The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
DHS Authorization. The House Homeland Security Committee last week unanimously approved an authorization bill for the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate and Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, authorizing $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion for S&T in FY ’11 and FY ’12, respectively, and $305.8 million and $315 million for DNDO in FY ’11 and FY ’12, respectively.
…A More Secure New York. The Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 4842) contains a slew of provisions, including transferring the research and development activities currently in DNDO to S&T. The bill also authorizes $20 million in FY ’11 for the Securing the Cities program, which is aimed at establishing a nuclear detection network in the New York City region, and expanding the program to at least two new cities in FY ’12 based on risk.
…Requirements and Accountability. The bill also requires S&T to establish requirements for how basic and applied research is identified, prioritized, funded, tasked and evaluated and to establish a Testing, Evaluations and Standards Division. The bill also creates requirements for strategic planning, benchmarking and accountability for DNDO that are parallel to requirements for S&T.
…Border Security Focus. The bill also directs S&T to focus attention on border security, coordinating with Customs and Border Protection, and pursue R&D to improve effective control of the international land borders of the United States within five years. Specific areas of focus include mobile biometric technologies, tunnel detection technologies, document authentication technologies and the use of GPS satellite systems to detect unauthorized crossings. The legislation also requires S&T to seek an assessment from the National Research Council on the basic science needs for border and maritime security.
…And Cybersecurity. Of course no homeland security S&T legislation would be complete without some directives for cybersecurity. The bill would establish a Cybersecurity Training Center to provide training courses and other resources for state and local first responders and officials. It authorizes $75 million for each of FY ’11 and FY ’12 for cybersecurity R&D activities.
Replacing Ohio. As the Navy looks at the requirements for the follow-on to the current Ohio-class SSBN, and works to keep the cost of the platform below the rumored $13 billion for the lead ship, some of the potential areas for trade-offs include the number of missile tubes and the size and diameter of the tubes, which both weigh heavily on cost, Rear Adm. Terry Benedict, director SSP, tells attendees at a NDUF breakfast. Other areas under consideration for trade-off include the speed at which the Ohio-replacement is required to surge to a patrol area, as well as the patrol speed and the capabilities of the submarine in transiting-survivability in terms of noise, flank speed and higher patrol speed, Benedict adds. Other areas that could also be considered for trade space include the amount of self-defense that the submarine would be required to have and the amount of active and passive sonar capability the submarine would require, he says. “All of those become variables in this very dynamic equation and all of those are directly related to cost,” Benedict notes. “Those things we are in active discussions with the CNO’s staff…OPNAV staff, as well as Mr. Stackley (ASN RDA), prior to locking down a configuration and then moving forward with a service cost position toward Milestone A, which we hope to achieve this fall.”
…Single Minded…Maybe Not. One thing is for certain, the next SSBN’s primary mission will continue to be nuclear deterrence, Benedict says. “We’ve made that clear in our discussions with both the House and Senate, and we understand that very clearly–the direction that this is a single mission platform,” he says, But Benedict adds the Navy has told Congress the service is not making any design limitations on the future Ohio-class replacement that would preclude future capabilities. “When Ohio was designed many years ago, I don’t think anyone would envision its utilization as a SSGN. What they did was design the best strategic deterrence platform, the Ohio SSBN,” Benedict says. “But as the world evolved we found a new utilization for that. That’s our concept for the Ohio replacement. But we are not designing the Ohio-replacement specifically to have a conventional strike capability.”
…Best of Friends. Benedict says he is certain there is not a more cooperative, collaborative international relationship, or one that has run as long, as the relationship between the U.S. and U.K. under the Polaris Sales Agreement (PSA) signed by President Kennedy in 1963. “That document gives us tremendous flexibility to transfer knowledge, capability, and support,” he says. In Trident II, officials who were running the program at that time went a step beyond PSA creating what is called commingled assets, Benedict adds. “The program is set up so that when we deliver a Trident II D-5 missile to the U.K. it can sit on the U.K. sub for a period of time–we try to limit to 10 years. That missile comes back [to the U.S.], is tested and then broken down into its various components, which all go through normal component processing,” he explains. “Those components are commingled with U.S. components and a remanufactured missile may go on a U.S. submarine. It forces us at the technical level to maintain absolute interaction of environments, of disciplines, of training, of paperwork, of documentation. It’s just a totally unique program to think of the normal way FMS is done. Moving forward toward the Ohio replacement, the U.S. and U.K. have begun efforts being called the common missile component. “As the U.K. makes the decision to move to the follow-on to Vanguard and in designing that pregame we both understand the missile compartment section of a submarine…will need to be common because they, too, believe the most cost effective program moving forward is to take the D-5 SWS and use it as the baseline for that mission,” Benedict adds.
Oops. A single round from the USS San Antonio‘s (LPD-17) bow mounted M 240 machine gun was inadvertently discharged last week while the ship was in port at Earl Industries, Portsmouth, Va., the Navy reports. There were no injuries and no sighting of the round. NCIS was contacted immediately after the weapon discharge, who in turn called the local police, the Navy says. The incident is being investigated by Expeditionary Strike Group 2.
