Click here to view the pdf U.S. Army Procurement Funding Shifts:2013 Plan for Fiscal 2014 Compared to Actual 2014 Request (Losers) (Then-year dollars in millions) U.S.
The Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) wants a further review of the Pentagon’s Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) to guarantee competition and ensure the military makes the best overall acquisition decision. The SAC’s concerns come in the wake of the July 18 protest by BAE Systems of the $279.4 million NGJ contract that the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon to develop the pod to replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system now carried by the Boeing EA-18G Growler aircraft.
Belgium has taken delivery of its first NH90 in the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) configuration. The country becomes the fifth nation to take delivery of the naval version of the twin-engine utility helicopter, which is produced by NHIndustries, a consortium of Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Fokker.
The Senate fiscal 2014 defense spending bill makes a modest increase to an account that usually doesn’t attract much attention, adding $725,386 to the “Classified programs” line in the Air Force’s “Other procurement” account. It’s a modest 5% increase to the $15.2 million for U.S. Air Force “Other Procurement” line 999, summarizing multiple programs. The committee report on the bill (S.1429) explains the increase as “Classified adjustment.” The full Senate Appropriations Committee marked up the bill Aug. 1.
WGS WINDOW: The U.S. Air Force is anticipating a launch window for its sixth Boeing Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft of 49 min. starting at 8:29 a.m. EDT Aug. 7. The satellite, which will provide high-bandwidth data and voice communications for U.S. and Australian forces, will be lofted by a United Launch Alliance Delta IV with four solid-rocket motors and a 5-meter fairing, from Cape Canaveral.WGS-6 is the final “Block 2” standard satellite, which includes a bypass to allow for quick transfer of video data collected by unmanned aircraft.
OSHKOSH — The “sweet spot” cost for widespread law-enforcement and public safety deployment of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) is probably around $50,000 — about the cost of a fully equipped squad car — suggests Alan Frazier, assistant professor in the University of North Dakota aviation department and a 33-year law-enforcement veteran working on research to integrate sUAS into public-safety use.
ARMY Lockheed Martin – Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract with a maximum value of $223,310,000 for the procurement of Modernized-Target Acquisition Designations Sight pilot night vision sensors and related services. This FMS contract is in support of Korea. Fiscal 2013 Procurement funds are being obligated on this award. Three bids were solicited, with three bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-13-C-0104).
A testbed for future fuel-efficient civil transport and unmanned aircraft with slender, flexible wings has made its first flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. The X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT) has been built by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and NASA to test active aeroelastic control technologies for flutter suppression and gust-load alleviation.
NEW DELHI — India is exploring the possibility of building a 65,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier as it gains confidence in its warship-making capability. The Indian navy is undertaking a detailed study on the size, type of aircraft, aircraft launch and recovery systems, and propulsion. “All options are being considered, including nuclear propulsion ... However, no final decision has been taken,” Navy Vice-Chief Adm. R.K. Dhowan says.
LONDON — U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (Afsoc) is boosting its capabilities in Europe with the delivery of Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and updated Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II support aircraft.
Northrop Grumman expects to be under contract with Lockheed Martin shortly after being selected to supply the active, electronically scanned array radar for an F-16 avionics upgrade under development for the U.S. Air Force and Taiwan.
Northrop Grumman and the German defense minister remain far apart when it comes to cost estimates of what it would take to certify the now-canceled Euro Hawk high-altitude UAV for flight in German airspace. A Bundestag commission investigating the Euro Hawk cancelation recently held a series of hearings to find out who knew what—and when—about cost overruns in the program and problems in obtaining certification for the system to fly in the country’s airspace. The German election campaign season only adds to the angst; general elections take place Sept. 22.
A more robust and maturing sensor network for the U.S. missile defense architecture is allowing planners to expand the options for an enhanced kill vehicle (KV).
The former chief of U.S. Africa Command (Africom) says Niger was willing to allow armed, as well as unarmed, U.S. unmanned aircraft to fly over neighboring Mali from an airfield in the North West African country but the request was not approved by higher U.S. authorities. Army Gen. Carter Ham (ret.) told the Aspen Security Forum last month that when the U.S. began flying unmanned aircraft surveillance missions out of Niger in February the Nigeriens “were certainly willing to have armed capability” as well.
Aviation could ultimately benefit from a new round of U.S. Energy Department awards for projects to accelerate the development of sustainable algae biofuels. The projects aim to boost algae productivity while cutting the capital and operating costs of commercial-scale production. Aviation sees algae as a promising feedstock for biofuel because it uses less land and water than growing energy crops and produces more oil. Airbus is backing algal biofuel and establishing a research center in Germany to advance the industrial production of kerosene from algae.
TEL AVIV — Undergoing a major force reduction, Israel is holding a garage sale. Fighter aircraft, helicopters, transport aircraft, tanks and missile boats may have helped build the nation’s military legacy, but now the military is ready to sell them off.
Prospects for abundant and inexpensive natural gas have aircraft manufacturers reassessing the options for future fuels, particularly for the military where both energy security and affordability could trump any desire to reduce emissions by moving away from fossil fuels.
Once hailed as a breakthrough weapon with the potential to reshape the close-quarters battlefield, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement system has fallen victim to U.S. budgetary woes.
The latest sensor to record the effects of roadside blasts on soldiers is the Integrated Blast Effect Sensor Suite (Ibess) from the Georgia Tech Research Institute. The system, worn by soldiers and installed in vehicles, acquires integrated, time-tagged blast data for analysis. Blasts cause injuries, but their exact effects can be unclear. The soldier system is in a pouch (see photo) that attaches to body armor between the shoulders. It has two sensors for the back and two for the front of the body that record directional data and other information.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel has unveiled an addition to its Spice series of aerial bomb-guidance systems. This time, however, the Spice 250 (Spice means smart, precise impact, cost-effective) is a unitary weapon that offers significantly enhanced standoff precision-strike capabilities. Weighing just 127 kg (248 lb.), the bomb is capable of penetrating hardened bunkers. Importantly, it allows attackers to engage targets while out of range of enemy missile defenses.
Defense Vehicle Dynamics, the U.K. Defense Ministry's annual land warfare event here for the military and contractors, was more about cost-savings and consolidation than new equipment, given the drawdown from Afghanistan and the ongoing recession.
