Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

The flight turret assembly for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser arrives at Edwards Air Force Base on Oct. 11. It will be installed on the program's first airplane (DAILY, Oct. 14), a modified Boeing 747-400 series freighter. The turret assembly completes the beam control/fire control system, which is designed to point and focus a high-energy laser on a ballistic missile in its boost phase of flight. Photo by Tech. Sgt. James Graham, courtesy U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) plans to propose creating an equipment reserve that could be tapped quickly to support allies in the war on terrorism.

Space shuttle Discovery, scheduled to conduct the return-to-flight mission next year, had its robotic manipulator arm installed Oct. 15, according to NASA. Meanwhile, Atlantis continues to receive wiring and electrical modifications throughout its structure, including the wiring for the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) that will be used to inspect the vehicle for damage to its thermal protection system in orbit.

AMC-15: SES Americom's AMC-15 spacecraft was launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 14. Liftoff took place at 5:23 p.m. EDT aboard a Russian Proton rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS). Ground controllers made initial contact with the Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft at 2:52 a.m. EDT, using the company's satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.

SMALL SUBS: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will hold a conference in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 8 to kick off the Tango Bravo program, a joint effort with the Navy to demonstrate technologies for future small submarines. The intent of the program is "to overcome selected technological barriers that are judged to have a significant impact on submarine platform infrastructure and cost," DARPA says.

Hi-Shear Technology Corp., which provides pyrotechnic, mechanical and electronic products for aerospace and defense markets, said Oct. 15 that increased defense work helped boost its bottom line for its first quarter, which ended Aug. 31. The company reported revenue of $3.9 million, up from $3.6 million for the same period last year. The company also cited lower manufacturing and administrative costs for the increase.

Several defense and aerospace companies are slated to release quarterly financial results over the next few weeks. The following companies have announced their reporting plans: * Armor Holdings, Inc., will announce its third-quarter results on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 4:30 p.m. EDT * Honeywell will announce its third-quarter results on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 8 a.m. EDT * Orbital Sciences Corp. will announce its third-quarter results on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. EDT

Loral Space & Communications Ltd. has reached an agreement with its creditors on a revised reorganization plan that will allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy during the first quarter of next year. The company filed for Chapter 11 last year, wracked by debt resulting from the failed Globalstar satellite communications venture (DAILY, July 16, 2003). It will file the new plan with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court by Oct. 22.

INDUSTRY DAY: The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is hosting an industry day Nov. 3 on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) mission module integration and has posted a notice on the FebBizOpps Web site, Landay says. NAVSEA also is seeking information from firms capable of providing LCS mission module development, integration and test capability. Mission package capabilities currently are focused on mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare. Responses are due Oct. 18.

PREPARING DSCA: In light of recent U.S. calls for increased international cooperation in missile defense, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is bracing to receive a growing number of inquiries from nations interested in pursuing such partnerships, according to DSCA's director, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler (USAF). To ensure DSCA is prepared to help those countries and "point them in the right direction," Kohler is working to "get a little more information inside the agency" regarding U.S. missile defense plans and policies.

San Francisco-based BEI Technologies Inc. has acquired Newall Measurement Systems Ltd. of the United Kingdom, BEI Technologies said Oct. 12. Terms of the cash purchase were not disclosed. Newall Measurement Systems manufactures digital readout systems and digital linear encoders for process automation and machine tool markets in Europe, Asia and North America.

JSF REVIEW: A high-level Pentagon panel met Oct. 14 to formally review the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The panel is expected to announce within a few weeks that it has approved design changes and other adjustments aimed at solving weight problems with the stealthy jet, especially the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version.

NASA is soliciting opinions from industry on its draft requirements for the elaborate video camera system that will be required for the Hubble Space Telescope robotic servicing mission.

