The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Holiday Spirit. Congress has another week of recess–in other words another week to trade barbs on who is blocking funding for the troops in Iraq. When they return the week of Dec. 3, expect more war debate, possible concessions on a bridge fund and a possible hearing from the military’s top officials. Movement on the defense authorization bill is anticipated before lawmakers leave again for the December holidays.
Endorsed. Presidential candidate and former Navy officer Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last week picked up another key national security endorsement from former Navy Secretary John Lehman. Lehman also was a member of the 9/11 Commission. “Having worked with John McCain for over twenty years–from the Reagan Administration through to the 9/11 Commission–there’s no doubt in my mind that he is the right man to lead as commander in chief today,” Lehman said in a statement.
Widening The Reach. Australia recently formally joined the Air Force’s Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) program, agreeing to cooperate in the delivery of next-generation space communications capability to the two nations’ militaries. As part of the agreement, the WGS constellation grows to six satellites, from five, the Air Force says. “The U.S.-Australia WGS partnership is another example of the strength of the alliance between our nations and the effectiveness of relationship building and development of mutually beneficial capabilities by the [U.S. Air Force],” says Bruce Lemkin, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. The Air Force placed the first WGS satellite in orbit last month and expects to achieve initial operational capability with it early next year. Full operational capability is anticipated in 2013 following the launch of the sixth satellite. The Air Force says the WGS system will provide a quantum leap in communications bandwidth, offering high-capacity communications in the X- and Ka- band frequency ranges.
The Right Truck. The Tactical Munitions Dispenser (TMD), the outer shell of the Air Force’s Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) might be an option to serve as the host for the High Power Microwave (HPM)-Counter Electronics (CE) system that the Air Armament Center (AAC) envisions, John Corley, AAC’s director Capabilities Integration Directorate, tells Defense Daily. The center intends to pursue an air-launched glide weapon with a HPM payload that would offer a means of disabling enemy electronics via non-kinetic means. Development could start as early as FY ’09, the center says. The Air Force likes to leverage existing airframes, or “trucks,” to the extent possible when developing new munitions since they are less expensive than designing new ones from scratch. Examples include applying the same airframe of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) for the MALD stand-in jammer variant, and the outer shell of the AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile being used both for the baseline and extended-range versions of that system. “While MALD is a potential ‘truck’ for many applications, it had not been envisioned it as a candidate for this particular application due to its size constraints,” writes Corley in response to a query on the HPM-CE. The JASSM truck, as well as the airframe of the Joint Standoff Missile, may also be too small, he says. While the TMD might be an option, “a larger cruise missile ‘truck’ would be more likely,” Corley states.
Ending An Era. The Air Force recently marked the end of an era by launching its final Defense Support Program (DSP) early warning satellite into orbit. The spacecraft, designated DSP-23, was carried atop a Delta IV Heavy Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle fired from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. DSP satellites have provided an unblinking eye in space since the first launch of one in November 1970 to warn of ballistic missile launches. Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites will replace the DSP constellation beginning near the end of the decade. “The successful launch and activation of DSP Flight 23 is a fitting tribute to an outstanding legacy of DSP mission success enjoyed over nearly four decades,” says Col. Roger Teague, commander of the SBIRS Space Group within the Space and Missile Systems Center. “DSP’s contribution to U.S. national security space cannot be overstated.” The launch also marked the first use of the Delta IV Heavy booster for an operational mission.
Movers And Shakers. Air Force Lt. Gen. Roger Brady has been nominated to receive a fourth star and take over command of U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Brady, who would replace the retiring Gen. Williams Hobbins, is currently deputy chief of staff for Personnel on the Air Staff. Also nominated for promotion is Maj. Gen. Richard Newton. He would rise to lieutenant general and become deputy chief of staff for Manpower and Personnel on the Air Staff, moving over from his current post as assistant deputy chief of staff for Air, Space and Information Operations, Plans and Requirements.
Sofia’s Spartan. The Bulgarian Air Force recently received the first of five C-27J tactical transport aircraft that it ordered in 2006, according to aircraft maker Alenia Aeronautica, a subsidiary of Italy’s Finmeccanica. The C-27Js will replace Bulgaria’s fleet of Antonov An-26 platforms. The Bulgarian C-27Js will come equipped with a self- defense system against surface-to-air threats, along with ballistic protection and an inert-gas fuel tank explosion protection system for enhanced survivability, Alenia says. Including the Bulgarian buy, Alenia has orders for 110 C-27Js: Italy – 12; Greece – 12 with an option for three more; Lithuania – three; and U.S. Army/U.S. Air Force – 78. Romania has also selected the C-27J but is still in negotiations with the company on a contract for seven aircraft.
Linking The lPod. Northrop Grumman will supply more than 200 of its new Plug & Play II datalinks for the LITENING Advanced Targeting pod to the Air Force, Marine Corps and coalition forces by early 2010 under an $18 million contract, the company says. Fielding is expected to commence next September and culminate in January 2010, the company says. The Plug & Play II datalink, Northrop Grumman says, is the first of its kind to feature multiple frequencies while retaining compatibility with Remote Operations Video Enhanced Receivers, the ruggedized laptops that allow ground forward air controllers to see the same images from the pod as the pilot. “Plug & Play II takes prior data link technology to the next step with more flexible communication paths, unprecedented onboard storage capacity and the ability to support net-centric operations, which are increasingly important to non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,” says Mike Lennon, vice president of Targeting and Surveillance programs at Northrop Grumman’s Defensive Systems Division. Nearly 500 LITENING AT pods have been ordered to date, with more than 400 of them fielded on various fighter jets and bombers, according to the company.
