DARPA BOSS: Regina Dugan has been appointed director of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a job that has been vacant since February when the Obama administration told previous incumbent Tony Tether to leave after almost eight years on the job. Most recently CEO of RedXDefense, a company developing defenses against explosive threats, Dugan was a DARPA program manager from 1996 and 2000 and has worked on the Defense Science Board, National Research Council, National Science Foundation and Defense Threat Reduction Agency advisory panels.
The Pentagon has focused too often on the symptoms of acquisition ills and needs to look at changing the way it buys its goods at a more basic level, a recent Defense Science Board (DSB) report says. Fixing the Defense Department acquisition problems has been a Pentagon mantra for years. “Why have previous efforts so often failed? In part, it’s because they fail to address the root causes of the problem, focusing instead on re-engineering the mechanics of the acquisition process,” according to the DSB report, released this past spring.
Globalstar will be the first of the new-generation low-earth orbit mobile satellite service constellations to reach the market, following finalization of its financing plans. The Milpitas, Calif.-based operator announced on July 1 that it had finished a $738 million financing package intended to complete the manufacture, delivery and launch of the company’s second-generation satellite system and network and ground facilities, plus long-lead items for spare spacecraft.
North Korea’s test launch of four-short range missiles July 2 raised speculation that Pyongyang might attempt another long-range ballistic missile test on or about July 4. News organizations reported, and the Pentagon confirmed, that North Korea test-fired four missiles into the Sea of Japan July 2. North Korea and its behavior “continues to be unpredictable,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, though he added that the missile launch “was not unexpected.”
As the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) prepares for a flight-test of the Aegis and SM-3 ballistic missile defense system in July, officials are also planning for testing and production of the new Block IB variant of the interceptor. They also are planning to explore how to better integrate the interceptor into MDA’s growing cadre of target detection and tracking radars.
MOSCOW — The fate of MiG’s Skat unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) project is uncertain, with company officials declining to discuss the status of the program. MiG showed a mock-up of the Skat to a handful of Russian journalists in 2007. Now, Mikhail Pogosyan, the former Sukhoi CEO who was appointed to lead MiG in 2008, suggests that Skat was just a demonstrator and that further developments depend on the Russian military defining what kind of aircraft it would like.
Crews at Kennedy Space Center will wait to start stacking the Ares I-X test vehicle so engineers will have more time to analyze three vibration-loads issues that could threaten range safety during its suborbital test flight, which probably will slip into October.
SPIKE IT: Germany has awarded EuroSpike, a joint venture of Diehl BGT Defense, Rheinmetall and Israel’s Rafael, a 35 million euro ($49 million) contract to supply 311 Spike Long Range guided missile systems for the German Army’s multipurpose guided missile system (MELLS) requirement. MELLS is intended to equip Germany’s new Puma infantry fighting vehicle, as well as infantry units and special operations forces. The award includes an option for an additional 1,160 missiles worth 120 million euros.
Eumetsat has approved a plan to contribute 63 million euros ($87 million) to the Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite, preparing the way for a development go-ahead by year’s end.
BOEING DELIVERIES: The pace of deliveries for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was steady in the second quarter for nearly all segments except Apache helicopters, where they climbed. Boeing reports it delivered eight new build Apaches during the quarter — and 13 for the year to date — compared to just one during the same period last year. The unit delivered one new-build Chinook compared to two last year and four C-17s compared to five last year. In all, it has delivered seven Chinooks as of the mid-way point in 2009, compared to four last year.
The economic downturn may have failed to dent the performance of Europe’s aerospace and defense manufacturers in 2008, but this year will be another matter, according to new figures released by the European aerospace and defense lobby group ASD. Figures released July 2 show the sector’s turnover increasing in 2008, up 2.5 percent to 137 billion euros ($192 billion.)
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has flown an improved version of its Lynx synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on the MQ-1C Sky Warrior Block 1 unmanned aircraft, shortly to be deployed operationally by the U.S Army. The Lynx Block 30 is an upgrade of the Lynx II SAR/ground moving target indication (GMTI) radar originally planned for the Warrior, but which was replaced by the Northrop Grumman STARlite when the sensor failed to meet performance specifications.
Space shuttle managers will try again to launch Endeavour July 11, after repairs to a troublesome gaseous hydrogen leak apparently worked during a full-scale fueling test July 1.
STRONG DEFENSE: A Harris Poll finds that President Barack Obama’s Pentagon pick — a holdover from President George W. Bush — is the most popular member of the new White House chief’s cabinet. The only person to avoid a decline in positive job rating since the Obama administration took office in January is Defense Secretary Robert Gates, according to the poll, released June 29. Harris said 28 percent of those polled gave Gates a positive rating again this month while 13 percent rated him negatively, down from 15 percent in May.
NECC SUPPORT: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded more than $60 million in contracts for Net-Enabled Command Capability (NECC) systems engineering support to three companies: Virginia-based FGM and Booz Allen Hamilton, and SAIC of San Diego, Calif. NECC support services include technical operations, integrated logistics, test and evaluation, training, modeling and simulation and other related systems engineering support. Awardees will compete for task orders during the two-year contract period, which includes a three-year option.
The U.S. has no intention of trading a proposed missile interceptor site in Europe in exchange for “a better deal” with Russia, a White House official said July 1. A review of the so-called “third site” missile shield, first proposed by the previous administration, is under way to ensure it is both feasible and affordable, a requirement stated often by President Barack Obama.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has won one of two awards from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to study and design a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). DARPA received nine proposals, and one more award is expected in the next 60 days, according to an agency official. Boeing, Raytheon and ATK also submitted proposals.
PARIS — The Greek defense ministry this year is looking to place an order for Rafael’s Spice air-to-ground bomb.The weapon would be used on Greek F-16s. Israel has already integrated the weapon on its F-16s.
AeroVironment is designing and building a prototype flapping-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under the second phase of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program. The $2.1 million Phase 2 contract was awarded after the company accomplished controlled hovering flight of an air vehicle using a pair of flapping wings for both propulsion and control. The milestone was achieved in December 2008 with the 20-second flight of the Mercury interim test vehicle, the company says.
Raytheon plans to begin flight-testing of the two-stage Network-Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) ballistic missile killer within 40 months, but the company is hoping to get more funding from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to deliver missiles within four years, according to a senior Raytheon official.
