March 2 - 4 -- American Society for Quality Aviation-Space & Defense Division Conference. Radisson at The Port Hotel, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Call (254) 776-3550 or go to www.asdnet.org/cqsdi. March 2 - 4 -- 11th Annual Conference on Quality in the Space and Defense Industries, Radisson at the Port Hotel & Conference Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information contact Lester Lemay at (254) 776-3550 or email [email protected].
Wars arising in the next decade could closely reflect the themes that characterized the three largest conflicts of the last 10 years - stealth attack, precision bombing, long-range operations and coalition politics, according to a strategic analysis by a Northrop Grumman think tank released Feb. 28. If realized, the long-promised integration of data streams flowing across the battlefield will revolutionize war planning and drive fundamental changes to the chain of command, according to the year-long study by the Northrop Grumman Analysis Center.
HARDY HUBBLE: The grounding of the space shuttle will not jeopardize the Hubble Space Telescope, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. The "robust" observatory is "performing well" and is "in no immediate need of servicing" by a shuttle crew, O'Keefe says. If the November 2004 servicing mission is delayed and problems arise with the telescope as a result, the Hubble can be placed in "safe mode" until the servicing mission can be accomplished.
Consolidation of some satellite industry operators and service providers likely will continue, but the trend is not likely to include the major companies, according to several satellite industry executives. Part of the reason consolidation has not occurred among larger companies is that those companies serve separate market segments, according to Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES Global.
NEW DELHI - George Fernandes, the Indian defense minister, plans to fly to Uzbekistan on Feb. 28 to take delivery of the first of six Ilyushin IL-78 mid-air refuelers bought from that country. The aircraft will be presented at a ceremony in the Uzbek capital, Samarkand. An Indian air force crew will fly the IL-78 to India on March 2.
NASA is leading a group of government agencies, private sector groups, and universities in a study exploring the potential negative effects of ultra-wideband (UWB) communications on low-power services such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Developed by Time Domain Corp. of Huntsville, Ala., UWB spreads transmissions across the entire frequency band, sending very low-power radio signals in very short pulses that the company says are dismissed by other systems as noise.
The Coast Guard expects to decide soon which maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) it will buy as part of its Deepwater modernization program, a senior Coast Guard official said Feb. 27. The CN-235ER, built by the EADS-CASA division of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., is thought to be the favorite.
Robert Walker, chairman of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, told lawmakers Feb. 27 that aeronautics research by India and China has allowed those countries to established "aggressive space programs" that have achieved significant results. "China has moved to launch a manned moon mission in a few short years, and I believe their intentions are nothing but to arrive on the moon and stay there permanently," he said at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Science, Technology and Space.
DESIGNATION: The U.S. Air Force has designated the Multisensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A) as the E-10, according to Feb. 27 announcement by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The Air Force considered creating an "M" designation for the aircraft, denoting its multisensor capability, but scrubbed the idea.
NEW DELHI - The Indian government plans to use a single vendor, Israel Aircraft Industries, and a fixed-price policy for all future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acquisitions. Defense officials here say this will help the government escape rapid price escalation and get better service support from the company. However, other UAV suppliers, including Lockheed Martin of the U.S., Elbit Systems of Israel and Denel of South Africa, have asked the defense ministry to introduce an open, global tender for acquiring UAVs.
The scheduled March 14 launch of the Hellas-Sat satellite on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., has been postponed, International Launch Services (ILS) said Feb. 26. Atlas V manufacturer Lockheed Martin has identified an issue with some welds on the aft bulkhead of the Centaur upper stage currently stacked on the booster, according to ILS. The delay will allow time to replace the Centaur with another in the company's final assembly facility in Denver, Colo.
French defense companies Sagem and Dassault Aviation on Feb. 26 announced the founding of a new joint venture focused on Europe's emerging market for tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The partnership - called Dassault Sagem Tactical UAV - blends Sagem's long experience in short-range reconnaissance UAVs and Dassault's tactical aircraft technology. Details of the finances for the partnership were not disclosed.
NASA is studying the possibility of accelerating the development of the Orbital Space Plane (OSP), NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe told a House panel Feb. 27. Agency experts are examining the "permutations" required to speed up the space plane, and their recommendations should be available "in relatively short order," O'Keefe testified before the House Science Committee during a hearing on NASA's fiscal 2004 budget request.
Air Force leaders expect a pending review of the C-5A will determine the aging airlifter fleet is too expensive to maintain and should be retired, Air Force Secretary James Roche said April 27. A newly minted inspection team called the Airworthiness Board will conduct the review. Details of the team's structure and role are being worked out now in meetings between Lt. Gen. Michael E. Zettler, deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics, and Gen. Lester L. Lyles, chief of Air Force Materiel Command.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Results of a space wargame now underway here will influence Air Force space acquisition programs, according to Brig. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, commander of the Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base.
The U.S. should consider funding technology demonstration projects to preserve the design and development capabilities of the three major prime contractors for fixed-wing military aircraft, the RAND Corp. wrote in a new report.
Actions taken by launch service providers to boost demand for service, such as reducing rates, are unlikely to significantly benefit the satellite industry, according to a panel of satellite executives and analysts. Instead, launch service providers need to focus on launch vehicle reliability and ensuring that their rates remain competitive, they said.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - The rift with France and Germany over a possible war in Iraq is provoking some Capitol Hill lawmakers to rethink their position on America's future military presence in Europe, according to Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.). "I'm very upset, and so is the Congress," Weldon said during a keynote speech at the National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Space Policy and Architecture symposium in Falls Church, Va., Feb. 26. "We have a major situation developing on Capitol Hill that I have not seen in 19 years."
Reps. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) and Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) are creating a House caucus to promote homeland security. The group, which Weldon and Dicks will co-chair, will organize briefings for lawmakers and seek to rally support for homeland security programs. A formal announcement of the group's formation is expected within a few weeks, Weldon told The DAILY late Feb. 25.
In a memo sent earlier this week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld questioned the Air Force's decision to delay the GPS III program, according to Owen Wormser, principal director for spectrum, space, sensors, and command, control, and communications (C3) at the Pentagon.
BOEING SATELLITE SYSTEMS, El Segundo, Calif. David Ryan has been appointed president, replacing Randy Brinkley, who has resigned (DAILY, Feb. 25). BOMBARDIER, Montreal Denis Desautels, the former auditor general of Canada, has joined the board of directors. CENTRE NATIONAL D'ETUDES SPATIALES (CNES), Paris Yannick d'Escatha has been appointed president of the French space agency. MEGGITT AEROSPACE EQUIPMENT, North Hollywood, Calif.
ABL DELIVERY: The Airborne Laser (ABL) program's beacon illuminator laser, which will help identify the atmosphere's impact on the kill laser, has been delivered to the Missile Defense Agency, Northrop Grumman Corp. said. Northrop Grumman built the beacon illuminator laser and has been developing the chemical laser that will serve as the kill laser. Both lasers will be installed on a Boeing 747-400 Freighter that is slated to attempt the ABL program's first missile intercept in 2004.
