Good Vibrations

 

Dear Members and Friends, The Missile Defense Agency yesterday released the following statement on the cause of failure of the last Ground Based Intercept test on December 15, 2010, as well as their corrective action.

Lockheed Martin Braces for Federal Cuts While Executing Missile Defense

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. “fully supports” the Pentagon’s recently announced cost-cutting moves, but it will not allow affordability to be defined in ways that sacrifice quality in systems it supplies U.S. warfighters, a panel of executives told reporters Wednesday at the National Press Club.

MDA Eyes UAS Missile-Tracking Potential

The General Atomics Reaper unmanned aerial system (UAS) may eventually go from hunting terrorists to hunting hostile ballistic missiles.

MDA Director Tells Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville the Threats Continue Growing

Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly said part of his message Wednesday to the Space and Missile Defense Conference was, unfortunately, similar to last year’s: the threat of ballistic missile attacks continues to rise.

Missile Defense Agency Small Business Programs Conference in Huntsville July 20-21

The conference is an opportunity to learn from Missile Defense Agency managers about what's happening in the agency, and to network with prime contractors and other businesses, said Lee Rosenberg, director of MDA's Office of Small Business Programs, talking in his office on Redstone Arsenal on July 1, 2011 . (The Huntsville Times/Glenn Baeske)

The Missile Defense Agency is a big organization with an even bigger mission – defending the homeland, our forward-deployed troops and allies against ballistic missile attacks.
But big MDA depends on the power inherent in small business to accomplish its goals, said Lee Rosenberg, director of the Office of Small Business Programs, in the agency’s offices on Redstone Arsenal.

NSPS Transition Office Director John James leaves to become MDA Executive Director

John H. James, Director of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) Transition Office, has been appointed the Executive Director of the Missile Defense Agency.  The appointment was effective May 23, 2011.

U.S. Missile Engineers to Get New Simulation Tool

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to award a $595 million contract in July for the Objective Simulation Framework (OSF), a suite of software that would be used to evaluate elements of the U.S. antimissile system before their deployment. The agency operates two modeling and simulation frameworks: the Digital Simulation Architecture digital representation and the Single Stimulation Framework, software that stimulates missile defense components by injecting simulated signals. The agency plans to replace those frameworks by merging them to create OSF.

Two industry teams have formed to pursue the OSF contract. Northrop Grumman is leading a team in partnership with Boeing, and Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, Ala., is working with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Combining the two suites would provide “a more robust, flexible and affordable framework,” said Kelley Zelickson, Northrop’s vice president of air and missile defense systems.

MDAA Alert: Hawaii Five-O

Dear Members and Friends,

A stellar Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) test last week gave proof of concept for the initial protection of Europe under President Obama’s plan and enhanced the currently deployed U.S. missile defense capabilities across the globe. This success provides strong momentum to ensuring support from Congress and the President to move forward with and adequately fund the initial phases of the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA). Deficiencies remain in projected funding of the testing, development and deployment of these initial phases.

One of the key elements to capture the momentum from this missile defense game changer is the State of Hawaii and the Department of Defense’s five missile defense assets located there:

MDA Drops Target-Acquisition From Next Sats

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will not include a target-acquisition sensor in its forthcoming missile-tracking satellites, as part of an effort to streamline the system and control costs.

The agency’s new design for its next space-based missile-tracking system will be simpler than the two Northrop Grumman Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites now conducting a demonstration in space, according to MDA and industry officials.

Sea-based Missile Defense Flight Test Results in Successful Intercept

SM-3 Block IA Missile Launch

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Aegis destroyer USS O’KANE (DDG 77), and Soldiers from the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command operating from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean. This successful test demonstrated the capability of the first phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) announced by the President in September, 2009.