The House Appropriations Committee plans to consider a fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill that adds tens of millions of dollars to the Bush Administration's request to buy MH-47 helicopters and F-15 radios and develop a radar-based system to detect biological and chemical agents. The supplemental, which the committee is scheduled to take up May 8, provides an additional $93 million to procure three Boeing MH-47 Chinooks for U.S. Special Operations Command, replacing aircraft destroyed in the war on terrorism.
SDB CONTRACT: EDO Corp. of New York will develop a weapon carriage system for the component advanced development phase of Lockheed Martin's Small Diameter Bomb program, the company announced May 6. The system is intended to be capable of carrying and ejecting multiple weapons from various aircraft platforms at speeds up to supersonic, according to the company. Terms of the two-year contract were not disclosed. Lockheed Martin is competing with Boeing to build the SDB and its carriage system for the Air Force (DAILY, Oct. 4, 2001).
AQUA LAUNCH: NASA's Earth observing satellite, Aqua, was launched May 4 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Liftoff was at 2:55 a.m. PDT. Spacecraft separation occurred at 3:54 a.m., and Aqua was inserted into a 438-mile orbit, according to NASA. The satellite's primary goal is to gather information about the Earth's water cycle (DAILY, April 24). More information about the mission is available at http://aqua.nasa.gov.
Funding cuts to the Airborne Laser program could jeopardize an already fragile defense industrial base for specialized items needed for high-energy lasers, according to the program head.
An Ariane 4 booster successfully launched the SPOT 5 Earth observation satellite from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana on May 4, according to the company. Another satellite launch, that of the DIRECTV 5, was scrubbed on May 5, according to International Launch Services, which is launching the broadcast satellite.
AEROSPACE BILLS: Congress will have a busy schedule for aerospace-related legislation the week of May 6-10. The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to consider the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill starting May 7 and ending as late as May 10. The full House intends to consider its version of the bill May 9 and 10, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is expected to consider the FY '03 intelligence authorization bill May 8.
As a June 4 deadline nears for the services to present their options on replacing the EA-6B Prowler aircraft, the Air Force is coming up with a variety of options for the electronic attack mission, according to a senior service official. The Pentagon recently completed an analysis of alternatives study on possible replacements for the EA-6B Prowler, which is slated for retirement beginning in 2010. Operations as part of the war in Afghanistan have further stressed the aging Prowler aircraft, according to senior Defense Department officials.
LIFE IN THE TANK: NASA is working on designs for manned interplanetary spacecraft that place the crew quarters within the fuel tank as a means of protecting the astronauts from space radiation, according to Frank Cucinotta, manager for radiation health at Johnson Space Center. Hydrogen is an excellent radiation shielding material, according to Cucinotta, because no secondary radiation is released when radiation strikes it, and it slows radiation more than any other material per unit mass.
Following a series of contractor-conducted tests, the Department of Defense's chief information officer authorized the Department of the Navy to order another 100,000 workstation seats for the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) system. The total contract value for NMCI is $6.9 billion, according to the program office, making it the largest government-awarded information technology contract.
NAME CHANGE. The Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS-High) program soon could be the Pentagon's only SBIRS program. The lower-altitude SBIRS system, known as SBIRS-Low, soon may get a new name, says the Pentagon's acquisition czar. "To avoid a lot of confusion between SBIRS-Low and SBIRS-High, I'm going to ask [Missile Defense Agency Director] Lt. Gen. [Ronald] Kadish to give me another name for SBIRS-Low," says Pete Aldridge, the undersecretary of the defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
Twenty House members have introduced a bill that would double aeronautics research and development funding over five years at both the FAA and NASA in an effort to make the U.S. aerospace industry more competitive internationally. The bill, spearheaded by Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who represents engine maker Pratt & Whitney, would increase NASA's aeronautics R&D budget to $1.15 billion by 2007. By the same year, the FAA's aeronautics R&D funding would reach $550 million.
LONDON - Accelerated Austrian air force requirements to replace 23 aging Saab 35Oe Draken air defense fighters could speed up both the decision process for up to 30 new combat aircraft and delivery times. The Saab-BAE Systems Gripen International team has indicated it could deliver its first 12 new aircraft in the last six months of 2005. The remainder of an initial order could be delivered to Austria by mid-2007, according to the company, "thanks to the close cooperation that has existed between the Austrian and Swedish air forces for decades."
More data must be gathered on the dangers of space radiation before a determination can be made as to whether a manned mission to Mars is feasible with current technology, according to Frank Cucinotta, NASA Johnson Space Center's manager for radiation health. Space radiation comes from cosmic rays emitted by the sun and other stars beyond our solar system. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a global magnetic field or a thick atmosphere to shield it from these rays.
Northrop Grumman will announce May 6 whether it will extend its stock exchange offer for TRW Inc., after shareholders of that company appeared to vote May 3 to reject the takeover offer. Northrop Grumman sought to have TRW shareholders waive Ohio law barring takeovers from out-of-state companies, but a May 3 TRW statement said that move appeared to have been rejected, "based on the number of proxies submitted" to the independent election inspector.
OLYMPICS LAUNCH: China plans to launch "Olympics" mini satellites in September, primarily to promote science education. The satellites will be used for communications and earth observation.
According to analysis by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the Air Force could achieve "significant benefits" by dual-tasking some of its fighter squadrons, as it plans to do by 2010, although it said significant challenges must be overcome if those benefits are to be fully realized.
SHUTTLE STUDY: Four Democratic senators have urged Senate appropriators to direct NASA to conduct a thorough study of shuttle upgrades that could be needed to keep the fleet flying through 2020. NASA is planning to fly the shuttle until 2012 but also is studying upgrades needed to boost that to 2020.
Although the House Armed Services Committee defeated a proposal to shift missile defense funds from three space and sea-based programs to the Arrow and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) systems, Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) likely will ask the House Rules Committee for permission to offer similar language when the full House considers the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill, according to congressional Democratic aides.
SHUTTLE AWARD: NASA has awarded Boeing's Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit a $1.14 billion, five-year contract for maintenance and support of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The contract includes the manufacture, assembly, test and delivery of three additional main engines, flight and test engineering and engine refurbishment.
ARMY CAUCUS: The new Senate Army Caucus, which held its kickoff meeting May 2, plans to hold quarterly meetings. Senate Armed Services Committee members Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) have formed the caucus to look out for the interests of the service (DAILY, March 29).
NEW DELHI - The Indian air force (IAF) submitted a report to the ministry of defense May 1 saying there are flaws in Russian Sukhoi Su-30K aircraft delivered to India in 1998 and 1999, which are causing maintenance and operations problems. India signed a contract with Russia in 1996 for 40 Su-30Ks at a cost of $1.28 billion. Eight were delivered in 1997, with the rest to be delivered in three phases between 1998 and 2000.
PRAGUE - Slovak and Russian officials are in talks over a $56 million deal to repair 18 of Slovakia's aging fleet of 24 MiG-29 fighters, the Slovak ministry of defense told The DAILY. Open-ended discussions on issues such as spare parts for the fighters are being held as part of Russia's commitment to paying its debts to Slovakia, which are reported to stand at more than $1 billion.
