L-3 Communications Corp. announced Dec. 4 it has completed its offer for all outstanding shares of Wescam Inc., a maker of visual wireless systems. As of Dec. 4, nearly 97 percent of all Wescam shares had been tendered to a Canadian subsidiary of L-3, company officials said in a statement. The transaction, valued at nearly $118 million, is expected to add $100 million to L-3's sales in 2003.
MILESTONE: Rolls-Royce has shipped the 100th AE 1107C turboshaft engine for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, the company said Dec. 4. The company is scheduled to deliver 22 AE 1107C engines in 2003 to support the Osprey's low-rate initial production, the company said. The engines are provided to the U.S. military under a commercial procurement agreement.
A.I. SOLUTIONS, Lanham, Md. Marisa L. Achee has joined the company as director of Florida operations. Hal Altan has joined the company as director of Maryland operations. ITT INDUSTRIES, Clifton, N.J. Christopher C. Bernhardt has been appointed president and general manager of ITT Industries, Avionics Division. L-3 COMMUNICATIONS, New York
Sales for the defense sector of the aerospace and defense industry are expected to grow by 8 percent in 2004, generating an estimated 11 percent growth in earnings per share, according to a report from Deutsche Bank. The commercial sector of the industry, boosted by a mild recovery in air traffic, should grow by a more modest 4 percent, senior aerospace and defense analyst Christopher Mecray said.
NEW DELHI - India plans to integrate the air navigation system it is developing with international navigation systems, according to an official with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The system's technology demonstration stage is underway and expected to be complete in another two years. It is slated to become operational by 2007, said an ISRO official. India's system would be linked to the Global Positioning System, Russia's Glonass system and Europe's Galileo.
EXPO: India has invited delegations from 45 countries to the International Aerospace Exposition-Aero India 2003, which will be held in Bangalore from Feb. 5-9. A senior defense ministry official said leading defense companies from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Israel, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Ukraine have confirmed they will participate. Seventeen countries participated in the third Aero India exhibition, held in 2001, which included the first display of India's Light Combat Aircraft.
Naval Air Systems Command will brief industry Dec. 17 on its vision of a Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicle. Such a UAV would "provide persistent unmanned, long dwell Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) capability to the warfighter," NAVAIR said. At the "industry day" session, to take place at the Mitre Corp. facility in McLean, Va., the Navy UAV program office will outline its acquisition strategy and get industry feedback on program issues, risks and schedule.
LAUNCH: The Coriolis spacecraft, built by Spectrum Astro for the Department of Defense, has moved to the SLC-4W launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in preparation for its planned Dec. 15 launch. The spacecraft carries an instrument to measure ocean wind speed and direction and one to study coronal mass ejections on the sun.
The Defense Department's Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program, set up eight years ago to speed the fielding of better weapon systems and other new technology, has had some success but could be improved significantly, the General Accounting Office says.
The U.S. Air Force miscounted deferred maintenance costs by $190.7 million last year and is not preparing to fix its accounting practices, according to a report posted Dec. 3 by the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General. The Air Force reported in early fiscal 2002 that it had $167.5 million of deferred maintenance on the books, which is a major factor in service readiness levels. Equipment repairs ranged from those to aircraft and engines to software and buildings.
The Pentagon added 29 missiles to the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) program and accelerated the fiscal 2003 production rate by 26 percent, a Defense Department spokeswoman said Dec. 3. E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, has signed an Acquisition Defense Memorandum (ADM) on the PAC-3. The new production schedule calls for a total of 208 PAC-3 missiles in the next two years, including 100 in FY '03, up from a previous estimate of 79.
Having completed its first flight test last week, the Have Lite missile is ready to begin final flight testing once the first order is received, according to the missile's co-producer, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control. Have Lite, a lighter, smaller version of the AGM-142 Have Nap air-to-surface missile, is designed for countries flying single-seat F-16 Fighting Falcons and other smaller manned fighters, Bill Rivera, manager of international business development said Dec. 3.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet's APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is on schedule for first flight and a low-rate initial production (LRIP) decision in June of next year, according to manufacturer Raytheon. The APG-79 program is a joint effort of Raytheon, F/A-18E/F prime contractor Boeing, and the Navy. The team expects to produce a total of 413 AESA radars for the Super Hornet fleet, including 277 forward-fit units and 136 retrofit units.
The U.S. Navy has given a General Dynamics unit a contract to begin low-rate production of the Area Air Defense Commander (AADC), a system designed to improve air defense planning. The contract, awarded to General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, calls for Naval Sea Systems Command to make an initial purchase of four systems. If options to buy four more systems are exercised, the contract's total value will exceed $45 million. The contract also includes engineering support services.
CONTRACT: The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon Co. a $118.7 million contract for the second year of low-rate initial production of the Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM), the company said Dec. 3. The award includes funding for 163 all-up-round missiles, Raytheon said. The missile, used for advanced ship defense, is being produced for the Navy and member nations of the NATO Seasparrow Consortium.
The U.S. Defense Dept.'s Acquisition Technology and Logistics (AT&L) division is implementing a new electronic business plan that should yield its first Internet portal and an overall information technology blueprint. AT&L, the military's top authority for weapons acquisition policies, also is creating two new offices to manage the division's internal systems and its electronic links to the Pentagon's weapons suppliers.
LONDON - Longstanding plans to unify multinational European military air training took a step forward Dec. 2 with the signing of a new one-year Eurotraining Feasibility Study agreement. Acting on behalf of a consortium of five leading European aerospace companies, Italy's Aermacchi signed the contract with the Italian General Directorate for Aeronautical Armaments (DGAA). The directorate was representing the air forces of 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Navy interest in a program managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force is prompting a look at ways to increase the Navy's level of participation, a DARPA official said. Stephen P. Welby, deputy director of the agency's Information Exploitation Office, said significant strides have been made in the Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement (AMSTE) program, and that the Navy would like to be more involved in it.
German Aerospace Center (DLR) has licensed its robotic capture technology for use on Orbital Recovery Corporation's planned satellite "tug," Orbital Recovery announced Dec. 2. The capture tool will allow the company's Geosynch Spacecraft Life Extension System (SLES) spacecraft to dock with a telecommunication satellite in orbit by attaching to the satellite's apogee kick motor (AKM). Once docked, the 'tug' will extend the satellite's life by providing propulsion, navigation, and guidance (DAILY, Sept. 4).
General Dynamics Corp. and the Boeing Co. said they will seek court orders to halt Defense Department plans to deduct nearly $2.3 billion from payments to the companies as part of the long-running dispute over the failed A-12 Avenger program. The DOD told the companies Dec. 2 it would begin deducting about $66 million per month from each company for the next 18 months, to collect money it says the government is owed for the program.
November 25, 2002 AIR FORCE Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan., is being awarded a $169,987,608 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for Lot X option exercise; Joint Primary Aircraft Trainer System T-6A Production Aircraft Lot X - FY2003; technical manuals and updates (one); instrument flight trainer (four); unit training device (one). The total funds have been obligated. Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-0022). NAVY
Reports that Germany is considering further cuts in defense spending are raising further questions about its commitment to buying 73 Airbus A400M military transports and its role as an international power. German Defense Minister Peter Struck reportedly will announce Dec. 5 that the government intends to reduce defense spending by nearly 6 billion euros ($6 billion) by 2006, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
