FAIRCHILD CORP. completed its acquisition of Kaynar Technologies Inc. for about $261 million plus the assumption of debt, Fairchild reported yesterday. "The acquisition of KTI creates the leading global aerospace fastener company, offering the largest complementary product range to our worldwide customers," Jeffrey Steiner, chairman and chief executive officer of Fairchild, said in a statement. The combined company will have annual revenues of about $800 million and 17 plants in North America, Europe and Asia.
The faltering gyroscope that led NASA managers to plan an early rescue mission to the Hubble Space Telescope failed completely yesterday, leaving the orbiting observatory with the bare minimum three working gyros it needs to function until spacewalking astronauts can replace the whole set in October.
AYDIN TELEMETRY, Newtown, Pa., will supply test instrumentation to Boeing's Delta IV launch vehicle program under a contract to run from June into the first quarter of 2000. The company, a division of Aydin Corp., will manufacture the equipment based on its Model PCU-816 Master and Remote Signal Conditioning and Encoding Systems, implementing it with a fiber optic network. Delivery will be both to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
The U.S. Customs Service is in the process of adding eight Lockheed Martin P-3s to its inventory by 2002 and plans this summer to detail its modernization and procurement plans for the entire air fleet, according to Jim Culbertson, program manager for aviation maintenance. Lockheed Martin is modifying two P-3s for Customs and has a contract to complete six more by 2002, said Culbertson.
A "gel" energy-managed missile propulsion system was successful in its first flight test at Eglin AFB, Fla., last month, according to TRW, which built the system. In a test conducted by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the gel propulsion smart tactical missile prototype was fired from a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. It flew 8 kilometers in 51 seconds, and its motor fired five times. The missile hit its target zone. A second flight is planned for this summer.
TRW INC. earned $101.1 million before unusual items on sales of $3.1 billion in its first quarter. In the same period a year ago, the company earned $119.7 million on sales of about $3 billion. Restructuring charges and the impact of the LucasVarity acquisition left TRW with profits of $58.6 million in the 1999 first quarter, down from $129.4 million a year ago. The company said sales remained flat because the inclusion of $106 million in sales from the LucasVarity acquisition was offset by a decrease in the space, defense and information systems business.
The U.S. Air Force is confident that it knows what caused an F-117 stealth aircraft to crash in Yugoslavia March 27, but won't publicly describe the sequence of events because of operational security, an AF officer said yesterday.
A Joint Air-to-Surface Missile (JASSM) crashed in its first test flight April 8 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., but the deputy director of the U.S. Air Force program said the failure isn't expected to delay the overall effort. Sharon Brooks said in a telephone interview that Flight Test Vehicle No. 1 hit the ground 40 seconds after cleanly separating from an F-15 aircraft. She said an electrical problem sent the missile into safe mode before its wings and tail opened up and controlled flight began.
A composite horizontal stabilizer for the C-17 airlifter has successfully completed flight testing at Edwards AFB, Calif., Boeing Co. said. The tail, built by Northrop Grumman, was installed on the No. 1 C-17 test aircraft, T-1, late last year. Pilots with the U.S. Air Force's 418th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards flew two test flights totaling 8.9 hours to determine flight characteristics of the new tail, Boeing said. The company said test data and pilot reports confirmed that the new tail performed as predicted.
TSI TELSYS, Columbia, Md., has delivered four "Panther" telemetry systems to link Japan's next Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS 2) to NASA facilities at Wallops Island, Va., and Poker Flats, Alaska. Built under a $1.6 million contract, the systems handle data as fast as 300 megabits per second. White House Kosovo request falls short, Armey says
April 15, 1999 Raytheon Company, Goleta, Calif., is being awarded a $6,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for the AN/ALE-50(V) Production Lot 3 Towed Decoy Acceleration (1,509 each) in support of Operation Allied Force. At this time, $4,875,000 of the contract funds have been obligated. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-96/C-0036, P00020).
L-3 Communications signed a definitive agreement to acquire Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC), a division of Scott Technologies Inc., for $60 million, L-3 reported yesterday. The deal is expected to be completed during the second quarter and should be accretive to earnings in 1999.
ITT GILFILLAN has won contracts from the Republic of Turkey worth about $45 million for radars for the Turkish Air Force. The awards include MPN-14K radar approach control and MPN-25 ground control approach radars. The MPN-14K provides air traffic control and precision approach services. The modular system includes trailer-mounted mobile and fixed-base configurations. The systems are in addition to seven previously delivered to Turkey. The MPN-25s represent the first international sale of the system, which also is in production for the U.S. Air Force.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) offered an amendment last week designed to force the U.S. State Dept. to obligate an additional $2 million to the Office of Defense Trade Controls, which handles satellite technology transfer issues. Rohrabacher also sought to add language placing additional controls on exports to China and other potentially unfriendly nations. The language was subsequently removed due to concerns that it limited the ability of the U.S. to deal effectively with export problems.
U.S. military pilots will continue restricted low-level flights in Italy, according to a report by a U.S.-Italian commission. The commission, established after a U.S. EA-6B clipped a gondola cable killing 20 people in February 1998, recommended safety procedures that could prevent a similar accident. The commission, co-chaired by U.S. Navy Adm. Joseph W. Prueher and Italian Air Force Lt. Gen. Leonardo Tricarico, did not suggest changes to aircraft equipment or maintenance.
Boeing has successfully completed Year 2000 flight demonstrations of its commercial airplanes, reconfirming earlier laboratory and simulation studies that showed there are no safety of flight issues related to the Y2K date rollover, Boeing Commercial President Alan Mulally said. Mulally said the company also tested a wide range of possible computer-date anomalies, including Feb. 29, 2000, which will be a leap year. There were no surprises, he said.
From Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on April 9, 1999; Printed Issue Date: April 13, 1999; PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS; SUBPART: SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL; CLASSCOD: 18-Space Vehicles; OFFADD: SMC/MCK, 2420 Vela Way, Suite 1467, Bldg. A8, El Segundo, CA 90245 ... SOL F04701-98-R-0043 POC 11. Contact: Technical POC: Major Tom Barth, 310-336-4998; Contracting Officer: Ms Mary Anne O'Bryant, 310-336-4737
Jacques S. Gansler, under secretary of defense for acquisition and technology, has a vision of the future defense industrial base that includes international competition for U.S. procurements and international technology-sharing to make up for what he sees as a lack of innovation outside of the U.S.
April 12, 1999 AlliedSignal Inc., Tempe, Ariz., is being awarded a $13,465,322 face value increase to a firm-fixed-price contract to provide for repair of components of the Avionics Intermediate Shop in support of the F-15 aircraft. There was one firm solicited and one proposal received. Expected contract completion date is Dec. 31, 1999. Solicitation issue date was Aug. 10, 1998. Negotiation completion date was March 25, 1999. San Antonio Air Logistics Center, Kelly AFB, Texas, is the contracting activity (F41608-99-D-0219).
