Harris Corp. has unveiled a so-called mission module concept to its Falcon III AN/PRC-117G manpack radios, designed to provide increased capability without a large increase in weight.
ARMY Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on May 17 a $72,686,593 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 1,460 rocket propelled grenade kits, 45 prescribed loads lists and eight deprocessing spares for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles. The work is to be performed in Oshkosh, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2012. Five bids were solicited with five bids received. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADCA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0111).
The official first flight of India’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) went ahead as planned at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in Bengaluru on May 23. But the event was a low-key affair – as a mark of respect to those killed in the Air India Express crash at Mangalore – and India’s Defense Minister, A.K. Antony, his deputy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief all skipped the event due to the airliner tragedy.
U.S. Air Force officials planned once again to attempt to launch the first Boeing GPS IIF satellite into orbit late May 24 after repeated scrubs. The launch window was 11:13 p.m.-11:31 p.m. EDT, according to Air Force officials. During the final minutes of a launch attempt May 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., officials discovered that the telemetry signal between the satellite and ground support equipment was lost. Because the signal could not be fixed during the launch window, the Delta IV launch was canceled at the last minute.
The Atlantis astronauts scanned the heat shielding of their spacecraft for orbital debris impact damage on May 24, finding nothing of obvious concern as the six fliers prepared to end their 12-day assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis is scheduled to land at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 26 at 8:48 a.m, EDT, ending a 32-flight career for the 25-year-old orbiter.
Controllers in Luxembourg and Germany are checking out a new SES Astra commercial communications satellite and a second spacecraft designed to link German commanders with deployed military forces after a twice-delayed Ariane 5 ECA orbited them in tandem May 21. It was the 50th Ariane 5 flight.
BRIBE BAR: The legacy of quasi-military services provider Blackwater in Iraq is spawning another potential acquisition reform measure in Congress. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who helped push the so-called “Close The Contractor Fraud Loophole” provision two years ago, said May 24 that he introduced legislation to ban individuals and companies convicted of bribing foreign officials from contracting with the federal government. His new Overseas Contractor Reform Bill (H.R.
Demonstrating that patience is a key survival skill in Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has finally announced that U.S. Army Gen. Keith Alexander is officially the first chief of U.S. Cyber Command, pinning on a fourth star at Fort Meade, Md. The Senate approved Alexander on April 7th after a six-month delay during which Congress tried to sort out what the policy for cyberwarfare is and who can approve it (Aerospace DAILY, April 16). Alexander already runs the National Security Agency.
HOUSTON — Two spacewalking astronauts from the shuttle Atlantis ventured outside the International Space Station for a third and final time on May 21 to complete an exchange of power storage batteries on the orbiting laboratory’s oldest solar module. The outing by astronauts Garrett Reisman and Mike Good stretched to nearly 7 hr., enough time for the two men to take on several additional tasks.
U.K. COUGAR: The U.K. is looking to purchase 102 Mastiff/Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Cougar Category II modified vehicles from the U.S. for $122 million. The Foreign Military Sale was requested May 19 and includes the vehicles, tools and test equipment, spares and repair parts and other related elements of logistics support. The U.K. has troops deployed in Afghanistan, where they are using Cougar-based MRAPs. The vehicles are built by Force Protection Industries in South Carolina.
LESS BANG: The U.S. Navy plans to buy a limited quantity of Scalpel low-collateral-damage laser-guided bombs from Lockheed Martin, even as a congressional committee adds funds to the Fiscal 2011 defense budget to develop the Very Low Collateral Damage Precision Air Drop Weapon to meet urgent Air Force and Navy requirements in Afghanistan. The 100-lb. Scalpel is based on Lockheed’s Enhanced Laser-Guided Training Round, already carried by Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. The U.S. already has low-collateral-damage “focused lethality” versions of the 250-lb.
SWEDISH SURVEILLANCE: The Swedish defense ministry is looking to field the AAI Shadow 200 unmanned aircraft by the end of 2011. AAI will serve as a supplier to Saab, which is acting as the prime contractor on the 500 million Swedish kronor ($64 million) deal. The contract calls for Saab to deliver two full tactical UAV systems, including the aircraft, ground stations and other equipment. Saab would operate the system for the Swedish military as part of the company’s ambitions to grow its services activities.
