USN Vice Adm. Timothy J. Keating has been nominated to be director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He has been commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the U.S. Central Command, and commander of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
In October, Air Canada is expected to choose the manufacturer that will renew its fleet with 100 70-110-seat aircraft--and is getting a little help from friends, but not its country, in making that decision. The airline invited a cross section of stakeholders to Montreal to "kick the tires" of potential aircraft and talk with representatives of four aircraft manufacturers--Bombardier, Embraer, Airbus and Boeing--to learn the pros and cons of their products.
GOOD TO GO The U.S. Air Force has fielded the first F-16s to have undergone the full common configuration implementation program (CCIP). Two F-16 Block 50/52s have been delivered to Spangdalem AFB in Germany featuring the core computer upgrade, new color displays, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cuing System and Link-16 data link. Under CCIP, the Air Force plans to upgrade more than 650 Block 40/50-type F-16s at a cost of more than $1 billion. Some F-16s have already received the computer and displays, but will be back-fitted with the other equipment.
A clearer picture is emerging of the endgame structure of the aerospace/defense industry's fastest growing market segment: federal government information technology (IT) services. The latest puzzle piece to fall into place is Lockheed Martin Corp.'s proposed acquisition of San Diego-based Titan Corp., the largest independent defense IT player; its 2003 revenues will be in the range of $1.75 billion.
Lori Sharpe Day has become head vice president and Regina Sullivan vice president of the Government Affairs Div. and Doug Wills vice president-communication and external affairs for the Washington-based Air Transport Assn. Day was director of the Office of Intergovernmental and Public Liaison in the U.S. Justice Dept. and adviser to the attorney general. Sullivan was vice president-corporate affairs for the Belo Corp. in Dallas. And, Wills was head of executive communications and group manager of broadband marketing for Cisco Systems.
BALL'S BERYLLIUM NASA selected a beryllium-based mirror technology proposed by Ball Aerospace to gather and handle infrared light in the James Webb Space Telescope slated for launch in 2011. Acting on the recommendation of telescope prime contractor Northrop Grumman, NASA picked the Ball approach over an ultra-low-expansion glass technique that Kodak proposed, following tests of both technologies. In this photo, a Ball technician adjusts a hexagonal beryllium mirror segment approximately the same size as the 18 such segments that will make up the primary Webb mirror.
RAPTOR REVIEW Heading into the latest in a series of F/A-22 reviews with top Pentagon acquisition officials, service representatives are worried they won't be given the green light for the next round of purchases. The U.S. Air Force plans to award the contract for the next batch of fighters in October. Delaying this could further disrupt the program, which has been struggling to get on a stable footing. The program review, slated for Sept.
While the Columbia accident report indicates there are a number of similarities between the losses of the Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, there is a key shuttle technology resource available today that wasn't then--the Russian Space Agency (RSA) and SL-17/Buran shuttle system.
BAE Systems has won a $46-million low-rate initial production contract to produce the U.S. Navy's Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasure System/Radio Frequency Countermeasure system.
Stuart Carnie has been appointed president/CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Fina Air and Viva International Inc. Carnie was vice president-sales for Mach Aero International Corp., Tulsa, Okla. Oscar Hasan has been named president of Dominican operations of Viva International and Arnold Leonora interim president of the Air Services Div.
The Greek defense ministry will purchase 12 AH-64D Apache Longbow combat helicopters from Boeing with an option for an additional four. The agreement includes the acquisition of the Longbow fire control radar, Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight, support equipment, training services, maintenance support and offsets.
The warming of U.S.-Indian relations is threatening to undermine the strategic balance between India and Pakistan and could escalate conflict in the volatile region, warns Pakistan's air chief. At an unusual gathering of almost 100 chiefs of air forces here, service representatives from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, South America and Africa presented views on some of the problems they face.
Pratt & Whitney has joined the Northrop Grumman-led team competing for the Defense Dept.'s joint unmanned combat air system program. Pratt will provide an integrated, advanced performance propulsion system for the X-47B demonstrators in support of the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Lockheed Martin is the third key member of the team.
Ryanair's Buzz unit has awarded a multi-year power-by-the-hour contract to Snecma Services covering CFM56-3 turbofan engines on Boeing 737-300 twinjets.
A Russian air force Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber has crashed, apparently with the death of all four crew, while on a check-flight from the Engels bomber base. Initial reports suggested the aircraft was being test-flown following the replacement of at least one of its engines.
SERVIS-1 SLIP Launch campaign managers have postponed the flight of Japan's Servis-1 (Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System) test satellite on a Russian Rockot launcher until Oct. 29 from Oct. 8 because of launch preparation delays. Servis-1 is to be put into a 1,000-km. (620-mi.) orbit to check the durability of commercial semiconductors, central processing units and other electronic parts and components under space radiation and temperature conditions. A second mission is set for 2006.
Relatively quick, low-cost access to space has become a much pursued, but highly elusive goal for the U.S. military. Now the Pentagon's outside-the-box research organization, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has entered the fray, attempting to solve the problem with decades-old technology.
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. has won a $5.6-million, five-year contract extension from the Canadian Armed Forces for the automated airline hosting and aircraft tasking system. It provides a passenger booking and aircraft scheduling system for the Canadian military at six locations in Canada and one in Germany.
The key to the Cooperative Transatlantic Alliance proposal slated to be submitted to NATO in November appears to be a broad-band data link that would form the heart of the ground-based data processing system tendered in the proposal. Team leaders have yet to decide on specific technologies, or which companies would be involved. For example, they are investigating command data link (CDL) technology with L-3 Communications, but at the same time exploring use of a U.S. Navy CEC (cooperative engagement capability) link with existing partners.
International Lease Finance Corp. has selected engines from the GE-Pratt & Whitney Alliance for up to 14 Airbus A380 aircraft--four firm orders and 10 options. The agreement is valued up to $200 million and has a potential value of $800 million with all options exercised.
Raytheon Co. has received a $250-million contract modification under the U.S. Navy's Standard Missile program to provide engineering services, including design integrity, total systems integration, missile design upgrades and technical support.
Steve Metheny (see photo) has become Grants Pass, Ore.-based executive vice president-Western U.S. operations for Carson Helicopters Inc., Perkasie, Pa. He was chief pilot.
Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and other aerospace companies have been working for nearly two years on systems to fill U.S. military and government agency needs for improved intelligence dissemination.
NOW TAKING RESERVATIONS Presidential hopeful Wesley K. Clarke has won the admiration of many for his intellectual capabilities, but some who have served in uniform with him have pronounced reservations about his potential as the nation's leader. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper worked daily with Clarke during the Kosovo operation. "I can vouch for his competence as a general," he said, but avoided additional comment.
