Archive for the 'U.S. Air Force' Category
Mar 08, 2010, post by awatrobski
Air Force officials informed that they’re prepared for the possibility that only Boeing will bid on the upcoming aerial refueling tanker request.
Officials from the Northrop Grumman-EADS team, the only other possible bidder, have informed they won’t bid without changes to criteria they see as favoring Boeing’s smaller 767-based tanker over their Airbus A330-based offering. Air Force and Pentagon officials have said they don’t plan such changes for the final request, which is set for release as soon as Tuesday.
“We are not walking blindly into a situation where we just have one potential offerer,” Lieutenant General Mark Shackelford, military deputy in charge of acquisition for the Air Force, informed a defense conference hosted by Aviation Week.
If Boeing is the only bidder, the Air Force could avoid overcharging because it would have access to detailed information on which to judge costs, particularly since tankers are derived from commercial aircraft, Shackelford said. “So this is by no means a ’sky is falling’ scenario if we wind up with one offerer.”
Feb 27, 2010, post by awatrobski
The U.S. Air Force’s Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) B8 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), has surpassed its 10-year design life of on-orbit service in providing secure and reliable communications capabilities for the warfighter.
Launched from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 20, 2000, the B8 satellite is one of 14 DSCS III spacecraft designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the MILSATCOM Systems Wing at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.
The satellite is also the first of four DSCS III satellites to feature Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades that enabled a 200-percent increase in communication capacity over original DSCS III spacecraft with its 50-watt Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers.
“The high performance and longevity of the DSCS III constellation is direct testimony to a joint U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin team dedicated to providing the warfighter with secure and reliable satellite communications,” informed Kevin Bilger, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of Global Communications Systems. “The DSCS III constellation has provided the Department of Defense with its core communications capability for over two decades and will continue to make a significant contribution to our national security well into the future.”
The system delivers uninterrupted secure voice and high-data rate communications to Department of Defense users; essential tools in monitoring events and deploying and sustaining forces anywhere in the world. In 2009, the overall DSCS III constellation surpassed 200 years of on-orbit operations, the longest total operational experience of any U.S. military communications satellite constellation.
Lockheed Martin is also progressing on the Department of Defense’s highly secure communications satellite system, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. As the successor to Milstar, AEHF will increase data rates by a factor of five, permitting transmission of more tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. The first AEHF spacecraft has completed final testing and is planned for delivery to the Air Force in second quarter 2010.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, production, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.
Feb 24, 2010, post by awatrobski
Antoinette’s leadership, integrity and focus has enabled him to attract investors and earned him a seat on the board of directors for the New Hampshire High Technology Council, the National Science Foundation’s Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing Industrial Advisory Board, and as a member of U.S. Senate’s Small Business Advisory Council. He also serves on the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a program established in 2001 to coordinate federal nanotechnology research and development. What’s more, Nanocomp Technology won two new Small Business Innovation Research contracts from the U.S. Air Force for aerospace applications.
Antoinette’s outlook on investment is encouraging. He feels we’ve reached an economic plateau and that investor confidence is back. What is more, investors want to invest in New Hampshire, particularly in manufacturing to stop the hemorrhaging and develop a 21st century producing economy region-by-region across America. This means we could see job creation in our state for the well trained manufacturing-types, not just the Ph.Ds.
His advice to entrepreneurs is to “ultimately be persistent.” When investment dollars are tight, research government grants through SIBR and the U.S. Department of Energy. Figure out from the beginning what the vision is for the product, but more importantly, how investors can make money. Also, figure out how your customers can make money with your product to enhance their gross margin, increase sales, and enter new markets. If you are able to find how to serve niche markets with a quality product, then stay focused.
Finally, with true integrity, he encourages entrepreneurs to be respectful of other people’s money and be good stewards. Be rigorous about every dime you spend because “cash is your most precious commodity.” And, it’s all about execution. Now you have all the nuggets you need to spin your idea into gold!
Catherine Blake is president of Sales Protocol International of Durham and media chairwoman of the New Hampshire High Technology Council’s Entrepreneur Forum.
