Falcon HTV concept

DID has updated its article on the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, also known as the Common Air Vehicle, in order to reflect recent progress and a contract award.

HTV-1 is part of DARPA’s larger FALCON (Force Application and Launch from Continental US) program that includes the HTV, and also the Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program for cheap, responsive rocket launches. AirLaunch LLC’s innovative QuickReach C-17 based launch technology is part of the SLV program, as is SpaceX’s Falcon I rocket. The joint US-Australian HIFiRE hypersonic research program is not directly part of this program, but some of its innovations and/or test data are expected to be useful.

Falcon HTV concept

Booz-Allen and Hamilton in McLean, VA received a $5.5 million contract modification for advisory and assistance services that focus on acquisition program management and systems engineering/ analysis capability. This will support future system programs that include, but are not limited to: land based strategic defense, common air vehicle (the hypersonic spaceplane portion of the FALCON program), intercontinental ballistic missile demonstration/ validation, integrated applications programs, and ICBM long-range requirements planning studies.

This action exercises option one of the contract, and implements a period of performance from December 1, 2005 through November 30, 2006. The location of performance is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. Headquarters 526th ICBM Systems Wing at Hill Air Force Base, UT issued the contract (FA8204-05-C-0022/P00002).

With procurement officers increasingly over-stretched, the Missile Defense Agency’s Contracting Directorate awarded a $7.7 million deal to CACI Dynamic Systems of Arlington, VA to help take the load off of its own acquisition, contracting and support functions. The deal will run for a year. (HQ0006-05-C-0027)

QuickReach concept

On April 19, 2005, DID reported on a Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center contract for SpaceX’s Falcon I system, under a Responsive Small Spacelift Launch Vehicles program. Indeed, SpaceX’s Falcon I system has 3 scheduled launches between now and Q1 2006 – 2 for the US (DARPA, NRL) and 1 for Malaysia. We’ve also reported on another program named FALCON, and we’ll explain both the difference and the connections.

Meanwhile, the competition for the overall USAF/DARPA Small Launch Vehicle program has narrowed to three companies: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), AirLaunch LLC, and Lockheed Martin Corp. A fourth Phase 2 competitor, Microcosm of El Segundo, CA, recently broke up its subcontractor team, terminated arrangements with consultants working on the Falcon effort, and laid off about 15 of its 50 employees based on its assumption that it has lost out in the competition. Next phase awards are expected in the near future, and the program continues to evolve in other ways. At present…

Over at DefenseTech.org, Noah Shachtman notes that the New York Times May 18, 2005 article Air Force Seeks Bush’s Approval for Space Weapons Programs contains a number of errors and distortions, confusing Air Force wish lists with funded programs, alluding to defunct programs, and misrepresenting the development stage and/or purpose of others. Defense Tech then proceeds to address these points, one by one.

Meanwhile, Boeing Satellite Systems in Segundo, CA received a $19.5 million cost-plus fixed-fee/ completion contract. The goal is a proposal within the broad agency announcement (BAA) funding guidelines that defines requirements to provide for demonstration of “large structure deployment and control from space.”