Only two weeks after winning its first-ever U.S. Defense Dept. prime contractor award, EADS is finding out just what it means to answer directly to the Pentagon, agreeing in a meeting last week to absorb the costs of moving the lift-hoist on the UH-72A light utility helicopter (LUH) from the aircraft's left side to the right.
AWACS TESTS: The Boeing Co. said July 17 that it has conducted a successful first test flight of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft upgraded under the Block 40/45 program, the largest enhancement in the U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS fleet's history. Boeing outfitted the test aircraft with new hardware and software, upgraded radar equipment, and navigation and communications systems for the July 15 flight. Airworthiness tests are scheduled for 24 more flights over the next few months.
NAME GAME: The U.S. Army's tradition of naming helicopters after Native American tribes won't go away with the Light Utility Helicopter, but which name to use can still be a thorny issue. EADS North America CEO Ralph Crosby quips that while the name "Lakota" has been proposed, the "program manager is from DA-kota, so I think we know how that's going to go."
The U.S. Air Force's design to become the lead Pentagon provider of electronic airborne surveillance is being erased by budget cuts, program problems and Navy successes with its own platforms, said Loren Thompson, military aviation analyst for the Lexington Institute. All of the Air Force surveillance platforms are facing hurdles now, Thompson said in his July 17 briefing, "Air Force Plans for Surveillance Planes Are in Disarray."
WELCOME ABOARD: As the U.K. government wrangles with how to protect its interests if British Aerospace goes ahead with plans to divest its 20 percent stake in Airbus, Tom Enders, co-CEO of parent EADS, offered during the weekend to welcome a British representative to EADS' board. "We certainly envisage" British representation, he told reporters during the weekend in the run-up to the Farnborough air show, but that person can't be linked to BAe.
The U.S. Army's multibillion-dollar decision to award EADS North America for the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is an "outrageous decision completely at odds with supporting American industry," said Lynn Tilton, MD Helicopters Inc.'s acting chief executive.
COUNTERMEASURES: The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $49.5 million order for Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) hardware and support for the C-17 and C-130 cargo aircraft as part of a five-year indefinite deliver/indefinite quantity contract with an expected ceiling of $3.2 billion, the company announced July 17.
July 17 - 23 -- 45th Farnborough International Airshow 2006, Farnborough Aerodrome, Hampshire, England. For more information go to www.farnborough.com. July 24 - 26 -- Geospatial Intelligence, "Imagery Exploitation on All Fronts," Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, Va. For more information go to www.idga.org. July 31 - Aug. 2 -- Night Vision Systems 2006, "Addressing Key Issues in Night Vision Requirements and Technologies," Hilton Arlington, Arlington, Va. For more information go to www.idga.org.
BACK EAST: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley has his eyes on the Middle East. Industry sources say Moseley was offered command of U.S. European Command, replacing Marine Corps Gen. James Jones. Moseley declined and, instead, proposed to replace Army Gen. John Abizaid at U.S. Central Command, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan. Moseley commanded air forces during the air war in Iraq, and his re-entry into the theater could give political cover to the Bush administration, which is hard-pressed to begin withdrawing ground forces.
Ken Beedle has been appointed director of international communications. Ed Halibozek has been named vice president of corporate security. Tim McKnight has been appointed vice president of information security.
Joseph Carleone has been appointed to the board of directors. Carleone has been serving as senior vice president and chief product officer of Irvine Sensors Corp.
The Bush administration has given the green light for Pakistan's long-delayed purchase of F-16 fighters, but some in Congress think the new $5 billion deal may need another look.
FCS COSTS: The recent Pentagon Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG) report to Congress on the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program that pegs the total lifecycle cost of the effort as having soared to $300 billion "really doesn't tell the story of FCS," says Army Secretary Francis Harvey. "The facts are that the Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team has 650 less people in it than a heavy brigade combat team," he says. "The single biggest element of cost in the Army is manpower...
NASA's space shuttle Discovery was due to land as early as 9:07 a.m. Eastern time July 17 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., weather permitting. But controllers were keeping a close eye on two of the orbiter's three hydrazine-fueled auxiliary power units (APUs) after they displayed off-nominal conditions late last week.
Frank Hoffmann has been named vice president of engineering. Gary Moore has been appointed vice president of international operations and government sales.
ON-TIME SELECTION: NASA is closing in on a prime contractor for the Crew Exploration Vehicle. Project Manager Caris "Skip" Hatfield says the source selection board has wrapped up its final round of questions to teams headed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman/Boeing, and the teams are updating their final submittals in response. After that the board will complete its final report for Exploration Systems Deputy Associate Administrator Doug Cooke, who will make the final decision based on the report and advice from a separate team of experts that he's assembled.
WEBB: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) thinks NASA needs to fully implement a "knowledge-based acquisition approach" for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program. According to GAO's definition, knowledge-based acquisition allows developers to be reasonably certain, at critical junctures, that their products will perform up to expectations. "If [JWST] program officials follow the current plan, the maturity of key technologies may not be adequately tested prior to program start," GAO says.
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker said he is "very concerned" about the service's fiscal 2007 budget during a speech on Capitol Hill July 14, given the mounting costs of resetting equipment after it returns from theater. In June, Schoomaker told the House Armed Services Committee that the Army's reset requirement for FY '07 will be $17.1 billion, which includes nearly $5 billion deferred from the service's FY '06 request.
DROPPING THE HAMMER: Former four-term Texas Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson says he's confident he'll return to Congress in the fall, regardless of whether former Rep. Tom "The Hammer" DeLay succeeds in getting off the November ballot. A U.S. District Court has ruled DeLay is the Republican candidate, even though he's resigned from Congress to face state money-laundering charges. A decision on DeLay's appeal is expected in two or three weeks, and Lampson says the issue might be presented to, if not accepted by, the Supreme Court.
Peter Gyenes and Russell R. MacDonnell have been named to the board of advisors. Dieter Kondek has been appointed president and chief executive officer. Gadi Talmon has been named executive vice president of business development and general manager of the company's research and development facility in Tel Aviv.
