With U.S. Air Force Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) units surged overseas, the service is turning to its volunteer pilots in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to fly simulated UAV missions to help train ground units in predeployment Green Flag exercises.
A&D Programs Conference November 2-4, 2009 Phoenix, AZ A&D Finance Conference December 2-3, 2009 New York, NY Defense Technology & Requirements Conference February 17-18, 2010 Washington, DC AVIATION WEEK Laureates Awards March 17, 2010 Washington, DC
NASA Ames Research Center said Sept. 28 that it has shifted the target for the Oct. 9 impact site for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) from the small Cabeus A1 crater to the larger, main Cabeus crater at the moon’s south pole.
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has shipped NSS-12, the largest spacecraft yet ordered by SES World Skies, to Kourou in French Guiana for launch by an Ariane 5 later this year. Based on SS/L’s 1300 series platform, NSS-12 carries what SS/L characterizes as the equivalent of 40 C-band and 48 Ku-band transponders. Its reach for telephony, cable, network and direct-to-home (DTH) video distribution will extend over four continents and cover about two-thirds of the world’s population.
A fractionated satellite concept that replaces large satellites with clusters of wirelessly-linked modular spacecraft flying in loose formation has the potential to drive cultural change and reinvigorate a “mature” U.S. space industry, proponents say.
Only days after the release of a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the U.S. Air Force tanker competition, Northrop Grumman officials say their joint bid with EADS North America may be disadvantaged.
LIGHT AIRCRAFT: Forecast International predicts that nearly $1.7 billion will be spent worldwide on upgrades for fixed-wing aircraft weighing less than 70,000 pounds through 2018. The Newtown, Conn., consultancy says that as the electronics sector stabilizes after a spike fueled by FAA mandates, the market will be led by propulsion upgrades. Re-engining and refurbishment programs (including engine modification) also are more popular in this global market.
FLIGHT INTEL: Raytheon announced on Sept. 28 initial operating capability and flight-tests for a component of the U.S. Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS). The new intercom communications system, called Crew Communications, modernizes peer-to-peer collaboration between intelligence operators regardless of geographic location, allowing DCGS mission crew members to communicate in real time regardless of geographical distance or security boundaries.
Improvements to address what Eurocontrol safety specialists have termed serious issues in traffic alert and collision avoidance (TCAS) system software logic are poised for market introduction to business, commercial and military users by Phoenix, Ariz.-based Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems (ACSS).
The South Korean defense ministry is seeking a 29.6 trillion won ($25 billion) budget for 2010, cutting its original request because of the country’s economic problems. Nonetheless, the budget proposal that the ministry will submit Oct. 1 is still 3.8 percent greater than this year’s allocation. In June the ministry asked for a 7.9 percent increase, similar to the hike it had received this year. Still, parliament could refuse to grant even the reduced request.
MOSCOW MiG Corp. has initiated sea trials of its MiG-29K/KUB naval fighter using the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Test pilots from MiG Corp. and the Russian air force performed an unspecified number of landings and takeoffs from the carrier, which was cruising in Barents Sea, on Sept. 28-29. Both the single-seat MiG-29K and dual-seat MiG-29KUB were involved in flights, a MiG representative says.
The Pentagon needs to do a better job of integrating the way it buys tactical wheeled vehicles (TWVs), a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study says.
LONDON The British Defense Ministry and Eurocopter have — within the last week — signed the contract covering a £300 million ($478.8 million) life extension and upgrade for the air force’s Puma HC1 medium support helicopters. Bob Ainsworth, the British secretary of state for defense, said July 16 that the Puma upgrade would proceed after all following a last-minute review of the decision instigated by Quentin Davies, the minister for defense equipment and support.
NASA has completed calibration work on the Spitzer Space Telescope for its new “warm” observing mission. Launched in 2003, Spitzer was designed as a cryogenically-cooled infrared observatory capable of studying objects ranging to the distant reaches of the universe. Spitzer’s nominal mission life was originally expected to be around 2.5 years, but careful use of the onboard liquid helium coolant allowed it to be extended until earlier this year.
CHINA LAKE, Calif. Unrestricted and high-speed weapons are a key “emergent concepts” research area for scientists and engineers at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center here.
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) failed to properly account for how it negotiated contracts worth about $721 million, according to a recent report by the Pentagon Inspector General. “In total, USSOCOM did not adequately document $721 million in negotiated prices on four contracts,” the IG says in its Sept. 18 report. “Of the $721 million, USSOCOM did not adequately support $356 million on one contract for commercial hardware items,” the IG reported.
MOSCOW Russian national space agency Roscosmos has delayed the launch of three new Glonass navigation satellites on a Proton-M booster roughly one month from its originally planned Sept. 25 date to allow more testing of the spacecraft. The additional spacecraft checks were prompted by the malfunction of a Glonass satellite orbited in September of last year. All Glonass-M spacecraft on the ground are being inspected.
All but two of the 57 major U.S. defense contractors — those receiving more than $500 million in 2006 Defense Department contract awards — have ethics programs that include many of the practices consistent with standards now required by federal acquisition regulations, according to congressional auditors. But opportunities still exist to improve DOD’s oversight in two key areas, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report.
DOUBLE DATE: The U.S. Army plans two industry days to support its future Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV). No solicitation, draft or otherwise, will be issued at or prior to the first industry day, set for Oct. 16 in Dearborn, Mich. “The goal of this event is to familiarize participants with the initial GCV requirements and to promote discussion … among potential industry partners,” according to a Sept. 28 advisory. The second industry day is scheduled for November and “will outline ... GCV requirements and procurement schedules,” an Army spokesman said.
AIR FORCE Lear Siegler Services Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded a $36,480,912 contract which will exercise option year three of the contract for contractor logistics support for the C-26B and RC-26B aircraft for the Army National Guard, consisting of maintenance, repair, and support functions for the period of Oct. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2010. At this time no money has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKC, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-07-C-0004, P00070).
