The Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) demonstration program plans to conduct final reviews of its two air vehicle designs in the summer of 2005, according to a program spokeswoman. The design reviews for the Boeing X-45C and Northrop Grumman X-47B are supposed to help pave the way for an operational assessment starting in 2007. Both companies recently were awarded contracts to continue their J-UCAS work (DAILY, Aug. 23, Oct. 14).
John Deere and robotics company iRobot have produced an intelligent unmanned ground vehicle named the Military R-Gator, which could perform dangerous missions, the companies said Oct. 25. The companies plan to begin pilot production of the R-Gator, which uses commercial, off-the-shelf technology, by mid-2005. Full production could begin by 2006, the companies said. The R-Gator is based on John Deere's M-Gator military utility vehicle platform, which is outfitted with iRobot's control and navigation and obstacle avoidance systems.
STABILITY: The global launch industry has settled into a fairly stable rate of 60 to 70 launches a year, Futron Corp. says in its latest white paper, "The Space Launch Industry: Recent Trends and Near-Term Outlook." The paper, released Oct. 21, looks at the space launch activity over the next 15 months. "While the United States and Russia continue to lead the world in the number of noncommercial launches, China has made steady progress and has distinguished itself from the pack," Futron says. For 2005, Futron predicts the U.S.
The Airborne Laser aircraft, YAL-1, was rolled out of its hangar at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to prepare for a return to flight testing in coming weeks, according to the Missile Defense Agency. Flight trials will include airworthiness testing of recent modifications to the aircraft. Photo courtesy Missile Defense Agency.
EA-18G REVIEW: A preliminary design review (PDR) for the U.S. Navy's EA-18G began Oct. 19 and was completed Oct 22. The Navy is expected to take days or weeks to analyze information presented at the review by the Boeing Co., the prime contractor for the electronic attack jet. As expected, the review's completion coincided with the start of production of the forward fuselage in St. Louis, Mo. (DAILY, Sept. 27).
Several of NASA's low-cost Discovery space science missions are facing cost overruns and technical challenges, according to Andrew Dantzler, acting director of the solar system division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. One such mission is Deep Impact, which will send a large copper projectile into a comet to reveal its internal composition and structure. The Deep Impact spacecraft has been shipped to the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., according to Dantzler. The program has run into cost overruns, he said.
Orbital Sciences Corp. reported increases in revenue, operating income, net income and free cash flow for the third quarter of 2004. The Dulles, Va.-based company last week reported revenues of $171.7 million, up 33 percent for the same period last year. Operating income was $14.3 million, compared with $11.2 million in 2003, and net income was 11.4 million, compared with a $30.2 million net loss in the same period last year.
ENGINE MARKET: The turboprop engine market is expected to remain strong from 2004 to 2013, with 9,538 engines expected to be produced at a total value of $7.8 billion, according to Forecast International analysts. "In most cases, the military will continue to favor turboprops for the high lift they provide, and turboprops are also ideal for most hot-and-high altitude operations as well as transport to rural areas with short runways," says David Franus, Forecast International senior analyst for power systems.
MORE PARTNERS: Lockheed Martin-led Team US101 has added 16 suppliers in Florida to its team vying to build the next presidential helicopter fleet, the company said Oct. 22. The team is competing with Sikorsky in a hotly contested effort to replace the fleet. "...As an excellent example of Lockheed Martin's corporate commitment to the US101 program, two of our Florida-based operating companies - Aerostructures, and the Simulation, Training & Support business unit - are also supporting Team US101's efforts to win the Marine One competition," Stephen D.
ENGINE WORK: General Electric Aircraft Engines will produce commercial parts for several engine lines used in U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft, the Department of Defense announced Oct. 21. The $444.9 million contract calls for parts for the T64, T58, TF39, TF34, F118, F404, T700, F110 and F101 engine lines. The work is expected to be completed by July 30, 2005.
WORK RESUMES: A stop-work order has been lifted on the U.S. Army's Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 5 after the Government Accountability Office denied a JTRS Cluster 5 protest. The Army awarded a $295 million system development and demonstration contract to General Dynamics in July (DAILY, July 20). Competitor ITT Industries protested, but the GAO denied the protest on Oct. 20, allowing work to resume "immediately," the Army's Communication Electronics Command Acquisition Center says.
