The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program "could use more time to gain knowledge before moving forward," the Government Accountability Office said March 15, because "several program changes have made the original JSF business case unexecutable." It made a similar warning about the E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft, saying the program could move into production "before critical knowledge is acquired," which could lead to "costly changes later in the program."
As the Bush Administration continues its push for the acquisition of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, several trade associations affiliated with defense, information technology and NASA are asking Congress this year to permanently exempt COTS items from the Trade Agreements and Buy American acts.
Legislators and nonprofit government oversight groups are planning to confront U.S. Army officials this week on the legitimacy of the Future Combat Systems' acquisition process.
Indonesia's defense department has proposed a budget of 56 trillion rupiah ($6.1 billion) for next year, more than double the 22 trillion rupiah ($2.3 billion) approved for 2004. The proposal must be cleared by the National Development and Planning Board before being submitted to the cabinet for approval.
United Defense Industries Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., will provide Stryker Add-on Armor kits to the U.S. Army under a contract amendment worth up to $90.6 million, the company said. The contract was awarded by General Dynamics Land Systems. United Defense will provide 289 full-vehicle Add-on Armor kits and spares to coincide with the delivery of the fourth brigade of Strykers to the Army. Initial contract funding is $30 million.
LAV MODIFICATION: General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada will build 39 LAV III Engineer vehicles equipped with various tools under a $9 million contract modification, the company said March 14. Deliveries will take place between October 2006 and July 2007.
IED RESPONSE: The Defense Department is finalizing a new technology to thwart improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and expects to rush it into use in Iraq using new authority that allows the DOD secretary to waive acquisition regulations, according to the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said during a March 10 hearing that the anti-IED technology is being finished at the U.S. military's testing grounds in Yuma, Ariz.
By the end of March, NASA expects to finish the second and final round of flight-tests for its Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) program, which has proven the idea that wing-warping can provide additional roll control at high speeds, according to the agency.
At an industry day in Washington, NASA revealed details of the systems engineering and integration (SE&I) contractor that will help pull together all the technologies being developed in support of the agency's space exploration plans. NASA is leaning toward a hybrid model for the SE&I team, which would incorporate government and industry personnel (DAILY, Jan. 4). "We're looking at a combination of industry, NASA, and an FFRDC [Federally Funded Research and Development Center]," Doug Cooke, SE&I deputy associate administrator, said March 11.
USB DRIVES: More than 1,000 USB memory "thumb" drives have been provided to the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq for evaluation for storing medical records as part of a series of Office of Naval Research (ONR) medical initiatives to support combat operations, ONR chief Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen said March 9.
KEI: Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a one-year delay in the Kinetic Energy Interceptor will help the program iron out system design questions, which is important because space systems have to last a long time. "There are vulnerabilities associated with these systems," he said March 10 during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. "We have to address those in the designs of new systems, and ...
Northrop Grumman Corp. will supply its AN/AAQ-24(V) Nemesis directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system to Australia's new fleet of A330 tanker/transport aircraft under a $24 million contract from EADS CASA, the company said March 14. Deliveries of the laser-based Nemesis system are expected to begin in January 2007. This contract marks the first use of the Nemesis technology on an Airbus aircraft, said Bob Del Boca, vice president of infrared countermeasures and laser systems at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division.
The U.S. Navy said the Advanced Hawkeye aircraft now in development will be designated E-2D, an indication of the capability of its radar compared with the one carried by the current Hawkeye, called E-2C. The service's next carrier-based battle management, early warning and command and control plane is set to enter service in 2011, and will be used in maritime, littoral and overland operations, including missile defense, Naval Air Systems Command said March 14.
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), has warned European countries and their defense industry companies that Congress would respond to their possible sale of arms to China. "We think it's an unwise move, but it's not going to be without a response from Congress," Hunter said March 10 while standing with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Capitol Hill after a HASC hearing. "That will be manifested in legislation. It relates to our relationship with European defense companies."
RECRUITING: The U.S. Army is having trouble meeting its recruiting goals for the Army National Guard, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said. The Army has reached 74% of its recruitment goals for the Guard this year, while hitting 94% and 90% of its goals for active duty and Reserve forces. To address the problem, the Army has boosted the number of recruiters from 9,000 to 12,000 across the board and increased incentives, Harvey said. Gen. Pete Schoomaker, U.S. Army chief of staff, said, "we have more than satisfactory tools for this.
MOSCOW - Russia's federal space agency, Roscosmos, announced on March 11 that Nikolay Sevastianov has been nominated as president of aerospace contractor Energia, a move that could have far-reaching implications for the future of the country's rocket and space industry. Energia is Russia's major contractor for its manned space program. It builds Soyuz and Progress spacecraft and is responsible for Russian flight operations, a function usually performed by government space agencies in the West.
The U.S. Army has made progress in speeding up the delivery of critical equipment to soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom, said Claude M. Bolton Jr., assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has called on the Defense Department to resist Senate efforts to make sure the previous Boeing air tanker contract with the U.S. Air Force is competed, and reiterated that he would fight against such a move again this year.
