HUMAN FACTORS: Many human factors questions concerning the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the national airspace remain unanswered, according to Nick Sabatini, associate administrator for regulation and certification at the FAA. "I've come to believe that one of the biggest challenges we face is not so much the certification of the airplane - the technology piece is going to be easy - but the human factors aspect, because those dynamics are changing," Sabatini says.
MILSTAR SUPPORT: LinQuest Corp. of Los Angeles will provide expert technical communications services for strategic and tactical users of Milstar satellites under a $10 million contract, the Department of Defense said Nov. 5. The company also will support training crews in basic communications troubleshooting techniques.
BRAHMOS FLIGHT: The joint Russian-Indian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was flight-tested from the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast on Nov. 3, the Press Trust of India said. The naval version of the missile was fired from the Indian navy destroyer INS Rajput. BrahMos was last test fired in June, and the Indian navy said it plans to induct the missile next year (DAILY, Aug. 30).
DHB Industries Inc. of Westbury, N.Y., has received a $24.6 million body armor order for the U.S. mission in Iraq, the company said Nov. 4. DHB Industries has received $78.6 million in new orders in the past 30 days, the company said. A $19 million order was announced on Oct. 29 and more than $35 million in orders on Oct. 5.
Correction: In a Nov. 4 DAILY story headlined "HP, LM form alliance for defense, security work," quotes attributed to Mark Stouse, director of external communications for HP, should have been attributed to Bill Mutell, head of public sector health and education for the company.
The U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program office has received the formal go-ahead to fix the aircraft's weight problems. DOD announced Nov. 4 that acting Pentagon acquisition chief Michael Wynne has approved a series of design changes for JSF, especially for the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant, which has been battling the biggest bulge. STOVL design changes approved by Wynne include shrinking the weapons bay and tweaking the propulsion system to provide more thrust (DAILY, July 22, Sept. 10, Sept. 15).
European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EADS) boasted soaring financial earnings for the third quarter of 2004, more than tripling its profits compared with the third quarter of 2003, the company said Nov. 4. EADS earned 210 million euros ($269 million) during the third quarter of 2004, up from 65 million euros ($83.4 million) in the third quarter of 2003. Sales rose to 6.89 billion euros ($8.8 billion) from 5.48 billion euros ($7 billion) during that period, EADS said.
NAVY JDAM: The U.S. Navy dropped its first two 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) during combat operations in Iraq on Oct. 29, the service announced Nov. 3. Strike Fighter Squadron 34 (VFA-34) of Carrier Air Wing 17, which is embarked aboard the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67), dropped the GBU-38s on a position where insurgents were known to be operating, according to the Navy. "The 500-pound JDAM is perfect for the urban warfare that's taking place now in Iraq," Navy JDAM Program Manager Capt. Dave Dunaway said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began its border patrol flights using Northrop Grumman's Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) this week, according to an industry source. "They're using two RQ-5 Hunters, and they're just going to be using EO/IR [electro-optical/infrared] sensors, and they're going to make flights up and down the Arizona border near the area of Fort Huachuca," the source told The DAILY (DAILY, Nov. 4). Awaiting approval
Australia, Canada and Italy have emerged as the most likely international candidates to join the development effort for the U.S. Navy's Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program, officials said Nov. 4.
The Allied Defense Group Inc.'s third-quarter and nine-month financial results lagged behind 2003 results, but the company said on Nov. 4 that it "anticipates an excellent fourth quarter and a good full-year 2004." During the third quarter of 2004, Allied earned 3 cents per share on revenues of $37.1 million, compared with earnings of 16 cents per share on revenues of $34.9 million for the same period in 2003.
The U.S. Air Force Space Battlelab's Near Space Maneuvering Vehicle (NSMV) program plans to test fly a revised propeller design at 100,000 feet altitude later this month, according to NSMV Program Manager Maj. Robert Blackington. Part of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), the Air Force Space Battlelab is exploring various technologies for exploiting "near space" altitudes, which are roughly defined as 65,000-300,000 feet. The first applications for this regime are likely to be surveillance and communications relay (DAILY, Sept. 15).
The U.S. Army and Navy have awarded AAI Corp., a subsidiary of Hunt Valley, Md.-based United Industrial Corp., two contracts worth $3.6 million for Advanced Boresight Equipment (ABE) systems that align weapon stations and sensors on various military aircraft, the company said Nov. 4.
St. Louis-based Engineered Support Systems Inc. has won a $2.7 million contract to provide 11 Manportable, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Radar (MSTAR) systems to Poland, the company said Nov. 4. The systems will be produced at the ESS facility in St. Louis. Deliveries will take place through the end of 2005, the company said. ESS previously has sold MSTARs to Australia, Canada and Colombia, Gerald A. Potthoff, ESS vice chairman, CEO and president, said in a statement.
MODERNIZATION: Alliant Techsystems (ATK) has won a $5.5 million contract from the U.S. Army Field Support Command to start additional modernization efforts at its ATK Lake City plant in Independence, Mo., the company said Nov. 4. The project will improve product quality, efficiency and capacity, the company said. It is scheduled for completion in September 2006.
The final flight of NASA's X-43A hypersonic demonstrator from Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., has been postponed to give priority to the launch of the agency's Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft from the same range.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is asking the Boeing Co. to assess airliner counter-missile approaches being developed by BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman Corp. Potential high-level risks and technical issues associated with installation of the systems on a series of Boeing airliners will be discussed at a Boeing facility in Renton, Wash., during a Nov. 30-Dec. 3 technical interchange meeting, DHS said in a Nov. 3 FedBizOpps notice.
Explosives detection system (EDS) maker InVision Technologies Inc. and General Electric agreed to extend how long they can wait to terminate their merger, from Oct. 31 to Dec. 27, InVision said Nov. 1. The $900 million acquisition of InVision by GE is being held up by U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations of the California-based EDS manufacturer, according to Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily.
Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems of Houston has been awarded a $21.1 million contract modification to produce 385 Low Signature Armored Cabs (LSAC) for the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), the company said Nov. 2. The cabs will be manufactured in Sealy, Texas, and the estimated completion date is Feb. 28, the company said. The LSAC provides protection from small arms fire, artillery, land mines and roadside bombs, the company said. Armor Holdings Inc. will provide key armoring components for the cabs.
The European Union's (EU) pricing plan for certain Galileo satellite navigation services is expected to emerge toward the end of the year, according to Michael Shaw, director of navigation and spectrum policy for the U.S. Transportation Department. "The Europeans are faced with how do we fund for this system, and at least they would like to charge for some of these services," Shaw said during a presentation at the Air Traffic Controllers Association (ATCA) symposium in Washington on Nov. 3.
The United States and its international partners in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program have concluded a two-day meeting to review the jet's progress.
Communications and avionics electronics maker Rockwell Collins reported net income for fiscal 2004 grew by 17 percent over 2003, going from $258 million to $301 million. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company said sales for FY '04 increased $388 million, or 15 percent, to reach a record $2.93 billion.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to fly Northrop Grumman's Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform surveillance over Arizona's border with Mexico, following a successful series of flights using the Israeli-built Hermes UAV that took place over the summer.