HUYGENS: The Cassini-Huygens Probe mission team is focusing its attention on the upcoming release of the Huygens probe, which will dive into the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. Release is scheduled for Dec. 24. Due to uncertainty over the gravity of Saturn's moon Iapetus, Huygens will be released twice as far away from Iapetus than originally planned, according to Andrew Dantzler, acting director of the solar system division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
C-130 AMP: The U.S. Air Force's C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) is on track to begin modifying its first aircraft in January 2005 at Boeing facilities in San Antonio, Texas, a service spokesman says. The $4 billion-plus program, which calls for upgrading avionics on a total of 490 C-130s through 2016, has not experienced cost overruns or schedule delays since a restructuring was completed in August 2003, the spokesman says. Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems filed protests Oct.
SM-3 DELIVERIES: Raytheon Co. announced Oct. 22 that it has begun delivering the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) to the U.S. government. The Defense Department wants to have five ship-based SM-3s available for emergency use by year's end to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
NEW PROBA: The European Space Agency plans to deploy a follow-on technology demonstrator spacecraft, Proba-2, by the end of 2007 to demonstrate new technologies and products in orbit, ESA says. A system built around these developments is intended to support a mission to observe and measure the plasma of the sun, ESA says. Proba-2 will follow Proba, ESA's first microsatellite, which has just completed three years of successful operations. The TV-sized imaging satellite was aimed at demonstrating autonomous operation, hence its name: Project for On-Board Autonomy.
Oct. 25 - 27 -- Association of the United States Army 2004 annual meeting and exposition, "Our Army at War - Relevant and Ready." Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.ausa.org. Oct. 25 - 27 -- The International Loran Association's 2004 Convention and Technical Symposium, Toyko, Japan. For more information go to www.loran.org/events.html.
The Canadian Department of National Defence awarded a CDN$5 million ($4 million) contract to General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada to perform engineering feasibility studies in support of the Canadian Mobile Gun System (MGS) program, the company said Oct. 22. These studies will assist the department in defining modifications to the Stryker MGS to meet Canadian requirements. Studies are expected in a number of technical areas including communications, navigation, and logistics support.
According to a review conducted in September, most of the Future Combat Systems' critical technologies would have been mature enough for the program's originally scheduled preliminary design review (PDR) in 2006, according to the U.S. Army. In addition, of the 50 percent of the technologies the Army assessed for maturity under the FCS realignment, all have been deemed to be mature enough for their new PDRs, an Army official said.
JSF SCRUTINY: The U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which is transitioning from being a design on paper to actual hardware, is about to receive more scrutiny. The recently completed fiscal 2005 defense authorization conference report requires the Government Accountability Office to start conducting an annual review of the program to see whether JSF is meeting its cost, schedule and performance goals. A report on the first review is due March 15, 2005.
NET-CENTRIC SUB: The U.S. Navy is launching an era of "unprecedented capability" for its fleet with the Oct. 23 commissioning of the USS Virginia (SSN 774), says Lockheed Martin, which designed the sub's sonar, combat system, radio room and electronic support equipment. "USS Virginia's network-centric communication capabilities are a significant departure from legacy systems and address many of the Navy's FORCEnet transformational communication needs," says Michael LaRouche, senior executive for the company's Navy command and control programs.
The mission team for NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) is weighing the pros and cons of incorporating a lander that would touch down on the surface of Europa. JIMO's Science Definition Team (SDT) has recommended that the spacecraft include a lander that would perform a soft landing on Europa and bore into its frozen surface. The team determined that the lander was valuable enough to devote up to one quarter of the JIMO's 1,500-kilogram (3,306 pound) science payload to it.
Government representatives from nine nations are expected to gather in Australia in the coming days to review progress in the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The event, the sixth semi-annual meeting of the program's executive committee, will include officials from the United States and its eight international partners for JSF.
The first flight of a Gripen multirole fighter aircraft bound for export to the Czech Republic took place Oct. 18 in Linkoping, Sweden, the FMV Swedish Defense Material Agency said Oct. 20. The aircraft, painted gray with the Czech Republic national insignia on its tail, was flown by a Saab test pilot. "This flight is a very important milestone for the Czech program and shows that the production of Gripen aircraft for the Czech Republic is on schedule," Per Nilsson, FMV program director for the Gripen for Czech Republic, said in a statement.
