KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA’s Kennedy Space Center launch team and the six-member STS-132 crew have completed a practice countdown for shuttle Atlantis’ targeted May 14 liftoff on what is expected to be the orbiter’s final space mission. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) ended at 11:05 a.m. EDT on April 24 — a day later than planned due to delays moving the shuttle from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. Rollout was postponed two days due to weather concerns.
U. S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND FLIR Systems Inc., North Billerica, Mass., was awarded an estimated $35,209,784 one-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of the long range ground mobility visual augmentation system in support of the U.S. Special Operations Command procurement division. The work will be performed in Billerica, Mass., and is expected to be completed by 2011. U.S. Special Operations Command is the contracting activity (H92222-10-D-0013).
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are investigating why contact with the first HTV-2 hypersonic test vehicle was lost soon after launch last week on a mission to demonstrate technology for high-speed, long-endurance flight.
NEW DELHI – Thales has been chosen by Russian Aircraft Corporation, MiG (RSK-MiG), to provide the IFF1 Combined Interrogator Transponder (CIT) and Cryptographic National Secure Mode (NSM) as part of the retrofit for the Indian air force’s MiG-29 fighter aircraft. The approximately $900 million retrofit project — delayed by two years — was awarded to Russia for 65 MiG-29s to receive a 15-year life extension by 2013. The upgrade included advanced avionics and a new weapon control system.
LONDON — Russia’s latest effort to recapitalize its defense industrial base may be its last opportunity to sustain and rebuild on the foundation of its Soviet-era capacity, according to an analysis by Forecast International. The Kremlin’s most recent state arms program, which covers the period out to 2015, is at the heart of efforts to secure the future of the sector, providing around $185 billion for re-equipping the armed forces.
Contenders to build 75 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian air force include the Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, EADS PZL-130 Orlik, Grob G120, Hawker Beechcraft T-6, Pilatus PC-7A, Korea’s KT-1 and Daher-Socata TB30. An April 20 article did not fully name the aircraft types.
NEW DELHI — The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency formally notified Congress on April 22 of the possible foreign military sale (FMS) of 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to the Indian Air Force. India’s defense ministry had sent a letter of request to the U.S. government for the C-17s via the FMS process (Aerospace DAILY, Jan. 11). Boeing’s Jan. 8 statement followed immediately after an United Arab Emirates announcement of plans to purchase six C-17s.
ON ORBIT: The SES-1 satellite is operating normally following its April 24 launch on an International Launch Services Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket lifted off at 7:18 a.m. EDT and the satellite successfully separated from the Proton rocket’s Breeze M upper stage eight hours and 58 minutes later. Built by Orbital Sciences Corp. based on its Star 2.4 bus, SES-1 will replace SES’ existing AMC-2 and AMC-4 spacecraft at the 101 degrees W. long. orbital position.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Changes to a $2 billion particle detector to be installed outside the International Space Station have prompted NASA to retarget the final flight in the space shuttle program for November. With an extra $600 million expected to extend shuttle operations into the last three months of the year, NASA agreed to delay launch of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) from July 29 to mid-November.
REAPING HARVEST: U.S. Naval Air Systems Command says it has completed Phase 1 testing of the Harvest Hawk roll-on/roll-off weapons kit for the Marine Corps’ KC-130J tanker/transport. Now the test aircraft is off to China Lake, Calif., to continue testing. Harvest Hawk consists of a pallet-mounted fire-control console in the cargo hold, an EO/IR targeting sensor in the left underwing fuel tank and a four-missile Hellfire launcher in place of the left refueling pod.
TELEPORTATION: MTN Communications and satellite equipment specialist Erzia have opened a satellite teleport in Spain to serve as a gateway for VSAT communications. The teleport will be one of the first capable of handling C- and Ku-band commercial service as well as X-band government traffic. MTN is establishing a global Ku-band maritime mobile satellite network to compete with Inmarsat.
