HELLAS-SAT: International Launch Services (ILS) plans to launch the Hellas-Sat satellite from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard an Atlas V on May 12, ILS said May 7. The satellite had been scheduled to launch in March but that was postponed after Lockheed Martin decide to replace the booster's Centaur upper stage (DAILY, Feb. 28).
DEFENSEWEB TECHNOLOGIES, San Diego Joe Baker, of counsel to Fish & Richardson PC and a member of the Tech Coast Angels, has been appointed to the board of directors. DYNASIL, West Berlin, N.J. Paul Roehrenbeck has been named vice president, marketing and sales, effective May 19. HONEYWELL, Phoenix Russell D. "Russ" Turner has been selected to lead the company's Engines, Systems & Services business, effective June 1. NORTHROP GRUMMAN, Los Angeles
Lockheed Martin and Spectrum Astro will compete as one team for the Global Positioning System (GPS) III prime contract, Spectrum Astro announced May 7. The Lockheed/Spectrum team will compete against a team led by Boeing. Spectrum Astro previously led its own team competing to design and build the next-generation satellite navigation and timing system.
NEW YORK - Revenue generated by the sale of combat vehicles for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program would not entirely offset losses stemming from the discontinuation of the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle upgrade program, according to a United Defense Industries (UDI) official.
DENVER, Colo. - Recommendations on how to "reset" U.S. military forces now that major combat in Iraq is over should be going to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in the next couple of weeks, according to Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
After being rushed into the field to support the troops in Iraq, the U.S. Navy's Silver Fox unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is returning to its roots as a whale spotter. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR), Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., originally began developing the Silver Fox as a platform for spotting whales before naval exercises and experiments. As war preparations heated up, the Navy asked the team to rush the UAV overseas for use as a reconnaissance platform (DAILY, April 14).
The U.S. Air Force is having a difficult time creating a cadre of space professionals more than two years after a congressionally mandated commission called for the formation of such a group, according to a former senior official in the Reagan and first Bush Administrations.
NEW YORK - The need for energy management on tomorrow's battlefield will become critical as the demand for electricity to power new weapon systems increases exponentially, according to a senior defense industry executive. Those new weapon systems include sensors fielded by soldiers of the U.S. Army's Objective Force and platforms powered by hybrid-electric drive, microwave weapons mounted aboard Humvees and high-energy lasers.
MARCONI SELECTED: Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology sector has selected Marconi Selenia Communications to supply the backup radio for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, making it the first Italian supplier to the JSF program, Northrop Grumman said May 6. Northrop Grumman is developing the F-35's advanced communications, navigation and identification avionics (CNI) suite under contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. The backup radio provides emergency voice communication capability for the CNI system.
With sponsorship from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Navatek Ltd. of Honolulu is preparing to begin sea trials for its new hybrid "lifting body" ship in late July or early August. The hybrid lifting body combines a conventional mono- or multi-hull ship design with one or more "underwater wings" (the lifting body) that raise the main hull from the surface of the water at high speeds, while providing stability at low speeds. Midfoil
F/A-22 CIPs: Raytheon Co. will deliver lot 4 Common Integrated Processors (CIPs), the "brains" of the F/A-22 Raptor's avionics system, the company said May 6. The work will be done under a $55.1 million contract from F/A-22 prime contractor Lockheed Martin, Raytheon said.
NEW YORK - L-3 Communications is shifting the focus of its research and development (R&D) funding to address key lessons learned from the war with a Iraq, a senior company official said May 6. "Rather than say we learned something new to develop a new product, what we'll be doing is reprioritizing our R&D in areas we thought might have a longer timeline," L-3 Chairman and CEO Frank Lanza said. Those areas include developing technologies for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and implementing new communications architectures.
Airbus has selected the EuroProp consortium over Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) to supply the engines for the A400M military transport aircraft, according to reports from Europe. The deal would be worth $2 billion. Only last week, Airbus officials said they preferred the PWC engine, citing lower costs. Choosing EuroProp, however, keeps aerospace jobs in Europe. There was no immediate comment from the engine companies.
Encouraged by the B-1B bomber's strong showing in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Boeing program's backers plan to push for returning 12 retired bombers to operational status and to seek funds for new upgrades for the fleet. "I'll be optimistic and say that [the B-1B's war record] is going to basically improve the B-1's long-term upgrade plan," Rich Parke, Boeing's director of advanced programs business development, said May 6.
NEW DELHI - India is negotiating with Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) to jointly produce Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) facilities in Bangalore. An official with the Indian defense ministry said the military is highly dependent on UAVs for surveillance in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir and for coastal surveillance.
A "working hypothesis" developed by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) has concluded that foam from the shuttle's external tank struck the Columbia's left wing during launch, and that heat later poured through that area and caused the loss of the spacecraft during re-entry. However, the CAIB has not yet tied those two events together, panel chair Adm. Hal Gehman said May 6.
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is expected to consider a fiscal 2004 defense authorization bill that would buy more C-17s and precision-guided munitions (PGMs) than the Bush Administration requested, congressional and industry sources said May 6. The bill, which the HASC is scheduled to take up at the subcommittee level May 7, would fund the procurement of 12 Boeing C-17s, up from the request for 11 of the transport planes, source told The DAILY.
LAUNCH TECHNOLOGY: Northrop Grumman will continue development of the TR107 liquid oxygen/kerosene reusable engine under an 18 month, $21 million NASA contract, the company said May 5. The work is part of NASA's Space Launch Initiative, and the company said engine components will be subjected to hot fire testing under the contract.
LONDON - South Africa has exercised an option for a second batch of 12 Hawk Mk 120 lead-in fighter/trainers, bringing its total to 24, Hawk maker BAE Systems confirmed. The option for the additional dozen aircraft was included in the South African air force's Rnd4.7 billion ($585 million in current dollars) contract for 12 Hawk aircraft, for delivery beginning in 2005. The contract included offsets worth Rnd8.6 billion ($1.1) billion placed with South African industry.
The U.S. Navy plans to test a new type of submarine steering system next month at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock that uses shape memory alloys (SMA) to direct the outflow from the sub's propeller. The "Smart Duct," which encloses the propeller, changes shape after an electrical charge is applied to it. SMA actuation eliminates the need for traditional hydraulic actuators, provides enhanced maneuvering and control at low speeds, and offers a reduced acoustic signature, according to developer Continuum Dynamics, Inc. of Ewing, N.J.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is funding two companies to explore new methods for generating electrical power from the natural motion of ocean waves. When Marine Corps units establish a beachhead, typically the power generation infrastructure in the area has been disrupted or destroyed, according to Edward Patton, business area manager for Scientific Applications & Research Associates (SARA), Inc., of Huntington Beach, Calif.
NEW YORK - Herley Industries, a maker of microwave systems and subsystems, said May 5 it expects revenue growth generated by prime contractor outsourcing to continue. But funding from prime contractors for research and development programs remains small, according to Herley President and CEO Myron Levy.
