GLONS, Belgium — NATO is starting another round of testing and verification of its massive Air Command and Control System (ACCS), with the hope of having the so-called level of capability one (Loc 1) reach initial operational capability by mid-2013.
The ability of the U.S. Air Force to maintain 60 combat air patrols (CAPs) of remotely piloted aircraft is going to shrink, but the much sought-after capability should be re-established over the next year and later grow to a total of 65, according to Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements. He made the prediction during Nov. 2 testimony to the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical and air-land forces.
NEW DELHI — India will open commercial bids for its two finalists in the $11 billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program on Nov. 4. “We expect to finalize the vendor for the 126 multirole combat jets in the next few weeks,” a defense ministry official says. In April, India downselected the Eurofighter Consortium’s Typhoon and Dassault’s Rafale as the final contenders for the MMRCA deal. The two companies have extended their offers until December and the government has to decide the final winner by then or the bids will expire.
GENOA, Italy — Engineers from U.S. behemoth Boeing are offering further glimpses into the so-called “international road map” variant of its F-18 Super Hornet, starting with its two shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) and numerous Enclosed Weapons Pods (EWPs). The details are emerging as Boeing and rival Lockheed Martin, with its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), move from being cut out of the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft and look to non-JSF partners like Japan for new business.
GLONS, Belgium — As part of NATO’s gradual effort to expand its missile defense capability, the alliance on Nov. 4 is expected to award a contract to upgrade a key systems development tool. The award of €20-30 million ($28-40 million) will kick off a spiral of development funding, says a NATO official. The money will go to what is called Interim Capability 2 final (or Spiral 1) and should expand the capacity of NATO’s interim Air Command and Control System (ACCS). It is part of NATO’s Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (ALTBMD) road map.
HOUSTON — Excalibur Almaz, Inc., a Houston-headquartered space tourism company distinguished by its plans to use refurbished Soviet-era military space station hardware for adventure travel and commercial research, has become the seventh participant in the second round of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) initiative.
NEW DELHI — India’s defense ministry has approved a massive military modernization program that includes a comprehensive overhaul and upgrade of the army’s firepower. The military revamp, pegged at about $12 billion, is now awaiting the finance ministry’s approval, an army official tells Aviation Week. “The proposal is expected to be cleared by the finance ministry very soon and it will then be put before the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval and financial sanction,” he says.
The Obama administration is striking back against potential congressional reductions to programs that would extend the life of the U.S.’s nuclear bombs. The House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee has reduced funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) nuclear modernization request by $1.16 billion, and the Senate has removed $732 million from the request, said Thomas D’Agostino, NNSA administrator.
Click here to view the pdf Defense Appropriations: Where Lawmakers Agree ($ in thousands) Defense Appropriations: Where Lawmakers Agree ($ in thousands) RequestRank Description Request House
A group of 100 Republican and Democratic lawmakers are urging the super committee to push for $4 trillion in deficit reduction, beyond its current goal of $1.2 trillion. Republicans in the group led by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) and Rep. Mike Simspon (R-Idaho) say they’re willing to consider some tax increases, and some Democrats say additional reductions to the defense budget would help rack up the significantly higher target.
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To save money in the near term, the U.S. Air Force plans to phase in testing of its next-generation bomber’s nuclear capabilities. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told lawmakers Nov. 2 that the new bomber will be designed to perform both nuclear and conventional long-range strike missions. But the bomber won’t be certified for the nuclear missions at the start.
NASA is striving to advance orbiting fuel depot technology through a project called Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST), which hopes to launch an 1,800-kg (4,000-lb.) demonstration mission in 2016.
Lawmakers and industry groups are seeking to block progress on LightSquared’s proposed ground-based broadband network until testing demonstrates that the network will not interfere with any type of GPS device. Their efforts come as the government begins additional testing of GPS receivers for interference from LightSquared’s broadband-wireless network.
FRANKFURT — Germany should proceed with the purchase of Eurofighter Tranche 3B aircraft while unloading older Tranche 1 models, according to one of the country’s main labor unions. In the first official statement since the German government confirmed plans to cut 37 Eurofighters and reduce purchase plans for Tiger and NH90 helicopters as well as other equipment, IG Metall representatives also bemoan the ongoing uncertainty regarding programs such as the Talarion unmanned aircraft.
NEW CHIEF: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Cornell University Astronomy professor Steven Squyres as chairman of the NASA Advisory Council. Squyres is the principal investigator on the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and participated in the Voyager, Magellan, and Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous missions. “His experience as a planetary science researcher with many NASA robotic missions will be of great value to the council,” Bolden says. “The knowledge and experience of the council’s members, such as Steve’s, is a vital component of the group.
NEW DELHI — The Pentagon is reiterating its enthusiasm for India to consider purchasing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, even though New Delhi already shut out U.S. providers from its fighter competition.
HOUSTON — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has shelved plans to open a third U.S. campus at either Houston’s Ellington Airport or suburban Chicago Rockport Airport in favor of expanded graduate degree program offerings by its global classroom network in systems engineering and other disciplines where skilled personnel are in high demand.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are questioning whether the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is ready for nuclear war. The specific issue is whether or not the stealthy fighter is adequately hardened against the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) created by a nuclear explosion high in the atmosphere or in low Earth orbit. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on Tactical and Air Land Forces, raised the issue during a Nov. 2 hearing.
Click here to view the pdf Defense Appropriations: Points Of Agreement On Cuts ($ in thousands) Defense Appropriations: Points Of Agreement On Cuts ($ in thousands) No. Description Request House
A U.S. House-Senate conference committee working out differences in fiscal 2012 defense appropriations would start in complete agreement on $1 billion in cuts to investments, be very close on another $1.4 billion, and less than 10% apart on about $500 million.
The U.S. Air Force has completed the initial activation of its first jam-proof Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite, and begun on-orbit testing. Ground terminals at Schriever AFB, Colo. and MIT/Lincoln Labs, Mass. logged in to the Lockheed Martin-built satellite as part of its startup process. The Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB plans to transfer responsibility for the satellite to 14th Air Force early next year.
