Ret. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, former director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, has been tapped to chair a panel that the Pentagon is creating to help reform the weapons-buying process. The advisory committee will be charged with reviewing the Defense Department's entire weapon system acquisition process and recommending changes by November.
If Congress accelerated procurement of the Coast Guard's National Security Cutters (NSCs) and Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) under its Deepwater recapitalization effort, it could help support the two U.S. defense shipyards that have built the U.S. Navy's large surface combatants, both of which are facing fewer Pentagon ship orders, according to a congressional expert.
TEAC Aerospace Technologies of Montebello, Calif., will supply MDR-80 mission data recorders to Italy's Aermacchi for the AMX fighter aircraft, the company said last week. The AMX fighter is a joint venture of Aermacchi, Alenia and Embraer. Delivery of the mission data recorders will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, TEAC said.
X-43 FUNDING: The Senate Appropriations committee's fiscal 2006 spending bill for NASA (DAILY, June 24) includes $25 million to continue the X-43 hypersonic research aircraft program, which set the world speed record of nearly Mach 10 during its final flight in November 2004. NASA moved to cancel the follow-on X-43C in 2004, but the program was kept alive with a FY 2005 congressional earmark. The X-43 team is drafting a revised proposal for the X-43C (DAILY, May 31).
Israel's El Al Airlines is equipping seven passenger jets with Sky Connect Iridium Satellite terminals, which will allow global cockpit voice and data communications on long-haul flights, Iridium said last week. Boeing 747-200s are being outfitted with Sky Connect Classic Iridium satellite phone systems, supplied by GayaCom, Iridium's service provider for Israel.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has worked ahead and authorized $8.8 billion for the Coast Guard in fiscal 2007 as part of a two-year bill. The move came as the committee adopted S. 1280, which also authorizes $8.2 billion in FY '06 for the Coast Guard. The bill - not voted on in subcommittee - was cosponsored by the chairs and ranking Democrats of the full committee and fisheries and Coast Guard subcommittee (DAILY, June 24).
The DD(X) industry consortium and the U.S. Navy conducted the third consecutive successful guided flight test of the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) on June 16, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. Preliminary results showed the munition successfully conducted preplanned maneuvers along a 60 nautical mile flight path during the 280-second flight, according to a NAVSEA statement.
The Department of Defense faces two key challenges as it moves to transform its joint training, the Government Accountability Office says - it must effectively communicate with everyone involved to let them understand the plan, and make sure new training requirements meet the needs of combatant commands. The DOD expects its Training Transformation Program to be fully operational by 2009, and has set up three initiatives to get ready, developing them incrementally through what the GAO calls a "build a little, test a little" philosophy. They are:
A reorganization at General Electric that merges its current 11 business units into six, and that is intended to speed growth and profitability, will yield a new chief for the operation that includes the Aircraft Engines component, a company spokeswoman said. The reorganization, announced June 23 and set to become effective July 5, will give GE the following new businesses: Infrastructure; Industrial; Commercial Financial Services; NBC Universal; Healthcare; and Consumer Finance.
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System, which the U.S. Navy calls the first new technology to be applied to mine warfare since the advent of sonar, received Navy approval June 15 for low-rate initial production. The approval came after a Milestone C review and allows for integration aboard U.S. Navy H-60-series helicopters. The system uses a LIDAR - light detection and ranging - blue-green laser to locate subsurface mines.
Pratt & Whitney has achieved European Aviation Safety Agency validation on its newest engine, the PW6000, the company said June 23. This is the first validation of an "all new" engine since the EASE was established in September 2003, the company said. "Achieving EASA validation is a significant milestone, granting the PW6000 program the authority to operate throughout the 25 EU [European Union] member states," Steve Heath, president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, said in a statement.
INCREASE: Senate subcommittee authorizers are moving toward approving $1.1 billion for the Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization effort in fiscal 2006. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Coast Guard subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), authorized the amount June 23. Senate appropriators already have approved $905.6 million, closer to the Bush Administration request of $966 million.
A member of the House Armed Services Committee called June 23 for reviving the development of space-based lasers for missile defense. Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) said that lasers offer more precision and speed than other weapons and that fielding them in space would provide the ultimate "high ground" to defend the United States against ballistic missile attack. Such technology also has the potential to protect U.S. satellites, he said.
Thales will supply 26 AN-490N airborne tactical navigation (TACAN) interrogators for naval NH90 helicopters, along with logistics and training support, under an agreement with NATO. Nine systems are for French navy NH90s, with the rest for Italian navy helicopters. The TACAN systems, which are navigation aids that give pilots distance and azimuth information, are scheduled for first delivery in September and are to be fully operational by early 2007.
LONDON - While still heavily committed to operations around the world, Britain's Royal Air Force is quietly undergoing changes aimed at sharpening its teeth while making it leaner and more cost effective.
The U.S. Marine Corps is on its way to buying 122 Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles for itself and the Army, according to the vehicle's manufacturer, for $87 million. Force Protection Inc., which builds the ballistic and mine-protected vehicles at its facility near Charleston, S.C., previously had not announced the full value of the contract, awarded May 13 by the Marine Corps Systems Command (DAILY, May 17).
SEA LAUNCH: A Zenit-3SL rocket delivered the Intelsat Americas-8 communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit after lifting off from Boeing's Sea Launch platform at 14:03 GMT June 23. Early data indicates the spacecraft is in good condition.
Senate lawmakers moved to send NASA's fiscal 2006 appropriations and authorization bills to the floor of the Senate for a vote during separate markup hearings on Capitol Hill June 23. The Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed the $16.4 billion FY '06 NASA appropriations bill that was marked up by the Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee earlier this week (DAILY, June 22). The bill includes $250 million to continue preparations for a space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
The proposed DD(X) destroyer is the U.S. Navy's "bridge" to the CG(X) destroyer and a major technology development program, and the futuristic ship will have several advantages over the current DDG-51 class of destroyers, especially in the littorals, admirals said June 23. Without the DD(X), "we will not have the capability to dominate the maritime theater and air missile defense of the future," Vice Adm. Joseph Sestak, deputy chief of naval operations, told reporters. But he continued, "are there other areas you can help mitigate that? Absolutely."
The Joint Common Missile (JCM) has achieved several recent technical and political victories, giving prime contractor Lockheed Martin hope that the program will continue in some form despite being targeted for termination by the Pentagon. Rick Edwards, director of tactical missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said June 23 that all 17 JCM subsystems have successfully completed their preliminary design reviews (PDRs), keeping the program on track for a system-level PDR June 29-30.
TAIWAN DEFENSES: Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems will provide Taiwan with "elements of a missile and air defense capability" under a $752 million contract, the Department of Defense said June 23. The system includes an Ultra High Frequency phased array radar integrated with identification-friend-or-foe beacons supplied by Taiwan; two Missile Warning Centers; and communications and interfaces architecture, "consistent with United States government restrictions," the DOD said.
