NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter began checking out its instruments Aug. 30 after a successful course correction Aug. 27 that put the spacecraft on schedule to reach the red planet on March 10, 2006. The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft fired its six main thrusters for 15 seconds during the course correction maneuver. The main engines won't be used again until the spacecraft arrives at Mars, when they will fire for 25 minutes to slow MRO down enough for the planet's gravity to capture it into orbit.
General Dynamics Land Systems said Aug. 30 that it has been awarded a $15.2 million increment from a $62.1 million contract for materials to produce 92 M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management tanks. Initial funding of $31.3 million was awarded in April under the contract, and a second award of $15.6 million took place in July. Under the AIM program, Abrams tanks are completely disassembled and overhauled.
As part of its base realignment and closure considerations last week, the independent BRAC Commission approved the Defense Department's intent to consolidate military rotorcraft development in two locations. The changes create the Joint Center for Rotary Wing Air Platform Development, Acquisition, Test and Evaluation (DAT&E) at the Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala., and "enhances" the Joint Center at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, Md.
IDirect Technologies, which develops and markets satellite-based broadband systems, said Aug. 30 that it will be bought by Vision Technologies Electronics Inc. for $165 million. VTEE itself is a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, the U.S. headquarters of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.
The Office of Naval Research is reviewing white papers describing basic research aimed at countering improvised explosive devices as part of its counter-IED "Manhattan Project." ONR released a broad agency announcement in July calling for research that can be "applied to the detection, neutralization, destruction and mitigation of the effects of these devices and to the advance prediction of the occurrence or potential for occurrence of IED events."
The National Defense Industrial Association, a lobby group for U.S. defense contractors, is raising concerns about "Buy America"-type sections of the House's fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill authored by China and European critics on the House Armed Services Committee.
SOLDIER EQUIPMENT: Jacksonville, Fla.-based Armor Holdings Inc. said Aug. 31 that it has received a $17.4 million order from the Defense Supply Center-Philadelphia to continue producing components for the U.S. Army Modular Light Weight Load Carrying Equipment system (MOLLE). The order is part of a previously announced $40.9 million contract. The work will be done in 2006 at the Armor Holdings Aerospace and Defense Group facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Rob Legnosky will give up his CEO and president positions and become president of Celerity's Nevada subsidiary. C. Thomas McMillen has been named president and CEO.
Changes to the Iran Nonproliferation Act to allow NASA to buy Russian space goods and services could see legislative action starting next week. A House Science Committee spokesman told The DAILY that the congressional version of a Bush Administration proposal should be pushed through the House by the House Judiciary Committee in September, as part of a yet-identified bill. House and Senate science authorizers also plan to add the provision to their bill during a House-Senate conference on the fiscal 2006 NASA authorization.
H-60 ORDERS: BAE Systems said the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command awarded it a $10.6 million contract for 400 spare electronic control units for the GE T700 engines on UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters. The Army could order 800 more under contract options, BAE said Aug. 30. That same day, the Naval Air Systems Command ordered six low-rate-initial-production MH-60R multimission helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. for $64.7 million.
RF BRIDGING: The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division has awarded Trident Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va., up to $25 million for a Phase III Small Business Innovative Research Program to develop radio frequency (RF) bridging equipment. Specifically, the Navy is looking to move raw sensor data via its legacy and emerging manned and unmanned RF communication nodes, then correlating and displaying it with command and control software while also providing it directly to front-line users. Trident Systems is expected to wrap up its work in August 2010.
About 20 Australian military personnel and one of their country's C-130J Hercules aircraft took part in an international disaster relief exercise in Thailand last week. The biennial exercise, called Pacific Airlift Rally, was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and hosted by Thailand's air force. It was held in Udon Thani in northern Thailand.
A "think tank" made up of Canadian and U.S. military officials is working on strategic and tactical ways to share air, land and sea C4ISR from the national down to local levels. At the same time, they also are planning for collaborative operations, including deploying troops across the border in emergencies, officials told reporters Aug. 30 at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
Kimberly Johnson, Airports editor for our sister publication Aviation Daily, has embedded in Iraq with the 2nd Marine Division for three months. She is reporting for The DAILY from there, covering the performance of specific weapon systems, the realities of warfare in Iraq and other topics important to our readers. She also writes and takes photographs for "Mother of All Blogs," a Web journal about her experiences. It is located at http://www.moab-iraq.blogspot.com.
TECH SERVICES: Management consulting and systems integration firm BearingPoint Inc. of McLean, Va., said Aug. 30 that it has been awarded a two-year contract worth up to $4 million to provide technical and advisory services to improve efficiency at the AIRSpeed Office of U.S. Naval Air Systems Command Depot Cherry Point, N.C. Services will include planning, managing, training and mentoring. Navair Depot Cherry Point inspects, repairs, manufactures, procures, modifies and overhauls airframes, engines, components and test equipment for Navy and Marine Corps aviation units.
SHIP DAMAGE: One U.S. Navy ship under construction in the Gulf Coast region, the Kidd (DDG 100), at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss., has been damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Navy said Aug. 30. Another ship there, the first-of-its-class San Antonio (LPD 17), is providing shelter and food to Navy and contractor personnel at the shipyard.
PRAGUE - A Czech high-tech passive radar system called Vera is in the process of being shipped to the United States, Czech and U.S. officials said Aug. 30. Czech arms exporter Thomas CZ turned over the system to U.S. military representatives during a visit late this month, the officials said. The system's cost has not been disclosed. The U.S. became seriously interested in acquiring Vera last year (DAILY, July 20, 2004).
"Consistent" domestic combat air patrols over U.S. cities will continue for the "foreseeable future," and defense and homeland security officials remain ready to shoot down a passenger airliner if necessary to prevent another Sept. 11-type attack, according to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale.
NASA's Michoud Assembly facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi escaped catastrophic damage from Hurricane Katrina, although the devastating effects of the storm on the surrounding areas and employee homes is certain to affect the agency's efforts to launch the space shuttle in March 2006.
