The NASA Aeronautics Support Team (NAST) is urging Congress to double funding for NASA's aeronautics program, arguing that current funding levels aren't adequate to keep the U.S. civil aircraft industry competitive, preserve American military aviation superiority, and ease congestion at the nation's airports.
Aerospace and defense contractor General Dynamics, of Falls Church, Va., announced April 25 it has signed an agreement to acquire Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. in a $2.6 billion transaction that would make the company the only builder of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. The acquisition, approved by the boards of directors of both companies, is to be accomplished through a cash tender offer for all of Newport News Shipbuilding's publicly held outstanding shares, at a price of $67.50 per share, according to General Dynamics.
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted testimony from the responses by Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller-nominee Dr. Dov S. Zakheim to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. He testified April 24.)
A paper-thin coating of a material NASA uses to prevent space vehicles from burning up during re-entry may soon be available to protect houses, cars and boats from fire, the space agency announced April 24. Protective Ceramic Coating (PCC), invented at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., repels heat from virtually any surface it covers, NASA said. In addition to shielding spacecraft, it can also protect ceramics, wood, steel, plastic and fiberglass.
Satellites and aircraft are tracking a huge dust cloud forming over China, the second cloud of its kind to be seen this month. The first, measuring thousands of square miles, formed on April 5 and moved across the Pacific Ocean and North America before finally dissipating over the Atlantic Ocean. Its size and duration were "unprecedented," one scientist said yesterday. The second cloud, which began forming April 22, is expected to grow to the same size and follow the same path.
The U.S. Air Force has called up its fifth Delta IV launch, Delta IV maker Boeing Co. announced April 25. The launch for the Defense Satellite Program, identified as DSP-23, is scheduled for late August 2003 aboard the second Delta IV Heavy mission.
SGI's Graphics Cluster high-performance visualization PC-based cluster series has been picked by xwave, an Aliant company, to provide Canada's Tactical Aviation Mission System Simulation (TAMSS) with a high-resolution visualization environment to better define requirements for new helicopter systems, the company announced April 24. TAMSS is a simulation-based acquisition system designed to help the Canadian Forces identify and evaluate potential electronic warfare technology upgrades to the CH146 Griffon helicopter.
A group of engineers working for the Volvo Group AGM have developed a highly advanced method of cooling rocket nozzles, the company announced April 25. The technique, known as film cooling, uses gases sprayed at supersonic velocity along the inside wall of the engine nozzle to cool the wall and improve its strength. The technique was developed for the next generation of the Vulcain propulsion unit for Ariane rockets, according to Volvo.
President Bush intends to nominate Stephen A. Cambone to be under secretary of defense for policy, the White House announced April 23. Most recently, he served as staff director for the Commission to Assess U.S. National Security Space Management and Organization while also serving as the director of research for the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.
The U.S. and its allies should step up efforts to harmonize their defense-related export controls because differences in existing restrictions are hampering trade, a congressionally chartered study group wrote in a report released April 24.
HONEYWELL signed an agreement with the Royal Australian Air Force to provide an integrated avionics logistics support program for the RAAF fleet of C-130 and F-111 aircraft, the company announced April 24. Honeywell was announced as the "preferred tenderer" for the program in August, 2000, but later negotiations concluded the 10-year deal, worth about $120 million.
Raytheon Company has appointed a former Honeywell executive, Thomas M. Culligan, as executive vice president of business development and president of Raytheon International, Inc. Culligan will oversee domestic and international business development and government relations and will serve as "principal interface with the company's Washington, D.C., defense and other government agency customers," Raytheon said in announcing the appointment.
Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $14.9 million development task order from NASA's Ames Research Center for research and development of airborne technology to support the National Airspace System (NAS). This task order will focus on the development of airborne tools and technology and their use in researching the technical requirements, feasibility and potential benefits of the distributed air/ground traffic management system (DAG TM).
