An article in the Dec. 18 issue misstated the number of C-17s desired by U.S. Transportation Command chief Gen. Norton Schwartz. The desired number of aircraft is 205.
With Japanese naval forces conducting a successful ballistic missile defense (BMD) intercept test of Aegis BMD with U.S. forces Dec. 17, BMD and Pacific alliance advocates are heralding a new era of international engagement. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) declared the successful Japanese-launched intercept of a North Korean-styled medium-range target missile to be "a major milestone in the growing cooperation between Japan and the U.S." Previous Japanese participation was limited to tracking and communications exercises.
NEW DELHI - Eurocopter says it had not yet received an official statement from the government of India on cancellation of the 197 AS550 C3 Fennec helicopters for the Indian army, for which final price negotiations had started. A statement issued by the Indian ministry of defense Dec. 6 said that the government had decided to cancel the RFP (request for proposals) for helicopters and a fresh RFP would be issued soon (DAILY, Dec. 7).
HONORING LANDSAT: On Dec. 18, Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), chairman of the House Science subcommittee on space and aeronautics, introduced a bipartisan House resolution to celebrate 35 years of Landsat observations. The Landsat program began with the launch of the first civilian Earth observation satellite on July 23, 1972 by NASA. Originally known as the Earth Resources Technology Satellite, the satellite was later renamed Landsat 1.
MORE MRAPs: On Dec. 18 DOD announced delivery orders covering an additional 3,126 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to be completed by end of July 2008. Four manufacturers received orders totaling nearly $2.66 billion. Stewart and Stevenson Tactical Vehicle will build 668 Category II vehicles with Category I seat configuration; BAE Systems Land and Armaments will build 600 more Category II vehicles; Force Protection Industries, Inc.
Congress and the Bush administration are on their way to fund the federal government - outside of the regular Pentagon budget - for fiscal 2008 after a fragile deal apparently won blessings from the White House and enough lawmakers from both parties Dec. 18. President Bush would sign the "omnibus" spending bill if it contains $71 billion in supplemental spending for the combat operations in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan and elsewhere with "no strings attached," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.
The U.S. Army has awarded iRobot Corp. the $286 million xBot contract for up to 3,000 military ground robots over the next five years, after stripping the award from original winner Robotic FX.
This month NASA plans to begin testing core components of its Apollo-derived J-2X engine, which will power the upper stage of the Ares I and Ares V rockets that are being designed to send astronauts and cargo on their way to the moon. NASA will test the engine's powerpack - a gas generator and turbopumps that perform the rocket engine's major pumping and combustion work - at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Canadian Land Staff Chief Lt. Gen. Andrew Leslie says his most immediate materiel needs include the addition of a medium/heavy lift helicopter into the fleet as soon as possible.
Structural problems have prompted the U.S. Navy to ground 39 of its P-3C aircraft, ten of which are deployed to units abroad. The grounded aircraft are operating beyond known structural limits in an area of the lower section of their wing. Analysis of the problem and fixes are expected to take up to two years. The fix will include a replacement of the structure at the trailing edge of the wing between the two engine nacelles, according to John Milliman, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
DMSP SHIPPED: Lockheed Martin Space Systems has shipped the Flight-18 Block FD-3 Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite to Vandenberg Air Force Base for launch next July on an Atlas V. It is among four spacecraft in storage to fulfill the U.S. Air Force's strategic and tactical weather forecasting requirements. The Block FD-3 has larger sensor payloads than previous generations. It will be the second payload launched on an Atlas V from Vandenberg.
NASA has picked a pair of celestial targets for the Deep Impact spacecraft that blasted the comet Tempel-1 with a copper projectile on July 4, 2005. Under the Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization and Deep Impact Extended Investigation (EPOXI) mission, the Ball Aerospace mothership will use the larger of its two telescopes next month to examine planetary systems that have been discovered around other stars, and then conduct a close flyby of the comet Hartley 2 on Oct. 11, 2011.
The U.S. Coast Guard's embattled Deepwater recapitalization program will be revised over the next several months as the Homeland Security Department's armed service adjusts to aborted unmanned aircraft and patrol boat efforts while trying to meet increased post-9/11 requirements.
KEEP FLYING: Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) on Dec. 17 announced new legislation proposing adding money to NASA's budget to extend space shuttle operations until the Orion vehicle arrives, eliminating the anticipated gap in U.S. human spaceflight capability. The bill would provide for two shuttle flights per year after 2010 - the orbiter's current retirement date - while also providing additional resources to accelerate Orion's debut from its 2015 target.
A Democratic effort on Capitol Hill to provide a spending bill for the rest of the federal government outside of the Defense Department is already drawing opposition from the White House and some Republicans.
ROBOT LOSS: The U.S. Army reportedly has stripped Robotic FX of the $280 million xBot bomb-disposal robot program after investigating the Illinois-based contractor in light of a lawsuit brought against it by competitor iRobot. iRobot lost xBot to Robotic FX in an unusual reverse auction procurement. Prior to the auction, iRobot filed a theft of trade secrets lawsuit against Robotic FX, which was founded by a former iRobot employee, alleging that it stole its proprietary designs (DAILY, Oct. 26).
Nineteen senators are pressuring the White House and Pentagon to "rightly fund" C-17 production by including it in the forthcoming fiscal 2009 budget request due to Congress in February. Two letters, dated Dec. 13, were dispatched; one each went to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Both letters encourage the Bush administration to stop looking to Congress to plus-up funding for Boeing's strategic airlifter production line in Long Beach, Calif.
AIR FORCE United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Group of East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded an undefinitized contract for $114,663,000. This action provides for F119-PW-117-PW-100 engines, CY08 sustainment undefinitized contract action. At this time $85,997,000 has been obligated. Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8611-05-C-2851).
TEL AVIV, Israel - Urban Aeronautics has signed a three-year contract with Turbomeca for an Arriel-class engine to power the MULE unmanned aerial vehicle. The MULE is an unmanned vertical take-off and landing platform powered by internal rotors - a design called Fancraft technology, patented by Urban Aeronautics. The 5.3-meter (17-foot) aircraft was designed for resupply and medevac missions, according to Janina Frankel-Yoeli, vice president of marketing.
ARMY BAE Systems Land and Armaments, York, PA, was awarded on Nov. 29, 2007, a $135,163,802 cost-reimbursable contract for reset of Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 14, 2007, and one bid was received. The Tank, Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-05-G-0005. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
