September 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Should the Air Force spend even more on missile warning satellites?

By: Nathan Strout

Senate appropriators have a message for the Air Force: Make early warning missile satellites a priority.

The Senate Appropriations Committee expressed concern over the Air Force's plan for funding the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system in a report on their annual defense spending bill. While the Pentagon requested $1.4 billion for the program in fiscal year 2020, the Senate spending committee noted that the request was $630 million short of what the program needs. With such a gap, senators questioned whether OPIR was a priority for the Air Force.

OPIR is the next-generation early warning missile defense satellite system that will ultimately replace the Space Based Infrared System. The Pentagon has contracts with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to build three satellites in geosynchronous orbit and two covering the polar regions, respectively.

In order to close the funding gap, the Air Force has made a number of reprogramming requests. But according to Senate appropriators, that's not a responsible path forward.

“If the program is to have any chance of success, the department cannot continue to rely on reprogramming requests for its funding,” the committee's report read.

Instead, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a far larger budget of $1.9 billion for OPIR. While that is still less than the program need, it represents an increase of $535.5 million. Those funds are in addition to reprogramming requests that could meet the more than $2 billion program need.

Lockheed Martin representatives told reporters at the annual Air Force Association conference Sept. 17 that the requested increase in fiscal year 2020 funding doesn't represent a growth in costs for the program, but is the result of the rapid acquisition approach to the OPIR program.

“This shouldn't be perceived as cost growth,”said Kay Sears, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager for military space. “But it is an accelerated schedule, so it comes with an accelerated budget.”

“Next Gen is an absolutely critical capability. We've been asked to deliver that capability in a ‘go fast' environment by 2025 and we are planning to do that. That comes with a funding profile that is a little bit different than a traditional defense program,” she added.

Part of that go fast approach, which Sears says results in higher up front costs, includes a payload competition between a Northrop Grumman/Ball team and a Raytheon team.

“There's a lot of spending that can happen at all of those companies at the same time,” explained Sears. “That is what is driving the funding profile ― it's the payload development and the fact that (...) we have two payload developers and two capabilities that we're going to have to choose from in that critical mission area.”

Senate appropriators noted in their report that OPIR is breaking ground for how to provide rapid prototypes for programs in the future and needs to be fully funded as an example.

“The Committee believes the program will be an exemplar for rapid acquisition of space programs, whether the program succeeds or fails,” read the report. “Failure will have implications for Congress's willingness to fund future programs using the National Defense Authorization Act section 804 rapid prototyping and fielding authorities for similarly large, or even middle tier programs, for years to come.”

OPIR has been a point of contention between the House and Senate as they work through the two annual defense bills. Earlier in the summer the House balked at the massive increase in what the Pentagon wanted for OPIR in fiscal year 2020. While the $1.4 billion Pentagon request is $630 million below what the program needs, it's $459 million above what the Pentagon projected it would need for the program in fiscal year 2020 in the previous years' budget.

The House Armed Services Committee ultimately authorized just $1 billion for the program in their National Defense Authorization Act citing unexplained growth, prompting a letter from the White House arguing that a failure to fund the Pentagon's full budget request now would lead to delays and higher costs over time.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2019/09/17/should-the-air-force-spend-even-more-missile-warning-satellites/

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October 29, 2018 | International, Aerospace

