The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Reform Law. The defense acquisition reform bill touted by the heads of the House and Senate Armed services committees is now law. “I reject the notion that we have to waste billions of taxpayer dollars to keep this nation secure,” President Obama says at a May 22 White House bill-singing ceremony with SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), Ranking Member John McHugh (R-N.Y.) member Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), and member Mike Conaway (R-Texas). “When it comes to purchasing weapons systems and developing defense projects, the choice we face is between investments that are designed to keep the American people safe and those that are simply designed to make a defense company or a contractor rich,” Obama adds. The new law increases oversight of weapon systems in the early stages of development, makes it harder to continue programs that suffer Nunn-McCurdy cost breaches, and creates several new Pentagon posts including a cost-estimating director who is confirmed by the Senate.
June Supp. Congress missed the Pentagon’s deadline for passing the final fiscal year 2009 supplemental war-funding bill by Memorial Day. The Senate voted 68-3 on May 21 to pass a $91.3 billion supplemental, after the House passed its $96.7 billion version on May 14 by a 368-60 vote. Appropriations committee staffers from each chamber are expected to hash out differences between the two bills during this week’s congressional recess. A formal conference committee is due to meet next week and quickly send a final bill to Obama. The House-passed bill contains more adds-on to the administration’s request than the Senate version does. SAC Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) is said to be willing to include in the final bill funds backed by the House for Boeing C-17 airlifters and General Dynamics Stryker ambulances.
F-22 Risky Business. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz says having only 183 of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 stealth fighters represents “moderate to high” risk when looking at a two major-combat-operations scenario. Yet he tells the SASC at a May 21 budget hearing: “There is no question that the program which is recommended in the FY ’10 budget is adequate for one major combat operation, however we define it.” The answer to the question of “what is the second scenario and how quickly does it evolve” will be known better after the conclusion of the Quadrennial Defense Review, he adds. Schwartz was quizzed by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), who wants the air service to buy more F-22s than 183 called for in the Pentagon FY ’10 budget proposal, along with four more in the FY ’09 war supplemental bill nearing the president’s desk.
Securing ‘Securing The Cities.’ Several New York area members of Congress last week introduced legislation that would authorize $50 million for an ongoing pilot program aimed at installing a layered nuclear detection architecture in the New York City region called Securing The Cities, which received no funding in the Obama administration’s FY ’10 budget request for Homeland Security. H.R. 2611, which was introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Reps. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), would permit up to $40 million in funding for Securing the Cities in FY ’10 and $10 million to sustain the program in future fiscal years. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says no funds were requested for the program in FY ’10 because it has unspent obligations from fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The new legislation would expand funding to any other city that is interested in starting a similar radiological detection program.
Fly Another Day. The Air Force is conducting fatigue tests on aging F-15Es to determine whether the aircraft would benefit from a service life extension program (SLEP) that would keep them flying beyond the 8,000 hours now projected, service officials tell lawmakers during a May 20 House Armed Services air and land forces subcommittee hearing. Lt. Gen. Marck Shackelford, military deputy for the Air Force’s top acquisition official, says a SLEP could extend the F-15s’ life span to 12,000 flying hours. The service is also exploring a SLEP for the F-16. A SLEP would take those aircraft from 4,000 to 8,000 flying hours. The Air Force is planning to accelerate retirement of 250 fourth generation fighter jets in FY ’10, and a gap in tactical aircraft numbers is expected until the F-35 enters the fleet in large numbers. Air Force officials tell lawmakers that they expect to have a plan in place by November, after the Quadrennial Defense Review makes some additional determinations about the size of the fighter fleet. According to the officials, the tentative plan calls for two of 18 Air National Guard air sovereignty mission units to get F-22s and four to get upgraded F-15s. The remainder are still to be determined.
C2 4 C-130s. Boeing last week announced receipt of a $3.4 million follow-on contract to provide the Air Force with 46 more Combat Track II airborne satellite communications systems. Boeing has delivered nearly 500 of the kits to the Air Force since 2001 in an effort to provide airborne intelligence systems for cargo and bomber aircraft. The total value of the systems currently in use is approximately $38 million. The Combat Track II systems are installed on C-130, C-17, B-52 and B-1 aircraft operated by the Air Force Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Reserve units. The technology provides aircrews with command and control information as well as secure, beyond line-of-sight, encrypted communications between the aircraft and Air Operations Centers worldwide. The system provides position reports, supports text messaging, delivers intelligence and threat information to the cockpit, and supports retasking as requirements and threat conditions change.
