A report released last week by the Futron Corp. says the number of on-orbit geo-stationary satellites likely will grow 30 percent through 2011. However, capitalizing on the demand for satellite services will require careful timing to take advantage of opportunities at different times in different regions, the report says.
A Utah aerospace firm believes it can build and launch its first in-orbit "space tug" in four years if it can line up $1.5 billion to pay for the project, a company official said Aug. 9. Salt Lake City-based Intraspace Corp. has developed a concept design for an unmanned In-Orbit Space Transportation and Recovery (IOSTAR) vehicle that could fix and refuel satellites and adjust their orbits, as well as move "space junk" out of the way of operational spacecraft.
Deepwater prime contractor Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) has settled on the Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV, and is not considering Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout in that role, according to ICGS President Paul Ecker. The Deepwater recapitalization program includes the acquisition of two types of UAVs for the Coast Guard - a ship-based VTOL UAV (VUAV) for low-altitude tactical surveillance, and a high-altitude endurance UAV (HAE-UAV) capable of broad-area surveillance.
DRIVER'S SEAT: Alvis PLC's acquisition of Vickers Defence Systems (DAILY, Aug. 6) enables it to offer the most comprehensive range of combat vehicles in the world, says Gregory Fetter, senior weapons analyst with Forecast International/DMS. With the acquisition, Alvis can offer customers everything from lightweight, wheeled combat vehicles to medium-weight tracked vehicles to the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank.
NEW DELHI - India will export additional weapons and spares to Afghanistan. The package was to be accompanied personally by Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, who was to arrive in Afghanistan Aug. 10 for a two-day visit. Sinha will fly aboard the first of two A300 aircraft India has promised to Afghanistan's Ariana airline. A senior Indian ministry of defense official said India is providing small arms, defense electronics, and communications and radar systems for military aircraft.
The Expedition Five crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is preparing for an extravehicular activity (EVA) Aug. 16 in which rookie spacewalker Peggy Whitson will install shielding to protect the station from micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts.
INTERIM BOMBER?: Aldridge says there's probably no need for another bomber to serve as an interim long-range strike capability because, for the time being, it's more important to have better munitions than a new platform. The Defense Department is studying a future bomber, which may be an unmanned platform, but a new acquisition program won't start until 2015 or 2020. "What we're focusing on are not the platforms that get to the mission areas, it's what we put on target," he says.
ON TRACK: E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, says the Defense Departments's review of Northrop Grumman's proposed acquisition of TRW is going smoothly. While there are some concerns about the acquisition, "we're not finding any showstoppers," he says. One reason for the DOD's rapid review of the acquisition is that there is a better process in place now, he says.
PRICE WAR: A price war could erupt next year between the Boeing Co. and Airbus Industrie if airlines fail to order more aircraft and Airbus continues plans to produce 300 jetliners in 2002 and 2003, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Christopher Mecray of Deutsche Bank. Boeing and Airbus are waiting to see how the airlines balance the large number of parked aircraft and incoming deliveries with the revised downward outlook for air travel, he says.
FLOATING: In the future, buoyant capsules could allow submarines to leave missiles floating in strategic locations where they could be activated later, according to Rear Adm. John Butler, commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The Navy is developing two encapsulation systems - the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System (SACS) and the Broaching Universal Buoyant Launcher (BUBL). Such a system could be used "if you wanted to set several items out in the field floating, and if you wanted to space them," says Butler. "You could float BUBL ...
Aug. 12 - 16 -- Aerial refueling Systems Advisory Group's Annual Conference. The Westin, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information call (937) 429-7014 or go to www.arsaginc.com. Aug. 13 - 15 -- 2002 NAFPL Aerospace FOD Conference. Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. Call (310) 641-5700 or go to www.nafpi.com.
The Pentagon's top acquisition official said he is not convinced that the Navy and Air Force have developed an effective solution to the military's future electronic attack capabilities. In a June 4 meeting with Aldridge, senior Navy and Air Force officials presented their options for replacing the military's aging fleet of EA-6B Prowler aircraft (DAILY, June 7). "I wouldn't say I was unhappy. I would say it was not convincing," Aldridge told reporters at an Aug. 8 breakfast in Washington.
