NATO efforts to develop surveillance aircraft and cooperate with Russia on missile defense are advancing as planned, the head of the alliance said March 29.
The Aerospace Industries Associ-ation (AIA) is drafting recommendations for dealing with challenges facing U.S. defense manufacturers, in re-sponse to a recent Commerce Depart-ment report, an AIA official told The DAILY. The AIA recommendations, due in about a month, add to suggestions made in the January 2004 Department of Commerce report, "Manufacturing in America: A Comprehensive Strategy to Address the Challenges to U.S. Manufacturers."
Orbital Recovery Ltd. has approved production of its ConeXpress space tug to begin this September, in anticipation of a first launch in 2007, the company announced March 29. The primary mission of the ConeXpress Orbital Recovery System (ORS) would be to attach itself to a host satellite to maintain its proper orbit after the satellite's onboard fuel has run out. It also could be used to rescue spacecraft stranded in the wrong orbit, according to the company.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) plans to introduce a bill March 30 intended to help protect commercial aircraft from man portable air defense systems (MANPADS), such as shoulder-fired missiles. Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation subcommittee, and co-sponsors Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) plan to announce the bill at a press conference.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Although the U.S. Army has not yet finished requirements for the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter it plans to acquire, there is no doubt it will want an aircraft that has a high degree of survivability, transportability and connectivity with other forces, according to a service official.
MOSCOW - Gregory Olsen, CEO of New Jersey-based Sensors Unlimited Inc., plans to become the latest "space tourist" to fly to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz vehicle. Olsen is scheduled to fly to the station in April 2005, according to Space Adventures of Arlington, Va., which brokered the deal and also organized the space flights of the previous private station visitors, Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth.
NEW DELHI - Russia has assured India that work on the first of three upgraded Ilyushin Il-38 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft scheduled for delivery to the Indian navy will be completed within six months. Work will begin on the aircraft in the next two months, a navy official said. The upgrades include the installation of Ilyushin Design Bureau's new Sea Dragon mission system. The remaining two aircraft will be completed next year.
Mojave Airport in California has become the first inland site to file for a commercial spaceport license with the FAA and hopes to receive the license soon, according to airport manager Stu Witt. The license will authorize the operation of runway-launched winged space vehicles rather than vertically launched rockets, according to Witt. "The two concepts which we anticipate our license identifying will be that of Scaled Composites and that of XCOR Aerospace," Witt told The DAILY.
Boeing will provide Harpoon Block II missile retrofit kits to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under a $20 million contract, the company said March 25. "The Harpoon Block II will definitely expand their ability to meet a wide range of missions, including a great improvement in coastal sea operations," John Lockard, senior vice president of Boeing naval systems, said in a statement.
Boeing conducted the latest in a series of successful tests and demonstrations last week of the company's prototype future battle management system for joint military commanders. The tests focus on reducing the risk of fielding the complex, network-centric systems, Boeing said in a statement. The risk reduction events began in 2003.
STAUNCH SUPPORTER: A bipartisan group of lawmakers are hosting a U.S.-Italy "military and aerospace industry conference" on March 30, aimed at boosting collaboration on defense technology programs. "Italy has been a staunch supporter of the United States in the global war on terror and was a vital ally in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the past, the United States and Italy have cooperated on numerous defense and aerospace programs," says Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), one of the lawmakers hosting the event.
COMPETING RESOLUTIONS: House members expect to go to conference with the Senate as early as Tuesday on their competing versions of the fiscal 2005 budget resolution. They could complete the conference and vote on the non-binding resolution, which is aimed at guiding spending policy, by the end of the week. The Department of Defense has requested $401.7 billion for FY '05. The Senate Budget Committee trimmed $7 billion from its version of the resolution but the House committee did not agree, saying the defense request should not be cut.
Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers equipped with the Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) system now are flying, making the tankers the first Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft to be fitted with the system, which enhances navigation and surveillance capabilities and makes the aircraft compliant with civilian air traffic management systems.
S&T: The U.S. Department of Defense increased the amount for hypersonics research in the fiscal 2005 budget request primarily to support the Single Engine Demonstration (SED), says Ronald Sega, director of defense research and engineering. The SED will integrate the Air Force's Hypersonic Technology (HyTech) engine with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency air vehicle technology (DAILY, March 22).
A European Union (EU) decision to end its 15-year ban on military sales to China would significantly hinder the U.S. defense industry, two industry analysts told The DAILY. EU heads of state decided at a summit in Brussels last week to delay a decision about the ban until EU foreign ministers discuss it in a meeting scheduled for this week, said Heritage Foundation senior policy analyst John Hulsman.
SPACE COMMAND: Air Force Space Command has awarded SI International, Inc. a contract to support Space Command, U.S. Strategic Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command and other government agencies. The contract has a 3.5-year base period, with options that could boost its value to $800 million.
VTOL NEEDS: The technology needs of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft will be examined at the 11th biennial Helicopter Military Operations Technology Specialists Meeting (HELMOT XI). The conference aims to "stimulate dialogue among military, civilian and industry technologists, developers and operators concerning the development, transition and use of critical technologies that enhance and sustain joint service VTOL aviation," according to an announcement of the event. The conference is scheduled for Oct.
ARMY AVIATION: The U.S. Army is considering appointing a two- or three-star general to oversee all of the service's aviation efforts, says Lt. Gen. Richard Cody, Army deputy chief of staff. With aviation accounting for a big chunk of the Army's budget, and in light of the recently announced restructuring of aviation programs, such a position may be warranted to ensure aviation receives adequate high-level attention, Cody says.
The NATO Response Force (NRF) will serve as a "forcing mechanism" for military transformation within NATO member countries by requiring interoperability between the systems that are contributed to it, according to Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
STILL WAITING: The defense industry still is waiting for the Bush Administration to complete and release the results of an export control study that was due out last July, says Joel Johnson, vice president of international affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). Meanwhile, Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House International Relations Committee, who is skeptical of the idea of easing export controls, sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell requesting a private briefing on the study, Johnson says.
April 6 - 7 -- DoD Chemical Biological Advance Planning Briefing for Industry (APBI), Kossiakoff Center, Laurel, Md. Contact Angie Gress at (703) 247-2568, email [email protected], or go to www.ndia.org. April 11 - 12 -- SPIE International Symposium: Technologies and Systems for Defense and Security 2004, Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Orlando (Kissimmee), Fla. For information go to www.spie.org/info/or/.
