OVERREACTION: Although a commission reviewing the Bush Administration's space exploration initiative has heard complaints that the new focus could starve NASA science projects, panel member Paul Spudis, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University Physics Laboratory, says he's not worried. "I don't see collateral damage," he says. Some other fields are flat or "slightly declined," but "a lot of this is overreaction, in my opinion," Spudis says. The commission held public hearings last week at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
NATO EXERCISE: NATO and Russia plan to hold a joint exercise March 8-12 to promote interoperability in theater missile defense. More than 60 people from 10 NATO nations and Russia are expected to participate in the computer-aided exercise, which will focus on the command and control of forces and will take place at the U.S. Joint National Integration Center (JNIC) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The termination of the U.S. Army's RAH-66 Comanche is expected to have little impact on the Army-led Joint Common Missile (JCM) program, even though the helicopter was slated to be equipped with the JCM, according to a service spokesman. The cancellation will have "only a minor impact" on the missile because most of the JCM activities for Comanche would have taken place later in the program, after a decision to produce the missile, said Dan O'Boyle, a spokesman for the JCM project office at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
NATO ROLE: NATO is moving toward increased involvement in the Afghanistan stabilization effort, Jones says. "NATO has proposed five new provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan in as short a time period as possible ... that will probably happen," Jones says. "In Afghanistan, we're looking at NATO taking over an even greater role. Meanwhile, there's been no tasking from NATO to prepare military advice on how NATO will operate in Iraq. If NATO wished to act, it could establish a NATO flag quickly."
MDA EXERCISE: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to conduct a March 16 war game exercise to help operators of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system achieve proficiency with GMD's command, control and battle management and communications (C2BMC) system. The exercise, which will take place at the Joint National Integration Center (JNIC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will use computer programs that can simulate dozens of scenarios involving ballistic missile attacks. The Defense Department plans to begin fielding GMD by the end of September.
Major helicopter companies, academic institutions and local Pennsylvania companies have entered into an agreement to create a world-class rotorcraft center, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said March 5. "I have been working for several years to create a world-class Center for Rotorcraft Innovation to address shortfalls in rotorcraft research and development," Weldon said in a statement.
The U.S. Army is developing a requirement for a Humvee-mounted laser system capable of destroying unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines from a safe distance, according to Darryl Hancock, laser technician for the Zeus system. Zeus-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutraliza-tion System) is a solid-state laser system with a range of approximately 200 meters (219 yards). The 1000-watt laser focuses energy on the outer casing of the mine or unexploded munition, heating it until it's destroyed by internal combustion.
USEUCOM TRAINING: U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is starting to move its training from Western Europe to less congested areas, says Gen. James Jones (USMC), USEUCOM commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Jones testified March 4 before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We plan to do more, not less, training. And we have access to training areas in Eastern Europe, where there are more wide open spaces, not like in Western Europe," Jones says. "We're looking into parts of Africa also. Doing this will also help us to reach out to new allies.
Rep. Ike Skelton, (D-Mo.) released an unfunded priorities list from the military services totaling more than $12.2 billion, and said it is a key reason why Congress should not cut the Defense Department's budget request. Skelton, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, asked the services to submit lists of requirements not included in the Bush Administration's $401.7 billion fiscal 2005 defense budget request.
HUBBLE PLEA: Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced a House resolution this week urging an independent review of NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe's decision not to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope because of concerns about the safety of the space shuttle crew that would perform a servicing mission (DAILY, Jan. 21).
March 8 - 9 -- Aviation Week presents European Transport Leaders Conference. Merrill Lynch Headquarters, London. To register go to http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences. March 10 - 11 -- Aviation Week presents Toulouse Symposium, Toulouse Congress Center, France. To register go to http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences. March 15 - 17 -- 6th International SAP A&D Forum, Washington, D.C. Go to www.sap.com/aero-defense.
NAVY RESEARCH: Navy research programs will be the focus of a House Armed Services Committee hearing scheduled for March 11. The committee's projection forces subcommittee will hear testimony on the Navy's future capabilities from John J. Young, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, Vice Adm. John B. Nathman, deputy chief of naval operations for warfare requirements and programs and Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen, chief of naval research and director of test, evaluation and technology requirements.
ARMOR KITS: The Army will need 20,000 to 30,000 armor kits to protect its Humvees and other light vehicles from improvised explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and other threats, according to Gen. Paul Kern, commander of Army Materiel Command (AMC). "The requirement continues to grow as we have transitioned the force from tracked armored vehicles to wheeled vehicles - which may not be armored - today," Kern says. The Army is producing more than 1,000 vehicle armor kits per month, according to Kern.
BUYBACK: United Defense Industries said it will buy back up to $100 million in shares of company stock over the next year to protect their value. "We believe that the company's common stock is undervalued in the marketplace and represents a sound investment at its recent trading prices," Thomas W. Rabaut, the president and CEO, said in a statement.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - To more clearly communicate their plans to civilian leaders, military leaders are adopting a uniform set of terms and diagrams to describe future joint military information networks, according to Lt. Gen. Steven Boutelle, chief information officer at the Office of the Secretary of the Army.
Shortfalls in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and network-centric warfare (NCW) could receive extra attention in the planning process that will guide the drafting of the Pentagon's next budget, senior defense officials said March 5.
A U.S. Navy report on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) that was sent to Congress March 3 doesn't provide needed details on cost, according to two naval analysts. The LCS program calls for 56 ships, with various mine warfare (MIW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and surface warfare (SUW) mission packages. The Navy is seeking congressional approval to spend $352 million next year to build the first ship, called Flight 0, and for general research and development.
The U.S. Air Force is moving ahead with plans to equip some of its B-52 bombers to perform radar jamming, according to congressional testimony. The Air Force intends to begin work in October that will lead to modifying 16 B-52s so they can conduct jamming missions, said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force vice chief of staff, who appeared before the House Armed Services Committee's projection forces panel March 3 (DAILY, March 4).
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Several technologies that were under development for the canceled RAH-66 Comanche helicopter are likely to find a home in the Block III AH-64D Apache Longbow, according to contractors working on both programs. The Army and Boeing, the Apache manufacturer, will jointly determine which Comanche technologies will transition over, according to Al Winn, vice president for Apache programs at Boeing.
The U.S. Navy's Tactical Tomahawk (TacTom) cruise missile is on track for a full-rate production decision in June, according to service officials. The Navy recently completed flight tests as part of the TacTom's operational evaluation, which could help pave the way for the production decision and for the achievement of an initial operational capability this summer.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK), which has just won a $21 million contract for production of AN/AAR-47 missile approach warning systems, is in line to produce still more of the systems. The $21 million contract is the fourth production option to an existing sensor upgrade contract first awarded in 1998. The kits and systems required under this contract will be delivered to the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and U.S. allies, for integration into various aircraft, according to ATK.
