Boeing's Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) helicopter, which can fly with or without a pilot in the cockpit, had its first unmanned flight June 30 at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the company announced. The modified MD 530F single-turbine helicopter lifted off autonomously from a helipad, hovered briefly and flew a pre-programmed mission around the proving ground. Following the 20-minute flight, the aircraft landed within six inches of its planned recovery location, Boeing said.
SATCOM CONTRACT: Raytheon Co. said July 13 that it has been awarded a five-year, $75 million contract to continue providing mission support services for more than 300 U.S. Navy satellite communications systems. The services include field support and technology upgrades, as well as upgrading and maintaining hardware and software. The company said it has fielded and installed more than 500 Navy SATCOM systems over the last 20 years.
ENGINE SUPPORT: United Technologies Corp. has been awarded a $16.5 million contract modification to provide long lead items, field support and training for F119 aircraft engines, the Defense Department said July 12. The work is set to be finished by December 2006. The contract was awarded by Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Hard-working astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery enjoyed a day off in space July 13, but it was business as usual on the ground for the members of the next International Space Station crew.
The U.S. Army has begun training a group of senior leaders in lean/six sigma business practices and plans to begin applying these principles across its various processes to improve efficiency, according to Army Secretary Francis Harvey. The Army's business transformation is just as important as its force transformation efforts, Harvey said during a July 13 breakfast in Arlington, Va., sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Institute for Land Warfare.
TV SYSTEMS: Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $19.6 million delivery order to provide 50 cal thermal sight/day TV systems and associated technical and engineering support for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, the Defense Department said July 13. The work will be done in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be finished in June 2009. The contract was awarded by the Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $16.757 billion fiscal 2007 spending bill for NASA July 13 that included an amendment to add another $1 billion in extra funding to help cover the agency's costs in recovering from the 2003 Columbia accident. The amendment, sponsored by Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), is classified as an emergency appropriation that doesn't have to be offset within the larger $51 billion commerce/justice/science spending bill that NASA is part of.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin says he will recommend that Congress continue to fund the troubled Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) program, in effect using up funds for other astrophysics projects.
Astronauts Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers tested non-oxide adhesive experimental (NOAX), a gray putty-like material, as a potential patch for damaged space shuttle thermal protection system components during a 7-hour, 11-minute extravehicular activity (EVA) on July 12, and still found time for a little get-ahead work.
LJDAM TEST: Boeing Co. recently conducted a successful test of its Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition against a moving target, the company said July 11. The test took place June 30 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. An armored personnel carrier traveling 25 mph was struck by a 500-pound LJDAM fired from an Air Force F-16 flying at 20,000 feet, the company said. The LJDAM was fired about four miles from the target. Boeing is scheduled to complete LJDAM development in 2006. Production deliveries are set to start in 2007.
In a major milestone toward development of commercial manned space flight capability, a Bigelow Aerospace subscale inflatable space station module is undergoing tests in space following its launch July 12 by a Ukrainian booster. The 10 x 8-foot Genesis 1 module was launched into orbit by a Dnepr commercial version of the SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch was made from Kosmotras space and missile complex in the Orenburg region of Russia at 10:53 a.m. Eastern time July 12.
Several large U.S. aerospace companies are in hot pursuit of federal government smart card contracts that are emerging as sizable business opportunities.
The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says unmanned aerial systems are a "very promising technology" that his agency could use to monitor storms, study the atmosphere and track the polar ice cap. "We have a very small manned aircraft fleet, so anything we can do to extend the ability of that fleet to support our research is very interesting to us," says NOAA Administrator Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher (USN Ret.).
Northrop Grumman has unveiled its new Skyguard laser defense system, a high-energy chemical laser designed to protect against rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) threats that the company hopes to market both to the military and to the Homeland Security Department to protect commercial airliners.
After lacking the commitments it hoped for by June this year, Boeing has extended its deadline for a decision whether to close its C-17 transport production line to August, according to a company official. Boeing executives went on a media blitz last month, saying they could guarantee a $220 million per-unit price for international customers only through June. Officials are now considering extending that price through August.
PURCHASE COMPLETED: Research and engineering firm Science Applications International Corp. said July 11 that it has completed its purchase of Campbell, Calif.-based GeoViz.com Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. GeoViz.com produces commercial off-the-shelf tools for C4ISR, test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, and embedded training. GeoViz.com workers will switch into SAIC's Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology business unit within the System and Network Solutions Group. The employees will remain in Campbell.
Members of a National Academies' panel questioned NASA's science plans during a meeting in Washington July 11, with panel chair and former Lockheed Martin executive A. Thomas Young suggesting that the agency's goals may not be realistic given the cuts to science in NASA's FY '07 budget request.
Europe's Vega small-satellite launcher is on track for a first flight late next year following the static test of the solid-fuel motor for its second stage. Built by Avio in Colleferro, near Rome, the Zefiro 23 motor generated more than 100 metric tons of thrust over 75 seconds as it consumed 24 metric tons of propellant. The test also exercised the motor's thrust vector control system, generating data for an upcoming critical design review.
The International Telecommunication Union and Thuraya Satellite Telecoms Co. have agreed to provide portable satellite terminals to assist in disaster mitigation and relief operations. Under the agreement, Thuraya will contribute Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-capable dual handheld voice/data terminals equipped with solar chargers and Global Positioning System receivers. The ITU will cover the cost of transporting equipment to and from affected areas, while airtime will be offered by Thuraya at discounted rates.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski plans to introduce her amendment to add $1 billion in emergency funding to NASA's fiscal 2007 appropriation during a full Senate Appropriations Committee markup hearing July 13.
F/A-18 WORK: Boeing Co. subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp. has been awarded a $167.1 million contract modification to provide support services for system configuration sets for F/A-18 aircraft weapons systems, the Defense Department said July 10. The aircraft include those flown by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the governments of Canada, Australia, Spain, Kuwait, Switzerland, Finland and Malaysia. The work will be done in St. Louis and at the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif.
