NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE satellite was successfully launched by a Titan IV from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Thursday, the Air Force said. It was the last launch of a Titan IVA from Vandenberg. All future Titan IV launches will use the "B"-model rocket. The launch was supposed to take place in July, but was delayed because of problems with the rocket's inertial measurement unit, a nitrogen tetroxide leak and, most recently, a brush fire at Vandenberg.
Pelorus Navigation Systems Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, signed a letter of intent to buy all the shares of Atlantis Aerospace Corp., Brampton, Ontario, Canada, for $8.5 million. Pelorus said Atlantis, which makes software-based simulation and training devices for commercial and military aerospace, reported sales of $17.3 million and earnings of $1.1 million before interest, taxes and extraordinary items in its latest fiscal year. The transaction is scheduled to close on Dec. 15.
FRANCE'S AEROSPATIALE delivered the Sinosat 1 satellite to Sino-German customer EurasSpace, which is acting for the Chinese company SINOSATCOM, Aerospatiale announced yesterday. Sinosat 1, built in Cannes, France, will supply telecommunication services to the entire territory of China, the Indochinese peninsula, Indonesia and the Philippines. The satellite will be launched by a Long March 3B from the Xichang launch site in China. It will take a geostationary orbit at 110 degrees East longitude for a lifetime of 15 years.
TIG KREKEL was named president of AlliedSignal Aerospace Equipment Systems (AES), the company announced yesterday. Krekel succeeds John Tucker, who left to become chief operating officer of York International Corp. Krekel was previously vice president and general manager of AES's Environmental Control Systems unit.
AEROSPATIALE has shipped Sirius 2, the largest telecommunications satellite ever built in Europe, to the Guiana Space Center for launch on an Ariane 4 next month. Based on the Spacebus 3000 spacecraft, Sirius is a Swedish/Danish platform that will cover Scandinavia, the Baltic states and parts of Eastern and Western Europe from an orbital slot at 5 degrees East longitude. The platform will mount 32 Ku-band channels and generate 5,840 watts with two solar arrays.
The U.S. Navy has decided to shave three years off the projected service life of its F-14 strike fighters, retiring the last of the planes in 2007. The Navy leadership has "reduced our life and they're trying to get us out of the inventory now in 2007," Capt. Ted Carson, who coordinates F-14 activity between the fleet and the F-14 program office, said in an interview at Naval Air Systems Command headquarters here.
McDonnell Aircraft Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $36,930,000 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-94-C-0039 to an advance acquisition contract to provide additional funding for the definitization of training and training devices in support of the Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18C/D aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. Work will be performed in Herndon, Va. (72%), and St. Louis, Mo. (28%), and is expected to be completed in June 1998.
Lt. Gen. John Jumper has been named to replace Gen. Michael Ryan, the new Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, as chief of U.S. Air Forces Europe and NATO's Air Forces Central Europe, the Pentagon announced. Jumper had been deputy chief of staff for air and space operations. That post will go to Lt. Gen. Patrick K. Gamble, who is the commander of Alaskan Command. Gamble will be replaced by Lt. Gen. David McCloud, now director of the Joint Staff's force structure, resources and assessment division.
TRIUMPH GROUP INC., Wayne, Pa., signed an agreement to acquire Stolper- Fabralloy Co., which makes precision sheet metal jet engine components, Triumph announced yesterday. The cash purchase price wasn't disclosed. Stolper, whose primary customers include commercial original equipment manufacturers and military aircraft markets, has annual sales of more than $35 million. Stolper, with facilities in Brookfield, Wis., and Phoenix, also provides repair and overhaul services to aerospace end-users.
The Japanese Ministry of Transport, prompted by lack of available land around Tokyo for a planned third airport, will begin a study of the feasibility of using floating steel structures for a future airport. The 1,000-meter-long, 60-meter-wide structure will be built by Mega- Float Technology Research Union of Japan, an organization of 17 steel makers and ship builders. It has already built a 300-by-60 meter structure that was used to demonstrate helicopter operations.
Technical Management Concepts, Inc., Beavercreek, Ohio, is being awarded, a $10,448,000 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide for research and development support for the Laser Hardened Materials Advanced Studies program. This will involve short term specialized research and development projects and studies to further the development of materials to protect government assets from laser attack. Funds will be obligated as individual orders are issued. Contract is expected to be completed February 2003. There were two proposals received.
