Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to extend the U.S. government's policy of covering a portion of the third party liability for space launch systems through 2009. The House bill would also make it easier to commercialize some of the infrastructure at government ranges.
Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Science Committee, said knowing the rules of satellite export is more important than deciding which U.S. government agency decides what can be exported. Sensenbrenner, responding to a question at a conference yesterday in Arlington, Va., said he would like to see "a very clear and precise roadmap" of responsibilities so the rules of export licensing are understood by everyone involved.
Plans for development of the Vega, a new small European launch vehicle, took another step forward last week with formation of a joint venture to continue work on the 370 million-euro project. And Orbital Sciences Corp. of the U.S. announced that it is starting work on a new commercial launcher based on the X-34 experimental reusable vehicle. The announcements came against a backdrop of launch vehicle problems:
U.S. Air Force and industry officials yesterday were investigating the cause of an engine failure which led to loss of an F-16CJ fighter on a combat mission in Yugoslavia. The pilot was rescued about two hours after he ejected from the jet at about 2:20 a.m. local time 18 kilometers east of the town of Kosluk.
Northrop Grumman Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $1,305,400,000 multi-year advanced acquisition contract for the procurement of 21 airborne early warning E-2C aircraft in the Hawkeye 2000 configuration for the U.S. Navy, and long lead material for one aircraft for the government of France under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in St. Augustine, Fla. (80%), and Bethpage, N.Y. (20%), and is expected to be completed by July 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Longbow Limited Liability Co., Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $327,300,000 (base year total) firm-fixed-price multi-year contract with a cumulative total of $1,416,959,080 if all options are exercised. The contractor will manufacture and deliver to the Army 10,397 Longbow Hellfire modular missiles. Work will be performed In Orlando, Fla. (50%), and Baltimore, Md. (50%), and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2005. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on July 7, 1998. The U.S.
General Electric Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati, Ohio, is being awarded a $5,838,108 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure one full set of a high pressure turbine component for an F414 engine. Work will be performed in Lynn, Mass., and is expected to be completed by September 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-99-C- 1202).
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The U.K. government has requested that British Aerospace not notify the European Commission of the military aspects of its proposed merger with GEC's Marconi Electronic Systems, according to Stephen Byers, U.K. Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Randy Brinkley, former head of NASA's International Space Station effort, was named senior vice president of programs for Hughes Space and Communications Co. His first day at Hughes will be May 17. In the newly created position, Brinkley will report to Tig H. Krekel, president and CEO of Hughes Space and Communications.
Raytheon Co., Electronic Systems, Bedford, Mass., is being awarded a $7,483,750 modification to contract DAAH01-99-C-0028 to exercise the option for FY99 Patriot engineering services. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2000. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 21, 1998. The U.S. Army Aviation&Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Dallas, Texas, is being awarded $8,206,893, as part of a $205,983,913 cost-plus-award-fee contract for engineering services for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2001. Of the total contract funds, $1,657,050 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on July 30, 1998. The U.S. Army Aviation&Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH01-98-C-0093).
Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded a $9,322,625 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the display system upgrade of MV-22 aircraft. This effort will incorporate 36 multi-functional displays and 20 display electronics units. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (75%), and Ridley Park, Pa. (25%), and is expected to be completed by June 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured.
Raytheon Systems Co., Command, Control and Communications, Data Systems, St. Petersburg, Fla., is being awarded a $78,900,000 level-of-effort and completion contract on a cost-plus-award-fee basis for the cooperative engagement capability (CEC) continued engineering design and development, participation in architecture definition effort, and additional data. The CEC provides real time integration of fire control quality sensor data into a single composite data source which can be used by multiple CEC ships and airborne units for direct and remote missile engagements.
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin wants U.S. industry to apply the same sort of out-of-the-box thinking he says was used in classified military satellite programs during the Cold War to developing space launch vehicles that approach modern jetliners in safety, reliability and cost to operate.
From Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on April 28, 1999; Printed Issue Date: April 30, 1999; ... PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS (MODIFICATION); SUBPART: SERVICES; CLASSCOD: A-Research and Development;OFFADD: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 215, Greenbelt, MD 20771 ... SOL 400-25952-920; DUE 051099; POC Mary E. McKaig, Contract Specialist for Simplified Acquisition, Phone (301) 286-4240, Fax (301) 286-1720, Email [email protected]
Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $30,117,655 face value increase to a firm-fixed-price contract to provide for development of Operational Flight Program Tape Four in support of the F-16 aircraft. This effort supports foreign military sales to Taiwan. Expected contract completion date is Dec. 31, 2001. Solicitation issue date was March 25, 1998. Negotiation completion date was April 16, 1999. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-90-C-2002-P00655).
BOEING has created the position of VP-finance and treasurer and named Walter Skowronski to fill the post, reporting to Chief Financial Officer Debby Hopkins. Skowronski joins Boeing from Lockheed Martin, where he was VP and treasurer.
United Technologies Corp. named Karl Krapek the company's new president and chief operating officer. He succeeds George David, who will remain chairman and chief executive officer. Krapek, 50, had been head of the Pratt&Whitney unit. Louis Chenevert, 41, will take Krapek's place at P&W. He was the unit's executive vice president.
Temporary flight restrictions have been put on the Lockheed Martin F- 22 to prevent the aft fuselage from buckling under "high design stress levels," according to the U.S. Air Force.
NASA's decision to halt processing of the Chandra Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) complicates an already-uncertain Space Shuttle schedule at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and if the Air Force can't clear the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) in time to launch Chandra in August the big x-ray observatory could face another launch delay.
Hawley says the USAF also needs the Teledyne Ryan Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle up and running. The No. 2 Global Hawk crashed on a March 29 test flight. "I would like to see Global Hawk succeed because it will complement the U-2," Hawley says. "It will never replace it, but it will complement it." Hawley indicates the UAV could lighten the heavy deployment burden now on U-2 crews. About 60% of the pilots and other personnel have been away from home more than four months this year, he says.
