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The U.S. Army is still considering going forward with the Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) program, aimed at replacing the aging OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, with a variant of an off-the-shelf design, the service’s top procurement officer said July 18.
Orbital Sciences Corp. reported a drop in revenue for the second quarter of this year — $333.1 million as compared to $371.3 million in the second quarter of 2012.
The U.S. Army did not properly scrutinize some parts purchases for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter, allowing manufacturer Boeing to overcharge for some items, according to the Pentagon Inspector General (IG).
ELECTROSPRAY PROPULSION: Three organizations may get a chance to fly their electrospray microthrusters on a future orbiting testbed, following their selection for “game-changing” development grants from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Picked to negotiate for grants are projects proposed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Busek Company, Inc., of Natick, Mass., and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
BEIJING — Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has published a drawing of a moderately stealthy fighter concept based on its T-50 series of supersonic trainers and light-attack aircraft. The concept aircraft is far smaller and less ambitious than the all-new, twin-engine KF-X designs promoted by South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development, the leading proponent of building an indigenous South Korea fighter.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $17 million contract for the first phase of integrating Raytheon’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod onto Boeing’s EA-18G Growler aircraft. The phase 1 hardware integration will ensure the designs of the required modifications are suitable for the technology development stage of the NGJ pod program, according to the contract announcement.
ASPEN, Colo. — The U.S. Defense Department is mobilizing 40 new cyber teams, totaling an estimated 4,000 workers from existing military cyber positions, for both offensive and defensive missions in cyberspace, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said July 18.
SPACE SELFIES: NASA’s Messenger Mercury probe and Cassini Saturn explorer are maneuvering into place to image the Earth on July 19 and 20. Cassini will take its pictures between 2:27 p.m. and 2:42 p.m. PDT July 19, when the probe will be nearly 900 million mi. (1.5 billion km) from Earth. The portrait is part of a mosaic of images of the Saturn system backlit by the Sun, in which the viewing geometry allows for highly detailed study of Saturn’s famous ring system.
Partisan gamesmanship continued in the House Science Committee during a July 18 markup, as Democrats mounted an account-by-account attack on the Republican majority’s NASA reauthorization bill. The committee approved the bill, authorizing the space agency for two years, starting at $16.9 billion in fiscal 2014.
As part of an ongoing effort to spread the benefits of government investment in space exploration and science, NASA is looking for outside partners to collaborate on “mutually beneficial” space projects. A synopsis published July 17 offers NASA spaceflight expertise to companies and nonprofit organizations willing to work with the agency in unfunded partnerships that can use that expertise to further their goals in space.
LONDON — A series of upgrades for the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb will form the first phase of development for the U.K.’s Selected Precision Effects at Range (Spear). The Spear program is developing a new generation of air-to-ground weapons for the U.K.’s combat aircraft including the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The first phase, Spear Cap (Capability) 1, sees several improvements in the capability of the Paveway IV.
TEL AVIV — Despite ongoing political upheaval in the Middle East, Israel is launching the most drastic cut to its armed forces to date. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has presented a plan to downsize its ground, air and naval forces, cutting units, platforms and personnel, and may face another round of reductions. “It’s a revolutionary plan,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. “In a few years we will see a different IDF.”
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FOURTH ESTATE: Making good on promises to trim the “fourth estate” of offices, staff and services outside the three branches of the military, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced a 20% reduction in funding for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff and the Military Service Headquarters over fiscal 2015-19, amounting to an estimated $1.5-2 billion in savings.
Despite the effects of sequestration and continuing budget resolutions, the U.S. Navy brass feels it is anchored securely when it comes to ships, aircraft and other platforms. What the service is looking to develop now is better command-and-control capability. “We’ve got the platforms,” says Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. “What do we need? It is command-and-control, [including] the organization and the staff. That’s what we’ve got to work on,” he said July 11 during a Center for Strategic and International Studies event.
The kill vehicle failed to separate from the third stage of a Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) during the failed July 5 flight test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, preventing the GBI from destroying its target, says Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. James Syring.
The U.S. Navy is planning to loft its second in a series of next-generation narrowband communications satellites on Friday, July 19. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V is slated to boost the second Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) spacecraft during a 44-min. launch window that opens at 8:48 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral. The launch vehicle is an Atlas V 551, meaning it will use a 5-meter fairing and five strap-on, solid-rocket boosters.
