Five Hungarian pilots have arrived in Sweden to begin a year of training to become flight instructors for the Gripen JAS-39 fighter aircraft, Sweden's defense procurement agency said Jan. 21. The pilots will receive theoretical training, simulator training and flight training before returning to Hungary to work as Gripen instructor pilots in the Hungarian air force, the procurement agency said. The pilots will be based at the Swedish air force F 7 Wing at Satenas.
EUROFIGHTER CAPABLE: Germany's ministry of defense has rebutted a story in the German news magazine "Der Spiegel" which claims that the German air force's Eurofighters have only limited combat readiness and that development costs appear higher than expected, according to the Eurofighter's builder, Eurofighter GmbH. The ministry of defense said Jan. 22 that all development tasks are running according to plan and that performance standards are implemented and released in stages, which is common, the company said.
ARMY Structural Associates Inc., Watertown, N.Y., was awarded on Jan. 13, 2005, a $12,971,600 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a Constant Pressure Hydrant Fueling System. Work will be performed at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 70 bids solicited on Sept. 9, 2004, and five bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-05-C-0032). NAVY
The U.S. Navy has chosen to end its involvement in the U.S. Air Force-led Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program, sources said late Jan. 24. The Navy's decision comes as the program is gearing up to resume flight-testing in February after a half-year hiatus (DAILY, Dec. 2, 2004). A series of failed tests, most recently in July 2004, prompted the Air Force and prime contractor Lockheed Martin to launch several reviews of the stealthy, precision-guided cruise missile and to implement a host of changes to improve the weapon's reliability.
MOOG POSTS GAINS: East Aurora, N.Y.-based Moog Inc. posted gains in profits, earnings per share and consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2005 compared with a year earlier, the company said Jan. 24. First-quarter profits were $15 million, compared with $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2004, an 18.3% hike. Earnings per share grew 18.8%, to 57 cents from 48 cents, after adjustment for a stock split in February 2004. Consolidated sales rose $23 million to $249 million, a 10% jump over last year, the company said.
V-22 WORK: The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office was awarded an advanced acquisition contract worth $850 million for long-lead work and materials for 11 V-22 aircraft, the DOD said Jan. 24. The aircraft are the fiscal 2006 low-rate initial production lot 10. The work is scheduled to be completed by September 2008.
Responding to press reports that the White House is cutting all funding for a proposed fifth servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, outspoken Hubble supporter Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) has vowed to "lead the fight" to restore the mission and further extend the observatory's life.
Dramatic changes in the types of capacity and services implemented over the United States by the satellite communications industry will lead to changes in the roles and relationships of industry players, according to a new report. "Previous market leaders will fall back while others emerge, often from unusual or unsuspected places," said the report, released Jan. 24 by Futron Corp., a technology management consulting firm based in Bethesda, Md.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing two contract options, totaling $172.3 million, to produce three new Global Positioning System IIF spacecraft and begin purchasing long-lead hardware for three more. The first award is a $143.9 million contract modification to the existing GPS Block IIF contract, which pays for Boeing to begin building three new satellites for delivery by June 2008. These spacecraft already are in various stages of assembly, integration and test at Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, Calif., according to the company.
U.S. Navy Secretary Gordon England, a leading contender to succeed recently departed Air Force Secretary James Roche, could help the Air Force recover from recent procurement scandals and frayed relations with Congress, an analyst said Jan. 21. "Gordon England has a reputation for being a capable manager who is able to get along with people," said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer at the Lexington Institute. "In this Pentagon team, that makes him exceptional."
HELO PURCHASE: Singapore's ministry of defense (SMD) has signed a contract with Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. of Stratford, Conn., to buy six new Sikorsky S-70B naval helicopters, the SMD said Jan. 21. Financial terms were not disclosed. The helicopters will be equipped with advanced anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare sensors and weapons. They will operate from the Singapore navy's new frigates. The helicopters are set for delivery between 2008 and 2010.
FREE FLOATING: Air Force Space Command plans to test a prototype near-space communications balloon in Phoenix on Jan. 25. A modified weather balloon from Space Data Corporation of Chandler, Ariz., will float at 80,000 feet altitude while relaying communications between ground personnel and A-10 and Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft. A second test is planned for early February.
DDG 112: General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works was awarded a $562 million contract modification on Jan. 21 for DDG 112, the last of six DDG 51-class Aegis destroyers the company is building under a multiyear contract awarded in 2002. DDG 112 is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in December 2010.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The Malaysian government will allocate a defense budget primarily to replace existing equipment and upgrade services, a government official said. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia's modernization, although modest, will be significant in the long term. Asked what the defense budget would be under the new spending plan, which covers 2005 to 2009, Najib said it has not been determined. - William Dennis ([email protected])
'MOSTLY NOISE': Proposed defense budget cuts will not affect the growing defense aerospace industry through 2005, says Stephens Inc. Investment Bankers. "While we will have a better understanding of the proposed cuts to the fiscal 2006 defense budget and their impact to future procurement and RDT&E account outlays when the budget is submitted to Congress on Feb. 7, we currently see the near- and medium-term impact to the industry and individual companies as mostly noise," the group says.
The U.S. Air Force has begun flight-testing the first A-10 Thunderbolt upgraded with a precision-weapons capability. The first flight of the modified close-air-support aircraft took place Jan. 20 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. A "ceremonial" first flight is scheduled for Jan. 25. The Precision Engagement (PE) program is adding a targeting pod and Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) data link to the A-10. It also is integrating the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) on the aircraft.
PROCUREMENT AGENCY: The South Korean government plans to create a defense procurement agency in 2006 to improve transparency in military purchasing, the Korean Information Service says. The agency would take over military procurement now split among eight government agencies, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The ministry and JCS would jointly decide on procurement priorities and the agency would allocate funds. To enhance transparency, more than 60% of agency policymakers would be civilians.
Jan. 24 - 26 -- The ION National Technical Meeting, The Catamaran Resort Hotel, San Diego, Calif. For more information go to www.ion.org. Jan. 25 - 26 -- JPEO-CBD Advanced Planning Briefing for Industry, The DC Convention Center, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.ndia.org. Jan. 25 - 27 -- Network Centric Warfare 2005, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C. For more information call 1-800-882-8684, email [email protected] or go to www.ncw2005.com.
Raytheon is beating the U.S. Air Force's cost reduction goals for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle's (UAV) sensor suite, according to company officials. "The Air Force has a cost goal for the [sensor] system over time, and we've achieved that and bettered that for the basic system," said Steve Sheridan, director of the reconnaissance and surveillance systems group at Raytheon Unmanned and Reconnaissance Systems.
NO TIME: The impact of the first set of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) on the second set will be "minimal" because of an accelerated acquisition timeline, the Defense Department's office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) wrote in its latest annual report. The first set, called "Flight 0," of four LCS from competitors Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. are due in late fiscal 2007.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Taiwan's ministry of defense will have to make do with a procurement budget about NT$200 billion ($6 billion) smaller than the NT$610.8 billion ($18.3 billion) budget for this year that was presented in October.
Norway Chief of Defence Gen. Sigurd Frisvold and two other defense officials have resigned following revelations that the country's 2004 defense budget had a deficit of 950 million kroners ($150.5 million), the Norwegian Defence Forces said Jan. 19. "As chief of defense, this specific incident is my responsibility and therefore I choose to make my position available," Frisvold said at a press conference. "It is important that the overconsumption is made visible."
