Senate homeland security appropriators will recommend $993.63 million for the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization program next fiscal year, about 11 percent more than the House's allocation of $892.64 million weeks earlier.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $72.8 million contract to Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems of Sudbury, Mass., for long-lead material items and critical work center efforts for the AN/SPY-1D (V) Aegis Weapons Systems (AWS) Transmitter Group production for Australia's Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) program.
NASA will begin the countdown for the launch of shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 at 5 p.m. Eastern time June 28. The countdown includes nearly 28 hours of built-in hold time, leading to a scheduled launch at 3:49 p.m. July 1. The launch window for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida lasts nearly five minutes. STS-121 will be the 115th shuttle flight and the 18th U.S. flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is expected to last 12 days and end with a 10:45 a.m. landing back at Kennedy on July 13.
Major U.S. industry associations are praising an amendment to the Senate's fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill that would exempt some so-called commercial items technology hardware, including specialty metals from foreign suppliers, from the longstanding Berry Amendment restriction - a move that nonetheless sets up a congressional showdown.
HUBBLE TROUBLE: The Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys remains offline as engineers try to diagnose a problem with its power supply. On June 19 the power supply voltages went above acceptable limits and the camera shut down. NASA says it is "very close" to understanding the issue, and managers plan to meet at Goddard Space Flight Center on June 29 to decide on corrective action. NASA hopes normal observations can resume by July 3.
JOINT SUPPORT: The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $95.5 million contract option to support the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Experimentation Program and Joint Futures Lab. The work in Suffolk, Va., is expected to be finished by July 2007, the Defense Department said June 26. General Dynamics has received previous awards for similar support work (DAILY, Aug. 2, 2005). All are competitively procured, but only General Dynamics apparently responded with an offer.
FLYING HIGH: Alenia Aeronautica has signed a contract with Lithuania for 3 C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. The company said June 26 that the selection "confirms that the C-27J Spartan is the preferred aircraft of the new NATO countries as they modernize legacy fleets to meet NATO standards." Coupled with an agreement signed last week by the U.S.
Altair Engineering Inc. of Troy, Mich., is buying France's Mecalog Group to bring impact analysis capability to Altair's suite of computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. Both companies supply CAE software to a range of aerospace companies, including Airbus and Boeing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Antony, France, Mecalog makes the Radioss software that is used by aerospace clients to examine the effects of uncontained engine failures, bird strikes and similar events.
APACHE EYES: The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. the Lot 3 follow-on production contract for Arrowhead, the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter's new targeting/night vision sensor. The company said June 26 that the $385.6 million agreement authorizes production of 219 Arrowhead kits plus spares for the Army and foreign military sales. Final deliveries will be in December 2010.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and an industry team led by prime contractor Boeing have successfully fired surrogate lasers inside the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft, the company announced June 26. The lasers used in the late April tests were low-power stand-ins for ABL's high-energy laser and its two illuminator lasers. During recent ground tests at Boeing facilities in Wichita, Kan., the team placed the lasers in the ABL aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F freighter, and fired them repeatedly into a measuring device called a range simulator.
The International Space Station (ISS) crew welcomed an unmanned Russian Progress vehicle carrying fresh supplies on June 26 and continued preparations for the anticipated arrival of space shuttle Discovery. The Progress brought about 2.5 tons of equipment and supplies, including propellant, oxygen, water and other cargo. The crew will start unloading items on June 27. Rather than being filled with trash after being emptied, this Progress will provide additional stowage space while it is docked to the station.
On the heels of criticism over the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Australian defense officials have defended the massive aircraft program and said they have "full confidence that the stealthy, fifth-generation, multi-role JSF will mature on time to provide Australia's future air combat capability in the most effective way."
Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), both members of the Senate Armed Services committee, led 14 other senators on June 23 in urging Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to boost the Navy's shipbuilding budget to $14 billion in fiscal 2008. "While the top-line budget of the Department of Defense has increased over 50 percent since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the ship procurement budget has been reduced by 17 percent, shrinking our naval fleet from 341 ships in 2001 to 280 ships today," the senators wrote the secretary.
AIR FORCE McDonnell Douglas Corp., Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $235,508,095 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification. This action funds the FY06 fourth quarter option for the C-17 sustainment, labor/engine, contract logistic support and materials. At this time, total funds have been obligated. Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004/P00106).
POWERFUL APPROPRIATIONS: Neah Power Systems Inc. announced June 26 that $3 million for the Porous Silicon-based Direct Methanol Fuel Cell research and development project has been earmarked in the House's fiscal 2007 defense appropriations bill. The company said the funds would support continued development of silicon-based fuel cell technology for portable military applications and devices, such as man-pack radio systems carried by soldiers.
Congress is on its way, before the final fiscal quarter, toward approving a congressional compromise over the Coast Guard authorization for fiscal 2006 now that lawmakers have hammered out an agreement over a controversial wind energy project.
RQ-11A WORK: The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command tacked on $9.6 million to AeroVironment Corp.'s contract for depot level maintenance and repair for the RQ-11A small unmanned aircraft system, the Defense Department said June 23. The contract modification, issued June 21, runs through Sept. 30, 2007.
