Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, plans to revamp the Pentagon's missile defense programs if he is elected, campaign advisers said Dec. 15.
Three new satellites for the Russian government's Glonass space navigation system entered orbit after a Proton launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Dec. 11. Two older Uragan and one newer 3,600-pound Uragan-M satellite - with an extended orbital life of up to five years - were delivered in the 32nd triple launch since the Glonass program began in 1982. Designed to have 24 spacecraft in three orbital planes and to compete with the U.S. Global Positioning Satellite system, Glonass has as few as eight operational satellites.
NAME CHANGE: NASA plans to release the first images from its Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) on Dec. 18, the aerospace agency said. It also will announce a new name for the observatory, which was launched in August to study galaxies, stars and planet-forming discs that orbit around them.
Northrop Grumman tested its proposed battle management command and control (BMC2) subsystem for the U.S. Air Force's E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A) during a series of simulated flights conducted last week, the company announced Dec. 15.
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its outlook on L-3 Communications from stable to positive, the company said Dec. 15. The move reflects "a steadily improving financial profile, increased program diversity, and the positive outlook for defense spending," S&P said. The company's balance sheet has periodically become "highly leveraged" from acquisitions, S&P said, but "management has a good record of restoring financial flexibility by issuing equity."
General Dynamics Land Systems won a $2 billion contract - the largest in its history - to develop the next generation of tanks, artillery and infantry carriers for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, the company announced Dec. 15.
HARD WORK: Reforming America's export control regime will require a sustained commitment from the next presidential administration, according to Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO John Douglass. "It's going to take some awful hard work, and the administration ... whether it's a second Bush administration or a new Democratic administration, have got to make up their minds that they're going to go down to the Hill and make this an administration priority," he says.
MID-LIFE UPDATE: Ingram also says the idea of a mid-life upgrade for the Typhoon still is being studied. "Typhoon's incremental acquisition strategy means that enhancements to the aircraft's capabilities will be incorporated progressively after its initial entry into service," he says. "It is too early in the Typhoon program to consider whether a formal mid-life update for the aircraft might be needed or how it might best be achieved."
JOINT PROGRAMS: Federal budget constraints probably will force U.S. military services to cut costs by acquiring more weapon systems jointly, says Navy Rear Adm. Michael Mathis, director of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization (JTAMDO). However, joint programs are unlikely to replace service-specific programs entirely because each service still will have unique needs, he says. The Navy, for instance, will continue to buy ships that no other service wants, while the Air Force is unlikely to join the Army in buying tanks.
TYPHOON TRANCHE: "Intense work is under way" on preparing contracts for the second tranche of the multi-nation Eurofighter Typhoon program, and they will be awarded "as soon as possible," says Adam Ingram, the United Kingdom's secretary of state for defense. "Under the original schedule, the contracts had been due to be placed during 2003 but the program, including the delivery of Tranche 1 aircraft, has been subject to delay," Ingram told Parliament Dec. 11.
NEW DELHI - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has completed test trials of the Cheetah helicopter with a new engine, the Turbomecca TM 333 2M2, a company official said Dec. 12. The upgraded helicopter flew more than 50 development flights and the latest tested the engine's air intake pressure, temperatures, engine surge, hover performance, engine restarts and high-altitude performance. Cold weather trials are planned at Leh in 2004, the HAL official said. Certification in 2004
EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Army officials say the Iraq war has provided important lessons on how the service spends its money on air and missile defense systems. Some budgetary changes are already in the works.
VXX RFP: The final request for proposals (RFP) for the VXX presidential helicopter replacement program will be released to contractors Dec. 15. Lockheed Martin/Agusta Westland's US101 and Sikorsky's S-92 are the contenders for the program. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) plans to buy 23 aircraft to replace the Sikorsky-built VH-3Ds and VH-60s currently used for executive transport missions. The new aircraft would be introduced starting in 2008.
LONDON - The United Kingdom's land, sea and air weapon platforms need major cuts to create a military force that could be deployed swiftly, a Ministry of Defence (MOD) White Paper published Dec. 11 says. The U.K. military needs "rebalancing and further investment in a range of enablers and logistics" to meet objectives, the MOD said. A key objective is to be able to conduct three operational campaigns simultaneously, including one long-term "peace support mission."
Converting analog-cockpit T-45A trainer aircraft to the digital-cockpit T-45C configuration is a target for the Chief of Naval Air Training, according to CNTRA spokesman Lt. Robert Lyon.
Dec. 15 -- International Air Service Seminar, The Westin Grand, Washington, D.C. Contact Howard Mann at (202) 293-8500 x 3037, email [email protected] or go to www.aci-na.aero. Dec. 18 -- Aviation Week & Space Technology and ShareSpace Foundation present "Next Century of Flight Space Imperatives," Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C. To register go to http://www.aviationweedk.com/conferences.
RAPTOR WORK: EDO Corp. will continue production of its AMRAAM Vertical Ejection Launcher weapons-delivery system for the F/A-22 Raptor, the company said Dec. 12. The work will be done under a $33.5 million contract from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, which covers production lots three and four, consisting of 43 aircraft.
After scrapping an effort to partner with industry on a follow-on system, NASA is talking with Congress and the Bush Administration about forming an international consortium to provide Landsat-type satellite images after the retirement of the ailing Landsat 7 satellite. Landsat spacecraft have been providing remote sensing data to government, private and international users for nearly 30 years. NASA manages the satellites, with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) processing and distributing the data.
While British air assets succeeded in operations against Iraq earlier this year, the war raised questions and provided lessons about air combat, according to a new report from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD). Among the findings: * The U.K.'s use of precision-guided munitions was greater than in the Gulf War of 1991, and "stockpile planning is being reviewed accordingly." * "Effects-based operations require improved methods of accurately assessing the results of attacks on targets."
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the Czech Republic's planned purchase or lease of 14 supersonic aircraft with Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, according to Czech government sources.
SMDC HANDOVER: Lt. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, the retiring head of Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), will formally hand over the SMDC reins on Dec. 16 to Maj. Gen. (Promotable) Larry Dodgen. SMDC, the Army component command to U.S. Strategic Command, handles missions that include space operations, information operations, global strike, integrated missile defense and command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR).
