The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Libya Bill. The Pentagon spent $550 million as of March 28 on military operations in Libya, Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells the Senate and House armed services committees March 31. Now, since NATO has taken over the mission, he says continued costs will be $40 million a month. A chunk of the bill has gone to Raytheon-made Tomahawk missiles. Gates tells Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that U.S. officials have not talked to Arab nations about financial help. “We haven’t talked to them about covering the costs,” he says March 31. ” But we continue to talk to a lot of Arab countries. And, frankly…while there are only a couple that actually have planes in the fight, there are a number who are providing support in terms of overflight, in terms of landing rights and a variety of other things that are actually necessary for the success of the mission.”
WTO Win. A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel finds the amount of subsidies Boeing received from the United States is $2.7 billion, compared to the $20 billion Airbus has received from European nations over the years, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk announces. “Today a WTO panel confirmed what we have been saying for the last 20 years–that the WTO-inconsistent subsidies that the Europeans gave to Airbus dwarf anything that the U.S. government has done for Boeing,” he says March 31. “This outcome shows that the steps the federal government and the states have taken to create a positive environment for our workers and industries are generally consistent with WTO rules.” The new report rejects the European Union claim that Washington state gave Boeing prohibited subsidies.
Inefficiencies. The Pentagon’s money-saving efficiency efforts are being hampered because Congress has not yet passed a FY ’11 budget, Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale tells the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support subcommittee March 29. He says the short-term continuing resolution funding the Pentagon at last year’s levels, which prevents new contracts from starting, “is causing inefficiencies.” He adds: “We are forcing our contracting officers to go to short-term contracts to preserve capability. We’ve got several hundred military construction projects on hold as well as a number of procurement actions. I’m concerned that an already-understaffed and under-experienced contracting work force is going to have trouble catching up in a way that’s efficient.”
NASA In June. NASA plans to give Congress a final report in late June on its plans for a heavy-lift rocket and crew vehicle, which will replace the previously planned Ares V rocket and Orion capsule. The space agency “is working expeditiously to ensure it has a credible and integrated plan with which to move forward,” Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, tells the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Space and Aeronautics subcommittee on March 30. He maintains the agency is honoring the requirements of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, and understands lawmakers wanted more information than what was in a January interim report it gave them.
Gordon’s Move. Former Tennessee Democratic congressman Bart Gordon is now a partner in K&L Gates LLP’s Washington, D.C.-based public policy and law practice. Before retiring from Congress in January, Gordon chaired the House Science and Technology Committee and was involved in debates about NASA’s future human-spaceflight efforts. “With a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the legislative and regulatory process, he will advise clients on a wide range of policy and legal matters, including alternative and renewable energy and energy efficiency, nanotechnology, aerospace technologies, water and sanitation technologies, nuclear energy, rare-earth minerals, biotechnology, and health care information technology,” the law firm says in a press release.
Green Eagles. Three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft performed the Air Force’s first flyover using “green” biofuel at Citizen’s Bank Park for the Phillies Opening Day April 1. The jets, from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., flew using a 50 percent blend of traditional jet fuel and synthetic biofuel derived from plant oils grown in the northwestern U.S. “The Air Force is committed to reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign petroleum and is pursuing environmentally-friendly, domestically-produced alternative biofuel blends for our entire fleet of manned and unmanned aircraft,” says Kevin Geiss, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy. The Air Force’s ongoing biofuel certification efforts are in direct alignment with the president’s goals of developing clean fuel technologies while gradually weaning the U.S. off 19th-century fossil fuels, Geiss says. The Air Force is testing and evaluating biomass fuels derived from three different feedstocks: camelina (plant seed oil), beef tallow (animal fat) and various waste oils and greases. To date, the service has tested and certified biofuel as a 50-percent blend with regular jet fuel in the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the F-15 Eagle, the C-17 Globemaster III and the F-22 Raptor. Certification of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the aircraft flown by the Air Force’s demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, is imminent, Geiss says. Fleet-wide certification is on track for completion in 2013.
Euro Hawks. Engineers with the Air Force’s 772nd Test Squadron facilitated electromagnetic interference testing on a Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft last month. They teamed with representatives of Northrop Grumman and the German government to complete the testing. The Euro Hawk is similar to the Air Force’s operational RQ-4 Global Hawk. Although EMI testing already has been conducted on the Global Hawk, the Euro Hawk has never been flown in the unique radio frequency environment of Europe. “There are radars and radio stations. Our civilization is filled with electromagnetic sources,” says Daniel Suh, Northrop Grumman Euro Hawk System engineering manager. “In highly populated areas, there are more emitters so there’s risk associated in flying an unmanned aircraft in those environments. The BAF (German Air Force) provided some unique testing to reduce that risk.”
