NEW TRAJECTORY: Under an organizational restructuring announced last week, the undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force will become the “focal point” for space within the service’s headquarters, with responsibility for coordinating functions and activities across the Air Force space enterprise. The armed service also announced the realignment of space acquisition responsibility from the undersecretary’s office to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition.
MLP AWAY: The U.S. Navy’s new Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) ship program will be based on an existing design, the Alaska-class crude oil carrier. Four of these ships were built by General Dynamics Nassco for what is now BP, the oil company, and Naval Sea Systems Command officials announced Aug. 26 that they awarded Nassco a $115 million advanced design and long-lead time material contract Aug. 13.
DENVER — Aurora Flight Sciences and Lockheed Martin have both submitted proposals for an emerging joint capability technology demonstration (JCTD) known as Medium Altitude Global ISR and Communications (Magic). With the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory as the technical manager and U.S. Central Command as the operational manager and sponsor, Magic has not yet been launched, but Aurora and Lockheed executives see growing backing for the project.
Over the next few weeks, the U.S. Air Force plans to use one of two thruster systems still functioning on a protected military communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin to reach an intermediate orbit after failure of a liquid apogee engine on the spacecraft.
DENVER — With production of Raytheon’s 33-lb. guided Griffin weapon under way for U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom), the company is eyeing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as potential host platforms. Socom has ordered 640 units for use on its “Dragon Spear” gunship kit for the MC-130W, says Everett Tackett, Raytheon’s Griffin business development director. The company developed the system for ground launch but modified it for use on aircraft after Socom expressed interest in the weapon.
LONDON — After weeks of discussion about how the U.K. will fund its future nuclear weapons program, industry is calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to spell out the issue. The funding discussion will have big ramifications for the ongoing Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR). The U.K. Treasury wants the funding to come entirely from the defense budget, a reversal from the past when it was funded centrally. But the defense ministry is pushing back.
MRO Military Europe 2010 CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION September 29-30, 2010 ExCeL • London, UK Learn to maintain military assets longer; sustain aircraft beyond forecast; recover from budget cuts, delays and program cancellations, and develop new strategies required to deliver and support equipment. Learn more at www.aviationweek.com/events
A team of U.S. spacecraft controllers has parked an old Earth-science satellite in a precarious orbit around the second Earth-Moon Lagrangian point (L2), making the first-ever use of the point in space where the gravity of the Sun, Earth and Moon are in balance set up an entirely new science mission.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has requested Oct. 23 on the 45th Space Wing’s calendar for launch of its second Falcon 9 rocket, which will aim to place a Dragon cargo capsule into orbit. The flight is the first of up to three launches planned under SpaceX’s $278-million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract with NASA, which is intended to help pay for the rocket and capsule’s design, development and flight testing.
BENGALURU, India — A Chetak helicopter From Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.’s (HAL) Rotary Wing Academy crashed in Bengaluru early on Aug. 27; both pilots escaped with minor injuries. The aircraft was about to hover on a regular training sortie when it came down after spinning twice inside the HAL-owned airport. HAL insiders say the helicopter would have likely been about 10-15 ft. off the ground when the accident occurred. The academy, which was established in 2000, trains pilots to fly civil helicopters.
European investigators report that a two-year experiment aboard the International Space Station for the tracking of global marine traffic using VHF Automatic Identification System signals from ships at sea is off to a productive start. The ISS experiment is working cooperatively with the recently launched Norwegian AISSat-1.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A $2 billion multi-national particle detector scheduled to be installed outside the International Space Station during the final space shuttle mission in February arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 26 following a change-out of its cryogenically cooled magnet for a permanent magnet at CERN in Geneva.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) AUG. 30 - Sept. 2 — AIAA Space 2010 and 28th Annual International Communications Satellite Systems Conference, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. For more information call (703) 264-7500, or go to www.aiaa.org SEPT. 10 — AVIATION WEEK Webinar: Strengthening Warfighter Protection and Response To Irregular Warfare, 2 p.m. EDT. For more information go to www.aviationweek.com/events
HOUSTON — Lockheed Martin says its “Plymouth Rock” mission proposal would reach a Near Earth Asteroid with astronauts using two Orion capsules and a dual-launch strategy as early as 2016—or nearly a decade ahead of the asteroid goal outlined by President Barack Obama in April.
BUY AMERICAN: Six Democratic-aligned members of the Connecticut delegation are complaining to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the Pentagon’s effort to buy Russian Mi-17 helicopters for Afghanistan. (See story p. 1.) “Particularly in light of the great commitment the United States is making to Afghanistan ... we believe it is only prudent to consider proposals from U.S. manufacturers,” reads the Aug. 26 letter, signed by Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, and Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney and Christopher Murphy.
The No. 1 procurement priority identified by U.S. officials to complete their mission to equip and train the Afghanistan security forces is the acquisition of dozens of additional Mi-17 helicopters. The single-rotor Mi-17s are ideal for the quasi-military security needs in Afghanistan. The Russian multirole helicopter is often configured for military, police and civilian uses. It has a large sliding door and can carry a relatively large amount of cargo and dozens of passengers, troops or wounded people. It can also be outfitted with rescue hoist.
BENGALURU, India — Test pilots from India’s National Flight Test Center (NFTC) are currently familiarizing themselves with the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and learning techniques used by the Indian Air Force’s frontline squadrons. Program Director for Combat Aircraft and Aeronautical Development Agency Director P.S. Subramanyam tells AVIATION WEEK that the NFTC team should gain enough expertise from the current mission to give Tejas the best pilot-vehicle interface.
The crash of a two-seat Eurofighter Typhoon belonging to the Spanish air force marks the first operational loss of the twin-engine fighter. A Saudi Arabian air force pilot died in the Aug. 26 crash at around 9:30 a.m. local time, with a Spanish air force officer in the back seat surviving by ejecting before impact. The cause of the crash shortly after takeoff is under investigation.
For the eighth straight year, the U.S. Coast Guard has dedicated more resource hours to homeland security missions than to non-homeland security missions, according to the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s (IG) recent annual review of the service’s mission performance.
BENGALURU, India — In a new agreement with Hyderabad-based HBL Power Systems, Russian Navigation Information Systems (NIS) Glonass will market, manufacture and jointly propose products in India that draw upon the Russian satellite navigation system.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Pratt & Whitney is preparing to wrap up production of the F119 for the F-22A Raptor but hopes an ongoing U.S. Air Force analysis will lead to additional engines being built through 2012.
