The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Risk Based Needs. The Transportation Security Administration’s push toward risk-based security is a step in the right direction and should make passenger screening at aviation security checkpoints more efficient but to achieve the agency’s goals here will require private sector know-how, says Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Transportation Security Subcommittee. To get to the agency’s goal of having 25 percent of air travelers receive some type of expedited screening by the end of 2013, “marketing the program to travelers, streamlining agency-wide operations, and simplifying the screening experience, will take private sector innovation,” Hudson says at a hearing to examine stakeholder perspectives on risk-based screening (RBS). He adds that risk-based screening should also lead to reduced spending on “low-risk” passengers and goods at the checkpoint. “I believe RBS is an excellent opportunity for finding efficiencies and saving tax dollars,” he says.
…Future Checkpoint. The International Air Transport Association, which represents air carriers around the world, has been helping to lead private sector innovation to facilitate a faster and easier checkpoint experience for passengers. Over the past two years IATA has introduced its Checkpoint of the Future concept, with an ambitious goal of an uninterrupted trip by passengers from outside the airport all the way to the aircraft door by 2020. As a near term goal, IATA is working with other industry stakeholders through pilot projects at various international airports to have a checkpoint in place in 2014 that integrates new procedures to aid RBS and decision making and better utilize resources and assets and technology integration, Ken Dunlap, director of Security and Travel Facilitation at IATA, tells the panel. “The emphasis is therefore to introduce new and innovative procedures that maximize the opportunities presented by the existing checkpoint configuration,” he says.
…Airport Help. TSA’s marquis program to provide expedited security screening to select passengers is called PreCheck, which culls its participants from frequent fliers from select airlines as well as from participants in a number of trusted traveler programs managed by Customs and Border Protection. The current approach has limited participation in PreCheck and airport executives would like to an expand it through an “airport-centric approach” that enrolls passengers on an airport-by-airport basis, Christopher Browne, the airport manager at Washington Dulles International, tells the panel.
New Terror Screening Chief. The FBI last week announced that Christopher Piehota, most recently the bureau’s special agent in charge of the Buffalo, N.Y., Field Office, is the director of the Terrorist Screening Center, which maintains the United States government’s consolidated Terrorist Watchlist. The watchlist is a single database containing information to identify known or suspected terrorists.
GWB SPOX To LMT. Gordon Johndroe, a former spokesman during the George W. Bush administration, is taking a top communications job at Lockheed Martin. Johndroe has been tapped as vice president, media relations and international communications. He joins Lockheed Martin after a stint at APCO Worldwide. Johndroe replaces Jennifer Whitlow, who was promoted to the top communications job at the company. His new position is effective April 29.
Cotton Retires From DRS. John Cotton, a senior vice president for strategy and market assessment at DRS, is retiring from the company. The former chief of the Navy Reserve has been with DRS since 2008. His last day is Friday.
The Navy’s Summer of Sequestration. Anyone visiting naval installations this summer may want to bring along a folding hand fan. One way the Navy is coping with fewer dollars is by regulating the use of air conditioning at various installations under the domain of Commander Naval Installations Command (CNIC). Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), located at the Navy Yard in Washington, where summer temperatures can hover around 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity, issued a memo to personnel last week saying it has been instructed to set the AC to come on only when indoor temperatures reach 80 degrees. The notice says the AC system “will allow temperatures to drift above the 80 degree setpoint, by several degrees in some instances, before full cooling will be felt.” The measures went into effect April 11. “It’s anticipated that there will be days that present a warmer and potentially more humid workplace environment as a result of this change,” the memo says, adding that NAVSEA “is reviewing the dress code policy to recognize the change in office environment and allow some common-sense relaxations.”
LCS missiles. The Littoral Combat Ship program plans to hold an industry competition to supply the missile for the surface warfare module for the ship class next year, Capt. John Ailes , the program manager for the LCS mission modules, says at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition last week. The LCS program had originally planned to field the Army’s Non Line of Sight (NLOS) system in the surface module until the troubled program was canceled in 2010, leaving the Navy to find an alternate solution. Since, the Navy has been experimenting with Raytheon’s Griffin missile on an interim basis until a longer range missile is acquired via the competition. Ailes oversees the development of the three mission modules for the LCS program: surface warfare (SuW); anti-submarine warfare (ASW); and mine counter measures (MCM).
Spacecraft Computing. NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) request research and development proposals to define the type of spacecraft computing needed for future missions, according to a NASA statement. The Air Force seeks two to four companies to perform a year-long evaluation of advanced space-based applications that would use spaceflight processors for the 2020-2030 timeframe. NASA and the AFRL anticipate awarding a cost-reimbursable contract worth about $2 million to be shared by the selected companies during a period of one year. Potential applications could include ideas for real-time segmented mirror control for large space-based telescopes and on-board real-time analysis of multi-megapixel-level hyperspectral image data.
P&W F117. Pratt & Whitney completes production install F117 engine deliveries for the Air Force, according to a company statement. The engines were recently shipped to Triumph Aerostructures in Dallas for nacelle installation and will now ship to Boeing’s final C-17 assembly facility in Long Beach, Calif., to be installed in the 223rd Air Force C-17, completing the program of record. Pratt & Whitney will continue delivering spare F117 engines to the Air Force and production install engines to international customers, including India’s order for 10 C-17s. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp.
