A Pentagon representative defended the U.S. Defense Department’s history with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles as an educational “evolution” after the DOD Inspector General (IG) released critical findings recently. “We’ve seen the enemy adapt to us, and we’ve had to adapt to them,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Dec. 9. “As the threat has evolved, so have our force-protection measures.”
NUCLEAR POSTURE: A congressionally-appointed, bipartisan commission is set to release an interim report soon on U.S. strategic posture and the appropriate role of nuclear weapons (Aerospace DAILY, March 24). The commission, headed by former defense secretaries William Perry and James Schlesinger, also will assess the role of nonproliferation programs and missile defenses in U.S. strategic policies. The first report is due to be delivered in the next couple of weeks, with a final report to Congress due in April.
LOGISTICS SUPPORT: Northrop Grumman will provide the U.S. Army Fort Polk Directorate of Logistics with materiel maintenance, base supply, transportation and deployment/redeployment logistical support under a five-year, $90 million contract. The task order was awarded under the Army’s Field and Installation Readiness Support Team (FIRST) contract to provide logistical support to Ft. Polk, La., and the Joint Readiness Training Center.
The Netherlands is hoping to award a contract in January to increase its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capacity in Afghanistan. The objective is to have the new unmanned aircraft operational in March 2009, which requires a January contract award, the state secretary for defense, Jack de Vries, told the Dutch parliament. The timeline is “very tight,” he warned and any delays would affect operational availability in the combat area.
Eco-Aviation and Fuel Management Viable strategies to drive meaningful cost reduction and improve operating efficiencies January 27-28, 2009 Sofitel Miami Miami, FL FEATURED SPEAKER: Pierre Girault VP QSE & Sustainable Development Air France Industries KLM Royal Dutch Airlines An exciting discussion on one of today’s most topical issues!
A comprehensive review of the Pentagon budget is necessary in light of a discouraging lack of cost control in many DOD programs, according to U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
PAID UP: L-3 Vertex Aerospace paid the U.S. government $4 million to settle allegations that it submitted false and inflated claims to the U.S. Army for hours worked by the firm’s employees on a contract supporting military operations by the United States in Iraq, the Justice Department announced earlier this week. The L-3 Communications unit continues to work an ongoing contract with the Army to provide helicopter maintenance at Camp Taji, Iraq.
LONDON – Britain is further delaying its replacement aircraft carrier program – likely by two years – and will almost return to the drawing board on a key armored fighting vehicle program as the result of a short-term review of its equipment program. The review was prompted by severe budget pressure on the nation’s near-term spending plan, as well as the demands of supporting combat operations in Afghanistan and the United Kingdom’s soon-to-end major deployment in Iraq.
The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) should not become the lead combatant of bomb-making insurgent networks for the rest of the Pentagon, cautioned JIEDDO’s director, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz.
WIND TUNNEL: Frontline Aerospace’s V-STAR vertical unmanned aircraft recently completed wind tunnel tests at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The V-STAR takes off vertically, then transitions to fixed-wing flight, which could enable it to reach targets three times faster than helicopters, the company claims. Subscale flight-tests are scheduled for 2009.
Over the course of seven years, DOD has reaped $89.1 billion in financial benefits from implementing recommendations made by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), according to a newly released status report by GAO.
BENGALURU, India – Flush with the ongoing success of its Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is looking for international partners as a way to fast-forward some of its ambitious space plans.
The U.S. Army soon is fielding 50 new digital datalinks for the RQ-11B Raven unmanned aircraft. A typo in a Dec. 10 Aerospace DAILY article misidentified the type as RQ-1B.
GLASS ACT: Canada’s CMC Electronics has received its first production order for Cockpit 400 integrated avionics systems for the Hawker Beechcraft T-6B turboprop trainer. The contract is for 35 shipsets, with deliveries to begin in late 2009. The U.S. Navy has switched procurement under the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program from the T-6A to the glass-cockpit T-6B, which has also been offered to several international operators.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps accident investigators continue looking into why both engines failed on a Marine F/A-18D, causing it to crash into a residential area near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., on Dec. 8. A Miramar spokesman said no new information on what caused the engine failure has surfaced yet, but analysis is still going on.
The U.S. Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has assigned 300 agents to a counterproliferation unit that enforces laws governing export of military equipment and controlled dual-use goods having both commercial and military value, and any export to embargoed countries or terrorist groups. The heightened scrutiny comes amid growing government assertiveness in the waning weeks of the Bush administration in both curbing export violations and cutting the backlog of U.S. license applications.
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) chief Marion Blakey said Dec. 10 that the trade group will pitch its own acquisition reform analysis to the incoming Obama administration and Congress. Speaking to an annual industry luncheon in Washington, D.C., Blakey said AIA’s proposals will include pushing for steady, thorough funding streams, as well as calling for early solidification of requirements in the program process.
WHEELED VICTORY: Consultancy Forecast International is predicting a healthy worldwide market for light-wheeled combat vehicles. The market is expected to produce more than 71,300 vehicles worth more than $21.78 billion through 2017. Dean Lockwood, a weapon systems analyst for Forecast, predicts the Humvee will account for almost 68 percent of all light-wheeled production globally through that time.
RANKING MEMBER: New York Rep. John McHugh will become the Republican leader on the House Armed Services Committee, the panel’s leaders said Dec. 10. McHugh, a committee member since joining Congress in 1993, has specialized in military personnel issues in recent years – a focus that could coincide well with President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign platform to better support service members. McHugh served as chairman of the military personnel subcommittee from 2001-2007 and chair of the former morale, welfare, and recreation panel from 1995-2000.
ATTACK SUB: The U.S. Navy will christen its newest attack submarine, the New Mexico, Dec. 13 in Newport News, Va. The submarine, designated SSN 779, began construction under a unique teaming arrangement between Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat in 2004. The New Mexico is the sixth Virginia-class submarine built, designed for anti-submarine, anti-ship and strike warfare, as well as special operations and irregular warfare, among others.
Siemens PLM Software’s Teamcenter apparently has capped the lead it already enjoyed among aero engine manufacturers with the addition of Snecma as a client. “Now we can safely say that all the major aeroengine original equipment manufacturers are relying on Teamcenter,” says Siemens Vice President Tim Nichols, head of its aerospace and defense sector.
