DELIVERY: Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems has delivered the first Track Illuminator Laser (TILL) to Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force's Airborne Laser program, the company said. The TILL will project pulses of light to a threatening missile in its boost phase, to obtain information about its speed and elevation.
Northrop Grumman announced Nov. 19 it has reached an agreement with the Blackstone Group, a private investment firm, to sell TRW Inc.'s automotive division for $4.72 billion. The transaction, which is contingent on Northrop Grumman's successful acquisition of TRW, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2003, company officials said. Northrop Grumman officials have been debating whether to sell TRW Automotive after acquiring TRW or spin the business off to shareholders (DAILY, Sept. 26).
HUD: El-Op Electro-Optics Industries will supply head-up display (HUD) systems for the Israeli air force's new F-16I aircraft, the company said Nov. 19. The work will be done under contract from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, which is worth $7 million including options, and will be done over four years. El-Op is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd.
Congress was poised late Nov. 19 to give final approval to a legislative provision aimed at reviving a satellite-based program for detecting forest fires. The Senate agreed Nov. 19 to include the provision in a broader bill creating a Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and it was expected to pass the DHS bill later in the day. The House Nov. 13 approved the same DHS bill, which President Bush is expected to sign into law once it reaches his desk.
The conversion of ballistic missile submarines to an attack role and the increased use of commercial information technology is changing the way the Navy conducts its undersea warfare operations, according to a senior Navy officer. "What the Tridents are offering us is the opportunity to have a lot of space, a huge ocean ship interface and ... technology that's delivering us capabilities in unmanned vehicles that we think are unprecedented," Vice Adm. John Grossenbacher said Nov. 19.
Congress has approved a requirement that the Defense Department assign someone to oversee all DOD efforts to protect weapon systems against rust and other forms of corrosion.
Results of a probe into recent F/A-22 Raptor cost overruns are not expected to be released for at least a week, but the Air Force fired the top two F/A-22 officers, Brig. Gen. William J. Jabour and Brig. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford, less than two weeks after the cost increase came to light.
PRAGUE - Czech officials are exploring the possibility of creating a joint unit of Czech and Slovak pilots to defend the airspace of both countries, according to defense minister Jaroslav Tvrdik. His comments came after a government meeting Nov. 18 during which the cabinet officially canceled proposals to buy 24 new Jas-39 Gripen fighters produced by the BAE Systems/Saab consortium.
According to its newly amended budget plan, NASA plans to put greater emphasis on the development of kerosene engines to power future reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), in part to align itself better with Defense Department (DOD) needs. In the justification for NASA's fiscal year 2003 budget amendment, the agency says contractor studies have indicated "significant promise" for future RLVs featuring a kerosene-fueled first stage engine and hydrogen-fueled second stage.
U.S. Air Force officials appear to be satisfied with a final cost reduction plan for the Global Hawk program and plan to brief the results to Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr. on Dec. 5, an Air Force official said Nov. 19. The Global Hawk program office believes it can present a package of cuts and tradeoffs in the unmanned aerial vehicle's mix of sensors and production schedules that will offer "substantial savings," said Lt. Col. Douglas Boone, deputy chief of the reconnaissance system division for Air Force acquisition.
Raytheon Co. has received its third and final low-rate initial production contract in the AIM-9X Sidewinder next-generation, short-range infrared guided air-to-air missile program. The $96.2 million contract, awarded Nov. 18 by Naval Air Systems Command, follows two other LRIP contracts, the first in November 2000 and the second in November 2001, according to Jennifer Allen, a spokeswoman for Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz. The first LRIP missile was delivered to the Navy on May 1, 2002.
CONNEXION APPROVED: Regulatory agencies in Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have approved Boeing's use of a range of Ku-band radio frequencies for its Connexion by Boeing mobile information service, the company said Nov. 18. The authorizations were granted to allow service demonstrations with Lufthansa German Airlines and British Airways, which are slated to take place in the first quarter of 2003.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - The U.S. Marine Corps has taken the first steps in a $300 million plan to dramatically upgrade its aircraft simulators, but some budget obstacles remain. MV-22 Osprey pilots here recently started using the service's second networked aircraft simulator developed under a two-year-old effort known as the Marine Corps Aviation Simulator Master Plan.
NASA is considering reducing the number of crew aboard the space shuttle to two or three as its proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP) takes over the role of transporting crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Currently, crewmembers are transported to and from the ISS either aboard the shuttle or aboard Russian Soyuz vehicles. A single Soyuz also remains docked to the station at all times to provide emergency crew escape.
Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland have demonstrated the ability to transport the companies' US-101 medium-lift helicopter on a C-17 cargo aircraft, the companies announced Nov. 18. The three-engine US-101 medium-lift helicopter is an American variant on the AgustaWestland EH-101. In July, AgustaWestland and Lockheed Martin signed a 10-year agreement to produce the US-101 in the U.S.
NEW DELHI - The United States has listed India as a "friendly" country for arms sales, an action that could expedite military exports to India. A senior official with the Indian Ministry of Defence said that under the agreement, congressional approval won't be needed for U.S. weapons purchases worth up to $40 million. A diplomat with the U.S. Embassy here said that, as a result, Indian requirements for military equipment such as ground sensors, thermal imagers and night-vision equipment could be approved on a fast-track basis.
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control said its Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS) successfully completed a flight test involving detection and targeting last week. The test, which occurred at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on Nov. 14, was designed to test the ability of the LOCAAS laser acquisition detection and ranging system (LADAR) to successfully detect and identify a relocatable target and fix a detonation point on that target.
The need to upgrade the mission systems of the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft flying with several of the world's navies could generate substantial revenue for Lockheed Martin, company officials said. More than 450 P-3 variants still are flying, said Michael Meyer, director of business development for international maritime surveillance programs with Lockheed Martin Tactical Systems, a unit of the company's Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems business.
LAUNCH: Boeing has shifted the debut launch of its Delta IV booster to Nov. 19, the company said. The Delta IV was to carry a Eutelsat satellite to orbit last week, but Boeing halted the launch after finding cracks in an engine similar to the one that will power its booster's upper stage. A readiness review gave the Delta IV a clean bill of health, and the 70-minute launch window is slated to open at 5:39 p.m. EST, Boeing said.
The U.S. aerospace commission Nov. 18 issued a report that its chairman described as an "urgent call for action" to shore up the U.S. aerospace industry, but some commissioners said the panel's findings fall short. The report, based on a year of study by the congressionally chartered panel, contains dozens of ideas to counter growing competition from foreign aerospace firms and shrinking demand for commercial aviation and commercial space launches. The panel, formally the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, says the U.S. should:
A bill that calls for doubling the National Science Foundation's budget over five years is headed to President Bush for his expected signature. The authorization legislation received final congressional approval Nov. 14. The bill would boost the NSF's budget from $4.8 billion in fiscal 2002 to $5.5 billion in FY '03, $6.4 billion in FY '04 and $7.4 billion in FY '05. If NSF meets certain goals for management reform, such as increased competitive sourcing, its budget would rise to $8.5 billion in FY '06 and $9.8 billion in FY '07.
