Pratt&Whitney began validation tests of the F119 derivative engine for Boeing's Joint Strike Fighter on June 21 at its West Palm Beach, Fla., test facility. Testing of the Lockheed Martin engine began last week. The DAILY incorrectly reported in the issue of June 16 (p. 427) that testing of the engine for the Boeing JSF also began at that time.
NASA, Case Western Reserve, the state of Ohio joined forces in an effort to bring advances in microsystems to the needs of both private industry and the U.S. space agency. The "Glennan Microsystems Initiative," named for the Case Western Reserve president who was also NASA's first administrator, will use some $16 million in federal funds and $4.5 million in state of Ohio monies to apply miniaturized electrical and mechanical devices to such industries as bearings, medical devices, imaging, aircraft supplies, tires and consumer products.
Germany's Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) may split off part of its research effort to test a hydrogen-powered engine on a regional jet in order to develop an engine fueled by liquified natural gas (LNG) with its Russian partners that could ultimately be marketed in Eastern Europe and the CIS states, according to company sources. But the dual approach depends on the outcome of negotiations with DASA's research partners in Russia, and particularly with Pratt&Whitney Canada.
DSE Inc., Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $7,587,956 fixed-price- incentive-firm/time-and-materials/cost-reimbursable-contract to provide for 1644 (976 for the Air Force, 668 for the Navy) FMU-152/B Joint Programmable Fuzes applicable to the Joint Direct Attack Munition and other general purpose and guided bomb units. There were 19 firms solicited and 3 proposals received. Expected contract completion date is August 2000. Solicitation issue date was March 23, 1998. Aeronautical Systems Center, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (F08626-98-C-0006).
Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., is being awarded a $7,847,133 cost- sharing contract for professional engineering services for the research and development of advanced electro-active polymeric materials and devices suitable for use in the fabrication of devices of interest to the Department of Defense.
Alphatech Inc., Burlington, Mass., is being awarded a $5,911,453 cost-plus- fixed-fee-contract to provide for the Dynamic Situation Modeling (DSM) program. The DSM program seeks to develop a framework for producing a continuously updating dynamic situation estimate of the battlespace. Expected contract completion date is March, 2000. Solicitation issue date was September 10, 1997. Negotiation completion date was May 12, 1998. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33615-98-C-1314).
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded an $11,092,866 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-96-C-0054 to design, develop, manufacture, install, test, and support an MV-22 flight training device. Work will be performed in Broken Arrow, Okla. (59%), Fort Worth, Texas (28%), and Ridley Park, Pa. (13%), and is expected to be completed in May 2002. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
RUTH DAVID, CIA deputy director for science and technology, will leave the agency in September to become president and CEO of ANSER, a not-for-profit public service research institute, where she will replace John Fabian, who is retiring. A successor to David at CIA has not been named, the agency said.
ARINC, Inc., Annapolis, Md., is being awarded a $12,000,000 face value increase to an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide for engineering services from 23 June, 1998 through 23 June 2000 in support of development of reliability and maintainability improvements for aircraft, engines, power equipment, air conditioning equipment, support equipment, motors, lights, and alarm and signal systems. Funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. Solicitation issue date was February 5, 1998. Negotiation completion date was June 8, 1998.
House Republican and Democratic leaders on Friday announced the names of all nine members of the special panel investigating the possible transfer of missile technology to China by Loral Space&Communications, and both parties seemed to draw heavily on members with experience in the national security, foreign policy and intelligence areas. This probably is a necessity for the committee, which must start and finish its investigation in a six-month period.
PROTEUS RFP: France's CNES will issue a request for proposals soon to launch an astronomy mission based on the new Proteus small satellite bus. General Director Brachet tells the Aviation Week Space Technology Business '98 conference in Washington that the Proteus is sized at about 500 kilograms to fly on the planned Vega rocket, but will have to find other rides to orbit until the new small launch vehicle is ready. The first Proteus spacecraft will carry the Jason remote sensing payload, and work has already started on the second bus, Brachet says.
Iberia, confirming an order it announced in February, signed a contract Friday with Airbus Industrie for up to 76 aircraft, the largest order placed with the consortium by a European carrier. The Spanish flag carrier placed firm orders for 50 jets, 31 A320s and 19 A321s. Options for 26 planes could include A319s, according to the pact signed in Toulouse by Xabier de Irala, president of Iberia, and Noel Forgeard, managing director of Airbus.
