Coast Guard sUAS Funding. There is no funding in FY ’14 and none is requested in FY ’15 for the Coast Guard’s eventual small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), the service tells Defense Daily via an email response to questions. The Coast Guard is developing an acquisition plan for the sUAS and the eventual Request for Proposals will be for a solution to meet the immediate surveillance needs of the service’s fleet of National Security Cutters. The service says it plans to purchase nine sUAS, one for each NSC and another for shore-side support. The Coast Guard did not provide timelines for developing its acquisition plan.

North Dakota Commissioning Slides. The commissioning of the first block III version of the Virginia-class (SSN-774) submarine, the future USS North Dakota (SSN-784), has been indefinitely postponed from its May 31 date so some technical problems can be resolved.  A new commissioning date for the submarine built by General Dynamics Electric Boat has not been set, Colleen O’Rourke, a spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command, says. O’Rourke says the Navy still expects the vessel to be delivered by the contractually required August timeframe. NAVSEA says additional design and certification work is required on the submarine’s redesigned bow and material issues with vendor-assembled and delivered components needs to be resolved.

 

TWIC Down. The Transportation Security Administration will temporarily shut down specific Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card services beginning April 22 through May 4 to conduct a previously planned technology upgrade to improve reliability, expand capabilities and better support the agency’s mission. Enrollment sites will remain open but services for card transfers and replacements will be suspended during the upgrade. Card pickups and activations will be halted between April 26 and May 4.

SpaceX CRS-3. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) says it will attempt to recover the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket scheduled to launch April 18 as part of NASA’s Cargo Resupply Services-3 (CRS) mission. Though it will attempt the recovery, a company spokeswoman warns that the probability of success is around 30 to 40 percent. SpaceX doesn’t expect to recover the stage, but the company is getting closer to doing so, she added. CRS-3 is a mission to deliver cargo and goods to the International Space Station (ISS).

Pawlikowski Nomination. PresidePentagon_anddowntown_nt Barack Obama nominates Air Force Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski for assignment as military deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, according to a Defense Department statement. Pawlikowski currently serves as Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC) commander at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. AFSMC, a subordinate of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), is the center of technical excellence for developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining military space systems.

Smart Node Pod. Northrop Grumman completes a series of flight tests demonstrating the first production Smart Node Pod for the Air Force, according to a company statement. Smart Node Pod is an aircraft-mounted airborne communications system that allows real-time information to be exchanged among many disparate military and commercial radios and different datalinks. It also extends the network to the forward edge of the battlefield and relays full-motion video. The company is under contract to produce Smart Node Pod systems for the Air Force, with deliveries scheduled through mid-summer. Two different pod designs, a single-pod and a multi-pod architecture, are in production. Smart Node Pod is based on Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) technology developed for the Air Force.

Global Hawk. The Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) completes a series of ground and air demonstrations in January, expanding the adaptability of the system to use an additional satellite communications (SATCOM) link to improve the transfer of mission data, according to a company statement. Northrop Grumman works with Air Force partners to demonstrate that Global Hawk is compatible with different SATCOM architectures with no changes to the aircraft’s hardware, software or payload. The demonstration highlights a unique split link capability for Global Hawk that allows it to send mission data through a satellite link that is independent of the link used for command and control (C2).

BRTE XVII. A significant training event known as the 17th Baltic Region Training Event (BRTE XVII) takes place April 1-2 in Lithuania, according to the Air Force. The event is designed to enhance interoperability among allied partners in NATO and its Partnership for Peace program. The event helps sharpen the skills of aircrews and air controllers from the U.S., Lithuanian and Swedish air forces. The two-day event consists of the rehearsal of a communications loss situation, emergency landings and a combat search and rescue mission. The Air Force flies two extra F-15Cs to Lithuania strictly to participate in the event, the service says.

Clapper Staying. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper intends to stay through the end of President Barack Obama’s tenure, he tells an audience at the GEOINT 2013* conference in Tampa, Fla. Clapper was sworn in as the fourth DNI in August 2010. He leads the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) and serves as the principal intelligence adviser to the president.

