France's Sagem said it has completed a cold weather flight demonstration of its Sperwer unmanned aerial vehicle in Finland. The UAV flew real time target acquisition and tracking missions, and demonstrated its ability to be rapidly deployed and begin flight operations a few hours after arriving in a theater, Sagem said. Sagem previously took the UAV to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate its ability to operate in desert heat.
Bell Helicopter Textron has had to temporarily suspend flight operations of its Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle to replace a gearbox that was damaged when it encountered wind shear several days ago in a flight at Yuma, Ariz. The vertical takeoff and landing UAV was in a slow decent maneuver last week when winds of up to 47 knots drove it down faster than expected. Operators regained control and landed the vehicle, but the gearbox experienced an overtorque.
The House National Security Research and Development Subcommittee yesterday added $62 million to the U.S. Army budget to provide for a second fully operational prototype of the Comanche helicopter, Subcommittee Chairman Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said. The Army is presently conducting the Comanche flight test program with a single fully operational prototype. Weldon also said the subcommittee added $50 million above the request for Navy Theater Wide (Upper Tier) missile defense system.
SVERDRUP TECHNOLOGY, Tullahoma, Tenn., won a $200 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide launch operations and support services to the 45th Space Wing and its customers at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. The Launch Operations and Support Contract consolidates elements of existing contracts such as providing operations and maintenance for launch processing activities, spacelift vehicles and spacecraft and entails weapon systems management, logistics, operations management and operations support.
Restrictions against flying unmanned aerial vehicles in commercial airspace are expected to remain for years and the UAV community should begin discussing the issue soon to eventually be allowed to fly in controlled airspace, George L. Donahue, the FAA's associate administrator for research and acquisition said.
Thiokol Corp. yesterday changed its name to "Cordant Technologies Inc." to encompass its acquisitions of Huck International and 62% of Howmet International. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CDD" effective May 7, the company will essentially remain otherwise unchanged, according to Jim Wilson, chairman and CEO. The Thiokol, Howmet and Huck units will continue to do business under their original names, but the new Thiokol corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, will become Cordant headquarters, Wilson said.
BOEING CO. has begun final assembly of the first of eight WAH-64D Apache Longbows it will build for the U.K. government before final assembly shifts to GKN Westland in England for the remaining 59 attack helicopters. Final assembly began late last month at Mesa, Ariz., and first flight of a production WAH-64D is scheduled for this summer. As part of the final assembly program, Boeing is integrating the GEC Marconi Defensive Aids Suite and the Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca RTM322 engines onto the U.K. Apaches.
United Space Alliance (USA), the Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture that has the prime contract to operate NASA's Space Shuttle fleet, has taken over two more major Shuttle support contracts as the U.S. space agency moves to consolidate the work under USA.
The Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee yesterday approved language that would permit the U.S. Air Force's F-22 fighter to go into production, but required a double certification before $595 million for the first two aircraft could be released, Senate sources said.
The House is slated to consider a bill today amending the 1962 Communications Satellite Act designed to promote competition and privatization in satellite communications. The Communications Satellite Competition and Privatization Act of 1998 (H.R. 1872) encourages the privatization of the intergovernmental satellite organization (IGO) that dominates international satellite communications.
The Boeing 777-300 airliner earned its type certification and received approval for 180-minute extended-range, twin-engine operations. The clearances came on May 4, and Boeing said it was "the first time any airplane manufacturer has received both approvals on the same day." The type certification came from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Joint Aviation Authorities. The FAA gave its approval for ETOPS and, Boeing said, the JAA was expected to approve it later this month. Launch customer Cathay Pacific will take delivery this month.
NASA managers yesterday decided not to refly the just-completed Neurolab mission this summer, choosing instead to keep their options open as they try to schedule the delayed first U.S. flights to the International Space Station and the delayed mission to orbit the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF).
