June 27 - 29 -- The ION 61st Annual Meeting, Cambridge, Mass. For more information go to www.ion.org. June 27 - 29 -- 4th Annual Government Symposium on Information Sharing & Homeland Security, New Orleans, La. For more information call 1-888-603-8899 or go to www.federalevents.com. June 27 - July 1 -- 2005 National Space & Missile Materials Symposium, "Betting on Materials: A Sure Win," JW Marriott Resort at Summerlin, Nev. For more information go to www.usasymposium.com/nsmms/.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems a $1.5 million contract to build and test a transportable, high-powered microwave system that can disable improvised explosive devices, the company said June 17. The Directed Energy Directorate, High Power Microwave Division of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory will work with ATK to develop the Scorpion II Demonstration System.
TOO SOON TO TELL: Three new Defense Department programs are "appropriately targeted" at quickly moving promising technologies from laboratories and commercial use to warfighting, but it's "too soon" to tell if they're having the desired impact, the Government Accountability Office says. The Technology Transition Initiative, Defense Acquisition Challenge and Quick Reaction Fund had completed only 11 of 68 projects funded in fiscal 2003-2004, and have "limited measures" for gauging their success, the GAO says.
The White House supports passage of the House's version of the fiscal 2005 defense spending bill, although the Bush Administration said it is "concerned" with many of the changes a House committee made to its spending priorities. In a "statement of administration policy," the White House said it opposes the bill's overall $3 billion reduction, and is "concerned with the numerous funding reductions and guidelines for specific acquisition programs."
Weight remains a challenge for individual DD(X) destroyer subsystems and the ship as a whole, with the futuristic integrated power system, advanced gun system and integrated deckhouse all proving difficult to keep within weight limits, congressional investigators said June 14.
GET IT STRAIGHT: Eurofighter CEO Ays Rauen has taken a swipe at a cheeky little advertisement from Dassault that accuses Rafale's competitors of being "almost on budget, almost on schedule and almost ready to fly a full range of effective missions." Rauen says, "We are the number one best-selling next-generation combat aircraft on the market. That's worth repeating - we are the number one. Now that might be news to some people, but it shouldn't be. We have a signed contract for 620 aircraft, plus options, and we have sold 18 to Austria.
LE BOURGET, France - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.'s HJT-36 intermediate military jet trainer prototype, making its European debut here, likely will be joined soon by a new and more potent project for advanced and lead-in fighter training, company chairman Ashok Baweja told Aviation Week's ShowNews.
Northrop Grumman has integrated a Global Positioning System receiver into its laser-guided Viper Strike munition, and successfully demonstrated GPS navigation in flight-tests, the company said June 15. The addition of GPS navigation is intended to provide accurate midcourse guidance, allowing the unpowered Viper Strike to be launched from a greater altitude and longer standoff range, the company said.
LE BOURGET, France - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) went through major changes in recent years, transforming operational tactics and elevating the level of cooperation between the combat forces and the Israel Securities Authority (ISA). This evolution was necessary to improve the continued war against Palestinian terror, Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, chief of staff and deputy commander of the Israeli air force, told Aviation Week's ShowNews at the Paris Air Show.
LE BOURGET, France - Several precision weapons under development by Lockheed Martin Corp. have made progress within the past year, according to a company official.
FAA is taking three major steps to integrate unmanned aircraft into the U.S. airspace system, according to a top agency official. Nicholas A. Sabatini, associate administrator for aviation safety, also told an industry group in Paris that FAA is "greatly interested" in working with its European counterparts on unmanned aircraft.
The U.S. Navy's older C4 Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles will be completely phased out by this fall in favor of the D5 Trident, according to Rear Adm. Charles Young, director of strategic systems programs.
LE BOURGET, France - Offshore Logistics has agreed to purchase up to 59 Sikorsky S-76 helicopters here, one of the largest single commercial helicopter deals in Sikorsky's history. The contract covers 35 firm orders, valued at $250 million, and 24 options. The first aircraft will be delivered later this year. A total of 20 S-76s will be handed over in 2006-07 and the rest in 2008-12.
FCS REVIEW: The latest Defense Acquisition Board review of the Army's Future Combat Systems has been postponed until June 23, according to a spokeswoman. The meeting originally was scheduled for June 14. FCS is developing a networked suite of new ground vehicles and unmanned aircraft for the Army's future Unit of Action. The House Appropriations Committee recently voted to cut $400 million from the program, which would leave it at about $3 billion for fiscal 2006.
Lockheed Martin's third retrofitted space shuttle external tank, designated ET-119, is expected to arrive by barge at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 17. The tank left the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on June 12 after being delayed three days while Tropical Storm Arlene cleared the Gulf of Mexico. The tank either will fly with Atlantis on STS-121, currently scheduled for September, or on the following mission, according to Lockheed Martin spokesman Harry Wadsworth.
NEW DELHI - With the U.S. visit of India Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee just days away, the United States has approved the sale of the Lockheed Martin-built Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile defense system to India. Lockheed Martin already has been permitted to make a technical presentation to India on the anti-missile defense system, and a Defense Security Cooperation Agency team briefed Indians on the Patriot system in February.
LE BOURGET, France - Under a bright blue Parisian sky with the pride of French aerospace displayed overhead, the wraps came off the Neuron unmanned combat aerial vehicle. Neuron is a pan-European UCAV technology demonstration program under the leadership of Dassault. Sweden is the lead partner in the effort, but on June 13 Saab was not enjoying its day in the sun, Aviation Week's ShowNews reported.
LE BOURGET, France - Two U.S. Army helicopter acquisition programs are on the verge of entering key phases. The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program has been cleared to conduct a competition for a prime contractor, and the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program is expected to make its own contractor selection as early as July, Army and industry officials told The DAILY June 16.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for the Low Altitude Airborne Sensor System, an airborne package for detecting power infrastructure and underground or hidden facilities in rural or urban environments.
BearingPoint Inc. of McLean, Va., has been awarded a five-year contract worth up to $27 million to provide technical and advisory services to the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), the company said June 15.
PURCHASE: Honeywell has agreed to acquire Houston-based InterCorr International Inc., which specializes in solving corrosion and materials problems, Honeywell said June 15. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal's closing is subject to customary conditions and is expected to take place in July. InterCorr provides materials consulting, laboratory testing, measurement and test equipment servicing, analytical services and corrosion diagnostic and control services.
LE BOURGET, France - The helmet system being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed a key test, according to a program official. Although the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system, designed by Vision Systems International (VSI), has had "some developmental challenges," it recently passed its 600-knot wind blast test, in which "you take this sophisticated piece of avionics and suddenly blast it with 600 knots of wind," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., JSF's prime contractor.
