The U.S. Air Force is considering replacing its aging Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile by incrementally upgrading the existing system until it evolves into Minuteman IV, rather than by buying a new missile outright. An incremental modernization approach would be more affordable than a new system and would still significantly improve missile performance and reduce ownership costs, said Col. Richard Patenaude, chief of the deterrence and strike division in Air Force Space Command's requirements directorate.
Johnstown, Pa.-based Concurrent Technologies Corp. announced Oct. 17 that it was awarded a five-year, $150 million contract from the Office of Naval Research to continue to operate the Navy Metalworking Center, whose purpose is to transition advanced metalworking technologies to build new naval weapon systems. In a statement, Concurrent CEO Daniel DeVos said the center's work would be applied to the proposed CVN-21 aircraft carrier and the DD(X) destroyer, the Joint Unmanned Aircraft System, the Littoral Combat Ship and the M777 Lightweight Howitzer.
The U.S. military is continuing to provide a variety of aircraft to help survivors of the deadly Oct. 8 earthquake in Pakistan, the Defense Department said. Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs and three C-130 Hercules aircraft have transported more than 141,300 pounds of supplies, and Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26 sent two aircraft and 25 sailors to Pakistan on Oct. 15 and 16.
CONFERENCE: Congressional negotiators working out differences between the House and Senate over fiscal 2006 appropriations for the Defense Department will be pressed to find common ground on naval shipbuilding. The Bush administration requested $8.72 billion for four new ships including one Virginia-class submarine, one Littoral Combat Ship and one T-AKE dry cargo/ammunition ship.
Oct. 18 - 19 -- 3rd Annual Interoperability Tools & Case Studies, Georgetown University Conference Center, Washington, D.C. For more information call 1-800-882-8684 or go to www.idga.org. Oct. 18 - 20 -- Aviation Week's MRO Europe Conference & Exhibition, Hotel Estrel & Convention Center, Sonnenallee 225, Berlin, Germany. For more information go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences.
LANDING CEV: NASA and the industry teams competing to build the Crew Exploration Vehicle know that the CEV will parachute down onto dry land in the western U.S., but its precise method of touching down safely still is being debated. According to Boeing CEV Deputy Program Manager Leonard Nicholson, engineers are weighing several options: installing an airbag under the vehicle to absorb the impact, designing a "crushable zone" of material between the heat shield and the pressure compartment to absorb the shock, or employing retro rockets to slow the descent.
SUPPORT SERVICES: EDO Corp. said Oct. 14 that it won three contracts totaling $15.4 million for professional services provided to U.S. Marine Corps and Navy programs, including collecting and analyzing data to assess fleet aviation readiness. Other awards were to support the Marine Corps Joint Concept Development and Experimentation office and the Logistics Command and Control component of the Marine Corps Global Combat Service Support System.
ANOTHER REVIEW: The troubled Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 1 program underwent another review last week by the Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board, although no major decisions on its fate have emerged yet. Reports had speculated that the meeting would decide whether to cancel Boeing's billion-dollar contract for the program, although now it appears the company has gotten a reprieve at least until the next DAB meeting, scheduled for Nov. 21.
The U.S. Navy's new top military officer intends to have the service conduct an extensive review of its fighter aircraft, helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle plans.
The U.S. Army has delayed until next month its request for proposals for industry to build and deliver the third phase of the Joint Network Node program, according to Army officials. The reason is that the Army wants the latest JNN version to include technologies that will be part of the service's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) system, officials said.
The Australian air force's Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighter has reached 30,000 hours of flight time, the country's defense ministry said Oct. 14. The milestone took place on Sept. 12 during a flight from the Williamtown, New South Wales, air base. The fighter, built by BAE Systems, has been invaluable in training "fast jet" pilots, the defense ministry said. The Hawk 127 also provides air support to the army and navy during exercises.
CONCERNS: Senate appropriators are pushing to keep $195.6 million from shipbuilders who make the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers because of what appears to them as additional costs outside the contract. In its fiscal 2006 defense spending bill, the Senate agreed with the appropriators, who slashed that amount from the Defense Department's request of $225.4 million to close out and shutdown the DDG-51 contract.
France-based shipbuilder Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) said Oct. 13 that it has been awarded a EUR 127.5 million (USD $153.9) contract to provide through-life support services for the French navy's front-line warships. DCN also won a separate euro 161 million (USD $191.3) contract from the French navy for the refueling and overhaul of the nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine SSBN Le Temeraire.
The U.S. Navy tentatively plans to award a contract to Raytheon Co. within the next few months to study adding a moving-target capability to Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), company officials said Oct. 14. The study contract is designed to lead to the award of a development contract in late 2006 for the moving target-capable JSOW, known as JSOW Block III, Raytheon officials told The DAILY.
AeroVironment's Raven B unmanned aerial vehicle has beaten out L-3 BAI Aerosystems' Evolution XTS to be the next-generation backpack-portable Small UAV for Army soldiers, according to the service. The Army's Aviation Program Executive Office, in conjunction with Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., has awarded the Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment a $3.1 million, eight-month low-rate initial production contract for the Raven B, according to a spokesman.
The U.S. Army has released a 500-day information technology plan aimed at guiding the service's IT decisions, according to Army officials. The plan, called "Army CIO/G-6 500-Day Plan: Delivering a Joint Net-Centric Information Enterprise," is also part of a larger initiative to help soldiers communicate better in combat, said Army Lt. Gen Steve Boutelle (USA), the service's chief information officer.
SUB COMMISSIONING: The German navy plans to commission two Type 212 new-generation submarines on Oct. 19, the German defense ministry says. It would be the first time that the navy has commissioned two subs at the same time. Vice Adm. Wolfgang Nolting, the fleet commander, and Defense Minister Peter Struck plan to attend the ceremony at Eckernfoerde naval base. The vessels are the most modern conventional submarines in the world, the defense ministry said. Their fuel cell propulsion system will allow them to remain submerged and undetected for long periods.
On Oct. 13 a dual-manifested Ariane 5 rocket placed the French Ministry of Defense's Syracuse 3A communications satellite and PanAmSat's Galaxy 15 high-definition TV satellite in geostationary transfer orbit. Liftoff took place from Arianespace's launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana. Syracuse 3A is the first satellite in France's new third-generation Syracuse III secure military communication system. The 3,700-kilogram (8,157-pound) spacecraft was designed by Alcatel Alenia Space, with Thales Communications in charge of the ground segment.
U.S. Navy officials will craft plans by mid-December to organize and equip a Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, and hope to work closer with the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies, according to Adm. Mike Mullen, the new chief of naval operations.