Defense contractors can access a Web-based, instant reference to U.S. Department of Defense acquisition practices, policies and lessons learned through a newly released Defense Acquisition Guidebook. Approved by Michael Wynne, the acting acquisition undersecretary, the new guidebook is designed to serve as a companion to the revised acquisition policy documents, DOD Directive 5000.1 and DOD Instruction 5000.2, released in May 2003.

CLARIFICATION: An Oct. 12 story, headlined "SkyTower wants government funds for Helios UAV follow-on," incorrectly gave the impression that SkyTower is seeking government funding for a commercial follow-on to the Helios UAV. Parent company AeroVironment is seeking the funds for a Helios follow-on that would be tailored for government uses. SkyTower then plans to commercialize the resulting technology.

INFORMATION: The government of Finland is extending its use of imagery and data from Canada's RADARSAT-1, according to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. of Richmond, British Columbia, which distributes the data. Finland also has signed a prelaunch commitment for RADARSAT-2 information, as has ImageOne Co. Ltd. of Japan, which will distribute it to the Japanese commercial market. The total value of the agreements is about Cdn$4.3 million ($3.4 million).

London-based BAE Systems has won a contract to provide support to the U.S. Air Force for four F-16 flight line programs, the company said Oct. 13. The Department of Defense awarded the Support Equipment Sustainment contract on Sept. 8. It will support the Flight Line Stores Management System testers, Viper Memory Loader Verifier, Enhanced Diagnostic Aid and F-16 Stores System Testers, the company said. BAE Systems Information & Electronic Warfare Systems in Nashua, N.H., produces them all, the company said.

The U.S. Navy intends to release a request for proposals (RFP) by the end of the year to procure Shipboard Protection Systems to allow Navy vessels to identify, warn and attack potential surface threats, Rear Adm. William Landay, program executive officer for Navy Littoral and Mine Warfare, told reporters Oct. 14. The Shipboard Protection Systems are scheduled to begin deployment in 2005, Landay said.

EXPEDITION 10: The Expedition 10 crew for the International Space Station (ISS) launched into space on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 13. Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov will arrive at the station Oct. 15 for a six-month stay. They are accompanied by Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin, who will return to Earth Oct. 23 with the current ISS crew.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence has placed a $180 million follow-on order for the Raytheon-Lockheed Martin Javelin anti-tank weapon system, Raytheon Co. said Oct. 14. The Javelin purchase will provide a medium-range anti-tank missile for the British army's Armored Ground Component (AGC) program. Javelin's selection for AGC comes after a 2003 competitive win by the Javelin Joint Venture and its U.K. partners for the U.K. Light Forces Anti-tank Guided Weapon program.

Industry should start thinking about new applications for the extra data bandwidth that will be available to military aircraft in the coming years, according to Maj. Gen. Charles Croom (USAF), director of C4ISR infostructure at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration.

Boeing has begun mission flight-tests on the first of 17 NATO airborne warning and control (AWACS) aircraft upgraded under the $1.3 billion Mid-Term Modernization program, the company said Oct. 14. The tests will demonstrate the upgraded capabilities of the NATO aircraft and are scheduled to be completed in March 2005, Boeing said. The modernization includes enhancements to the fleet's computers, displays, communications systems and navigation and target identification systems. Photo courtesy the Boeing Co.

A fiscal 2005 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) includes the House's push to have the U.S. Coast Guard submit a new Deepwater baseline as part of the fiscal 2006 budget, which is scheduled for release early next year. The Coast Guard already has created a revised mission needs statement to guide the new baselining, according to Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Carter, chief of media relations for the Coast Guard. It has been approved by the Joint Requirements Council and will be briefed to the DHS Investment Review Board on Nov. 3.

Aura, the Northrop Grumman-built Earth Observing system (EOS) satellite, has been declared operational, the company said. In an Oct. 14 ceremony at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., Northrop Grumman turned over the symbolic key to the spacecraft, the company said. Aura was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on July 15, and NASA began instrument activation shortly after that (DAILY, Aug. 5).