The Latest On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
SASC Part. The SASC, meanwhile, will mark up its version of the FY ’14 defense authorization legislation this week. The SASC subcommittees will start Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. with the Airland subpanel, which will break with tradition and open the bill-writing session to the public. Later on Tuesday, the Readiness and Personnel subpanels will hold open markups, and the Strategic Forces and Emerging Threats subcommittees will conduct closed bill-writing sessions. The SASC’s Seapower subcommittee then plans to hold a closed markup Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. The full committee intends to start its writing of the legislation Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. The SASC has scheduled the full-committee markup to last until as late as Friday morning, though it typically tries to complete its work during such markup weeks on Thursday. The SASC will consider legislative matters in the following order: Airland, Readiness, Personnel, Strategic Forces, Emerging Threats, Seapower and then general provisions.
Wireless Mullen. Retired Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will join Sprint’s board of directors, the wireless telecommunications company announces June 7. Mullen will be an “independent director” on the board–if and when Sprint’s expected merger with SoftBank is complete–and also serve as the company’s security director, according to a press release. “In that role, he will oversee Sprint’s compliance with the company’s National Security Agreement with the U.S. government and serve as the U.S. government’s contact for all security-related matters,” it says. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse calls Mullen “an admired leader with an impeccable record,” saying his company is “fortunate that a person with his experience, accomplishments and reputation will be a member of our new board.” The takeover of Sprint by SoftBank, a Japanese company, is not complete and has not been approved by Sprint shareholders.
NAVSEA Rotation. Vice Adm. William H. Hilarides has taken over as the chief of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Hilarides relieved Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy in ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard Friday. McCoy had served as NAVSEA commander for five years and is retiring from the Navy after a 35-year career. Hilarides was named in January to head the command that oversees the engineering, procurement and maintenance of ships, submarines and their combat systems. He had been serving as special assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations for information dominance in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He has a master’s degree in engineering management and during his naval career, served aboard several submarines. Hilarides joined the Navy’s acquisition community in 2002, was a director for advanced submarine research and development, a program manager for ballistic missile submarines and program executive officer for subs.
JHSV. The Navy has accepted delivery of its second Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). The service took possession of the USNSChoctow County from builder Austal USA Thursday in Mobile, Ala. The transfer took place after the vessel completed acceptance trials last month. The JHSVs will operate under Military Sealift Command (MSC) and are designed to transport troops and equipment in theater. The first JHSV, the USNS Spearhead, delivered in December and is undergoing post-delivery testing and trials in Little Creek, Va. The Navy plans to buy 10 of the vessels. “USNS Choctaw County is a welcome addition to our Navy’s fleet and we are confident that our civilian mariners are ready to operate this uniquely fast and flexible ship wherever and whenever needed around the world,” says Rear Adm. T.K. Shannon, commander, Military Sealift Command.
More JHSV. The third JHSV, the USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3), launched on Wednesday at Austal USA’s shipyard. The vessel will now prepare for a series of trials conducted by the shipbuilder, testing overall system performance underway before the Navy’s acceptance trials. “This launch is an important achievement for the program as it’s the first time the ship has entered the water,” says JHSV program manager Capt. Henry Stevens. “Launching signifies a ship is ready to enter into the final phase of construction including test and activation of major equipment such as the propulsion plant.” JHSVs are built to transport 600 short tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. All 10 are under contract.
F-35A Missile. The F-35A conventional variant completes the first in-flight missile launch with an AIM-120 C5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) air vehicle instrument (AAVI), according to a Lockheed Martin statement. This is the first launch where the F-35 and AIM-120 demonstrate a successful launch-to-eject communications sequence and fires the rocket motor after launch–paving the way for target launches later this year in support of Block 2B fleet release capability. The F-35A launched the missile over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range from the internal weapons bay. The F-35A is also designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. It features four internal weapons stations located in two weapon bays to maximize stealth capability and can also utilize an additional three external weapon stations per wing, if required. The Air Force has established an F-35A initial operational capability (IOC) target goal of December 2016.
British F-35B Landing. Britain’s Royal Air Force performs its first vertical landing of the F-35 short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant May 28, according to a Lockheed Martin statement. The F-35B STOVL, which is the U.S. Marine Corps’ variant, has a 2015 IOC goal in the U.S. RAF squadron leader Jim Schofield says after the landing that at the press of a button, the F-35B transforms into short takeoff or vertical landing mode where it can then take off or hover hands-free. The F-35B performed its first vertical takeoff in the U.S. in early May.
Carper on Payment Cap. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) says he welcomes last week’s White House legislative proposal that would reduce the cap on government reimbursements for executive pay and bonuses as part of federal contracting. “For too long, federal contractors have received inflated compensations from federal coffers base on an outdated formula, leaving taxpayers with the hefty bill,” he states. “At a time when agency workers face furloughs and pay freezes, it is unacceptable for this type of compensation to continue.” The current cap is $763,000 and is set to rise to over $950,000 for contracts in FY ’12. The Obama administration is proposing that the new cap be pegged to the president’s salary, which is currently $400,000 annually.
…And on House Homeland Bill. Carper says the House version of the FY ’14 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill diverts too much funding from Department of Homeland Security headquarters management into other programs. “I certainly understand the need for members to find deficit neutral ways to fund their priorities, but undermining programs intended to ensure efficient and cost-effective management is short sighted and the epitome of ‘penny wise and pound foolish,’” he says. During consideration of the $38.9 billion bill last week, the House adopted a number of amendments that would transfer millions of dollars from different headquarters offices in favor of other projects.
