Col. Michael P. Wiedemer has assumed command of the Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold AFB, Tenn. He was system program director for the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
Sharon Keillor has been named executive vice president and director, CTA Commercial Systems. Keillor comes to CTA from Digital Equipment Corp., where she mostly recently served as vice president for engineering infrastructure in the Software Business Group.
NASA abruptly canceled its competition for a Space Shuttle operations prime contractor yesterday, announcing that a joint venture of the two largest present Shuttle contractors will get the job instead. United Space Alliance, a 50-50 joint venture formed by Rockwell International and Lockheed Martin last summer (DAILY, Aug. 3, page 171A), was picked for a non-com-petitive contract because "there was no other company that could possibly meet our safety, manifest and schedule requirements," Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said in a press release.
The National Labor Relations Board has issued a formal complaint against some of Boeing's bargaining tactics with the striking Machinists union, and set a hearing on unfair labor practices for Dec. 19. The NLRB general counsel's office in Washington also said it has "under active consideration" a request from its regional director for a federal court injunction to compel Boeing to bargain in good faith.
Barbara G. Sullivan, who most recently served as vice president of marketing for CommNet Cellular Inc., Englewood, Colo., has been appointed vice president of marketing.
Lockheed Martin Astronautics is working on a new Atlas variant intended both to cut costs for the "sweet spot" in the near-term commercial launch market and to form the basis for a family of Atlas-derived boosters that might fit the Pentagon's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) concept as its requirements are clarified.
Dr. Sam B. Williams, chairman and chief executive officer, was awarded the 1995 National Medal of Technology by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. He was one of eight individuals and companies recognized as economic trail blazers. He was recognized "as a gifted inventor, tenacious entrepreneur, risk-taker and engineering genius...[whose] leadership and vision [revitalized] the U.S. general aviation business jet and trainer jet aircraft industry."
DERLAN AEROSPACE CANADA, Milton, Ontario, has received contracts totaling $5.7 million from Boeing Defense&Space Group's Helicopters Div. Derlan said it will supply a variety of spare parts for the Boeing CH-46 helicopter. Deliveries will begin in March 1996 and run through December 1996.
T. Christopher Fitzsimmons was appointed president of Commercial&Government Systems. Donald L. Light, who most recently served as manager and image acquisition specialist for the National Mapping Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, in Reston, Va., was named senior engineer mapping and remote sensing for Commercial and Government Systems Division.
DCX CORP., Franktown, Colo., has begun supplying ground support cable assemblies for the F-16 under a $1 million letter contract from Olin Aerospace Corp. The work will be performed for the Redmond, Wash., division of Olin, and DCX anticipates follow-on contracts equaling the initial order. DCX president Jeane M. Anderson attributed the new business to "the downsizing of the defense industry, which has caused prime contractors to outsource projects.
Lockheed Martin is consolidating its aircraft modification and maintenance operation in Ontario, Calif., with its famed Skunk Works, eliminating 140 overhead and administrative jobs in a bid to become more competitive, the company said yesterday. Effective immediately, Lockheed Martin Aircraft Services Co., or LMAS, becomes a division of the Palmdale, Calif.-based Skunk Works, under Aircraft Services VP Art Schuetz, who will report to Skunk Works President Jack Gordon.
TRANSAVIA AIRLINES of The Netherlands has ordered eight 737-800 twinjet airliners for $288 million, Boeing Co. reported. Transavia also took options on an additional 12 737-800s. The first plane is to be delivered in 1998.
Top level U.S. Air Force officials and contractor representatives met Nov. 6 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Tex., facility to review progress of the F-22 fighter program. The regularly scheduled, semi-annual meeting included discussions of technical, schedule, and financial performance of the fighter, Lockheed Martin said. F-22 Program Director Maj. Gen. Robert Raggio addressed transitioning the F-22 from engineering and manufacturing development to production, it said.
The company announced the following promotions and reassignments: Ron Hodges, from group general manager, Aircraft Integrated Systems, Vergennes, Vt., to group general manager, Rosemount Aerospace, Burnsville, Minn. Cal Purdin, from general manager, Aircraft Evacuation Systems, Phoenix, Ariz., to group general manager, Aircraft Integrated Systems, Vergennes, Vt. Al Daniels, from general manager, Military Fuel and Integrated Systems, Vergennes, Vt., to general manager, Commercial Fuel&Integrated Systems, Vergennes, Vt.
Joseph A. Giacoponello has been appointed vice president of business development. Previously, Giacoponello was general manager of the GE Reentry Systems department at General Electric Co.
Alton Brann will step down as chairman in December 1995. Brann is chairman and executive officer of Western Atlas Inc. He will continue as a director and will serve as chairman of the Board's Executive Committee. John M. Leonis, continues as president, chief executive officer and a director. The Board intends to elect Leonis to serve as its chairman succeeding Brann. Michael R. Brown has been elected to the Board of Directors and named executive vice president and chief operating officer.
The U.S. Army has contracted Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) prime contractor Loral Vought for an improvement to the system's launcher which would cut the time between rocket firings. Under the three-year, $47 million engineering and manufacturing development contract, Loral will develop the Improved Launcher Mechanical System (ILMS). ILMS will reduce from an average 93 seconds to 16 seconds the time it takes the launcher to fire in a typical mission, Loral said Monday.
A little less than a year after the huge merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta, Lockheed Martin Chairman Dan Tellep signaled yesterday that the company may be ready again for selective acquisitions during the next six months. "We've...said to the investment community that we will shape our portfolio, and we've taken some action," Tellep told reporters at a Washington technology briefing.
South Korea's Samsung Aerospace Industries delivered its first kit- built F-16 for the Korean Fighter Program yesterday, but continuing controversy over former president Roh Tae-Woo's involvement in an alleged political slush fund cast a cloud over delivery ceremonies in Seoul.
TITAN CORP., San Diego, got $5.2 million on Oct. 31 from the U.S. Navy's The Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center RDT&E Div., San Diego, for engineering support services, specifically C3I test and evaluation and independent verification and validation, in support of the Joint Maritime Command Information System (JMCIS). If all options are exercised, the value of the contract will be $13.6 million.
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP., San Diego, was awarded two contracts totaling $26.8 million to support the Royal Saudi Naval Forces command, control and communications program. Both contract were awarded on Oct. 30 by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, N.H. The first contract, for $12.3 million, is for the RNSF C3 operations and maintenance program. If all options are exercised, its value would be $74.4 million. The second contract, for $14.5 million, is for the RNSF C3 upgrade program.
PRC INC., McLean, Va., won a $14.7 million contract Nov. 3 from the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command for software development, engineering and maintenance services and program management support services for the Joint Maritime Command Information Systems (JMCIS) and Command Systems and Communication Support Systems programs. The Dept. of Defense said the contract includes four one-year options which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value to $77.1 million.
The $12.2 billion fiscal 1996 foreign operations conference report, which includes $3.2 billion in Foreign Military Financing, is caught up in a dispute over an abortion provision similar to that which has tied up the defense appropriations bill and the national security authorization conference. The House has approved the foreign operations conference report but insisted on language which would ban U.S. funding for organizations that directly or indirectly perform abortions.
