By adopting Internet Protocols (IP) for its worldwide communications, the Department of Defense (DOD) finally will be able to achieve the "holy grail" of having multiple layers of security at the same location or even the same data terminal, according to John Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration.
PRAGUE - The Czech government decided Oct. 20 to fast-track the purchase of 14 used supersonic fighter aircraft. The cabinet agreed to bypass standard tender procedures by defining the process as a strategic order, allowing the government to select a winning bid before the end of the year as planned, according to Czech defense officials.
Spacehab Inc., the maker of specialized space modules and cargo containers, said Oct. 20 that its chief financial officer, Julia Pulzone, will resign Dec. 31. The resignation is related to Spacehab's decision to close its Washington office to cut expenses (DAILY, Oct. 2). Spacehab plans to relocate its Washington office and personnel to company headquarters near Houston.
October 14, 2003 ARMY EAI Corp., Abingdon, Md., was awarded on Sept. 30, 2003, a $22,683,224 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Antiterrorism/Force Protection Tier 3 Upgrades. Work will be performed in Abingdon, Md., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 12, 2003. The U.S. Army Robert Morris Acquisition Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (DAAD13-03-C-0042).
In an effort to persuade naysayers and help military leaders make investments that will better support network-centric warfare (NCW), the Pentagon's Office of Force Transformation (OFT) is sponsoring a series of case studies that will refine the theory behind NCW and quantify its benefits. Armed with the studies, OFT will then be able to "tell the story" of NCW to military leaders who still are focused on platforms rather than networked capabilities, according to John Garstka, assistant director for concepts and operations at OFT.
NEW DELHI - India's defense ministry has approved a $150 million mid-life upgrade program for 10 of its aging Sea King helicopter fleet, used for anti-submarine warfare in the Indian Ocean. The Indian navy has 32 Sea Kings, which are unable to carry out their missions effectively because they cannot fly long distances at sea, navy officials said.
Aviation electronics and communications company Rockwell Collins will acquire NLX of Sterling, Va., which provides training and simulation systems, for $125 million in cash. The transaction is scheduled to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval, Rockwell Collins said Oct. 17. NLX, bought from Arlington Capital Partners, provides training systems, upgrades, modifications and engineering for programs that include the U.S. Navy's E-2C Hawkeye 2000 upgrade program and the U.S. Army's Stryker light armored vehicle.
NEW DELHI - India has launched a new Earth observing satellite mainly intended for agricultural monitoring, disaster response and land and water resource management. India launched Resourcesat-1, its most sophisticated and heaviest remote sensing satellite, on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), on Oct. 15 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southern India.
Implementing lean manufacturing techniques has enabled Ace Clearwater Enterprises, a small California supplier, to retain jobs and thrive in today's depressed aerospace market, according to company vice president Gary Johnson. "[Lean] has been a godsend," Johnson told The DAILY in an Oct. 17 interview. Ace Clearwater Enterprises, located in Torrance, Calif., is a $24 million manufacturer of complex welded assemblies. Key customers include Honeywell International, Lockheed Martin, Textron, Airbus, Boeing and GKN Westland.
The U.S. Army is moving forward with its Compact Kinetic Energy Missile (CKEM) program, awarding contracts to Lockheed Martin Corp. and Miltec Corp. for a 36-month advanced technology development program intended to further refine the concept of a lightweight hit-to-kill, vehicle-mounted battlefield missile.
CHINA SPACE: Could U.S. astronauts and Chinese taikonauts one day work together in space? Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) seems to think so. Nelson, a leading congressional advocate of space exploration, says he hopes the recent successful launch of China's human space flight program will pave the way for the Asian country to participate in international space efforts, including the International Space Station. "China's program will provide additional resources, fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm for space exploration," Nelson says.
The U.S. Defense Department plans to make an additional $335.5 million available to buy unmanned aerial vehicles, aerostats and other force protection equipment for U.S. troops in Iraq, according to a top Pentagon official.
NEW DELHI - The head of India's air force, Air Chief Marshal Sriniwaspuram Krishnaswamy, left Oct. 15 on a five-day trip to Russia to procure source codes for MiG-29B and Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft so the service can mount Western air-to-air missiles on the Russian aircraft. The air force wants to mount Israeli Derby missiles and South African R-Darter missiles on its fighters, but needs aircraft system source codes to make them work, a defense official said. India's MiG-29B and Su-30 MKI fleet currently carries only Russian Vympel R-77 missiles.
TRAINING TOGETHER: CAE of Toronto and Iberia Airlines have created an aviation training joint venture in Spain, which should bring in Cdn$30 million ($22.8 million) in its first year and grow after that, CAE says. CAE owns 80 percent of the joint venture's equity and will use its Airbus A320, CRJ200, MD-82 and Dash 8 aircraft simulators. Iberia will contribute its Airbus A320-200, A340-300, Boeing 747-200 and MD-87/88 simulators.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has introduced legislation aimed at curbing the use of "offset" agreements that require U.S. firms to export technology or production work to ensure the sale of major defense systems.
After arriving at the German navy's Nordholz Air Base on Oct. 15, the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle is preparing for the first in a series of electronics intelligence (ELINT) demonstration flights being conducted by the U.S. Air Force for the German ministry of defense (MOD).
LIBRARY VISITS: The future "smart pull" vision of network-centric warfare envisioned by the U.S. Department of Defense will be akin to giving the warfighter library privileges, according to John Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration. "I refer to where we are today, as you can subscribe to any magazine you'd like, but you're not allowed to go to the library," Stenbit says.
TWO DIVISIONS: Talk in Congress about creating two additional active Army divisions isn't likely to result in the purchase of new equipment, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Byron Callan of Merrill Lynch. "One of the central issues facing the Army today is that units providing military police, medical and administrative functions that would be useful in building civil security tend to be reserve formations," he says. "If the Army increased in size, it is not likely that these sorts of units would be equipped with M-1 [Abrams] tanks," Callan says.
XXXOct. 20 - 21 -- Public Safety & Security Committe Fall Meeting, Safety Harbor Resort & Spa, Tampa, Fla. Contact Dawn Lucini at 202-293-8500 x 3039, email [email protected] or go to www.aci-na.aero. Oct. 20 - 23 -- 8th Annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference, "Expeditionary Warfare...Projecting Joint Operational Independence," Marriott Bay Point Resort & Conference Center, Panama City, Fla. Contact Simone Baldwin at (703) 247-2596, email [email protected] or go to www.ndia.org.
The number of manned and unmanned space launches by China is expected to increase through 2021, while launches conducted by the U.S. are likely to remain flat, according to a report from the Futron Corp. China through 2021 is expected to conduct up to 10 launches a year, a 50 percent increase from previous years, the report says. "China appears ready to enter space with a degree of ambition matching the Americans and Soviets during the 1960s," according to the report.
STREAMLINING: The National Space Society is urging members of Congress to pass the Commercial Space Act of 2003 in an "expeditious manner," saying it would clarify and streamline the regulatory regime for an emerging U.S. suborbital space flight industry. The bill, introduced by Reps.
POCKET NCW: While attractive to consumers, portable data assistants (PDAs) and similar handheld consumers from the consumer electronics market have "inherent drawbacks" when put in the hands of warfighters, according to Tactronics President Billy Silhan. "A lot of companies have tried to embrace the ... pocket PC devices, and I think there are inherent drawbacks with that," Silhan says. Chief among these drawbacks are limitations on the ability to display and process video, he says. "The warfighters will always tell you what they want ...
