BLAIR CZAR: Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair will be President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for director of national intelligence, several news organizations reported Dec. 19. The choice of DNI seemed to take longer than Obama’s other national security cabinet positions and advisors. While Blair was considered a front runner for the job, recent concern was raised over his role in a study of F-22 Raptor costs that played a pivotal role in a congressional debate two years ago (Aerospace DAILY, June 23, 2006).
QUALITY ASSURANCE: International Launch Services (ILS) says a quality initiative begun with Proton M builder Khrunichev following a March 2008 launch mishap is advancing well. According to ILS, 16 immediate measures have been completed and 22 Phase 1 actions are nearly done. Eight other steps related to launch system improvements have been defined and are underway; they are due to be completed by the end of 2009. ILS completed its fourth successful mission since the mishap — and fifth of the year — on Dec. 10, carrying the Ciel-2 telecom satellite into orbit.
TORNADO GEAR: Messier Services UK will overhaul landing gear for the Royal Air Force’s Tornado multi-role combat aircraft under a new eight-and-a-half-year contract with EADS. The 134 aircraft will be maintained at Gloucester, U.K., where the Safran Group company is based. The Tornado was developed by Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a consortium of Alenia Aeronautica (15%), EADS (42.5%), and BAE Systems (42.5%). According to Panavia’s website, Italy (Alenia Aeronautica) is responsible for manufacturing the aircraft’s wings; the U.K.
As the U.S. Air Force retreats further from its mobile Battle Control System (BCS-M) plans, the service continues to funnel more funds to its fixed system (BCS-F), according to Pentagon contract listings and sources familiar with the effort.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicated new calendar listing.) Jan. 26 - 28, 2009 — 6th Annual Tactical Power Sources Summit, Hilton Alexandria Old Town, Alexandria, Va. For more information go to www.idga.org/us/tacticalpower
TIGER ENGINES: The consortium MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce has named MTU Aero engines and Atelier d’Industriel Aeronautic (AIA) of Bordeau approved repair centers for the MTR390-2C turboshaft that powers the Franco-German Tiger attack helicopter. The centers will only be responsible for engine module components, with complete engine and module replacement being handled by the French and German air force depots.
The Netherlands has followed Norway in recommending procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), with both defense ministries ranking the aircraft’s mission capabilities higher and costs lower than competing multirole fighters. “The F-35 best meets the requirements drawn up by the Netherlands for the successor to the F-16,” the Dutch defense ministry says, citing its better mission capability and operational availability, and lower price and anticipated lifecycle costs.
Dassault Aviation has come to an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to buy the 21 percent stake that the latter holds in French defense and aerospace electronics group Thales. The parties have been in talks for several weeks, and have now worked out a deal that seems to satisfy all sides. Dassault is paying €1.57 billion for the stake, in a transaction due to close in this spring (Aerospace DAILY, Dec. 5).
Broadcasting Satellite System Corp (B-SAT) and Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. of Japan have awarded construction of a new telecom satellite to Lockheed Martin. The twin Ku-band payload satellite, BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R, is intended to ensure spare and growth capacity to meet high demand for direct-to-home broadcasting and telecom services in the Japanese market. It will be launched to 110 deg. E. Long on an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket in the second quarter of 2011.
BUFFALO RETIREMENT: Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay is expected to seek cabinet approval early in 2009 to buy up to 17 new fixed-wing search-and-rescue (SAR) aircraft to replace the Canadian Forces’ 40-year-old de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalos. The program is projected to cost C$3 billion ($2.5 billion) including through-life support. The department, meanwhile, has denied reports it is considering buying or leasing additional AgustaWestland CH-146 Cormorant SAR helicopters to boost availability.
SPARTAN PICK: Slovakia is the latest nation to select Alenia Aeronautica’s C-27J tactical transport, and is negotiating to buy two aircraft for delivery in 2011 to replace the Slovak Army’s pair of Antonov An-26s. The C-27J was selected over the EADS Casa C-295M and Lockheed Martin C-130J. Canada is expected to launch a competition for 17 fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft in early 2009, with the C-27J seen as the front runner.
