[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1091]]
                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN L. MICA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5658, which 
provides funds for the Sonobuoy Flight Vehicle. I am requesting funding 
in the FY09 Defense Authorization bill, Navy RDT&E account for the 
Sonobuoy Flight Vehicle, manufactured by Sparton Electronics, located 
at 5612 Johnson Lake Road in DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130.
  The deteriorating condition of the aging P-3 Orion fleet and the 
recent termination of the S-3 Viking program have resulted in fewer 
manned airborne ASW platforms available to the Navy's surface forces. 
While full operational capability of the new P-8 Poseidon is not 
expected until 2017-2020 or beyond, Navy surface combatants are in 
urgent need of a low cost, organic system to rapidly deploy acoustic 
sensors at a distance from the force. SFV capability will be critical 
where there is a deficiency in organic airborne ASW assets, or in the 
littoral in situations where a hostile coastline poses a threat to 
manned ASW aircraft.
  This is the first year funding will be needed to begin the research 
and development phase of this project. There will be no cost share, as 
this project is being developed for the Navy. Requested government 
funding of $2.6M for the Sonobuoy Flight Kit will achieve the 
following: 1. Detailed design of SFV and system components. 2. Land-
based flight trials verifying overall system performance, including 
range, speed, and endurance of the SFV. 3. Complete a production tooled 
design capable of supporting LRIP testing. 4. Design and fabricate a 
compact ship-based launch mechanism for use on LCS or other surface 
combatants.

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