LOCKHEED MARTIN received $2.3 billion in contract modifications from the U.S. Air Force for support of the Titan II and Titan IV programs, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. On April 1, the Air Force awarded $1.7 million for launch vehicle services between October 1, 1995, and September 30, 2003, including ground system and facility maintenance, launch preparation, post flight activities, and environmental compliance. Additionally, Lockheed Martin received $631 million for final assembly and check-out of the launchers during the same period.
Harry Garfinkel has been appointed president of Hamilton Standard Space Systems International, Inc. and general manager of Space&Sea Systems. Arthur W. Lucas, who most recently served as Pratt&Whitney's PW6000 engine design integration manager, was named vice president - mechanical technology. Thomas A. Phillips, former vice president of engineering, Dynamic Controls, has been appointed president of Dynamic Controls HS, Inc. (DCHS).
Loral Federal Systems Company will develop a next-generation Army command and control training simulation environment under a $113,461,232 contract announced yesterday by the service's Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command. Under the cost-plus-award-fee contract, the Manassas, Va.-based Loral unit will develop the "Warfighters' Simulation (WARSIM) 2000" training system. WARSIM 2000 is intended to provide realistic command post operational conditions for training at the battalion level up through echelons above corps, the Army said.
Lt. Gen. C. Norman Wood, (USAF-Ret.), has been appointed president and chief executive officer. Woods most recently served as senior vice president and general manager at BDM Federal, Inc.
Bell has entered its Eagle Eye vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle in the Tactical UAV competition, but has opted to promote its life cycle cost and disregard the cost requirements the Pentagon issued. The Pentagon said its wants a TUAV unit fly-away cost of $350,000 at the 33rd air vehicle and $300,000 at the 100th air vehicle. But Bell's UAV business development manager, Charles Jacobus, said the $350,000 cost "can't be met."
Jennifer L. Green, joined the public service research institute's Center for International Aerospace Cooperation (CIAC) as an aerospace engineer. Prior to joining ANSER CIAC, Green was a principal engineer at the McDonnell Douglas Aerospace-Space Systems, Engineering Services Division in Seabrook, Md.
Expanding the NATO alliance to include the four Eastern European nations mentioned most often-Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary-would carry a 15-year cost ranging from $61 billion to $125 billion, with the U.S. expected to pay from $5 billion to $19 billion, the Congressional Budget Office had calculated.
Jane Van Ryan has been named vice president of public affairs. Prior to joining SAIC, Ryan managed the daily operations of the public relations department at the American Petroleum Institute (API).
CONQUEST 1 microgravity sounding rocket mission flew from White Sands Missile Range, N.M., yesterday, providing between six and seven minutes of microgravity after reaching an altitude of 175 miles. Seven of the eight experiments aboard apparently worked as planned, with an experiment designed to test a foam-extrusion beam fabrication concept the only malfunction. The flight was the first financed under an experimental "launch voucher" program set up by Congress (DAILY, April 3).
The company announced the following appointments: Bill Yerkes, power system produce manager. Daniel M. Kohn, marketing manager. Mark Lundstrom, design process engineer.
NASA has released the "cooperative agreement notice" inviting industry teams to propose concepts for a suborbital X-33 research testbed to demonstrate technologies for a commercial reusable launch vehicle (RLV) in the 21st century. The "CAN," as it is called, was issued late Monday, soliciting proposals for Phase II development and flight test of a suborbital RLV prototype. NASA has budgeted $941 million through fiscal 1999 for the project, although the White House must approve a go-ahead decision.
Bell Helicopter Textron, Incorporated, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $38,085,639 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of five AH-1W helicopters, technical data and related technical support for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by February 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00019-95-C-0240).
Boeing Defense and Space Group, Helicopter Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is being awarded a $54,756,926 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-94-C-0113 for the dynamic component upgrade for H- 46 helicopters. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by August 2000. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systemss Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Giving every soldier in the field the ability to detect enemy missile launches with global positioning system (GPS) receivers or other technologies may be a mistake, according to a former U.S. Space Command commander-in-chief. Gen. Donald Kutyna, now Loral vice president for advanced space systems, said CINCS and soldiers in the field should rely on missile warning from the experienced crews at NORAD who track missile launches year-round.
House-Senate supplemental appropriations conferees have informally agreed to include a provision in the bill permitting a seven-year multi- year procurement of 80 C-17 airlifters, but it must provide a saving of "greater than 5%," congressional sources said yesterday.
The U.S. Army, hoping to upgrade the forward- looking infrared system on its AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopters, could take large strides toward equipping the fleet by providing some initial money in fiscal 1997, one Army official said. Col. Robert Mitchell, who is in charge of Longbow Apache requirements, says that about $10 million in FY '97 would allow the Army to deploy the new FLIR about the time the 150th Apache is fielded. The current profile wouldn't have the FLIR available until after the 210th Apache.
Rockwell and Hughes are planning to merge competing efforts on the Navy's Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile ballistic missile defense kill vehicle, but discussions on the work distribution still have to be completed, a Rockwell officials said yesterday.
The first scientific space launch funded with a launch "voucher" under 1992 legislation designed to stimulate the U.S. launch services industry is scheduled to carry a University of Alabama-Huntsville payload on a suborbital trajectory from White Sands Missile Range, N.M., today.
The Air Force's decision to implement a new acquisition management approach for development of a satellite telemetry, tracking and control system for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization saved scarce dollars and resulted in fewer technical problems than using the standard procurement process, a service official said Friday.
Boeing is going to begin shakedown testing on the structurally enhanced CH-47D this week to assess the final configuration for the CH-47 Improved Cargo Helicopter. The Army is looking to reduce vibration and upgrade 300 of its 431 CH- 47Ds under the Improved Cargo Helicopter program, which involves structural enhancements and an engine upgrade to the T55-GA-714A engine.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $36,061,608 cost plus award fee contract to provide for Phase III Service Life Enhancement Program modifications to Defense Satellite Communication System Satellite B8. These modifications will upgrade the communication capability of the satellite. Contract is expected to be completed August 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one firms solicited and one proposal received. Solicitation began September 1995; negotiations were complete February 1996.
NASA has started flight testing advanced ceramic and metallic thermal protection system (TPS) tiles on the nose of its F-15B testbed aircraft to see if they can withstand foul weather better than the fragile ceramic tiles used on the Space Shuttle.
