The chairman of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee said March 20 that he will seek quick passage of legislation to begin to equip commercial aircraft with anti-missile systems. At a press conference, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said he soon will seek congressional approval to provide at least $30 million for the development and FAA certification of systems that could protect airliners against surface-to-air missiles.
NEW DELHI - Despite U.S. opposition, the Indian government plans to export the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile. A senior defense ministry official said Iran and United Arab Emirates have shown interest in the missile, a joint project of Russia and India. BrahMos is expected to be ready for use by the Indian armed forces next year. Three flight tests have been conducted so far.
House lawmakers questioned the U.S. Army's plans for the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program at a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing March 20, pressing service officials on the feasibility of its schedule and whether it will detract from the readiness of the current force.
MOSCOW - The Russian government plans to move money for building Progress cargo vehicles from the last half of the year to the first half, to speed construction of the vehicles to support the International Space Station. Having more Progress and Soyuz vehicles on hand would help support the station while NASA investigates the loss of the shuttle Columbia.
NEW DELHI - India is seeking to lease data and imagery from Israel's Ofeq-5 military satellite to gather intelligence in the disputed region of Kashmir, claimed by India and Pakistan. A senior defense ministry official said India's military satellite mapping capabilities are not adequate, so the country is seeking to lease data from the Ofeq-5 for five years, beginning this year.
U.S. war planners are hoping Operation Iraqi Freedom, the massive invasion launched March 20 to disarm Iraq and topple its leadership, justifies more than 12 years of technological and conceptual retooling since the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Underpinning the warfighting capabilities tested and fielded since the early 1990s is a concept called effects-based operations, which faces its first comprehensive test in a combined air, land and sea invasion.
Senior Navy officials asked a congressional committee March 20 to again consider allowing the Navy to buy ships and submarines through multi-year contracts. Using multi-year contracts would help the Navy control construction costs on programs like the SSN-774 Virginia-class submarine, said Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations.
U.S. Defense Department officials have yet to move on an internal request to participate in the 2003 Paris Air Show, which normally is routine. This year, there have been calls in Congress to boycott federal involvement in the event. U.S. law requires the Pentagon's policy office to approve all military participation in international trade shows, according to the Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which coordinates the involvement of military servicemembers and equipment.
At a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing March 19, Air Force Undersecretary for Space Peter Teets said the Air Force's recent decision to reconsider its delay of the GPS III program was motivated by a desire to field the new system's enhanced anti-jamming capabilities earlier. The Air Force had decided earlier this year to delay the award of the GPS III prime contract and cut off funding until fiscal year 2008, at which point work would resume in anticipation of a 2012 first launch (DAILY, Jan 22).
CMC ELECTRONICS has been selected to integrate avionics systems on Korea Aerospace Industries' KT-1C trainer aircraft. Work will be performed at the company's Ottawa, Canada facility.
The Missile Defense Agency is studying the possibility of increasing testing for the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, MDA's director told a House panel March 20. "We're looking for ways of making sure we do more testing than is already planned," Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish testified before the House Armed Services Committee. "We are looking at many ways of increasing the testing of that system."
STRYKER ORDER: The U.S. Army has begun ordering a third brigade of Stryker wheeled combat vehicles, Stryker builder General Dynamics said. The order, part of a $4 billion contract awarded in November 2000, is for 113 vehicles and is worth $156.2 million, the company said. Vehicles covered under this order are scheduled to be delivered between February and June 2004.
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile made its combat debut in the opening hours of Operation Iraq Freedom March 20, scoring two kills on short-range ballistic missiles, defense officials said. A PAC-3 battery based with the 101st Airborne Division at Camp New Jersey, Kuwait, fired three missiles at two incoming targets, identified as short-range surface-to-surface missiles, according to an Army statement.
Thailand is requesting two UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The sale, which could be worth $35 million if all options are exercised, includes the helicopters with their T-700 engines, two spare T-700 engines, an M-130 chaff dispenser, receivers, spare parts, gun pods, tools and support equipment. DSCA said in a March 18 statement the helicopters would improve Thailand's "air mobility capability and provide for the defense of vital installations and close air support of ground forces."
International Launch Services (ILS) expects the Air Force to assign a second round of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) missions later this year, according to company president Mark Albrecht. "We're anticipating sometime in 2003 that the Air Force will go through another round," Albrecht told The DAILY March 19. "We're not exactly sure when that will be. We're not exactly sure how big that will be."
LONDON - Britain's military contribution to possible operations in Iraq is the largest deployed to the Middle East since the 1956 Suez campaign, and significantly larger than in the 1991 Gulf war. The 100 or so British fixed-wing aircraft now in the area represent a major part of overall United Kingdom air power resources, with equally strong support from U.K.-based air transport and logistic support elements.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee, said March 19 he has been told to expect a fiscal 2003 supplemental appropriations request from the Bush Administration by "early next week."
Credit analysts with Standard & Poor's said March 18 that the credit ratings for 14 commercial aerospace companies could be lowered if war with Iraq further reduces the demand for air travel. But the ratings for aerospace companies whose primary business is defense-related are likely to remain unchanged, analysts said in a separate report.
The U.S. Air Force has suspended flight testing of the F/A-22 Raptor to investigate why the nose landing gear on one of the aircraft retracted while the plane was parked at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., a service spokeswoman said March 19. The pilot was in the aircraft during the late March 18 incident but was not injured. Nothing ruled out
MOSCOW - Rosaviakosmos, the Russian aviation and space agency, has selected a team headed by Sukhoi Civilian Aircraft to provide regional mid-range aircraft. The program calls for development of an aircraft with at least 70 seats and a range of about 2,200 miles. The aircraft is intended to replace about 200 Tupolev Tu-134s, most of which have been operated for nearly two decades.
BOEING, Bellevue, Wash. Stephen J. Barker has been appointed president of Boeing Realty Corp. CERADYNE, Costa Mesa, Calif. Jeff Waldal, president of Ceradyne Semicon Associates, has been promoted to vice president of Ceradyne Inc. DIRECTV Latin America, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Kevin N. McGrath will retire as chairman, effective immediately. Larry N. Chapman has been named president and chief operating officer. ESTERLINE TECHNOLOGIES, Bellevue, Wash.
According to the Department of Defense's (DOD) latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) roadmap, the Air Force is striving to replace the FAA's certificate of authorization (COA) process for military UAV flights in the national airspace with a standard "file and fly" approval procedure by fiscal year 2004. The COA process can take up to 60 days, but under the procedure the DOD wants, military UAV operators would be able to file a standard DD Form 175 and fly within hours, according to the roadmap (DAILY, March 18).
