Aerostats and airships, which are receiving growing interest in the U.S. military for surveillance and other missions, raise a host of financial, operational and technological issues that lawmakers may want to consider, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says in a new report.
NO FAITH: Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan has "no faith" in NASA's ability to run its Centennial Challenges prize program (DAILY, June 16) successfully on its own, according to a statement by Rutan to the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. "The Congress must direct NASA to conduct the prizes in the only way that they can work - to allow innovation and provide an atmosphere that will result in breakthroughs," Rutan says.
An industry team led by Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) is examining a broad range of potential air-, land- and sea-based systems as part of a missile defense study it is conducting for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to a company official.
PRAGUE - The Czech Republic army is about to receive another seven modernized T-72 tanks as part of a $156 million tank upgrade program carried out by the Czech Military Repair Company with international cooperation from several countries, including Israel, Czech defense officials said July 14. The modernized tanks are being equipped with night vision and improved targeting capability over longer distances, as well as new fire control systems and improved armor.
A panel of witnesses all expressed support for the idea of government-sponsored aerospace prizes during a hearing in Washington July 15, although some cautioned lawmakers that they may not always be an appropriate way to stimulate innovation. Robert Walker, chairman of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates and former House Science Committee chairman, told the subcommittee that the reason to offer prizes is because "you will get people involved to win prizes who would never dream of pursuing a government contract.
General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $5 million contract by the U.S. Army Tank- automotive and Armaments Command to order advance material for the production of 59 Abrams tanks for Australia. The production contract is worth about $60 million, the company said July 15. Fifty-nine tanks are scheduled to be delivered by August 2006. Work will be done in Lima, Ohio; Eynon, Penn.; and Muskegon, Mich.
LONDON - The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD) will gain a 1.4 percent real term spending increase following an announcement on July 12 by Gordon Brown, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer. The increase will cover the period 2005-2008 and could see £33.4 billion ($62 billion) being made available for defense spending. (DAILY, July 13).
LAUNCHED: A Delta II rocket was successfully launched by Team Vandenberg at 3:02 a.m. July 15 fromVandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the air base said. The satellite will help scientists understand how atmospheric composition affects and responds to Earth's changing climate. The satellite, which weighs 6,860 pounds, will also track the extent that our protective ozone layer is recovering and increase knowledge of the processes that connect local and global air quality.
A U.S. Air Force panel has concluded that the aging C-5A Galaxy transport fleet can keep flying safely for another quarter century if adequate upgrades are made. The Air Force Fleet Viability Board (AFFVB) said in a new report that the service's C-5As, which are more than 30 years old, have "no major structural life issues." The board also wrote that the Galaxy, the nation's largest cargo transport, requires "significant maintenance effort and support costs, but nothing that is disproportionate to the enormity of the aircraft itself."
Congress should require demonstrated performance of the proposed Future Combat System (FCS) before further funding the program and spend the money saved on more important U.S. Army priorities, a retired officer told the House Armed Services Committee on July 15.
Excalibur (XM982) is a 155mm precision guided artillery round for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps that uses Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement Unit technology to provide greater range and accuracy than traditional artillery. It is intended to destroy more quickly and efficiently enemy targets with fewer rounds while reducing the casualties of both civilians and U.S. forces. An inductive projectile programmer provides target and fuze data to Excalibur, which allows it to strike with precision.
SI International has been awarded a prime contract to provide information technical services to support the Central Maintenance Activity (CMA) at the Naval Air Depot in Jacksonville, Fla, the company announced July 15. It will develop and implement the Naval Depot Maintenance Systems Time and Attendance labor tracking application. The contract is valued at approximately $7.3 million over a five-year period.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is combining its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) business group with its Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) Marine Systems group, located in Baltimore, Md. The new business unit, that will be start off headquartered in Washington, D.C. but will eventually move to Baltimore, will be called Littoral Ships & Systems, Fred Moosally, president, Lockheed Martin MS2, said July 15. The final integration of the two business groups will be completed by the end of the year.
The Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) radar has successfully completed a preliminary design review, Lockheed Martin said July 15. Advanced Hawkeye is the U.S. Navy's next-generation airborne early warning and battle management system. Now in development by Northrop Grumman, it will be the Navy's airborne node in the service's transformation to network centric warfare.
CONFEREES MEETING: House and Senate conferees were scheduled to meet late July 14 to begin work on the final version of the fiscal year 2005 defense appropriations bill. House lawmakers were named to the conference committee the same day, and include Reps. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.), chairman of the committee, and Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), chairman of the panel's defense subcommittee.
The joint venture charged with developing the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) for the United States, Germany and Italy is studying potential enhancements to the anti-aircraft, anti-missile system, an industry official said July 14. MEADS International Inc., which includes Lockheed Martin, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), MBDA Italia and Germany's LFK, was asked by the three partner governments in the spring to determine the cost of "some additional scope items," said Jim Cravens, president of the joint venture.
A House and Senate conference committee met for the first time July 14 to iron out details of the fiscal 2005 authorization bill funding the U.S. Coast Guard, including the 20-year Integrated Deepwater System modernization program to replace the service's aging aviation and surface vessel platforms. Conferees are considering H.R. 2443, a combined version of earlier House and Senate versions, which authorizes $1.1 billion for the management of Coast Guard capital assets, including $702 million for the Deepwater program.
PRAGUE - Aero Vodochody has confirmed that it is in talks with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation about a new agreement following press reports that Aero has lost tens of millions of dollars producing whole assemblies for Sikorsky helicopters. The Czech daily newspaper Pravo reported July 13 that Aero's costs in producing assemblies for Sikorsky S76C+ helicopters since 2000 had outstripped revenues, and that losses had reached nearly 1.5 billion Czech crowns ($59 million).
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Orbital Express satellite servicing demonstration program is gearing up to begin hardware integration early next year and is on track to launch in September 2006, according to Program Manager Lt. Col. James Shoemaker.
Sources familiar with the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program could not confirm a two-year delay of the program reported by The Wall Street Journal July 14. The first fully equipped unit with the FCS is scheduled for 2012, Lt. Gen. Joseph Yakovac, Army Acquisition Corps, said July 8 at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) monthly Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast.
The U.S. Army next month plans to select a winner in a competition to supply the Iraqi government with a surveillance plane that would patrol pipelines and other vital portions of the country's infrastructure. "Currently, we are looking at mid-August at the earliest, with the goal being end of August at the latest," Lt. Col. Dorothy E. Taneyhill said in an e-mail response to questions from The DAILY.
