The State Department recently announced that Bahrain has been designated as a "Major Non-NATO ally," providing the Middle Eastern country with special status and privileges under the Arms Export Control Act. The new status, which took effect March 14, allows Bahrain to be granted priority delivery of excess defense articles; stockpiling of U.S. defense articles; purchase of depleted uranium anti-tank rounds; and participation in the Department of Defense's cooperative research and development programs.
As the Department of Defense looks at the lessons learned from Afghanistan, the advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) program, which provides funding to "fast track" maturing technologies, is trying to field systems that fit the military's vision of future wars.
In canceling the Army's Crusader artillery system, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that Defense Department wants to invest funding in weapons with greater precision and on systems that are more mobile, lethal and deployable. "After a great of consideration, I've decided to terminate the Crusader program," Rumsfeld said at a May 8 press briefing, marking the official end to the $11 billion system. Ongoing military operations over the past year have underscored the need for weapon systems capable of precise and timely destruction, he added.
MARS PICTURES: NASA's Mars Global Surveyor has taken more than 93,000 images of the planet since entering martian orbit in 1997. The spacecraft has created 15,251 images as part of the first phase of its extended mission, which began Feb. 1, according to NASA. Among these are a view of Mars almost completely enveloped in a dust storm. Images from the spacecraft are available at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs.
NASA POST: President Bush will nominate Frederick D. Gregory to be the next deputy administrator for NASA, the aerospace agency announced May 8. Gregory, a veteran astronaut and U.S. Air Force combat pilot, currently serves as the associate administrator for the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "I am delighted with the president's decision and I'm hopeful for an expeditious Senate confirmation," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said in a statement.
Elbit Systems Ltd. reported a net profit for the first quarter of fiscal year 2002. The company, based in Haifa, Israel, focuses on upgrading military platforms and developing new technologies for defense applications. It also builds products for the aerospace, naval systems, command, control and communications and advanced electro-optical markets. "The current nature of the world defense market presents Elbit Systems with both challenges and opportunities," Joseph Ackerman, president and CEO, said in a statement.
NOMINATION: President Bush has nominated Air Force Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart as commander of U.S. Northern Command, the new homeland defense command slated to stand up Oct. 1, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced May 8. Eberhart will retain his position as commander-in-chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command.
During normal operation, the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft should be less susceptible to entering the potentially dangerous vortex ring state than other rotorcraft, according to Chief Test Pilot Tom MacDonald. All rotorcraft are vulnerable to the vortex ring state when their rate of descent, or sink rate, is high, and their forward airspeed is low.
The Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. have received additional funding for their separate efforts on the Naval Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N) program. Each company got $3 million on May 7 from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for Phase IIA of the effort, aimed at demonstrating the technical feasibility of a naval UCAV to carry out such missions as suppression of enemy air defenses, strike and surveillance.
The Air Force late next month will pick an industry team for the $279 million system design and development phase (SDD) of the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T). The Air Force says the terminals, or radios with special antennas, "will provide the assured, protected, highly survivable communications demanded by the National Command Authority and the strategic nuclear forces, ensuring compatibility with evolving satellite architectures and legacy Milstar ... communications."
RADAR SYSTEMS: MechTronics of Arizona Corp., a subsidiary of Ducommun Inc., will provide APG73 radar system components for F/A-18 aircraft under contracts from the Boeing Co. and Raytheon Co. The $10 million Boeing contract is for electro-mechanical enclosures for U.S. Navy and Canadian air force aircraft. The $2 million Raytheon contract is for enclosures for spares and retrofitting aircraft for the U.S. Navy.
BAE SYSTEMS, Greenlawn, N.Y. Patricia (Pat) McMahon has been promoted to general manager of its Advanced Systems division. GOODRICH CORP., Charlotte, N.C. Brian Brandewie has been appointed president of the Avionics Systems division. IRVINE SENSORS CORP., Costa Mesa, Calif. John C. Carson, co-founder, former director, and current CEO, has been appointed president. KROLL, INC., New York, N.Y. Steven Kuhr has been named managing director of its new Emergency Management Group.
Lockheed Marine Corp. announced May 8 it has signed a contract with Eurocopter to integrate the Hellfire II missile and the M299 Hellfire launcher on Eurocopter's Tigre helicopter. Australia will be the first customer to have the Hellfire missiles integrated on the Tigre, but there may be opportunities in several other countries, according to Lockheed Martin.
This summer the Navy will begin testing a miniature communications relay designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that could greatly extend the range of combat net radio (CNR) operations. Designed primarily for voice command and control for infantry, armor, and artillery units, a traditional CNR ground relay consists of two radios and two antennas, usually co-located in a vehicle or deployed in a physically secure area.
An International Launch Services (ILS) Russian-built Proton booster successfully launched the DIRECTV 5 satellite on May 7, making it the seventh satellite in DIRECTV's fleet. The Proton K vehicle launched from Baikonur Cosomodrome in Kazakhstan at 1 p.m. EDT. The booster's Block DM upper stage placed the spacecraft into a geosynchronous transfer orbit six hours and 32 minutes later. The satellite is a Space Systems/Loral model 1300.
NEW DELHI - India's indigenously developed Lakshya unmanned aerial vehicle was successfully test-fired with a new engine at the Chandipur missile testing site, according to defense officials. A ministry of defense source said the Lakshya tested was a modified version that was controlled remotely from the ground.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has finished drafting a proposed amendment to the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill that would effectively block a potential lease the Air Force is negotiating for 100 Boeing 767 aerial refuelers, a congressional source told The DAILY May 8.
The Air Force's initial assessment of proposals for a tanker-leasing plan did not fully meet the requirements of federal acquisition regulations, the Defense Department's inspector general said in a May 3 letter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain requested in April that the IG complete an independent analysis of the Air Force's plans for a multi-year lease of tanker aircraft. Following a review, the IG criticized the Air Force for the way it conducted its assessment, according to a copy of the document provided to The DAILY.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is trying to kill the Army's Crusader artillery system but he hasn't killed the requirement for a big gun, according to several defense analysts. The Army still needs heavy mobile howitzers like the 155mm Crusader, and armored fighting vehicles, to fight a conventional war, the analysts said.
Members of the House Science Committee, including the chairman and ranking Democrat, announced late May 7 that they have introduced a bill to increase spending at the National Science Foundation by 15 percent a year for three years. Nanoscale science and engineering, networking and information technology research, math sciences and major research instrumentation are among the areas slated for increases. The NSF authorization bill also sets a goal of doubling the agency's budget over the next five years.
The Navy is exploring the use of a wallpaper-like applique that could serve as both a paint replacement and protection against lightning strikes for composite-based aircraft. As more aircraft transition to lightweight composite materials, the problem of lightning strike will become more acute, according to Terry Vargo, president of Integument Technologies, Inc. of Tonawanda, N.Y., which is developing the applique.
Boeing's airborne communications network, Connexion by Boeing, has been certified by the FAA, paving the way for commercial service introduction, the company announced May 7. "This demonstrates that we're on the right path ... that our system is viable, robust and does not interfere" with flight systems, said Terrance Scott, director of media relations for Connexion by Boeing.
