General Dynamics Advanced Technology Systems won a $1.35 million contract to develop an Eddy Current Sensor (ECS) system for naval aircraft gas turbine engines. The sensor, a device that uses high-frequency magnetic flux to sense metal blade tip position, captures diagnostic data on a jet engine. ECS will be tailored for specific engine requirements.
The U.S. Navy recently completed live-fire tests using its Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) in the ninth of eleven large-scale tests prior to operational evaluation of the system in May 2001.
ROCKET PARTS: Air Force and NASA engineers have set an Aug. 30 deadline for research proposals on new rocket engine materials that are strong and lightweight enough to meet second- and third-phase goals set by the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program. IHPRPT seeks to double rocket propulsion capability by 2010, with interim goals set for 2005, and it wants industry to provide the necessary materials since those available today won't fill the bill.
SPECTRUM SIGNAL PROCESSING, Burnaby, British Columbia, won an initial $1.9 million order to integrate its digital radio systems into key surveillance applications on a U.S. signal intelligence program. Spectrum will be the program's sole source of digital radio systems for three years, up to a maximum value of $18 million.
PROGRESS, BUT NOT SUCCESS: The technology gap between the U.S. and its NATO allies, so apparent during Operation Allied Force, is talked about, yet there has been no apparent increase in any European ally's defense spending since the end of the Kosovo conflict. The gap did lead to establishment of Europe's Defense Capabilities Initiative (DCI), which identifies 58 NATO military areas that need improvement. "We have made progress, but we haven't made a success yet," a senior U.S. defense official tells reporters. He says there has been agreement on Force Goals 2000 -- U.S.
Founding executives of Dreamtime Holdings Inc., a Silicon Valley startup that has agreed to spend $100 million digitizing NASA facilities on Earth and in orbit in the hope it can turn a profit selling the results, said Friday they are open to wide-ranging collaboration with their NASA partner and with potential commercial partners as well.
WANTED, POSTERS: NASA's inspector general wants a change in the space agency's acquisition regulations to require its contractors to display posters advising their employees how to report waste, fraud and abuse through an anonymous "hotline." The requirement would be included in solicitations and contracts with companies doing at least $5 million worth of business with NASA.
EDO Corp. formed a new business group structure and appointed new group vice presidents in an effort to smooth the integration process after its recent merger with AIL Technologies. "EDO's new business-group structure is designed to help us more efficiently manage the significantly larger organization created by the merger, and more quickly take advantage of the many operational, sales and marketing, manufacturing and technology benefits we expect to derive by combining our organizations," said president and CEO James M. Smith.
ROCKOT PARTS: Russia has about 150 surplus SS-19 ICBMs that are suitable for converting into Rockot space launch vehicles, out of 168 of the big rockets set for destruction under strategic arms control agreements. Even if Rockot never earns a dime for Germany's Astrium GmbH and Russia's Khrunichev works, joined in the Eurockot venture to market the recycled launcher, Russia herself stands to save about $170 million on the cost of demolishing the hardware.
BAE Systems has launched an aggressive bid to acquire Lockheed Martin/Sanders, raising the possibility that a European company could wind up owning more than half of the U.S.' advanced electronic warfare technology programs. The U.K. concern has offered more than $1 billion, according to industry officials. Its defense business is second in size only to Lockheed Martin's.
Litton Avondale Industries, a division of Litton Industries, has been awarded a $477.7 million contract by the U.S. Navy for the construction of the LPD 20, the fourth ship in a planned 12-ship program, for the Navy's newest class of amphibious assault ships.
ATLAS AIR placed the first order with Boeing Airplane Services for the conversion of three 747-300 Combi airplanes into full freighters. There are 81 747-300 airplanes in service, and Boeing estimates about half the fleet will be converted to freighters over the next 20 years. A converted 747-300 will be capable of carrying the same volume as a 747-200 modified freighter, or about 235,000 pounds, and will have 26,600 cubic feet of cargo-carrying space. The airplane's range will be about 4,200 n.m. with a full payload.
