The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Stratton Fixed, Who Pays. Now that the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter Stratton is operational again, the Coast Guard is determining whether it will pursue a warranty claim against shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. A Coast Guard spokesman tells Defense Daily that the total cost of the unplanned dry dock and associated growth work for Stratton was $950,485, which was borne by the service. The spokesman says any warranty claims “would likely be complicated by the fact that that there are multiple contributing factors so no single entity is responsible for them.” Stratton’s problems with a leaky hull due to welding issues were discovered last April, with final fixes in place this past March, although the service says only 21 operational days were lost. HII performed welding inside Stratton’s hull below the waterline but didn’t use a cofferdam or any other protective measures, which resulted in damage to the hull coating system, the spokesman says. However, the cutter crew was not properly trained in the use of the cathodic protection system so they were unable to properly troubleshoot errors and also were unaware of certain procedures necessary for normal operation of the system, he says.
Expanding ADG Team. The middle market investment banking firm The McLean Group is expanding its aerospace, defense and government (ADG) services team with the addition of two new directors, Greg Woodford, senior managing director, and Greg Nossaman, managing director. Both will support the bank’s national government contracting practice out of Northern Virginia. The two come to The McLean Group from BB&T Capital Markets, where thy advised ADG clients on a range of strategic alternatives including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, management buyouts and capital formation. “We believe that despite the headwinds in the government contracting industry, this is an opportunity to invest in people, expertise and experience so that we can continue to build our firm’s commitment to client services and excellence,” says Dennis Roberts, the bank’s chairman.
MLP Acceptance. The first of the Navy’s Mobile Landing Platforms, the USNS Monford Point, has completed acceptance trials and is expected to deliver to the Navy later this spring, Naval Sea Systems Command says. The trials took place Apr. 19 in San Diego, where it was built by General Dynamics-NASSC0. The MLPs are designed to be flexible platforms for large scale logistics operations to lessen the Navy need for using foreign ports. The trials evaluated the ship’s major systems and equipment to include a full power run, ballasting, and demonstrations of the ship’s control, navigation, and communication systems. “MLP-1 performed extremely well during these trials with no major issues or deficiencies identified. This is an unprecedented result for a first-of-class ship and is a testament to the dedication, preparation and effort of the entire Navy-Industry shipbuilding team,” says Capt. Henry Stevens, PEO Ships’ program manager for Strategic and Theater Sealift.
Fixing Porter. Naval Sea Systems Command last week awarded the contract for repairing the damage incurred on the USS Porter (DDG-78), an Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer, in a collision last year while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The $49.4 million contract was awarded to a BAE Systems yard in Norfolk, Va., and also includes work for maintenance and modernization of the guided missile destroyer. The ship collided with a Japanese oil tanker on Aug. 12, 2012. The Porter underwent repairs in Dubai to ensure it could return home. It is scheduled to return to the fleet in April 2014 and eventually will deploy to Rota, Spain, as part of the Obama administration’s plans for European missile defense, NAVSEA says.
F-35 Code. The auto industry uses four times the amount of code in a modern car than the Defense Department uses in the F-35, a key Air Force scientist tells a Senate subcommittee April 18. Deputy Assistant Air Force Secretary for Science, Technology and Engineering David Walker testifies to the Senate Armed Services emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee that not only does a modern car have more code than an F-35, but the auto industry is able to do it faster because it learned how to use loosely coupled software and systems as opposed to DoD’s approach, which he says has been to use highly integrated systems. F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office Program Executive Officer Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan says in March there are 10 million lines of software code on the F-35. “Software is a dangerous business, no matter what field you’re in, and it’s especially tricky when you’re fielding a fifth-generation airplane,” Bodgan said in March.
GPS IIF-4 Launch. The Air Force sets May 15 for the launch of the fourth GPS IIF satellite. The Air Force will use one of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Delta V rockets to lift the precision, navigation and timing (PNT) satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The Air Force successfully launched GPS IIF-3 in October. GPS IIF-4 arrived at Cape Canaveral Feb. 26, according to prime contractor Boeing. GPS IIF-4 continues the Air Force’s effort to sustain and modernize the GPS constellation and ensure it provides precise PNT services to users around the globe.
KC-135 Crash. A legacy KC-135 aerial refueling tanker crashes last Friday in northern Kyrgyzstan, according to the Air Force. Three crew members were onboard, their status is unknown as of press time. The crew and aircraft were assigned to the Transit Center at Manas near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Air Force is investigating the incident. Boeing’s KC-135 Stratotanker, in operation since 1957, is used primarily to re-fuel aircraft during flight, but modified KC-135s are also used as flying command posts, for transport, electronic reconnaissance and photo mapping efforts. The next-generation KC-46 aerial refueling tanker will eventually replace the KC-135.