EXPORT BILL: It remains to be seen whether Congress will overhaul the Export Administration Act (EAA) this year. The act controls "dual-use" exports, or those having both military and civilian uses. The Senate has passed an EAA bill, but the House still is wrestling with its version. A key sticking point in the House is whether to include a provision that would shift licensing for commercial satellite exports from the State Department to the Commerce Department.
A European push to field a new family of long-range air-launched cruise missiles got a boost late last week with Germany's 507 million euro (US$552 million) purchase of the Taurus long-range standoff air-to-surface missile. The German order calls for 600 Taurus Kinetic Energy Penetrating Destroyer (KEPD) 350 missiles to be delivered between 2004-2009 by Taurus Systems, jointly owned by Germany's EADS-LFK missile division and Sweden's Saab Bofors Dynamics.
After studying potential conflicts between the B-2 Spirit bomber's radar and commercial bandwidth, the Air Force has decided to invest about $1 billion to buy new antennas for its fleet of stealth bombers, according to a senior Air Force official. The decision to go with a new antenna was made within the last week, Maj. Gen. William Jabour, the head of Air Force fighter and bomber programs, told The DAILY during an Aug. 9 interview.
Aerospace and industry suppliers and contractors have until August 26 to respond to a second round of broad industry announcements for the Army's Future Combat Systems program. The Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp., the lead systems integrator team for the FCS program, issued the BIAs during an "industry day" on Aug. 6.
AEROSPACE AGENDA: Capitol Hill is expected to remain a ghost town the week of Aug. 12-16, as lawmakers continue their August break. But a busy aerospace-related agenda awaits Congress upon its return in early September, especially because it hopes to complete its business for the year by early October. House-Senate conference committees have to reconcile competing versions of the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill and the FY '03 defense appropriations bill. The FY '03 VA-HUD-NASA appropriations bill has farther to go in the legislative process.
Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, sought Aug. 8 to rebut charges that a proposed Air Force lease of 100 Boeing 767 air tankers would be too expensive, saying inadequate procurement budgets have forced the pursuit of "creative" strategies to replace the service's aging KC-135Es.
NEW DELHI - The United Kingdom will supply two Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters to the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal as part of a military aid package, a diplomat in Nepal's embassy in New Delhi said. The helicopters will be procured and delivered to Nepal in the next two months, the diplomat said. The U.K. also will supply explosive ordnance disposal equipment, logistical equipment, and communications systems for Nepal's army.
Calling himself the Defense Department's "biggest skeptic" of the V-22 Osprey, the Pentagon's top acquisition official said the Marines' tiltrotor aircraft has about one year to prove itself in testing before the Pentagon may have to proceed with alternative options.
NEW DELHI - India has created an export policy under which state-owned defense firms will sell weaponry to friendly neighboring countries at cost. The policy is seen as a way to contain China's influence in the region, a senior Indian ministry of defense official said. Countries slated to receive defense supplies at good rates include Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
A Lockheed Martin Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Block II missile successfully completed the first test using TACMS 2000 (T2K) hardware, the company said Aug. 8. The T2K hardware includes hardware changes that allowed the company to reduce unit costs on the missile by $75,000-$80,000. "We went to all of our vendors, and we asked them if there was anything they could do to reduce the unit cost, but maintain or exceed current performance," said Ben Collins, Lockheed Martin's manager of business development for fire support.
GENERAL DYNAMICS DECISION SYSTEMS, a business unit of General Dynamics, will lead a team to compete for a contract to provide an integrated warning system for nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) hazards. The Joint Warning and Reporting Network program (JWARN) is intended to give U.S. forces the ability to collect, monitor, analyze and distribute NBC alerts and predictive information in near-real time. General Dynamics will lead a team that includes Lockheed Martin; Science Applications International Corp.; CACI International; BAE Systems; and Technology Service Corp.
HARM TEST: The International High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Upgrade Project (IHUP) successfully completed its second Precision Navigation Upgrade (PNU) recently, according to U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. The test was conducted at the NAVAIR western test range. The PNU is designed to improve HARM's ability to detect, locate and destroy enemy air defenses by including Global Positioning System capability and a new inertial measurement unit.
