The federal government should tighten controls on transfers of sensitive technology to foreign nationals, according to a new report by the General Accounting Office.
Northrop Grumman's X-47A Pegasus demonstrator, which last week had its second low-speed taxi test, should be ready for a high-speed test and then first flight by the end of the year, according to Program Manager Dave Mazur. Originally scheduled for late last year, first flight for the Pegasus has been delayed largely as a result of upgrading the aircraft to a dual-redundant avionics system. Most of the time between the first low-speed taxi test in July and the second test on Sept. 6 was devoted to redundancy management, Mazur said.
A congressionally mandated commission is expected to tell lawmakers in about six months whether the U.S. should upgrade satellites, aircraft and other systems to protect against a nuclear blast over American territory.
TRW of Redondo Beach, Calif., was picked over Lockheed Martin to win the $824.8 million contract to build the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) for NASA, the space agency announced Sept. 10. Both TRW and Lockheed Martin have a heritage in building large observatories for NASA - Lockheed Martin with Hubble, TRW with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the NGST has now been rechristened the James Webb Space Telescope, after NASA's second administrator.
Terror had struck America before, but the vicious attacks a year ago today marked the advent of a new and vastly more lethal form of terrorism. Instead of hijacking an airliner to attract attention to some cause, obtain transportation to Cuba, or seek release of prisoners, the 19 men who seized control of four airliners had one goal: kill as many Americans as possible. Willingly forfeiting their own lives, they killed more than 3,000 innocent people in three states.
Aside from a sustained increase in defense spending, the biggest single result from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 may be a shift in the public's view on defense and security, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Paul Nisbet. "We have a situation today very similar to the change that took place 20 years ago when Reagan took office," said Nisbet, of JSA Research in Newport, R.I. "There's a completely different look and attitude today toward the armed forces, what they mean to the U.S., and what should be done with them."
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command has looked "very hard" at the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks "to ensure that we have the best air defense" for Canada and the U.S. in the event of another attack, a NORAD spokesman said. He declined to say how the Sept. 10 upgrading of the national alert level from "elevated" to "high" affects NORAD. "I can't tell you what this heightened alert does to us," Maj. Ed Thomas said.
S&T ADVOCATE: Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), who has been a leading congressional advocate of increased funding for defense science and technology, announced he is leaving the House Sept. 9 to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies. Hall's congressional district includes part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, headquarters for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Hall has served in the House since 1979.
NEW DELHI - India plans to complete the purchase of an unspecified number of electronic sensors from the United States within the next two months for use in the disputed region of Kashmir. A high-level team from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs is visiting the U.S. this month to view the effectiveness of motion sensors deployed along the border with Mexico.
The Air Force is moving ahead with plans to recompete the Miniature Air Launched Decoy program. The contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. was concluded earlier this year, apparently because of cost and schedule problems. The Air Force said in a Sept. 5 notice to industry that it plans to issue a draft request for proposals for the new MALD program in two months. A contract for system development and demonstration would come in the third quarter of fiscal year 2003.
Northrop Grumman's X-47A Pegasus unmanned aircraft had its second low-speed taxi test at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif., Sept. 6. The test was intended to demonstrate more extensively the aircraft's integrated navigation and control. Controllers also measured steering performance as the Pegasus moved down the runway in a zig-zag pattern. The Pegasus had its first taxi test July 19, during which the vehicles' command and control, steering, brakes, and navigation were evaluated (DAILY, July 22).
LONDON - Sweden's Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) received the first of the Swedish air force's upgraded JAS 39C Gripens on Sept. 6. In addition to in-flight refueling capabilities and on-board oxygen generating systems, the latest versions of the Gripen incorporate large-screen, full-color cockpit displays, new computer software and strengthened wing structures to accommodate advanced weapons pylons.
RADIO SYSTEM: Telephonics Corp. will provide the Communications Open System Architecture (COSA) Integrated Radio Management System (IRMS) for the U.S. Air Force's C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft, the company said Sept. 9. The COSA IRMS work is being done under a $15 million contract from the Boeing Co. The system will provide C-17 aircrews with fully secure digital audio and integrated displays and controls for managing communications and navigation equipment, the company said.
The cost of launching a satellite into orbit will have to continue to drop significantly to generate additional demand for commercial space launch services, according to a report from the Futron Corp. From 1990 to 2000, the cost of launching a commercial payload to geosynchronous orbit (GSO) fell 35 percent, from $18,158 per pound to $11,729 per pound, according to Futron, a Bethesda, Md.-based technology management consulting firm.
Military aircraft analysts in the United States disagree about whether Malaysia actually will purchase the 18 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft it requested permission to buy last week. Richard Aboulafia, senior aircraft analyst with the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va., said the Malaysian government's plan in purchasing the Super Hornets for nearly $1.5 billion is to replace, or at least modernize, its aging fleet of MiG-29s and F/A-18D Hornets.
Loral Space & Communications is integrating its Loral CyberStar and Loral Skynet subsidiaries into one business unit, the company said Sept. 5. Loral CyberStar delivers private voice and data network and Internet Service Provider services to more than 300 enterprises and service providers worldwide via a hybrid space/terrestrial network. Based in Rockville, Md., the business generated revenues of $98 million in 2001.
NASA expects to save $100 million through fiscal 2007 by making dozens of changes identified in a recent study, including consolidating rocket propulsion test support contracts and trimming overhead at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, according to a new report obtained by The DAILY Sept. 9.
LAUNCH SLIP: The first launch of Boeing's Delta IV rocket has been pushed back several weeks from its original Oct. 9 date, and now is slated for early November. The delay is the result of a problem discovered in software that assists the launch team in final launch preparations. For its first launch, the Delta IV will carry a commercial payload for the European telecommunications operator Eutelsat.
PRAGUE - Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody said it is continuing talks with the Czech defense ministry over the possible purchase of eight L-159B two-seat aircraft. Czech minister Jaroslav Tvrdik signed a preliminary agreement with Aero for the eight planes at the recent Farnborough air show in England, but a firm order has yet to be placed.
PRECISION SOFTWARE: Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems sector will provide Precision Guided Munitions Planning Software to the U.S. Air Force under a $49 million, nine-year contract. The program will give the Air Force a common, integrated mission planning application for current and future precision guided munitions, the company said. The software will operate on personal computers.
With the latest life cycle cost estimates for the International Space Station (ISS) complete, NASA now has a firm financial roadmap for completing the station with a three-person crew capacity, although "significant reductions" in cost will have to occur in fiscal 2004-2005, according to Program Manager William Gerstenmaier. "From a program standpoint, we've got a plan that lives within the budget guidelines that we've been given ... that looks pretty good to us," Gerstenmaier said during a press briefing Sept. 6.
NEW DELHI - Two MiG-21 Indian air force fighters crashed Sept. 9 in the northern states of Haryana and Rajasthan, prompting renewed questions about the airworthiness of India's Russian-built MiG-21 fleet. In April, 73 Indian air force MiG-21 bis aircraft were grounded after a series of MiG crashes. They were returned to service later. An Indian parliament committee recommended earlier this year that India's entire fleet of 200 MiG aircraft should be grounded. However, air force officials said the aircraft were sound.
SBIRS-HIGH: Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded a nearly $2.2 billion contract modification for the Space Based Infrared Systems High (SBIRS-High) program, the Department of Defense said Sept. 9. The contract modification gives a new baseline for the program and extends the period of performance to June 2010, DOD said. SBIRS-High was recertified by the Pentagon in May, but one of the goals set then was to provide an updated program schedule by early this month (DAILY, Aug. 22).
