EADS North America will assemble KC-330 tankers in Mobile, Ala., if it wins a potential U.S. Air Force competition to supply refueling aircraft, the company announced June 22. Even if it does not get a tanker contract, the company plans to build an engineering center at the Mobile site to support Airbus commercial aircraft. That center is expected to open in about a year. EADS North America said it picked Mobile over three other finalist sites in Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina mainly because of its closeness to a deepwater port.
The radar modernization program (RMP) for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has successfully completed its final design review (FDR), according to the U.S. Air Force. The May 24 review took place at the Palmdale, Calif., facilities of B-2 prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. and was intended to finalize the RMP design and ensure the design is mature enough to support such activities as production planning, advanced software development and flight testing, the Air Force told The DAILY in a statement responding to questions.
Offshore Systems International Ltd. of Vancouver will supply an integrated submarine navigation and weapons management system for the Canadian navy's Victoria-class subs, the company said June 21. The work will be done under a Cdn$1.7 million ($1.4 million) contract from the Canadian Department of Public Works and Government Services. The new system will replace the existing 1960s-era Shipboard Navigation and Plotting System (SNAPS) on four submarines and at two shore facilities, Offshore said.
The Cosmos-1 solar sail spacecraft most likely was lost shortly after launch June 21 due to a rocket failure, although a few weak signals received at ground stations are prompting scientists to hold out a dim hope that the $4 million satellite still may have made it to orbit. A joint effort by the Planetary Society and Cosmos Studios, Cosmos-1 was designed to attempt the first controlled flight of a solar sail. The spacecraft launched from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea at 3:46 p.m. EDT atop a converted intercontinental ballistic missile.
Vought Aircraft plans to show its concept for a sea-going unmanned aircraft at next week's Unmanned Vehicle Systems International convention in Baltimore, Md., a company spokeswoman said. The concept, being investigated under a $497,000 contract awarded to Vought by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in March, involves modifying "an existing aircraft for water operations," Lynne Warne said.
Lockheed Martin will build two additional Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) prototype vehicles under a $61 million addition to the program's system development and demonstration contract, the company said June 22. The modification calls for 19 vehicles instead of the previous 17, with the first prototypes to be delivered in the third quarter of 2010. It was awarded by Boeing, part of the lead systems integrator team for the Army's Future Combat Systems.
The launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-N, from Cape Canaveral Air Force on a Boeing Delta IV rocket again has been postponed, this time so technicians can double-check the batteries that power the rocket's flight termination system. Mission managers are concerned about the leads that connect the batteries' cell plates to the terminal, which broke on another set of batteries during a recent test. Technical issues have caused the launch of GOES-N to slip repeatedly from its original target date in May.
Karin A. McQuade has resigned as vice president and chief financial officer to pursue other interests. Jeffery Kordela, the corporate controller, will become interim CFO until a replacement is named.
The United States is about 65% protected from terrorists sneaking a nuclear bomb into the country through maritime entry points, the U.S. Coast Guard commandant told House appropriators June 22. Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) asked Coast Guard Adm. Thomas Collins to rate the preparedness of U.S. ports against terrorists "sliding a big one" through a port. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the safest, Collins said 6.5 is his "gross estimate."
Rami R. Razouk has been promoted to senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group, effective July 1. Razouk replaces John R. Parsons, who is retiring. Lawrence T. Greenberg will assume the new position of vice president, technology, effective July 1. Andrew J. Schickling has been appointed principal director of Navy Space Systems. Kevin M. Severin has been promoted to principal director of the Network Systems and Services Subdivision.
The House late June 20 passed a $408.9 billion fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill by a vote of 398-19, making no major changes to programs from an earlier version written by the House Appropriations Committee (DAILY, June 21).
MOSCOW - On June 20, a Russian Molniya M launch vehicle failed to deliver a Molniya-3K military communications satellite to a high elliptical orbit. According to representatives of the Space Forces, the booster's third stage failed about six minutes after launch from Russia's Plesetsk northern launch center. The third and fourth stages, and the satellite, fell to Earth in an unpopulated area in the Tyumen region. Teams have been searching the region from the air, but as of June 21 had reported no sign of debris.
The U.S. Coast Guard appears to be making some progress in easing congressional concerns that the revised Deepwater recapitalization plan does not speed up the program or provide adequate funds, although some lawmakers still would prefer an accelerated schedule.
United Defense Industries Inc. of Arlington, Va., has received two delivery orders worth $15.2 million for work on a pair of training systems for U.S. Army A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the company said June 21.
CAE Inc. of Montreal has been awarded a one-year, 23 million Canadian dollar ($18.6 million) contract to continue providing engineer support services for the Canadian air force's CF-18 aircraft, the company said June 21. CAE will modify avionics software for the CF-18 fleet and also modify ground-based test facilities and simulators to test new software systems. The company also will provide logistics support for the fleet, including development of the data management system used to track all maintenance and support of each aircraft.
The Planetary Society's Cosmos-1 solar sail spacecraft launched from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea at approximately 3:46 p.m. EDT June 21 atop a converted Volna intercontinental ballistic missile. At press time, mission controllers on the ground had not yet received a clear signal from the spacecraft indicating it had reached its near-polar orbit safely.
About 400 units of the U.S. Army's new Land Warrior System, provided by General Dynamics Corp., will be fielded in 2006, Army Staff Sgt. Reuben Romero said on Capitol Hill last week. The system, which integrates electronic systems with body armor and uniforms (DAILY, May 21, 2004), is being tested at Fort Benning, Ga., home of the Army's infantry school. In February, the Army merged its dismounted soldier activities, consolidating its Land Warrior and Future Force Warrior advanced technology demonstration programs, both of which already were under General Dynamics.
Turkish Aerospace Industries has signed an agreement to cooperate with Italy's Aermacchi on the new M-311 turbofan basic trainer program, the company said, part of its move to sign up partners to build the aicraft. The companies will create a joint engineering team, look for development opportunities and consider work-sharing on the program, Aermacchi said. TAI will be the exclusive partner for developing and producing some M-311 parts.
Lockheed Martin will build a close-combat tactical trainer reconfigurable vehicle simulator for the U.S. Army, the company said June 21. The work will be done under a $3.7 million U.S. Army contract, with the first system to be delivered to the service in six months. The contract has two additional one-year production options.
