NASA's upcoming Swift spacecraft will bring a new quick-response capability to the field of astronomy, slewing within minutes to observe gamma-ray bursts and possibly other fleeting astronomical phenomena, according to program scientists.
The U.S. Army has awarded Jacksonville, Fla.-based Armor Holdings Inc. two contracts worth $56.6 million for body armor and heavy truck armor kits, the company said Nov. 1. Armor Holdings will provide $26.6 million in Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) under a contract modification from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. Armor Holdings' Aerospace and Defense Group in Phoenix and Pittsfield, Mass., will do the work, the company said.
POSTPONED: The first flight of the Air Force Space Battlelab's Near Space Maneuvering Vehicle (NSMV), or "V-Airship," from Tillamook, Ore., was postponed from its Oct. 29 target date to Nov. 15 for technical reasons, according to an Air Force spokesman. Built by JP Aerospace of California, the 175-foot long, v-shaped helium balloon will carry a small communications payload to an altitude of 100,000 feet (DAILY, Sept. 15).
Although the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program currently doesn't have funding to deploy its future unmanned aerial vehicles before the first scheduled full unit of action in 2014, much of the technology will be ready before that, a Boeing official said.
RAPTOR REVIEW: The Pentagon has called off a high-level meeting to scrutinize the Air Force F/A-22 Raptor, opting instead to review the program's status in writing, at least for now. The Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) meeting had been scheduled for Nov. 1, but officials have decided to proceed with a "paper DAB" instead, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Oct. 29. The DAB meeting will be rescheduled only "if needed," she said. The decision to go with a written review appears to suggest that few, if any, thorny issues are expected to surface.
Zurich, Switzerland-based Oerlikon Contraves AG has been awarded a contract to produce Millennium 35mm Ahead Naval Gun Systems for the Denmark navy's new Combat Support Ships (CSS), the company said on Oct. 28. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The Millennium guns, armed with 35mm Ahead Air Burst Munition (ABM), will be able to defeat symmetric and asymmetric air and surface threats, the company said.
BETTER EXERCISE: A team of Belgian scientists hopes to create a better treadmill for astronauts to cut down on muscle and bone loss during space missions. The experiment was one of 13 flown during the European Space Agency's latest parabolic flight campaign in late October, which uses an Airbus A300 aircraft to provide temporary weightlessness. Other experiments were aimed at studying the design of cultivation chambers for biological research on the International Space Station, and testing the design of life support equipment for Columbus, Europe's ISS module.
GMD INTERCEPTORS: The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) expects that 18 interceptors for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system will be fielded in Alaska and California by the end of 2005. That is two fewer than previously planned because of accidents that occurred at a propellant-mixing plant in 2003 (DAILY, Nov. 11, 2003), says MDA's director, Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering. The first five interceptors have been installed at Fort Greely, Alaska, which is slated to get its sixth and final one of the year in the first week of November.
Nov. 11 - 13 -- Pacific Marine Expo, The West Coast Commercial Marine Marketplace," Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Wash. For more information go to www.pacificmarineexpo.com. Nov. 15 - 16 -- ISR Integration 2004, "Enabling Precision Strike," Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Va. For more information go to www.defensenews.com/conferences/isr.
Aircraft and gas turbine component manufacturer Triumph Group said its Aerospace Systems segment reported net sales of $122.1 million for the quarter, up 23 percent from the same period last year. The segment's operating income for the quarter increased 26 percent, from $11.6 million to $14.6 million, the Wayne, Pa.-based company said.
Cyber Aerospace Corp. is completing development of the CyberBug, a two-pound unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the company announced Oct. 29. The battery-powered UAV can be flown into an area while a remote operator with a headset observes and listens. The company is marketing the CyberBug as a low-cost way for military forces, law enforcement, business owners, or state and local agencies to monitor properties or possible terrorist targets.
