John Young, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said March 26 that the DD(X) program will spawn a new class of ships, not just serve as a testbed for new technologies. "Make no mistake about it, we are building the first ship in its class," Young said of funds requested for the first DD(X). The Navy has made it clear to Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr. that the Navy "cannot spend $2 billion on a prototypical vehicle," he said at the Navy's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Washington.
BOEING TEAM: Boeing has formed an industry team made up of ViaSat, Hughes Network Systems, TRW Inc., Harris Corp. and Science Applications International Corp. to compete for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) contract. MUOS will provide global communications to all U.S. forces, including those deployed in jungles, mountainous terrain or at sea.
The Air Force has decided to procure an extended-range version of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), according to a Lockheed Martin program official. The JASSM, the successor to the Air Force's long-range, standoff, air-to-surface Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM), is a conventional precision-guided, long-range standoff missile that can be fired from both fighter and bomber aircraft.
Aerospace companies from Russia, France, Germany and Sweden will work on a new methane-liquid oxygen rocket engine, according to a memorandum signed here March 22. France's Snecma Moteurs, Germany's Astrium and Techspace Aero and Swedish Volvo Aero will work with Russia's Keldysh Research Center and NPO Energomash on the engine.
The production of large spacecraft for the commercial satellite communications market will likely reach its lowest level by the middle of the decade and remain flat through 2011, according to a report by Forecast International/DMS Inc. Senior aerospace analyst Ray Peterson's report predicts the production of large communications satellites, which operate in geosynchronous orbit, will peak next year at more than 40 units and then decline each year, falling to 31 units by 2006.
Raytheon Co. is nearly finished remanufacturing 644 Tomahawk cruise missiles to the Block III configuration, and is beginning the remanufacture of 456 more. Raytheon's Missile Systems business unit in Tucson, Ariz., was expected to wind up the remanufacture of 644 ship- and submarine-launched Block II Tomahawks to the GPS-equipped Block III version by October 2002. However, work under the $440 million program is some six months ahead of schedule and should be completed sometime around April, a company spokeswoman said.
PAC-3 CONTRACT: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control will continue low-rate initial production of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile under a $326.6 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. The contract is for 72 missiles, 26 missile round trainers, six telemetry kits, six launcher modification kits and nine fire solution computers. Delivery of the missiles and equipment is to be completed by February 2005.
Addressing the Coast Guard's homeland security needs will be top priority for the Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Sector team when submitting a proposal for the service's Integrated Deepwater Systems program, according to a senior program official. Richard Turner, Lockheed Martin's manager of business development for the Deepwater program, said homeland security has been a primary concern for senior Coast Guard officials since the program was created in August 1997.
Europe's $3 billion-plus Galileo civil satellite navigation system was given the go-ahead March 26 by European Union transport ministers, moving Europe a big step closer to challenging U.S. domination of the space navigation market. The ministers, meeting in Brussels, approved $392 million in development money, an EU official told the Associated Press. The European Space Agency has already committed $485 million.
Restrictions have been placed on launches of AGM-114K/M Hellfire anti-tank missiles from Britain's WAH-64 Longbow Apache attack helicopters because of potential rotor damage, according to United Kingdom Ministry of Defence reports leaked to the press here. "A problem has been identified with the Hellfire rocket, involving damage to the aircraft from motor debris on firing. We are now working with the contractors to find solutions," the MOD said.
Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and AIM-9X missile could receive commitments later this year for their first foreign purchases, according to managers of the two Navy-led programs. At a March 26 media briefing at the Navy League's 2002 Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Navy Capt. David Venlet told reporters that Denmark, Norway and Switzerland likely will decide in 2002 to buy the air-to-air AIM-9X, the newest version of the short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder. Other countries that could follow suit include Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea.
CONTRACTOR AWARDS: Twelve defense prime contractors and their small and disadvantaged business protEgEs have been given the Nunn-Perry award for 2002, which recognizes teams that have excelled in technical developments, cost efficiencies and increased business opportunities for small disadvantaged firms. The awards went to: AMEC Earth Environmental Inc. and Bering Sea Eccotech; Battelle Memorial Institute and MTS Technologies; Bell Helicopter Textron and Valco Manufacturing Corp.; Computer Sciences Corp.
The Navy and Marine Corps' proposed cuts in Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet procurement make sense in light of the enhanced capabilities of the new aircraft, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, Marine Corps deputy commandant for programs and resources. "The systems that we're buying are not only a little bit more capable than the ones they replace - they're multiples more capable," Magnus said, speaking on a panel at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Washington March 26.
Even while studies are underway on options for reviving a sea-based terminal missile defense system, both the Navy and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) are becoming more focused on theater-wide ballistic missile defense, according to a senior Navy official.
TRW BID: Northrop Grumman Corp. officials asked TRW Inc. shareholders to give the company a look at its books, which "may allow us to raise our offer" for the company, said a company statement released March 26. TRW's board of directors urged shareholders to vote against that proposal (DAILY, March 26).
The Senate March 21 confirmed several Air Force generals to high-level aerospace posts, including Lt. Gen. Robert Hinson to be vice commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and Lt. Gen. Thomas Goslin to be deputy commander in chief of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
Lockheed Martin hopes it will soon be able to begin building the prototype for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of satisfying both the Navy's surveillance and unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) requirements.
MILESTONES: Northrop Gru-mman Corp.'s Integrated Sys-tems Sector completed the third engine run test on its experimental X-47A Pegasus unmanned aerial vehicle, the company said March 26. The UAV's first autonomous engine run is slated for later this spring. The company is also testing and integrating Pegasus' avionics and software.
The House March 20 approved a $10 billion war reserve as part of the fiscal 2003 budget resolution despite calls by some members to spend the money right away on weapon systems and other urgent needs. Some lawmakers, including Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Armed Services procurement subcommittee, objected to the Bush Administration-proposed reserve, saying the $10 billion should be immediately allocated to unmanned aerial vehicles, tactical aviation, a third DDG-51 guided-missile destroyer and other shortfalls (DAILY, March 15).
The biggest challenge in meeting the program goals for the Joint Strike Fighter will be integrating the activities of companies and facilities spread across nine time zones through a seamless sharing of information, senior JSF program officials said March 22.
Work to produce a new multiyear contract for Navy procurement of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has moved to the back burner while the service considers a proposal to cut its total purchase of the strike fighter, a Boeing official said March 25.
REJECTION URGED: TRW Inc.'s board of directors unanimously recommended March 25 that its shareholders reject Northrop Grumman proposals that TRW establish an independent committee to review Northrop Grumman's stock exchange offer, and provide it with confidential financial information. Northrop Grumman has proposed exchanging each outstanding share of TRW common stock with $47 of Northrop Grumman stock.
JSF PICK: Lockheed Martin has selected Dassault Systemes and IBM to provide computer-based development tools and processes for the Joint Strike Fighter. The companies will support the Lockheed Martin Virtual Development Environ-ment, for computer-assisted construction of the aircraft.
