In the shadow of the F/A-18E/F's first flight, McDonnell Douglas and the Navy last week also completed a major structural milestone for the new fighter. "We successfully passed our 150% wing pull-up structural test," said Capt. Joe Dyer, the Navy's F/A-18 program manager. He said that from an engineering point of view, the structural milestone was more important than first flight.
The beleaguered Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle received another blow with release of a General Accounting Office report that recommends stopping acquisition of the shipboard variant until requirements issues are resolved. "The Department of Defense is at risk of investing in a system that will not be used," GAO said in "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Hunter System Is Not Appropriate For Navy Fleet Use" (NSIAD-96-2). The report said that "all Navy fleet commanders have stated that they do not want the system on Navy ships."
December 1, 1995 Harris Corporation Harris Corporation, Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded a $11,660,338 face value increase to a firm fixed price contract for 51 basic and 39 enhanced small tactical terminals applicable to the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Contract is expected to be completed December 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California is the contracting activity (F04701-94/C-0019, P00016).
Enginemaker Pratt&Whitney will give its 6,100-strong unionized workforce a 9% pay rise over the next three years, along with a first-year bonus and relatively small hikes in health-care premiums in a package ratified by P&W's Machinists over the weekend.
GEN. MAXWELL H. THURMAN, former commander of the U.S. Army Southern Command and leader of the 1989 invasion of Panama, died Friday at age 64. In 1990, he was diagnosed as having leukemia. Before heading Southern Command, Thurman ran Training and Doctrine Command. Before that, he was vice chief of staff of the Army.
A NASA team has identified several legislative changes that may be needed to enable the formation of "NASA Science Institutes" proposed as a way to cut agency costs, but the team also recommends that a pilot institute affiliated with Johnson Space Center be ready to go in 1996.
LT. GEN. RICHARD M. SCOFIELD, commander of the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, retired Friday after a 34-year AF career that included such top acquisition positions as program director for both the F- 117 fighter and B-2 bomber.
An Atlas IIAS booster blasted the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) on its way to the Lagrange point early Saturday after Lockheed Martin ground crews replaced a faulty engine pressure regulator that delayed an attempt last week. Liftoff of the 3,500-pound spacecraft came at 3:08 a.m. EST Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., and it was released from its Centaur upper stage into its transfer orbit about two hours later.
December 1, 1995 General Electric Company General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachusetts, is being awarded a $5,502,740 modification to previously awarded contract N00019-95-C-0104 for 10 Model T700-GE-401 engines for U.S. Marine Corps AH-1W reserve aircraft. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by June 1997. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
With the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle awaiting a production decision, Defense Dept. officials say the U.S. Atlantic Command wants 64 of the UAVs; 10 have been built to date. "We want an additional 54," Maj. Gen. Kenneth Israel, director of the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO), said in an interview. "We want 16 systems," he said, with each system containing three air vehicles, one ground station, and one Trojan Spirit communications system. In addition, 16 attrition air vehicles would be bought.
Two months into a walkout by some 32,500 machinists, Boeing delivered 11 jetliners, down from its pre-strike average of 17 per month, but apparently is trying hard to preserve key programs from disruption.
LOCKHEED MARTIN Defense Systems, Pittsfield, Mass., picked up two contracts totaling $38.8 million for submarine work from the U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Program Office: $410.6 million to incorporate the functions of the MTRE Mk. 9 into the fire control navigation interface subsystem, and $28.2 million for engineering support of fire control systems on both the U.S. and British Trident II subs.
Thiokol Corp. paid a bargain-basement price of only $6.45 million for Air Force Plant 78, the government-owned facility in Promontory, Utah, where the company has built solid fuel rocket motors since 1962. With 121 buildings scattered across 1,515 acres, Plant 78 saw the production of hundreds of motors for Minuteman and MX ICBMs as well as for the Navy's Poseidon and Trident SLBMs. Thiokol will preserve military production capability at Plant 78 for at least five years while it boosts commercial launch vehicle motor fabrication there (DAILY, Nov. 30, page 336).
The company announced the following appointments in the finance, treasury and other headquarters departments: George Rose, director of finance and treasury. David Scannell, director of financial control. Tony Rice, chief executive, British Aerospace Asset Management. David Brent, group treasurer. Robin Southwell, group chief executive of British Aerospace Australia Holdings Ltd., based in Australia.
The U.S. Air Force last week released a document spelling out its doctrinal approach to Information Warfare (IW). "Just as when space warfare was integrated into Air Force doctrine, viewing information as a realm now leads us to add several missions," the Air Force said in the 15-page "Cornerstones of Information Warfare." It listed them as follows: -- "Counterinformation: controlling the information realm; -- "C2 Attack: any action against the enemy's command and control system;
The company listed the following promotions: Eugene L. (Gene) Haggerty, managing director of training services, to vice president of training services. Jeffrey G. (Jeff) Roberts, managing director of sales and marketing, to vice president of sales and marketing. Allison K. Blankenship, director of courseware and communications, to managing director of courseware and communications. Thomas M. (Tom) Ferranti, director of technical services, to managing director of technical services.
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman sheds more light on what he expects out of his long-term planning office headed by Maj. Gen. John Gordon (DAILY, Sept. 21, p. 443). Anticipating another national security review in 1997, Fogleman, meeting with defense reporters, says he wants to ensure that the Air Force contribution to national defense is clearly articulated. Next year's fall Corona session - an annual meeting of top Air Force generals - will be entirely dedicated to the planning office's findings.
Yvonne B. Freeman, NASA's associate administrator for Equal Opportunity Programs since January 1993, has been appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs at Clark Atlanta University. George E. Reese, NASA Deputy General Counsel, has been named acting associate administrator for Equal Opportunity Programs.
William E. Romans, who most recently served as vice president, functional operations, was named president of the Sierra Research Division. He succeeds John T. Buck, who plans to retire next year.
Mark Bitterman has been appointed vice president of government relations. He joined the company as director of government relations in 1992. He will continue serving Orbital as the focal point for congressional relations, executive branch policy, and liaison with state and local governments. Prior to joining Orbital, Bitterman was a special assistant for legislative affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
