General Dynamics Decision Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., is being awarded a $9,619,000 firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade 1,422 AN/PRC 112B1 survival radios and procure ancillary equipment for aircrew survival gear. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by December 2002. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-02-C-3048). ARMY
Integral Systems, Inc., a Maryland-based satellite ground systems provider, announced Dec. 21 it plans to acquire Newpoint Technologies Inc., of Salem, N.H., which makes satellite and terrestrial network management systems. The all-cash deal is still subject to the approval of Newport Technologies' shareholders. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Dec. 30 crash of a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used in Operation Enduring Freedom was likely the result of a maintenance-related malfunction, according to Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, the Joint Staff's deputy director for operations, current readiness and capabilities.
The Dec. 30 crash of a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used in Operation Enduring Freedom was likely the result of a maintenance-related malfunction, according to Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, the Joint Staff's deputy director for operations, current readiness and capabilities.
Building on its work in autonomous formation flight (AFF), the Boeing Co. has proposed collaborating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA on a project to demonstrate autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) in 2004. This technique, in which an unmanned vehicle rendezvous and refuels with a manned tanker, will be a critical enabler for future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) operations, according to Boeing's AAR Program Manager Greg Larson.
The Raytheon Co. announced Jan. 2 that its aircraft division was awarded a one-year, $193 million contract to produce 40 T-6A Texan II aircraft as part of the U.S. Air Force's Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program. The contract, which contains four one-year options for a total production of 234 aircraft and ground-based training devices from 2002 to 2006, could have a potential value of $1.22 billion, Raytheon officials said. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2004.
Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan., is being awarded a $193,250,689 firm-fixed-price contract. The contract provides Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) program production Lot 9 for quantity of 40 T-16A aircraft, two operational flight trainers, two instrument flight trainers, technical manual updates, data, dedicated support and fire familiarization training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be completed in June 2005.
The Pentagon's lead acquisition advisory committee, the Defense Acquisition Board, has approved low-rate initial production for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), undersecretary of defense E.C. "Pete" Aldridge told reporters Dec. 21 at the Pentagon. The JASSM, produced by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, was developed by the Navy and Air Force as a cost effective, long-range cruise missile. JASSM has stealth characteristics and uses a global positioning system/inertial navigation system for precision guidance.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, precision guided munitions and military transformation are expected to be high on the 2002 congressional agenda as lawmakers look for lessons learned in Afghanistan. Military space programs, the Joint Strike Fighter, the Air Force's new leasing plan for aerial refuelers and the International Space Station are also likely to receive plenty of Capitol Hill scrutiny in the coming year.
Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Dec. 21 it has settled several antitrust lawsuits that subsidiary Litton Industries Inc. filed against Honeywell International Inc. 11 years ago. Under the terms of the settlement, Honeywell will pay Northrop Grumman $440 million in cash, of which $220 million will be paid in 2001 and the rest in July 2002. Litton - which was bought by Northrop Grumman earlier this year - filed the lawsuits in 1990.
Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Dec. 21 it has settled several antitrust lawsuits that subsidiary Litton Industries Inc. filed against Honeywell International Inc. 11 years ago. Under the terms of the settlement, Honeywell will pay Northrop Grumman $440 million in cash, of which $220 million will be paid in 2001 and the rest in July 2002. Litton - which was bought by Northrop Grumman earlier this year - filed the lawsuits in 1990.
The V-22 Osprey, which has remained grounded since a December 2000 that killed four Marines, will return to the air for a new flight test program beginning in April 2002, Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. "Pete" Aldridge said Dec. 21. At a Pentagon briefing, Aldridge announced he will allow the V-22 to resume flying next year, although he repeated his longstanding concerns about the suitability of tiltrotor technology.
O'KEEFE CONFIRMED: The Senate Dec. 20 unanimously confirmed Sean O'Keefe, former deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, as the new NASA administrator. O'Keefe will succeed longtime NASA chief Dan Goldin, who resigned Nov. 17.
Congress has agreed to fully fund the Bush Administration's request for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) after receiving warnings that a House-proposed cut would jeopardize the Defense Department's ability to observe and forecast weather around the world. The final version of the fiscal 2002 defense appropriations bill matches DOD's $157.4 million request for the weather satellite system. The bill was approved by a House-Senate conference committee Dec. 18 and by the full House and Senate Dec. 20.
Russia's Space Troops launched Kosmos-2383, a US-P ocean reconnaissance satellite, Dec. 21, placing the 7,000-pound spacecraft in a 230-mile circular orbit using a Tsyklon-2 booster. The satellite, part of the EORSAT constellation, is equipped with electronic intelligence (ELINT) equipment to monitor foreign fleets.
Issues relating to export control licenses will be among the biggest facing the U.S. aerospace industry during the next year, according to Joel Johnson, vice-president of international affairs for the Aerospace Industries Association. But America's war on terrorism will pose new challenges for export controls, not just for next year, but also for several years thereafter, he said.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, precision guided munitions and military transformation are expected to be high on the 2002 congressional agenda as lawmakers look for lessons learned in Afghanistan. Military space programs, the Joint Strike Fighter, the Air Force's new leasing plan for aerial refuelers and the International Space Station are also likely to receive plenty of Capitol Hill scrutiny in the coming year.
Next year will be the make-or-break year for several military aircraft programs both in the U.S. and Europe, according to aircraft analysts. Unless some programs receive substantial orders or funding commitments, they may be discontinued, with the investment community responding accordingly.
Aerospace Industry Sales by Product Group Calendar Years 1986-2002 (Millions of dollars, current dollars) Aircraft Total Civil Military a Year Total Sales 1986 $106,183 $56,405 $15,718 $40,687 1987 110,008 59,188 15,465 43,723
MOSCOW - Russia's Space Troops launched Kosmos-2383, a US-P ocean reconnaissance satellite, Dec. 21, placing the 7,000-pound spacecraft in a 230-mile circular orbit using a Tsyklon-2 booster. The satellite, part of the EORSAT constellation, is equipped with electronic intelligence (ELINT) equipment to monitor foreign fleets.
Use of unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan, particularly the Global Hawk, is prompting ideas about how such vehicles might someday be used to help defend the United States. The contribution of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk to the search for Osama bin Laden - flying at 65,000 feet for several days at a time, peering down with a variety of sensors - indicates that it also might be able to continuously monitor approaches to the U.S., observers say.
Use of unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan, particularly the Global Hawk, is prompting ideas about how such vehicles might someday be used to help defend the United States. The contribution of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk to the search for Osama bin Laden - flying at 65,000 feet for several days at a time, peering down with a variety of sensors - indicates that it also might be able to continuously monitor approaches to the U.S., observers say.
LONDON - Britain is providing financial assistance of about 12 million pounds ($17.4 million) over three years to help Russia scrap its chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, under a new treaty signed Dec. 20. With Russia, the U.S. and 140 other states, the United Kingdom is a member of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which is the first international arms control agreement to prohibit an entire category of weapons and provide detailed verification measures.
