FAA is taking three major steps to integrate unmanned aircraft into the U.S. airspace system, according to a top agency official. Nicholas A. Sabatini, associate administrator for aviation safety, also told an industry group in Paris that FAA is "greatly interested" in working with its European counterparts on unmanned aircraft.
The U.S. Navy's older C4 Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles will be completely phased out by this fall in favor of the D5 Trident, according to Rear Adm. Charles Young, director of strategic systems programs.
LE BOURGET, France - Offshore Logistics has agreed to purchase up to 59 Sikorsky S-76 helicopters here, one of the largest single commercial helicopter deals in Sikorsky's history. The contract covers 35 firm orders, valued at $250 million, and 24 options. The first aircraft will be delivered later this year. A total of 20 S-76s will be handed over in 2006-07 and the rest in 2008-12.
FCS REVIEW: The latest Defense Acquisition Board review of the Army's Future Combat Systems has been postponed until June 23, according to a spokeswoman. The meeting originally was scheduled for June 14. FCS is developing a networked suite of new ground vehicles and unmanned aircraft for the Army's future Unit of Action. The House Appropriations Committee recently voted to cut $400 million from the program, which would leave it at about $3 billion for fiscal 2006.
Lockheed Martin's third retrofitted space shuttle external tank, designated ET-119, is expected to arrive by barge at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 17. The tank left the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on June 12 after being delayed three days while Tropical Storm Arlene cleared the Gulf of Mexico. The tank either will fly with Atlantis on STS-121, currently scheduled for September, or on the following mission, according to Lockheed Martin spokesman Harry Wadsworth.
NEW DELHI - With the U.S. visit of India Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee just days away, the United States has approved the sale of the Lockheed Martin-built Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile defense system to India. Lockheed Martin already has been permitted to make a technical presentation to India on the anti-missile defense system, and a Defense Security Cooperation Agency team briefed Indians on the Patriot system in February.
LE BOURGET, France - Under a bright blue Parisian sky with the pride of French aerospace displayed overhead, the wraps came off the Neuron unmanned combat aerial vehicle. Neuron is a pan-European UCAV technology demonstration program under the leadership of Dassault. Sweden is the lead partner in the effort, but on June 13 Saab was not enjoying its day in the sun, Aviation Week's ShowNews reported.
LE BOURGET, France - Two U.S. Army helicopter acquisition programs are on the verge of entering key phases. The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program has been cleared to conduct a competition for a prime contractor, and the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program is expected to make its own contractor selection as early as July, Army and industry officials told The DAILY June 16.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for the Low Altitude Airborne Sensor System, an airborne package for detecting power infrastructure and underground or hidden facilities in rural or urban environments.
BearingPoint Inc. of McLean, Va., has been awarded a five-year contract worth up to $27 million to provide technical and advisory services to the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), the company said June 15.
PURCHASE: Honeywell has agreed to acquire Houston-based InterCorr International Inc., which specializes in solving corrosion and materials problems, Honeywell said June 15. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal's closing is subject to customary conditions and is expected to take place in July. InterCorr provides materials consulting, laboratory testing, measurement and test equipment servicing, analytical services and corrosion diagnostic and control services.
LE BOURGET, France - The helmet system being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed a key test, according to a program official. Although the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system, designed by Vision Systems International (VSI), has had "some developmental challenges," it recently passed its 600-knot wind blast test, in which "you take this sophisticated piece of avionics and suddenly blast it with 600 knots of wind," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., JSF's prime contractor.
LE BOURGET, France - A key U.S. official plans to seek more coordination between the United States and its European allies to avoid duplicating work on unmanned aerial vehicles and other weapon systems.
International Space Station astronaut John Phillips delivered the first live congressional testimony from space June 14, fielding questions from House lawmakers about how current station activities support future space exploration. "We are the experiment," Phillips said. "We're learning how to fly in space." For future missions to the moon and Mars, "what I've learned, I believe, is that we need to build equipment with as much attention to low maintenance and as much attention to reliability as possible," he said.
Paul J. Cerjan is stepping down as chairman and will continue as vice chairman. Cerjan is vice president of Haliburton. Harry J. Pearce will succeed Cerjan. Pearce is a former chairman of Hughes Electronics Corp.
George J. Yohrling will retire as president of Curtiss-Wright Controls, the motion control segment of Curtiss-Wright, in March 2006. David Adams will replace Yohrling. Adams has served as Curtiss-Wright's senior vice president of electronic systems and also as vice president, integrated sensing and director of business development in the motion control segment.
COUNTER-MANPADS: Legislation to require anti-missile defense systems on Airbus A380 aircraft was introduced June 15 by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee. Mica's legislation (H.R. 2905) directs the FAA to require systems for countering shoulder-fired missiles on the A380 within two years of the equipment being certified by the agency.
The launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES-N aboard a Boeing Delta IV has been postponed from June 23 to June 24 to give technicians time to replace a hydraulic pump on the rocket. NASA is managing the launch of GOES-N for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Although Boeing felt comfortable with the pump's performance during a recent "wet" launch rehearsal, NASA requested the unit be replaced as a precaution because of a small deviation in pump speed compared with previous Delta IV missions, Boeing said.
