Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

NASA is pressing ahead with an accelerated plan for its Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission, despite a warning from the National Academies that the agency may be moving too quickly for TPF's design to take full advantage of lessons learned from previous planet-finding missions.

Boeing has established a new organization, Analysis, Modeling & Simulation (AMS), to coordinate activities in those areas across its Integrated Defense Systems sector, the company said Nov. 1. "Boeing recognizes that, with the increasing complexity of network centric operations and system-of-systems engineering, modeling, simulation and analysis will play an increasingly important role in helping us understand and meet the requirements of our customers," John Tracy, vice president of engineering for IDS, said in a statement.

International Space Station (ISS) mission controllers have approved the Elektron oxygen generation system to operate around the clock rather than only when the astronauts are awake, NASA announced Oct. 29.

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. shipped its first fuel cell vehicle to the U.S. Army, the company said Oct. 25. Nicknamed the "Aggressor" and also called the Quantum AMV, for Alternative Mobility Vehicle, it has advanced technologies that have potential military and commercial dual use, the company said.

POSTPONED: The first flight of the Air Force Space Battlelab's Near Space Maneuvering Vehicle (NSMV), or "V-Airship," from Tillamook, Ore., was postponed from its Oct. 29 target date to Nov. 15 for technical reasons, according to an Air Force spokesman. Built by JP Aerospace of California, the 175-foot long, v-shaped helium balloon will carry a small communications payload to an altitude of 100,000 feet (DAILY, Sept. 15).

October 25, 2004 AIR FORCE

Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., has received a $75.7 million delivery order for its lightweight ceramic body armor from the U.S. Army Unique Missions Division at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the company said Nov. 1. The order is the second issued under a $461 million contract Ceradyne won in 2004. The first delivery order was worth more than $28 million. Shipment is scheduled for the first three quarters of 2005, the company said.

NASA's upcoming Swift spacecraft will bring a new quick-response capability to the field of astronomy, slewing within minutes to observe gamma-ray bursts and possibly other fleeting astronomical phenomena, according to program scientists.

The U.S. Army has awarded Jacksonville, Fla.-based Armor Holdings Inc. two contracts worth $56.6 million for body armor and heavy truck armor kits, the company said Nov. 1. Armor Holdings will provide $26.6 million in Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) under a contract modification from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. Armor Holdings' Aerospace and Defense Group in Phoenix and Pittsfield, Mass., will do the work, the company said.

Although the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program currently doesn't have funding to deploy its future unmanned aerial vehicles before the first scheduled full unit of action in 2014, much of the technology will be ready before that, a Boeing official said.

HONEYWELL DIVIDEND: Honeywell's board of directors has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 18 cents per share on the company's outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable on Dec. 10 to shareowners of record at the close of business on Nov. 19.

Following its decision earlier this month that a March or April shuttle launch is not feasible, NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council (SFLC) has decided to shoot for the next available launch window in May to return the shuttle to flight.

GMD INTERCEPTORS: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) expects that 18 interceptors for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system will be fielded in Alaska and California by the end of 2005. That is two fewer than previously planned because of accidents that occurred at a propellant-mixing plant in 2003 (DAILY, Nov. 11, 2003), says MDA's director, Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering. The first five interceptors have been installed at Fort Greely, Alaska, which is slated to get its sixth and final one of the year in the first week of November.

French aircraft motor maker Snecma and aircraft electronics equipment group Sagem are negotiating a merger, the companies said Oct. 29. Jon Kutler, chairman and CEO of Jefferies Quarterdeck, said that although the merger would be a clear fit in aircraft manufacturing capabilities, "this merger would be less about a strategic fit than about the desire for the French aerospace [and] defense industry to improve its level of critical mass, as competitors in the United States and the U.K. have already done."

NEW ORDERS: Westbury, N.Y.-based DHB Industries Inc.'s Armor Group has received more than $19 million in orders for protective products for the U.S. military, federal government and domestic law enforcement agencies, the company said Oct. 29. The new orders are in addition to more than $35 million in orders announced on Oct. 5, the company said.

Aircraft and gas turbine component manufacturer Triumph Group said its Aerospace Systems segment reported net sales of $122.1 million for the quarter, up 23 percent from the same period last year. The segment's operating income for the quarter increased 26 percent, from $11.6 million to $14.6 million, the Wayne, Pa.-based company said.

Northrop Grumman's Viper Strike precision weapon, currently deployed only on the Army's Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle, is likely to deploy on the Air Force's AC-130 gunship, company spokesman Doug Cantwell told The DAILY.

RAPTOR REVIEW: The Pentagon has called off a high-level meeting to scrutinize the Air Force F/A-22 Raptor, opting instead to review the program's status in writing, at least for now. The Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) meeting had been scheduled for Nov. 1, but officials have decided to proceed with a "paper DAB" instead, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Oct. 29. The DAB meeting will be rescheduled only "if needed," she said. The decision to go with a written review appears to suggest that few, if any, thorny issues are expected to surface.

BAA EXTENDED: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology Office (TTO) is extending the response period for its November, 2003 broad agency announcement (BAA) on advanced research and development of system- and subsystem-level technology for warfighters. The new deadline is Jan. 31, 2005. Multiple contract awards are expected, according to DARPA. The TTO's future priorities fall mostly into four areas: space, unmanned vehicles, tactical multipliers and urban warfare/low-intensity operations.

Canada-based CAE Inc. unveiled a number of related training products for C-130 aircraft at the Airlift/Tanker Association's annual convention in Dallas on Oct. 28, the company said.

Intelsat Ltd. has completed its acquisition of the customer contracts and other assets of COMSAT General Corp. for $90 million in cash, the company said Oct. 29. The deal includes the rights to Federal Communications Commission and other licenses and will enhance the company's competitiveness for providing satellite capacity and services to U.S. and NATO users, Intelsat said.

Nov. 11 - 13 -- Pacific Marine Expo, The West Coast Commercial Marine Marketplace," Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Wash. For more information go to www.pacificmarineexpo.com. Nov. 15 - 16 -- ISR Integration 2004, "Enabling Precision Strike," Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Va. For more information go to www.defensenews.com/conferences/isr.

The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser-Extended Range (WCMD-ER) is slated to begin flight-testing in mid-December, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin. During the "captive carry" tests, the missile will fly aboard an F-16 to ensure it does not impair the jet's aerodynamics, company spokeswoman Jennifer Allen told The DAILY in recent written responses to questions.

EXPLORATION CONFERENCE: NASA will present an overview of its plans to implement the nation's vision for space exploration at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Exploration Conference, to be held Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, 2005 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla. Rear Adm. Craig E. Steidle (USN-Ret.), head of the agency's Exploration Systems office, will serve as conference chair. More information on the conference can be found at http://www.aiaa.org.