Several U.S. allies are pooling resources to purchase three or more C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to help NATO meet an important need and show its commitment and ability to meet its mission requirements, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Joint funding for military cargo aircraft has been a proposal several U.S. and NATO leaders have pushed all year. The C-17s will be owned by the alliance -- only the second aircraft after the E-3 AWACS fleet to be acquired in that way, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported Sept. 18.
Congressional homeland security appropriators are accelerating the U.S. Coast Guard's acquisition of EADS' CASA's HC-235A-300M medium-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) by doubling the program's fiscal 2007 budget as compared with the Bush administration's request. The appropriators also are pouring more funds into patrol boat accounts while chastising the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) armed service for poor management of a troubled effort to provide new Fast Response Cutters (FRCs).
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling for more oversight of the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) program, whose initial cost estimates are close to doubling. Originally budgeted at $6.2 billion, the latest projection for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite program is $11.4 billion. This has led NOAA to downscope the effort, cutting one of the five planned GOES-R sensors and potentially dropping the number of satellites to two.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) stands by its July recommendation that Congress restrict NASA's spending on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), despite changes NASA has made to Lockheed Martin's CEV contract in response to GAO's criticisms.
In hammering out their fiscal 2007 defense spending deal, congressional appropriators provided the Bush administration what it asked for in total defense shipbuilding funds, but they didn't stop there. While the deal not only provides $10.6 billion in sorely needed funds for the U.S. Navy's shipbuilding programs, the House and Senate appropriations conference agreement also provides $523 million for prior-year cost increases, including $318 million for CVN-77 aircraft carriers and $111 million for Virginia-class SSN submarines.
HELLADS: The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded General Atomics a $2 million increment of a $32.7 million contract modification for phase IIIB of the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System. The award, announced Sept. 27, runs through January 2008. The initiative will design, build and test a new laser design that will be lighter than other high-energy laser system concepts.
The French government has released its 2007 budget request which allots 15.9 billion euros ($20.1 billion) for military procurement, and more money could be coming. With elections looming next year, the defense ministry says it may be able to funnel another 4 billion euros into modernization accounts. The money represents unspent funds in previous fiscal years.
While the Pentagon kicks around how to beef up its forces and presence in Africa, U.S. Marine Corps H-53E helicopters continue to provide vital coverage to the continent's Horn region, says Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, deputy commandant for aviation. Under a special task force established for the region, the helicopters are carrying equipment, providing force protection and being used for medevac missions, Castellaw said Sept. 26 after a Marine Corps Aviation Association dinner.
The Air Force and Army failed to properly analyze its aircraft simulator deals before letting the contracts, and funding issues have caused delays in the program, says a September report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) has signed Andrews Space Inc. as a strategic partner on its entry in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program after parting ways with Orbital Sciences Corp.
The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee wants the government to test unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as potential watchdogs of U.S. fisheries. "We've asked that they be tested in Alaska to determine whether or not they can play a significant role in maritime boundary enforcement in protecting our fisheries," Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said Sept. 28 at an aviation subcommittee hearing. The panel was exploring the impact of UAVs and small commercial air taxis, known as Very Light Jets (VLJ), on the national airspace.
Some 2,500 space professionals from around the world gather Oct. 2-6 in Valencia, Spain, for the 57th International Astronautical Congress, which comes amid a flurry of activity in orbit and beyond that could set the tone for space cooperation for generations. Hard on the heels of NASA Administrator Michael Griffin's historic visit to China, top U.S. and Chinese space officials are scheduled to present updates on their programs at "late-breaking news" gatherings designed to supplement the more formal sessions.
DEAD SIGNAL: The L1 signal on a Lockheed Martin GPS IIR satellite in orbit went dead for just more than 5 hours on Sept. 4, according to officials at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. Officials determined the L1 High Powered Amplifier failed, and reinitiated the signal from a redundant system on the spacecraft. Each of these satellites broadcasts a pair of L band frequencies, L1 and L2, which provide precision ranging and timing data to users around the globe. Air Force officials say the shift to a backup system "avoided significant user impact."
The U.S. Air Force has completed site acceptance testing for the second AN/TPS-77 L-band ground radar at its Pacific Alaska Range Complex (PARC), and is mulling a possible requirement for a third radar in the region, according to radar manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The Bush administration gets higher marks for its space exploration program than for meeting citizens' health care needs, coping with disasters, or fighting the war on terrorism.
SPECIAL ATTENTION: The European Defense Agency (EDA) and European industry are starting to draw up a list of technologies that need special attention to ensure a healthy European technology and industrial base. Moreover, EDA's steering board called for more industrial consolidation, greater sharing of work, and setting up centers of excellence that are spread throughout the European Union. The panel also called for "less dependence on non-European sources for key defense technologies."
The U.S. Marine Corps remains on track for a June operational date for the MV-22 Osprey and, despite reports of proposed funding delays, is also dedicated to a fiscal year 2012 operational start for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, says Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, deputy commandant for aviation. The Marines had a recent summit meeting with contractors Boeing, Bell and Rolls-Royce to "close seams" on any logistics issues, Castellaw said Sept. 26 after a Marine Corps Aviation Association dinner.
Smiths Aerospace said Sept. 27 that Lockheed Martin's VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter program awarded it a contract to supply the new large-area cockpit display system for the future presidential helicopter fleet. The contact is worth more than $20 million. The displays will be manufactured by Smiths in Michigan and the United Kingdom, with deliveries beginning in 2006.
