna piston aircraft – is adjusting its annual aircraft buy to acquire 11 Turbo 206 aircraft after the airframer stopped producing avgas-fueled 182T Skylanes. “The aircraft buy was impacted when Cessna discontinued production of its avgas-fueled 182T and [decided] to replace it with the Jet-A-fueled Turbo Skylane JT-A,” CAP said in its 2013 accomplishments review, posted recently on its website.
Pending anticipated second-quarter 2014 FCC certification of a new “Sat-Fi” device, Globalstar Inc. plans to offer worldwide voice and data satellite-transmission services through traditional Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops in the hands of users outside of cellular range.
While U.S. Navy officials have kicked off the development of their vaunted air and missile-defense radar (AMDR) and remain pleased about the proposed cost reduction anticipated for the program, the most recent report from the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) says more testing is needed for the system. The Navy also has to overcome test range limitations and prohibitions to properly assess AMDR, DOT&E says.
Engineers from two NASA field centers and the University of Texas have started subscale testing designed to ensure the acoustic loads generated by the planned heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) don’t damage the big rocket or its ground infrastructure during liftoff.
The U.S. could benefit from establishing a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) deployment hub in the Asia-Pacific region – possibly in Thailand, the Rand Corp. says in a recent report. “The United States could also consider predeploying assets in a permanent Southeast Asian HADR hub,” Rand says in its report, released earlier this month.
As the U.S. Navy readies the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer for its scheduled springtime christening, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander is anxiously awaiting the ship’s arrival and the other two from its class. “We’re committed to the Zumwalt coming to the Pacific, all of them,” Adm. Harry Harris tells the Aviation Week Intelligence Network. The ship will send a distinct message to the region about the U.S. commitment to the Asia-Pacific rebalance, he says.
Sabreliner, led by an investment group including Chairman F. Holmes Lamoreux since 1983, was sold by its primary debt holders after the company lost half of its business during last year’s sequestration budget cutting and was unable to make its debt payment. Lamoreux is leaving the company he helped form and has led since its inception. Also departing is Susan Aselage, who recently was promoted to president and also held the role of vice chairman. She was the second employee to join Sabreliner when it was established.
USAF REVIEW: The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force is due to report a long-awaited, congressionally charged set of recommendations on Jan. 30. While proponents of the National Guard are sure to get a lift from the blue-ribbon panel’s findings – a key reason why it was established – a major revamp of how active-duty and reserve Air Force and Air National Guard units are structured, equipped and funded is not expected.
The Pentagon’s chief test official is recommending that the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) consider a redesign of its Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), the hit-to-kill mechanism used to down ballistic missiles mid-flight in the Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) System.
LONDON — The U.K. defense ministry says that trials of MBDA’s Brimstone direct-fire air-to-surface missile from a MQ-9 Reaper have been successfully completed in the U.S,. but no decision has yet been made whether to integrate the weapon with the UAV. Trials of the weapon took place in December and January on a range of “static and high-speed maneuvering targets,” a ministry spokesman said. “Trial data is being analyzed and will be fully evaluated. No decision on future trials has been made.”
LOS ANGELES — Despite continuing cutbacks in U.S. military and space spending, Boeing’s position on flagship defense and space initiatives produced a strong 2013 for the company’s Defense, Space & Security sector and will continue to sustain it into 2014.
U.S. manufacturers are working to reduce the fuel consumption of their military aircraft, but with the potential payoffs coming well beyond the horizon of hard-pressed Pentagon budget planners, it is proving difficult to get the initial investment needed to make progress. Savings from re-engining Lockheed Martin C-130 airlifters to reduce fuel burn 7.9%, for example, would not return the required $1.2 billion investment before 2024, says Donald Erbschloe, chief scientist for U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC).
Despite a recent report by the U.S. Defense Department’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) questioning the development and capabilities of the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, the U.S. Navy says the aircraft is doing well on deployment and contends it has already addressed issues raised in the report.
The guided-missile destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook is being prepped this month for a homeport shift to Rota, Spain, from Norfolk, Va., as part of the U.S. commitment to support the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), a NATO defense initiative aimed at protecting Europe and Israel from potential ballistic missile threats. The ship will play a very important role in deterring potential enemies and defending U.S. allies from ballistic missile threats, says M. Elaine Bunn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is likely to be 13 months late in becoming operational with the U.S. Marine Corps, which had planned to be the first customer to put the aircraft into service, according to a Pentagon test report. The immediate cause of the delay is that testing of the necessary software is running late — a problem that is also likely to delay initial operational capability (IOC) for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international customers. The current IOC dates were set last May.
Commercialization remains the biggest challenge to achieving the FAA’s target of 1 billion gal. of renewable aviation fuel use by 2018, says Administrator Michael Huerta. “The challenge we face is scaling up production. We need government and industry to continue to work together on this,” he told the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative general meeting in Washington Jan. 28.
BRUSSELS — Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stephane Israel praised the European Commission for its loyalty in lofting EU satellites with the Evry, France-based launch consortium, but said the company must lower costs immediately to compete with new entrants to the market that are backed by government financing.
