A newly formed European Union (EU) defense agency probably won't increase defense spending in Europe, but likely will reduce the number of smaller, weaker European defense companies and encourage consolidation, defense analysts said.
The House Appropriations Committee approved $416.9 billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Defense, including money for acquiring Boeing 767A aerial refueling tanker aircraft. The panel convened June 16 for a markup session that made minor changes to the bill approved by the committee's defense subcommittee last week. The full committee increased appropriations for the DOD that are only slightly more than the subcommittee's $416.1 billion recommendation.
Naval Air Systems Command is going ahead with plans for a July 21 industry day on the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) program. A request for proposals for the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of JPALS has been planned for release in June 2005; a contractor would be chosen in late 2005.
Goodrich Corp. and Varig Engineering Maintenance (VEM) have agreed to team up to provide aircraft wheel and brake service, which will place the companies in a leading role in South America for the repair and overhaul of wheels and brakes, Goodrich said June 16.
The Boeing Co. is working on several fronts to expand its already broad-based international cooperation on missile defense, according to a company official.
An independent commission is recommending that NASA give private industry more responsibility for the agency's "operational, mundane" needs such as access to low-Earth orbit, while the agency retains control of "inherently governmental" tasks such as human space flight.
WORKSTATIONS: DRS Technologies Inc. will build next-generation AN/UYQ-70 Advanced Display Systems workstations for U.S. Navy Aegis cruisers and other ships, E-2C Hawkeye aircraft and USS Los Angeles-class attack submarines under new orders totaling $31 million, the company said June 16. Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors Tactical Systems awarded the contracts. The workstations are becoming the Navy's common computer display consoles, DRS Technologies said.
The House Appropriations Committee's commerce subcommittee approved $106 million in fiscal year 2005 funding for the Manufacturing Extension Program. The committee is seeking to restore funding for MEP to the fiscal year 2003 level. The White House has recommended cutting the program's funding to avoid subsidizing competition, according to budget documents.
Budget constraints have prompted the U.S. Air Force to scale back initial capabilities for a key component of the E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A), according to government and industry officials.
FLIR Systems Inc. will delivery Star SAFIRE II airborne thermal imaging systems to the U.S. Air Force Space Command, the company said June 16. The work will be done under a $6.3 million contract from Science Applications International Corp. The units are to be installed on UH-1N helicopters for use on ICBM security missions, the company said. Deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter of this year and be completed within 12 months, the company said.
The Coast Guard's Deepwater program is meeting its milestones, an Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) official told The DAILY after top service and industry officials met June 15 for a quarterly program management review. "... We are working concurrently across several domains or areas at the same time, with milestones being met in every domain. The Deepwater program is tracking positively with the overall plan and consistent with the funding received to date," said ICGS spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones.
FCS MORTAR: United Defense is asking suppliers for off-the-shelf solutions and modifications for a 120 millimeter, breech-loaded, smooth-bore mortar armament subsystem for the Army's Future Combat Systems program. Responses are due June 18. The request was released May 20. Information is available online at http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/ic/fcs/bia/040223_ud_announce.html.
LORAL SKYNET has renewed an agreement with HBO Pacific Partners, V.O.F. to distribute HBO and Cinemax across Asia through HBO Asia, the company announced June 14. Loral Skynet will continue to distribute HBO Asia's programming with its Telstar 10 satellite and later this month will launch Telstar 18. Telstar 10 and Telstar 18 will cover Asia, parts of Europe, Australia, Africa and Hawaii. HBO Asia provides Hollywood entertainment to Asia through licensing agreements with Columbia Tri/Star, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros.
XEROX is teaming with NASA to develop collaboration and knowledge management systems and to help NASA implement its new space exploration program. NASA expects to save research and development tax dollars by using Xerox's technology and expertise. The partnership has resulted in the NX Knowledge Network, which incorporates NASA's Ames Research Center's Netmark software with software from Xerox's global research centers.
DEFEATED: The Senate rejected an amendment to the fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill that would have eliminated funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). The amendment, offered by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), was defeated 55 to 42. The Bush Administration is seeking $27.6 million to study RNEP in fiscal 2005, but its opponents contend the weapon could cause radioactive fallout.
The U.S. Navy plans to give other countries a major role in the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program, possibly on a level approaching that of the Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Navy acquisition chief John Young told reporters June 14 that the United States already has had initial talks with several potential international participants, and he expects those discussions to intensify now that the Navy has picked the Boeing Co. to be the new prime contractor for the new anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft.
The Government Electronics and Information Association (GEIA) has released the first in a series of handbooks to help program managers navigate the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) process when bidding on Department of Defense contracts with Earned Value Management (EVM) requirements. "The Program Managers' Guide to the Integrated Baseline Review Process" supports the Earned Value Management Systems Standard, EIA-74B.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) program is preparing to draw to a close with an upcoming demonstration to the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Ga., according to prime contractor Honeywell. The OAV is an autonomous ducted fan vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle designed to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for small units in the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS). Happening soon
SPACE IMAGING will provide commercial satellite imagery to the U.S. Geological Survey under a one-year, $5 million contract. The imagery will help the building of a seamless geographic land base of the United States. The data also will be used to support natural hazards and disaster response, homeland security, land and resource management, infrastructure planning and management, policy decision-making, and scientific study, the Denver-based company said. The contract has two one-year options that could boost its value to $15 million.
NASA began brainstorming ideas for its upcoming Centennial Challenges aerospace prizes with industry representatives during a meeting in Washington June 15, in anticipation of announcing the first prizes later this year. Modeled on successful 19th century navigation prizes and early 20th century aviation prizes, the Centennial Challenges program is aimed at stimulating industry to produce breakthroughs in technologies that would support NASA's new vision for space exploration. The agency is requesting $20 million for the program in fiscal year 2005.
NEW DELHI - About 70 Indian air force MiG-21s are to be phased out by 2012 and replaced by BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainers, according to Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy, the air chief marshal. India signed a contract for 66 115Y Hawk advanced jet trainers earlier this year (DAILY, March 22), with deliveries scheduled to begin around 2007.
