The U.S. Air Force decision to award its initial $40 billion tanker replacement contract to the team of Northrop Grumman and EADS should stand up well to the legislative scrutiny being demanded by lawmakers, analysts say. With up to $200 billion at stake over the long haul, according to some estimates, the contract is one of the biggest Pentagon prizes of the decade.
MARITIME PATROL: The U.S. Coast Guard accepted delivery of the first mission-ready HC-130J long-range surveillance maritime patrol aircraft Feb. 29. The aircraft’s new mission equipment and sensor packages are designed for enhanced search, detection and tracking capabilities to perform maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and homeland security missions. Lockheed Martin is under contract with the USCG to deliver three mission-ready HC-130Js through the Deepwater program, and is on schedule to complete work by the end of March.
Israel’s defense ministry has mandated Controp’s Stamp family of stabilized miniature electro-optical sensor payloads for its upcoming buy of several hundred small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), senior company executives say. According to Controp, after contracts for the Israel Defense Force (IDF) program have been signed, production quantities will allow the company to reduce the market price for Stamp payloads, currently around $20,000 per unit, to “well below that.”
U.S. military and other defense officials have publicly discussed long-sought conventional prompt global strike (PGS) capabilities as a hedge against competing countries and other adversaries pursuing anti-satellite (ASAT) measures threatening U.S. space capabilities.
The STS-123/1J/A International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission will feature five spacewalks – a heavy load for the crews – but it should reduce the need for extravehicular activity (EVA) at the station in the future. Tucked in the payload bay of the space shuttle Endeavour when it lifts off as early as March 11 (DAILY, March 3) will be Canada’s special purpose dexterous manipulator, a big two-armed robot dubbed “Dextre” that can approach human capabilities with its “delicate” sense of touch.
ARMY BAE Systems Land & Armaments Inc., Ground Systems, Santa Clara, Calif., was awarded on Feb. 21, 2008, a $23,599,998.00 Undefinitized Contract Action Firm Fixed Price contract for the procurement of additional Expanded Armor Plates. The work will be performed in Santa Clara, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2008. There was one bid solicited and one bid received. The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. W56HZV-08-C-0006. NAVY
After taking the weekend to digest the news, Wall Street reacted with the same shock as everyone else to the U.S. Air Force’s selection of a European-led design over Boeing for its new KC-45 refueling tanker. In a flurry of research notes, analysts began to dissect the meaning of the Pentagon’s surprise decision, which was announced after the markets closed Feb. 29. “There aren’t many individual contracts that really move the needle for prime defense contractors, but this is one exception,” notes Citigroup’s George Shapiro.
U.S. strategic bombers are not going to be shifted to a higher state of alert following the accidental movement of nuclear weapons aboard one of the aircraft, but squadrons assigned the nuclear alert mission “will be allowed to focus on that and that alone,” says Gen. T. Michael Moseley, U.S. Air Force chief of staff.
CHINA RISING: China’s military tools of choice are those that have “the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States,” in particular, “disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional U.S. military advantages,” according to a congressionally mandated DOD report released March 3. Among what are considered warning signs are “many, many computer intrusions” that have been “sourced back to the PRC,” said David Sedney, deputy assistant defense secretary for East Asia.
The Netherlands is ordering two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft for delivery in 2011 and 2012. The aircraft are to enable the Dutch to join the U.S. and U.K. in the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) of the F-35 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., during 2011-2013, the Netherlands defense ministry said Feb. 29. Current plans call for the two IOT&E aircraft to be followed by the procurement of up to 85 F-35As in two batches for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). They would enter service between 2014-2023.
The drumbeat for a Defense Department budget that equals 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) continues. “I wouldn’t say that [4 percent] is a pipe dream,” says Gen. T. Michael Moseley, U.S. Air Force chief of staff. “I see nothing out there that leads me to believe that tomorrow the world will be a more tranquil place.”
