The House late Tuesday passed a bill aimed at pressuring Russia to stop sending Moskit anti-ship missiles to China, but the legislation ran into opposition yesterday from the Clinton Administration. The bill, introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), would prevent Moscow from rescheduling billions of dollars in debt owed to the U.S. until it stops sending Moskits to China.
Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan., is being awarded a $10,246,380 modification to firm-fixed-price contract DAAJ09-96-D-0009, for two UC-35B aircraft, with pilot training. Work will be performed in Wichita, Kan., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2001. There were 24 bids solicited on Aug. 1, 1995, and three bids were received. The U.S. ARMY Aviation&Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Navy Undersecretary nominee Robert Pirie testified at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday that the Navy could free up about $1.5 billion a year for modernization with an additional round or two of base closings. Pirie, who has been assistant Navy secretary for installations and the environment for the past six years, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that four rounds of base closings have already saved $2.6 billion a year, which is "a nice chunk of change"
NASA plans to launch its High-Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE-2) Saturday aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus to replace the capability to alert astronomers when a gamma ray burst goes off that was lost when the U.S. space agency terminated the Comptom Gamma Ray Observatory mission in June.
TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $42,712,965 option to a cost-plus-award-fee contact to provide for fiscal year 2001 Spacecraft Constellation Support, Spacecraft Operations and Maintenance, and Development Engineering in support of the Defense Support Program satellite system. Expected contract completion date is Sept. 30, 2001. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. Charles Beard (310) 363-0692 is the POC. Contract Number: F0470-I-96-C-0030-P00052.
ALLIANT TECHSYSTEMS inked an exclusive agreement with Greece's Hellenic Arms Industry to transfer technology to produce ATK's family of 120mm tactical and training tank ammunition. The deal is intended to support an upcoming procurement of 246 main battle tanks, which are expected to feature smooth-bore 120mm guns.
Chief designers on the Mir project have passed a decision on deorbiting the complex to the Russian government, declaring Mir fit to operate at least into 2002 but noting that it is the government's property and responsibility. MirCorp, the joint venture of RSC Energia and Western investors that is trying to operate Mir as a commercial enterprise, said after the meeting that its backers are willing to continue funding Mir operations.
PRIMEX AEROSPACE CO. has been chosen by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Missiles and Space Operations as its preferred supplier of Hall Current Thruster Systems for a variety of commercial and government programs. The Hall Current Thruster provides higher performance than traditional systems, a number of which Primex Aerospace already supplies for Lockheed Martin satellites. Primex Aerospace is a subsidiary of Primex Technologies Inc., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Raytheon Systems Ltd. will study integration of the Co-operative Engagement Capability (CEC) in Royal Navy ships. CEC, under development for the U.S. Navy, is intended to defend ships against air and missile attacks by giving all participants a realtime picture. The U.S. and U.K. have signed a memorandum of understanding covering technology-sharing, according to Raytheon Co., parent of Raytheon Systems Ltd. U.K. participation, it said, will increase the interoperability of U.K. and U.S. naval forces.
Boeing Co., Space and Communications Group, Information and Surveillance Systems Division, Kent, Wash., is being awarded a $20,834,715 firm-fixed-price contract for engineering and technical services and associated supplies to upgrade 16 E-6B aircraft. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. (40%); Wichita, Kan. (30%); Kent, Wash.
Boeing Co., Berkeley, Mo., is being awarded a $11,645,000 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract to provide for 472 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits. JDAM is a strap-on kit with Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System capability. This effort supports foreign military sales to Israel. Expected contract completion date is December 2001. Negotiation completion date was Sept. 26, 2000. Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
Veridian Engineering Inc., Alexandria, Va., has won an $11 million contract to modify F-14A/B and F-14B upgraded aircraft. The contract runs through September 2005.
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector won a $3.5 million follow-on contract for U.S. Air Force B-52H AN/ALQ-155 countermeasures system upgrades. The contract, awarded by the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, will "fund critical long-lead materials and sustain the program through the preliminary design review," the company said.
