The Chilean air force has received the first batch of used F-16s that the country is buying from the Netherlands. In total, the Chileans have opted to take 18 of the Dutch fighters, which have undergone the midlife upgrade program. The aircraft will operate in conjunction with 10 F-16 Block 50s Chile also bought from the U.S. Deliveries began in early 2005.
CERTIFICATION: The U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency have certified the latest version of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System for tactical deployment, contractor Lockheed Martin said Sept. 11. The newly certified version, the Aegis BMD 3.6 and the SM-3 Block IA missile, completed a series of evaluations and demonstrations, Lockheed said. The Aegis SPY-1B radar aboard the USS Shiloh provided real-time detection, tracking, target discrimination and engagement processing to launch the SM-3, the company said.
The European Defense Agency is trying to gain a better understanding of the state of technology for fast ships to determine how they might be able to support future European Union military needs. EDA, which is emerging as a focal point for combined European Union military equipment efforts, is looking for a contractor to perform a study on "the application of novel hull design and related technologies to the 'fast ship' concept." The vessels nominally would be used to quickly deploy forces for disaster relief operations or crisis management operations.
The Israeli military response to an anticipated Iranian nuclear attack or other asymmetric threats is already taking shape. The Israeli Air Force is planning to curb its increasing reliance on - but not investment in - unmanned reconnaissance and strike aircraft and to keep its manned aircraft, like the Boeing F-15I fleet of extended-range strike aircraft, longer and in greater numbers than planned even three years ago.
IOV FUNDING: The European Space Agency nations, including the United Kingdom, have committed to virtually 100 percent of additional funds required to complete the four In Orbit Validation spacecraft. The 950 million euro ($1.2 billion) contract for the IOV satellites was awarded to Galileo Industries, a consortium led by EADS Astrium and Alcatel Alenia Space, in January, but full funding for the nearly 200 million euro ($260 million) package to cover ESA's part of the additional funding had yet to be settled. A last-minute hiccup in the U.K.
The United States military services still need more guidance from the U.S. Strategic Command about their roles in the command's structures and requirements, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says in a September report. In 2002, President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called for the creation of the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) to anticipate and counter global threats. Currently, USSTRATCOM has responsibility for seven mission areas including nuclear deterrence and integrated missile defense.
UK HELOS: Confronted with a seven-year delay in its original procurement plan, the British Defense Ministry is exploring leasing up to 50 medium-lift helicopters for a 10-year period or stretching the service lives of types already in its inventory. Buying a replacement for the Royal Air Force's Puma was anticipated to coincide with its 2010 withdrawal, with the Sea King Mk4 following in 2012. But funding "challenges" have meant a replacement slipped to 2017-2020.
NAVAL TRANSFERS: The Senate on Sept. 7 approved the transfer of several former U.S. Navy ships to allied countries. Lithuania would receive the Osprey-class minehunter coastal ships Kingfisher (MHC-56) and Cormorant (MHC-57) by grant. Portugal would get the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates George Philip (FFG-12) and Sides (FFG-14) by grant. Taiwan would receive the Osprey-class Oriole (MHC-55) and Falcon (MHC-59) by sale. Mexico would get the Austin-class amphibious transport dock ships Ogden (LPD-5) and Cleveland (LPD-7) by sale.
A test of the Missile Defense Agency's Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program has been rescheduled for Sept. 13. Repairs to range safety equipment at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., prompted the delay. The test of the system, designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in flight, was originally slated for Sept. 9.
The U.S. Navy's updated operational plan puts more meat on some future force strategies but still fails to define how the service intends to implement some blueprints such as its global fleet stations, analysts say. The 36-page "Naval Operations Concept," dated Sept. 6, shows how a flexible Navy and U.S. Marine Corp force structure plans to fight globally against conventional and irregular forces such as terrorists.
ARMY General Dynamics, Marion, Ill., was awarded on Sept. 1, 2006, a $13,710,629 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 20mm PGU-28A/B SAPHEI cartridges. The work will be performed in Marion, Ill., and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were three bids solicited on April 5, 2005, and three bids were received. The U.S. Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-05-C-0073). AIR FORCE
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Texas - Sept. 11, a dark day in U.S. history, took on a brighter significance as assembly resumed on the long-delayed International Space Station and work started on the space shuttle replacement that may someday take humans back to the moon and on to Mars.
The Hubble Space Telescope collected a first-ever image of the icy moon Ariel transiting the surface of Uranus, with the white moon casting its dark shadow on the planet's cloud tops. Because Uranus spins on an axis almost directly in line with its orbital plane, and its moons orbit above the planet's equator, such transits are visible only every 42 years. In 1965, the last time an Ariel transit would have been visible from Earth, there weren't any telescopes with sufficient resolution to image it.
House and Senate funding changes for the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft will delay its deployment and could cost more money in the long run, according to a letter from U.S. Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee. The Growlers are meant to replace the aging EA6B Prowler electronic warfare (EW) fleet. All services have been depending on Prowlers to provide jamming cover for aircraft fleets in combat zones, as well as fly other EW missions.
Australia's Defense Ministry has finalized a contract to purchase the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) for its future cruise missile requirement. The project is estimated to be worth more than $300 million. Deliveries to the Royal Australian Air Force will begin in 2009 and extend through 2011. JASSM will initially be integrated on the F/A-18 family of aircraft via a software update. The missile may also be integrated on up to 100 Joint Strike Fighters to be bought by Australia.
RIGHT PLAN: In response to a recent Congressional Research Service report questioning the Navy's acquisition strategy for buying its new destroyers and cruisers, the service says it has the right plan for its needs. "We are aware of CRS's review of the Navy's shipbuilding plan," a Navy spokesman said. "The Navy believes the 30-year shipbuilding plan submitted by the secretary of the Navy to Congress is properly funded and executable.
STILL NEEDED: As Iraqi military units take over control of various parts of the country, U.S. and coalition aircraft will still be needed for operations there, the Pentagon acknowledged Sept. 8. The missions that American aircraft are still needed for include close-air support, medevac and helicopter operations, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner II, commander of Multinational Division-North and the 101st Airborne Division.
NEW MIG: Russian combat aircraft manufacturer MiG could have a prototype of a lightweight fifth-generation fighter ready by around 2010, building on classified design work it has been carrying out for several years. The design, sometimes known within the company as the Light Multifunction Frontal Aircraft, is intended to provide a successor aircraft in the class of the MiG-29 Fulcrum.
ATHLETE: A team of 100 NASA scientists and engineers will brave the heat of Arizona's high desert Sept. 12 to test a new rover prototype that could assist future lunar explorers. The team will travel to the Meteor Crater and Cinder Lake area near Flagstaff, which serves as a surrogate lunar surface, to test the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer).
