DON’T ASK: The U.S. Senate opted not to quicken passage of its version of the 2011 defense authorization bill Sept. 21, with senators tripped up by a Democratic push to repeal so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, among other provisions. Senators voted 56-43, along party lines, over whether to proceed to consideration of the bill, but the tally fell short of the 60 necessary under Senate rules. Charges of election-year obstinance flowed freely from both sides of the political aisle during floor debate on the procedural question.
NASA’s Inspector General (IG) has found no legal wrongdoing in Administrator Charles Bolden’s interactions with an oil company during a period when he was weighing NASA’s involvement in an alternative fuel agreement, although investigators concluded his actions did constitute an ethical lapse.
FAIR & BALANCED: Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) introduced an amendment to the 2011 Senate defense authorization bill Sept. 21 that looks to make it harder for EADS or others to bid for the USAF KC-X aerial refueling tanker program.
COMPATIBILITY: The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $10 million contract to develop software to standardize how MH-60R and MH-60S helicopter aircrews file their mission flight plans in accordance with the U.S. military’s Joint Mission Planning System. The software module will allow MH-60 pilots to select preconfigured mission plans, compile weather data, maps, navigational routes and targeting data, and choose the types of weapons and sensors their aircraft will use for a mission.
SAN FRANCISCO — NROL-41, a classified mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, was placed into a high-inclination orbit from Space Launch Complex-3 East (SLC-3E) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., at 9:03 p.m. PDT on Sept. 20 by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501.
PARIS — Arianespace says it will launch the second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the International Space Station (ISS) early next year, reserving the sixth and final 2010 Ariane 5 flight for a commercial mission. Arianespace officials say the decision, made by the board of directors on Sept. 20, was based on preparation of ATV-2 taking longer than expected; it will not be ready until too late in the year for it to be “reasonably accommodated,” given the Christmas/New Year holiday period and strict French labor laws.
TEL AVIV — Russia is planning to sell Syria the P-800 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missile, which Israeli officials believe will be transferred to Hezbollah armed forces and used to threaten Tel Aviv’s navy warships. Russia previously sold sophisticated, supersonic Kornet (9M133) AT-14 anti-tank missiles to Syria that were then supplied to Hezbollah. The weapons were used to destroy and damage a number of Merkava 3 main battle tanks and blunt the Israeli armored attack into Southern Lebanon in 2006.
PARIS — The Mexican ministry of defense has agreed to buy six additional Eurocopter EC725 medium-lift helicopters. The order for the new aircraft, which Eurocopter will begin delivering in the second quarter of 2011, follows a previous six-unit buy in 2009. Mexico was the second export customer, after Brazil, to order the EC725. Malaysia also placed a 12-unit order for the 11-metric-ton-class Cougar upgrade earlier this year.
Two Swedish-built spacecraft are conducting experiments in autonomous formation flying that should lead to an autonomous rendezvous before the mission ends. The Prisma technology-experiment mission, launched June 15 on a Dnepr-1 rocket from Yasni, Russia, consists of two small spacecraft that will evaluate techniques for the sort of formation flying that will be useful in large-scale interferometric missions, and ultra-precise rendezvous processes that could be used in autonomous spacecraft servicing and refueling.
A Defense Department decision this year to shift CVN-78 Ford-class aircraft carriers to five-year procurement intervals — extending production of each ship by a year or more — could nonetheless increase the cost of the carriers, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
ANDERSEN AFB, GUAM — U.S. Air Force and Navy Global Hawks operating from Andersen AFB in Guam may share ground support and occasionally cover each other’s missions as part of a June 12 agreement between the two services to coordinate their high-altitude surveillance operations.
DOCKED: The U.S. Navy said last week that inspections of its five Cyclone-class patrol coastal (PC) vessels homeported in Bahrain and Norfolk, Va., have revealed significant frame buckling and damage to the hull. In turn, the service is taking the ships out of operations in the Persian Gulf until repairs can be completed over the next “couple” of months.
September 29-30, 2010 ExCeL, London, UK Increased pressure on defense budgets means that assets must be maintained longer. Sustaining aircraft for extended periods and prolonging lifecycle requires planning and forethought. Are you prepared? MRO Military Europe is an important event for anyone with a stake in this dynamic industry sector. Secure your place early and Save!
APKWS AWARD: Full-rate production of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System is expected to begin from mid- to late 2012, according to BAE Systems, and may lead to expansion of existing BAE production facilities, depending on demand. The U.S. Marine Corps, which shares the same military department as the Navy, will initially deploy APKWS from AH-1W Cobra helicopters. Milestone C was passed in April, and last week the company announced a low-rate initial production contract award.
ARMY CACI-WGI, Chantilly, Va., was awarded on Sept. 14 a $5,825,389 cost plus- fixed-fee term contract for special forces support team supplement for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization with an estimated completion date of Sept. 8, 2013. The work is to be performed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Chantilly, Va. Four bids were solicited with two received. U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command Contracting Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0027; Serial #1942).
The U.S. State Department has ordered 11 more upgraded S-61 utility helicopters from Sikorsky Aerospace Services for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new order is part of a five-year, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract the State Department signed this year for up to 110 upgraded S-61 aircraft for passenger and cargo transport missions. The first four aircraft were purchased in February and are nearly complete. The helicopters are scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan for embassy duty this fall.
LAST TANK?: The external fuel tank that will power the last planned space shuttle flight will begin its trip by barge from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 21. The tank, designated ET-122, will support Endeavour’s final mission, targeted for launch in February. The tank has been restored to flight configuration at Michoud after sustaining damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. ET-122 is expected to arrive at Kennedy on Sept. 26.
MOSCOW — The popularity of the Mil Mi-17 Hip helicopter for operations in Afghanistan is driving up prices for used versions and has created an order surge for manufacturer Russian Helicopters. About 300 Mil Mi-8MTs (known as Mi-17s in the export market) are deployed in Afghanistan with international coalition forces, private contractors or under U.N. contracts, according to Russian experts. Some Russian companies, such as UTair Aviation, operate Mi-8MTs under U.N. contracts in many other regions.
Pentagon procurement chief Ashton Carter has approved production of Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system interceptors following a yearlong delay due to a faulty part. Lockheed Martin was awarded the $298-million contract last week for 26 interceptors; these are the first missiles that will be used for the third and fourth Thaad batteries. Forty-eight missiles will be needed for these batteries and the remainder will be ordered in a subsequent lot.
