The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Reform Deadline. President Obama says the defense-acquisition-reform bills filed by the heads of the armed-services committee are “long overdue,” and have his “full support.” “I’m eager to get this legislation on my desk before Memorial Day, so that we can start getting on track to spending all our money wisely,” Obama says after a White House meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.), and HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Ranking Member John McHugh (R-N.Y.). “If we can crack this nut (at the Pentagon), as tough as it is, it gives us further momentum to continue to make the changes in our budget that can start assuring taxpayers that their money is being well spent.” The HASC and SASC leaders have proposed different bills. Skelton says 25 percent of the provisions are the same and 50 percent are overlapping.
Lieberman Vs. Gates. SASC Airland Subcommittee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I/D-Conn.) says Gates’ proposal to end production of the F-22 stealth fighter and C-17 cargo hauler “could weaken the Air Force,” and that a hearing last Thursday on U.S. air power “reinforces” his concern. “It would be imprudent to cancel and realign our most important defense acquisition programs in the absence of a strategy, backed by solid analysis, that justifies doing so,” he says. “It is essential that Congress continue to provide the brave men and women who fly into harm’s way with the equipment they need to win our nation’s wars.”
Herculean Sale. The Air Force will increase its C-130J Super Hercules buy quantity by four aircraft to fulfill a foreign military sale to Iraq, the Defense Department says. Lockheed Martin’s contract with the Air Force will be increased by up to $292.8 million to accommodate the purchase, according to the announcement. The Pentagon notified Congress of a proposed sale to Iraq of up to six of the large cargo haulers last summer. According to the Defense Department, the Iraqi Air Force will use the aircraft to transport soldiers and conduct humanitarian operations.
Under The Radar. Northrop Grumman has delivered the first operational B-2 Spirit stealth bomber equipped with a newly modernized radar to the Air Force, the company says. The aircraft was officially received by the Air Force on March 17 at Whiteman AFB, Mo. The updated aircraft is the first of several B-2s that will be equipped with the new radar as part of the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the Air Force’s B-2 radar modernization program (RMP). The Air Force plans to use the updated aircraft to conduct additional field testing. In December, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $468 million contract to begin the production phase of the RMP. The contract, which includes low-rate and full-rate production phases, will support installation of the radar on the balance of the B-2s. Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems developed the new radar hardware under contract to Northrop Grumman. The units include a new advanced electronically scanned array antenna, a power supply and a modified receiver/exciter.
COIN of The Realm. Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy, says that the United States wants to provide the Pakistani army with training and counterinsurgency (COIN) tactics, as well as to support Islamabad’s internal anti-terrorist activities with intelligence and military assistance. “We need to substantially increase our military assistance and broaden the form,” she tells an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on April 29. “If we could get beyond a transactional sort of equipping, support, reimbursement relationship to a strategic relationship where we are also training, advising, working together on the ground, we would be much more effective and get a lot farther down the road of achieving our common objectives,” she adds. Instead of COIN, Pakistan has long been focused on its conventional military capabilities, primarily aimed at neighboring India. “We need a fundamental shift in this relationship for things to work,” says Flournoy.
A Stimulating Chat. “When we look at all of the buys we do to support shipbuilding across Northrop Grumman, we cover almost every state,” D. Scott Stabler, vice president supply chain management, tells Defense Daily at the recent aircraft carrier supplier breakfast. “That kind of investment is not just in services, it’s in real manufacturing, real metal chips, nuts and bolts, electronics. These are good jobs being created,” he adds. “While you might not think of an aircraft carrier as a stimulus, it has all the right effects of what a stimulus has been [designed] to help. It puts people to work in manufacturing, it has a big footprint in that we don’t just buy the ship in Virginia…we buy nationwide.”
