The Air Force just awarded an $8.9 million contract to Boeing to study elements of a conventional prompt global strike missile demonstration. Pursuing a conventional missile capability for PGS—defined as within one-hour—is on the service’s hot list, courtesy of the Quadrennial Defense Review, however the concept has its critics, including some in Congress. Still it’s on the Administration agenda. Last year, the Air Force awarded contracts for new PGS-related propulsion system. This new contract with Boeing would employ a Minotaur launch vehicle “because of its near-term asset availability and low-cost profile, according to a Boeing statement. USAF wants the work done by June 2009.
KAENA POINT SPACE FORCE STATION, Oahu, Hawaii—At the rocky edge of a cliff on Hawaii’s Oahu island are poised three antenna dishes that rotate with the sun. Together, they form part of a global network to warn warfighters of solar activity that can disrupt radio signals and potentially send false…