SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS: Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $38.9 million contract modification to provide the U.S. Army with additional long range advance scout surveillance systems and test program sets, the Defense Department said Aug. 7. Work will be done in McKinney, Texas; Melbourne, Fla.; El Segundo, Calif.; Dallas; and several other locations. It is expected to be finished by May 31, 2008. The contract was awarded by the Army Communications-Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne signed an agreement at the Pentagon Aug. 7 to strengthen aeronautics research ties between their two organizations. Designed to ensure the free flow of information and reduce duplication of work, the agreement covers areas such as advanced aircraft design, propulsion development, materials development and aviation safety.
Before Iraqi armed forces can even think about getting F-16s or other expensive weapons, they must focus on acquiring platforms to handle logistics and other basic daily needs. That's the view of the Pentagon, which is helping Iraq prioritize the military equipment it wants and needs, said Bryan Whitman, Defense Department spokesman. There's little doubt that the country can afford most military weapons, platforms and equipment.
MARIETTA, Ga. - Africa offers some of the most promise for future C-130J Hercules operations, say officials from Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the tactical aircraft. The combination of growing U.S. military interest in the area with the aircraft's performance in the austere environment is creating a surge in C-130J work that's likely to continue, said Jim Grant, Lockheed director of business development analysis.
After a February failure that stranded a satellite, the Proton Breeze M launch vehicle returned to flight Aug. 5 with the launch of Eutelsat's Hot Bird 8 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket lifted off at 3:48 a.m. local time Aug. 5, or 5:48 p.m. Eastern time Aug. 4. The mission lasted 9 hours and 11 minutes before Hot Bird 8 was released into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The flight was managed by the U.S.-Russian joint venture International Launch Services (ILS).
After five years of international operations, the Thales Raytheon Systems Ltd. joint venture has established a strong position in the market for command and control systems in the U.S. and Europe as well as in overseas locations.
NAVY Alliant Integrated Defense Co. LLC, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a $6,119,800 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-98-C-0006) to retrofit 1,654 AAR-47 (V)1 sensors to an AAR-(V)3 configuration for the Navy (1,008) and the Air Force (646). The work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla., and is expected to be completed in July 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $569,800 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
The next likely commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Lt. Gen. James Conway, says re-equipping and resetting the service will be his challenge, and Washington leaders must level with taxpayers about the cost to recapitalize battle-worn forces.
COTS AWARDS: NASA plans to try a new payment model for the finalists in its $500 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, who will be announced this month. In a break with tradition, the awards will be funded Space Act Agreements in which NASA will award companies milestone payments for achieving scheduled goals. Each vendor will have their own unique set of milestones and associated payment plans.
PENSION BENEFIT: A pension reform bill that benefits major defense contractors is headed for President Bush's signature. The Senate passed the bill Aug. 3 after the House passed it days earlier. Merrill Lynch analysts said L-3 Communications Holding Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co. each are set to benefit from special rules for government contractors who record more than $5 billion in federal contracts (DAILY, Aug. 2).
Senators have agreed to stipulate $5 million in Army research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) for virtual training and airspace management simulation for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The amendment was one of several passed Aug. 3 without opposition as the chamber tried but failed to complete its fiscal 2007 defense spending bill. The Senate will pick up the bill when it returns Sept. 5.
CUTTING EDGE: Although Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claims it isn't so, the National Guard's chief, Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, says his units in the U.S. have been raided for equipment to ensure that those in Iraq and Afghanistan are fully combat ready. The Army and Marine Corps have said they need $17 billion and $12 billion, respectively, to get well from the wear and tear of combat duty. Blum says the Guard needs even more - $21 billion over the next five years, including $2 billion for aviation.
MARIETTA, Ga. - As the U.S. Air Force gets ready to deploy F-22 Raptors into the Pacific, the service is planning for expanded geographic and technological missions. The Raptors will be making frequent forays to Guam and will likely be used in exercises in Japan and Australia, said Gen. Paul Hester, Air Force Pacific commander.
33 MONTHS: The first test flight for NASA's Ares 1 Crew Launch Vehicle is 33 months away, says Associate Administrator for Exploration Scott Horowitz. He says he was struck by how relatively close that milestone is when he was reminded of it during the Exploration Systems quarterly review in Alabama last week. The flight-test will involve a full-up first stage and a dummy second stage that will fly all the way through stage separation. "I mean, if that doesn't start getting you excited, then nothing gets you excited," he says.
