NASA and Ad Astra Rocket Co., a Houston-based company, have agreed to collaborate on development of the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) technology pioneered by space shuttle astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Two vendors, not just one, will be chosen for the Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program, says Lt. Gen. Charles Croom, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The program is intended to provide a secure way to share and retrieve decision-quality information to anyone in the DoD environment who has such requirements.
LONDON -- Britain had decided to deploy an additional 3,300 military personnel to Afghanistan to support the expansion of NATO operations in the south of the country. British Defense Secretary John Reid announced the force package on Jan. 26. The British presence in Afghanistan will peak at 5,700 during the initial stages of the three-year deployment before stabilizing at 4,700. There had been considerable doubt about the nature of the British package, as some NATO allies struggled with providing supporting forces.
Aerospace and defense industry executives expect the fiscal 2007 defense budget request will be "pretty much" what the Bush administration outlined previously and include a small drop in research and development funding, but a fairly large increase -- $12-$13 billion more -- in procurement. Certain sectors of the industry will face expected cuts, but Congress will have the final word and has boosted funding in threatened sectors before, one industry member has said.
The Marine Corps is equipping hundreds of its Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) and tanks with night vision detection and targeting systems, contractor Raytheon announced Jan. 26. The company recently received a $96 million contract to install 416 Improved Thermal Sight Systems (ITSS) for the Corps' LAV 25s, and another $25 million in Firepower Enhancement Program (FEP) funds to outfit another 150 of the Corps' 403 M1A1 tanks with equivalent night vision systems.
TOP TEN: The Department of Defense on Jan. 26 released its fiscal 2005 report of "100 Companies Receiving the Largest Dollar Volume of Prime Contract Awards (Top 100)." According to the report, the top 10 defense contractors for fiscal 2005 were: 1. Lockheed Martin Corp., $19.4 billion; 2. The Boeing Co., $18.3 billion; 3. Northrop Grumman Corp., $13.5 billion; 4. General Dynamics Corp., $10.6 billion; 5. Raytheon Co., $9.1 billion; 6. Halliburton Co., $5.8 billion; 7. BAE Systems PLC, $5.6 billion; 8. United Technologies Corp., $5 billion; 9.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - As the Canadian government prepares to formally establish Canada Command on Jan. 31, it continues to grapple with a series of issues not unlike those that faced its American counterpart, U.S. Northern Command, when it became operational in 2002, according to Lt. Gen. Rick Findley, deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be one of the few federal agencies to get a funding increase in the fiscal 2007 budget cycle, a top Senate budget expert predicts. G. William Hoagland, budget and appropriations director for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, said he doesn't know how much the DHS will get, but he noted the average annual rate of growth for governmentwide homeland security activities -- not just DHS spending -- has been nearly 20 percent a year.
Lockheed Martin's net earnings zoomed 53% in the fourth quarter of 2005 and 44 percent for the full year, the company said Jan. 26. Fourth quarter net sales also climbed 3 percent and were up 5 percent for all of '05. The company also increased its projected 2006 earnings per share. Fourth quarter net earnings were $568 million, compared to $372 million for the same period a year ago. For all of '05, net earnings increased from $1.3 billion in '04 to $1.8 billion, the company said.
The Defense Acquisition Board will conduct a Single Integrated Air Picture Capability Area Review on March 22, according to the board's Web site. The SIAP is the air component of the Common Tactical Picture generated by various sensors and command-and-control systems that make up the Joint Data Network for the Marine Corps.
The Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser (ABL) program plans this November to demonstrate the ability to compensate for distortions in the atmosphere and keep its laser properly focused, according to Air Force Col. John Daniels, director of the ABL program office.
The needed capability associated with the Joint Unmanned Combat Aerial System (J-UCAS) has survived Quadrennial Defense Review brainstorming, but whether different requirements outlined by the military services affects the program remains to be seen, according to Navy Vice Adm. Evan "Marty" Chanik, Joint Staff director for force structure, resources and assessment.
REMEMBRANCE: NASA paused on Jan. 26 to remember its employees who have died in the line of duty. The agency's annual "Day of Remembrance" occurs on the last Thursday of January, near the anniversaries of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia disasters.
The recently passed $50 billion U.S. military supplemental legislation will continue to provide incremental growth to the overall defense budget and top-line for defense contractors, especially companies with heavy exposure to the Army, according to Peter Arment of JSA Research Inc. The Army continues to receive strong supplemental funds, with 63 percent of the total supplemental, he said Jan. 25. More than $9 billion of the supplemental has been allocated to procurement, with 49 percent going to the Army.
A bipartisan quartet of senators is introducing a package of legislation that would enact 20 recent recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences designed to help the United States boost what many observers consider a lagging investment in science and technology.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command expressed concern on Jan. 24 about cost and schedule troubles in Air Force space programs, saying they have a negative effect on Army capabilities and reduce the confidence of Pentagon officials in Army programs.
Basic research by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would benefit from a package of science and technology competitiveness bills being introduced in the Senate, the legislation's sponsors said Jan. 25. The three-bill package, known collectively as the Protecting America's Competitive Edge Act, seeks to revitalize science and technology education in the nation's schools and universities and also encourage corporate investment in basic research and development. Provisions of the measures would:
PREDATORS: General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego has been awarded a $41.4 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to build five Predator B MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles, the Defense Department said Jan. 25. The contract includes associated equipment such as initial spares, ground support equipment, pack-up kits, and Ku SATCOM antennas. The work is set to be finished by March 2008.
France is buying itself until the end of 2006 to finally determine whether to collaborate on a future aircraft carrier program with Britain. A potential deal between London and Paris appeared close to unraveling as the two haggled over costs, but the sides hammered out an agreement on Jan. 24. Under the deal, France is willing to pay 100 million pounds ($178.7 million) in three installments for design rights for the ship, with a further 40 million pounds ($71 million) earmarked for the development phase.
