Despite recent press reports confirming China's first test of the Russian-made Adder R-77, the U.S. government has not decided whether to allow delivery to Taiwan of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), a U.S. government official familiar with the issue told The DAILY. An interagency review involving the departments of State and Defense, as well as the intelligence community, will have to determine whether the conditions have been met to deliver the Raytheon-produced AMRAAM to Taiwan.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Boeing $460 million for the next phase in the development of the Air Force's Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), which will include the design and manufacture of two X-45B model aircraft. The funding also will support the manufacture of containers for the new aircraft, upgraded mission control stations, risk reduction modeling and simulation, ground and flight testing, and system level demonstration activities necessary to meet the objectives of Spiral 1 of the program.
Although the Air Force is considering one of five helicopters for the service's future combat search and rescue (CSAR) requirement, the S-92 has been identified as the preferred solution, according to a service official. Sikorsky's medium-lift S-92 was the "frontrunner" of the five helicopters identified in last year's analysis of alternatives (AOA) for a CSAR aircraft, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Randall Schmidt, the assistant deputy chief of staff for air and space operations. He spoke Aug. 6 at a conference in Virginia.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Some $3 billion is being planned for improvements to U.S. and Canadian airspace surveillance systems between now and fiscal 2006, according to Maj. Gen. Eric Findley, director of operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command here. The idea, he said in a telephone interview Aug. 5, is "to fix different parts of that surveillance picture" to allow a better look at flight activity within the U.S. and Canada.
The first images from instruments on NASA's Aqua spacecraft have been received and are "exceeding expectations" of the worldwide meteorological community, NASA said Aug. 6. Aqua, launched in May (DAILY, May 7) has among its six instruments the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder spectrometer, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil. Images from those instruments are expected to help improve short-term weather prediction accuracy and tracking of severe storms, NASA said.
TERMINATION: E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, signed a memo in July directing the Army to terminate the Crusader artillery program, the DOD announced Aug. 6. The memo also directed the Army to ensure that Crusader technology development continues, "either as part of an indirect fire technology demonstration, or as part of other transformational programs," a DOD statement said.
Contract studies awarded to three companies for work on a second missile defense kill vehicle should be completed by the end of year, according to a Boeing spokeswoman.
BLASTOFF: Lockheed Martin has set Aug. 21 as the date for the first launch of its new Atlas V launch vehicle, according to International Launch Services, a company joint venture. The company said earlier this month that Aug. 21 was the target date (DAILY, Aug. 1). The debut of the Atlas V was to have been in late July, but that was bumped to Aug. 12 to allow engineers to repeat a checkout of the umbilical retraction system (DAILY, July 9). The Aug. 12 launch was rescheduled due to payload processing delays.
LONDON - A German/Swedish industrial group has beaten out Thales in a competition to supply new mobile close-range air defense systems to the Finnish defense forces. The group includes STN ATLAS Elektronik, Ericsson Microwave Systems and SAAB Bofors Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin will produce the Tiger Eyes Sensor Suite for F-15K fighters recently ordered by the Republic of Korea under a $163.7 million contract from the Boeing Co. The suite will provide targeting, navigation, terrain-following and infrared search and track (IRST) capability for the Boeing F-15Ks, which South Korea selected in April after a competition (DAILY, April 22). The contract also includes training, spares and logistics support, according to Lockheed Martin.
NASA'S Johnson Space Center in Houston has extended a contract with United Space Alliance (USA) for two years, for work in support of the space shuttle program. The option, worth $2.8 billion, continues USA's day-to-day operation of the shuttle program through Sept. 30, 2004. An additional option, if exercised, could extend that through 2006. NASA signed the Space Flight Operations Contract with USA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, in 1996.
Northrop Grumman hopes its role in the Coast Guard's Deepwater program could help rekindle interest in the company's canceled Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to company officials.
The ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a Seahorse unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) will work together in a January 2003 experiment to demonstrate how unmanned systems can support stealthy submarine missions. The Undersea Technology Directorate of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) will conduct the experiment along with the Raytheon-led Forward Pass Consortium - one of two industry teams developing future submarine sensors and payloads.
NEW DELHI - India plans to induct more Jaguar, MiG-27 and MiG-29 aircraft and modernize them as part of an Indian air force acquisition plan. The 13-page plan says additional Jaguars and MiGs will be inducted until the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) becomes operational and can replace aircraft being phased out. "Upgrades of the existing MiG-29 and MiG-27 and Jaguar fleet will be accorded priority to enhance operational employability," the document says.
NASA PICK: NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has selected William F. Readdy as the agency's next associate administrator for space flight, replacing Frederick Gregory, who was confirmed by the Senate to be NASA deputy administrator. Readdy currently serves as deputy associate administrator for space flight.
The market for airborne electronic warfare and countermeasures systems is expected to grow nearly 49 percent over the next five years, according to a report by the marketing and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Sales are expected to increase from about $2.7 billion in 2002 to nearly $5.3 billion in 2007, according to aerospace and defense industry analyst Merl Fuchs, author of the report. However, the market is expected to decline to a low of about $2.2 billion in 2003 before beginning its ascent.
EDO Corp. plans to become "substantially larger" through acquisitions, James Smith, the company's president, chairman and CEO, said Aug. 6. Speaking to investors and analysts during a second-quarter earnings conference call, Smith said the company plans to use $120 million cash on hand, and its access to additional capital, to make acquisitions.
L-3 Communications' Integrated Systems division will perform work on two EC-130H Compass Call jamming aircraft under a $12 million contract from the U.S. Air Force, the company said Aug. 5. The first aircraft is slated to arrive at L-3's Waco, Texas facility this month or in September for programmed depot maintenance (PDM). The second aircraft is scheduled to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year for PDM, modifications and a mission system upgrade.
As part of an effort to integrate the agency's information technology (IT) systems, NASA will establish two secure "mission control centers" to coordinate the flow of computer information at its 10 field centers. Although the final locations of the sites haven't been decided, a pilot mission control center will be established at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., by Oct. 15.
Representatives from aerospace and defense companies will meet Aug. 6 in northern Virginia to discuss additional proposals for the Army's Future Combat Systems program. The "industry day" meeting marks the release of a second round of broad industry announcements (BIA), to be issued by the program's lead systems integrator team of the Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp.
