Hard.Copy - 05 September 1997
ARTICLE CITATIONS GATHERED FROM COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS.Hughes Demonstrates Ovalized AMRAAM Motor. Aerospace Daily, Sep 02, 1997, p 328 Hughes Aircraft, along with Raufoss Technology and Alliant Tech systems, has demonstrated an ovalized rocket motor for the AMRAAM which could boost the performance in air-to-air and air-to-ground modes. Air Force Assesses High Energy Laser Options For SBL Program. Aerospace Daily, Sep 02, 1997, p 326 The AF intends to use an Alpha hydrogen laser for the SBL development program, but has not ruled out other high energy laser options. USAF, In New Program, Would Jam Tracking Radar, Not Missile. Aerospace Daily, Sep 03, 1997, p 338 The USAF plans to invest about $1.5m in a program to counter some enemy surface-to-air missile threats by jamming the tracking radar rather than the missile. US Navy Wants To Pursue New Tactical Tomahawk. Aerospace Daily, Sep 03, 1997, p 334 The Navy is asking Congress to approve a plan to develop and build a new tactical Tomahawk cruise missile that will replace the Tomahawk Block IV program. Tactical Tomahawk Would Be Able To Loiter Over Target Area. Aerospace Daily, Sep 04, 1997, p 346 The Tactical Tomahawk that the Navy would like to pursue would feature in-flight retargeting which would allow the missile to loiter over a target for up to two hours before committing to an attack. Air Launched Targets Sought For TMD Tests. Aerospace Daily, Sep 02, 1997, p 332 The AF Space and Missile Systems Center's launch test program has released a RFP for the Long Range Air Launched Target (LRALT) program. The LRALT program will provide air-launched ballistic boosters to support TMD. Darkstar Flight Testing To Resume In December. Aerospace Daily, Sep 02, 1997, p 331 The Darkstar low-observable high altitude endurance UAV is expected to resume its flight test program in December. NMD Sensor Test Successful. Arms Control Today, Jun 01, 1997, p 28 After several aborted tests and other delays, BMDO conducted the first flight test of an exoatmospheric kill vehicle sensor for NMD. The test's objective was to assess the ability of the sensor to track and identify objects in outer space. Chronology Of US-Soviet-CIS Nuclear Relations. Arms Control Today, Jun 01, 1997, pp 29-30 This article is a chronology of key developments in nuclear relations between the US and the former Soviet Union since 1994. Indian, Pakistani Missile Activities Accelerate As Bilateral Talks Continue. Arms Control Today, Howard Diamond, Jun 01, 1997, p 24 India recently moved a number of its Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles near its border with Pakistan and started a new round of missile related activities. Space Warfare Center Aims To Be 'Nellis of Space'. Aviation Week & Space Technology, William B. Scott, Sep 01, 1997, pp 49-51 During the last two years, the SWC has assumed a diverse set of missions, but now parallels the activities of other military warfare centers. Specifically, its leaders have been charged with developing SWC into the "Nellis of Space" by doing what is necessary to integrate air and space operations. That means developing space tactics, crew manuals and training courses for USAF personnel who use space derived information to enhance combat mission effectiveness, as articulated in Multi Command Manual MCM 3-1. USAF Space Battlelab Assessing New Concepts. Aviation Week & Space Technology, William B. Scott, Sep 01, 1997, pp 51-52 The Air Force Space Battlelab will focus on innovative space operations and logistics concepts, quantify their potential for helping the Air Force fulfill its "core competencies," then test the concept in operational situations. This evaluation phase will rely on modeling and simulation, as well as field-level prototyping and trials. Battlelab's homepage: www.fafb.af.mil/swc/battlelab. Washington Outlook: Modern Missiles. Aviation Week & Space Technology. James R. Asker, Sep 01, 1997, p 21 Russia's new single warhead SS-27 ICBM (Topol-M) is ready to enter production and scheduled for deployment by the end of the year, according to the Arms Control Assn. The US-based, private research outfit says the mobile and silo-based SS-27 made its fourth flight test in early July. An upgrade of the SS-25, the SS-27 would become the centerpiece of Russia's ICBM nuclear arsenal, replacing the 10 warhead SS-18s that would be eliminated under the START 2 treaty. 'Milspace' Maturing Into Warfighter Roles. Aviation Week & Space Technology, William B. Scott, Sep 01, 1997, pp 46-48 "There was a time when, if you said 'space weapons,' you were so politically incorrect you were forever condemned," said GEN Howell M. Estes, 3rd, today's commander-in-chief of US Space Command. "But now, people talk about it...and it's accepted that we should be pursuing enabling technologies so we're better prepared [if] and when the threat materializes." Technology and cost reductions that enable operations such as "launch on demand" is being explored by the Pentagon's Space Architect----are central to the idea of space weapons being deployed. News Breaks: The Ballistic Missile Defense. Aviation Week & Space Technology, Sep 01, 1997, p 19 The BMDO has delayed the fifth test of the THAAD anti-missile system from December to an unspecified date in early 1998. The delay was ordered to replace an inertial measurement unit that was giving abnormal readings. Australia, US Eye Future TMD Links. Defense New, George Ferguson, Sep 02, 1997, pp 1, 26 US and Australian scientists will test the ability of the Jindalee