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has restructured the agency's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications to better integrate the various disciplines it addresses as the International Space Station opens up new possibilities for research. Under the reorganization the office, renamed the Office of Biological and Physical Research (BPR), will continue past microgravity research efforts but with a new focus on biology for spacecraft crew health.
Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $7,739,750 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for the following components applicable to the GBU-24 Paveway III enhanced laser-guided bomb: eighty-three WGU39A/B guidance control units, eighty-three BSU84A/B airfoil groups, and eighty-three ADG770A/B adapter groups. Expected contract completion date is Dec. 31, 2001. Solicitation issue date was Feb. 9, 2000. Negotiation completion date was Sept. 14, 2000. Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon yesterday stressed the importance of a robust Pentagon procurement budget, saying it "will have to be a high national priority" During the next five years, de Leon said, the Defense Dept. plans to increase its annual procurement budget to $70 billion for "new weapons, tools and technologies our warriors need," exceeding the $60 billion mark achieved this year after a 13-year decline.
Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $7,595,932 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for 200 AGM-65H Maverick air-to-ground missiles, 25 AGM-65K Maverick air-to-ground missiles, and 75 CATM-65K Maverick training missiles. Expected contract completion date is March 28, 2003. Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity. Mark Norris, (850) 882-8515 is the POC. Contract Number: F08626-98-C-0014-P00019.
AlliedSignal Technical Services Corp., Columbia, Md., is being awarded a $49,000,000 (maximum) cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for fiscal year 2001 hardware and software sustainment for the AIR FORCE Satellite Control Network. Expected contract completion date is Sept. 30, 2001. Solicitation issue date was Aug. 2, 2000. Negotiation completion date was Sept. 15, 2000. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. Adonijah Edwards, (719) 556-2909 is the POC. Contract Number: F04606-95-D-0033-P00015.
Aerojet General Corp., Azusa, Calif., is being awarded a $39,905,459 modification to a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for fiscal 2001 engineering and development, contractor logistics support and operations and maintenance support, and sensor post production support for the Shield program supporting the Attack Launch Early Response to Theater (ALERT) system. The ALERT system provides continuous surveillance and early warning of theater missiles and other threats to theater warfighters worldwide.
TRW ICBM Systems, Clearfield, Utah, is being awarded a $16,489,937 modification to a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for the fiscal 2001 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Re-entry Vehicle Applications Program.
TRW ICBM Systems, Clearfield, Utah, is being awarded a $14,156,965 modification to a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for the fiscal 2001 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Guidance Application Program. This effort includes design, development, and integration of strategic accelerometers and gyroscopes, development of hardened electronics, design and development of microelectomechanical instruments, development and testing of Advanced Inertial Measurement Units, and development and demonstration of concepts for common strategic guidance system technology.
Piasecki Aircraft Corp., Essington, Pa., is being awarded a $26,114,812 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the integration, testing, and flight demonstration of a YSH-60F helicopter modified with a Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller. Work will be performed in Essington, Pa., and is expected to be completed by December 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively selected through a Broad Agency Announcement as an Advanced Technology Demonstration effort.
Definition studies of a new light combat aircraft/trainer for the international export market are underway by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, according to Erwin Obermeier, director of military aircraft series production programs. EADS, aiming to capitalize on a potential market of some 2,500 jets of this type between 2005 and 2025, has "already invested quite a lot of time, effort and money into this project" Obermeier said in a company press release.
Class A aviation accident rates -- defined as those which result in a fatality, in which an aircraft is completely destroyed or sustains more than a million dollars in damage -- are at the lowest rate ever for the combined military services, the Pentagon reported yesterday. The rate has declined fairly steadily to 1.23 Class A mishaps per 100,000 flight hours from a 1991 peak of 2.1 per 100,000 over the past decade. The total number of DOD aviation class A's was pegged at 57 for FY 2000, down from 70 last fiscal year.
Rolls-Royce won contracts worth an estimated $530 million to supply AE 3007 engines for Embraer regional jets from American Eagle and seven European airlines, including five new customers. The orders cover 27 Embraer RJ 135 and ERJ 145 aircraft for European operators, as well announcements of intended purchases through the conversion of 66 aircraft options by American Eagle.
