OPC Affordability Hawk. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says that his department is “ensuring that the Coast Guard has what it needs to get its job done.” Echoing recent comments by Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft that affordability is a key challenge for its next medium-endurance cutter design, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), Johnson says, “I am committed to ensuring this project is affordable before going forward with the selection of a general contractor and production.” Johnson gave a DHS progress report at the Wilson Center on Thursday.
GPS OCX Update. A new ground control system for the nation’s constellation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites has a cleaner path going forward after some development difficulties, the head of prime contractor Raytheon says. Responding to a question about program cost overruns on Thursday during the company’s 2014 year-end financial results, Thomas Kennedy says Raytheon has worked with the Air Force on the issues concerning the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System and “we believe that we have turned the corner on the program moving forward, and we don’t see any impact in this year or in the out-years relative to that program.”
HC-130Js Ordered for Coast Guard. Using Coast Guard funds, the Air Force has placed an order with Lockheed Martin for two HC-130J Super Hercules aircraft that are scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Coast Guard says its order was part of a $662 million, 10-aircraft order placed by the Air Force for C-130Js and 20 quick engine change assemblies. The Coast Guard will award separate contracts t configure the aircraft to meet its mission requirements. The Coast Guard currently operates six HC-130Js out of Air Station Elizabeth, N.C., and three more aircraft are in production with deliveries slated for this year. The Coast Guard’s program of record calls for 22 missionized HC-130Js with full operational capability set for FY ’27. 
Leidos CFO Leaving. Leidos says that Mark Sopp, its chief financial officer (CFO), will retire later this year to pursue more time with family and other personal goals. Sopp will continue as CFO until a replacement is found. He has been CFO since 2005, first with SAIC until 2013 when it split into separate companies, one of which was Leidos. Before joining SAIC, Leidos was CFO at The Titan Corp., which was acquired in 2005 by L-3 Communications.
Airbus Defence and Space Organizational Changes. Airbus Defence and Space named Fernando Alonso as Head of its military aircraft business unit starting March 1, replacing Domingo Ureña-Raso, who resigned. CEO Bernhard Gerwert will act as interim head until then. Since 2007 Alonso has been Head of Flight Test Operations. The A400M program is also being restructured “to allow more efficient operations inside the Airbus Defense and Space Division,” the company says. Integration of military capabilities and the industrial ramp-up have been performing at an unacceptable level, Gerwert says. Responsibility for industry-related activities is moving to the operations organization, headed by Pilar Albiac-Murillo.
Ex-Lockheed CEO Testifies on R&D. Former Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO Norman Augustine testified to the House Science, Space and Technology energy subcommittee on Wednesday in a hearing looking at the benefits and challenges of developing the next generation of supercomputers and the need for greater federal investment in research and development. He says that the America COMPETES Act, due this year for reauthorization, “is perhaps the most important thing this committee could take on.” He notes the need for more investment and innovation, saying “it is through research that scientists discover knowledge that enables engineers to create new products and services that, through the efforts of entrepreneurs, are introduced into the market to better people’s lives.”
SMAP Launch Delays. NASA delays the launch of its Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, this time until Jan. 31, pending completion of minor repairs to the vehicle prior to liftoff. Launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) says in a statement following the Jan. 29 launch attempt, inspections identified minor debonds to the booster installation. These insulation debonds are associated with cryogenic conditions experienced during tanking operations and a standard repair will be implemented. NASA previously hoped to launch Jan. 30, but ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno said on Twitter that the cryo exposure lifted a couple of spots on the insulation. SMAP will produce global maps of soil moisture, which will help improve the United States’ understanding of earth’s water and carbon cycles and the nation’s ability to manage water resources. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Block Buy Mod. The Air Force on Jan. 28 adds three launches to its massive “block buy” of launch cores to ULA. The service awards ULA $383 million for one Air Force Delta IV mission, one Navy Atlas V mission and one National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Atlas V mission. The service expects these launches to take place before Aug. 28, 2017. The block buy is a package of 36 launch cores awarded to ULA in 2013 and 2014 and, including all modifications, totals around $4 billion.
Air Force Cancels Launch. The Air Force on Jan. 28 cancels a request for proposals (RFP) for a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) launch known as NROL-79 in the “best interests of the government,” according to the RFP posted on Federal Business Opportunities. NROL-79 was believed to be the first competed launch between eventual new entrant Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and incumbent launch provider ULA. SpaceX dropped its lawsuit against the Air Force last week, allowing the Air Force to keep the block buy in exchange for additional competed launches.
Force Protection Site Security. The Air Force awards four companies indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts worth a maximum combined value of $486 million for force protection site security systems, according to a Defense Department announcement. InDyne, L-3 National Security Solutions, Northrop Grumman Systems and Xator receive awards to provide worldwide acquisition, upgrade and sustainment of a family of Integrated Base Defense Security Systems. This award is the result of a competitive procurement and 12 offers were received. The Air Force expects work to complete by Jan. 28, 2022.
F-35 All-Weather Testing… A F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant performs all-weather testing of weapon systems to ensure they function in extreme climatic conditions, according to the Defense Department. With 13 countries currently involved in the F-35 program, the aircraft must be tested in meteorological conditions ranging from the heat of Australia’s Outback desert to the Arctic Circle’s bitter cold. The F-35B was ferried to Eglin AFB, Fla., in September to begin a six-month assessment of the aircraft’s performance in wind, solar radiation, fog, humidity, rain intrusion/ingestion, freezing rain, icing cloud and others. F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) spokesman Joe DellaVedova says in a statement the testing is about two-thirds complete. The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman.
LRSB Campaigns. Potential bidders are ramping up their publicity campaigns for the Air Force’s upcoming Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) source selection, expected this summer. Northrop Grumman, which developed the service’s last bomber, is airing an ad Feb. 1 during the Super Bowl, which commands some of the most expensive advertising rates in television. The ad will show in only the Washington and Dayton, Ohio, markets, according to a Northrop Grumman spokesman. While it hasn’t formally announced its intent to bid for the new bomber, Northrop Grumman is expected to compete. Boeing and Lockheed Martin have publically announced their intention to team for LRSB. The Air Force wants between 80 and 100 new bombers, which could bring a total procurement range between $44 billion and $55 billion.
New Minuteman III. The Air Force issues a request for information (RFI) for a new ground-based strategic deterrent, beginning progress toward a Minuteman III ICBM replacement, according to a notice on Federal Business Opportunities. The Air Force is preparing to acquire a replacement that replaces the entire flight system, retains the silo basing mode while recapitalizing the infrastructure and implements a new Weapon System Command and Control (WSC2) system.