Lockheed Martin officials met with Army acquisition chief Claude Bolton Nov. 14 to present three options the company has come up with for salvaging the $8 billion Aerial Common Sensor program. The Army issued a 90-day stop-work order to Lockheed Martin in mid-September after learning that the company's chosen platform for ACS, the Embraer ERJ-145 business jet, was too small to carry the multiple intelligence-gathering payloads intended for it. The company was given 60 days to come up with alternatives.
SALES, INCOME UP: Reinhold Industries Inc., which manufactures heat-resistant composite components for rocket propulsion, said Nov. 14 that it recorded gains in sales and net income for the third quarter of 2005. The Santa Fe Springs, Calif., company said sales grew to $8.3 million compared with $7.7 million for the same period the year before, while net income improved to $723,000 after a $2.1 million loss the year before. For the nine months ending Sept.
Contract delays and reduced construction work led to dips in net revenue and net income for Versar Inc. in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. The Springfield, Va.-based company, which provides professional consulting services in national defense, homeland defense and other areas, said Nov. 11 that first quarter '06 net revenue was $8.4 million, down 6 percent from $9 million for the same period in FY '05. Net income fell to $116,000, or 1 cent per share, compared with $407,000, or 5 cents per share, the year before.
Orbital Sciences Corp. said it will provide one geosynchronous communications satellite for Malaysia's Measat Satellite Systems. The Measat-1R will be based on Orbital's Star satellite platform and is scheduled for launch in September 2007. The satellite will carry 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders and three antennas, and is to be launched into a 91.5 degrees East longitude orbital slot, where it will provide direct-to-home TV services in Malaysia and Indonesia and other services.
Ozark, Ala.-based US Helicopter has delivered the first TH-1H training helicopter to the U.S. Air Force, the company said Nov. 11. A ceremony was held at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, on Nov. 5 for the delivery. The aircraft is the first of 24 that are expected to be fielded over the next four years for the Air Education and Training Command, which is the center for Air Force helicopter training at Fort Rucker in Ozark.
SATELLITE SPENDING: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) included a provision in the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill that requires the Defense Department to develop a revised strategy for acquiring commercial satellite communication services, as well as a "complete" spending analysis of its past and current acquisitions. The report would include DOD legislative proposals and account for various methods of combining purchases of satellite services and leveraging Pentagon purchasing power, including the use of multiyear contracts (DAILY, Oct. 6).
Aircraft engine component maker Kreisler Manufacturing said its sales for the quarter ending Sept. 30 were up 33 percent to $4.1 million, and net income jumped from $115,000 in the same period last year to $191,000. Operating income went from $174,000 in 2004 to $295,000 for the quarter, the Elmwood Park, N.J.-based company said.
The U.S. Coast Guard will take over the mission of flying air interception sorties over the nation's capital from the Customs and Border Protection, a Homeland Security Department (DHS) spokesman told The DAILY. While both agencies fall under the DHS, the Coast Guard is an armed service and has a unique civilian relationship with the Defense Department, which is still responsible for combat air patrols. The Coast Guard has until early December to present DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff with a plan for carrying out the mission.
DRS Technologies will upgrade acoustic data recorders and analysis equipment for U.S. Navy P-3C Orion aircraft under a $6.8 million Navy contract, the company said Nov. 14. The Parsippany, N.J.-based company will upgrade more than 70 tape-based AN/AQH-13 ADR and ADR-D configurations to the new, hard-drive based AN/AQH-13B configuration and will replace obsolete parts and other components to increase reliability.
The Senate has agreed to several changes to the Defense Department's procurement policy to try to boost oversight and accountability as lawmakers and defense officials respond to acquisition problems and budget restrictions. The amendments were added to the Senate's fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill by unanimous consent agreements brokered last week by Senate Armed Services Committee leaders Sens. John Warner (R-Va.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.). The chamber is supposed to finish considering amendments and vote on the final bill Nov. 15.
MORE SHARES: Spacehab said its shareholders have approved an increase in the number of shares of the company's common stock to 70 million shares, which the company has the authority to issue. The Houston-based company builds laboratory modules and cargo carriers for the space shuttle and for resupplying the International Space Station. The company recently reported that space shuttle program delays have hurt its bottom line for the first quarter of 2006 (DAILY, Nov. 10).
South Africa's new Gripen fighter made its first flight in Sweden last week, aircraft marketer Gripen International said Nov. 14. The dual-seat aircraft's basic flight control systems, engine, hydraulics and electrics were validated by two pilots during a one hour and 10 minute flight on Nov. 11.
Senate Democrats said Nov. 14 that Republican senators appear to be adopting their provision to push the Bush administration to outline a policy on U.S. military operations in Iraq. If adopted as an amendment to the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill, it could set the Senate up for a showdown with the House and the administration. The congressional conference already was going to be contentious over a detainee-interrogation provision added to the Senate bill, as well as different spending authority for several defense programs.
Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., have tested a 12-foot wingspan model of a blended wing body aircraft in Langley's 30 foot by 60 foot wind tunnel. The blended wing body largely resembles a flying wing, featuring a wide airfoil-shaped body for maximum lift and minimum drag. Technicians "flew" the model on a tether, kept aloft by the tunnel's wind stream. The flying wing is the biggest model ever free flight tested in the tunnel, NASA said.
The Senate on Nov. 10 confirmed Donald Winter to be secretary of the Navy, succeeding Gordon England, who is now the acting deputy defense secretary. Winter's confirmation indicates movement to confirm England for the No. 2 Defense Department slot, as Winter could not be confirmed until England formally left the Navy position.
AGREEMENTS: As soon as Nov. 15, the Senate could complete its work on the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill. Senators will try to work through a final batch of amendments starting Nov. 14. Meanwhile, House and Senate appropriators and their staff are expected to meet during the week to negotiate a conference agreement on the accompanying spending bill. House lawmakers have been told to expect a vote on ratifying the deal - the Senate would be expected to do the same concurrently. A continuing resolution funding the federal government runs out Nov.
LITTORAL POWER: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is having an industry day for the Sustained Littoral Presence program on Nov. 30 in Arlington, Va. SLP is aimed at developing microbial fuel cell systems capable of drawing power directly from elements in the water, as well as unmanned marine systems that could take advantage of such technology.
Nov. 14 - 16 -- Aviation Week Group presents A&D Programs & Productivity, Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, Ariz. For more information go to http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences. Nov. 14 - 16 -- UKIP Media & Events Aerospace Design Expo, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. For more information call +44 (13) 0674-1200 or go to www.aerospacedesign-expo.com.
AIR SHOW: Australia's air force will host a "Defense Force Air Show" at Air Base Pearce in Western Australia on Nov. 19-20, Australia's defense ministry says. Australia air force aircraft in the show will include Boeing's F/A-18 Hornet; General Dynamics' F-111; BAE System's Hawk 127; Lockheed Martin's C-130J Hercules and AP-3C Orion; Boeing's 707; Pilatus' PC-9/A; and Sikorsky's S76 helicopter. The Australian navy's S-70B-2 Seahawk, built by Sikorsky, will also be on display. International aircraft at the show will include Rockwell Collins' B-1B Lancer of the U.S.
