U.S. ARMY MISSILE COMMAND is soliciting industry interest for airborne and field sensors test and evaluation support services for the Redstone Technical Test Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. "This effort supports the testing of optical and electronic sensor packages and the development of unmanned aerial vehicle testbed technology," MICOM said in a May 8 Commerce Business Daily notice. It said the program will require 5,604 man-hours of effort.
Technologies to detect weapons concealed on individuals are being solicited by the U.S. Air Force and the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency. The AF's Rome Laboratory, Griffiss AFB, N.Y., said in May 8 Commerce Business Daily notice that it and ARPA are seeking proposals "for the innovative development and demonstration of technologies for the unobtrusive, accurate detection of concealed weapons, principally handguns and stabbing and edged weapons concealed on individuals."
The Senate yesterday confirmed John Deutch as the 17th director of central intelligence (DCI) by a vote of 98-0, clearing the way for him to begin implementing major changes in the way the U.S. intelligence community does business. Shortly afterword, the White House announced the nomination of John White, chairman of the Pentagon's roles and missions commission, to succeed Deutch as deputy defense secretary. White's appointment, which is subject to Senate approval, had been expected for several weeks (DAILY, April 18, page 90).
The U.S. is sending a mix of old and new aircraft to this year's Paris Air Show, including the X-31 thrust-vectoring demonstrator, the XV-15 and V-22 tiltrotor aircraft, and the C-17 airlifter, according to a tentative list released yesterday by the Pentagon. The Army is bringing four aircraft, plus an Avenger anti-aircraft system on static display, while the Air Force is bringing seven aircraft and the Navy boasts eight. Both the X-31 and the XV-15 will take part in flying demonstrations.
McDonnell Douglas Corp. on April 28 received four contracts totaling $224 million. All were under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The biggest contract, for $164 million, was for continued effort on the F-15S fighter program for Saudi Arabia. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center.
May 5, 1995 Boeing Helicopters, a division of Boeing Company, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, is being awarded a $6,020,000 ceiling-priced order for purchase of 301 rotor drive shafts in support of the H-46 helicopter. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (60%) and at a site to be determined (40%). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy Aviation Supply Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-91-G-K512-0277).
AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., received an $8.9 million addition to an earlier contract from the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center to complete a simulator for the Electronic Combat Training system. Work under the latest contract, awarded April 28, is to be completed in August 1996, according to the Dept. of Defense.
Peaceshield 95 will be the first joint U.S.-Ukrainian peacekeeping exercise. The U.S. will send the 3rd Infantry Division's C Company and the 6th Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion, both based in Vilseck, Germany, to train with the Ukrainian 24th Mootorized Rifle Division's 1st Company, and the 7th Motorized Rifle Regiment's 1st Battalion. The exercise will take place May 23 through May 27 in L'vov, Ukraine, under the Partnership for Peace umbrella.
Orbital Sciences Corp. is hoping to receive U.S. government approval as early as this week for a Saudi Arabian firm's investment in its OrbView commercial remote sensing venture. Orbital is expecting a positive ruling "momentarily" on EIRAD Co.'s investment in OrbView (formerly Eyeglass), Gilbert Rye, president of Orbital's Orbimage subsidiary, said in an interview yesterday.
Cathay Pacific may take its first steps toward mixed-fleet flying with its Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft by July, John Bent, the airline's flying training manager, said last week at Airbus Industrie press briefings here. The carrier is working with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department to develop "practical rules" to allow pilots to operate either aircraft on a regular basis with minimal additional training, taking advantage of the commonality in cockpits and handling characteristics of the two models.
McDonnell Douglas moved its VP-affordability, Donald R. McGovern, to take over its Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) demonstrator program, and Keith R. Hertzenberg, the advanced aircraft programs VP who has been running JAST since December, will become deputy program manager. "With the program now entering a critical stage of concept development, I have elected to elevate our effort to the status of a full development program," said McDonnell Douglas Aerospace President John Capellupo in a prepared statement yesterday.
BEIJING may be moderating its tone on a Jan. 25 loss of a Long March rocket and its payload, a Hughes-built communications satellite. Government-controlled Chinese media initially blamed the satellite for the explosion and even raised the possibility that saboteurs blew up the rocket with a remote control signal. But Boasheng Chen, who heads China Great Wall Industry Corp.'s Washington office, said last week that Chinese officials have met with Hughes twice and that both parties are seeking "the correct and scientific results as soon as possible."
Westinghouse Electric Corp. said its AN/AAR-54(V) passive missile approach warning system detected all missiles fired at it during a two-day live-fire demonstration by the U.S. Navy at China Lake, Calif.
Texas Instruments will carry out engineering and manufacturing development of the unitary variant of the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) under a procurement planned by Naval Air Systems Command. NavAir said in a May 8 Commerce Business Daily notice that an option for Limited Rate Initial Procurement (LRIP) would be included in the effort.
Senate Armed Services ranking Democrat Sen. Sam Nunn (Ga.) told a subcommittee hearing on the revolution in military warfare Friday that he does not expect Russia to compete with the U.S. in the expensive world of surveillance and communications technology but to put greater reliance on its nuclear capability instead.
CANADA is moving toward "joint arrangements" with the private sector in the communications satellite business, and the contacts extend beyond the satellite manufacturing industry, Canadian Space Agency President W. MacDonald Evans told an AIAA audience. The space agency is working with "the service providers, the telephone companies, the cable companies, our international carriers...to insure Canadian industry will benefit from the Canadian space program," he said.
The House Budget Committee is scheduled to release a plan tomorrow to balance the federal budget by 2002, and according to drafts circulating over the weekend NASA could be in for as much as an $8 billion hit over seven years. At first glance the cut appears in line with the Clinton Administration's plans to trim $5 billion from the space agency's out-year budget, a move the White House says will generate $8 billion in savings when inflation is factored in (DAILY, March 28, page 462).
CHINA has its eye on the commercial satellite business. By the end of the decade, China will commit to the development of "high-capacity communications and broadcasting satellites," Wang Liheng, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, told an audience last week at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conference in Arlington, Va.
JAPAN'S H-2 ROCKET shouldn't be limited to launching domestic payloads, Takashi Matsui, president of that nation's space agency, NASDA, told an AIAA audience. With three "near perfect" launches under its belt, NASDA wants to use the H-2 for "launching satellites based on international cooperation," such as lunar and planetary probes, he said. The H-2 can also be utilized for the "transporting of materials to the International Space Station," he said.
