British defense research firm QinetiQ has purchased information technology company Apogen Technologies for $300 million, Apogen said Aug. 3. McLean, Va.-based Apogen will become a wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ North America and keep its name, executive management team, staff and facilities. The sale must receive regulatory approval and is expected to close in September.
An Australian army Black Hawk helicopter squadron will be relocated to a barracks near Sydney to help the country's special forces respond to terrorist threats, Australia's defense ministry said. The 171 Aviation Squadron will move from Townsville in Queensland to Holsworthy Barracks on Australia's east coast by the end of 2006. The squadron will be replaced in Townsville by a new MRH90 troop lift helicopter squadron. The MRH90s will be built at Australian Aerospace in Brisbane and be delivered to Townsville by the end of 2007, the defense ministry said.
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted from written responses by Lt. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, nominated by President Bush to be commander of U.S. Transportation Command, to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. He testified July 28 and was confirmed by the Senate on July 29.) Q: In your view, what are the major challenges confronting the next Commander, U.S. Transportation Command? If confirmed, what plans do you have for addressing these challenges?
Net sales and net income fell for Griffon Corp. in the third quarter of 2005, said the company, which owns military radar builder Telephonics Corp. Third quarter 2005 net sales were $350.9 million, compared with $367.9 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2004. Net income was $12.8 million in the third quarter of 2005, compared with $13.1 million for the same period a year ago.
Northrop Grumman will supply 30 high-accuracy LN-120G stellar navigation systems for U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, the company announced Aug. 3. The LN-120G is a Global Positioning System-augmented stellar inertial navigation system that can identify its global location by tracking the position of stars by day and night, the company said, allowing heading information with the highest accuracy available.
D. Scott Davis has been elected to the board of directors. Davis is chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, senior vice president, and treasurer of UPS.
The Low Cost Interceptor (LCI), which the U.S. Army is developing for cruise missile defense, flew for the first time Aug. 3. During what the Army described as a successful Short Hot Launch test, the missile traveled about 1.25 miles downrange at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. LCI is designed to destroy unsophisticated cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and is intended to be a relatively inexpensive complement to high-priced interceptors that would be saved for more advanced targets.
KAMAN RESULTS: Net earnings for helicopter maker Kaman Corp. of Bloomfield, Conn., rebounded sharply in the second quarter of 2005, while net sales also posted gains, the company said Aug. 3. Second quarter 2005 net earnings were $2.8 million, compared to a loss of $1.7 million for the same period a year ago. Net sales were $271.3 million, a 9.6% increase over the $247.5 million in net sales in the second quarter of 2004.
Gen. Donald G. Cook (USAF Ret.) has been named a member of the board of directors. Crane commanded the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile force and was director for expeditionary aerospace force implementation at U.S. Air Force headquarters.
Boeing announced Aug. 3 that it has completed the $700 million sale of its Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power business to United Technologies subsidiary Pratt and Whitney, effective Aug. 2. First announced in February, the sale includes sites in California, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, where Rocketdyne employs roughly 3,000 people.
An article in the July 28 DAILY, headlined "Former ISS executives plead guilty to illegal job negotiations," incorrectly described the results of a search by Army criminal investigators. Evidence of bribery was found in the home of a former U.S. Army colonel, but did not relate to Information Systems Support Inc.
The U.S. Army should reopen a competition for desktop computer support, or at least throw out the contract award to winner Titan Corp. and give the work to another competitor, the Government Accountability Office said in a new bid protest decision.
DIVIDEND: General Dynamics' board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of 40 cents a share on the company's stock, payable Nov. 10 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 7.
David A. Rock has been appointed CEO and a member of the board of directors. Rock is currently president and chief operating officer and will remain president.
Satellite operator Telesat Canada said Aug. 3 that it set new quarterly records for revenue and earnings. Net earnings for the company's second quarter of fiscal 2005 jumped 35%, to $26.3 million, and operating revenues hit $137.3 million, a 62% increase from the $85 million for the same period in 2004. In the quarter, Telesat assumed control of XM Satellite Radio's XM 3 spacecraft, which it will manage along with the company's XM 1 and 2 satellites.
The F-15 Eagle "is not a stealth aircraft and its computer systems are based on obsolete technology," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), so the Defense Department should buy sufficient numbers of the "truly transformational" F/A-22 Raptor. Hatch, a self-described "ardent supporter" of the Raptor, wants a nonbinding "sense of the Senate" resolution saying the defense secretary should rethink planned Raptor cuts "to ensure that sufficient numbers of F/A-22 Raptor aircraft are procured in order to meet applicable requirements in the national defense strategy."
Ammunition and simulator maker Allied Defense Group said Aug. 2 that it anticipates "a very weak first half," but expects business to pick up in the second half of the year, and affirmed its earnings outlook of $1.48 per share. The Vienna, Va.-based company's Mecar ammunition group usually gets most of its revenues in the second half of the year, "which is what we are seeing this year," John J. Marcello, the company's new CEO and president, said in a letter to shareholders.