P&W Offset. Pratt & Whitney completes a successful offset requirement to support Canada’s Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy, cooperating closely with Industry Canada to meet its commitments two years ahead of schedule, according to a company statement. The offset program is related to the company’s 2007 sale of 18 F117 engines for Canada’s C-17 airlift transport. As part of the offset program, Pratt & Whitney supported Pratt & Whitney Canada in establishing a new flight facility for flight test at Mirabel Airport in Quebec, construction of which was completed in 2011.
P&W Singapore. Singapore awards Pratt & Whitney a contract for the purchase of seven advanced F100-PW-229 EEP engines to power the Royal Singapore Air Force’s fleet of F-16s, according to a company statement. The RSAF will receive deliveries in 2013 and 2014.
Antares Launch. Liftoff for the test flight of Orbital Sciences’ Antares medium class rocket is still scheduled for Wednesday at NASA’s Wallops Island, Va., flight facility, according to an Orbital statement. Liftoff time is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT. The Antares test flight is the first of two missions Orbital is scheduled to conduct in 2013 under its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Space Act Agreement with NASA. Following a successful test launch, Orbital will carry out a full flight demonstration of Antares and its Cygnus cargo delivery system to the International Space Station (ISS) around mid-2013.
GPS III dPDR. Lockheed Martin successfully completes a Delta Preliminary Design Review (dPDR) for the next Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite spacecraft, according to a company statement. The successful dPDR addresses design modifications that will provide new capabilities, including the addition of a search and rescue satellite payload and a Laser Retroflector Array (LRA) for GPS III-9 and beyond. An innovative new waveform generator permits the addition of new navigation signals after launch to upgrade the constellation without the need to launch new satellites. The GPS III program will replace aging GPS satellites while improving the capability to meet the evolving demands of military, commercial and civilian users.
FAB-T Delivery. Boeing delivers the first two Family of Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T) engineering development models to the Air Force, according to a company statement. Able to perform nearly all FAB-T production terminal mission functions, the models will be tested through June under realistic operational conditions aboard aircraft at Hanscom AFB, Mass. Boeing Vice President and FAB-T Program Manager Paul Geery says in a statement these models will allow the Air Force to test how actual terminals will perform in their deployed configurations and that FAB-T can perform effectively even in the extreme vibration and harsh temperatures found on airborne platforms. FAB-T will provide Extremely High Frequency (EHF) voice and data military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) for nuclear and conventional forces as well as airborne and ground command posts. The Air Force requested $73 million in President Obama’s budget request for further fiscal year 2014 FAB-T development.
Ball WorldView-3. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. begins integration for WorldView-3, the next-generation commercial remote sensing satellite being built for DigitalGlobe, according to a Ball Aerospace statement. WorldView-3, the third satellite in a series to employ the Ball Commercial Platform (BCP) 5000, is scheduled for launch in mid-2014. Currently, the integration of the control moment gyroscopes (CMG) and the propulsion module is underway in anticipation of the ITT Exelis imaging sensor delivery in mid-2013. Following successful sensor integration and checkout, environmental testing of the completed satellite is scheduled to begin in the fall. WorldView-3 will provide high-resolution earth imagery solutions.
JSOW. Raytheon successfully demonstrates a new integrated fuel system for the company’s extended range version of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW ER), according to a company statement. During the test, a new production representative tactical fuel tank and fuel delivery system were integrated with the TJ150 turbojet engine on a modified JSOW C-1 air vehicle. The functional ground test verified the end-to-end operations of a powered JSOW with the new tactical fuel system, which confirmed the weapon can extend its current range by four times, to more than 250 nautical miles. JSOW is a family of air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seekers.
Boeing Phantom Phoenix. Boeing is developing a family of small satellite prototypes called Phantom Phoenix that can quickly be manufactured and configured for specific missions, according to a company statement. The prototypes have three configurations: Phantom Phoenix, a 500 to 1,000 kg mid-class designed for single and dual launch; Phantom Phoenix ESPA, a 180 kg ESPA class that attaches to a common interstage adapter, allowing for the launch of more than one satellite at a time; and Phantom Phoenix Nano, a 4 to 10 kg nanosatellite good for science and weather missions. The Phantom Phoenix line will be designed for all major launch vehicles.
Global Hawk. Northrop Grumman receives an undefinitized contract award from the Air Force valued at more than $71 million for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to a company statement. The contract is an add-on to a previous Lot 10 contract for block load and production acceptance infrastructure. The contract includes support for program management, engineering and flight operations necessary to complete Lot 10 aircraft and sensor deliveries. This will include two Block 30 systems (air vehicles with enhanced integrated sensor suite and Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload, or ASIP, sensors), two Block 40 system (air vehicles with Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program, or MP-RTIP, sensors) and three ASIP retrofits (sensors installed and flight tested in aircraft purchased in previous lots). Lot 10 deliveries are scheduled for completion by end of 2014.
Marshall Medal To Gates. Former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Robert Gates is chosen to receive the 2013 George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of the United States Army. The annual award is presented to an individual who has exhibited selfless service to the United States of America, and is to recognize his contributions to the United States as a cabinet member, educator, presidential adviser and a strong supporter of national defense and the men and women of the armed forces and their families. Gates, currently chancellor of the College of William and Mary, will receive the medal Oct 23 at the end of the AUSA annual meeting.
Javelin Production Continues. The Raytheon-Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture will keep the advanced anti-tank weapon system-medium in full rate production in fiscal year 2014, according to the Army’s fiscal year 2014 budget request. The service requests $110.5 million for 449 missiles, and another $5 million for research, development, test and evaluation. Primarily used against armored vehicles, it can also be used against buildings and bunkers. In FY ’13, the Army requested $86.1 million for 400 missiles.