The Air Force's relationship with the newly established Northern Command (NORTHCOM) will be largely modeled on its relationship with Central Command, according to Brig. Gen. David E. Clary, director of the Air Force's homeland security directorate. Established in April, NORTHCOM is the first command to have unified responsibility for the defense of America (DAILY, April 18). It encompasses the continental U.S, Canada, Mexico and portions of the Caribbean and Alaska.
A helium leak in the interceptor used in the Defense Department's missile defense system has pushed back the schedule for the next integrated flight test, according to sources familiar with the issue, although officials from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said it was not technically a delay. The leak was identified in the helium tank of Raytheon's Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), the interceptor used as part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. The leak, according to sources, has pushed back plans for a mid-August flight test.
Industry should lease naval aviation research and development facilities rather than buy its own, Vice Adm. Joseph Dyer, commander of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), said Aug. 13 at a Washington conference.
HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND of Windsor Locks, Conn., will supply Advanced Flight Control Computers for Black Hawk helicopters under a contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. The work could be worth up to $70 million, according to the company. The upgraded computers are "plug-in" replacements that offer advanced capability, reduced weight, lower life cycle costs and higher reliability, the company said.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), co-founder of a House group that promotes U.S.-India ties, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell urging him to support the export of the Arrow missile defense system to India. Pallone wrote July 23 that the proposed sale would not strengthen India's offensive capabilities but "would further solidify" growing U.S. military relations with the Asian democracy. Pallone said the State Department seems to be resisting the deal for fear of increasing tensions between India and Pakistan.
LAUNCH SERVICES: Orbital Sciences Corp. will provide its L-1011 "Stargazer" aircraft as a launch platform for a small-scale, unmanned supersonic airplane being tested by Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory. Orbital's launch support work is being done under a $21 million contract from Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Ground activities and flight tests will be done from Australia's Woomera Airfield, with the first flight of the aircraft slated for 2005.
The U.S. Air Force completed two B-1B bomber flight tests of BAE Systems' AN/ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Device (FOTD), the first since last spring when a problem kept the decoy from fully deploying. "We had some setbacks in March and April, where the decoy only went out a few feet," John Nyilis of BAE Systems' Information and Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS) unit, Nashua, N.H., said in a telephone interview.
LEASE APPROVED: Congress has approved an Air Force request to reprogram fiscal 2002 funds needed to begin leasing four Boeing C-40 passenger transport planes, according to an Air Force spokeswoman. All four congressional defense committees have signed off on the request to transfer $37.2 million to the C-40 effort from the CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft program, which the Air Force has said does not need the money. The C-40 is the military variant of the commercial 737-700.
F-15K WORK: BAE Systems' Threat Warning & Defensive Systems business unit will develop and build 42 ALR-56C(V)1 radar warning receivers for the Republic of Korea's F-15K fighter program, the company said Aug. 12. The contract from the Boeing Co. is expected to be worth $58 million, BAE Systems said.
The Air Force has decided to buy only five of the deployable shelters that once were going to be a critical component of the B-2 Spirit bomber's forward deployment, according to Brig. Gen. William Jabour, the head of Air Force fighter and bomber programs. At one time, the Air Force envisioned buying more than a dozen shelters, which would be used to forward deploy the B-2s.
After experiencing a series of operational test failures, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) program is set to enter uncharted territory next year when it becomes the first program to fall under the Defense Department's newly defined acquisition path for missile defense. PAC-3 was to go before the DOD's Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) this fall to determine whether the system was ready for full-rate production, but program officials now say the September review likely will push the PAC-3 down a new acquisition path.
Teams led by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin have been selected to proceed with competitive initial development of the Army's Warfighter Information Network - Tactical (WIN-T), a program to develop a World Wide Web-like system connecting everyone from soldiers to commanders. The work ultimately could be worth up to $7 billion to the winner of the competition. The Army's Communications - Electronics Command on Aug. 9 chose the GD and Lockheed Martin teams over a team led by TRW Tactical Systems.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems plans to propose a homeland security package to the U.S. government in which the company's Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) would patrol the northern and southern borders of the U.S. Remotely piloted via line-of-sight or Ku-band satellite links, Predator can carry day/night video and infrared sensors, as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for seeing through cloud cover.
Eurocopter faces an ultimatum - compensate Portugal's military for delaying the delivery of nine EC-635 helicopters, or risk losing the 34 million euro ($33.2 million) contract. Portugese Defense Minister Paulo Portas on Aug. 9 asked Eurocopter for a compensation package worth 4.3 million euros ($4.2 million), plus fresh training for Portugal's pilots, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported.
Aerospace and defense analysts with Merrill Lynch have raised their earnings estimates for Alliant Techsystems due to the company's better-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2003 results. ATK's first-quarter sales of $520 million came in higher than Merrill Lynch's forecast of $466 million, analysts said in an Aug. 9 report.
The Army's goal of developing a new artillery system with technologies developed for the Crusader self-propelled howitzer program - and doing it by 2008, when it begins deploying its Future Combat Systems - poses a high risk, according to defense analyst John Pike. The biggest challenge, according to Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, comes from mounting a heavy gun on a light armored vehicle weighing less than 20 tons.
Credit analysts with Standard & Poor's said Aug. 9 they will lower the ratings for Orbital Sciences Corp. if the company fails to obtain financing to pay investors holding $100 million in convertible bonds. The bonds will mature Oct. 1, 2002. The action follows an Aug. 9 statement from Orbital that it plans to privately sell $135 million in second-priority, secured notes and warrants for 16.5 million shares of common stock. (DAILY, Aug. 12).
U.S. arms sales plunged by more than a third in 2001 thanks to the global economic downturn and the previous year's massive order for Lockheed Martin F-16s by the United Arab Emirates, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service. Merrill Lynch analyst Byron Callan told The DAILY Aug. 12 that the decline had little effect on American companies, as increased U.S. defense spending more than made up for decreased arms sales.
PRICE WAR: A price war could erupt next year between the Boeing Co. and Airbus Industrie if airlines fail to order more aircraft and Airbus continues plans to produce 300 jetliners in 2002 and 2003, according to senior aerospace and defense analyst Christopher Mecray of Deutsche Bank. Boeing and Airbus are waiting to see how the airlines balance the large number of parked aircraft and incoming deliveries with the revised downward outlook for air travel, he says.
Aerospace and industry suppliers and contractors have until August 26 to respond to a second round of broad industry announcements for the Army's Future Combat Systems program. The Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp., the lead systems integrator team for the FCS program, issued the BIAs during an "industry day" on Aug. 6.
The Pentagon's top acquisition official said he is not convinced that the Navy and Air Force have developed an effective solution to the military's future electronic attack capabilities. In a June 4 meeting with Aldridge, senior Navy and Air Force officials presented their options for replacing the military's aging fleet of EA-6B Prowler aircraft (DAILY, June 7). "I wouldn't say I was unhappy. I would say it was not convincing," Aldridge told reporters at an Aug. 8 breakfast in Washington.
Aug. 12 - 16 -- Aerial refueling Systems Advisory Group's Annual Conference. The Westin, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information call (937) 429-7014 or go to www.arsaginc.com. Aug. 13 - 15 -- 2002 NAFPL Aerospace FOD Conference. Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. Call (310) 641-5700 or go to www.nafpi.com.