X-51A Flight. A Boeing X-51A WaveRider unmanned hypersonic vehicle achieves its longest flight May 1, flying for three-and-a-half minutes on scramjet power at a top speed of Mach 5.1 or 1,735 miles per second, according to a company statement. An Air Force B-52H from Edwards AFB, Calif., released the X-51A from 50,000 feet above the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range. After releasing the X-51A, a solid rocket booster accelerated the vehicle to about Mach 4.8 before the booster and a connecting interstage were jettisoned. The vehicle reached Mach 5.1 powered by supersonic combustion scramjet engine, which burned all its JP-8 jet fuel. The flight was the fourth X-51A test flight completed for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), exceeding the previous record set by the program in 2010. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a division of United Technologies Corp., also participates on X-51A.
Global Strike Challenge. The Air Force cancels its 2013 Global Strike Challenge competition due to budget shortfalls, according to a service statement. Global Strike Challenge recognizes the best in the bomber, ICBM and security forces communities that are central to Air Force Global Strike Command’s (AFGSC) mission. The goals of Global Strike Challenge are to showcase the world’s premier bomber and ICBM force, foster “esprit de corps” through competition and teamwork, recognize outstanding global strike personnel and teams and improve combat capabilities through competition and community crosswalk. The annual technology and innovation symposium held in conjunction with Global Strike Challenge has also been canceled.
NASA Roscosmos. NASA signs a $424 million modification to its contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) for full crew transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 with return and rescue services extending through June 2017, according to a NASA statement. Since ending the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has relied on Roscosmos for the launch and return of astronauts to and from the ISS. NASA is facilitating development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the ISS and low-Earth orbit (LEO) beginning in 2017.
First F-15SA. Boeing rolls out April 30 the first F-15SA, a variant of the F-15 specifically made for Saudi Arabia, according to a company statement. Flight testing began this year on the F-15SA, which features improved performance and increased survivability at a lower lifecycle cost. The aircraft also has two additional wing stations for increased payload and capability. The Royal Saudi Air Force has operated F-15S fighters since the 1990s.
B-2 Test Stand. NASA is renovating the B-2 test stand at its Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi to test the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage in late 2016 and early 2017, according to an agency statement. The SLS stage, with four RS-25 rocket engines, will be installed on the stand for propellant fill and drain testing with two hot fire tests. NASA’s inaugural flight goal for SLS is 2017. NASA is developing SLS to send humans to places like an asteroid and Mars.
Virgin Galactic SS2. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (SS2) flight vehicle completes its first rocket-powered flight, according to a company statement. The test, conducted by teams from Scaled Composites and Virgin, officially marks Virgin’s entrance into the final phase of vehicle testing before commercial service from Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson in a statement calls the flight the company’s single most important flight to date. Branson says Virgin is shooting for full space flight by year’s end. Scaled Composites built SS2 for Virgin.
Hayden MOAA. Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden becomes the new director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), according to an association statement. Hayden succeeds retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge as both director of MOAA government relations and co-chairman of the Military Coalition (TMC). Hayden will serve as co-chair of TMC with Joseph Barnes, national executive director of the Fleet Reserve Association. Hayden spent his last five years on active duty at the Pentagon as chief of the military personnel policy division, HQ USAF, and as chief, personnel services division, for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Space PNT Meeting. The National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board meets Tuesday and Wednesday at the Melrose Hotel in Washington, according to the federal government’s official Global Positioning System (GPS) webpage. The advisory board provides independent advice to the federal government on GPS-related policy, planning, program management and funding profiles in relation to the current state of national and international satellite navigation services. The advisory board consists of 24 GPS experts from outside government representing industry, academia and foreign organizations. Meetings are generally open to the public.
New ISAF Joint Commander. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Milley takes command of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command from Army Lt. Gen. James Terry. ISAF Commander Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford presided at ceremonies in Kabul, Afghanistan, International Airport headquarters May 2. Terry, commander of V Corps, which inactivates this summer, completes his third tour of Afghanistan since 2006. He’s going to be the next commanding general of Third Army, U.S. Central and Coalition Land Forces Component Command based at Shaw AFB, S.C. Milley previously commanded the Fort Hood, Texas-based U.S. Army III Corps. IJC is responsible for the day-to-day planning and operations of the coalition efforts in Afghanistan. The command is also responsible for forming essential partnerships with the Afghan National Security Forces and supporting improved governance and development to protect the Afghan people and provide a secure environment for sustainable peace.
New Leader. Andrew Tyler will be the new chief executive for Northrop Grumman in the United Kingdom and Europe as of July 1, the company says. Tyler is expected to play a leading role in supporting the company’s current programs, developing strategies for growth and identifying new business opportunities for the company’s activities in the U.K. and Europe, including NATO countries. Tyler previously was CEO of Siemens’ Marine Current Turbines. Before that, he was COO at the U.K. MoD Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S) unit. During five years at MoD, Tyler was director, Land and Maritime in the Defense Procurement Agency, directing a wide portfolio of projects including the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, Type 45 destroyers, armored fighting vehicles, artillery and munitions projects, and the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. When DE&S was formed, he then became director general, Ships, with responsibility for directing the procurement and support of all the Royal Navy’s surface assets.