NEW DELHI — The Indian army is trying to stay mindful of cultural differences and stress management as it develops training strategies for new recruits. “We are now dealing with new-age soldiers,” says Brig. Gurdip Singh, commandant at the Madras Engineer Group and Center (MEG&C). “Their thinking levels are different. We ensure that our training patterns don’t add any stress to a young recruit. The days of corporal punishment have gone. Instructors are told to handle every candidate differently.”
NEW DELHI — An explosive-detection kit (EDK) developed by India’s secretive defense research agency soon will be introduced to U.S. government personnel. U.S.-based Crowe & Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to license the EDK technology. The kit, developed by DRDO’s High-Energy Material Research Lab (HEMRL), is already in use with the Indian armed forces, paramilitary and state police.
Next month the U.S. Army will kick off a two-year competition for a contract to supply 70,000-100,000 new carbine rifles to replace the M4. Late last month the Army hosted an industry day to answer questions and provide the assembled industry representatives a little more guidance on what will be in the request for proposals (RFP).
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Countdown clocks at Kennedy Space Center began ticking down on April 26 toward the planned April 29 liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour, carrying a particle physics experiment and spare parts to the International Space Station on NASA’s penultimate shuttle flight. Launch of the STS-134 mission, the 25th and final flight for Endeavour, is targeted for 3:47 p.m. EDT. Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing are forecasting an 80% chance that the weather will be suitable for flight.
The first Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) has been encapsulated in preparation for a May 6 launch into geosynchronous orbit (GEO), according to U.S. Air Force officials. The trip to GEO will take about nine days, says James Sponnick, mission operations director for United Launch Alliance, which built the Atlas V 401 configuration rocket that will carry the satellite.
Details have begun to emerge on Canada’s ambitious C$5 billion ($5.26 billion) plan to buy thousands of new tactical wheeled vehicles — including reconnaissance vehicles, infantry carriers and logistics trucks — as the date approaches for contract awards.
The U.S. Navy appears to be finally throwing its weight behind electric-drive propulsion, and it’s about time. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine how a service that was so relatively quick to recognize and embrace the benefits of nuclear-powered propulsion for its aircraft carriers and submarines could take so long to develop deployable electric- and hybrid-drive ships.
Iran’s government networks have been infiltrated by a cyberworm for the second time in eight months, according to one of Tehran’s officials. Dubbed the “Stars” worm, “the new cyberproblem has been detected and is undergoing forensic examination,” according to Iran’s MehrNews agency. Some of the nation’s industrial processes, including its nuclear program, were infected by the Stuxnet Worm in September 2010.
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HUMMING AWAY: Flight testing of the Boeing A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter resumed on April 25 at Victorville, Calif., after tail-rotor modifications. The A160T has been grounded since an aircraft crashed in September 2010 in Belize while being operated by U.S. Special Operations Command, carrying the Forester foliage-penetration radar. The first production A160T rolled off Boeing’s assembly line in Mesa, Ariz., on March 17 and will fly later this spring.
SAFETY FIRST: NASA has extended its contract with Science Applications International Corp. of Houston to provide support for safety and mission assurance activities at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The one-year extension lasts through April 2012 and features two additional six-month options, giving it a total value of $73.8 million. It brings the overall value of the contract to $356 million. The Safety and Mission Assurance Support Services contract supports the International Space Station and space shuttle programs, among others.
After months of wrangling, U.S. Air Force officials have decided to conduct competitions for two major helicopter requirements—the Common Vertical Lift Support Program (CVLSP) and an HH-60G recapitalization effort.
The U.S. Navy is pushing ahead on energy-enhancing programs meant to help the service with on-ship water desalination and provide additional power sources for buildings and vehicles. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) says it wants industry desalination ideas by May 2 for the Advanced Shipboard Desalination Future Naval Capability (FNC), which aims to increase fresh water production by more than 65% while reducing energy use per gallon of water by 65% — all in the same space or footprint of current systems.
ARMY CACI-WGI Inc., Chantilly, Va., was awarded a $9,044,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract on April 13, 2011. The award will provide for the rapidly deployable expertise and support in all aspects of counter-improvised explosive device operations. The work will be performed in Arlington, Va.; Afghanistan; and Iraq; with an estimated completion date of April 21, 2013. Four bids were solicited with two bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0027).
Northrop Grumman is starting system tests of a new Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) being developed for use by the U.S. Navy onboard the MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aircraft.
ARMY L-3 Communications Aerospace, LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $51,847,145 labor-hour contract on April 15, 2011. The award will provide for the mechanical support, quality control inspection and other services to aircraft production at Corpus Christi Army Depot. The work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 28, 2014. Sixteen bids were solicited with five bids received. The Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, is the contracting activity (GS-10F-0328N). MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
In a widely expected move, the U.S. Defense Department has officially terminated the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136. But the companies have vowed to fight to restore funding for the Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine in the fiscal 2012 budget, indicating a willingness to help fund the remaining development. The termination notice follows a “stop-work” order issued on March 24 by Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter, pending final resolution of funding for the alternate engine in the fiscal 2011 budget.
Arianespace successfully launched the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn spacecraft at 5:37 p.m. EDT April 22 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the company’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. A March 30 launch attempt was aborted on the pad at the last moment when the rocket’s Vulcain main engine shut down (Aerospace DAILY, April 1).
ALMATY, Kazakhstan—Kazakhstan is reaching out to Western countries to help it develop its space industry, while at the same time continuing to cultivate its relationship with Russia.
Pratt & Whitney is replacing F135 engines in some F-35 Joint Strike Fighters with spares after a possible misassembly issue was identified in a ground-test engine that was removed from the test stand at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee in early March. “We identified a small number of F135 test/production engines that may be impacted by a possible misassembly issue,” a company spokesperson says. “These engines are being replaced by spare engines on site in Fort Worth, with no impact to the F-35 flight-test program.”
