From Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on April 22, 1999 [Printed Issue Date: April 26, 1999] PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS; SUBPART: SERVICES; CLASSCOD: A-Research and Development; OFFADD: Naval Research Laboratory, Attn: Code 3230, 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20375-5326 ... SOL N00173-99-R-MM06; POC Contract Specialist, Marita Thompson, Code 3230.MM, 202-767-0666, Contracting Officer, Carol Parnell, Code 3230.CP, 202-767-0666
The merger of BFGoodrich and Coltec has been cleared by the Federal Trade Commission under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, BFGoodrich reported yesterday. Shareholders of the two companies approved the combination on April 9, and the Dept. of Defense cleared the deal in March.
The U.K. government believes further study of scheduling, funding sources, user benefits and other issues is needed before Europe can commit itself to the proposed Galileo satellite-based navigation system. In a consultation paper for industry and users of navigation systems, the U.K. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) asked for comments by May 7 on:
New Zealand has decided to buy 28 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft at an estimated cost of $397 million, the Pentagon announced yesterday. The jets, originally built by Lockheed Martin for Pakistan, have been sitting in "flyable storage" at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., since 1991 when the first plane was built, said a company spokesman. The aircraft were built for Pakistan but never delivered due to sanctions imposed by the Bush Administration under the Pressler Amendment, which limited overseas military sales to countries with nuclear weapons.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released both final and draft versions of regulations for launch services. The final rules are revisions of the 1988 launch license requirements for expendable launch vehicles. The rules clarify the application process, particularly the process used for launches from federal ranges.
April 22, 1999 Northrop Grumman Corp., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded an $18,500,000 face value increase to a fixed-price-incentive contract to provide for the advanced procurement of Lot VII long lead items for two Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System production aircraft. Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity (F19628-98-C-0003-00004).
Raytheon Systems Co. has won a contract worth up to $600 million for surveying, mapping, imagery intelligence and photogrammetric production. The five-year contract from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract under which work is done through delivery orders.
To answer a call by commanders-in-chief for more of what space assets can already bring them, the U.S. Air Force plans to increase space spending in the next five years, senior leaders of the service said yesterday.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN won a $1.3 billion contract from the Dept. of Defense for multiyear 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 France.
April 20, 1999 Raytheon Systems Company, Falls Church, Va., is being awarded a $12,203,915 face value increase to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide for Phase III Demonstration and Evaluation for the High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Air Vehicle Common Ground Segment supporting the military utility assessment. Expected contract completion date is Jan. 31, 2000. Solicitation issue date was Nov. 5, 1998. Negotiation completion date was March 30, 1999. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (MDA972-96-C-0006).
Airbus Industrie yesterday said it is officially launching production of the A318 airliner on the strength of 109 orders and commitments from Air France, Egyptair, ILFC and TWA. Air France has become a launch customer with a purchase agreement for 15 firm orders and 10 options with deliveries beginning in early 2003. Egyptair also committed to three A318s with deliveries beginning in late 2002.
In what may be the first example of a purely promotional satellite, the Swiss watch manufacturing company Swatch has launched "Beatnik," a tiny satellite meant to broadcast messages from the public and draw attention to a concept called "Swatch Internet Time."
The U.S. Air Force will probably have to count as lost the TRW-built Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite launched April 9 aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan IVB, according to Brig. Gen. John Clay, the service's director of space and nuclear deterrence.
Edward F. Staiano's resignation last week as vice chairman and CEO of Iridium LLC apparently was a result of faltering steps by the Washington, D.C., telecommunications company, but at least one analyst sees brighter days ahead. No official reason for last Thursday's resignation was given, but an Iridium spokesman said at the time, "We had our board meeting today - so you can draw your own conclusions" (DAILY, April 23).
Defense ministers from France, Italy and the U.K. have agreed to quickly place the contract for development of the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), the U.K. Ministry of Defense reported. The European industrial grouping of Thomson-CSF, Aerospatiale, Matra BAe Dynamics and Alenia will receive the contract.
Iridium LLC lost $505 million in its 1999 first quarter on "substantially lower than anticipated revenues" of $1.5 million, the company reported yesterday.
Alliant Techsystems has fixed the debonding problems that caused delays in delivery of lightweight fuel tanks for the X-33 reusable launch vehicle testbed. The delays came to light in January, when X-33 prime contractor Lockheed Martin said it would cost about $5 million to remanufacture one of eight internal skin sections for the vehicle's two tanks, and that the amount could be absorbed in program reserves.
