DIVIDEND BOOST: Boeing's board of directors approved a 20 percent increase in the company's quarterly dividend, to 30 cents per share, the company said Dec. 12. The board last approved a dividend increase in December 2004. The increase is payable March 3, 2006, to shareholders of record as of Feb. 10.
A Boeing-made F-15K Strike Fighter dubbed "Slam Eagle" made its first flight for South Korea recently to mark the aircraft's introduction into the country's air force, the Korean Overseas Information Service said Dec. 12. A ceremony was held at the air force's 11th Fighter Wing Squadron in Daegu, 186 miles south of Seoul.
A decision on how to move forward with the troubled National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System will be delayed as the program scrambles to survive in light of a breach of the Nunn-McCurdy 25 percent cost growth cap, according to a source close to the negotiations. At a November hearing on Capitol Hill, program representatives told lawmakers they hoped to be able to make a decision on NPOESS' future this month, but the legally required response to the Nunn-McCurdy breach will push the decision into next year, the source said.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said Dec. 12 that congressional negotiators have settled on a fiscal 2006 conference agreement for the defense authorization bill, and the measure could come up for vote in the Senate Dec. 14.
The U.S. Navy has not justified its spending on the Naval Tactical Command Support System (NTCSS) and has not effectively performed key measurement, reporting and oversight activities, according to congressional auditors. Still, the Navy expects to spend $348 million on NTCSS - a CACI International Inc. program - between fiscal 2006 and 2009, for a total of roughly $1.45 billion since its 1995 inception, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will continue production of Mk 90 rocket propellant grains at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford, Va., the company said Dec. 12. The work will be done under a $43.5 million, multiyear contract that could be worth up to $190 million, ATK said. The grains are used in the Mk 90 Hydra 70 2.75-inch rocket, used widely by helicopters around the world.
MOWAG GmbH, part of General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems, will build Eagle IV armored patrol vehicles for the Danish army under a $38 million contract from the army's materiel command. The contract includes initial logistics support and equipping the vehicles with overhead weapon stations, communication and battle management systems and other equipment, General Dynamics said Dec. 12.
Goodrich expects its 2006 sales figures to reach $5.6 billion to $5.7 billion, and the company is continuing to find ways to shield its profits from pension and exchange rate expenses.
SUPPORT AGREEMENT: State-owned Czech Republic aircraft producer Aero Vodochody says it has signed an agreement with the Czech defense ministry to provide support services for its fleet of Aero-built L-159 light combat fighters and L-39 training aircraft for the next 25 years. Financial terms were not disclosed. Aero was allowed to be put up for sale in September after the Czech defense ministry dropped its demand that the company's military aircraft servicing wing remain in state hands (DAILY, Sept. 28).
LPD 17 UNDER WAY: The U.S. Navy's newest amphibious ship, San Antonio LPD 17, will arrive at its new homeport of Norfolk, Va., on Dec. 12. After its commissioning Jan. 14, the Northrop Grumman-built ship will continue being checked out, including full combat systems qualification testing, aircraft dynamic interface testing to measure wind envelopes, Landing Craft Air Cushioned certification, total ship survivability testing, and "dozens" more, the Navy says. The ship previously was set for commissioning this fall (DAILY, Dec. 5).
AIRCRAFT COMING: Japan's Coast Guard has awarded a contract to Saab AB to provide it with a pair of modified 340Bplus Search and Rescue aircraft that will be delivered at the end of 2006, the company says. Financial terms were not disclosed. Saab also will furnish training, spare parts and logistics support. The used aircraft will be extensively modified to meet JCG specifications at Saab facilities in Linkoping, Sweden.
Embraer will sell 25 Super Tucano aircraft to Colombia's air force for internal security and border patrol missions, the Brazilian company said Dec. 8. Colombia's air force already has 14 Tucano basic training aircraft, which it bought in the 1990s. It picked the Super Tucano for its technological innovation, operating excellence and affordability, Embraer said. The Super Tucano is a turboprop trainer with advanced avionics and armament packages, according to Embraer.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser (ABL) program met a key goal earlier this month by firing its chemical kill laser at full power during a ground test, the agency announced Dec. 9. During the Dec. 6 test, the Northrop Grumman-built chemical laser exceeded the 10-second duration level needed to destroy ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight, MDA said. The precise duration of the firing was not disclosed for security reasons, the agency said.
NEW YORK - Prospective United Launch Alliance partners Boeing and Lockheed Martin still hope to receive an antitrust ruling from the Federal Trade Commission on their proposed rocket merger before the year is out, according to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems CEO Jim Albaugh. ULA would merge production of Boeing's Delta and Lockheed Martin's Atlas V launch vehicles, yielding a projected savings to the Air Force of $100 million to $150 million annually, according to the companies.
SPARE PARTS: North Carolina officials have launched the Eastern Region Advanced Machining Center at the GlobalTransPark (GTP) Education & Training Center in Kinston to train highly skilled metal workers to make spare parts for aging military aircraft. Lenior Community College received $1.9 million to create the machining center from the Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit set up to disperse half the money the state gets from the settlement with tobacco manufacturers.
OPTICAL LINK: An optical link experiment between Japan's Kirari satellite and the European Space Agency's Artemis satellite will continue through 2006, when the spacecraft are to make several optical links under different environmental conditions. The first bidirectional link between Kirari and Artemis was made Dec. 9, ESA says. Optical technology has several advantages for data relay use, including the capability to provide high data rates with low mass and power requirements, ESA says.
Dec. 14 - 15 -- 35th Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy, "Nuclear & Non-Nuclear Forces in 21st-Century Deterrence: Implementing the New Triad," Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel. Call 1-617-492-2116 or go to www.ifpafletcherconference.com. Jan. 9 - 12, 2006 -- American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics' Aerospace Sciences 44th Annual Meeting & Exhibit, Reno Hilton, Nev. Call 1-703-264-7500 or go to www.aiaa.org.
FORCE PROTECTION: Force Protection Inc., which is providing 122 Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles under a $92 million contract to the U.S. military by spring, is building up manufacturing ability ahead of more expected U.S. orders. By January, the company will be able to deliver more than eight Cougars a month. "This has been the plan for some time, as recent events in the Middle East indicate an even greater need," says CEO Gordon McGilton. Army Col.
The Naval Sea Systems Command has contracted with Raytheon's Network Centric Systems for $7.2 million for fiscal 2006 item requirements for the U.S. Navy's Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) program. The order includes two Antenna Environmental Control Units; an Input/Output Converter and Planar Array Antenna Assembly, which comprise the AN/USG-2(A); three Installation and Checkout kits; and four Planar Array Antenna Assemblies.
General Dynamics Land Systems has delivered its first two low-rate initial production Stryker Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle variants to the U.S. Army, the company said Dec. 9. The vehicles were delivered Dec. 8 at Anniston Army Depot, Ala. The company will deliver 17 NBCRV variants during low-rate production, which is scheduled to last through March 2006. They will be used for tests and user milestones. The Army is expected to make a decision on full-rate production in the fourth quarter of 2007.
B-52 JAMMER: The U.S. Defense Department has scheduled a high-level Defense Acquisition Board meeting for Jan. 18, 2006, to review whether the B-52 Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) program is ready to begin its technology development (TD) phase. The session originally was scheduled for September but was postponed to give the Air Force more time to prepare the complex program for the review (DAILY, Oct. 14).
