The U.S. and U.K. will meet this month to try to draft the contingency memorandum of understanding between the two governments on possible cooperation in developing an air-to-surface standoff missile. American and British officials will meet for the first time today to begin their work on possible cooperation between the U.S. Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program and the U.K.'s Conventionally Armed Standoff Missile (CASOM) program, an Air Force official told The DAILY yesterday.
Faced with continued modernization problems in aviation and lack of funding in the outyears, the U.S. Army is continuing to stress the importance of the RAH-66 Comanche, and now plans to buy 54 of the helicopters as Special Operations aircraft. "Fiscal shortfalls over the POM place the aviation modernization program at risk in a number of areas," the Army says in its just-released modernization master plan. "A number of critical aviation programs are unfunded."
Senators unhappy with the Clinton Administration's proposal for setting a demarcation line designating what theater missile defense (TMD) systems would be allowed under the ABM Treaty are considering freestanding legislation to stop the White House from going ahead with its policy, Sen. Robert Smith (R-N.H.) said.
A leaky helium tank on the Astra-1F communications satellite has forced a delay of the first commercial launch of Russia's Proton booster while repairs are made to the Hughes-built satellite.
An already complicated technical situation made worse by scarce resources and language problems means FAA approval of the westernized Ilyushin Il-96 transport is a long way off, says Anthony J. Broderick, FAA's associate administrator for regulation and certification. Fitted with Rockwell Collins avionics and Pratt&Whitney engines, the passenger-carrying Il-96M and Il-96T cargo variant recently won financial backing via an U.S. Export-Import Bank loan guarantee, but Broderick notes that's only the first hurdle.
The U.S. Air Force's Wright Laboratory wants proposals from industry on a research effort aimed at development of Field Emission Displays (FEDs) for aircraft cockpits. FEDs, it says in a March 12 Commerce Business Daily notice, "are considered a leapfrog technology in the area of rugged, sunlight readable flat panel displays." Today's cathode ray tube displays "suffer from inherent problems of high power consumption, excessive weight and depth, poor sunlight readability, and inadequate reliability."
The U.S. Air Force is looking for ways to deprive enemy forces of their night vision capability. The proliferation of night vision systems means the U.S. has lost its "own the night" advantage, and Air Force combat and support aircraft "may engage adversaries who utilize such night vision equipment in future conflicts," a March 13 Commerce Business Daily notice says.
LOCKHEED MARTIN has received a $1.2 billion contract increase to partially definitize long lead funding for 120 F-16As and 30 F-16s, alternate mission equipment, and ferry preparation for Taiwan, the Pentagon said yesterday. The contract is slated to be completed in December 2000.
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND is preparing a request for proposals for competitive procurement of a navigation/communication system (NCS) to integrate the Global Positioning System into the MH-53E helicopter fleet. NavAir said in a March 8 Commerce Business Daily notice that the RFP "will be structured to procure and install a basic quantity of 7 NCS kits, with priced options for the procurement and installation of an additional 35 kits."
After hearing what contractors were going to propose, the Joint Air- to-Surface Standoff Missile program office has decided to award the two pre-engineering and manufacturing development phase contracts a month early. The U.S. Air Force has "high confidence" it can award the two contracts with at most minimal discussion, JASSM program director Terry Little told The DAILY yesterday in a telephone interview from his Eglin AFB, Fla., office.
Banner Aerospace stockholders this week okayed plans to buy El Segundo, Calif.-based fastener distributor Harco Inc. through a $26.8 million stock swap. Washington, D.C.-based Banner issued 4.4 million new shares of common stock, and then exchanged them for the outstanding shares of Harco, a 38-year-old company Fairchild acquired in 1980. Harco President Tucker Nason was named president and CEO of Banner's largest subsidiary, Burbank Aircraft Supply, but will also retain responsibility for running Harco.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS has received a $117.6 million contract modification for long-lead items and Lot 1 production to remanufacture 240 Apache helicopters into the AH-64D Longbow Apache configuration, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The work is expected to be completed by August 31, 1997.
ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL's Collins Avionics and Communications Div., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has won a contract from the Swedish Defense Material Administration to develop a digital frequency hopping communication system. Rockwell said yesterday that the system, Ra 90, will become part of the future tactical radio communications system of the Swedish Air Force and may be installed in up to 450 aircraft. It said Ra 90 will route voice and data between tactical air command centers and aircraft, as well as among aircraft.
SATELLITE TRACKERS in the U.S. and Britain reported that an errant Chinese spy satellite reentered the atmosphere over the South Atlantic east of Brazil late Monday and disappeared from space tracking radars, apparently either burning up in the atmosphere or splashing harmlessly into the ocean. The FSW-1 5 satellite was to have returned to a parachute landing in China eight days after its Oct. 8, 1993, launch, but went out of control instead and remained in orbit (DAILY, March 11).
The International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) is planning a network of satellites with navigation capabilities, but is running into some interference from the U.S. Defense Dept. which has declared navigation payloads to be "significant military equipment." The Pentagon statement means Hughes Aircraft Co., which last July signed a contract with Inmarsat for 12 satellites, will have to obtain an additional export license.
The Pentagon's Inspector General signed off on the way the Defense Dept. makes program affordability assessments and resource allocation decisions. In its first review of the system in more than five years, the IG says in a report published last month that "Adequate information supported DOD affordability assessments and resource allocation decisions for major Defense acquisition programs."
MOTOROLA Government and Space Technology Group, Scottsdale, Ariz., said it has been selected to provide upgraded software and communications hardware for the European Command Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Cell. The mobile communication facility fuses multiple sensor inputs to give a comprehensive, near-real time view of the air and missile situation, Motorola said. It said it was selected because of successful C4I experience with ground stations such as the Joint STARS Ground Station Modules, and attainment of the highest industry rating for software development.
The U.S. Navy plans to buy more than 2,600 Joint Stand-off Weapons between fiscal years 1997 and 2001, a move that would make JSOW the service's most heavily procured munition during that time. In its fiscal year 1997 budget request, the Navy is requesting $64.4 million for the first 100 Texas Instruments-built JSOWs. Production will ramp up through the future years defense plan, and in FY '01, 976 JSOWs are to be bought, according to an updated version of "Highlights of the Department of the Navy FY 1997 Budget."
LORAL Federal Systems, Owego, N.Y., was awarded a $21.8 million follow-on U.S. Air Force contract for 10 upgraded data processing systems for Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Loral said orders so far total 23 systems to be delivered, with a potential for 13 more and a total value of $87.6 million through 1997.
Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee supporting the New Attack Submarine (NSSN) program agreed yesterday that the U.S. Navy didn't have funding beyond the lead sub, and was counting on the committee to add money. Navy Secretary John H. Dalton testified on the service's fiscal 1997 budget and said funding of the fiscal 1999 sub "should be our number one priority." He added that the NSSN would need advance procurement of about $520 million.
DERLAN INDUSTRIES INC., Toronto, said its Phoenix-based D-Velco unit has been awarded over $4 million in contracts from Alliant Techsystems Inc. to supply various components for the first stage solid propellant booster of the Delta III rocket, which is used to launch commercial satellites.
LITTON INDUSTRIES' PRC SUBSIDIARY, McLean, Va., has received a $26.6 million contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Litton said Monday that the contract "continues PRC's operation, maintenance and technical support of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data distribution system." The contract calls for PRC to serve NOAA facilities in metropolitan Washington, D.C.; Miami; Kansas City; San Francisco; Anchorage, and Honolulu.
The F-22 System Program Office is satisfied with the structural design of the next-generation fighter and says the plane is ready to begin flight testing next year, but Air Force officials still haven't signed off completely on the design of the engine.
The U.S. Army has submitted an unfunded requirement for Program Objective Memorandum '98 consideration to replace the T700-701 engines on AH-64D Longbow Apaches with the -701C variant. "The intent is to upgrade 531 aircraft during 1998-2009," the Army said in a written response to questions. The service already has 227 -701C- equipped AH-64s with kits that allow carriage of the Longbow fire control radar. The kits and new engines are viewed as a total package by the Army.
SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY CORP., Sunnyvale, Calif., has received several subcontracts from Raytheon Electronic Systems Div., valued at $6.5 million, for various microwave and power supply products for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). STC said the products are slated for delivery over the next 12 months.
