The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
New Munition. The Army is conducting a market survey, W31P4Q-09-R-0335, to help create an acquisition strategy for developing technology for a Shoulder-Launched Munition system. The research and development Request for Information (RFI) Sources Sought comes from the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center, in a joint effort with Armament Research Development and Engineering Center. The Army wants information on risk, capability, price, innovative acquisition methodology and other information. The RFI requires potential responders be a U.S. company with U.S. citizens involved that can work on the project and have a safe and secure place to store classified information and hardware. For more information: contact Ruth Woodham at [email protected].
Destroying MANPADS. Since 2003, the United States, closely cooperating with 29 other countries, has destroyed more than 30,000 foreign, at-risk Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), the State Department says. In a statement released last week, the department says the threat of MANPADs to civil aviation is real from terrorists, arms traffickers and criminals. “Forty civilian aircraft have been hit by these missiles since the 1970s. A total of 859 deaths resulted from these attacks,” the statement says. Since 2001, the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has invested over $113 million to help destroy 1.3 million small arms and other conventional weapons around the world, including these more than 30,000 MANPADS. In fiscal year 2009, the Bureau’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement is investing approximately $130 million to destroy MANPADS and other conventional weapons, and to conduct humanitarian mine action in a continuous effort to make the world safer.
Happy Birthday. The RAF last week celebrated the 40th birthday of the Harrier jump jet, the MoD says. Since entering service on April 1, 1969, the Harrier has undergone several upgrades and modifications, the MoD says. “There is every chance that the plane will continue to serve Britain until its 50th birthday as there are 10 more years of operational service planned for the plane before it is withdrawn completely and replaced by the Joint Combat Aircraft,” the MoD adds. On this side of the pond, the Joint Combat Aircraft is better known as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter STOVL variant.
Forging Ahead. DoD’s newest collaborative software development tool, Forge.mil, is now available for use in a classified development environment. DISA granted Forge.mil Interim Authority to Operate on SIPRNet, the DoD’s classified version of the civilian Internet, DISA reports. Forge.mil enables collaborative software development and cross-program sharing of software, system components, and services in support of net-centric operations and warfare. Already in initial operational capability for unclassified use, Forge.mil is a collaborative environment for shared development of open source and DoD community source software, DISA adds. The agency expects four more components of Forge.mil to be launched in future releases: CertificationForge, which will support agile certification; ProjectForge, which will provide private project portals; StandardsForge, which will drive collaborative standards development; and TestForge, which will provide on-demand software testing tools.
…Register Now. Forge.mil is available to the U.S. military, DoD government civilians, and DoD contractors for new and existing projects, enabling the organizations to save money, to improve software development efficiency, and to drive collaborative dynamics that help deliver better software faster to the warfighter. To register or host a project on Forge.mil, visit http://www.disa.mil/forge for more information.
Maintaining The Fleet. More than 100 engineers, Navy type commanders, class squadron leaders and regional maintenance center workers from across the naval service met earlier this month for a Structure and Corrosion summit in Washington, D.C. The summit, hosted by NAVSEA, addressed critical corrosion problems that degrade the structural integrity of Navy ships, NAVSEA says. “Previously, maintenance partners used different practices to categorize and document shipboard structural and corrosion deficiencies,” Lt. Cmdr. Eric Lind, NAVSEA Deputy Director, In Service Engineering, says. “Now naval commands use a standard process and enter results in a central data repository.” One of the biggest challenges the maintenance community faces is ensuring ships maintain their structural integrity and combat- and mission-readiness, an increasingly difficult task, as many ships remain in service past their class Expected Service Life (ESL), Department of the Navy (DON) Corrosion Prevention and Control Executive E. Dail Thomas says. “Corrosion continues to be the major factor in diminished structural integrity for Navy ships. Corrosion-induced structural problems identified during inspections over the past several years have adversely impacted several ships’ ability to meet operational requirements.”
