The U.S. Air Force has placed the first Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite into operation over the Pacific region, manufacturer Boeing announced May 12, and the second and third WGS satellites are scheduled for launch by the end of this year. “WGS is the first satellite able to communicate” across frequency bands, according to Boeing WGS program director Mark Spiwak. The capability allows soldiers to talk to each other whether they are communicating using X-band or Ka-band frequencies. “That’s a huge advantage to the warfighter,” Spiwak added.
LONDON – U.K.-headquartered defense company Cobham is picking up U.S. microwave subsystems manufacturer M/A-COM from parent Tyco Electronics for $425 million as part of its ongoing strategy to build its U.S. presence. M/A-COM’s aerospace and defense and commercial activities are being sold to Cobham. The former will complement Cobham’s Defense Electronics Systems business unit, but the commercial business is to be offered for resale.
The 100-plus teams competing in the DOD’s Wearable Power Prize competition are preparing for the last big hurdle before the 92-hour bench test in September. On June 3, each team will have to submit a System Description, which will be used as the second part of the Safety Evaluation process. William Rees, deputy under secretary of defense for laboratories and basic sciences, said the evaluation period will be “very intense, very busy. ... A technically detailed time for the overall competition.” Evaluation
CHINOOK SHUTDOWN: Boeing has put a temporary halt on its Ridley Township, Penn., CH-47 Chinook helicopter line after discovering possible manufacturing irregularities in two aircraft. According to Boeing, the company notified its security organization and the site’s resident Defense Contract Management Agency representatives who oversee all U.S. government contracts at the facility. Because the incident is still under investigation, Boeing said “it would not be appropriate or prudent to comment further until the investigation is complete.”
Italy’s Finmeccanica has gotten a potential leg up on European aerospace rival EADS by agreeing to a major U.S. defense acquisition, confirming a rumored deal to acquire DRS for $5.2 billion, including $1.2 billion in debt. New Jersey-headquartered DRS would operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica, retaining its current management and with a U.S. board. But it remains to be seen whether its takeover by a non-U.S. company will pass Pentagon and antitrust reviews.
GENERATING BUSINESS: DRS Technologies has been chosen by the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, N.J., to manufacture more than 2,300 Tactical Quiet Generators (TQGs). The delivery orders are part of a $369 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity CECOM contract, placed immediately prior to the initial delivery award, which was announced May 12. Generators under the initial orders – worth $55 million and including 5-, 10- and 15-kilowatt TQGs – will be manufactured and delivered through April 2009.
ARLINGTON, Va. – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) president and CEO Marion Blakey announced May 13 aerospace industry employment numbers showing a slight but steady increase. At the end of the first quarter of this year, the total was 651,700 workers, Blakey said. “That’s up from the 2007 year-end average of 645,000. That’s good news,” she added.
Human spaceflight managers at NASA have extended the upcoming STS-124 International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission by one day to give the crew of the shuttle Discovery time to change out a spacesuit-battery recharger in the U.S. Quest airlock. Veteran astronauts Mark Kelly, the STS-124 commander, and Mike Fossum, lead extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member for the flight, will remove the airlock’s battery charger module and replace it with a fresh module that Discovery will carry to orbit.
BIG ARMY: Two conservative-associated think tank analysts in Washington are calling for at least 1 million active duty U.S. Army soldiers. The cost to build up such a force, roughly double the final planned roster under President Bush’s ongoing initiative, would amount to roughly 1 percent of the gross domestic product, according to Thomas Donnelly and Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
TOKYO – Japan’s high-speed Internet satellite, Kizuna, has achieved another world record by establishing a direct 1.2 Gbps connection with a 2.4-meter (7.87-foot) ground antenna. The connection was made on May 2 by bonding together two 622 Mbps links to create a 1.2 Gbps connection for both upstream and downstream connections. The vehicle-mounted antenna was in Kagoshima, southwest of Japan.
U.S.-made commercial satellite components that are not superior to foreign manufacturers’ technology already in the world marketplace should not be subject to federal export controls, a leading aerospace technical society says. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) says it will recommend that the U.S. government lift technology export controls for commercial satellite components that perform at or below a set performance level. That limited capability makes them less attractive for military use.
