Osprey Test
Program Continues; Bell-Boeing Receives $1.5 Billion Add-On
By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor
Bell-Boeing, builder of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor multimission aircraft--now
in its fourth month of flight testing under a restructured 18-month test
program--has been awarded a $1.5 billion Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
contract modification toward production of the revolutionary aircraft.
The contract modification will further work on nine fiscal year 2001
and nine FY 2002 Marine Corps MV-22B low-rate initial production (LRIP)
aircraft, as well as two FY 2002 Air Force CV-22B production-representative
test vehicle aircraft; the contract includes funds for tooling and other
support for both variants. Work is expected to be completed by September
2004 for the MV-22Bs and by October 2005 for the CV-22Bs.
Bell-Boeing has received two other NAVAIR contract modifications for
support of the V-22 program. The team was awarded $32.3 million toward
the reconfiguration of four LRIP MV-22Bs to a safe return-to-flight configuration
in support of the flight test program. The funds will be used to take
the aircraft out of preservation status and to incorporate software upgrades,
anti-icing instrument modifications, hydraulic line clearance re-
designs, and specification-compliant fuel cells. The third contract modification
provides $65.9 million for the "definitization" of an FY 2000
LRIP MV-22B to a final production configuration by July 2005.
Osprey No. 10, the first EMD (engineering and manufacturing development)
MV-22B aircraft to return to flight, has continued test flights at Naval
Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Osprey No. 8--also an EMD MV-22B--is scheduled
to return to flight this month, as is No. 9, now a CV-22B EMD aircraft
scheduled to fly at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
No. 10 has achieved nearly the full range of flight, including sustained
hovering with numerous rearward and sideward flights to check the aircraft's
maneuverability in helicopter mode, Bell-Boeing officials said. The MV-22B
also has made numerous full conversions to and from the helicopter mode
and has achieved level flight at speeds in excess of 250 knots.
"We could not be more pleased with the aircraft we now have and
with the success of the flight test program," said Col. Dan Schultz,
the Department of Defense V-22 program manager.
Lockheed Martin JSF Shape Finalized With Improvements
The external design of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) being designed
by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has been finalized by the company
and is "nearly indistinguishable" from the design of the X-35
concept demonstrator, company officials announced.
Engineers from Lockheed and its principal partners, Northrop Grumman
and BAE Systems, have made several design changes including:
* Extending the forward fuselage by five inches to better accommodate
avionics and sensors;
* Moving the horizontal stabilizer two inches rearward to maintain stability
and control with the extended forward fuselage;
* Raising the top surface of the fuselage by one inch along the centerline,
increasing the fuel capacity of the aircraft by 300 pounds;
* Adding slightly more twist to the wing camber on the carrier-based
version to improve handling qualities and transonic performance; and
* Slightly adjusting the positions of the vertical stabilizers to improve
performance.
"When you look at this final design and compare it to the one we
flew, it's clear that the two aircraft are essentially identical, save
for fine tuning," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president and
JSF program manager for Lockheed Martin. "That means the outstanding
performance of our X-35 JSF concept-demonstration aircraft can also be
expected of our production model."
The JSF program's next milestone, Preliminary Design Review, is scheduled
for March 2003.
In a related development, BAE Systems has delivered its first hardware
for the JSF program's SDD (System Development and Demonstration) phase
to Lockheed Martin. The Vehicle Management Computer (VMC) development
processor will be used for software development for the VMC, which performs
vehicle systems control computing functions and interfaces with a high-speed
serial network.
NGIS Plans Funding of Global Hawk Demonstrator
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems (NGIS) has announced plans to fund
and build an advanced technology demonstrator version of its RQ-4A Global
Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The demonstrator will be used to prototype and evaluate "innovative
new system capabilities and employment concepts, including advanced payloads
... [and] communication and exploitation architectures, which will have
the capability to generate high-leverage warfighting effects," said
Scott J. Seymour, corporate vice president and president of NGIS. The
company expects to complete the aircraft in 2004.
In a related development, NGIS has completed preliminary compatibility
testing of the electronic intelligence (ELINT) payload developed by EADS
Systems and Defence Electronics for the Global Hawk. The payload will
be integrated on a Global Hawk for a series of test flights for the German
Ministry of Defense this fall at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and next
year in northern Germany.
NGIS and EADS are cooperating on the Euro Hawk concept, a standoff surveillance
system based on the Global Hawk and tailored to NATO and other European
customers. Euro Hawk is a potential replacement for the Breguet Atlantique
signals intelligence aircraft operated by the German Navy.
