KC-46A ‘Pegasus.’ The Air Force names the KC-46A aerial refueling tanker Pegasus, prime contractor Boeing says in a Feb. 20 Twitter post. Pegasus is a winged horse from Greek mythology. The KC-46A is the Air Force’s next generation aerial refueling tanker, destined to replace the KC-135. Boeing began assembling the second tanker in August. Air Force brass have said the KC-46A is one of the Air Force’s top priorities along with the F-35 and new long range bomber.
Orbital Skybox… Orbital Sciences signs a commercial launch contract with Skybox Imaging to carry six high-resolution imaging and video-capable spacecraft into low-earth orbit in late 2015, according to an Orbital statement. The Skybox spacecraft will be launched aboard the Minotaur-C space launch vehicle, a commercial variant of Orbital’s Minotaur product line that serves the U.S. government market. Financial terms were not released. Skybox provides high fidelity imagery and infinite analytics to generate a unique data source describing daily global activity with timely, accessible, sub-meter color imagery and high definition video of earth. 
…Orbital CRS. Orbital successfully completes the first of eight Cygnus operational cargo logistics spacecraft missions to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the company’s $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, according to an Orbital statement. The Cygnus spacecraft unberthed from the ISS Feb. 18, completing a 37-day stay at the orbiting laboratory. Cygnus re-entered the earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand Feb. 19. The CRS-1 mission began Jan. 9 when Orbital’s Antares rocket launched Cygnus into orbit from NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility. Orbital’s CRS contract calls for flights through late 2016. Next flight is scheduled for early May.
Rego Virgin Galactic. John Rego joins Virgin Galactic as the company’s new chief financial officer (CFO), according to a company statement. As CFO, Rego will provide overall strategic and operational direction to Virgin Galactic’s accounting, finance, financial planning and analysis, treasury, risk and tax activities. Rego joints Virgin Galactic after serving as CFO for AppSense, a United Kingdom-based enterprise software company. Virgin Galactic says it is on track to become the world’s first commercial spaceline.
SBIRS Trainer. The Air Force unveils the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Block 10 unit qualification trainer (UQT) at the 460th Space Wing in Aurora, Colo., marking a significant milestone in the program, according to the service. The delivery of the UQT is the first step in providing a consolidated ground operations center and will be used to train SBIRS operators for the next 20 to 30 years. UQT will allow all three SBIRS mission objectives to be operated from a single location starting in April 2016. SBIRS is the Air Force’s missile launch and early warning detection satellite constellation.
CAPES. Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) completes three major development and design reviews since it was selected by Lockheed Martin in July to upgrade the F-16 fleets of the U.S. Air Force and Taiwan, according to a Northrop Grumman statement. Several engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) systems are now in production with the first to be delivered to Lockheed Martin before the end of the year. The EMD units to be delivered will be identical to the production deliveries to be made for Taiwan, company Vice President Jeff Leavitt says in a statement. SABR is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
Coming and Going. Boeing’s Mike Rinn vice president of Directed Energy Systems, retires on Friday. The company is combining Directed Energy Systems with Strategic Systems–or DESS–Rinn says. The new head of DESS will be Peggy Morse.
Strategic Investment. Part of the Army’s future is working to shape the environment by engagement with the security forces of other nations, says Lt. Gen. Keith Walker, deputy commanding general Futures, and Director Army Capabilities Integration Center at the AUSA Winter. Right now, the 2nd Brig., 1st Infantry Div. is regionally aligned to AFRICOM and doing such work. The future will see “more and more of these missions,” he says. “If we can be forward engaged with partner nations, if we have to connect, we may be able to get access” and perhaps solve a military concern: anti-access and access denial. It’s a strategic idea and calls for strategic investment, Walker says.
…JOE’s Back. Army Training and Doctrine Command working with the Joint Staff and others is starting a rewrite and update of the Joint Operational Environment (JOE) document, Walker says. While each service looks at the operational environment from their own perspective, Walker says the process “is an opportunity for all the services, to ensure that their equities–for what their piece of the joint fight is–are properly reflected in the joint environment.”
New Watercraft Possible. Initial staffing is being done right now on a new Logistic Support Vessel-Light, says the Army’s Combat Support and Combat Service Support Program Executive Officer Kevin Fahey. There is a user-drafted requirement, and they’re working with Army Training and Doctrine Command on an Analysis of Alternatives The AoA will be done sometime this spring or summer. That AoA is a prerequisite for the program to compete for funding priorities. It would go to support a requirement in the next Program Objective Memorandum, Fahey says.
Cloud over conferences. The Pentagon, like other federal agencies, has enacted stricter restrictions on personnel attending conferences following some scandals in recent years, many of them involving the General Services Administration. But the problems that have arisen in some of the events have brought scrutiny to all. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has heard from one civilian in the Navy who is not thrilled with the new procedures and the time it takes to get approval to attend an event. The employee attending the American Society of Naval Engineers conference Friday complained his group, as a result of the restrictions, cannot seek out the best ways to educate its workforce and engage in positive networking to serve the Navy as well as possible. Mabus, acknowledging the frustration, says the new rules stem from “inappropriate acts.” He says the service will continue to determine which conferences are appropriate for personnel to attend. “Any time there are those inappropriate acts there is a reaction,” he says. “One of those things is taking a close look at every conference. There are some that are very valuable and there are some that just aren’t. We are learning how to differentiate.”
Sioux City Keel. After a delay due to poor weather earlier this month, the keel-laying ceremony for the future Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City (LCS-11) took place Wednesday. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Freedom variant of the ship class, hosted the ceremony at partner Marinette Marine’s shipyard in Marinette, Wis. The ship’s sponsor was Mary Winnefeld, the wife of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. James Winnefeld. “I’m both honored and delighted to be back in my home state of Wisconsin as the sponsor of Sioux City,” Mary Winnefeld says. “It’s been a real privilege to meet the great Americans who are building this versatile ship, and I thank them in advance for their quality work. I look forward to meeting her crew soon, being part of her family, and bringing our ship to life when she’s commissioned.”
C-130J MissionCare. The Air Force awards Rolls-Royce a $183 million contract to expand the company’s support of the service’s C-130J transport fleet, according to a Rolls-Royce statement. The MissionCare contract covers sustainment services for the Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engines as well as nacelles and propellers on the C-130J fleet. The work includes logistics and program management support, engineering services, spares and technical data support. The Air Force increases its order for spares and spare parts while adding Rolls-Royce field service representatives at two bases. Through MissionCare, Rolls-Royce offers a suite of services, tailored to each military customer’s needs. The Air Force contract is in its seventh option year.