Going Nuclear. Last October Northrop Grumman and Areva said they’ll build a new $336 million facility in Newport News, Va., to manufacture large components for Areva- designed nuclear plants. The facility is on track to break ground this summer, Matthew Mulherin, vice president Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, tells Defense Daily. “Areva has the Evolutionary Power Reactor design. It’s undergoing NRC certification.” Mulherin says nuclear power has to be part of the nation’s energy future. “Nuclear has to be part of the solution,” he says. Both companies are looking at the potential for modular construction of plants, Mulherin adds. That would result in faster build [rates], less labor and improve the quality of the design. And he sees a growth market for nuclear power. “My view…there will be a huge demand in the future. We want to position ourselves for that.”
Raising CANES. Lockheed Martin is teaming up with General Dynamics, ViaSat Inc., Harris and American Systems for the Navy’s CANES program. CANES will consolidate and reduce the Navy’s afloat information systems networks, reduce the infrastructure size and associated costs, and increase reliability and other capabilities to meet current and projected warfighter requirements, the company reports. Later this year, PEO C4I is expected to award an initial system design and development contact to two companies for the common computing environment portion of the contract. A downselect to a single prime contractor responsible for system production is anticipated in 2011. General Dynamics brings advanced tactical networking, cross-domain security, systems management and expertise in shipboard information technology installation. ViaSat Inc. brings expertise in information assurance to the Lockheed Martin CANES team. Harris is an international leader in the development and integration of assured communications technology and information infrastructures, and brings their wireless communications experience, Lockheed Martin adds.
Fly Little Sparrow. NSWC Port Hueneme engineers successfully fire a test launch of the new production configuration of the ESSM April 24 from the Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship, the Navy says. “These ESSM modifications increase both guidance performance and hardware reliability for our fleet and our NATO consortium partners,” said Mike Ryan, NSWC Port Hueneme test engineer. “Whenever we increase a missile’s guidance performance and reliability, we increase the probability of target kill, thereby helping the warfighter counter threats with more confidence and less ordnance.” The new ESSM configuration includes both hardware and software modifications and was fired from a CVN-class combat system. The ESSM missile achieved a warhead kill against a low-altitude target.
Improving Fuel Economy. The Navy begins installing stern flaps this month on amphibious ships in an effort to make ships more fuel efficient and save up to $450,000 in fuel costs per ship annually, the Navy reports. USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41), the first dock landing ship to receive stern flaps, began the installation process April 17 during a scheduled maintenance availability in Norfolk, Va. The ship is expected to head back to sea in late November. The first stern flap installation on an LSD represents a major milestone for NAVSEA Fleet Readiness Research and Development Program. Once installed fleet-wide on both LSDs and LHDs, the initiative is expected to yield an annual cost avoidance of approximately $6.3 million, based on fuel oil costing $96 per barrel.
Moving West. The Army Training Support Center (ATSC) is moving west to Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., from Ft. Eustis, Va. On May 1 the Center will be reassigned to the Combined Arms Center (CAC) and then to the Deputy Commanding General for Training (CAC-T) at Fort Leavenworth. Since its creation in 1976, ATSC has been a field operating agency of the Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command (HQ TRADOC), Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training (DCSOPS&T) or G-3/5/7. As part of TRADOC’s plan to integrate and synchronize operations, as a major subordinate organization, CAC is the lead for the core function of training support. ATSC is responsible for planning, integrating, implementing and sustaining many of the training support programs, products, services and facilities that support training. The reassignment of ATSC to CAC-T consolidates the training support core function under one command and improves the management and delivery of training support across the Army.
In Your Face. The Army’s on the move in social media, launching an official blog portal, but also an Army fan page on Facebook, the service says. The “Army Live” blog (http://armylive.dodlive.mil) and U.S. Army Facebook page went live in mid-April, says Lindy Kyzer, the portal’s administrator and a Public Affairs specialist in the Online and Social Media Div., in an Army News Service story. Both sites were launched by the new Online and Social Media Division of Army Public Affairs. Division Chief Lt. Col. Kevin Arata says he was excited because thousands of people get their information from blogs and social networking sites. “And I don’t think we’re targeting just one demographic,” Arata says, “I think there are a lot of older folks out there savvy to this type of communication.”