The Pentagon is opposing a Senate proposal that would put a senior defense official in charge of anti-corrosion efforts for all military equipment and infrastructure, saying the provision actually would make the Defense Department's job more difficult by adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
Boeing's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-I), which has had its orbit raising prolonged by several months due to a problem with a propellant tank, should finally reach geostationary orbit by the end of this month, according to the company. After two six-minute engine burns earlier this week, "we're getting very close" to the spacecraft's operational orbit of 22,300 miles, Boeing spokesman George Torres told The DAILY. "We're up over 16,000 [miles] on the perigee."
TEAMS PICKED: NASA has selected four teams to lead the development of advanced technology for in-space propulsion, the aerospace agency said. The awards, part of the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) program, cover four areas: aerocapture; high-power electric propulsion for nuclear systems; power conversion technologies for nuclear electric propulsion; and solar sails. Each team includes several principal investigators from NASA and industry.
The Army plans to negotiate with Raytheon Co. to demonstrate use of the JLENS aerostat system with a ground-launched variant of the AMRAAM missile. The goal is to show that this can be an inexpensive way to defeat low-flying cruise missiles. Raytheon makes both components to be used in the test - the JLENS, or Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, and the Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM).
The Navy wants a 23 percent funding increase for aircraft depot maintenance in fiscal 2004 to maintain mission capable rates for its aging inventory of planes and helicopters, according to budget documents obtained by The DAILY.
The House Sept. 10 approved a bill that would give Intelsat an extension of up to 18 months to conduct a required initial public offering of stock. The Senate passed the same legislation in July (DAILY, July 30), so the bill now goes to President Bush for his signature. Under current law, Intelsat must carry out the IPO by Dec. 31. But lawmakers said the satellite communications company deserves more time due to the recent stock market decline.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said late Sept. 10 that he and other advocates of tiltrotor aircraft technology and shipbuilding are planning separate campaigns to build support for their causes. The tiltrotor effort will include a formal revival of the congressional tiltrotor coalition, Weldon told The DAILY. In addition, opinion pieces will be published, members of the press will be briefed, and the Center for Security Policy will hold a Sept. 24 conference on tiltrotor aircraft, which can take off like helicopters but fly like airplanes.
The Air Force's award of a $2.15 billion contract to Lockheed Martin to restructure the Space Based Infrared Systems-High (SBIRS-High) program means the company is "ready to complete the program and has come to a good agreement with the government on how to do that," a Lockheed Martin spokewoman said.
LONDON - Iraq could acquire a nuclear weapons capability within months, and likely is continuing to develop biological and chemical weapons and their delivery systems, says a report published this week by Britain's independent and influential International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
After finishing its last series of launcher tests last week, Lockheed Martin's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is wrapping up mobility tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground in anticipation of a low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision next March or April.
MMA WORK: Boeing and Lockheed Martin received contracts of $7 million each from the Navy for the first part of the component advanced development phase of the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program. MMA is intended to replace current inventories of Lockheed P-3 and EP-3 aircraft, and would therefore be a multi-billion dollar production program of several hundred aircraft. Naval Air Systems Command said the contracts, originally expected by industry several months ago, are for the first five months of an 18-month component advanced development phase.
By the end of the year, the Marine Corps will deliver one of its small Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems to the Army's 1st Division in Germany for testing and evaluation. The Army's interest was piqued after the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) traveled overseas to demonstrate the lightweight surveillance UAV for the 1st Division commander earlier this year, according to Dragon Eye Program Manager Lt. Col. Don Bruce.
SMITH LOSES: Sen. Robert Smith (R-N.H.), a leading congressional advocate of military space programs, lost his re-election bid Sept. 10, falling to Rep. John Sununu (R-N.H.) in the Republican primary. Smith's defeat has been attributed at least partly to his temporary departure from the GOP three years ago.
Officials are working to ensure consensus within the government for a plan to spend some $3 billion to upgrade the U.S. airspace surveillance system. The result of their efforts will help decide whether the plan will be part of President Bush's $37 billion proposal to increase domestic security. The Office of Homeland Security convened an interagency meeting Sept. 6 to polish the $3 billion plan, which was spurred by the terrorist attacks of last Sept. 11.
The DD(X) program is back on track following a three-month delay, and Northrop Grumman will build the required 11 engineering prototypes by 2005, according to the company. The prototypes, or engineering development models (EDMs), will be built while the DD(X) system design work continues, company officials said in a statement.
BOEING, Washington, D.C. Maureen P. Cragin has has been named vice president of communications for Boeing's Washington operations. GENCORP, Sacremento, Calif. Kathy E. Redd has been named assistant controller. NASA James W. Kennedy has been named deputy center director at kennedy Space Center, Fla. David A. King has been named deputy center director at marshall space Flight Center, Ala.
Despite the recent loss of several large contracts, Raytheon Co.'s prospects in the aerospace and defense market remain good, according to a report from Merrill Lynch. One reason, senior aerospace and defense analyst Byron Callan says in the Sept. 11 report, is that Raytheon, along with Northrop Grumman, won the four-year, $2.9 billion design contract for the Navy's new class of DD(X) destroyers (DAILY, April 30).
NEW DELHI - The Indian air force will induct 10 multimission Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft at a Sept. 27 ceremony at Pune. The Su-30MKIs are upgraded versions of the Su-30s manufactured by Russia's Irkutsk Aviation Production Association (IAPO). Another 22 Su-30MKIs bought from Russia are due to be received in the next two years. The aircraft have advanced fly-by-wire controls, thrust vector technology, avionics sourced from Western Europe and electronic counterwarfare systems developed in India.
A congressionally mandated commission is expected to tell lawmakers in about six months whether the U.S. should upgrade satellites, aircraft and other systems to protect against a nuclear blast over American territory.
MISSILES DEPLOYED: The Department of Defense has deployed anti-aircraft missiles around the Washington region, the Pentagon said Sept. 10. "This is not a response to any specific threat, but is a prudent precaution to increase the radar and air defense posture in the National Capital Region," a DOD statement said. "For security and deterrent reasons, we will not disclose exact locations of the air defense equipment."
