An Army official told a Senate panel Feb. 25 that the Defense Department plans to terminate the Joint Simulation System (JSIMS) due to problems in developing the computer-training tool, but the proposal drew immediate criticism from a senator whose state hosts the program.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) needs fusion technologies that will blend images from different sensors in real time to provide the most useful view of a target, according to Patrick Gardner, science adviser at SOCOM's Office of Advanced Technology. "In my assessment, probably the richest field for fusion in distributed sensors is in the area of deeply buried targets," Gardner said at the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement's (IDGA) Image Fusion conference in Alexandria, Va., Feb. 25.
GLOBAL HAWK: Northrop Grumman has delivered the seventh Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle to the U.S. Air Force, the company said Feb. 25. The vehicle, which includes enhanced avionics, is the last to be delivered under the advanced concept technology demonstration phase. The company is scheduled to deliver the first two Global Hawk production vehicles later this year.
Providing satellite services to the U.S. government could become an important source of revenue for satellite operators and service providers, according to satellite industry analysts. "The government has been an important bridge across these troubled waters," Richard DalBello, president of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) said at a panel discussion at the Satellite 2003 conference in Washington, sponsored by Via Satellite. "As overall telecom buying has diminished, the government's unique needs have increased dramatically."
The U.S. Coast Guard is assessing the way ahead for its Deepwater program after congressional appropriators made key changes to the service's plans for two types of aircraft, a Coast Guard spokesman said Feb. 24. The recently enacted fiscal 2003 transportation appropriations act provides $147 million for two maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The Coast Guard originally planned to buy the aircraft in FY '03 but later proposed holding off due to future funding constraints (DAILY, Feb. 18).
Following the lead of Standard & Poor's, credit analysts with Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Services lowered the ratings for BAE Systems PLC due to concerns about the company's debt and cash flow. Moody's downgraded BAE Systems' long-term debt rating from "A2" to "Baa1" and the company's short-term debt rating from "prime 1" to "prime 2." The rating outlook is negative.
U.S. Central Command and Air Force officials plan to launch a massive humanitarian aid effort in tandem with a possible conflict in Iraq, according to a top Air Force official. "... There are task forces and organizations laid in specifically to deal with this problem should it emerge," Air Combat Command chief Gen. Hal Hornburg told reporters Feb. 14 at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla.
PRAGUE - An investigation is underway after a Czech Air Force L-159 light combat aircraft crashed Feb. 24 in central Bohemia. The incident, in which the pilot was killed, took place at the military training zone near Jince. A defense official told The DAILY that the pilot was one of the most experienced in the air force. Shortly after the crash, defense minister Jaroslav Tvrdik flew to the scene accompanied by chief of staff Pavel Stefka and air force commander Jan Vachek.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will cooperate with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to autonomously detect mines in a demonstration scheduled to take place in May at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. According to David Knichel, robotics technology systems analyst at the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center at Fort Leonard Wood, countermine operations in the Objective Force will have to be automated because of the relatively small number of personnel in the basic brigade, or Unit of Action. A Unit of Action is expected to include between 1,800 and 2,400 personnel.
COLLIER WINNER: Sikorsky's S-92 helicopter has been named the winner of the 2002 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association said Feb. 24. The helicopter was selected because it incorporates multiple improvements in safety, operating cost and traveling comfort, the NAA said. The S-92 is the fifth rotorcraft to win the trophy, according to the NAA.
Launching the next phase of an export control review process, the U.S. Department of Defense is seeking weapon programs as candidates for international participation. A group of 20-25 U.S. weapon contracts will be chosen, said Lisa Bronson, deputy undersecretary of defense for technology, security policy and counterproliferation.
Improving quality control at Boeing Satellite Systems will have to be a top priority if the unit's new director is to overcome a perception that its satellites are unreliable, according to a leading U.S. space analyst. Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) also will have to find a way to build cheaper satellites to attract new customers, according to Marco Caceres, space analyst with the Teal Group.
TEAMING UP: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will work with TDA Armaments SAS, a joint venture of Thales and EADS Deutschland, to pursue business opportunities for 120mm rifled mortar systems with the U.S. military, the company said Feb. 24. Under the agreement, General Dynamics will become the sole U.S. licensee for the loading, manufacture and production of seven types of 120mm rifled mortar ammunition rounds for use in TDA's 120mm rifled mortar guns.
Two members of the House Armed Services Committee are forming a bipartisan Defense Study Group to allow lawmakers to converse with leading defense thinkers. In a Jan. 29 letter urging House members to join the caucus, Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) wrote that they are creating the group because national security issues are receiving increasing attention.
Northrop Grumman's X-47A Pegasus unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had its long-awaited first flight Feb. 24 at the Naval Air Warfare Center - Weapons Division at China Lake, Calif., remaining aloft for 12 minutes and reaching a maximum altitude of 3,000 feet. A largely company-funded effort, the Pegasus is intended to demonstrate technologies associated with the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N) program, which is developing an aircraft carrier-based UAV capable of strike and reconnaissance missions.
The head of United Kingdom defense procurement on Feb. 24 expressed deep frustration with the pace of transatlantic trade reforms sought by the U.S. government. "We do feel we have a long way to go for this to be characterized as defense cooperation," Lord Willy Bach said at a U.K.-U.S. defense industry seminar organized by defense industry advocacy groups from both countries. Bach hailed heavy British participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but he said more progress is necessary.
DELIVERY: Rolls-Royce has delivered its 500th AE 2100D turboprop engine, the sole powerplant for the Lockheed Martin C-130J and Lockheed/Alenia C-27J tactical airlifters, the company said Feb. 24. The AE 2100 is a turboprop derivative of the AE 1107 turboshaft engine, the company said.
Boeing's 777-300 ER (extended range) completed its first flight on Feb. 24, the Boeing Co. said. The three-hour flight begins a 1,600-hour flight-test program that's expected to bring U.S. government certification by early next year, the company said. The 777-300ER took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., and landed at Seattle's Boeing Field a little over three hours later. During the flight, it reached an altitude of 15,000 feet and an air speed of 0.50 Mach, or about 370 miles per hour, Boeing said.
Feb. 23 - 25 -- U.K.-U.S. Defense Industry Seminar, "Promoting Transatlantic Alliances and Partnerships Between U.K. and U.S. Defense Firms," Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Va., 22182. Contact Ben Stone at [email protected] or register online at http://register.ndia.org/interview/register.ndia~Brochure~3990. Feb. 25 - 28 -- Royal Aeronautical Society's Guided Flight Conference, Boscombe Down, England. Call +44 (207) 670-4345 or go to www.aerocsociety.com.
DEBRIS HUNT: The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) Advanced Sightings Team is bringing together data from NASA, the Defense Department, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other sources in an attempt to find debris that may have separated from the shuttle Columbia early in its final path over the western U.S. on Feb. 1, according to NASA.
NEW DELHI - India plans to launch two new communications satellites, INSAT-4A and 4B, for a cost of about $282 million. The new satellites will mark the beginning of the fourth-generation series of Indian National Satellite System satellites, one of the largest constellations in the Asia Pacific region. The spacecraft will carry 12 C-band and 12 Ku-band transponders, according to an official with the Indian Ministry of Space and Technology.
SAVING SCIENCE: NASA scientists are continuing to assess the status of data received during Space Shuttle Columbia's ill-fated STS-107 mission, according to the aerospace agency. Columbia carried more than 80 experiments. For those that received downlinked data during the flight, 50-90 percent of the data was acquired, says David Liskowsky, the STS-107 program scientist for NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research.
