The U.S. Air Force has agreed on the first self-imposed cuts to its future F/A-22 fleet, but will continue to seek ways to fund more aircraft within its $41 billion cost cap. To help address a cost overrun of up to $1 billion, the Air Force intends to buy 20 F/A-22s in fiscal 2003 instead of the previously planned 23 aircraft, a congressional source told The DAILY Jan. 6. More procurement cuts are expected in FY '04 and beyond. So far, the Air Force plans F/A-22 airframe cuts for the next two years.
The Pentagon is nearing the first contract decision in a quickened acquisition process for a single system intended to replace the military's airborne radios. The Air Force, as executive agent for the airborne cluster of the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), will seek approval for the program's acquisition strategy later this month, according to industry and military officials.
NASA is faring well so far as Senate appropriators try to cut billions of dollars from the remaining fiscal 2003 appropriations bills, a Senate Appropriations Committee aide said Jan. 6. With Republicans taking over the Senate, the Senate Appropriations Committee is revising the FY '03 NASA appropriations bill and 10 other FY '03 appropriations bills that were written under Democratic leadership. Senate Republicans want to reduce spending to lower levels favored by President Bush and the GOP-led House.
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) of Richmond, British Columbia, will deliver a new imaging and surveillance radar system for the country's fleet of CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft, the company said Jan. 6. The work will be done under the CDN$200 million ($128 million) Imaging Radar System project, which will be done in four phases. Prime contractor MDA will complete the high-level design of the new system under the first phase, the company said.
ARROW TEST: Israel conducted a successful multiple firing of the Arrow anti-missile system against computer-simulated targets on Jan. 5, according to the Israeli defense ministry. The test was the fifth of the complete system and the first in a series of tests designed to "evaluate the system's performance against the next generation of incoming threats," the ministry said.
TANKER WORK: Telephonics Corp. will provide the audio intercom system for the Boeing Co.'s 767 tanker/transport aircraft, the company said Jan. 6. The work includes systems for U.S. and international customers of the aircraft and is valued at more than $5 million, according to Telephonics, a subsidiary of the Griffon Corp.
The Army has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $265.8 million contract modification to further develop the capabilities of the XM 982 Excalibur precision-guided projectile, company officials said Jan. 6. Excalibur was identified in June as one of the programs to receive accelerated funding following the Defense Department's cancellation of the Crusader self-propelled howitzer program in May (DAILY, Aug. 8, 2002).
NEW DELHI - India does not plan to follow China and mount a manned space mission soon, according to the head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). "This is not the time to do it," said ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan, who said the returns from such a mission wouldn't make up for the financial and technological resources required to mount it.
Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a live data link between a modified Litening Extended Range (ER) targeting pod aboard a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier and a ground station for a Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the company announced Jan. 6. The modifications to the pod involved adding a data/video transmitter compatible with the Pioneer UAV, along with a commercial off-the-shelf transmit antenna. The changes to the pod took less than a month, according to the company.
NEW DELHI - Pakistan plans to buy arms from Western nations and China under a multimillion-dollar procurement plan. The country's shopping list includes surveillance and information management systems and combat simulators. The procurement plan is being personally drafted by President Pervez Musharraf, according to diplomats based in Islamabad.
LAUNCH: The launch of NASA's CHIPsat and ICESat satellites has been tentatively rescheduled for Jan. 10, 11 or 12, according to CHIPSat builder SpaceDev. CHIPSat is intended to examine the gas that fills the space between stars, and ICESat is to gather data on the changing elevation of ice sheets. The launch of the satellites was postponed from Dec. 19 after a signal relay problem was found on the Boeing Delta II booster (DAILY, Dec. 19, 2002).
FAA PLAN: FAA's latest Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) will be released on FAA's website (www.faa.gov) later this week. The OEP is FAA's regularly updated 10-year plan for air traffic control and technology enhancements. FAA estimates the improvements covered in the latest plan will cost the administration $13 billion through 2013, and could cost the airline industry up to $11 billion if all are implemented. Members of the Commission on the Future of the U.S.
The Missile Defense Agency, which says it is fixing problems with the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missile, plans to conduct three tests of the Lockheed Martin-built missile over about the next 16 months.
Although the State Department could fine the Boeing Co. and Hughes Electronics Corp. up to $61.5 million for allegedly committing 123 trade violations with China, it's unlikely the amount will be that high, according to industry analysts. Instead, the companies probably will work out a deal with the State Department that will include a lesser financial penalty, they said.
The FAA has granted a supplemental type certificate to Airship Management Services' (AMS) Skyship 600 airship equipped with a new Textron Lycoming outboard propulsion system capable of providing greater thrust and maneuverability.
DELAY: A $700 million fighter competition in Brazil may be in jeopardy as a newly elected government reportedly has suspended it for a year to pay for famine relief. Brazil's F-X program calls for 12 to 24 fighter planes but could reach a total of 120 fighters and a worth of $6 billion. Bidders include the Lockheed Martin F-16, the Saab/BAE Systems JAS-39 Gripen, the Embraer/Dassault variant of the Mirage and the Sukhoi Su-35.
CRUNCH TIME: The dispute between the U.S. and the European Commission over the U.S. system of taxing aerospace exports probably will come to a head in the spring, says Joel Johnson, vice president of International Affairs for the Aerospace Industries Association. European countries have complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that tax breaks given to major U.S. exporters are unfair. The WTO has agreed the tax breaks are unfair under current international trade guidelines. But "hitting the U.S.
NASA is investigating a crack found on a component in the shuttle Discovery's liquid oxygen lines and this week will assess whether the shuttle Columbia can safely launch for the STS-107 science mission later this month.
LONDON - BAE Systems' anticipated losses on its Nimrod MRA.4 maritime patrol aircraft and Astute attack submarine programs, expected to total some 800 million pounds ($1.28 billion), could make it harder for the ailing United Kingdom group to secure future defense equipment contracts.
