NASA Space Shuttle managers will decide in the next few days whether a hot-gas problem in the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) is severe enough to warrant grounding the orbiter fleet until it is fixed.
Europe's Eutelsat telecommunications satellite consortium plans to buy a satellite from Russia's Applied Mechanics works (NPO-PM) to provide its service over the Far East, according to reports from Moscow. The Reuters news agency, quoting Eutelsat spokeswoman Vanessa O'Connor in Moscow, said a contract for the satellite could be signed as early as this week. Planned as part of the Eutelsat-3 program, the Russian platform would be the easternmost of five planned new satellites in the consortium's network.
MCLAUGHLIN RESEARCH CORP., New London, Conn., is providing engineering support, functional administration, technical services and maintenance support for the life-cycle of lightweight and heavyweight torpedo systems under an $8.2 million contract awarded July 20 by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I.
The Navy is tightening up on network security after a recent survey of about 50,000 of its unclassified computer systems detected a dozen or so basic vulnerabilities in the way the local area networks are set up, Navy command and control warfare director Capt. Rocco Caldarella told The DAILY in an interview.
The House Appropriations Committee has zeroed advance procurement funding for a new generation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and tacked on $100 million for the low-Earth orbit component of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS).
The House Appropriations national security subcommittee last week cut the Army's $30.4 million Corps SAM fiscal 1996 request by $10 million, and did not zero it as erroneously reported in The DAILY on July 24 (page 107). The panel also recommended that the Army propose within 90 days a restructured program consisting of current technology and ongoing efforts that will provide ground forces with mobile 360-degree protection against cruise and very short range tactical ballistic missiles.
John Haaren has been promoted to manager, Anser Colorado Springs Division. Thomas L. Moser was appointed vice president and business area manager, Aerospace Systems.
Carol Awkard Neyland, previously first vice president and division manager, Institutional Banking Department at Mellon Bank, N.A. in Pittsburgh, Pa., has joined the firm as chief financial officer and senior vice president.
The seven-year congressional budget conference report "front-loads" defense in the first four years and actually trails Clinton Administration budget authority for the final three years, Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) revealed yesterday. Obey, the ranking House Appropriations Committee Democrat, noted that overall the congressional budget, which Republican budget drafters hailed as halting the defense decline, only exceeds the Administration's budget authority figures by $18.1 billion from fiscal 1996 to 2002.
Christopher C. Bernhardt has been appointed vice president of business development at Litton's Guidance and Control Systems division, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Malcolm R. Currie, chairman emeritus, Hughes Aircraft Co., Los Angeles, Calif., has received the IEEE Founders Medal for technical and managerial leadership in the electronics industry.
Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Corp., has appointed Ray Barker, formerly a military assistant overseeing Department of Defense satellite communications programs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, executive director of military satellite communications. Lawrence J. Cavaiola, formerly special assistant to the U.S. secretary of defense, has been named director of technology special projects.
Hughes Aircraft Co. and China Great Wall Industry Corp. yesterday issued a joint statement in which they essentially agreed to disagree over the cause of a Jan. 25 launch explosion that destroyed a Long March 2E rocket and the Hughes-built satellite it was carrying 50 seconds into flight. But Hughes also issued a separate "background document" in which it outlined in detail why it believed the Chinese rocket was likely at fault.
International Lease Finance Corp. yesterday announced orders for 54 new generation 737s. Boeing valued the order at $2.25 billion. CFM International, whose CFM56-7s power the planes, said it will gain more than $500 million from the orders. ILFC said the order covers 11 149-seat 737-700s, three 189-seat 737- 800s and 40 132-seat 737-600s. The leasing company said it has the right to change more than half of the 737-600 orders into orders for the larger aircraft.
Tracor Inc. yesterday announced a 64% increase in second quarter net income to $6.8 million, thanks primarily to its acquisition of GDE Systems last November. Sales for the quarter were $217 million, up 29% over the same period a year earlier. Highlights for the quarter included the acquisition of the only other U.S. chaff manufacturer (DAILY, April 4, page 13) and the expansion of its core defense business with the win of a $19.9 million program to develop a minefield breaching system for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.
A combination of a fuel imbalance, a flight manual deficiency and human error led to the April 18 crash of a U.S. Air Force C-21 executive jet that claimed the lives of eight people, including the service's top acquisition official, an AF investigation found. The plane crashed in a wooded area near Alexander City, Ala. The C-21, a military version of the Learjet, was flying from Andrews AFB, Md., to Randolph AFB, Tex., when a fuel transfer problem prompted the crew to declare an emergency and request an approach to the Alexander City airport.
Don H. Davis has been elected president and chief operating officer of the corporation. Davis was also named director, joining Donald R. Beall, chairman and chief executive officer.
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to the Defense Dept. to use $12.5 million of its Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program funding to continue development of a vertical takeoff and landing air vehicle. "The committee is concerned about the suitability of a tactical fixed wing UAV for Naval forces," SASC said in its new fiscal year 1996 national defense authorization report. The U.S. Navy's JTUAV is designed to be launched from ships ranging from amphibious vessels to aircraft carriers.
Walter J. Bank has been appointed vice president of business development. William C. Reuter was appointed vice president and division manager of the Flight Test and Weapons Division.
UNC Aviation Services, a division of UNC Inc., has announce d the following promotions. Hormer Lichtenwalter, vice president and general manager, international services. Dave Carothers, vice president and general manager, field services Craig Coy, vice president of marketing and business development, aviation services. Robert Jones, senior director and general manager, Army and Navy Services. Gerry Hertzler, senior director and general manager, Air Force Services/Oklahoma Operations.
W. Vincent Walisko, Jr. has been named director of Global Broadcast and Special Services for the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT).
Lockheed Martin yesterday withdrew its JPATS protest to the U.S. Air Force and won't file a protest with the General Accounting Office, but says its proposal for the next generation training plane is still on the books in case the Air Force has to revisit its decision. The service last month chose Raytheon's Beech Aircraft entry in the roughly $7 billion Joint Primary Aircraft Training System competition.
