BAE STOCK: Observers are struck by the fact that BAE Systems' stock barely moved on the March 25 announcement that John Weston was departing as CEO. They contrast this to the dip that TRW Inc.'s stock took on the news that David Cote was leaving the CEO slot there to become CEO of Honeywell International. This, observers say, could be because Europeans haven't placed as high a value on BAE Systems as Americans have placed on some U.S. defense companies.
STRONG TEAM: New BAE Systems CEO Mike Turner and the seasoned management team built by Weston - including Alison Wood, group strategy and future systems director, and Mark Ronald, COO and president of BAE Systems North America - "can clearly be relied upon to continue the kind of aggressive growth" in the U.S. that Weston initiated, says James McAleese of McAleese&Associates of McLean, Va.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has named an independent task force to recommend research priorities for the biological and physical research that will be carried out on the International Space Station. The Research Maximization and Prioritization Task Force (REMAP) is a follow-on to the ISS Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) task force. IMCE produced a report that said NASA's plan for building the station was "not credible," and recommended staff cuts and fewer shuttle flights to the station as a way to keep it within budget (DAILY, Nov. 5, 2001).
OFFER EXTENSION: Northrop Grumman has extended its exchange offer for all outstanding shares of TRW Inc. stock until April 12, the company announced. TRW's board of directors has said Northrop Grumman's offer is "inadequate." About 2.1 million shares of TRW stock had been tendered to Northrop Gru-mman as of March 28, the company said.
CRUISE MISSILE DEFENSE: With the development of systems that are capable of defending against both cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will have to define its role in the cruise missile arena, says Lt. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, the head of Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Space Command. Cruise missile defense is "really part of the air defense mission area," he says, but the question in the future is, can you have a system that protects against both cruise and ballistic missile threats?
Cisco Systems, best known for its role in providing key components and systems for the Internet, is seeking long-term relationships with aerospace and defense companies and government agencies worldwide.
CHINA FEARS: While China's increasing military capabilities concern the U.S. military, China still is not capable of holding Taiwan in an all-out conflict, says Adm. Dennis Blair, the Commander in Chief of U.S. Pacific Command.
As the Pentagon's acquisition czar threatens to cancel programs that continue to run over budget, Bell Helicopter Textron is preparing to defend its increasingly expensive AH-1Z and UH-1Y upgrade program. Begun in 1996, the H-1 upgrade program is to modify 100 UH-1N Hueys and 180 AH-1W Super Cobras to provide the Marine Corps with latest improvements in avionics, weapons systems and sensors. Bell officials confirm that the program costs have risen, but say recent press reports, citing approximately 87 percent cost increase, are overblown.
STANDARDS: The reason many aerospace and defense companies have trouble collaborating may have more to do with the people involved than the information technology tools used, according to Greg Irwin, vice president of aerospace and defense for Oracle Corp. Instead of focusing on how customers, prime contractors and suppliers could better collaborate, engineers and IT professionals too often are fixated on finding standards for the management and purchasing systems used across the industry, he says.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLED: Modernizing America's overtaxed air traffic management system eventually will require a dedicated agency, according to John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "Over the longer haul ... in my view, we're going to have to develop something like the National Reconnaissance Office [NRO] over at DOD, which is a combination of Air Force and CIA people," Douglass says.
The AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missile is an example of a weapon system that could be dropped so the Navy could free money to buy new systems, Vice Adm. Joseph W. Dyer, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, said March 28.
Lockheed Martin is spending its own money to develop a concept for a submarine-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system that would allow the sub to remain submerged during both launch and recovery. The company hopes this capability would make a good fit for the Ohio-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBNs) that are being modified by the Defense Department for special operations, according to Neil Kacena, deputy for advanced development programs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
A report on the U.S. and European defense industry released last week by Standard&Poor's says mounting fears over terrorist attacks will likely trigger higher defense spending in Europe. Also, battlefield successes in recent conflicts have demonstrated the need for more sophisticated information systems, which could benefit companies like BAE Systems and Thales, the report says. "Rumors [about] transatlantic links are higher than ever, as ...