US Air Force explores space-based cargo operations, confirms talks with SpaceX
By: Jeff Martin GRAPEVINE, Texas — The U.S. Air Force is exploring the logistics of space-based cargo operations under the purview of Air Mobility Command, even as the impact of a new Space Force on the mobility community remains to be seen. “I don't know how it will affect mobility, but most of you know space affects mobility every day,” Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday at the 2018 Airlift/Tanker Symposium outside Dallas, Texas. “Whatever the Space Force is or does, it has to protect our national interest in space,” he said, adding that GPS is critical to the air mobility community. As for what space cargo operations could look like, the previous head of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Carlton Everhart, espoused the possibility of moving cargo using rocketsduring a Defense Writers Group breakfast in August. “Think about this. Thirty minutes, 150 metric tons [and] less than the cost of a C-5,” he said at the time. Apart from cargo operations, such a focuses space presence could help with pre-positioning equipment and supplies in orbit, ready to be dropped to Earth. But in a roundtable with reporters Friday, the new commander of AMC, Gen. Maryanne Miller, said while the command continues to study the possibility, space cargo operations remain at the conceptual stage. “We're continuing, our [planning] community is going to continue to have discussions with the space companies, and we have agreed to just sit with them and just stay up to date with where they're going with their future plans, to just be at the table with them” she said. “We won't commit any resources, but we've committed to work with them to see how quickly they progress through that." One potential would be SpaceX's next-generation reusable BFR rocket, currently under development. During the roundtable, Miller confirmed that the Air Force had spoken to SpaceX about the idea. “They have talked about moving cargo in space, and we've sat down with SpaceX and had that discussion. But it's really just discussion at this point," she said. “Our connection with space is really just going to be at the table with them, to look at how much progress they're making.” As for what type of cargo could possibly be moved, that's still being discussed. But in August, Everhart said he'd be willing to stick “anything” in space. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/airlift-tanker-annual/2018/10/26/us-air-force-explores-space-based-cargo-operations-confirms-talks-with-spacex
April 24, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Pentagon seeks reauthorization, expansion of small business funding
The Pentagon is pursuing the reauthorization and expansion for programs meant to boost small business participation in defense research, set to expire Sept. 30.
February 21, 2020 | International, C4ISR, Security

Lockheed Martin and Guardtime Federal Join Forces to Thwart Software Cyber Threats
Forth Worth, Texas, February 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Guardtime Federal are working together to mitigate cyber threats across Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' software supply chain by integrating immutable digital integrity into architecture supporting research, design, development, manufacturing, integration and sustainment of its advanced products and services. Through the long-term agreement, the team envisions integrating the aerospace community's first mathematically verifiable end-to-end integrity check from the external software supply chain, through the development process and all the way to verification on delivered military systems. This digital transformation initiative will mitigate cyber threats across the software supply chain using KSI® blockchain signatures. "Lockheed Martin is committed to continuous Agile development of secure software," said Ron Bessire, vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "This collaboration with Guardtime Federal assures the highest level of digital security and enhances the integrity of our aircraft, further enabling pilots to achieve mission success in hostile cyber environments." Beyond the software development supply chain, the agreement also enables KSI® integration into the architecture of large-scale digitally directed manufacturing equipment to deter and detect any unauthorized residuals from third party routine maintenance actions. The desired end state is an advanced high integrity aerospace digital supply chain. "Whether the operation is land, sea, air, space, or cyber space, the control flow of digital data and processes is key to mission success," said David Hamilton, president of Guardtime Federal. "Our collaboration with Lockheed Martin is delivering a mathematically provable process for data integrity to the customer to assure that the software envisioned, developed, tested and certified is what makes it onto the platform every time." About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. For more information, visit lockheedmartin.com. About Guardtime Federal Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, Guardtime Federal is a U.S. chartered business that delivers mathematically verifiable data integrity for defense and aerospace. Guardtime Federal integrates Guardtime KSI® industrial blockchain technology with U.S.-developed high-end tamper resistant hardware for data and process integrity with digital provenance for cross boundary, embedded, and private networked environments to protect design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. CONTACT: Alyssa Campbell, +1 817-655-8118; alyssa.k.campbell@lmco.com SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics View source version on PR NewsWire: https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2020-02-20-Lockheed-Martin-and-Guardtime-Federal-Join-Forces-to-Thwart-Software-Cyber-Threats

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Should the Air Force spend even more on missile warning satellites?

On the same subject

Pentagon seeks reauthorization, expansion of small business funding The Pentagon is pursuing the reauthorization and expansion for programs meant to boost small business participation in defense research, set to expire Sept. 30.

Pentagon seeks reauthorization, expansion of small business funding
The Pentagon is pursuing the reauthorization and expansion for programs meant to boost small business participation in defense research, set to expire Sept. 30.