BETTER DEFINITION: The U.S. Air Force is working to reduce the number of undefinitized contract actions that remain open for 180 days or more, according to David Van Buren, the service’s top acquisition official. The number of UCAs is a “major problem,” and one that has gotten raised eyebrows in Congress, he told a group April 23 hosted by the Northern Virginia Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
BENGALURU, India — India’s Nishant UAV is undergoing crucial user trials at Pokhran. The tests began April 20 and will last one more week. Nishant previously underwent stiff evaluations at Pokhran in August 2009. The UAV was developed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment, along with two other Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) laboratories.
ROCKET RIDE: U.S. Air Force officials are looking at integrating the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) onto A-10 and F-16 aircraft to improve their ability to conduct low-collateral-damage engagements of small targets. BAE is producing the weapon, which was designed for use on Army and Marine Corps helicopters. The system couples a 70-mm. rocket with a semi-active laser seeker for guidance.
FLEDGLING BIRD: Intelsat has started operation of a new C-/Ku-band spacecraft to provide video, cellular backhaul and Internet trunking services over Africa. The satellite, formerly called Protostar-1 but now renamed Intelsat 25, was acquired last year from troubled Asian satcom startup Protostar and repositioned at 328.5 deg. E. Long.
WASTE NOT: Pentagon acquisition officials estimate they may have a “30% inefficiency” rate on the contracts that they execute. This results from “bad business deals,” overly expensive services contracts, poor performance or “bloated overheads,” according to David Van Buren, the Air Force’s top procurement official. Pentagon officials are now studying how to reduce the wasted money at least by half, he told an audience hosted April 23 by the Northern Virginia chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
LCA FLIGHTS: India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is moving closer to its planned December 2010 induction into the Indian air force, following the April 23 first flight of Limited Series Production (LSP) No. 3, the ninth test aircraft to join the flight program. LSP-3 is close to the final configuration of the aircraft, including new avionics, an Israeli Multi-Mode Radar (Aerospace DAILY, April 23), new communication and navigation equipment, and a radar warning receiver. Wing Cmdr. G.
The U.S. electronics industry has a new set of draft standards meant to curtail the counterfeit-parts problem that has been plaguing aerospace programs—especially those associated with the Pentagon—according to Daniel DiMase, a Honeywell Technology Solutions quality engineer. For example, DiMase says, the industry is looking to develop a reverse logistics program to make sure parts returned to the manufacturer are the same parts that were sent out in the first place.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Complex 41 April 22, sending the X-37B experimental space vehicle on its first test flight. Started by NASA in the late 1990s, the X-37 program was adopted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and later transferred to the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, culminating in its launch at 7:52 p.m. EDT.
BENGALURU, India—India’s first state-of-the-art helicopter simulator facility is expected to go live here next month. The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (Hatsoff) is an 50/50 joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and simulation technology company CAE of Canada.
TYPHOONS OK: Following a brief hiatus to check that volcanic ash was not damaging its Eurofighter Typhoons, the U.K. Royal Air Force is once again conducting training flights with the type. The air force halted Typhoon flights—except for aircraft on quick-reaction alert—following the discovery of ash deposits April 21, shortly after the restrictions on flying had been lifted. The Defense Ministry now says: “RAF engineers have confirmed there was no damage to any of the Typhoon aircraft or engines following precautionary investigation of volcanic ash deposits.
BUY BACK: Orbital Sciences Corp. on April 23 announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to $50 million of its common stock over a year-long period. Orbital has repurchased 12,772,038 shares for a total of roughly $207.3 million since its share repurchase program began in 2004. The new authorization replaces the previous $50 million authorization that expired on March 6.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) April 27 - 29 — Aeromart Montreal, “International Business Convention for the Aerospace Industry,” Palais Des Congress. For more information go to www.bciaerospace.com/montreal/en.html May 3 - 5 — Speednews Eighth Annual Aerospace and Defense Industry Suppliers Conference, Intercontinental Los Angeles at Century City, Los Angeles, Calf. For more information go to www.speednews.com