French aircraft motor maker Snecma and aircraft electronics equipment group Sagem are negotiating a merger, the companies said Oct. 29. Jon Kutler, chairman and CEO of Jefferies Quarterdeck, said that although the merger would be a clear fit in aircraft manufacturing capabilities, "this merger would be less about a strategic fit than about the desire for the French aerospace [and] defense industry to improve its level of critical mass, as competitors in the United States and the U.K. have already done."
U.S. Air Force Space Command plans to release a request for proposals (RFP) next month for concept studies of the projected Orbital Deep Space Imager (ODSI), intended to enhance space situational awareness. The RFP will be sent to "previously qualified offerors" on or about Nov. 9, AFSPC's Space and Missile Systems Center said in an Oct. 28 FedBizOpps notice. The RFP was to have been released on about Sept. 22 (DAILY, Aug. 31). Proposals are due "the first week of December 2004."
Northrop Grumman's Viper Strike precision weapon, currently deployed only on the Army's Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle, is likely to deploy on the Air Force's AC-130 gunship, company spokesman Doug Cantwell told The DAILY.
Northrop Grumman's Newport News Shipbuilding company will continue design and long-lead work on the next-generation CVN-21 aircraft carrier under a $492 million contract modification, the U.S. Department of Defense said Oct. 29. The work will support the beginning of ship construction, planned for fiscal 2007, DOD said. That will include research studies, building engineering development models and prototypes for some components and seeking ways to cut the program's total cost.
E-2C SATCOM: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. will install satellite communications systems into three French E-2C aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program, the U.S. Department of Defense said Oct. 27. The work is expected to be completed in October 2006.
Canada-based CAE Inc. unveiled a number of related training products for C-130 aircraft at the Airlift/Tanker Association's annual convention in Dallas on Oct. 28, the company said.
EXPLORATION CONFERENCE: NASA will present an overview of its plans to implement the nation's vision for space exploration at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Exploration Conference, to be held Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, 2005 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla. Rear Adm. Craig E. Steidle (USN-Ret.), head of the agency's Exploration Systems office, will serve as conference chair. More information on the conference can be found at http://www.aiaa.org.
The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser-Extended Range (WCMD-ER) is slated to begin flight-testing in mid-December, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin. During the "captive carry" tests, the missile will fly aboard an F-16 to ensure it does not impair the jet's aerodynamics, company spokeswoman Jennifer Allen told The DAILY in recent written responses to questions.
Intelsat Ltd. has completed its acquisition of the customer contracts and other assets of COMSAT General Corp. for $90 million in cash, the company said Oct. 29. The deal includes the rights to Federal Communications Commission and other licenses and will enhance the company's competitiveness for providing satellite capacity and services to U.S. and NATO users, Intelsat said.
HONEYWELL DIVIDEND: Honeywell's board of directors has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 18 cents per share on the company's outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable on Dec. 10 to shareowners of record at the close of business on Nov. 19.
SLAMRAAM PROGRESS: The joint Surface Launched AMRAAM (SLAMRAAM) system is "progressing very well" and remains on track to be fielded starting in about 2008, says Col. Richard De Fatta, the Army's project manager for Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD). Several successful test firings have occurred with a Marine Corps-developed launcher, and a SLAMRAAM preliminary design review is slated for 2005. Raytheon is the prime contractor for the program, which will provide the Army and Marines with an AMRAAM missile mounted on a Humvee to shoot down cruise missiles.
MORE MEMBERS: Team US101 has added 20 component suppliers in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to its team competing to provide a new fleet of presidential helicopters. The companies include BAE Systems and L-3 Communications Systems-East.
NICHE PURCHASE: Lockheed Martin Corp. plans to acquire Sippican Holdings Inc. as part of its strategy of acquiring niche companies that enhance its core focus areas, the company says. Lockheed Martin plans to buy Sippican, which supplies naval electronics systems, from the global private equity firm the Carlyle Group.
