DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT: The robotic ground vehicle teams competing for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's second Grand Challenge prize already are demonstrating "dramatic progress" from last year, DARPA says. During the first day of the semifinals on Sept. 28, seven of 16 robotic hopefuls completed a 2.2-mile trial course. In comparison, only two teams made partial runs on the first day of last year's semifinals, with six failing to get past their starting chutes. During last year's finals, the best team completed only 7 miles of the 142-mile course.
SHIPBUILDING: The new chief of naval operations, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, is "actively" reviewing shipbuilding programs and considering "several options for controlling long-term costs," Senate appropriators say in the report accompanying their fiscal 2006 defense spending bill. To help the Navy in the short term, the Senate Appropriations Committee has recommended providing the Navy financial management authorities that previously have been denied (DAILY, Sept. 27).
The House and Senate are expected soon to approve an appropriations conference agreement on the fiscal 2006 Homeland Security Department spending bill, which was hammered out Sept. 29. In addition to $933.1 million for the Coast Guard's Deepwater modernization program, the appropriators agreed to provide $400.2 million to the DHS for operations, maintenance and procurement of marine vessels, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other related equipment of the air and marine interdiction program, according to the conference report.
NEW LEADER: A controversial effort to block the Base Closure and Realignment process could remain stalled in the House. The legislation, unfavorably reported by the House Armed Services Committee (DAILY, Sept. 29), now rests with new Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), according to a resolution that the House passed Sept. 29. Under the resolution, Blunt can decide whether the legislation is in order for the House to debate it. The conservative Republican has already expressed support for BRAC. "I think the process has worked well," the congressman said Aug.
Oct. 3 - 5 -- AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, "Call to Duty - 230 Years of Service to our Nation," Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.ausa.org. Oct. 6 - 7 -- Information Assurance Engineering, "The Latest Requirements, Tools and Techniques," The Orleans Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. For more information go to www.technologytraining.com.
The Bush Administration is "concerned with the numerous funding reductions, prior-year rescissions and acquisition guidelines for specific programs, particularly those affecting Navy shipbuilding, Air Force space systems and Army modernization," according to a White House statement Sept. 30 about the Senate's pending defense spending bill.
FY '06 FUNDS: Congress has approved a continuing resolution that provides temporary funding through Nov. 18 for federal departments, agencies and programs whose fiscal 2006 appropriations bills have not yet been enacted. As of Sept. 30, only the interior-environment and legislative branch spending bills have been signed into law. Under the joint resolution, federal spending through that date would be at the level set in the House-passed bill, Senate-passed bill, or current level, whichever is lowest. The House passed it Sept.
An avionics upgrade program for the U.S. Air Force's C-5 Galaxy has moved into a key test phase, an Air Force official said Sept. 29. Up to five C-5s that have gone through the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) will take part in an operational test and evaluation (OT&E) that began Sept. 7, according to Col. Kevin Keck, who oversees C-5 acquisition programs at the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. OT&E is expected to last about three months.
Brazil is seeking advanced torpedoes and related equipment and services that could total $60 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Sept. 28. Brazil has requested 30 MK 48 Mod 6 Advanced Technology Torpedoes, containers and related equipment and services, DSCA said. Raytheon Corp. would be the primary contractor for the deal. The country wants to use the torpedoes to upgrade and modernize its existing heavyweight torpedo capability, DSCA said.
Senators overseeing defense panels were still working at press time to try to craft an agreement that would attach some form of the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill onto the related appropriations bill and allow for a limited number of additional amendment proposals. Meanwhile, the Senate took up the defense appropriations bill Sept. 29 but got tied up in a proposal over bird flu medicine. Earlier in the day, the Senate approved John Roberts to head the U.S. Supreme Court, and most senators later went to see him get sworn in.
U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan could be armed with Excalibur 155mm precision-guided artillery rounds by March following successful testing this month, the Army said Sept. 28. In the Sept. 15 test at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Excalibur was fired from a Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzer at a target 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away. Excalibur successfully detonated within 7 meters (7.6 yards) of the target.
VEHICLE WORK: General Dynamics Land Systems will provide technical support for U.S. Army Abrams tanks and field service repair support for Stryker vehicles under two contracts totaling $31.4 million, the company said Sept. 27. The Abrams work will be done under a $25 million contract modification and is aimed at keeping the tanks at high operational readiness rates. The Stryker work will be done under a $6.4 million contract modification. Both contract modifications were awarded by the Army's TACOM Lifecycle Management Command.
BATTLESPACE CONTRACT: General Dynamics Canada and two Australian partners have been awarded a contract worth AUD 800 million (USD $608 million) to be the preferred systems integrator for the first phase of the Australian Battlespace Communications System (Land) project, General Dynamics Canada said Sept. 29. The project will provide Australia's ground forces with a deployable, secure, integrated battlespace communications system.
The U.S. Air Force on Sept. 28 notified members of Congress that the National Polar-orbiting Environmental Satellite System program has breached the Nunn-McCurdy cap of 15% cost growth within a given year. The Air Force has ordered an independent review of the program that should be complete by the end of the year, according to a service spokeswoman.
Senate NASA authorizers moderated their position on retiring the space shuttle fleet and outlined a plan for using outside funds to boost work on the International Space Station, allowing the Senate to approve a five-year authorization bill on Sept. 28 that backs President Bush's moon-Mars exploration agenda.
SUPPORT CENTER: Lockheed Martin said Sept. 27 that it has opened an F/A-22 Technical Support Center in Marietta, Ga. The center will be the focal point for communications and technical support between the contractor team and customers at F/A-22 bases. TSC technicians have 24-hour access to technical data, engineers and program officials, which will shorten turnaround time for support services, the company said.
Raytheon is under contract from the U.S. Army's Communications and Electronics Command to expand the capabilities of its new Persistent Surveillance and Dissemination System of Systems, which fuses disparate sensor data to provide comprehensive, rewindable surveillance of a given area.
Saudi Arabia is seeking upgrade kits and services for 54 C-130E/H aircraft and related equipment and services that could total $800 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress. The Avionics Modernization Program upgrade for the aircraft includes navigation and communications equipment, LCD heads-up displays, software development and integration, spare and repair parts and other equipment and services, DSCA said.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a reaffirmed effort to develop a small reconnaissance airplane for drug interdiction in the Caribbean appeared to align to help the U.S. Coast Guard get almost its entire Deepwater program budget request for the next fiscal year. A House-Senate conference on Sept. 29 agreed to provide $933.1 million for fiscal 2006 for the recapitalization and replacement program. That is $33 million below President Bush's request of $966 million, but significantly above the Senate's $906 million and the House's $500 million allocations.
