President Bush's science advisors say the proposed Homeland Security Department will need its own national laboratory, an advanced research projects agency and a research and development czar. In recommendations approved Monday by the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST), the panel called for creating a centralized structure within the proposed department to manage research and development (R&D) projects, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported.
The most likely method for the submarine of the future to launch unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be via capsules that float to the surface, according to Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) commander Rear Adm. John Butler.
The acquisition of Vickers Defence Systems by Alvis in the United Kingdom is unlikely to change the market structure for armored combat vehicles, according to a U.S. defense analyst. The reason, according to Steven Zaloga, senior defense analyst with the Teal Group, is that many armored vehicle makers in England must consolidate simply to survive. "The armored vehicle market at the moment is extremely soft," Zaloga told The DAILY Aug. 5. "It was hit far worse by the impact of the end of the Cold War than any other defense sector."
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.
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.
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.
This week, NASA will proceed with welding the microscopic cracks that have been discovered within the fuel lines of the space shuttle in anticipation of resuming flights Sept. 28. The shuttle fleet was grounded while NASA mulled its options for dealing with the cracks, which have been discovered on the liners within the fuel lines of all four orbiters (DAILY, June 25). Those options had included various repair methods or flying despite the cracks.
NEW BOMBER?: The Air Force will conclude that an extended-range version of the F-22 Raptor won't meet its long-range bomber requirements, predicts Doug Berenson, senior associate at DFI International. Lockheed Martin, Air Force and Boeing officials are discussing the FB-22 (DAILY, July 30), but Berenson says the concept is an attempt to preserve the F-22 in light of possible budget cuts. "It makes sense for the Air Force to optimize its F-22 investment to counter threats which clearly do exist. Those threats require the assured delivery of precision-guided munitions.
EURODARPA: Europe needs a research and development agency similar to the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), according to Jean-Louis Gergorin, the executive vice president of strategic coordination for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS). Following in the footsteps of the recent European Union report, STAR 21 (DAILY, July 19), Gergorin says, "we think it's badly needed to create a European research and development agency." The agency could be similar to DARPA, promoting both military and dual-use technologies.
BUY: Finmeccanica of Italy bought Marconi's Strategic Communications defense communications business for 614 million euros ($602 million), London-based Marconi announced Aug. 2. Proceeds from the sale, a combination of cash and debt assumption by Finmeccanica, will be used to reduce Marconi's debt, the company said.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Navy plans to begin fielding production versions of the Area Air Defense Commander (AADC) in 2003 to give fleet commanders a theater-wide picture of friendly and enemy aircraft and missiles, and allow them to respond quickly to changing conditions, service officials told reporters Aug. 2. General Dynamics will produce the system at a facility here.
Aug. 6 - 8 -- DPMO and USJFCOM presents 2002 DOD Personnel Recovery Conference - A National Imperative. Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Va. 22202. For more information call Christina Buck at (703) 247-9478 or email [email protected]. Aug. 7 - 9 -- Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association presents 2002 Annual Satellite Conference and Expo. Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. For more information go to www.sbca.com.
General Dynamics Corp. announced Aug. 1 it has received funding to begin building the first of four DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under a shipbuilding swap agreement with Northrop Grumman Corp. The Naval Systems Command, Washington D.C., awarded General Dynamics' Bath Irons Works unit a $464 million contract to construct the ship, to be called DDG-102. The contract is part of an expected multiyear agreement to build seven DDG destroyers, officials at General Dynamics said.
NASA's new financial management system will be adopted progressively by its 10 centers, rolling out first at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Glenn Research Center in Ohio before becoming the agency-wide standard by June of next year. This "modular" approach is one of the key differences between NASA's current attempt at financial standardization and previous failed attempts, according to Patrick Ciganer, the agency's program executive officer for integrated financial management.
DAB REVIEW: The Army's long-troubled armed reconnaissance helicopter, the RAH-66 Comanche, is set to go before the Defense Department's Defense Acquisition Board later this month, according to Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane. The Comanche program, which recently underwent its fifth restructuring, "is a solid program," Keane says. E.C.
Aviation Week Group writers received six of the 16 awards given at this year's Farnborough International Air Show, more than any other publication. Aviation Week & Space Technology's Jim Ott was named Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Royal Aeronautical Society (DAILY, July 24). Other awards include: * Paul Richfield of Business & Commercial Aviation, the Messier-Dowty Award for best airshow submission.
OFFSET: Sales of commercial aircraft engines are starting to pick up, but military engines will dominate the market in coming years as defense again becomes a priority and new combat aircraft programs enter production, according to aviation turbine analyst Carl Opdyke of Forecast International/DMS. Opdyke says a total of 52,170 turbofan and turbojet engines and engine upgrade kits are likely to be produced through 2011, with a market value expected to reach $565 billion.
Technical problems led to a decision to delay integrating Boeing's Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) on the F-22 Raptor, according to Brig. Gen. William Jabour, the Air Force's program executive officer for fighter and bomber programs.
EUROFIGHTER BOOST: In an attempt to define new avenues for participation in missile defense, one senior EADS executive has suggested using the Eurofighter for boost-phase missile defense. In addition to its capabilities as a multirole fighter, "the Eurofighter will provide [a] future capability for interception of ballistic missiles in boost phase," says Dietrich Russel, EADS' executive vice president for aeronautics.
An E-6B communications aircraft made its first flight with a next-generation "glass cockpit," Boeing said Aug. 2. The latest improvement to the E-6B is the most advanced commercial flight deck offered by Boeing, the company said. Flight testing of the aircraft, which also is equipped with upgraded communications and mission equipment, will continue for three months, Boeing said. The first of 15 upgraded E-6B aircraft is scheduled for modification starting in the third quarter of 2002, and the entire fleet is slated to be upgraded by 2005.
SPACE TEXTILES: The European Space Agency's Technology Transfer Network is studying how technology developed for the harsh environment of space could improve textiles, fiber products, clothes and textile manufacturing equipment here on Earth. Network officials recently met in France with representatives from 53 European and Canadian textile companies to brainstorm new uses for space products, and ESA is considering sponsoring studies and working groups to further the work.
NASA CONFIRMATION: The U.S. Senate confirmed Frederick D. Gregory to be NASA's deputy administrator late Aug. 1, marking the first time in a decade that the position has been filled. Gregory, a veteran shuttle commander, previously served as NASA's associate administrator for space flight. He will be the aerospace agency's first African-American deputy administrator, NASA said.
