Russia should consider transferring missile technology to China to help finance its strategic forces, the chairman of the Russian Duma's defense committee said in an interview with the Independent Military Review weekly here. Army Gen. Andrei Nikolayev said the money obtained through the transfers could finance ground- and space-based early warning capabilities, strategic intelligence, troop management systems and strategic strike capabilities.
Raytheon Co. has been selected to proceed to the next phase of a program that will lead to the Multi Role Radar System (MRRS), a mobile ground radar intended to give Marine Corps units more efficient air surveillance capabilities as they move ashore in a conflict. Raytheon was chosen over Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman after a year-long Phase 1 effort to design and demonstrate an advanced development model of an Affordable Ground Based Radar (AGBR), which will be a concept development platform for the MRRS.
LICENSE AGREEMENT: Harris Corp. has entered into a licensing agreement with Spirent Systems Group in Wichita, Kan., for patents for wirelessly transferring high-speed data to and from an aircraft while it is on the ground. Data to be transferred by the patented capability could be used to support flight safety, flight operations, engineering and maintenance, and cabin and passenger services, according to the company.
NASA's decision to move space shuttle orbiter major modifications (OMM) work from Boeing's Palmdale Manufacturing Facility in California to Florida's Kennedy Space Center is "shortsighted" because of the institutional memory that will be lost at Palmdale, according to Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), who represents the Palmdale area.
Aerospace and defense analysts with Standard&Poor's affirmed the ratings for structural materials-maker Hexcel Corp. and removed it from CreditWatch, where it was placed Sept. 21, 2001. In a Feb. 8 report, analysts attributed the ratings affirmation and removal from CreditWatch to Hexcel's successful negotiations in January with a bank syndicate to amend its senior secured credit facility.
SATELLITES LAUNCHED: A Boeing Delta II launch vehicle deployed five communications satellites on Feb. 11 after taking off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Boeing announced. The satellites will be spares for Iridium Satellite's global communications network.
Having completed the final flight test for the first prototype of the RAH-66 Comanche, officials from the Boeing Co. and Sikorsky Aircraft are waiting to hear from the Army about how the program will be restructured. In a statement released Feb. 11, officials from both companies said Prototype 1 will be retired after completing more than 387 flight hours during 318 sorties over six years. The aircraft, which completed its first flight test on Jan. 4, 1996, was designed to test the flight control software and handling qualities.
February 8, 2002 BAE Systems, Mojave, Calif., is being awarded an $8,763,894 contract modification to provide for 12 QF-4 full scale aerial targets. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be completed by July 2004. The Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (F08626-98-C-0012).
Members of Congress from the Philadelphia area appear to have made peace with the Boeing Co. over the aerospace firm's presence in their region. In December, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and other Philadelphia-area lawmakers threatened to cut back on helping Boeing get defense work unless the company showed a stronger commitment to their region (DAILY, Dec. 17, 2001). Their warning came after Boeing's latest announcement of job cuts at its rotorcraft plant in Ridley Township, Pa.
While European launch provider Arianespace moves to ensure its dominance in a flat market, the company is hoping for an upswing in commercial launches by 2004-2005, according to Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton. In the meantime, Luton said he expects 20-25 commercial geostationary satellite launch contracts per year for the next couple of years.
While few countries can challenge the U.S. military in air-to-air combat, Pentagon officials are concerned about a new generation of Russian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and other technologies that enhance air defenses, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service. The report, "Military Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEADS): Assessing Future Needs," says no U.S. aircraft have been lost to enemy aircraft since 1991, and that most countries will likely challenge U.S. airpower mainly with surface-based air defenses.
A "sectoral" federal budget for aerospace could provide valuable guidance for financiers who have been leery of investing in the industry, according to Aerospace Commission Chairman Robert Walker.
SLOWPOKE SLI: The pace of NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI), which is scheduled to deliver a more economical replacement for the space shuttle by 2012, may be too slow for the U.S. to regain market share in world launch contracts, according to Rick Baldwin, site manager for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority at Wallops Island, Va. "It is important that the U.S.
The chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee said Feb. 8 that he plans to keep a close eye on a potential Air Force lease for Boeing 767 tankers to ensure the cost "doesn't break the bank."
F-X REQUESTS: South Korea's continued request for "best and final offer" bids to build its next-generation F-X fighter spells trouble for the program and for the Boeing Co., says aircraft analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. Boeing's F-15K is still considered to be in the lead for the competition, but South Korea's refusal in January to accept any of the four submitted bids may indicate the country can't afford the program.
President Bush has nominated Adm. Thomas H. Collins to be the 22nd commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, the White House announced Feb. 6. Collins has served as vice commandant of the Coast Guard since June 2000. Before that, he served for two years as the commander of the Pacific Area and commander of the Eleventh Coast Guard District in Alameda, Calif.
AWACS UPGRADE: The Boeing Co. will upgrade the radar system of France's fleet of four E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft under a $133 million contract, the company said Feb. 8. It will be the most significant upgrade to that fleet since it was delivered in the early 1990s, according to Boeing.
OLD WEAPONS: The U.S. military's aging fleet of weapon systems "is taking its toll in increased operational costs and reduced equipment availability rates," according to Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "For example, between [fiscal 1995] and FY '01, the Air Force's F-15C/D aircraft, at an average age of 17 1/2 years, have experienced an 83 percent increase in cost per flying hour (constant FY '00 dollars) and a decrease from 81 percent to 77 percent in [their] mission capable rate," Myers says in recent written testimony to Congress.
