A potential labor strike at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga., plant could undermine attempts to reverse cuts in U.S. Air Force purchases of the F/A-22 Raptor and C-130J Super Hercules, both of which are built at the factory, an aerospace expert said March 1. A lengthy strike or significant concessions by company management to avoid a worker walkout could increase costs and give the impression that the two programs are not well run, lending ammunition to critics of the two aircraft, said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation consultant at the Teal Group.
Armor Holdings Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., has been awarded two contracts worth $50.6 million to provide the U.S. Army with protective body armor plates and spare armor components for up-armored Humvees, the company said March 1. Armor Holdings will produce body armor worth about $31.4 million that will be delivered through August, 2005, the company said. The work will be done by Armor Holdings' Aerospace and Defense Group in Phoenix, Ariz.
Global Flyer pilot Steve Fossett's attempt to become the first person to fly an aircraft around the world solo without refueling is under way. Fossett took off from Salina Municipal Airport in Kansas Feb. 28 and at press time was flying over Africa at 48,000 feet altitude. The rest of his 80-hour trip was scheduled to take him over the Middle East, China, Japan, and the Pacific Ocean before re-entering the U.S. just south of Los Angeles.
The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) will meet May 24 to review the futuristic CVN-21 aircraft carrier, a U.S. Navy spokesman told The DAILY March 1. Previously, the board had been slated May 5 to discuss program concerns outlined by the Pentagon's office of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). But that changed due to "fluid" board scheduling.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has agreed to pay $62 million to settle a 16-year-old complaint filed by four company employees and the U.S. Justice Department that it overcharged the Air Force on a B-2 stealth bomber contract. The agreement will settle all claims, including that Northrop Grumman inappropriately accounted for scrap parts at its Rolling Meadows, Ill., facility in the 1980s. The company also agreed to pay attorney fees and reimburse the government for legal costs.
Boeing Co. has completed its previously announced sale of Torrance, Calif.-based Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices Inc. to L-3 Communications of New York, Boeing Co. said March 1. Financial terms were not disclosed. The purchase was first announced last November (DAILY, Nov. 23, 2004). EDD will continue to provide Boeing with satellite components and other products and services, Boeing said in November.
Titan Corp. pleaded guilty and agreed to pay more than $28 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the SEC said March 1. According to the SEC, Titan funneled about $2 million through its agent in Benin, Africa, to the election campaign of the then-incumbent president, among other actions.
Butler National Corp. of Olathe, Kansas, has reported revenue increases of 167% and 158% for the third-quarter and nine-month periods ending Jan. 31. The company, which manufactures and provides support systems for commercial and military aircraft, had three-month revenue of $7 million, $4.4 million better than the $2.6 million in revenue for the same period in 2004. Nine-month revenue was $18.1 million, compared with $7 million for the same period in 2004, an $11.1 million improvement, the company said.
NEW DELHI - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is talking with NASA about including a miniature synthetic aperture radar and a spectrometer as part of the international payload to be included on India's first lunar mission, Chandrayan-1. The lunar orbiter mission, approved in 2003 (DAILY, Sept. 18, 2003) is scheduled to be launched in 2007. "We have begun discussions with them [NASA], but implementation will depend on the bilateral agreements between India and the U.S.," said P.S. Goel, director of ISRO's Satellite Center.
The latest unmanned Russian Progress cargo vehicle is on its way to the International Space Station after launching from Kazakhstan Feb. 28. The 17th Progress to visit the station, it is scheduled to dock automatically with the Zvezda Service Module on March 2 at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time.
AMMO ORDERS: MECAR S.A., a Belgian defense unit of Vienna, Va.-based Allied Defense Group Inc., has been awarded contracts worth more than $8 million by repeat customers in South America, the Middle East, and the Far East to provide 76mm, 90mm and 106mm ammunition, the company said March 1.
NAVY HOUSING: The Shaw Group Inc. on March 1 said its half-owned affiliate, American Eagle Northwest LLC, completed $226 million in private placement revenue bond financing for its Navy Northwest Housing Privatization Project. The bonds will be used to pay for design, demolition, construction, renovations and infrastructure placement for roughly 3,000 residential housing units for certain U.S. Navy installations near Puget Sound, Washington. C.E.I. Investment Corp. of Meriden, Conn., owns the other half of American Eagle Northwest.
Integral Systems Inc. of Lanham, Md., has been chosen by the U.S. Air Force to develop the initial version of the Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting System (RAIDRS), a ground-based method of characterizing attacks on friendly satellites. The company, which specializes in satellite ground systems, was awarded $4 million of a $23.8 million contract for the work on Feb. 25.
The Senate Budget Committee will estimate fiscal 2006 funds for ongoing U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and place an amount in a "reserve fund" as part of the ongoing budget process for next year, committee leaders said March 1. The move - not explicitly opposed by Defense Department officials - would come as Pentagon leaders have told Congress that estimating future war costs is so difficult that they are not prepared to speak beyond the current $82 billion supplemental request for additional FY '05 spending needs.
NASA's Exploration Systems mission directorate will present an overview of its upcoming acquisition activities related to space exploration during an industry day to be held March 11 at the Department of Commerce in Washington.
Norway's military incurred a budget deficit of 941 million kroners ($154.1 million) in 2004 despite new financial initiatives instituted after a 2003 budget deficit, Norwegian Minister of Defense Kristin Krohn Devold said. More time is needed before a new accounting system, training, and financial routines have an effect, and further efforts also are required, she said.
NEW DELHI - India test fired its Akash missile from a mobile launcher three times on Feb. 26 at an east Indian test range. The demonstration included striking a Lakshya target drone. The air-breathing Akash ("sky") has provided several development challenges, but now its controls have been flight proven. The missile, which can carry a 60-kilogram (132-pound) warhead, is one of five missiles being developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory.
The EADS-led AirTanker consortium can begin final contract negotiations to provide tanker aircraft for the United Kingdom's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program after being selected as preferred bidder by the U.K. Ministry of Defence, EADS said Feb. 28. The consortium's bid, which uses the Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft, was selected as the best last year over a team led by rival Boeing. EADS then entered lengthy negotiations with the MOD leading to the new announcement.
The Defense Department plans to award 33 research grants to 27 universities totaling $146.6 million over five years. The grants will cover multidisciplinary research in 26 topic areas of basic science and engineering, and will be made under DOD's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program. The average award will be $900,000 per year over a three-year period, with options for another two years.
Optical products and engineering company Michigan Aerospace Corp. has opened an office in Boulder, Colo., to be closer to some customers, the company said Feb. 28. The office will include program support for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) work - used to measure the wind in the atmosphere - mechanisms and sensors for spacecraft, and other work, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based company said.
HYDROGEN: Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide said Feb. 28 that it expects $2 million out of the fiscal 2005 defense appropriations act for its U.S. Army Mobile Hydrogen Infrastructure program. The Irvine, Calif., company credited Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), chairman of the then-House Select Committee on Homeland Security, with securing the funds last year.
With three of its four planned software block upgrades wrapped up, the X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program is looking forward to a final software upgrade that will culminate in a "graduation" demo this summer, according to Boeing spokesman Bill Barksdale.
NEW FACILITY: Northrop Grumman Corp. opened its newly consolidated Remotec Inc. robotics facility in Clinton, Tenn., on Feb. 28, the company said. The 75,000 square foot engineering, manufacturing and administrative office building consolidates what had been four separate, less-modern facilities, the company said. Remotec provides mobile robot systems for hazardous duty for the military, law enforcement, nuclear facilities and research laboratories. Remotec is part of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector.
