Newly empowered House Armed Services seapower subcommittee Demo-crats are criticizing industrial suppliers for Army and Marine Corps armored personnel vehicles in light of an expected tripling in requirements and an increase in ground forces in Iraq and across the U.S. military.
With the U.S. Marine Corps set to put the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor into actual combat, the Center for Defense Information (CDI) is questioning whether the aircraft is ready for the job. CDI, a Washington-based military watchdog group, is scheduled on Jan. 18 to brief a report - "V-22 Osprey: Wonder Weapon or Widow Maker?" - which cites U.S. military and other government reports as reasons why the V-22 is too dangerous to be used in battle. "This aircraft should not be used in combat," report author Lee Gaillard said in a Jan. 16 interview.
Northrop Grumman last week briefed Israeli officials on the Skyguard laser defense system and expects to hear shortly whether it has been chosen to protect aircraft taking off and landing at Israeli airports from shoulder-fired rockets. Building on the company's Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) program, Skyguard is a high-energy chemical laser system that would be installed at airports to shoot down man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) rockets out to a range of roughly 12 miles (DAILY, July 13, 2006). 'Very technical' briefing
TANKER REVIEW: Pentagon acquisition czar Kenneth Krieg on Jan. 17 conducted a preliminary review of the Air Force's formal request for proposals (RFP) for the KC-X refueling tanker competition, according to industry and Pentagon sources. Details of the meeting were unavailable, but industry sources suggest an adjustment to the requirements stated in the draft RFP, which was released in September and updated in December, is likely.
"World events" last year like North Korea's multiple, simultaneous missile launches and Hezbollah's small-rocket fusillade against Israel have led Raytheon Co.'s international and Patriot missile configuration executives to become optimistic about future business. All nine current Patriot foreign customers are in talks to upgrade their systems, and potential new clients such as Turkey and South Korea have spoken to Raytheon, they told reporters during a teleconference on Jan. 17. No talks have been held directly with Iraqi officials, they said.
SPARE PARTS CONTRACT: The Royal Saudi Air Force will be the beneficiary of a $36.6-million contract to replenish spare parts for its Fighter Data Link. Data Link Solutions was awarded the contract. The communications, navigation and identification system allows the exchange of surveillance and command and control information among sensor and weapons platforms via a secure, digital and jam-resistant link.
The U.S. military faces a "catastrophic" loss of air power if it doesn't accelerate plans to replace its aging Cold War-era aircraft, according to Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute.
TEXAS WORK: The U.S. Navy has awarded the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipbuilding unit a $9.7 million contract modification for additional ship alterations to the Texas (SSN 775), the second submarine of the Virginia class. The post-shakedown availability work - Navy speak for maintenance and repairs needed before the sub is deployable - will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be finished by February 2008.
U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter formally announced Jan. 16 that the Navy will name its first CVN-21 aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford, meaning the whole class of next-generation flattops will bear the Ford name, a long-rumored distinction that follows the recent tradition of naming the capital ships after presidents.
MIDDLE EAST FORCES: The U.S. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Executive Panel of advisors will meet Feb. 2 for the final report on the findings and recommendations of the Middle East Subcommittee to the CNO. The Navy recently ordered a second aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, into the Persian Gulf, which was largely seen as a bulwark against Iran. The panel's meeting is classified and closed to the public, according to a Jan. 17 notice in the Federal Register.
FIGHTER PAC-3S: Lockheed Martin Corp. said Jan. 16 that it received a $3 million U.S. Missile Defense Agency contract to continue the Air-Launched Hit-to-Kill (ALHTK) initiative, which would enable fighter aircraft to carry and launch Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles to intercept ballistic and possibly cruise missiles. "The new risk-reduction/concept definition program will refine the risk, and further define the concept and expected system performance," the company said.
Announced cost increases and a Pentagon-imposed stop-work order to Lockheed Martin for the Littoral Combat Ship have analysts wondering whether the ship program - and planned Navy fleet-building program - could be in trouble. "We are very concerned," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Jan. 16. "The cost overruns are significant. We are reviewing the contract." How significant appears to be the question. So far, Navy officials haven't been talking about that.
SUPERCOMPUTER: Linux Networx of Salt Lake City, Utah, has introduced a supercomputer tuned to work with Metacomp Technologies CFD++, a computational fluid dynamics application used by aerospace companies. Linux Networx says the LS-P performance tuned supersystem is designed to work with CFD++ and boosts performance 20 percent while cutting total cost of ownership.
