The Air Force could face a budget crunch within a few years if it can't contain rising operating and support (O&S) costs, the General Accounting Office says in a new report.
A TEAM under Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has completed its first network connectivity solution under the Wide Bandwidth Information Infrastructure (WBII) program. SAIC said the team demonstrated fiber optic connection between two facilities supporting the Army's Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program. The demonstration took place Aug. 22 and 28 at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Six European aerospace companies signed a memorandum of understanding to promote a three-shaft turboprop engine, which features three-shaft Trent architecture and an M88 based core, as the engine of choice for the Airbus' A400M military transporter program. Under terms of the agreement signed yesterday in Paris, cooperative partners, FiatAvio S.pA, Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A (ITP), MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce plc, Snecma Moteurs and Techspace Aero will incorporate current technology in the new design to reduce life-cycle costs.
A revised Mars exploration plan starting to take shape at NASA headquarters probably will be driven in part by scientists' desire to probe further into tantalizing suggestions that liquid water has existed on the planet's surface in "modern" times - defined as within the past 1 million years, according to the agency's Mars program director.
Primex Technologies Inc., St. Petersburg, Fla., won a $9.7 million contract from the U.S. Army's Operations Support Command, Rock Island, Ill., to produce 1,635,868 rounds of 20mm PGU-27A/B target practice cartridges for the U.S. Navy. The PGU-27A/B is used in the M61 gun system on the Air Force F-16 and F-15, as well as Navy's F/A-18, F-14 and AH-1 aircraft. Work under the contract is slated to be finished by February 2002. The contract also has an option worth up to $9.3 million.
Space Shuttle managers have confirmed Sept. 8 as the launch date for the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-106 mission to continue outfitting the International Space Station, overcoming a contamination problem with the spacesuits the crew will use when they go outside to connect cables linking the new Zvezda Service Module to the rest of the Station.
The Marine Corps' decision to suspend flight operations of three of its aircraft last week underscores the declining state of the military and the need to rebuild it, Republican vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney said in a speech in Atlanta yesterday. The Marines stopped flying 374 aircraft - 11 MV-22 Ospreys, 198 AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters and l65 CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopters - due to unrelated problems (DAILY Aug. 29).
Esterline Technologies reported $0.45 a share from operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2000, easily beating Wall Street estimates of $0.42 a share, and predicted "sharp increases" for fourth quarter earnings. The Bellevue, Wash., company boosted overall sales by 11.8% over the prior year, from $112.7 million to $126.0 million. Aerospace sales, at $59.6 million, were up 34.2% versus the same period a year ago. Esterline's operating earnings were $13.4 million, 28% higher than the third quarter of fiscal 1999.
NASA is setting out to upgrade its Space Shuttle fleet for safety at a time when it will also be using the Shuttles for the most intense period of International Space Station construction, and as it struggles to shore up its Shuttle workforce in the face of "serious problems" in critical skill areas, the General Accounting Office has told a key Senate committee.
Rolls-Royce subsidiary Vickers Defense Systems, the preferred supplier of new engineer tanks for the British Army, will provide 66 Challenger-based vehicles under a program worth over $364.2 million. The Engineer Tank System, a Smart procurement initiative of the Ministry of Defense, will replace the Chieftan-based Armored Bridgelayers and Royal Engineers Vehicles currently in use. The tanks are slated to be fielded by 2005.
The U.S. Army/Israel Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) tracked and shot down two Katyusha rockets with live warheads Monday evening at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., successfully completing its first test against multiple rockets, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) announced yesterday.
Australia, working with the U.S. to study future electronic warfare self protection technologies, has purchased an ITT Industries' AN/ALQ-211 Suite of Integrated RF Countermeasures (SIRFC), the company said. The system was chosen because it represents the U.S. government's next-generation module, open architecture, integrated electronic warfare self-protection suite, according to ITT Avionics.
Pacific Aerospace&Electronics Inc. warned about its ability to continue as "going concern," citing a need for additional cash. The Wenatchee, Wash., supplier of components and assemblies for the aerospace, defense and other industries said its 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission "contains cautionary language regarding the Company's ability to continue as a going concern and discusses the Company's plans for dealing with these concerns."
