House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are advancing a bill that would reiterate the U.S. commitment to Israel, including asking for a report no how to “improve” Israel’s purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-35. The bill also provides non-binding support for deepening the already-close military ties between the two nations.
House appropriators seemed pleased to hear assurances from top U.S. Army officials that the development of new tactical vehicles is on track, but they’d also like it if the Army would keep buying Abrams tanks. The defense subcommittee had Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno at its fiscal 2013 budget hearing March 7. Most of the questions were about the Ground Combat Vehicle (GVC), the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and the Abrams tank.
SPECIAL SPACE: The bipartisan Florida delegation to Washington is still trying to get the Space Coast designated a special zone in need of extra government assistance to develop businesses. The so-called Shuttle Workforce Revitalization Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R), would designate Brevard County as a “historically underutilized business zone,” or HUBZone, since the shuttle program ended.
An ad hoc team of former program managers are calling on the Pentagon to adapt the 18 Global Hawk Block 30 UAVs, due to be mothballed under current budget plans, for boost-phase intercept (BPI) of ballistic missiles.
BANGKOK — Thailand wants to further boost its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), due to increasing land-based threats.
Unanticipated repair bills and other life-cycle expenses are driving up acquisition costs, and the Pentagon needs to plan better for such expenditures, a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says. “With the nation facing fiscal challenges and the potential for tighter defense budgets, Congress and the Department of Defense (DOD) have placed more attention on controlling the billions of dollars spent annually on weapon system operating and support (O&S) costs,” GAO says in its recent report.
LONDON — The German government has approved an upgrade of its CH-53 transport helicopters to improve operations during brownouts with additional sensors. Germany plans to upgrade 26 CH-53Gs/GEs to ease landings in difficult environmental conditions. Purchase of the sensor equipment is to be completed next year, with 5-10 helicopters to be upgraded per year for four years, the defense ministry says.
LOS ANGELES — Boeing’s ongoing efforts to revive the fortunes of its commercial space business received another boost with confirmation of an agreement with mobile satellite service Artel to distribute Inmarsat-3, -4 and -5 bandwidth to potential U.S. government users. The deal, signed between Boeing Commercial Satellite Services and Artel, is initially focused on providing Ka-bandwidth on Inmarsat-3 and -4 satellites. Inmarsat-5 global satellite communications will be available in late 2013, the manufacturer says.
The U.S. Navy recently finished a yearlong effort to better define some of its command-and-control (C2) procedures, as outlined in a recent tactical memorandum (Tacmemo) from Navy Warfare Development Command. It defines challenges for C2, provides a common lexicon and presents standardized processes for use by maritime operations center personnel.
The staff of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee is going to delve into the details of the U.S. Air Force decision to stop production of the Global Hawk Block 30 and put 18 of the unmanned aerial vehicles in storage, the panel’s top Democrat says. Fast becoming one of the most unpopular budget decisions of fiscal 2013 on Capitol Hill, the Air Force’s move to mothball its high-tech UAVs in favor of maintaining its fleet of U-2 intelligence-gathering aircraft drew fire from a number of members of the powerful spending committee at a March 6 hearing.
The fate of the Defense Department’s fiscal 2013 budget request is smack in the middle of a debate among Republicans on the House Budget Committee who are developing a spending resolution for the next fiscal year. Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has “deployed” two subcommittee members, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), to hold the line on defense spending, keeping President Barack Obama’s budget request as a minimum point.
NEW DELHI — A Mirage 2000 fighter crashed in India’s western state of Rajasthan on March 5, prompting the Indian air force to ground the entire fleet. It was the IAF’s third aircraft accident in less than two months. The accident occurred at 12:30 p.m. local time, soon after the twin-seater trainer version of the aircraft took off on a routine sortie from Gwalior air base in Madhya Pradesh in central India. It crashed near Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, according to a defense ministry official.
Three companies qualified to provide unmanned-aircraft intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services to the U.S. Navy are awaiting award of the first task orders under the five-year, $874 million contract vehicle. AAI Corp., Boeing Insitu and Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) have been awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts under which they will bid competitively for individual task orders to provide sea- and land-based ISR services
At least some of the 480 or so high-performance SA-24 Grinch anti-aircraft missiles that disappeared during the Libyan uprising have reappeared in the hands of insurgents on the borders of Israel, senior Israeli defense officials say. The advanced weapons were smuggled out of Libya to Iran, according to the sources. From there the supply line split, with some weapons going to Syria and then on to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Others were smuggled into Egypt and then to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
YEAR AHEAD: The global defense market will see flat or declining growth this year due to anticipated decreases in military spending, principally in the U.S. and Europe, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is calling on the U.S. to lead an international effort launching air strikes against the Syrian government. “To be clear: This will require the United States to suppress enemy air defenses in at least part of the country,” McCain said during a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate on March 5. He urged the U.S. to build an alliance with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and other “willing allies” in the EU and NATO.
Raytheon intends to develop a system to intercept insurgent rocket attacks under a U.S. Army quick-reaction program that is planned to lead to a demonstration in 18 months, followed by low-rate initial production. The company has received a $79.2 million contract for the Accelerated Improve Intercept Initiative (AI3). The program will combine a Raytheon-developed interceptor with government-furnished launcher, fire-control and command-and-control (C2) systems.
NEW DELHI — A day after India successfully test-fired its 290-km-range (180-mi.) BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and put into operation the second tranche of the weapon system, Pakistan on March 5 tested a nuclear-capable short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile. BrahMos has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 meters (33 ft.) above the ground. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.8. On the other side, Pakistan’s Hatf-2 missile can travel up to 180 km and deliver nuclear as well as conventional warheads with high accuracy.
ARMY GE Engine Services Inc., Arkansas City, Kan., was awarded a $242,386,898 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the recapitalization and overhaul services of the T700 and T701D turbine engines. The work will be performed in Winfield, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-D-0007).
ARMY BRASS: India has named Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh as its next army chief, a government official says. The 59-year old Singh will take charge of the service on May 31 when the incumbent Gen. V.K. Singh retires from service. Bikram Singh joined the 1.3-million force after the 1971 war with Pakistan.
