The House Select Committee on Homeland Security has approved transferring the National Communications System (NCS) and the satellite-based Hazard Support System (HSS) to the proposed new Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Senate Appropriations VA-HUD-NASA subcommittee was expected late July 23 to approve a fiscal 2003 spending bill that fully funds the Bush Administration's request for the International Space Station and the space shuttle. The Administration requested $1.49 billion for the space station, down from the FY '02 enacted level of $1.72 billion, and $3.2 billion for space shuttle operations, down from $3.27 billion in FY '02.
In the U.S. Department of Commerce's new spectrum allocation plan, released July 23, all Department of Defense (DOD) users would have to relocate their conventional fixed microwave communication systems from the 1710-1755 MHz band by the end of 2008. Although this portion of the spectrum already has been turned over by the federal government to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for commercial use, DOD users at 16 protected military sites within the U.S. still are able to use this portion of the spectrum.
FARNBOROUGH, England - Sikorsky expects its world customer service business to hit its target of $1 billion annually by next year. The company recently acquired Derco Holdings, which has about 1,200 customers in 66 countries for its logistic support activities. Operating in both commercial and military fields, the company services and supports products ranging from S-61 helicopters to C-130/L100 Hercules.
AWARDS: Aviation Week's James Ott was named the Royal Aeronautical Society's Aerospace Journalist of the Year for 2002 at a July 22 ceremony at the London Hilton. Ott was honored for his article, "Tight Security Compels Airport Design Shake-up." Flight International's Graham Warwick received the 2002 Boeing Decade of Excellence Award, for outstanding journalism over the past 10 years.
FARNBOROUGH, England - With international fighter competitions becoming increasingly rancorous, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) says its export strategy is based on promoting the capabilities of its Eurofighter Typhoon, not on disparaging other aircraft.
Aerospace and industry analysts said July 22 they generally were not surprised by last week's second quarter earnings results, although they did find a few exceptions. Paul Nisbet, senior aerospace and defense analyst with JSA Research in Newport, R.I., said most of the results posted by the larger companies fell within analysts' expectations. However, the Boeing Co. posted strong results despite the downturn in the commercial aerospace market, he said. "I was surprised by Boeing's strong margins on commercial airplanes," Nisbet said.
The final version of the fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill provides $35 million to replace a Northrop Grumman Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed last December, but a new House committee report warns that the UAV program could be in trouble if its costs continue to grow.
FARNBOROUGH, England - Sikorsky expects to receive FAA type certification for the S/H-92 large-cabin helicopter at the end of the year. Three aircraft are taking part in the flight test program, which has logged 1,250 hours of a planned 1,500 hours of testing.
FARNBOROUGH, England - Russia's Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant (UUAZ) is supplying 12 Mi-171 civilian helicopters to Pakistan under a $40 million contract. The first four were delivered to Karachi in June by An-124 heavy-lift transports. The remainder will be delivered before the end of the summer. Iran will continue buying helicopters from UUAZ, according to Goliamrez Shafei, Iran's ambassador to Russia. Since 1998, the plant has delivered 25 Mi-171 helicopters to Iran, and will export another seven before the end of the year.
Helping restore NASA's fiscal credibility would be one of his top priorities if confirmed, Frederick Gregory, former astronaut and nominee to be the NASA's new deputy administrator, said at a Senate confirmation hearing in Washington July 19.
FARNBOROUGH, England - The United Kingdom's Ultra Electronics group could supply France's Rafale fighter with a new technology - pneumatic weapon ejection - that won't appear on other aircraft until the U.S. Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) enters service in 2006 or later. Paris-based weapon rack specialist Rafaut is developing a smart bomb rack for Rafale, capable of carrying and releasing either a pair of 1,000-pound weapons (such as the GBU-16), or three smaller weapons such as the new Sagem Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM).
PRAGUE - The incoming Czech government is making the BAE Systems/Saab consortium sweat it out over whether it will reactivate proposals to purchase 24 JAS 39 Gripen fighters. The previous Social Democrat-led government, headed by Milos Zeman, remained enthusiastic about the deal, but it faltered at the last legislative hurdle last month when the Czech senate rejected the proposal by a single vote (DAILY, June 14).
UGCV AWARD: DARPA has awarded Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Consortium and Boeing a $5.5 million contract to build and test a prototype unmanned ground combat vehicle. The 18-month contract calls for the team to build and roll out a prototype by the end of the year, then test it in 2003.
FARNBOROUGH, England - As part of its commitment to the system design and development (SDD) phase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, BAE Systems has disclosed a planned 40 million pound ($64 million) investment in key JSF manufacturing and assembly facilities in the United Kingdom.
KILLARNEY, Ireland - As the Defense Department prepares to embark on an ambitious plan to introduce a laser relay system to its military satellite communications system, the European satellite company Astrium is planning a third demonstration of this type of technology.
AGREEMENT: An Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between the United States and Sri Lanka is expected to be signed this week, during the U.S. visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The ACSA agreement would permit the U.S. to use Sri Lanka's ports, airports and airspace. In return, Sri Lanka would receive military assistance, including for training facilities and equipment. Wickremesinghe also is expected to strike a deal with the U.S. for the supply of two surveillance aircraft fitted with advanced radar.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the creation of the new U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) in Omaha, Neb., won't diminish space activities here. Air Force Space Command and Army Space Command will remain at Peterson Air Force Base, although they will report to STRATCOM at Offutt Air Force Base, Myers said. "This hub of space activity is not going to diminish because of" STRATCOM, a merger of U.S. Space Command, now based here, and the current Strategic Command at Offutt, near Omaha.
Satellite telephony provider Globalstar is lobbying the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow the company to use terrestrial cellular networks in areas where direct satellite signals are unavailable, such as inside buildings. Satellite phones suffer in urban environments and indoors, where a direct line of sight to a spacecraft is rare. Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATC) technology will supplement satellite service with a ground-based network.
FARNBOROUGH, England - Westland Helicopters and Thales Avionics Ltd. have signed a collaborative agreement to address the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence's Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter and Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft programs.
LONDON - With the commercial aviation market in decline, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) is putting a high priority on bolstering its military revenues and again is looking to the United States as the best prospects for expansion. "Our strong interest is the U.S. market, and that is for obvious reasons," Tom Enders, EADS' executive vice president for defense and civil systems, told reporters in London July 22 (see related EADS story on Page 5). "It's the single biggest defense market in the world."
KILLARNEY, Ireland - Despite the U.S. Air Force's rejection of an Airbus proposal to replace the service's aging fleet of KC-135 tankers, Airbus is not going to throw in the towel to Boeing on air-to-air refueling aircraft, according to senior executives at the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).
Development of NASA's ISTAR (Integrated Systems Test of an Air-Breathing Rocket) engine is proceeding ahead of schedule as the team works to ensure the engine is ready for its chance to fly on the X-43B hypersonic demonstrator before the end of the decade. An exhaustive system requirements review (SRR) for ISTAR was completed in June, several months ahead of schedule, according to NASA.
FARNBOROUGH, England - Elbit Systems of Israel and Tbilisi Aerospace Manufacturing (TAM) have teamed up to offer a modernized version of the Sukhoi Su-25KM, named Scorpion. The companies are offering Scorpion as an upgrade package for more than 800 Su-25s still in operational service, or as a new aircraft from TAM's production line at Tbilisi, Georgia.
