The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence late May 1 approved its version of the fiscal 2004 intelligence authorization bill, which would authorize funds for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other intelligence agencies. The bill also includes a requirement for a report on intelligence lessons learned in the war with Iraq, the committee said in a statement.
Two major aspects of the Missile Defense Agency's approach to developing anti-missile systems came under close scrutiny at a closed-door hearing of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, according to a source who attended the May 1 meeting.
In what could be a major milestone in the effort to achieve routine unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations in the national airspace, key players in the UAV industry have agreed to begin developing consensus standards for unmanned aircraft. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, which specializes in the development of industry standards, is poised to lead the effort. Founded in 1898, ASTM is a nonprofit organization with 30,000 members representing 130 industries.
CLEAN COCKPITS: The U.S. military should begin developing "semi-clean" cockpits that are resistant to chemical and biological agents, rather than buy chem/bio suits for pilots, according to Cmdr. Andrew Cibula, director of the Joint Aircraft Survivability Program Office (JASPO). "When's the last time you saw a pilot ... get out of his aircraft and then he trips and falls because he's wearing a chem/bio suit?" Cibula says. "You don't see that ... because they don't wear the chem/bio suits. They're big, they're bulky ... you can't conduct your mission with them.
WEAPON STUDIES: Studies being conducted by the Pentagon on weapon performance in the Iraq war could reflect favorably on older systems and unfavorably on some proposed systems, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Byron Callan of Merrill Lynch. "We believe that program areas with reputations enhanced from the war include the M1 [Abrams] tank and Bradley [Fighting] Vehicle" and communications and electronics equipment for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Callan says.
10-YEAR TREND: Investors looking at the U.S. aerospace and defense market should take a long-term view and not expect big gains from the war in Iraq, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Eric Hugel of Stephens Inc., an investment bank based in Little Rock, Ark. "In our opinion, we are only at the beginning of a 10-plus-year trend in increased military spending to rebuild and transform U.S military capabilities," Hugel says.
NEW DELHI - After more than two months of delays, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has scheduled the launch of its second demonstration Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D2) for May 8. GSLV-D2 is to carry scientific instruments and the GSAT-2 experimental satellite, which has one four-channel C-band fixed satellite service (FSS) transponder, a two-channel Ku-band FSS transponder and a mobile satellite service transponder.
Five senators have asked the General Accounting Office to study whether the National Guard and Reserve need more equipment to handle their increased workload. In a recent letter to the GAO, the lawmakers noted that the Guard and Reserve are being used with greater frequency and longer durations than anticipated. Hundreds of thousands of Guardsmen and Reservists have been called up to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global war against terrorism for periods that could last up to two years.
NEW DELHI - The Indian government has decided to install new engines in the MiG-27s that are being upgraded by the state-owned aircraft builder Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). The MiG-27s' R-29 engines will be replaced with AL-31s, the same engines that power the new Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters India is building under license, a defense ministry official said.
AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION, Washington, D.C. Remy Nathan has been appointed director of international affairs. Michael Romanowski has been appointed assistant vice president, civil aviation. ANTEON INTERNATIONAL, Fairfax, Va. Charles S. Ream will become chief financial officer, succeeding Carlton Crenshaw, who will retire in May. BAE SYSTEMS NORTH AMERICA, Nashua, N.H.
The Pentagon's proposal to stop preparing Selected Acquisition Reports (SARs) came under criticism May 1 from members of the House Armed Services Committee, who said lawmakers need the quarterly reports to keep track of major weapon system programs.
Roger G. Dekok, 56, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general and a vice president of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Mission Systems sector, died suddenly April 24, the company said. DeKok served 34 years in the Air Force before joining Northrop Grumman in June 2002. He was a vice president and the deputy general manager of Mission Systems' Command, Control and Intelligence Division. He was based in Colorado Springs, Colo.
TEAM MEMBER: L-3 Communications has joined the Lockheed Martin team competing for the U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor program, the company said May 1. A team led by Northrop Grumman also is competing for the ACS, intended to replace the Guardrail and Airborne Reconnaissance Low systems. Both teams were awarded 15-month component advanced development contracts last year.
CARLISLE BARRACKS, Pa. - U.S. Army wargamers are planning for a theoretical threat in 2015 from an enemy with access to commercial space resources and off-the-shelf guidance systems for long-range missiles. Although the scenario staged April 27 to May 2 here during the Unified Quest 03 wargame is fictional, Army planners consider the threat inevitable as space-based communications and imagery grows more accessible. Adjusted tactics
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded a team led by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control a $2 million contract to help develop the Marine Corps' Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV). Under the contract, the Lockheed Martin-led team, Team Retiarius, will help develop the technology and hardware for the vehicle and conduct operational demonstrations. The primary function of the TUGV will be to provide ground troops with reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) capabilities.
The U.S. Army is moving ahead with the Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) air defense system, having received responses to a request for information on May 1. The service's Aviation and Missile Command said it plans to complete evaluation of proposed concepts for the SLAMRAAM on May 7 and release a formal request for proposals on May 9. Proposals will be due July 7. A contractor for the Humvee-mounted system would be selected in fiscal year 2004 and first units would be operational in 2007.
L-3 Communications' Electron Devices division will continue to supply traveling wave tubes for Raytheon's AIM-20 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) under a $6.9 million contract, the company said May 1. The money is the first release under a new six-year contract that could have L-3 delivering more than 3,000 tubes through 2008, said the company.
A team of experts now being formed to appraise the remaining life of the U.S. Air Force's oldest planes likely will pass judgment on the Lockheed Martin C-5A Galaxy heavy airlifter by October, Air Force officials told The DAILY. An eight-member Air Force Fleet Viability Board (AFFVB), championed by Secretary James Roche, should be launched by late May or early June, according to Richard Mutzman, chief engineer for the Aging Aircraft System Program Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
On May 2 NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe will travel to Kazakhstan to greet the Expedition Six crew of the International Space Station (ISS) upon their return to Earth, and discuss with Russian space agency head Yuri Koptev options for continuing to sustain the ISS in the absence of the space shuttle.
OUTSOURCING: Northrop Grumman Corp. will provide outsourced information technology support for Vought Aircraft Industries under a three-year, $120 million contract, the company said May 1. Options could boost the contract's value to more than $200 million, Northrop Grumman said. Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will provide support services including network engineering, CPU operations support and support for technical applications servers and workstations, among others.
NEW DELHI - Indian defense ministry officials say progress has been made in negotiations between India, Israel and Russia over India's plan to install Israeli-built Phalcon radars on Russian-built Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft. India plans to mount the radars on the IL-76s to serve as airborne early warning systems.
CEC AWARD: Raytheon Network Centric Systems will build 13 Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) systems and related components under a $90 million U.S. Navy contract, the Defense Department said May 1. The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company's work on the sensor netting systems is expected to be completed by September 2005, DOD said.
U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas Collins said May 1 his service will explore ways of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in carrying out traditional Coast Guard missions in addition to those relating to homeland security. Traditional missions of the Coast Guard include illegal drug interdiction, fisheries protection and stopping the flow of illegal migrants to the U.S.
