The U.S. military air portfolio is imbalanced with far too many strike fighters and needs to be reworked for greater long-range bombing and persistent surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities under the pending Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), several high-profile commentators said Nov. 10.
The Defense Department decided Nov. 10 to delay an acquisition milestone decision on the Navy's planned DD(X) destroyer for another two weeks, defense officials told The DAILY.
ANOTHER RAST: The U.S. Navy has ordered the 11th of 18 helicopter-handling systems for DDG-51 destroyers from Curtiss-Wright Corp., the company said Nov. 10. Along with launch and recovery, the Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse (RAST) system allows crews to secure, move and settle helicopters day or night and in bad weather and extreme sea conditions. In 2001, Indal Technologies Inc. was awarded a six-year Navy contract for up to 18 RAST systems. Curtiss-Wright bought Indal Technologies in March 2005.
ITT Industries and the South African Astronomical Observatory announced the unveiling of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest single telescope in the southern hemisphere, on Nov. 10. SALT, based in Sutherland, South Africa, uses 94 hexagonal, spherical-surface primary mirror segments built by ITT under a $1.9 million contract from the observatory. In conjunction with the occasion, the company donated 20 amateur telescopes and software to disadvantaged schools in South Africa.
JETEYE FLIES: BAE Systems conducted the first flight of its JetEye laser-based infrared countermeasures system on a Boeing 767 test aircraft taking off from Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas on Nov. 10. JetEye is designed to protect airliners from shoulder-fired missiles. The flight-tests are part of an evaluation by the Department of Homeland Security, which is funding development of JetEye and Northrop Grumman's rival Guardian system. Testing is scheduled to conclude by the end of this year with FAA certification expected in January, according to BAE Systems.
Congressional appropriators have denied the $34 million fiscal 2006 budget request for NASA's Centennial Challenges prize program in their recent conference bill, instructing the program to spend the leftover money allocated to it for FY '05 instead. According to Program Manager Brant Sponberg, Centennial Challenges has $10 million remaining to be spent in its FY '05 budget, but can't access that money until the final passage of the FY '06 NASA authorization bill, which has not yet gone to conference.
A national defense committee in Taiwan's legislature has voted to cancel the purchase of three Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile systems from the United States as well as initial funding for 12 Lockheed Martin-built P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft, the Taiwan Government Information Office said Nov. 10. But Lee Wen-chung, a legislator for the Democratic Progressive Party, said an upcoming joint committee could reverse the ruling.
RAPTOR WORK: Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $3 billion contract modification to "definitize" the lot five production acquisition of 24 F/A-22 Raptors, the U.S. Department of Defense said Nov. 9. The work is to be completed by November 2007, the DOD said. The contract was awarded by the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
MDA AWARD: Computer Sciences Corp. has been awarded an $8 million contract modification by the Missile Defense Agency to provide scientific, engineering and technical assistance for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Program, the Defense Department said Nov. 10. The total contract could be worth up to $243.1 million.
Citing the likelihood of shrinking Pentagon budgets in the coming years, Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.) recommended a series of steps for overhauling the troubled military space acquisition process during a speech in Washington Nov. 10. "We're going to see budgets tighten in the next three years, and we have got to find a way to work around that," Everett said during a luncheon sponsored by the Washington Space Business Roundtable. "Congress is losing confidence in the acquisition system."
PAVEWAY AWARD: Lockheed Martin will develop, qualify and produce the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb for the U.S. Navy under a $65 million contract that could balloon to $266 million with options, the company said Nov. 8. The program will upgrade the Navy's legacy Paveway II kits by replacing the existing control system with an inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System. The systems will be built at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's Archbald, Pa., facility.
Italy likely will decide by the end of December whether to join the U.S. Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program, according to a program official. Italy has informally expressed interest in taking part in developing MMA but has not yet formally notified the Navy that it wishes to join, said James Lackey, the Navy's deputy team lead for MMA. Lackey said the Italian government is working the matter through its budget process.
Two Nova Scotia companies have each been awarded 10-year contracts worth a combined CAD 961.1 million (USD $809.7 million, $1.19 CAD to the U.S. dollar) to provide support and maintenance services for the Canadian military's fleet of CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft, Canada's defense department said Nov. 9.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a possible future Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and presidential candidate, outlined a strategy for Iraq on Nov. 10 that called for a long-term commitment to securing the country, including devoting more money and boosting the size of the U.S. Army. He acknowledged the effort would be a long, hard road and entail more U.S. fatalities. As part of his strategy, McCain said the U.S. "home front" must be won by honest, forthright communication from leaders. "All is not well there," he said.
European defense and aerospace giant EADS reported a 74 percent jump in net income to EUR 1 billion (USD $1.2 billion, $1.17 dollars to the euro) for the first nine months of the year, and raised its outlook for 2005. The company also reported that revenue increased 9 percent to EUR 23.4 billion and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was up 41 percent to EUR 2.1 billion.
Australia's military is deploying helicopters, tanker and cargo aircraft along with a medical team to Pakistan to provide health care following the country's devastating earthquake, Australia's defense ministry said. An initial airlift involving an air force B707 tanker/airlift aircraft and a C-130 Hercules cargo plane was set to leave Sydney on Nov. 10 carrying 140 people. They were bound for a base at Dhanni near Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, where the 90-day mission will set up a central medical facility.
Northrop Grumman's Lake Charles Manufacturing Center in Louisiana was back up to full production the day after parish officials reopened the city in the wake of damage from Hurricane Rita, the company said Nov. 10.
A U.S. Defense Department review of weapons has found that the military services have no large shortfalls but do have gaps in "niche" areas, including capabilities to safely destroy biological and chemical weapons, a Pentagon official said late Nov. 10.
The number of companies in the running to win an $805 million contract to produce nearly 200 armored personnel carriers for the Czech Republic's military has been reduced to two, the country's defense ministry said Nov. 9. Patria Vehicles Oy of Finland and Austria-based Steyr Consortium will submit their final proposals by Nov. 14.
Lockheed Martin, which has been reviewing options for fixing the U.S. Army's weight-challenged Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program, plans to present its findings to the Army on Nov. 14. Army acquisition chief Claude Bolton is expected to be among the officials attending the briefing.
South Korea's air force has successfully test fired an AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile, the Korean Overseas Information Service said Nov. 9. The missile, fired from an upgraded A-50 supersonic jet trainer, struck an unmanned target 1.5 miles away from the aircraft. The test took place over an air base in Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province. The AIM-9L is a supersonic, heat-seeking missile equipped with a high-explosive warhead and an active infrared guidance system.