ATK-ULA Deal. ATK reaches agreement on a $178 million contract award as part of the Air Force’s Phase 1 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) buy from launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA), according to an ATK statement. The order value includes hardware for both of the current EELV launch vehicles, the Atlas V and Delta IV. The initial contracting period includes large composite structures with deliveries commencing in fiscal year 2014 and continuing into early FY ’18. The order consists of a variety of composite structures 13 to 18 feet in diameter with lengths up to 63 feet, including fairings, payload adapters and diaphragms, interstages, nose cones and structures providing main engine thermal/aerodynamic protection. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

 

Hue City Fire. The cruiser USS Hue City (CG-66) was to arrive in its homeport of Mayport, Fla., Friday following an onboard fire April 14, U.S. Fleet Forces says. The cause of the fire is under investigation but it produced no injuries to the crew. The ship remains capable of operating under its own power. It is being accompanied by another cruiser, the USS Gettysburg (CG-66).

NC Houston. Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) and the Houston Airport System (HAS) announce plans to explore potential applications and multiple economic development opportunities presented by the combination of a Houston-based space port and SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft, which could land at the space port directly from low-earth orbit, according to a SNC statement. As part of the initiative, the organizations will study the physical, operational and regulatory requirements for SNC’s commercial space vehicle to utilize the space port as one of its landing sites. SNC is working with NASA’s Commercial Crew program to develop a safe, modern, innovative and flexible crew transportation system for the 21st century.

JSTARS Recap. The Air Force holds an industry week for its Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) program, according to a service statement. More than 100 participants from 35 companies attend the event. The JSTARS recapitalization team intends to field 16 modern aircraft with an on-board battle management command and control (C2) suite, advanced communication subsystem and an updated sensor. The recapitalized system will also interact with all elements of the theater air control system, which includes JSTARS and Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, control and reporting centers and air operations centers.

Credit Where Credit Is Due. A 150-page National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report released last week recommends improvements for military combat helmets. It credits Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) with raising concerns and practicing “active oversight” of the issue, the NAS says. Slaughter initiated the study with a 2012 letter for then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta questioning what she called “an unacceptably high risk” helmet test standard.  In 2006, Slaughter read that 80 percent of Americans killed in the Iraq War from upper body wounds died from the result of faulty body armor. She waged a five-year campaign to improve body armor safety standards and, in 2009, secured the recall and replacement of 16,000 pieces of unsafe body armor from the front lines. Slaughter’s effort led to improved armor test protocols and ended the practice of outsourcing testing to private companies.

No Effect On The Budget. CBO says H.R. 503 to authorize the National Desert Storm Memorial Association to honor those who participated in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield by establishing a memorial would not affect the budget. ”CBO estimates that the net effect on the budget would not be significant in any year.” However, any entity that gets a permit to construct a memorial in the District or nearby must donate to the non-profit National Park Foundation “an amount equal to 10 percent of the memorial’s estimated construction cost. That amount, as well as any project funds remaining after construction of the memorial, would be available in future years for maintenance of the memorial.” The senate has a similar bill, S.995, and CBO cost estimates are the same.

Forward Planning. With fewer than 178 days to go to the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, slated for Oct. 13-15, there’s still a limited amount of exhibit space, and some new sponsorship opportunities. As many as 28,000 attend the annual meeting in Washington, D.C.  AUSA says exhibit space and sponsorships and advertising is available on a first-come, first-served basis.Check here to get the latest: usameetings.org/2014annualmeeting.

Successful Test. Lockheed Martin says it successfully conducted the fifth and final Production Qualification Test (PQT) for the new Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead recently at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.  The test is the final milestone before the Developmental Test/Operational Test (DT/OT) phase, which will incorporate soldiers into the system testing. The DT/OT phase is to begin this summer and will conclude with the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation exercise in the fall of 2014. The Alternative Warhead is to engage the same target set and achieve the same area-effects requirement as the GMLRS submunitions warhead, but without the lingering danger of unexploded ordnance. The Alternative Warhead is being developed by ATK.

 

Cubic Branding. Defense and transportation systems company Cubic Corp. has introduced a new corporate brand identity and logo to reflect its heritage and emphasis on innovation. The company’s new motto is “Global. Innovative. Trusted.” Its logo, which used to feature a Western Hemisphere glove inside a cube, now incorporates a glove with a worldwide picture to reflect the worldwide extent of the company. “Cubic’s new brand signifies our worldwide presence and market leadership,” says Brad Feldmann, the company’s president and chief operating officer.