Air Force research on Maui extended
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
A $49.9 million contract for laser-radar research was awarded by the Air Force to a Massachusetts-based defense contractor that will conduct most of the work on Maui, officials said yesterday.
The five-year contract is a continuation of the work conducted on Maui since 1999 by Textron Systems Corp. of Wilmington, Mass., including development of laser-radar systems to monitor space objects and laser-imaging tests that started last month.
The contract is expected to bring Maui a $30 million economic boost, including the addition of 25 jobs, said Eva D. Hendren, a public affairs specialist with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate.
Under the contract, Textron will continue to improve state-of-the-art laser-radar systems used to gather information on space objects from atop Haleakala. Hendron said the contractor will continue to develop technologies to better identify what various satellites are doing.
Additionally, she said, the contractor will continue to develop a high-resolution laser-imaging system that can more efficiently collect information on enemy forces from unmanned aircraft. The work will be done at Textron's facilities at the Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei, with testing on adjacent Haleakala Ranch land.
The initial phase of the imaging program — which included more than 40 test flights over Kihei — is nearly finished. The tests were designed to help determine whether the system can produce accurate images in Maui's moist climate.
The second stage, covered under the new contract, will involve the development of "ball housing" for the system. The housing, which would contain a small eye- and skin-safe invisible laser, would be mounted on an aircraft and tested from the air.
While some on Maui opposed the project, an environmental assessment concluded the testing would have no detrimental impact on the environment. Juventino Garcia, director of public affairs for the Air Force Research Laboratory, added that neither the Air Force nor Textron heard complaints about the testing.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