ITT-Gilfillan Defense and Electronic is being awarded a $9,637,114 firm fixed price contract for three Ground Control Approach (GCA) 2000 Radar Systems used to land aircraft in austere locations during adverse weather conditions. Contract is expected to be completed in 15 months. Contract funds will not expire at the end of current fiscal year. The solicitation was issued in September 1997 and negotiations were completed in October 1997. Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts is the contracting activity F19628-98-C-0007.
High Technology Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an $8,450,686 cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the operation and maintenance of the Sea Range instrumentation systems used to gather, process and report results of tests in support of missile, aircraft, space, and miscellaneous programs and training exercises. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2001. Contract funds in the amount of $1,789,343 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Taxi testing of the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle has begun at Edwards AFB, Calif., in preparation for first flight at the end of the year. Two short-distance, low-speed tests of the high altitude endurance UAV were run Friday morning. Autonomous commands were used by the Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Global Hawk to start and stop taxiing. The UAV, which has a wing span of 116 feet and a gross takeoff weight of 26,500 pounds, moved about 100 feet in the initial test, TRA said.
Hercules Inc. will sell its 30% stake in Alliant Techsystems to concentrate on its chemical business and get out of aerospace, Hercules announced yesterday. Hercules acquired the shares when Alliant bought Hercules Aerospace Co. in 1995. "As we have said since 1995, we intend to sell our shares in Alliant at the appropriate time," Keith Elliot, Hercules chairman and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement. "This action will complete our exiting of the aerospace business."
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) says he will introduce legislation today to accelerate theater missile defense programs under the "Iran Missile Protection Act of 1997." Among the programs to receive a boost is the Arrow program, the Theater High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability programs, and the U.S. Navy's Upper Tier missile defense effort (DAILY, Oct. 27).
The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization must report to Congress by next Feb. 15 on the possibility of upgrading the U.S. Navy theater-wide system to a limited national missile defense role.
The General Accounting Office charged that design specifications used by the U.S. Air Force for the Airborne Laser understate atmospheric turbulence, and that some methods used by the service to gather such data aren't necessarily appropriate.
Boeing North American Aircraft, Inc., Seal Beach, Calif., is being awarded, a $7,294,115 face value increase to a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for the Period Four (15 Feb 97 - 17 Aug 97) Award fee for performance of the Phase IIB Engineering and Manufacturing Development for the Conventional Mission Upgrade program in support of the B-1B aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed October 1997. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Cracks in the fuselage skins of older Boeing 737 airliners have prompted the FAA to order emergency inspections and modifications of 33 of the jets in the fleets of 16 U.S. carriers. Regulatory agencies overseeing another 34 737s in the worldwide airliner fleet will be alerted, FAA said.
Lockheed Martin has picked one of its own divisions, Sanders, of Nashua, N.H., to integrate the electronic warfare system on its Joint Strike Fighter candidate. Sanders said yesterday that as EW integrator, it will be assisted by Litton's Amecom Div. and several other suppliers.
Aerospatiale, Alcatel-Alsthom, Dassault Industries and Thomson-CSF reached an agreement in principle Saturday to join their professional and defense electronics businesses around Thomson-CSF. The agreement, announced by Thomson-CSF, is part of a strategic partnership outlined by the French government (DAILY, Oct. 15) and is the first stage in a process to create a platform of businesses that will include the space and military communications activities of Alcatel, the Dassault Electronique Group and the satellite activities of Aerospatiale.
Raytheon Mediterranean System Co., Tewksbury, Mass., is being awarded a $2,241,546 modification to a $5,613,046 (estimated total if all options are exercised $10,924,123) firm-fixed-price contract, to definitize the letter contract for 288 person-months of technical assistance service for the government of Egypt, HAWK missile system. Work will be performed in Egypt and is expected to be completed by Dec. 19, 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 22, 1997.
Base Ten Systems Inc., Trenton, N.J., said it agreed with Strategic Technologies Inc. (STI) to sell the assets of its Government Technology Div. (GTD). STI, a newly-formed corporation, will be operated and partially owned by some current members of Base Ten's senior management involved in the business and development of GTD.
The Boeing Co., Boeing Defense and Space Group, Military Airplanes Div., Seattle, Wash., is being awarded a $15,282,919 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-96-C-0010 for sustained contractor logistics support for the E-6 Program and support for the E-6B aircraft. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Okla. (70%), Fairfield, Calif. (15%), and Patuxent River, Md. (15%), and is expected to be completed in September 1998. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
