Rolls-Royce sold its Parsons Power Generation Systems unit to Siemens this week for 30 million pounds (US$48.6 million), completing the first half of its strategy to get out of the steam power business to concentrate more on aero engines and aeroderivatives for industrial use. Derby-based International Combustion remains on the block, but "several parties" are "expressing strong interest," Rolls says.
A study by the U.S. Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense says there's no reason to alter a plan for splitting production of the next 12 DDG-51 destroyers between General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works and Litton's Ingalls Shipbuilding, a Navy official said yesterday. He told reporters at the Pentagon that the study found that there is "no industrial base reason" for the Navy to provide one of the shipyards with more DDG-51 work than the other.
NASA'S GALILEO SPACE probe has discovered evidence that suggests liquid water conducive to the formation of life exists on Jupiter's moon Europe, under a relatively young, thin layer of ice not unlike that which covers the oceans at Earth's poles. Images collected during Galileo's 363-mile closest approach to Europa Feb. 20 show features scientists believe may have been created by a relatively thin layer of ice moving over slush or liquid water.
China chose AI-25TLK engines built by Ukrainian enginemaker Progress to power the two-seat trainer/attack aircraft China is co-developing with Pakistan. China plans to field 300 of the aircraft for its own air force, plus some number as export products, but the initial engine order covers only 30 engines - 10 this year and 20 more in 1998. China also says follow- on orders may go to other enginemakers.
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP. appointed Ruth Harkin as senior vice president, international affairs and government relations, the company announced yesterday. She succeeds William F. Paul, who will retire after 42 year with the company. Harkin joins UTC from the Overseas Private Investment Corp., where she served as president and CEO. She was appointed to that position by President Clinton in 1993. Harkin will also serve as chair, United Technologies International.
Chuck Casselman has been named product line manager for the Advanced Graphics Group. Bruce Lawrence joins as business development manager of AGG. Vy Nguyen was named software systems engineering manager of AGG.
Bud R. Biloon has been named director of Air Ranges, business development. Roger S. Busch has been appointed vice president, business development. Randall K. Simpson has been named vice president of engineering
The board of directors has elected the following three business unit presidents corporate senior vice presidents: John D. (Jack) Cosgrove, president, Rockwell Avionics and Communications Dwight W. Decker, president, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Larry D. Yost, president, Rockwell Automotive.
The U.S. Army plans to start an advanced concept technology demonstration for the Line-of-Sight Anti-Tank (LOSAT) weapon next January, according to a April 9 Commerce Business Daily notice. The Army's Missile Command said that if the Pentagon approves the ACTD, it would award the work to Lockheed Martin Vought Systems, Dallas, Tex. The program would run about 60 months, with an additional 24 months of options work possible.
A team led by Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) won a $285 million contract from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to provide Defense Information Infrastructure integration services at various defense locations, SAIC announced. The team will support DISA with software, data integration and engineering services at DISA's Joint Interoperability and Engineering Organization, Arlington, Va. Computer Sciences Corp. is the principal subcontractor on the project.
Textron Systems, Wilmington, Mass., will develop an air deliverable acoustic sensing probe for the U.S. Army under a $5.5 million contract. The Air Deliverable Acoustic System is a passive, non line-of-sight, distributed sensor system, Textron said yesterday. It is a follow-on to the Intelligent MineField (IMF) and Anti-Helicopter Munitions (AHM) programs developed by Textron for the Army.
TELEDYNE RYAN AERONAUTICAL Claude J. Hashem has been appointed vice president of Tier II Plus Strategic Business Unit. He will assume responsibilities in San Diego on April 14.
Declines in semiconductor sales and orders led to a 5% drop in overall sales for Motorola Inc. during the first quarter of 1997. The Schaumburg, Ill., company said it recorded revenues of $6.6 billion, slightly below 1996 first quarter sales of $7 billion. Earnings dipped from $384 million a year ago to $325 million in 1997, as margins dropped from 5.5% to 4.9%.
Kenneth A. Casazza has been appointed vice president, corporate development for TISC. L. Kenneth Johnson has become president and chief executive officer of Cordant, Inc. Michael J. Wiegold has been appointed Cordant's vice president and chief financial officer.
Litton Industries has won a $22 million contract to develop and build the gyro reference assembly for the U.S. Air Force's Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), the company announced.
Marcus C. Hansen has been named president of Management&Data Systems (M&DS). Dr. William C. Kessler has been named vice president-affordability processes and policy, Aeronautical Systems. John Lydiard has been named vice president and general manager for the Sanders Avionics Division, effective April 15.
Top U.S. Navy officials defended the service's position that it can't do without the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet on Capitol Hill yesterday, and rejected suggestions that a bolstered F/A-18C/D could do the job. "We are very pleased with the decision and we are moving forward with production as planned," Dalton told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. "I've flown both," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jay L.
The U.S. Air Force yesterday rolled out its first F-22 fighter in a ceremony at the Lockheed Martin plant here that is slated to build seven prototype jets and 438 production planes in a program stretching well into the 2000s and costing at least $48 billion. In unveiling the first F-22, named "Spirit of America," Micky Blackwell, president of Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics sector here, said the aircraft sets a "new standard for several decades to come."
