Nearly 60 representatives from the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) are expected to conduct more than 200 briefings to members of Congress on the importance of NASA's space exploration vision during a "media blitz" July 12 and 13, according to National Space Society (NSS) Executive Director George Whitesides. "As of yesterday, we had ... 120 [briefings scheduled], but these things all get done at the last minute, so we'll probably have over 200 by the end of the day," Whitesides told The DAILY July 9.
ACQUIRED: Esterline Corp., which builds avionics and sensors and provides advanced materials for the aerospace and defense markets, has acquired Leach Holding Corp., which builds electromechanical relays, switching devices and power distribution assemblies. The acquisition will add $120 million to the company's annual revenue base, Esterline said July 9. The deal is expected to be completed in early August. "Leach fits our stated strategy to consolidate manufacturers of superior aerospace components," Robert W. Cremin, Esterline's CEO, said in a statement.
For the first time, the U.S. Navy will simulate the launch of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a submarine during the Silent Hammer exercise, scheduled to take place off the coast of California this fall. In previous exercises the Navy has tested controlling UAVs from submarines.
SI INTERNATIONAL INC. has been awarded a five-year blanket purchase agreement to provide services and technical support for the Space and Missile Systems Center Space Programs. SMC is a unit of the U.S. Air Force Space Command and is responsible for satellite items, command and control, development and acquisition of space launch, design and research. Under the contract, SI International will provide systems protection training support, integrated logistics support, software engineering, systems security engineering and systems engineering and integration.
The U.S. aerospace industry has lost more than 500,000 jobs in the last decade while production employment fell 58 percent, a trend that an aerospace labor group says could be made worse by the use of offsets in defense transactions. "When those work packages go offshore, we will be conceding production technology and capacity we have never held ourselves," said Stanley Sorscher, a labor representative with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN, Herndon, Va. Robert F. "Bob" Brammer has been named vice president and chief technology officer of the information technology sector. L. William "Bill" Varner has been named vice president, intelligence operations for the company's TASC business unit.
GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Lockheed Martin's Integrated Systems and Solutions (IS&S) business unit is focusing on several major upcoming military competitions as it seeks to maintain and strengthen its position in the C4ISR market, according to Stan Sloane, the unit's vice president.
READY: Telesat's Anik F2 telecommunications satellite is ready for launch July 12, spacecraft builder Boeing said July 8. The satellite, slated to deliver commercial satellite-based broadband Internet service, is to launch from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, Boeing said. The satellite carries Ka-band, C-band and Ku-band transponders and is to provide two-way, high-speed Internet access from the southern United States to the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada, according to Boeing.
Boeing will provide two ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle mobile deployment units for use with the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in Iraq, the company said July 8. Each deployment unit will include several UAVs, as well as the computers, classification links and ground equipment needed to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for I MEF operations, Boeing said.
EA-18G Electronic Attack Aircraft The EA-18G aircraft, a derivative of the F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter, will replace the U.S. Navy's long-serving Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic combat jet. The EA-18G, built by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, will feature a new and enhanced version of the airborne electronic attack system that Northrop Grumman builds for the EA-6B.
DELAYED: The launch of NASA's Aura spacecraft has been bumped from July 10 to July 11 to give NASA time to check out electronic transistors on the spacecraft, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., said July 8. NASA has detected a problem involving some transistors and wants to make sure it isn't related to transistors on the spacecraft, the Air Force said in a statement. Aura will study the Earth's ozone, air quality and climate.
More of a strain has fallen on the assets most used in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - light helicopters, and to a lesser extent heavy-lift helicopters, said Lt. Gen. Chip Gregson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Pacific. "We need convoy escorts and troop lift escorts," he told reporters July 8 at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. "We are being careful to manage these assets and sustain them over time."
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - The Czech government has given its defense ministry the green light to sell nearly 50 L-159 light combat aircraft. The formal decision, which was taken at a cabinet meeting July 7, is part of a long-term strategy to reduce the air force's subsonic fleet of 71 Czech-built aircraft.
LIGHTER WEIGHT: Goodrich Corp. will develop mortar barrel segments incorporating its FyreRoc composite material system under a contract from the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. Goodrich will evaluate the performance of the FyreRoc material under live fire conditions when used in 81mm mortar barrels, the company said July 8. Use of the composite "could potentially reduce the weight of the current steel 81mm mortar barrel, allowing a soldier to more easily carry the weapon into battle," Ray Espinosa, systems project engineer at the arsenal, said in a Goodrich statement.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee questioned July 8 whether federal regulation of defense trade offsets is necessary as they examined global defense procurement. "The revelations that are now coming to light indicate troublesome trends for the U.S. prime and subcontractor defense industries," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the committee.
The V-22 Osprey has completed a seven-week operational assessment, a precursor to the crucial operational evaluation (OPEVAL) that is scheduled to begin in about six months. The operational assessment, or "pre-OPEVAL," began May 18 and concluded near the end of the week of June 28-July 2, said Ward Carroll, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where the V-22 program is based.
MP-RTIP: A Northrop Grumman-led team and U.S. Air Force officials have completed the final design review for the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP), the company said July 7. The MP-RTIP airborne surveillance radar is being developed for the E-10A and Global Hawk aircraft. The team has begun the system development and demonstration phase of the program, Northrop Grumman said.
Fiscal 2004 funds for the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), which had been held until Pentagon officials approved a revised acquisition strategy for the program, now have been awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems' Amphibious Systems (GDAMS). But because of the award delay, part of the money for the acquisition of special tooling and special test equipment (ST/STE) to support the production phase of the EFV will be obligated in fiscal 2005, a General Dynamics Land Systems representative told The DAILY July 7.
ALLEGENT TECHNOLOGY GROUP, Woodbury, N.Y. Michael Swetnam, CEO of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, has been appointed to serve on the company's board of advisers. ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD., Haifa, Israel Itzhak Dvir has been appointed chief operating officer. FLIGHTSAFETY INTL., LaGuardia Airport, N.Y. Geoff Bloss has been appointed director of business application development. HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTL., Alexandria, Va.
Three members of the House Armed Services Committee have asked the General Accounting Office to explore post-employment restrictions on government officials. At issue is the so-called "revolving door," where federal executives and lawmakers move into lucrative jobs with contractors who do business with the U.S. government.
The first cluster for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) has begun building hardware and is on track to begin a key evaluation near the end of the year, according to government and industry officials. Lt. Col. David Lockhart (USA), the government's Cluster 1 manager, said in a July 7 press briefing that his program has not been easy because it was the first in a multiservice family of software-programmable communication radios. But he said Cluster 1 is making "significant progress."
