COLORADO SPRINGS — Several next-generation satellite systems built by the U.S. Air Force could rely on smaller, simpler and cheaper designs, says Gen. William Shelton, Air Force Space Command chief. Shelton says he continues to push for “disaggregation” of U.S. military satellites, which calls for separating payloads once hosted on large satellites and placing them on more numerous, smaller systems with an eye toward distributing capability and controlling costs.
The Pentagon is nearly finished renegotiating contract for troubled airborne satcom terminals, USAF is establishing alternate program path in case the company fails to perform.
PARIS — France’s defense procurement agency DGA announced the first tranche of a multibillion-euro program to equip French armed forces with next-generation tactical radios starting in 2018. The initial €263 million ($345 million) award to Thales Communications under the Contact program would initiate development work this year in an effort to outfit the army, air force and navy with software-defined tactical communications devices that allow simultaneous transmission and highly secure voice/data for operationally deployed forces.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Engineers at Lockheed Martin are edging ahead of schedule to complete assembly of the Maven spacecraft, which is designed to investigate why most of the atmosphere of Mars has largely disappeared. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Maven) vehicle is being put together at Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems Waterton site near Denver. Due to be launched in November 2013, Maven will travel through the upper reaches of the Martian atmosphere, gathering data that should help scientists reconstruct a climatic history of the planet.
NEW DELHI — India has ordered its defense forces and all other security agencies to remain prepared to tackle an entire range of challenges along its borders in the wake of the situation in the neighboring Afghanistan/Pakistan region. Taliban militants on April 15 mounted a synchronized attack at key establishments in Kabul. The assault ended after 18 hr. on April 16, by which time all but one attacker had been killed.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The main stage of NASA’s planned heavy-lift Space Launch System exploration rocket will carry four surplus RD-25D space shuttle main engines, as NASA and main-stage prime contractor Boeing move toward preliminary design review (PDR) on the big new rocket by the end of the year.
LONDON — Problems found during inspection of RTM322 engines on AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin helicopters have forced the Danish armed forces to ground part of the fleet that is used for search-and-rescue and transport missions. Because of cracks founds in different elements of 11 RTM322 engines, the Danish military says it only has enough spares available to operate 10 of 14 EH101s. The flaws were found during “routine” inspections.
Eaton Corporation will provide significant content on 84 new Boeing F-15SA fighter aircraft for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) in a purchase agreement announced between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the US Government. The deal also includes upgrades to the SA configuration for 70 F-15S fighter jets in the RSAF fleet.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Worldwide space spending grew by more than $31 billion in 2011, but the laggard global economy continues to exert downward pressure on the industry, according to the latest report of the National Space Foundation.
NEW NAME: Finmeccanica’s Alenia North America publicly changed its name to Alenia Aermacchi North America on April 17. The move follows a merger of Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aeronautica and Alenia Aermacchi aeronautics brands and comes on the heels of a massive overhaul of the flagship Italian aerospace and defense company back home. Based in Washington, Alenia Aermacchi North America also maintains offices and facilities in Seattle, Wash., Smyrna, Ga., Fort Worth and Madison, Minn., as well as Canada.
FMV MARKET: Consulting company Visiongain says the global military video surveillance systems market will reach $8.81 billion this year, thanks in part to growing adoption of full-motion video (FMV) technology proven by U.S. and allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Now that Ingalls Shipbuilding has tackled production problems with the U.S. Navy’s LPD-17 San Antonio Class Amphibious Transport Dock ship, the company is researching the possibility of using the ship for additional missions or technology upgrades, says Irwin Edenzon, Ingalls president and vice president at parent company Huntington Ingalls Industries. Remarking that the ship now has a “stable design,” Edenzon says the company is looking to see if the vessels can be “applied to other missions.
Click here to view the pdf World Military Spending:Expenditure By Region2002-2011 ($ in U.S. Billions) World Military Spending: Expenditure By Region2002-2011 ($ in U.S.
LONDON — The U.K. will likely delay addressing its maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) gap until 2015, military officials tell Parliament’s defense committee. The decision will likely be part of the 2015 Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR), says Air Vice Marshal Mark Green, the Defense Ministry’s director of joint and air capability transformation. Legislators are worried about the MPA capability gap in the aftermath of the 2010 decision not to field the Nimrod MRA4.
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Click here to view the pdf World Military Spending:Key World Military Expenditure StatisticsBy Region World Military Spending: Key World Military Expenditure Statistics By Region Region/Subregion Military expenditure 2011 (US$B)
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Pentagon has declared that the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) project has exceeded its original projected per-unit cost by 58.4%, triggering a rigorous review under the Nunn-McCurdy program oversight law. Through the EELV program, the government procures Atlas V and Delta IV rockets from United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The cost growth was reported April 13 to Congress.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Though parts for the new GPS III satellites are costing more than planned, Lockheed Martin says the rigor applied by the U.S. Air Force in quality assurance is setting a new industry standard.
After 13 years of steady and often sharp increases in defense spending, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) says last year’s 0.3% increase to $1.74 trillion in global expenditure suggests the growth period is at an end. Although the global average is leveling off, it mainly reflects a change in spending in the U.S. and Western and Central Europe, where spending was down by 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively. Latin American spending also was down, by 3.3%.
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Even in the construction of an aircraft carrier, it is the culmination of the small things that makes a big difference. The focus on lifecycle savings for the new CVN-78 Ford carrier has created a slight drag on the construction timetable for the ship, according to Matthew Mulherin, corporate vice president for Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding unit.
WINNING COMBO: Textron AAI executives are pointing to their known track record with providing unmanned aircraft logistics, as well as the platforms themselves, as a key reason the company recently was selected to join a potentially $874 million contract vehicle for sea- and land-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Lockheed Martin has begun hot-fire tests of a rocket engine designed to power a Reusable Booster System (RBS) demonstrator for the U.S. Air Force.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Cambodia’s air force aims to receive its first Avicopter Z-9 helicopter next year and plans to purchase Russian-built Mil Mi-17 helicopters and Chinese-built Xian Aircraft MA60 military transports, according to service chief Lt. Gen. Soeung Samnang. Samnang spoke to Aviation Week April 16 on the sidelines of the Defense Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
U.S. ARMY Raytheon Co., Network Centric Systems, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., was awarded a $75,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of the AN/TPX-57 Identification Friend or Foe Systems Air Defense Interrogators components and associated engineering support. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-12-D-A010).