More Space Needed. Officials from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), along with government and construction industry representatives, broke ground July 16 for a new spacecraft assembly and testing facility on the APL campus in Laurel, Md., Johns Hopkins University APL says. Designated as Building 30, the $30-million facility is scheduled to open by fall 2012. The 47,500-square-foot building will include optics laboratories, mechanical assembly areas and a high-bay clean room area capable of supporting either classified or unclassified integration and test operations. APL, mainly through its Space Department, creates innovative systems that achieve objectives for NASA and space- related Defense Department missions, Johns Hopkins University APL adds.
Big Delivery. The Navy’s Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device-Electronic Warfare (JCREW) program reached a delivery milestone with the 1,500th CREW 3.1 unit completing production on July 8. CREW 3.1 is the latest generation of dismounted CREW systems protecting joint forces from Improvised Explosive Devices, NAVSEA says.
On Target. Some of the oldest aerial targets in the Navy’s inventory can now be used for some of the service’s most advanced training missions with the on-schedule completion of an avionics upgrade of those targets by Northrop Grumman, the company says. In late June, the company completed deliveries to the Navy of 25 BQM-34S Firebee aerial targets, each one retrofitted with modern avionics hardware from the service’s primary target system, the Northrop Grumman-produced BQM-74E. As part of this avionics upgrade program, Northrop Grumman also provided updated operational flight program software, training of Navy personnel and flight test support.
Keel Laid For Army Catamaran. Austal USA hosts a keel-laying ceremony at their Mobile, Ala., shipyard, to signify the erection of the first modules on the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), a 10-ship program potentially worth over $1.6 billion, the company reports. Austal USA is the prime contractor, responsible for designing and constructing the 103- meter high-speed catamaran, the Spearhead (JHSV-1), being built for the Army. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is the platform mission systems engineering agent responsible for the design, integration and test of the ship’s mission systems, including internal and external communications, electronic navigation, and aviation and armament systems, Austal USA says.
Name Change. Acquisition Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm that that supports the federal acquisition community, is changing its name to ASI Government effective Sept. 1. The name change reflects ASI’s expansion beyond acquisition support into general management and information technology (IT) enterprise architecture. Earlier this year the company acquired ICOR Partners, LLC, boosting its IT and program management capabilities.
Policy Timelines. The U.K. MoD’s Industry and Technology Policy plans a green paper by the end of the year, after the Strategic Defence and Security Review concludes in the fall. After more consultations with industry, academia, parliament and others a white paper will be released in the spring that will be the formal approach to industry and tech until the next strategic review. Defence Minister Peter Luff says, “Listening to industry is very much a central part of the process; it is already informing the SDSR. I know this is a challenging time and I am anxious to involve them closely. I am determined that our new policy will give the clarity that industry needs about our priorities and how we intend to work with them.” In his speech at the RAF Club June 22, Luff says science, innovation and technology would play an important part in the new policy.
Critical Services. TASC Inc., wins a three-year contract with three two-year options valued at more than $200 million to provide systems engineering and integration (SE&I) in support of the Infrared Space Systems Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. The TASC team will work on several areas of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program, the nation’s missile early warning and defense system, including missile defense, battlespace awareness and technical intelligence. “As a newly independent company, we are delighted to be selected as prime SE&I contractor for this nationally important program,” says Wood Parker, president and CEO of TASC. “The Department of Defense’s expression of confidence in TASC reflects our company’s deep domain expertise, employee commitment to excellence, and our historical dedication to the success of their mission.” TASC’s partners on this contract are SAIC, AT&T Government Solutions, Teledyne Brown, Qinetiq, ATK, NGC, Ryan, TriSept, Greendart, IAI and Boecore.
New Exec. J.F. Lehman & Company, a middle-market private equity firm focused on the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors, adds Michael Cuff as managing director, operations. He will be involved in all aspects of the firm’s private equity investment program, from due diligence and evaluation of investment opportunities to development and execution of J.F. Lehman’s strategic plan for new portfolio companies. In particular, Cuff will focus on the operational evaluation, oversight and direction of portfolio companies from acquisition through exit. Most recently, Cuff was a senior executive in Honeywell’s Aerospace division. Prior to joining Honeywell, Cuff completed a 28-year Army career.
Marine Power. The Marine Corps Systems Command taps Oshkosh Defense to supply on-board vehicle power (OBVP) kits for military testing under a contract valued at more than $8 million. The OBVP kits leverage the advanced Oshkosh ProPulser diesel-electric drive technology, which is proven to power a small airport or entire city block from a single military vehicle. “There is a rapidly-growing demand in the military for on-board power to support mobile radar systems, command centers, IED-defeat systems and many other applications,” says John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Marine Corps programs for Oshkosh Defense. “We are proud to partner with the Navy and Marine Corps to create a technology platform to provide our troops with increased tactical flexibility, while reducing their logistics footprint.” The OBVP kits will be installed on Marine Corps all- terrain Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR) for government evaluation and testing. The installation is expected to be completed in January 2012 and the evaluation and testing is expected to begin in March 2012. The MTVR with OBVP will provide 120 kW of exportable military-grade power while stationary, and 21 kW of military-grade power while on the move.