Canadian-based COM DEV International Ltd. put the finishing touches on a $16.8 million contract, substantially above original expectations, to supply switches and multiplexers for two commercial communications satellites Astrium is building for Intelsat. "I believe it is another vote of confidence in the huge effort we have been making this past year to enhance our performance and delivery reliability while significantly reducing our cost, said John Keating, president of COM DEV Space.
CUTTING EDGE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. opts for lasers to inspect composite parts and assemblies on fighter aircraft. The company is using a unique laser ultrasonic technology system to inspect production composite parts, like the engine inlet duct of the F-22. The system, called LaserUT, can do high-resolution scans of graphite-epoxy and other composites, on parts up to 54 x 27 x 21 feet, in a tenth of the time of water-type ultrasonic systems, according to the company.
BOLT FROM THE BLUE: Pentagon intelligence analysts consider it more likely that the U.S. will be attacked by terrorists with weapons of mass destruction than by a "bolt-from-the-blue" missile attack that might be blocked by a National Missile Defense. The advantage of a terror attack for an enemy is that it would be difficult for the U.S. to know where to retaliate, says Ken Knight, defense intelligence officer for global trends and projections.
Bombardier Inc., driven by "excellent performance" in the aerospace segment, turned in strong earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2000, meeting Wall Street estimates and proving the company is on track to hit its annual goal. "We remain confident of achieving the earnings per share growth target of 30% to 40% set for the current fiscal year," said Bombardier President and CEO Robert E. Brown.
Contracts for work on two Mars rovers, set for launch in less that three years, will likely be handled by NASA on a non-competitive basis or through existing relationships. "We really don't have time to write a [request for proposals] for anything substantial," said Peter Theisinger, project manager for the Mars Exploration Rover Project. He is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which will be the systems integrator for the rovers.
The U.S. Navy yesterday marked the second successful test of the Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IVA in two months. The missile, flying as Control Test Vehicle 2 in a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., evaluated the performance envelope of the SM-2 Block IVA and gave engineers data to ensure its compatibility with the Navy Area theater ballistic missile defense system, according to the Navy. It said the test did not require a target. Data from this flight, as well as from a flight on June 29, will be analyzed and incorporated into design of the Navy Area missile.
BAE Systems Canada Inc.'s operating profits slipped in the first quarter of fiscal 2000, despite the solid 11.8% increase in revenues, from C$64.6 million to C$72.2 million, with gross margins hit by product mix shifts and start-up costs.
The Defense Dept. is "strongly" urging a congressional conference committee to reject a Senate-passed provision that would create "unduly burdensome" reporting requirements for radio frequency spectrum.
While the U.S. Air Force waits for new planes like the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter, maintaining its current fleet in mission-ready status remains a challenge. The aging aircraft syndrome, not unique to the Air Force, is due primarily to the lengthy introduction of new aircraft. It means that current models must be flown well beyond their intended life spans of about 20 years.
Overshadowing Rolls-Royce's release yesterday of relatively sound fiscal 2000 interim results, including double-digit revenue growth and a rosier-than-expected cash picture, was a warning from the company about flat 2001 earnings that prompted a dramatic sell-off by investors in London. "A combination of factors has affected the outlook for 2001, when we expect underlying earnings to be flat, but the strength of our business and the actions taken in 2000 and 2001 will enable earnings growth to resume in 2002," said Chairman Sir Ralph Robins.
ADVANCED PHOTONIX INC., Camarillo, Calif., won a $550,000 contract from Raytheon Co. for the detector fuze on the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). President and CEO Brock Koren said the win validates Advanced Photonix's capabilities to design and produce advanced sensors for commercial and military aerospace programs. The company is looking forward to follow-on RAM orders in the future, said Koren.
HONEYWELL has won multiple contracts for more than $18 million to supply emergency power system for Japan's F-2 fighter aircraft. The system is designed to provide emergency backup power to operate controls in the event of loss of engine power.
Boeing North American Inc., Seal Beach, Calif., has received a $123.3 million contract modification for design and development of upgrades to incorporate new military and civil signals into the Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite. Work under the contract, awarded by the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., runs through March 1, 2003.
Raytheon Co. finished a 21-day test of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), with WAAS providing continuously augmented global positioning system navigation signals throughout the test. According to the company, measured accuracy was one meter horizontally and three meters vertically, falling within the 7.6 meter requirement. WAAS, a network of reference stations, master stations, ground-uplink stations, and geosynchronous satellites, monitors GPS satellites and provides a differential correction message for each satellite, Raytheon said.
Ground-based hardware for the Air Force's Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) will handle data fusion for other sensors as well, beginning even before most of the 32 SBIRS early warning and missile tracking spacecraft are launched, according to a planner for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
B/E AEROSPACE INC., Wellington, Fla., filed a registration for a four million share initial public offering of its Advanced Thermal Technologies subsidiary, at an estimated price range of $9-$11 a share. With the proceeds, ATT will pay B/E Aerospace about $15 million to purchase intellectual property and reimburse advance payments. B/E Aerospace plans to pay down debt with the money. After the offering, B/E Aerospace will hold 10 million shares of ATT stock, if the underwriters don't exercise the over-allotment option. The IPO is expected to be completed this fall.
Congress has rejected an $8 million spending cut that the Pentagon said would have affected the Airborne Laser, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile and 14 other Air Force programs, according to the Defense Dept.
The U.S. and Israel are close to agreement on a joint program to develop a mobile version of the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) designed to protect northern Israel against Katyusha rocket attack, but the stationary THEL testbed will remain at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., for another year or so, according to a U.S. Army program official.
PEMCO AVIATION GROUP'S Aeroplex unit in Birmingham, Ala., won U.S. Air Force orders for Programmed Depot Maintenance on 10 KC-135 aircraft in addition to the 26 already under contract. The process, which takes about a year, includes disassembly, inspection, heavy maintenance, stripping and repainting.
Barry Lambert Harris has been appointed to the new position of vice president of Government and International Operations. He will open and manage a Galaxy office in Washington, D.C.
Anthony M. Cacace has been named chief executive officer of both the company's composite divisions at Montgomery and Tallassee, Alabama, and of the manufacturing facility in Wallingford, Connecticut. He also joins the GKN Board of Directors of Aerospace.
The Canadian Dept. of National Defense picked Motorola's Military Message Handling System (MMHS) to handle secure network communications. "This deal goes beyond a contract win," said John Cole, VP and general manager of the Motorola Information Security Systems and Products Div. The win, he said, marks the first international deployment of the commercial off-the-shelf technology secure e-mail system.
Michael D. Grieshaber has been promoted to Treasurer. Robert L. Klautzer has been promoted to vice president, Corporate Management Information Systems. Allan K. Kaste has been appointed to vice president, Corporate Human Resources
Northrop Grumman Corp., through its Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector Automation and Information Systems unit, is teaming with New York City-based Diversified Asset Management Group Worldwide (DAMG Worldwide) to establish air cargo and logistics centers across the globe.
