General Dynamics Corp. subsidiaries Bath Iron Works and Electric Boat Corp. won three contracts last week as part of work that could be worth nearly $1 billion if all options are exercised. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on Nov. 20 awarded Bath Iron Works a $72 million contract for lead yard services on the DDG-51-class Aegis destroyer program. The contract includes a second-year option for engineering services worth $76 million.
GREEN LIGHT: NASA has received an environmental green light to begin developing land adjacent to its Ames Research Center into NASA Research Park - the agency's proposed 213-acre research and development campus for partners from academia, industry and the non-profit sector. NASA officials signed the Record of Decision for the Environmental Impact Statement for the NASA Ames Development Plan (NADP) on Nov. 22. "This is a big step forward in the development of the NASA Research Park," Ames Director G. Scott Hubbard says.
BETTER FLIGHT: Research grants awarded by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research could have a "significant impact" on the ability of humans to safely conduct long-duration space flight, NASA says. NASA selected 17 scientists for the one- to three-year grants, which are worth up to $8.8 million each. They cover areas such as advanced environmental monitoring of space habitats, advanced food technologies, waste processing and air revitalization. The aerospace agency made the selection from 113 proposals in response to a research solicitation released in March.
With both Lockheed Martin and Boeing's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) off to successful starts, analysts are generally positive about the long-term prospects for both, although they feel government support will be crucial to sustaining them through the current flat market period. The Air Force partially funded the development of Lockheed Martin's Atlas V and Boeing's Delta IV rocket families to reduce the cost of launch and provide the U.S. with assured access to space.
NECESSARY UPGRADES: Latin American defense spending is expected to total nearly $24.5 billion in 2003 and increase to $27 billion by 2007, according to a report from Forecast International/DMS. Of that total, an estimated 20 percent will go for procurement, which can cover everything from uniforms to fighter aircraft.
LONDON - Britain's Tanker & Transport Service Company Ltd (TTSC), which is competing for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence's 13 billion pound ($20.66 billion) Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program, confirmed it has selected the new Smiths Aerospace air refueling system for its Boeing 767-based submission. Boeing chose Smiths in March to supply the same integrated system for its B767 tanker/transport. The system also has been selected by Italy and Japan, and is the U.S. Air Force's preferred air-to-air refueling (AAR) platform.
DEFENSE SPENDING: The National Defense Committee is being formed to build grass-roots support for the war on terrorism and for continued increases in defense and intelligence spending. The committee's chairman is Ret. Navy Rear Adm. James Carey, who also leads the National Defense Political Action Committee, which endorses likeminded congressional candidates. The new committee hopes to build a 2-million-member "grassroots army" to influence the 2004 elections.
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has begun to brief state and local officials about the importance of satellites for homeland security, as well as on their potential vulnerabilities.
The Missile Defense Agency's Sea-based Midcourse Defense (SMD) system Nov. 21 shot down a target missile in its ascent phase for the first time and hit the target closer to its warhead than in previous tests.
Nov. 25 - 26 -- SMI presents the 4th Annual Global MilSatCom 2002, Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow Airport, London. For more information contact Jayesh Patel at +44 (0) 870 9090 711 or email [email protected]. Nov. 27 - 28 -- L'academie Nationale De L'air Et De L'espace presents International Colloquium: Europe and Space Debris. For more information email [email protected] or go to http://assoc.wanadoo.fr/anae.
Japan and Europe may never be able to close the gap in military technology with the United States, but their troops could maintain the ability to operate with U.S. forces if target investments are made to develop additional precision-strike and information-sharing capabilities, a panel of military officers and defense analysts said Nov. 21.
Thirty-seven minutes after its successful first launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 20, Boeing's new Delta IV expendable rocket successfully placed the W5 satellite in geosynchronous transfer orbit for European operator Eutelsat. Launch took place at 5:39 p.m. eastern time from Launch Complex 37B after two delays caused the original Nov. 16 launch date to slip.
One of the holy grails of the transformation agenda - the joint concept of operations (joint CONOPS) - should mostly be completed by late fall or early winter next year, a top aide to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. When drafted and approved, the document will serve as a blueprint for common operations involving multiple services, and will drive the requirements process that determines the military's future weapons, technologies and force structures.
LAUNCH: International Launch Services (ILS) plans to launch the Astra 1K communications satellite for SES Astra on Nov. 25 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the company said Nov. 21.
Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry (R-Texas), a leading congressional advocate of military transformation, said Nov. 21 that he plans to explore whether U.S. Joint Forces Command should be given the authority to buy equipment on its own instead of having to go through the military services.
The fourth ballistic missile defense test involving an Aegis radar system was scheduled to occur late Nov. 21, launching an accelerated series of six flight tests of the sea-based system, according to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The test, Flight Mission 4 (FM-4) of the Aegis missile defense system, calls for the launch of a target from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. The USS Lake Eerie will track the target with the Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar, and will fire a Standard Missile-3 to intercept it.
BOOST: The acquisition of TRW Inc. could boost Northrop Grumman sales in 2003 to $25-26 billion and could lead to double-digit growth in 2004-2005, Northrop Grumman said Nov. 21. The acquisition of TRW will strengthen Northrop Grumman's balance sheet and provide "financial flexibility and outstanding growth prospects," company chairman and CEO Kent Kresa said.
Goodrich Corp. has delivered the first set of 777-300 Extended Range (ER) main landing gear to Boeing, the company said Nov. 21. The main gear stands nearly 17 feet high and weighs more than 12,000 pounds when fully assembled, according to the company. Goodrich also is providing Boeing's 777-300ER with wheels and carbon brakes.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) expects to find out by the end of the year whether the U.S. Coast Guard will buy a version of its CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft and its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) for the Deepwater modernization program, company officials said Nov. 20.
NASA's new space transportation plan has picked up a key congressional endorsement. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), one of the most outspoken members of Congress on civilian space issues, said in a speech on the Senate floor Nov. 20 that the Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP) and the associated fiscal 2003 budget amendment wisely provide more money for the space shuttle, which has been "in dire need of additional financial support."
Raytheon Co.'s new APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which made its public debut Nov. 20, will give the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet several advantages in combat, a company executive said. With more power than the jet's current radar, AESA will have more than twice the detection range and will allow tracking of significantly more targets, said Tom Kennedy, manager of the program at Raytheon's El Segundo, Calif., facility.
Next month, prototype nine-inch-wide micro air vehicles (MAVs) will be delivered to the Army for testing at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., according to Program Manager Sam Wilson. Built by Allied Aerospace, formerly Micro Craft, the MAV is the smallest version of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Organic Air Vehicle (OAV), which is being developed for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS). A 29-inch OAV has also been tested.
