JDAM REQUEST: Israel has requested 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions tail kits and 5,000 MK-84, MK-83, MK-82 and BLU-109 bombs to attach them to, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress June 1. The order could be worth as much as $319 million, DSCA said. The proposed sale would "contribute significantly to U.S. strategic and tactical objectives" and allow Israel to keep its "qualitative edge," DSCA said.
NASA has set a due date of July 16 for contractors to propose designs for robotic spacecraft capable of servicing the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), de-orbiting it, or both. In a request for proposals released June 1 (DAILY, June 2), NASA is seeking designs for two types of Hubble servicing spacecraft - an HST Robotic Vehicle Deorbit Module (HRVDM) and a Hubble Disposal Vehicle (HDV).
Regulations that ban the export and sale of commercially available aerospace parts and components used on military aircraft are stifling the ability of U.S. suppliers to compete with their European counterparts, according to an industry group. House lawmakers and members of the Aerospace Industries Association met June 2 to discuss the barriers that small and moderate-size aircraft suppliers face in competing successfully in the global marketplace.
The selection of two contractors for the Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station (AMF) cluster of the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) has been delayed about a month, to July.
UPGRADES: United Defense Industries will upgrade Bradley Fighting Vehicles and provide spare parts and Blue Force Tracking (BFT) kits under contracts totaling $218 million, the company said June 2. The awards include $191.1 million to remanufacture and upgrade 131 older vehicles and provide fire support vehicles and other equipment; $19.8 million for spare parts for Bradley A3 and A2 vehicles; and $7.1 million to provide BFT kits for A2 vehicles. Bradley vehicles in Iraq " proved to be an exceptional system both in the open desert and during urban operations ...
The Department of Defense is preparing the latest update to its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) roadmap and expects to publish it at the end of this year, according to Dyke Weatherington, deputy in charge of DOD's UAV Planning Task Force. The previous UAV roadmap, dated 2002, was released in March 2003. In addition to information on several new UAV programs, the new roadmap also will contain a section on airships, according to Weatherington.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's plan to spend billions of dollars on a new boost-phase ballistic missile interceptor program is quietly undergoing a fresh round of scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
A Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) studied in a Joint Readiness Training Center exercise conducted in May 2003 demonstrated superior network capabilities, a significant information advantage and increased force effectiveness compared with a non-digitized light infantry brigade, RAND Corp. officials said June 2.
Lockheed Martin is "up and running" to build the first Littoral Combat Ship for the U.S. Navy, and plans to talk with House lawmakers to try to head off a budget cut that could delay the program, company officials said June 2.
All soldiers assigned to future Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) units will be subject to the Army's Stop Loss/Stop Movement policy, Lt. Gen. Frank Hagenbeck, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said June 2. Stop-loss restrictions prevent service members from retiring or leaving the service at their scheduled time, while stop movements prevent permanent changes of station (PCS) moves.
The U.S. Army is considering using hybrid electric drive for its future manned ground vehicles (MGV) as part of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, according to Bob Sorge, FCS director for General Dynamics Land Systems. General Dynamics' FCS contract runs through 2009 to develop and design the common components for a series of eight varieties of a "system of systems" of new ground vehicles. The Army hopes the vehicles eventually will replace its tanks, infantry carriers and other vehicles.
CHRISTENING: The Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), the U.S. Navy's newest nuclear attack submarine, will be christened June 5, General Dynamics Electric Boat said June 1. The ceremony will be conducted at the company's Groton, Conn., shipyard. The submarine features the Multi-Mission Platform, including a 100-foot hull extension that will enable it to develop and test a new generation of weapons, sensors and undersea vehicles, the company said.
DRS Technologies, Inc. received a new contract to develop a prototype high-speed, permanent magnet generator to be installed in naval vessels, the company announced June 1. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded the $5.9 million contract for an engineering demonstration model. Delivery of the initial system is expected in mid-2005. The generator would be capable of supporting the Navy's next-generation electric drive and mechanical drive ships, as well as the retrofit of existing ships, the company said.
F/A-22 WORK: Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $492 million contract for the advanced procurement of 24 low-rate initial production Lot 5 F/A-22 Raptors, the U.S. Department of Defense said June 1. The work is to be completed by October 2004, and will be performed at company facilities in Marietta, Ga., Seattle and Fort Worth, Texas, the DOD said.
MOSCOW - Yamal and Express satellites will be supported by the government for its civil communications needs, but competitors, including Khrunichev's Dialog and NPO Mashinostroeniya's Ruslan satellites, will have to compete in the open market, a Russian space official said May 31. Yamal satellites are built by RSC Energia and Express satellites are built by NPO PM.
As the U.S. Air Force begins assessing a bevy of ideas for improving its global strike capabilities, a new congressional report is raising questions about an aircraft concept that already has generated interest among service leaders. The Air Force recently issued a request for information (RFI) on interim steps the service could take to enhance its global attack capabilities before a next-generation platform becomes available. Responses, which were due at the end of May, are expected to total as many as 200 (DAILY, May 20).
NASA released a request for proposals (RFP) for a robotic servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope June 1, which agency leadership continues to favor heavily over a shuttle servicing mission. During a presentation to the National Academies' Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board in Washington June 1, Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for space science, said the release of the RFP does not constitute a decision to proceed with a robotic servicing, but is necessary to keep the option open.
Italy, one of the biggest international contributors to the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, is nearing a decision about how many JSFs it plans to buy, according to an Italian official. Italy, which has indicated only that it wants "more than 100" F-35s, is expected to pick a more precise figure "within months," said Italian air force Col. Aurelio Colagrande, who represents his government at the JSF program office in Crystal City, Va.
Boeing has begun final assembly of the first F-15K Strike Eagle fighter aircraft for South Korea at facilities in St. Louis, the company announced June 1. During final assembly, the F-15K forward, center, and aft fuselage assemblies are joined, followed by the wing assemblies. Once the structural splice is completed, mechanical and electrical subsystems will be installed and checked out.
NEW DELHI - Defense deals signed by India's former government could be investigated, according to the country's new defense minister, Pranab Mukherjee. While affirming that the new government supports the fast-track procurement of weapons systems, Mukherjee said that all deals, some of which are in the final stages of approval, would be examined again. He said the new government wants to ensure arms procurement is made transparent.
Industry officials said June 1 they expect a draft request for proposals for the network segment of the Transformational Communications MilSatcom (TCM) system to be issued in June or July. Three companies on May 28 received additional funding to refine the requirements for the network. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon each got about $6 million from the Air Force for the effort.
