BOEING and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract late Tuesday covering expendable launch vehicle workers, a Boeing spokeswoman confirmed yesterday. The contract, scheduled for a vote either today or Friday, would apply to 2,171 workers, mostly in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; Torrance, Calif., and Long Beach, Calif.
Boeing Co. has revamped its policies and procedures for the appointment of foreign sales consultants. The updated policy, outlined in a filing this week to the Securities and Exchange Commission, was created by integrating policies from the formerly separate companies of McDonnell Douglas and Rockwell. The policy was revised in June 1998 and has not been further revised.
The U.S. Army awarded a $2.2 million contract to DRS Technologies, Inc., Parsippany, N.J., to provide sighting system spares for the Abrams M1A2 System Enhancement Program (SEP) and Bradley M2A3 fighting vehicles under the Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) program, DRS announced. The contract, initially awarded in 1997, is the result of the exercise of options on an existing multi-year contract worth a total of $117 million. Deliveries will be from May 2000 to December 2000.
NASA and the U.S. Air Force are spearheading a new round of research into the use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer for liquid-fuel rockets, driven by the potential for lower cost upper stage engines that are simpler to operate than those requiring liquid oxygen.
Rolls-Royce completed a significant certification test on Wednesday of the BMW/RR BR710 Mk 101 engine developed to power British Aerospace's rebuilt Nimrod MRA.4 maritime-reconnaissance aircraft, Rolls-Royce reported yesterday. The 1,200-hour accelerated corrosion test is the final major bench-test before engine certification, scheduled by mid-2000.
Brazil's Embraer yesterday released details of a strategic alliance announced the day before with a group of French aerospace companies. Aerospatiale Matra, Dassault Aviation, Thomson-CSF and Snecma said Monday they will acquire a 20% share of the Brazilian aircraft maker for about $200 million (DAILY, Oct. 26).
Boeing employees involved with expendable launch vehicles voted to reject the company's "best and final offer" and authorized a strike, a Boeing spokeswoman confirmed yesterday. The current contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers expired Oct. 24. The employees remain on the job, and Boeing has not received notification of the strike, which would require a seven-day waiting period. The two sides remain in negotiations
Computer Sciences Corp. signed a 10-year outsourcing agreement with United Technologies Corp. that could be worth about $2.1 billion for CSC, the company reported yesterday.
Raytheon Co. won a $58.5 million contract to provide spare parts and repair and support services for the AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver system for the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, the company reported yesterday.
Opportunities offered by a public/private partnership (PPP) to strengthen the scientific research and development abilities of the U.K. Ministry of Defense's Defense Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) are to be broadened by wide-ranging consultation exercises. In an answer to a Parliamentary question on Tuesday, U.K. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said he had decided to widen the scope of the PPP discussions to address the issues raised in the consultation process, and undertake further work in the coming year.
Watkins-Johnson Co., a high-tech leader since 1957 specializing in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and electronic products for the wireless infrastructure market, said yesterday that it has agreed to be acquired by an investment company, a move that would complete its previously announced strategy.
China plans to order short- and long-haul Airbus aircraft. The order was announced Saturday in France by French President Jacques Chirac and Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin. While Airbus Industrie declined to provide details because the deal had not been signed, The DAILY learned it includes a mixed order of 28 aircraft for China Eastern and Air China.
Nav Canada, one of the world's largest air traffic management experiments, finished its fiscal year with a net positive cash flow, proving that the fee rebates and financial structure implemented during the past year continue to be successful. The non-share corporation posted revenues of C$933 million for the year ended Aug. 31, with C$7 million in non-standard profit. Expenses were C$711 million, including C$501 million in salaries. The company has a mandate to make profits and expenses as close as possible.
Dynamic loads testing on the first of two composite liquid hydrogen tanks for the X-33 reusable launch vehicle prototype is set to resume at Marshall Space Flight Center here next week, after a three-week standdown to fix leaky seams in the state-of-the-art tank.
NASA is developing an advanced optics capability at the Marshall Space Flight Center here to enable its search for extra-solar planets and distant x-ray sources by building larger and lighter telescopes, while honing the expertise necessary "to make sure another Hubble doesn't happen."
SNECMA named Daniel Abehsera to the new position of vice president-Airbus, in charge of all Airbus activities at Snecma and its subsidiaries. Abehsera was chairman of BFGoodrich Aerospace Europe.
The European Commission will look into an offer of loan guarantees to Germany's Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH by Germany's federal and Bavarian governments. "We have opened an enquiry," a spokesman for European competition commissioner Mario Monti said here. The aircraft manufacturer was granted guarantees for a loan of DM 640 million ($320 million) to finance the development of the new 728 regional jet.
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $65,838,476 price-redetermination contract for helicopter spare parts. Work is expected to be completed by Oct. 18, 2003. The Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va., is the contracting activity (SPO400-00-D-9402).
Initial testing of the F-22's radar cross section has been completed, the U.S. Air Force said. The tests, at the Helendale, Calif., Measurement Facility, operated by Lockheed Martin, were finished during the last week in September. Calendar year 1999 goals established by the Dept. of Defense were met.
EG&G WASC, Inc., Rockville, Md., was awarded a $15,053,178 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-97-C-6411 to exercise an option to provide program management, acquisition, engineering and logistics support services for the Virginia Class Submarine Program Office (PMS 450) and the Submarine Electronics Systems Program Office (PMS 401). Work will be performed in Arlington, Va. (95%) and Manassas, Va.(5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2000. Contract funds in the amount of $4,217,462 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
President Clinton will sign the fiscal year 2000 defense appropriations bill, White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said yesterday. The announcement came just hours before a group of GOP House members were preparing to blast the White House for not yet signing the measure. Shifting the focus of a late afternoon press conference to criticize Clinton, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Tex.) said, "strong international leadership requires a strong military. I'm glad President Clinton is going to sign the defense spending bill."
United Technologies Corp. agreed to buy the assets and operations of Dallas Aerospace Inc. from Fairchild Corp. for about $57 million in cash, UTC reported yesterday. The sale, which would help UTC compete with General Electric in the aftermarket engine field, is expected to close before the end of the year.
Northrop Grumman, California Microwave Systems, Woodland Hills, Calif., is being awarded a $7,391,481 indefinite-quantity/indefinite-delivery contract for 11 light weight tactical automated communications control systems, which will replace current communications control systems and some message processing systems used by Special Operations Forces. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, Calif. (90%), St. Inigoes, Md. (5%), and Chesapeake, Va. (5%), and is expected to be completed by September 2000.