Social Media in Disaster Response. Companies, the public and the federal government keep getting better in their use of social media during and after disasters, industry officials tell a House panel. It’s important for the government to maintain an open dialogue with social media-related companies and share data when they can and industry in turn will educate the public on the use of the technology, Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Internet Association, tells the House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness and Response Subcommittee. Representatives from Google and another software Silicon Valley software firm, Palantir, say they are encouraged with the Obama administration’s open data standards and initiatives to make “computer comprehensible formats the norm.”
Orbital/Stratolaunch. Orbital Sciences and Stratolaunch Systems team to design, build and operate Stratolaunch’s redesigned air launch rocket system, according to a Stratolaunch statement. The agreement was finalized after a nine-month research period in which Stratolaunch charged Orbital with developing a comprehensive operational concept for its air launch system, including the unique design of the rocket and operational processes and procedures that will need to be in place to operate the system. Orbital, going forward, will be responsible for the program’s overall systems engineering as well as the development, production, integration, test and operations of the air launch vehicle and related support systems. Stratolaunch is developing an air launch system that the company says will revolutionize space transportation by providing Orbital access to space at lower costs with greater safety and more flexibility.
QinetiQ NA AC-130J. Lockheed Martin selects QinetiQ North America’s enhanced Last lightweight composite armor to protect AC-130J aircraft, according to a QinetiQ NA statement. Last armor is a field-installable system for use on a variety of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Each unit is designed using an array of armor formulas and configurations depending on mission priorities and threat mitigation requirements. The AC-130J is Air Force Special Operations Command’s version of the C-130J
Boeing CST-100. Boeing recently completes wind tunnel testing of its CST-100 spacecraft and integrated launch vehicle, United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket, according to a NASA statement. The testing is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative, which intends to make commercial human spaceflight services available for government and commercial customers. Boeing and ULA also worked together to test a newly-developed component, the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage. Boeing has now completed two of eight performance milestones under CCiCap and is on track to complete all 19 of its milestones around mid-2014. ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Split Decision. A new poll shows that Americans are divided on whether private companies should be forced to share information on data breaches with the government. About 48 percent of respondents said private businesses should not be forced to disclose such information with the government, whereas 46 percent said Congress should pass cybersecurity legislation that mandates disclosure. The poll was conducted by Unisys Corp. via 1,006 phone interviews in March. The survey was taken a month before the House of Representatives passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).
Birthday Celebrations Begin. The Army this morning kicks off its Birthday Celebration at Mount Vernon, where Secretary John McHugh will lay a wreath honoring the nation and the Army’s first leader: Gen. George Washington. That starts off a week of events in the National Capital Region celebrating 238 years of the Army soldier defending freedom and democracy around the world. The Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps kicks off the wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of George and Martha Washington and, afterward, McHugh awards the Purple Heart medal to wounded warriors.
Kalashnikov Style. Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the ubiquitous internationally recognized Kalashnikov assault rifle, transfers the right to use his name to NPO Izhmash free of charge, says company CEO Konstantin Busygin according toPravda late last month. “Mr. Kalashnikov is a patriot, a true patriot,” he says. Documents to register the rights for the “Kalashnikov” brand have been submitted to the Russian Patent Agency, Rospatent. The famed designer signed the written content to transfer the rights for the use of his name in February of this year, the paper says at its online site. And for fashionistas: Busygin did not exclude that there would also be clothes, shoes and bags produced under the brand name “Kalashnikov.”
New Rating. General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems says its Seattle operations received a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level 3 rating by Technical Software Services Inc., of Pensacola, Fla., a licensed partner of the CMMI Institute. “It is critical that our organization consistently delivers quality design, analysis, testing and production of our products to our military and aerospace customers,” says Dan Paul, vice president of precision systems for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. “This CMMI Level 3 rating reflects our commitment to robust systems-engineering processes and validates our ability to manage program cost and schedule and achieve the system performance our customers expect and deserve.”
Surprise Honor. Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson, deputy chief, Army Reserve, is honored as a Distinguished Member of the Regiment (DMOR) at the Adjutant General (AG) Corps Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Fort Jackson, S.C., May 31. It was a surprise: “This is very unexpected,” Anderson says. “But I’m very honored.” She adds that to be honored by other members of her career field was a humbling experience. As a citizen-Soldier, General Anderson serves as the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
New Position. The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) says its Board of Directors unanimously appointed Amb. Robert Joseph to the newly created position of Senior National Security Adviser. Joseph will advise and provide counsel to the INSA Leadership and staff on national security and strategic issues for INSA research, events and operations. This position was created to enable the alliance to add even more value to broader national security issues, particularly in those areas where intelligence and national security policy issues intersect, it says. Currently Senior Scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy, Joseph also is a Professor in the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies program at Missouri State University (Fairfax). Joseph served as U.S. Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation and, from 2005 through 2007, was Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
New Vehicle. The British Army receives from BAE Systems its Terrier Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV), the first armored vehicle in the British Army with an integrated electronic architecture allowing drive-by-wire and remote-control capabilities. The U.K. MoD is buying 60 Terriers for the Royal Engineers as part of an approximately $600 million contract with BAE that includes the introduction of the British Army’s first full motion simulators and an integrated logistics package. The engineers required the vehicle to be able to keep up with its troop carriers and main battle tank. Terrier’s core roles include obstacle and route clearance; digging obstacles and digging-in other assets; and be able to be flown by A400M Atlas airlifter for tactical and strategic purposes.