The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Gates Has Fans. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to keep Robert Gates on as defense secretary in January, and that’s fine with a good chunk of U.S. voters, according to Rasmussen Reports telephone survey results released Nov. 26. The two-year Pentagon leader is viewed favorably by 44 percent of voters, with 16 percent rating their view as “very favorable.” Gates is regarded unfavorably by just 21 percent of voters, including 7 percent who dub him “very unfavorable.” Still, 35 percent of respondents don’t know enough about Gates to have an opinion on him. By contrast, when Donald Rumsfeld resigned as defense secretary in November 2006, he was seen favorably by 33 percent of voters and unfavorably by 56 percent, including 35 percent who labeled him “very unfavorable,” according to Rasmussen.
MRAP Day Dec. 8. The highly anticipated request for proposals (RFP) for the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) effort will be issued Dec. 8, following a Dec. 5 pre-solicitation conference, an executive summary of the Nov. 25 draft RFP says. The document gives specific dates: written proposals and armor coupons are due from industry bidders Jan. 12; test production-representative vehicles are due no later than Feb. 23, 2009; and the Pentagon will purchase two vehicles from each offering that meets entrance criteria on or by March 7. Following vehicle testing, the Pentagon will award up to five indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity contracts no later than April 10. After further evaluation and revisions, one or more companies will be chosen for production orders in May. The first unit fielding is planned for the fall of 2009. The Pentagon is looking to buy up to 10,000 M-ATVs but will likely order 2,080, documents say.
F-22 Accounting. Four lawmakers answer a question that emerged from a Nov. 19 hearing on the F-22 stealth fighter: Were Pentagon officials accurate when they testified a new industry estimate shows delaying the purchase of long-lead items for 16 of 20 F-22s, pending the next administration’s OK, would not cost more than buying parts for all 20 now, assuming the Lockheed Martin jets are eventually bought? The answer is “No,” according to a Nov. 21 letter to Gates from HASC leaders. “The prime contractor proposal indicates that the ‘4 + 16’ acquisition strategy for advance procurement currently planned by the (Defense) Department to sustain an option for the next administration will in fact be ‘significantly higher’ than the acquisition strategy of funding advance procurement in November for all 20 F-22 aircraft, if the decision is made to proceed,” they write.
…Pen Pals. The HASC leaders–Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Ranking Member Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), with Air Land subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Jim Saxton (R-N.J.)–request from Gates “an explanation of why there continues to be such significant discrepancies between cost estimates of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on the one hand, and the Air Force and the prime contractors on the other, to fund the advance procurement options for the F-22.” This was the fourth letter varied lawmakers–annoyed about the Pentagon’s alteration of F-22 plans in the fiscal year 2009 defense bills–sent defense leaders in November. It was the second missive from the HASC quartet.
Chambliss’ Chase. F-22 backer Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) is facing a close race when he defends his one term in a runoff election tomorrow (Dec. 2). A Public Policy Polling survey released Nov. 24 shows Chambliss leading challenger Jim Martin by six percent among voters: with 52 percent support to the Democrat’s 46 percent. Other polls show a tighter race. A Rasmussen survey unveiled Nov. 19 shows Chambliss with 50 percent support to Martin’s 46 percent. A Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll reported Nov. 24 shows Chambliss with 50 percent and Martin with 47 percent backing. And a survey conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reportedly shows Martin’s support trailing by only two percent among voters. Chambliss beat Martin at the polls on Nov. 4, but a runoff was trigged because he did not capture more than 50 percent of the vote. Senate Democrats will have a 60-seat filibuster majority if Martin wins and Democrat Al Franken prevails in an ongoing recount in Minnesota against Sen. Norm Coleman (R).
Security Team Takes Shape. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been asked to remain at his post for at least the first year of the Obama administration, according to a source familiar with the transition. “The deputies, for the most part, would be replaced,” says the source. As of last week, Pentagon officials would not confirm whether Gates had agreed to stay. But spokesman Geoff Morrell reiterated at a Nov. 25 press conference that Gates has “never precluded the possibility of continuing to serve if needed.” President-elect Barack Obama plans to announce members of his national security team this week. Reports indicate that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has been asked to take the helm at the State Department, and retired Marine Gen. James Jones has been tapped as Obama’s national security adviser.
