NASA will pay $55.8 million a seat for six rides to the International Space Station (ISS) on Russian Soyuz vehicles in 2013-14, a surprisingly small increase given the monopoly on human space transportation Soyuz will enjoy after the space shuttle fleet retires at the end of this year.
LANGLEY AFB, Va. — Afghanistan is proving to be a different type of war from that fought in Iraq. Afghanistan is a large, sparsely populated country with few cities, roads and railways, but it must be thoroughly patrolled and its hot spots must be monitored.
Discovery’s astronauts scanned the space shuttle’s heat shielding for signs of damage from launch debris April 6, but were unable to transmit the findings to NASA’s Mission Control for analysis by imagery experts because of a failed high-data rate Ku-band communications antenna.
GERMAN DINGOS: The German government has placed another order for Dingo 2 armored vehicles from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, with the target of delivering the improved vehicles to forces still this year. In recent days, the government has placed two orders for Dingo 2s, the latest a 44-unit commitment for the battle damage repair version of the armored vehicle (known as GSI). The deal comes after a March 29 announcement in which the government ordered 41 Dingo 2s, which are all to go to Afghanistan.
DECISION TIME: The British Labour Government has announced that the national election will be held on May 6. A Strategic Defense Review will get fully underway immediately following the election, irrespective of which of the main political parties is returned to power. The extent to which defense policy and support for the armed forces features in any way as an election issue remains to be seen.
FRENCH JAVELIN: After the French government in February announced it had opted to buy the Javelin anti-tank weapon, the Pentagon has now formally notified Congress of the anticipated foreign military sale valued at $69 million. The deal covers 76 command launch units and 260 missiles, which are intended to support French forces in Afghanistan. However, the deal is expected to lead to follow-on orders. France’s main missile provider, MBDA, is not cut out of the loop entirely, though.
u.s. air force Defense Support Services, LLC of Greenville, S.C. was awarded a $96,000,000 contract which provides support for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure System Program. At this time, $4,974,280 has been obligated. 716 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8625-10-D-6501)
STRIKING POSTURE: The long-awaited nuclear weapons policy from the Obama administration is expected out as soon as April 6, and expectations are high in Washington that it will encompass dramatic changes to U.S. strategic intent. While the blueprint is not expected to dismantle the nuclear triad of bombers and land- and sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, the NPR and recent treaty negotiations and budget requests are expected to lead to rescoping some elements of the ICBM and bomber fleets.
The U.S. Navy announced in December 2009 that its Remote Minehunting System (RMS) triggered a Nunn-McCurdy cost growth notification, and recent numbers peg that growth at an astonishing 79.5 percent. The Defense Department released its annual Selected Acquisition Reports (SAR) on April 1, and the RMS fell under the “critical breaches” heading. The program acquisition unit cost grew 79.5 percent, while the average procurement unit cost grew 54.6 percent over the acquisition baseline program.
INDIAN ARMY: Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh, India’s 24th chief of staff for the Indian Army, has taken command from retiring Gen. Deepak Kapoor. Singh participated in the Bangladesh War of 1971 and is the recipient of various awards of merit. He has substantial experience in counterinsurgency operations, line of control and high altitude area environments, which should prove beneficial given that India’s threats come from these areas. Singh is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Rangers Course at the U.S. Army War College.
A long-range reconnaissance robot that refuels itself by collecting and consuming vegetation is taking shape at the University of Maryland. The Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) is being developed by Robotic Technology Inc. under a Phase 2 small business innovation research contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).
While the U.S. Air Force has made strides in developing and deploying the MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial system, the service still needs to work on the radar integration to better assess the aircraft’s capabilities, according to a recent report by the Director, Operational Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E)
Two unrelated factors contributed to the failure of a U.S. Missile Defense Agency Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) to destroy its target during a Jan. 31 flight test, Aviation Week has learned from multiple officials in the ballistic missile defense program.
HOUSTON — The shuttle Discovery began a two-day journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 5, following a pre-dawn lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with more than 17,000 pounds of scientific gear and other supplies. Discovery’s seven astronauts were on course to link up with the orbiting laboratory on April 7 at 3:44 a.m. EDT. The 13-day STS-131 flight will prepare the nearly assembled station for operations well beyond the shuttle’s scheduled retirement late this year, after missions in May, July and September.
HOUSTON — Shuttle Discovery astronauts may have to tackle a pair of upcoming major mission activities without a functioning Ku-band communications antenna. The dish antenna, which was deployed soon after the seven shuttle astronauts reached orbit early April 5, failed a self-check and defied efforts by experts at NASA’s Houston Mission Control to recover the communications link used to transmit television signals back to Earth and radar signals during rendezvous operations.
Money for new-build U.S. Army Apache Block III helicopters arrived so late in the budget process that it forced the program into a breach of the Nunn-McCurdy statute, triggering a mandatory review of alternatives.
GATOR ARRAY: The U.S. Marine Corps announced April 5 the next system test phase for its Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), a multi-mission radar that will replace five legacy ground-based radars the service currently operates. The Northrop Grumman radar will be tested in a fully populated array, complete with all transmit/receive modules, radiating elements, prime power and distribution, RF manifold and associated control and processing electronics at the company’s antenna test facility in Norwalk, Conn.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force on April 5 inaugurated its first local F-15SG squadron, marking a significant step up in the country’s air warfare capability. The first batch of five of the fighters flew to Singapore from the Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, together with 36 air and ground crew. The team had been based at Mountain Home since last May, undergoing flying and maintenance training.
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND L-3 Communications Corp., EOS Division, Garland, Texas, is being awarded a two-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of MX 10160 image intensifier assemblies in support of U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters Procurement Division. The work will be performed in Tempe, Ariz., and is expected to be completed in 2012. The estimated value of the contract is $30,000,000. The contract number is H92222-10-D-0012.
HARTFORD, Conn. — Pratt & Whitney is completing its 1,000th F117 engine for Boeing’s C-17, and expects to continue building them up to around 2015. The 1,000th engine, a military derivative of the PW2000 commercial turbofan, will be delivered later this month and officially marked in a ceremony set for May. Despite the slowing of the C-17 production rate to 10 per year by 2013, “the engine will be an important part of the business for the next five years,” newly appointed Military Engines President Warren Boley says.
PUZZLE PIECES: The first major hull modules for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, are ready to be towed from Babcock’s Appledore shipyard in Devon to Rosyth in Scotland, where the Queen Elizabeth and the second CVF, Prince of Wales, will be assembled. The 400-ton shipment comprises two modules: the bulbous bow and the section just above it, between the bow and the aircraft hangar. The 65,000-ton turbine-electric ships, by far the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy, are being constructed in modules around the U.K.
