Testing is scheduled to begin on the fire control system of the Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) in about two weeks, according to a program official with Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. The U.S. Navy will conduct the testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Sam Densler, Northrop Grumman program manger told The DAILY in an interview.
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on June 6 announced the first batch of hundreds of cost-saving engineering tweaks planned for the V-22 Osprey, marking the first step in the implementation of a new affordability initiative to cut the aircraft's cost by 21 percent. NAVAIR intends to award a contract to Bell Boeing's tiltrotor team to insert 18 "engineering change proposals" into the V-22's design process, according to a June 6 acquisition notice.
MOSCOW - Russia's Space Forces launched the Kosmos-2398 satellite from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on June 4. Space Forces chief Gen. Anatoly Perminov attended the launch. The satellite is thought to be a Parus-class military navigation satellite intended to augment the Tsyklon-B constellation. That constellation has provided navigation and communication services for Russian ships and submarines since the mid-1970s.
TANKER LEASE: An Air Force proposal to lease 100 Boeing KC-767A tankers for six years would cost $15.5 billion, slightly less than the rough estimate of $16 billion announced in May (DAILY, May 27), according to a new summary of the potential deal. The document is circulating on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers will have 30 days to review the lease plan once they receive formal notification of the proposal. A report detailing the lease agreement should be submitted to the four House and Senate defense committees June 9 or 10, an Air Force spokeswoman says.
The Coast Guard has chosen GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) to build the engines for its new CN-235-300M maritime patrol aircraft, company officials said June 5. Two GE CT7-9C3 turboprop engines will power each CN-235 aircraft. The aircraft are made by the EADS-CASA division of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS).
PACKARD AWARD: The U.S. Defense Department's top award for weapons buyers, the David Packard Award, goes to four programs in 2003, including two munitions, a small armored boat and a new family of decontaminants. The Air Force's Passive Attack Weapon, tested and fielded within about 90 days to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Joint Direct Attack Munition, produced in half the time at half the estimated cost, both won. Awards also went to the Navy's Joint Services Family of Decontamination Systems and the Special Operations Craft Riverine teams.
The recent Iraq war is unlikely to end the debate over the viability of missile defense systems that use hit-to-kill technology, according to a new report by congressional analysts.
Herley Industries will supply microwave hardware for Textron Systems' Sensor Fuzed Weapon under a $2.3 million contract from the company, Herley said June 5. The contract is for one year but the company expects follow-on options, Herley said. The Sensor Fuzed Weapon is an air-dropped dispenser that can eject 40 seeker-equipped submunitions, each of which can detect and fire on a target (DAILY, April 22).
The U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command said it is studying how it would use air-to-air missiles carried by the MQ-9 Predator-B unmanned aerial vehicle. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., maker of the MQ-9, is in line to receive a contract from the service to move the UAV into the production stage and outfit it with a variety of weapons, including air-to-air types.
The U.S. Air Force has trimmed its baseline requirements for the battle management system aboard the future E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A), deferring several key capabilities to later spirals, a program official told The DAILY June 5.
INDUSTRY DAY: A GPS III industry day is planned for June 11 and requests for proposals will be issued June 27, according to Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. The Global Positioning System Joint Program Office will sponsor the industry day, which is for contractors interested in competing for Phase A contracts. The June 27 RFP will be for up to two such contracts, each worth $25 million and lasting 21 months, and possibly 29 months, depending on program options.
The first Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) equipped with Stryker combat vehicles successfully completed an exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, La., according to the U.S. Army. The exercise, Arrowhead Lightning II, involved simulated military and military-civil operations conducted by the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at four training areas around Fort Polk (DAILY, May 23).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing guidance for how it should use the Defense Production Act (DPA), a representative of the new department said June 5. The DPA gives the president tools to ensure an adequate, timely supply of vital equipment and materials for military and homeland security agencies.
PRAGUE - Slovakia's president has called on the country's prime minister to take urgent action to improve the combat readiness of the Slovak air force after discovering that only three of its MiG-29s are capable of flying. President Rudolf Schuster said he was "horrified" to discover the state of the supersonic fleet during a June 3 visit to the Slovak air base at Sliac.
Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR) H-46 Program Office (PMA-226) formally presented the first upgraded T58-GE-16A engine to the fleet in a May 21 ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., NAVAIR announced June 4.
CORRECTION: A story in The DAILY of June 2 should have said that the solar-powered system in NASA's Helios aircraft will not store energy to power the aircraft at night in an upcoming flight. However, this capability will be developed in future flights.
PROGRESS: A Russian Progress resupply vehicle is scheduled to launch June 8 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, to carry 5,300 pounds of fuel, food, water and supplies to the International Space Station, NASA said June 5. The Progress is scheduled to dock with the station on June 11.
On June 8, NASA is scheduled to launch the first of its two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), which are to study how Martian rocks may have been affected by past surface water. Both rovers will launch on Delta II rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Launch opportunities begin for the first mission at 2:06 p.m. EDT June 8, and for the second mission at 12:38 a.m. June 25, repeating twice daily for up to three weeks for each mission.
The Japan Defense Agency has selected the EH101 helicopter to perform minesweeping operations, officials with GKN said June 5. The EH101 is made by AgustaWestland, a joint venture of the United Kingdom's GKN and Italy's Finmeccanica. Under the contract, which still is being negotiated, AgustaWestland will provide 14 EH101 helicopters to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Raytheon Co. has received its third order to supply upgraded high-band emission receivers for the EC-130H Compass Call fleet, the company announced June 5. The 25-month, $10.5 million Lot 3 contract calls for 124 line replaceable units, upgrade kits and spares for the upgraded Compass Call Enhanced High Band Subsystems. The receivers are used to increase the aircraft crew's ability to process information, although precise details are classified.
Stork Aerospace of the Netherlands has delivered the first complete tail section for NH Industries' NH90 helicopter, marking the start of series production for the program by Dutch industry, the company said. Dutch industry is contributing tail sections, cabin doors, wheel housings, landing gear and a software module for the main computer, Stork said. Final assembly of the helicopters will take place in NH90 partner countries France, Germany and Italy. The first series production helicopter is scheduled to fly in 2004.
