A House Armed Services Committee (HASC) subcommittee voted May 12 to revive the Air Force's C-130J transport aircraft program, merge two heavy-lift rotorcraft programs and trim the Pentagon's fiscal 2006 budget request for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Future Combat Systems. During consideration of the FY '06 defense authorization bill, the tactical air and land forces panel also approved measures aimed at increasing coordination among acquisition programs for unmanned aerial vehicles.
MOSCOW - The situation at RSC Energia, Russia's prime contractor for its manned space program, is "critical," Russia's Federal Space Agency said May 11 in naming Nikolai Sevastianov as a candidate for president of the company. "In the past three years the corporation is loss-making and its credit debt is growing," the agency said in a statement. No dividends were paid to shareholders in 2002 or 2003, and none are planned based on 2004 results, the agency said.
The U.S. Defense Department says it is taking several new steps to reduce aviation mishaps as part of a broad safety initiative championed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Army has begun carrying out a plan to equip parachute jumpers with ankle braces to reduce ankle injuries, said Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a DOD spokeswoman. Initially, the braces will be issued to parachute trainees and some special forces units. Eventually, other parachute jumpers could also receive the new gear.
Major Gen. John G. Meyer, Jr. (USA-Ret.) has resigned as Allied Defense Group Inc.'s CEO and president and will be succeeded by Major Gen. John J. Marcello (USA-Ret.), the company said May 12. Meyer resigned to become CEO of the Heckler & Koch Group, a private international firearms manufacturer. He will depart after Allied Defense's annual shareholders meeting on June 17 but will remain on the board of directors.
POSTPONED: NASA has postponed the launch of the NOAA-N environmental satellite until May 13 due to continued high winds at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., launch site. NASA is launching the satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The delay, announced May 12, was the second in as many days due to high winds. Wind on May 11 was blowing as fast as 36 knots, about seven knots above the limits at Space Launch Complex 2, NASA said.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to approach software giant Microsoft to partner with it on cognitive computing, or computer learning.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin promised that by midsummer he will provide Capitol Hill lawmakers with the results of an ongoing NASA review of various options for completing assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The baseline assembly schedule includes 28 shuttle flights, including 18 for assembly, five for logistics and five for utilization. Completing all the necessary flights by 2010, when the shuttle is scheduled for retirement, will be a challenge, Griffin said.
Russia's arms export market, already in decline, is likely to get worse, according to a new study by Forecast International. Russian arms exports dropped by nearly 26% from 2003 to 2004, going from $5.3 billion to $3.9 billion, Forecast said, despite Russia's efforts to use offsets, debt swaps and "creative financing" to attract sales.
The downselect in the Army's Extended Range/ Multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program is expected in late May or early June, after the Army requests a final round of proposal revisions from competitors Northrop Grumman and General Atomics.
Arthur J. Veitch is retiring in June as executive vice president and group executive of the Combat Systems group. Charles M. Hall is succeeding Veitch. Hall currently is president of General Dynamics Land Systems. David K. Heebner will replace Hall. Heebner currently is senior vice president, planning and development. Phebe N. Novakovic will replace Heebner. Novakovic currently is vice president of strategic planning.
The House Armed Services Committee projection forces subcommittee has added three Navy ships built by General Dynamics Corp. to the Defense Department's fiscal 2006 budget request and cut and shifted funds from the futuristic DD(X) destroyer to try to control the program's costs.
Susan E. Baumgarten, Jon Jones and William J. Lynn have been named company officers. Jones also has been appointed vice president and deputy general manager at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Company LLC (SAS) in El Segundo, Calif. Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek (USA-Ret.) has been appointed Army Service Executive.
An official of Global Military Aircraft Systems says the joint venture will win the competition to produce the U.S. Army's Future Cargo Aircraft because its aircraft will be "superior." L-3 Communications President Robert W. Drewes made the comment on May 11 following a flight demonstration of the C-27J Spartan at Fort Belvoir, Va. L-3 Communications Integrated Systems is in a 50/50 joint venture with Alenia North America Inc., a Finmeccanica company, to compete for the FCA work.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The U.S. Army is slated to receive $458 million for aircraft and related procurement in the fiscal year 2005 supplemental budget bill, according to Valerie Lynn Baldwin, Army comptroller and assistant secretary for financial management. Within that total is $51 million for the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, $21 million for the AH-64 Apache Longbow and $37 million for aviation survival equipment. "Not a bad take, altogether," Baldwin said during a presentation at the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) symposium here May 10.
Eric Howell has been named vice president for contracts, pricing and procurement for Northrop Grumman Information Technology of McLean, Va. Craig Staresinich has been named sector vice president and general manager fo the Kinetic Energy Interceptors program.
The U.S. Defense Department has begun exploring whether the Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser (ABL) might have uses beyond shooting down ballistic missiles, a top general said May 11.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition Claude Bolton told reporters May 11 that he would not support any attempt by the Army to revive the Joint Common Missile (JCM) program. Defense Department officials terminated the Army-led JCM as part of a $30 billion, six-year budget cut signed late last year.
