NASA has completed calibration work on the Spitzer Space Telescope for its new “warm” observing mission. Launched in 2003, Spitzer was designed as a cryogenically-cooled infrared observatory capable of studying objects ranging to the distant reaches of the universe. Spitzer’s nominal mission life was originally expected to be around 2.5 years, but careful use of the onboard liquid helium coolant allowed it to be extended until earlier this year.
CHINA LAKE, Calif. Unrestricted and high-speed weapons are a key “emergent concepts” research area for scientists and engineers at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center here.
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) failed to properly account for how it negotiated contracts worth about $721 million, according to a recent report by the Pentagon Inspector General. “In total, USSOCOM did not adequately document $721 million in negotiated prices on four contracts,” the IG says in its Sept. 18 report. “Of the $721 million, USSOCOM did not adequately support $356 million on one contract for commercial hardware items,” the IG reported.
MOSCOW Russian national space agency Roscosmos has delayed the launch of three new Glonass navigation satellites on a Proton-M booster roughly one month from its originally planned Sept. 25 date to allow more testing of the spacecraft. The additional spacecraft checks were prompted by the malfunction of a Glonass satellite orbited in September of last year. All Glonass-M spacecraft on the ground are being inspected.
All but two of the 57 major U.S. defense contractors — those receiving more than $500 million in 2006 Defense Department contract awards — have ethics programs that include many of the practices consistent with standards now required by federal acquisition regulations, according to congressional auditors. But opportunities still exist to improve DOD’s oversight in two key areas, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report.
DOUBLE DATE: The U.S. Army plans two industry days to support its future Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV). No solicitation, draft or otherwise, will be issued at or prior to the first industry day, set for Oct. 16 in Dearborn, Mich. “The goal of this event is to familiarize participants with the initial GCV requirements and to promote discussion … among potential industry partners,” according to a Sept. 28 advisory. The second industry day is scheduled for November and “will outline ... GCV requirements and procurement schedules,” an Army spokesman said.
AIR FORCE Lear Siegler Services Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded a $36,480,912 contract which will exercise option year three of the contract for contractor logistics support for the C-26B and RC-26B aircraft for the Army National Guard, consisting of maintenance, repair, and support functions for the period of Oct. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2010. At this time no money has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKC, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-07-C-0004, P00070).
CASELLE, Italy As production on the C-27J continues at Alenia Aeronautica’s plant here, the company is already eyeing potential upgrades to improve the tactical airlifter’s performance. U.S. C-27J No. 4 will be delivered to the Pentagon in March. It will be the final aircraft included among the first four C-27Js headed to Iraq in the fall.
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The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) has completed the first phase of Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and the second phase of System Functional Demonstration (SFD) commissioning, the U.S. Navy announced Sept. 28. HALT testing gauges the EMALS launch motor’s ability to operate in simulated at-sea environmental conditions onboard the carrier. HALT also supplies the system’s engineers with data necessary to verify EMALS’ peak performance, even in extreme conditions.
WestWind Technologies is opening a new 65,000-square-foot building Sept. 29 at Huntsville International Airport in Alabama, for which the company plans to pursue modification and integration work on C-130s, as well as for fixed-wing commercial aircraft. The facility primarily will service the company’s existing rotorcraft customers, but it is large enough to accommodate two C-130-sized aircraft, representative Barbara Nash says.
AIR FORCE Integral Systems Inc. of Columbia, Md., was awarded a $77,662,446 contract which will implement the restructure of the rapid attack, identification, detection and reporting system block-10 program from a six fixed and three deployable site configuration to a five transportable system construct. At this time, $27,740,754 has been obligated. SMC/SYSW/PK of El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8819-05-C-0018).
As the U.S. Army begins to map out its modernization strategy for 2010, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the service address challenges including funding levels, demand from the field and a joint future lift program.
ARMY Critical Solutions International Inc., Dallas, Texas, was awarded on Sept. 21, 2009, a $259,877,400 firm-fixed-priced-contract for 150 vehicle mounted mine detectors without mine detonation trailer set. The work is to be performed in Gauteng, South Africa, with an estimated completion date of December 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. TACOM-Warren, AMSCC-TAC-ADCB, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-D-0001). NAVY
HART BEAT: A system for commanding multiple unmanned aircraft, managing airspace, and geo-registering and disseminating the downlinked video to meet individual requests for imagery from multiple users is to be transitioned to the theater next year after successful demonstrations under the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Heterogeneous Airborne Reconnaissance Team (HART) program. Developed by Northrop Grumman, HART allows the tasking of multiple different unmanned aircraft without modification of the air vehicle or its ground station.
TOUGH BREAKS: The global market for anti-ship missiles is worth $7 billion through 2018 and will involve the production of nearly 12,000 weapons, according to Forecast International. MBDA, Europe’s leading missile maker, could make more money than Boeing, around $724 million, analysts predict. A tight budget and other problems have prompted the U.S. Navy to drop plans to purchase the Harpoon III anti-ship missile, and while the blow is significant to the marketplace, it’s not fatal. The anti-ship missile market is in transition, according to Forecast.
JF-17 BIDDING: Pakistan seems to be canvassing Western suppliers anew for avionics and weapon systems to equip its version of the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft. Initial bids for the JF-17 were sought several years ago, but the plane’s developers apparently believe more capabilities are needed for the aircraft, which entered production in Pakistan in July. According to French reports, several Western suppliers have been solicited, including South Africa’s ATE and Astrac, a joint venture of Thales and Sagem. Neither company would comment on the reports.
LANDING AID: Temeku Technologies will design, build and deliver in April 2011 a production representative model of a multi-function display to aid landings on aircraft carriers under an $11.7 million U.S. Navy contract. The large shipboard display will combine several existing visual landing aids into one presentation with horizon reference display bar, deck status indication and pilot visual cues for the Aircraft Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse System.
GEAR CHANGE: The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Vulcan program to demonstrate constant-volume combustion (CVC) engine technology is dramatically shifting direction. Citing “compelling results” from a business-case analysis, Phases 2 and 3 of the program will shift focus from a turbojet/CVC combined-cycle engine for a high-Mach aircraft to a CVC combustor retrofit for marine gas turbines powering U.S. Navy ships.
OUT TO SEA: SES has become the latest satellite operator to enter the booming maritime mobile satellite service (MSS) market. SES said this week that it has begun offering MSS capacity to commercial fleets and yachts in the North and Baltic Seas and the northern Mediterranean through its Astra2Connect interactive broadband service. The operator also struck deals with KNS Inc. to develop new stabilized antennas for maritime use and with U.K.-based H2OSatellite to distribute the service in Europe.
