GROUNDED: The Navy's 156 F-14 Tomcats have been grounded until a problem with the aircraft's nose wheel assembly is checked out, according to Naval Air Systems (NAVAIR) Command. Corrosion in a component of an F-14's nose landing gear has been faulted for the March 2 crash of an F-14 in the Mediterranean. The F-14's pilot was killed in the accident. "An engineering investigation of the mishap discovered corrosion on the outer cylinder at the site where the failure occurred," NAVAIR says.
BUT SERIOUSLY: At least some the glum sentiments expressed by senior Dassault officials last week about the company's military aviation business could be attributed to unrealistic expectations about the South Korea fighter contract, according to analysts. Senior Dassault officials last week said the company would no longer compete for fighter contracts in South Korea after a legal objection filed against the government's decision to purchase F-15 fighters over the Rafale was defeated.
TRW will upgrade the launch command centers that control Minuteman III missiles under a $65 million contract from the U.S. Air Force. The company will begin the system design and development phase of the ICBM Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting Service Life Extension Program (REACT SLEP), which will upgrade command and control hardware, software and support equipment.
SUPPLEMENTAL CONFERENCE: The Senate early June 7 approved its version of the fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill, clearing the way for a conference with the House. The conference committee could meet as early as the week of June 10-14. Both versions of the bill provide the $14 billion that the Bush Administration requested for defense, including $377 million to speed up production of Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).
REMAP REVAMP: The Research Maximization and Prioritization Task Force (REMAP) won't deliver its recommendations for NASA's science programs to the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) on June 12 as expected, NASA officials say. The panel's head, Rae Silver of Columbia University, "wanted some more time to fine-tune some particulars of the presentation," a NASA spokesman says. NAC Chairman Charles Kennel agreed to a delay, and the report now will be presented July 10.
Standard & Poor's placed L-3 Communications Corp. on CreditWatch with positive implications last week following the company's announced plans to issue 14 million shares of common stock and $750 million in senior subordinated debt securities due in 2012.
Negotiations between Koor Industries Ltd. and Elbit Systems over Koor's proposed sale of a minority stake in Elisra Electronic Systems have fallen through, the Israeli companies reported June 7. Koor Industries of Tel Aviv, a holding company that owns controlling stakes in Israel's major defense electronics companies through the Elisra Group, had negotiated to sell Elbit Systems 24-30 percent of Elisra Electronic Systems. The companies announced the talks in April, but the exclusivity period between them expired May 17, according to Koor.
A Missile Defense Agency team charged with recommending ways to defeat countermeasures on hostile missiles has been told by another MDA team, led by Retired Air Force Gen. Larry Welch, to redo some its proposals, Welch said June 7. MDA has formed a red team to develop countermeasures and a blue team to propose ways to overcome those countermeasures. A third, or white team, chaired by Welch, acts as a referee, judging the realism of the red team's ideas and the viability of the blue team's suggestions.
SHUTTLE DOCKED: Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered the Expedition Five crew to the International Space Station on June 7, according to NASA. The spacecraft docked at 11:25 a.m. CDT as they flew over the southern Pacific Ocean. The new crew will swap places with the old during Endeavour's eight-day stay at the station.
Remote sensing satellite data on the U.S. climate is being used to build a predictive tool that could allow users to forecast outbreaks of insect-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus several weeks in advance. Satellite data is uniquely suited to predicting insect activity, according to David Rogers, a professor of ecology and project scientist for the International Research Partnership for Infectious Disease (INTREPID) program.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Creation of the new Department of Homeland Security won't change the way North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command operate, nor is it likely to affect operation of the new Northern Command when it is established on Oct. 1, a spokesman for NORAD and the Space Command said June 7. "The basic answer is that the Department of Defense essentially remains unchanged," said Maj. Barry Venable. "We work for the Secretary of Defense - in NORAD's case, Canada and the United States."
Boeing Service Co. was awarded a $508 million contract by the Transportation Security Administration to deploy Explosive Detection System (EDS) and Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) machines in the nation's airports. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced the contract June 7. Boeing had been vying for the work with Lockheed Martin Corp., Tyco International Ltd., TRW Systems; General Dynamics Inc., Raytheon Corp., and Siemens Corp.
The House voted 397-25 on June 5 to pass a bill that would increase the National Science Foundation's budget by 15 percent a year for three years and set a goal to double the agency's funding in five years. The bill includes significant funding increases for nanotechnology research.
The Defense Department wants to cancel the Crusader self-propelled howitzer without knowing whether existing alternatives can meet the Army's requirements, a group of pro-Crusader supporters said June 6. Philip Coyle, former director of the Defense Department's Office of Operational Test & Evaluation, said the alternatives being considered for Crusader aren't suitable substitutes.
The lead systems integrator (LSI) for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) announced the first 30 of what eventually will be about 89 FCS contracts June 5. The contracts cover combat systems, supportability and command, control, computers, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to the Boeing Co.
L-3 Communications' Communications Systems-East division will provide solid-state reconnaissance recorders for Sweden's JAS-39 Gripen fighters, the company said June 6. The contract, with Saab Avionics AB of Stockholm, is a "multi-million dollar" deal, the New York-based company said, although it did not reveal further details. L-3 will provide its RM-8000R model recording system for the Gripen. The company said it has a high-speed interface, simultaneous record and play and target event marking, and is interoperable with NATO forces.
Under a NASA contract, Raytheon Co. is working with universities and state and local governments around the country to explore innovative, non-research applications for remote sensing data, including everything from precision agriculture to infectious disease monitoring.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. Space Command expects an increase this year in the number of attempts by hackers to break into Defense Department computer networks, according to Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson, deputy commander in chief. One of the command's responsibilities is to meet all of the department's current and future cyber threats and requirements, and Anderson said the importance of the task can't be overemphasized.
COMPASS UPGRADE: Raytheon Co. will provide two Enhanced High Band Subsystems, plus spares, to the U.S. Air Force to upgrade two Compass Call aircraft under a 27-month, $15.6 million sole-source contract, the company announced June 6. The new systems will expand frequency coverage and enhance the aircrafts' ability to process information, according to the company.
The House June 6 blocked an attempt by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to have lawmakers consider a resolution urging President Bush to seek congressional approval before pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
The Navy and Air Force have presented their options for replacing the EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft, but so far no decision has been made, according to Pentagon sources. In a June 4 meeting with E.C. "Pete" Aldridge, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, senior Navy and Air Force officials presented their options, according to Cheryl Irwin, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense. However, a follow-up meeting is planned and Aldridge has not made a final decision, she told The DAILY.
PRAGUE - Czech aircraft producer Aero Vodochody has revealed that its new L-159B two-seat jet is to go on public display for the first time next month. Two jets, one static and one airborne, will be shown at the Farnborough International 2002 air show in Great Britain in late July. The rollout ceremony will take place in the Czech Republic after Farnborough. The L-159B was airborne for the first time this week, flying for almost an hour and reaching an altitude of 11,000 meters (36,000 feet).
If the Air Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite communications system needs to be restructured to contain costs, the service probably would follow a course similar to that taken with the Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) program, according to the head of Air Force Space Command. "I can't speak right now on the specifics of what it is dollar-wise," Gen. Lance Lord, the head of Air Force Space Command, said after a June 5 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
