Ross Reynolds has become head of the Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Marietta, Ga.-based Air Mobility business. He has been vice president for C-130J programs.
MBDA finally appears set to gain full access to the German market by absorbing EADS missile unit LFK, in principle, by year-end. Industry sources say a deal for purchase of an 82% share in LFK from EADS--itself one of three MBDA shareholders, alongside BAE Systems and Finmeccanica--has been struck and is expected to be announced this month. Neither MBDA nor LFK shareholders would confirm this, but MBDA CEO Marwan Lahoud acknowledged agreement was "very, very close."
A new breed of aircraft engine being designed by Pratt & Whitney won't be just a device for propulsion. It's being built to produce internally, without exterior add-ons, the energy needed to run a new generation of power-hungry weapons and sensors.
Larry M. Wise has been appointed president of Integrated System Solutions for the Technology Solutions Sector of BAE Systems North America, Rockville, Md. He was vice president/general manager of BAE Systems Integrated Electronic Solutions. Wise has been succeeded by Richard D. Anderson, who was vice president of the Weapons Systems Div.
General Electric Co.'s GenX engine passed a critical first test of a new configuration--a composite fan case and composite blades--that promises significant weight reduction. In a blade-out rig test at full speed, the composite fan case contained the released blade and maintained its structural integrity, says Tom Brisken, GenX program general manager. The carbon fiber and epoxy resin composite materials in the fan case are expected to reduce the weight of a single engine by 350 lb. An 800-lb.
Vietnam Airlines will acquire an additional 10 Airbus A321s, bringing total orders for the carrier to 15. The airline ordered five of the single-aisle jets in October 2002. Deliveries began in July of this year, and the new aircraft will be delivered in the spring of 2008.
Lockheed Martin has snagged a $15.6-million contract to integrate the Armed Helicopter mission kits on the U.S. Navy's MH-60S. The two-year effort is to span preliminary design review through completion of operational testing. The kit includes sensors, avionics, weapons, integrated self-defense and survivability modes. The initial operational capability is set for September 2006. The MH-60S is to replace Ch-46s and HH-60Hs.
Lockheed Martin has named its F/A-22 program general manager and executive vice president, Ralph Heath, to become president of the corporation's Aeronautics Co. Heath will succeed Dain M. Hancock, who plans to retire in January. Larry Lawson, the F/A-22 deputy, will succeed Heath.
Donald Rumsfeld, staying on as Defense secretary, says he has some unfinished business. "Great bureaucracies don't spin on a dime," he declares, and an about-face is what he has in mind. Among his priorities are a National Security Personnel System to relieve demands on the Guard and Reserve; reductions and shifts in U.S. forces stationed overseas that aren't in combat operations; and new strategies and tactics for unconventional conflicts such as those in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another goal is establishing "true jointness" among the services.
An upcoming NASA selection between very different robotic spacecraft for a $700-million mission scheduled to fly by 2010 is emblematic of the strains that are likely to beset the U.S. agency--and its international partners--for years to come as they struggle to map the new pay-as-you-go U.S. exploration program.
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BAE Systems intends to reduce its stake in Saab as the two companies revise their relationship over the Gripen fighter aircraft. Saab is to take sole responsibility for new export campaigns for the Gripen.
NASA's "Deep Impact" mission will not only give scientists a glimpse into the core of a comet, but should also provide clues about conditions that existed when the Solar System was formed.
If collaboration between U.S. and European aerospace/defense companies on military programs is going to advance much further, industry--with the support of governments on both sides of the Atlantic--will have to be a lot more creative in how it approaches the business and political issues that continue to frustrate international teaming and cooperation on a grander scale.
The first of France's next-generation Helios 2A reconnaissance satellites is set to be launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on Dec. 18. Although Defense Ministry officials acknowledge the date could still slip, the French are anxious to bring the new capability into operation at a time when only one first-generation spacecraft, Helios 1A, is still in service. The high priority placed on the launch recently caused the reflight of the Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift launch vehicle, which had slipped from its November launch date, to be bumped to early next year.
Northrop Grumman and United Defense have teamed for the U.S. Army's mobile tactical high-energy laser project, intended as a vehicle-mounted air defense system. Northrop Grumman will lead the laser activity, with United Defense focused on integrating the weapon on its hybrid-electric combat vehicle that will transport the system. The Army wants the laser to shoot down myriad threats, from missiles to mortars.
Italy's Avio is tentatively scheduling an initial public offering for 2006. However, the propulsion group will be required to restore profitability first. The U.S. Carlyle Group, which owns a 70% controlling stake in Avio, indicated earlier that it would remain the Turin-based company's leading shareholder for only three years. Avio Chief Executive Officer Saverio Strati says that an IPO is the most likely scenario for the share restructuring. Finmeccanica, which owns the remaining 30% of Avio, will review its involvement.
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FROST & SULLIVAN REPORTS THE MARKET FOR GPS products in automobiles will grow to $1.8 billion in 2010, from $545 million in 2000. The nonautomotive segment should grow to $891 million from $417 million over the same period. A price reduction for GPS products is expected to boost demand.
The Bell/Agusta AB139 is the first helicopter fitted with Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated avionics suite with modular units that will make it easy to equip the aircraft for a variety of missions.
Union machinists at United Techno- logies' Pratt & Whitney jet engine unit voted against going on strike Dec. 5. The vote paved the way for a disputed three-year contract offered by the company to take effect.
Speaking of Mitsubishi, it has selected Flow International Corp. of Kent, Wash., to build waterjet machine tools to cut the 7E7's carbon fiber wing skins. The 118-ft.-long, 21-ft.-wide machining system will be built and tested in Jeffersonville, Ind. Its ultra high-pressure pumps, which emit a thin stream of water at Mach 3, will be made in Kent. Traditionally, carbon fiber has been cut by such conventional tools as carbide-tipped routers, bandsaws, cutoff saws and abrasive wheels. But these can overheat, fray or delaminate edges of advanced composites.
NetJets Europe is predicting it will show an operating profit in 2005, almost a decade after opening for business, although this year's results will still be in the red. Chief Executive Mark Booth is bullish about the company's ability to reach profitability, and to start capital repayments in the next two financial years.
Dennis Averyt (see photos) has been named vice president-intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology Sector, Redondo Beach, Calif. Other new vice presidents are: Maureen Heath, civil space; Peggy Nelson, project manager for Prometheus 1; David Rosener, subcontracts; and Ron Smith, Six Sigma. Heath has been vice president-marketing and Washington operations. Nelson was program manager for Promethus 1.
