The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on May 29 told federal agencies to prepare their fiscal 2015 budget requests with three levels of spending in mind, including 5% and 10% cuts from the projections given in April with the 2014 request.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JUNE 3 - 4 — Air Mission Planing, Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, U.K. For more information go to www.airforce-technology.com/exhibitions JUNE 5 - 6 — Night Vision 2013, "Join key decision makers and Technical leads in the world of night vision," Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, U.K. For more information go to www.airforce-technology.com/exhibitions
SEOUL — Strategic competition with Japan, China and Russia is at least as strong a motivation behind South Korea’s F-X Phase 3 program for 60 fighters as dealing with the North Korean threat, according to government officials in Seoul.
The U.S. Air Force, by far the largest presumed user of the F-35 fighter, has agreed to declare initial operational capability with a much more limited software and weapons capability that initially planned, according to a report sent to Congress May 31.
DEFENSE/IT SPENDING: Exact numbers are nebulous, but the trends are clear: after peaking in fiscal 2011 and 2012, U.S. contract spending on defense and information technology (IT) will bottom out in fiscal 2014 and 2015, and then increase only 1-2% annually through the rest of the decade, according to consulting company Deltek.
CROWD SOURCING: Planetary Resources, which has been busy developing an initial prototype of its prospective space telescope, the Arkyd-100, is going public with a pitch for so-called crowd-sourcing of its project — i.e., public donations. The group has unveiled a $1 million fund-raising campaign to launch the telescope, set up a user interface system, “cover fulfillment costs for all of the products and services in the pledge levels,” and fund the “immersive” education program the company is promising.
Industry will submit proposals this month for “Phase 0” of a high-speed strike weapon (HSSW) demonstration program to be jointly conducted by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). AFRL has been working toward an HSSW flight demo program, but on May 21 canceled a planned solicitation, telling Aviation Week it was “looking to an alternate strategy” for accomplishing a high-speed strike weapon demonstration.
Nearly a third of House lawmakers have signed off on a letter pressing U.S. Army leadership to fund production of the M1A2 Abrams tank System Enhancement Package in fiscal 2014, citing the “damaging impact to the highly specialized industrial base” if the line is not kept warm.
A modified Diamond DA42 is to be used for flights over Alaska later this year to measure greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost. Aurora Flight Sciences has performed flights of its Centaur aircraft over the Chesapeake Bay to calibrate the specially developed measurement system. The twin-diesel Centaur was developed as an optionally piloted aircraft (OPA), but will be flown manned for the measurement flights over Alaska’s Northern Slope later this year, says Aurora. The research mission is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
LAUNCH SURVEY: The U.S. Air Force is surveying industry bidders on their near- and long-term plans to offer national security launch services, as well as what companies see as critical issues in providing this capability, recommendations for changes to Pentagon policy — especially in helping to lower launch costs — and how Defense Department acquisitions could help stabilize the industrial base. Comments are sought by June 21 for the ongoing strategic National Security Space Launch Assessment, according to a May 29 notice in the Federal Register.
With just more than 2 1/2 half years remaining for teams in the Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP) contest to successfully land on the Moon and claim up to $30 million in prizes, organizers say a group of leading contenders is starting to emerge.
Ahead of a major ad hoc spending review out of the Pentagon next week, a blue-ribbon panel of five defense think tank analysts is advising lawmakers and defense officials to invest more in next-generation technologies like unmanned systems, cyber, space and updated versions of legacy weapon capabilities like the Long-Range Strike bomber at the expense of the civilian defense workforce, short-term readiness and even elements of the nuclear triad.
The U.S. Marine Corps plans to declare initial operational capability (IOC) with the F-35B in late 2015, says Commandant Gen. James Amos. The Marines are the first customer slated to declare IOC, and as such are willing to use the 2B software package, which allows for a limited flight envelope and limited weapons carriage, in the short term. A more expansive 3F software release is slated for 2017.
Alenia Aermacchi, General Dynamics Canada and DRS Technologies Canada have firmed up their teaming agreement on the C-27J Spartan as Canada prepares to release the long-awaited draft request for proposals (RFP) for new search-and-rescue aircraft. Under the agreement, GD Canada would act as mission system integrator if the C-27J is selected for the Fixed-Wing Search And Rescue (FWSAR) program. Alenia would be prime contractor and supply green aircraft to be modified, missionized and supported by GD in Atlantic Canada.
The Pentagon has selected three companies for cost-sharing projects to build refineries capable of producing biofuels at costs competitive with petroleum-derived aviation and naval fuels. Emerald Biofuels, Fulcrum BioEnergy and Nature’s BioReserve will receive contracts totaling $16 million, funded under Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA). They will be matched by more than $17 million in company investment.
