Gravity measurements taken by NASA's Lunar Prospector probe support the theory that the moon formed from debris ejected when an object the size of Mars smashed into Earth soon after its formation, researchers reported Tuesday.
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force have tested a flutter suppression system on the F-16 that controls oscillations by automatically extending the ailerons when the wings bend. The bending of the limited cycle oscillation, or LCO, induces a side-to-side rolling motion in the cockpit during high speed flight when the aircraft is carrying fuel tanks and weapons, the AF said. It isn't serious enough to damage the aircraft, but can affect the ability of the pilot to perform his mission, the service said.
Details of France's multi-year order in January for 48 Rafale fighters, revealed by the official DGA armament agency, confirm that initial contracts have been placed for 28 aircraft, costing FFr10.3 billion ($1.82 billion). Included are seven naval single-seat Rafale Ms and 21 Rafales for the French air force, of which 14 will be two-seat Rafale Bs and seven will be single-seat Cs. Deliveries will be made between February 2004 and January 2006.
Moody's Investors Service yesterday downgraded Lockheed Martin's senior debt rating to reflect several business challenges the company faces, including its pending acquisition of Comsat Corp. and entry into telecommunications services.
A Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) that could ride to orbit on expendable heavy lifters or a new reusable rocket is getting a close look as NASA ponders its next move in human spaceflight, with the White House throwing an extra $10 million into the agency's budget for more detailed studies of the idea.
Raytheon Co. has won a U.S. Army contract of about $5 million to upgrade simulators for the MH-60K and MH-47E special operations helicopters. Under the award, the eighth engineering change proposal that Raytheon has received since 1988 for simulator work, the company said yesterday that it will provide updates to each simulator's mission processor and host computers, and also deliver new instructor operator stations for each trainer.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet completed its second round of sea trials three days ahead of schedule. Both two-seat F models of the aircraft used in the trials returned to NAS Patuxent River, Md., from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on March 14, Boeing Co. said yesterday. Sea trials began March 3 and included a series of carrier suitability tests, including asymmetric weapons carriage, stores separation, single-engine landings, crosswind takeoffs and landings, and automatic carrier landing system approaches.
AlliedSignal, which makes cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorder (FDRs), said it has the technology to meet new CVR and FDR recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB last week called for the FAA to require retrofit after Jan. 1, 2005, of all CVRs on airplanes required to carry both a CVR and an FDR with a CVR that can record the last two hours of audio.
If successful tests of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Navy Theater Wide (NTW) systems are conducted over the next year, the Pentagon would revise its plans and request more money for both to proceed on similar tracks, Lt. Gen. Lester Lyles, director the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, said yesterday. "I'd really, really love for that to be the situation," he said at a breakfast in Washington when asked what happens if both systems hit targets in upcoming tests.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense has no objections to the proposed BFGoodrich-Coltec merger, BFGoodrich reported yesterday. "We understand the extremely careful review process performed by the Dept. of Defense and are pleased that such an important customer has cleared the way for the Federal Trade Commission to act," said Terrence Linnert, BFGoodrich senior vice president and general counsel.
The Senate yesterday, in a huge victory for the GOP leadership, passed by a vote of 97 to 3 the Cochran/Inouye National Missile Defense Act making it U.S. policy to deploy an NMD system as soon as technologically possible. The White House revoked a veto threat on Tuesday evening, clearing the way for passage of the bill yesterday. Senate sources said the White House removed the threat when it became clear the Senate leadership would have adequate votes to override a veto.
The U.S. Air Force may spend more research and development dollars on non-lethal devices and systems for use in urban warfare, said Maj. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, AF director of strategic planning. "We have yet to fully explore additional concepts and technologies involving the delivery of non-lethal weapons from the air," Schwartz said Tuesday at an industry breakfast in Washington. "This is the next logical step."
Agreement in principle was reached Monday between Britain and Jordan for Britain to supply Challenger Mk 1 main battle tanks to the Jordanian armed forces. Following a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, U.K. Minister for Defense Procurement Lord Gilbert said, "This signal of support to Jordan demonstrates clearly the strength of our continuing friendship with Jordan, and our confidence in its new government." Discussions at the government level on exact numbers and delivery dates to Jordan are scheduled to continue over the next few months.
Hughes Electronics Corp. plans to invest $1.4 billion in a domestic broadband network that will use two geostationary satellites to provide bandwidth-on-demand in North America at prices company executives say will be "competitive" with terrestrial cable. The company plans to grow its new "Spaceway" network to worldwide coverage using partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia, and to enhance its capability with a non-GEO satellite constellation to be developed later.
The Senate, in a 99 to 0 vote yesterday, passed an amendment linking U.S. policy on national missile defense (NMD) to continued arms reductions talks with Russia. The Senate passed an amendment, offered by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), to the Cochran-Inouye bill, that makes it U.S. policy to seek continued negotiated reductions in Russian nuclear forces.
Keeping a promise made by executives earlier this year, Boeing Co. yesterday officially unveiled plans to expand modification and engineering services for its commercial aircraft with a new unit called Boeing Airplane Services.
Tech-Sym Corp., Houston, will lease air combat training instrumentation for all U.S. Air Force F-15 and F-16 squadrons in Europe. The company said yesterday that the agreement is valued at $3.47 million and has options that, if fully exercised, would be worth $36.9 million. It said deliveries are expected to begin in May 1999 and, if options are exercised, the lease would be extended into the year 2004.
Bahrain is in line to get 26 AIM-120B AMRAAM missiles from the U.S. for $110 million. The Dept. of Defense has proposed the sale, which must be approved by Congress. The sale would include the equipment, technical expertise and training necessary to support the missiles, which Bahrain would use "to enhance the air-to-air defense capability of its F-16 aircraft and to increase interoperability with U.S. forces," the Pentagon said Monday. Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., is the prime contractor.
The FAA got good grades from officials of the General Accounting Office and Dept. of Transportation for what they said was the agency's strong effort on Year 2000 computer readiness and establishment of a management structure to ensure compliance. But, in a hearing before two House subcommittees on Monday, GAO and DOT witnesses were less confident about FAA compliance on some other elements of aviation operations.
NASA has plans to hold an open competition for a private venture to manage the 30% of its International Space Station capability set aside for commercial research, and would be willing to expand that percentage if there is market demand, Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said yesterday.
The problem of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery systems is high on the agenda of an upcoming NATO summit, Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said yesterday. Slated for the summit, he said, are discussions of how the alliance can pool its expertise and information on WMD proliferation.
GROEN BROTHERS AVIATION (GBA) opened a flight operation facility at the Buckeye Municipal Airport near Phoenix for flight testing, training, sales and service for its Hawk 4 gyroplane. GBA said yesterday that it will test its new production model Hawk 4 this spring before it debuts at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., this summer. The facility includes a 12,000 square foot shop area, 3,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of covered tie down area.
A NASA plan intended to prepare the agency to react if one of its partners on the International Space Station fails to deliver expected hardware and support lacks needed details, including the effects of a "contingency" on cost and schedule and descriptions of precisely what NASA would do to work around the problem, according to an audit by the agency's inspector general.
