LONDON — The Polish government is planning to increase defense spending in the coming year, and as part of its focus on new equipment, also has formally kicked off the competition for an integrated training system, including an advanced jet trainer. The move comes as defense spending in Poland will jump 7% in 2011 from 2010 levels, representing about 1.95% of national spending. Capital expenditures are a priority right now, with that budget allocation actually growing 12%.
SLINGING SUPPORT: U.S. House Democrats on Sept. 8 quickly praised a Pentagon notice that it is signing the David’s Sling Weapon System Project Agreement with Israel. The countries already had entered the U.S.-Israel Short-Range Ballistic Missile Defense System Project Agreement to develop David’s Sling, an Israeli concept including the Rafael “Stunner” interceptor, launch site control, multimission radar, data link system and a battle management command, control and communications system (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 8).
High winds at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 8 prompted a two-day delay in the launch of Russia’s Progress 39 to the International Space Station with more than 5,000 lb. of propellant, research gear, spare parts, water, compressed oxygen and other supplies. The launch was rescheduled for Sept. 10 at 6:22 a.m., EDT. Docking of the unpiloted spacecraft will follow on Sept. 12 at 7:58 a.m. EDT.
NEW DELHI — India, like the U.S., needs an integrated homeland security strategy and cybersecurity is critical to the nation’s economic and financial growth, according to members of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) attending India’s Homeland Security Exhibition and Conference (Indesec) here. With India and the U.S. sharing a common interest in defending against terrorist networks, preventing cyberattacks and protecting critical infrastructure, a formal working group is being established between the two countries on cybersecurity.
NASA anticipates a long-running relationship with Chilean authorities, as the ministries of mining and health pursue a months-long rescue of 33 miners trapped since Aug. 5 some 2,300 ft. below ground in a setting with similarities to those of astronauts stranded on a space station. An agency delegation, including two physicians, a psychologist and a safety engineer, returned to the U.S. on Sept. 5, following a six-day visit to the collapsed San Jose gold and copper mine near Copiapo in northern Chile.
A U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom) A160T Hummingbird crashed Sept. 4 at Central Farm airfield in Belize during a demonstration of the unmanned rotorcraft’s ability to handle the Forester foliage penetration radar. This is the second Hummingbird to crash this summer; one crashed in California in July during envelope expansion testing (Aerospace DAILY, July 30). Findings of that accident have not yet been released.
PARIS — The looming shortfall in military broadband capacity is encouraging the U.S. Defense Dept. to sharply expand the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) network and to further blend commercial know-how and other enhancements into its design. At the end of August, the Defense Department signed a $182 million contract with Boeing to supply long-lead items for a new WGS satellite to complement six already in orbit or on order. A production award is expected to be inked by year’s end, says Craig Cooning, chairman/CEO of Boeing Satellite Systems International.
LONDON — Saab has secured the contract to fully integrate the MBDA Meteor ramjet-powered air-to-air missile on the Gripen fighter. The 312 million Swedish kronor ($43 million) deal covers a four-year period, Saab says. Gripen has been serving as the launch platform for all Meteor test flights. Those trials were not undertaken with a full integration into the Gripen weapon systems, however. The new contract is to rectify that, and assure the Meteor is fully functioning with the Gripen radar, displays, planning systems and other tools.
LONDON — The U.K. government has asked industry if there are options for stepping back from the plan to buy two new aircraft carriers, BAE Systems CEO Ian King tells Parliament’s defense select committee. In recent days, industry was asked to offer alternatives, which include buying one carrier, or even none. The latter would be coupled with the launch of another program to sustain industrial capabilities, King says. The U.K. already has begun building the first carrier.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Rollover of shuttle Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) was delayed Sept. 8 when Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station were shut down to all but mission-essential personnel due to a water main break. Discovery’s move to the VAB had been scheduled for 6:30 a.m., but shortly before it was to begin the quarter-mile trek, the center lost pressure in its potable water lines. Both KSC and CCAFS receive water from the City of Cocoa, which had no additional information about the break.
Boeing is planning to reorganize elements in its defense unit and reduce jobs by about 400 in an effort to streamline its business and reduce cost to the customer. The shifts come amid demands from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates for reductions in the price of weapon systems and for improvements in contractor performance on government contracts.
Three ranking Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) have sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates demanding documents, analyses and opinions supporting the Pentagon’s decision to close down U.S. Joint Forces Command (Jfcom) in Norfolk, Va.
LOS ANGELES — Recent experiments in Chile could provide hope that living microbes may yet exist on Mars, despite data collected by NASA’s Viking landers in 1976 that have generally been interpreted as showing no evidence of life. The new studies, conducted by Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez and a geophysical team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), suggest that the Viking data have been misinterpreted and that carbon-rich organic molecules may be present on Mars after all.
LONDON — The U.K. defense industry is worried that the government’s ongoing Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) will result in decisions that may have unintended long-term implications for the defense industrial base. Although London plans to follow the SDSR with a Defense Industrial and Technology Roadmap, the gap between the two efforts is causing concern. “You can’t really do it in sequence,” says Ian Godden, head of the Aerospace, Defense and Security industrial lobby group in the U.K.
CYBER M&A: Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing are interested in pursuing cybersecurity mergers and acquisitions, executives said Sept. 7. But Lockheed is not interested in Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding unit, Lockheed CEO Robert Stevens says. He and Dennis Muilenburg, head of Boeing’s defense unit, spoke at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington. Separately, another Boeing defense executive detailed job cuts and a reorganization there to AVIATION WEEK. (See p. 1.)
LONDON — Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has successfully completed flight tests for the Colombian air force’s Boeing 767-200 multi-mission tanker/transport (MMTT). The move comes just days after Colombia inked its partnership in Embraer’s KC-390 tanker/transport development program. The latter will take several years to emerge, however. Designed to support the Colombian fleet of 24 upgraded Israeli-built Kfir C.10 and C.12 fighters, the new 767-MMTT conducted aerial refueling of a Colombian C.10 during the trials.
TEL AVIV — Israel’s upcoming operational introduction of the advanced Arrow 3 interceptor missile and the Stunner interceptor for the David’s Sling system may open the door to a period of rapid development for air-launched weapons that can catch enemy ballistic missiles during the vulnerable few minutes after they launch. The Stunner, designed and built by Rafael in a cooperative program with Raytheon, is a low-cost design that targets threats including cruise missiles, medium- and long-range artillery rockets and short-range ballistic missiles.
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U.S. AIR FORCE Honeywell Technology Solutions of Colorado Springs, Colo. was awarded a $219,400,000 contract modification which will provide systems and maintenance engineering, network support integration, on site and off site depot level maintenance and software maintenance of the Air Force Satellite Control Network. At this time no funds have been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. is the contracting activity (P04701-02-D-0006, PO0065). U.S. NAVY
U.S. AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Corp., Marietta, Ga., was awarded a $315,587,530 contract modification for the procurement of three fiscal 2008 Overseas Contingency Operations C-130J aircraft; one fiscal 2008 Overseas Contingency Operations KC-130J aircraft; and one fiscal 2010 HC-130J aircraft. At this time, $250,745,584 has been obligated. 657 AESS, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-06-C-6456; PO0178).
