Representatives of the two major U.S. makers of solid-fuel rockets charged yesterday the defense industrial base is threatened by the policy that allows China to launch U.S. satellites, because China is undercutting the U.S. commercial space launch industry that sustains large solid-fuel rocket production in the post-Cold War environment.
DRS TECHNOLOGIES INC., Parsippany, N.J., won a $3.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy to provide additional Combat Display Emulator consoles. The award is an option from a contract awarded in February 1994. The value of the contract to date is $30.4 million. Work will be done by the company's DRS Electronic Systems Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.
The House approved a $250.7 billion fiscal 1999 defense appropriations bill by a vote of 358-61 late Wednesday. Before passage, members gave voice-vote approval to an amendment that would prohibit the Defense Dept. from using any funding in the bill to enter into or renew contracts with a company owned or partially owned by the People's Republic of China or the People's Liberation Army of the PRC.
The once beleaguered AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver for the F/A-18 entered operational evaluation this week after receiving the top grade in operational assessment, the first step toward opeval. In operational assessment, the system got a rating of "potentially effective and potentially suitable," according to Capt. Doug Henry, Naval Air Systems Command's program manager for tactical electronic warfare programs. "That's been a success story," he said in an interview here.
Litton Industries posted a 12% rise in earnings in its 1998 third quarter, with help from improved results in the defense and commercial electronics units. Litton earned $46.8 million in the quarter, up form $42 million in the same period the year before. Sales remained relatively flat at $1.1 billion.
The chairman of the special House committee investigating whether national security was compromised when a report on a failed 1996 Chinese satellite launch to Chinese officials without clearance, refused yesterday to commit the panel to an investigation of what happened to a U.S. encoded circuit board that was missing in the wreckage. The device is used to control satellites. Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) said, "On that point, there has been no decision."
Boeing is talking with three Japanese companies - Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Fuji - about possible participation in main wing production for the 717 airliner. A contract was awarded to a Korea's Hyundai, but Boeing Commercial Airplane Group president Ron Woodard suggested that if demand warrants, one of the Japanese companies would be a candidate for additional work.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said yesterday after a lengthy closed hearing in which government technical experts testified that "it is clear there were some serious problems with how U.S. companies interacted with Chinese launch service providers." Shelby said in a statement that the panel discussed assessments of the potential transfer of technical information by U.S. satellite manufacturers to Chinese aerospace companies as well as reports previously withheld from the investigation by Attorney General Janet Reno.
Avidyne Corp. and Trimble Navigation Ltd. signed a joint marketing and support agreement for general aviation situational awareness products, focusing on creation of a central flight information display product for the general aviation marketplace.
The second attempt to launch a Zenit-2 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome was scrubbed yesterday because of an unresolved problem with the rocket's azimuth targeting equipment. A 24-hour delay after the first launch attempt was aborted on Tuesday proved insufficient to resolve the problem, and launch managers decided to remove the rocket from the pad and replace faulty elements in the assembly and checkout building. A new launch date was tentatively set for June 29 or 30.
Lockheed Martin will perform wind tunnel tests on its Joint Strike Fighter at the National Aerospace Laboratory wind tunnel in the Netherlands this August, the company announced. Scale model tests will be conducted at the lab's 9.5-by-9.5 meter low speed wind tunnel. The Netherlands is participating in the JSF development program as an associate partner. The government has made $75 million available for Dutch companies to use in pursuing technologies applicable to JSF prototypes being designed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Raytheon Systems Co., Lexington, Mass., received a $10.5 million contract option from the German Federal Office for Defense Technology Procurement for modifications of the Breguet 1150 "Atlantic" maritime patrol aircraft operated by the German Navy. The company said a total of 16 aircraft will be modified over the next two years. Raytheon was selected in November 1995 for the original firm, fixed-price contract for the development phase. Under the series production phase, it will provide 16 navigation kits, with 14 being installed in Germany by a field team.