Better Budgeting. Gates last week directed defense officials to include adequate funding to support the operational role of the service’s reserve components when crafting future budgets. The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves issued a report in January, and Gates subsequently established a senior-level working group to assess its recommendations. In a Nov. 24 memorandum, Gates directs the services to “budget for…the amount of funding necessary to support the operational portion of the reserve components.” Gates said he wants the Defense Department to request “appropriate funding for the readiness requirements necessary to prepare and employ the Reserve components in their operational roles…or recommend offsets sufficient to ensure their financing.” The services have, over the past several years, often underfunded the reserve for its wartime role, instead relying on the Congress to add supplemental funding every year for reserve equipment.
JDAM Down Under. The Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM ER) weapon system successfully completed testing with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) over the summer, according to prime contractor Boeing. Tests in South Australia were led by the Australian Department of Defence with support from Boeing and Hawker de Havilland, developer of the wing kits for the 500-pound JDAM ER. The flight tests were conducted from RAAF F/A-18A/B+ aircraft, and each flight exceeded the RAAF’s range and accuracy requirements, Boeing announced last week. JDAM ER is a standard JDAM enhanced with the Hawker de Havilland wing kit, which increases its range while maintaining accuracy.
Canadian Vacation. The USS Freedom (LCS-1) spent a few extra days in Quebec City over the Thanksgiving holiday ducking adverse weather and taking the time to repair a cooler leak in the number three surface ship diesel generator (SSDG), NAVSEA tells Defense Daily. The repairs were similar to ones made earlier on Freedom‘s number one and four SSDGs. “They are using that time to install modifications to SSDG to increase reliability,” NAVSEA adds. Navy and industry representatives are continuing to inspect Freedom‘s design, it says.
Software Upgrades. While the pace of technology is requiring the Navy to not only upgrade the LPD-17-class ship wide area network to GiGE, it is also making program officials begin looking at the next generation system–the follow on to GiGE. Additionally, the Navy is going to have to upgrade the ships’ operating system, Capt. Bill Galinis, LPD-17 program manager, tells Defense Daily. “One of the other upgrades we have planned now is going from Windows NT to XP,” he said. “Windows no longer supports NT. We have a plan in place to start that upgrade on the follow ships.”
…Obsolescence. Keeping an eye on obsolescence is a continuing effort, Galinis adds. “That gets wrapped into the fleet modernization program. We are coordinating with [PMA] 470 on how that takes place.” He adds there are both hardware and software obsolescence issues that need to be tracked. “Of course the IT communications world is probably where you see most of that,” Galinis notes. “We have an obsolescence effort across the program. We are continuing to look at those things, and Raytheon, the developer of the network, is key in that.”
Sharing Data. In its latest OA report to the SASC, the Navy notes that between July 1 and Sept. 20, 2008 a total of 73 assets (53,763 artifacts) were made available in SHARE; 11 registration applications were processed (there are now a total of 270 total government / industry registrants); the Navy Completed audits on two assets (Display System Open Architecture and parts of the Single Integrated Air Picture Common Reasoning Algorithm) and added them to SHARE; completed a technical audit of Naval Research Laboratory’s Multifunction Electronic Warfare project; Two audits are currently in process ((Multi Sensor Integration and additional files related to the DDG 1000 TSCEI 4.2.2) in preparation for loading these items into SHARE. The TSCEI update will allow industry to research OA and computing infrastructure using TSCEI. Making the TSCEI assets available will allow industry to competitively develop improvements for DDG 1000 in the future and will also support competitive bidding for future CG(X) combat system contracts; and the Navy has updated SHARE operating processes to require that submitters pre-screen assets for intellectual property markings prior to adding them to the repository. This will improve SHARE management efficiency.
Getting Wired. The Air Force awards Telosr Corp. a task order valued at almost $800,000 to install premise wiring that supports secure Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) voice and data communications at Charleston AFB in South Carolina, the company reports. The order includes professional services and associated cabling and telecom termination equipment, including wiring in the base’s network control center. Awarded against the Network Centric Solutions contract vehicle, the task order also includes installation services for future wireless access points to enable WLAN expansion. Telos will provide installation services and infrastructure to support the base’s secure communications capabilities. The work is scheduled to be completed in February 2009. Earlier this year, Telos was awarded a task order to implement the second generation WLAN expansion at 110 Air Force locations worldwide, including all AMC bases, the company says.
