Leading Senate Republicans overseeing defense budget and appropriations are trying to figure out how to get a better account of defense spending, as well as apply greater congressional oversight to supplemental funds that now make up a fifth of the Pentagon's annual allowance.
The 1.4-meter primary mirror for NASA's planned Kepler planet-finding mission has arrived at prime contractor Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo., for environmental testing and integration into the spacecraft.
The Defense Acquisition Board review for the estimated $13 billion Combat, Search and Rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter program has been delayed yet again, this time by another month to Oct. 31, industry sources familiar with the aircraft purchase proposals say. The contract award is now tentatively scheduled for Nov. 3, the sources said. Air Force officials confirmed the Oct. 31 DAB date, but refused to comment further because of acquisition policies.
PRODUCT SUPPORT: BAE Systems is opening a 6,000-square-foot facility near Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to support and upgrade U.S. Air Force equipment and software, the company announced Aug. 17. BAE is completing the installation of infrastructure and equipment at the BAE Systems Readiness and Sustainment Center, which is located five miles from the base and should be ready for operations in December.
The $477 million upgrade program to make the A-10 Warthog a digital combat aircraft shows the Air Force's commitment to the plane, but funding battles could still stretch out the improvement schedule, the service's A-10 program manager said. "The A-10 has been underappreciated from the very beginning," said U.S. Air Force Col. Jim Ratti, the aircraft system manager and commander of the 508th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron. "But this shows the Air Force wants to keep it around and viable."
Starting next year, more public information on annual defense spending requests and other Pentagon reports can be expected - although how much more and how quickly remain to be seen. Senators are including a provision in their fiscal 2007 defense spending bill that requires Defense Department reports to congressional appropriations panels be posted online. And already, the White House Office of Management and Budget agreed to publish budget justifications as of 2007, according to the movement's most vocal proponent.
NASA is looking at refining the launch approval process for the space shuttle to make it easier and simpler for stakeholders to go on record with caveats to supplement their final go/no-go decision. "We ...have asked ourselves the question of whether our polling and our documentation process is as crisp as we would like it to be," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Aug. 16. "And in fact we're working on it."
AFRICAN FOCUS: As defense contractors have been predicting, American and NATO forces will be shifting more resources into Africa, U.S. Marine Corps. Gen. James Jones said Aug. 17. Western forces will be moving more into sub-Sahara and other African regions, said Jones, the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and the commander of the United States European Command. "There's going to be more movement into Africa as the years go on," Jones said.
Commercial satellite imaging company GeoEye filed its intended proxy with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 15, said Matthew O'Connell, company chief executive officer, president and director. The company expects an SEC response within a month or two, O'Connell said during an Aug. 16 investor update conference call. O'Connell said there has been growing interest, particularly foreign and commercial, for the type of imaging being offered by GeoEye, especially with online access.
NASA on Aug. 16 completed the flight readiness review (FRR) for space shuttle Atlantis' next mission, STS-115, approving the orbiter for flight and setting the launch date for the afternoon of Aug. 27. "All members of the board were 'go' for launch," Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier said at a news conference following the review.
AIR INTERCEPT: Two Massachusetts Air National Guard F-15 fighter jets scrambled Aug. 16 to escort Washington-bound United Airlines flight 923 to Boston's Logan National Airport instead, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. A "disruptive" passenger with hand cream and matches triggered an emergency landing, according to the Transportation Security Agency. Since Operation Noble Eagle began after Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD has flown more than 42,000 sorties - 70 percent by National Guard crews - and scrambled or diverted aircraft more than 2,100 times.
ROBOTIC CONTROL: The Defense Department's Joint Robotics Office has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. a $1.9-million, three-year contract to mentor AnthroTronix Inc., a small, privately held, woman-owned business in developing a Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems-compliant robot control system, Lockheed said Aug. 16. The Multi-Purpose Autonomous Teaming Control of Heterogeneous Robots will control heterogeneous teams of robots performing diverse sets of force-protection tasks for the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Kenneth A. Paladino has been elected president, chief executive officer and director. Timothy J. Roach was replaced by Paladino. Roach retired Aug. 14.
The first EA-18G Growler, known as aircraft EA-1, successfully completed its maiden flight Aug. 15 from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, about one month ahead of schedule, prime contractor Boeing said. The EA-1 is the first of two test aircraft built under a system development and demonstration contract that Boeing signed with the Navy on Dec. 29, 2003.
Jack Harrington has been appointed vice president, command and control systems, for the network centric systems unit. Brian McKeon was replaced by Harrington. McKeon has joined Raytheon Systems Limited in the United Kingdom as president and managing director. Richard B. Johnston has been appointed vice president for corporate operations.
Bob Kramer has been named senior vice president of marketing and strategic development. Dennis J. Reed has been named vice president for operations of the space and airborne systems business.
MINE SONAR: Raytheon Co. and the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command have finalized an $11 million contract modification for the company's AN/AQS-20A mine hunting sonar systems, Raytheon announced Aug. 16. The modification brings the total value of the contract, awarded last September, to $104.9 million (DAILY, Sept. 19, 2005). Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will manufacture, test and deliver 11 new AQS-20A sets and associated support equipment and engineering services. The contract includes an option for 11 more systems, services and support equipment for 2007.
BAE Systems and Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. on Aug. 16 touted the Protector unmanned surface vehicle (USV) - as well as a new teaming with Lockheed Martin Corp. BAE officials noted last spring that they hope to get the USV into future iterations of the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship mission packages (DAILY, April 4). The companies said Aug. 16 that they will demonstrate its force protection capabilities to the Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies in Little Creek, Va., San Diego and Washington in coming months.
