A planned initial deorbit burn for Russia's Mir space station will be postponed from this week until December because the cash-strapped Russian Space Agency lacks the funds to carry it out, a top Russian space official told a Russian news agency yesterday.
The A160 advanced helicopter development that Frontier Systems Inc. and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are conducting could lead to improved control systems for piloted and unpiloted helicopters, according to David Whelan, DARPA's Tactical Technology Office director.
Thomson-CSF yesterday launched a bid for the outstanding shares of Dassault Electronique. Thomson had already agreed to acquire a controlling interest in the avionics company. The Dassault family still controls 61% of the company through its holding company, Dassault Industries. Thomson is offering $114 per share, or 34 of its own shares for 11 in Dassault, CMF, the French financial markets council said.
The DarkStar unmanned aerial vehicle is expected to resume flight testing in the near future following a flight readiness review late last week. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and DarkStar prime contractor Lockheed Martin plan to conduct the first flight test of the redesigned air vehicle later this week. The review didn't identify any show stoppers that would interfere with flight testing, an industry official told The DAILY.
Canada has placed an option for 15 Ka-32A helicopters, a deal with a potential value of about $70 million that signals a breakthrough of Russian helicopters into previously denied markets, according to Sergei Mikheyev, general designer of Kamov. The Ka-32A is a civil version of the ship-based Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter. It has a takeoff weight of 27,940 pounds and can carry 3.7 tons of payload in the cargo section or 5 tons on external suspension.
An increasing number of payload options is emerging for the Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, although only the baseline electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar will be flown during the on-going demonstration program. Global Hawk is expected to fly with its baseline payloads later this summer, Maj. Donald J. Lacey, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's advanced payloads projects manager for high altitude endurance UAVs, said last week.
Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), the designated chairman of the House special committee to be created this week to investigate the possible transfer of missile technology to China by Loral Corp., and Rep. Norman Dicks (D-Wash.), the designated ranking Democrat on the committee, worked out an accommodation yesterday that will clear the way for the select panel to be formed by House resolution on Thursday.
The U.S. Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plan to sponsor research into the use of small clusters of micro-satellites capable of replacing larger satellites for missions such as space-based surveillance. The two organizations are soliciting industry for basic research in support of the TechSat 21 program, intended to reduce the weight and cost of space systems, the AF Research Lab said in a June 15 Commerce Business Daily notice.
Lockheed Martin's response to the U.S. government on how it plans to solve repeated problems with the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor may not have all the answers, Lt. Gen. Paul Kern, the Army's top acquisition officer, said yesterday.
George W. Ellis has been appointed plant manager of the Huntsville, Ala.-based aircraft products business. Robert K. Moore has been appointed general manager.
MICHAEL I. MOTT, associate deputy administrator (technical) at NASA, will become vice president of business development at Boeing Space Transportation, Seal Beach, Calif., effective July 1. At NASA Mott directed the agency's space transportation technology investment activities, and chaired the Space Operations Management and Space Operations Councils. In his new job he will oversee business planning and development in the areas of expendable and reusable launchers; rocket engines and space power; International Space Station, and space operations support.
John R. Damron has been appointed vice president of the Litton Amecom Division's Electronic Warfare and Sensors directorate. Robert Lagno has been appointed director, Business Development for the company's Electronic Components and Materials Group. David C. Miller has been appointed president of the Airtron Division, replacing Robert Lagno.
Chris Demain has been named vice president, Business Management. Albert E. Smith has been appointed president of Sanders, succeeding John R. Kreick who retired after 10 years as president. Robert J. "Jeff" Wilson has been promoted to vice president, Procurement.
The U.S. Army is delaying procurement of the full- up Brilliant Anti-Armor (BAT) pre-planned product improvement but will phase in some upgrades ahead of time to deliver improved BAT performance to operators as early as possible.
LAUNCH DEMAND GOING UP: Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton says his company projects a demand of 60 to 90 space launches per year by the period 2001-2005, including 40 to 70 launch contracts accessible to Arianespace. The company also forecast that by 2002-03, 40-50% of the market could be generated by low or medium Earth orbit constellations. Satellite size will continue to grow, with 11,000-pound satellites appearing in 2000 and most telecommunications satellites weighing at least 8,800 pounds by 2005.
An Air Force investigation has concluded a short circuit occurred in a fire warning extinguisher panel on a B-1B that crashed during a routine training mission on Feb. 18 near Marion, Ky. An accident investigation report, released by the service's Air Combat Command on Friday, concluded the accident sequence began when the No. 3 engine auxiliary drive system light lit up, warning crew of possible low oil pressure or excess temperature in the No. 3 engine accessory gearbox.
SINCGARS DOMINANCE: U.S. Army's SINCGARS and its evolutionary developments will dominate the world tactical communications markets over the next 10 years, with production of 300,000 radios valued at $2.5 billion between 1998-2007, according to analysts from The Teal Group. Analysts also predict continuing follow-on orders of ITT's Advanced Lightweight SINCGARS SIP radios and another 4,000 Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) digital data radios in 1998-2003.
LORAL SKYNET and EchoStar Satellite Corp. agreed to form a strategic alliance to offer new digital-based services to cable operators, programmers and direct-to-home consumers, using the companies' existing infrastructure to provide the services. The companies said Friday Loral Skynet also will create a new transmission and distribution service that will combine its Telstar fleet space segment, compression, encoding, uplinking, format conversion and multiplexing. EchoStar will provide uplinking and distribution services from its facilities in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Jay Harford , formerly of IBM Federal Systems, has been retained to provide program support in the Washington, D.C., area for the Space Products Group of the company's Communication Division.
PECKING ORDER: ABL isn't necessarily going to engage boosting theater ballistic missiles in the order they are launched. The system is being designed to establish a pecking order to attack higher threat systems first, according to AF officials. That means that a TBM launched in one area may be considered a higher threat because intelligence indicates it may be equipped with a weapons-of-mass-destruction warhead. ABL, therefore, may forego earlier, less lethal targets to deal with the high threat first.
