Domenici also tells the Senate that if Congress approves legislative policies recommended by the Administration to help the Defense Dept. better manage cash in DOD's Working Capital funds, then fiscal 1999 outlays can be cut by $1.3 billion. Four Working Capital Funds - one for DOD and each of the three major services - have replaced the old Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF).
Transport Canada cleared the way for Magellan Aerospace's Orenda Recip, Inc., subsidiary to begin building the new OE-600A liquid-cooled 600hp reciprocating engine, issuing a manufacturing certificate to the company this week. Canadian officials certified the engine design in March, and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approval followed in May. A new manufacturing plant for the engine is slated to open this fall in Debert, near Truro, Nova Scotia.
Glavkosmos, Russia's state organization in charge of space, denied charges it has been involved in the transfer of sensitive technologies to Iran. Gennady Khromov, a Glavkosmos spokesman, told the Itar-Tass news agency Thursday that the organization "is no part to any activity connected with the transfer of dual products and technologies to Iran." "We are confident in what we are doing," he said. "Glavkosmos is accurately observing the regime of non-proliferation of missile technologies."
A new opinion survey of 800 American voters found that 75% of those asked would support spending $3 billion on a national missile defense (NMD), according to the Coalition to Defend America. The Washington-based group - comprised of members of Congress, grassroots organizations, former military officials and others who favor deploying an NMD system sooner than the Clinton Administration now plans - released the poll on Capitol Hill Thursday. The poll found that: - 86% favor deployment of a missile defense system.
BTR plc, the British conglomerate, announced the sale of its aerospace units for $839 million cash to Doughty Hanson&Co. The transaction, expected to be completed by Sept. 30, includes Standard Aero, which repairs and overhauls engines; Dunlop Aviation, which manufactures and services wheel and brake systems; Aero Engine Equipment, which manufacturers components for large turbofans; and Dunlop Precision Rubber, which manufactures seals, moldings and extrusions.
Outlays will be cut by $700 million in two classified accounts in the U.S. Air Force's fiscal 1999 budget, according to Senate Budget Chairman Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.). He says this is a result of meetings between the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget to resolve differences on scoring defense budget outlays. Congressional sources say Senate Armed Services and Appropriations staffers feel the changes will leave the programs and policies intact.
Veteran cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, assigned to be one of the first fill- time residents of the International Space Station, will join the crew of STS-88, the first American assembly mission, NASA reported. Krikalev will join Commander Robert D. Cabana (Col. USMC), Pilot Frederick Sturckow (Maj. USMC), Mission Specialist Nancy Currie (Maj. USA), Jerry Ross (Col. USAF) and Jim Newman. Space Shuttle Endeavor is slated to launch in December.
The U.S. relied on several different kinds of satellites to observe Iran's July 22 test of the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile. Gen. Howell Estes, commander of U.S. Space Command, says "some of the sensors we have are there all the time, some of them aren't. In this case we had a combination. ... The combination of the two gave us some pretty good information." He was reluctant to say more, avoiding any chance that Iran might take a hint and come up with ways to counter U.S. information-gathering efforts.
The F-22 test program has about four months to complete certain milestones the U.S. Air Force has promised Congress it will meet before beginning production in December. However, the AF declines to reveal the timetable for accomplishing the milestones, which include clearing two major parts of the flight envelope with two aircraft, completing ground vibration testing on one F-22, and flying at an angle of attack greater than 18 degrees.
Although Defense Dept. officials insist they got good information on the Shahab-3 test, they could have gleaned more if an RC-135 Cobra Ball aircraft had watched it. Cobra Ball wasn't there, mainly because of a planning glitch, according to a DOD official. However, Iran is expected to test the Shahab-3 again, which would provide another opportunity for Cobra Ball to gather valuable data.
The U.S. Army's OH-58D program office wants to lengthen the scout helicopter's rotor blades to increase lift and allow it to carry a full load of fuel and armament. "At this point I do not have funding" for a grip extension that would be added to the blades, said Lt. Col. James Weger, the Army's product manager for scout/attack helicopters. He told The DAILY in a telephone interview, however, that he would pursue the funding "very, very vigorously."
ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. has completed qualification tests on the first composite wing assembly for its X-34 reusable launch vehicle testbed and has mated the assembly to the X-34 test article at its Dulles, Va., factory, NASA reported. The wing, manufactured by Aurora Flight Sciences, ultimately will fly on one of two flight vehicles also under construction at Dulles, after the test article is used for X-34 verification and certification, according to the U.S. space agency. The air-launched X-34 is scheduled to make its first flight next year.
