A recently redesigned portion of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) has started to undergo testing, according to Raytheon Co., the prime contractor for the sea-based interceptor. The first ground test was conducted in mid-February, and several more ground tests are expected in preparation for flight-testing in 2005. "The first test worked like a charm," said Dean Gehr, a business development director for Raytheon Missile Systems.
The U.S. Navy's CVN-21 future aircraft carrier passed Milestone B April 2, which means the program can move into the detailed design phase, according to Rear Adm. Dennis Dwyer, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. "Passing Milestone B allows us to start ship construction in October 2006. In the meantime, we will buy long-lead material for initial assemblies and currently are negotiating the contract for construction preparation," Dwyer said. "Electric Boat is helping with the design. We intend to build some shipboard units in this period.
Military leaders told a Senate panel this week that while unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proved useful in Iraq and Afghanistan, the short ranges of some models, and a lack of sufficient numbers of the aircraft, have caused problems. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) asked military witnesses how they plan to address such problems during the Senate Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee's April 7 hearing on defense intelligence programs.
The U.S. Marine Corps is trying to plug a $1.6 billion funding hole caused by higher than expected demands for equipment and other items in ongoing military operations, officials said April 8.
The Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) radio did well in recently completed operational tests and the U.S. Air Force plans to issue a full-rate production contract to prime contractor Boeing before the end of the fiscal year, said Lt. Col. Tom Kennedy, the Air Force's CSEL program manager.
RETIRING: The Bush Administration's chief architect for missile defense plans to retire later this year, the Defense Department announced April 8. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency since June 1999, will step down in a few months and be replaced by his current deputy, Air Force Maj. Gen. Henry Obering. Kadish, who has been on active duty for 34 years, will retire effective Sept. 1, though he will likely take an extended leave starting in July.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will continue to develop improvements for the U.S. Navy's AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 surface ship sonar system, the company said April 7. The work will be done under an $8.9 million contract modification that calls for systems and software engineering and integration and tests to field sonar technologies in U.S. and allied ships. The technologies include automated torpedo detection, sonar performance prediction, active sonar and active displays.
ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. has announced the winners of its first supplier achievement awards. ATK Thiokol Propulsion of Brigham City and Magna, Utah, was named Systems Supplier of the Year; Druck Inc. Sensors Group of New Fairfield, Conn., was named Component Supplier of the Year; Astech Engineered Products of Santa Ana, Calif., was given the Technical Excellence Award; CMC Electronics of Cincinnati, Ohio, Marotta Scientific Controls of Montville, N.J., Arde Inc. of Norwood, N.J. and Micro Power Electronics Inc.
AEROSPACE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL, Memphis, Tenn. Paul Fanelli has been promoted to president and CEO, succeeding Gerald E. Schlesinger, who resigned to join NetJets Inc. ATHENA TECHNOLOGIES, Warrenton, Va. H. Jeffrey Leonard, president of Global Environment Fund, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors. BOEING, Washington, D.C. Robert J. "Bob" Vilhauer has been selected as vice president of public policy and analysis for Boeing Washington, D.C. Operations. He replaces Bob Bott, who retired April 1.
Almost two years since the Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) industry team won the contract for the Coast Guard's Deepwater program, it is making considerable advances, ICGS leaders said April 7 at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Expo 2004. For example, this month ICGS plans to open a Maritime Domain Awareness Center in New Jersey to conduct development, testing, and integration of command, control, computers and communications and intelligence (C4I) suites, said ICGS president Gerry Moorman.
A Raytheon-made missile originally designed for air combat may one day be reborn as a submarine-launched defensive weapon, according to a U.S. Navy official.
LICENSED TO FLY: The Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation has issued the world's first license for a suborbital manned rocket flight, to Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif. The FAA license is required for U.S. contenders for the X Prize, a $10 million award for a commercial manned, reusable space launch vehicle.
