The HMS Daring, first in a new class of anti-air destroyers being built by the United Kingdom, is being assembled in anticipation of its February launch, BAE Systems said. The ship will be the first Type 45 destroyer and is designed for anti-air warfare. HMS Daring recently received its Long Range Radar antenna and mast module, which was developed by BAE Systems for the new class. The Long Range Radar will undergo two months of integration testing by the Type 45 Combat Systems Agency before the ship is complete.
Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion recently completed building a new hypersonic Ground Demonstration Engine that represents the culmination of a nine-year, $58 million effort funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the company announced Aug. 1. Known as GDE-2, the new engine is part of AFRL's HySET (Hydrocarbon Scramjet Engine Technology) program. It features a variable geometry inlet and simulates "the configuration of a reusable access-to-space or global-reach propulsion system," the company said.
Alliant Techsystems will produce M212 countermeasure flares for the U.S. Army's Advanced Infrared Countermeasure Munitions Program under a $6.7 million contract, the company said Aug. 2.
While recent debate on U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft has focused on replacing the aging KC-135 Stratotanker, a general said Aug. 2 that the service also should look at supplementing its large-tanker fleet of KC-10 Extenders.
SALES, NET INCOME UP: EDAC Technologies Corp., which designs and builds tools, fixtures and jet engines for the aerospace industry, reported Aug. 2 that its sales for the second quarter and first six months of 2005 climbed while net income quadrupled. Second quarter sales were $8.8 million, compared with $8.7 million for the same period in 2004, while net income zoomed from $264,000 to $1.3 million. The second quarter of 2005 included an income tax benefit of $787,000.
REVENUE GAINS: Information technology services firm SRA International Inc. reported big gains in fourth quarter and fiscal year 2005 revenue for the period ending June 30. Fourth quarter revenue jumped 33% to $241.1 million, up from $180.9 million for the same period in FY 2004. Revenue for all of FY 2005 soared to $881.8 million from $615.8 million, a 43% increase, the company said Aug 1.
Iridium Satellite's total number of subscribers grew by 20% over the past year, reaching 127,000 as of June 30, according to the company. The new total is up 11% from the 114,000 subscribers the company had signed up by the end of 2004. "Through the first six months of this year, Iridium met or exceeded its targets for subscribers, revenue and profitability," Iridium Chairman and CEO Carmen Lloyd said in a statement.
NAVAL GUN: BAE Systems, which recently bought United Defense Industries, said its first 57mm Mk 110 Naval Gun system for the U.S. Coast Guard's future National Security Cutter will be delivered in January 2006, with the second gun following in December 2006. The gun fires 220 rounds a minute and has a range of up to nine miles. BAE Systems said Aug. 1 that Northrop Grumman Corp., prime contractor on the Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization along with Lockheed Martin Corp., had awarded it a contract for the second gun.
QUICK CONFIRMATIONS: On its last day before adjourning for August, the Senate on July 29 confirmed several new Pentagon leaders, including the undersecretary of the Air Force. Ronald Sega will fill the position as soon as he is sworn into office, although a Pentagon spokeswoman told The DAILY she did not know when that would occur. Meanwhile, Air Force Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz was confirmed to receive his fourth star and take over the Transportation Command, as well as become Air Force vice chief (DAILY, Aug. 1). Other confirmations included Marine Corps Lt. Gen.
Sales were up but earnings were down in the second quarter of fiscal 2005 for Colorado-based Ball Corp., although the Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. division was a bright spot, Ball said July 28.
PILOT TRAINING: Finland's Patria has been awarded a five-year, EUR 25 million (USD $30.5 million) contract to provide the Finnish air force with elementary and basic pilot training and related technical support, the company said July 29. About eight to 10 Patria flight and theory instructors will train Finnish conscripts, cadets and flight instructor trainees at Finland's air force academy in Tikkakoski. The instructors will follow the Finnish air force's training syllabus and use its Vinka flight trainers.
Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics will receive $50 million less than their maximum incentive fee for their work on the Virginia-class submarine USS Texas, apparently due to "poor performance," the U.S. Navy has said.
The launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-N weather satellite has been delayed to no earlier than Aug. 5 while manufacturer Boeing troubleshoots a problem with the spacecraft. Liftoff had been scheduled for July 29 on a Boeing Delta IV rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is managing the launch of GOES-N for NOAA.
The number of customers for Lockheed Martin's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor could grow within the next year, according to a company official. "I don't think you're going to hear any announcements in the next few weeks, but over the next year I would expect that you'll probably hear about at least one new customer," said Mike Trotsky, vice president of air and missile defense systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
Aerospace component and assembly manufacturer Ducommun released second-quarter results Aug. 1 that showed an increase in sales but a slight decrease in income. Sales totaled $62 million in the second quarter, up from $57.4 million in the same quarter of 2004, but net income was $4.1 million, down slightly from last year's $4.3 million in the same period. An increase in military sales was largely responsible for driving sales up 8% over the second quarter last year, with military business now making up 63% of sales, the company said.
UAV TEST: The Safran Group of Paris has conducted a successful test flight of its tactical Sperwer unmanned aerial vehicle that will be delivered to the Greek army, the company said July 29. The test was held at the French air force test center at Istres in southern France. The primary ground control station at Istres transferred control of the aircraft to a secondary ground control station more than 180 kilometers (111.8 miles) away near the Perthus pass in the Pyrenees mountains.
