The so-called Nunn-McCurdy statute meant to alert Congress to weapons system procurement cost overruns has run into a Pentagon review of its own, say senior Pentagon officials who will complete a cost estimate evaluation of the process next week.
PARIS — Iridium is poised to begin work on a new low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation following the selection of Thales Alenia Space to build the satellites, with backing from France’s Coface export-credit agency. Dubbed Iridium Next, the constellation is expected to cost $2.9 billion to develop, build and launch, making it the largest commercial satellite program ever. Selection of a prime contractor had been expected last year but was deferred when Iridium was sold to GHL Acquisition, a special-purpose investment company.
A Soyuz spacecraft descended by parachute into remote Kazakhstan late June 1, ending a 163-day journey to the International Space Station (ISS) for the Russian, U.S. and Japanese astronauts on board. The capsule carrying Oleg Kotov, the station’s former commander, as well as Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi, the station’s U.S. and Japanese flight engineers, descended under clear blue skies to touch down at 11:37 p.m. EDT on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
PARIS — Asia Broadcast Satellite continues to pursue a low-risk expansion strategy that favors the acquisition of aging spacecraft from other operators over new satellite purchases. The strategy goes back to the origins of ABS, which fashioned its very first satellite, ABS-1, from the former Lockheed Martin/Intersputnik LMI-1, launched in 1999.
Japan has launched a second Servis satellite, intended to demonstrate the use of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies in space. The spacecraft was launched June 2 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia by a Rockot booster. A Rockot vehicle was also used to orbit Servis-1 in October 2003. It was the first mission of the year for Rockot, which is marketed by Astrium-Khrunichev joint venture Eurockot. Eurockot performed two launches last year for the European Space Agency, and was recently picked to perform two more.
SPLIT COMMAND: The Regional Command (South) in Afghanistan is being divided into two commands, in part to reflect the increased number of troops deployed in the region. The split sees the creation of Regional Command (South West) alongside a smaller Regional Command (South). The south western command will be held on a rotational basis between U.S. and British forces. First in charge will be U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Richard Mills. Most British ground forces are deployed in the south of Afghanistan in the Helmand region.
NOT SATISFIED: U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-N.Y.) is highlighting the scrutiny of war-related contracting. Towns is not satisfied with Pentagon answers so far over a past decision to award a $2.8 billion contract to KBR for logistics, theater transportation and postal services in Iraq, and he chided “significant delay” in response to alleged conflicts of interest in another award to services provider Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). Towns said June 2 he wants more answers by June 4.
The U.S. Department of Labor on June 2 announced a $15 million grant to help space shuttle workers in Brevard County, Fla., launch new careers. Half the funds under the National Emergency Grants program will be released immediately to the Brevard Workforce Development Board, which is spearheading efforts to mitigate economic effects from the planned shutdown of the space shuttle program later this year. “We know we have a tremendous challenge here,” Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said at a press conference at Kennedy Space Center.
As the U.S. Army resets its stalwart Bradley fleet, the service also is shifting into higher gear for the development of its next generation of ground combat vehicles. The Army recently awarded BAE Systems a $145.1 million contract to revamp 551 Bradley Fighting Vehicles — including a low-rate reset for about 300 of the Bradleys with a major overhaul for the remaining vehicles, basically stripping them down and rebuilding from the frame up.
Pentagon acquisition czar Ashton Carter recertified the embattled Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter program to move forward after a major cost increase, but defense officials are now saying the total acquisition price of the multinational, triservice aircraft has increased by yet another $54.2 billion.
Congress remains worried about logistical support contracting for its war zones and could use some of the issues there as a springboard to iron out general Pentagon contracting problems, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
The caretaker government in the Netherlands has formally deferred action on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, stopping in its tracks an effort by opponents of the program to cancel participation in the initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) phase.
September 29-30, 2010 ExCeL • London, UK Learn to maintain military assets longer; sustain aircraft beyond forecast; recover from budget cuts, delays and program cancellations, and develop new strategies required to deliver and support equipment. Learn more at www.aviationweek.com/events
SEVILLE and MADRID, Spain — Airbus Military is discussing with Indonesian Aerospace, its partner on the C-212, “re-engineering” the light twin-turboprop transport to reduce its cost. The Indonesian firm has produced the C-212-100 and 200 series aircraft under license, and the talks are now focusing on the newer 300 and 400 variants. It also produces the CN-235.
WIND TUNNELS: Two of the busiest wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Va., are getting a technological facelift this summer, according to the center. About $14 million in upgrades will improve the capabilities of the 14x22 Subsonic Wind Tunnel and the National Transonic Facility. Both tunnels will be used in research to develop more efficient “green” aircraft, Langley says.
The first radar-equipped balloon designed to help counter cruise missiles is being prepared for flight tests at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The first of two tethered aerostats for the U.S. Army’s Raytheon-developed Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS) system has been flown at Dugway, and components for the surveillance radar are arriving for integration, Army Program Director Dean Barten says.
AIR FORCE Alion Science and Technology Corp., Chicago, Ill., was awarded a $24,251,273 contract which will provide research and engineering integration of Department of Defense manned and unmanned ground vehicle systems. At this time, $4,405,506 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (N61339-03-D-0300, Delivery Order 0248). NAVY
Delivery of the first of six C-130J airlifters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) will occur later this year, Lockheed Martin says. The IAF also has identified a group of pilots to receive training at Lockheed Martin facilities before the delivery.
The U.S. Navy has launched development of an airborne computing environment designed to allow new software applications to be fielded quickly across multiple aircraft types. The Army has joined the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) program, which aims to break away from the costly and time-consuming process of introducing new capabilities only through regular, scheduled updates of individual platforms’ operational flight programs (OFPs).
NEW DELHI — The joint development of an Airborne Early Warning system by Embraer and India’s Defense Research Development Organization for the Indian air force is on track. The first flight of the modified EMB-145 will take place in December or early next year, Orlando Jose Ferreira Neto, executive vice president for defense systems, told Aerospace DAILY. The first fuselage was joined for India’s early warning aircraft in March for the first of three EMB-145s to be fitted with the Indian-designed antenna.
PARIS — Daher plans to introduce a multimission version of the Socata TBM 850 by year’s end as part of a plan to reinforce the company’s position as a small aircraft systems integrator.
