The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Akin Aches. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), who is under fire for his controversial comments about “legitimate rape,” is slipping in support according two key indicators. Akin, chairman of the HASC Seapower subcommittee, is trying to win the Senate seat held by Sen. Claire McCaskill (R-Mo.), ranking member of the SASC Readiness subpanel. After Akin’s rape remarks on Aug. 19, Rasmussen Reports conducts a phone survey of likely Missouri voters on Aug. 22. It finds McCaskill with 48 percent support and Akin with 38 percent. Nine percent of respondents want some other candidate in the race, and 5 percent are undecided, according to Rasmussen. In addition, The Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter, says Aug. 21 says the race is no longer a “toss-up/tilt Republican” contest and is now under the category of “pure toss-up.” “If the congressman, who has a history of poor fundraising, can’t raise money and national Republican groups refuse to advertise on his behalf, it’s hard to see how he can weather an onslaught of Democratic ads,” Rothenberg says.
NASA News. NASA says two commercial space companies have reached significant milestones, and are helping to “pave the way for the first contracted flight of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) this fall and mark progress toward a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years.” SpaceX has completed its Space Act Agreement with NASA for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services and is scheduled to launch the first of 12 contracted cargo flights to the space station in October, the space agency says. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also announces Aug. 23 that Sierra Nevada Corp. has conducted its first milestone–a program implementation plan review–under the agency’s new Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. Sierra Nevada is developing a crew transportation system with its Dream Chaser spacecraft with the help of NASA, which is helping fund a burgeoning U.S. commercial-crew industry.
Sequester By District. The Center for Security Policy releases new data that indicates states like Virginia and California relay heavily on defense contracting and could be impacted the most if so-called sequestration cuts go through in January. The $1.2 trillion cuts to planned 10-year government spending–which lawmakers may prevent–would take $500 billion from defense. The right-wing think tank releases new Congressional District Reports on Aug. 21 that detail defense contracting in each House district across the country. “These Congressional District Reports show 2011 defense contracts for businesses in each congressional district (and bordering zip codes), including the contract dollar amount, contractor business name, address and phone number, the contractor industry classification, and whether the business is a small or disadvantaged business, woman-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned,” the center says in a statement. The Congressional District Reports are provided as a spreadsheet file for each district.
Costly fire. The Navy now estimates repairing a Los Angeles-class (SSN-688) attack submarine and absorbing the shifting of maintenance schedules on other ships due to the fire on the USS Miami (SSN-755) will cost about $450 million. The Miami was set on fire at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in southern Maine on May 23. The Navy initially suspected the fire was caused by a hot debris inside a vacuum cleaner but later determined it was a case of arson. A 24-year-old civilian worker at the shipyard was arrested July in connection to the blaze as well as a second one in the yard. The suspect was charged and remains in custody. The Navy estimates work on the Miami will be completed by April 2015. The service has continued overhaul work on the sub in areas unaffected by the fire, and expects to award an advanced planning contract in September to support engineering efforts to guide the repairs and procure repair material. Once the Miami returns to the fleet, the Navy anticipates another 10 years of service life with five planned full-length deployments.
Private Screening Services. The Transportation Security Administration has awarded a $63.3 million contract to VMD-MT Security, LLC, for passenger and baggage screening services at three airports. The airports, Greater Rochester International, N.Y., Key West International, Fla., and Tupelo Regional, Miss., currently receive privatized screening services from McNeil Security, Raytheon, and Trinity Technology Group respectively. The award was made under the Screening Partnership Program that allows airports to opt out from using federal screeners in favor of a privatized screening workforce.
Quantifying Trusted Traveler Security. A new report by the RAND Corp. that examines the costs, benefits and efficiency of aviation security measures says it is possible to quantify and analyze the security benefits from trusted traveler programs and the parameters of such programs can be adjusted to improve security and even disincentivize terrorists from trying to participate, says a new study by the Rand Corp. The report says that even though these programs have uncertainties, which often lead authorities not to provide screening benefits to approved participants, “an analysis that considers a wide range of parameters can show the limits of the worst-case scenario, as well as point to strategies that can be used to shape adversary as well as general public behavior that push the cost-benefit balance back in the security planner’s favor.”
High Speed. The U.K. orders 25 more Foxhound light protected patrol vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems: Force Protection Europe. GDLS FPE designed the vehicle that can hit 70 m.p.h., with a team from BMW, McLaren F1, Ricardo and the World Rally Championships. The U.K. MoD says it made an initial order for 200 Foxhounds in November 2010 and another 100 were requested last year as part of an about $633 million package. This additional order for 25 vehicles will cost approximately $47.4 million. Foxhounds have been with U.K. troops in Afghanistan since June.
New Permanent Sec. The U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron approves the appointment of Jon Thompson as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. Thompson takes up his post Sept. 3. He has been Director General of Finance at MoD since 2009. He spent most of his career in the public service, working for the Department of Education and local authorities. He also worked for Ernst & Young and in international financial services.
