Officials at U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) in Los Angeles now believe the “most probable” root cause of an actuator anomaly during an Atlas V launch mission last spring was transient debris.
Set to launch Oct. 19, NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission will use a new orbit-raising method that could enable a variety of future small science missions to get beyond low Earth orbit without upgrading to large launch vehicles.
ARMY General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Burlington, Vt., was awarded on Sept. 26, 2008, a $56,654,822 firm fixed fee price contract procurement of MK19 Grenade Machine Guns. The work will be performed in Saco, Maine, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 20, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management, Picatinny, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-08-D-0459). NAVY
ARMY Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Sierra Vista Garden Cannon, Ariz., was awarded on Oct. 1, 2008, a $47,530,000 cost plus fixed price contract for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance surge requirement. The work will be performed in Sierra Vista Garden Cannon, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2015. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0025).
The U.S. Army’s Black Hawk UH-60M helicopter stands to take a $6.6 billion loss in funding if the service’s Program Objective Memorandum (POM) for fiscal 2010-2015 is carried out as written now.
LASER GUIDED: The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman a $128 million contract to provide Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder (LLDR) systems, which provide targeting capability for laser-guided, GPS-guided and conventional munitions. The LLDR targets enemy positions during the day, night and in nearly all battlefield conditions including haze, smoke, fog and rain, Northrop Grumman says.
RATE SENSOR: Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by General Dynamics Land Systems to develop the LRS-2000, a Rate Sensor Assembly (RSA) for the Stabilized Commander’s Weapon Station (SCWS) on the U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank. Based on Northrop Grumman’s G-2000 dynamically-tuned gyro, the LRS-2000 RSA is a two-axis rate sensor developed to support targeting and stabilization applications, with a drift rate of less than one degree per hour.
UNMANNED TAKEOFF: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced the successful first automatic takeoffs and landings of a Sky Warrior unmanned aerial system (UAS) controlled from the AAI-developed Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) One System Ground Control Station (OSGCS). Three automatic landings were executed at GA-ASI’s El Mirage Flight Operations Center in Adelanto, Calif., on Aug. 29, followed by three successful automatic takeoffs on Sept. 26.
HELO HELP: Sikorsky Aerospace Services and U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) have signed nearly $11.8 million in contracts for support work on the UH-60A and UH-60L helicopters. The company received an $8.4 million contract to strip and rebuild 89 UH-60 A/L helicopter main rotor blades, $1.74 million to overhaul 74 other hubs, and $1.89 million to strip and rebuild 20 main rotor blades.
Paradise Hotel San Diego, CA November 13-14, 2008 Highly complex programs of the 21st century A&D industry – are they too hot to handle? Gain real and timely intelligence and perspective about the politics, the money, the technology and the challenges the supply chain must overcome.
FAIT ACCOMPLI: NASA has awarded Boeing a two-year, $650 million sole-source contract to continue to deliver and integrate components and software for the International Space Station. Boeing has been the ISS prime contractor since 1995. The new contract, which runs through September 2010, includes management of station subsystems and specialized ground-based engineering work.
GUARDRAIL: Northrop Grumman has announced the fielding of its Guardrail Ground Baseline (GGB) 2.0 hardware and software to U.S. Army military intelligence battalions, standardizing Guardrail ground components across the service. GGB 2.0 provides common hardware and software and eliminates obsolete equipment for the Army’s RC-12 Guardrail Common Sensor aircraft ground component. GGB’s network-based architecture supports forward garrison operators and rear operators via satellite link, as well as cooperative operations with other signals intelligence sensors.
NEW DELHI – Set to celebrate its 76th anniversary on Oct. 8, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is trying to modernize its fleet, building capabilities it expects to achieve within a decade. “Geopolitics has undergone a change,” Air Chief Marshal Fali Major said. “In this strategic scenario...the Indian Air Force will endeavor to launch its growth profile in our operational tactical doctrine and the way we do warfighting... We need to re-equip and retrain.”
LONDON – The political face of the British Defense Ministry continues to get a makeover as further changes have followed the appointment of John Hutton as successor to Des Browne as defense secretary. The moves were part of a wider government shake-up (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 6).
The U.S. Army has thrown its support behind a Boeing effort to build a high-lift blade for its Chinook CH-47 helicopter, an improvement that could provide up to 2,000 pounds of additional lift.
ELECTRIC BOAT: The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $268 million contract modification to provide lead construction yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. Under the modification, Electric Boat will maintain and update design drawings and data for all Virginia-class submarines, including technology insertions, throughout their construction and post-shakedown availability periods. Electric Boat will also perform Virginia-class development and design studies.
EADS North America and its KC-45 prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, are still in talks with the U.S. Air Force about termination of its tanker contract. Defense Department leadership killed the nascent award after congressional auditors cited flaws in the U.S. Air Force’s selection process, in part spotlighted by a Boeing protest. After an initial attempt to speed through a new acquisition award this year, Pentagon leaders have since decided to punt the massive program to the next presidential administration (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 11).
The Swedish government is trying to add VIP transport airlift capacity to its fleet quickly in advance of taking on the rolling European Union presidency next year.
ARMY BAE Systems, Tactical Vehicle Systems Limited Partnership, donna_thomasfirm fixed price contract to definitize the Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) for the procurement of 10,000 family of Medium Tactical Vehicle, program support and Federal Retail Excise Tax (FRET). The work will be performed in Sealy, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0460). AIR FORCE
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicated new calendar listing.) Oct. 6 - 8 — Strategic Space and Defense 2008, “The Global Security Conference for Space and Defense Professionals,” Qwest Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena, Omaha, Neb. For more information go to www.stratspace.org
NEW SECAF: Michael Donley is formally taking over the full duties of secretary of the Air Force, following his confirmation by the Senate last week. Donley has been acting secretary since this spring, when former Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and former Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley were fired following a series of nuclear management mishaps and acquisition foul ups. Moseley has already been replaced by Gen. Norton Schwartz. Donley’s nomination had been stalled since June, in part due to the refueling tanker imbroglio.
SIZE MATTERS: Aurora Flight Sciences is pushing ahead with company-funded development of the ducted-fan, vertical-takeoff-and-landing GoldenEye 80, intended as its first UAV product, but president John Langford is increasingly concerned the U.S. Army may be quietly growing Honeywell’s rival ducted-fan Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) to meet its Future Combat Systems (FCS) Class II UAV requirement without a competition. The GoldenEye was a candidate for the vehicle-launched Class II UAV, but Army deferred the requirement 18 months ago.
ISR BONUS: The stopgap spending legislation to continue funding the U.S. government through March 6 (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 2) includes $750 million for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance initiatives. The ISR money, which was not requested by the Bush administration, follows on the creation of an ISR task force by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to explore ways to deliver more intelligence to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation did not specify how the $750 million would be spent.