The U.S. Air Force plans to demonstrate the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for the non-lethal Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission. The AF is considering either the Egrett unmanned aerial vehicle or the Naval Post Graduate School's Pelican UAV. The chosen vehicle would be fitted with the Northrop Grumman Tactical Radar Electronic Combat System (TRECS), designed to detect and locate emitters, jam them, and act as a decoy, Maj. Jim Shane, the AF's chief of SEAD programs at the UAV Battlelab, said in a telephone interview last week.
With aircraft flying halfway around the world, the commercial sector of the aerospace industry has reached the limits of its goal of "higher, faster, farther" in 75 years, according to Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Condit. The next 75 years, he said, will be focused on providing more economic value to the customer.
AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded on April 30, 1998, a $14,472,518 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for one Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Surveillance Radar Training Set. One firm solicited, one proposal received. Expected contract completion date is June 2000; solicitation date was September 30, 1997; negotiations completed April 1, 1998. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-97-C-2057).
DOW-UNITED TECHNOLOGIES COMPOSITE PRODUCTS INC., Wallingford, Conn., won a five-year contract from Sikorsky to make helicopter components. The agreement stipulates that Sikorsky will buy the majority of its composite components from Dow-UT over the next five years, business estimated to be in the $100 million - $125 million range.
Congress has approved the U.S. Navy's $23.1 million reprogramming request for the Tactical Tomahawk program, allowing the service to begin development of what is supposed to be a more capable Tomahawk Land Attack Missile.
Mobile Communications Holdings Inc. has picked Boeing to build its $1.4 billion Ellipso satellite communications system, which will consist of 17 satellites in elliptical orbits tailored to give them maximum coverage of the largest markets during daylight hours for mobile, fixed and airborne voice and data communications. Under the arrangement announced yesterday Boeing will become an equity partner in Ellipso, and will serve as system integrator contractor for the system, including design, development, construction and deployment.
Atlantic Research Corp., Gainesville, Va., was awarded on April 29, an $8,924,182 cost-sharing ($7,051,979 government share; $1,872,203 contractor share) contract to provide for research and development support for the reduction of production costs for the High Performance Post Boost Control Systems Program. This effort will develop technologies for reduction of production costs and use of aerospace unique materials in rocket and missile systems. The work is expected to be completed August 2002.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded on April 24, a $9,460,213 cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for engineering and manufacturing development of components to integrate the Fighter Data Link into the F-15E aircraft. The work is expected to be completed December 2000. There was one proposal received. Solicitation began July 1997; negotiations were completed September 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
A significant decision in last week's Senate consideration of the expansion of NATO, which was endorsed by an 80-19 vote on Thursday, was a step the Senate didn't take. By a 76-24 vote, the Senate two days earlier rejected an amendment by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) that would have broadened the 25% that the U.S. pays of NATO common costs to apply not just to the operating costs of the alliance, but to Foreign Military Financing loan guarantees.
ThermoTrex Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $27,788,370 Other Transaction for Prototype, cost-plus-fixed-fee with fee to provide for design, fabrication, assembly and test of the GEO Light Imaging National Testbed (GLINT). The GLINT will be a prototype optical system for imaging satellite in geostationary orbit. An Other Transaction is a special acquisition method to develop prototype projects for which most procurement laws and the Federal Acquisition Regulation do not apply, thus allowing greater flexibility in meeting government requirements.
CUBIC APPLICATIONS INC. (CAI), San Diego, won a $47 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Regional Contracting Office, Quantico, Va., to provide support services for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Staffing Training Program Center (MSTP). The contract has one base year and four option years.
Luminescent Systems Inc., East Aurora, N.Y., was awarded on April 30, 1998, a $16,114,484 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for 383 interior and exterior lighting modification kits applicable to the Night Vision Imaging System on the F-16C/D aircraft. Fifty firms were solicited, six proposals submitted. Expected contract completion date is December 2001; solicitation date was October 28, 1997; negotiations completed April 13, 1998. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-97-C-0022).
