AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., of McKinney, Texas, is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for an amount not to exceed $87,327,441. The action will provided 35 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems Model A, 25 Preproduction Units including one retrofit gyro and one retrofit imager, and associated replaceable unit spares and containers to support the predator/reaper. At this time, $14,094,649 has been obligated. 703rd ASG, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-06-G-4041).
A military engine program aimed at Mach 4-plus applications could have major fuel-saving potential for future commercial airliners. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Vulcan program is focused on integrating a new propulsion concept called a constant volume combustion (CVC) engine with a turbojet to power a full-scale vehicle from rest to beyond Mach 4. Although aimed at possible long range strike and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as missiles, the same technology could be used in future commercial engines, DARPA says.
AIR FORCE The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed-price contract with Boeing Satellite Systems Inc. of El Segundo, Calif., for $6,289,303. The contract action will exercise the third three-month storage option for the third wideband global satellite communication. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. HQ SMC/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-00-C-0011, P00182). ARMY
The vice chiefs of the U.S. Army and Air Force are expected to brief Undersecretary of Defense William Lynn on a plan for transferring the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program from Army to Air Force management by the end of this month, according to Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
PLAN PLEASE: A group of House Armed Services Committee (HASC) members is trying to force the U.S. Navy and the Defense Department to submit a long-term shipbuilding plan, as required by law, they say. Rep. Randy Forbes, a ranking HASC Republican who represents Virginia’s naval-heavy 4th District, said he filed a resolution of inquiry to try to pry the information from the Pentagon.
The senior official running the U.S. Defense Department’s future vertical lift capabilities-based assessment (FVL CBA) hopes the initiative will result in a technology development effort similar to that which led to the Joint Strike Fighter. But the technology effort would not be aimed at a specific rotorcraft program, and industry executives question whether it would attract funding anywhere near the billions of dollars spent on the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program that led to JSF.
NASA on June 1 announced the full membership of the blue-ribbon panel chaired by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine that will deliver an assessment of NASA’s human spaceflight options to the White House by September.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Malaysia’s Astronautic Technology have set July 13 as the first launch window opportunity for the delayed Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT Earth resources satellite.
Joint Strike Fighter officials are refocusing the program on delivering test-ready aircraft following further delays to completing F-35s for development flight-testing. The shift will delay the first flight of aircraft still in production by up to three months, but is expected to enable faster flight-testing to recover some of the slippage. Aircraft were previously being flown once, then grounded for modifications to incorporate design changes resulting from analysis and testing.
PARIS — Eumetsat and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are discussing extending their cooperation in the fields of meteorology and operational oceanography. Under the proposed scheme, Eumetsat could allow ISRO to access its EumetCast data dissemination system and provide a near real-time processing and dissemination service for the Altika Ka-band altimeter on India’s Saral oceanography satellite, to be orbited next year, pending approval by the Eumetsat summer council.
A way forward to mitigate potential gaps in the air sovereignty alert (ASA) mission, which calls on U.S. Air Force fighters to protect air space over U.S. territories, appears not to be making much headway in the Pentagon.
NEW DELHI — India’s ministry of defense has invited the six prospective Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) vendors to inspect the three sites where field trials for the aircraft will be held. Starting June 7, three teams comprising up to ten personnel each from SAAB Gripen, Lockheed Martin and Boeing will visit Bangalore for two days, then Jaisalmer and Leh for one day each to check out the locations. They will be followed by teams from EADS, MiG and Dassault.
IN POSITION: China will launch about 10 Beidou positioning satellites in 2009 and 2010. Chinese media emphasize that the Beidou (or Compass) constellation will help end the dominance of the U.S. Global Positioning System system and, especially, avoid the risk of Chinese military and civilians depending on that foreign service.
EPS EXPECTATIONS: The Pentagon is expecting to approve the Enhanced Polar System (EPS) to begin development early next year, according to Air Force officials. EPS is the polar-orbiting piece of a new secure, high-data-rate satcom architecture for the United States. It will consist of two payloads on classified host satellites, a “gateway” segment to connect the system to the rest of the Pentagon’s communications infrastructure, and a mission control segment.
NEW YORK — Lockheed Martin has retained its ranking as the most competitive of the aerospace & defense (A&D) industry’s largest companies, placing first in Aviation Week’s Top-Performing Companies (TPC) study for the second year in a row.
ENERGIZING SECURITY: The group of retired admirals and generals that issued a report warning climate change was becoming a national security concern are now urging the integration of national security and energy policies. The 12-member Military Advisory Board (MAB) says dependence on fossil fuels, as well as the nation’s fragile electrical grid, pose significant threats to the country as a whole and the military in particular.
A U.S. Air Force Global Hawk unmanned air system (UAS) experienced an in-flight emergency May 28 during a test sortie at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., that resulted in a hard landing, according to service officials.
Funding development of a second engine from within the existing F-35 budget would cut production by dozens of aircraft and push up program costs, the Joint Strike Fighter’s program chief warns in an interview with Aviation Week. The concerns come as Congress is expected to reverse the White House and Pentagon’s effort to cancel the alternate powerplant.
SOYUZ SEATS: NASA says it will pay $51 million each for seats on Russia’s Soyuz crew vehicle after the space shuttle retires under a new $306 million contract modification for crew transportation and related services in 2012-13. The price includes training, launch preparation, crew rescue and landing for six International Space Station (ISS) crew members.
President Barack Obama’s new White House cybersecurity office could lead to significant — albeit undetermined — effects in how the U.S. government makes purchases, even for national security, although details seem far from decided.
OPERATING AUTHORITY: The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter, the Bertholf, is cleared to join the fleet on fully operational status. The Bertholf was granted Authority to Operate (ATO) for its command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. ATO was achieved after a two-year TEMPEST inspection and testing process, which ensured that systems processing classified information were correctly installed and shielded, thereby reducing the risk of compromising emanations from a facility, ship or aircraft.