The Global Hawk has been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
and has flown surveillance missions over Afghanistan. Two have crashed
in the region, the most recent being ACTD (Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstration) Global Hawk No. 4, lost in Pakistan on 10 July. An earlier
RQ-4A crash, on 30 December 2001, is believed to have been the result
of structural failure caused by an improperly installed bolt.
Only one of the original five ACTD Global Hawks, No. 1, remains in service.
Deliveries of production versions already have begun.
Defense Industry Notes
* The National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO)--another division
of General Dynamics--has been awarded a $290 million Naval Sea Systems
Command contract to build the third of 12 planned Lewis and Clark-class
dry cargo/ammunition ships (T-AKEs). NASSCO has begun functional design
work on the first two ships of the new class, the Lewis and Clark and
the Sacagawea, under a $709 million contract awarded in October 2001.
The 689-foot-long T-AKEs--the first modern Navy ships powered by an integrated
electric drive propulsion system--will be able to carry almost 7,000 tons
of dry cargo and 23,500 barrels of marine diesel fuel.
* The Bath Iron Works division of General Dynamics has been awarded a
$464.4 million Naval Sea Systems Command contract to build the next Arleigh
Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer, DDG 102. The new DDG--which
will be equipped with the SPY-1D(V) radar optimized for littoral operations;
the Cooperative Engagement Capability; Naval Surface Fire Support; and
the Extended-Range Guided Munition--is scheduled for delivery in April
2007.
* Maersk Line Ltd. has been awarded a $219.7 million Military Sealift
Command contract to operate and maintain eight large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off
ships (LMSRs). The eight sealift ships (T-AKRs)--USNSs Watson, Watkins,
Red Cloud, Sisler, Soderman, Charlton, Dahl, and Pomeroy--are prepositioned
at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and maintained in an advanced state
of readiness to expedite the transport of Army equipment and supplies
to crisis areas in the littorals of the Indian Ocean.
* The Aegis Weapon System--built by Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics
& Surveillance Systems--has successfully guided a RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved
SeaSparrow Missile) to intercept a target. The ESSM was launched from
the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup, which
was operating in the Pacific test range off southern California.
* Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has delivered the sixth of seven Bob
Hope-class sealift ships to the Military Sealift Command (MSC). The 950-foot-long
USNS Brittin (T-AKR 305)--built by the company's Avondale Operations in
New Orleans, La.--will layberth in Norfolk, Va.
* The Raytheon Company has been awarded a $117.7 million Naval Sea Systems
Command contract for the production of Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) rounds
and associated components and spares. The contract calls for the production
of SM-2 Block IIIB all-up rounds and kits to upgrade SM-2 Block II/III
rounds to a Block IIIB capability. The Block III upgrade provides improved
capability against low-altitude targets; the Block IIIB upgrade adds an
infrared guidance mode capability. The contract also calls for the production
of SM-2 Block IIA missiles for foreign sales.
* Northrop Grumman Ship Systems has been awarded a $171 million Naval
Sea Systems Command contract for long-lead-time materials for the construction
of the fifth San Antonio-class landing platform dock ship, LPD 21. The
first ship, San Antonio, is nearly 50 percent complete; the keel of the
second ship, New Orleans, is scheduled to be laid in October 2002.
* The second ICAP III (Increased Capability III) prototype of the EA-6B
electronic attack aircraft has been delivered by Northrop Grumman to the
Naval Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The
June delivery will enable the Navy to increase the tempo of the aircraft's
flight-test program, company officials said.
* EDO Reconnaissance and Surveillance Systems Inc. has completed the
acquisition of the assets of Condor Systems Inc. at a cost of approximately
$61.9 million. Condor has supplied sensor systems for Navy P-3 and EP-3
aircraft and for Los Angeles- and Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack
submarines.
* The ATFLIR (Advanced Tactical Forward-Looking Infrared) System--built
by Raytheon and deployed with the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons--has
been used to provide targeting for a GBU-24 bomb launched from an F/A-18C
Hornet at a range at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif.
During the 11 June test, Navy officials said, the ATFLIR guided the bomb
to impact "exactly on the aim point, exactly on the spot, exactly
on the target, with high-order detonation."
* Rockwell Collins has delivered to the Navy the first engineering development
models of the company's RT-1851 radios. The RT-1851--the latest of the
ARC-210 family of radios--uses Bandwidth-Efficient Advance Modulation
(BEAM) technology to provide data transfer rates up to five times faster
than current rates over UHF satellite links or line-of-sight modes.
* The ALE-55 Fiber-Optic Towed Device (FOTD)--built by BAE Systems--has
been successfully tested on an Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber, company officials
said. The ALE-55 is an integral component of the joint Navy/Air Force
Integrated Defensive Countermeasures (IDECM) Radio Frequency Countermeasures
(RFCM) system now under development for a number of aircraft, including
the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter. *
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