The Air Force is slated to release a request for information on a revamped Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) program on Feb. 15, sources told The DAILY. The service concluded its current contract with Northrop Grumman for development of the decoy and will now move forward with plans to recompete the program, the sources said. The Air Force is said to have looked at design maturity, management of the program and projected costs as well as future requirements.
International Space Station crewmembers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch will conduct a spacewalk Feb. 20 through the station's Joint Airlock, dubbed Quest, the first to be done from the airlock without a shuttle docked. "We wanted to show that we could do an EVA [extra-vehicular activity] without the shuttle present," NASA's Sally Davis, the lead stage flight director, said Feb. 14 at a briefing on the upcoming spacewalk. Spacewalks have been conducted from the Russian section of the station without a shuttle present.
Having overcome two sticking points to cooperation on the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), the U.S., Germany and Italy are hoping to make a "seamless move" into the developmental phase of the program in 2004, according to Lockheed Martin officials.
TRW Inc. has named two executives to new missile defense posts to focus its missile defense efforts and align them more closely with the new Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the company announced Feb. 14. Jerry Agee will serve as vice president and general manager of TRW Systems' new Missile Defense Division. He will oversee the company's work on programs including the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Segment's battle management command, control and communications system, and target boosters. He and his staff will be based in Reston, Va.
DEFENSE MEETING: Undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge will chair the AIAA Defense Excellence 2002 Conference in Washington Feb. 19-20. "The new American way of war will be versatile, real time, in-depth, integrated and comprehensive," he said. "Acquisition excellence is central to this goal."
Bush Administration budget requests for federal research and development programs are too tilted to biomedical research and combating terrorism, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Science Committee, said Feb. 13.
The Navy is considering a concept demonstration of methods for deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from SSGN (Ship Submersible Guided Nuclear) submarines, according to Read Adm. Michael Sharp, program executive officer for mine and undersea warfare. The demo is on a "like-to-do" list of demonstrations that could begin as early as December, according to Sharp.
The Federal Communications Commission could issue as early as Feb. 14 a ruling that aviation interests fear would authorize use of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices that interfere with the safety of flight. The Air Transport Association said the devices could interfere with Global Positioning System transmissions and other services that operate in restricted spectrum bands, Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily reported.
D. Roy Goldsmith has been appointed group vice president, manufacturing operations. Gregory Smith has been appointed division manager, Windsor division.
747-400ER ASSEMBLY: Boeing workers in Everett, Washington have begun assembling the first long-range 747-400ER, Boeing said Feb. 13. The 747-400ER will be available in passenger and cargo versions. It is the same size as the 747-400, but its revamped interior will allow customers to fly longer routes or carry more cargo or passengers.
Czech Republic officials have offered to sell India L-159A single-seat trainer and light attack aircraft, which could undercut United Kingdom efforts to market its Hawk 100 trainers here. The Czech Republic has offered to sell L-159As at nearly half the cost of the Hawks, or about $10 million each.
The U.S. Navy would buy a third DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in fiscal 2003 if it had the money to procure an additional ship, Navy Secretary Gordon England said Feb. 13. "The Navy could use additional DDGs, and they are the most appropriate candidate for additional procurement," England testified before the House Armed Services Committee.
Shannon Lucid, one of the first women to become an astronaut, will take over for Kathie Olsen as NASA's chief scientist, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced Feb. 12. President Bush has said Olsen will be nominated as associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Status report The fiscal year 2003 budget request released Feb. 4 by the Administration included status reports on selected programs. This report covers some of the Department of Defense's programs. Source: Budget of the U.S. government. Program Assessment Explanation Military Readiness Effective The speed of American deployment in the war
Iridium Satellite announced Feb. 13 that the company's five new spare satellites, launched Feb. 11 on a Delta II rocket, have reached their assigned orbits and are fully functional. The satellites join seven other spares already in orbit, part of the company's plan to extend the life of its network to 2010, Iridium said. The company has 66 low-earth-orbiting operational satellites plus spares.
Recent engine problems with the Navy Department's EA-6B Prowler underscore the need to replace the aging weapon system, the U.S. military's only radar-jamming support aircraft, according to Navy Secretary Gordon England.
At the current rate of operations, the Department of Defense will run out of money for military operations in Afghanistan by midyear, senior Defense Department officials told Senate Budget Committee members Feb. 13. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said that although the DOD still has much of the supplemental funding approved by Congress for fiscal year 2001, "it will only last us a little while longer. We will have to have supplemental funding in [FY] '02 to continue operations."
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control will upgrade 35 U.S. Army Multiple Launch Rocket System M270 launchers to M270A1 launchers under a $69.4 million low-rate initial production contract. The upgrades include an improved fire control system that includes Global Positioning System capability. Delivery of the launchers will begin in December 2003 and be completed in June 2004.
An Air Force B-52 successfully launched two AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs) at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Western Test Range Feb.8, marking the final step for the JSOW to be cleared for operational use on the B-52. The JSOW-A, which achieved initial operational capability (IOC) in January of 1999, began delivery to B-52 bases in October, according to NAVAIR spokeswoman Cathy Partusch.
