NASA'S GLOBAL HAWKS: NASA and the U.S. Air Force are working out the final details of the anticipated transfer of two Northrop Grumman-built Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, which is expected to take place by summer 2007. Since the aircraft are in the older ACTD (advanced concept technology demonstration) configuration, NASA must make sure it can still buy replacement parts for the vehicles before it takes ownership.
CARRIER CONSTRUCTION: To remove France's new PA2 aircraft carrier from uncertainties that might result from presidential elections in mid-2007, French defense minister Michele Alliot-Marie says she intends to launch construction and place orders for long-lead components such as deck catapults early next year. A final bid based on the British CVF design is expected to be submitted by the end of this month. As for the existing Charles de Gaulle, the catapults will be designed and built in the U.S.
The contract selection and award schedule for the U.S. Army/U.S. Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) is starting to firm up, industry sources say. The "phase two discussions" for the small intratheater-lift aircraft are scheduled to end Dec. 29. The final proposals are due Jan. 25. Raytheon/EADS is offering the C-295 and L-3 Communications/Alenia North America/Boeing is offering the C-27J for JCA.
A B-52 Stratofortress took off from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Dec. 15 on a flight test using a blend of synthetic fuel and JP-8 in all eight engines -- the first one flown using a "synfuel-blend" as the only fuel on board, Air Force officials said. In September, the Air Force successfully flew a B-52 with two-engines using the synfuel-blend (DAILY, Sept. 22). Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, Air Force flight test commander, flew the aircraft to assess how well it performs using the new fuel.
CRYPTOGRAPHIC CORE: The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center has awarded Harris Corp. a potentially $12 million contract to develop the cryptographic core used in a variety of ground-based satellite terminals in support of the higher data rates and increased information security demands imposed by modern waveforms and increased security guidelines.
DOD SBIR: RAND Corp. researchers have found that Defense Department Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program research topics align well with the Pentagon's priorities while remaining flexible enough to focus in areas that are more appropriate for small businesses. But they also discovered other trends during the course of their research that might be cause for concern, they write in a December report to Congress. For example, the DOD SBIR program is managed in a manner that may be too lean.
Dec. 19 -- The European Aviation Club's Christmas reception at EUROCONTROL Headquarters featuring Victor Aguado, Director General of EUROCONTROL and Daniel Calleja, European Commission, Director DG TREN. For information call +322 3730913, email: mia.wouters@ lafili-law.be Jan. 9 - 12, 2007 -- 2007 Worldwide Personnel Recovery Conference and Exhibition: Advancing Personnel Recovery Capacity Through Partnerships, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. For more information call (703) 247-2568, www.ndia.org.
RAPTOR RANKS: A total of 31 pilots will end up flying the F-22 Raptor at Langley Air Force Base, Va., as an associate unit, according to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley. Currently, there are seven pilots trained and flying at Langley and two in training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Three more pilots begin training at the end of January while 19 more will train in fiscal 2008. Eventually, a total of 410-435 maintainers will end up trained and working on the ramp at Langley.
Although the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) does not discuss ongoing appeals of contract awards, the public releases announcing the award of the Air Force CSAR-X helicopter contract to Boeing could hold clues into what GAO might review. The Air Force said it had selected a medium-lift aircraft for the new CSAR (combat search and rescue) helicopter. But Boeing's own literature calls the selected platform, the HH-47, a heavy-lift aircraft. Air Force officials have played down the wording, calling it essentially a matter of semantics.
KC-X UPDATE: The U.S. Air Force has released an update to the draft request for proposals (RFP) for the $200 billion KC-X aerial refueling tanker competition. The update incorporates changes expected after a Dec. 6 announcement that they were forthcoming. Included is a revision that passes off to the companies any costs incurred by competitors Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS North American stemming from an adverse ruling from the World Trade Organization. The U.S. and Europe are in a dispute regarding aircraft subsidies (DAILY, Dec. 7).
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Orbital Sciences Corporation $27 million for two Minotaur IV rockets that will boost Hypersonic Test Vehicles being developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) FALCON program.
GALILEO SAT SYSTEM: The Galileo Joint Undertaking, the public/private partnership managing development of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system and negotiating with a concessionaire to operate it, says terms for the concession agreement will be signed before Christmas, and a final contract will come sometime next year. The GJU also says the EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) wide-area GPS augmentation system that will precede Galileo will enter full operation in March 2007.
NMCI SHORTFALL: The Government Accountability Office reports that after six years and $3.7 billion spent, the Navy Marine Corps Intranet program has yet to achieve expectations and may never do so. The project's goal is to provide information superiority and foster innovation in interoperability and shared services, but a plan to monitor how these goals were being met has never been implemented. The Navy has met only 3 of 20 performance targets. The 10-year, $9.3-billion contract was awarded to Electronic Data Systems in 2000.
The U.S. Air Force is revising flight procedures for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle following the Nov. 21 incident in which the UAV briefly lost communications during its first operational flight from its new home at Beale Air Force Base in California.
Russel Salmon has been named CFO and COO. Dr. Gerard Medioni, Ph.D., has been named to the board of advisors. Medioni is a professor and chairman at the Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California.
Global Hawk builder Northrop Grumman expects the long-delayed contract for Germany's Euro Hawk program to go through in January, according to Ed Walby, the company's director of Global Hawk business development. The program already has received subcommittee-level approval, but despite a "concerted effort" to get everything done this month, the full legislature won't be able to approve the deal until after the holidays, Walby told The DAILY. But at this point, "all of the legwork is done" and the details of the contract have been finalized, he said.
ROAR RADAR: The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has triggered a $10.6 million contract option with ITT Industries for the Radar Obsolescence Availability Recovery program for the AN/SPS-48E Radar System. The AN/SPS-48 (series) radar system is the principal three-dimensional air surveillance sensor on all U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships. The contract will provide for continuing engineering and technical services to design, integrate and test the AN/SPS-48G(V) radar system upgrade.
Brian Chappel has been appointed vice president of contracts, pricing and programs business management. Timothy J. Frei has been appointed vice president of ISR business development. Steve Hixson has been named vice president of advanced concepts.
