The House Armed Services projection forces subcommittee quizzed the U.S. Navy's four-star commander of Naval Submarine Forces on March 28 over the service's acknowledged submarine shortcomings. Already, 40 percent of combatant commanders' mission requests go unfulfilled and demand is not expected to drop, according to Adm. Charles Munns. He allowed that some preferred scouting missions are not being completed, although all critical missions are being carried out by the current sub fleet.
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has chosen Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Integrated Systems unit for a $17.4 million contract for systems engineering and integration in support of Combat System Warfare Federated Tactical Systems (SWFTS). SWFTS is supposed to comprise all submarine combat system subsystems, especially consultation, command, control, communications, computers and intelligence. It will be designed to provide a single combat system for naval battle group interconnectivity.
The March 28 story "NASA gives second chance to Dawn asteroid mission" contained an error. The spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with the asteroid Vesta in 2011 and then arrive at Ceres in 2015.
The Pentagon should delay production of the Joint Strike Fighter until it has a better handle on costs and production capability risks, the Government Accountability Office said yesterday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, a GAO acquisition expert repeated previous findings that both the JSF and the F-22/A programs lack "executable business cases." For example, the Defense Department plans to start producing JSF aircraft in 2007, even though less than 1 percent of the flight-test program will have been completed.
LOBBYING PUSH: Suppliers from across the country will convene in Washington on March 29 and 30 for the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition's lobbying push on Capitol Hill. The now-annual industry outreach comes as carrier-related businesses face the likely prospect of losing an active U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy, to early retirement, as well as intensified budget pressures across the Navy's shipbuilding accounts. Still, the coalition will ask congressional members to authorize funding for the first three ships of the CVN-21 program.
Following the completion of an analysis of alternatives on the military's requirement for a Joint Common Missile, the Pentagon is expected to make a decision about the future of the effort in May, according to Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey. Senior Pentagon officials terminated the Army-led JCM program in December 2004 over the objections of some military leaders and members of Congress. Lawmakers have since inserted money into annual budgets to keep the program alive, but the Army has not requested any JCM funding in FY '07.
Integrated Coast Guard Systems LLC, the joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. responsible for the Coast Guard's massive Deepwater recapitalization program, is optimistic about getting a five-year renewal on its contract, ICGS President Leo Mackay told The DAILY. "We expect a robust and long-term award that speaks to the stability of the program, the Coast Guard's commitment to the program, and our performance to date on the program," Mackay said.
Integrated Coast Guard Systems LLC, the joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. responsible for the Coast Guard's massive Deepwater recapitalization program, is looking worldwide - and outside Northrop Grumman - to provide a base ship for the service's planned Fast Response Cutter (FRC), top ICGS officials told reporters March 27.
DURABLE DEFENSE: New orders for manufactured durable goods in February increased $5.5 billion, or 2.6 percent, to $215.8 billion, largely due to defense and aircraft orders, the U.S. Census Bureau announced March 24. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.3 percent. Defense capital goods jumped $4.8 billion, 104.1 percent, to $9.4 billion. Shipments decreased $400 million, 4.4 percent, to $8.1 billion. Unfilled orders increased $1.3 billion, 1 percent, to $129.3 billion. Inventories decreased $100 million, 0.8 percent, to $15.4 billion.
LONDON - Decisions made in the next two to three weeks could kick-start consolidation in the British naval sector, and potentially launch a short and sharp period of strategic acquisitions.
ARMY AM General L.L.C., South Bend, Ind., was awarded on March 21, 2006, a $5,870,025 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M1152-2 man chassis for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. Work will be performed in South Bend, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 17, 2000. The Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001). NAVY
SUB AIS: After months of research, testing and evaluation, all submarine platforms soon will have "real-time situation awareness" available while under way, the U.S. Navy says. In February, the chief of naval operations directed rapid deployment of standalone Automatic Identification System (AIS) capability, including the so-called "silent service." Display and tracking with the AIS technology occurs at periscope depth and above. While AIS is a requirement for all merchant ships greater than 300 tons, it was not mandated for subs.
NASA announced March 27 that it is reinstating the Dawn asteroid rendezvous mission, which the agency canceled earlier this month due to technical problems and cost overruns. Propelled by xenon ion engines, Dawn is to investigate Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. The Orbital Sciences-built spacecraft is expected to launch in the summer of 2007, roughly a year behind its original schedule, and rendezvous with the asteroids in 2016.
China is donating data receiving stations for its weather satellites to seven countries in a bid to garner more influence among Pacific Rim and Indian Ocean nations. The stations, which can receive data from Chinese polar and geosynchronous orbit weather satellites, are being given to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand.
JPALS TEAMING: Honeywell said March 27 that it has agreed to team with Boeing Co. and Sierra Nev-ada Corp. to pursue the system development and demonstration phase of the Joint Precision Approach and Lan-ding System (JPALS) program. Honeywell said it will serve as team leader and provide its Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) -Satellite Landing System (SLS) technology. Sierra Nevada will contribute to commercial and military DGPS ground station development and manufacturing, while Boeing's expertise includes avionics development and aircraft integration.
A fuel leak of "unknown origin" was responsible for the loss of Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Falcon 1 rocket shortly after liftoff on its inaugural flight March 24, according to company founder and CEO Elon Musk. Twenty-five seconds after ignition, the fuel leak caused a fire around the top of the main engine that cut into the first stage helium pneumatic system, Musk said in a statement. When pneumatic pressure dropped too low, the engine shut down 29 seconds into the flight.
NAVY BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Lansdale, Pa., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $24,349,779 letter contract for the procurement of 13 Low Band Transmitters (LBTs) and LBT spare and repair parts for the EA-6B aircraft. Work will be performed in Lansdale, Pa., and is expected to be completed in April 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-06-C-0096).
