June 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace
An early version of the Senate's annual defense bill would provide additional funding for space-based sensors capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic weapons, according to a summary released June 11. However, details on the proposal are scant.
Congress has become increasingly concerned over the threat posed by hypersonic weapons under development by China and Russia. Too dim to be reliably picked up by current space-based sensors and able to maneuver around terrestrial sensors, hypersonic weapons make much of the current missile warning system obsolete, as it was designed for ballistic missile threats.
To counter this threat, the Defense Department has proposed a solution: a proliferated constellation of satellites operating in low Earth orbit. Once a hypersonic threat is detected, the constellation tracks it while passing custody from satellite to satellite as the weapon moves around the globe.
This Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, or HBTSS, will be part of the new National Defense Space Architecture, a proliferated constellation that will eventually be made up of hundreds of small satellites operating primarily in low Earth orbit. The Space Development Agency is overseeing this effort and plans to begin placing its first satellites on orbit in fiscal 2022.
The Missile Defense Agency listed HBTSS as an unfunded priority during the prior budget cycle, and ultimately Congress did allocate $108 million to the agency for the program in FY20. Now the Senate Armed Services Committee says it will provide additional funding for the program for FY21, but it has yet to say by how much.
The summary also does not note where the funding for HBTSS will go. Determining which agency would be in charge of HBTSS was a source of friction between the Pentagon and Congress in 2019, with the latter pushing for MDA to take primary responsibility for the effort, while the White House claimed it was too early to put one agency in charge.
Ultimately, legislation passed by Congress in December directed MDA to be the lead agency for the development and deployment of HBTSS. However, the Missile Defense Agency's proposed FY21 budget transfers HBTSS funding responsibility to the Space Development Agency.
At the same time, MDA awarded four $20 million contracts to companies to develop HBTSS prototypes in October. The four companies selected were Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Harris Corporation and Raytheon. The SDA recently issued a request for proposals for wide field of view satellites that references medium field of view satellites which are expected to be launched in 2023. According to SDA Director Derek Tournear, those will be the first space components of MDA's HBTSS.
Still, it's unclear whether Congress will endorse moving HBTSS funding responsibility to SDA in FY21.
When faced with criticism over that move from legislators at a March hearing, MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill assured them that his agency would remain in charge of sensor development for HBTSS, with SDA providing money to MDA for the effort. Hill said the decision to move the funding was made by Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin
SDA is asking for $137 million for space technology development in FY21, which includes funding for space sensor technology. The agency expects to begin placing payloads on orbit in FY22. The budget request does not specifically break out funding for HBTSS.
MDA has also asked for $207 million for hypersonic defense. That funding will help the agency develop a regional glide phase weapon system and maturing technologies for future hypersonic defense architectures. It does not include funding specifically for HBTSS, as that has transitioned to SDA.
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to show that the medium field of view satellites are not part of the SDA's wide field of view solicitation.
November 10, 2024 | International, Aerospace
The agreement was signed by Vice-Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, Head of the Netherlands Command Materiel and IT agency, and Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters during the Euronaval trade show...
July 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval
Leverages Navy investments to bring significant leap in training capabilities to the Air Force sooner Provides a digital foundation for secure cross-service air combat training and joint Live, Virtual, and Constructive-enabled capabilities CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (July 7, 2020) – The U.S. Air Force has joined the U.S. Navy's Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc. II) program, making it a collaborative effort to field a next-generation air combat training solution. Developed and built by Collins Aerospace Systems, TCTS Inc. II is a scalable and flexible Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS)-based open architecture system that enables highly-secure air combat training between US and international aircraft, including advanced 5th generation platforms. Collins Aerospace is a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX). By making it a collaborative effort, the Air Force leverages investments already made by the Navy to deliver a significant leap in training capabilities sooner and at less cost. The Air Force will call this the P6 Combat Training System (P6CTS), which will significantly improve training realism in simulated, highly-contested combat environments and allow pilots to ‘train as they fight'. “This capability can't be overstated. The TCTS Inc. II and P6CTS programs will enable joint tactics, techniques and procedures in a secure environment against a peer adversary threat, unlike anything the services have been able to do in the past. We're excited about the potential," said Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions for Collins Aerospace. P6CTS fills gaps from currently fielded air combat training equipment such as encrypted time, space, position information (TSPI), multi-level security, and mesh networking waveform enabling services to move faster toward next-gen capabilities that will increase mission readiness. This collaboration lays the digital foundation for bringing secure, cross-service air combat and joint Live, Virtual, and Constructive training to the U.S. and its allies in 2022. With an open systems architecture that is conformant with the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) standard, TCTS Inc. II ensures interoperability between platforms, reducing test time and ultimately increasing rapid, affordable deployment of the solution. Collins Aerospace recently announced the completion of the first pre-production TCTS Inc. II training pod, a key component of the solution that provides connectivity to and from the aircraft for data and weapons activity during training exercises. This pre-production maturity will enable early Air Force fielding of P6CTS to all 55 training ranges. About Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace Systems is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and expertise to solve customers' toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. With 2019 net sales of approximately $26 billion, the business has 78,000 employees across more than 300 locations globally. It is one of the four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies. About Raytheon Technologies Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. https://www.collinsaerospace.com/newsroom/News/2020/07/US-Air-Force-joins-Navy-TCTS-II-program-field-next-gen-air-combat-training-Collins
October 21, 2018 | International, Aerospace
BERLIN (Reuters) - La Belgique devrait choisir d'ici la fin du mois quel avion de combat remplacera ses F-16 vieillissants, a appris Reuters de plusieurs sources, et elle devrait, selon des experts du secteur, préférer le F35 de Lockheed Martin au Typhoon d'Eurofighter. L'attribution de ce marché de plusieurs milliards de dollars était attendue en juillet avant le sommet de l'Otan à Bruxelles. Elle a été repoussée en raison des élections communales en Belgique, dimanche dernier, et d'un rapport qui a semé le trouble en suggérant que la durée d'exploitation des F-16 aurait pu être prolongée. Les Etats-Unis, à la demande de Bruxelles, ont prolongé de deux semaines, jusqu'au 31 octobre, les termes de leur offre portant sur 34 chasseurs F-35, ont dit des sources américaines. Un nouveau report, ont-elles ajouté, pourrait entraîner une modification du prix proposé. Harry Breach, analyste chez Raymond James basé à Londres, a estimé que la compétition tournait à l'avantage du F-35, en notant que les pilotes belges sont déjà familiarisés avec les F-16, qui sont aussi construits par Lockheed. Le Typhoon d'Eurofighter serait une option plus onéreuse, a-t-il ajouté. "Pour des raisons de coût, les petits pays ont tendance à choisir un avion à réaction de taille, charge utile et portée plus réduites. Tout cela suggère le choix des F-35." Aucun commentaire n'a pu être obtenu auprès du ministère belge de la Défense mais, selon des sources haut placées, une décision est probable avant la fin du mois. Eurofighter est un consortium constitué du Royaume-Uni, de l'Allemagne, de l'Italie et de l'Espagne. La France, qui dispose du Rafale fabriqué par Dassault Aviation, n'a pas répondu à l'appel d'offres officiel de la Belgique. Selon des sources industrielles, elle serait cependant soucieuse d'éviter que le F-16 gagne du terrain en Europe et aurait proposé à la Belgique une coopération étroite en matière de défense. (Andrea Shalal, Dominique Rodriguez pour le service français, édité par Marc Angrand) https://www.zonebourse.com/LOCKHEED-MARTIN-CORPORATI-13406/actualite/La-Belgique-devrait-choisir-Lockheed-plutot-qu-Eurofighter-27453698/