The Defense Dept. could generate big savings by substantially reducing the amount of depot work it performs itself and transferring it to the private sector, the Congressional Budget Office says in a study released Friday. "[T]he government might save on the order of $1 billion annually if the Congress limited the percentage of maintenance handled in public depots to no more than 30% of DOD's total workload," according to a summary of the study, "Public and Private Roles in Maintaining Military Equipment at the Depot Level."
Software integration will determine when the Tier III Minus unmanned aerial vehicle makes its first flight, according to the leader of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing team that is building the stealthy UAV. Bruce Wright said in a telephone interview that the first flight of the high altitude endurance vehicle, also known as DarkStar, "is being paced by avionics integration and software releases."
Three of four Standoff Land Attack Missiles launched Wednesday scored direct hits on a target on San Nicolas Island, Calif., the U.S. Navy said Friday. Five fleet naval squadrons conducted the coordinated SLAM strike on a simulated target, marking the second time that multiple SLAMs have been launched in a simulated tactical engagement. The objective of the training exercise was land employment, tactics and coordination.
Northrop Grumman Corp. reported a 22% jump in net income during for the second quarter to $79 million as sales rose a modest 4% to $1.76 billion over the same period a year earlier. About half of the income growth came from cumulative margin rate adjustments made during the second quarter to the B-2 and C-17 aircraft programs that led to a $34 million improvement in operating margins. But that was offset by a downward adjustment on the Boeing 747 jetliner program because of a contract stretchout.
A modified Standard Missile Block III intercepted a cruise missile- like target during recent tests to support the Navy's Lower Tier theater missile defense program. The Block III was fitted with a MHIP, or Missile Homing Improvement Program, which adds a gimbal-mounted infrared guidance system for autonomous target acquisition and tracking to the missile, a Hughes Missile Systems statement said. The missile intercepted and destroyed the Vandal target in a flight test conducted in late June.
The Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office is assessing the state of technology for lightweight, heavy fuel engines to decide whether to award a contract for the development of such a powerplant, according to DARO Director Maj. Gen. Ken Israel. UAV experts believe they are two or three years away from certifying a capable, lightweight, heavy fuel engine, but some companies think they can beat the two-year mark, Israel told The DAILY last week during an interview in his Pentagon office.
Comsat Corp. yesterday announced several measures aimed at enhancing competitiveness as it released second quarter 1995 figures showing slight increases in revenues and net income. The company said revenues for the quarter ended June 30 were $210.8 million, up $3 million from the second quarter of 1994. Net income was $22 million, up $400,000. For the first half of 1995, revenues were up 2.5%, to $418 million, but net income for the six month period declined by $5.2 million, to $36.6 million.
JAPAN has placed an order for $239 million in U.S. weapons systems, including 20 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets and 57 Standard Missiles. Australia, meanwhile, has asked to purchase 12 of Harpoon missile warheads, 21 Harpoon training missiles, missile and warhead containers, spares and logistics support for $38 million.
NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) program is entering a new phase as high data rate (HDR) Earth stations developed under a joint program with the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) come on line.
July 19, 1995 Boeing Defense and Space Group, Seattle, Washington, is being awarded a $8,763,132 firm fixed price contract for 4 triband radomes applicable to the E-4B aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed March 1997. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This transaction was Sole-Source. Solicitation began February 1995; negotiations were complete July 1995. Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts is the contracting activity (F19628-95/C-0057).
McDonnell Douglas yesterday announced the elevation of its chief financial officer to the newly created position of deputy president of its aerospace operation. The promotion of Herbert J. Lanese, 50, was made to help prepare him to succeed John Capellupo, 60, as president of McDonnell Douglas Aerospace when he retires "within the next few years," the company said. In making the announcement, McDonnell Douglas CEO Harry C. Stonecipher praised Lanese's "significant role in McDonnell Douglas' great turnaround."
A unit of Comsat Corp. has beat out teams led by Hughes, Loral, AT&T and MCI for a contract to provide satellite communications and bandwidth services to the U.S Defense Dept. Comsat RSI's contract for the Commercial Satellite Communications Initiative is initially valued at $3.7 million. But the Pentagon can order up to 45 transponder leases and up to five bandwidth management centers over the coming decade, bringing the contract's total potential value to more than $750 million, Comsat said.
Rep. David Obey (Wis.), ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, claims there are enough opponents of the B-2 bomber to win an expected House floor vote to strike the $493 million add- on for the program from the fiscal 1996 defense appropriations bill (DAILY, July 21, page 98)-but he won't identify the switchers from the June 13 219- 203 House vote in favor of B-2 funding because, saying this would just increase the pressure on them.
MAURY J. MECHANICK has been named to represent Comsat on the Intelsat Board of Governors. He replaces Betty Alewine, who has held the position since 1991.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended creation of a Defense Modernization Account which would permit savings in Defense Dept. procurement and installation management to be set aside for modernization. To encourage savings by the services and DOD components, funds placed in the account would be reserved for use by the military service or DOD component that generated the savings. Funds would be available only for modernization of an existing system, a system that is the subject of an ongoing procurement, or to increase the procurement quantity of a system.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR Lawton Chiles wrote President Clinton urging him to give "careful consideration to domestic economic needs"-i.e. U.S. launchers- when negotiating a launch agreement to allow Ukraine's entry into the commercial market. That agreement is expected to be concluded in September.
SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA signed a $16 million contract to supply a VSAT network to China's Yunnan King Modle Tobacco Telecom Corp. to connect over 2,200 manufacturing, distribution and retail locations throughout China.
Once a permanent site for the UAV squadron is approved, air vehicles won't arrive for at least several months. However, a static display of the Tier II Predator will be at the stand-up ceremony. AF and UAV officials are working out when the Predator will be "brought into the fold" and how to transition the medium-altitude endurance drone from an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration to an operational program, one defense official said. ACC has a draft concept of operations on UAVs out for comment.
A low-orbit navigation satellite launched by Russia earlier this month is the first in a new batch of modified spacecraft capable of user tracking and data relay along with regular positioning service. The satellite, officially named Cosmos 2315, was launched by Russia's Space Forces from the Plesetsk site at 11:09 p.m. EDT July 4. A Cosmos-3M launcher inserted the satellite into a nominal orbit with an apogee of 1,027 kilometers, a perigee of 988 kilometers, an inclination of 82.91 degrees and a period of 104.99 minutes.
General Electric may finally get the chance to finish F-15/F110 qualification testing it began six years ago but abandoned when the U.S. Air Force stopped buying the McDonnell Douglas fighters. Thanks to House Appropriators who found the $5 million needed, GE plans to re-start qualification flight testing in December, kicking off a 25-flight test series. The F110 flew 21 qualification flights in the F-15 in 1989 as a potential rival to the F-15's Pratt&Whitney F100 engine.
IRIDIUM INC. has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed offering aimed at raising $300 million. The offering of senior subordinated discount notes is expected to take place in September and will be underwritten by Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.