ROCKWELL COLLINS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has delivered to an international customer the first GPS receiver with a Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM). Collins said the NavStrike II receiver was delivered to the International HARM Upgrade Program for integration into the High-speed Anti-Radar Missile. NavStrike II, it said, is an embedded GPS receiver for missile and munition applications.
Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center hope new materials just coming on the market will enable development of super-lightweight solar sails that will boost spacecraft to unprecedented speeds using only the light of the sun as "wind." Les Johnson, manager of interstellar propulsion research at MSFC, told The DAILY last week the sails can be used both to propel the first probes into interstellar space and to station-keep at "quasi-stable" points in space like the Lagrangian points.
Germany's Lufthansa, evaluating its strategic long-haul passenger and freighter requirements, plans to finalize an internal study in the first quarter of 2001 on possible introduction of the proposed Boeing 747X or the Airbus A3XX. Dietmar Kirchner, head of purchasing, said he sees three possible outcomes: Lufthansa could order the A3XX, it could order the 747X, or it could delay a decision if no need is identified.
ITT Industries won two U.S. Army contracts, with a total estimated value of about $200 million, for support services in Europe and Asia. Under the first award, a five-year deal worth $150 million called the General Support Center-Europe Contract, ITT's Systems Div. will handle mission support, including vehicle maintenance, communications and electronic equipment maintenance, equipment modification, warehousing and distribution services, as well as technical assistance in Europe.
BFGOODRICH said its closed loop air heating system has been selected by Delta Airlines for the MD-11 aircraft. The system is designed to provide predictable, comfortable temperatures for main deck crew rest compartments.
ELDEC Corp., Lynwood, Wash., has won a contract from Hamilton Sundstrand to supply power equipment on the Embraer ERJ-170 and ERJ-190 and the Fairchild Dornier 728JET and 928JET aircraft. The value of the contract wasn't announced. "This is a significant win for ELDEC," said Rodney Mack, ELDEC electrical power systems director. "The Embraer and Fairchild Dornier aircraft are new offerings in the strong regional/commuter airline market."
Rolls-Royce said it has entered into a $910 million agreement with International Lease Finance Corp. to supply Trent engines for up to 37 firm and option Boeing 777s and Airbus A330 and A3XX aircraft. The agreement, the largest to date between Rolls-Royce and ILFC, takes the total number of Trent engines in the ILFC fleet to over 170.
AEROJET said its Sense and Destroy Armor program has earned a 92% award fee from the U.S. Army for performance on the SADARM Product Improvement effort. The company said it got high marks from the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center for work on the sensor, electronics and lethal mechanism as well as program management.
Globalstar, boosting its presence in South America, opened the second of three planned gateways in Brazil and formally launched commercial service in Chile. "Globalstar service continues to be well-received throughout South America, particularly among such industries as agribusiness, oil and mining exploration, and maritime communities," said Tony Navarra, president of Globalstar.
Delta Air Lines yesterday took delivery of the first 767-400ER, the result of Boeing's bid to close the capacity gap between the top end of its venerable 767 series and the bottom end of its 777.
Alliant Techsystems will make MJU-38 infrared flares, used by U.S. Navy tactical aircraft, under a new $5.8 million contract from the Naval Inventory Control Point in Mechanicsburg, Pa. "ATK Kilgore Flares Company has been a major source for military pyrotechnics since World War II, and today is one of the world's foremost producers of infrared decoy flares," said David R. Fischer, president of ATK Kilgore Flares, Toone, Tenn. "We are pleased to continue that tradition with this new contract."
DRS TECHNOLOGIES won a multi-year deal to supply Deployable Flight Incident Recorder Sets (DFIRS) for the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The Navy is targeting a minimum procurement of 574 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets through 2010, and additional orders for DFIRS to equip these new aircraft are expected. Deliveries under the contract, awarded by Boeing's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems Group in St. Louis, are slated to begin in mid-2002. The contract's value was not disclosed.
