NEW SHOP: One of the first organizational changes being implemented by new NASA Administrator Michael Griffin is the formation of a new Program Analysis and Evaluation office. "That's the office I will be looking to [for] forward-looking planning as well as the analysis of how we're doing what we're doing within NASA," Griffin says. The office will be led by Scott Pace, formerly the agency's deputy chief of staff.
The Defense Department, despite recent Senate objections to proposed plans, will continue to push for retiring the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, a spokesman said. "We'll continue to make the case for what we said we wanted, what the president's budget reflects, and we'll see how it comes out," DOD spokesman Larry Di Rita said at a Pentagon press conference April 21.
The new leadership of the Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO), the U.S. forces computer defense organization, will consist of Rear Adm. Elizabeth Hight (USN) and probably Maj. Gen. Charles Croom (USAF).
PRAGUE -- Czech aircraft company Aero Vodochody has won a multimillion-dollar contract to supply supersonic fighter components to former owner Boeing. The company, which was taken over by the Czech government last October after Boeing ended its six-year strategic partnership, said April 22 that it will supply 210 gun bay door (GBD) sets and spare parts to the U.S. aircraft maker for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters.
RFID COMPANY: Savi Technology Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) of Hong Kong have formed a new company, Savi Networks LLC, to build and operate an active radio frequency identification (RFID) information network to track and manage ocean-transported container cargo.
CARRYING ON: After a decade in space, the European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite is continuing its earth observation mission with "all instruments functioning well," ESA says. ERS-2 images were used in the wake of the December tsunami in Asia, and "demand for ERS-2 data is ever increasing, spurred on by the fact that the spacecraft keeps on updating its data archives as it orbits the Earth," ESA says.
PRAGUE -- A Czech Republic defense spokesman has downplayed a press report that six new JAS-39 Gripen aircraft experienced technical difficulties while being flown from Sweden last week for delivery to the Czech air force. The Czech daily newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes reported April 21 that NATO guidance and communication equipment on the fighters could not communicate with onboard electronics, and that three of the Gripens were not initially accepted by the Czech air force on April 18.
The Defense Department's acquisition chief, Michael Wynne, has approved new construction of UH-1Y Huey light utility helicopters starting in 2006 rather than have them be remanufactured from UH-1Ns currently in use. Program officials estimate production costs for building new helicopters will add roughly $100,000 per aircraft - with nonrecurring engineering costs to add around $8.1 million - to the program for a total increase of $17.4 million for the 90 UH-1Ys.
UAV REVAMPING: The U.S. Air Force is restructuring the $6.3 billion Global Hawk program to contain recent cost growth and hopes to finish the process later this year. A high-level Defense Department panel is expected to review the revised program in November. The Pentagon has told Congress that the average procurement unit cost for the Northrop Grumman-built unmanned aerial vehicle has risen 18%, partly due to challenges in developing the larger RQ-4B Global Hawk (DAILY, April 20).
By a vote of 61-39, the U.S. Senate backed an effort by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) to provide $213 million for additional up-armored Humvees for the U.S. military in Iraq. The amendment to the Senate's version of the fiscal 2005 supplemental bill (H.R. 1268) was cosponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). The Senate later passed the bill 99-0 (DAILY, April 22). Bayh said April 21 that he proposed the additional money because Pentagon officials had underestimated the need for armored Humvees over nine consecutive requests to Congress.
FATHER KNOWS BEST: Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says he will try to recruit former President George H. W. Bush, the current president's father, to push for greater naval shipbuilding. The elder President Bush was a Navy pilot in World War II. "It's a privilege to work with the current president. He's a man of great courage and conviction," Warner tells Defense Department officials.
COLLABORATING: The U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization program is "actively working" with the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program "at a functional level" on small boat launch and recovery, weapons and combat systems and mission modules, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas Collins says. The collaboration underscores the interagency National Fleet policy, under which the Coast Guard complements the Navy in homeland defense. The Navy also is responsible for choosing Coast Guard weapon systems to ensure compatibility.
Recent revisions to the Department of Defense's space acquisition rules schedule program reviews earlier to allow for better oversight by program managers, according to Air Force officials. Former Acting Air Force Secretary Peter Teets spearheaded a new acquisition policy for DOD space programs following a series of high-profile program overruns that called the effectiveness of military space acquisition into serious question. These rules were revised again in December 2004 in response to feedback from acquisition officials.
INNOVATION: The U.S. Navy is establishing a Naval Innovation Lab to develop new ways to tackle emerging technology problems faced in the global war on terror. The assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, currently John J. Young Jr., will lead the effort. It is supposed to expand the current roles and capabilities of established requirements, as well as materiel development and acquisition commands, to better respond to new threats.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace was nominated by President Bush April 22 to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace would succeed Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who is retiring on Sept. 30. Pace currently is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Bush also nominated Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani Jr. as vice chairman.
Raytheon Co. is making a big push this year to spark foreign interest in its Surfaced Launched AMRAAM (SL-AMRAAM), now that two U.S. military services are close to acquiring the air defense system, company officials said April 22.
The Boeing Co. has been awarded its first production contract for the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), the Defense Department announced late April 22. The low-rate production contract is worth $18.5 million and will provide the U.S. Air Force with 201 SDBs and 35 carriages. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2006, and the F-15E is to be the first plane to carry the small smart munition.
STAYING TRUE: Adm. Michael Mullen, expected to be the next chief of naval operations, says he will continue the Sea Power 21 concept laid down by Adm. Vern Clark, who retires this summer. "I intend to remain true to the vision," he tells senators. "We must continue to refine and accelerate Sea Power 21, particularly sea basing and ForceNet capabilities." According to Mullen, three challenges lay ahead for the Navy: the need to preserve current readiness, to build a Navy for the future, and to reshape the Navy's uniform and civilian manpower system.
Armor Holdings Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., has been awarded a $31.1 million contract modification to provide add-on armor for U.S. Army heavy trucks, the company said April 22. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. The work will be done in Phoenix, Ariz., and includes an option for additional quantities, the company said. The armor is to be delivered this year, and Armor Holdings said it will help support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
WITHOUT GPS: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Special Projects Office plans to release two Broad Agency Announcements later this month for the Robust Surface Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (RSN) and Sub-Surface Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (SSN) programs. The goal of these programs is to extend geolocation and navigation capability to areas where Global Positioning System signals are inadequate or are being jammed. DARPA envisions the technology serving everything from aircraft to ground forces in urban interiors.
The U.S. Navy may have to increase its purchase of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets if the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is delayed again or if aging Boeing F/A-18A-D Hornets prove less durable than hoped, a service official said April 21.
Orbital Sciences Corp. announced revenues of $167.1 million for the first quarter of 2005, a 10% increase over the same period last year, spurred by satellite and launch vehicle sales. The company's operating income for the first quarter was $12.2 million, compared with $14.2 million for the same quarter last year. Net income was $6.2 million, or $0.10 per diluted share.
