If congressional defense authorizers could just hold off on finishing their FY '98 defense bill, they may be able to incorporate some recommendations of the Quadrennial Defense Review, Defense Secretary William Cohen tells members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He says he understands SASC wants to mark up its bill in April, but adds that if it holds off a bit, it could see some early QDR results. SASC aides don't disagree, saying even if they keep to the planned schedule, the bill could still be amended when it gets to the Senate floor.
The Pentagon is interested in a low-earth orbit communications network, Kaminski tells a National Security Industrial Association conference. But he says it wants to lease the service, not set it up. "We are wide open to being a subscriber for this service," he says.
Acquisitive overhaul specialist Greenwich Air Services Inc. (GASI) is making its biggest deal yet, agreeing to swallow market-share dominant UNC Inc. in a transaction estimated to be worth at least $322 million. "We were not for sale. We were not out looking for a buyer," UNC Chairman Dan Colussy explained in a telephone interview Friday. "But when someone comes in and says we're going to give you a 40% premium on your stock...you don't have a whole lot of choice."
As questions mount about whether the International Space Station can be built, given Russia's failure to fund its share of the orbiting lab, a former Soviet space engineer has an idea for an alternative that could be built from existing hardware at about one-tenth the cost of the ISS. Vladimir M. Garin suggests taking two of the unflown Soviet space shuttles in storage at Baikonur, pressurizing the cargo bays, and using the mothballed Energia heavy-lift boosters also at Baikonur to put them in orbit where they would dock together.
General Electric Aircraft Engine Co., Cincinnati, on Thursday received a $96 million contract for development of an alternative engine for the Joint Strike Fighter. The contract, from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, calls for GE to undertake detailed design and hardware testing of its YF120 powerplant. The YF120 is being funded by the government as an alternative to the Pratt&Whitney F119, selected by Boeing and Lockheed Martin for their JSF candidates.
HOUSE SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH (R-Ga.) has appointed members to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Late last month, he tapped Porter Goss (R-Fla.) to chair the committee. Because it is a select committee, the speaker must name the members. Republicans are C.W. (Bill) Young (Fla.), Jerry Lewis (Calif.), Bud Shuster (Pa.), Bill McCollum (Fla.), Michael Castle (Del.), Sherwood Boehlert (N.Y.), Charles Bass (N.H.), Jim Gibbons (Nev.). Democrats are Norm Dicks (Wash.), Julian Dixon (Calif.), David Skaggs (Colo.), Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Jane Harman (Calif.).
DEFENSE SUPPORT PROGRAM satellites are able to provide more accurate data on mobile rocket launchers with a new laser beacon, according to Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles. It said the device, which increases accuracy of the DSP three-fold, reduces the area a pilot has to search to find a launcher. To more accurately calibrate a satellite, Aerospace said, a laser is fired from a known location onto its sensor. By detecting where the laser hits the focal plane, a more precise calibration table is created. All the DSPs have been calibrated in the past year by Aerospace Corp.
In its move to widen the use of Air Expeditionary Forces, the U.S. Air Force this year will conduct two training deployments, one in the Pacific and the other in Europe, says Lt. Gen. John Jumper, AF deputy chief of staff for operations. Details have yet to be worked out by the sponsoring commands, Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
Interest in the Pentagon's Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP) program is declining. U.S. Air Force Gen. Howell M. Estes, commander in chief of U.S.
U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen will name Army Brig. Gen. James M. Cosumano to head the National Missile Defense program office. Cohen told Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a supporter of National Missile Defense, that he would take "immediate steps" to appoint Cosumano, who now heads the management directorate of the Army's chief of staff.
Pentagon acquisition chief Paul Kaminski has approved the U.S. Air Force's plan to contain production costs of the F-22 fighter. He also provided mandatory guidance for the service as it institutes the cost- containment measures. "Subject to the conditions set forth below, I approve the proposed F- 22 program acquisition approach," Kaminski said in a Feb. 11 Acquisition Decision Memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by The DAILY. The Defense Acquisition Board met Feb. 5 to discuss the program.
Hughes Space and Communications has set up a subsidiary to offer federal and state government agencies one-stop shopping for satellite communications services, drawing on the company's expertise in federal procurement procedures gained through its government satellite business.
USAF Special Operations Command is looking for a West coast base for some of its CV-22 aircraft when they're fielded early next century, according to Col. Eugene Ronsick, director of staff for AFSOC. While CV-22s at Hurlburt Field, Fla., will be able to support European Command, a West coast base could support the Pacific theater, Ronsick says. Past AFSOC and Air Force discussions centered on basing at Beale AFB, Calif., but that's wide-open again. Ronsick says he doesn't expect a decision until after 2003.
CBO alternatives to Pentagon's fighter aircraft plan Congressional Budget Office included the following table in its report of last week on the Administration's 1997-2020 plan for new fighter aircraft (DAILY, Feb. 14). It outlines the plan, and suggested options. Administration's Options ----------------------------------------------- Aircraft Plan IA IB IIA IIB IIIA and IIIB IV
ROLLOUT of first production AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter for the U.S. Army is scheduled for March 21 at McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems' Mesa, Ariz., facility.
U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen says the chiefs of the military services shouldn't submit "wish lists" to Congress asking for programs that aren't in the fiscal year 1998 budget request. If, as in past years, lawmakers ask the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force where they would like to see more funding, they better stick to the approved list, Cohen told the Senate Armed Services Committee Wednesday.
Despite spearheading efforts to increase the profile of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) in the Defense Dept., Pentagon acquisition chief Paul Kaminski says he feels "we still are under-invested" here.
Lockheed Martin Corp. named Dennis R. Deel president of its Manned Space Systems operations, New Orleans. It said he succeeds G. Thomas Marsh, who is taking on expanded responsibilities within the Space&Strategic Missile Sector. Deel joined Lockheed Martin in 1971 as a stress engineer on the Viking Mars Lander project, and has served as vice president of the External Tank Project at Manned Space Systems since 1975.
The U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program will be able to beat the target of reducing costs 25% to 50% over existing systems, Estes predicts: For "heavy launch, I think, we're going to see substantial improvements above the 50%" reduction.
PRATT&WHITNEY's F119 turbofan for the F-22 fighter completed accelerated mission testing (AMT) and altitude performance and operability clearance tests, the final engine requirements for flight clearance. U.S. Air Force officials will now examine all the data in preparation for granting Initial Flight Release.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense is wasting money buying quantities of untested weapons during the low rate initial production (LRIP) phase, the General Accounting Office (GAO) says.
Investment casting and structures specialist Precision Castparts of Portland, Ore., is combining its metal-injection molding and metal-matrix composites/hermetics businesses into a single unit headed by Istvan F.K. Vamos, who joins PCP from General Electric's corporate headquarters. Advanced Forming Technologies, PCC Composites and Balo will together retain the name of Advanced Forming Technologies, along with AFT's Longmont, Colo., headquarters.
GE Aircraft Engines' new low-observable axisymmetric exhaust system, or LO Axi, for the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program is in durability testing at GEAE's Evendale, Ohio, facilities following a successful demonstration of the exhaust system's signature goals, GE reports. A block of over 500 hours of Accelerated Mission Testing (AMT) on an F110-GE-129 turbofan is being conducted under the JSF contract to verify maturity of the LO Axi exhaust system, and follow-on flight demonstration testing is planned for this year and next.
After several months of delay, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization yesterday released its request for proposals for lead system integrators in the National Missile Defense concept definition phase. The Pentagon said proposals must be submitted by March 24, with contract award slated for May 1. As many as three contracts will be awarded, each worth $8 million.
