The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is expected to begin fielding 41 backpack-portable Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq in May. "We are playing a fine line expediting as fast as we can, but also trying to make sure we have all the program support in place as well ... training, sustainment, all the rest of that," said Program Manager Lt. Col. Don Bruce.
Boeing has established a new Earth Science Applications office and a Space Exploration Systems (SES) office to pursue opportunities connected with the president's new space policy, the company announced March 15. Charles Allen will lead the Washington-based SES organization as vice president and program manager. Allen previously managed the Boeing Orbital Space Plane (OSP) office in Huntsville, Ala.
HEARINGS: House committees plan more hearings this week on the Defense Department's $401.7 billion budget request for fiscal 2005. On March 17, the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense plans to review the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps budget request of $119.3 billion in FY '05. The Navy wants $11.1 billion to procure nine ships, including the first DD(X) destroyer and Littoral Combat Ship, and also is seeking funding for the CVN-21 aircraft carrier. Air Force Gen. John W. Handy, commander of U.S.
An Air Force official said March 15 that the F/A-22 Raptor has made significant progress toward a key performance goal, even as the General Accounting Office issued a report sharply criticizing the program.
To increase its hold in the security technology market, GE Infrastructure, a unit of General Electric Co., is acquiring InVision Technologies, a California-based explosives-detection equipment maker, for about $900 million. "This acquisition significantly enhances GE's capabilities in explosive detection and security technologies," GE said in a March 15 statement.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Grand Challenge race for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) produced no winner March 13, with the most successful team completing approximately seven miles of the 142-mile course. Nonetheless, DARPA is pleased with the results of the race, which was intended to spur innovations in UGV technology that can be applied to military vehicles (DAILY, March 2; July 29, 2003).
Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made progress in developing new approaches to the management of its 450 million Euro ($551 million) research and technology programs so they deliver better results, according to a recent United Kingdom National Audit Office (NAO) report.
The Air Force has issued a stop-work order to Boeing for installation of Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) kits on KC-10 tanker aircraft, according to a Boeing spokesman. "We have been notified by the Air Force to stop work" on the program, said Paul Guse of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems unit in St. Louis. Boeing received the notification last Wednesday, he said March 15 in response to questions from The DAILY.
AIR START TESTING: The Korean air force has begun engine air start testing of the F404-GE-102 engine. The engine powers the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer, which is being developed by Korean Aerospace Industries with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin. Air start testing involves shutting down the engine in flight and restarting it. "This testing is critical because of the single-engine configuration of the T-50," Lt. Col. Lee Choong-Hwan, a test pilot, said in a Lockheed Martin statement.
DELIVERIES: EADS Defence Electronics will deliver advanced self-protection systems against missiles and other threats for Eurocopter Tigers and NH90 helicopters in Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Portugal and Finland, the company said March 15. The work will be done under a 200 million euro ($240 million) Eurocopter contract. Deliveries will occur through 2012.
Northrop Grumman has won a $9.5 million U.S. Air Force contract to help enhance the surveillance capabilities of aerial vehicles by embedding antennas in the primary load-bearing structures of composite aircraft wings.
Raytheon Co. has completed the first production-representative radar for the Missile Defense Agency's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a company spokesman said March 12. The X-band radar rolled off the final assembly line in Andover, Mass., on March 8 and now is headed to White Sands Missile Range, N.M., for testing. The device is to track target missiles and provide communications with in-flight interceptor missiles.
Lockheed Martin Corp. postponed its $1.8 billion acquisition of Titan Corp. while the government investigates payments by Titan consultants to international officials, the company said March 12. Lockheed Martin said earlier this month that it "has learned of allegations that improper payments were made, or items of value were provided, by consultants for the Titan Corp. or its subsidiaries to foreign officials" (DAILY, March 9).
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to convene an industry day later this month to discuss its proposed Walrus hybrid heavy-lift airship program.
The Space Based Radar (SBR) contractor teams will spend the early months of the next phase of the program performing trade studies to determine the extent to which the system can rely on aircraft to fill gaps in its radar coverage, according to Lockheed Martin SBR Vice President Don DeGryse.
A U.S. Air Force review of munitions has identified several shortfalls, including the need for lighter-weight flight termination devices and a common language for weapons datalinks, service representatives said March 12.
DEEPWATER SPENDING: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to mark up the U.S. Coast Guard budget authorization during a Mar. 24 hearing. The panel's Coast Guard and maritime transportation subcommittee has approved $7.9 billion for the service, including $1.1 billion for the Deepwater modernization program, which would be a significant boost from the White House request of $678 million. "The acceleration of the Deepwater project is vitally needed because the Coast Guard's fleet is rapidly deteriorating," Coast Guard subcommittee Chairman Rep.
ANOTHER BITE: The U.S. Navy may be considering taking another stab at establishing a sea-based lower-tier missile defense program, says a naval analyst. Congressional Research Service analyst Ronald O'Rourke says congressional testimony from Vice Adm. John Nathman, deputy chief of naval operations, points in this direction. "We are briefing the Senate side on gaps in current capabilities, current operational challenges and pacing the threat issue, an example of which is missile defense.
GMD TESTING: The Defense Department is trying to determine when the Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system should advance to operational testing, which generally is considered more rigorous than the development testing it is now undergoing. Major weapon systems typically go through operational testing before entering full-rate production, but it is unclear when, if ever, GMD will reach full-rate production.
March 15 - 17 -- 6th International SAP A&D Forum, Washington, D.C. Go to www.sap.com/aero-defense. March 18 -- NASA contractor open forum with Tom Luedtke, NASA assistant administrator for procurement. 9:00-11:30 a.m., Marshall Space Flight Center, Morris Auditorium, Huntsville, Ala. For more information call Valerie Holmes at 256-544-0314, fax 256-544-9344 or email [email protected].