When U.S. Air Force officials come before Congress this week, they’ll likely face some tough questioning about their selection of the Northrop Grumman/EADS team in the air refueling tanker competition. Last week the Air Force picked the Airbus A330 variant over the 767-based tanker offered by Boeing (Aerospace DAILY, March 3). The move surprised most analysts and infuriated the congressional delegation from Washington state, where the Boeing tanker would have been assembled.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) WINDS satellite is dealing with some minor electrical glitches following the end of its critical phase on March 1. During the critical phase, a minor electrical problem was found within a part of the backup attitude control system used to search for the sun. This was followed by a similar problem discovered in the main system on March 2.
U.S. unmanned systems development during the next 25 years is to be guided by a new unmanned systems integrated road map, the preparation of which started with a kickoff meeting on Feb. 29. The road map, planned for November publication, is to cover the 2009-2034 timeframe.
The worldwide fleet of Western military aircraft will steadily decline over the next decade, going from 39,113 aircraft today to 37,950 by 2018, according to Hal Chrisman, principal with consulting firm AeroStrategy. The declining fleet stems from older aircraft being retired over the next decade and fewer, but more capable aircraft replacing them. The F-16 comprises 8.4 percent of the current total fleet, or 3,305 aircraft flown by 24 countries. The U.S. flies 1,332, Israel operates 330 and Turkey flies 222 Lockheed Martin F-16s.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is delaying launch of an Ariane 5 carrying the Automated Transfer Vehicle until March 9. The 24-hour slip is linked to technical concerns ESA has about the ATV/Ariane 5 launcher separation system. Technicians found potential problems with the ground straps located in the separation system. To investigate the issue, the Ariane 5 fairing was being removed March 3 for closer inspection.
The number of C-27Js the U.S. Air Force will buy is going up, says Gen. T. Michael Moseley, service chief of staff. “I think the total number of C-27s [in the service’s road map] is about 125 airplanes,” Moseley says. “That’s a mix of Air Force special operations command, Air National Guard and maybe an active duty squadron or two.” Moreover, he sees the two-engine transport as an incredible engine for international partnering and manufacturing projects.
Bold moves by Thales Alenia Space to remain competitive in the face of the swooning dollar could put the Thales-Finmeccanica venture on a collision course with U.S. export control rules, if rival Space Systems/Loral has its way.
SIRIUS LAUNCHES: International Launch Services (ILS) has won a contract for the launch of two Sirius Satellite Radio satellites aboard Russian Proton Breeze M rockets. The first satellite, Sirius FM-6, is under construction at Space Systems/Loral and expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2010. Sirius has not yet announced plans to utilize the second launch announced, ILS says. ILS will manage the launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
GEOSPATIAL INFO: Robert Burkhardt will serve as the U.S. Army’s first Geospatial Information Officer (GIO). As GIO, Burkhardt will serve as the Army’s central manager responsible for coordinating, assessing and synchronizing all the service’s policies and standardization requirements for the geospatial information enterprise. This will help enable interoperability across the services and bring them closer to a unified common operating picture.
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SENTENCED: The former chief of the aviation division for the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command and a Alabama-based helicopter contractor will serve time in federal prison in connection with charges arising from participation in an honest services wire fraud scheme and a related obstruction of justice, federal prosecutors announced. Jeffrey Stayton of Spotsylvania, Va., the former chief, was sentenced by a U.S. district judge to 63 months imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a fine of $61,071.75.
TANKER PROTEST?: Following Northrop Grumman/EADS’ upset win of the U.S. Air Force’s tanker replacement program (See p. 3), all eyes are on Boeing to see if a bid protest materializes. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Assistant Air Force Secretary for Acquisition Sue Payton have both been counseled by former chiefs of staff and acquisition officials to start taking revenge on corporations that protest acquisition decisions and end up delaying programs and driving up cost.
HEAVY LIFT: Industry teams and design ideas competing for the proposed U.S. Army focused Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) rotorcraft program are firming up. Lockheed Martin and Karem Aircraft have signed a teaming agreement to jointly develop Karem’s Optimum Speed Tilt-Rotor (OSTR) design for JHL. The OSTR concept is one of three approaches selected by the JHL program office to receive a concept design and analysis (CDA) “extension” contract, according to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. In September 2005, 18-month-long CDAs were awarded that ran through early 2007.