radar to detect missile launches. These tests could eventually lead to a larger joint project to link Australian sensors to US satellites and missile detection networks. Nuclear Industry Fusion? ICBM Contract May Narrow Field Of Rocket Firms. Defense News, Jeff Erlich, Sep 02, 1997, pp 1, 27 Although the US no longer makes ICBMs, six major companies continue to maintain the 500 Minuteman II and 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs. A consolidation of these separate efforts to a prime contractor would be worth about $800m a year. This work would include general maintenance, engine and guidance system replacement, and system integration. The field for this contract has narrowed to two major companies TRW Inc. and Alliant Techsystems Inc. and the winner would maintain all the ICBMs and possibly even retire the Peacekeepers if Russia's parliament agrees to the START II. Israel's Arrow Missile Fails To Intercept Target In Third Test. Inside Missile Defense, Daniel G. Dupont & John Liang, Aug 27, 1997, p 31 After two successful intercept attempts, the Arrow 2 test program had a setback recently when an August 20 test went awry. The Arrow 2, a smaller version of the earlier Arrow 1 missile, is intended for Israel's NMD program Lead System Integrator Request For Proposals Requires Two Booster Options. Inside Missile Defense, John Liang, Aug 27, 1997, pp 1, 22 The recently released final version of the National Missile Defense lead systems integrator (LSI) request for proposals specifies that competitors offer two possible booster alternatives--one using the air Force's Minuteman rocket and the other a commercial booster. The language in the RFP leaves open the question as to whether the BMDO may require the two companies competing for the NMD LSI contract to factor in the original acquisition costs of Minuteman ICBM boosters that have been converted to serve as interceptors. This article contains a copy of the NMD RFP. BMDO May Count Minuteman Acqu;isition Cost In NMD Competition. Inside Missile Defense, Elaine M. Grossman, Aug 27, 1997, pp 27-28 BMDO has signaled it may take into account the original costs of Minuteman ICBM boosters "recycled" into propulsion systems for NMD interceptors, when the ICBM parts are included in a design competing against boosters that would be newly built to power NMD interceptors, according to defense officials. The move could portend a serious setback for the Air Force, which has long held that the ICBM boosters could save DoD considerable funds. The Army has resisted using the Minutemans, preferring instead to invest in a commercial booster. Former SecDef Rumsfeld To Chair Commission To Assess Missile Threats. Inside Missile Defense, Daniel G. Dupont, Aug 27, 1997, pp 1, 20 CIA Director George Tenet has appointed former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld to chair a congressionally mandated commission that will study the ballistic missile threat to the United States. Tenet named Rumsfeld and eight other members to the commission created by the 1997 Defense Authorization Act. USAF Looks Favorably On Canceled Rivet Joint Technology Transfer. Inside Missile Defense, Gigi Whitley, Aug 27, 1997, pp 13-14 The promise of congressional funding has resuscitated the Air Force's plan to pursue equipping Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft with the Theater Airborne Warning system--an effort DoD officials canceled earlier this year. Known as the Rivet Joint Technology Transfer, the project would migrate an improved medium-wave infrared array sensor from Cobra Ball to Rivet Joint and fuse the MIRA sensor with data from the space-based Defense Support Program. Second Draft Of Air And Missile Defense Plan To Be Ready By October. Inside Missile Defense, John Liang, Aug 27, 1997, pp 3-4 The second draft of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Master Plan is due to be completed by October. As the nascent JTAMDO works with US Atlantic Command officials and other commanders-in-chief to define joint requirements for theater air and missile defense, system interoperability is turning out to be a "critical part" of TMAD, according to a senior Joint Staff official. BMDO Releases Proposal Request For Long Range Air Launch Target. Inside Missile Defense, John Liang, Aug 27, 1997, pp 5-6 In August, BMDO released a request for proposals to build a Long Range Air Launch Target to test upper tier theater missile defense systems. The launch vehicle is supposed to have a range of 3,500k, according to the system's statement of objectives. A copy of the statement of objectives for the long range air launch target is included in this article. Atlantic Command Plays Key Role In Identifying Missile Defense Needs. Inside the Pentagon, Elaine M. Grossman, Sep 04, 1997, pp 2-3 USACOM is taking the lead in designing the capstone requirements document for an integrated theater defense architecture to protect US forces from ballistic and cruise missile threats. Syria To Make Chemical Bomblets For 'Scud Cs'. Jane's Defence Weekly. Paul Beaver, Sep 03, 1997, p 3 According to BMDO officials, Syria will begin producing chemical bomblets for Scud C ballistic missiles "within months" at a chemical agent production line set up near Damascus. The Syrian chemical production plant, although not publicly identified, is co-located with the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche Scientifique (CERS), according to Israeli intelligence. The bomblets can be loaded as cargo into the 884mm warhead compartment of the missile to create a cluster warhead.
