CACI BUY: CACI International said it has completed the purchase of Applied Technology Solutions of Arlington, Va., an information technology company with clients in the U.S. intelligence community.
The Air Force unveiled plans late last week to modify the GBU-28 guidance and tail kits to accommodate an upgrade package for the BLU-113 penetrator warhead. Raytheon, the bomb kit's current supplier, will be awarded a sole-source contract to make up to 350 new GBU-28s in support of the Pre-planned Product Improvement program for BLU-113, according to an Air Force acquisition notice posted Feb. 28.
Northrop Grumman said March 3 it has completed the sale of its TRW Automotive business, acquired during the December 2002 takeover of TRW Inc., to affiliates of the Blackstone Group for $4.7 billion. The move marks the end of Northrop Grumman's plans to sell or spin off the Automotive business while retaining control of TRW's Space & Electronics and Systems divisions.
The first test of the beam control/fire control system for the Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser tentatively is planned to begin in early summer and last several weeks, government and industry sources said March 3. The ABL's kill laser and a target missile will be simulated during the test, which will take place at Lockheed Martin facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The beam control/fire control system is designed to guide the kill laser to the target.
A series of pre-disaster e-mails debating the consequences of possible tile damage to the shuttle Columbia demonstrate a healthy level of debate and don't necessarily indicate a need for changes in procedures covering the voicing of safety concerns, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.
MONITORING: NASA should do a better job of tracking inventions, discoveries, improvements and innovations made by its contractors, the agency's inspector general says in a new report. NASA contractors are required to report such discoveries so they can be made available to the general public, but the IG says NASA did not follow up with contractors on six of the 11 active contracts and one of the four completed contracts that it reviewed. "As a result, the agency could not be assured that new technologies ...
SWEET SPOT: Although the trend is still toward larger satellites, the demand for some types of medium-sized satellites may continue, according to Mark Albrecht, president of International Launch Services. Most senior satellite executives five or six years ago felt satellites would keep getting larger, he says. "But I think that with experience, there is a point at which there are diminishing marginal returns, and I think we've found it in terms of operating larger satellites," Albrecht says. Problems with operating larger satellites include high insurance costs.
HARDY HUBBLE: The grounding of the space shuttle will not jeopardize the Hubble Space Telescope, according to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. The "robust" observatory is "performing well" and is "in no immediate need of servicing" by a shuttle crew, O'Keefe says. If the November 2004 servicing mission is delayed and problems arise with the telescope as a result, the Hubble can be placed in "safe mode" until the servicing mission can be accomplished.
TANKER THREAT: Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says he probably will oppose an Air Force proposal to lease 100 Boeing 767 tankers unless it includes a plan for training, basing and maintenance. Inhofe says Congress needs to know how those matters will be addressed "before we get into something as far-reaching as this program." The Defense Department is expected to finish its review of the Air Force proposal within the next few weeks before deciding whether to submit it to Congress for consideration.
Fifteen months after launching a 10-year, $19 billion system development and demonstration phase, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is due for its first comprehensive design evaluation. The program's preliminary design review (PDR), a routine step in the acquisition process, is scheduled for late March, but early parts of the evaluation are already underway, JSF program spokeswoman Kathy Crawford said last week.
NEW DELHI - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.'s plan to upgrade 40 MiG-27L fighters has prompted objections from the aircrafts' original manufacturer, RSK MiG of Russia.
March 2 - 4 -- American Society for Quality Aviation-Space & Defense Division Conference. Radisson at The Port Hotel, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Call (254) 776-3550 or go to www.asdnet.org/cqsdi. March 2 - 4 -- 11th Annual Conference on Quality in the Space and Defense Industries, Radisson at the Port Hotel & Conference Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information contact Lester Lemay at (254) 776-3550 or email [email protected].
BY ANY OTHER NAME: Despite its name, NASA's proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP) won't necessarily be a winged vehicle that lands like an airplane, according to O'Keefe. The recently released level one requirements for the vehicle (DAILY, Feb. 20) don't specify a landing configuration for prospective OSP contractors. "You can meet [those requirements] with any exotic design you'd like," O'Keefe says.
HANDLING UCAV-N: Northrop Grumman is exploring several methods of controlling the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N) after it lands on the carrier deck, according to X-47A Pegasus Program Manager Dave Mazur. "We think landing on the carrier is the trickiest part, but 45 seconds later, there potentially is going to be another airplane landing right behind it.
Consolidation of some satellite industry operators and service providers likely will continue, but the trend is not likely to include the major companies, according to several satellite industry executives. Part of the reason consolidation has not occurred among larger companies is that those companies serve separate market segments, according to Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES Global.
LONDON - A contract awarded Feb. 27 by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) to a consortium led by General Dynamics U.K. was the first in a new program to establish defense technology centers (DTCs) in Britain. The DTCs are intended to benefit the MOD as sources of expertise in areas of science and technology. Each DTC will have customized structures and funding arrangements. The MOD will provide up to 5 million pounds ($7.9 million) a year for up to six years, with the consortia contributing up to half of the funding in cash or kind.
An American lawmaker angered by France's Iraq policy has introduced a bill that would bar the U.S. Defense Department from participating in this year's Paris Air Show. The measure, introduced Feb. 27, is the second shot that Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) has taken at the air show in the past few weeks. But unlike the sense-of-Congress resolution that Saxton introduced Feb. 13 to discourage U.S. armed forces, companies and private citizens from participating in the air show - which remains pending - his latest proposal will be binding if it becomes law.
SAT ALTERNATIVE: The Air Force is considering using the Global Hawk as an alternative to low-band satellites, says Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper. "I predict that we're going to see [Global Hawks] do a lot more than this reconnaissance and surveillance mission," Jumper says. Increasing launch costs are driving the Air Force to study the relay capability of high-altitude drones.
AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS: Several countries are trying to develop aerospace manufacturing capabilities that could be applied to other industry sectors, according to Robert Walker, chairman of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. "There are countries aggressively looking to develop aircraft manufacturing capabilities," he says. Japan and China, for example, are looking to develop the ability to build regional jets. "Why do they want to do that? Is there a large market for regional jets? No ...
The Boeing Co. has donated a technology patent to Vanderbilt University, the company said Feb. 27. The patent covers a particle-separation technology originally developed for use in outer space, but readapted for efficient ground-based operation. The technology could contribute to the development of nanotechnology, or the creation of materials through the control of matter at the molecular level, Boeing said. Boeing's technology originally was developed to separate cells, proteins and enzymes in space, for pharmaceutical applications.
PRICE CUTS: The Air Force plans to ask F/A-22 communications contractor Northrop Grumman and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney to slash the cost of critical components for the aircraft, Air Force Secretary James Roche says. After acquiring TRW, Northrop Grumman now owns the F/A-22's communications suite, which includes an intra-flight datalink, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System link and an Identification Friend or Foe system. The Air Force is seeking broad cuts to squeeze more aircraft into a $43 billion budget cap.