The U.S. Air Force has completed an analysis of alternatives of the projected Space Based Radar's ground moving target indicator (GMTI), a development the service describes as a major milestone on the road to acquiring the multi-billion-dollar SBR. "The two-year study effort involved multiple Air Force organizations as well as other services and the intelligence community, and was recently approved by Lt. Gen. Daniel Leaf, vice commander of Air Force Space Command," an Air Force announcement said.
BOEING has selected GENERAL ELECTRIC'S GENX and ROLLS-ROYCE'S Trent 1000 engines for the 7E7 Dreamliner, the company said. The decision follows months of collaboration with leading manufacturers of large commercial aircraft engines, the company said. "The General Electric and Rolls-Royce engines will enable the 7E7 to fly higher, faster, farther, cleaner, quieter and more efficiently than comparable airplanes," 7E7 Senior Vice President Mike Bair said in a statement. "Having an engine choice is a key consideration for our customers.
L-3 AVIONICS SYSTEMS will supply its Vertical Reference System, VRS-3010, to the U.S. Air Force for use on KC-135 tanker aircraft, the company said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The VRS-3010, which provides attitude information for primary or standby flight displays, will replace aging electromechanical systems now used on the aircraft to offer increased reliability and lower costs, according to L-3. The equipment uses solid-state components to eliminate scheduled maintenance and overhaul.
THE TIMKEN CO. has received two supplier awards from Westland Transmission Ltd. of Yeovil, United Kingdom. The company's Timken Aerospace subsidiary was named Most Improved Supplier of the Year and Proprietary Parts Supplier of the year by the company, which is a first-tier supplier to helicopter and aeroengine manufacturers.
The U.S. Marine Corps is seeking information from industry on a new vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to replace the Pioneer, according to a recent request for information (RFI). Rather than initiate a new development program, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) wants to know how existing UAV systems could satisfy their requirements. Responses to the RFI are due April 30.
Raytheon Co. plans to develop a new variant of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) that it could offer to potential foreign customers as a lower-cost, safer alternative to existing versions of the standoff weapon, according to company representatives.
EDO CORP. will provide electronic equipment for the U.S. Navy's EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft under an $8.4 million contract from Raytheon Technical Services Co. The 17-month contract is the second phase of a multi-phase electronic support upgrade program for the aircraft, EDO Corp. said. In this phase, the SP-160 processor will be modified to provide added functionality and allow for the replacement of some parts of the AN/ALR-81 countermeasures receiving system, the company said.
BAE SYSTEMS will provide technical, program and financial management and administrative support for the U.S. Navy's in-service radars and next-generation surface ship radars under an $85 million Navy contract, the company said. Under the one-year award, which has four option years, the company will provide support to the Integrated Warfare Systems Above Water Sensors program office. It will support all radar systems used in current surface ships and those planned for future ships, such as the next-generation destroyer DD(X).
TESTING DONE: Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.'s GoldenEye-100 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully completed its initial flight test program, the Manassas, Va.-based company said April 7. The UAV's flight testing program began in September (DAILY, Sept. 11, 2003) and validated the GoldenEye-100's vertical takeoff and landing capability, thrust vectoring, waypoint navigation and other performance goals, the company said.
The U.S. Coast Guard needs to pay more attention to contract management and oversight in its Integrated Deepwater Program, and Congress must provide a stable funding stream to maintain the recapitalization project's 20-year schedule, a General Accounting Office official said April 7.
The Bell-Boeing CV-22 tiltrotor has fallen six months behind schedule in flight testing, although the program is working on a plan to make up for the lost time and prevent the aircraft's debut from slipping, according to Program Manager Col. Craig Olson.
Lockheed Martin will provide three KC-130J Weapon Systems Trainers (WSTs) to the U.S. Marine Corps under a contract worth more than $73 million, the company said April 7. The simulators will support training for aircrews of the KC-130J, a medium-sized tanker/transport used for airlift and aerial refueling of tactical aircraft and helicopters.
