BOEING/McDonnell Douglas of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $320 million indefinite quantity type contract for a three-year base period for procurement of F-15, F-18 and AV-8B weapon systems, the Pentagon announced May 1. This is a sole source contract.
California Microwave Systems (CMS), a unit of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector, has been awarded a $10 million increment as part of an estimated $27.4 million contract by the U.S. Army to begin work on a sixth RC-7B Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) aircraft.
Although details are not known yet, the Technical Research and Development Institute of Japan's Self-Defense Agency is developing new missiles with a budget of about $98.4 million. Among the missiles being developed are: -- A medium-range surface-to-air missile, not yet named, probably intended as a replacement for the Raytheon Hawks currently in Ground Self-Defense Force service.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet has successfully demonstrated an advanced automatic precision landing system, the Shipboard Relative Global Positioning System (SRGPS), program officials said at a May 2 press briefing in Washington. The aircraft made a series of fully automatic approaches and touch-and-go landings on the USS Theodore Roosevelt during test flights in late April off the coast of Norfolk, VA.
The Technical Research and Development Institute of Japan's Self-Defense Agency will begin developing an advanced 6,000-kilogram (13,000 lb.) thrust class high-bypass turbofan engine to power a new maritime patrol aircraft. The engine is for the MPA, slated to be completed by 2010 to replace the Lockheed/Kawasaki P-3Cs currently in service.
DRS Technologies, Inc., has received a $2.1 million contract from the U.S. Navy to produce AN/SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search Radar Systems for installation on surface ships and for technical support. The AN/SPS-67 radar systems produced under the contract will be deployed on Navy DDG-51 Aegis class ships. Work on the contract will be performed by the company's DRS Electronic Systems unit in Gaithersburg, Md., and system deliveries are slated to be completed in 2004.
Looking to the future, the U.S. military is analyzing and experimenting with breakthrough technologies and capabilities that may eventually change the way a war is fought. "We think we've reached an inflection point where it's going to be incredibly expensive to try and conduct more rapid military operations by getting there with more mass," Jack Klevecz, director of the Futures Alliance Department of the Joint Experimentation Directorate, told The DAILY in a recent interview.
Eurofighter GmbH has awarded contracts worth $715 million to BAE Systems and Thales Training&Simulation Ltd for advanced simulators and synthetic training aids. The contract awards were announced April 30 in Munich. They cover development, production and in-service support of the Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids (ASTA) system for the four-nation Eurofighter combat aircraft program. The NATO Eurofighter management agency (NETMA), with Eurofighter GmbH as prime contractor, made the awards.
With bad weather putting Florida off-limits, space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member, multinational crew landed May 1 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., capping a triumphant 12-day assembly mission at the International Space Station.
Spurred by revenue growth from its fixed satellite services division, Loral Space&Communications Ltd., announced April 30 that it had cut its losses for first quarter 2001. The company said its net loss for the quarter dropped from $142 million, or 49 cents per share, in first quarter 2000 to $75 million, or 25 cents per share, this quarter. The company also recorded a positive operating profit of $3.9 million this quarter, as compared with a $6 million loss during the same period last year.
The United States Army Aviation and Missile Command has awarded a five-year contract to Sabreliner Corp. of St. Louis, Mo., for the repair of fuel controls used on T703 helicopter engines. The engines power the Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopter. The contract, with a potential value of $1.6 million, covers up to 355 controls over the five year period. The work will be performed at Sabreliner's Premier Turbines engine accessory plant in Independence, Kan.
General Dynamics, adding two new product lines to its Gulfstream business, on May 1 bought medium-range business jet maker Galaxy Aerospace for at least $330 million. Galaxy's founders can earn an extra $315 million on the deal through 2006 if the acquired unit hits certain revenue targets, General Dynamics disclosed. Galaxy, a four-year-old company based in Fort Worth, Texas, builds with partner Israel Aircraft Industries the Astra mid-size twin turbofan business jet and the Galaxy, the first jet in the super mid-size class.
