Herley Industries designs and produces microwave and millimeter wave components and subassemblies, mostly for aerospace/defense applications. But Chairman and CEO Lee N. Blatt wants it understood right up front that ``engineering is secondary to profits.'' The company has good technical skills and invests in programs, but doesn't pursue technology development unless it is part of a broader financial goal, he said. ``The direction of the company is strictly bottom line, and we merely employ technology to get where we want to go.''
Sandra T. Reehorst has been appointed chief of the Power and Propulsion Office at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. She was program development manager for the Space Directorate there.
NASA astronaut Patricia Hilliard Robertson died May 24 in Houston from burns suffered in the crash of a Wittman Tailwind aircraft on May 22 (AW&ST May 28, p. 19). She was 38. Robertson was a physician who became a member of the astronaut class of 1998 after joining Johnson Space Center's Flight Medicine Clinic in 1997. She was a support astronaut for the crew now on board the International Space Station at the time of her death.
Thales has agreed to buy Orbital Sciences Corp.'s satellite navigation and positioning activities, in a move that will establish it as a major player in this fast growing market.
In Aviation Week's annual Index of Competitiveness study, otherwise known as the Best-Managed Companies issue, top honors go to companies that have demonstrated the highest performance in the latest fiscal year. But awards in the stock market don't necessarily go to the most profitable company. Instead, stock price improvements are most often associated with the change in performance or the greatest positive momentum, rather than the level of performance, according to Michael McConnell of HOLT Value Associates.
Russia's Military Space Forces were reestablished as a separate branch of Russian military forces last week, after a long stint under the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN). The move was engineered under a broad-ranging plan to modernize the Russian armed forces. The Military Space Forces, headed by Col.-Gen. Anatoly Perminov, run launch installations at Plesetsk, Svobodny and Baikonur; a central control/test complex and 11 outlying control and monitoring facilities; and armed units specialized in early warning, anti-missile defense and space-monitoring activities.
The Bush team wound up one-and-one at the NATO ministerial summit in Budapest last week. The alliance did not endorse the Administration's initiative for a broad missile defense, but it notably omitted the heretofore canonical language in diplomatic communiques that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is ``a cornerstone of strategic stability.'' Defense Secretary Donald H.
Meanwhile, UPS and 200 other foreign parcel express operators, including FedEx and DHL, are under investigation by the Chinese authorities for illegally infringing on monopoly rights of the China Post. Foreign firms--led by UPS, which opened its first direct services between the U.S. and China in April--argue that they were issued bona fide licenses to operate in China and that the move is simply meant to allow China Post to maintain the monopoly of its parcel express service, EMS, until China is admitted into the WTO.
Edo Corp. has received a $2.8-million contract form the U.S. Navy for continued development and manufacturing of its BRU-55/A smart bomb rack. The BRU-55/A is slated for F/A-18 Hornets that will be equipped with smart weapons and Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
CAE will upgrade the U.S. Army's AH-64A Apache Combat Mission Simulator installed at Storch Barracks, Illesheim, Germany. Improvements include equipping the simulator's visual system with sensor capabilities and new visual databases, and integrating a new tactical threat environment. The unit's computer system and instructor station will be modified to match configuration of the AH-64A fleet. The upgrades are scheduled for completion in January 2003.
NASA space science managers are near a decision on whether to continue working on a mission to reach Pluto and the Kuiper Belt by 2020 or give up the effort and with it a chance to perform science that may not be possible again for ``a quarter of a millennium.''
Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defense electronics company, rose to the top of the ``mid-size'' rankings on the strength of its high operating margins. They improved 50% on a 35% increase in sales last year, thanks to a merger with privately held El-Op Electro-Optics Industries Ltd., making Elbit the largest non-government-owned defense contractor in Israel, with annual sales of about $700 million.
CAE has been selected to upgrade the U.S. Army's AH-64A Combat Mission Simulator under a $9-million work order. CAE will provide its Medallion visual system with sensor capabilities, develop visual databases and integrate its Interactive Tactical Environment Management System application.
EchoStar Communications Corp. will be adding three satellites to its DISH Network direct broadcast television service, and has signed with Integral Systems to provide the primary and backup control software for them. A single control system will be used, even though the satellites are of different types--EchoStar VII is a Lockheed Martin A2100, while EchoStars VIII and IX are Space Systems/Loral FS1300 satellites. Integral's off-the-shelf Epoch 2000 software handles real-time command and control as well as navigation and offline analysis.
Stuart Oran, who has been senior vice president-international of United Airlines, will become president and Thomas E. Davis chief operating officer of the carrier's business jet subsidiary. Davis has been president of DaimlerChrysler Aviation Inc. Graham Atkinson, who has been senior vice president-marketing, will succeed Oran, and Larry DeShon, who has been vice president-customer satisfaction, will succeed Atkinson. Montie Brewer, who has been vice president-alliances, will become senior vice president-planning.
U.S. Air Force planners are preparing what is likely to be the service's next major, multibillion-dollar bill for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance--a multirole, manned aircraft that would be capable of attacking targets electronically. Detailed plans for the Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft are still being developed, but USAF officials have sketched an ambitious timeline for fielding the system. They hope to introduce the first of the aircraft into service around 2009, according to program documents.
Boeing and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a tentative agreement for the St. Louis facility late last week, but details of the proposed contract were not available. Union members rejected a company offer in May, claiming it was inferior to contracts forged with workers at Boeing's Wichita and Seattle facilities.
One of the largest formations of B-25 Mitchell bombers seen in years appeared at ceremonies in California last month in honor of survivors of the 1942 Doolittle Raid.
Turkey has dropped the number of A400M military transports it plans to acquire to 20 from 26 as a result of the nation's severe economic problems. That brings the stated requirements of the eight countries involved in the airlift program down to 224 aircraft. There have been reports that Germany could reduce its total buy to 55 of the transports due to budget constraints. But the German Defense Ministry says the official number still stands at 73.
Airbus has established Airbus Japan--a Tokyo-based subsidiary whose purpose is to demonstrate the manufacturer's commitment to the Japanese market while forging closer links with Japan's aerospace industry. Patrick Carroll, a former BAE Systems executive, will lead the business. Airbus officials recently failed to convince Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki to join the A380 transport initiative as partners by acquiring an 8% share of the $12-billion program.
W. James Farrell has been appointed to the board of directors of the UAL Corp. He is chairman/CEO of Illinois Tool Works. Farrell succeeds John F. McGilli- cuddy, who has retired from the board.
Northrop Grumman and EADS' Sogerma subsidiary opened a heavy maintenance/modification facility for large commercial transports on May 16 at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, La. The joint venture allows EADS to support Airbus aircraft operating in North, Latin and South America. The $14-million operation employs 100 workers and has completed six C checks on A320 transports. Northrop Grumman also operates a modification business at the airport for U.S. Air Force Joint-STARS aircraft.
