The United States is about 65% protected from terrorists sneaking a nuclear bomb into the country through maritime entry points, the U.S. Coast Guard commandant told House appropriators June 22. Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) asked Coast Guard Adm. Thomas Collins to rate the preparedness of U.S. ports against terrorists "sliding a big one" through a port. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the safest, Collins said 6.5 is his "gross estimate."
Rami R. Razouk has been promoted to senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group, effective July 1. Razouk replaces John R. Parsons, who is retiring. Lawrence T. Greenberg will assume the new position of vice president, technology, effective July 1. Andrew J. Schickling has been appointed principal director of Navy Space Systems. Kevin M. Severin has been promoted to principal director of the Network Systems and Services Subdivision.
The House late June 20 passed a $408.9 billion fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill by a vote of 398-19, making no major changes to programs from an earlier version written by the House Appropriations Committee (DAILY, June 21).
MOSCOW - On June 20, a Russian Molniya M launch vehicle failed to deliver a Molniya-3K military communications satellite to a high elliptical orbit. According to representatives of the Space Forces, the booster's third stage failed about six minutes after launch from Russia's Plesetsk northern launch center. The third and fourth stages, and the satellite, fell to Earth in an unpopulated area in the Tyumen region. Teams have been searching the region from the air, but as of June 21 had reported no sign of debris.
The U.S. Coast Guard appears to be making some progress in easing congressional concerns that the revised Deepwater recapitalization plan does not speed up the program or provide adequate funds, although some lawmakers still would prefer an accelerated schedule.
United Defense Industries Inc. of Arlington, Va., has received two delivery orders worth $15.2 million for work on a pair of training systems for U.S. Army A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the company said June 21.
CAE Inc. of Montreal has been awarded a one-year, 23 million Canadian dollar ($18.6 million) contract to continue providing engineer support services for the Canadian air force's CF-18 aircraft, the company said June 21. CAE will modify avionics software for the CF-18 fleet and also modify ground-based test facilities and simulators to test new software systems. The company also will provide logistics support for the fleet, including development of the data management system used to track all maintenance and support of each aircraft.
The Planetary Society's Cosmos-1 solar sail spacecraft launched from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea at approximately 3:46 p.m. EDT June 21 atop a converted Volna intercontinental ballistic missile. At press time, mission controllers on the ground had not yet received a clear signal from the spacecraft indicating it had reached its near-polar orbit safely.
About 400 units of the U.S. Army's new Land Warrior System, provided by General Dynamics Corp., will be fielded in 2006, Army Staff Sgt. Reuben Romero said on Capitol Hill last week. The system, which integrates electronic systems with body armor and uniforms (DAILY, May 21, 2004), is being tested at Fort Benning, Ga., home of the Army's infantry school. In February, the Army merged its dismounted soldier activities, consolidating its Land Warrior and Future Force Warrior advanced technology demonstration programs, both of which already were under General Dynamics.
Turkish Aerospace Industries has signed an agreement to cooperate with Italy's Aermacchi on the new M-311 turbofan basic trainer program, the company said, part of its move to sign up partners to build the aicraft. The companies will create a joint engineering team, look for development opportunities and consider work-sharing on the program, Aermacchi said. TAI will be the exclusive partner for developing and producing some M-311 parts.
Lockheed Martin will build a close-combat tactical trainer reconfigurable vehicle simulator for the U.S. Army, the company said June 21. The work will be done under a $3.7 million U.S. Army contract, with the first system to be delivered to the service in six months. The contract has two additional one-year production options.
The U.S. Air Force probably will launch a tanker aircraft modernization effort in fiscal 2008 if a study of refueling options recommends pursuing such a program, the service's top official said June 21.
P-3 PROGRAM: L-3 Communications' Integrated Systems subsidiary has been awarded a contract worth up to $104 million for the U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft's sustainment, modification and improvement program, the company said June 21. The initial award under the contract, which has four one-year options, is a $5.1 million task order for fabrication and delivery of eight special structural inspection kits (SSI-Ks).
The Senate Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science endorsed a $16.4 billion fiscal 2006 spending bill for NASA on June 21, including $250 million to continue preparations for a possible space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
ABRAMS UPGRADES: General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $141 million contract to upgrade 60 U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks, the company said June 21. The tanks will receive the System Enhancement Package configuration, which has the latest command and control system, second-generation thermal sights and improved armor. The work will begin in July and take place in Lima, Ohio; Anniston, Ala.; Sterling Heights, Mich.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Scranton, Pa.; and Fort Hood, Texas. The tanks are set to be returned to the Army in January 2008.
SPEEDING UP: A $73 million contract modification award to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will speed delivery of 17 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles and produce 15 more, along with related equipment and spares, the Defense Department said June 21. The work, under a modification awarded by the Air Force, is to be completed by September 2008.
Acting U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Dominguez believes the service has a pretty good handle on how to fix its troubled space programs, but he expects more problems to surface before those systems are completed. "There will continue to be challenges because space programs take a long time to develop," Dominguez said June 21 at a Capitol Hill breakfast seminar.
A top U.S. Marine Corps general cast doubt on the future of the U.S. military's high-mobility multipurpose-wheeled vehicles, collectively called the Humvee, as insurgents' roadside bombs in Iraq have exploited their lighter-armored, flat-bottomed weaknesses. "If this is the threat of the future, then the long-term utility of the Humvee has to be questioned," Gen. William Nyland, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, told members of the House Armed Services Committee on June 21.
Goodrich Corp. has shifted the roles of the executives who lead its three business units, a move that is conducted periodically to give the leaders broader and deeper experience, according to the company's director of media relations. The shift, which is effective immediately, involves these changes: * Jack Carmola, who had been president of Engine Systems, will now lead the Airframe Systems unit.
