Leading executives of the nation's two shipbuilding companies told U.S. Senate members April 12 that future U.S. shipbuilding is at risk because the U.S. Navy's latest shipbuilding plan still is too vague, and said lawmakers should consider legislative changes to provide more work to their shipyards. In testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee's seapower subcommittee, the head of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Ships Systems unit, Philip Dur, said the Navy 30-year plan's range of 260 to 325 ships would not help industry "rightsize" itself.
PASS THE AMMUNITION: Alliant Techsystems delivered 1.2 billion rounds of small-caliber ammunition to the U.S. Army in its fiscal 2005, which ended March 31, ATK said April 12. ATK produces 5.56mm, 7.62mm, .50-caliber and other rounds at the Army's Lake City small caliber plant in Independence, Mo.
International Truck and Engine Corp., a maker of medium-duty trucks and 3-to 9-liter diesel engines, on April 12 displayed its International 4200 MV armored logistics truck on Capitol Hill. The display was to demonstrate "the benefits of a commercially based platform for military vehicles, including the latest commercial technology and lower procurement costs based on greater scale of production," the company said. A spokeswoman told The DAILY that the company displayed the truck to Senate and House members for full effect.
Although its information technology spending continues to grow by almost 5%, the Defense Department is expected to spend less on products and only slightly more on professional services while its IT budget stabilizes over the next few fiscal years, consulting company Federal Sources Inc. said April 12.
Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc., which builds parachutes to rescue small aircraft, said earlier this month that it has signed a nonbinding letter of intent to buy Free Flight Enterprises, an aviation safety systems company. The acquisition, which remains subject to due diligence and the execution of a final agreement, is expected to close in early summer.
Israel has accepted its first three AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters, the Boeing Co. said April 11. Israel's air force, which has operated AH-64A Apaches since the early 1990s, is modernizing its Apache fleet through a combination of AH-64A upgrades and new Longbow combat helicopters, Boeing said. The helicopters - which Israel designates AH-64D-I Apaches - were bought through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales agreement, although some of the modifications are being done under a direct commercial sales agreement signed in 2000.
BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION: Space Systems/Loral said April 11 that it has completed design reviews of the TerreStar-1 communications satellite for TerreStar Networks Inc., and has begun construction. The satellite, which is to provide next-generation 2 Ghz mobile voice and communications services throughout the United States, is scheduled for delivery in 2007.
Recent test failures and the long-term affordability of certain systems will likely be among the issues that receive close attention when Congress debates the Missile Defense Agency's $7.8 billion fiscal 2006 budget request this year, congressional aides said April 11.
PRAGUE - Europe has placed security and space research at the top of its research and development agenda reaching well into the next decade. The European Commission announced April 7 that the two key areas will share a budget allocation of $640 million a year between 2007 and 2013 under proposals for the European Union's 7th Framework Program (FP7) for Research & Development, which aims to find synergies between security and space research.
TRAINERS: New York-based L-3 Communications on April 11 said it was awarded a $12 million contract and a $10 million program option to build two F/A-18C/D Aircrew Flight Trainers (AFTs) for U.S. Marine Corps Hornet aircrew combat training. The AFTs are scheduled for delivery in December 2006. The trainers include two independent cockpits for the pilot and weapons sensor operator. The AFTs will be used for air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical employment, air refueling, carrier operations, and normal and emergency procedures training.
The head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency defended MDA's renewed interest in possibly placing interceptor missiles in space, saying such a capability might offer big advantages over air, land and sea-based systems now being developed. Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering, MDA's director, said April 11 that he does not know if a space-based system ultimately would be fielded but that "I'm willing to experiment" because such a capability might provide faster response times and near-global coverage against hostile ballistic missiles.
NEW SUB: Northrop Grumman Corp. launched the second Virginia-class submarine, Texas (SSN 775) on April 9, the company said April 11. It was the company's first submarine launching in nearly a decade. The company's Newport News sector is teamed with General Dynamics Electric Boat to build the first 10 Virginia-class subs.
U.S. troops in Iraq experienced shortages of seven out of nine warfighting items that the Government Accountability Office reviewed, which congressional investigators believe increased risk to military personnel.
PRAGUE - The Czech defense ministry has purchased 24 medium-range AMRAAM AIM-120 missiles from the United States for about $30 million, the ministry said. The agreement was signed April 6 at the U.S. Embassy here. The Raytheon-built missiles will be delivered in 2006. Jaroslav Kopriva, the Czech deputy defense minister, said training is included in the contract.
The U.S. Coast Guard is foregoing the Bell/Agusta AB139 helicopter under its revised Deepwater modernization program and will instead upgrade its existing Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawks. Sikorsky Aircraft said it has delivered 42 HH-60Js to the Coast Guard for use in search and rescue, offshore law enforcement, drug interdiction, aids to navigation and environmental protection.
MOSCOW - Ukraine plans to continue international cooperation, primarily in the field of launch systems, leaders of the country's space program said April 7 in presenting a summary of Ukraine's space activities for 2004. The joint project with Brazil for conducting Tsiklon-4 commercial operations from Alcantara, Brazil, has been identified as the country's major space project. Other projects include participation in the Russia-led international Radioastron space observatory project as well as joint experiments on the International Space Station.
Senators on April 11 started debating the fiscal 2005 warfighting supplemental bill, with one leading GOP senator already suggesting that the chamber needs to raise its appropriations to better match the House or Bush Administration levels. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee, said the SAC's $80.6 billion markup of the bill is below the House-passed version of $81.4 billion and President Bush's original $81.9 billion request (DAILY, April 8).
Legislation that authorizes $8.4 billion in fiscal 2006 for the U.S. Coast Guard's maritime strategy for homeland security, search and rescue missions and operational assets is to be marked up by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard subcommittee on April 13.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - ITT Industries' Space Systems Division is primed for growth in all four of its business areas, according to its president, James Manchisi. And, he said in an interview at the Space Symposium here, there are possibilities for future acquisitions in several areas, although he wasn't specific.
