Russia's critical Service Module for the International Space Station will be shipped by rail to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by May 12, with May 10 the target date for the five-day trip to begin, but it will be June before the Russian Space Agency will be able to say exactly how much work remains before the module can be launched.
The Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 flight test team completed 20 operations in March, a record level of activity, the team said yesterday. Prototype No. 1 flew seven missions, accumulating 137 flight hours in 122 flights. It is evaluating a new main rotor pylon design and other modifications to reduce empennage buffeting. Prototype No. 2 completed its first flight, evaluating flight controls at up to 80 knots. The team also completed 12 instrumented ground runs.
Two companies are planning to offer commercial sounding rockets just as flight opportunities for microgravity research are getting scarcer. Though not yet officially announced, Astrotech of Greenbelt, Md., will be offering a Black Brant equivalent called the Oriole. Astrotech is a subsidiary of Washington, D.C.-based Spacehab.
April 5, 1999 Boeing Co., Berkeley, Mo., was awarded on April 2, 1999, a $50,521,788 face value increase to a firm-fixed-price contract to provide for low rate initial production of 2,527 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits. The work is expected to be completed by January 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Aeronautical Systems Center, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (F08626-94/C-0003, P00138).
Stocks of precision guided weapons are high enough to allow prosecution of the air war against Yugoslavia, Maj. Gen. Charles Wald, vice director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff for strategic plans and policy, said yesterday.
U.S. Air Force controllers were trying to rescue the newest Defense Support Program (DSP) early warning satellite yesterday after its Boeing-built Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) failed to place it in its proper geosynchronous orbit Friday night.
From Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on April 6, 1999; Printed Issue Date: April 9, 1999; PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS (MODIFICATION); SUBPART: SERVICES; CLASSCOD: A-Research and Development; OFFADD: NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812; SOL NRA8-23; POC Chrissa K. Hall, Contracting Officer, Phone (256) 544-5468, Fax (256) 544-9344, Email [email protected] - Harry B. Craig, Contracting Officer, Phone (256) 544-0515, Fax (256) 544-4401, Email [email protected]
The U.K. government has opened the new Defense Aviation and Repair Agency (DARA) at St. Athan, bringing together the military fixed wing and helicopter repair facilities, the Ministry of Defense reported Wednesday. DARA will employ 7,000 people across four sites.
Gen. Richard E. Hawley, commander of the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command, is retiring, the Pentagon announced Friday. He will be replaced by Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, AF vice chief of staff. Lt. Gen. Lester Lyles, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, will replace Eberhart and pin on a fourth star.
BOEING'S 737 AVIONICS Flying Laboratory flew for the first time March 26 from company facilities in Wichita, Kan., in support of the Joint Strike Fighter program, Boeing said Friday. The modified 737-200 is fitted with a 48-inch nose and radome assembly. The plane has made two test flights. Activity to date has evaluated the aircraft's handling characteristics and verified instrumentation and flight data collection systems. The nose will house avionics and instrumentation to aid development of the JSF aircraft.
Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics Sector has expanded its adoption of Engineering Animation Inc.'s (EAI) VisEPM enterprise-wide process management, collaboration, communications and analysis software in an attempt to cut aircraft development time and costs, EAI reported Thursday.
Guidelines have been drafted that will prevent the International Space Station from becoming an orbiting billboard if they are approved by the Space Station Control Board. In essence they require external markings that are "simple, professional, effective for identification and, to the extent practical, standardized," according to a copy of the draft posted on the NASA Watch web site. After Canada and Russia objected last year the rules were rewritten to exclude Station interior surfaces, since several partners including the U.S.
Space ministers from European Space Agency member nations are expected to approve upgrades to the new Ariane 5 launch vehicle when they meet in Brussels next month. Philippe Couillard, chairman of Aerospatiale Strategic Launchers and Space, tells reporters the so-called "Ariane 5 Plus" program will go ahead.
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. reached an agreement with HeliFlite Shares, a fractional corporate helicopter ownership service based at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, to buy an undisclosed interest in one of HeliFlite's Bell 430 program aircraft, Bell reported Tuesday.
A joint venture to lease a wide range of Stage 3 jet engines to commercial airlines has been announced by GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), GE Engine Services (GEES) and the principals of Curtis&Co., of San Francisco. The new venture, called Curtis Power Co., has purchased Curtis' portfolio of engine leases and has obtained what was called "substantial committed capital for acquisition of additional equipment."
RAYTHEON AND FAA signed a government/industry partnership agreement Friday to develop the Local Area Augmentation System. Competing against a Honeywell team that received a similar contract (DAILY, April 5), Raytheon will develop the LAAS ground facility in cooperation with airport and airline team members. During Stage One, a certified, public-use Category I capability will be provided for selected airports and operators participating in the program by late 2000. Stage Two will extend this capability to Category III in the following two years.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank said it is guaranteeing the financing of two Boeing 737-300 aircraft going to China's Zhongyuan Airlines. The two aircraft, powered by CFM International engines, are the fourth and fifth Boeings going to Zhongyuan. The financing, by Chase Securities, is being structured as a full payout finance lease. The Bank of China is guarantor.
The U.S. Air Force has balked at allowing NASA to conduct flight tests of the X-34 reusable launch vehicle technology testbed from Holloman AFB, N.M., throwing the program a last-minute curve that threatens its already-delayed test schedule.
Air Force researchers have conducted more than 20 minutes of experimental firing with a TRW-built electric propulsion system that is the largest of its type tested in orbit, with good results so far.
A senior State Dept. official said he expects the $8 billion sale of 80 Lockheed Martin F-16s to the United Arab Emirates to go through before the end of the year.
The Pentagon's Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration for 1999 has been postponed until 2000 because of "competing resource demands," the project office announced Wednesday. Army Gen. Hugh Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the decision. An abbreviated demonstration will be conducted in July that focuses on combined forces network-centric interoperability technology, policy and doctrine. A full scale effort is scheduled for next year, according to the project office.
L-3 COMMUNICATIONS said Friday that the waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Act relating to L-3 Communications' offer for Aydin Corp. have expired with no requests for additional information. L-3 said it expects to complete its purchase of Aydin shares at midnight, Wednesday, April 14. At the close of business on April 8, about 4.8 million shares of Aydin common stock, or 91.4% of the outstanding shares, had been tendered.