INTELSAT 805, an advanced Lockheed Martin-built communications satellite designed to link Europe and the Americas, was launched Thursday evening aboard an Atlas IIAS rocket flying from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. The Lockheed Martin 7000-series spacecraft carries 28 C-band and three Ku- band high-power transponders, designed to provide multimedia relays to both sides of the Atlantic from an orbital slot at 304 degrees East longitude. Liftoff of the rocket, also built by Lockheed Martin, came at 6:48 p.m.
The U.S. Navy wants to keep its Harpoon missile improvement program alive, even though recent budget drills have eliminated future funds for the effort.
STOP AND GO: The House takes up $250.7 billion national security appropriations bill on Wednesday, which means that Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) would then be able to seek Senate action on the SAC-approved $250.3 billion Pentagon money bill. The Senate returns to defense authorization voting late today, but it's uncertain whether it will stay with the bill until completion.
LOCKHEED MARTIN has won a service contract from the National Reconnaissance Office to launch a classified payload aboard at Atlas IIIA rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., according to the NRO. "It's the first time we've done a head-to-head competition," said Brig. Gen. Mitch Mitchell, director of the NRO's office of space launch. "I'm very excited about being able to save both time and money using this new way of doing business."
UPGRADE INTEREST: International users of the U.S. ALQ-131, ALR-69 Class 4, ALR-56M and ALQ-135 electronic warfare systems have shown "quite a bit of interest" in upgrades, says Maj. Bill Euker of the Air Force international affairs office. Interest could grow if overseas customers learn about system shortfalls identified by the AF in its Electronic Warfare Operational Shortfall Study (EWOSS). However, Euker said, the decision on whether the EWOSS results will be made available to other countries rests with AF Chief of Staff Gen.
Eurocontrol, the European Space Agency and the European Union have officially agreed to work together to develop a European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Gathering in Luxembourg June 18 during a meeting of EU transport ministers, the three parties signed an agreement formalizing their cooperation. The agreement was penned by Antonio Rodota, director general of the space agency; Gavin Strang, Britain's transport minister; and Yves Lambert, director general of Eurocontrol.
FRENCH CONNECTION: France is looking to increase its international cooperative defense program. Government goals call for a doubling by 2002, says Patrick Monclar, Thomson-CSF's director of strategy and development. Currently, about 15%, or $2 billion of French procurement programs, are cooperative
STATION CHALLENGE: Assembling the International Space Station on orbit will "probably be harder than putting people on the moon," in the view of Astronaut Steve Oswald, who oversees the Space Shuttle program at NASA headquarters. One early mission gives an idea of the magnitude of the task.
ALLIEDSIGNAL GOAL: Lawrence Bossidy, chairman and CEO of AlliedSignal, tells an investor group the company expects to push its operating margins from 11.4% in 1997 to 15% by 2000. Due to a reorganization late last year, it will also begin reporting results in five business segments. Aerospace Systems, with four business units, is the largest segment in terms of 1997 sales, followed by Turbine Technologies, Transportation Products, Specialty Chemicals&Electronic Solutions and Performance Polymers.
Y2K SAFE: Rest assured, says Gen. Eugine E. Habiger, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Russia will have control of its nuclear missiles on Jan. 1, 2000. He says the Russians have assured him that their nuclear command and control system has no Year 2000 computer bugs.
TEMPORARY DUCTS: Although ventilation aboard the International Station is designed to avoid use of the flexible ducts that snaked through open hatches all over the Mir orbital station, the first Station assembly crew will have to install just such a duct through the only hatch on the nascent Station. Because the air circulation system on the FGB is designed to work with the Service Module docked aft, the crew of STS-88 will have to install a temporary duck linking the fans and filters of the U.S.
NUCLEAR APPROVAL: The U.S. Air Force's 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., completed its nuclear operational readiness inspection last week. The initial results were positive, although the full story won't be known until this week. It's already clear, however, that the B-2 bomber unit of Air Combat Command passed the part of the review concerned with handling nuclear weapons, an AF official says.
