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.
Following its decision earlier this month that a March or April shuttle launch is not feasible, NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council (SFLC) has decided to shoot for the next available launch window in May to return the shuttle to flight.
NEW ORDERS: Westbury, N.Y.-based DHB Industries Inc.'s Armor Group has received more than $19 million in orders for protective products for the U.S. military, federal government and domestic law enforcement agencies, the company said Oct. 29. The new orders are in addition to more than $35 million in orders announced on Oct. 5, the company said.
SMALL UAV: The U.S. Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Honeywell plan to flight-test the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Class 1 unmanned aerial vehicle in March 2005, says Brig. Gen. Charles Cartwright, Army program manager, unit of action. The FCS Class 1 UAV will be 21 inches long, have a ducted fan, and be able to transition to high-speed flight up to 40-50 knots, Cartwright says. The UAV will be carried by soldiers, and is to be able to conduct surveillance by hovering outside windows.
BAA EXTENDED: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology Office (TTO) is extending the response period for its November, 2003 broad agency announcement (BAA) on advanced research and development of system- and subsystem-level technology for warfighters. The new deadline is Jan. 31, 2005. Multiple contract awards are expected, according to DARPA. The TTO's future priorities fall mostly into four areas: space, unmanned vehicles, tactical multipliers and urban warfare/low-intensity operations.
SPACEHAB MEETS: Spacehab Inc. will hold its 2004 shareholders meeting Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. Central time at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake in Houston, Texas, the company announced Oct. 28. At the meeting, shareholders of record will be asked to elect 10 people to Spacehab's board of directors and to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as independent auditors for the company.
Raytheon Co. reported third-quarter 2004 net sales were $4.9 billion, up 13 percent from the $4.4 billion for the same period in 2003, the company said Oct. 28. The uptick mostly was due to increased government and defense contracts, the company said. Government and defense sales for the third quarter 2004 increased 12 percent to $4.1 billion from $3.7 billion in 2003.
India has successfully test-fired a modified naval version of the surface-to-surface Prithvi ("Earth") missile, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Oct. 27. The medium-range Prithvi III missile, which has a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), was launched from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea near Balasore and tracked by several ground stations.
Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp. reported third-quarter 2004 earnings of $11.6 million on sales of $161.3 million, compared with $10.6 million on sales of $125.2 million in 2003, the company announced Oct. 28. For the first nine months, segment earnings were $34.8 million on sales of $491.9 million, compared with $37.7 million on sales of $383 million in the first nine months of 2003, according to the company.
Lockheed Martin is waiting for results of tests being conducted on the GBU-10 laser guided bomb kit that it makes following an observation that its flight characteristics may be different from previously observed characteristics, a company spokeswoman said. The Air Force notified Lockheed Martin Sept. 30 that it was suspending operational use of the kit, designated MAU-209/B, Jennifer Allen said Oct. 27 in response to a question.
The U.S. Air Force plans to award a multiyear contract to the Boeing Co. in January for communications upgrades to the B-52 bomber. The four-year, system development and demonstration (SDD) contract, estimated at about $200 million, will call for integrating new satellite communications and other enhancements into the B-52 to improve its ability to share information with other aircraft and with command centers, Air Force officials told The DAILY in recent written responses to questions.
The Titan Corp. reported record quarterly revenues of $526 million for the third quarter of 2004, a 12 percent increase over revenues of $468 million for the same period a year ago, the company said Oct. 27. Titan's net income from continuing operations was $16.6 million, compared with $15.6 million for the third quarter of 2003. This increase included a charge of $2.9 million for ongoing costs of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act government investigations and costs related to the terminated merger with Lockheed Martin (DAILY, June 28).
SUPER HORNET WORK: Boeing has been awarded a $36.9 million contract modification for the full-rate production of advanced mission computers and displays that will be integrated into the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Lot 28 aircraft, the U.S. Department of Defense said Oct. 27. The work is expected to be completed in July 2006.
MTC Technologies Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a task order worth up to $13.5 million to perform unscheduled depot level maintenance (UDLM) on all C-130 aircraft, the company said Oct. 28. The work will include center wing rainbow fitting replacements, center wing spar cap repairs and any other needed repairs.
Radar data captured by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft during its first close flyby of Titan on Oct. 26 is providing an unprecedented look at the surface of Saturn's most mysterious moon, according to NASA.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) reported sales of $673 million for the second quarter of 2005, an increase of 19 percent from the previous year, the company said Oct. 28. The sales were "driven by organic growth of 11 percent," the company said. Orders increased 16 percent to $548 million, from $474 million the previous year, the Minneapolis-based weapon and space systems company said.
The Atlantic Fleet, now under way with its Sea Swap experiment, is incorporating lessons learned from the Pacific Fleet's Sea Swap that finished last spring, Cmdr. Robert Randall of the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon told The DAILY. Sea Swap is an initiative that increases forward naval presence by keeping a single ship hull continuously present in a given area of operation - in this case for 18 months - while swapping crews at six-month intervals.
