Increasing the pace of flight tests to clear the flight envelope remains the largest stumbling block in the F-22 Raptor's schedule, according to a senior Air Force official. With the Air Force already facing another delay in the start of the initial operational test and evaluation schedule, Brig. Gen. William Jabour, the Air Force's program executive officer for fighter and bomber programs, acknowledged the F-22 is behind schedule on the flight envelope clearance.
The U.S. government should form a senior-level interagency working group to develop an "integrated" approach for protecting the planet from asteroids and comets, according to a new paper by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. AIAA wrote that the working group is needed to advise the government on creating or designating an office that would: coordinate near-Earth-object (NEO) detection activities; act as a single point of contact for international activities; and assess U.S. planetary defense research and development options.
As a result of problems that cropped up during last year's operational tests of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system, the Army is planning to conduct additional tests next year, according to the Army Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Project Office, which manages the program for the Missile Defense Agency. The additional tests, which the Army calls "regression testing," also may incorporate some cost reduction measures for the PAC-3 hardware. The costs savings measures have been in development for some time, the Army said.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park are developing an insect-like 'entomopter' micro air vehicle (MAV) design that they believe will outperform rotorcraft designs at the same scale. Coined by researchers at Georgia Tech, the term entomopter combines the words "entomology," the study of insects, and "helicopter," to refer to an aircraft that flaps its wings to achieve vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) flight.
European companies may have a slight edge in the Polish government's plans to purchase up to 48 multirole fighters as part of its effort to bring its combat aircraft up to NATO standards, according to an industry analyst. Poland on July 8 issued its final request for proposals to the French, British, Swedish and U.S. governments for the purchase of up to 48 multirole aircraft, including 12 training aircraft. The contract is worth an estimated $3.5 billion (DAILY, July 10).
Northrop Grumman Corp. has received an Air Force contract for work on the MEDUSA project, intended to negate optical- and infrared-based air defense systems (see contract listing on Page 8). BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin also have won contracts for such work (DAILY, July 12). BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman each got $35 million from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Additional contracts may be forthcoming.
MOSCOW - On July 11, a Russian Ryazan Delta III-class nuclear submarine launched a Volna booster carrying the Demonstrator-2 spacecraft, part of a joint program of Astrium, the European Space Agency and Lavochkin Scientific and Design Association (NPO Lavochkin) of Khimki, in the Moscow region. The 280-pound spacecraft is part of the Inflatable Re-entry and Descent Technology (IRDT) program. IRDT equipment includes an inflatable heat shield and a braking system that uses the atmosphere and doesn't require a parachute.
The military's need to hold down costs while simultaneously preparing to defend against terrorist threats will cause the market for training and simulation products to rise substantially over the next six years, according to a report released July 11 by Frost & Sullivan. In a July 11 conference call, senior consulting analyst Jerry Weltsch said the market for training and simulation products could increase from $3.51 billion in 2001 to about $4.78 billion by 2008.
NASA POST: Frederick Gregory, President Bush's pick to be NASA's deputy administrator, is scheduled to have his nomination hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee July 18. Gregory, who is expected to receive Senate confirmation, currently is NASA's associate administrator for space flight.
UAV POC: Each military service needs a single point of contact for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, according to Dyke Weatherington, a member of the UAV task force currently developing the Defense Department's upcoming DOD roadmap (DAILY, July 11). "I personally am not entirely convinced that there's a single focal point within each of the services ... that understands everything that's going on with UAV programs," Weatherington says.
SPACE STUDY: The Air Force is evaluating "a range of options" to ensure the U.S. continues to have two "stable" companies competing to launch military space payloads, the service says in a statement. The Senate in June approved legislation endorsing the study (DAILY, June 26), which has no scheduled completion date. Senators are concerned that declining demand for commercial space launches will hurt the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., the two U.S. companies that also launch payloads for the American military.
SPACE-BASED ASSETS: One underlying assumption behind the Boeing Co.'s reorganization announced last week is that space-based systems will play a growing role in the Pentagon's future weapon systems procurement strategy, Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit says. "The use of space-based assets for communication [and] for intelligence will become a critical part of these integrated systems. And it is that critical role that we're trying to involve here organizationally," he says.
The General Electric Co. announced July 12 that second quarter earnings grew 14 percent over those posted for the same period last year. Officials said net earnings rose from $3.8 billion in the second quarter of 2001 to $4.4 billion this year. Revenues for the second quarter rose four percent, from $31.9 billion in 2001 to $33.2 billion this year.
NEW ADDRESS: Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, Va., which designs unmanned aerial vehicles and provides components and flight services for them, will move to a new Internet domain address, Aurora.aero, by the end of the summer. The ".aero" domain was created specifically for aerospace industry organizations, and the company said it was among the first in the UAV industry to adopt it.
Unless Congress passes the fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill before leaving town for the August recess, the Defense Department will face critical funding shortfalls that could endanger aircraft maintenance, precision munition production and military training, according to the Pentagon's chief financial officer. The roughly $14 billion the Pentagon expects from the 2002 supplemental is needed to cover the mounting bills due for Operation Enduring Freedom, DOD Comptroller Dov Zakheim told reporters at the Pentagon July 12.
House panels have cast several votes on the proposed new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that could have implications for aerospace-related programs.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is exploring swarming as a method of controlling large numbers of micro air vehicles (MAVs) with little direct human interaction, according to Bruce Clough, AFRL's technical area lead for guidance and control techniques.
JPATS IOC: Gen. Don Cook, commander of Air Education and Training Command, announced the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) achieved initial operational capability July 12. JPATS uses Raytheon Aircraft's Texan T-6A Texan II aircraft as its flying platform. "All components of JPATS are in place and operational at Moody [Air Force Base], Ga.," Cook said.
LIQUID BOOSTERS: Although Orbital lost out on the main work to develop a liquid booster target for the Missile Defense Agency, the company will get about $7 million to design and integrate the front end of the target. Orbital was competing against TRW for the Liquid Booster Development Program, which is supposed to provide MDA with sophisticated liquid-propellant targets capable of emulating a variety of ballistic missiles.
The Defense Department July 12 released its annual report to Congress on China's military capabilities, warning that the country's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), is making significant strides in improving its air power and naval forces and making strikes in developing its missile stockpile.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Marine Corps plans to make the Block III version of its Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system, as opposed to the current fixed-wing version, according to Principal Investigator Joseph MacKrell.
Aerospace and defense suppliers slowly are warming to the idea of doing business with prime contractors and subcontractors through e-exchanges, according to Donald Bielinski, president and CEO of Exostar. The reason, he said, is that Exostar has established a supplier advisory council of 30 companies to provide feedback on the company's operations.
DETERMINISM & FAA: The FAA's traditional insistence that unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems be deterministic in their behavior should be re-examined, according to Bruce Clough of the Air Force Research Laboratory. In a deterministic system, the outcome of a given situation will always be known with certainty.
A July 10 letter signed by seven members of Congress and sent to Secretary of the Navy Gordon England urges the Navy to continue procurement of T-45C Goshawk trainers and endorses a multiyear procurement plan. The T-45 is of "critical importance" to Navy training, the letter says, and "we write to advocate that funds be programmed to support a [fiscal years] 2004-2006 procurement of T-45Cs and for continuation of the ongoing "A" to "C" cockpit retrofit program."
