The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded contracts to two companies for its program to develop technologies for the use of water as an on-orbit propellant for satellites. Hamilton Sundstrand of Windsor Locks, Conn., and Proton Energy Systems of Rocky Hill, Conn., will receive a total of $4.9 million for the first 12 months of the program. DARPA has said water could be a replaceable fluid for satellites because of its potential as a simple, non-hazardous, energy-efficient propellant (DAILY, Feb. 28, 2001).
NASA's Revolutionary Turbine Accelerator (RTA) engine, which could power the agency's X-43B hypersonic demonstrator, will require the most advanced unclassified turbine engine ever built, according to Project Manager Paul Bartolotta. RTA is a turbine-based combination cycle (TBCC) engine that will use a turbine accelerator to get from zero to roughly Mach 4, at which point a dual-mode scramjet will take over for speeds up to Mach 7 and beyond.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has started work on an electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) for the Joint Strike Fighter under a $171 million contract from BAE Systems, the company announced Jan. 16. The company has teamed with Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Systems sector to produce EOTS, a derivative of Lockheed Martin's Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod. Sniper XR is being produced for U.S. Air Force F-15s and F-16s, and the EOTS will use many of the same components, according to Lockheed Martin.
The newly enacted fiscal 2002 defense appropriations and authorization acts make a few gains in advancing military transformation, but more dramatic progress is needed to prepare the U.S. for the threats of the 21st century, according to House Armed Services Committee member William "Mac" Thornberry (R-Texas).
A Lockheed Martin Titan IVB rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. at 7:30 p.m. EST Jan. 15, successfully delivering a Milstar 2 communications satellite into orbit. The $800 million, bus-sized satellite, which has a wingspan equal to a 747 jumbo jet when its solar arrays are deployed, joins three other Milstar satellites already in equatorial orbits, including a previous Milstar 2 launched last February (DAILY, Feb. 22, 2001). The new satellite should be fully checked out and operational within the next four months.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded contracts to two companies for its program to develop technologies for the use of water as an on-orbit propellant for satellites. Hamilton Sundstrand of Windsor Locks, Conn., and Proton Energy Systems of Rocky Hill, Conn., will receive a total of $4.9 million for the first 12 months of the program. DARPA has said water could be a replaceable fluid for satellites because of its potential as a simple, non-hazardous, energy-efficient propellant (DAILY, Feb. 28, 2001).
Robert Meurer has been appointed director of the International Satellite Systems business. Mark L. Ludwig has been appointed chief financial officer. Alan L. Parker has been appointed to its board of directors.
Avionics and communications manufacturer Rockwell Collins Inc. announced Jan. 16 that its net earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2002 dropped 20 percent over earnings for the same period last year. In a conference call with investors and analysts, Rockwell Collins' Chief Financial Officer Larry Erickson said the company recorded sales of $563 million for the FY 2002 first quarter, compared with $587 million for the same period last year. The company plans to continue with previously announced job cuts, he said.
Avionics and communications manufacturer Rockwell Collins Inc. announced Jan. 16 that its net earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2002 dropped 20 percent over earnings for the same period last year. In a conference call with investors and analysts, Rockwell Collins' Chief Financial Officer Larry Erickson said the company recorded sales of $563 million for the FY 2002 first quarter, compared with $587 million for the same period last year. The company plans to continue with previously announced job cuts, he said.
NASA's Revolutionary Turbine Accelerator (RTA) engine, which could power the agency's X-43B hypersonic demonstrator, will require the most advanced unclassified turbine engine ever built, according to Project Manager Paul Bartolotta. RTA is a turbine-based combination cycle (TBCC) engine that will use a turbine accelerator to get from zero to roughly Mach 4, at which point a dual-mode scramjet will take over for speeds up to Mach 7 and beyond.
Adm. John B. Nathman, the commander of Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said he attributes Operation Enduring Freedom's successful air campaign in Afghanistan to improvements in cooperation between the military services, technological advances, and training in the decade since Desert Storm.
Growth for most aerospace and defense companies in the fourth quarter "should be reasonable ... though not yet reflecting any real upside from the post Sept. 11 climate change for the sector," says a report released Jan. 16 by the U.S. investment banking arm of Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown Senior Analyst Christopher Mecray said investors should not expect an immediate boost from the increased FY 2002 supplemental defense spending.
GE Aircraft Engines has signed a four-year extension to its teaming agreement with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command and the Corpus Christi Army Depot to supply helicopter engines and technical services. The extension covers calendar years 2002 through 2005 and is worth $78 million, according to the company. Under the agreement, GEAE supplies T700 helicopter engine parts and technical expertise to support the Corpus Christi depot's overhaul programs.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research's choice of a modified Gulfstream V business jet to carry out a variety of environmental missions fits into a broader plan to carry out such research with a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft, an NCAR official said.
An article in The DAILY of Jan. 15 misstated Russia's budget for space programs. The budget's $311.7 million for space exploration activities is part of the $428.5 million budget for the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and its Airbus subsidiary deserve a chance to compete to build a new wide-body aerial refueling plane for the U.S. Air Force, even though Congress has gone on record in favor of the Chicago-based Boeing Co., Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Jan. 15.
Precision Castparts Corp., which makes forged components for jet aircraft engines, reported a $59 million net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2002 despite strong quarterly sales. Company officials reported sales of $625.8 million for the quarter, which ended Dec. 30, compared with $580.4 million for the third quarter of FY 2001. However, the company also recorded a charge of $92.4 million due to the write-down of assets and a $13.7 million charge for severance payments due to restructuring in the wake of the commercial aerospace market downturn.
NEW DELHI - A panel of specialists studying India's proposed mission to the moon is expected to finish its report soon, said K. Kasturirangan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kasturirangan said the panel is looking at all aspects of the mission. "The mission is essential for the country as it would place it in the frontiers of science and cutting-edge technology and enable it to enter an elite club of nations. It's a matter of our self-confidence," he said.
