V-22 Osprey contractor Bell-Boeing this week received the request for proposals for the aircraft's first three production lots after meeting U.S. Navy requirements to begin aircraft production.
American Mobile Satellite Co., which last week formally kicked off its commercial voice satellite telephone service, said yesterday that it had a $66.9 million net loss for calendar year 1995, and a net loss of $40 million for the final quarter of last year. Operating revenues for 1995 were $6.9 million, an increase of 87%, against operating expenses that grew $44.1 million from the previous year to $77.3 million.
LITTON INDUSTRIES said John E. "Ted" Gordon has been elected a corporate vice president and appointed to head the company's Washington office, located in Arlington, Va. Gordon, 54, will be Litton's chief representative in day-to-day relationships with all branches of the federal government. Gordon, former director of federal liaison for the company, replaces John. J. Stirk, 64, who will retire at the end of March.
The Senate late Friday approved the START II treaty that would limit the U.S. and Russia to 3,500 strategic nuclear warheads each, but changes in the Russian Duma make the outlook uncertain for final approval without changes.
Iran is boosting its surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile capability, and this month tested a Chinese-made sea-launched cruise missile that a senior U.S. Navy official said represents "a new threat dimension."
Lt. Gen. Johnnie E. Wilson was nominated for appointment to the rank of general and assignment as commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command yesterday by Defense Secretary William Perry. He had been deputy chief of staff for logistics for the Army in the Pentagon. Wilson succeeds Gen. Leon E. Salomon, who was nominated by the president to be placed on the retired list in his current grade. He had been commander of AMC since February 1994.
The U.S. Air Force is planning integration of the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser on F-117 stealth aircraft, according to a Jan. 30 Commerce Business Daily notice. It said an engineering services contract will call for preparatory development of the integration of WCMD with the Tactical Munitions Dispenser on F-117As. TMDs dispense Combined Effects Munitions, mines and anti-armor submunitions, and use WCMD for accurate delivery.
Arthur Money, the U.S. Air Force's new acquisition chief, was confirmed Friday by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The former TRW Avionics and Surveillance executive will replace Darleen Druyun, who has been the Air Force's acting acquisition chief since the death of Clark Fiester in a C-21 crash in Alabama last year. Money was nominated by the White House in October and is slated to be sworn into office as early as this week.
The Air National Guard is considering buying 20 reconnaissance pods for its F-16 fighters, but so far hasn't been able to establish the necessary funding, according to a Jan. 29 Commerce Business Daily notice. The Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS) pod should be capable of collecting under-the-weather, daytime imagery in medium-to-high threat environments, the notice said. A TARS buy would include the 20 pods, five transportable Squadron Ground Stations, logistics support and spares.
The U.S. Army has deployed for the first time in Bosnia an electronic warfare system intended to protect troops from munitions armed with proximity fuzes. Whittaker Corp., which developed the system, said it could reduce ground troop casualties by as much as 50%. Several will be deployed throughout Bosnia.
AWACS AIRCRAFT will receive an embedded global positioning systems/inertial navigation system under an $8.1 million contract that the U.S. Air Force's Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., awarded Boeing Defense&Space group. The modification on 24 planes is expected to be completed by July 1999, the Pentagon said yesterday.
McDonnell Douglas plans to offer the F124 military turbofan as the primary engine for T-45 Goshawks competing in Australia's lead-in fighter contest, replacing the T-45's existing Rolls-Royce Adour turbofan, company executives confirmed to DAILY affiliate Aerospace Propulsion. Built by a joint venture of AlliedSignal Engines and Taiwan's Aero Industry Development Corp. called International Turbine Engine Co., the 6,300 lbst. F124 is a non-afterburning version of the TFE1042/F125 developed for Taiwan's Indigenous Fighter Program.
