The head of the Defense Department's foreign military sales agency presented the official U.S. proposal to meet Austria's requirement for new fighters Jan. 22, telling Austrian officials that Lockheed Martin's F-16 will meet Austria's requirements until the company's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is completed.
Michael Piscatella has been appointed group president, Aerostructures and Aviation Technical Services. He succeeds Graydon (Bud) Wetzler, who has retired. Jack Carmola, group president, Engine and Safety Systems, will assume additional responsibility for the Electronic Systems Group, formerly held by Piscatella.
Eight Royal Air Force tanker/transports will be fitted with new Rockwell Collins URC-138(V), or Link 16, secure tactical datalink communications systems under a $10 million Ministry of Defence contract. The work will be done on five BAE Systems VC10s and three Lockheed Martin TriStar aircraft. United Kingdom Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Willy Bach said the new systems offer an improved battlespace picture, helping cut down on the risk of friendly fire. Bigger than a shoebox
Matthew Landano has been appointed director of the Office of Safety and Mission Success, which oversees the engineering and reliability of exploration missions developed by JPL. He replaces Dr. Harry Detweiler, who is retiring.
President Bush said Jan. 23 that his fiscal 2003 budget will propose higher spending for precision weapons, missile defense and unmanned vehicles as part of a total increase for the Defense Department of $48 billion or 14.5 percent. "The tools of modern warfare are effective. They are expensive. But in order to win this war against terror, they are essential," Bush said in a speech to the Reserve Officers Association. "Buying these tools may put a strain on the budget, but we will not cut corners when it comes to the defense of our great land."
The military services and the FAA often take different approaches to aviation safety issues, even if the aircraft concerned are similar or use common parts and materials, the General Accounting Office says in a new report. The Jan. 22 report, "Aviation Safety: FAA and DOD Response to Similar Safety Concerns" (GAO-02-77), cites an example involving technologies to avoid collision with terrain. Here, the report says, the military has lagged about 20 years behind the FAA in requiring the installation of such technologies aboard passenger aircraft.
Charges that the Boeing Co. took during the fourth quarter of FY 2001 to deal with the slowdown in commercial air traffic after Sept. 11 caused the company's net earnings to plunge 79 percent, senior officials said Jan. 23. In a conference call with industry analysts and investors, Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit said charges totaling nearly $622 million, or 78 cents per share, lowered the company's net earnings to 12 cents per share for the fourth quarter.
F-16 UPGRADES: Lockheed Aeronautics Co. will deliver more than 300 F-16 modification kits to upgrade the aircraft used by the air forces of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. The kits will improve communications, displays and allow use of new "smart weapons," including the Joint Direct Attack Munition.
The head of the Defense Department's foreign military sales agency presented the official U.S. proposal to meet Austria's requirement for new fighters Jan. 22, telling Austrian officials that Lockheed Martin's F-16 will meet Austria's requirements until the company's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is completed.
LONDON - European officials have reported progress on several major collaborative military procurement programs governed by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation, known by its French acronym OCCAR. Defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom met last week in Bonn, Germany, to discuss improving the cost-effectiveness and management of collaborative defense projects. OCCAR was established in 1996, but its operations as a legal entity didn't start until March 1, 2001.
Japan's Self-Defense Agency has selected NEC Corp. to be the prime contractor for a program to develop a new version of the Base Air Defense Ground Equipment (BADGE), an air defense warning and control system. The agency's schedule calls for developing the system within six years and starting its operation by fiscal 2008. The development cost is estimated at about $530 million.
European officials have reported progress on several major collaborative military procurement programs governed by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation, known by its French acronym OCCAR. Defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom met last week in Bonn, Germany, to discuss improving the cost-effectiveness and management of collaborative defense projects. OCCAR was established in 1996, but its operations as a legal entity didn't start until March 1, 2001.
President Bush said Jan. 23 that his fiscal 2003 budget will propose higher spending for precision weapons, missile defense and unmanned vehicles as part of a total increase for the Defense Department of $48 billion or 14.5 percent. "The tools of modern warfare are effective. They are expensive. But in order to win this war against terror, they are essential," Bush said in a speech to the Reserve Officers Association. "Buying these tools may put a strain on the budget, but we will not cut corners when it comes to the defense of our great land."
As more measures are taken to tighten physical security in domestic airports, U.S. airlines remain highly vulnerable to cyberattack, according to Internet security analysts. Airlines make particularly attractive targets for cybercriminals - whose crimes can run the gamut from simple vandalism to identity theft and financial espionage - since so much of their business has migrated online, according to Izhar Bar-Gad, chief technology officer at Sanctum, Inc.
Newly elected Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) expects to find out as early as the week of Jan. 28 whether he will get a seat on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), according to a spokesman for the congressman. Wilson has been "vigorously lobbying" to become a member of the HASC, his top choice for committee assignments, the spokesman said late Jan. 22. Wilson is also seeking to join the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Tom Risley has been appointed president and chief executive officer and will be elected a director of the corporation. Gordon Williams will be elected chairman of the company. He succeeds Allan Holt, who will remain a director of the company.
BAE Systems, Farnborough, U.K. Sir Charles Masefield has been appointed chairman. Mark Ronald has been appointed chief operating officer and president of BAE Systems North America. Harris Belman has been named vice president for homeland security. Mike Rouse has been appointed group marketing director. Compass Aerospace, Santa Ana, Calif. Eric Gunther has joined the company's Southwest Leadership team. Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C.
Richard P. Reinker has been named director, Engineering Services West. He will oversee Swales' engineering support services contracts for customers in the western U.S., primarily NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
When NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST-5) mission demonstrates satellite formation flight techniques 2004, it will open the door for numerous ambitious science missions, according to Russell Carpenter, lead navigation and flight dynamics engineer for formation flight at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Sir Charles Masefield has been appointed chairman. Mark Ronald has been appointed chief operating officer and president of BAE Systems North America. Harris Belman has been named vice president for homeland security. Mike Rouse has been appointed group marketing director.
China's military is trying to develop small boosters that can launch satellites "at a moment's notice in a contingency," according to Lisa Bronson, the U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for technology security policy and counterproliferation.
SAN DIEGO - The war on terrorism, operational demands, budget cuts and other factors are straining the Navy and Marine Corps today and could reduce their ability to meet future threats, a panel of Navy and Marine flag officers said at a conference here. Replacing ships and aircraft to sustain the existing force is a key concern, the officials said at the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association & Naval Institute West 2002 conference.
TOKYO - Japan's Self-Defense Force has selected the Boeing 767 as a tanker/transport platform for the Air Self-Defense Force, which plans to import four of the aircraft. The first of these will be bought in fiscal 2002. The total cost of the four aircraft is estimated at $738 million. The air force estimates the tanker/transport fleet operations will cost about $417 million over 30 years.
LONDON - MATRA BAE Dynamics' Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) entered service with the Royal Air Force this month, following the settlement of a contractual dispute between the manufacturers and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense. ASRAAM was scheduled to enter RAF service in April 2001, but was not accepted by the MOD on the grounds that some performance standards had not been achieved (DAILY, April 11, 2001).
Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., are preparing to take the next step toward satellite formation flight with the upcoming Space Technology 5 (ST-5) mission, scheduled for launch in 2004. Dubbed the "Nanosat Constellation Trailblazer," the mission will consist of three small satellites flying in formation in a highly elliptical earth orbit.
