The Air Force says it has successfully completed verification testing of the interim operations ground system that will be used to support the launch and early orbital testing of the first Space Based Infrared Systems satellite, GEO-1. The testing, which began in December 2008, included assessing more than 1.5 million source lines of code by exercising the ground system in “a robust combination of operational scenarios,” said USAF’s SBIRS Wing in a release Tuesday. The interim ground system will now undergo validation testing to perform final checks before its delivery in support of GEO-1’s placement in orbit, which is expected in 2011, to bolster US capability to detect and track ballistic missile launches. Lockheed Martin builds and maintains the SBIRS ground segment, which is located in Boulder, Colo.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.