BERLIN - Military aircraft retirements will start outpacing deliveries in about three years and probably will continue doing so for the next decade, Kevin Michaels, an AeroStrategy official, predicted May 17 at Aviation Week's MRO Military Europe Conference. The global military aircraft fleet numbers about 38,000, with 23 percent of the active fleet based in Europe, Michaels said. The Tornado represents 15 percent.
The U.S. Navy, already under intense budget pressure to fund what could be an unrealistic shipbuilding plan, will be a main "bill payer" for the Bush administration's new border security effort, according to a high-level Navy acquisition official. On May 18, the White House officially requested $1.948 billion in off-budget "emergency" funding to further secure U.S. borders. But the White House said the funds are offset by reductions elsewhere in the administration's latest supplemental request now in congressional conference.
The House Appropriations Committee has sided with its homeland security subcommittee chairman and sliced $41.6 million from the Coast Guard's $934 million Deepwater recapitalization request for fiscal 2007, largely due to the now-delayed Fast Response Cutter (FRC) and a growing maritime patrol boat gap.
House appropriators have approved $373.2 million for operations, maintenance and procurement by the Homeland Security Department's newly consolidated Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine (CBP A&M) division, $35.5 million above the Bush administration's fiscal 2007 budget request but $23 million below the current fiscal year.
Ronald L. Endicott has been appointed strategic director of the Acquisition Management Division within the company's' LEADS business unit. Clovis G. Gault has been named executive director of intelligence programs for the LEADS business unit.
The launch of the new Boeing/NOAA GOES N weather satellite from Cape Canaveral on a Boeing Delta IV will slip several days to no earlier than May 24 to allow Boeing to complete replacement of two actuators on the launch vehicle's first stage. Technical problem
CALIFORNIA, Md. - When it gets under way next year, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program must meet its cost and schedule requirements or risk cancellation as the U.S. Navy struggles to recapitalize its existing aircraft fleet, service officials told industry hopefuls during a BAMS industry day here May 17.
EX-ORISKANY SUNK: The ex-Oriskany, a decommissioned U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, became the largest ship intentionally sunk as an artificial reef on May 17 when the 32,000-ton ship landed upright on the ocean floor about 24 miles off of Pensacola, Fla. After 25 years of service including operations in Korea, Vietnam and the Mediterranean Sea, the ex-Oriskany will serve as a fishing and diving attraction, as well as to benefit marine life.
The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command has awarded Australia's Austal a potentially $88.65 million charter for the high-speed vessel MV WestPAC Express to transport the Okinawa, Japan-based Third Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and its equipment. The initial $13.4 million, extended to Austal Hull 130 Chartering LLC of Mobile, Ala., will be funded with fiscal 2007 funds. The contract was competitively procured with 100 proposals solicited and eight offers received, the Defense Department said May 15.
BERLIN - The Airbus A400M program has established 10 Maintenance Working Groups for the transport aircraft that are "just about ready to start working," Detlef Reiss, the A400M ILS manager for Airbus Military, said May 17 at Aviation Week's MRO Military Europe Conference. Some of those working groups include systems, powerplant and APU, and structures.
A final request for proposals (RFP) to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging KC-135 tanker fleet should be out in January 2007, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said May 17. "The draft request for proposals is expected to be out in September of this year and it should, if things work out properly, end up with a formal request for proposals by January of '07," Rumsfeld told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.
The House Appropriations Committee has agreed to boost the Energy Department's weapons activities program by $4.1 million over the Bush administration's fiscal 2007 budget request, for $6.4 billion total. In particular, the committee May 17 endorsed its energy and water subcommittee's markup, which would provide $52.7 million for the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program, an increase of $25 million more than the request.
DEADLINE: The Pentagon has until June 5 to recertify the U.S. Air Force's Global Hawk program, which breached Nunn-McCurdy cost growth caps last year. The U.S. Air Force notified Congress of the breach in December. For the program to continue, the Pentagon must certify, among other things, that it is essential to national security and no cheaper alternatives exist.
Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica is continuing its positive financial development, confirming expectations for sales and operating earnings for all of 2006 and 2007 as part of its strong first quarter '06 financial report. Finmeccanica is targeting 12.7 billion-13 billion euros ($16.2 billion-$16.6 billion) in sales for the year, and wants to reach 840-860 million euros in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). One euro is currently worth $1.28.