The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence has honored Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, among others, for programs reflecting progress with the MoD's Smart Acquisition policies. Smart Acquisition, which supplemented the 1998 Smart Procurement proposals following last year's formation of the Defense Logistics Organization (DLO), was acknowledged May 1 by Ministry of Defence (MoD) award presentations to several teams involved in current equipment programs and requirements.
Government must assume a minimal role if it is to avoid causing the U.S. launch industry to lose further ground to international competitors, according to Ed Gormel, executive director of the Spaceport Florida Authority. During his remarks, made at the 38th Space Congress in Cape Canaveral, Fla. May 1, Gormel stressed the fact that "minimal" involvement "doesn't mean the government doesn't care. It's how the government functions in the business of either being a customer or a regulator.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced May 1 the sale of two S-70 Black Hawk helicopters to the Royal Thai Army for $20 million. The helicopters will be obtained through the U.S. Army and sold via a government-to-government foreign military sale. "We are happy to provide the Royal Thai Army with the world's most versatile helicopter," said Sikorsky President, Dean Borgman. "I know the Black Hawk will excel in any mission that comes its way."
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has awarded a launch contract worth about $72.6 million to Rocket Systems Corp. for the MT-Sat, which will be used for both weather observation and air traffic control. The MT-Sat is scheduled to be launched in the summer of 2002 by an H-2A launch vehicle. The first MT-Sat launch was attempted in November, 1999, but was lost when the H-2A launch vehicle failed.
President George W. Bush called for replacing the 1972 U.S.-Russia Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with "a new framework that reflects a clear and clean break from the past," while he continues to seek allied input into options for a national missile defense system.
ILLGEN SIMULATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC., of Goleta, Calif., has been awarded a five-year contract, potentially worth $45 million, to provide research and development in modeling and simulation of rotorcraft. The contract was provided by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., in support of the U.S. Army.
Israel intends to buy the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter from the U.S. someday if finances and other factors allow it, an Israeli air force official said May 1.
Ansett Australia Group said it has concluded talks with Pratt&Whitney to develop an international engine repair and maintenance joint venture. Gary Toomey, Air New Zealand Ansett Australia Group president, said April 30 that the joint venture will be based on the Group's engineering facility at Christchurch, New Zealand, Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily reported.
The United States should beef up space-based missile defense by moving forward with a next generation of missile-killing "Brilliant Pebbles" satellites, former Reagan Science Advisor William Graham said May 1. Speaking at a National Defense University/National Defense Industrial Association breakfast - just hours before President Bush said he wants to work with U.S. allies to build a defense system - Graham said the missile threat against America is growing.
The Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey had at least two in-flight "catastrophic failures" last year before fatal accidents involving the tiltrotor aircraft. An April 8 accident killed 19, and a crash December 11 took the lives of four crewmen. Moreover, the program manager and top Marine Corps officials did not know about the failures until just days ago.
Seven space-related Japanese firms have formed a new company called the Galaxy Express, a venture expected to include a U.S. partner in the future. The companies forming the Galaxy Express include Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Fuji Heavy Industries, IHI Aerospace (formerly the aerospace division of Nissan Motors), Mitsubishi Trading, Japan Aviation Electronics Industry and the International Store House Corp. The Galaxy Express plans to develop new launch vehicles and offer launch services.
Chile's Air Force has selected General Electric's F110 fighter engine to power its new fleet of F-16 aircraft, GE announced April 30. The GE-powered F-16s are part of the Chilean AF plan to modernize its aircraft while reducing its operating costs. The F-16C/Ds will be powered by the F110-GE-129 engine, which first entered service in 1992. The engine has been rated at 29,000 pounds of thrust.
NASA's X-43A hypersonic research vehicle had a successful first captive-carry flight along with its Pegasus booster, according to the space agency's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The X-43A and Pegasus were carried beneath the wing of a B-52 for nearly two hours as the aircraft left Dryden, flew over the Pacific Missile Range and returned to Dryden on April 28. After the flight data is evaluated, the test could lead to the first flight of the X-43A and Pegasus "stack" in the middle of May (DAILY, April 19).
