It appears that the United States is unlikely to stop impending F-16 sales to Pakistan or other military equipment deals in the wake of the coup there, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says. "While the President has the authority to immediately halt all or some U.S. assistance to Pakistan, there are no signs that he intends to do so," CRS said in a November report.
NETWORK ATTACK: U.S. Marine Corps special operators are going to tackle the very sophisticated mission of network attack. Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, commander of Marine Corps special operations command, says that in addition to adding more intelligence, communications and logistics specialists to his force (which is to reach a two-battalion total of 2,600 troops by October 2008), he wants an effective network attack and exploitation capability. "In my opinion, the hardest [of special operations' core missions] is information operations," he says.
PARIS - The European transport ministers have approved a proposed change in the tendering rules for the Galileo satellite navigation system that will clear the way for the program to move forward as a publicly funded project.
BAE BRIEFS: BAE Systems declared Nov. 28 that it successfully fielded its long-range, electro-optical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ARS) camera as part of the F-16-based program for the Royal Air Force of Oman. ARS can take pictures day or night at high speeds and altitudes from 3,000 to 40,000 feet at ranges up to 60 miles. BAE claims it has the largest focal length currently available for tactical reconnaissance missions. Performance and aircraft integration testing were completed earlier this year at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
BALLISTIC RECORD: The Trident II D5 missile has achieved 120 consecutive successful test launches since 1989, surpassing any other large ballistic missile or space-launch vehicle, according to Lockheed Martin. The sub-launched, nuclear-tipped ballistic missile's prime contractor made the announcement after the Navy test launched an unarmed version Nov. 29 from the submerged USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) in the Pacific Ocean.
PARIS - Scientists say the latest results from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Venus Express probe are adding significantly to our knowledge of our nearest planet. Findings released at ESA's headquarters here show Venusian processes to be closer to Earth's than postulated in recent years, according to Fred Taylor, an interdisciplinary scientist at Oxford University. We now see Venus "as Earth's twin, but separated at birth," Taylor said.
SEA KING SUPPORT: AgustaWestland says the U.K. has contracted for Phase II of the Sea King Integrated Operational Support (SKIOS) flying hour support program. SKIOS parallels the IMOS (Integrated Merlin Operational Support) program for U.K. Merlins contracted in early 2006. The SKIOS contract is worth 470 million ($950 million) for the first five years, but could ultimately reach 800 million pounds.
The U.S. Navy will shut down its Advanced Deployable System (ADS) program next year after a final test report for the undersea surveillance system, once intended for the since-delayed Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to track diesel and nuclear submarines, surface ships and even detect sea mine-laying. Final data archiving and hardware "disposition" will be completed by March 2008, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said Nov. 29. Navy officials did not address the cause of the cancellation.
The U.S. Air Force has again grounded its main force of F-15 Eagles for safety reasons, with the commander of Air Combat Command on Nov. 28 directing a fleet-wide inspection of all ACC F-15A through D model aircraft, the service announced.
PARIS - Iran's announcement that it has developed the 1,200-mile range Ashura ballistic missile is being viewed with some concern by the Pentagon. Although the Defense Department has long been projecting Iranian ballistic missiles to achieve that range, it was expected to be through upgrades of the long-known Shahab-3. However, the Ashura is "different," says U.S. Missile Defense Agency director Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering. "That's what surprised us," he said.
NEW DELHI - BAE Systems and Wipro Technologies in Hyderabad and Bangalore will combine efforts on the design of subsystems for the air transport and business jet markets, following a memorandum of agreement to work jointly on commercial aerospace projects. The partners also will cooperate on developing subsystems for aircraft engines and establish technical development centers in Hyderabad and Bangalore that will help them cooperate globally in the defense and aerospace markets, according to a statement.
Following new efforts to expand contacts with Chinese counterparts, U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy Keating hopes to go to China in mid-January, his second visit there in less than a year as the commander of Pacific Command. Keating told Pentagon reporters Nov. 27 that the request to visit aligns with U.S. desires to engage Chinese officials more over their military buildup and their January anti-satellite weapon test.
NEW DELHI - Final negotiations are ongoing between India's ministry of defense and Eurocopter to purchase 197 AS 550 C3 Fennec light helicopters for the Indian army, although the contract has not yet been formally signed by defense minister A.K. Antony. The Indian army has denied recent media reports alleging irregularities and the likelihood of the deal being scrapped, saying that neither an inquiry nor fresh bids have been sought.
NEW YORK - Despite continued protestations by the U.S. Air Force that the service lacks the money to procure additional C-17 airlifters, Boeing CEO Jim Albaugh said he is "confident" the 2008 Global War on Terror (GWOT) bill contains provisions for the aircraft.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending that NASA not proceed beyond the 2008 preliminary design review (PDR) for the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle until it establishes a sound business case for the program.
MARINES IN AFGHANISTAN: U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Castellaw, deputy commandant for programs and resources, says that his service is well postured to shift its attention to the increasingly tenuous military situation in Afghanistan. NATO now leads the operation there. But political strife in Pakistan has provided an opening for an already aggressive resurgence of the Taliban to grow.
JAPAN'S TANKER: Boeing has completed first flight of Japan's second KC-767 following its modification to an aerial refueler, the company announced Nov. 29. The 2-hour, 45-minute flight was conducted Nov. 18 at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The company also has flight-tested a new pylon design for the Wing Air Refueling Pod (WARP) designed for Italian KC-767s. The Italian air force has two aircraft flying, and testing of the WARP and hose drum unit refueling systems will demonstrate fuel transfer.
LEAK CHECK: Concerned that the vestibule to the Destiny lab aboard the International Space Station (ISS) may be leaking, the Expedition 16 crew has performed two leak checks on successive nights but found no signs of pressure loss. There was no pressure change detected between the Destiny Lab and the vestibule when Commander Peggy Whitson opened the lab's forward hatch for the second check on the morning of Nov. 29, according to NASA. Telemetry also suggested that the vestibule did not leak overnight.
Honeywell Aerospace is working for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on a system to help intelligence analysts screen reconnaissance imagery from satellites and aircraft six times faster than is currently possible. The $4 million, multiphase DARPA contract is aimed at tackling a critical problem in the intelligence community: surveillance systems can gather images much faster than computers and humans can screen them for targets of interest. The program is called Neurotechnology for Intelligence Analysts (NIA).
NASA UAVSAR: NASA said Nov. 27 it is evaluating a small L-Band synthetic aperture radar, potentially for unmanned aircraft, to detect changes in the Earth's surface such as volcanoes, earthquake faults, landslides and glaciers. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are partnering in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), mounted below a modified NASA Gulfstream III aircraft that is outfitted with a precision autopilot system for repeat passes over land.
CUTTER WAESCHE: The Coast Guard's second National Security Cutter (NSC), the to-be-commissioned Waesche (WMSL 751), is 42 percent complete and launch is scheduled for April 2008, industry representatives said. Waesche is now fully assembled at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems facility in Pascagoula, Miss., they said Nov. 28. "Because of planning and work sequencing lessons learned from USCGC Bertholf, Waesche's mast was landed with 30 percent more of its outfitting work completed prior to the lift," said Bob Penney, ship program manager for NSC 2.
