WHITE SCARF MENTALITY? The U.S. Navy's announcement of a plan to boost pilot retention rates by offering $25,000 for an additional five-year commitment is similar to a recent Air Force plan. But with increasing reliance on unmanned systems, the point may eventually be moot. Still, while industry executives champion their products, they stress that they are not trying to replace pilots, but complement them.
LOOKING GOOD: A slew of second quarter earnings announcements are due this week, and aerospace and defense companies are expected to look good. Salomon Smith Barney Analyst George D. Shapiro says Boeing and United Technologies will be the most likely to beat Wall Street predictions. His top picks are Litton and United Technologies, which he thinks have "new economy" assets that are undervalued. Byron Callan of Merrill Lynch has raised his estimate of Newport News Shipbuilding based on a stronger sales outlook.
The U.S. Army, working to build its objective force, won't get there without space, said Lt. Gen. John Costello, commander of the Space Missile and Defense Command. But, he said, space is still largely uncharted territory for the Army
PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING: The Pentagon may be able to predict savings, but before Rep. Herbert Bateman (D-Va.) makes any budget recommendations for defense logistics reengineering, he wants to see real savings. Six of the original 30 pilot programs (2 Army, 4 Navy) have been axed and most of the remaining programs are "tentative" and "subject to change," says a recent General Accounting Office report. Even the Army's star logistics reform program, Apache Prime Vendor Support (PVS), is prompting some second thoughts in that it may not generate any real savings.
Naval Aviation Systems Command ordered flights of some of the Marine Corps' AV-8B Harriers temporarily halted. The action, affecting 101 AV-8Bs, 11 of which are deployed, came in response to a June 21 crash at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. The pilot ejected safely. The decision, according the Marine Corps, was based on preliminary engineering findings which indicated the number three engine bearing assembly in the aircraft's Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408 engine probably caused the engine fire that resulted in that crash.
DRS TECHNOLOGIES, Parsippany, N.J., said it has won a $3.8 million contract, including options, from the U.S. government to provide UltraSPARC II computer network servers for worldwide field deployment.
The United Kingdom plans to spend about $75 million to purchase logistics support for its Tomahawk Block III land attack missiles (TLAM) including maintenance and repair services, parts, software/hardware modifications, contractor technical assistance, test equipment, publications and technical documentation, the Pentagon said. The TLAM logistics support is necessary, it said, to maintain the operational level of the missiles for NATO missions.
The government of Thailand signed a letter of agreement to purchase 16 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft in Air Defense Fighter configuration. The planes are in the U.S. Air inventory. "This decision demonstrates the confidence the Royal Thailand Air Force has in the F-16," said Don Jones, VP F-16 programs at Lockheed Martin. "In addition, by selecting the F-16, Thailand is assured of continued interoperability with the USAF." The F-16s will join 36 F-16A/Bs already flown by Thailand.
ARMY INNOVATION: Work is underway to develop the doctrine and train the various units that will comprise the two brigades that will be models for the Army's interim force, itself a bridge to the service's future objective force. But there are still many questions about the best equipment for the Army of the future. Thus, the service is "relying heavily on science and technology" to show it "which technical solutions will meet objective force needs within a reasonable timeframe, sometime around 2003," says Maj. Gen. Robert St. Onge, director of strategy, plans and policy.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Missiles&Space Operations, said it has ended a 23-year production run of Mk4 reentry body assembly hardware kits used to house nuclear warheads in the Trident I C4 and Trident II D5 submarine launched ballistic missile arsenal.
PRESIDENTIAL CRITIQUE: President Clinton says he has reservations about some aerospace provisions in the military construction/supplemental appropriations bill despite his decision to sign it. Clinton says he wanted 30 Black Hawks for the Colombian Army, not the 16 Black Hawks and 30 Huey IIs that Congress approved. "The substitution of Huey IIs for Black Hawks creates logistical and pilot training problems for an already stretched infrastructure in Colombia, and fields a significantly less capable helicopter for the counterdrug mission," Clinton says.
NASA is planning to buy $21 million worth of Russian space hardware related to the International Space Station (ISS) in addition to an already approved purchase of $14 million. The additional purchases will include five Orlan Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) units to help crewmembers who become disconnected from the ISS.
SPENDING BILL SIGNED: A spending bill providing $125 million to meet unfunded requirements for the Patriot missile program and $85 million for construction of a National Missile Defense radar site in Alaska is now the law of the land. The fiscal 2000 supplemental appropriations and fiscal 2001 military construction appropriations measure received President Clinton's signature Thursday.
PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS INC., Wenatchee, Wash., said it has received an order from Swissair to manufacture improved wing tip components for retrofit on Swissair's A320/A321 aircraft. The company's Aeromet International subsidiary in the U.K. received the order. It will manufacture wing tip fence components. "This new order is evidence that our enabling casting technology satisfies the demands of a world-class airline," said Werner Hafelfinger, COO of Pacific Aerospace&Electronics.
OPENING DOORS: Defense Secretary William Cohen says several initiatives are underway to reestablish military-to-military relations with China in the wake of last year's accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Defense consultative talks are scheduled in China in September; reciprocal ship visits are planned; the head of the People's Liberation Army has been invited to the U.S. this year, and the minister of national defense has been invited next year to meet with Cohen's successor.
ITALIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE granted the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport a Military Type Certification, which will allow the Italian Air Force to begin operations with the plane almost immediately after delivery. The first of 22 C-130J-30s will be delivered within the next several weeks.
The Senate yesterday passed a fiscal 2001 defense authorization bill by a 97-3 vote, wrapping up floor consideration that stretched over several weeks and clearing the way for a conference committee with the House.
The Swedish Defense Material Administration (FMV) has ordered series production of Saab's BAMSE air defense system for the Swedish defense force. "This order strengthen the position of Saab Bofors Dynamics as a center of technological expertise, and as a long-term supplier of qualified missile systems to the Swedish defense forces," said Ingemar Andersson, president of Saab Bofors Dynamics.
Rolls-Royce's Vickers Defense Systems unit won a contract worth about $106 million to supply spare parts and logistics services to the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense for the Royal Army's Challenger 2 main battle tank. The "ChallengeR Innovative Spares Provision" (CRISP) contract covers an initial period of seven years. Under the terms of the agreement, if Vickers hits "significant cost and service performance" parameters, the deal could be extended to cover the Challenger's full lifecycle, or 25 years.
Alliant Techsystems won a $6 million contract from the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., to produce propellant for the Army's Modular Artillery Charge System (MACS).
Arianespace postponed the July 25 launch of its Ariane 5 rocket, saying it had detected an upper stage anomaly. The big booster is slated to carry two satellites to orbit on its third commercial mission from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana, Astra 2B for Luxembourg's SES and GE-7 for GE Americom of the U.S. An anomaly was detected "during a long duration ground test of the attitude control system for the future 'Versatile' version of Ariane 5's EPS upper stage," Arianespace said in a statement.
BAE Systems North America will pay $1.67 billion in cash for Lockheed Martin Aerospace Electronics Systems (AES), which includes Sanders, Fairchild Systems and Space Electronics and Communications, ending a heated contest between BAE and Northrop Grumman. "This proposed transaction advances our strategic initiatives to refocus the corporation, generate cash and reduce debt," said Vance Coffman, chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin. "We believe the sale supports U.S. department of Defense objectives and transatlantic cooperation."
BAE SYSTEMS said the U.S. Navy has accepted two E-2C Operational Flight Trainers for use in training aircrews at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Va., and NAS Point Mugu, Calif. Each of the OFTs has undergone a major upgrade in the past two years.
