NASA’s Merritt Island Launch Annex (MILA) in Florida was decommissioned this week, another fallout from the end of the space shuttle program. Located on 61 acres of land just west of Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Visitors Complex, MILA provided communications between the orbiters and Mission Control in Houston during launches and landings.
CAPE CANAVERAL — Faced with the choice of waiting for NASA and the U.S. Energy Department to develop a new type of nuclear radioisotope thermoelectric generator—typically used for deep-space missions — or design a survey of Jupiter with a solar-powered probe, program scientists opted for the latter, believing there was less risk to schedule and cost.
NEW THRUST: Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) plans to formally announce development of a new “super high-efficiency, staged-combustion engine” by the end of the year or early next year, according to Elon Musk, the company’s founder and chief technical officer. “We want to make sure we have all our ducks in a row before we make that announcement,” Musk said Aug. 1 at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Joint Propulsion conference in San Diego.
When it comes to supporting the latest deal to cut federal spending and raise the U.S. debt ceiling, Republicans on the House panel that authorizes defense spending are totally divided. They may be emblematic of right-leaning politicians and pundits across the capital — a prospect that has some hawks worried that the Pentagon is not in the clear from further budget slashing.
NATO EPAA: The Obama administration eventually plans to transfer operational control of its Aegis-based European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) missile defenses to NATO, an official told the 2nd Annual Israel Multinational Missile Defense Conference in Tel Aviv last week. “When NATO is ready, the president will transfer operational control of the EPAA to the alliance as the first national contribution to the NATO territorial missile defense capability,” said Frank Rose, deputy assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance.
The U.S. Army thus far this fiscal year has dramatically cut down on the number of Class A aviation mishaps – the most costly in terms of financial losses, injuries or fatalities – even as the need for the service’s helicopters or other aircraft has increased, service officials say. The Army reported 1,452 Class A mishaps through July 27 of fiscal 2011, compared to 1,905 for all of fiscal 2010, even though, Army officials say, the need for Army aviation aircraft has increased with the transition to Afghanistan. (See chart p. 6.)
HOUSTON — Cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Alexander Samokutyaev will team outside the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) on Aug. 3 for a scheduled 6-hr. spacewalk that will prepare the 10-year-old Pirs docking compartment for a future departure to free docking space for a new Multipurpose Laboratory Module.
LONDON – EADS is augmenting its Astrium space activities through the acquisition of Vizada, a provider of mobile satellite services. The $960 million deal with private equity firm Apax France is only the latest in a series that EADS has undertaken in recent months to grow the share of its services business and become less focused on Airbus aircraft sales. The deals are made possible by EADS’s huge cash pile, which topped €11 billion ($15.7 billion) at midyear.
NEW DELHI — India has finally signed a contract with two French firms to upgrade its 51 Mirage combat jets that were acquired in the 1980s. “Thales and Dassault Aviation on Friday [July 29] signed a contract for the upgrade of the Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000 fleet,” the two companies said in a statement. The federal cabinet committee on security had approved the $2.4 billion deal two weeks ago. India’s government has been negotiating the cost factor with the French companies for almost five years.
Results from studies to determine whether composite materials would fit well with Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) construction should be ready soon, says Joe North, vice president of littoral ship systems at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors business. Lockheed is building one type of LCS. Another contracting team led by Austal USA is building the other. The two ship designs are significantly different and there are only a handful of common construction concerns. The possible use of composite materials is one of them.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 1 — Brid Ex, The 3rd Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition & Conference 2011. For more information go to www.bridex2011.com/events AUG. 1 - 5 — Military Aviation Museum’s Warbirds and Wings Aviation Summer Camp, Virginia Beach, Va. For more information call (757) 721-7767 or go to www.militaryaviationmuseum.org
AAI is flying testbeds for next-generation developments of its RQ-7 Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft that are now in the final stages of design. Two Shadow Technology Test Beds (STTB) have been modified with a larger fuselage able to accommodate dual payload bays. In addition to the Shadow’s electo-optic/infrared/laser-designator payload “we are working with SAR [synthetic-aperture radar] and sigint [signals intelligence] packages,” says Steve Reid, AAI senior vice president and general manager for unmanned aircraft.
HIGH FIDELITY: While Navy SEAL training is infamously tough and realistic, it can be difficult to replicate some missions — such as close-air support for combat. But the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command has come up with just the thing to help train NSW personnel who call in close-air support during those missions. The command this month demonstrated its Joint Terminal Attack Controller Virtual Trainer dome, which stands 15 ft. high with a 16-ft. diameter.
Are you a federal contractor wondering what to do if Washington suddenly starts choosing who to pay and who not to pay come Aug. 3? Elizabeth Ferrell and Jim Schweiter, partners with McKenna Long & Aldridge’s government contracts and government affairs practices in Washington, say to do three things now.
NEW DELHI — Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. plans to pursue multiple opportunities in the Indian defense market, and has responded to the Indian navy’s recently issued Request for Information (RFI) for a second batch of multi-role helicopters, a top company official says. “We don’t know the numbers” of aircraft needed, says A.J.S. Walia, Sikorsky’s executive vice president for India and South Asia. The company has the option of offering its S-70 Bravo or the MH-60R “Romeo” helicopter, which it offers jointly with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy.
EADS RESULTS: Strong order intake has caused EADS to partly improve its guidance for full-year business performance, with a promise that earnings will improve materially next year. The updated outlook is largely driven by strong Airbus order bookings. Revenue for the first half was up 8% to €21.9 billion ($31 billion), yielding net income of merely €109 million (net income stood at €189 million at the half-year point last year).
