KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The Malaysian government is considering acquiring the Airbus A400M to replace the aging fleet of 12 Lockheed Martin C-130s currently used by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). Ministry of defense officials have been in talks with Airbus Military to buy the aircraft since Airbus parent EADS made an offer during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace show in September 2003.
Despite charges from the mothballed U.S. Air Force 767 tanker aircraft lease-buy deal, which helped put Boeing's fourth quarter 2004 profits in a steep dive, the company reported revenue increases from its Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) segment.
John Gannon has retired as staff director. Ben Cohen will replace Gannon. Cohen has been deputy general counsel for the Defense Department since Jan. 1, 2002.
Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said Feb. 1 that the full committee will handle oversight of the Transportation Security Administration.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is planning a second industry day Feb. 11 for the Walrus cargo-carrying hybrid airship program. Walrus is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of a large hybrid airship capable of carrying a complete Army Unit of Action from "Fort to Fight," according to DARPA. The future vehicle would be able to bring 500 tons of cargo across intercontinental distances into unprepared landing sites, including water landings.
George R. Melton has been named CEO and president. Gus Yiakas, who is being succeeded by Melton, will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors.
A panel of witnesses from outside NASA debated the future of the Hubble Space Telescope during a hearing on Capitol Hill Feb. 2, endorsing options ranging from shuttle or robotic servicing to flying the telescope's replacement instruments on a new spacecraft. The debate took place against a backdrop of rumors that NASA has cut all funding for Hubble servicing from its fiscal year 2006 budget, and plans only to fund a disposal mission to de-orbit the telescope safely (DAILY, Jan. 25). NASA's budget will be released Feb. 7.
SIMULATOR INSTALLED: VirTra Systems Inc. of Arlington, Texas, has successfully installed an IVR-180 series simulator for the U.S. Air Force, the company said Feb. 1. The simulator, which includes recoil weapons, was installed last week at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. The simulator will be used to train in marksmanship, room-clearing, convoy maneuvers and combat readiness.
The U.S. tsunami warning capability could still fall victim to technological hiccups, including the loss of satellite services and sensors, regardless of the investment made in it, weather and geological officials told lawmakers on Feb. 2. "We do have some reliability problems, but when you are trying to deal with high technology - and I'm not trying to minimize that - that's not an unusual thing," said U.S. Geological Survey Director Charles "Chip" Groat.
MPDS CONTRACT: St. Louis-based Engineered Support Systems Inc. has received a contract order valued at $1.4 million for 63 Multipurpose Decontamination Systems (MPDS) and accessories, the company said Jan. 28. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Marine Corps' Albany Logistics Base. The systems will be fielded to U.S. Army and Marine Corps chemical units. The company said it was the fifth such contract order for MPDS.
Bob LaRose has been promoted to executive vice president. He had been serving as vice president, chief financial officer and secretary. He will continue serving as CFO and secretary.
Michael Zoltoski has been appointed acting executive director/technical director of the Tank-automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's Research Business Group.
Bob Kenney has been appointed vice president of the Bell Boeing V-22 Joint Program Office. Mike Tkach has been named vice president of Boeing's Army Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia.
WATCHING WINDS: Virgin Atlantic's Global Flyer plans to make its nonstop, unrefueled round-the-world flight attempt during a window from Feb. 8-11. Although forecasts of surface conditions on the 8th appear favorable, the jet stream over the eastern United States remains strong, which could cause problems for the aircraft as it climbs to cruise altitude. Designed and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., the Global Flyer will take off from Salina Municipal Airport in Kansas.
Neal Meehan has stepped down as chairman of the board of directors. He will remain a board member. Alfred Balitzer has been elected to replace Meehan as board chairman. Balitzer is a professor at Claremont McKenna College and a senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University, Calif.
El Segundo, Calif.-based Computer Sciences Corp. said Feb. 1 that it has won a contract for the operation and maintenance of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). The contract, which has a three-year base period and four three-year options, has an estimated value of $762 million if fully exercised, CSC said. CSC's Federal Sector business unit will help schedule and conduct test programs, operate range instrumentation, test support systems and perform all base operations functions.
Gen. Paul J. Kern (USA-Ret.) has been elected to the board of directors. Kern retired last month as commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