Harris Corporation is acquiring satellite communications firm CapRock Communications for $525 million in cash, the companies announced May 21. Houston-based CapRock provides satellite communications to government, as well as the energy and maritime industries. The company reported $359 million in 2009 revenue. Harris reported 2009 revenue of $5 billion. CapRock revenues grew by 30% in 2009 and have tripled over the last four years. “Acquiring CapRock expands our international presence and customer base,” Harris CEO Howard Lance says.
Japan’s Akatsuki Venus atmospheric probe is en route to its target planet after launching on an H-IIA F17 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Southeast Japan early on May 21 local time. Mission liftoff — delayed three days because of bad weather over the island launch site — came at 6:58 a.m. Japan Standard Time (5:58 p.m. EDT May 20). The spacecraft separated 27 min. 29 sec. after liftoff, following a “smooth” ascent, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Riding piggyback was the Ikaros solar-sail experiment.
ONE MILLION: The U.S. Army is celebrating passing the one million flight-hour mark with its unmanned aerial vehicle fleet. As of April 14, the fleet flew 1,002,731 hours, 88 percent of those in Iraq and Afghanistan. On May 25 and 26 in the Pentagon courtyard, the Army will display several components of its unmanned aerial systems including the MQ-1C Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS, Shadow with Launcher, Raven, One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT), and Ground Control Station (GCS).
SLOW GOING: Contractual talks between A400M customers and manufacturer EADS to cover cost overruns on the military transport are moving more slowly than expected. In March, government and industry agreed in principle on how to share the extra costs. But EADS Chief Financial Officer Hans-Peter Ring says translating that into a contract is taking more time than hoped. Ring acknowledges that “we are not progressing at the pace we would like.” However, he stresses “we are progressing.”
LONDON — The state of flux concerning the Netherlands’ involvement in the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter program is expected to last several more months. The lower house of the Dutch parliament has narrowly voted to cancel the purchase of an F-35 initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) aircraft, but the caretaker government now in place is refusing to follow suit and wants the decision left to the new government.
Republican reaction on Capitol Hill was mixed immediately following the announcement late May 20 by President Barack Obama’s intelligence chief that he was leaving by the end of the month, which has added fuel to the policy debate over the role and authority necessary for the position. Blair’s announcement follows heavy criticism of intelligence community (IC) shortfalls in relaying information over recent terrorist attempts in the U.S.
The U.S. Coast Guard has exercised another year of a contract with TIMCO Aviation Services for HC-130H Hercules depot maintenance. TIMCO’s target is a 160-calendar day turnaround to complete the progressive structural inspections — basic and resultant repairs that are required every 48 months for this transport and air-sea rescue aircraft.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) june 2 - 3 — Hegan Basque Aerospace Cluster’s Aerotrends 2010, Bilboa Exhibition Center, Teruel, Spain. For more information go to www.hegan.com/aerotrends June 8 - 13 — ILA Berlin Air Show, Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport, Berlin, Germany. For more information go to http://www.ila-berlin.coms june 13 — Royal Air Force’s Cosford Air Show. For more information go to www.cosfordairshow.co.uk/
SPINNING UP: Having awarded contracts to Boeing, Sikorsky and tiltrotor joint-venture Bell-Boeing for Phase 1 of the Mission Adaptive Rotor (MAR) program, the U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (Darpa) says it is focused on integrating and demonstrating an adaptive rotor in flight by 2018, so that the technology will be ready for the next U.S. military rotorcraft program. MAR will bring together multiple complementary technologies to change rotor attributes in flight, to increase range and payload, and reduce noise and vibration.
DEMAND DOWNWASH: Although cancellations for commercial helicopters are starting to slow, Eurocopter still saw 18 cancellations in the first quarter, EADS Chief Financial Officer Hans-Peter Ring says. While demand is improving over 2008, EADS warns that “commercial appetite is still far below 2007 and 2008 levels.” Deliveries also were down to 86 units from 93.
NEW GUARD: Adm. Robert Papp will be sworn in as the new commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 25. He will replace Adm. Thad Allen, who is taking on the role of National Incident Commander to coordinate efforts to clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Allen has recently been outspoken regarding Coast Guard policies, grabbing headlines in a National Press Club speech in February by calling attention to the armed services’ tradeoff between force structure and its modernization efforts like the beleaguered Deepwater acquisition program.