Eco-Aviation and Fuel Management Viable strategies to drive meaningful cost reduction and improve operating efficiencies January 27-28, 2009 Sofitel Miami Miami, FL FEATURED SPEAKER: Pierre Girault VP QSE & Sustainable Development Air France Industries KLM Royal Dutch Airlines An exciting discussion on one of today’s most topical issues!
BRAHMOS TEST: India’s BrahMos missile was test launched Dec. 18 from a naval warship in the Bay of Bengal, marking the first test from a universal vertical launcher fitted in a new ship. All earlier launches of BrahMos missiles were carried out from inclined launchers, which are less prevalent than vertical launchers on present-day ships.
PROVISIONAL COMMANDER: Brig. Gen. James Kowalski will serve as commander of the provisional Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). The Air Force has not yet determined a permanent location for AFGSC, which initially will be located at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, and has proposed that a three-star general lead the permanent command. The provisional AFGSC is scheduled to be activated Jan. 12, 2009, at which point Kowalski will assume command.
Two members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew are set to venture outside the orbiting facility Dec. 22 to install a probe that will measure a phenomenon that may have caused two returning Russian Soyuz vehicles to fall into a perilous “ballistic” reentry. Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov will install a Langmuir probe near the Soyuz docked at the station’s Pirs docking compartment so Russian engineers can gauge the temperature and density of the surrounding plasma as well as its electric potential.
SURVEILLANCE BUY: Boeing has completed its purchase of Digital Technology Inc. of Germantown, Md., developers of wireless surveillance devices for government customers, to become part of Boeing Network & Space Systems unit. Terms of the agreement were not released.
FULLY FUNDED: The U.S. Air Force has modified a fixed-price incentive contract to Boeing Satellite Systems for $233.8 million that completes all funding for the satellite portion of the six-satellite Wideband Global Satcom contract. Some support systems funding remains uncompleted under the $1.8-billion WGS contract.
BAD NEWS: The U.K. National Audit Office’s annual review of military procurement continues to make uncomfortable reading for the British Defense Ministry. The newly released Major Projects Report 2008 highlights a number of program delays and budget increases among the 30 procurement projects examined during the 12-month period that ended Mar. 31, 2008.
SHUTTING DOWN: SES Americom plans to shut down its IP-Prime service, established two years ago to provide internet TV to small business and consumer users, by the end of July 2009. The move, which SES says will not materially affect financial guidance for 2008-09, was motivated by the slow take-up of the service by small and medium-size telecom operators and the difficult market outlook. Americom says it had less than 10,000 subscribers and 70 small telcos, of which only 37 had reached commercial operation.
MiG BOOST: Russia is to provide Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighters, taken from air force stocks. The offer was made during a visit to Moscow by Lebanese defence minister Elias Murr. Expected to arrive in 2009, the twin-engine multirole fighters will be a significant boost for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which in November reactivated a handful of Hawker Hunters retired 15 years ago. Lebanon’s grounded Dassault Mirages were sold to Pakistan in 2000.
INFRARED DETECTION: Sofradir, a leading French manufacturer of infrared detectors for defense, space and commercial applications, has acquired Electrophysics, a New Jersey-based IR component supplier. The U.S. affiliate, renamed Sofradir Engineered Components, is intended to serve as a beachhead for the North American market.
SPACE RADAR: Lockheed Martin and Thales Alenia Space have formed a partnership to jointly develop and deliver a new family of low-cost, highly responsive, agile space radar systems for the U.S. and international market. The deal, which is based on a framework agreement concluded in 2007, aims to draw on Thales’s strengths in turn-key radar imaging systems and Lockheed’s small satellite know-how. The two companies say an integrated design is already nearly complete and the team has jointly answered a request for information recently released by the U.S. Air Force.
