The U.S. State Department's June 20 notice announcing the formal lifting the trade sanctions against India and Pakistan may result in an occasional sale for U.S. defense contractors, according to some foreign policy observers. But it remains unclear whether large-scale defense trade between the countries would result.
FORMER LAWMAKER DIES: Former House Armed Services Committee Chairman Bob Stump (R-Ariz.) died June 20 in Phoenix, reportedly due to a rare blood disorder. He was 76.
The winner of a pending U.S. Air Force contract to install satellite receivers in B-2 Spirit cockpits must start delivering products within three months of receiving a contract, according to an acquisition notice posted June 20. The Tactical Data Links System Program Office at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., plans to award a roughly $3 million contract for the B-2 Beyond Line of Sight program in August.
Boeing and the U.S. Air Force have completed a crucial review in the Air Force's effort to modernize the ground control segment for the Global Positioning System (GPS), the company announced June 23. The integrated baseline review (IBR) approved a restructuring of the next-generation control segment to make it more efficient, according to Boeing spokesman Erik Simonsen. Both the Air Force and Boeing "were quite pleased with [the] review," Simonsen said.
SUB WORK: The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded General Dynamics Corp.'s Electric Boat subsidiary a $10 million contract modification to manage and support nuclear submarine maintenance work. The work will be performed on submarines at the Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) in New London, Conn.
As Congress gears up to debate the U.S. Air Force's proposed lease of 100 Boeing 767 refueling aircraft, lawmakers may want to consider whether other options are worth pursuing to meet the service's needs, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Air Force hopes to lease the 767s to replace its aging fleet of 133 KC-135Es. Supporters of the proposed deal say it represents the only viable near-term option, partly because Boeing is the only U.S. company equipped to produce large tanker aircraft.
NIGHT VISION: Irvine Sensors Corp. will develop and deliver enhanced resolution versions of its miniaturized infrared cameras under a $1 million contract from the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command, the company said June 23. Although the Army's main interest is for use in a night-vision weapons sight for infantry weapons, the contract also calls for delivery of several units for testing as helmet-mounted sensors for firefighters.
Three microsatellites are scheduled to fly inside Node 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) next year, as part of an effort by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to learn more about spacecraft docking and servicing. DARPA is providing most of the funding for the SPHERE (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) project through its Orbital Express program, which is pursuing technologies to enable on-orbit satellite servicing and repair.
NEW DELHI - India's short-range Trishul missile had a test flight June 22 from Chandipur. An official with the Indian defense ministry said the missile, which has a range of nine kilometers (5.6 miles), successfully hit a moving target. However, the missile's planned induction into the armed forces has been halted after a series of failed tests prompted the military to reject it. In March, the ministry said the missile program will continue as a research program only.
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Alliant Techsystems (ATK) a $228.6 million contract to develop the Navy's precision-strike AGM-88E Advanced Anti-radiation Guided Missile (AARGM). AARGM is a follow-on retrofit program to the Navy's High-Speed Anti-radiation Missile (HARM) missile, an air-to-surface missile designed to attack radar-equipped enemy air defenses.
LE BOURGET, France - In an ongoing bidding war for Brazil's F-X fighter program, the JAS 39 Gripen fighter's manufacturers say they can tailor the aircraft's avionics and armament to meet the country's requirement. The contest is gradually moving forward after the roughly $700 million acquisition effort was suspended earlier this year by a new government in Brazil. At the time, the project was put on hold to pay for famine relief supplies.
EO/IR SPENDING: Despite U.S. Army plans to incorporate small, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into its Future Combat Systems program, most of the money spent on UAV sensor systems in the near term will go for larger, high-endurance aircraft, according to David Rockwell, senior defense electronics analyst with the Teal Group. Rockwell predicts sales of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) equipment for UAVs are likely to double to nearly $500 million annually by 2010. Most of that will go for large, high-endurance UAVs like Global Hawk.
MORE ARIANE: European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) will produce 30 new Ariane 5 launch vehicles for launch provider Arianespace as part of the EADS' duties as the new prime contractor for the rocket. Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall signed the "order letter" for the new batch of rockets with top executives at EADS Space Transportation during the Paris Air Show. "This new commitment will allow Arianespace to ensure its launch service continuity," the company says in a statement.
June 23 - 25 -- The Institute Of Navigation 59th Annual Meeting and the CIGTF 22nd Guidance Test Symposium. For more information visit www.ion.org. June 23 - 27 -- National Space & Missile Materials Symposium, "Developing Materials to Enable Our Future in Space," San Diego, Calif. For more information visit www.usasymposium.com.
STING RAY: Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division will supply LN-200 inertial measurement units to guide the U.K. Ministry of Defence's Sting Ray torpedo, the company said June 20. The work will be done under a 10-year contract from BAE Systems' Underwater Systems Division.
STARDUST: After conducting a third deep-space course correction maneuver June 18, the Stardust spacecraft is on track to rendezvous with comet Wild 2 in January 2004, according to NASA. Stardust is to collect samples from the halo of dust that surrounds the nucleus of the comet during its rendezvous, then return to Earth in January 2006 to make a soft landing at the Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range.
EXPEDITING LAUNCH: Burt Rutan's concerns that a regulatory dispute could postpone his attempt to launch a manned suborbital vehicle (DAILY, June 19) came as a surprise to the FAA agency he blamed for the potential delay. The Commercial Space Transportation office (AST), is "looking for ways to expedite the licensing of his efforts," while adhering to legal requirements and safety concerns, Jay Garvin, AST's manager of Licensing and Safety, wrote in response to a request by The DAILY.
The State Department announced on June 20 it will begin reviewing requests to export or transfer defense articles, defense services and related technical data to India and Pakistan on a case-by-case basis. The announcement represents the official lifting of sanctions that were imposed on India and Pakistan in 1998 after those countries conducted tests of nuclear weapons.
NEW DELHI - France's Eurocopter has offered to work with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to jointly build Cougar and Fennec military helicopters in India, HAL Chairman N.R. Mohanty said. Mohanty said HAL will consider equity participation in such a joint venture. The Indian government plans to upgrade 200 military helicopters and buy more than 150 new helicopters. Most of India's military helicopters are 20-30 years old and were bought from Russia.
The General Accounting Office (GAO) and NASA's Inspector General (IG) are expressing concern over the implementation of the agency's new Integrated Financial Management Program (IFMP), which is scheduled to be operational at all NASA centers later this month. NASA initiated the IFMP program last year to unify its 10 field centers under the same accounting system. Two previous attempts to modernize the agency's bookkeeping were abandoned after 12 years and a reported expense of $180 million, according to the GAO (DAILY, March 21, 2002).
STRYKER REPORT: The Office of the Secretary of Defense will submit its report on the performance of the Stryker family of combat vehicles to Congress in mid-July, according to a U.S. Army spokesman. The report will cover the performance of the vehicles in three exercises that took place from mid-March to late May, starting at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and ending at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. The 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, which conducted the exercises, achieved initial operating capability in May.
The Army's Low Cost Interceptor (LCI) program has successfully completed a key design review, taking it one step closer to a potential fielding at the end of the decade. During LCI's May 15-16 preliminary design review, Miltec, the system integrator, "presented a design that met the program goals," Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) said in a recent statement responding to questions.
