GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Navy plans to begin fielding production versions of the Area Air Defense Commander (AADC) in 2003 to give fleet commanders a theater-wide picture of friendly and enemy aircraft and missiles, and allow them to respond quickly to changing conditions, service officials told reporters Aug. 2. General Dynamics will produce the system at a facility here.
SPACE TEXTILES: The European Space Agency's Technology Transfer Network is studying how technology developed for the harsh environment of space could improve textiles, fiber products, clothes and textile manufacturing equipment here on Earth. Network officials recently met in France with representatives from 53 European and Canadian textile companies to brainstorm new uses for space products, and ESA is considering sponsoring studies and working groups to further the work.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has decided to build a sea-based X-band radar for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, ending a critical debate over what radar would be used in the "contingency" capability that is supposed to be operational by 2004.
CINCS CONFIRMED: The Senate late July 31 confirmed Army Lt. Gen. James Hill as general and commander in chief (CINC) of U.S. Southern Command and Navy Vice Adm. Edmund Giambastiani as admiral and the CINC for U.S. Joint Forces Command. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nominations earlier in the day (DAILY, Aug. 1).
Aug. 6 - 8 -- DPMO and USJFCOM presents 2002 DOD Personnel Recovery Conference - A National Imperative. Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Va. 22202. For more information call Christina Buck at (703) 247-9478 or email [email protected]. Aug. 7 - 9 -- Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association presents 2002 Annual Satellite Conference and Expo. Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. For more information go to www.sbca.com.
EUROFIGHTER BOOST: In an attempt to define new avenues for participation in missile defense, one senior EADS executive has suggested using the Eurofighter for boost-phase missile defense. In addition to its capabilities as a multirole fighter, "the Eurofighter will provide [a] future capability for interception of ballistic missiles in boost phase," says Dietrich Russel, EADS' executive vice president for aeronautics.
This week, NASA will proceed with welding the microscopic cracks that have been discovered within the fuel lines of the space shuttle in anticipation of resuming flights Sept. 28. The shuttle fleet was grounded while NASA mulled its options for dealing with the cracks, which have been discovered on the liners within the fuel lines of all four orbiters (DAILY, June 25). Those options had included various repair methods or flying despite the cracks.
A senior official with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) said Aug. 1 he believes there is more room for consolidation among aerospace and defense companies in Europe. "I'm sure there will be further consolidation in Europe," EADS co-CEO Rainer Hertrich said in a meeting with defense reporters in Washington.
NASA CONFIRMATION: The U.S. Senate confirmed Frederick D. Gregory to be NASA's deputy administrator late Aug. 1, marking the first time in a decade that the position has been filled. Gregory, a veteran shuttle commander, previously served as NASA's associate administrator for space flight. He will be the aerospace agency's first African-American deputy administrator, NASA said.
General Dynamics Corp. announced Aug. 1 it has received funding to begin building the first of four DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under a shipbuilding swap agreement with Northrop Grumman Corp. The Naval Systems Command, Washington D.C., awarded General Dynamics' Bath Irons Works unit a $464 million contract to construct the ship, to be called DDG-102. The contract is part of an expected multiyear agreement to build seven DDG destroyers, officials at General Dynamics said.
ARRAY WORK: EMCORE Corp. of Somerset, N.J., will design and develop a solar array to power Astrium's Cryosat satellite, which it is building for the European Space Agency. The contract follows the company's acquisition of Tecstar's Applied Solar Division business, now part of EMCORE's PhotoVoltaics Division. Cryosat is intended to monitor land and marine ice mass changes to improve scientists' understanding of climate change.
Congress has provided $200 million in its recently passed fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill for the Coast Guard to speed delivery of Lockheed Martin C-130Js and other new aircraft under construction, according to a Senate Appropriations Committee source. Lawmakers approved the funding because the Coast Guard needs the aircraft to help fulfill its homeland security role, which has increased since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the source said.
The Defense Department wants Congress to remove reporting requirements included in the Senate's version of the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill, according to a Pentagon "appeal" to the conference committee charged with reconciling the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Aerojet reported first firing of a variable-thrust solid rocket motor designed for use in such tactical missiles as the Precision Attack Missile (PAM), under development by Raytheon Co. for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). All objectives of the test of the flight-weight motor were met during the 50-second firing at Aerojet's facility in Sacramento, Calif., the GenCorp Inc. company said. The test was conducted July 24, Bob Keenan, Aerojet business development manager, said in a telephone interview.
FLIR Systems Inc. will deliver eight Star SAFIRE II multisensor infrared surveillance systems for the Mexican navy's fleet of CASA C-212-200 aircraft, the company said Aug. 1. The contract, worth about $5.5 million, contains options for the purchase of up to 12 additional Star SAFIRE II systems. The systems will integrate with the aircrafts' Fully Integrated Tactical Systems (FITS), which provides upgraded radar and FLIR imaging capability, the company said.
Lockheed Martin has agreed to pay the U.S. government $2.1 million to resolve allegations that a former company unit mischarged for Trident Missile Program contracts, the Justice Department announced Aug. 1. Tactical Systems Division improperly charged the Navy's Strategic Systems Program on a series of Trident service and material contracts from 1988 through 1996, at a time when it was owned by various defense contractors, the Justice Department said. Lockheed Martin acquired the company after that period, when it acquired Loral Corp.
Adm. James Ellis, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told a Senate panel Aug. 1 that the nuclear arms reductions recently agreed to by the U.S. and Russia will not weaken America's deterrent capability in the absence of a national missile defense system.
The first flight of the Marine Corps' Dragon Warrior unmanned aerial vehicle has been delayed due to concerns about the aircraft's engine, according to a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The Dragon Warrior, a small UAV intended for urban reconnaissance, was to make its maiden flight on Aug. 12 (DAILY, July 12). "It won't be possible to meet the August 12 date," said Jenny Holbert, a spokeswoman for the Lab.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Aug. 1 withdrew legislation challenging an Air Force proposal to lease four Boeing C-40 transport planes after he ran into resistance from key senators. The Department of Defense, meanwhile, has asked Congress to free $37.2 million in fiscal 2002 funds so the Air Force can begin to lease the C-40s, military variants of the commercial 737-700. The reprogramming request would take the money from the CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft program, as DOD said the Air Force does not need the CV-22 money for two more years.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) announced Aug. 1 it has assumed control of operations at the Oostkamp, Belgium plant previously owned by Siemens N.V. The plant, located near Brugge, supplies high-frequency modules for radar and communications systems manufactured by EADS for use in several defense programs, including the Eurofighter Typhoon.
TRW AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS will supply the drive system for the weapons bay doors on the Joint Strike Fighter under a $21 million contract from Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems sector. The first hardware is scheduled to be delivered in 2004. Northrop Grumman, a member of the Lockheed Martin JSF team, is responsible for integrating the center fuselage and weapons bay door drive systems.
SHUTTLE NEWS: NASA plans a briefing Aug. 2 to detail plans for resuming space shuttle launches, the aerospace agency said. Shuttle flights have been grounded while engineers study tiny cracks found in liners inside the fuel lines of all four shuttle orbiters (DAILY, July 17).
Sierra Research has received a $1 million contract from the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technologies Directorate for a wideband wireless network to be used for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Sierra's Formation Management Network (FMN) will be evaluated for teaming manned helicopters with UAVs, according to the company, a subsidiary of Integrated Defense Technologies. That teaming could allow the Army to expand the aviation warfighting envelope while reducing the threat to human operators, the company said.
