Delivering Ground Before Launch. U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has said that the ground elements of space programs have traditionally come with big headaches. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Frank Calvelli, the former principal deputy director at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), says that U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) is backing him on emphasizing the ground systems. “I have had such a positive response from the team on that, but I think it’s something no one’s ever said to them before,” he says. “At the NRO, we knew that was always the case. We weren’t perfect at it, but we always tried to deliver ground before launch. Why would you launch a satellite that you can’t use? All you’re doing is using up the life of the vehicle, but that was something that I’m not sure anybody’s ever said to the great folks at SSC, and they have responded, and they are all planning their programs accordingly now.”
…SBIRS High.
Calvelli says a Nunn-McCurdy breach for the Lockheed Martin Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) in March 2005 influenced his thinking. The breach occurs when programs exceed 25 percent program acquisition unit cost growth. “I happened to be one of the NRO reps on the Nunn-McCurdy breach on SBIRS,” he says. “Someone picked me to go help out. We were talking to the prime contractor doing space, and then we went and saw the ground pieces. We were predicting at the time that the first vehicle wouldn’t launch until about 2009…and they said they wouldn’t have ground in place before they launched, and I’m like, ‘Your vehicles are years late. How could you not have ground in place before you launch?’ But that was sort of the culture, that that [ground systems] wasn’t a priority for them. That really stuck with me my whole time at the NRO, that ground needs to be there.” The launch of the first SBIRS High missile warning satellite was on May 7, 2011. Calvelli says that he holds regular meetings to get three troubled ground programs on track–RTX’s GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX), L3Harris Technologies’ Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS), and the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE).
LCS-36 Delivers. Austal USA delivered the future USS Kingsville (LCS-36) Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship to the Navy on March 1 at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. LCS-36 previously completed its acceptance trials on Feb. 1. It is due to be commissioned this summer and later homeported in San Diego. With the delivery of LCS-36, Austal only has the future USS Pierre (LCS-38) as the last Independence-variant LCS still under construction.
F/A-18E/F Training Services. The Navy awarded Boeing a $680 million contract on Feb. 29 to produce, deliver and install aircrew and maintenance training systems software and hardware configuration upgrades and associated logistics support related to FA018E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers for the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force. The work will occur in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be finished by February 2029. Funds are being obligated with individual task orders so none were obligated at the time of award. This contract covers spares procurement, support equipment, technical manual updates, software discrepancy report correction efforts, the development of new, and updates to, courseware and curriculum and on-site training in support of existing aircrew and maintenance training systems and subsystems including the Tactical Operational Flight Trainers, brief/debrief stations, mission operation centers, low-cost trainers, and other training devices.
SSN-796 Trials. HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division completed initial sea trials for the future USS New Jersey (SSN-796) Virginia-class attack submarine. This consisted of “several days at sea” to test its systems and components, including the initial submerging and high-speed maneuvers on the surface and submerged. The company plans to continue testing before it is delivered to the Navy. SSN-796 is the 23rd Virginia-class boat and 11th set to be delivered by NNS. It was christened in November 2021. The company noted this is the first submarine of its class it has built with modification for gender integration.
PEO IWS Day. Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) scheduled its 2024 all-day Industry Day for April 1 in Washington, D.C. NAVSEA’s announcement said the theme this year is “Delivering Capability and Enabling Fleet Readiness.” Topics will include the strategic direction of PEO IWS, panel discussions on accelerating acquisition, cyber, small business and small business innovation research (SBIR), and PEO IWS prize challenge.
Paparo Confirmed. The Senate confirmed Adm. Samuel Paparo to be the next head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Feb. 28 via voice vote. This follows an approval along with 743 other military nominations coming out of the Senate Armed Services Committee via voice en bloc on Feb. 27. Paparo will succeed Adm. John Aquilino. The position is held for three years and Aquilino took over in April 2021. Paparo already previously took over for Aquilino’s previous position at Pacific Fleet since May 2021.