The U.S. National Security Agency has declassified algorithms related to the Fortezza PC card, used for encryption, to allow development of lower-cost commercial systems that could be used to handle sensitive but unclassified information. The release is restricted to the Skipjack 80-bit encryption algorithm and the 1024-bit Key Exchange Algorithm (KEA), the NSA said yesterday. The source code for both algorithms was declassified, a requirement for development of alternative systems. Both new hardware and software products are being sought.
Dassault's proposed Falcon supersonic business jet could fly nonstop 4,000 miles at a cruise speed of 1.8 Mach, carrying eight passengers, according to Chairman Serge Dassault. Dassault, presenting the design concept to operators of the current, subsonic, Falcon business jet, said that noise-suppression technology would allow the aircraft to satisfy current Stage 3 requirements, and that it could fly from typical corporate airport runways.
Boeing Space Transportation is studying whether it will be possible to build a substitute propulsion module for the International Space Station from existing Space Shuttle components as a relatively inexpensive way to replace the Russian Service Module if Moscow fails to deliver the critical piece of hardware, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin told Congress yesterday.
The U.S. has extended a letter of offer to Singapore for eight AH-64D Apache helicopters, but not the accompanying Longbow fire control radar. The deal, which would be worth $620 million, would include 216 laser- guided Hellfire II missiles, four spare Hellfire launchers, 9,120 Hydra-70 rockets, two spare T700-GE-701C engines, two spare Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS) systems and avionics, and electronic warfare equipment. Singapore is one of several non-NATO countries cleared to buy the helicopter but not the radar.
With Senate Majority Leader Tent Lott (R-Miss.) committed to clearing the fiscal 1999 defense authorization bill before next week's congressional recess, the Senate yesterday resumed consideration of the Armed Services Committee - approved bill with the focus on funding U.S. operations in Bosnia.
The first Rolls-Royce powered A330-300 made its debut flight yesterday, marking the beginning of a flight test schedule that will result in type certification by yearend. The aircraft flew in Airbus livery from Toulouse for four hours and 30 minutes.
European Union competition authorities have approved Snecma's takeover of Messier Dowty and its acquisition of the landing gear overhaul business of Messier Dowty's owner, Britain's IT Group. The EU said the French state-owned engine company's purchase of Messier, authorized June 19, poses no threat to competitive conditions in Europe's landing gear industry since airlines have significant buying power in the sector.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems won an engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract from the U.S. Air Force for the Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) for the F-16C/D. CCIP, the company said, will provide avionics upgrades to Block 40 and 50 F-16s, with a key element being a common hardware and software avionics configuration for the two blocks.
The Senate Armed Services Committee, after an executive session Monday night, declined to report to the Senate the nomination of Florida State Senator Daryl L. Jones as Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, a committee spokesman said. As of yesterday, he said, Jones had not been called for another appearance before the committee, which would be the next step in the confirmation process.
Orbital Sciences Corp., enjoying a $3.5 billion backlog in orders for space systems, plans to build a 175,000-square-foot "satellite factory" at its Dulles, Va., headquarters location to consolidate its workforce and accommodate another 1,000 to 1,500 workers over the next three years. In ceremonies at the site yesterday, the company also announced plans to build a new control center for its Orbimage subsidiary, and to expand the facilities there already in use by the company's Orbcomm unit.
Raytheon Co. will produce 813 AIM-120B and AIM-120C Advanced Medium- Range Air-to-Air Missiles for the U.S. Air Force under a new $243 million contract. The company said award includes a previously announced $168.2 million firm-fixed price contract for Lot 12 production of 554 AMRAAMs (DAILY, April 15). The award supports missile deliveries, program engineering and logistic services through July 2000 to the U.S. Air Force and Navy as well as Foreign Military Sales to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Options are included for Lots 13 through 15.
Rear Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, the U.S. Navy's principal adviser on the Theater Wide (Upper Tier) and Area Wide (Lower Tier) missile defense systems, said yesterday that a $2 billion to $3 billion budget boost would achieve Block I Theater Wide capability in 36 to 40 months - four to five years earlier than now planned.
