ANTHONY LAKE on Monday night pulled his nomination to become the new Director of Central Intelligence. The former national security adviser asked President Clinton to allow him to bow out following days of intense grilling by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Ericsson Microwave Systems' Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control system has been selected by Brazil's Surveillance of the Amazon (SIVAM) program, the Swedish company said. The $145 million contract for five Erieyes is Ericsson's first for export of the AWE&C system, now in production for the Swedish Air Force, and is the company's single largest export order in the defense electronics area.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded a $15,446,571 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-96-C-0189 for the Fiscal Year 1997 Special Progressive Aircraft Rework (SPAR) and related Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) for two VH-3D and two VH-60N helicopters used for the Executive Helicopter Program. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by September 1997. Contract funds would have expired at the end of the current fiscal year.
European Union Transport Commissioner Karel Van Miert said a "fully-fledged investigation" into the planned merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas would be formally launched by the European Commission on Wednesday. Van Miert, in comments made during a European Parliament committee meeting here, said he was under "the impression that [he] had underrated the problems" linked to the merger, announced in December and planned for this summer.
COMPTEK RESEARCH INC., Buffalo, N.Y., won a $7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for hardware and software upgrades to the Air Warrior Measurement and Debriefing Systems used at Nellis AFB, Nev., and the Army's Ft. Irwin, Calif. The work will be performed by subsidiary Comptek Federal Systems Inc.
The U.S. Army and Navy are cooperatively developing a penetrator variant of the Tactical Missile System. The Block III improvement would be applicable to the Army TACMS (ATACMS), now operational, as well as the Navy TACMS (NTACMS), being considered for use on ships and submarines. It is being developed by the Navy Strategic Systems Programs office and the Army TACMS BAT (Brilliant Anti-Tank) program office, both services told The DAILY.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS, Wenatchee, Wash., received a $1.5 million order from Honeywell's Military Avionics Div. for ring laser gyro covers. Delivery by the Pacific Coast Technologies Inc. subsidiary is expected over the next eight months, with future orders expected for shipments extending through 1998. Pacific also received a $500,000 order from Hughes Space&Communications for miniature electromagnetic interference filters for satellites. The order was through the Ceramic Devices Inc. subsidiary.
Rockwell International Corp., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $29,000,000 face value increase to a firm fixed price contract to provide for kits to incorporate the Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System, Standby Attitude Indicator, and Central Air Data Computer into the KC-135 aircraft. This effort procures 4 prototype kits and installation, 2 kitproof kits and engineering support, 44 production kits and reliability warranty, 21 simulation modification kits. Contract is expected to be completed January 1998.
Teal Group estimates that about 600,000 missiles of different types worth $114 billion will be built in the next decade, according to a forecast released at the IDEX 97 show in Abu Dhabi yesterday. "We believe that current declines in world defense spending will bottom out in the next few years so far as missiles are concerned, and generally rise in the later portion of the forecast period," Steven Zaloga, lead analyst of the Fairfax, Va., company, said in a prepared statement.
Rockwell International said yesterday that it will spin off its $3 billion automotive businesses to concentrate on electronics. After the spinoff, Rockwell said it expects to be an electronics company will top positions in industrial automation, semiconductor systems and avionics and communications. It projected 1997 sales of $8 billion, employment of 44,000 and operations in nearly 100 countries.
GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY is proposing to transfer the U.S. shares Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to Koc Holding, the largest industrial company in Turkey, according to reports from Ankara. TAI was set up to make F-16 fighters under license. Lockheed Martin and General Electric own 49% of the company, which has produced about 160 F-16s for Turkey and 46 other aircraft for the Egyptian Air Force. The contract is scheduled to end in 1999, and 40% of the U.S. shares of TAI are scheduled to be transferred to the government.
The U.S. Army should begin "as soon as possible" to improve the ability of its helicopters to shoot down other helicopters, according to an Army document. Improved air-to-air (ATA) combat capability is a "high priority" requirement, says a mission needs statement signed in January and released to The DAILY. "Changes to current aviation doctrine, organizations, or training will not satisfy the need for an improved ATA capability," it says without elaboration.
U.S. defense communications sales fell 2% in 1996 to $28.3 billion, the only electronics sector to experience a drop, according to figures released last week by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA). Overall, it said, U.S. factory sales of electronics equipment grew 9% to $409 billion, outperforming the economy as a whole.
The U.S. Air Force is soliciting industry for projects to be undertaken at the Information Warfare Battlelab being established this year at Kelly AFB, Tex. The areas of interest are information attack, security measures, electronic warfare, physical destruction, tactical deception and psychological operations, the AF says in a March 18 Commerce Business Daily notice. The concepts can address new tactics, techniques, procedures, and technology applications that could affect AF doctrine and strategy, it says.
Tracor Inc., Austin, Tex., completed the restructuring of its debt obligations, the company announced yesterday. It said the restructuring includes the private placement of $250 million of 8.5% senior subordinated notes due 2007. The proceeds will be used to reduced outstanding bank debt by $116 million and to purchase the company's outstanding 10.875% notes due 2001. Tracor also entered into a new $200 million revolving credit facility.
March 10, 1997 Technology Development Corporation, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on March 7, 1997, a $641,039 increment as part of a $9,969,386 cost-plus-fixed-fee (level of effort) contract for Laser Radar Sensor Test Bed Program. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., and is expected to be completed by March 6, 2002. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole-source contract initiated on Nov. 26, 1996. The contracting activity is the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala. (DASG60-97-C-0031).
F-16 fighters will receive and transmit video images of targets in a demonstration for the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin said. It said the four-month program, "Project Gold Strike," is a follow-on to last year's "Project Sure Strike" targeting program in which geolocation data from a ground observer were automatically passed to the fighters via an improved data modem (IDM).
Racal Communications, Inc., of Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $29,013,179, two-phase cost sharing (no fee) development contract with fixed-price production options for a small, lightweight, hand-held, programmable, multi-band inter/intra-team radio (MBITR). Work will be performed in Rockville, Maryland. Phase One will be completed by March 1998. Phase Two, production option, is based on a six year ordering period.
Greenwich Air Services Inc. (GASI) appointed Richard Cardin senior vice president, planning and development. In this position, he will initially concentrate on the acquisition projects involving General Electric, UNC and GASI, the company said yesterday. Cardin served as a consultant to GASI in corporate organizational development. Before coming to GASI, he worked at United Parcel Service for 32 years, 18 in the corporate office.
The U.S. Navy says the three C-9B replacement aircraft it plans to buy for its Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (NUFEA) mission must have a range of at least 3,400 nautical miles with 5,000 pounds of cargo. The final request for proposal will be released at the end of April, and contract award is planned for mid-June, Naval Air Systems Command says in a March 18 Commerce Business Daily notice. A pre-solicitation conference will be held April 3 at NavAir's Arlington, Va., offices.
Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $13,045,426 face value increase to a firm fixed price contract to provide for design, development, production and trial installation of communication and navigation upgrades on two MC-130H aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed May 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-83/C-0264, P00292).
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is seeking test vehicle concepts that will demonstrate low-cost space launch for small payloads under Phase II of the Bantam System Technology Project. The space agency last week issued a Research Announcement that could lead to an award for the initial design and business plan development in June, and flight demonstration awards in February 1998, with a first flight targeted in September 1999.
Growing sophistication of anti-ship mines will complicate future naval expeditionary warfare, as will the growing capability and proliferation of several other anti-ship systems, according to a new report from the Office of Naval Intelligence.