Pearl Harbor SIOP Dry Dock. The Navy marked an anchoring ceremony for the new Dry Dock 5 at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) on Feb. 24. This marked the installation of foundational piles to anchor a new graving dock expected to cost $3.4 billion. This will be the first new dock of its kind built there since 1943. Dry Dock 5 is specifically designed to replace Dry Dock 3 that cannot dock Virginia-class submarines and will have a 150-year service life. This work is part of the Navy’s decades-long Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program to update and upgrade the government-owned naval shipyards that perform maintenance on nuclear-powered naval vessels. The Navy is working with construction contractor Dragados/Hawaiian Dredging/Orion JV (DHO JV).
From PACAF to ACC. U.S. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach took the reins at Air Combat Command (ACC) at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., on Feb. 29. Wilsbach becomes only the second head of ACC to move to the job from heading Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, who headed ACC in 2014-17, was the PACAF commander in 2012-14 during the Obama administration’s “Pivot to East Asia” strategy.
…Creating Dilemmas for China. Of the 14 leaders of ACC since its establishment in 1992, six have had PACAF headquarters experience. Richard Hawley, who led ACC in 1996-99, was PACAF’s deputy chief of staff in 1987-89, and Gilmary “Mike” Hostage, who headed ACC in 2011-14, was a PACAF vice commander in 2008-09. James “Mobile” Holmes commanded ACC in 2017-2020 and served as PACAF’s Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and International Affairs for five months in 2007. Mark Kelly, who captained ACC from 2020 until this month, was PACAF’s chief of staff in 2011-12. “We are going to work on creating dilemmas for China,” Wilsbach said at a Feb. 29 change of command ceremony, according to ACC. “To create those dilemmas in ACC we have to work on readiness, modernization and Agile Combat Employment.” ACC said that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin presided over the ceremony, which comes as the Air Force embarks on a reorganization to improve the service’s positioning for Great Power Competition.
DHS CUAS Testing. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate last summer conducted two demonstrations of counter-unmanned aircraft system (CUAS) solutions, including an evaluation in July to assess and document collateral effects of kinetic mitigation systems. The testing took place at Camp Grafton South in North Dakota. S&T said further analysis of the results will provide a basic methodology for measuring collateral effects and understanding risks and potential damage posed by using kinetic defeat systems such as projectiles, nets, lasers, and radio waves. In late July and August in Stillwater, Okla., S&T evaluated non-kinetic solutions to detect, track, identify, and counter swarms of small UAS being controlled remotely. The Oklahoma tests also evaluated technologies to detect and mitigate against drones that emit little or no radio frequency emissions in an open desert area representative of the U.S. southwest border. S&T said two of radars were “impressive” in detecting the dark drone swarms, and added that most of the solutions were easy to deploy and monitor. S&T declined to identify the vendors that participated in the evaluations “due to law enforcement sensitivities.”
Lockheed-Singapore Data Work. Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency and Lockheed Martin have agreed to implement a data pipeline infrastructure aimed at improving maintenance of the Royal Singapore Air Force’s fleet of F-16 fighters. Lockheed Martin last week said the agreement will enable improved data analytics insights to optimize aircraft maintenance, leading to lower costs and greater fleet availability.
Firefly Expands. Firefly Aerospace last week said it has completed the expansion of its manufacturing space in Briggs, Texas, going from 92,000 to 207,000 square feet, and added two new test stands and automated machinery to support production Northrop Grumman’s Antares’s 330 rocket—to be powered by Firefly’s Miranda engines—and the eventual Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) the two companies are developing. Firefly said the expansion includes two new large buildings for rocket production and assembly, and a higher thrust engine test stand to test its Miranda and Vira engines with up to 230,000 pounds of thrust and five times the load capacity as the company’s current Reaver and Lighting engine test stand. The new stand can accommodate three engine bays as production increases. The second new stand is a 100-foot structural test stand for pressurized axial loading to mimic flight loads. Firefly now has six test stands at Briggs.
