Four companies have received Air Force contracts for early work on the GPS III Operational Control Segment, or OCX. Their efforts will be used to develop a request for proposals for OCX. The project is intended to increase the Air Force's understanding of state-of-the-art capabilities in satellite control segment software and hardware architecture. The companies also will develop innovative architectures to meet the OCX performance requirements.
The U.S. Navy's positive assessment of the V-22 Osprey's recent test performance is a "total vindication" for the formerly troubled aircraft, a key lawmaker said July 13. Navy operational testers have urged their Defense Department counterparts to declare the V-22 ready to enter service in the Marine Corps (DAILY, July 12). The recommendation came at the end of an operational evaluation (OPEVAL) designed to show the Bell-Boeing tiltrotor transport has overcome technical challenges blamed for two fatal crashes in 2000.
Donald F. Fultz has resigned as chief financial officer. Victor F. Sellier will replace Fultz and continue as the company's vice president of business operations.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The long-awaited launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery was scrubbed the afternoon of July 13 due to concerns over sensors in the orbiter's external tank that are designed to detect low fuel levels and turn off the main engines. Liftoff for the shuttle fleet's first mission in two and a half years had been scheduled for 3:51 p.m. EDT. The earliest another launch attempt could take place would be July 16, according to shuttle managers.
If a Defense Department-commissioned study recommends that the U.S. Air Force buy a new tanker aircraft, the service will aim to pick a specific platform in calendar 2006, according to the Air Force. A development phase would follow the source selection, and low-rate production would begin in fiscal 2008, the Air Force said. The first four aircraft would be delivered in FY '10, and production would increase to 15 a year by FY '14.
B-1B DISPLAY: Rockwell Collins has been awarded a contract by Boeing to provide the display for the B-1B Threat Situation Awareness System upgrade, the company said July 13. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The display shows high-resolution images of flight information such as altitude and heading, giving the flight crew increased situational awareness and allowing in-flight mission planning.
Two U.S. Army aviation areas will soon get new leaders. During a July 14 ceremony at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., Col. Don Hazelwood will officially become the Army's project manager for unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Extended Range Multi-Purpose UAV, which is in the midst of a competition between General Atomics' Warrior and Northrop Grumman's Hunter II.
Avionics test and measurement company Tel-Instrument reported a $29,000 loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, blaming it on the poor performance of its Marine Systems division and lower commercial avionics sales. "The company is closely monitoring the Marine Systems division operations," Carlstadt, N.J.-based Tel-Instrument said July 13.
PRAGUE - An era came to an end in the Czech Republic July 12 when the air force's few remaining Russian-made MiG-21 fighters made a last symbolic flight over the country before being officially replaced by new Swedish-built JAS-39 Gripen aircraft.
Democratic lawmakers from both chambers announced July 13 that they would introduce legislation to boost the U.S. Army's baseline troop strength, saying the service needs 80,000 more soldiers for a total of 582,000. "This number will equip the Army with sufficient personnel so that it may not only engage in a stabilization operation like Iraq, but so that it may do so while maintaining optimal troop rotation schedules," the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
In an apparent breakdown of cooperation, Democrats on the House Science Committee have introduced their own NASA authorization bill, which prioritizes the agency's other missions such as earth science and aeronautics research along with President Bush's moon-Mars manned exploration agenda.
The design series for the next generation of U.S. presidential helicopters will be known as "VH-71A," the U.S. military announced July 13. A popular name for the VH-71A still is under consideration by the deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force for plans and policies, which has naming and designating duty for military aerospace vehicles. The VH-71A designation was made July 7.
AIR TRAINING TRANSFORMATION: The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division has handed Aviation Training Consulting LLC of Altus, Okla., a $28 million contract for mission task lists and curricula for Marine aviation platforms "in support of the U.S. Marine Corps aviation training transformation." The contract, announced late July 12, was not competitively procured, the Navy said. The contracted work will be done in Altus and is supposed to be finished in July 2008.
C2 SERVICES: The U.S. Navy has awarded Analex Corp. of Alexandria, Va., a three-year basic ordering agreement worth up to $47 million for engineering services and software development on command and control systems, the company said July 11. The Navy has placed the first delivery order for $13.6 million.
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract to continue developing an alternate helmet mounted display (AHMD) system for the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. BAE Systems received the contract the week of July 4-8, company representatives said July 12. The award, worth several million dollars, is expected to fund work through September or October, including delivery of several helmets for tests. A decision could be made in late 2005 on whether the alternate helmet will continue receiving funding after the latest contract expires.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The weather outlook for the July 13 launch of the space shuttle worsened slightly from earlier forecasts as the agency wrapped up any remaining technical issues concerning Discovery's readiness for flight at a mission management team meeting July 12.
