100 SEAHAWKS: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has delivered the 100th MH-60S Seahawk helicopter to the U.S. Navy. Plans call for the Navy to buy up to 250 of the aircraft, which is used throughout the fleet for transport, mine countermeasures, logistics support and offensive missions. Sikorsky began delivering Seahawks to the Navy in 2001, and the fleet has accumulated more than 150,000 flight hours.
BEALE, AFB, Calif. - Air Combat Command is considering a new concept of operations for high-altitude reconnaissance collection that will take advantage of the attributes of the new RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle.
JAMMER NEEDS: The U.S. Air Force is continuing to look for options for a "portfolio" approach to the airborne electronic attack mission, Wynne says. The closest thing to a sure thing, the B-52 Standoff Jammer, was terminated last year due to major cost growth. But Wynne says the Air Force still needs a jammer capable of traveling with advanced fighters. "We need to make sure that we have the right match to assist us to go into various areas," Wynne says. "I see a role for all of the developments that are going on, and it is going to be a question of application.
The debate over whether there should be a single engine provider for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is expected to heat up soon with the delivery of several congressionally mandated reports - including one by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) due this month.
STANDOFF WEAPON: The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command is awarding Raytheon Missile Systems a $93.8 million delivery order for the Joint Standoff Weapon AGM-154C-1 Block III network-enabled weapon moving-target capability and Seeker Obsolescence Redesign, the Pentagon said March 8. The deal includes design, development, integration, test and delivery of an AGM-154C-1 network-enabled weapon moving target capability and qualification and production of a replacement for the obsolete seeker processor and detector components (Phase I).
March 13 - 14 -- RTCA Symposium, "Operational Evolution Partnership (OEP) - The Bridge To NextGen," Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C. For more information call (202) 833-9339 or go to www.rtca.org. March 13 - 15 -- 2007 U.S. Defense Department Standardization Conference, Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel, Arlington, Va. For more information call (724) 776-4841. March 16 - 17 -- Aeronautical Repair Station: Annual Repair Symposium, Alexandria, Va. For information call ARSA, (703) 739-9543.
A chance reading of a "for sale" advertisement in a weekly newspaper has launched a group of 30 space history buffs on a mission to save the 30-meter Jamesburg AT&T/Comsat satellite dish about an hour from Monterey, Calif. Built in 1968
BUSY BACKSEATERS: Change the way you look at combat aircraft, U.S. Navy officials say. Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars being introduced on F/A-18Fs, F-22s and F-35s "are really sensors that are forward in the battlespace collecting information and putting different effects on targets," says Capt. Donald Gaddis, program manager for the Super Hornet. These effects eventually will include data streams, energy bursts and offensive algorithms. Gaddis identifies the electronic warfare officers in the back seat as perhaps the busiest men in the Navy.
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chief of naval operations, said March 8 that U.S. Navy officials will finalize an umbrella plan for naval aviation in the coming months, much like they did last year with shipbuilding. "I crave stability in this account so we can have a plan," Mullen told the Defense Writers Group.
TARGETING POD: Finland has decided to buy the Northrop Grumman Litening-2 Advanced Targeting Pod for its F/A-18s as part of the ongoing Mid-Life Upgrade 2 program. F/A-18 users in the U.S. and Spain already have the system. EADS has delivered the first of two C-295 tactical airlifters to the Finnish air force. Finland also has an option for five additional C-295s that have yet to be exercised.
U.S. defense officials and lawmakers are fervently stressing a desire for far more military-to-military communication with China, as well as greater openness by the Asian giant in light of announced and demonstrated new military capabilities. "In gross numbers, it's impressive," Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, who will take over Pacific Command (PACOM), said of China's plans during his March 8 confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).
The most immediate airborne threat to the U.S. homeland is from high-speed commercial aviation flying in a low-altitude profile, similar to a cruise missile, or even an unmanned aircraft built in someone's garage, according to the next likely commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and NORAD.
The U.S. Air Force evaluated Lockheed Martin's development problems with the VH-71 presidential helicopter as highly relevant to the combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter procurement, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons recently fired air-to-air missiles for the first time during training sessions, the U.K. Defense Ministry said March 8. Typhoon F2s of the Number 3 (Fighter) Squadron successfully launched four Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) at flare packs being towed by target drones over the sea.
If the Bush administration continues to fund NASA below the levels authorized by Congress, by the end of fiscal 2008 the agency will be more than $3 billion short of the funding required to keep the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and other programs on schedule, according to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). "For the third straight year, the administration has not requested the full, authorized amount for NASA specified in the NASA Authorization Act of 2005," said Nelson, who chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences.
MUNITIONS DROPS GROW: The U.S. Air Force dropped more than 1,700 munitions in 2006 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom compared to only 176 a year earlier, an increase attributable to better intelligence, says Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander. North cited cooperation between civilian populations, local militaries, and the U.S. military as one reason for better U.S. intelligence on insurgents.
In the wake of China's test of a prototype anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon in January, Sen. Jon Kyl is calling for increases to the Defense Department's budgets for space situational awareness and responsive space systems. "Space situational awareness and operationally responsive space are both in need of far greater resources and protection by the Defense Department," the Arizona Republican said during a March 8 event in Washington sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Examining how effectively Iraqi Security Forces are trained, equipped and sustained will be the first project of the House Armed Services Committee's new investigations subcommittee, the panel's leaders said March 6. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee (O&I), and Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), the ranking member, said they would evaluate U.S. plans and progress in developing Iraqi forces' capabilities.
NASA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin have completed the system requirements review (SRR) for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, setting the foundation for ongoing design analysis and systems testing, the agency announced March 7.
BMDS REVIEW: The Missile Defense Advisory Committee will meet behind closed doors March 21-22 in Washington. The group provides the Defense Department advice on all matters relating to missile defense, including system development, technology, program maturity and readiness of configurations of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) to enter the acquisition process. At this meeting, the committee will receive classified briefings by intelligence officials concerning estimated future developments.
The four-star chiefs of the U.S. Pacific and Korea combatant commands declared March 7 that the United States and its allies enjoy an overwhelming "overmatch" of naval and air forces in the region against any challenger, but the Korea commander noted concern with longer-term supplies of air-delivered munitions.