The U.S. Navy has launched a two-year study of a Common Support Aircraft, an effort intended to lead to one platform for a host of missions. Capt. Gary A. Peterson, the CSA manager, said yesterday in an interview that the study is looking at the future requirements - the 2011 timeframe - as the service faces the need to recapitalize a number of its aircraft. He said the study group is asking, "What are the future missions to support future strike aircraft?"
The U.S. Navy wants to push ahead with its plan to bring commercial satellite communications to the fleet and is working hard to put together funding for the effort, a top Navy official said. Getting the Global Broadcast System going is one of the service's top priorities, John Douglas, the Navy's acquisition chief, told The DAILY in an interview. "We can save a lot of money if we get an interim capability," he said.
The U.S. Air Force's Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center expects to continue engineering services on the Advanced Cruise Missile for at least another five years and is preparing a request for proposals (RFP) to the two companies currently co-producing the AGM-129A, Hughes Missile Systems Co. and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace.
NASA and the Russian Space Agency yesterday named the first two crew members for the International Space Station, after the U.S. space agency agreed to help Russia pay for modifications to its Soyuz crew capsule for Station use. The announcements came as the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation wrapped up its sixth meeting with Vice President Albert Gore and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin exchanging sanitized spy satellite data for environmental monitoring purposes.
Propelled by surging space and telecommunications sales, Hughes Electronics posted 5.6% better earnings on just under 5% stronger revenues for 1995 - both record levels. Chairman and CEO C. Michael Armstrong noted Monday in a prepared statement that the DirecTV direct-broadcast satellite system, with its satellites, transponders, cellular equipment and private business networks, played a big part in 1995's revenue growth.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) has announced plans to expedite confirmation hearings on the nomination of U.S. Air Force Gen. Eugene Habiger as commander of the U.S. Strategic Command before the change of command in late February. Sen. James Exon (D-Neb.) expressed concern on the floor the Senate Friday that Habiger's hearings wouldn't be complete in time for the change of command ceremony Feb. 21, but Thurmond said he would speed the process.
Bell Helicopter Textron, Incorporated, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $8,930,729 firm-fixed-price delivery order to fabricate and provide 17 Night Targeting System/Canopy and Cockpit Modifications for the AH-1W Helicopter. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by December 1997. The Naval Air Systems Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00019-93-G-0185).
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pico Rivera, California, is being awarded a $34,903,965 face value increase to a cost plus award fee contract for CY1996 Interim Contractor Support for operational B-2 aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed December 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (F34601-94/C- 0070,P00040).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Connecticut, is being awarded a $269,541,136 modification to a firm fixed price contract for Lot 20 funding of the UH60L Black Hawk production contract (includes aircraft and all support for 60 aircraft for FY96). Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by December 30, 1997.
ITT Corporation, Avionics Division, Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded an increment (appropriation number and dollar value will be issued with each delivery order) of an estimated not-to-exceed $8,937,162 time and materials contract for services and materials for 36 months support of the Advanced Threat Radar Jammer. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by January 28, 1999. There were 12 bids solicited on September 25, 1995, and one bid was received. The contracting activity is the U.S.
U.S. ARMY made its FY 1996 buy of UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters Friday with a $269.5 million firm fixed price contract to Sikorsky Aircraft. The contract covers lot 20 funding, which includes 60 aircraft and necessary support. The work, which is to be performed at Stratford, Conn., is expected to be completed by Dec. 30, 1997.
Inter-National Research Institute, Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a $49,553,919 modification to previously awarded contract N00039-93-C-0043 for software maintenance support and core software development for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) programs. There are no funds being obligated today. This modification will be incrementally funded over the next two years.
Lockheed Martin is set to launch Indonesia's Palapa C1 communications satellite atop an Atlas IIAS booster from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., on Wednesday, the launch company reported. In other launch developments, Russia last week orbited a Gorizont television relay satellite with a Proton booster, and Matra Marconi Space picked Europe's Arianespace consortium to launch Nilesat - Egypt's first satellite - late in 1997.
