Congress is finding new ways to put its stamp on the budget process now that earmarks are a relic of the past. The latest invention is a series of “innovation” accounts included in the fiscal 2011 appropriations bill. Each of the military services and special operations forces will receive $105 million for research and development. Production innovation accounts are just $15 million per service, and there’s one defense-wide industrial base innovation fund for $24 million.
BENGALURU, India — The Indian defense ministry’s Center for Airborne Systems (CABS) has engaged EADS defense unit Cassidian to help with the system integration and flight testing of India’s Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) platform. The AEW&C is scheduled to be integrated on a modified Embraer EMB-145 aircraft later this year. The Indian air force is set to commission three AEW&C platforms by 2013, with the first flight expected this May.
The Pentagon decision to cancel the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) has created a greater opportunity for the proposed Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) as a more vital means of landing Marines from vessels. Textron Marine & Land Systems, based in Slidell, La., is banking on its experience as the contractor for the current landing hovercraft — the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) — as one of the main selling points in its bid to win the Marine contract for the SSC.
SINGAPORE — Japan has issued its much-anticipated request for proposals (RFP) for FX fighters and three aircraft are in contention: the Boeing F/A-18E/F, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35. The defense ministry disclosed last year that it also would be interested in receiving proposals on the Lockheed Martin F-22 and Dassault Rafale. But the U.S. government has banned F-22 exports. Dassault’s spokeswoman in France was unavailable for comment.
SHIP SHIPPED: The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of DDG-11 — the future USS Spruance — from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard April 15. Accepting DDG 111 represents the official transfer from the shipbuilder to the Navy. The Spruance is the first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to have a modernized machinery control system, which leverages open architecture to reduce total ownership costs. Spruance is a multi-mission guided-missile destroyer designed to operate in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface environments.
Priorities on Technology, Procedures and Benefits May 10-12, 2011 Washington, D.C. Washington Marriott at Metro Center -- Understand the FAA’s priorities, commitments and current status -- Gather information from the Hill including updates on White House and Congressional policy, funding and timeline -- Examine the economics of NextGen, and discover what financial metrics are driving the business decisions
HOUSTON — Shuttle Endeavour’s final flight — the STS-134 mission to equip the International Space Station with the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and stage external spare parts — is now formally set for an April 29 liftoff following a Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center on April 19.
Professional and amateur astronomers are likely to spend decades poring over a massive data-dump from NASA that represents 57% of the take from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, which imaged the entire sky from polar orbit.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter could be flying again soon. It has been grounded since September after an aircraft crashed in Belize during a demonstration deployment with U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom). The cause of the crash has not been released but was related to the tail rotor, says Ernie Wattam, Boeing A160T program manager. A fix has been tested in the wind tunnel. Demonstrator and production aircraft will be retrofitted.
DENVER — Lockheed Martin has cut out an entire test article from the Orion crew exploration vehicle that it is recasting in a new role as deep-space Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), combining test objectives for the remaining articles in an effort to keep the vehicle within the tight schedule set by Congress.
SAN FRANCISCO — Inspectors for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will know by May whether Kakuda Space Center (KSPC), the research group’s leading site for rocket engine development, will require major refit work following the devastating earthquake which struck northeast Japan in March.
Bell Helicopter has flown its demonstrator for the OH-58 Block II, which the company is proposing to meet the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement to replace the Kiowa Warrior. Flown for the first time on April 14 from Bell’s Xworx research and development facility in Fort Worth, the Block II is re-engined with Honeywell’s 1,000-shp-class HTS900 turboshaft to improve the OH-58’s hot-and-high performance, and meet the Army’s requirement to hover out of ground effect at 6,000 ft. altitude on a 95F day.
NASA has dished out generous helpings of seed money to four companies for work on commercial crew vehicles in the second round of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev-2), advancing a total of $269.3 million to mature concepts for private spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and other low-Earth-orbit destinations.
JUNO ARRIVES: Juno, a Jupiter-bound science probe built for NASA by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, has arrived in Florida for launch preparations. The solar-powered probe is targeted for liftoff on Aug. 5 on board an Atlas 5 rocket. The cruise to Jupiter will take five years. Upon arrival, Juno is expected to enter an elliptical polar orbit for a year-long study to help answer questions about the planet’s formation, evolution and structure, including whether Jupiter has a solid core. Spacecraft processing is being handled by Astrotech in Titusville, Fla.
ARMY General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded on April 8 a $173,458,076 fixed-price-incentive-fee contract for the procurement of low rate initial production in support of the Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system. The work will be performed at Poway, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2014. One bid was solicited and one received. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting authority (W58RGZ-11-C-0099).
