The first U.S. Air Force Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite is expected to be ready for launch within a couple of weeks, says Gary Payton, the service’s deputy under secretary for space. The satellite was slated for launch July 8, but it slipped after a software problem was detected in the Minotaur IV vehicle. Payton says the software fix is being developed and will be put through testing. SBSS has priority for launch out of Vandenberg AFB, Calif., he says (Aerospace DAILY, July 9).
BEALE AFB, Calif. — The only U.S. Air Force wing operating the venerable U-2 and new Global Hawk UAV is exploring some measures to reduce the cost of collecting intelligence.
NASA’s Inspector General (IG) has concluded that agency leaders acted appropriately in deciding to reassign former Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley after he sent e-mails questioning the Obama administration’s proposed redirection of NASA’s human spaceflight plans.
U.S. Air Force officials are exploring new ways to marry signals and imagery intelligence collection to find enemies on the ground in Afghanistan. One such project collocates collection of these two types of intelligence on slow-flying tactical Hawker Beechcraft King Air 90s.
PAYTON RETIRES: Gary Payton, deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force for space programs, is retiring effective July 31. His replacement has not yet been named and an Air Force spokeswoman says it is uncertain whether a new deputy undersecretary will be on board prior to his departure. Payton has served in this position since 2005, and during this time he was instrumental in moving the Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) missile warning satellite program forward despite major development setbacks. The first Sbirs satellite is expected to launch next year.
The U.S. Air Force has failed to properly manage inventory contracts for work on F-15 and C-130 aircraft and in some cases violated contracting legal requirements, according to the Pentagon Inspector General (IG). “The Air Force did not adequately address Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) consumable item inventory,” the IG says.
LONDON — The U.K.’s military and commercial aerospace industry is expected to hit bottom in order intake this year, after showing a 10.4% decline in 2009. “Either the second or third quarter of 2010 is the trough,” Ian Godden, chairman of ADS, the Aerospace, Defense and Security trade organization, said July 13. However, he is optimistic the industry could start showing growth, followed by a boom, particularly in commercial aerospace, as long as a double-dip recession does not affect the global economy.
OVERBOARD: Northrop Grumman, one of the U.S. military’s two major shipbuilders, said July 13 it is reconsidering its entire shipbuilding business, including consolidating its embattled Gulf Coast units and eyeing sell-offs. “Recognizing our company’s long-term strategic priorities, we foresee little synergy between Shipbuilding and our other businesses,” CEO Wes Bush said.
Having yielded last year to Russian pressure and abandoned plans for a third ground-based launch site for high-performance interceptor missiles in Eastern Europe, the Pentagon is now planning a new high-performance interceptor, also for deployment in Europe.
LONDON — The U.K. ministry of defense has launched a competition to upgrade Royal Air Force Sea King search and rescue helicopters to provide the identification friend-or-foe (IFF) system with a Mode S capability. The move is required to comply with emerging Civil Aviation Authority safety standards that will take effect March 31, 2012. A total of 25 helos are to undergo the modification.
BEIJING — The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 has won Singapore’s advanced jet trainer competition, a South Korean news report suggests. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has failed in its bid to supply the T-50 to Singapore, reports the Yonhap news agency. Since M-346 was the only other competitor, the report implies that Alenia Aermacchi will get the contract to supply a 25-year training capability. Between 11 and 14 aircraft were expected to be needed to meet the requirement.
The U.K. has rolled out its Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle technology testbed, a major development foray into stealthy unmanned aircraft for the country.
NEW DELHI — Rivals Honeywell and Rolls-Royce are trading public barbs as they await the delayed request for proposals to re-engine India’s fleet of 120 twin-engine Jaguar fighters, which have slowly become overweight and underpowered as a result of avionics and weapon systems upgrades.
INSIDE BELTWAY: Northrop Grumman will buy an existing building at 2980 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, Va., for its new headquarters, the company said July 12. The choice, over neighboring Arlington, Va., near the Pentagon, still places the company’s headquarters inside the Washington Beltway interstate area and caps a months-long search for the company, currently based in Los Angeles. Northrop expects to begin operations in its new facility by summer 2011, with employees coming from L.A. and Arlington.
Boeing started the flight test program for the F-15SE Silent Eagle on July 9. The long-serving F-15E1 prototype took off with a modified port conformal fuel tank (CFT) structure that incorporates a single weapons bay door and an AIM-120 launcher mounted on a trapeze. The test plan calls for an unguided AIM-120 launch.
EchoStar XV, a 12,000-lb. Ku-band platform designed to enhance high-definition television delivery for DISH Network LLC, is en route to its geostationary slot at 61.5 deg. W. Long. following launch July 10 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M. Space Systems/Loral, which built the spacecraft for EchoStar Satellite Services LLC on a 20-kw. version of its 1300 satellite bus, said the solar arrays deployed as planned, setting up the first maneuvers out of geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
Boeing’s hydrogen-powered, high-altitude Phantom Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) demonstrator will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., in preparation for a series of ground tests this summer. The company unveiled the aircraft to employees during a ceremony July 12 in St. Louis.
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta comet probe sped close to the asteroid Lutetia on July 10, successfully snapping more than 400 images that should help scientists unravel the composition and origin of the 60-mi. long rock. The closeup imagery of Lutetia reveals the asteroid to be heavily cratered, providing strong evidence the largest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft has been around since the earliest days of the Solar System (or about 4.5 billion years).
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a comparison of Fiscal 2010 and FY ’11 Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, revealing a $4.7 billion decrease in requests overall.
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
