The Space Radar, contracts for which were canceled in 2008, and which has been a very quiet topic since then, is apparently a healthy though highly classified program, and may even have some operational components. Bruce Carlson, National Reconnaissance Office director, told the Daily Report in an interview that “we think we have solved that problem. And I think we’ve convinced most people in the [intelligence] community that we’ve solved that problem.” All Carlson could say about its status is that there is “a solution.” When asked if it’s “an overhead,” meaning a satellite, he replied: “It’s a system we can operate, yes.” Carlson did acknowledge that “it cost a lot of money. It wasn’t on time, but now we’re there. We’ve got the technical solution, we’ve got the produceability.” He added that a solution is in hand “for the next few years. Now, you can’t rely on just one solution forever, but we think we’ve got that problem behind us.”
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