Industry Role In MDA. The private sector has a role to play in maritime domain awareness, too, Marshall Billingslea, Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy, tells Defense Daily. Whether it is information that industry is required to provide to governments or data that it are is willing to provide for a fee if asked, there is a lot of value in that information possessed by private companies, he adds. For example, cargo ships carrying hazardous chemicals are required to notify ports because certain containers on those ships can only go into specific areas of the port. “Clearly industry, especially companies that work with the law enforcement, the military, and intelligence communities, is tracking what we are doing very closely; that said, in the first spiral of capability, we are going with a non-industrialized solution at this stage. We are going with a series of technologies to which the U.S. government owns exclusive intellectual property rights,” Billingslea adds.
…Future Investments. “MDA is going to help us sketch out a more prudent investment strategy in our situational awareness and intelligence investments because we are going to have a better sense of what’s covered and what’s not covered, what matters and what doesn’t in the maritime domain,” Billingslea says.
A New Role. Navy Secretary Donald Winter made it official Nov. 16 when he appointed John Thackrah to be the acting ASN RDA. Thackrah says he will hold the position until a permanent replacement is named. Thackrah will continue in his regular duties as DASN (Management and Budget/Chief of Staff), Winter says in his Nov. 16 memo. Thackrah replaces Delores Etter, who resigned earlier this month from her position as the Navy’s acquisition chief to return to teach at the Naval Academy. “Her accomplishments as ASN RDA will not and should not be soon forgotten,” Thackrah notes in a letter to the RDA staff.
A Growing Family. Alcoa Defense is teaming up with Lockheed Martin to compete for the Joint Light Tactical vehicle (JLTV) effort, Lockheed Martin says. JLTV is the next generation vehicle that will replace the Humvee. Lockheed Martin has already formed a partnership with BAE SYSTEMS’ Mobility and Protection Systems (formerly Armor Holdings). The team unveiled its JLTV prototype during the annual AUSA convention in October. The Army is expected to issue a formal RFP for technology development of the JLTV in early 2008.
Mining Their Business. The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin an $11 million SD&D contract to develop and integrate new Expendable Mine Neutralization System (EMNS) for the service’s Mine Counter Measures (MCM-1) Avenger-class ships, the company reports. EMNS will be a new surface mine countermeasures system designed to protect carrier and expeditionary strike groups by rapidly reacquiring, targeting and neutralizing moored and sea-bottom mines. EMNS will deploy BAE SYSTEMS’ Archerfish mine disposal system, a remotely-operated underwater vehicle that locates mines using sonar; enables the operator to identify the mine using video; and destroys the mine when commanded by the operator. Under the terms of the contract, Lockheed Martin will develop hardware, software and interfaces for the EMNS, and integrate the system with the MCM ships. The company will deliver two EMNS Engineering Development Models (EDM) to the Navy for developmental and operational testing and evaluation.
Here Comes The Sun. New solar-powered radio-frequency readers and signposts from Savi Technology, a Lockheed Martin company, allows defense and commercial customers to conserve energy and reduce costs as they track supplies in real time, the company says. Solar-powered signposts located at an Army supply facility in Kuwait activate Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags attached to vehicles or equipment. The facility can track more than 25,000 tags per day, Savi says. Plans are under way with DoD to expand the use of solar-powered applications to other areas in the Middle East and beyond.
Deployment Plans. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says deployment decisions for the military and police to Afghanistan and the Gulf region have been made up to September 2009. The planned deployments are to continue the Provincial Reconstruction Team based in Bamyan Province; two military personnel helping to train the Afghan National Army; as many as five military officers serving with the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters; one military officer serving with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; up to two medical specialists serving with Canadian forces in the south of Afghanistan, and three police officers helping to train the Afghan National Police. “As well the Government has decided that there will be a deployment of a Navy frigate to the Gulf region prior to September 2009,” Clark says. Defence Minister Phil Goff said New Zealand has made substantial military, police, and aid contributions in Afghanistan since 2001.
Jingle Bells Live. For the 52nd year, NORAD is tracking Santa Claus on his annual journey, and the NORAD Tracks Santa Web site: http://www.noradsanta.org is live right now, NORAD officials say. NORAD, the binational command providing aerospace security for North America, began the program in 1955, when a phone call mistakenly went to the operations center. Michael Perini, NORAD director of public affairs, says, “The call was from a local child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement.” Even though it was a wrong number, the commander who answered the phone that night gave the youngster the information he requested ….thus the tradition of NORAD tracking Santa began. Santa tracking hit the Web in 1998. “In 2006, the Web site received a whopping 941 million hits from 210 countries and territories,” Perini said. In addition, the NTS Operations Center, occupied by 756 volunteers on Christmas Eve, answered nearly 65,000 phone calls and 96,000 e-mails from children around the world. Corporate partners make it happen: Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, Analytical Graphics, Inc., Verizon, Official Santa Mail, Globelink Language and Cultural Services, Inc., Avaya, Qwest, Plantronics, First Choice Awards and Gifts, Meshbox and e-frontier.
Newbies. HASC recently added Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) to its roster, and has now picked up another new member–Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.). Tsongas won the special election to replace Rep. Martin Meehan, who resigned over the summer to take the helm at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Lamborn will join the readiness and seapower subcommittees. Lamborn was tapped to replace Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), who died recently. A special election for her successor is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Risk Intolerance. Two members of HASC, Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), recently introduced legislation expressing concerns about readiness shortfalls in the Army and Marine Corps. Gen. George Casey recently testified to SASC that although current readiness levels would make it more difficult to quickly rally troops for operations outside Iraq and Afghanistan, the current level of strategic risk was acceptable. But Ortiz, who chairs the HASC readiness subcommittee, said they are not willing to accept the current level of risk. The bill introduced Nov. 15 says that Congress should keep ground forces at the highest levels of readiness.