More Trucks. The Army and Oshkosh Defense commemorate production of the 10,000th Oshkosh-built Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) truck–less than two years after the company began producing FMTVs under a contract awarded in October 2009. September 30 will mark a production milestone for Oshkosh Defense as the company will manufacture more vehicles for the FMTV program than it has ever produced in a single fiscal year. “Our number one priority is providing soldiers with very high quality vehicles that meet the Army’s needs,” says Mike Ivy, vice president and general manager of Army Programs for Oshkosh Defense. The Oshkosh FMTV is a series of 17 models and 23 configurations ranging from 2.5-ton to 10-ton payloads.
Curious Electronics. The NASA Curiosity rover is exploring its new Mars home due in part to electronic assemblies made by aerospace and defense company Flextronics. The microelectronics assemblies integrate into 47 actuators that perform mobility tasks for the movable joints and motion applications. These sensors provide performance feedback from the actuators to the system avionics. The data is then used to adjust performance of the actuators allowing Curiosity to move and maneuver. “Flextronics is extremely proud to have played a part in this historical exploratory mission to Mars,” says Paul Humphries, President of Flextronics High Reliability Solutions group. “We share NASA’s excitement for the complex rover program and are thrilled to have contributed to this important scientific exploration.” Flextronic unit Multek Flexible Circuits provided thermal control materials so Curiosity could travel safely to Mars.
AGOR Vessels. The Navy begins construction on two new research ships funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) with a keel-laying and dedication ceremony Aug. 17 in Anacortes, Wash., ONR says in a statement. Contracts for both state-of-the-art Ocean-class Auxiliary General Purpose Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessels were awarded in late 2011 and early 2012. The design and construction of both vessels will be managed by the Naval Sea Systems Command and each is expected to be completed in the next 30 to 36 months. Delivery for AGOR 27 is scheduled for late 2014 and early 2015 for AGOR 28.
Embraer AEW&C India. Brazilian manufacturer Embraer Aug. 16 delivers the first EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) class of aircraft to India during a ceremony held at the company’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil, according to a company statement. The delivery follows successful completion of ground and flight tests of the aircraft, which met operational targets established by both Embraer and Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The aircraft will later be delivered to the Indian Air Force after integration of missions systems of DRDO by CABS in India.
Intelsat 21 Begins. Intelsat 21, Boeing’s second 702 Medium Power (MP) satellite, begins sending signals from its preliminary transfer orbit in space, according to a company statement. Approximately 55 minutes after liftoff at 2:55 p.m. EST Aug. 19, Boeing’s Mission Control Center in El Segundo, Calif., received initial data from the satellite and confirmed it was functioning normally. The satellite, launched aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from the Pacific Ocean, is the second of four 702MP satellites Boeing is building for satellite services provider Intelsat S.A.
Orbital Tani. Daniel Tani returns to Orbital Sciences as vice president of mission and cargo operations in the company’s advanced programs group, the company says in a Aug. 13 statement. Tani will support cargo and mission operations activities for Orbital’s commercial orbital transportation services shared research and development program demonstration mission with NASA. Tani will also support the commercial resupply services program missions that will provide a U.S.-developed capability to supply the International Space Station with vital consumables, scientific instruments and other life-sustaining supplies.
Lockheed Martin InSight. Lockheed Martin Space Systems will build and operate the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission spacecraft that will make the first-ever measurements of the interior of Mars, according to an Aug. 20 company statement. The measurements will provide insight into the evolution of the terrestrial planets. The program will be led by principal investigator Bruce Banerdt of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and managed BPL. The vessel is targeted for launch in 2016.
Raytheon Virtual Radios. Raytheon develops a mobile application that allows PCs, tablets and smartphones that run off Windows operating systems to be used as “virtual radios,” allowing first responders to interact and communicate over a data network without the use of land mobile radios, according to an Aug. 20 company statement. This application also allows a commander to monitor and communicate with a responding unit, even when the commander is out of land mobile radio coverage area. For officers within coverage range, it lets less important side conversations occur over the data network, reducing non-essential radio traffic and freeing land mobile radio channels needed for critical communications. Raytheon spokesman Peter Ramjug tells Defense Daily the company is in the process of making it available for Android and Apple operating systems, but it doesn’t expect that to be finished until next year.
Navy P-3 South Pacific. The Navy says its providing the Philippines with P-3 Orions on a rotational basis to help the archipelago nation with its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, according to U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. William Clinton. Clinton said the service will provide support through “normal operations and exercises throughout the year.” Clinton declined to specify how many of Lockheed Martin’s P-3s it sent, or is sending over. The P-3 turboprop, anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft are believed to be sent over to help keep an eye on China and territorial disputes it is having with its neighbors in the south Pacific.