(Editor's note: This is an excerpt from a Sept. 4 Department of Defense news media roundtable held by Douglas J. Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy.) Q: Where do things stand now with the Russians on missile defense and the talks?
House Appropriations defense subcommittee member Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) said late Sept. 5 that there is "about a 90 percent chance" that the panel will add money to the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2002 budget request for Navy procurement of the Raytheon T-6A Texas II trainer aircraft.
Despite appearances, it is too early to say whether the awarding of three commercial satellite contracts to U.S. satellite manufacturers represents a turnaround for the U.S. satellite industry, industry experts say. That's because the contracts are between U.S. satellite builders and telecommunications companies, a relationship that has largely been unaffected by the imposition of export controls on satellite technology in March 1999, said David Logsdon, manager of space operations for the Aerospace Industries Association of America.
A proposed $1.3 billion cut in the Administration's $8.3 billion request for Fiscal Year 2002 missile defense funding could have an "enormous" impact on the testing program, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Sept. 6.
Recent tests conducted by teams under Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co. herald a new era in attacking moving targets, said Stephen Welby of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Welby is the manager of the Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement (AMSTE) program, which is intended to aim at and destroy enemy vehicles without causing collateral damage. He said the tests relied on a new targeting concept that "implies a notion of vigilance."
Fitch Inc., an international ratings agency, affirmed its ratings for Goodrich Corp. following that company's announcement that it would spin off its Engineered Industrial Products sector and focus more on aerospace products and services. Fitch analysts affirmed their "A-" rating for Goodrich's senior unsecured debt and their "BBB+" rating for the company's quarterly income preferred securities. The rating outlook for the company remains stable.
L-3 Communications announced its Link Simulation and Training division of Arlington, Texas, has been awarded a contract to provide training, support and management for the U.S. Air Force's C-141 Total Training System. Under the agreement, the Air Force can exercise 10 one-year options, which would bring the total program value to about $67 million, L-3 announced on Sept. 5. About 2,500 C-141 Starlifter aircrew and maintenance personnel a year will rotate through the training system at six U.S. military bases.
NASA should not take over the National Science Foundation's astronomy and astrophysics work, according to a new report from the National Research Council. The Bush Administration's fiscal year 2002 budget document directed NASA and the NSF to form a panel to study the idea. The agencies also asked the NRC to report on the proposed transfer.
The U.S. Air Force has decided not to spend money on NASA's embattled X-33 and X-37 flight demonstrators, NASA notified a California lawmaker on Sept. 5. The move effectively terminates the troubled X-33 program, while leaving the future of the X-37, a robotic space plane, in doubt. NASA announced in March that it wouldn't continue work on the X-33, an experimental vehicle being developed with Lockheed Martin that was once expected to lead to a spacecraft that could replace the venerable space shuttle.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence approved the fiscal 2002 intelligence authorization bill by a unanimous vote in closed-door session Sept. 6. Details won't be released until the committee files a report. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence plans to take up its own version of the bill on Sept. 20.
NASA plans to spend too little on safety and performance upgrades for the space shuttle fleet, members of the Senate Commerce Committee said Sept. 6. "The shuttle program part of the NASA budget is $218 million short in the next fiscal year," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. "We have an opportunity to fix this problem. Before we consider the [spending bill] conference report, possibly next week, we can increase the budget to pay for some of the safety improvements that are so critical to our shuttle program."
With aircraft noise regulations becoming increasingly stringent, NASA's three aeronautical research centers are partnering with industry, academia, and FAA to make sure future air travel growth doesn't get shouted down. Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, and Glenn Research Center are each working on aircraft noise reduction technologies that could allow airports to grow without impinging upon the quality-of-life for the surrounding communities.
Amsterdam-based MirCorp announced it has signed an agreement with Russian partners to study the design, development, launch and operation of the first private space station. The agreement, signed with RSC Energia and Rosaviakosmos, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, calls for the station - dubbed Mini Station 1 - to start commercial space operations, including space tourism, in 2004. It is intended to have a 15-year lifetime.
Lockheed Martin has delivered the first three fully configured KC-130J tanker aircraft to the United States Marine Corps, the company announced Sept. 5. The KC-130Js, the first of seven scheduled to be delivered this year, will be based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.
A panel of military space analysts agreed that America's space assets are highly vulnerable to potential attacks, although opinion diverged as to whether the current threat warrants putting weapons in space. Speaking at a Cato Institute conference on military space in Washington, D.C. September 5, John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, argued that while there is no pressing need for America to develop offensive anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, U.S. dependence on satellites provides incentive for others to do so.
The Goodrich Co. announced Sept. 4 that it its board of directors approved the tax-free spin-off the company's Engineered Industrial Products business to shareholders. Under the spin-off, Goodrich shareholders will receive one share in the new industrial company for every five Goodrich shares they hold on the date of record, which has yet to be determined. The spin-off is expected to be completed in early 2002.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) has been selected by Alenia DIFESA of Brescia, Italy, to supply a "smart" weapons test system for use by the Italian air force. Deliveries under the $1 million contract will begin in May 2002 and continue through March 2003, the company announced Sept. 5.
An article in The DAILY of Sept. 5 incorrectly listed the date when Boeing CEO Phil Condit officially opened his company's new Chicago headquarters. It was Sept. 5.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told Senate lawmakers Sept. 5 that U.S. officials have not tacitly approved an increase in China's nuclear weapon stockpiles in exchange for China's support of U.S. plans to build a ballistic missile defense system. Rumsfeld said he questioned the secretary of state and the national security adviser to see if press reports about the Chinese agreement were accurate, and was told they were not.
As it had promised at the Paris Air Show in June, Israel signed an amendment to a letter of offer and acceptance with the U.S. government for 52 more F-16I fighters, F-16 builder Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. announced Sept. 5. The aircraft are in addition to the 50 F-16I aircraft Israel ordered in January 2000, and were an option to that order (DAILY, June 20).
SAAB and BAE SYSTEMS have formed a new joint company, Gripen International, to market the Gripen fighter for export. The new company, owned equally by Saab and BAE Systems, is based in Sweden and was formed Sept. 3.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Sept. 5 that he is exploring the possibility of including an unspecified "mechanism" in the fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill to ensure Congress has "full information" about possible violations of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty before it signs off on missile defense funding. "Congress should know whether or not the activity for which funds are being requested conflicts" with the 1972 treaty, Levin told reporters.
The House Armed Services Committee has approved legislation aimed at jumpstarting efforts to find a successor to the Navy EA-6B Prowler radar-jamming aircraft. To speed up development of an EA-6B replacement, the newly released committee version of the fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill would add $10 million to the Bush Administration's budget request.
The Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) will be moved from its current home at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and will now report to J.D. Crouch, the assistant secretary of defense for International Security Policy.
