The National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) is facing "huge" challenges as it transforms itself to respond to homeland defense needs, according to the agency's director. Speaking at a symposium in Falls Church, Va. April 9, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Clapper (retired) said many of these challenges revolve around reorienting NIMA to a domestic focus.
The Boeing Co. has named its Australian subsidiary Hawker de Havilland as the latest member of its Sonic Cruiser development team, the company announced April 10. Hawker de Havilland will contribute its expertise in advanced materials, including composites, to the Sonic Cruiser, Boeing's proposed advanced airliner capable of flying at speeds up to Mach .98.
The U.S. Marine Corps has decided to join the Air Force in a multiyear procurement of Lockheed Martin C-130J-based aircraft. The Marine Corps plans to buy 24 KC-130J tankers, or four a year from FY '03 to FY '08, according to an April 4 memorandum to the Air Force from Paul Schneider, the Navy Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for research, development and acquisition. The Marine Corps is buying KC-130Js to replace its aging KC-130s.
Although satellite-guided munitions, unmanned aircraft and other new technologies have many advantages over older systems, they still have weaknesses that could be exploited by an enemy, according to Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee at an April 9 hearing on military transformation, Thompson said satellite-guided munitions provide "pinpoint accuracy" but rely on signals that in some cases can be jammed with just 20 watts of power.
Even as the Air Force builds its case to save the over-budget Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High), Peter Teets, the undersecretary of the Air Force for Space and head of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), is considering an alternative program.
Facing an aging computer system and radars set to look in the wrong direction, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is attempting to patch together existing capabilities to better respond to interior air attacks similar to those of on Sept. 11. Since last year's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, NORAD has been working to channel Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data to regional command posts, according to Air Force Gen. Ralph "Ed" Eberhart, the head of NORAD.
NEW DELHI - India's sole military aircraft manufacturer, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), says it will produce 12 Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighters a year between 2004-2017, and the licensed production will cut the aircraft's cost. HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty told The DAILY April 11 that Su-30s built under the $4.6 billion program will cost about $22.5 million each, versus the current import price of about $37.5 million each.
Although satellite-guided munitions, unmanned aircraft and other new technologies have many advantages over older systems, they still have weaknesses that could be exploited by an enemy, according to Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee at an April 9 hearing on military transformation, Thompson said satellite-guided munitions provide "pinpoint accuracy" but rely on signals that in some cases can be jammed with just 20 watts of power.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Even as the Air Force builds its case to save the over-budget Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High), Peter Teets, the undersecretary of the Air Force for Space and head of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), is considering an alternative program.
The Bush Administration's fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations request and FY '03 defense budget request include funding to replace wing center sections on about 23 of the Navy's EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft, according to Navy officials and industry sources. Naval Air Systems Command indicated in a statement April 9 that the Administration's FY '03 budget includes funding for 15 new Northrop Grumman wing center sections. The command issued the statement in response to questions.
of Sunnyvale, Calif., is testing NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The company received SIRTF's Cryogenic Telescope Assembly, which includes its scientific instruments, from Ball Aerospace of Boulder, Colo., and has integrated it with the Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft. "We have completed the careful process of integrating the payload and spacecraft, and are beginning to perform environmental and other tests that will verify SIRTF is ready for launch early next year," said Tom Dougherty, Lockheed Martin's SIRTF program manager.
Raytheon hopes its Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), which will be formally turned over to the FAA next year, eventually could become a one-stop global satellite navigation system for users around the world. WAAS corrects and enhances Global Positioning System (GPS) signals by comparing them with position information from ground stations and two satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
have formed a new company to provide two-way satellite broadband communications services to companies, consumers and small office/home office users in Europe. The company's name, its management team and board of directors have not been announced. The new company's value is more than 200 million euros ($174 million), including 50 million euros in cash and contributions of facilities and equipment from each partner company.
have been awarded $5 million each by NASA to develop proposals over the next nine months for the formulation phase of NASA's Landsat program. After this phase, one company will be selected early next year to execute the Landsat Data Continuity Mission implementation phase, which includes providing five years of satellite imagery data.
of Colorado Springs, Colo., will deliver Ka-band spot antennas for use on a U.S. Department of Defense Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS), under a contract awarded by Boeing Satellite Systems. Harris will deliver 10 antennas for the third WGS satellite.
The full effect of a campaign with precision-guided weapons can be realized only if ground troops are able to fight the enemy into the open where it can be targeted, a senior Army official said April 9. Contrasting the allied military operations in Bosnia and Afghanistan, Gen. Montgomery Meigs, commander of U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army, said the success in Afghanistan was due in large part to the Northern Alliance rooting out Taliban troops so U.S. special forces could target them for air attack.
Boeing will launch a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office in 2004 aboard its Delta IV Heavy booster, the company announced April 9. Details of the launch, which will take place from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., were not released. However, Boeing said the launch is part of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
The full effect of a campaign with precision-guided weapons can be realized only if ground troops are able to fight the enemy into the open where it can be targeted, a senior Army official said April 9. Contrasting the allied military operations in Bosnia and Afghanistan, Gen. Montgomery Meigs, commander of U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army, said the success in Afghanistan was due in large part to the Northern Alliance rooting out Taliban troops so U.S. special forces could target them for air attack.
Boeing will launch a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office in 2004 aboard its Delta IV Heavy booster, the company announced April 9. Details of the launch, which will take place from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., were not released. However, Boeing said the launch is part of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The Delta IV Heavy is the largest of the Delta family of boosters, and can lift up to 28,950 pounds to geosynchronous transfer orbit, according to the company.
The Bush Administration's fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations request and FY '03 defense budget request include funding to replace wing center sections on about 23 of the Navy's EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft, according to Navy officials and industry sources. Naval Air Systems Command indicated in a statement April 9 that the Administration's FY '03 budget includes funding for 15 new Northrop Grumman wing center sections. The command issued the statement in response to questions.
SHUTTLE DOCK: Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on April 10, according to NASA. Atlantis launched April 8 on an 11-day mission to install a key segment of the station's truss.
