Calling public health a "national security issue," Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson sought to reassure Senate lawmakers on Oct. 3 that the federal government could respond to any biological or chemical attack within hours. However, better coordination is needed between federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and local health departments, he told members of a Senate Appropriations Committee panel on labor and health.
GE Aircraft Engines, saying that aircraft manufacturers anticipate deliveries of new aircraft to decline sharply over the next two years, said yesterday it will lay off up to 4,000 workers, or 13 percent of its 30,000 employees by early next year. GEAE said that prior to Sept. 11 it had expected a production slowdown for large commercial jet engines to begin by mid-2002 but that the recent events "accelerate, and exacerbate, the timetable of the aviation industry slowdown," Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily reported.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has designated Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White to be the Department of Defense's executive agent for homeland security, the Pentagon announced Oct. 2. "In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, homeland security has emerged as a paramount national priority," White said in a statement. "As the Department of Defense executive agent for homeland security, I look forward to working closely with Gov. Tom Ridge as he leads this vital effort."
Iran and Russia formally renewed defense cooperation Oct. 2 when Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, signed a bilateral agreement in Moscow on military-technical cooperation. Russian-Iranian arms cooperation - once the subject of substantial U.S. concern - met with almost no reaction in Washington.
DRS Technologies Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., will provide Mobile Ground Surveillance Radar Systems (MGSRS) for an international border defense guard customer. DRS would not identify the customer. The systems will incorporate the SQUIRE surveillance radar, which is specifically designed to identify and classify moving ground targets. MGSRS will also include an electro-optical package and a control and display station integrated into High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) said Oct. 3 that he will try to remove a provision in the House fiscal 2002 intelligence authorization bill that would set up a commission to assess how U.S. intelligence agencies performed before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
Boeing Satellite Systems has signed a contract with Space Communications Corp. (SCC) of Tokyo for a Boeing 601 communications satellite, the company announced Oct. 3. The Superbird-6 satellite is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2003. SCC will select the launch vehicle at a later date. This will be the third Superbird satellite Boeing has built for SSC, following Superbird-C, launched in July 1997, and Superbird-4, launched in February 2000.
Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody S.A. will demonstrate its L159 advanced light combat aircraft (ALCA) at the international aerospace exhibition Dubai 2001, which will be held Nov. 4-8. The L-159 is the company's latest product for the global trainer/light attack aircraft market, and the show will mark its debut in the Middle East.
Members of the Senate Commerce Committee's surface transportation panel said they are alarmed that measures to improve security on commercial rail and marine traffic have not been implemented as quickly as those for the commercial airline industry. "I am very concerned that the rhetoric of the past week is outpacing the response," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, said to Coast Guard Adm. James Underwood, director of the Transportation Department's Office of Intelligence and Security.
The U.S. could significantly improve its protection against an unconventional nuclear attack by spending a "relatively modest" $500 million or so over five years on sensors and other capabilities, according to Roger Hagengruber, chairman of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Unconventional Nuclear Warfare Defense. Hagengruber testified before the House Intelligence terrorism and homeland security subcommittee at a hearing on asymmetric and unconventional threats.
Raytheon Co. will provide test equipment repair and calibration services for the National Airspace System under an $11 million Federal Aviation Administration contract, the company announced Oct. 3. Under the contract, Raytheon Technical Services Co. will continue to repair and calibrate equipment for the FAA Logistics Center (FAALC) Depot. Work will be performed at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City.
Senators from Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming are pushing the U.S. Air Force to consider replacing 20 UH-1N Huey utility helicopters at bases in their states with the UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-1Y or another platform.
MERGER OFF: GE and Honeywell have officially terminated their merger agreement. The European Commission prohibited it in July. GE will reimburse Honeywell for merger-related expenses, and has agreed to buy an oil and gas sensor business and an advanced composite maker from Honeywell.
Lockheed Martin's upgraded Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A1 launcher has entered the second phase of its operational testing at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the company announced Oct. 2. Phase I of the testing, which was completed in Fort Sill, Okla., evaluated system capabilities and unit and personnel interfaces with the system, and included live firings of MLRS Reduced-Range Practice Rockets (RRPRs).