New Trade Org. There’s a new trade association–the Portable Lights American Trade Organization (PLATO)–to serve companies that manufacture and sell flashlights, lanterns, headlamps and other portable lighting tools. It is the first group of its kind to represent the common business interests of the portable lighting industry. One of the primary functions of the new trade organization will be to help ensure the accurate and transparent use of industry standards, such as the recently enacted ANSI/NEMA FL 1 standards that introduced definitions and testing methods for flashlight basic performance, as well as associated marking. The association’s charter also includes guarding against false advertising and similar unfair trade practices, providing educational forums for members, and representing the industry to stakeholder groups, including government agencies and the general public. Charter members of PLATO include Energizer, Streamlight, Coleman, Surefire, ASP Dorcy, Coast, and GoLight. For more information: http://www.PLATO-USA.org.
Anti-Piracy Approach. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro says an even more energetic and comprehensive international response to piracy is needed. At a March 30 speech sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Shapiro says the U.S. is engaging with international partners to develop new anti-piracy options, including: to reinforce international naval patrols in response to more aggressive and widespread pirate activity; expanding the capacity of the international community and states in the region to prosecute and incarcerate suspected pirates captured at sea, as well as their leaders and financiers; target financial flows from piracy; encourage the maritime industry to adopt best management practices and effective self-protection measures; strengthen the capacity of Somalia and other countries in the region to combat piracy; and to continue diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of piracy.
DRASH Action. DHS Technologies LLC, parent company for DHS Systems, LLC, and manufacturer of the patented Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH), says it has fielded several shelters along with several fuel fired heaters to the Japanese Red Cross Society in cooperation with Toyo Bussan, a partner company based in Japan, to support recovery efforts following the tsunami last month that ravaged much of the country. “The people of Japan have been greatly affected by this disaster,” says Jeff Jackson, vice president of Business Development for DHS Technologies. “Our shelter systems are a key component to providing the Japanese Red Cross Society with the infrastructure they need to help with stabilization efforts and serve as facilities to provide direct relief to people suffering in affected areas.” DRASH is part of the Army’s Standard Integrated Command Post System (SICPS). There are more than 7,500 shelters in service with the U.S. military, NATO, allied forces and first-responders around the globe. DRASH shelter systems also have been deployed to support relief efforts around the globe.
Helping Control WMD. The United States plans a $3 million voluntary contribution to the U.N. Trust Fund for Global and Regional Disarmament. The administration supports universal implementation of UNSCR 1540, an international standard for all U.N. member states that obligates them to establish effective controls against weapons of mass destruction and the means to produce and deliver them. It is also a key component of international efforts to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from acquiring these dangerous weapons and materials.
Back To Ops. The Australian Defence Force’s CH-47D Chinooks are back in action in Afghanistan supporting International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations for 2011. Back in Kandahar after mandatory maintenance and a break, the Task Group from 5 Aviation Regiment had completed more than 737 flying hours and moved more than 691,000 kilograms of supplies. The Australian Chinooks are embedded with the U.S. Army’s 159th Combat Aviation Brigade and have conducted trial missions and maintenance to ensure the helicopters and crew are well prepared for the Afghan summer ahead. CH-47D pilot Capt. Tye Masterson says coalition helicopter missions ranged from moving passengers and cargo around bases to providing tactical air mobility in support of ISAF operations in southern Afghanistan. “The majority of our missions involve Australian and U.S. helicopters and we often support Australian forces on the ground as well as Americans and Afghans,” he says.
New Mortar Round. Soldiers in Afghanistan now have 120mm GPS-guided mortar precision capability. The Program Executive Office (PEO) for Ammunition fielded Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative cartridges, or APMI, to one Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) in March and is scheduled to field cartridges to the seven other IBCTs in Afghanistan within six months. “APMI is a 120mm GPS-guided mortar cartridge that provides the infantry commander precision-strike capability, which he has never had before,” says Peter Burke, PEO Ammunition’s deputy product manager, Guided Precision Munitions and Mortar Systems. The APMI cartridge has a requirement of 10 meters CEP, or Circular Error Probable, but Burke says the program is exceeding this requirement. Ten meters CEP means that if you drew a circle around a target at 10 meters radius, the rounds have to fall inside the circle 50 percent of the time. Current CEP for 120mm mortars at their maximum range is 136 meters. Mortars with the most advanced features, such as precision position and pointing systems, can achieve a 76 meter CEP, which still makes APMI more than seven times more accurate than any formerly fielded mortar. Because of APMI’s GPS-technology, which provides an accurate, first-round fire-for-effect capability, troops will have opportunities to employ APMI’s precision where they previously would not, such as nearer to friendly forces or in urban areas.
New Board Members. J.F. Lehman & Company says it has added the Hon. Michael Bayer, retired Air Force general John Corley, and Dean Flatt to its Operating Executive Board (OEB). The OEB is a group of seasoned industry and government executives who have significant experience in the firm’s target industries. Through key relationships and sector- specific knowledge, OEB members contribute to sourcing and evaluating transactions, advising on portfolio company strategy and recruiting senior level portfolio company management, the company says. Bayer recently served as the chairman of the Defense Business Board and is president and CEO of Dumbarton Strategies among other activities. After an Air Force career of nearly 37 years including commander of Air Combat Command, Corley now consults to the defense industry. Until 2009, Flatt was president and CEO of Honeywell’s Defense and Space business, and is now an independent director of Ducommun Inc., as well as having other responsibilities.