NASA engineers continue to study a worrisome anomaly in one of the solid rocket booster nozzles from the June launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as their colleagues prepare the Shuttle Endeavour for an Aug. 5 liftoff. An agency spokeswoman at Marshall Space Flight Center, where the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) program is managed, said yesterday RSRM engineers probably will be ready to make a presentation on the anomaly by the end of the week, although they have until launch day minus two to complete their study.
U.S. Defense Secretary William J. Perry said yesterday that additional aircraft for suppression of enemy air defenses might be deployed to Bosnia. "We may augment the force with some specialized kind of aircraft, particularly so-called SEAD aircraft," Perry said during a press conference at the Defense Ministerial of the Americas taking place this week at Langley AFB, Va. "If we were to have to begin an air campaign...the first phase of that campaign would be disabling, dismembering the Bosnian Serb air defenses," he said.
A Boeing 777 widebody twin powered by General Electric GE90 high- bypass turbofans resumed formal certification testing July 20, four days after returning to flight with redesigned fan platforms and engine control software, GE reported.
July 20, 1995 Loral Federal Systems Company, Owego, New York, is being awarded a $13,904,583 face value increase to a Cost Plus Fixed Fee contract for development and demonstration of nighttime all-weather maneuvering formation flight capability at intermediate aircraft distances. Contract is expected to be completed July 1997. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (F33615-90/C-3609, P00026).
The Air Force's Avionics Directorate at the Wright-Patterson AFB Laboratory has scheduled a briefing to industry on tri-service avionics requirements and research and development planning. The Tri-Service Avionics Briefing to Industry will take place Aug. 22- 24 at the Dayton, Ohio, convention center. The Air Force said the event's tentative agenda will include: -- Acquisition Plans for JAST, Army, Navy, Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, Air Force -- Requirements: Air Force, Navy and Army
The Defense Dept. could generate big savings by substantially reducing the amount of depot work it performs itself and transferring it to the private sector, the Congressional Budget Office says in a study released Friday. "[T]he government might save on the order of $1 billion annually if the Congress limited the percentage of maintenance handled in public depots to no more than 30% of DOD's total workload," according to a summary of the study, "Public and Private Roles in Maintaining Military Equipment at the Depot Level."
Software integration will determine when the Tier III Minus unmanned aerial vehicle makes its first flight, according to the leader of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing team that is building the stealthy UAV. Bruce Wright said in a telephone interview that the first flight of the high altitude endurance vehicle, also known as DarkStar, "is being paced by avionics integration and software releases."
Three of four Standoff Land Attack Missiles launched Wednesday scored direct hits on a target on San Nicolas Island, Calif., the U.S. Navy said Friday. Five fleet naval squadrons conducted the coordinated SLAM strike on a simulated target, marking the second time that multiple SLAMs have been launched in a simulated tactical engagement. The objective of the training exercise was land employment, tactics and coordination.
Northrop Grumman Corp. reported a 22% jump in net income during for the second quarter to $79 million as sales rose a modest 4% to $1.76 billion over the same period a year earlier. About half of the income growth came from cumulative margin rate adjustments made during the second quarter to the B-2 and C-17 aircraft programs that led to a $34 million improvement in operating margins. But that was offset by a downward adjustment on the Boeing 747 jetliner program because of a contract stretchout.
A modified Standard Missile Block III intercepted a cruise missile- like target during recent tests to support the Navy's Lower Tier theater missile defense program. The Block III was fitted with a MHIP, or Missile Homing Improvement Program, which adds a gimbal-mounted infrared guidance system for autonomous target acquisition and tracking to the missile, a Hughes Missile Systems statement said. The missile intercepted and destroyed the Vandal target in a flight test conducted in late June.
The Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office is assessing the state of technology for lightweight, heavy fuel engines to decide whether to award a contract for the development of such a powerplant, according to DARO Director Maj. Gen. Ken Israel. UAV experts believe they are two or three years away from certifying a capable, lightweight, heavy fuel engine, but some companies think they can beat the two-year mark, Israel told The DAILY last week during an interview in his Pentagon office.
Comsat Corp. yesterday announced several measures aimed at enhancing competitiveness as it released second quarter 1995 figures showing slight increases in revenues and net income. The company said revenues for the quarter ended June 30 were $210.8 million, up $3 million from the second quarter of 1994. Net income was $22 million, up $400,000. For the first half of 1995, revenues were up 2.5%, to $418 million, but net income for the six month period declined by $5.2 million, to $36.6 million.
JAPAN has placed an order for $239 million in U.S. weapons systems, including 20 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets and 57 Standard Missiles. Australia, meanwhile, has asked to purchase 12 of Harpoon missile warheads, 21 Harpoon training missiles, missile and warhead containers, spares and logistics support for $38 million.
Rep. David Obey (Wis.), ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, claims there are enough opponents of the B-2 bomber to win an expected House floor vote to strike the $493 million add- on for the program from the fiscal 1996 defense appropriations bill (DAILY, July 21, page 98)-but he won't identify the switchers from the June 13 219- 203 House vote in favor of B-2 funding because, saying this would just increase the pressure on them.
MAURY J. MECHANICK has been named to represent Comsat on the Intelsat Board of Governors. He replaces Betty Alewine, who has held the position since 1991.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended creation of a Defense Modernization Account which would permit savings in Defense Dept. procurement and installation management to be set aside for modernization. To encourage savings by the services and DOD components, funds placed in the account would be reserved for use by the military service or DOD component that generated the savings. Funds would be available only for modernization of an existing system, a system that is the subject of an ongoing procurement, or to increase the procurement quantity of a system.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR Lawton Chiles wrote President Clinton urging him to give "careful consideration to domestic economic needs"-i.e. U.S. launchers- when negotiating a launch agreement to allow Ukraine's entry into the commercial market. That agreement is expected to be concluded in September.
SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA signed a $16 million contract to supply a VSAT network to China's Yunnan King Modle Tobacco Telecom Corp. to connect over 2,200 manufacturing, distribution and retail locations throughout China.
Once a permanent site for the UAV squadron is approved, air vehicles won't arrive for at least several months. However, a static display of the Tier II Predator will be at the stand-up ceremony. AF and UAV officials are working out when the Predator will be "brought into the fold" and how to transition the medium-altitude endurance drone from an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration to an operational program, one defense official said. ACC has a draft concept of operations on UAVs out for comment.