Various proposals to restrict the international sale of U.S.-made military equipment through a "code of conduct" have prompted concern in government and industry. There is "strong concern" about passing legislation about such a code as it is currently being put forward, Gregory Suchan, who works on arms transfer issues at the State Dept., said yesterday.
F-22 WEAPONS fit-checks were completed with the AIM-9M Sidewinder and AIM- 120C Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, Lockheed Martin said yesterday. The fit checked used aircraft 4003, the third F-22 scheduled to enter the flight test program. The first missile firing will take place in 2000 using aircraft 4002, being readied at Marietta, Ga., for the flight test program at Edwards AFB, Calif.
Pratt&Whitney's 98,000-lbst. PW4098 turbofan won certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, P&W reported yesterday, and has started a final round of flight tests before entering service on a Korean Air Boeing 777-300 in December. The 98K level marks the highest rated thrust yet certified for commercial service, though all three competing large turbofans - PW4000, GE90 and Rolls-Royce Trent - have topped 100,000 lbst. in testing.
Worldwide commercial space spending equaled spending by governments for the first time last year, and is expected to pace a doubling of the market to almost $180 billion by 2005, according to the head of Lockheed Martin's Space&Strategic Missiles Sector.
A two-seat version of the MiG-29 fighter, the MiG-29UBT, will be displayed at the Farnborough Air Show in England in September, according to MiG chief designer Mikhail Korzhuyev. Korzhuyev told the Itar-Tass news agency that the MiG29UBT will be on static display, and that the single-seat MiG-29SMT will be demonstrated in flight. The first MiG-29UBT is scheduled to be taken to the Zhukovsky flight test center near Moscow on Aug. 7 in preparation for Farnborough, Korzhuyev said.
A U.S. NAVY AVIATOR died yesterday after two F-14s collided during a training drill in the Mediterranean. The F-14s, from VF-103 at NAS Oceana, Va., were operating from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. One was recovered aboard the carrier after the collision but the two aviators in the second jet had to eject on their way to an emergency landing in Antalya, Turkey. One died, and the other suffered a broken leg.
A Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine fired and throttled up and down for 10 seconds late Wednesday in the first of three tests of the propulsion system for the new Atlas IIIA launch vehicle. The firing began at about 70% power, throttled up to more than 90%, and then throttled down to about 40% in a simulation of the profile it will fly during an operational launch. Two more tests are planned, both scheduled to last 70 seconds, Lockheed Martin said.
Ukraine plans in January to enter the Antonov 70 in a German program to develop a new military airlifter for Europe. Ukraine's ambassador to Germany told reporters Tuesday in Kiev that "If we manage to bring An-70 performance graphs into line with European air force standards, in particular those of Germany, that project would be submitted to a tender by the German defense ministry on Jan. 31 next year," said Anatoly Ponomarenko. "We have big chances to win that tender."
Germany's Daimler-Benz Aerospace had revenues of DM 7.6 billion ($13.5 billion) for the first six months of 1998, up 13% from the DM 6.7 billion ($11.86 billion) of the same period a year ago. Operating profit leaped 368% to DM 346 million ($612.4 million) from the DM 74 milion ($131 million) reported for the first half of 1997.
BORIS PAVLOVICH ARTEMOV, a top executive of Russia's RSC Energia, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 57. A graduate of the Bauman Technical Institute, Artemov played an active role in joint space endeavors with the U.S. going back to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. In 1992 he was appointed founding vice president of Energia Ltd., with responsibility for all technical documentation on RSC Energia's international projects. He was also head of the technical documentation department at RSC Energia.
AlliedSignal has delivered a prototype of its combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder to Eurocopter for use on the EC155 medium-lift helicopter. The nine-pound system can record one hour of cockpit audio and 10 hours of flight data, AlliedSignal said. The system has been designed for general aviation aircraft and helicopters and would eliminate the need for two separate systems.
House-Senate fiscal 1999 defense conferees have settled money differences on the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program by accepting the House's full funding of the $822 million request, but have not worked out policy differences on the troubled program, congressional sources said yesterday. The House bill directed Defense Secretary William S. Cohen to seek a second source for THAAD, which has failed to intercept a target in five tries. The Senate administered a straight $245 million cut.
The Senate yesterday rejected by a 80-19 vote an attempt to cut $220 million for the F/A-18E/F strike fighter out of the $250.5 billion fiscal 1999 defense appropriations bill. The 70-18 vote was on a motion to table the amendment offered by persistent Super Hornet critic, Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.). Instead of a straight cut in the U.S. Navy program as in past years, Feingold this time tried a different approach. His amendment would have shifted $220 million of the $3.275 billion request to the National Guard operations and maintenance account.
