MOSCOW - The head of Rosaviakosmos, Russia's aviation and space agency, said contractor RSC Energia is proposing to build a new, six-seat spacecraft with a multiple-use return capsule that would be launched atop a modified Soyuz booster called Onega. Rosaviakosmos chief Yuri Koptev did not reveal any details at a Feb. 17 news conference. In the past, Energia has proposed the "Zarya" spacecraft, which would be a an enlarged Soyuz re-entry capsule, and reports here said the company also is pondering a "mini shuttle."
ORLANDO, Fla. - The head of Air Force Space Command is expressing confidence that the service will be able to ease concerns in Congress and elsewhere about the planned Space Based Radar (SBR). During a Feb. 13 press briefing at an Air Force Association conference, Gen. Lance Lord said he believes SBR will be affordable, although lawmakers have suggested that the satellite constellation may end up being too expensive.
FUZE FUNDING: Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will continue production of the Multi-Option Fuze for Artillery (MOFA) under two funding increments worth $34 million, the company said Feb. 17. MOFA is the U.S. Army's next-generation, all-purpose artillery fuze, ATK said, and is operable with all 105mm and 155mm systems.
A tethered aerostat fitted with surveillance sensors is set for use by the U.S. Army in Iraq, according to Lockheed Martin, which has received a contract for the work. A $1.6 million contract awarded on Jan. 22 calls for the company to deliver the system in 120 days or less, said Steve Kostek of the Army's Robotic Unmanned Sensors (RUS) office at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
The U.S. Army is set to begin testing in Iraq of peel-and-stick armor for wheeled vehicles that are vulnerable to small arms fire and blasts from improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Armor Systems International (ASI) of Vancouver, Wash., is shipping 15 kits at the beginning of March to the Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF) in Iraq for feedback on its performance. The REF team is charged with channeling promising new equipment and technology into the war zone as quickly as possible.
February 10, 2004 ARMY Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded on Feb. 6, 2004, a $47,887,050 firm-fixed-price contract for 976 tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided 2B Aero Generation II missiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source contract initiated on Sept. 15, 2003. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q04-C-0061).
The U.S. State Department's new electronic licensing system for defense exports is up and running, a department spokeswoman said Feb. 17. The D-Trade system is designed as an eventual replacement for the department's time-consuming, paper-based licensing process. Reducing the time it takes to get export licenses reviewed has been a major priority for the U.S. aerospace industry.
E-10A BMC2 DELAY: The Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) system for the Air Force's E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A) is experiencing slight delays, according to industry sources. The release of the formal request for proposals has been delayed about two months, to April, because the Air Force had to conduct additional reviews to ensure it had "all their ducks in a row," one industry source says. The selection of a prime contractor is now expected in June or July instead of April or May (DAILY, Dec. 9, 2003).
BRIDGING THE GAP: DARPA is gearing up for its 23rd Systems and Technology Symposium, "DARPATech 2004, Bridging the GAP" to be held March 9-11 at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, Calif. The Tactical Technology Office will hold presentations on the battlefield of the future and a briefing on hypersonic systems including propulsion, high temperature materials, optimizing flight trajectories, flight control algorithms and dynamics.
Naval Sea Systems Command plans to release a request for proposals late this month for development of a single-track management function for the Navy's Open Architecture (OA) program, according to a Feb. 11 FedBizOpps notice. The RFP would lead to a five-year contract. NAVSEA wants a "system integrator/design agent" to implement the function "with a model driven architecture framework on Navy platforms and address evolving Open Architecture initiatives related to track management and sensor netting," the notice says.
Sikorsky's S-92 helicopter will begin two weeks of evaluation at Naval Air Patuxent River early this week, as the Navy gathers more information before its downselect decision in the VXX presidential helicopter competition. The other helicopter in the running for the program, Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland's US101, already had its NPE (Naval Preliminary Evaluation) at Patuxent River last month, according to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) spokesman John Milliman.
HUMVEE FIRES: The U.S. Army's Tank, Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) is investigating three Humvee fires aboard transport ships headed to Iraq. The U.S. Army Safety Center issued a Feb. 11 safety notification alerting users that an electrical system defect was suspected. One fire was categorized as Class A, an incident resulting in more than $1 million in losses. That incident occurred in a ship hold where a suspected "protective control box" allowed a starter to overheat and catch fire destroying four communication Humvees and damaging four others.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The coming months could reveal significant changes for the Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, according to government and industry officials.
Feb. 16 - 17 -- DTH World Summit for Satellite TV Platforms & Channels, Hotel Inter-Continental, Paris. Contact Karine Gallula at +33 1 4923 7524, email [email protected], or go to www.euroconsult-ec.com. Feb. 17 - 19 -- 2004 Munitions Executive Summit, "The Ammunition Enterprise - Ready Today? Ready Tomorrow?", Hyatt Regency Tampa, Tampa, Fla. To register go to http://register.ndia.org/interview/register.ndia?~Brochure~4650.
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s planned acquisition of Titan Corp. could be delayed by investigations the companies have initiated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The agencies will investigate "certain agreements between Titan and international consultants and related payments in foreign countries," Lockheed Martin said in a Feb. 13 statement. The investigations will delve into Titan's sale of radio products, a Titan representative told The DAILY.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Boeing will negotiate its departure from struggling Czech aerospace company Aero Vodochody, citing a "significant difference of opinion" with state shareholders over Aero's future direction.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS: Defense industry leaders are working to overcome barriers that "stovepiped" capabilities within their companies can cause, industry leaders say. "We mirror our customers [DOD] when it comes to this issue," says Jim Albaugh, Boeing's executive vice president and president and CEO of the company's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) segment. "Stovepiped capabilities within our organization compete within the company for resources and don't work together. Now we have an integrated solution, which is a significant change for us." Lockheed Martin Corp.
WON'T SHARE: Israel has told India it still has reservations about sharing data from its Ofeq-5 reconnaissance satellite, although the Israeli government may approve a new Indian plan to jointly build a military satellite for India. A diplomat in Tel Aviv's embassy in India says Israel would have to reverse a longstanding policy before sharing data or images from the satellite, which India has sought to lease (DAILY, March 21, 2003).
NO NASA BRAC: Although NASA has recruited a former DOD official who has participated in Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) efforts to perform an inventory of its facilities, the agency has no "specific intention" of closing any field centers, according to Administrator Sean O'Keefe. The official was "brought in a month ago, following a comprehensive effort we conducted last year to look at real property assessments, inventorying what we have," O'Keefe says. "The approach that we asked for ... is how do we use those facilities in the most cost-effective way.
S&T FUTURE: The defense industry must make science and technology careers more attractive to counteract the anticipated shortage of scientists and engineers in the near future, according to the CEOs of several large firms who spoke last week at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' conference in Washington. "Scientists and engineers are an aging part of the workforce," says Northrop Grumman CEO Ronald Sugar. "There's been a lull in the tech industry, but the lull will end shortly and we'll face a wave a competition with the commercial economy.