SWIFTly Moving Forward. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Northrop Grumman phase one of the $37-million Terahertz (THz) Electronics contract, the Pentagon announced last week. Work on the contract will support military and space satellites with the development of active receivers and transmitters operating at 670 gigahertz that ensure reliable, high-resolution images, and other applications. “The THz Electronics program will develop a technology for integrated circuits operating at far higher frequencies than ever possible before. This will be crucially important for emerging applications like terahertz communications and radars,” says Mark Rosker, program manager of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office. “But of potentially even greater consequence, this program will drive the state of the art in high performance III-V electronics, with vast implication to RF circuits and systems operating at more conventional (microwave and millimeter-wave) frequencies.” The THz Electronics program is an extension of Northrop Grumman’s $7.7-million phase one of development on the Sub-millimeter Wave Imaging Focal Plane Technology (SWIFT) program for DARPA.
Positioned for Success. The Lockheed Martin team developing the Air Force’s next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) spacecraft, known as GPS III, has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase, the company says. The team completed a comprehensive spacecraft segment PDR, which represented the culmination of 70 subsystem and assembly PDRs, executed over the past six months. Completion of the PDR milestone validates that the design meets warfighter and civil requirements and advances the GPS III program into the Critical Design Review phase. GPS III will improve position, navigation and timing services and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy and reliability. The team is working under a $3 billion development and production contract awarded in May 2008 to produce up to 12 GPS IIIA satellites, with first launch projected for 2014. The next generation GPS IIIA satellites will deliver significant improvements over current GPS space vehicles, including a new international civil signal (L1C) and increased M-Code anti-jam power with full earth coverage for military users.
Weather Report. A Northrop Grumman-led team has completed the initial review of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) design against the critical design review (CDR) criteria. The CDR program milestone is expected to be completed in August, according to a company statement released last week. NPOESS consists of four major segments, including the space; command, control and communications; and integrated data processing and field terminal segments. At the conclusion of the five-day review, representatives from two independent government teams determined that the program elements were ready to move to the next planned phase. The contractor team includes Raytheon, Ball Aerospace, ITT and dozens of other companies. “The week-long review reflected eight months of lower level design audits, and it presented sufficient design margins for the most populated NPOESS satellite, C3, which includes the large, spinning Microwave Imager Sounder sensor,” said Dan Stockton, the program executive officer for NPOESS.
Uncommon? Argon ST, Inc. has filed a protest with the GAO over the Navy awarding Global Technical Systems (GTS) a $95 million IDIQ contract for the Common Processing System (CPS). Earlier this month, NAVSEA denied an agency protest filed by Argon. The contract provides for the design, development, qualification, and production of a COTS-based, Grade A shock-qualified, processing system in support of Navy platforms. NAVSEA lifted a stop work order on May 1. On May 11, Argon took its protest to GAO. A decision is expected by late August.
Staying Clean. Tresys Technology has developed a security solution for the recent threat to critical government information systems posed by ‘dirty’ USB devices, the company reports. Tresys rapidly customized and delivered a ruggedized, laptop-based Kiosk appliance built on open source software to mitigate that threat and make USB devices safe for use, even in very sensitive applications and locations. “Government computers and networks face a constant barrage of inventive attacks,” says Frank Mayer, CTO of Tresys Technology. “Given the pace and diversity of these attacks, it is critical to leverage agile, open technologies to build and deploy a new generation of security solutions in real time.”
…GOTS COTS. Tresys’ approach conclusively validates the advantages of integrating strong government off-the-shelf (GOTS) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) security on an open source platform, the company adds. The USB ‘cleansing’ appliance was built on Red Hat’s certified (EAL 4) RHEL 5 platform, combining GOTS software with Tresys’ advanced, secure virtualization technology to effectively eliminate the dirty device threat, Tresys says. The development life-cycle from initial requirements to working prototype was less than 10 days, and a field-ready solution was available within 90 days.
SEWIP. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (GDAIS) has been awarded a $39.9 million Navy contract for development and production as part of the Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 1B. The contract provides for the production and delivery of SEWIP Block 1B2 systems as well as the development and delivery of two Engineering Development Models for SEWIP Block 1B3. The SEWIP Block 1B upgrades are expected to provide a vast improvement to the Surface Navy’s Anti-Ship missile defense by enhancing the detection and identification capabilities that assist sailors in defending ships from emerging threats.
