Congress could be heading into the latest round of annual defense authorization and appropriations without clear knowledge of proposed defense acquisition program costs, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. In a March 28 report for the chairman and ranking Democrat of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee, the GAO said the Defense Department could report to Congress more complete and more timely information beyond what is required by law.
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) has decided to make AgustaWestland's Future Lynx program the "preferred option" for the Land Find and Maritime (Surface) Attack elements of the Future Rotorcraft Capability plan, as long as the government and the company can agree on "acceptable contract conditions and prices," the MOD said.
OPEVAL: The V-22 Osprey program has officially begun an operational evaluation (OPEVAL), a key test phase, a U.S. Navy spokesman said March 28. The OPEVAL, which got under way March 25, is expected to last about four months. The test phase is supposed to lead to full-rate production approval in the fall and an initial fielding of the tiltrotor aircraft, by the Marine Corps, in 2007. The Air Force and Navy also plan to buy the V-22. The OPEVAL, whose start was approved by the Navy in February (DAILY, Feb.
The U.S. Defense Department's office of the deputy under secretary of defense for industrial policy is carrying out a global shipbuilding industrial base benchmarking study, expected to be completed later this year, according to industry sources. The state of the U.S. defense shipbuilding industry has come under renewed congressional concern this year as the Navy proposes to build fewer, more capable ships (DAILY, March 3).
Northrop Grumman Corp. has returned the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to the U.S. Navy after completing its midlife refueling and overhaul, the company said March 25. The Navy received the Eisenhower after four days of sea trials and operational tests to make sure the ship's two nuclear propulsion plants are mission capable, the company said.
SHIP WORK: U.S. Navy officials on March 23 approved a plan for more than $2 billion worth of work to alter and modernize surface ships and aircraft carriers in fiscal 2006, and said they found $203 million in "savings" across the Future Years Defense Plan. A three-tier decision-making process culled a backlog of more than 25,000 pending alterations, some more than 25 years old. "This is truly a first for the Navy," said Rear Adm. Denny Dwyer, program executive officer for carriers and head of the Entitled Modernization Process.
Philadelphia-based MCA Solutions is promoting its software against the U.S. Navy's legacy systems for running the service's spare parts system, and says it could allow the service to save billions on its inventory.
Acting Pentagon acquisition chief Michael Wynne will take over managing 21 major Air Force acquisition programs to "ensure continuity of program oversight" while the service undergoes a leadership transition, the Defense Department announced March 28. The programs, all designated acquisition category (ACAT) 1C, include the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM), the C-17 Globemaster III, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) and the Transformational Communications Satellite (TSAT) program (see chart on Page 7).
Lockheed Martin is in line for a contract to enhance the capability of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Among upgrades in the planned "Block 08" development are remote operation of launchers from beyond-line-of-sight distances and launching of missiles with information from non-THAAD sensors, according to a March 28 FedBizOpps pre-solicitation notice.
Aviation Week's Web portal, at http://www.aviationnow.com, has added a "find a supplier" feature that allows aviation and aerospace professionals to find suppliers for specific parts or services worldwide. Drawn from the World Aviation Directory & Aerospace Database, the search capability includes 15,000 manufacturers, distributors and maintenance providers in 6,000 product and service categories, the group said. No registration is required to use the service.
The High Altitude Airship (HAA), which is being developed to provide long-endurance surveillance and communications relay, is being taken off the fast track.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., said it has completed the focal planes, the most "technically challenging" part of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS). The OMPS is one of more than a dozen instruments that will fly as part of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).
International Space Station (ISS) Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov conducted a four-and-a-half hour spacewalk March 28, installing communications equipment on the outside of the Zvezda Service Module and deploying a small experimental satellite.
In a bid to give future Mars aircraft mission proposals a better chance of winning funding, NASA's aeronautics mission directorate is backing an effort at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., to refine the necessary flight hardware and avionics.
BRIGHT OUTLOOK: Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc., which sells parachutes that can rescue small aircraft in trouble, has a "very bright outlook," President and Chief Operating Officer Larry E. Williams told shareholders at the company's annual meeting. BRS plans to double its value every five years, he said.
Todd Shipyards Corp. of Seattle announced late March 25 that the U.S. Navy awarded it a $12 million modification to a previously awarded contract for further repairs and alterations of the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier (CVN-74). The latest modification came on the heels of two other such awards for $29 million and $19 million since February (DAILY, Feb. 16). The Stennis work is being performed under a five-year contract for overhaul and continued maintenance of the aircraft carriers stationed at Bremerton and Everett, Wash.
Pentagon war gaming now often revolves around a four-day time frame to catch and ward off potential adversaries early in a hostile act, emphasizing that after that the United States could be facing a different, if not protracted, war, Navy officials told the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space 2005 exposition in Washington last week.
EDO Corp. will continue production of its LAU-142/A AMRAAM Vertical Ejection Launcher (AVEL) for the F/A-22 Raptor fighter under a $17.7 million order from Raptor prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The order covers production for up to 24 lot five aircraft, EDO Corp. said March 25. The AVEL allows the aircraft to launch the missiles at supersonic speed from an internal weapons bay, using no explosive pyrotechnic cartridges, which cuts down on logistics support and maintenance expense, EDO said.
SELF RELIANCE: Europe could rely on non-European space systems during the Cold War, but the situation is changing, according to a report issued by a European Commission-created panel. Today, it says, even though European countries operate abroad more frequently and work across borders within Europe to combat threats like terrorism, they continue to rely on the space systems of others. This must change, it says. "Europe can no longer assume a fortuitous coincidence of interest with the USA," the report says (see related story on Page 6).