Triple Play. For the third straight time, ITT has been awarded a five-year contract by SPAWAR, the company reports. Under this contract, ITT will provide a full range of field and systems engineering support services for the Navy’s Fleet Systems Engineering Team (FSET). FSET provides C4ISR support to Navy afloat Strike Groups and shore based commands world-wide. The competitively bid “cost plus fixed fee” award consists of one base year and four one-year options with a potential value of $160 million, ITT adds. ITT has been the incumbent for the last ten years and winner of two previous competitive awards of this contract, ITT says.
Labs Attain Capability. Lockheed Martin has attained full function capability in all the systems integration laboratories that support the VH-71 presidential helicopter program, after completing the Master Systems Bench (MSB) located at NAS Patuxent River, Md., the company reports. The NAS Patuxent River MSB, part of the Systems Integration Laboratory, contains all of the aircraft avionic systems installed in a full-scale VH-71A cockpit and rear cabin, with out-the-window visual displays and aircraft simulation allowing full mission scenarios to be “flown” while on the ground. This enables the flight test pilots and engineers to conduct valuable training, perform system analysis and debug problems on the ground.
Launch Time. The Royal Netherlands Navy has successfully test-launched two Boeing Harpoon missiles from air defense and command frigate (LCF) HMS De Zeven Provincien. The exercise, which was the first LCF launch of a Harpoon, was held off the coast of Virginia in early November, Boeing reports. In the exercise scenario, a hostile ship attacked the Dutch frigate, which responded with two Harpoon Block IC missiles, marking the first time the Dutch Navy has launched multiple Harpoons on a single target. Both Harpoons hit and destroyed the target. The Netherlands has been a Harpoon customer since 1975.
Green Certification. Boeing says its Huntsville, Ala., site has earned International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification, a global benchmark of an organization’s commitment to understand and continuously improve its environmental performance. The company is working to have all of its major manufacturing facilities certified to the ISO 14001 standard by the end of 2008. Independent auditors from Det Norske Veritas, an accredited certification body of quality, environmental and safety management systems, audited the Missile Defense Systems site Sept. 30-Oct. 3. The auditors commended the site for its communications, community outreach and conservation efforts, as well as its 5S–sorting, simplifying, sweeping, standardizing and self-discipline–procedures for reducing and eliminating waste.
Santa! Live! Today, the NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) Web site goes live at http://www.noradsanta.org. It will have holiday games and activities that change daily. On Dec. 24, NORAD begins tracking Santa’s journey via live video feeds and fans can get up-to-the minute reports from key stops. Booz Allen Hamilton designed the Web site. Google software will put out live images from NORAD’s high-speed digital “Santa Cams.” Google Maps and Google Earth will follow Santa around the world.
More Work. FLIR Systems announces it has a new delivery order totaling $12.9 million for its Star SAFIRE(R) III stabilized multi-sensor systems, and an $11.2 million modification to a Performance Based Logistics (PBL) support contract from the Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala. The $12.9 million delivery order is issued under a previously announced $358.4 million contract modification on an existing indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. These SAFIRE units will support the Marine Corps Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System (G-BOSS) program. The PBL contract provides for service, upgrades, and logistics support for certain Army and Marine programs. The $11.2 million modification fully funds an existing $71.6 million contract. Including deliveries made year-to-date, revenue under this modified contract is expected to be approximately $15 million in 2008.
More HEMTT Armor. Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, will produce more than 600 armor B kits for the A4 version of the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) under a $51 million Army contract. The contract includes a recent $15 million armor kit contract modification. The B kit armor produced under this contract is an add-on armor appliqué separate from the integral composite A kit armor already built into the Oshkoshr HEMTT A4. This appliqué can be installed when needed by a two soldier crew with no special tools. Oshkosh’s Palletized Load System (PLS) A1 shares a common cab with the HEMTT A4 and could use the armor kits when it is fielded.