The Air Force awarded a two-year, $47 million contract to both Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Boeing Co. for the system design and development phase of the Air Force's Small Diameter Bomb. The companies will also design the carriage system for manned and unmanned aircraft. Raytheon Co. also submitted a SDB proposal but was eliminated from the competition on Sept. 28.
Gen. Anatoly Perminov, commander-in-chief of Russia's space troops, announced Oct. 3 that the Russian ministry of defense plans to orbit new satellites to monitor Afghanistan. According to Russian news sources, Perminov said Russia's military can monitor the country now, but it will lose capability as it has to pull aging spy satellites out of orbit. Russia's Kosmos-2377 Kobalt photo-reconnaissance satellite was deorbited at the end of September.
A U.S. C-130H Hercules recently landed in New Delhi to refuel while transporting six American military personnel, prompting media speculation here that India could be used as a staging ground for actions against Afghanistan. Indian officials and news reports said the military officials - including three Marines - were brought for duty at the U.S. embassy, including to beef up security there. "The C-130 Hercules aircraft came from Singapore and returned to the same place," a government official said.
As South Korea nears a decision in a drawn-out competition to upgrade the Korean air force, the U.S. may be losing its edge, according to some analysts. The procurement - dubbed the F-X program - is worth an estimated $3.3 billion for acquisition of 40 next-generation fighters. The competition has been narrowed down to four companies: the Boeing Corp. of the U.S. with the F-15K, Sukhoi of Russia with the Su-35, Dassault of France with the Rafale, and the Eurofighter consortium with the Typhoon.
TRW Aeronautical Systems (Lucas Aerospace) has teamed with Aero Union Corp.'s Aircraft Payload Systems division to offer Boeing 747 cargo operators new systems and equipment to reduce aircraft weight and improve cargo loading operations. The companies will supply 747 main deck mechanical systems and power drive units for main deck cargo systems. Customers can choose from a range of mechanical systems, control systems and power drive units, which will be integrated for use.
ORBIT COUNT: Between 600 and 610 satellites are operating today in Earth orbit or in deep space, according to a survey released Oct. 2 by the Teal Group of Fairfax, Va. Thirty have been launched in the last nine months, two-thirds of which were manufactured by U.S. companies, the survey says.
ROCKWELL COLLINS said it recently completed demonstrations of its Synthetic Vision Information System (SVIS), working with the NASA Aviation Safety Program in an effort that involved several airlines. The program is aimed at developing a visually based system to increase safety and terrain awareness during approach and departure.
China Aviation Supplies Import&Export Corp. (CASC) and the Boeing Co. signed an agreement Oct. 2 for the order of 30 Boeing 737s. The deal is worth about $1.6 billion at list prices, according to Boeing. The agreement was concluded at a signing ceremony at the Department of Commerce. The airplanes will be delivered from 2002 through 2005. China Southern Airlines will get 20 737-800s; China Eastern Airlines will get four 737-700s; Hainan Airlines will get three 737-800s; and Shanghai Airlines will get two 737-800s and one 737-700.
The 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) report released by the Department of Defense (DOD) Oct. 1 lists the upgrading of space systems as one of six critical operational goals which will provide the focus for DOD's transformation effort. "DOD will pursue modernization of the aging space surveillance infrastructure, enhance the command and control structure, and evolve the system from a cataloging and tracking capability to a system providing space situational awareness," says the report.
NATO officials charged with helping to determine whether to upgrade the alliance's fleet of 17 AWACS aircraft yesterday inspected a Boeing 707 powered with Pratt&Whitney JT8D-219 engines. The engines, more efficient than the aging P&W JT3Ds that now power the 707-based AWACS, would be compared with other candidates, including the General Electric/SNECMA CFM56, before any NATO AWACS upgrade decision is made.
Raytheon Co. will upgrade launchers and pylons for CF-18 aircraft under a $21 million contract awarded by the Canadian government's Department of Public Works and Government Services, the company announced Oct. 2. Raytheon will provide modification kits and engineering support to modify LAU-115 and LAU-116 launchers and SUU-63 pylons, enabling CF-18s to carry and launch a wider variety of weapons. Work will be performed in Calgary and Indianapolis and is expected to be completed by June 2006, according to the company.
