Back in flight-testing following a crash that grounded the system for a year, the A160 Hummingbird unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is slated to upgrade to a turboshaft engine during the next quarter that will boost its power and endurance.
F-15 A DECOY: In recent battles in and above central Baghdad, F-15 Eagles swooped from the skies with no ordnance. And, according those familiar with the skirmishes, the fighters didn't use their guns either. The combat jets were used to draw the enemy's attention skyward - a feint used to open up some ground operations.
ACS LIVES: Army acquisition chief Claude Bolton says he has a notional goal of relaunching the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program by February 2008, when the fiscal 2009 budget will be submitted to Congress. Lockheed Martin won the ACS contract, but the program unraveled in 2005 after officials realized that the planned platform, the Embraer EC-145, was not large enough to carry the intelligence suite. At that point, ACS money was redistributed to the existing Guardrail and Aerial Reconnaissance Low fleets.
REMOTE MINEHUNTING: A technical evaluation of the U.S. Navy's new - and strategy altering - Remote Minehunting System (RMS) is scheduled for February, Navy officials say. The Navy completed installation of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s AN/WLD 1(V)1 RMS on the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer U.S.S. Bainbridge (DDG 96) on Jan. 15 at Norfolk Naval Base, Va. The RMS represents an effort to transition from a specialized fleet of minehunters and killers to an "organic," inherent anti-mine ability within multimission classes like the Littoral Combat Ship (DAILY, Nov.
The Army is looking to develop small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), common sensors and processors, and more efficient aircraft flying or sustainment systems, said Thomas Killion, Army deputy assistant secretary for research and technology. The service is trying to balance investments for current conflicts against future needs, according to Killion, who spoke Jan. 19 during a briefing at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) Institute of Land Warfare Aviation Symposium and Exhibition.
Jan. 22 - 24 -- Institute for Defense and Government Advancement 5th Annual Conference Image Fusion 2007: Improving Visualization for Better Situational Awareness, Hilton Old Town, Alexandria, Va. For more information call (800) 882-8684 or (973) 256-0211, fax: (973) 256-0205, www.idga.org. Jan. 24 -- AHS Federal City Chapter Dinner Meeting, The Military Helicopter Industrial Base," Army/Navy Country Club, Arlington, Va. For more information call (703) 684-6777.
FLEET MODERNIZATION: The German government is eyeing modernization of its aging VIP transport fleet, with a contractual decision due this year. The air force currently operates six Challenger CL-601 for those missions, but in recent months the government has realized it needs a replacement. Rather than fielding a common aircraft type, the government is looking to acquire two larger aircraft, with a 48-seat capacity, and four smaller, business-jet sized aircraft that can accommodate 12 people, according to a Defense Ministry official.
JUST SAY YES: The House Armed Services Committee, now under Democratic leadership, wants to know more about the U.S. military's counterdrug operations, capabilities and record of achievement, and shortfalls. For fiscal 2007, the DOD received more than $1 billion in counterdrug funding - which "reflects DOD's role as the leading federal agency in the detection and monitoring of the aerial and maritime transit of illegal narcotics into the United States," HASC staff say.
PACIFIST NO MORE?: Look for Japan and the U.S. to establish by September a strategic planning office in charge of drawing up medium- and long-range defense policies, now that Japan has upgraded its Defense Agency to a full-fledged government ministry. Post-World War II pacifism overcame the idea of a ministry for 40 years, and the Agency was run as a subordinate part of the cabinet with a budget that went through the prime minister's office instead of being submitted directly to the Finance Ministry.
NAVY CONTRACTING: U.S. Navy acquisition officials are promulgating a potential rule in drafting a proposed Navy Marine Corps Acquisition Regulation Supplement contract clause or statement-of-work requirements that will persuade contractors to use "continuous process improvements" on major defense contracts.
WEAPON SIGHTS: BAE Systems said Jan. 17 that it received two U.S. Army orders totaling $80 million for production of thermal weapon sights. BAE also said that unidentified funds awarded early in 2006 will go to advanced microbolometer technology to cut the size, weight and cost of future weapon sights. The company, with help from the Defense Department, recently completed a $150 million factory modernization, providing a new specialty production capability to manufacture precision microelectronics.
PROTECTION FROM ABOVE: Army aviation leaders want Pentagon funding for more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fight against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been a big threat in Iraq.
ANTI-SAT HEARING: An AVIATION WEEK online report that China destroyed an aging weather satellite with an anti-satellite weapon has prompted Bush administration officials to conduct a highly classified briefing for lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "China's successful test raises serious concerns about the vulnerability of our space-based assets," said Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.), one of those who attended the Jan. 19 briefing.
The U.S. Air Force is counting on its recently awarded Air and Space Operations Center Weapons System Integrator (AOC WSI) program to cut costs, particularly in personnel and equipment, while streamlining 48 different systems now used by roughly 20 air and space operations centers globally, according to Lt. Gen. Charles Johnson II. But the program likely will go slow, be required to go through internal budget debates competing with other Air Force priorities and possibly lead to changes within the program itself.
After years of investing in Army aviation protection against infrared (IR)-seeking munitions, the service needs to research ways to thwart attacks on helicopters and other airborne platforms using radio frequencies (RF) or other elements of the electromagnetic spectrum, says Edward Bair, service program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors.
While the Army has decided to cut some money in fielding Future Combat Systems (FCS) to make it more affordable, shifting missions to different parts of the program should keep most of its capabilities intact, said service Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole, deputy program manager, program integration (platforms), for FCS. "We've made some adjustments," Cole said Jan. 19 during a briefing at the Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Aviation Symposium and Exhibition.
Defense industry representatives say efforts are under way on newly Democratic-controlled Capitol Hill to accelerate the starting date of 3 percent contract withholding to offset increases in various legislative proposals this year. Under a law passed last year, all governments, local to federal, will deduct and withhold 3 percent from their nonwage payments to contractors starting in 2011 (DAILY, May 30, 2006).
The purchase of the UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is prompting the U.S. Army to adjust its acquisition processes and devise new policies for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) purchases, according to service officials.
The Army has underfunded aviation science and technology development and is taking steps to invest more in those areas, says Paul Bogosian, service aviation program executive officer. "We are going to pay attention to drive S&T development," Bogosian said Jan. 18 during a briefing at the Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Aviation Symposium and Exhibition in Arlington, Va. Concern for the lack of S&T funding became apparent after the cancellation of the Comanche helicopter program, Bogosian said.
The U.S. Marine Corps and the Army are accelerating a program to make and deploy new V-shaped-bottom armored vehicles for their ground forces. But lawmakers are concerned with industry's ability to meet the manufacturing goal, and defense officials acknowledge they cannot supply Iraq-bound troops with them fast enough.
CACI International Inc. said Jan. 17 that it should take in less revenue for its fiscal 2007 based on "unexpected" reductions in demand on Defense Department contracts supporting certain unidentified operations and maintenance activities. "This is the result of the continuing high priority of funding for the warfighter in Iraq and Afghanistan," the Arlington, Va., federal information technology contractor said.
