Members of Congress from the Philadelphia area appear to have made peace with the Boeing Co. over the aerospace firm's presence in their region. In December, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and other Philadelphia-area lawmakers threatened to cut back on helping Boeing get defense work unless the company showed a stronger commitment to their region (DAILY, Dec. 17, 2001). Their warning came after Boeing's latest announcement of job cuts at its rotorcraft plant in Ridley Township, Pa.
NASA's decision to move space shuttle orbiter major modifications (OMM) work from Boeing's Palmdale Manufacturing Facility in California to Florida's Kennedy Space Center is "shortsighted" because of the institutional memory that will be lost at Palmdale, according to Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), who represents the Palmdale area.
Having completed the final flight test for the first prototype of the RAH-66 Comanche, officials from the Boeing Co. and Sikorsky Aircraft are waiting to hear from the Army about how the program will be restructured. In a statement released Feb. 11, officials from both companies said Prototype 1 will be retired after completing more than 387 flight hours during 318 sorties over six years. The aircraft, which completed its first flight test on Jan. 4, 1996, was designed to test the flight control software and handling qualities.
While European launch provider Arianespace moves to ensure its dominance in a flat market, the company is hoping for an upswing in commercial launches by 2004-2005, according to Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton. In the meantime, Luton said he expects 20-25 commercial geostationary satellite launch contracts per year for the next couple of years.
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: A Boeing Delta II launch vehicle deployed five communications satellites on Feb. 11 after taking off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Boeing announced. The satellites will be spares for Iridium Satellite's global communications network.
February 8, 2002 BAE Systems, Mojave, Calif., is being awarded an $8,763,894 contract modification to provide for 12 QF-4 full scale aerial targets. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be completed by July 2004. The Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (F08626-98-C-0012).
With the Defense Department's annual industrial capabilities report due to Congress this month, the head of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Industrial Policy) says that for some critical weapons systems, the department may move toward Reagan-era policies of maintaining dual suppliers.
Raytheon Co. has been selected to proceed to the next phase of a program that will lead to the Multi Role Radar System (MRRS), a mobile ground radar intended to give Marine Corps units more efficient air surveillance capabilities as they move ashore in a conflict. Raytheon was chosen over Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman after a year-long Phase 1 effort to design and demonstrate an advanced development model of an Affordable Ground Based Radar (AGBR), which will be a concept development platform for the MRRS.
While few countries can challenge the U.S. military in air-to-air combat, Pentagon officials are concerned about a new generation of Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and other technologies that enhance air defenses, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service. The report, "Military Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEADS): Assessing Future Needs," says no U.S. aircraft have been lost to enemy aircraft since 1991, and that most countries will likely challenge U.S. airpower mainly with surface-based air defenses.
LICENSE AGREEMENT: Harris Corp. has entered into a licensing agreement with Spirent Systems Group in Wichita, Kan., for patents for wirelessly transferring high-speed data to and from an aircraft while it is on the ground. Data to be transferred by the patented capability could be used to support flight safety, flight operations, engineering and maintenance, and cabin and passenger services, according to the company.
OLD WEAPONS: The U.S. military's aging fleet of weapon systems "is taking its toll in increased operational costs and reduced equipment availability rates," according to Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "For example, between [fiscal 1995] and FY '01, the Air Force's F-15C/D aircraft, at an average age of 17 1/2 years, have experienced an 83 percent increase in cost per flying hour (constant FY '00 dollars) and a decrease from 81 percent to 77 percent in [their] mission capable rate," Myers says in recent written testimony to Congress.
The Navy's decision to stop funding the Fire Scout program following its low-rate initial production phase doesn't mean the technology will go away, according to the Navy and Northrop Grumman. Fire Scout has demonstrated all the necessary technical requirements for the Navy in its bid to develop a family of unmanned aerial vehicles, they said.
CHALLENGE PROGRAM: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, says he plans to revive his proposal to set up a "challenge" program for defense contracts. Under his proposal, companies could make a case that they could make a system or component better or less expensively than the incumbent contractors. A challenger that made a convincing argument would replace the incumbent contractor. Although Hunter's proposal passed the House last year (DAILY, Aug.
ISAT WORK: Three companies are studying development of an advanced antenna that could ultimately be used in the Space Based Radar project. Harris, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have each received one-year contracts of about $2 million for the Innovative Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology (ISAT) project, intended to help solve the challenge of integrating an SBR and a Moving Target Indication from Space (MTIS) system.
F-X REQUESTS: South Korea's continued request for "best and final offer" bids to build its next-generation F-X fighter spells trouble for the program and for the Boeing Co., says aircraft analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. Boeing's F-15K is still considered to be in the lead for the competition, but South Korea's refusal in January to accept any of the four submitted bids may indicate the country can't afford the program.
NEW SHIP: The Air Force, which rarely buys ships, is asking for $51 million in its fiscal year 2003 budget request for replacement of the ship that carries the Cobra Judy radar system, says an Air Force spokesperson. The shipboard AN/SPQ-11 Cobra Judy Radar System provides missile threat data on foreign ballistic missile launches and currently is housed on the U.S.N.S. Observation Island.
LASER CONTRACT: BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions will produce laser warning equipment for ATK Integrated Defense Co. under a $3.5 million contract, the company announced Feb. 8. The laser warning electronics will be integrated into AN/AAR-47(V)2 Missile Warning Receivers produced by ATK Integrated Defense. The system is used on more than 3,000 U.S. Navy and Air Force helicopters and transport aircraft, according to BAE Systems.
PERSISTENT RECONNAISSANCE: As the military and intelligence community invest in new technologies, one key area that needs to be addressed is persistent reconnaissance capability, according to Peter Teets, the dual-hatted undersecretary of the Air Force and director of the National Reconnaissance Office. "One of things I think we've learned well from the conflict in Afghanistan is that while the intelligence collection capabilities have been excellent, we need to add persistence to the equation," Teets says.
NEW ARROW: Israel's Arrow missile defense system is not capable of defeating the Shahab III missile, Iran's most advanced long-range missile, says Amos Yaron, the director general of Israel's Ministry of Defense. The threat of the Shahab III, which has an estimated range of 1,300 kilometers, is being addressed by the Arrow System Improved Program, he says. "This will give the right answer for the Shahab III," he says, adding that the newer system should be ready within a few years.
