LONDON - Flight-testing of three two-seat Eurofighter instrumented production aircraft (IPAs) has been suspended pending investigation of the crash of a two-seat DA.6 developmental Eurofighter in Spain on Nov. 21. The crash was the first aircraft loss suffered in more than 2,000 hours of flying time by seven development and three IPAs. The remaining six developmental aircraft apparently have not been grounded, however.
UPGRADES: General Dynamics Decision Systems will upgrade AN/PRC-112 survival radios and provide ancillary radio equipment for aircrew search and rescue operations under a follow-on contract from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, the company said Nov. 22. Under the contract, General Dynamics will modify the radios to allow two-way encrypted messaging and use of the Global Positioning System. The contract is valued at $8.1 million, the company said.
The Air Force's temporary removal of certification for testing of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) isn't expected to significantly boost its cost or delay its schedule, the Air Force said.
RADAR COOPERATION: The U.S., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain have agreed to develop a new radar that will be part of NATO's proposed Alliance Ground Surveillance capability (AGS), the alliance said Nov. 22. Technology and information sharing agreements have not yet been worked out among the cooperating nations, NATO said.
NO SALE: A senior Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official says New Delhi has been assured the United States won't sell F-16s to Pakistan. Yashwant Sinha, India's foreign minister, told parliament that India has asked the U.S. to keep its security interests in mind while developing military ties with its neighbor and rival. Pakistan has been negotiating with the U.S. to buy F-16s and spare parts, P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and Harpoon missiles.
LONDON - Britain's Tanker & Transport Service Company Ltd (TTSC), which is competing for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence's 13 billion pound ($20.66 billion) Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program, confirmed it has selected the new Smiths Aerospace air refueling system for its Boeing 767-based submission. Boeing chose Smiths in March to supply the same integrated system for its B767 tanker/transport. The system also has been selected by Italy and Japan, and is the U.S. Air Force's preferred air-to-air refueling (AAR) platform.
NECESSARY UPGRADES: Latin American defense spending is expected to total nearly $24.5 billion in 2003 and increase to $27 billion by 2007, according to a report from Forecast International/DMS. Of that total, an estimated 20 percent will go for procurement, which can cover everything from uniforms to fighter aircraft.
DEFENSE SPENDING: The National Defense Committee is being formed to build grass-roots support for the war on terrorism and for continued increases in defense and intelligence spending. The committee's chairman is Ret. Navy Rear Adm. James Carey, who also leads the National Defense Political Action Committee, which endorses likeminded congressional candidates. The new committee hopes to build a 2-million-member "grassroots army" to influence the 2004 elections.
The Missile Defense Agency's Sea-based Midcourse Defense (SMD) system Nov. 21 shot down a target missile in its ascent phase for the first time and hit the target closer to its warhead than in previous tests.
Congress has delayed passage of the fiscal 2003 NASA appropriations bill until at least January but has approved a temporary spending measure to keep the agency funded in the interim. The House and Senate appropriations committees have approved separate versions of the FY '03 NASA appropriations bill, but budget disputes have prevented lawmakers from completing any of the 13 FY '03 appropriations bills, except for defense and military construction. Congress is leaving town until January, when it plans to resume work on the unfinished bills.
GREEN LIGHT: NASA has received an environmental green light to begin developing land adjacent to its Ames Research Center into NASA Research Park - the agency's proposed 213-acre research and development campus for partners from academia, industry and the non-profit sector. NASA officials signed the Record of Decision for the Environmental Impact Statement for the NASA Ames Development Plan (NADP) on Nov. 22. "This is a big step forward in the development of the NASA Research Park," Ames Director G. Scott Hubbard says.
General Dynamics Corp. subsidiaries Bath Iron Works and Electric Boat Corp. won three contracts last week as part of work that could be worth nearly $1 billion if all options are exercised. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on Nov. 20 awarded Bath Iron Works a $72 million contract for lead yard services on the DDG-51-class Aegis destroyer program. The contract includes a second-year option for engineering services worth $76 million.
NEW DELHI - The Indian air force has asked the Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD) to create a permanent fund to meet its modernization requirements. If implemented, the annual budget granted to the Indian air force would roll over unused funds from one fiscal year to the next. Current budget allocations for the defense forces lapse if not used in one fiscal year.
Thirty-seven minutes after its successful first launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 20, Boeing's new Delta IV expendable rocket successfully placed the W5 satellite in geosynchronous transfer orbit for European operator Eutelsat. Launch took place at 5:39 p.m. eastern time from Launch Complex 37B after two delays caused the original Nov. 16 launch date to slip.
One of the holy grails of the transformation agenda - the joint concept of operations (joint CONOPS) - should mostly be completed by late fall or early winter next year, a top aide to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. When drafted and approved, the document will serve as a blueprint for common operations involving multiple services, and will drive the requirements process that determines the military's future weapons, technologies and force structures.
Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry (R-Texas), a leading congressional advocate of military transformation, said Nov. 21 that he plans to explore whether U.S. Joint Forces Command should be given the authority to buy equipment on its own instead of having to go through the military services.
The fourth ballistic missile defense test involving an Aegis radar system was scheduled to occur late Nov. 21, launching an accelerated series of six flight tests of the sea-based system, according to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The test, Flight Mission 4 (FM-4) of the Aegis missile defense system, calls for the launch of a target from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. The USS Lake Eerie will track the target with the Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar, and will fire a Standard Missile-3 to intercept it.
BOOST: The acquisition of TRW Inc. could boost Northrop Grumman sales in 2003 to $25-26 billion and could lead to double-digit growth in 2004-2005, Northrop Grumman said Nov. 21. The acquisition of TRW will strengthen Northrop Grumman's balance sheet and provide "financial flexibility and outstanding growth prospects," company chairman and CEO Kent Kresa said.
Next month, prototype nine-inch-wide micro air vehicles (MAVs) will be delivered to the Army for testing at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., according to Program Manager Sam Wilson. Built by Allied Aerospace, formerly Micro Craft, the MAV is the smallest version of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Organic Air Vehicle (OAV), which is being developed for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS). A 29-inch OAV has also been tested.
NASA's new space transportation plan has picked up a key congressional endorsement. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), one of the most outspoken members of Congress on civilian space issues, said in a speech on the Senate floor Nov. 20 that the Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP) and the associated fiscal 2003 budget amendment wisely provide more money for the space shuttle, which has been "in dire need of additional financial support."
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) expects to find out by the end of the year whether the U.S. Coast Guard will buy a version of its CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft and its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) for the Deepwater modernization program, company officials said Nov. 20.
Goodrich Corp. has delivered the first set of 777-300 Extended Range (ER) main landing gear to Boeing, the company said Nov. 21. The main gear stands nearly 17 feet high and weighs more than 12,000 pounds when fully assembled, according to the company. Goodrich also is providing Boeing's 777-300ER with wheels and carbon brakes.