Back To School. General Atomics and Texas A&M University sign a three-year Master Research Agreement (MRA) to jointly engage in research in the fields of energy, defense and transportation, the company says. This MRA serves to further the instructional and research objectives of Texas A&M while fulfilling GA’s desire to expand its research base and continue the development of innovative technologies that provide significant benefit to the nation, General Atomics reports
Don’t Lase Me Bro. ONR awards Northrop Grumman an IDIQ contract for the Maritime Laser Demonstration (MLD) with a ceiling value of $98 million, which has an expected completion date of June 2014. The Navy committed an initial amount of $499,999 through the end of the current government fiscal year that will enable Northrop Grumman to complete the critical design review for this demonstration, the company says. Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will demonstrate an innovative laser weapon system suitable for operation in a marine environment and able to defeat small boat threats before the end of 2010, the company says.
Helo Tango. A second pair of former U.S. Navy UH-3H Sea King helicopters were delivered to the Argentine Navy last month aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-51). The two recently transferred UH-3H helicopters are part of a package of six, four of which will be flown, while the other two will be used for spare parts, NAVAIR says. The first two Sea Kings were delivered to the Argentine Navy in September 2008. They are being flown by the Second Naval Air Helicopter Squadron based at the “Comandante Espora” Naval Air Base near Bahia Blanca, Argentina. After intensive pre-coordination, the third and fourth helicopters were loaded onto the Oak Hill to take part in a joint exercise with several South American countries, including Argentina. The Tactical Airlift, Adversary and Support Programs office (PMA-207) has the lead on managing the Argentine Navy H-3 Sea King program, NAVAIR says.
Just Super. The Navy recently took delivery of its 400th Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the company reports. Navy Capt. Mark Darrah, F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager, PMA-265, says the 400th Super Hornet delivery is critical to ensuring on-schedule and on-budget capability for the Navy. “Every Super Hornet delivered to the Navy has been delivered on or ahead of schedule,” Darrah adds. “The Navy and our nation depend on the advanced capability the Super Hornet delivers each day around the globe. The F/A-18E/F’s advanced capability, combined with its remarkable program performance, make the Super Hornet a true model for defense acquisition.” The original Super Hornet strike fighter achieved initial operational capability with the Navy in September 2001. The advanced Super Hornet Block II, equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, debuted in 2005 and is in production today, Boeing says.
NATO Trainers. Over the weekend, NATO and Iraqi officials were expected to sign an agreement between Iraq and NATO on the training of Iraqi Security Forces. The agreement represents a milestone in the cooperation between Iraq and NATO demonstrating the alliance’s strong commitment to work in partnership with the sovereign government of Iraq as it focuses on rebuilding and strengthening of governance structures. The agreement will provide the legal basis for NATO to continue with its mission to assist the Iraq in further developing Iraqi Security Force capabilities.
Strong Support. Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary, says it’s completed 50,000 flight support hours for the Australian Defence Force’s fleet of 19 Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters. Boeing Defense Australia provides the Australian army with pilot and aircrew training, fleet maintenance and support services for the Kiowa and S-70A-9 Black Hawk helicopters as part of the Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) program. Matthew Sibree, project manager for the Boeing Defense Australia AATTS program, says: “Throughout our team’s 16 years of supporting this platform, we have continuously worked to improve maintenance processes, enabling the Kiowa to fly up to 6,000 hours per year. Most civilian platforms average anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 flight hours per year. This program is unique because it involves both operational maintenance and deeper level maintenance.
Resetting Strykers. General Dynamics Land Systems will reset as many as 330 Stryker infantry combat vehicles under an Army Tank Automotive Command contract with a potential value of $55.2 million. GD will service, repair and modify Stryker vehicles that are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom, restoring them to a pre-combat, like-new condition in advance of reissuing the vehicles before their next deployment. With more than six million miles accumulated through two completed Operation Iraqi Freedom rotations since October 2003, the Stryker vehicle has demonstrated a combined fleet operational-readiness rate of 96 percent. To date, General Dynamics has delivered 2,852 new vehicles for seven separate Stryker brigades to the Army.