OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — North Korea’s second underground nuclear test and a series of missile launches there are certain signs of more trouble to come, top U.S. military officials stationed in South Korea say, although a major military event — either civil war or a major strike south — is considered remote. High on the list of expectations, however, are clashes in the western sea where South Korean, North Korean and Chinese fishing interests conflict. Military analysts point to the upcoming start of crabbing season as a flash point.
The space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on the morning of May 23, touching down at 11:38 a.m. EDT after almost 14 days in space on the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
Key senators are praising the Obama administration’s choice of four-time space shuttle astronaut and retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden to be the next administrator of NASA. Announced May 23, Bolden’s nomination makes him the first African-American, and only the second former astronaut — after Richard Truly — to be tapped to head the space agency. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.
MOSCOW — Russia’s Space Forces on May 22 launched a Meridian military/civilian communications satellite from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, although an apparent booster stage failure placed it in an incorrect orbit. The Soyuz-2 launch vehicle with Fregat upper stage delivered the spacecraft to a high elliptical orbit described as “close to designated,” and it operates properly, according to an official statement from satellite maker Reshetnev ISS.
Japan will drop its blanket ban on arms exports in a potentially far-reaching move that should result in the country finally beginning to integrate itself with the military industries of Western democracies. After decades of trying to go it alone or seeking only inward technology transfer, Japan will now accept joint development and production of weapons.
LONDON — British government officials confirm that BAE Systems is being given a second opportunity to propose a Nimrod MRA4-based design as a replacement for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Nimrod R1 communications and electronic intelligence aircraft. An initial BAE proposal was submitted in 2007, but it was rejected on cost and risk criteria. High-ranking RAF officials have recently confirmed their preference remains the U.S. RC-135 Rivet Joint as a successor to the R1.
BEIJING — Chinese scientists are evaluating the possibility of a manned moon landing between 2025 and 2030, says the designer of the country’s first lunar probe. The country will next year launch its second lunar probe, Chang’e 2, which will survey the Earth’s natural satellite in preparation for a soft-landing by 2013 by Chang’e 3, says the scientist, Ye Peijian.
Due to a typographical error, a May 26 story incorrectly characterized a proposed radar sale by Raytheon. The company is offering a radar to South Korea.
ARMY DRS Sustainment Systems Inc., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded on May 20, 2009, a $103,855,708 firm-fixed-price contract for 274 each heavy equipment transporter system M1000 semi-trailers. The work is to be performed in St. Louis, with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. TACOM-Warren, AMSCC-TAC-ATBC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0107). NAVY
AIR FORCE The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Hawker Beechcraft Corp. of Wichita, Kan., for an amount not-to-exceed $123,794,733. The contract will provide for 20 T6A trainer aircraft, training devices and technical publications. At this time, $69,325,051 has been obligated. ASC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8617-09-C-6166). NAVY
NEW DELHI — Barely four days after India’s new government was partially sworn in, the country’s defense ministry has issued two requests for proposals (RFPs) over two days for 22 attack helicopters and 15 heavy-lift helicopters. The two RFPs have been eagerly awaited by the industry. The RFP for the attack helicopters to replace India’s Mi-35s is a repeat effort. It was first released in May 2008 with bids submitted in December, but then withdrawn earlier this year as the three offers received were said not to have met the Staff Qualitative Requirements.
BETHESDA, Md. — Membership in the White House/NASA panel being set up to give the Obama administration a quick review of the U.S. human spaceflight program will be announced as early as May 27, and the group of 10 aerospace experts should clear all the regulatory wickets to begin work in about two weeks, according to Norman Augustine, the retired Lockheed Martin CEO who will chair the group.
Aerospace & Defense Programs November 2 - 4, 2009 Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa Phoenix, AZ - The only conference that covers the 20 programs in both the commercial and defense sectors, analyzes business and technology opportunities while sharing complex program execution capability and developing program leadership expertise. Register Today!
CHINA AIR: President Hu Jintao has urged the Chinese air force “to constantly improve its ability to win local wars, as well as accomplish diversified military tasks.” China should have “a powerful air force to meet the demands of the People’s Liberation Army for missions in the 21st century,” he adds. There were no details on how that would be achieved. In their prepared speeches and articles, Chinese leaders often express aspirations without mentioning concrete plans.
The South Korean defense ministry is assessing bids from Thales, Raytheon and Elta to supply radars for the country’s nascent ballistic-missile defense system.
The U.S. Air Force is conducting fatigue tests on F-15C/D/Es to assess whether the aircraft are suitable for a service life extension program (SLEP). The fleet is expected to be good for about 8,000 flying hours, and Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, military deputy for the Air Force acquisition czar, says a SLEP could take them to 12,000 flying hours. The service is also exploring a SLEP for the F-16, which would take the aircraft from 4,000 flying hours to 8,000 flying hours.
The $150 million in economic stimulus money NASA plans to spend on promoting a commercial route to space for International Space Station crews will only be a down-payment, according to NASA’s acting administrator. Chris Scolese, who has headed the U.S. space agency since Jan. 20 in the absence of an appointee named by President Obama, told the Senate Commerce space and science subcommittee May 21 that $70 million of the money will go to establishing human-rating requirements for commercial operators, with the rest to support hardware development.
UNMANNED SLEUTHING: Investigating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashes is turning out to be a significantly different task than finding the causes of manned aircraft accidents, says Maj. Gen. Fred Ruggero, commander of the U.S. Air Force Flight Safety Center. When a UAV being operated remotely from the U.S. crashes in theater “we can’t always rope off the wreckage, and in some cases we have to destroy it first,” he tells an IDGA UAV conference in Washington.
SEJIL SUCCESS: Iran’s successful May 20 test of its Sejil-2 two-stage rocket indicates “significant” advances in the nation’s long-range rocketry, a former senior defense official says. The flight shows progress in the nation’s indigenous production capability as well as progress in the challenge of staging events, the official says. A similar missile was flight tested in November but failed. This recent test, however, demonstrated proper operation for both stages of the missile’s flight, and this weapon has a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range.
MOVING DAY: On May 30, NASA will roll Space Shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39B to Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in preparation to launch on STS-127 next month. Endeavour was stacked at Pad 39B ready to lift off to rescue the crew of STS-125 in the event of an on-orbit emergency. The STS-127 crew’s launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, will take place from May 31 to June 2.
