Congress should consider adding money to the Air Force's fiscal 2003 budget request for Boeing C-17 purchases to help the military reduce a "real shortfall" in transport aircraft, according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) may encounter regulatory barriers in its bid to grow from a $2 billion company to a $4 billion company, according to company Chairman and CEO Adm. Paul David Miller (USN-Ret.).
PRAGUE -The management of Czech aircraft producer Aero Vodochody is holding talks here with an Indian delegation on the sale of L-159 fighters to India, the company told The Daily May 22. "We continue to have discussions and we hope that these will lead to a stronger position for AERO Vodochody and the L-159 aircraft on the Indian market," said spokeswoman Pavla Kolinova.
UCAV FLIES: Boeing's X-45A Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) completed its first test flight May 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The flight lasted 14 minutes, Boeing said. Engineers with the company's Phantom Works division conducted the test to assess the aircraft's basic flight systems.
The Boeing Co. and the Navy are discussing options for a multiyear contract for the T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft, according to industry and military officials involved in the program. The Boeing-built T-45 trainer is a two-seat, single-engine aircraft used in training Navy fighter pilots. Funding for T-45 procurement has decreased in recent years as the Navy has dealt with competing budget priorities.
A successful ground test firing of the Tactical Tomahawk missile clears the way for first flight of the Raytheon Systems Co. weapon in the third quarter of fiscal year 2002, the Navy said. The test was conducted May 17 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Md. It put the missile through all the rigors of a flight without leaving the ground. It was strapped to a test stand so performance could be judged accurately. 'Successful execution paves the way'
The Pentagon notified Congress May 17 of a possible foreign military sale to upgrade Egypt's CH-47C Chinook cargo helicopters to the CH-47D configuration. The total value of the requested sale could be as high as $155 million. The helicopters will be used for troop transport and logistics support and might be deployed in joint exercises with the United States, according to the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The Boeing Co. would be the prime contractor for the sale.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) has decided not to seek the chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee, clearing the way for Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) to take the helm of the panel next year if Republicans keep control of the House, Weldon's office indicated May 20.
Malaysia has decided to buy at least 12 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets, making it the first foreign customer for the U.S. fighter jet, according to American government sources. The Malaysian government is expected to announce within a few weeks that it has chosen the Super Hornet over a Russian competitor, the Sukhoi Su-30, the sources told The DAILY May 21. "In a few weeks, the U.S. expects to hear that Malaysia has decided to buy 12 F/A-18F aircraft," a U.S. government official said.
RLV PACT: U.S. Air Force and NASA officials have agreed to work together on an effort that could lead to a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) demonstrator, the Air Force announced May 21. The agreement follows the recommendation of the 120-day Air Force-NASA study on RLV technology. The top recommendation of that study was for NASA and the Air Force to assess building an RLV demonstrator vehicle.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will announce the four Phase 1 contract winners in its Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program this week, according to DARPA's Don Woodbury. UCAR will be a highly autonomous unmanned rotorcraft designed for low-altitude combat operations. The system will be capable of not only collaborating with other UCARs, but also with other manned and unmanned systems, within ranges of a few hundred feet, according to Woodbury.
NEW DELHI - India is seeking to acquire weaponry worth $1 billion from the United States through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program. The proposed arms package was discussed in detail by India's permanent defense secretary, Yogendra Narain, along with a 14 member Indian defense team in a meeting with Pentagon officials in Washington May 21, a senior official of Indian defense ministry said.
Now that two of NATO's newest members have decided to buy the Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter, the Pentagon is moving into high gear to persuade Poland, also a new NATO member, to choose the American-made F-16.
Defense Department officials and members of a Defense Science Board task force gave competing testimony May 21 on pending legislation to streamline the funding and oversight of military test and training facilities. The legislation, which is before the Senate, aims to streamline the operation of testing and training facilities by, among other things, creating an organization to manage the facilities and reserve a portion of service funding for infrastructure improvements.
Arianespace reported a loss of 193 million euros ($177 million) May 17 for fiscal year 2001, on sales of 807 million euros ($740 million). Company officials attributed the loss to charges taken as a result of the slowdown in the global launch services marketplace. A stand-down related to an upper-stage failure on an Ariane 5 rocket last July that left two satellites stranded in low orbit also adversely affected the company, officials said.
TERRORISTS WMD: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testified May 21 that terrorists eventually will obtain weapons of mass destruction. Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya are developing such weapons and will supply them to terrorist organizations with whom they have links, he said. Rumsfeld would not discuss specific threats.
The Air Force needs to ensure that its increasing reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles does not hurt its ability to deploy quickly, according to Gen. John Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff.
The Air Force has partnered with the Navy and FAA to develop a miniaturized version of the arc fault circuit breaker (AFCB) to prevent electrical arcing on fighter aircraft. Adapted from a product designed for use in the home, the device is designed to detect and prevent arcs caused by breaks in wire insulation, before that arcing can lead to a fire or other catastrophe (DAILY, April 9, 2001). Such breaks are prone to occur as wiring ages, or when it's improperly installed or maintained.
When STS-111 lifts off to the International Space Station (ISS) May 30, it will kick off a densely packed mission that will include an ISS crew rotation, assembly activity, and a short-notice spacewalk. "We've got one of those missions that has almost too much in it to get done," STS-111 Commander Ken Cockrell said during a press briefing May 20. "Aside from the normal excitement of launch, landing, and docking and undocking, we've got a tremendous amount of work to do while we're docked to the [ISS]."
SPACE POSTS: Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.), both members of the House Science space subcommittee, have announced that they are leaving the Science Committee to take assignments on the Judiciary Committee. But Forbes, whose state is home to NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, said he will return to the Science Committee, while keeping his Judiciary post, if House leaders agree to waive a rule limiting the number of committees lawmakers can sit on.
TAIWAN BUDGET: Taiwan's new shopping list includes more diesel-engine submarines, long-range radar systems, attack helicopters and Patriot air defense missiles, the China Times reported. A report by the government in Taipei said Taiwan expects to spend $20.3 billion for weapon systems over the next 10 years in an effort to offset an arms buildup in mainland China, the paper said. The thrust of Taiwan's acquisition plan, the Times said, is to strengthen defenses against aircraft and ships, which would be important if China should attack Taiwan.
Net earnings for DRS Technologies in fiscal year 2002 rose more than 70 percent over those reported a year earlier, company officials said May 20. Net earnings for the 12-month period ending March 31 totaled $20.3 million as compared with $12 million a year earlier. Revenues for FY 02 totaled $517.2 million as compared with $427.6 million a year ago.