SATELLITE PROPOSAL: Rep. John Thune (R-S.D.) is proposing that NASA develop, launch and operate a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite to provide better imagery for farming, fighting forest fires, and exploring for oil. Unlike the U.S. Geological Survey's optical LANDSAT satellites, a SAR satellite could take pictures through rain, cloud cover or nightfall. Another advantage over LANDSAT is that the angle of the radar would allow it to pick up more of the fractures in the earth's crust, which geologists look for when searching for oil.
Arianespace's March 28 launch of two Boeing-built communications satellites leaves only six more flights before the Ariane 4 family is phased out, leaving the company entirely reliant on its Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle, which recently returned to service after a seven-month grounding. The Ariane 4 launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou successfully carried two Boeing-built communications satellites into orbit - JSAT Corp.'s JCSAT-8 and SES Astra's Astra 3A.
The Defense Department is drafting its first national security space (NSS) plan to "tie together" space activities across DOD and the intelligence community, according to a brief, unclassified description of the project. The plan, which will be classified, is expected to "fulfill a critical role in resource allocation" decisions, according to the project description, which was released by the Air Force.
AAW MISSILE: The Navy is considering its options for a new active over-the-horizon anti-air warfare (AAW) missile, according to John Young, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. Depending on the funding available, the Navy would like to have a competition for the new missile, he says. The missile could be a Standard Missile 5, a repackaged Standard Missile 2 Block IVA using a PAC-3 seeker, or some other option, he suggests. "There's a good competitive space," he says.
NASA has confirmed April 4 as the launch date for shuttle mission STS-110, an International Space Station construction flight. The shuttle Atlantis is slated to deliver the Boeing Human Space Flight&Exploration-built starboard zero (S0) truss, one of five truss segments that eventually will span more than 300 feet to carry data, power and environmental services for the station.
Departure of BAE Systems CEO John Weston this week has few major consequences for the European or U.S. aerospace industries, a company spokesman said. One American observer said, however, that the development might prompt the company to speed its penetration of the U.S. industry with continued acquisitions of mid-level companies.
THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY plans to demonstrate the Automated Transfer Vehicle, a multifunctional spacecraft to supply the International Space Station, next month at ESA's Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The spacecraft is intended to deliver equipment, fuel, spare parts, food, air and water to the station. The first operational flight of the ATV is scheduled for 2004. ESA plans to build eight or more ATVs, which involves 30 companies from 10 European countries under EADS Launch Vehicles of France, the prime contractor.
Hungary will begin sending new pilots to the Canadian Forces base at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, for basic and advanced flight training late next year with the Canadian-managed NATO Flying Training in Canada program, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported. The deal makes Hungary the sixth nation to use NFTC for pilot training.
V-22 Osprey program officials say they are confident that a comprehensive test program set to begin next month will remove any doubts about tiltrotor technology and safety. E.C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, has allowed the V-22 to return to flight testing, but he testified earlier this month before Congress that the Pentagon is considering alternatives should the test program fail.
The Air Force Research Laboratory hopes to resume demonstrations of space-based relay mirror technology that have been on hold since the era of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Orbiting relay mirrors could one day be used to redirect and refocus the beams from airborne or ground-based laser systems, greatly extending their range and power.
JSF PARTNERS: BAE Systems and GKN Aerospace Services announced they will form a partnership for the design and production of high-technology airframe components for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Components will include those built at GKN's Resin Transfer Molding facility in St. Louis, which it bought from Boeing last year.
Aerospace and defense professionals can reduce the time they spend surfing the Internet for accurate, timely and authoritative information by using a new web portal, Aviation Week's Intelligence Network (AWIN), the Aviation Week Group says. Full-text articles from Aviation Week&Space Technology magazine, Aerospace Daily, Aviation Daily, Homeland Security&Defense, and other group publications will be available on the new network.