Radio for Contested Space. Small unmanned aircraft system manufacturer PDW has received a $6.9 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to provide its Blackwave radio system that allows drones to operate in contested and congested radio frequency environments. “We believe Blackwave will be a gamechanger that contributes to a new era in radio development for American defense and small robotics,” Trevor Smith, PDW’s chief strategy officer, said in a statement. PDW says that Blackwave features a triple redundant wireless C2 link that is resistant to intentional and unintentional jamming. The contract was let by the Special Operations Forces Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Office.
FirstSource II Extension. The Department of Homeland Security is extending its current FirstSource II small business information technology contracts through Sept. 30, 2024, to prevent a lapse in service as it continues to evaluate proposals for the FirstSource III effort. The follow-on contract is expected to be worth $10 billion over 10 years. The FirstSource II contracts were slated to expire on Dec. 31, 2023.
USMC Audit. The Marine Corps announced it has passed an audit for the first time, becoming the first U.S. military branch to receive an unmodified opinion for the accounting of its inventory and assets. The service said the successful result follows a two-year audit pilot, while noting the effort highlighted several areas where it could still make improvements. “This audit reflects the hard work of hundreds of Marines and civilians. They have put an incredible amount of effort into some groundbreaking work. We have enjoyed the best teamwork I have ever witnessed across the department. Now, we can take what we’ve learned and share across the DoD enterprise to improve fiscal processes for all the military services,” Gen. Christopher Mahoney, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a statement. The Marine Corps said the pilot effort was conducted with independent public accountants to “to validate accounting balances and records and to audit physical assets at installations and bases across the globe,” to include “counting military equipment, buildings, infrastructure, and every type of supply and inventory in the Marine Corps systems.” The Pentagon has failed six consecutive audits and has cited 2027 as a potential target date to reach a department-wide clean financial opinion.
Extreme Cold Test. The Army recently tested its new Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) XM7 rifle and XM250 automatic rifles in extreme cold weather, allowing soldiers at the Cold Regions Test Center in Fort Greely, Alaska to assess the weapons in temperatures that dipped to 35 degrees below zero. The Army said it wanted to see how the extreme cold conditions might affect performance of the Sig Sauer-produced weapons as well as the ammunition, the fire control and power supplies. “Extreme cold can affect the weapon’s functionality, of course, but it also hinders a soldier’s movement and mobility,” Maj. Brandon Davis, a member of the Army’s Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, said in a statement. “So which sling does he prefer in these conditions? Can he or she effectively manipulate the widgets on the weapon wearing gloves? We’re getting after every aspect of how the NGSW impacts lethality and mobility under extreme conditions.” The Army has previously said its aiming to equip its first unit with the NGSW weapons in the second quarter of FY ‘24.
Boeing and Spirit. Boeing last Friday confirmed it is in talks to potentially acquire aerostructures company Spirit AeroSystems, which was once part of Boeing. It’s all about quality and safety. “We believe that the reintegration of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems’ manufacturing operations would further strengthen aviation safety, improve quality and serve the interests of our customers, employees, and shareholders,” Boeing said. It also said there is no guarantee a deal will be done. Spirit’s primary business is commercial aerostructures and about one-third of the company’ work is with Airbus. The Kansas-based company also works on the B-21 stealth bomber and CH-53K helicopter. Spirit recently brought on former Boeing executive Pat Shanahan to lead the company as it battles to correct production defects on the fuselages it supplies to Boeing for the 737 MAX aircraft.
GE Aero Set for Independence. General Electric’s board last week approved the spin-off of the company’s energy business, GE Vernova, effective April 2. The pending spin-off clears the way for GE’s Aerospace segment to begin operating as an independent business the same day. GE Aerospace will retain the “GE” stock ticker symbol and continue listing on the New York Stock Exchange. GE Aerospace will host an investor day on March 7 in New York City.
15th McAleese Event. The 15th annual McAleese Defense Programs Conference is on tap for Thursday at the Reagan Center in Washington, D.C. As in previous years, the conference is packed with top acquisition leaders across the services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Lawmakers featured include Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).