President Bush intends to nominate James G. Roche to be secretary of the Air Force, Thomas E. White to be secretary of the Army and Gordon England to be secretary of the Navy, the White House announced April 24. Roche is currently corporate vice president and president of the Electric Sensors and Systems Sector of the Northrop Grumman Corp. He has served with the company since 1984 in a variety of posts.
The dearth of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets remains the weakest link in the U.S. Air Force's Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF) construct - its answer to meeting more contingency requirements with fewer people while providing deployment predictability.
NASA plans to draft a "blueprint" by September aimed at achieving dramatic improvements in the nation's aircraft and airports, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin said April 24. The blueprint will address the development of vehicles whose wings change shape in flight as conditions warrant. It will also tackle such things as aircraft noise and safety and airport capacity, Goldin told reporters after testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee's science, technology and space subcommittee.
There have been bigger military sales to Taiwan than the one President Bush announced April 24, such as the $6 billion sale of 150 F-16 fighter jets in 1992, but few sales could be as beneficial to the aerospace industry - and particularly electronics makers - as this one could prove to be, an analyst said. The arms package approved Tuesday includes four KIDD-class destroyers, 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, up to eight electric diesel powered submarines and several MH-53 minesweeping helicopters.
THE BOEING CO. said April 24 it has notified employees that it is closing its Shreveport Aircraft Modification Center because of the declining workload there. Boeing, following discussions with the Machinists union, decided to cease operations at the military modification facility, said Joe Warner, general manager. He said the facility will close by early September, impacting 162 employees.
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft recently turned its camera toward home and took a picture - a shot of a faint crescent Earth - to help calibrate an experiment package as it heads toward Mars. The image was taken as part of the calibration process for the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), one of three science instrument packages on the spacecraft.
EDO Corp. of New York has been awarded a contract to provide support services for the Marine Corps' Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Va., the company announced April 24. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract has an initial value of $4.2 million for the base year, which started April 1, 2001. Annual options could increase the value to $18.2 million. The contract was issued by the Marine Corps Systems Command to EDO's Technical Services and Analysis Division of Falls Church, Va.
Scandinavian Airlines System has selected Rolls-Royce's Trent 772B engines to power its new Airbus Industrie A330-300 aircraft fleet, Rolls-Royce announced April 24. The SAS order is for four firm aircraft and additional options, and the potential value of the order to Rolls-Royce is around $200 million, with the first aircraft entering service in August 2002. SAS will use the A330-300s mainly on routes from Scandinavia to North American destinations. The new fleet will replace its Pratt&Whitney-powered Boeing 767s.
SGI's Onyx 3400 high-performance graphics system has been selected by CAE USA to serve as the image generator for the Israeli Air Force's UH-60/CH-53 Helicopter Aircrew Weapon Systems Trainer, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company announced April 24. The simulator will be delivered and ready for training in early 2004.
Dornier GmbH's new Helicopter Laser Radar ("Hellas") obstacle warning system has completed its first night mission qualification test, the company announced April 23. Dornier GmbH is a subsidiary of the EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. The EADS Airborne Systems Unit, with participation from Eurocopter Germany and the Bundeswehr Technical Centre, is conducting the tests in Manching, Germany.
The U.S. Air Force aims to deploy a slightly smaller SBIRS Low satellite constellation that could detect and track more hostile missiles and warheads than originally planned. A former defense acquisition chief, Jacques Gansler, last December gave the Air Force authority to proceed with the design and procurement of satellites for the Space Based Infrared System Low that could monitor and attack at the relatively high level known as C-3, according to Col. Michael Booen, director of the SBIRS program.
The Bush Administration's announcement about arms sales to Taiwan brought differing reactions from two prominent congressional Republicans. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) expressed disappointment with the Administration's decision about not including Aegis destroyers, saying it should have announced instead that it would begin building two Aegis destroyers while delaying a final decision on selling them to Taiwan for two or three years.
