[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARY FALLIN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2009

  Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2647, ``The National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.''
  Title of Project: Advanced Autonomous Robotic Inspections for Aging 
Aircraft
  Amount of Project: $2,000,000
  Account: Air Force, Operations & Maintenance
  Project Recipient: Veracity Technology Solutions, LLC 2701 Liberty 
Parkway, Suite 311, Midwest City, OK 73001
  At my request, $2,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, 
for Veracity Solutions in Midwest City, OK, to implement a fully 
automated autonomous robotic vehicle that has the capability to inspect 
for corrosion, as well as crack detection around fasteners for the KC-
135 aircraft. Current inspection methods are both antiquated and time 
consuming, which has increased maintenance downtime and unnecessary 
refurbishment. A state-of-the-art nondestructive inspection system and 
training, which decreases maintenance costs and improves safety, will 
have the ability to detect corrosion and cracking on the KC-135 wing 
skins (and other aging aircraft). This system will allow for condition 
assessment of aircraft structures, as well as continuous assessment 
through the historical comparison of pervious and present inspection 
results.
  Specifically, the funding will be used for the technical personnel, 
facilities, and equipment required to develop an integrated system that 
includes a medical grade ultrasonic inspection system, an advanced 
impedance plane analysis eddy current unit, and an autonomous 
inspection vehicle that will allow engineers and depot crews to 
accurately and instantly identify defects and that are currently 
undetectable with traditional nondestructive inspection methods. The 
end product will provide a permanent record of the structural member 
which can be stored on the network for future comparison.

  Title of Project: E-6B Strategic Communications Upgrade Block 1A 
(VLF-TX & HPTS)
  Amount of Project: $4,000,000
  Account: Navy, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation
  Project Recipient: Rockwell Collins, 400 Collins Road, Cedar Rapids, 
Iowa 52498
  At my request, $4,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, 
to provide modifications to the Navy's E-6B Mercury TACAMO. The E-6B 
Mercury TACAMO is a manned airborne communications relay platform 
designed to provide a survivable, reliable, endurable airborne Command 
and Control communications link between the President, Secretary of 
Defense, and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces, especially in the 
time of crisis or national emergency. In performing the TACAMO mission, 
the platform's primary purpose is the relay of messages via survivable 
Very Low Frequency transmission (VLF-TX).
  This funding will provide for the modification of the VLF-TX, in 
addition to the High Power Transmit Set (HPTS) subsystem. The current 
VLF-TX is becoming unsupportable for the mission at hand. The money 
requested would provide for an encryption function which extends the 
development cycle for deployment of new equipment. In addition, it 
would be used to upgrade improvement in the HPTS system and improve the 
wire control system and operational availability.
  These upgrades are critical to the E-6B execution of the TACAMO 
mission located at Tinker AFB and provide communications to the 
nation's strategic ballistic missile submarine force as a part of the 
Minimum Essential Emergency Communication Network (MEECN).
  Title of Project: FIDO EXPLOSIVE DETECTOR
  Amount of Project: $7,000,000
  Account: Army, Other Procurement
  Line Number: 135
  Project Recipient: ICx Nomadics, 1024 S. Innovation Way, Stillwater, 
OK 74074
  At my request, $7,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, 
for the FIDO Explosive Detector, which will provide soldiers in combat 
theater the ability to identify and disable explosive devices and those 
who manufacture these devices by detecting explosive vapors and 
residues. Over 1,500 FIDO systems have been fielded in support of 
current military operations.
  The small, lightweight, handheld devices provide the soldier the 
ability to screen persons, packages, cargo, equipment, vehicles, and 
buildings and report vapor detections in real time with audio and 
visual feedback to the operator. The small detection devices can be 
mounted onto a unit's organic Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) to provide 
additional force protection, while protecting the safety of the unit. 
Current FIDO systems have been successful in the field, and advances 
have been made to increase the ability of the sensor to detect 
additional substances in use today and into the future. This funding 
will accelerate the fielding of FIDO's in combat theater and providing 
explosive detection and protection to men and women in uniform.
  Title of Project: Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System Enhancements
  Amount of Project: $2,500,000
  Account: Army, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation
  Project Recipient: Creative Technologies, 6255 West Sunset 
Boulevards, Suite 716, Los Angeles, CA
  At my request, $2,500,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, 
to provide upgrades to the Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System 
(JFETS) located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The current immersive 
simulation training capability suffers from one significant drawback--
the one-to-one instructor/student requirement. The funding provided for 
this project would increase the ability for this program to upgrade the 
voice recognition technology of JFETS and allow a single instructor to 
manage nine concurrent call for fire training sessions in the Open 
Terrain module simultaneously and improve efficiency by 800%. 
Additionally, the project will develop an interactive application to 
drill soldiers in the five essential elements of accurate predictive 
fires to prepare them before they train in the immersive environment 
and reinforce the training before the deploy.
  Title of Project: T-9 Noise Suppressor Support
  Amount of Project: $5,100,000
  Account: Air Force, Military Construction
  Project Recipient: Tinker Air Force Base, 3001 Staff Drive, Tinker 
AFB, OK 73145
  At my request, $5,100,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, 
to fund the construction of foundations and supporting facilities for 
two T-9 noise suppression systems at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. This project 
would consist of the construction of reinforced concrete footings and 
slabs capable of supporting T-9 style engine testing facilities, a 
20,000 gallon jet engine fuel storage and delivery system, utilities, 
access driveways, and a small office/restroom/break facility. Current 
engine test facilities are aging and unable to support the current test 
mission.
  With the completion of the new Tinker Aerospace Complex (TAC) and the 
transfer of engine maintenance to this facility, construction of these 
test cells near the TAC will allow contiguous support of military jet 
engine repair, decrease maintenance downtime, and associated cost. This 
will allow the 76th Maintenance Wing and the 76th Propulsion 
Maintenance Group the capabilities to meet its mission of delivering 
engines on time and on cost and position Tinker AFB for increased 
mission capabilities in the future.

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