The General Accounting Office said the U.S. Army's Apache Longbow helicopter program does not meet two major requirements. First, it said in a new report, the helicopter will be too heavy to meet the vertical rate of climb (VROC) requirement of 450 feet per minute in combat with a full fuel load and 12 missiles.
September 18, 1998 Lockheed Martin Corp., Marietta, Ga., is being awarded a $46,900,000 face value increase to a firm-fixed-price contract to provide for modification of six Air Force Reserve C-130J aircraft to perform weather reconnaissance missions. This effort includes associated data and spares. Expected contract completion date is Sept. 30, 1999. Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-95-C-2055-P00014).
EUROFIGHTER COUNTRIES have signed production contracts worth about $8.3 billion for the first lot of 148 of the jets. The contracts were signed Friday in Munich.
Top officials of the U.S. and Japan this weekend committed to continuing talks about cooperative missile defense programs, but fell short of agreeing to start a cooperative development program. "We intend to continue close cooperation with the United States on ballistic missile defense," Japanese foreign minister Masahiko Koumura said following a meeting in New York of the security consultative committee on Sunday.
SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES SYSTEM has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-600 airliner. SAS, launch customer for the type, took delivery of the plane in Seattle on Sept. 18. It is due to enter service Oct. 25, flying from Stockholm to Paris, according to Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. SAS has 55 next-generation 737s on order, and options for 40 more. The 737-600 won type certification from the European Joint Aviation Authorities last week, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last month.
Boeing Co. is funding development of a tailkit for use on a lightweight version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition that is being targeted at a variety of users, including international customers. Boeing started seriously working last year on the variant of the JDAM kit for the 500-pound Mk. 82 bomb, and is getting ready to flight test a couple of prototypes early next year, Carl A. Avila, Boeing's JDAM program manager, said in an interview in Washington. He said the Mk. 82 was selected because "it's the most prolific bomb in inventory."
Although Hungary hasn't decided which aircraft it will buy to replace its MiG-21s in the near term, the chief of staff of the country's air force said the replacement for its newer MiG-29s will be the Joint Strike Fighter. Lt. Gen. Attila Kositzky said in Washington last week that Hungary plans to replace its 21 MiG-21s starting around 2001 with a new multi-role fighter. Competitors are expected to include the U.S. F-16 and F/A-18, Sweden's JAS-39 Gripen and France's Mirage 2000.
Eurofighter countries were ready to sign an $8.3 billion production contract that included fixed prices for the first batch of 148 fighters and 363 EJ2000 engines. Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. gave formal approval in January to the $30 billion project to produce 620 Eurofighters in three batches. In the first batch of 148, Germany will get 44, Italy 29, Spain 20 and the U.K. 55. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2001 and conclude by 2005.
Steven J. Lamb, president and chief operating officer of Case Corporation, and David J. Lesar, president and chief operating officer of Halliburton Company, have been elected to the board of directors.
Keith Mans, former Vulcan pilot and Member of Parliament, has succeeded Ron Kennett as director of The Royal Aeronautical Society. Kennett has retired after 10 years in this office.
U.S. satellite industry sources objected Friday to the fiscal 1999 defense authorization conference decision to shift licensing of commercial satellite exports from the Commerce Dept. back to the State Dept. (DAILY, Sept. 18), saying it would delay the licensing process. Jurisdiction was shifted from State to Commerce in 1992 under the Bush Administration, and Commerce's authority was enlarged by the Clinton Administration in 1996.
Lockheed Martin has found a problem with the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile seeker which could delay the next flight test, the U.S. Dept. of Defense reported Friday. The problem has been traced to the Operational Amplifier (OpAmp), a device in the seeker. This specific OpAmp was purchased along with others for THAAD at the beginning of the program and installed on all seekers flown to date, the Pentagon said. It said the device, not peculiar to THAAD, has not failed on previous tests of THAAD.
John Cappadona has been appointed director of marketing. He succeed Jonathan Kirchner, who has been appointed director of marketing, Loral Global Alliance.
The U.S. Air Force is launching an initiative to establish relations with other countries through deployments that will translate into more assured access to forward locations in times of crisis, said Gen. John Jumper, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. The AF can do several things to "earn the access" it needs for the basing of combat aircraft, Jumper told reporters at a breakfast in Washington. The goal, he said, is to change what has been a history of bad diplomatic skills.
Despite increasing concern about the global proliferation of ballistic missiles, Gen. John Jumper, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, says there aren't enough potentially hostile missiles to disable USAFE flight operations. He says ports and airfields can be targeted, but too many missiles are needed to completely shut down operations indefinitely. Even toxins probably wouldn't halt things, although they might slow them down. Jumper notes that personnel are constantly training in protective suits to fly and re-arm fighters.
