Credit analysts with Standard & Poor's lowered the ratings outlook for General Dynamics Corp. from stable to negative following that company's announcement that it plans to acquire Veridian Corp (DAILY, June 10). The largely debt-financed acquisition, coupled with the debt-financed acquisition of General Motors Defense in March (DAILY, March 4), would decrease funds from operations to debt, credit analyst Roman Szuper said in a June 10 report.
Acknowledging the growing importance of space assets in land combat and joint operations, the U.S. Army's new space policy document directs the service to take greater responsibility for the operation of space systems. "In the 20th century, the Army fully exploited the high ground provided by air capabilities and led the nation to space," the policy says. "In the 21st century we must fully exploit the high ground of space to empower adaptive leaders and soldiers with the ability to see first, understand first, act first, and finish decisively."
Three or four divisions of international peacekeeping forces may be required to stabilize Iraq over the coming weeks and months, according to a U.S. Defense Department official. But the strength of those divisions, their composition and when they will leave the country has yet to be determined, according to Joseph Collins, deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability operations.
Altair, a new unmanned aerial vehicle built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., flew for the first time June 9, according to NASA. The UAV features triple-redundant flight systems and avionics and was built to NASA specifications. The flight, at GA-ASI's El Mirage, Calif., facility, evaluated basic airworthiness and flight controls. It was conducted at low altitude within a relatively short range of El Mirage, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center said.
LONDON - BAE Systems is continuing intensive development of the Hawk advanced jet trainer to meet fourth-generation requirements, including the Royal Air Force's new 12.5 billion pound ($20 billion) Military Flight Training System (MFTS) program. Since their 1976 RAF service entry, more than 800 Hawks have been sold to 17 customers worldwide, and production of 226 carrier-based T-45A/C versions by Boeing in the United States is more than half complete.
STUDY WORK: Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been awarded design study contracts for NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. JIMO is to be the first outer planets mission under NASA's Project Prometheus, which is developing nuclear power and propulsion systems for future spacecraft (DAILY, June 4).
As part of its effort to return the space shuttle to flight, NASA has selected a new design for the bipod that attaches the orbiter to the external tank (ET) and is contemplating other changes to mitigate or eliminate foam strikes. The bipod and other critical areas of the ET are insulated with foam to prevent the formation of ice on the outside of the tank, which holds cryogenic fuel. The shuttle Columbia is believed to have been doomed by a piece of foam that broke loose from the bipod and damaged the orbiter's left wing shortly after launch Jan. 16.
Senate-backed language on low-yield nuclear weapons is preferable to the House-approved approach because the Senate would give the Bush Administration "a greater level of freedom," according to former Pentagon official Keith Payne, who helped craft current U.S. nuclear policy. The Bush Administration has asked Congress to repeal a decade-old law banning research and development of low-yield nuclear weapons, saying such devices may be needed to counter weapons of mass destruction hidden underground in rogue states.
A congressional panel plans to question Bush Administration officials on whether Russia can continue providing crucial support for the International Space Station. The House Science space subcommittee will hear testimony June 11 from John Schumacher, NASA assistant administrator for external relations, and Steve Pifer, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.
Lockheed Martin Corp. on June 10 filed a lawsuit against the Boeing Co. and three of its former employees, alleging that Boeing and the employees violated federal and state law by obtaining and using proprietary information during a competition for the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The 23-count complaint was filed in United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
LAUNCH: Sea Launch sent the Boeing-built Thuraya-2 satellite into orbit on June 10 for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. of United Arab Emirates, the company said. The satellite was launched from the company's Odyssey Launch Platform on the equator in the Pacific, aboard a Zenit-3SL booster.
L-3 Communications said June 10 it plans to buy Bombardier Inc.'s Military Aviation Services business for nearly $90 million. Based in Mirabel, Quebec, Military Aviation Services (MAS) provides technical services for aircraft maintenance, military aircraft repair and upgrade and refurbishment and modernization for some commercial aircraft. Customers include the Canadian Armed Forces, the U.S. Department of Defense, other military organizations and original equipment manufacturers of military aircraft.
NASA successfully launched the first of its twin Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 1:58 p.m. EDT June 10, marking the agency's first attempt to land on the red planet since its ill-fated Mars Polar Lander mission in 1999.
Requests for proposals for the next phase of the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) program will be released June 30 to Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., according to the Air Force's Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Responses will be due July 31, and one of the competitors will be chosen in October to proceed. The RFPs will be for the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase, and for production options.
SETTLED: Northrop Grumman has agreed to pay $111 million to settle a joint complaint by a former TRW Inc. employee and the U.S. Justice Department that TRW, which the company acquired last year, overcharged the government for some federal contracts. Northrop Grumman said the settlement was factored into its bid to acquire TRW.
Some of the requirements for the Battle Management Command and Control system (BMC2) to be installed aboard the Air Force's next-generation surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, the E-10A, have changed, officials with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon said June 9. In contrast to the draft request for proposals (RFP) released in March, the Air Force now seems to be placing more emphasis on software development for the system, Mike Schoultz, Lockheed Martin vice president for the E-10A BMC2 program said in a June 9 program briefing.
UAVS: Elbit Systems Ltd. has received a $47 million contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to supply unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems to Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the company announced June 9. The three-year contract is a follow-on to a previous contract with the IDF. Through its subsidiary Silver Arrow, Elbit Systems is the primary supplier of advanced tactical UAV systems to the Israeli military, according to the company. Silver Arrow's UAV systems are based on the Hermes family of tactical UAVs, including the Hermes 450, Hermes 180 and Hermes 1500.
General Dynamics Corp. said June 9 it plans to buy Veridian Corp., a major provider of defense information and technology products and services. Under the proposed deal, General Dynamics would offer Veridian shareholders $35 cash for each outstanding share of company stock. With the assumption of Veridian's $270 million debt, the cost of the transaction is expected to be about $1.5 billion. Subject to regulatory approval and a vote by Veridian shareholders, the deal is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2003.
June 2, 2003 ARMY AM General Corp., South Bend, Ind., was awarded on May 30, 2003, an $11,535,757 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 169 high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles. Work will be performed in South Bend, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on July 17, 2000. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).
SATELLITE LAUNCHED: After several delays caused by technical problems, International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched SES Americom's AMC-9 satellite on a Russian Proton K booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on June 9. AMC-9, the 16th satellite in the company's communications satellite fleet, was placed in a geostationary target orbit and is scheduled to begin operations in July to support telecommunications in North America.
PRAGUE - The Czech Republic's premiere air show, scheduled for early September, may have to be relocated after the Czech air force announced it is pulling out as a main organizer of the event. The air force said June 5 that it could not participate in the organization of the Czech International Air Fest (CIAF) because it is facing "basic changes" as a result of an ongoing army reform process.
MOSCOW - A Progress M1-10 unmanned cargo spacecraft was launched June 8 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, to deliver supplies and research equipment for the International Space Station's Expedition Seven crew. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station on June 11. The progress is carrying about 4,400 pounds of consumables, including water that otherwise would be delivered by the space shuttle.