The U.S. General Services Administration awarded contracts with a combined potential value of $1.5 billion over ten years to five prime companies to provide smart card solutions to any federal government agency. The contracts, which have a base period of two years, with two, four-year option periods, were awarded to: -- 3-G International Inc., Springfield, Va. -- Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS), Herndon, Va. -- Logicon Inc., Falls Church, Va. -- KPMG Consulting LLC, McLean, Va.
PAR TECHNOLOGY, Hartford, N.Y., said its government subsidiary won a $9.8 million contract from the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center in Charleston, S.C. The contract, which supports SPAWAR Advanced Technology Engineering Branch research on wireless interoperable communications, covers a three year period. PAR will handle experimental and developmental engineering, hardware and software design, integration, testing and analysis.
Boeing said it hopes to slash hundreds of millions of dollars in Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development and production costs by utilizing innovative measurement systems to reduce tooling and cycle time. "Designing, building and maintaining tooling can account for as much as 40% of the total start-up costs of a conventional aircraft production program," said Terrance Massie, manager of Tool Engineering and Sustaining. "Even a tooling reduction of a few percent can add up to millions of dollars in savings."
BAE Systems Canada Inc. posted consolidated revenues of $284.9 million for fiscal 2000, slightly below the $287.9 million reported in the prior year. Despite the year-over-year decline in revenues, the company boosted profitability levels, with operating income representing 11.4% of revenues in fiscal 2000 compared to 9% of revenues last year.
INTERNATIONAL LEASE FINANCE CORP. has ordered 50 more new-generation 737s, Boeing confirmed. This is the second part of an agreement ILFC announced last year to order up to 100 aircraft. ILFC has now ordered 387 aircraft in the 737 family and a total of 604 Boeing aircraft, Boeing said. The new order was accounted for in the recent order totals of Boeing, but it was listed as "unidentified."
Titan Corp. of San Diego has inked a definitive agreement to acquire all the stock of SenCom Corp., a privately held information technology company headquartered in Bedford, Mass.
The first production Cormorant, Canada's new search and rescue helicopter, rolled off the assembly line at Agusta's facility in Italy 0on May 31 and made its first flight the same day. The helicopter, developed jointly by Agusta SpA, a Finmeccanica company, and GKN Westland Helicopters of the U.K., can operate under all weather conditions, including icing. The first of fifteen Cormorants ordered by Canada will enter service early 2001. A variant of the Cormorant is also in the running to replace Canada's Sea King maritime helicopters.
Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics&Surveillance Systems (NE&SS) is making plans to compete with Raytheon for laser guided bomb (LGB) contracts, NE&SS reported. In May, NE&SS-Archbald, Pa., a company Lockheed Martin acquired when it bought out Loral Corp. in 1996, received a sources sought synopsis from the U.S. Air Force, giving it an opportunity to bid against Raytheon for the Computer Control Group (CCG) and the Air Foil Group portion of the Paveway II laser guided bomb. The Paveway II is produced in 500, 1,000 and 2000-pound sizes.
Esterline Technologies posted fiscal 2000 second quarter net earnings of $6.9 million, or $.40 per share on a diluted basis, on sales of $122.1 million. Esterline, a Bellevue, Wash., manufacturer for the aerospace and defense electronics market, reported a 5% year-over-year increase in sales, but realized a decline in net earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2000 versus the comparable period a year ago. Net earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 1999 were $7.1 million, or $0.40 a share.
Spacecraft controllers at Goddard Space Flight Center have advanced splashdown of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Sunday by about 90 minutes to keep the big spacecraft in the safest track for reentry. A 26-minute burn of the spacecraft's Attitude Control thrusters and Orbit Adjust thrusters Wednesday night lowered its orbit from 226 miles to 155 miles, according to a Goddard status report. By then deorbit managers had decided on the earlier reentry, based on tracking after the first deorbit burn Tuesday night (DAILY, June 1).
A new tool designed to help reduce delays at major airports in the northeast U.S. is now operational, the FAA said. The tool, called the Departure Spacing Program (DSP), helps the agency use air traffic information from airports and flight plans to coordinate departures by spacing aircraft more evenly.