CWIS. Raytheon receives a $259 million Navy contract for overhaul and upgrade of 57 Phalanx Close-In Weapon systems, the company says. The contract calls for 40 sea- based Phalanx systems and 17 Centurion Land-Based Weapon Systems, the company adds. Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks, and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems. Centurion LPWS defends ground forces and high value sites against rocket, artillery and mortar attacks.
Happy With IT. The Professional Services Council (PSC) praised the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ approval of S. 920, the “Information Technology Investment Oversight Enhancement and Waste Prevention Act of 2009.” In a May 18 letter, PSC expressed its strong support for the legislation, which is designed to improve federal agency and congressional oversight of major federal IT investments and establishes a rigorous process for agencies to track project performance, cost, and schedule. The bill also includes provisions for an “IT Tiger Team” to provide supplemental skilled resources to assist agencies in successfully managing complex IT investments, PSC says.
No Longer A Secret. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dennis Blair selects Christopher Kojm to be the next Chairman of the National Intelligence Council (NIC). As Chairman of the NIC and adviser to the DNI, Kojm will be responsible for overseeing the analysis and production of coordinated Intelligence Community products, including National Intelligence Estimates. Kojm is well known for his work as the Deputy Director of the 9/11 Commission working with Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chair Lee Hamilton.
Sub Work. General Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded a $15.8 million contract last week for repairing the USS Hartford (SSN-768), the company reports. Under the terms of the contract, Electric Boat will perform planning work, material procurement and fabrication of a hull patch and a bridge access trunk, as well as planning and material procurement for the port retractable bow plane. Electric Boat also will perform planning work on the sail to restore the Hartford to full-service condition. Work is expected to be completed by Oct. 31. On March 19, the Hartford and the USS New Orleans (LPD-18) collided in the Strait of Hormuz while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO). Fifteen sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly injured. The New Orleans suffered a ruptured fuel tank resulting in 25,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel spilling into the strait (Defense Daily, March 23).
More Trucks. Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corp., will provide more than 130 additional next-generation Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) under a $40 million delivery order with the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC). Under the delivery order, Oshkosh Defense will manufacture and deliver more than 125 new vehicles and three recapitalized vehicles. The delivery order was issued under the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) contract. This next-generation vehicle incorporates a fully air-conditioned and armor-ready cab, more powerful drivetrain, improved suspension, safety improvements, and other structural changes.
Whither Warfare. The latest Whither Warfare Conference will be held June 16 at the Land Warfare Centre in Warminster and will investigate how computer-aided visualization, and the interface between battlespace information systems and the minds of their users, can be improved to derive the full benefits of Network Enabled Capability (NEC). The conference is organized by General Dynamics U.K.’s Research Foundation in partnership with the U.K. Army’s Command & Control Development Centre. It will involve an open review of the user’s aspirations and their experiences so far. Industry will then be invited to present to senior U.K. military commanders what is potentially available to meet the challenges exposed.
New Certification. General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems says its Niceville operations has achieved CMMIr Maturity Level 3. The Niceville operation, which specializes in the design, development and production of warheads for tactical missiles, rockets, ammunition and bombs, incorporates CMMI best practices into its system engineering processes throughout the life cycle of these products. Achieving a Capability Level 3 rating for all 18 process areas evaluated demonstrates General Dynamics’ commitment to continual improvement.
See Better. ITT will supply image intensification tubes to the U.S. Special Operations Command for existing night vision goggles under a $11.4 million contract. ITT’s Night Vision division will provide Generation (Gen) 3 thin-filmed Pinnacler tubes that the military recognizes as the most advanced night vision technology available, producing the clearest, sharpest night vision image for our nation’s warfighters. Night vision goggles with image intensifying tubes have the ability to detect available light with more than 10 times the power of previous generations. They are designed for use in all night vision systems that use inverting tubes including aviation goggles, ground systems and weapon sights.
Quarter-Century Mark. The Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) marks its 25th year. The school educates future leaders of the armed forces, allies, and the government agencies at the graduate level to be agile and adaptive leaders who think critically at the strategic and operational levels to solve complex ambiguous problems. The school consists of two programs: the Advanced Military Studies Program, a second year of intermediate, master’s-level education and the Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship, a Senior Service College Fellowship. SAMS is a part of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The first class graduated in 1984 and the most recent graduation was May 21.