While acknowledging that switching the U.S. Air Force over to a two- level maintenance (TLM) system, supported by a so-called "lean logistics" structure, is turning out to be harder than originally expected, the top AF general in charge of the effort contends improvements are beginning to show. Lt. Gen. George Babbitt, deputy AF chief of staff for logistics, recently told The DAILY that of the 12% of all AF remove-and-replace stocks now in the lean logistics system, supply turnarounds on average have improved from 63 days to between 12 and 15 days.
Inadequate spares provisioning and an unexpected turbine problem forced the Air Force to drop Pratt&Whitney's F100-PW-220 fighter turbofan from the two-level maintenance pilot program, at least for now. "The -220 has temporarily become unsupportable [in] the two-level" maintenance system, Lt. Gen. George Babbitt, deputy AF chief of staff for logistics, told DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion. But "there's nothing there that deters me" from moving ahead with full two-level maintenance implementation by 1998, he said. "Let's fix the problems."
The U.S. Air Force's 18-aircraft fighter squadrons cost more to operate than the old 24-plane units, and are hampering the downsizing of infrastructure, the General Accounting Office says in a study released yesterday. Consolidating fighter squadrons could save as much as $165 million a year, GAO said.
BFGOODRICH AEROSPACE'S landing gear division will develop an integrated landing gear system for the McDonnell Douglas/Northrop Grumman/British Aerospace Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The McDonnell Douglas-led team is one of three competing to provide the JSF. BFGoodrich Aerospace will provide engineering and manufacturing services from initial systems and subsystem specification through design and qualification to systems integration and support.
EVANS&SUTHERLAND COMPUTER CORP., Salt Lake City, Utah, formed a Display Systems business unit that it said combines the technologies and professional resources of E&S and Terabit, which was recently acquired by E&S. "Combining the groups allows E&S to leverage its financial, manufacturing, and program management expertise with the specialized display capabilities of Terabit," E&S said. "The move also puts E&S in a position to augment its present display product offerings to include simulated electronic flight instrumentation suites."
ECC INTERNATIONAL CORP., Orlando, Fla., will upgrade and fabricate 10 F/A- 18C Simulated Aircraft Maintenance Trainers (SAMTs) under an $8.2 million contract from Naval Undersea Warfare Center Div., Newport. R.I., awarded April 10.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP., B-2 Div., Pico Rivera, Calif., received a $12.7 million award from the U.S. Force for depot-level academic training to AF depot maintenance personnel. The contract was awarded April 16 by the Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND on Friday awarded contracts totaling $25.3 million to Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Aero&Naval Systems unit and United Defense LP's Armament Systems Div. for continued support of work on the Mk. 41 Vertical Launching System. Lockheed Martin got $13.2 million and United Defense LP got $12.1 million.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has added $52.3 million to the fiscal 1997 intelligence budget request to fund the 16th Rivet Joint tactical intelligence aircraft a year earlier than planned. The decision, which had been expected (DAILY, April 26), was taken in the fiscal year 1997 intelligence authorization which the committee reported to the Senate April 30.
Under U.S. political pressure, the Russian Government has officially declared international space programs to be a "task of special state importance" and has ordered sweeping actions to ensure sufficient financing of the Russian space program and complete implementation of Russia's international obligations.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS CORP., St. Louis, received a $10.2 million modification to previously awarded U.S. Navy contract for fiscal year 1995 production of 12 T-45TS training systems. The contract was awarded May 2 by Naval Air Systems Command. The company got a similar contract for $37.1 million on April 9.
FLIGHT SAFETY SERVICES CORP., Littleton, Colo., got a $12.5 million increase to an earlier contract to update the KC-135 Aircrew Training System to incorporate Global Positioning System, color weather radar and multifunction display. The U.S.Air Force's Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah, awarded the contract on April 30.
LORAL FEDERAL SYSTEMS CO., Manassas, Va., beat three other competitors to win a $52.5 million contract for the engineering and manufacturing development part of the Warfighters' Simulation 2000 Project. U.S. Army Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) awarded the contract on April 1.
May 1, 1996 Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, is being awarded an estimated $44,425,774 cost-plus-fixed fee contract for the establishment and operation of the Department of Defense Infrared Information Analysis Center. Fifty-seven proposals were solicited and one was received. Work is expected to be completed by May 1, 1999. The Defense Electronics Supply Center, Dayton, Ohio, is the contracting activity (SP0900-96-D-0080).
May 1, 1996 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Connecticut, is being awarded a $43,800,000 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-93-C-0053 for the procurement of two CH-53E helicopters, including associated integrated logistics support, logistics support analysis and sustaining engineering. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by July 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
BRISTOL AEROSPACE LTD. won a $4 million contract from Saudi Arabia to provide Barracuda and Vindicator targets, according to April10 news reports from Dubai.
April 30, 1996 Northrop Grumman Aerospace Corporation, Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded a $14,500,000 face value increase to a fixed price incentive contract to provide for one Antenna Radar in support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) configured for the E- 8 aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed August 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia is the contracting activity (F19628-92/C-0035, P00252).
April 30, 1996 E-Systems, Incorporated, Greenville, Texas, is being awarded a $8,700,000 face value increase to a cost-reimbursable contract to provide for contractor logistics support for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar (Joint STARS) airframe, fleet of 18 aircraft (Boeing 707) plus one maintenance trainer. Contract is expected to be completed September 1999. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Warner Robins Air Logistics Center is the contracting activity (F09603- 94/C-0850, P00016).
THE PROGRESS M-31 automated cargo capsule was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome to the Mir space station Sunday. A three-stage Soyuz-U launcher lifted off the pad at Baikonur's Site 1 at 11:04 Moscow Daylight Time (3:04 a.m. EDT) and inserted Progress M-31 into an initial orbit with an apogee of 257 kilometers, a perigee of 192 kilometers, an inclination of 51.6 degrees and an initial period of 88.70 minutes. The cargo spaceship is to dock with Mir today to deliver fuel, water and other supplies.
Debt-watcher Duff&Phelps Credit Rating confirmed previous ratings on Textron Inc.'s debt yesterday following the company's move to sell its 83% stake in an insurance company for $975 million in combined cash and stock and to use half the money to pay off debt. Textron is getting $750 million in cash and $225 million worth of Provident Companies stock for its stake in Paul Revere Corp., and Textron expects to use $375 million or so to reduce debt. The rest will go for share repurchases and acquisitions.
