Although the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) and the Mobile Gun System (MGS) were approved for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in September, the MGS has "demonstrated poor reliability" and the NBCRV sensors "demonstrated poor detection," says the new annual report from the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test & Evaluation.
Kidd, the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, will be christened by the Navy at 10 a.m. Jan. 22 in a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss., the Defense Department said Jan. 19. The ship honors Medal of Honor recipient Rear Adm. Isaac Campbell Kidd. Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle, the commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, will deliver the principal address.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is preparing to make recommendations to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper on what systems to develop for exploiting near-space altitudes. Jumper asked for the recommendations during a Dec. 21 meeting with AFSPC commander Gen. Lance Lord. AFSPC has the lead within the Air Force for developing capabilities for near-space, roughly defined as 65,000 to 325,000 feet altitude.
The U.S. Marine Corps has demonstrated the M777 lightweight howitzer to local officials at Fort Sill, Okla., contractor BAE Systems said Jan. 20. The M777, designed and developed by BAE Systems, is a joint program between the Army and Marine Corps to replace the M198 towed howitzer. BAE Systems expects to deliver 377 howitzers to the Marine Corps and 273 to the Army. The M777 is a lightweight 155mm howitzer and a critical fire support component of Marine Air Ground Task Forces and Army Brigade Combat Teams and light divisions.
COMBAT CONTROL: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will provide procurement and engineering activities to support the U.S. Navy's AN/BYG-1 next-generation submarine combat control system under a $14 million contract modification, the company said Jan. 20. The modification includes engineering and technical services for development work on the system's tactical control system.
C-130 AMP: Boeing said the first U.S. Air Force C-130 has begun the avionics modernization program (AMP) in San Antonio. The aircraft will undergo a trial installation expected to lead to the modernization of more than 500 Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. The program is on track for first flight in early 2006, Boeing said.
The European Commission and Snecma Moteurs have agreed to launch a new research program, VITAL, to cut aircraft engine noise and carbon dioxide emissions, France's Snecma said Jan. 18. The four-year, 90 million euro ($117 million) program will focus on low-pressure engine parts and will evaluate engine designs including counter-rotating fans, turbines with fewer blades and other ideas.
Maj. Gen. Robert S. Dickman (USAF-Ret.) has been named executive director. Dickman is leaving the Air Force effective Feb. 13 as a member of the Senior Executive Service, Deputy for Military Space, Office of the Undersecretary of the Air Force.
Ian McNamee has been appointed to Saab's group management. Johan Lehander has been chosen as the new head of Gripen International, a Saab business unit. Irene Svensson, senior vice president for communications, will establish Saab's new Brussels office.
Despite possible budget cuts in the Virginia-class submarine program, the U.S. Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) expect to award contracts for their joint Tango Bravo program - a phased 48-month, $97 million effort - in the spring, a DARPA spokeswoman told The DAILY Jan. 18.
This year NASA is considering releasing a third major broad area announcement (BAA) related to its space exploration plans, according to officials with the agency's Exploration Systems office. The new BAA would include the three major areas, according to Jim Nehman, the office's deputy associate administrator for development programs: exploration systems research and technology, biological and physical research, and space nuclear power and propulsion.
NASA accounted for the third-largest unauthorized federal appropriations for the current fiscal year, according to a Jan. 14 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on expiring and unauthorized federal spending. Congress allocated $5.4 billion for human space flight, $6.5 billion for space aeronautics and technology, $2.7 billion for mission support and $22.7 million to NASA's inspector general - all in unauthorized FY 2005 appropriations.
United Defense Industries Inc. has won a U.S. Army contract for the delivery and testing of the cannon-fired Bonus precision munition system, the company said Jan. 19. United Defense will manage Bonus, developed by Bofors Defence of Sweden and GIAT Industries of France, at its Minneapolis facility. Bonus consists of a 155mm spin-stabilized projectile that enhances cannon artillery precision by dispensing two sensor-fuzed munition submunitions designed to attack and destroy tanks and other armored combat vehicles, United Defense said.
The U.S. Navy's program to replace the Cobra Judy radar system is gearing up to conduct a preliminary design review (PDR) in about three weeks, an industry official said Jan. 19. The PDR will take place Feb. 9-11 at the Sudbury, Mass., facilities of prime contractor Raytheon Co., said Rod Smith, who manages the Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) program for Raytheon. The PDR will be followed by another major review, the critical design review, in January 2006. The Navy plans to start fielding the CJR in 2011.
The U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has made substantial progress developing detailed design changes to fix the stealthy jet's weight problems, a program spokeswoman said Jan. 19.
The U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, a Maryland facility that conducts ballistic and automotive testing, has received more proposals for tactical wheeled vehicle armor kits in the last 30 days than it has in the last 15 months, Col. John Rooney, chief of staff, Army Developmental Test Command, told The DAILY.
Italy's Aermacchi and Greece's defense ministry are discussing making Greece a primary partner in building the M-346 lead-in fighter-trainer aircraft, Aermacchi said Jan. 19. They signed a memorandum of understanding covering the potential involvement of Greek industry in building the aircraft, the company said. The program currently is supported by the Italian government, but Aermacchi is looking for European partners. If the deal is completed, it would be the first time Greece has entered an aircraft partnership program, Aermacchi said.
A division of New York-based L-3 Communications will provide logistics support services and program management for the U.S. Navy's C-40A Clipper aircraft fleet in 2005 under a $20 million contract, the company said Jan. 18. The contract was awarded to L-3's Link Simulation and Training division by the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. Four one-year options could push the contract's total value to $100 million, the company said.
More than seven years after it launched with NASA's Cassini orbiter, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens probe touched down on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan Jan. 14 on what appears to be a patch of mud, according to program officials.