ABLE ABRAMS: General Dynamics Land Systems said May 8 it received a $116 million U.S. Army contract for long-lead items for the Abrams main battle tank. The contract, awarded April 30, adds to an existing contract for reset of 204 M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) tanks. Upgrades include new forward-looking infrared, far-target locate, a tank-infantry phone and driver’s vision enhancement.
The Defense Department will take what it calls a leadership-driven approach to the next quadrennial defense review (QDR) in the hopes of avoiding a process bogged down by stovepipes and parochialism. Two major documents talking about force employment and deployment, along with the establishment of a new position – capability portfolio manager – will, according to DOD officials, create a “leadership-driven” model for the next QDR.
ABLE ABRAMS: General Dynamics Land Systems said May 8 it received a $116 million U.S. Army contract for long-lead items for the Abrams main battle tank. The contract, awarded April 30, adds to an existing contract for reset of 204 M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) tanks. Upgrades include new forward-looking infrared, far-target locate, a tank-infantry phone and driver’s vision enhancement.
ELECTRIC ARC: U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) accepted its 25,000th ARC-210 radio from Rockwell Collins on April 29. The radio is installed on more than 180 different types of platforms worldwide, ranging from fighter aircraft, transports, unmanned aerial systems, ships, vehicles and in buildings. The Navy alone has more than 9,800 in service. The ARC-210 provides two-way, multimode voice and data communications, with the most recent variant supporting a 30- to 941-megahertz frequency range.
NO SMALL AWARD: Vendor interest in the U.S. Army’s Information Technology Services – Small Business (ITS-SB) multiaward contract has quickly increased since April, according to IT consultancy Input. The anticipated value for the ITS-SB effort reaches $400 million, but small businesses know it puts them in a virtual “prime vendor” footing. The Army is looking to small businesses to fill IT gaps left by the land service’s two ITES contracts, and ITS-SB will supply services in specific task areas missed or limited under the current large ITES-2S and ITES-2H, Input says.
ARMY General Dynamics Lands Systems Division, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on April 30, 2008, a $116,148,304 firm-fixed price contract for the conversion of the long lead material contract for the 204 RESET M1A1 program. The work will be performed primarily in Lima, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Sept. 25, 2007. TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006). NAVY
The Irish government kicked off a competition to buy light tactical armored vehicles (LTAVs) on May 8, with bids due July 9 for the 27-vehicle program. The defense ministry says the vehicles need to “fulfill a number of distinct roles, within the full spectrum of operations both at home and overseas. The vehicles will be required to carry out a range of tasks including command, control and communications, light reconnaissance, target acquisition tasks and to act as a weapon platform.” Core program
NO SMALL AWARD: Vendor interest in the U.S. Army’s Information Technology Services – Small Business (ITS-SB) multiaward contract has quickly increased since April, according to IT consultancy Input. The anticipated value for the ITS-SB effort reaches $400 million, but small businesses know it puts them in a virtual “prime vendor” footing. The Army is looking to small businesses to fill IT gaps left by the land service’s two ITES contracts, and ITS-SB will supply services in specific task areas missed or limited under the current large ITES-2S and ITES-2H, Input says.
EAGLE STRIKE: A potential $447 million cut in authorized funding for F-15 repairs next fiscal year could amount to the greatest single spending reduction proposed by House Armed Services Committee members, a staff member says. The full $497 million request was to pay for structural fixes for the F-15A-D fleet, but subcommittee recommendations included only about $50 million for the repairs. The staff member noted that repair costs have been better estimated since then.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Boeing is considering doing maintenance and overhaul on three Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) and the P-8I Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft at its planned MRO hub at India’s Nagpur Airport. “We are considering looking at support systems in India and are in discussions with Boeing and Aviall India, a Boeing subsidiary for components, to provide integrated capabilities,” George White, director of International Support Systems, told Aerospace DAILY here.
NASA’s J-2X rocket engine development project is moving into critical design review (CDR) with extensive data on the performance of its Saturn-heritage gas generator and turbomachinery, holding pace for first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle.
