LESSONS LEARNED: The U.S. Eighth Air Force is teaming with members of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies from the Air University, National Defense University and other think-tank organizations such as the Rand Corp. to look at the lessons the Air Force nuclear enterprise has learned from past conflicts. An all-day seminar Feb. 19 at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS: Orbital Sciences Corp. and Ball Aerospace both predict growth in 2009 will be impacted by an expected downturn in U.S. government spending. In 2008 quarter earnings posted Feb. 19, Orbital announced record revenues ($1.17 billion), operating earnings ($89.9 million), free cash flow and backlog. But pointing to the likelihood of a federal budget squeeze, it forecast flat growth for the year ahead. Ball Aerospace, in its 2008 results issued Jan. 29, also reported higher operating earnings ($76.2 million), but declining sales ($746 million).
Defense Department spending on its top 21 expenses slowed in 2008 after six years of strong growth, while spending on healthcare services cracked the top six DOD expenses for the first time since the decade began. The Pentagon nearly doubled the amount it spent on its top 21 expenses from 2001 to 2007, according to an Aerospace DAILY analysis of data supplied by the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting. (See chart p. 6.)
LIGHT WORK: Boeing is briefing defense officials on the initial results of internally funded studies into expanding the role of the 747-based Airborne Laser (ABL), in a bid to build a stronger case for continued funding of the program. The crucial demonstration of the megawatt-class laser’s ability to shoot down a ballistic missile is planned for later this year, but with the costly program threatened Boeing wants to prove the ABL could be used for missions beyond boost-phase intercept, shooting down aircraft, surface-to-air missiles and cruise missiles.
A Mobile, Ala., firm will install a test cell diffuser on the new A3 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to permit simulated high-altitude tests of the J-2X engine for the planned Ares I crew launch vehicle. American Tank and Vessel Inc. won a five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for the work, which will equip the new stand to generate steam at about 4,620 pounds per second and reduce test-cell pressure with it.
Pentagon Spending2008 Procurement Costs for Contracts and Contract Modifications Pentagon Spending2008 Procurement Costs for Contracts and Contract Modifications Type Of Product Or Service Number Of Contracts Or Modifications Total Amount Average Per Contract Or Modification Percentage Of Top 20
PIECE BY PIECE: The last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket arrived at the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Feb. 20. Called the frustum, the funnel-shaped section serves to transition the primary flight loads from the rocket’s upper stage to the first stage, and is located between the upper stage and the forward skirt extension. The part is built by Major Tool and Machine Inc. of Indiana under a subcontract with Ares I prime ATK.
MOON TALK: NASA and the Space Enterprise Council will hold a workshop on lunar surface system concepts to support human and robotic exploration on the moon on Feb. 25-27 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. The forum will provide a status of NASA’s lunar surface exploration architecture and share the results of recent lunar studies performed for the agency’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and Constellation Program.
READING KOREA: Washington may be full of new leaders and new policies, but its mystification with North Korea has not changed and neither has its stance toward missile launches there. “We have made it clear that we consider it both provocative and unhelpful,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says. North Korea has said that a widely expected launch is related to its space efforts, but Clinton stressed Pyongyang has not complied with international rules that govern notification of space launches.
NO RELEASE: Any new U.S. nuclear power reactor will have to be designed to withstand the impact of an airliner. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has agreed to a final rule requiring applicants for approval of new reactors to assess the ability of their design to “avoid or mitigate the effects of a large commercial aircraft impact.” No new reactor has been licensed in the U.S. since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, but the NRC is now processing 17 applications from manufacturers and operators for up to 26 new reactors.
LIFT NEEDED: Kaman, with partner Lockheed Martin, plans to offer its K-Max helicopter to meet a U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory requirement for a cargo unmanned aircraft system able to be deployed to “remote locations” this summer. The Marines are looking for a single air vehicle able to deliver 20,000 pounds of fuel, water, ammunition, food and other items in 24 hours over a round-trip distance of 150 nautical miles between forward operating bases.
IN NEGOTIATIONS: Aero Vodochody says it is the sole remaining bidder in the running to take over Polish helicopter maker Swidnik. Both companies are major aerostructures suppliers to Western helicopter makers, including Sikorsky and Eurocopter.
PARIS — European NATO members continue to spend, on average, well under 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, according to new figures provided by the Atlantic alliance. The average for European allies is 1.7 percent, whereas the U.S. GDP allotment in 2008 was 4 percent, NATO says. The U.S. spends by far more per-capita on defense than any other NATO members. In fact, the U.S. last year spent about 44 percent more on defense than all other NATO members combined.
A GO: The European Space Agency says it has been assured by Eurockot that the Rockot launch vehicle will be able to orbit ESA’s second Earth Explorer, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, during a three-month window starting in July. The first Earth Explorer, Goce, is due to be launched on Rockot on March 16.
AVIATIONWEEK Defense Technology and Requirements March 11 - 12, 2009 National Press Club Washington, DC Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., Chief of Staff of the United States Army Gen. William M. Fraser, III, Vice Chief of Staff for the Air Force LTG Raymond Johns, USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans & Programs
Spacehab Inc., which made its name renting pressurized cargo modules to NASA for space shuttle missions, is changing its name to Astrotech Corp. The Houston-based company’s payload-processing subsidiary near Kennedy Space Center, Vandenberg Air Force Base and the Long Beach, Calif., Sea Launch homeport was called Astrotech Space Operations.
The Defense Department will pursue 15 Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations (JCTDs), including seven new-starts and five rolling starts, for fiscal 2009, as well as three rolling starts that began at the end of fiscal 2008.
BITING NEED: The U.S. Air Force estimates that an unidentified foreign government has “stolen” 10 to 20 terabytes of information from unclassified military networks, according to a Northrop Grumman executive. Speaking at the 2009 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics West Conference, Linda Mills, corporate vice president and president of Northrop’s Information Systems sector, called for increased government spending and attention for what she called “cyber intelligence.” In particular, Mills suggested even more development of so-called cyber ranges for testing.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicated new calendar listing.) Feb. 22 - 26 — IDEX 2009, Middle East defense conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For more information go to www.idex2009.com Mar. 3 — AVIATION WEEK Laureate Awards, Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington, D.C., http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences
Germany will participate in a new NATO anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia in the spring, but under European Union (EU) command. The German frigate Emden and an oiler will participate in the NATO operation under these complicated arrangements to get around the fact that the anti-piracy mandate agreed to by the Bundestag, the German parliament, only covers the EU.
BANKRUPTCY AVERTED: Liberty Media’s $530-million rescue last week to help Sirius XM avoid bankruptcy leaves room for the satellite radio provider to come up with a better deal. And that means a bidding war could yet emerge for the troubled company. Liberty made $250 million available to Sirius right away to retire $175 million in debt due last week, but a second loan — to the old XM subsidiary — has to go through for Liberty to get its 40 percent stake in Sirius.
UAV COMMS: Astrium Services will supply Ku-band up- and –downlink bandwidth for France’s SIDM medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles deployed in Afghanistan under a deal concluded with the French armed forces. Astrium already provides such service for SIDMs based in France. The Afghan SIDMs were accepted in January and recently flew their first mission, Astrium said.
On the eve of a major Washington decision on the fate of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor, Lexington Insitute Analyst and Lockheed Advisor Loren Thompson continues to extoll the virtues of the stealthy fighter. The fiscal 2009 defense authorization act requires the Obama administration to tell Congress by March 1 whether it wants to build more Raptors beyond the 183 already ordered, or close down the line.
